Touchscreens About To Get Even Thinner

That touchscreen on your phone or tablet is about to get even thinner, thanks to a new substrate developed by AGC. The soda-lime glass measures just 0.28 mm, 15% thinner than the thinnest glass currently available (0.33 mm). It is also lighter, by 15%. The new glass is planned to enter mass production later this month.

Touchscreens are made up of a tough cover material and an underlying layer of glass embedded with electrodes. Soda-lime glass is composed of mainly sodium oxide and silicon dioxide. The material is used in construction, automobiles, and electronic devices. It is is strengthened by submerging the raw glass in chemicals. It is ideal for electronics, since it is heat resistant, does not discolor when exposed to UV radiation, can be chemically strengthened, and is easy to process.

The glass is processed using the "float process" where glass is floated over molten metal to produce a highly uniform surface.

All this to say, thinner and lighter screen glass means thinner and lighter devices. And that's a good thing for everyone.

[via PR Newswire]