Investigations into mechanical durability of thin display coatings

Many flat panel displays displays rely on polymeric substrates with thin film coatings, such as anti-reflective, anti-static and hardcoats, to improve optical and mechanical properties of the display. In this paper we briefly discuss the principles underlying the mechanical robustness of such coated structures, and examine two fitness-for-use tests currently employed by the industry. We compare the teachings with some results obtained with our hardcoats and anti-reflective coatings.