OLED Substrate Cutting via Bump Stress Distribution
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
The cutting process in manufacturing organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays can damage the encapsulation substrate, allowing external oxygen and moisture to penetrate and reduce the lifespan of the OLED, as the existing methods do not effectively prevent stress-induced damage during the cutting of substrates.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of bumps and a sealant on the upper mother substrate, where the bumps are aligned and melted along with the sealant to attach the substrates, and then cut along specific lines to minimize stress concentration and prevent damage, using frit glass material for the bumps and sealant, and ensuring the bumps are not hardened after melting to facilitate easy removal and reduce substrate damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the upper mother substrate is cut after attaching to the lower mother substrate, then the display units can be separated, but the encapsulation substrate may be damaged by cutting stresses
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces multiple cutting lines (first cutting line between sealant and bumps, second cutting line through bumps) to divide the upper mother substrate into multiple display units. The segmentation of the cutting process into multiple stages with different cutting lines allows stress to be distributed rather than concentrated in a single cut, preventing damage to the encapsulation substrate while achieving separation of display units.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent forms bumps on the upper mother substrate before the cutting process. These bumps serve as preliminary stress-absorbing elements that are strategically positioned along the cutting paths. When cutting occurs, the bumps absorb and distribute the mechanical stresses, preventing direct stress transmission to the encapsulation substrate, thus protecting it from damage while enabling successful separation.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional cutting methods are used on the upper mother substrate, then cutting can be completed, but external oxygen and moisture can penetrate through damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs bumps as cushioning elements positioned beforehand along the cutting paths on the upper mother substrate. These bumps act as stress-absorbing cushions during the cutting process, preventing excessive stress concentration that would otherwise cause cracks or damage to the encapsulation substrate. By cushioning the cutting stresses in advance, the method ensures the encapsulation remains intact, maintaining its barrier function against oxygen and moisture penetration while still allowing cutting to be completed.
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 method effectively reduces damage to the OLED display during the cutting process, enhancing the sealing and protection of the organic light emitting elements from oxygen and moisture, thereby extending the lifespan of the OLED by minimizing stress concentration and dispersing cutting stresses across multiple bumps.
Implementation Method 1
melting and hardening the sealant to attach the lower mother substrate to the upper mother substrate
Implementation Method 2
melting the bumps after aligning the upper mother substrate and the lower mother substrate
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display according to an exemplary embodiment includes: forming a display unit displaying an image and a driver positioned near the display unit to drive a light emitting element of the display unit in a lower mother substrate; forming a sealant and a plurality of bumps in an upper mother substrate; aligning the lower mother substrate and the upper mother substrate to face each other; melting and hardening the sealant to combine the lower mother substrate and the upper mother substrate; cutting the upper mother substrate; and cutting the lower mother substrate, wherein the cutting of the upper mother substrate is performed according to a first cutting line between the sealant and the bumps and a second cutting line corresponding to the bumps.