Flexible & Bendable Micro-LED Display Designs
26 patents in this list
Updated:
Flexible micro-LED technical developments will be the display technology of the future.
The patents showcase many technologies, including ideal substrates, multi-layer wire designs that reduce stress, and laser lift-off durability.
These projects open the door to a future when previously unthinkable brightness will be achieved by bendable micro-LEDs.
1. Enhanced Durability of Flexible Displays with Stacked Substrate Structure
Chengdu BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd., 2023
Flexible display substrate that has improved durability for bending and reducing the likelihood of wire breakage when flexed. The substrate uses a stacked structure with a wiring layer sandwiched between two sub-substrates. The pixel array layer is electrically connected to the wiring layer through via holes in the second sub-substrate. This avoids having the pixel array layer directly extend into the bending region.
2. Innovative Flexible Micro-LED Device for Curved Surface Applications
LUMENS CO., LTD., 2022
A flexible LED lighting device that can be shaped to fit curved surfaces and objects. The device uses small, unpackaged micro-LED chips mounted on flexible circuit boards covered with a flexible light-transmitting resin. The circuit boards are arranged in overlapping configurations that can expand and contract. This allows the device to flex and bend while still maintaining electrical connections between boards. The overlapping interconnections prevent gaps or dark spots when the device is flexed. The flexible micro-LED panel can be covered with a light-transmitting sheet and used as a flexible surface lighting device or display panel.
3. Advancements in Bendable Micro-LED Display Panels with Enhanced Connection Durability
Shenzhen China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co., Ltd., 2022
A flexible micro-LED display panel that is easy to bend and has a reduced risk of wire disconnection. The panel is made using flexible materials like CPI substrates and polymer encapsulation. The flexible materials allow the panel to bend without damaging the micro-LEDs or connections. The use of flexible materials improves yield compared to previous methods using rigid materials.
4. Integration of Micro-LEDs and Driver ICs on Flexible Substrates for Stretchable Displays
INTERFACE TECHNOLOGY (CHENGDU) CO., LTD., INTERFACE OPTOELECTRONICS (SHENZHEN) CO., LTD, GENERAL INTERFACE SOLUTION LIMITED, 2022
Display devise for non-planar displays that integrates driver ICs and micro-LEDs into micro-LED modules on a flexible substrate. The micro-LEDs are mounted on the driver ICs to form an integrated module that can be attached to a flexible substrate using a stretchable conductive material. This allows the display to be stretched without damaging the delicate micro-LED connections. The integrated micro-LED/driver modules provide a flexible display suitable for non-planar devices like curved displays.
5. Enhanced Yield Flexible Display Substrate with Sloped Junctions for Laser Lift-Off Durability
BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd., 2022
Flexible display substrate design that reduces cracking and breakage during the laser lift-off process to improve yield. The substrate has multiple island regions with openings between them. The islands have stacked layers of flexible substrate material separated by buffer layers. The buffer layer facing the flexible substrate has a larger projection than the other side. This creates a sloped junction between the layers. The sloped junctions protect the stacked layers during laser lift-off as the side wall structure of the lower flexible substrate is sacrificed instead.
6. Method for Fabricating Defect-Free Flexible Substrates for Micro-LED Displays
Chengdu BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd., 2022
Manufacturing method for a flexible substrate with improved yield and avoiding process defects during fabrication of flexible displays. The method involves layering and patterning inorganic and flexible substrate layers in a specific order and projection arrangement. The inorganic layers are sandwiched between flexible substrate layers, and their projections are contained within the adjacent flexible layer. This prevents the flexible layer from sticking to the rigid substrate during detachment, avoiding damage and defects.
7. Omnidirectional Light Emission from Flexible LED Devices
FEIT ELECTRIC COMPANY, INC., 2022
A flexible LED lighting device for omnidirectional light emission. It uses a flexible substrate that can be twisted and rotated around its axis. The substrate has multiple LED packages on one side that emit light outwards, allowing the twisted substrate to emit light in all directions and providing omnidirectional lighting.
8. Stress-Reduced Flexible Display Substrate with Multi-Layer Signal Wiring
CHENGDU BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., 2021
Flexible display substrate design and fabrication method to enable highly flexible displays with reduced stress on the bending areas. The substrate has a display layer on a flexible substrate with signal wiring that can bend without breaking. The wiring uses multiple alternating metal layers like gates and source-drain layers. When the display is bent, the layers flex and slide relative to each other, reducing stress.
9. Innovative Flexible Micro-LED Panel with Backup Trace Lines for Enhanced Durability
Kuan-Yung LIAO, Ying-Tsang LIU, 2021
Flexible microdisplay panel design that reduces the risk of damage to internal traces when bending the panel, improving yield. The panel has a display region with bending and non-bending areas. A primary trace line passes through the bending area. It is backed up by a secondary trace line that follows a different path through the non-bending area. A conductive via connects the two traces in the bending area. If the primary trace breaks when flexed, the signal can still be transmitted along the backup trace through the non-bending area. A flexible display that reduces the risk of internal conductor breakage when bending the panel.
10. Stretchable Display Substrate with Grooved Signal Lines for Enhanced Flexibility
CHENGDU BOE OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., 2021
A stretchable display substrate that can be bent, folded, rolled, and stretched for flexible display applications. The display substrate has a stretchable surface with grooves. Signal lines like gate and data lines are formed on the substrate surface, with parts inside the grooves. The grooves allow the substrate to stretch in different directions, enriching the stretching capability. The grooved signal lines can stretch parallel to the substrate and perpendicular to it.
11. Advancements in Stretchable Micro-LED Display Technology with Controlled Deformation
BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., 2021
Flexible display technology with improved resolution and reliability. The flexible substrate has notches that expand and crack when stretched, providing deformation while preventing strain on display elements. The notches are arranged in groups that crack between notches to form holes when stretched. This allows controlled stretching without affecting functional elements.
12. Innovative Process for Manufacturing Flexible Micro-LED Displays with Removable Process Film
SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD., 2021
A process for manufacturing flexible display substrates that improves convenience and reliability compared to conventional methods. The process uses a removable process film that is temporarily laminated to the base layer of the display. The process involves preparing the base layer on a glass substrate, forming the display cells, covering the base layer with the process film, separating the base layer from the glass, cutting it into individual displays, and opening the terminal portion.
13. Seamless Splicing of Flexible Micro-LED Display Panels for Foldable Screens
SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS SEMICONDUCTOR DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., 2021
Flexible micro-LED display assembly that allows seamless splicing of multiple small display panels to create a larger display with foldable screens. The assembly involves mounting flexible micro-LED display panels on a curved supporting board that matches the curvature of the folded display. This allows the panels to be folded and spliced together without any gaps or misalignment.
14. Scalable and Flexible Micro-LED Display Design for Large-Scale Applications
SHENZHEN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS SEMICONDUCTOR DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD., 2021
A micro-LED display panel, module, and device design that overcomes the size limitations of micro-LEDs to enable large and flexible micro-LED displays. It involves removing the glass substrate from a micro-LED display panel, attaching a support plate to the flexible circuit board within the display region, bending the circuit board and attaching it to the support plate, and joining multiple modules together with narrow gaps between them.
15. Dual-Sided Flexible Display Panels with OLED and MicroLED Integration
BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd., 2021
Flexible OLED display panels with a full-screen display on one side and micro-LEDs on the other are made by forming the driving circuitry on one side of a flexible substrate and then fixing micro-LEDs to the other.
16. Flexible Micro-LED Lighting Devices for Non-Planar Surfaces
LUMENS CO., LTD., 2021
A flexible lighting device that is deformable into various shapes and can be used on non-planar surfaces. The device uses bare micro-LED chips mounted on flexible substrates. The micro-LEDs are arranged on the substrate in a pattern that allows the substrate to flex without breaking the LED connections. A light-transmitting cover over the micro-LEDs provides protection. This arrangement makes the lighting device flexible and conforms to non-planar surfaces.
17. Batch Fabrication Method for Flexible Display Substrates
Samsung Display Co., Ltd., 2021
Manufacturing flexible micro-LED display substrates improves process convenience and substrate reliability. The method involves using a process film to make multiple flexible display substrates in a single batch. A base layer is prepared on a glass substrate, and cells are formed on it. The process film is then adhered over the base layer. After separating the base layer from the glass, it is cut into individual substrates along the cells.
18. Stress-Reducing Conductive Pad Design for Flexible Micro-LED Displays
TAIWAN SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING COMPANY LTD., 2021
A flexible semiconductor device for attaching to a flexible display that reduces cracking when bonded. The device has a conductive pad with rounded corners rather than right angles. This reduces stress concentrations at the pad edges during bonding to a flexible display.
19. Stretchable Display Substrate with Parallelogram Pixel Arrangement for Flexibility
BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO., LTD., 2020
Stretchable display substrate that can be flexed without damage. The display substrate has islands of pixels connected by bridges arranged in a parallelogram pattern around a central hollow area. This allows the substrate to stretch and flex without localized stress concentrations that can cause failure. The islands have displays and interconnects. The substrate is formed by etching grooves in the bridge areas of the substrate and then removing the etching mask to leave islands connected by the remaining bridges.
20. Adaptive Stretchable Film for Micro-LED Display Adhesion on Curved Surfaces
Samsung Display Co., Ltd., 2020
Stretchable film for adhering displays to curved surfaces without distortion. The film has regions with different patterns and structures to optimally expand and adhere to curved objects. For example, regions with concave and convex patterns or different layer orders. The film stretches according to object curvature changes to stay adhered without loosening.
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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.