Flexible Micro-LEDs for Bendable Displays
Flexible micro-LED displays face significant mechanical and electrical challenges when subjected to repeated bending. Current designs must maintain stable electrical connections and uniform light emission while accommodating bend radii as small as 1-2mm, with typical micro-LED sizes ranging from 3-10 micrometers and interconnect traces measuring just 5-15 micrometers in width.
The fundamental challenge lies in preserving electrical connectivity and LED performance while allowing for substrate deformation that can strain both the semiconductor junctions and their interconnecting traces.
This page brings together solutions from recent research—including stacked substrate architectures with protected wiring layers, stretchable conductive interfaces between LED modules and substrates, integrated driver IC approaches, and elastomeric transfer techniques. These and other approaches focus on achieving reliable flexible displays while maintaining manufacturing yield and display performance.
1. Flexible Display Device with Stacked Light-Emitting Element and Shared N-Type Semiconductor Layer
SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025
Flexible display device with improved efficiency and simplified manufacturing by using a single-chip light-emitting element that connects multiple pixels together. The display has a stacked light-emitting element with a shared n-type semiconductor layer that connects to a common electrode pad. This allows each pixel's active layer to emit a different color without needing separate electrode pads for each color. The shared n-type layer connects through a conductor to the common electrode pad. This reduces the number of electrode pads and simplifies manufacturing. It also allows using quantum dots in a porous layer to convert the shared blue light to other colors in adjacent pixels.
2. Wearable Device with Context-Aware Dual-Region Flexible Display
MOTOROLA MOBILITY LLC, 2025
Wearable electronic device that can adapt its display to match the user's outfit and environment. The device has a flexible display that can be bent into different shapes. When worn, the device identifies the user's context like clothing, biometrics, and audio. Based on this, it loads a customization theme onto the outward-facing portion of the display while showing regular content on the inner portion. This allows presenting non-informational content like images matching the user's outfit on the visible display region while still showing regular information on the inner region.
3. Flexible Display with Island-Bridge-Island Structure and Overlapping Multi-Layered Line Configuration
SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025
Flexible and stretchable display that minimizes the load of internal lines when the display is stretched. The display has an island-bridge-island structure with separate gate driving, input, and output lines arranged in different layers that overlap. This allows the display to stretch without putting tension on the lines. The output line and connection line from a first island to a second island overlap instead of being side by side. This prevents the lines from separating when the display stretches. Other features like shielding lines and insulating layers are used to maintain electrical connections.
4. Flexible Display with Substrate Featuring Isolated Driver Circuitry and Gradually Increasing Output Wiring
SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025
Flexible and stretchable display that can be rolled, folded, and stretched without damaging the internal components. The display has a substrate with a display area and non-display area. The non-display area has isolated sections for driver circuitry and wiring. The output wiring gradually increases in number as it approaches the display area. This prevents concentration of stress and allows stretching in multiple directions. It also reduces wiring load near the display to maintain image quality.
5. Flexible Electronic Device with Layered Assisting Patterns for Directional Bending and Stress Reduction
INNOLUX CORP, 2025
Flexible electronic device with bending assistance to improve the reliability and flexibility of bendable displays. The device has a flexible display with an additional layer of assisting patterns between the display layers. The assisting patterns have a pitch different from the display scan and data lines. This creates a bias towards bending in a specific direction while reducing stress in other directions. The pitch ratio of the assisting patterns to display lines is greater than 2 and less than 200. This reduces optical ripple interference and provides better display quality when the device is flexed.
6. Bended Display Device with Dual-Wavelength Photoinitiated Adhesive Layer
SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025
Bended display device with improved adhesion and durability compared to conventional bended displays. The device has a window with a bending area and a non-bending area. The display module is adhered to the window using an adhesive layer. The adhesive layer has separate portions for the bending and non-bending areas. The bending area adhesive is cured with a photoinitiator that responds to a first light. The non-bending area adhesive is cured with a photoinitiator that responds to a second light with a different wavelength. This allows better adhesion between the bending window and display module sections.
7. Flexible Display Structure with Extended Layer Overlap and Adhesive in Bend Region
SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025
Reducing dead space in flexible displays to further minimize size and improve efficiency. The display has elements like the active display area, polarization layer, and protective layer extending beyond the display area into the bending region. This prevents delamination and cracking when the display is bent. An adhesive layer between the polarization and protective layers extends into the bend area to improve adhesion. A filling layer fills gaps between layers in the bend area. This reduces dead space by allowing the display to be bent without damaging components or delamination.
8. Slidable Display Device with Flexible Panel and Lattice-Patterned Support Structure Featuring Overlapping Joints
AUFLEX CO LTD, 2025
Slidable display device with a flexible display panel and support structure that allows the display to slide and bend without damaging the display. The support structure has a thin plate with lattice patterns covering the display areas and joints protruding from the plate that overlap the bendable areas. The joints have wider bottom surfaces than the top surfaces. This allows the display to slide and bend as the wider bottom surfaces contact first and compress the lattice areas. The narrower top surfaces of the joints prevent obstruction of the lattice patterns during sliding. The thin plate and narrow joint tops reduce bending resistance and thickness.
9. Stretchable Display with Liquid Metal Wiring and MicroLED Pixel Islands on a Flexible Substrate
UNIVERSITY-INDUSTRY COOPERATION GROUP OF KYUNG HEE UNIVERSITY, 2025
Stretchable display that can be applied to electronic skin due to its ability to conform to surfaces without cracking or damage to the wiring. The display uses stretchable liquid metal wiring to connect the pixel islands instead of rigid wiring that can deform. The pixels have a thin-film transistor and microLED on a stretchable substrate. This allows the display to maintain electrical performance when stretched.
10. Micro LED Transfer Process Using Flexible Textured Surfaces for Conformal Pickup and Placement
MORPHOTONICS HOLDING BV, 2025
Transfer process for micro LEDs that allows efficient, accurate and repeatable transfer of micro LEDs between wafers and displays. The process involves using flexible transfer surfaces with textured areas to pick up and place micro LEDs. The textured areas provide mechanical gripping force to secure the LEDs during transfer. The flexible surfaces allow conformal contact with the LED wafers and display substrates. The process steps include: aligning the transfer surface with the LED source wafer, picking up LEDs from the source using the textured areas, moving the transfer surface with the picked LEDs to the display substrate, and placing the LEDs onto the substrate using the textured areas. The textured areas prevent sliding and ensure proper alignment of the LEDs. The flexible transfer surfaces allow precise placement with reduced risk of damage compared to rigid transfer tools.
11. Display Device Incorporating Blocking Member with Stretchable Sections and Crossing Part for Contaminant Exclusion
SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025
Display device with a blocking member to prevent foreign matter from entering the display assembly. The blocking member has a part that crosses the upper support members of the display panel. It also has stretchable sections connected to the crossing part with openings. This allows the blocking member to deform when the display folds without obstructing the fold. The stretchable sections prevent material from entering through the gaps between the upper support members when the display folds.
12. Flexible Transparent Electrodes Comprising Sintered Silver Nanowires and Metal Oxide Nanoparticles Embedded in Polymer Matrix
THE UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG, 2025
Flexible transparent electrodes for applications like displays, solar cells, and sensors that are more durable and mechanically stable than existing ITO electrodes. The electrodes are made by sintering silver nanowires with metal oxide nanoparticles to form a conductive network, then embedding the sintered composite in a polymer matrix. This provides improved adhesion compared to directly dispersed nanowires. The sintering step creates electrical contacts between the nanowires and oxide nanoparticles, and eliminates weak spots. The embedded composite also has better electrical properties due to wider direct contact surfaces and eliminating insulating ligands. The electrodes have lower resistance, better stability, and reduced pinholes compared to nanowire-only electrodes.
13. Flexible Display Panel with Reduced Thickness Inserts and Modulus Variation for Enhanced Rolling Durability
BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO LTD, 2025
Flexible display panel design and manufacturing method for sliding and rolling display devices that prevents display failures when rolled up. The panel has reduced thickness inserts in the rolling connection area compared to the display area. This reduces strain and prevents layer separation when rolled. It also has reduced modulus materials in the rolling area to reduce tilting forces. The thickness reduction and lower modulus materials in the rolling area prevent failure when rolled compared to having uniform thickness and modulus across the panel.
14. Flexible Light Emitting Display with Peripheral Black Pixel Defining Layer Removal and Inorganic Layer Openings in Bending Area
SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025
Flexible light emitting display that reduces non-display area when folded by removing black pixel defining layer in peripheral areas. The display has a flexible substrate with a display area and a bending area. In the bending area, the inorganic layers have openings filled with organic layers instead of the black pixel defining layer. This allows folding the display back onto itself without bulk. The black pixel defining layer is removed from peripheral areas to enable monitoring and alignment when folded.
15. Flexible Display Substrate with Bending Section Featuring Via Holes and Water-Resistant Layer
BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO LTD, 2025
Flexible display substrate design for narrow frame displays with improved reliability. The substrate has a bending section between the device and bonding areas. It allows the display to bend while maintaining electrical connection. The bending section has a flexible dielectric layer covered by a water-resistant layer to protect it. This prevents cracks and failures when bending. The bending section also has via holes connecting to the device and bonding areas. The substrate is used in flexible light-emitting displays with narrow frames.
16. Micro Display Module with Integrated Micro LED Panels on X-Cube Prism
JADE BIRD DISPLAY LTD, 2025
Micro display module with integrated micro LED panels and X-cube prism for compactness and improved efficiency compared to separate panels. The micro display has multiple micro LED panels directly attached to surfaces of the X-cube prism that combines their monochrome light into full color. This eliminates the need for a cage to align the panels with the prism, reducing volume and optical loss compared to separate panels. The micro LEDs are on flexible boards with connectors for easy attachment to the prism.
17. Stretchable Display Device with Overlapping Emission Elements and Valley-Defined Stress-Relief Regions
SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025
Display device design that enables stretchability by allowing the display to deform without damaging the underlying electronics. The device has a substrate, an organic insulating layer, an emission element layer, and an encapsulation layer. The emission element layer has elements overlapping adjacent areas of the substrate. The encapsulation layer and emission element layer define a valley area that overlaps an intermediate region between the areas. This valley exposes the underlying insulating layer, allowing the display to stretch and deform without stress concentrations or failures at the valley area.
18. Flexible Display Support Structure with Lattice Region Comprising Alternating Flexible and Rigid Portions with Variable Slit Widths
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD, 2025
Electronic device with a flexible display support structure that can withstand deformation forces without damaging the display. The support plate has a lattice region with alternating flexible portions and rigid portions. The flexible portions have wider slits closer to the display and narrower slits farther away. This configuration allows the flexible regions to bend more while reducing repulsive forces compared to uniform slit widths. The wider slits on the display side prevent pinching of the display during bending.
19. Flexible Display Device with Encapsulated LED and Transistor Between Multi-Layer Substrates
SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD, 2025
Flexible display device and manufacturing method that enables creating flexible displays with improved display quality and reliability. The display has a light-emitting diode (LED) between two substrates, a transistor connected to the LED, and a third substrate on top. This structure allows the LED to be spaced from the flexible substrates, preventing warpage and cracking issues when the display is flexed. The LED is encapsulated by a first layer, the transistor by a second layer, and the top substrate. This provides protection and isolation between the fragile LED and flexible substrates. The encapsulation layers also prevent delamination and short circuits when the display is flexed. The LED can contact the bottom substrate or be spaced from it, both with transparent substrates. The manufacturing method involves sequentially depositing the components and curing the layers between them.
20. Flexible Electronics Device with Modular Substrates and Photoelectric Arrays Using Flexible Joint Process
PANELSEMI CORP, 2025
Flexible electronics device that can be manufactured by a flexible joint process to enable customizable sizes and configurations. The device has a base layer with attached substrates, each with integrated circuits, and arrays of photoelectric elements. This allows modular assembly of custom sized displays or other electronics by tiling substrates on the base layer. The flexible joint process allows interconnecting the substrates and circuits without fixed layout constraints. This provides flexible customization options compared to rigid substrate-based electronics.
Flexible micro-LEDs are now possible thanks to innovative technology, which also includes stress-reducing multi-layer wire designs, perfect substrates, and laser lift-off durability. This makes micro-LED displays incredibly versatile and has enormous potential, which will drive greater use of this technology.
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