US20170179207A1 - Display device and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents
Display device and method for manufacturing the same Download PDFInfo
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- US20170179207A1 US20170179207A1 US15/446,051 US201715446051A US2017179207A1 US 20170179207 A1 US20170179207 A1 US 20170179207A1 US 201715446051 A US201715446051 A US 201715446051A US 2017179207 A1 US2017179207 A1 US 2017179207A1
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K59/00—Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one organic light-emitting element covered by group H10K50/00
- H10K59/10—OLED displays
- H10K59/12—Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
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- H01L27/3244—
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H01—ELECTRIC ELEMENTS
- H01L—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES NOT COVERED BY CLASS H10
- H01L25/00—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of individual semiconductor or other solid state devices ; Multistep manufacturing processes thereof
- H01L25/18—Assemblies consisting of a plurality of individual semiconductor or other solid state devices ; Multistep manufacturing processes thereof the devices being of types provided for in two or more different subgroups of the same main group of groups H01L27/00 - H01L33/00, or in a single subclass of H10K, H10N
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- H01L51/003—
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- H01L51/0097—
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- H01L51/5253—
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- H01L51/56—
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K50/00—Organic light-emitting devices
- H10K50/80—Constructional details
- H10K50/84—Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations
- H10K50/844—Encapsulations
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K71/00—Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K71/00—Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
- H10K71/80—Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass using temporary substrates
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K77/00—Constructional details of devices covered by this subclass and not covered by groups H10K10/80, H10K30/80, H10K50/80 or H10K59/80
- H10K77/10—Substrates, e.g. flexible substrates
- H10K77/111—Flexible substrates
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- H01L2227/323—
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- H01L2227/326—
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- H01L2251/301—
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- H01L2251/5338—
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- H01L2251/566—
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K2102/00—Constructional details relating to the organic devices covered by this subclass
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K2102/00—Constructional details relating to the organic devices covered by this subclass
- H10K2102/301—Details of OLEDs
- H10K2102/311—Flexible OLED
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K59/00—Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one organic light-emitting element covered by group H10K50/00
- H10K59/10—OLED displays
- H10K59/12—Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
- H10K59/1201—Manufacture or treatment
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- H—ELECTRICITY
- H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- H10K—ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- H10K71/00—Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
- H10K71/851—Division of substrate
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02E—REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION
- Y02E10/00—Energy generation through renewable energy sources
- Y02E10/50—Photovoltaic [PV] energy
- Y02E10/549—Organic PV cells
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- Y—GENERAL TAGGING OF NEW TECHNOLOGICAL DEVELOPMENTS; GENERAL TAGGING OF CROSS-SECTIONAL TECHNOLOGIES SPANNING OVER SEVERAL SECTIONS OF THE IPC; TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER USPC CROSS-REFERENCE ART COLLECTIONS [XRACs] AND DIGESTS
- Y02—TECHNOLOGIES OR APPLICATIONS FOR MITIGATION OR ADAPTATION AGAINST CLIMATE CHANGE
- Y02P—CLIMATE CHANGE MITIGATION TECHNOLOGIES IN THE PRODUCTION OR PROCESSING OF GOODS
- Y02P70/00—Climate change mitigation technologies in the production process for final industrial or consumer products
- Y02P70/50—Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product
Definitions
- the present invention relates to a display device and a method for manufacturing the display device.
- the invention relates to a flexible display.
- Flat panel displays such as an organic electroluminescence (EL) display device, have a display panel including a thin film transistor (TFT) or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) on a substrate.
- TFT thin film transistor
- OLED organic light-emitting diode
- Glass substrates have been used as the substrate of such display panels.
- flexible displays which have a flexible display panel with a substrate including a resin film, have been developed in recent years.
- a display panel that can freely bend according to external forces may degrade the viewability of its screen or be partially damaged by stress concentration.
- a display device includes an image display panel having display elements, formed corresponding to the arrangement of pixels, on a first principal surface of a flexible display panel substrate.
- the flexible display panel substrate has a linear groove on at least part of a second principal surface of the flexible display panel substrate.
- the display device may further include an electronic circuit substrate connected to the image display panel.
- the electronic circuit substrate may be joined to a portion of the edge of the image display panel so that the portion does not intersect with the extension of the groove extending linearly.
- the grooves may be filled with an elastic material with a lower elastic modulus than a material of the flexible display panel substrate.
- a method for manufacturing a display device is a method for manufacturing the display device according to the above (1) to (3).
- a resin is stacked on a support substrate having a linear ridge on at least part of the surface of the support substrate.
- the surface shape of the support substrate is transferred to the resin so that the groove is molded.
- the display panel substrate made of the resin is formed on the support substrate.
- the display elements are formed on the display panel substrate stacked on the support substrate. After the display elements are formed, the support substrate is removed from the display panel substrate. The image display panel is thus manufactured.
- a panel structure including the display panel substrate and the display elements, may be integrally formed for a plurality of image display panels.
- the panel structure may be cut into the image display panels, and then the step of removing the support substrate may be performed.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an organic EL display device according to an embodiment of the present invention
- FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a display panel of the organic EL display device according to the embodiment of the present invention
- FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views of the display panel, which focus on grooves formed on a display panel substrate;
- FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of a display panel to which a flexible printed circuit (FPC) is connected;
- FPC flexible printed circuit
- FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a display panel to which the FPC is connected;
- FIG. 6 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a display panel, which illustrates a cross-sectional shape of grooves
- FIG. 7 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a display panel, which illustrates a cross-sectional shape of a groove
- FIG. 8 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a display panel, which illustrates a cross-sectional shape of grooves
- FIG. 9 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a display panel, which illustrates across-sectional shape of a groove
- FIG. 10 is a process flowchart that outlines a method for manufacturing the display panel according to the embodiment of the present invention.
- FIG. 11 includes schematic perspective views of the display panel corresponding to steps shown in FIG. 10 ;
- FIG. 12 includes schematic perspective views of the display panel corresponding to steps shown in FIG. 10 .
- a display device is an organic EL display device.
- the organic EL display device is an active matrix display devices, which is incorporated into televisions, personal computers, handheld devices, mobile phones, and other devices.
- FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an organic EL display device 2 according to the embodiment.
- the organic EL display device 2 includes a pixel array unit 4 that displays images and a driver that drives the pixel array unit 4 .
- the organic EL display device 2 is a flat panel display including a display panel.
- the pixel array unit 4 is disposed in the display panel.
- Display elements OLEDs 6 and pixel circuits 8 are arranged in a matrix in the pixel array unit 4 .
- Each pixel circuit 8 includes TFTs 10 and 12 and a capacitor 14 .
- the driver includes a scan line driver circuit 20 , a data line driver circuit 22 , a driver power supply circuit 24 , and a controller 26 .
- the driver drives the pixel circuits 8 to control the light emission of the OLEDs 6 .
- the driver may be formed together with the pixel circuits 8 in the display panel.
- the driver may be included in an integrated circuit (IC) that is manufactured separately from the pixel circuits 8 , and the IC may be mounted in the display panel or on an FPC connected to the display panel.
- IC integrated circuit
- the scan line driver circuit 20 is coupled to scan lines 28 , each provided for the corresponding horizontal pixel alignment (pixel row).
- the scan line driver circuit 20 sequentially select the scan lines 28 in response to timing signals input from the controller 26 , and applies, to each selected scan line, a voltage for turning on the corresponding lighting TFT 10 .
- the data line driver circuit 22 is coupled to data lines 30 , each provided for the corresponding vertical pixel alignment (pixel column).
- the data line driver circuit 22 receives image signals from the controller 26 .
- the data line driver circuit 22 outputs voltages, which depend on the image signal for the selected pixel row, to the corresponding data lines 30 .
- each of the voltages is written into the corresponding capacitor 14 via the lighting TFT 10 .
- Each driver TFT 12 supplies a current, which depends on the corresponding written voltage, to the OLED 6 , thus activating the OLEDs 6 in the pixels corresponding to the selected scan line 28 to emit light.
- the driver power supply circuit 24 is coupled to drive power lines 32 , each provided for the corresponding pixel column, and supplies a current to the OLEDs 6 via the drive power lines 32 and the driver TFTs 12 in the selected pixel row.
- the anode of each OLED 6 is coupled to the corresponding driver TFT 12 .
- the cathode of each OLED 6 is basically coupled to a ground potential.
- the cathodes of all the pixels belong to a common electrode.
- FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a display panel 40 and shows a display area 42 in which the pixel array unit 4 is arranged and peripheral areas 44 positioned outside the display area 42 .
- the pixel array unit 4 in this embodiment is top emitting.
- the pixel array unit 4 includes the OLEDs 6 , which are light-emitting elements, formed on a first principal surface, the upper side, of a display panel substrate 46 .
- the pixel array unit 4 emits light generated by the OLEDs 6 in the direction opposite to the display panel substrate 46 . That is, the light from the OLEDs 6 are emitted upward in FIG. 2 , so that the upper side of the display panel 40 corresponds to an image display surface.
- the lower side the display panel 40 in FIG. 2 corresponds to the back of the display panel 40 , and a second principal surface of the display panel substrate 46 is positioned near the back.
- the display panel substrate 46 has linear grooves 48 on at least part of the second principal surface.
- the display panel substrate 46 is made of a flexible material, such as a resin.
- the display panel substrate 46 may be made from polyimide, epoxy, acryl, polyethylene naphthalate, or a thermoplastic fluororesin such as tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer.
- the pixel array unit 4 includes a circuit layer 50 , an insulating layer 52 , an OLED layer 54 , and a cover layer 56 , which are stacked on the display panel substrate 46 .
- the circuit layer 50 includes, for example, an underlayer for forming a polysilicon layer.
- the underlayer is made of an inorganic insulating material, such as silicon nitride (SiN) or silicon oxide (SiO) and is stacked on the display panel substrate 46 .
- the polysilicon layer on the underlayer is used to form, for example, TFT channels.
- FIG. 2 shows source electrodes 60 of the driver TFTs 12 , which are included in the electronic circuits formed in the circuit layer 50 .
- the insulating layer 52 is stacked on the circuit layer 50 .
- the insulating layer electrically insulates the pixel circuits 8 , each provided for the corresponding pixel, from each other, and also electrically insulates pixel electrodes 62 from the electronic circuits of the circuit layer 50 .
- the insulating layer 52 is made, for example, of SiO or SiN.
- the OLED layer 54 includes lower electrodes (pixel electrodes 62 ), an organic material stack layer 64 , an upper electrode 66 , and a bank 68 .
- the pixel electrodes 62 , the upper electrode 66 , and the organic material stack layer 64 sandwiched between these electrodes constitute the OLEDs 6 .
- the upper electrode 66 is basically a common electrode that is evenly in contact with the organic material stack layer 64 of all the pixels in the display area.
- the pixel electrodes 62 are separated corresponding one-to-one to the pixels and are electrically coupled to the circuit layer (the source electrodes 60 ) through contact holes 70 .
- the upper electrode 66 is the cathode of the OLEDs 6
- the pixel electrodes 62 are the anodes of the OLEDs 6 .
- the upper electrode 66 and the pixel electrodes 62 are made of a transparent conductive material, such as indium zinc oxide (IZO) or indium tin oxide (ITO).
- the organic material stack layer 64 includes a light-emitting layer to be described below. The light-emitting layer is injected with holes and electrons in accordance with a voltage applied between both electrodes, and emits light by the recombination of the holes and the electrons.
- the bank 68 is formed of an insulating layer along the boundary between the pixels to electrically separate the pixel electrodes 62 from the upper electrode 66 along the boundary between the pixels.
- the cover layer 56 is stacked on the OLED layer 54 .
- the cover layer 56 has a sealing structure that is formed of a moisture-proof film and protects the OLEDs 6 from deterioration of properties due to moisture.
- the sealing structure has, for example, a stack of layers made of SiN.
- the cover layer 56 includes color filters.
- white light emitted by the OLEDs 6 passes through the color filters, thus forming pixels of various colors, such as red (R), green (G), and blue (B) light-emitting pixels.
- the color filters are made, for example, of a light transmissive resin material and are colored a plurality of colors, for example, with pigments.
- the color filters are made, for example, of color resists.
- White (W) pixels may also be provided without such color filters.
- the cover layer 56 can further include a black matrix and an overcoat layer for protecting the surface of the display panel 40 .
- the black matrix is arranged in the boundary area between the pixels.
- the black matrix is formed, for example, by patterning a light-blocking film made of metal, such as chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), or tantalum (Ta).
- the overcoat layer is made of a transparent material.
- the overcoat layer is formed of a transparent resin, such as an acrylic resin.
- FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views of the display panel 40 , which focus on the grooves 48 .
- FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views taken along the direction perpendicular to the grooves 48 , so that the grooves 48 extend in the depth direction in the figures.
- FIG. 3A shows the display panel 40 on which no bending forces are acting, so that the display panel 40 shown in the figure remains flat.
- FIG. 3B shows the display panel 40 on which a force to lift the right edge of the panel is acting.
- the portion with the grooves 48 is more flexible in the direction perpendicular to the stripes (the extension of the grooves 48 ) than the other portion without the grooves 48 . As shown in FIG. 3B , the portion with the grooves 48 can be bent with a greater curvature than the other portion without the grooves 48 . Additionally, the flexibility of the portion with the grooves 48 changes depending on the angle between the bending direction and the direction of the stripes. The portion with the grooves 48 is more flexible in the direction perpendicular to the stripes than in the direction parallel to the stripes. That is, the position and the direction of the grooves 48 can determine a flexible portion and a flexible direction of the display panel 40 .
- a flexible display has the advantage that it can be rolled or bent, but its flexibility may cause an unintended bending, which reduces visibility of display images, or induce stress concentration on a portion with low mechanical strength, which results in fragility of an IC or other components disposed on the portion.
- the grooves 48 of the display panel 40 adjust a portion and a direction where the curvature is greater, thus preventing the reduction of visibility and damage in the display panel 40 .
- the display area 42 of the display panel substrate 46 for example, has the plurality of grooves 48 arranged regularly and has a thickness less than t in the grooves 48 .
- This configuration allows the peripheral areas 44 without the grooves 48 to be relatively less likely to be bent if held by a hand. This prevents the peripheral areas 44 from being bent with an unexpectedly large curvature by strong forces or uneven forces due to a hold, thus protecting the stack structure of the display panel 40 from damage. This also prevents an IC, constituting the driver, from being damaged if arranged on the peripheral area 44 .
- the display area 42 with the grooves 48 is relatively flexible. This disperses forces to bend the display panel 40 , generated by a hand holding the peripheral areas 44 , along the direction perpendicular to the stripes of the grooves 48 in the display area 42 . Consequently, this can prevent the display panel 40 from being damaged by stress concentration, and moderate the change in curvature in the display area 42 to improve visibility of display images.
- the grooves 48 is preferably disposed so that the extension of the grooves 48 extending linearly does not pass through the joint between the display panel 40 and the electronic circuit substrate.
- the electronic circuit substrate is preferably joined to a portion of the edge of the display panel 40 so that the portion does not intersect with the extension of the grooves 48 extending linearly.
- Such determined positional relationship between the grooves 48 and the electronic circuit substrate can decrease the deformation of the joint of the electronic circuit substrate, thus preventing the electronic circuit substrate from separating or being damaged.
- FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic plan views of the display panel 40 to which an FPC 80 is connected and illustrate positional relationships between the FPC 80 and the grooves 48 .
- the FPC 80 is connected to the center of the bottom of the rectangular display panel 40 .
- the FPC 80 has an IC 82 mounted on it, and the IC 82 extends in the direction along the bottom of the display panel 40 .
- grooves 48 a to 48 c extend horizontally, that is, in the direction parallel to the bottom of the display panel 40 .
- the extensions of the grooves 48 a to 48 c do not pass through a joint 84 of the FPC 80 .
- grooves 48 d to 48 f extend vertically, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the bottom of the display panel 40 .
- the extension of the grooves 48 d positioned to the left of the display panel 40
- the extension of the grooves 48 e positioned to the right of the display panel 40
- the extension of the grooves 48 f positioned at the center of the display panel 40 , pass through the joint 84 .
- the grooves 48 a to 48 e are positionally preferable to the grooves 48 f.
- FIGS. 6 to 9 are schematic vertical cross-sectional views of the display panels 40 , which illustrate cross-sectional shapes of the grooves 48 .
- the display panels 40 shown in FIGS. 6 to 9 are rectangular like the display panels 40 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 .
- the FPC 80 with the IC 82 mounted on it is connected to one side of the circuit layer 50 of such display panels 40 .
- FIGS. 6 to 9 show the cross sections taken along the direction perpendicular to the side to which the FPC 80 of the display panel 40 is connected.
- Each groove 48 shown in the figures expands in the direction parallel to the side like the grooves 48 a to 48 c.
- Each groove 48 g shown in FIG. 6 has a triangular vertical cross-sectional shape described above.
- the vertical cross-sectional shape of the groove 48 h shown in FIG. 7 is rectangular and, for example, is wider than that of the groove 48 g .
- the vertical cross-sectional shape of each groove 48 i shown in FIG. 8 is a rectangle narrower than that of the groove 48 h shown in FIG. 7 .
- the plurality of grooves 48 i are arranged parallel to each other.
- the groove 48 j shown in FIG. 9 has a wide and gently curved cross section.
- Forming the grooves 48 to partially reduce the thickness of the display panel substrate 46 allows the display panel substrate 46 to be more flexible along the grooves 48 .
- the display panel substrate 46 has the function of reinforcing the structure stacked on it to prevent the display panel 40 from being split or cracked.
- the shape of the grooves 48 and the thickness in the grooves 48 of the display panel substrate 46 are determined so as to achieve the function. For example, thinning the display panel substrate 46 by the grooves 48 allows the display panel 40 to be more flexible, but causes the display panel 40 to be more easily split or cracked, which is a trade-off relationship.
- filling the grooves 48 with an elastic material with a lower elastic modulus than the material of the display panel substrate 46 can strike a balance between the flexibility and the strength of the display panel substrate 46 .
- a resin material such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, or poly vinyl acetate, may be used to fill the grooves 48 of the display panel substrate 46 .
- the following describes a method for manufacturing the organic EL display device 2 .
- the method for manufacturing the organic EL display device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention is characterized by a method of manufacturing the display panel 40 .
- a method for integrally forming the stack structure of a plurality of display panels 40 is described here.
- FIG. 10 is a schematic process flowchart that outlines the manufacturing method.
- FIGS. 11 and 12 include schematic perspective views of the display panel 40 corresponding to steps shown in FIG. 10 .
- a support substrate 90 is prepared to keep the display panel substrate 46 flat in the manufacturing process of the display panel 40 (Step S 1 ).
- the support substrate 90 is formed of a material, such as glass, quartz, silicon, silicon carbide (SiC), or nickel (Ni).
- the support substrate 90 has the function of supporting the display panel substrate 46 and functions as a mold to form the grooves 48 on the display panel substrate 46 .
- the support substrate 90 has linear ridges 92 , formed corresponding to the grooves 48 of the display panel substrate 46 , on at least part of the surface of the support substrate 90 .
- each ridge 92 also has the same triangular cross-sectional shape as the groove 48 .
- a single support substrate 90 a which is an integration of a plurality of support substrates 90 , is prepared in this embodiment.
- the support substrate 90 a has the same shape and size as the plurality of support substrates 90 arranged horizontally in a rectangular shape. For example, as shown in the step (S 1 ) of FIG. 11 , twelve support substrates 90 , each corresponding to one display panel 40 , arranged consecutively in a matrix with four rows and three columns are integrally formed into the single support substrate 90 a.
- a resin is stacked on the support substrate 90 a , and the surface shape of support substrate 90 a is transferred to the resin so that the grooves 48 are molded, thus forming the display panel substrate 46 made of the resin on the support substrate 90 a (panel substrate forming step S 2 ).
- a solution of a resin is applied to the surface of the support substrate 90 a by spin coating or other methods, and is resinified by heat treatment or other methods.
- the surface shape of the support substrates 90 is transferred to the resin, and the display panel substrate 46 , having the grooves 48 on the back and a flat surface, is formed.
- a film-shaped raw material may be placed on the support substrate 90 a and be formed into the display panel substrate 46 by pressing or other methods.
- the film-shaped raw material may be a single sheet spreading throughout the support substrate 90 a or a sheet having a size corresponding to one display panel 40 to be placed on each of the support substrates 90 .
- the display panel forming step includes Step S 3 of forming the circuit layer 50 on the surface of the display panel substrate 46 and Step S 4 of forming an upper structure layer 58 including the insulating layer 52 , the OLED layer 54 , and the cover layer 56 .
- a panel structure including the display panel substrate 46 and the OLEDs 6 , is integrally formed for the plurality of display panels 40 , and then the panel structure is cut along the borders between the support substrates 90 to separate into the display panels 40 (cutting step S 5 ).
- Step S 6 After a step of connecting the FPC 80 to the connection terminal (Step S 6 ) and other steps, the support substrate 90 is removed from the back of the display panel substrate 46 (Step S 7 ). Through such steps, a module of each display panel 40 is completed (Step S 8 ).
- the cutting step S 5 may be performed after the support substrate 90 a is removed from display panel substrate 46 .
- the support substrate 90 a can be reused.
- the panel structure for the plurality of display panels 40 is formed, and then the panel structure is cut.
- Such a manufacturing method can improve the productivity of small to medium-sized display panels 40 by using an equipment capable of manufacturing large-sized display panels 40 .
- a manufacturing equipment may not be able to manufacture the plurality of display panels 40 all together. In such a case, the display panel 40 is manufactured one by one, so that the cutting step is omitted.
- an organic EL display device is shown as an example disclosure of the display panel.
- Other example applications for the display panel include liquid crystal display devices, other self-luminous display devices, electronic paper display devices having an electrophoretic device, quantum dot display devices, and any other flat panel display devices. It is needless to say that the present invention is not particularly limited to the above display devices but can also be applied to any display device ranging from small to medium-sized to large-sized display devices.
Abstract
How a flat panel display is bent by external forces is controlled. A display panel 40 has display elements, formed corresponding to the arrangement of pixels, on a first principal surface of a flexible display panel substrate 46. The display panel substrate 46 has a linear groove 48 on at least part of a second principal surface of the display panel substrate 46. A resin is stacked on a support substrate having a linear ridge on at least part of the surface of the support substrate. The surface shape of the support substrate is transferred to the resin so that the groove 48 is molded. Thus, the display panel substrate 46 made of the resin is formed on the support substrate. After the display elements are formed on the display panel substrate 46, the support substrate is removed from the display panel substrate 46.
Description
- The present application claims priority from Japanese application JP2014-042677 filed on Mar. 5, 2014, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference into this application.
- 1. Field of the Invention
- The present invention relates to a display device and a method for manufacturing the display device. In particular, the invention relates to a flexible display.
- 2. Description of the Prior Art
- Flat panel displays, such as an organic electroluminescence (EL) display device, have a display panel including a thin film transistor (TFT) or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) on a substrate. Glass substrates have been used as the substrate of such display panels. On the other hand, flexible displays, which have a flexible display panel with a substrate including a resin film, have been developed in recent years.
- A display panel that can freely bend according to external forces may degrade the viewability of its screen or be partially damaged by stress concentration.
- To solve this problem, it is an object of the present invention to provide a well-controlled bend structure of a display panel and a method for manufacturing the display panel.
- (1) A display device according to an aspect of the present invention includes an image display panel having display elements, formed corresponding to the arrangement of pixels, on a first principal surface of a flexible display panel substrate. The flexible display panel substrate has a linear groove on at least part of a second principal surface of the flexible display panel substrate.
- (2) The display device according to the above (1) may further include an electronic circuit substrate connected to the image display panel. The electronic circuit substrate may be joined to a portion of the edge of the image display panel so that the portion does not intersect with the extension of the groove extending linearly.
- (3) In the display device according to the above (1), the grooves may be filled with an elastic material with a lower elastic modulus than a material of the flexible display panel substrate.
- (4) A method for manufacturing a display device according to another aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing the display device according to the above (1) to (3). A resin is stacked on a support substrate having a linear ridge on at least part of the surface of the support substrate. The surface shape of the support substrate is transferred to the resin so that the groove is molded. Thus, the display panel substrate made of the resin is formed on the support substrate. The display elements are formed on the display panel substrate stacked on the support substrate. After the display elements are formed, the support substrate is removed from the display panel substrate. The image display panel is thus manufactured.
- (5) In the steps of forming the display panel substrate and forming the display elements in the method according to the above (4), a panel structure, including the display panel substrate and the display elements, may be integrally formed for a plurality of image display panels. The panel structure may be cut into the image display panels, and then the step of removing the support substrate may be performed.
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FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an organic EL display device according to an embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a display panel of the organic EL display device according to the embodiment of the present invention; -
FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views of the display panel, which focus on grooves formed on a display panel substrate; -
FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of a display panel to which a flexible printed circuit (FPC) is connected; -
FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a display panel to which the FPC is connected; -
FIG. 6 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a display panel, which illustrates a cross-sectional shape of grooves; -
FIG. 7 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a display panel, which illustrates a cross-sectional shape of a groove; -
FIG. 8 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a display panel, which illustrates a cross-sectional shape of grooves; -
FIG. 9 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a display panel, which illustrates across-sectional shape of a groove; -
FIG. 10 is a process flowchart that outlines a method for manufacturing the display panel according to the embodiment of the present invention; -
FIG. 11 includes schematic perspective views of the display panel corresponding to steps shown inFIG. 10 ; and -
FIG. 12 includes schematic perspective views of the display panel corresponding to steps shown inFIG. 10 . - Embodiments of the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
- The disclosure herein is merely an example, and appropriate modifications coming within the spirit of the present invention, which are easily conceived by those skilled in the art, are intended to be included within the scope of the invention as a matter of course. The accompanying drawings schematically illustrate widths, thicknesses, shapes, or other characteristics of each part for clarity of illustration, compared to actual configurations. However, such a schematic illustration is merely an example and not intended to limit the present invention. In the present specification and drawings, some elements identical or similar to those shown previously are denoted by the same reference signs as the previously shown elements, and thus repetitive detailed descriptions of them may be omitted as appropriate.
- A display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is an organic EL display device. The organic EL display device is an active matrix display devices, which is incorporated into televisions, personal computers, handheld devices, mobile phones, and other devices.
-
FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an organicEL display device 2 according to the embodiment. The organicEL display device 2 includes apixel array unit 4 that displays images and a driver that drives thepixel array unit 4. The organicEL display device 2 is a flat panel display including a display panel. Thepixel array unit 4 is disposed in the display panel. -
Display elements OLEDs 6 and pixel circuits 8, each corresponding to a pixel, are arranged in a matrix in thepixel array unit 4. Each pixel circuit 8 includesTFTs capacitor 14. - The driver includes a scan
line driver circuit 20, a dataline driver circuit 22, a driverpower supply circuit 24, and acontroller 26. The driver drives the pixel circuits 8 to control the light emission of theOLEDs 6. - The driver may be formed together with the pixel circuits 8 in the display panel. Alternatively, the driver may be included in an integrated circuit (IC) that is manufactured separately from the pixel circuits 8, and the IC may be mounted in the display panel or on an FPC connected to the display panel.
- The scan
line driver circuit 20 is coupled toscan lines 28, each provided for the corresponding horizontal pixel alignment (pixel row). The scanline driver circuit 20 sequentially select thescan lines 28 in response to timing signals input from thecontroller 26, and applies, to each selected scan line, a voltage for turning on thecorresponding lighting TFT 10. - The data
line driver circuit 22 is coupled todata lines 30, each provided for the corresponding vertical pixel alignment (pixel column). The dataline driver circuit 22 receives image signals from thecontroller 26. In synchronization with the selection of thescan line 28 by the scanline driver circuit 20, the dataline driver circuit 22 outputs voltages, which depend on the image signal for the selected pixel row, to the corresponding data lines 30. In the selected pixel row, each of the voltages is written into the correspondingcapacitor 14 via thelighting TFT 10. Eachdriver TFT 12 supplies a current, which depends on the corresponding written voltage, to theOLED 6, thus activating theOLEDs 6 in the pixels corresponding to the selectedscan line 28 to emit light. - The driver
power supply circuit 24 is coupled to drivepower lines 32, each provided for the corresponding pixel column, and supplies a current to theOLEDs 6 via thedrive power lines 32 and thedriver TFTs 12 in the selected pixel row. - The anode of each
OLED 6 is coupled to the correspondingdriver TFT 12. The cathode of eachOLED 6 is basically coupled to a ground potential. The cathodes of all the pixels belong to a common electrode. -
FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of adisplay panel 40 and shows adisplay area 42 in which thepixel array unit 4 is arranged andperipheral areas 44 positioned outside thedisplay area 42. Thepixel array unit 4 in this embodiment is top emitting. Thepixel array unit 4 includes theOLEDs 6, which are light-emitting elements, formed on a first principal surface, the upper side, of adisplay panel substrate 46. Thepixel array unit 4 emits light generated by theOLEDs 6 in the direction opposite to thedisplay panel substrate 46. That is, the light from theOLEDs 6 are emitted upward inFIG. 2 , so that the upper side of thedisplay panel 40 corresponds to an image display surface. On the other hand, the lower side thedisplay panel 40 inFIG. 2 corresponds to the back of thedisplay panel 40, and a second principal surface of thedisplay panel substrate 46 is positioned near the back. As described below, thedisplay panel substrate 46 haslinear grooves 48 on at least part of the second principal surface. - The
display panel substrate 46 is made of a flexible material, such as a resin. For example, thedisplay panel substrate 46 may be made from polyimide, epoxy, acryl, polyethylene naphthalate, or a thermoplastic fluororesin such as tetrafluoroethylene-ethylene copolymer. - The
pixel array unit 4 includes acircuit layer 50, an insulatinglayer 52, anOLED layer 54, and acover layer 56, which are stacked on thedisplay panel substrate 46. - Electronic circuits including the pixel circuits 8, the
scan lines 28, the data lines 30, and thedrive power lines 32, which are described above, are formed in thecircuit layer 50. At least one of the scanline driver circuit 20, the dataline driver circuit 22, the driverpower supply circuit 24, and thecontroller 26 may be integrally formed with thepixel array unit 4 on thedisplay panel substrate 46 as thecircuit layer 50. Thecircuit layer 50 includes, for example, an underlayer for forming a polysilicon layer. The underlayer is made of an inorganic insulating material, such as silicon nitride (SiN) or silicon oxide (SiO) and is stacked on thedisplay panel substrate 46. The polysilicon layer on the underlayer is used to form, for example, TFT channels.FIG. 2 showssource electrodes 60 of thedriver TFTs 12, which are included in the electronic circuits formed in thecircuit layer 50. - The insulating
layer 52 is stacked on thecircuit layer 50. The insulating layer electrically insulates the pixel circuits 8, each provided for the corresponding pixel, from each other, and also electrically insulatespixel electrodes 62 from the electronic circuits of thecircuit layer 50. The insulatinglayer 52 is made, for example, of SiO or SiN. - The
OLED layer 54 includes lower electrodes (pixel electrodes 62), an organicmaterial stack layer 64, anupper electrode 66, and abank 68. - The
pixel electrodes 62, theupper electrode 66, and the organicmaterial stack layer 64 sandwiched between these electrodes constitute theOLEDs 6. Theupper electrode 66 is basically a common electrode that is evenly in contact with the organicmaterial stack layer 64 of all the pixels in the display area. On the other hand, thepixel electrodes 62 are separated corresponding one-to-one to the pixels and are electrically coupled to the circuit layer (the source electrodes 60) through contact holes 70. In this embodiment, theupper electrode 66 is the cathode of theOLEDs 6, and thepixel electrodes 62 are the anodes of theOLEDs 6. Theupper electrode 66 and thepixel electrodes 62 are made of a transparent conductive material, such as indium zinc oxide (IZO) or indium tin oxide (ITO). The organicmaterial stack layer 64 includes a light-emitting layer to be described below. The light-emitting layer is injected with holes and electrons in accordance with a voltage applied between both electrodes, and emits light by the recombination of the holes and the electrons. - The
bank 68 is formed of an insulating layer along the boundary between the pixels to electrically separate thepixel electrodes 62 from theupper electrode 66 along the boundary between the pixels. - The
cover layer 56 is stacked on theOLED layer 54. Thecover layer 56 has a sealing structure that is formed of a moisture-proof film and protects theOLEDs 6 from deterioration of properties due to moisture. The sealing structure has, for example, a stack of layers made of SiN. - When the
display panel 40 uses a color filter method for colorization, thecover layer 56 includes color filters. In the color filter method, white light emitted by theOLEDs 6 passes through the color filters, thus forming pixels of various colors, such as red (R), green (G), and blue (B) light-emitting pixels. The color filters are made, for example, of a light transmissive resin material and are colored a plurality of colors, for example, with pigments. The color filters are made, for example, of color resists. White (W) pixels may also be provided without such color filters. - The
cover layer 56 can further include a black matrix and an overcoat layer for protecting the surface of thedisplay panel 40. The black matrix is arranged in the boundary area between the pixels. The black matrix is formed, for example, by patterning a light-blocking film made of metal, such as chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), or tantalum (Ta). The overcoat layer is made of a transparent material. For example, the overcoat layer is formed of a transparent resin, such as an acrylic resin. - As described above, the second principal surface of the
display panel substrate 46, which is the principal surface near the back of thedisplay panel 40, has thelinear grooves 48.FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views of thedisplay panel 40, which focus on thegrooves 48.FIGS. 3A and 3B are schematic vertical cross-sectional views taken along the direction perpendicular to thegrooves 48, so that thegrooves 48 extend in the depth direction in the figures.FIG. 3A shows thedisplay panel 40 on which no bending forces are acting, so that thedisplay panel 40 shown in the figure remains flat. On the other hand,FIG. 3B shows thedisplay panel 40 on which a force to lift the right edge of the panel is acting. The portion with thegrooves 48 is more flexible in the direction perpendicular to the stripes (the extension of the grooves 48) than the other portion without thegrooves 48. As shown inFIG. 3B , the portion with thegrooves 48 can be bent with a greater curvature than the other portion without thegrooves 48. Additionally, the flexibility of the portion with thegrooves 48 changes depending on the angle between the bending direction and the direction of the stripes. The portion with thegrooves 48 is more flexible in the direction perpendicular to the stripes than in the direction parallel to the stripes. That is, the position and the direction of thegrooves 48 can determine a flexible portion and a flexible direction of thedisplay panel 40. - For example, a flexible display has the advantage that it can be rolled or bent, but its flexibility may cause an unintended bending, which reduces visibility of display images, or induce stress concentration on a portion with low mechanical strength, which results in fragility of an IC or other components disposed on the portion. In this regard, the
grooves 48 of thedisplay panel 40 adjust a portion and a direction where the curvature is greater, thus preventing the reduction of visibility and damage in thedisplay panel 40. - For example, both left and right edges of the
display panel substrate 46, theperipheral areas 44 of thedisplay panel 40 shown inFIG. 2 , have a uniform thickness of t with nogrooves 48 formed. On the other hand, thedisplay area 42 of thedisplay panel substrate 46, for example, has the plurality ofgrooves 48 arranged regularly and has a thickness less than t in thegrooves 48. This configuration allows theperipheral areas 44 without thegrooves 48 to be relatively less likely to be bent if held by a hand. This prevents theperipheral areas 44 from being bent with an unexpectedly large curvature by strong forces or uneven forces due to a hold, thus protecting the stack structure of thedisplay panel 40 from damage. This also prevents an IC, constituting the driver, from being damaged if arranged on theperipheral area 44. On the other hand, thedisplay area 42 with thegrooves 48 is relatively flexible. This disperses forces to bend thedisplay panel 40, generated by a hand holding theperipheral areas 44, along the direction perpendicular to the stripes of thegrooves 48 in thedisplay area 42. Consequently, this can prevent thedisplay panel 40 from being damaged by stress concentration, and moderate the change in curvature in thedisplay area 42 to improve visibility of display images. - When an electronic circuit substrate, such as an FPC, is connected to the
display panel 40, thegrooves 48 is preferably disposed so that the extension of thegrooves 48 extending linearly does not pass through the joint between thedisplay panel 40 and the electronic circuit substrate. On the other hand, when the position and the direction of thegrooves 48 are determined to prevent the above reduction of visibility and the above damage in thedisplay panel 40, the electronic circuit substrate is preferably joined to a portion of the edge of thedisplay panel 40 so that the portion does not intersect with the extension of thegrooves 48 extending linearly. Such determined positional relationship between thegrooves 48 and the electronic circuit substrate can decrease the deformation of the joint of the electronic circuit substrate, thus preventing the electronic circuit substrate from separating or being damaged. -
FIGS. 4 and 5 are schematic plan views of thedisplay panel 40 to which anFPC 80 is connected and illustrate positional relationships between theFPC 80 and thegrooves 48. TheFPC 80 is connected to the center of the bottom of therectangular display panel 40. TheFPC 80 has anIC 82 mounted on it, and theIC 82 extends in the direction along the bottom of thedisplay panel 40. - In
FIG. 4 ,grooves 48 a to 48 c extend horizontally, that is, in the direction parallel to the bottom of thedisplay panel 40. The extensions of thegrooves 48 a to 48 c do not pass through a joint 84 of theFPC 80. InFIG. 5 ,grooves 48 d to 48 f extend vertically, that is, in the direction perpendicular to the bottom of thedisplay panel 40. Among them, the extension of thegrooves 48 d, positioned to the left of thedisplay panel 40, and the extension of thegrooves 48 e, positioned to the right of thedisplay panel 40, pass through portions in the bottom of thedisplay panel 40 where the joint 84 is not positioned. On the other hand, the extension of thegrooves 48 f, positioned at the center of thedisplay panel 40, pass through the joint 84. Thus, thegrooves 48 a to 48 e are positionally preferable to thegrooves 48 f. - The vertical cross-sectional shape of the
grooves 48 is not limited to a triangle shown inFIGS. 2 and 3 .FIGS. 6 to 9 are schematic vertical cross-sectional views of thedisplay panels 40, which illustrate cross-sectional shapes of thegrooves 48. Thedisplay panels 40 shown inFIGS. 6 to 9 are rectangular like thedisplay panels 40 shown inFIGS. 4 and 5 . TheFPC 80 with theIC 82 mounted on it is connected to one side of thecircuit layer 50 ofsuch display panels 40.FIGS. 6 to 9 show the cross sections taken along the direction perpendicular to the side to which theFPC 80 of thedisplay panel 40 is connected. Eachgroove 48 shown in the figures expands in the direction parallel to the side like thegrooves 48 a to 48 c. - Each
groove 48 g shown inFIG. 6 has a triangular vertical cross-sectional shape described above. The vertical cross-sectional shape of thegroove 48 h shown inFIG. 7 is rectangular and, for example, is wider than that of thegroove 48 g. The vertical cross-sectional shape of eachgroove 48 i shown inFIG. 8 is a rectangle narrower than that of thegroove 48 h shown inFIG. 7 . The plurality ofgrooves 48 i are arranged parallel to each other. Thegroove 48 j shown inFIG. 9 has a wide and gently curved cross section. - Forming the
grooves 48 to partially reduce the thickness of thedisplay panel substrate 46 allows thedisplay panel substrate 46 to be more flexible along thegrooves 48. On the other hand, thedisplay panel substrate 46 has the function of reinforcing the structure stacked on it to prevent thedisplay panel 40 from being split or cracked. The shape of thegrooves 48 and the thickness in thegrooves 48 of thedisplay panel substrate 46 are determined so as to achieve the function. For example, thinning thedisplay panel substrate 46 by thegrooves 48 allows thedisplay panel 40 to be more flexible, but causes thedisplay panel 40 to be more easily split or cracked, which is a trade-off relationship. - Here, filling the
grooves 48 with an elastic material with a lower elastic modulus than the material of thedisplay panel substrate 46 can strike a balance between the flexibility and the strength of thedisplay panel substrate 46. For example, a resin material, such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinylidene chloride, polystyrene, or poly vinyl acetate, may be used to fill thegrooves 48 of thedisplay panel substrate 46. - The following describes a method for manufacturing the organic
EL display device 2. The method for manufacturing the organicEL display device 2 according to the embodiment of the present invention is characterized by a method of manufacturing thedisplay panel 40. For example, a method for integrally forming the stack structure of a plurality ofdisplay panels 40 is described here. -
FIG. 10 is a schematic process flowchart that outlines the manufacturing method.FIGS. 11 and 12 include schematic perspective views of thedisplay panel 40 corresponding to steps shown inFIG. 10 . - As the
display panel substrate 46 is flexible, asupport substrate 90 is prepared to keep thedisplay panel substrate 46 flat in the manufacturing process of the display panel 40 (Step S1). Thesupport substrate 90 is formed of a material, such as glass, quartz, silicon, silicon carbide (SiC), or nickel (Ni). Thesupport substrate 90 has the function of supporting thedisplay panel substrate 46 and functions as a mold to form thegrooves 48 on thedisplay panel substrate 46. Specifically, thesupport substrate 90 haslinear ridges 92, formed corresponding to thegrooves 48 of thedisplay panel substrate 46, on at least part of the surface of thesupport substrate 90. To form the cross section of the eachgroove 48 into a triangular shape in the example described here, eachridge 92 also has the same triangular cross-sectional shape as thegroove 48. To form the plurality ofdisplay panels 40 all together as described above, asingle support substrate 90 a, which is an integration of a plurality ofsupport substrates 90, is prepared in this embodiment. Thesupport substrate 90 a has the same shape and size as the plurality ofsupport substrates 90 arranged horizontally in a rectangular shape. For example, as shown in the step (S1) ofFIG. 11 , twelvesupport substrates 90, each corresponding to onedisplay panel 40, arranged consecutively in a matrix with four rows and three columns are integrally formed into thesingle support substrate 90 a. - A resin is stacked on the
support substrate 90 a, and the surface shape ofsupport substrate 90 a is transferred to the resin so that thegrooves 48 are molded, thus forming thedisplay panel substrate 46 made of the resin on thesupport substrate 90 a (panel substrate forming step S2). For example, a solution of a resin is applied to the surface of thesupport substrate 90 a by spin coating or other methods, and is resinified by heat treatment or other methods. Thus, the surface shape of thesupport substrates 90 is transferred to the resin, and thedisplay panel substrate 46, having thegrooves 48 on the back and a flat surface, is formed. - Alternatively, a film-shaped raw material may be placed on the
support substrate 90 a and be formed into thedisplay panel substrate 46 by pressing or other methods. The film-shaped raw material may be a single sheet spreading throughout thesupport substrate 90 a or a sheet having a size corresponding to onedisplay panel 40 to be placed on each of thesupport substrates 90. - Then layers including the
OLEDs 6 are formed on the display panel substrate 46 (display panel forming step). Specifically, the display panel forming step includes Step S3 of forming thecircuit layer 50 on the surface of thedisplay panel substrate 46 and Step S4 of forming anupper structure layer 58 including the insulatinglayer 52, theOLED layer 54, and thecover layer 56. - In the panel substrate forming step and the display panel forming step, a panel structure, including the
display panel substrate 46 and theOLEDs 6, is integrally formed for the plurality ofdisplay panels 40, and then the panel structure is cut along the borders between thesupport substrates 90 to separate into the display panels 40 (cutting step S5). - After the cutting step, for example, part of the
upper structure layer 58 on thecircuit layer 50 is removed so that a connection terminal of thecircuit layer 50 in theperipheral areas 44 of thedisplay panel 40 is exposed upward through theupper structure layer 58. After a step of connecting theFPC 80 to the connection terminal (Step S6) and other steps, thesupport substrate 90 is removed from the back of the display panel substrate 46 (Step S7). Through such steps, a module of eachdisplay panel 40 is completed (Step S8). - Alternatively, the cutting step S5 may be performed after the
support substrate 90 a is removed fromdisplay panel substrate 46. In this case, thesupport substrate 90 a can be reused. - As described above, the panel structure for the plurality of
display panels 40 is formed, and then the panel structure is cut. Such a manufacturing method can improve the productivity of small to medium-sized display panels 40 by using an equipment capable of manufacturing large-sized display panels 40. On the other hand, as is the case for manufacturing large-sized display panels 40, a manufacturing equipment may not be able to manufacture the plurality ofdisplay panels 40 all together. In such a case, thedisplay panel 40 is manufactured one by one, so that the cutting step is omitted. - In the above embodiment, an organic EL display device is shown as an example disclosure of the display panel. Other example applications for the display panel include liquid crystal display devices, other self-luminous display devices, electronic paper display devices having an electrophoretic device, quantum dot display devices, and any other flat panel display devices. It is needless to say that the present invention is not particularly limited to the above display devices but can also be applied to any display device ranging from small to medium-sized to large-sized display devices.
- Various other variations and modifications can be conceived by those skilled in the art within the spirit of the present invention, and it will be understood that all such variations and modifications also fall within the scope of the invention. For example, those skilled in the art can appropriately modify the above embodiment by addition, deletion, or design change of components, or by addition, omission, or condition change of steps, and all such modifications also fall within the scope of the invention as long as they come within the spirit of the invention.
- It will also be understood that other effects produced by an aspect of the embodiment, which are apparent from the description herein or can be appropriately conceived by those skilled in the art, are produced by the present invention as a matter of course.
- While there have been described what are at present considered to be certain embodiments of the invention, it will be understood that various modifications may be made thereto, and it is intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.
Claims (4)
1. A display device comprising:
an image display panel including a flexible display panel substrate and a plurality of display elements arranged in a matrix on a first principal surface of the flexible display panel substrate;
a flexible printed circuit board connected to the flexible display panel substrate, wherein
the first principal surface has a first area, a second area having a region connected to the flexible printed circuit board, and a display area between the first area and the second area, the plurality of display elements arranged on the display area,
the flexible display panel substrate has a first thickness portion, a second thickness portion, and a third thickness portion,
the first thickness portion, the second thickness portion, and the third thickness portion are arranged in this order along the first principal surface,
a thickness of the first and third thickness portions is thicker than a thickness of the second thickness portion in a direction perpendicular to the first principal surface,
the first area and the display area are arranged on the first thickness portion, and
the second area is arranged on the third thickness portion.
2. The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a driver IC electrically connected to the image display panel.
3. The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a cover layer which includes a SiN and is arranged on the plurality of display elements.
4. The display device according to claim 3 , wherein,
the flexible display panel substrate is made of one of a polyimide resin, an epoxy resin, and an acrylic resin,
the plurality of display elements are a plurality of organic light emitting elements.
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US20140183473A1 (en) * | 2012-12-28 | 2014-07-03 | Lg Display Co., Ltd. | Flexible display device and method of manufacturing the same |
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WO2019037234A1 (en) * | 2017-08-25 | 2019-02-28 | 武汉华星光电半导体显示技术有限公司 | Method for manufacturing flexible display panel |
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US10957224B2 (en) | 2017-08-31 | 2021-03-23 | Kunshan Go-Visionox Opto-Electronics Co., Ltd. | Cover film and flexible display device |
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US11329262B2 (en) * | 2019-08-20 | 2022-05-10 | Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co., Ltd. | Manufacturing method of display panel, and electronic equipment |
Also Published As
Publication number | Publication date |
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JP2015169711A (en) | 2015-09-28 |
US20150255522A1 (en) | 2015-09-10 |
US9881979B2 (en) | 2018-01-30 |
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