Flexible display device

• US 10,454,048 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2017
• Issued: 10/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Jeong, Hae-Yeon
• Primary Examiner(s): Boddie, William
• Assistant Examiner(s): Schnirel, Andrew B
• Application Number:
  US15/690,516
• Publication Number:
  US 20180062092A1
• Time in Patent Office: 783 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 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 Flexible OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/1201 Manufacture or treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/80 using temporary substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 Flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells

Abstract

Disclosed is a flexible display device in which a flexible film is first patterned and in a subsequent process of removing a glass substrate, a structure around the flexible film is removed therewith by external physical force, in order to make the device slim. In the flexible display device, the edge structure of the flexible film may be changed to minimize the generation of particles on the cut plane of the flexible film, thereby preventing damage to the periphery of the flexible film.

Claims

1. A flexible display device, comprising:

a flexible film, which is divided into an active area and a dead area around the active area;

an electrode array provided in the active area of the flexible film;

a pad portion provided in the dead area of the flexible film and having a plurality of pad electrodes;

a routing wire configured to connect the electrode array and the pad electrodes;

a plurality of transparent dummy electrode wires provided from the pad electrodes to an edge of the flexible film; and

a plurality of dummy metal patterns,

wherein each of the dummy metal pattern is in contact one-to-one with the transparent dummy electrode wires and is provided to the edge of the flexible film by a width greater than a width of each of the transparent dummy electrode wire.

2. The flexible display device according to claim 1, wherein each of the dummy metal patterns is spaced apart from each of the pad electrodes by a predetermined distance.

3. The flexible display device according to claim 1, further comprising an inorganic buffer layer between the flexible film and the dummy metal patterns.

4. The flexible display device according to claim 1, wherein each of the dummy metal patterns is located under each of the transparent dummy electrode wires.

5. The flexible display device according to claim 4, wherein the electrode array includes a first electrode and a second electrode, which are formed of double layers including a metal mesh and a transparent electrode configured to cover the metal mesh.

6. The flexible display device according to claim 5, wherein the metal mesh is the same layer as the dummy metal patterns, and

wherein the transparent electrode is the same layer as the transparent dummy electrode wires.

7. The flexible display device according to claim 4, wherein the routing wire includes a first layer, which is the same layer as the dummy metal patterns, and a second layer, which is the same layer as the transparent dummy electrode wires, and

wherein the second layer has a width greater than a width of the first layer.

8. The flexible display device according to claim 1, wherein each of the dummy metal patterns is a stack of a Cu layer and a MoTi layer, and each of the transparent dummy electrode wires is a single layer formed of any one selected from among ITO, IZO, ITZO and IGZO.

9. A flexible display device, comprising:

a first flexible film, which is divided into an active area and a dead area around the active area;

a touch electrode array provided in the active area of the first flexible film;

a touch pad portion provided in the dead area of the first flexible film and having a plurality of touch pad electrodes;

a routing wire configured to connect the touch electrode array and the touch pad electrodes;

a plurality of transparent dummy electrode wires provided from the touch pad electrodes to an edge of the first flexible film;

a plurality of dummy metal patterns, wherein each of the dummy metal pattern is in contact one-to-one with the transparent dummy electrode wires and is provided to the edge of the first flexible film by a width greater than a width of each of the transparent dummy electrode wires;

a second flexible film having a thin-film transistor and an organic light-emitting diode array disposed so as to face the touch electrode array; and

an adhesive layer between the organic light-emitting diode array and the touch electrode array.

10. The flexible display device according to claim 9, further comprising a dummy pad portion provided on the second flexible film to correspond to the touch pad portion.

11. The flexible display device according to claim 10, wherein the touch pad portion and the dummy pad portion are connected to each other by an anisotropic conductive film.

12. The flexible display device according to claim 9, wherein each of the dummy metal patterns is spaced apart from each of the touch pad electrodes by a predetermined distance.

13. The flexible display device according to claim 9, further comprising an inorganic buffer layer between the flexible film and the dummy metal patterns.

14. The flexible display device according to claim 9, wherein each of the dummy metal patterns is located under each of the transparent dummy electrode wire.

15. The flexible display device according to claim 14, wherein the touch electrode array includes a first electrode and a second electrode, which are formed of double layers including a metal mesh and a transparent electrode configured to cover the metal mesh.

16. The flexible display device according to claim 15, wherein the metal mesh is the same layer as the dummy metal patterns, and

wherein the transparent electrode is the same layer as the transparent dummy electrode wires.

17. The flexible display device according to claim 14, wherein the routing wire includes a first layer, which is the same layer as the dummy metal patterns, and a second layer, which is the same layer as the transparent dummy electrode wires, and

wherein the second layer has a width greater than a width of the first layer.

18. The flexible display device according to claim 9, wherein each of the dummy metal patterns is a stack of a Cu layer and a MoTi layer, and each of the transparent dummy electrode wires is a single layer formed of any one selected from among ITO, IZO, ITZO and IGZO.