Thin Glass Substrate Structuring for High Bending Strength
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for producing thin glass articles with high strength and flexibility are limited by the challenges of cutting and handling large-scale panes, leading to reduced mechanical strength and increased production costs, particularly in applications like foldable displays and smartphones.
Innovation Solution
A method involving pre-scoring with an ultrashort pulsed laser, etching, and chemical toughening of glass disks to create structured glass articles with compressive stress regions, allowing for batch-wise processing and segregation into smaller, high-strength pieces, followed by optional coating to enhance mechanical stability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If chemical toughening is applied to thin glass panels with large ion exchange depth, then mechanical strength is improved, but edge effects and breakage during cutting occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different treatments to different regions of the glass panel: the central region receives full chemical toughening with deep ion exchange for high strength, while the edge regions are protected or treated differently to avoid the harmful edge effects that cause breakage during cutting. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by optimizing each region for its specific functional requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary edge preparation or protection before applying the chemical toughening process. By pre-treating the edges to reduce stress concentration or protect them during the subsequent toughening and cutting processes, the method prevents edge breakage while still achieving high mechanical strength in the bulk material.
2Adaptability or versatility
If glass panels are cut to size after chemical toughening, then production flexibility is improved, but mechanical strength is reduced due to edge untoughening
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary edge protection or reinforcement before cutting, ensuring that the edges maintain their toughened state through the cutting process. This allows flexible post-toughening cutting while preserving mechanical strength by preventing edge untoughening during the cutting operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent separates the glass panel into different zones with different processing requirements: the bulk material is fully toughened for strength, while the edge zones are prepared specifically for cutting to maintain both flexibility and strength. This segmentation allows the panel to be cut after toughening without significant strength loss.
3Object-affected harmful factors
If thin glass panels are produced with reduced thickness, then flexibility is improved, but mechanical strength is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical-chemical parameters of the glass material through chemical toughening, specifically modifying the ion composition and stress distribution within the glass structure. This transforms the material properties to achieve high strength in thin panels, resolving the contradiction between reduced thickness and maintained mechanical strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite stress structure within the thin glass panel through chemical toughening, where compressive stresses are induced in the surface layers and balanced by tensile stresses in the core. This internal stress composite structure provides high mechanical strength despite the reduced thickness, enabling both flexibility and strength.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the production of thin glass articles with high strength and flexibility, suitable for applications such as foldable displays and smartphones, while reducing production costs through efficient handling and processing.
Implementation Method 1
directing and focusing the laser beam of an ultrashort pulsed laser onto the glass panel, the laser beam having a wavelength at which the glass of the glass panel is transparent so that the laser beam can penetrate into the glass panel, the laser beam being focused to produce an elongated focus within the glass panel, the intensity of the laser beam being sufficient to produce a damage zone within the glass panel along the focus
Implementation Method 2
the glass panel being chemically toughened so that both side faces thereof have an ion-exchanged layer that exerts a compressive stress along the side faces
Implementation Method 3
the depth of the ion-exchange layer is typically larger than 30 μm
Implementation Method 4
followed by etching and segregation
Data Source
AI summary
A method for producing a structured glass disk is provided that includes the steps of: providing a glass disk having a thickness of at most 400 μm; directing and focusing a laser beam onto the glass disk such that the laser beam produces an elongated focus within the glass disk with an intensity sufficient to produce damage within the glass disk along the elongated focus; moving the laser beam and the glass disk relative to one another to insert damage zones along a ring-shaped path so that a workpiece is defined in the glass disk with the ring-shaped path encompassing the workpiece and with the workpiece remaining connected to the glass disc; exposing the glass disk to an etchant so that the etchant intrudes into the damage zones; and chemically toughening the glass disk with the workpiece.