KR20210155210A - Antenna device and display device including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to embodiments of the present invention, an antenna device comprises: a power feeding line; an interlayer dielectric layer disposed on the power feeding line; and an antenna sheet coupled to be detachable on the interlayer dielectric layer and including a protection sheet and a radiation pattern formed on a surface of the protection sheet. An antenna having an appropriate frequency depending on a region may be coupled to a display device by using the antenna sheet.

Description

Antenna element and display device including the same

The present invention relates to an antenna element and a display device including the same. More particularly, it relates to an antenna element including an electrode and a dielectric layer, and a display device including the same.

With the recent development of an information society, wireless communication technologies such as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth are combined with a display device and implemented in the form of, for example, a smart phone. In this case, an antenna may be coupled to the display device to perform a communication function.

In addition, for example, as a high-frequency or ultra-high frequency mobile communication function such as 5G mobile communication is applied to a display device, an antenna capable of realizing a high-frequency or ultra-high frequency radiation characteristic is included in the display device.

However, even in the case of high-frequency or ultra-high frequency communication, the resonance frequency band may be different for each country. In addition, as the thickness of the display device becomes thinner and the size of the display area is relatively increased, it is not easy to include all antennas corresponding to the resonant frequencies of different countries in one display device.

In addition, when the antenna is included in the display device, radiation characteristics may be shielded by various electrodes and wires of the display device. Since the antenna is more susceptible to signal loss at the high frequency or very high frequency, it is not easy to sufficiently realize the gain characteristic and the wideband characteristic.

For example, Korean Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-0095557 discloses an antenna structure built into a portable terminal, but the antenna structure cannot sufficiently implement the above-mentioned recent antenna requirements.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2003-0095557

An object of the present invention is to provide an antenna element having improved radiation coverage characteristics and gain characteristics.

An object of the present invention is to provide a display device including an antenna element having improved radiation coverage characteristics and gain characteristics.

1. Feeding line; an interlayer dielectric layer disposed on the feed line; and an antenna sheet detachably coupled to the interlayer dielectric layer and including a protective sheet and a radiation pattern formed on a surface of the protective sheet.

2. The antenna element according to the above 1, wherein the radiation pattern overlaps one end of the feed line in the thickness direction.

3. The antenna element according to the above 2, wherein the radiation pattern is physically separated from the feed line with the interlayer dielectric layer interposed therebetween.

4. The antenna element according to the above 2, further comprising a via structure passing through the interlayer dielectric layer and connecting the one end of the feed line and the radiation pattern.

5. The antenna element according to the above 2, further comprising a via structure connected to the one end of the feeding line and partially penetrating the interlayer dielectric layer.

6. The antenna element according to 5 above, wherein the via structure is physically separated from the radiation pattern.

7. The method of 6 above, wherein the interlayer dielectric layer includes a first interlayer dielectric layer and a second interlayer dielectric layer sequentially stacked from the feed line,

and the via structure is formed in the first interlayer dielectric layer and does not extend into the second interlayer dielectric layer.

8. The antenna element according to the above 7, wherein the first interlayer dielectric layer includes an adhesive layer, and the second interlayer dielectric layer includes a window sheet.

9. The antenna element according to the above 1, further comprising a base dielectric layer on which the feed line is formed.

10. The antenna element according to 9 above, further comprising an internal antenna pattern disposed on the base dielectric layer.

11. The antenna element according to 10 above, wherein the internal antenna pattern includes an internal radiation pattern and a transmission line extending from the internal radiation pattern.

12. The antenna element according to the above 11, wherein the internal antenna pattern and the feed line are disposed separately from each other on the same level or on the same layer.

13. The antenna element according to 1 above, wherein the antenna sheet further includes an alignment pattern formed around the radiation pattern on the protective sheet.

14. Display panel; and the antenna element of the above-described embodiments stacked on the display panel.

15. The display device according to 14 above, wherein the interlayer dielectric layer includes a window sheet, and the antenna sheet is attached on the window sheet.

The antenna element according to embodiments of the present invention may include an antenna sheet including a radiation pattern formed on a detachable protective sheet. The antenna sheet may be attached on the interlayer dielectric layer to partially overlap the feed line with the interlayer dielectric layer interposed therebetween.

Accordingly, for example, even when a frequency environment changes by region (or country), an antenna sheet including a radiation pattern suitable for the frequency environment can be easily exchanged.

For example, the antenna sheet may be detachably attached to a window surface of a display device such as a smart phone. Accordingly, radiation interference caused by conductive structures included in the display device is reduced, and a multi-band or broadband communication function can be easily applied to the display device.

1 and 2 are schematic cross-sectional views and plan views, respectively, of antenna elements according to exemplary embodiments.
3 and 4 are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating an antenna element according to some exemplary embodiments.
5 is a schematic plan view of an antenna element according to some exemplary embodiments;
6 and 7 are schematic cross-sectional views and plan views, respectively, of display devices according to exemplary embodiments.

Embodiments of the present invention provide an antenna element including a detachable antenna sheet. In addition, embodiments of the present invention provide a display device including the antenna element and capable of implementing a broadband communication function. An application target of the antenna element is not limited to a display device, and may be applied to various objects or structures such as vehicles, home appliances, and buildings.

The antenna element may be, for example, a microstrip patch antenna manufactured in the form of a transparent film. The antenna element may be applied to, for example, a communication device for high-frequency or ultra-high frequency (eg, 3G, 4G, 5G or higher) mobile communication. For example, the antenna element may be operable in a high frequency or very high frequency band of about 1 GHz or more, and in an embodiment, about 20 to 60 GHz. In addition, the antenna element may be driven together in a frequency band of 1 GHz or less, for example.

Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail. However, the following drawings attached to the present specification illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention, and serve to further understand the technical spirit of the present invention together with the above-described content of the present invention, so the present invention is described in such drawings It should not be construed as being limited only to the matters.

1 and 2 are schematic cross-sectional views and plan views, respectively, of antenna elements according to exemplary embodiments. Specifically, FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the antenna sheet 150 of the antenna element.

1 and 2 , the antenna element may include a detachable antenna sheet 150 including a protective sheet 140 and a radiation pattern 130 .

The protective sheet 140 may be provided as, for example, a base sheet or a base film for forming the radiation pattern 130 , and may function as an upper dielectric layer of the radiation pattern 130 . The protective sheet 140 may include an organic resin material having a detachable adhesive property. In some embodiments, the protective sheet 140 may include a laminated structure of a base sheet and an adhesive layer.

For example, the base sheet may include a transparent resin material such as an acrylic resin, an olefin-based resin, a polyimide-based resin, or a urethane-based resin. The base sheet may include an inorganic insulating material such as glass, silicon oxide, or silicon nitride.

The radiation pattern 130 may be formed on one surface of the protective sheet 140 . In some embodiments, the radiation pattern 130 may be formed on the base sheet, and the adhesive layer may be formed on the one surface of the protective sheet 140 to cover the radiation pattern 130 . In an embodiment, a release film may be formed on the adhesive layer.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2 , the radiation pattern 130 may be formed on the periphery of the protective sheet 140 . As will be described later, when the antenna sheet 150 is attached to the viewing surface or the window surface of the display device, the radiation pattern 130 may be disposed on the periphery to prevent image degradation implemented by the display device.

The radiation pattern 130 includes silver (Ag), gold (Au), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), and tungsten (W). , niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), vanadium (V), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), tin (Sn), molybdenum (Mo) , calcium (Ca) or an alloy thereof may be included. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

For example, the radiation pattern 130 may include silver (Ag) or a silver alloy (eg, silver-palladium-copper (APC) alloy), or copper (Cu) or copper in consideration of low resistance implementation and fine line width patterning. alloys (eg, copper-cal (CuCa) alloys).

In an embodiment, the radiation pattern 130 may include a transparent conductive oxide such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium zinc tin oxide (ITZO), or zinc oxide (ZnOx).

In some embodiments, the radiation pattern 130 may include a stacked structure of a transparent conductive oxide layer and a metal layer, for example, may have a three-layer structure of a transparent conductive oxide layer-metal layer-transparent conductive oxide layer. . In this case, while the flexible characteristic is improved by the metal layer, the signal transmission speed may be improved by lowering the resistance, and the corrosion resistance and transparency may be improved by the transparent conductive oxide layer

In some embodiments, the radiation pattern 130 may have a mesh-pattern structure. Accordingly, the radiation pattern 130 has improved transmittance and can be prevented from being viewed by the user even when the antenna sheet 150 is attached to the viewing surface of the display device.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the radiation pattern 130 may have a polygonal plate shape. However, the shape of the radiation pattern 130 may be appropriately changed in consideration of the design and radiation characteristics of the display device. For example, the radiation pattern 130 may have a circular shape, an oval shape, or the like.

The antenna sheet 150 may be attached on the interlayer dielectric layer 110 to be coupled with the feed line 120 . The feed line 120 may be formed on the base dielectric layer 100 .

The base dielectric layer 100 and/or the interlayer dielectric layer 110 may include a polyester-based resin such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene isophthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, and polybutylene terephthalate; Cellulose resins, such as a diacetyl cellulose and a triacetyl cellulose; polycarbonate-based resin; acrylic resins such as polymethyl (meth)acrylate and polyethyl (meth)acrylate; styrenic resins such as polystyrene and acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer; polyolefin-based resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polyolefin having a cyclo-based or norbornene structure, and an ethylene-propylene copolymer; vinyl chloride-based resin; amide resins such as nylon and aromatic polyamide; imide-based resin; polyether sulfone-based resin; sulfone-based resins; polyether ether ketone resin; sulfide polyphenylene-based resin; vinyl alcohol-based resin; vinylidene chloride-based resin; vinyl butyral-based resin; allylate-based resin; polyoxymethylene-based resins; epoxy resin; urethane-based or acrylic urethane-based resin; A transparent resin material such as a silicone-based resin may be included. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

In some embodiments, an adhesive film such as an optically clear adhesive (OCA), an optically clear resin (OCR), etc. may be included in the base dielectric layer 100 and/or the interlayer dielectric layer 110 . have. In some embodiments, the base dielectric layer 100 and/or the interlayer dielectric layer 110 may include an inorganic insulating material such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, glass, or the like.

In some embodiments, the dielectric constant of the base dielectric layer 100 and/or the interlayer dielectric layer 110 may be adjusted in a range of about 1.5 to 12. When the dielectric constant exceeds about 12, the driving frequency through the radiation pattern 130 is excessively reduced, so that radiation/drive of the antenna in a desired high frequency or very high frequency band may not be implemented.

The feed line 120 is disposed on the base dielectric layer 100 , and the interlayer dielectric layer 110 may be stacked on the base dielectric layer 100 and the feed line 120 .

The feeding line 120 may include the above-described metal or alloy. The feeding line 120 may be formed in a solid metal pattern to reduce feeding resistance and promote signal transmission.

According to example embodiments, the feeding line 120 may be physically spaced apart from the radiation pattern 130 with the interlayer dielectric layer 110 interposed therebetween. For example, the radiation pattern 130 may be a floating electrode separated by the interlayer dielectric layer 110 with respect to the feed line 120 .

In some embodiments, one end of the feed line 120 may overlap the radiation pattern 130 in the thickness direction of the antenna element, and the other end of the feed line 120 may be bonded to the circuit board 160 . .

The circuit board 160 may include, for example, a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). For example, after bonding a conductive bonding structure such as an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) on the other end of the power supply line 120 , the circuit board 160 may be heat-compressed on the conductive bonding structure.

An antenna driving integrated circuit (IC) chip may be mounted on the circuit board 160 . In an embodiment, an intermediate circuit board such as a rigid printed circuit board may be disposed between the circuit board 160 and the antenna driving IC chip. In an embodiment, the antenna driving IC chip may be directly mounted on the circuit board 160 .

Power is supplied from the antenna driving IC chip to the feed line 120 via the circuit board 160 , and an electric field may be generated between the radiation pattern 130 and the feed line 120 in the interlayer dielectric layer 110 . . Accordingly, antenna radiation may be implemented through the coupling of the radiation pattern 130 and the feed line 120 .

In some embodiments, a ground layer 90 may be formed on a bottom surface of the base dielectric layer 100 . The generation of an electric field in the feed line 120 may be further promoted through the ground layer 90 , and electrical noise around the feed line 120 may be absorbed or shielded.

In some embodiments, the ground layer 90 may be included as a separate component of the antenna element. In some embodiments, a conductive member of the display device on which the antenna element is mounted may be provided as a ground layer.

The conductive member may include, for example, various wirings such as a gate electrode, a scan line or a data line of a thin film transistor (TFT) included in the display panel, or various electrodes such as a pixel electrode and a common electrode.

In one embodiment, for example, various structures including a conductive material disposed under the display panel may be provided as the ground layer 90 . For example, a metal plate (eg, a stainless steel plate such as a SUS plate), a pressure sensor, a fingerprint sensor, an electromagnetic wave shielding layer, a heat dissipation sheet, a digitizer, or the like may be provided as the ground layer 90 .

According to the above-described exemplary embodiments, the detachable antenna sheet 150 may be attached on the interlayer dielectric layer 110 to be coupled to the power supply line 120 to provide antenna radiation driving. Accordingly, the antenna sheet 150 on which the corresponding radiation pattern 130 is formed can be easily exchanged according to the frequency environment of each region (or country).

Therefore, even without inserting radiation patterns suitable for all frequencies in the display device, a desired communication function can be secured through attachment and detachment of the antenna sheet 150 .

In addition, the antenna sheet 150 may be detachably attached to the window surface of the display device. Accordingly, radiation interference caused by conductive structures included in the display device is reduced, and a multi-band or broadband communication function can be easily applied to the display device.

In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2 , an alignment pattern 135 may be further formed around the radiation pattern 130 on the protective sheet 140 . When attaching and detaching the window surface using the alignment pattern 135 , the antenna sheet 150 may be easily aligned and attached to overlap the one end of the feeding line 120 .

3 and 4 are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating an antenna element according to some exemplary embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the radiation pattern 130 included in the antenna sheet 150 may be connected to the feed line 120 through the via structure 125 . For example, the via structure 125 may penetrate the interlayer dielectric layer 110 , and may contact the one end of the feed line 120 and the bottom surface of the radiation pattern 130 , respectively.

The via structure 125 may include the above-described metal or alloy to reduce power supply resistance. Power feeding efficiency from the feeding line 120 to the radiation pattern 130 through the via structure 125 may be further improved.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the interlayer dielectric layer 110 may have a multilayer structure. For example, the interlayer dielectric layer 110 may include a first interlayer dielectric layer 112 and a second interlayer dielectric layer 115 .

In some embodiments, the first interlayer dielectric layer 112 may include an adhesive layer such as an OCA film. The second interlayer dielectric layer 115 is stacked on the first interlayer dielectric layer 112 , and may include a window sheet of a display device. The window sheet may include, for example, a hard coating film or glass (eg, ultra-thin glass (UTG)) used for a window film or a window substrate of a display device.

In example embodiments, the via structure 125 may partially penetrate the interlayer dielectric layer 110 . For example, the via structure 125 may be formed in the first interlayer dielectric layer 112 and may not extend into the second interlayer dielectric layer 115 . Accordingly, the radiation pattern 130 may float through the second interlayer dielectric layer 115 without contacting the feed line 120 and the via structure 125 .

As described with reference to FIG. 1 , antenna radiation may be implemented by generating an electric field through coupling between the feed line 120 and the radiation pattern 130 . The via structure 125 may be provided as a radiation guide pattern that promotes the coupling or generation of an electric field.

5 is a schematic plan view illustrating an antenna element according to some exemplary embodiments. For convenience of explanation, illustration of the interlayer dielectric layer 110 and the protective sheet 140 is omitted in FIG. 5 .

Referring to FIG. 5 , the antenna element may further include an internal antenna pattern 170 in addition to the radiation pattern 130 described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 included in the antenna sheet 150 . According to exemplary embodiments, the internal antenna pattern 170 and the radiation pattern 130 may be located on different layers or different levels.

For example, the internal antenna pattern 170 is formed on the base dielectric layer 100 together with the feed line 120 , and may be inserted into the display device in the form of a patch antenna. As described above, the radiation pattern 130 may be formed on the protective sheet 140 and disposed on the interlayer dielectric layer 110 .

The internal antenna pattern 170 may include an internal radiation pattern 172 and a transmission line 174 . The internal radiation pattern 172 may have, for example, a polygonal plate shape, and the transmission line 174 may extend from one side of the internal radiation pattern 172 . The transmission line 174 may be formed as a single member substantially integral with the internal radiation pattern 172 .

The internal antenna pattern 170 may further include a signal pad 176 . The signal pad 176 may be connected to one end of the transmission line 174 . In an embodiment, the signal pad 176 is formed as a member substantially integral with the transmission line 174 , and the distal end of the transmission line 174 may be provided as the signal pad 176 .

According to some embodiments, a ground pad 178 may be disposed around the signal pad 176 . For example, a pair of ground pads 178 may be disposed to face each other with the signal pad 176 interposed therebetween. The ground pad 178 may be electrically and physically separated from the transmission line 174 around the signal pad 176 .

The internal antenna pattern 170 may include the aforementioned metal or alloy (eg, APC alloy or CuCa alloy). The internal antenna pattern 170 may include a transparent conductive oxide such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), indium zinc tin oxide (IZTO), cadmium tin oxide (CTO), or the like. have.

In some embodiments, the internal antenna pattern 170 may include a stacked structure of a transparent conductive oxide layer and a metal layer, for example, having a three-layer structure of a transparent conductive oxide layer-metal layer-transparent conductive oxide layer. may be

The internal radiation pattern 172 may be disposed in the display area of the display device. In some embodiments, a portion of the transmission line 174 may also be disposed in the constant display area.

Accordingly, in order to prevent a decrease in transmittance in the display area, the radiation pattern 172 and the transmission line 174 may be formed to include a mesh-pattern structure.

The signal pad 176 and the ground pad 178 may be formed of a solid metal pattern to reduce a power supply resistance through the circuit board 160 and prevent signal loss.

The circuit board 160 shown in FIG. 1 may be bonded together on the signal pad 176 and the other end of the feed line 120 . As the ground pads 178 are arranged around the signal pad 176 , bonding stability of the circuit board 160 may be further improved.

For example, the internal antenna pattern 170 may be an antenna that is basically applied to a display device and provided in a commercialized state. While realizing a predetermined antenna radiation through the internal antenna pattern 170 , the radiation coverage can be further expanded according to the frequency environment of each region by using the detachable antenna sheet 150 .

6 and 7 are schematic cross-sectional views and plan views, respectively, of display devices according to exemplary embodiments. For example, FIG. 7 illustrates a window surface or a front portion of a display device implemented in the form of a smart phone.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the display apparatus 200 may include a display panel 230 and the aforementioned antenna element stacked on the display panel 230 .

The display panel 230 includes a panel substrate, a TFT circuit structure formed on the panel substrate, a pixel electrode connected to the TFT circuit structure, a display layer (eg, an organic light emitting layer or a liquid crystal layer) formed on the pixel electrode, and the It may include a common electrode covering the display layer, an encapsulation layer covering the common electrode, and the like. For example, the display panel 230 may be an organic light emitting diode (OLED) panel.

The above-described antenna element may be stacked on the display panel 230 . For example, a detachable antenna sheet 150 may be stacked on the interlayer dielectric layer 110 . The interlayer dielectric layer 110 may include a window sheet that provides a window surface of the display device as described above. In an embodiment, the window sheet is laminated on the interlayer dielectric layer 110 , and the antenna sheet 150 may be attached to the window sheet.

A touch sensor layer 240 and a polarization layer 250 may be further included between the display panel 230 and the antenna element. For example, the touch sensor layer 240 , the polarization layer 250 , and the antenna element may be sequentially stacked from the display panel 230 . In this case, it is possible to effectively prevent the sensing electrodes included in the touch sensor layer 240 from being recognized by the user. In addition, the polarization layer 250 may be included as a lower dielectric layer of the antenna element.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the display apparatus 200 may include a display area 210 and a peripheral area 220 . The peripheral area 220 may be disposed on both sides and/or both ends of the display area 210 .

In some embodiments, the feed line 120 of the antenna element is disposed in a peripheral area of the display device, and the radiation pattern 130 included in the antenna sheet 150 is at least partially disposed over the display area 210 . can be

The peripheral region 220 may correspond to, for example, a light blocking part or a bezel part of the image display device. In addition, a driving circuit such as a driving IC chip of the display device 200 and/or an antenna may be disposed in the peripheral region 220 .

The circuit board 160 may be disposed in the peripheral region 220 , for example, may be bent toward the rear surface of the display device 200 to be electrically connected to the main board or the antenna driving IC chip.

100: base dielectric layer 110: interlayer dielectric layer
120: feed line 130: radiation pattern
140: protective sheet 150: antenna sheet
160: circuit board 170: internal antenna pattern
172: internal radiation pattern 174: transmission line
176: signal pad 178: ground pad

Claims (15)

feeding line;
an interlayer dielectric layer disposed on the feed line; and
and an antenna sheet detachably coupled on the interlayer dielectric layer and including a protective sheet and a radiation pattern formed on a surface of the protective sheet. The antenna element according to claim 1, wherein the radiation pattern overlaps one end of the feed line in a thickness direction. The antenna element according to claim 2, wherein the radiation pattern is physically separated from the feed line with the interlayer dielectric layer interposed therebetween. The antenna element according to claim 2, further comprising a via structure passing through the interlayer dielectric layer and connecting the one end of the feed line and the radiation pattern. The antenna element according to claim 2, further comprising a via structure connected to the one end of the feed line and partially penetrating the interlayer dielectric layer. The antenna element of claim 5 , wherein the via structure is physically separated from the radiation pattern. The method according to claim 6, wherein the interlayer dielectric layer comprises a first interlayer dielectric layer and a second interlayer dielectric layer sequentially stacked from the feed line,
and the via structure is formed in the first interlayer dielectric layer and does not extend into the second interlayer dielectric layer. The antenna element of claim 7 , wherein the first interlayer dielectric layer comprises an adhesive layer and the second interlayer dielectric layer comprises a window sheet. The antenna element according to claim 1, further comprising a base dielectric layer on which the feed line is formed. The antenna element according to claim 9, further comprising an internal antenna pattern disposed on the base dielectric layer. The antenna element of claim 10 , wherein the internal antenna pattern includes an internal radiation pattern and a transmission line extending from the internal radiation pattern. The antenna element according to claim 11 , wherein the internal antenna pattern and the feed line are separated from each other at the same level or on the same layer. The antenna element according to claim 1, wherein the antenna sheet further comprises an alignment pattern formed around the radiation pattern on the protective sheet. display panel; and
A display device comprising the antenna element of claim 1 stacked on the display panel. The display device of claim 14 , wherein the interlayer dielectric layer comprises a window sheet, and the antenna sheet is attached on the window sheet.

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