Display device

• US 9,857,658 B2
• Filed: 11/02/2016
• Issued: 01/02/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/25/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Kimura, Hajime
• Primary Examiner(s): Jones, James
• Application Number:
  US15/341,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20170075185A1
• Time in Patent Office: 426 Days
• Field of Search: 359296, 359271, 345107
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/167 by electrophoresis
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1676 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/16766 for active matrices
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/123 pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2310/0272 Details of drivers for data electrodes, the drivers communicating data to the pixels by means of a current
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/34 by control of light from an independent source
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3446 with more than two electrodes controlling the modulating element

Abstract

In a device for displaying images by application of an electric field to a charged substance, a structure for reducing afterimages and a method for manufacturing the structure are provided. The device is a display device which includes a plurality of pixel electrodes and a charged layer (a layer including a charged substance) provided over the pixel electrodes. An end of one of two pixel electrodes that are adjacent to each other among the plurality of pixel electrodes has a depression in an end-face direction, and an end of the other of the pixel electrodes has a projection in the end-face direction. In a state in which the depression and the projection are in a set, a gap is formed between the two pixel electrodes.

Claims

1. A display device comprising a display portion, the display portion comprising:

an element layer comprising at least a first pixel, a second pixel, and a third pixel being arranged successively on one line, each of the first pixel, the second pixel, and the third pixel having;

a transistor over a first substrate, the transistor including a gate electrode comprising a first material, a gate insulating layer over the gate electrode, a semiconductor layer over the gate insulating layer, and source and drain electrodes comprising a second material;

a capacitor over the first substrate, the capacitor including a first electrode comprising the first material and a second electrode comprising the second material; and

a pixel electrode over the transistor and the capacitor, the pixel electrode being electrically connected to the transistor and overlapping with the semiconductor layer;

a layer including a charged substance, the layer provided over the pixel electrode; and

a counter electrode over the layer including the charged substance,

wherein the pixel electrode has a first end, a second end being adjacent to the first end, a third end being opposite to the first end, and a fourth end being opposite to the second end,

wherein each of the first end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel and the first end of the pixel electrode of the third pixel has a projection, and

wherein each of the third end of the pixel electrode of the first pixel and the third end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel has a depression.

2. The display device according to claim 1,

wherein the depression of the third end of the pixel electrode of the first pixel and the projection of the first end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel are facing each other with a first gap positioned therebetween, and

wherein the depression of the third end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel and the projection the first end of the pixel electrode of the third pixel are facing each other with a second gap positioned therebetween.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein each of the first gap and the second gap includes three or more portions whose distances are equal to each other.

4. The display device according to claim 3, wherein in the three or more portions, when middle points of the distances are linked in a line, the line has one or more vertexes.

5. The display device according to claim 1,

wherein the depression of the third end of the pixel electrode of the first pixel is adjacent to the projection of the first end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel with a first gap positioned therebetween, and

wherein the depression of the third end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel is adjacent to the projection the first end of the pixel electrode of the third pixel with a second gap positioned therebetween.

6. The display device according to claim 5, wherein each of the first gap and the second gap includes three or more portions whose distances are equal to each other.

7. The display device according to claim 6, wherein in the three or more portions, when middle points of the distances are linked in a line, the line has one or more vertexes.

8. The display device according to claim 1,

wherein at least one of the second ends of the pixel electrodes of the first pixel, the second pixel, and the third pixel has a projection, and

wherein at least one of the fourth ends of at the pixel electrodes of the first pixel, the second pixel, and the third pixel has a depression.

9. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the layer including the charged substance includes a plurality of microcapsules.

10. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first pixel, the second pixel, and the third pixel are arranged successively in a column direction.

11. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first pixel, the second pixel, and the third pixel are arranged successively in a row direction.

12. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first substrate comprises resin.

13. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is a passive matrix display device.

14. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is an active matrix display device.

15. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is flexible.

16. A display device comprising a display portion, the display portion comprising:

an element layer comprising at least a first pixel, a second pixel, and a third pixel being arranged successively on one line, each of the first pixel, the second pixel, and the third pixel having;

a transistor over a first substrate, the transistor including a gate electrode comprising a first material, a gate insulating layer over the gate electrode, a semiconductor layer over the gate insulating layer, and source and drain electrodes comprising a second material;

a capacitor over the first substrate, the capacitor including a first electrode comprising the first material and a second electrode comprising the second material; and

a pixel electrode over the transistor and the capacitor, the pixel electrode being electrically connected to the transistor and overlapping with the semiconductor layer;

a layer including a charged substance, the layer provided over the pixel electrode; and

a counter electrode over the layer including the charged substance,

wherein the pixel electrode has a first end, a second end being adjacent to the first end, a third end being opposite to the first end, and a fourth end being opposite to the second end,

wherein each of the first end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel and the first end of the pixel electrode of the third pixel has a first projection and a first depression, and

wherein each of the third end of the pixel electrode of the first pixel and the third end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel has a second depression and a second projection.

17. The display device according to claim 16,

wherein the second depression of the third end of the pixel electrode of the first pixel and the first projection of the first end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel are facing each other with a first gap positioned therebetween,

wherein the second projection of the third end of the pixel electrode of the first pixel and the second depression of the first end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel are facing each other with the first gap positioned therebetween,

wherein the second depression of the third end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel and the first projection the first end of the pixel electrode of the third pixel are facing each other with a second gap positioned therebetween, and

wherein the second projection of the third end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel and the second depression of the first end of the pixel electrode of the third pixel are facing each other with the second gap positioned therebetween.

18. The display device according to claim 17, wherein each of the first gap and the second gap includes three or more portions whose distances are equal to each other.

19. The display device according to claim 18, wherein in the three or more portions, when middle points of the distances are linked in a line, the line has one or more vertexes.

20. The display device according to claim 16,

wherein the second depression of the third end of the pixel electrode of the first pixel is adjacent to the first projection of the first end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel with a first gap positioned therebetween,

wherein the second projection of the third end of the pixel electrode of the first pixel is adjacent to the second depression of the first end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel with the first gap positioned therebetween,

wherein the second depression of the third end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel is adjacent to the first projection the first end of the pixel electrode of the third pixel with a second gap positioned therebetween, and

wherein the second projection of the third end of the pixel electrode of the second pixel is adjacent to the second depression of the first end of the pixel electrode of the third pixel with the second gap positioned therebetween.

21. The display device according to claim 20, wherein each of the first gap and the second gap includes three or more portions whose distances are equal to each other.

22. The display device according to claim 21, wherein in the three or more portions, when middle points of the distances are linked in a line, the line has one or more vertexes.

23. The display device according to claim 16,

wherein at least one of the second ends of the pixel electrode of the first pixel, the second pixel, and the third pixel has a third projection and a third depression, and

wherein at least one of the fourth ends of the pixel electrode of the first pixel, the second pixel, and the third pixel has a fourth depression and fourth projection.

24. The display device according to claim 16, wherein the layer including the charged substance includes a plurality of microcapsules.

25. The display device according to claim 16, wherein the first pixel, the second pixel, and the third pixel are arranged successively in a column direction.

26. The display device according to claim 16, wherein the first pixel, the second pixel, and the third pixel are arranged successively in a row direction.

27. The display device according to claim 16, wherein the first substrate comprises resin.

28. The display device according to claim 16, wherein the display device is a passive matrix display device.

29. The display device according to claim 16, wherein the display device is an active matrix display device.

30. The display device according to claim 16, wherein the display device is flexible.