On Monday at the Society for Information Display’s Display Week trade show in Boston, Corning Inc. launched their new high-performance, paper thin, cost effective, and fully flexible Willow Glass. Capable of being manufactured with efficient roll-to-roll processing, like that used for newsprint, and processed at up to 500° C, Willow glass is sure to usher in a new wave of development in displays, lighting, and flexible solar cells.

Corning, known for their Gorillas Glass, uses their proprietary fusion process to make Willow glass a mere 100 microns thick, about the same as a piece of standard copy paper. While thin and flexible, Willow glass maintains the look, feel, and hermetic qualities of standard glass, allowing it to be used with organic light emitting diodes (OLED) and other oxygen and moisture sensitive technologies. The glass can be “wrapped” around devices and structures, allowing for potentially immersive viewing experiences with curved displays. These characteristics provide clear applications for ultra-thin touch screens and future innovations in the form and shape of display technologies, while Corning is encouraging designers and inventors to seek out other potential applications for Willow Glass.