Methods for fabricating display structures

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10983390-B2
Application number	US-201916279350-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 19, 2019
Priority date	Nov 10, 2009
Publication date	Apr 20, 2021
Grant date	Apr 20, 2021

Abstract

An electronic device display may have a color filter layer and a thin film transistor layer. A layer of liquid crystal material may be interposed between the color filter layer and the thin film transistor layer. A layer of polarizer may be laminated onto the surface of the color filter layer. Laser trimming may ensure that the edges of the polarizer are even with the edges of the color filter layer. The thin film transistor layer may have an array of thin film transistors that control pixels of the liquid crystal material in the display. Driver circuitry may be used to control the array. The driver circuitry may be encapsulated in a planarized encapsulant on the thin film transistor layer or may be mounted to the underside of the color filter layer. Conductive structures may connect driver circuitry on the color filter layer to the thin film transistor layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a display mounted in the housing, wherein the display comprises:
a color filter layer,
driver circuitry comprising at least an integrated circuit mounted on the color filter layer,
a thin-film transistor layer, and
an opaque layer formed in a border around a periphery of the display that blocks inactive peripheral portions of the display from view, wherein the opaque layer overlaps the driver circuitry, the opaque layer is between the driver circuitry and the color filter layer, and the opaque layer has an opening that is completely surrounded by portions of the opaque layer; and
a light-based component in the housing that receives light through the opening in the opaque layer.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the light-based component is a camera.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the display further comprises a polarizer layer having an opening that is aligned with the opening in the opaque layer and wherein the camera receives light through the opening in the opaque layer and the opening in the polarizer layer.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 3 wherein the color filter layer comprises a substrate having first and second opposing surfaces, wherein the polarizer layer is formed on the first surface, and wherein the opaque layer is formed on the second surface.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 4 further comprising conductive traces formed on the second surface of the substrate.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the thin-film transistor layer comprises an array of thin-film transistors and wherein the conductive traces electrically couple the driver circuitry to the array of thin-film transistors.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the display further comprises a conductive structure that extends from the color filter layer to the thin-film transistor layer and electrically connects the conductive traces to the array of thin-film transistors.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7 wherein the opaque layer overlaps the conductive traces and the conductive structure.

9. An electronic device comprising:
a housing;
a display mounted in the housing, wherein the display has an active area and an inactive area and wherein the display comprises:
a thin-film transistor layer comprising a substrate and an array of thin-film transistors formed on the substrate,
a color filter layer that overlaps the thin-film transistor layer,
a polarizer layer having an opening in the inactive area, wherein the opening is completely surrounded by portions of the polarizer layer, and
an opaque layer formed in a border around a periphery of the display that blocks the inactive area from view, wherein the opaque layer has an opening that is completely surrounded by portions of the opaque layer, and wherein the opening in the opaque layer is aligned with the opening in the polarizer layer; and

a camera in the housing that receives light through the opening in the polarizer layer and the opening in the opaque layer.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 wherein the polarizer layer overlaps both the active area and the inactive area.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the camera is overlapped by a portion of the color filter layer and wherein the camera receives light through the opening in the polarizer layer and through the portion of the color filter layer.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the color filter layer comprises a substrate, circuitry on a first portion of the substrate, and conductive traces on at least a second portion of the substrate that are connected to the circuitry.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the display further comprises conductive structures interposed between the thin-film transistor layer and the color filter layer and wherein the conductive structures connect the circuitry on the color filter layer to circuitry on the thin-film transistor layer.

14. An electronic device comprising:
a housing structure;
a display mounted in the housing structure, wherein the display has an active area and an inactive area and comprises a plurality of display layers, wherein the plurality of display layers comprises:
a color filter layer,
a thin-film transistor layer,
an opaque layer formed in a border around a periphery of the display that blocks inactive peripheral portions of the display from view, wherein the opaque layer has a first opening in the inactive area that is completely surrounded by portions of the opaque layer, and
a polarizer layer, wherein the polarizer layer has a second opening in the inactive area that is surrounded by portions of the polarizer layer, wherein the first and second openings are aligned; and

a light-based component mounted in the housing structure that receives light through the first and second openings.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 14 wherein the light-based component is a camera.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15 wherein the polarizer layer has opposing first and second surfaces, wherein the first surface faces the color filter layer and the second surface faces away from the color filter layer, and wherein an antireflection layer is formed on the second surface.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the color filter layer has opposing first and second surfaces and wherein the first surface of the polarizer layer is coupled to the second surface of the color filter layer.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 17 wherein the camera receives light through the first and second openings and through a portion of the color filter layer.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Mathew Dinesh C
• Wilson Jr Thomas W
• Yin Victor H
• Posner Bryan W
• Ligtenberg Chris
• Degner Brett W
• Augenbergs Peteris K
• Zhong John Z
• Hotelling Steve
• Youngs Lynn
• Sung Kuo-Hua

Classifications

• G02F1/133514 Primary

  Colour filters · CPC title

• H01J9/205

  Applying optical coatings or shielding coatings to the vessel of flat panel displays, e.g. applying filter layers, electromagnetic interference shielding layers, anti-reflection coatings or anti-glare coatings · CPC title

• G02F1/133388

  with constructional differences between the display region and the peripheral region · CPC title

• G02F1/133528 Primary

  Polarisers · CPC title

• H01J2211/44

  Optical arrangements or shielding arrangements, e.g. filters or lenses · CPC title