Polymer-based Resistive Touch Panel

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Fujitsu Component Limited has recently hit the headlines by developing a brand new type of resistive touch panel based on an organic conductive polymer. Only Fujitsu has made this important breakthrough making them the market leader and the first company in the world to develop a practical application for a plastic conductive material.
 
This significant new technology,based on an organic polymer, can offer ten times more durability than a conventional touch panel, and also allows users to upgrade panels without changing the size or effecting the cost of the replacement – a major factor when re-designing an application. The easiest way to describe the difference between a normal resistive touch panel and an organic conductive polymer is that, generally, the films on glass resistive touch panels are made with a hard ceramic ITO (Indium, Tin Oxide) layer which can be weakened with use, limiting the screen’s life expectancy. The new generation of resistive touch panel replaces the ITO layer with an organic conductive polymer. This polymer is more flexible and therefore provides a more durable touch surface that extends the operational life of the touch panel by supporting 10 times more finger input and 5 times more pen sliding, especially useful in repeated touch applications such as PDAs, mobile phones , tablet PC’s or pen-based devices.
 
The plastic conductive technology will be introduced on two types of panels, the film/glass 4 wire panel and the shock resistant Film/Film/ plastic panel. Initially, the panels will only be available in selected sizes, but will then be expanded to cover all of Fujitsu’s standard product sizes.
 
Fujitsu has also taken into account that designers will want to upgrade their existing solutions without having to design a new specific interface, so the polymer-based panel will be compatible with their standard 4-wire resistive panel interface. Volume production is expected to begin in early 2008.