TWI753516B - Protective panels with anti-glare ceramic coatings - Google Patents

Abstract

In one example, a protective panel may include a glass substrate and an anti-glare ceramic coat formed on a surface of the glass substrate. Example anti-glare ceramic coat may include a sol-gel composition. Further, the protective panel may include an anti-fingerprint coat formed on the anti-glare ceramic coat.

Description

Protective panel with anti-glare ceramic coating

The present invention relates to protective panels with anti-glare ceramic coatings.

Display devices such as liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, organic electroluminescent (EL) displays, inorganic EL displays, and field emission displays (FEDs) may have an anti-glare layer disposed on the outermost surface of the display. Anti-glare layers reduce the amount of light reflected off the display using the principle of optical interference. Such displays may include a display panel and a protective panel attached to an outermost surface of the display panel.

In one aspect of the present invention, a protective panel is disclosed, comprising: a glass substrate; an anti-glare ceramic coating formed on a surface of the glass substrate, the anti-glare ceramic coating comprising: a sol-gel composition; and an anti-fingerprint coating formed on the anti-glare ceramic coating.

100,204: Protective panel

102,206: Glass substrates

104,208: Anti-glare ceramic coatings

106,210: Anti-fingerprint coatings

200: Electronics

202: Display Module

300,400,500: Example Flowchart

302, 304, 306, 308, 402, 404, 406, 408, 410, 502, 504, 506, 508, 510, 512, 514: Steps

Several examples are described in the following detailed text with reference to the drawings, in which: Figure 1 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an example protective panel depicting an anti-glare ceramic coating and an anti-fingerprint coating; Figure 2A illustrating a cross-sectional side view of an example electronic device including a display module and a protective panel; 2B illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the example electronic device of FIG. 2A depicting additional features; FIG. 3 illustrates an example flow chart for manufacturing a protective panel; FIG. 4 illustrates another example flow chart for manufacturing a protective panel; And FIG. 5 illustrates yet another example flow chart for manufacturing a protective panel.

Anti-glare treatments can be applied to the outermost surfaces of displays, such as liquid crystal displays, for suppressing reflections of external light. The anti-glare treatment can use a chemical etching process on the surface of a glass substrate (ie, cover glass) to create an anti-glare glass effect. For example, a chemical etching process can create an uneven structure on the surface of the display to affect the scattering of reflected light from the surface and to blur the reflected image on the surface.

Chemical etching can aid in the bonding of an anti-glare coating and an interface of the glass substrate. However, chemical etching processes for forming anti-glare layers on glass substrates during manufacturing can include significant operating costs and low production yields (eg, 20-35%). For example, a chemical etch process for forming an anti-glare layer may take about 50-60 minutes to achieve >20% haze with a production yield of 20-35%, which results in significant operating costs. In addition, significantly high haze with less transparency may affect the light emitting diode (LED) light source of the display, and therefore additional LED light sources may have to be installed in the display.

Examples described herein can provide a protective panel with an anti-glare ceramic coating. The protective panel may include a glass substrate and an anti-glare ceramic coating formed on a surface of the glass substrate. Exemplary anti-glare ceramic coatings may include a sol-gel composition. Further, the protective panel may include an anti-fingerprint coating formed on the anti-glare ceramic coating. Anti-Fingerprint Coatings provide a protective panel anti-smudge film surface finish.

Thus, the examples described herein can be made by using a sol-gel on a glass substrate anti-glare coating process to increase production yield. Further, the protective panel with the anti-glare ceramic coating can provide a transparency greater than or equal to 98% and a refractive index in the range of 2.3-2.6. Further, the transparent anti-glare ceramic coatings formed herein may not affect the LED light sources of the display, and thus may not require installation of additional LED light sources in the display.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the technology of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the apparatus, devices and systems of the present invention may be practiced without these specific details. A particular feature, structure or characteristic described in the specification with respect to "an example" or similar language is included in at least one example but not necessarily in other examples.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an example protective panel 100 depicting an anti-glare ceramic coating 104 and an anti-fingerprint coating 106 . Exemplary protective panel 100 may be a tempered glass, a touch panel, or an outermost surface of a display device. In other examples, the protection panel 100 may be disposed on a display with a touch panel.

As shown in FIG. 1 , an example protective panel 100 may include a glass substrate 102 . An example glass substrate 102 may have a thickness in the range of 0.2 mm to 0.7 mm. Still further, the protective panel 100 may include an anti-glare ceramic coating 104 formed on a surface of the glass substrate 102 . In one example, the anti-glare ceramic coating 104 may comprise a sol-gel composition. Exemplary sol-gel compositions may include lead-lanthanum-zirconium-titanium (PLZT) alkoxides, lead zirconate titanate (PZT) alkoxides, barium titanate (BaTiO3 ₎ alkoxides, bismuth titanate (Bi ₄ Ti ₃ O ₁₂ ) alkoxide, strontium titanate (SrTiO ₃ ) alkoxide, calcium titanate (CaTiO _{3 ) alkoxide, lanthanum titanate (LaTiO 3 )} alkoxide or the like any combination. In one example, the anti-glare ceramic coating 104 may have a thickness in the range of 30 nm to 15 μm.

Further, the protective panel 100 may include an anti-fingerprint coating 106 formed on the anti-glare ceramic coating 104 . In one example, the anti-fingerprint coating 106 may have a thickness in the range of 10 nm to 100 nm. The example anti-fingerprint coating 106 prevents the anti-glare ceramic coating 104 from having Fingerprint contamination (for example, fingerprints generated on a touch screen). In other examples, the anti-fingerprint coating 106 may prevent external contaminants from adhering to the upper surface of the anti-glare ceramic coating 104 and facilitate easy cleaning of the upper surface of the anti-glare ceramic coating 104 .

FIG. 2A illustrates a cross-sectional side view of an example electronic device 200 including a display module 202 and a protective panel 204 . Example electronic devices 200 may include a notebook computer, personal computer (PC), tablet computer, smart phone, audio and video devices (eg, stereo equipment and televisions), or the like. As shown in FIG. 2A, the electronic device 200 may include a display module 202, which includes a display area. The display areas can be configured to display an image.

Further, the electronic device 200 may include a protection panel 204 disposed on an outer surface of the display module 202 . An example protective panel 204 may be a touch panel or a tempered glass for a touch panel. Also, the protective panel 204 may utilize a resin disposed on the outer surface of the display module 202, which may be an optically transparent adhesive. In one example, the protective panel 204 may include a glass substrate 206 and an anti-glare ceramic coating 208 formed on a surface of the glass substrate 206 to cover the display area. The anti-glare ceramic coating 208 can prevent glare effects during viewing of a display screen of the display module 202 .

An example anti-glare ceramic coating 208 may include a sol-gel composition. The sol-gel composition may include lead-lanthanum-zirconium-titanium (PLZT), lead zirconate titanate (PZT), and lanthanum-titanium alkoxides. Exemplary alkoxides may be selected from the group consisting of lead isopropoxide, lanthanum isopropoxide, zirconium isopropoxide, and titanium isopropoxide.

In one example, the sol-gel composition may include a combination of lead isopropoxide, lanthanum isopropoxide, zirconium isopropoxide, and titanium isopropoxide. In another example, the sol-gel composition may include a combination of lead isopropoxide, zirconium isopropoxide, and titanium isopropoxide. In yet another example, the sol-gel composition may include a combination of lanthanum isopropoxide and titanium isopropoxide.

2B illustrates a cross-sectional side view of the example electronic device 200 of FIG. 2A depicting additional features. For example, like-named elements in FIG. 2B are similar in structure and/or function to elements described with respect to FIG. 2A. As shown in FIG. 2B, an example electronic device 200 may include an anti-glare ceramic coating formed over An anti-fingerprint coating 210 on 208. In one example, the anti-fingerprint coating may include dodecyltrimethoxysilane, mecaptoundecyltrimethoxysilane, triethoxysilylundecanal, 11-aminoundecane Alkyltriethoxysilane, N-(2-aminoethyl)-11-undecyltrimethoxysilane, long chain silane, or any combination thereof.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example flow diagram 300 for fabricating a protective panel. At 302, an anti-glare ceramic coating can be applied on a surface of a glass substrate using a sol-gel process. In one example, applying the anti-glare ceramic coating on the surface of the glass substrate using a sol-gel process can include by one of sol-gel spin coating, sol-gel roller coating, and sol-gel spray coating. One applies an anti-glare ceramic coating on the surface of the glass substrate. Exemplary anti-glare ceramic coatings may be formed from sol-gel compositions.

For example, the sol-gel composition may include a precursor, a solvent, an acid catalyst, and deionized water. An example sol-gel composition may include:

- Mix the precursors in the solvent. Example precursors may include lead-lanthanum _- zirconium _- titanium (PLZT), lead zirconate titanate (PZT), barium titanate (BaTiO3 ₎ , bismuth titanate ( _Bi4Ti3O12 ), strontium titanate (SrTiO3 ₎ ), calcium titanate ( _CaTiO3 ), lanthanum titanate ( _LaTiO3 ), or any combination thereof. Exemplary solvents can include isopropanol, ethanol, methanol, butanol, or any combination thereof.

- Further, 0.01-0.1 weight percent of the acid catalyst can be added to the mixture of the precursor and the solvent. Exemplary acid catalysts can include carbonic acid, hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, oxalic acid, citric acid, acetic acid, trifluoroacetic acid, formic acid, or any combination thereof.

- Further, 0.1 to 0.2 weight percent of deionized water for hydrolysis may be added to form a sol-gel composition.

In another example, the sol-gel composition can include making a first solution by mixing a first precursor (eg, lanthanum) with a solvent. Further, a second precursor (eg, lead) can be added to the first solution to form the second solution. Next, a third precursor (eg, titanium) can be added to the second solution to form a third solution. Further, a fourth precursor can be added to the third solution to form a fourth solution. Enter In one step, the acid catalyst and deionized water can be added to the fourth solution and stirred for about 30 minutes and aged for a period of about 60 minutes. The sol-gel composition thus formed can be applied to the surface of the glass substrate.

In some examples, the glass substrate can be cleaned prior to applying the anti-glare ceramic coating. For example, cleaning the glass substrate may include ultrasonic cleaning, plasma cleaning, or a combination thereof. At 304, the anti-glare ceramic coating formed on the surface can be cured. Exemplary anti-glare ceramic coatings applied on cover glass can be cured at temperatures ranging from 80 to 500°C for approximately 15 to 90 minutes. At 306, an anti-fingerprint coating can be applied over the anti-glare ceramic coating. In one example, the anti-fingerprint coating may include dodecyltrimethoxysilane, mercaptotrimethoxysilane, triethoxysilylundecanal, 11-aminoundecyltriethoxysilane , N-(2-aminoethyl)-11-undecyltrimethoxysilane, long chain silane, or any combination thereof. At 308, the anti-fingerprint coating formed on the anti-glare ceramic coating can be cured to form a protective panel. In one example, the anti-fingerprint coating can be cured at a temperature in the range of 80 to 200°C for about 10 to 30 minutes.

FIG. 4 illustrates another example flow diagram 400 for fabricating a protective panel. At 402, a cover glass or glass substrate can be provided having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. At 404, ultrasonic cleaning can be used to clean the cover glass. Exemplary ultrasonic cleaning can use ultrasonic waves (eg, 20 to 400 kHz) and deionized water with a surfactant to clean debris on the cover glass. At 406, the cover glass may be further cleaned, eg, using plasma cleaning. An example plasma cleaning may refer to a process of removing organics from a cover glass through the use of an ionized gas called plasma. Plasma cleaning can be performed in a vacuum chamber utilizing gases such as oxygen, argon, tetrafluoromethane (CF4 ₎ , sulfur hexafluoride ( _SF6 ) and nitrogen trifluoride (NF3 ₎ , and/or the like .

At 408, an anti-glare ceramic coating can be applied to the cover glass. In one example, the anti-glare ceramic coating can be applied on the first surface of the cover glass using a sol-gel process. Exemplary sol-gel procedures may include a screen printing deposition, slot coating deposition, roll coating deposition, spin coating deposition, spray coating deposition, brush coating deposition, wet coating, and the like. At 410, the anti-glare ceramic coating applied on the cover glass may be cured at a temperature in the range of 80 to 500°C for about 15 to 90 minutes to form a protective panel. In other examples, the second surface of the glass substrate may, for example, use an optically clear adhesive Attaches to the outer surface of a display or touch panel.

FIG. 5 illustrates yet another example flow chart 500 for manufacturing a protective panel. At 502, a cover glass or glass substrate can be provided having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. At 504, the cover glass can be cleaned using ultrasonic cleaning. At 506, the cover glass can be further cleaned, eg, using plasma cleaning.

At 508, an anti-glare ceramic coating can be applied (eg, spray coated, roll coated, or spin coated) on the first surface of the cover glass. At 510, the anti-glare ceramic coating applied on the first surface of the cover glass may be cured at a temperature in the range of 80 to 500°C for about 15 to 90 minutes. At 512, an anti-fingerprint layer can be coated (eg, spray coated, roller coated, or spin coated) on the anti-glare layer. At 514, the anti-fingerprint layer may be cured at a temperature in the range of about 80 to 200°C for about 10 to 30 minutes to form a protective panel. The protective panel can be attached to an outer surface of a display or a touch panel, for example, via the second surface of the glass substrate.

Even though FIGS. 1-5 illustrate applying an anti-glare ceramic coating to a glass substrate and then applying an anti-fingerprint coating over the anti-glare ceramic coating, the examples described herein are applicable to applications that can be formed on glass substrates. other layers on the material, such as anti-reflection coatings.

It should be understood that the example flow diagrams 300, 400 and 500 represent general depictions and that other processing procedures may be added, or existing procedures may be removed, modified or rearranged without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. Further, the example flow diagrams 300, 400 and 500 may not be intended to limit the implementation of the present application, but rather the example flow diagrams 300, 400 and 500 illustrate functional information for designing/manufacturing circuits, generating machine readable instructions, or using A combination of hardware and machine readable instructions to execute the illustrated program.

It should be noted that the above examples of the present solution are for illustrative purposes only. While this solution has been described in conjunction with a particular implementation, several modifications are possible without materially departing from the teachings and advantages of the subject matter described herein. Other substitutions, modifications and changes may be made without departing from the spirit of this solution. all features disclosed in this specification (including any appended claims, abstract and drawings), and/or all steps of any method or procedure so disclosed may be combined in any combination except that at least some of such features and/or steps are mutually exclusive.

The terms "including", "having", and other variations as used herein may have the same meaning as the term "including" or suitable variations thereof. Further, the term "based on" as used herein means "based at least in part on." Thus, a feature described based on some stimulus may be based on that stimulus or a combination of several stimuli including the stimulus.

This specification has been shown and described with reference to the foregoing examples. It should be understood, however, that other forms, details and examples can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present subject matter as defined in the following claims.

200: Electronics

202: Display Module

204: Protective panel

206: Glass substrate

208: Anti-glare ceramic coating

210: Anti-fingerprint coating

Claims (11)

A protective panel, comprising: a glass substrate; an anti-glare ceramic coating formed on a surface of the glass substrate, the anti-glare ceramic coating comprising a sol-gel composition; and an anti-glare ceramic coating Fingerprint coating formed on the anti-glare ceramic coating, wherein the sol-gel composition comprises lead-lanthanum-zirconium-titanium (PLZT) alkoxide, lead zirconate titanate (PZT) alkoxide alkoxides, barium titanate (BaTiO ₃ ) alkoxides, bismuth titanate (Bi ₄ Ti ₃ O ₁₂ ) alkoxides, strontium titanate (SrTiO ₃ ) alkoxides, calcium titanate (CaTiO ₃ ) alkoxides Alkoxides, alkoxides of lanthanum titanate ( _LaTiO3 ), or any combination thereof. The protective panel of claim 1, wherein the glass substrate has a thickness in the range of 0.2 mm to 0.7 mm. The protective panel of claim 1, wherein the anti-glare ceramic coating has a thickness in the range of 30 nm to 15 μm. The protective panel of claim 1, wherein the anti-fingerprint coating has a thickness in the range of 10 nm to 100 nm. An electronic device comprising: a display module including a display area; and a protection panel disposed on an outer surface of the display module, the protection panel comprising: a glass substrate; and an anti-glare A ceramic coating formed on a surface of the glass substrate to cover the display area, the anti-glare ceramic coating comprising a sol-gel composition, wherein the sol-gel composition comprises lead-lanthanum-zirconium - alkoxides of titanium (PLZT), lead zirconate titanate (PZT) or lanthanum-titanium, and wherein the alkoxides are selected from the group consisting of lead isopropoxide, lanthanum isopropoxide, zirconium isopropoxide, and one of the groups consisting of titanium isopropoxide. The electronic device of claim 5, further comprising: an anti-fingerprint coating formed on the anti-glare ceramic coating. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the protective panel is one of a tempered glass and a touch panel. A method for manufacturing a protective panel comprising the steps of: applying an anti-glare ceramic coating on a surface of a glass substrate using a sol-gel process; curing the anti-glare ceramic formed on the surface coating; applying an anti-fingerprint coating on the anti-glare ceramic coating; and curing the anti-fingerprint coating formed on the anti-glare ceramic coating to form the protective panel, wherein the anti-glare The ceramic coating is formed from a sol-gel composition comprising a precursor, a solvent, an acid catalyst and deionized water, wherein the precursor comprises lead-lanthanum-zirconium-titanium (PLZT), zirconate titanate Lead (PZT), barium titanate (BaTiO ₃ ), bismuth titanate (Bi ₄ Ti ₃ O ₁₂ ), strontium titanate (SrTiO ₃ ), calcium titanate (CaTiO _{3 ), lanthanum titanate (LaTiO 3 )} or its any combination. The method of claim 8, wherein the step of applying the anti-glare ceramic coating on the surface of the glass substrate using the sol-gel process comprises: by a sol-gel spin coating, sol-gel roller coating One of cloth and a sol-gel spray coating applied the anti-glare ceramic coating to the surface of the glass substrate. The method of claim 8, wherein the anti-fingerprint coating comprises dodecyltrimethoxysilane, mercaptoundecyltrimethoxysilane, triethoxysilylundecanal, 11-amine undecyltriethoxysilane, N-(2-aminoethyl)-11-undecyltrimethoxysilane, long chain silane, or any combination thereof. The method of claim 8, further comprising the step of: cleaning the glass substrate prior to applying the anti-glare ceramic coating, wherein cleaning the glass substrate comprises Ultrasonic cleaning, plasma cleaning, or a combination thereof.

Images