Display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11569316-B2
Application number	US-202017133814-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 24, 2020
Priority date	Jan 22, 2020
Publication date	Jan 31, 2023
Grant date	Jan 31, 2023

Abstract

A display device includes a substrate comprising a plurality of pixel areas and a non-pixel area surrounding each of the plurality of pixel areas. The non-pixel area includes a plurality of first areas and a second area surrounding the plurality of first areas. A functional layer is disposed on the substrate and includes a plurality of first holes defined through the functional layer and overlapping the plurality of first areas. An element layer is disposed on the functional layer. A pixel definition layer is disposed on the element layer overlaps the non-pixel area. The pixel definition layer includes pixel openings defined therethrough. The pixel openings overlap the plurality of pixel areas. A plurality of light emitting elements is disposed on the element layer and is disposed in the pixel openings.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display device comprising:
a substrate comprising a plurality of pixel areas and a non-pixel area surrounding each of the plurality of pixel areas, the non-pixel area includes a plurality of first areas and a second area surrounding the plurality of first areas;
a functional layer disposed on the substrate and including a plurality of first holes defined through the functional layer and overlapping the plurality of first areas;
an element layer disposed on the functional layer;
a pixel definition layer disposed on the element layer and overlapping the non-pixel area, the pixel definition layer including pixel openings defined therethrough, the pixel openings overlapping the plurality of pixel areas; and
a plurality of light emitting elements disposed on the element layer and disposed in the pixel openings.

2. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the pixel definition layer includes second holes defined therethrough, the second holes overlapping the first holes.

3. The display device of claim 2 , wherein an area of each of the second holes is greater than an area of each of the first holes, the areas of the first holes and second holes are defined in a first direction and a second direction that are parallel to at upper surface of the substrate and cross each other.

4. The display device of claim 2 , wherein each of the second holes comprises:
a first portion positioned on a lower end of each of the second holes; and
a second portion positioned on an upper end of each of the second holes,
wherein the second portion has an area that is greater than an area of the first portion, the area of the first portion and the area of the second portion are defined in a first direction and a second direction that are parallel to an upper surface of the substrate and cross each other.

5. The display device of claim 4 , wherein each of the second holes has a width that gradually decreases from the second portion to the first portion.

6. The display device of claim 4 , wherein a width of the first portion and a width of the second portion satisfy the following Equations 1 and 2:
W 2 >W 1+2× L 1×tan(θ)  <Equation 1>

W 3 >W 1+2× L 2×tan(θ)  <Equation 2>

wherein W 1 is a width of the first hole, W 2 is a width of the first portion, W 3 is a width of the second portion, L 1 is a vertical distance from the first hole to the first portion, L 2 is a vertical distance from the first hole to the second portion, and θ is a maximum angle defined by lights incident to the first hole and the vertical direction.

7. The display device of claim 2 , wherein each of the first holes and each of the second holes has a polygonal shape or a circular shape when viewed in a plane defined in a first direction and a second direction that are parallel to an upper surface of the substrate and cross each other.

8. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the pixel definition layer has a black color.

9. The display device of claim 1 , further comprising a spacer disposed on the pixel definition layer, the spacer overlapping at least one area selected from the plurality of first areas and the second area.

10. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the functional layer is configured to block light.

11. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of pixel areas comprise a plurality of first pixel areas, a plurality of second pixel areas, and a plurality of third pixel areas, wherein the display device is configured to display different colors in the plurality of first pixel areas, the plurality of second pixel areas and the plurality of third pixel areas, respectively.

12. The display device of claim 11 , wherein the plurality of light emitting elements comprise:
a plurality of first light emitting elements overlapping the first pixel areas and configured to generate a light having a red color;
a plurality of second light emitting elements overlapping the second pixel areas and configured to generate a light having a green color; and
a plurality of third light emitting elements overlapping the third pixel areas and configured to generate a light having a blue color.

13. The display device of claim 12 , wherein the plurality of first areas are disposed in a partial portion of an area between the first pixel areas and the second pixel areas.

14. The display device of claim 13 , further comprising:
a color filter layer disposed on the plurality of light emitting elements and the pixel definition layer, the color filter layer comprising:
a plurality of first color filers overlapping the first light emitting elements, the plurality of first color filters are red color filters;
a plurality of second color filters overlapping the second light emitting elements, the plurality of second color filters are green color filters;
a plurality of third color filters overlapping the third light emitting elements, the plurality of third color filters are blue color filters; and
a black matrix disposed between the first, second, and third color filters and overlapping the second area, wherein the black matrix does not overlap the plurality of first areas.

15. The display device of claim 14 , wherein the color filter layer further comprises:
sub-color filters disposed in the plurality of first areas, wherein each of the sub-color filters extend from one second color filter of the plurality of second color filters adjacent to the plurality of first areas to one pixel area of the plurality of pixel areas.

16. The display device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a color filter layer disposed on the plurality of light emitting elements and the pixel definition layer; and
an input sensing unit disposed between the plurality of light emitting elements and the color filter layer, wherein the input sensing unit comprises a plurality of sensing electrodes overlapping the non-pixel area.

17. The display device of claim 16 , wherein the plurality of sensing electrodes overlap the second area and do not overlap the first areas of the non-pixel area.

18. The display device of claim 16 , further comprising:
a thin film encapsulation layer disposed between the plurality of light emitting elements and the input sensing unit; and
a sensor layer disposed under the functional layer, wherein the sensor layer comprises at least one optical fingerprint sensor.

19. The display device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a color filter layer disposed on the plurality of light emitting elements and the pixel definition layer; and
an encapsulation substrate disposed on the substrate, wherein the color filter layer is disposed on a first surface of the color filter layer that faces the substrate.

20. A display device comprising:
a substrate comprising a plurality of pixel areas and a non-pixel area surrounding each of the plurality of pixel areas, the non-pixel area includes a plurality of first areas and a second area surrounding the plurality of first areas;
a functional layer disposed on the substrate and including a plurality of first holes defined through the functional layer and overlapping the plurality of first areas;
an element layer disposed on the functional layer;
a pixel definition layer disposed on the element layer and overlapping the non-pixel area, the pixel definition layer including:
pixel openings defined through the pixel definition layer and overlapping the plurality of pixel areas; and
second holes defined through the pixel definition layer and overlapping the first holes, wherein an area of each of t

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Ryu Ji-Hun
• Kim Ilnam
• Kim Jae-Kyoung
• Park Wonsang
• Sung Eunjin
• Lee Seongryong
• Lee Jonghyun

Classifications

• H01L27/3246 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/3216

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/322

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/3218

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/323

  Electricity · mapped topic