Flexible Array Substrate with Thickened Peripheral Region
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current flexible display technologies face challenges in ensuring the strength of the unfoldable region without complicating the manufacturing process, particularly in maintaining a flat surface at folded regions.
Innovation Solution
A flexible array substrate with a thicker peripheral region, formed using a base plate with concave structures, where the thicker substrate extends to the display region to enhance strength and simplify the manufacturing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the flexible substrate is folded at its ends to enhance strength, then the strength of the peripheral region is improved, but an additional folding process is required and it is difficult to ensure a flat surface at the folded region
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible substrate is designed with different thicknesses at different locations: the display region has a first thickness while the peripheral region has a second thickness greater than the first thickness. This local variation in thickness provides enhanced strength at the peripheral region without requiring additional folding processes, thereby resolving the contradiction between strength enhancement and process complexity
2Strength
If the flexible substrate is folded at its ends to enhance strength, then the strength of the peripheral region is improved, but it is difficult to ensure a flat surface at the folded region
Solution Approach 1:
By making the peripheral region thicker than the display region, the substrate inherently gains strength where needed without requiring folding. The thicker peripheral region maintains structural integrity and flatness simultaneously, eliminating the surface flatness issues associated with folded structures
3Strength
If a thicker flexible substrate is used at the peripheral region, then the strength is improved, but the manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base plate is pre-designed with a concave structure before the flexible substrate is formed. This preliminary design of the base plate automatically creates the thicker peripheral region during the substrate formation process itself, eliminating the need for subsequent additional processing steps to create the thickened peripheral region
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides an array substrate, a flexible display device, and a method for manufacturing an array substrate. The array substrate includes a flexible substrate arranged at a display region and a peripheral region, and an array layer formed on the flexible substrate. The flexible substrate arranged at the display region has a first thickness, and at least a portion of the flexible substrate arranged at the peripheral region has a second thickness greater than the first thickness. According to the array substrate of the present disclosure, the flexible substrate arranged at the peripheral region is provided with a thickened portion so as to meet the strength requirement of an unfoldable region. Meanwhile, the thickened portion can be formed in a single process through a base plate having a corresponding concave structure, and as a result, it is able to reduce the process complexity.