Display Devices

Abstract

A display device is disclosed, comprising: a substrate, comprising a plurality of sub-pixels and a plurality of contact portions arranged on one side of each of the plurality of sub-pixels; an insulating layer arranged on the substrate; a first electrode, the first electrode being located on the insulating layer and arranged in each of the plurality of sub-pixels and in each of the plurality of contact portions; a fence portion arranged on the first electrode; a light-emitting layer arranged on the insulating layer, the fence portion and the first electrode; a second electrode arranged on the light-emitting layer; a filling layer arranged on the second electrode; and grooves arranged in the fence portion and the insulating layer, wherein the grooves include first grooves arranged between contact portions adjacent to each other and second grooves arranged between sub-pixels adjacent to each other, and the light-emitting layer includes voids located in the second grooves, and the voids are filled with a filler that is the same as the material constituting the filling layer.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0189671, filed on December 31, 2020, which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to a display device. Background Art

[0004] As the information society develops, the demand for display devices that display images in various forms increases. Therefore, various display devices such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and organic light emitting displays (OLEDs) are recently adopted.

[0005] Among display devices, organic light-emitting display devices are self-luminous display devices that have excellent viewing angles and contrast ratios compared to LCDs, are lightweight and thin because they do not require a separate backlight, and have advantages in power consumption. In addition, organic light-emitting display devices can be driven using a low DC voltage, have a fast response speed, and have a low manufacturing cost.

[0006] Meanwhile, in a plurality of pixels of the related art organic light emitting display, lateral leakage current (LLC) may flow between adjacent pixels, thereby deteriorating display quality. Summary of the invention

[0007] Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a display device that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

[0008] An aspect of the present invention is directed to a display device which stably includes an encapsulation layer while preventing a lateral leakage current from occurring.

[0009] The following description will partially list additional advantages and features of the present invention, some of which will become apparent to those skilled in the art after studying the following or can be understood through the practice of the present invention. These purposes and other advantages of the present invention can be achieved and obtained through the structures specifically pointed out in the specification and claims and the drawings.

[0010] To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the intent of the present invention, as embodied and generally described herein, a display device is provided, comprising: a substrate comprising a plurality of sub-pixels and a plurality of contacts arranged on one side of each of the plurality of sub-pixels; an insulating layer arranged on the substrate; a first electrode, the first electrode being located on the insulating layer and arranged in each of the plurality of sub-pixels and in each of the plurality of contacts; a fence arranged on the first electrode; a light-emitting layer arranged on the insulating layer, the fence and the first electrode; a second electrode arranged on the light-emitting layer; a filling layer arranged on the second electrode; and grooves arranged in the fence and the insulating layer, wherein the grooves include first grooves arranged between contact portions adjacent to each other and second grooves arranged between sub-pixels adjacent to each other, the light-emitting layer including voids located in the second grooves, the voids being filled with a filler that is the same as the material constituting the filling layer.

[0011] According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display device, comprising: a substrate including a plurality of sub-pixels; a first electrode, the first electrode being arranged in each of the plurality of sub-pixels located on the substrate; a light-emitting layer arranged on the first electrode; a second electrode arranged on the light-emitting layer; a filling layer arranged on the second electrode; and grooves arranged between the plurality of sub-pixels, wherein the grooves include a first groove having a first width and a second groove having a second width smaller than the first width, wherein a portion of the light-emitting layer is continuous in the first groove and is disconnected in the second groove.

[0012] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present invention are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0013] The accompanying drawings, which provide a further understanding of the present invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate embodiments of the present invention and together with the description are used to explain the principle of the present invention. In the drawings:

[0014] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating an example of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 2 It is a graphic Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example display device of a region II′.

[0016] Figure 3 It is a graphic Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an example display device of region II-II′.

[0017] Figure 4 It is a graphic Figure 1 Schematic cross-sectional view of an example display device of region III-III'.

[0018] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5D is a cross-sectional view illustrating a process for forming a display device according to the present invention.

[0019] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of the display device according to the present invention.

[0020] Fig. 7A and 7B is a plan view illustrating another example of a pixel structure of a display device according to the present invention.

[0021] Figures 8A to 8C Regarding a display device according to another embodiment of the present invention, it relates to a head mounted display (HMD) device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numerals will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

[0023] The advantages and features of the present invention and the methods for implementing the same will be explained by the following embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments listed here. Rather, these embodiments are provided to make the disclosure of the present invention comprehensive and complete and to fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In addition, the present invention is limited only by the scope of the claims.

[0024] The shapes, sizes, proportions, angles and quantities disclosed in the accompanying drawings for the purpose of describing the embodiments of the present invention are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to the details illustrated. Similar reference numerals refer to similar elements throughout. In the following description, when it is determined that a detailed description of related known functions or structures would unnecessarily obscure the key points of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. Where "including", "having" and "comprising" are used in the present application for description, other parts may be added unless "only" is used.

[0025] When interpreting an element, even if it is not explicitly stated, the element should be interpreted as including a range of error.

[0026] When describing a positional relationship, for example, when the positional relationship between two parts is described as “on,” “above,” “below,” and “after,” one or more other parts may be set between the two parts, unless “just” or “directly” is used.

[0027] When describing a time relationship, for example, when a time sequence is described as "after," "subsequently," "next," and "before," discontinuous cases may be included unless "directly" or "directly" is used.

[0028] It will be understood that although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish one element from another element. For example, a first element may be referred to as a second element, and similarly, a second element may be referred to as a first element without departing from the scope of the present invention.

[0029] When describing the elements of the present invention, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the corresponding elements from other elements, and these terms do not limit the nature, order or priority of the corresponding elements. It will be understood that when an element or layer is said to be "on" or "connected to" another element or layer, the element or layer may be directly located on or directly connected to another element or layer, or there may be an intermediate element or layer. In addition, it should be understood that when an element is arranged above or below another element, it can represent the situation where these elements are arranged to be in direct contact with each other, but it can also represent that these elements are arranged without being in direct contact with each other.

[0030] The term "at least one" should be understood to include any and all combinations of one or more of the relevant listed elements. For example, the meaning of "at least one of the first element, the second element, and the third element" means the combination of all elements selected from two or more elements of the first element, the second element, and the third element, as well as the first element, the second element, or the third element.

[0031] As can be fully understood by those skilled in the art, the features of the various embodiments of the present invention can be combined or combined with each other in part or in whole, and can be technically interoperable and driven with each other in various ways. The embodiments of the present invention can be implemented independently of each other, or can be implemented together in a mutually dependent relationship.

[0032] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Figure 1 is a schematic plan view illustrating an example of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] Reference Figure 1 , the display device may include: a first sub-pixel P1, a second sub-pixel P2, and a third sub-pixel P3 that emit light; a first contact portion C1, a second contact portion C2, and a third contact portion C3 disposed on one side of each of the first sub-pixel P1, the second sub-pixel P2, and the third sub-pixel P3; and a boundary region between each of the sub-pixels P1, P2, and P3. The first sub-pixel P1 may emit light of a first color, the second sub-pixel P2 may emit light of a second color, and the third sub-pixel P3 may emit light of a third color, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first contact portion C1 is a portion where the first electrode (e.g., anode) in the first sub-pixel P1 is connected to the source or drain of a driving thin film transistor (TFT), the second contact portion C2 is a portion where the first electrode (e.g., anode) in the second sub-pixel P2 is connected to the source or drain of the driving TFT, and the third contact portion C2 is a portion where the first electrode (e.g., anode) in the third sub-pixel P3 is connected to the source or drain of the driving TFT. In addition, the trench T may be disposed between two adjacent contact portions C1 to C3 and between two adjacent sub-pixels P1 to P3. In this case, the width of the trench T disposed between two adjacent contact portions C1 to C3 may be greater than the width of the trench T disposed between two adjacent sub-pixels P1 to P3 .

[0035] Figure 2 It is a graphic Figure 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display device according to an example of a region II′ of FIG. 1 , which shows a first contact portion C1 , a second contact portion C2 , and a boundary region between the first contact portion C1 and the second contact portion C2 .

[0036] As from Figure 2 It can be seen that the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate 100 , a circuit element layer 200 , an insulating layer 300 , a fence F, a first electrode 410 , a light emitting layer 420 , a second electrode 430 , and a filling layer 500 .

[0037] The substrate 100 may be formed of glass or plastic, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed of a semiconductor material such as a silicon wafer.

[0038] The display device according to the embodiment of the present invention may be formed in a so-called top emission mode in which emitted light is emitted upward. Therefore, as a material of the substrate 100, not only a transparent material but also an opaque material may be used.

[0039] The circuit element layer 200 is formed on the substrate 100 .

[0040] Circuit elements including various signal lines, thin film transistors (TFTs) and capacitors are provided in the circuit element layer 200. The signal lines may include gate lines, data lines, power lines and reference lines, and the TFTs may include switching TFTs, driving TFTs and sensing TFTs.

[0041] The switching TFT is switched according to a gate signal supplied to the gate line, and serves to supply a data voltage supplied from the data line to the driving TFT.

[0042] The driving TFT is switched according to the data voltage supplied from the switching TFT to generate a data current according to the power supplied from the power line and to supply the generated data current to the first electrode 410 .

[0043] The sensing TFT is used to sense a threshold voltage deviation of the driving TFT which may cause image quality degradation, and supplies a current from the driving TFT to the reference line in response to a sensing control signal supplied from the gate line or a separate sensing line.

[0044] The capacitor serves to maintain a data voltage supplied to the driving TFT for one frame, and is connected to a gate terminal and a source terminal of the driving TFT.

[0045] The insulating layer 300 is disposed on the circuit element layer 200. The insulating layer 300 may be formed of an organic film such as acrylic resin, epoxy resin, phenolic resin, polyamide resin, polyimide resin, etc. Alternatively, the insulating layer 300 may be formed of an inorganic layer such as silicon nitride, aluminum nitride, zirconium nitride, titanium nitride, hafnium nitride, tantalum nitride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, or titanium oxide.

[0046] In the boundary region between the two contact portions C1 and C2, the first trench T1 is provided in the insulating layer 300. The first trench T1 may penetrate the fence portion F and may extend to a determined region located inside the insulating layer 300 without penetrating the insulating layer 300. However, the present invention is not necessarily limited thereto, and the first trench T1 may penetrate the fence portion F and the insulating layer 300 and may extend to a determined region located inside the circuit element layer 200 located therebelow.

[0047] The first electrode 410 is disposed on the insulating layer 300. The first electrode 410 is patterned for each sub-pixel and extends to the contact portions C1 and C2, as shown. Although not specifically shown, the first electrode 410 is connected to the source or drain of the driving TFT disposed in the circuit element layer 200 in each contact portion C1, C2. The first electrode 410 may be used as an anode of a display device.

[0048] The first electrode 410 is formed of a metal material, or may be configured as a single layer or multiple layers formed of a metal material among aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), copper (Cu), magnesium (Mg), molybdenum (Mo), and titanium (Ti), or an alloy thereof.

[0049] The fence portion F is formed on the first electrode 410, and specifically, is formed to cover one end of the first electrode 410 to prevent current from being concentrated on the one end of the first electrode 410. The fence portion F includes a first trench T1 and is formed in the contact portions C1 and C2 and in a portion of a boundary region between the contact portions C1 and C2 adjacent to each other.

[0050] The light emitting layer 420 is formed on the insulating layer 300 and the fence portion F. That is, the light emitting layer 420 is formed in the two contact portions C1 and C2 and in a boundary region between the two contact portions C1 and C2.

[0051] The light emitting layer 420 may be configured to emit white W light. To this end, the light emitting layer 420 may include a plurality of stacks emitting different colors of light. Specifically, the light emitting layer 420 may include a first stack 421, a second stack 423, and a charge generation layer CGL 422 disposed between the first stack 421 and the second stack 423.

[0052] The first stack 421 may include a hole injection layer, a first hole transport layer, a first organic light-emitting layer and a first electron transport layer stacked in sequence, the second stack 423 may include a second hole transport layer, a second organic light-emitting layer, a second electron transport layer and an electron injection layer stacked in sequence, and the charge generation layer 422 may include an N-type charge generation layer for providing electrons to the first stack 421 and a P-type charge generation layer for providing holes to the second stack 423.

[0053] The light emitting layer 420 is formed on the lower surface and the side surface of the first trench T1. When the light emitting layer 420 is formed in the first trench T1, each of the first stack 421, the charge generation layer 422, and the second stack 423 may be formed to be continuous. However, the thickness of the light emitting layer 420 in the region overlapping with the first trench T1 may be less than the thickness of the light emitting layer 420 in the region not overlapping with the first trench T1. In the region overlapping with the first trench T1, the light emitting layer 420 may be formed to be continuous along the inside of the first trench T1 and may have a concave shape.

[0054] The second electrode 430 is disposed on the light emitting layer 420. The second electrode 430 may be used as a cathode of a display device. Like the light emitting layer 420, the second electrode 430 is formed in the two contact portions C1 and C2 and in the boundary region between the two contact portions C1 and C2. In addition, since the second electrode 430 is formed on the upper surface of the light emitting layer 420 in the first trench T1, the second electrode 430 may be formed continuously along the inside of the first trench T1, and may be formed to have a concave shape in the region overlapping with the first trench T1.

[0055] Since the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention is formed in a top emission mode, the second electrode 430 may be formed of a transparent metal material such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO) so that light emitted from the light emitting layer 420 can be transmitted upward. In addition, the second electrode 430 may be formed of a single layer or a plurality of layers.

[0056] The filling layer 500 is disposed on the second electrode 430. Since the display device according to the embodiment of the present invention has a top emission type, the filling layer 500 may be formed of a transparent material to allow light emitted from the light emitting layer 420 to be transmitted upward. For example, the filling layer 500 may be formed of an organic material such as acrylic resin, epoxy resin, phenolic resin, polyamide resin, or polyimide resin.

[0057] In addition, the filling layer 500 is formed to fill the inner space of the first trench T1. That is, the filling layer 500 is formed to fill at least a portion of the recessed region of the second electrode 430. Therefore, the size of the step difference between the region of the filling layer 500 overlapping the first trench T1 and the region of the filling layer 500 not overlapping the first trench T1 may be smaller than the size of the step difference between the region of the second electrode 430 overlapping the first trench T1 and the region of the second electrode 430 not overlapping the first trench T1.

[0058] Figure 3 It is a graphic Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of a display device according to an example of region II-II′ of FIG. 1 , wherein a first subpixel P1, a second subpixel P2, and a boundary region between the first subpixel P1 and the second subpixel P2 are shown.

[0059] because Figure 3 The substrate 100 and the circuit element layer 200 shown have the same Figure 2 The substrate 100 and the circuit element layer 200 of the display device shown have the same structure, so the description thereof is omitted.

[0060] The second trench T2 is provided in the insulating layer 300 in the boundary region between the first sub-pixel P1 and the second sub-pixel P2. The second trench T2 may penetrate the fence portion F and may extend to a predetermined region located inside the insulating layer 300 without penetrating the insulating layer 300. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the second trench T2 may penetrate the fence portion F and the insulating layer 300 and may extend to a predetermined region located inside the circuit element layer 200 located therebelow. In addition, the width W2 of the second trench T2 may be less than Figure 2 The width W1 of the first trench T1 is .

[0061] The fence portion F may be formed in a matrix structure in a boundary region between two sub-pixels P1 and P2 and cover both ends of the first electrode 410 disposed in each of the sub-pixels P1 and P2. Therefore, an exposed region of the first electrode 410 not covered by the fence portion F is a light emitting region.

[0062] In addition, since the fence portion F is formed to cover a portion of the upper surface of the first electrode 410 and the side surface of the end of the first electrode 410, the problem of current concentration on one end of the first electrode 410 to reduce light emission efficiency can be prevented. In addition, the fence portion F may be formed of an inorganic insulating film, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be formed of an organic insulating film.

[0063] The light emitting layer 420 is formed on the insulating layer 300, the fence portion F, and the first electrode 410. That is, the light emitting layer 420 is formed in the sub-pixels P1 and P2 and in a boundary region between the two sub-pixels P1 and P2.

[0064] As described above, the light emitting layer 420 may include the first stack layer 421 , the charge generation layer 422 , and the second stack layer 423 .

[0065] The light emitting layer 420 is formed inside and on the second trench T2. When the light emitting layer 420 is formed in the second trench T2, at least a portion of the light emitting layer 420 is disconnected, thereby preventing leakage current from occurring between adjacent sub-pixels P1 and P2.

[0066] The first stack 421 may be formed on the inner side surface and the lower surface of the second trench T2. In this case, at least a portion of the first stack 421 may not be continuous and may be disconnected in the second trench T2. For example, at least one of the hole injection layer, the first hole transport layer, the first organic light emitting layer, and the first electron transport layer constituting the first stack 421 may be disconnected in the second trench T2. A portion of the first stack 421 may be continuous in the second trench T2. For example, some of the hole injection layer, the first hole transport layer, the first organic light emitting layer, and the first electron transport layer constituting the first stack 421 may be formed to be continuous on the side surface and the lower surface of the second trench T2.

[0067] The charge generation layer 422 is disposed on the first stack 421. In this case, the charge generation layer 422 may be disconnected inside the second trench T2 or inside the region overlapping the second trench T2. Therefore, charges do not move through the charge generation layer 422 located between the sub-pixels P1 and P2 disposed adjacent to each other with the second trench T2 interposed therebetween.

[0068] The second stack 423 may be formed on the charge generation layer 422. In this case, at least a portion of the second stack 423 may not be continuous and may be disconnected between the sub-pixels P1 and P2 (with the second groove T2 interposed therebetween) disposed adjacent to each other. For example, at least one of the second hole transport layer, the second organic light emitting layer, and the second electron transport layer constituting the second stack 423 may be disconnected on the charge generation layer 422. In addition, a portion of the second stack may be continuous between the sub-pixels P1 and P2 (with the second groove T2 interposed therebetween) disposed adjacent to each other. For example, some of the second hole transport layer, the second organic light emitting layer, and the second electron transport layer constituting the second stack 423 may be formed to be continuous on the charge generation layer 422. Therefore, the charge may move through the second stack 423 located between the sub-pixels P1 and P2 disposed adjacent to each other and with the second groove T2 interposed therebetween.

[0069] In this case, the thickness of the second stack 423 overlapping the second trench T2 region may be less than the thickness of the second stack 423 not overlapping the second trench T2 region. Specifically, since the second stack 423 is deposited and contacted while being separated from each other on the upper surfaces of the left and right charge generation layers 422 separated from each other with the second trench T2 interposed therebetween, a portion of the lower surface of the second stack 423 may be disconnected above the second trench T2. For example, at least one of the second hole transport layer, the second organic light emitting layer, and the second electron transport layer constituting the second stack 423 may be disconnected in the region overlapping the second trench T2.

[0070] The filling layer is filled in the gap G of the light emitting layer 420. Specifically, the gap G and the filling layer may be disposed inside the second trench T2 and may extend upward from the second trench T2. At this time, the gap G and one end of the filling layer may be formed at a position higher than the charge generation layer 422, so that the charge generation layer 422 may be disconnected on the second trench T2 due to the gap G and the filling layer.

[0071] The second electrode 430 is disposed on the second stack 423, and the filling layer 500 is disposed on the second electrode 430. In addition, the filling layer 500 disposed on the second electrode 430 is formed of the same material as the filling layer filling the gap G.

[0072] Figure 4 It is a graphic Figure 11 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display device according to an example of a region III-III′ of FIG. 1 , in which a region between adjacent contact portions C2 and C3 and trench regions T1 and T2 between adjacent sub-pixels P2 and P3 are shown.

[0073] because Figure 4 The substrate 100 and the circuit element layer 200 shown have the same Figure 2 The substrate 100 and the circuit element layer 200 of the display device shown have the same structure, so the description thereof is omitted.

[0074] The insulating layer 300 is disposed on the circuit element layer 200 and Figure 4 , an insulating layer 300 is shown forming the lower surfaces of the first trench T1 and the second trench T2. Figure 4 The thickness of the insulating layer 300 is shown to be relatively smaller than the above Figure 2 and Figure 3 The first trench T1 is connected to the second trench T2, the opening 550 is disposed in the first trench T1 region, and the opening 550 is not disposed in the second trench T2 region.

[0075] The first stack 421, the charge generation layer 422, the second stack 423 and the second electrode 430 may be disposed on the lower surface of the first trench T1. Figure 2 1 is a cross-section of a central portion of the first trench T1 in FIG.

[0076] The filling layer 500 is disposed in the gap G located inside the second trench T2, the first stack 421 is disposed on the lower surface inside the second trench T2, specifically, below the filling layer 500 located in the gap G, the second stack 423 may be disposed above the filling layer 500 in the gap G, and since the charge generation layer 422 is disconnected from the filling layer 500 by the gap G, the charge generation layer 422 is not shown in FIG. Figure 4 This corresponds to the above Figure 3 A cross section of a central portion of the second trench T2 in FIG.

[0077] Since the width W1 of the first trench T1 is greater than the width W2 of the second trench T2, the first stack 421 material is more easily deposited inside the first trench T1 in the process of depositing the first stack 421, and thus the thickness of the first stack 421 disposed on the lower surface of the first trench T1 may be greater than the thickness of the first stack 421 disposed on the lower surface of the second trench T2.

[0078] The filling layer 500 introduced through the opening 550 fills the entire inner area of ​​the first trench T1, and expands to the gap G based on the second trench T2 to fill the inner space of the second trench T2. At this time, the volume of the gap G introduced with the filling layer 500 may be greater than the volume of the gap G before forming the filling layer 500. That is, as the filling layer 500 is introduced, the size of the gap G may be increased.

[0079] The filling layer 500 disposed in the first trench T1 may contact the first stack 421 and the second stack 422 (which contacts the area overlapping the second trench T2), and the filling material (filler) filling the gap G may contact the first stack 421, the charge generation layer 422 and the second stack 423 disposed in the first trench T1.

[0080] Although not shown, an encapsulation layer and a color filter may be disposed on the second electrode 430 .

[0081] As a result, in the present invention, by providing a first trench T1 having a relatively large width between the contact portions C1 to C3 adjacent to each other, and providing a second trench T2 having a relatively small width between the sub-pixels P1 to P3 adjacent to each other, an opening 550 may be formed in the first trench T1 region and a gap G may be formed in the second trench T2 region. As an example, the second trench T2 may be provided between the first electrode of the first sub-pixel P1 and the first electrode of the second sub-pixel P2, and the first trench T1 may be provided between the first contact portion C1 located on one side of the first sub-pixel P1 and the second contact portion C2 located on one side of the second sub-pixel P2. Here, the filling layer 500 is introduced through the opening 550 of the first trench T1 region, and the introduced filling layer 500 increases the volume of the gap G while filling the internal space of the gap G in the second trench T2 region to disconnect the charge generation layer 422, thereby stably preventing the occurrence of leakage current flowing into the boundary region between the adjacent sub-pixels P1 to P3. Specifically, the charge generation layer 422 has a higher conductivity than the first stack 421 and the second stack 423. In particular, since the N-type charge generation layer constituting the charge generation layer 422 may include a metal material, its conductivity is higher than that of the first stack 421 and the second stack 423. That is, the charge between the sub-pixels P1 and P2 disposed adjacent to each other may be mainly transmitted via the charge generation layer 422, and the amount of charge transmitted via the second stack 423 is not significant. Therefore, by forming the charge generation layer 422 to be disconnected inside the second trench T2, the charge transmission between the sub-pixels P1 to P3 disposed adjacent to each other may be reduced, thereby preventing the occurrence of leakage current. In addition, due to the expansion of the gap G, the step difference between the light emitting layer 420 at the upper surface of the second electrode 430 and the region overlapping the second trench T2 may be reduced, thereby stably depositing the encapsulation layer on the second electrode 430.

[0082] FIG. 5A to FIG. 5D is a cross-sectional view illustrating a process for forming a display device according to the present invention.

[0083] Reference Figure 5A , a circuit element layer 200 is formed on a substrate 100, an insulating layer 300 is formed on the circuit element layer 200, a first electrode 410 is formed on the insulating layer 300, a fence portion F is formed on the first electrode 410, and a first trench T1 and a second trench T2 are formed in the fence portion F and the insulating layer 300. The first trench T1 is formed by etching the fence portion F and the insulating layer 300 in a region between the first contact portion C1 and the second contact portion C2, and the second trench T2 is formed by etching the fence portion F and the insulating layer 300 in a region between the first sub-pixel P1 and the second sub-pixel P2. Here, as described above, the width W1 of the first trench T1 is greater than the width W2 of the second trench T2.

[0084] Reference Figure 5B , the light emitting layer 420 is formed on the insulating layer 300, the fence portion F and the first electrode 410. That is, the first stack 421, the charge generation layer 422 and the second stack 423 may be sequentially deposited on the insulating layer 300, the fence portion F and the first electrode 410 to form the light emitting layer 420. In addition, the second electrode 430 is formed on the light emitting layer 420.

[0085] At this time, the light emitting layer 420 may be formed to cover the side surface and the lower surface inside the first trench T1, and the region of the light emitting layer 420 overlapping the first trench T1 may have a concave shape, and an opening 550 may be provided. In addition, the first stack 421, the charge generation layer 422, and the third stack 423 may be continuously formed in the first trench T1, that is, connected to each other in the first trench T1.

[0086] The light emitting layer 420 may be formed to cover the side surface and the lower surface inside the second trench T2. Since the width W2 of the second trench T2 is less than the width W1 of the first trench T1, the first stack 421 is not uniformly deposited in the second trench T2, so that at least a portion of the first stack 421 may not be continuous, but may be disconnected in the second trench T2, and in some cases, a portion of the first stack 421 may be continuous in the second trench T2. In addition, the charge generation layer 422 may not be continuous, and may be disconnected inside or on the second trench T2. In addition, the second stack 423 may be continuous above the second trench T2, but a portion of the second stack 423 may be disconnected above the second trench T2. Therefore, the gap G is formed in the light emitting layer 420 in the region overlapping the second trench T2. That is, in the present invention, a portion of the light emitting layer 420 may be continuous in the first trench T1 and may be disconnected in the second trench T2.

[0087] Reference Figure 5C , the filling layer 500 is formed on the second electrode 430. Specifically, due to the pressure difference in the deposition chamber or due to a capillary phenomenon, the filling material introduced through the opening 550 may fill the inside of the first trench T1, and move to the second trench T2 to fill the inner space of the gap G. When the inner spaces of the first trench T1 and the second trench T2 are filled with the filling material, the filling material is also disposed on the second electrode 430, and the filling layer 500 is formed to cover the second electrode 430. In addition, the filling layer 500 in the region overlapping the first trench T1 and the second trench T2 may have a concave shape, and since the width W2 of the second trench T2 is smaller than the width W1 of the first trench T1, the width of the concave shape of the second trench T2 may be narrowed.

[0088] Reference Figure 5D , due to the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the gap G or due to the density difference between the light-emitting layer 420 and the filling layer 500 according to the curing process, the volume of the filling layer 500 filling the inner space of the gap G increases. Since the gap G is surrounded by the side surface of the second trench T2, the height of the gap G can be increased by further expanding in the vertical direction rather than the horizontal direction. Therefore, one end of the gap G is formed at a position higher than the charge generation layer 422, thereby completely short-circuiting the charge generation layer 422 on the second trench T2. In addition, a portion of the lower surface of the second stack 423 may be short-circuited. For example, at least one of the second hole transport layer, the second organic light-emitting layer, and the second electron transport layer constituting the second stack 423 may be disconnected in the region overlapping with the second trench T2. In addition, the gap G can be expanded to push the second stack 423, the second electrode 430, and the filling layer 500 formed on the gap G in the vertical direction, thereby compensating for the step difference of the filling layer 500 in the region overlapping with the second trench T2.

[0089] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example of the display device according to the present invention.

[0090] A display device according to another example of the present invention shows first to third sub-pixels P1, P2, and P3 and a boundary area between adjacent sub-pixels.

[0091] The insulating layer 300 may include first to fourth insulating layers 310, 320, 330, and 340. The first reflective electrode 610 may be disposed on an upper surface of the first insulating layer 310 in the first sub-pixel P1 region, the second reflective electrode 620 may be disposed on an upper surface of the second insulating layer 320 in the second sub-pixel P2 region, and the third reflective electrode 630 may be disposed on an upper surface of the third insulating layer 330 in the third sub-pixel P3 region. In addition, the fourth insulating layer 340 may be formed to cover the third reflective electrode 630.

[0092] The first to third reflective electrodes 610 , 620 , and 630 are formed of silver (Ag) or a metal including silver (Ag), and emit light emitted from the light emitting layer 420 in a direction toward the second electrode 430 .

[0093] In addition, the distance between the first reflective electrode 610 and the second electrode 430 may be greater than the distance between the second reflective electrode 620 and the second electrode 430, and the distance between the second reflective electrode 620 and the second electrode 430 may be greater than the distance between the third reflective electrode 630 and the second electrode 430. As described above, by forming different distances between the first to third reflective electrodes 610, 620, and 630 and the second electrode 430, light of different colors may be extracted using microcavity characteristics.

[0094] Specifically, as the distance between the first to third reflective electrodes 610, 620, and 630 and the second electrode 430 increases, the long wavelength light extraction efficiency can be improved, so that the extraction efficiency of red light from the first reflective electrode 610 and the second electrode 430 can be improved; in addition, as the distance between the first to third reflective electrodes 610, 620, and 630 and the second electrode 430 decreases, the short wavelength light extraction efficiency can be improved, so that the light extraction efficiency of blue light between the third reflective electrode 630 and the second electrode 430 can be improved. In addition, since the distance between the second reflective electrode 620 and the second electrode 430 is shorter than the distance between the first reflective electrode 610 and the second electrode 430 and longer than the distance between the third reflective electrode 630 and the second electrode 430, the light extraction efficiency of green light can be improved.

[0095] Therefore, light extraction efficiency of red light improves to emit red light in the first subpixel P1, light extraction efficiency of green light improves to emit green light in the second subpixel P2, and light extraction efficiency of blue light improves to emit blue light in the third subpixel P3.

[0096] Fig. 7A and 7B is a plan view illustrating another example of a pixel structure of a display device according to the present invention.

[0097] Reference Fig. 7A, the display device may further include a fourth contact portion C4 adjacent to the third contact portion C3 and a fourth subpixel P4 adjacent to the third subpixel P3. The trench T may also be provided in a boundary region between the third subpixel P3 and the fourth subpixel P4.

[0098] Reference Figure 7B , showing a structure in which the first to fourth sub-pixels P1-P4 and the first to fourth contact portions C1-C4 are surrounded by the first groove T1 and the second groove T2. That is, the first sub-pixel P1 is adjacent to the second sub-pixel P2 and the fourth sub-pixel P4, and the second groove T2 is arranged in the boundary area between the first sub-pixel P1 and the second sub-pixel P2 and in the boundary area between the first sub-pixel P1 and the fourth sub-pixel P4. In addition, the second sub-pixel P2 is adjacent to the first sub-pixel P1 and the third sub-pixel P3, and the second groove T3 is arranged in the boundary area between the second sub-pixel P2 and the first sub-pixel P1 and in the boundary area between the second sub-pixel P2 and the third sub-pixel P3. In addition, the third sub-pixel P3 is adjacent to the second sub-pixel P2 and the fourth sub-pixel P4, and the second groove T2 is arranged in the boundary area between the third sub-pixel P3 and the second sub-pixel P2 and in the boundary area between the third sub-pixel P3 and the fourth sub-pixel P4. The first to fourth contact portions C1-C4 are disposed in the corner regions of the first to fourth sub-pixels P1 to P4, and the second trench T2 is also disposed between adjacent contact portions C1-C4. When a pixel is configured to include the first to fourth sub-pixels P1-P4 and the first to fourth contact portions C1-C4, the first trench T1 may be disposed at each corner of the pixel and the second trench T2 may be formed to connect the first trench T1 and surround the pixel. In addition, the width of the first trench T1 may be greater than the width of the second trench T2. As an example, the first trench T1 may be disposed at the center of the first to fourth contact portions C1-C4, and the second trench T2 may be disposed in the region between adjacent sub-pixels and between adjacent contact portions.

[0099] Figures 8A to 8C Regarding a display device according to another embodiment of the present invention, it relates to a head mounted display (HMD) device.

[0100] Reference Fig. 8A The HMD device according to the present application includes a storage housing 10 and a head-mounted band 12 .

[0101] The storage case 10 accommodates a display device, a lens array, and an eyepiece therein. A headband 12 is fixed to the storage case 10 .

[0102] The head-mounted strap 12 is shown to be formed around the upper surface and both side surfaces of the user's head, but is not limited thereto. The head-mounted strap 12 is used to fix the HMD to the user's head, and may be replaced with a structure in the form of a glass frame or a helmet.

[0103] from Figure 8B It can be seen that the HMD device with a virtual reality (VR) structure according to the present invention may include left and right eye display devices 2a and 2b, a lens array 11, and left and right eyepieces 20a and 20b.

[0104] The left-eye display device 2 a and the right-eye display device 2 b , the lens array 11 , and the left-eye lens 20 a and the right-eye lens 20 b are accommodated in the above-mentioned storage case 10 .

[0105] The left-eye display device 2a and the right-eye display device 2b may display the same image, in which case the user may view a 2D image. Alternatively, the left-eye display device 2a may display a left-eye image, and the right-eye display device 2b may display a right-eye image. In this case, the user may view a stereoscopic image. Each of the left-eye display device 2a and the right-eye display device 2b may include a display device based on the above Figure 1 5. For example, each of the left-eye display device 2a and the right-eye display device 2b may be an organic light emitting display.

[0106] Each of the left-eye display device 2a and the right-eye display device 2b may include multiple sub-pixels, a circuit element layer 200, an insulating layer 300, a first electrode 410, a light-emitting layer 420 and a second electrode 430, and display various images by combining the colors of light emitted from each sub-pixel in various ways.

[0107] The lens array 11 may be disposed between the left eyepiece 20a and the left eye display device 2a, and may be spaced apart from each of the left eyepiece 20a and the left eye display device 2a. That is, the lens array 11 may be located in front of the left eyepiece 20a and behind the left eye display device 2a. In addition, the lens array 11 may be disposed between the right eyepiece 20b and the right eye display device 2b, and may be spaced apart from each of the right eyepiece 20b and the right eye display device 2b. That is, the lens array 11 may be located in front of the right eyepiece 20b and behind the right eye display device 2b.

[0108] The lens array 11 may be a micro lens array. The lens array 11 may be replaced with a pin hole array. Due to the lens array 11, the image displayed on the left eye display device 2a or the right eye display device 2b may be magnified so as to be viewed by the user.

[0109] The user's left eye LE may be located in the left eyepiece 20 a , and the user's right eye RE may be located in the right eyepiece 20 b .

[0110] from Figure 8C It can be seen that the HMD device with an augmented reality (AR) structure according to the present invention includes a left-eye display device 2 a , a lens array 11 , a left-eye eyepiece 20 a , a transmissive reflector 13 , and a transmission window 14 . Figure 8C For convenience, only the left eye structure is shown, and the right eye structure is the same as the left eye structure.

[0111] The left-eye display device 2 a , the lens array 11 , the left-eye eyepiece 20 a , the transflector 13 , and the transmission window 14 are accommodated in the above-mentioned storage housing 10 .

[0112] The left-eye display device 2a may be disposed on one side, such as the upper side, of the transflector 13 without blocking the transmissive window 14. Therefore, the left-eye display device 2a may provide an image to the transflector 13 without blocking the external background viewed through the transmissive window 14.

[0113] The left eye display device 2a may include a Figures 1 to 4 Here, in Figures 1 to 4 An upper portion of the surface corresponding to the display image faces the transflector 13 .

[0114] The lens array 11 may be disposed between the left-eye eyepiece 20 a and the transflector 13 .

[0115] The user's left eye is located in the left-eye eyepiece 20 .

[0116] The transflector 13 is disposed between the lens array 11 and the transmission window 14. The transflector 13 may include a reflective surface 13a that transmits a portion of light and reflects another portion of light. The reflective surface 13a is formed so that the image displayed on the left-eye display device 2a moves to the lens array 11. Therefore, the user can view both the external background and the image displayed by the left-eye display device 2a via the transmission window 14. That is, since the user can view a single image by overlapping the actual background with the virtual image, augmented reality (AR) can be achieved.

[0117] The transmission window 14 is disposed in front of the transflector 13 .

[0118] According to the present invention, by forming a filling layer in the inner part and the upper part of the light emitting layer, a stable encapsulation layer can be provided while preventing the occurrence of lateral leakage current.

[0119] The above-mentioned features, structures and effects of the present invention are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention, but are not limited to one embodiment. In addition, those skilled in the art can realize the features, structures and effects described in at least one embodiment of the present invention through the combination or modification of other embodiments. Therefore, the contents related to the combination and modification should be interpreted as being within the scope of the present invention.

[0120] Without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention, various modifications and changes can be made in the present invention, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the present invention is intended to cover the modifications and changes to the present invention that fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A display device, include: a substrate including a plurality of sub-pixels and a plurality of contacts disposed on one side of each of the plurality of sub-pixels; An insulating layer disposed on the substrate; a first electrode located on the insulating layer and disposed in each of the plurality of sub-pixels and in each of the plurality of contact portions; a fence portion disposed on the first electrode; a light-emitting layer disposed on the insulating layer, the fence portion and the first electrode; a second electrode disposed on the light-emitting layer; a filling layer disposed on the second electrode; as well as grooves provided in the fence portion and the insulating layer, The grooves include first grooves disposed between mutually adjacent contact portions and second grooves disposed between mutually adjacent sub-pixels, and the light emitting layer includes gaps located in the second grooves, and the gaps are filled with a filler that is the same as a material constituting the filling layer. 2 . The display device according to claim 1 , wherein a width of the first groove is greater than a width of the second groove. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the first groove and the groove are connected to each other. 4 . The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the second electrode is continuous along an inside of the first groove and has a concave shape, and the filling layer fills at least a portion of a concave region of the second electrode.

5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting layer disposed inside the first groove includes a first stacked layer, a charge generation layer, and a second stacked layer stacked in sequence, The first stack, the charge generation layer, and the second stack are connected to each other inside the first trench. 6 . The display device according to claim 5 , wherein a filler filling the gap is in contact with a first stacked layer, a charge generation layer, and a second stacked layer disposed inside the first trench.

7. The display device according to claim 1, in: The light emitting layer disposed in the region overlapping the second groove includes a first stacked layer, a charge generation layer, and a second stacked layer, The charge generation layer is disconnected inside the second trench. 8 . The display device according to claim 7 , wherein the filling layer provided in the first groove contacts the charge generation layer and the second stacked layer in contact with a region overlapping with the second groove.

9. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising: include: A first reflective electrode, a second reflective electrode and a third reflective electrode are located inside the insulating layer.

10. The display device according to claim 9, in: The plurality of sub-pixels include a first sub-pixel, a second sub-pixel, and a third sub-pixel, The insulating layer is formed by sequentially stacking a first insulating layer, a second insulating layer and a third insulating layer on the circuit element layer, The first reflective electrode is disposed on the first insulating layer in the region of the first sub-pixel, The second reflective electrode is disposed on the second insulating layer in the region of the second sub-pixel, The third reflective electrode is disposed on the third insulating layer in a region of the third sub-pixel. 11 . The display device according to claim 5 , wherein the gap and one end of the filling layer are formed at a position higher than the charge generation layer.

12. The display device according to claim 1, wherein an opening is provided in a region corresponding to the first groove, and wherein the filling layer fills the entire inner region of the first groove through the opening, and expands to the gap based on the second groove to fill the inner space of the second groove.

13. A display device, include: a substrate including a plurality of sub-pixels; a first electrode disposed in each of a plurality of sub-pixels located on the substrate; a light-emitting layer disposed on the first electrode; a second electrode disposed on the light-emitting layer; a filling layer disposed on the second electrode; as well as A groove is provided between the plurality of sub-pixels, The trench includes a first trench having a first width and a second trench having a second width smaller than the first width, wherein a portion of the light emitting layer is continuous in the first trench and disconnected in the second trench. The display device according to claim 13 , wherein the portion of the light emitting layer comprises a charge generation layer. 15 . The display device according to claim 13 , wherein the light emitting layer includes a void in the second groove, and the void is filled with a filling material that is the same as a material constituting the filling layer. The display device according to claim 13 , wherein the light emitting layer has no void in the first groove.

17. The display device according to claim 13, wherein the second groove is disposed between the first electrode of the first sub-pixel and the first electrode of the second sub-pixel, and the first groove is disposed between the first contact portion located on one side of the first sub-pixel and the second contact portion located on one side of the second sub-pixel.

18. The display device according to claim 13, in: The plurality of sub-pixels include a first sub-pixel, a second sub-pixel, a third sub-pixel and a fourth sub-pixel, The first sub-pixel is adjacent to the second sub-pixel and the fourth sub-pixel, The second sub-pixel is adjacent to the first sub-pixel and the third sub-pixel, The third sub-pixel is adjacent to the second sub-pixel and the fourth sub-pixel, The first contact portion, the second contact portion, the third contact portion and the fourth contact portion are respectively disposed at corner regions of the first sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel, the third sub-pixel and the fourth sub-pixel, The first groove is disposed at the center of the first contact portion, the second contact portion, the third contact portion, and the fourth contact portion, The second trench is provided in a region between adjacent sub-pixels and between adjacent contact portions.

19. The display device according to claim 18, in: The first sub-pixel, the second sub-pixel, the third sub-pixel and the fourth sub-pixel constitute a pixel, The first groove is arranged at a corner of the pixel, The second trench connects the first trench and surrounds the pixel. 20 . The display device according to claim 15 , wherein the light emitting layer comprises a first stacked layer, a charge generation layer, and a second stacked layer stacked in sequence, wherein the gap and one end of the filling layer are formed at a higher position than the charge generation layer.

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