Display Substrate Edge Alignment Grooves for Etching Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing process of display devices often results in micro-cracks and glass fragments on cut surfaces, requiring additional grinding and reducing the rigidity of substrates, especially when cutting mother substrates made of glass, and there is a need for easier monitoring of etching ranges and substrate edges.
Innovation Solution
A display device design that includes a substrate with alignment patterns and grooves, allowing for easy monitoring of edge positions and etching ranges, and a method of manufacturing that uses these patterns to control the etching process with an etchant, minimizing micro-cracks and enabling the formation of substrates with improved rigidity and various shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the mother substrate is cut using a laser or wheel, then display devices can be formed from the mother substrate, but micro-cracks or glass fragments occur on the cut surface requiring a separate grinding process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical cutting methods (laser or wheel cutting) with chemical etching using an etchant solution. This substitution eliminates the mechanical stress that causes micro-cracks and glass fragments, producing clean cut surfaces without requiring subsequent grinding processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the cutting parameter from mechanical energy (laser/wheel) to chemical energy (etchant solution). By controlling the etching time, temperature, and etchant concentration, the substrate is separated along scribing lines with smooth surfaces free of micro-cracks, resolving the surface quality issue while maintaining productivity.
2Measurement precision
If alignment patterns are etched together with the substrate, then the etching range can be monitored, but the alignment patterns are damaged or removed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the alignment patterns into multiple segments positioned at different distances from the scribing line. The first alignment pattern is placed closer to the scribing line and is etched away, while the second alignment pattern is positioned farther away and remains intact. This segmentation allows etching range monitoring through the removed first pattern while preserving the second pattern for subsequent alignment processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary etching of the substrate along scribing lines before final device separation. During this preliminary etching step, the first alignment pattern is intentionally removed to indicate the etching range, while the second alignment pattern is preserved. This preliminary action provides visual feedback for etching control without compromising the alignment patterns needed for later steps.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the substrate is etched in various shapes, then design flexibility is improved, but the etching process becomes more complex to control
Solution Approach 1:
The patent forms preliminary etched grooves along scribing lines and at corners before final substrate separation. These pre-formed grooves serve as guides and stress relief features that enable subsequent complex shape etching. By preparing these foundational etched features first, the patent simplifies the overall process of creating various substrate shapes while maintaining precise control over the etching depth and position.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different etching depths and patterns to different regions of the substrate. Corner portions are etched to form rounded shapes with specific radius values, while edge portions follow straight scribing lines. This localized variation in etching quality allows diverse substrate shapes to be created from a single mother substrate without requiring complex overall process control, as each region is optimized independently.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution allows for precise monitoring of etching processes, reduces micro-cracks and static electricity, and enhances the rigidity and design flexibility of substrates, enabling the production of display devices with improved structural integrity and diverse shapes.
Implementation Method 1
etching the mother substrate along the scribing lines with an etchant, wherein the etching of the mother substrate includes etching the mother substrate and a portion of the plurality of alignment patterns together
Data Source
AI summary
A display device includes a substrate including an active area and a non-active area; an organic insulating layer disposed on the substrate and having a portion thereof protruding outward from the substrate; a plurality of alignment patterns disposed between the substrate and the organic insulating layer in the non-active area; and a plurality of alignment grooves disposed in a lower surface of the portion of the organic insulating layer, protruding outward from the substrate, thus easily detecting a position of an edge of the substrate from the plurality of alignment patterns disposed adjacent to the edge of the substrate.