Displays with reduced driver circuit ledges

• US 9,997,578 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2016
• Issued: 06/12/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Zhong, John Z., Chen, Cheng, Chang, Shih-Chang, Yin, Victor H., Gettemy, Shawn R., Chen, Wei
• Primary Examiner(s): HINES, ANNE M
• Application Number:
  US15/272,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20170012095A1
• Time in Patent Office: 629 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13306 Circuit arrangements or driving methods for the control of single liquid crystal cells G02F1/132, G02F1/133382 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133514 Colour filters
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13452 Conductors connecting driver circuitry and terminals of panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/42 Arrangements for providing conduction through an insulating substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 25/18 the devices being of types provided for in two or more different subgroups of the same main group of groups H01L27/00 - H01L33/00, or in a single subclass of H10K, H10N
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1218 with a particular composition or structure of the substrate
• 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 59/124 Insulating layers formed between TFT elements and OLED elements
• 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 59/8791 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light

Abstract

An electronic device display may have a color filter layer, a thin-film-transistor layer, and a layer of liquid crystal material. The display may have a display cover layer such as a layer of glass or plastic. Adhesive may be used to attach the upper polarizer to the display cover layer. The thin-film transistor layer may have a substrate with upper and lower surfaces. Thin-film-transistor circuitry may be formed on the upper surface. A display driver integrated circuit may be mounted to the lower surface or a flexible printed circuit and may be coupled to the thin-film-transistor circuitry using wire bonding wires. Through vias that are formed through the thin-film-transistor layer substrate may be used in coupling the thin-film-transistor circuitry to the display driver integrated circuit.

Claims

1. An organic light-emitting diode display comprising:

a transparent display layer;

a thin-film-transistor layer having a substrate with first and second opposing surfaces and thin-film-transistor circuitry formed on the first surface; and

a display driver integrated circuit mounted to the second surface, wherein the transparent display layer overlaps the display driver integrated circuit, and wherein the substrate has conductive vias that pass through the substrate from the first surface to the second surface and that couple the thin-film-transistor circuitry to the display driver integrated circuit.

2. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 1 wherein the transparent display layer comprises a layer of dielectric material that at least partially overlaps the thin-film-transistor layer.

3. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises a plastic layer.

4. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 1, wherein the conductive vias comprise laser-drilled holes.

5. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 1, wherein the organic light-emitting diode display has an active area surrounded by an inactive border region, and wherein at least one of the conductive vias is formed in the inactive border region.

6. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 5, wherein the transparent display layer overlaps the conductive vias.

7. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 5 wherein at least one of the conductive vias overlaps the display driver integrated circuit.

8. The organic light-emitting diode display defined in claim 7, wherein at least two of the conductive vias overlap the display driver integrated circuit.

9. A display, comprising:

a thin-film-transistor layer having a substrate with first and second opposing surfaces and having thin-film-transistor circuitry formed on the first surface;

a flexible printed circuit having a first portion that is mounted to the second surface and a second portion that extends away from the second surface, wherein the first and second portions are connected by a bent portion of the flexible printed circuit; and

a display driver integrated circuit mounted to the second portion of the flexible printed circuit, wherein the substrate has conductive vias that pass through the substrate from the first surface to the second surface and that couple the thin-film-transistor circuitry to the flexible printed circuit.

10. The display defined in claim 9 wherein the second portion extends away from the second surface at an angle perpendicular to the second surface.

11. The display defined in claim 9 wherein the flexible printed circuit has first and second opposing surfaces, wherein the first surface of the flexible printed circuit is mounted to the second surface of the substrate, and wherein the display driver integrated circuit is mounted to the second surface of the flexible printed circuit.

12. The display defined in claim 9 wherein the display is an organic light-emitting diode display.

13. The display defined in claim 9 wherein the substrate has a first peripheral edge between the first and second opposing surfaces, wherein the layer of dielectric material has a second peripheral edge, and wherein the first and second peripheral edges are aligned.

14. The display defined in claim 9 wherein the substrate is a plastic layer.

15. A display comprising:

a thin-film-transistor layer having a substrate with upper and lower surfaces and thin-film-transistor circuitry formed on the upper surface;

a layer of transparent dielectric material that overlaps the thin-film-transistor layer; and

a display driver integrated circuit mounted directly to the lower surface, wherein the substrate has conductive vias that pass through the substrate from the upper surface to the lower surface and that couple the thin-film-transistor circuitry to the display driver integrated circuit, and wherein at least one of the conductive vias overlaps the display driver integrated circuit.

16. The display defined in claim 15, further comprising:

light-emitting structures that emit light through the layer of transparent dielectric material.

17. The display defined in claim 15, wherein the display is an organic light-emitting diode display.

18. The display defined in claim 15, wherein the substrate is a layer of plastic.

19. The display defined in claim 15, wherein the display has an active area surrounded by an inactive border region.

20. The display defined in claim 19, wherein the display driver integrated circuit is mounted directly to the lower surface in the inactive border region.