Display device and method of manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11678521-B2
Application number	US-202017081830-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 27, 2020
Priority date	Dec 27, 2019
Publication date	Jun 13, 2023
Grant date	Jun 13, 2023

Abstract

A display device, includes: a substrate including pixel areas and a transmissive area between the pixel areas; a pixel circuit layer including at least one transistor on each of the pixel areas; and a light-emitting element layer on the pixel circuit layer and including at least one light-emitting element at each of the pixel areas and coupled to the at least one transistor, and a transparent organic layer at the transmissive area, wherein the light-emitting element layer further includes: a first electrode at the pixel areas, a first inorganic layer at the first electrode, an organic layer covering the first inorganic layer and the transparent organic layer, and a second inorganic layer on the organic layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display device, comprising:
a substrate including pixel areas and a transmissive area between the pixel areas;
a pixel circuit layer including at least one transistor on each of the pixel areas; and
a light-emitting element layer on the pixel circuit layer and including at least one light-emitting element at each of the pixel areas and coupled to the at least one transistor, and a transparent organic layer at the transmissive area,
wherein the light-emitting element layer further includes:
a pixel defining layer having an opening corresponding to the at least one light-emitting element, wherein a surface of the transparent organic layer is coplanar with a surface of the pixel defining layer;
a first electrode at the pixel areas,
a first inorganic layer at the first electrode,
an organic layer in contact with and covering the first inorganic layer and the transparent organic layer, and
a second inorganic layer on the organic layer, and
wherein the first electrode and the first inorganic layer do not overlap the transparent organic layer.

2. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrode and the first inorganic layer are spaced apart from the transparent organic layer in a plan view, and
wherein the first inorganic layer, the organic layer, and the second inorganic layer configure an encapsulation layer.

3. The display device according to claim 2 , wherein one side of the first electrode facing the transparent organic layer includes a straight line.

4. The display device according to claim 2 , wherein:
a first edge of the first electrode is closer to the transparent organic layer than a second edge of the first inorganic layer, and
a portion of the first electrode exposed by the first inorganic layer comes in contact with the organic layer.

5. The display device according to claim 4 , wherein a distance between the first edge of the first electrode and the second edge of the first inorganic layer is equal or similar to a thickness of the first electrode.

6. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the light-emitting element layer further includes:
a second electrode on the pixel circuit layer,
the pixel defining layer on the second electrode and configured to expose the second electrode, and
an emission layer overlapping the second electrode exposed by the pixel defining layer, and
wherein the at least one light-emitting element comprises the first electrode, the second electrode, and the emission layer.

7. The display device according to claim 2 , wherein:
the substrate further includes a first area and a second area,
in the first area, the pixel areas of the substrate are arranged in a grid shape so as to be spaced apart from each other, and the transmissive area is located between the pixel areas spaced apart from each other, and
in the second area, the pixel areas of the substrate are adjacent to each other.

8. The display device according to claim 7 , wherein:
the first electrode is continuously formed on the pixel areas, and
a thickness of the first electrode is uniform throughout an entirety of the pixel areas.

9. The display device according to claim 8 , wherein:
the first inorganic layer includes inorganic patterns that are separated from each other, and
the inorganic patterns are at the pixel areas, respectively.

10. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein a refractive index of the transparent organic layer is within a range of 1.5 to 1.7.

11. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein
a first edge of the first electrode coincides with an edge of the transparent organic layer in a plan view.

12. The display device according to claim 11 , wherein a second edge of the first inorganic layer is spaced apart from the transparent organic layer in a plan view.

13. The display device according to claim 11 , wherein a first lateral side of the first electrode and a second lateral side of the first inorganic layer, facing the transparent organic layer, are located on a same surface as a lateral side of the transparent organic layer.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jeon Joo Hee
• Yang Tae Hoon
• Kim Gun Hee
• Hong Sung Jin

Classifications

• H10K59/124

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

• H10K59/353

  characterised by the geometrical arrangement of the RGB subpixels · CPC title

• H10K59/122 Primary

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

• H10K59/1201

  Manufacture or treatment · CPC title

• H10K50/822

  characterised by their shape · CPC title