Display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12360623-B2
Application number	US-202318473129-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 22, 2023
Priority date	Jul 29, 2016
Publication date	Jul 15, 2025
Grant date	Jul 15, 2025

Abstract

A display device includes an organic light emitting display panel defining a display area for displaying an image and a non-display area adjacent the display area, and including a base layer, a circuit layer on the base layer, a light emitting device layer on the circuit layer, and a thin film sealing layer on the light emitting device layer and divided into a first thin film sealing area, and a second thin film sealing area adjacent the first thin film sealing area, and a touch detection unit including a first sensor part on the first thin film sealing area of the thin film sealing layer, and a second sensor part on the second thin film sealing area of the thin film sealing layer, wherein an upper surface of the thin film sealing layer that faces the touch detection unit includes a first upper surface in the first thin film sealing area, and a second upper surface in the second thin film sealing area and protruding away from the base layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
a display panel, where a display area for displaying an image and a non-display area adjacent to the display area are defined, comprising a base layer, a circuit layer on the base layer, a light emitting layer on the circuit layer, and a thin film sealing layer on the light emitting layer and comprising a first inorganic layer, an organic layer on the first inorganic layer, and a second inorganic layer on the organic layer; and
a sensor on the thin film sealing layer of the display panel, and comprising touch electrodes having a mesh form and signal lines electrically connected to the touch electrodes,
wherein the organic layer comprises a first portion, a second portion, and a third portion overlapping the display area,
wherein the first portion, the second portion, and the third portion are arranged sequentially in a direction away from the non-display area, and
wherein a thickness of the second portion is greater than each of a thickness of the first portion and a thickness of the third portion.

2. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the second portion has a shape that protrudes in a direction away from the light emitting layer,
the sensor further comprises a first sensor portion overlapping the first and second portions and a second sensor portion overlapping the third portion, and
a difference between a touch sensitivity of the first sensor portion and a touch sensitivity of the second sensor portion is reduced by the second portion.

3. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor is formed by a continuous process after a process that formed the thin film sealing layer of the display panel.

4. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the touch electrodes are on the thin film sealing layer of the display panel and the signal lines are on the thin film sealing layer of the display panel.

5. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the first portion is less than the thickness of the third portion.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the thin film sealing layer further comprises a peak protruding from the base layer, and the peak overlaps the second portion.

7. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the touch electrodes comprise a first touch pattern and a second touch pattern spaced from the first touch pattern, and the first touch pattern and the second touch pattern overlap the display area.

8. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the first touch pattern overlaps with the first portion and the second portion, and the second touch pattern overlaps with the third portion.

9. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the thin film sealing layer comprises a first upper surface overlapping the first touch pattern and a second upper surface overlapping the second touch pattern, wherein the first upper surface is an uneven surface and the second upper surface is a flat surface.

10. The electronic device of claim 9 , wherein the first upper surface comprises a first inclined surface extending from the second upper surface and a second inclined surface extending from the first inclined surface, and the first touch pattern overlaps the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface.

11. The electronic device of claim 10 , wherein a distance between a boundary between the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface and the base layer is greater than a distance between the second upper surface and the base layer.

12. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein an upper surface of the organic layer comprises a first organic upper surface overlapping the first touch pattern and a second organic upper surface overlapping the second touch pattern, and a portion of the first organic upper surface is protruded in a direction away from the base layer.

13. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the first touch pattern has a curved shape.

14. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the second touch pattern has a flat shape.

15. The electronic device of claim 7 , wherein the first touch pattern has a non-flat shape.

16. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the sensor further comprises a first conductive layer on the display panel, a first insulation layer on the first conductive layer and the display panel, a second conductive layer on the first insulation layer, and a second insulation layer on the second conductive layer and the first insulation layer.

17. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the signal lines comprise a first line formed by patterning the first conductive layer and a second line formed by patterning the second conductive layer.

18. The electronic device of claim 16 , wherein the touch electrodes comprise a bridge pattern formed by patterning the first conductive layer and touch patterns formed by patterning the second conductive layer,
wherein the touch patterns comprise first touch patterns and second touch patterns spaced from the first touch patterns,
wherein contact holes for partially exposing the bridge pattern are formed in the first insulation layer, and
wherein the first touch patterns are connected to the bridge pattern through the contact holes.

19. The electronic device of claim 1 , a distance between the signal lines and the base layer is less than a distance between the touch electrodes and the base layer.

20. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the touch electrodes comprise a first touch pattern and a second touch pattern spaced from the first touch pattern,
wherein the first touch pattern is between the second touch pattern and the signal lines, and
wherein a distance between a first portion of the first touch pattern and the base layer is greater than a distance between the second touch pattern and the base layer.

21. The electronic device of claim 20 , wherein a distance between a second portion of the first touch pattern and the base layer is less than the distance between the second touch pattern and the base layer.

22. The electronic device of claim 21 , wherein the second portion of the first touch pattern is between the first portion of the first touch pattern and the signal lines.

23. The electronic device of claim 21 , wherein a distance between the signal lines and the base layer is less than the distance between the second portion of the first touch pattern and the base layer.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jun Sanghyun
• Bang Kiho
• Jung Eunae
• Ku Keunlim
• Ji Mi-Ran

Classifications

• G06F2203/04112

  Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material · 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

• H10K59/12

  Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays · CPC title

• H10K50/844

  Encapsulations · CPC title

• H10K50/8445

  multilayered coatings having a repetitive structure, e.g. having multiple organic-inorganic bilayers · CPC title