Organic light emitting display device

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an organic light emitting display device including: a panel assembly including a TFT substrate on which a display area is defined, a thin film encapsulation layer disposed on the TFT substrate such that the thin film encapsulation layer covers the display area, and a bottom pad disposed on the thin film encapsulation layer, and configured to display an image; the bottom bonding pad is arranged on the lower surface of the TFT substrate; a flexible printed circuit board mounted on the bottom pad of the panel assembly; and a connection line disposed on at least one of an upper surface, a lower surface, a left side surface, and a right side surface of the TFT substrate, and interconnecting an upper signal line disposed on the upper surface of the TFT substrate and a bottom pad disposed on the lower surface of the TFT substrate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device (or electronic device) having a display, and more particularly, to an organic light emitting display device (or organic light emitting display device). Background Art

[0002] With the development of an information-oriented society, display technology has been rapidly developed to meet various needs for visually expressing information, data, applications, etc. In fact, various types of display devices having excellent properties such as thin package, light weight, low power consumption, etc. have been developed.

[0003] As such display devices, liquid crystal display (LCD) devices, quantum dot (QD) display devices, organic light emitting diode (OLED) devices, field emission display (FED) devices, etc. are increasingly used.

[0004] The display device may include a display panel and a plurality of components to provide various functions. For example, one or more display driving circuits for controlling the display panel may be included in the display assembly.

[0005] The display driving circuit may include a gate driver, a light emitting (source) driver, a power supply (VDD) wiring, an electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuit, a multiplexing (MUX) circuit, a data signal line, a cathode contact, and other functional elements.

[0006] A plurality of peripheral circuits may be included in the display assembly to provide various types of additional functions, such as touch sensing, fingerprint recognition functions, etc.

[0007] Some components may be disposed inside the display panel, or in a peripheral area outside the display area, which may be referred to as a non-display area or an inactive area.

[0008] When designing a display device, the size of the corresponding display area is considered to be one of the important design factors. In addition, a high ratio of the size of the display area to the size of the non-display area (sometimes referred to as the screen frame ratio) has become increasingly important. However, arranging some of such peripheral circuits inside the display component may require a larger non-display area, which results in a significant increase in the size of the display panel. Therefore, a larger non-display area may cause the display panel to become larger, which in turn may cause obstacles to integrating the display panel into the housing of the electronic device.

[0009] Larger non-display areas may also require a large mask to cover a large portion of the display panel, and this may result in a less aesthetically appealing device.

[0010] A technology for bending a bezel using a flexible board has been developed so that some components can be disposed on a separate flexible printed circuit board, but such a display device still faces the problem of reducing the bezel. Summary of the invention

[0011] To solve these problems, one or more aspects of the present disclosure may provide an organic light emitting display device capable of minimizing a side frame area.

[0012] One or more aspects of the present disclosure may provide an organic light emitting display device capable of reducing a bezel area without affecting display performance.

[0013] One or more aspects of the present disclosure may provide an organic light emitting display device capable of reducing a bezel area without bending a TFT substrate.

[0014] Additional features and advantages of the present disclosure will be described in the following description, which in part will become apparent from the description or can be learned by practicing the present disclosure. Other advantages of the present disclosure will be realized and obtained through the structures specifically pointed out in the written description and claims and the drawings.

[0015] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an organic light-emitting display device can be provided, which includes: a panel assembly, which includes a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate, a thin film encapsulation layer, and a bottom pad, and is configured to display an image, a display area is defined on the TFT substrate, the thin film encapsulation layer is arranged on the TFT substrate so that the thin film encapsulation layer covers the display area, and the bottom pad is arranged on or below the lower surface of the TFT substrate; a flexible printed circuit board, which is mounted on the bottom pad of the panel assembly or bonded to the bottom pad of the panel assembly; and a connecting line, which is arranged on at least one of the upper surface, lower surface, left side surface and right side surface of the TFT substrate, and interconnects the upper signal line arranged on the upper surface of the TFT substrate and the bottom pad arranged on or below the lower surface of the TFT substrate.

[0016] According to various aspects of the present disclosure, an organic light-emitting display device can be provided, which includes: an upper signal line arranged on the upper surface of a TFT substrate; a circuit device, which is located on or below the lower surface of the TFT substrate and includes a driving element and other components for driving a panel assembly; and a connecting line, which is arranged on the side surface of the TFT substrate and interconnects the upper signal line and the circuit device.

[0017] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, an organic light emitting display device capable of minimizing or almost eliminating an area occupied by a side bezel region may be provided.

[0018] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, an organic light emitting display device capable of reducing a bezel area without affecting display performance may be provided.

[0019] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, an organic light emitting display device capable of reducing a bezel area without bending a TFT substrate may be provided.

[0020] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, an organic light-emitting display device can be provided, which can reduce production energy consumption and manufacturing costs by setting connecting lines, which electrically interconnect signal lines and circuit elements located on the lower surface of the TFT substrate or below the lower surface of the TFT substrate on the side of the TFT substrate through a simple process.

[0021] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary, and are intended to provide further explanation of the disclosure as claimed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of the present disclosure. The accompanying drawings illustrate various aspects of the present disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. In the drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 An example system configuration of a display device according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown;

[0024] Figure 2 shows an example schematic configuration of a display device according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of an example flexible organic light emitting display device;

[0026] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example structure in which a circuit area on or below a lower surface of a substrate is defined using a through hole;

[0027] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example structure in an organic light emitting display device according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view showing an example structure in a side portion of an organic light emitting display device according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing another example structure in a side portion of an organic light emitting display device according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 8is a perspective view showing an example side portion of an organic light emitting display device according to aspects of the present disclosure;

[0031] Fig. 9 An example structure according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown, in which different upper signal lines are connected to corresponding connection lines in an organic light emitting display device; and

[0032] Figures 10 to 14 Example process diagrams for explaining a method of manufacturing an organic light emitting display device according to aspects of the present disclosure are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which may be shown in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the structures, embodiments, implementations, methods and operations described herein are not limited to one or more specific examples set forth herein, and may be changed as known in the art. Unless otherwise specified, the same reference numerals always represent the same elements. The names of the various elements used in the following explanations are selected only for the convenience of writing the specification, and therefore may be different from those used in the actual product. The advantages and features of the present disclosure and their implementation methods will be explained by the following example embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in different forms and should not be interpreted as being limited to the example embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these example embodiments are provided so that the present disclosure may be sufficiently thorough and complete to help those skilled in the art fully understand the scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the scope of protection of the present disclosure is defined by the claims and their equivalents. In the following description, in the case where a detailed description of a related known function or configuration may unnecessarily obscure aspects of the present disclosure, a detailed description of such a known function or configuration may be omitted. The shapes, sizes, ratios, angles, numbers, etc. shown in the drawings for describing various example embodiments of the present disclosure are given only by way of example. Therefore, the present disclosure is not limited to the illustrations in the accompanying drawings. When the terms "comprising", "having", "containing", "including", "consisting of", "composed of", "formed of", etc. are used, one or more other elements may be added unless terms such as "only" are used. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, elements described in the singular are intended to include plural elements and vice versa.

[0034] Although the terms "first", "second", A, B, (a), (b), etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be construed as being limited by these terms because they are not used to define a particular order or priority. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. 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 disclosure.

[0035] When it is mentioned that a first element is “connected or coupled”, “contacted or overlapped”, etc. with a second element, it should be interpreted that not only the first element can be “directly connected or coupled” with the second element or “directly contacted or overlapped” with the second element, but also a third element can be “interposed” between the first element and the second element, or the first element and the second element can be “connected or coupled”, “contacted or overlapped”, etc. with each other via a fourth element. Here, the second element can be included in at least one of the two or more elements that are “connected or coupled”, “contacted or overlapped”, etc. with each other.

[0036] In the case of describing a positional relationship, for example, in the case of using "on", "above", "below", "above", "below", "beside", "near", etc. to describe the positional relationship between two parts, unless more restrictive terms such as "immediately", "directly" or "closely" are used, one or more other parts may be located between the two parts. For example, in the case where an element or layer is arranged "on" another element or layer, a third element or layer may be inserted therebetween. In addition, the terms "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "downward", "upward", "up", "down", etc. refer to an arbitrary reference system.

[0037] In addition, when any dimension, relative size, etc. is mentioned, the numerical value or corresponding information (e.g., level, range, etc.) of the element or feature should be considered to include a tolerance or error range that may be caused by various factors (e.g., process factors, internal or external influences, noise, etc.), even when no relevant description is specified. In addition, the term "may" fully encompasses all meanings of the term "can".

[0038] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] Figure 1 An example system configuration of a display device 100 (eg, an organic light emitting display device) according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0040] Reference Figure 1In one or more embodiments, the display device 100 may include a display panel 110 and a display driving circuit as components for displaying an image. The display driving circuit may be a circuit for driving the display panel 110, and includes a data driving circuit 130, a gate driving circuit 120, a display controller 140, and other circuit components.

[0041] The display panel 110 may include a substrate and a plurality of sub-pixels SP disposed on the substrate.

[0042] The substrate of the display panel 110 may include a display area DA allowing an image to be displayed and a non-display area NDA located outside the display area DA.

[0043] In the display panel 110 according to aspects of the present disclosure, the non-display area NDA may have a very small area compared to the display area DA.

[0044] For example, the non-display area NDA may include a first non-display area located outside the display area DA in a first direction, a second non-display area located outside the display area DA in a second direction crossing the first direction, a third non-display area located outside the display area DA in a direction opposite to the first direction, and a fourth non-display area located outside the display area DA in a direction opposite to the second direction. One or two of the first to fourth non-display areas may include a pad area connected or bonded to the data driving circuit 130. For example, among the first to fourth non-display areas, each of the remaining three or two non-display areas not including the pad area may have a very small size compared to one or two non-display areas including the pad area.

[0045] In an embodiment, a boundary area between the display area DA and the non-display area NDA may be curved so that the non-display area NDA may be located below the display area DA. In this embodiment, when a user views the display device 100 in front of the display device 100, all or most of the non-display area NDA may not be visible to the user.

[0046] Various types of signal lines for driving the plurality of sub-pixels SP may be disposed on a substrate of the display panel 110 .

[0047] In one or more embodiments, the display device 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure may be a liquid crystal display device, etc., or a self-luminous display device in which light is emitted from the display panel 110 itself. In an example in which the display device 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure is a self-luminous display device, each of the plurality of sub-pixels SP may include a light-emitting element.

[0048] For example, the display device 100 according to various aspects of the present disclosure may be an organic light-emitting display device implemented using an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) as a light-emitting element. In another example, the display device 100 according to various aspects of the present disclosure may be an inorganic light-emitting display device implemented using a light-emitting diode based on an inorganic material as a light-emitting element. In yet another example, the display device 100 according to various aspects of the present disclosure may be a quantum dot display device implemented using quantum dots (which are self-luminous semiconductor crystals) as light-emitting elements.

[0049] The structure of each of the plurality of subpixels SP may depend on the type of the display device 100. For example, in an example where the display device 100 is a self-luminous display device including self-luminous subpixels SP, each subpixel SP may include a self-luminous light emitting element, one or more transistors, and one or more capacitors.

[0050] The various types of signal lines may include, for example, a plurality of data lines DL for carrying data signals (which may be referred to as data voltages or image signals), a plurality of gate lines GL for carrying gate signals (which may be referred to as scan signals), and the like.

[0051] In one or more embodiments, a plurality of data lines DL and a plurality of gate lines GL may intersect with each other. For example, each data line DL may intersect with each gate line GL at a certain angle. Each of the plurality of data lines DL may be arranged to extend in a first direction, and each of the plurality of gate lines GL may be arranged to extend in a second direction. For example, the first direction may be a column direction or a vertical direction, and the second direction may be a row direction or a horizontal direction. In another example, the first direction may be a row direction or a horizontal direction, and the second direction may be a column direction or a vertical direction. Hereinafter, for ease of explanation, a discussion may be provided based on an example in which each of the plurality of data lines DL is arranged in a column direction and each of the plurality of gate lines GL is arranged in a row direction, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0052] The data driving circuit 130 may be a circuit for driving the plurality of data lines DL, and may output data signals to the plurality of data lines DL.

[0053] The data driving circuit 130 may receive image data DATA in a digital form from the display controller 140 , convert the received image data DATA into a data signal in an analog form, and output the converted data signal to a plurality of data lines DL.

[0054] In one or more embodiments, the data driving circuit 130 can be connected to the display panel 110 using tape automated bonding (TAB) technology, or connected to a conductive pad such as a bonding pad of the display panel 110 using chip on glass (COG) technology or chip on panel (COP) technology, or implemented in the display panel 110 using chip on film (COF) technology.

[0055] The data driving circuit 130 may be, but is not limited to, located at and / or electrically connected to only one side or one portion (e.g., the upper edge or the lower edge) of the display panel 110. In one or more embodiments, the data driving circuit 130 may be, but is not limited to, located at and / or electrically connected to both sides or two portions (e.g., the upper edge and the lower edge) of the display panel 110 or at least two of the four sides or four portions (e.g., the upper edge, the lower edge, the left edge, and the right edge) of the display panel 110 according to a driving scheme, a panel design scheme, or other design requirements.

[0056] The data driving circuit 130 may be connected to the outside or edge of the display area DA of the display panel 110 , or disposed in the display area DA of the display panel 110 .

[0057] The gate drive circuit 120 may be a circuit for driving a plurality of gate lines GL, and may output a gate signal to the plurality of gate lines GL. The gate drive circuit 120 may receive various types of gate drive control signals GCS, and may also receive a first gate voltage corresponding to an on-level voltage and a second gate voltage corresponding to an off-level voltage. Thus, the gate drive circuit 120 may generate a gate signal and supply the generated gate signal to the plurality of gate lines GL.

[0058] In one or more embodiments, the gate driving circuit 120 included in the display device 100 may be embedded in the display panel 110 using a gate-in-panel (GIP) technology. In an example where the gate driving circuit 120 is implemented using a gate-in-panel (GIP) technology, the gate driving circuit 120 may be disposed on a substrate of the display panel 110 during a manufacturing process of the display panel 110 or the display device 100. In one embodiment, the gate driving circuit 120 included in the display device 100 may be disposed in a display area DA of the display panel 110. In this implementation, for example, the gate driving circuit 120 may be, but is not limited to, disposed in and / or electrically connected to a first area (e.g., a left area or a right area of ​​the display area DA) of the display panel 110. In another example, the selection drive circuit 120 may be, but is not limited to being, disposed in a first region (e.g., a left region or a right region of the display area DA) and a second region (e.g., a right region or a left region of the display area DA) of the display panel 110 and / or electrically connected to the first region and the second region of the display area DA of the display panel 110.

[0059] Here, the gate driving circuit 120 embedded in the display panel 110 using a gate in panel (GIP) technology may also be referred to as a “gate in panel circuit”.

[0060] The display controller 140 may be a device for controlling the data driving circuit 130 and the gate driving circuit 120 , and may control driving timings of the plurality of data lines DL and driving timings of the plurality of gate lines GL.

[0061] The display controller 140 may supply a data driving control signal DCS to the data driving circuit 130 to control the data driving circuit 130 , and supply a gate driving control signal GCS to the gate driving circuit 120 to control the gate driving circuit 120 .

[0062] The display controller 140 may receive image data input from the host system 200 , and supply the data driving circuit 130 with image data DATA that can be read by the data driving circuit 130 based on the input image data.

[0063] The display controller 140 may be implemented in a separate component from the data driving circuit 130 , or incorporated into the data driving circuit 130 and thus implemented in an integrated circuit.

[0064] The display controller 140 may be a timing controller used in a typical display technology or a controller or control device capable of performing other control functions in addition to the functions of a typical timing controller. In one or more embodiments, the display controller 140 may be a controller or control device different from a timing controller, or a circuit or component included in a controller or control device. The display controller 140 may be implemented using various circuits or electronic components such as an integrated circuit (IC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a processor, or the like.

[0065] The display controller 140 may be mounted on a printed circuit board, a flexible printed circuit, or the like, and electrically connected to the gate driving circuit 120 and the data driving circuit 130 through the printed circuit board, the flexible printed circuit, or the like.

[0066] The display controller 140 may send and receive signals to and from the data driving circuit 130 via one or more predefined interfaces. For example, such interfaces may include a low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) interface, an embedded clock point-to-point interface (EPI), a serial peripheral interface (SPI), etc. However, embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto.

[0067] In one or more aspects, in order to provide a touch sensing function as well as an image display function, the display device 100 may include a touch sensor and a touch sensing circuit configured to sense the touch sensor and detect the presence or absence of a touch or the position of a touch by an object such as a finger or a pen.

[0068] The touch sensing circuit may include: a touch driving circuit configured to drive and sense the touch sensor and generate and output touch sensing data; and a touch controller capable of detecting the presence or absence of a touch or a touched position using the touch sensing data.

[0069] The touch sensor may include a plurality of touch electrodes and may further include a plurality of touch lines to electrically connect the plurality of touch electrodes to a touch driving circuit.

[0070] The touch sensor may be implemented in the form of a touch panel outside the display panel 110, or may be integrated inside the display panel 110. In an example where the touch sensor is implemented in the form of a touch panel outside the display panel 110, such a touch sensor may be referred to as an add-on type. In an example where the add-on type touch sensor is provided in the display device 100, the touch panel and the display panel 110 may be manufactured separately and combined in an assembly process.

[0071] The add-on type touch panel may include a touch panel substrate and a plurality of touch electrodes disposed on the touch panel substrate.

[0072] In an example where the touch sensor is disposed inside the display panel 110 , the touch sensor may be formed on a substrate together with signal lines and electrodes related to display driving during a manufacturing process of the display panel 110 .

[0073] The touch driving circuit may provide a touch driving signal to at least one touch electrode among the plurality of touch electrodes, and generate touch sensing data by sensing at least one touch electrode among the plurality of touch electrodes.

[0074] The touch sensing circuit may perform touch sensing using self-capacitance sensing technology or mutual capacitance sensing technology.

[0075] In an example where the touch sensing circuit performs touch sensing using self-capacitance sensing technology, the touch sensing circuit may perform touch sensing based on the capacitance between each touch electrode and a touch object (e.g., a finger, a pen, etc.). According to the self-capacitance sensing technology, each of the plurality of touch electrodes may be used as both a driving touch electrode and a sensing touch electrode. The touch drive circuit may drive all or one or more of the plurality of touch electrodes, and sense all or one or more of the plurality of touch electrodes.

[0076] In an example where the touch sensing circuit performs touch sensing using mutual capacitance sensing technology, the touch sensing circuit may perform touch sensing based on the capacitance between touch electrodes. According to the mutual capacitance sensing technology, a plurality of touch electrodes may be divided into driving touch electrodes and sensing touch electrodes. The touch driving circuit may drive the driving touch electrodes and sense the sensing touch electrodes.

[0077] In one or more aspects, the touch drive circuit and the touch controller included in the touch sensing circuit can be implemented in separate devices or in a single device. In one or more aspects, the touch drive circuit and the data drive circuit can be implemented in separate devices or in a single device.

[0078] The display device 100 may also include a power supply circuit for supplying various types of power to the display drive circuit and / or the touch sensing circuit. In one or more embodiments, the display device 100 according to various aspects of the present disclosure may be, but is not limited to, a mobile terminal such as a smart phone, a tablet computer, a monitor, a television (TV), etc. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. In one or more embodiments, the display device 100 may be a display device of various types, sizes, and shapes for displaying information or images or a display including various types, sizes, and shapes for displaying information or images.

[0079] In one or more embodiments, the display device 100 may further include an electronic device such as a camera (e.g., an image sensor), a sensor capable of detecting an object, etc. For example, the sensor may be a sensor capable of detecting an object or a human body by receiving light such as infrared light, ultrasonic light, ultraviolet light, or the like.

[0080] Figure 2 An example schematic configuration of a display device 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown.

[0081] Figure 2 It is shown that in the display device 100 according to various aspects of the present disclosure, one or more source driver integrated circuits SDIC included in the data driving circuit 130 and one or more gate driver integrated circuits GDIC included in the gate driving circuit 120 are implemented using a chip on film (COF) technology among various technologies (TAB, COG, COF, etc.).

[0082] Each of the one or more gate driver integrated circuits GDIC included in the gate driving circuit 120 may be mounted on a corresponding gate film GF, and one side of each gate film GF may be electrically connected to the display panel 110. In one or more embodiments, a line for electrically connecting the corresponding gate driver integrated circuit GDIC to the display panel 110 may be provided on each gate film GF.

[0083] In these embodiments, the gate drive circuit 120 may be located at only one side or one portion (e.g., left edge, right edge, upper edge, lower edge, etc.) of the display panel 110 according to design requirements, or at both sides or two portions (e.g., left edge and right edge, upper edge and lower edge, etc.) of the display panel 110. In one or more embodiments, the gate drive circuit 120 may be embedded in the border region of the display panel 110 and implemented in a gate-in-panel (GIP) type.

[0084] Each of the one or more source driver integrated circuits SDIC included in the data driving circuit 130 may be mounted on a corresponding source film SF, and a first side of each source film SF may be electrically connected to the display panel 110. In one or more embodiments, a line for electrically connecting the corresponding source driver integrated circuit SDIC to the display panel 110 may be provided on each source film SF.

[0085] The display device 100 may include one or more printed circuit boards for circuit connection between one or more source driver integrated circuits SDIC and one or more other components or devices. The printed circuit board may include, for example, at least one source printed circuit board SPCB, a control printed circuit board CPCB on which control components and various electrical devices are mounted, and the like.

[0086] In an embodiment, a second opposite side of each source film SF on which a corresponding source driver integrated circuit SDIC is mounted may be connected to the source printed circuit board SPCB. For example, a first side of each source film SF on which a corresponding source driver integrated circuit SDIC is mounted may be electrically connected to the display panel 110, and an opposite second side of each source film SF may be electrically connected to the source printed circuit board SPCB.

[0087] The controller 140, the power management circuit (or the power management IC 150), etc. may be mounted on the control printed circuit board CPCB. The controller 140 may control the operations of the data driving circuit 130 and the gate driving circuit 120. The power management circuit 150 may supply power (e.g., various levels of driving voltages or various current amounts) to the display panel 110, the data driving circuit 130, the gate driving circuit 120, etc., and control the supplied voltage level or current amount.

[0088] In one or more embodiments, at least one source printed circuit board SPCB and the control printed circuit board CPCB may be electrically connected to each other through at least one connector (such as a flexible printed circuit FPC, a flexible flat cable FFC, etc.).

[0089] In these embodiments, at least one connector for electrically interconnecting at least one source printed circuit board SPCB and the control printed circuit board CPCB may be variously designed or defined according to the size and type of the display device 100. In one or more embodiments, at least one source printed circuit board SPCB and the control printed circuit board CPCB may be integrated into one printed circuit board.

[0090] According to the above-described embodiment, the power management circuit 150 included in the display device 100 can supply a driving voltage required for display driving or characteristic value sensing to the source printed circuit board SPCB through the flexible printed circuit FPC or the flexible flat cable FFC. The driving voltage transmitted to the source printed circuit board SPCB can be supplied to the display panel 110 through the source driver integrated circuit SDIC, which enables at least one sub-pixel SP to be driven to emit light or be sensed.

[0091] Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the structure of an example flexible organic light emitting display device.

[0092] Figure 3 The flexible organic light emitting display device has a structure in which the polyimide substrate 310 is bent at the side 370 of the display device. Figure 3 , for example, the source driver integrated circuit 380 and the flexible printed circuit board 390 may be disposed on a lower surface of the bent portion of the substrate 310 .

[0093] In this example, the upper signal line 360 ​​may extend from the upper surface of the substrate 310 to the lower surface of the bent portion of the substrate 310 along the side 370, and be connected to the source driver integrated circuit 380 and the flexible printed circuit board 390 on the lower surface. An insulating layer 320 may be formed on the substrate 310. Sub-pixels 330 may be disposed on the insulating layer 320. A thin film encapsulation layer 340 may be disposed on the substrate 310 while covering the display area AA. A cover glass 350 may be disposed on the thin film encapsulation layer 340.

[0094] This implementation may represent a pixel-on-top (POT) structure (which may be suitable for mobile OLED products and allows pixel electrodes to be formed on a protective layer of a TFT array substrate), and may be a structure in which a substrate, a transistor, and a pixel electrode are stacked. This implementation intends to reduce the bottom frame by bending the substrate 310 after the source driver integrated circuit 380 and the flexible printed circuit board 390 are mounted on the substrate 310, but this structure may be disadvantageous because an additional frame area corresponding to such a bent area is still required.

[0095] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an example structure in which a circuit area on or below the lower surface of a substrate is defined using a through hole.

[0096] Reference Figure 4 In an organic light-emitting display device, a through hole can be formed in the TFT substrate by dry etching or the like, and the upper signal line 362 can be connected from the upper surface of the substrate 312 to a flexible printed circuit 392 disposed on or below the lower surface of the substrate 312 through the through hole.

[0097] Therefore, since the through hole is formed in a portion of the substrate, and the upper signal line is connected to a circuit such as a flexible printed circuit 392 disposed on or below the bottom of the substrate through the through hole, the frame area can be minimized because the circuit is disposed on or below the bottom of the substrate, and not disposed in the frame area. An insulating layer 322 may be formed on the substrate 312. Sub-pixels 332 may be disposed on the insulating layer 322. A thin film encapsulation layer 342 may be disposed on the substrate 312 while covering the display area AA. A cover glass 352 may be disposed on the thin film encapsulation layer 342. A bottom pad 382 may be disposed on or below the lower surface of the substrate 312. One or more circuit devices 384 for processing a drive signal may be mounted on the bottom pad 382 using a chip on film (COF) technology, and at least one connector (not shown) may be disposed in the bottom pad 382 to transmit an external signal to the flexible printed circuit 392.

[0098] Depending on the implementation, a fine patterning process may be required to form a via that penetrates the top and bottom of the substrate for each pad. When the fine patterning process is performed, the metal deposited on the wall of the via may be cracked during the press-fit process of the modular process.

[0099] To solve Figure 4 To solve the problems of the aforementioned implementations shown, hereinafter, embodiments applied in the display device 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure will be described below.

[0100] Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example structure in an organic light emitting display device 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example structure in a side portion of an organic light emitting display device according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating another example structure in a side portion of an organic light emitting display device according to aspects of the present disclosure. Figure 8 is a perspective view of an example side portion of an organic light emitting display device according to aspects of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 An example structure according to aspects of the present disclosure is shown, in which different upper signal lines are connected to corresponding connection lines in an organic light emitting display device.

[0101] It should be pointed out here that for the sake of convenience of explanation, Figures 5 to 9 As shown, the organic light-emitting display device 100 according to various aspects of the present disclosure shows an example in which only the upper frame area is removed (that is, the upper frame area is realized to be zero). However, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. For example, when the embodiments (or examples) described below are applied to the display device 100, it can be achieved that both the upper frame area and the lower frame area become almost zero or substantially zero.

[0102] Referring to the accompanying drawings, in some embodiments, the organic light-emitting display device 100 may include a panel assembly for displaying an image, a flexible printed circuit board disposed on or below the lower surface of the substrate and connected to the panel assembly, and a connection line for interconnecting the panel assembly and the flexible printed circuit board. Hereinafter, the connection line may be referred to as a transmission line, a connection pad, or a transmission pad.

[0103] The panel assembly may include: a TFT substrate 410 on which a display area AA is defined; a bottom pad 480, which is disposed on or below the lower surface of the TFT substrate 410; and a thin film encapsulation layer 440, which is disposed on the TFT substrate 410 while covering the display area AA, and the panel assembly may be configured to display an image.

[0104] For example, a polyimide (PI) substrate may be used as the TFT substrate 410 .

[0105] The thin film encapsulation layer 440 may be disposed on an organic light emitting element (e.g., an organic light emitting diode and a driving circuit) disposed on the TFT substrate 410, and seals and protects the organic light emitting element and the driving circuit from external moisture or oxygen. An insulating layer 420 may be formed on the TFT substrate 410. Sub-pixels 430 may be disposed on the insulating layer 420.

[0106] A polarizing plate (not shown) may be disposed on the thin film encapsulation layer 440 to prevent reflection of light incident from the outside of the display device 100 .

[0107] The cover glass 450 may be disposed on the thin film encapsulation layer 440 .

[0108] A plurality of sub-pixels may be disposed in a matrix pattern in the display area AA of the TFT substrate 410 .

[0109] The TFT substrate 410 may include a display area AA, a line area located on a side surface (or in a side portion or at an edge) of the TFT substrate 410 and including a plurality of connection lines 470 arranged at predetermined intervals, and a circuit area located on or below a lower surface of the TFT substrate 410 and allowing driving elements and other components for driving a panel assembly to be set.

[0110] For example, one or more connection lines 470 formed of a conductive material may be provided in the line region. The display area AA on or above the upper surface of the TFT substrate 410 may be electrically connected to the circuit elements on or below the lower surface of the TFT substrate 410 through one or more connection lines 470.

[0111] like Figure 8As shown, the line area may be provided with a plurality of connection lines ( 470 : 472 , 474 , 476 ) formed by coating a conductive material in a carved pattern formed on at least one side surface of the TFT substrate 410 .

[0112] For example, one end of the conductive material coated in each engraved pattern in the line region may physically contact the corresponding upper signal line ( 460 : 462 , 464 , 466 ) disposed on the upper surface of the TFT substrate 410 .

[0113] The conductive material may be, for example, silver (Ag).

[0114] like Fig. 9 As shown, in an embodiment, the plurality of connection lines 470 may be arranged so that they are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in a direction in which the side surface of the TFT substrate 410 extends horizontally. In this embodiment, each upper signal line 460 may be connected to a corresponding connection line 470 among the plurality of connection lines 470. For example, one connection line 470 may be connected to one upper signal line 460, and another connection line 470 may be connected to another upper signal line 460 on a one-to-one basis.

[0115] like Figure 6 As shown, respective portions of the plurality of upper signal lines 460 and corresponding connection lines 470 contacting the portions of the plurality of upper signal lines 460 may be covered with the protection layer 510 and thus may not be exposed to the outside.

[0116] The bottom pad 480 may be located at one end of the circuit region on the bottom substrate of the TFT substrate 410 and may be exposed to the outside. A pad electrode for transmitting an electrical signal to one or more scan drivers and one or more data drivers may be located on the bottom pad 480 of the TFT substrate 410.

[0117] A flexible printed circuit board 492 may be mounted on or connected to the bottom pad 480. One or more circuit devices 490 for processing a driving signal may be mounted on the bottom pad 480 using a chip on film (COF) technology, and at least one connector (not shown) may be provided in the bottom pad 480 to transmit an external signal to the flexible printed circuit board 492.

[0118] A flexible printed circuit board 492 and one or more circuit devices 490 may be disposed in a circuit region on a lower surface of the TFT substrate 410 , which may be a lower surface of a panel assembly.

[0119] For example, when the thin film encapsulation layer 440 is bonded to the TFT substrate 410 to form a module assembly, the flexible printed circuit board 492 can be mounted on the lower portion of the organic light-emitting display device 100 via a bottom pad 480 (e.g., the lower surface of the TFT substrate 410 or the lower surface of the panel assembly).

[0120] In this example, the terminal portion of the TFT substrate 410 and the connection portion of the flexible printed circuit board 492 may be electrically connected to each other using an anisotropic conductive film.

[0121] The connection line 470 can be set on at least one of the upper surface, lower surface, left surface and right surface of the TFT substrate 410, and for example, the connection line 470 set on the upper surface of the TFT substrate 410 can be connected to the bottom pad 480 set on the lower surface of the TFT substrate 410.

[0122] As an example, Figure 6 An upper signal line 460 provided in the display device 100 is shown, and Figure 7 4 shows a plurality of upper signal lines 460 disposed in the display device 100. Figure 7 In one or more embodiments, the plurality of upper signal lines 460 may include a first signal line SL1a, a second signal line SL1b, and a third signal line SL1c, which may be disposed in different layers and electrically connected to a connection line 470, which is a conductor located on a side of the TFT substrate 410 (or panel assembly).

[0123] In these embodiments, the first signal line SL1a, the second signal line SL1b, and the third signal line SL1c may be parts of one signal line SL1. Figure 6 This implementation may provide the advantage of reduced contact resistance compared to the configuration of the signal lines shown in .

[0124] like Figure 7 As shown, even when the first signal line SL1a, the second signal line SL1b, and the third signal line SL1c are disposed in different layers, they can be electrically connected to each other through the conductive material formed in the through hole penetrating the different layers. Therefore, the first signal line SL1a, the second signal line SL1b, and the third signal line SL1c can be used as one signal line.

[0125] By applying the above-described embodiments to a display device, a narrow bezel can be implemented to minimize the bezel area, and such a narrow bezel can be applied not only to the left and right bezels but also to the top and bottom bezels.

[0126] For example, although a bezel area in which driving elements and other components for display driving are arranged is defined in the panel assembly, and such driving elements and other components need to be located in the panel assembly as necessary elements, it is desired to minimize the bezel area because the bezel area is not necessary in terms of product design.

[0127] According to the above-described embodiment, a substantially zero bezel can be achieved by disposing the driving elements and other components in a circuit region located on the lower surface of the TFT substrate instead of in a bezel region.

[0128] Thus, achieving essentially zero bezel may lead to design innovations in future display products and may provide the effect of becoming the standard for all displays that achieve zero bezel.

[0129] Figures 10 to 14 Example process diagrams for explaining a method of manufacturing the organic light emitting display device 100 according to aspects of the present disclosure are shown.

[0130] Reference Fig.10 In one or more embodiments, to manufacture the organic light-emitting display device 100 , a glass substrate 810 may be disposed on a lower surface of the TFT substrate 410 , and then an engraved pattern 820 may be formed on at least a portion of the TFT substrate 410 .

[0131] In one embodiment, the engraved patterns (820:821 to 82N, where N is an integer greater than 1) may be formed to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in a direction in which the side surface of the TFT substrate 410 extends horizontally. In this embodiment, the positions and widths of the engraved patterns (820:821 to 82N) may be determined and formed so that one end of each of the engraved patterns (820:821 to 82N) corresponds to a corresponding one of the upper signal lines (460:461 to 46N).

[0132] For example, each of the engraved patterns (820: 821 to 82N) may be formed in a line extending in the same direction on the same plane as a corresponding one of the upper signal lines (460: 461 to 46N), and may be formed to have a width equal to or greater than the corresponding upper signal line. Here, the same plane may be the upper surface of the TFT substrate 410. The engraved pattern 820 may be formed to extend from the upper surface of the TFT substrate 410 to the side surface thereof. For example, the engraved pattern 820 may be formed vertically from the upper surface of the TFT substrate 410 to the side surface of the TFT substrate 410.

[0133] To form the engraved pattern 820 , a dry etching process may be used on the TFT substrate 410 .

[0134] Next, if Fig.11As shown, a conductive material 910 may be applied to the engraved pattern 820 formed on the TFT substrate 410, so that the engraved pattern is filled with the conductive material. The conductive material may be, for example, silver (Ag). In addition, any material that can be electrically connected to the upper signal line 460 may be used as the conductive material.

[0135] The connection lines (470: 471, 472, 473, 474, ..., 47N) can be formed by filling each engraved pattern (820: 821 to 82N) with a conductive material 910. After each engraved pattern (820: 821 to 82N) is filled with the conductive material 910, the large area conductive material is separated by laser trimming. Thereafter, a pad can be formed on the lower surface of the TFT substrate 410 so that the pad can receive a signal from each upper signal line 460.

[0136] like Fig. 9 As shown, the connection lines (470: 471, 472, 473, 474, ..., 47N) can be arranged at predetermined intervals in the horizontal direction. Each of the connection lines (470: 471, 472, 473, 474, ..., 47N) can be connected to a corresponding one of the upper signal lines (460: 461, 462, 463, 464, ..., 46N).

[0137] For example, one connection line 470 may contact and be electrically connected to one upper signal line 460 , and another connection line 470 may contact and be electrically connected to another upper signal line 460 on a one-to-one basis.

[0138] The insulating layer 420 may be formed in at least one of the lower layer and the upper layer with the upper signal line 460 interposed therebetween, and the organic layer 700 may be formed on the uppermost layer of the resulting stack. For example, one or more layers contacting the upper signal line 460 may be layers having different properties from one or more other layers.

[0139] Reference Fig.12 After forming the plurality of connection lines 470 , the glass substrate 810 used as a sacrificial layer may be removed by a laser lift off (LLO) process. Thus, the glass substrate 810 may be removed from the TFT substrate 410 .

[0140] Next, refer to Fig.13By removing the lower portion of the TFT substrate 410 through laser trimming, pads formed of a conductive material that allows contact can be formed on the lower surface of the TFT substrate 410. These pads can be used as connection lines (470: 471 to 47N). The conductive material 910, a portion of the TFT substrate 410, the insulating layer 420 on the portion of the TFT substrate 410, and the upper signal line 465 can be retained from this laser trimming. The upper signal line 465 can physically contact and be electrically connected to the conductive material 910.

[0141] Next, refer to Fig.14 , the circuit elements may be disposed on the lower surface of the TFT substrate 410 on which pads (470: 471 to 47N) have been formed by a previous process using a chip on film (COF) technology. After the circuit elements are mounted on the lower surface of the TFT substrate 410, a resin may be deposited to protect the pads (471 to 47N).

[0142] For example, portions of the upper signal line 460 and corresponding connection lines 470 contacting the upper signal line 460 may be covered together by the protective layer 510. Thus, outer surfaces of portions of the upper signal line 460 and outer surfaces of the connection lines 470 contacting the upper signal line 460 may not be exposed.

[0143] According to one or more aspects described herein, an organic light emitting display device capable of minimizing or almost eliminating an area occupied by a side bezel region may be provided.

[0144] According to one or more aspects described herein, an organic light emitting display device capable of reducing a bezel area without affecting display performance may be provided.

[0145] According to one or more aspects described herein, an organic light emitting display device capable of reducing a bezel area without bending a TFT substrate may be provided.

[0146] According to one or more aspects of the present disclosure, an organic light-emitting display device can be provided, which can reduce production energy consumption and manufacturing costs by setting connecting lines, which electrically interconnect signal lines and circuit elements located on the lower surface of the TFT substrate or below the lower surface of the TFT substrate on the side of the TFT substrate through a simple process.

[0147] The above-mentioned embodiment will be briefly described below.

[0148] According to the various aspects described herein, an organic light-emitting display device can be provided, which includes: a panel assembly, which includes a TFT substrate, a thin film encapsulation layer, and a bottom pad, and is configured to display an image, a display area is defined on the TFT substrate, the thin film encapsulation layer is arranged on the TFT substrate so that the thin film encapsulation layer covers the display area, and the bottom pad is arranged on or below the lower surface of the TFT substrate; a flexible printed circuit board, which is mounted on the bottom pad of the panel assembly or bonded to the bottom pad of the panel assembly; and a connecting line, which is arranged on at least one of the upper surface, lower surface, left side surface and right side surface of the TFT substrate, and interconnects the upper signal line arranged on the upper surface of the TFT substrate and the pad arranged on or below the lower surface of the TFT substrate.

[0149] The TFT substrate may be formed of a polyimide (PI) substrate.

[0150] The TFT substrate may include a display area, a line area located on a side surface (or in a side portion or at an edge) of the TFT substrate and including a plurality of connection lines arranged at predetermined intervals, and a circuit area located on or below a lower surface of the TFT and allowing driving elements and other components for driving a panel assembly to be set.

[0151] One or more connection lines formed of a conductive material may be disposed in the line region. The display region on or above the upper surface of the TFT substrate may be electrically connected to the circuit region on or below the lower surface of the TFT substrate through one or more connection lines.

[0152] The line area may be provided with a connection line formed by coating a conductive material in a carved pattern formed on at least one side surface of the TFT substrate.

[0153] The conductive material may be, for example, silver (Ag). One end of the conductive material coated in each engraved pattern in the line region may physically contact a corresponding upper signal line disposed on the upper surface of the TFT substrate.

[0154] The connection lines may be arranged at predetermined intervals in a direction in which the TFT substrate extends horizontally, and each connection line may be connected to a corresponding one of the upper signal lines.

[0155] An outer surface of the corresponding connection line contacting the upper signal line and an outer surface of a corresponding portion of the upper signal line may be covered together by the protection layer and thus may not be exposed.

[0156] The flexible printed circuit board may be mounted in the lower portion of the panel assembly or on a lower surface thereof through the anisotropic conductive film.

[0157] The above description has been presented to enable those skilled in the art to make, use and practice the technical features of the present disclosure, and has been provided in the context of specific applications and their requirements as examples. Various modifications, additions and substitutions to the described embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and the principles described herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The above description and accompanying drawings provide examples of the technical features of the present disclosure for illustrative purposes only. That is, the disclosed embodiments are intended to illustrate the scope of the technical features of the present disclosure.

[0158] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0159] This application claims the benefit of priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2023-0141018 filed on October 20, 2023, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, which is incorporated herein by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

Claims

1. An organic light-emitting display device, comprising: A panel assembly, the panel assembly comprising a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate, a thin film encapsulation layer, and a bottom pad, and configured to display an image, wherein a display area is defined on the TFT substrate, the thin film encapsulation layer is disposed on the TFT substrate so that the thin film encapsulation layer covers the display area, and the bottom pad is disposed on a lower surface of the TFT substrate; a flexible printed circuit board mounted on the bottom pad of the panel assembly; as well as A connection line is arranged on at least one of the upper surface, the lower surface, the left surface and the right surface of the TFT substrate, and interconnects the upper signal line arranged on the upper surface of the TFT substrate and the bottom pad arranged on the lower surface of the TFT substrate.

2. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 1, wherein: The TFT substrate is formed of a polyimide PI substrate.

3. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 1, wherein: The TFT substrate comprises: Display area; a line region located on a side surface of the TFT substrate and including a plurality of connection lines arranged at predetermined intervals; and A circuit area is located on the lower surface of the TFT substrate and allows a driving element and other components for driving the panel assembly to be arranged.

4. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 3, wherein: The connection line included in the line area is formed using a conductive material, and the connection line electrically interconnects the display area on the upper surface of the TFT substrate and the circuit area on the lower surface of the TFT substrate.

5. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 3, wherein: The connection line included in the line area is formed by coating a conductive material in a carved pattern formed on the side surface of the TFT substrate.

6. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 5, wherein: The conductive material includes silver (Ag).

7. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 5, wherein: The line region is formed so that one end of the conductive material coated in any one of the engraved patterns physically contacts the upper signal line provided on the upper surface of the TFT substrate.

8. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 7, wherein: The connection lines are arranged so that the connection lines are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in a direction in which the side surface of the TFT substrate extends horizontally, and each of the upper signal lines is connected to a corresponding connection line among the connection lines.

9. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 8, wherein: An outer surface of a corresponding connection line contacting the upper signal line and an outer surface of a corresponding portion of the upper signal line are covered together by the protection layer without being exposed.

10. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 1, wherein: The flexible printed circuit board is mounted in a lower portion of the panel assembly or on a lower surface of the panel assembly through an anisotropic conductive film.

11. An organic light emitting display device, comprising: An upper signal line, wherein the upper signal line is arranged on an upper surface of a thin film transistor TFT substrate; a circuit device, the circuit device being located on the lower surface of the TFT substrate and including a driving element and other components for driving a panel assembly; as well as A connection line is provided on a side surface of the TFT substrate and interconnects the upper signal line with the circuit device.

12. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 11, wherein: The TFT substrate is formed of a polyimide PI substrate.

13. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 11, wherein: The connection line is formed by using a conductive material, and the connection line electrically interconnects a display area on the upper surface of the TFT substrate and a circuit area on the lower surface of the TFT substrate.

14. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 13, wherein: The connection line is formed by coating the conductive material in a carved pattern formed on the side surface of the TFT substrate.

15. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 14, wherein: The conductive material includes silver (Ag).

16. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 14, wherein: The connection line is disposed so that one end of the conductive material coated in the engraved pattern physically contacts the upper signal line.

17. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 16, wherein: The connection lines are arranged so that the connection lines are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in a direction in which the side surface of the TFT substrate extends horizontally, and each of the upper signal lines is connected to a corresponding connection line among the connection lines.

18. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 17, wherein: An outer surface of a corresponding connection line contacting the upper signal line and an outer surface of a corresponding portion of the upper signal line are covered together by the protection layer without being exposed.

19. The organic light emitting display device according to claim 11, wherein: The organic light emitting display device further includes a flexible printed circuit board, The flexible printed circuit board is mounted on a lower portion of the panel assembly or a lower surface of the panel assembly through an anisotropic conductive film.

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