Foldable Window Laser Grooving for Strength and Foldability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current window manufacturing technologies for flexible display devices face challenges in easily folding windows without using hazardous materials and are inefficient in terms of process time and cost.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of a CO2 laser beam to create grooves on the folding portion of the window, reducing its thickness while maintaining the thickness of non-folding portions for enhanced strength and surface quality, allowing for easier folding and eliminating the need for chemical etching processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If chemical etching process is used to thin the folding portion, then the window can be folded easily, but the manufacturing cost increases and hazardous materials are used
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the chemical etching process with a laser beam processing method. The laser beam directly ablates or melts the glass material to form grooves and thin the folding portion, eliminating the need for chemical etchants. This substitution of chemical process with a physical/thermal process resolves the contradiction by reducing manufacturing cost and eliminating hazardous materials while achieving the same foldability enhancement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the processing method from chemical etching to laser beam processing, altering the fundamental parameter of the manufacturing process. By using laser energy (optical/thermal parameter) instead of chemical reagents, the process achieves groove formation and thickness reduction without hazardous chemicals, thereby resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and foldability.
2Ease of operation
If chemical etching process is used to thin the folding portion, then the window can be folded easily, but the process time increases
Solution Approach 1:
The laser beam processing method replaces the multi-step chemical etching process, eliminating steps such as applying etchant, waiting for etching to occur, rinsing, and neutralization. The laser directly processes the glass in a single continuous operation, significantly reducing process time while achieving the same foldability enhancement.
Solution Approach 2:
The laser beam processing method skips multiple intermediate steps required in chemical etching (application of etchant, waiting period, rinsing, neutralization). The process rushes through the material removal step directly with laser energy, eliminating unnecessary waiting and handling time, thereby resolving the contradiction between process time and foldability.
3Ease of operation
If the folding portion is thinned to improve foldability, then the window can be folded easily, but the strength of the window decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating grooves specifically in the folding portion while leaving the non-folding portions with their original full thickness. This localized thinning through laser grooving provides the necessary flexibility for folding exactly where needed, while the thicker non-folding portions maintain the overall structural strength and rigidity of the window.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the window into different functional zones: folding portions with laser-formed grooves for flexibility, and non-folding portions with full thickness for strength. This segmentation allows each zone to optimize its properties independently, resolving the contradiction between foldability and overall window strength.
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 method reduces manufacturing costs, shortens process time, and ensures a safer environment by using a low-cost CO2 laser beam, while improving the window's strength and foldability.
Implementation Method 1
irradiating a laser beam to a front surface of the folding portion of the window to form a first groove in the front surface of the folding portion
Implementation Method 2
The laser beam may include a CO2 laser beam. The laser beam may have a wavelength in a range of about 9 μm to about 11 μm.
Data Source
AI summary
A manufacturing method of a window includes providing a window including a first non-folding portion, a second non-folding portion, and a folding portion disposed between the first and second non-folding portions and irradiating a laser beam to a front surface of the folding portion of the window to form a first groove in the front surface of the folding portion. The first and second non-folding portions and the folding portion are arranged in the window in a first direction, first processing areas extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction and arranged in the first direction are defined in the front surface of the folding portion, and the laser beam is irradiated at least once to each of the first processing areas in the second direction.