TWM541027U - Flexible electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a flexible electronic device which can be folded as origami. The invention provides a flexible electronic device comprising: a flexible substrate having a predetermined bending area; and a first supporting structure having a curved surface, arranged on a first surface of the predetermined bending area of the flexible substrate, wherein the predetermined area of the flexible substrate may be bended so as to conform to the curved surface of the first supporting structure. According to the invention, the flexible electronic device can be folded and curved in three dimensions.

Description

Flexible electronic device

This creation is generally related to electronic devices; in particular, the present invention relates to flexible electronic devices.

Currently, the developed flexible electronic device can only bend with limited curvature, and cannot flex flexibly like the art of origami. The prior art can only bend at a curvature of at most 2 mm and can only achieve a single dimension of folding. The broken line generated by the smaller curvature, or the dead angle caused by the multi-dimensional folding, will cause the component failure or line damage on the broken line and the dead corner, thus limiting the imagination space for the future soft electronic device. Therefore, it is urgent to solve the problem of component failure or line damage caused by broken lines and dead ends.

This creation provides a flexible electronic device that can be flexibly bent and even multi-dimensionally folded.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a flexible electronic device including a flexible substrate having a predetermined bending region, and a first supporting structure having a curved surface disposed on the predetermined bend of the flexible substrate One of the first regions of the fold region, wherein the flexible substrate is bendable in the predetermined bend region in conformity with the curved surface of the support structure.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a flexible electronic device including a flexible substrate having a predetermined bending region; and a first supporting structure made of a flexible material disposed on the flexible surface On a first surface of a predetermined bending region of the substrate, when the flexible electronic device is bent by stress, the flexible substrate can be bent along the first supporting structure in the predetermined bending region .

The present invention provides a flexible electronic device comprising a flexible substrate made of a first flexible material, and a flexible member made of a second flexible material and formed on One of the flexible substrates is a predetermined bending zone, wherein the second flexible material has a ductility of 30% or more.

The present invention provides a flexible electronic device comprising a flexible substrate; and a rigid substrate layer attached to the flexible substrate in an array of mosaic pattern distributions.

The present invention provides a flexible electronic device including a flexible substrate having a predetermined bending region, and a plurality of components disposed on the flexible substrate, wherein the plurality of components are disposed in the predetermined bending region a first configuration component, and a second configuration component disposed outside the predetermined bending zone, wherein the first configuration component is smaller in size than the second configuration component.

According to the present invention, a flexible folding scheme of the flexible electronic device can be provided, and the flexible electronic device can be folded and curled by X, Y, and Z three-dimensional degrees, and thus can be folded and arbitrarily folded like an origami art. Sexual electronic devices, or make the electronic device foldable for easier storage.

Although the present invention has been described and illustrated with reference to specific embodiments of the present invention, such description and description are not limiting of the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and alternatives may be made without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

The present invention provides a flexible electronic device that can be flexibly folded, so that the electronic device can be folded in a variety of ways such as origami art. 1 shows an embodiment of a flexible electronic device 200 that is flexibly folded in accordance with one of the present teachings. In order to solve the problem that the electronic device generates a folding dead angle when folded, there may be various solutions. The present invention provides solutions for improving the mechanical structure, improving the selection and design of various layers of substrates and/or film materials in the device, and/or improving the layout design of the various layers. The following examples illustrate the improvement schemes one by one.

Mechanical structure improvement program

The improvement of the mechanical structure outside the flexible electronic device is an economical and efficient method, which can solve the problem of folding dead angle without affecting the design of various components inside the existing device.

2(a) shows a side view of the flexible electronic device 200, and FIG. 2(b) shows an exemplary embodiment of the flexible electronic device 200 of FIG. 2(a) folded. 2(c) is a side view of another flexible electronic device 200, and FIG. 2(d) shows an exemplary embodiment of the flexible electronic device 200 of FIG. 2(c) being folded. The flexible electronic device 200 can be an electronic device such as a display, a sensor, a solar cell device, a touch device, and a communication device.

1 shows a flexible electronic device 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention, comprising a flexible substrate 201, and a first supporting structure 202 having a curved surface disposed on the flexible substrate 201, the first supporting structure 202 The first substrate is disposed on a first surface of a predetermined bending region of the flexible substrate 201, wherein the flexible substrate 201 is bendable in conformity with a curved surface of the first supporting structure 202 at a predetermined bending region. In a preferred embodiment, the first support structure 202 has a curved mechanical structure, such as a spherical body, an ellipsoidal body, a cone, a cylinder or a similarly shaped structure, as shown in Figures 2(a) and 2 ( b) shown. In an embodiment, the curved surface of the first support structure 202 may have a radius of curvature of less than 10 mm, such as 5 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.1 mm, or even 0.01 mm.

In an embodiment, the flexible substrate 201 may be a package substrate or a protective substrate.

When the user bends (or even folds) the flexible electronic device 200, the first support structure 202 is supported at the fold line position in the bending region, so that the flexible substrate 201 is bent in conformity with the curved surface of the first support structure, so that The components on the flexible electronic device do not cause the component to fail due to the folding of the fold line, and the angle between the curved faces on both sides of the bending zone may be less than 90 degrees, and even the bent faces on both sides of the bending zone may touch each other. .

In a preferred embodiment, as shown in Figures 2(c) and 2(d), the first support structure 202 has at least one bevel, possibly a polygonal sphere, a polygonal ellipsoid, a polygonal prism, or the like, or a curved surface. Various embodiments such as a body combined with a slope. When stress is applied to bend the flexible electronic device, the corners and/or sides of the first support structure 202 may determine the degree of bending of the flexible electronic device, that is, the curvature of the flexible substrate is dependent on the first support. The corners or sides of the structure.

3(a) shows that in a certain embodiment, the predetermined bending region of the flexible substrate 201 includes a first folding line region 2011 and a second folding line region 2012, and the first supporting structure is disposed on a predetermined bending portion, for example, configurable at the first The intersection position of the folding line area 2011 and the second folding line area 2012 may also be arranged along the first folding line area 2011 and/or the second folding line area 2012. The first fold line area 2011 and the second fold line area 2012 can be arranged according to design requirements, and the flexible substrate 201 may include more fold line areas, so that the folding manner of the flexible electronic device can be more flexible, such as diversification of origami art. The way it is folded, not just the folding of a single dimension. 4(a) shows an embodiment of the present invention, the flexible electronic device 400 includes a flexible substrate 401 having a predetermined bending region, and a first supporting structure 402 made of a flexible material, which is disposed on On the surface of one of the predetermined bending regions of the flexible substrate 401, when the flexible electronic device 400 is bent by stress, the flexible substrate 401 can be bent along the first supporting structure 402 in the predetermined bending region. fold. For example, when the flexible electronic device 400 is folded, the first support structure 402 made of flexible material is supported at a fold line position, and the first support structure 402 can be bent to have a radius of curvature of less than 10 mm, for example, 5 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.1 mm, or even 0.01 mm, the flexible substrate 401 is curved in conformity with the curved surface of the first support structure 402, and the components and lines on the flexible electronic device 400 can be prevented from being folded. A broken line is created to cause component failure or line damage. In one embodiment, the predetermined bend region of the flexible substrate 401 includes staggered first fold line regions and second fold line regions, or more staggered fold lines. The first support structure 402 made of a flexible material may be disposed at intervals along the first fold line area and/or the second fold line area. In an embodiment, the first support structure 402 is disposed in the first fold line area and the first The intersection of the two-fold line area. In still another embodiment, the first support structure may be disposed on the first fold line area and/or the second fold line area as a strip. FIG. 6 shows an embodiment in which the support structure 402 is disposed in a strip form on the first fold line area and the second fold line area. In an embodiment, the flexible substrate may be made of a flexible material having an elongation of 5% or more, and the first support structure may be made of a flexible material having an elongation of 30% or more. In an embodiment, a second support structure 403 may be disposed on the second surface of the predetermined bending zone relative to the first surface, and FIG. 4(b) shows the folded shape of the device of the embodiment of FIG. 4(a). . When the device 400 needs to be folded in half and then folded again, the second supporting structure 403 can serve as a support point for re-folding, so that the components on the flexible electronic device 400 can avoid component failure caused by folding the fold line. The second support structure 403 may have a curved mechanical structure, such as a spherical body, an elliptical spherical body, a cone, a cylindrical body, a polygonal sphere, a polygonal ellipsoidal sphere, a polygonal diamond cylinder, a circular or elliptical prism or The structure of a similar shape may also be a one-piece structure, and in one embodiment may be a square or a gasket structure having an arc-like pattern. The second support structure may be disposed at an intersection of the first fold line area and the second fold line area, or may be disposed along the first fold line area 2011 and/or the second fold line area 2012. FIG. 5(a) shows an embodiment in which the flexible electronic device 500 has a flexible substrate 501 on which a first support structure 502 is disposed on a first surface of a predetermined bending region of the flexible substrate 501. The material is made, when the flexible electronic device 500 is bent by stress, the flexible substrate 501 can be bent along the first supporting structure 502 in a predetermined bending region. In one embodiment, the material of the first support structure 502 may include at least one of the following: metal, piezoelectric material, silicone, polyimide, PI, polyethylene terephthalate. (PET), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polycarbonate (PC), polyester (PES), cyclic olefin copolymer (COC), and composite materials thereof. The first support structure 502 can have a gasket structure of a specific shape according to design requirements, such as a gasket structure having a circular arc plane, or a gasket structure having a curved surface. The first support structure 502 can be curved to have a radius of curvature of less than 10 mm, for example, 5 mm, 2 mm, 1 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.1 mm, or even 0.01 mm, so that the flexible substrate 501 can be flexibly bent when supported. The curvature of the structure 502 is curved, and the components on the flexible electronic device 500 can thus avoid component failure due to folding of the fold lines. In one embodiment, the flexible electronic device 500 has a second support structure 503 on a second surface of the predetermined bend zone relative to the first surface. The second support structure 503 may have a curved mechanical structure such as a spherical body, an elliptical spherical body, a cone, a cylindrical body or the like, or may be a sheet-like structure. In an embodiment, the second support structure 503 is made of a flexible material that may be the same or different than the material from which the first support structure is made. In an embodiment, the first supporting structure located on the first surface of the predetermined bending region of the flexible electronic device and the second supporting structure located on the second surface may be oppositely disposed, or may be relatively offset according to the folding design requirement. The offset angular position is related to the predetermined folding direction. Substrate Improvement Scheme In the manufacturing process of the flexible electronic device, the flexibility can be improved from the substrate of each layer of the electronic device manufacturing process. Figure 7 (a) shows a flexible electronic device 700 comprising a flexible substrate 701 and a flexible member 702 formed thereon. The flexible substrate 701 is made of a first flexible material, and the flexible member 702 is made of a second flexible material and formed on a predetermined bending region of the flexible substrate 701, wherein the second flexible material has a larger diameter. It is equal to 30% extensibility, and it can have characteristics that can withstand high temperature processes, such as a process that can withstand high temperatures up to 100 °C. The greater the degree of deflection, the smaller the radius of curvature, such as insufficient ductility of the substrate in the predetermined bending zone, which will cause wrinkles, local deformation or splitting, and even damage to components or circuits on the substrate. According to the present invention, a composite substrate can be formed, which can improve the ductility of the predetermined bending region and avoid damage of components or circuits on the substrate. In an embodiment, the flexible substrate may be made of a first flexible material having an elongation of 5% or more, and the first flexible material may be a single material, a composite material, or a material of a laminated structure. In an embodiment, the first flexible material may be a material having an elongation of 30% or more. In an embodiment, the flexible material forming the flexible element of the second flexible material comprises at least one of the following: anthrone, polyimine, PET, PP, PEN, PC, PES, COC, and composites thereof. In one embodiment, the flexible member 702 is a composite material in which a mixture of polyimine and anthrone is mixed, for example, 10-40% of polyimine and 60% to 90% of anthrone are mixed, or may be The polyimine and the fluorenone are formed in a laminated structure, and it is possible that the film of the multilayer polyimide and the fluorenone forms the flexible member 702 in a sandwich laminate structure. The high-expansion flexible element can prevent the flexible electronic device 700 from rupturing during bending, and further cause failure of components and circuits thereon. In one embodiment, the flexible member 702 can be formed on a surface of the flexible substrate 701 flexible substrate, such that the flexible member 702 protrudes from the surface of the flexible substrate 701, that is, at a predetermined bending region, the flexible member 702 and The total thickness of the flexible substrate 701 is greater than the thickness of the flexible substrate 701 of the non-predetermined bending region. When the flexible electronic device is stressed and bent, the flexible member 702 is bent to have a radius of curvature, so that the flexible substrate 701 can be bent in conformity with its curvature, and can further serve as a support structure for the predetermined bending region. 7(b) shows an embodiment in which the flexible substrate 701 has a recess in a predetermined bending region, and the flexible member 702 is formed in a predetermined bending region of the flexible substrate 701 such that the upper surface of the flexible substrate 701 It is substantially aligned with the upper surface of the flexible element 702. Figure 7 (c) shows an embodiment in which the flexible substrate 701 has a recess in a predetermined bend region, and the flexible member 702 is formed in a predetermined bend region of the flexible substrate 701 such that the upper surface of the flexible member 702 Substantially lower than the upper surface of the flexible substrate 701, that is, the total thickness of the flexible substrate 701 and the flexible member 702 in the predetermined bending region is smaller than the thickness of the flexible substrate 701 outside the predetermined bending region, and the device is in the predetermined bending region. It is easier to bend. The predetermined bending zone may include a staggered first fold line area and a second fold line area, or may have more fold line areas according to design requirements. 7(d) shows an embodiment in which the groove depth d1 of the flexible substrate at the intersection of the first fold line region and the second fold line region is deeper than the groove depth along the line portion d2 of the fold line region, so that the flexible member 702 fills the thickness at the intersection. The thickness of the filling along the line outside the intersection is thicker, so that the electronic device has better ductility when folded, and the electronic components or lines formed thereon are damaged or failed due to the cracking of the substrate. In one embodiment, only the flexible element is present in the predetermined bend zone, and there is no flexible substrate that is less ductile relative to the flexible element. In one embodiment, the flexible substrate 701 can be a carrier of an electronic device, a substrate of a touch circuit, a substrate of components of each layer in the display device, and an electronic circuit such as a liquid crystal layer substrate, a light-emitting layer substrate, a polarizer, a driving circuit, and the like. a substrate, a protective layer and/or a cover lens, etc., and a conductive line, an electronic component, a liquid crystal cell, a display component, a light emitting component, a sensing component, and a touch may be formed on the substrate 701 and the flexible component 702. Components and / or drive components and so on. Figure 8 shows yet another substrate improvement scheme. The flexible electronic device 800 includes a flexible substrate 801; and a functional substrate layer 802 attached to the flexible substrate in an array of mosaic patterns. The flexible substrate 801 can be fabricated from a highly ductile flexible substrate, for example, a flexible material having a ductility of 30% or more. The functional substrate layer 802 can be a glass, ceramic, composite, polymer or metal, etc., and can serve as a protective layer, optical layer or cover for a flexible electronic device. The functional substrate layer is cut to form mosaic tiles separated from each other, so that the stress is released by the mosaic tiles when the device is bent. In one embodiment, by die punching, die cutting, laser cutting, water jet cutting, laser etching, chemical etching, plasma etching, photolithography etching, etc. A continuous surface functional substrate layer is diced into an array in a mosaic pattern distribution, and the functional substrate layer 802 is attached to the flexible substrate 801. In another embodiment, the functional substrate layer 802 is first attached to the flexible substrate 801, and the continuous surface functional substrate layer 802 is then diced into an array of mosaic pattern distribution. Component layout improvement solution In order to solve the problem that the flexible electronic device may cause component failure when folded, the components of the electronic device can be further improved in addition to the improvement of the mechanical structure and the improvement of the substrate. Avoiding the bend zone by reducing component placement in the bend zone, wiring configuration, or shrinking the bend zone components, or rounding the bend zone component or line pattern, or routing the wire around a predetermined bend zone The wiring can achieve the problem of avoiding component failure caused by folding dead angles. FIG. 9(a) shows an embodiment of the present invention. The flexible electronic device 900 includes a flexible substrate 901 having a predetermined bending region, and a plurality of components 902a, 902b, and 902c are disposed on the flexible substrate 901. The plurality of components include first configuration elements 902a, 902b disposed on the predetermined bending zone, and second configuration component 902c disposed outside the predetermined bending zone, wherein the first configuration components 902a The size of 902b is smaller than the second configuration elements 902c. In an embodiment, the first configuration elements 902a, 902b disposed in the predetermined bending zone have a size smaller than 80 μm in length and 24 μm in width, and may be, for example, 40 μm long and 12 μm wide, 30 μm long and 12 μm wide, 40 μm long and 12 μm wide. It is 15 μm long and 5 μm wide, 5 μm long and 5 μm wide, 1 μm long and 1 μm wide. In one embodiment, arranging a plurality of small-sized components in an array in a predetermined bending zone in a predetermined bending zone can reduce the strain per unit component during strain to avoid component failure. In an embodiment, the predetermined bendable region of the flexible substrate 901 includes a first fold line region and/or a second fold line region, and FIG. 9(b) shows that the first configuration component 902a located along the fold line region is disposed on the fold line. The edge of the zone is such that the distance W between the first configuration elements 902a on both sides of the fold line (the bend centerline of the predetermined bend zone) is greater than the pitch between the second configuration elements outside the predetermined bend zone, and the size of W may be Affecting the functionality of the flexible electronic device in the fold line area, for example, if the flexible display device is too large, it may affect the display quality. For example, in a display application, too large W may cause a dark area to be displayed, which affects display quality. To avoid this effect, the first configuration element 902a spacing W on either side of the fold line is in the range of about 1 μm to about 10 mm, preferably the pitch W is less than 1 mm. In an embodiment, the first configuration component 902b is disposed adjacent to a corner of the intersection of the first fold line region and the second fold line region. 9(c) shows that the pattern of the first configurable elements 902a, 902b in the predetermined bending zone is rounded, for example, may be arcuate or circular, and in one embodiment, may be a polygon of a quadrangle or more. For example, hexagonal, octagonal, dodecagonal, and the like. In order to avoid the damage of the component during bending, the component can be arcuate, but this design will increase the difficulty of the process, and the design of the component pattern as a polygon will simplify the process. In one embodiment, the flexible electronic device is a display device, wherein the plurality of components are at least one of the following: a light emitting diode, an organic light emitting diode, a pixel electrode, a liquid crystal display unit, a touch electrode, and a sense A measuring electrode, various sensing elements (for example, a light sensing element, a capacitance sensing element, a pressure sensing element), a driving electrode, a TFT element, an OTFT element, a solar cell element, and the like. The present invention provides a variety of improved flexible electronic devices that can be combined in any combination to optimize the flexing of the flexible device. The construction and configuration of the structures and methods as shown in the various exemplary embodiments are merely illustrative. Therefore, all such modifications are intended to be included within the scope of this creation. The order or sequence of any program or method steps may be changed or re-sequenced according to alternative embodiments. Other substitutions, modifications, changes and omissions may be made in the design, operation and configuration of the example embodiments without departing from the scope of the invention.

200‧‧‧Flexible electronic device

201‧‧‧Flexible substrate

2011‧‧‧First fold area

2012‧‧‧Second fold area

202‧‧‧First support structure

400‧‧‧Flexible electronic device

401‧‧‧Flexible substrate

402‧‧‧First support structure

403‧‧‧second support structure

500‧‧‧Flexible electronic device

501‧‧‧Flexible substrate

502‧‧‧First support structure

503‧‧‧second support structure

700‧‧‧Flexible electronic devices

701‧‧‧Flexible substrate

702‧‧‧Flexible components

800‧‧‧Flexible electronic device

801‧‧‧Flexible substrate

802‧‧‧hard substrate layer

900‧‧‧Flexible electronic device

901‧‧‧Flexible substrate

902a‧‧‧ components

902b‧‧‧ components

902c‧‧‧ components

Figure 1 is a flexible electronic device of the present invention; Figure 2 (a) is a cross-sectional view of a flexible electronic device of the present invention; Figure 2 (b) Figure 2 (a) of the flexible electronic device is folded Figure 2 (c) is a cross-sectional view of a flexible electronic device of the present invention; Figure 2 (d) Figure 2 (c) is a schematic view of the flexible electronic device folded; Figure 3 (a) and 3 (b) is a top view of a flexible electronic device of the present invention; FIG. 4(a) is a cross-sectional view of one of the flexible electronic devices of the present invention; and FIG. 4(b) is a flexible view of FIG. 4(a) a schematic view of the electronic device being folded; Figure 5 (a) is a cross-sectional view of a flexible electronic device of the present invention; Figure 5 (b) is a schematic view of the flexible electronic device of Figure 5 (a) folded; Figure 6 is a flexible form of the creation 3(a)-7(d) is a cross-sectional view of the flexible electronic device of the present invention; FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a flexible electronic device of the present invention; and FIG. 9(a) )-9(c) is a top view of one of the flexible electronic devices of this creation.

700‧‧‧Flexible electronic devices

701‧‧‧Flexible substrate

702‧‧‧Flexible components

Claims (10)

A flexible electronic device comprising: a flexible substrate made of a first flexible material; and a flexible member made of a second flexible material and formed on the flexible One of the substrate is a predetermined bending zone, wherein the second flexible material has a ductility of 30% or more. The flexible electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second flexible material comprises at least one of the following: anthrone, polyimine, PET, PP, PEN, PC, PES, COC, and composites thereof. The flexible electronic device of claim 1, wherein the flexible member is formed of a laminate structure of polyimine and anthrone. The flexible electronic device of claim 2, wherein the flexible member has a laminated structure formed of an anthrone and a polyimine. The flexible electronic device of claim 1, wherein a total thickness of the flexible substrate and the flexible member in the predetermined bending region is less than a thickness of the flexible substrate outside the predetermined bending region. The flexible electronic device of claim 1, wherein the predetermined bending zone has a first folding line area and a second folding line area. The flexible electronic device of claim 6, wherein the thickness of the intersection of the flexible element at the intersection of the first fold line area and the second fold line area is greater than the intersection of the intersection of the first fold line area and the second fold line area The thickness of the area. The flexible electronic device of claim 1, wherein the flexible electronic device is a display device, and wherein the flexible substrate is at least one of the following: a carrier, a touch substrate, and a The substrate, the optical substrate, and the display substrate are protected. A flexible electronic device comprising: a flexible substrate; and a functional substrate layer attached to the flexible substrate in an array of mosaic pattern distributions. The flexible electronic device of claim 9, wherein the material of the functional substrate layer comprises at least one of the following: glass and ceramic.