Displays with reduced driver circuit ledges

• US 9,454,025 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2012
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• 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): Arendt, Paisley L
• Assistant Examiner(s): LAU, EDMOND C
• Application Number:
  US13/600,862
• Publication Number:
  US 20140063393A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,488 Days
• Field of Search: 349/42
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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. A display having an active area surrounded by an inactive border region, the display comprising:

a color filter layer;

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

a layer of liquid crystal material interposed between the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer; and

a display driver integrated circuit mounted on the second surface, wherein the color filter layer overlaps the display driver integrated circuit in the inactive border region of the display, wherein the substrate has conductive vias that pass vertically 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 display defined in claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises glass and wherein the vias comprise wires embedded in the glass.

3. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises glass and wherein the vias comprise laser-drilled holes in the glass.

4. The display defined in claim 1 wherein the substrate comprises glass.

5. A display, comprising:

a color filter layer;

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

a layer of liquid crystal material interposed between the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer;

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

6. The display defined in claim 5 wherein the second portion extends away from the second surface at a perpendicular angle.

7. The display defined in claim 6 wherein the substrate comprises glass.

8. The display defined in claim 5 wherein the substrate comprises glass and wherein the vias comprise laser-drilled holes in the glass.

9. The display defined in claim 5 wherein the substrate comprises glass.

10. The display defined in claim 9 wherein the vias comprise wires embedded in the glass.

11. A display, comprising:

a color filter layer;

a thin-film-transistor layer having thin-film-transistor circuitry;

a layer of liquid crystal material interposed between the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer, wherein the thin-film-transistor layer has a ledge region that is uncovered by the color filter layer;

a display driver integrated circuit; and

wire bonding wires that extend between the thin-film-transistor circuitry in the ledge region and the display driver integrated circuit, wherein each wire bonding wire forms a wire bond connection with a conductive trace on the thin-film-transistor layer, wherein the thin-film-transistor layer has a substrate with upper and lower surfaces, wherein the thin-film-transistor circuitry is formed on the upper surface, wherein the display driver integrated circuit is mounted on the lower surface, wherein the substrate has a conductive line on the lower surface, and wherein at least a portion of the conductive line is interposed between the display driver integrated circuit and the lower surface.

12. The display defined in claim 11 wherein the display driver integrated circuit is electrically connected to the conductive line on the lower surface.

13. The display defined in claim 11 further comprising a black masking layer interposed between the color filter layer and the thin-film-transistor layer in an inactive border region.

14. A display, comprising:

a color filter layer;

a thin-film-transistor layer having thin-film-transistor circuitry;

a layer of liquid crystal material interposed between the color filter layer and the thin-film transistor layer, wherein the thin-film-transistor layer has a ledge region that is uncovered by the color filter layer;

a flexible printed circuit;

a display driver integrated circuit mounted on and electrically connected to a conductive trace on the flexible printed circuit; and

a wire bonding wire the extends between the thin-film-transistor circuitry in the ledge region and a first wire bond connection on the flexible printed circuit to form a signal path between the display driver integrated circuit and the thin-film-transistor circuitry, wherein the wire bonding wire forms a second wire bond connection with a conductive trace on the thin-film-transistor layer, and wherein the conductive trace on the flexible printed circuit extends from the display driver integrated circuit to the first wire bond connection.

15. The display defined in claim 14 wherein the thin-film-transistor layer has a substrate with upper and lower surfaces, wherein the thin-film-transistor circuitry is formed on the upper surface, and wherein the flexible printed circuit includes at least a portion that is mounted on the lower surface.

16. The display defined in claim 15 further comprising a black masking layer interposed between the color filter layer and the thin-film-transistor layer in an inactive border region.