Narrow border organic light-emitting diode display

• US 9,780,159 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2016
• Issued: 10/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Mathew, Dinesh C., Garelli, Adam T., Drzaic, Paul S., Chen, Wei, Degner, Brett W., Posner, Bryan W.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Vip
• Application Number:
  US15/351,296
• Publication Number:
  US 20170062547A1
• Time in Patent Office: 323 Days
• Field of Search: 313506, 313498, 313512
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96031 Combination of touch switch and LC display
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/60 Circuit arrangements for operating LEDs comprising organic material, e.g. for operating organic light-emitting diodes [OLED] or polymer light-emitting diodes [PLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/841 Self-supporting sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/86 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/865 comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. light-blocking layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/868 Arrangements for polarized light emission H10K50/86 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/871 Self-supporting sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8791 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8793 Arrangements for polarized light emission H10K59/8791 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/10 Substrates, e.g. flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 77/111 Flexible substrates
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells

Abstract

An electronic device may be provided having an organic light-emitting diode display and control circuitry for operating the display. The display may include one or more display layers interposed between the control circuitry and a display layer having thin-film transistors. The electronic device may include a coupling structure interposed between the layer of thin-film transistors and the control circuitry that electrically couples the layer of thin-film transistors to the control circuitry. The coupling structure may include a dielectric member having a conductive via, a flexible printed circuit having a bent portion, or a conductive via formed in an encapsulation layer of the display. The display may include a layer of opaque masking material. The layer of opaque masking material may be formed on an encapsulation layer, an organic emissive layer, a thin-film transistor layer, or a glass layer of the organic light-emitting diode display.

Claims

1. A display having an active area surrounded by an inactive border area, the display comprising:

a substrate;

an array of thin-film transistors formed on the substrate in the active area;

a layer of organic emissive material formed over the array of thin-film transistors in the active area;

a display driver integrated circuit; and

a via in the inactive border area that extends through the substrate to couple the array of thin-film transistors to the display driver integrated circuit.

2. The display defined in claim 1, wherein the array of thin-film transistors and the layer of organic emissive material form an array of organic light-emitting diodes that displays images in the active area.

3. The display defined in claim 1, further comprising:

an encapsulation layer that overlaps the layer of organic emissive material, wherein the layer of organic emissive material and the array of thin-film transistors are between the encapsulation layer and the substrate.

4. The display defined in claim 3, further comprising:

a polarizer that overlaps the encapsulation layer, wherein the encapsulation layer, the layer of organic emissive material, and the array of thin-film transistors are between the polarizer and the substrate.

5. The display defined in claim 1, wherein the array of thin-film transistors is formed in a thin-film transistor layer that extends into the inactive border area and overlaps the via.

6. The display defined in claim 5, wherein the layer of organic emissive material does not overlap the via.

7. The display defined in claim 6, further comprising:

an encapsulation layer that encapsulates the layer of organic emissive material and does not overlap the via; and

a circular polarizer formed on the encapsulation layer.

8. The display defined in claim 7, wherein the layer of organic emissive material, the encapsulation layer, and the circular polarizer extend into the inactive border area.

9. The display defined in claim 8, further comprising:

opaque masking material in the inactive border area that overlaps the thin-film transistor layer, the layer of organic emissive material, the encapsulation layer, and the circular polarizer.

10. A display having an active region surrounded by an inactive region, the display comprising:

a display substrate having first and second opposing surfaces;

an array of light-emitting diodes on the first surface of the display substrate that emits light to display images in the active region;

control circuitry mounted to the second surface of the display substrate that sends control signals to the array of light-emitting diodes on the first surface of the display substrate; and

a conductive via that extends through the display substrate from the first surface to the second surface in the inactive region, wherein the conductive via transmits the control signals from the control circuitry to the array of light-emitting diodes.

11. The display defined in claim 10, wherein the control circuitry comprises a display driver integrated circuit and wherein a trace on the second surface conveys signals between the display driver integrated circuit and the conductive via.

12. The display defined in claim 11, further comprising a grid of signal lines on the first surface of the display substrate that route the control signals from the conductive via to the array of light-emitting diodes.

13. The display defined in claim 10, further comprising:

an opaque masking layer in the inactive region that overlaps the conductive via.

14. The display defined in claim 13, further comprising:

an array of thin-film transistors on the first surface of the display substrate; and

a layer of light-emitting material formed over the array of thin-film transistors, wherein the array of thin-film transistors and the layer of light-emitting material form the array of light-emitting diodes, and wherein the opaque masking layer is interposed between the array of thin-film transistors and the layer of light-emitting material.

15. An electronic device, comprising:

an organic light-emitting diode display having an active area that displays images surrounded by an inactive area;

control circuitry that provides control signals to the organic light-emitting diode display and that overlaps the active area; and

a conductive via in the inactive area that conveys the control signals from the control circuitry to the organic light-emitting diode display.

16. The electronic device defined in claim 15, wherein the organic light-emitting diode display comprises:

a thin-film transistor layer that receives the control signals;

an organic emissive layer formed over the thin-film transistor layer, wherein the organic emissive layer emits light to display the images; and

an encapsulation layer formed over the organic emissive layer.

17. The electronic device defined in claim 16, further comprising:

an opaque masking layer interposed between the organic emissive layer and the encapsulation layer in the inactive area.

18. The electronic device defined in claim 16, further comprising:

a polarizer formed over the encapsulation layer; and

an opaque masking layer interposed between the encapsulation layer and the polarizer in the inactive area.

19. The electronic device defined in claim 16, wherein the organic light-emitting diode display comprises a substrate having first and second opposing surfaces, wherein the thin-film transistor layer and the organic emissive layer are formed on the first surface, and wherein the control circuitry is mounted on the second surface.

20. The electronic device defined in claim 19, wherein the control circuitry comprises a display driver integrated circuit, the electronic device further comprising:

a signal path on the second surface that conveys the control signals from the display driver integrated circuit to the conductive via.