Flexible Display Substrate Buffer Layer Crack Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible display substrates with small bending radii are prone to display defects due to the breakage of inorganic layers, such as insulating interlayers, leading to cracks and short-circuit failures during the cleaning process.
Innovation Solution
A method for fabricating a display substrate involving the formation of a buffer layer made of inorganic material, covered by a protective layer in the frame area, which prevents cracks during cleaning, and subsequent removal of the protective layer before forming the second lead, ensuring no additional protective layer is included in the final product.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the buffer layer is directly cleaned after forming, then the cleaning process can remove impurities from the active region, but the buffer layer may crack and cause short-circuit failures
Solution Approach 1:
The protective layer is formed on the buffer layer before the cleaning process to prevent crack formation during cleaning. This preliminary protective action ensures the buffer layer integrity is maintained while still allowing effective cleaning of the active region through the protective layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective layer acts as an intermediary between the cleaning process and the buffer layer. It mediates the cleaning action to prevent direct harmful effects on the buffer layer while still allowing the cleaning to proceed effectively on the active region.
2Reliability
If a protective layer is added to prevent buffer layer cracking, then the buffer layer integrity is maintained during cleaning, but an additional protective layer remains in the final product affecting performance
Solution Approach 1:
The protective layer is used temporarily during the cleaning process and then removed before forming the second lead. This allows the protective function to be utilized when needed, and then the layer is discarded to avoid affecting the final product performance and structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective layer is formed in advance for the cleaning process, and its removal is planned as a preliminary step before forming the second lead. This timing strategy ensures the protective layer serves its purpose and is removed before it could interfere with final device performance.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the bending radius is reduced to achieve flexible display characteristics, then the display substrate becomes more flexible and portable, but the inorganic layers break and cause display defects
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer layer is formed with proper thickness and material properties in advance to provide inherent flexibility while maintaining integrity. This preliminary structural design enables the substrate to bend without breaking the inorganic layers during subsequent processing and application.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides a display substrate, a fabrication method thereof and a display device. The display substrate includes a base, and has a display area and a frame area. The method includes: forming an active region of a thin film transistor in the display area; forming a first lead in the frame area; forming a buffer layer directly covering the first lead; forming a connection via hole communicating with the active region; forming a protective layer directly covering the buffer layer in the frame area; cleaning the active region exposed by the connection via hole after forming the protective layer; removing the protective layer in the frame area after cleaning; and forming a second lead in the frame area after removing the protective layer, an orthographic projection of the second lead on the base and an orthographic projection of the first lead on the base at least partially overlap.