Display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12484386-B2
Application number	US-202418632335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 11, 2024
Priority date	Jan 6, 2022
Publication date	Nov 25, 2025
Grant date	Nov 25, 2025

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a display device includes a substrate, an insulating layer, a lower electrode, a rib including an aperture and covering a periphery of the lower electrode, a partition above the rib, an upper electrode being in contact with the partition, and an organic layer between the electrodes. The organic layer includes a first organic layer that is in contact with the lower electrode through the aperture, and a second organic layer on the partition. At least a part of the periphery of the lower electrode is located between the insulating layer and the partition in a thickness direction of the insulating layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A display device comprising:
a substrate; a pixel circuit overlapping the substrate; an insulating layer on the pixel circuit and including a contact hole; a first lower electrode and a second lower electrode on the insulating layer and arranged in a second direction crossing at a right angle to a third direction normal to an upper surface of the substrate, the first lower electrode being connected to the pixel circuit at the contact hole; a first upper electrode opposing the first lower electrode in the third direction; a second upper electrode opposing the second lower electrode in the third direction; a first organic layer located between the first lower electrode and the first upper electrode and including a first light-emitting layer; a second organic layer located between the second lower electrode and the second upper electrode and including a second light-emitting layer; a rib formed of a first inorganic material on the first lower electrode and the second lower electrode and including:
a lower surface in direct contact with the first lower electrode, the second lower electrode, and the insulating layer,
an upper surface opposing the lower surface of the rib and being farther from the substrate compared to the lower surface of the rib,
a first pixel aperture overlapping the first lower electrode in a plan view, and
a second pixel aperture overlapping the second lower electrode in the plan view; and
a partition located between the first pixel aperture and the second pixel aperture in the plan view, the partition including:
a lower portion on the rib, in direct contact with the upper surface of the rib, and including:
a lower surface in direct contact with the upper surface of the rib, and
an upper surface opposing the lower surface of the lower portion of the partition and being farther from the substrate compared to the lower surface of the lower portion of the partition,

a side surface connecting the lower surface of the lower portion of the partition to the upper surface of the lower portion of the partition, and
an upper portion on the lower portion, in direct contact with the upper surface of the lower portion of the partition, extending beyond the side surface of the lower portion of the partition in the second direction, and including:
a lower surface in direct contact with the upper surface of the lower portion of the partition, and
an upper surface opposing the lower surface of the upper portion of the partition and being farther from the substrate compared to the lower surface of the upper portion of the partition, wherein the first light-emitting layer emits a light of a first color, wherein

the second light-emitting layer emits a light of a second color different from the first color, the lower portion of the partition includes a first side surface and a second side surface, the first side surface being closer to the first pixel aperture compared to the second side surface in the second direction, the first side surface of the lower portion of the partition extends from the upper surface of the rib to the lower surface of the upper portion of the partition, the second side surface of the lower portion of the partition extends from the upper surface of the rib to the lower surface of the upper portion of the partition, the upper portion of the partition includes a first end surface and a second end surface, the first end surface being closer to the first pixel aperture compared to the second end surface in the second direction, the first end surface of the upper portion of the partition connects the lower surface of the upper portion of the partition to the upper surface of the upper portion of the partition, the second end surface of the upper portion of the partition connects the lower surface of the upper portion of the partition to the upper surface of the upper portion of the partition, a first width, which is a greatest width between the first end surface of the upper portion of the partition and the second end surface of the upper portion of the partition in the second direction, is greater than a second width, which is a greatest width between the first side surface of the lower portion of the partition and the second side surface of the lower portion of the partition in the second direction, the rib includes a first step and a second step located between the first lower electrode and the second lower electrode in the second direction, the first step of the rib is closer to the first lower electrode compared to the second step of the rib in the second direction, the first step and the second step are located between the first side surface of the lower portion of the partition and the second side surface of the lower portion of the partition in the second direction, the first upper electrode is in direct contact with the first side surface of the lower portion of the partition, the second upper electrode is in direct contact with the second side surface of the lower portion of the partition, and in a cross-sectional view,
the first side surface of the lower portion of the partition is located between the first end surface of the upper portion of the partition and the first step of the rib in the second direction, and
the second side surface of the lower portion of the partition is located between the second end surface of the upper portion of the partition and the second step of the rib in the second direction.

2 . The display device according to claim 1 , wherein
in the cross-sectional view, the lower portion of the partition overlaps the first step of the rib and the second step of the rib.

3 . The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
in the cross-sectional view,
a first sealing layer formed of a second inorganic material and covering the first upper electrode, the first side surface of the lower portion of the partition and a part of the upper portion of the partition, and
a second sealing layer formed of a third inorganic material and covering the second upper electrode, the second side surface of the lower portion of the partition and another part of the upper portion of the partition, wherein
in the cross-sectional view,
the first sealing layer includes a third edge above the upper portion of the partition,
the second sealing layer includes a fourth edge above the upper portion of the partition, and
the third edge of the first sealing layer and the fourth edge of the second sealing layer are spaced apart from each other in the second direction.

4 . The display device according to claim 3 , wherein
in the cross-sectional view and in the second direction,
the third edge of the first sealing layer is located between the first side surface of the lower portion of the partition and the second side surface of the lower portion of the partition, and
the fourth edge of the second sealing layer is located between the first side surface of the lower portion of the partition and the second side surface of the lower portion of the partition.

5 . The display device according to claim 3 , wherein
in the cross-sectional view and in the second direction, the third edge of the first sealing layer is opposite the fourth edge of the second sealing layer.

6 . The display device according to claim 3 , wherein
in the cross-sectional view,
the contact hole includes a contact area where the first lower electrode is electrically in contact with the pixel circuit, and
the contact area of the contact hole is located between the third edge of the first sealing layer and the fourth edge of the second sealing layer in the second direction.

7 . The display device according to claim 3 , wherein
in the cross-sectional view,
the contact hole

Assignees

• Magnolia White Corp

Inventors

• Tabatake Hiroshi

Classifications

• H10K50/813

  characterised by their shape · CPC title

• H10K59/123

  Connection of the pixel electrodes to the thin film transistors [TFT] · CPC title

• H10K59/124

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

• H10K59/122 Primary

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