Method of fabricating display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11690275-B2
Application number	US-202117177316-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 17, 2021
Priority date	Apr 13, 2020
Publication date	Jun 27, 2023
Grant date	Jun 27, 2023

Abstract

Disclosed is a method of fabricating a display device. The method comprises forming a dielectric layer on an encapsulation layer including a first encapsulation region and a second encapsulation region adjacent to the first encapsulation region, forming a conductive layer on the dielectric layer, forming a first photoresist layer on the conductive layer that overlaps each of the first and second encapsulation regions, forming a second photoresist layer on the first photoresist layer that overlaps the second encapsulation region, and etching the conductive layer based on the first and second photoresist layers. When viewed in a thickness direction of a display panel including the encapsulation layer, at least a portion of the encapsulation layer overlapping the second encapsulation region has a thickness greater than that of the encapsulation layer overlapping the first encapsulation region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of fabricating a display device, the method comprising:
forming a dielectric layer on an encapsulation layer of a display panel, the encapsulation layer including a first encapsulation region and a second encapsulation region adjacent to the first encapsulation region;
forming a conductive layer on the dielectric layer;
forming a first photoresist layer on the conductive layer that overlaps each of the first encapsulation region and the second encapsulation region;
forming a second photoresist layer on the first photoresist layer that overlaps the second encapsulation region; and
etching the conductive layer based on the first photoresist layer and the second photoresist layer,
wherein the display panel includes a display region for displaying image and a peripheral region surrounding the display region, and the first encapsulation region and the second encapsulation region are defined within the display region,
wherein the second encapsulation region is disposed between the first encapsulation region and the peripheral region when viewed in a plan,
wherein, when viewed in a thickness direction of the display panel, at least a portion of the encapsulation layer that overlaps the second encapsulation region has a thickness greater than a thickness of the encapsulation layer that overlaps the first encapsulation region.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the second photoresist layer is formed by coating one or more times a photosensitive solution on the first photoresist layer that overlaps the second encapsulation region.

3. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
using a mask to expose the first photoresist layer and the second photoresist layer; and
developing the exposed first and second photoresist layers,
wherein the conductive layer is etched to form a first conductive pattern that overlaps the first encapsulation region and a second conductive pattern that overlaps the second encapsulation region.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein
at least a portion of the second conductive pattern has a line-width greater than a line-width of the first conductive pattern, and
a sum of thicknesses of the first and second photoresist layers that overlap the at least a portion of the second conductive pattern is greater than a thickness of the first photoresist layer that overlaps the first encapsulation region.

5. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second conductive pattern includes:
a first part that has a first line-width; and
a second part that has a second line-width greater than the first line-width,
wherein a sum of thicknesses of the first and second photoresist layers that overlap the second part is greater than a sum of thicknesses of the first and second photoresist layers that overlap the first part.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein the first part is closer than the second part to the first conductive pattern.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein
the display panel defines the display region and the peripheral region adjacent to the display region, and
the encapsulation layer is formed to overlap the display region.

8. The method of claim 7 , wherein, when viewed in plan, the second encapsulation region is closer than the first encapsulation region to the peripheral region.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first encapsulation region has a planar area greater than a planar area of the second encapsulation region.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein, when viewed in plan, the second encapsulation region encloses the first encapsulation region.

11. The method of claim 3 , wherein the first conductive pattern that overlaps the first encapsulation region has a plurality of first regions that each extend upward from the dielectric layer in a direction parallel to each other, and wherein the second conductive pattern that overlaps the second encapsulation region has a plurality of second regions that each extend upward from the dielectric layer in a direction that is not parallel to each other.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Sungkyun
• Hong Jung-Moo
• Kim Doyeon
• Jun Sanghyun
• Jun Yejoo

Classifications

• H10K2102/351

  Thickness · CPC title

• G06F2203/04111

  Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate · CPC title

• G06F3/0446

  using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes · CPC title

• G06F3/0443

  using a single layer of sensing electrodes · CPC title

• H10K71/233

  by photolithographic etching · CPC title