Cover and Touch Screen Application

A Durable and Scratch-Free Screen Cover Material for

Cover and Touch Screen Applications

Next-Generation Mobile and Touch Screen Devices

GT Advanced Technologies’ ASF® Grown Sapphire cover and touch screen material offers a highly durable and scratch-free alternative to glass or polymer cover screen materials used on current consumer products. GT ASF Grown Sapphire material has superior mechanical properties that provide a highly effective armor for mobile devices. GT ASF Grown Sapphire is nearly three times stronger mechanically than most chemically strengthened aluminosilicate glass products. At the same time, because GT ASF Grown Sapphire resists scratching it is impervious to commonly found materials that the device encounters under normal use, including sand, metal and other hard objects.

Benefits to Smartphone Manufacturers and Brand Owners

• Improved Brand Equity – Smartphone brand owners are experiencing a deterioration of their brand equity due to high screen breakage rates as screens become thinner and larger. ASF Grown Sapphire display screens offer superior performance over existing display screen glass material, providing an inherent “cachet” which will enhance brand equity.
• Product Differentiation – As smartphone and mobile device competition increases, many models have been forced to compete on incremental improvements, such as screen size, user interface, application ecosphere, etc. ASF Grown Sapphire display screens provide a new level of performance in terms of durability and improve the user experience by delivering a crystal clear viewing surface free of scratches throughout the useful lifetime of the device. Device makers that offer a superior solution that addresses their display screen breakage problems will have the opportunity to differentiate themselves in a highly competitive market.

Benefits to End Users

• Durable, Scratch-Free Display Screens – Scratched glass display screens weaken the strength of the screen itself thereby increasing the chance that the screen will crack if dropped. ASF Grown Sapphire material solves this problem because it will not scratch. Scratches also diminish visual quality of the new vivid display technology being incorporated into new devices. ASF Grown Sapphire will preserve the visual impact of these new screens by maintaining its crystal clarity for a better user experience.
• Lower Cost of Ownership – A broken phone screen can be very expensive. Companies charge anywhere from $50 to $200 to replace a broken display screen on a phone that is still under a manufacturer’s warranty. This cost can go up significantly once outside of the warranty period.