Gorilla Glass is one of the best and toughest display materials and its thin and anti-scratch capabilities among others have seen it being used in the manufacture of more than 1 billion devices which include more than 33 major brands and more than 900 product models.

There are many benefits of using Gorilla Glass e.g. brighter and clearer images and today we’ll get to know a bit more about what Gorilla Glass is all about.

Gorilla Glass Review: Just What is Gorilla Glass?

Gorilla Glass is the trademark name for an alkali-aluminosilicate sheet glass manufactured by U.S. glassmaker Corning. Its thin, light and damage resistance properties makes it a favorable material to be used as a cover glass for electronic devices like smartphones, laptops, portable media displays and even in some TV screens.

Gorilla Glass-Brief History                                                                         

Its research dates back to the 1960s when Corning experimented with chemically strengthened glass as part of an initiative called “Project Muscle”, and after a few years of testing, they developed a “muscled glass” which was named “Chemcor” glass.

Corning’s special hardened glass was used in several commercial and industrial applications till the early 1990s (e.g. automotive, aviation and pharmaceuticals)

Corning Manufactures Gorilla Glass As A Phone Display Cover

When Apple was developing its very first iPhone in 2006, they noticed that when keys were placed in the same pocket with their iPhone prototype, the iPhone would have its hard plastic surface scratched by the keys and so in an effort to seek a long lasting solution to their scratch display problem, Steve Jobs, the late CEO of Apple contacted Wendell Weeks, Corning CEO to see whether Apple could get their hands on a scratch resistant glass display surface.

Wendell Weeks was a bit concerned about whether Corning would be able to manufacture enough Gorilla Glass for Apples first iPhone debut but after much persuasion from the late Steve Jobs, Wendell Weeks agreed to produce the scratch resistant glass and Corning’s factory in Harrodsburg, Kentucky supplied the screens for the very first iPhone which was released in June 2007.

After Corning produced Gorilla Glass for Apples first iPhone, they went ahead to develop the scratch resistant glass display for a variety of other smartphone companies and other consumer electronics devices for a range of other different companies.

In early 2012, Corning announced the release of the second generation of its anti-scratch glass called “Gorilla Glass 2” which is 20 percent thinner than the original Gorilla Glass and it offers the same scratch resistance as well as strength with enhanced touch-sensitivity properties.

In early 2013, Corning announced once again that it would be releasing the third generation of its scratch resistant glass called “Gorilla Glass 3” which according to the company will be stronger and three times more scratch resistant as compared to Gorilla Glass 2 due to what the company calls “Native Damage Resistance” technology. Corning also claims that 40% fewer scratches on its new Gorilla Glass will be visible to the naked eye.

How Gorilla Glass Is Manufactured

Gorilla Glass is essentially toughened by ion exchange and this is done by having the material submersed in molten potassium salt at a temperature of about 400 °C (750 °F) so as to replace the smaller sodium ions in the glass with larger potassium ions from the salt bath and because the larger potassium ions occupy more space, they are pressed together when the glass cools and this causes the potassium ions to diffuse further into the surface thereby creating a “surface layer” of high compressive stress deep into the glass. This new layer is more resistant to damage from everyday use.

Corning manufactures Gorilla Glass in Harrodsburg, Kentucky (USA), Shizuoka (Japan) and in Taiwan.

Gorilla Glass Applications

• Smartphones (e.g. Gorilla Glass iPad)
• Slates/Tablets
• Television
• Other Personal Computing e.g. notebooks and netbooks
• Modern Design e.g. automobiles, architecture, and state-of-the-art household appliances.
• Touch Panel Makers

Benefits Of Using Gorilla Glass

1. Easy to clean and wear resistant-Gorilla Glass offers a coating which enables cleaning of fingerprints and smudges to be a lot easier as compared to other cover glasses. This feature makes it a perfect match for touch screens and other handheld devices.
2. Printing on glass-The ability to print directly on Gorilla Glass creates exciting customization options for branding and customers can personalize their high-end display devices with a brilliant and full-color spectrum.
3. Damage/scratch resistance-Gorilla Glass is chemically strengthened through an ion-exchange process that creates a deep compression layer on the surface of the glass substrate. This layer acts as “armor” to reduce the introduction of flaws by end users.
4. Thinner form factor-Gorilla Glass can be produced in thicknesses ranging from 0.5 mm to 2 mm while still retaining a performance advantage over other cover materials.
5. Unparalleled surface quality-Corning’s Gorilla Glass is exceptionally clean, smooth, flat and has outstanding optical clarity.
6. Compliance with environmental standards-Gorilla Glass is compliant with the Restriction of Hazardous Substances Directive (RoHS).
7. Compatibility with touch screens-Gorilla Glass is an ideal cover sheet for touch screens since it’s tough enough to handle the surface pressures intrinsic to these devices and exceptionally thin to enable more sensitive and accurate responses.

As of October 24^th 2012, Corning announced that over 1 billion mobile devices use its Gorilla Glass product.

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