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- Advanced Materials
- Emerging Electronics
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SUMMARY
This report from NanoMarkets quantifies the market opportunities for flexible glass over the next eight years. In the report, we examine the latest technologies, strategies, and technical developments of the flexible glass industry and identify the key applications in which flexible glass will generate revenue for the glass industry in the near- and mid-term. The report provides granular, eight-year volume (in area) and revenue ($ US millions) forecasts for this business.
“Flexible glass” is ultrathin glass that can—as the result of its thinness—be stored and used in roll form. The selling point of flexible glass is that, like plastic-based films, it can, at least in theory, provide a lighter weight, lower cost alternative to rigid glass, yet deliver the superior barrier performance, transparency, temperature stability, and familiarity of glass.
The opportunities for flexible glass include the following:
• Flexible glass has a role to play in reducing costs and improving marketability through enabling the production lighter weight products. Enabling lighter weight products is particularly important in mobile computing applications like smart phones and tablets, but it is also of critical importance in many photovoltaics (PV) applications, particularly building-integrated PV.
• Flexible glass is emerging as a leading candidate for encapsulation of sensitive electronics, particularly in OLED displays, OLED lighting, and organic and dye-sensitized cell PV applications. Flexible glass can enable encapsulation with higher performance, and potentially easier to implement, than some advanced multilayer barrier systems proposed for use in PV and displays.
• In addition, flexible glass will enable future roll-to-roll (R2R) production of flexible displays, OLED lighting, flexible PV, and other flexible electronics. In this report, suppliers of flexible glass will find guidance for how – and when – this material will fit into the R2R electronics space.
Applications for flexible glass covered by this report include: displays, PV, OLED lighting, and various flexible electronics products (sensors, chips, etc.). NanoMarkets has provided coverage of flexible glass for several years as part of a larger focus on advanced materials for the display, lighting, and solar panel markets.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Executive Summary: Flexible Glass
E.1 Market Opportunities for Flexible Glass
E.1.1 Lowering the Weight of Devices – A Key Proposition for Mobile Computing
E.1.2 Other Critical Markets for Flexible Glass
E.1.3 The Promise of Flexibility and R2R Processing
E.1.4 Encapsulation as a Key Market for Flexible Glass
E.2 Key Firms to Watch in the Flexible Glass Industry
E.2.1 Key End-Users
E.2.2 Key Flexible Glass Suppliers
E.3 Challenges to Commercialization of Flexible Glass
E.3.1 Bringing Costs Down
E.3.2 Competitive Materials
E.4 Summary of the Eight-Year Forecasts for Flexible Glass
E.4.1 Summary of Market for Flexible Glass in Displays – Two Views
E.4.2 Grand Total Summary of the Market for Flexible Glass – All ApplicationsChapter One: Introduction
1.1 Background to this Report
1.1.1 Notable Recent Developments in Flexible Glass
1.1.2 Re-evaluating the Value Proposition of Flexible Glass: Lower Weight for Initial Revenues
1.1.3 R2R Display Manufacturing and Flexible Glass: It's What's Next
1.1.4 Prospects for Flexible Glass in Photovoltaics
1.1.5 Flexible Glass and Flexible Displays: The First Shall Be Last
1.2 Objectives and Scope of this Report
1.3 Methodology of this Report
1.4 Plan of this ReportChapter Two: Flexible Glass: Technology, Products, and Key Suppliers
2.1 Manufacturing Trends and Challenges
2.1.1 Characteristics of Flexible Glass that Favor its Commercialization
2.1.2 Manufacturing of Flexible Glass versus Price
2.1.3 Increasing the Durability of Flexible Glass
2.1.4 R2R Compatibility and Flexible Glass
2.1.5 Intrinsically Flexible Devices
2.1.6 Barrier Properties
2.2 Competition for Flexible Glass
2.2.1 Plastics
2.2.2 Metal Foils and Sheets
2.2.3 Other Competitive Products
2.3 Key Suppliers of Flexible Glass
2.3.1 Asahi Glass Co. (Japan)
2.3.2 Corning (U.S.)
2.3.3 LiSEC (U.S.)
2.3.4 Nippon Electric Glass (Japan)
2.3.5 Schott
2.3.6 Competition from China's Glass Industry
2.4 Key Points from this ChapterChapter Three: Applications and Markets for Flexible Glass
3.1 Flexible Glass in Display Products
3.1.1 Mobile Displays – Delivering Lighter Weight
3.1.2 OLED Displays as a Key Market for Flexible Glass
3.1.3 Rollable and Foldable Displays
3.1.4 Encapsulation of OLEDs with Flexible Glass
3.1.5 Prospects for Flexible Glass in E-Paper Devices
3.2 Prospects for Flexible Glass in OLED Lighting
3.2.1 Enabling Longer Lifetimes in OLED Lighting
3.2.2 Enabling Design Flexibility in OLED Lighting
3.3 Flexible Glass in Photovoltaics
3.3.1 Difficulties in the PV Market that Could Influence Prospects for Flexible Glass
3.3.2 Glass in the Conventional PV Industry – No Room For Flexible Glass?
3.3.3 The Pros and Cons of Flexible Glass in PV Applications – And a Note of Caution
3.3.4 Flexible PV—The Importance of TFPV and BIPV to the Future of Flexible Glass in PV
3.3.5 Newer PV Technologies with Strict Barrier Requirements – OPV and DSC PV
3.4 Sensors and Other Applications for Flexible Glass
3.4.1 Touch Panels and Flexible Glass
3.4.2 Sensors for Ubiquitous Electronics Applications
3.4.3 Flexible Batteries
3.4.4 Flexible and Plastic Electronics
3.5 Key Points from this ChapterChapter Four: Eight-Year Forecasts for Flexible Glass
4.1 Forecasting Methodology and Assumptions
4.1.1 Methodology
4.1.2 Scope of the Forecast
4.1.3 Information Sources
4.1.4 Pricing Assumptions and Pricing Challenges for Flexible Glass
4.1.5 Forecasting Assumptions and Changes from Last Year's Forecast
4.1.6 Alternative Scenarios
4.2 Eight-Year Forecasts for Flexible Glass by Addressable Market
4.2.1 LCDs
4.2.2 OLED Displays
4.2.3 e-Paper Displays
4.2.4 OLED Lighting
4.2.5 Photovoltaics Markets
4.2.6 Sensors and Other Electronic Components
4.3 Summaries of Eight-Year Forecasts for Flexible Glass
4.3.1 Summary of Flexible Glass Forecasts by Application
4.3.2 Summary of Flexible Glass Forecasts by Device Type—Rigid vs. Flexible
Acronyms and Abbreviations Used in This Report
About the Author
List of ExhibitsExhibit E-1: Summary of Market Value of Flexible Glass in Displays by Display Size/Type and by General Display Category 2013-2020 ($ Millions)
Exhibit E-2: Summary of Market Value of Flexible Glass by Application and by Device Type 2013-2020 ($ Millions)
Exhibit 2-1: Corning's Willow Glass
Exhibit 3-1: Matrix Showing the Motivation for Using Flexible Glass in Different Applications
Exhibit 3-2: Relative moisture sensitivities of the PV technologies considered in this report.
Exhibit 3-3: Opportunities for Flexible Large-Area Sensors
Exhibit 3-4: Overview of Prospects for Printed/Plastic Electronics Applications
Exhibit 4-1: Analysis of the Addressable Market for Flexible Glass in LCDs 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-2: Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass in LCDs 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-3: Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass in LCDs by Display Format (Flexible vs. Rigid) 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-4: Analysis of the Addressable Market for Flexible Glass in OLED Displays 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-5: Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass Substrates in OLED Displays 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-6: Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass Encapsulation in OLED Displays 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-7: Summary of Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass in OLED Displays by Application (Substrate and Encapsulation Applications Combined) 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-8: Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass in OLED Displays by Display Format (Flexible vs. Rigid) 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-9: Analysis of the Addressable Market for Flexible Glass in e-Paper Displays 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-10: Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass in e-Paper Displays 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-11: Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass in e-Paper Displays by Display Format (Flexible vs. Rigid) 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-12: Flexible Glass in the OLED Lighting Market 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-13: Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass in OLED Lighting by Panel Format (Flexible vs. Rigid) 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-14: Analysis of the PV Market 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-15: Flexible Glass Substrates in the PV Market by Application 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-16: Flexible Glass Encapsulation in the PV Market by Application 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-17: Summary of Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass in PV Panels by Application (Substrate and Encapsulation Applications Combined) 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-18: Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass in PV Applications by Panel Format (Flexible vs. Rigid) 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-19: Sensors and Other Electronics Markets for Flexible Glass Substrates 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-20: Sensors and Other Electronics Markets for Flexible Glass Encapsulation 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-21: Summary of Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass in Sensors and Other Electronics Application (Substrate and Encapsulation Applications Combined) 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-22: Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass in Sensors and Other Electronics Applications by Product Format (Flexible vs. Rigid) 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-23: Summary of Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass by Application 2013-2020
Exhibit 4-24: Summary of Area and Market Value of Flexible Glass by Device Type (Rigid vs. Flexible) 2013-2020