Drive IC Protection Layer Height in Flexible Display Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display technologies face challenges in providing a display panel with excellent display quality and technology competitiveness, particularly in protecting drive ICs from external forces that could damage or break them.
Innovation Solution
A display device is designed with a protection layer that has a maximum height larger than the maximum height of the drive IC, effectively shielding the IC from external damage and preventing short-circuiting by conductive elements.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the drive IC is exposed without protection, then the device structure remains simple, but the drive IC is vulnerable to external force damage
Solution Approach 1:
The protection layer is formed in advance during the manufacturing process, covering the drive IC before the device is assembled and used. This preliminary protective measure ensures the drive IC is protected from external forces without requiring additional complex protective structures to be added later.
Solution Approach 2:
A protection layer, which is a thin film structure, is formed over the drive IC to provide mechanical protection. This thin film approach protects the drive IC from external forces while adding minimal structural complexity compared to rigid protective housings or additional components.
2Reliability
If the protection layer height is equal to or less than the drive IC height, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the drive IC remains exposed to external forces
Solution Approach 1:
The protection layer height is controlled to be greater than the drive IC height, which is a specific parameter change from conventional designs where the protection layer would be at the same level or lower. This parameter change ensures that the protection layer effectively covers and protects the drive IC from external forces while maintaining manufacturability through standard semiconductor fabrication processes.
3Reliability
If additional protection structures are added, then the drive IC is better protected, but the device complexity and manufacturing difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protection layer is merged with the existing thin film stack of the display device, forming an integrated structure rather than a separate protective component. This merging approach provides drive IC protection while avoiding the need for additional discrete parts or complex assembly steps, thus maintaining ease of manufacture.
Solution Approach 2:
The protection layer serves multiple functions: it protects the drive IC from external forces, acts as part of the display device's thin film structure, and can potentially serve as an insulating or protective layer for other underlying components. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate protective structures and simplifies the overall manufacturing process.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes a substrate, a plurality of flexible circuit boards, a plurality of ICs and an insulator. The flexible circuit boards are disposed on the substrate. In a top view of the electronic device, the flexible circuit boards are overlapped with an edge of the substrate. The ICs are disposed on the substrate. The insulator is disposed on the flexible circuit boards and contacted the ICs, wherein the insulator has a first side and a second side opposite to the first side and the first side is closer to the edge than the second side. Along a first direction perpendicular to an extension direction of the edge, a first minimum distance between the second side and one of the ICs is less than a second minimum distance between the second side and one of the flexible circuit boards.