Fundamentals of Touch Technologies and Applications

Short Course S-4: Fundamentals of Touch Technologies and Applications Geoff Walker Principal Analyst IMS Research

S4: Fundamentals of Touch Technologies and Applications Geoff Walker Principal Analyst IMS Research May 15, 2011 File Download: www.walkermobile.com/sid_2011_short_course_s4.pdf v1.1 www.imsresearch.com Copyright 2010 IMS Research

Agenda: Part 1 Admin [3] Introduction [7] Multi-Touch [9] Mainstream Touch Technologies Analog Resistive [7] Projected Capacitive (Pro-Cap) [14] Surface Capacitive [6] Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) [7] Traditional Infrared (IR) [7] Significant Emerging Touch Technologies Embedded (In-Cell, On-Cell & Out-Cell) [19] Camera-Based Optical [6] Multi-Touch Resistive [9] [ ] = Number of content slides in each section 3

Agenda: Part 2 Other Emerging Technologies Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR by Elo) [5] Dispersive Signal Technology (DST by 3M) [4] Waveguide Infrared (by RPO) [5] Vision-Based [5] Force-Sensing [4] Electromagnetic Resonance (EMR) Pen Digitizer [4] Comparing Touch Technologies [4] Conclusions [3] 4 [Total = 128]

About IMS Research IMS Research A leading independent supplier of market research and consulting to the global electronics industry Automotive & Transport Financial & ID Technologies Communications & Wireless Lighting & LEDs Computer & Office Equipment Medical (InMedica) Consumer Electronics Power & Energy Convergence Security & Fire Displays & Touch Semiconductor Factory Automation Offices in UK (HQ), USA, China, Taiwan, Korea & Japan >100 analysts worldwide Clients in >50 countries Publishes >200 market-research reports per year Known for detailed, in-depth, highly analytical reports 5

Key Customers 9 of the top 10 semiconductor companies 8 of the top 10 automotive-electronics suppliers 8 of the top 10 telecomm-equipment providers 7 of the top 10 power-supply companies All of the top 10 industrial-automation companies 7 of the top 10 set-top-box manufacturers All of the top 10 video-surveillance companies 6

Two Basic Categories of Touch Opaque touch Dominated by the controller chip suppliers Atmel, Cypress, Synaptics, etc. One technology (projected capacitive) Sensor is typically developed by the device OEM Notebook touchpads are the highest-revenue application Synaptics ~60% share; Alps ~30% share; Elan ~10% share Sensors are all two-layer projected capacitive There is no further discussion of opaque touch in this course Transparent touch on top of a display Dominated by the touch module manufacturers (100+ worldwide) 13 technologies 8

2010 Touchscreen Market by Size and Type of Technology 2010 Small-Med (<10 ) Large-Area (>10 ) TOTAL Technology Revenue Units Revenue Units Revenue Units Resistive $646M 229M $263M 7.1M $908M 236M Projected Capacitive $2,853M 273M $287M 6.2M $3,140M 279M Surface Capacitive $0M 0M $162M 1.3M $162M 1.3M Acoustic (SAW & BW) $0M 0M $159M 2.6M $159M 2.6M Infrared $0M 0M $9.9M 0.3M $9.9M 0.3M Mainstream $3,499M 502M $881M 18M $4,379M 519M Emerging $63M 0.1M $259M 1.8M $321M 1.8M TOTAL $3,562M 502M $1,140M 20M $4,700M 521M Revenue Units Small-Medium 76% 96% Large-Area 24% 4% TOTAL 100% 100% Revenue Units Mainstream 93% 99% Emerging 7% 1% TOTAL 100% 100% Market size estimates are based on DisplaySearch s Touch-Panel Market Analysis 2010 4Q Update Report (January 2011) 9

2010 Touchscreen Market by Technology Technology 2010 Revenue 2010 Share 2010 Units 2010 Share Projected Capacitive $3,140M 67% 279M 52% Analog Resistive (all forms) $908M 19% 236M 44% Optical (all forms, including vision-based) $228M 4.9% 1.0M 0.2% Surface Capacitive $162M 3.5% 1.5M 0.3% Acoustic (SAW, APR & DST) $159M 3.4% 2.6M 0.5% LCD In-Cell & On-Cell (all forms) $61M 1.3% 14M 2.6% Digitizer $33M 0.7% 0.5M 0.1% Infrared (all forms) $10M 0.2% 0.4M 0.1% Others $0M 0% 0M 0% TOTAL $4,701M 100% 535M 100% Market size estimates are based on DisplaySearch s Touch-Panel Market Analysis 2010 4Q Update Report (January 2011) 10

Touch Market Forecast 2010-2016 Millions $16 $14 DisplaySearch 2010 Touch Market Analysis Revenue ($B) $12 $10 $8 $6 $4 In-Cell Others On-Cell Infrared Digitizer Optical Imaging Acoustic Surface Capacitive Projected Capacitive Resistive $2 $0 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 Forecast is from DisplaySearch s Touch-Panel Market Analysis 2010 Annual Report (June 2010) 11

Touch Technologies by Size & Application Mobile (2 17 ) Stationary Enterprise (10 30 ) Stationary Consumer (17 30 ) Large-Format ( >30 ) Touch Technology Analog Resistive M M L Analog Multi-Touch Resistive (AMR) E E Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) M E L Traditional Infrared (IR) M E M Waveguide Infrared (from RPO) E Surface Capacitive M Projected Capacitive (P-Cap) (ITO) M E E Projected Capacitive (P-Cap) (wires on film) L L Camera-Based Optical M M Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR from Elo) E L L Dispersive Signal Technology (DST from 3M) Embedded (in-cell & on-cell) Vision-Based (like Microsoft Surface) Force Sensing M = Mainstream L = Low-volume E = Emerging E E L E 12

Touch Technologies by Materials & Process Touch Technology Continuous Transparent Conductor (ITO) Analog resistive Surface capacitive = Mainstream = Emerging Low Resolution Analog multi-touch resistive (AMR) Patterned High Resolution Projected capacitive Embedded (In-cell & on-cell) Edge Conductors Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR) Dispersive Signal Technology (DST) No Transparent Conductor Traditional infrared (IR) Waveguide infrared Surface acoustic wave (SAW) Optical Force sensing Vision-based No Edge Conductors 13

Touch Is An Indirect Measurement One Reason Why There Are So Many Technologies Touch Technology Resistive (all forms) & Embedded (voltage-sensing) Surface capacitive Surface acoustic wave Projected capacitive, Embedded (charge-sensing) Optical & Infrared (all forms), Embedded (light-sensing) in high ambient Embedded (light-sensing) in low ambient Vision-based Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR) & Dispersive Signal Technology (DST) Force sensing What s Being Measured Voltage Current Time delay Change in capacitance Absence of light Presence of light Image Bending waves Force The ideal method of detecting touch has yet to be invented! 14

Multi-Touch Multi-touch is defined as the ability to recognize two or more simultaneous touch points Multi-touch was invented in 1982 at the University of Toronto (not by Apple in 2007!) Pinching gestures were first defined in 1983 (not by Apple in 2007!) Windows 7 (released 10/22/09) supports multi-touch throughout the OS and is structured to support an unlimited number (~100) of simultaneous touch points Android, ios and Linux currently support 4-5 touches 16

Multi-Touch Architecture Application Operating System Capable of decoding multiple streams of moving points and taking actions in response Capable of forwarding multiple streams of moving points (and acting on a defined subset of them) Touchscreen Controller & Driver Capable of delivering sets of simultaneous points to the OS Touchscreen Sensor Capable of sensing multiple simultaneous points 17

Multi-Touch Technologies Touch Technology Multi-Touch Capable? (#) Win-7 Logo Capable? Commercial MT Product Example Projected Capacitive Yes (unlimited*) Yes Apple iphone; Dell Latitude XT Analog Multi-Touch Resistive (AMR) Yes (unlimited*) Yes Gateway ZX6910 AiO PC LCD In/On-Cell (all forms) Yes (unlimited*) Yes Samsung Camera Vision-Based Yes (unlimited*) Yes Microsoft Surface Optical Yes (2+) Yes HP TouchSmart Surface Acoustic Wave (Elo TouchSystems) Yes (2) Yes Lenovo A700 AiO PC Waveguide Infrared (RPO) Yes (2) Yes LG Display 13.3 Notebook (SID) Traditional Infrared Yes (2) Yes Nexio 42 Monitor Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR - Elo) Future (2) Maybe Technology under development Bending Wave (DST 3M) Future (2) Maybe Technology under development Analog Resistive No No -- Surface Capacitive No No -- Force-Sensing No No -- 18 * Controller-dependent, not sensor-dependent

Windows-7 Logo A set of touch performance standards designed to ensure a high-quality user experience Test 1: Sampling Rate Test 2: Single-Touch Taps in 4 Corners Test 2: Single-Touch Taps in 5 Other Locations Test 3: Single-Touch Press-and-Hold Test 4: Double Taps Test 5: Multi-Touch Points Test 6: Press and Tap Test 7: Straight-Line Accuracy Test 8: Maximum Touch Lines Test 9: Multi-Touch Straight Lines Test 10: Line Accuracy Velocity Test 11: Single-Touch Arcs Test 12: Pivot Test 13: Multi-Touch Arcs Test 14: Ghost Point Test 19

Some Reasons Why Multi-Touch Has Become So Important Apple Apple established multi-touch as a must-have for coolness. The result is that people of all ages expect every display they see to be touchable with multiple fingers Gaming Gaming is a natural for multi-touch. Try playing air hockey without multi-touch Multi-user collaboration When two people want to collaborate on a large screen (e.g., a student and teacher on an interactive whiteboard display), multi-touch is essential. Identifying which touch belongs to which user is still an unsolved problem, however. 20

More Reasons Why Multi-Touch Has Become So Important Unintended touches One of the major values of multi-touch is to allow the system to ignore unintended touches (palm rejection, grip suppression, etc.). As desktop screens become more horizontal (recline) this will become even more important. 21

How Many Touches Are Enough? Why multi-touch will expand beyond two touches Most research on multi-touch is being done with vision-based hardware because it s easy to develop the hardware yourself Vision-based touch supports an unlimited number of touches All other multi-touch-capable technologies are difficult to build & buy Projected capacitive (which will shortly be the #2 touch technology) also supports an unlimited number of touches Number of touches is one way for a touch technology vendor to differentiate themselves Recognizing and ignoring more than two touches is a very useful capability ISVs are creative; they ll find ways to use more touches (games) ( If you build it, they will come ) 22

An Anomaly: Multi-Touch Gestures on Non-Multi-Touch Screens Elo TouchSystems: Resistive Gestures Capable of sensing two-finger gestures on standard analog resistive touch-screens Fingers must be moving to sense two points; two static touches don t work 3M: Multi-Touch Gestures on DST Source: Elo TouchSystems Same capability & restriction as above on Dispersive Signal Technology (DST) touch-screens It s not true multi-touch, but is it good enough? Gestures are HOT, so device manufacturers want them Today, multi-touch is mostly used to enable two-finger gestures For mobile devices, pro-cap is ~3X the cost of analog resistive, so enabling gestures on analog resistive is attractive 23

#1 Reference On Multi-Touch Multi-Touch Systems that I Have Known and Loved www.billbuxton.com/multitouchoverview.html If you can only manipulate one point you are restricted to the gestural vocabulary of a fruit fly. We were given multiple limbs for a reason. It is nice to be able to take advantage of them. Bill Buxton, 2008 Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research 24

Mainstream Touch Technologies Analog Resistive Projected Capacitive (Pro-Cap) Surface Capacitive Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) Traditional Infrared (IR) 25 www.imsresearch.com Copyright 2010 IMS Research

Analog Resistive 1 (ITO) (PET) Source: Bergquist Source: Elo TouchSystems 27

Analog Resistive 2 X-Axis 4-Wire Construction Voltage gradient applied across glass Voltage gradient applied across coversheet Equivalent circuit Voltage measured on coversheet Bus bar Y-Axis Voltage measured on glass 28

Analog Resistive 3 X-Axis 5-Wire Construction Voltage gradient applied across glass Voltage gradient applied across glass Equivalent circuit Contact point on coversheet is a voltage probe Contact point on coversheet is a voltage probe Linearization pattern 29 Y-Axis

Analog Resistive 4 Types 4-wire (low cost, short life) is common in mobile devices 5-wire (higher cost, long life) is common in stationary devices Constructions Film (PET) + glass (previous illustration) is the most common Film + film (used in some cellphones) can be made flexible Glass + glass is the most durable; automotive is the primary use Film + film + glass, others Options Surface treatments (AG, AR, AS, AP, AM), rugged substrate, dual-force touch, high-transmissivity, surface armoring, many others (50-uM glass) Source: Schott 30

Analog Resistive 5 Size range 1 to ~24 (>20 is rare) Controllers Many sources Single chip, embedded in chipset/cpu, or universal controller board Advantages Works with finger, stylus or any non-sharp object Lowest-cost touch technology Widely available (it s a commodity) Easily sealable to IP65 or NEMA-4 Resistant to screen contaminants Low power consumption Source: Liyitec Source: Hampshire 31

Analog Resistive 6 Disadvantages Not durable (PET top surface is easily damaged) Poor optical quality (10%-20% light loss) No multi-touch Applications Mobile devices Point of sale (POS) terminals Wherever cost is #1 Market share 2010 Revenue 19% Volume 44% 1 st time < 50% 32

Analog Resistive 7 Suppliers Nissha, Young Fast, J-Touch, Gunze, Truly Semi, Fujitsu, EELY, Elo TouchSystems, SMK, Swenc/TPO, eturbotouch 60+ suppliers Market trends Analog resistive has lost the #1 revenue position to projected capacitive First time in ~40 years! Analog resistive is still important in mobile phones in Asia It supports a stylus; projected capacitive doesn t (yet!) 33

Projected Capacitive 1 Types Self capacitance Controller measures capacitance of single electrode to ground Mutual capacitance Controller measures capacitance between two electrodes Self capacitance Mutual capacitance 35

Projected Capacitive 2 Self Capacitance Older technology, but still used Limited to 1 or 2 touches with ghosting Lower immunity to LCD noise Lower touch accuracy Sensor is usually diamond pattern Harder to maximize SNR Simpler, lower cost controller Usually a single-layer sensor Mutual Capacitance Newer technology Two or more unambiguous touches Higher immunity to LCD noise Higher touch accuracy Allows more flexibility in pattern design Easier to maximize SNR More complex, higher-cost controller Always a two-layer sensor (may change) 36

Projected Capacitive 3 Self-capacitance notebook touchpad (before Apple iphone) MAX Finger ITO transparent conductors X-Scan MAX Y-Scan X-axis and then Y-axis electrodes are scanned sequentially, looking for point of maximum capacitance to ground Ghost points are a problem with 2 touches 37

Projected Capacitive 4 Mutual capacitance touchscreen (Apple iphone) Output is an array of capacitance values for each X-Y intersection 38

Projected Capacitive 5 Raw data including noise Filtered data Gradient data 10 fingers, 2 palms and 3 others Touch region coordinates and gradient data Touch regions Source: Apple Patent Application #2006/0097991 39

Projected Capacitive 6 Why Projected? Finger A finger steals charge from the X-electrode, changing the capacitance between the electrodes Electric-field lines are projected beyond the touch surface when a finger is present 40

Projected Capacitive 7 Constructions & locations Bottom side of cover glass ( lens ) Not common yet, but industry is heading this way ( one glass ) Good place for sensor with largest sensing area Discrete glass or film substrate(s) between cover glass & LCD Industry standard Many different layer arrangements & configurations Sometimes requires a shield layer On top side of color filter (CF) glass This is on cell allows integration with display Requires two-sided CF processing, which reduces yield Fully embedded in display This is in-cell most difficult integration This isn t actually projected capacitive 41

Projected Capacitive 8 Options (ITO-based ) Top surface treatment (AR, AG, AF, AC, AB ) Degree of indexing matching on ITO (invisibility) Number of electrodes per inch (resolution) Electrode patterns One more variation: Wires vs. ITO Wires (10 microns): Visible, acceptable for intermittent use ITO: Invisible, needed for continuous use Wire-based uses slightly different concept (IP) ITO-based pro-cap directly measures a change in capacitance Wire-based pro-cap measures a change in RF signal frequency caused by a change in capacitance 42

Projected Capacitive 9 Size range 2 to 100 + ITO up to 32 ; wires up to 100 + Controllers Key variable is number of electrodes (matrix size) Larger screens generally require multiple (ganged) controller chips High signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is a key characteristic enables stylus use Lots of innovation still happening, such as synchronization with LCD timing Three years from now pro-cap controllers will be a commodity mostly supplied from Asia LG-Prada mobile phone with Synaptics projected-capacitive touch-screen; launched 3 months before iphone 43

Projected Capacitive 10 Advantages Very durable (protected sensor) High optical quality (ITO) Unlimited multi-touch Unaffected by debris or contamination Enables zero-bezel industrial design Works with curved substrates (on PET) Disadvantages Finger or tethered pen only (changing now!) High cost (dropping as usage increases) Challenging to integrate due to noise sensitivity 44

Projected Capacitive 11 Applications Consumer devices Mobile phones Tablets, netbooks, notebooks, AiOs Almost any consumer device Vertical-market devices Signature-capture & other POS terminals Through-glass interactive retail signage Market share Source: Mildex 2010 Revenue 67% Volume 52% Demy Digital Recipe Reader (CES 2010) Source: Verifone 45

Projected Capacitive 12 Business models Sensor company buys controller, sells module Example = TPK Controller company buys sensor, sells module Example = Synaptics Module company buys sensor and controller, sells module Example =? Display manufacturer builds sensor into display, buys controller, and sells touch-display Example = AUO 46

Projected Capacitive 13 Suppliers Sensors (only) Cando (part of AUO Group), Sintek Photronics, other former color-filter manufacturers, former STN LCD manufacturers (total number =?) Controllers (only) Atmel, Cypress, Maxim, Avago, Pixcir, Sitronix, EETI, SIS, Melfas, Broadcom, Texas Instruments, and >5 more Modules TPK (biggest), Wintek, Synaptics, Nissha, Panjit, Digitech, CMI, Young Fast, Touch International, and >20 more Supplier countries Taiwan, USA, China, Japan, Korea, UK, Israel, New Zealand 47

Projected Capacitive 14 Market trends Device OEMs desire for multi-touch is a key driving force, along with durability and high optical performance Extremely rapid sales growth worldwide Rapidly increasing number of suppliers Rapidly dropping prices Massive capacity expansion (Apple is using 60% today) TPK s amazing growth may change structure of industry Applications broadening beyond consumer electronics (verticals) Starting to see a few small-order suppliers Pro-cap has overtaken analog resistive, ending a 40-year reign Continued maturation name has changed to just capacitive 48

Surface Capacitive 1 Tail Scratch-resistant top coat Hard coat with AG Electrode pattern Source: Elo TouchSystems Conductive coating (ATO, ITO or TO) Glass Optional bottom shield (not shown) Source: 3M 50

Surface Capacitive 2 Variations Rugged substrate Size range 6.4 to 32 Controllers 3M, Hampshire, egalax, Digitech and Billabs (ISI) Advantages Source: 3M Excellent drag performance with extremely smooth surface Much more durable than analog resistive Resistant to contamination Highly sensitive Source: Billabs 51

Surface Capacitive 3 Disadvantages Finger-only (or tethered pen) Calibration drift Susceptible to EMI (no mobile use) Moderate optical quality (85% - 90% transmissivity) Applications Regulated (casino) gaming Kiosks ATMs Market share 2010 Revenue 4% Volume <1% Source: 3M 52

Surface Capacitive 4 Suppliers 3M, DanoTech, Elo TouchSystems, EELY, DigiTech, eturbo, Optera, Touch International, Higgstec 16+ suppliers (dominated by 3M) Market trends Surface capacitive isn t growing with the touch market No multi-touch capability; other significant disadvantages Casinos (major market) are starting to experiment with other touch technologies Price is dropping due to Taiwanese and Chinese suppliers who entered the market after 3M s key patent expired 53

A New Spin: Wacom s RRFC Surface Capacitive Technology How it works AC voltage on 2 adjacent corners; DC voltage on the other 2 corners Creates a linear voltage AND a rampshaped electrostatic field on surface Controller switches signals around all 4 corners, creating 4 ramp fields vs. single flat field in standard capacitive Current flow is measured in each case Resulting signal representing touch event is independent of all capacitance effects except those due to finger touch Controller does additional digital signal processing to compensate for factors that affect accuracy and drift Source: Wacom (Trademark = CapPLUS) RRFC = Reversing Ramped Field Capacitive 54

Wacom s RRFC Technology 2 Advantages Solves all the problems of traditional surface capacitive Works in mobile & stationary devices (10 to 32 now; 46 capable) Unaffected by grounding changes, EMI, variations in skin dryness & finger size, temperature, humidity, metal bezels, etc. Works through latex or polypropylene gloves Allows 4X thicker hardcoat for improved durability Screen works outdoors in rain and snow Uses same ASIC as Wacom s EMR pen digitizer, so dual-mode input is lower cost & more efficient (e.g., in Tablet PC) Disadvantages No multi-touch Sole-source supplier 55

Surface Acoustic Wave 1 Glass substrate (45 ) Source: A-Touch Rayleigh wave Source: Onetouch 57

Surface Acoustic Wave 2 Source: Elo TouchSystems 58

Surface Acoustic Wave 3 Variations Ruggedization, dust-proofing, surface treatments, etc. Size range 6 to 52 (but some integrators won t use it above 32 ) Controllers Proprietary Advantages Clear substrate (high optical performance) Very durable Can be vandal-proofed with tempered or CS glass Finger, gloved hand & soft-stylus activation 59

Surface Acoustic Wave 4 Disadvantages Very sensitive to any surface contamination, including water Requires soft (sound-absorbing) touch object Can be challenging to seal Relatively high activation force (80g typical) Projects slightly above touch surface (1 mm) so can t be flush Applications Kiosks Gaming Market share 2010 Revenue 3% Volume <1% Source: Euro Kiosks Network 60

Surface Acoustic Wave 5 Suppliers Elo TouchSystems, General Touch, Shenzhen Top-Touch, Leading Touch, Shenzhen KeeTouch 10+ suppliers Market trends Multi-touch SAW is now available from two suppliers SAW price is dropping due to Taiwanese and Chinese suppliers who entered the market after Elo TouchSystem s key patent expired SAW s growth is matching the market 61

Surface Acoustic Wave 6 Multi-touch SAW from Elo/Tyco Electronics Shipping in the 23 Lenovo A700 all-in-one desktop 2-finger vertical lines 2-finger diagonal lines Source: Lenovo 62 Source: Photos by author There is no perfect touch technology

Surface Acoustic Wave 7 7 How two touches are supported by SAW X & Y reflectors 63 Diagonal reflectors for third axis data Source: US Patent Application 2010/0117993

Traditional Infrared 1 Source: Elo TouchSystems 65

Traditional Infrared 2 Variations Bare PCA vs. enclosed frame; frame width & profile height; enhanced sunlight immunity; force-sensing Size range 8 to 150 Controllers Mostly proprietary, except IRTouch Advantages Scalable to very large sizes Multi-touch capable (2 touches, but with ghost points) Can be activated with any IR-opaque object High durability, optical performance and sealability Doesn t require a substrate 66

Traditional Infrared 3 Multi-touch in traditional infrared 2+ touches Ghost points are the problem, and there s no good solution Source: Author 67

Traditional Infrared 4 Disadvantages Profile height (IR transceivers project above touch surface) Bezel must be designed to include IR-transparent window Sunlight immunity can be a problem in extreme environments Surface obstruction or hover can cause a false touch Low resolution High cost Applications POS Kiosks Large displays (digital signage) Market share 2010 Revenue 1% Volume <1% 68

Traditional Infrared 5 Selected suppliers Elo TouchSystems, IRTouch, Minato, Nexio 10+ suppliers Market trends Interest in IR is re-awakening as Asian vendors bring down prices, large displays become more common, and digital signage becomes more affordable IR is growing, but isn t keeping up with the market 50 plasma display with infrared touch-screen from Netrax 69

Traditional Infrared 6 Elo s XYU multi-touch traditional infrared (two-touch version first shown in 2008; launch expected in 2011) 70

Traditional Infrared 7 Special Case: Neonode mobile phone implemented with traditional IR touch (2009) Same battery life as iphone Low profile height (~1.7mm) Finger-only No multi-touch Neonode couldn t compete in the phone market and went bankrupt; the technology survived and is in Sony s ereader Source: Neonode & Pen Computing Sony e-book readers (2010) Source: PC World 71

Three Different Physical Integration Methods Used In Embedded Touch Term Integration Method Fab Method In-Cell On-Cell Touch sensor is physically inside the LCD cell Touch sensor can be: Light-sensing elements (light-sensing) Micro-switches (voltage-sensing) Capacitive electrodes (charge-sensing) Touch sensor is an array of ITO conductors on the top surface of the color filter substrate Capacitive (charge-sensing) Analog resistive (voltage-sensing) Addition to TFT process Addition to color filter process Out-Cell Standard touchscreen laminated directly on top of the LCD during manufacture Key difference: An additional piece of glass Typically only pro-cap or analog resistive New term coined by AUO Some LCD manufacturers still refer to this configuration as on-cell Addition to module assembly process 74

Four Different Technologies Used In Embedded Touch Light-sensing or optical Addition of a photo-sensing element into some or all pixels Voltage-sensing or switch-sensing Addition of micro-switches for X & Y into some or all pixels Charge-sensing or capacitive-sensing Addition of electrodes in-cell or on-cell for capacitive sensing Analog resistive Uses color filter glass as substrate for standard touch-screen 75

Who s Working On What (January 2010) LCD Manufacturer Light- Sensing Voltage- Sensing Charge-Sensing (in-cell or on-cell) Hybrid Charge & Voltage (in-cell) AUO Chi Mei Innolux CPT HannStar LG Display NEC Samsung Seiko-Epson Sharp Sony TMD = Primary = Secondary Bold = Most significant efforts 76

In-Cell Light-Sensing Principle Source: DisplaySearch Photo-sensor in each pixel or group of pixels Visible-light sensor sees shadow of finger in bright light or reflection of backlight on finger in dim light Infrared-light sensor sees reflection of backlight Works with finger or light-pen; can work as a scanner Adding a cover-glass to protect the surface of the LCD reduces touch sensitivity because the finger is further away 77

In-Cell Voltage-Sensing Source: Samsung Principle Pressing LCD surface closes micro-switches in each pixel Similar principle as emerging multi-touch resistive Requires touching the LCD surface (cannot add a cover glass) Works with any touch object within damage limits of polarizer 78

In-Cell Charge-Sensing Source: LG Display Principle Pressing the LCD changes the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal, which changes the capacitance between the electrodes Works with finger or stylus; human body capacitance isn t a factor Requires touching the LCD surface (cannot add a cover glass) 79

Hybrid In-Cell Voltage & Charge- Sensing (Samsung htsp) 2 sets (X&Y) per pixel or group of pixels V Ref C Ref C LC V Com Columnspacer switch V Out Amplifier X-Y Bias Principle Pressing the LCD (1) Closes the columnspacer contacts, which activates the circuit that measures a change in capacitance Blue pixel Source: Author (2) Changes the dielectric constant of the liquid crystal, which changes the capacitance between the pixel electrodes Sensor signal line switch (X,Y) Source: Samsung 80

On-Cell Charge-Sensing Principle Source: Author Projected-capacitive X-Y electrode array added on top of the color filter glass, under the top polarizer Same function as standard projected-capacitive Works only with finger; human body capacitance changes mutual capacitance between electrodes Cover-glass (0.5 mm) can be added on top of polarizer to protect LCD surface 81

On-Cell Analog Resistive Principle Source: Author Analog resistive touch-screen added on top of the color filter glass, under the top polarizer Same function as standard analog resistive Works with any touch object within damage limits of polarizer Adding cover-glass (0.5 mm) on top of polarizer to protect LCD surface works but reduces touch-screen performance 82

Early Products with Embedded Touch 1 Samsung ST10 camera with 3-inch 480x320 (192 ppi) transflective TFT with hybrid in-cell touch (4/09) First use of any in-cell touch in a commercial product Works with finger or stylus, but with visible pooling Surface hardness = low Touch-screen includes electrostatic haptic feedback Camera includes MP3, PMP & text-viewer functions One sensor per 8 pixels (60x40 sensing matrix) 83 Source: Samsung

Early Products with Embedded Touch 2 Sharp s PC-NJ70A netbook (5/09) First use of light-sensing in-cell touch in a commercial product Optical in-cell touch in 4 CG-silicon 854x480 touchpad LCD (245 dpi) 1 sensor per 9 pixels LED backlight Stylus & 2-finger multi-touch Scanning (shape recognition) Touch surface =?? Japan-only; $815 Problems Need IR from backlight S L O W (25% of typical touchpad speed) Short battery life Source: Sharp 84

Early Products with Embedded Touch 3 Samsung ST550 camera with 3.5-inch 800x480 (267 ppi) transflective TFT with hybrid in-cell (8/09) The touch screen may not recognize your touches correctly when: You touch multiple items at the same time You use the camera in high-humidity environments You use the camera with an LCD protection film or another LCD accessory Do not use other sharp objects, such as pens or pencils, to touch the screen. Doing so may damage the screen. When you touch or drag on the screen, discolorations will occur. It is not a malfunction but a characteristic of the touch screen. Touch or drag lightly to reduce these annoying effects. Source: Samsung (from the User s Guide) 85

Early Products with Embedded Touch 4 LGD s 13.3 1280x800 on-cell charge-sensing LCD (10/09) Largest on-cell LCD 1 sensor per 4x4 pixels 10 gf activation force Win-7 Touch Logo 2/10 Positioning High optical quality Sunlight readability (AR?) Preserving thinness Two-touch multi-touch Targeted at notebooks Production in 2H-2010 (?) Added price for touch function =?? Source: LG Displays Prototype of same screen at SID 2009 86 Source: Photo by Geoff Walker

Early Products with Embedded Touch 5 Samsung S8500 Wave mobile phone with Super OLED on-cell charge-sensing touch (2/10) 3.3-inch 800x480 (283 ppi) AMOLED Super OLED is Samsung s (weak) branding for on-cell touch Sunlight readable AR coating & no touchscreen overlay Window here refers refers to the cover glass that s laminated on top of the display 87 Source: Samsung booth graphic at Mobile World Congress 2010 Source: Samsung

Early Products with Embedded Touch 6 Special case: Integrated Digital Technologies, Inc. Source: IDTI 21.5 light-sensing in-cell monitor with IR light-pen Supports two-touch with two pens Backplane by Hannstar 88 Source: Photo by author

Embedded Touch Characteristics 1 Advantages (summary) Integration, size, thickness, weight, ID (touch is invisible ) Unlimited multi-touch (controller-dependent) Conceptually high performance Low parallax error (assuming no cover glass) Very accurate & linear touch-point data Potentially higher resolution than LCD Lower manufacturing cost 89 Source: AUO

Embedded Touch Characteristics 2 Disadvantages (summary) Touching a black image doesn t work in low ambient light (if the design uses only a visible-light sensor) Can t reliably detect touch over the full range of ambient The sensor consumes too much of the pixel aperture Unstable microswitch contact at the edge of the screen The amount of processing power required by the touch function results in high power consumption in a mobile device Liquid-crystal pooling can be visually distracting Standard LCD polarizer is too soft for normal touch usage Successful integration can be very difficult due to LCD noise Lack of stylus support with on-cell limits some applications 90

Embedded Touch Characteristics 3 Size range 3 to 13.3 (current); potentially to mid-20 Variations Number of pixels per sensing element Controller Proprietary/TBD (potential problem) Applications Mobile (cellphones, tablets, cameras, netbooks, notebooks) Market share Just starting Suppliers Source: Sharp AUO, CMI, CPT, LGD, NEC, Samsung, Sharp, Sony, TMD 91

Embedded Touch Characteristics 4 Trends Light-sensing has the most unresolved problems No successful end-user products yet Voltage-sensing isn t getting any traction No successful products of any kind yet (IP restriction?) Charge-sensing is where all the action is, mostly on-cell LGD s 13.3 notebook LCD (on-cell) Samsung s OLED cellphone (on-cell) Samsung s in-cell hybrid in-cell voltage & charge-sensing cameras Analog resistive has been shown in demos only so far It is unlikely that LCD manufacturers will add embedded touch to an entire LCD product line; it will just be in high-volume products with a high demand for touch Conclusion It s still early days embedded touch has some distance to go 92

Camera- Based Optical This picture was drawn on a 46" LCD equipped with a NextWindow optical touch-screen by a visitor to the AETI Exhibition in London on January 24, 2006. Source: NextWindow 93 www.imsresearch.com Copyright 2010 IMS Research

Camera-Based Optical 1 94

Camera-Based Optical 2 Variations OEM Bezel-integrateable Strap-on (aftermarket) Size range 15 to 120 Controllers Proprietary Source: NextWindow 95

Camera-Based Optical 3 Advantages Stylus independence Scalability to large sizes Multi-touch (dependent on # of sensors) Object size recognition Low cost Disadvantages Profile height (~3 mm on a 19 screen) The unintended touch problem Screen rigidity requirement Applications Consumer touch monitors & AiOs (market leader) Interactive digital signage & education HP TouchSmart all-in-one computer Source: HP 96

Camera-Based Optical 4 Two touches with two cameras (current market focus) has two main limitations Ghost touches Occlusions The quality of the touch experience depends on the sophistication of the algorithms that handle ghost touches and occlusions 97

Camera-Based Optical 5 Market share 2010 Revenue 3% Volume <1% Suppliers NextWindow, Quanta, Qisda, Lumio, Xiroku/eIT, Baanto, LGD, IRTouch, Sitronix Market event NextWindow shipped more than 1M touchscreens in 2010 to the major PC OEMs Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, NEC, Samsung, Sony, etc. Dell ST2220T Touch Monitor 98

Camera-Based Optical 6 Market trends Touch on the consumer desktop (i.e., in AiOs) has failed to take off due to lack of applications, which has limited the growth of camera-based optical Camera-based optical touch is ideal for large-format, but The interactive digital-signage market hasn t emerged yet Interactive information on large screens is still a niche market The education market (whiteboards) has been slow to adopt optical because of entrenched resistive and electromagnetic technologies 99

Multi-Touch Resistive 1 Segmented type (for vertical applications) Opaque switch panel (the original purpose of digital resistive) Multi- Touch Controller Touch Sensor: Single-Layer (shown) or Two-Layer Matrix Source: Apex 101

Multi-Touch Resistive 2 All Points Addressable (APA) type (competes with projected capacitive) Multi-Touch 102 Source: Wintek

Analog Multi-Touch Resistive (AMR) 3 AMR (also called hybrid analog-digital ) Suppliers: eturbotouch, Mildex, Mutto, EETI, ATouch Limited IP on concept Number of touch points is controller-dependent (2-10) Offered in 3 23, but not actually in production in all sizes Can t touch with two fingers on the same square Source: Author 103

Analog Multi-Touch Resistive (AMR) 4 Gateway ZX6910 AiO with 23 AMR touchscreen from eturbotouch Source: Photos by author Drawing parallel lines with two closely held fingers (squares are 13 x 15 mm) There is no perfect touch technology 104

Analog Multi-Touch Resistive (AMR) 5 Actual Product 21.5 analog multi-touch resistive by eturbotouch 28 x 17 lines = 17 mm x 16 mm squares (90 pins) 23 = 35 x 22 lines 15 mm x 13 mm (114 pins) 105

Digital Multi-Touch Resistive (DMR) 6 DMR (also called digital matrix resistive ) Stantum (in France) is primary IP holder Stantum s strategy is to license controller IP to IC manufacturers Sitronix ST Micro Unlimited number of touch points Aimed at tablets & smartphones Fine pitch results in much higher number of connections than AMR 64 x 36 = 100 on 4.3 screen Source: Author Intel-Quanta Redvale Tablet 106 Source: Stantum

Digital Multi-Touch Resistive (DMR) 7 9 slate digital resistive touchscreen by Stantum (SID 2009) 107

Multi-Touch Resistive 8 Types (review) Segmented, for vertical-market applications All points addressable (APA), competes with pro-cap Analog (AMR) Digital (DMR) Constructions PET + Glass, PET + PET, etc. (same as analog resistive) Options Technically same variety as analog resistive, but less demand Size range 3 25 Controllers AD Semi & others for analog type Stantum (Sitronix & ST Micro) for digital type 108

Multi-Touch Resistive 9 Advantages Multi-touch Simple & familiar resistive technology Lower cost than pro-cap Disadvantages (same as resistive) Poor durability (PET top surface) Poor optical performance Non-zero touch force Applications Mobile devices Market share Just starting Multi-touch music controllers (see US Patent Application 2007-0198926 Market trends Suppliers are gearing up to compete against pro-cap Source: Jazz Mutant 109

Other Emerging Touch Technologies Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR) Dispersive Signal Technology (DST) Waveguide Infrared Vision-Based Force-Sensing Electromagnetic Resonance (EMR) Pen Digitizer 110 www.imsresearch.com Copyright 2010 IMS Research

Zero-Bezel Single piece of glass (no bezel); black margin is fired-on glass frit on underside Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR) Source: Elo TouchSystems 111 www.imsresearch.com Copyright 2010 IMS Research

Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR) 1 Source: Elo TouchSystems 112 Plain glass sensor with 4 piezos on the edges Table look-up of bending wave samples ( acoustic touch signatures )

Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR) 2 Variations Stationary APR from 10 to 52 with controller board Mobile APR from 2.8 to 10 with controller ASIC Size range 2.8 to 52 Controllers Proprietary Advantages Works with finger, stylus or any other touch object Very durable & transparent touch sensor Resistant to surface contamination; works with scratches Totally flush top surface ( Zero-Bezel ) Very simple sensor (plain glass + 4 piezoelectric transducers) 113

Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR) 3 Disadvantages No touch & hold ; no multi-touch (both are under development & may appear eventually) Requires enough touch-force (tap) to generate sound Control of mounting method in bezel is critical Applications POS, kiosks, gaming, mobile devices Market share <1% (first production in Elo monitors was at the end of 2006) Supplier Elo TouchSystems (sole source) Market trends Elo has begun shipping APR to mobile device OEMs 114

Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR) 4 Elo s Zero-Bezel APR with capacitive buttons & scroll-wheel in lower-right corner, all on a single sheet of glass (SID 2009) 115

Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR) 5 APR and Sensitive Object Elo/Tyco Electronics purchased Sensitive Object (www.sensitiveobject.com) on 1/27/10 for $62M (wow!) Sensitive Object s technology is so similar to APR that the two companies cross-licensed in July, 2007 But it s been more than a year and there s no sign of any results from the acquisition 116 Source: Sensitive Object

Dispersive Signal Technology 1 Plain glass sensor with 4 piezos in the corners Real-time analysis of bending waves in the glass ( time of flight calculation) Source: 3M 118

Dispersive Signal Technology 2 Variations None Size range 32 to 46 (3M may expand into larger sizes) Controller Proprietary Advantages Very simple sensor (plain glass + 4 piezoelectric transducers) Works with finger, stylus or any other touch object Very durable & transparent touch sensor Operates with static objects or scratches on the touch surface Fast response; highly repeatable touch accuracy; light touch 119

Dispersive Signal Technology 3 Disadvantages No touch & hold ; no multi-touch Control of mounting method in bezel is critical Applications Interactive digital signage; point-of-information (POI) Market share < 1% Supplier 3M (sole source) Market trends DST still has a relatively low market profile due to 3M s very conservative rollout 3M avoids cannibalizing their surface-capacitive sales (<32 ) 3M & Quanta working together on DST for mobile 120

APR vs. DST Technology Comparison Characteristic APR DST Notes Size range 2.8-52 32-46 3M surface capacitive is 5.7-32 Methodology Table lookup Real-time Measurement Bending waves Bending waves Multi-touch Under development Gestures announced 3M s multi-touch gestures only work with two moving points Touch & hold Under No development Activation force Moderate Light Controller Chip (mobile) Board (fixed) Board (fixed) Mounting Critical Critical Availability In monitors; components for mobile devices In monitors Neither technology has reached the drop-in touch-screen component state yet Others Similar Similar Performance, materials, surface treatment, interface, etc. 121

Waveguide Infrared 1 Principle Traditional Infrared Source: RPO 123

Waveguide Infrared 2 RPO s actual construction (3.5 screen) IR LED Substrate Parabolic reflector Light path (white) Waveguides Line-scan optical sensor Photo source: RPO; annotation by author Light path (uses TIR in substrate) 124

Waveguide Infrared 3 Variations None Size range 3 to 14 Controller Proprietary Advantages Much lower cost than traditional IR Source: RPO Very low profile height (0.5 mm) Higher resolution (depending on waveguide channel width) Much less pre-touch (IR is only 200µ above substrate) Works with a finger, stylus or any other touch object Object size recognition Limited multi-touch 125

Waveguide Infrared 4 Disadvantages Can t be scaled easily to large sizes (border width) Power consumption The fly on the screen problem (IR is only 200µ above substrate) Applications Mobile devices & automotive (maybe) Market share None Suppliers RPO (Australian startup; sole source) 126

Waveguide Infrared 5 Market events RPO Announced IR optical-waveguide touch at SID 2007 Showed improved performance at SID 2008 Showed larger sizes at SID 2009 Appeared in a 13.3 LG Display notebook at SID 2010 Went into voluntary administration (liquidation) in April 2011 Market trends RPO s assets & intellectual property are now for sale 127

Vision-Based 1 Principle (simplest version) Multiple touch points; Image taken without a diffuser (Source: Perceptive Pixel) Source: Perceptive Pixel Frustrated Total Internal Reflection (FTIR) 129

Vision-Based 2 Microsoft Surface (v1) Surface computing is about integrating the physical and virtual worlds through the use of vision-based touch Source: Information Display Projector resolution 1024x768 ------------- Touch resolution 1280x960 Source: Popular Mechanics 5 1 Screen with diffuser 2 IR LED light source 3 Four IR cameras 4 DLP projector 5 Vista desktop 130

Vision-Based 3 Variations IR injected into the cover glass; touch points seen via FTIR IR illuminates underside of cover glass; touch points reflect IR Size range As described, 30 and up Substrates Glass or acrylic Advantages Combination touch-screen and rear-projection screen Alternative to IR and projected-capacitive for rear projection Unlimited multi-touch (MS Surface spec is 52 touches max) 131

Vision-Based 4 Disadvantages As described, for use with rear-projection only Finger-only (FTIR) or IR-reflecting object (Surface) Applications Interactive video walls ; digital signage; high-end retail Market share << 1% Suppliers Microsoft (Surface) Perceptive Pixel (Jeff Han s famous videos) GestureTek & others Build Your Own Multi-Touch Surface Computer Maximum PC magazine (4/09) www.maximumpc.com/print/5878 Source: NORTD 132

Vision-Based 5 Market event The emergence of Microsoft s Surface v1 product as an actual, for-sale, shipping product rather than just a research platform The announcement of Microsoft/Samsung s Surface v2 product Shipment expected by the end of 2011 Market trends Because a vision-based touch system can be assembled very easily, it s the most common platform used for research Interest in vision-based touch is rapidly increasing Google touch table for one view of related activity 133

Force Sensing 1 Principle Suspend the touch-screen from force-sensors (strain gauges or piezos) such that movement is constrained to only the z-axis Variations IBM TouchSelect : Strain gauges (early 1990s, unsuccessful) Vissumo: Beam-mounted sensors (ran out of money in 2009) F-Origin: Monofilament-mounted sensors (recovering after shrinking to just one person) FloatingTouch: Flexible adhesive pad sensors (just starting up) Size range 5-48 135 Force sensor (4) Slot (4) Frame Touch area (Vissumo s design)

Force Sensing 2 4 strain gauges supporting one touch panel Vissumo s Amazing Demo Box Glass-covered LCD integrated into touch panel with soft keys printed on back of glass Irregularly shaped, raised, textured, wooden touch surface Motor attached to and penetrating touch panel with printed speed control keys and push-pull control lever Raised, marble touch surface with toggle switches penetrating touch panel Multi-page book with touchable & movable metal pages Snap-dome keys attached to touch panel; removable padded and textured keys; speaker attached with holes through the touch panel. 136 Source: Photo by author

Force Sensing 3 Advantages Complete substrate design freedom no other touch technology can handle three-dimensional substrates with embedded moving objects Disadvantages No vibration under 10 Hz; no rapid-fire touches (>200 ms required between touches); no multi-touch (TBD) Applications 3D architectural applications Vertical-market applications Market share Zero (F-Origin s undisclosed Source: Vissumo design) 137

Force Sensing 4 Market trends Vissumo s architectural focus (e.g., a 3D elevator control panel made of steel, glass & stone containing an embedded LCD with soft keys and a speaker) was strongly differentiated with some unique capabilities One re-start (F-Origin) and one new startup (FloatingTouch) are tackling this technology again 138

EMR Pen Digitizer 1 Cordless pen without battery Transmitted RF L Received RF Source: Wacom CTi p CMai n Pen equivalent circuit LCD Sensor grid CSid e Side switc h Pressure-sensitive capacitor (CTip) Coil (L) Sensor grid schematic (10µ copper) many wires Controller chipset 5-8 wires Serial/USB interface to host Source: Wacom 140

EMR Pen Digitizer 2 Variations Sensor substrate (rigid FR4 vs. flexible 0.3-0.6 mm PET) Pen diameter (3.5 mm PDA pen to 14 mm executive pen) Size range 2 to 14 Controllers Proprietary Advantages Very high resolution (1,000 dpi) 2 14 Controller for 10.4 Source: Wacom Pen hover (mouseover = move cursor without clicking) Sensor is behind LCD = high durability & no optical degradation Batteryless, pressure-sensitive pen 141 Single controller can run both pen digitizer & pro-cap finger touch

EMR Pen Digitizer 3 Disadvantages Electronic pen = disables product if lost; relatively expensive Difficult integration requires lots of shielding in mobile computer Sensor can t be integrated with some LCDs Single-source = relatively high cost Applications Tablet PCs Opaque desktop graphics tablets Integrated tablet (pen) monitors E-book readers Smartphones but zero traction Wacom Bamboo Tablet Market share 100% share in Tablet PCs Failed challengers: FinePoint/InPlay, Aiptek, Acecad, KYE, Synaptics, UC-Logic, Wintime Majority share in graphics tablets & tablet monitors 142

EMR Pen Digitizer 4 Suppliers Wacom, Hanvon, Waltop, UC-Logic/Sunrex Market trends Microsoft significantly de-emphasized the pen in Windows 7, so Wacom is selling into Tablet PCs against a headwind Pen in general is undergoing a lessening of importance iphone and many imitators Tablet PCs still a niche ipad doesn t have a pen! E-book readers are a natural fit IF annotation is important E-Ink 9.7 Prototype EMR Kit 143

Touch Technology vs. Application Application Example Analog Resistive Multi-Touch Resistive Surface Capacitive Projected Capacitive Touch Technologies Kiosk Point of Info (POI) Museum information O X O X O O X O O O X X X X X Kiosk Commerce Digital photo printing O X O O O X X X O O X X X X X Kiosk Ruggedized Gas pump X X O O O O X X X X O X X X X Point of Sale (POS) Restaurant; lottery O X O O O O X X O X O X X X X Office Automation Office monitor O X O X O X X X X X X X X X X Industrial Control Machine control O O O X O O X X X X O X X X X Medical Equipment Medical devices O X X O O X X X O X X X X X X Healthcare Patient info monitor O X X X O X X X O X X X X X X Military Fixed & Mobile Submarine console O X O X X O X X X X X X X X X Training & Conference Boardroom display O X X X O O X O X O X X X X X Legal Gaming Casino machine X X O X X X X X X X X X X X X Amusement Gaming Bar-top game X X O X O X X X O X X X X X X In-Vehicle GPS navigation O X X O X X O X X X X X X X X ATM Machine ATM machine X X O O O O X X X X X X X X X Mobile Device Smartphone O O X O X X O X O X O O O O O Appliance Refrigerator door O X X O X X X X O X X X X X X Architectural Elevator control X O X X X X X X X X O X X X X Consumer AiO & Monitor HP TouchSmart O X X X O X X O X X X X X X X Music Controller Jazz Mutant O O X O X X X X X X X X X X X Digital Signage Thru-window store X X X O O O X O O O X X X X X SAW Traditional IR Waveguide IR Optical APR DST Force Sensing LCD In-Cell (Light) LCD In-Cell (Voltage) LCD In-Cell (Charge) LCD On-Cell (Charge) 145

13 Usability Characteristics Touch Technologies There is Desirable Characteristic Analog Resistive Multi-Touch Resistive Surface Capacitive Projected Capacitive SAW Traditional IR Waveguide IR Optical APR DST Force Sensing LCD In-Cell (Light) LCD In-Cell (Voltage) LCD In-Cell (Charge) LCD On-Cell (Charge) Usability Touch with any object H H L L M H H H H H H M M M L No unintended touch H H H H H L L L H H H H H H H Multi-touch L H L H M M M M L L L H H H H Touch & hold H H H H H H H H L L H H H H H High durability L L M H H H H H H H H M L L H High sensitivity (light touch) M M H H M H H H M H L H H H H Fast response & drag M M H H M M H H M H L L H M M Stable calibration M H L H H H H H H H H H H H H Very smooth surface L L H M M M M M M M M M L L M No liquid crystal pooling H H H H H H H H H H H H L L H Resistant to contaminants H H M H L M L M H H H L L L H Works in rain, snow & ice H H L H L L L L L L H L L L H Works with scratches L L M H H H H H M H H L L L H 146

13 Performance Characteristics Touch Technologies no perfect Analog Resistive Multi-Touch Resistive Surface Capacitive Projected Capacitive SAW Desirable Characteristic Performance High optical performance L L M M H H H H H H H H H H M High resolution H M H H M L H H M M L M H L H High linearity H H M M M M H M M M H H H H M High accuracy & repeatability H M M H H M H M M M H H H H H Low power consumption H H L M L L M M H L H H L M M Insensitive to vibration H H H H H H H H H M L H H H H Insensitive to EMI & RFI H H L L H H H H H H H L L L M Insensitive to ambient light H H H H H M H M H H H L H H H Insensitive to UV light L L H H H H H H H H H H M M H Touch-object size recognition L M L H L L H H L L L M H M H Measures Z-axis L L L M M L L L L L H L L L M Handwriting recognition H M L M L L M H L L L M H L M Works with bi-stable reflective H H L H L L M L H L L M L L H Traditional IR Waveguide IR Optical APR DST Force Sensing LCD In-Cell (Light) LCD In-Cell (Voltage) LCD In-Cell (Charge) LCD On-Cell (Charge) 147

13 Integration Characteristics touch technology! (Burma Shave) Desirable Characteristic Analog Resistive Multi-Touch Resistive Surface Capacitive Projected Capacitive Touch Technologies SAW Integration Substrate independence M M L H L H H H L L H L L L L Scalable M L M H M M L H H H H L L L L Easy integration H M L L M M M H L L M H H H H Flush surface (low profile) M M M H M L M L H H M H M M H Narrow border width H M M H L L M L H H M H H H H Thin and light H H L H L L M L L L L H H H H Easy to seal H H H H L M M L H H M M L L M Can be vandal-proofed L L M H H M M L H H H L L L L Works on curved surface M M L H L L L L L L H H L L H Can be laminated to LCD H H H H M M H H L L L H H H H HID (Plug & Play) interface L L L L L L L H L H L L L L L Simple controller H M L L L L M M M L H L H M M Controller chip available H H L H H L H L H L H L L L L Traditional IR Waveguide IR Optical APR DST Force Sensing LCD In-Cell (Light) LCD In-Cell (Voltage) LCD In-Cell (Charge) LCD On-Cell (Charge) 148

There Is No Perfect Touch Technology! Technology Major Advantage Major Flaw Analog (single-touch) Resistive Low cost Low durability Multi-Touch Resistive Multi-touch Low durability Surface Capacitive Touch sensitivity High drift Projected Capacitive Multi-touch Finger-only Surface Acoustic Wave Durability Soft touch object Traditional Infrared Reliability High cost Waveguide Infrared Low cost Contamination Camera-Based Optical Scalability Profile height Acoustic Pulse Recognition Any touch-object No touch & hold Dispersive Signal Technology Any touch-object No touch & hold Force-Sensing 3D substrate Vibration Vision-Based Multi-touch Rear projection LCD In-Cell (Light-Sensing) Integration Sensitivity LCD In-Cell (Voltage-Sensing) Integration Durability LCD In-Cell (Charge-Sensing) Integration Durability LCD On-Cell (Charge-Sensing) Integration Finger-only 150

A Prediction of Which Technologies Will Win in the Next Five Years Application Winning Technology Runner-Up Technology Automotive Analog Resistive Projected Capacitive Casino Gaming Projected Capacitive Surface Capacitive Consumer AiOs and Monitors Projected Capacitive Camera-Based Optical Consumer Tablets & Notebooks Projected Capacitive Multi-Touch Resistive Interactive Camera-Based Traditional Infrared Digital Signage Optical Kiosks Surface Acoustic Surface Capacitive Wave Mobile Devices Projected Capacitive Analog Resistive POS Terminals Analog Resistive Traditional Infrared 151

Suggested Reading on Touch http://www.informationdisplay.org/pastissue.cfm March 2011 March 2010 December 2007 December 2006 152

Thank You! Geoff Walker geoff.walker@imsresearch.com +1 408-945-1221 office +1 408-506-7556 mobile File Download: www.walkermobile.com/sid_2011_short_course_s4.pdf IMS Research Europe 3-5 Huxley Close, Wellingborough, Northants, NN8 6AB, England T: +44 1933 402 255 F: +44 1933 402 266 IMS Research USA 3301 Northland Drive, Suite 400, Austin, TX 78731 USA T: +1 512 302 1977 F: +1 512 302 1844 IMS Research China Room 605, Tower B, Orient Intl. Plaza, 85 Lou Shan Guan Road, Shanghai, 200336, PRC T: +86 21 6270 1823 F: +86 21 6270 1833 IMS Research Taiwan 6F-1, No.8, Lane 18, Sec.1, Yunghe Rd YungHe City, 234, Taipei, Taiwan T: +886 939 842 065 IMS Research Korea Room 350 Gangbyeon Metro Center Seongjin Bldg. 3F, 593-15 Guui-3-dong, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul, Korea 143-831 T: +82 70 8661 2035 F: +82 2 6925 3810