Flexible Display Wire Short-Circuit Prevention via Opening Angles

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Solution Overview

Problem

Flexible OLED display devices face issues with short-circuiting between wires in the frame area due to the removal of inorganic insulating films, which can lead to metal film residues and pattern defects during photolithography, causing wiring breakage and short-circuiting.

Innovation Solution

The display device features a resin substrate with a TFT layer, light-emitting elements, and a frame area with a bending portion that includes openings in the inorganic insulating film, allowing the top face of the resin substrate to be exposed and forming wires on both the film and substrate, with a specific angle configuration to prevent short-circuiting.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the inorganic insulating film is removed in the bending portion to prevent wiring breakage, then the flexibility and bendability are improved, but metal film residues remain between wires causing short-circuiting

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveflexibilityVSAvoidshort-circuiting prevention

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent applies local quality by creating openings with different angle configurations in specific regions. The opening has a first region with a first angle and a second region with a second angle, where the angles differ to prevent resist pattern formation issues. This localized angular variation addresses the short-circuiting problem in the bending portion while maintaining flexibility elsewhere.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The patent performs preliminary action by pre-forming openings with specific angle configurations in the inorganic insulating film before wire formation. The openings are designed with controlled angles to prevent metal film residues from forming in the first place, rather than attempting to remove residues after wire formation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

2Manufacturing precision

If photolithography is used to pattern metal films, then precise wire patterns are formed, but resist patterns fail to form correctly leaving metal film residues

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvewire pattern precisionVSAvoidresist pattern formation

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The patent modifies the local geometry of the opening to have different angles in different regions. The first region has a first angle and the second region has a second angle, creating a non-uniform angular structure that prevents resist pattern formation failures and eliminates metal film residues while maintaining precise wire patterning capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Data Source

PatentUS11342398B2Display device and method of manufacturing same

Publication Date: 2022.05.24 SHARP KK

AI summary

There are provided wires in a frame area. The wires run parallel to each other in a direction crossing a direction in which a bending portion is extended. An inorganic insulating film has an opening therethrough in the bending portion. A top face of a resin substrate is exposed in the opening. The wires are provided on the inorganic insulating film and on the top face of the resin substrate exposed in the opening. In the opening, the top face of the resin substrate and an end face of the inorganic insulating film make a smaller angle below between the wires than below the wires.