The Fraunhofer Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP have announced they will showcase a roll of flexible thin glass, which is coated with highly conductive ITO continuously on 100 meters with roll-to-roll technology for the first time at FLEX 2017, from June 19 – 22, 2017 in Monterey, USA.
Fraunhofer FEP has for many years been extending and improving their expertise especially in the field of roll-to-roll process development and vacuum coating. The research centre has use of a variety of research and development coating machines, and since 2015 the Fraunhofer FEP has acted as a centre of competence for flexible glass.
The Fraunhofer FEP said that thanks to the excellent process know how of their researchers and partners, ultra-thin glass can now be processed right from the roll. Resulting from this, a full 100-meter roll of flexible glass has been processed with highly conductive ITO at a process temperature of 350°C.
This was accomplished in cooperation with long-term partners Von Ardenne GmbH and Corning Inc.
According to the announcement this result had been achieved on the FOSA LabX 330 Glass. The roll-to-roll coating line for ultra-thin glass was recently installed. Since its installation it has been operated by both Fraunhofer FEP and the manufacturer of the equipment, Von Ardenne GmbH, in a number of joint development projects.
Dr. Manuela Junghähnel, coordinator of all thin-glass activities at Fraunhofer FEP, said, "This paves the way for coatings on flexible glass as a substrate, which can directly be implemented into applications."
Benefits and applications of rollable glass
Functionalized and curved surfaces made of glass or plastic, rollable displays, high-quality bended surfaces for architecture or interior design in automotive or luxury furniture sector – flexible materials with integrated functionalities are not just a technological trend but capture markets already. Pioneering ideas like fully featured, curved and high-class panels in cars or a touch remote control within the armrest of your design chair are close at hand. All these features could be sealed with haptic comfortable, scratch-resistant and anti-reflective glass.
A fundamental prerequisite for such applications is a suitable and flexible substrate material, which needs to fulfill appropriate characteristics and requirements. Flexible, ultra-thin glass offers the ideal basis e.g. for printed electronic devices. Flexible electronic devices need to be protected against water and oxygen in a reliable way. Glass offers that protection but in certain applications glass may not be used due to technical or regulatory limitations. Especially for those applications and devices flexible barrier films are the solution to be used. Both ultra-thin glass and permeation barrier films require a broad technical know how and particularly adjusted processes and technologies for successful processing and coating.
Source: Fraunhofer FEP