FlexTouch Technologies have released a new generation of metal mesh touch sensors that achieve 3-micron linewidth to volume production.
Due to their low electrical resistance and fast response times, metal mesh touch sensors offer superior touch performance and are quickly replacing the traditional ITO sensors. Device makers typically place metal mesh touch sensors on top of display panels. This requires the touch sensors to be highly transparent. However, because metals are opaque and can interfere with the viewing experience, many innovative design and process techniques are required to achieve high transparency.
One of the key objectives is to make the mesh lines so narrow that they cannot be detected by the naked eye. Most industry experts agree that a 3-micron line width is a key threshold that metal mesh sensors must meet to achieve a perfect optical performance. However, as line widths get narrower, touch sensors become more prone to production defects and environmental stresses. FlexTouch successfully addressed this by improvements to its production processes.
“We achieved this significant milestone by leveraging our expertise on both sensor design and process innovation,” says Esat Yilmaz CTO of FlexTouch, “our patented sensor design provides inherent defect tolerance capability. Our additive manufacturing process allows us to achieve narrow line widths without sacrificing production yield. As displays become more vibrant and higher resolution, metal mesh sensors must keep up the pace to give the consumer an uncompromised interactive viewing experience. Our innovative and hardworking team will continue to improve our product design and manufacturing process.”
