AGC announced today it has developed the world's thinnest soda-lime
glass substrate for touchscreens, measuring just 0.28 mm, or 15% less
than the currently thinnest commercial substrate at 0.33 mm, as well as
being 15% lighter, promising to further shrink smartphones and tablets
in the near future.
Starting with mass production using the float process later this month,
AGC expects annual sales to exceed 10 billion yen (about 120 million
USD) in 2013.
Glass touchscreens in smartphones and tablets comprise a tough cover
material and an underlying layer of substrate material embedded with
electrodes. Soda-lime glass is an ideal substrate material for
touchscreens because it maintains form when subjected to heat, resists
discoloring due to ultraviolet radiation, accepts chemical strengthening
and is easily processed.
AGC, under its Grow Beyond strategy, is building new foundations for
growth through innovative solutions for specialty glass used in
displays, including Dragontrail, a damage-resistant cover glass launched
in January this year. AGC forecasts sales of its various, new
electronics-related products, including its newly announced soda-lime
glass substrate, and other specialty glass for displays, to exceed 100
billion yen (about 1.2 billion USD) in 2013.
AGC's soda-lime glass substrate is scheduled to be exhibited during
Display Week 2011 of the Society for Information Display (SID) in Los
Angeles, California, from May 15.