Transparent Display Spacer Layout for Stable Cell Gap and Crack Blocking
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Solution Overview
Problem
Transparent display apparatuses face issues such as foreign substance generation due to cell gap collapse and substrate sagging, leading to pixel defects, moisture penetration, and reduced viewing angle, along with increased power consumption and dark spot defects.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a spacer between the substrate and opposing substrate to maintain the cell gap, use of an inorganic encapsulation layer to prevent crack propagation and moisture penetration, and disconnection of the encapsulation layer in support areas to enhance robustness and reduce power consumption.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the cell gap between the lower substrate and upper substrate is maintained using conventional methods, then foreign substance generation is reduced, but the cell gap cannot be sufficiently increased and substrate sagging occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the support structure into multiple components: spacers positioned at specific locations between substrates, and support areas formed by discontinuous encapsulation layers. This segmentation allows the cell gap to be maintained at multiple points simultaneously, enabling greater overall cell gap increase while preventing substrate sagging and foreign substance generation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces spacers as intermediary elements between the lower substrate and upper substrate. These spacers act as mediators that physically maintain the cell gap at critical locations, allowing the encapsulation layer to be discontinuous in support areas while still preventing substrate collapse and sagging.
2Reliability
If the encapsulation layer is continuous to prevent moisture penetration, then moisture blocking is improved, but crack propagation cannot be blocked and device robustness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The encapsulation layer is divided into display areas (continuous for moisture protection) and support areas (discontinuous to block cracks). This segmentation allows the encapsulation layer to serve dual functions: protecting against moisture in display regions while preventing crack propagation in support regions where discontinuities act as crack arrestors.
Solution Approach 2:
The encapsulation layer has different structural qualities in different regions: continuous in display areas for moisture blocking, and discontinuous in support areas for crack resistance. This local quality variation optimizes the encapsulation layer's performance for different functional requirements within the same device.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the cell gap is increased to improve viewing angle, then viewing angle is improved, but foreign substance generation increases due to cell gap collapse
Solution Approach 1:
The spacers and support areas are positioned in advance at critical locations before the device operates. This preliminary action ensures that the cell gap is maintained at these locations, preventing cell gap collapse and foreign substance generation while allowing the overall cell gap to be increased for improved viewing angle.
4Reliability
If the encapsulation layer is continuous to prevent dark spot defects, then defect prevention is improved, but power consumption increases due to reduced lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The encapsulation layer is segmented into continuous display areas for defect prevention and discontinuous support areas that block crack propagation. This segmentation extends the light-emitting element lifespan by preventing crack-induced failures, thereby reducing power consumption over the device's operational lifespan while maintaining defect prevention capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A transparent display apparatus comprises: a substrate having a plurality of pixels each having a transmissive area and a plurality of subpixels; an opposing substrate disposed on the substrate; an encapsulation layer provided to partially cover the opposing substrate; and a spacer disposed between the opposing substrate and the substrate and overlapping the transmissive area, the opposing substrate includes a support area overlapping the spacer, and the encapsulation layer is disconnected in at least a portion of the support area.