JP2019091660A - Display and method for manufacturing display - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to realize good cutting between a flexible base material and a protective film in manufacturing a flexible display. A method of manufacturing a display device includes forming a laminate by laminating a protective film on a substrate containing a resin and having a display region having a plurality of pixels formed thereon; Forming a light absorbing layer in contact with the protective film, and along a predetermined line located outside the display area from the side of the base material of the laminate where the light absorbing layer is formed irradiating a laser beam to cut a portion of the laminate, wherein the light absorption layer can absorb the laser beam more than the protective film, and at least a portion of the predetermined line. overlaps with the light absorption layer. [Selection drawing] Fig. 5

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device and a method of manufacturing the display device.

  In a display device including a display region such as an organic electroluminescence (EL) display device or a liquid crystal display device, development of a flexible display capable of bending a display panel using a flexible base material has recently been advanced. There is.

  By the way, as disclosed in the following Patent Document 1, a protective film may be laminated on the surface of the display panel.

US Patent Application Publication No. 2016/0174304

  For example, in the case where the protective film has a variation in size or a misalignment in lamination, the flexible base material and the protective film may be cut to cut the ends of the both. The cutting is usually performed by laser light irradiation. However, the degree of absorption of the laser light between the substrate and the protective film may be different, and the substrate may not be cut well (for example, the substrate may be cut preferentially and cutting debris of the substrate may remain).

  An object of the present invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a display device that achieves good cutting of a substrate and a protective film.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a method of manufacturing a display device is provided. The manufacturing method according to the present invention is to form a laminate by laminating a protective film on a base material including a resin and having a display region including a plurality of pixels, and at least a part of which is in contact with the protective film. Forming an absorption layer, and irradiating a laser beam along a predetermined line located outside the display area from the side of the laminate on which the light absorption layer is formed with respect to the base material of the laminate; Cutting a portion of the laminate, wherein the light absorbing layer can absorb the laser light more than the protective film, and at least a portion of the predetermined line absorbs the light. It overlaps with the layer.

  According to another aspect of the present invention, a display device is provided. A display device according to the present invention includes a substrate on which a display region including a plurality of pixels is formed, a protective film disposed on at least one side of the substrate, and a predetermined wavelength compared to the protective film. A light absorbing layer which can absorb more light, and at least a part of which is disposed in contact with the protective film on the side of the base on which the protective film is disposed; At least the end face of the base material and the end face of the protective film are formed on the same side.

It is a schematic diagram which shows schematic structure of the organic electroluminescence display which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows an example of the display panel of the organic electroluminescence display shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the III-III cross section of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the side of the display panel shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescence display in one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the side of the display panel in another embodiment of this invention.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The disclosure is merely an example, and it is naturally included within the scope of the present invention as to what can be easily conceived of by those skilled in the art as to appropriate changes while maintaining the gist of the invention. In addition, the drawings may be schematically referred to with respect to the width, thickness, shape, etc. of each part in comparison with the actual embodiment in order to clarify the description, but this is merely an example, and the interpretation of the present invention There is no limitation on In the present specification and the drawings, the same elements as those described above with reference to the drawings may be denoted by the same reference numerals and detailed description may be omitted as appropriate.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a schematic configuration of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, taking an organic EL display device as an example. The organic EL display device 2 includes a pixel array unit 4 that displays an image, and a drive unit that drives the pixel array unit 4. The organic EL display device 2 is a flexible display using a resin film as a substrate, and a laminated structure such as a thin film transistor (TFT) or an organic light emitting diode (OLED) is formed on the substrate formed of the resin film. Ru. Note that the schematic diagram shown in FIG. 1 is an example, and the present embodiment is not limited to this.

  In the pixel array unit 4, the OLEDs 6 and the pixel circuits 8 are arranged in a matrix corresponding to the pixels. The pixel circuit 8 is composed of a plurality of TFTs 10 and 12 and a capacitor 14.

  The drive unit includes a scanning line drive circuit 20, a video line drive circuit 22, a drive power supply circuit 24, and a control device 26, and drives the pixel circuit 8 to control light emission of the OLED 6.

  The scanning line drive circuit 20 is connected to a scanning signal line 28 provided for each horizontal row (pixel row) of pixels. The scanning line driving circuit 20 sequentially selects the scanning signal lines 28 in accordance with the timing signal input from the control device 26, and applies a voltage to turn on the lighting TFTs 10 to the selected scanning signal lines 28.

  The video line drive circuit 22 is connected to a video signal line 30 provided for each vertical row (pixel row) of pixels. The video line drive circuit 22 receives a video signal from the control device 26, and in accordance with the selection of the scanning signal line 28 by the scanning line drive circuit 20, a voltage corresponding to the video signal of the selected pixel row is Output to 30. The voltage is written to the capacitor 14 via the lighting TFT 10 in the selected pixel row. The drive TFT 12 supplies a current corresponding to the written voltage to the OLED 6, whereby the OLED 6 of the pixel corresponding to the selected scanning signal line 28 emits light.

  The drive power supply circuit 24 is connected to the drive power supply line 32 provided for each pixel column, and supplies a current to the OLED 6 through the drive power supply line 32 and the drive TFT 12 of the selected pixel row.

  Here, the lower electrode of the OLED 6 is connected to the drive TFT 12. On the other hand, the upper electrode of each OLED 6 is formed of an electrode common to the OLEDs 6 of all the pixels. When the lower electrode is configured as an anode (anode), a high potential is input, the upper electrode is a cathode (cathode), and a low potential is input. When the lower electrode is configured as a cathode (cathode), a low potential is input, the upper electrode is an anode (anode), and a high potential is input.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the display panel of the organic EL display device shown in FIG. The pixel array unit 4 shown in FIG. 1 is provided in the display area 42 of the display panel 40, and the OLEDs 6 are arranged in the pixel array unit 4 as described above. As described above, the upper electrode constituting the OLED 6 is formed in common to each pixel, and covers the entire display area 42.

  A component mounting area 46 is provided on one side of the rectangular display panel 40, and a wire connected to the display area 42 is disposed. In the component mounting area 46, a driver IC 48 constituting a drive unit is mounted, or a flexible printed circuit (FPC) 50 is connected. The FPC 50 is connected to the control device 26 and the other circuits 20, 22, 24 and the like, and an IC is mounted thereon.

  FIG. 3 is a view showing an example of the III-III cross section of FIG. The display panel 40 is, for example, a sealing layer 106 for sealing the circuit layer 74 on which the TFTs 72 and the like are formed, the OLED 6 and the OLED 6 on a flexible base 70 made of a resin film (resin film). Etc. has a stacked structure. As resin which comprises the base material 70, a polyimide-type resin is mentioned, for example. The base 70 is formed by coating a resin film containing a resin material such as polyimide, for example. The thickness of the base 70 is, for example, in the range of 10 μm to 100 μm. A protective film 114 is stacked on the sealing layer 106. A sheet-like or film-like protective film 114 may be attached to the sealing layer 106 via an adhesive layer.

  In the present embodiment, the pixel array unit 4 is a top emission type, and the light generated by the OLED 6 is emitted on the side opposite to the substrate 70 side (upward in FIG. 3). In the case where the coloring method in the organic EL display device 2 is a color filter method, for example, a color filter is disposed between the sealing layer 106 and the protective film 114 or on the opposite substrate side (not shown). By passing the white light generated in the OLED 6 through this color filter, for example, light of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) is produced.

  In the circuit layer 74 of the display area 42, the pixel circuit 8, the scanning signal line 28, the video signal line 30, the driving power supply line 32, and the like described above are formed. At least a portion of the drive unit can be formed on the substrate 70 as a circuit layer 74 in an area adjacent to the display area 42. As described above, the driver IC 48 and the FPC 50 that constitute the drive unit can be connected to the wiring 116 of the circuit layer 74 in the component mounting area 46.

As shown in FIG. 3, an underlayer 80 formed of an inorganic insulating material is disposed on the base material 70. As the inorganic insulating material, for example, silicon nitride (SiN _y ), silicon oxide (SiO _x ) and their composites are used.

  In the display region 42, a semiconductor region 82 serving as a channel portion and a source / drain portion of the top gate TFT 72 is formed on the base material 70 via the base layer 80. The semiconductor region 82 is formed of, for example, polysilicon (p-Si). The semiconductor region 82 is formed, for example, by providing a semiconductor layer (p-Si film) on the base material 70, patterning the semiconductor layer, and selectively leaving portions used in the circuit layer 74.

  A gate electrode 86 is disposed on the channel portion of the TFT 72 via the gate insulating film 84. Gate insulating film 84 is typically formed of TEOS. The gate electrode 86 is formed, for example, by patterning a metal film formed by sputtering or the like. An interlayer insulating layer 88 is disposed on the gate electrode 86 so as to cover the gate electrode 86. The interlayer insulating layer 88 is formed of, for example, the above-described inorganic insulating material. In the semiconductor region 82 (p-Si) to be a source / drain portion of the TFT 72, an impurity is introduced by ion implantation, and further, a source electrode 90a and a drain electrode 90b electrically connected to them are formed. Be done.

An interlayer insulating film 92 is disposed on the TFT 72. A wire 94 is disposed on the surface of interlayer insulating film 92. The wiring 94 is formed, for example, by patterning a metal film formed by sputtering or the like. The metal film forming the wiring 94 and the metal film used for forming the gate electrode 86, the source electrode 90a, and the drain electrode 90b, for example, the wiring 116 and the scanning signal line 28 and the video signal line 30 shown in FIG. The drive power supply line 32 can be formed in a multilayer wiring structure. A planarization film 96 and a passivation film 98 are formed thereon, and the OLED 6 is formed on the passivation film 98 in the display area 42. The planarization film 96 is formed of, for example, a resin material. The passivation film 98 is formed of, for example, an inorganic insulating material such as SiN _y .

  The OLED 6 includes a lower electrode 100, an organic material layer 102 and an upper electrode 104. Specifically, the organic material layer 102 includes a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and the like. The OLED 6 is typically formed by laminating the lower electrode 100, the organic material layer 102, and the upper electrode 104 in this order from the substrate 70 side. In the present embodiment, the lower electrode 100 is an anode (anode) of the OLED 6 and the upper electrode 104 is a cathode (cathode).

  Assuming that the TFT 72 shown in FIG. 3 is the drive TFT 12 having an n-channel, the lower electrode 100 is connected to the source electrode 90 a of the TFT 72. Specifically, after the formation of the planarizing film 96 described above, a contact hole 110 for connecting the lower electrode 100 to the TFT 72 is formed. For example, a conductor portion formed on the surface of the planarizing film 96 and in the contact hole 110 By patterning the lower electrode 100, the lower electrode 100 connected to the TFT 72 is formed for each pixel. The lower electrode is formed of, for example, a transparent conductive material such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide), or a metal such as Ag or Al.

  On the above structure, ribs 112 for separating pixels are disposed. For example, after the lower electrode 100 is formed, the rib 112 is formed at the pixel boundary, and the organic material layer 102 and the upper electrode 104 are stacked in the effective area of the pixel surrounded by the rib 112 (the area where the lower electrode 100 is exposed). Ru. The upper electrode 104 is formed of, for example, an ultrathin alloy of Mg and Ag, or a transparent conductive material such as ITO or IZO.

A sealing layer 106 is disposed on the upper electrode 104 so as to cover the entire display area 42. The sealing layer 106 has a stacked structure including the first sealing film 161, the sealing planarization film 160, and the second sealing film 162 in this order. The first sealing film 161 and the second sealing film 162 are formed of an inorganic material (for example, an inorganic insulating material). Specifically, it is formed by depositing a SiN _y film by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The sealing and planarizing film 160 is formed using an organic material (for example, a resin material such as a curable resin composition). On the other hand, in the component mounting area 46, the sealing layer 106 is not disposed.

  For example, in order to ensure mechanical strength, a protective film is laminated on the surface of the display panel 40. In the present embodiment, the front protective film 114 is laminated on the sealing layer 106 via the adhesive layer (not shown), and the back side of the base 70 (the opposite side to the side on which the front protective film 114 is laminated) And a back protective film 124 is laminated via an adhesive layer (not shown). The front protective film 114 is stacked so as to cover the display area 42 and the frame area 44 surrounding the display area 42. The frame area 44 is different from the display area 42 in that it does not include, for example, the TFT 72 and the OLED 6. In the circuit layer 74 of the frame area 44, an electrical wiring or the like is formed. The sealing layer 106 is disposed on the circuit layer 74. On the other hand, the front surface protective film 114 is not provided in the component mounting area 46 in order to facilitate the connection of the IC and the FPC. In the case where the display panel 40 is curved between the portion to which the FPC 50 or the driver IC 48 is attached in the component mounting area 46 and the display area 42 and the FPC 50 or the like is folded on the back side of the display area 42, for example, back protection The film 124 may be laminated only in the area excluding the curved portion.

  The protective films 114 and 124 can transmit laser light used for cutting described later. Specifically, the substrate 70 can absorb more laser light used for cutting than the protective films 114 and 124. The protective films 114 and 124 are made of, for example, a polyester-based resin film such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or a resin film such as a cycloolefin-based resin film. The thickness of the protective films 114 and 124 is, for example, in the range of 50 μm to 200 μm.

  FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of the side surface on the long side of the display panel 40 shown in FIG. A light absorbing layer 115 capable of absorbing a laser beam used for cutting described later is formed on the front protective film 114 so as to be adjacent thereto. Specifically, as compared with the front surface protective film 114, the light absorption layer 115 capable of absorbing the laser beam used for cutting is formed. In the present embodiment, the light absorption layer 115 is formed on the side where the end face of the base 70 and the end face of the front surface protective film 114 are aligned (specifically, the three sides 114a, 114b and 114c of the front surface protective film 114). However, for example, it may be formed to cover the entire front surface protective film 114.

  The light absorption layer 115 contains a material (typically, a resin) having a composition different from that of the resin film constituting the front surface protective film 114. For example, the light absorption layer 115 contains a resin material such as an acrylic resin, an epoxy resin, or a silicone resin. The light absorption layer 115 is formed, for example, to be thicker than the thickness of the substrate 70. Specifically, the thickness of the light absorption layer 115 is preferably in the range of 50 μm or more, and more preferably in the range of 60 μm to 200 μm.

  FIG. 5 is a figure for demonstrating the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescence display in one Embodiment of this invention. Specifically, in FIG. 5, after forming the circuit layer 74 including the TFT 72, the OLED 6, the sealing layer 106, and the like on the base material 70, the protective films 114 and 124 larger in size than the base material 70 are stacked. It is a top view which shows a body (it calls a display panel intermediate body).

  In the display panel intermediate 40 a before the display panel 40 is obtained, a rectangular surface protective film 114 whose short side is longer than the base 70 on the sealing layer 106 via the adhesive layer is in a region excluding the component mounting region 46. It is stacked. In addition, on the back side of the base 70, a rectangular back protective film 124 larger in size than the base 70 is stacked via an adhesive layer. Usually, the adhesive layer is formed in advance on the surface of the protective film. The circuit layer 74 including the TFT 72, the OLED 6, and the sealing layer 106 are typically formed on the base material 70 supported by a substrate (for example, a glass substrate) from the viewpoint of handling and the like. . In this case, after peeling the substrate from the substrate 70, the back protective film 124 is laminated on the substrate 70.

  For example, since the protective films 114 and 124 have variations in size and misalignment, the end portion of the display panel intermediate 40 a may be cut and removed to obtain a display panel having a uniform size. In the illustrated example, the front surface protective film 114, the base 70, and the rear surface protective film 124 are cut along the cut line L (L1 + L2) at three sides excluding the side of the component mounting area 46 of the display panel intermediate 40a. The end face of 70 and the end faces of the protective films 114 and 124 are aligned.

  A light absorbing layer 115 is formed on the front protective film 114 at least on the cut line L (corresponding to the cut line L). In the illustrated example, the light absorption layer 115 is formed in a U-shape opening toward the component mounting area 46 so as to cover the cut line L. The light absorption layer 115 is formed, for example, by applying a forming material (for example, a resin composition) of the light absorption layer 115 to a predetermined region of the front surface protective film 114 and performing various treatments such as heating as necessary. Do. The light absorption layer 115 may be formed before laminating the front surface protective film 114 to the base 70, or may be formed after laminating.

  The cutting of the display panel intermediate body 40a is performed by laser light irradiation. Specifically, laser light is applied along the cut line L from the side on which the light absorbing layer 115 is formed with respect to the base material 70 of the display panel intermediate 40 a. As a laser beam used for cutting, it can be suitably selected according to the material of substrate 70, for example. For example, when the substrate 70 includes a polyimide, laser light having a wavelength in the range of 200 nm to 400 nm is selected.

  In the region where the front protective film 114 is present (cut line L1), as described above, the light absorption layer 115 which can absorb the laser beam used for the cutting more than the front protective film 114 on the front protective film 114. Is formed. Therefore, the irradiated laser light is absorbed by the light absorption layer 115, and its energy (for example, heat) is transmitted to the adjacent front surface protective film 114, so that the front surface protective film 114 may be cut. In this manner, laser light can be prevented from being transmitted through the front surface protective film 114 to cut the substrate 70 preferentially. As a result, the cut residue (e.g., a carbide of a resin) of the base 70 can be well cut without remaining between the base 70 and the front surface protective film 114. In the region where the front protective film 114 is not present (cut line L2), the back protective film 124 is cut after the base 70 is cut. Thus, by forming the appropriate light absorption layer 115, good cutting can be realized. In addition, the selection range of the type of laser light used for cutting is broadened, which can also contribute to the improvement of the processability.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications are possible. For example, the present invention can be replaced by a configuration that is substantially the same as the configuration shown in the above embodiment, a configuration that achieves the same effect, or a configuration that can achieve the same purpose. As a specific example, instead of forming the light absorption layer 115 on the front surface protective film 114 as in the above embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. The light absorption layer 115 may be formed adjacent to the protective film 114. Also in this case, the laser light transmitted through the front surface protective film 114 is absorbed by the light absorption layer 115, the energy thereof is transmitted to the adjacent front surface protective film 114, and the front surface protective film 114 can be cut. Can be suppressed.

  2 organic EL display device, 4 pixel array unit, 6 OLED, 8 pixel circuit, 10 lighting TFT, 12 driving TFT, 14 capacitor, 20 scanning line driving circuit, 22 video line driving circuit, 24 driving power supply circuit, 26 control device, 28 scanning signal line, 30 video signal line, 32 driving power supply line, 40 display panel, 42 display area, 44 frame area, 46 component mounting area, 48 driver IC, 50 FPC, 70 base material, 72 TFT, 74 circuit layer, 80 base layer, 82 semiconductor region, 84 gate insulating film, 86 gate electrode, 88 interlayer insulating layer, 90 a source electrode, 90 b drain electrode, 92 interlayer insulating film, 94 wiring, 96 planarization film, 97 dam, 98 passivation film, 100 lower electrode, 102 organic material layer, 104 upper electrode, 106 sealing layer, 110 Contact hole, 112 rib, 114 surface protective film, 115 light absorption layer, 116 wiring, 124 back protective film, 160 sealing flattening film, 161 first sealing film, 162 second sealing film.

Claims (18)

Producing a laminate by laminating a protective film on a base material including a resin and having a display region including a plurality of pixels;
Forming a light absorbing layer at least a part of which is in contact with the protective film;
By irradiating a laser beam along a predetermined line located outside the display area from the side of the laminate on which the light absorption layer is formed with respect to the base material of the laminate, a portion of the laminate is obtained. Including cutting,
The light absorbing layer can absorb the laser light more than the protective film,
At least a portion of the predetermined line overlaps the light absorption layer,
Method of manufacturing a display device   The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 1, wherein the light absorption layer contains one or more selected from the group consisting of an acrylic resin, an epoxy resin and a silicone resin.   The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 1, wherein the base material can absorb the laser beam more than the protective film.   The manufacturing method of the display apparatus in any one of Claim 1 to 3 which laminates | stacks the said protective film so that the said display area of the said base material may be covered.   The manufacturing method of the display apparatus in any one of Claim 1 to 4 which laminates | stacks the said protective film in the side in which the said display area of the said base material is not formed.   The manufacturing method of the display apparatus in any one of Claim 1 to 5 which forms the said light absorption layer in the side in which the said base material of the said protective film is not arrange | positioned.   The manufacturing method of the display apparatus in any one of Claim 1 to 6 which forms the said light absorption layer between the said base material and the said protective film.   The manufacturing method of the display apparatus in any one of Claim 1 to 7 in which the said laser beam has a wavelength within the range of 200 nm-400 nm.   The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 1, wherein the light absorption layer includes a resin material having a composition different from that of the protective film. A substrate including a resin and having a display area formed of a plurality of pixels;
A protective film disposed on at least one side of the substrate;
A light absorbing layer capable of absorbing light of a predetermined wavelength as compared to the protective film, and at least a portion of which is disposed in contact with the protective film on the side of the base on which the protective film is disposed; Have
The light absorption layer is formed on the side where at least the end face of the base and the end face of the protective film are aligned.
Display device.   The display device according to claim 10, wherein the base material can absorb light of the predetermined wavelength more than the protective film.   The display device according to claim 10, wherein the substrate comprises a polyimide.   The display device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the protective film is a polyester resin film and / or a cycloolefin resin film.   The display device according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the light absorption layer contains one or more selected from the group consisting of an acrylic resin, an epoxy resin and a silicone resin.   The display device according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein the light of the predetermined wavelength includes a wavelength within a range of 200 nm to 400 nm.   The display device according to any one of claims 10 to 15, wherein the light absorption layer covers the entire protective film.   The display device according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the light absorption layer is located on the side of the protective film opposite to the substrate.   The display device according to any one of claims 10 to 16, wherein the light absorption layer is located between the protective film and the substrate.

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