TOKYO, April 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- AGC announced today it has developed the world's thinnest soda-lime glass substrate for touchscreens, measuring just 0.28 mm, or 15% less than the currently thinnest commercial substrate at 0.33 mm, as well as being 15% lighter, promising to further shrink smartphones and tablets in the near future. Starting with mass production using the float process later this month, AGC expects annual sales to exceed 10 billion yen (about 120 million USD) in 2013.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110421/SF87295)

Glass touchscreens in smartphones and tablets comprise a tough cover material and an underlying layer of substrate material embedded with electrodes. Soda-lime glass is an ideal substrate material for touchscreens because it maintains form when subjected to heat, resists discoloring due to ultraviolet radiation, accepts chemical strengthening and is easily processed.

AGC, under its Grow Beyond strategy, is building new foundations for growth through innovative solutions for specialty glass used in displays, including Dragontrail™, a damage-resistant cover glass launched in January this year. AGC forecasts sales of its various, new electronics-related products, including its newly announced soda-lime glass substrate, and other specialty glass for displays, to exceed 100 billion yen (about 1.2 billion USD) in 2013.

AGC's soda-lime glass substrate is scheduled to be exhibited during Display Week 2011 of the Society for Information Display (SID) in Los Angeles, California, from May 15.

Notes:

• Soda-lime glass, composed mainly of sodium oxide and silicon dioxide, is used widely in construction, automotives and many types of electronic devices.
• The float process is a glass-manufacturing method in which glass is floated over molten metal for the efficient production of highly uniform glass.
• Chemical strengthening is a technology for submerging raw glass in chemicals to strengthen its surface.

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.

SOURCE AGC Group