Encapsulated Electronic Switching Arrays with Gas Pockets

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Solution Overview

Problem

Electronic switching device arrays, such as those in liquid crystal display devices, are susceptible to degradation despite effective encapsulation against moisture ingress, leading to reduced performance due to negative threshold voltage shifts and on-current suppression.

Innovation Solution

The arrays are encapsulated with gas pockets between the device and the encapsulating structure, allowing beneficial air species like oxygen to enter while maintaining moisture protection, which helps neutralize potentially harmful species and reduce degradation.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the array is encapsulated to prevent moisture ingress, then moisture protection is improved, but harmful species still accumulate and cause degradation

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemoisture protectionVSAvoidharmful species accumulation

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The encapsulation structure is segmented to include distinct regions: a moisture barrier layer that prevents moisture ingress, and a gas pocket region that allows harmful species to escape. This segmentation enables the structure to simultaneously provide moisture protection and harmful species removal functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

A gas pocket is introduced as an intermediary space between the array and the encapsulating structure. This gas pocket acts as a mediator that allows harmful species to be trapped and neutralized by beneficial gas species, while the moisture barrier layer maintains moisture exclusion. The gas pocket serves as a buffer zone that reconciles the conflicting requirements of moisture protection and harmful species management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Stability of the object's composition

If the array is sealed completely, then encapsulation integrity is improved, but device performance degrades due to harmful species

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveencapsulation integrityVSAvoiddevice performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Stability of the object's compositionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The encapsulation structure exhibits local quality variations: the moisture barrier layer provides complete sealing with specific gas transmission properties, while the gas pocket region provides selective gas exchange functionality. Different regions of the encapsulation structure have different permeability characteristics, allowing the structure to maintain overall integrity while providing localized harmful species removal.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The gas pocket region functions as a porous structure that allows selective gas transmission. The barrier layer has controlled porosity that permits beneficial gas species (oxygen) to pass through while blocking moisture. This porous structure enables the encapsulation to maintain integrity while allowing necessary gas exchange for device protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #31Porous materials

3Object-affected harmful factors

If gas transmission is increased to allow oxygen entry, then harmful species neutralization is improved, but moisture ingress risk increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveharmful species neutralizationVSAvoidmoisture protection

Core Design Contradiction:

Object-affected harmful factorsVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The gas barrier layer is designed to convert a potentially harmful effect (gas transmission) into a beneficial one. By selecting materials with specific gas transmission properties, the structure allows beneficial oxygen to pass through and neutralize harmful species, while the same material properties block harmful moisture. The gas transmission characteristic, which could potentially allow moisture ingress, is transformed into a benefit by enabling oxygen supply for harmful species neutralization.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

Solution Approach 2:

The encapsulation structure uses composite materials with tailored properties. The gas barrier layer is composed of materials that exhibit selective permeability: high transmission for beneficial gas species (oxygen) and low transmission for harmful species (moisture). This composite material approach enables simultaneous achievement of gas supply for harmful species neutralization and moisture protection.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

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 introduction of air pockets reduces the negative impact of harmful species on the device performance by providing a reservoir for these species to escape, thereby minimizing their degrading effects and enhancing the stability of the electronic switching device arrays.

Implementation Method 1

one or more of said support structure and gasket define one or more inlets to said one or more gas pockets exhibiting a higher transmission for oxygen gas than for moisture

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectDiffusion: Diffusion

Implementation Method 2

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectChemical reaction:

Data Source

PatentUS9460976B2Encapsulated arrays of electronic switching devices

Publication Date: 2016.10.04 FLEXENABLE TECH LTD

AI summary

An electronic switching device array encapsulated in an encapsulating structure; wherein said array is exposed to one or more gas pockets between said array and said encapsulating structure.