Display panel and method of manufacturing the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11716878-B2
Application number	US-202117323892-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 18, 2021
Priority date	Jul 2, 2020
Publication date	Aug 1, 2023
Grant date	Aug 1, 2023

Abstract

A method manufacturing a display device includes: forming a pixel circuit in a display area; forming a sacrificial layer on an insulating layer arranged in a non-display area, the sacrificial layer including an isolated pattern hole; forming functional layers and an opposite electrode of an organic light-emitting diode that extends over the display area and the non-display area, the functional layers and the opposite electrode covering the sacrificial layer; irradiating a laser beam to the opposite electrode through the sacrificial layer and the pattern hole from below a substrate; and lifting off the sacrificial layer from the insulating layer and simultaneously, lifting off the opposite electrode to which the laser beam is irradiated, wherein at least a portion of the functional layers is left on a portion of the insulating layer corresponding to the opposite electrode that is removed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing a display panel, the display panel including a substrate including an opening area, a display area, and a non-display area, the display area surrounding the opening area, and the non-display area being between the opening area and the display area, the method comprising:
forming a pixel circuit in the display area, the pixel circuit including at least one thin film transistor;
forming a sacrificial layer on an insulating layer in the non-display area, the sacrificial layer including an isolated pattern hole;
forming functional layers and an opposite electrode of an intermediate layer of an organic light-emitting diode that extends over the display area and the non-display area, the functional layers and the opposite electrode covering the sacrificial layer including the isolated pattern hole;
irradiating a laser beam to the opposite electrode through the sacrificial layer and the isolated pattern hole from below the substrate; and
lifting off the sacrificial layer from the insulating layer and simultaneously, lifting off the opposite electrode to which the laser beam is irradiated,
wherein at least a portion of the functional layers is left on a portion of the insulating layer corresponding to the opposite electrode that is removed.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the functional layers extend as one body on a first surface of the sacrificial layer in a direction away from the insulating layer and the isolated pattern hole, and the opposite electrode extends on the functional layers.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein irradiating the laser beam further comprises passing the laser beam through a second surface of the sacrificial layer facing the insulating layer and the functional layers that fill the isolated pattern hole, and is simultaneously irradiated on one surface of the opposite electrode.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the second surface of the sacrificial layer is removed from the insulating layer,
a portion of the opposite electrode that is arranged in the isolated pattern hole is removed from a functional layer from among the functional layers, and
the functional layer between the insulating layer and the opposite electrode is left on the insulating layer.

5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the functional layer left on the insulating layer includes a pattern corresponding to the isolated pattern hole.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the isolated pattern hole includes a multi-circle type pattern hole formed over an entire area of the sacrificial layer.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the isolated pattern hole includes a plurality of dot type pattern holes formed over an entire area of the sacrificial layer.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the sacrificial layer is formed through a same process as a process of forming a pixel electrode of the organic light-emitting diode formed in the display area and includes a same material as the pixel electrode.

9. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming a dam in the non-display area through a same process as a process of forming a plurality of insulating layers of an insulating layer arranged between the at least one thin film transistor and each element of the organic light-emitting diode,
wherein the functional layers and the opposite electrode extend as one body on an outer surface of the dam and on the sacrificial layer including the isolated pattern hole.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the functional layer left on the insulating layer surrounds the opening area in the non-display area corresponding to the sacrificial layer.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
forming a thin-film encapsulation layer over the display area and the non-display area,
wherein at least one inorganic encapsulation layer of the thin-film encapsulation layer extends to a region in which the sacrificial layer is removed.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the at least one inorganic encapsulation layer covers the portion of the functional layer left on the insulating layer and an insulating layer exposed between adjacent functional layers.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate layer includes:
an emission layer in the display area; and
at least one functional layer on a surface of the emission layer and extending from the display area to the non-display area.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Hwiseong
• Kwon Hoisoo
• Kim Seunghwan
• Ye Yujin
• Yu Seunghwan
• Lee Jaeman
• Yoon Heewon

Classifications

• H10K71/00 Primary

  Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass · CPC title

• H10K59/1213 Primary

  the pixel elements being TFTs · CPC title

• H10K59/8731 Primary

  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

• H10K50/844

  Encapsulations · CPC title