Foldable Substrates with Blunted Edges and Recessed Centers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional glass-based and plastic substrates with small minimum bend radii suffer from poor impact and puncture resistance, while thicker glass-based substrates with good impact and puncture resistance have large minimum bend radii, creating a need for foldable apparatus with low minimum bend radii and enhanced resistance.
Innovation Solution
The development of foldable substrates with glass-based or ceramic-based portions, featuring a recessed central surface area and blunted edges, which provide increased impact and puncture resistance while maintaining small bend radii, achieved through specific thickness ranges and chemical strengthening techniques.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Shape
If plastic substrates with small minimum bend radii are used, then the foldable display can achieve small bend radii, but impact and puncture resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the material parameters by transitioning from plastic to glass-based or ceramic-based substrates, which have inherently higher strength and stiffness. This parameter change enables the substrate to maintain small bend radii while simultaneously achieving improved impact and puncture resistance, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structures, specifically combining glass-based or ceramic-based materials with polymer layers to create a multi-layer foldable substrate. This composite approach allows the rigid glass or ceramic layer to provide strength and resistance to impact and puncture, while the polymer layers provide flexibility and enable small bend radii, thus resolving the contradiction between strength and flexibility.
2Shape
If ultra-thin glass-based sheets with small minimum bend radii are used, then the foldable display can achieve small bend radii, but impact and puncture resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the thickness parameter of the glass-based or ceramic-based substrate to a specific range (50-200 micrometers). This parameter optimization ensures the substrate is thin enough to achieve small bend radii while maintaining sufficient thickness to provide adequate impact and puncture resistance, resolving the contradiction between flexibility and strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by combining the glass-based or ceramic-based substrate with polymer layers. The glass or ceramic layer provides the necessary strength and rigidity for impact and puncture resistance, while the polymer layers contribute to flexibility and enable small bend radii, thus resolving the contradiction between strength and flexibility in ultra-thin substrates.
3Strength
If thicker glass-based sheets with good impact and puncture resistance are used, then impact and puncture resistance is improved, but minimum bend radius increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent optimizes the thickness parameter of the glass-based or ceramic-based substrate to a specific range (50-200 micrometers), which is thinner than conventional thick glass substrates. This optimized thickness provides sufficient strength and stiffness for impact and puncture resistance while being thin enough to achieve small bend radii, resolving the contradiction between strength and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a composite material structure combining glass-based or ceramic-based materials with polymer layers. The glass or ceramic layer provides the necessary strength for impact and puncture resistance, while the polymer layers provide flexibility and enable small bend radii, thus resolving the contradiction between strength and flexibility without requiring excessive thickness.
4Stability of the object's composition
If glass-based substrates are used, then dimensional stability and impact resistance are improved, but device complexity increases due to additional processing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary actions by pre-strengthening the glass-based or ceramic-based substrate through chemical strengthening processes before final assembly. This preliminary strengthening ensures the substrate has the required mechanical properties and dimensional stability before being integrated into the foldable display, reducing the need for additional corrective processing steps and thereby reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by controlling the chemical strengthening parameters (such as ion exchange conditions, temperature, and time) to achieve the desired mechanical properties and dimensional stability in the glass-based or ceramic-based substrate. By optimizing these parameters, the substrate attains the required performance with a straightforward processing approach, minimizing device complexity.
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 solution enhances the impact and puncture resistance of foldable substrates while allowing for small minimum bend radii, reducing mechanical instabilities and improving folding performance.
Implementation Method 1
The portions can comprise glass-based and/or ceramic-based portions, which can provide good dimensional stability, reduced incidence of mechanical instabilities, good impact resistance, and/or good puncture resistance
Implementation Method 2
The first portion and/or the second portion can comprise glass-based and/or ceramic-based portions comprising one or more compressive stress regions, which can further provide increased impact resistance and/or increased puncture resistance
Implementation Method 3
the substrate can comprise a first portion, a second portion, and a central portion positioned between the first portion and the second portion... the central portion can comprise a central thickness that is less than a substrate thickness... Providing foldable substrates comprising a central portion comprising a central thickness that is less than a substrate thickness can enable a small parallel plate distance
Implementation Method 4
Providing a blunted edge between the first major surface and the second major surface and/or between the first central surface area and the second major surface can increase an impact resistance and/or decrease an incidence of failure of the foldable substrate
Data Source
AI summary
Foldable substrates comprise a first portion, a second portion, and a central portion positioned therebetween. The central portion comprises a first central surface area recessed from a first major surface by a first distance and a second central surface area. A second major surface comprises the second central surface area. A blunted edge extends around an entire periphery of the foldable substrate. The blunted edge comprising a first blunted surface area where the blunted edge meets the first major surface and a second blunted surface area where the blunted edge meets the second major surface. Methods comprise laminating the foldable substrate with support layers before removing a peripheral portion of an initial edge of the foldable substrate to form an intermediate edge. The intermediate edge is contacted with an etchant to form the blunted edge. Methods further comprise removing the support layers from the foldable substrate.