New anti-glare, anti-reflective display underway for mobile devices

Scientists are developing a novel glass surface that reduces both glare and reflection, which continue to plague even the best mobile displays today.

Valerio Pruneri and colleagues note that much effort has been poured into anti-reflective and anti-glare technology and any bonus feature on a device gives it an edge, but for the most part, that hasn't included an integrated anti-glare, anti-reflective display.

As development of anti-reflective nano-structures on top of an anti-glare surface is much needed and the existing technique doesn't work well with glass, the material of choice for many electronic displays, Pruneri's team at The Institute of Photonic Sciences in collaboration with Prantik Mazumder's team at Corning Incorporated set out to find a new method.

Though they have roughened a glass surface so it could scatter light and ward off glare but without hurting the glass's transparency and etched nano-size teeth into the surface to make it anti-reflective, they added that further research is needed to ensure that the surface can withstand heavy touchscreen use.

The study will soon be published in the journal ACS Applied Materials and Interfaces.