TW201936023A - Flexible display device and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a flexible display device includes: forming an integrated circuit chip, a flexible printed circuit board and a frontplane laminate over a driving substrate; adhering a front protective layer over the frontplane laminate and the flexible printed circuit board, such that the front protective layer is in contact with the frontplane laminate, in which the front protective layer has a first opening corresponding to the integrated circuit chip; and filling a second adhesive into the first opening and covering an upper surface, a side surface or a combination thereof of the integrated circuit chip. A flexible display device is further provided.

Description

Flexible display device and manufacturing method thereof

The invention relates to a flexible display device and a manufacturing method thereof.

In the existing flexible display devices, an optical grade film is usually attached to the front panel and the integrated circuit chip to fill the height difference between the front panel and the integrated circuit chip. However, this will result in the total of the flexible display device. Increased thickness. In addition, when bonding optical-grade films, air streaks are likely to be formed due to the height difference. In addition to affecting the appearance, there may also be a phenomenon of uneven display (Mura) due to water vapor infiltration.

An object of the present invention is to provide a flexible display device and a manufacturing method thereof. Without using optical grade film, the front protective layer is directly attached to the front panel, and the front protective layer has an opening corresponding to the integrated circuit chip, and then fills the gel into the opening and covers the integrated circuit chip. Upper surface, side surface, or a combination thereof. In this way, the total thickness of the flexible display device will not be increased, and no negative effects will occur due to lamination of optical grade films. ring.

The invention provides a method for manufacturing a flexible display device, comprising: forming a integrated circuit chip, a flexible printed circuit board and a front panel on a driving substrate; and attaching a front protective layer to the front panel and the flexible printed circuit board so that the front protective layer The front panel is contacted, wherein the front protective layer has a first opening corresponding to the integrated circuit chip; and a second gel is filled into the first opening and covers an upper surface, a side surface, or a combination thereof of the integrated circuit chip.

According to several embodiments of the present invention, the method further includes: before the step of attaching the front protective layer on the front panel and the flexible printed circuit board, filling a first gel around the integrated circuit chip.

According to several embodiments of the present invention, the step of filling the second gel into the first opening and covering the integrated circuit wafer further includes: filling the second gel to a space between the front protective layer and the flexible printed circuit board. The space communicates with the first opening.

According to several embodiments of the present invention, the method further includes: before the step of filling the second gel into the first opening and covering the integrated circuit wafer, forming a spacer approximately aligned with the corner of the front protective layer, and filling the second gel to the first The step of covering an integrated circuit wafer in an opening further includes filling a second colloidal contact gap.

According to several embodiments of the present invention, the method further includes: attaching a back protective layer on the other surface of the driving substrate opposite to the front panel, and filling a third gel between the back protective layer and the driving substrate.

The present invention further provides a flexible display device, including: a driving substrate; a front panel, an integrated circuit chip and a flexible printed circuit board, which are located at the driving On the substrate; the front protective layer is located on the front panel and the flexible printed circuit board and contacts the front panel, wherein the front protective layer has a first opening corresponding to the integrated circuit chip; a second gel is located in the first opening and covers the integrated circuit Wafer.

According to several embodiments of the present invention, the flexible display device further includes: the first gel is located below the first opening and surrounds the integrated circuit chip.

According to several embodiments of the present invention, the second colloid is further located between the front protective layer and the flexible printed circuit board.

According to several embodiments of the present invention, the front protective layer further has a second opening aligned with a portion of the driving substrate, a portion of the flexible printed circuit board, or a combination thereof, and the second gel is further located in the second opening.

According to several embodiments of the present invention, the size of the first opening is larger than the size of the integrated circuit wafer.

According to several embodiments of the present invention, the flexible display device further includes: a gap between the edge of the front protective layer and the edge of the driving substrate.

108‧‧‧ rigid substrate

110‧‧‧Drive board

120‧‧‧Integrated Circuit Chip

130‧‧‧flexible printed circuit board

140‧‧‧Front panel

145‧‧‧Interstitial

150‧‧‧ front cover

152‧‧‧First opening

154‧‧‧Second Opening

156‧‧‧Mask

162‧‧‧The first colloid

164‧‧‧Second Colloid

170‧‧‧ Adhesive layer

180‧‧‧back protective layer

182‧‧‧Mask

190‧‧‧ Colloid

In order to make the above and other objects, features, advantages, and embodiments of the present invention more comprehensible, the description of the drawings is as follows: FIG. 1 illustrates the manufacturing stages of a flexible display device according to several embodiments of the present invention. Perspective illustration.

FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic top view of a flexible display device according to several embodiments of the present invention.

3A to 3D are schematic cross-sectional views of the flexible display device along the line segment 3-3 'in FIG. 2 at each manufacturing stage according to several embodiments of the present invention. Illustration.

Figures 4A to 4B are schematic cross-sectional views of the flexible display device along the line 4-4 'in Figure 2 at various manufacturing stages according to several embodiments of the present invention.

Figures 5A to 5B are schematic cross-sectional views of the flexible display device along the line 5-5 'in Figure 2 at various manufacturing stages according to several embodiments of the present invention.

6A to 6B are schematic cross-sectional views of the flexible display device along the line segments 6-6 'in FIG. 2 at various manufacturing stages according to several embodiments of the present invention.

Various embodiments or examples of the present disclosure are provided below to achieve different technical features of the provided subject matter. The components and designs of the following specific examples are used to simplify the present disclosure. Of course, these are merely examples and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. For example, the description discloses that forming the first feature structure above the second feature structure includes an embodiment in which the first feature structure and the second feature structure are formed in direct contact, and also includes the first feature structure and the second feature. There are embodiments of other characteristic structures between the structures, that is, the first characteristic structure and the second characteristic structure are not in direct contact. In addition, the present disclosure may use repeated reference symbols and / or words in various examples. These repeated symbols or words are for the purpose of simplicity and clarity, and are not intended to limit the relationship between the embodiments and / or the structures.

In addition, spatial relative terms, such as "down", "up", etc. It is used to conveniently describe the relative relationship between one element or feature and other elements or features in the drawings. These spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation shown in the drawings. The device may be otherwise positioned (eg, rotated 90 degrees or other orientation), and the spatially relative narratives used herein may be interpreted accordingly.

The present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a flexible display device. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a manufacturing stage of a flexible display device according to several embodiments of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a simplified schematic top view of a flexible display device according to several embodiments of the present invention. Figures 3A to 3D are schematic cross-sectional views of the flexible display device along the line 3-3 'in Figure 2 at various manufacturing stages according to several embodiments of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3A, the integrated circuit wafer 120, the flexible printed circuit board 130, and the front panel 140 are formed on the driving substrate 110. In some embodiments, the integrated circuit chip 120 and the flexible printed circuit board 130 are first disposed on the driving substrate 110, and then the front panel 140 is disposed on the driving substrate 110. In some embodiments, the driving substrate 110 has a display area and a non-display area. The integrated circuit chip 120 and the flexible printed circuit board 130 are disposed on the non-display area of the driving substrate 110, and the front panel 140 is disposed on the display area of the driving substrate 110. on.

In some embodiments, the driving substrate 110 is a thin film transistor array substrate. In some embodiments, the driving substrate 110 includes a flexible substrate and a driving circuit located above it. In some embodiments, the flexible substrate includes Polyimide, Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET), and Polyethylene Naphthalate. Naphthalate (PEN) or polymethacrylate (PMMA). In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3A, a rigid substrate 108 is located below the driving substrate 110. In some embodiments, the rigid substrate 108 is, for example, a glass substrate, a quartz substrate, or a rigid plastic substrate. In some embodiments, the front panel 140 includes an electrophoretic display layer (not shown) and a driving electrode layer (not shown) is located above the electrophoretic display layer. In another embodiment, the front panel 140 may include organic electrical excitation Light display layer.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, after the integrated circuit wafer 120, the flexible printed circuit board 130, and the front panel 140 are formed on the driving substrate 110, the rigid substrate 108 is removed.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3A and 3C, before removing the rigid substrate 108, the first gel 162 is filled around the integrated circuit wafer 120 so that the structure after removing the rigid substrate 108 has sufficient supportability. . In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3C, the first gel 162 further covers a part of the flexible printed circuit board 130.

After the first colloid 162 is filled, a curing process is performed, such as a thermal curing process or an ultraviolet curing process. In some embodiments, the first colloid 162 is a waterproof adhesive, which is fluid at room temperature. In some embodiments, the first colloid 162 is a silicon-based or epoxy-based colloid.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3D, the adhesive layer 170 and the back protective layer 180 are sequentially attached on the lower surface of the driving substrate 110, and then the gel 190 is filled around the edges of the adhesive layer 170 and the back protective layer 180 edges. In some embodiments, the adhesive layer 170 is an optical grade adhesive layer. In some In the embodiment, the material of the back protective layer 180 is polyethylene terephthalate or polyethylene naphthalate. In some embodiments, the colloid 190 is an ultraviolet curing adhesive or a thermal curing adhesive. In some embodiments, there is a mask film 182 over the back protective layer 180.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3D, the front protective layer 150 is attached to the front panel 140 and the flexible printed circuit board 130 so that the front protective layer 150 contacts the front panel 140. In some embodiments, after the adhesive layer 170, the back protective layer 180, and the filling gel 190 are sequentially attached, the front protective layer 150 is attached to the front panel 140 and the flexible printed circuit board 130. In some embodiments, there is a masking film 156 above the front protective layer 150. In some embodiments, the material of the front protective layer 150 is polyethylene terephthalate or polyethylene naphthalate.

It is worth noting that because the optical grade film is not attached to the front panel 140, but the front protective layer 150 is directly attached to the front panel 140, it will not increase the total thickness of the flexible display device, nor will it Negative effects occur due to lamination of optical grade films. In some embodiments, the thickness of the flexible display device of the present disclosure is 75% or less of the thickness of the flexible display device with an optical grade film attached to the front panel.

In addition, since the front protective layer 150 covers the non-display area of the driving substrate and a part of the flexible printed circuit board 130, it can be solved that the exposed circuit is prone to cracks because the front protective layer does not cover the non-display area of the driving substrate. ), And the problem of stress streaks caused by bending of the flexible printed circuit board.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3D, the front protective layer 150 has a first opening 152 corresponding to the integrated circuit chip 120. The front protective layer 150 has a first opening The port 152 is substantially aligned with the integrated circuit wafer 120. The “substantially aligned” described herein means that the vertical projection of the front protective layer 150 and the vertical projection of the integrated circuit chip 120 overlap. Preferably, the projection of the integrated circuit chip 120 falls within the vertical projection of the front protective layer 150. In some embodiments, the size of the first opening 152 is larger than the size of the integrated circuit wafer 120. The "size" as used herein refers to the size formed by the length and width of the element in the top view.

Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3D, after the front protective layer 150 is attached, the second gel 164 is filled into the first opening 152 and covers the upper surface, the side surface of the integrated circuit wafer 120, or both the upper surface and the surface. Side surface. In some embodiments, the second colloid 164 is further filled to a space between the front protective layer 150 and the flexible printed circuit board 130, and this space communicates with the first opening 152. In some embodiments, a space between the second gel 164 and the front panel 140 and the integrated circuit chip 120 is further filled, and this space communicates with the first opening 152.

After the second colloid 164 is filled, a curing process is performed, such as a thermal curing process or an ultraviolet curing process. In some embodiments, the second gel 164 is a waterproof glue, which is fluid at room temperature. In some embodiments, the second colloid 164 is a silicon-based or epoxy-based colloid. In some embodiments, the material of the second colloid 164 is the same as or different from that of the first colloid 162.

Figures 4A to 4B are schematic cross-sectional views of the flexible display device along the line 4-4 'in Figure 2 at various manufacturing stages according to several embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4A, a flexible printed circuit board 130 and a front panel 140 are first formed on the driving substrate 110, and then a first gel 162 is formed on the driving substrate 110 and the flexible printed circuit board 130. However, in another embodiment, A first colloid 162 is formed on the driving substrate 110 and the flexible printed circuit board 130. As shown in FIG. 4A, a rigid substrate 108 may be provided under the driving substrate 110 to carry the driving substrate 110.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, the rigid substrate 108 is removed, and then the adhesive layer 170 and the back protective layer 180 are sequentially attached on the lower surface of the driving substrate 110, and then the gel 190 is surrounded around the edge of the adhesive layer 170 and the back protective layer. 180 edges.

As shown in FIG. 4B, the front protective layer 150 is attached to the front panel 140 and the flexible printed circuit board 130 so that the front protective layer 150 contacts the front panel 140. In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 4B, the front protective layer 150 further has one or more second openings 154 aligned with a portion of the driving substrate 110, a portion of the flexible printed circuit board 130, or a combination thereof.

Subsequently, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 4B, after the front protective layer 150 is attached, the second gel 164 is filled into the first opening 152 and the second opening 154. The more openings, the more positions the second colloid 164 can fill, which helps the second colloid 164 spread faster between the front protective layer 150 and the driving substrate 110. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4B, the second gel 164 is further filled to the edge of the front panel 140. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 4B, a space between the second colloid 164 to the front protective layer 150 and the flexible printed circuit board 130 is further filled, and this space communicates with the second opening 154.

Figures 5A to 5B are schematic cross-sectional views of the flexible display device along the line 5-5 'in Figure 2 at various manufacturing stages according to several embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5A, before the second colloid 164 is filled, the spacer 145 is formed to be substantially aligned with a corner of the front protective layer 150. Spacer 145 is used to Supporting front protective layer 150. In some embodiments, the spacer 145 may be formed before or after the pre-protection layer 150 is attached.

As shown in FIG. 5A, after the front protective layer 150 is attached, the second colloid 164 is filled so as to contact the spacer 145. In some embodiments, the height of the spacer 145 is less than or equal to the distance between the front panel 150 and the driving substrate 110. As shown in FIG. 5A, the height of the spacer 145 is equal to the distance between the front panel 150 and the driving substrate 110. In some embodiments, a space between the second colloid 164 and the front protective layer 150 and the driving substrate 110 is further filled.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, the peripheral area of the flexible display device is removed. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 5B, a portion of the spacer 145 may be removed. However, in other embodiments, in the step of removing the peripheral area of the flexible display device, the spacers may be completely retained, or the spacers may be completely removed, without being limited to the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5B. In some embodiments, a peripheral region of the flexible display device is removed using a laser.

6A to 6B are schematic cross-sectional views of the flexible display device along the line segments 6-6 'in FIG. 2 at various manufacturing stages according to several embodiments of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6A, after the front protective layer 150 is attached, a space between the front protective layer 150 and the back protective layer 180 is filled with the second colloid 164.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the peripheral area of the flexible display device is removed. In some embodiments, a peripheral region of the flexible display device is removed using a laser.

The present disclosure further provides a flexible display device. Please refer to FIGS. 2 and 3D. The flexible display device includes a driving substrate 110, a front panel 140, The body circuit wafer 120, the flexible printed circuit board 130, the front protective layer 150, and the second gel 164.

As shown in FIG. 3D, the front panel 140, the integrated circuit chip 120 and the flexible printed circuit board 130 are located on the driving substrate 110. In some embodiments, the driving substrate 110 has a display area and a non-display area, the front panel 140 is located on the display area, and the integrated circuit chip 120 and the flexible printed circuit board 130 are located on the non-display area.

As shown in FIG. 3D, the front protective layer 150 is located on the front panel 140 and the flexible printed circuit board 130 and contacts the front panel 140. In some embodiments, the material of the front protective layer 150 is polyethylene terephthalate or polyethylene naphthalate.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3D, the front protective layer 150 has a first opening 152 substantially aligned with the integrated circuit chip 120. In some embodiments, the size of the first opening 152 is larger than the size of the integrated circuit wafer 120.

As shown in FIG. 3D, the second gel 164 is located in the first opening 152 and covers the upper surface, the side surface, or both the upper surface and the side surface of the integrated circuit wafer 120. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3D, the second gel 164 is further located between the front protective layer 150 and the flexible printed circuit board 130. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3D, the second gel 164 is further located between the front panel 140 and the integrated circuit chip 120. In some embodiments, the second gel 164 is a waterproof glue.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 3C and 3D, the flexible display device further includes a first gel 162 located below the first opening 152 and surrounding the integrated circuit chip 120. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3C, the A glue body 162 further covers a part of the flexible printed circuit board 130 and a part of the driving substrate 110. In some embodiments, the first gel 162 is a waterproof gel.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 4B, the front protective layer 150 further has one or more second openings 154 aligned with a portion of the driving substrate 110, a portion of the flexible printed circuit board 130, or a combination thereof. In some embodiments, the second colloid 164 is further located in the second opening 154. However, the position, size, and distribution of the second openings 154 can be appropriately adjusted, and are not limited to the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4B.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 5B, the flexible display device further includes a spacer 145 located between the edge of the front protective layer 150 and the edge of the driving substrate 110.

As described above, since the method for manufacturing a flexible display device of the present disclosure does not attach an optical grade film to the front panel, but directly attaches a front protective layer to the front panel, the total display of the flexible display device is not increased. The thickness does not cause any negative effects caused by the bonding of optical grade films. In addition, a waterproof adhesive can be filled in the opening of the front protective layer, so that the flexible display device has a waterproof function.

The features of the various embodiments are briefly mentioned above, so those skilled in the art can better understand the aspects of this disclosure. Those skilled in the art should realize that in order to achieve the same purpose and / or achieve the same advantages of the embodiments proposed herein, they can easily use this disclosure as a basis for designing or modifying other processes and structures. Those skilled in the art should also understand that these equal structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of this disclosure, and that people can make various changes, substitutions, and substitutions here without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure.

Claims (11)

A method for manufacturing a flexible display device, comprising: forming an integrated circuit chip, a flexible printed circuit board and a front panel on a driving substrate; attaching a front protective layer on the front panel and the flexible printed circuit board, Making the front protective layer contact the front panel, wherein the front protective layer has a first opening corresponding to the integrated circuit wafer; and filling a second gel into the first opening and covering the upper surface of the integrated circuit wafer, Side surface or a combination thereof. The method for manufacturing a flexible display device according to claim 1, further comprising: filling the front protective layer on the front panel and the flexible printed circuit board, and filling a first gel around the integrated circuit chip. The method for manufacturing a flexible display device according to claim 1, wherein the step of filling the second colloid into the first opening and covering the integrated circuit wafer further comprises: filling the second colloid to be between the front protective layer and the A space between the flexible printed circuit boards, and the space communicates with the first opening. The method for manufacturing a flexible display device according to claim 1, further comprising: before the step of filling the second gel into the first opening and covering the integrated circuit wafer, forming a gap substantially aligned with the front protective layer. A corner The step of filling the second colloid into the first opening and covering the integrated circuit wafer further includes filling the second colloid to contact the gap. The method for manufacturing a flexible display device according to claim 1, further comprising: attaching a back protective layer on another surface of the driving substrate opposite to the front panel, and filling a third colloid on the back protective layer. And the driving substrate. A flexible display device includes: a driving substrate; a front panel, an integrated circuit chip and a flexible printed circuit board on the driving substrate; a front protective layer on the front panel and the flexible printed circuit board, And contacting the front panel, wherein the front protective layer has a first opening corresponding to the integrated circuit chip; and a second gel located in the first opening and covering the integrated circuit chip. The flexible display device according to claim 6, further comprising: a first gel is located below the first opening and surrounds the integrated circuit chip. The flexible display device according to claim 6, wherein the second colloid is further located between the front protective layer and the flexible printed circuit board. The flexible display device according to claim 6, wherein the front protective layer further has a second opening aligned with a portion of the driving substrate, a portion of the flexible printed circuit board, or a combination thereof, and the second colloid is further located in the In the second opening. The flexible display device according to claim 6, wherein a size of the first opening is larger than a size of the integrated circuit chip. The flexible display device according to claim 6, further comprising: a gap between an edge of the front protective layer and an edge of the driving substrate.