WO2022120598A1

WO2022120598A1 - Support film, display module, and electronic device

Info

Publication number: WO2022120598A1
Application number: PCT/CN2020/134663
Authority: WO
Inventors: 詹啟舜; 高志豪; 段宝明
Original assignee: 华为技术有限公司
Priority date: 2020-12-08
Filing date: 2020-12-08
Publication date: 2022-06-16
Also published as: CN116569243A

Abstract

Provided in the embodiments of the present application are a support film, a display module, and an electronic device, the support film comprising a first metal layer and a second metal layer, the first metal layer and the second metal layer being arranged below a display element of a display module to provide support to the display element. The Young's modulus of the first metal layer is higher than the Young's modulus of the second metal layer and, using the high rigidity of the first metal layer and the high bendability of the second metal layer, the support film has good bendability whilst providing good rigid support, thereby ensuring that the display module has good bendability and reliability, satisfying the requirements for the rigidity and bendability of display modules.

Description

A support film, display module and electronic equipment

technical field

The present application relates to the technical field of electronic devices, and in particular, to a support film, a display module and an electronic device.

Background technique

With the gradual maturity of flexible screen technology, the display mode of electronic devices has undergone tremendous changes. One of them is the emergence of foldable mobile phones, computers and other electronic devices. Taking foldable mobile phones as an example, after the mobile phone is folded, it can only have traditional mobile phones. Small size, easy to carry, and the display size of a flat panel when unfolded, these features make the foldable device one of the most sought after products.

At present, in a foldable display screen, a metal material layer is set under the display screen as a supporting film layer, and the supporting film layer is located under the entire display module, which mainly acts as a rigid support to improve the surface flatness of the display screen. impact resistance. In order to ensure the rigidity of the display screen, the metal support film usually needs a certain thickness. The thicker the thickness, the stronger the rigidity. In the technology, the thickness of the supporting film layer is often reduced to make the display screen have good bending performance. Correspondingly, the rigidity of the screen will be reduced, which cannot meet the rigidity requirements and affect the reliability of the screen. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a film layer that can provide good rigid support and at the same time have good bendability, so that the display screen has good bendability and reliability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present application provides a support film, a display module and an electronic device. The support film can provide good rigid support and at the same time have good bending performance, which solves the problem that the existing support film layer has good bending performance but rigid support The ability is poor, which affects the reliability of the screen.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a support film for use in a foldable display module, comprising at least a first metal layer and a second metal layer;

The first metal layer and the second metal layer are arranged under the display element of the display module, and the Young's modulus of the first metal layer is higher than the Young's modulus of the second metal layer .

In this way, the first metal layer and the second metal layer can support the display element, and the first metal layer with high Young's modulus has high rigidity, which can ensure that the display element such as the display screen can provide sufficient Rigid support improves the surface flatness and impact resistance of the display screen. A second metal layer with a low Young's modulus, which has a lower stiffness and is able to resist greater stress, i.e., a higher yield strength, has good bending properties, utilizing the high stiffness properties of the first metal layer, and the second metal layer. The high bending performance of the metal layer enables the support film to have good bending performance while providing good rigid support, thereby ensuring the display module has good bending performance and reliability, and meeting the rigidity of the display module. and bending performance requirements.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first metal layer is configured to be disposed on a side of the second metal layer close to the bending center of the display module.

In this way, when the display module is bent, the first metal layer is subjected to compressive stress, and correspondingly, the second metal layer is subjected to tensile stress when the display module is bent. The resistance of the metal layer to tensile stress is poor, that is, under the same stress, the tensile stress is more likely to cause damage to the metal material. The first metal layer is arranged on the side of the second metal layer close to the bending center of the display module, so that the first metal layer with high Young's modulus is subjected to compressive stress when the display module is bent, and has low Young's modulus. The second metal layer with the modulus is subjected to tensile stress when the display module is bent, and the second metal layer with low Young's modulus has better bending properties, which can improve the support film when the display module is bent. The resistance to stress, while ensuring the rigidity of the support film, further improves the bending performance of the support film, and ensures that the support film will not be damaged under the pressure generated during the bending process of the display module.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, when the display element is folded inward, the first metal layer is configured to be disposed between the second metal layer and the display element.

By arranging the first metal layer close to the display element, the second metal layer is located on the side of the first metal layer away from the display element. In this way, when the display module is bent, the first metal layer is subjected to compressive stress, the second metal layer is subjected to tensile stress, and the first metal layer has a high Young's modulus, which can provide sufficient support for the display element. The second metal layer has a low Young's modulus, which can improve the resistance of the support film to stress when the display module is bent, and further improves the bending performance of the support film while ensuring the rigidity of the support film.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, when the display element is folded outward, the second metal layer is configured to be disposed between the first metal layer and the display element.

By arranging the second metal layer close to the display element, the first metal layer is located on the side of the second metal layer away from the display element. In this way, when the display module is bent, the first metal layer is subjected to compressive stress, and the second metal layer is subjected to tensile stress. The first metal layer with high Young's modulus can provide sufficient support for the display element, and has low Young's modulus. The second metal layer of the Inner modulus can improve the resistance of the support film to stress when the display module is bent, and further improve the bending performance of the support film while ensuring the rigidity of the support film.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, a dielectric layer is further included, and the dielectric layer is located between the first metal layer and the second metal layer;

The forming material of the dielectric layer is a metal or alloy with a Vickers hardness value of 20-400HV.

The dielectric layer can be used as a transition layer between the first metal layer and the second metal layer, which can play the role of connecting the first metal layer and the second metal layer, and improve the bonding fastness of the first metal layer and the second metal layer. .

In addition, the molding material of the dielectric layer is a metal or alloy with a low Vickers hardness value, which has soft metal properties and good ductility, which can increase the contact area between the first metal layer and the second metal layer. , thereby increasing the number of atoms bonded when the first metal layer and the second metal layer are recombined, improving the efficiency of the recombination of the first metal layer and the second metal layer, and ensuring a firm bond between the first metal layer and the second metal layer. Spend.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the forming material of the dielectric layer includes one or more of aluminum/aluminum alloy, copper/copper alloy or nickel/nickel alloy.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, a through hole is provided on one of the first metal layer and the second metal layer that is far away from the display element, and the through hole is away from the display element. One end extends toward the end close to the display element.

By opening through holes on the first metal layer or the second metal layer away from the display element, the arrangement of the through holes can bend the first metal layer or the second metal layer in the display module to spread the received stress and reduce the stress. The strength of the stress received by the first metal layer or the second metal layer further improves the bending performance of the support film.

In addition, only one of the first metal layer and the second metal layer that is far from the display element is provided with a through hole, and the other is not provided with a through hole, which can ensure a certain rigidity, so that while ensuring the rigidity of the supporting film, the supporting film can be lifted. bending performance. At the same time, no through-hole is opened on the one near the display element, which can prevent the opening of the through-hole from affecting the display effect of the display module.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the first metal layer and the second metal layer form the support film by a metal composite method.

In this way, compared with the bonding method, there is no bonding layer at the connection interface between the first metal layer and the second metal layer, which can prevent the display element from being bent between the first metal layer and the bonding layer, and The separation between the second metal layer and the adhesive layer caused by bending improves the bonding fastness between the first metal layer and the second metal layer, and avoids bulging caused by the separation of the first metal layer and the second metal layer and other problems, improve the display effect of the display module.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, the forming material of the first metal layer includes one or more of stainless steel, aluminum/aluminum alloy, titanium/copper alloy, copper/copper alloy or nickel/nickel alloy The forming material of the second metal layer includes one or more of stainless steel, aluminum/aluminum alloy, titanium/copper alloy, copper/copper alloy or nickel/nickel alloy.

In a possible implementation manner of the first aspect, several third metal layers may also be included, the third metal layers are located between the first metal layer and the second metal layer, and the third metal layers The Young's modulus of the layer lies between the Young's modulus of the first metal layer and the Young's modulus of the second metal layer.

The arrangement of the third metal layer can further improve the rigidity of the support film, and can also improve the resistance of the support film to stress when the display module is bent, and improve the bending performance of the support film.

In a second aspect, the present application provides a display module, comprising at least a display element and any one of the above-mentioned supporting films;

The first metal layer and the second metal layer of the support film are located under the display element.

By including a support film, the support film includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer, so that the first metal layer and the second metal layer are arranged under the display element of the display module to provide support for the display element. Make the Young's modulus of the first metal layer higher than the Young's modulus of the second metal layer, and make use of the high stiffness performance of the first metal layer and the high bending performance of the second metal layer, so that the support film can provide good At the same time of rigid support, it has good bending performance, thereby ensuring that the display module has good bending performance and reliable performance, and meeting the rigidity and bending performance requirements of the display module.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the first metal layer is located on a side of the second metal layer close to the bending center of the display element.

In this way, when the display module is bent, the first metal layer with high Young's modulus is subjected to compressive stress, and the second metal layer with low Young's modulus is subjected to tensile stress. The second metal layer has better bending properties, which can improve the resistance of the support film to stress when the display module is bent. Problems such as damage will not occur under the pressure generated during the bending process of the display module.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the display element is bent inward, and the first metal layer is located between the second metal layer and the display element.

In this way, the display element can be bent inward, the display element is located on the side with the smallest bending track of the electronic device, the first metal layer is arranged close to the display element, and the second metal layer is located on the side of the first metal layer away from the display element. When the display module is bent, the first metal layer is subjected to compressive stress, the second metal layer is subjected to tensile stress, and the first metal layer has a high Young's modulus, which can provide sufficient support for the display element. The second metal layer has a low Young's modulus, which can improve the resistance of the support film to tensile stress when the display module is bent, and further improves the bending performance of the support film while ensuring the rigidity of the support film.

In a possible implementation manner of the second aspect, the display element is bent outward, and the second metal layer is located between the first metal layer and the display element.

In this way, the display element can be bent outward, the display element is located on the side with the largest bending track of the electronic device, the second metal layer is arranged close to the display element, and the first metal layer is located on the side of the second metal layer away from the display element. When the display module is bent, the first metal layer is subjected to compressive stress, the second metal layer is subjected to tensile stress, and the first metal layer has a high Young's modulus, which can provide sufficient support for the display element, and the second metal layer is subjected to tensile stress. The metal layer has a low Young's modulus, which can improve the resistance of the support film to tensile stress when the display module is bent, and further improves the bending performance of the support film while ensuring the rigidity of the support film.

In a third aspect, the present application provides an electronic device, comprising at least any of the above-mentioned supporting films, or at least any of the above-mentioned display modules.

By including a support film, the support film includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer, so that the first metal layer and the second metal layer are arranged under the display element of the display module to provide support for the display element. Make the Young's modulus of the first metal layer higher than the Young's modulus of the second metal layer, and make use of the high stiffness performance of the first metal layer and the high bending performance of the second metal layer, so that the support film can provide good At the same time of rigid support, it has good bending performance, which ensures that the display module has good bending performance and reliability, meets the rigidity and bending performance requirements of the display module, and improves the reliability and display of electronic equipment. Effect.

Description of drawings

1 is a schematic structural diagram of a display module provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of bending of a display module provided by an embodiment of the present application;

3 is a schematic structural diagram of another display module provided by an embodiment of the present application;

4 is a schematic diagram of another display module bending provided by an embodiment of the present application;

5 is a schematic structural diagram of a support film provided in an embodiment of the present application;

6 is a schematic structural diagram of another display module provided by an embodiment of the present application;

7 is a schematic structural diagram of another display module provided by an embodiment of the present application;

8 is a schematic structural diagram of another display module provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 9 is a schematic structural diagram of another display module provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Description of reference numbers:

100-display module; 10-support film; 11-first metal layer;

12-second metal layer; 13-dielectric layer; 101-through hole;

20-display element; 30-back film layer; 40-film encapsulation layer;

50-touch layer; 60-polarizer; 70-cover.

Detailed ways

The terms used in the embodiment part of the present application are only used to explain the specific embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the present application.

With the advent of the flexible screen foldable terminal, it has broken through the limit of the original hard screen display ratio of no more than 100%, and the effect of information interaction can be doubled through a simple folding, thus becoming one of the most sought after products. .

In the flexible folding screen, a metal material layer is arranged under the display element, and the metal material layer is located under the entire display module. The metal material layer mainly plays the role of providing rigid support to improve the flatness of the folding screen. And the ability to resist impact, avoid the phenomenon of bulging and creases of the folding screen during the folding process. In order to ensure that the metal material layer has better rigidity, it is necessary to increase the thickness of the metal material layer or increase the Young's modulus of the metal material.

The thicker the metal material layer, the more difficult it is to bend, and the metal material layer will be subjected to tensile stress or compressive stress during bending. The higher the Young's modulus of the metal material, the stress may cause the metal material layer to be damaged. The bending properties of the material are poor. That is, the thicker the metal material layer, or the higher the Young's modulus of the metal material, the more difficult it is to bend the metal material layer, resulting in poorer bending performance of the screen. In order to ensure the bending performance of the metal material layer, there are also methods in the prior art to reduce the metal material layer as much as possible to ensure the bending characteristics of the screen. The rigidity of the layer is poor, which cannot meet the rigidity requirements of the screen and affects the reliability of the screen. For example, taking an existing support film as an example, the metal material layer is a stainless steel metal layer with a thickness of 30 μm, which can meet the bending characteristics of the display screen, and its bendable radius can reach no more than 3 nm, but its rigidity strength Only 8-66N/mm ² can not meet the rigid requirements of the screen.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the embodiments of the present application provide a support film, a display module and an electronic device. The support film includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer, so that the first metal layer and the second metal layer can be used for It is arranged below the display element of the display module to provide support for the display element. Make the Young's modulus of the first metal layer higher than the Young's modulus of the second metal layer, and make use of the high stiffness performance of the first metal layer and the high bending performance of the second metal layer, so that the support film can provide good At the same time of rigid support, it has good bending performance, thereby ensuring that the display module has good bending performance and reliable performance, and meeting the rigidity and bending performance requirements of the display module.

A support film, a display module and an electronic device provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a display module provided by an embodiment of the present application.

Referring to FIG. 1 , an embodiment of the present application provides a support film 10 for use in a foldable display module 100 , that is, the support film 10 can be bent along with the folding of the display module 100 . Specifically, the support film 10 includes at least a first metal layer 11 and a second metal layer 12, wherein the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 are used to be disposed under the display element 20 of the display module 100, and display The element 20 may be a display screen, and the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 may support the display element 20 .

The Young's modulus of the first metal layer 11 is higher than the Young's modulus of the second metal layer 12 , that is, the molding material of the first metal layer 11 is a metal with a high Young's modulus, and the second metal layer 12 The molding material is a metal with a low Young's modulus, which is a physical quantity describing the ability of a solid material to resist deformation, that is, the first metal layer 11 with a high Young's modulus, which has high stiffness and can ensure Sufficient rigid support is provided for the display element 20 such as the display screen, and the surface flatness and impact resistance performance of the display screen are improved. On the other hand, the second metal layer 12 with a low Young's modulus has a low stiffness and can withstand a large stress, that is, a high yield strength, and has a good bending performance.

In this way, the support film 10 includes the first metal layer 11 with a high Young's modulus and the second metal layer 12 with a low Young's modulus, utilizing the high stiffness properties of the first metal layer 11 and the high bending properties of the second metal layer 12 Therefore, the support film 10 has good bending performance while providing good rigid support, thereby ensuring that the display module 100 has good bending performance and reliability, and meeting the rigidity and bending performance of the display module 100. discount performance requirements.

Wherein, the connection method between the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer may be bonding, compounding or other connection methods, for example, in a possible implementation manner, the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 The support film 10 may be formed by a metal composite method.

Specifically, the metal compounding method may be a thermal compounding method, or may be a combination of metal materials of the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 under the action of pressure or the like. For example, atoms at the interface of the first metal layer 11 and atoms at the interface of the second metal layer 12 are used to bond atoms to atoms in a vacuum, so that the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 are combined together. In this way, the interface between the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 is formed by the combination of the metal of the first metal layer 11 and the metal of the second metal layer 12 , and the roughness of the cross-section can be greater than 5 nm.

In the method of connecting the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 by the metal composite method, compared with the bonding method, there is no bonding layer at the connection interface between the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12, and it is possible to During the bending process of the display module 100, separation between the first metal layer 11 and the adhesive layer, and between the second metal layer 12 and the adhesive layer due to bending is avoided, and the The bonding fastness between the second metal layers 12 can avoid problems such as bulging caused by the separation of the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 , and improve the display effect of the display module 100 .

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a bending display module provided by an embodiment of the present application, FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of another display module provided by an embodiment of the present application, and FIG. 4 is another type of display module provided by an embodiment of the present application. A schematic diagram showing the bending of the module.

Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 , in the embodiment of the present application, the first metal layer 11 is disposed on the side of the second metal layer 12 close to the bending center of the display module 100 . The bending center of the display module 100 refers to that the display module 100 generates an arc-like bending trajectory during the bending process, and the bending center is the center of the arc-like bending trajectory. The first metal layer 11 is disposed on the side of the second metal layer 12 close to the center of the bending track of the display module 100. When the display module 100 is bent, the first metal layer 11 will be subjected to compressive stress. The metal layer 12 is subjected to tensile stress when the display module 100 is bent.

However, the resistance of the metal layer to tensile stress is poor, that is, under the same stress, the tensile stress is more likely to cause damage to the metal material. In the embodiment of the present application, the first metal layer 11 is arranged on the second The metal layer 12 is close to the side of the bending center of the display module 100, so that the first metal layer 11 with high Young's modulus is subjected to compressive stress when the display module 100 is bent (F1 in FIG. 2), and has The second metal layer 12 with low Young's modulus is subjected to tensile stress (F2 in FIG. 2 ) when the display module 100 is bent, and the second metal layer 12 with low Young's modulus has better bending properties. The flexibility of the support film 10 can improve the resistance of the support film 10 to tensile stress when the display module 100 is bent. While ensuring the rigidity of the support film 10, the bending performance of the support film 10 can be further improved to ensure that the support film 10 will not Problems such as damage occur under the action of the stress generated during the bending process of the display module 100 .

In a possible implementation, as shown in FIG. 2 , the display element 20 is folded inward, that is, the display element 20 is located on the side with a smaller bending radius of the electronic device, and the first metal layer 11 is used to be disposed on the side of the electronic device. between the second metal layer 12 and the display element 20 .

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the first metal layer 11 is disposed close to the display element 20 , and the second metal layer 12 is located on the side of the first metal layer 11 away from the display element 20 . In this way, when the display module 100 is bent, as shown in FIG. 2 , the first metal layer 11 is subjected to a compressive stress F1, the second metal layer 12 is subjected to a tensile stress F2, and the first metal layer 11 has a high Young's The modulus can provide sufficient support for the display element 20, and the second metal layer 12 has a low Young's modulus, which can improve the resistance of the support film 10 to tensile stress when the display module 100 is bent. While the rigidity of the film 10 is improved, the bending performance of the support film 10 is further improved.

In another possible implementation, as shown in FIG. 3 , the display element 20 may be folded outward, that is, the display element 20 is on the side with a larger bending radius of the electronic device, and the second metal layer 12 is used for It is provided between the first metal layer 11 and the display element 20 .

1 and FIG. 3 , the second metal layer 12 is disposed close to the display element 20 , and the first metal layer 11 is located on the side of the second metal layer 12 away from the display element 20 . In this way, when the display module 100 is bent, as shown in FIG. 4 , the first metal layer 11 is subjected to compressive stress, and the second metal layer 12 is subjected to tensile stress. The first metal layer 11 with high Young's modulus may be The display element 20 provides sufficient support, and the second metal layer 12 with low Young's modulus can improve the resistance of the support film 10 to tensile stress when the display module 100 is bent, while ensuring the rigidity of the support film 10. At the same time, the bending performance of the support film 10 is further improved.

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of a support film provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Referring to FIG. 5 , in the embodiment of the present application, the support film 10 further includes a dielectric layer 13 , wherein the dielectric layer 13 is located between the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 , and the dielectric layer 13 may serve as the first metal layer 13 . The transition layer between the metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 can play the role of connecting the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 and improve the bonding fastness of the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 .

Wherein, the molding material of the dielectric layer 13 can be a metal or alloy with a Vickers hardness value ranging from 20 to 400HV, that is, the dielectric layer has a lower Vickers hardness value, and a metal or alloy with a lower Vickers hardness value has better metal properties. It is soft and has good ductility, which can increase the contact area between the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12, thereby increasing the number of atoms bonded when the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 are recombined. , to improve the efficiency of recombination of the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 , and ensure the bonding fastness between the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 .

Wherein, the molding material of the dielectric layer 13 may be one or more of aluminum/aluminum alloy, copper/copper alloy or nickel/nickel alloy. It can be understood that the molding material of the dielectric layer 13 may also be other materials with low dimensions. Hardness value of the metal or alloy.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of another display module provided by an embodiment of the present application, FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of another display module provided by an embodiment of the present application, and FIG. 8 is another display module provided by an embodiment of the present application. A schematic diagram of the structure of the display module.

In the embodiment of the present application, as shown in FIG. 6 , a through hole 101 is provided on one of the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 that is far away from the display element 20 , and the through hole 101 approaches from the end far away from the display element 20 . One end of the display element 20 extends toward the end close to the display element 20 . A through hole 101 is formed on the first metal layer 11 or the second metal layer 12 away from the display element 20 , and the through hole 101 can bend the first metal layer 11 or the second metal layer 12 in the display module 100 to make the The resulting stress is dispersed, reducing the intensity of the stress received by the first metal layer 11 or the second metal layer 12 , thereby improving the bending performance of the support film 10 .

In addition, the through hole 101 is only provided on one of the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 that is far away from the display element 20 , and the through hole 101 is not provided on the other one, which can ensure a certain rigidity, thus ensuring the rigidity of the support film 10 At the same time, the bending performance of the support film 10 is improved. At the same time, the through hole 101 is not opened on the one near the display element 20 , which can prevent the opening of the through hole 101 from affecting the display effect of the display module 100 .

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6 , when the display element 20 is folded inwardly, the through hole 101 is formed in the second metal layer 12 . As shown in FIG. 7 , when the display element 20 is folded outwardly, the through hole 101 is formed in the first metal layer 11 is provided with a through hole 101 .

In addition, it can be understood that, as shown in FIG. 8 , when openings are made on the first metal layer 11 or the second metal layer 12 , the openings on the first metal layer 11 are taken as an example in FIG. 8 . A dielectric layer 13 may still be disposed between the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 to improve the bonding fastness between the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 .

The through holes 101 on the first metal layer 11 or the second metal layer 12 can be realized by etching, laser or other methods, or the through holes 101 can also be formed by other methods.

The support film 10 may further include a number of third metal layers, and the Young's modulus of the third metal layer is located between the Young's modulus of the first metal layer 11 and the Young's modulus of the second metal layer 12 , namely The first metal layer 11 has the highest Young's modulus, the second metal layer 12 has the lowest Young's modulus, and the third metal layer has a Young's modulus in between. When there are multiple third metal layers, the Young's modulus of each third metal layer may be the same or different.

The arrangement of the third metal layer can further improve the rigidity of the support film 10 , and can also improve the resistance of the support film 10 to stress when the display module 100 is bent, thereby improving the bending performance of the support film 10 .

Wherein, when several third metal layers are included, the metal layers can be arranged in order according to the Young's modulus, from the side close to the bending center of the display module 100 to the side far from the bending center of the display module 100 The Young's modulus of the metal layer gradually decreases.

Specifically, taking a third metal layer as an example, the first metal layer 11 with higher Young's modulus is disposed on the side close to the bending center of the display module 100 , and the second metal layer 11 with low Young's modulus is disposed on the side close to the bending center of the display module 100 12 is disposed on a side away from the bending center of the display module 100 , and the third metal layer is located between the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 . In this way, when the display module 100 is bent, the second metal layer 12 with low Young's modulus is subjected to tensile stress, which can improve the resistance of the support film 10 to tensile stress when the display module 100 is bent. While ensuring the rigidity of the support film 10 , the bending performance of the support film 10 is further improved.

In the support film 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application, by including the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12, the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 are arranged below the display element 20, and together serve as the display element 20 support film layer, and make the Young's modulus of the first metal layer 11 higher than the Young's modulus of the second metal layer 12, using the good stiffness and low Young's modulus of the first metal layer 11 with high Young's modulus The second metal layer 12 with the modulus has good bending performance, so that the support film 10 has good bending performance while providing good rigid support.

Table 1 Performance comparison between a support film provided in the examples of this application and existing stainless steel gold support film layers

Specifically, Table 1 shows the performance comparison between a support film 10 provided by the present application and an existing stainless steel metal layer as the support film 10 layer. It can be seen from Table 1 that although the rigidity of the existing stainless steel support film 10 is very high However, when the bending is performed under the same thickness and bending radius, the bending range of the stainless steel will be exceeded, that is, the bending will lead to the destruction of the stainless steel supporting film 10 . The support film 10 provided in the embodiment of the present application takes the forming material of the first metal layer 11 as stainless steel and the forming material of the second metal layer 12 as titanium/copper alloy as an example, the total thickness and bending radius of the support film 10 are the same as those of the existing support film 10 . Compared with other conditions, it can ensure high rigidity, and at the same time will not exceed the bendable range, that is, it has good bending performance while providing good rigid support.

In the embodiment of the present application, the forming material of the first metal layer 11 may include one or more of stainless steel, aluminum/aluminum alloy, titanium/copper alloy, copper/copper alloy or nickel/nickel alloy. The forming material of the second metal layer 12 may include one or more of stainless steel, aluminum/aluminum alloy, titanium/copper alloy, copper/copper alloy or nickel/nickel alloy, so that the Young's mold of the first metal layer 11 The amount may be higher than the Young's modulus of the second metal layer 12 . It can be understood that the molding material of the first metal layer 11 can also be other metals or alloys with high Young's modulus, and the molding material of the second metal layer 12 can be other metals with low Young's modulus or alloy.

The embodiment of the present application further provides a display module 100 , which at least includes a display element 20 and any one of the above-mentioned supporting films 10 . Referring to FIG. 9 , the support film 10 is located under the display element 20 . Specifically, the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 of the support film 10 are both located under the display element 20 .

The display module 100 may further include a back film layer 30 , a thin film encapsulation layer 40 , a touch layer 50 , a polarizer 60 and a cover plate 70 . The back film layer 30 can be located between the support film 10 and the display element 20 , the thin film encapsulation layer 40 is located on the side of the display element 20 away from the support film 10 , the touch layer 50 is located on the thin film encapsulation layer 40 , and the polarizer 60 is located on the side of the display element 20 away from the support film 10 . On the touch layer 50 , the cover plate 70 is covered on the polarizer 60 . That is, the support film 10 is located at the bottommost layer of the display module 100 and mainly plays a role of rigid support.

The support film 10 includes a first metal layer 11 and a second metal layer 12 , and the first metal layer 11 is located on the side of the second metal layer 12 close to the bending center of the display element 20 . Specifically, the display element 20 may be bent inward, that is, the electronic device is inwardly folded, the display element 20 is bent inward, the display element 20 is located on the minimum track side of the bending of the electronic device, and the first metal layer 11 is located in the first metal layer 11. between the two metal layers 12 and the display element 20 . The display element 20 can also be bent outwards, that is, the electronic device is in an outwardly folded shape, and the display element 20 is located on the side of the maximum track of the bending of the electronic device. When the display element 20 is bent outwards, the second metal layer 12 is located in the first between the metal layer 11 and the display element 20 .

In this way, when the display module 100 is bent, the first metal layer 11 with high Young's modulus is subjected to compressive stress, and the second metal layer 12 with low Young's modulus is subjected to tensile stress. The second metal layer 12 with its modulus of elasticity has better bendability, which can improve the resistance of the support film 10 to stress when the display module 100 is bent, and further improves the support film while ensuring the rigidity of the support film 10. The bending performance of the display module 10 ensures that the support film 10 will not be damaged under the action of the pressure generated during the bending process of the display module 100 .

Wherein, a dielectric layer 13 may also be provided between the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12, and the dielectric layer can be used as a transition layer to improve the bonding fastness of the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12, and improve the display module. 100 reliability.

A through hole 101 may be formed on one of the first metal layer 11 and the second metal layer 12 that is far away from the display element 20 to further improve the bending performance of the display module 100 .

The support film 10 of the display module 100 may also include a third metal layer, the third metal layer may be located between the first metal layer and the second metal layer, and the Young's modulus of the third metal layer is located in the first metal layer 11 is between the Young's modulus and the second metal layer 12 Young's modulus, so as to further improve the rigidity and bending performance of the display module 100 .

The embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, and the electronic device includes at least any one of the above-mentioned supporting films 10 .

Alternatively, the electronic device includes at least any one of the above-mentioned display modules 100 .

Wherein, electronic devices may include but are not limited to mobile phones, tablet computers, notebook computers, ultra-mobile personal computers (UMPC), handheld computers, touch TVs, walkie-talkies, netbooks, POS machines, personal digital assistants ( personal digital assistant, PDA), wearable devices, virtual reality devices and other foldable fixed or mobile terminals.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, the terms "installed", "connected" and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense, for example, it may be a fixed connection or a The indirect connection through an intermediate medium may be the internal communication of the two elements or the interaction relationship between the two elements. Those of ordinary skill in the art can understand the specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application according to specific situations.

The terms "first", "second", "third", "fourth", etc. (if any) in the description and claims of the embodiments of the present application and the above-mentioned drawings are used to distinguish similar objects, while It is not necessary to describe a particular order or sequence.

Claims

A support film, used in a foldable display module, is characterized in that it at least comprises a first metal layer and a second metal layer;

The first metal layer and the second metal layer are arranged under the display element of the display module, and the Young's modulus of the first metal layer is higher than the Young's modulus of the second metal layer .
The support film according to claim 1, wherein the first metal layer is arranged on a side of the second metal layer close to the bending center of the display module.
The support film according to claim 2, wherein when the display element is folded inwardly, the first metal layer is configured to be disposed between the second metal layer and the display element .
The support film according to claim 2, wherein when the display element is folded outward, the second metal layer is configured to be disposed between the first metal layer and the display element .
The support film according to any one of claims 1-4, further comprising a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer is located between the first metal layer and the second metal layer;

The molding material of the dielectric layer is a metal or alloy with a Vickers hardness value of 20-400HV.
The support film according to claim 5, wherein the forming material of the dielectric layer comprises one or more of aluminum/aluminum alloy, copper/copper alloy or nickel/nickel alloy.
The support film according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein a through hole is provided on one of the first metal layer and the second metal layer that is far away from the display element, and the through hole extends from An end remote from the display element extends toward an end close to the display element.
The support film according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the first metal layer and the second metal layer form the support film by a metal composite method.
The support film according to any one of claims 1-8, wherein the forming material of the first metal layer comprises stainless steel, aluminum/aluminum alloy, titanium/copper alloy, copper/copper alloy or nickel/nickel alloy One or more of the second metal layer; the forming material of the second metal layer includes one or more of stainless steel, aluminum/aluminum alloy, titanium/copper alloy, copper/copper alloy or nickel/nickel alloy.
The support film according to any one of claims 2-9, further comprising a plurality of third metal layers, the third metal layers being located between the first metal layer and the second metal layer, The Young's modulus of the third metal layer is located between the Young's modulus of the first metal layer and the Young's modulus of the second metal layer.
A display module, characterized in that it comprises at least a display element and the supporting film according to any one of the above claims 1-10;

The first metal layer and the second metal layer of the support film are located under the display element.
The display module according to claim 11, wherein the first metal layer is located on a side of the second metal layer close to the bending center of the display element.
The display module according to claim 12, wherein the display element is bent inward, and the first metal layer is located between the second metal layer and the display element.
The display module according to claim 12, wherein the display element is bent outward, and the second metal layer is located between the first metal layer and the display element.
An electronic device, characterized in that it includes at least the support film described in any one of claims 1-10, or at least the display module described in any one of claims 11-14.