OLED Manufacturing Cutting Tolerance and Panel Yield
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Solution Overview
Problem
The conventional manufacturing process of organic light emitting diode displays is complex and inefficient due to the need for a two-step cutting process and large cutting tolerance, which reduces the number of display panels that can be produced from a mother substrate and lowers productivity.
Innovation Solution
A method is introduced where multiple panel areas on a mother substrate are set to have boundary lines contacting each other in both directions, allowing for the formation of thin film encapsulations using alternating deposition masks and subsequent one-step cutting to divide the substrate into display panels, simplifying the cutting process and increasing panel production.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a two-step cutting process is used with large cutting tolerance, then the cutting process is simpler, but the number of display panels produced from one mother substrate decreases and productivity lowers
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting process is divided into two sequential steps: first cutting along boundary lines in the row direction to create intermediate substrates, then cutting along boundary lines in the column direction to produce final display panels. This segmentation allows each cutting step to use larger tolerance while maintaining high panel yield
Solution Approach 2:
The mother substrate is pre-divided into multiple intermediate substrates along the row direction before the final column direction cutting. This preliminary action creates a structured intermediate state that enables more efficient final cutting and maximizes the number of usable panels
2Productivity
If panel areas are positioned with boundary lines contacting each other, then the number of display panels increases, but the cutting precision requirement increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cutting process is segmented into two independent directional cuts, allowing the total cutting tolerance to be distributed across two steps rather than requiring one high-precision cut. Each step can use larger individual tolerance while maintaining overall precision
Solution Approach 2:
The first cutting step creates intermediate substrates with pre-defined boundaries, establishing a reference framework that guides the second cutting step. This preliminary structuring reduces the cumulative error impact and maintains precision despite contact-type panel arrangement
3Manufacturing precision
If alternating deposition masks are used for odd and even columns, then thin film encapsulation quality improves, but the deposition process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The deposition process is segmented into separate operations for odd and even columns using different deposition masks. Each mask is optimized for its specific column type, allowing precise control of thin film encapsulation quality while maintaining manageable process complexity through systematic division
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 reduces cutting time and failure rates while increasing the number of display panels produced from a single substrate, enhancing productivity by allowing closer panel placement and reducing unused space between panels.
Implementation Method 1
forming a plurality of thin film encapsulations on the plurality of display units, respectively
Data Source
AI summary
A manufacturing method of an organic light emitting diode display includes: setting, on a mother substrate, a plurality of panel areas of which boundary lines contact each other in a row direction and a column direction; forming a plurality of display units in the plurality of panel areas, respectively; forming a plurality of thin film encapsulations on the plurality of display units, respectively; and cutting the mother substrate along the boundary lines to divide the mother substrate into a plurality of display panels. Forming of the plurality of thin film encapsulations includes forming the thin film encapsulations in panel areas positioned in a first column among the plurality of panel areas and forming the plurality of thin film encapsulations in panel areas positioned in a second column adjacent to the first column.