Apple patent describes use of sapphire glass for smartphone and laptop screen
A patent application from Apple published Thursday describes the use of sapphire glass for displays of phones, monitors and laptops, among other things. In addition, Apple has renewed the license to use Liquidmetal’s metal alloy.
The patent application, which Patently Apple writes about, describes the use of layers of different materials in combination with display technology for the cover glass of mobile phones, tablets, computers and media players, among others. Different layers can consist of a crystal sapphire, the sapphire forming a single crystal lattice. The layers alternate with the interface and display layers, and are supposed to make the cover glass stronger, more durable and more resistant to scratches. Artificial sapphire is much harder than tempered glass and can make displays scratch-free and virtually unbreakable. Incidentally, the application was already submitted in 2012, but was only published on Thursday.
Interestingly, the patent application also describes the integration of controls, such as the home button, the volume control and the hold switch, in the sapphire-reinforced cover glass. With the iPhone 5S, the home button is also made of sapphire glass, but the surrounding cover glass is of a different reinforced type. The lens of the camera of that smartphone is also provided with a layer of sapphire glass.
Last year Apple closed a multi-million dollar deal with the American manufacturer GT Advanced Technologies for the supply of large quantities of sapphire glass, and at the end of March Apple Insider discovered that the two companies are significantly expanding the facility in Arizona for this. It is unknown what Apple needs the large quantities for, but it is assumed that it will be used for future iPhones, although Apple is also thinking of applying it to other products.
In addition, it was announced Thursday via MacRumors that Apple has extended a 2010 agreement with the company Liquidmetal. The deal concerns the exclusive use of Liquidmetal’s metal alloy, which has the unique properties of being lightweight, yet extremely tough and resistant to corrosion. Apple would like to use it for buttons, sensors and screws.