Display device and method for manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2024431141-A1
Application number	US-202118687957-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Nov 5, 2021
Priority date	Nov 5, 2021
Publication date	Dec 26, 2024
Grant date	—

Abstract

An organic EL display device includes a resin substrate provided as a base substrate, a TFT layer provided on the resin substrate and in which TFTs are arranged for each subpixel, and
a plurality of photo spacers provided on the TFT layer, in which a recessed portion having a caldera shape that is open upward is formed at a top portion of each photo spacer,
each photo spacer and the recessed portion are formed in a circular shape in a plan view, and a ratio of a diameter of an opening end portion of the recessed portion to a diameter of a base portion of the photo spacer is greater than 0 and lower than 0.8.

First claim

1 . A display device comprising:
a base substrate; a thin film transistor layer provided on the base substrate and in which a thin film transistor is arranged for each of a plurality of subpixels; and a plurality of photo spacers provided on the thin film transistor layer, wherein a recessed portion having a caldera shape that is open upward is formed at a top portion of each of the plurality of photo spacers, each of the plurality of photo spacers and the recessed portion are formed in a circular shape in a plan view, and a ratio of a diameter of an opening end portion of the recessed portion to a diameter of a base portion of each of the plurality of photo spacers is greater than 0 and lower than 0.8.

2 . The display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the thin film transistor layer includes a flattening film in an upper face, and the plurality of photo spacers are provided on the flattening film.

3 . The display device according to claim 1 , comprising:
a light-emitting element layer provided on the thin film transistor layer and in which a light-emitting element including a first electrode, a light-emitting function layer, and a second electrode that are layered in order for each of the plurality of subpixels is arranged; and an edge cover configured to cover a peripheral end portion of the first electrode, wherein the plurality of photo spacers are portions protruding from an upper face of the edge cover.

4 . The display device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the plurality of photo spacers are formed of the same material as the edge cover.

5 . The display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of photo spacers are formed of a positive photosensitive resin.

6 . The display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a diameter of the base portion of each of the plurality of photo spacers is 28 μm or greater and 60 μm or smaller.

7 . The display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a diameter of the opening end portion of the recessed portion is 15 μm or greater and 21 μm or smaller.

8 . The display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a bottom face of each of the recessed portions is formed in a circular shape having a diameter smaller than the diameter of the opening end portion in a plan view, and the diameter of the bottom face is 10 μm or greater and 14 μm or smaller.

9 . The display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a first ridgeline portion continuous from an opening end portion of the recessed portion and a second ridgeline portion inclined more than the first ridgeline portion and continuous to a base portion of each of the plurality of photo spacers are provided around each of the plurality of photo spacers, and a diameter at a boundary portion between the first ridgeline portion and the second ridgeline portion is 20 μm or greater and 43 μm or smaller.

10 . The display device according to claim 9 ,
wherein a ratio of a height from the base portion of each of the plurality of photo spacers to the boundary portion with respect to a height from the base portion to the opening end portion of the recessed portion is greater than 0 and lower than 0.9.

11 . The display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the height from the base portion of each of the plurality of photo spacers to the opening end portion of the recessed portion is 1.5 μm or greater and 2 μm or less.

12 . The display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a depth from the opening end portion of the recessed portion to a bottom face is 0.2 μm or greater and 1 μm or less.

13 . A display device comprising:
a base substrate; a thin film transistor layer provided on the base substrate and in which a thin film transistor is arranged for each of a plurality of subpixels; and a plurality of photo spacers provided on the thin film transistor layer, wherein a recessed portion having a caldera shape that is open upward is formed at a top portion of each of the plurality of photo spacers, each of the plurality of photo spacers and the recessed portion are formed in a rectangular shape in a plan view, and a ratio of a diagonal line of an opening end portion of the recessed portion to a diagonal line of a base portion of each of the plurality of photo spacers is greater than 0 and lower than 0.8.

14 . The display device according to claim 13 , comprising:
a light-emitting element layer provided on the thin film transistor layer and in which a light-emitting element including a first electrode, a light-emitting function layer, and a second electrode layered in order for each of the plurality of subpixels is arranged; and an edge cover configured to cover a peripheral end portion of the first electrode, wherein the plurality of photo spacers are portions protruding from an upper face of the edge cover.

15 . The display device according to claim 3 , comprising:
a sealing film configured to cover the light-emitting element.

16 . The display device according to claim 3 ,
wherein the light-emitting element is an organic electroluminescence element.

17 . A method for manufacturing a display device including
a base substrate, a thin film transistor layer provided on the base substrate and in which a thin film transistor is arranged for each of a plurality of subpixels, and a plurality of photo spacers provided on the thin film transistor layer, the display device including a recessed portion having a caldera shape that is open upward formed at a top portion of each of the plurality of photo spacers, the method comprising: forming the thin film transistor layer on the base substrate; and forming the plurality of photo spacers on the thin film transistor layer, wherein the forming of the plurality of photo spacers includes applying a first photosensitive resin on the thin film transistor layer, patterning the first photosensitive resin applied in the applying of the first photosensitive resin, applying a second photosensitive resin configured to form the plurality of photo spacers on the first photosensitive resin patterned in the patterning, and forming the recessed portion having the caldera shape that is open upward at the top portion of each of the plurality of photo spacers by exposing the second photosensitive resin applied in the applying of the second photosensitive resin using a gray-tone mask or a halftone mask, and in the forming of the recessed portion, a ratio of a diameter or a diagonal line of an opening end portion of the recessed portion to a diameter or a diagonal line of a base portion of each of the plurality of photo spacers is adjusted to be greater than 0 and lower than 0.8.

18 . The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 17 , comprising:
forming a first electrode for each of the plurality of subpixels on a flattening film after the flattening film is formed on the upper face in the forming of the thin film transistor layer and before the forming of the plurality of photo spacers, wherein, in the applying of the first photosensitive resin, the first photosensitive resin is applied to cover a peripheral end portion of the first electrode, in the patterning, an edge cover configured to cover the peripheral end portion of the first electrode is formed, and in the applying of the second photosensitive resin, the second photosensitive resin is applied onto the edge cover to form a protruding portion constituting the plurality of photo spacers on an upper face of the edge cover.

19 . The method for manufacturing a display devic

Assignees

• Sharp Display Technology Corp

Inventors

• Murofushi Norio
• Fujimoto Eiji
• Shohji Atsushi

Classifications

• H10K59/873

  Encapsulations · CPC title

• H10K50/00

  Organic light-emitting devices (integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10K59/00, H10K65/00; organic semiconductor lasers H01S5/36) · CPC title

• H10K59/122

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

• H10K59/00

  Integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, comprising at least one organic light-emitting element covered by group H10K50/00 · CPC title

• H10K59/8723

  Vertical spacers, e.g. arranged between the sealing arrangement and the OLED · CPC title