Flexible Substrate Thickness Gradient for Foldable Display Stress
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible substrates used in foldable display panels are prone to breakage or peeling in bending regions, affecting the display effect due to high bending stress.
Innovation Solution
A display panel design with a flexible substrate featuring reduced thickness in the bending region, achieved through grooves and layers, to mitigate bending stress, including a thinning process that etches the substrate in the bending region to minimize thickness disparities between bending and non-bending areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the flexible substrate maintains uniform thickness throughout, then the substrate structure is simple and easy to manufacture, but the substrate is prone to breakage or peeling in bending regions due to high bending stress
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating a thickness gradient in the flexible substrate where the thickness varies from the first region (non-bending) to the second region (bending). Specifically, the substrate thickness is reduced in the bending region through controlled removal of material, creating different local thickness characteristics that optimize both structural integrity and flexibility. This local variation in thickness allows the substrate to better withstand bending stresses while maintaining manufacturing feasibility through controlled etching processes.
2Reliability
If the flexible substrate thickness is reduced in the bending region, then the bending stress is reduced and substrate integrity is improved, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by systematically varying the thickness parameter of the flexible substrate across different regions. The thickness transition from the first region to the second region is achieved through controlled etching that removes material in a gradient manner. This parameter variation is implemented using photomask patterns that define the etching regions, allowing precise control over the thickness profile while maintaining a systematic manufacturing approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-defining the thickness gradient pattern through photomask design before the actual etching process. The photomask is configured with specific patterns that determine where material removal will occur, establishing the thickness variation in advance. This preliminary patterning allows the subsequent etching process to proceed in a controlled and systematic manner, reducing manufacturing complexity despite the varying thickness requirements.
3Stress or pressure
If grooves are added to reduce substrate thickness in bending region, then bending stress is mitigated, but the substrate structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the flexible substrate into distinct regions with different thickness characteristics. The substrate is segmented into a first region (non-bending area with greater thickness) and a second region (bending area with reduced thickness). This segmentation is achieved through controlled etching that creates depth variations, effectively dividing the substrate structure into zones with optimized thickness for their specific functional requirements, thereby reducing bending stress in the critical region.
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
The reduced thickness in the bending region decreases bending stress, preventing substrate breakage or peeling, ensuring structural and functional integrity and enhancing display panel performance.
Implementation Method 1
performing a thinning process on the flexible substrate in the bending region so that a thickness of the flexible substrate in the bending region is less than a thickness of the flexible substrate in the non-bending region
Data Source
AI summary
A display panel and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The display panel includes a flexible substrate, the flexible substrate includes a bending region and a non-bending region, and a thickness of the flexible substrate in the bending region is less than a thickness of the flexible substrate in the non-bending region.