Flexible display apparatus

• US 8,456,078 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2008
• Issued: 06/04/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Hashimoto, Morimi
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimeshkumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAABE, CHRISTOPHER M
• Application Number:
  US12/017,436
• Publication Number:
  US 20080182109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,960 Days
• Field of Search: 313498-512, 315/169.3, 345/36, 345/45, 345/76
• US Class Current: 313/504
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 7/022 Mechanical properties
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 Flexible OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/80 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/873 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/00 Constructional details of devices covered by this subclass and not covered by groups H10K10/80, H10K30/80, H10K50/80 or H10K59/80
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 Flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31 Surface property or characteristic of web, sheet or block

Abstract

A flexible display apparatus includes a flexible base film, and a light emitting device formed on the base film. A surface located on a light emitting surface side has a hardness higher than a hardness of a surface located on a rear surface side.

Claims

1. A flexible display apparatus, comprising:

a flexible base film;

a flexible light emitting device formed on the base film, the light emitting device including a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and a light emitting layer disposed between the first and second electrode layers;

a first outermost surface located on the light emitting device and forming a light emitting surface;

a second outermost surface located on the base film and forming a rear surface; and

an inorganic sealing layer including silicon nitride provided on the flexible light emitting device, and a polymer film provided on the inorganic sealing layer and forming the first outermost surface, with the polymer film being in contact with the inorganic sealing layer, wherein

the first outermost surface forming the light emitting surface has a hardness higher than a hardness of the second outermost surface forming the rear surface,

wherein a roughness of the second outermost surface is greater than a roughness of the first outermost surface.

9. The flexible display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible base film includes a first exterior layer and a second exterior layer facing opposite to the first exterior layer, and the flexible base film can flex so that the second exterior layer faces the first exterior layer.

10. The flexible display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the flexible base film can flex so that the first outermost surface faces the second outermost surface.

11. The flexible display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the polymer film is a polyethulene naphthalate film.

12. The flexible display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a barrier layer which is one of an inorganic film, an organic film, and a laminate film thereof is provided on one or both surfaces of the polymer film.

16. The flexible display according to claim 1, wherein the roughness of the second outermost surface relative to the roughness of the first outermost surface is set to satisfy an arithmetic mean roughness of Ra≧

1.5 nm.

2. A top-emission type flexible display to be rolled up so that a surface located on a light emitting surface side of the flexible display is brought into contact with a surface located on a rear surface side, comprising:

a flexible base film;

a flexible light emitting device formed on the base film;

a first outermost surface located on the light emitting device and forming a light emitting surface;

a second outermost surface located on the base film and forming a rear surface; and

an inorganic sealing layer including silicon nitride provided on the flexible light emitting device, and a polymer film provided on the inorganic sealing layer and forming the first outermost surface, with the polymer film being in contact with the inorganic sealing layer, wherein

the first outermost surface forming the light emitting surface has a hardness higher than a hardness of the second outermost surface forming the rear surface, and

a roughness of the second outermost surface is greater than a roughness of the first outermost surface.

3. The flexible display according to claim 2, wherein, when the hardness of the first outermost surface and the hardness of the second outermost surface are expressed by H1 and H2, respectively, a relationship of 1.6≦

H1/H2≦

3.5 is satisfied.

4. The flexible display according to claim 2, wherein the roughness of the second outermost surface relative to the roughness of the first outermost surface is set to satisfy an arithmetic mean roughness of Ra≧

1.5 nm.

13. The flexible display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a barrier layer which is one of an inorganic film, an organic film, and a laminate film thereof is provided on one or both surfaces of the polymer film.

5. A top-emission type flexible display apparatus, comprising:

a flexible base film; and

a flexible light emitting device formed on the base film;

a first outermost surface located on the light emitting device and forming a light emitting surface;

a second outermost surface located on the base film and forming a rear surface; and

an inorganic sealing layer including silicon nitride provided on the flexible light emitting device, and a polymer film provided on the inorganic sealing layer and forming the first outermost surface, with the polymer film being in contact with the inorganic sealing layer, wherein

the first outermost surface forming the light emitting surface has a hardness higher than a hardness of the second outermost surface forming the rear surface,

a roughness of the second outermost surface is greater than a roughness of the first outermost surface, and

the flexible display apparatus can be rolled up so that the surface located on the light emitting surface side is brought into contact with the surface located on the rear surface side.

6. The flexible display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, when the hardness of the first outermost surface and the hardness of the second outermost surface are expressed by H1 and H2, respectively, a relationship of 1.6≦

H1/H2≦

3.5 is satisfied.

7. The flexible display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the roughness of the second outermost surface relative to the roughness of the first outermost surface is set to satisfy an arithmetic mean roughness of Ra≧

1.5 nm.

14. The flexible display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein a barrier layer which is one of an inorganic film, an organic film, and a laminate film thereof is provided on one or both surfaces of the polymer film.

8. A flexible display apparatus, comprising:

a flexible base film;

a flexible light emitting device formed on the base film, a first surface located outside of the light emitting device and forming a light emitting surface, and a second surface located outside of the base film and forming a rear surface; and

an inorganic sealing layer including silicon nitride provided on the flexible light emitting device and a polymer film provided on the inorganic sealing layer and forming the first surface, with the polymer film being in contact with the inorganic sealing layer, wherein

the first surface forming the light emitting surface has a hardness higher than a hardness of the second surface forming the rear surface,

wherein a roughness of the second surface is greater than a roughness of the first surface.

15. The flexible display apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a barrier layer which is one of an inorganic film, an organic film, and a laminate film thereof is provided on one or both surfaces of the polymer film.

17. The flexible display according to claim 8, wherein the roughness of the second outermost surface relative to the roughness of the first outermost surface is set to satisfy an arithmetic mean roughness of Ra≧

1.5 nm.