Patent Description:
An X-ray device converts an X-ray into visible light through a scintillator. Then, a sensing panel in the X-ray device senses the visible light and further converts the same into an image corresponding to the light intensity distribution of the visible light. Generally speaking, an X-ray device may include a scintillator, a sensing panel, a flexible board, and a circuit board, among other components. These components are usually bonded together through bonding processes. However, being numerous and complicated, the bonding processes tend to cause difficulty in achieving requirements such as high yield rate, low cost, or light weight of the X-ray device. Attention is drawn to <CIT> describing various designs to mitigate or solve limitation on the bendability of an active matrix backplanes: including breaking large rigid silicon chips (ICs) into smaller rigid ICs, changing the orientation of rigid ICs, changing the placement of the ICs on the array, thinning the ICs to the point where the Si is flexible, and replacing the ICs with high quality TFT processing which can be done on flexible substrates. Further attention is drawn to <CIT> describing a radiation image capturing device provided with: a sensor substrate including a flexible base material and a plurality of pixels that accumulates electrical charges generated by radiation; a flexible first cable having one end electrically connected to a connection region; a first circuit substrate which is electrically connected to the other end of the first cable and on which is mounted a first circuit unit that is electrically connected to the other end of the first cable and that is operated when reading the electrical charges accumulated in the plurality of pixels. Attention is also drawn to <CIT> describing an intraoral sensor comprising: a sensor panel for generating an electrical signal by detecting x-rays; an elasticity adjustment member, which is placed in the rear of the sensor panel and restricts elasticity of the sensor panel; a wireless communication circuit, which is placed in the rear of the elasticity adjustment member, transmits an electric signal generated by the sensor panel to an external console according to a wireless communication scheme, and receives a signal transmitted through a wireless communication from the console; and a battery module, which is placed in the rear of the elasticity adjustment member and supplies power. Attention is also drawn to <CIT> describing a flexible X-ray sensing device and a detector. The sensing device comprises a TFT image sensor panel, a flexible scintillator layer and transverse rigid supporting plates; a substrate of the TFT image sensor panel is a flexible substrate; the scintillator layer is fixed on the upper surface of the TFT image sensor panel; and the transverse rigid supporting plates are longitudinally arranged along the TFT image sensor panel and are adhered to the lower surface of the substrate. The detector comprises the sensing device and a driving circuit; the driving circuit comprises a reading circuit and scanning driving chips; the reading circuit and the supporting plates are arranged on the longitudinal side of the TFT image sensor panel in parallel; and the scanning driving chips are positioned at the transverse ends of the supporting plates, and include the scanning driving chips opposite to different supporting plates in position respectively and connected in series longitudinally. The sensing device and the detector provided by the invention solve the problem that an existing flat panel detector can only perform imaging on plane projection, so that X-ray imaging of the detector attached to a curved surface is realized. Attention is also drawn to <CIT> describing an image sensor array formed on a flexible first substrate which is supported by a flexible second substrate attached thereto. The second substrate has a top surface with an adhesive thereon for attaching the substrates together. The adhesive is on a portion of the second substrate directly beneath the image sensor array to allow selective formation of the second substrate. Attention is also drawn to <CIT> describing a digital X-ray detector. The digital X-ray detector includes a polymeric substrate. The digital X-ray detector also include a detector array configured to generate image data based on incident X-ray radiation disposed on the polymeric substrate, wherein the polymeric substrate extends beyond an edge of the detector array. The digital X-ray detector further includes scan electronics and readout electronics configured to acquire image data from the detector array, wherein the scan electronics, the readout electronics, or both the scan electronics and the readout electronics are directly disposed on the polymeric substrate.

The disclosure provides an X-ray device according to claim <NUM>, which helps to improve yield rate, reduce cost, or achieve light weight.

According to the embodiments of the disclosure, the X-ray device includes a flexible substrate, a driver integrated circuit, and a scintillator layer. The flexible substrate includes an array portion and an extension portion. The driver integrated circuit is disposed on the flexible substrate. The scintillator layer is disposed on the flexible substrate, and the extension portion comprises a plurality of gaps near a boundary of the array portion.

Based on the foregoing, in the embodiments of the disclosure, the driver integrated circuit and the scintillator layer are disposed on the flexible substrate. That is to say, the flexible substrate may integrate components such as the sensing panel, the flexible board, and the circuit boards. Therefore, the complicated bonding process can be simplified, which helps to improve the yield rate, reduce the cost, or achieve light weight.

To make the aforementioned more comprehensible, several embodiments accompanied with drawings are described in detail as follows.

The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

The disclosure may be understood with reference to the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, for ease of understanding by readers and conciseness of the drawings, a plurality of drawings in the disclosure merely show a part of an electronic device, and specific elements in the drawings are not drawn to scale. Besides, the number and dimension of each element in the drawings merely serve as an exemplar instead of limiting the scope of the disclosure. For example, a relative dimension, thickness, and position of each film layer, region, and/or structure may be reduced or enlarged for the sake of clarity.

Some terms are used to refer to specific elements throughout the whole specification and the appended claims in the disclosure. A person skilled in the art should understand that an electronic device manufacturer may use different names to refer to the same elements. This specification is not intended to distinguish elements that have the same functions but different names. In the specification and the claims hereinafter, terms such as "have", "include", and "comprise" are open-ended terms, and should be interpreted as "including, but not limited to".

The directional terms mentioned herein, like "above", "below", "front", "back', "left", "right", and the like, refer only to the directions in the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the directional terms are used for explaining instead of limiting the disclosure. It should be understood that when an element or film layer is referred to as being disposed "on", or "connected to" another element or film layer, the element or film layer may be directly on or connected to said another element or film layer, or intervening elements or film layers may also be present (nondirect circumstances). In contrast, when an element or film layer is referred to as being "directly on" or "directly connected to" another element, no intervening elements or film layers are present. Besides, when an element or film layer is referred to as "overlapping" another element, the element or film layer at least partially overlaps said another element or film layer.

The terms "about", "approximately", "substantially" or "substantially" mentioned herein typically represents that a value is in a range within <NUM>% of a given value, or a range within <NUM>%, <NUM>%, <NUM>%, <NUM>%, or <NUM>% of a given value. Besides, the terms "the given range is from the first value to the second value" and "the given range falls within the range of the first value to the second value" mean that the given range includes the first value, the second value and other values in between.

In some embodiments in the disclosure, terms such as "connect", "interconnect", etc. regarding bonding and connection, unless specifically defined, can mean that two structures are in direct contact, or that two structures are not in direct contact, and there are other structures provided between these two structures. The terms of bonding and connection may also include the case where both structures are movable or both structures are fixed. In addition, the terms "electrical connect" and "couple" include any direct and indirect electrical connection means.

In the following embodiments, identical or similar reference numerals will be adopted for identical or similar elements, and repeated description thereof will be omitted. Besides, the features in the different exemplary embodiments may be used in combination with each other without departing from or conflicting with the disclosure, and simple equivalent variations and modifications made in accordance with this specification or the claims are still within the scope of the disclosure. That is, the following embodiments may replace, recombine, and mix technical features in several different embodiments to achieve other embodiments without departing of the disclosure. Moreover, "first", "second", and similar terms mentioned in the specification or the claims are merely used to name discrete elements or to differentiate among different embodiments or ranges. Therefore, the terms should not be regarded as limiting an upper limit or a lower limit of the quantity of the elements and should not be used to limit the manufacturing sequence or arrangement sequence of elements.

<FIG> is a schematic cross-sectional view of an X-ray device according to an embodiment according to the disclosure. <FIG> is a schematic top view of the sensing structure in <FIG> in a flattened state. A top view direction referred to in the disclosure may be, for example, a z direction.

With reference to <FIG>, an X-ray device <NUM> may include a sensing structure <NUM>. The sensing structure <NUM> may include a flexible substrate <NUM>, a scintillator layer <NUM>, a supporting plate <NUM>, a driver integrated circuit <NUM>, and a driver integrated circuit <NUM>. The flexible substrate <NUM> of the presently claimed invention includes an array portion <NUM> and an extension portion <NUM>. A boundary 102A may be a line at the junction between the array portion <NUM> and the extension portion <NUM>. The driver integrated circuit <NUM> and/or the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be disposed on the flexible substrate <NUM>. The scintillator layer <NUM> of the presently claimed invention is disposed on the flexible substrate <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the array portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM> may include a plurality of sensing units (not shown) and a plurality of circuits (not shown) electrically connected to the sensing units. In some embodiments, the sensing units may be arranged in an array to generate images. At least one sensing unit may include one or more switching elements and one or more sensing elements electrically connected to the one or more switching elements. The switching element, for example, may include, but is not limited to, a thin film transistor, such as a top gate, bottom gate, or dual gate or double gate thin film transistor that includes amorphous silicon, low temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) or metal oxide. In some embodiments, different thin film transistors may include the above different semiconductor materials. The sensing element is adapted to sense visible light and generate an electronic signal corresponding to light intensity of the visible light. For example, the sensing element may include a photodiode. Nonetheless, the arrangement of the sensing units, the number of switching elements included in each sensing unit, the number of sensing elements included in each sensing unit, the kind of switching element, or the kind of photosensitive element may be changed depending on requirements, and is not limited thereto. The circuit electrically connected to the sensing unit may include a data line (not shown) and a gate line (not shown). For example, in a case where the switching element is an active component, the gate line may be electrically connected to a gate of the active component, the data line may be electrically connected to a source of the active component, and a drain of the active component may be electrically connected to the sensing element. Nonetheless, the above-mentioned electrical connection may be changed in accordance with the number and/or kind of the sensing element and/or the switching element, and is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM> may be bent to a back side of the array portion <NUM>, so that the X-ray device <NUM> has a narrow bezel design. For example, the extension portion <NUM> may at least partially overlap the array portion <NUM> in a normal direction of the supporting plate <NUM> (e.g., the z direction), and the circuit originally disposed on the periphery of the array portion <NUM> may instead be disposed in the extension portion <NUM>, which reduces the peripheral space of the array portion <NUM> and achieves the narrow bezel design. In some embodiments, the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM> may be a portion extending from the boundary 102A of the array portion <NUM> along an x direction and/or a y direction. In some embodiments, the x direction may be a direction substantially parallel to an extending direction of the gate line in the array portion <NUM>, and the y direction may be a direction substantially parallel to an extending direction of the data line in the array portion <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the material of the flexible substrate <NUM>, for example, may include, but is not limited to, glass, quartz, sapphire, polyimide (PI), polycarbonate (PC), or polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or a combination thereof.

In the presently claimed invention, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and/or the driver integrated circuit <NUM> are/is disposed on the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM>. With reference to <FIG>, in an embodiment, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be disposed in the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM> that extends from the boundary 102A of the array portion <NUM> along the y direction, and the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be disposed in the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM> that extends from a side of the array portion <NUM> along the x direction, where the x direction and the y direction are different directions. Wirings (not shown) electrically connected to the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and/or the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and the element modules <NUM> may be disposed in the extension portion <NUM>. Nonetheless, the disclosure is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, a part of the wirings electrically connected to the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and/or the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and the element modules <NUM> may be partially disposed on the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM>, and another part of the wirings may be disposed on the array portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM>. Specifically, in the flexible substrate <NUM>, the extension portion <NUM> may include a circuit extending from the array portion <NUM> to the extension portion <NUM>, so that components (e.g., the sensing unit) of the array portion <NUM> can be electrically connected with the components (e.g., the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and/or the driver integrated circuit <NUM>) of the extension portion <NUM>. In yet another embodiment, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be disposed in the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM> that extends from a side of the array portion <NUM> along the x direction, and the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be disposed in the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM> that extends from a side of the array portion <NUM> along the y direction.

In accordance with the design requirements of the X-ray device <NUM>, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> or the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be electrically connected to different circuits. In an embodiment, if the driver integrated circuit <NUM> is electrically connected to the data line, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be a read out integrated circuit (ROIC); if the driver integrated circuit <NUM> is electrically connected to the gate line, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be a gate driver integrated circuit, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be electrically connected to the gate line; and the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be electrically connected to the data line. The driver integrated circuit <NUM> and the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be same as or different from each other. With reference to <FIG>, notably, two different observation directions may be shown in <FIG>, and according to the different observation directions, the driver integrated circuit may represent different driver integrated circuits. That is to say, if observed from an observation direction A in <FIG>, the driver integrated circuit in <FIG> is the driver integrated circuit <NUM>; if observed from the observation direction B in <FIG>, the driver integrated circuit in <FIG> is the driver integrated circuit <NUM>.

In the presently claimed invention, the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM> include a plurality of gaps <NUM> near the boundary (e.g. the boundary 102A) of the array portion <NUM>. In this way, when the extension portion <NUM> is bent to the back side of the array portion <NUM>, stress generated at the bending portion of the flexible substrate <NUM> are reduced, thereby improving the quality or the yield rate of the process. Nonetheless, the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other examples not forming part of, but useful for understanding, the presently claimed invention, the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM> may as well not include the plurality of gaps <NUM> near the boundary of the array portion <NUM>. In some embodiments, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and/or the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be disposed between two adjacent gaps <NUM>, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. Notably, the plurality of gaps <NUM> shown in <FIG> are merely an example of the disclosure, and the disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the shape, the number, the density, or the arrangement of the plurality of gaps <NUM> may not be limited.

In some embodiments, the scintillator layer <NUM> may be disposed corresponding to a sensing area in the array portion <NUM>. For example, the scintillator layer <NUM> may at least partially overlap the sensing area in the array portion <NUM> in the normal direction (e.g., the z direction) of the supporting plate <NUM>. In some embodiments, the material of the scintillator layer <NUM> may include but is not limited to CsI. In other embodiments, the material of the scintillator layer <NUM> may include other kinds of inorganic scintillators or organic scintillators adapted to convert the X-rays incident into the X-ray device <NUM> into visible light. In some embodiments, the scintillator layer <NUM> may be formed on the flexible substrate <NUM> through a deposition process. The deposition process may include but is not limited to an evaporation process.

The supporting plate <NUM> may be disposed on the array portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM>; in other words, the supporting plate <NUM> and the array portion <NUM> are correspondingly disposed. Specifically, in the normal direction of the supporting plate <NUM>, the supporting plate <NUM> at least partially overlap the array portion <NUM>, and the supporting plate <NUM> and the scintillator layer <NUM> are disposed on different sides of the flexible substrate <NUM>. In this way, when other film layers are formed on the array portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM>, these other film layers are not susceptible to deformation due to external forces during manufacturing, so that the film layers (e.g. the scintillator layer <NUM>) formed on the flexible substrate <NUM> well exhibits flatness or stability, which helps to improve the yield rate. In some embodiments, the supporting plate <NUM> may be a hard supporting plate. For example, the material of the supporting plate <NUM> may include but is not limited to glass, ceramic, or stainless steel. In some embodiment, with reference to <FIG>, in the top view direction, the array portion <NUM> may be defined as the portion overlapped with the supporting plate <NUM>. For example, the boundary 102A may be the line at the junction between the array portion <NUM> and the extension portion <NUM>, and may also be the boundary of the supporting plate <NUM>. Those portions not overlapped with the supporting plate <NUM> may be defined as the extension portion <NUM>.

In some embodiments, the X-ray device <NUM> may also include the element modules <NUM>. The arrangement and/or the number of the element modules <NUM> may be changed depending on requirements. In some embodiments, the element modules <NUM> may include a passive component, such as a capacitor, a resistor, or an inductor. The element modules <NUM> may be disposed on the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM>. In some embodiments, the element modules <NUM> may be mounted on the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM> through surface mounting technology (SMT). In this way, a circuit board including the element modules may be omitted, which helps to improve the yield rate, reduce the cost, or achieve light weight. Nonetheless, the disclosure is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the X-ray device <NUM> may also include a housing <NUM>. The housing <NUM> may surround the flexible substrate <NUM>. Specifically, with reference to <FIG>, the housing <NUM> may include a light entering portion 12A and a carrying portion 12B. The light entering portion 12A is disposed on a light entering side of the X-ray device <NUM>. The X-rays (e.g., arrows X shown in <FIG>) enter the X-ray device <NUM> through the light entering portion 12A. The material of the light entering portion 12A, for example, may include but is not limited to carbon fibers. The carrying portion 12B is connected to the light entering portion 12A, and the carrying portion 12B and the light entering portion 12A define a space S that accommodates at least the sensing structure <NUM>. That is to say, the space S accommodates at least the flexible substrate <NUM>, the driver integrated circuit <NUM>, the driver integrated circuit <NUM>, and the scintillator layer <NUM>. The material of the carrying portion 12B may be any material suitable for carrying the sensing structure <NUM>, and is not limited herein.

Hereinafter, <FIG> serves as an example for illustrating a method for manufacturing the sensing structure, but the disclosure is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the sensing structure <NUM> may be manufactured through the following steps. First, the flexible substrate <NUM> including the array portion <NUM> and the extension portion <NUM> is provided. The flexible substrate <NUM> may include the scintillator layer <NUM> formed in the array portion <NUM>. Next, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and/or the driver integrated circuit <NUM> are formed on the extension portion <NUM> and/or the array portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM>. After that, the element modules <NUM> are formed in the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM>. In some embodiments, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and/or the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be formed on the flexible substrate <NUM> through a bonding process. In some embodiments, the element modules <NUM> may be mounted on the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate <NUM> through surface mounting technology.

<FIG> is a schematic top view of a sensing structure in a flattened state according to another example useful for understanding, but not forming part of, the presently claimed invention. <FIG> is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sensing structure in the X-ray device in <FIG>. A sensing structure <NUM> in <FIG> is substantially the same as the sensing structure <NUM> in <FIG>. The difference lies in that, unlike the presently claimed invention, the extension portion <NUM> of a flexible substrate 100A does not include the plurality of gaps <NUM> near the boundary of the array portion <NUM> (e.g., the boundary 102A), and that the sensing structure <NUM> also includes a carrier <NUM>. Identical or similar reference numerals are employed for the remaining identical or similar components, and the connection relationships, the materials, and the manufacturing process of the remaining components have been described in detail in the foregoing, and thus will not be repeatedly described hereinafter. Notably, although the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate 100A shown in <FIG> does not include the plurality of gaps <NUM> near the boundary of the array portion <NUM>, this is merely one of the embodiments of the disclosure. In another embodiment, according to the presently claimed invention, the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate 100A includes the plurality of gaps <NUM> near the boundary of the array portion <NUM>.

With reference to <FIG>, the sensing structure <NUM> in an X-ray device <NUM> may also include the carrier <NUM>. In some embodiments, the carrier <NUM> may be disposed on the extension portion <NUM>, and the carrier <NUM> and the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and/or the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be disposed on different sides of the flexible substrate 100A. For example, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and/or the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be disposed on a surface 100A1 of the flexible substrate 100A, and the carrier <NUM> may be disposed on a surface 100A2 of the flexible substrate 100A, where the surface 100A1 and the surface 100A2 are different surfaces, and the surface 100A1 and the surface 100A2 are disposed correspondingly. In another embodiment, the carrier <NUM> may be a part of component that remains during the manufacturing process in which the X-ray device <NUM> is formed. That is to say, during the manufacturing process of the X-ray device <NUM>, the flexible substrate 100A may first be disposed on the carrier <NUM>, and then components such as the scintillator layer <NUM>, the driver integrated circuit <NUM>, or the driver integrated circuit <NUM> are disposed on the flexible substrate 100A. After that, laser lift-off, for example, may be adopted to partially peel the carrier <NUM> from the flexible substrate 100A, and the carrier <NUM> disposed on the extension portion <NUM> remains. Thereby, other layers formed or other components (e.g. the element module <NUM>, the driver integrated circuit <NUM>, or the driver integrated circuit <NUM>) disposed on the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate 100A are not susceptible to deformation due to external forces, so that the extension portion <NUM> well exhibits flatness or stability is increased for other film layers formed or other components (e.g. the element module <NUM>, the driver integrated circuit <NUM>, or the driver integrated circuit <NUM>) disposed on the extension portion <NUM>, which helps to improve yield rate. In some embodiments, the carrier <NUM> may be a hard/rigid carrier. For example, the material of the carrier <NUM> may include but is not limited to glass, ceramic, or stainless steel. In some embodiments, with reference to <FIG>, the boundary (e.g., a boundary 104A) of the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate 100A may be substantially aligned with the boundary of the carrier <NUM>, but the disclosure is not limited to this. In another embodiment, the boundary of the carrier <NUM> may protrude from the boundary 104A of the extension portion <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic top view of another embodiment sensing structure in a flattened state according to an example useful for understanding, but not forming part of, the presently claimed invention. <FIG> is a schematic cross-sectional view of the sensing structure in the X-ray device taken along line A-A' in <FIG>. A sensing structure <NUM> in <FIG> is substantially the same as the sensing structure <NUM> in <FIG>. The difference lies in that the extension portion <NUM> of a flexible substrate 100B extends from the boundary 102A of the array portion <NUM> along the y direction, and that the flexible substrate 100B may or may not include the extension portion <NUM> that extends from a side of the array portion <NUM> along the x direction. That is to say, the side of the array portion <NUM> may extend along the x direction, or may not extend along the x direction, depending on design conditions. The sensing structure <NUM> in <FIG> further includes a circuit structure <NUM>, and the circuit structure <NUM> may include a plurality of wirings. Identical or similar reference numerals are employed for the remaining identical or similar components, and the connection relationships, the materials, and the manufacturing process of the remaining components have been described in detail in the foregoing, and thus will not be repeatedly described hereinafter. It should be appreciated that for better understanding, some elements are omitted and/or simplified in <FIG>, but the disclosure is not limited thereto. That is to say, although <FIG> depicts merely two wirings, the disclosure is not limited thereto. The circuit structure <NUM> may also include, for example, the wiring that extends in the x direction. Analogously, in <FIG>, another layer may also be included between the flexible substrate 100B and the scintillator layer <NUM>, and another layer may also be included between the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and the wiring, or between the wiring and the flexible substrate 100B. For example, a solid optical clear adhesive (OCA) or an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) may be included between the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and the wiring. The disclosure is not limited thereto. An insulating layer or a functional layer may be included between the wiring and the flexible substrate 100B, and the functional layer may be a planarization layer. The disclosure is not limited thereto. Notably, the boundary of the carrier <NUM> protruding from the boundary 104A of the extension portion <NUM> in <FIG> is merely an example, and the disclosure is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the boundary 104A of the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate 100B may be substantially aligned with the boundary of the carrier <NUM>. With reference to <FIG>, in some embodiments of the disclosure, a wiring (not shown) electrically connected to the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and the element module <NUM> may be provided in the extension portion <NUM>, and wirings 170A1 and 170A2 electrically connected to the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and the element module <NUM> may be disposed on the array portion <NUM>. To be specific, the wiring electrically connected to the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and the element module <NUM> adopts a wire-on array (WOA) to be connected in series to the element module <NUM>, which contributes to the narrow bezel design. In an embodiment, the wiring 170A1 and 170A2 may be disposed between, for example, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and the flexible substrate 100B. In some embodiments, the driving circuit <NUM> may be disposed on a back of the supporting plate <NUM> as the extension portion <NUM> is bent to the back of the supporting plate <NUM>. This structure is similar to the schematic cross-sectional diagram of <FIG>, to which reference may made at the same time. Therefore, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> and the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be located at different levels in an X-ray device <NUM>. In some embodiments, the sensing structure <NUM> may selectively include the carrier <NUM>. In some embodiment, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be a gate driver integrated circuit and be disposed on the array portion <NUM>; namely, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> is electrically connected to a gate line (not shown) on the array portion <NUM>.

<FIG> is a schematic top view of a sensing structure in a flattened state according to still another example useful for understanding, but not forming part of, the presently claimed invention. A sensing structure <NUM> in <FIG> is substantially the same as the sensing structure <NUM> in <FIG>. The difference lies in that the sensing structure <NUM> also includes a circuit board <NUM>. Identical or similar reference numerals are employed for the remaining identical or similar components, and the connection relationships, the materials, and the manufacturing process of the remaining components have been described in detail in the foregoing, and thus will not be repeatedly described hereinafter.

With reference to <FIG>, the sensing structure <NUM> also includes the circuit board <NUM>. In some embodiments, the circuit board <NUM> may be provided on the extension portion <NUM>. The circuit board <NUM> may include the element modules <NUM>, and the element modules <NUM> are disposed on the circuit board <NUM>. The driver integrated circuit <NUM> and/or the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be electrically connected to the element modules <NUM> through circuits in the circuit board <NUM>. In another embodiment, the circuit board <NUM> partially overlaps the extension portion <NUM> in the normal direction of the support portion <NUM>. Besides, the extension portion <NUM> of a flexible substrate 100C may selectively include a plurality of gaps near the boundary 102A of the array portion <NUM>, such as the plurality of gaps <NUM> in <FIG>. In some embodiments, the extension portion <NUM> of the flexible substrate 100C may extend from a side of the array portion <NUM> (e.g., the boundary 102A) along they direction. In this way, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be electrically connected to the element modules <NUM> through the circuit in the circuit board <NUM>.

In another embodiment, a wiring (not shown) electrically connected to the driving circuit <NUM> and the element module <NUM> may be disposed in the array portion <NUM>. That is to say, possibly with reference to the structure of <FIG> (e.g., the extension portion <NUM> that extends in the x direction is not disposed), the wiring electrically connected to the drive circuit <NUM> and the element module <NUM> may adopts the wire-on array to be connected in series to the element module <NUM>, to reduce the space occupied by the extension portion <NUM> that extends along the x direction and the circuit board <NUM> partially overlapped with the extension portion <NUM>, which contributes to the narrow bezel design. In some embodiment, the driver integrated circuit <NUM> may be a gate driver integrated circuit and be disposed on the array portion <NUM>, and the flexible substrate 100C may or may not include the extension portion <NUM> that extends in the x direction from a side of the array portion <NUM>. That is to say, the extension portion <NUM> may extend from the side of the array portion <NUM> along the x direction, and may as well not extend from the side of the array portion <NUM> along the x direction, depending on design conditions.

In summary of the foregoing, in the presently claimed invention, the driver integrated circuit and the scintillator layer are disposed on the flexible substrate. That is to say, the flexible substrate may integrate components such as the sensing panel, the flexible board, and the circuit boards. Therefore, the complicated bonding process can be simplified, which helps to improve the yield rate, reduce the cost, or achieve light weight. In the presently claimed invention, the extension portion of the flexible substrate may include the plurality of gaps near the boundary of the array portion, which reduces the stress generated at the bending portion of the flexible substrate, to improve the quality of the process. In some embodiment, the driver integrated circuit may be disposed on the array portion, and the driver integrated circuit may be connected in series to the element module in the array portion through the wire-on array, which contributes to the narrow bezel design. In some embodiments, the sensing structure may also include the supporting plate disposed on the array portion of the flexible substrate. When other layers are formed on the array portion of the flexible substrate, these other layers are not susceptible to deformation due to external forces during the manufacturing process, so that the layer formed on the flexible substrate well exhibits flatness or stability, which helps to improve the yield rate. In some embodiments, the sensing structure may also include the carrier disposed on the extension portion. In this way, when other film layers are formed or other components are disposed on the extension portion of the flexible substrate, these other film layers or other components are not susceptible to deformation due to external forces during the manufacturing process or the disposal process, so that these other film layers or other components formed on the flexible substrate well exhibits flatness or stability, which helps to improve the yield rate.

Claim 1:
An X-ray device (<NUM>, <NUM>, <NUM>), comprising:
a flexible substrate (<NUM>, 100A, 100B, 100C) comprising an array portion (<NUM>) and an extension portion (<NUM>);
a driver integrated circuit (<NUM>, <NUM>) disposed on the flexible substrate (<NUM>, 100A, 100B, 100C); and
a scintillator layer (<NUM>) disposed on the flexible substrate (<NUM>, 100A, 100B, 100C),
characterized in that
the extension portion (<NUM>) comprises a plurality of gaps (<NUM>) near a boundary (102A) of the array portion (<NUM>).