Flexible Display Conductive Lines with Split-Merge Trace Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible displays face challenges in minimizing inactive areas for higher screen-to-bezel ratios due to the fragility of components formed directly on the base substrate, which are prone to mechanical and environmental stresses during bending, leading to potential component failure and display issues.
Innovation Solution
A flexible display design featuring conductive lines with a trace design that splits and merges at angles away from the curvature tangent, with insulation layers of greater width, focusing bending stress on specific stress points and reinforcing them to withstand bending, and using multi-layered conductive lines and strain-reducing trace designs to minimize crack initiation and propagation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the base substrate is bent to minimize inactive area, then the screen-to-bezel ratio is improved, but the components become vulnerable to mechanical stresses and may fail
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive line is divided into multiple sub-traces that split and rejoin at angles away from the curvature tangent. This segmentation allows the conductive path to accommodate bending stresses by distributing strain across multiple segments rather than concentrating it in a single continuous line, thereby maintaining electrical integrity while enabling substrate bending for minimized inactive area.
Solution Approach 2:
The conductive line features localized variations in width and trace design at specific locations along its path. These local modifications create stress distribution patterns that concentrate bending stresses at predetermined points rather than uniformly across the entire conductive line, protecting critical components from mechanical failure while allowing overall substrate flexibility.
2Length of moving object
If the bending radius is reduced to enhance flexibility, then the display can be more compact, but the mechanical stress on components increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive line trace design incorporates angular deviations from the curvature tangent, creating a non-linear path that better accommodates the curved bending geometry. This curved trace design with strategic angular deviations allows the conductive line to follow the substrate's curvature more naturally, reducing stress concentration and enabling smaller bending radii without compromising component reliability.
3Area of stationary object
If components are formed directly on the base substrate to reduce inactive area, then the screen-to-bezel ratio is improved, but the components become extremely fragile to mechanical and environmental stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive line design incorporates preemptive stress management features, including angular deviations and width variations, that are built into the trace geometry before the bending stress is applied. These design elements act as pre-configured stress relief mechanisms that cushion the components against mechanical and environmental stresses, preventing crack initiation and propagation while maintaining the compact integrated structure.
4Reliability
If the conductive line width is increased to reduce resistance, then the electrical performance is improved, but the trace design flexibility for stress management is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive line features localized width variations at specific positions along its path, with wider sections at critical points for reduced resistance and angular deviations at other points for stress management. This local quality approach allows the trace design to simultaneously optimize both electrical performance and mechanical flexibility by applying different width characteristics at different locations rather than using a uniform width throughout.
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a flexible display having a plurality of innovations configured to allow bending of a portion or portions to reduce apparent border size and/or utilize the side surface of an assembled flexible display.