Variable thickness glass, method of making the same, and foldable electronic device

Abstract

The application provides a preparation method of a glass with different thicknesses, comprising: providing bendable glass, the bendable glass comprising a first part and a bendable part connected with the first part; etching the bendable part, in the etching, the bending angle and the bending radius of the bendable part change, and a glass with different thicknesses is prepared, the glass with different thicknesses comprising the first part, a second part and a transition part formed by the bendable part, the transition part connecting the first part and the second part, the thickness of the transition part being less than the thickness of the first part, the thickness of the second part being less than the thickness of the transition part, and the surface roughness of the transition part being less than 10 nm. The application also provides a glass with different thicknesses and a foldable electronic device.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of electronic equipment, and particularly relates to a glass with different thicknesses, a preparation method thereof and a foldable electronic equipment. BACKGROUND

[0002] A flexible screen surface of a foldable electronic equipment is generally provided with a glass cover plate, which protects the flexible screen and prolongs the service life of the flexible screen. In addition to the equal-thickness glass cover plate, a glass cover plate with different thicknesses has also been developed, which is more widely used. However, the glass cover plate with different thicknesses manufactured at present has a large surface roughness, fine cracks and obvious light and shadow difference, which affects the use of the glass cover plate with different thicknesses. SUMMARY

[0003] Therefore, the present application provides a glass with different thicknesses, a preparation method thereof and a foldable electronic equipment.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present application provides a preparation method of a glass with different thicknesses, comprising:

[0005] providing a bendable glass, the bendable glass comprising a first part and a bendable part connected to the first part;

[0006] etching the bendable part, wherein the bending angle and the bending radius of the bendable part change in the etching, to obtain a glass with different thicknesses, the glass with different thicknesses comprising the first part, a second part and a transition part formed by the bendable part, the transition part connecting the first part and the second part, the thickness of the transition part being less than the thickness of the first part, the thickness of the second part being less than the thickness of the transition part, and the surface roughness of the transition part being less than 10 nm.

[0007] In a second aspect, the present application provides a glass with different thicknesses, the glass with different thicknesses comprising a first part, a second part and a transition part, the transition part connecting the first part and the second part, the thickness of the transition part being less than the thickness of the first part, the thickness of the second part being less than the thickness of the transition part, and the surface roughness of the transition part being less than 10 nm.

[0008] In a third aspect, the present application provides a foldable electronic equipment, comprising a display device, the display device comprising the glass with different thicknesses prepared by the preparation method of the first aspect or the glass with different thicknesses of the second aspect, and a flexible screen arranged on the surface of the glass with different thicknesses, the flexible screen having a bending area, and the second part of the glass with different thicknesses being arranged correspondingly to the bending area.

[0009] The application realizes the transition connection between the first part and the thinned bendable part by changing the bending angle and the bending radius of the bendable part during etching, so that the light and shadow effect of the uneven thickness glass has no obvious step difference, the surface roughness of the transition part in the uneven thickness glass is small, and the surface performance of the uneven thickness glass is excellent; the preparation method of the uneven thickness glass is simple, and excellent uneven thickness glass can be obtained through simple operation, which is beneficial to the use of the uneven thickness glass in foldable electronic devices. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0010] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the application, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments of the application will be described below.

[0011] Figure 1 The preparation method of the uneven thickness glass provided by an embodiment of the application is shown in the flowchart.

[0012] Figure 2 The cross-sectional schematic diagram of the bendable glass provided by an embodiment of the application is shown.

[0013] Figure 3 The structure schematic diagram of the bendable glass in the bent state provided by an embodiment of the application is shown.

[0014] Figure 4 The structure schematic diagram of the bendable glass in the bent state provided by another embodiment of the application is shown.

[0015] Figure 5 The state schematic diagram of the bendable glass in the etching provided by an embodiment of the application is shown.

[0016] Figure 6 The schematic diagram of the bendable glass in the etching provided by an embodiment of the application is shown.

[0017] Figure 7 The cross-sectional schematic diagram of the uneven thickness glass provided by an embodiment of the application is shown.

[0018] Figure 8 The cross-sectional schematic diagram of the uneven thickness glass provided by another embodiment of the application is shown.

[0019] Figure 9 The cross-sectional schematic diagram of the uneven thickness glass provided by still another embodiment of the application is shown.

[0020] Figure 10 The cross-sectional schematic diagram of the uneven thickness glass provided by still another embodiment of the application is shown.

[0021] Figure 11 The structure schematic diagram of the foldable electronic device in the unfolded state provided by an embodiment of the application is shown.

[0022] Figure 12 An exploded schematic view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0023] Figure 13 A schematic view of a foldable electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0024] Explanation of reference numerals:

[0025] Bendable glass - 110, first part - 11, bendable part - 10, connecting part - 30, etching solution - 40, glass with different thicknesses - 100, second part - 12, transition part - 13, first appearance surface - 111, second appearance surface - 112, third appearance surface - 131, fourth appearance surface - 132, fifth appearance surface - 121, sixth appearance surface - 122, display device - 200, flexible screen - 210, bending area - 211, non-bending area - 212, foldable electronic device - 300, RF circuit - 310, memory - 320, input unit - 330, display unit - 340, sensor - 350, audio circuit - 360, WiFi module - 370, processor - 380, power supply - 390. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following is an exemplary embodiment of the present application, it should be noted that for those skilled in the art, without departing from the principles of the present application, can make several improvements and refinements, these improvements and refinements are also considered within the scope of the present application.

[0027] The following disclosure provides a number of different embodiments or examples to implement different structures of the present application. In order to simplify the disclosure of the present application, the components and settings of specific examples are described below. Of course, they are only examples, and the purpose is not to limit the present application. In addition, the present application can refer to the same reference numerals and / or reference letters in different examples, such repetition is for the purpose of simplification and clarity, which itself does not indicate the relationship between the various embodiments and / or settings discussed. In addition, the present application provides examples of various specific processes and materials, but those skilled in the art can realize the application of other processes and / or the use of other materials.

[0028] Please refer to Figure 1 A flow chart of a method for preparing glass with different thicknesses according to an embodiment of the present application, comprising:

[0029] S101: providing a bendable glass, the bendable glass comprising a first part and a bendable part connected to the first part.

[0030] S102: etching the bendable portion, in which the bending angle and the bending radius of the bendable portion are changed, to obtain the non-uniform thickness glass, the non-uniform thickness glass including the first portion, a second portion formed by the bendable portion, and a transition portion connecting the first portion and the second portion, the thickness of the transition portion being less than the thickness of the first portion, the thickness of the second portion being less than the thickness of the transition portion, and the surface roughness of the transition portion being less than 10 nm.

[0031] In the related art, the mechanical processing or etching method is often used in the preparation of the non-uniform thickness glass. The mechanical processing will make the surface roughness of the thinning area large, and also easily produce cracks, affecting the strength of the prepared non-uniform thickness glass. The etching method will make the obvious height difference between the thinning area and the non-thinning area, so that the non-uniform thickness glass has obvious edges and the appearance effect has obvious light and shadow difference, affecting the appearance effect of the non-uniform thickness glass. In the present application, by changing the bending angle and the bending radius of the bendable portion 10 in etching, the non-thinning area and the thinning area are connected through the transition zone, so as to realize the transition connection of the first portion 11 and the second portion 12, avoid the visual difference caused by the direct connection of the first portion 11 and the second portion 12, make the light and shadow effect of the non-uniform thickness glass 100 have no obvious difference, and also not produce obvious etching marks, so that the surface roughness of the transition portion 13 in the non-uniform thickness glass 100 is low, the surface performance is excellent, and it is beneficial to the use of the non-uniform thickness glass 100.

[0032] In S101, please refer to Figure 2 , the cross-sectional schematic diagram of the bendable glass provided by an embodiment of the present application, the bendable glass 110 includes a first portion 11 and a bendable portion 10 connected with the first portion 11. In an embodiment of the present application, the first portion 11 is arranged on one side of the bendable portion 10. In another embodiment of the present application, as shown in Figure 2 , the first portion 11 is arranged on opposite sides of the bendable portion 10.

[0033] In an embodiment of the present application, the bendable glass 110 can include, but is not limited to, at least one of aluminum-silicon glass, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, etc. The bendable glass 110 has good mechanical properties and good light transmission, which is beneficial to obtain the unequal-thickness glass 100 with excellent performance. In an embodiment of the present application, the bendable glass 110 can be high-aluminum-silicon glass. In this way, the performance of the unequal-thickness glass 100 can be further improved. In an embodiment, the mass content of aluminum oxide in the high-aluminum-silicon glass is greater than 15%, and the mass content of silicon oxide is greater than 58%. In another embodiment, the mass content of aluminum oxide in the high-aluminum-silicon glass is greater than 20%, and the mass content of silicon oxide is greater than 65%. In an embodiment of the present application, the transmittance of the bendable glass 110 in the visible light wavelength range is greater than or equal to 85%, which is beneficial to the use of the obtained unequal-thickness glass 100 in the foldable electronic device 300. In an embodiment of the present application, the transmittance of the bendable glass 110 in the visible light wavelength range is greater than or equal to 90%.

[0034] In an embodiment of the present application, the glass substrate can also be provided, and the bendable glass 110 can be obtained by thinning the glass substrate. Specifically, the glass substrate can be thinned according to the use requirements of the unequal-thickness glass 100 and the bending angle and bending radius requirements in the etching process. In an embodiment, the etching liquid 40 can be used for thinning, and the etching liquid 40 can be an acid liquid or an alkali liquid. Specifically, the thinning can be performed by spraying the etching liquid 40 or immersing the etching liquid 40; one surface of the glass substrate can be thinned, or the two oppositely arranged surfaces of the glass substrate can be thinned. In an embodiment of the present application, the thickness of the bendable glass 110 can be 70 μm to 220 μm, which is beneficial to the bending of the bendable part 10 in the etching process, and also ensures the strength of the obtained unequal-thickness glass 100. Specifically, the thickness of the bendable glass 110 can be, but is not limited to, 70 μm, 90 μm, 100 μm, 115 μm, 130 μm, 150 μm, 165 μm, 180 μm, 200 μm, 210 μm, or 220 μm, etc. In an embodiment, the thickness of the bendable glass 110 can be 70 μm to 150 μm. In another embodiment, the thickness of the bendable glass 110 can be 100 μm to 180 μm. In yet another embodiment, the thickness of the bendable glass 110 can be 150 μm to 220 μm.

[0035] In S102, the bendable part 10 is etched, and the bending angle and bending radius of the bendable part 10 change in the etching process, and the unequal-thickness glass 100 is obtained. Please refer to Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a bendable glass in a bent state according to an embodiment of this application, wherein the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 is α, and the bending radius is R. It is understood that the bendable portion 10 is bent during etching to change the bending angle and bending radius, wherein the degree of bending and the number of bends can be selected as needed. In one embodiment of this application, the first portion 11 is disposed on opposite sides of the bendable portion 10, and the included angle between the planes containing the first portions 11 on both sides of the bendable portion 10 is β. α and β are complementary angles, i.e., α is 180° - β. It is understood that... Figure 1 The bending angle α of the bendable portion 10 is 0°, and β is 180°. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a bendable glass in a bent state according to another embodiment of this application, wherein the bending angle α of the bendable part 10 is 180° and β is 0°.

[0036] Please see Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the state of bendable glass during etching according to one embodiment of this application. A connector 30 connects to the first part 11 of the bendable glass 110. By controlling the connector 30 connected to the first part 11, the bending angle and bending radius of the bendable part 10 can be changed, making bending of the bendable part 10 during etching more convenient. The connector 30 may have a positioning groove to connect and fix a portion of the first part 11 to the connector 30. Specifically, the first part 11 can be connected to the connector 30 using a connecting part such as adhesive tape. In one embodiment of this application, the length of the portion of the connector 30 connected to the first part 11 can be from 15mm to 50mm. Specifically, the length of the portion of the connector 30 connected to the first part 11 can be, but is not limited to, 15mm, 20mm, 25mm, 30mm, 35mm, 40mm, 45mm, or 50mm.

[0037] In an embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable part 10 in etching varies in the range of 0° to 180°. That is, the bending angle of the bendable part 10 in etching is selected in the range of 0° to 180°. Specifically, the bending angle of the bendable part 10 in etching can be, but is not limited to, 0°, 10°, 20°, 30°, 45°, 50°, 60°, 75°, 90°, 100°, 120°, 135°, 140°, 150°, 160°, 170° or 180°, etc. In an embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable part 10 in etching varies in the range of 10° to 180°. In this way, there is no need to set a protective layer on the surface of the first part 11 and there is also no need to perform a stripping treatment after etching, thereby reducing the process flow and preparation cost. In another embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable part 10 in etching varies in the range of 20° to 180°. In an embodiment of the present application, the bending radius of the bendable part 10 in etching varies in the range of 0.5 mm to 5 mm. In an embodiment of the present application, the bending radius of the bendable part 10 in etching varies in the range of 1 mm to 5 mm. In another embodiment of the present application, the bending radius of the bendable part 10 in etching varies in the range of 2 mm to 5 mm. In an embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable part 10 in etching varies in the range of 0° to 180°, and the bending radius of the bendable part 10 varies in the range of 0.5 mm to 5 mm. In another embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable part 10 in etching varies in the range of 10° to 180°, and the bending radius of the bendable part 10 varies in the range of 0.5 mm to 5 mm. In yet another embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable part 10 in etching varies in the range of 10° to 90°, and the bending radius of the bendable part 10 varies in the range of 2 mm to 5 mm. In yet another embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable part 10 in etching varies in the range of 150° to 180°, and the bending radius of the bendable part 10 varies in the range of 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm.

[0038] In an embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable part 10 after bending changes from a1 to a2. When the bending angle of the bendable part 10 after bending is a1, the bending angle can be changed after etching for a period of time; or the bending angle of the bendable part 10 after bending can change from a1 to a2 during etching, and the etching is performed simultaneously with the change of the bending angle; or the etching can be ended after the bending angle of the bendable part 10 after bending is a2 for a period of time. The specific selection can be made according to the needs, and the transition part 13 with a gradual connection can be obtained, the light and shadow effect of the uneven thickness glass 100 is optimized, the influence of etching marks is avoided, and the surface performance of the uneven thickness glass 100 is improved. In an embodiment of the present application, the bending radius of the bendable part 10 after bending changes from R1 to R2. When the bending radius of the bendable part 10 after bending is R1, the bending radius can be changed after etching for a period of time; or the bending radius of the bendable part 10 after bending can change from R1 to R2 during etching, and the etching is performed simultaneously with the change of the bending radius; or the etching can be ended after the bending radius of the bendable part 10 after bending is R2 for a period of time. The specific selection can be made according to the needs, and the transition part 13 with a gradual connection can be obtained, the light and shadow effect of the uneven thickness glass 100 is optimized, the influence of etching marks is avoided, and the surface performance of the uneven thickness glass 100 is improved. In an embodiment of the present application, the change trend of the bending angle and the bending radius of the bendable part 10 during etching is opposite. In an embodiment, when the bending angle of the bendable part 10 decreases, the bending radius increases; when the bending angle of the bendable part 10 increases, the bending radius decreases.

[0039] In the present application, the bending angle of the bendable part 10 during etching can increase, can decrease, can increase and decrease alternately, and the number of times of increasing and decreasing is not limited; the bending radius of the bendable part 10 during etching can increase, can decrease, can increase and decrease alternately, and the number of times of increasing and decreasing is not limited; the increase can be linear or nonlinear, and the decrease can be linear or nonlinear.

[0040] In an embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 changes at a rate of 1° / min to 10° / min during etching. It can be appreciated that the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 can increase at a rate of 1° / min to 10° / min or decrease at a rate of 1° / min to 10° / min. In an embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 changes in a range of 0° to 180° at a rate of 1° / min to 10° / min during etching. In another embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 changes in a range of 10° to 180° at a rate of 1° / min to 10° / min during etching. In an embodiment, the rate at which the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 increases gradually increases. In another embodiment, the rate at which the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 decreases gradually decreases.

[0041] In an embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 increases from 10° to 90° to 150° to 180° at a rate of 1° / min to 10° / min during etching. In another embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 increases from 10° to 90° to 150° to 180° at a rate of 1° / min to 10° / min and the rate at which the bending angle changes gradually increases during etching. In an embodiment, the rate at which the bending angle changes can gradually increase from 1° / min to 5° / min to 5° / min to 10° / min. In yet another embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 increases from 10° to 20° to 20° to 40° at a rate of 1° / min to 2° / min, from 20° to 40° to 50° to 60° at a rate of 2° / min to 3° / min, from 50° to 60° to 60° to 70° at a rate of 3° / min to 4° / min, from 60° to 70° to 70° to 90° at a rate of 4° / min to 5° / min, from 70° to 90° to 90° to 100° at a rate of 5° / min to 6° / min, from 90° to 100° to 100° to 110° at a rate of 6° / min to 7° / min, from 100° to 110° to 110° to 120° at a rate of 7° / min to 8° / min, from 110° to 120° to 120° to 140° at a rate of 8° / min to 9° / min, and from 120° to 140° to 140° to 180° at a rate of 9° / min to 10° / min.

[0042] In one embodiment of this application, the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 during etching decreases from 150° to 180° to 10° to 90°, and the rate of change of the bending angle is 1° / min to 10° / min. In another embodiment of this application, the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 during etching decreases from 150° to 180° to 10° to 90°, and the rate of change of the bending angle is 1° / min to 10° / min, with the rate of change gradually decreasing. In one embodiment, the rate of change of the bending angle can gradually decrease from 5° / min to 10° / min to 1° / min to 5° / min. In another embodiment of this application, when the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 during etching decreases from 140° to 180° to 120° to 140°, the rate of change of the bending angle is 9° / min to 10° / min; when the bending angle decreases from 120° to 140° to 110° to 120°, the rate of change of the bending angle is 8° / min to 9° / min; when the bending angle decreases from 110° to 120° to 100° to 110°, the rate of change of the bending angle is 7° / min to 8° / min; when the bending angle decreases from 100° to 110° to 90° to 100°, the rate of change of the bending angle is 6° / min to 7° / min; when the bending angle decreases from... When the bending angle decreases from 90° to 100° to 70° to 90°, the rate of change is 5° / min to 6° / min; when the bending angle decreases from 70° to 90° to 60° to 70°, the rate of change is 4° / min to 5° / min; when the bending angle decreases from 60° to 70° to 50° to 60°, the rate of change is 3° / min to 4° / min; when the bending angle decreases from 50° to 60° to 20° to 40°, the rate of change is 2° / min to 3° / min; and when the bending angle decreases from 20° to 40° to 10° to 20°, the rate of change is 1° / min to 2° / min.

[0043] In an embodiment of the present application, when the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 changes in the range of 0° to 90° during etching, the change speed of the bending angle is 1° / min to 5° / min. In an embodiment, when the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 changes in the range of 10° to 90° during etching, the change speed of the bending angle is 1° / min to 5° / min. In another embodiment of the present application, when the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 changes in the range of 90° to 180° during etching, the change speed of the bending angle is 5° / min to 10° / min. In an embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 can be 0° to 30° at the beginning of etching, so that the etching can be ensured to proceed, and meanwhile, the influence of the large bending angle of the bendable portion 10 on the performance of the bendable glass 110 can be avoided. That is, the bending angle is small at the beginning of etching, and the bending angle starts to increase during etching, which is beneficial to the bending of the bendable portion 10, and meanwhile, the performance of the bendable glass 110 is not affected. In an embodiment of the present application, the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 can be 10° to 30° at the beginning of etching.

[0044] In an embodiment of the present application, the change speed of the bending radius of the bendable portion 10 during etching is 0.1 mm / min to 0.5 mm / min. It can be understood that the bending radius R of the bendable portion 10 can increase at a speed of 0.1 mm / min to 0.5 mm / min, or decrease at a speed of 0.1 mm / min to 0.5 mm / min. In an embodiment of the present application, the bending radius of the bendable portion 10 changes in the range of 0.5 mm to 5 mm during etching, and the change speed is 0.1 mm / min to 0.5 mm / min. In an embodiment of the present application, the bending radius of the bendable portion 10 decreases from 2 mm to 5 mm to 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm during etching, and the change speed of the bending radius is 0.1 mm / min to 0.5 mm / min. In an embodiment, the speed of the decrease of the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 gradually increases during etching. In another embodiment, the speed of the increase of the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 gradually decreases during etching. When the bending angle of the bendable portion 10 increases, the bending of the bendable portion 10 is more obvious, and the decrease of the change speed of the bending angle is beneficial to ensuring the mechanical properties of the prepared unequal-thickness glass 100.

[0045] In an embodiment of the present application, the bendable glass 110 in etching has a first bending state and a second bending state; in the first bending state, the bendable part 10 has a bending angle of 10° to 90° and a bending radius of 2 mm to 5 mm; in the second bending state, the bendable part 10 has a bending angle of 150° to 180° and a bending radius of 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm; in etching, the bendable glass 110 bends from the first bending state to the second bending state, or the bendable glass 110 bends from the second bending state to the first bending state. It can be understood that at any moment in etching, the bendable glass 110 is in the first bending state or the second bending state; for example, the bendable glass 110 in etching can bend from the first bending state to the second bending state, or from the second bending state to the first bending state, or from the second bending state to the first bending state, and then from the first bending state to the second bending state, or from the first bending state to the second bending state, and then from the second bending state to the first bending state, all of which are enumerated, and the bendable part 10 in etching can pass through one or more first bending states and one or more second bending states.

[0046] In an embodiment of the present application, please refer to Figure 6 In an embodiment of the present application, the schematic diagram of the bendable glass in etching is provided, wherein the etching can be carried out by using etching liquid 40, the bendable part is immersed in the etching liquid 40, and the distance between the bendable part 10 and the liquid surface of the etching liquid 40 is d. It can be understood that the maximum distance between the part of the bendable part 10 immersed in the etching liquid 40 and the liquid surface of the etching liquid 40 is the distance d. In an embodiment of the present application, d can be 5 mm to 10 mm. Specifically, d can be but is not limited to 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm or 10 mm, etc.

[0047] In an embodiment of the present application, the intermediate distance d changes during etching. That is, during etching, the bending angle and bending radius of the bendable portion 10 change, and at the same time, the distance d can also change, thereby being more conducive to the formation of the transition portion 13, achieving a slow thickness gradient, and further improving the light and shadow effect of the glass 100 with different thicknesses. In an embodiment of the present application, the change speed of the distance d is 0.1 mm / min to 1 mm / min. Specifically, the change speed of the distance d can be, but is not limited to, 0.1 mm / min, 0.2 mm / min, 0.3 mm / min, 0.4 mm / min, 0.5 mm / min, 0.6 mm / min, 0.7 mm / min, 0.8 mm / min, or 0.9 mm / min, etc. It can be understood that the intermediate distance d can increase or decrease during etching; when the distance d increases, the etched bendable portion 10 increases; when the distance d decreases, the etched bendable portion 10 decreases, thereby being more conducive to the formation of the transition portion 13 with a thickness gradient. In an embodiment of the present application, the intermediate distance d changes during etching, and the distance d is 5 mm to 10 mm. That is, the distance d changes in the range of 5 mm to 10 mm.

[0048] In the present application, the bendable part 10 comprises a first surface and a second surface arranged oppositely. The first surface can be etched, the second surface can be etched, or the first surface and the second surface can be etched simultaneously. When the first surface is etched, a protective layer can be arranged on the second surface to prevent etching; when the second surface is etched, a protective layer can be arranged on the first surface to prevent etching; after the bendable part 10 is bent, the first surface can face the inner side of the bendable part 10 or the second surface can face the inner side of the bendable part 10. Of course, the position of the first surface and the second surface of the bent bendable part 10 can be adjusted by bending during etching. In an embodiment of the present application, the width of the etched bendable part 10 can be 5mm to 35mm. The width of the bendable part 10 is the size of the bendable part 10 in the direction from the first part 11 to the bendable part 10 when the bendable part 10 is not bent. Specifically, the width of the etched bendable part 10 can be, but is not limited to, 5mm, 10mm, 15mm, 20mm, 25mm, 30mm or 35mm, etc. The etching solution 40 used in etching can be an acid solution or a base solution. Specifically, the etching solution 40 can be, but is not limited to, an etching solution 40 comprising hydrofluoric acid. In an embodiment, the etching temperature can be 25°C to 30°C. Specifically, the etching temperature can be, but is not limited to, 25°C, 25.5°C, 26°C, 27°C, 27.5°C, 28°C, 29°C or 30°C, etc. In an embodiment, the etching time is 1min to 3min. Specifically, the etching time can be, but is not limited to, 1min, 1.5min, 2min, 2.5min or 3min, etc. In the present application, cleaning can be performed after etching to obtain the uneven thickness glass 100; one or more etching can be performed to obtain the uneven thickness glass 100 with the desired appearance effect.

[0049] The transition part 13 in the uneven thickness glass 100 prepared in the present application moderates the step difference between the first part 11 and the second part 12, so that the uneven thickness glass 100 has excellent light and shadow effect, and the surface etching trace is slight and the surface roughness is low, which is beneficial to the use of the uneven thickness glass 100; at the same time, the uneven thickness glass 100 can also improve the strengthening wrinkles caused by too large thickness difference after strengthening, which is more beneficial to the strengthening of the uneven thickness glass 100, and further beneficial to the use of the uneven thickness glass 100.

[0050] The present application also provides an uneven thickness glass 100. Please refer to Figure 7This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of an unequal-thickness glass 100 provided in one embodiment of this application. The unequal-thickness glass 100 includes a first portion 11, a second portion 12, and a transition portion 13. The transition portion 13 connects the first portion 11 and the second portion 12. The thickness of the transition portion 13 is less than the thickness of the first portion 11, and the thickness of the second portion 12 is less than the thickness of the transition portion 13. The surface roughness of the transition portion 13 is less than 10 nm. The unequal-thickness glass 100 can be prepared by the preparation method in any of the above embodiments.

[0051] In one embodiment of this application, the thickness of the transition portion 13 gradually increases along the direction from the second portion 12 to the first portion 11. That is, the thickness of the transition portion 13 gradually changes along the direction from the second portion 12 to the first portion 11, thereby mitigating the step difference between the first portion 11 and the second portion 12, resulting in better light and shadow effects from the unequal thickness glass 100.

[0052] In one embodiment of this application, as Figure 7 As shown, the first part 11 has a first outer surface 111 and a second outer surface 112 arranged opposite to each other; the transition part 13 has a third outer surface 131 and a fourth outer surface 132 arranged opposite to each other; and the second part 12 has a fifth outer surface 121 and a sixth outer surface 122 arranged opposite to each other. The first outer surface 111, the third outer surface 131, and the fifth outer surface 121 are on the same horizontal plane, while the second outer surface 112, the fourth outer surface 132, and the sixth outer surface 122 are on different horizontal planes, and the fourth outer surface 132 connects the second outer surface 112 and the sixth outer surface 122. Please refer to [link / reference]. Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of unequal-thickness glass provided in another embodiment of this application, wherein the first outer surface 111, the third outer surface 131, and the fifth outer surface 121 are different horizontal planes, and the third outer surface 131 connects the first outer surface 111 and the fifth outer surface 121; the second outer surface 112, the fourth outer surface 132, and the sixth outer surface 122 are different horizontal planes, and the fourth outer surface 132 connects the second outer surface 112 and the sixth outer surface 122. It can be seen that... Figure 7 and Figure 8 In the process, along the direction from the first part 11 to the second part 12, the thickness of the transition part 13 gradually decreases; that is, the thickness of the transition part 13 gradually decreases from being equal to the thickness of the first part 11 to being equal to the thickness of the second part 12. The decrease in the thickness of the transition part 13 can be linear or non-linear. It is understandable that when the bendable part 10 is etched on one side during etching, a certain result can be obtained. Figure 7 The unequal thickness glass 100 shown can be obtained by etching both sides of the bendable portion 10 during etching. Figure 8 The glass 100 with unequal thickness shown; wherein at least one of the bending angle, bending radius, and spacing d during etching is constantly changing throughout the etching process or for a period of time, can be obtained. Figure 7or Figure 8 The transition 13 of the uneven thickness glass 100 is shown. Please refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 The cross-sectional schematic diagram of the uneven thickness glass provided in another embodiment of the present application is shown, wherein Figure 9 In the first embodiment of the present application, the first appearance surface 111, the third appearance surface 131 and the fifth appearance surface 121 are in the same horizontal plane, and the second appearance surface 112, the fourth appearance surface 132 and the sixth appearance surface 122 are in different horizontal planes, and the fourth appearance surface 132 is not connected to the second appearance surface 112 and the sixth appearance surface 122. Figure 10 and Figure 9 The difference is that the fourth appearance surface 132 has multiple sub-appearance surfaces in different horizontal planes. It can be understood that at least one of the bending angle, the bending radius and the interval d is changed during etching, and etching is performed for a period of time to maintain the bending state, and the uneven thickness glass 100 shown in Figure 9 or Figure 10 The transition 13 of the uneven thickness glass 100 is shown. Figure 9 and Figure 10 Both are taken as an example of etching one side of the bendable part 10. The bendable part 10 can also be etched on both sides to obtain the uneven thickness glass 100.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present application, the uneven thickness glass 100 includes the second part 12, and the first part 11 and the transition 13 arranged on one side of the second part 12, and the transition 13 connects the first part 11 and the second part 12. In another embodiment of the present application, the uneven thickness glass 100 includes the second part 12, the first part 11 arranged on the opposite sides of the second part 12, and the transition 13 arranged on the opposite sides of the second part 12, and the transition 13 connects the first part 11 and the second part 12. It can be understood that the bendable part 10 that is always etched in etching forms the second part 12, and the bendable part 10 that is partially etched forms the transition 13.

[0054] In the present application, the surface roughness of the transition 13 is less than 10 nm, so that the uneven thickness glass 100 has excellent surface performance, which is beneficial to the use of the uneven thickness glass 100. Specifically, the surface roughness Ra of the transition 13 can be but is not limited to less than or equal to 9.5 nm, less than or equal to 9 nm, less than or equal to 8.5 nm, less than or equal to 8 nm, less than or equal to 7 nm, less than or equal to 6 nm, or less than or equal to 5 nm, etc. In an embodiment of the present application, the surface roughness of the second part 12 is less than 10 nm. Specifically, the surface roughness Ra of the second part 12 can be but is not limited to less than or equal to 9.5 nm, less than or equal to 9 nm, less than or equal to 8.5 nm, less than or equal to 8 nm, less than or equal to 7 nm, less than or equal to 6 nm, or less than or equal to 5 nm, etc.

[0055] In an embodiment of the present application, the width of the transition portion 13 is 1 mm to 10 mm. The width of the transition portion 13 is the dimension of the transition portion 13 in the direction from the second portion 12 to the first portion 11. Specifically, the width of the transition portion 13 can be, but is not limited to, 1 mm, 2 mm, 3 mm, 4 mm, 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, or 10 mm, etc. In an embodiment of the present application, the width ratio of the transition portion 13 to the second portion 12 is 1:1 to 1:2, thereby facilitating further improving the light and shadow effect of the uneven-thickness glass 100. The width of the second portion 12 is the dimension of the second portion 12 in the direction from the second portion 12 to the first portion 11. Specifically, the width ratio of the transition portion 13 to the second portion 12 can be, but is not limited to, 1:1, 1:1.2, 1:1.5, 1:1.6, 1:1.9, or 1:2, etc.

[0056] In an embodiment of the present application, the thickness of the first portion 11 is 70 μm to 220 μm, thereby facilitating improving the strength of the uneven-thickness glass 100 without increasing the weight of the uneven-thickness glass 100 too much, and facilitating the use of the uneven-thickness glass 100 in the foldable electronic device 300. Specifically, the thickness of the first portion 11 can be, but is not limited to, 70 μm, 90 μm, 100 μm, 115 μm, 130 μm, 150 μm, 165 μm, 180 μm, 200 μm, 210 μm, or 220 μm, etc. In an embodiment, the thickness of the first portion 11 can be 70 μm to 150 μm. In another embodiment, the thickness of the first portion 11 can be 100 μm to 180 μm. In yet another embodiment, the thickness of the first portion 11 can be 150 μm to 220 μm.

[0057] In an embodiment of the present application, the thickness of the second portion 12 is 30 μm to 50 μm, thereby facilitating improving the bending performance of the uneven-thickness glass 100 and facilitating the use of the uneven-thickness glass 100 in the foldable electronic device 300. Specifically, the thickness of the second portion 12 can be, but is not limited to, 30 μm, 32 μm, 35 μm, 37 μm, 40 μm, 44 μm, 45 μm, 48 μm, or 50 μm, etc. In an embodiment, the thickness of the second portion 12 can be 30 μm to 40 μm. In another embodiment, the thickness of the second portion 12 can be 40 μm to 50 μm. In yet another embodiment, the thickness of the second portion 12 can be 35 μm to 45 μm.

[0058] In an embodiment, the bendable glass has a thickness of 100 μm, the bendable glass comprises a bendable portion and a first portion disposed on opposite sides of the bendable portion; the bendable portion is bent to a bending angle of 90° and a bending radius of 2 mm, and is placed in a hydrofluoric acid etching solution for etching; in the etching, the bending angle of the bendable portion is increased from 90° to 180° (i.e., the extending directions of the two first portions are parallel), and the bending radius is reduced from 2 mm to 0.5 mm; after etching for a period of time, the bendable glass is taken out, cleaned, and a glass with unequal thicknesses is obtained Figure 8 As shown in the glass with unequal thicknesses; the glass with unequal thicknesses comprises a first portion with a thickness of 100 μm, a second portion with a thickness of 30 μm formed by a bendable portion, and a transition portion with a width of 10 mm; the maximum thickness of the transition portion is 100 μm, and the minimum thickness of the transition portion is 30 μm; the transition portion connects the first portion and the second portion. The surface etching marks of the transition portion and the second portion are slight, and the surface roughness of the transition portion and the second portion is 8.3 nm detected by a surface roughness detector.

[0059] In a comparative example, the first portion surface of the same bendable glass in the above embodiment is provided with an acid-resistant film for protection; the bendable glass provided with the acid-resistant film is directly placed in a hydrofluoric acid etching solution, i.e., the bendable glass is not bent and the bending is not performed in the etching; after double-side etching, the bendable glass is taken out and the acid-resistant film is removed; the etching time is consistent with that in the above embodiment; after cleaning, a glass with unequal thicknesses is obtained; the glass with unequal thicknesses comprises a first portion and a transition portion and a thinned portion formed by a bendable portion; the thickness of the thinned portion is 30 μm, and the width of the transition portion is 0.1 mm; the surface etching marks of the transition portion are obvious, and the surface roughness of the transition portion is 94.7 nm detected by a surface roughness detector. In another comparative example, the same as the above comparative example, except that an acid-resistant film is also provided on one side surface of the bendable portion, so as to realize single-side etching, and a glass with unequal thicknesses is obtained; the glass with unequal thicknesses comprises a first portion and a transition portion and a thinned portion formed by a bendable portion; the thickness of the thinned portion is 30 μm, and the width of the transition portion is 0.1 mm; the surface etching marks of the transition portion are obvious, and the surface roughness of the transition portion is 95.6 nm detected by a surface roughness detector. In another comparative example, the first portion surface of the same bendable glass in the above embodiment and one side surface of the bendable portion are provided with an acid-resistant film for protection; the bendable portion of the bendable glass provided with the acid-resistant film is bent to a bending angle of 180° and is placed in a hydrofluoric acid etching solution; the bending angle and the bending radius are not changed in the etching; after the etching is completed, the bendable glass is taken out; the etching time is consistent with that in the above embodiment; after cleaning, a glass with unequal thicknesses is obtained; the glass with unequal thicknesses comprises a first portion and a transition portion and a thinned portion formed by a bendable portion; the thickness of the thinned portion is 30 μm, and the width of the transition portion is 0.1 mm; the surface etching marks of the transition portion are obvious, and the surface roughness of the transition portion is 101.2 nm detected by a surface roughness detector.

[0060] The uneven-thickness glass prepared in the above-mentioned comparative example has poor surface performance and obvious light and shadow difference, which is not conducive to the use of the uneven-thickness glass; while the uneven-thickness glass provided in the embodiments of the present application has good surface performance and good appearance light and shadow effect, which is conducive to the use of the uneven-thickness glass.

[0061] The present application also provides a foldable electronic device 300 comprising the uneven-thickness glass 100 in any of the above-mentioned embodiments. The uneven-thickness glass 100 has good bending performance and good light and shadow effect, and can be used in the foldable electronic device 300 to improve the use performance of the foldable electronic device 300. The foldable electronic device 300 in the present application can be, but is not limited to, a portable foldable device with variable display screen size such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, an e-reader, a notebook computer, etc. Figure 11 and Figure 12 Fig. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a foldable electronic device in an unfolded state and an exploded schematic diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the foldable electronic device 300 comprises the display device 200, the display device 200 comprises the uneven-thickness glass 100 and a flexible screen 210 disposed on the surface of the uneven-thickness glass 100, the flexible screen 210 has a bending area 211, and the second part 12 is disposed corresponding to the bending area 211. In an embodiment of the present application, the flexible screen 210 comprises the bending area 211 and a non-bending area 212 adjacent to the bending area 211, and the first part 11 and the transition part 13 are disposed corresponding to the non-bending area 212.

[0062] Fig. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a foldable electronic device in an unfolded state and an exploded schematic diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the foldable electronic device 300 comprises the display device 200, the display device 200 comprises the uneven-thickness glass 100 and a flexible screen 210 disposed on the surface of the uneven-thickness glass 100, the flexible screen 210 has a bending area 211, and the second part 12 is disposed corresponding to the bending area 211. In an embodiment of the present application, the flexible screen 210 comprises the bending area 211 and a non-bending area 212 adjacent to the bending area 211, and the first part 11 and the transition part 13 are disposed corresponding to the non-bending area 212. Figure 13 Fig. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a foldable electronic device in an unfolded state and an exploded schematic diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present application, wherein the foldable electronic device 300 comprises the display device 200, the display device 200 comprises the uneven-thickness glass 100 and a flexible screen 210 disposed on the surface of the uneven-thickness glass 100, the flexible screen 210 has a bending area 211, and the second part 12 is disposed corresponding to the bending area 211. In an embodiment of the present application, the flexible screen 210 comprises the bending area 211 and a non-bending area 212 adjacent to the bending area 211, and the first part 11 and the transition part 13 are disposed corresponding to the non-bending area 212.

[0063] The above provides the content of the embodiments of the present application in detail, the principles and embodiments of the present application are described and explained in this paper, and the above description is only used to help understand the method and its core idea of the present application; at the same time, for the general technical personnel in the art, according to the idea of the present application, the specific embodiments and application range will be changed, and the above description should not be understood as the limitation of the present application.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a glass of unequal thickness, characterized in that, The application provides bendable glass, including a first part and a bendable part connected to the first part. The bendable part is etched, and the bending angle and bending radius of the bendable part change in the etching, the change rate of the bending angle is 1° / min to 10° / min, and the change rate of the bending radius is 0.1 mm / min to 0.5 mm / min, so as to obtain uneven-thickness glass, which includes the first part, a second part and a transition part formed by the bendable part, the transition part connects the first part and the second part, the thickness of the transition part is less than that of the first part, the thickness of the second part is less than that of the transition part, and the surface roughness of the transition part is less than 10 nm. In the etching, the bending angle of the bendable part changes in the range of 0° to 180°, and the bending radius changes in the range of 0.5 mm to 5 mm.

2. The production method according to claim 1, wherein In the etching, the bendable glass has a first bending state and a second bending state.

3. The production method according to claim 1, wherein In the first bending state, the bending angle of the bendable part is 10° to 90°, and the bending radius is 2 mm to 5 mm. In the second bending state, the bending angle of the bendable part is 150° to 180°, and the bending radius is 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm. In the etching, the bendable glass is bent from the first bending state to the second bending state, or the bendable glass is bent from the second bending state to the first bending state. In the etching, the spacing between the bendable part and the liquid surface of the etching liquid is 5 mm to 10 mm.

4. The production method according to claim 1, wherein In the etching, the change rate of the spacing is 0.1 mm / min to 1 mm / min.

5. The production method according to claim 4, wherein In the direction from the second part to the first part, the thickness of the transition part gradually increases.

6. The production method according to claim 1, wherein The thickness of the second part is 30 μm to 50 μm, and the thickness of the first part is 70 μm to 220 μm.

7. The production method according to claim 1, wherein In the direction from the second part to the first part, the width of the transition part is 1 mm to 10 mm. The width ratio of the transition part to the second part is 1:1 to 1:

2. ​

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