Touch sensor integrated display device

• US 9,841,833 B2
• Filed: 06/30/2015
• Issued: 12/12/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/30/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Minsu, Lee, Myeonsik, Yoo, Hajin
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Sanjiv D
• Application Number:
  US14/788,631
• Publication Number:
  US 20170003786A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133357 Planarisation layers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134372 for fringe field switching [FFS] where the common electrode is not patterned
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13454 Drivers integrated on the active matrix substrate G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136227 Through-hole connection of the pixel electrode to the active element through an insulation layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136286 Wiring, e.g. gate line, drain line
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13629 Multilayer wirings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78636 with supplementary region or layer for improving the flatness of the device

Abstract

A touch sensor integrated display device includes a plurality of common electrode blocks that defines a plurality of touch driving channels and a plurality of touch sensing channels. The touch driving channel is formed of a group of common electrode blocks electrically linked via a touch signal line placed under the layer of the common electrode blocks. The source/drain of the circuit TFTs provided in the non-display area is formed of the same metal layer of the touch signal line. The source/drain of the pixel TFTs provided in the display area is formed of a metal layer different from the metal layer of the touch signal line.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising:

a plurality of pixels provided in a display area of a display panel, each of the plurality of pixels having a pixel thin film transistor (TFT) connected to a pixel electrode, the pixel TFT comprising a gate, a source, a drain, a portion of a dielectric layer on top of the gate, a source electrode in a metal layer on a first planarization layer on the dielectric layer, and a drain electrode in the metal layer, the source electrode of the pixel TFT connected to the source through the dielectric layer and the first planarization layer, the drain electrode of the pixel TFT connected to the drain through the first planarization layer and the dielectric layer;

a touch signal line extending across at least a subset of the plurality of pixels on the dielectric layer but below the first planarization layer;

a plurality of common electrode blocks that provides a plurality of touch driving channels and a plurality of touch sensing channels, each of the touch driving channels defined by a subset of the plurality of common electrode blocks electrically linked via a touch signal line; and

one or more circuit thin film transistors provided in a non-display area of a display panel, a source electrode and a drain electrode of the one or more circuit thin film transistors (TFTs) are formed at least in another metal layer below the first planarization layer.

2. The display device of claim 1, further comprising a second planarization layer covering the source electrode and the drain electrode of the pixel TFT formed at least in the metal layer on the first planarization layer.

3. The display device of claim 2, wherein the source and drain of the circuit TFT are formed of the same metal layer as the touch signal line.

4. The display device of claim 3, further comprising a grid patterned conductive line placed on an upper surface of each of the plurality of common electrode blocks.

5. The display device of claim 4, further comprising a bridge interposed between the first planarization layer and the second planarization layer, wherein the touch signal line is in contact with the bridge through a contact hole in the first planarization layer and the grid patterned conductive line on the common electrode block is in contact with the bridge through a contact hole in the second planarization layer.

6. The display device of claim 4, wherein a vertical line of the grid patterned conductive line is arranged on a data line such that at least some part of the vertical line of the grid patterned conductive line and the data line overlaps one another.

7. The display device of claim 4, wherein a horizontal line of the grid patterned conductive line is arranged on the touch signal line such that at least some part of the horizontal line of the grid patterned conductive line and the data line overlaps one another.

8. The display device of claim 1, wherein the touch signal line for linking the subset of common electrode blocks for defining the touch driving channel is arranged to bypass the touch sensing channels.

9. The display device of claim 1, wherein at least two touch driving channels are defined with the common electrode blocks arranged in a single row.

10. The display device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of common electrode blocks are between pixel electrodes and the first planarization layer.

11. The display device of claim 1, further comprising a data line formed on the metal layer above the first planarization layer and below a second planarization layer.

12. The display device of claim 1, further comprising a dummy line formed in the same metal layer as the touch signal line.

13. The display device of claim 1, wherein the touch signal line is formed on the dielectric layer, and the first planarization layer is formed on the signal line and the dielectric layer.

14. The display device of claim 1, wherein the touch signal line does not contact a gate insulator extending between a gate of the pixel TFT and a semiconductor layer of the pixel TFT.

15. A display device comprising:

an array of pixels in a display area of a display panel, each pixel connected to a pixel thin film transistor (TFT) having a gate, a source, a drain, a portion of a dielectric layer on top of the gate, a source electrode in a first metal layer on a first planarization layer that is on the dielectric layer, and a drain electrode in the first metal layer; and

a set of common electrode blocks that provide multiple touch driving channels and multiple touch sensing channels to support touch operations and functions applied to the display area of the display panel, each touch driving channel defined by a subset of the common electrode blocks connected via a touch signal line, which extends across at least a subset of the pixels, on the dielectric layer but below the first planarization layer.

16. The display device of claim 15, further comprising:

at least one circuit thin film transistor (TFT) in a non-display area of the display panel, the circuit TFT having a source electrode and a drain electrode in a second metal layer below the first planarization layer.

17. The display device of claim 16, further comprising:

a second planarization layer covering the source electrode and the drain electrode of the pixel TFT formed at least in the first metal layer on the first planarization layer.

18. The display device of claim 17, further comprising:

a data line in the first metal layer above the planarization layer and below the second planarization layer.

19. The display device of claim 18, wherein the touch signal line that links the subset of common electrode blocks to define the touch driving channel is arranged to bypass the touch sensing channels, and at least two driving channels are defined with the common electrode blocks arranged in a single row.

20. The display device of claim 19, further comprising:

a grid patterned conductive line on an upper surface of each of the plurality of common electrode block; and

a bridge interposed between the first planarization layer and the second planarization layer, wherein the touch signal line is in contact with the bridge through a contact hole in the first planarization layer and the grid patterned conductive line on the common electrode block is in contact with the bridge through a contact hole in the second planarization layer,

wherein a vertical line of the grid patterned conductive line is arranged on the data line such that at least some part of the vertical line of the grid patterned conductive line and the data line overlaps one another, and

wherein a horizontal line of the grid patterned conductive line is arranged on the touch signal line such that at least some part of the horizontal line of the grid patterned conductive line and a data line overlaps one another.