Dual-Surface Backplane for Active Electro-Optic Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional electro-optic displays require peripheral driver electronics, which create inactive areas when tiled together to form large area displays, and existing manufacturing methods for backplanes are costly and limited in size, making it difficult to produce large, high-resolution displays with an entirely active viewing surface.
Innovation Solution
A backplane design with conductive materials on both surfaces, featuring patterned pixel electrodes, vias for electrical connectivity, and driver chips on the reverse surface, allowing for an optically active entire viewing area without peripheral inactive regions, and using laser scribing and local alignment to pattern driving electrodes and create vias, enabling cost-effective and flexible assembly of large-sized backplanes with irregular shapes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If peripheral driver electronics are used in conventional electro-optic displays, then the display can be driven and controlled, but inactive areas are created when displays are tiled together to form large area displays
Solution Approach 1:
The driver electronics are moved from the traditional peripheral configuration to the reverse surface of the backplane, utilizing the third dimension (depth/thickness) of the display structure. This allows the front surface to be entirely active viewing area while drivers remain functional on the back surface, resolving the contradiction between maximizing viewing area and maintaining driver functionality.
2Area of stationary object
If traditional manufacturing methods are used for backplanes, then manufacturing processes are established, but they are costly and limited in size
Solution Approach 1:
The backplane is divided into a front surface for pixel electrodes and a reverse surface for driver electronics, with conductive materials and vias providing connectivity between them. This segmentation allows independent optimization of each surface's function and enables modular manufacturing approaches that reduce cost and complexity while supporting larger display sizes.
Solution Approach 2:
Conductive materials and vias act as intermediaries connecting the pixel electrodes on the front surface to the driver electronics on the reverse surface. This intermediary connection system enables the decoupling of driver placement from viewing area, allowing entire front surfaces to be active while maintaining electrical connectivity through the backplane structure.
3Area of stationary object
If driver chips are placed on the reverse surface with conductive connections, then the entire front surface can be optically active, but conductive trace routing becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The conductor routing problem is solved by utilizing the reverse surface of the backplane as a separate routing plane. Conductors can be routed independently on the reverse surface to connect driver chips with pixel electrodes through vias, eliminating the need for complex routing on the front viewing surface and enabling 100% optically active area.
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
Enables the creation of large, high-resolution electro-optic displays with an entirely active viewing surface, reducing manufacturing costs and overcoming size limitations, while allowing for flexible and efficient assembly of backplanes with complex pixel segment designs.
Implementation Method 1
patterning the first conductive material by cutting through the first conductive material
Implementation Method 2
creating a plurality of vias on the substrate, the plurality of vias extending through the substrate
Data Source
AI summary
The subject matter presented herein relates to a method for producing a backplane for electro-optic displays. The method may include providing a substrate coated with a first conductive material on a first side and a second conductive material on a second side, the second side being positioned opposite from the first side, patterning the first conductive material by cutting through the first conductive material, wherein the patterning of the first conductive material creates electrical isolated conductive segments to be controlled by a driver circuit and creating a plurality of vias on the substrate, the plurality of vias extending through the substrate and providing electrical conductivity between the first and second sides. The method may further include creating a plurality of conductive traces on the second side of the substrate by patterning the second conductive material by locally align the vias to the driver circuit.