U.S. patent application number 14/073837 was filed with the patent office on 2015-02-19 for flat panel display apparatus and method of manufacturing the same.
This patent application is currently assigned to Samsung Display Co., Ltd.. The applicant listed for this patent is Samsung Display Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Jeong-Seok Oh.
Application Number | 20150048388 14/073837 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 52466205 |
Filed Date | 2015-02-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20150048388 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Oh; Jeong-Seok |
February 19, 2015 |
FLAT PANEL DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE
SAME
Abstract
A flat panel display apparatus including a substrate on which a
display unit is formed, an encapsulation member that covers the
display unit, a sealant that is formed between the substrate and
encapsulation member while the sealant encapsulates the display
unit by surrounding the display unit, and a metal layer that is
formed on the substrate and located along with the sealant, the
metal layer having irregular widths.
Inventors: |
Oh; Jeong-Seok;
(Yongin-City, KR) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Samsung Display Co., Ltd. |
Yongin-City |
|
KR |
|
|
Assignee: |
Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
Yongin-City
KR
|
Family ID: |
52466205 |
Appl. No.: |
14/073837 |
Filed: |
November 6, 2013 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
257/88 ;
438/28 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 51/5246
20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
257/88 ;
438/28 |
International
Class: |
H01L 33/52 20060101
H01L033/52; H01L 23/00 20060101 H01L023/00; H01L 33/00 20060101
H01L033/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Aug 16, 2013 |
KR |
10-2013-0097344 |
Claims
1. (canceled)
2. A flat panel display apparatus comprising: a substrate; a
display unit on the substrate; an encapsulation member covering the
display unit; a sealant between the substrate and encapsulation
member and encapsulating the display unit by surrounding the
display unit; and a metal layer on the substrate and located along
with the sealant, wherein the metal layer has irregular widths,
wherein the metal layer has a shape composed of a plurality of
round portions and a plurality of corner portions connecting the
plurality of round portions, and wherein central widths of the
plurality of round portions are relatively large and other widths
of the plurality of round portions are decreased moving toward the
plurality of corner portions.
3. The flat panel display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the
plurality of round portions are formed to have straight-lines.
4. The flat panel display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the other
widths of a corresponding one of the plurality of round portions
are decreased from about the central width to be about the width of
a corresponding one of the corner portions when moving toward the
corresponding one of the corner portions.
5. The flat panel display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the metal
layer has a shape corresponding to a stress distribution that is
generated when a shock is applied to the sealant.
6. The flat panel display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the metal
layer has a close-loop shape surrounding the display unit.
7. A flat panel display apparatus comprising: a substrate; a
display unit on the substrate; an encapsulation member covering the
display unit; a sealant between substrate and encapsulation member
and encapsulating the display unit by surrounding the display unit;
and a metal layer on the substrate and located along with the
sealant, wherein the metal layer has irregular widths, and wherein
the metal layer has an open-loop shape partially surrounding the
display unit with a portion of the open-loop shape being
opened.
8. The flat panel display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the sealant
comprises frit cured by having a laser irradiated thereto.
9. (canceled)
10. A method of manufacturing a flat panel display apparatus, the
method comprising: forming a display unit on a substrate; forming a
metal layer to have irregular widths on an outer side of the
display unit on the substrate; forming a sealant to surround the
display unit along the metal layer; covering an encapsulation
member on the sealant; and curing the sealant, wherein the metal
layer is formed to have a shape formed of a plurality of round
portions and a plurality of corner portions connecting the
plurality of round portions, and wherein central widths of the
plurality of round portions are relatively large and other widths
of the plurality of round portions are decreased moving toward the
plurality of corner portions.
11. The method of claim 10, wherein the plurality of round portions
are formed to have straight-lines.
12. The method of claim 10, wherein the other widths of a
corresponding one of the plurality of round portions are decreased
from about the central width to be about the width of a
corresponding one of the corner portions when moving toward the
corresponding one of the corner portions.
13. The method of claim 10, wherein the metal layer is formed to
have a shape corresponding to a stress distribution that is
generated when a shock is applied to the sealant.
14. The method of claim 10, wherein the metal layer is formed to
have a close-loop shape surrounding the display unit.
15. A method of manufacturing a flat panel display apparatus, the
method comprising: forming a display unit on a substrate; forming a
metal layer to have irregular widths on an outer side of the
display unit on the substrate; forming a sealant to surround the
display unit along the metal layer; covering an encapsulation
member on the sealant; and curing the sealant, wherein the metal
layer is formed to have an open-loop shape partially surrounding
the display unit with a portion of the open-loop shape being
opened.
16. The method of claim 10, wherein the sealant comprises fit cured
by having a laser irradiated thereto.
17. The flat panel display apparatus of claim 7, wherein the
sealant comprises frit cured by having a laser irradiated
thereto.
18. The method of claim 15, wherein the sealant comprises frit
cured by having a laser irradiated thereto.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to and the benefit of
Korean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0097344, filed on Aug. 16,
2013, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of
which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.
BACKGROUND
[0002] 1. Field
[0003] One or more embodiments of the present invention relate to a
flat panel display apparatus and a method of manufacturing the flat
panel display apparatus.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] A display unit of a flat panel display apparatus including
an organic light-emitting display apparatus may deteriorate due to
moisture penetration. Thus, in order to prevent penetration of
external moisture, the flat panel display apparatus needs to
include an encapsulation structure so as to seal and protect the
display unit.
[0006] In an example of the encapsulation structure which is
employed, an encapsulation member covers a glass substrate whereon
a display unit is formed, and a sealant such as frit is used to
seal a gap between the glass substrate and the encapsulation
member. That is, the frit is coated around the display unit of the
glass substrate, the encapsulation member covers the glass
substrate, and then a laser is irradiated to cure the frit, so that
encapsulation is achieved.
SUMMARY
[0007] Aspects of embodiments of the present invention are directed
toward a flat panel display apparatus and a method of manufacturing
the flat panel display apparatus.
[0008] Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the
description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the
description, or may be learned by practice of the presented
embodiments.
[0009] According to one or more embodiments of the present
invention, a flat panel display apparatus includes a substrate on
which a display unit is formed, an encapsulation member that covers
the display unit, a sealant that is formed between the substrate
and encapsulation member and encapsulating the display unit by
surrounding the display unit, and a metal layer that is formed on
the substrate and located along with the sealant, wherein the metal
layer has irregular widths.
[0010] The metal layer may have a shape composed of a plurality of
straight-line round portions and a plurality of corner portions
that connect the plurality of straight-line round portions, and
central widths of the plurality of straight-line round portions may
be relatively large and other widths of the plurality of
straight-line round portions may be decreased moving toward the
plurality of corner portions.
[0011] The metal layer may have a shape that corresponds to a
stress distribution that is generated when a shock is applied to
the sealant.
[0012] The metal layer may have a close-loop shape that surrounds
the display unit.
[0013] The metal layer may have an open-loop shape that partially
surrounds the display unit with a portion of the open-loop shape
being opened.
[0014] The sealant may include frit that is cured by having a laser
irradiated thereto.
[0015] According to one or more embodiments of the present
invention, a method of manufacturing a flat panel display apparatus
includes operations of forming a display unit on a substrate;
forming a metal layer that has irregular widths on an outer side of
the display unit on the substrate; forming a sealant that surrounds
the display unit along the metal layer; covering an encapsulation
member on the sealant; and curing the sealant.
[0016] The metal layer may be formed to have a shape formed of a
plurality of straight-line round portions and a plurality of corner
portions that connect the plurality of straight-line round
portions, and central widths of the plurality of round portions may
be relatively large and other widths of the plurality of round
portions may be decreased moving toward the plurality of corner
portions.
[0017] The metal layer may be formed to have the shape that
corresponds to a stress distribution that is generated when a shock
is applied to the sealant.
[0018] The metal layer may be formed to have a close-loop shape
that surrounds the display unit.
[0019] The metal layer may be formed to have an open-loop shape
that partially surrounds the display unit with a portion of the
open-loop shape being opened.
[0020] The sealant may include frit that is cured by having a laser
irradiated thereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] These and/or other aspects will become apparent and more
readily appreciated from the following description of the
embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of
which:
[0022] FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a flat panel display
apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
[0023] FIG. 2 is a plan view of the flat panel display apparatus of
FIG. 1;
[0024] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a detailed structure of
a display unit illustrated in FIG. 1;
[0025] FIGS. 4A and 4B illustrate processes of manufacturing the
flat panel display apparatus of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment
of the present invention; and
[0026] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a flat panel display
apparatus according to another embodiment of the present
invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] As one or more embodiments of the present invention allow
for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular
embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in
detail in the written description. Reference will now be made in
more detail to embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in
the accompanying drawings. In this regard, the present embodiments
may have different forms and should not be construed as being
limited to the descriptions set forth herein.
[0028] Hereinafter, one or more embodiments of the present
invention will be described below in more detail with reference to
the accompanying drawings. Those components that are the same or
are in correspondence are rendered the same reference numeral
regardless of the figure number, and redundant explanations are
omitted.
[0029] As used herein, the singular forms "a," "an" and "the" are
intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context
clearly indicates otherwise.
[0030] It will be further understood that the terms "comprises"
and/or "comprising" used herein specify the presence of stated
features or components, but do not preclude the presence or
addition of one or more other features or components.
[0031] It will be understood that when a layer, region, or
component is referred to as being "formed on," another layer,
region, or component, it can be directly or indirectly formed on
the other layer, region, or component. That is, for example,
intervening layers, regions, or components may be present.
[0032] Sizes of elements in the drawings may be exaggerated for
convenience of explanation. In other words, since sizes and
thicknesses of components in the drawings are arbitrarily
illustrated for convenience of explanation, the following
embodiments are not limited thereto.
[0033] When a certain embodiment may be implemented differently, a
specific process order may be performed differently from the
described order. For example, two consecutively described processes
may be performed substantially at the same time or performed in an
order opposite to the described order.
[0034] As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all
combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. Also,
the use of "may" when describing embodiments of the present
invention refers to "one or more embodiments of the present
invention."
[0035] FIGS. 1 and 2 are cross-sectional and plan views,
respectively, which illustrate a flat panel display apparatus
according to an embodiment of the present invention.
[0036] As illustrated, the flat panel display apparatus includes,
but is not limited to, a substrate 400, a display unit 300 formed
on the substrate 400, an encapsulation member 200 covering the
display unit 300, and a sealant 500 sealing a gap between the
substrate 400 and the encapsulation member 200 by surrounding
(e.g., being around or entirely surrounding) the display unit 300
to seal in the display unit 300. A metal layer 100 is formed
between the substrate 400 and the sealant 500, and functions to
help the sealant 500 to be firmly cured with small energy. That is,
a material of the sealant 500 generally includes frit that is cured
by having a laser irradiated thereto, and in this regard, when the
sealant 500 is formed on the metal layer 100 and then the laser is
irradiated onto the metal layer 100, the metal layer 100 reflects
the laser into the sealant 500, so that the sealant 500 may be
firmly cured by using a small amount of laser power.
[0037] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the metal layer 100 surrounds the
display unit 300, and has a plurality of straight-line round
portions 101 (i.e., round portions with straight-lines) and a
plurality of corner portions 102 that connect the straight-line
round portions 101. The metal layer 100 has an irregular shape in
which central widths W1 of the straight-line round portions (the
round portions) 101 are largest and other widths of the round
portions 101 are decreased moving toward the corner portions 102
(i.e., the other widths of a corresponding one of the round
portions 101 are decreased from about the central width W1 to be
about the width W2 of a corresponding one of the corner portions
102 when moving toward the corresponding one of the corner portions
102).
[0038] The irregular shape corresponds to a stress distribution
that is generated when an external shock is applied to the sealant
500. That is, when the external shock is applied to the sealant
500, a stress increases from the corner portions 102 toward centers
of the round portions 101. Thus, a width of the metal layer 100
irregularly varies so as to match with the stress distribution. By
doing so, although a laser is equally irradiated, the centers of
the round portions 101 of the metal layer 100 which have the
relatively larger central widths W1 may be further firmly cured
than the corner portions 102 having the relatively smaller widths
W2. That is, since the central widths W1 of the round portions 101
to which more stress is applied is formed to be the largest
portion, the sealant 500 may be induced to be firmly cured at the
central widths W1 of the round portions 101. The sealant 500 is
formed to have the same or substantially the same shape as the
metal layer 100.
[0039] The display unit 300 is a region in which an image is
realized, and as illustrated in a magnified view of FIG. 3, a
structure of the display unit 300 includes an organic light
emitting device (OLED) EL in which a pixel electrode 321, an
emission layer (EML) 323, and an opposite electrode 322 are
sequentially stacked, and a thin film transistor (TFT) TR that is
connected to the pixel electrode 321 of the OLED EL.
[0040] The TFT TR includes, but is not limited to, an active layer
312, a gate electrode 314, a source electrode 316, and a drain
electrode 317. A gate insulating layer 313 is interposed (for
insulation) between the gate electrode 314 and the active layer
312.
[0041] The active layer 312 may be formed on a buffer layer 311.
The active layer 312 may include various materials. For example,
the active layer 312 may include an inorganic semiconductor
material such as amorphous silicon or polysilicon. In an
embodiment, the active layer 312 may include an oxide
semiconductor. In another embodiment, the active layer 312 may
include an organic semiconductor material.
[0042] The gate insulating layer 313 is formed on the buffer layer
311 so that the gate insulating layer 313 covers the active layer
312, and then the gate electrode 314 is formed on the gate
insulating layer 313.
[0043] An interlayer insulating layer 315 is formed on the gate
insulating layer 313 so as to cover the gate electrode 314, and the
source electrode 316 and the drain electrode 317 are formed on the
interlayer insulating layer 315 and then are connected to the
active layer 312.
[0044] A planarization layer 318 that covers the TFT TR is formed
on the interlayer insulating layer 315. The planarization layer 318
may be formed of an inorganic material and/or an organic
material.
[0045] Here, the metal layer 100 may be formed via a process
separate from a process of the display unit 300, or the metal layer
100 may be formed together when a metal layer of the display unit
300 (such as the gate electrode 314 or the source electrode 316 and
the drain electrode 317) is formed.
[0046] Next, the OLED EL is formed on the planarization layer 318
and includes the pixel electrode 321, the EML 323, and the opposite
electrode 322. A pixel defining layer (PDL) 319 is formed on the
planarization layer 318 and the pixel electrode 321, and defines a
pixel region and a non-pixel region.
[0047] The EML 323 may be formed as a single layer or a composite
layer in which a hole injection layer (HIL), a hole transport layer
(HTL), an electron transport layer (ETL), an electron injection
layer (EIL), or the like are formed above or below the EML 323.
[0048] The pixel electrode 321 is formed on the planarization layer
318, so that the pixel electrode 321 is electrically connected to
the drain electrode 317 of the TFT TR via a through hole 308.
[0049] The pixel electrode 321 may function as an anode electrode,
and the opposite electrode 322 may function as a cathode electrode
but polarities of the pixel electrode 321 and the opposite
electrode 322 may be switched.
[0050] The PDL 319 defines the pixel region and the non-pixel
region of the OLED EL by having an opening that exposes the pixel
electrode 321. Although FIG. 3 illustrates one opening, the PDL 319
may have a plurality of openings, and the pixel electrode 321, the
EML 323, and the opposite electrode 322 may be sequentially stacked
in each of the plurality of openings and are thus configured to
emit light.
[0051] Since the plurality of openings are formed, the flat panel
display apparatus may include a plurality of the OLEDs EL. Pixels
may be formed at the plurality of the OLEDs EL, respectively, and
each of the pixels may emit red, green, blue, or white light.
Alternatively, the EML 323 may be commonly formed on an entire
surface of the planarization layer 318, regardless of a pixel
position. Here, the EML 323 may have a structure in which layers
that include emission materials for emitting red light, green
light, and blue light may be vertically stacked or the emission
materials may be mixed. A combination of other colors may also be
possible, provided that the combination of other colors may emit
white light. Also, the EML 323 may further include a color filter
or a color conversion layer that converts the emitted white light
into a set or predetermined color.
[0052] The flat panel display apparatus according to the present
embodiment may be manufactured via processes shown in FIGS. 4A and
4B.
[0053] First, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, the display unit 300 is
formed on the substrate 400, and the metal layer 100 having the
shape shown in FIG. 2 is formed around the display unit 300.
[0054] Here, as described above, the metal layer 100 may be formed
via the process separate from the process of the display unit 300,
or the metal layer 100 may be formed together when the metal layer
of the display unit 300 (such as the gate electrode 314 or the
source electrode 316 and the drain electrode 317) is formed.
[0055] Afterward, as illustrated in FIG. 4B, frit as the sealant
500 is coated on the metal layer 100, the encapsulation member 200
covers the display unit 300, and then a laser is irradiated. Then,
the sealant 500 is cured by the laser, and here, the metal layer
100 reflects the laser into the sealant 500 so that the metal layer
100 facilitates the cure.
[0056] Since the centers of the round portions 101 of the metal
layer 100 are larger than the corner portions 102, although the
laser is equally irradiated, the centers of the round portions 101
are further firmly cured. By doing so, the centers of the metal
layer 100 to which a stress of the sealant 500 is highly
concentrated are most-firmly formed, to counter the stress incurred
by a shock that is applied to the sealant 500, so that a
shock-resistant characteristic of the flat panel display apparatus
(including the display unit 300) may be greatly improved.
[0057] In the present embodiment, the metal layer 100 has a
close-loop shape that completely surrounds the display unit 300 to
match the sealant 500. However, in another embodiment, as
illustrated in FIG. 5, the metal layer 100 may be modified into a
metal layer 100a having an open-loop shape. That is, compared to
the previous embodiment, in the embodiment of FIG. 5, a portion of
the metal layer 100a is removed so that the metal layer 100a is
open. By doing so, although the metal layer 100a is largely formed,
interruption due to electromagnetic waves, generation of static
electricity, or a decrease of antenna reception, which may be
incurred by the metal layer 100a, may be decreased. That is,
according to the present embodiment, a shock-resistant
characteristic of flat panel display apparatus (including the
display unit 300) may be improved, and a possibility of side
effects may be effectively suppressed.
[0058] As described above, according to the one or more of the
above embodiments of the present invention, the flat panel display
apparatus is manufactured in such a manner that a sealant portion
to which a stress due to an applied shock is highly concentrated is
most-firmly formed, thus, a shock-resistant characteristic of the
flat panel display apparatus may be improved and a product
reliability may be highly increased.
[0059] It should be understood that the exemplary embodiments
described therein should be considered in a descriptive sense only
and not for purposes of limitation. Descriptions of features or
aspects within each embodiment should typically be considered as
available for other similar features or aspects in other
embodiments.
[0060] While one or more embodiments of the present invention have
been described with reference to the figures, it will be understood
by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form
and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the present invention as defined by the following
claims, and equivalents thereof.
* * * * *