TWI783493B - Stress sensing assembly and display device - Google Patents

Abstract

A stress sensing assembly includes a stretchable substrate and at least one stress sensing line. The stress sensing line is disposed on the stretchable substrate and includes a plurality of rigid sections and a plurality of flexible conductive sections. The rigid segments are separated from each other. Each of the flexible conductive segments is arranged between two adjacent rigid segments and is in direct contact with the side walls of the two adjacent rigid segments, and the Young's modulus of any of the flexible conductive segments is smaller than the Young’s modulus of any of the rigid segments. A display device including the stress sensing assembly is also disclosed.

Description

Stress sensing assembly and display device

The present disclosure relates to a sensing component with a stress sensing line and a display device including the sensing component.

In a flexible electronic device, the substrate of the electronic device is deformed due to stretching, and subsequent operations can be performed through the change sensed by the sensing element for this deformation. For example, in a flexible display device, different Pixel compensation for deformed regions. However, the sensitivity of the current sensing components in flexible electronic devices is not high enough, and a large amount of deformation is often required to produce detectable changes.

In view of the above problems, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a stress-sensing component for a flexible electronic device, which has relatively large responsiveness under small deformation.

Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a stress-sensing component including: a stretchable substrate and at least one stress-sensing wire. The stress sensing line is arranged on the stretchable substrate and includes: a plurality of rigid segments and a plurality of soft conductive segments. Multiple rigid segments are separated from each other. Each of the plurality of flexible conductive segments is disposed between two adjacent rigid segments of the plurality of rigid segments and is in direct contact with the sidewalls of the two adjacent rigid segments, and the Young's modulus of any one of the plurality of flexible conductive segments is less than the Young's modulus of any one of the plurality of rigid segments.

In some embodiments, the plurality of flexible conductive segments are separated from each other. In other embodiments, multiple flexible conductive segments are connected to each other.

In some embodiments, each of the plurality of flexible conductive segments further covers and directly contacts a portion of the surface of two adjacent rigid segments of the plurality of rigid segments in the stress sensing assembly.

In some embodiments, in the stress sensing assembly, the plurality of flexible conductive segments further cover and directly contact the entire upper surfaces of the plurality of rigid segments.

In some embodiments, in the stress-sensing assembly, the two flexible conductive segments at both ends of the stress-sensing wire cover and directly contact the outer sidewalls of the two rigid segments closest to the two ends of the stress-sensing wire.

In some embodiments, in the stress sensing component, the total length of the multiple rigid segments is X, the total length of the multiple portions of the multiple flexible conductive segments that do not overlap the multiple rigid segments is Y, and the ratio of Y/X The scale is between 0.01 and 3.

In some embodiments, the stretchable substrate has a Young's modulus that is less than the Young's modulus of any of the plurality of rigid segments in the stress sensing assembly.

In some embodiments, in the stress sensing component, the stress sensing line is a bent line, and a bent portion of the bent line is one of the plurality of flexible conductive segments.

In some embodiments, in the stress sensing assembly, the material of the plurality of rigid segments comprises a conductive material, a non-conductive material, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, in the stress sensing component, the Young's modulus of the plurality of rigid segments ranges from 30 GPa to 400 GPa, and the Young's modulus of the plurality of soft conductive segments ranges from 0.01 MPa to 1 GPa between.

In some embodiments, in the stress sensing assembly, the Young's modulus of the stretchable substrate ranges from 0.1 MPa to 10 GPa.

In some embodiments, the stress sensing component further includes: at least one strain reading element, at least one reading power line, and two reading ends, disposed on the stretchable substrate, one of the strain reading elements The first end is connected to at least one reading power line, the second end of the strain reading element is connected to one of the plurality of reading ends, and the third end of the strain reading element is connected to one end of at least one stress sensing line. The other end is connected to the other end of at least one stress sensing line.

Some other embodiments of the present disclosure provide a display device, including: the stress sensing element as discussed in the above and the following embodiments, and a plurality of signal lines. Wherein, the stretchable substrate has a plurality of non-stretch regions and a plurality of stretch regions, each of the plurality of stretch regions is located between two adjacent non-stretch regions of the non-stretch regions, and the non-stretch regions Each of the regions has a plurality of sub-pixels, and each of these sub-pixels includes at least one switching element and a display element connected to the at least one switching element, and the at least one stress sensing line is arranged in these stretching regions on any stretch zone. A plurality of signal lines are arranged on a plurality of non-stretched areas and a plurality of stretched areas, and these signal lines are connected to the switching elements of the sub-pixels, and are located on a same stretched area of the stretched areas The signal lines and the at least one stress sensing line are separated from each other and not connected to each other.

In some embodiments, in the display device, the stretchable substrate at least includes a first region and a second region, and the first region and the second region respectively include a plurality of non-stretched regions and a plurality of stretched regions , the stretch ratio of the first region is greater than the stretch ratio of the second region. Further, the total length of the plurality of rigid segments is X, the total length of the plurality of parts of the plurality of soft conductive segments that do not overlap with these rigid segments is Y, and any one of the tensile zones located in the first region The Y/X ratio of the at least one stress-sensing line is greater than the Y/X ratio of the at least one stress-sensing line located in any one of the stretch zones of the second region.

In some embodiments, in the display device, the Y/X ratio of the stress sensing lines is between 0.01 and 3.

In some embodiments, in the display device, the Y/X ratio of at least one stress sensing line located in the first region is between 0.2 and 3.

In some embodiments, in the display device, the Y/X ratio of at least one stress sensing line located in the second region is between 0.01 and 0.5.

Still other embodiments of the present disclosure provide a display device comprising: the stress sensing element as discussed in the above and the following embodiments, and a plurality of signal lines. Wherein, the stretchable substrate has a plurality of non-stretch regions and a plurality of stretch regions, each of the plurality of stretch regions is located between two adjacent non-stretch regions of the non-stretch regions, and the non-stretch regions Each of the regions has a plurality of sub-pixels, and each of these sub-pixels includes at least one switching element and a display element connected to the at least one switching element, and the at least one stress sensing line is arranged in these stretching regions on any stretch zone. A plurality of signal lines are arranged on a plurality of non-stretched areas and a plurality of stretched areas, and these signal lines are connected to the switching elements of the sub-pixels, and are located on a same stretched area of the stretched areas The signal lines and the at least one stress sensing line are separated from each other and not connected to each other. Wherein, the stress sensing component further includes at least one strain reading element, at least one reading power line, and two reading ends, which are arranged on the stretchable substrate, and one of the first ends of the strain reading element is connected to at least one Read the power line, the second end of the strain reading element is connected to one of the multiple reading ends, the third end of the strain reading element is connected to one end of at least one stress sensing line, and the other of these reading ends The other end of at least one stress sensing line is connected. In the display device, any one of the plurality of non-stretch regions further has at least one strain reading element, and the at least one strain reading element located on the same non-stretch region of the plurality of non-stretch regions The at least one switching element and the display element of each of the plurality of sub-pixels are separated from each other and not connected to each other.

Still other embodiments of the present disclosure provide a display device comprising: the stress sensing element as discussed in the above and the following embodiments, and a plurality of signal lines. Wherein, the stretchable substrate has a plurality of non-stretch regions and a plurality of stretch regions, each of the plurality of stretch regions is located between two adjacent non-stretch regions of the non-stretch regions, and the non-stretch regions Each of the regions has a plurality of sub-pixels, and each of these sub-pixels includes at least one switching element and a display element connected to the at least one switching element, and the at least one stress sensing line is arranged in these stretching regions on any stretch zone. A plurality of signal lines are arranged on a plurality of non-stretched areas and a plurality of stretched areas, and these signal lines are connected to the switching elements of the sub-pixels, and are located on a same stretched area of the stretched areas The signal lines and the at least one stress sensing line are separated from each other and not connected to each other. Wherein, the stress sensing component further includes at least one strain reading element, at least one reading power line, and two reading ends, which are arranged on the stretchable substrate, and one of the first ends of the strain reading element is connected to at least one Read the power line, the second end of the strain reading element is connected to one of the multiple reading ends, the third end of the strain reading element is connected to one end of at least one stress sensing line, and the other of these reading ends The other end of at least one stress sensing line is connected. In the display device, at least one reading power line is disposed on any one of the plurality of stretching areas, wherein the plurality of signal lines located on the same stretching area of the plurality of stretching areas are connected to the The at least one reading power line is separated from each other and not connected to each other.

The following will clearly illustrate the spirit of the disclosure with drawings and detailed descriptions. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can learn the technology taught by the disclosure after understanding the preferred implementation modes and examples of the disclosure. Changes and modifications are made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure.

Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals denote the same elements. It will be understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region, or substrate is referred to as being "on" or "connected to" another element, it can be directly on or connected to the other 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 present. As used herein, "connected" may refer to physical and/or electrical connection. Furthermore, "electrically connected" or "coupled" means that other elements exist between two elements.

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 sections, these elements, components, regions, and/or or parts thereof shall not be limited 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. Thus, a "first element," "component," "region," "layer" or "section" discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings herein.

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

Additionally, relative terms such as "lower" or "bottom" and "upper" or "top" may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element as shown in the figures. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as being on the "lower" side of other elements would then be oriented on "upper" sides of the other elements. Thus, the exemplary term "below" can encompass both an orientation of "below" and "upper," depending on the particular orientation of the drawing. Similarly, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements would then be oriented "above" the other elements. Thus, the exemplary terms "below" or "under" can encompass both an orientation of above and below.

As used herein, "about," "approximately," or "substantially" includes stated values and averages within acceptable deviations from a particular value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art, taking into account the measurements in question and relative A specific amount of measurement-related error (ie, a limitation of the measurement system). For example, "about" can mean within one or more standard deviations, or within ±30%, ±20%, ±10%, ±5% of the stated value. Furthermore, the terms "about", "approximately" or "substantially" used herein can choose a more acceptable deviation range or standard deviation according to optical properties, etching properties or other properties, and it is not necessary to use one standard deviation to apply to all properties .

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

Exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to top schematic illustrations that are idealized embodiments. Accordingly, variations from the shapes of the illustrations as a result, for example, of manufacturing techniques and/or tolerances are to be expected. Thus, embodiments described herein should not be construed as limited to the particular shapes of regions as illustrated herein but are to include deviations in shapes that result, for example, from manufacturing. For example, a region shown or described as flat, may, typically, have rough and/or non-linear features. Additionally, acute corners shown may be rounded. Thus, the regions shown in the figures are schematic in nature and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the precise shape of a region and are not intended to limit the scope of the claims.

Figure 1 shows the relationship between the stretch ratio (%) and the sheet resistance (Ω/□, or ohm/square) of the three soft conductive materials. The three kinds of soft conductive materials are polydioxyethylene thiophene (Poly-3,4-Ethylenedioxythiophene, PEDOT) materials, which respectively have resistances of 120 Ω/□, 220 Ω/□, and 310 Ω/□ when unstretched. As the stretching ratio increases, it can be seen that the sheet resistances of the three flexible conductive materials basically increase linearly. Therefore, the tensile strain at the location where the soft conductive material is located can be sensed by the effect that the soft conductive material increases resistance with stretching ratio.

In Figure 1, it also shows that when the soft conductive material is stretched from the unstretched state to 50% stretched, the increase in sheet resistance is less than 3 times. Therefore, if the stress-sensing line is only formed of a soft conductive material, the stress-sensing line may not be sensitive enough to tensile deformation.

Figure 2A is a cross-sectional view of a stress sensing assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The stress sensing component 100 includes a stretchable substrate 110 and a stress sensing wire 120 . The stress sensing line 120 is composed of a plurality of rigid sections 122 separated from each other and a plurality of flexible conductive sections 124 separated from each other. In other words, the stress sensing line 120 is composed of a plurality of rigid segments 122 and a plurality of flexible conductive segments 124 arranged alternately. Alternatively, in the stress sensing line 120, the rigid material is broken and discontinuous, and the soft conductive segment 124 fills in the broken space. In some embodiments, the upper surfaces of the plurality of rigid segments 122 and the upper surfaces of the plurality of flexible conductive segments 124 are substantially flush.

FIG. 2B shows a cross-sectional view of the stress sensing device 100 in FIG. 2A after being stretched. The arrows on both sides indicate the direction of stretching. Under the effect of tensile stress, the lengths of the flexible conductive sections 124 of the stress sensing wire 120 can be extended, while the lengths of the rigid sections 122 are basically unchanged.

In some embodiments, the Young's modulus of the stretchable substrate 110 of the stress sensing assembly 100 ranges from about 0.1 MPa to about 10 GPa, for example, about 0.1 MPa, about 1 MPa, about 10 MPa, about 100 MPa, about 1 GPa, or about 10 GPa. The material of the stretchable substrate 110 may include polyimide (Polyimide, PI), polyethylene terephthalate (polyethylene terephthalate, PET), silicone resin (polysiloxanes), polyurethane (polyurethane), or epoxy Resin (Epoxy), or the like.

In some embodiments, the Young's modulus of the plurality of rigid segments 122 of the stress sensing wire 120 ranges from about 30 GPa to about 400 GPa, such as about 30 GPa, about 50 GPa, about 100 GPa, about 150 GPa, About 200 GPa, about 250 GPa, about 300 GPa, about 350 GPa, or about 400 GPa. In some embodiments, the material of the rigid section 122 can be a metal, such as titanium, aluminum, molybdenum, silver, copper, gold, or combinations thereof. In other embodiments, the material of the rigid section 122 may be a conductive oxide, such as indium tin oxide.

In some embodiments, the Young's modulus of the plurality of flexible conductive segments 124 of the stress-sensing wire 120 ranges from about 0.01 MPa to 1 GPa. In some embodiments, the material of the flexible conductive segment 124 includes a conductive polymer material, such as polyethylenedioxyethylenethiophene (PEDOT). In some embodiments, the material of the flexible conductive section 124 includes a conductive polymer composite material, such as silver nanowire polymer (silver nano-wire in polymer), silver nanosheet polymer (silver nano-sheet in polymer), Copper nano-particle in polymer, conductive nano- or micro-material in polymer.

In some embodiments, the Young's modulus of the rigid segment 122 is greater than the Young's modulus of the stretchable substrate 110 and the Young's modulus of the soft conductive segment 124 . In some embodiments, the Young's modulus of the stretchable substrate 110 is greater than the Young's modulus of the flexible conductive segment 124 .

In some embodiments, in a stress sensing line 120, the total length of the plurality of rigid segments 122 is X, the total length of the plurality of flexible conductive segments 124 is Y, and 3 ≥ Y/X ≥ 0.01, for example, Y/ The ratio of X can be 3, 2.8, 2.5, 2, 1.5, 1, 0.5, 0.2, 0.1, 0.05, or 0.01. Since when the total length of the flexible conductive segment 124 accounts for a smaller proportion of the stress sensing line (that is, Y/X is smaller), the tensile deformation caused by the stretching action will be more concentrated on each soft conductive segment, so The resistance change rate will become larger, that is, the stress sensing line will be more sensitive. Depending on the desired sensitivity of the stress-sensing line 120, the ratio of Y/X can be adjusted.

In some embodiments, the distance between two adjacent rigid segments 122 depends on the process conditions, for example, the smallest distance is greater than 1 micron.

Figure 3A is a cross-sectional view of a stress sensing assembly according to other embodiments. The stress sensing assembly 100' includes a stretchable substrate 110 and a stress sensing wire 120. The stretchable substrate 110 is similar to the stretchable substrate 110 discussed above with regard to FIG. 2A. The stress sensing line 120 includes a plurality of rigid segments 122 and a plurality of flexible conductive segments 124 .

In some embodiments, in the stress-sensing assembly 100', the plurality of rigid segments 122 of the stress-sensing wire 120 are composed of conductive materials, which can be referred to the materials discussed above for the rigid segments 122 of FIG. 2A.

In some embodiments, in the stress sensing assembly 100', the plurality of flexible conductive segments 124 of the stress sensing wire 120 comprise conductive polymers or conductive polymer composite materials, and can refer to the flexible conductive segments 124 discussed in FIG. 2A above. s material.

In the strain sensing assembly 100', the upper surfaces of the plurality of flexible conductive segments 124 are higher than the upper surfaces of the plurality of rigid segments 122. Each of the plurality of flexible conductive segments 124 contacts a portion of the sidewall 122S and the upper surface 122T of two adjacent rigid segments 122 .

FIG. 3B shows a cross-sectional view of the stretched stress sensing component 100' of FIG. 3A. The arrows on both sides indicate the direction of stretching. Under the effect of tensile stress, the lengths of the plurality of flexible conductive segments 124 of the stress sensing wire 120 can be extended at intervals between any two rigid segments 122 , while the lengths of the plurality of rigid segments 122 basically remain unchanged.

Figure 4A is a cross-sectional view of a stress sensing assembly according to yet other embodiments. The stress sensing assembly 100" includes a stretchable substrate 110 and a stress sensing wire 120. The stretchable substrate 110 is similar to the stretchable substrate 110 discussed above in FIG. 2A. The stress sensing wire 120 includes a plurality of rigid segments 122 and A plurality of interconnected flexible conductive segments 124 .

In some embodiments, in the stress sensing assembly 100", the material of the plurality of rigid segments 122 of the stress sensing wire 120 is composed of a conductive material, which can refer to the material discussed above for the rigid segment 122 of FIG. 2A. In another In some embodiments, the material of the plurality of rigid sections 122 of the stress sensing line 120 can be composed of non-conductive materials, such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, amorphous silicon, Poly-silicon, organic resin, or the like, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, in the stress sensing assembly 100", the plurality of flexible conductive segments 124 of the stress sensing wire 120 comprise conductive polymers or conductive polymer composite materials, and can refer to the flexible conductive segments 124 discussed in FIG. 2A above. s material.

In the stress sensing assembly 100", the plurality of flexible conductive segments 124 of the stress sensing wire 120 are interconnected and cover the plurality of rigid segments 122. In other words, the plurality of interconnected flexible conductive segments 124 cover and directly contact the plurality of rigid segments 122. The entire upper surface 122T of the segment 122. Further, the two flexible conductive segments 124 at both ends of the stress sensing line 120 cover and directly contact the outer sidewalls 122E of the two rigid segments 122 closest to the two ends of the stress sensing line 120 .

FIG. 4B shows a cross-sectional view of the stretched stress sensing component 100'' of FIG. 4A. The arrows on both sides indicate the direction of stretching. Under the effect of tensile stress, the lengths of the plurality of flexible conductive segments 124 of the stress sensing wire 120 can be extended at intervals between any two rigid segments 122 , while the lengths of the plurality of rigid segments 122 basically remain unchanged.

In some embodiments, a method of forming a stress sensing assembly includes forming a plurality of spaced rigid segments aligned along a first direction on a stretchable substrate, thereafter disposing a layer of soft conductive material extending along the first direction and Set in the space between and overlay multiple rigid segments. In some embodiments, a process such as chemical mechanical polishing may be performed such that the flexible conductive material layer is formed into a plurality of separated flexible conductive segments, and the upper surfaces of the rigid segments and the flexible conductive segments are substantially flush. In other embodiments, multiple portions of the flexible conductive material layer may be removed through a patterning process, so that the flexible conductive material layer is formed into a plurality of separate flexible conductive segments, and each of the flexible conductive segments covers adjacent at least a portion of the rigid segment.

Figure 5A depicts a top view of a stress sensing assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Arrows on both sides indicate the direction of stretching action. It can be seen from the top view that the stress sensing line 120 of the stress sensing component 100 is a straight line composed of alternating rigid sections 122 and soft conductive sections 124 .

Figure 5B depicts a top view of another stress sensing assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. It can be seen from the top view that the stress sensing wire 120 of the stress sensing component 100 is curved and includes a plurality of curved portions 130 . Furthermore, the portion of the stress sensing line 120 at the bending portion 130 is a flexible conductive segment 124 . Since the stress sensing lines connected in series can obtain a larger resistance change rate, therefore, when the stress sensing line of a device requires a larger resistance change rate, a longer stress sensing line can be formed and made into a curved line segment, In order to obtain a stronger response signal and improve the sensing sensitivity. Arrows on both sides indicate the direction of stretching action. The bending part of the stress sensing line is formed by the soft conductive segment, so that the stress sensing line has better stretchability and avoids stretching to cause the stress sensing line to break.

Through the tests of comparative examples and examples below, it is shown that after stretching the stress-sensing component according to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the stretched deformation of the stress-sensing line is concentrated on the parts of the plurality of soft conductive segments, therefore, it can be enlarged The rate of change in resistance of the stress-sensing wire.

FIG. 6A shows a cross-sectional view of Comparative Example 1. FIG. The assembly 200 of Comparative Example 1 includes a stretchable substrate 210 , a rigid material layer 220 on the stretchable substrate, and a soft conductive material layer 230 on the rigid material layer 220 . In Comparative Example 1, the material of the rigid material layer 220 is a three-layer structure of titanium-aluminum-titanium, and the material of the soft conductive material layer 230 is resin with silver nanowires.

FIG. 6B shows a stretch ratio profile of the assembly 200 of Comparative Example 1 after stretching. In Figure 6B, different degrees of stretching ratios are represented by color levels, and the numbers next to each color level represent stretching ratios, for example, 0.1 is a stretching ratio of 10%. As shown in FIG. 6B , after stretching, the stretching ratio of the region between the two ends of the component 200 is about the same, and the stretching ratio is about 5.9% to about 7%.

FIG. 7A shows a cross-sectional view of Example 1. The stress sensing component 300 includes a stretchable substrate 310 and a stress sensing wire 320 . The stress-sensing wire 320 includes alternating rigid segments 322 and soft conductive segments 324 . In Embodiment 1, the material of the rigid section 322 is a titanium-aluminum-titanium three-layer structure, and the material of the soft conductive section 324 is silver nanowires.

FIG. 7B shows the distribution diagram of the stretching ratio of the stress sensing component 300 of Embodiment 1 after stretching. As shown in FIG. 7B, after stretching, the stress sensing assembly 300 has almost no stretch at the portion of the plurality of rigid segments 322, and the stretch ratio at the portion of the plurality of soft conductive segments 324 is between about 19%. to about 47%.

FIG. 8A shows a cross-sectional view of Comparative Example 2. The assembly 400 of Comparative Example 2 includes a stretchable substrate 410 and a soft conductive material layer 420 on the stretchable substrate 410 . In Comparative Example 2, the material of the soft conductive material layer 420 is polydioxyethylenethiophene (PEDOT) conductive polymer.

Fig. 8B shows the relationship between the stretching ratio and the resistance change rate (R/R0) of Comparative Example 2 in Fig. 8A. It can be seen that as the stretching ratio of the component 400 increases, the resistance change rate gradually increases, and when the stretching ratio of the component 400 is from an unstretched state to a stretching ratio of 50%, the resistance change rate increases by about 3 times.

FIG. 9A shows a cross-sectional view of Example 2. The stress sensing component 500 of the second embodiment includes a stretchable substrate 510 and a stress sensing wire 520 . The stress-sensing wire includes a plurality of separated rigid segments 522 and a plurality of interconnected flexible conductive segments 524 covering the rigid segments 522 . In Embodiment 2, the rigid segment 522 is a three-layer structure of titanium-aluminum-titanium, and the material of the soft conductive segment 524 is polydioxyethylenethiophene (PEDOT) conductive polymer. Further, in the stress sensing assembly 500 , the total length X of the plurality of rigid sections 522 and the sum of the parts of the plurality of flexible conductive sections 524 that do not overlap with the rigid section 522 is Y, and Y/X is about 1.

Fig. 9B shows the relationship between the stretch ratio and the resistance change rate (R/R0) of Example 2 in Fig. 9A. It can be seen that as the stretching ratio of the stress sensing component 500 increases, the resistance change rate gradually increases. When the stretching ratio of the stress sensing component 500 is from an unstretched state to a stretching ratio of 50%, the resistance change rate increases by more than 30 times .

From the tests of the comparative example and the experimental example in Figure 6A to Figure 9B above, it can be seen that when a tensile force is applied, in the stress sensing line, the length of the rigid section basically does not change and will limit the stretchable substrate below. Deformation, so that the strain effect of stretching is mainly concentrated in the area where the rigid material is disconnected, that is, the part filled with the soft conductive segment. Therefore, the amount of deformation of the soft conductive segment is greatly increased, so a larger resistance change rate can be measured. Therefore, compared with the comparative example, the stress-sensing wire of the embodiment of the present disclosure is much more sensitive to the deformation caused by stretching.

The stress sensing components provided by various embodiments of the present disclosure can be applied to flexible electronic devices, such as flexible display devices. A flexible display device means a display device that can be curved, folded, stretched, flexed, rolled, or other similar deformations. In some embodiments, the flexible display device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a TV, a billboard, a digital photo frame, a navigator, a smart wearable display device, or the like.

In some embodiments, during the process of forming the flexible display device, the stress sensing line can be formed on a stretchable substrate in the flexible display device in advance, and then other components are formed; The stress-sensing lines are fabricated together when the display drives the array. In some embodiments, the stress sensing line can be disposed in the same layer as any one of the semiconductor active layer, the gate metal layer, or the source-drain metal layer. In some flexible display devices, in order to avoid display elements from breaking due to bending, the display driving array is arranged on the mechanical neutral axis, and in some areas of the flexible display device, the layer where the display driving array is located The amount of tensile strain is small, for example, the stretch ratio may be less than 1% or less than 0.3%. Therefore, more sensitive stress sensing components are required to measure smaller strains.

Referring to FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B, FIG. 10A shows a partial top view of a flexible display device. Fig. 10B shows a cross-sectional view of the connecting line AB. In the flexible display device 600 , there are a plurality of non-stretched regions 612 and stretched regions 614 on a stretchable substrate 610 . The non-stretched region 612 is where multiple sub-pixels are located. For ease of illustration, only one sub-pixel 613 is shown in the non-stretched region 612 in FIG. 10A . When subjected to stress, the non-stretching region 612 will not stretch, and the stretching deformation of the stretching region 614 makes the multiple sub-pixels of the non-stretching region 612 locate at desired positions.

For ease of description, the sub-pixel structure in FIG. 10A is illustrated by taking two thin film transistors T1 and T2 and one capacitor C1 as an example, that is, a 2T1C structure, but it is not intended to limit the disclosure.

Each of the plurality of non-stretch zones 612 is located between the plurality of stretch zones 614 . Each of the plurality of sub-pixels 613 in the non-stretched region 612 includes at least one switching element (eg, TFTs T1 and T2 ) and a display element (eg, display element C _LED ) connected to the switching element. At least one stress-sensing line 620 is disposed on any stretching zone 614 . In FIG. 10B , two rigid segments 622 and one flexible conductive segment 624 are shown for illustrative purposes, but the stress sensing line 620 may include more rigid segments 622 and flexible conductive segments 624 . In some embodiments, each flexible conductive segment 624 is located between two adjacent rigid segments 622 . In some embodiments, each of the plurality of flexible conductive segments 624 is located between two adjacent rigid segments 622 and covers at least a portion of the rigid segments 622 . In some embodiments, the plurality of flexible conductive segments 624 are interconnected. In other embodiments, the plurality of flexible conductive segments 624 are separated.

As shown in FIG. 10A , a plurality of signal lines are disposed on the non-stretch area 612 and the stretch area 614 of the stretchable substrate 610 , and these signal lines are connected to the switching elements of the sub-pixel 613 . The signal lines include a power line GL connected to the TFT T1 , a data line Data connected to the TFT T1 , a high voltage power line OVDD and a low voltage power line OVSS connected to the TFT T2 . Further, the signal lines and the stress-sensing lines 620 located on the same tensile zone 614 are separated from each other and not connected to each other.

In some embodiments, the display element C _LED is a self-luminous display element, such as an organic light emitting diode (OLED) or a micro light emitting diode (micro LED). In other embodiments, the display element may be a non-self-luminous display element, such as a liquid crystal.

As shown in FIG. 10A , in the display device 600 , the strain-sensing component further includes a strain-reading element 640 coupled to the strain-sensing line 620 located in the tension region 614 . As shown in FIG. 10A , the strain readout element 640 is a transistor located in the non-stretched region 612 . Further, the strain reading element 640 and the TFTs T1 and T2 of the sub-pixel 613 in the same non-stretching region 612 and the display element C _LED are separated from each other and not connected to each other.

As shown in FIG. 10A , in the display device 600 , the stress sensing component further includes a reading power line 650 and two reading terminals 662 and 664 . The reading power line 650 is disposed on the stretchable substrate 610 and extends from the stretching area 614 to the non-stretching area 612 to connect with the strain reading element 640 . Further, the first terminal 640A (for example, the gate terminal) of the strain reading element 640 is connected to the reading power line 650 . In addition, the second end 640B of the strain reading element 640 is connected to the first reading end 662, the third end 640C of the strain reading element 640 is connected to the stress sensing line 620, and the other end of the strain sensing line is connected to the second reading end 664. . After the strain reading element 640 is turned on by applying voltage to the first terminal 640A, the second terminal 640B and the third terminal 640C will be equal to the voltage, and the voltage difference is applied to the third terminal 640C and the reading terminal 662 to measure the current, thus obtaining the resistance change rate .

As shown in Figure 10A, in the display device 600, the reading power line 650 of the stress sensing component is connected to other signal lines (such as power line GL, data line Data, high voltage power line OVDD, and the low-voltage power supply line OVSS) are separated from each other and are not connected to each other.

In some implementations, the voltage compensation value required by the pixels at different positions of the flexible display device 600 can be calculated through the resistance change rate signal detected by the strain reading element 640, and the The voltages of the pixels at different positions are adjusted.

FIG. 11A shows a curved display device. In the display device 700 , each partial region (eg, the first region 702 and the second region 704 ) respectively includes a plurality of non-stretched regions and a plurality of stretched regions. In the display device 700, the stretchable substrates at different positions have different stretching ratios. For example, in the display device 700 , the stretch ratio of the stretchable substrate in the first region 702 is about 23% to 27%, and the stretch ratio of the stretchable substrate in the second region 704 is about 0.3%. In other words, the stretch ratio of the first region 702 is greater than the stretch ratio of the second region 704 .

In some embodiments, stress sensing components are respectively disposed in the first region 702 and in the second region 704 . The stretch ratios of the first region 702 and the second region 704 are different, so stress sensing lines with different sensitivities can be set for different regions. For example, since the stretching ratio of the second region 704 is small, a stress sensing line capable of sensing a small stretching effect may be provided.

FIG. 11B shows a cross-sectional view of the stress sensing element 710 in the first region 702 of the display device 700 . The stress sensing component 710 includes a stretchable substrate 706 and a stress sensing line 712 on the stretchable substrate 706 . The stress-sensing wire 712 includes a plurality of rigid segments 714 and a plurality of interconnected flexible conductive segments 716 covering the rigid segments 714 . In some embodiments, in the first region 702, the total length of the plurality of rigid segments of the stress sensing line 712 is X, and the total length of the plurality of portions of the plurality of flexible conductive segments 716 that do not overlap the rigid segment 714 is X. Y, the ratio of Y/X is between 0.2 and 3, for example: 0.2, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, or 3.

FIG. 11C shows a cross-sectional view of the stress sensing element 720 in the second region 704 of the display device 700 . The stress sensing component 720 includes a stretchable substrate 706 and a stress sensing line 722 on the stretchable substrate 706 . The stress-sensing wire 722 includes a plurality of rigid segments 724 and a plurality of flexible conductive segments 726 covering the rigid segments 724 . In some embodiments, in the second region 704, the total length of the plurality of rigid segments 724 of the stress sensing line 722 is X, and the total length of the plurality of parts of the plurality of flexible conductive segments 726 that do not overlap with the rigid segment 724 For Y, the ratio of Y/X is between 0.01 and 0.5, for example: 0.01, 0.05, 0.1, 0.2, or 0.5.

Because in the area of the display device where the stretching ratio is small, the stress sensing line is required to produce a larger resistance change rate for a small stretching deformation, so the Y/X ratio of the stress sensing line is set to be small. In addition, in the area of the display device where the stretching ratio is relatively large, the stress sensing line is required to be able to withstand greater tensile strain, so the Y/X ratio of the stress sensing line is set to be relatively large.

Various embodiments of the present disclosure provide a stress-sensing assembly that is sensitive to small stretching deformations, thereby improving the subsequent handling of flexible devices with respect to stretching deformations.

Although the present disclosure has been disclosed above with multiple implementations and examples, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Anyone skilled in the art can make various changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be defined by the scope of the appended patent application.

100: Stress sensing components 100': Stress Sensing Components 100": Strain Sensing Assembly 110: stretchable substrate 120: Stress sensing line 122: Rigid section 122S: side wall 122T: upper surface 122E: Outer wall 124: soft conductive segment 130: bending part 200: components 210: stretchable substrate 220: rigid material layer 230: soft conductive material layer 300: Stress sensing component 310: stretchable substrate 320: Stress sensing line 322: rigid segment 324: soft conductive segment 400: Components 410: stretchable substrate 420: soft conductive material layer 500: Stress Sensing Components 510: stretchable substrate 520: Stress sensing line 522: rigid segment 524: soft conductive segment 600: display device 610: stretchable substrate 612: Non-stretch zone 613: sub-pixel 614: Stretch zone 620: Stress sensing line 622: Rigid section 624: soft conductive segment 640: Strain reading element 650:Read the power cord 662: read terminal 664: read terminal 700: display device 702: The first area 704: second area 706: stretchable substrate 710: Stress sensing component 712: Stress sensing line 714: Rigid segment 716: soft conductive segment 720: Stress Sensing Components 722: Stress sensing line 724: rigid segment 726: soft conductive segment

In order to make the above and other purposes, features, advantages and implementations of this disclosure more obvious and understandable, the accompanying drawings are described as follows: Figure 1 shows the relationship between the stretch ratio of the flexible conductive material and the sheet resistance. Figure 2A is a cross-sectional view of a stress sensing assembly according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the stress-sensing component of FIG. 2A after stretching. Figure 3A is a cross-sectional view of a stress sensing assembly according to some embodiments. FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the stress-sensing component of FIG. 3A after stretching. Figure 4A is a cross-sectional view of a stress sensing assembly according to some embodiments. Figure 4B is a cross-sectional view of a stress sensing assembly according to some embodiments. Figure 5A depicts a top view of a stress sensing assembly according to some embodiments. Figure 5B depicts a top view of a stress sensing assembly according to some embodiments. FIG. 6A shows a cross-sectional view of a comparative example. Fig. 6B shows the stretch ratio distribution graph of the comparative example in Fig. 6A after stretching. Figure 7A shows a cross-sectional view of one embodiment. Figure 7B shows the stretch ratio profile of the embodiment of Figure 7A after stretching. FIG. 8A shows a cross-sectional view of a comparative example. Fig. 8B shows the relationship between the stretch ratio and the resistance change rate of the comparative example in Fig. 8A. Figure 9A shows a cross-sectional view of one embodiment. Fig. 9B shows the relationship between the stretching ratio and the resistance change rate of the embodiment in Fig. 9A. FIG. 10A shows a partial top view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 10B shows a cross-sectional view along line AB of Fig. 10A. FIG. 11A shows a curved display device. FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view of the stress sensing element in the first region of the display device in FIG. 11A. FIG. 11C is a cross-sectional view of the stress sensing element in the second region of the display device in FIG. 11A .

Domestic deposit information (please note in order of depositor, date, and number) none Overseas storage information (please note in order of storage country, institution, date, and number) none

100: Stress sensing components

110: stretchable substrate

120: Stress sensing line

122: Rigid section

124: soft conductive segment

Claims (16)

A stress-sensing component comprising: a stretchable substrate; and at least one stress-sensing line disposed on the stretchable substrate, the at least one stress-sensing line comprising: a plurality of rigid segments separated from each other; and a plurality of flexible conductive segments, each of the flexible conductive segments is disposed between two adjacent rigid segments of the rigid segments and is in direct contact with the side walls of the two adjacent rigid segments, and the flexible conductive segments The Young's modulus of any of the segments is less than the Young's modulus of any of the rigid segments. The stress sensing component as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the flexible conductive segments further covers and directly contacts a part of the surface of the two adjacent rigid segments of the rigid segments. The stress sensing component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the soft conductive segments cover and directly contact the entire upper surface of the rigid segments. The stress sensing component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the two flexible conductive sections at both ends of the stress sensing line cover and directly contact the outer sidewalls of the two rigid sections closest to the two ends of the stress sensing line. The stress sensing component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the The total length of the rigid sections is X, the total length of the parts of the flexible conductive sections that do not overlap with the rigid sections is Y, and the ratio of Y/X is between 0.01 and 3. The stress sensing device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the Young's modulus of the stretchable substrate is smaller than the Young's modulus of any one of the rigid segments. The stress sensing component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the stress sensing line is a bent line, and a bent portion of the bent line is one of the flexible conductive segments. The stress sensing component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the materials of the rigid sections include conductive materials, non-conductive materials, or combinations thereof. The stress sensing component as described in Claim 1, wherein the Young's modulus of the rigid sections ranges from 30GPa to 400GPa, and the Young's modulus of the soft conductive sections ranges from 0.01MPa to 1GPa . The stress sensing component as claimed in claim 1, wherein the range of Young's modulus of the stretchable substrate is between 0.1 MPa and 10 GPa. The stress sensing component as described in claim 1 further includes: At least one strain reading element, at least one reading power line, and two reading ends are arranged on the stretchable substrate, one first end of the strain reading element is connected to the at least one reading power line, and the strain A second end of the reading element is connected to one of the reading ends, a third end of the strain reading element is connected to one end of the at least one stress sensing line, and the other of the reading ends is connected to the at least one stress sensing line. The other end of a stress sensing line. A display device, comprising: the stress sensing component according to any one of claim 1 to claim 11, wherein the stretchable substrate has a plurality of non-stretch regions and a plurality of stretch regions, and the stretch Each of the non-stretch regions is located between two adjacent non-stretch regions of the non-stretch regions, each of the non-stretch regions has a plurality of sub-pixels, each of the sub-pixels includes at least one switch An element and a display element connected to the at least one switching element, and the at least one stress sensing line is disposed on any stretching area of the stretching areas; and a plurality of signal lines are disposed on the stretchable substrate On the non-stretched areas and the stretched areas, the signal lines are connected to the switching elements of the sub-pixels, wherein the stretched areas located on the same stretched area The signal lines and the at least one stress sensing line are separated from each other and not connected to each other. The display device according to claim 12, wherein the stretchable substrate includes at least a first region and a second region, and the first region and the second region respectively include the non-stretch regions and the stretch zones, wherein the stretch ratio of the first zone is greater than that of the second zone Stretch rate; And wherein, the total length of these rigid segments is X, the total length of the parts of these soft conductive segments that do not overlap with these rigid segments is Y, and the tensile segments located in the first region The Y/X ratio of the at least one stress sensing line in any one of the elongated regions is greater than the Y/X ratio of the at least one stress sensing wire in any one of the elongated regions located in the second region. The display device according to claim 13, wherein the Y/X ratio of the at least one stress sensing line located in the first area is between 0.2 and 3, and the at least one stress sensing line located in the second area The Y/X ratio is between 0.01 and 0.5. A display device, comprising: the stress sensing component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the stretchable substrate has a plurality of non-stretch regions and a plurality of stretch regions, and each of the stretch regions is located in the Between two adjacent non-stretch regions of the non-stretch region, each of the non-stretch regions has a plurality of sub-pixels, and each of the sub-pixels includes at least one switching element and one and the at least one A display element connected to the switching element, and the at least one stress sensing line is disposed on any stretched area of the stretched areas; and a plurality of signal lines are disposed on the non-stretched areas of the stretchable substrate On the stretched areas, the signal lines are connected to the switching elements of the sub-pixels, wherein the signal lines located on the same stretched area of the stretched areas are connected to the at least one The stress sensing lines are separated from each other and not connected to each other; Wherein, any one of the non-stretch regions further has the at least one strain reading element, and the at least one strain reading element located on the same non-stretch region of the non-stretch regions and the The at least one switching element of each of the sub-pixels is separated from the display element and not connected to each other. A display device, comprising: the stress sensing component as claimed in claim 11, wherein the stretchable substrate has a plurality of non-stretch regions and a plurality of stretch regions, and each of the stretch regions is located in the Between two adjacent non-stretch regions of the non-stretch region, each of the non-stretch regions has a plurality of sub-pixels, and each of the sub-pixels includes at least one switching element and one and the at least one A display element connected to the switching element, and the at least one stress sensing line is disposed on any stretched area of the stretched areas; and a plurality of signal lines are disposed on the non-stretched areas of the stretchable substrate On the stretched areas, the signal lines are connected to the switching elements of the sub-pixels, wherein the signal lines located on the same stretched area of the stretched areas are connected to the at least one The stress sensing lines are separated from each other and not connected to each other; wherein, the at least one reading power line is arranged on any one of the stretching areas and is located on the same stretching area of the stretching areas The signal lines and the at least one reading power line are separated from each other and not connected to each other.

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