Flexible circuit film and electronic device comprising the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11129281-B2
Application number	US-201916568745-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 12, 2019
Priority date	Oct 29, 2018
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

A flexible circuit film, which is capable of preventing broken portions during an assembly process, and an electronic device comprising the same is disclosed. The flexible circuit film comprises a bonding pad portion, a body portion, and a film bending portion between the bonding pad portion and the body portion, wherein at least some portion of the film bending portion has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the body portion.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A flexible circuit film, comprising:
a bonding pad portion;
a body portion;
a film bending portion positioned between the bonding pad portion and the body portion;
a base member including the bonding pad portion, the film bending portion, and the body portion;
a circuit line layer disposed on the base member in each of the bonding pad portion, the film bending portion, and the body portion;
a cover layer on the circuit line layer disposed on the body portion; and
a coating layer on the circuit line layer disposed on at least the portion of the film bending portion,
wherein at least a portion of the film bending portion has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the body portion,
wherein a thickness of the coating layer is less than a thickness of the cover layer, and
wherein a first height from a front surface of the base member to an uppermost surface of the coating layer is less than a second height from the front surface of the base member to an uppermost surface of the cover layer.

2. The flexible circuit film according to claim 1 ,
wherein each of the bonding pad portion, the film bending portion and the body portion includes a plurality of layers, and
a number of layers of the plurality of layers included in the portion of the film bending portion is less than a number of layers in the plurality of layers of the body portion.

3. The flexible circuit film according to claim 2 ,
wherein the number of layers of the plurality of layers included in the portion of the film bending portion is equal to or less than four layers, and
the number of layers of the plurality of layers of the body portion is greater than or equal to five layers.

4. The flexible circuit film according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the coating layer is greater than or equal to 5 micrometers.

5. The flexible circuit film according to claim 1 , wherein the coating layer includes a polymer material or a solder resist material.

6. The flexible circuit film according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a partition disposed on one side of the bonding pad portion of the base member and proximate the film bending portion,
wherein the coating layer covers one side of the partition proximate the film bending portion.

7. The flexible circuit film according to claim 6 , wherein the partition is formed of a material and the cover layer is formed of the same material.

8. An electronic device comprising:
a cover window; and
a display module connected to the cover window, wherein the display module includes a touch flexible circuit film bonded to a touch pad portion, the touch flexible circuit film including a flexible circuit film,
wherein the flexible circuit film includes:
a bonding pad portion having a first thickness;
a body portion having a second thickness;
a film bending portion positioned between the bonding pad portion and the body portion;
a base member including the bonding pad portion, the film bending portion, and the body portion;
a circuit line layer disposed on the base member in each of the bonding pad portion, the film bending portion, and the body portion;
a cover layer on the circuit line layer disposed on the body portion; and
a coating layer on the circuit line layer disposed on at least the portion of the film bending portion,

wherein at least a portion of the film bending portion has a third thickness that is less than the second thickness of the body portion,
wherein a thickness of the coating layer is less than a thickness of the cover layer, and
wherein a first height from a front surface of the base member to an uppermost surface of the coating layer is less than a second height from the front surface of the base member to an uppermost surface of the cover layer.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8 , wherein the cover window includes:
a front portion configured to cover a front surface of the display module; and
a sidewall portion extending from an edge of the front portion and configured to cover each lateral surface of the display module.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the sidewall portion is bent from the edge of the front portion.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9 , wherein the display module includes:
a flexible substrate including a display portion, a panel bending area in a bent configuration, and a display pad portion facing the display portion;
a pixel array disposed on the display portion;
a touch electrode portion disposed on the pixel array; and
a printed circuit board electrically connected to the display pad portion and electrically connected to the touch flexible circuit film,
wherein the touch pad portion is disposed proximate one edge of the touch electrode portion, and is electrically connected to the touch electrode portion.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11 , wherein the display module further includes:
a first back plate attached to a rear surface of the flexible substrate;
a second back plate attached to the rear surface of the flexible substrate, the second back plate facing the first back plate; and
a bending maintenance member disposed between the first back plate and the second back plate,
wherein the touch flexible circuit film is bent around a portion of the first back plate, the bending maintenance member and the second back plate, and is coupled to a connector mounted on the printed circuit board.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12 , further comprising:
a circuit film fixation member disposed between the touch flexible circuit film and a micro cover layer on the film bending portion of the flexible circuit film,
wherein the touch flexible circuit film is fixed to the micro cover layer by the circuit film fixation member.

14. The electronic device according to claim 12 , further comprising a heat emission portion attached to a rear surface of the first back plate,
wherein the bending maintenance member is disposed between the heat emission portion and the second back plate.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14 , wherein the bending maintenance member is a double-sided tape.

16. The electronic device according to claim 12 , further comprising:
a heat emission portion attached to a rear surface of the first back plate; and
a printed circuit board fixation member on the printed circuit board and configured to fix the printed circuit board to the heat emission portion.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16 , wherein the printed circuit board fixation member includes a conductive layer.

18. The electronic device according to claim 16 , wherein the bending maintenance member is disposed between the heat emission portion and the second back plate.

Assignees

• Lg Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Junjae
• Lee Kwangju
• Shin Myeongah
• Kwon Dohyun

Classifications

• H05K3/281

  by means of a preformed insulating foil (H05K3/284 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H05K3/46

  Manufacturing multilayer circuits · CPC title

• H05K5/03

  Covers · CPC title

• H05K3/28

  Applying non-metallic protective coatings {(H05K3/0091 takes precedence; methods for intermediate insulating layers for build-up multilayer circuits H05K3/4673)} · CPC title

• H05K1/189 Primary

  characterised by the use of flexible or folded printed circuits · CPC title