Ultra-Thin Glass Substrate Edge Processing for Foldable Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing process of ultra-thin glass substrates for foldable smartphones is complex, costly, and plagued by high defect rates due to issues such as adhesive residue, uneven etching, and equipment sensitivity, leading to low yield and high production costs.
Innovation Solution
A method involving laser cutting and chemical tempering to form slits and rounded edges, replacing traditional dispensing and laminating processes, and using micro-etching to enhance strength and flexibility, reducing the need for acid-proof adhesives and simplifying the edge treatment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If traditional dispensing and laminating processes are used for edge treatment, then adhesive bonding is achieved, but adhesive residue remains on glass surfaces causing uneven edges and defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the dispensing and laminating steps from the edge treatment process, extracting the harmful adhesive application环节. Instead of bonding glass edges with adhesive, the method directly etches the edges after laser cutting, eliminating the source of adhesive residue and subsequent edge defects.
Solution Approach 2:
Rather than using adhesive to bond edges and then removing excess adhesive, the patent inverts the approach by directly etching the glass edge material itself. The etching process removes glass material to create rounded edges without requiring any adhesive, fundamentally reversing the conventional bonding-then-cleaning sequence.
2Manufacturing precision
If CNC cutting is used for edge treatment on ultra-thin glass, then precise cutting is achieved, but equipment sensitivity causes broken edges and missing parts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical CNC cutting system with a laser cutting system followed by chemical etching. The laser provides contactless cutting without mechanical pressure, and the subsequent chemical etching softly rounds the edges without the risk of mechanical breakage, thereby maintaining precision while improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the cutting mechanism from mechanical force (CNC) to thermal energy (laser), and then uses chemical reaction (etching) to finish the edges. This parameter change from mechanical to thermal-chemical processes eliminates the pressure-related defects while achieving the desired edge precision and rounding.
3Shape
If chemical etching is performed on glass sheets with adhesive, then edge rounding is achieved, but adhesive penetration causes non-uniform thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs laser cutting to create slits and remove adhesive-containing edge portions before chemical etching. This preliminary action eliminates the adhesive barrier that would otherwise penetrate and cause non-uniform thickness during the subsequent etching process, ensuring both edge rounding and thickness uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the glass sheet by creating slits through laser cutting at the edges. This segmentation separates the edge regions from the bulk material, allowing selective removal of adhesive-laden edge portions and enabling clean chemical etching of the glass material without adhesive interference.
4Ease of manufacture
If manual separation is used for debonding adhesive, then adhesive removal is achieved, but glass sheets are easily broken during the process
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes adhesive-containing edge portions through laser cutting before any separation process. By eliminating the adhesive at the source during the cutting stage, there is no need for subsequent manual debonding operations that would expose the glass to breakage risks.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces laser cutting as an intermediary process between glass cutting and any potential adhesive removal. This intermediary step cleanly separates the glass from adhesive through vaporization and material removal, avoiding direct mechanical manipulation that could cause breakage.
5Ease of manufacture
If multiple process steps are used for edge treatment, then comprehensive processing is achieved, but production time increases and yield decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cutting and edge treatment processes into a single integrated workflow. Laser cutting performs both the primary cutting and creates slits for adhesive removal, followed immediately by chemical etching that completes the edge rounding in one continuous sequence, eliminating separate dispensing, laminating, and separation steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary laser cutting to create slits and remove adhesive portions before chemical etching. This preliminary action consolidates multiple functions (cutting, adhesive removal, edge preparation) into one step, reducing the total number of subsequent process steps and improving production efficiency.
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 method improves yield from 47.2% to 91.4%, reduces production time, and lowers costs by simplifying processes and using thicker, cheaper glass sheets, while maintaining impact and bending strengths.
Implementation Method 1
cutting each to-be-cut glass substrate along an edge of the non-bendable region through a laser to obtain a glass substrate
Implementation Method 2
performing a chemical tempering operation on the glass substrate
Implementation Method 3
performing micro-etching treatment on a surface of the chemically-tempered glass substrate
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing an ultra-thin glass substrate, including: providing a large glass sheet including a plurality of to-be-cut glass substrates, each to-be-cut glass substrate including a bendable region and a non-bendable region arranged at two sides of the bendable region along a first direction; cutting each to-be-cut glass substrate along an edge of the bendable region to form two slits arranged opposite to each other; performing a double-sided thinning operation on the large glass sheet, and performing an edge etching operation on the edge of the bendable region; cutting each to-be-cut glass substrate along an edge of the non-bendable region through a laser to obtain a glass substrate; performing a chemical tempering operation on the glass substrate; and performing micro-etching treatment on a surface of the chemically-tempered glass substrate. The present disclosure further provides the ultra-thin glass substrate and a display device.