Method and apparatus for repairing a display panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9685637-B2
Application number	US-201414510411-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2014
Priority date	Jun 12, 2014
Publication date	Jun 20, 2017
Grant date	Jun 20, 2017

Abstract

An apparatus and method for repairing a display panel are provided. The apparatus includes a laser emitter that etches a faulty portion of the display panel and a first surrounding portion of the faulty portion by irradiating the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion with a laser and a guide disposed to face the laser emitter and configured to adjust at least one of a temperature of the faulty portion or a temperature of the first surrounding portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of repairing a display panel, comprising:
identifying a faulty portion of the display panel;
etching the faulty portion and a first surrounding portion of the faulty portion by irradiating the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion with a laser; and
adjusting at least one of a temperature of the faulty portion or a temperature of the first surrounding portion while irradiating the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion with the laser,
wherein the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion are disposed in a path of the laser,
wherein the temperature of the faulty portion is maintained higher than the temperature of the first surrounding portion while irradiating the fault portion and the first surrounding portion with the laser.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the faulty portion is heated such that the temperature of the faulty portion increases.

3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the surrounding portion is cooled such that the temperature of the first surrounding portion decreases.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the faulty portion is heated such that the temperature of the faulty portion increases, and wherein the first surrounding portion is cooled such that the temperature of the first surrounding portion decreases.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion are etched in a stair-step structure.

6. The method of claim 5 , wherein an etching depth of the faulty portion is greater than an etching depth of the first surrounding portion.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion are formed as a plurality of layers, and wherein the repairing of the display panel comprises sequentially stacking layers that are the same as layers etched in the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising etching a second surrounding portion of the faulty portion by irradiating the second surrounding portion with a laser.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising adjusting a temperature of the second surrounding portion while irradiating the second surrounding portion with the laser.

10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the faulty portion, the first surrounding portion and the second surrounding portion are formed as a plurality of layers, and wherein the repairing of the display panel comprises sequentially stacking layers that are the same as layers etched in the faulty portion, the first surrounding portion and the second surrounding portion.

11. A method of repairing a display panel, comprising:
identifying a faulty portion of the display panel;
etching the faulty portion and a first surrounding portion of the faulty portion by irradiating the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion with a laser; and
simultaneously adjusting a temperature of the faulty portion and a temperature of the first surrounding portion while irradiating the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion with the laser such that the temperature of the faulty portion increases and the temperature of the first surrounding portion simultaneously decreases,
wherein the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion are disposed in a path of the laser.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion are etched in a stair-step structure.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein an etching depth of the faulty portion is greater than an etching depth of the first surrounding portion.

14. The method of claim 11 , wherein the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion are formed as a plurality of layers, and wherein the repairing of the display panel comprises sequentially stacking layers that are the same as layers etched in the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion.

15. The method of claim 11 further comprising etching a second surrounding portion of the faulty portion by irradiating the second surrounding portion with a laser.

16. The method of claim 15 further comprising adjusting a temperature of the second surrounding portion while irradiating the second surrounding portion with the laser.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the faulty portion, the first surrounding portion and the second surrounding portion are formed as a plurality of layers, and wherein the repairing of the display panel comprises sequentially stacking layers that are the same as layers etched in the faulty portion, the first surrounding portion and the second surrounding portion.

18. A method of repairing a display panel, comprising:
identifying a faulty portion of the display panel;
etching the faulty portion and a first surrounding portion of the faulty portion by irradiating the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion with a laser; and
adjusting at least of a temperature of the faulty portion or a temperature of the first surrounding portion by a guide while irradiating the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion with the laser,
wherein the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion is disposed in path of the laser,
wherein the temperature of the faulty portion maintains higher than the temperature of the first surrounding portion while irradiating the faulty portion and the first surrounding portion with the laser, and
wherein the display panel is disposed on the guide.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein the guide is formed as a plate including a thermo-electric device.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kim Joon-Geol

Classifications

• H10K2102/361

  Temperature · CPC title

• C23C16/48

  by irradiation, e.g. photolysis, radiolysis, particle radiation · CPC title

• H10K59/12

  Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays · CPC title

• H10K71/861 Primary

  Repairing · CPC title

• H01L2251/568

  Electricity · mapped topic