AGC has just introduced what is deemed to be the thinnest soda-lime glass substrate for touchscreens in the word, so if you’re a sucker for statistics, all you need to do is take out your measuring tape – nay, you won’t need that as all you need would be a small ruler. After all, AGC’s latest offering is a soda-lime glass substrate that will see action on touchscreen displays, where it will measure a mere 0.28mm, which is actually 15% less than the current thinnest commercial substrate (which stands at 0.33 mm just in case you were wondering), while losing 15% of its weight to raise hopes of even smaller smartphones and tablet devices down the road. Mass production using the float process will begin later this month.
Just to get a better idea on what a substrate is all about, let us take a look at the situation’s context. All glass touchscreens used in smartphones and tablet devices tend to be made up of a tough cover material and an underlying layer of substrate material that have been embedded with electrodes. With soda-lime glass, it has been discovered to be an ideal substrate material for touchscreens simply because it maintains form when subjected to heat, and not only that, resists discoloring that is due to ultraviolet radiation while accepting chemical strengthening.
For thosee who want to find out more, you would realize that soda-lime glass is made up mostly of sodium oxide and silicon dioxide, and sees action most often in the construction and automotive industries. The float process used will let a piece of glass float over molten metal in order to efficiently produce a highly uniform piece of glass, waiting for your fingers to glide over them. [Press Release]
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