Organic light-emitting diode display with glass encapsulation and peripheral welded plastic seal

• US 9,450,203 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2014
• Issued: 09/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Kim, Jinkwang, Lee, Jungmin
• Primary Examiner(s): WOJCIECHOWICZ, EDWARD JOSEPH
• Application Number:
  US14/580,052
• Publication Number:
  US 20160181567A1
• Time in Patent Office: 638 Days
• Field of Search: 257/40, 438/26
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/84 Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/841 Self-supporting sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/86 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/1213 the pixel elements being TFTs
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/87 Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass

Abstract

A display may have thin-film transistor circuitry that includes organic light-emitting diodes. The thin-film transistor circuitry may be formed on a substrate. First and second thin-film inorganic moisture barrier layers may be deposited on top of the thin-film transistor circuitry. An organic planarization layer may be interposed between the first and second thin-film inorganic moisture barrier layers. A moisture barrier glass layer may be attached to the second thin-film inorganic moisture barrier layer with a layer of liquid adhesive. The display may have functional layers such as a touch sensor and circular polarizer that are interposed between a cover glass layer and the moisture-barrier glass layer. A thermoplastic polymer moisture barrier ring that runs around the peripheral edge of the display may be laser welded between the moisture barrier glass layer and the substrate.

Claims

1. A display having a peripheral edge, comprising:

first and second display layers;

thin-film transistor circuitry between the first and second display layers, wherein thin-film transistor circuitry comprises light-emitting diodes;

a moisture-barrier ring of thermoplastic polymer that is attached between the first and second display layers to prevent moisture from reaching the thin-film transistor circuitry, wherein the first display layer comprises a substrate layer on which the thin-film transistor circuitry is formed; and

a polarizer, wherein the second display layer is interposed between the polarizer and the first display layer, and wherein the moisture-barrier ring extends between the substrate layer and the second display layer to seal the peripheral edge of the display.

2. The display defined in claim 1

wherein the second display layer comprises a moisture-barrier glass layer, wherein the moisture-barrier ring is laser welded between the substrate layer and the moisture-barrier glass layer.

3. The display defined in claim 2 further comprising a layer of liquid adhesive between the moisture-barrier glass layer and the thin-film transistor circuitry.

4. The display defined in claim 3 further comprising first and second moisture barrier layers interposed between the thin-film transistor layer and the moisture-barrier glass layer.

5. The display defined in claim 4 further comprising an organic layer between the first and second moisture barrier layers.

6. The display defined in claim 5 wherein the first and second moisture barrier layers are deposited thin-film inorganic layers.

7. The display defined in claim 6 wherein the first and second moisture barrier layers are silicon nitride layers.

8. The display defined in claim 6 wherein the moisture barrier glass layer comprises a layer of bulk glass having a thickness of 10 to 50 microns.

9. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the light-emitting diodes comprise organic light-emitting diodes.

10. The display defined in claim 9 wherein the second layer comprises a moisture-barrier glass layer, the display further comprising:

a thin-film inorganic moisture barrier layer between the moisture-barrier glass layer and the thin-film transistor circuitry; and

a layer of liquid adhesive between the moisture-barrier glass layer and the thin-film transistor circuitry.

11. The display defined in claim 10 wherein the layer of liquid adhesive includes index-matched microspheres.

12. The display defined in claim 10 further comprising:

a cover glass layer.

13. The display defined in claim 12 further comprising at least one layer of optically clear adhesive interposed between the cover glass layer and the moisture-barrier glass layer.

14. The display defined in claim 12 further comprising:

a touch sensor between the cover glass layer and the moisture-barrier glass layer, wherein the polarizer comprises a circular polarizer between the cover glass layer and the moisture-barrier glass layer.

15. The display defined in claim 14 further comprising optically clear adhesive that attaches the cover glass layer to the touch sensor, that attaches the touch sensor to the circular polarizer, and that attaches the circular polarizer to the moisture-barrier glass layer.

16. A method of forming a display that has a peripheral edge, comprising:

forming thin-film transistor circuitry on a display substrate, wherein the thin-film transistor circuitry includes organic light-emitting diodes;

depositing an inorganic moisture barrier layer over the thin-film transistor circuitry;

applying a layer of adhesive to a moisture-barrier glass layer;

attaching the moisture-barrier glass layer to the inorganic moisture barrier layer with the layer of adhesive such that the inorganic moisture barrier layer is interposed between the moisture barrier glass layer and the thin-film transistor circuitry; and

attaching a thermoplastic ring around the peripheral edge between the moisture-barrier glass layer and the display substrate so that the thermoplastic ring surrounds the organic light-emitting diodes.

17. The method defined in claim 16 wherein attaching the thermoplastic ring comprises laser welding the thermoplastic ring around the peripheral edge, the method further comprising:

depositing the inorganic moisture barrier layer over the thin-film transistor circuitry;

depositing an organic planarization layer over the inorganic moisture barrier layer; and

depositing an additional inorganic moisture barrier layer over the organic planarization layer.

18. The method defined in claim 17 further comprising:

attaching the moisture-barrier glass layer to the additional inorganic moisture barrier layer with a layer of adhesive.

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

a substrate layer;

thin-film transistor circuitry including organic light-emitting diodes on the substrate layer;

a first thin-film moisture barrier layer on the thin-film transistor circuitry;

an organic planarization layer on the first thin-film moisture barrier layer;

a second thin-film moisture barrier layer on the thin-film transistor circuitry;

a moisture-barrier glass layer; and

a thermoplastic polymer moisture-barrier ring that is attached between the substrate layer and the moisture-barrier glass layer and that surrounds the thin-film transistor circuitry.

20. The display defined in claim 19 wherein the thermoplastic polymer moisture-barrier ring is laser welded between the moisture-barrier glass layer and the substrate, the display further comprising:

a layer of liquid adhesive that attaches the moisture barrier glass layer to the second thin-film moisture-barrier layer;

a cover glass layer; and

functional layers interposed between the cover glass layer and the moisture-barrier glass layer.

21. The display defined in claim 20 wherein the functional layers include a touch sensor layer attached to the cover glass layer with optically clear adhesive.