FLEXIBLE DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20170346041A1
• Filed: 10/24/2016
• Published: 11/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: KIM, JongSung, YOON, JongGeun, JUNG, Goeun, KWON, HyungGeun
• Granted Patent: US 10,135,028 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 Flexible OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8445 multilayered coatings having a repetitive structure, e.g. having multiple organic-inorganic bilayers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 Flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells

Abstract

A flexible display device includes a base substrate defining a display area and a non-display area; a thin film transistor in the display area of the base substrate; an organic light emitting diode on and connected with the thin film transistor; an encapsulation layer on the organic light emitting diode; and a crack preventing portion in the non-display area defined by the base substrate.

Claims

1. A flexible display device, comprising:

a base substrate defining a display area and a non-display area;

a thin film transistor in the display area of the base substrate;

an organic light emitting diode on and connected with the thin film transistor;

an encapsulation layer on the organic light emitting diode; and

a crack preventing portion in the non-display area defined by the base substrate.

2. The flexible display device according to claim 1, wherein the encapsulation layer includes a plurality of inorganic films and a plurality of organic films that are alternately disposed, and wherein each of the plurality of inorganic films extends from the display area to the non-display area to be disposed on the base substrate.

3. The flexible display device according to claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of organic films is disposed in the display area, but is absent in the non-display area.

4. The flexible display device according to claim 3, wherein each of the plurality of organic films is interposed between adjacent ones of the inorganic films.

5. The flexible display device according to claim 2, wherein the crack preventing portion is formed of a same material as that of any one among the plurality of organic films.

6. The flexible display device according to claim 2, wherein the crack preventing portion covers an upper side of the inorganic films in the non-display area.

7. The flexible display device according to claim 6, wherein an upper surface of the crack preventing portion is a same height as that of an upper surface of the encapsulation layer disposed in the display area.

8. The flexible display device according to claim 1, wherein the crack preventing portion extends from the non-display area to the display area such that the crack preventing portion covers an upper surface of the encapsulation layer in the display area.

9. The flexible display device according to claim 2, wherein the inorganic films includes first, second, and third inorganic films deposited in sequence, and wherein the crack preventing portion is between the second and third inorganic films in the non-display area.

10. The flexible display device according to claim 2, further comprising a crack preventing bump in the non-display area of the base substrate.

11. The flexible display device according to claim 10, wherein the crack preventing bump has a reverse-tapered shape in which a width of an upper surface therein is greater than a width of a lower surface thereof.

12. The flexible display device according to claim 10, wherein the crack preventing bump includes a first auxiliary crack preventing bump and a second auxiliary crack preventing bump, wherein the first auxiliary crack preventing bump has a tapered shape in which a width of an upper surface therein is less than a width of a lower surface thereof, and wherein the second auxiliary crack preventing bump has a reverse-tapered shape in which a width of an upper surface therein is greater than a width of a lower surface thereof.

13. The flexible display device according to claim 10, wherein the crack preventing portion is on the crack preventing bump and seals the crack preventing bump.

14. The flexible display device according to claim 10, wherein the crack preventing bump and the crack preventing portion are formed of different materials.