DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20170237037A1
• Filed: 10/19/2016
• Published: 08/17/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/12/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Choi, Jonghyun, Sim, Suyeon, Kang, Kinyeng
• Granted Patent: US 10,230,069 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 19/04 Hands; Discs with a single mark or the like moving indicating arrangements which have scales or numbers with stationary hands or reading means G04B19/20; optical projection of the position of the hands G04B19/34
• CPC Class Codes: G04B 19/12 Selection of materials for dials or graduations markings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/1201 Manufacture or treatment
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/121 characterised by the geometry or disposition of pixel elements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8722 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/873 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass

Abstract

A method of manufacturing a display apparatus includes providing a substrate, forming a display unit defining an opening portion in a display region over the substrate, forming a thin film encapsulation layer to seal the display unit, forming a touch electrode over the thin film encapsulation layer, forming a touch insulating film covering the touch electrode such that the thin film encapsulation layer and the touch insulating film are sequentially stacked and formed over the substrate in the opening portion, forming a touch contact hole by removing a portion of the touch insulating film to expose a portion of the touch electrode, and removing a portion of the touch insulating film and a portion of the thin film encapsulation layer formed in the opening portion to expose a portion of the substrate during the forming of the touch contact hole.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a display apparatus, the method comprising:

providing a substrate;

forming a display unit defining an opening portion in a display region over the substrate;

forming a thin film encapsulation layer to seal the display unit;

forming a touch electrode over the thin film encapsulation layer;

forming a touch insulating film covering the touch electrode such that the thin film encapsulation layer and the touch insulating film are sequentially stacked and formed over the substrate in the opening portion;

forming a touch contact hole by removing a portion of the touch insulating film to expose a portion of the touch electrode; and

removing a portion of the touch insulating film and a portion of the thin film encapsulation layer formed in the opening portion to expose a portion of the substrate during the forming of the touch contact hole.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a hole in the substrate by removing a portion of the exposed portion of the substrate.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the thin film encapsulation layer comprises an organic film, and an inorganic film having a larger area than the organic film, and

wherein the touch insulating film and the inorganic film contact each other at an edge of the organic film in the opening portion.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising removing a portion of the touch insulating film and the inorganic film contacting each other at the edge of the organic film in the opening portion during the forming of the touch contact hole.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the removed portion of the touch insulating film and the inorganic film in the opening portion has a larger width than the hole.

6. The method of claim 2, further comprising forming a touch line over the touch insulating film to contact the touch electrode through the touch contact hole.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein the opening portion has a larger width than the hole in the substrate.

8. The method of claim 2, further comprising removing a portion of the touch insulating film and a portion of the thin film encapsulation layer formed in the opening portion during the forming of the touch contact hole,

wherein the touch insulating film comprises an inorganic material.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the thin film encapsulation layer comprises at least one inorganic film and at least one organic film, and

wherein the method further comprises removing a portion of the touch insulating film and a portion of the at least one inorganic film during the forming of the touch contact hole.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the removing the portion of the touch insulating film and the portion of the at least one inorganic film comprises a dry etching process.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein the touch insulating film comprises an organic material,

wherein the thin film encapsulation layer comprises an organic film, and an inorganic film having a larger area than the organic film,

wherein the touch insulating film and the inorganic film are formed to contact each other at an edge of the organic film in the opening portion, and

wherein the touch insulating film and the inorganic film formed in the opening portion are sequentially removed.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the touch insulating film is removed by a photolithography process, and

wherein the inorganic film is removed by a dry etching process.

13. The method of claim 2, further comprising forming a barrier at an edge of the hole during the removing of the portion of the touch insulating film and the portion the thin film encapsulation layer formed in the opening portion.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the barrier comprises a first layer comprising the thin film encapsulation layer, and a second layer comprising the touch insulating film.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the barrier defines a valley exposing a surface of the substrate.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising, before the forming of the hole in the substrate, forming a passivation layer in the opening portion to cover the barrier.

17. The method of claim 2, further comprising, before the forming of the touch electrode, forming an upper dam over the thin film encapsulation layer.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising forming a buffer layer over the thin film encapsulation layer,

wherein the upper dam is formed at an edge of the opening portion and prevents the buffer layer from spreading to the opening portion.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the touch electrode is formed over the buffer layer.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising, before the forming of the thin film encapsulation layer, forming two lower dams spaced apart from each other over the substrate at an edge of the opening portion,

wherein the thin film encapsulation layer is curved by the two lower dams to comprise one concave portion.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the concave portion corresponds to a position between the two lower dams, and

wherein the upper dam is formed over the concave portion.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein the two lower dams surround the hole.

23. The method of claim 1, wherein the display region comprises a thin film transistor, and a display device connected electrically to the thin film transistor, and

wherein the display device comprises an organic light-emitting device comprising a first electrode connected electrically to the thin film transistor, a second electrode facing the first electrode, and an intermediate layer interposed between the first electrode and the second electrode.

24. A display apparatus comprising:

a substrate defining a hole;

a display unit over the substrate, comprising a display region, and defining an opening portion in the display region;

a thin film encapsulation layer for sealing the display unit;

a touch electrode over the thin film encapsulation layer;

a touch insulating film over the thin film encapsulation layer to cover the touch electrode, and defining a touch contact hole; and

a barrier comprising a portion of the thin film encapsulation layer and a portion the touch insulating film sequentially stacked in the opening portion.

25. The display apparatus of claim 24, wherein the thin film encapsulation layer comprises at least one inorganic film and at least one organic film, and

wherein the barrier comprises a first layer comprising the at least one inorganic film, and a second layer comprising the touch insulating film.

26. The display apparatus of claim 24, wherein the barrier defines a valley exposing a surface of the substrate.

27. The display apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a touch line over the touch insulating film and contacting the touch electrode through the touch contact hole.

28. The display apparatus of claim 24, wherein the opening portion has a larger width than the hole of the substrate.

29. The display apparatus of claim 24, further comprising a passivation layer in the opening portion and covering the barrier.

30. The display apparatus of claim 24, further comprising an upper dam and a buffer layer over the thin film encapsulation layer,

wherein the upper dam is at an edge of the opening portion to prevent the buffer layer from spreading to the opening portion.