Touchscreen Displays

Although touchscreen technology has been around since the 1960s, it has only recently gained widespread usage (thanks in large part to Apple's iPhone, and more recently, iPad).

How Touchscreens Work

All touchscreen technologies rely on an external stimulus (usually a finger or a stylus) to alter the electromagnetic field on the surface of the screen. This change in fields is fed to a microprocessor, which interprets these stimulii as a two-dimensional (x,y) location similar to how a computer mouse operates.


The science behind touchscreens is growing rapidly and there are over 20 different touchscreen technologies in production, but almost all rely in transparent conductive materials such as indium tin oxide (ITO) film. This film provides the resistive and capacitive grid networks that capture the touch signals.


Today's Challenges

While ITO film is currently the industry standard, a number of limitations are driving current research and development. First, ITO film is not flexible and cracks easily. This is particularly important in touchscreen displays utilizing analog resistive technology. Second, indium - a critical ingredient in ITO film - is expensive and subject to wide price fluctuations both in material cost and production cost. Third, ITO film blocks anywhere from 10-30% of light, reducing optical brightness and clarity. Finally, ITO film is not as conductive as other materials, limiting the touchscreen's sensitivity.

How Nanomaterials Help

Very similar to how the SLV-160 solar panel conductive film benefits solar cell efficiency, a conductive film utilizing silver nanowires offers several unique advantages over ITO film for touchscreen displays:


  • Silver is the most electrically conductive elemant know to man.
  • Silver nanowires form a ubiqitous network, reducing series resistance far below ITO film levels.
  • Silver nanowire-based conductive films are flexible and not susceptible to cracking.
  • Silver nanowires offer unique optical advantages over ITO film due to their nanoscale structure.

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