Study of Anti-Glare Pattern Forming Process by Glass Etching for Improved Image Quality

In this paper, the anti-glare characteristics of strengthened glass used in the dashboard of automobiles were improved to enhanced the ability of the driver to read the display. To this end, the glass surface was etched with a solution containing HF as a main component. We adjusted the concentration of the etching solution and the etching time as variables, and the transmittance, gloss, haze value, etc. of the etched glass were measured. On the etched glass surface, an irregular pattern mainly containing dioxonium hexa-fluorosilicate crystal phases was generated, and controlling the pattern could improve the anti-glare characteristics of the glass. With higher concentration of the etching solution and longer etching time, the light transmittance, reflectance, and gloss of the etched glass were accordingly lower, while the haze value increased. We discussed the relationship between these property changes and the surface microstructure, pattern components, and roughness of the etched glass.