Display panel, method of manufacturing the display panel, and electronic apparatus including the display panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024072015-A1
Application number	US-202318234296-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Aug 15, 2023
Priority date	Aug 26, 2022
Publication date	Feb 29, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

A display panel includes a substrate including first and second areas spaced apart from each other, and a first display area surrounding the first area and the second area, a plurality of first light-emitting diodes in the first display area and respectively electrically connected to a plurality of first sub-pixel circuits, a plurality of second light-emitting diodes in the first area, a plurality of second sub-pixel circuits respectively electrically connected to the plurality of second light-emitting diodes, and a groove surrounding the second area and having an undercut shape, wherein the substrate includes a first base layer, a first barrier layer, a second base layer, and a second barrier layer, and further includes a concave portion in a region between two adjacent second light-emitting and recessed into the second barrier layer and the second base layer, and a hole in the second area and penetrating through the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A display panel comprising:
a substrate comprising a first area, a second area spaced apart from the first area, and a first display area surrounding the first area and the second area; a plurality of first sub-pixel circuits in the first display area; a plurality of first light-emitting diodes in the first display area and respectively electrically connected to the plurality of first sub-pixel circuits; a plurality of second light-emitting diodes in the first area; a plurality of second sub-pixel circuits respectively electrically connected to the plurality of second light-emitting diodes; and a groove surrounding the second area and having an undercut shape, wherein the substrate comprises a first base layer, a first barrier layer on the first base layer, a second base layer on the first barrier layer, and a second barrier layer on the second base layer, wherein the substrate further comprises: a first concave portion corresponding to a region between two adjacent second light-emitting diodes in the first area and having a shape recessed into the second barrier layer and the second base layer; and a hole corresponding to the second area and penetrating through the second barrier layer, the second base layer, the first barrier layer, and the first base layer.

2 . The display panel of claim 1 , wherein a first vertical distance from an upper surface of the first base layer to a bottom surface of the groove is equal to or greater than a second vertical distance from the upper surface of the first base layer to a bottom surface of the first concave portion.

3 . The display panel of claim 1 , wherein the first area comprises a transmission area corresponding to the first concave portion of the substrate.

4 . The display panel of claim 1 , wherein one of two second sub-pixel circuits selected from among the plurality of second sub-pixel circuits is in a first peripheral area on a first side of the first area, and another one of the two second sub-pixel circuits is in a second peripheral area on a second side of the first area, the second side being opposite to the first side.

5 . The display panel of claim 4 , wherein the one of the two second sub-pixel circuits is on a side opposite to the second area with the first area therebetween, and
the other one of the two second sub-pixel circuits is between the first area and the second area.

6 . The display panel of claim 4 , further comprising:
a first conductive bus line electrically connecting the one of the two second sub-pixel circuits and a corresponding second light-emitting diode from among the plurality of second light-emitting diodes to each other and extending in a first direction; and a second conductive bus line electrically connecting the other one of the two second sub-pixel circuits and a corresponding second light-emitting diode from among the plurality of second light-emitting diodes to each other and extending in the first direction.

7 . The display panel of claim 6 , wherein each of the first conductive bus line and the second conductive bus line comprises a transmissive conductive material.

8 . The display panel of claim 7 , wherein a portion of any one of the first conductive bus line and the second conductive bus line overlaps the first concave portion.

9 . The display panel of claim 1 , wherein a first height from the substrate to a first electrode of any one of the plurality of second light-emitting diodes in the first area is less than a second height from the substrate to a first electrode of any one of the plurality of first light-emitting diodes in the first display area.

10 . The display panel of claim 1 , further comprising an organic insulating layer between the substrate and a first electrode of any one of the plurality of second light-emitting diodes in the first area,
wherein the organic insulating layer overlaps the first concave portion of the substrate.

11 . The display panel of claim 1 , wherein the substrate further comprises a second concave portion in the first area and spaced apart from the first concave portion.

12 . A method of manufacturing a display panel, the display panel comprising:
a first display area in which a plurality of first light-emitting diodes is arranged; a first area in which a plurality of second light-emitting diodes is arranged; and a second area spaced apart from the first area, the method comprising: preparing a substrate comprising a first base layer, a first barrier layer on the first base layer, a second base layer on the first barrier layer, and a second barrier layer on the second base layer, wherein the plurality of first light-emitting diodes and the plurality of second light-emitting diodes are on the substrate; forming a groove corresponding to a peripheral area of the second area, surrounding the second area, and having an undercut shape; and forming a concave portion corresponding to a region between two adjacent second light-emitting diodes in the first area and having a shape recessed into the second barrier layer and the second base layer, wherein, in the forming of the groove and the forming of the concave portion, a mask made of a same material is used.

13 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the mask comprises indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO).

14 . The method of claim 12 , wherein a first vertical distance from an upper surface of the first base layer to a bottom surface of the groove is equal to or greater than a second vertical distance from the upper surface of the first base layer to a bottom surface of the concave portion.

15 . The method of claim 12 , wherein the forming of the concave portion comprises:
forming a hole penetrating through the second barrier layer; and forming an opening overlapping the hole of the second barrier layer in the second base layer.

16 . The method of claim 15 , further comprising:
forming an organic insulating layer between the substrate and the mask; and forming a metal pattern layer on the organic insulating layer, wherein the forming of the groove comprises removing a portion of the organic insulating layer by using the mask, and the metal pattern layer comprises a tip protruding toward the groove from a point where an inner side surface of the organic insulating layer, from which a portion thereof is removed, and a bottom surface of the metal pattern layer meet each other.

17 . The method of claim 16 , further comprising forming a lower layer below the organic insulating layer.

18 . The method of claim 15 , wherein the forming of the groove comprises:
forming a hole penetrating through the second barrier layer below the mask; and forming an opening overlapping the hole of the second barrier layer in the second base layer.

19 . An electronic apparatus comprising:
a display panel comprising a first area, a second area spaced apart from the first area, and a first display area surrounding the first area and the second area; a first component corresponding to the first area of the display panel and on a rear surface of the display panel; and a second component corresponding to the second area of the display panel and on the rear surface of the display panel, wherein the display panel comprises: a substrate; a plurality of first sub-pixel circuits on the substrate and in the first display area; a plurality of first light-emitting diodes in the first display area and respectively electrically connected to the plurality of first sub-pixel circuits; a plurality of second li

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lee Jeongho
• BOK Seunglyong

Classifications

• H10W90/00 Primary

  Package configurations · CPC title

• H10D86/441

  Interconnections, e.g. scanning lines · CPC title

• H10H20/0364

  of interconnections · CPC title

• H10H20/857

  Interconnections, e.g. lead-frames, bond wires or solder balls · CPC title

• H10H20/036

  of packages · CPC title