CN117079541A

CN117079541A - Display device

Info

Publication number: CN117079541A
Application number: CN202310554035.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 安在设; 金柄勋; 金永道; 金赫焕; 吴爱利; 吴炫锡; 李康佑
Original assignee: Samsung Display Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Display Co Ltd
Priority date: 2022-05-17
Filing date: 2023-05-17
Publication date: 2023-11-17

Abstract

The present invention provides a display device, comprising: a substrate including a first region facing a first direction, a second region extending from the first region and facing a second direction different from the first direction, and a third region located between the first region and the second region; a display element disposed on the first region; and a curved protective layer disposed on the third region, wherein the thickness of the third region is smaller than the thickness of the first region.

Description

Display device

Technical Field

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a display device.

Background

The display device is a device that visually displays data. Such a display device includes a substrate divided into a display area and a non-display area. A plurality of pixel regions are defined in the display region. The display region includes a thin film transistor and a pixel electrode electrically connected to the thin film transistor, corresponding to each of the pixel regions. Various conductive layers such as wiring for transmitting an electric signal to the display region are provided in the non-display region.

In such a display device, by bending at least a part, visibility at various angles can be improved or the area of the non-display region can be reduced.

Disclosure of Invention

Embodiments of the present invention provide a display device that prevents cracks in a bending region and minimizes an ineffective region caused by the bending region, and a method of manufacturing the display device.

One aspect of the present invention provides a display device including: a substrate including a first region facing a first direction, a second region extending from the first region and facing a second direction different from the first direction, and a third region located between the first region and the second region; a display element disposed on the first region; and a curved protective layer disposed on the third region, wherein the thickness of the third region is smaller than the thickness of the first region.

According to an embodiment, the third region may have an inside radius of 0.17mm to 0.19mm.

According to an embodiment, the thickness of the curved protection layer may be 0.04mm to 0.1mm.

According to one embodiment, the display device may further include: a pad portion disposed on the second region; and a connection wiring disposed on the third region and electrically connecting the display element and the pad portion.

According to an embodiment, the neutral plane in the third region may be located between the surface of the substrate and the connection wiring.

According to an embodiment, the substrate may include a first base layer and a second base layer laminated on the first base layer.

According to an embodiment, the thickness of the first base layer in the third region may be smaller than the thickness of the first base layer in the first region.

According to an embodiment, the thickness of the first base layer in the third region may be smaller than the thickness of the first base layer in the second region.

According to an embodiment, y=62x-70 may be satisfied when the thickness of the first base layer in the third region is x and the modulus of the curved protection layer is y.

According to an embodiment, the modulus of the curved protective layer may be greater than 62x-70 and less than 1.4 x (62 x-70).

According to one embodiment, the display device may further include: and a barrier layer disposed between the first base layer and the second base layer.

Another aspect of the present invention provides a method of manufacturing a display device, including: a step of preparing a substrate having a first region, a second region spaced apart from the first region, and a third region located between the first region and the second region; a step of forming a display element on the first region; a step of forming a thin film encapsulation layer covering the display element; a step of thinning the thickness of the third region to be thinner than the thickness of the first region; a step of forming a curved protective layer on the third region; and bending the third region so that a first direction in which the first region is oriented and a second direction in which the second region is oriented are different from each other.

According to an embodiment, the step of bending the third region may be bending such that an inner radius of the third region is 0.17mm to 0.19mm.

According to an embodiment, the thickness of the curved protection layer may be formed to be 0.04mm to 0.1mm.

According to one embodiment, the method for manufacturing a display device may further include, after the step of forming the thin film encapsulation layer and before the step of reducing the thickness of the third region: and forming a pad portion on the second region, and forming a connection wiring for electrically connecting the display element and the pad portion on the third region.

According to an embodiment, the step of thinning the thickness of the third region may thin the thickness of the third region such that a neutral plane in the third region is formed between the surface of the substrate and the connection wiring.

According to an embodiment, the step of thinning the thickness of the third region may etch the substrate with a laser beam or plasma.

According to an embodiment, the thickness of the first base layer in the third region may be formed to be smaller than the thickness of the first base layer in the first region.

According to an embodiment, the thickness of the first base layer in the third region may be formed to be smaller than the thickness of the first base layer in the second region.

According to an embodiment, the modulus of the curved protective layer is formed to be greater than 62x-70 and less than 1.4 x (62 x-70).

According to an embodiment, the method for manufacturing a display device may further include: and forming a barrier layer between the first base layer and the second base layer.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to prevent cracks in a bending region and minimize an ineffective region caused by the bending region.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a plan view schematically showing a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view schematically showing a part of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a plan view schematically showing a part of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is an equivalent circuit diagram of a pixel that may be included in a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a portion of a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of FIG. 3.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view schematically showing a part of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view schematically showing a part of a display device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8 is a sectional view schematically showing a third region of the display device shown in fig. 7.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart schematically showing a method of manufacturing a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

(description of the reference numerals)

1A: first region 2A: second region

3A: third region BAX: bending shaft

100: substrate 101: first base layer

102: second base layer 103: second barrier layer

104: first barrier layer 105: buffer layer

107: first insulating layer 109: second insulating layer

111: the third insulating layer 113: first planarization layer

115: second planarizing layer 180: pixel defining film

200: display element 210: pixel electrode

220: intermediate layer 230: counter electrode

300: film encapsulation layer 310: first inorganic packaging layer

320: organic encapsulation layer 330: second inorganic encapsulation layer

400: sensor layer 410: first sensor insulating layer

420: first sensor electrode 430: second sensor insulating layer

440: second sensor electrode 450: third sensor insulating layer

500: polarizing film 510: light-transmitting adhesive layer

WD: window 600: curved protective layer

CWL: connection wiring 700: protective film

800: panel driving unit 810: flexible circuit substrate

910: cover panel 920: cover pad

Detailed Description

The invention is capable of numerous modifications and embodiments, and specific embodiments are shown in the drawings and described in detail herein. The effects and features of the present invention and a method for realizing them will become clear when reference is made to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, and may be implemented in various forms.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and when the description is made with reference to the drawings, the same or corresponding constituent elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated description thereof will be omitted.

In the following embodiments, the terms first, second, etc. are not used in a limiting sense, but are used for the purpose of distinguishing one constituent element from another.

In the following embodiments, the singular forms include the plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

In the following embodiments, terms including or having the same are used to indicate that features or constituent elements described in the specification are present, and the possibility of adding one or more other features or constituent elements is not excluded in advance.

In the following embodiments, when a portion such as a film, a region, a constituent element is described as being on or above another portion, it is intended to include not only a case where the portion is directly on the other portion but also a case where another film, a region, a constituent element, or the like is interposed therebetween.

In the drawings, the size of constituent elements may be enlarged or reduced for convenience of explanation. For example, the dimensions and thickness of each structure appearing in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for ease of illustration, and thus the present invention is not necessarily limited to the illustrations.

In the present specification, when connecting a film, a region, a constituent element, or the like, it is intended to include not only the case where the film, the region, and the constituent element are directly connected, but also the case where the film, the region, and the constituent element are indirectly connected with another film, region, and the constituent element interposed therebetween. For example, in the present specification, when the film, the region, the constituent element, and the like are electrically connected, not only the case where the film, the region, the constituent element, and the like are directly electrically connected, but also the case where other film, region, constituent element, and the like are indirectly electrically connected through other films, regions, constituent elements, and the like therebetween are included.

In the following embodiments, the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis are not limited to the three axes on the rectangular coordinate system, and can be interpreted as a broad sense including the same. For example, the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis are also orthogonal to each other, but may refer to directions different from each other that are not orthogonal to each other.

The Display device may be a liquid crystal Display device (Liquid Crystal Display), an electrophoretic Display device (Electrophoretic Display), an organic light-emitting Display device (Organic Light Emitting Display), an inorganic EL Display device (Inorganic Light Emitting Display), a field emission Display device (Field Emission Display), a Surface conduction electron-emitting Display device (Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display), a Plasma Display device (Plasma Display), a cathode-ray Display device (Cathode Ray Display), or the like.

Hereinafter, an organic light emitting display device will be described as an example as a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, but the display device of the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modes of display devices may be used.

Fig. 1 is a plan view showing a display device DD of an embodiment of the invention.

Referring to fig. 1, the display device DD may include a display panel DP for displaying an image, and a window WD and a case CS for protecting the display panel DP.

The display panel DP may display any visual information such as text, video, photo, two-dimensional or three-dimensional image, etc. Hereinafter, arbitrary visual information is referred to as an "image". In the present invention, the type, structure, shape, or the like of the display panel DP is not particularly limited. For example, the display panel DP may be a self-light emitting display panel such as an organic light emitting display panel (Organic Light Emitting Display panel, OLED panel), or a non-light emitting display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel (Liquid Crystal Display panel, LCD panel), an electrophoretic display panel (Electro-Phoretic Display panel, EPD panel), and an Electro-wetting display panel (Electro-Wetting Display panel, EWD panel). When a non-light-emitting display panel is used as the display panel DP of the display device DD, the display device DD may include a light source portion (e.g., a backlight unit) for supplying light to the display panel DP.

As an embodiment, the display panel DP may include a display area DA and a non-display area NDA located at a periphery of the display area DA. The display area DA may include a plurality of pixels for displaying an image. The light transmissive hole region H (for example, a non-pixel region where no pixel is arranged or a low resolution region where a pixel is arranged at a low resolution) corresponding to a camera or the like may be formed in the display region DA, but is not limited thereto. The non-display area NDA may be disposed on at least one side of the display area DA in such a manner as to partially or entirely surround the display area DA. The wiring, the pad, and/or at least one driving circuit for driving the pixels of the display area DA may be disposed in such a non-display area NDA.

The window WD and the case CS are coupled to the display panel DP, so that the display panel DP can be protected from an impact applied from the outside. As an example, the window WD may be positioned on the front surface of the display device DD so as to be disposed above the display panel DP, and the case CS may be positioned on the side surface and/or the back surface of the display device DD so as to surround the side surface and/or the back surface of the display panel DP.

The display device DD may comprise at least one sensor in order to provide various functions. As an example, the display device DD may include a fingerprint sensor (not shown) for providing a biometric authentication function. In addition, the display device DD may further include a sensor for providing a touch input function.

For example, the display device DD may include a fingerprint sensor provided at the rear surface of the display panel DP in such a manner as to overlap with an area of the display area DA. However, the position of the fingerprint sensor may be variously changed according to the embodiment. As an example, the fingerprint sensor may be provided to overlap with the non-display area NDA.

The display device DD may have various shapes. As an example, the display device DD may have a rectangular shape having a lateral length (or width) along the x-direction smaller than a longitudinal length along the y-direction, but is not limited thereto. For example, in another embodiment, the display device DD may have a rectangular shape having a lateral length longer than a longitudinal length, or a square shape having a lateral length substantially the same as the longitudinal length, in addition to various shapes. For example, the display device DD may have various polygonal shapes, circular shapes, elliptical shapes, and/or shapes combining these in addition thereto. In addition, the display device DD may have a corner angle, or may have a rounded angle.

Referring to fig. 2, a portion of the display device, that is, a portion of the substrate 100 may be bent to have a shape in which a portion of the display device is bent in the same manner as the substrate 100.

The substrate 100 may have a first region 1A facing a first direction, a second region 2A extending from the first region 1A and facing a second direction different from the first direction, and a third region 3A located between the first region 1A and the second region 2A. As shown in fig. 2, when the first direction in which the first region 1A is oriented is the +z direction, the second direction in which the second region 2A is oriented may be the-z direction. The first region 1A and the second region 2A may face in opposite directions to each other. That is, one side of the first region 1A and one side of the second region 2A may be provided in a folded state so as to be disposed parallel to each other and face each other. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may include a case where the first region 1A and the second region 2A are not oriented in the same direction.

The third region 3A may be located between the first region 1A and the second region 2A. As shown in fig. 2, the third region 3A may be curved around a curved axis BAX extending in the y direction perpendicular to the first direction (+z direction), as an example. In fig. 2, the substrate 100 is shown to be curved with the same radius of curvature with reference to the bending axis BAX, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The substrate 100 may be curved with the bending axis BAX as a center and the radius of curvature may not be constant.

The third region 3A may be arranged continuously to the first region 1A, and the second region 2A is arranged continuously to the third region 3A. The third region 3A may be integrally formed with the first region 1A in such a manner as to be continuous with the first region 1A, but is not limited thereto.

In an embodiment, the first area 1A may be provided in at least a portion of the display area DA and/or the non-display area NDA. The third region 3A may be provided in the non-display region NDA. For example, as shown in fig. 2, the non-display area NDA may include a convex area protruding from a portion thereof in at least one direction (for example, -x direction) and folded or bent in the convex area. As an example, the first area 1A may be provided in the display area DA and/or the non-display area NDA around the display area DA, and the third area 3A and the second area 2A may be provided in the protruding area of the non-display area NDA.

The convex region of the non-display area NDA may then be folded (or may be bent or curled) along a fold line, and the width of the bezel may be reduced by folding (or by bending) the convex region of the non-display area NDA.

The substrate 100 may contain various substances having flexibility or bending characteristics. The substrate 100 may include a polymer resin such as polyether sulfone (PES), polyacrylate (PAR), polyether imide (PEI), polyethylene naphthalate (polyethyelene napthalate, PEN), polyphenylene sulfide (polyphenylene sulfide, PPS), polyarylate (polyarylate), polyimide (PI), or cellulose acetate propionate (cellulose acetate propionate, CAP).

The substrate 100 may have a single-layer or multi-layer structure of the substance, and may further include an inorganic layer when having a multi-layer structure. A substrate 100' of a multilayer structure of another embodiment is described later in fig. 7.

Fig. 3 is a plan view schematically showing a part of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. For convenience of illustration, a state in which the display device is not bent is shown in fig. 3.

As described above, the first region 1A of the substrate 100 may include the display region DA and the non-display region NDA disposed around the display region DA.

A plurality of pixels P may be disposed in the display area DA of the substrate 100 to display an image.

The display area DA may include a display element such as a thin film transistor (Thin Film Transistor) or an organic light emitting element (Organic light emitting device), a Capacitor (Capacitor), or the like.

The display area DA may display an image by forming pixels P through electric coupling of thin film transistors, capacitors, organic light emitting elements, and the like connected to the scan lines SL transmitting scan signals, the data lines DL transmitting data signals, and the driving power lines 10 transmitting power. The pixel P may emit light at a luminance corresponding to a driving current flowing through the organic light emitting element corresponding to the data signal according to a driving power supply and a common power supply supplied to the pixel P. The line for transmitting the signal may be connected to a control unit (not shown) connected to the pad unit 30 through a connection wiring CWL of the non-display area NDA. The pixels P may be composed of a plurality of pixels arranged in a stripe pattern Arrangements, etc.

The pad portion 30, the driving power line 10, the common power line 20, and the connection wiring CWL may be disposed in the non-display area NDA. In the non-display area NDA, a gate driver, a data driver, and the like may be further disposed, although not shown.

The pad portion 30 is disposed at one end of the non-display area NDA and includes a plurality of terminals 31, 32, 33. The pad portion 30 may be exposed without being covered with an insulating layer, and may be electrically connected to a control portion (not shown) such as a flexible printed circuit board or a driver IC. The control part may provide a data signal, a scan signal, a driving voltage, a common voltage, etc.

The driving power line 10 may be connected to the control part through a driving terminal 32, and supply a driving voltage supplied from the control part to the pixels P. The driving power line 10 may be disposed in the non-display area NDA so as to correspond to one side surface of the display area DA. Wiring lines supplying data signals or scan signals to the display area DA may be formed to cross the driving power lines 10. In this case, the connection wiring CWL may be connected to the wiring through a contact hole.

The common power line 20 may be connected to the control part through a common terminal 33, and supply a common voltage supplied from the control part to the pixels P. The common power line 20 may be disposed in the non-display area NDA so as to surround at least a portion of the display area DA. The common power line 20 may extend along the remaining sides except the side of the display area DA adjacent to the driving power line 10.

At least one connection wire CWL may be disposed in the third region 3A. In this case, the connection wiring CWL may be arranged to extend from the first region 1A to the second region 2A via the third region 3A. The connection wiring CWL may extend to cross the bending axis BAX. For example, the connection wire CWL may extend perpendicularly with respect to the bending axis BAX, but is not limited thereto. The connection wire CWL can be variously modified such that it can be obliquely extended at a predetermined angle to the bending axis BAX. The connection wiring CWL may have various shapes such as a curved shape and a zigzag shape, which are not linear shapes. The connection wiring CWL may be connected to wirings disposed on other layers through contact holes.

In the third region 3A, a curved protective layer 600 may be disposed on the connection wiring CWL. The bending protection layer 600 can prevent cracking of the connection wiring CWL in the third region 3A. In this regard, fig. 6 will be described later.

Referring to fig. 4, each pixel P may include a pixel circuit PC connected to the scan line SL and the data line DL, and an organic light emitting element OLED connected to the pixel circuit PC.

The pixel circuit PC may include a driving thin film transistor Td, a switching thin film transistor Ts, and a storage capacitor Cst. The switching thin film transistor Ts may be connected to the scan line SL and the data line DL, and transmits the data signal Dm input through the data line DL to the driving thin film transistor Td according to the scan signal Sn input through the scan line SL.

The storage capacitor Cst may be connected to the switching thin film transistor Ts and the driving voltage line PL, and store a voltage corresponding to a difference between a voltage received from the switching thin film transistor Ts and the first power supply voltage ELVDD or the driving voltage supplied to the driving voltage line PL.

The driving thin film transistor Td may be connected to the driving voltage line PL and the storage capacitor Cst, and controls a driving current flowing from the driving voltage line PL through the organic light emitting element OLED corresponding to a voltage value stored in the storage capacitor Cst. The organic light emitting element OLED may emit light having a predetermined brightness by a driving current.

In fig. 4, a case where the pixel circuit PC includes 2 thin film transistors and 1 storage capacitor is illustrated, but the present invention is not limited thereto. As another embodiment, the pixel circuit PC may include, for example, 7 thin film transistors and 1 storage capacitor. As another embodiment, the pixel circuit PC may include 2 or more storage capacitors.

FIG. 5 is a portion of a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of FIG. 3.

Referring to fig. 5, a thin film transistor TFT and a display element 200 may be disposed on a substrate 100'.

The substrate 100' may include various substances having flexible, bending, or curling properties. For example, the substrate 100' may include a polymer resin such as polyethersulfone (polyethersulfone), polyacrylate (polyacrylate), polyetherimide (polyethylenimide), polyethylene naphthalate (polyethylene naphthalate), polyethylene terephthalate (polyethylene terephthalate), polyphenylene sulfide (polyphenylene sulfide), polyarylate (polyarylate), polyimide (polyimide), polycarbonate (polycarbonate), or cellulose acetate propionate (cellulose acetate propionate)

A first barrier layer 104 may be disposed on the substrate 100'. The first barrier layer 104 may be comprised of a material comprising silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) Silicon nitride (SiN) _x ) Silicon oxynitride (SiO) _x N _y ) Aluminum oxide (Al) ₂ O ₃ ) Titanium oxide (TiO) ₂ ) Tantalum oxide (Ta) ₂ O ₅ ) Hafnium oxide (HfO) ₂ ) Zinc oxide (ZnO) ₂ ) At least one inorganic insulator selected from the group consisting of. The first barrier layer 104 may be a single layer or multiple layers comprising the aforementioned inorganic insulation. The first barrier layer 104 may also be omitted.

A buffer layer 105 may be disposed on the first barrier layer 104. The buffer layer 105 may be positioned on the substrate 100' to reduce or cut off penetration of foreign substances, moisture, or external air from below the substrate 100', and may provide a flat surface on the substrate 100 '. The buffer layer 105 may include an inorganic substance such as an oxide or a nitride, or an organic substance, or an organic-inorganic composite, and may be formed of a single-layer or multi-layer structure of an inorganic substance and an organic substance.

A lower metal layer BML may be disposed between the first barrier layer 104 and the buffer layer 105. The lower metal layer BML may overlap the thin film transistor TFT disposed thereabove.

A thin film transistor TFT may be disposed on the buffer layer 105. The thin film transistor TFT may include a semiconductor layer Act, a gate electrode GE overlapping the semiconductor layer Act, and source and drain electrodes SE and DE electrically connected to the semiconductor layer Act. The thin film transistor TFT may be connected to the display element 200 to drive the display element 200.

The semiconductor layer Act may be disposed on the buffer layer 105, and include a channel region overlapping with the gate electrode GE, and source and drain regions disposed on both sides of the channel region and including impurities at a higher concentration than the channel region. Here, the impurity may include an N-type impurity or a P-type impurity. The source and drain regions may be electrically connected to the source electrode SE and the drain electrode DE, respectively.

The semiconductor layer Act may include an oxide semiconductor and/or a silicon semiconductor. When the semiconductor layer Act is formed of an oxide semiconductor, for example, an oxide containing at least one selected from the group consisting of indium (In), gallium (Ga), tin (Sn), zirconium (Zr), vanadium (V), hafnium (Hf), cadmium (Cd), germanium (Ge), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), and zinc (Zn) may be included. For example, the semiconductor layer Act may be ITZO (insnzo), IGZO (InGaZnO), or the like. When the semiconductor layer Act is formed of a Silicon semiconductor, for example, amorphous Silicon (a-Si) or low-temperature polysilicon (Low Temperature Poly-Silicon) which crystallizes amorphous Silicon (a-Si) may be contained.

A first insulating layer 107 may be disposed on the semiconductor layer Act. The first insulating layer 107 may be formed of a material including silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) Silicon nitride (SiN) _x ) Silicon oxynitride (SiO) _x N _y ) Aluminum oxide (Al) ₂ O ₃ ) Titanium oxide (TiO) ₂ ) Tantalum oxide (Ta) ₂ O ₅ ) Hafnium oxide (HfO) ₂ ) Zinc oxide (ZnO) ₂ ) At least one inorganic insulator selected from the group consisting of. The first insulating layer 107 may be a single layer or a plurality of layers including the aforementioned inorganic insulator.

A gate electrode GE may be disposed on the first insulating layer 107. The gate electrode GE may be formed of one or more metals selected from among aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), magnesium (Mg), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), iridium (Ir), chromium (Cr), lithium (Li), calcium (Ca), molybdenum (Mo), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), and copper (Cu) in a single layer or a multilayer. The gate electrode GE may be connected to a gate line applying an electrical signal to the gate electrode GE.

A second insulating layer 109 may be disposed on the gate electrode GE. The second insulating layer 109 may be formed of a material including silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) Silicon nitride (SiN) _x ) Silicon oxynitride (SiO) _x N _y ) Aluminum oxide (Al) ₂ O ₃ ) Titanium oxide (TiO) ₂ ) Tantalum oxide (Ta) ₂ O ₅ ) Hafnium oxide (HfO) ₂ ) Zinc oxide (ZnO) ₂ ) At least one inorganic insulator selected from the group consisting of. The second insulating layer 109 may be a single layer or a plurality of layers including the aforementioned inorganic insulator.

A storage capacitor Cst may be disposed on the first insulating layer 107. The storage capacitor Cst may include a lower electrode 144 and an upper electrode 146 overlapping the lower electrode 144. The lower electrode 144 and the upper electrode 146 of the storage capacitor Cst may overlap with the second insulating layer 109 interposed therebetween.

The lower electrode 144 of the storage capacitor Cst may overlap the gate electrode GE of the thin film transistor TFT, and the lower electrode 144 of the storage capacitor Cst may be configured as one body with the gate electrode GE of the thin film transistor TFT. As another embodiment, the storage capacitor Cst may not overlap the thin film transistor TFT, and the lower electrode 144 of the storage capacitor Cst may be a separate constituent element from the gate electrode GE of the thin film transistor TFT.

The upper electrode 146 of the storage capacitor Cst may include aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), magnesium (Mg), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), iridium (Ir), chromium (Cr), lithium (Li), calcium (Ca), molybdenum (Mo), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), and/or copper (Cu), and may be a single layer or a multi-layer of the foregoing.

The third insulating layer 111 may be disposed on the upper electrode 146 of the storage capacitor Cst. The third insulating layer 111 may be formed of a material including silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) Silicon nitride (SiN) _x ) Silicon oxynitride (SiO) _x N _y ) Aluminum oxide (Al) ₂ O ₃ ) Titanium oxide (TiO) ₂ ) Tantalum oxide (Ta) ₂ O ₅ ) Hafnium oxide (HfO) ₂ ) Zinc oxide (ZnO) ₂ ) At least one inorganic insulator selected from the group consisting of. The third insulating layer 111 may be a single layer or a plurality of layers including the aforementioned inorganic insulator。

A source electrode SE and a drain electrode DE may be disposed on the third insulating layer 111. The source electrode SE and the drain electrode DE may contain a conductive substance including molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), or the like, and may be formed of a plurality of layers or a single layer containing the material. The source electrode SE and the drain electrode DE may be formed in a Ti/Al/Ti multilayer structure.

A first planarization layer 113 may be disposed on the source electrode SE and the drain electrode DE. The first planarization layer 113 may be formed as a single layer or multiple layers of a film formed of an organic substance or an inorganic substance. As an example, the first planarization layer 113 may include Benzocyclobutene (BCB), polyimide (PI), hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), a general polymer such as polymethyl methacrylate (Polymethy lmethacrylate, PMMA) or Polystyrene (PS), a polymer derivative having a phenolic group, an acrylic polymer, an imide polymer, an aromatic ether polymer, an amide polymer, a fluorine polymer, a para-xylene polymer, a vinyl alcohol polymer, a mixture thereof, and the like. On the other hand, the first planarization layer 113 may include silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) Silicon nitride (SiN) _x ) Silicon oxynitride (SiO) _x N _y ) Aluminum oxide (Al) ₂ O ₃ ) Titanium oxide (TiO) ₂ ) Tantalum oxide (Ta) ₂ O ₅ ) Hafnium oxide (HfO) ₂ ) Or zinc oxide (ZnO) ₂ ) Etc. After forming the first planarization layer 113, chemical mechanical polishing may be performed in order to provide a flat upper surface.

A connection electrode 139 may be disposed on the first planarization layer 113. The connection electrode 139 may include aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), titanium (Ti), or the like, and may be formed in a multilayer or a single layer. The connection electrode 139 may be formed of a Ti/Al/Ti multilayer structure.

A second planarization layer 115 may be disposed on the connection electrode 139. The second planarization layer 115 may be formed of a film formed of an organic substance or an inorganic substance as a single layer or multiple layers. The second planarization layer 115 may be provided with the same substance as the first planarization layer 113. The second planarization layer 115 may be provided with a substance different from that of the first planarization layer 113.

A display element 200 including a pixel electrode 210, an intermediate layer 220, and a counter electrode 230 may be disposed on the second planarization layer 115. For example, the display element 200 including the pixel electrode 210, the intermediate layer 220, and the counter electrode 230 may be an organic light emitting element.

The pixel electrode 210 may be electrically connected to the connection electrode 139 through a contact hole penetrating the second planarization layer 115, and the connection electrode 139 may be electrically connected to the source electrode SE or the drain electrode DE of the thin film transistor TFT through a contact hole penetrating the first planarization layer 113, so that the display element 200 is electrically connected to the thin film transistor TFT.

A pixel electrode 210 may be disposed on the second planarization layer 115. The pixel electrode 210 may be a (semi) transparent electrode or a reflective electrode. The pixel electrode 210 may include a reflective film formed of aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), silver (Ag), magnesium (Mg), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), iridium (Ir), chromium (Cr), lithium (Li), calcium (Ca), molybdenum (Mo), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), copper (Cu), a compound thereof, and the like, and a transparent or semitransparent electrode layer formed on the reflective film. The transparent or semitransparent electrode layer may be provided with at least one selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (indium tin oxide), indium zinc oxide (indium zinc oxide), zinc oxide (zinc oxide), indium oxide (indium oxide), indium gallium oxide (indium gallium oxide), and aluminum zinc oxide (aluminum zinc oxide). The pixel electrode 210 may be disposed in a structure of being stacked in ITO/Ag/ITO.

A pixel defining film 180 may be disposed on the second planarization layer 115, and the pixel defining film 180 may have an opening exposing at least a portion of the pixel electrode 210. The region exposed through the opening of the pixel defining film 180 may be defined as a light emitting region. The periphery of the light emitting region serves as a non-light emitting region, which may surround the light emitting region. That is, the display area DA may include a plurality of light emitting areas and non-light emitting areas surrounding them. The pixel defining film 180 increases the distance between the counter electrodes 230 over the pixel electrode 210, so that arcing and the like at the edge of the pixel electrode 210 can be prevented. The pixel defining film 180 may be formed using an organic insulating material such as polyimide, polyamide, acrylic, benzocyclobutene, hexamethyldisiloxane (HMDSO), or a phenol resin by spin coating or the like.

An intermediate layer 220 may be disposed on the pixel electrode 210 exposing at least a portion through the pixel defining film 180.

The intermediate layer 220 may include a light emitting layer below and above which the first functional layer and/or the second functional layer may be selectively disposed. More specifically, the light emitting layer of the intermediate layer 220 may be disposed on the pixel electrode 210 exposing at least a portion through the pixel defining film 180.

The first functional layer may include a hole injection layer (hole injection layer) and/or a hole transport layer (hole transport layer), and the second functional layer may include an electron transport layer (electron transport layer) and/or an electron injection layer (electron injection layer).

The light emitting layer may include an organic substance containing a fluorescent or phosphorescent substance that emits red, yellow, blue, or white light. The light-emitting layer may be a low molecular organic substance or a high molecular organic substance.

When the light emitting layer includes a low molecular organic material, the intermediate layer 220 may have a structure in which a hole injecting layer, a hole transporting layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transporting layer, an electron injecting layer, and the like are laminated in a single or composite structure, and as the low molecular organic material, various organic materials such as copper phthalocyanine (CuPc; copper phthalocyanine), N '-Di (naphthalen-1-yl) -N, N' -diphenyl-benzidine (N, N '-Di (napthalene-1-yl) -N, N' -diphenyl-benzodine; NPB), tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (tris-8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum), alq3, and the like may be included. Such a layer may be formed by a vacuum evaporation method.

When the light emitting layer includes a high molecular organic material, the intermediate layer 220 may have a structure substantially including a hole transporting layer and a light emitting layer. In this case, the hole transport layer may include PEDOT (Poly (3, 4-ethylenedioxythiophene)), and the light emitting layer may include a polymer such as PPV (Poly-Phenylene vinylene) or Polyfluorene (Polyfluorene). Such a light emitting layer may be formed by screen printing or an inkjet printing method, a laser induced thermal imaging method (LITI; laser induced thermal imaging), or the like.

A counter electrode 230 may be disposed on the intermediate layer 220. The counter electrode 230 may be disposed on the intermediate layer 220 and configured to cover the entire form of the intermediate layer 220. The counter electrode 230 may be disposed above the display area DA and configured to cover the entire form of the display area DA. That is, the counter electrode 230 may be formed integrally with the display panel DP by using an aperture mask so as to cover a plurality of pixels arranged in the display area DA.

The counter electrode 230 may contain a conductive substance having a low work function. For example, the counter electrode 230 may include a (semi) transparent layer including silver (Ag), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), gold (Au), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), iridium (Ir), chromium (Cr), lithium (Li), calcium (Ca), or an alloy thereof, or the like. Alternatively, the counter electrode 230 may further include ITO, IZO, znO or In on the (semi) transparent layer containing the foregoing substances ₂ O ₃ Such layers.

On the display element 200, for example, a thin film encapsulation layer 300 may be disposed on the counter electrode 230. The thin film encapsulation layer 300 may include at least one inorganic encapsulation layer and at least one organic encapsulation layer. The thin film encapsulation layer 300 may prevent oxygen or moisture, etc. from penetrating to the intermediate layer 220 including the light emitting layer and the counter electrode 230. For example, the thin film encapsulation layer 300 may include a first inorganic encapsulation layer 310 disposed on the counter electrode 230, an organic encapsulation layer 320 disposed on the first inorganic encapsulation layer 310, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer 330 disposed on the organic encapsulation layer 320. The first inorganic encapsulation layer 310 and the second inorganic encapsulation layer 330 may include silicon nitride (SiN) _x ) Silicon oxynitride (SiO) _x N _y ) Silicon oxide (SiO) ₂ ) Titanium oxide (TiO) ₂ ) Or aluminum oxide (Al) ₂ O ₃ ). The organic encapsulation layer 320 may include an acrylic resin (acryl resin), an epoxy resin (epoxy resin), a phenolic resin (phenolic resin), a polyamide resin (polyamide resin), a polyimide resin (polyimide resin), or the like.

Such a thin film encapsulation layer 300 extends to the outside of the display area DA where the first inorganic encapsulation layer 310 and the second inorganic encapsulation layer 330 may be in contact.

A sensor layer 400 may be disposed on the thin film encapsulation layer 300. The sensor layer 400 may include a first sensor insulating layer 410, a second sensor insulating layer 430, and a third sensor insulating layer 450. In addition, the sensor layer 400 may include a first sensor electrode 420 disposed between the first sensor insulating layer 410 and the second sensor insulating layer 430, and a second sensor electrode 440 disposed between the second sensor insulating layer 430 and the third sensor insulating layer 450. The first sensor electrode 420 and the second sensor electrode 440 may be a driving electrode and a sensing electrode. Although not shown, the first sensor electrode 420 and the second sensor electrode 440 may be electrically connected through a contact hole defined in the second sensor insulating layer 430.

The first sensor insulating layer 410 may be comprised of a material comprising silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) Silicon nitride (SiN) _x ) Silicon oxynitride (SiO) _x N _y ) Aluminum oxide (Al) ₂ O ₃ ) Titanium oxide (TiO) ₂ ) Tantalum oxide (Ta) ₂ O ₅ ) Hafnium oxide (HfO) ₂ ) Zinc oxide (ZnO) ₂ ) At least one inorganic insulator selected from the group consisting of. The first sensor insulating layer 410 may have a single-layer or multi-layer structure. As another example, the first sensor insulating layer 410 may include at least one of an acrylic resin, a methacrylic resin, polyisoprene, an ethylene resin, an epoxy resin, a urethane resin, a cellulose resin, a silicone resin, a polyimide resin, a polyamide resin, and a perylene resin. The first sensor insulating layer 410 may also be omitted.

The second sensor insulating layer 430 may be comprised of a material comprising silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) Silicon nitride (SiN) _x ) Silicon oxynitride (SiO) _x N _y ) Aluminum oxide (Al) ₂ O ₃ ) Titanium oxide (TiO) ₂ ) Tantalum oxide (Ta) ₂ O ₅ ) Hafnium oxide (HfO) ₂ ) Zinc oxide (ZnO) ₂ ) At least one inorganic substance selected from the group consisting ofAnd (5) an edge object. The second sensor insulating layer 430 may have a single-layer or multi-layer structure. As another example, the second sensor insulating layer 430 may include at least one of an acrylic resin, a methacrylic resin, polyisoprene, an ethylene resin, an epoxy resin, a urethane resin, a cellulose resin, a silicone resin, a polyimide resin, a polyamide resin, and a perylene resin.

The polarizing film 500 bonded by the light transmissive adhesive layer 510 may be positioned on the sensor layer 400. Such a polarizing film 500 may function to reduce reflection of external light. For example, when external light passes through the polarizing film 500 and then passes through the polarizing film 500 again after being reflected on the counter electrode 230, the phase of the external light thereof may be changed as it passes through the 2-time polarizing film 500. As a result, the phase of the reflected light is different from the phase of the external light entering the polarizing film 500, and interference cancellation can be generated. As a result, the visibility can be improved by reducing the external light reflection. Such a light-transmitting adhesive layer 510 and the polarizing film 500 may be provided so as to overlap with a part of the non-display area NDA in addition to the display area DA.

Of course, the display device according to the present embodiment is not always provided with the polarizing film 500, and the polarizing film 500 may be omitted or replaced with another structure as needed. For example, the polarizing film 500 may be omitted and external light reflection may be reduced using a black matrix and a color filter.

A window WD may be provided on the polarizing film 500. The window WD may protect the display module from external impact and provide an input surface and/or a display surface to a user. In one embodiment, window WD may be bonded to polarizing film 500 via an optically transparent adhesive member.

The window WD may be formed to have hardness or flexibility using glass, plastic, or the like. In addition, the window WD may have a single-layer or multi-layer structure. When the window WD has a multi-layered structure, the window WD may be formed through a continuous process or an adhesion process using an adhesive layer.

Referring to fig. 6, a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a substrate 100, a display layer dis, a thin film encapsulation layer 300, a sensor layer 400, a light transmissive adhesive layer 510, a polarizing film 500, a window WD, a protective film 700, a cover panel 910, and a cover pad 920. The constituent elements described above are not described below.

As described above, the substrate 100 may include the first and second regions 1A and 2A facing in different directions from each other and the third region 3A disposed therebetween.

The first area 1A may include a display area DA. Of course, the first area 1A may include a portion of the non-display area NDA outside the display area DA in addition to the display area DA.

The display layer dis, the thin film encapsulation layer 300, the sensor layer 400, the light-transmissive adhesive layer 510, the polarizing film 500, and the window WD may be stacked on the first region 1A.

The display layer dis may include the thin film transistor TFT, the display element 200, and the insulating layer therebetween disclosed in fig. 5, described above. The thin film encapsulation layer 300 may be formed in the first region 1A to cover the display layer dis in the display region DA and the non-display region NDA.

A dam (not shown) may be disposed in the non-display area NDA of the first area 1A. The dam may be formed protruding from the upper surface of the substrate 100. The dam may be used to control the flow of organic substances when forming the organic encapsulation layer of the thin film encapsulation layer 300. The dam may overlap at least a portion of the thin film encapsulation layer 300. On the other hand, a common power line (20 of fig. 3) for supplying a common voltage to the display area DA may be disposed at the non-display area NDA. The dam may be disposed to overlap at least a portion of the common power line 20.

In the first region 1A, a polarizing film 500 may be disposed on the thin film encapsulation layer 300. The polarizing film 500 may reduce the reflectivity of light (external light) incident from the outside toward the display device.

A light transmissive adhesive layer 510 may be interposed between the polarizing film 500 and the thin film encapsulation layer 300. The light-transmitting adhesive layer 510 may be OCA (Optically clear adhesive; optically transparent adhesive). However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and OCR (Optically clear resin; optically transparent resin) may be applied. In addition, as another example, the light-transmitting adhesive layer 510 may contain PSA (Pressure Sensitive Adhesive; pressure sensitive adhesive). The PSA may include a polymer cured product. The PSA may include an acrylic or rubber-based binder, or a binder containing fine particles such as zirconia in the binder.

In an embodiment, the display device may not include the polarizing film 500, but may be provided with a filter sheet including a black matrix and a color filter instead of the polarizing film 500.

A window WD may be disposed above the polarizing film 500. The window WD serves as a final end for providing a display surface to the user and may protect structures therebelow. As described above, the light transmissive adhesive layer 510 may be disposed between the window WD and the polarizing film 500. The window WD may be configured to correspond to the display area DA, the non-display area NDA, and the curved third area 3A of the first area 1A of the substrate 100.

The panel driving section 800 may be disposed in the second region 2A. The panel driving part 800 may be turned on at the pad part 30 of the substrate 100 to supply the data signal and the scan signal to the gate line and the data line. The panel driving part 800 may be disposed apart from the curved protection layer 600. Such a panel driving section 800 may be, for example, a driver IC, and may be mounted on the pad section 30 of the substrate 100. In this case, the pad part 30 may be directly electrically connected with the driver IC.

As another example, the flexible circuit board 810 may be mounted on the pad portion 30 of the board 100, and a driving integrated circuit may be mounted on such a flexible circuit board 810. The flexible circuit board 810 may be COF (Chip On Film) or FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit; flexible printed circuit), and a driver IC for supplying signals for causing the plurality of display elements 200 of the display area DA to emit light may be mounted On the flexible circuit board 810. Various modifications such as disposing both the panel driving section 800 and the flexible circuit board 810 in the second region 2A are possible.

The third region 3A of the substrate 100 may be positioned between the first region 1A and the second region 2A and bent with a predetermined inner radius. The connection wiring CWL may be arranged in the third region 3A, and the bending resist 600 may be arranged above the connection wiring CWL. The connection wiring CWL may transmit a signal supplied from the panel driving part 800 and/or the flexible circuit substrate 810 to the display area DA of the first area 1A. The bend protection layer 600 is used to protect such a connection wire CWL, and may be a stress neutral layer (stress neutralization layer).

In detail, when the laminate is bent, a stress neutralization surface (stress neutral plane) exists in the laminate thereof. If the bending protective layer 600 is not present on the laminate, an excessive tensile stress or the like may be applied to the connection wiring CWL located in the third region 3A with bending of the substrate 100 or the like. This is because the position of the connecting wire CWL may not correspond to the stress middle plane. However, by forming the curved resist 600 on the connection wiring CWL and adjusting the thickness, the modulus, and the like of the curved resist 600, the position of the surface in which the stress is concentrated in the laminate including the substrate 100, the connection wiring CWL, the curved resist 600, and the like can be adjusted. Accordingly, the stress is neutral and located near the connection wiring by bending the protective layer 600, so that the tensile stress applied to the connection wiring CWL can be minimized.

The bending protection layer 600 has an advantage of preventing cracks of the connection wire CWL in the bent third region 3A, but the bending protection layer 600 also has a disadvantage of increasing the ineffective region DS of the display module due to its thickness.

That is, the bending protection layer 600 is formed at a predetermined thickness t4 at the periphery of the bent third region 3A, and as shown in fig. 6, it is possible to increase the ineffective region DS in the-x direction by the thickness t4 thereof.

The curved protection layer 600 is counter to the recent tendency at the point of enlarging the non-display area NDA, i.e., the ineffective area DS, in view of the recent tendency to reduce the non-display area NDA and maximize the display area DA.

The thickness t4 of the curved protection layer 600 may be thinly formed in order to reduce the ineffective area DS. However, when the bending prevention layer 600 is formed to be thin, the neutral plane may be lowered, and the possibility of cracking of the connecting wire CWL may be increased. In order to set the thickness of the bending prevention layer 600 thin while preventing the neutral plane from being lowered, it is necessary to increase the modulus of the bending prevention layer 600. In order to increase the modulus of the curved protective layer 600, it is necessary to newly develop a material of the curved protective layer 600 having necessary properties, and thus it may be difficult to immediately apply to a process. If the curved protective layer is constituted by a new material having an increased modulus, there is a problem in that the adhesion decreases when the modulus increases. The development of a material that increases modulus and also improves adhesion requires a lot of time, and even if such a new material is developed, the product unit price may increase due to the high material cost.

An embodiment of the present invention can reduce the possibility of cracking of the connection wiring CWL in the third region 3A while reducing the ineffective region DS by making the thickness of the substrate 100 in the third region 3A relatively thinner than that in the other regions of the substrate, i.e., the first region 1A or the second region 2A, even without changing the thickness or material of the bending protection layer 600.

That is, when the thickness t3 of the substrate 100 in the third region 3A to be bent is formed thinner than the thicknesses t1, t2 of the substrate 100 in the other regions of the substrate 100, i.e., the first region 1A or the second region 2A, the ineffective region DS is reduced by an amount corresponding to the thinning of the substrate 100 in the third region 3A.

In addition, as the thickness of the substrate 100 in the third region 3A becomes thinner, the neutral plane rises, but when the thickness of the substrate 100 in the third region 3A becomes thinner, the flexure protection layer 600 decreases in modulus without a change in the thickness t4 thereof. The decrease in modulus of the bending protection layer 600 causes the neutral plane, which rises as the thickness of the substrate 100 in the third region 3A becomes thinner, to be lowered, whereby the neutral plane can be located between the substrate 100 and the connection wiring CWL to minimize the possibility of cracking of the connection wiring CWL.

The inner radius of the curved third region 3A may be 0.17mm to 0.19mm, and the thickness t4 of the curved protective layer 600 may be 0.04mm to 0.1mm.

The substrate 100 may have one surface and the other surface located opposite to the one surface, and the display element 200 may be located on the one surface of the substrate 100. The protective film 700 may be positioned on the other surface of the substrate 100 opposite to the surface on which the display element 200 is positioned, that is, the surface on which no image is displayed. The protective film 700 is attached to the other surface of the substrate 100 to protect the display device, and may be attached to the other surface of the substrate 100 by an adhesive, although not shown. Such a protective film 700 may be located in the first region 1A and the second region 2A of the substrate 100, or may not be located in the third region 3A.

The cover panel 910 may be disposed on the back surface of the protective film 700. In one embodiment, an adhesive layer (or layer of adhesive), not shown, may be interposed between the protective film 700 and the cover panel 910. The cover panel 910 may protect the display module from external impact or the like.

The cover panel 910 may include a buffer layer functioning to relieve external impact and containing an elastically deformable substance. For example, the cover panel 910 may include a single layer or a multi-layer buffer layer including at least one selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic elastomer (thermoplastic elastomer), polystyrene (polystyrene), polyolefin (polyolefin), polyurethane thermoplastic elastomer (polyurethane thermoplastic elastomers), polyamide (polyamide), synthetic rubber (synthetic rubbers), polydimethylsiloxane (polydimethylilene), polybutadiene (polybutadiene), polyisobutylene (polyisobutylene), poly (styrene-butadiene-styrene), polyurethane (polychloroprene), neoprene (polyethylene), silicon (silicone), and combinations thereof. In addition, the cover panel 910 may be formed of a suitable material among materials having elastic force within a range that does not affect the image display of the display panel DP.

The cover panel 910 may further include a high-strength plate (for example, a metal plate), graphite, a copper plate, a heat sink, and the like on the back surface of the display panel DP for stably supporting the display panel DP.

As an example, the cover panel 910 may include an adsorption layer (not shown), an absorption layer (not shown), and a support member (not shown) disposed in this order on the back surface of the display panel DP. However, the structure of the cover panel 910 is not limited thereto, and the cover panel 910 may further include additional elements having various functions as needed.

The mutual positions (for example, the lamination order) of the respective elements constituting the cover panel 910 may be variously changed according to the embodiment. For example, in one embodiment, the adsorption layer, the absorption layer, and the support member are sequentially disposed on the back surface of the display panel DP, but in another embodiment, the support member may be disposed on the back surface of the display panel DP first, and the adsorption layer and/or the absorption layer may be disposed on the back surface of the support member.

The adsorption layer may include a plurality of adsorption patterns for relieving and dispersing external impact, etc., and be formed of a single layer or multiple layers. The absorbing layer may be formed of a single layer or a plurality of layers, and may be filled with a gas or a dispersion material or a sound absorbing material to absorb external impact or the like. The adsorption layer and the absorption layer may be formed separately to be bonded to each other by an adhesive or the like. However, not limited thereto, the adsorption layer and the absorption layer may be formed of a single layer.

The support member may be made of a high-strength and/or high-ductility material in order to secure or improve the structural strength of the display device DD. As an example, the support member may be a metal plate containing at least one metal or alloy. In addition, the support member may have sufficient strength by having a thickness in the range of 10 μm to several hundred μm. Thereby, the structural strength of the display device DD can be ensured or improved.

Other components of the cover panel 910 disposed above can be stably supported by the support member, and for example, the adsorption layer, the absorption layer, the reinforcing member, the display module, the window WD, and the like can be stably supported. Thereby, the structural strength of the display device DD can be ensured or improved.

In one embodiment, the support member may be integrally formed with a heat dissipating plate (not shown). For example, the support member may be formed of a material capable of radiating heat generated from a heat radiating member disposed in the display device DD to provide a heat radiating function, and may stably support the rear surface of the display module. In this case, the support member may contain a substance having high thermal conductivity to be able to exhibit high heat dissipation characteristics. For example, the support member may include an inorganic substance or a metal having high thermal conductivity such as graphite (graphite). In addition, according to the embodiment, in order to secure high heat radiation characteristics, a plurality of through holes may be formed in the support member. The support member is constituted by a heat radiation plate, so that heat generated from the heat radiation member adjacent to the support member when the display device DD is driven can be easily radiated. Thus, even if the display device DD is continuously driven, the driving stability can be ensured.

On the other hand, in the present invention, the support member is not limited to being integrally formed with the heat dissipation plate. For example, in another embodiment, the cover panel 910 may also include a heat dissipating plate formed separately from the support member. That is, the cover panel 910 may include a support member and a heat dissipation plate. In this case, the support member may be designed with a focus on the structural strength, flexibility, and the like of the display device DD.

When bending the display panel DP, the cover pad 920 may uniformly maintain a space between the cover panel 910 and a region of the display panel DP corresponding to the second region 2A to control a degree of bending (or meandering) of the display panel DP. In addition, when the display panel DP is bent, the cover pad 920 may support a region of the display panel DP corresponding to the second region 2A when the first region 1A and the second region 2A face each other. In one embodiment, the cover pad 920 may comprise the same substance as the cover panel 910, but is not limited thereto. For example, the cover pad 920 may include an elastic material suitable for design conditions of the display panel DP, etc.

Fig. 7 is a sectional view schematically showing a part of a display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment shown in fig. 7 differs from the embodiment shown in fig. 6 in the structure of the substrate. Hereinafter, a structure of the substrate will be described mainly.

Referring to fig. 7, the substrate 100' may include a first base layer 101 and a second base layer 102 disposed on the first base layer 101. The first base layer 101 and the second base layer 102 may be provided with the same substance. The first base layer 101 and the second base layer 102 may be provided in different substances.

A second barrier layer 103 may be disposed between the first base layer 101 and the second base layer 102. The first barrier layer 104 and the second barrier layer 103 described above may be provided with the same substance. In addition, the first barrier layer 104 and the second barrier layer 103 may be provided with different substances. The second barrier layer 103 may be a single layer or a plurality of layers including the aforementioned inorganic insulator. According to an embodiment, the first barrier layer 104 may also be omitted.

The first base layer 101 of the substrate 100 'may be a thickness t3' in the third region 3A smaller than a thickness t1 'of the first base layer 101 in the first region 1A or a thickness t2' of the first base layer 101 in the second region 2A. That is, a portion of the first base layer 101 in the third region 3A that can be bent is removed and the thickness of the first base layer 101 in the third region 3A is thinner than that of the first base layer 101 in the first region 1A or the second region 2A.

As a result, as described with reference to fig. 6, the likelihood of cracking of the connecting wiring CWL in the third region 3A can be reduced while reducing the ineffective region DS even without changing the thickness or material of the bending protection layer 600.

When the thickness t3' of the first base layer 101 of the substrate 100' in the third region 3A to be bent is formed thinner than the thicknesses t1', t2' of the first base layer 101 of the substrate 100' in the other region of the substrate 100', i.e., the first region 1A or the second region 2A, the ineffective region DS is reduced by an amount corresponding to the thinning of the thickness of the first base layer 101 of the substrate 100' in the third region 3A.

In addition, as the thickness t3 'of the first base layer 101 of the substrate 100' in the third region 3A becomes thinner, the neutral plane rises, but when the thickness t3 'of the first base layer 101 of the substrate 100' in the third region 3A becomes thinner, the flexure protection layer 600 decreases in modulus without a change in the thickness t4 thereof. The decrease in modulus of the bending protection layer 600 causes the neutral plane, which rises as the thickness t3' of the substrate 100' in the third region 3A becomes thinner, to be lowered, whereby the neutral plane can be located between the substrate 100' and the connection wiring CWL to minimize the possibility of cracking of the connection wiring CWL.

As an example, when the thickness t3' of the first base layer 101 in the third region 3A is x and the modulus of the curved protection layer 600 is y, the relational expression of y=62x-70 can be satisfied. y may be a minimum value of the modulus of the curved protective layer 600, and a maximum value of the modulus of the curved protective layer 600 may be 1.4×y.

When the modulus y of the bending prevention layer 600 is less than 62x-70, there is a problem that the neutral plane is lowered and the possibility of occurrence of cracks in the connecting wiring CWL becomes high, and when the modulus y of the bending prevention layer 600 is more than 1.4× (62 x-70), there is a problem that bending becomes difficult and the adhesion becomes poor.

Referring to fig. 8, as an example, the third region 3A of the display device may include a first planarization layer 113, a second planarization layer 115, and a bending protection layer 600 stacked on the substrate 100', and a connection wire CWL disposed between the first planarization layer 113 and the second planarization layer 115.

By making the thickness t3' of the first base layer 101 in the third region 3A being bent thinner than the thicknesses t1', t2' of the first base layer 101 in the first and second regions 1A, 2A, the neutral plane NP in the third region 3A can be also made to lie between the second base layer 102 and the connecting wiring CWL without changing the thickness t4 of the bending protection layer 600. Thereby, the possibility of cracking of the connecting wiring CWL in the third region 3A can be reduced while the ineffective region DS in the direction from the first region 1A toward the third region 3A is reduced.

Referring to fig. 9, a substrate 100 having a first region 1A, a second region 2A disposed apart from the first region 1A, and a third region 3A between the first region 1A and the second region 2A may be prepared (S110). As an embodiment, the substrate 100 may be formed as a single layer of the same material in the first, second, and third regions 1A, 2A, and 3A, and as another embodiment, the substrate 100 may be formed as a stack of the first base layer 101, the second base layer 102, and the second barrier layer 103 therebetween. The present invention is not limited thereto, and may be formed in a laminated structure of 3 or more base layers.

After that, a display layer dis may be formed on the first region 1A of the substrate 100 (S120). The display layer dis may include a thin film transistor TFT, a display element 200, and an insulating layer therebetween on the substrate 100.

Next, the thin film encapsulation layer 300 may be formed to cover the display layer dis (S130). The thin film encapsulation layer 300 may be formed on the first region 1A to cover the display layer dis in the display region DA and the non-display region NDA.

After that, the lower surface of the substrate 100 of the third region 3A may be formed with a predetermined thickness (S140). A portion of the substrate 100 may be removed at a predetermined thickness on the other surface opposite to the one surface of the substrate 100 where the display layer dis is formed, for example, on the other surface of the substrate 100 corresponding to the third region 3A between the first region 1A and the second region 2A. In the third region 3A, the back surface of the substrate 100 in the third region 3A may be removed by a predetermined thickness before bending the substrate 100. The removal of the back side of the substrate 100 may be achieved by a laser beam or a plasma process.

After that, the bending protection layer 600 may be formed on the third region 3A (S150), and the third region 3A may be bent.

Thus, the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments shown in the drawings, but this is merely exemplary, and it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various modifications and other embodiments are possible. Accordingly, the true technical scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A display device is provided with:

a substrate including a first region facing a first direction, a second region extending from the first region and facing a second direction different from the first direction, and a third region located between the first region and the second region;

a display element disposed on the first region; and

a curved protective layer disposed on the third region,

the thickness of the third region is less than the thickness of the first region.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein,

the third region has an inside radius of 0.17mm to 0.19mm.

3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein,

the thickness of the bending protective layer is 0.04 mm-0.1 mm.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein,

the display device further includes:

a pad portion disposed on the second region; and

and a connection wiring disposed on the third region and electrically connecting the display element and the pad portion.

5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein,

the neutral plane in the third region is located between the surface of the substrate and the connection wiring.

6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein,

the substrate includes a first base layer and a second base layer laminated on the first base layer.

7. The display device according to claim 6, wherein,

the thickness of the first base layer in the third region is less than the thickness of the first base layer in the first region.

8. The display device according to claim 7, wherein,

the thickness of the first base layer in the third region is less than the thickness of the first base layer in the second region.

9. The display device according to claim 6, wherein,

y=62x-70 is satisfied when the thickness of the first base layer in the third region is x and the modulus of the curved protective layer is y.

10. The display device according to claim 9, wherein,

the modulus of the curved protective layer is greater than 62x-70 and less than 1.4 x (62 x-70).

11. The display device according to claim 6, wherein,

the display device further includes:

and a barrier layer disposed between the first base layer and the second base layer.