Electronic device displays with border masking layers

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9312517-B2
Application number	US-201414177681-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 11, 2014
Priority date	Mar 15, 2013
Publication date	Apr 12, 2016
Grant date	Apr 12, 2016

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with a display. The display may have an active area with an array of display pixels and an inactive border region containing metal lines and other support circuitry. The array of display pixels may be formed from organic light-emitting diode structures in an organic-light-emitting diode layer. The display may also include an encapsulant layer on the organic light-emitting diode layer and a substrate layer. An opaque masking layer may be formed in the inactive border region. The opaque masking layer may overlap structures in the inactive border region such as the support circuitry, thereby blocking the support circuitry from view. The opaque masking layer may be formed a glass layer in the display, in part of a polarizer in a display, under a planarization layer, or between other layers in the display.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display with an active area and an inactive border, comprising:
an organic light-emitting diode layer having an array of organic light-emitting diode display pixels in the active area and having support circuitry in the inactive area; and
an opaque masking layer in the inactive area that covers the support circuitry.

2. The display defined in claim 1 further comprising a display cover layer, wherein the opaque masking layer is formed on an inner surface of the display cover layer.

3. The display defined in claim 1 further comprising:
a display cover layer; and
a film on the display cover layer, wherein the opaque masking layer is formed between the film and the display cover layer.

4. The display defined in claim 1 further comprising a circular polarizer, wherein the opaque masking layer is formed between the circular polarizer and the organic light-emitting diode layer.

5. The display defined in claim 4 further comprising:
an encapsulant layer; and
a substrate layer, wherein the organic light-emitting diode layer is located between the substrate layer and the encapsulant layer and wherein the opaque masking layer is formed between the circular polarizer and the substrate layer.

6. The display defined in claim 4 further comprising:
an encapsulant layer; and
a substrate layer, wherein the organic light-emitting diode layer is located between the substrate layer and the encapsulant layer and wherein the opaque masking layer is formed on the substrate layer between the substrate layer and the organic light-emitting diode layer and wherein the display further comprises a planarization layer that covers the opaque masking layer on the substrate layer.

7. The display defined in claim 1 further comprising:
a circular polarizer; and
an encapsulant layer between the circular polarizer and the organic light-emitting diode layer, wherein the opaque masking layer is formed between the circular polarizer and the encapsulant layer.

8. The display defined in claim 1 further comprising:
a color filter layer; and
an encapsulant layer between the color filter layer and the organic light-emitting diode layer, wherein the opaque masking layer is formed between the color filter layer and the encapsulant layer.

9. The display defined in claim 1 further comprising a polarizer having multiple polarizer sublayers and wherein the opaque masking layer is formed between the multiple polarizer sublayers.

10. The display defined in claim 9 wherein the polarizer comprises:
a first polarizer support layer;
a second polarizer support layer;
a polarizer film between the first and second polarizer support layers; and
a retarder, wherein the second polarizer support layer is located between the retarder and the polarizer film and wherein opaque masking layer is located between the first polarizer support layer and the polarizer film.

11. The display defined in claim 9 wherein the polarizer comprises:
a first polarizer support layer;
a second polarizer support layer;
a polarizer film between the first and second polarizer support layers; and
a retarder, wherein the second polarizer support layer is located between the retarder and the polarizer film and wherein opaque masking layer is located between the polarizer film and the second polarizer support layer.

12. The display defined in claim 9 wherein the polarizer comprises:
a first polarizer support layer;
a second polarizer support layer;
a polarizer film between the first and second polarizer support layers; and
a retarder, wherein the second polarizer support layer is located between the retarder and the polarizer film and wherein opaque masking layer is located between the second polarizer support layer and the retarder.

13. The display defined in claim 9 wherein the polarizer comprises:
a first polarizer support layer;
a second polarizer support layer;
a polarizer film between the first and second polarizer support layers; and
a retarder, wherein the second polarizer support layer is located between the retarder and the polarizer film, wherein the retarder includes a first eighth-wave plate and a second eighth-wave plate and wherein opaque masking layer is located between the first eighth-wave plate and the second eighth-wave plate.

14. A display with an active area and an inactive border, comprising:
a display layer having an array of display pixels in the active area and having reflecting metal structures in the inactive border;
a reflection suppressing layer that suppresses reflections from the array of display pixels and that overlaps the reflecting metal structures in the inactive border; and
an opaque masking layer in the inactive area that is located between the reflection suppressing layer and the display layer.

15. The display defined in claim 14 wherein the array of display pixels comprises an array of organic light-emitting diode display pixels, wherein the display layer comprises an organic light-emitting diode layer, and wherein the display further comprises an encapsulating layer between the reflection suppressing layer and the organic light-emitting diode layer.

16. The display defined in claim 15 wherein reflection suppressing layer comprises a circular polarizer.

17. The display defined in claim 15 wherein the reflection suppressing layer comprises a color filter layer having an array of color filter elements of different colors.

18. A display with an active area and an inactive border, comprising:
an organic light-emitting diode layer having an array of organic light-emitting diode display pixels in the active area and having support circuitry in the inactive area;
a polarizer;
a substrate between the polarizer and the organic light-emitting diode layer;
an opaque masking layer on the substrate in the inactive area that overlaps the support circuitry; and
a planarization layer on the substrate that overlaps the opaque masking layer, wherein the organic light-emitting diode layer is formed on the planarization layer.

19. The display defined in claim 18 further comprising an encapsulation layer, wherein the organic light-emitting diode layer is located between the planarization layer and the encapsulation layer.

20. The display defined in claim 19 wherein the substrate comprises a glass layer and wherein the polarizer comprises a circular polarizer.

Assignees

• Apple Inc

Inventors

• Drzaic Paul S
• Garelli Adam T
• Yin Victor H
• Mathew Dinesh C

Classifications

• H10K50/865

  comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. light-blocking layers · CPC title

• H10K59/8791 Primary

  Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light · CPC title

• H01L27/3244

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/5284 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/5281

  Electricity · mapped topic