Asahi Glass (AGC) has developed what it claims is the world's thinnest soda-lime glass substrate for touch screens, measuring 0.28mm, or 15% less than the currently thinnest commercial substrate at 0.33mm. Starting with mass production using the float process later in April 2011, the company expects annual sales to exceed JPY10 billion (US$120 million) in 2013.

Glass touch screens in smartphones and tablets comprise a tough cover material and an underlying layer of substrate material embedded with electrodes. AGC views Soda-lime glass as an ideal substrate material for touch screens because it maintains form when subject to heat, resists discoloring due to ultraviolet radiation, accepts chemical strengthening and is easily processed.