Ultra-strong cover glass for display applications without irritating glare

MAINZ, Germany and BOSTON, June 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- International technology group and specialty glass manufacturer SCHOTT today became the first company worldwide to offer customers a high-performance cover glass that combines not only supreme strength and damage resistance but also a special anti-glare effect capable of significantly reducing glare on high resolution displays.

Glass has emerged as the material of choice as a cover for many electronic displays because of its outstanding tactile and aesthetic properties, as well as the scratch resistance and strength performance made possible by specialty glass types such as Xensation™ Cover glass. With electronic displays continuing to be adopted across an ever-broader range of applications, display visibility in today's most popular devices has become an increasingly critical issue, with manufacturers keen to prevent their high resolution displays becoming distorted by adverse viewing conditions, such as bright sunlight or high ambient lighting.

With the glass surface itself determining what level of transparency is possible, if annoying reflections can be reduced or whether colors can be accurately reproduced, a modification of the glass surface is required to counter the effects of intensive light radiation. SCHOTT's Xensation™ Cover floated alumino-silicate glass is therefore subjected to a custom-designed etching process developed by glass surface modification specialist Berliner Glas, whereby ions are taken out of the glass surface during etching to make it diffuse. Uniform removal of material is a critical requirement for ensuring the glass surface is perceived as faultless by the human eye and Xensation™ Cover's unique glass structure, combined with Berliner Glas' etching technology, offers a uniform, homogenous structure not previously possible with ultra-strong glass types. 

The result is the groundbreaking Xensation™ Cover AG (Anti-Glare) glass. "Xensation™ Cover AG glass is the first ultra-strong glass that can be reproducibly treated and etched in a continuous, industrial-scale production process. The beauty of this product is that it combines all the benefits the market has come to associate with Xensation™ Cover glass with an outstanding non-reflective surface," according to Lutz Gruebel, Global Sales & Marketing Director for SCHOTT's Xensation™ brand family. "The novel etching process has been fully optimized to maintain the strength and scratch resistance of Xensation™ Cover glass, opening up a vast array of application possibilities and further improving the general consumer experience."

SCHOTT is showcasing Xensation™ Cover AG glass for the first time at the SID trade fair. The company will be offering two product types as standard, one with a gloss value of 60 and the other with a gloss value of 90, with both available for sampling. In addition, Xensation™ Cover AG glass is available on request with customized gloss values tailored to the specific requirements of a customer's application. This is made possible by the flexibility of the etching process, as it can be easily adjusted to provide the right amount of surface roughness needed to achieve a certain anti-glare effect.

Xensation™ is a trademark of SCHOTT AG.

SCHOTT is an international technology group with more than 125 years of experience in the areas of specialty glasses and materials and advanced technologies. SCHOTT ranks number one in the world with many of its products. Its core markets are the household appliance, solar power, pharmaceuticals, electronics, optics, transportation and architecture industries. The company is strongly committed to contributing to its customers' success and making SCHOTT an important part of people's lives with high-quality products and intelligent solutions. SCHOTT is committed to managing its business in a sustainable manner and supporting its employees, society and the environment. The SCHOTT Group maintains close proximity to its customers with manufacturing and sales units in all major markets. Its workforce of around 17,000 employees generated worldwide sales of approximately 2.9 billion euros for the 2010/2011 fiscal year.

BERLINER GLAS is one of Europe's leading producers of high-quality technical glass solutions as well as optical key components, assemblies and systems. The private owned company employs around 1,000 people worldwide.

Our business unit Technical Glass converts many years of highly skilled expertise in glass processing into innovative solutions for strategic markets. Front panels for touch displays, TV-sets or navigation systems, for solar systems or lighting applications – our high-tech glass is used all over the world.

BERLINER GLAS Surface Technology has been dedicated to processing glass surfaces for almost 40 years. We structure the glass surfaces by etching to defined surface properties, surface roughness or gloss values. Berliner glass's etching process is unique in its ability to meet targeted performance of desired surface property, uniformity and reproducibility.

SOURCE SCHOTT