The next year, will go on sale first series smartphones with flexible screens, which raises the question of reliability. Protection technology used today in the screens is Gorilla Glass is not suitable for flexible displays, but does it follow that the new device will be vulnerable and short-lived?

While displays of Samsung, instead of the usual glass will use plastics that improve the protective properties of flexible screens, other manufacturers can apply to the already proven technical solutions based on the tempered glass.

The company Corning whose Gorilla Glass protective screens are now used in most mobile phones, has developed a new type of protective film Corning Willow Glass, suitable for flexible screens.

The thickness of the new coating is only one hundred microns (a micron = 0.001 mm), one-tenth of a millimeter, and so Corning Willow Glass from five to twenty times thinner than Gorilla Glass. This thickness and the properties of glass allow balancing on the edge of two essential characteristics. On one side of the screen will remain flexible and can be wrapped around the device, on the other hand, they also will be strong enough not to be damaged.

A direct comparison of the strength of Gorilla Glass and Willow Glass Company Corning does not meet, but given the significant reduction in thickness is not difficult to guess that the protective properties of the coating will be much lower. At the same time, do not forget that due to the flexibility and lower weight of the new screens, they have to cope with stress better than their predecessors fixed, and its main task, protecting the screen from scratches.

Flexibility is not the only key difference between the Gorilla and Corning Willow Glass. Due to the properties of the coating to withstand temperatures up to 500 degrees Celsius in processing, in its production could use “roll” method, in which the material does not get the sheets of small size, and a large roll of hundreds of meters long. Habitual polymer films, which are also suitable as a protective coating, such high temperatures are not maintained, and the usual Gorilla Glass, as already mentioned, can be produced only in small tablets.
“Roll” method is not good only for its low price, but also because it allows you to create coatings of sufficient size for larger screens. In particular for panoramic monitors, “smart” surfaces, flexible solar panels, as well as lighting equipment (lamps unbreakable), although the main area of coverage will continue to be smartphones.

This was all regarding the upcoming Corning Willow Glass preventing layer on future flexible smartphones, so let’s wait and watch and stay tuned with us for cool updates regarding smartphone and tech changes.