Fragile smartphone screens become pain on the minds of users, but the problem or resolved in the next five years. Recently, researchers at queen's university in Canada to make the flexible screen smartphones - ReFlex, the mobile phones can be done by bending distortion screen of various operations. But as a result of the current technology is not enough to achieve batteries and bending of PCB (printed circuit board), ReFlex had to build in the screen up and down two main board and power supply section, lead to mobile phone is very long, the reality use very inconvenient.
Flexible screen because of its low power consumption, flexible features, the application of wearable devices bring far-reaching influence, the future flexible screens will with the constant infiltration of individual intelligent terminal and a wide range of applications. But it is undeniable that the flexible screen mobile phone to reach the level of optional can bend fold might also need time.
The real flexible screens
The obvious advantages compared with the traditional screen, flexible screen more frivolous, not only on the volume and lower power consumption than the original device, help to improve equipment life. At the same time, based on its flexible, good flexibility characteristics, and its durability is also significantly higher than the previous screen, can reduce the probability of equipment accident damage.
Actually in October 9, 2013, samsung is the flexible screen smartphones - Galaxy Round. And in October 2013, LG Display also announced production flexible Display screen for smartphones, size is 6 inches.
As reporter once of the Galaxy in the Round, from the point of configuration, the Galaxy Round mobile phone and samsung Galaxy released after Note3 model, using qualcomm Xiao dragon 800 processor, 3 gb of memory, 2800 mah battery, 13 million pixel lens and Android4.3 system. But the phone did not reach people previously expected bending fold, but using a fixed arc screen technology, the fuselage with screen form all the user do not adjust, curvature radius of 400 mm, user to grip and communication more accord with human body engineering.
In 2015, samsung launched two models using the flexible OLED (organic light emitting diode) the screen mobile phone, samsung Galaxy S6Edge and Galaxy S6Edge +, because the cell phone using the flexible screen, so samsung mobile phone design two curved surface profile screen, users can apply common on the side of the screen, such as telephone application, WeChat applications, music, maps, etc. From the side of the screen that users can directly open the application or select contacts send a text message or make a phone call.
Compared with 2013, samsung flexible screen smartphone has been improved. From the point of current situation, using the flexible OLED screen of mobile phones generally referred to as flexible, such as screen up and down around bend or bending, or add profile screen, make the whole mobile phone looks more three-dimensional.
Advanced flexible screens
Screen manufacturers such as samsung and LG, has been in research and development of bendable flexible screens, but because of the electronic components, is also the commencement of the relevant domestic technology. Chinese academy of engineering professor tu MingJing chongqing liberal arts college with new materials technology research team, has developed the silver nanowires touch screen 4 inches phone prototype and 10 inch tablet, flexible touch screen is a kind of conductive films. Nano silver wire cost is relatively low, and its width is only one over one thousand of a human hair, length can be 15 microns, the future will also be used to hand ring type wearable mobile phones.
Learned, flexible touch screen mobile phones on the market at present, most of the indium tin oxide (ITO) materials. Indium is an expensive rare element material, this kind of material is less and less, the price also is higher and higher. Alternative material graphene, must under the vacuum state production, and also finished product size and efficiency is not high, the cost is higher.
To truly achieve smartphone random bending fold how far is it? ReFlex developers said the mobile phone is expected to be available in the next five years. As a result of current technology is not enough to achieve the battery and the bending of PCB board, the phone had to build in the screen up and down two main board and power supply section, lead to mobile phone is very long, look a bit odd. In other words, in addition to the flexible display technology development, batteries and PCB bending technology will be expected to accelerate.
54, the United States patent and trademark office to apple granted patent information, one of them is collapsible electronic equipment, patent contains folding the mainboard and folding battery, at the same time also can be folded OLED displays. Apple, points out that the technology in the future may be used for iPhone, tablet, Apple Watch or other wearable devices. The patent for the first time were found to be 2013 apple patent application for similar in Europe, in 2015, apple to modify the patent. The market speculation, perhaps in the near future, we may see can be folded in the iPhone or can fit into a pocket to carry it.
Patents does not mean to see real machine in the short term, at this stage, after all, the flexible screen for technical requirements is still very high. Before Apple of flexible screen or conservative, many related to flexible screen Apple has applied for patents, is considered in Apple appear on the Watch, but in fact is not.
Surface can be mass production
At this stage, the display screen to do simple bending is the realistic choice of flexible displays, is also the focus of domestic and foreign manufacturers power. In the field of display screen, samsung and LG relative leading technology, and because the LCD (liquid crystal display) profit decline, LG and samsung are increasing development of their flexible OLED display. Samsung claims that OLED technology is they want to the only growth this year, but they have more on this type of display program.
Domestic manufacturers, late February 29, Beijing Oriental announcement, according to plans to invest 24.5 billion yuan in chengdu on six generations of LTPS/AMOLED (low temperature polycrystalline silicon technology/active matrix organic light emitting diode decent board) production line phase ii project, the main production AMOLED flexible small and medium size panel. On the same day, Beijing Oriental and chengdu city government signed the relevant agreement.
This year, jingdong will launch the flexible and foldable display panel. Internet era, the configuration of portable intelligent mobile terminals will be diverse, in addition to mobile phones, tablets, and intelligent wearable products, intelligent medical new application will appear, such as flexible displays demand is full of imagination. Boe said, "we communicate with customers, we think flexible display demand in 2018 will further revealed."
At the same time, the domestic industry upstream is doing the corresponding technical preparation, Dan state science and technology is focusing on microelectronics flexible interconnection and packaging business, is the world's rare industry chain covers from the substrate, the substrate to the chip packaging enterprise, one of the form from the FCCL (soft copper foil substrate) - FPC (flexible printed circuit board), FCCL - COF package (flip chip film) flexible packaging substrates to COF package complete industrial chain of the products. The company in the past two years become China's largest producer of COF package flexible packaging substrate, global market share of 1.1%, 1.1% respectively, global market share increase steadily, and the world's eighth largest COF package flexible packaging substrate producers.
At present, the mass production of flexible screen also has high cost, such as the limited capacity of the problem. Therefore, the market is expected to scale production and cost down to the dual drive of technology and market.
