SBIR Phase II: Nanostructured Composite Transparent Electrodes for Touch Panels

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目的重点是将公司的透明导电薄膜带入触摸屏市场。当前触摸传感器的性能、成本和耐用性受到当前工业标准材料氧化铟锡（ITO）不足的限制。该公司正在将一种性能、成本和耐用性优越的导电塑料薄膜商业化。这项研究将涵盖扩大其规模制造能力，使其能够提供适合市场使用的预定型和客户定型透明导电薄膜。在SBIR第一阶段，该公司将其实验室规模的原型方法迁移到与大规模卷对卷制造无图案导电薄膜兼容的工艺。虽然其工艺的每个步骤都单独扩展到高吞吐量，但最终产品的生产需要将所有步骤组合成单个工艺流程。第二阶段的拨款将使其能够结合这些工艺，同时增加生产功能电路的能力。它还将使其能够通过使用新技术和新材料来提高其电影的清晰度，从而继续提高其电影的性能。最后，公司将彻底描述其最终产品的寿命特性。这个项目的广泛影响/商业影响将是显著的，因为它将导致一个完整的设计过程，公司可以生产市场准备的产品。它还将为客户提供功能演示触摸面板。在研究结束时，公司预计将获得客户的设计胜利，并将处于一个极好的位置，以低风险向投资者筹集运营资金，以便公司可以开始发货。作为一家硅谷材料科技公司，该公司在触控面板市场的成功，将有助于把已经转移到海外的一个主要市场的一部分带回美国。这项SBIR二期研究将使其能够扩大员工规模，并为公司用于产品开发和制造的收费涂料设施的美国公司提供就业机会。

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project focuses on bringing the company's transparent conductive films to the touch panel market. The performance, cost, and durability of current touch sensors are limited by shortfalls of the current industry standard material, indium tin oxide (ITO). The company is commercializing a conductive plastic film with superior performance, cost, and durability. This study will cover expansion of its scale manufacturing capabilities, allowing it to provide both pre-patterned and customer-patternable transparent conductive films suitable for use in the market. During SBIR Phase I period, the company migrated its lab-scale prototyping methods to processes compatible with at-scale roll-to-roll manufacture of unpattenered conductive films. While each step of its process was individually scaled to high throughput, production of a final product requires that all of the steps be combined into a single process flow. This Phase II grant will allow it to combine these processes while adding the ability to produce functional circuits in addition to bulk films. It will also allow it to continue pushing its films' performance higher by utilizing new techniques and materials to increase the clarity of its films. Finally, the company will thoroughly characterize the lifetime properties of its final product.The broader impact/commercial impact of this project will be significant, as it will result in a fully designed process by which the company can produce market-ready products. It will also result in functional demonstration touch panels to put into the hands of its customers. At the conclusion of the study the company expects to have secured a design win with a customer and will be in an excellent position to raise operating capital at low risk to its investors so that the company may begin shipping products. As a Silicon Valley materials technology company, the company's success in the touch panel market will help bring part of a major market back to the US that has moved overseas. This SBIR Phase II study will allow it to expand the staff and also support jobs at the US companies whose toll-coating facilities the company uses for its product development and manufacturing.