OLED Inspection Signal Line Segmentation for ESD Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Organic light emitting displays (OLEDs) are prone to damage from electrostatic discharge (ESD) during manufacturing, leading to erroneous operations and potential shorts between signal lines due to excessive voltage concentration, which can damage insulation where signal lines intersect.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating inspection signal lines that are discontinuous at regions overlapping the power source supply line, with ends of the discontinuous inspection lines coupled through a conductive region under the inspection signal line, to prevent shorts and insulation damage from ESD.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If signal lines are made continuous for ease of manufacture and electrical connectivity, then manufacturing simplicity is improved, but insulation damage and short circuits occur due to ESD voltage concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The inspection signal line is divided into two separate segments at the region overlapping with the power source supply line. This segmentation prevents direct electrical contact between the inspection signal line and power source supply line, eliminating the risk of insulation damage and short circuits caused by ESD voltage concentration, while still allowing the inspection signal line to fulfill its monitoring function through the conductive region connection.
2Reliability
If inspection signal lines are made discontinuous to prevent ESD damage, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
A conductive region is introduced as an intermediary element beneath the inspection signal line to connect the two discontinuous segments. This intermediary structure provides a safe electrical path that maintains signal continuity for inspection purposes while physically isolating the inspection signal line from the power source supply line, thus preventing ESD damage without requiring complex routing changes.
3Reliability
If the distance between power source supply line and inspection signal line is increased to prevent ESD, then insulation protection is improved, but signal line layout flexibility is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The connection between the discontinuous inspection signal line segments is achieved in a different spatial dimension by placing the conductive region underneath the inspection signal line rather than alongside it. This vertical stacking approach maintains adequate horizontal spacing for ESD protection while achieving electrical connectivity through the third dimension, thus preserving layout flexibility.
Data Source
AI summary
A light emitting display and a method of manufacturing the same. The light emitting display includes a substrate, a plurality of first and second signal lines that cross each other on the substrate, a plurality of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) coupled between the first signal lines and the second signal lines, a power source supply line for supplying a power source voltage to the OLEDs, and a plurality of inspection signal lines coupled to at least one of the first signal lines or the second signal lines. At least one of the inspection signal lines is discontinuous at a region overlapping the power source supply line and ends of the discontinuous inspection signal line at the region overlapping the power source supply line are coupled to each other through a conductive region under the inspection signal line.