Dec 19 2013
3M announces the launch of a new touch sensor film, 3M™ Patterned Silver Nanowire Film, that combines the expertise of two leading technology and manufacturing companies to provide the quality, unique attributes, and volume that touch screen manufacturers demand.
3M plans to ramp up its total global touch sensor film manufacturing capacity to more than 600,000 square meters per month in 2014, which includes 3M™ Patterned Silver Nanowire Touch Sensor Film, 3M™ Patterned Metal Mesh Touch Sensor Film and 3M™ Advanced ITO Touch Sensor Film. This capacity will help support the growing demand for consumer touch enabled devices such as tablets, laptops, all-in-ones (AIO) and monitors.
Magnified silver nanowire (Photo: Business Wire)
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 customized 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.
“3M’s Silver Nanowire Film leverages best-in-class capabilities of two global leaders in the touch sensor space,” says 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.”
About 3M Company, Electronic Solutions Division
ESD is a leading provider of advanced electronic thin substrates and sensors, components and comprehensive systems for enhancing and managing electronic signal properties. The products help customers in consumer electronics, touch panels, enterprise and networking, industrial and factory automation, semiconductor and component markets worldwide. Learn more at: http://www.3Melectronics.com. Information about 3M Company is available online.
About Cambrios
Cambrios leads the industry in providing innovative solutions using nanotechnology. Its breakthrough silver nanowire-based transparent conductors simplify electronics manufacturing and improve end-product cost and performance for electronic devices. The company's ClearOhm® product is a transparent conductor with significantly higher optical and electrical performance than traditional materials and methods. Applications of ClearOhm include touch screens, EMI shielding, LCDs, ePaper, OLED lighting and thin film photovoltaics. Cambrios is headquartered in Sunnyvale, Calif., with offices in Japan and Taiwan.
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