Carclo and Atmel: Transforming the mobile market

This week, touch screen developer Carclo told the Yorkshire Post that it is well positioned to meet the requirements for the expected ramp up in XSense, the touch screen sensor launched by US business partner Atmel.

“Full-scale manufacture of coated film to support the XSense program has started,” the Yorkshire Post reported. “Carclo [confirmed] that XSense is to be adopted in a number of products launched across a range of tier 1 manufacturers during the second half of its financial year.”

Atmel’s XSense can probably best be described as a high-performance, highly flexible touch sensor which allows engineers to design devices with curved surfaces and functionality along product edges. Based on a proprietary roll-to-roll metal mesh technology, XSense touch sensors provide a clear alternative to existing touch sensors. Simply put, manufacturers can now build light-weight, sleek, edgeless smartphones, tablets and other touch-enabled devices with extremely versatile form factors.

“Consumers are demanding more robust and advanced touch-based products with larger screens and longer battery life,” an Atmel engineering rep told Bits & Pieces. “However, traditional touch sensor solutions have a difficult time standing up to these new market requirements because of their brittle nature. In contrast, XSense is a flexible, film-based touch sensor with such advantages as flawless touch performance, enhanced noise immunity, low sheet resistance and low power consumption.”

Key XSense specs include:

• Highly accurate stylus performance (active or passive)
• Support for larger touchscreens
• Flexibility – for curved surfaces
• Narrow border – for larger active screen areas
• Narrow bond area – for optimized device reliability
• Low sheet resistance for better noise immunity and lower power

“In short, XSense kicks off a new era of touch design – enabling manufacturers to redefine touch and create an entirely new class of products,” the Atmel engineering rep added. “Combined with Atmel’s maXTouch controllers, we provide a completely optimized, unparalleled touch experience, extending our product portfolio deeper into the touch eco-system.”