Addressing of a three-dimensional, curved sensor or display back plane

• US 8,077,235 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Issued: 12/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/22/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Palo Alto Research Center, Inc. (Xerox Holdings Corp.)
• Inventors: Street, Robert A.
• Primary Examiner(s): SELBY, GEVELL V
• Application Number:
  US12/017,974
• Publication Number:
  US 20090184954A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,421 Days
• Field of Search: 348/294, 348/308, 250/208.1
• US Class Current: 348/294
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/56 Substrates having a particular shape, e.g. non-rectangular
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/30 in which the desired character or characters are formed by combining individual elements panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell controlling light arriving from an independent light source, e.g. electro-optical or magneto-optical cell, G02F1/00
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/35 being liquid crystals G09F9/302 takes precedence; liquid crystal materials C09K19/00; liquid crystal panels comprising a number of electrodes in a single cell per se G02F1/13
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/12 the substrate being other than a semiconductor body, e.g. an insulating body
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1214 comprising a plurality of TFTs formed on a non-semiconducting substrate, e.g. driving circuits for AMLCDs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1218 with a particular composition or structure of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14603 Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address-lines or gate-electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/14812 Special geometry or disposition of pixel-elements, address lines or gate-electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78603 characterised by the insulating substrate or support H01L29/78657 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/10 Substrates, e.g. flexible substrates

Abstract

A method of forming a three-dimensional electronic device includes forming an array of pixels on a flexible two-dimensional surface, the array being formed according to a three-dimensional structure, the pixels having addressing lines accessible from at least one edge of the array, cutting the two-dimensional surface, the cuts being located to allow the two-dimensional surface to be shaped, and shaping the two-dimensional surface to form the three-dimensional surface, the array of pixels forming the three-dimensional electronic device. A three-dimensional electronic device has a flexible substrate containing an array of pixels, the substrate fabricated as a flat surface, then cut and shaped to form a three-dimensional surface, the array of pixels covering the three-dimensional surface in subarrays corresponding to segments of the three-dimensional surface, and addressing lines for each subarray being accessible along an edge of the three-dimensional surface. A method of forming a three-dimensional electronic device includes providing a flexible substrate, forming address lines on the substrate such that the address lines are accessible at an edge of the substrate, forming pixels on the address lines, the pixels being laid out in subarrays, the subarrays being determined by segments of a three-dimensional surface, and accommodating any cuts that will allow the flexible substrate to form the three-dimensional electronic device in the forming of addressing lines and pixels.

Claims

1. A method of forming a three-dimensional electronic device, comprising:

forming an array of pixels on a flexible two-dimensional surface, the array being formed according to a three-dimensional structure, the pixels having addressing lines accessible from at least one edge of the array;

cutting the two-dimensional surface, the cuts being located to allow the two-dimensional surface to be shaped and arranged to allow the address lines to run along an edge of the cut to an edge of the surface; and

shaping the two-dimensional surface by lifting and bonding the substrate along the cut to form the three-dimensional surface, the array of pixels forming the three-dimensional electronic device.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the array of pixels further comprises forming an array of one of either display or sensing pixels.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein cutting the two-dimensional surface comprises cutting between segments.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein cutting the two-dimensional surface comprises cutting between subsegments within a segment.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein shaping the two-dimensional surface comprises forming an approximate portion of a hemispherical surface.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein forming the array of pixels further comprises forming a two-dimensional array in segments, each segment having dedicated addressing lines.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein forming the two-dimensional array in segments comprises forming segments each having subsegments.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein each segment has a shape of one of a square, a rectangle, a triangle, a pentagon or a hexagon.

9. A three-dimensional electronic device, comprising:

a flexible substrate containing an array of pixels,

the substrate fabricated as a flat surface, then cut, and shaped and bonded along the cuts to form a three-dimensional surface;

the array of pixels covering the three-dimensional surface in subarrays corresponding to segments of the three-dimensional surface; and

addressing lines for each subarray running parallel to at lest one cut and being accessible along an edge of the three-dimensional surface.

10. The device of claim 9, the three-dimensional surface being an approximate portion of a hemisphere.

11. The device of claim 9, wherein the segments are one of squares, rectangles, triangles, pentagons, or hexagons.

12. The device of claim 9, the device further comprising joins between the segments at one of the vertex of the three-dimensional surface, a perimeter of the segments, or between individually manufactured segments.

13. The device of claim 9 wherein the pixels include a transistor connected to the addressing lines.

14. The device of claim 9 wherein the electronic device is one of a display or an image sensor.

15. A method of forming a three-dimensional electronic device comprising:

providing a flexible substrate;

forming address lines on the substrate such that the address lines are accessible at an edge of the substrate;

forming pixels on the address lines, the pixels being laid out in subarrays, the subarrays being determined by segments of a three-dimensional surface the address lines defining the subarrays;

accommodating any cuts that will allow the flexible substrate to form the three-dimensional electronic device in the forming of addressing lines and pixels;

making cuts in the flexible substrate to allow the flexible substrate to be shaped and formed to the three-dimensional surface; and

lifting the substrate to form the three-dimensional surface and bonding the substrate along the cuts.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein forming address lines comprises forming extra address lines routed in an area of the cuts.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein forming address lines comprises routing gate lines around a center of the segments.

18. The method of claim 15, wherein providing a flexible substrate comprises providing a flexible substrate for each segment, and forming address lines comprises forming address lines that will connect upon joining of the individual substrates.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein electronic signals are applied to the address lines to create a pixel image according to a predetermined transformation that is calculated from the shape of the three-dimensional surface.