Method for making an electric or electronic module comprising a glass laminate

• US 6,355,125 B1
• Filed: 03/08/2000
• Issued: 03/12/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: InnoLux Corporation
• Original Assignee: Agfa-Gevaert N.V.
• Inventors: Verlinden, Bart, Leenders, Luc, Tahon, Jean-Pierre, Goedeweeck, Rudi
• Primary Examiner(s): Aftergut, Jeff H.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Haran, John T.
• Application Number:
  US09/520,993
• Time in Patent Office: 734 Days
• Field of Search: 156/99, 156/101, 156/265, 156/297, 156/299, 156/277, 349/158, 428/1.6, 428/1.62
• US Class Current: 156/99
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10036 comprising two outer glass sheets
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 17/10174 Coatings of a metallic or dielectric material on a constituent layer of glass or polymer
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 Flexible OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/351 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/50 Forming devices by joining two substrates together, e.g. lamination techniques
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/851 Division of substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 Flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/1077 Applying plural cut laminae to single face of additional lamina

Abstract

A method is disclosed for making a module that can be used in an electric or electronic device such as a flat panel display, a light emitting diode or a photovoltaic cell. The figure shows as a preferred embodiment of the method of the present invention a schematic section of a panel consisting of three adjacent modules (liquid crystal display cells; only one is shown completely). The panel is obtained by assembling two substrates (2) and (8) which carry functional layer (3) and (9) respectively. The substrates are preferably flexible plastic foils. Thin glass sheets (1, 7) are laminated to the substrates (2, 8) so as to obtain an efficient barrier layer which protects the functional layers (3, 9) from mechanical damage, heat and degradation due to diffusion of oxygen or water vapor. The method is especially suitable for making flexible, low-weight flat panel displays, e.g. LCDs comprising a liquid crystal composition (6), spacers (4) and seals (5).

Claims

1. A method of making a module for use in an electric or electronic device, said method comprising the steps of

(i) providing a flexible substrate with a functional layer by a printing process or a web coating process;

(ii) bringing said flexible substrate into parallel contact with another substrate so as to obtain a module wherein the functional layer is present between both substrates;

(iii) laminating a glass sheet having a thickness in the range from 10 μ

m to 0.7 mm to at least one side of the module.

5. Method according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the thickness of the glass is in the range from 30 to 500 μ

m.

6. Method according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the thickness of the glass is in the range from 50 to 300 μ

m.

7. Method according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the glass is flexible.

8. Method according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the glass is borosilicate or chemically hardened glass.

10. Method according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the glass is replaced by a glass/support laminate.

11. Method according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the device is a flat panel display, a light emitting diode, an electrolytic capacitor, a circuit board, an electrochromic display, an electronic book, an organic solar cell or a photovoltaic cell.

2. A method of making a module for use in an electric or electronic device, said method comprising the steps of

(i) providing a flexible substrate with a functional layer;

(ii) bringing said flexible substrate into parallel contact with another substrate so as to obtain a panel wherein the functional layer is present between both substrates, said panel comprising a plurality of adjacent modules which are mutually separated by a boundary between said modules;

(iii) laminating a plurality of glass sheets having a thickness in the range from 10 μ

m to 1.5 mm to at least one side of the panel, wherein the laminated glass sheets are aligned with the modules and are mutually spaced at the boundary between the modules.

4. Method according to claim 2 or 3 wherein the thickness of the glass is in the range from 10 to 700 μ

m.

9. Method according to claim 2 or 3 wherein step (i) is carried out by a printing process or a web coating process.

12. Method according to claim 2 or 3 wherein the functional layer is selected from the group consisting of:

an electroconductive layer, a colour filter, a liquid crystal alignment layer, a phosphor layer, an insulating wall, a dielectric protecting layer, an electroconductive pattern, microtips, a reflecting cathode, an electroluminescent layer, a hole-injection layer and a transparent anode.

3. A method of making a module for use in an electric or electronic device, said method comprising the steps of

(i) providing a flexible substrate with a functional layer;

(ii) bringing said flexible substrate into parallel contact with another substrate so as to obtain a panel wherein the functional layer is present between both substrates, said panel comprising a plurality of adjacent modules which are mutually separated by a boundary between said modules;

(iii) cutting the modules at the boundary between said modules;

(iv) laminating a plurality of glass sheets having a thickness in the range from 10 μ

m to 1.5 mm to at least one side of a module.

13. Method of making a module for use in an electric or electronic device, said method comprising the steps of

(i) providing a flexible substrate with a functional layer selected from the group consisting of an electroconductive layer, a colour filter, a liquid crystal alignment layer, a phosphor layer, an insulating wall, a dielectric protecting layer, an electroconductive pattern, microtips, a reflecting cathode, an electroluminescent layer, a hole-injection layer and a transparent anode;

(ii) bringing said flexible substrate into parallel contact with another substrate so as to obtain a module wherein the functional layer is present between both substrates;

(iii) laminating a glass sheet having a thickness in the range from 10 μ

m to 0.7 mm to at least one side of the module.