KR102020824B1 - Flexible Electroluminescent Display Device - Google Patents

Abstract

The flexible electroluminescent display device includes a flexible substrate including a display area and a bending area extended from one side of the display area, a thin film transistor and a light emitting element on the display area, a touch screen panel on the display area, and a touch screen panel. And a touch circuit board bent at an outer side of the bending area, a polarizing plate on the touch screen panel, and covering a portion of the touch circuit board, and a step compensation layer disposed between the touch screen panel and the touch circuit board and the polarizing plate. It is possible to minimize the bezel area.

Description

Flexible Electroluminescent Display Device

The present disclosure relates to a flexible electroluminescent display, and more particularly, to a flexible electroluminescent display capable of minimizing an area of a bezel of a flexible electroluminescent display.

In the era of full-scale information, the field of display devices for visually displaying electrical information signals is rapidly developing, and researches for developing performances such as thinning, light weight, and low power consumption for various display devices continue.

Typical display devices include liquid crystal display (LCD), field emission display (FED), electro-wetting display (EWD) and organic light emitting display (Organic). Light Emitting Display Device (OLED), etc. can be mentioned.

The electroluminescent display including the organic light emitting display is a self-luminous display, and unlike a liquid crystal display, it does not need a separate light source and thus can be manufactured in a light weight. In addition, the electroluminescent display is not only advantageous in terms of power consumption by low voltage driving but also excellent in color implementation, response speed, viewing angle, contrast ratio (CR), and is expected to be utilized in various fields.

In the electroluminescent display, an organic light emitting layer (EML) using an organic material is disposed between two electrodes of an anode and a cathode. When holes are injected into the light emitting layer and electrons are injected into the light emitting layer from the anode, the injected electrons and holes recombine with each other to form excitons in the light emitting layer and emit light.

The light emitting layer includes a host material and a dopant material so that interaction between the two materials occurs. The host is responsible for generating excitons from electrons and holes and transferring energy to the dopant, and the dopant is a dye organic material to which a small amount is added, and receives energy from the host and converts it into light.

An electroluminescent display device including an emission layer made of organic material encapsulates an electroluminescent display device with glass, metal, or film, so that moisture or oxygen is absorbed from the outside into the electroluminescent display device. Blocking the ingress prevents oxidation of the light emitting layer and the electrode and protects it from mechanical or physical impacts from outside.

As the display device becomes smaller, efforts are being made to reduce the bezel area, which is the outer portion of the active area (A / A), to increase the effective display screen size in the same area of the display device.

In general, since the wiring and the driving circuit for driving the screen are disposed in the bezel area corresponding to the non-active area (N / A), there is a limit in minimizing the bezel area.

In relation to a flexible electroluminescent display device that can maintain display performance even if it is bent by applying a flexible substrate made of a flexible material such as plastic, which is being developed recently, a bezel can be secured while securing an area for wiring and a driving circuit. In order to minimize the area, a technology for minimizing the bezel area by bending the non-display area of the flexible substrate has been developed and applied.

In addition, a flexible electroluminescent display using a flexible substrate, such as plastic, ensures flexibility of a substrate, various insulating layers disposed on the substrate, and wiring formed of a metal material, and may be generated by bending. It is necessary to prevent defects such as cracks.

In addition, a touch screen panel that allows a user to directly input information on the screen of the display device using a finger or a pen, replacing an input means such as a mouse or a keyboard, which has been conventionally applied as an input means of a display device. Displays have been increasingly used in various fields.

The touch screen panel disposed on the upper portion of the display device converts a contact position directly in contact with a user's hand or object into an electrical signal, and the instruction selected at the contact position is received as an input signal and displayed on the screen through the display device.

In addition, the touch circuit board disposed in the bezel area, which is a non-display area of the display device, has wiring and touch circuits connected to the touch screen panel to drive the touch screen panel, and an area for the wiring and the touch circuit should be secured. As a result, minimization of the bezel area of the display device has been an obstacle.

Accordingly, the inventors of the present invention have invented an electroluminescent display device having a new structure that can minimize the area of the touch circuit board of the touch screen panel disposed in the bezel area in the electroluminescent display device.

In addition, the inventors of the present disclosure recognize that the space for arranging wiring is insufficient as the resolution of the electroluminescent display is gradually increased, and thus the electroluminescent display having a new structure that can arrange the wiring more freely in a limited space is provided. Invented.

The objects of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned objects, and other objects that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

A flexible electroluminescent display device according to an embodiment of the present specification is a flexible substrate including a display area and a bending area extending from one side of the display area, a thin film transistor and a light emitting element on the display area, and a display area. The touch screen panel is connected to the touch screen panel, the touch circuit board bent outside the bending area, on the touch screen panel, a polarizer covering a part of the touch circuit board, and on the touch screen panel, and the touch screen panel It includes a step compensation layer for compensating the step between the touch circuit board.

A flexible electroluminescent display device according to an embodiment of the present specification includes a flexible substrate including a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area and having a bending area, a thin film transistor and a light emitting element on the display area, and a display area. A touch screen panel on the touch panel, a touch circuit board bent at the outside of the bent bending area, a polarizer on the touch screen panel, and covering a part of the touch circuit board, and the touch screen panel and the touch circuit A step compensating layer for compensating the step with the end of the substrate is disposed on the touch screen panel.

The electroluminescent display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification has an effect of minimizing an area occupied by a touch circuit board connected to a touch screen panel disposed on a flexible substrate, thereby minimizing a bezel area.

Flexible electroluminescent display device according to an embodiment of the present specification has the effect that can be arranged more freely in a limited space wiring used in the flexible electroluminescent display.

Effects of the flexible electroluminescent display device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification are not limited by the contents exemplified above, and more various effects are included in the present specification.

Since the content of the specification described in the problem, problem solving means, and effect to be solved above does not specify the essential features of the claim, the scope of the claims is not limited by the matter described in the content of the specification.

1 is a block diagram of an electroluminescent display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification.
2 is a circuit diagram of a pixel included in an electroluminescent display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification.
3A and 3B are plan views of a flexible substrate and a touch screen panel of an electroluminescent display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification.
4A and 4B are cross-sectional views illustrating detailed structures of a display area and a bending area of an electroluminescent display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification.
5 is a cross-sectional view of a bending area of a flexible electroluminescent display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification.
6A and 6B are cross-sectional views and perspective views of a bending area of a flexible electroluminescent display according to another exemplary embodiment of the present specification.

Advantages and features of the present invention, and methods for achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described below in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various forms, and only the present embodiments are intended to complete the disclosure of the present invention, and the general knowledge in the art to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art, and the present invention is defined only by the scope of the claims.

Shapes, sizes, ratios, angles, numbers, and the like disclosed in the drawings for describing the embodiments of the present invention are exemplary, and the present invention is not limited to the illustrated items. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout. In addition, in describing the present invention, when it is determined that the detailed description of the related known technology may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description thereof will be omitted. When 'comprises', 'haves', 'consists of' and the like mentioned in the present specification, other parts may be added unless 'only' is used. In the case where the component is expressed in the singular, the plural includes the plural unless specifically stated otherwise.

In interpreting a component, it is interpreted to include an error range even if there is no separate description.

In the case of the description of the positional relationship, for example, if the positional relationship of the two parts is described as 'on', 'upon', 'lower', 'next to', etc. Alternatively, one or more other parts may be located between the two parts unless 'direct' is used.

The first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, but these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another. Therefore, the first component mentioned below may be a second component within the technical spirit of the present invention.

The features of each of the various embodiments of the invention may be combined or combined with one another, in whole or in part, and various interlocking and driving technically may be possible, and each of the embodiments may be independently implemented with respect to each other or may be implemented in association with each other. It may be.

1 is a block diagram of an electroluminescent display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification.

Referring to FIG. 1, an electroluminescent display device 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification includes an image processor 110, a timing controller 120, a data driver 130, a gate driver 140, and a display panel 150. It includes.

The image processor 110 outputs a data enable signal DE and the like together with the data signal DATA supplied from the outside. The image processor 110 may output one or more of a vertical synchronization signal, a horizontal synchronization signal, and a clock signal in addition to the data enable signal DE.

The timing controller 120 receives a data signal DATA from the image processor 110 along with a drive signal including a data enable signal DE or a vertical synchronization signal, a horizontal synchronization signal, a clock signal, and the like. The timing controller 120 may include a gate timing control signal GDC for controlling the operation timing of the gate driver 140 and a data timing control signal DDC for controlling the operation timing of the data driver 130 based on the driving signal. Outputs

The data driver 130 samples and latches the data signal DATA supplied from the timing controller 120 in response to the data timing control signal DDC supplied from the timing controller 120 to convert the data signal DATA into a gamma reference voltage. . The data driver 130 outputs the data signal DATA through the data lines DL1 to DLn.

The gate driver 140 outputs the gate signal while shifting the level of the gate voltage in response to the gate timing control signal GDC supplied from the timing controller 120. The gate driver 140 outputs a gate signal through the gate lines GL1 to GLm.

The display panel 150 displays an image while the pixel 160 emits light corresponding to the data signal DATA and the gate signal supplied from the data driver 130 and the gate driver 140. The detailed structure of the pixel 160 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

2 is a circuit diagram of a pixel included in an electroluminescent display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification.

Referring to FIG. 2, a pixel of the electroluminescent display 200 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes a switching transistor 240, a driving transistor 250, a compensation circuit 260, and a light emitting element 270.

The light emitting device 270 operates to emit light according to the driving current formed by the driving transistor 250.

The switching transistor 240 switches so that the data signal supplied through the data line 230 is stored as a data voltage in a capacitor in response to the gate signal supplied through the gate line 220.

The driving transistor 250 operates so that a constant driving current flows between the high potential power line VDD and the low potential power line GND in response to the data voltage stored in the capacitor.

The compensation circuit 260 is a circuit for compensating a threshold voltage and the like of the driving transistor 250, and the compensation circuit 260 includes one or more thin film transistors and a capacitor. The configuration of the compensation circuit can vary greatly depending on the compensation method.

The pixel of the electroluminescent display 200 has a 2T (Transistor) 1C (Capacitor) structure including a switching transistor 240, a driving transistor 250, a capacitor, and a light emitting element 270, and includes a compensation circuit ( 260) may be variously formed as 3T1C, 4T2C, 5T2C, 6T1C, 6T2C, 7T1C, 7T2C, or the like.

3A and 3B are plan views of a flexible substrate and a touch screen panel of an electroluminescent display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification.

3A illustrates a state in which the flexible substrate 310 of the flexible electroluminescent display 300 is not bent, and FIG. 3B illustrates a touch screen panel 320 disposed on the flexible substrate 310 of FIG. 3A. have.

Referring to FIG. 3A, a flexible electroluminescent display 300 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification has a display area in which a pixel which actually emits light through a thin film transistor and a light emitting element is disposed on a flexible substrate 310. A / A) and a non-active area N / A surrounding an outer edge of the edge of the display area A / A.

In the non-display area N / A of the flexible substrate 310, various signals such as a circuit such as a gate driver 390 for driving the flexible electroluminescent display 300 and a scan line (S / L), etc. Wiring may be arranged. In addition, a circuit for driving the flexible electroluminescent display 300 may be disposed in a gate in panel (GIP) on the substrate 310 or may be a flexible substrate (Tape Carrier Package) or a chip on film (COF) method. 310 may be connected.

The pad 395 is disposed on one side of the substrate 310 of the non-display area N / A. The pad 395 is a metal pattern to which an external module is bonded.

A portion of the non-display area N / A of the flexible substrate 310 may be bent in the bending direction such as an arrow to form the bending area B / A. In the non-display area N / A of the flexible substrate 310, wiring and driving circuits for driving a screen are arranged, and are not areas where an image is displayed, and thus need not be visually recognized on the upper surface of the flexible substrate 310. . Accordingly, a portion of the non-display area N / A of the flexible substrate 310 may be bent to secure an area for the wiring and the driving circuit while minimizing the bezel area.

Various wirings are formed on the flexible substrate 310. The wiring may be formed in the display area A / A of the substrate 310. Alternatively, the circuit wiring 370 formed in the non-display area N / A may transmit a signal by connecting a driving circuit, a gate driver, a data driver, or the like.

The circuit wiring 370 may be formed of a conductive material, and may be formed of a conductive material having excellent ductility in order to reduce occurrence of cracks when bending the substrate 310. For example, the circuit wiring 370 may be formed of a conductive material having excellent ductility such as gold (Au), silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), and the like, and may be various conductive materials used in the display area (A / A). Molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), copper (Cu), and alloys of silver (Ag) and magnesium (Mg) Or the like. In addition, the circuit wiring 370 may be configured as a multilayer structure including various conductive materials. For example, the circuit wiring 370 may be configured as a three-layer structure of titanium (Ti) / aluminum (Al) / titanium (Ti). It is not limited to this.

The circuit wiring 370 formed in the bending area B / A is subjected to a tensile force when bent. For example, the circuit wiring 370 extending in the same direction as the bending direction (indicated by an arrow) on the flexible substrate 310 may receive the greatest tensile force, and cracks may occur, and disconnection may occur when the cracks are severe. have. Therefore, instead of forming the circuit wiring 370 to extend in the bending direction, at least a portion of the circuit wiring 370 including the bending area B / A extends in a diagonal direction that is different from the bending direction. By forming, it is possible to minimize the tensile force to minimize the occurrence of cracks.

The circuit wiring 370 including the bending area B / A may be formed in various shapes, for example, a trapezoidal wave shape, a triangular wave shape, a sawtooth wave shape, a sine wave shape, an omega shape, and It may be formed in various shapes such as a rhombus shape.

Referring to FIG. 3B, the touch screen panel 320 is disposed on the flexible substrate 310 described with reference to FIG. 3A.

The touch screen panel 320 surrounds the touch area (T / A) disposed on the display area (A / A) of the flexible substrate 310 and the outer edges of the display area (A / A). The non-touch area NT / A is disposed on the non-display area N / A.

The touch electrode 325 is disposed in the touch area T / A of the touch screen panel 320. The touch electrode 325 may be configured to cross the plurality of touch driving electrodes Tx and the plurality of touch sensing electrodes Rx.

The touch screen panel 320 may be applied with a mutual-capacitance type including a touch electrode 325 configured to intersect a plurality of touch driving electrodes Tx and a plurality of touch sensing electrodes Rx. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and a self-capacitance type may be applied. The self-capacitance method is disposed only with the plurality of touch sensing electrodes Rx. The touch screen panel 320 may be implemented in various ways, such as a resistive type or an electromagnetic type.

The touch pad 330 is disposed in the non-touch area NT / A of the touch screen panel 320 and correspondingly disposed on the non-display area N / A on the flexible substrate 310.

The touch connection wiring 335 electrically connects the touch electrode 325 and the touch pad 330 and is disposed on the non-touch area NT / A of the touch screen panel 320.

A touch circuit board 340 connected to the touch pad 330 and made of an insulating film is disposed at the end of the touch screen panel 320.

 The touch circuit board 340 may include a touch electrode 325 disposed in the touch area T / A, various wirings for transferring signals to each other, and a touch sensing circuit for sensing a touch input, and a flexible printed circuit. The substrate may be configured as a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

The touch circuit board 340 may be bent and disposed around the bending area B / A of the flexible substrate 310 described with reference to FIG. 3A. FIG. 5 illustrates a detailed structure of the bending area B / A. This is explained in

4A and 4B are cross-sectional views illustrating detailed structures of a display area and a bending area of an electroluminescent display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification.

4A is a cross-sectional view of a detailed structure of the display area A / A described with reference to FIG. 3A.

Referring to FIG. 4A, the substrate 410 supports and protects the components of the electroluminescent display device 400 disposed thereon, and may be formed of a flexible material having flexible properties. 410 may be a flexible substrate. For example, the flexible substrate may be in the form of a film including one of a group consisting of polyester polymer, silicon polymer, acrylic polymer, polyolefin polymer, and copolymers thereof.

For example, the substrate 410 may be polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polysilane, polysiloxane, polysiloxane, polysilazane, polycarbosilane, Polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polymethylacrylate, polymethylmethacrylate, polyethylacrylate, polyethylmethacrylate, inter Click olefin copolymer (COC), cyclic olefin polymer (COP), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyimide (PI), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polystyrene (PS), polyacetal ( POM), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polyester sulfone (PES), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinylchloride (PVC), polycarbonate (PC), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), Fluoroalkyl polymer (PFA), a styrene acrylic nitro rilko polymer (SAN) to and may be made of at least one among these combinations.

A buffer layer may be further disposed on the substrate 410. The buffer layer may prevent penetration of moisture or other impurities through the substrate 410, and may planarize the surface of the substrate 410. The buffer layer is not necessarily required and may be deleted depending on the type of the substrate 410 or the type of the thin film transistor 420 disposed on the substrate 410.

The thin film transistor 420 disposed on the substrate 410 includes a gate electrode 422, a source electrode 424, a drain electrode 426, and a semiconductor layer 428.

The semiconductor layer 428 has better mobility than amorphous silicon or amorphous silicon, and thus has low energy consumption and high reliability, and thus can be applied to driving thin film transistors in a pixel. ), But is not limited thereto.

The semiconductor layer may be formed of an oxide semiconductor. Oxide semiconductors have excellent mobility and uniformity. The oxide semiconductor is an indium tin gallium zinc oxide (InSnGaZnO) based material which is a quaternary metal oxide, an indium gallium zinc oxide (InGaZnO) based material which is a ternary metal oxide, an indium tin zinc oxide (InSnZnO) based material, and indium aluminum zinc oxide (InAlZnO). ) Based material, tin gallium zinc oxide (SnGaZnO) based material, aluminum gallium zinc oxide (AlGaZnO) based material, tin aluminum zinc oxide (SnAlZnO) based material, binary metal oxide indium zinc oxide (InZnO) based material, tin zinc Oxide (SnZnO) based material, Aluminum Zinc Oxide (AlZnO) based material, Zinc Magnesium Oxide (ZnMgO) based material, Tin Magnesium Oxide (SnMgO) based material, Indium Magnesium Oxide (InMgO) based material, Indium Gallium Oxide (InGaO) based The semiconductor layer 428 may be formed of a material, an indium oxide (InO) -based material, a tin oxide (SnO) -based material, a zinc oxide (ZnO) -based material, or the like. The composition ratio is not limited.

The semiconductor layer 428 may include a source region, a drain region, and a channel between the source region and the drain region including p-type or n-type impurities. A lightly doped region may be included between adjacent source and drain regions.

The source region and the drain region are regions in which impurities are heavily doped, and regions where the source electrode 424 and the drain electrode 426 of the thin film transistor 420 are connected to each other. The impurity ions may use p-type impurities or n-type impurities. The p-type impurities may be one of boron (B), aluminum (Al), gallium (Ga), and indium (In), and the n-type impurities may be phosphorus ( P), arsenic (As) and antimony (Sb) may be one.

The semiconductor layer 428 may be doped with n-type impurities or p-type impurities according to a thin film transistor structure of an NMOS or PMOS, and a thin film transistor included in an electroluminescent display device according to an embodiment of the present invention may be NMOS. Or a thin film transistor of a PMOS is applicable.

The first insulating layer 431 is an insulating layer composed of a single layer of silicon oxide (SiOx) or silicon nitride (SiNx) or multiple layers thereof, and current flowing through the semiconductor layer 428 flows to the gate electrode 422. Do not place. In addition, silicon oxide is less ductile than metal, but excellent in ductility compared to silicon nitride, and may be formed in a single layer or a plurality of layers according to its characteristics.

The gate electrode 422 serves as a switch to turn on or turn off the thin film transistor 420 based on an electrical signal transmitted from the outside through the gate line, and a conductive metal. Phosphorus copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), gold (Au), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), and neodymium (Nd), etc. Or it may be composed of multiple layers, but is not limited thereto.

The source electrode 424 and the drain electrode 426 are connected to the data line and allow an electric signal transmitted from the outside to be transferred from the thin film transistor 420 to the light emitting device 440. The source electrode 424 and the drain electrode 426 are conductive metals of copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), gold (Au), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), And a metal material such as neodymium (Nd) or an alloy thereof, and may be configured as a single layer or multiple layers, without being limited thereto.

In order to insulate the gate electrode 422, the source electrode 424, and the drain electrode 426 from each other, the second insulating layer 433 formed of a single layer or multiple layers of silicon oxide (SiOx) or silicon nitride (SiNx) is gated. The electrode 422 may be disposed between the source electrode 424 and the drain electrode 426.

A passivation layer including an inorganic insulating layer such as silicon oxide (SiOx) or silicon nitride (SiNx) may be further disposed on the thin film transistor 420. The passivation layer may serve to prevent unnecessary electrical connection between components on and under the passivation layer and to prevent contamination or damage from the outside, and may be configured to include the thin film transistor 420 and the light emitting device 440. It may be omitted depending on the characteristics.

The thin film transistor 420 may be classified into an inverted staggered structure and a coplanar structure according to positions of components constituting the thin film transistor 420. In the inverted staggered thin film transistor, the gate electrode is positioned opposite to the source electrode and the drain electrode with respect to the semiconductor layer. As shown in FIG. 4A, in the thin film transistor 420 having the coplanar structure, the gate electrode 422 is positioned on the same side as the source electrode 424 and the drain electrode 426 based on the semiconductor layer 428.

Although the thin film transistor 420 of the coplanar structure is illustrated in FIG. 4A, the electroluminescent display device 400 may include a thin film transistor having an inverted staggered structure.

For convenience of description, FIG. 4A illustrates only a driving thin film transistor among various thin film transistors that may be included in the electroluminescent display 400, and a switching thin film transistor and a capacitor may also be included in the electroluminescent display 400. When the signal is applied from the gate line, the switching thin film transistor transfers the signal from the data line to the gate electrode of the driving thin film transistor. The driving thin film transistor transmits a current transmitted through the power line by the signal received from the switching thin film transistor to the anode 442, and controls light emission by the current delivered to the anode 442.

It protects the thin film transistor 420 and mitigates the step caused by the thin film transistor 420, and the parasitic capacitance generated between the thin film transistor 420, the gate line, the data line, and the light emitting devices 440. The planarization layers 435 and 437 are disposed on the thin film transistor 420 to reduce the capacitance.

The planarization layers 435 and 437 include acrylic resins, epoxy resins, phenolic resins, polyamides resins, polyimides resins, and unsaturated polyesters. It may be formed of at least one material of an unsaturated polyester resin, a polyphenylene resin, a polyphenylene sulfide resin, and a benzocyclobutene, but is not limited thereto.

The electroluminescent display device 400 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification may include a first planarization layer 435 and a second planarization layer 437 which are a plurality of planarization layers 435 and 437 sequentially stacked.

For example, the first planarization layer 435 may be stacked on the thin film transistor 420, and the second planarization layer 437 may be sequentially stacked on the first planarization layer 435.

In addition, a buffer layer may be disposed on the first planarization layer 435. The buffer layer is disposed to protect components disposed on the first planarization layer 435, and is a single layer of silicon nitride (SiNx) or silicon oxide (SiOx) or multiple layers of silicon nitride (SiNx) or silicon oxide (SiOx). It may be formed of a layer, it may be omitted depending on the configuration and characteristics of the thin film transistor 420 and the light emitting device 440.

The intermediate electrode 430 is connected to the thin film transistor 420 through a contact hole formed in the first planarization layer 435. The intermediate electrode 430 is connected to the thin film transistor 420.

The data line may have a structure in which a lower layer made of the same material as the source electrode 424 and the drain electrode 426 and an upper layer made of the same material as the intermediate electrode 430 are connected. Therefore, since the data line may be implemented in a structure in which two layers are connected in parallel with each other, the wiring resistance of the data line may be reduced.

A passivation layer including an inorganic insulating layer such as silicon oxide (SiOx) or silicon nitride (SiNx) may be further disposed on the first planarization layer 435 and the intermediate electrode 430. The passivation layer may serve to prevent unnecessary electrical connections between the components and to prevent contamination or damage from the outside, and may be omitted depending on the configuration and characteristics of the thin film transistor 420 and the light emitting device 440.

The light emitting device 440 disposed on the second planarization layer 437 includes an anode 442, a light emitting part 444, and a cathode 446.

The anode 442 may be disposed on the second planarization layer 437. The anode 442 is an electrode that supplies holes to the light emitting unit 444, and is connected to the intermediate electrode 430 through a contact hole in the second planarization layer 437 to be electrically connected to the thin film transistor 420. Is connected.

The anode 442 may be made of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or the like, which is a transparent conductive material, but is not limited thereto.

When the electroluminescent display 400 is a top emission that emits light to the top where the cathode 446 is disposed, the emitted light is reflected from the anode 442 so that the cathode 446 is more smoothly disposed. It may further include a reflective layer to be emitted in the upper direction.

For example, the anode 442 may be a two-layer structure in which a transparent conductive layer made of a transparent conductive material and a reflective layer are sequentially stacked, or a three-layer structure in which the transparent conductive layer, the reflective layer, and the transparent conductive layer are sequentially stacked, and the reflective layer may be It may be silver (Ag) or an alloy containing silver.

The bank 450 disposed on the anode 442 and the second planarization layer 437 may define a pixel by dividing an area that actually emits light. After the photoresist is formed on the anode 442, the bank 450 is formed by photolithography. The photoresist refers to a photosensitive resin whose solubility in a developing solution is changed by the action of light, and a specific pattern can be obtained by exposing and developing the photoresist. Photoresists may be classified into positive photoresist and negative photoresist. The positive photoresist refers to a photoresist in which the solubility in the developer of the exposed portion is increased by exposure, and when the positive photoresist is developed, a pattern from which the exposed portion is removed is obtained. The negative photoresist refers to a photoresist in which the solubility in a developing solution of an exposed part is greatly reduced by exposure. When a negative photoresist is developed, a pattern in which a non-exposed part is removed is obtained.

In order to form the light emitting unit 444 of the light emitting device 440, a fine metal mask (FMM) may be used. In order to prevent damage that may occur in contact with the deposition mask disposed on the bank 450, and to maintain a constant distance between the bank 450 and the deposition mask, a polyorganic, which is a transparent organic material, is formed on the bank 450. A spacer 452 composed of one of mid, photoacrylic and benzocyclobutene (BCB) may be disposed.

The light emitter 444 is disposed between the anode 442 and the cathode 446. The light emitting unit 444 emits light, and includes a hole injection layer (HIL), a hole transport layer (HTL), a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer (ETL), and an electron injection layer. (Electron Injection Layer; EIL) may include at least one layer, and some components of the light emitting unit 444 may be omitted depending on the structure or characteristics of the electroluminescent display 400. The light emitting layer may be an electroluminescent layer and an inorganic light emitting layer.

The hole injection layer is disposed on the anode 442 and serves to facilitate the injection of holes. The hole injection layer is, for example, HAT-CN (dipyrazino [2,3-f: 2 ', 3'-h] quinoxaline-2,3,6,7,10.11-hexacarbonitrile), CuPc (phthalocyanine), and NPD (N, N'-bis (naphthalene-1-yl) -N, N'-bis (phenyl) -2,2'-dimethylbenzidine).

The hole transport layer is disposed on the hole injection layer and serves to smoothly transfer holes to the light emitting layer. The hole transport layer is, for example, NPD (N, N'-bis (naphthalene-1-yl) -N, N'-bis (phenyl) -2,2'-dimethylbenzidine), TPD (N, N'-bis -(3-methylphenyl) -N, N'-bis- (phenyl) -benzidine), s-TAD (2,2 ', 7,7'-tetrakis (N, N-dimethylamino) -9,9-spirofluorene) And MTDATA (4,4 ', 4 "-Tris (N-3-methylphenyl-N-phenyl-amino) -triphenylamine).

The emission layer may be disposed on the hole transport layer and may emit light of a specific color, including a material capable of emitting light of a specific color. The light emitting material may be formed using a phosphor or a fluorescent material.

When the light emitting layer emits red, the peak wavelength that emits light may be in the range of 600 nm to 650 nm, and CBP (4,4'-bis (carbazol-9-yl) biphenyl) or mCP (1,3). host materials including -bis (carbazol-9-yl) benzene), PIQIr (acac) (bis (1-phenylisoquinoline) (acetylacetonate) iridium), PQIr (acac) (bis (1-phenylquinoline) (acetylacetonate ) iridium), PQIr (tris (1-phenylquinoline) iridium) and PtOEP (octaethylporphyrin platinum) may be made of a phosphorescent material including a dopant containing at least one. Alternatively, it may be made of a fluorescent material including PBD: Eu (DBM) 3 (Phen) or perylene.

Here, the peak wavelength lambda max refers to the maximum wavelength of EL (ElectroLuminescence). The wavelength at which the light emitting layers constituting the light emitting unit emit light inherently is called PL (PhotoLuminescence), and the light emitted by the thickness or the optical properties of the layers constituting the light emitting layers is called an emission. In this case, EL (ElectroLuminescence) refers to the light finally emitted by the electroluminescent display, and may be expressed as a product of PL (PhotoLuminescence) and emittance (Emittance).

When the light emitting layer emits green, the peak wavelength that emits light may be in the range of 520 nm to 540 nm, includes a host material including CBP or mCP, and Ir (ppy) ₃ (tris (2-phenylpyridine) iridium It may be made of a phosphorescent material including a dopant material, such as Ir complex containing. In addition, it may be made of a fluorescent material containing Alq ₃ (tris (8-hydroxyquinolino) aluminum).

When the light emitting layer emits blue, the peak wavelength for emitting light may be in the range of 440 nm to 480 nm, and includes a host material including CBP or mCP, and FIrPic (bis (3,5-difluoro-2 It may be made of a phosphorescent material including a dopant material containing-(2-pyridyl) phenyl- (2-carboxypyridyl) iridium) and spiro-DPVBi (4,4'-Bis (2,2-diphenyl-ethen). -1-yl) biphenyl), DSA (1-4-di- [4- (N, N-di-phenyl) amino] styryl-benzene), PFO (polyfluorene) polymer and PPV (polyphenylenevinylene) polymer It may be made of a fluorescent material containing one.

The electron transport layer is disposed on the light emitting layer to facilitate the movement of electrons to the light emitting layer. The electron transport layer is, for example, Liq (8-hydroxyquinolinolato-lithium), PBD (2- (4-biphenyl) -5- (4-tert-butylphenyl) -1,3,4-oxadiazole), TAZ (3- (4-biphenyl) 4-phenyl-5-tert-butylphenyl-1,2,4-triazole), spiro-PBD, BCP (2,9-Dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline) and BAlq It may be made of any one or more of (bis (2-methyl-8-quinolinolate) -4- (phenylphenolato) aluminum).

The electron injection layer may be further disposed on the electron transport layer. The electron injection layer is an organic layer that facilitates injection of electrons from the cathode 446 and may be omitted depending on the structure and characteristics of the electroluminescent display device 400. The electron injection layer may be a metal inorganic compound such as BaF 2, LiF, NaCl, CsF, Li ₂ O, and BaO, and may be HAT-CN (dipyrazino [2,3-f: 2 ′, 3′-h] quinoxaline-2, 3,6,7,10.11-hexacarbonitrile), phthalocyanine (CuPc), and NPD (N, N'-bis (naphthalene-1-yl) -N, N'-bis (phenyl) -2,2'-dimethylbenzidine) It may be any one or more organic compounds.

An electron blocking layer or hole blocking layer is further disposed at a position adjacent to the light emitting layer to prevent the flow of holes or electrons, and when electrons are injected into the light emitting layer, the electron blocking layer moves to the adjacent hole transport layer. When passing or holes are injected into the light emitting layer, it is possible to prevent the phenomenon of moving from the light emitting layer and passing to the adjacent electron transport layer, thereby improving luminous efficiency.

The cathode 446 is disposed on the light emitting unit 444, and serves to supply electrons to the light emitting unit 444. Since the cathode 446 needs to supply electrons, the cathode 446 may be formed of a metal material such as magnesium (Mg) and silver-magnesium (Ag: Mg), which are low work functions, but are not limited thereto.

When the electroluminescent display 400 is a top emission method, the cathode 446 may be formed of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), or zinc oxide ( Zinc oxide (ZnO) and tin oxide (TiO) -based transparent conductive oxides.

On the light emitting device 440, a bag for preventing the thin film transistor 420, which is a component of the electroluminescent display device 400, and the light emitting device 440 from being oxidized or damaged due to moisture, oxygen, or impurities introduced from the outside. The unit 460 may be disposed, and a plurality of encapsulation layers, a foreign material compensation layer, and a plurality of barrier films may be stacked.

The encapsulation layer is disposed on the upper front surface of the thin film transistor 420 and the light emitting device 440, and may be formed of one of inorganic silicon nitride (SiNx) or aluminum oxide (AlyOz), but is not limited thereto.

The encapsulation layer may be further disposed on the foreign material compensation layer disposed on the encapsulation layer.

The foreign material compensation layer may be disposed on the encapsulation layer, and may use an organic material, silicon oxycarbon (SiOCz), acrylic, or epoxy resin, but is not limited thereto. When defects are caused by cracks caused by foreign particles or particles, the foreign material compensation layer can compensate for the bending and foreign substances.

The barrier film may be disposed on the encapsulation layer and the foreign material compensation layer to delay the penetration of oxygen and moisture from the outside. Barrier film is composed of a light-transmitting and double-sided adhesive film, and may be composed of any one of an insulating material of olefin (Olefin), acrylic (silicone) and silicon (silicon) series, or COP (Cyclolefin) A barrier film made of any one of a polymer, a cycloolefin copolymer (COC), and a polycarbonate (PC) may be further stacked, but is not limited thereto.

4B is a cross-sectional view of a detailed structure of the bending area B / A described with reference to FIG. 3A.

Some components of FIG. 4B are substantially the same / similar to those described in FIG. 4A, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

The gate and data signals described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3A are arranged in the display area A / A through circuit wiring arranged in the non-display area N / A of the electroluminescent display 400 from the outside. To be emitted.

When the wiring disposed in the non-display area N / A including the bending area B / A of the electroluminescent display 400 is formed in a single layer structure, a large space for arranging the wiring is required. After depositing the conductive material, the conductive material is patterned by a process such as etching in the shape of the wiring to be formed. Since the fineness of the etching process is limited, a large space is required due to the limitation for narrowing the space between the wirings. As the area of the non-display area N / A increases, difficulty in implementing a narrow bezel may occur.

In addition, when one wire is used to transmit one signal, the signal may not be properly transmitted when the wire is cracked. In the process of bending the substrate 410, a crack may occur in the wiring itself, or a crack may occur in another layer so that the crack may propagate to the wiring. As such, when a crack occurs in the wiring, a signal to be transmitted may not be transmitted.

Accordingly, the wirings arranged in the bending area B / A of the electroluminescent display device 400 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification are arranged in the form of double wiring of the first wiring 462 and the second wiring 464. .

The first wiring 462 and the second wiring 464 may be formed of a conductive material, and may be formed of a conductive material having excellent ductility in order to reduce cracks when bending the flexible substrate 410. The first wiring 462 and the second wiring 464 may be formed of a conductive material having excellent ductility, for example, gold (Au), silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), and the like. Molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), copper (Cu), and silver (Ag). And an alloy of magnesium (Mg) and the like. In addition, the first wiring 462 and the second wiring 464 may have a multilayer structure including various conductive materials. For example, three of titanium (Ti) / aluminum (Al) / titanium (Ti) may be formed. It may be configured as a layer structure, but is not limited thereto.

In order to protect the first wiring 462 and the second wiring 464, a buffer layer made of an inorganic insulating layer may be disposed below the first wiring 462 and the second wiring 464, and the first wiring 462 may be disposed. ) And a passivation layer formed of an inorganic insulating layer is formed to surround the upper and side portions of the second wiring 464 to prevent the first wiring 462 and the second wiring 464 from corroding by reacting with moisture or the like. May be

The first wire 462 and the second wire 464 formed in the bending area B / A are subjected to a tensile force when bent. As described with reference to FIG. 3, the wiring extending in the same direction as the bending direction on the substrate 410 receives the greatest tensile force, cracks may occur, and disconnection may occur when the cracks are severe. Therefore, the wiring is not formed to extend in the bending direction, but at least a part of the wiring including the bending area B / A is formed to extend in an oblique direction which is different from the bending direction, thereby minimizing the tensile force and cracking. It can reduce the occurrence. The shape of the wiring can be configured in a rhombus shape, a triangular wave shape, a sinusoidal wave shape, a trapezoidal shape, or the like, but is not limited thereto.

The first wiring 462 is disposed on the substrate 410, and the first planarization layer 435 is disposed on the first wiring 462. The second wiring 464 is disposed on the first planarization layer 435, and the second planarization layer 437 is disposed on the second wiring 464.

The first planarization layer 435 and the second planarization layer 437 are acrylic resins, epoxy resins, phenolic resins, polyamides resins, and polyimide resins. (Polyimides Resin), unsaturated polyester resin (Unsaturated Polyester Resin), polyphenylene resin (Polyphenylene Resin), polyphenylene sulfide resin (Polyphenylenesulfides Resin), and benzocyclobutene (Benzocyclobutene) Can be, but is not limited thereto.

A micro coating layer 466 is disposed on the second planarization layer 437. Since the micro-coating layer 466 may be subjected to a tensile force applied to the wiring portion disposed on the substrate 410 at the time of bending, micro cracks may be generated, thereby protecting the wiring by coating a resin with a thin thickness at the bending position. Can play a role.

5 is a cross-sectional view of a bending area of a flexible electroluminescent display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification.

Some components of FIG. 5 are substantially the same / similar to those described in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 5, the first adhesive layer 530 is disposed on the flexible substrate 510. The first adhesive layer 530 may be a transparent adhesive resin (Optically Cleared Resin (OCR)) or a transparent adhesive film (Optically Cleared film; OCA film), but is not limited thereto.

The touch screen panel 520 described with reference to FIG. 3B is disposed on the first adhesive layer 530, and is bonded to and fixed to the flexible substrate 510 by the first adhesive layer 530. The touch screen panel 520 may be a touch substrate.

The touch screen panel 520 is a non-display surrounding the edges of the touch area T / A and the display area A / A, which are disposed on the display area A / A of the flexible substrate 510. And a non-touch area NT / A disposed correspondingly on the area N / A.

The touch pad 545 is disposed in the non-touch area NT / A of the touch screen panel 520 and correspondingly disposed on the non-display area N / A on the flexible substrate 520.

A touch circuit board 540 is connected to the touch pad 545 at the end of the touch screen panel 520 and is made of an insulating film.

 The touch circuit board 540 may include a touch electrode disposed in the touch area T / A, various wirings for transmitting signals to each other, and a touch sensing circuit for sensing a touch input. The flexible printed circuit board may be configured. The flexible substrate 510 may be bent and disposed around the bending area B / A of the flexible substrate 510.

On the touch screen panel 520 and the touch circuit board 540, the polarizers 550 are attached to each other and fixed.

The polarizer 550 suppresses reflection of external light on the display area A / A of the flexible substrate 510. When the display device 500 is used externally, external natural light may be introduced and reflected by a reflector included in an anode of the electroluminescent device, or may be reflected by an electrode formed of a metal disposed under the organic light emitting device. In this way, the image of the display device 500 may not be visually recognized by the reflected light. The polarizer 550 polarizes the light introduced from the outside in a specific direction, and prevents the reflected light from being emitted to the outside of the display device 500 again.

The polarizer 550 may include a wider area than the display area A / A in order to suppress reflection of external light to the outer area of the display area A / A of the flexible substrate 510. The polarizing plate 550 included in the electroluminescent display device 500 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present specification includes a touch screen panel 520 on a display area A / A and a touch circuit board on a non-display area N / A. 540 is disposed to cover all of one side.

In this case, since the touch circuit board 540 and the touch pad 545 have a predetermined thickness, a constant step is generated between the touch screen panel 520 and the touch circuit board 540, so that the touch screen panel 520 and the touch circuit are generated. The polarizing plate 550 that is bonded and fixed while simultaneously covering one side of the substrate 540 may generate bubbles due to a step generated in an area adjacent to the touch circuit board 540, and thus may generate a floating area without being bonded to each other. have. When the polarizer 550 does not adhere properly and is excited, the polarizer 550 may not function properly, and thus, the image may not be visually recognized in some areas.

In order to prevent this, the stepped area, which is the area where the touch screen panel 520 and the touch circuit board 540 are connected, is sufficient in the display area A / A so that the above-mentioned lifting phenomenon does not occur on the display area A / A. There is no choice but to dispose the distance, and thus, it is difficult to minimize the bezel area of the electroluminescent display 500.

Accordingly, in the flexible electroluminescent display device 500 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification, the second adhesive layer 533 is disposed on the touch screen panel 520 and the touch circuit board 540 to form the touch circuit board 540. And the step generated in the touch pad 545 can be compensated for. Here, the second adhesion silver 533 may be a step compensation layer. With respect to the polarizing plate 550 disposed on the second adhesive layer 533, the second adhesive layer (in the entire area where the polarizing plate 550 including both the display area A / A and the non-display area N / A) is disposed ( 533) minimizes the occurrence of bubbles, thereby preventing the floating of the polarizer 550 to prevent the image from being visually recognized from outside in some areas generated by the lifting.

Minimize air bubbles between the polarizing plate 550, the touch screen panel 520, and the touch circuit board 540 and prevent the floating of the polarizing plate 550 so that the touch circuit board 540 is adjacent to the display area A / A. Since the touchpad 545 may be disposed, the bezel area of the electroluminescent display 500 may be minimized.

When the second adhesive layer 533 having a flexible characteristic on the touch screen panel 520 and the touch circuit board 540 is disposed to have a thickness greater than or equal to a step generated by the touch circuit board 540 and the touch pad 545, FIG. 5. Although bubbles are generated at a distance A in the air gap, the upper surface of the second adhesive layer 533 becomes flat while the second adhesive layer 533 has a flexible characteristic, thereby compensating the level difference. It can be fixed by bonding.

In addition, the second adhesive layer 533 has a relatively thin thickness on the touch circuit board 540 and the touch pad 545 to alleviate the step generated in the region adjacent to the touch circuit board 540. The region may be formed to have a relatively thick thickness, and may have a predetermined slope therebetween.

Since the polarizing plate 550 can prevent bubbles from being generated due to stepping and being lifted up without being stuck, the touch circuit board 540 can be disposed as close as possible to the display area A / A. It is possible to minimize the bezel area in which 540 is disposed.

The back plate 560 is disposed under the flexible substrate 510. When the flexible substrate 510 is made of a plastic material such as polyimide, a manufacturing process of the flexible electroluminescent display device 500 is performed in a situation where a supporting substrate made of glass is disposed below the flexible substrate 510. After this is completed, the supporting substrate can be separated and released.

A cover glass CG 555 that protects the appearance of the display device 500 may be adhered to the third adhesive layer 536 on the polarizer 550.

Since a component for supporting the flexible substrate 510 is required even after the supporting substrate is released, a back plate 560 for supporting the flexible substrate 510 may be disposed under the flexible substrate 510.

The back plate 560 may be disposed to be adjacent to the bending area B / A in another area of the flexible substrate 510 except for the bending area B / A. The backplate 560 may be made of a plastic thin film formed of polyimide, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymers, combinations of these polymers, and the like.

A support member 565 is disposed between the two back plates 560, and the support member 565 may be attached to the back plate 560. The support member 565 may be formed of a plastic material such as polycarbonate (PC), polyimide (PI), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymers, combinations of these polymers, and the like. The strength of the support member 565 formed of such plastic materials may be controlled by adding additives to increase the thickness and strength of the support member 565. And, the support member 565 may be formed of glass, ceramic, metal or other rigid materials, or combinations of the foregoing materials.

A micro coating layer 570 is disposed on the bending area B / A of the flexible substrate 510.

When the micro coating layer 570 is bent, a tensile force may be applied to the wiring portion disposed on the flexible substrate 510 to prevent fine cracks. Thus, the resin is coated with a thin thickness at the bending position to protect the wiring. Can play a role.

The micro coating layer 570 may adjust the neutral plane of the bending area B / A. The neutral plane refers to a virtual plane in which the compressive force and the tension force applied to the structure cancel each other and are not stressed when the structure is bent. When two or more structures are stacked, a virtual neutral plane may be formed between the structures. When the entire structure is bent in one direction, the structures arranged in the bending direction with respect to the neutral plane are compressed by bending and thus receive a compressive force. On the contrary, the structures arranged in the direction opposite to the bending direction with respect to the neutral plane are stretched by the bending and thus are subjected to tensile force. And, since structures are generally more vulnerable to being subjected to tensile force among the same compressive and tensile forces, cracks are more likely to occur when subjected to tensile force.

Since the flexible substrate 510 disposed below the neutral plane is compressed, the flexible substrate 510 is compressed, and the wirings disposed above may receive a tensile force, and thus cracks may occur due to the tensile force. Therefore, in order to minimize the tensile force applied to the wiring can be placed on the neutral plane.

By arranging the micro coating layer 570 on the bending area B / A, the neutral plane can be raised upward, and the neutral plane is formed at the same position as the wiring or at a position higher than the neutral plane to stress the bending. It can not be received or compressive force can be suppressed crack generation.

The micro coating layer 570 may be made of a resin, but may be made of an acrylic material or urethane acrylate, but is not limited thereto.

The insulating film 580 is connected to the end of the flexible substrate 510. Various wirings are formed on the insulating film 580 to transmit signals to the pixels disposed in the display area A / A. The insulating film 580 is formed of a material having flexibility to bend. A driving device may be mounted on the insulating film 580, and together with the insulating film 580, a driving package such as a chip on film (COF) is formed and formed on the insulating film 580. It is connected to the wiring to provide driving signals and data to the pixels disposed in the display area A / A.

The circuit board connected to the insulating film 580 may receive a video signal from the outside and apply various signals to the pixels disposed in the display area A / A, and may be a printed circuit board.

6A and 6B are cross-sectional views and perspective views of a bending area of a flexible electroluminescent display according to another exemplary embodiment of the present specification.

Some components of FIGS. 6A and 6B are substantially the same / similar to those described in FIGS. 3A and 3B, and detailed descriptions thereof are omitted.

Referring to FIG. 6A, a first adhesive layer 630 is disposed on the flexible substrate 610. The first adhesive layer 630 may be a transparent adhesive resin (Optically Cleared Resin (OCR)) or a transparent adhesive film (Optically Cleared film; OCA film), but is not limited thereto.

The touch screen panel 620 described with reference to FIG. 3B is disposed on the first adhesive layer 630, and is fixed to the flexible substrate 610 by bonding to the flexible substrate 610 by the first adhesive layer 630. The touch screen panel 620 may be a touch substrate.

The touch screen panel 620 is a non-display surrounding a touch area T / A disposed on the display area A / A of the flexible substrate 610 and an outer edge of the edge of the display area A / A. And a non-touch area NT / A disposed correspondingly on the area N / A.

The touch pad 645 is disposed in the non-touch area NT / A of the touch screen panel 620 and correspondingly disposed on the non-display area N / A on the flexible substrate 620.

A touch circuit board 640 connected to the touch pad 645 and formed of an insulating film is disposed at the end of the touch screen panel 620.

 The touch circuit board 640 may include a touch electrode disposed in the touch area T / A, various wirings for transmitting signals to each other, and a touch sensing circuit for sensing a touch input. The flexible printed circuit board may be configured. The flexible substrate 610 may be bent and disposed around the bending area B / A.

A barrier layer 632 may be further disposed on the touch screen panel 620 to protect the touch screen panel 620 disposed below from an external shock or a foreign substance. The barrier layer 632 may be formed of any one material of Copolyester Thermoplastic Elastomer (COP), Cycoolefin Copolymer (COC), and Polycarbonate (PC), but is not limited thereto.

As described in FIG. 5, since the touch circuit board 640 and the touch pad 645 have a constant thickness, a constant step is generated between the touch screen panel 620 and the touch circuit board 640. In this case, when the barrier layer 632 for protecting the touch screen panel 620 and the touch circuit board 640 is disposed on the touch screen panel 620, the touch screen panel ( Bubbles may be generated due to a step between the 620 and the touch circuit board 640.

Bubbles generated in an area adjacent to the touch circuit board 640 are excited because the polarizer 650 disposed on the barrier layer 632 does not adhere properly, and thus the polarizer 650 does not function properly. The video may not be visible at. In order to prevent this, the stepped area, which is the area where the touch screen panel 620 and the touch circuit board 640 are connected, is sufficient in the display area A / A so that the above-mentioned lifting phenomenon does not occur on the display area A / A. Inevitably, the distance from each other may be reduced, and thus, it may be difficult to minimize the bezel area of the electroluminescent display 600.

Accordingly, in the flexible electroluminescent display device 600 according to another embodiment of the present specification, the barrier layer 632 disposed on the touch screen panel 620 has a minimum distance from the region where the touch circuit board 640 is disposed. (B) is disposed to include notch region N cut away from each other.

The notch region N has a minimum distance B to minimize the bezel region while the barrier layer 632 and the touch circuit board 640 are not affected by each other, and the barrier layer 632 and the touch circuit are minimized. The minimum predetermined distance B of the substrate 640 may be 50 μm, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the notch region N may be cut in a width wider than that of the touch circuit board 640 so that the barrier layer 632 and the touch circuit board 640 are not affected by each other. In addition, the notch region N may be cut in a shape corresponding to the shape of the touch circuit board 640.

The barrier layer 632 has a thickness of 35 μm to 60 μm, and preferably 50 μm. When the thickness is the same as the step generated between the touch screen panel 620 and the touch circuit board 640 has the same thickness, and serves to compensate for the step. Accordingly, the touch circuit board 640 may be disposed in the notch region N of the barrier layer 632 to minimize the bezel region without lifting of the polarizer 650 disposed on the touch screen panel 620. Can be.

The notch region N included in the barrier layer 632 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 6B.

A second adhesive layer 634 composed of a transparent adhesive resin (OCR) or a transparent adhesive film (OCA film) is disposed on the barrier layer 632 to adhere to each other with the polarizing plate 650 disposed on the second adhesive layer 634. It is fixedly placed.

The polarizer 650 suppresses reflection of external light on the display area A / A of the flexible substrate 610. When the display device 600 is used externally, external natural light may be introduced and reflected by a reflector included in an anode of the electroluminescent device, or may be reflected by an electrode formed of a metal disposed under the organic light emitting device. As such, the image of the display device 600 may not be visually recognized by the reflected light. The polarizer 650 polarizes the light introduced from the outside in a specific direction, and prevents the reflected light from being emitted to the outside of the display device 600 again.

The polarizer 650 may include a wider area than the display area A / A in order to suppress reflection of external light to the outer area of the display area A / A of the flexible substrate 610. The polarizing plate 650 included in the electroluminescent display device 600 according to another exemplary embodiment of the present specification includes a touch screen panel 620 on a display area A / A and a touch circuit board on a non-display area N / A. It is arranged to cover all one side of the (640).

The third adhesive layer 636 may be disposed on the polarizer 650 to bond the cover glass 655 to protect the appearance of the display device 600.

The back plate 660 is disposed under the flexible substrate 610. When the flexible substrate 610 is made of a plastic material such as polyimide, a manufacturing process of the flexible electroluminescent display device 600 is performed in a situation where a support substrate made of glass is disposed below the flexible substrate 610. After this is completed, the supporting substrate can be separated and released. Since a component for supporting the flexible substrate 610 is required even after the supporting substrate is released, the back plate 660 for supporting the flexible substrate 610 may be disposed under the flexible substrate 610.

The back plate 660 may be disposed to be adjacent to the bending area B / A in another area of the flexible substrate 610 except for the bending area B / A. The backplate 660 may be made of a plastic thin film formed of polyimide, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymers, combinations of these polymers, and the like.

A support member 665 may be disposed between the two back plates 660, and the support member 665 may be attached to the back plate 660. The support member 665 may be formed of a plastic material such as polycarbonate (PC), polyimide (PI), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymers, combinations of these polymers, and the like. The strength of the support member 665 formed of such plastic materials may be controlled by adding additives to increase the thickness and strength of the support member 665. In addition, the support member 665 may be formed of glass, ceramic, metal or other rigid materials, or combinations of the foregoing materials.

The micro coating layer 670 is disposed on the bending area B / A of the flexible substrate 610.

Since the micro-coating layer 670 may be subjected to a tensile force applied to the wiring portion disposed on the flexible substrate 610 at the time of bending, micro cracks may be generated, so that the resin is coated with a thin thickness at the bending position to protect the wiring. Can play a role.

The micro coating layer 670 may adjust the neutral plane of the bending area B / A. By arranging the micro coating layer 670 on the bending area B / A, the neutral plane can be raised in an upward direction, and the neutral plane is formed at the same position as the wiring or at a position higher than the neutral plane to stress the bending. It can not be received or compressive force can be suppressed crack generation.

The micro coating layer 670 may be made of a resin, but may be made of an acrylic material or urethane acrylate, but is not limited thereto.

The insulating film 680 is connected to the end of the flexible substrate 610. Various wirings are formed on the insulating film 680 to transmit signals to the pixels disposed in the display area A / A. The insulating film 680 is formed of a material having flexibility so as to be bent. A driving device may be mounted on the insulating film 680, and together with the insulating film 680, a driving package such as a chip on film (COF) is formed and formed on the insulating film 680. It is connected to the wiring to provide driving signals and data to the pixels disposed in the display area A / A.

The circuit board connected to the insulating film 680 may receive a video signal from the outside and apply various signals to the pixels disposed in the display area A / A, and may be a printed circuit board.

Referring to FIG. 6B, the touch screen panel 620 may include the touch area T / A and the edges of the display area A / A disposed on the display area A / A of the flexible substrate 610. It includes a non-touch area (NT / A) correspondingly disposed on the non-display area (N / A) surrounding the outer.

The touch pad 645 is disposed in the non-touch area NT / A of the touch screen panel 620 and correspondingly disposed on the non-display area N / A on the flexible substrate 620. A touch circuit board 640 connected to the touch pad 645 and formed of an insulating film is disposed at the end of the touch screen panel 620.

The barrier layer 632 may be further disposed on the touch screen panel 620 to protect the touch screen panel 620 disposed below from an external shock or a foreign substance.

The barrier layer 632 disposed on the touch screen panel 620 includes a notch region N cut away from the region where the touch circuit board 640 is disposed to be spaced apart from the predetermined predetermined distance B. FIG. To place.

The notch region N has a minimum distance B to minimize the bezel region while the barrier layer 632 and the touch circuit board 640 are not affected by each other, and the barrier layer 632 and the touch circuit are minimized. The minimum predetermined distance B of the substrate 640 may be 50 μm, but is not limited thereto.

The notch region N is a notch region that is aligned with an area where the touch circuit board 640 is disposed by irradiating a laser at a previous step of attaching the barrier layer 632 to the electroluminescent display 600. N) may be formed by a perforation process and may be attached to the electroluminescent display device 600.

A flexible electroluminescent display device according to an embodiment of the present specification is a flexible substrate including a display area and a bending area extending from one side of the display area, a thin film transistor and a light emitting element on the display area, and a display area. The touch screen panel is connected to the touch screen panel, the touch circuit board bent outside the bending area, on the touch screen panel, a polarizer covering a part of the touch circuit board, and on the touch screen panel, and the touch screen panel It includes a step compensation layer for compensating the step between the touch circuit board.

The back plate is disposed on the bottom surface of the flexible substrate of the flexible electroluminescent display device according to the embodiment of the present specification.

The back plate of the flexible electroluminescent display device according to an embodiment of the present specification is composed of a plurality of layers.

At least one layer of the plurality of layers of the back plate of the flexible electroluminescent display device according to an embodiment of the present specification is composed of one of polyimide, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

A cover glass is disposed on the polarizing plate of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification.

An adhesive layer is disposed between the polarizing plate and the cover glass of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification to bond the polarizing plate and the cover glass.

An insulating film connected to the flexible substrate of the flexible electroluminescent display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure further comprises a circuit driving device.

The micro cover layer is disposed on the bending area of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification.

The step compensation layer of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification is an adhesive layer.

The adhesive layer of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification is made of a transparent adhesive resin (Optically Cleared Resin (OCR)) or a transparent adhesive film (Optically Cleared film, OCA film) material.

The thickness of the step compensation layer of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification has a larger value than the step difference.

The step compensation layer of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification is a barrier layer.

The step compensation layer of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification further includes a notched region in which a region overlapping the touch circuit board is cut.

The thickness of the step compensation layer of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification has the same value as the step difference.

A flexible electroluminescent display device according to an embodiment of the present specification includes a flexible substrate including a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area and having a bending area, a thin film transistor and a light emitting element on the display area, and a display area. A touch screen panel on the touch panel, a touch circuit board bent at the outside of the bent bending area, a polarizer on the touch screen panel, and covering a part of the touch circuit board, and the touch screen panel and the touch circuit A step compensating layer for compensating the step with the end of the substrate is disposed on the touch screen panel.

The step compensation layer of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification is an adhesive layer.

The adhesive layer of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification is made of a transparent adhesive resin (Optically Cleared Resin (OCR)) or a transparent adhesive film (Optically Cleared film, OCA film) material.

The thickness of the step compensation layer of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification has a larger value than the step difference.

The step compensation layer of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification is a barrier layer.

The step compensation layer of the flexible electroluminescent display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present specification further includes a notched region in which a region overlapping the touch circuit board is cut.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. . Therefore, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention but to describe the present invention, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are exemplary in all respects and not restrictive. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted by the claims, and all technical ideas within the scope equivalent thereto should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600: electroluminescent display
110: image processing unit
120: timing controller
130: data driver
140: gate driver
150: display panel
160 pixels
220: gate line
230: data line
240: switching transistor
250: drive transistor
260: compensation circuit
270, 440: light emitting element
310, 410, 510, 610: flexible substrate
320, 520, 620: touch screen panel
325: touch electrode
330, 545, 645: touchpad
335: touch wiring
340, 540, 640: touch circuit board
370: circuit wiring
390: gate driver
395: pad
420: thin film transistor
422: gate electrode
424: source electrode
426: drain electrode
428: semiconductor layer
431: first insulating layer
433: second insulating layer
435: first planarization layer
437: second planarization layer
442: anode
444: light emitting unit
446: cathode
450: bank
452: spacer
460: encapsulation
462: first wiring
464: second wiring
466, 570, 670: micro coating layer
530 and 630: first adhesive layer
533, 634: second adhesive layer
536, 636: third adhesive layer
550, 650: polarizer
555, 655: cover glass
560, 660: backplate
565, 665: support member
580, 680: insulation film
632: barrier layer
A / A: display area N / A: non-display area
B / A: Bending Area S / L: Scan Line
T / A: Touch Area NT / A: Non-Touch Area
N: notch area

Claims (20)

A flexible substrate including a display area and a bending area extended from one side of the display area and bent;
A thin film transistor and a light emitting element on the display area;
A touch screen panel on the display area;
A touch circuit board connected to the touch screen panel and bent at an outer side of the bending area;
A touch pad connecting the touch screen panel and the touch circuit board;
A step compensation layer on the touch screen panel;
An adhesive layer on the step compensation layer and in contact with an upper surface of the touch circuit board; And
A polarizing plate on a malleable adhesive layer and covering a part of the touch circuit board,
And a top surface of the touch screen panel, a side surface of the step compensation layer, a bottom surface of the adhesive layer, a side surface of the touch pad, and a side surface of the touch circuit board form a closed curve surrounding an empty space. According to claim 1,
And a back plate disposed on a bottom surface of the flexible substrate. The method of claim 2,
And the back plate is composed of a plurality of layers. The method of claim 3, wherein
Wherein at least one of the plurality of layers of the backplate is comprised of one of polyimide, polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethylene terephthalate (PET). According to claim 1,
And a cover glass disposed on the polarizing plate. The method of claim 5,
An adhesive layer is disposed between the polarizing plate and the cover glass to bond the polarizing plate and the cover glass. According to claim 1,
Further comprising an insulating film connected to the flexible substrate,
And a circuit driving element in the insulating film. According to claim 1,
And a micro cover layer on the bending area. A flexible substrate including a display area and a bending area extended from one side of the display area and bent;
A thin film transistor and a light emitting element on the display area;
A touch screen panel on the display area;
A touch circuit board connected to the touch screen panel and bent at an outer side of the bending area;
A touch pad connecting the touch screen panel and the touch circuit board;
A step compensation layer on the touch screen panel and in contact with an upper surface of the touch circuit board and formed of an adhesive layer; And
A polarizing plate on a phase difference compensation layer and covering a portion of the touch circuit board,
A top surface of the touch screen panel, a bottom surface of the step compensation layer, a side surface of the touch pad and a side surface of the touch circuit board define an air gap. The method of claim 9,
The step compensation layer is made of a transparent adhesive resin (Optically Cleared Resin (OCR) or a transparent adhesive film (OCA film) material, flexible electroluminescent display device. The method of claim 9,
The thickness of the step compensation layer has a larger value than the step. According to claim 1,
And the step compensation layer is a barrier layer. The method of claim 12,
And the step compensation layer further comprises a notch region in which an area overlapping the touch circuit board is cut. The method of claim 12,
The thickness of the step compensation layer has the same value as the step, flexible electroluminescent display. A flexible substrate comprising a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area and having a bending area;
A thin film transistor and a light emitting element on the display area;
A touch screen panel on the display area;
A touch circuit board connected to the touch screen panel and bent at an outer side of the bent region;
A touch pad connecting the touch screen panel and the touch circuit board;
A polarizer disposed on the touch screen panel and covering a portion of the touch circuit board;
A step compensation layer disposed on the touch screen panel to compensate for the step difference between the touch screen panel and an end of the touch circuit board; And
An adhesive layer disposed between the lower surface of the polarizing plate and the upper surface of the step compensation layer and between the lower surface of the polarizing plate and the upper surface of the touch circuit board,
And a top surface of the touch screen panel, a side surface of the step compensation layer, a bottom surface of the adhesive layer, a side surface of the touch pad, and a side surface of the touch circuit board form a closed curve surrounding an empty space. A flexible substrate comprising a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area and having a bending area;
A thin film transistor and a light emitting element on the display area;
A touch screen panel on the display area;
A touch circuit board connected to the touch screen panel and bent at an outer side of the bent region;
A touch pad connecting the touch screen panel and the touch circuit board;
A polarizer disposed on the touch screen panel and covering a portion of the touch circuit board;
A step compensation layer disposed on an end of the touch screen and the touch circuit board so as to compensate for the step difference between the touch screen panel and the end of the touch circuit board, and in contact with a bottom surface of the polarizing plate and formed of an adhesive layer; And
And a top surface of the touch screen panel, a bottom surface of the step compensation layer, a side surface of the touch pad, and a side surface of the touch circuit board define an air gap. The method of claim 16,
The step compensation layer is made of a transparent adhesive resin (Optically Cleared Resin (OCR) or a transparent adhesive film (OCA film) material, flexible electroluminescent display device. The method of claim 16,
The thickness of the step compensation layer has a larger value than the step. The method of claim 15,
And the step compensation layer is a barrier layer. The method of claim 19,
And the step compensation layer further comprises a notch region in which an area overlapping the touch circuit board is cut.

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