Inkjet Display Spacers for Uniform Organic Layer Formation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display devices face challenges in forming an organic layer evenly throughout a substrate using the inkjet process, leading to inadequate strength against external pressure due to poor spreadability of the ink layer.
Innovation Solution
The use of spacers with specific shapes and arrangements, such as circles, regular polygons with five or more sides, or regular polygons with rounded corners, on the insulation layer to improve ink spreadability and support the mask during the inkjet process, ensuring a continuous and even organic layer formation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If the inkjet process is used to form the organic layer, then the manufacturing complexity is reduced, but the spreadability of the ink layer deteriorates leading to non-uniform coverage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming spacers on the substrate before the inkjet process. These spacers serve as pre-positioned structures that guide and facilitate the spreadability of the ink layer during the subsequent organic layer formation, ensuring uniform coverage while maintaining the simplicity of the inkjet manufacturing process
Solution Approach 2:
The spacers act as intermediary elements between the substrate and the ink layer. They mediate the interaction by providing a structured surface that enhances ink spreadability and ensures uniform distribution of the organic material across the substrate, resolving the contradiction between ease of manufacture and manufacturing precision
2Ease of manufacture
If the ink layer has poor spreadability, then the manufacturing process is simpler, but the strength against external pressure deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The spacers are formed in advance before the organic layer deposition, creating a pre-structured surface that enhances ink spreadability. This preliminary structuring allows the ink layer to spread uniformly and form a continuous, strong coating that resists external pressure, while maintaining the simplicity of the manufacturing process
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the substrate surface by introducing spacers with specific geometries (size, shape, spacing). This parameter change transforms the surface properties to enhance ink wettability and spreadability, resulting in a more uniform organic layer with improved mechanical strength against external pressure
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
This approach enhances the strength of the display device against external pressure by improving the spreadability of the ink layer and ensuring a uniform organic layer coverage, thereby increasing its durability.
Implementation Method 1
improving spreadability of a dropped ink layer in an inkjet process
Data Source
AI summary
A display device includes: a substrate; an insulation layer that is positioned on the substrate and includes a plurality of openings; a plurality of emission layers that are positioned in the openings; and a plurality of spacers that are positioned on the insulation layer, wherein an area where the emission layers are positioned defines light emitting regions on a plane, at least one of the spacers has a shape of a circle, a regular polygon having five or more sides, or a regular polygon with at least one rounded corner and five or more sides, a planar area of at least one of the spacers is larger than a planar area of the smallest light emitting region, and the number of the spacers positioned in the predetermined region is at least 30% of the number of the light emitting regions arranged in the predetermined region.