IP Library Granted Patent US 12,276,774
Granted Patent B2
US 12,276,774 · App. 17/618,404 · Granted Apr 15, 2025

Polyester protection film for flexible display device

Inventors: Young Min Heo (Gyeonggi-do, KR); Gun Uk Kim (Gyeonggi-do, KR); Sechul Lee (Gyeonggi-do, KR); Jin-Seok Park (Gyeonggi-do, KR)
Assignee: SK MICROWORKS CO., LTD.
G02B1/14B32B7/023G02B1/11
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,276,774
App. No.
17/618,404
Granted
Apr 15, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A protection film according to an embodiment implements a very low reflectivity through a multilayer structure of which the refractive index is controlled and does not cause whitening and cracking to occur even in the case of frequent bending or folding thereof. Accordingly, the protection film is applied to a flexible display device, and especially to a cover of a foldable display device, thereby showing excellent optical and mechanical characteristics.

Claims (24)

1. A laminate, which comprises a transparent cover for a flexible display device; and a protection film comprising a base layer disposed on the transparent cover and comprising a polyester resin; and a primer layer disposed on the base layer, wherein the protection film has a reflectance of 5% or less for light having a wavelength of 550 nm, the strain until whitening occurs in the transparent cover and the base layer is 10% or more, and the following Relationship (1) is satisfied:

0.7≤ n 2/ n 1≤1.0  (1)

in the above relationship, n1 and n2 refer to the refractive indices of the base layer and the primer layer, respectively,

when a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to each other in the plane are defined, satisfies the following Relationships (11) to (13) at 25° C.:

0.7≤ m 2/ m 1≤1.3  (11)

0.5≤ m 1/ m 3≤0.9  (12)

0.4≤ m 2/ m 4≤0.9  (13)

in the above relationships, m1 and m2 are the moduli of the base layer in the first direction and in the second direction, respectively, and m3 and m4 are the moduli of the transparent cover in the first direction and in the second direction, respectively.

2. The laminate of claim 1 , wherein the base layer, when a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to each other in the plane are defined, has a ratio (m2/m1) of the modulus (m2) in the second direction to the modulus (m1) in the first direction of 0.7 to 1.3 at 25° C., withstands 100 times or more of repeated folding at an angle of 135° until it is broken, and has an in-plane retardation (Ro) of 600 nm or less and a thickness direction retardation (Rth) of 4,000 nm or more.

3. The laminate of claim 2 , wherein both m1 and m2 are 4.5 GPa or less at 25° C.

4. The laminate of claim 1 , which further satisfies the following Relationship (2):

0≤ n 1− n 2≤0.10  (2)

in the above relationship, n1 and n2 refer to the refractive indices of the base layer and the primer layer, respectively.

5. The laminate of claim 1 , which further comprises a hard coating layer disposed on the primer layer and further satisfies the following Relationships (3) to (5):

n 3< n 2< n 1  (3)

0.05≤ n 1− n 3<0.20  (4)

0< n 2− n 3≤0.13  (5)

in the above relationships, n1, n2, and n3 refer to the refractive indices of the base layer, the primer layer, and the hard coating layer, respectively.

6. The laminate of claim 5 , wherein the base layer has a refractive index (n1) of 1.61 to 1.69 and a thickness of 20 μm to 60 μm, the primer layer has a refractive index (n2) of 1.54 to 1.63 and a thickness of 20 nm to 120 nm, and the hard coating layer has a refractive index (n3) of 1.50 to 1.53 and a thickness of 1 μm to 5 μm.

7. The laminate of claim 5 , which further comprises a first refractive layer disposed on the hard coating layer and a second refractive layer disposed on the first refractive layer and further satisfies the following Relationships (6) and (7):

n 5< n 3< n 2< n 1< n 4  (6)

0.25≤ n 4− n 5≤0.60  (7)

in the above relationships, n1, n2, n3, n4, and n5 refer to the refractive indices of the base layer, the primer layer, the hard coating layer, the first refractive layer, and the second refractive layer, respectively.

8. The laminate of claim 7 , wherein the base layer has a refractive index (n1) of 1.61 to 1.69 and a thickness of 20 μm to 60 μm, the primer layer has a refractive index (n2) of 1.54 to 1.63 and a thickness of 20 nm to 120 nm, the hard coating layer has a refractive index (n3) of 1.50 to 1.53 and a thickness of 1 μm to 5 μm, the first refractive layer has a refractive index (n4) of 1.60 to 1.75 and a thickness of 60 nm to 800 nm, and the second refractive layer has a refractive index (n5) of 1.25 to 1.35 and a thickness of 80 nm to 120 nm.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jan 13, 2026
From: SK MICROWORKS CO. LTD.
To: MICROWORKS CO. LTD.
Reel/Frame 074306/0727 →
CORRECTIVE ASSIGNMENT TO CORRECT THE THE ASSIGNMENT DOCUMENT PREVIOUSLY RECORDED AT REEL: 063240 FRAME: 0192. ASSIGNOR(S) HEREBY CONFIRMS THE ASSIGNMENT. Recorded Dec 8, 2023
From: SKC CO., LTD.
To: SK MICROWORKS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 065841/0822 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 3, 2023
From: SKC CO., LTD.
To: SK MICROWORKS CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 063240/0192 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 10, 2021
From: HEO, YOUNG MIN; KIM, GUN UK; LEE, SECHUL; PARK, JIN-SEOK
To: SKC CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 058365/0545 →