When glass innovation meets precision chemistry, the result can reshape entire product categories.
EP3296274B1, assigned to Corning Incorporated, is a European patent currently under amendment proceedings involving TCL EUROPE SAS. While the legal details are secondary here, the technology itself deserves a closer look.
This patent discloses alkali-free boroaluminosilicate glass compositions engineered for flat panel displays. By adjusting the mix of glass-forming and modifying oxides, the invention improves durability, thermal stability, and melt fining during production.
To explore similar innovations, we turn to the Global Patent Search (GPS) platform. By comparing structural and compositional features across thousands of filings, GPS helps identify overlapping technologies with precision and speed.
If you work in display material science, patent strategy, or IP analytics, this GPS-backed deep dive offers a valuable technical perspective on EP3296274B1.
Understanding Patent EP3296274B1
EP3296274B1 discloses alkali-free boroaluminosilicate glass compositions engineered for flat panel displays, particularly active matrix liquid crystal displays (AMLCDs). These glasses are designed to meet strict manufacturing demands, such as thermal stability, chemical durability, and defect-free formation, without relying on harmful fining agents like arsenic or antimony.
Source: Google Patents
Its Four Key Features are
#1. Alkali-free glass composition: Contains SiO₂, Al₂O₃, B₂O₃, MgO, and CaO in tightly defined mole percent ranges.
#2. Controlled Σ[RO]/[Al₂O₃] ratio: Maintains a ratio ≥ 1.00 to promote aluminum charge-balancing and improved glass structure.
#3. Tin-based fining system: Uses SnO₂ as a safer fining agent to reduce gaseous inclusions without toxic additives.
#4. Downdraw process compatibility: Optimized for high-viscosity forming techniques like fusion, enabling production of large, flat, defect-free sheets.
This formulation addresses industry demands for large-area glass substrates that are dimensionally stable, environmentally safer, and consistently high in quality. The invention balances glass chemistry with processability, making it a benchmark for next-generation display manufacturing.
Similar Patents As EP3296274B1
To explore the innovation landscape surrounding EP3296274B1, we ran the patent through the Global Patent Search tool. Below is a quick glimpse of the GPS tool in action:
Source: Global Patent Search
This analysis surfaced a list of related patents that share technical similarities in glass chemistry, display substrate requirements, and forming processes. Below, we highlight four of these references that reflect comparable ideas in glass formulation and processing. These examples offer insight into how similar challenges have been addressed across advanced display technologies.
#1. US2004043887A1
This US patent, US2004043887A1, published in 2004, discloses low-density glass materials in the CaO–Al₂O₃–B₂O₃–SiO₂ system, specifically designed for flat panel display substrates. The focus lies in achieving high strain points, chemical durability, and compatibility with fusion draw processing.
Source: GPS
What This Patent Introduces To The Landscape
- Tailored oxide ratios for LCD substrates: Specifies exact compositional ranges to control density, CTE, and thermal performance.
- Optimized glass for fusion draw process: Emphasizes the need for high liquidus viscosity and surface smoothness for direct-use display substrates.
- Environmentally safer formulation: Avoids alkali oxides and BaO to maintain TFT compatibility and reduce density.
- Defined structural ratios (R′O/Al₂O₃ and others): Uses calculated ratios of alkaline earth oxides to Al₂O₃ and B₂O₃ to control fining and thermal behavior.
How It Connects To EP3296274B1
- EP3296274B1 also focuses on alkali-free boroaluminosilicate glass with high liquidus viscosity, thermal stability, and low inclusion levels for AMLCD substrates.
- Both patents aim to replace arsenic-based fining agents and optimize oxide balances for large sheet processing.
- The R′O/Al₂O₃ ratio emphasis in this reference parallels the Σ[RO]/[Al₂O₃] ratio in EP3296274B1.
Why This Matters
This earlier work supports the idea that tightly managed oxide ratios are essential to achieving glass compositions suitable for high-end display manufacturing. It reinforces how density, viscosity, and CTE are interdependent and crucial for fusion-drawn substrates, core principles shared with EP3296274B1.
#2. EP0901990A1
This European patent, EP0901990A1, published in 1999, discloses an alkali-free aluminoborosilicate glass designed for use in advanced display technologies, particularly TFT-AMLCD applications. The invention emphasizes precise oxide control to balance thermal, chemical, and processing requirements.
Source: GPS
What This Patent Introduces To The Landscape
- Tight compositional control of SiO₂, B₂O₃, and Al₂O₃: Narrow ranges ensure ideal thermal expansion, low density, and strong chemical durability.
- Alkaline earth oxide balancing strategy: Specifies an optimal mix of MgO, CaO, SrO, and BaO to maintain viscosity and resist devitrification.
- Optimized for multiple glass-forming processes: Suitable for fusion, float, and microsheet down-draw methods due to its viscosity-temperature profile.
- Eliminates alkali oxides: Strict exclusion of alkalis prevents contamination of thin-film transistors during fabrication.
- High thermal and chemical stability: Withstand high processing temperatures (≥650 °C) and resist acids used in microstructuring.
How It Connects To EP3296274B1
- Both patents emphasize alkali-free glass compositions tailored for AMLCD display applications.
- Each manages thermal expansion, density, and chemical resistance through fine-tuned oxide ratios.
- Both target glass formulations are compatible with precision forming techniques like the fusion process.
Why This Matters
This reference highlights how closely managed oxide proportions can deliver glass with the thermal and chemical resilience needed for modern displays. Like EP3296274B1, it demonstrates that balancing structure, process compatibility, and purity is crucial for meeting substrate demands in AMLCD manufacturing.
#3. JPH0948632A
This Japanese patent, JPH0948632A, published in 1997, discloses an alkali-free glass substrate designed for use in TFT-type active matrix liquid crystal displays and similar applications. It focuses on balancing meltability, chemical resistance, and density for high-yield manufacturing.
Source: GPS
What This Patent Introduces To The Landscape
- Broad but controlled oxide composition: Defines specific ranges for SiO₂, Al₂O₃, B₂O₃, and multiple alkaline earth oxides to meet display substrate standards.
- Enhanced meltability and forming behavior: Prioritizes high-temperature viscosity and composition balance to reduce crystallization and improve processing efficiency.
- Improved chemical resistance: Tailors BaO, SrO, and MgO levels to maintain acid durability without sacrificing melt quality.
- Low-density, alkali-free formulation: Achieves density below 2.6 g/cm³ while excluding alkali oxides to prevent TFT contamination.
- Strain-point and devitrification stability; Manages MgO and CaO to retain mechanical integrity and resist clouding or foreign particle formation during etching.
How It Connects To EP3296274B1
- Both patents focus on alkali-free glass compositions tailored for AMLCD substrate applications.
- Each leverages specific alkaline earth oxides to improve meltability, reduce density, and maintain acid resistance.
- Both aim to optimize glass for high-temperature forming processes while excluding harmful additives like alkalis.
Why This Matters
This reference shows how careful control of divalent oxide content can enhance both manufacturability and performance in display substrates. It aligns with EP3296274B1 in seeking high-performance, arsenic-free, alkali-free glass suited to fusion or down-draw processes.
These durability-centered innovations also connect to newer developments in self-healing material technologies, where substrate response plays a critical role.
#4. JP2002037642A
This Japanese patent, JP2002037642A, published in 2002, discloses a non-alkali glass composition suitable for TFT-LCD and Photo Mask substrates. It focuses on combining chemical durability, high thermal resistance, and low thermal expansion without using alkali metal oxides or MgO.
What This Patent Introduces To The Landscape
- Defined oxide composition for display substrates: Specifies narrow ranges for SiO₂, Al₂O₃, B₂O₃, CaO, SrO, BaO, and ZnO, excluding alkali metals and MgO.
- High deformation point and thermal stability: Achieves a deformation point above 660 °C to withstand high-temperature display processing.
- Low thermal expansion and density: Maintains a coefficient of thermal expansion at or below 38 × 10⁻⁷/°C and density below 2.6 g/cm³.
- Improved chemical resistance: Balances fluxing and network-forming oxides to resist damage from etchants and processing chemicals.
- Adaptability to display and mask applications: Designed for use in both TFT-LCD panels and photolithographic photo masks, where dimensional stability is critical.
How It Connects To EP3296274B1
- Both patents aim to produce chemically durable, alkali-free glass suitable for high-performance display manufacturing.
- Each uses a tailored balance of oxides to achieve low density and high thermal resistance.
- Both compositions exclude alkali metals and focus on devitrification resistance during processing.
Why This Matters
This reference further reinforces the importance of excluding alkali metals and precisely controlling oxide content to meet the demands of modern display substrates. Like EP3296274B1, it supports advanced processing without compromising chemical or structural integrity.
How To Find Related Patents Using Global Patent Search
Understanding the broader innovation landscape is critical when working with specialty glass for display technologies. The Global Patent Search tool simplifies this process, helping users discover glass compositions that share similar goals in meltability, fining, and chemical durability.
1. Enter the patent number into GPS: Start by inputting a patent number like EP3296274B1 into the GPS tool. The platform transforms it into a structured search query you can refine using terms like AMLCD substrates, oxide balance, or fining additives.
2. Explore conceptual snippets: Instead of comparing claims line-by-line, GPS now offers curated text snippets. These highlight how other glass systems approach oxide ratios, thermal processing, or refining steps without the use of hazardous additives.
Source: GPS
3. Identify related inventions: The tool uncovers patents that aim to solve comparable challenges, improving thermal resistance, lowering defect density, or adapting to fusion forming, giving a clearer view of the surrounding technical terrain.
4. Compare systems, not legal claims: Rather than focusing on formal patent claims, GPS emphasizes technical function and formulation logic. This helps users evaluate meaningful overlaps in material performance or manufacturing compatibility.
5. Accelerate cross-domain insights: Whether you’re working on substrate engineering, specialty materials, or high-precision glass manufacturing, GPS connects related innovations that may span different applications but solve similar core problems.
Curious how GPS compares to other tools? Here’s a breakdown of the top patent analysis platforms available.
Global Patent Search turns scattered technical insights into structured connections. It helps teams trace how glass chemistries evolved, how processing challenges were solved, and where innovation may be headed next.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered legal advice. The related patent references mentioned are preliminary results from the Global Patent Search tool and do not guarantee legal significance. For a comprehensive related patent analysis, we recommend conducting a detailed search using GPS or consulting a patent attorney.
