Display Panel Buffer Region Test Structure for Non-Destructive Inspection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional methods for electrical inspection of signal lines in display panels require destructive cleaving and piercing of substrates, making the process complex, time-consuming, and difficult to perform accurately, while also compromising the imaging quality by conducting inspections in non-display regions.
Innovation Solution
A test structure located in a buffer display region of the display panel, featuring a substrate with signal lines, insulation, and an electrode layer with a ring-like opening, allows for electrical inspection without substrate cleaving or piercing, using a cutting and fusing process to connect the test electrode to the signal line, maintaining imaging quality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If a probe is employed to directly contact the end of the signal line for electrical inspection, then the electrical properties of the signal line can be measured, but the substrate must be destructively cleaved and pierced, making the process complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The electrode layer is divided into distinct functional regions: a display electrode portion for normal display operations and a test electrode portion for electrical inspection. This segmentation allows the test function to be isolated without affecting the display function, enabling electrical inspection without destructive substrate processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The test electrode portion acts as an intermediary element that provides access to the signal line for electrical inspection. Instead of directly piercing the substrate, the test electrode serves as a mediator that can be electrically connected to the signal line through the ring-like opening, simplifying the inspection process.
2Measurement precision
If the substrate is destructively cleaved and pierced to expose the signal line end, then the probe can contact the signal line, but significant time is required and it is difficult to accurately and successfully cleave and pierce the substrate
Solution Approach 1:
The test electrode portion and ring-like opening are pre-formed during the manufacturing process, before the actual electrical inspection is needed. This preliminary preparation eliminates the need for time-consuming destructive cleaving and piercing operations during inspection, as the test structure is already in place.
Solution Approach 2:
The test electrode portion is integrated into the display panel structure itself, allowing the panel to perform self-inspection without requiring external destructive processing. The test structure uses the display panel's own materials and processes to enable electrical inspection.
3Measurement precision
If the inspection is performed in a non-display region, then the probe can access the signal line, but the display panel cannot maintain consistent display quality across the entire frame
Solution Approach 1:
Different portions of the electrode layer are assigned different functions: the display electrode portion maintains uniform properties for consistent display quality, while the test electrode portion has specialized properties for electrical inspection. This local differentiation allows both display and inspection functions to coexist without compromising either.
Solution Approach 2:
The test function is added in a new dimensional space within the buffer display region, separate from the main display region. By utilizing the buffer display region's existing space and the ring-like opening's three-dimensional structure, the test electrode can access the signal line without interfering with the display region's uniformity.
4Reliability
If a test structure is located in the buffer display region, then imaging quality is preserved, but the test structure must be designed to allow electrical connection without substrate damage
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer display region serves multiple functions: it acts as a display buffer area, provides a location for the test structure, and enables electrical inspection without compromising the main display region. This multi-functionality simplifies the overall design by consolidating test and display functions in a single region.
Solution Approach 2:
The test electrode portion is nested within the electrode layer structure, with the ring-like opening providing a contained pathway to the signal line. This nested configuration allows the test structure to be integrated into the existing display panel layers without requiring separate substrate processing.
Data Source
AI summary
A test structure of a display panel is provided. The display panel has a display region, a non-display region, and a buffer display region between the display region and non-display region. The test structure is within the buffer display region and includes a substrate, at least one signal line on the substrate, an insulation layer covering the signal line, a planar layer on the insulation layer, and an electrode layer on the planar layer. The planar layer has at least one opening exposing a portion of the insulation layer. The electrode layer has a display electrode portion on the planar layer, at least one test electrode portion connecting the insulation layer via the opening of the planar layer, and a ring-like opening that surrounds the test electrode portion and exposes a portion of the planar layer. The display electrode portion surrounds the ring-like opening and connects the test electrode portion.