Inorganic Sealing Layer Density Gradient for Moisture and Bending
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional display devices with inorganic sealing layers face challenges in maintaining moisture resistance while ensuring flexibility and resistance to bending, as reducing the thickness of the inorganic layer compromises its ability to prevent moisture ingress.
Innovation Solution
A display device with a sealing layer comprising a first inorganic layer, an organic layer, and a second inorganic layer where the density of the second inorganic layer changes in the thickness direction, incorporating a sparse film with lower density to enhance bending resistance and a dense film to prevent moisture entry, without increasing the overall thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If the thickness of the inorganic layer is reduced to ensure resistance to bending, then the flexibility and bending resistance are improved, but the moisture prevention capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating regions with different densities within the same inorganic layer. The first region has a higher density than the second region, allowing each region to serve different functions: the high-density region provides superior moisture barrier properties, while the low-density region offers enhanced flexibility and bending resistance. This spatial variation in material properties resolves the contradiction between moisture prevention and bending resistance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining regions of different densities within the inorganic layer. This creates a composite structure where the high-density region acts as a moisture barrier and the low-density region provides mechanical flexibility. The composite nature of the layer allows simultaneous achievement of both moisture prevention capability and bending resistance without requiring increased overall thickness.
2Volume of moving object
If the thickness of the inorganic layer is reduced, then the device can be downsized and flexibility improved, but the sealing performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent maintains effective sealing performance in a reduced-thickness device by implementing local quality variations. The high-density first region provides robust moisture and environmental barrier properties, ensuring sealing performance, while the overall reduced thickness of the inorganic layer enables device downsizing and improved flexibility. The localized high-density region compensates for the reduced overall thickness.
3Device complexity
If the inorganic layer is made thinner, then the device complexity is reduced and manufacturing is simplified, but the protection against harmful factors deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent addresses harmful factor protection with reduced complexity by using local quality variations within a single inorganic layer. The high-density first region specifically targets moisture ingress protection, while the overall simplified single-layer structure (compared to multiple layers) reduces device complexity. This approach provides effective protection against moisture and other harmful factors without requiring complex multi-layer structures.
Data Source
AI summary
A display device includes a light-emitting element layer that emits light with a luminance controlled for each of a plurality of unit pixels constituting an image, and a sealing layer provided on the light-emitting element layer and including a plurality of layers. The plurality of layers of the sealing layer includes at least an inorganic layer provided on the light-emitting element layer, an organic layer provided on the inorganic layer, and an inorganic layer that is an uppermost layer. A density of the inorganic layer that is the uppermost layer in a thickness direction changes in the thickness direction.