ITO Coated Touch Screens

Found all around us, on personal devices like laptops; tablets, smart phones and musical instruments and on a myriad of public applications like, for instance, the backs of transatlantic aircraft seats;  information kiosks and cash points, touch screens now form an intrinsic part of our daily lives.

The Technology behind Touch Screens

Depending partly on price-points and applications, the design of touch screens can vary significantly between differently sized and shaped electronic devices. Some systems use technology enabling them to track sound wave or light reflection, others track vibrations or trace the movement of light and shadows across their surface. The technology used most commonly in today’s tablets, smart phones, etc monitors changes of electrical currents within a conductive layer on the surface of a screen.

Technology of Indium Tin Oxide Touch Screens

The material providing this conductive layer not only has to be transparent, very fine and highly conductive, it also has to be strong enough to survive constant exposure to sweaty palms; the fathomless depths of bags packed with who-knows-what; pockets and a range of other, equally unforgiving environments.

Highly conductive, optically transparent and easy to produce en-masse, indium tin oxide has become one of the world’s most popular and most widely used transparent conducting oxides. Not surprisingly, it is subsequently used in the creation of the conductive layers for the lion’s share of today’s tablets and smart phones.

Principles of Indium Tin Oxide Touch Screens

Indium Tin Oxide Touch Screens essentially work by the user touching the screen with a finger, touch-stylus or another suitable object, which changes the conductive layer’s electric state at the specific contact point. Tracking the changes caused by the finger (or, as may be the case in multi-touch systems, fingers) moving across the screen, the device (smart phone, tablet, etc.) is then able to complete the required task/s.

Diamond Coatings ITO Coated Touch Screens

Now positioned as the UK’s leading manufacturer of ITO coated touch screens, Diamond Coatings can supply resistive and capacitive ITO coated touch screens in development or manufacturing volumes. Produced on glass or plastic (rigid or flexible), our Indium Tin Oxide Touch Screens are available in sizes ranging up to a maximum of 1,000 mm b 1,000 mm and can be supplied with anti-glare or/and a variety of other finishes.

Capacitive ITO Coated Touch Screens

Typically featuring fixed touch areas, Capacitive Indium Tin Oxide Touch Screens have visible transmission rates of around 90%, which is higher than that of Resistive Indium Tin Oxide Touch Screens (approximately 70%). Diamond Coatings uses index matching technology to manufacture capacitive ITO coated touch screens featuring visible transmissions equalling those of uncoated glass or plastic. Thanks to our well-established links with/to chip manufacturers, we are able to supply complete packages including the chips required to drive capacitive ITO coated touch screens.

Resistive ITO Coated Touch Screens

Resistive ITO coated touch screens facilitate fully variable X-Y touch point detection. We can supply X-Y resistive, ready-to-use touch screens complete with patterning, bonding and connections and also offer ITO touch screens that are fully shielded.