Thin glass substrates for mobile applications

Flat panel displays play an important role as the visual interface for today's electronic devices (Notebook computers, PDA's, pagers, mobile phones, etc.). Liquid Crystal Display's are dominating the market. While for higher resolution displays active matrix displays like Thin Film Transistor LCD's are used, portable devices are mainly using Super Twisted Nematic (STN) displays. Based on the application, STN displays for mobile applications require thinner glass substrates with improved surface quality at a lower cost. The requirements and trends for STN glass substrates are identified and discussed. Different glass manufacturing processes are used today for the manufacture of these substrates. Advantages and disadvantages of the different glass substrate types are presented and discussed.