Flexible display device

Abstract

The present application discloses a flexible display device, which includes a display area, wherein the display area includes a first display area and a second display area located at least on one side of the first display area, and the first display area is a bent display area. The flexible display device includes a glass substrate and a display function layer. The glass substrate includes a first support portion and a second support portion connected to the first support portion, wherein the first support portion is located in the first display area, and the second support portion is located in the second display area. The elastic modulus of the first support portion is less than the elastic modulus of the second support portion. The display function layer is formed on the glass substrate, and the display function layer contacts the first support portion and the second support layer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a flexible display device. Background Art

[0002] In a known flexible display device, a laser sacrificial layer, a flexible substrate driving circuit layer, and a display layer are sequentially formed on a glass substrate, and then the glass substrate is detached (or separated) from the flexible substrate by a laser release process of irradiating a laser to the laser sacrificial layer, thereby manufacturing a display panel. Since the glass substrate is detached from the flexible substrate using expensive laser equipment, the manufacturing cost increases, and laser release-related defects (particles or transfers based on the surface roughness of the flexible substrate) may occur. In particular, since the flexible substrate material, which accounts for half of the manufacturing cost of the flexible display panel, is coated on the entire surface of the glass substrate, the material consumption is very high, and thus the production cost increases. If the glass substrate is not detached from the flexible substrate, the glass substrate cannot be bent due to its large rigidity, thereby failing to meet the requirements of flexible display. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application provide a flexible display device, which is used to solve the technical problem that the existing glass substrate cannot be bent.

[0004] An embodiment of the present application provides a flexible display device, the flexible display device comprising a display area, the display area comprising a first display area and a second display area located at at least one side of the first display area, the first display area is a bent display area, and the flexible display device comprises:

[0005] A glass substrate, comprising a first supporting portion and a second supporting portion connected to the first supporting portion, wherein the first supporting portion is located in the first display area, the second supporting portion is located in the second display area, and an elastic modulus of the first supporting portion is smaller than an elastic modulus of the second supporting portion;

[0006] A display function layer is formed on the glass substrate, and the display function layer contacts the first supporting part and the second supporting part.

[0007] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the glass substrate includes at least one opening, the opening is located in the first supporting portion, and the opening is arranged on a side of the glass substrate away from the display surface of the flexible display device.

[0008] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the number of the opening is one, wherein the opening extends into the interior of the first supporting portion, and the orthographic projection of the opening on the display function layer overlaps with the orthographic projection of the first supporting portion on the display function layer.

[0009] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the thickness of the second support portion is less than or equal to 15 times the thickness of the first support portion, and greater than or equal to 3 times the thickness of the first support portion.

[0010] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the first support portion has a plurality of openings, the plurality of openings penetrate the first support portion and are connected to the opening, and the plurality of openings are arranged along a first direction and a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction intersect.

[0011] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the number of the openings is multiple, the multiple openings penetrate the first support portion, the multiple openings are arranged along a first direction and a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction intersect.

[0012] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the first support portion includes a first sub-support portion and a second sub-support portion, the second sub-support portion is located on a side of the first sub-support portion close to the second support portion, and the area of ​​the opening of the first sub-support portion per unit area is greater than the area of ​​the opening of the second sub-support portion per unit area.

[0013] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the plurality of openings in two adjacent rows within the first sub-support portion are partially staggered.

[0014] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, along a direction from the first sub-support portion to the second sub-support portion, widths of the plurality of openings in the same column in the second sub-support portion gradually decrease.

[0015] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the flexible display device further includes a flexible filling layer, and the flexible filling layer is disposed in the opening.

[0016] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the flexible display device further includes:

[0017] A light absorbing layer, wherein the light absorbing layer is arranged on a side of the glass substrate away from the display function layer;

[0018] The heat dissipation layer is arranged on a side of the light absorbing layer away from the glass substrate.

[0019] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the glass substrate further includes a third supporting portion, the flexible display device further includes a bending area and a terminal area, the terminal area is connected to the display area through the bending area, and the third supporting portion is located in the terminal area.

[0020] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the display function layer includes a driving substrate and a driving chip, and the driving substrate is formed on the glass substrate; wherein

[0021] The first portion of the driving substrate is configured in the display area, the second portion of the driving substrate is configured in the bending area, the third portion of the driving substrate is configured in the terminal area, the third supporting portion is arranged on a side of the third portion of the driving substrate close to the heat dissipation layer, and the driving chip is arranged on a side of the third portion of the driving substrate away from the heat dissipation layer.

[0022] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the driving substrate includes a flexible substrate and a driving circuit layer, the flexible substrate is formed on the glass substrate, the driving circuit layer is arranged on one side of the glass substrate of the flexible substrate, and the thickness of the flexible substrate is greater than 2.5 times the thickness of the second supporting portion and less than 20 times the thickness of the second supporting portion.

[0023] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the flexible display device further includes a pad, and the pad is located between the third supporting portion and the heat dissipation layer.

[0024] Optionally, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the flexible display panel further includes a covering film, and the covering film is disposed on a side of the display function layer away from the glass substrate.

[0025] The embodiment of the present application provides a flexible display device and a manufacturing method thereof, wherein the flexible display device includes a display area, the display area includes a first display area and a second display area located at least on one side of the first display area, and the first display area is a bending display area. The flexible display device includes a glass substrate, a display function layer and a cover film. Among them, the glass substrate includes a first support portion and a second support portion connected to the first support portion, the first support portion is located in the first display area, and the second support portion is located in the second display area. The elastic modulus of the first support portion is less than the elastic modulus of the second support portion. The display function layer is formed on the glass substrate, and the display function layer contacts the first support portion. In the embodiment of the present application, since the elastic modulus of the first support portion is less than the elastic modulus of the second support portion, the glass substrate meets the bending requirements, thereby realizing flexible display. In addition, since the display function layer is directly formed on the glass substrate, that is, it is not removed after the manufacturing process of the display function layer is completed, the process of removing or detaching the stripping substrate from the display function layer by laser stripping technology after the display function layer is completed can be omitted, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process of the flexible display device, reducing the manufacturing cost of the flexible display device, and avoiding the defects based on the laser release process. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0027] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a display device provided in a comparative embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a display device provided for a comparative example of the present application;

[0029] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of a first structure of a flexible display device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a first structure of a glass substrate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0031] Figure 5 A second structural schematic diagram of the flexible display device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0032] Figure 6 A second structural schematic diagram of a glass substrate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 7 for Figure 6 A top view of a glass substrate;

[0034] Figure 8 A third structural schematic diagram of a glass substrate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Fig. 9 A fourth structural schematic diagram of a glass substrate provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Fig.10 A flowchart of the steps of a method for manufacturing a flexible display device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Please refer to the drawings in the accompanying drawings, in which the same component symbols represent the same components. The following description is based on the specific embodiments of the present application shown, which should not be construed as limiting other specific embodiments of the present application that are not described in detail herein. The word "embodiment" used in this specification means an example, an example or an illustration.

[0038] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", "clockwise", "counterclockwise" and the like indicate positions or positional relationships based on the positions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on the present application. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined.

[0039] The flexible display device provided by the present application is described in detail below through specific embodiments.

[0040] At present, foldable display devices have become a major development direction of the display industry. From small-sized folding mobile phones to medium and large-sized folding laptops, as well as flexible folding devices such as folding computers, they are easy to store and highly portable, and are becoming more and more popular.

[0041] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a display device provided in a comparative embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a display device provided for the comparative embodiment of the present application. The display device in the known technology includes a metal sheet MS, a buffer layer Foam, a backplane BP, a display panel Pa, a polarizer Po, an optical glue OCA and a cover window CW which are stacked in sequence. Among them, the display panel Pa includes a light-emitting layer EL, an encapsulation layer TFE and a touch layer DOT which are stacked in sequence on an array substrate Ar. When the module bonding process (for example, the polarizer bonding process) of a large-sized flexible display device is performed in the known technology, due to the large flexibility of the display panel, when performing the large-sized module bonding process, it is easy to cause the module bonding process to be difficult, with obvious ripples and poor flatness, resulting in a low yield rate of the flexible display device and high manufacturing cost.

[0042] In addition, due to the high rigidity of the glass substrate, the glass substrate cannot be bent, and the demand for flexible display cannot be met.

[0043] Furthermore, in a known method for manufacturing a flexible display device, after a laser sacrificial layer and a flexible substrate are sequentially formed on a glass substrate, the manufacturing process of the flexible display panel is completed. Then, the glass substrate is detached (or separated) from the flexible substrate by a laser release process of irradiating a laser to the laser sacrificial layer, thereby manufacturing a flexible display panel. Since the glass substrate is detached from the flexible substrate using expensive laser equipment, the manufacturing cost increases, and laser release-related defects (particles or transfers based on the surface roughness of the flexible substrate) may occur. In particular, since the flexible substrate material, which accounts for half of the manufacturing cost of the flexible display panel, is coated on the entire surface of the glass substrate, the material consumption is high, and thus the production cost increases.

[0044] The present application provides a flexible display device and a manufacturing method thereof, which are used to solve the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 A first structural schematic diagram of a flexible display device provided in an embodiment of the present application. An embodiment of the present application provides a flexible display device, wherein the flexible display device 100 includes a display area AA, a bending area BA and a terminal area TA, wherein the display area AA and the terminal area TA are connected through the bending area BA. The display area AA includes a first display area AA1 and a second display area AA2 located on at least one side of the first display area AA1, wherein the first display area AA1 is a bending display area. The flexible display device 100 includes a glass substrate 101, a display function layer 102, a cover film 20, a light absorbing layer 50 and a heat dissipation layer 60. The glass substrate 101 includes a first support portion 1011 and a second support portion 1012 connected to the first support portion 1011, wherein the first support portion 1011 is located in the first display area AA1, and the second support portion 1012 is located in the second display area AA2. The elastic modulus of the first support portion 1011 is less than the elastic modulus of the second support portion 1012. The display function layer 102 is formed on the glass substrate 101, and the display function layer 102 contacts the first support portion 1011. The cover film 20 is attached to the side of the display function layer 102 away from the glass substrate 101. The light absorption layer 50 is disposed on the side of the glass substrate 101 away from the display function layer 102. The heat dissipation layer 60 is disposed on the side of the light absorption layer 50 away from the glass substrate 101.

[0046] Due to the large flexibility of the display function layer 102, the module bonding process of the large-sized flexible display device 100 is likely to be difficult, and it is easy to have obvious ripples and poor flatness, resulting in low yield of the flexible display device, high manufacturing cost and difficulty in mass production. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the display function layer 102 is arranged on the glass substrate 101, and the glass substrate 101 is used to support the display function layer 102, so as to ensure that when the large-sized cover film 20 is bonded, the bottom of the display function layer 102 has a sufficiently large supporting force, thereby avoiding the problem of obvious ripples and poor flatness when bonding the large-sized cover film 20. In addition, since the display function layer 102 is directly formed on the glass substrate 101, that is, it is not removed after the manufacturing process of the display function layer 102 is completed, the process of removing or separating the stripping substrate from the display function layer 102 by using the laser stripping technology after the display function layer 102 is completed can be omitted, which simplifies the manufacturing process of the flexible display device 100, reduces the manufacturing cost of the flexible display device 100, and avoids the defects based on the laser release process. Furthermore, in the embodiment of the present application, the elastic modulus of the first support portion 1011 is less than the elastic modulus of the second support portion 1012, that is, the embodiment of the present application directly performs patterning on the glass substrate 101, therefore, the glass substrate 101 further realizes bending performance on the basis of ensuring that it has a sufficiently large supporting force, thereby realizing flexible display.

[0047] It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the first support portion 1011 is located in the bending display area. The second support portion 1012 is located in the second display area AA2. Since the first support portion 1011 located in the first display area AA1 has at least one opening 101a, the elastic modulus of the first support portion 1011 is smaller than the elastic modulus of the second support portion 1012. Therefore, the glass substrate 101 further realizes bending performance on the basis of ensuring sufficient supporting force, thereby realizing flexible display.

[0048] It should be noted that the glass substrate 101 and the display function layer 102 constitute the display panel 10 .

[0049] It should be understood that the first display area AA1 and the second display area AA2 implement a screen that continuously displays a frame of image without interruption.

[0050] Please combine Figure 3 and Figure 4 , Figure 4A first schematic diagram of a glass substrate provided in an embodiment of the present application. In an embodiment of the present application, the glass substrate 101 includes at least one opening 101a, the opening 101a is located in the first support portion 1011, and the opening 101a is arranged on the side of the glass substrate 101 away from the display surface of the flexible display device 100. The number of openings 101a is one, wherein the opening 101a extends to the inside of the first support portion 1011, and the orthographic projection of the opening 101a on the display function layer 102 overlaps with the orthographic projection of the first support portion 1011 on the display function layer 102. That is to say, in the present application, the opening 101a is formed by enclosing the first support portion 1011 and the junction of the first support portion 1011 and the second support portion 1012, and the opening 101a is concave toward the side close to the display function layer 102.

[0051] It can be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, by thinning the glass substrate 101 corresponding to the first display area AA of the flexible display device 100, the thickness of the first support portion 1011 is less than the thickness of the second support portion 1012, so that the first support portion 1011 has a bending performance, thereby preventing the flexible display device 100 from being subjected to excessive stress during the bending process and causing cracks.

[0052] In the embodiment of the present application, the thickness of the second support portion 1012 is less than or equal to 15 times the thickness of the first support portion 1011 , and the thickness of the second support portion 1012 is greater than or equal to 3 times the thickness of the first support portion 1011 .

[0053] In some embodiments, the thickness D1 of the first support portion 1011 is between 20 microns and 150 microns, and preferably, the thickness D1 of the first support portion 1011 is between 30 microns and 100 microns. The thickness D2 of the second support portion 1012 is between 50 microns and 500 microns, and preferably, the thickness D2 of the second support portion 1012 is between 100 microns and 400 microns. For example, the thickness of the first support portion 1011 is 60 microns, and the thickness of the second support portion 1012 is 300 microns. In the embodiment of the present application, the thickness D1 of the first support portion 1011 is set between 30 microns and 100 microns, and the thickness D2 of the second support portion 1012 is set between 100 microns and 400 microns, which ensures that the glass substrate 101 has a supporting function of supporting the film layer above the glass substrate 101, and enables the first display area AA1 to have a bending performance, thereby realizing a flexible display.

[0054] Please continue to refer to Figure 3 The glass substrate 101 further includes a third support portion 1013. The third support portion 1013 is located in the terminal area TA. The display function layer 102 includes a driving substrate da, a light emitting unit 1023, an encapsulation function layer 1024, a driving chip 80 and a pad 70. The driving substrate da includes a flexible substrate 1021 and a driving circuit layer 1022.

[0055] The flexible substrate 1021 is directly formed on the glass substrate 101 , and the flexible substrate 1021 contacts the first support portion 1011 , the second support portion 1012 , and the third support portion 1013 .

[0056] In some embodiments, the thickness of the flexible substrate 1021 is greater than 2.5 times the thickness of the second support portion 1012, and less than 20 times the thickness of the second support portion 1012. For example, in some embodiments, the thickness D2 of the second support portion 1012 is between 50 microns and 500 microns, and preferably, the thickness D2 of the second support portion 1012 is between 100 microns and 400 microns. The thickness of the flexible substrate 1021 is between 10 microns and 20 microns. Preferably, the thickness of the flexible substrate 1021 is between 13 microns and 17 microns. For example, the thickness of the second support portion 1012 is 300 microns, and the thickness of the flexible substrate 1021 is 16 microns. In the embodiment of the present application, the thickness D2 of the second supporting portion 1012 is set between 100 microns and 400 microns, which ensures that the glass substrate 101 has a supporting function of supporting the film layer above the glass substrate 101, and enables the first display area AA1 to have a bending performance to achieve flexible display. The thickness of the flexible substrate 1021 is between 10 microns and 20 microns, which ensures that the glass substrate 101 can carry the flexible substrate 1021 and also ensures the bending performance of the flexible substrate 1021.

[0057] In some embodiments, the flexible substrate 1021 may include a first flexible substrate and a second flexible substrate.

[0058] The first part da1 of the driving substrate da is configured in the display area AA, the second part da2 of the driving substrate da is configured in the bending area BA, and the third part da3 of the driving substrate da is configured in the terminal area TA. The third support portion 1013 is disposed on a side of the third part da3 of the driving substrate da close to the heat dissipation layer 60. The driving chip 80 is disposed on a side of the third part da3 of the driving substrate da away from the heat dissipation layer 60.

[0059] In an embodiment of the present application, in order to achieve a narrow bezel design, a local partitioned laser peeling process is used for the bending area BA, and the glass substrate 101 corresponding to the bending area BA is removed by laser or etching, so that the third part da3 of the driving substrate da bound with the driving chip 80 is bound to the side of the third support part 1013 away from the heat dissipation layer 60, thereby achieving a narrow bezel design.

[0060] The pad 70 is located between the third support portion 1013 and the heat dissipation layer 60. The pad 70 is used to prevent the flexible display device from being physically broken or the internal signal line from being damaged due to the bending angle being too small when bending, and can reduce the impact applied to the flexible display device 100. The pad may include a polymer, such as polypropylene (PP) or polyethylene (PE), or a material with high elasticity, such as rubber. In one embodiment of the present application, the pad 70 may include foam or gel.

[0061] The driving circuit layer 1022 is disposed on a side of the flexible substrate 1021 away from the glass substrate 101, and may include a gate, a gate insulating film, a semiconductor layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode. The semiconductor layer may include silicon such as amorphous silicon (a-Si), polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si), or low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si), or may include an oxide such as indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO).

[0062] The light emitting unit 1023 is arranged on the side of the driving circuit layer 1022 away from the flexible substrate 1021. The light emitting unit 1023 includes an anode, a light emitting layer and a cathode. The anode is arranged in a pattern shape in the opening 101a area of ​​each pixel area and is thus electrically connected to the drain in the driving circuit layer 1022.

[0063] The encapsulation function layer 1024 may be formed on the light emitting unit 1023, thereby preventing oxygen or moisture from penetrating into the light emitting unit 1023. The encapsulation function layer 1024 includes a first inorganic layer, an organic material layer, and a second inorganic layer stacked in sequence. In this case, the inorganic material layer may be used to block oxygen or moisture from penetrating into the light emitting unit 1023. The organic material layer may be formed to be relatively thicker than the inorganic material layer to cover particles that may be generated during the manufacturing process.

[0064] In the embodiment of the present application, since the display function layer 102 is directly formed on the glass substrate 101, the glass substrate 101 also plays the same supporting role. Therefore, the module yield of the flexible display device 100 of the present application is high, the cost is lower, and this technology is more suitable for mass production.

[0065] In some embodiments, the flexible display device 100 further includes a touch function layer 30 , which is disposed on a side of the display function layer 102 away from the glass substrate 101 , and the touch function layer 30 is used to implement a full-screen touch function.

[0066] In some embodiments, the flexible display device 100 further includes a hard coating layer 40 , which is formed on the touch function layer 30 . The hard coating layer 40 is used to improve the surface strength of the display function layer 102 .

[0067] The cover film 20 is attached to the display function layer 102, specifically, the cover film 20 is attached to the hard coating layer 40. In some embodiments, the cover film 20 can be attached to the encapsulation layer display function layer 102 by an adhesive member. In this case, the adhesive member may include a pressure-sensitive adhesive, an optically transparent adhesive, or an optically transparent resin.

[0068] In some embodiments, the cover film 20 may include an anti-reflection layer (or anti-reflection film) for improving outdoor visibility and contrast of an image displayed on the flexible display device 100 by preventing reflection of external light. For example, the anti-reflection layer may include a polarizer that blocks reflected light reflected by a thin film transistor and / or wire disposed on the display function layer 102 from propagating to the outside.

[0069] In some embodiments, the light absorbing layer 50 is disposed on a side of the glass substrate 101 away from the display function layer 102. The heat dissipation layer 60 is disposed on a side of the light absorbing layer 50 away from the glass substrate 101, and the heat dissipation layer 60 is used to disperse and evenly distribute the heat generated when the display function layer 102 displays the picture. Among them, the material of the light absorbing layer 50 can be black ink, and the light absorbing layer 50 can be formed on the side of the glass substrate 101 away from the display function layer 102 by a printing process. The material of the heat dissipation layer 60 can be at least one of copper, aluminum and graphene. The heat dissipation layer 60 can be formed on the side of the light absorbing layer 50 away from the glass substrate 101 by physical vapor deposition technology.

[0070] Please refer to Figure 5 , Figure 5 Schematic diagram of a second structure of a flexible display device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The flexible display device 100 and Figure 3 The difference of the provided flexible display device 100 is that the flexible display device 100 further includes a flexible filling layer 90 , and the flexible filling layer 90 is filled in the opening 101 a .

[0071] In order to prevent the flexible display device 100 from cracking or breaking during the bending process, the embodiment of the present application fills the flexible filling layer 90 in the opening 101a, so that the flexible filling layer 90 bends along the bending direction of the first support portion 1011 to prevent the first support portion 1011 from breaking during the bending process.

[0072] In some embodiments, the average elastic modulus of the flexible filling layer 90 is smaller than the average elastic modulus of the first support portion 1011. Therefore, when the first support portion 1011 is bent, the stress generated by the first support portion 1011 can be dispersed to the flexible filling layer 90, effectively preventing the first support portion 1011 from breaking during the bending process.

[0073] Please refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , Figure 6This is a schematic diagram of the second structure of the glass substrate provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 7 for Figure 6 The glass substrate 101 and the glass substrate 102 provided in the embodiment of the present application are Figure 4 The difference of the provided glass substrate 101 is that the first supporting portion 1011 has a plurality of openings h, and the plurality of openings h are arranged along a first direction X and a second direction Y. The first direction X and the second direction Y intersect.

[0074] In the embodiment of the present application, an opening h communicating with the opening 101 a is provided on the first support portion 1011 , so as to further reduce the elastic modulus of the first support portion 1011 , so as to meet the bending performance of the flexible display device 100 .

[0075] In some embodiments, the openings h may be arranged in an array.

[0076] Alternatively, in another embodiment, the first support portion 1011 includes a first sub-support portion 1011a and a second sub-support portion 1011b, the second sub-support portion 1011b is located on both sides of the first sub-support portion 1011a, and the area of ​​the opening h of the first sub-support portion 1011a per unit area is greater than the area of ​​the opening h of the second sub-support portion 1011b per unit area, so that when the first support portion 1011 is bent, the bending stress is effectively dispersed to prevent the flexible display device 100 from generating cracks during the bending process.

[0077] In some embodiments, the plurality of openings h in two adjacent rows within the first sub-support portion 1011a are partially staggered, and in the direction from the first sub-support portion 1011a to the second sub-support portion 1011b, the widths of the plurality of openings h in the same column of the second sub-support portion 1011b gradually decrease. During the bending process of the flexible display device 100, the stress borne by the middle portion of the bent display area is greater than the stress borne by the two sides of the bent display area. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the elastic modulus of the middle portion of the first support portion 1011 is further reduced by increasing the area of ​​the openings h in the middle portion of the first support portion 1011 in the bent display area, thereby further improving the stability of the flexible display device 100.

[0078] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the shape of the opening h can be a long strip opening, a circular opening, an elliptical opening, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0079] In some embodiments, the filling layer 90 extends into the opening h to further disperse the stress.

[0080] Please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the third structure of the glass substrate provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0081] The glass substrate 101 provided in the embodiment of the present application and Figure 4 The difference of the provided glass substrate 101 is that the opening 101 a penetrates from both sides of the first support portion 1011 to the inside of the first support portion 1011 , so that the elastic modulus of the first support portion 1011 is smaller than the elastic modulus of the second support portion 1012 .

[0082] Please refer to Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 This is a schematic diagram of the fourth structure of the glass substrate provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0083] The glass substrate 101 provided in the embodiment of the present application and Figure 4 The difference of the provided glass substrate 101 is that there are multiple openings 101a, the multiple openings 101a penetrate the first support portion 1011, and the multiple openings 101a are arranged along the first direction X and the second direction Y. The first direction and the second direction intersect.

[0084] In the embodiment of the present application, a plurality of openings 101a penetrating the first support portion 1011 are provided on the first support portion 1011 to reduce the elastic modulus of the first support portion 1011, so that the first support portion 1011 meets the bending performance requirements, thereby preventing the flexible display device 100 from being subjected to excessive stress during the bending process and causing cracks.

[0085] In some embodiments, the first support portion 1011 includes a first sub-support portion 1011a and a second sub-support portion 1011b, the second sub-support portion 1011b is located on both sides of the first sub-support portion 1011a, and the area of ​​the opening 101a of the first sub-support portion 1011a per unit area is greater than the area of ​​the opening 101a of the second sub-support portion 1011b per unit area, so that when the first support portion 1011 is bent, the bending stress is effectively dispersed to prevent the flexible display device 100 from generating cracks during the bending process.

[0086] In some embodiments, multiple openings 101a in two adjacent rows within the first sub-support portion 1011a are partially staggered, and along the direction of the first sub-support portion 1011a pointing to the second sub-support portion 1011b, the widths of the multiple openings 101a in the same column of the second sub-support portion 1011b gradually decrease. Since during the bending process of the flexible display device, the stress applied to the middle portion of the bending display area is greater than the stress applied to both sides of the bending display area, the embodiment of the present application further reduces the elastic modulus of the middle portion of the first support portion 1011 by increasing the area of ​​the openings 101a in the middle portion of the first support portion 1011 located in the bending display area, thereby further improving the stability of the flexible display device 100.

[0087] It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the shape of the opening 101a can be a long strip opening, a circular opening, an elliptical opening, etc., but is not limited thereto.

[0088] In the flexible display device provided in the embodiment of the present application, at least one opening is provided in the first support portion, so that the elastic modulus of the first support portion is smaller than the elastic modulus of the second support portion, that is, the embodiment of the present application directly performs patterning on the glass substrate, so that the glass substrate further realizes bending performance on the basis of ensuring that it has a sufficiently large supporting force, thereby realizing flexible display. In addition, the plate glass of the driving substrate is retained (that is, the plate glass is not removed by the laser stripping process after the process of the display function layer is completed), avoiding the problem of obvious ripples and poor flatness when attaching a large-sized cover film, realizing a folding screen with an extreme appearance, and also eliminating the design of the existing back support materials such as the back plate, cache layer and patterned support plate.

[0089] Correspondingly, the present application also provides a method for manufacturing a flexible display device, please refer to Fig.10 , Fig.10 A flowchart of a method for manufacturing a flexible display device provided in an embodiment of the present application. The method for manufacturing a flexible display device comprises the following steps:

[0090] Step B001: Provide a glass substrate.

[0091] The material of the glass substrate includes but is not limited to glass.

[0092] Step B002: forming a display function layer on a glass substrate.

[0093] Step B003: Patterning the side of the glass substrate away from the display function layer so that the elastic modulus of the first support portion is smaller than the elastic modulus of the second support portion, wherein the first support portion is located in the first display area of ​​the flexible display device, the second support portion is located in the second display area of ​​the flexible display device, and the first display area is a bent display area.

[0094] In some embodiments, after step B003 , the method further includes laminating a cover film on the display function layer.

[0095] In some embodiments, the flexible display device further includes a binding area located on one side of the display area, and after step B003, further includes:

[0096] The glass substrate corresponding to the bonding area is cut.

[0097] The glass substrate corresponding to the bonding area is irradiated with laser.

[0098] The glass substrate corresponding to the bent portion of the binding area is peeled off.

[0099] In the manufacturing method of the flexible display device of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application performs patterning on the glass substrate corresponding to the first display area, so that the elastic modulus of the first support portion is less than the elastic modulus of the second support portion, so as to meet the bending requirements of the flexible display device. Therefore, the embodiment of the present application forms a display function layer on the glass substrate, and the glass substrate is used to support the display function layer, so as to ensure that when a large-sized cover film is bonded, the bottom of the display function layer has a sufficiently large supporting force, thereby avoiding the problem of obvious ripples and poor flatness when a large-sized cover film is bonded. In addition, since the display function layer is directly formed on the glass substrate, that is, it is not removed after the manufacturing process of the display function layer is completed, the process of removing or detaching the stripping substrate from the display function layer by laser stripping technology after the display function layer is completed can be omitted, thereby simplifying the manufacturing steps of the flexible display device, reducing the manufacturing cost of the flexible display device, and avoiding the defects based on the laser release process.

[0100] In summary, although the present application has been disclosed as above with preferred embodiments, the above preferred embodiments are not intended to limit the present application. Ordinary technicians in this field can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present application shall be based on the scope defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A flexible display device, characterized in that: The flexible display device comprises a display area, wherein the display area comprises a first display area and a second display area located at at least one side of the first display area, wherein the first display area is a bent display area, and the flexible display device comprises: A glass substrate, comprising a first supporting portion and a second supporting portion connected to the first supporting portion, wherein the first supporting portion is located in the first display area, the second supporting portion is located in the second display area, and an elastic modulus of the first supporting portion is smaller than an elastic modulus of the second supporting portion; A display function layer is formed on the glass substrate, and the display function layer contacts the first supporting part and the second supporting part; The glass substrate comprises at least one opening, wherein the opening is located on the first supporting portion, and the opening is arranged on a side of the glass substrate away from the display surface of the flexible display device; The number of the opening is one, the opening extends to the inside of the first supporting portion, and the orthographic projection of the opening on the display function layer overlaps with the orthographic projection of the first supporting portion on the display function layer; The first support portion has a plurality of openings, the plurality of openings penetrate the first support portion and communicate with the opening, and the plurality of openings are arranged along a first direction and a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction intersect.

2. The flexible display device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thickness of the second support portion is less than or equal to 15 times the thickness of the first support portion, and greater than or equal to 3 times the thickness of the first support portion.

3. The flexible display device according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple openings, the multiple openings penetrate the first supporting portion, the multiple openings are arranged along a first direction and a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction intersect.

4. The flexible display device according to claim 3, characterized in that: The first support portion includes a first sub-support portion and a second sub-support portion, the second sub-support portion is located on a side of the first sub-support portion close to the second support portion, and the area of ​​the opening of the first sub-support portion per unit area is greater than the area of ​​the opening of the second sub-support portion per unit area.

5. The flexible display device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The openings in two adjacent rows in the first sub-support portion are partially staggered.

6. The flexible display device according to claim 5, characterized in that: Along the direction from the first sub-support portion to the second sub-support portion, the widths of the plurality of openings in the same column in the second sub-support portion gradually decrease.

7. The flexible display device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible display device further includes a flexible filling layer, and the flexible filling layer is arranged in the opening.

8. The flexible display device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible display device further includes a covering film, which is arranged on a side of the display function layer away from the glass substrate.

9. A flexible display device, characterized in that: The flexible display device comprises a display area, wherein the display area comprises a first display area and a second display area located at at least one side of the first display area, wherein the first display area is a bent display area, and the flexible display device comprises: A glass substrate, comprising a first supporting portion and a second supporting portion connected to the first supporting portion, wherein the first supporting portion is located in the first display area, the second supporting portion is located in the second display area, and an elastic modulus of the first supporting portion is smaller than an elastic modulus of the second supporting portion; A display function layer is formed on the glass substrate, and the display function layer contacts the first supporting part and the second supporting part; A light absorbing layer, wherein the light absorbing layer is arranged on a side of the glass substrate away from the display function layer; a heat dissipation layer, the heat dissipation layer being arranged on a side of the light absorbing layer away from the glass substrate; The glass substrate further includes a third supporting portion, and the flexible display device further includes a bending area and a terminal area, the terminal area is connected to the display area through the bending area, and the third supporting portion is located in the terminal area.

10. The flexible display device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The display function layer includes a driving substrate and a driving chip, and the driving substrate is formed on the glass substrate; in The first portion of the driving substrate is configured in the display area, the second portion of the driving substrate is configured in the bending area, the third portion of the driving substrate is configured in the terminal area, the third supporting portion is arranged on a side of the third portion of the driving substrate close to the heat dissipation layer, and the driving chip is arranged on a side of the third portion of the driving substrate away from the heat dissipation layer.

11. The flexible display device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The driving substrate includes a flexible substrate and a driving circuit layer, the flexible substrate is formed on the glass substrate, the driving circuit layer is arranged on one side of the glass substrate of the flexible substrate, and the thickness of the flexible substrate is greater than 2.5 times the thickness of the second supporting portion and less than 20 times the thickness of the second supporting portion.

12. The flexible display device according to claim 10, characterized in that: The flexible display device further includes a pad located between the third supporting portion and the heat dissipation layer.

13. The flexible display device according to claim 9, characterized in that: The flexible display device further includes a covering film, which is arranged on a side of the display function layer away from the glass substrate.

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