Flexible Display Bending Area Crack Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible displays are prone to damage due to cracking caused by their flexible nature, which affects their reliability and manufacturing costs.
Innovation Solution
A flexible display structure is designed with a flexible substrate that includes an active area, an inactive area, and a bending area, where inorganic layers are disposed in the active and inactive areas but not in the bending area to prevent crack generation, and a buffer layer is used in the non-bending area to support connection lines, reducing bending-related damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If inorganic layers are disposed in the active area and inactive area on the flexible substrate, then the display function is improved, but cracks are generated at the bending area reducing reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The inorganic layers are selectively removed from the bending area while being retained in the active and inactive areas. This extraction of the rigid inorganic material from the bending region eliminates the source of cracks during flexing, while preserving the display functionality in areas where the layers are not removed.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible display structure has different compositions in different regions: the active and inactive areas contain inorganic layers for display function, while the bending area consists only of flexible organic layers. This local differentiation allows each region to have the properties needed for its specific function - rigidity where display is needed, flexibility where bending occurs.
2Productivity
If a buffer layer is disposed on the substrate to support connection lines, then manufacturing efficiency is improved, but the structure complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The buffer layer serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a structural support for the connection lines, provides a platform for subsequent layer deposition, and helps manage mechanical stress in the flexible display. This multi-functionality improves manufacturing efficiency without requiring separate dedicated structures for each function.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible display includes a flexible substrate including an active area, an inactive area extending from the active area, and a bending area extending from the inactive area; a plurality of inorganic layers on the flexible substrate in the active area and in the inactive area; a signal line on the inorganic layers and extending from the active area to the inactive area; and a connection line electrically connected to the signal line and extending to the bending area from the inactive area; in which the inorganic layer is not disposed in the bending area so that cracks are prevented upon bending.