Organic Light-Emitting Diode Display With Bent Substrate

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016204183-A1
Application number	US-201514860546-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Sep 21, 2015
Priority date	Jan 9, 2015
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

A display may have an array of organic light-emitting diodes that form an active area on a flexible substrate. Metal traces may extend between the active area and an inactive area of the flexible substrate. Display driver circuitry such as a display driver integrated circuit may be attached to a flexible printed circuit that is attached to the flexible substrate in the inactive area. The metal traces may extend across a bend region in the flexible substrate. The flexible substrate may be bent in the bend region. The flexible substrate may be locally thinned in the bend region. A neutral stress plane adjustment layer may cover the metal traces in the bend region. The neutral stress plane adjustment layer may include polymer layers such as an encapsulation layer, a pixel definition layer, a planarization layer, and a layer that covers a pixel definition layer and planarization layer.

First claim

1 . A display, comprising:
a flexible substrate, wherein the flexible substrate comprises a flexible polymer substrate; an array of pixels that form an active area on the flexible substrate, wherein the array of pixels comprises an array of organic light-emitting diode pixels; metal traces that extend from the active area to an inactive area on the flexible substrate across a bend region on the flexible substrate, wherein the flexible substrate is locally thinned in the bend region.

2 . (canceled)

3 . (canceled)

4 . The display defined in claim 3 wherein the flexible substrate has a first thickness in the active area and has a second thickness that is less than the first thickness in the bend region and wherein the flexible substrate has the second thickness in the inactive area.

5 . (canceled)

6 . The display defined in claim 1 further comprising:
a display driver integrated circuit;
a flexible printed circuit to which the display driver integrated circuit is attached, wherein the flexible printed circuit is attached to the flexible polymer substrate in the inactive area.

7 . The display defined in claim 1 further comprising a neutral stress plane adjustment layer on the flexible substrate in the bend region, wherein the metal traces are interposed between the neutral stress plane adjustment layer and the flexible substrate and wherein the array of organic light-emitting diode pixels comprises:
a pixel definition layer having openings for the organic light-emitting diode pixels;
thin-film transistors; and
a planarization layer that covers the thin-film transistors and that is interposed between the pixel definition layer and the thin-film transistors.

8 . (canceled)

9 . The display defined in claim 7 wherein the pixel definition layer comprises a polymer layer that forms at least part of the neutral stress plane adjustment layer.

10 . The display defined in claim 7 wherein the planarization layer comprises a polymer layer that forms at least part of the neutral stress plane adjustment layer.

11 . The display defined in claim 7 wherein:
the pixel definition layer comprises a first polymer layer that forms at least part of the neutral stress plane adjustment layer; and
the planarization layer comprises a second polymer layer that forms at least part of the neutral stress plane adjustment layer and wherein the neutral stress plane adjustment layer comprises a third polymer layer that covers the first and second polymer layers.

12 . (canceled)

13 . The display defined in claim 7 wherein the neutral stress plane adjustment layer comprises an encapsulation layer.

14 . The display defined in claim 7 wherein the neutral stress plane adjustment layer comprises a polymer encapsulation layer that forms part of an encapsulation layer stack with at least one organic layer and at least one inorganic layer.

15 . A display, comprising:
a flexible substrate; an array of pixels that form an active area on the flexible substrate, wherein the array of organic light-emitting diode pixels comprises:
a pixel definition layer having openings for the organic light-emitting diode pixels;
thin-film transistors; and
a planarization layer that covers the thin-film transistors and that is interposed between the pixel definition layer and the thin-film transistors;
metal traces that extend from the active area to an inactive area on the flexible substrate across a bend region on the flexible substrate; and a neutral stress plane adjustment layer on the flexible substrate in the bend region that aligns a neutral stress plane with the metal traces in the bend region, wherein the metal traces are interposed between the neutral stress plane adjustment layer and the flexible substrate and wherein the neutral stress plane adjustment layer includes at least one polymer layer having portions that overlap the active area.

16 . The display defined in claim 15 wherein:
the polymer layer is one of: the pixel definition layer, the planarization layer, an encapsulation layer, and a polymer cover layer;
the flexible substrate comprises a flexible polymer substrate having a locally thinned portion in the bend region;
the flexible substrate has a first thickness in the active area and has a second thickness that is less than the first thickness in the bend region; and
the flexible substrate has the second thickness in the inactive area.

17 . (canceled)

18 . (canceled)

19 . (canceled)

20 . The display defined in claim 15 wherein the array of pixels comprises an array of organic light-emitting diode pixels.

21 . The display defined in claim 15 wherein:
the pixel definition layer comprises a first polymer layer that forms at least part of the neutral stress plane adjustment layer; and
the planarization layer comprises a second polymer layer that forms at least part of the neutral stress plane adjustment layer.

22 . The display defined in claim 21 wherein the neutral stress plane adjustment layer comprises a third polymer layer that covers the first and second polymer layers.

23 . A method of forming an organic light-emitting diode display having a bend region, comprising:
locally thinning a flexible polymer substrate; and forming an array of light-emitting diode pixels within an active area of the flexible polymer substrate; and forming metal traces that extend across a bend region between the active area of the flexible polymer substrate and an inactive area of the flexible polymer substrate, wherein the locally thinned flexible polymer substrate has a first thickness in the active area and has a second thickness that is less than the first thickness in the bend region.

24 . The method defined in claim 23 wherein locally thinning the flexible polymer substrate comprises etching the flexible polymer substrate.

25 . The method defined in claim 23 wherein locally thinning the flexible polymer substrate comprises:
applying a liquid polymer to a structure with raised areas; and
curing the applied liquid polymer to form the locally thinned flexible polymer substrate.

26 . The method defined in claim 23 further comprising:
applying a neutral stress plane adjustment layer over the metal traces, wherein the neutral stress plane adjustment layer includes at least a pixel definition layer and a planarization layer.

27 . The method defined in claim 23 further comprising:
applying a neutral stress plane adjustment layer over the metal traces, wherein the neutral stress plane adjustment layer includes an encapsulation layer.

28 . The method defined in claim 23 further comprising:
applying a neutral stress plane adjustment layer over the metal traces, wherein the neutral stress plane adjustment layer includes a polymer cover layer.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Tao Yi
• Zhang Zhen
• Kim Minkyu
• Choi Jae Won
• Park Young Bae
• Wurzel Joshua G
• Drzaic Paul S
• Chang Shih Chang

Classifications

• H10W90/00

  Package configurations · CPC title

• Y02E10/549

  Organic PV cells · CPC title

• H10K59/873

  Encapsulations · CPC title

• H01L2227/323

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/5253

  Electricity · mapped topic