AGC develops tech to handle ultra-thin glass

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AGC, a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals and high-tech materials, has developed carrier glass on which to laminate its 0.1 mm-thick ultra-thin glass for easy handling and transportation during product manufacturing processes. Customers now can utilize ultra-thin glass without altering their existing production facilities, a major stride toward the commercialization of ultra-thin glass for next-generation displays and various other applications.

Ultra-thin glass, which AGC developed last year, offers excellent transparency, heat resistance and electrical insulation, as well as extra thinness and flexibility, making it ideal for next-generation displays, touchscreens and lighting equipment.

The roll-to-roll production method, which is currently under development, enables rolls of ultra-thin glass to be used conveniently in continuous strips during production. However, the method has required substantial alterations in production facilities to ensure proper handling of the ultra-thin glass. To overcome this need and thereby accelerate commercialization, AGC has now developed the technology to laminate ultra-thin glass onto 0.5mm carrier glass. The laminated glass substrate can be handled much the same as ordinary glass sheet (sheet-to-sheet method), enabling circuit formation and other processing of ultra-thin glass without having to alter existing production facilities.

Carrier glass and ultra-thin glass are laminated via a special bonding layer that makes the laminated substrate high resistant to heating and chemical processing during production. Furthermore, the carrier glass prevents the ultra-thin glass from coming into direct contact with processing equipment to prevent defects like scratches, and can be easily delaminated after processing.