DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20160013253A1
• Filed: 01/27/2015
• Published: 01/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Sun-Youl
• Granted Patent: US 9,758,872 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/50 using electric discharges generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/851 Division of substrate

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a substrate on which a central area and a peripheral area adjacent to the central area are arranged. The central area includes a display area. The display apparatus further includes: at least one insulation pattern that is formed in the peripheral area; a groove from which a material for forming the insulation pattern is removed and that is formed adjacent to the insulation pattern; and at least one insulating layer that is interposed between the insulation pattern and the substrate. The groove is located in the at least one insulating layer.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising a substrate comprising a central area and a peripheral area adjacent to the central area, the central area comprising a display area, the display apparatus further comprising:

an insulation pattern at the peripheral area;

a groove adjacent to the insulation pattern; and

at least one insulating layer interposed between the insulation pattern and the substrate,

wherein the groove is located at the at least one insulating layer.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the groove is adjacent to at least one edge of the substrate.

3. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the groove is adjacent to all edges of the substrate.

4. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulation pattern is spaced from at least one edge of the substrate.

5. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one insulating layer is a single layer.

6. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one insulating layer comprises a plurality of stacked layers.

7. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one insulating layer comprises an inorganic material.

8. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one insulating layer comprises oxide, nitride, or oxynitride.

9. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one insulating layer extends over at least a portion of the central area on the substrate.

10. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one insulating layer extends over at least a portion of the display area on the substrate.

11. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one insulating layer completely covers a top surface of the substrate.

12. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one insulating layer exposes a portion of a top surface of the substrate.

13. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulation pattern extends lengthwise in parallel to at least one edge of the substrate.

14. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein a plurality of the insulation patterns that are spaced from each other are formed in one direction, and the groove is located between the insulation patterns that are adjacent to each other.

15. The display apparatus of claim 14, wherein a plurality of the insulation patterns are formed in another direction that crosses the one direction.

16. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one edge of the substrate is defined by a cutting line.

17. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulation pattern comprises multiple layers.

18. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulation pattern comprises an inorganic material.

19. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulation pattern comprises a central insulation pattern and a peripheral insulation pattern around the central insulation pattern, wherein a width of the central insulation pattern is different from a width of the peripheral insulation pattern.

20. The display apparatus of claim 19, wherein the width of the central insulation pattern is greater than the width of the peripheral insulation pattern.

21. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulation pattern has an island pattern.

22. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulation pattern has a curved edge.

23. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulation pattern has a circular-arc edge, a round edge, or an oval edge.

24. The display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a central insulating layer at the central area on the substrate.

25. The display apparatus of claim 24, wherein the insulation pattern and the central insulating layer comprise the same or substantially the same material.

26. The display apparatus of claim 24, wherein a portion of the central insulating layer extends over a portion of the peripheral area.

27. The display apparatus of claim 24, wherein the groove is located between the central insulating layer and the insulation pattern.

28. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises an organic material.

29. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises multiple layers.

30. The display apparatus of claim 29, wherein the substrate comprises a first layer comprising an organic material, a second layer comprising an organic material, and an insertion layer between the first layer and the second layer.

31. The display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one conductive pattern in the groove and contacts a top surface or a side surface of the insulation pattern.

32. The display apparatus of claim 30, wherein the at least one conductive pattern comprises a pad unit.

33. The display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a cover layer on the insulation pattern.

34. The display apparatus of claim 33, wherein the cover layer comprises an organic material.

35. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the insulation pattern comprises a first direction insulation pattern extending along a first direction, and a second direction insulation pattern extending along a second direction that crosses the first direction.

36. The display apparatus of claim 35, wherein the first direction insulation pattern is connected to the second direction insulation pattern.

37. The display apparatus of claim 35, wherein the first direction insulation pattern and the second direction insulation pattern surround the display area.

38. The display apparatus of claim 35, wherein the first direction insulation pattern and the second direction insulation pattern are connected to each other in a one-to-one manner and surround the display area.

39. The display apparatus of claim 35, wherein the first direction insulation pattern and the second direction insulation pattern are connected to each other at their ends.

40. The display apparatus of claim 35, wherein the first direction insulation pattern comprises a plurality of first direction insulation patterns and the second direction insulation pattern comprises a plurality of second direction insulation patterns, and

two or more first direction insulation patterns from among the plurality of first direction insulation patterns are connected to one second direction insulation pattern from among the plurality of second direction insulation patterns.

41. The display apparatus of claim 40, wherein the one second direction insulation pattern that is connected to the two or more first direction insulation patterns is nearest to an edge of the substrate.

42. The display apparatus of claim 40, wherein the one second direction insulation pattern that is connected to the two or more first direction insulation patterns is closer to the display area, compared to another second direction insulation pattern that is nearest to an edge of the substrate from among the second direction insulation patterns.

43. The display apparatus of claim 40, wherein one or more first direction insulation patterns from among the plurality of first direction insulation patterns are not connected to the plurality of the second direction insulation patterns.

44. The display apparatus of claim 35, wherein the first direction insulation pattern comprises a plurality of first direction insulation patterns and the second direction insulation pattern comprises a plurality of second direction insulation patterns, and

two or more second direction insulation patterns from among the plurality of second direction insulation patterns are connected to one first direction insulation pattern from among the plurality of first direction insulation patterns.

45. The display apparatus of claim 44, wherein the one first direction insulation pattern that is connected to the two or more second direction insulation patterns is nearest to an edge of the substrate.

46. The display apparatus of claim 44, wherein the one first direction insulation pattern that is connected to the two or more second direction insulation patterns is closer to the display area, compared to another first direction insulation pattern that is nearest to an edge of the substrate from among the first direction insulation patterns.

47. The display apparatus of claim 44, wherein one or more second direction insulation patterns from among the plurality of the second direction insulation patterns are not connected to the plurality of the first direction insulation patterns.

48. The display apparatus of claim 35, wherein the insulation pattern further comprises a connection insulation pattern that connects the first direction insulation pattern and the second direction insulation pattern.

49. The display apparatus of claim 48, wherein the connection insulation pattern is not parallel to the first direction and the second direction.

50. The display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at last one thin-film transistor (TFT) at the central area of the substrate, the at least one TFT comprising an active layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode,

wherein at least one adjacent insulating layer is adjacent to at least one of the active layer, the gate electrode, the source electrode, and the drain electrode, and

wherein the insulation pattern and the at least one adjacent insulating layer comprise the same or substantially the same material.

51. The display apparatus of claim 50, wherein the at least one insulating layer is between the substrate and the at least one TFT.

52. The display apparatus of claim 50, wherein the at least one adjacent insulating layer is at least one of a gate insulating layer for insulating the gate electrode from the active layer, and an interlayer insulating layer for insulating the source and drain electrodes from the gate electrode.

53. The display apparatus of claim 50, further comprising a passivation layer for covering the at least one TFT,

wherein the passivation layer is on the insulation pattern.

54. The display apparatus of claim 50, further comprising a first electrode that is connected to the at least one TFT, and a pixel defining layer that covers a portion of the first electrode and defines a pixel area,

wherein the pixel defining layer is on the insulation pattern.

55. The display apparatus of claim 54, further comprising:

a second electrode that faces the first electrode; and

an intermediate layer between the first electrode and the second electrode, the intermediate layer comprising an organic emission layer.

56. A method of manufacturing a display apparatus comprising a substrate comprising a central area and a peripheral area adjacent to the central area, the central area comprising a display area, the method comprising:

forming at least one insulation pattern at the peripheral area;

forming a groove adjacent to the at least one insulation pattern; and

forming at least one insulating layer between the at least one insulation pattern and the substrate,

wherein the groove is located at the at least one insulating layer.

57. The method of claim 56, further comprising forming a central insulating layer at the central area of the substrate, and

wherein the at least one insulation pattern and the central insulating layer comprise the same or substantially the same material.

58. The method of claim 57, wherein the at least one insulation pattern and the central insulating layer are concurrently formed.

59. The method of claim 56, wherein the at least one insulating layer at the peripheral area and the central area.

60. A method of manufacturing a display apparatus by using a mother substrate, the method comprising:

cutting the mother substrate along a cutting line,

wherein the display apparatus comprises a central area and a peripheral area adjacent to the central area, the central area comprising a display area;

an insulation pattern at the peripheral area;

a groove adjacent to the insulation pattern; and

at least one insulating layer between the insulation pattern and the substrate,

wherein the groove is at the at least one insulating layer, and

wherein the cutting line corresponds to the groove and is separated from the insulation pattern.