Display device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a display device, including a display panel, a sensing layer disposed on the display panel, wherein the sensing layer includes a fingerprint sensor. The display device further includes an optical layer disposed on the display panel, and a cover layer disposed on the optical layer, wherein the cover layer includes a multi-layer structure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to a display device having a display function and a biometric (such as fingerprint, palmprint) identification function. Background Art

[0002] The identification of biometrics (such as fingerprint, palmprint) can be applied to identity identification. Due to its characteristics of fast identification and difficulty in forgery, the industry is currently committed to integrating biometric sensors into various electronic devices. For example, fingerprint sensors are integrated into display devices such as smartphones, tablets, e-books, and e-paper to provide good convenience or security in user identity identification.

[0003] In order to provide a more convenient user experience, the industry has developed in-screen fingerprint identification that integrates a fingerprint sensor with a display panel. However, there are still problems to be improved in current in-screen fingerprint identification, such as the problem that the cover layer of the display device is too thick, resulting in a decrease in the sensitivity of the fingerprint sensor. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention proposes a display device with in-screen fingerprint identification function, which manufactures a cover layer with a multi-layer structure and a relatively thin thickness through coating and / or adhesion processes, and can improve the sensitivity of the fingerprint sensor.

[0005] An embodiment of the present invention provides a display device, which includes a display panel and a sensing layer disposed on the display panel, wherein the sensing layer includes a fingerprint sensor. The display device further includes an optical layer disposed on the display panel, and a cover layer disposed on the optical layer, wherein the cover layer has a multi-layer structure. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0006] Figure 1 The figure shows a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0007] Figure 2 The figure shows a flowchart of the steps of a manufacturing method of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0008] Figure 3 The figure shows a flowchart of the steps of a manufacturing method of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Figure 4 The figure shows a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 5Shown is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] Figure 6 Shown is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0012] Figure 7 Shown is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 8 Shown is a top view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 9 Shown is a top view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 10 Shown is a top view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 11 Shown is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 12 Shown is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Explanation of reference numerals: 10-display device; 100-substrate; 102-display element layer; 104-sensing layer; 1041-sensing electrode; 106-optical layer; 1061-optical cover layer; 110-support layer; 120-covering layer; 122-third layer; 124-first layer; 126-second layer; 132-adhesive layer; 134-adhesive layer; 134a-adhesive layer; 136-adhesive layer; 200-manufacturing method; 202-step; 204-step; 206- Step; 208-step; 210-step; 300-manufacturing method; 302-step; 304-step; 306-step; 308-step; 310-step; 100a-touch area; 100b-fingerprint recognition area; 104a-first axial electrode; 104a1-sensing electrode; 104a2-bridge line; 104b-second axial electrode; 104b1-sensing electrode; 104b2-bridge line; 104c-sensing electrode; 104d-first axial electrode; 1 04d1 - sensing electrode; 104d2 - bridge line; 104e - second axial electrode; 104e1 - sensing electrode; 104e2 - bridge line; 104f - first axial electrode; 104f1 - sensing electrode; 104f2 - bridge line; 104g - second axial electrode; 104g1 - sensing electrode; 104g2 - bridge line; DA - display area; DP - display panel; DP1 - front; DP2 - back; GL - fourth layer; GLa - second layer; NDA - peripheral area ; X-direction; Y-direction; Z-direction; CF(R)-red filter area; CF(B)-blue filter area; CF(G)-green filter area; BM-black matrix; LEU(R)-red light display unit; LEU(B)-blue light display unit; LEU(G)-green light display unit; 102a-display unit layer; 102b-circuit layer; PDL-pixel definition layer; TFT-transistor; S1-source; D1-drain; G1-gate; SML-semiconductor layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] The present invention will be understood by referring to the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, for ease of understanding and simplicity, the various figures herein depict only portions of the display device, and certain components in the figures are not drawn to scale. Furthermore, the number and dimensions of components in the figures are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0020] Throughout the specification and claims of this invention, certain terms will be used to refer to specific elements. Those skilled in the art should understand that electronic device manufacturers may use different names to refer to the same element. This document does not intend to distinguish elements that have the same function but different names. In the following specification and claims, terms such as "comprising", "including", and "having" are open-ended terms, and thus should be construed to mean "including but not limited to...".

[0021] It should be understood that when an element or a film layer is referred to as "on another element or film layer" or "connected to another element or film layer", it can be directly on another element or film layer, or directly connected to another element or film layer, or there may be other elements or film layers between them. In contrast, when an element is referred to as "directly on another element or film layer", or "directly connected to another element or film layer", there are no intervening elements or film layers between them.

[0022] In addition, relative terms such as "lower" or "bottom" and "upper" or "top" may be used herein to describe the relationship between one element and another element, as shown in the figures. It should be understood that the relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in addition to the orientations shown in the figures. For example, if the device in one figure is flipped, the element described as on the "lower" side of another element will be oriented on the "upper" side of the other element. Thus, the exemplary term "lower" can include both the "lower" and "upper" orientations, depending on the specific orientation of the figure. Similarly, if the device in one figure is flipped, the element described as "beneath" or "under" another element will be oriented as "above" the other element. Thus, the exemplary terms "above" or "below" can include both the above and below orientations.

[0023] Although terms such as "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used to describe or name different components, these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component in the specification from other components, and have nothing to do with the manufacturing order of these components. The same terms may not be used in the claims, and may be replaced by "first", "second", "third", etc. according to the order of the element declarations in the claims. Accordingly, in the following specification, the first component may be the second component in the claims.

[0024] It should be noted that the following examples can, without departing from the spirit of the present invention, replace, recombine, and mix the features in several different examples to complete other examples.

[0025] The present invention provides a display device with an in-screen fingerprint recognition function. The display device of the present invention can adopt any suitable fingerprint recognition technology. In some embodiments, the display device of the present invention adopts capacitive fingerprint recognition technology. Capacitive fingerprint recognition technology has relatively mature manufacturing technology, can be integrated with the touch layer, is inexpensive, has a fast recognition speed, and the screen does not need to emit light during the recognition process. Compared with the optical fingerprint recognition technology that must use the screen as a light source and is limited to the application of self-emitting display devices (such as OLED, LED, Mini-LED, micro-LED, QLED), capacitive fingerprint recognition technology can support both self-emitting display devices and non-self-emitting display devices (such as LCD) at the same time, and is the mainstream technology for in-screen fingerprint recognition at present.

[0026] Figure 1 FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of a display device 10 along the XZ plane (the plane defined by the X direction and the Z direction) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The display device 10 of the present invention can be a non-self-emitting liquid crystal display (LCD), or a self-emitting organic light-emitting diode display (OLED Display), an inorganic light-emitting diode display (LED Display), a sub-millimeter inorganic light-emitting diode display (Mini-LED Display), a micro-inorganic light-emitting diode (Micro-LED Display), a quantum dot light-emitting diode display (Quantum-Dot LED Display, QLED Display), or an electrophoretic display (Electro-Phoretic Display, EPD), etc., various display devices that can present images and pictures, but not limited thereto.

[0027] As Figure 1 shown, the display device 10 may include a display panel DP, a sensing layer 104 disposed on the front surface DP1 (or referred to as the display surface) of the display panel DP, an optical layer 106 disposed on the sensing layer 104, and a cover layer 120 disposed on the optical layer 106. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the display device 10 may further selectively include a support layer 110 disposed on the back surface DP2 of the display panel DP.

[0028] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the display panel DP includes a substrate 100 and a display element layer 102 disposed on the substrate 100. The substrate 100 may include a rigid substrate or a flexible substrate, and may include, for example, glass, ceramic, quartz, sapphire, polyimide (PI), polycarbonate (PC), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), silicon oxide coating layer, silicon nitride coating layer, or a substrate composed of a combination of the foregoing materials, but is not limited thereto. The display element layer 102 includes a display unit, a circuit layer, and a packaging layer. In some embodiments, the display unit may include a light-emitting diode (LED), and the light-emitting diode may be, for example, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), a micro-light-emitting diode (micro-LED), a submillimeter light-emitting diode (mini LED), a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED), or an arrangement combination of the foregoing, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the display unit may include a liquid crystal layer. The circuit layer may selectively include a control transistor, a drive control transistor, a scan line, a data line, a pixel electrode, a light emission control line, a power supply line, a ground potential line, and / or a frequency signal line, etc., but is not limited thereto, to control the light emission of each display unit. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the display element layer 102 may further include a packaging layer (not shown in the figure) disposed on the display unit and the circuit layer. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the packaging layer is, for example, a thin film encapsulation (TFE) layer stacked by an inorganic-organic-inorganic layer combination. The packaging layer can block the influence of moisture, oxygen, or other reactive substances in the environment on the display element layer 102 to ensure the normal operation of the product. The support layer 110 is used to provide support for the display panel DP to maintain the structure and / or shape of the display device 10. The material of the support layer 110 may include a polymer material, a metal material, or other suitable materials. The polymer material may include polyimide (PI), polyethyleneterephthalate (PET), or polyvinylchloride (PVC), but is not limited thereto. The metal material may include copper, iron, aluminum, an alloy of the foregoing elements, but is not limited thereto.

[0029] The sensing layer 104 can be directly disposed on the display element layer 102, or the sensing layer 104 can be first disposed on another substrate and then bonded to the display element layer 102. In other embodiments, according to design requirements, the sensing layer 104 can also be integrated into the display element layer 102. The sensing layer 104 can include sensors for detecting any kind of external signal, such as a fingerprint sensor and / or a touch sensor. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the sensing layer 104 can simultaneously include a fingerprint sensor and a touch sensor, and the fingerprint sensor and the touch sensor are sensors of the same type, for example, both are capacitive sensors, so they can be conveniently fabricated in the same circuit layer to obtain a thinner effect and / or simplify the manufacturing cost. In some embodiments, when the sensing layer 104 simultaneously includes a fingerprint sensor and a touch sensor, the fingerprint sensor and the touch sensor can be respectively located on the touch sensing region or the fingerprint sensing region of the substrate 100. In some embodiments, the fingerprint sensor and the touch sensor can use the same sensor, and frequency control and algorithms are used to enable the sensor to provide the functions of detecting touch signals or fingerprint signals at different times. Embodiments of the fingerprint sensing region, fingerprint sensor, touch sensing region, and touch sensor of the display device 10 can be referred to Figure 8 、 Figure 9 and Figure 10 the embodiments and related descriptions shown.

[0030] The optical layer 106 can include optical films such as an anti-reflection layer, a polarizer, and / or a filter layer for improving the display picture quality. The optical layer 106 can be formed on the sensing layer 104 by lamination or coating.

[0031] The cover layer 120 can be directly disposed on the optical layer 106 or adhered to the optical layer 106 by means of lamination. The cover layer 120 can provide protection for the display panel DP, the sensing layer 104, and the optical layer 106 and / or be used to provide additional optical compensation for the display area. The material of the cover layer 120 can include inorganic materials, organic materials, or a combination thereof. The inorganic materials can include, for example, glass or other suitable materials, and the organic materials can include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), acrylic polymers such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyimide (PI), polycarbonate (PC), polysiloxane, and other polymer materials with high light transmittance or a combination thereof, but are not limited thereto. The cover layer 120 is an interface that can be directly contacted by a user when the user operates the display device 10.

[0032] The cover layer 120 in the present invention can be manufactured by multiple coating and / or adhesion processes. The cover layer 120 can have a multi-layer structure, and by selecting the materials of each layer and matching the thicknesses, protection can be provided or / and the sensitivity of the sensing layer 104 can be increased.

[0033] For example, as Figure 1As shown, the cover layer 120 may include a first layer 124 and a second layer 126 disposed on the first layer 124, and may selectively include a third layer 122 disposed between the first layer 124 and the optical layer 106, a fourth layer GL disposed between the first layer 124 and the third layer 122, and an adhesive layer 134 disposed between the third layer 122 and the fourth layer GL. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the materials of the first layer 124 and the third layer 122 may include materials with relatively better toughness, such as PET. The thickness range of the first layer 124 and the third layer 122 may be from 30 μm to 100 μm (30 μm ≤ thickness ≤ 100 μm), for example, it may be 35 μm, 40 μm, 50 μm, 60 μm, 70 μm, 80 μm, 90 μm, or a thickness within the range defined by the above values. The second layer 126 (the layer contacted by the user) may also be referred to as a hard coating layer. The material of the second layer 126 may include materials with relatively better hardness, weather resistance, and chemical stability, such as PMMA. The thickness range of the second layer 126 may be from 4 μm to 20 μm (4 μm ≤ thickness ≤ 20 μm), for example, it may be 5 μm, 10 μm, 15 μm, or a thickness within the range defined by the above values. The material of the fourth layer GL sandwiched between the first layer 124 and the third layer 122 may include glass. The thickness range of the fourth layer GL may be from 20 μm to 60 μm (20 μm ≤ thickness ≤ 60 μm), for example, it may be 25 μm, 30 μm, 40 μm, 50 μm, or a thickness within the range defined by the above values. The material of the adhesive layer 134 may include acrylate or epoxy adhesives, but is not limited thereto. The thickness range of the adhesive layer 134 may be from 20 μm to 50 μm (20 μm ≤ thickness ≤ 50 μm), for example, it may be 25 μm, 30 μm, 40 μm, 45 μm, or a thickness within the range defined by the above values. Overall, the total thickness range of the cover layer 120 may be from 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm (0.05 mm ≤ total thickness ≤ 0.5 mm), or the range may be from 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm (0.1 mm ≤ total thickness ≤ 0.3 mm), and the thickness of the first layer 124 (or the third layer 122) of the cover layer 120 may be greater than the thickness of the second layer 126. In some embodiments, the thickness may be defined as the distance from the top surface to the bottom surface of the measured film layer measured in the normal direction of the substrate 100 in a cross-section. It should be noted that the position for measuring the thickness should be at least 200 microns away from the edge of the measured film layer to reduce the possibility of measurement errors caused by unevenness at the edge, but it is not limited thereto.

[0034] Figure 2 The flowchart of the steps of the manufacturing method 200 of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown, which can be used to manufacture as Figure 1The display device 10 shown. For ease of understanding, the following description of the steps of the manufacturing method 200 will refer to the structure of the display device 10 in Figure 1 simultaneously.

[0035] The manufacturing method 200 first performs step 202 of providing a display panel, a sensing layer, and an optical layer disposed on a display surface of the display panel. The display panel is, for example, Figure 1 the display panel DP shown, on which a sensing layer 104 and an optical layer 106 are provided on the front surface DP1 (display surface). According to an embodiment of the present invention, the back surface DP2 of the display panel DP can be temporarily disposed on a temporary carrier (not shown in the figure) to obtain support.

[0036] Next, step 204 is performed to attach a first bottom layer to the optical layer. The first bottom layer is, for example, Figure 1 the third layer 122 shown. In some embodiments, the third layer 122 can be directly formed on the optical layer 106 by coating the material (such as PET) of the third layer 122 onto the optical layer 106 and then curing (such as photocuring or thermal curing). In other embodiments, the cured and formed third layer 122 can be attached to the optical layer by lamination. In this case, an adhesive layer (not shown in the figure) may be included between the third layer 122 and the optical layer 106.

[0037] Next, step 206 is performed to attach a glass cover layer to the first bottom layer. The glass cover layer is, for example, Figure 1 the fourth layer GL shown. The fourth layer GL can be attached to the third layer 122 through an adhesive layer 134.

[0038] Next, step 208 is performed to attach a second bottom layer to the glass cover layer. The second bottom layer is, for example, Figure 1 the first layer 124 shown. In some embodiments, the first layer 124 can be directly formed on the fourth layer GL by coating the material (such as PET) of the first layer 124 onto the fourth layer GL and then curing (such as photocuring or thermal curing). In other embodiments, the cured and formed first layer 124 can be attached to the fourth layer GL by lamination. In this case, an adhesive layer (not shown in the figure) may be included between the fourth layer GL and the first layer 124.

[0039] Next, step 210 is performed to coat a coating on the second bottom layer. The coating can be transformed into a hard coating layer through a suitable curing process (such as photocuring or thermal curing) to obtain, as Figure 1 shown, the second layer 126. Subsequently, the temporary carrier (not shown in the figure) is removed from the back surface DP2 of the display substrate DP, and then the support layer 110 is attached to the back surface DP2 of the display substrate DP.

[0040] Figure 3 Shown is a flowchart of steps of a manufacturing method 300 of a display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, which can be used to manufacture the display device 10 as shown in Figure 1 Figure 10. For ease of understanding, the following description of the steps of the manufacturing method 300 will refer to the structure of the display device 10 in Figure 1 Figure 10. Different from the aforementioned manufacturing method 200 in which a first bottom layer, a glass cover layer, a second bottom layer, and a coating layer (hardened coating film) are sequentially attached to the front surface (display surface) of the display panel, in the manufacturing method 300 of this embodiment, after attaching the glass cover layer, the second bottom layer, and the coating layer (hardened coating film) to the first bottom layer, the first bottom layer is then attached to the front surface (display surface) of the display panel.

[0041] The manufacturing method 300 first performs step 302 to provide a first bottom layer. The first bottom layer is, for example, Figure 1 the third layer 122 shown in Figure 11, and can be a PET film.

[0042] Next, step 304 is performed to attach a glass cover layer to the first bottom layer. The glass cover layer is, for example, Figure 1 the fourth layer GL shown in Figure 12. The fourth layer GL can be attached to the third layer 122 through an adhesive layer 134.

[0043] Next, step 306 is performed to attach a second bottom layer to the glass cover layer. The second bottom layer is, for example, Figure 1 the first layer 124 shown in Figure 13. In some embodiments, the first layer 124 can be directly formed on the fourth layer GL by coating the material (such as PET) of the first layer 124 onto the fourth layer GL and then curing (such as photocuring or heat curing). In other embodiments, the cured and formed first layer 124 can be attached to the fourth layer GL by lamination. In this case, an adhesive layer (not shown in the figure) may be included between the fourth layer GL and the first layer 124.

[0044] Next, step 308 is performed to coat a coating layer onto the second bottom layer. The coating layer can be transformed into a hardened coating film (hard coating layer) through a suitable curing process (such as photocuring or heat curing), such as Figure 1 the second layer 126 shown in Figure 14. At this point in the process, the cover layer 120 as shown in Figure 1 Figure 15 can be obtained.

[0045] Next, step 310 is performed to attach the first bottom layer to a display surface (front surface) of a display panel provided with a sensing layer and an optical layer. Please refer to Figure 1, then the third layer 122 of the cover layer 120 is adhered or attached to the optical layer 106 of the display panel DP. In this embodiment, the third layer 122 can be attached to the optical layer 106 by lamination, so an adhesive layer (not shown in the figure) may be included between the third layer 122 and the optical layer 106. In some embodiments, the back surface DP2 of the display panel DP opposite to the front surface DP1 (display surface) can be temporarily attached to a temporary carrier plate (not shown in the figure). After step 310 is completed, the temporary carrier plate (not shown in the figure) is removed from the back surface DP2 of the display substrate DP, and then the support layer 110 is attached to the back surface DP2 of the display substrate DP. In other embodiments, during step 310, the back surface DP2 of the display panel DP may already be attached to the support layer 110 as shown.

[0046] Figure 4 FIG. is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of the display device 10 along the XZ plane according to an embodiment of the present invention. Compared with Figure 1 the display device 10 shown, Figure 4 the cover layer 120 of the display device 10 may not include the third layer 122, the fourth layer GL, and the adhesive layer 134, but instead directly attach the first layer 124 to the optical layer 106. For example, the material of the first layer 124 (such as PET) is coated on the optical layer 106 and then cured (such as photocuring or thermal curing) to directly form the first layer 124 on the optical layer 106. The overall thickness of the cover layer 120 in this embodiment can be further thinned, further improving the sensitivity of the fingerprint sensor and / or touch sensor of the sensing layer 104.

[0047] Figure 5 FIG. is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of the display device 10 along the XZ plane according to an embodiment of the present invention. Compared with Figure 1 the display device 10 shown, Figure 5 the cover layer 120 of the display device 10 may not include the third layer 122, the fourth layer GL, and the adhesive layer 134, but instead attach the first layer 124 to the optical layer 106 through the adhesive layer 132. The material of the adhesive layer 132 may include acrylate or epoxy adhesives, but is not limited thereto. The thickness range of the adhesive layer 132 can be 20 μm to 50 μm (20 μm ≤ thickness ≤ 50 μm), for example, it can be 25 μm, 30 μm, 40 μm, 45 μm, or a thickness within the range defined by the above values. The adhesive layer 132 can achieve a closer bond between the first layer 124 and the optical layer 106.

[0048] Figure 6 FIG. is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of the display device 10 along the XZ plane according to an embodiment of the present invention. The same as Figure 1 the embodiment shown,Figure 6 The cover layer 120 of the display device 10 shown includes a first layer 124, a second layer 126 provided on the first layer 124, a third layer 122 between the first layer 124 and the optical layer 106, a fourth layer GL provided between the first layer 124 and the third layer 122, and an adhesive layer 134 provided between the third layer 122 and the fourth layer GL. Different from Figure 1 the embodiment shown, Figure 6 in the cover layer 120 of the display device 10 shown, the third layer 122 is attached to the optical layer 106 through an adhesive layer 132, and the first layer 124 is attached to the fourth layer GL through an adhesive layer 136. The materials of the adhesive layer 132 and the adhesive layer 136 may include acrylate or epoxy adhesives, but are not limited thereto. The thickness range of each of the adhesive layer 132, the adhesive layer 134, and the adhesive layer 136 may be 20 μm to 50 μm (20 μm ≤ thickness ≤ 50 μm), for example, it may be 25 μm, 30 μm, 40 μm, 45 μm, or a thickness within the range defined by the above values.

[0049] Figure 7 The figure shows a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of the display device 10 along the XZ plane according to an embodiment of the present invention. The cover layer of the present invention can also be applied to various deformable display devices such as foldable, rollable, or stretchable display devices. As Figure 7 shown, the display device 10 may be a foldable display device, wherein the substrate 100 of the display panel DP is a flexible substrate, and two separate support layers 110 are provided on the back surface DP2 of the display panel DP. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the folding mode of the display device 10 may be an outward folding mode, that is, after folding, the support layer 110 is located inside the display device 10, and the cover layer 120 (the display surface of the display panel DP) faces the outside. According to another embodiment of the present invention, the folding mode of the display device 10 may be an inward folding mode, that is, after folding, the cover layer 120 (the display surface of the display panel DP) is located inside the display device 10, and the support layer 110 faces the outside.

[0050] Figure 8 The figure shows a top view of the display device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention in the XY plane (a plane defined by the X direction and the Y direction). The display device 10 includes a substrate 100, and at least a display element layer, a sensing layer, an optical layer, and a cover layer (such as Figure 1The display element layer 102, sensing layer 104, optical layer 106, and cover layer 120 of the display device 10 shown are not shown in the figure for the sake of simplicity of illustration. The substrate 100 includes a display area DA and a peripheral area NDA surrounding the display area DA. Display units and signal lines for controlling the display units may be provided in the display area DA, and the signal lines may selectively include pixel electrodes, scan lines, data lines, light emission control lines, power supply lines, ground potential lines, and / or frequency signal lines, etc., according to the design of the display units, but are not limited thereto. Peripheral circuit elements may be selectively provided in the peripheral area NDA. The peripheral circuit elements include, for example but not limited to, driving elements, reset elements, compensation elements, initialization elements, operation control elements, light emission control elements, capacitors, inductors, power supply lines, or combinations of the above, for controlling the operation of the display units in the display area DA, but are not limited thereto.

[0051] As Figure 8 shown, the substrate 100 further includes a touch area 100a and a fingerprint recognition area 100b, which overlap different areas of the display area DA respectively. The fingerprint sensor in the fingerprint recognition area 100b and the touch sensor in the touch area 100a of the present invention are sensors of the same type, for example, both are capacitive sensors, so they can be conveniently fabricated in the same structural layer (such as Figure 1 the sensing layer 104) to obtain a thinner effect and / or simplify the manufacturing cost. For example, as Figure 8As shown, the touch area 100a may include a touch sensor for mutual capacitance detection, including first axial electrodes 104a and second axial electrodes 104b that are perpendicular to each other. Each of the first axial electrodes 104a and the second axial electrodes 104b may respectively include a plurality of sensing electrodes 104a1, 104b1 and bridging wires 104a2, 104b2. The sensing electrodes 104a1, 104b1 may have a shape close to (but not limited to) a rhombus, arranged side by side with each other, and the bridging wires 104a2, 104b2 are located between adjacent sensing electrodes 104a1, 104b1. When the touch area 100a performs touch detection, the first axial electrodes 104a and the second axial electrodes 104b may respectively be a touch signal driving electrode or a touch signal receiving electrode, used to cooperate with each other for mutual capacitance detection, and calculate the coordinates of the touched point according to the change in capacitance value to achieve the purpose of detecting touch signals. The fingerprint recognition area 100b may include a touch sensor for self-capacitance detection, including independent sensing electrodes 104c arranged in an array form along the X direction and the Y direction. When the fingerprint recognition area 100b performs fingerprint recognition, self-capacitance detection calculates the coordinates of the valleys and ridges of the fingerprint by detecting the capacitance changes of each of the sensing electrodes 104c to achieve the purpose of identifying fingerprint patterns. In Figure 8 In the illustrated embodiment, the maximum size of a single sensing electrode 104c in the fingerprint recognition area 100b is smaller than the maximum size of a single sensing electrode in the axial electrodes of the touch area 100a. The first axial electrodes 104a and the second axial electrodes 104b of the touch area 100a and the sensing electrodes 104c of the fingerprint recognition area 100b are all fabricated in a sensing layer (such as Figure 1 the sensing layer 104) on the substrate 100. In this embodiment, there is a gap gap1 or / and a gap gap2 between the touch area 100a and the fingerprint recognition area 100b. The gap gap1 extends substantially along the X direction, the gap gap2 extends substantially along the Y direction, and the widths of the gap gap1 and the gap gap2 are substantially the same. In addition, if there is no clear boundary between the touch area 100a and the fingerprint recognition area 100b, the width of the gap gap1 may be the shortest distance between the first axial electrode 104a and the sensing electrode 104c in the Y direction, and the width of the gap gap2 may be the shortest distance between the second axial electrode 104b and the sensing electrode 104c in the X direction, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the widths of the gap gap1 and the gap gap2 may not be the same. In some embodiments, the first axial electrode 104a or / and the second axial electrode 104b may include dummy electrodes (not shown), and the dummy electrodes may be adjacent to the sensing electrodes 104c and do not have the function of touch detection.

[0052] Figure 9 FIG. 1 is a top view of a display device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention in the XY plane (a plane defined by the X direction and the Y direction). This embodiment is different from Figure 8 the embodiment shown in that the fingerprint recognition area 100b of this embodiment includes a touch sensor that detects mutual capacitance, including first axial electrodes 104d and second axial electrodes 104e that are perpendicular to each other. Each of the first axial electrodes 104d and the second axial electrodes 104e may respectively include a plurality of sensing electrodes 104d1, 104e1 and bridging wires 104d2, 104e2. Among them, the sensing electrodes 104d1, 104e1 may have a shape close to (but not limited to) a rhombus, arranged side by side with each other, and the bridging wires 104d2, 104e2 are located between adjacent sensing electrodes 104d1, 104e1. As Figure 9 shown, the maximum size of the sensing electrodes 104d1, 104e1 in the first axial electrode 104d and the second axial electrode 104e is smaller than the maximum size of the sensing electrodes 104a1, 104b1 in the first axial electrode 104a and the second axial electrode 104b. In this embodiment, there is a gap gap1 or / and a gap gap2 between the touch area 100a and the fingerprint recognition area 100b. The gap gap1 extends substantially along the X direction, the gap gap2 extends substantially along the Y direction, and the width of the gap gap1 may be greater than the width of the gap gap2. In addition, if there is no clear boundary between the touch area 100a and the fingerprint recognition area 100b, the width of the gap gap1 may be the shortest distance between the first axial electrode 104a and the first axial electrode 104d in the Y direction, and the width of the gap gap2 may be the shortest distance between the second axial electrode 104b and the second axial electrode 104e in the X direction, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the width of the gap gap1 may be less than the width of the gap gap2. In some embodiments, the first axial electrode 104a or / and the second axial electrode 104b of the touch area 100a may include dummy electrodes (not shown). The dummy electrodes of the touch area 100a may be adjacent to the first axial electrode 104a or / and the second axial electrode 104b of the fingerprint recognition area 100b and do not have the function of touch detection. In other embodiments, the first axial electrode 104a or / and the second axial electrode 104b of the fingerprint recognition area 100b may include dummy electrodes (not shown). The dummy electrodes of the fingerprint recognition area 100b may be adjacent to the first axial electrode 104a or / and the second axial electrode 104b of the touch area 100a and do not have the function of touch detection.

[0053] Figure 10Shown is a top view schematic diagram of a display device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention in the XY plane (a plane defined by the X direction and the Y direction). The difference between this embodiment and Figure 8 the embodiment shown is that in this embodiment, the touch area 100a and the fingerprint recognition area 100b overlap with each other. By controlling the frequency signal and combining with an algorithm, the first axial electrodes 104f and the second axial electrodes 104g in the overlapping area can be used to detect touch signals or fingerprint signals in different operation modes. That is, the first axial electrodes 104f and the second axial electrodes 104g can serve as touch sensing elements or fingerprint sensing elements in different time sequences. In this embodiment, the display device 10 includes the first axial electrodes 104f and the second axial electrodes 104g that are perpendicular to each other. Each of the first axial electrodes 104f and the second axial electrodes 104g may respectively include a plurality of sensing electrodes 104f1, 104g1 and bridging wires 104f2, 104g2. Among them, the sensing electrodes 104f1, 104g1 may have a shape close to (but not limited to) a rhombus, be arranged side by side, and the bridging wires 104f2, 104g2 are located between adjacent sensing electrodes 104f1, 104g1.

[0054] The present invention Figures 8 to 10 The cover layer included in the display device 10 of the embodiment shown may include Figure 1 , Figure 4 , Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Figure 7 the cover layer 120 shown in Figure 2 or Figure 3 fabricated by the invented process.

[0055] Figure 11 Shown is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of the display device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention along the XZ section. In this embodiment, the material of the second layer Gla provided on the first layer 124 of the cover layer 120 may include glass. In other words, compared with Figure 1 the display device 10 of the embodiment shown uses the second layer 126 (hardened coating film) as the layer contacted by the user, the display device 10 of this embodiment uses the second layer Gla (glass) as the layer contacted by the user. The thickness range of the second layer Gla may be 20 μm to 60 μm (20 μm ≤ thickness ≤ 60 μm). For example, it may be 25 μm, 30 μm, 40 μm, 50 μm, or a thickness within the range defined by the above values. According to an embodiment of the present invention, an adhesive layer 134a may be provided between the second layer Gla and the first layer 124. The thickness range of the adhesive layer 134a may be 20 μm to 50 μm (20 μm ≤ thickness ≤ 50 μm). For example, it may be 25 μm, 30 μm, 40 μm, 45 μm, or a thickness within the range defined by the above values.

[0056] Figure 12 Shown is a schematic cross-sectional view of the structure of a display device 10 along the XZ plane according to an embodiment of the present invention. In some embodiments, the display device 10 may be a self-emitting display, including a display panel DP, a support layer 110 disposed under the display panel DP, a sensing layer 104 disposed on the display panel DP, an optical layer 106 disposed on the sensing layer 104, and a cover layer 120 disposed on the optical layer 106. The cover layer 120 may be, for example, the cover layer 120 of the embodiments described above, and may include, for example, a first layer 124 and a second layer 126 disposed on the first layer 124, and may optionally include a third layer 122 disposed between the first layer 124 and the optical layer 106, a fourth layer GL disposed between the first layer 124 and the third layer 122, and an adhesive layer 134 disposed between the third layer 122 and the fourth layer GL.

[0057] As Figure 12As shown, the display panel DP includes a substrate 100 and a display element layer 102 provided on the substrate 100. The display element layer 102 may include a circuit layer 102b and a display unit layer 102a provided on the circuit layer 102b. The display unit layer 102a may include a pixel definition layer PDL for defining pixel regions, and display units located between the pixel definition layers PDL. The display units may include, for example, a red light-emitting display unit LEU(R), a blue light-emitting display unit LEU(B), and a green light-emitting display unit LEU(G). The circuit layer 102b may include a plurality of thin-film transistors TFT, which are electrically connected to the red light-emitting display unit LEU(R), the blue light-emitting display unit LEU(B), and the green light-emitting display unit LEU(G) respectively to control the light emission of the display units. The thin-film transistor TFT may be, for example, a silicon-based thin-film transistor, including a semiconductor layer SML (such as polycrystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, or single-crystalline silicon), a gate G1 provided on the semiconductor layer SML, and a source S1 and a drain D1 in the semiconductor layer SML located on both sides of the gate G1 respectively. In other embodiments, the thin-film transistor TFT may include other types of transistors, such as an oxide semiconductor thin-film transistor (the material of the semiconductor layer SML is, for example, an oxide semiconductor). The optical layer 106 may include a color filter layer, which may include, for example, a red color filter region CF(R) provided corresponding to the red light-emitting display unit LEU(R), a blue color filter region CF(B) provided corresponding to the blue light-emitting display unit LEU(B), a green color filter region CF(G) corresponding to the green light-emitting display unit LEU(G), and an optical covering layer 1061. The red color filter region CF(R), the blue color filter region CF(B), and the green color filter region CF(G) in the optical layer 106 are separated by a black matrix BM (such as a black polymer material or resin) region to improve the problem of light mixing between different color lights. The optical covering layer 1061 may cover the black matrix BM and the red color filter region CF(R), the blue color filter region CF(B), and the green color filter region CF(G). The optical covering layer 1061 may include an optical clear adhesive (OCA), an optical clear resin (OCR), or other suitable dielectric materials. The red color filter region CF(R), the blue color filter region CF(B), and the green color filter region CF(G) may provide an effect of filtering light and may also provide an anti-reflection effect on the light-incident side (the side where the filter faces the display unit). When the optical layer 106 includes a color filter layer, the sensing layer 104 may be provided below the color filter layer, and the sensing electrodes 1041 in the sensing layer 104 (such as Figure 8 the first axial electrode 104a, the second axial electrode 104b, and the sensing electrode 104c of ​The first axial electrodes 104a, 104d and the second axial electrodes 104b, 104e; ​ The first axial electrode 104f and the second axial electrode 104g) overlap with the black matrix BM in the vertical direction (Z direction) to reduce the reflected light caused by the sensing electrode 1041.

[0058] In summary, the cover layer of the display device provided by the present invention is manufactured through multiple coating and / or adhesion processes, has a multi-layer structure, and by selecting the materials of each layer and matching the thicknesses, it can simultaneously meet the purpose of providing protection and having a relatively thin thickness to increase the sensitivity of sensors (such as fingerprint sensors and / or touch sensors) in the sensing layer.

[0059] The above are only embodiments of the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention can have various changes and variations and the embodiments can be used in combination. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A display device, characterized in that: include: a display panel; a sensing layer disposed on the display panel, the sensing layer including a fingerprint sensor; an optical layer disposed on the display panel; as well as A cover layer is disposed on the optical layer, wherein the cover layer comprises: First floor; a second layer, disposed on the first layer; a third layer disposed below the first layer; and The fourth layer is disposed between the first layer and the third layer, wherein the first layer, the second layer and the third layer are organic material layers, and the fourth layer is an inorganic material layer with a thickness ranging from 20 μm to 60 μm.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The thickness of the covering layer ranges from 0.05 mm to 0.5 mm.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein The thickness of the covering layer is in the range of 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The thickness of the first layer is greater than the thickness of the second layer.

5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The thickness of the first layer is in the range of 30 μm to 100 μm.

6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The thickness of the second layer is in a range of 4 μm to 20 μm.

7. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The thickness of the third layer is greater than the thickness of the fourth layer.

8. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The thickness of the third layer is in the range of 30 μm to 100 μm.

9. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The covering layer further comprises: a first adhesive layer disposed between the third layer and the fourth layer; and A second adhesive layer is disposed between the fourth layer and the first layer.

10. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The invention further comprises a third adhesive layer disposed between the optical layer and the cover layer.

11. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The fingerprint sensor is a capacitive fingerprint sensor.

12. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The sensing layer further includes a touch sensor.

13. The display device according to claim 1, wherein The display device is a foldable display device.

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