Electronic device with reduced-stress flexible display

摘要

An electronic device may have a flexible display. The display may have portions that are bent along a bend axis. The display may have display circuitry such as an array of display pixels in an active area and signal lines, thin-film transistor support circuitry and other display circuitry in an inactive area of the display surrounding the active area. The display circuitry may be formed on a substrate such as a flexible polymer substrate. The flexible polymer substrate may be formed by depositing polymer on a support structure that has raised portions. The raised portions may create locally thinned regions in the flexible polymer substrate. The reduced thickness of the flexible polymer substrate in the thinned regions may help ensure that a neutral stress plane that is associated with bending the display along the bend axis is aligned with the display circuitry, thereby minimizing stress in the display circuitry.

主权项

1. A display, comprising:
a display substrate having an active area, an inactive area, and a locally thinned region, wherein the locally thinned region is located in the inactive area; an array of display pixels on the display substrate in the active area; display circuitry including gate driver circuitry on the display substrate in the inactive area, wherein the gate driver circuitry overlaps the locally thinned region of the display substrate, wherein the display pixels lie in a plane, and wherein the locally thinned region of the display substrate curves out of the plane such that the inactive area is at least partially hidden from view by a user; and an encapsulation layer formed over the gate driver circuitry such that a neutral stress plane intersects with and spans laterally across the entire width of the gate driver circuitry over the locally thinned region of the display substrate.