Flexible Substrate With Bendable Regions For Overlapping Chip Areas

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing Chip On Flex (COF) technologies are limited in reducing space occupation due to the rigidity of encapsulated IC chips and the need for a rigid circuit board, which contradicts the trend of miniaturization and lightweight electronic products.

Innovation Solution

A flexible substrate with bendable regions allows for the overlapping of chip regions when bended, reducing space occupation, and eliminates the need for a rigid circuit board by encapsulating peripheral circuits within the flexible substrate.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Volume of moving object

If IC chips are encapsulated on a flexible substrate using COF technique, then space occupation is reduced to an extent, but the flexible substrate can only change shape in a limited range due to the hardness of the encapsulated IC chips

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvespace occupationVSAvoidbending range

Core Design Contradiction:

Volume of moving objectVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The flexible substrate is divided into chip regions and bendable regions. The bendable regions are specifically designed without IC chips to allow flexible deformation, while chip regions maintain structural integrity. This segmentation enables the substrate to bend effectively without damaging the encapsulated chips.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the flexible substrate are designed with different properties: chip regions are designed to protect and support IC chips, while bendable regions are optimized for flexibility and deformation. This local differentiation allows the substrate to achieve both chip protection and bending capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Ease of manufacture

If a rigid circuit board is used to connect with the flexible substrate to form an integrated flex-rigid board, then peripheral circuits can be assembled, but the rigid circuit board has large volume and weight and occupies large space in the display module

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveperipheral circuit assemblyVSAvoidspace occupation

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of manufactureVSVolume of moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The peripheral circuit is integrated directly onto the flexible substrate, merging the functions of the flexible substrate and the rigid circuit board into a single component. This eliminates the need for a separate rigid circuit board, thereby reducing overall volume and weight while maintaining manufacturing capability.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The flexible substrate is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as both the flexible carrier for IC chips and the circuit board for peripheral circuits. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate rigid circuit boards, reducing space occupation in the display module.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS10314172B2Flexible substrate and display device

Publication Date: 2019.06.04 BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO LTD

AI summary

A flexible substrate and a display device are provided. The flexible substrate comprises at least two chip regions in which functional chips are arranged. A bendable region is arranged between two adjacent chip regions, the flexible substrate is bended at the bendable region, and two chip regions adjacent with the bendable region overlap. According to the present disclosure, the flexible substrate can be bended in the bendable region, so that chip regions on both sides of the bendable region overlap, thus decreasing the space occupied by the flexible substrate.