Sparse MicroLED Array Lamination for See-Through Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current micro-LED display technologies face challenges in achieving high efficiency and brightness while maintaining the optical properties of the surface on which they are mounted, particularly in direct-view displays where the LEDs occupy a small fraction of the display area, and there is a need for flexible and protective substrates that can accommodate curved or irregularly shaped surfaces.
Innovation Solution
A sparse array of LEDs is disposed on a transparent flexible substrate, which is then laminated onto a rigid substrate with an adhesive layer, allowing the LEDs to be encapsulated and protected, while maintaining transparency and optical functionality, enabling applications on various surfaces including curved or irregularly shaped ones.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a dense LED array is used to achieve high brightness and efficiency, then the light output is improved, but the optical properties of the underlying surface are altered or blocked
Solution Approach 1:
The LED array is configured as a sparse array where individual LEDs are separated by significant spacing, dividing the display area into discrete light-emitting segments that allow the underlying transparent surface to remain visible and maintain its optical properties between the LEDs
Solution Approach 2:
The display employs different optical characteristics in different regions: the LED regions provide high brightness and light emission, while the interspersed transparent surface regions maintain their original optical properties, creating a spatially varying structure that satisfies both requirements simultaneously
2Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid substrate is used to support the LED array, then structural stability is improved, but flexibility and adaptability to curved surfaces are reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The substrate is designed as a flexible thin film or membrane structure that can conform to curved and irregular surfaces while providing sufficient mechanical support for the LED array, eliminating the need for rigid backing structures
Solution Approach 2:
The display structure transitions from a traditionally rigid planar substrate to a flexible membrane that can deform in three-dimensional space, allowing adaptation to various surface geometries while maintaining structural integrity through the membrane's inherent tensile strength
3Reliability
If additional cover layers are added to protect the LEDs, then reliability is improved, but the number of manufacturing steps and device complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function is merged with the substrate itself by incorporating a protective coating layer directly onto the flexible substrate, eliminating the need for separate cover glass or protective layers that would add complexity and manufacturing steps
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible substrate serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides mechanical support for the LED array, enables flexibility and conformability to various surfaces, and incorporates protective properties through its coating layer, reducing the need for additional dedicated protective components
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 configuration enhances the efficiency and brightness of micro-LED displays by allowing them to be applied to diverse surfaces without altering the optical properties, providing protection, and reducing the need for additional cover layers, while enabling the display of information through transparent materials.
Implementation Method 1
a transparent rigid substrate adhered to the transparent flexible substrate via an adhesive layer in which the sparse array of microLEDs is encapsulated
Data Source
AI summary
A display that contains a sparse array of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), including a related system and method of fabrication are disclosed. The display includes at least one panel disposed in or on a transparent material to provide a display on one or both sides of the material. Each tile has a transparent flexible substrate, a sparse array of LEDs disposed on the transparent flexible substrate, a rigid substrate adhered to the transparent flexible substrate via an adhesive layer in which the sparse array of LEDs is encapsulated, and a driver disposed on an edge of the tile and configured to drive the LEDs. The LEDs are sparse enough to enable information to be displayed through the transparent material while still enabling a viewer to see through the transparent material.