The present disclosure is a 371 of PCT Application No.: PCT/CN2019/075745 filed on Feb. 21, 2019, which claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201810540699.9, filed on May 30, 2018 and entitled “FLEXIBLE SUBSTRATE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING SAME, AND FLEXIBLE ELECTRONIC DEVICE”, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Embodiments of the present disclosure relates to a flexible substrate and a method for manufacturing the same, and a flexible electronic device.

BACKGROUND

With the advancement of semiconductor process technologies, flexible electronic devices have also been greatly developed. The flexible electronic device realizes a curved (bendable) function of the electronic device mainly by integrating electronic components onto a flexible substrate. The flexible electronic device provides the basis for the implementation of devices such as a wearable electronic device, and a flexible display.

For the purpose of maintaining implementation of the functions of the electronic components during the process of bending the substrate, during manufacturing of the flexible electronic device, it is generally necessary to integrate and improve the structures of the electronic components integrated on the flexible substrate, the structures of connection lines, and the like, so as to ensure that the lines and electronic components, which are formed of metal or semiconductor materials, may not be damaged due to mechanical bending when the substrate is bent.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a flexible substrate. The flexible substrate includes a flexible base; a plurality of electronic components disposed on the flexible base, a first gap being formed between each two adjacent electronic components of the plurality of electronic components; and a plurality of metal lines, wherein at least one end of each of the metal lines is connected to the corresponding electronic component, at least a portion of the plurality of metal lines are disposed in the first gap, and a length of each metal line disposed in the first gap is greater than a width of the gap in an extension direction of the metal line; wherein a first filling layer is disposed in the first gap to wrap the metal line disposed in the first gap.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a material of the first filling layer includes a water gel having a Young's modulus of being less than 0.1 MPa.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, a material of the first filling layer includes a polymer material having a viscosity of being less than 10,000 cps.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the plurality of electronic components are a plurality of flexible packages arranged in an array, and two ends of each of the metal lines are connected to the corresponding electronic component adjacent thereto.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, each metal line has protrusions in a direction perpendicular to the flexible base, and the first filling layer is higher than the protrusions on the metal line.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible substrate further includes a protective cover, wherein the protective cover is disposed on one side of the electronic component distal from the flexible base by an adhesive layer, and a second gap is formed between the first filling layer and the adhesive layer.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the second gap is an air gap.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the flexible substrate further includes a second filling layer disposed in the second gap, wherein a material of the second filling layer includes a material having a Young's modulus of being less than 0.1 MPa or a viscosity of being less than 10,000 cps.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, functional particles are disposed in the second filling layer, wherein the functional particles include at least one of scattering particles, light-shielding particles, and heat-dissipating particles.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the heat-dissipating particles include at least one of carbon particles and metallic nanoparticles.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the light-shielding particles are made of a liquid crystal material.

In another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing the flexible substrate. The method includes: disposing a plurality of electronic components on the flexible base, a first gap being formed between each two adjacent electronic components of the plurality of electronic components; disposing a plurality of metal lines on the flexible base, and stretching and restoring the flexible base, such that the length of each metal line disposed in the first gap is greater than the width of the first gap in an extension direction of the metal line; and disposing a first filling layer in the first gap to wrap the metal line in the first gap.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the step of disposing the plurality of metal lines on the flexible base, and stretching and restoring the flexible base, such that the length of each metal line disposed in the first gap is greater than the width of the first gap in the extension direction of the metal line, includes; stretching the flexible base provided with the plurality of electronic components; disposing a plurality of metal lines on the stretched flexible base, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of metal lines are disposed in the first gap, and two ends of each metal line disposed in the first gap are connected to the corresponding electronic component adjacent thereto; and restoring the flexible base to a size before stretching, such that the metal line forms protrusions on the flexible base.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, during arranging the first filling layer, the method further includes: controlling the height of the first filling layer, such that the first filling layer is lower than the electronic component corresponding to the first gap in a direction perpendicular to the flexible base, thereby forming a groove in the first gap; and the method further includes: disposing a protective cover on one side of the electronic component distal from the base, wherein the protective cover is attached to the electronic component by an adhesive layer, such that an air gap is formed at the groove.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the method further includes: filling one side of the first filling layer distal from the base with a material having a Young's modulus greater than 0.1 MPa or a viscosity less than 10,000 cps to form a second filling layer; and disposing a protective cover on one side of the second filling layer distal from the base, wherein the protective cover is attached to the second filling layer and the electronic component by an adhesive layer.

In yet another aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a flexible electronic device. The flexible electronic device includes the above-described flexible substrate.

