Display device including a connected and/or shared intermediate layer

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11672153-B2
Application number	US-202017075630-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 20, 2020
Priority date	Jan 2, 2020
Publication date	Jun 6, 2023
Grant date	Jun 6, 2023

Abstract

A display device is provided. The display device includes: a substrate, a first display area in which a plurality of main sub-pixels are arranged on the substrate, and a second display area in which a basic unit is arranged, the basic unit including an auxiliary light-emitting area, in which a plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels are arranged on the substrate, and a transmission portion, wherein each of the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels includes a pixel electrode on the substrate, an intermediate layer on the pixel electrode, and an opposite electrode on the intermediate layer, wherein intermediate layers of auxiliary sub-pixels for emitting light of a same color from among the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels are connected to each other.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display device comprising:
a substrate;
a first display area in which a plurality of main sub-pixels are on the substrate; and
a second display area in which a basic unit is arranged, the basic unit comprising an auxiliary light-emitting area, in which a plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels are on the substrate, and a transmission portion,
wherein each of the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels comprises a pixel electrode on the substrate, an intermediate layer on the pixel electrode, and an opposite electrode on the intermediate layer, and
wherein the intermediate layers of auxiliary sub-pixels for emitting light of a same color from among the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels are connected to each other and disconnected from the intermediate layers of auxiliary sub-pixels for emitting light of a different color from among the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels; and
wherein the auxiliary light-emitting area and the transmission portion of the second display area overlap a component, the component comprising a sensor, and the plurality of main sub-pixels in the first display area does not overlap the component.

2. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels are arranged in a stripe structure.

3. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels are arranged in an RGBG Pentile matrix structure.

4. The display device of claim 1 , further comprising an inorganic insulating layer on the substrate,
wherein the inorganic insulating layer includes an opening corresponding to the transmission portion.

5. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the opposite electrode is integrally provided in the plurality of main sub-pixels in the first display area and the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels in the second display area and includes an opening corresponding to the transmission portion.

6. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels comprise:
a first auxiliary sub-pixel to emit light of a first color; and
a plurality of second auxiliary sub-pixels to emit light of a second color,
wherein a distance between the first auxiliary sub-pixel and each of the second auxiliary sub-pixels is different from a distance between second auxiliary sub-pixels adjacent to each other from among the plurality of second auxiliary sub-pixels.

7. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate layer comprises at least one of an organic functional layer or an emission layer.

8. The display device of claim 7 , wherein the emission layers of the intermediate layers of the auxiliary sub-pixels to emit light of the same color from among the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels are connected to each other.

9. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels comprise:
a plurality of first auxiliary sub-pixels to emit light of a first color; and
a plurality of second auxiliary sub-pixels to emit light of a second color,
wherein at least two of the plurality of second auxiliary sub-pixels are between first auxiliary sub-pixels adjacent to each other from among the plurality of first auxiliary sub-pixels.

10. A display device comprising:
a substrate on which a first display area, in which main sub-pixels are arranged, and a second display area, which comprises an auxiliary light-emitting area and a transmission portion, are arranged;
a first auxiliary sub-pixel arranged in the auxiliary light-emitting area, the first auxiliary sub-pixel to emit light of a first color and comprising a first auxiliary pixel electrode and a first auxiliary intermediate layer;
a plurality of second auxiliary sub-pixels spaced apart from each other in the auxiliary light-emitting area and to emit light of a second color, each of the second auxiliary sub-pixels comprising a second auxiliary pixel electrode and a second auxiliary intermediate layer; and
an opposite electrode integrally arranged in the auxiliary light-emitting area,
wherein at least two of the plurality of second auxiliary sub-pixels share a same emission layer of the second auxiliary intermediate layer; and
wherein the auxiliary light-emitting area and the transmission portion of the second display area overlap a component, the component comprising a sensor, and the plurality of main sub-pixels in the first display area does not overlap the component.

11. The display device of claim 10 , further comprising a functional layer between the second auxiliary pixel electrode and the opposite electrode,
wherein the functional layer corresponds to the transmission portion.

12. The display device of claim 10 , further comprising an inorganic insulating layer on the substrate,
wherein the inorganic insulating layer includes an opening corresponding to the transmission portion.

13. The display device of claim 10 , wherein the first display area and the second display area are sealed by an encapsulation substrate facing the substrate.

14. The display device of claim 10 , further comprising a thin-film encapsulation layer comprising a first inorganic encapsulation layer, an organic encapsulation layer, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer sequentially arranged on the opposite electrode.

15. The display device of claim 10 , wherein a length direction of the first auxiliary sub-pixel is different from a length direction of a second auxiliary sub-pixel of the plurality of second auxiliary sub-pixels.

16. The display device of claim 10 , wherein a length direction of the first auxiliary sub-pixel is parallel to a length direction of a second auxiliary sub-pixel of the plurality of second auxiliary sub-pixels.

17. The display device of claim 10 , wherein at least one of the first or second auxiliary sub-pixels are arranged in an RGBG Pentile matrix structure.

18. The display device of claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of first auxiliary sub-pixels comprising the first auxiliary sub-pixel,
wherein the at least two of the plurality of second auxiliary sub-pixels are between first auxiliary sub-pixels adjacent to each other from among the plurality of first auxiliary sub-pixels.

19. The display device of claim 10 , further comprising a plurality of first auxiliary sub-pixels comprising the first auxiliary sub-pixel,
wherein at least two of the plurality of first auxiliary sub-pixels share the first auxiliary intermediate layer.

20. A display device comprising:
a substrate on which a first display area, in which main sub-pixels are arranged, and a second display area, which comprises an auxiliary light-emitting area and a transmission portion, are arranged; and
a plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels arranged in the auxiliary light-emitting area, each of the auxiliary sub-pixels comprising a pixel electrode and an intermediate layer,
wherein the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels comprise at least two auxiliary pixels to emit light of a same color,
wherein the intermediate layers of at least two auxiliary sub-pixels for emitting light of the same color from among the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels are connected to each other and disconnected from the intermediate layers of auxiliary sub-pixels for emitting light of a different color from among the plurality of auxiliary sub-pixels, and
wherein the auxiliary sub-pixels comprising the intermediate layers connected to each other emit at least one of blue light, green light, or red light; and
wherein the auxiliary light-emitting area and the transmission portion of the second display area overlap a

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Chae Jongwon
• Ko Moosoon
• Ma Jinseock
• Moon Sunghoon
• Son Sewan
• Lee Sangshin
• Jeon Yongje
• Jung Jingoo

Classifications

• H10K59/122

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

• H10K59/1213

  the pixel elements being TFTs · CPC title

• H10K59/1315

  comprising structures specially adapted for lowering the resistance · CPC title

• H10K59/123

  Connection of the pixel electrodes to the thin film transistors [TFT] · CPC title

• H10K59/352

  the areas of the RGB subpixels being different · CPC title