Acid strengthening of glass

摘要

Disclosed herein are methods for strengthening glass articles having strength-limiting surface flaws, together with strengthened glass articles produced by such methods, and electronic devices incorporating the strengthened glass articles. The methods generally involve contacting the glass articles with a substantially fluoride-free aqueous acidic treating medium for a time at least sufficient to increase the rupture failure points of the glass articles.

主权项

1. A method, comprising:
providing a glass article, comprising:
strength-limiting surface flaws having a first shape; anda first rupture failure point; and contacting the glass article with a treating medium to produce a strengthened glass article comprising a second rupture failure point, wherein at least a subset of the strength-limiting surface flaws of the strengthened glass article have a second shape, the contacting occurs for a time at least sufficient to render the second rupture failure point higher than the first rupture failure point, the contacting occurs for a time at least sufficient to reduce a propagation tendency of the strength-limiting surface flaws but does not reduce an average thickness of the glass article by more than about 300 nanometers, the treating medium comprises from about 0.001 to about 0.15 wt % of fluoride ions, and the second shape comprises blunted crack tips.