Bendable OLED Display Panel with Segmented TFT and Organic Filling

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Solution Overview

Problem

Bendable OLED display panels face challenges in achieving high resolution, have complex manufacturing processes, and experience electrical property drifts in thin film transistors during bending, leading to display performance issues.

Innovation Solution

The display panel is divided into bending and non-bending areas, with a thin film transistor in the non-bending area connected to the pixel electrode in the bending area through a metal trace, and the organic filling layer featuring via holes filled with photoresist to reduce stress and prevent wire breakage.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If the display panel is made bendable by etching inorganic film layer and filling organic photoresist, then flexibility is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases and high resolution cannot be achieved

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveflexibilityVSAvoidmanufacturing complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The display panel is divided into a bending area and a non-bending area, with the thin film transistor layer positioned only in the non-bending area. This segmentation allows the bending area to be optimized for flexibility while the non-bending area maintains functional integrity, avoiding the need to etch inorganic film layers across the entire panel and simplifying the manufacturing process.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the display panel are assigned different structural characteristics: the bending area uses only organic filling layer with via holes for flexibility, while the non-bending area contains the thin film transistor layer for functionality. This local differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing each region to be optimized for its specific function without compromising the other.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

2Reliability

If the thin film transistor layer is disposed in the bending area to maintain device functionality, then electrical connection is improved, but wire breakage risk increases during bending

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveelectrical connectionVSAvoidwire breakage risk

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The thin film transistor layer is extracted from the bending area and positioned exclusively in the non-bending area. This removes the vulnerable component from the stress-prone region, eliminating the risk of wire breakage during bending while maintaining electrical connection through carefully designed via holes and conductive structures that bridge the bending and non-bending areas.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

3Reliability

If the thin film transistor layer is disposed in the non-bending area to prevent wire breakage, then bending reliability is improved, but manufacturing process becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvebending reliabilityVSAvoidmanufacturing process complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Adaptability or versatility

If inorganic film layer is etched in bending area to release stress, then flexibility is improved, but resolution and manufacturing difficulty are adversely affected

Engineering Contradiction:

ImproveflexibilityVSAvoidresolution

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses a composite structure with organic filling layer materials that inherently provide stress release properties without requiring inorganic film layer etching. This composite approach maintains high resolution by avoiding complex etching patterns while achieving the necessary flexibility through the organic material properties and via hole configuration.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #40Composite materials

Data Source

PatentUS20230209913A1Display panel, manufacturing method thereof, and display device

Publication Date: 2023.06.29 WUHAN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS SEMICONDUCTOR DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO LTD

AI summary

A display panel, a manufacturing method thereof, and a display device are provided. The display panel is divided into a bending area and a non-bending area, and includes a thin film transistor layer corresponding to the non-bending area, an organic filling layer corresponding to the bending area, and a pixel electrode. The pixel electrode in the bending area is connected to a source of the thin film transistor layer in the non-bending area through a metal trace, the organic filling layer includes a plurality of second via holes, and an organic photoresist is filled in the plurality of second via holes.