Repair Layer for Flexible Display Panel Crack Sealing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Flexible and non-flexible display panels are prone to micro-cracks due to mechanical stress, leading to poor display performance and high repair costs, with existing technologies lacking effective crack repair mechanisms.
Innovation Solution
A display panel design featuring a substrate with a pixel array, an inorganic insulating layer, a first repair layer in the non-display area that covers the edge of the insulating layer, and a light source to autonomously trigger the repair function, allowing the repair layer to fill cracks and improve adhesion between layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a display panel is made flexible to improve adaptability and user experience, then the display panel can be bent and stretched, but micro-cracks occur more easily due to mechanical stress
Solution Approach 1:
A repair layer is pre-formed on the substrate before the inorganic insulating layer is deposited. This repair layer is positioned to cover potential crack locations in advance, so that when cracks occur during flexible deformation, the repair layer is already in place to fill and seal them, preventing harmful factors from entering through the cracks
Solution Approach 2:
The display panel structure combines multiple materials with different properties: a flexible substrate, an organic repair layer with good flexibility and crack-filling capability, and an inorganic insulating layer with high hardness and insulation properties. This composite structure allows the flexible substrate to deform while the inorganic layer provides structural support and the repair layer provides crack sealing
2Strength
If the inorganic insulating layer is made harder to improve insulation and structural stability, then the layer provides better protection, but the layer becomes more prone to cracking under mechanical stress
Solution Approach 1:
The flexible repair layer is deposited beforehand to serve as a cushioning layer between the substrate and the rigid inorganic insulating layer. This cushioning layer absorbs and distributes mechanical stress, preventing stress concentration that would cause the hard inorganic layer to crack, while still allowing the inorganic layer to provide its insulation and structural functions
Solution Approach 2:
A flexible repair layer is introduced as a thin film structure that can deform with the substrate during bending and stretching. This flexible film follows the contour changes of the substrate and provides continuous coverage, preventing cracks in the overlying rigid inorganic insulating layer by accommodating mechanical deformation
3Reliability
If repair layers are added to prevent and repair cracks, then the service life and stability of the display panel are improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The repair layer is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it serves as an adhesive layer bonding the substrate to the inorganic insulating layer, as a flexible cushioning layer that absorbs stress during deformation, and as a repair material that fills and seals cracks. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate layers for each function, thereby limiting the increase in structural complexity while achieving improved reliability
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
The solution effectively prevents crack expansion into the display area, extends the service life of the display panel, and reduces the likelihood of new cracks by actively initiating the repair process without external stimulation, allowing for timely repair and improved user experience.
Implementation Method 1
a light source, where the light source is located in the non-display area and configured to provide light to the first repair layer to trigger the repair function
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a display panel and a display device. The display panel includes: a substrate and a pixel array, where the pixel array is located on a side of the substrate, and the pixel array includes at least one inorganic insulating layer, and an edge of the inorganic insulating layer are located in the non-display area; a first repair layer, where the first repair layer is located in the non-display area, the first repair layer is located on a side of the inorganic insulating layer facing away from the substrate, the first repair layer covers the edge of the inorganic insulating layer, the first repair layer is in contact with the substrate, and the first repair layer has a repair function; and a light source, where the light source is located in the non-display area and configured to provide light to the first repair layer to trigger the repair function.