Integrated silicon-OLED display and touch sensor panel

• US 9,836,165 B2
• Filed: 05/16/2014
• Issued: 12/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Nho, Hyunwoo Henry, Bae, Hopil, Yao, Weijun, Li, Yingxuan, Al-Dahle, Ahmad
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Gene W
• Application Number:
  US14/280,355
• Publication Number:
  US 20150331508A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,299 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• 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 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/86 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/121 characterised by the geometry or disposition of pixel elements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/38 comprising colour filters or colour changing media [CCM]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/65 OLEDs integrated with inorganic image sensors
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8791 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light

Abstract

An integrated Silicon-OLED display and touch sensor panel is disclosed. The integrated Silicon-OLED display and touch sensor panel can include a Silicon substrate, an array of transistors, one or more metallization layers, one or more vias, an OLED stack, color filters, touch sensors, and additional components and circuitry. Additional components and circuitry can include an electrostatic discharge device, a light shielding, a switching matrix, one or more photodiodes, a near-infrared detector and near-infrared color filters. The integrated Silicon-OLED display and touch sensor panel can be further configured for near-field imaging, optically-assisted touch, and fingerprint detection. In some examples, a plurality of touch sensors and/or display pixels can be grouped into clusters, and the clusters can be coupled to a switching matrix for dynamic change of touch and/or display granularity.

Claims

1. A touch sensor panel, comprising:

one or more Silicon substrates;

a plurality of display pixels, each display pixel including a plurality of subpixels formed by an OLED stack on at least one of the one or more Silicon substrates, the plurality of subpixels configured to emit light; and

a plurality of touch sensors including;

a plurality of first touch sensors formed from first touch electrodes having a first width on the at least one of the one or more Silicon substrates in between subpixels within a same display pixel, the plurality of first touch sensors being multi-functional components capable of detecting touch using the first touch electrodes and configured for shielding at least a portion of the emitted light from the plurality of subpixels; and

a plurality of second touch sensors formed from second touch electrodes having a second width on the at least one of the one or more Silicon substrates in between adjacent display pixels, the plurality of second touch sensors being capable of detecting touch using the second touch electrodes, wherein the second width is greater than the first width, and the plurality of subpixels and the plurality of second touch sensors are arranged in a pattern of rows and columns, wherein the plurality of second touch sensors are arranged as a plurality of rows along a first axis, wherein all of the second touch sensors of a row have different locations along a second axis than all of the touch sensors of an adjacent row, the second axis orthogonal to the first axis.

2. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of routing traces located on a same layer as the plurality of touch sensors and the plurality of subpixels and between two or more of the plurality of subpixels.

3. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

an electrostatic discharge device coupled to at least one of the plurality of touch sensors and located between the plurality of touch sensors and the one or more Silicon substrates.

4. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein an area of at least one of the plurality of second touch sensors is same as an area of at least one of the plurality of subpixels.

5. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

one or more photodiodes configured to detect an optical image of a fingerprint.

6. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a near-infrared emitter configured to emit near-infrared light towards a touch object; and

a near-infrared detector configured to detect a reflection of the emitted near-infrared light to sense a touch associated with the touch object.

7. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a black mask located in a peripheral area of the touch sensor panel, the black mask formed of a same material as the plurality of touch sensors.

8. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a curved fiber optic magnifier coupled to the OLED stack and the plurality of touch sensors, wherein the one or more Silicon substrates are flexible substrates.

9. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch sensors are opaque.

10. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein light shielding includes preventing color mixing of two or more of the plurality of subpixels.

11. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a cover material, wherein the plurality of touch sensors are located between the plurality of subpixels and the cover material.

12. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, wherein the first and second touch electrodes are located in a single layer.

13. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising one or more color filters, wherein at least one of the plurality of touch sensors is located on a same layer as at least one of the one or more color filters.

14. The touch sensor panel of claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of first touch sensors is located between two color filters.

15. The touch sensor panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of clusters, each cluster including a set of the plurality of touch sensors electrically coupled together;

a plurality of switches, each switch coupled to one of the plurality of clusters; and

a switching matrix configured to dynamically change a touch granularity by coupling or decoupling each cluster to a touch controller.

16. The touch sensor panel of claim 15, wherein a number of switches included in the plurality of switches is less than a number of clusters included in the plurality of clusters.

17. A method of detecting a touch using a touch sensor panel, the method comprising:

displaying an image using a plurality of display pixels, each display pixel including a plurality of subpixels formed by an OLED stack formed on at least one of one or more Silicon substrates, the OLED stack configured to emit light;

detecting one or more touches using a plurality of first touch electrodes having a first width, the plurality of first touch electrodes included in a plurality of first touch sensors, the plurality of first touch sensors located on the at least one of the one or more Silicon substrates and in between subpixels within a same display pixel;

detecting the one or more touches using a plurality of second touch electrodes having a second width, the second touch electrodes included in a plurality of second touch sensors, the plurality of second touch sensors located on the at least one of the one or more Silicon substrates and in between adjacent display pixels, wherein the second width is greater than the first width, and the plurality of subpixels and the plurality of second touch sensors are arranged in a pattern of rows and columns, wherein the plurality of second touch sensors are arranged as a plurality of rows along a first axis, wherein all of the second touch sensors of a row have different locations along a second axis than all of the touch sensors of an adjacent row, the second axis orthogonal to the first axis; and

shielding at least a portion of the light emitted from the OLED stack using the plurality of first touch electrodes.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

dynamically changing a touch granularity by coupling or decoupling a plurality of clusters to a touch controller, wherein each cluster includes a plurality of touch sensors electrically coupled together, the plurality of touch sensors electrically coupled together including one or more of one or more of the plurality of first touch sensors and one or more of the plurality of second touch sensors.

19. The method of claim 17,

wherein detecting the one or more touches using one or more of the plurality of first touch sensors and the plurality of second touch sensors includes driving the one or more of the plurality of first touch sensors and the plurality of second touch sensors simultaneously with driving the plurality of subpixels.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

emitting near-infrared light;

detecting a reflection of the near-infrared light; and

determining the first or second touch based on the detected reflection and a capacitance or resistance detected by the plurality of first or second touch sensors.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

in an idle state;

deactivating the plurality of first touch sensors and the plurality of second touch sensors;

activating one or more photodiodes to detect reflection of a fingerprint;

determining if the detected reflection matches a pre-determined image; and

unlocking the touch sensor panel when the detected reflection matches the pre-determined image,

wherein detecting the first touch using the plurality of first touch sensors and detecting the second touch using the plurality of second touch sensors are included in an active state.

22. The method of claim 17, wherein:

detecting the one or more touches using the plurality of first touch electrodes includes detecting a first touch of the one or more touches, and

detecting the one or more touches using the plurality of second touch electrodes includes detecting a second touch of the one or more touches different from the first touch.

23. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

detecting an optical image of a fingerprint using one or more photodiodes.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein displaying the image using the OLED stack includes driving the plurality of subpixels, wherein detecting the first touch using the plurality of first touch sensors includes driving the plurality of first touch sensors, wherein detecting the second touch using the plurality of second touch sensors includes driving the plurality of second touch sensors, and further wherein detecting the optical image of the fingerprint includes activating and driving the one or more photodiodes, the plurality of subpixels, the plurality of first touch sensors, the plurality of second touch sensors, and the one or more photodiodes simultaneously.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein detecting the optical image of the fingerprint includes:

determining a difference of at least one of refractive indices and light reflections at two or more locations of the fingerprint; and

generating the optical image of the fingerprint based on the difference.