Flexible Display Insulating Layer Cutouts for Bending Stress Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flexible OLED display panels face challenges in the bending area, including increased bending stress, potential cracking of the insulating layer, and risk of short or open circuits due to steep slopes and sharp corners, which affect the display's performance and durability.
Innovation Solution
A flexible display apparatus with a flexible substrate featuring an insulating layer that includes cutouts with sloped sidewalls in the bending area, reducing bending stress and preventing short or open circuits by allowing the wires to follow the convex shape of the insulating layer, thereby minimizing the concentration of bending stress and ensuring smooth transitions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the insulating layer is made continuous and thick to ensure electrical insulation, then insulation performance is improved, but bending stress concentration increases causing cracking in the bending area
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating layer is segmented by introducing cutouts in the bending area, dividing the continuous layer into separate regions. This segmentation reduces stress concentration while maintaining insulation performance in the non-bending areas where the insulating layer remains intact.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating layer structure is made non-uniform by adding cutouts specifically in the bending area while maintaining full coverage in non-bending areas. This local modification reduces bending stress where needed while preserving insulation performance where required.
2Ease of manufacture
If the insulating layer has steep slopes and sharp corners to maximize cutout depth, then material removal is efficient, but wire integrity deteriorates due to short or open circuits
Solution Approach 1:
The cutout sidewalls are designed with sloped profiles instead of vertical walls, creating curved transitions that eliminate sharp corners. This curvature allows wires to follow the gradual slope without experiencing abrupt geometric changes that would cause stress concentration, short circuits, or open circuits.
3Stability of the object's composition
If the insulating layer thickness is reduced uniformly to decrease bending stress, then flexibility is improved, but insulation performance deteriorates in non-bending areas
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating layer thickness is modified locally by introducing cutouts only in the bending area, while maintaining full thickness in non-bending areas. This local thinning reduces bending stress where flexibility is needed while preserving insulation performance where electrical isolation is critical.
Data Source
AI summary
A flexible display apparatus is provided, including a flexible substrate including a bending area, an insulating layer formed on the flexible substrate and including at least one cutout at the bending area, and a plurality of wires configured following a surface shape of the insulating layer at the bending area. The at least one cutout includes sloped sidewalls protruding away from the flexible substrate.