Flexible Display Bezel Reduction via Pad Inversion
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional flexible display devices face limitations in reducing the width of the bezel area due to the presence of pads for connecting driving and exterior circuits, which affects aesthetics and usability.
Innovation Solution
A flexible display device design that includes a substrate with a display area and a non-display area, featuring a link area and a pad area, where the pads are positioned on the lower surface of the substrate by bending the substrate in a specific manner, and the use of insulation films and anti-etching layers to minimize stress and prevent defects during bending.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If pads are disposed on the upper surface of the substrate in the non-display area, then connection to driving circuits is enabled, but the bezel width increases
Solution Approach 1:
The pads are moved from the upper surface (2D plane) to the lower surface of the substrate, utilizing the third dimension (depth/thickness) to resolve the spatial conflict between minimizing bezel width and maintaining circuit connection functionality
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of placing pads on the conventional upper surface, the invention inverts the arrangement by positioning pads on the lower surface of the substrate, allowing the front surface to be fully dedicated to display area
2Length of moving object
If the substrate is bent to position pads on the lower surface, then bezel width is reduced, but stress on insulation films increases causing cracks
Solution Approach 1:
Bending holes are created to remove portions of the insulation films in the bending area, extracting the problematic material that would otherwise crack under bending stress while maintaining the structural integrity of the remaining insulation layers
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation film structure is made non-uniform by creating bending holes only in specific locations where bending occurs, allowing the insulation film to be absent in high-stress areas while maintaining continuity in other areas
3Reliability
If bending holes are formed through insulation films, then stress during bending is reduced, but foreign matter may intrude into the device
Solution Approach 1:
A sealing layer is introduced as an intermediary component that fills and seals the bending holes, preventing foreign matter intrusion while allowing the structural benefit of reduced stress during bending
Solution Approach 2:
The bending hole region is filled with sealing material to create a composite structure that combines the flexibility benefit of the hole with the protective function of the sealing material, preventing foreign matter entry
Data Source
AI summary
Discussed is a flexible display device to reduce a width of a bezel. The flexible display device includes a substrate being formed of a flexible material, a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines crossing each other, a plurality of pads formed in a pad area of a non-display area, a plurality of links formed in a link area of the non-display area a plurality of insulation films formed over the entire surface of the substrate, and a first bending hole formed in a bending area of the non-display area, the first bending hole passing through at least one of the insulation films disposed under the link, wherein the bending area is bent such that the pads are disposed on the lower surface of the substrate.