Thin-Film Glass Electrode Layout for Foldable Display Crack Detection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Display devices using glass cover windows face challenges with impact resistance and crack detection, particularly in flexible devices where cracks can occur during manufacturing and affect durability and reliability.
Innovation Solution
A display device design featuring a thin film glass with chamfered corners and a first electrode on its surface to detect micro-cracks, using a transparent or black metal electrode to identify cracks by refractive index differences or voltage differences in the liquid crystal, enhancing crack detection and reducing stress concentration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a thin film glass (thickness 0.1 mm or less) is used to achieve folding characteristics, then the folding capability is improved, but the impact resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite structure combining glass and plastic materials. The cover window comprises a glass layer (0.03-0.08 mm thick) bonded to a plastic layer, creating a composite structure that leverages the optical clarity and hardness of glass while gaining flexibility and impact resistance from the plastic layer, thus resolving the contradiction between thinness for folding and strength for impact resistance
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs a thin film glass structure with thickness of 0.1 mm or less, specifically 0.03-0.08 mm, bonded to a flexible plastic layer. This thin film composite structure enables the cover window to bend and fold while maintaining protective functions, achieving folding capability without completely sacrificing strength through the composite construction
2Adaptability or versatility
If the thickness of glass cover window is reduced to improve folding characteristic, then the flexibility is improved, but the crack resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The glass-plastic composite structure provides both flexibility for folding and crack resistance. The plastic layer acts as a protective cushion that prevents crack propagation in the thin glass layer, while the bonded composite maintains structural integrity during folding operations, thus improving both folding characteristic and crack resistance simultaneously
Solution Approach 2:
The plastic layer is bonded to the glass layer in advance to provide cushioning protection. This pre-established protective layer absorbs and distributes stress during folding and impact, preventing crack formation and propagation in the thin glass before they can occur, thereby improving crack resistance while maintaining folding capability
3Shape
If a glass cover window is used to improve appearance characteristic, then the aesthetic quality is improved, but the detection of micro-cracks becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a color-changing or light-reflecting layer on the plastic side of the composite cover window. This layer creates optical contrast that makes micro-cracks visible through color differences or light reflection patterns, allowing easy detection of cracks while maintaining the aesthetic appearance of the glass cover from the external side
4Adaptability or versatility
If the thickness of glass is limited to maintain flexibility, then the folding capability is improved, but the rigidity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The composite structure of thin glass (0.03-0.08 mm) bonded to a plastic layer creates a structure with optimized rigidity-flexibility balance. The glass layer provides surface rigidity and optical properties, while the plastic layer provides flexibility and shock absorption, enabling the cover to maintain both folding capability and sufficient rigidity for protective function
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 design effectively detects and suppresses cracks in thin film glass, improving durability, reliability, and folding characteristics by minimizing crack propagation and foreign material penetration.
Implementation Method 1
an electrode which is disposed in a thin film glass easily detects a micro-crack which occurs in the thin film glass
Implementation Method 2
uses a transparent or black metal electrode to identify cracks by refractive index differences or voltage differences in the liquid crystal
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a display device. The display device includes a flexible substrate including an active area and a non-active area which encloses the active area; a light emitting diode disposed on the flexible substrate; a thin film glass disposed on the light emitting diode; and a first electrode disposed on a top surface of the thin film glass, in the non-active area. Accordingly, an electrode which is disposed in a thin film glass easily detects a micro-crack which occurs in the thin film glass.