TCO market forecast to rise

NanoMarkets' report, 'Emerging Markets for Non-ITO Transparent Conductive Oxides' addresses the markets for 'alternative' transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) and predicts that by 2016 the market for these alternative TCOs will reach US$925 million.

The report analyses applications for these alternatives to indium tin oxide materials in: LCD, epaper, plasma and OLED displays; touch-screen sensors; thin-film and organic photovoltaics, OLED lighting; low ewindows and smart windows; and solar control film, antistatics and RFI/EMI shielding.

The report also discusses the opportunities for TCOs as an alternative to amorphous silicon in thin-film transistors.

Materials covered in the report include FTO, ATO, AZO, GZO, IZO, multicomponent amorphous TCOs (MATCOs) and p-type materials.

The report states that fluorine-doped tin oxide could be the next ITO. It is already the dominant transparent conductor used for the CdTe versions of photovoltaics. In addition, FTO has been extensively used in low-emittance (low-e) architectural windows, which are used to control costs in commercial buildings.

NanoMarkets believes that there are opportunities for these materials in thin-film transistor channels. In fact, there are already signs that they will be used in TFT channels for improved economics and performance in the AMOLEDs that are now rapidly penetrating the mobile display industry and will soon be used in TVs.

In addition, the arrival of p-type TCOs suggests a future of completely transparent electronics and PV and LEDs constructed from non-toxic materials.

NanoMarkets expects antinomy tin oxide (ATO) in its nanomaterial form to break into new markets. It is already gaining ground on nano-ITO in heat shielding and antistatics and NanoMarkets believes that it will even be able to compete with conducting polymers.