Display Device Dams for Bend-Area Crack and Waviness Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display devices face issues with stress concentration at the periphery of bending areas, leading to cracks and waviness phenomena, which affect reliability and increase manufacturing defects and costs.
Innovation Solution
A display device design incorporating an encapsulation layer, inner and outer dams, and a touch member with a protective film, which controls the flow of the protective film to support optical members and reduce stress concentration, thereby improving reliability and reducing manufacturing defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If the substrate is bent in the non-display area, then the display device can be implemented thinner and in various designs, but stress concentration occurs at the periphery of the bending area leading to cracks
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different structural configurations to different regions of the display device. Specifically, the touch member structure is optimized locally in the bending area with modified dam configurations and protective film arrangements to handle stress concentration, while other areas maintain standard structures. This localized structural optimization allows the device to be bent without causing cracks at the periphery.
2Ease of manufacture
If the protective film flows freely during manufacturing, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the optical member cannot be sufficiently supported causing waviness defect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary structure (the dam configuration and protective film adhesion layers) between the protective film and the optical member. This intermediary structure controls the flow of the protective film during manufacturing while simultaneously providing support to the optical member to prevent waviness. The dam structure acts as a mediator that manages both the film application process and the structural support function.
3Reliability
If manufacturing defects are reduced, then reliability is improved, but additional process steps are required increasing manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements preliminary structural configurations in the manufacturing process, such as pre-configured dam structures and protective film arrangements, that prevent defects before they occur. By establishing the correct structural framework in advance, the patent reduces the need for additional corrective process steps, thereby improving reliability without significantly increasing manufacturing complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A display device may include a substrate having a display area and a non-display area including a bending area, an encapsulation layer disposed on the display area and the non-display area, an inner dam in contact with the encapsulation layer in the non-display area, a touch member disposed on the encapsulation layer and the inner dam and including a protective film, and an outer dam in contact with an end of the protective film of the touch member in the non-display area.