OLED Display Panel Touch Function Layer Thickness Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing OLED display panels have a large thickness, which makes them unsuitable for bending and limits their flexibility and waterproofing.
Innovation Solution
The OLED display panel design includes a polarizer and touch function layer directly formed on an encapsulation layer, with concavities that penetrate through an inorganic protective sublayer and are filled with a barrier sublayer material, reducing thickness and improving bending resistance and flexibility, while enhancing waterproofing by combining the inorganic protective sublayer with the encapsulation layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If traditional multi-layer structure with separate polarizer and touch sensor layers is used, then the display panel achieves good optical performance and touch sensitivity, but the overall thickness becomes too large for bending applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the polarizer layer and touch sensor layer into a single integrated structure where the touch function layer is formed directly on the polarizer, eliminating separate adhesive layers and intermediate substrates. This consolidation reduces the overall panel thickness while maintaining both optical performance and touch sensitivity, enabling bending applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs thin-film structures for the touch function layer, inorganic protective sublayer, and barrier sublayer that can be formed directly on the polarizer. These thin films provide the necessary mechanical flexibility for bending while maintaining protective and functional properties, replacing traditional thick rigid layers.
2Ease of operation
If the panel thickness is reduced by removing layers, then bending capability is improved, but waterproofing and protection performance deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure consisting of an inorganic protective sublayer and an organic barrier sublayer. The inorganic layer provides mechanical strength and scratch resistance, while the organic barrier layer provides excellent moisture and oxygen barrier properties. This composite approach maintains waterproofing performance while enabling thin-film construction for bending applications.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a nested multi-layer protective structure where the barrier sublayer is formed within concavities of the inorganic protective sublayer. This nested configuration maximizes the protective function within minimal thickness, providing both mechanical protection and moisture barrier while maintaining flexibility for bending.
3Adaptability or versatility
If concavities are formed in the inorganic protective sublayer, then flexibility is improved, but structural integrity and protection performance worsen
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces concavities (recesses) into the inorganic protective sublayer at specific locations where stress concentration would occur during bending. These localized modifications allow the layer to flex more easily without compromising the overall structural integrity. The concavities are strategically positioned to maintain protection performance while enabling flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the inorganic protective sublayer by introducing concavities that create controlled discontinuities. This segmentation allows the layer to bend more easily by distributing stress across multiple segments rather than requiring the entire layer to deform uniformly, thereby improving flexibility while maintaining adequate protection.
Data Source
AI summary
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel, including an encapsulation layer, a polarizer, a touch function layer, an optical adhesive and a cover window, the polarizer is formed on the encapsulation layer. The touch function layer is formed on the polarizer. The optical adhesive is formed on the touch function layer. The cover window is formed on the optical adhesive. The touch function layer includes an inorganic protection sublayer, a first metal sublayer, a barrier sublayer, and a second metal sublayer formed on the polarizer in this order.