Flexible OLED Display Penetrations for Mask-Free Complex Designs
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Solution Overview
Problem
The flexibility of the substrate in organic light-emitting displays makes it difficult to handle during manufacturing, and applying new designs is challenging due to the use of fine metal masks (FMMs) on rigid supporting substrates.
Innovation Solution
A display apparatus with a flexible substrate featuring a first and second penetrating portion, surrounded by dams, and an encapsulator with an organic encapsulation layer, along with a method involving laser-cutting and simultaneous formation of dams and pixel defining films to facilitate separation from a supporting substrate.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a flexible substrate is used in organic light-emitting displays, then the display exhibits wide viewing angle and fast response speed, but the substrate becomes difficult to handle during manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
A rigid supporting substrate is introduced as an intermediary carrier during the manufacturing process. The flexible substrate is formed on this rigid supporting substrate, which provides mechanical stability and ease of handling during fabrication. After manufacturing is complete, the flexible substrate is separated from the supporting substrate, allowing the display to maintain its flexible characteristics while having been manufactured with the advantages of rigid substrate handling.
2Ease of manufacture
If fine metal masks are used on rigid supporting substrates, then layers can be formed, but applying new designs to the display area becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The manufacturing process is segmented into two distinct phases: first, forming the necessary layers on a rigid supporting substrate using conventional fine metal masks; second, separating the flexible substrate with the formed layers from the supporting substrate. This segmentation allows the benefits of rigid substrate manufacturing to be utilized temporarily, while the final product achieves design flexibility through the flexible substrate architecture with penetrating portions.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible substrate is preliminarily formed on the rigid supporting substrate before final separation. This preliminary formation allows conventional manufacturing techniques to be applied initially, and then the substrate is prepared for separation to achieve the final flexible display structure with design freedom.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the flexible substrate is separated from the supporting substrate, then the flexible substrate can be used, but handling difficulties arise during manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
The rigid supporting substrate serves as a temporary intermediary that enables easy handling during the entire manufacturing process. The flexible substrate remains attached to this intermediary carrier throughout fabrication, and only after manufacturing is complete is the flexible substrate separated from the supporting substrate for final use.
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 efficient manufacturing of organic light-emitting displays with complex designs by reducing handling difficulties and allowing for the formation of penetrating holes without specialized masks, thereby lowering manufacturing costs.
Implementation Method 1
laser-cutting the thin-film transistor unit and the flexible substrate along the first area
Data Source
AI summary
A display apparatus includes a flexible substrate, a thin-film transistor unit, and a light-emitting unit. The flexible substrate includes a display area has a first area, a peripheral area which is adjacent to the display area, and a first penetrating portion corresponding to the first area. The thin-film transistor unit is in the display area and at least a portion of the peripheral area. The thin-film transistor unit includes a thin-film transistor and an insulation layer and has a second penetrating portion at a location corresponding to the first penetrating portion. The light-emitting unit is on the thin-film transistor unit and includes a pixel electrode, an intermediate layer including an emission layer, and a counter electrode.