THIN GLASS PROCESSING USING A CARRIER

• US 20120009703A1
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Published: 01/12/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: FEINSTEIN, Casey J., Zhong, John Z., Youngs, Lynn R., Poon, Stephen S.
• Granted Patent: US 9,063,605 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/28
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1333 Constructional arrangements; Manufacturing methodsG02F1/135, G02F1/136 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1266 the substrate on which the devices are formed not being the final device substrate, e.g. using a temporary substrate
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base

Abstract

A method of fabricating a display panel from a thin substrate using a carrier substrate is disclosed. The method includes depositing a bonding agent on a first surface of the thin substrate; depositing a bonding agent on a second surface of the carrier substrate; bonding the thin substrate and the carrier substrate with the bonding agent deposited on the first surface and the second surface; performing thin film processing on a third surface of the thin substrate opposite the first surface; and separating the processed thin substrate from the carrier substrate. The thin substrate has a thickness less than a required thickness for sustaining thin film processing while a thickness of the bonded thin substrate and the carrier substrates is greater than or equal to that the required thickness.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a display panel from a thin substrate using a carrier substrate comprising:

depositing a bonding agent on a first surface of the thin substrate;

depositing a bonding agent on a second surface of the carrier substrate;

bonding the thin substrate and the carrier substrate with the bonding agent deposited on the first surface and the second surface;

performing thin film processing on a third surface of the thin substrate opposite the first surface; and

separating the processed thin substrate from the carrier substrate,

wherein the thin substrate has a thickness less than a required thickness for sustaining thin film processing while a thickness of the bonded thin substrate and the carrier substrates is greater than or equal to that the required thickness.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the thin substrate is glass.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the carrier substrate is glass.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the bonding agent is one of SiO₂, epoxies, silicone adhesives, glass frit bonding, metallization (e.g., solder), acrylics, urethanes, synthetic rubbers, and elastomers.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein bonding the thin substrate and the carrier substrate further comprises:

oxidizing an area on the first surface of the thin substrate;

oxidizing an area on the second surface of the carrier substrate; and

forming an oxide layer between the oxidized area on the first surface of the thin substrate and the oxidized area on the second surface of the carrier substrate by annealing.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the bonding agent is deposited in a continuous pattern along the border area of the first surface.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein a bonding between the thin substrate and the carrier substrate forms a seal sealing a space between the thin substrate and the carrier substrate.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the space is a vacuum.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the bonding agent is deposited in a segmented pattern on the first surface.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein performing thin film processing on a third surface of the thin substrate further comprises performing TFT processing.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein separating the processed thin substrate from the carrier substrate further comprises:

locating a plurality of scribe lines on the third surface of the thin substrate; and

cutting along the plurality of scribe lines to separate a portion of the thin substrate from the carrier substrate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of scribe lines defines an outer boundary of the display panel.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the plurality of scribe lines include four scribe lines forming a rectangle.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising dividing the separated, processed thin substrate into a plurality of display panels.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein separating the processed thin substrate from the carrier substrate further comprises chemically etching a bonding between the thin substrate and the carrier substrate.

16. The method of claim 1, where in the required thickness is 0.5 mm.

17. A method of fabricating a display panel from a thin glass sheet comprising:

oxidizing an area on a first surface of the thin glass sheet;

providing a carrier substrate;

oxidizing an area on a second surface of the carrier substrate;

bonding the thin glass sheet and the carrier substrate in their oxidized areas by annealing;

performing thin film processing on a third surface of the thin glass sheet opposite the first surface; and

separating the processed thin glass sheet from the carrier substrate by cutting along a plurality of scribe lines located on the third surface of the thin glass sheet.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the carrier substrate is a glass substrate.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the thin glass sheet has a thickness less than a required thickness for sustaining thin film processing while a thickness of the bonded thin glass sheet and the carrier substrates is greater than or equal to that the required thickness.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein oxidizing the area of the first surface of the thin glass sheet further comprises depositing a bonding agent on the first surface.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the bonding agent is one of SiO₂, epoxies, silicone adhesives, glass frit bonding, metallization (e.g., solder), acrylics, urethanes, synthetic rubbers, and elastomers.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein oxidizing the area of the second surface of the carrier substrate further comprises depositing a bonding agent on the second surface.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the bonding agent is one of SiO₂, epoxies, silicone adhesives, glass frit bonding, metallization (e.g., solder), acrylics, urethanes, synthetic rubbers, and elastomers.

24. The method of claim 17, wherein cutting along the plurality of scribe lines is performed by water jet cutting.

25. The method of claim 17, wherein cutting along the plurality of scribe lines is performed by laser scribing.