Abstract:
Provided is a display device including: a flexible substrate; a display unit disposed on the substrate; and a driver integrated circuit (IC) to drive the display unit. The driver IC is divided into separate blocks that are disposed on opposing sides of a bending axis of the substrate.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2010-0043053, filed on May 7, 2010, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein, by reference. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field 
     One or more aspects of the present invention relate to display devices, and methods of manufacturing the same. 
     2. Description of the Related Art 
     Flexible electronics and flexible display technologies have been developed for use in the manufacturing of display panels, by using flexible plastic substrates. Since a flexible display device has excellent portability and is easily attached to another device, unlike a typical hard-type panel formed on a glass substrate, a flexible display device is likely to suit various new application markets. 
     In general, a plastic substrate or etched glass is used as a substrate, in order to manufacture a flexible display device. In this case, when a display panel flaps or bends, integrated circuits included in the substrate may be damaged. 
     In addition, a driver integrated circuit (IC) for driving pixels in a display panel includes a back wrap for constituting a slim module, and the back wrap should not be damaged when bent or folded. That is, when a slim panel module is inserted into a card or paper, the panel module should not to be damaged along its horizontal or vertical bending axis. 
     SUMMARY 
     One or more aspects of the present invention provide display devices in which internal elements of a driver integrated circuit (IC) are installed into a display panel of a display device, such as an electric card, an electric sheet, an electric passport, or the like. Thus, when such a device is bent in a horizontal or vertical direction, the driver IC may be prevented from being damaged. 
     One or more aspects of the present invention provide methods of manufacturing the display devices. 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display device including: a substrate; a display panel disposed on the substrate; and a driver integrated circuit (IC) for driving the display panel, wherein the driver IC is disposed along a bending axis of the substrate. 
     According to various embodiments, the driver IC may be divided into functional blocks, wherein the functional blocks are arranged along opposing sides of the bending axis. 
     According to various embodiments, the functional blocks may include at least one of a scan block, a data block, a power generating block, and a memory block. 
     According to various embodiments, the bending axis may extend along the substrate in a horizontal and/or vertical direction. 
     According to various embodiments, the device may be an electric card, an electric passport, or an electric sheet. 
     According to various embodiments, the display panel may be an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel. 
     According to various embodiments, the functional blocks may be connected to each other by metal wiring. 
     According to various embodiments, the driver IC may have a square or circular shape. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display device including: a flexible substrate; a display panel disposed on the substrate; and a driver integrated circuit (IC) for driving the display panel. The driver IC is divided into functional blocks, including at least one of a scan block, a data block, a power generating block, and a memory block. The functional blocks are arranged along a bending axis of the substrate. 
     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a display device, the method including providing a display panel; dividing a driver integrated circuit (IC) into functional blocks; and arranging the functional blocks along opposing sides of a bending axis of the substrate. 
     According to various embodiments, the functional blocks may include at least one of a scan block, a data block, a power generating block, and a memory block. 
     According to various embodiments, the bending axis may extend along the substrate in a horizontal or vertical direction. 
     According to various embodiments, the device may include at least one of an electric card, an electric passport, and an electric sheet. 
     According to various embodiments, the functional blocks may be connected to each other by metal wiring. 
     According to various embodiments, the display panel may be an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel. 
     Additional aspects and/or advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       These and/or other aspects and advantages of the invention will become apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of the exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, of which: 
         FIGS. 1A and 1B  are diagrams of an electric card including a display device, and the display device, respectively; 
         FIGS. 2A and 2B  are diagrams of cases where the electric card of  FIG. 1A  is bent in an X-axis direction, and a Y-direction axis, respectively; 
         FIG. 3  is a block diagram of a driver integrated circuit (IC), according to an embodiment of the present invention; 
         FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention; and 
         FIG. 5  is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a display device, according to an embodiment of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to the like elements throughout. The exemplary embodiments are described below, in order to explain the aspects of the present invention, by referring to the figures. 
       FIGS. 1A and 1B  are diagrams of an electric card including a display device  100 , and the display device  100 , respectively. In  FIG. 1A , a card-type module (electric card), into which the display device  100  is installed, is illustrated. As shown, the location of the display device  100  is indicated by the dashed circle. The card-type module includes a flexible substrate having indicia (i.e., name, date of birth, citizenship). The location of the display device  100  is not limited to the location shown in  FIG. 1A , and may be any suitable location. While shown in the context of a card-type module, it is understood that the display device  100  could be mounted on the pages of a book or magazine, and/or wrapped into shape. 
     In  FIG. 1B , the display device  100  includes a display panel  110 , a driver integrated circuit (IC)  120 , and an external inactive unit  130 . The display panel  110  is a flexible display panel, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel, or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel, and may be an OLED panel for easily embodying a flexible and slim structure. 
       FIGS. 2A and 2B  are diagrams of cases where the electric card of  FIG. 1A  is bent (compressed) in an X-axis (lengthwise) direction, and is bent (compressed) in a Y-direction axis (widthwise) direction, respectively. Referring to  FIG. 2A , when a force is exerted in the X-axis direction, the electric card is vertically bent. A driver IC as well as a display panel may be damaged by such bending. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2B , when a force is exerted in a Y-axis direction, the electric card is horizontally bent. The driver IC as well as the display panel may be damaged by such bending. 
     As shown in  FIGS. 2A and 2B , if a flexible display device, instead of a flat display device, is installed into a device such as an electric card, an electric passport, or an electric sheet (as in a book, magazine, newspaper, or the like), when the device is bent, the display device is also bent. However, a driver IC for driving the display panel may be damaged by such bending. 
       FIG. 3  is a block diagram of the driver IC  120 , according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 3 , the driver IC  120  is divided into four functional blocks. The functional blocks may collectively be a one-chip driver IC including a scan block  121 , a data block  122 , a power generating block  123 , and a memory block  124 , as shown, but the present invention is not limited thereto. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the driver IC  120  includes the four functional blocks. However, the driver IC  120  is not limited to any particular number or types of functional blocks. 
     The scan block  121  provides a gate control signal for driving a gate transistor in a pixel of the display panel  110 . In this case, the display panel  110  may be, for example, an amorphous silicon gate (ASG) panel, or a low temperature poly silicon (LTPS) panel. The display panel  110  may include a gate shift register block. Thus, the scan block  121  of the driver IC  120  may output a signal for controlling the gate shift register of the scan block  121 . 
     The data block  122  may include source drivers for respectively outputting image data signals, that is, red (R) green (G) blue (B) image data signals, to the display panel  110 , a gamma adjusting circuit, a gray voltage generating circuit, and the like. The power supplying block  123  supplies power to the functional blocks  121  through  124  of the driver IC  120 , and the display panel  110 . 
     The memory block  124  includes a timing unit, a graphic random access memory (RAM), a power controller, a microcontroller unit (MCU) interface, and the like. The timing unit generates timing signals for operating the scan block  121  and the data block  122 . The power controller outputs a power supply controlling signal. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, the functional blocks  121  through  124  all constitute ICs. In addition, the functional blocks  121  through  124  are connected to each other be metal wiring. Typically, functional blocks are collectively arranged on a one-chip board. However, according to the present embodiment, the functional blocks  121  through  124  are each integrated on respective boards. The boards are connected to each other by metal wiring, and are installed in the display panel. It is also understood that such connections may be established through other mechanisms, including other types of conductive wiring. 
       FIG. 4  is a schematic diagram of a display device  100 , according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 4 , functional blocks  121  through  124  of a driver IC  120  are arranged along a bending axis of the display device  100 . In this case, the functional blocks  121  through  124  include the scan block  121 , the data block  122 , the power generating block  123 , and the memory block  124 . The functional blocks  121  through  124  are not limited to the shown arrangement and may be in other arrangements. 
     As shown in  FIG. 4 , the bending axis includes a horizontal (lengthwise) reference line  410 , a vertical (widthwise) reference line  420 , and an intersection  430  between the horizontal reference line  410  and the vertical reference line  420 . Thus, the functional blocks  121  through  124  are arranged so as to be unaffected by the bending of the device  100  in the horizontal and/or vertical direction, about the reference lines  410  and  420 . For example, in order to prevent the driver IC  120  from being damaged by bending along the horizontal reference line  410 , the functional blocks  121  and  122  are arranged above the horizontal reference line  410 , and the functional blocks  123  and  124  are arranged below the horizontal reference line  410 . In addition, in consideration of the influence of the bending along the vertical reference line  420 , the functional blocks  122  and  124  are arranged to the left of the vertical reference line  420 , and the functional blocks  121  and  123  are arranged to the right of the vertical reference line  420 . While shown with two reference lines, it is understood that the functional blocks could be arranged around other numbers of reference lines, and that the reference lines could be for diagonal and/or non-orthogonal axes. 
     The functional blocks  121  through  124  may be arranged as shown in  FIG. 4 , or may be arranged according to the functions and relationships therebetween. In addition, the horizontal reference line  410  and the vertical reference line  420  may be determined according to a bending direction of a particular type of display device  100 , a location of the display device  100 , and the like. 
     According to an embodiment of the present invention, the device is the electric card, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the device may be any device including a flexible display device, such as an electric passport, or an electric sheet. The display panel includes a LCD or OLED panel, and may be an OLED panel for easily embodying a flexible and slim structure. In  FIG. 4 , the functional blocks  121  through  124  have a rectangular shape, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto, and may have another shape, for example, a circular shape. 
       FIG. 5  is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a display device, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Referring to  FIG. 5 , in operation  500 , individual components constituting a driver IC are prepared. In this case, the individual components may include components integrated with the driver IC for driving a display panel, such as a scan signal generating circuit, a data signal generating circuit, a gamma correction circuit, a power voltage generating circuit, a timing generating circuit, and the like. 
     In operation  502 , the individual components are positioned according to their functions. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the individual components are largely divided into a scan block, a data block, a power generating block, and a memory block. 
     In operation  504 , the four functional blocks are integrated with each other. In operation  506 , the functional blocks are installed into a display panel. In this case, the display panel includes a LCD or OLED panel, and may be an ASG or LTPS panel. In addition, the integrated functional blocks are arranged along a bending axis of a device into which a display panel  110  is installed. The functional blocks are connected to each other through metal wiring. As described above, the functional blocks are arranged along the bending axis, in order to prevent the driver IC from being damaged by the bending along one or more bending axes. 
     As described above, according to the one or more embodiments of the present invention, internal elements of a driver IC are divided according to their functions, and are installed into a display panel. Thus, although a device including a display device, such as an electric card, an electric sheet, an electric passport, or the like, is bent in a horizontal or vertical direction, the driver IC may be prevented from being damaged. 
     While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims.