Method of manufacturing a flexible display panel
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- GUANGDONG JUHUA PRINTING DISPLAY TECH CO LTD
- Filing Date
- 2021-07-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-19
Smart Images
Figure CN115605041B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This application relates to the field of displays, and more particularly to a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel. Background Technology
[0002] In the existing manufacturing process of flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panels, laser list off (LLO) equipment is typically used for the separation process. The LLO-based separation process for flexible OLED display devices includes the following steps: laser irradiation of a certain energy is applied to the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible OLED display device (including a flexible substrate and a display functional layer sequentially stacked on the carrier substrate). This causes a change in the properties of the flexible substrate material in the flexible OLED display device at the interface, reducing the adhesion between the flexible substrate and the carrier substrate without damaging the flexible OLED display device, thereby allowing the flexible OLED display device to be easily separated from the carrier substrate.
[0003] The manufacturing process of large-size flexible OLED display panels mainly includes the following steps:
[0004] Bonding the driver components onto the display device (bonding process);
[0005] LLO pre-cleaning of display devices with driver components (LLO process);
[0006] Display devices after laser scanning (LLO) cleaning (pre-LLO cleaning process);
[0007] The flexible substrate and carrier substrate in the display device are separated (Delami process);
[0008] A backplate is bonded to the back of the peeled flexible substrate (BP lami process).
[0009] The following problems exist in this technical approach:
[0010] After the driver components are bonded, the display device has a printed circuit board (PCB) on one or both sides, which increases the difficulty of transferring the display device to the LLO cleaning machine and also increases the difficulty of pre-LLO cleaning. In addition, when transferring display devices with bonded driver components, the PCB and chip-on-film (COF) can pull on the display device, damaging the display functional layer and even rendering the product unusable. Summary of the Invention
[0011] In view of this, the purpose of this application is to provide a method for manufacturing a display panel to improve the problem of transferring display devices after setting the driving components.
[0012] This application provides a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel, which includes the following steps:
[0013] A flexible display device to be peeled off is provided, wherein the flexible display device to be peeled off is disposed on a carrier substrate;
[0014] The flexible display device to be peeled off on the carrier substrate is peeled off.
[0015] A driving component is disposed on the flexible display device to be peeled after the peeling process to obtain the flexible display panel.
[0016] In one embodiment, the peeling process of the flexible display device to be peeled off on the carrier substrate includes:
[0017] Laser scanning is performed on the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off;
[0018] The flexible display device to be peeled off is peeled off from the carrier substrate.
[0019] In one embodiment, the carrier substrate includes a region to be peeled off and a non-peeled region, wherein the non-peeled region is located at least on opposite sides of the region to be peeled off and is connected to the region to be peeled off. Laser scanning of the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off includes:
[0020] The flexible display device to be peeled is located in the area to be peeled using a laser scan.
[0021] In one embodiment, after performing laser scanning on the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off, and before peeling the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate, the method further includes:
[0022] The area to be peeled is cut to obtain the flexible display device to be peeled off located within the area to be peeled off.
[0023] In one embodiment, the non-stripping region is disposed around the region to be stripped.
[0024] In one embodiment, the distance between the side of the non-peeling region closest to the area to be peeled and the side furthest from the area to be peeled is greater than 3 mm.
[0025] In one embodiment, the area to be peeled off coincides with the cutting area of the cutting process; or, the area to be peeled off covers the cutting area of the cutting process and extends to the outside of the cutting area of the cutting process.
[0026] In one embodiment, the carrier substrate includes a non-peelable region and a region to be peeled off, the non-peelable region surrounding the region to be peeled off; prior to performing laser scanning on the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off, the method further includes:
[0027] The area to be peeled is cut to obtain the flexible display device to be peeled off located within the area to be peeled off.
[0028] In one embodiment, the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off are laser scanned on a laser scanning platform. The laser scanning platform has a telescopic component, and the surface of the telescopic component that contacts the display device is rectangular. The length of the rectangle is 5 to 10 centimeters, and the width of the rectangle is 1 to 3 centimeters.
[0029] In one embodiment, after performing laser scanning on the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off, and before peeling the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate, the method further includes:
[0030] The flexible display device to be peeled off is lifted from the laser scanning platform using the telescopic component, and then transferred from the laser scanning platform using the pick-up mechanism.
[0031] In one embodiment, prior to performing the peeling process on the flexible display device to be peeled off on the carrier substrate, the method further includes:
[0032] Clean the flexible display device to be peeled off.
[0033] This application avoids damage to the flexible display device with the driving component during the transfer process by setting the step of setting the driving component after the step of peeling the flexible display device to be peeled off on the carrier substrate, and reduces the cleaning difficulty in the cleaning process before peeling. Attached Figure Description
[0034] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained from these drawings without creative effort.
[0035] Figure 1A flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel according to the first embodiment of this application.
[0036] Figures 2(a) to 2(d) A schematic diagram illustrating the steps of a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel according to the first embodiment of this application.
[0037] Figure 3 This is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel according to the second embodiment of this application.
[0038] Figure 4(a) is a top view of one embodiment of the flexible display device to be peeled off provided in this application.
[0039] Figure 4(b) is a top view of another embodiment of the flexible display device to be peeled off provided in this application.
[0040] Figure 4(c) is a top view of another embodiment of the flexible display device to be peeled off provided in this application.
[0041] Figure 5(a) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the flexible display device to be peeled off after laser scanning in the prior art.
[0042] Figure 5(b) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the flexible display device to be peeled off after laser scanning according to the second embodiment of this application.
[0043] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel according to the third embodiment of this application.
[0044] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel according to the fourth embodiment of this application.
[0045] Figure 8(a) is a top view of the 31-inch OLED display device in this application.
[0046] Figure 8(b) is a schematic diagram of the device for scanning the flexible display device to be peeled off with a laser beam.
[0047] Figure 8(c) is a schematic diagram of the steps of scanning the flexible display device to be peeled off with a laser beam.
[0048] Figure 8(d) is a planar schematic diagram of the flexible display device to be peeled off after laser beam scanning.
[0049] Figure 9(a) is a side view of the laser scanning platform of this application.
[0050] Figure 9(b) is a schematic diagram of another side of the laser scanning platform of this application.
[0051] Figure 9(c) is a top view of the laser scanning platform of this application.
[0052] Figure 9(d) is a top view of the telescopic component of the laser scanning platform of this application.
[0053] Figure 10(a) is a schematic diagram of the steps of transferring the flexible display device to be peeled off by the substrate transfer machine.
[0054] Figure 10(b) is a schematic cross-sectional view of the flexible display device to be peeled off by the transfer fork of the substrate transfer machine. Figure 11 This diagram illustrates the steps involved in cutting a flexible display device to be peeled off using a UV laser cutting device.
[0055] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:
[0056] 100: Flexible display device to be peeled off; 1: Carrier substrate; 2: Flexible substrate; 3: Display functional layer; DA: Display area; BA: Bezel area; 101: Area to be peeled off; 102: Non-peeled area; 103: Peripheral area; 104: Cutting area; 200: Laser beam cutting module; 201: Laser beam box; 202: Cutting component; 203: Servo motor; 300: Laser scanning platform; 301: Telescopic component; 400: Substrate transfer machine. Detailed Implementation
[0057] The technical solutions of this application will now be clearly and completely described with reference to the accompanying drawings of the embodiments. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this application, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this application without inventive effort are within the scope of protection of this application.
[0058] This application provides a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel, applicable to large-size flexible display panels. Large-size flexible display panels can be used in monitors, televisions, or electronic billboards, etc. For example, large-size flexible display panels can be 31-inch, 40-inch, or 65-inch flexible display panels. The flexible display panel of this application is an OLED display panel, specifically an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display panel, a passive-matrix organic light-emitting diode (PMOLED) display panel, or a quantum dot organic light-emitting diode (QLED) display panel.
[0059] Please refer to this as well. Figure 1 and Figures 2(a) to 2(d) , Figure 1A flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel according to the first embodiment of this application. Figures 2(a) to 2(d) This is a schematic diagram illustrating the steps of a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel according to the first embodiment of this application. The method for manufacturing a flexible display panel according to the first embodiment includes the following steps:
[0060] 10: Provide a flexible display device to be peeled off, which is disposed on a carrier substrate. For ease of explanation, the flexible display device to be peeled off includes a flexible substrate and a display function layer that are sequentially stacked on the carrier substrate.
[0061] Please refer to Figure 2(a), which is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the flexible display device to be peeled off provided in this application. The flexible display device 100 to be peeled off is disposed on a carrier substrate 1. The flexible display device 100 to be peeled off includes a flexible substrate 2 and a display functional layer 3. The carrier substrate 1 is a rigid substrate used to support the flexible substrate 2 and the display functional layer 3. The carrier substrate 1 can be, for example, a glass substrate or a plastic substrate. The flexible substrate 2 can include a single flexible organic layer, or it can include two or more flexible organic layers, and a barrier layer disposed between two adjacent flexible organic layers. The material of the flexible organic layer is selected from polyimide (PI), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyarylate (PAR), polycarbonate (PC), polyetherimide (PEI), and polyethersulfone (PES). The material of the barrier layer is selected from one of inorganic materials such as silicon dioxide and silicon nitride, or a stack thereof. In this embodiment, the flexible substrate 2 may include a polyimide layer. The display functional layer 3 includes a driving circuit layer, a light-emitting device layer, and a thin-film encapsulation layer. The driving circuit layer drives the light-emitting device layer to emit light. The driving circuit layer includes a driving circuit, which can be a 7T1C circuit or a 5T1C circuit, or other driving circuits commonly used in the art. The light-emitting device layer may include an anode, a cathode, and hole injection layers, hole transport layers, electron transport layers, and electron injection layers sequentially stacked between the anode and cathode. The thin-film encapsulation layer encapsulates the light-emitting device layer. The thin-film encapsulation layer may include at least one inorganic layer and at least one organic layer alternately stacked. The inorganic layer may be selected from inorganic materials such as alumina, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, and zinc oxide. The organic layer may be selected from organic materials such as epoxy resin, polyimide, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyethylene (PE), and polyacrylate (PA).
[0062] 20: Perform a peeling process on the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate.
[0063] Step 20 involves peeling the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate, which includes the following steps:
[0064] 21: Perform laser scanning on the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible device to be peeled off.
[0065] Please refer to Figure 2(b), which is a schematic diagram of laser scanning of the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off according to this application. Step 21 is performed in an LLO device, therefore, step 21 is also referred to in the art as a laser lift-off (LLO) process. In order to prevent the laser from damaging the circuits of the display functional layer 3, the carrier substrate 1 is placed facing upwards on the laser scanning platform of the LLO device, and the laser is scanned from the carrier substrate 1 side towards the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off. The flexible organic layer of the flexible substrate 2, such as a polyimide film layer, is formed by coating a polymer solution on the surface of the carrier substrate 1 and drying it into a film. The flexible organic layer of the flexible substrate 2 is connected to the carrier substrate 1 by silicon-oxygen bonds (-Si-O-) and van der Waals forces. When the laser is scanned from the carrier substrate 1 side towards the flexible display 100 to be peeled off, the interface between the carrier substrate 1 and the flexible substrate 2 absorbs the laser energy, the silicon-oxygen bonds between the carrier substrate 1 and the flexible substrate 2 break, the van der Waals forces are released, and the separation of the carrier substrate 1 and the flexible substrate 2 is achieved. In step 21, in some embodiments, the entire surface of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off can be scanned, while in other embodiments, only a portion of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off can be scanned.
[0066] 22: Peel the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate.
[0067] Please refer to Figure 2(c), which is a schematic diagram of peeling the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate according to this application. Step 22 may specifically include: transferring the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off from the LLO device to the separation device. In the separation device, the carrier substrate 1 can be sucked away and transferred from above the flexible display device 100 by a suction cup, thereby peeling the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off from the carrier substrate 1.
[0068] 30: Install a driving component on the flexible display device to be peeled after the peeling process to obtain a flexible display panel.
[0069] Please refer to Figure 2(d), which is a schematic diagram of setting a driving component on the flexible display device to be peeled after the peeling process according to this application. The flexible display device 100 to be peeled includes a display area DA and a frame area BA. The display area DA is used to set the driving circuit and the light-emitting device layer. The frame area BA is used to set the traces. The frame area BA is provided with bonding pads, and the driving component 4 is bonded to the bonding pads. The driving component 4 is used to input the signals required by the display panel into the surface. The driving component 4 may include a printed circuit board (PCB) 41 and a chip on film (COF) 42. In step 20, the flexible display device 100 to be peeled is transferred to the bonding equipment, where anisotropic conductive film (ACF) coating and bonding pad pre-pressing and post-pressing are performed to bond the driving component on the flexible substrate. Finally, the flexible display device to be peeled with the driving component bonded enters the subsequent module process such as the lighting process, aging test, and RA test, and finally obtains the flexible display panel 100A.
[0070] In existing technologies, flexible display devices with attached driving components need to be transferred to a cleaning device for cleaning before laser peeling. After cleaning, they are transferred to an LLO (Light Loop) device and a separation device for peeling off the flexible display device from the carrier substrate. During the transfer process, the display device can be damaged due to the pulling of the PCB board, FPC, and COF (Chip-on-Foil). Furthermore, during the cleaning process, high-pressure water guns cannot be used indiscriminately to protect the electrical structures of the PCB board, FPC, and COF, increasing the cleaning difficulty. In the first embodiment of this application, by placing the step of setting the driving component after the laser peeling step of the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate, damage to the flexible display device with the driving component can be avoided during the transfer process, and the cleaning difficulty before laser peeling can be reduced.
[0071] Please refer to Figure 3 , Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel according to a second embodiment of this application. The difference between the method for manufacturing a flexible display panel in the second embodiment and the first embodiment is that, between laser scanning of the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off and peeling the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate, a cutting process is further included to obtain the flexible display device to be peeled off located within the peeling area.
[0072] The manufacturing method of the flexible display panel according to the second embodiment includes the following steps:
[0073] 210: Provide a flexible display device to be peeled off, which is disposed on a carrier substrate.
[0074] 220: Perform a peeling process on the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate.
[0075] Specifically, step 220 includes the following steps:
[0076] 221: Perform laser scanning on the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off.
[0077] Specifically, in step 221, the carrier substrate 1 includes a peelable area 101 and a non-peelable area 102. Laser scanning of the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled specifically includes: laser scanning of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled located in the peelable area 101. No laser scanning is performed on the flexible display device 100 to be peeled in the non-peelable area 102.
[0078] Please refer to Figure 4(a), which is a top view schematic diagram of one embodiment of the flexible display device to be peeled provided in this application. In Figure 4(a), the dashed line L represents the boundary line between the non-peeling area 102 and the area to be peeled 101. The portion inside the dashed line is the area to be peeled 101, and the portion outside the dashed line is the non-peeling area 102. The non-peeling area 102 is located on opposite sides of the area to be peeled 101 and is connected to the area to be peeled 101. The non-peeling area 102 can be located on opposite sides in the long side direction or on opposite sides in the short side direction of the area to be peeled 101. During laser scanning, the laser beam can scan along the long side direction of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled, and the scanning length is the full length of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled. Furthermore, the length of the laser beam in the short side direction of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled is less than the length of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled.
[0079] Please refer to Figures 4(b) and 4(c). Figure 4(b) is a top view of another embodiment of the flexible display device to be peeled provided in this application. Figure 4(c) is a top view of yet another embodiment of the flexible display device to be peeled provided in this application. In the embodiments of Figures 4(b) and 4(c), the non-peeling region 102 is disposed around the region to be peeled 101. During laser scanning, the laser beam can scan along the length direction or the width direction of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled. The scanning length is less than the full length of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled, and the scanning width is less than the full width direction of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled.
[0080] Please refer to Figures 5(a) and 5(b). Figure 5(a) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the flexible display device to be peeled after laser scanning in the prior art. Figure 5(b) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the flexible display device to be peeled after laser scanning according to the second embodiment of this application. In the prior art, the entire surface of the flexible display device 100a to be peeled is generally scanned. After the laser beam scans the entire surface of the flexible display device 100a to be peeled and the carrier substrate 1a, when the flexible display device 100a to be peeled is transferred, the flexible display device 100a to be peeled is completely separated from the carrier substrate 1a, peeling occurs at the interface between the flexible display device 100a to be peeled and the carrier substrate 1a, and the flexible substrate 2a of the flexible display device 100a to be peeled warps. Referring to Figure 4(b), in this application, only the flexible display device 100 to be peeled in the peeling region 101 is scanned with a laser to separate the flexible display device 100 in the peeling region 101 from the carrier substrate 1; while the flexible display device 100 in the non-peeling region 102 is not scanned with a laser. The flexible display device 100 in the non-peeling region 102 remains connected to the carrier substrate 1. Since the non-peeling region 102 is located on opposite sides of the peeling region 101 or is arranged around the peeling region 101, the flexible substrate 2 of the non-peeling region 102 can be fixed from opposite sides or the outer periphery of the peeling region 101, so that the flexible substrate 2 of the flexible display device 100 will not warp during the transfer of the flexible display device 100. The absence of warping of the flexible substrate 2 avoids problems such as alignment difficulties after transfer to the separation equipment, and achieves a stable improvement in peeling yield.
[0081] Furthermore, in existing technologies, to prevent the flexible substrate 2a from completely separating from the carrier substrate 1a and warping during the transfer process, it is necessary to find a critical value for laser energy, thereby ensuring partial adhesion and incomplete separation between the flexible substrate 2a and the carrier substrate 1a. Finding this critical value requires extensive experimentation, significant time and material investment, and increases production costs. Additionally, during subsequent peeling of the flexible substrate 2a from the carrier substrate 1a, a cutting tool is used to physically separate them. In this application, since the flexible substrate 2a in the non-peeling region 102 remains connected to the carrier substrate 1, it is not necessary to find a critical value. A higher laser energy is sufficient to completely separate the flexible substrate 2a from the carrier substrate 1 in the peeling region 101. Furthermore, in the subsequent peeling process, a suction cup is used to remove and transfer the carrier substrate 1, eliminating the need for physical separation using a cutting tool.
[0082] Referring again to Figure 4(a), when the distance D between the side of the non-peeling region 102 closest to the peelable region 101 and the side furthest from the peelable region 101 is greater than 3 mm, peeling and warping between the flexible substrate 2 of the flexible display device 100 and the carrier substrate 1 can be prevented. In some embodiments, the distance D between the side of the non-peeling region 102 closest to the peelable region 101 and the side furthest from the peelable region 101 is 5 mm to 10 mm. When the width of the non-peeling region 102 is within this range, the flexible substrate 2 of the non-peeling region 102 can provide sufficient tension to the flexible substrate 2 of the peelable region 101, keeping the flexible substrate 2 of the non-peeling region 102 in contact with the carrier substrate 1, preventing peeling and warping between the flexible substrate 2 and the carrier substrate 1 during transfer, and ensuring that the width of the non-peeling region 102 is not too wide, thus avoiding waste. In one embodiment, the distance D between the side of the non-peeling region 102 closest to the peeling region 101 and the side furthest from the peeling region 101 can be 5 mm, 6 mm, 7 mm, 8 mm, 9 mm, or 10 mm.
[0083] 222: Cut the area to be peeled to obtain the flexible display device to be peeled within the area to be peeled.
[0084] Step 222 is performed in an ultraviolet (UV) laser cutting device. Please refer again. Figures 4(a) to 4(c) In step 222, the carrier substrate 1 further includes a peripheral region 103 and a cutting region 104. The peripheral region 103 is disposed around the cutting region 104. In subsequent processes, the peripheral region 103 is cut along the edge of the cutting region 104, and the cutting process is performed using a laser. The small rectangle in Figure 4(a) represents the boundary line between the peripheral region 103 and the cutting region 104. The inner side of the small rectangle is the cutting region 104, and the outer side of the small rectangle is the peripheral region 103. The peripheral region 103 includes a non-peelable region 102. The peelable region 101 includes the cutting region 104. Thus, when cutting with a laser, the non-peelable region 102 used to fix the region to be peeled 101 can be cut off, facilitating the next step of peeling the flexible display device 100 from the carrier substrate 1. It can be understood that in Figures 4(a) to 4(c) Only one peripheral area and one cutting area are shown in the diagram. Optionally, the manufacturing method of this application can also be used to manufacture a single flexible display panel from a motherboard having multiple peripheral areas and multiple cutting areas. In the motherboard, the multiple cutting areas can be arranged in an array.
[0085] In Figures 4(a) and 4(b), the area to be peeled off 101 covers the cutting area 104 of the cutting process and extends to the outside of the cutting area 104. Specifically, the area to be peeled off 101 includes the cutting area 104 and a portion of the peripheral area 103. In Figure 4(c), the area to be peeled off 101 completely overlaps with the cutting area 104. It should be noted that the cutting area 104 includes at least the display area DA and the border area BA of the flexible substrate 2, so that during cutting, the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off is obtained located in the display area DA and the border area BA.
[0086] 223: Peel the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate.
[0087] In step 223, the cut flexible display device to be peeled is transferred to the separation device. In the separation device, the carrier substrate can be sucked away and transferred from above the flexible display device to be peeled by a suction cup, thereby peeling the flexible display device to be peeled from the carrier substrate. This will not be described in detail here.
[0088] 230: A driving component is installed on the flexible display device to be peeled after the peeling process to obtain a flexible display panel.
[0089] In the second embodiment of this application, by partially peeling the carrier substrate 1 from the flexible display device 100 to be peeled, the flexible substrate 2 of the non-peeling area 102 is used to fix the flexible display device 100 to be peeled in the peeling area 101, so that the flexible display device 100 to be peeled does not warp during the transfer process. Furthermore, it eliminates the need to adjust the critical value of the laser energy and eliminates the need for physical cutting with a tool, thus saving manpower and resources and reducing costs. In the second embodiment, the peeling area is cut before peeling the flexible display device 100 from the carrier substrate 1 to obtain the flexible display device to be peeled located within the peeling area. This step is because, generally, after peeling the flexible display device 100 from the carrier substrate 1, a support film (also called a back plate) is attached to one side of the flexible display device 100. The support film is generally used to support the cutting area 104, that is, the support film is used to support at least the display area DA and the border area BA. The shape and area of the support film are generally set only to correspond to the shape and area of the cutting area 104. If the cutting is performed after the step of peeling the flexible display device 100 from the carrier substrate 1, it will be difficult to cut the flexible cutting area 104 that is not supported by the support film. Therefore, in this embodiment, the step of cutting the display device to be peeled is performed before the step of laser scanning the interface between the carrier substrate 1 and the flexible display device 100 to be peeled, so as to avoid the problem of flexible cutting.
[0090] Please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 6This is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel according to the third embodiment of this application. The difference between the method for manufacturing a flexible display panel in the third embodiment and the first embodiment is that, before performing laser scanning on the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off and before peeling the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate, the method further includes cutting the area to be peeled off to obtain the flexible display device to be peeled off located in the area to be peeled off.
[0091] Specifically, the manufacturing method of the flexible display panel according to the third embodiment includes the following steps:
[0092] 310: Provide a flexible display device to be peeled off, which is disposed on a carrier substrate.
[0093] 320: Perform a peeling process on the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate.
[0094] Specifically, step 320 includes the following steps:
[0095] 321: Cut the area to be peeled to obtain the flexible display device to be peeled within the area to be peeled.
[0096] In step 321, the carrier substrate 1 further includes a peripheral region 103 and a cutting region 104. The peripheral region 103 is disposed around the cutting region 104. The cutting region 104 includes at least the display region DA and the border region BA of the flexible substrate 2, so that during cutting, the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off is obtained located in the display region DA and the border region BA.
[0097] 322: Perform laser scanning on the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off.
[0098] In step 322, the entire area of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off can be scanned with a laser. A detailed description of step 322 in the third embodiment can be found in the first embodiment, and its description is omitted here.
[0099] 323: Peel the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate.
[0100] 330: A driving component is installed on the flexible display device to be peeled off to obtain a flexible display panel.
[0101] Steps 323 and 330 of the third embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and their descriptions are omitted here.
[0102] In the third embodiment, before laser scanning the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off and before peeling the flexible display device off from the carrier substrate, a step of cutting the area to be peeled off is performed to obtain the flexible display device to be peeled off located within the area to be peeled off. This is because, generally, after peeling the flexible display device off from the carrier substrate, a support film is attached to one side of the flexible display device. This support film is typically used to support the cut area, i.e., the display area and the frame area. The shape and area of the support film are generally set only to correspond to the shape and area of the cut area. If cutting is performed after peeling the flexible display device off from the carrier substrate, cutting the flexible cut area without the support film would be difficult. Therefore, in this embodiment, the step of cutting the flexible display device to be peeled off is performed before the step of laser scanning the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off, thus avoiding the problem of flexible cutting.
[0103] Please also refer to Figure 7 , Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel according to the fourth embodiment of this application.
[0104] The method for manufacturing a flexible display panel according to the fourth embodiment includes the following steps:
[0105] 410: Provide a flexible display device to be peeled off, which is disposed on a carrier substrate.
[0106] This application is applicable to flexible display substrates of various sizes. This embodiment takes a 31-inch OLED flexible display panel as an example. Figure 8(a) is a top view of the 31-inch OLED display device in this application. The overall size of the OLED display device is 73mm × 460mm. The flexible display device 100 to be peeled off includes a peripheral area 103 and a cutting area 104. The peripheral area 103 is disposed around the cutting area 104. The cutting area 104 includes at least the display area DA and the border area BA of the flexible substrate 2, so that the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off is obtained in the display area DA and the border area BA during cutting. Both the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off and the cutting area 104 are rectangular. The size of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off is 730mm × 460mm. The size of the cutting area 104 is 697.32mm × 405.78mm. The peripheral area 103 has a width of 16.34mm in the long side direction and a width of 27.11mm in the short side direction.
[0107] 420: Perform a peeling process on the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate.
[0108] Step 420 specifically includes the following steps:
[0109] 421: Clean the flexible display device to be peeled off.
[0110] In step 421, the cleaning of the flexible display device to be peeled off is performed in a cleaning device. The cleaning process may include grinding and rinsing. Since the flexible display device to be peeled off does not have a driving component during the cleaning process, the difficulty of transferring the flexible display device to be peeled off is reduced, and the cleaning difficulty is also reduced.
[0111] 422: Perform laser scanning on the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off.
[0112] In step 422, referring again to FIG. 4(c), the carrier substrate 1 includes a peelable area 101 and a non-peelable area 102. The non-peelable area 102 is located on opposite sides of the peelable area 101 and is connected to the peelable area 101. Laser scanning of the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled includes: laser scanning of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled located in the peelable area 101. No laser scanning is performed on the flexible display device 100 to be peeled in the non-peelable area 102. In this embodiment, the non-peelable area 102 is the cutting area 104. The peelable area 101 is the peripheral area 103.
[0113] More specifically, step 421 includes:
[0114] 4211: LLO process parameter settings.
[0115] In step 4211, after pre-cleaning at the LLO (Laser-to-Lapse) stage, the large-size flexible display device 100 to be peeled is transferred to the LLO equipment laser scanning platform 300 using a substrate transfer machine 400. A laser scanning recipe is created using the LLO equipment's main control software. With other process parameters set constant, the laser energy absorbed at the interface between the flexible display device 100 and the carrier substrate 1 is proportional to the laser energy density value ED. The laser energy density ED is set to 130 mJ / cm². 2 ~160mJ / cm 2 Laser beam scanning is performed on the area 101 to be peeled off of the carrier substrate 1. The energy overlap rate is set to 50% to 85%, the frequency is set to 50Hz to 300Hz, the scan speed is set to 11.25mm / s to 37.5mm / s, and the number of scans is set to 1.
[0116] 4222: Use a laser beam to scan the flexible display device to be peeled off.
[0117] In step 4222, a laser energy density ED of 130 mJ / cm² is used. 2 ~160mJ / cm 2The laser beam cutter scans the area 101 to be peeled off on the carrier substrate 1. The laser beam size is obtained by controlling the opening of the laser beam cutter module 200, which is tailored to the size of the scanning area. Currently, the commonly used laser beam size in the industry is 750mm × 0.25mm, with a length of 750mm along the long axis D1 and a length of 0.25mm along the short axis D2. Please refer to Figure 8(b), which is a schematic diagram of the device for scanning the flexible display device to be peeled off using a laser beam. The structure of the laser beam cutter module 200 is shown in Figure 8(b). After being shaped and modulated by the optical path system, the laser beam is emitted through the slit 205 in the laser beam box 201. The laser beam box 201 is equipped with two cutting components 202, which move along the long axis D1 of the laser beam under the drive of the servo motor 203, achieving precise cutting and setting of the size along the long axis D1. The cut-off dimension along the long axis D1 of the laser beam ranges from 0 mm to 750 mm. Please refer to Figure 8(c), which is a schematic diagram of the laser beam scanning steps for the flexible display device to be peeled off. In this scheme, for a 31-inch display panel, the cut-off dimension along the long axis D1 of the laser beam is 405.78 mm, consistent with the total dimension of the cutting area 104. After the laser beam is cut off, it irradiates and scans the predetermined area under the control of the process software. During scanning, the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off is placed on the laser scanning platform 300. The laser scanning platform 300 passes under the laser beam along the scanning direction, i.e., the short axis D2 of the laser beam, to complete the laser scan. After the laser scan is completed, the interface between the carrier substrate 1 and the flexible substrate 2 absorbs the laser energy, the silicon-oxygen bonds between the carrier substrate 1 and the flexible substrate 2 break, the van der Waals force is released, and the carrier substrate 1 and the flexible substrate 2 are separated. Please refer to Figure 8(d), which is a planar schematic diagram of the flexible display device to be peeled off after laser beam scanning. In the non-peeling region 102 where laser scanning is not used, the carrier substrate 1 and the flexible substrate 2 still maintain a strong adhesive force and are in an adhesive transition state. The flexible substrate 2 in the non-peeling region 102 can fix the flexible display device 100 to be peeled from the outer periphery of the region to be peeled 101, so that after LLO, the interface between the carrier substrate 1 and the flexible substrate 2 is still in a basically flat state, creating favorable conditions for the non-destructive transfer of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled to the separation device after LLO.
[0118] Please refer to Figures 9(a) to 9(d)Figure 9(a) is a side view of the laser scanning platform of this application. Figure 9(b) is another side view of the laser scanning platform of this application. Figure 9(c) is a top view of the laser scanning platform of this application. Figure 9(d) is a top view of the telescopic component of the laser scanning platform of this application. In this embodiment, laser scanning is performed on the interface between the carrier substrate 1 and the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off on a laser scanning platform 300, which includes a plurality of telescopic components 301. The plurality of telescopic components 301 can be evenly distributed in the laser scanning platform 300. The telescopic components 301 can extend and retract in the height direction, thereby changing the height of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off.
[0119] After laser scanning of the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off, the following steps are taken:
[0120] The flexible display device 100 to be peeled off is lifted from the laser scanning platform 300 using the telescopic component 301, and the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off is transferred from the laser scanning platform 300 using the picking mechanism 400.
[0121] In this design, the surface of the telescopic component 301 that contacts the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off is rectangular, with a length of 5 to 10 centimeters and a width of 1 to 3 centimeters. Compared to the small-diameter circular telescopic component (Pin) used in the laser scanning platform 300 of traditional LLO equipment, the medium-sized rectangular telescopic component 301 of the laser scanning platform 300 in this solution has a larger contact area when it contacts the flexible substrate 2, thus improving stability.
[0122] Please refer to Figures 10(a) and 10(b). Figure 10(a) is a schematic diagram of the steps of transferring the flexible display device to be peeled by the substrate transfer machine. Figure 10(b) is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the transfer fork of the substrate transfer machine adsorbing the flexible display device to be peeled. The substrate transfer machine 400 includes a transfer fork 401. An adsorption pad 4011 is provided on the transfer fork 401. The transfer fork 401 is inserted between the telescopic member 301 of the laser scanning platform 300 and the flexible display device 100 to be peeled. The lower surface of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled is adsorbed by the adsorption pad 4011. The transfer fork 401 is moved in the vertical direction to separate the flexible display device 100 from the telescopic member 301 and then transfer it.
[0123] 4223: Cut the area to be peeled to obtain the flexible display device to be peeled within the area to be peeled.
[0124] Please refer to Figure 11 , Figure 11 This diagram illustrates the steps involved in cutting a flexible display device to be peeled off using a UV laser cutting device.
[0125] The specific steps for cutting the area to be peeled off to obtain the flexible display device to be peeled off within the area are as follows:
[0126] UV Laser Cutting and Trimming: After the LLO process, the substrate transfer machine 400 transfers the flexible display device 100 to be peeled to the receiving platform of the UV laser cutting equipment, where initial mechanical alignment is performed. Subsequently, a suction cup with a nozzle picks up the substrate and moves along a linear guide rail, transferring the flexible display device 100 to be peeled and placing it on the laser cutting platform. The cutting platform performs precise alignment of the charge-coupled device (CCD). The main components of the UV laser cutting machine include: laser, marble support, linear motor, optical path system, motion control calculator, UV laser beam cutting software, communication cable, etc. In this application, the UV laser uses a DPSS (solid-state pumped diode laser) as the laser beam source, and the main cutting process parameters are set through (recipe). The UV laser wavelength is 308nm, and the single pulse energy is set to 700mJ / cm². 2 ~1000mJ / cm 2 The laser power is set to 10kW~20kW, and the cutting coordinates are controlled by input from the computer. After the cutting parameters are set and the CCD of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off is precisely aligned, the laser beam cuts and trims the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off along the boundary line between the peripheral area 103 and the cutting area 104, removing the peripheral area 103 and retaining the cutting area 104. The dimensions of the flexible display device 100 to be peeled off after cutting are 697.32mm × 405.78mm.
[0127] 423: Peel the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate.
[0128] After laser cutting and trimming, the substrate transfer machine picks up the wafer from the unloading platform of the UV laser cutting equipment and transfers the cut flexible display device 100 to the separation equipment. In the separation equipment, a suction cup can be used to lift and transfer the carrier substrate 1 from above the flexible display device 100, thereby peeling the flexible display device 100 from the carrier substrate 1. Afterwards, it is moved to the bonding unit using a platform transport method for transfer to the film laminating equipment for support film lamination.
[0129] 430: Install a driving component on the flexible display device to be peeled after the peeling process to obtain a flexible display panel.
[0130] After the support film is attached, a film transfer machine is used to transfer the flexible display device 100, with the support film attached, to the bonding equipment for ACF coating and bonding pad pre-pressing and pressing to set the driving component 4 on the flexible substrate 2. Finally, the flexible display device 100 with the driving component 4 bonded to it enters subsequent module processes such as lighting process, aging test, and RA test to obtain flexible display panel 100A.
[0131] This application provides a method for manufacturing a flexible display panel. By setting the step of setting the driving component after the step of laser peeling the flexible display device to be peeled from the carrier substrate, the method can avoid damage to the display device with the driving component during the transfer process and reduce the cleaning difficulty in the cleaning process before laser peeling.
[0132] The foregoing has provided a detailed description of the embodiments of this application. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The descriptions of the embodiments above are only for the purpose of helping to understand this application. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that, based on the ideas of this application, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.
Claims
1. A method for manufacturing a flexible display panel, characterized by, Includes the following steps: A flexible display device to be peeled is provided, the flexible display device to be peeled is disposed on a carrier substrate, the carrier substrate includes a peelable area and a non-peelable area, the non-peelable area is located at least on opposite sides of the peelable area and is connected to the peelable area; The process of peeling off the flexible display device on the carrier substrate includes: performing laser scanning on the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device, including performing the laser scanning only on the flexible display device located in the area to be peeled off, and the energy of the laser scanning is sufficient to completely separate the flexible substrate in the area to be peeled off from the carrier substrate; and peeling the flexible display device off from the carrier substrate. A driving component is disposed on the flexible display device to be peeled after the peeling process to obtain the flexible display panel.
2. The method of manufacturing a flexible display panel according to claim 1, wherein After performing laser scanning on the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off, and before peeling the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate, the method further includes: The area to be peeled is cut to obtain the flexible display device to be peeled off located within the area to be peeled off.
3. The method of manufacturing a flexible display panel according to claim 2, wherein The non-peeling area is arranged around the area to be peeled.
4. The method of manufacturing a flexible display panel according to claim 2, wherein The distance between the side of the non-peeling area closest to the area to be peeled and the side furthest from the area to be peeled is greater than 3 mm.
5. The method of manufacturing a flexible display panel according to claim 2, wherein The area to be peeled off coincides with the cutting area of the cutting process; or, the area to be peeled off covers the cutting area of the cutting process and extends to the outside of the cutting area of the cutting process.
6. The method of manufacturing a flexible display panel according to claim 1, wherein Before performing laser scanning on the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off, the method further includes: The area to be peeled is cut to obtain the flexible display device to be peeled off located within the area to be peeled off.
7. The method of manufacturing a flexible display panel according to claim 1, wherein The carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off are laser scanned on a laser scanning platform. The laser scanning platform has a telescopic component. The surface of the telescopic component that contacts the display device is rectangular. The length of the rectangle is 5-10 cm and the width of the rectangle is 1-3 cm.
8. The method of manufacturing a flexible display panel according to claim 7, wherein After performing laser scanning on the interface between the carrier substrate and the flexible display device to be peeled off, and before peeling the flexible display device to be peeled off from the carrier substrate, the method further includes: The flexible display device to be peeled off is lifted from the laser scanning platform using the telescopic component, and then transferred from the laser scanning platform using the pick-up mechanism.