What is ITO used for?
If you have read this blog before, you probably know that we have focused a lot on ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) being used in the manufacture of touch screen devices, both resistive and capacitive touch screen versions utilise ITO.
Although ITO usage in touchscreens is relatively high, it barely scratched the surface of Indium Tin Oxide in applications across a multitude of industries. Here we delve a bit deeper into what ITO is used for.
What is ITO?
Seems a good place to start… Indium Tin Oxide is a mixture of Indium Oxide (In2O3) and Tin Oxide (SnO2), typically 90% and 10% respectively by weight. Indium was discovered by German chemists Hieronymus Richter and Ferdinand Reich in 1863. When they isolated a yellow powder extracted from sphalerite (zinc ore), they tested it with a flame. A distinctive, indigo coloured band within the spectrum appeared, unlike any other element seen before.
As a result, Richter and Reich named the substance Indium, after the colour indigo they had seen. The Latin ‘indicium’, meaning violet or indigo, seems to suggest where their thought process was. Indium Tin Oxide is probably the most important application of Indium, with 45% of all Indium being used to produce Indium Tin Oxide.
Indium Tin oxide itself has two very important qualities – it is both optically clear and also electrically conductive. When you look at an example of ITO in action, a capacitive touch screen on a cell phone seems like a good option. The screen has an ITO coating which is clear and conductive. When your finger touches the screen, it alters the charge, allowing the device to recognise the exact location of your touch
Depositing ITO onto a glass or plastic substrate is relatively easy to accomplish on an industrial level. Because of its conductivity and optical transparency, it has become one of the most used transparent conducting oxides around the world.
So what is ITO used for?
We have mentioned touch screens both here and extensively elsewhere within this blog. Yet there are other applications utilising ITO as commonly. A good example where you can see the obvious factors of ITO in-play are heated windows. These are used in all kinds of environments, including aviation and space exploration. By applying a charge to glass or a thin PET film, the electricity provides heat which will de-mist windows, even at high altitudes and in unforgiving environments.
This same technology is being applied to supermarket freezer doors. An ITO coated glass door does not mist up once opened, allowing all the produce to be easily viewed, all the time.
Large format displays will also utilise ITO in the form of a thin PET film to provide larger touch screens and impressive retail signage. ITO coated glass is also used in the production of OLED screens and cinema projection glass.
ITO is especially useful for electron microscopy. An ITO glass slide can be used to view a specimen, with the charge running through the slide rather than the specimen itself. ITO coverslips are also used in this same area.
Positive environmental impacts
Indium Tin Oxide is used within photovoltaics in solar cells, helping to create a cleaner energy source. ITO coated glass is also utilised for smart windows – these low-e energy efficient windows will monitor and regulate temperatures, taking away the need for additional heating or air conditioning. This not only uses less energy, but it has a cost saving benefit too.
The military industry benefits from ITO coatings in various applications including command consoles and precision instruments used in the field.
The medical industry also utilise ITO within a large number of devices, especially those that require a touch panel and / or EMI/RFI shielding.
Do you need more information?
If you have any further questions on ITO and its multiple applications, we will be happy to assist you. If you have a specific ITO requirement, a member of our technical team will respond as soon as is possible. Get in touch with us today.