OLED Display Hole Drilling for Analog Timepiece Hands
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Solution Overview
Problem
The challenge is to integrate a digital OLED display device with an analog timepiece without exposing the moisture-sensitive active layers of the OLED to the atmosphere, as the hour and minute hands' axes must pass through the display device, which is not feasible due to the sensitivity of OLEDs to air and humidity.
Innovation Solution
A method is developed to create a hole in the OLED display device for the axes to pass through, where a protrusion on the cover is sealed against humidity and oxygen, and the spacer and cathode layers are omitted at the protrusion area to prevent delamination during hole drilling, ensuring the active layers remain protected.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a hole is drilled through the OLED display device to allow passage of hour and minute hands, then the analog timepiece functionality is enabled, but the active layers and cathode layer are exposed to air and humidity causing delamination and device destruction
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the problematic spacer and cathode layers from the region where the hole will be drilled through the cover. By selectively removing these layers only in the area corresponding to the future hole location, the structure allows hole formation without exposing the sensitive active layers to moisture and air, thus enabling analog hand passage while maintaining OLED integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention performs a preliminary action by creating a resist pattern in the spacer and cathode layers before drilling the hole. This resist pattern is formed in advance to protect the active layers during the subsequent hole drilling process, preventing moisture ingress and delamination while allowing the hole to be created for analog hand passage
2Stability of the object's composition
If the spacer layer and cathode layer are present at the protrusion area, then the OLED structure is complete, but delamination occurs during hole drilling through the cover
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the spacer and cathode layers from the protrusion area where the hole will be drilled. This selective removal eliminates the delamination problem during drilling while maintaining the complete OLED structure in all other areas, thus improving manufacturability without compromising layer integrity
Solution Approach 2:
The invention applies local quality by creating a resist pattern only in the specific region where the hole will be drilled through the protrusion. This localized modification allows the hole drilling process to proceed without delamination in the critical area while maintaining the complete layer structure elsewhere, thus facilitating manufacturing
3Reliability
If the cover is sealed to protect the OLED layers, then moisture protection is achieved, but no passage is available for the hour and minute hands
Solution Approach 1:
The invention extracts the spacer and cathode layers from the protrusion area to create a clear path for the hole. This allows the cover to be sealed for moisture protection while simultaneously enabling a passage for the analog hands, as the removed layers would otherwise block the hole formation process
Solution Approach 2:
The invention segments the cover structure by adding a protrusion that extends from the cover toward the substrate. This protrusion is then selectively modified by removing spacer and cathode layers from it, creating a localized passage area. The rest of the cover remains fully sealed, thus achieving both protection and hand passage functionality
Data Source
Figure 1A~1B
Figure 1C~1D
Figure 1E~1G
AI summary
The OLED device (34) has anode layer (8), insulating layer (10), spacer layer (18), active hole injection layer (24), active hole transport layer (26), active electron transport layer (28) and cathode layer (30) that are laminated on a substrate (1). The spacer layer and cathode layer have respective exclusion areas that are located plumb with the protuberance (36) of a cover (40). A hole (48) is formed in the protuberance, penetrates through the substrate, and having diameter that is smaller than the geometrical dimensions of the protuberance. Independent claims are included for the following: (1) a method of manufacturing OLED device; and (2) a timepiece.