Gorilla Glass Enhanced Resistance Screen

While carbon fiber, aluminum and Kevlar find limited use in portable technology, in the field of protective coatings for the display is somewhat different. Among the screens with increased resistance to abrasion, scratches and other mechanical damage, an effective leader has long been outlined. He is known to everyone. It's about Gorilla Glass, about the features of which we'll talk today.

Excursion to the history

Although in the modern world this material is known only for five years, however, the innovative technical solution has a little-known predecessor, which was invented back in the 60s of the XX century. According to experts of the company Corning, 50 years ago, began one of the very first experiments aimed at improving the strength parameters of glass.

The result of these studies was the material, which acquired the name Chemcor. Unfortunately, the product was ahead of its time and did not find any practical application in that era. It remained invaluable, so by now there are practically no concrete examples of its use in widespread use. Only a few racing cars in the United States have received some glazing elements because of the lower weight of Chemcor than traditional products.

However, Corning engineers have repeatedly stressed that Gorilla Glass is fundamentally different from its predecessor. Do not assume that the modern coating for displays of smartphones and tablets was invented more than half a century ago. Now Chemcor could be used as a protective screen for mobile phones and other compact gadgets, but its cost is significantly higher due to different manufacturing methods and technologies.

The relevance

Only in 2006, when the work on the first generation iPhone was launched, Apple faced the need to improve the mechanical resistance of polymer screens, which were then used everywhere.

There is a legend that only interested in this issue after the prototype of the smartphone was in the pocket with the keys of one of the top managers during the morning run. The steel left a few notable scratches that overshadowed Apple's triumph. As a result, the challenge was accepted, and Steve Jobs agreed with Corning, which had experience developing a suitable polymer coating.

Despite the fact that the presentation of the smartphone from Apple was planned for early 2007 (its release was due to pass only a little later), the task was completed in full. Corning managed to improve its product and put the necessary amount of polymer films Gorilla Glass for the corporation Steve Jobs.

It should be noted that although metal objects are not able to leave traces on the protective coating, it is still powerless before individual sand particles. Penetrating into the pockets of users and leading to the appearance of various defects on the ideal surface of the phone screens, these silicate particles still remain a problem for a variety of high-tech devices.

Confession

In the first few years after the appearance of Gorilla Glass, glass with such outstanding features filled a very demanded niche. But technological research on the further development of the material did not stand still. The next five years were spent on a comprehensive improvement, the goal of which was to obtain a product with a minimum thickness, but at least with the same strength.

The results were not long in coming, and in the beginning of 2012 a worthy alternative appeared - Gorilla Glass 2, whose linear dimensions decreased by 20%. Although the remaining characteristics of the protective coating have not undergone significant changes, this material has allowed manufacturers to start producing more compact and productive gadgets. There was a choice: to leave weight and a thickness of technical means at the same level or to make their protective screens more durable, and the sizes - it is less.

The second "Gorilla"

Due to the introduction of Corning Gorilla Glass of the second generation, the optical properties of displays and their functionality have improved. Reducing the thickness of the material led to increased viewing angles and brightness, the sensor matrix became much more sensitive to touch, and the significant difficulties of "winter management" could be forgotten. This to a certain extent ensured the popularity of gadgets with a touchscreen and brought their sales volumes to an unattainable level.

Cooperation with giants

During the same 2012, Corning was noted in cooperation with Samsung, who was interested in further development of polymer coatings with improved properties. Under the terms of the terms of reference, it was necessary to create an alternative that could simultaneously replace existing solutions and complement them. It's not just about the variety of smartphones with Gorilla Glass.

Samsung was interested in improving the resistance to thermal loads, which increased the response of touch screens and led to a decrease in deformations during mechanical impacts by pressing. This increased the resource of the touchscreen and improved the convenience of its use.

The result of the interaction between the two companies was the emergence of Lotus Glass. This material fully satisfied all the requested parameters. However, there was a certain functional distribution: the Gorilla Glass screen is just a cover, whereas the Lotus is a display substrate, which does not provide protection against scratches. Thus, these materials have only been used together, which in many ways increases the strength of the screen, its resistance to shocks, the appearance of cracks and other mechanical effects.

The next round of evolution for the products of Corning was held within the framework of CES-2013. Then the Gorilla Glass 3 coating was presented, which became 50% stronger when exposed to impacts and at least 40% more scratch resistant. As part of the exhibition in Las Vegas, these figures were confirmed before the public. Outstanding results, which can be called almost flawless, led to the use of a new protective coating on the iPhone5S and flagships from Samsung.

Spread

In the dry residue, Gorilla Glass found application in the products of more than thirty major electronics manufacturers, and the protective coating itself was installed on at least 300 million devices in all parts of the world.

That's the whole short history of the triumph of this protective material, but you can not miss its features.

Purpose

The main goal of this coverage is to minimize the consequences that can develop with significant dynamic or static effects. At the same time, this protective screen requires the preservation of compact dimensions, thickness and low weight of devices at low cost, distortion of picture quality and sensitivity of the touchscreen.

Production

The secret of strength Gorilla Glass 3 is the high-tech chemical treatment of glass, in the process of which there is an exchange of ions. To do this, the material is placed in a solution of potassium salts, which is heated to a temperature of at least 400 degrees Celsius. After that, the process of replacing the sodium ions present in the glass with charged potassium particles follows - they are large in size.

Based on the results of cooling and extraction of the feedstock from the solution, the linear dimensions of the glass are reduced, the replaced potassium condenses the surface of the material, which makes it possible to obtain a more durable and homogeneous layer of the substance.

The manufacturing process of Gorilla Glass 3 is optimized in such a way that a lot of particles penetrate through its thickness and evenly harden the protective coating.

Geography

To date, the territorial location of manufacturing companies of Corning has not undergone any particular changes. Production has only expanded, and in addition to the United States of America, protective coating is produced in Taiwan and Japan.

Thickness

If we talk about changes in the linear dimensions of the material, it is worth mentioning the ubiquitous distribution of Gorilla Glass. A smartphone without this tempered glass is already impossible to imagine, although the acceptable thickness of the coating is only 0.5 to 2 millimeters (this is 10-50 times larger than the diameter of the human hair).

To apply for mobile phones material in 2 mm is unnecessary, since the total thickness of modern gadgets rarely exceeds 1 cm, and this increase in dimensions can lead to a decrease in the performance and productivity. Therefore, for smartphones and other ultra-compact electronics, a protective coating is used up to 0.8 mm, which does not lead to a deterioration in performance or strength. If the tempered glass is intended for TVs or laptops, then the material is 2 mm thick. It provides the optimum combination of reliability and resistance to wear.

Strength

Measurement of this parameter for Corning Gorilla Glass 3 was carried out by the Vickers method, which is a process of indenting a prism with diamond dusting and an angle of 136 degrees, counting which starts from opposite faces of the figure.

To determine the hardness in this case, the standard physical pressure values adopted in the international SI system are used. A common measure in this case is Pascali (Pa), the meaning of which is in relation to the applied load to the interaction area. Vickers adopted a simplified method of recording hardness, it is displayed in HV symbols. This method is most often used for thin sheet materials, which include protective coatings. For example: 120HV50 means that under the influence of strength of fifty kilograms of hardness was 120 units. In generally accepted cases, the duration of the applied exposure is about ten to fifteen seconds. However, if necessary, at the end of the recording, the duration of the test is loaded by the load through the slash 30. The full display will look like this: 120HV50 / 30.

Dry facts

According to the test results, the hardness of Gorilla Glass (the first-generation phones were equipped with it) was about 700 units with the force acting in two hundred grams. For example: iron is characterized by an indicator of only 30 units. - 80HV5. As can be seen from the example of these values, the hardness of the protective layer under study exceeds this value by at least three times for ordinary soda (lime-sodium) glass. If we explain in more detail, the most common form of this material is found in outer glazing or bottles.

Public trials

The company Corning held many demonstrations, which in practice confirmed this figure. At the exhibitions, anyone could verify the reliability of the declared values, when using a miniature press broke the usual glass thickness of 1 mm and Gorilla Glasss. In the first case, destruction occurred at a load of twenty-three kilograms, whereas in the second case, at no less than fifty-five kilograms. This gives a strength factor of 2.4. However, for the third Gorilla, these values are higher by 50%, and the comparable margin for reliability exceeds 3.6 times.

This explains why the entire constellation of leading electronics manufacturers monitors the development of this material with aspirations and does everything possible to quickly update the glossy faces of its smartphones and other gadgets. Since the end of 2013, almost all the flagships of the electronics industry have acquired a strong new product from Corning.

This event did not pass by the eyes of ordinary users, who, as always, pay attention to the practical side of the issue. They immediately began to follow where the innovative development is being applied, as numerous studies and research have allowed to provide for all the nuances of exploitation.

This tempered glass was tested not only for resistance to mechanical stress, but also for the effects of many chemical and biological substances, as well as food and cosmetics. Now perfume, lipstick, shaving, water or alcohol can not damage its structure. In addition, Gorilla Glass is easy to clean - you just wipe it with a dry napkin, and fingerprints did not happen. There is no need to spend money on special detergents. This advantage will be fully appreciated by owners of smartphones or tablets with other types of protective coating, they know about anyone else as to the problems arising during cleaning.

As a result, the most vulnerable part of the phone - the display - has become its dignity. Thanks to the many strengths of the "Gorilla" surpasses its competitors in all respects and does not leave them a chance.