Display panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12156422-B2
Application number	US-202117565135-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 29, 2021
Priority date	Dec 30, 2020
Publication date	Nov 26, 2024
Grant date	Nov 26, 2024

Abstract

A display panel includes a substrate including a display area and a middle area, wherein an opening is defined in the substrate, the display area surrounds the opening, and the middle area is disposed between the opening and the display area; a light-emitting device in the display area, including a pixel electrode, an opposite electrode, and an intermediate layer between the pixel electrode and the opposite electrode; an encapsulation layer covering the light-emitting device, and including at least one inorganic encapsulation layer; a first groove in the middle area on the substrate; and a second groove in the middle area, having an undercut shape that is concave in a thickness direction of a multi-layered film in the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display panel comprising:
a substrate including a display area and a middle area, wherein an opening is defined in the substrate, the display area surrounds the opening, and the middle area is disposed between the opening and the display area;
a light-emitting device disposed in the display area, the light-emitting device including a pixel electrode, an opposite electrode, and an intermediate layer disposed between the pixel electrode and the opposite electrode;
an encapsulation layer covering the light-emitting device, the encapsulation layer including at least one inorganic encapsulation layer;
a first groove disposed in the middle area, the first groove disposed on the substrate; and
a second groove disposed in the middle area, the second groove having an undercut shape that is concave in a thickness direction of a multi-layered film in the substrate,
wherein the first groove comprises a first bottom surface and the second groove comprises a second bottom surface, and
wherein the first bottom surface is disposed on a different layer than the second bottom surface.

2. A display panel, comprising:
a substrate including a display area and a middle area, wherein an opening is defined in the substrate, the display area surrounds the opening, and the middle area is disposed between the opening and the display area;
a light-emitting device disposed in the display area, the light-emitting device including a pixel electrode, an opposite electrode, and an intermediate layer disposed between the pixel electrode and the opposite electrode;
an encapsulation layer covering the light-emitting device, the encapsulation layer including at least one inorganic encapsulation layer;
a first groove disposed in the middle area, the first groove disposed on the substrate; and
a second groove disposed in the middle area, the second groove having an undercut shape that is concave in a thickness direction of a multi-layered film in the substrate,
wherein the first groove includes:
a 1-1st hole in an inorganic insulating layer on the substrate; and
a 1-2nd hole in an organic insulating layer on the inorganic insulating layer, and
wherein the 1-2nd hole is connected to the 1-1st hole.

3. The display panel of claim 2 , wherein the first groove includes a first tip that protrudes from a metal pattern layer disposed on the organic insulating layer toward a center of the first groove.

4. The display panel of claim 3 , wherein an organic material layer included in the intermediate layer or the opposite electrode is disconnected by the first tip.

5. The display panel of claim 3 , wherein the at least one inorganic encapsulation layer continuously covers an inner surface and a lower surface of the metal pattern layer and an inner surface of the organic insulating layer.

6. The display panel of claim 3 , wherein the first tip has a multi-layered structure, in which a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer are sequentially stacked, and a concave portion that is obtained by denting the second layer in a direction away from the center of the first groove, and
an organic material layer included in the intermediate layer or the opposite electrode is disconnected by the multi-layered structure.

7. The display panel of claim 1 , further comprising a lower layer disposed under the first groove, the lower layer having an upper surface corresponding to the first bottom surface of the first groove.

8. The display panel of claim 1 , further comprising metal dummy stacks at opposite sides of the first groove based on a line that passes through the center of the first groove and is perpendicular to an upper surface of the substrate, the metal dummy stacks each including one or more metal layers stacked with an insulating layer therebetween.

9. The display panel of claim 1 , wherein the multi-layered film included in the substrate includes a base layer and a barrier layer disposed on the base layer.

10. The display panel of claim 9 , wherein the second groove includes:
a 2-1st hole or a 2-1st recess in the base layer; and
a 2-2nd hole in the barrier layer,
wherein the 2-2nd hole is connected to the 2-1st hole or the 2-1st recess.

11. The display panel of claim 10 , wherein the second groove includes a second tip that is a protrusion from the barrier layer toward a center of the second groove.

12. The display panel of claim 11 , wherein an organic material layer included in the intermediate layer or the opposite electrode is disconnected by the second tip.

13. The display panel of claim 11 , wherein the at least one inorganic encapsulation layer continuously covers an inner surface and a lower surface of the barrier layer and an inner surface of the base layer.

14. The display panel of claim 1 , further comprising a disconnection portion in the middle area, and having at least one of a first stack structure, in which a 1-1st sub-layer, a 1-2nd sub-layer, and a 1-3rd sub-layer are sequentially stacked, and a second stack structure on the first stack structure, the second stack structure including a 2-1st sub-layer, a 2-2nd sub-layer, and a 2-3rd sub-layer sequentially stacked,
wherein an organic material layer included in the intermediate layer or the opposite electrode is disconnected by the disconnection portion.

15. The display panel of claim 14 , wherein the first stack structure has a first concave portion formed by denting the 1-2nd sub-layer toward a center thereof, and
the second stack structure has a second concave portion formed by denting the 2-2nd sub-layer toward a center thereof.

16. The display panel of claim 14 , further comprising a thin film transistor disposed on the substrate, the thin film transistor including a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode overlapping the semiconductor layer, and a source electrode and a drain electrode electrically connected to the semiconductor layer,
wherein each of the source electrode and the drain electrode has a structure, in which a layer having a material same as a material in the 1-1st sub-layer, a layer having a material same as a material in the 1-2nd sub-layer, and a layer having a material same as a material in the 1-3rd sub-layer are sequentially stacked.

17. The display panel of claim 16 , further comprising a contact metal layer on the thin film transistor, the contact metal layer being electrically connected to the source electrode or the drain electrode,
wherein the contact metal layer has a structure, in which a layer having a material same as a material in the 2-1st sub-layer, a layer having a material same as a material in the 2-2nd sub-layer, and a layer having a material same as a material in the 2-3rd sub-layer are sequentially stacked.

18. The display panel of claim 14 , wherein the disconnection portion further includes a third stack structure disposed on the second stack structure, the third stack structure including a 3-1st sub-layer, a 3-2nd sub-layer, and 3-3rd sub-layer sequentially stacked.

19. The display panel of claim 18 , wherein the first stack structure has a first concave portion formed by denting the 1-2nd sub-layer toward a center thereof,
the second stack structure has a second concave portion formed by denting the 2-2nd sub-layer toward a center thereof, and
the third stack structure has a third concave portion formed by denting the 3-2nd sub-layer toward a center thereof.

20. The display panel of claim 18 , wherein the pixel electrode has a structure, in which a layer having a material same as a material in the

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• BOK Seunglyong
• Lee Jeongho
• Son Youngran

Classifications

• H10K59/873

  Encapsulations · CPC title

• H10K50/844 Primary

  Encapsulations · CPC title

• H10D86/411

  characterised by materials, geometry or structure of the substrates · CPC title

• H10K59/131 Primary

  Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals · CPC title

• H10K59/124 Primary

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