Display Panel Test Key for Monitoring Color Resist and Metal Trace Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display panels face monitoring failures due to defective main monitoring marks, which fail to accurately assess the relative positions, widths, and overlapping of color resist blocks with metal traces, leading to deteriorated performance such as flatness and shielding issues.
Innovation Solution
A test key is integrated into each display panel, featuring color resist patterns and metal patterns in the non-display area, corresponding to the color resist blocks and metal traces in the display area, allowing for precise monitoring of their positions, widths, and overlapping degrees.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If main monitoring marks are used to monitor color resist blocks and metal traces, then monitoring coverage is limited to mother board level, but monitoring accuracy for each display panel is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the monitoring system into two levels: main monitoring marks on the mother board and sub monitoring marks on each display panel. This segmentation allows each level to perform monitoring independently, ensuring that each display panel can be monitored individually even when the main monitoring marks fail, thereby improving monitoring accuracy without significantly increasing overall system complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a new dimension of monitoring by placing sub monitoring marks directly on each display panel in addition to the existing main monitoring marks on the mother board. This multi-level monitoring structure enables independent verification at the panel level, improving measurement precision while maintaining reasonable device complexity through hierarchical organization.
2Reliability
If main monitoring marks are set at four corners of mother board, then monitoring coverage is achieved, but monitoring reliability fails when marks are defective
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the monitoring function into main monitoring marks and sub monitoring marks that operate independently. When main monitoring marks fail or are defective, the sub monitoring marks on each display panel can still perform monitoring, ensuring monitoring reliability is maintained without requiring a complete redesign of the monitoring structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent prepares backup monitoring capability by placing sub monitoring marks on each display panel in advance. This beforehand cushioning ensures that if the main monitoring marks fail, the monitoring function is already in place at the panel level, maintaining reliability without adding complex active redundancy systems.
3Manufacturing precision
If color resist blocks and metal traces are positioned with potential shifting and overlapping, then manufacturing flexibility is maintained, but manufacturing precision deteriorates when shifting/overlapping width is too large or too small
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces mechanical measurement methods with optical detection by using the test key structure with color resist patterns and metal patterns. This allows for non-contact, high-precision measurement of positioning and overlapping, achieving manufacturing precision of 1 micrometer or less while maintaining manufacturing flexibility through the optical measurement approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the measurement parameters by using optical properties (color, reflectivity) of the test key patterns to detect positioning and overlapping. This allows for precise measurement of dimensional parameters without mechanical contact, improving manufacturing precision while preserving ease of manufacture through non-intrusive measurement.
Data Source
AI summary
The present application proposes a display panel, including a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area, wherein the display panel includes: a plurality of metal traces and a plurality of color resist blocks located in the display area; and a test key located in the non-display area, wherein the test key includes a plurality of color resist patterns and a plurality of metal patterns, each of the color resist patterns corresponds to a corresponding one of the color resist blocks, each of the metal patterns corresponds to one of the metal traces, and each of the color resist patterns is disposed correspondingly between adjacent ones of the metal patterns.