Methods for fabricating display structures

• US 10,261,540 B2
• Filed: 02/08/2017
• Issued: 04/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mathew, Dinesh C., Wilson, Jr., Thomas W., Yin, Victor H., Posner, Bryan W., Ligtenberg, Chris, Degner, Brett W., Augenbergs, Peteris K., Zhong, John Z., Hotelling, Steve, Youngs, Lynn, Sung, Kuo-Hua
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Jia X
• Application Number:
  US15/428,014
• Publication Number:
  US 20170147036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 797 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133388 with constructional differences between the display region and the peripheral region
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13452 Conductors connecting driver circuitry and terminals of panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13454 Drivers integrated on the active matrix substrate G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136218 Shield electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/01 transmissive
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2211/44 Optical arrangements or shielding arrangements, e.g. filters or lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 9/205 Applying optical coatings or shielding coatings to the vessel of flat panel displays, e.g. applying filter layers, electromagnetic interference shielding layers, anti-reflection coatings or anti-glare coatings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/108 Flash, trim or excess removal

Abstract

An electronic device display may have a color filter layer and a thin film transistor layer. A layer of liquid crystal material may be interposed between the color filter layer and the thin film transistor layer. A layer of polarizer may be laminated onto the surface of the color filter layer. Laser trimming may ensure that the edges of the polarizer are even with the edges of the color filter layer. The thin film transistor layer may have an array of thin film transistors that control pixels of the liquid crystal material in the display. Driver circuitry may be used to control the array. The driver circuitry may be encapsulated in a planarized encapsulant on the thin film transistor layer or may be mounted to the underside of the color filter layer. Conductive structures may connect driver circuitry on the color filter layer to the thin film transistor layer.

Claims

1. A display having an active area surrounded by an inactive area, the display comprising:

a color filter layer and a thin-film transistor layer that form an array of display pixels in the active area;

a layer of opaque masking material that forms an opaque border in the inactive area;

a display driver integrated circuit that controls the array of display pixels mounted on the color filter layer, wherein the layer of opaque masking material overlaps the display driver integrated circuit; and

a polarizer layer having an opening in the inactive area, wherein the layer of opaque masking material comprises an opening that is aligned with the opening in the polarizer layer.

2. The display defined in claim 1, wherein the color filter layer comprises a substrate having first and second opposing surfaces, wherein the polarizer layer is formed on the first surface, and wherein the layer of opaque masking material is formed on the second surface.

3. The display defined in claim 2, further comprising conductive traces formed on the second surface of the substrate.

4. The display defined in claim 3, wherein the thin-film transistor layer comprises an array of thin-film transistors, and wherein the conductive traces electrically couple the display driver integrated circuit to the array of thin-film transistors.

5. The display defined in claim 4, further comprising a conductive structure that extends from the color filter layer to the thin-film transistor layer and electrically connects the conductive traces to the array of thin-film transistors.

6. The display defined in claim 5, wherein the layer of opaque masking material also overlaps the conductive traces and the conductive structure.

7. An electronic device, comprising:

a housing;

a display mounted in the housing, wherein the display comprises a color filter layer and a thin-film transistor layer;

an integrated circuit mounted to the color filter layer; and

a light-based component mounted in the housing, wherein the light-based component receives light through at least a portion of the display, wherein the display further comprises a polarizer layer having an opening, wherein the light-based component receives light through the opening in the polarizer layer, wherein the display further comprises a layer of opaque material that overlaps the integrated circuit and hides the integrated circuit from view, wherein the layer of opaque material has an opening that is aligned with the opening in the polarizer layer, and wherein the light-based component receives light through the opening in the layer of opaque material.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 7, wherein the light-based component is a camera.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 7, further comprising:

a conductive structure interposed between the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer that electrically connects the integrated circuit to the thin-film transistor layer.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9, wherein the integrated circuit is a display driver integrated circuit.

11. An electronic device comprising:

a housing;

a display mounted in the housing, wherein the display comprises;

a thin-film transistor layer comprising a substrate and an array of thin-film transistors formed on the substrate;

a transparent display layer that overlaps the thin-film transistor layer, wherein the array of thin-film transistors is interposed between the substrate and the transparent display layer, wherein the transparent display layer has first and second opposing surfaces, and wherein the second surface is interposed between the first surface and the array of thin-film transistors;

a display driver integrated circuit mounted to the transparent display layer, wherein the display driver integrated circuit is mounted to the second surface;

a layer of opaque masking material that overlaps the display driver integrated circuit, the layer of opaque masking material having an opening;

a polarizer layer having an opening that is aligned with the opening in the layer of opaque masking material; and

a light-based component that receives light through at least a portion of the display.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the polarizer layer is on the first surface of the transparent display layer.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12, further comprising:

conductive structures on the second surface of the transparent display layer that electrically connect the display driver integrated circuit to the array of thin-film transistors.