Display device and method of manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10825876-B2
Application number	US-201916553257-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 28, 2019
Priority date	Oct 24, 2018
Publication date	Nov 3, 2020
Grant date	Nov 3, 2020

Abstract

A display device includes an insulating layer disposed on a substrate, a pixel electrode including a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a third conductive layer sequentially stacked on the insulating layer, a pixel defining layer covering the pixel electrode and partially exposing the pixel electrode through an opening, an organic light emitting layer disposed in the opening of the pixel defining layer, and an opposing electrode disposed on the organic light emitting layer and overlapping the pixel electrode. A length of the first conductive layer is less than a length of the second conductive layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display device, comprising:
an insulating layer disposed on a substrate;
a pixel electrode comprising a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a third conductive layer sequentially stacked on the insulating layer in a first direction, wherein an entirety of a length of the first conductive layer is less than an entirety of a length of the second conductive layer in a second direction crossing the first direction;
a pixel defining layer covering the pixel electrode and partially exposing the pixel electrode through an opening;
an organic light emitting layer disposed in the opening of the pixel defining layer; and
an opposing electrode disposed on the organic light emitting layer and overlapping the pixel electrode.

2. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive layer comprises indium tin oxide (ITO), the second conductive layer comprises silver (Ag), and the third conductive layer comprises indium tin oxide (ITO).

3. The display device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a pad electrode disposed on the substrate in a non-display area that surrounds a display area,
wherein the pad electrode comprises aluminum (Al).

4. The display device of claim 3 , wherein the pad electrode comprises a first layer, a second layer and a third layer which are sequentially stacked,
wherein the first layer and the third layer comprise titanium (Ti) and the second layer comprises aluminum (Al).

5. The display device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a thin film transistor disposed between the substrate and the pixel electrode,
wherein the thin film transistor comprises a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode.

6. The display device of claim 1 , wherein a length difference between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer in an edge portion of the pixel electrode is about 190 nm to about 250 nm.

7. A method of manufacturing a display device, comprising:
forming an insulating layer in a display area of a substrate;
forming a pixel electrode comprising a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a third conductive layer sequentially stacked on the insulating layer,
wherein the first conductive layer comprises indium tin oxide (ITO), the second conductive layer comprises silver (Ag) and the third conductive layer comprises indium tin oxide (ITO);
patterning the third conductive layer of the pixel electrode by etching the third conductive layer with a first etchant;
patterning the second conductive layer and the first conductive layer of the pixel electrode by etching the second conductive layer and the first conductive layer with a second etchant;
forming an organic light emitting layer on the pixel electrode; and
forming an opposing electrode overlapping the pixel electrode on the organic light emitting layer.

8. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
forming a pad electrode in a non-display area of the substrate,
wherein the non-display area surrounds the display area, the pad electrode comprises aluminum (Al).

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the pad electrode comprises a first layer, a second layer and a third layer which are sequentially stacked, the first layer and the third layer comprise titanium (Ti), and the second layer comprises aluminum (Al).

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein forming the pixel electrode comprises:
forming the pixel electrode on the pad electrode disposed in the non-display area.

11. The method of claim 7 , wherein in the etching of the third conductive layer, a length of the first conductive layer in an edge portion of the pixel electrode and in an edge portion of the pad electrode is smaller than a length of the second conductive layer, respectively.

12. The method of claim 8 , wherein in the etching of the third conductive layer, an undercut is formed in the first conductive layer in an area corresponding to an edge portion of the pixel electrode and in an area corresponding to an edge portion of the pad electrode.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein in the etching of the second conductive layer and the first conductive layer, a silver ion generated from the second conductive layer is collected in the undercut.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein a length of the undercut formed in the edge portion of the pixel electrode is about 190 nm to about 250 nm.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein a length of the undercut formed in the edge portion of the pad electrode is about 180 nm to about 200 nm.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising:
forming a pixel defining layer, wherein the pixel defining layer covers the undercut of the pixel electrode and has an opening partially exposing the pixel electrode; and
forming the organic light emitting layer in the opening of the pixel defining layer.

17. The method of claim 7 , further comprising:
forming a thin film transistor between the substrate and the pixel electrode,
wherein the thin film transistor comprises a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode.

18. A display device, comprising:
an insulating layer disposed in a display area of a substrate;
a pixel electrode comprising a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a third conductive layer sequentially stacked on the insulating layer, wherein an undercut is formed in an edge portion of the first conductive layer;
a pixel defining layer covering the undercut of the pixel electrode and having an opening partially exposing the pixel electrode;
an organic light emitting layer disposed in the opening of the pixel defining layer; and
an opposing electrode disposed on the organic light emitting layer and overlapping the pixel electrode.

19. The display device of claim 18 , wherein the first conductive layer comprises indium tin oxide (ITO), the second conductive layer comprises silver (Ag), and the third conductive layer comprises indium tin oxide (ITO).

20. A method of manufacturing a display device, comprising:
forming an insulating layer in a display area of a substrate;
forming a pixel electrode comprising a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, and a third conductive layer sequentially stacked on the insulating layer;
patterning the third conductive layer of the pixel electrode by etching the third conductive layer with a first etchant;
patterning the second conductive layer and the first conductive layer of the pixel electrode by etching the second conductive layer and the first conductive layer with a second etchant;
forming an organic light emitting layer on the pixel electrode; and
forming an opposing electrode overlapping the pixel electrode on the organic light emitting layer,
wherein in the etching of the third conductive layer, an undercut is formed in the first conductive layer in an area corresponding to an edge portion of the pixel electrode.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Young Dae
• Kim Jin Seock
• Kim Kitae
• Park Jonghee

Classifications

• H10K59/131

  Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals · CPC title

• H10K59/80518

  Reflective anodes, e.g. ITO combined with thick metallic layers · CPC title

• H10K59/80517

  Multilayers, e.g. transparent multilayers · CPC title

• H10K59/80515 Primary

  characterised by their shape · CPC title

• H10K59/122

  Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks · CPC title