Fine Alignment Key for Large Display Substrate Precision
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods face difficulties in aligning mask and target substrates for large and ultra-large display devices, particularly during the manufacturing of thin-film structures, due to challenges in exposure and design precision.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a fine alignment key inside the active area of the target substrate, which allows for precise alignment with a mask substrate using an external alignment key, enabling accurate exposure and overcoming alignment issues in large and ultra-large display device manufacturing.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If an external alignment key is used for aligning mask substrate and target substrate, then alignment is feasible for large-sized display devices, but alignment precision deteriorates for ultra-large display devices
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment key is segmented into two parts: a first alignment key located outside the active area and a second alignment key located inside the active area. This segmentation allows the external alignment key to provide coarse alignment for large-sized devices while the internal fine alignment key provides precise alignment for ultra-large devices, resolving the contradiction between device size and alignment precision.
2Ease of manufacture
If alignment key is disposed outside target substrate, then alignment process is simplified, but exposure precision deteriorates due to distance from active area
Solution Approach 1:
The alignment key system is divided into two functional segments: an external alignment key for simplified alignment process and an internal fine alignment key for precise exposure. The external key maintains process simplicity while the internal key ensures exposure precision by being positioned close to the active area where thin-film structures are formed.
Solution Approach 2:
The second alignment key inside the active area acts as an intermediary between the external alignment key and the exposure process. It translates the coarse alignment from the external key into precise positioning for exposure, mediating between the simplicity of external alignment and the precision requirements of internal exposure.
Data Source
AI summary
A display device and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The display device includes a lower substrate, subpixels positioned on the lower substrate, and a fine alignment key positioned in at least one of the subpixels. The method of manufacturing the display device includes forming an alignment key outside a target substrate and forming a fine alignment key inside an active area defined as a display area on the target substrate, aligning the target substrate and a mask substrate using the alignment key and the fine alignment key, and performing an exposure operation using the target substrate and the mask substrate.