Comprehensive analysis and detailed discussion on the application market of ITO conductive film

ITO film

ITO conductive film is a new typeTransparent conductive filmIt has excellent insulation properties, is non-conductive at high temperatures, and has excellent characteristics such as oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance, and conductivity. In the transparent electrode industry, ITO film has become a new type of transparent electrode material to replace ITO film. ITO film is widely used in fields such as solar cells, infrared windows, and optical devices due to its excellent insulation and oxidation resistance.

ITO conductive film is composed of high-purity semiconductor materials, transparent conductive oxides, and metal organic compounds. It uses a glass substrate as a substrate to sinter other materials to form a multi-layered thin film structure. Due to the extremely thin and transparent protective film coated on top of it, it has high light transmittance and excellent weather resistance.

1、 The main uses of ITO

(1) The thickness of transparent conductive film used for manufacturing flat panel displays is generally 0.05-0.5 mm, accounting for about 50% of the entire transparent conductive film market. At present, ITO has been widely used in the production of liquid crystal displays (LCDs), flat panel display devices (PDPs), and thin film transistors (TFTs).

(2) ITO is one of the most commonly used transparent conductive films for making transparent electrodes, filters, anti reflection films, infrared windows, and solar cells. Among all ITO materials, indium tin oxide (ITO) has the best comprehensive performance.

(3) Used for manufacturing optoelectronic devices. As a transparent conductive film for electronic components, it is used to make various solar cells, photoelectric switches, and other optoelectronic devices, such as thin-film transistors TFT, etc.

(4) Used for producing other optoelectronic devices, such as electron beam exposure, light-emitting diodes, solar cells, etc.

2、 Application of ITO conductive film in the field of optoelectronics

ITO conductive film is mainly used in transparent conductive thin films and is widely used in products such as solar cells, flat panel displays, liquid crystal displays, etc. At present, There are two main types of applications of ITO conductive film in solar cells: the first type is photovoltaic cells with ITO as the transparent electrode, among which the most representative product is ITO thin film solar cells, which have high transmittance and good conductivity.

The second category is based onITO is a transparent electrodeThe flat panel display. A representative product among them is Sharp's development of a full HD LCD display screen with ITO as the transparent electrode, which has entered the mass production stage.

The flat panel display industry in China started to develop in the early 21st century. After more than a decade of effort, China has become the world's largest producer and exporter of flat panel displays, as well as one of the world's largest markets for consumer electronics.

3、 What are the principles behind the production and application of ITO?

The production process of ITO conductive film is to mix ITO film, glass substrate, graphite electrode, etc. in a certain proportion, then vacuum sintering, and finally high-temperature heat treatment and coating to achieve.

ITO conductive film is a transparent conductive thin film with low resistance, high transmittance, and high temperature resistance. ITO conductive film has characteristics such as oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance, and non conductivity, and has good thermal conductivity. It is widely used in fields such as solar cells and optoelectronic displays, for manufacturing transparent electrodes, and can also be used in optical devices.

With the development of the microelectronics industry and the increasing demand for flexible electronic products, ITO conductive film has good toughness and is easy to bend, so it is receiving increasing attention and has broad market prospects.

4、 Why is the application of ITO particularly important in ITO conductive films?

ITO material is currently the best transparent conductive film, but its high price limits its application in the field of optoelectronics. However, ITO materials have important applications in the transparent conductive film industry due to their widespread use in fields such as solar cells, infrared windows, transparent conductive films, and touch screens.

ITO material has excellent optoelectronic properties, with low resistivity (0.2~0.4 Ω· cm) and excellent insulation performance. At the same time, it is also a very good materialThermal insulation materialAnd with good optical insulation materials, it has excellent thermal stability. Due to its excellent electrical and optical properties, ITO has a wide range of applications in many fields, including solar cells, infrared windows, touch screens, optical windows, and touch screens. In the field of solar cells, ITO thin film has great application prospects.

Due to the excellent properties of ITO thin film materials, ITO materials are widely used in the field of optoelectronics. At present, ITO thin films have been widely used in the fields of optoelectronics, optoelectronic devices, and transparent conductive films.

5、 What is the market demand trend for ITO?

ITO, as the most cost-effective material in transparent electrodes, will maintain stable market demand in the short term, but in the long run, the demand for ITO in the market will show an increasing trend.

According to data predictions, the demand for ITO in China will reach 1.36 million tons in 2021, and from 2022 to 2026, the demand for ITO in China will be 1.47 million tons, 1.64 million tons, 1.7 million tons, and 1.8 million tons, respectively.

China is the largest overseas market for ITO, but with the rapid development and cost advantage of China's photovoltaic industry, its share in the global market continues to increase. The demand for ITO in markets such as Europe is growing strongly. The European Union, China, India, and other major countries with high demand for ITO.

From the perspective of application fields, solar cells are the largest downstream application market, accounting for about 70% of the total demand for photovoltaic cells; Next are application areas such as infrared windows (including infrared night vision goggles), glass covers (including car front window glass), car sunroofs, and LED lighting. Among them, infrared windows and car sunroofs account for a large proportion, expected to account for about 32% and 21% respectively in 2023.

6、 For the optoelectronic industry, What are the development trends of ITO?

The production of ITO film is mainly divided into two categories: one is high-temperature sintering method, and the other is low-temperature impregnation method.

High temperature sintering method: ITO film is sintered under low temperature conditions to form a uniform and dense thin film, and then annealed at high temperature to achieve the requirements of high transmittance, high resistivity, and low resistivity.

Low temperature immersion method: ITO film is sintered at high temperature to evaporate and decompose the metal elements inside the film, and then annealed at high temperature to form a uniform and dense thin film. This method can ensure that the ITO film does not contain metal oxide particles and has a low electrical resistivity.

What are the main application areas and market prospects of ITO in China?

Currently, there is still a high demand for high transmittance ITO films in China. In terms of solar cells, ITO film is mainly used in the production of multi-layer cells, thin-film solar cells, polycrystalline silicon solar cells, and solar charging systems; In the field of display, ITO film is mainly used for flat panel display panels (TFT-LCD), solar flat panel displays (SSCC), liquid crystal televisions (LCD-TV), and thin film antennas for mobile communication;

7、 How to evaluate the market prospects of ITO conductive films?

Although ITO conductive film has certain limitations in its application range, its market prospects are very broad with the widespread use of ITO film in the photovoltaic field.

In the next five years, ITO conductive film will be the most importantTransparent electrode materialone of. The main application areas of ITO conductive film are photovoltaic field, infrared window and optical equipment, flat panel display, touch screen and other fields. These fields will have great development in the next five years.

The application prospects of ITO conductive film are very broad, but in order to be widely promoted and applied, it still requires support from government policies and technology, and more importantly, continuous innovation and exploration by our technical personnel.