Introduction to AG AF and AR Glass Treatments

If you’re in the market for touch displays or any type of touch glass lens, you may come across the terms AG, AF, and AR. These terms refer to different types of coatings or treatments that can be applied to glass to improve its performance and durability. Here’s what you need to know about these treatments.

What is AG (Anti-Glare) treatment?

AG glass, also known as anti-glare glass is a type of glass that undergoes special processing on its surface. Its characteristic is to turn the original glass reflective surface into a matte, non-reflective surface (uneven surface). Its principle is to process double-sided or single-sided high-quality glass through special processing, making it have a lower reflection ratio compared to ordinary glass. The reflection rate of light is reduced from 8% to less than 1%, creating a clear and transparent visual effect using technology, allowing viewers to experience better sensory vision.

AG anti-glare treatment types: etching AG treatment, spraying AG treatment, coating AG film treatment

AG treatment Optical requirements:

1. Transmittance: measured by a spectrophotometer with a minimum of 88% in the visible light wavelength range of 380-700nm.
2. Gloss:  Testing instrument: WGG-60 gloss meterTesting method: select 5 points on the original sheet for gloss testing, and the instrument rotates 90 degrees and reads the value twice at each point for a total of 10 tests. The average of the test data is the gloss value of the original sheet. Note that for single-sided anti-glare glass, the anti-glare treated surface must be tested.
3. Gloss standard:
   1. The gloss purchase specifications for anti-glare glass are two types: 100±10 and 80±10. IQC conducts incoming inspections according to the standards of 100±13 and 80±15, respectively.
   1.  For conventional glass with a size ≤20″, the difference between the maximum and minimum gloss values of the same sheet of glass should be ≤10; for large glass with a size >20″, the difference between the maximum and minimum gloss values of the same sheet of glass should be ≤20.

Definition of AG Anti-glare Film: AG Anti-glare Film is an industry term for polarizing film surface treatment, which is a type of polarizing film surface treatment. By microscopically processing the surface of the polarizing film with fine concave and convex structures, it prevents direct light from entering the eyes, effectively reducing glare and reflection, and improving the touchscreen display effect of LCD (liquid crystal display).

What is AF (anti-fingerprint ）Treatment?

Anti-fingerprint (AF) treatment is a coating that prevents fingerprints and oil stains from adhering easily and can be easily wiped off. It is commonly used on glass display screens for tablets, vehicles, televisions, LEDs, and more. The treatment is also scratch-resistant, has a thin film layer that does not change the original texture, and has excellent wear resistance.

AF coating product features:

1. Anti-fouling: Prevents fingerprints and oil stains from adhering easily and can be easily wiped off;
2. Scratch-resistant: Smooth surface, comfortable to touch, not easily scratched;
3. Thin film layer: Excellent optical performance, does not change the original texture;
4. Wear resistance: Has excellent wear resistance.

Application fields of AF coating products: Glass display screens for tablets, vehicles, televisions, LEDs, etc.

AF Performance Parameter Test

Water contact angle: >110°

Oleic acid contact angle: >74°

Glass cover plate water droplet angle test at 9 points, uniformity guaranteed with a deviation of around 2°;

Friction resistance test:

Test conditions: using 0000# steel wool, 1KG pressure, contact area 10mm10mm, friction speed 30 times/minute, friction stroke 40mm, friction times 3000 times; After friction, water contact angle >100°, water droplet angle decrease <3°; Dynamic friction coefficient:

Test method: using BEMC0T dust-free cloth, area 10mm10mm, load 100G, wiping speed 500mm/min; Dynamic friction coefficient <0.04;

What is AR (Anti-Reflective) treatment

AR film/treatment is also known as anti-reflection film or treatment.The main function is to reduce or eliminate the reflected light on the optical surface of lenses, prisms, flat mirrors, etc., thereby increasing the transmittance of these components; Anti-reflection film is the most widely used and highest production optical thin film, so it is still an important research topic in optical thin film technology;

In many application fields, the anti-glare film is essential, otherwise, the application requirements cannot be met. Taking a 35mm automatic zoom camera composed of 18 lenses as an example, assuming that each interface between glass and air has a reflection of 4%, the light transmittance of the lens without anti-glare film is 27%, that with a film (remaining reflection is 1.3%) is 66%, and that with multiple layers of film (remaining reflection is 0.5%) is 85%.

AR Coating Product Features:

1. High Transmittance: Nanometer-level optical coating technology can increase the light transmittance of glass by 2-3%, and the transmittance can reach over 95%;
2. Durable: Can maintain for 25 years in harsh environments;
3. Anti-fogging: Greatly inhibits glass from producing condensation;
4. Scratch Resistance: After coating, it can increase 1H hardness for scratch resistance;
5. Water Repellent: Water droplets on the surface can reach a water droplet angle of >110°;
6. Easy to Clean: Surface stains are easy to clean. AR Coating Product Application Areas: Car windshield glass, solar panels, outdoor large advertising screens, etc…

Principle of AR film enhancement

Light has both wave-particle duality, which means that from a microscopic perspective, it can be understood as both a wave and a high-speed moving particle. (Note that this shouldn’t be understood as a simple wave and a simple particle. They are both microscopic. The wavelength of red light is 0.750 micrometers, and the wavelength of purple light is 0.400 micrometers. The mass of a photon is 6.63E-34 kilograms. So they are far from the macroscopic waves and particles that we imagine.) The principle of AR film enhancement considers light as a wave, because light waves, like mechanical waves, also have interference properties.

A layer of AR film (usually “calcium fluoride,” slightly soluble in water) is coated in front of the lens. If the thickness of the film is equal to one-quarter of the wavelength of red light (note: this is referring to red light), the red light reflected on both sides of the film will interfere with each other and cancel each other out. Therefore, you will not see any reflection in front of the lens because the red light has already passed through the lens.

Why have I never seen a lens without reflection? The reason is simple: visible light has seven colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, and the thickness of the film is unique. Therefore, only one color of light can be taken care of to completely enter the lens. In most cases, all green light is allowed to enter. In this case, the color of the reflection you see in visible light is blue-purple, because there is no green light in the reflected light. The thickness of the film can also be determined according to the color characteristics of the lens.

Classification of AR film for increased transmittance: AR film can be divided into single-layer anti-reflection film and multi-layer anti-reflection film.

Single-layer anti-reflection film The simplest way to reduce surface reflection is to deposit a layer of low refractive index thin film on the substrate surface. The ideal conditions for a single-layer anti-reflection film are:

◆ The optical thickness of the film is 1/4 wavelength

◆ Its refractive index is the square root of the product of the refractive index of the incident medium and the substrate

◆ In the visible region, the most commonly used is crown glass with a refractive index of about 1.52. According to the above theoretical calculation, the ideal refractive index of the anti-reflection film is 1.23, but the lowest refractive index of the available films is 1.28 (MgF2).

The two main defects of AR film are:

◆ It is difficult to achieve zero reflection for commonly used glass substrates ◆ It can only achieve single wavelength zero reflection and poor color neutrality.

In summary, AG, AF, and AR glass treatments can significantly improve the performance and durability of your glass. Depending on your lifestyle and needs, you may benefit from one or more of these treatments. Talk to your eye care professional about which treatments are right for you.

At Eagle Touch, we offer custom touchscreens and touch displays with AG, AR, and AF treatments.

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