Display apparatus including conductive layer having flexibility

• US 10,423,259 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2017
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yang, Chanwoo, Kim, Hansu, Shin, Hyuneok, Lee, Dongmin, Lee, Juhyun
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Laurence J
• Application Number:
  US15/683,417
• Publication Number:
  US 20180088713A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 Flexible OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 Flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a display panel and a sensor structure disposed on the display panel. The sensor structure includes a sensing electrode and a connection line connected to the sensing electrode. At least one of the sensing electrode and the connection line includes a conductive pattern layer. The conductive patter layer includes a base part, protrusions randomly disposed on the base part and protruding from the base part, and holes randomly defined in the base part.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a display panel; and

a sensor structure disposed on the display panel,

wherein the sensor structure comprises a sensing electrode and a connection line connected to the sensing electrode, at least one of the sensing electrode and the connection line comprising a conductive pattern layer, and

wherein the conductive pattern layer comprises;

a base layer comprising a first surface facing the display panel;

protrusions randomly protruding from a second surface of the base layer, the second surface opposing the first surface; and

holes randomly defined in the second surface of the base layer.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductive pattern layer comprises silver (Ag) or an Ag alloy.

3. The display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the Ag alloy comprises at least one of indium (In), zinc (Zn), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), bismuth (Bi), antimony (Sb), and aluminum (Al).

4. The display apparatus of claim 2, wherein an X-ray diffraction intensity of a (111) orientation crystal plane of the Ag or the Ag alloy is at least 3 times greater than an X-ray diffraction intensity of a (220) orientation crystal plane of the Ag or the Ag alloy.

5. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sensing electrode and the connection line further comprises at least one transparent conductive layer, the at least one transparent conductive layer being disposed on at least one of a top surface of the conductive pattern layer and a bottom surface of the conductive pattern layer.

6. The display apparatus of claim 5, wherein the transparent conductive layer comprises at least one of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO).

7. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the base layer is from 60 Å

to 460Å

.

8. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein a distribution density of the protrusions is from 0.3 protrusions/μ

m² to 10 protrusions/μ

m².

9. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein a distribution density of the holes is from 5 holes/μ

m² to 100 holes/μ

m².

10. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein a mean size of the protrusions is from 10 nm to 1,000 nm.

11. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein a mean size of the holes is from 2 nm to 3,000 nm.

12. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the display panel comprises;

a base substrate; and

a circuit layer disposed on the base substrate, the circuit layer comprising electrodes and conductive lines; and

at least one of the electrodes and the conductive lines comprises the conductive pattern layer.

13. The display apparatus of claim 12, wherein:

the circuit layer comprises a gate line, a data line, a driving voltage line, a thin film transistor, a semiconductor pattern, and a capacitor; and

at least one of the gate line, the data line, the driving voltage line, the thin film transistor, the semiconductor pattern, and the capacitor comprises the conductive pattern layer.

14. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the display panel comprises;

a display bending part; and

a display non-bending part adjacent to the display bending part; and

the sensor structure comprises;

a touch bending part overlapping the display bending part; and

a touch non-bending part overlapping the display non-bending part.

15. The display apparatus of claim 14, wherein the touch bending part comprises the conductive pattern layer.

16. The display apparatus of claim 14, wherein:

in a first operational state, the display panel and the sensor structure are bent with respect to a bending axis; and

in a second operational state the display panel and the sensor structure are unfolded.

17. The display apparatus of claim 16, wherein the first operational state comprises:

a first bending mode in which the display panel and the sensor structure are bent in a first direction with respect to the bending axis; and

a second bending mode in which the display panel and the sensor structure are bent in a second direction opposite the first direction with respect to the bending axis.

18. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein some of the holes extend from the second surface to the first surface.

19. A display apparatus comprising:

a display panel; and

a sensor structure disposed on the display panel,

wherein the sensor structure comprises a sensing electrode and a connection line connected to the sensing electrode, at least one of the sensing electrode and the connection line comprising a conductive pattern layer, and

wherein the conductive pattern layer comprises;

a base layer;

protrusions randomly disposed on the base layer, the protrusions protruding from the base layer; and

holes randomly defined in the base layer, and

wherein a distribution density of the protrusions is from 0.3 protrusions/μ

m² to 10 protrusions/μ

m².

20. A display apparatus comprising:

a display panel; and

a sensor structure disposed on the display panel,

wherein the sensor structure comprises a sensing electrode and a connection line connected to the sensing electrode, at least one of the sensing electrode and the connection line comprising a conductive pattern layer, and

wherein the conductive pattern layer comprises;

a base layer;

protrusions randomly disposed on the base layer, the protrusions protruding from the base layer; and

holes randomly defined in the base layer, and

wherein a distribution density of the holes is from 5 holes/μ

m² to 100 holes/μ

m².