Growing Usage of High End Curved and Flexible Touch Screens, Lead to the Introduction of MoNb and MoW Sputtering Targets for Display Coatings

“Type, drag, wipe. The tactile sensors used in touch panels have to do a lot. Curved and flexible touch screens are the latest in HDTV, smart phones, tablets and mobile device technology.”

At Shanghai New International Expo Centre in China, the latest variety of sputtering targets for touch screen panel (TSP) applications was presented by H.C. Starck Inc.

Sputtering targets and evaporation materials have rising demand in electronics industries due to their coating applications in many electronic devices. It is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 2.3% by 2020. Considering innovation and emerging technologies for application such as flexible touch screen devices in TSP, H.C Starck Inc. introduced the newest product line of molybdenum based alloys in March, 2015. Flat Panel Display (FPD) is a combination of numerous very thin layers that are etched onto a glass substrate.

It is observed that MoNb alloy yield high sputtering rates. It deposits higher quality film with fewer defects and world-class corrosion resistance. Due to excellent adherence to glass and high level of electrical conductivity, molybdenum has emerged as a material which is used in thin film transistors for TFT-LCD screens. Moreover it is highly utilized in capacitive touch panels with on-cell or in-cell sensors.  Molybdenum-tantalum (MoTa) and molybdenum-niobium (MoNb) are also recommended for corrosion resistance.

Plansee SE and H.C. Starck Inc. have introduced various molybdenum sputtering targets. H.C. Starck’s  MoNb and MoW alloys comprises of large size capabilities with rotary targets up to 4100 mm long, planar targets up to Gen 5 in size as well as segmented (or tiled) targets. Molybdenum Tungsten (MoW) planar targets are used in the formation of gate and touch sensor layers of TFT-LTPS and in-cell type touch panels due to their excellent wet and dry etching characteristics.  So, overall molybdenum has emerged as the most suitable target for the promising and innovative high end curved and flexible touch screens.