Electronic device

Abstract

The invention provides an electronic device, which is characterized by comprising a substrate, which comprises a display area and a peripheral area, and the peripheral area surrounds the display area; the dimming unit is arranged in the display area; the antenna unit is arranged in the peripheral area; the protective layer is arranged in the peripheral area; in the overlook direction of the electronic device, the protective layer is overlapped with at least part of the antenna unit and is arranged on at least part of the antenna unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to an electronic device including an antenna unit. Background Art

[0002] With the progress of technology and in response to market demands, many products are increasingly moving towards electronic development. Electronic tags have the advantages of environmental protection, efficient content updating, labor cost savings, and low error rates, and are gradually gaining importance in the retail market and warehouse management.

[0003] However, current electronic tags still have disadvantages such as high costs, which limit their popularization. Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide an electronic device to improve the previous deficiencies. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present disclosure provides an electronic device, characterized in that it includes: a substrate including a display area and a peripheral area, wherein the peripheral area surrounds the display area; a dimming unit disposed in the display area; an antenna unit disposed in the peripheral area; and a protective layer disposed in the peripheral area; wherein, in the top view direction of the electronic device, the protective layer overlaps at least a part of the antenna unit and is disposed on at least a part of the antenna unit. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0005] Figure 1 is a top view schematic diagram of a part of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0006] Figure 2 is Figure 1 a cross-sectional schematic diagram of line A-A' of

[0007] Figure 3 is a top view schematic diagram of a part of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0008] Figure 4 is an equivalent circuit schematic diagram of a control circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0009] Figure 5 is a top view schematic diagram of a control circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0010] In the above-mentioned drawings, the meanings of the reference numerals are specifically as follows:

[0011] 1 Substrate;

[0012] 2 Dimming unit;

[0013] 21 Sidewall;

[0014] 3 Antenna unit;

[0015] 31 First antenna;

[0016] 32. Second antenna;

[0017] 4. Protective layer;

[0018] 5. Circuit structure;

[0019] 6. Support layer;

[0020] 7. Protection substrate;

[0021] 81, 82, 83. Adhesive layer;

[0022] 9. Control circuit;

[0023] AA. Display area;

[0024] B. Peripheral area;

[0025] C1. First channel;

[0026] C2. Second channel;

[0027] D1. First drain;

[0028] D2. Second drain;

[0029] E. Conductive element;

[0030] G1. First gate;

[0031] G2. Second gate;

[0032] H1, H2, H3, H4. Through hole;

[0033] L1. First wire;

[0034] L2. Second wire;

[0035] M1. First metal layer;

[0036] M2. Second metal layer;

[0037] S1. First source;

[0038] S2. Second source;

[0039] SL1. First semiconductor layer;

[0040] SL2. Second semiconductor layer;

[0041] P. Pad;

[0042] Z. Top view direction. Detailed implementation manner

[0043] The following are specific embodiments to illustrate the implementation manners of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present disclosure from the content disclosed in this specification. The present disclosure can also be implemented or applied through other different specific embodiments. Various details in this specification can also be modified and changed according to different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0044] It should be noted that in this article, unless otherwise specified, having an "a" element does not limit to having only one such element, but can have one or more such elements. Furthermore, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" used in the specification and claims are used to modify the elements of the claims. They do not imply or represent that the claimed element has any previous ordinal number by itself, nor do they represent the order of one claimed element and another claimed element, or the order in the manufacturing method. The use of these ordinal numbers is only to clearly distinguish one claimed element with a certain name from another claimed element with the same name.

[0045] Throughout this specification and the appended claims, certain terms will be used to refer to specific elements. Those skilled in the art should understand that electronic device manufacturers may refer to the same element by different names. This article is not intended to distinguish elements that have the same function but different names. In the following specification and claims, words such as "comprise", "include", "have" are open-ended words, and thus should be interpreted as meaning "including but not limited to...". Therefore, when the description of the present disclosure uses the terms "comprise", "include" and / or "have", it specifies the existence of the corresponding features, regions, steps, operations and / or components, but does not exclude the existence of one or more corresponding features, regions, steps, operations and / or components.

[0046] In this article, terms such as "about", "approximately", "substantially", "essentially" generally mean within 10%, 5%, 3%, 2%, 1% or 0.5% of a given value or range. The given quantity is an approximate quantity, that is, the meaning of "about", "approximately", "substantially", "essentially" can still be implied without specifically stating "about", "approximately", "substantially", "essentially". In addition, the phrase "ranging from a first value to a second value", "ranging between a first value and a second value" means that the range includes the first value, the second value, and other values therebetween.

[0047] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. It is understood that such terms, such as those defined in a commonly used dictionary, should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the context of the relevant art and this disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner unless specifically defined herein.

[0048] In addition, relative terms such as "lower" or "bottom" and "upper" or "top" may be used in the embodiments to describe the relative relationship of one element of the drawings to another element. It is understood that if the device of the drawings is flipped so that it is upside down, the element described on the "lower" side will become the element on the "upper" side. When a corresponding member (such as a film layer or region) is referred to as "on another member", it may be directly on another member, or there may be other members between the two. On the other hand, when a member is referred to as "directly on another member", there are no members between the two. In addition, when a member is referred to as "on another member", the two have an up-and-down relationship in the top-down direction, and this member may be above or below the other member, and this up-and-down relationship depends on the orientation of the device.

[0049] In the present disclosure, the thickness measurement method may be obtained by measuring with an optical microscope, and the thickness may be measured from the cross-sectional image in an electron microscope, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, there may be a certain error between any two values or directions used for comparison. If the first value is equal to the second value, it implies that there may be an error of about 10% between the first value and the second value; if the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction, the angle between the first direction and the second direction may be between 80 degrees and 100 degrees; if the first direction is parallel to the second direction, the angle between the first direction and the second direction may be between 0 degrees and 10 degrees.

[0050] It should be noted that the technical solutions provided in different embodiments below can be replaced, combined, or used in a mixed manner to form another embodiment without violating the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0051] Figure 1 The top view schematic diagram of a part of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 is Figure 1 The cross-sectional schematic diagram of the line segment A-A' of. For the convenience of description, Figure 1 Some elements are omitted in.

[0052] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the electronic device may include: a substrate 1, including a display area AA and a peripheral area B, wherein the peripheral area B surrounds the display area AA; a dimming unit 2 disposed in the display area AA; an antenna unit 3 disposed in the peripheral area B; and a protective layer 4 disposed in the peripheral area B; wherein, in the top view direction Z of the electronic device, the protective layer 4 overlaps at least a part of the antenna unit 3 and is disposed on at least a part of the antenna unit 3. The present disclosure can directly dispose the antenna unit 3 in the peripheral area B of the substrate 1. More specifically, the material of the antenna unit 3 can be disposed in the peripheral area B of the substrate 1 by deposition, sputtering, coating, photolithography process, other suitable methods or a combination of the above, without the need to additionally add an antenna device, so as to achieve the effect of cost savings.

[0053] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 1 shown, the electronic device may include a plurality of pads P disposed in the peripheral area B, wherein the antenna unit 3 is electrically connected to one of the plurality of pads P, and the dimming unit 2 is electrically connected to another of the plurality of pads P. The electronic device of the present disclosure can receive or transmit signals through the antenna unit 3, thereby controlling or driving the dimming unit 2 to cause the electronic device to display an image.

[0054] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 2 shown, the electronic device further includes a circuit structure 5, wherein the circuit structure 5 can be electrically connected to a plurality of pads P (as Figure 1 shown). Therefore, the electronic device can receive signals through the antenna unit 3 and transmit the signals to the circuit structure 5 via the pads P, and then provide the signals to the dimming unit 2 through another pad P to display the required image.

[0055] In the present disclosure, as Figure 1 shown, the "display area" refers to, for example, the area where the substrate 1 and the dimming unit 2 overlap in the top view direction Z of the electronic device. The "non-display area" refers to, for example, the area where the substrate 1 and the dimming unit 2 do not overlap in the top view direction Z of the electronic device.

[0056] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 2 shown, the protective layer 4 can be disposed around the dimming unit 2. Therefore, the protective layer 4 can completely cover the antenna unit 3. The protective layer 4 can be used to block external air or moisture from entering the dimming unit 2, which can improve the reliability of the electronic device. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 2 shown, the protective layer 4 can be in contact with the side wall 21 of the dimming unit 2.

[0057] In the present disclosure, the material of the substrate 1 may be glass, quartz, sapphire, ceramics, plastics, polycarbonate (PC), polyimide (PI), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), other suitable materials, or a combination of the above materials, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, in the present disclosure, although not shown in the figures, the substrate 1 may include a conductive layer, a wire, an active element, a suitable element, or a combination of the above, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0058] In the present disclosure, the dimming unit 2 may include a display medium layer. The material of a suitable display medium layer may include guest host type liquid crystal (GHLC), dye liquid crystal, twisted nematic liquid crystal (TN LC), super twisted nematic liquid crystal (STN LC), polymer dispersed liquid crystal (PDLC), polymer network liquid crystal (PNLC), cholesteric texture liquid crystal, polymer-stabilized cholesteric texture liquid crystal (PSCT LC), suspended particle material (SPD), electrochromic materials, microcapsule electrophoresis, microcup electrophoresis, quick-response liquid powder display (QR-LPD), or a combination of the above, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, although not shown in the figures, in the present disclosure, the dimming unit 2 may further include a conductive layer for driving or controlling the display medium layer.

[0059] In the present disclosure, the material of the antenna unit 3 may include gold, silver, copper, aluminum, titanium, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, alloys of the above metals, indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), or combinations of the above, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0060] In the present disclosure, the material of the protective layer 4 may include glass glue, optical glue, silica gel, hot melt glue, AB glue, light-curing glue, polymer glue, resin, or combinations thereof, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0061] In the present disclosure, the same or different materials may be used to form the plurality of pads P, and the materials of the plurality of pads P may each include gold, silver, copper, aluminum, titanium, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), or combinations of the above, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0062] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 2 shown, the electronic device further includes a support layer 6, wherein the substrate 1 is disposed on the support layer 6. Thus, the reliability of the electronic device can be improved. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 2 shown, the electronic device may further include a protective substrate 7 disposed on the dimming unit 2. The protective substrate 7 can be used to protect the dimming unit 2, thereby reducing damage to the dimming unit 2 caused by external forces. In the present disclosure, materials similar to those of the substrate 1 may be used to form the support layer 6 and the protective substrate 7 respectively, or organic polymer materials may be used to form the support layer 6 and the protective substrate 7, such as polyimide (PI), polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), acrylic, fluoropolymer, polyester, or nylon, or other organic materials, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto and will not be elaborated herein.

[0063] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 2 shown, the electronic device further includes an adhesive layer 81 disposed between the substrate 1 and the dimming unit 2, so as to bond the substrate 1 and the dimming unit 2 into one body. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 2 shown, the electronic device further includes an adhesive layer 82 disposed between the substrate 1 and the support layer 6, so as to bond the substrate 1 and the support layer 6 into one body. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 2As shown, the electronic device further includes an adhesive layer 83 disposed between the dimming unit 2 and the protective substrate 7, so that the dimming unit 2 and the protective substrate 7 can be adhered together as a whole. Therefore, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, the support layer 6, the substrate 1, the dimming unit 2, and the protective substrate 7 can be adhered together as a whole through the adhesive layers 81, 82, and 83 respectively. In the present disclosure, the materials of the adhesive layers 81, 82, and 83 may be the same as or different from each other. The materials of the adhesive layers 81, 82, and 83 may each include glass glue, optical glue, silicone glue, tape, hot melt glue, AB glue, two-component adhesive, light-curing glue, polymer glue material, resin, or a combination thereof, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0064] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 2 shown, the electronic device further includes a conductive element E disposed on the substrate 1. Among them, the conductive element E can be electrically connected to a conductive layer (not shown in the figure) in the dimming unit 2. The electronic device of the present disclosure can control or drive the dimming unit 2 by applying voltages to the conductive layer (not shown in the figure) on the substrate 1 and the conductive layer (not shown in the figure) in the dimming unit 2 respectively, so that the electronic device displays an image. In the present disclosure, the material of the conductive element E may include gold, silver, copper, aluminum, titanium, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, alloys of the above metals, indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO), or a combination of the above, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0065] Figure 3 is a top view schematic diagram of a part of the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Among them, Figure 3 the electronic device is similar to Figure 1 except for the following differences. In addition, Figure 3 the cross-sectional schematic diagram of the line segment B-B' in Figure 2 can be as shown, which will not be elaborated here.

[0066] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 3 shown, in an embodiment, the antenna unit 3 may include a first antenna 31 and a second antenna 32. Among them, the operating frequency of the first antenna 31 is different from that of the second antenna 32. The said operating frequency can be, for example, the receiving frequency or the transmitting frequency of the antenna. Therefore, the electronic device of the present disclosure can be used to receive or transmit signals of different frequencies, which can improve the application range. In addition, although not shown in the figure, in other implementation forms of the present disclosure, the number of antennas can be increased as needed, and the receiving frequencies or transmitting frequencies of each antenna are different from each other, which can be used to receive or transmit signals of different frequencies. In another embodiment, the antenna unit 3 may include more than two antennas, and each antenna can be used to receive or transmit signals of different frequencies, and each antenna may also have the same receiving or transmitting frequency signal, but it is not limited thereto.

[0067] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 3 shown, the electronic device may further include a control circuit 9 disposed in the peripheral area B. Among them, the control circuit 9 is electrically connected to the antenna unit 3. More specifically, the control circuit 9 may be electrically connected to the first antenna 31 and the second antenna 32 respectively. The control circuit 9 can be used to switch on the first antenna 31 or the second antenna 32, so that the electronic device operates signals of different frequencies. In the present disclosure, by directly disposing the control circuit 9 in the peripheral area B of the substrate 1, more specifically, by disposing the components of the control circuit 9 in the peripheral area B of the substrate 1 by deposition, sputtering, coating, photolithography process, other suitable methods or a combination of the above, there is no need to additionally provide a multiplexer (MUX), so that the effect of cost saving can be achieved. In addition, in an embodiment of the present disclosure, although not shown in the figure, in the top view direction Z of the electronic device, the protective layer 4 may overlap at least part of the control circuit 9 and be disposed on at least part of the control circuit 9. In this way, the deterioration of the control circuit 9 caused by moisture or air can be reduced, thereby improving the reliability of the electronic device.

[0068] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 3 shown, the control circuit 9 can be electrically connected to the pad P through the first wire L1 and the second wire L2 respectively. In addition, the pad P can be electrically connected to the circuit structure 5 (as Figure 2 shown) respectively. The first wire L1 can be used to input a voltage source into the control circuit 9 to switch on the first antenna 31 or the second antenna 32. The second wire L2 can be used to input the signal received by the first antenna 31 or the second antenna 32 into the circuit structure 5 (as Figure 2 shown), or the second wire L2 can be used to transmit the signal from the circuit structure 5 (as Figure 2 shown) to the first antenna 31 or the second antenna 32. In the present disclosure, the materials of the first wire L1 and the second wire L2 can be the same or different, and the materials of the first wire L1 and the second wire L2 can each include gold, silver, copper, aluminum, titanium, chromium, nickel, molybdenum, tungsten, indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) or a combination of the above, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0069] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the equivalent circuit of the control circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0070] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 4As shown, the control circuit 9 includes: a first source S1, the first source S1 is electrically connected to a first drain D1 through a first channel C1; and a second source S2, the second source S2 is electrically connected to a second drain D2 through a second channel C2; wherein, the doped carriers of the first channel C1 are different from those of the second channel C2. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the doped carriers of the first channel C1 may be, for example, N-type carriers, and the doped carriers of the second channel C2 may be, for example, P-type carriers, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0071] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 4 shown, the control circuit 9 includes: a first gate G1, the first gate G1 can be electrically connected to the circuit structure 5 (as Figure 2 shown) through a first wire L1; and a second gate G2, the second gate G2 can be electrically connected to the circuit structure 5 (as Figure 2 shown) through a first wire L1. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 4 shown, the first source S1 can be electrically connected to the circuit structure 5 (as Figure 2 shown) through a second wire L2; the second source S2 can be electrically connected to the circuit structure 5 (as Figure 2 shown) through a second wire L2. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 4 shown, the first drain D1 can be electrically connected to the first antenna 31; the second drain D2 can be electrically connected to the second antenna 32. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first antenna 31 can be driven by the first gate G1, and the second antenna 32 can be driven by the second gate G2.

[0072] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control circuit 9 can input different voltages through the first wire L1 to switch on the first antenna 31 or the second antenna 32. The switched-on first antenna 31 or second antenna 32 can operate signals of a specific frequency and input the signals into the circuit structure 5 (as Figure 2 shown) through the second wire L2, thereby controlling or driving the dimming unit 2 to enable the electronic device to display an image.

[0073] Figure 5 It is a top view schematic diagram of the control circuit according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0074] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, as Figure 5As shown, the control circuit 9 includes: a first metal layer M1; a second metal layer M2 disposed on the first metal layer M1; and a first semiconductor layer SL1 and a second semiconductor layer SL2, wherein the first metal layer M1 is disposed on the first semiconductor layer SL1 and the second semiconductor layer SL2. The first metal layer M1 includes a first gate G1, a second gate G2, and a second wire L2, and the second metal layer M2 includes a first source S1, a first drain D1, a second source S2, a second drain D2, and a first wire L1. The first metal layer M1 can be electrically connected to the second metal layer M2 through vias H1 and H2 to transmit or receive signals. The first source S1 and the first drain D1 can be electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer SL1 through via H3 respectively; the second source S2 and the second drain D2 can be electrically connected to the second semiconductor layer SL2 through via H4 respectively. The doped carriers of the first semiconductor layer SL1 are different from those of the second semiconductor layer SL2.

[0075] More specifically, the voltage provided by the circuit structure 5 (as Figure 2 shown) can be transmitted to the first metal layer M1 (such as the first gate G1 and the second gate G2) via the second metal layer M2 (such as the first wire L1) and through via H1, and according to the input voltage, the first semiconductor layer SL1 forms a first channel C1 or the second semiconductor layer SL2 forms a second channel C2. The signal provided by the circuit structure 5 (as Figure 2 shown) can be transmitted to the second metal layer M2 (such as the first source S1 and the second source S2) via the first metal layer M1 (such as the second wire L2) () and through via H2, so as to drive the first antenna 31 or the second antenna 32.

[0076] In the present disclosure, the electronic device can be any display device that requires an antenna unit, such as an electronic tag, a display, an antenna splicing device, an advertising board, etc., but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0077] The above specific embodiments should be construed as illustrative only and not in any way limiting the remainder of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An electronic device, characterized in that, comprising: a substrate including a display area and a peripheral area, wherein the peripheral area surrounds the display area; a dimming unit disposed in the display area; an antenna unit disposed in the peripheral area; and a protective layer disposed in the peripheral area; wherein, in the top view direction of the electronic device, the protective layer overlaps at least part of the antenna unit and is disposed on at least part of the antenna unit.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, the antenna unit includes a first antenna and a second antenna, wherein the operating frequency of the first antenna is different from that of the second antenna.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, further comprising an adhesive layer disposed between the substrate and the dimming unit.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, further comprising a control circuit disposed in the peripheral area, wherein the control circuit is electrically connected to the antenna unit.

5. The electronic device according to claim 4, characterized in that, in the top view direction of the electronic device, the protective layer overlaps at least part of the control circuit and is disposed on at least part of the control circuit.

6. The electronic device according to claim 4, characterized in that, the control circuit includes: a first source electrode, the first source electrode is electrically connected to a first drain electrode through a first channel; and a second source electrode, the second source electrode is electrically connected to a second drain electrode through a second channel; wherein the doped carriers of the first channel are different from those of the second channel.

7. The electronic device according to claim 6, characterized in that, the doped carriers of the first channel are N-type carriers, and the doped carriers of the second channel are P-type carriers.

8. The electronic device according to claim 4, characterized in that, the antenna unit includes a first antenna and a second antenna; the control circuit includes: a first source electrode, electrically connected to a circuit structure; a first drain electrode, electrically connected to the first antenna; a second source electrode, electrically connected to the circuit structure; and a second drain electrode, electrically connected to the second antenna.

9. The electronic device according to claim 4, characterized in that, the antenna unit includes a first antenna and a second antenna; the control circuit includes: a first gate electrode, electrically connected to a circuit structure; and a second gate electrode, electrically connected to the circuit structure; wherein the first antenna is driven by the first gate electrode, and the second antenna is driven by the second gate electrode.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1, characterized in that, further comprising a support layer, wherein the substrate is disposed on the support layer.

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