Gorrila Glass

Corning further developed the material for a variety of smartphones and other consumer
electronics devices for a range of companies.
The manufacturer markets the material's primary properties as its high scratch-resistance
(protective coating) and its hardness (with a Vickers hardness test rating of 622 to 701), which
allows the glass to be thin without fragility. It can be recycled.
By 2010 the glass had been used in approximately 20 percent of mobile handsets worldwide,
about 200 million units. The second generation, called "Gorilla Glass 2", was introduced in
2012. On October 24, 2012, Corning announced that over one billion mobile devices used
Gorilla Glass. Gorilla Glass 2 is 20 percent thinner than the original Gorilla Glass.
Gorilla Glass 3 was introduced at CES 2013. According to Corning, Gorilla Glass 3 is up to
three times more scratch-resistant than the previous version, with enhanced ability to resist
deep scratches that typically weaken glass. The promotional material for Gorilla Glass 3
claims that it is 40% more scratch-resistant, in addition to being more flexible. The design of
Gorilla Glass 3 was Corning's first use of atomic-scale modeling before the material was
melted in laboratories, with the prediction of the optimal composition attained through the
application of rigidity theory.
When Gorilla Glass 3 was announced Corning indicated that areas for future improvements
included reducing reflectivity and susceptibility to fingerprint smudges, and changing the
surface treatments and the way it is finished.
Antimicrobial Gorilla Glass with ionic silver, which is antibacterial, incorporated into its
surface was demonstrated in early 2014. Gorilla Glass 4, with better damage resistance and
capable of being made thinner for the same performance than its predecessor, was announced
at the end of the year.
Gorilla glass has begun being used automobiles. Ford Motor Company announced it will be
using the material for the front and rear windshields on its Ford GT sports car beginning in
2016.

Manufacture
During its manufacture, the glass is toughened by ion exchange. The material is immersed in a
molten alkaline potassium salt at a temperature of approximately 400 C (750 F), wherein
smaller sodium ions in the glass are replaced by larger potassium ions from the salt bath. The
larger ions occupy more space and thereby create a surface layer of high residual compressive
stress at the surface, giving the glass surface increased strength, ability to contain flaws, and
overall crack-resistance, making it resistant to damage from everyday use.

Related Corning glass technologies

On October 26, 2011, Corning announced the commercial launch of Lotus Glass, designed
for OLED and next-generation LCD displays. The intrinsic thermal consistency of Lotus
Glass allows it to retain its shape and quality during high-temperature processing. Decreased
compaction and variation during the crystallization and activation step further reduce stress
and distortions to the substrate. This enables tighter design rules in advanced backplanes for
higher resolution and faster response time. According to Corning, Gorilla Glass is specifically
a cover glass for the exterior of display devices while Lotus Glass is designed as a glass
substrate to be used within liquid crystal display panels. In other words, a product could use
both Gorilla Glass and Lotus Glass. On February 2, 2012, Corning Incorporated and Samsung
Mobile Display Co., Ltd. signed an agreement to establish a new equity venture for the
manufacture of specialty glass substrates for the OLED device market in Korea. The joint
venture is based on Lotus Glass. Lotus XT Glass became available in 2013.
In 2012 Corning introduced Willow Glass, a flexible glass based on borosilicate glass,
launched for use as a display substrate.