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About 30 percent of smartphones in the U.S. have a cracked screen; SCHOTT wants to cut that number to zero. SCHOTT, the international technology group, has debuted its ultra-thin, high-strength, environment-friendly AS 87 eco cover glass that can secure screens, camera lenses and fingerprint sensors in mobile devices from the dangers of everyday use. SCHOTT is the only manufacturer worldwide capable of delivering this type of glass in thickness levels of 70 micrometers and lower without using harmful hydrofluoric acid for post-slimming. SCHOTT AS 87 eco is now available globally.
SCHOTT’s AS 87 eco is an ultra-thin protective glass for displays, fingerprint sensors and camera lenses that’s as flexible as synthetic plastic and yet tough, age-resistant and aesthetic like glass.
The display, fingerprint sensor and camera in smartphones are used daily, and manufacturers can protect these features while improving their performance by fronting the device’s features with SCHOTT AS 87 eco glass.
“SCHOTT AS 87 eco is the world’s first environment-friendly glass in this field which perfectly secures a smartphone’s sensitive electronic and optical components without carrying weight it is the answer to the demand of our customers in the consumer electronics industry”, says Dr. Jack Ju, Head of Global Product Management Camera Imaging/Display at SCHOTT. “As an example, a number of the top 10 smartphone brands in China have already qualified AS 87 eco glass for their fingerprint sensor covers”.
SCHOTT recognizes an increased demand for fingerprint sensors in the Asian consumer electronics market. The user-friendly implementation of such a sensor to the successful Apple iPhone makes the adoption of this “killer feature” highly attractive to vendors of Android smartphones: “Fingerprint sensors improve the level of data security in more and more devices, thanks to the trend set by the iPhone. No surprise that manufacturers of Android smartphones are very interested in implementing such a reliable feature to their competing products. As we know, the demand for both fingerprint sensors and protective solutions currently increases in a significant amount. Our premium solution ‘made of glass’ arrives just in time”, says Albert Chen, Managing Director SCHOTT China.
The glass satisfies fingerprint sensor covers with its ultra-thin thickness and a thickness tolerance below ± 10 micrometers this makes sure, that customers always receive their glass in the best quality possible. With a dielectric constant (1 MHz) of 7.7 and its homogenous structure, the glass delivers excellent permittivity for electric fields combined with the very low thickness tolerance levels, these criteria of AS 87 eco have a positive impact on the performance of fingerprint sensors.
Combination of best-in-class quality and eco-friendliness
SCHOTT AS 87 eco complies with the international RoHS and REACH standard, is free of hazardous substances and available in thicknesses from 70 to 350 micrometers.
AS 87 eco with a thickness of 70 micrometers reaches a bending radius as low as three millimeters and enables curved device designs of the future: “Especially foldable and bended smartphones or wearables benefit from the features”, Chen adds.
Sustainably developed and produced in Germany
SCHOTT always had an eye on the movements of the Asian market while developing AS 87 eco. Based on the deep production and processing knowledge of SCHOTT’s innovations centers in Germany, the different applications of the glass are being developed in Asia. In contrast to other vendors of ultra-thin slimmed glass, SCHOTT eliminates the use of hydrofluoric acid within the slimming process, a harmful and health-damaging material. Usually glass processors use acid etching for extra thinning. Thanks to the SCHOTT down draw process for direct hot forming, the molten glass is pulled through a nozzle in the desired thickness levels. This proved and entrenched method guarantees a solid and dependable supply chain for mass production. SCHOTT also offers genuine technical support and counsels producers of electronic devices, who are interested in using the innovative glass. This leads to fast learning curves at lower ramp up costs for the customers.
SCHOTT AS 87 eco is globally available as from today. The ultra-thin and high strength special glass was introduced to the public during C-Touch exhibition which took place in Shenzhen (China) from November 24 to 26. A product video at the SCHOTT website shows the abilities of the glass “in action”. The page also includes a detailed datasheet with technological properties of the glass.
The advantages of SCHOTT AS 87 eco at a glance:
• Ultra-thin: With thickness levels from 70 to 350 micrometers the glass is suitable for various fields. No extra thinning with hydrofluoric acid needed.
• High strength: After an ion exchange toughening process extremely high impact and bending strength can be achieved. This enables thinner, sleeker and more sensitive devices without compromising on strength.
• Geometrical properties: Tight thickness tolerance of just ± 10 micrometers or lower similar products available deliver tolerance levels of ± 25 micrometers. Minimum TTV and warp against slimmed products.
• Aesthetic appeal: Pristine fire polished, razor-thin cover glass for a clear visual quality. Superior low defect counts and excellent roughness.
• Environment-friendly: SCHOTT AS 87 eco is environment-friendly and complies with the regulations of RoHS and REACH. It is done without acid slimming and does not contain hazardous substances.
About SCHOTT
SCHOTT (schott.com) is a leading international technology group in the areas of specialty glass and glass-ceramics. The company has more than 130 years of outstanding development, materials and technology expertise and offers a broad portfolio of high-quality products and intelligent solutions. SCHOTT is an innovative enabler for many industries, including the home appliance, pharmaceutical, electronics, optics, automotive and aviation industries. SCHOTT strives to play an important part of everyone’s life and is committed to innovation and sustainable success. The group maintains a global presence with production sites and sales offices in 35 countries. With its workforce of approximately 15,000 employees, sales of $2.24 billion were generated in fiscal year 2014/2015.
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