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Japanese Company Unveils 'World's Thinnest' Glass for Touch Screens

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Posted: Fri Apr 22, 2011 23:12

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LionKiller

Multitouch devices could get even thinner. Tokyo-based Asahi Glass Company (AGC) has developed what it says is the world's thinnest glass for touch-screen panels.

The new soda-lime glass substrate is 0.28 millimeters thick. AGC says that's 15 percent thinner than the thinnest substrate on the market, which measures 0.33 millimeters thick.

The substrate is a piece of glass that sits underneath the glass cover and above the LCD screen on a smartphone or a tablet. Embedded with electrodes, Asahi says soda-lime material is ideal "for touch screens because it maintains form when subjected to heat, resists discoloring due to ultraviolet radiation, accepts chemical strengthening, and is easily processed." ACG says it will begin production on the component by the end of the month. The company expects to be successful with the ultra-thin glass, too, projecting sales of more than $1.2 billion.

Earlier this year, Asahi unveiled "Dragontail," a super durable glass that it plans to market as a competitor to Corning "Gorilla Glass," which is used in the Apple iPhone. Asahi claims that Dragontail is six times stronger than conventional soda-lime glass, but free of arsenic, lead, and antimon. It's "highly resistant to scratches and features a beautiful, pristine finish compared with resin," Asahi said in a January press release.

It seems parts for touch-screen products can't be produced fast enough. Apple reportedly controls 60 percent of the touch-screen supply, secured in advance for products like the iPhone and iPad. However, in its quarterly earnings call Wednesday, Apple reported a decline in iPad sales, possibly due to a shortage of these components.