Display panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11348985-B2
Application number	US-202016823224-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 18, 2020
Priority date	Jun 19, 2019
Publication date	May 31, 2022
Grant date	May 31, 2022

Abstract

A display panel includes: a substrate including a first area, a second area, and a third area; a stacked structure corresponding to a plurality of display elements in the second area, the stacked structure including a pixel electrode, an opposite electrode, and an intermediate layer between the pixel electrode and the opposite electrode; and a plurality of grooves in the third area, wherein the stacked structure includes at least one organic material layer that is disconnected by the plurality of grooves, at least one groove of the plurality of grooves is defined in a first multi-layer including a first lower layer and a first upper layer, and at least one of the first lower layer and the first upper layer includes a plurality of sub-layers.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display panel comprising:
a substrate comprising a first area, a second area, and a third area between the first area and the second area;
a stacked structure corresponding to a plurality of display elements in the second area, the stacked structure comprising a pixel electrode, an opposite electrode, and an intermediate layer between the pixel electrode and the opposite electrode; and
a plurality of grooves in the third area, wherein:
the stacked structure comprises at least one organic material layer that is disconnected by the plurality of grooves,
at least one groove of the plurality of grooves is defined in a first multi-layer comprising a first lower layer and a first upper layer, and
at least one of the first lower layer or the first upper layer comprises a plurality of sub-layers,
wherein the first lower layer comprises:
a first sub-lower layer comprising an organic insulating material; and
second sub-lower layer under the first sub-lower layer.

2. The display panel of claim 1 , wherein the first upper layer comprises an inorganic material layer.

3. The display panel of claim 2 , wherein the first upper layer comprises a conductive oxide layer, a metal layer, or an inorganic insulating layer.

4. The display panel of claim 1 , further comprising:
a transistor between the substrate and the plurality of display elements;
a first organic insulating layer and a second organic insulating layer, each of the first organic insulating layer and the second organic insulating layer being located between the transistor and the pixel electrode; and
a pixel-defining layer on the pixel electrode.

5. The display panel of claim 4 , wherein:
the first sub-lower layer comprises a same material as the second organic insulating layer, and
the second sub-lower layer comprises a same material as the first organic insulating layer.

6. The display panel of claim 4 , further comprising:
a second multi-layer comprising a second lower layer and a second upper layer, wherein a first groove of the plurality of grooves is defined in the second multi-layer,
wherein the second lower layer comprises a third sub-lower layer comprising a same material as the pixel-defining layer and a fourth sub-lower layer comprising a same material as the second organic insulating layer.

7. The display panel of claim 6 , wherein the first groove overlaps a plurality of data lines across the third area.

8. The display panel of claim 4 , further comprising:
at least one inorganic insulating layer between the substrate and the first organic insulating layer,
wherein the first sub-lower layer comprises a same material as the first organic insulating layer, and
wherein the second sub-lower layer comprises a same material as the at least one inorganic insulating layer.

9. The display panel of claim 1 , wherein the first upper layer comprises a pair of tips protruding toward a center of the at least one groove.

10. A display panel comprising:
a substrate comprising a first area, a second area, and a third area between the first area and the second area;
a stacked structure corresponding to a plurality of display elements in the second area, the stacked structure comprising a pixel electrode, an opposite electrode, and an intermediate layer between the pixel electrode and the opposite electrode; and
a plurality of grooves in the third area, wherein:
the stacked structure comprises at least one organic material layer that is disconnected by the plurality of grooves,
at least one groove of the plurality of grooves is defined in a first multi-layer comprising a first lower layer and a first upper layer, and
at least one of the first lower layer or the first upper layer comprises a plurality of sub-layers,
wherein the first upper layer comprises a pair of tips protruding toward a center of the at least one groove
wherein the first upper layer further comprises:
a first sub-upper layer comprising a metal or a conductive oxide; and
a second sub-upper layer on the first sub-upper layer.

11. The display panel of claim 10 , wherein a lateral surface of the first sub-upper layer that faces the center of the at least one groove is covered by the second sub-upper layer.

12. The display panel of claim 1 , further comprising:
a first opening in the first area and passing through the display panel.

13. The display panel of claim 1 , further comprising:
a thin-film encapsulation layer covering the stacked structure and comprising an inorganic encapsulation layer and an organic encapsulation layer,
wherein the inorganic encapsulation layer continuously covers an inner surface of each of the plurality of grooves.

14. The display panel of claim 13 , wherein a thickness of a first portion of the inorganic encapsulation layer on a top surface of the first upper layer is greater than a thickness of a second portion of the inorganic encapsulation layer on a bottom surface of the first upper layer.

15. A display panel comprising:
a substrate comprising a first area, a display area, and a middle area between the first area and the display area;
a transistor in the display area;
a display element comprising a pixel electrode, an intermediate layer, and an opposite electrode, the pixel electrode being electrically connected to the transistor, the intermediate layer being on the pixel electrode, and the opposite electrode being on the intermediate layer;
a first organic insulating layer between the transistor and the pixel electrode and a second organic insulating layer over the first organic insulating layer; and
a plurality of grooves in the middle area and disconnecting at least one organic material layer of the intermediate layer, each of the plurality of grooves having an undercut structure,
wherein at least one of the plurality of grooves is defined in a first multi-layer, the first multi-layer comprising a first lower layer and a first upper layer, the first lower layer comprising a first sub-lower layer and a second sub-lower layer under the first sub-lower layer, and the first upper layer being on the first lower layer.

16. The display panel of claim 15 , wherein the first upper layer comprises a pair of tips extending toward at least one groove of the plurality of grooves.

17. The display panel of claim 15 , wherein the first sub-lower layer comprises the same material as that of the second organic insulating layer, and the second sub-lower layer comprises the same material as that of the first organic insulating layer.

18. The display panel of claim 17 , wherein the first upper layer comprises one or more from a conductive oxide, a metal, and an inorganic insulating material.

19. The display panel of claim 15 , wherein a first groove among the plurality of grooves that neighbor the display area is defined in a second multi-layer comprising a second lower layer and a second upper layer.

20. The display panel of claim 19 , further comprising:
a pixel-defining layer on the pixel electrode, wherein the second lower layer comprises a fourth sub-lower layer and a fifth sub-lower layer, the fourth sub-lower layer comprising the same material as that of the pixel-defining layer, and the fifth sub-lower layer comprising the same material as that of the second organic insulating layer.

21. The display panel of claim 20 , wherein the second upper layer comprises one or more from a conductive oxide, a metal, and an inorganic insulating material.

22. The display panel of

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Seon Jongbaek
• Lee Jaehak
• Shin Juncheol
• Chae Kyungchan
• Choi Jieun

Classifications

• H10K59/87 Primary

  Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations · CPC title

• H10K59/8731

  multilayered coatings having a repetitive structure, e.g. having multiple organic-inorganic bilayers · CPC title

• H10K59/124

  Insulating layers formed between TFT elements and OLED elements · CPC title

• H10K59/122 Primary

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

• H01L27/3258 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic