As the telecommunication equipments were developed rapidly, various kinds of glass manufacturing technology have been developing. Especially portable equipments adopted thin glass have been sold with various types, there has been raising technology development issue to apply ultra thin glass. It is can be used in various kinds of application cases on industrial glass manufacturing by applying new type of HF(Hydrogen Fluoride) substitutes which has been developed by 2-year’s R&D activities to improve the defect of current HF solution while the new technology development on glass thinning industry has been blocked due to technical limitation and environmental safety. Developing current HF substitutes, it is possible to apply it to general glass thinning business (including soda-lime glass) as well as to various kinds of practical application field because it was impossible to apply it to the industry due to technical limitation when HF is used.
 
 
 

At present, HF(Hydrogen Fluoride) has been used widely in the manufacturing process of industrial glass, surface etching, and washing, but its usage has been restricted and blocked productivity increase due to its high dangerousness. GLET solution, developed by Jiwontech co., Ltd(JWT) as a HF substitute material, can solve many problems of HF and it is ready to be used for industrial purpose because it has high distinctive mass productivity . GLET solution is consisted of additives, which can fix surface condition and maximize the characteristic of etching for NH4HF2. Compared with HF, GLET solution shows the following physical and chemical properties and reaction in figure 1, and 2.
 
 

Recently the point of portable and convenient aspect is highly stressed in society, display and window lens in mobile equipment has been produced by using glass etching technology to make it thin and light. The most typical examples are as follows.

 
 

In case of cellular phones, window lens has been adopted to protect LCD Display and to keep penetration and mainly acrylic and polycarbonate are used while its usage is restricted because it has some weak points for scratching, penetration blocking and strength. For newly developed cellular phones, the application of touch screen to ensure user’s convenience is in high trend of increase, but the scratching by frequent touch has been in issue. To make up for these weak points, recently glass window lens has been introduced as a substitute for polycarbonate or acryl cover glass in cellular phones in the market. In case of glass material, there were many trials to adopt for window lens in cellular phones but it was failed due to its easily fragile attributes while it is strong for scratching, easy to make it for thinner sheet and it has high penetration. However of recently, as the technology of glass strengthening is rapidly developed, in some cases glass window lens of 0.5mm~0.7mm thickness has been produced and sold in the market and the application of 0.1mm~0.2mm sheet-typed glass is under developing. The general manufacturing process of glass window lens are as below.

There are 2 types of strengthening ways, by heating and chemical material and chemical strengthening type is mainly used in sheet glass which is based on ion replacement method (Figure 2) JWT has been making samples by applying new solution and completely do etching for 0.05mm(50㎛) window glass (Figure 1)
 

The industry of cellular phone and PDA manufacturing demands for thin and strengthened glass of 0.05mm~0.2mm thickness, but sheet(thin) glass only can be strengthened by chemical treatment and even though the process of sheeted rain for alkali glass is needed, the quality of alkali glass thinned can not be secured by using HF-based solution. However the application of sheet glass in cellular phone and PDA industry make it possible by using new GLET solution which can produce thin glass for soda-lime glass.
 
 

For window glass which protects display of portable equipment such as cellular phone, PDA, MP3, various kinds of shape manufacturing are required to make and to assemble camera lens hole, speaker hole. Currently mechanical manufacturing method and chemical partial etching method are used in shape manufacturing process. In case of the former, it has high degree of precision and interface profile while it is required to do additional process to eliminate micro crack on the surface of mechanical manufacturing and its usage is restricted due to high risk of crack. In case of chemical partial etching, shape manufacturing is done under the process of PR(Photo Resist) or masking with ink on the first step and finally masking removal is processed after etching with dipping or spray process. Especially when vertical profile is required, PR masking is used and multilevel processing such as PR coating, exposure, develop, strip are needed as well as much cost is need. However when new GLET solution is used, the special quality of high profile in the process can be obtained by using spray etching equipment in the silk screen printing technique not using PR masking so that it is expected to contribute for the improvement of productivity in the future. Fig.5 is the picture of partial etching, and Fig. 6 is SEM picture filmed after partial etching was done.

 
 

And also in case of manufacturing general hole and partial etching of shape manufacturing, it is possible to make mass production by applying the equipment of dipping type without quality deterioration of glass surface and in safe environment.
 
 

? In case of manufacturing glass hole, it is difficult to apply mechanical processing due to the high risk of crack by micro crack, it is possible to apply dry etching or wet etching without any risk of micro crack. However precise profile can be obtained while the processing is complicated and high cost in its installation and operations is required in case of dry etching. For wet etching, precision is less secured but the processing is relatively simple and its cost in installation and operation is low. Fig. 7 is the picture of partial etching with GLET solution.

  Fig.7. Hole Etching
 
 

Glass which is used for interior decoration is manufactured with bid blast and color coating is processed in some cases. It is impossible to do transparent etching with traditional method (e.g. HF) and the product is simple because it is difficult to use various kinds of manufacturing technique. When using GLET, it is possible to produce more various kinds of products because transparent etching can be applied.
 
 
 

General bulletproof glass is made of mixing glass with resin(polycarbonate, acrylic), and glass and resin absorb the energy of bullet so it is difficult to use them for general usage due to the increase of thickness. It will be possible to manufacture more superior bulletproof glass with thinner thickness if lamination with more layers is done as the bulletproof function is dropped because the absorbing effect of shock is fell after the 1st gunshot is made and glass is broken.
 
 

In general, glass used in building and shadow box in exhibition is fragile from the external invasion. Even though the thickness of glass is thickened, the security function of glass is weakened because it is easily broken by physical force or by glass cutting tool. It will be possible to manufacture security glass without process of glass thickness if strengthening tape and adhesive are used with sheet glass in glass manufacturing.