Heraeus, in collaboration with Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), has developed an improved mass-manufacturing process for its Clevios-based films used in touch panels and sensors. This process will enable companies to use Clevios-based films to produce touch screens with greater functionality, such as being flexible, curved, three-dimensional or wearable.
 
The research of Heraeus and ITRI encompassed its Clevios PEDOT conductive polymer coated films (provided by EOC/Nanya Plastics and Eternal Materials Co.) to fully functional seven-inch touch panels. Optimum parameter sets with wide process windows were determined for all processing steps of sensor patterning, silver trace printing, FPC bondin, and touch sensor film lamination.

The seven-inch touch panels produced were fully functional, performed five-point multi-touch and pilot production suggesting high yields. Also, a new fine-line low temperature silver paste LT Silver P optimized for Clevios touch sensors was used for the silver trace screen-printing.
 
“After presenting the world-first foldable 7” Clevios touch panel integrated with a flexible AMOLED Display at Touch Taiwan in August, this is another milestone of our successful cooperation with Heraeus in the field of conductive polymer touch panel technology” said Dr. Janglin Chen, VP of ITRI and general director of ITRI’s Display Technology Center.