TWI735241B - Flexible display panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A flexible display panel including a flexible substrate, a driving device, an emitting device, a conductive layer and a conductive via is provided. The flexible substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The driving device is disposed on the first surface of the flexible substrate. The emitting device is disposed on the first surface of the flexible substrate and electrically connected to the driving device. The conductive layer is disposed on the second surface of the flexible substrate. The conductive layer includes a protecting area and the protecting area overlaps the driving device and the emitting device. The conductive via at least penetrates through the flexible substrate. The protecting area of the conductive layer is electrically connected to the driving device or the emitting device through the conductive via.

Description

Flexible display panel

The present invention relates to a display panel, and particularly relates to a flexible display panel.

When a force is applied to a flexible electronic device so that it can be flexed, the internal components of the flexible electronic device may be damaged or damaged due to stress.

The present invention provides a flexible display panel, which can reduce the damage or damage of its internal components.

The flexible display panel of the present invention includes a flexible substrate, a driving element, a light-emitting element, a conductive layer, and a conductive through hole. The flexible substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The driving element is arranged on the first surface of the flexible substrate. The light emitting element is arranged on the first surface of the flexible substrate and is electrically connected to the driving element. The conductive layer is configured on the second surface of the flexible substrate. The conductive layer includes a protected area. The protection area overlaps the driving element and the light-emitting element. The conductive through hole penetrates at least the flexible substrate. The protection area of the conductive layer is electrically connected to the driving element or the light-emitting element through the conductive through hole.

Based on the above, the flexible display panel provided by the embodiment of the present invention can reduce the damage or damage of its internal components by virtue of the protection area of the conductive layer.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

In the drawings, the thickness of each element and the like are exaggerated for clarity. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals denote the same elements. It should be understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region, or substrate is referred to as being “on”, “connected to,” or “overlapped on another element”, it may be directly on the other element. On or connected to another element, or intermediate elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or "directly connected to" another element, there are no intervening elements. As used herein, "connected" can refer to physical and/or electrical connections.

It should be understood that although the terms "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or parts, these elements, components, regions, and/or Or part should not be restricted by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Therefore, the “first element,” “component,” “region,” “layer,” or “portion” discussed below may be referred to as a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein.

The terminology used here is only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and is not restrictive. As used herein, unless the content clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms "a", "an" and "the" are intended to include plural forms, including "at least one." "Or" means "and/or". As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items. It should also be understood that when used in this specification, the terms "including" and/or "including" designate the presence of the features, regions, wholes, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not exclude one or more The existence or addition of other features, regions as a whole, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof.

In addition, relative terms such as "lower" or "bottom" and "upper" or "top" may be used herein to describe the relationship between one element and another element, as shown in the figure. It should be understood that relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation shown in the figures. For example, if the device in one figure is turned over, elements described as being on the "lower" side of other elements will be oriented on the "upper" side of the other elements. Therefore, the exemplary term "lower" may include an orientation of "lower" and "upper", depending on the specific orientation of the drawing. Similarly, if the device in one figure is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements will be oriented "above" the other elements. Thus, the exemplary terms "below" or "below" can include an orientation of above and below.

As used herein, "substantially" includes the stated value and the average value within the acceptable deviation range of the specific value determined by a person of ordinary skill in the art, taking into account the measurement in question and the specific amount of error associated with the measurement (ie , Limitations of the measurement system). For example, "substantially" can mean within one or more standard deviations of the stated value, or within ±30%, ±20%, ±10%, ±5%.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which the present invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the context of related technologies and the present invention, and will not be interpreted as idealized or excessive The formal meaning, unless explicitly defined as such in this article.

The exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to cross-sectional views that are schematic diagrams of idealized embodiments. Therefore, a change in the shape of the diagram as a result of, for example, manufacturing technology and/or tolerances can be expected. Therefore, the embodiments described herein should not be interpreted as being limited to the specific shape of the area as shown herein, but include, for example, shape deviations caused by manufacturing. For example, regions shown or described as flat may generally have rough and/or non-linear characteristics. In addition, the acute angles shown may be rounded. Therefore, the regions shown in the figures are schematic in nature, and their shapes are not intended to show the precise shape of the regions, and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

FIG. 1A is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a flexible display panel according to a first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1B is a schematic partial top view of a flexible display panel according to the first embodiment of the present invention. For example, FIG. 1A may be a schematic cross-sectional view corresponding to the section line II-II' in FIG. 1B. In addition, for clarity, only the protection area, the connection area and the light-emitting element of the flexible display panel 100 are shown in FIG. 1B.

1A and 1B, the flexible display panel 100 includes a flexible substrate 110, a driving element 120, a light emitting element 130, a conductive layer 140, and a conductive via 150. The flexible substrate 110 has a first surface 110A and a second surface 110B opposite to the first surface 110A. The driving element 120 is disposed on the first surface 110A of the flexible substrate 110. The light emitting element 130 is disposed on the first surface 110A of the flexible substrate 110. The light emitting element 130 is electrically connected to the driving element 120. The conductive layer 140 is disposed on the second surface 110B of the flexible substrate 110. The conductive layer 140 includes a protection area 141. The protection area 141 overlaps the driving element 120, and the protection area 141 overlaps the light emitting element 130. The conductive via 150 penetrates at least the flexible substrate 110.

In this embodiment, the protection area 141 of the conductive layer 140 may be electrically connected to the light emitting element 130 through the conductive via 150.

In this embodiment, the protection area 141 may completely overlap the driving element 120 and the light-emitting element 130. For example, the vertical projection of the driving element 120 on the first surface 110A (or a virtual surface parallel to it) or the second surface 110B (or a virtual surface parallel to it) can basically completely fall on the protection The area 141 is in a vertical projection on the first surface 110A (or a virtual surface parallel to it) or the second surface 110B (or a virtual surface parallel to it), and the light-emitting element 130 is on the first surface 110A ( Or, the vertical projection on a virtual surface parallel to it) or the second surface 110B (or a virtual surface parallel to it) can basically completely fall on the protected area 141 on the first surface 110A (or, parallel to it) Within a vertical projection on the second surface 110B (or a virtual surface parallel to it).

In this embodiment, when a force is applied to the flexible display panel 100 so that it can be flexed, the area where the protection area 141 is not provided may be an area that is easier to be flexed. Taking FIG. 1B as an example, compared to the area where the protection area 141 is provided, the area FB1 and/or the area FB2 may be areas that are easier to be flexed. In this way, since the protection area 141 can completely overlap the driving element 120 and the light-emitting element 130. Therefore, when a force is applied to the flexible display panel 100 to be flexible, the possibility of damage or damage to the driving element 120 and/or the light emitting element 130 can be reduced.

In one embodiment, the edge of the vertical projection of the protection area 141 on the first surface 110A (or a virtual surface parallel to it) or the second surface 110B (or a virtual surface parallel to it) and the light-emitting element 130. The distance DD2 between the edges of the vertical projection on the first surface 110A (or a virtual surface parallel to it) or the second surface 110B (or a virtual surface parallel to it) may be greater than or equal to 3 microns (Micrometer; μm). In this way, when a force is applied to the flexible display panel 100 to be flexible, the possibility of damage or damage (such as peeling or peeling) of the light-emitting element 130 can be reduced.

In this embodiment, the protection area 141 may completely overlap the conductive via 150, but the invention is not limited to this. In an embodiment, the conductive via 150 may be partially overlapped. In this way, when a force is applied to the flexible display panel 100 so that it can be flexed, the possibility of damage or damage to the conductive via 150 can be reduced.

In this embodiment, the thickness H1 of the flexible substrate 110 may be between 5 μm and 100 μm, and the thickness H2 of the protection region 141 of the conductive layer 140 may be between 5 μm and 50 μm. In this embodiment, the protection area 141 may be formed by electroplating, for example. For example, a seed layer may be formed on the second surface 110B of the flexible substrate 110, and then an electroplated layer may be plated on the aforementioned seed layer by electroplating. In addition, the aforementioned seed layer may be patterned again, and after the aforementioned seed layer is patterned, the patterned seed layer and the patterned electroplating layer constitute the conductive layer 140.

In this embodiment, the driving element 120 may be a thin film transistor (TFT). For example, the driving element 120 may include a source region 120S, a drain region 120D, a gate region 120G, and a channel region 120C. The light emitting element 130 is electrically connected to the drain region 120D of the driving element 120. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1A, the driving element 120 may be a top gate TFT (top gate TFT), but the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the driving element similar to the driving element 120 (which may still be referred to as a driving element) may be a bottom gate TFT or a dual gate TFT.

In an embodiment that is not shown, the driving element similar to the driving element 120 (still referred to as a driving element) may be a driving chiplet, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the conductive via 150 may further penetrate the insulating layer on the first surface 110A. For example, the conductive via 150 may further penetrate the insulating layer between the channel region 120C and the gate region 120G (eg, similar to an insulating layer called a gate insulating layer; but not limited to) and/or cover the driver An insulating layer on the element 120 (eg, similar to an insulating layer called a flat layer; but not limited to this).

In this embodiment, the conductive layer 140 may further include a connection area 142. The connection area 142 may be connected to the protection area 141. For example, the connection area 142 may be located between two adjacent protection areas 141. For another example, adjacent protection areas 141 may be connected to each other in the second direction D2 by the connection area 142, and in one direction (for example, in the first direction D1), the width W2 of the connection area 142 may be smaller than the protection area The width of the area 141 is W1. In this embodiment, the connecting area 142 may be strip-shaped, but the present invention is not limited to this.

In this embodiment, the distance DD1 between adjacent protection areas 141 may be between 3 μm and 100 μm. In other words, the length of the strip-shaped connecting region 142 may be between 3 μm and 100 μm, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In one embodiment, the protection area 141 and the connection area 142 connected thereto may be electrically connected to a common voltage source (such as Vdd, but not limited to this), for example.

2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a flexible display panel according to a second embodiment of the invention. The flexible display panel 200 of this embodiment is similar to the flexible display panel 100 of the first embodiment, and similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and have similar functions, materials, or formation methods, and descriptions are omitted. For example, the schematic top view of the flexible display panel 200 can be (but not limited to) the same or similar to that shown in FIG. 1B.

Please refer to FIG. 2, the flexible display panel 200 includes a flexible substrate 110, a driving element 120, a light emitting element 130, a conductive layer 140 and a conductive via 250. The conductive via 250 penetrates at least the flexible substrate 110. The protection area 141 of the conductive layer 140 may be electrically connected to the driving element 120 through the conductive via 150.

In this embodiment, the conductive via 250 may further penetrate a part of the insulating layer on the first surface 110A. For example, the conductive via 250 may further penetrate the insulating layer between the channel region 120C and the gate region 120G (eg, similar to an insulating layer called a gate insulating layer; but not limited to this).

In an embodiment, the protection area 141 and the connection area 142 connected thereto may be electrically connected to a working voltage source (such as Vss, but not limited to this), for example.

3 is a schematic partial top view of a flexible display panel according to a third embodiment of the invention. The flexible display panel 300 of this embodiment is similar to the flexible display panel 100 of the first embodiment or the flexible display panel 200 of the second embodiment, and similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals and have similar Functions, materials, or formation methods, and descriptions are omitted. For example, the partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of the flexible display panel 300 can be (but not limited to) the same or similar to that shown in FIG. 1A or FIG. 2.

Please refer to FIG. 3, the conductive layer 140 of the flexible display panel 300 may include a protection area 341. The protection area 341 overlaps the driving element (not shown, such as the driving element 120 shown in FIG. 1A or FIG. 2 ), and the protection area 341 overlaps the light-emitting element 130.

In this embodiment, adjacent protection areas 341 may be closely connected to each other. The edges adjacent to each other and contacting the protection area 341 may be regarded as the connection area 342. In addition, in one direction (for example, in the first direction D1), the width of the connection area 342 may be smaller than the width of the protection area 341.

In an embodiment, the electrical connection modes of the protection areas 341 that are not electrically connected to each other may be different. For example, the protected area 341 may include a protected area 341a and a protected area 341b. The protection area 341a and the protection area 341b are electrically separated from each other. For example, similar to that shown in FIG. 1A, the protection area 341 a may be electrically connected to the light emitting element 130; and similar to that shown in FIG. 2, the protection area 341 b may be electrically connected to the light emitting element 120.

4A is a schematic partial top view of a flexible display panel according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4B is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the flexible display panel of FIG. 4A in a bending state. The flexible display panel 400 of this embodiment is similar to the flexible display panel 100, the flexible display panel 200, or the flexible display panel 300 of the previous embodiment, and the similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals and have similarities. The function, material or formation method of, and the description is omitted. For example, the partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of the flexible display panel 400 can be (but not limited to) the same or similar to that shown in FIG. 1A or FIG. 2.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 4B, the flexible display panel 400 may have a deflection curve 406. When a force of an appropriate direction and magnitude is applied to the flexible display panel 400, the flexible display panel 400 can be adapted to be flexed in the same direction on both sides of the flexure curve 406. The protection area 141 of the flexible display panel 400 may include a first protection area 441a and a second protection area 441b. The distance between the first protection area 441a and the flexure curve 406 is smaller than the distance between the second protection area 441b and the flexure curve 406, and the first protection area 441a is on the first surface 110A (or, a virtual surface parallel to it) Or the vertical projection area on the second surface 110B (or a virtual surface parallel to it) is larger than the second protection area 441b on the first surface 110A (or, a virtual surface parallel to it) or the second surface 110B (or , A virtual surface parallel to it) on the vertical projection area.

In this embodiment, when the flexible display panel 400 is flexed as shown in FIG. 4B, the components closer to the flexure curve 406 may need to bear greater stress. Therefore, with the configuration of the first protection area 441a and the second protection area 441b, the possibility of damage or damage to the driving element 120 and/or the light emitting element 130 can be reduced.

5A is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a flexible display panel according to a fifth embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5B is a schematic partial top view of a flexible display panel according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The flexible display panel 200 of this embodiment is similar to the flexible display panel 100 of the first embodiment, and similar components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and have similar functions, materials, or formation methods, and descriptions are omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the flexible display panel 500 includes a flexible substrate 110, a driving element 120, a light-emitting element 130, a conductive layer 140, a conductive via 150, and a reinforcing structure 570. The reinforcing structure 570 is disposed on the first surface 110A of the flexible substrate 110. The reinforcement structure 570 overlaps the corresponding protection area 141 of the conductive layer 140; or, the protection area 141 of the conductive layer 140 overlaps the corresponding reinforcement structure 570. The reinforcement structure 570 does not overlap the corresponding light emitting element 130.

In this embodiment, the reinforcing structure 570 may include metal, ceramic, hard plastic, glass, or a combination of the foregoing. The protection area 141 and the reinforcing structure 570 of the conductive layer 140 can reduce the damage or damage of the driving element 120 and/or the light-emitting element 130 when the flexible display panel 500 is forced to be flexed. Possible.

In this embodiment, the reinforcing structure 570 may be arranged around the light emitting element 130. For example, the reinforcement structure 570 may be frame-shaped, and the light-emitting element 130 may be located in the frame-shaped reinforcement structure 570. That is, the vertical projection of the light-emitting element 130 on the first surface 110A (or a virtual surface parallel to it) or the second surface 110B (or a virtual surface parallel to it) may be located on the reinforcing structure 570 in the second surface. A vertical projection on a surface 110A (or a virtual surface parallel to it) or a second surface 110B (or a virtual surface parallel to it), and the vertical projection of the aforementioned light-emitting element 130 does not overlap the aforementioned reinforcement structure Vertical projection.

In an embodiment, the reinforcing structure 570 may be a frame formed by a plurality of components.

In an embodiment that is not shown, the reinforcing structure (eg, a reinforcing structure similar to the reinforcing structure 570) may be composed of multiple components, and the shape of the multiple components connected end to end may be a frame shape.

In an embodiment, the reinforcement structure 570 may include a conductor. For example, the reinforcing structure 570 including the conductor may be formed by electroplating.

In an embodiment, the reinforcing structure 570 including the conductor may not be electrically connected to the light emitting element 130, but the invention is not limited thereto.

In this article, the definition of "completely overlapping on" is as follows: As shown in Figure 6A, when the object A1 completely overlaps the object A2, the vertical projection A20 of the object A2 on the plane will completely fall on the vertical projection A10 of the object A1 on the plane Inside.

In this article, the definition of "partially overlapped" is as follows: As shown in Figure 6B, when object B1 partially overlaps object B2, part of the vertical projection B20 of object B2 on the plane will fall on the vertical projection of object B1 on the plane In B10, the rest of the vertical projection B20 of the object B2 on the plane will fall outside the vertical projection B10 of the object B1 on the plane.

Based on the above, in this article, if not specifically stated, "overlapped on" may include "completely overlapped on" or "partially overlapped on".

In this article, the definition of "non-overlapping on" is as follows: As shown in Figure 6C, when the object C1 does not overlap the object C2, the vertical projection C20 of the object C2 on the plane will completely fall on the vertical projection C10 of the object C1 on the plane outside.

The size of the light-emitting element 130 in the foregoing embodiment is, for example, less than 100 micrometers, preferably less than 50 micrometers, but greater than 0 micrometers. The light-emitting element 130 may be, for example, an inorganic light-emitting element, but is not limited thereto. The structure of the inorganic light-emitting element 130 can be a P-N diode, a P-I-N diode, or other suitable structures. The type of the light-emitting element 130 may be a vertical light-emitting element, a horizontal light-emitting element, or a flip-chip light-emitting element. The light-emitting element 130 may be an organic material (for example: organic polymer light-emitting material, organic small molecule light-emitting material, organic complex light-emitting material, or other suitable materials, or a combination of the foregoing materials), inorganic material (for example: perovskite material) , Rare earth ion luminescent materials, rare earth fluorescent materials, semiconductor luminescent materials, or other suitable materials, or a combination of the foregoing materials), or other suitable materials, or a combination of the foregoing materials.

In addition, the driving element 120, other active elements (not shown), and capacitors (not shown) in the foregoing embodiments may be referred to as two active elements and one capacitor (which may be expressed as 2T1C) for short. In other embodiments, the number of driving elements 120, other active elements (not shown), and capacitors corresponding to each light-emitting element 130 can be changed according to design, and may be referred to as three active elements and one or Two capacitors (can be expressed as 3T1C/2C), four active components and one or two capacitors (can be expressed as 4T1C/2C), five active components and one or two capacitors (can be expressed as 5T1C/2C), Six active components and one or two capacitors (which can be expressed as 6T1C/2C), or other suitable circuit configurations.

In the foregoing embodiments, the conductive layer may have a single-layer or multi-layer structure. If it is a conductive layer with a multi-layer structure, the aforementioned multi-layer structure may not have an insulating material between them.

In the foregoing embodiments, the insulating layer may have a single-layer or multi-layer structure. If it is an insulating layer with a multi-layer structure, the aforementioned multi-layer structure may not have conductive materials between them.

In summary, the flexible display panel provided by the embodiments of the present invention can reduce the damage or damage of its internal components through the protection area of the conductive layer.

100, 200, 300, 400, 500: flexible display panel 110: Flexible substrate 110A: First surface 110B: second surface 120: drive element 120C: Passage area 120D: Drain region 120G: gate area 120S: source area 130: light-emitting element 140: conductive layer 141, 341, 341a, 341b, 441a, 441b: protected areas 142, 342: Connection area 150, 250: conductive vias 406: Deflection Curve 570: Strengthen the structure A1, B1, C1, A2, B2, C2: objects A10, B10, C10, A20, B20, C20: projection D1: First direction D2: second direction DD1, DD2: distance FB1, FB2: area H1, H2: thickness W1, W2: width

FIG. 1A is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a flexible display panel according to a first embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1B is a schematic partial top view of a flexible display panel according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a flexible display panel according to a second embodiment of the invention. 3 is a schematic partial top view of a flexible display panel according to a third embodiment of the invention. 4A is a schematic partial top view of a flexible display panel according to a fourth embodiment of the invention. FIG. 4B illustrates a bending state of the flexible display panel of FIG. 4A. 5A is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a flexible display panel according to a fifth embodiment of the invention. FIG. 5B is a schematic partial top view of a flexible display panel according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6A is a schematic diagram of two objects completely overlapping. Fig. 6B is a schematic diagram of two objects partially overlapping. Fig. 6C is a schematic diagram showing that two objects do not overlap.

100: Flexible display panel 110: Flexible substrate 110A: First surface 110B: second surface 120: drive element 120C: Passage area 120D: Drain region 120G: gate area 120S: source area 130: light-emitting element 140: conductive layer 141: Protected Area 150: conductive via FB1: area H1, H2: thickness

Claims (10)

A flexible display panel, comprising: a flexible substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface; a driving element arranged on the first surface of the flexible substrate; The light emitting element is arranged on the first surface of the flexible substrate and is electrically connected to the driving element; the conductive layer is arranged on the second surface of the flexible substrate, and the conductive layer is arranged on the second surface of the flexible substrate. The layer includes a protection area, and the protection area overlaps the driving element and the light-emitting element; and conductive vias penetrate at least the flexible substrate, and the protection area of the conductive layer passes through the The conductive via is electrically connected to the driving element or the light-emitting element. The conductive layer further includes a connection area connected to the protection area, and the width of the connection area is smaller than the width of the protection area. The flexible display panel according to claim 1, wherein the protection area completely overlaps the driving element and the light-emitting element. The flexible display panel according to claim 1, wherein the edge of the projection of the protection area on the first surface or the second surface and the light emitting element on the first surface or the second surface The distance between the edges of the projections on the two surfaces is greater than or equal to 3 microns. The flexible display panel according to claim 1, wherein the protection area overlaps the conductive via. The flexible display panel according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the protection area of the conductive layer is between 5 μm and 50 μm. The flexible display panel according to claim 1, which has a flexure curve, wherein the protection area includes a first protection area and a second protection area, and the area of the first protection area is larger than that of the second protection area Area. The flexible display panel according to claim 6, wherein the distance between the first protection area and the flexure curve is smaller than the distance between the second protection area and the flexure curve. The flexible display panel according to claim 1, further comprising: a reinforcement structure disposed on the first surface of the flexible substrate, the reinforcement structure overlaps the protection area, and the reinforcement The structure does not overlap the light-emitting element. The flexible display panel according to claim 8, wherein the reinforcing structure surrounds the light emitting element. The flexible display panel according to claim 8, wherein the reinforcing structure is electrically separated from the light emitting element.

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