Displays with Minimized Border Regions

• US 20130088671A1
• Filed: 10/05/2011
• Published: 04/11/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2011
• Status: Active Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Drzaic, Paul S., Franklin, Jeremy C., Lynch, Stephen Brian, Myers, Scott A., Rappoport, Benjamin M., Ternus, John P., Rothkopf, Fletcher R.
• Granted Patent: US 10,261,370 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/106
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13452 Conductors connecting driver circuitry and terminals of panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/42 Arrangements for providing conduction through an insulating substrate

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with a display having a thin-film transistor layer. One or more holes in the thin-film transistor layer may be used to form pathways from display circuitry to other circuitry underneath the display. One or more conductive bridges may pass through holes in the thin-film transistor layer and may have one end that couples to the display circuitry and a second end that couples to a printed circuit underneath the display. These conductive bridges may be formed from wire bonding. Wire bond connections may be encapsulated with potting material to improve the reliability of the wire bond and increase the resiliency of the display. Display signal lines may be routed through holes in a thin-film transistor layer to run along a backside of the display thereby reducing the need for space in the border region for display circuitry.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

a printed circuit substrate; and

a display layer coupled to the printed circuit substrate using at least one wire bond, wherein the display layer includes at least one opening, and wherein the at least one wire bond passes through the at least one opening.

2. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the display layer comprises a thin-film transistor layer and wherein the at least one opening is formed in the thin-film transistor layer.

3. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the at least one wire bond has a first end that is electrically connected to a bond pad on the thin-film transistor layer and a second end that is electrically connected to a bond pad on the printed circuit substrate.

4. The electronic device defined in claim 2 further comprising:

potting material that fills the at least one opening in the thin-film transistor layer and that encapsulates the at least one wire bond.

5. The electronic device defined in claim 2 further comprising:

a layer of adhesive interposed between the thin-film transistor layer and the printed circuit substrate, wherein the layer of adhesive is configured to attach the printed circuit substrate to the thin-film transistor layer.

6. The electronic device defined in claim 5 wherein the thin-film transistor layer has opposing first and second surfaces, wherein the thin-film transistor layer comprises an array of thin-film transistors on the first surface, wherein the at least one wire bond has a first end that is electrically connected to a bond pad on the first surface of the thin-film transistor layer and has a second end that is electrically connected to a bond pad on the printed circuit substrate, and wherein the layer of adhesive attaches the printed circuit substrate to the second surface of the thin-film transistor layer.

7. The electronic device defined in claim 6 wherein the thin-film transistor layer forms part of a liquid crystal display, wherein the liquid crystal display comprises a color filter layer, and wherein the liquid crystal display comprises a layer of liquid crystal material interposed between the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer.

8. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the thin-film transistor layer comprises a flexible substrate that includes at least one sheet of polymer.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 2 wherein the thin-film transistor layer comprises a flexible substrate that includes a metal foil.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 1 wherein the printed circuit substrate comprises a flexible printed circuit substrate.

11. An electronic device, comprising:

a display layer having opposing first and second surfaces, having circuitry on the first surface, and having at least one opening that passes from the first surface to the second surface; and

a printed circuit substrate, wherein the second surface is interposed between the first surface and the printed circuit substrate and wherein the circuitry on the first surface is coupled to the printed circuit substrate using a conductive material that fills the opening.

12. The electronic device defined in claim 11 wherein the display layer comprises a thin-film transistor layer and wherein the at least one opening is formed in the thin-film transistor layer.

13. The electronic device defined in claim 12 further comprising at least one wire bond that is electrically coupled between the circuitry and the conductive material.

14. The electronic device defined in claim 12 further comprising a flexible circuit that is electrically coupled between the circuitry and the conductive material.

15. The electronic device defined in claim 12 wherein the thin-film transistor layer forms part of a liquid crystal display, wherein the liquid crystal display comprises a color filter layer, and wherein the liquid crystal display comprises a layer of liquid crystal material interposed between the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer.

16. An electronic device, comprising:

a thin-film transistor layer having opposing first and second surfaces, wherein an array of display pixels are formed on the first surface, wherein control lines are formed on the first surface that are configured to control the display pixels, and wherein the thin-film transistor layer has a plurality of openings; and

a printed circuit, wherein the second surface is interposed between the first surface and the printed circuit and wherein the printed circuit contains signal lines that distribute control signals to the control lines through the plurality of openings.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16 further comprising conductive material in the openings, wherein the control signals are conveyed through the conductive material.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 16 further comprising wire bonds that pass through the openings, wherein the control signals are conveyed through the wire bonds.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 18 further comprising potting material that covers at least some of the wire bonds.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 16 further comprising a backlight layer interposed between the printed circuit and the thin-film transistor layer.

21. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the thin-film transistor layer forms part of a liquid crystal display, wherein the liquid crystal display comprises a color filter layer, and wherein the liquid crystal display comprises a layer of liquid crystal material interposed between the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer.

22. The electronic device defined in claim 16 wherein the display pixels comprise thin-film transistors and wherein the control lines include data lines and gate lines.