Opportunities for Transparent Conductors in the Touch-Screen Display Industry—2011

Report Summary

Touch-screen devices have gone from being a sleepy niche in the display industry to one of its fastest growing segments.  Touch-screen displays – or rather the touch sensors that sit on top of them – are also large users of transparent conductive coatings.  No surprise then that touch screens are seen as an immediate opportunity for the many new firms that are crowding into the transparent conductor market.  And the attractiveness of the touch-screen market to the makers of novel transparent conductors is enhanced by the fact that the touch- sensor industry seems more than willing to rid themselves of a dependence on ITO with its high costs and low mechanical performance.

However, today one medium-sized factory producing transparent conductors is large enough to produce all the transparent conducting materials that the touch-sensor business needs for the foreseeable future.  No one can blame the transparent conductor makers for chasing after customers who are willing to buy right now.  But the question arises as to how much the touch-screen sector should really mean to them.  Touch-screens may be an opportunity, but are they a big enough opportunity to build a substantial business on?  Are touch screens just a way for firms manufacturing transparent conductors to bring in some short-term money in a difficult economic climate, or will they be a step to bigger things?
 
In this new report, NanoMarkets provides readers with a deeper understanding of the latest trends, requirements and potential of the touch-screen sector from the perspective of the transparent conductor industry.  Although frequently lumped together, there are many types of touch-screen displays and this report examines the potential for each as a market for transparent conductors.  The report also discusses what the challenges and opportunities will be for transparent conductor firms if – as expected by some – touch sensors start to be integrated not by third parties, but by the big flat panel display firms in Asia.

This report provides a granular analysis and forecast of all the new markets that are opening up for transparent conductors in the burgeoning touch-screen industry.  By examining each of the main touch-screen technologies we determine and quantify the opportunities for transparent conductors in this space over the next eight-years, what kind of conductors will be needed and who is best suited to supply them.   The analysis presented here is illustrated with critical discussions of the strategies that are currently being deployed by transparent conductor firms as they attack touch screen markets.

Executive Summary
E.1 How willing is the touch-screen sensor industry to abandon ITO?
E.2 Where the opportunities are
E.2.1 Analog resistive touch markets
E.2.2 Projected capacitive
E.2.3 Other
E.3 Opportunities by type of materials supplier
E.3.1 Alternative TCOs
E.3.2 Conductive polymers
E.3.3 Nanomaterials
E.4 How will in-cell touch change the opportunity profile for transparent conductor makers
E.5 Summary of eight-year forecasts of transparent conductors used in touch-screen displays
 
Chapter One : Introduction
1.1 Background to this report
1.2 Objective and scope of this report
1.3 Methodology of this report
1.4 Plan of this report
 
Chapter Two: Available Markets for Transparent Conductors in the Touch-Screen Industry
2.1 Resistive technology touch screens as a market for transparent conductors
2.1.1 Use of transparent conductors in analog resistive technology
2.1.2 The future of analog resistive technology
2.1.3 Openness to new transparent conductors by analog resistive touch sensor firms
2.1.4 Transparent conductors for digital resistive touch technologies
2.2 Capacitive technology touch-screens as a market for transparent conductors
2.2.1 Use of transparent conductors in projected capacitive technology
2.2.2 The future of projected capacitive technology
2.2.3 Openness to new transparent conductors by projected capacitive touch sensor firms
2.2.4 Transparent conductors for surface capacitive touch technologies
2.3 Opportunities for transparent conductors in other types of display touch sensors
2.3.1 Infrared
2.3.2 SAW
2.3.3 Acoustic pulse recognition
2.3.4 Dispersive signal technology
2.3.5 Force sensing
2.3.6 Optical
2.4 Transparent conductors for in-cell/in-pixel technologies
 
Chapter Three: Materials Supplier Perspectives
3.1 Alternative transparent conductive oxide suppliers
3.1.1 Ability of alt-TCOs to replace ITO in touch displays
3.1.2 Success stories and challenges to date for alt-TCO makers in the touch-sensor market
3.1.3 Future opportunities for alt-TCO makers in the touch sensor market
3.2 Conductive polymer suppliers
3.2.1 The potential for conductive polymers to replace ITO on low-end touch displays
3.1.2 Success stories and challenges to date for conductive polymer makers in the touch-sensor market
3.1.3 Future opportunities for conductive polymer makers in the touch sensor market
3.3 Nanomaterials suppliers
3.3.1 Carbon nanotube and silver nanostructure inks as an ITO replacement
3.3.2 Success stories and challenges to date for nanomaterials makers in the touch-sensor market
3.3.3 Future opportunities for conductive polymer makers in the touch sensor market
 
Chapter Four: Forecasts of Transparent Conductor Demand by the Touch-Screen Industry
4.1 Forecasting methodology
4.2 Forecast of transparent conducting material used by the touch-screen industry, by market sector
4.3 Forecast of transparent conducting material used by the touch-screen industry, by type of transparent conductor

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