Surface Modifying Layer for Flexible Substrate Separation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for manufacturing flexible display devices face challenges in separating inflexible glass substrates from carrier substrates without damaging them, due to strong adhesive forces, which can lead to substrate breakage during the separation process.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the formation of a surface modifying layer with a silane compound or metal oxide on the process substrate, which reduces the adhesive strength between the substrate and the carrier, allowing for easier separation by creating a hydrophobic interface that weakens the bonding force, enabling the substrate to be separated with less force and minimizing damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a conventional glass substrate is used without surface modification, then strong adhesive force is achieved between substrate and carrier, but substrate breakage occurs during separation
Solution Approach 1:
A surface modifying layer is formed on the substrate before mounting it on the carrier substrate. This preliminary modification creates a hydrophobic surface that will later allow easy separation without breaking the substrate, thus resolving the contradiction between achieving strong adhesion and preventing breakage during separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The surface properties of the substrate are changed by forming a surface modifying layer with different hydrophobicity. This parameter change in surface energy allows the substrate to exhibit strong adhesive force to the carrier during manufacturing, while enabling easy separation later without substrate breakage.
2Device complexity
If flexible substrate is mounted directly on carrier substrate, then manufacturing process is simplified, but separation becomes difficult and causes substrate damage
Solution Approach 1:
The surface modifying layer is formed in advance on the flexible substrate before carrier mounting. This preliminary action ensures that the substrate will be easy to separate from the carrier after device fabrication, resolving the contradiction between process simplification and separation ease.
3Ease of manufacture
If surface modifying layer with different hydrophobicity is formed, then separation ease is improved, but manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The surface energy parameter of the substrate is modified by forming a surface modifying layer. Although this adds a process step, it significantly improves separation ease and prevents substrate breakage, making the overall manufacturing more reliable and cost-effective despite the additional complexity.
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 method effectively reduces the adhesive strength between the substrate and carrier, allowing for successful separation of flexible substrates, even after thermal annealing, and enables the use of flexible substrates in display devices without breaking, thus facilitating the manufacturing of flexible display devices.
Implementation Method 1
forming a silane compound layer including self-assembled monolayer on the process substrate
Implementation Method 2
The surface modifying layer has a hydrophobicity different from a hydrophobicity of the process substrate
Implementation Method 3
The surface modifying layer may include a metal oxide. The metal oxide may include indium-zinc oxide (IZO), indium-tin oxide (ITO), indium-tin-zinc oxide (ITZO), or germanium-zinc oxide (GZO)
Data Source
AI summary
The method of manufacturing a device substrate includes forming a surface modifying layer on a process substrate. The surface modifying layer has a different hydrophobicity from that of the process substrate. The process substrate is disposed on a carrier substrate. The surface modifying layer is disposed between the process substrate and the carrier substrate. A device is formed on the process substrate. The process substrate is separated from the carrier substrate.