Flexible Light Emitting Transducer with Micro-patterned Substrate

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing light-emitting devices, such as LEDs and OLEDs, face challenges in flexibility and durability when bent, leading to cracks in encapsulation layers and electrodes, limiting their application to curved surfaces and introducing severe lifetime-reducing defects.

Innovation Solution

A flexible light-emitting transducer with a stretchable and compressible substrate featuring a micro-scale surface pattern of raised and depressed portions, allowing for bending in multiple directions without introducing severe defects, and incorporating a diode layer and electrodes that conform to the substrate pattern for enhanced mechanical characteristics.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If light-emitting devices are bent to achieve flexibility and adaptability to curved surfaces, then adaptability is improved, but cracks in encapsulation layers and electrodes occur, reducing reliability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveadaptability to curved surfacesVSAvoidcrack-free operation
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The device is divided into multiple independent layers (substrate, encapsulation layers, electrode layers, active layers) that can deform independently. This segmentation allows each layer to accommodate bending stresses separately, preventing crack propagation across the entire device structure.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent employs flexible thin film structures for encapsulation and electrode layers that can withstand bending without cracking. These thin films are designed with appropriate thickness and material properties to maintain integrity during flexing operations, enabling adaptability to curved surfaces while preserving reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

2Adaptability or versatility

If bending radius is reduced to achieve smaller curvature, then adaptability to tightly curved surfaces is improved, but severe lifetime-reducing defects are introduced, worsening reliability

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvebending capabilityVSAvoiddevice lifetime
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDuration of action of stationary object

Solution Approach 1:

Protective encapsulation layers are applied beforehand to cushion and distribute the mechanical stresses that occur during bending. These pre-applied protective layers absorb and分散 the stresses that would otherwise concentrate at critical points, preventing defect formation even at small bending radii and preserving device lifetime.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent optimizes physical parameters such as layer thickness, material composition, and structural geometry to enable bending at small radii without causing damage. By carefully controlling these parameters, the device achieves high adaptability to tightly curved surfaces while maintaining long operational lifetime free from bending-induced defects.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Adaptability or versatility

If flexible substrate structures are used to enable bending, then adaptability is improved, but internal stresses and random wavy structures cause layer cracking, reducing reliability

Engineering Contradiction:
ImproveflexibilityVSAvoidlayer integrity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The device structure is segmented into multiple thin layers that can deform independently, preventing the propagation of internal stresses that would cause cracking in a monolithic structure. This layered segmentation maintains flexibility while preserving layer integrity under stress.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple flexible thin film layers are used to create a structure that can accommodate bending without developing harmful internal stresses. The thin film configuration allows the structure to flex while maintaining layer integrity, avoiding the random wavy structures and stress concentrations that occur in less optimized flexible designs.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #30Flexible shells and thin films

Data Source

PatentUS11563053B2Light emitting transducer
Publication Date: 2023.01.24 FLEXUCELL
  • US11563053B2 patent drawing
  • US11563053B2 patent drawing
  • US11563053B2 patent drawing

AI summary

A light emitting transducer including a flexible sheet having a bottom side and a top side, the flexible sheet including a substrate that is stretchable and compressible, the substrate having a bottom substrate surface at the bottom side, and a top substrate surface facing towards the top side, the top substrate surface comprising a surface pattern of a plurality of raised and depressed micro-scale surface portions which extend in at least one direction; a light emitting diode layer above the substrate and conforming in shape to the top substrate surface, the light emitting diode layer corresponding with the surface pattern of the top substrate surface, wherein the light emitting diode layer has a bottom diode surface facing towards the bottom side, and a top diode surface facing towards the top side, a bottom electrode on the bottom diode surface, and a top electrode on the top diode surface.