Flexible Substrate With Segmented Insulating Base
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible substrates with electrical elements face challenges in preventing wiring damage due to stress caused by bending or stretching, which existing measures such as honeycomb-shaped openings or meandering wiring shapes do not adequately address.
Innovation Solution
A flexible substrate configuration that includes an insulating base with island-shaped portions, meandering scanning and signal lines, a first organic insulating film, a stopper layer between the insulating films, and a barrier layer on top, which helps to suppress cracks and reduce the risk of wiring breakage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If honeycomb-shaped openings are provided in the base or wiring is shaped into a meandering manner, then wiring damage from stress is partially prevented, but the overall reliability and crack suppression capability remain insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The base is divided into multiple island-shaped portions separated by gaps, creating a segmented structure that disperses stress across multiple regions. This segmentation prevents stress concentration at single points and reduces the likelihood of crack propagation through the wiring, thereby improving wiring reliability without requiring complex meandering patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
An inorganic insulating film is introduced as an intermediary layer between the organic insulating film and the base. This intermediary layer has higher mechanical strength and crack resistance, acting as a protective mediator that prevents cracks from propagating from the base through the wiring, thus enhancing wiring reliability while maintaining a simpler overall structure.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the base is made more flexible to accommodate bending, then flexibility is improved, but wiring damage from stress increases
Solution Approach 1:
The base is segmented into multiple island-shaped portions with gaps between them, allowing each segment to move independently during bending. This segmentation enables the base to accommodate flexing while distributing mechanical stress across multiple regions, preventing stress concentration that would otherwise damage the wiring and maintain wiring reliability during flexible operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite structure combining organic and inorganic insulating films with different mechanical properties. The inorganic insulating film provides high mechanical strength and crack resistance, while the organic film provides flexibility and elasticity. This composite material approach allows the substrate to be flexible while protecting the wiring from stress damage.
3Reliability
If wiring is shaped into a meandering manner to reduce stress, then wiring breakage is reduced, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The base is divided into multiple island-shaped portions separated by gaps, creating a segmented structure that naturally disperses stress across multiple regions. This segmentation eliminates the need for complex meandering wiring patterns by providing inherent stress distribution through the base structure itself, thereby maintaining wiring breakage resistance while reducing manufacturing precision requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The inorganic insulating film serves as an intermediary layer that provides mechanical reinforcement and crack resistance. This intermediary structure protects the wiring from stress-induced breakage without requiring the wiring to be shaped into complex meandering patterns, thus maintaining reliability while simplifying manufacturing precision requirements.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a flexible substrate including, an insulating base including first strip portions, second strip portions, and island-shaped portions each located at an intersection between the first strip portions and the second strip portions, electrical elements overlapping the island-shaped portions, respectively, scanning lines extending while overlapping the first strip portions, respectively, signal lines extending while overlapping the second strip portions, respectively, a first organic insulating film, a second organic insulating film, a stopper layer located between the first and second organic insulating film, and a barrier layer located on the second organic insulating film.