Flexible Display Substrate Thinning via Halogen Etching
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The existing manufacturing methods for flexible display devices face challenges such as degraded TFT performance due to limited temperature constraints, air bubble formation, and damage during the peeling-off process, which affect the reliability and cost of production.
Innovation Solution
A method that involves forming display devices on a rigid substrate and then thinning one side to achieve flexibility, eliminating the need for temporary adhesives and high-temperature processes, and using etching with halogen elements to reduce substrate thickness, allowing for high-temperature processing without adhesives and minimizing manufacturing costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a rigid substrate is used during manufacturing to ensure stability and prevent deformation, then manufacturing precision and stability are improved, but the final product cannot achieve flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is segmented into two functional layers: a rigid support substrate used during manufacturing processes and a flexible final substrate. The rigid support substrate provides stability during TFT formation and other manufacturing steps, while the flexible substrate (such as plastic film) becomes the final flexible display device substrate, achieving both manufacturing precision and product flexibility
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid support substrate is temporarily attached to the flexible substrate in advance to provide support during manufacturing processes. This preliminary action ensures manufacturing stability during critical steps like TFT formation, and the support substrate is removed after manufacturing is complete, leaving the flexible substrate intact
2Ease of operation
If adhesives are used to attach the flexible substrate to the rigid support substrate, then ease of handling and stability during manufacturing are improved, but air bubbles form and reliability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive layer is completely removed from the manufacturing process. Instead of using adhesives to attach the flexible substrate to the rigid support substrate, the patent employs mechanical attachment methods or direct contact bonding that eliminates the adhesive layer, thereby preventing air bubble formation and improving display panel reliability
Solution Approach 2:
A release film or temporary support layer is introduced as an intermediary between the flexible substrate and the rigid support substrate. This intermediary layer facilitates easy attachment and detachment without requiring adhesives, preventing air bubbles while maintaining ease of handling during manufacturing
3Ease of manufacture
If the temperature is limited to below 150°C to allow adhesive peeling, then ease of manufacture is improved, but TFT performance degrades
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a disposable rigid support substrate that is temporarily used during manufacturing and then discarded. This eliminates the need for temperature-constrained adhesives, allowing high-temperature processing above 150°C to ensure optimal TFT performance while the support substrate is removed after manufacturing is complete
Solution Approach 2:
The temperature parameter is changed from the conventional limit of below 150°C to above 150°C by eliminating the adhesive constraint. This parameter change enables high-temperature manufacturing processes that improve TFT performance, driving voltage stability, and overall device reliability
4Manufacturing precision
If additional equipment is used to apply adhesive layer without air bubbles, then manufacturing precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The adhesive application process is completely removed from the manufacturing sequence. By eliminating the adhesive layer requirement, complex adhesive application equipment is no longer needed, reducing manufacturing costs while maintaining manufacturing precision through alternative attachment methods
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
This approach enhances the reliability of flexible display devices by enabling high-temperature processing without adhesives, reducing manufacturing expenses, and improving yield by eliminating the need for adhering and peeling-off processes, while maintaining compatibility with existing equipment.
Implementation Method 1
an etching solution is applied to a back surface of the substrate to remove surface portions of the substrate
Implementation Method 2
using etching with halogen elements to reduce substrate thickness
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a flexible display device in which a flexible substrate is acquired by forming display devices on one side of the substrate and thinning the substrate by removing surface portions on an opposite side of the substrate. The thickness of the substrate is changed from a first thickness, which gives rigidity to the substrate to the second thickness, which gives flexibility to the substrate.