CN101989019B - Electronic paper display device and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic paper display device includes a substrate, an electronic paper display panel, a protective film and an encapsulant. The electronic paper display panel is arranged on the substrate and is provided with a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area. The protective film is arranged on the electronic paper display panel, and the protective film is smaller than the electronic paper display panel so that a first side wall of the electronic paper display panel is separated from a second side wall of the protective film by a distance to expose at least part of the non-display area. The packaging colloid is arranged on the substrate and surrounds the electronic paper display panel and the protective film, wherein the packaging colloid is tightly attached to the first side wall and the second side wall and covers at least part of the non-display area exposed by the protective film, so that bubbles generated in the process of manufacturing the electronic paper display device by the packaging colloid can be avoided, and the moisture resistance of the packaging colloid can be further improved.

Description

Electronic paper display device and manufacturing method thereof

technical field

The present invention relates to a display device and a manufacturing method thereof, and in particular to an electronic paper display device and a manufacturing method thereof.

Background technique

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a known electronic paper display device. Referring to FIG. 1 , the known electronic paper display device 100 has a circuit board 110 , an electronic paper display panel 120 disposed on the circuit board 110 , a protective film 130 covering the electronic paper display panel 120 and an encapsulant 140 . In this design, the protective film 130 is larger than the electronic paper display panel 120 , so the sidewall 132 of the protective film 130 will extend beyond the sidewall 122 of the electronic paper display panel 120 . In this way, there is a gap G between the protection film 130 and the circuit board 110 , and the gap G surrounds the sidewall 122 of the electronic paper display panel 120 . The encapsulant 140 is disposed on the circuit board 110 and used to seal the electronic paper display panel 120 .

However, since the gap G is larger than the semi-enclosed space defined by the electronic paper display panel 120 through the protective film 130, when the encapsulant 140 is dispensing, it is easy to cause the encapsulant 140 to fill the gap G while blocking The gas discharge path is defined, so that there are bubbles B in the gap G. In other words, the encapsulant 140 cannot completely seal the electronic paper display panel 120 and moisture easily invades the electronic paper display panel 120 . Therefore, the electronic paper display device 100 cannot have good quality and long service life.

In addition, the known technology also proposes another electronic paper display device, in which the edges of the electronic paper display panel and the protective film are aligned, and the encapsulant is disposed on the circuit board and located on the edge of the electronic paper display panel and the protective film. The manufacturing method of the aforementioned electronic paper display device is to first attach the entire uncut electronic paper display panel and the uncut entire protective film to form a composite structure, and then cut the composite structure into multiple composite structural units .

However, the yield rate of the entire uncut electronic paper display panel is only 70%, and when the electronic paper display panel of the composite structural unit is detected to have dead pixels or foreign objects, it needs to be scrapped together with the protective film of the composite structural unit , so that the production cost is relatively high (the cost of the protective film is the same as the cost of the electronic paper display panel).

Furthermore, since the edges of the electronic paper display panel and the protective film of the electronic paper display device are aligned, it is difficult for the encapsulant to completely cover the edges of the electronic paper display panel and the protective film, and the electronic paper display panel and the protective film are easily damaged by external forces. Separated from encapsulating colloid.

Contents of the invention

The invention provides an electronic paper display device and a manufacturing method thereof, which can effectively prevent moisture from invading the electronic paper display panel.

The present invention proposes an electronic paper display device including a substrate, an electronic paper display panel, a protective film and an encapsulant. The electronic paper display panel is configured on the substrate, and the electronic paper display panel has a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area. The protective film is disposed on the electronic paper display panel, the protective film is smaller than the electronic paper display panel so that a first side wall of the electronic paper display panel is separated from a second side wall of the protective film by a distance, and at least part of the non-display area is exposed . The encapsulant is disposed on the substrate, surrounds the electronic paper display panel and the protective film, wherein the encapsulant is close to the first sidewall and the second sidewall and covers at least part of the non-display area exposed by the protective film.

The present invention proposes a manufacturing method of an electronic paper display device as follows. First, a substrate is provided. Next, disposing an electronic paper display panel on the substrate, the electronic paper display panel has a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area. Then, a protective film is pasted on the electronic paper display panel, the protective film is smaller than the electronic paper display panel so that a first side wall of the electronic paper display panel and a second side wall of the protective film are separated by a distance, and exposed At least part of the non-display area. Afterwards, an encapsulant is formed on the substrate to surround the electronic paper display panel and the protective film, wherein the encapsulant adheres closely to the first sidewall and the second sidewall and covers at least part of the non-display area exposed by the protective film.

As mentioned above, since the protective film of the present invention is smaller than the electronic paper display panel, the encapsulant can directly and closely cover the first side wall of the electronic paper display panel, the second side wall of the protective film and the area exposed by the protective film. The part that comes out is on the non-display area. Therefore, the electronic paper display device of the present invention can avoid air bubbles in the encapsulant, thereby improving the ability of the encapsulant to block moisture.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a known electronic paper display device.

FIG. 2A is a top view of an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the electronic paper display device of FIG. 2A along line I-I'.

FIG. 3A is a top view of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the electronic paper display device of FIG. 3A along line II-II'.

4A-4C are cross-sectional views illustrating the manufacturing process of the electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Symbol Description

100, 200, 200’: electronic paper display device 110: circuit board

120, 220: electronic paper display panel

122, 132, 224a, 224b, 224c, 224d, 234a, 234b, 234c, 234d: side walls

130, 230: Protective film 140, 240, 240’: Encapsulating colloid

210: substrate 222, 232, 236: surface

222a: display area 222b: non-display area

224: First side wall 234: Second side wall

242: The first ladder-like structure 244: The second ladder-like structure

B: Bubbles D: Distance

G: Gap W1, W2, W3, W4: Width

Detailed ways

2A is a top view of an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of the electronic paper display device of FIG. 2A along line I-I'.

Please refer to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B at the same time. The electronic paper display device 200 of this embodiment includes a substrate 210 , an electronic paper display panel 220 , a protective film 230 and an encapsulant 240 . Here, the substrate 210 is, for example, an active array substrate, a plastic substrate, a flexible circuit board, a printed circuit board, a stainless steel substrate or a flexible substrate.

The electronic paper display panel 220 is disposed on the substrate 210 , and if the substrate 210 has a circuit (not shown), the electronic paper display panel 220 can be selectively electrically connected to the substrate 210 . The electronic paper display panel 220 has a display area 222a and a non-display area 222b surrounding the display area 222a. In this embodiment, the width W1 of the non-display area 222b is substantially 2 mm.

The protective film 230 is disposed on the electronic paper display panel 220, the protective film 230 is smaller than the electronic paper display panel 220 so that a first side wall 224 of the electronic paper display panel 220 is separated from a second side wall 234 of the protective film 230 by a distance D (for example, 0.25mm to 0.5mm), and expose at least part of the non-display area 222b. In this embodiment, FIG. 2B shows a situation where the protective film 230 exposes a part of the non-display area 222b. In other embodiments, the protective film 230 may also expose the entire non-display area 222b. The protective film 230 is made of, for example, polyethylene terephthalate (Poly-ethylenetetrephthalate, PET) or other materials capable of isolating moisture.

In this embodiment, the protective film 230 is smaller than the electronic paper display panel 220 means that the width W2 of the protective film 230 is smaller than the width W3 of the electronic paper display panel 220 in the same section, or the protective film 230 is attached to the electronic paper display panel 220 The area of a surface 236 of the electronic paper display panel 220 is smaller than the area of a surface 222 of the electronic paper display panel 220 bonded to the protective film 230 , so the protective film 230 will expose part of the surface 222 of the electronic paper display panel 220 .

The distance D between the first side wall 224 of the electronic paper display panel 220 and the second side wall 234 of the protective film 230 means that the side walls 224a, 224b, 224c, and 224d are respectively separated from the corresponding side walls 234a, 234b, 234c, and 234d. d. In addition, this embodiment takes the quadrangular protective film 230 and the electronic paper display panel 220 as examples, but it is not intended to limit the present invention. For example, in other embodiments, the protection film 230 and the electronic paper display panel 220 can be circular, polygonal or other irregular shapes.

The encapsulant 240 is disposed on the substrate 210 and surrounds the electronic paper display panel 220 and the protective film 230 , wherein the material of the encapsulant 240 is, for example, a thermosetting material or a light-curing material. In this embodiment, the encapsulant 240 adheres closely to the first sidewall 224 and the second sidewall 234 and covers the part of the non-display area 222 b exposed by the protective film 230 . In detail, the encapsulant 240 has a first stepped structure 242 and a second stepped structure 244 . The first stepped structure 242 is close to the first side wall 224 of the electronic paper display panel 220 and covers a part of the substrate 210 , while the second stepped structure 244 is close to the second side wall 234 of the protective film 230 and covers a part of the electronic paper. The display panel 220 is away from the surface 222 of the substrate 210 . It should be noted that in this embodiment, the orthographic projection of the encapsulant 240 on the electronic paper display panel 220 is located outside the display area 222a to avoid covering the image displayed on the display area 222a.

It can be seen from the foregoing that since the protective film 230 is smaller than the electronic paper display panel 220, when the encapsulant 240 is formed, the encapsulant 240 can directly cover the first side wall 224, the second side wall 234 and the area exposed by the protective film 230. part of the non-display area 222b. Therefore, the encapsulant 240 wraps the electronic paper display panel 220 and the protective film 230 in a ring shape, and the sealing area (the first stepped structure 242 and the second stepped structure 244) is an open structure, which can avoid the discharge of barrier gas. path, thereby reducing the generation of air bubbles, and at the same time improving the ability of the electronic paper display device 200 to resist moisture. Furthermore, since the encapsulant 240 covers both the substrate 210 and the surface 222 of the electronic paper display panel 220 , it can help to fix the electronic paper display panel 220 on the substrate 210 . That is to say, in this embodiment, the encapsulant 240 and the electronic paper display panel 220 constitute a structure that interferes with each other, which helps to stably fix the electronic paper display panel 220 . In addition, for the electronic paper display panel 220 and the protective film 230 , the bonding area of the encapsulant 240 is large, so the joint strength can be increased, and the external force can prevent the encapsulant 240 from cracking.

3A is a top view of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the electronic paper display device of FIG. 3A along line II-II'. Please refer to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B at the same time, the electronic paper display device 200' is substantially the same as the electronic paper display device 200. However, in this embodiment, part of the encapsulant 240' can also extend to the surface 232 of the protective film 230 away from the electronic paper display panel 220 (as shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B ). For example, the width W4 of the portion of the encapsulant 240 covering the surface 232 is, for example, 0.2 mm to 0.5 mm. The design of this embodiment is to make part of the encapsulant 240' cover the surface 232 of the protective film 230 to increase the bonding area, and to prevent external air from penetrating into the joint between the encapsulant 240 and the protective film 230.

The manufacturing method of the aforementioned electronic paper display device 200 will be introduced in detail below.

4A-4C are cross-sectional views illustrating the manufacturing process of the electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. First, please refer to FIG. 4A , a substrate 210 is provided. Next, an electronic paper display panel 220 is disposed on the substrate 210. The electronic paper display panel 220 has a display area 222a and a non-display area 222b surrounding the display area 222a. At this time, if the substrate 210 has a circuit (not shown), the electronic paper display panel 220 can be selectively electrically connected to the substrate 210 .

Then, referring to FIG. 4B , a protective film 230 is pasted on the electronic paper display panel 220 . A second sidewall 234 is separated by a distance D, thereby exposing at least part of the non-display area 222b.

After that, referring to FIG. 4C , an encapsulant 240 is formed on the substrate 210 to surround the electronic paper display panel 220 and the protective film 230 . In detail, the encapsulant 240 adheres closely to the first sidewall 224 and the second sidewall 234 and covers at least part of the non-display area 222 b exposed by the protection film 230 .

In this embodiment, the method of forming the encapsulant 240 may be to first coat a flowable colloidal material (not shown) on the substrate 210 in a word-shaped encapsulation manner. Then, according to the type of the colloidal material, the colloidal material is selectively cured by thermal curing, photocuring or other suitable curing methods to form the packaging colloid 240, wherein the packaging colloid 240 is placed on the electronic paper display panel 220 The orthographic projection on may be located outside the display area 222a. Since the protective film 230 is smaller than the electronic paper display panel 220 , the colloidal material can adhere closely to the first sidewall 224 of the electronic paper display panel 220 and the second sidewall 234 of the protective film 230 . At the same time, the colloid material also covers part of the substrate 210 and part of the non-display area 222b not covered by the protective film 230 . Therefore, the encapsulant 240 of this embodiment can completely seal the sidewall of the electronic paper display panel 220 so as to effectively block moisture from entering the electronic paper display panel 230 .

In addition, in other embodiments, the method of forming the encapsulant 240 further includes extending the adhesive material to the surface 232 of the protective film 230 away from the electronic paper display panel 220 to cover the edge of the upper surface 232 of the protective film 230 . In this way, after the gel material is cured, the encapsulation compound 240' shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B can be formed.

It should be noted that, since the electronic paper display panel 220 of this embodiment is a cut electronic paper display panel, and it is disposed on the substrate 210 after there is no abnormality in the automatic optical inspection (Automated Optical Inspection, AOI), therefore, the configuration The protective film 230 on the electronic paper display panel 220 will not be scrapped due to dead pixels or foreign objects on the electronic paper display panel 220 . In this way, this embodiment can avoid the known problem of high manufacturing cost caused by scrapping the protective film.

In summary, since the protective film of the present invention is smaller than the electronic paper display panel, the encapsulant can directly cover the first side wall of the electronic paper display panel, the second side wall of the protective film, and the parts exposed by the protective film. copy on the non-display area. In the process of manufacturing the electronic paper display device, the generation of air bubbles in the encapsulation colloid can be avoided, thereby improving the water vapor resistance of the encapsulation colloid. Furthermore, since the encapsulant covers both the substrate and the surface of the electronic paper display panel away from the substrate, it helps to fix the electronic paper display panel on the substrate. In addition, for the electronic paper display panel and the protective film, the bonding area of the encapsulant is large, so the joint strength can be increased, and the external force can prevent the encapsulant from cracking.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above with the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the content defined in the claims.

Claims (8)

1. An electronic paper display device, characterized in that, comprising: a substrate; An electronic paper display panel, configured on the substrate, the electronic paper display panel has a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area; A protective film is disposed on the electronic paper display panel, the protective film is smaller than the electronic paper display panel so that a first side wall of the electronic paper display panel is separated from a second side wall of the protective film by a distance, and exposing at least part of the non-display area; and An encapsulant, disposed on the substrate, surrounding the electronic paper display panel and the protective film, wherein the encapsulant adheres closely to the first side wall and the second side wall and covers at least the part exposed by the protective film part of the non-display area. 2 . The electronic paper display device according to claim 1 , wherein the encapsulant also covers the surface edge of the protective film away from the electronic paper display panel. 3 . The electronic paper display device according to claim 1 , wherein the encapsulant is made of a thermosetting material or a light-curing material. 4 . 4. The electronic paper display device according to claim 1, wherein the protective film is made of polyethylene terephthalate. 5. A method for manufacturing an electronic paper display device, comprising: providing a substrate; disposing an electronic paper display panel on the substrate, the electronic paper display panel has a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area; attaching a protective film on the electronic paper display panel, the protective film is smaller than the electronic paper display panel so that a first side wall of the electronic paper display panel and a second side wall of the protective film are separated by a distance, while exposing at least part of the non-display area; and Forming an encapsulant on the substrate to surround the electronic paper display panel and the protective film, wherein the encapsulant adheres closely to the first side wall and the second side wall and covers at least part exposed by the protective film copies of the non-display area. 6. The manufacturing method of the electronic paper display device according to claim 5, wherein the method for forming the encapsulant comprises: forming a flowable colloidal material on the substrate, making the colloidal material close to the first side wall of the electronic paper display panel and the second side wall of the protective film and making the colloidal material cover the unprotected the portion of the non-display area and the portion of the substrate covered by the film; and The colloidal material is cured. 7 . The manufacturing method of the electronic paper display device according to claim 6 , wherein the forming method of the packaging gel further comprises making the gel material cover the surface of the protective film away from the electronic paper display panel. 8 . 8 . The manufacturing method of the electronic paper display device according to claim 6 , wherein the method of curing the colloidal material comprises a thermal curing method or a light curing method.

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