Display device, method of manufacturing the same, and electronic device comprising the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2026059972-A1
Application number	US-202519226145-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 3, 2025
Priority date	Aug 22, 2024
Publication date	Feb 26, 2026
Grant date	—

Abstract

A display device is disclosed that includes a substrate, a first electrode, a pixel defining layer, a first protective layer, a second protective layer, a light emitting layer, and a second electrode. The first electrode is positioned on the substrate. The pixel defining layer overlaps an edge region of the first electrode. The first protective layer is positioned between the first electrode and the pixel defining layer and overlaps the edge region of the first electrode. The second protective layer is positioned between the first protective layer and the pixel defining layer and overlaps the edge region of the first electrode. The light emitting layer is positioned on the first electrode. The second electrode is positioned on the light emitting layer. The second protective layer has a smaller cross-sectional width than the first protective layer. The first protective layer and the second protective layer include different materials.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A display device comprising:
a substrate; a first electrode positioned on the substrate; a pixel defining layer overlapping an edge region of the first electrode; a first protective layer positioned between the first electrode and the pixel defining layer and overlapping the edge region of the first electrode; a second protective layer positioned between the first protective layer and the pixel defining layer and overlapping the edge region of the first electrode; a light emitting layer positioned on the first electrode; and a second electrode positioned on the light emitting layer, wherein a width of the second protective layer is smaller than a width of the first protective layer in a cross-sectional view, and the first protective layer and the second protective layer include different materials.

2 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first protective layer includes an insulating material.

3 . The display device of claim 2 , wherein:
the first protective layer includes a metal oxide.

4 . The display device of claim 3 , wherein:
the metal oxide includes a first metal oxide which is selected from aluminum oxide (Al 2 O 3 ), tantalum oxide (Ta 2 O 5 ), zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 ), and a combination thereof.

5 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the second protective layer includes a metal.

6 . The display device of claim 5 , wherein:
the metal includes a first metal selected from aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), nickel (Ni), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), chromium (Cr), tantalum (Ta), and a combination thereof.

7 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the second protective layer includes a transparent conductive oxide (TCO).

8 . The display device of claim 7 , wherein:
the TCO includes a first TCO selected from indium tin oxide (ITO), poly-ITO, indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), and a combination thereof.

9 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the pixel defining layer has an undercut shape by the second protective layer.

10 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein:
an inner edge of the first protective layer is aligned with an edge of the pixel defining layer.

11 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first protective layer is in contact with the light emitting layer, and the second protective layer is spaced apart from the light emitting layer.

12 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the light emitting layer includes a plurality of light emitting units.

13 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the light emitting layer includes a first light emitting unit, a second light emitting unit, and a third light emitting unit, and the first light emitting unit, the second light emitting unit, and the third light emitting unit emit red light, green light, and blue light, respectively.

14 . A method of manufacturing a display device, the method comprising:
preparing a substrate; forming a first electrode on the substrate; forming a first material layer on the first electrode; forming a second material layer on the first material layer; forming a pixel defining layer on the substrate to overlap an edge region of the first electrode, an edge region of the first material layer, and an edge region of the second material layer; etching the second material layer to expose the first material layer; forming a first protective layer exposing the first electrode by etching the first material layer; forming a second protective layer by additionally etching the second material layer; and sequentially forming a light emitting layer and a second electrode on an entire surface of the substrate, wherein the first protective layer and the second protective layer include different materials.

15 . The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the first protective layer includes an insulating material.

16 . The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the second protective layer includes at least one of a metal and a transparent conductive oxide.

17 . The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the etching of the second material layer to expose the first material layer includes a dry etching process.

18 . The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the forming the first protective layer includes a wet etching process, and an inner edge of the first protective layer is aligned with an edge of the pixel defining layer.

19 . The method of claim 14 , wherein:
the forming the second protective layer includes a wet etching process, and a width of the second protective layer is smaller than a width of the first protective layer in a cross-sectional.

20 . An electronic device comprising a display device,
the display device comprising:
a substrate;
a first electrode positioned on the substrate;
a pixel defining layer overlapping an edge region of the first electrode;
a first protective layer positioned between the first electrode and the pixel defining layer and overlapping the edge region of the first electrode;
a second protective layer positioned between the first protective layer and the pixel defining layer and overlapping the edge region of the first electrode;
a light emitting layer positioned on the first electrode; and
a second electrode positioned on the light emitting layer,
wherein a width of the second protective layer is smaller than a width of the first protective layer in a cross-sectional view, and the first protective layer and the second protective layer include different materials.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Young Min
• Kang Shin Tack
• Kwon Soon Kyeong
• Noh Hyun Woo
• Baek Moon Jung
• Lee Dae Ho
• Han Su Ji

Classifications

• H10K59/1201

  Manufacture or treatment · CPC title

• G02B27/0172

  characterised by optical features · CPC title

• H10K59/871 Primary

  Self-supporting sealing arrangements · CPC title

• G02B2027/0178

  Eyeglass type (eyeglass details G02C) · CPC title

• H10K59/122 Primary

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