AGC's Carrier Glass Technology Enables Current Production Processes to Handle Ultra-Thin Glass

AGC (TOKYO:5201), a world-leading manufacturer of glass, chemicals and high-tech materials, announced today that it 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 laminated glass substrate (Photo: Business Wire)

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.

A sample of carrier glass technology will be exhibited at AGC's booth at the Society for Information Display (SID) exhibition in Boston, U.S.A. from June 4.

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.

About the AGC Group

The AGC Group, with Tokyo-based Asahi Glass Co., Ltd. at its core, is a world-leading supplier of flat, automotive and display glass, chemicals and other high-tech materials and components. Drawing on more than a century of technical innovation, the AGC Group has developed world-class expertise in fields including glass, fluorine chemistry and ceramics technologies. The group employs some 50,000 people worldwide and generates annual sales of more than 15 billion USD through business in about 30 countries. For more information, please visit www.agc-group.com/en.

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