Applied Materials Introduces Manufacturing System to Meet the Strong Demand for Advanced Touch Panels

Applied Materials, Inc. today announced its new Applied AKT®-Aristo™ Twin system for manufacturing touch-enabled displays. Featuring two independent processing tracks on a single system, the AKT-Aristo Twin is the only system that enables the simultaneous fabrication of two different film stacks- providing customers with unprecedented productivity and flexibility in the manufacturing of advanced touch panels.

There are several touch screen technologies on the market, with capacitive multi-touch displays being the preferred technology for mobile applications. Advanced multi-touch displays require the deposition of up to 15 or more PVD film layers during manufacturing. The new AKT-Aristo Twin system is ideally suited to the demands of fabricating both glass and rigid plastic-based advanced touch panels, providing up to 50% higher throughput than competing systems and using half the manufacturing space.

Touch screens are enabling the next wave of growth in flat panel displays providing smartphone and tablet PC users with a faster, more intuitive interface, said Tom Edman, group vice president and general manager of Applied's Display Business Group. Due to its innovative design, Applied's AKT-Aristo Twin PVD technology enables manufacturers to offer this essential component at a consumer-friendly price. Customers have been very enthusiastic about the AKT-Aristo Twin system; we've already shipped multiple systems, especially to major manufacturers in China and Taiwan.

Based on the industry-standard AKT New Aristo PVD platform, a production proven system with 175 units shipped worldwide for LCD color filter and touch panel applications, the AKT-Aristo Twin system is capable of handling a wide range of substrate sizes up to 5.5m2 (2.2m x 2.5m). The parallel architecture provides the most compact touch panel solution, minimizing clean room space requirements and potentially eliminating the need for multiple systems. The system also features leading-edge rotary target technology to achieve high production yield and the lowest available cost-per-substrate.