Flexible Display Substrate Multi-Layer Trace Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible display substrates face challenges in maintaining robustness and minimizing bezel size while accommodating bending and curving, as existing designs are prone to cracking and breaking due to stress concentration at single trace layers.
Innovation Solution
A flexible display substrate design featuring a trace layer with a first and second trace layer connected through insulating through-holes, which distributes bending stress and provides multiple contact points for electrical connectivity, along with a touch electrode layer reuse and flexible insulating materials to reduce impedance and bezel size.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If a single trace layer is used in flexible display substrates, then the device complexity is reduced, but the substrate becomes prone to cracking and breaking due to stress concentration during bending
Solution Approach 1:
The trace layer is divided into multiple discrete segments arranged in different layers, connected through through-holes. This segmentation distributes bending stress across multiple points and layers, preventing stress concentration that would cause cracking in a single continuous trace layer.
Solution Approach 2:
The trace structure transitions from a single two-dimensional layer to a three-dimensional multi-layer configuration. By stacking trace layers at different heights and connecting them vertically through through-holes, the design adds a vertical dimension that distributes mechanical stress and improves flexibility robustness.
2Reliability
If multiple trace layers are added to improve robustness, then the substrate reliability increases, but the device complexity and bezel size increase
Solution Approach 1:
The through-holes serve multiple functions simultaneously: they provide electrical connectivity between trace layers, act as stress distribution points during bending, and reduce the overall material required. This multi-functionality increases robustness without proportionally increasing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The multi-layer trace structure is nested within a compact vertical space, with each trace layer and the insulating layer containing through-holes arranged in a space-efficient manner. This nesting approach maximizes structural robustness while minimizing the horizontal footprint and bezel size.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the trace layer is made more flexible to accommodate bending, then the substrate adaptability improves, but the electrical connectivity and signal transmission may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The continuous trace is segmented into discrete sections across multiple layers, connected by through-holes. This segmentation allows each segment to flex independently during bending while maintaining overall electrical connectivity through the vertical connections, preserving both flexibility and signal transmission.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure relates to a flexible display substrate including: a flexible base substrate, and a trace layer arranged on the flexible base substrate, wherein the trace layer includes a first trace layer and a second trace layer, an insulating layer is arranged between the first trace layer and the second trace layer, the insulating layer comprises through-holes, the first trace layer and the second trace layer are electrically connected with each other through the through-holes, the first trace layer includes a first trace, and the second trace layer includes a plurality of discrete second traces.