Methods for fabricating display structures

• US 9,069,525 B2
• Filed: 07/01/2014
• Issued: 06/30/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mathew, Dinesh C., Wilson, Thomas W. Jr., Yin, Victor H., Posner, Bryan W., Ligtenberg, Chris, Degner, Brett W., Augenbergs, Peteris K., Zhong, John Z., Hotelling, Steve, Youngs, Lynn, Sung, Kuo-Hua
• Primary Examiner(s): CHEN, WEN YING PATTY
• Application Number:
  US14/321,533
• Publication Number:
  US 20140340831A1
• Time in Patent Office: 364 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133388 with constructional differences between the display region and the peripheral region
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13452 Conductors connecting driver circuitry and terminals of panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13454 Drivers integrated on the active matrix substrate G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136218 Shield electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2203/01 transmissive
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 2211/44 Optical arrangements or shielding arrangements, e.g. filters or lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 9/205 Applying optical coatings or shielding coatings to the vessel of flat panel displays, e.g. applying filter layers, electromagnetic interference shielding layers, anti-reflection coatings or anti-glare coatings
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/108 Flash, trim or excess removal

Abstract

An electronic device display may have a color filter layer and a thin film transistor layer. A layer of liquid crystal material may be interposed between the color filter layer and the thin film transistor layer. A layer of polarizer may be laminated onto the surface of the color filter layer. Laser trimming may ensure that the edges of the polarizer are even with the edges of the color filter layer. The thin film transistor layer may have an array of thin film transistors that control pixels of the liquid crystal material in the display. Driver circuitry may be used to control the array. The driver circuitry may be encapsulated in a planarized encapsulant on the thin film transistor layer or may be mounted to the underside of the color filter layer. Conductive structures may connect driver circuitry on the color filter layer to the thin film transistor layer.

Claims

1. A computer, comprising:

a housing structure; and

a display in the housing structure that includes;

a color filter layer;

driver circuitry comprising at least an integrated circuit mounted on the color filter layer;

a thin-film transistor layer;

an opaque layer formed in a border around a periphery of the display and extending beyond a pixel area of the display that blocks inactive peripheral portions of the display from view;

an opening in the opaque layer located beyond the pixel area of the display; and

a camera in the housing structure that receives light through the opening in the opaque layer.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein the opening is at least one of circular or rectangular.

3. The computer of claim 1, further comprising a polarizer layer.

4. The computer of claim 3, wherein the polarizer layer includes a polarizer layer opening that aligns with the opening in the opaque layer.

5. The computer of claim 4, wherein the polarizer layer opening is filled with an epoxy fill.

6. The computer of claim 5, wherein the epoxy fill comprises an ultraviolet curable epoxy.

7. The computer of claim 5, wherein a surface of the epoxy fill is vertically aligned with a planar outer surface of the polarizer layer.

8. The computer of claim 5, wherein a surface of the epoxy fill is co-planar with an outer surface of the polarizer layer.

9. The computer of claim 3, further comprising adhesive attaching a portion of the polarizer layer to the color filter layer.

10. The computer of claim 3, further comprising an antireflection coating layer.

11. The computer of claim 10, wherein the antireflection coating layer is laminated onto a surface of the polarizer layer.

12. The computer of claim 10, wherein edges of the antireflection coating layer are aligned with edges of the color filter layer.

13. The computer of claim 9, wherein the polarizer layer includes multiple polarizer layer openings.

14. The computer of claim 13, wherein one of the multiple polarizer layer openings aligns with the opening in the opaque layer.

15. The computer of claim 3, wherein an outer surface of the polarizer layer is smooth and even.

16. The computer of claim 3, wherein a portion of the polarizer layer is laminated to the color filter layer.

17. The computer of claim 3, wherein edges of the polarizer layer are aligned with edges of the color filter layer.

18. The computer of claim 1, wherein the color filter layer does not include a color filter layer opening aligned with the opening in the opaque layer.

19. The computer of claim 1, wherein the opaque layer is formed in the border around a periphery of the color filter layer.

20. A display structure, comprising:

a color filter layer;

driver circuitry comprising at least an integrated circuit mounted on the color filter layer;

a thin-film transistor layer;

an opaque layer formed in a border around a periphery of the display and extending beyond a pixel area of the display that blocks inactive peripheral portions of the display from view;

an opening in the opaque layer located beyond the pixel area of the display; and

a camera that receives light through the opening.