CIE Components in Electronics
3M has launched a new touch sensor film, the 3M Patterned Silver Nanowire Film. The company is planning to ramp up its total global touch sensor film manufacturing capacity to more than 600,000 square meters per month in 2014, and this will include the Patterned Silver Nanowire Touch Sensor Film, 3M’s Patterned Metal Mesh Touch Sensor Film and its Advanced ITO Touch Sensor Film. The decision to raise production capacity comes in response to the growing demand for consumer touch enabled devices such as tablets, laptops, all-in-ones (AIO) and monitors.
The 3M Patterned Silver Nanowire consists of conductors made of Cambrios’ silver nanowire ink which is micropatterned by 3M on a polyester (PET) film substrate. The material is highly transparent with a target transmittance of greater than 89 percent and exhibits good optical clarity and low haze. Sheet resistance can be customised with targeted coated sheet resistances ranging from 45 to 100 ohms per square, providing fast response time for a pleasing end-customer experience.
The film can support touch screens with diagonal sizes suitable for phones and tablets, as well as large area touch screens over 46” (diagonal) for applications such as signage and gaming. Unlike ITO products, the flexible silver nanowire material can conform to angles and rounded surfaces, eliminating many design constraints and enabling next-generation curved, and rollable touch sensors.
According to Voyl Divljakovic, vice president and general manager, 3M Electronic Solutions Division, “The combination of 3M’s expertise in optical films and Cambrios’s technology in silver nanowire inks are combining to create a product that will enable new design possibilities, such as curved or wrapped bezel displays, for our customers.”
“Our collaboration with 3M, together with their broad portfolio of products designed with ClearOhm inks, extends our customer base in both established and emerging markets worldwide,” said John LeMoncheck, President and CEO, Cambrios Technologies Corporation. “Through this partnership, global OEMs, ODMs and touch sensor manufacturers will now have access to our silver nanowire based transparent conductors for a variety of high volume applications.”
