Displays with overlapping light-emitting diodes and gate drivers

• US 9,336,709 B2
• Filed: 04/25/2014
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Lin, Chin-Wei, Chang, Shih-Chang, Tsai, Tsung-Ting
• Primary Examiner(s): Sternbane, Larry
• Application Number:
  US14/262,363
• Publication Number:
  US 20150310801A1
• Time in Patent Office: 746 Days
• Field of Search: 345204-215, 345690-699
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0264 Details of driving circuits
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3225 using an active matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/3026 Top emission
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/121 characterised by the geometry or disposition of pixel elements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/1213 the pixel elements being TFTs
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/123 Connection of the pixel electrodes to the thin film transistors [TFT]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided with a display. The display may be formed from an array of organic light-emitting diode display pixels. Each display pixel may have an organic light-emitting diode having an anode and a cathode and may have an associated pixel circuit for controlling the light-emitting diode. The anodes may be formed from patches of metal arranged in an array on the display. The display pixels may be controlled using data lines and gate lines. The gate lines may control thin-film transistors in the pixel circuits. Gate driver circuitry along the left and right edges of the display may supply signals to the gate lines. The pixel circuits may be located in the center of the display between the gate driver circuitry. Some of the anodes may overlap the pixel circuits and some of the anodes may overlap the gate driver circuitry.

Claims

1. An organic light-emitting diode display, comprising:

a substrate;

pixel circuits on the substrate;

gate driver circuitry along at least one edge of the substrate;

an array of display pixels, wherein the display pixels include anodes that overlap the gate driver circuitry and anodes that overlap the pixel circuits; and

a shared cathode layer that overlaps all of the anodes.

2. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 1 further comprising emissive material between the shared cathode layer and each anode.

3. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 2 wherein the pixel circuits have a pixel-circuit-to-pixel-circuit spacing and wherein the anodes have an anode-to-anode spacing that is larger than the pixel-circuit-to-pixel-circuit spacing.

4. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 3 further comprising horizontal lines that couple some of the pixel circuits to the anodes that overlap the gate driver circuitry.

5. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 4 further comprising a first metal layer, a third metal layer, and a second metal layer between the first and third metal layers, wherein the horizontal lines are formed from the third metal layer.

6. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 4 wherein the gate driver circuitry includes shift register circuits.

7. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 6 further comprising an organic planarization layer interposed between the gate driver circuitry and the anodes that overlap the gate driver circuitry.

8. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 1 wherein the pixel circuits and gate driver circuitry include thin-film transistors formed from a semiconductor layer selected from the group consisting of:

a silicon layer and semiconducting oxide layer.

9. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 8 wherein the thin-film transistors include gates that overlap the semiconductor layer.

10. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 8 further comprising a first metal layer that forms the gates, a second metal layer that forms source-drain electrodes for the thin-film transistors, a fourth metal layer that forms lateral signal paths between the pixel circuits and the anodes that overlap the gate driver circuitry, and a third metal layer between the second metal layer and the fourth metal layer.

11. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 1 further comprising horizontal metal lines that couple the pixel circuits to the anodes that overlap the gate driver circuitry.

12. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 11 wherein the gate driver circuitry includes shift register circuitry and buffer circuits.

13. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 12 further comprising data lines and gate lines, wherein each buffer circuit provides a signal to a respective one of the gate lines.

14. An organic light-emitting diode display, comprising:

a rectangular substrate having four edges including left and right edges;

a left-hand gate driver circuit located along the left edge;

a right-hand gate driver circuit located along the right edge;

an array of display pixels each having a light-emitting diode with an anode and a cathode and each having a pixel circuit that controls current through the light-emitting diode of that display pixel, wherein some of the anodes are between the left-hand gate driver circuit and the right-hand gate driver circuit overlapping the pixel circuits, wherein some of the anodes overlap the left-hand gate driver circuit, and wherein some of the anodes overlap the right-hand gate driver circuit; and

horizontal metal lines that couple the pixel circuits to the anodes that overlap at least one of the left-hand gate driver circuit and the right-hand gate driver circuit.

15. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 14 wherein the left-hand gate driver circuit and the right-hand gate driver circuit include shift register circuits and buffers.

16. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 15 wherein the buffersprovide control signals to horizontal gate lines extending across the rectangular substrate between the left to the right edges.

17. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 16 further comprising emissive material on each anode, wherein the cathodes are formed from a shared cathode layer that overlaps the anodes that overlap the left-hand gate driver circuit, the anodes that overlap the right-hand gate driver circuit, and the anodes overlapping the pixel circuits between the left-hand gate driver circuit and the right-hand gate driver circuit.

18. An organic light-emitting diode display, comprising:

gate driver circuitry formed from a chain of shift register circuits; and

an array of display pixels to display images, wherein each display pixel includes a light-emitting diode having a cathode, an anode, and emissive material that emits light, wherein each display pixel receives a signal from the gate driver circuitry, wherein some of the anodes overlap the chain of shift register circuits, and wherein the emissive material is on each of the anodes.

19. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 18 wherein each of the display pixels has a pixel circuit that controls emission of the light from the light-emitting diode of that display pixel, wherein some of the anodes overlap the pixel circuits, wherein the pixel circuits are located between a first portion of the gate driver circuitry on a first edge of the display and a second portion of the gate driver circuitry on an opposing second edge of the display, and wherein the pixel circuit of each display pixel includes a thin-film drive transistor having a source-drain terminal coupled to the anode of the light-emitting diode for that display pixel.