Display apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025107324-A1
Application number	US-202418971869-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Dec 6, 2024
Priority date	Sep 3, 2019
Publication date	Mar 27, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a substrate having a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area. Display elements are arranged in the display area. A spacer is disposed between the display elements and includes a lateral side having a first slope. A thin film encapsulation layer covers the display area and includes a buffer encapsulation layer, an inorganic encapsulation layer, an organic encapsulation layer, and a composite encapsulation layer sequentially stacked on one another. The composite encapsulation layer includes a plurality of sub-layers stacked on each other. Each of the sub-layers has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the inorganic encapsulation layer. An upper surface of the buffer encapsulation layer has a second slope that is smaller than the first slope. The second slope overlaps the first slope in a direction of a thickness of the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A display apparatus comprising:
a substrate including a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area; display elements arranged over the display area; a spacer disposed between the display elements; a capping layer arranged over the display elements and the spacer; and a thin film encapsulation layer arranged over the capping layer and covering the display area, the thin film encapsulation layer comprising a buffer encapsulation layer, an inorganic encapsulation layer, an organic encapsulation layer, and a composite encapsulation layer sequentially stacked on one another, wherein the composite encapsulation layer comprises a plurality of sub-layers stacked on each other, each of the sub-layers has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the inorganic encapsulation layer, wherein an upper surface of the buffer encapsulation layer is flat.

2 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
a protection layer disposed between the capping layer and the buffer encapsulation layer, the protection layer comprising an inorganic material, wherein a refractive index of the protection layer is less than a refractive index of the capping layer.

3 . The display apparatus of claim 2 , wherein the protection layer comprises lithium fluoride (LiF).

4 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:
an inorganic barrier layer disposed between the capping layer and the buffer encapsulation layer, wherein a thickness of the inorganic barrier layer is less than the thickness of the inorganic encapsulation layer.

5 . The display apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the thickness of the inorganic barrier layer is in a range of about 500 Å to about 1000 Å.

6 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a modulus of the composite encapsulation layer is less than a modulus of the inorganic encapsulation layer.

7 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a modulus of the composite encapsulation layer is in a range of about 5% to about 20% of the modulus of the inorganic encapsulation layer.

8 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the buffer encapsulation layer comprises an organic material.

9 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
1 dyad is a stack structure of a first sub-layer and a second sub-layer, the first sub-layer and the second sub-layer comprising different materials or different composition ratios from each other; and the composite encapsulation layer comprises 1.5 dyads to 10 dyads.

10 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein:
the plurality of sub-layers includes a first sub-layer and a second sub-layer alternately stacked on each other, wherein the first sub-layer comprises an inorganic film and the second sub-layer comprises an organic-inorganic hybrid material.

11 . The display apparatus of claim 10 , wherein the second sub-layer comprises SiO x C y H z ,
wherein x>0, y>0, and z≥0.

12 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the composite encapsulation layer is less than a thickness of the inorganic encapsulation layer.

13 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the capping layer comprises a refractive index of about 1.6 to about 3.

14 . A display apparatus comprising:
a substrate including a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area; display elements arranged over the display area; a spacer disposed between the display elements; a capping layer arranged over the display elements and the spacer; and a thin film encapsulation layer arranged over the capping layer and covering the display area, the thin film encapsulation layer comprising a buffer encapsulation layer, an inorganic encapsulation layer, an organic encapsulation layer, and a composite encapsulation layer sequentially stacked on one another, wherein the composite encapsulation layer comprises a plurality of sub-layers stacked on each other, each of the sub-layers has a thickness that is less than a thickness of the inorganic encapsulation layer, wherein the buffer encapsulation layer comprises an organic material.

15 . The display apparatus of claim 14 , wherein a modulus of the composite encapsulation layer is less than a modulus of the inorganic encapsulation layer.

16 . The display apparatus of claim 14 , wherein a modulus of the composite encapsulation layer is in a range of about 5% to about 20% of the modulus of the inorganic encapsulation layer.

17 . The display apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the buffer encapsulation layer comprises an organic material.

18 . The display apparatus of claim 14 , wherein:
1 dyad is a stack structure of a first sub-layer and a second sub-layer, the first sub-layer and the second sub-layer comprising different materials or different composition ratios from each other; and the composite encapsulation layer comprises 1.5 dyads to 10 dyads.

19 . The display apparatus of claim 14 , wherein a thickness of the composite encapsulation layer is less than a thickness of the inorganic encapsulation layer.

20 . The display apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the display elements are organic light emitting diodes.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Sunho
• Lee Sunhee
• Kim Gunhee
• Kim Hyun

Classifications

• H10K59/8723 Primary

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

• H10K59/8731 Primary

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

• H10K59/131

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

• H10K2102/311

  Flexible OLED · CPC title

• H10K77/111

  Flexible substrates · CPC title