Distortion tolerant processing
View Patent ↗An integrated circuit (IC) for driving a flexible display includes a first layer including spatially non-repetitive features, the first layer deposited on a flexible substrate, the spatially non-repetitive features not substantially regularly repeating in both of two orthogonal directions (x,y) in the plane of the substrate. The IC further includes a second layer including spatially repetitive features with the second layer being deposited on said first layer. The first and second layers are aligned to one another so as to allow electrical coupling between said non-repetitive and said repetitive features, and wherein distortion compensation is applied during deposition of said repetitive features to enable said alignment.
1. An integrated circuit (IC) for driving a flexible display, comprising:
a first layer comprising a pattern of first features, said first layer being deposited on a flexible substrate, and wherein said first features comprise one or more of data lines, interconnects for thin film transistors. flexible connectors, test patterns, and alignment marks, and wherein said first features comprise:
a first set of first features regularly repeating in only a first direction in the plane of the substrate; and
a second set of first features regularly repeating in only a second direction in the plane of the substrate, the second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and a
second layer comprising a pattern of repetitive second features as an array, said second layer being deposited on said first layer, wherein said second features comprise one or more of source, drain and gate electrodes for thin film transistors, and wherein said pattern of the second laver is deposited by depositing a material and patterning said material using a step and repeat mask-based process to:
deposit and pattern a first set of the second features in a first area of the second layer;
translate said substrate from a first position at which said first set of the second features is depositable to a second position at which a second set of the second features is depositable in a second area of the second lager;
deposit and pattern said second set of the second features in said second area; and repeat said step and repeat deposition process to deposit and second features;
wherein said first and second layers are aligned to one another so as to allow electrical coupling between said first and second features, and
wherein the mask is configured such that the first area is smaller than the entire array and the second area is smaller than the entire array wherein each of said first and second areas are locally aligned to apply local distortion compensation during deposition of said pattern of repetitive second features to enable said alignment.
2. An integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said first features are deposited along an edge portion of said first layer.
3. An integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said second features on said second layer are electrically coupled to said first features on said first layer by via connectors between said second and first layers.
4. An integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said first features are deposited on the lowest layer of said substrate.
5. An integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said first layer further comprises second features, and wherein said second features are coupled to said first features.
6. An integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein one or both of said second and first features comprises an organic solution-processed polymer semiconductor.
7. An integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said flexible substrate comprises polyethyleneterephtalate (PET) or polyethylenenaphtalene (PEN).
8. An integrated circuit according to claim 1 , wherein said integrated circuit is an active matrix driver for driving a flexible display.
9. A display incorporating an integrated circuit according to claim 1 .