Flexible Display Signal Line Testing via Resistance Patterns
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display devices lack effective methods for testing signal lines in non-display areas, particularly for detecting disconnections and defects, which are difficult to inspect due to their location and structural design.
Innovation Solution
A display device with a flexible substrate featuring a non-display area that includes a bending area and test patterns between signal lines, allowing for the determination of signal line disconnections by comparing the resistance of the test patterns with a testing device, thereby facilitating the detection of defects.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If signal lines are placed in the non-display area for routing purposes, then signal transfer functionality is improved, but the ability to test these signal lines is worsened due to inaccessibility and lack of testing structures
Solution Approach 1:
Test patterns are formed together with the signal lines during the same manufacturing process before the device is completed. This preliminary formation of test structures allows for subsequent testing of signal lines in the non-display area without requiring additional manufacturing steps or disassembly operations.
Solution Approach 2:
Test patterns serve as intermediary structures that are electrically connected to the signal lines. Instead of directly testing the signal lines themselves, the test patterns act as accessible mediators that can be probed and measured, thereby enabling indirect testing of the signal lines through these intermediate test structures.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the substrate is made flexible to enable bending, then adaptability and form factor options are improved, but the risk of signal line disconnection during bending is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
Test patterns are formed in advance during the manufacturing process, positioned to overlap with the bending area. This preliminary placement allows the test structures to be present before bending occurs, enabling post-bending testing to verify that signal lines have not disconnected due to the flexing operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The test patterns are specifically positioned to overlap with the bending area, creating a localized testing zone. This local placement ensures that the test structures are situated exactly where the signal lines are most vulnerable during bending, allowing for targeted verification of connection integrity in the critical region.
3Measurement precision
If test patterns are formed with the same material and strength as signal lines, then testing accuracy is improved, but manufacturing complexity is worsened due to additional layer requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The test patterns and signal lines are formed using the same materials and manufacturing processes, merging the formation of both structures into a unified manufacturing flow. This combining approach ensures material consistency for accurate testing while avoiding the need for separate, complex manufacturing steps for the test structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The same material layers and formation processes serve dual functions: creating both the functional signal lines and the test patterns. This multi-functionality approach allows a single manufacturing process to produce both operational and testing structures, reducing overall manufacturing complexity despite the additional testing capability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables easy determination of signal line disconnections and defects, improving the testing efficiency and reliability of display devices by using test patterns that share the same strength and material as the signal lines, even when the substrate is bent.
Implementation Method 1
determining whether the first test pattern is disconnected
Data Source
AI summary
A display device and a method of testing the same are disclosed. In one aspect, the display device includes a first substrate including a display area and a non-display area arranged outside the display area. The display device also includes a bending area arranged in the non-display area, first and second signal lines arranged in the non-display area, and a first test pattern arranged between the first and second signal lines.