BEZEL PACKAGING FOR SEALED GLASS ASSEMBLIES AND A GLASS ASSEMBLY THEREFOR

• US 20110019351A1
• Filed: 03/30/2009
• Published: 01/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Bayne, John Frederick, Gu, Yabei, Westbrook, Jamie Todd, Morgan, Glenn Vertner, Vaddi, Butchi Reddy, Widjaja, Sujanto
• Granted Patent: US 8,885,116 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 361/679.01
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/00 Planar light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/15 Organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/84 Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/87 Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations

Abstract

Methods and assemblies related to frame or bezel packaging of a sealed glass assembly, such as a fit-sealed OLED device, such as an OLED display panel. The frame or bezel packaging may have one or more of (a) rounded or chamfered corners, (a) a cover, (b) a reinforced lead edge, (c) openings or cutouts in the back panel to conserve material and lighten the bezel, and (d) a shock absorbent intermediate layer of low modulus of elasticity material applied between the sealed glass assembly and the back and/or sides of the frame or bezel. The frame or bezel design may include a gap between the sealed glass assembly and the back panel of the bezel. The gap may be filled at least in part with low modulus of elasticity backing material. The glass package may have one or more of (a) rounded or chamfered corners, (b) rounded or chamfered edges, (c) a low modulus of elasticity material applied around its periphery or portions of its periphery, such as on the corners only, (d) a shortened lead end, and (e) a thickened lead end.

Claims

1. A bezel for packaging a sealed glass assembly comprising:

a bezel having a rectangular back wall with first, second, third and fourth peripheral edges;

first, second and third sidewalls extending upward from the first, second and third peripheral edges respectively, with the sidewalls being joined together at two corners of the backwall;

the bezel including at least one of (a) a reinforcing structure along the fourth peripheral edge of the bezel backwall;

(b) rounded corners (c) chamfered corners; and

(c) at least one opening through the backwall;

a sealed glass assembly; and

adhesive securing the sealed glass assembly in the bezel and forming a shock absorbent intermediate layer between the sealed glass assembly and the bezel.

2. A bezel for packaging a sealed glass assembly comprising:

a bezel having a rectangular back wall with first, second, third and fourth peripheral edges;

first, second and third sidewalls extending upward from the first, second and third peripheral edges respectively; and

at least two rounded corners;

a sealed glass assembly; and

an adhesive material securing the sealed glass assembly in the bezel and forming a shock absorbent layer between the sealed glass assembly and the bezel.

3. The bezel of claim 2, further comprising:

a cover having a front wall with first, second, third and fourth peripheral edges;

first, second and third sidewalls extending downward from the first, second and third peripheral edges respectively;

the first, second and third cover sidewalls being connected to the first, second and third bezel sidewalls.

4. The bezel of claim 3, further comprising:

an OLED device in the glass assembly; and

an opening in the cover front wall through which light emitted by the OLED device may pass.

5. The bezel of claim 4, wherein the OLED device is an OLED display panel.

6. The bezel of claim 2, wherein:

the adhesive adheres an inner surface of the bezel sidewalls to peripheral edges of the glass assembly, with the glass assembly being spaced form the bezel backwall thereby forming gap between the glass assembly and the bezel backwall.

7. The bezel of claim 6, further comprising:

a shock absorbent, low modulus of elasticity material in the gap.

8. The bezel of claim 7, wherein the shock absorbent intermediate layer spans the gap and is adhered to the bezel backwall and to the sealed glass assembly.

9. The bezel of claim 4, wherein the shock absorbent intermediate layer is formed of foam, ceramic fiber cloth and/or low modulus of elasticity polymeric organic coating.

10. The bezel of claim 2, wherein:

the adhesive adheres a bottom surface of the sealed glass assembly to an inner surface of the bezel backwall.

12. The bezel of claim 2, further the sealed glass assembly further comprises:

a first and second rectangular glass plates having one of rounded or chamfered corners;

an element that is sensitive to heat and to at least one of moisture and the ambient atmosphere located between the first and second glass plates; and

a glass frit sealing material extending between the first and second plates and surrounding the element, the frit sealing material thereby joining the first and second glass plates and substantially hermetically sealing the element in the glass assembly.

13. The bezel of claim 12, wherein:

the element is at least one electronic device;

the first glass plate is longer in one dimension than the second glass plate, whereby a portion of the first glass plate extends beyond the second glass plate a distance that is about 0.1 to about 5% of the diagonal of the second glass plate; and

electrical leads are located on the extending portion of the first glass plate and extend through the frit seal to the at least one electronic device without compromising the hermetic seal.

14. The bezel of claim 13, wherein the at least one electronic device is an organic light emitting diode device.

15. The bezel of claim 2, wherein the bezel comprises acrylate, plastic, composite material, metal, aluminum, titanium alloy and/or stainless steel.

16. The bezel of claim 15, wherein the bezel comprises metal with a modulus of elasticity of about 60 GPa to about 200 GPa.

17. The bezel of claim 15, wherein the bezel comprises plastic with a modulus of elasticity of about 0.1 GPa to about 10 GPa.

18. The bezel of claim 2, wherein the adhesive comprises one of an epoxy, polymer, rubber or silicone adhesive.

19. The bezel of claim 18, wherein the adhesive has a modulus of elasticity of about 0.01 GPa to about 10 GPa.

20. The bezel of claim 7, wherein the shock absorbent intermediate layer is formed of at least one of a low modulus of elasticity ceramic fiber cloth, resin, polymer, rubber, or epoxy material.

21. The bezel of claim 20, wherein the shock absorbent intermediate layer has a modulus of elasticity of about 0.01 GPa to about 10 GPa.

22. The bezel of claim 2, wherein the bezel further comprises a reinforcing structure along the fourth peripheral edge of the bezel backwall.

23. The bezel of claim 22, wherein the bezel further comprises at least one opening through the bezel backwall.

24. The bezel of claim 23, further comprising:

a cover having a front wall with first, second, third and fourth peripheral edges;

first, second and third sidewalls extending downward from the first, second and third peripheral edges respectively;

the first, second and third cover sidewalls being connected to the first, second and third bezel sidewalls.

11. The bezel of clam 10, wherein:

the adhesive comprises one or more strips of adhesive in a generally ring shaped or rectangular pattern; and

a shock absorbent, low modulus of elasticity material is located inside the ring of adhesive between the glass assembly and the bezel backwall.

25. A sealed glass assembly further comprises:

a first and second rectangular glass plates having at least two rounded or chamfered corners, the first glass plate being longer in one dimension than the second glass plate whereby a portion of the first glass plate extends beyond the second glass plate;

an element, that is sensitive to heat and to at least one of moisture and the ambient atmosphere, being located between the first and second glass plates; and

a glass frit sealing material extending between the first and second plates and surrounding the element, thereby joining the first and second glass plates and forming substantially hermetic seal;

electrical leads being located on the extending portion of the first glass plate and extending through the frit seal to the at least one electronic device without compromising the hermetic seal.

26. The glass assembly of claim 25, wherein the extending portion of the first glass plate extends beyond the second glass plate a distance that is about 0.1 to about 5% of the diagonal of the second glass plate.

27. The glass assembly of claim 26, further comprising resilient reinforcing material at the junction of the first and second glass plates along the extending portion of the first glass plate.

28. The glass assembly of claim 27, further comprising resilient reinforcing material on the corners of the glass assembly.

29. The glass assembly of claim 25, further comprising resilient reinforcing material on the peripheral edges of the glass assembly.

30. The glass assembly of claim 29, wherein the resilient reinforcing material is on the corners of the glass assembly.

31. The glass assembly of claim 30, wherein the resilient reinforcing material is on the entire periphery of glass assembly.

32. The glass assembly of claim 25, wherein the first glass plate is thicker that the second glass plate.