New report predicts use of ITO will peak soon

A new report on transparent conductors for the display, solar cells and other market segments is now available from Insight Media offering detailed forecasts and analysis.  Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) is the incumbent technology in transparent conductors, but how much longer will it reign supreme?  According the report results – not too much longer.  By 2018, alternatives will start to have an impact as overall ITO revenue will start to decline.

The manufacture of ITO (as opposed to the mining of Indium) is still a strong Japanese industry with Nitto Denko being the dominant player.  One and half to two years ago, raw Indium metal sold for about $900-$1,000 per Kg, but for the last year or so, it has been stable in the low $700 range.  When the price is high, you tend to see more activity and press coverage of alternatives, but when the price is lower and stable, like now, these activities diminish.  

Anticipating this competitive threat, about a year ago, Nitto Denko lowered the prices of ITO by around 20% in a strategic move to fend off alternatives.  This has worked – to a degree.  Interest in alternatives remains strong and companies are making headway in establishing manufacturing operation and obtaining design wins in products. The choice of when to consider an alternative is also very dependent on the application and the needed performance.

Alternatives can be delivered as films or solution processed.  The alternatives to ITO encompass a range of technologies including carbon nanotube films, nanowire-based transparent conductors, metal meshes and conducting polymers.  In general, the alternative raw materials may not be much less expensive than ITO, but the processing is less expensive.   

Firms selling alternatives to ITO remain heavily focused on opportunities in the touch-screen business but are also looking for new opportunities, the report finds.  One new trend is adding touch to larger panels using alternative approaches.  Success in this area may not only put them at a competitive advantage, but also increases the addressable market for transparent conductors as a whole.

OLED displays and OLED lighting look like good opportunities, but replacing ITO in the LCD glass panel fabs is more problematic.  However, as fabs integrate in-cell and on-cell technology, there is a good opportunity to introduce alternatives into the production line.

This new report provides the necessary strategic insight into how transparent conductor firms can best generate new business revenues by providing a comprehensive analysis and eight-year forecasts of all opportunities for transparent conductors (TCs.)  These include flat panel displays, touch-screen sensors, OLEDs (displays and lighting), e-paper displays, thin-film photovoltaics, OPV/DSC, anti-static materials and EMI shielding. 

The forecasts provide projections of the sales revenues generated and TC materials consumed (in square meters) by OEMs in the form of sputtering targets, inks, films and coated glass. 

For each of the applications covered in the forecasts, there are breakouts of demand for ITO, other TCOs, ITO/TCO inks, carbon nanotube films, nanowire-based transparent conductors, metal meshes and conducting polymers. 

Finally, the strategies of the leading transparent conductor firms are also assessed in the context of the latest market developments. Among the firms discussed in this report are: 3M, Agfa, Apple, Applied Materials, Atmel, AUO, Bekaert Specialty Films, Brewer Science, Carestream, Chisso Corporation, Cima NanoTech, ClearJet, CNTouch, Corning, Deposition Sciences, DNP, Dyesol, Eastman Chemical, Evonik, FujiFilm, Fujimori Kogyo, Fujitsu, Google, Guangdong Zhengyang, Gunze, Heraeus, Hitachi, Innolux, Japan Display, JDSU, Kodak, Konica Minolta, Lenovo, LG, Linde, Merck, Mitsubishi, Microsoft, Mitsui Mining and Smelting, Nagaoka Sangyo, Nippon Mining & Metals, Nippon Soda, Nissan Chemical Industries, Nissha Printing, Nitto Denko, NSG, O-Film, Oike, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sango Bo, Sanyo, Sony, Sumitomo, Synaptics, Teijin, Toray, Toshiba, Tosoh, Ulvac, Unidym, Uni-Pixel and many others. 

The report is available for immediate delivery for $3,295 to $4,995 depending on the number of licensed users.