Flexible display and method of manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9894755-B2
Application number	US-201514971530-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 16, 2015
Priority date	Jun 17, 2015
Publication date	Feb 13, 2018
Grant date	Feb 13, 2018

Abstract

A flexible display and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. In one aspect, the flexible display includes a flexible display panel including an active area configured to display an image and an inactive area surrounding the active area. The flexible display also includes a plurality of wires formed over the flexible display panel in the inactive area and configured to transmit an electric signal to the active area. The inactive area includes a plurality of edges that are bent with respect to the active area of the flexible display panel. A bending hole is formed at each corner where two adjacent edges of the flexible display panel meet and each of the corners is folded so as to define a folding region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible display, comprising:
a flexible display panel comprising an active area configured to display an image and an inactive area surrounding the active area; and
a plurality of wires formed over the flexible display panel in the inactive area and configured to transmit an electric signal to the active area,
wherein the inactive area comprises a plurality of edges that are bent with respect to the active area of the flexible display panel,
wherein a bending hole is formed at each corner where two adjacent edges of the flexible display panel meet, and
wherein each of the corners is folded so as to define a folding region.

2. The flexible display of claim 1 , wherein each of the bending holes does not overlap the wires.

3. The flexible display of claim 2 , wherein each of the bending holes is interposed between an adjacent set of the wires and the active area.

4. The flexible display of claim 1 , wherein each of the bending holes penetrates through the flexible display panel in a thickness direction thereof.

5. The flexible display of claim 1 , wherein each of the bending holes defines a closed curve surrounded by at least one of the edges.

6. The flexible display of claim 5 , wherein each of the bending holes is surrounded by two adjacent edges.

7. The flexible display of claim 1 , wherein each of the folding regions overlaps the two adjacent edges at the corresponding corner.

8. The flexible display of claim 7 , wherein the wires comprise a plurality of sets of wires and wherein each of the sets of wires extends between two adjacent edges and via the corresponding corner.

9. The flexible display of claim 1 , wherein the edges are folded at least once in a direction opposite to a direction in which the flexible display panel is configured to display an image.

10. The flexible display of claim 1 , wherein the edges are folded to a first surface of the flexible display panel that opposes a second surface of the flexible display panel that is configured to display an image.

11. The flexible display of claim 1 , wherein the inactive area surrounds the active area and wherein the edges are folded in a direction opposite to a direction in which the flexible display panel is configured to display an image along a circumference of the active area.

12. The flexible display of claim 11 , wherein the inactive area comprises a plurality of first inactive areas opposing each other in a first direction and a plurality of second inactive areas opposing each other in a second direction, wherein each of the bending holes is formed at a corresponding one of the corners where a first edge of the first inactive areas and an adjacent second edge of the second inactive areas meet.

13. The flexible display of claim 12 , wherein the active area has a quadrangular shape and wherein the edges comprise four edges which are folded together.

14. The flexible display of claim 1 , wherein the flexible display panel comprises:
at least one flexible substrate;
a plurality of light-emitting devices formed on the flexible substrate; and
a plurality of insulating layers insulating the light-emitting devices from each other,
wherein a reinforcing film is attached to the flexible substrate.

15. The flexible display of claim 14 , wherein each of the bending holes penetrates through the flexible substrate and the reinforcing film at substantially the same location in a thickness direction of the flexible display panel.

16. The flexible display of claim 14 , wherein the flexible substrate comprises at least one of: a flexible glass substrate and a flexible polymer substrate.

17. The flexible display of claim 1 , wherein a radius of curvature of the flexible display panel is less than or equal to about 1 mm.

18. A method of manufacturing a flexible display, comprising:
providing a flexible display panel comprising an active area configured to display an image and an inactive area surrounding the active area, wherein the inactive area comprises a plurality of edges;
forming a plurality of wires in the inactive area, wherein the wires are configured to transmit an electric signal to the active area;
forming a bending hole at each of a plurality of corners where two adjacent edges of the flexible display panel meet;
bending each of the edges of the inactive area with respect to the active area of the flexible display panel; and
forming a folding region by folding each of the corners at least once.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the bending of each of the edges comprise folding each of the edges at least once in a direction opposite to a direction in which the flexible display panel is configured to display an image and wherein the folding region overlaps the two adjacent edges at the corresponding corner.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the bending of each of the edges comprises folding the edges together to a first surface of the flexible display panel that opposes a second surface of the flexible display panel that is configured to display an image.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Myunghwan
• Kim Myeonghee
• Lee Sanggil
• Lee Heekeun

Classifications

• H10W70/688

  Flexible insulating substrates · CPC title

• H10W70/60

  Insulating or insulated package substrates; Interposers; Redistribution layers (leadframes H10W70/40) · CPC title

• H05K2201/10128

  Display · CPC title

• H01L23/12

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H05K1/028 Primary

  Bending or folding regions of flexible printed circuits (H05K1/0283 takes precedence) · CPC title