LG has shown the Real Folding Window, a screen layer made of a thin layer of polyethylene terephthalate and coated with a material developed by LG. The screen layer should be thinner than folding glass, but have the same hardness and not be able to crack.
According to LG Chem, the screen layer can be used as the ultimate screen layer for foldable devices. It is not clear which material LG Chem uses to coat the PET layer. The company only indicates that it concerns a layer with a thickness of a few tens of micrometers that is applied on both sides of the PET layer. This coating can make the plastic layer more resistant to heat and strengthen its ‘mechanical properties’.
Not only is the Real Folding Window thinner than the folding glass used by other smartphone manufacturers, such as Samsung, LG’s screen layer is also cheaper than other plastic polyimide screen layers, the company claims. After folding two hundred thousand times, the screen layer is also flexible and sturdy, LG says. In addition, there are “significant improvements” in the fold lines seen on folding screens.
Real Folding Window can be folded inwards or outwards and can be used for foldable or rollable devices. LG Chem expects to start mass production of the screen in 2022. In the future, the company wants to be able to make the screen layer without a PET film layer, so only the coating is used.