阅读说明：本技术 能够实现高压缩应力的玻璃组合物 (Glass composition capable of achieving high compressive stress ) 是由 T·M·格罗斯 于 2019-07-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：碱性铝硅酸盐玻璃,其可以经过离子交换实现超高的峰值压缩应力。所述玻璃可经过离子交换来实现至少约1000MPa以及高至约1500MPa的峰值压缩应力。高的峰值压缩应力为具有浅的瑕疵尺寸分布的玻璃提供了高的强度。这些玻璃具有高的杨氏模量,这对应于高的断裂韧度和改进的失效强度,并且适于在使用时经历显著弯曲应力的高强度盖板玻璃应用,例如,用作挠性显示器的盖板玻璃。(Alkali aluminosilicate glasses that can achieve ultra-high peak compressive stress via ion exchange. The glass can be ion exchanged to achieve a peak compressive stress of at least about 1000MPa and up to about 1500 MPa. The high peak compressive stress provides high strength to glass with a shallow flaw size distribution. These glasses have a high young's modulus, which corresponds to high fracture toughness and improved failure strength, and are suitable for high strength cover glass applications that experience significant bending stresses when in use, for example, as cover glass for flexible displays.)

1. An alkali aluminosilicate glass, comprising:

a. greater than or equal to about 17 mol% Al₂O₃；

b.Na₂O；

MgO; and

CaO, wherein Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) + wherein RO (mol%) + MgO (mol%) + CaO (mol%) + ZnO (mol%), wherein said alkali aluminosilicate glass is substantially free of SrO, BaO, B₂O₃、P₂O₅And K₂O, and wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass is ion exchangeable.

2. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of claim 1, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises a thickness of up to about 4mm and is ion exchangeable to obtain a compressive layer extending from a surface of the alkali aluminosilicate glass to the DOC and comprising a peak compressive stress greater than or equal to about 1000 MPa.

3. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of claim 2, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises a thickness of up to about 100 μ ι η.

4. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of claim 3, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass is free of failure when held at a bend radius of at least one of 5mm, 4mm, or 3mm for 60 minutes at about 25 ℃ and about 50% relative humidity.

5. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of claims 2-4, wherein the peak compressive stress is less than or equal to about 1500 MPa.

6. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises a Young's modulus from about 80GPa to about 90 GPa.

7. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of claims 1-6, further comprising Li₂O。

8. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of claim 7, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass is ion-exchangeable to achieve a compressive layer extending from a surface to a DOC, the DOC being greater than or equal to about 10% of the thickness.

9. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of claims 1-8, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass is ion exchangeable to achieve a potassium ion depth of layer of about 4 microns to about 40 microns.

10. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of claims 1-9, further comprising ZnO.

11. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of claims 1-10, wherein CaO (% by mole)/RO (% by mole) > 0.4.

12. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of claims 1-11, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises a liquidus viscosity from about 5kP to about 200 kP.

13. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of claims 1-12, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises: about 52 mol% to about 61 mol% SiO₂(ii) a About 17 mol% to about 23 mol% Al₂O₃(ii) a 0 mol% to about 7 mol% Li₂O; about 9 mol% to about 20 mol% Na₂O; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% MgO; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% CaO; and from greater than 0 mol% to about 2 mol% ZnO.

14. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of claim 13, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises: about 55 mol% to about 61 mol% SiO₂(ii) a About 17 mol% to about 20 mol% Al₂O₃(ii) a 4 mol% to about 7 mol% Li₂O; about 9 mol% to about 15 mol% Na₂O; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% MgO; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% CaO; and from greater than 0 mol% to about 2 mol% ZnO.

15. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of claims 1-15, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass forms at least a portion of a flexible display.

16. An ion-exchanged glass, wherein the ion-exchanged glass is an alkali aluminosilicate glass comprising:

a. greater than or equal to about 17 mol% Al₂O₃；

b.Na₂O；

MgO; and

CaO, wherein Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) + wherein RO (mol%) + MgO (mol%) + CaO (mol%) + ZnO (mol%), wherein said alkali aluminosilicate glass is substantially free of SrO, BaO, B₂O₃、P₂O₅And K₂O and wherein the ion exchanged glass comprises a thickness of up to about 4mm, inclusiveA compressive layer comprising a material extending from a surface of the ion-exchanged glass to the DOC, and comprising a peak compressive stress greater than or equal to about 1000 MPa.

17. The ion exchanged glass of claim 16, wherein the ion exchanged glass comprises a thickness of up to about 100 μ ι η.

18. The ion exchanged glass of claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the ion exchanged glass is free of failure when held at a bend radius of at least one of 5mm, 4mm, or 3mm for 60 minutes at about 25 ℃ and about 50% relative humidity.

19. The ion exchanged glass of any one of claims 16-18, wherein the peak compressive stress is less than or equal to about 1500 MPa.

20. The ion exchanged glass of any one of claims 16-19, wherein the ion exchanged glass further comprises Li₂And wherein DOC is greater than or equal to about 10% of the thickness.

21. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of claims 16-20, wherein the ion exchanged glass comprises a potassium ion depth of layer from about 4 microns to about 40 microns.

22. The ion exchanged glass of any one of claims 16-21, wherein the ion exchanged glass comprises: about 52 mol% to about 61 mol% SiO₂(ii) a About 17 mol% to about 23 mol% Al₂O₃(ii) a 0 mol% to about 7 mol% Li₂O; about 9 mol% to about 20 mol% Na₂O; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% MgO; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% CaO; and from greater than 0 mol% to about 2 mol% ZnO.

23. The ion exchanged glass of claim 22, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises: about 55 mol% to about 61 mol% SiO₂(ii) a About 17 mol% to about 20 mol% Al₂O₃(ii) a 4 mol% to about 7 mol% Li₂O; about 9 mol% to about 15 mol% Na₂O; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% MgO; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% CaO; and from greater than 0 mol% to about 2 mol% ZnO.

24. The ion exchanged glass of any one of claims 16-23, wherein the ion exchanged glass forms at least a portion of a flexible display.

25. The ion exchanged glass of any one of claims 16-24, wherein the ion exchanged glass forms a cover glass at or over a display of an electronic device, and/or a portion of a housing of an electronic device.

26. An electronic device comprising the ion exchanged glass of any one of claims 16-25, the electronic device comprising: a housing comprising a front surface, a back surface, and side surfaces, electrical components located at least partially inside the housing, a display located at or near the front surface of the housing, and a cover glass over the display, wherein at least one of the cover glass and the housing comprises an ion exchanged glass, wherein the cover glass is located at or over the front surface of the housing such that the cover glass is located over the display and protects the display from damage caused by impact.

27. A method of strengthening glass, the method comprising:

a. immersing a glass article in an ion exchange medium comprising at least one potassium salt, wherein the at least one potassium salt comprises about 50 wt.% of the ion exchange medium, wherein the glass article comprises an alkali aluminosilicate glassThe alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises greater than or equal to about 17 mol% Al₂O₃And a non-zero amount of Na₂O, MgO and CaO, of which Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) > 21 mol%, wherein RO (mol%) + MgO (mol%) + CaO (mol%) + ZnO (mol%), and wherein said alkali aluminosilicate glass is substantially free of SrO, BaO, B₂O₃、P₂O₅And K₂Each of O; and

b. ion exchanging the glass article at a predetermined temperature of about 350 ℃ to about 480 ℃ for a predetermined time of about 1 hour to about 24 hours while the glass article is submerged in the ion exchange medium to obtain a compressive layer extending from the surface to the DOC and comprising a peak compressive stress greater than or equal to about 1000 MPa.

28. The method of claim 27, further comprising: prior to immersing the glass article in the ion exchange medium, shaping the glass article by at least one of: fusion draw, roll press, overflow down draw, slot forming, up draw, or float process.

29. The method of claim 27 or claim 28, further comprising: heating the glass article to 10 deg.f prior to immersing the glass article in the ion exchange medium¹¹P temperature, and quenching the heated glass article to room temperature.

30. The method of any of claims 27-29, wherein the peak compressive stress is less than or equal to about 1500 MPa.

31. The method of any one of claims 27-30, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass further comprises Li₂And wherein DOC is greater than or equal to about 10% of the thickness.

32. The alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of claims 27-31, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass is ion exchangeable to achieve a potassium ion depth of layer of about 4 microns to about 40 microns.

33. The method of any one of claims 27-32, further comprising: immersing the glass article in a first ion exchange medium consisting essentially of at least one sodium salt, and ion exchanging the glass article at a predetermined temperature of about 350 ℃ to about 480 ℃ for a predetermined time of about 1 hour to about 24 hours while the glass article is immersed in the first ion exchange medium.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a family of glass compositions that can achieve ultra-high peak compressive stresses via ion exchange. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to chemically strengthened glass having a peak compressive stress sufficiently high to prevent shallow surface flaws. Even more particularly, the present disclosure relates to high strength cover glasses for applications that experience significant bending stresses when in use, for example, cover glasses for flexible displays.

Background

Glasses for displays of electronic devices such as cell phones, smart phones, tablet computers, watches, video players, Information Terminal (IT) devices, notebook computers, and the like are typically chemically or thermally tempered to produce a surface compression layer. The compressive layer serves to stop flaws that can cause glass failure.

Foldable displays for electronic applications may benefit from thin bendable glass. However, when subjected to bending, the beneficial flaw-arresting effect of the surface compressive layer is diminished to the point where the surface flaws are deeper than the compressive layer, thus leading to glass failure upon bending.

Disclosure of Invention

The present disclosure provides a family of alkali aluminosilicate glasses that can achieve ultra-high peak compressive stresses via ion exchange. The glasses described herein can be ion exchanged to achieve a peak compressive stress of greater than or equal to about 1000MPa, and up to about 1500 MPa. The high peak compressive stress provides high strength to glass with a shallow flaw size distribution. These glasses have a high young's modulus, which corresponds to high fracture toughness and improved failure strength. The glasses described herein are suitable for high strength cover glass applications that experience significant bending stresses when in use, for example, as cover glass for flexible and foldable displays. The high peak compressive stress allows the glass to maintain a net compression and thus contain surface flaws as the glass undergoes bending around narrow radii. The high fracture toughness also helps prevent fracture due to applied stress (e.g., due to bending) for a given set of flaws that may be introduced during glass processing and/or during their use in a device.

Accordingly, one aspect of the present disclosure provides an ion-exchangeable alkali aluminosilicate glass. As used herein, "ion-exchangeable" means that the glass composition contains one or more first metal ions that can be replaced by a plurality of second metal ions to create a compressive stress in the glass. The first ions may be ions of lithium, sodium, potassium and rubidium. The second metal ion may be an ion of one of sodium, potassium, rubidium, and cesium, provided that the ionic radius of the second alkali metal ion is larger than the ionic radius of the first alkali metal ion. The second metal ion is present in the glass-based substrate in the form of its oxide (e.g., Na)₂O、K₂O、Rb₂O、Cs₂O or a combination thereof). The glass comprises greater than or equal to about 17 mol% Al₂O₃And a non-zero amount of Na₂O, MgO and CaO, of which Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) > 21 mol%, wherein RO (mol%) + MgO (mol%) + CaO (mol%) + ZnO (mol%). The alkali aluminosilicate glass is substantially free of SrO, BaO, B₂O₃、P₂O₅And K₂Each of O.

A second aspect of the disclosure provides an ion-exchanged glass. The ion-exchanged glass is an alkali aluminosilicate glass comprising greater than or equal to about 17 mol% Al₂O₃And a non-zero amount of Na₂O, MgO and CaO, of which Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) > 21 mol%, wherein RO (mol%) + MgO (mol%) + CaO (mol%) + ZnO (mol%). The ion-exchanged glass is substantially free of SrO, BaO, B₂O₃、P₂O₅And K₂Each of O. The ion exchanged glass has a thickness t of up to about 4mm and a compressive layer extending from a surface of the ion exchanged glass to a depth of compression (DOC) in the ion exchanged glass, wherein the compressive layer has a peak compressive stress greater than or equal to about 1000MPa, in some embodimentsThe peak compressive stress is at the surface of the ion-exchanged glass.

A third aspect of the present disclosure provides a method of strengthening glass that is capable of resisting significant bending stresses. The method comprises the following steps: immersing the glass article in an ion exchange medium comprising at least one potassium salt, wherein the at least one potassium salt comprises about 50 wt.% of the ion exchange medium; and ion exchanging the glass article at a predetermined temperature of about 350 ℃ to about 480 ℃ for a predetermined time of about 1 hour to about 24 hours while the glass article is submerged in the ion exchange medium to obtain a compressive layer extending from the surface to a depth of compression DOC and having a peak compressive stress greater than or equal to about 1000MPa, in some embodiments, at the surface of the ion exchanged glass. The glass article includes an alkali aluminosilicate glass comprising greater than or equal to about 17 mol% Al₂O₃And a non-zero amount of Na₂O, MgO and CaO, of which Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) > 21 mol%, wherein RO (mol%) + MgO (mol%) + CaO (mol%) + ZnO (mol%), and wherein said alkali aluminosilicate glass is substantially free of SrO, BaO, B₂O₃、P₂O₅And K₂Each of O.

The various features of the present disclosure may be combined in any and all combinations, for example, in accordance with the various embodiments below.

Embodiment 1: an alkali aluminosilicate glass, comprising:

a. greater than or equal to about 17 mol% Al₂O₃；

b.Na₂O；

MgO; and

CaO, wherein Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) + wherein RO (mol%) + MgO (mol%) + CaO (mol%) + ZnO (mol%), wherein said alkali aluminosilicate glass is substantially free of SrO, BaO, B₂O₃、P₂O₅And K₂O, and wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass is ion exchangeable.

Embodiment 2: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of embodiment 1, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises a thickness of up to about 4mm and is ion-exchangeable to obtain a compressive layer extending from a surface of the alkali aluminosilicate glass to the DOC and comprising a peak compressive stress greater than or equal to about 1000 MPa.

Embodiment 3: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of embodiment 2 or embodiment 3, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises a thickness of up to about 100 μ ι η.

Embodiment 4: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of embodiment 3, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass is free of failure when held at a bend radius of at least one of 5mm, 4mm, or 3mm for 60 minutes at about 25 ℃ and about 50% relative humidity.

Embodiment 5: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of embodiments 2-4, wherein the peak compressive stress is less than or equal to about 1500 MPa.

Embodiment 6: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of embodiments 1-5, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises a young's modulus from about 80GPa to about 90 GPa.

Embodiment 7: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of embodiments 1-6, further comprising Li₂O。

Embodiment 8: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of embodiment 7, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass is ion-exchangeable to achieve a compressive layer extending from a surface to a DOC, the DOC greater than or equal to about 10% of the thickness.

Embodiment 9: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of embodiments 1-8, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass is ion exchangeable to achieve a potassium ion depth of layer of about 4 microns to about 40 microns.

Embodiment 10: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of embodiments 1-9, further comprising ZnO.

Embodiment 11: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of embodiments 1-10, wherein CaO (% by mole)/RO (% by mole) > 0.4.

Embodiment 12: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of embodiments 1-11, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises a liquidus viscosity from about 5kP to about 200 kP.

Embodiment 13: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of embodiments 1-12, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises: about 52 mol% to about 61 mol% SiO₂(ii) a About 17 mol% to about 23 mol% Al₂O₃(ii) a 0 mol% to about 7 mol% Li₂O; about 9 mol% to about 20 mol% Na₂O; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% MgO; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% CaO; and from greater than 0 mol% to about 2 mol% ZnO.

Embodiment 14: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of embodiment 13, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises: about 55 mol% to about 61 mol% SiO₂(ii) a About 17 mol% to about 20 mol% Al₂O₃(ii) a 4 mol% to about 7 mol% Li₂O; about 9 mol% to about 15 mol% Na₂O; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% MgO; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% CaO; and from greater than 0 mol% to about 2 mol% ZnO.

Embodiment 15: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of embodiments 1-14, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass forms at least a portion of a flexible display.

Embodiment 16: an ion-exchanged glass, wherein the ion-exchanged glass is an alkali aluminosilicate glass comprising:

a. greater than or equal to about 17 mol% Al₂O₃；

b.Na₂O；

MgO; and

CaO, wherein Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) + wherein RO (mol%) + MgO (mol%) + CaO (mol%) + ZnO (mol%), wherein said alkali aluminosilicate glass is substantially free of SrO, BaO, B₂O₃、P₂O₅And K₂O and wherein the ion exchanged glass comprises a thickness of up to about 4mm, comprises a compressive layer extending from a surface of the ion exchanged glass to the DOC, and comprises a peak compressive stress of greater than or equal to about 1000 MPa.

Embodiment 17: the ion exchanged glass of embodiment 16, wherein the ion exchanged glass comprises a thickness of up to about 100 μ ι η.

Embodiment 18: the ion exchanged glass of embodiment 16 or embodiment 17, wherein the ion exchanged glass is free of failure when held at a bend radius of at least one of 5mm, 4mm, or 3mm for 60 minutes at about 25 ℃ and about 50% relative humidity.

Embodiment 19: the ion exchanged glass of any of embodiments 16-18, wherein the peak compressive stress is less than or equal to about 1500 MPa.

Embodiment 20: the ion exchanged glass of any of embodiments 16-19, wherein the ion exchanged glass further comprises Li₂And wherein DOC is greater than or equal to about 10% of the thickness.

Embodiment 21: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of embodiments 16-20, wherein the ion exchanged glass comprises a potassium ion depth of layer from about 4 microns to about 40 microns.

Embodiment 22: the ion exchanged glass of any one of embodiments 16-21, wherein the ion exchanged glass comprises: about 52 mol% to about 61 mol% SiO₂(ii) a About 17 mol% to about 23 mol% Al₂O₃(ii) a 0 mol% ofTo about 7 mol% Li₂O; about 9 mol% to about 20 mol% Na₂O; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% MgO; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% CaO; and from greater than 0 mol% to about 2 mol% ZnO.

Embodiment 23: the ion exchanged glass of embodiment 22, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass comprises: about 55 mol% to about 61 mol% SiO₂(ii) a About 17 mol% to about 20 mol% Al₂O₃(ii) a 4 mol% to about 7 mol% Li₂O; about 9 mol% to about 15 mol% Na₂O; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% MgO; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% CaO; and from greater than 0 mol% to about 2 mol% ZnO.

Embodiment 24: the ion exchanged glass of any one of embodiments 16-23, wherein the ion exchanged glass forms at least a portion of a flexible display.

Embodiment 25: the ion exchanged glass of any one of embodiments 16-24, wherein the ion exchanged glass forms a cover glass at or over a display of an electronic device and/or a portion of a housing of an electronic device.

Embodiment 26: an electronic device comprising the ion exchanged glass of any of embodiments 16-25, the electronic device comprising: a housing comprising a front surface, a back surface, and side surfaces, electrical components located at least partially inside the housing, a display located at or near the front surface of the housing, and a cover glass over the display, wherein at least one of the cover glass and the housing comprises an ion exchanged glass, wherein the cover glass is located at or over the front surface of the housing such that the cover glass is located over the display and protects the display from damage caused by impact.

Embodiment 27: a method of strengthening glass, the method comprising:

a. immersing the glass article in an ion exchange medium comprising at least one potassium salt, whereinThe at least one potassium salt comprises about 50 wt.% of the ion exchange medium, wherein the glass article comprises an alkali aluminosilicate glass comprising greater than or equal to about 17 mol.% Al₂O₃And a non-zero amount of Na₂O, MgO and CaO, of which Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) > 21 mol%, wherein RO (mol%) + MgO (mol%) + CaO (mol%) + ZnO (mol%), and wherein said alkali aluminosilicate glass is substantially free of SrO, BaO, B₂O₃、P₂O₅And K₂Each of O; and

b. the glass article is ion exchanged at a predetermined temperature of about 350 ℃ to about 480 ℃ for a predetermined time of about 1 hour to about 24 hours while immersed in the ion exchange medium to obtain a compressive layer extending from the surface to the DOC and comprising a peak compressive stress greater than or equal to about 1000 MPa.

Embodiment 28: the method of embodiment 27, further comprising: prior to immersing the glass article in the ion exchange medium, shaping the glass article by at least one of: fusion draw, roll press, overflow down draw, slot forming, up draw, or float process.

Embodiment 29: the method of embodiment 27 or embodiment 28, further comprising: heating the glass article to 10 deg.f prior to immersing the glass article in the ion exchange medium¹¹P temperature, and quenching the heated glass article to room temperature.

Embodiment 30: the method of any of embodiments 27-29, wherein the peak compressive stress is less than or equal to about 1500 MPa.

Embodiment 31: the method of any of embodiments 27-30, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass further comprises Li₂And wherein DOC is greater than or equal to about 10% of the thickness.

Embodiment 32: the alkali aluminosilicate glass of any one of embodiments 27-31, wherein the alkali aluminosilicate glass is ion exchangeable to achieve a potassium ion depth of layer of about 4 microns to about 40 microns.

Embodiment 33: the method as in any one of embodiments 27-32, further comprising: immersing the glass article in a first ion exchange medium consisting essentially of at least one sodium salt, and ion exchanging the glass article at a predetermined temperature of about 350 ℃ to about 480 ℃ for a predetermined time of about 1 hour to about 24 hours while the glass article is immersed in the first ion exchange medium.

These and other aspects, advantages, and salient features will become apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the appended claims.

Brief description of the drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ion-exchanged glass sheet;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ion-exchanged glass sheet under bend-induced stress; and is

FIG. 3 is at 100% KNO₃A graph of compressive stress versus depth of potassium ion layer (DOL) measured for the ion-exchanged glass samples after ion-exchange at 410 ℃ for a time period of 1 hour to 16 hours.

Fig. 4A is a plan view of an exemplary electronic device comprising any of the strengthened glasses disclosed herein.

Fig. 4B is a perspective view of the exemplary electronic device of fig. 4A.

Detailed Description

In the description below, like reference characters designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views shown in the drawings. Directional terms used herein, such as upper, lower, right, left, front, rear, top, bottom, inward, outward, are used with reference to the drawings only and are not intended to imply absolute orientations. Further, whenever a group is described as comprising at least one of a group of elements and combinations thereof, it is understood that the group may comprise, consist essentially of, or consist of any number of those elements recited, either individually or in combination with each other. Similarly, whenever a group is described as consisting of at least one of a group of elements or combinations thereof, it is understood that the group may consist of any number of those listed elements, either individually or in combination with each other. Unless otherwise indicated, a range of numerical values set forth includes both the upper and lower limits of the range, as well as any range between the upper and lower limits. As used herein, the modifiers "a", "an" and their corresponding modifiers "the" mean "at least one" or "one or more", unless otherwise specified. It should also be understood that the various features disclosed in the specification and drawings may be used in any and all combinations.

As used herein, the term "glass article" is used in its broadest sense to include any object made in whole or in part of glass, including glass-ceramics. All glass compositions described herein are expressed in mole percent (mol%), unless otherwise indicated. The composition of all the molten salt baths used for ion exchange, as well as any other ion exchange media, is expressed in weight percent (wt%). The Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) is expressed in parts per million (ppm)/deg.c and, unless otherwise specified, represents a measurement over a temperature range of about 20 deg.c to about 300 deg.c. The high temperature (or liquid) coefficient of thermal expansion (high temperature CTE) is also expressed in parts per million (ppm)/degree celsius (ppm/° c) and represents a value measured in a high temperature plateau or transition region of a plot of instantaneous Coefficient of Thermal Expansion (CTE) versus temperature. The high temperature CTE measures the volume change associated with heating or cooling the glass through the plateau or transition region.

Unless otherwise indicated, all temperatures are expressed in degrees Celsius (. degree. C.). The term "softening point" as used herein means that the viscosity of the glass is about 10^7.6Temperature at poise (P); the term "annealing point" means that the viscosity of the glass is about 10^13.2Temperature at poise; the term "200 poise temperature (T)^200P) "refers to the temperature at which the viscosity of the glass is about 200 poise; the term "10¹¹Poise temperatureDegree "means that the viscosity of the glass is about 10¹¹Temperature at poise; the term "35 kP temperature (T)^35kP) "refers to a temperature at which the viscosity of the glass is about 35,000 poise (P) or 35 kilopoise (kP); and the term "200 kP temperature (T)^200kP) "refers to the temperature at which the viscosity of the glass is about 200 kP.

The term "liquidus viscosity" as used herein refers to the viscosity of the molten glass at the liquidus temperature, wherein the liquidus temperature refers to the temperature at which crystals first appear as the molten glass cools from the melting temperature, or the temperature at which the last crystal melts away as the temperature increases from room temperature.

It should be noted that the terms "substantially" and "about" may be used herein to represent the degree of inherent uncertainty that may be attributed to any quantitative comparison, evaluation, measurement, or other representation. The use of these terms herein to represent a quantitative representation may vary from a stated reference without resulting in a change in the basic function of the subject matter at issue. Thus, "substantially free of B₂O₃"the glass is not added or blended with B actively₂O₃But which may be present in very small amounts as contaminants.

As used herein, the term "about" means that quantities, dimensions, formulas, parameters, and other quantities and characteristics are not and need not be exact, but may be approximate and/or larger or smaller as desired, such as reflection tolerances, conversion factors, rounding off, measurement error, and the like, as well as other factors known to those of skill in the art. When the term "about" is used to describe a value or an endpoint of a range, it is to be understood that the disclosure includes the particular value or endpoint referenced. Whether or not the numerical values or endpoints of ranges in the specification are listed as "about," the numerical values or endpoints of ranges are intended to include both embodiments: one modified with "about" and the other not modified with "about". It will be further understood that the endpoints of each of the ranges are significant both in relation to the other endpoint, and independently of the other endpoint.

As used herein, the terms "substantially", "essentially" and variations thereof are intended to mean that the recited feature is equal or approximately equal to a numerical value or description. For example, a "substantially planar" surface is intended to mean that the surface is a planar or substantially planar surface. Further, "substantially" is intended to mean that two numerical values are equal or approximately equal. In some embodiments, "substantially" may mean values within about 10% of each other, such as values within about 5% of each other, or values within about 2% of each other.

As used herein, "peak compressive stress" refers to the highest compressive stress value measured within the compressive layer. In some embodiments, the peak compressive stress is at the surface of the glass. In other embodiments, the peak compressive stress may occur at a depth below the surface, giving a compressive profile that appears as a "buried peak". Compressive stress, including surface CS, is measured by a surface stress meter (FSM) using a commercially available instrument, such as FSM-6000 manufactured by Orihara Industrial co. Surface stress measurements rely on the accurate measurement of the Stress Optical Coefficient (SOC), which is related to the birefringence of the glass. The SOC was then measured according to protocol C (Glass disk Method) entitled "Standard Test Method for measuring Glass Stress-Optical Coefficient" described in ASTM Standard C770-16, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety.

Referring to the drawings in general, and to FIG. 1 in particular, it should be understood that the illustrations are for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and are not intended to limit the disclosure or the appended claims thereto. The figures are not necessarily to scale and certain features and certain views of the figures may be shown exaggerated in scale or in schematic in the interest of clarity and conciseness.

Alkali aluminosilicate glasses are described herein that can achieve peak compressive stresses by ion exchange that exceed the compressive stresses already achieved in similar glasses. For example, when a 1mm thick glass sample as described herein is ion exchanged in an ion exchange bath of molten potassium nitrate at 410 ℃ for 45 minutes, more than about 1000M is obtainedPa, or in some embodiments, a peak compressive stress in excess of about 1050MPa is achieved. These glasses have a fictive temperature equal to 10 of the glass¹¹And P temperature.

The glass compositions described herein may be formed by processes including, but not limited to, fusion draw, overflow, roll, slot draw, float processes, and the like. The liquidus viscosity of these glasses ranges from about greater than or equal to 5kP to about 200kP, and in some embodiments, from greater than or equal to about 30kP to about 150 kP.

The glasses described herein are ion-exchangeable and comprise greater than or equal to about 17 mol% Al₂O₃And a non-zero amount of Na₂O, MgO and CaO, wherein Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) > 21 mol%, or ≥ 23 mol%, or ≥ 24 mol%, wherein RO is selected from the group consisting of: MgO, Ca, and MgO (i.e., RO (mol%)) -, MgO (mol%) + CaO (mol%) + ZnO (mol%)). In some embodiments, CaO (mole%)/RO (mole%)>0.4, or>0.5, or>0.6. In addition, these glasses are substantially free of B₂O₃、P₂O₅、K₂O, SrO and BaO. The alkali aluminosilicate glasses described herein may also comprise ZnO and Li₂O。

In some embodiments, the alkali aluminosilicate glasses described herein comprise or consist essentially of: about 52 mol% to about 61 mol% SiO₂(ii) a About 17 mol% to about 23 mol% Al₂O₃(ii) a 0 mol% to about 7 mol% Li₂O; about 9 mol% to about 20 mol% Na₂O; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% MgO; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% CaO; and from greater than 0 mol% to about 2 mol% ZnO. In certain embodiments, the glass comprises: about 55 mol% to about 61 mol% SiO₂(ii) a About 17 mol% to about 20 mol% Al₂O₃(ii) a 4 mol% to about 7 mol% Li₂O; about 9 mol% to about 15 mol% Na₂O; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol%MgO in mol%; greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% CaO; and from greater than 0 mol% to about 2 mol% ZnO.

Table 1 lists non-limiting, exemplary compositions of the alkali aluminosilicate glasses described herein. Table 2 lists selected physical properties determined for the examples listed in table 1. The physical properties listed in table 2 include: density, wherein the density values described herein are determined using the buoyancy method of ASTM C693-93 (2013); low temperature CTE; a strain point, an annealing point and a softening point, wherein the strain point is determined using a beam bending viscosity method of ASTM C598-93(2013), the annealing point is determined using a fiber elongation method of ASTM C336-71(2015), and the softening point is determined using a fiber elongation method of ASTM C338-93 (2013); 10¹¹Poise temperature, 35kP temperature, 200kP temperature, and liquidus temperature; a liquidus viscosity, wherein the liquidus viscosity is determined by the following method. First, the Liquidus Temperature of the Glass is measured according to ASTM C829-81(2015) entitled "Standard Practice for measuring the Liquidus Temperature of Glass by the Gradient Furnace Method". Next, the following measurements were made on the samples listed in table 1: measuring the Glass Viscosity at the liquidus temperature according to ASTM C965-96(2012) entitled "Standard Practice for Measuring Glass Viscosity Above the Softening Point"; young's modulus, wherein the Young's modulus values described in the present disclosure refer to values measured by a resonance ultrasonography technique of the general type set forth in the title "Standard Guide for resonance ultra Spectroscopy for Defect Detection in Board Metallic and Non-Metallic Parts"; a refractive index; and stress optical coefficients. In some embodiments, the glasses described herein have a Young's modulus of greater than or equal to about 80GPa, in other embodiments from about 80GPa to about 90GPa, and in other embodiments from about 80GPa to about 85 GPa.

Table 1: examples of alkali aluminosilicate glass compositions.

Composition analyzed (mol%)	Example 1	Example 2	Example 3	Example 4	Example 5	Example 6
							SiO2	60.17	60.23	58.21	56.21	54.20	52.32
Al2O3	17.95	17.87	19.02	19.99	21.00	21.94
							Li2O	5.78	5.68	6.11	6.43	6.71	6.98
Na2O	11.28	11.37	11.76	12.30	12.78	13.27
							MgO	4.65	0.11	2.40	2.51	2.63	2.71
ZnO	0.00	0.00	2.35	2.42	2.53	2.63
							CaO	0.07	4.64	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.05
SnO2	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10
							ZrO2	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00

Composition analyzed (mol%)	Example 13	Example 14	Example 15	Example 16	Example 17	Example 18
							SiO2	60.26	60.17	56.16	54.30	52.36	53.93
Al2O3	17.45	17.46	20.58	21.56	22.63	21.55
							Li2O	5.86	5.96	0.00	0.00	0.00	2.89
Na2O	10.31	9.27	18.59	19.22	19.82	19.62
							MgO	3.06	3.55	2.30	2.44	2.56	0.93
ZnO	2.92	3.44	2.22	2.33	2.48	0.94
							CaO	0.04	0.05	0.04	0.04	0.04	0.03
SnO2	0.10	0.10	0.11	0.11	0.10	0.11
							ZrO2	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00

Composition analyzed (mol%)	Example 19	Example 20	Example 21	Example 22	Example 23	Example 24
							SiO2	52.43	60.15	60.07	60.16	60.26	60.40
Al2O3	22.54	17.82	17.78	17.83	18.03	18.05
							Li2O	2.92	5.85	5.85	5.85	6.01	5.99
Na2O	19.99	12.65	13.42	13.99	13.35	12.40
							MgO	0.99	1.74	1.43	1.06	0.68	0.67
ZnO	0.99	1.64	1.31	0.97	0.62	0.62
							CaO	0.03	0.04	0.04	0.03	0.03	0.04
SnO2	0.11	0.11	0.11	0.10	0.10	0.10
							ZrO2	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.92	1.73

Composition analyzed (mol%)	Example 25	Example 26	Example 27	Example 28	Example 29	Example 30
							SiO2	60.28	60.38	60.39	60.35	60.15	59.73
Al2O3	17.97	18.01	18.02	18.04	18.00	18.51
							Li2O	6.00	6.00	6.00	6.00	5.71	5.87
Na2O	14.10	13.00	14.62	13.67	11.42	11.23
							MgO	0.34	0.34	0.02	0.02	2.30	2.30
ZnO	0.31	0.31	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00
							CaO	0.03	0.04	0.03	0.03	2.32	2.25
SnO2	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.10	0.11	0.11
							ZrO2	0.87	1.83	0.83	1.78	0.00	0.00

Composition analyzed (mol%)	Example 37	Example 38	Example 39	Example 40	Example 41	Example 42
							SiO2	60.37	60.35	60.48	60.26	60.58	57.09
Al2O3	17.97	18.53	18.65	18.99	19.08	18.55
							Li2O	0.00	2.78	0.00	2.75	0.00	8.15
Na2O	17.01	14.13	16.70	14.28	16.70	11.62
							MgO	2.32	2.09	2.09	1.84	1.81	2.29
ZnO	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0
							CaO	2.23	2.00	1.97	1.77	1.72	2.19
SnO2	0.11	0.11	0.11	0.11	0.11	0.11
							ZrO2	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0.00	0

Table 2: selected physical properties of the glasses are listed in table 1.

	Example 1	Example 2	Example 3	Example 4	Example 5	Example 6
							Density (g/cm)3)	2.47	2.491	2.51	2.521	2.531	2.539
FE strain point (. degree. C.)	596	576	588	585	583	583
							FE annealing Point (. degree. C.)	643	619	635	632	629	628
FE softening point (. degree. C.)	868.1	838.1	856.9	850.9	841.5	835.8
							1011Poise temperature (. degree.C.)	721	692	712	709	704	701
CTE*10-7(1/℃)	76.5	80.6	78	79.1	81.3	82.2
							Temperature of 200P (. degree. C.)	1547	1551	1526	1493	1468	1448
35000P temperature (. degree.C.)	1142	1119	1126	1110	1092	1079
							Temperature 200000P (. degree.C.)	1054	1027	1039	1025	1010	1000
Liquidus temperature (. degree.C.)	1270	1120	>1255	>1320	>1375	>1305
							Liquidus viscosity (poise)	4595	34595
Stress optical coefficient (nm/mm/MPa)	2.838	2.763	2.85	2.824	2.794	2.764
							Refractive index at 589.3nm	1.5175	1.5227	1.52	1.5246	1.5254	1.5291
Young's modulus (GPa)	83.0	82.9		83.7	84.9	85.8

	Example 13	Example 14	Example 15	Example 16	Example 17	Example 18
							Density (g/cm)3)	2.516	2.527	2.523	2.535	2.543	2.508
FE strain point (. degree. C.)	583	588	658	659	660	616
							FE annealing Point (. degree. C.)	630	635	715	713	713	664
FE softening point (. degree. C.)	855	854.7	955.6	945.3	945	901
							1011Poise temperature (. degree.C.)	708	712	804	798	797	745
CTE*10-7(1/℃)	73.2	67.9	86.4	86.5	85.1
							Temperature of 200P (. degree. C.)	1529	1519	1599	1570	1564	1573
35000P temperature (. degree.C.)	1124	1118	1215	1199	1211	1175
							Temperature 200000P (. degree.C.)	1036	1032	1133	1118	1154	1097
Liquidus temperature (. degree.C.)	>1355	>1380	>1300	>1290	>1325
							Liquidus viscosity (poise)
Stress optical coefficient (nm/mm/MPa)	2.876	2.895	2.982	2.938	2.891	2.846
							Refractive index at 589.3nm	1.5226	1.5248	1.5164	1.5184	1.521	1.5173
Young's modulus (GPa)	83.7	84.9	75.9	75.9	76.9	78.7

	Example 42
		Density (g/cm)3)	2.486
FE strain point (. degree. C.)	542
		FE annealing Point (. degree. C.)	587
FE softening point (. degree. C.)
		1011Poise temperature (. degree.C.)
CTE*10-7(1/℃)	84.4
		Temperature of 200P (. degree. C.)	1480
35000P temperature (. degree.C.)	1065
		Temperature 200000P (. degree.C.)	978
Liquidus temperature (. degree.C.)	1075
		Liquidus viscosity (poise)	29284
Stress optical coefficient (nm/mm/MPa)	27.78
		Refractive index at 589.3nm	1.52
Young's modulus (GPa)

Each of the oxide components of the base glass and ion exchanged glass described herein contribute to and/or have an effect on the manufacturability and physical properties of the glass. For example, silicon dioxide (SiO)₂) Are the primary oxides that form the glass and form the network skeleton of the molten glass. Pure SiO₂Has a low CTE and is alkali metal free. For example, SiO as opposed to glasses such as soda-lime-silicate glasses₂Is advantageous for increasing or increasing the peak compressive stress when the glass is ion exchanged (i.e., less than or equal to 61 mole percent). In some embodiments, the glasses described herein comprise from about 52 mol% to about 61 mol% SiO₂And in some embodiments, from about 55 mol% to about 61 mol% SiO₂And, in other embodiments, from about 58 mol% to about 61 mol% SiO₂。

In addition to silica, the glasses described herein comprise greater than or equal to about 17 mol% of the network former Al₂O₃. Alumina is present in the amounts described to achieve stable glass formation, desired peak compressive stress, diffusivity during ion exchange, and young's modulus, as well as to facilitate melting and forming. Similar to SiO₂，Al₂O₃Which is beneficial to the rigidity of the glass network. Alumina can be present in the glass in four or five coordination, which increases the packing density of the glass network and thus increases the compressive stress resulting from chemical strengthening. In some embodiments, the glasses described herein comprise from about 17 mol% or 18 mol% to about 23 mol% Al₂O₃And in specific embodiments, from about 17 mole% or 18 mole% to about 20 mole%, or to about 21 mole% Al₂O₃. The amount of alumina in these glasses may be limited to lower values to achieve high liquidus viscosities.

As described herein, the glasses described herein are substantially free of P₂O₅、B₂O₃、K₂O, SrO and BaO, or contains 0 mol% of P₂O₅、B₂O₃、K₂O, SrO and BaO. These oxides are intentionally excluded from the glass because they tend to reduce the compressive stress and young's modulus achieved by ion exchange.

Alkali metal oxide Na₂O is used to achieve chemical strengthening of the glass by ion exchange. The glasses described herein comprise Na₂O, which provides Na⁺Cation, said Na⁺The cation to be reacted comprises at least one potassium salt (e.g. KNO)₃) Exchange potassium cations present in the salt bath. In some embodiments, the glasses described herein comprise about 9 mol%, or about 10 mol%, or about 11 mol%, or about 12 mol% to about 15 mol%, or about 16 mol%, or about 17 mol%, or about 18 mol%, or about 19 mol% orAbout 20 mol% Na₂And O. In other embodiments, these glasses comprise from about 9 mol% to about 15 mol% Na₂O。

In some embodiments, the glasses described herein may also comprise Li₂O in an amount up to about 9 mole%, or up to about 8.5 mole%, or up to about 8 mole%, or up to about 7.5 mole%, or up to about 7 mole%. In some embodiments, the glass comprises from about 2 mol%, or about 3 mol%, or about 4 mol% to about 6 mol%, or about 7 mol%, or about 7.5 mol%, or about 8 mol%, or about 8.5 mol%, or about 9 mol% Li₂And O. In certain embodiments, the glass is free of Li₂O (i.e., containing 0 mol% Li)₂O), or substantially free of Li₂O。Li₂The presence of O increases the peak compressive stress and enables rapid ion exchange to DOL and/or deep DOC, if desired. In addition, Li is compared to other alkali metal oxide ions₂O increases both the young's modulus and the fracture toughness of the glass. When the lithium-containing glass is ion exchanged, a depth of compression layer DOC greater than or equal to 100 μm can be achieved in a relatively short time. As used herein, DOC means the depth at which the stress in a chemically strengthened alkali aluminosilicate glass article described herein changes from compressive to tensile stress. Depending on the ion exchange process regime, DOC can be measured by FSM or scattered light polarising mirror (SCALP). If the stress in the glass article is generated by exchanging potassium ions into the glass article, the DOC is measured using FSM. If the stress is generated by exchanging sodium ions into the glass article, the DOC is measured using SCALP. If the stress in the glass article is generated by exchanging both potassium and sodium ions into the glass, the DOC is measured by SCALP, since it is believed that the depth of exchange of sodium represents the DOC, while the depth of exchange of potassium represents the change in magnitude of the compressive stress (but not the change in stress from compressive to tensile); the exchange depth of potassium ions in such glass articles is measured by FSM and is represented by the depth of layer (DOL) of potassium ions. Tensile stress, or Central Tension (CT) value-including the mostLarge CT values-measured using scattered light polarising mirror (scapp) techniques known in the art. Unless otherwise stated, the CT values reported herein are the maximum CT.

As noted above, the glasses described herein, as originally formed, comprise 0 mol% K₂O or substantially no K₂And O. The presence of potassium oxide in the glass adversely affects the ability to achieve high levels of peak compressive stress in the glass by ion exchange. However, after ion exchange, the compressed layer resulting from ion exchange will contain potassium. The ion exchange layer near the glass surface may contain 10 mol% or more of K at the glass surface₂O, and the bulk of the glass at depths greater than DOL may be substantially free of potassium or may be maintained at levels consistent with the bulk with the starting components.

In some embodiments, the glasses described herein may comprise ZnO in an amount of from 0 mol% up to about 6 mol%, or from greater than 0 mol% to about 4 mol% or to about 6 mol%. The divalent oxide ZnO improved the melting behavior of the glass by lowering the temperature at 200 poise viscosity (200P temperature). When similar additive substance Na is added₂ZnO is also beneficial for improving strain point when compared to O. In some embodiments, these glasses comprise from greater than 0 mol% to about 2 mol% ZnO.

Alkaline earth oxides, such as MgO and CaO, may be present in these glasses in order to increase the strain point and lower the 200P temperature of glasses having liquidus viscosities greater than 50 kP. In some embodiments, the glasses described herein comprise from greater than 0 mol% up to about 6 mol% MgO, or in other embodiments, the glasses comprise from 0.02 mol% to about 3 mol%, or to about 4 mol%, or to about 5 mol%, or to about 6 mol% MgO. In some embodiments, the glasses described herein comprise from greater than 0 mol% to about 5 mol% CaO, in other embodiments from 0.03 mol% to about 5 mol% CaO, and in other embodiments from about 0.03 mol% to about 1 mol%, or to about 1.5 mol%, or to about 2 mol%, or to about 2.5 mol%, or to about 3 mol% CaO. As seen in the examples listed in tables 1 and 2, CaO is present in glasses having a liquidus viscosity greater than 50kP, which allows the glass to be easily fusion-formed. In some embodiments, it is desirable for the liquidus viscosity to be greater than 50kP when the glass is to be fusion formed. In other embodiments, the liquidus viscosity may be less than or equal to 50kP in cases where the glass may be formed by techniques other than fusion forming. The alkaline earth oxides SrO and BaO are not as effective at lowering the melting temperature at 200 poise viscosity as ZnO, MgO, or CaO, and are also not as effective at increasing the strain point as ZnO, MgO, or CaO. Thus, the glasses described herein comprise divalent oxides selected from the group consisting of: ZnO, MgO and CaO, and substantially free of each of SrO and BaO, or containing 0 mol% of each of SrO and BaO.

In some embodiments, Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) > 21 mol%; in other embodiments, Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) > 22 mol%; in other embodiments, Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) > 23 mol%; in other embodiments, Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) > 24 mol%; and in other embodiments, Al₂O₃(mol%) + RO (mol%) + 25 mol%, wherein RO (mol%) + MgO (mol%) + CaO (mol%) + ZnO (mol%). In some embodiments, CaO (mole%)/RO (mole%)>0.4; or in some embodiments, CaO (mole%)/RO (mole%)>0.5; or in other embodiments, CaO (mole%)/RO (mole%)>0.6。

In some embodiments, the glasses described herein are chemically strengthened by ion exchange. In at least one example method, alkali metal cations in the cation source (e.g., molten salt or "ion exchange" bath) are exchanged with smaller alkali metal cations in the glass to yield a layer under Compressive Stress (CS) near the surface of the glass. The compressive layer extends from the surface to a depth of compression (DOC) within the glass. In the glasses described herein, for example, by immersing the glass in a solution comprising a potassium salt (e.g., without limitationPotassium nitrate (KNO)₃) In the molten salt bath of (a), during ion exchange, potassium ions from the cation source exchange sodium ions within the glass, and/or in some embodiments, exchange lithium within the glass. In some embodiments, the ion exchange bath may consist essentially of one or more potassium salts. Other potassium salts that may be used in the ion exchange process include, for example, but are not limited to: potassium chloride (KCl) and potassium sulfate (K)₂SO₄) And combinations thereof. The ion exchange baths described herein may contain alkali metal ions in addition to potassium and the corresponding potassium salts. For example, the ion exchange bath may also contain sodium salts, such as sodium nitrate, sodium sulfate, and/or sodium chloride. In some embodiments, the ion exchange bath may comprise KNO₃And sodium nitrate (NaNO)₃) A mixture of (a). In some embodiments, the ion exchange bath may comprise up to about 50 wt%, or up to about 25 wt% of NaNO₃And the balance of the bath is KNO₃. In other embodiments, the glass may comprise about 100% by weight sodium salt (e.g., Na)₂SO₄NaCl, etc.) and then ion exchange in a second bath comprising a sodium salt and a corresponding potassium salt (e.g., comprising NaNO)₃And KNO₃Or 100 wt% of the corresponding potassium salt (e.g., the first ion exchange bath comprises NaNO)₃And the second ion exchange bath comprises KNO₃) To obtain a deeper DOL and/or a deeper DOC.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an ion-exchanged flat glass article. Glass article 100 has a thickness t, a first surface 110 and a second surface 112, and thickness t is, for example, in the range of about 25 μm to about 4 mm. In some embodiments, the thickness t is in the following range: from about 25 μm up to about 50 μm, or up to about 55 μm, or up to about 60 μm, or up to about 65 μm, or up to about 70 μm, or up to about 75 μm, or up to about 80 μm, or up to about 85 μm, or up to about 90 μm, or up to about 95 μm, or up to about 100 μm, or up to about 105 μm, or up to about 110 μm, or up to about 115 μm, or up to about 120 μm, or up to about 125 μm. In certain other embodiments, the thickness t is from about 10 μm to aboutIn the range of 20 μm. Although fig. 1 depicts glass article 100 as a flat, planar sheet or plate, glass article 100 may have other configurations, such as a three-dimensional shape or a non-planar configuration. The glass article 100 has a first compressive layer 120, the first compressive layer 120 extending from the first surface 110 to a first DOC, the first DOC having a depth d in the body of the glass article 100₁To (3). In fig. 1, glass article 100 also has a second compressive layer 122, where second compressive layer 122 extends from second surface 112 to a location at depth d₂A second DOC. The glass article 100 also has a central region 130, the central region 130 being at d₁And d₂Extending therebetween. The central region 130 is typically under tensile stress or Central Tension (CT), which balances or cancels out the compressive stress of the layers 120 and 122. Depth d of the first compressed layer 120₁And depth d of the second compression layer 122₂Glass article 100 is protected from flaw propagation induced by sharp impacts to first surface 110 and second surface 112 of glass article 100, respectively, while compressive stress causes the flaws to penetrate depth d of first compressive layer 120₁And depth d of the second compression layer 122₂Is the smallest possible.

Thus, a method of strengthening the glass described above is provided such that the glass is able to withstand significant bending stresses and achieve high peak compressive stresses by ion exchange. A glass article comprising an alkali aluminosilicate glass as described above is immersed in an ion exchange medium, e.g., a molten salt bath, a paste, etc. The ion exchange media comprises at least one potassium salt, wherein the at least one potassium salt comprises greater than or equal to about 50 wt% of the ion exchange media. Prior to submerging, the method may comprise: the glass article is shaped by means known in the art, such as, but not limited to, fusion draw, roll press, overflow draw, slot forming, up-draw, or float process. Further, once shaped, the glass article may be at 10 of the glass article¹¹Subjected to a heat treatment at poise temperature, and then immersed in ion exchange media. The glass article is at a temperature of about 350 ℃ to about 480 ℃ (e.g., about 350 ℃ to about 475 ℃, or about 350 ℃ to about 470 ℃, or about 350 ℃ to about 480 ℃) during immersion in the ion exchange mediumIon-exchanging in an ion-exchange medium at a predetermined temperature of about 460 ℃, or about 350 ℃ to about 450 ℃, or about 350 ℃ to about 440 ℃, or about 350 ℃ to about 430 ℃) for a predetermined time of about 1 hour to about 24 hours to achieve a concentration of ions extending from the surface to the DOL, and a compressive layer extending from the surface to the DOC. The compressive layer has a peak compressive stress (where the peak compressive stress is at the surface of the ion-exchanged glass article in some embodiments) of greater than or equal to about 1000MPa, or greater than or equal to about 1050MPa in some embodiments, or greater than or equal to about 1100MPa in other embodiments, or greater than or equal to about 1200MPa in other embodiments, and up to about 1500 MPa.

The high peak compressive stress that can be achieved by ion exchange provides the ability to bend the glass to a narrower (i.e., smaller) bend radius for a given glass thickness. The high peak compressive stress allows the glass to maintain a net compression and thus contain surface flaws as the glass undergoes bending around narrow radii. If near-surface flaws are contained under this net compression or within the effective surface compression layer, these near-surface flaws cannot propagate to failure.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an ion-exchanged glass sheet under bend-induced stress. When bent to a bend radius R (in fig. 2, bend radius R is the sum of thickness t and inner radius R), the outer surface 110a of the ion-exchanged glass sheet 100 is subjected to tensile stress from the bending, which causes the DOC to decrease to an effective DOC on the outer surface 110a, while the inner surface 112a is subjected to additional compressive stress from the bending. The effective DOC on the outer surface 110a increases as the bend radius increases and decreases as the bend radius decreases (when the center of curvature is on the opposite side of the outer surface 110a, as shown in fig. 2). When ion exchanged, the glasses described herein can withstand a 3mm bend radius (i.e., R ═ 3mm) for 60 minutes (without breakage) at about 25 ℃ and 50% relative humidity. In some embodiments, the glasses described herein can withstand a bend radius of 4mm (i.e., R4 mm) for the same duration under the same environmental conditions (without breaking). In other embodiments, the glasses described herein can withstand a bend radius of 5mm (i.e., R5 mm) for the same duration of time (without breaking) under the same environmental conditions.

Table 3 lists the peak CS and DOL measured after ion exchange for the samples listed in table 1. Glass samples having a thickness of 1mm and having the compositions and physical properties of the examples described in tables 1 and 2 were subjected to KNO₃Ion exchange was carried out in the bath at 410 ℃ for 2 hours or 6 hours, respectively. Before ion exchange, at 10¹¹Heat treating the glass coupon at poise (P) temperature and rapidly quenching to room temperature within two minutes to set the fictive temperature to about 10¹¹P viscosity temperature. This is done to set a fictive temperature to represent the thermal history of the fusion drawn sheet. When subjected to ion exchange, the glasses described herein have a compressive layer with a peak compressive stress CS of greater than or equal to about 1000MPa, or, in some embodiments, greater than or equal to about 1050MPa, or, in other embodiments, greater than or equal to about 1100MPa, or, in other embodiments, greater than or equal to about 1200MPa, up to about 1300MPa, or to about 1350MPa, or to about 1400MPa, or to about 1450MPa, or to about 1500 MPa. Along with the aforementioned peak CS values, the glasses described herein can achieve potassium DOL of about 4 μm to about 40 μm, e.g., about 4 μm, or about 5 μm, or about 6 μm, or about 7 μm, or about 8 μm, or about 9 μm, or about 10 μm, or about 11 μm, or about 12 μm, or about 13 μm, or about 14 μm, or about 15 μm up to about 40 μm, or about 35 μm, or about 30 μm, or about 25 μm, or about 24 μm, or about 23 μm, or about 22 μm, or about 21 μm, or about 20 μm. Containing lithium (Li) in glass₂O), when the ion exchange comprises exchanging only potassium ions into the glass, the glass can be ion exchanged to substantially the same peak CS and DOC as the CS and DOL described immediately above, because the DOL and DOC are substantially the same when only potassium ions are exchanged into the glass. In addition, the glass contains lithium (Li)₂O) and ion exchange includes exchanging potassium and sodium ions into the glass, similar peak CS values can be obtained and have similar potassium DOL values, and/or further DOC values greater than 100 μm can be obtained, e.g., greater than 110 μm, greater than 120 μmμ m, greater than 130 μm, greater than 140 μm, greater than 150 μm, or greater than 10% thick, or greater than 11% thick, or greater than 12% thick, or greater than 13% thick, or greater than 14% thick, or greater than 15% thick, or greater than 16% thick, or greater than 17% thick, or greater than 18% thick, up to about 24% thick.

Table 3: 1mm thick samples having the composition listed in Table 1 were tested at 410 ℃ with 100 wt.% KNO₃The Compressive Stress (CS) and DOL measured after ion exchange for 2 hours and 6 hours, respectively, in the molten salt bath of (a).

The following examples illustrate the features and advantages of the present disclosure, and are in no way intended to limit the disclosure thereto.

Example 1

Glass samples having the compositions (example 29 in tables 1-3) and physical properties described in this disclosure were ion exchanged in three separate molten salt baths: an ion exchange bath containing 100 wt.% KNO₃(Table 4 a); the second ion exchange bath contained 50 wt.% KNO₃And 50% by weight NaNO₃(Table 4 b); and the third bath comprises 75 wt.% KNO₃And 25% by weight NaNO₃(Table 4 b). Tables 4a-4c set forth the results of these ion exchange experiments on 1mm thick glass samples. When the sample is in mixed KNO₃/NaNO₃The results obtained when ion exchanging in the bath demonstrate that the lithium-containing glasses described herein are capable of ion exchanging to obtain DOLs consistent with the other examples, but with a significantly deeper DOC. For example, the examples of table 4a have a DOL and a DOC of approximately about 4 μm to about 15 μm (where, for these cases, the DOC is substantially the same as the DOL because only KNO is used in the molten salt bath₃). On the other hand, when the sample is in mixed KNO₃/NaNO₃Tables 4b and 4c show that DOL is approximately about 6 μm to about 8 μm and DOC is approximately about 160 μm to about 170 μm (16% or 17% times the 1mm thickness) when ion exchanged in the bath. In addition, KNO is used₃The glass sample achieves a lower percentage of KNO when in a higher percentage bath₃Baths are similar DOL and DOC, but are able to achieve higher CS. In some embodiments, a CS of about 700MPa may be useful.

Table 4 a: ion exchange data obtained for a 1mm thick glass having the composition of example 29 (table 1) and a fictive temperature of about 712 ℃. Glass samples were made at 410 ℃ or 370 ℃ with 100 wt.% KNO₃Ion-exchanging in the molten salt bath of (1).

Table 4 b: ion exchange data obtained for a 1mm thick glass having the composition of example 29 (table 1) and a fictive temperature of about 712 ℃. Glass at 380 ℃ with 50% by weight KNO₃And 50% by weight NaNO₃Ion-exchanging in the molten salt bath of (1).

Table 4 c: ion exchange data obtained for a 1mm thick glass having the composition of example 29 (table 1) and a fictive temperature of about 712 ℃. Glass at 380 ℃ with 75% by weight KNO₃And 25% by weight NaNO₃Ion-exchanging in the molten salt bath of (1).

Example 2

A sample having a thickness of 100 μm and the composition of example 29 listed in Table 1 was made to contain 100 wt.% KNO at 410 ℃₃Ion exchange for 6 hours in the molten salt bath of (a), table 5 shows the compressive stress before and after the photo-etching. The thickness of the obtained Gorilla GLASS is 100 μm, 75 μm and 50 μmSample (composition: 70 mol% SiO)₂10 mol% of Al₂O₃15 mol% Na₂O and 5 mol% MgO) at 410 ℃ in a mixture containing 100 wt% KNO₃Ion-exchanged in a molten salt bath for 1 hour, and table 5 shows the compressive stress before and after the photo-etching.

In some cases, a photo-etch is applied to the sample after ion exchange to remove process-induced damage. The photo-etching comprises an acid comprising a fluoride-containing aqueous treating medium comprising at least one reactive glass-etching compound selected from the group consisting of: HF, HF with HCl, H₂NO₃And H₂SO₄One or a combination of more of (a), ammonium bifluoride, sodium bifluoride, and the like. In one particular embodiment, the acidic aqueous solution is formed from 5 vol% HF (48%) and 5 vol% H₂SO₄And (4) forming. The etching process is described in 2014United states patent number 8,889,254 entitled "Impact-Damage-Resistant Glass Sheet," issued to John Frederick Bayne et al at 11, 18, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. Thus, according to the results of Table 5, it is shown that the glasses disclosed herein can be subjected to such a photo-etching process while still maintaining a sufficient amount of compressive stress [ in some embodiments, CS is greater than or equal to 1000MPa, and in other embodiments, CS is greater than that of existing GLASS compositions (e.g., GORILLA GLASS)) The obtained CS is large]。

More specifically, as can be seen from the results in Table 5, glasses having the compositions of example 29 can be ion exchanged to achieve specific utilization of GORILLA GLASSThe compressive stress achieved is significantly greater. This result is unexpected in view of the glass-like properties of ion-exchange performed under these conditions. In addition, table 5 shows that the glasses of the present disclosure are suitable for achieving high CS values in thin glasses, for example, glasses having the following thicknesses: about 25 μm to about 125 μm, about 30 μm to about 120 μm, about 35 μm to about 115 μm, about 40 μm to about 110 μm, about 45 μm to about 105 μm, about 50 μm to about 100 μm, about 50 μm to about 75 μm, or about 75 μm to about 100 μm.

Table 5: corning (Corning) golilla GLASSAnd a glass sample having the composition of example 29 (Table 1) at 410 ℃ with 100 wt.% KNO₃Compressive stress after ion exchange for 6 hours in the molten salt bath of (1).

Example 3

The close-packed network within the glass described herein enables high compressive stresses. FIG. 3 shows GORILLA GLASSOf a 1mm thick sample (square data points) and one of the glasses described herein (example 29 in tables 1-3, diamond data points) at 410 ℃ containing about 100 wt% KNO₃After ion exchange in the molten salt bath for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, and 16 hours, compressive stress in the thickness of the glass at various depths from the surface. For example, point 302 is for the GLASS sample of example 29 exchanged for 6 hours, which achieved a peak CS of 1291 microns and a DOL of 15.3 microns, while point 304 is for the GLASS sample exchanged for 1 hourA sample which achieved a peak CS of 988 μm and a DOL of 15.8 μm. Thus, for the same DOL of about 15 μm, the GLASS having the composition of example 29 exhibits a peak compressive stress ratio for GORILLA GLASSThe peak compressive stress observed for the sample is 300MPa or greater. Glasses having the compositions of example 29 exhibit peak compressive stress ratios for GORILLA GLASS over the same DOL range of about 15 μm to 20 μmThe peak compressive stress observed for the sample is 200MPa or greater. Although the CS of the example 29 sample is greater than the GORILLA GLASS with the same DOLThe sample was higher, but the example 29 sample had a longer time to achieve the same DOL. The increased processing time may be due to a tightly packed network within the glass, which may result in a reduction in ion diffusivity. However, in some embodiments, the benefit of increased CS outweighs the longer processing time due to the reduced ion diffusivity.

Example 4

Glass samples having a thickness of 1mm and the composition of example 42 in table 1 (with the highest lithium content) were subjected to various ion exchange conditions listed in table 6 below, including a two-step ion exchange process. The properties obtained are likewise listed in Table 6. Since the sample of example 42 has a high lithium content, it is expected (in accordance with the principles of the present disclosure) to have a high young's modulus and fracture toughness. In addition, it is expected that the DOC for these samples will be 15% to 20% thick.

Table 6: ion exchange conditions and resulting properties for glasses having the composition of example 42 (Table 1)

The strengthened glass disclosed herein can be incorporated into another article, such as an article having a display (or display article) [ e.g., consumer electronics, including cell phones, tablets, computers, navigation systems, wearable devices (e.g., watches), etc ]; a building product; a transportation article (e.g., an automobile, train, aircraft, ship, etc.), an appliance article, or any article that may benefit from some transparency, scratch resistance, abrasion resistance, or a combination of the above properties. Fig. 4A and 4B illustrate an exemplary article comprising any of the strengthened glasses disclosed herein. In particular, fig. 4A and 4B illustrate a consumer electronic device 400 comprising a housing 402, the housing 402 having a front surface 404, a rear surface 406, and side surfaces 408; electrical components (not shown) located at least partially or entirely within the housing and including a controller, memory and display 410 located at or adjacent the front surface of the housing; and a cover substrate 412 at or over the front surface of the housing such that the cover substrate 412 is over the display. In some embodiments, at least one of the cover substrate 412 or a portion of the housing 402 can comprise any of the strengthened glasses disclosed herein. The cover glass and/or the housing have a thickness of about 0.4mm to about 4mm, and a peak compressive stress when chemically strengthened of greater than or equal to about 1000MPa, or greater than or equal to about 1050MPa, or greater than or equal to about 1100MPa, or greater than or equal to about 1200MPa, or greater than or equal to about 1250MPa up to about 1300MPa, or to about 1350MPa, or to about 1400MPa, or to about 1450MPa, or to about 1500 MPa.

While typical embodiments have been set forth for the purpose of illustration, the foregoing descriptions should not be deemed to be a limitation on the scope of the disclosure or the appended claims. Accordingly, various modifications, adaptations, and alternatives may occur to one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure or appended claims.