UVblade - Flexible Display Manufacturing by the Meter

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Joseph Corey Franklin
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1 Finalist of the Innovation Award Laser Technology 2016 UVblade - Flexible Display Manufacturing by the Meter Photo: Dr. rer. nat. Ralph Delmdahl (Copyright: Ansgar Pudenz) Dr. rer. nat. Ralph Delmdahl Product Marketing Manager Coherent LaserSystems GmbH & Co. KG Göttingen, Germany Members of the Project Team Dr. rer. nat. Ralph Delmdahl, Coherent LaserSystems GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen, D (Team Representative) Dipl.-Phys. Thorsten Geuking, Coherent LaserSystems GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen, D Dr. rer. nat. Sven Passinger, Coherent LaserSystems GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen, D Dipl.-Ing. Rainer Paetzel, Coherent LaserSystems GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen, D Dr.-Ing. Kai Schmidt, Coherent LaserSystems GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen, D Dipl.-Phys. Hans-Stephan Albrecht, Coherent LaserSystems GmbH & Co. KG, Göttingen, D

2 Abstract Flexible displays are entering the market with increasing frequency. Featherweight smartwatches boast high-resolution readouts in unique form factors. The smartphone landscape is changing almost daily, as advancing technology combines even greater functionality with fashion. TV screens continue to evolve as well, with curved formats rapidly gaining market share. Additionally, the center consoles of automobiles are undergoing fundamental changes. Manufacturers are swapping numerous mechanical knobs, buttons, and switches for ergonomic multi-functional touch displays. The spirit of innovation does not end with common smart devices. It is now conceivable to have a display that unrolls much like a window shade! Indeed, it would seem that given the insatiable consumer lust for novelty, the flexible display market is about to transform from a niche market to mass deployment. The paradox of flexible display production is that a rigid glass substrate, or carrier, is required to support the thin film of the actual display during the manufacturing process. Separating this glass carrier from the active display is the final step in a multi-step production process (See Figure 3.) This separation step was a clear bottleneck in making displays on a truly industrial scale, as methods for separation of the display from carrier left much to be desired in terms of throughput, quality, and yield. Enter UVBlade. The market introduction of UVblade laser system in 2013 solved the dilemma of carrier separation, and paved the way for flexible display mass manufacturing. Before the advent of the UVblade system, display manufacturers were limited to costly, small-scale separation of flexible displays with limited capacity. Alternative separation techniques are largely unsuitable for mass production. Chemical etch processing is slow and not entirely specific, reducing yield. Alternative light-based processes using frequency-doubled lasers could not provide enough light energy at the appropriate wavelength. With the UVblade system, Coherent has brought an excimer laser system to the market that enables the cost-efficient volume production of the latest generation of flexible displays, and it works for displays of all sizes. UVblade is the first and most advanced laser lift-off system on the market capable of separating flexible displays from large glass carriers at rate of hundreds per minute. Moreover, UVblade manages the balancing act between economic production of flexible displays and the use of the existing production infrastructure which is still based on rigid display glass panel handling.

3 The UVblade system provides a meter-long, thin blade of UV laser light that smoothly separates a flexible polymer layer from the rigid glass carrier in the so-called laser liftoff (LLO) process. The separated display electronics layers reside thus on the lightweight and flexible polymer film, resulting in a paper-thin, conformant display. A key advantage of the UV wavelength of the UVblade is its exquisite selectivity. This process gently releases even the most sensitive 4K resolution OLED displays with very high yield. The process is not only selective, but also environmentally sustainable, and cost-effective. The released glass carrier is recovered for the production of the next batch of flexible displays. Via laser lift-off processing with the UVblade, it is possible for the first time to migrate display technology (LCDs, OLEDs, electrophoretic) to much thinner lightweight polymer carriers which can adjust to the shape of a consumer device. Areas of Application UVblade enables high volume flexible display manufacturing. Industrial manufacturers that produce displays will clearly benefit from the innovation. Primarily, these are smartphone, and tablet and wearable display industries. In addition, the OLED-TV industry as well as the automotive and aerospace industry will benefit from flexible displays that can conform to non-planar shapes. Technological Impact Reduced manufacturing costs Improved quality and yield Enables new product features such as additional flexibility Shorter time to market, because existing infrastructure can be used

4 Photos Photo 1: UVblade Mass Production System (Copyright: Coherent) Photo 2: Laser Lift-Off Processing (Copyright: Coherent)

5 Photo 3: Flexible Display Processing Steps (Copyright: Coherent)

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