4 ms·

There's sapphire watch faces for hardness, and sapphire substrate for semiconductors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_on_sapphire https://en.wikipedia.org

There's sapphire watch faces for hardness, and sapphire substrate for semiconductors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_on_sapphire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_on_sapphire)

TheOtherHobbes 10y ago
I'm expecting genuine diamond iPhone and Watch "glass" within a few years.
- SkyMarshal 10y ago
  That would actually be amazing, imagine the PR power Apple could put behind "perfectly manufactured, conflict-free diamond screens", "better and more flawless than any natural diamond, only the absolute best for our customers". They could even create the equivalent of a "perfect pixel" guarantee - "perfect lattice" guarantee, the diamond screen is flawless down to the atom or your money back. That could flip the script on DeBeers in a big way.
  - toufka 10y ago
    Well, Apple tried for the iPhone, and I do believe the watch actually does have a synthetic sapphire screen.. Apple purchased a major stake in a sapphire-making business [1]. But it seems that it still was a bit on the tricky side compared with the recent upgrades in glass technology. [1] https://www.technologyreview.com/s/532636/why-apple-failed-to-make-sapphire-iphones/ https://www.technologyreview.com/s/532636/why-apple-failed-t...
    - kevin_thibedeau 10y ago
      Being Apple they really should be marketing it as transparent aluminum. Just saying.
- swswsw 10y ago
  How brittle is diamond? We know diamond is the hardest, but how brittle is it? It is good to have a non-scratching phone screen, but not if it is really brittle.
  - ghaff 10y ago
    The short answer is that diamond is fairly brittle. It has four cleavage planes and I assume this is related to the fact that diamond can be cut in such ornate ways. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that a diamond screen would be worse than what exists today but it wouldn't be something invulnerable and resistant to any impact either.
- Nullabillity 10y ago
  I have no idea what the Nexus 5X screen is made from, but it finally seems to have solved scratches entirely for me.
  - DiabloD3 10y ago
    Third generation Gorilla Glass. The predecessor to your phone, my Nexus 5, also contains Gorilla Glass 3, and yeah, I don't use a case, I don't use a screen protector, and there are no real scratches on the screen, and it has rode around in my pocket for over 2 years.

There's sapphire watch faces for hardness, and sapphire substrate for semiconductors (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_on_sapphire https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silicon_on_sapphire)

TheOtherHobbes 10y ago

I'm expecting genuine diamond iPhone and Watch "glass" within a few years.

SkyMarshal 10y ago
That would actually be amazing, imagine the PR power Apple could put behind "perfectly manufactured, conflict-free diamond screens", "better and more flawless than any natural diamond, only the absolute best for our customers". They could even create the equivalent of a "perfect pixel" guarantee - "perfect lattice" guarantee, the diamond screen is flawless down to the atom or your money back. That could flip the script on DeBeers in a big way.
- toufka 10y ago
  Well, Apple tried for the iPhone, and I do believe the watch actually does have a synthetic sapphire screen.. Apple purchased a major stake in a sapphire-making business [1]. But it seems that it still was a bit on the tricky side compared with the recent upgrades in glass technology. [1] https://www.technologyreview.com/s/532636/why-apple-failed-to-make-sapphire-iphones/ https://www.technologyreview.com/s/532636/why-apple-failed-t...
  - kevin_thibedeau 10y ago
    Being Apple they really should be marketing it as transparent aluminum. Just saying.
swswsw 10y ago
How brittle is diamond? We know diamond is the hardest, but how brittle is it? It is good to have a non-scratching phone screen, but not if it is really brittle.
- ghaff 10y ago
  The short answer is that diamond is fairly brittle. It has four cleavage planes and I assume this is related to the fact that diamond can be cut in such ornate ways. Now, that doesn't necessarily mean that a diamond screen would be worse than what exists today but it wouldn't be something invulnerable and resistant to any impact either.
Nullabillity 10y ago
I have no idea what the Nexus 5X screen is made from, but it finally seems to have solved scratches entirely for me.
- DiabloD3 10y ago
  Third generation Gorilla Glass. The predecessor to your phone, my Nexus 5, also contains Gorilla Glass 3, and yeah, I don't use a case, I don't use a screen protector, and there are no real scratches on the screen, and it has rode around in my pocket for over 2 years.