Temperature and Fluid Sensing Gorilla Glass May Help Corning Retain Apple

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Corning (NYSE:GLW) in collaboration with researchers at Polytechnique Montréal in Canada, has been able to add fluid and temperature sensing capabilities to it’s star product Gorilla Glass. [1] Gorilla Glass is one of Corning’s best selling products that offers display protection to more than 2.7 billion devices. With the added capability to scan fluids and measure temperature, Gorilla Glass’ scope of application can significantly widen.

The release of details regarding the research comes at a time when there are concerns regarding Apple’s (NYSE:AAPL) shift towards sapphire crystal as the cover glass for iPhone 6. However, recent reports regarding sapphire production issues has us believe that the iPhone 6 will initially launch with Gorilla Glass, and later move on to sapphire. [2] But the newly found efficiencies of Gorilla Glass may help Corning retain Apple as its customer.

See our complete analysis of Corning here

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Gorilla Glass is most suitable to etch waveguides

Similar to optical fiber, waveguides are pathways that help channel information stored in beams of light. However, embedding waveguides within glass has been difficult since glass would either crack at the time of etching waveguides or there would be a huge loss of light along the pathway, which would greatly reduce its information carrying capacity.

Corning’s Gorilla Glass has been found to be suitable to etch waveguides. [1] Because of its strength and durability, etching waveguides on Gorilla Glass is easier compared to other glasses. Also, the loss of light is lowest in Gorilla Glass, allowing for better utility in transferring information across longer distances through the waveguides.

Sensors that are able to recognize changes in temperature have been developed using these waveguides. A different type of sensor, using similar technology, can also be used to authenticate a mobile device and act as a safeguard against cloning. Researchers at Polytechnique Montréal believe that similar technology can be used to analyze fluid samples on the screen of a device.

Gorilla Glass’ new found health monitoring capabilities may persuade Apple to stick around

With the announcement of Apple using sapphire as the cover glass for its iPhone 6, Corning’s investors have been concerned about the potential loss of a customer. Though there have been indications that Gorilla Glass may still be used in the manufacture of iPhone 6, there is a slight chance that Apple might completely replace it. However, Apple may find Gorilla Glass’ new found capabilities very attractive.

Apple has been active in dishing out health-related apps for its iPhone. It recently announced its new app, HealthKit, which will be bundled along with its new iOS 8 operating system. [3] The app helps track personal health and fitness through data collected from various health monitoring apps and devices.

With a waveguide embedded Gorilla Glass, Apple will be able to directly collect health related data as soon as the user touches the screen, making it the prime choice for Apple’s own wearable or mobile devices. This potential may also appeal to Samsung, who has been rolling out wearable devices that monitor heart rates and track steps. In summary, the new technology will most likely make Gorilla Glass more appealing to the entire mobile-device industry, which has lately been obsessed with health and fitness.

Despite researchers at Polytechnique Montréal being confident that the technology can be integrated into smartphones within a year, Corning has not yet made any announcements regarding the release of a waveguide etched Gorilla Glass. This means that the potential revenue stream from the health-related application of Gorilla Glass is still a few years away.

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Notes:
  1. Making smart phones smarter with photonics, June 18 2014, www.opticsinfobase.org [] []
  2. Oops! Likely No Sapphire Screen For The iPhone 6, July 29 2014, www.forbes.com []
  3. Apple iOS 8 Health, www.apple.com []