Sub-Pixel Circuit Valley Layout to Limit Display Cracks
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Solution Overview
Problem
Display devices with light emitting diodes face challenges in maintaining display quality under external impacts, such as physical stress, which can lead to fine cracks and degradation of image quality.
Innovation Solution
The display device incorporates a substrate with a scan line, data line, transistors, and an auxiliary transistor, along with inorganic and organic insulating layers, to form a sub-pixel circuit structure that includes a valley defined in the inorganic insulating layer, allowing for robustness against external impacts and minimizing crack propagation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional sub-pixel circuit structure is used, then the device complexity is low, but the reliability deteriorates under external impacts due to fine cracks
Solution Approach 1:
The sub-pixel circuit is divided into two separate sub-pixel circuit areas (first and second areas) positioned at opposite sides of the valley. This segmentation isolates the circuits from each other, preventing crack propagation between them while maintaining individual circuit functionality, thus improving reliability without significantly increasing overall complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The valley structure acts as an intermediary element between the first and second sub-pixel circuit areas. This physical separation structure serves as a buffer zone that absorbs external impacts and prevents stress transmission between adjacent circuits, enhancing reliability while adding minimal structural complexity
2Manufacturing precision
If the sub-pixel circuit area is increased, then the manufacturing precision improves, but the object-affected harmful factors increase due to larger area exposed to external impacts
Solution Approach 1:
By dividing the circuit into two separate sub-pixel circuit areas separated by the valley, the design allows each area to be optimized for manufacturing precision independently, while the valley itself acts as a protective barrier that reduces the harmful effects of external impacts on the overall structure
3Reliability
If transistors are arranged to control luminance, then the display quality improves, but the reliability deteriorates under external impacts
Solution Approach 1:
The valley structure serves as an intermediary protective element that physically separates the first and second sub-pixel circuit areas. This separation prevents fine cracks generated by physical stress in one area from propagating to the other area, thereby maintaining display quality and reliability under external impacts
Data Source
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AI summary
A display device is disclosed that includes a substrate, a scan line disposed on the substrate and extending in a first direction, a data line disposed on the substrate and extending in a second direction crossing the first direction, a first transistor disposed on the substrate and including a first semiconductor layer and a first gate electrode overlapping the first semiconductor layer, a second transistor including a second semiconductor layer electrically connected to the first transistor and the data line, and a second gate electrode overlapping the second semiconductor layer and electrically connected to the scan line, at least one inorganic insulating layer disposed on the substrate, an auxiliary transistor disposed at an opposite side to the second transistor with a valley defined in the at least one inorganic insulating layer therebetween, wherein the auxiliary transistor is electrically connected to the data line and the scan line.