DISPLAY DEVICE, TILED DISPLAY APPARATUS, AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20200133614A1
• Filed: 04/25/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: OH, Sun Hee, LEE, Dong Hyeon, YOU, Jun Woo, LEE, Tae Ho
• Granted Patent: US 11,216,236 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/08 with fibre bundle in form of plate
• CPC Class Codes: G02B 6/1223 high refractive index type, i.e. high-contrast waveguides
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/1446 display composed of modules, e.g. video walls
• CPC Class Codes: G09F 9/3026 Video wall, i.e. stackable semiconductor matrix display modules video wall control systems G06F3/1446, G09G2300/026
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/026 Video wall, i.e. juxtaposition of a plurality of screens to create a display screen of bigger dimensions
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0426 Layout of electrodes and connections
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0233 Improving the luminance or brightness uniformity across the screen

Abstract

A display device includes a display panel including a display area and a non-display area; and an optical plate disposed on the display panel and including an optical waveguide and a body portion surrounding the optical waveguide. The optical waveguide includes an input terminal which is disposed on the display area and receives light from the display panel and an output terminal which is disposed over the non-display area and outputs the light.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising:

a display panel including a display area and a non-display area; and

an optical plate disposed on the display panel and including an optical waveguide and a body portion surrounding the optical waveguide, the optical waveguide including;

an input terminal which is disposed on the display area and receives light from the display panel; and

an output terminal which is disposed over the non-display area and outputs the light.

2. The display device of claim 1,

wherein the optical waveguide further includes at least one inflection point.

3. The display device of claim 2,

wherein the optical waveguide further includes a first surface which is an upper surface from which the light is outputted, a second surface disposed between the first surface and the display panel, a third surface which is a side surface connecting the first surface and the second surface and disposed on the display area, and a fourth surface which is a side surface connecting the first surface and the second surface and disposed on the non-display area, and

the input terminal is disposed on the second surface, and the output terminal is disposed on the first surface.

4. The display device of claim 3,

wherein the optical waveguide further includes a first inflection point and a second inflection point located over the first inflection point.

5. The display device of claim 4,

wherein the optical waveguide further includes a first inflection area having a curved shape convex in a direction of the first and third surfaces by the first inflection point and a second inflection area having a curved shape convex in a direction of the second and fourth surfaces.

6. The display device of claim 5,

wherein the body portion and the optical waveguide include a glass material.

7. The display device of claim 6,

wherein the optical waveguide has a refractive index higher than a refractive index of the body portion.

8. The display device of claim 7,

wherein a difference in refractive index between the optical waveguide and the body portion is about 0.002 to about 0.2.

9. The display device of claim 8,

wherein each of the output terminal and the input terminal has a width of about 10 micrometers to about 50 micrometers.

10. The display device of claim 8,

wherein the optical plate further includes a prism pattern disposed on the first surface in correspondence with the non-display area.

11. The display device of claim 10,

wherein the prism pattern includes a lower surface contacting the first surface and first and second inclined surfaces connected to the lower surface, and

a second acute angle defined by the lower surface and the second inclined surface is smaller than a first acute angle defined by the lower surface and the first inclined surface.

12. A tiled display apparatus, comprising:

a display device unit including a plurality of display devices each having a display area and a non-display area; and

an optical plate disposed on the display panel and including an optical waveguide and a body portion surrounding the optical waveguide, the optical waveguide including;

an input terminal which is disposed on the display area and receives light from the display panel; and

an output terminal which is disposed over the non-display area and outputs the light.

13. The tiled display apparatus of claim 12,

wherein the display area includes a central area and an edge area surrounding the central area, and the optical waveguide of the optical plate is disposed on the edge area and the non-display area.

14. The tiled display apparatus of claim 13,

wherein an opening disposed corresponding to the central area is defined in the optical plate.

15. The tiled display apparatus of claim 14,

wherein the optical waveguide includes a first inflection point and a second inflection point located over the first inflection point.

16. The tiled display apparatus of claim 15,

wherein the optical waveguide includes a first inflection area having a curved shape convex in a direction of the first and third surfaces by the first inflection point and a second inflection area having a curved shape convex in a direction of the second and fourth surfaces.

17. The tiled display apparatus of claim 16,

wherein the body portion and the optical waveguide include a glass material.

18. The tiled display apparatus of claim 17,

wherein a difference in refractive index between the optical waveguide and the body portion is about 0.002 to about 0.2.

19. A method of manufacturing a display device, the method comprising:

irradiating a body portion of an optical plate with a femtosecond laser beam to form a melting portion having a first inflection point and a second inflection point; and

cooling the optical plate to decrease voids in the melting portion to form an optical waveguide.

20. The method of claim 19,

wherein the forming the melting portion includes irradiating the body portion with the femtosecond laser beam while moving a laser device at a speed of about 10 micrometers per second to about 10 centimeters per second, and

the cooling the optical plate is performed at about −

200 degrees Celsius to about 0 degree Celsius.