Roll Printing Mask Pattern Width Matching for Display Pads
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Solution Overview
Problem
The micro-photolithography process faces challenges in forming ultrafine patterns less than 100 μm on substrates, requiring costly equipment and increasing start-up costs, with prolonged and complex processes, and defects can occur in roll printing due to deviations in pattern widths.
Innovation Solution
A method of fabricating display devices using a roll printing process where lines and pads are formed with similar widths, preventing defects by minimizing pattern width deviations during the printing process, involving the formation of conductive layers and mask patterns on substrates using rollers with patterned resin composite layers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If photolithography process is used to form ultrafine patterns less than 100 μm, then pattern precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases due to costly equipment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the photolithography process (optical/mechanical system requiring expensive equipment) with a direct printing process that uses a roller to physically deposit material patterns. This mechanical substitution eliminates the need for costly exposure apparatus while achieving comparable pattern formation capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a roller with a printing surface that can be relatively simply manufactured and replaced if needed, substituting for expensive, complex photolithography equipment. The roller serves as a disposable or replaceable component that enables pattern formation without requiring high-cost infrastructure.
2Manufacturing precision
If photolithography process is used to form ultrafine patterns, then pattern precision is improved, but process time is prolonged and process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates multiple intermediate steps from the photolithography process sequence (exposure, baking, development, etching, cleaning) by replacing them with a single direct printing operation. This extraction of unnecessary steps simplifies the overall process while maintaining pattern precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple discrete process steps (pattern transfer, material deposition, and definition) into a single integrated printing operation. The roller simultaneously performs the functions of pattern definition and material placement, merging what were previously separate sequential steps into one unified process.
3Adaptability or versatility
If patterns with different widths are attached to the roller, then versatility is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to deviation in pattern widths
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies different local qualities to different regions of the roller's printing surface, with each region having a specific pattern width optimized for its intended function (lines in display region, pads in pad region). This local differentiation maintains precision by ensuring each area has the appropriate pattern characteristics for its specific purpose.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a method of fabricating a display device. The method includes providing a substrate in which a display region and a pad region formed around the display region are defined, forming a conductive layer on the substrate, forming a mask pattern by rolling a roller on the conductive layer, and patterning the conductive layer using the mask pattern to form a line in the display region and a pad in the pad region. The pad is formed of a pattern having a second width corresponding to a first width of the line.