Display apparatus and method of fabricating the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10068951-B2
Application number	US-201715489662-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 17, 2017
Priority date	Jun 1, 2016
Publication date	Sep 4, 2018
Grant date	Sep 4, 2018

Abstract

A display apparatus including a substrate, a display portion disposed on an active area defined at the substrate, a buffer layer disposed on the active area and a pad area defined at the substrate, a touch sensing portion disposed on the buffer layer, and a pad portion disposed between the pad area and the buffer layer. The touch sensing portion includes a first pad pattern, a middle layer disposed on the first pad pattern, and a second pad pattern disposed on the middle layer. The first pad pattern is connected to the pad portion through a first contact hole defined on the pad portion in the buffer layer. The second pad pattern is connected to the first pad pattern through a second contact hole defined on the first contact hole in the middle layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display apparatus comprising:
a substrate comprising an active area and a pad area;
a display portion disposed on the active area;
a buffer layer disposed on the active area and the pad area;
a touch sensing portion comprising a first pad pattern, a middle layer disposed on the first pad pattern, and a second pad pattern disposed on the middle layer, the touch sensing portion disposed on the buffer layer, and the touch sensing portion configured to sense an external touch; and
a pad portion disposed on the pad area, the pad portion being disposed between the substrate and the buffer layer,
wherein:
the first pad pattern is connected to the pad portion through a first contact hole;
the second pad pattern is connected to the first pad pattern through a second contact hole;
the first contact hole is defined on the pad portion and is defined in the buffer layer; and
the second contact hole is defined on the first contact hole and is defined in the middle layer.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the first pad pattern is in direct contact with a top surface of the pad portion; and
the second pad pattern is in direct contact with a top surface of the first pad pattern.

3. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the buffer layer and the middle layer is formed of an organic layer.

4. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the display portion comprises an organic light emitting device and a thin film encapsulation layer encapsulating the organic light emitting device;
the buffer layer is disposed directly on a top surface of the thin film encapsulation layer; and
the first pad pattern is disposed directly on a top surface of the buffer layer.

5. The display apparatus of claim 4 , wherein a refractive index of the buffer layer has a value between a refractive index of the thin film encapsulation layer and a refractive index of the middle layer.

6. The display apparatus of claim 4 , wherein a modulus of the buffer layer is smaller than a modulus of the thin film encapsulation layer.

7. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein at least a portion of the middle layer overlaps with the first contact hole in a thickness direction.

8. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the middle layer does not overlap with the first contact hole in a thickness direction.

9. The display apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a passivation layer disposed on the second pad pattern and the middle layer,
wherein the passivation layer comprises an organic layer.

10. The display apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising a first sensing pattern disposed in the same layer as the first pad pattern and disposed on the active area,
wherein the first sensing pattern and the first pad pattern are electrically connected to each other.

11. The display apparatus of claim 10 , further comprising a second sensing pattern disposed in the same layer as the second pad pattern and disposed on the active area,
wherein the second sensing pattern and the second pad pattern are electrically connected to each other.

12. The display apparatus of claim 11 , wherein the first and second sensing patterns overlap with each other in a thickness direction.

13. The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the first pad pattern entirely covers a top surface of the pad portion exposed by the buffer layer.

14. A method of fabricating a display apparatus, the method comprising:
forming a display portion on an active area of a substrate;
forming a pad portion on a pad area of the substrate;
forming a buffer layer on the active area and the pad portion;
forming a first contact hole exposing a first exposed surface of the pad portion in the buffer layer; and
forming a touch sensing portion on the buffer layer,
wherein the forming of the touch sensing portion comprises:
forming a first pad pattern in the first contact hole;
forming a middle layer on the first pad pattern;
forming a second contact hole exposing a second exposed surface of the first pad pattern in the middle layer; and
forming a second pad pattern in the second contact hole.

15. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the first exposed surface is in direct contact with the first pad pattern; and
the second exposed surface is in direct contact with the second pad pattern.

16. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the buffer layer comprises an organic layer; and
the forming of the first contact hole comprises: removing a portion of the buffer layer by a wet etching process.

17. The method of claim 16 , wherein:
the middle layer comprises an organic layer; and
the forming of the second contact hole comprises removing a portion of the middle layer by a wet etching process.

18. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the forming of the first pad pattern comprises:
forming a first conductive layer on the buffer layer and the first exposed surface; and
etching the first conductive layer by a first etching solution; and

the first conductive layer entirely covers the first exposed surface to prevent the first exposed surface from being etched by the first etching solution.

19. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the forming of the second pad pattern comprises:
forming a second conductive layer on the middle layer and the second exposed surface; and
etching the second conductive layer by a second etching solution; and

the second conductive layer entirely covers the second exposed surface to prevent the second exposed surface from being etched by the second etching solution.

20. The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the buffer layer is formed directly on the display portion; and
the first pad pattern is formed directly on the buffer layer.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Choi Sangkyu
• Park Sungkyun
• Son Jungha
• Kang Jae-Wook

Classifications

• G06F2203/04111

  Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate · CPC title

• G06F2203/04103

  Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices · CPC title

• G06F2203/04102

  Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper · CPC title

• H01L27/323 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/0023

  Electricity · mapped topic