Anti-reflection film, also called “AR film”, aims to prevent glare by suppressing the reflection of external light on the surface of displays. It has been used for various displays such as large TVs, PC monitors, car navigation systems, and instrument clusters. AR films generally have a thin transparent layer with an optically anti-reflective effect on the surface of a base film.

Let’s take a look at how AR films suppress the reflection of light. As an example, the surface of water may appear to shimmer because some of the light is reflected at the boundary surface due to the difference in the refractive index between air and water. The surface of a screen is also in contact with air, so even if the screen is covered with a transparent glass cover, light will always be reflected. AR films are designed to minimize this reflection (or glare) as much as possible.

As shown in the figure above, the YIPI AR film consists of an adhesive layer, a base film, a hard coat layer, an anti-reflection (AR) layer, and an anti-smudge layer. In addition, the AR layer is composed of several layers with different refractive indices. YIPI produces this film with controlled refractive indices and layer thickness to minimize reflected light. The film also utilizes the principle of destructive interference between the interfacial-reflected light waves and surface-reflected light waves (see the figure below).

The three main features of the YIPI’ AR film

Lastly, there are four main advantages of YIPI’ AR film as described below.

1. High anti-reflection performance
The figure below shows, from left to right, untreated film, Wet-AR film, and Dry-AR film. While the reflectance values of the first two are respectively 4% and 1%, YIPI’ Dry-AR film achieves a reflectance of only 0.4%. This low reflectivity improves the visibility of displays and other objects.

2. Excellent anti-smudge function
The surface of Dexerials’ AR film has an anti-smudge layer made of fluorine resin, This layer makes it easy to wipe off fingerprints and other stains. The photos below show the Dexerials’ AR film with fingerprints, before (left) and after wiping (right).

3. Anti-shattering function
Applied AR film on the surface of glass or plastic substrates, prevents shattering. In particular, the implementation of AR films technologies for automotive displays applications is an effective measure to prevent injuries caused by debris from shattered glass or plastic.