Nissha ties up with Peratech

UK: Nissha, the leading manufacturer of touch screens, has signed a licensing agreement, worth US $1.4 million, for the ultra-thin, low power QTC technology switches of Peratech, aimed at producing next-generation touch screens with 3D input for mobile devices.

The licensing pact signed between Nissha and Peratech gives Nissha exclusive, global rights to use the technology for screens smaller than 3.5 inches by 5.5 inches for an initial term of one year.

Philip Taysom, joint CEO of Peratech, said in a statement that the tunnelling composites (QTC) materials made by Peratech possess unique electronic properties, which enable them to be made into force-sensitive switches of any size or shape.

QTC switches and switch matrices, which can be screen-printed, enable development and integration of switches that are as thin as 75 microns. These materials can be designed as low-power interfaces with no start-resistance – hence the switches will not draw power or pass current.

More importantly, according to Peratech, when pressure is applied, the resistance decreases in proportion to the amount of pressure – allowing for sophisticated human-machine interface designs, which react to variation s in pressure.

Philip Taysom explains that, QTC switches, when integrated into touch screens or interface buttons, enable the creation of new gestures. This means that, instead of scrolling through a menu in a linear way, more pressure applied to the switch could be interpreted as a stronger input in video games or a quicker scrolling.