Indium tin oxide (ITO) replacement market booming!

NEW TRIPOLI, USA: While indium tin oxide (ITO) is widely used as the material for transparent electrodes in a assorted range of electronic devices including thin film photovoltaics, touch-screen displays, LCD panels, e-paper, and electroluminescent (EL) panels, its days are numbered as the dominant transparent conducting film, according to the report “Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) and Replacement Markets: Insight for End Users and Material and Equipment Suppliers," recently published by The Information Network.

“ITO commanded a market share of 97.2 percent in 2007 primarily because of Flat Panel and Touch-Screen Displays," noted Dr. Robert Castellano, president of The Information Network. “ITO will lose share to 75.3 percent in 2016 on a unit basis.”

Research was initiated for replacement conducting films because of the high cost and potential shortage of indium metal. In recent years, indium prices have stabilized. Coupled with an eroding market for indium, fears of instability in the market have diminished. The high price of indium has been a catalyst for replacements, including conducting polymers, nanomaterials, and wires. Nevertheless, on a revenue basis, ITO will maintain a share of 91.1 percent in 2016.

Flexibility is a key factor and all new successful replacements for ITO offer flexibility, bendability and other characteristics superior to ITO even though transparency and electrical conductivity are slightly worse. Flexible films are important characteristics in touch panels, bendable e-paper, and similar products.

Non-ITO transparent conductors will remain dominant in the thin film solar cell market segment throughout the forecast period. High-flying thin film photovoltaics CdTe and CIGS mainly use alternatives.

CdTe uses fluorine-doped tin oxide and CIGS uses aluminum-doped zinc oxide. ITO is not expected to make any increase to its fairly low market share. The more flexible alternatives (including polymers and carbon nanotubes) will make inroads into this market toward the latter part of the forecast period.