Al₂O₃ coated glass by aerosol deposition with excellent mechanical properties for mobile electronic displays

Al₂O₃ thin film was deposited on Gorilla glass using an aerosol deposition method to improve the mechanical property of cover glass for mobile electronic device. The deposited Al₂O₃ film (approximately 1 μm thick) was a polycrystalline structure and showed a high light transmittance of approximately 90% in the visible light region. The CIE color space (L*a*b) measurement also showed a characteristic corresponding to the acceptable optical range of the cover glass. Further, it was confirmed that the bending strength improved by 10 %, as compared with bare Gorilla glass (from 6970 kgf/cm² to 7704 kgf/cm²), and the Vickers hardness increased to approximately 1700–2000 HV, as compared with that of Gorilla glass (<700 HV). Owing to the improved mechanical properties, the Al₂O₃ thin film exhibited good anti-scratch properties and is expected to be applied to the cover glass of various display products.