Light-emitting display device

Abstract

Disclosed is a light-emitting display device, the light-emitting display device including: a substrate; a plurality of anodes disposed on the substrate; a pixel defining layer including a plurality of first openings; a plurality of light emitting layers disposed in the plurality of first openings of the pixel defining layer; the packaging layer is arranged on the cathode; and a plurality of color filters corresponding to different colors and disposed on the encapsulation layer. The plurality of color filters includes a plurality of second openings of the color filters and a light blocking region defined by at least two color filters overlapping each other, and a single color filter is disposed in each of the plurality of second openings. At least some of the plurality of first openings of the pixel defining layer have an elliptical shape, and the plurality of second openings of the color filter have a circular shape.

Description

[0001] Cross-reference to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority and benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0018121, filed on February 6, 2024, with the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] This disclosure relates to light-emitting display devices. Background Technology

[0004] A display device is a device for displaying images, and includes liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays.

[0005] These display devices are used in a variety of electronic devices such as mobile phones, navigation devices, digital cameras, e-books, portable game consoles, and various terminals.

[0006] Display devices (such as organic light-emitting display devices) can have a structure that uses a flexible substrate to allow the display device to be bent or folded.

[0007] Furthermore, in small electronic devices (such as mobile phones), optical elements (such as cameras and optical sensors) are located in the bezel area surrounding the display area. However, as the size of the display increases, the size of the area surrounding the display area is gradually decreasing, and camera technologies that allow optical sensors to be positioned on the back of the display area are being developed. Utility Model Content

[0008] The embodiments aim to reduce diffraction patterns caused by reflection of external light or to reduce the reflectivity of external light. The embodiments aim to provide a light-emitting display device that exhibits minimal color separation of external light or produces continuous diffraction patterns, regardless of angle.

[0009] Furthermore, the embodiment provides a light-emitting display device that reduces diffraction patterns caused by the reflection and transmission of external light by overlapping multiple color filters without forming a black light-blocking layer on the front of the display panel, thereby minimizing color separation of external light.

[0010] A light-emitting display device according to an embodiment includes: a substrate; a plurality of anodes disposed on the substrate; a pixel defining layer including a plurality of first openings, each of the plurality of first openings corresponding to each of the plurality of anodes; a plurality of light-emitting layers disposed in the plurality of first openings of the pixel defining layer; a cathode disposed on the plurality of light-emitting layers and the pixel defining layer; an encapsulation layer disposed on the cathode; and a plurality of color filters, corresponding to different colors, disposed on the encapsulation layer, the plurality of color filters including a plurality of second openings and a light-blocking region of the color filter, the light-blocking region of the color filter being defined by at least two overlapping color filters, and a single color filter being disposed in each of the plurality of second openings, at least some of the plurality of first openings of the pixel defining layer having an elliptical shape, and the plurality of second openings of the color filters having a circular shape, the plurality of second openings at least partially overlapping the plurality of first openings having an elliptical shape.

[0011] According to an embodiment, at least a portion of the first opening in the pixel-defining layer, which has an elliptical shape, can overlap with the light-blocking region of the color filter in a plane.

[0012] According to the implementation, the second opening of the color filter and the first opening of the pixel defining layer may intersect each other at least twice.

[0013] According to an implementation, the second opening of the color filter can be located within the first opening, which has an elliptical shape, in the pixel-defining layer in the planar view.

[0014] According to an embodiment, the length of the minor axis of the first opening of the pixel defining layer having an elliptical shape can be shorter than the diameter of the second opening of the color filter, and the length of the major axis of the first opening of the pixel defining layer can be longer than the diameter of the second opening of the color filter.

[0015] According to the implementation, the second opening of the color filter and the first opening of the pixel defining layer may intersect each other at least four times.

[0016] According to an implementation, in a plan view, the first opening of the pixel defining layer with an elliptical shape can be located within the second opening of the color filter with a circular shape.

[0017] According to the implementation, the second opening of the color filter and the first opening of the pixel defining layer may intersect each other at least twice.

[0018] According to the implementation, the plurality of first openings may include four or more major axis angles, and the major axis angle formed by the major axes of two of the plurality of first openings may be 45 degrees or less.

[0019] According to the implementation, each of the plurality of first openings may have an eccentricity in the range of 0.2 to 0.85.

[0020] According to the implementation, the gap between the first opening and the second opening that overlaps with the first opening in the plan view can be in the range of 0 μm to 20 μm.

[0021] According to an embodiment, the first opening may have a planar shape that combines at least two elliptical shapes with different eccentricities.

[0022] According to an embodiment, the first opening may have a planar shape including a first ellipse having a first eccentricity and a second ellipse having a second eccentricity.

[0023] According to an embodiment, the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter may be defined by overlapping blue and red color filters, and each of the plurality of second openings may accommodate one of the blue, red, and green color filters.

[0024] According to an embodiment, the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter may be defined by overlapping blue, red, and green color filters, and each of the plurality of second openings may accommodate one of the blue, red, and green color filters.

[0025] A light-emitting display device according to an embodiment includes: a substrate; a plurality of anodes disposed on the substrate; a pixel defining layer including a plurality of first openings, each of the plurality of first openings corresponding to each of the plurality of anodes; a plurality of light-emitting layers disposed in the plurality of first openings of the pixel defining layer; a cathode disposed on the plurality of light-emitting layers and the pixel defining layer; an encapsulation layer disposed on the cathode; and a light-blocking layer disposed on the encapsulation layer and defining a plurality of second openings, each of the plurality of second openings of the light-blocking layer corresponding to a corresponding first opening of the plurality of first openings, wherein at least some of the plurality of first openings of the pixel defining layer have an elliptical shape, and the plurality of second openings of the light-blocking layer have a circular shape, the plurality of second openings at least partially overlapping the plurality of first openings having an elliptical shape.

[0026] According to an embodiment, at least a portion of the first opening in the pixel-defining layer, which has an elliptical shape, can overlap with the light-blocking layer in a planar view.

[0027] According to an embodiment, the second opening of the light-blocking layer can be positioned in a plan view within the first opening of the pixel-defining layer, which has an elliptical shape.

[0028] According to an embodiment, the length of the minor axis of the first opening of the pixel defining layer having an elliptical shape can be shorter than the diameter of the second opening of the light blocking layer, and the length of the major axis of the first opening of the pixel defining layer can be longer than the diameter of the second opening of the light blocking layer.

[0029] According to an embodiment, in a plan view, the first opening of the pixel defining layer with an elliptical shape can be located within the second opening of the light blocking layer with a circular shape.

[0030] According to the embodiments, at least one of the openings in the pixel defining layer and the color filter is formed as an ellipse or a similar shape, the angle (or direction) of the major axis of the ellipse is arranged in various ways, the eccentricity of the ellipse is formed in various ways, or the ellipse is formed in multiple shapes. By having a combined structure that combines ellipses with different eccentricities, color separation of external light can be reduced, or a constant diffraction pattern can be produced regardless of the angle.

[0031] According to the implementation, by using a black pixel-defining layer that separates the light-emitting layers from each other instead of a polarizer, the ratio of external light reflection is reduced, thereby reducing the diffraction pattern.

[0032] Furthermore, according to the implementation, multiple color filters are overlapped instead of forming a black light-blocking layer on the front of the display panel to prevent external light reflection or transmission, thereby reducing manufacturing processes and manufacturing costs, and reducing the diffraction pattern of external light or reducing the color separation of external light.

[0033] Furthermore, according to the embodiments, at least one of the openings in the pixel defining layer and the light blocking layer is formed as an ellipse or a similar shape, the angle (or direction) of the major axis of the ellipse is arranged in various ways, the eccentricity of the ellipse is formed differently, or the ellipse is formed in multiple shapes. By having a combined structure that combines ellipses with different eccentricities, color separation of external light can be reduced, or a constant diffraction pattern can be produced regardless of the angle.

[0034] According to the implementation, by using a black pixel-defining layer that separates the light-emitting layers from each other instead of a polarizer, the ratio of external light reflection is reduced, thereby reducing the diffraction pattern. Attached Figure Description

[0035] Figure 1 This is a schematic perspective view showing the usage state of the display device according to an embodiment.

[0036] Figure 2 This is an exploded perspective view of the display device according to the embodiment.

[0037] Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display device according to an embodiment.

[0038] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of a display device according to an embodiment.

[0039] Figure 5 This is a schematic perspective view of a light-emitting display device according to an embodiment.

[0040] Figure 6 This is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the light-emitting display device according to the embodiment.

[0041] Figure 7 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the display panel according to the embodiment.

[0042] Figure 8 This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0043] Figure 9 It is along Figure 8 A schematic cross-sectional view of the display panel along line IX-IX.

[0044] Figure 10 It is along Figure 8 A schematic cross-sectional view of the line XX of the display panel.

[0045] Figure 11 This is a plan view showing the color filter of the display area according to an embodiment.

[0046] Figure 12 This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0047] Figure 13 It is a graph showing the transmittance according to the wavelength of the color filter.

[0048] Figure 14 This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0049] Figure 15 It was filmed targeting Figure 14 A photograph of the external light reflection characteristics of the implementation method.

[0050] Figure 16 It is a floor plan based on a portion of the display panel of the comparison example.

[0051] Figure 17 It was filmed targeting Figure 16 A photograph comparing the reflection characteristics of external light.

[0052] Figure 18 It is a diagram that explains the principle of diffraction patterns that appear due to the reflection of external light.

[0053] Figure 19 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the display panel according to the embodiment.

[0054] Figure 20 This is a table or diagram illustrating various implementation methods.

[0055] Figures 21 to 23This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0056] Figure 24 and Figure 25 This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0057] Figure 26 This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0058] Figure 27 This is a plan view showing the configuration of unit pixels of a display panel according to an embodiment.

[0059] Figure 28 and Figure 29 This is a diagram illustrating the structure of merging ellipses with different eccentricities.

[0060] Figure 30 This is a cross-sectional view of a light-emitting display device according to an embodiment.

[0061] Figure 31 This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0062] Figure 32 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the display panel according to the embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0063] Various embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings to enable those skilled in the art to readily implement this disclosure.

[0064] This disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the implementations described herein.

[0065] For clarity of this disclosure, parts unrelated to the specification have been omitted, and the same reference numerals are used throughout the specification for the same or similar components.

[0066] Furthermore, for ease of explanation, the dimensions and thicknesses of each component shown in the accompanying drawings are arbitrarily illustrated, and therefore this disclosure is not necessarily limited to what is shown. In the drawings, thicknesses are enlarged to clearly represent the various layers and regions. Also, in the drawings, the thicknesses of some layers and regions are exaggerated for ease of explanation.

[0067] Additionally, when a part (such as a layer, membrane, region, plate, or component) is referred to as being "above" or "on" another part, it includes not only the case where the part is directly "on" the other part, but also the case where other parts are interposed between them.

[0068] Conversely, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" another element, there is no intermediary element.

[0069] Furthermore, when a part is described as being "above" or "on" the reference part, it means that the part is located above or below the reference part, and does not necessarily imply that it is positioned in the opposite direction to gravity.

[0070] Furthermore, throughout the specification, when a section is referred to as "including" a specific component, it means that, unless otherwise specifically stated, other components may be included in addition to the specified components.

[0071] Furthermore, throughout the instruction manual, when a part is referred to as "in a plane," it means that the target part is viewed from above, and when a part is referred to as "in a section," it means that the target part that has been vertically cut is viewed from the side.

[0072] Furthermore, throughout the specification, when multiple components are described as "connected," this not only means two or more components directly connected, but also includes cases where two or more components are indirectly connected, physically connected, or electrically connected through other components. Additionally, it can include cases where multiple parts, referred to by different names but essentially integrated, are connected to each other due to their location or function.

[0073] Furthermore, throughout the specification, when a part (such as wiring, layer, film, area, plate, or component) is referred to as “extending along a first or second direction”, this not only means a straight shape extending in said direction, but also includes structures that extend generally along the first or second direction while bending at certain portions, having a serrated structure, or including a curved structure.

[0074] Furthermore, electronic devices including display devices, display panels, etc., described in the specification (e.g., mobile phones, TVs, monitors, laptops, etc.) or electronic devices including display devices, display panels, etc., manufactured by the manufacturing methods described in the specification are not excluded from the scope of the claims in this specification.

[0075] Next, we will go through Figure 1 and Figure 2 Briefly describe the structure of the display device.

[0076] Figure 1 This is a schematic perspective view showing the usage state of the display device according to an embodiment, and Figure 2 This is an exploded perspective view of the display device according to the embodiment.

[0077] refer to Figure 1The display device 1000 (also referred to as a "light-emitting display device") according to the embodiment is a device for displaying moving or still images and can be used in mobile phones, smartphones, or tablet computers. The display device 1000 is also used in portable electronic devices (such as communication terminals, electronic notebooks, e-books, PMPs (portable multimedia players), navigation devices, UMPCs (ultra-mobile PCs)), as well as televisions, laptops, monitors, billboards, Internet of Things (IoT) devices, etc., and can be used as a display screen for various products.

[0078] Furthermore, the display device 1000 according to the embodiment is installed on a wearable device (such as a smartwatch, watch phone, glasses display, and head-mounted display (HMD)).

[0079] Furthermore, the display device 1000 according to the embodiment can be used as a car dashboard, a central information display (CID) placed on the central instrument panel or dashboard of a car, and an interior mirror display (instead of a display for the side mirrors of a car), or it can be used as a rear-seat entertainment display placed on the back of the front seat.

[0080] For ease of explanation, Figure 1 A display device 1000 used as a smartphone is shown.

[0081] The display device 1000 can display an image along a third direction DR3 on a display surface parallel to each of the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2. The display surface on which the image is displayed can correspond to the front surface of the display device 1000 and the front surface of the overlay window WU. The image can include both static and dynamic images.

[0082] In this embodiment, the front (or top) and rear (or bottom) surfaces of each component are defined based on the direction along which the displayed image is directed. The front and rear surfaces are opposite each other along a third direction DR3, and the normal direction of each of the front and rear surfaces may be parallel to the third direction DR3. The separation distance along the third direction DR3 between the front and rear surfaces of the display panel may correspond to the thickness of the display panel along the third direction DR3.

[0083] The display device 1000 according to the embodiment can detect user input applied from the outside (see reference). Figure 1(The user's input can include various types of external input, such as parts of the user's body, light, heat, or pressure. In this embodiment, the user's input is shown as being applied to the front by the user's hand. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto. The user's input can be provided in various forms, and the display device 1000 can also detect user input applied to the side or back of the display device 1000, depending on the structure of the display device 1000.)

[0084] refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The display device 1000 may include a cover window WU, a housing HM, a display panel DP, and optical elements ES. In some embodiments, the cover window WU and the housing HM may be combined to form the appearance of the display device 1000.

[0085] Cover window WU may include an insulating panel. For example, cover window WU may be made of glass, plastic, or a combination thereof.

[0086] The front portion of the cover window WU may define the front portion of the display device 1000. The transmissive region TA may be an optically transparent region. For example, the transmissive region TA may be a region with a visible light transmittance of approximately 90% or higher.

[0087] The blocking region BA can define the shape of the transmitting region TA. The blocking region BA is adjacent to and may surround the transmitting region TA. The blocking region BA can be a region with relatively low light transmittance compared to the transmitting region TA. The blocking region BA may include an opaque material that blocks light. The blocking region BA may have a predetermined color. The blocking region BA may be defined by a border layer separately disposed from the transparent substrate defining the transmitting region TA, or it may be defined by an ink layer formed by embedding or coloring into the transparent substrate.

[0088] The display panel DP may include pixels PX for displaying images and a driver 50, with the pixels PX located in the display area DA and the component area EA. The display panel DP may include a front surface containing the display area DA and the peripheral area PA. In this embodiment, the display area DA and the component area EA are areas that include pixels for displaying images, and simultaneously, a touch sensor DR3 is located above the pixels along a third direction to detect external input.

[0089] The transmissive region TA of the overlay window WU can at least partially overlap with the display region DA and component region EA of the display panel DP. For example, the transmissive region TA can completely overlap with the display region DA and component region EA, or it can overlap with at least a portion of the display region DA and component region EA. Therefore, a user can view an image or provide external input based on the image through the transmissive region TA. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the area for displaying the image and the area for detecting external input can be separate from each other.

[0090] The peripheral region PA of the display panel DP may at least partially overlap with the blocking region BA of the covering window WU. The peripheral region PA may be the area covered by the blocking region BA. The peripheral region PA is adjacent to the display area DA and may surround the display area DA. No image is displayed in the peripheral region PA, and drive circuitry or drive wiring for driving the display area DA may be provided in the peripheral region PA. The peripheral region PA may include a first peripheral region PA1 located outside the display area DA and a second peripheral region PA2 including a driver 50, connecting wiring, and a bending area. Figure 2 In one embodiment, the first peripheral region PA1 is located on three sides of the display region DA, and the second peripheral region PA2 is located on the remaining sides of the display region DA.

[0091] In one embodiment, the display panel DP can be assembled in a flat state with the display area DA, component area EA, and peripheral area PA facing the cover window WU. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto. A portion of the peripheral area PA of the display panel DP can be bent. In this case, a portion of the peripheral area PA can be oriented towards the back of the display device 1000, thereby reducing the obstruction area BA visible on the front of the display device 1000. Figure 2 In this process, the second peripheral region PA2 can be bent and placed on the back of the display region DA, and then assembled.

[0092] Additionally, the component area EA of the display panel DP may include a first component area EA1 and a second component area EA2. The first component area EA1 and the second component area EA2 may be at least partially surrounded by the display area DA. The first component area EA1 and the second component area EA2 are shown as spaced apart from each other. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the first component area EA1 and the second component area EA2 may be at least partially connected. The first component area EA1 and the second component area EA2 may be incorporating optical elements that utilize infrared light, visible light, or sound (see [link to relevant documentation]). Figure 2 The region of ES (also known as a component).

[0093] The display area DA (also known as the main display area) and component area EA may include multiple light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and multiple pixel circuit units. Each of the multiple pixel circuit units can generate a light-emitting current and transmit it to each of the multiple LEDs. Here, the LEDs and the corresponding pixel circuit units are referred to as pixels PX. Pixel circuit units and LEDs can correspond one-to-one in the display area DA and component area EA.

[0094] The first component region EA1 may include a transparent portion and a display portion through which light or sound can be transmitted, and the display portion includes multiple pixels. The transparent portion is located between adjacent pixels PX and consists of a layer through which light and / or sound can be transmitted.

[0095] Transparent portions may be located between adjacent pixels PX, and according to an embodiment, a layer that does not transmit light of a specific wavelength (e.g., visible light) may overlap with the first component region EA1. The number of pixels per unit area of ​​the pixels included in the display region DA (hereinafter referred to as normal pixels) may be the same as the number of pixels per unit area of ​​the pixels included in the first component region EA1 (also referred to as first component pixels), wherein the number of pixels per unit area is referred to as resolution.

[0096] The second component region EA2 includes an area consisting of a transparent layer that allows light to pass through (also referred to as a light-transmitting region). The light-transmitting region does not have a conductive or semiconductor layer that blocks light. For example, a pixel-defining layer or at least two color filters may include openings overlapping the second component region EA2, thus having a structure that does not block light. The number of pixels per unit area of ​​the pixels included in the second component region EA2 (hereinafter also referred to as second component pixels) may be less than the number of pixels per unit area of ​​the normal pixels included in the display region DA. As a result, the resolution of the second component pixels may be lower than the resolution of the normal pixels.

[0097] In addition to the pixel PX, the display panel DP can further include a touch sensor TS (see...). Figure 4 The image generated by the pixels PX included in the display panel DP is visible from the outside through the transmissive area TA. Additionally, a touch sensor TS can be disposed on top of the pixels PX and can detect external input applied from the outside. The touch sensor TS is capable of detecting external input provided to the overlay window WU.

[0098] Refer again Figure 2The second peripheral region PA2 may include a curved portion. The display region DA and the first peripheral region PA1 may have flat surfaces substantially parallel to the plane defined by the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2, and the second peripheral region PA2 extending from the flat surface may be bent via the curved portion and then return to a flat state. As a result, at least a portion of the second peripheral region PA2 may be bent and positioned on the rear side of the display region DA. During assembly, at least a portion of the second peripheral region PA2 overlaps with the display region DA in the plane, thereby reducing the obstruction area BA of the display device 1000. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, the second peripheral region PA2 may not be bent.

[0099] The driver 50 can be mounted on the second peripheral region PA2, for example, on a curved portion or on at least one side of the curved portion. The driver 50 can be provided in the form of a chip.

[0100] Driver 50 is electrically connected to components in display area DA and component area EA, and is capable of sending electrical signals to pixels PX in display area DA and component area EA. For example, driver 50 can provide data signals to pixels PX arranged in display area DA. Driver 50 may include touch driving circuitry and may be electrically connected to a touch sensor TS configured to overlap display area DA and component area EA. Driver 50 may include various circuits other than those described above, or may be designed to provide various electrical signals to components in display area DA.

[0101] The display panel DP of the display device 1000 may include a pad portion located at the end of the second peripheral region PA2, and is electrically connected to a flexible printed circuit board including a driver chip via the pad portion. Here, the driver chip located in the flexible printed circuit board may include various drive circuits for driving the display device 1000 or a connector for power supply. According to an embodiment, a rigid printed circuit board (PCB) may be used instead of a flexible printed circuit board.

[0102] Optical element ES can be disposed below display panel DP. Optical element ES may include a first optical element ES1 overlapping with the first component region EA1 and a second optical element ES2 overlapping with the second component region EA2.

[0103] The first optical element ES1 can use infrared (IR). In this case, the first component region EA1 can overlap with a layer that does not transmit visible light (such as the light-blocking region of a color filter).

[0104] According to the implementation, the first optical element ES1 can be replaced by an electronic component that uses light or sound. For example, instead of the first optical element ES1, it can be a sensor that receives and uses light (such as an infrared sensor), a sensor that outputs and detects light or sound to measure distance or identify fingerprints, a small lamp that outputs light, or a speaker that outputs sound, etc.

[0105] When using electronic components that utilize light, various wavelengths of light can be used, such as visible light, infrared light, and ultraviolet light.

[0106] The second optical element ES2 is at least one of a camera, an IR camera, a dot projector, an IR illuminator, and a time-of-flight sensor.

[0107] The above-mentioned light-emitting display device may have the following characteristics: Figure 3 The cross-sectional structure shown, and will be through Figure 3 To describe the cross-sectional structure.

[0108] Figure 3 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display device according to an embodiment.

[0109] refer to Figure 3 The display device 1000 includes a display panel DP divided into a lower panel layer LDP and an upper panel layer UDP, and a cover window WU located on the front of the display panel DP.

[0110] The lower panel layer (LDP) of the display panel (DP) includes a light-emitting diode (LEDL) layer and a pixel circuit layer (PCL). The LEDL layer includes light-emitting diodes constituting pixels (PX) and is located on a substrate 110. The PCL layer transmits current to the light-emitting diodes in the LEDL layer. The PCL layer may be located between the substrate 110 and the LEDL layer. The lower panel layer (LDP) further includes an encapsulation layer 400, and the LEDL layer is covered by the encapsulation layer 400. Due to the encapsulation layer 400, the LEDL layer is protected from external moisture and air.

[0111] The top panel layer UDP of the display panel DP may include a touch sensing layer TSL and a color filter layer 230. The touch sensing layer TSL may include a sensing insulating layer (see reference). Figure 7 (501, 510, and 511 in the reference) and multiple sensing electrodes (reference) Figure 7 (540 and 541 in the original text). The color filter layer 230 may include a light-blocking region of the color filter, in which two or more color filters overlap.

[0112] Each structure of the display device will be described in detail below.

[0113] Substrate 110 is a base substrate or basic component and can be a flexible substrate capable of being bent, folded, rolled, etc. For example, substrate 110 may include a polymer resin such as polyimide (PI). However, this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, substrate 110 may include glass or metal materials.

[0114] A pixel circuit layer (PCL) may be disposed on the substrate 110. The PCL may include a plurality of thin-film transistors constituting pixel circuit units of pixel PX, and may additionally include capacitors. The PCL may include wiring connected to the pixel circuit units, such as scan lines, data lines, and power voltage lines. Each of the plurality of thin-film transistors may include a semiconductor region, a source electrode, a drain electrode, and a gate electrode. The PCL may be located in the display region DA, and according to embodiments, it may also be located in a portion of the peripheral region PA or a portion of a curved region.

[0115] The light-emitting device layer (LEDL) can be disposed on the pixel circuit layer (PCL). The LEDL may include multiple light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and a pixel defining layer that defines a light-emitting area. The multiple LEDs include an anode, a cathode, and a light-emitting layer. The multiple light-emitting devices in the LEDL can be disposed in the display area (DA).

[0116] In one embodiment, the light-emitting layer may be an organic light-emitting layer comprising organic materials. The light-emitting diode may further include at least one functional layer, such as an electron transport layer and a hole transport layer, above and below the light-emitting layer. When current flows between the anode and cathode, holes and electrons can move to the light-emitting layer through the hole transport layer and the electron transport layer, respectively, and can recombine with each other in the light-emitting layer to emit light.

[0117] According to the embodiments, the light-emitting device may include a quantum dot light-emitting diode with a quantum dot light-emitting layer, an inorganic light-emitting diode with an inorganic semiconductor, or a micro light-emitting diode.

[0118] The encapsulation layer 400 can cover the top and side surfaces of the light-emitting device layer LEDL and protect the light-emitting device layer LEDL. The encapsulation layer 400 may include at least one inorganic layer and at least one organic layer to encapsulate the light-emitting device layer LEDL.

[0119] The touch sensing layer TSL can be disposed on the encapsulation layer 400. The touch sensing layer TSL may include multiple sensing electrodes for capacitively detecting the user's touch and multiple sensing lines connecting the multiple sensing electrodes and the touch driver 50-1.

[0120] According to the implementation method, the touch sensing layer (TSL) can detect the user's touch using mutual capacitance or self-capacitance methods.

[0121] According to one embodiment, the touch sensing layer TSL can be formed on a separate substrate disposed on the light-emitting device layer LEDL. In this case, the substrate supporting the touch sensing layer TSL can be used as a packaging substrate for encapsulating the light-emitting device layer LEDL. When a packaging substrate is provided, the packaging layer 400 can be omitted.

[0122] The multiple sensing electrodes of the touch sensing layer TSL may not overlap with the light-emitting area and may be positioned to be covered by a light-blocking area (described later) in which color filters and the like are disposed.

[0123] A color filter layer 230 is disposed on the touch sensing layer TSL and may include light-blocking regions of the color filters, wherein two or more overlapping color filters are formed in the light-blocking regions. The light-blocking regions of the color filters may cover the sensing electrodes and may be positioned not to overlap with the light-emitting regions, and the color filters may enhance the color of the light emitted from the light-emitting diode by overlapping each color filter with a corresponding light-emitting region.

[0124] The color filter layer 230 may have a structure that reduces the reflection of external light, so that external light incident on the display device 1000 is no longer reflected. This will refer to... Figure 8 A more detailed explanation is needed.

[0125] The substrate 110 may have a back-folded structure facing the display panel DP. The driver 50 is located on one side of the folded substrate 110 and is electrically connected to the circuit board FPCB, to which the touch driver 50-1 is attached.

[0126] Driver 50 can output signals and voltages for driving the display panel DP. Driver 50 supplies data voltages to multiple data lines, corresponding power voltages to power lines such as drive voltage lines, and provides control signals such as clock signals that generate scan signals to be applied to scan lines. Driver 50 can be formed of an integrated circuit (IC) and mounted on the display panel DP using a chip-on-glass (COG) method, a chip-on-plastic (COP) method, or an ultrasonic bonding method. For example, driver 50 can be positioned opposite the display area DA along a third direction DR3 by bending substrate 110, and can be positioned on the back of the display area DA. According to an embodiment, driver 50 can be mounted on a circuit board FPCB.

[0127] An anisotropic conductive film (ACF) can be used to attach the circuit board (FPCB) to the pad portion of the display panel (DP). The pad portion of the FPCB can be electrically connected to the pad portion of the display panel (DP). The FPCB can be a flexible printed circuit board, a printed circuit board, or a flexible film such as a chip-on-film.

[0128] Touch driver 50-1 can be mounted on a circuit board (FPCB). Touch driver 50-1 is electrically connected to the sensing electrodes of the touch sensing layer (TSL) in the display panel (DP), and can provide drive signals to multiple sensing electrodes and detect changes in electrostatic capacitance between the multiple sensing electrodes to determine whether a touch is present. Touch driver 50-1 can be formed by an integrated circuit (IC).

[0129] The overlay window (WU) is positioned on the front of the display panel (DP), and the overlay window (WU) may include the window (WIN) and the anti-reflective layer (ARL).

[0130] The window (WIN) can be disposed on the color filter layer 230 and can be attached to the color filter layer 230 using a transparent adhesive. The window (WIN) can be used to protect the display panel (DP). The window (WIN) can be made of a transparent material. For example, the window (WIN) can include glass or plastic.

[0131] When a window (WIN) includes glass, the glass can be ultra-thin glass (UTG) or thin-film glass. Ultra-thin glass can be strengthened to have a predetermined stress profile internally. Compared to its unstrengthened state, strengthened ultra-thin glass is superior in preventing cracks, crack propagation, and breakage due to external impacts. Through the strengthening process, strengthened ultra-thin glass can have different stresses in different areas.

[0132] When glass is made of an ultrathin film or a thin film, it possesses flexible properties and can be bent, folded, or rolled. For example, the thickness of the glass can range from 10 μm to 300 μm, and specifically, glass with a thickness of 10 μm to 100 μm or about 50 μm can be applied. The glass of the window WIN can include soda-lime glass, alkaline aluminosilicate glass, borosilicate glass, or lithium aluminosilicate glass. The glass of the window WIN can include chemically strengthened or thermally strengthened glass to have high strength. Chemical strengthening can be achieved through an ion exchange treatment process in an alkaline salt. The ion exchange treatment process can be performed two or more times. Alternatively, the window WIN can be a polymer film coated with thin glass on both sides.

[0133] The anti-reflective layer ARL can be placed on the front of the window WIN, and the anti-reflective layer ARL can be attached to the front of the window WIN in the form of an optical film.

[0134] An anti-reflective layer (ARL) can be applied to the window. The ARL protects the window and reduces the reflection of external light.

[0135] An anti-reflective layer (ARL) may comprise a hard coating layer and a low-refractive-index layer. Due to the two layers having different refractive indices, the ARL can cause external light to be lost or subjected to destructive interference at the interface, and can prevent or reduce the reflection of external light. The low-refractive-index layer may have a structure comprising particles dispersed in a transparent resin. According to embodiments, a high-refractive-index layer may be additionally included, and this high-refractive-index layer may be located between the hard coating layer and the low-refractive-index layer.

[0136] The hard coating, low refractive index layer, and high refractive index layer that may be included in the anti-reflective layer ARL may have the following characteristics.

[0137] Hard coatings can reduce the deformation or lifting of the anti-reflective layer (ARL) under harsh conditions such as high temperature and high humidity, thereby improving reliability.

[0138] The hard coating may include an organic layer. The organic layer may be at least one of acrylate-based compounds, urethane-based compounds, polyimide, polycarbonate, polyethersulfone, polyethylene naphthalate, polyphenylene sulfide, LCP (liquid crystal polymer), polymethyl methacrylate, and epoxy polymer, or it may include a combination thereof.

[0139] In this embodiment, the hard coating may include an organic layer and an organic-inorganic composite layer. In this case, the organic layer may include an acrylate-based compound. For example, an organic layer comprising urethane acrylate may be formed. The organic layer can serve as a stress-reducing layer.

[0140] The organic material in the organic-inorganic composite layer can be formed from at least one of acrylate-based compounds, polyurethane-based compounds, and epoxy-based compounds, or combinations thereof. For example, the organic material may include urethane acrylate. In the organic-inorganic composite layer, the inorganic material is at least one selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide (SiO2), zirconium oxide (ZrO2), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), tantalum oxide (Ta2O5), niobium oxide (Nb2O5 or NbO2), and glass beads.

[0141] Inorganic materials can be provided in the form of a single type of inorganic oxide or a mixture thereof as listed above. Alternatively, inorganic materials can be provided in various forms to form organic-inorganic composite layers. For example, silicon dioxide can be provided in the form of particles, sol, or in a hollow shape.

[0142] In the organic-inorganic composite layer, organic acrylate compounds and inorganic particles can be mixed in a weight ratio of 5:5 to 8:2. By including both acrylate compounds and inorganic particles, the organic-inorganic composite layer improves surface hardness and has the ability to absorb external vibrations, thereby forming a hard coating that is not easily broken.

[0143] In this embodiment, the hard coating may include acrylate-based compounds and urethane-based compounds. The acrylate-based compounds and urethane-based compounds may be mixed and polymerized into monomers. The acrylate-based compounds can increase the hardness of the hard coating, thereby improving the hardness and abrasion resistance of the anti-reflective layer (ARL). The urethane-based compounds can increase the elasticity of the anti-reflective layer (ARL) by providing flexibility to the hard coating. In this case, the proportion of the acrylate-based compounds in the hard coating may be 70% to 99.9%, and the proportion of the urethane-based compounds may be 0.1% to 30%. For example, the mixing ratio of the acrylate-based compounds and the urethane-based compounds may be 7:3 or greater, and the ratio of the acrylate-based compounds may be further increased. For example, the mixing ratio of the acrylate-based compounds and the urethane-based compounds may be further increased, such as 7:3, 8:2, or 9:1.

[0144] In this embodiment, the hard coating may include an acrylate-based compound. In this case, the acrylate-based compound may be an acrylic resin. That is, the hard coating can improve the hardness and abrasion resistance of the anti-reflective layer ARL by including an acrylic resin.

[0145] The thickness of the hard coating can range from 2 μm to 10 μm. By keeping the hard coating within this thickness range, deformation or lift-up can be reduced, and reliability issues can be improved.

[0146] The refractive index of the hard coating can be from 1.48 to 1.53. By making the hard coating within the above refractive index range, the hard coating has a refractive index difference at the interface with the low refractive index layer (which will be described later) and refracts light emitted from the light-emitting device layer LEDL upwards to increase light output efficiency and reduce external light reflection.

[0147] A low-refractive-index layer can be applied to the hard coating layer. The low-refractive-index layer can refract light emitted from the LEDL light-emitting device layer upwards, thereby increasing light output efficiency and reducing external light reflection.

[0148] The low-refractive-index layer may include particles dispersed in a transparent resin.

[0149] The resin may include one or more selected from the group consisting of acrylic acid, polysiloxane, polyurethane, polyurethane acrylate, polyimide, PMSSQ (polymethylsilsesquioxane) and PMMA (poly(methyl methacrylate)).

[0150] The particles can be hollow particles. For example, the particles may include one or more materials selected from the group consisting of silicon dioxide (SiO2), magnesium fluoride (MgF2), and iron oxide (Fe3O4). Alternatively, the particles may include a shell made of one or more of the above materials and a hollow portion inside the shell. In embodiments, the diameter of the particles may be from 10 nm to 200 nm, and the thickness of the shell and the diameter of the hollow portion may be determined according to the diameter of the particles.

[0151] The particles included in the low-refractive-index layer can be in a weight ratio of 10% to 50% relative to the resin. If the particle-to-resin weight ratio is 10% or higher, the refractive index of the low-refractive-index layer can be reduced, and if the particle-to-resin weight ratio is 50% or lower, reduced adhesion to adjacent layers can be prevented. The low-refractive-index layer can be formed by coating and curing a solution containing a solvent in which resin and particles are dispersed.

[0152] The thickness of the low-refractive-index layer can range from 10 nm to 200 nm. By making the low-refractive-index layer within the above thickness range, the low-refractive-index layer can contain sufficient particles to reduce the refractive index and improve adhesion to the underlying layer.

[0153] The refractive index of the low-refractive-index layer can be less than that of the hard coating layer. For example, the refractive index of the low-refractive-index layer can be at least 0.05 less than that of the hard coating layer. If the difference between the refractive indices of the low-refractive-index layer and the hard coating layer is 0.05 or greater, total internal reflection of external light at the interface between the low-refractive-index layer and the hard coating layer can be increased, thereby causing destructive interference with light reflected from the surface of the low-refractive-index layer. Therefore, the reflectivity of the anti-reflective layer (ARL) to external light can be reduced. The refractive index of the low-refractive-index layer can be in the range of 1.3 to 1.43. However, this disclosure is not limited to this, and even lower refractive indices can be used within the range less than that of the hard coating layer.

[0154] High refractive index layers can include inorganic materials, organic materials, or a combination of inorganic and organic materials. Therefore, high refractive index layers can be made of inorganic films, organic films, or organic films containing inorganic particles.

[0155] The inorganic material contained in the high refractive index layer includes zinc oxide, titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, niobium oxide, tantalum oxide and tin oxide, and may be one or more selected from nickel oxide, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, indium nitride and gallium nitride.

[0156] The organic material included in the high refractive index layer can be selected from poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), 4,4'-bis[N-(3-methylphenyl)-N-phenylamino]biphenyl (TPD), 4,4,4'-tris[(3-methylphenyl)phenylamino]triphenylamine (m-MTDATA), 1,3,5-tris[N,N-bis(2-methylphenyl)-amino]benzene (o-MTDAB), 1,3,5-tris[N,N-bis(3-methylphenyl)amino]benzene (m-MTDAB), 1,3,5-tris[N,N-bis(3-methylphenyl)amino]benzene (m-MTDAB), 1,3,5-tris[N [N-bis(4-methylphenyl)amino]-benzene (p-MTDAB), 4,4'-bis[N,N-bis(3-methylphenyl)-amino]-diphenylmethane (BPPM), 4,4'-dicarbazolyl-1,1'-biphenyl (CBP), 4,4,4'-tris(N-carbazolyl)triphenylamine (TCTA), 2,2',2"-(1,3,5-benzyltolyl)tri-[1-phenyl-1H-benzimidazole] (TPBI), and 3-(4-biphenyl)-4-phenyl-5-tert-butylphenyl-1,2,4-triazole (TAZ).

[0157] The refractive index of the high-refractive-index layer can be greater than that of the low-refractive-index layer to reduce the reflection of external light. For example, the refractive index of the high-refractive-index layer can be at least 0.05 greater than that of the low-refractive-index layer. The refractive index of the high-refractive-index layer can be in the range of 1.53 to 1.7. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and even larger refractive indices can be used in a range greater than that of the low-refractive-index layer.

[0158] The thickness of the high-refractive-index layer can be from 50 nm to 200 nm. By making the high-refractive-index layer within the above thickness range, the interface with the low-refractive-index layer can be formed flatly, and the reduced bonding strength with the hard coating layer can be prevented.

[0159] The anti-reflective layer ARL, which includes a high refractive index layer, can further reduce the reflection of external light by increasing the refractive index difference with the low refractive index layer at the interface.

[0160] According to an embodiment, the front surface of the window WIN may further include an optical film in addition to the anti-reflective layer ARL, and may also include an anti-fingerprint layer. However, it does not include a polarizer because the color filter layer 230, which will be described later, reduces the reflectivity of external light and makes the external light difficult for the user to see. Therefore, according to an embodiment, the anti-reflective layer ARL may not be included on the front surface of the window WIN.

[0161] In the following text, reference will be made to Figure 4 A display device according to an embodiment is described.

[0162] Figure 4 This is a block diagram of a display device according to an embodiment.

[0163] refer to Figure 4 The display device 1000 may include a display panel DP, a power module PM, a first electronic module EM1, and a second electronic module EM2. The display panel DP, power module PM, first electronic module EM1, and second electronic module EM2 can be electrically connected to each other. Figure 4 In the example, the pixel PX and the touch sensor TS located in the display area DA of the display panel DP are shown.

[0164] The power module PM can supply the power required for the entire operation of the display device 1000. The power module PM may include a conventional battery module.

[0165] The first electronic module EM1 and the second electronic module EM2 may include various functional modules for operating the display device 1000.

[0166] The first electronic module EM1 can be directly mounted on the motherboard that is electrically connected to the display panel DP, or it can be mounted on a separate board and electrically connected to the motherboard via a connector (not shown).

[0167] The first electronic module EM1 may include a control module CM, a wireless communication module TM, an image input module IIM, an audio input module AIM, a memory MM, and an external interface IF. Some of these modules may not be mounted on the motherboard, but may be electrically connected to the motherboard via a flexible printed circuit board.

[0168] The control module CM can control the overall operation of the display device 1000. The control module CM can be a microprocessor. For example, the control module CM can activate or deactivate the display panel DP. The control module CM can control other modules (such as the image input module IIM or the audio input module AIM) based on touch signals received from the display panel DP.

[0169] The wireless communication module™ can transmit or receive wireless signals from other terminals using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi lines. The wireless communication module™ can also transmit / receive voice signals using conventional communication lines. The wireless communication module™ includes a transmitter TM1 that modulates and transmits the signal to be transmitted, and a receiver TM2 that demodulates the received signal.

[0170] The Image Input Module (IIM) can process video signals and convert them into video data that can be displayed on the Display Panel (DP).

[0171] The audio input module (AIM) can receive external audio signals through a microphone and convert them into electronic voice data in recording mode, voice recognition mode, and other modes.

[0172] The external interface IF can be used as an interface to connect to external chargers, wired / wireless data ports, card (e.g., memory card, SIM / UIM card) slots, etc.

[0173] The second electronic module EM2 may include an audio output module AOM, a light emission module LM, a light receiving module LRM, and a camera module CMM, at least some of which are configured as follows: Figure 1 and Figure 2 The optical element ES shown is located on the back of the display panel DP. The optical element ES may include a light-emitting module LM, a light-receiving module LRM, and a camera module CMM. Furthermore, the second electronic module EM2 can be directly mounted on the motherboard or mounted on a separate board. The second electronic module EM2 can be connected to the display panel DP via a connector (not shown), or it can be connected to the first electronic module EM1.

[0174] The audio output module AOM can convert audio data received from the wireless communication module TM or audio data stored in the memory MM, and output the converted audio data to the outside.

[0175] A light-emitting module (LM) can generate and output light. An LM can output infrared light. For example, an LM can include LED devices. Similarly, a light-receiving module (LRM) can detect infrared light. When infrared light exceeding a certain level is detected, the LRM can be activated. The LRM can include a CMOS sensor.

[0176] After the infrared light generated in the light-emitting module LM is output, it is reflected by an external object (e.g., a user's finger or face), and the reflected infrared light can be incident on the light-receiving module LRM. The camera module CMM can then capture an external image.

[0177] In this embodiment, the optical element ES may additionally include a light detection sensor or a thermal detection sensor. The optical element ES can detect external objects received through the front or provide sound signals, such as speech, to the outside through the front. Furthermore, the optical element ES may include multiple components and is not limited to any one embodiment.

[0178] Refer again Figure 2 The housing HM can be combined with the cover window WU. The cover window WU can be positioned on the front of the housing HM. The housing HM can be combined with the cover window WU to provide a predetermined receiving space. The display panel DP and optical components ES can be accommodated in the predetermined receiving space provided between the housing HM and the cover window WU.

[0179] The housing HM may comprise a material with relatively high rigidity. For example, the housing HM may comprise multiple frames or panels made of glass, plastic, or metal, or combinations thereof. The housing HM can stably protect the components of the display device 1000 housed within the internal space from external impacts.

[0180] In the following text, reference will be made to Figure 5 The structure of the display device 1000 according to the embodiment is described in detail.

[0181] Figure 5 This is a schematic perspective view of a light-emitting display device according to an embodiment.

[0182] Descriptions of components identical to those described above will be omitted, and Figure 5 The embodiment illustrates a foldable display device, wherein the display device 1000 is folded via a folding axis FAX.

[0183] refer to Figure 5 In this embodiment, the display device 1000 may be a foldable display device. The display device 1000 can be folded outwards or inwards based on a folding axis FAX. When the display device 1000 is folded outwards based on the folding axis FAX, the display surface of the display device 1000 is located on the outside along the third direction DR3, thereby allowing images to be displayed in both directions. If the display device 1000 is folded inwards based on the folding axis FAX, the display surface may be invisible from the outside.

[0184] In this embodiment, the display device 1000 may include a display area DA, a component area EA, and a peripheral area PA. The display area DA may be divided into a 1-1 display area DA1-1, a 1-2 display area DA1-2, and a folding area FA. The 1-1 display area DA1-1 and the 1-2 display area DA1-2 may be located on the left and right sides respectively based on the folding axis FAX (or centered on the folding axis FAX), and the folding area FA may be located between the 1-1 display area DA1-1 and the 1-2 display area DA1-2. When the display device 1000 folds outward based on the folding axis FAX, the 1-1 display area DA1-1 and the 1-2 display area DA1-2 are located on both sides along the third direction DR3, and the display device 1000 displays images in both directions. Furthermore, when the display device 1000 folds inward based on the folding axis FAX, the 1-1 display area DA1-1 and the 1-2 display area DA1-2 may be invisible from the outside.

[0185] Figure 6 This is an enlarged plan view of a portion of the light-emitting display device according to the embodiment.

[0186] Figure 6A portion of the light-emitting display panel DP of a light-emitting display device according to an embodiment is shown, and a display panel for a mobile phone is used in the illustration. The light-emitting display panel DP mentioned herein and hereinafter may correspond to the reference citation. Figures 1 to 4 The description refers to the display panel DP.

[0187] The display area DA is located on the front of the light-emitting display panel DP, and the component area EA is also located inside the display area DA. Specifically, the component area EA may include a first component area EA1 and a second component area EA2. Additionally, in Figure 6 In this configuration, the first component region EA1 and the second component region EA2 are positioned adjacent to each other. Figure 6 In this configuration, the first component region EA1 is located to the upper left of the second component region EA2. The position and number of the first component regions EA1 can vary depending on the implementation method. Figure 6 In the second component area EA2, the second optical element ES2 can be a camera, and the first optical element ES1 in the first component area EA1 can be an optical sensor.

[0188] The display area DA may include multiple light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and multiple pixel circuit units, which generate light-emitting current and transmit it to each of the LEDs. Here, an LED and a pixel circuit unit connected to that LED are referred to as a pixel PX. In the display area DA, a pixel circuit unit and an LED are arranged in a one-to-one configuration. The display area DA is also called the "normal display area." Although in Figure 6 The structure of the light-emitting display panel DP below the cut line is not shown, but a display area DA can be located below the cut line.

[0189] According to the embodiments, the light-emitting display panel DP can be divided into a lower panel layer and an upper panel layer. The lower panel layer is the part where light-emitting diodes and pixel circuit units constituting pixels are located, and may even include an encapsulation layer covering them (see...). Figure 7 (400 in the text). That is, the lower panel layer may include material from the substrate (see 400). Figure 7 (110 in the text) to the components of the encapsulation layer. For example, the lower panel layer may include the anode (see 110 in the text). Figure 7 AE in the middle), pixel-limited layer (see Figure 7 380 in the middle), light-emitting layer (see ... Figure 7 EML in the middle) and spacers (see ... Figure 7 (385 in the text), and it also includes a functional layer (see 385 in the text). Figure 7 FL in the middle), cathode (see Figure 7The upper panel layer consists of the CE layer, the insulating layer between the substrate and the anode, the semiconductor layer, and the conductive layer. The upper panel layer is the portion located above the packaging layer and includes a sensing insulating layer capable of detecting touch (see [link to packaging layer]). Figure 7 (501, 510, and 511 in the model) and multiple sensing electrodes (see ... Figure 7 (540 and 541 in the text), and it may include a color filter layer (see 540 and 541 in the text). Figure 7 230 in the middle), planarization layer (see 230) Figure 7 (e.g., 550).

[0190] The first component region EA1 may consist only of a transparent layer that allows light to pass through, and may not have a conductive or semiconductor layer. The lower panel may have a photosensor. The upper panel may include a pixel-defining layer and light-blocking regions where two or more color filters of the upper panel overlap, including an opening corresponding to the first component region EA1 (hereinafter also referred to as an additional opening). This structure allows light to pass through unobstructed. When the optical sensor is located in the lower panel and there is no corresponding opening in the upper panel, it may be the display region DA instead of the first component region EA1. A first component region EA1 may include multiple adjacent optical sensor regions, and in this case, pixels adjacent to the optical sensor regions may be included in the first component region EA1. When the first optical element ES1 corresponding to the first component region EA1 uses infrared light instead of visible light, the first component region EA1 may overlap with the light-blocking region of a color filter that blocks visible light.

[0191] The second component region EA2 may include second component pixels and light-transmitting areas, and the space between adjacent second component pixels may be light-transmitting areas.

[0192] Despite Figure 6 Not shown in the diagram, but the peripheral area may be further located outside the display area DA. Furthermore, although... Figure 6 A display panel for a mobile phone is shown, but this embodiment can be applied to any display panel that houses optical elements on its back side, and it can also be a flexible display device.

[0193] In the case of a foldable display device within a flexible display device, the second component region EA2 and the first component region EA1 can be formed in relation to... Figure 6 The positions shown are in different locations.

[0194] In the following text, reference will be made to Figure 7 The structure of the light-emitting display panel DP according to the embodiment is described in detail.

[0195] Figure 7 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the display panel according to the embodiment.

[0196] The light-emitting display panel DP according to the embodiment can display images by forming light-emitting diodes on the substrate 110, can detect touch by including multiple sensing electrodes 540 and 541, and by including color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B, the light emitted from the light-emitting diodes will also have the color characteristics of the color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B. A black light-blocking layer that blocks visible light can be omitted, and instead of a light-blocking layer, at least two color filters can be overlapped to block visible light.

[0197] The area where at least two color filters overlap to block visible light is called the light-blocking region of the color filter. Figure 7 In one embodiment, the light-blocking region of the color filter can be formed by sequentially stacking a blue color filter 230B, a red color filter 230R, and a green color filter 230G. The order in which the color filters are stacked can be varied depending on the embodiment.

[0198] Furthermore, according to the embodiment, a polarizer may not be formed on the front surface of the light-emitting display panel DP. Instead, a pixel defining layer 380 is formed using a black organic material. By forming a light-blocking region of color filters (with at least two or more color filters overlapping therein) on top of the pixel defining layer 380, external light can be prevented from being reflected from the anode AE ​​and reaching the user, even if external light enters the interior.

[0199] The light-emitting display panel DP according to the embodiment will now be described in detail.

[0200] The substrate 110 may include a rigid, non-bending material (such as glass) or a flexible, bendable material (such as plastic or polyimide).

[0201] Multiple thin-film transistors are formed on substrate 110, but in Figure 7 These are omitted, and only the organic layer 180 covering the thin-film transistors is shown. A pixel is formed by a light-emitting diode and a pixel circuit unit, in which multiple transistors and capacitors are formed to transmit the light-emitting current to the light-emitting diode.

[0202] exist Figure 7 In this embodiment, pixel circuit units are not shown, and the structure of the pixel circuit units can be varied according to the implementation. Figure 7 For ease of explanation, the organic layer 180 covering the pixel circuit unit is shown first.

[0203] A light-emitting diode, including an anode (AE), a light-emitting layer (EML), and a cathode (CE), is disposed on an organic layer 180.

[0204] The anode (AE) may comprise a single layer or multiple layers containing a transparent conductive oxide layer and a metallic material. The transparent conductive oxide layer may comprise ITO (indium tin oxide), polyITO, IZO (indium zinc oxide), IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide), or ITZO (indium tin zinc oxide), and the metallic material may comprise silver (Ag), molybdenum (Mo), copper (Cu), gold (Au), and aluminum (Al).

[0205] The emissive layer (EML) may include an organic light-emitting material, and adjacent emissive layers (EMLs) may emit light of different colors. According to an embodiment, due to color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B disposed on the emissive layers (EMLs), each emissive layer (EML) may emit light of the same color. According to an embodiment, the emissive layer (EML) may have a structure in which multiple emissive layers are stacked (also referred to as a tandem structure).

[0206] A pixel defining layer 380 is disposed on the organic layer 180 and the anode AE. The pixel defining layer 380 has an opening OP (also referred to as a first opening) that exposes at least a portion of the anode AE. A light-emitting layer EML overlaps with and is disposed on the anode AE ​​through the portion of the anode AE ​​exposed by the opening OP. The light-emitting layer EML is located only within the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 and is separated from adjacent light-emitting layers EML by the pixel defining layer 380.

[0207] The pixel defining layer 380 may include a negative black organic material. The black organic material may include a light-blocking material, and the light-blocking material may include carbon black, carbon nanotubes, a resin or paste containing a black dye, metal particles (such as nickel, aluminum, molybdenum, and their alloys), metal nitride or metal oxide particles (e.g., chromium nitride), etc. The pixel defining layer 380 contains a light-blocking material and is black, and can prevent light reflection by absorbing or blocking light rather than reflecting it. When a negative organic material is used, the portion covered by the mask can be removed.

[0208] Spacers 385 can be formed on the pixel-defining layer 380. Spacers 385 include a first portion 385-1 and a second portion 385-2, wherein the first portion 385-1 is higher and located in a narrower region, and the second portion 385-2 is lower in height and located in a wider region. Figure 7In the diagram, the first portion 385-1 and the second portion 385-2 are shown separated by a dashed line within the spacer 385. The first portion 385-1 can be used to ensure rigidity against pressure by enhancing scratch resistance. The second portion 385-2 can be used to assist the contact between the pixel defining layer 380 and the upper functional layer FL. The first portion 385-1 and the second portion 385-2 can comprise the same material and can comprise a positive photosensitive organic material. For example, the first portion 385-1 and the second portion 385-2 can comprise photosensitive polyimide (PSPI). When using a positive organic material, portions not covered by the mask can be removed. The spacer 385 is transparent, allowing light to be transmitted or reflected.

[0209] Although the pixel defining layer 380 can be formed using a negative material and the spacer 385 can be formed using a positive material, according to the embodiment, the pixel defining layer 380 and the spacer 385 may include the same material.

[0210] At least a portion of the upper surface of the pixel defining layer 380 is covered by the spacer 385, and the edge of the second portion 385-2 is spaced apart from the edge of the pixel defining layer 380. Another portion of the pixel defining layer 380 is not covered by the spacer 385. The second portion 385-2 even covers the upper surface of the pixel defining layer 380 where the first portion 385-1 is not positioned, thereby enhancing the adhesion between the pixel defining layer 380 and the functional layer FL. In this embodiment, the spacer 385 is located only in the area overlapping with the light-blocking region of the color filter (where at least two color filters are stacked to block visible light). When viewed from the front of the display panel DP, the spacer 385 may be invisible because it is hidden through the light-blocking region of the color filter.

[0211] The functional layer FL is disposed on the spacer 385 and the pixel defining layer 380. The functional layer FL can be disposed on the entire surface of the light-emitting display panel DP or only in specific areas. For example, the functional layer FL can be formed in all areas except the light-transmitting area of ​​the second component area EA2. The functional layer FL may include an electron injection layer, an electron transport layer, a hole transport layer, and a hole injection layer, and the functional layer FL can be disposed above and below the light-emitting layer EML. That is, the hole injection layer, the hole transport layer, the light-emitting layer EML, the electron transport layer, the electron injection layer, and the cathode CE are sequentially stacked on the anode AE. The hole injection layer and the hole transport layer in the functional layer FL can be disposed below the light-emitting layer EML, and the electron transport layer and the electron injection layer can be disposed on the light-emitting layer EML.

[0212] Spacer 385 enhances the scratch resistance of the light-emitting display panel DP, reducing the defect rate caused by pressing. Spacer 385 also increases adhesion to the functional layer FL disposed on it, preventing moisture and air from penetrating from the outside. Furthermore, high adhesive strength helps eliminate problems of poor adhesion between layers when the light-emitting display panel DP has flexible properties and is repeatedly folded and unfolded.

[0213] The cathode (CE) may include a transparent electrode or a reflective electrode. According to embodiments, the cathode (CE) may be a transparent or translucent electrode and may include a thin metal layer with a low work function, such as lithium (Li), calcium (Ca), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), magnesium (Mg), and compounds thereof, or materials having a multilayer structure such as lithium fluoride / calcium (LiF / Ca) or lithium fluoride / aluminum (LiF / Al). Additionally, a transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), or indium oxide (In₂O₃) may be further disposed on the thin metal layer. The cathode (CE) may be integrally formed over the entire surface of the light-emitting display panel (DP).

[0214] An encapsulation layer 400 is disposed on the cathode CE. The encapsulation layer 400 may include at least one inorganic layer and at least one organic layer. For example, such as... Figure 7 As shown, the encapsulation layer 400 can be formed of a three-layer structure including a first inorganic encapsulation layer 401, an organic encapsulation layer 402, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer 403. The encapsulation layer 400 can be used to protect the light-emitting layer (EML), which includes organic materials, from moisture or oxygen that may penetrate from the outside. According to an embodiment, the encapsulation layer 400 may include a structure in which the inorganic and organic layers are further stacked sequentially.

[0215] Sensing insulating layers 501, 510, 511 and multiple sensing electrodes 540, 541 are disposed on the encapsulation layer 400 for touch detection. Figure 7 In one implementation, two sensing electrodes 540 and 541 are used to detect touch in a capacitive manner. However, according to another implementation, a single sensing electrode can be used to detect touch in a self-capacitive manner.

[0216] Multiple sensing electrodes 540 and 541 are insulated from each other by a second sensing insulating layer 510 inserted therebetween. A lower sensing electrode 541 is disposed on a first sensing insulating layer 501, and the second sensing insulating layer 510 is inserted between the multiple sensing electrodes 540 and 541. An upper sensing electrode 540 is disposed on the second sensing insulating layer 510 and is covered by a third sensing insulating layer 511. The multiple sensing electrodes 540 and 541 can be electrically connected through openings located in the second sensing insulating layer 510.

[0217] Here, sensing electrodes 540 and 541 may comprise metals or metal alloys (such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), gold (Au), molybdenum (Mo), titanium (Ti), and tantalum (Ta)), and may comprise a single layer or multiple layers.

[0218] Color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B are disposed on the third sensing insulating layer 511. Color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B may include a red color filter 230R that allows red light to pass through, a green color filter 230G that allows green light to pass through, and a blue color filter 230B that allows blue light to pass through. Each of the color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B may be positioned to overlap with the anode AE ​​of the light-emitting diode in a plane. Since light emitted from the emissive layer EML can change to a corresponding color as it passes through the color filter layer 230, all light emitted from the emissive layer EML can have the same color. However, the emissive layer EML can emit light of different colors, and the quality of the displayed color of the light can be enhanced after the light passes through a corresponding color filter having the same color as that light.

[0219] According to the implementation, color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B can be replaced by a color conversion layer, or may further include a color conversion layer. The color conversion layer may include quantum dots.

[0220] exist Figure 7 In this embodiment, a black light-blocking layer that blocks visible light is not formed, and light-blocking regions of at least two overlapping color filters are formed instead of a light-blocking layer. Figure 7 In one embodiment, the light-blocking region of the color filter is formed by sequentially stacking the blue color filter 230B and the red color filter 230R. The green color filter 230G overlaps only a portion of the light-blocking region of the color filter and does not constitute the light-blocking region of the color filter. However, according to another embodiment, the green color filter 230G may also overlap the entire light-blocking region of the color filter to form the light-blocking region of the color filter (see [link to embodiment]). Figure 19 The order in which the color filters are stacked can be varied depending on the implementation method.

[0221] The light-blocking regions of at least two overlapping color filters can be positioned to overlap with sensing electrodes 540, 541 in a plane, and can be positioned not to overlap with at least a portion of the anode AE ​​and the light-emitting layer EML in a plane.

[0222] This will ensure that the anode AE ​​and the light-emitting layer EML, which are capable of displaying images, are not obstructed by the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter and the sensing electrodes 540 and 541.

[0223] In the color filter layer 230, excluding the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter, only a single color filter can be provided. When light of the corresponding color passes through the single color filter, a light-transmitting area of ​​the color filter can be formed in the color filter layer 230, excluding the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter. Hereinafter, the light-transmitting area of ​​the color filter where only a single color filter is provided is referred to as the second opening OPCF of the color filter because of the transmitted light. The second opening OPCF of the color filter corresponds to the area where only one color filter exists and is positioned to be surrounded by the light-blocking areas of at least two color filters overlapping therein.

[0224] refer to Figure 7 At least two color filters are overlapped, and the light-blocking regions of the overlapping color filters are located only in the area overlapping the pixel defining layer 380 on the plane, with one side of the light-blocking region of the color filter disposed inward from the corresponding side of the pixel defining layer 380. That is, the width of the pixel defining layer 380 can be greater than the width of the light-blocking region of the color filter. However, according to the cross-section, one side of the light-blocking region of the color filter can be disposed outside the corresponding side of the pixel defining layer 380 (see [reference]). Figure 10 In other words, the width of the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter can be greater than the width of the pixel-limiting layer 380.

[0225] The area of ​​the second opening OPCF of the color filter can be larger than the opening OP of the pixel-limiting layer 380. (Reference) Figure 10 In the planar view, a portion of the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 may be located outside the second opening OPCF of the color filter, and may overlap with and be blocked by the light blocking area of ​​the color filter.

[0226] Furthermore, one side of the spacer 385 is positioned inward by a specific distance g1 from the corresponding side of the pixel defining layer 380, and the spacer 385 is also positioned inward from one side of the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter. As a result, when viewed from the front of the display panel DP, the spacer 385 can be invisible because it is blocked by the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter.

[0227] When external light is incident, it can pass through the second opening OPCF of the color filter and then be reflected on the sidewalls of the defined opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380. The sidewalls of the defined opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 are curved, and color separation occurs according to the position of reflection, allowing the reflected light to appear in various colors, such as a rainbow.

[0228] Because the reflected light from this color separation is easily visible to the user and degrades display quality, in embodiments of this disclosure, the second opening OPCF of the color filter is formed in a circular shape, such as... Figure 8As shown in the figure, the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 is formed in an elliptical shape. The orientation (e.g., the major axis direction) or eccentricity of the elliptical shape is arranged in various ways to reduce color separation or allow white reflected light to be visible.

[0229] Here, an ellipse can have two foci and can have a shape where the sum of the distances from each point to the two foci is constant. An ellipse can have a major axis and a minor axis. The eccentricity of an ellipse is a value obtained by dividing the distance between the two foci by the length of the major axis. When the eccentricity is 0, it is a circle, and when the eccentricity is 1, it forms a parabola; therefore, an ellipse has an eccentricity value greater than 0 and less than 1.

[0230] According to the implementation, the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 may have a shape similar to an ellipse but not an ellipse, and its orientation or eccentricity may be changed in various ways.

[0231] According to an implementation, the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 can be formed as a polygonal shape that extends in one direction. Examples of such a polygon can include n-sided polygons such as hexagons and octagons (n ​​can be an integer of 3 or greater). The second opening OPCF of the color filter can be formed as an n-sided polygon corresponding to or different from the shape of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380.

[0232] A planarization layer 550 covering color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B is disposed on the color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B. The planarization layer 550 is used to planarize the upper surface of the light-emitting display panel DP, and may be a transparent organic insulating layer comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of polyimide, polyamide, acrylic resin, benzocyclobutene, and phenolic resin.

[0233] According to one embodiment, a low-refractive-index layer and an additional planarization layer can be further provided on the planarization layer 550 to improve front visibility and the efficiency of light output from the display panel DP. Light can be refracted through the low-refractive-index layer and the additional planarization layer with high refractive-index properties and emitted towards the front. According to another embodiment, the planarization layer 550 can be omitted, and the low-refractive-index layer and the additional planarization layer can be directly provided on the color filter layer 230.

[0234] In the implementation, an anti-reflective layer is included ( Figure 3 The overlay window of ARL in (see) Figure 3 The WU in the planarization layer 550 can be set on top of the planarization layer 550, and the polarizer can be left unset on it.

[0235] A polarizer can prevent the degradation of display quality caused by external light (visible to the user) entering and reflecting off the sidewalls of the defined opening OP of the anode AE ​​or pixel defining layer 380. However, the polarizer not only reduces the reflection of external light, but also reduces the light emitted from the light-emitting layer EML, which is disadvantageous in terms of consuming more power to display a specific brightness. To reduce power consumption, the light-emitting display device of this disclosure may not include a polarizer.

[0236] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the side of the anode AE ​​is covered by a pixel defining layer 380 to reduce the degree of light reflection from the anode AE, and a light-blocking region is also formed in which at least two color filters overlap to block light. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a separate polarizer on the front of the light-emitting display panel DP.

[0237] In the following text, reference will be made to Figures 8 to 10 The various structures of the light-emitting display panel DP formed in the display area DA are discussed in detail, wherein the second opening OPCF of the color filter is formed in a circular shape, and the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 is formed in an elliptical shape.

[0238] Figure 8 This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0239] exist Figure 8 The diagram shows only the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 and the corresponding second opening OPCF of a color filter. The second opening OPCF of the color filter has a circular shape, while the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 has an elliptical shape. Furthermore, the second opening OPCF of the color filter partially overlaps with a portion of the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380, and the remaining portion of the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 is covered by the light-blocking region of the color filter. As a result, the light-emitting layer EML located within the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 can be partially blocked by the light-blocking region of the color filter. Figure 8 In the middle, a portion of the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 is shown in dashed lines to indirectly show that the corresponding portion is located below the light blocking area of ​​the color filter.

[0240] exist Figure 8 In this implementation, due to errors during actual processing, the portion of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 covered by the light-blocking region of the color filter may not be constant on both the top and bottom sides, and the area on one side may be larger than that on the other side. Additionally, in a plane, one side of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 may be located within or in contact with the second opening OPCF of the color filter, and only the other side may be covered by the light-blocking region of the color filter.

[0241] like Figure 8As shown, if a portion of the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 is covered by the light-blocking region of the color filter, the light emitted from the light-emitting layer EML within the opening OP may not be delivered to the front, thus reducing light efficiency. However, the size of the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 is related to the lifetime of the light-emitting layer EML located therein; therefore, in order to maintain the lifetime at a certain level, the size of the opening OP may not be reduced.

[0242] refer to Figure 8 The length of the major axis of the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 is shown as Rop2, the length of the minor axis is shown as Rop1, and the radius of the second opening OPCF of the color filter is shown as Ropcf. Therefore, the distance from the point where the boundaries of the opening OP and the second opening OPCF intersect to the center is the same as Ropcf, but at other locations, the boundaries of the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 are located further away from or closer to the center.

[0243] exist Figure 8 In the diagram, the IX-IX line and the XX line correspond to the minor axis direction and major axis direction of the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380, respectively, and also correspond to the direction used for... Figure 9 and Figure 10 The basic profile lines.

[0244] According to the implementation, the major axis direction of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 can be arranged in various ways. The angles (or directions) formed by the major axis can have four or more angles, and these angles (or directions) can be arranged at intervals of 45 degrees or less. The major axis can be arranged at regular angular intervals, or it can be arranged at irregular intervals.

[0245] Since elliptical shapes can have different shapes depending on their eccentricity even if they have the same area, the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 can be formed as an ellipse with different eccentricities according to the implementation.

[0246] The opening OP of the pixel-limiting layer 380 and the second opening OPCF of the corresponding color filter can have an interval that varies within a horizontal interval range of 0 μm or larger and 20 μm or smaller.

[0247] In the following text, it will be through Figure 9 and Figure 10 Explain the cross-sectional structure.

[0248] Figure 9 and Figure 10 yes Figure 8 A schematic cross-sectional view of the implementation method.

[0249] Figure 9 It is along Figure 8The cross-sectional view taken by section line IX-IX, and Figure 10 It is along Figure 8 The cross-sectional view taken by the section line XX.

[0250] Figure 9 and Figure 10 It is among them that when with Figure 7 In the comparison, some schematic cross-sectional views of the layers were removed, and only the parts necessary to explain the positional relationships were shown.

[0251] Figure 9 This is a cross-sectional view taken along the minor axis of the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380, thus the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 is located inside the boundary of the second opening OPCF of the color filter. Along the minor axis of the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380, the width of the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 is narrower than the width of the second opening OPCF of the color filter, and the interval (or gap) between the boundaries of the two openings OP and OPCF is g2-1. Here, the interval g2-1 can be equal to the value obtained by subtracting Rop1 (the minor axis radius of the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380) from Ropcf (which is the radius of the second opening OPCF of the color filter).

[0252] A cross-sectional view taken along a section line adjacent to the minor axis can also have the same... Figure 9 Similar structure. When it is a cross-sectional view taken along the minor axis, the interval g2-1 can have a maximum value, and when it is a cross-sectional line cut around the minor axis, the interval g2-1 can have a value less than the maximum value.

[0253] Figure 10 This is a cross-sectional view taken along the major axis of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380, so at least a portion of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 is located outside the boundary of the second opening OPCF of the color filter. Along the major axis of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380, the width of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 is wider than the width of the second opening OPCF of the color filter, and the interval (or gap) between the boundaries of the two openings OP and OPCF is g2-2. Here, the interval g2-2 can be equal to the value obtained by subtracting Ropcf (the radius of the second opening OPCF of the color filter) from Rop2 (which is the major axis radius of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380).

[0254] A cross-sectional view taken along a section line adjacent to the major axis can also have the same... Figure 10 The structure shown is similar to the one shown. When the cross-section is taken along the major axis, the interval g2-2 can have a maximum value, and when the cross-section is taken along the circumference of the major axis, the interval g2-2 can have a value less than the maximum value.

[0255] The structure formed by sequentially stacking three color filters, 230R, 230G, and 230B, has been described above. References will be made below. Figure 11 A detailed explanation of the planar structure of each of the color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B.

[0256] Figure 11 This is a plan view showing the color filter of the display area according to an embodiment.

[0257] Figure 11 (A) shows the layer in which the blue filter 230B is formed, and the portion in which the blue filter 230B is located is shaded. Figure 11 The remaining layers in (A) are shown with dashed lines.

[0258] refer to Figure 11 In (A), the blue filter 230B is located in both the light-blocking region and the blue light transmission region. The blue filter 230B is not formed in the red light transmission region or the green light transmission region.

[0259] Figure 11 (B) shows the layer in which the red filter 230R is formed, and the portion in which the red filter 230R is located is shaded. Figure 11 The remaining layers in (B) are shown with dashed lines.

[0260] refer to Figure 11 In (B), the red filter 230R is located in the light-blocking region and the red light transmission region that transmits red light. The red filter 230R is not formed in the blue light transmission region and the green light transmission region.

[0261] Figure 11 (C) shows the layer in which the green filter 230G is formed, and the portion in which the green filter 230G is located is shaded. Figure 11 The remaining layers in (C) are shown with dashed lines.

[0262] refer to Figure 11 In (C), the green filter 230G is formed as an island-like structure and is located only in the green light transmission region that transmits green light. The green filter 230G is not formed in the light-blocking region, nor in the red light transmission region or the blue light transmission region. The green filter 230G may overlap with some of the light-blocking region of the filter.

[0263] Through overlap Figure 11 From (A), (B), and (C), we can obtain the following: Figure 12 The planar structure shown.

[0264] Figure 12This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0265] Figure 12 This is a plan view corresponding to an implementation where the second opening OPCF of the color filter and the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer each have different orientations or different sizes. The eccentricity of the elliptical shape of the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer can also vary depending on the color. Figure 12 In the process, the second opening OPCF of the color filter is divided into red second opening OPCFr, green second opening OPCFg and blue second opening OPCFb, and the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer is also divided into red opening OPr, green opening OPg and blue opening OPb.

[0266] Blue color filter 230B and red color filter 230R are sequentially overlapped to form a light-blocking region, and green color filter 230G has an island-like structure. Here, the boundary of green color filter 230G is further shown outside the green second opening OPCFg within the second opening OPCF of the color filter, thus clearly showing that green color filter 230G has an island-like structure, and that the boundary of green color filter 230G partially overlaps with the light-blocking region of the color filter. Figure 12 In the diagram, the red color filter 230R and the blue color filter 230B are each located in a light-blocking region, but the shaded lines corresponding to the red color filter 230R and the blue color filter 230B are not shown in the light-blocking region. Instead, "230B / 230R" clearly indicates that the light-blocking region is where the blue color filter 230B and the red color filter 230R overlap each other.

[0267] Below, we will refer to Figure 13 Describe whether two stacked color filters can replace a light-blocking layer.

[0268] Figure 13 It is a graph showing the transmittance according to the wavelength of the color filter.

[0269] Figure 13 It is a graph showing the transmittance of each color filter 230R, 230G, 230B for each wavelength, so the higher points indicate the light transmittance within the wavelength range.

[0270] refer to Figure 13 Each color filter 230R, 230G, and 230B has less than 10% transmittance for wavelengths other than those passing through it. When three or two color filters are overlapped, virtually no wavelength of light passes through. Therefore, overlapping at least two color filters can replace a light-blocking layer. It can be confirmed that by overlapping three color filters (see...) Figure 19 ) or by overlapping two color filters as described above (see Figure 7(etc.) can replace the light-blocking layer.

[0271] refer to Figure 12 The second opening OPCF of the color filter corresponding to each color and the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer can have different orientations or sizes. (See reference) Figure 14 To describe one of these implementation methods.

[0272] Figure 14 This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0273] exist Figure 14 In the diagram, the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 corresponding to each emissive layer EML that presents the primary colors red, green, and blue, and the second opening OPCF of the color filter are shown as openings OPr, OPg, and OPb, and second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, and OPCFb, respectively. Here, r, g, and b can correspond to red, green, and blue, respectively.

[0274] Figure 14 This is an embodiment where the elliptical openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel-defining layer 380 are formed at various angles and with various eccentricities. Specifically, openings OPr, OPg, and OPb corresponding to different colors have different eccentricities. Openings OPr, OPg, and OPb corresponding to the same color have the same eccentricity but are arranged in different directions along the major axis. Openings OPr, OPg, and OPb corresponding to different colors can also be arranged in different directions along the major axis. However, some openings OPr, OPg, and OPb can be arranged in the same direction along the major axis, even if they correspond to different colors. The second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, and OPCFb of color filters corresponding to different colors can have different radii from each other.

[0275] pass Figure 14 The planar structure of the openings OPr, OPg, OPb of the pixel limiting layer 380 and the second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, OPCFb of the color filter is described in detail below.

[0276] exist Figure 14 In the pixel-defining layer 380, each of the red opening OPr, green opening OPg, and blue opening OPb can be an ellipse with a different eccentricity. Furthermore, the red second opening OPCFr, green second opening OPCFg, and blue second opening OPCFb of the color filter can have circular shapes with different radii and areas. Here, the eccentricity of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel-defining layer 380 can have values ​​ranging from 0.2 to 0.85.

[0277] The openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can correspond to the second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, and OPCFb, respectively. The second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, and OPCFb of the color filter and their corresponding openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can at least partially overlap each other in a plane. Since at least two of the second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, and OPCFb of the color filter (and their corresponding openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380) have different planar shapes, the horizontal gap between the boundaries of the corresponding openings OP and OPCF can vary. Here, the horizontal spacing between the second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, and OPCFb of the color filter and the corresponding openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can vary from 0 μm to 20 μm. According to an embodiment, it can vary from 4.5 μm to 10 μm.

[0278] exist Figure 8 In this embodiment, the angles (or directions) formed by the major axes of the plurality of openings OPr, OPg, OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can form four or more different angles. Additionally, the angles (or directions) formed by the major axes can be arranged at intervals of 45 degrees or less.

[0279] As an example, in an implementation with five different angles (or directions), the major axes are arranged at 36-degree intervals. Therefore, if one major axis is aligned at 0 degrees relative to the first direction DR1, the other major axes will be aligned at 36 degrees, 72 degrees, 108 degrees, and 144 degrees relative to the first direction DR1.

[0280] In other words, the angular spacing between the major axes can be obtained by dividing 180 degrees by 5 (which is the number of directions). This method is effective because two angles forming 180 degrees with each other represent the same direction of the major axis of the ellipse. Therefore, dividing 180 degrees by the number of angles provides the necessary spacing for the major axis direction of the opening OP of the pixel-defined layer 380 of the elliptical shape.

[0281] As described above, the major axes of the plurality of openings OPr, OPg, OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can be arranged at equal intervals at a specific angle of 45 degrees or less. However, according to an embodiment, the angular interval formed by the major axes of each opening can be 45 degrees or less, and can be arranged at irregular intervals. The embodiment of arranging the major axes of the openings at irregular intervals can be intentionally arranged to reduce diffraction patterns, or can be arranged at irregular intervals due to processing errors.

[0282] To ensure that unit pixels, including red, green, and blue openings, have a square structure, the angular spacing of the major axis can be differentiated by the number corresponding to the square of an integer (e.g., 2). 2 3 2 4 2 5 2 (etc.) to be appropriately formed. Here, a unit pixel may include each of a red opening, a green opening, and a blue opening, and multiple openings of one color may be formed, for example, a green opening.

[0283] Because the horizontal gap between the boundaries of the openings OPr, OPg, OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 and the boundaries of the second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, OPCFb of a color filter is not constant and changes according to position, the intensity of reflected external light can vary. Here, since the multiple elliptical openings OPr, OPg, OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 are arranged at four or more angles along various directions, the intensity of reflected external light can be strong or weak depending on the angle. When they are combined, the overall intensity of reflected external light is reduced, which has the advantage of less color separation of external light, or producing a constant diffraction pattern or color separation, regardless of the angle.

[0284] Figure 15 It was filmed targeting Figure 14 A photograph of the external light reflection characteristics of the implementation method.

[0285] exist Figure 15 In the photo, the light source is brought close to the subject. Figure 14 The image is obtained after the light-emitting display device formed by the embodiment is positioned and illuminated (to capture reflected light). According to this method, the degree of reflection of external light can be enhanced and easily confirmed.

[0286] refer to Figure 15 Although a diffraction pattern of external light appears, the clarity is reduced, resulting in a lighter appearance, similar to that seen in photographs.

[0287] In order to Figure 15 The reflection characteristics of external light are compared with those of a comparative example, which will be referred to below. Figure 16 and Figure 17 The planar structure of the comparative example and the reflection characteristics of external light in the comparative example are discussed.

[0288] Figure 16 It is a floor plan based on a portion of the display panel of the comparison example, and Figure 17 It was filmed targeting Figure 16 A photograph comparing the reflection characteristics of external light.

[0289] exist Figure 16 In the comparison examples, with Figure 14 The implementation methods differ, and the second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, and OPCFb of the color filter, as well as the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel limiting layer 380, are all formed in a circular shape.

[0290] refer to Figure 17 In the comparative example, the diffraction pattern forms a ring shape, and color separation (like a rainbow) is visible in the area indicated by the arrow. Conversely, in Figure 15 In this embodiment, color separation is invisible in the corresponding portion, and the intensity of the diffraction pattern is relatively weak.

[0291] Reference Figure 18 The principle behind the occurrence of intensity differences in the diffraction pattern as described above is explained.

[0292] Figure 18 It is a diagram that explains the principle of diffraction patterns that appear due to the reflection of external light.

[0293] When external light is incident, it can pass through the second opening OPCF of the color filter and then be reflected from the sidewalls and top surface of the pixel defining layer 380, and some of the external light can be reflected from the sidewalls and top surface of the spacer 385. Because the sidewalls and top surface of the pixel defining layer 380 have different angles, the external light is reflected over a wide area. The spacer 385 is divided into a first portion 385-1 and a second portion 385-2, where the first portion 385-1 is higher and located in a narrower area, and the second portion 385-2 is lower in height and located in a wider area. When external light is reflected from the side and top surfaces of the first portion 385-1 and the side and / or top surfaces of the second portion 385-2, the external light is reflected over a wide area.

[0294] External light reflected in this way can form a diffraction pattern through constructive and destructive interference, and the user can perceive the diffraction pattern.

[0295] However, in this disclosure, since the pixel defining layer 380 can be partially covered by the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter, external light is not reflected from the pixel defining layer 380, and the diffraction pattern can be mitigated. Furthermore, since the second opening OPCF of the color filter is formed in a circular shape, and the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 has an elliptical shape, the horizontal gap between the second opening OPCF and the opening OP varies depending on the position / angle. Because the horizontal gap varies differently, irregular reflection of external light can occur, and the overall reflection characteristics can be mitigated. Furthermore, since the long axis direction of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 is formed in various orientations, the position where the pixel defining layer 380 is exposed and external light can be reflected also changes. This causes external light to mix, resulting in an overall reduction in the diffraction pattern. Since the diffraction pattern is mitigated in this way, the degree of color separation is also reduced. Because the degree of diffraction pattern and color separation due to the reflection of external light is reduced, it is difficult for the user to perceive a degradation in display quality, and as a result, the display quality of the display device can be improved.

[0296] The above describes an implementation where the light-blocking region of a color filter is formed by overlapping two color filters. However, according to the implementation, the light-blocking region of the color filter can also be formed by overlapping three color filters, which will be referred to... Figure 19 Let's have a discussion.

[0297] Figure 19 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the display panel according to the embodiment.

[0298] Figure 19 It corresponds to Figure 7 The image, and with Figure 7 The difference lies in the fact that the green color filter 230G completely overlaps with the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter, and the other parts are... Figure 7 same.

[0299] exist Figure 19 In this embodiment, a light-blocking layer formed in black and blocking visible light can be omitted. Instead of a light-blocking layer, three color filters are overlapped to block visible light. In the light-blocking region of the color filters, a blue color filter 230B, a red color filter 230R, and a green color filter 230G are stacked sequentially. The stacking order of color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B can be varied depending on the implementation.

[0300] Specifically, color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B are disposed on the third sensing insulating layer 511. Each of the color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B can be positioned to overlap with the anode AE ​​of the light-emitting diode in a plane. Since light emitted from the light-emitting layer EML can change to a corresponding color as it passes through the color filter layer 230, all light emitted from the light-emitting layer EML can have the same color. However, the light-emitting layer EML can emit light of different colors, and the displayed color can be enhanced after the light passes through a corresponding color filter having the same color as that light.

[0301] According to the implementation, color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B can be replaced by a color conversion layer, or may further include a color conversion layer. The color conversion layer may include quantum dots.

[0302] exist Figure 19 In this implementation, instead of forming a black light-blocking layer that blocks visible light, a light-blocking region is formed in which three color filters overlap each other. Figure 19 In one embodiment, the light-blocking region of the color filter includes a blue color filter 230B, a red color filter 230R, and a green color filter 230G stacked sequentially.

[0303] In the color filter layer 230, each region except for the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter may contain only a single color filter. The region containing only a single color filter can form the light-transmitting area of ​​the color filter, and may also be referred to as the second opening OPCF of the color filter.

[0304] The spacer 385 can be positioned inwards by a specific distance g1 from one side of the pixel defining layer 380, and the spacer 385 can also be positioned inwards from one side of the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter. As a result, when viewed from the front of the display panel DP, the spacer 385 can be invisible because it is covered by the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter.

[0305] When external light is incident, it can pass through the second opening OPCF of the color filter and then be reflected on the sidewalls of the defined opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380. The sidewalls of the defined opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 are curved, and color separation may occur depending on the location of the reflection, causing the reflected light to appear in various colors, such as a rainbow. Since this color-separated reflected light can be easily perceived by the user and degrades display quality, in embodiments of this disclosure, the second opening OPCF of the color filter is formed in a circular shape, such as... Figure 8As shown, the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 is formed in an elliptical shape. The orientation (e.g., the major axis direction) or eccentricity of the elliptical shape can be changed in various ways to reduce color separation or allow white reflected light to be visible. According to an embodiment, the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 can be formed to have a shape similar to but not an ellipse, and its orientation or eccentricity can be changed in various ways.

[0306] According to the implementation, the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 can be formed as a polygonal shape that extends in one direction. As an example of a polygon, the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 can be formed as an n-sided polygon (where n is an integer of 3 or greater), such as a hexagon or an octagon, and the second opening OPCF of the color filter can be formed as an n-sided polygon corresponding to the shape of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 or a different n-sided polygonal shape.

[0307] In the following text, see references Figure 20 Various implementations of an elliptical opening OP with a pixel-limiting layer 380 and a circular second opening OPCF for a color filter are explained.

[0308] Figure 20 This is a table or diagram illustrating various implementation methods.

[0309] exist Figure 20 In the process, the diameter of the second opening OPCF of the color filter and the length of the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 are classified according to the major axis direction and the minor axis direction of the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380.

[0310] First, since the second opening OPCF of the color filter has a circular shape, it has a constant diameter value (2×Ropcf) regardless of the major and minor axis directions of the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380. Since the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 has an elliptical shape, its lengths in the major and minor axis directions are different. The length of the opening OP in the minor axis direction can be 2×Rop1, while the length of the opening OP in the major axis direction can be 2×Rop2.

[0311] The dimensional relationship between the diameter of the second opening OPCF based on the color filter and the length of the major axis / minor axis of the opening OP is shown in six embodiments.

[0312] Figure 20 Figure (A) shows an embodiment where the length of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 in the short axis direction is longer than the diameter of the second opening OPCF of the color filter. The length of the long axis of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 is longer than the diameter of the second opening OPCF of the color filter. In the plan view, the second opening OPCF of the color filter is located within the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380.

[0313] Figure 20 (B) shows an embodiment where the diameter of the second opening OPCF of the color filter and the length of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 in the short axis direction are the same. However, the length of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 in the long axis direction is longer than the diameter of the second opening OPCF of the color filter. The second opening OPCF of the color filter and the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 may contact each other at two points on a plane.

[0314] Figure 20 Figure (C) shows an embodiment in which the diameter of the second opening OPCF of the color filter is the same as the length of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 along its major axis, and the length of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 along its minor axis is shorter than the diameter of the second opening OPCF of the color filter. The second opening OPCF of the color filter and the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 may contact each other at two points on a plane.

[0315] Figure 20 Figures (D) and (E) show an embodiment where the length of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 in the minor axis direction is shorter than the diameter of the second opening OPCF of the color filter, and the length of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 in the major axis direction is longer than the diameter of the second opening OPCF of the color filter. The second opening OPCF of the color filter and the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 may intersect each other at four points in a plane.

[0316] Figure 20 Figure (F) shows an embodiment where the diameter of the second opening OPCF of the color filter is longer than the lengths of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 in both the minor and major axes. In the plan view, the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 is located within the second opening OPCF of the color filter.

[0317] exist Figure 20 The various implementations described herein are merely examples of implementations, and therefore implementations not described herein are also possible.

[0318] Reference Figures 21 to 26 To discuss in more detail Figure 20 Some of the embodiments shown are illustrated in the figure.

[0319] First, through Figures 21 to 23 Detailed description Figure 20 The implementation method of (B) in the text.

[0320] Figures 21 to 23 This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0321] exist Figure 21The diagram shows only one opening OP and the corresponding second opening OPCF of the pixel-defining layer. This diagram has the same characteristics as... Figure 20 Similar shape to (B) in the middle, but in Figure 21 In the image, the opening OP of the pixel-limited layer is shown as a dashed line.

[0322] Here, the dashed line represents the portion of the boundary where the opening OP of the pixel-limiting layer overlaps with the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter and is hidden when viewed from the front. That is, in Figure 21 In the middle, the solid portion of the pixel-limiting layer is located outside the opening OP, and the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter is also located outside the second opening OPCF.

[0323] exist Figure 21 In this embodiment, the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 has an elliptical shape, and the second opening OPCF of the color filter has a circular shape. The second opening OPCF of the circular color filter can contact the opening OP of the elliptical pixel defining layer 380 at two points.

[0324] exist Figure 21 In one embodiment, the length of the minor axis of the elliptical pixel defining layer 380's opening OP is equal to the diameter of the circular color filter's second opening OPCF, and the length of the major axis of the elliptical pixel defining layer 380's opening OP is longer than the diameter of the circular color filter's second opening OPCF. Here, half the length of the major axis of the elliptical opening OP can be 0 μm to 20 μm larger than the radius of the circular second opening OPCF, and according to another embodiment, it can be 4.5 μm to 10 μm larger than the radius of the circular second opening OPCF. The length of the major axis of the elliptical opening OP can be varied according to the thickness of the layer (e.g., an encapsulation layer) located between the light-blocking region of the color filter and the pixel defining layer 380 in the thickness direction, thereby changing the horizontal spacing, and the encapsulation layer can have a thickness of approximately 6 μm.

[0325] exist Figure 21 In this implementation, the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 and the second opening OPCF of the color filter are in contact at two points on the plane. However, due to actual processing errors, a portion of one side of the opening OP can be covered by the light blocking area of ​​the color filter, without overlapping with the second opening OPCF of the color filter.

[0326] The eccentricity of the opening OP of the elliptical pixel defining layer 380 can be varied depending on the embodiment, and the orientation of the major axis of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 can also be varied. Therefore, having the same... Figure 21 The pixel-defining layer 380 with the same structure as the second opening OP of the color filter can be in the display area, such as... Figure 22 The arrangement is shown in the diagram.

[0327] exist Figure 22 In the diagram, based on the light-emitting layers that display the three primary colors of red, green, and blue, the openings OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 and the second openings OPCF of the color filter corresponding to each light-emitting layer are shown. These are designated as OPr, OPg, and OPb of the openings OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 and OPCFr, OPCFg, and OPCFb of the second openings OPCF of the color filter. Here, r, g, and b can correspond to red, green, and blue, respectively.

[0328] Each of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb in the pixel-defining layer 380 can be arranged at various angles, and the red opening OPr, green opening OPg, and blue opening OPb of the pixel-defining layer 380 can have different eccentricities. Each of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb corresponding to the same color can have the same or different eccentricities. Here, the eccentricity of the opening OP in the pixel-defining layer 380 can be in the range of 0.2 to 0.85.

[0329] The red second opening OPCFr, green second opening OPCFg, and blue second opening OPCFb of the color filter can be formed as circles with different radii. The second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, and OPCFb corresponding to the same color can have the same or different radii.

[0330] The openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel-defining layer 380 correspond to second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, and OPCFb of the same color. In each opening OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel-defining layer 380, a second opening OPCFr, OPCFg, and OPCFb of a color filter corresponding to each opening OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel-defining layer 380 is located in the planar diagram. The second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, and OPCFb of the corresponding color filters and the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel-defining layer 380 can overlap with each other in the planar plane.

[0331] exist Figure 22 In this embodiment, the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 are arranged in various orientations, and the angles of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can be interpreted based on the major axis direction of the elliptical shape of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb. According to the embodiment, the major axes of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can form four or more different angles. Furthermore, the angles (or directions) formed by the major axes can be arranged at intervals of 45 degrees or less.

[0332] As an example, focusing on an implementation with five angles (or directions), the relationships are as follows. In an implementation with five different angles (or directions), the major axes are arranged at 36-degree intervals. If one major axis is aligned at 0 degrees relative to the first direction DR1, then the other major axes will be aligned at 36 degrees, 72 degrees, 108 degrees, and 144 degrees relative to the first direction DR1, thus resulting in a total of five different angles. In other words, the angular intervals between the major axes can be obtained by dividing 180 degrees by 5 (which is the number of directions). That is, since the total 180 degrees represent the same major axis direction of the ellipse shape, dividing 180 degrees by 5 yields the 36-degree angular intervals between the individual major axes.

[0333] The openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can be arranged at equal intervals at a specific angle of 45 degrees or less. However, according to an embodiment, the angular interval formed by each of the major axes of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can be 45 degrees or less, and can be arranged at irregular intervals.

[0334] The implementation of arranging the long axes of the openings at irregular intervals can be intentionally arranged to reduce diffraction patterns, or it can be arranged in this way due to processing errors.

[0335] In the following text, through Figure 23 , will refer to Figure 23 Detailed discussion in Figure 21 The embodiments include two implementations with specific angular intervals formed by the major axes of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the elliptical pixel-defined layer 380.

[0336] Figure 23 Image (A) shows an embodiment in which the major axes of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of an elliptical pixel-defining layer 380 are arranged at 22.5-degree angular intervals. Figure 23 Compared to (A) in the middle, Figure 23 (B) is an example in which the major axes of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel-limiting layer 380 are arranged at half-angle intervals (i.e., 11.25 degrees).

[0337] With an angular interval of 22.5 degrees Figure 23 In embodiment (A), the number of angles (or directions) formed by the major axes of the elliptical openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can be eight. That is, since 180 degrees divided by 8 equals 22.5 degrees, the major axes of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can be arranged in eight directions. Here, 180 degrees is used as the basis for calculation instead of 360 degrees because two angles (or directions) that differ by 180 degrees represent the same major axis direction.

[0338] With an angular interval of 11.25 degrees Figure 23 The implementation method of (B) in the middle has Figure 23 The number of angles (or directions) in the implementation of (A) is twice that of the pixel definition layer 380, and the long axes of the openings OPr, OPg, OPb can be arranged in a total of 16 directions.

[0339] In such Figure 23 In the two embodiments shown, the number of major axis arrangement angles (or major axis arrangement directions) of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can be greater than 4. This allows the diffraction patterns to blend without having a specific directionality. As a result, the user is less likely to perceive diffraction patterns or color separation, and display quality can be improved.

[0340] exist Figure 23 In the pixel-defining layer 380, the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb are arranged at equal intervals along their long axes. However, according to the implementation, they can be arranged at irregular intervals at an angle of 45 degrees or less.

[0341] The above discussed how Figure 21 In the embodiment shown, the second opening OPCF of the color filter is formed in a circular shape, the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 is formed in an elliptical shape, and the circular second opening OPCF and the elliptical opening OP are in contact with each other.

[0342] However, the opening OP of the pixel-limiting layer 380 can be relatively large, and the reference... Figure 24 and Figure 25 The discussion illustrates an implementation of this type of example. In another implementation, the second opening OPCF of the color filter can be relatively large.

[0343] Figures 24 to 25 This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0344] first, Figure 24 It is shown how the second opening OPCF of the color filter is smaller compared to the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380, and the second opening OPCF of the color filter can have different intervals gap1, gap2, gap3 with the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380.

[0345] exist Figure 24 In this configuration, the opening OP of the pixel-limiting layer 380 is larger than the second opening OPCF of the color filter, such that the second opening OPCF of the circular color filter is located within the opening OP of the pixel-limiting layer 380 in the planar view. Therefore, in Figure 24In this embodiment, the diameter of the second opening OPCF of the circular color filter is smaller than the minor axis of the opening OP of the elliptical pixel defining layer 380. The diameter of the second opening OPCF is also smaller than the major axis of the elliptical opening OP. Half the major axis of the elliptical opening OP can be larger than the radius of the second opening OPCF of the circular color filter, for example, it can be 0 μm to 20 μm larger.

[0346] Specifically, in Figure 24 In (A), the minimum horizontal gap in the planar view between the second opening OPCF of the color filter and the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 is gap1. However, in Figure 24 In (B), the minimum horizontal gap is gap2, which is larger than gap1, and... Figure 24 In (C), the minimum horizontal gap is the largest gap3. Figure 24 In (A) to (C), the eccentricity of the elliptical opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 can also be different. Here, the eccentricity of the elliptical opening OP can be in the range of 0.2 to 0.85.

[0347] exist Figure 24 In the image, the opening OP of the pixel-limiting layer 380 is depicted with a dashed line. The dashed line represents the portion of the boundary of the opening OP of the pixel-limiting layer 380 that overlaps with the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter and is hidden when viewed from the front.

[0348] exist Figure 24 In this implementation, only the portion of the emissive layer exposed through the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 overlaps with the second opening OPCF of the color filter and is exposed on the front surface. The portion of the emissive layer that overlaps with the light-blocking area of ​​the color filter may not be noticeable from the front surface.

[0349] exist Figure 24 In this implementation, due to actual processing errors, one side of the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 may overlap with the second opening OPCF of the color filter and may be exposed in front.

[0350] With Figure 24 Implementation methods with the same structure can be as follows: Figure 25 The arrangement shown is in the display area.

[0351] Figure 25 Embodiments are shown in which the major axes of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel-defining layer 380 are arranged at various angles (or directions). Additionally, Figure 25The pixel defining layer 380 has openings OPr, OPg, and OPb corresponding to different colors with different eccentricities. According to an embodiment, two openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the same color in the pixel defining layer 380 can have different eccentricities. According to an embodiment, all openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can have different eccentricities. Furthermore, the major axes of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the elliptical pixel defining layer 380 can be arranged at four or more angles (or directions), or at intervals of 45 degrees or less.

[0352] Figure 25 The implementation method can also be as follows Figure 23 As shown in (A), the eight axes are arranged at 22.5-degree angular intervals, or as shown in [the diagram]. Figure 23 As shown in (B), they are arranged in 16 directions along the major axis at 11.25-degree angular intervals. Figure 25 In the pixel definition layer 380, the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb are arranged at the same interval along their long axis. However, in some embodiments, they may be arranged at irregular intervals at an angle of 45 degrees or less.

[0353] According to an embodiment, the diameter of the second opening OPCF of the color filter can be shorter than the major axis length of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380, and longer than the minor axis length of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380. (Refer to...) Figure 26 Let's discuss this example in detail.

[0354] Figure 26 This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0355] Figure 26 It shows the arrangement in the display area. Figure 20 (D) or Figure 20 The figure shows an embodiment (E) in which the major axes of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the elliptical pixel defining layer 380 are arranged at various angles (or directions), and the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 corresponding to different colors have different eccentricities. According to the embodiment, two of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 corresponding to the same color may have different eccentricities, or all of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 may have the same eccentricity. Furthermore, the major axes of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the elliptical pixel defining layer 380 may be arranged at four or more different angles (or directions), or may be arranged at intervals of 45 degrees or less.

[0356] Figure 26 The implementation method can also be as follows Figure 23 As shown in (A), the eight axes are arranged at 22.5-degree angular intervals, or as shown in [the diagram]. Figure 23 As shown in (B), they are arranged in 16 directions along the major axis at 11.25-degree angular intervals. Figure 26 In the pixel definition layer 380, the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb are arranged at equal intervals along their long axis. However, in some embodiments, they may be arranged at irregular intervals at an angle of 45 degrees or less.

[0357] exist Figure 20 In (C) and (F), when placed in the display area, the elliptical shapes can be arranged at various angles (or directions) and at equal or irregular intervals. Additionally, the opening OP of the elliptical shape can also be formed with various eccentricities.

[0358] Reference Figure 27 Explain the structure of a unit pixel in detail.

[0359] Figure 27 This is a plan view showing the configuration of unit pixels of a display panel according to an embodiment.

[0360] Figure 27 (A) shows an example where a unit pixel includes a red emitting region, a green emitting region, and a blue emitting region. Specifically, each unit pixel may include a red aperture OPr, a green aperture OPg, and a blue aperture OPb of a pixel defining layer 380, and a red second aperture OPCFr, a green second aperture OPCFg, and a blue second aperture OPCFb of a color filter.

[0361] However, according to the implementation, a unit pixel may include four light-emitting areas, wherein two of these areas emit light of the same color.

[0362] Figure 27 (B) in the diagram shows a unit pixel with two blue emitting regions. Figure 27 (C) in the diagram shows a unit pixel with two red emitting regions, and Figure 27 (D) in the figure shows a unit pixel with two green glowing areas.

[0363] Specifically, Figure 27 In (B), the unit pixel includes two blue openings OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 and two blue second openings OPCFb of the color filter. At this time, the two blue openings OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can have different eccentricities, and the major axes of the two blue openings OPb can have different directions.

[0364] In addition, Figure 27In (C), the unit pixel includes two red openings OPr of the pixel defining layer 380 and two red second openings OPCFr of the color filter. At this time, the two red openings OPr of the pixel defining layer 380 can have different eccentricities, and the major axes of the two red openings OPr can have different directions.

[0365] Figure 27 In (D), the unit pixel includes two green openings OPg of the pixel defining layer 380 and two green second openings OPCFg of the color filter. At this time, the two green openings OPg of the pixel defining layer 380 can have different eccentricities, and the major axes of the two green openings OPg can have different directions.

[0366] As described in various embodiments, the plurality of openings OPr, OPg, OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 and the plurality of second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, OPCFb of the color filter, or modifications thereof, can be applied. Figure 27 The unit is pixels.

[0367] The above description focuses on an embodiment where the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 has an elliptical shape and the second opening OPCF of the color filter has a circular shape. However, according to the embodiment, they may have polygonal shapes instead of elliptical or circular shapes. That is, according to the embodiment, the second opening OPCF of the color filter has a polygonal shape, and the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 has a polygonal shape that extends in one direction. Here, the polygon may be an n-sided polygon such as a hexagon or an octagon (n is an integer of 3 or greater).

[0368] According to the implementation, the second opening OPCF of the polygonal color filter and the opening OP of the polygonal pixel defining layer 380 can be formed as planar shapes with different numbers of vertices or edges.

[0369] According to the implementation, the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 and the second opening OPCF of the color filter can be formed into shapes equivalent to ellipses, and as an example, at least two elliptical shapes with different eccentricities can be combined to form a single opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380. This will refer to Figure 28 and Figure 29 Let's discuss this in detail.

[0370] Figure 28 and Figure 29 This is a diagram showing the structure of an elliptical combination with different eccentricities.

[0371] Figure 28 This is an example of a combination of two or more ellipses with different eccentricities, which will be discussed in detail below.

[0372] exist Figure 28 In (A) and (B), ellipses with different eccentricities are depicted, and... Figure 28 In (C) and (D), ellipses are depicted as combinations of two ellipses with different eccentricities in different ways.

[0373] Figure 28 (A) shows an ellipse with an eccentricity of 0.8, and Figure 28 Figure (B) shows an ellipse with an eccentricity of 0.6. The ellipse formed by merging these two ellipses can have the following characteristics: Figure 28 The shape of (C) or (D) in the text.

[0374] exist Figure 28 In (C) and (D), dashed lines are shown within the merged elliptical shape, and the ellipses on both sides of the dashed lines are elliptical parts with different eccentricities.

[0375] Right now, Figure 28 (C) in the diagram represents a cut along the second direction DR2. Figure 28 An example of combining the ellipses (A) and (B) in the diagram. Figure 28 (D) in the diagram represents a cut along the first direction DR1. Figure 28 The example shows ellipses (A) and (B) and then combines them. The method of combining two ellipses with different eccentricities is not limited to this, and ellipses with different eccentricities can be combined in various ways.

[0376] like Figure 29 As shown, the second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, and OPCFb of the color filter can have a circular shape, and the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can have the following shapes: Figure 28 The combined elliptical shape shown in (C) is shown in the figure. Figure 29 The arrangement of second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, OPCFb and openings OPr, OPg, OPb along various major axis directions is shown, wherein openings OPr, OPg, OPb are formed as follows: Figure 28 The elliptical shape resulting from the combination of (C) in the middle.

[0377] exist Figure 29 In the implementation, only one unit pixel is shown, and the unit pixel includes a red opening OPr and a corresponding second opening OPCFr, a blue opening OPb and a corresponding second opening OPCFb, and two green openings OPg and two corresponding second openings OPCFg.

[0378] exist Figure 29In this embodiment, the major axis directions of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel limiting layer 380 can be different.

[0379] like Figure 29 As shown, in an embodiment using an ellipse as a combination of two ellipses with different eccentricities, the angles (or directions) formed by the major axes of the openings OPr, OPg, and OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 can have four or more angles, and additionally, the angles (or directions) formed by the major axes can be arranged at intervals of 45 degrees or less.

[0380] Furthermore, the eccentricity of the two ellipses used for merging can be varied, thus the size of the merged ellipse can also be varied. Additionally, according to the implementation, two ellipses with different eccentricities can be combined for each color, and even if they correspond to the same color, two ellipses with different eccentricities can be combined to form various ellipses.

[0381] exist Figure 28 and Figure 29 In the embodiments described, the illustrations and descriptions focus on an implementation that combines two different elliptical shapes. However, according to the embodiments, two or more elliptical shapes with different eccentricities can be combined.

[0382] As described above, the implementation that combines two or more elliptical shapes also causes the horizontal distance between the boundaries of the openings OPr, OPg, OPb of the pixel defining layer 380 and the boundaries of the corresponding second openings OPCFr, OPCFg, OPCFb of the color filter to vary depending on their positions. This variation mitigates reflective properties and produces a blurred, reflective diffraction pattern, making the ring shape less noticeable to the user and the color separation less perceptible. Therefore, this improves display quality compared to the comparative example.

[0383] In the following text, see references Figure 30 The following will provide a more detailed cross-sectional structure of the implementation in which color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B are formed to overlap each other and do not include a light-blocking layer.

[0384] Figure 30 An embodiment is shown in which the light-blocking region of the color filter is formed by overlapping the blue color filter 230B and the red color filter 230R.

[0385] Figure 30 This is a cross-sectional view of a light-emitting display device according to an embodiment.

[0386] exist Figure 30 In addition to showing the stacked structure of the display area DA, the stacked structure of the first component area EA1 is also shown.

[0387] The light-emitting display device can be broadly divided into a lower panel layer and a upper panel layer. The lower panel layer may include light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and pixel circuit units that constitute pixels, and may include an encapsulation layer 400 covering the LEDs and pixel circuit units.

[0388] Here, the pixel circuit unit includes a second organic layer 182 and a third organic layer 183. A light-emitting diode (LED) is disposed on the third organic layer 183, and an encapsulation layer 400 is disposed on the LED. The structure disposed on the encapsulation layer 400 can correspond to the upper panel layer.

[0389] refer to Figure 30 The metal layer BML is located on the substrate 110.

[0390] The substrate 110 may include a material that has rigid properties and does not bend (such as glass), or may include a flexible material that can be bent (such as plastic or polyimide).

[0391] When using a flexible substrate, such as Figure 30 As shown, substrate 110 may include a bilayer structure of polyimide and a barrier layer formed thereon of an inorganic insulating material.

[0392] The metal layer BML can be formed at a location overlapping the channel of the first semiconductor layer ACT (P-Si) in the driving transistor T1, and is also referred to as the lower shielding layer. The metal layer BML can include a metal or metal alloy, such as copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), or titanium (Ti).

[0393] A buffer layer 111 covering the substrate 110 and the metal layer BML is disposed on the substrate 110. The buffer layer 111 is used to prevent impurities from penetrating into the first semiconductor layer ACT (P-Si), and may include silicon oxide (SiO2). x ), silicon nitride (SiN) x ) or silicon oxynitride (SiO) x N y Inorganic insulating layer.

[0394] A first semiconductor layer ACT (P-Si) comprising silicon semiconductor (e.g., polycrystalline semiconductor (P-Si)) is formed on buffer layer 111. The first semiconductor layer ACT (P-Si) includes a channel of a polycrystalline transistor LTPS TFT having a driving transistor T1, and a first region and a second region located on both sides of the channel. Here, the polycrystalline transistor LTPS TFT may include not only the driving transistor T1, but also various switching transistors or compensation transistors. Additionally, the first semiconductor layer ACT (P-Si) may include the first region and the second region located on both sides of the channel, the first region and the second region having conductive properties through plasma treatment or doping. The first region and the second region of the first semiconductor layer ACT (P-Si) can serve as the first electrode and the second electrode of the transistor.

[0395] The first gate insulating layer 141 may be disposed on the first semiconductor layer ACT (P-Si). The first gate insulating layer 141 may include silicon oxide (SiO2). x ), silicon nitride (SiN) x ) or silicon oxynitride (SiO) x N y Inorganic insulating layer.

[0396] A first gate conductive layer GAT1, including the gate electrode of a polycrystalline transistor LTPS TFT, may be disposed on a first gate insulating layer 141. The first gate conductive layer GAT1 may further include a first scan line or an emission control line. The first gate conductive layer GAT1 may include a metal or metal alloy (such as copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), or titanium (Ti)) and may consist of a single layer or multiple layers.

[0397] After the first gate conductive layer GAT1 is formed, a plasma treatment or doping process can be performed to make the exposed areas of the first semiconductor layer ACT(P-Si) conductive. That is, the first semiconductor layer ACT(P-Si) covered by the first gate conductive layer GAT1 does not become conductive, and the first semiconductor layer ACT(P-Si) not covered by the first gate conductive layer GAT1 can have the same properties as the conductive layer.

[0398] The second gate insulating layer 142 can be disposed on the first gate conductive layer GAT1 and the first gate insulating layer 141. The second gate insulating layer 142 can be composed of silicon oxide (SiO2). x ), silicon nitride (SiN) x ) or silicon oxynitride (SiO) x N y Inorganic insulating layer.

[0399] A second gate conductive layer comprising a first electrode GAT2 (Cst) of a storage capacitor and a lower shielding layer GAT2 (BML) of an oxide transistor TFT can be disposed on the second gate insulating layer 142.

[0400] The lower shielding layer GAT2 (BML) of the oxide transistor TFT is disposed below the channel of the oxide transistor TFT and is used to shield the light or electromagnetic interference supplied to the channel from the bottom.

[0401] The first electrode GAT2 (Cst) of the storage capacitor overlaps with the gate electrode GAT1 of the driving transistor T1 to form the storage capacitor.

[0402] According to an embodiment, the second gate conductive layer may further include scan lines, control lines, or voltage lines. The second gate conductive layer may include a metal or metal alloy (such as copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), or titanium (Ti)) and may consist of a single layer or multiple layers.

[0403] The first interlayer insulating layer 161 may be disposed on the second gate conductive layer. The first interlayer insulating layer 161 may include an inorganic insulating layer, wherein the inorganic insulating layer includes silicon oxide (SiO2). x ), silicon nitride (SiN) x ) or silicon oxynitride (SiO) x N y According to the implementation method, the inorganic insulating material can be formed in a relatively thick layer.

[0404] An oxide semiconductor layer ACT2 (IGZO) including an oxide transistor Oxide TFT, a first region, and a second region can be formed on the first interlayer insulating layer 161.

[0405] The third gate insulating layer 143 can be disposed on the oxide semiconductor layer ACT2 (IGZO). The third gate insulating layer 143 can be disposed on the entire surface of the oxide semiconductor layer ACT2 (IGZO) and the first interlayer insulating layer 161. The third gate insulating layer 143 may include an inorganic insulating layer, said inorganic insulating layer including silicon oxide (SiO2). x ), silicon nitride (SiN) x ) or silicon oxynitride (SiO) x N y ).

[0406] A third gate conductive layer GAT3, including the gate electrode of the oxide transistor TFT, may be disposed on the third gate insulating layer 143. The gate electrode of the oxide transistor TFT may overlap with the channel of the oxide semiconductor layer ACT2 (IGZO). The third gate conductive layer GAT3 may further include scan lines or control lines, and may additionally include connection electrodes connected to the lower shielding layer GAT2 (BML) of the oxide transistor TFT. The third gate conductive layer GAT3 may include a metal or metal alloy (such as copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), or titanium (Ti)) and may consist of a single layer or multiple layers.

[0407] The second interlayer insulating layer 162 may be disposed on the third gate conductive layer GAT3. The second interlayer insulating layer 162 may have a single-layer or multi-layer structure. The second interlayer insulating layer 162 may include an inorganic insulating material (such as silicon nitride (SiN)). x ), silicon dioxide (SiO) x ) or silicon nitride (SiO) x N y And, depending on the implementation method, it may include organic materials.

[0408] A first data conductive layer SD1 is disposed on the second interlayer insulating layer 162 and includes connection electrodes that can be connected to a first region and a second region of each of the polycrystalline transistor LTPS TFT and the oxide transistor Oxide TFT. The first data conductive layer SD1 may comprise a metal or metal alloy (such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), or titanium (Ti)) and may consist of a single layer or multiple layers.

[0409] The first organic layer 181 may be disposed on the first data conductive layer SD1. The first organic layer 181 may be an organic insulating layer comprising organic materials, and the organic materials may include one or more materials selected from the group consisting of polyimide, polyamide, acrylic resin, benzocyclobutene and phenolic resin.

[0410] A second data conductive layer, including an anode connection electrode ACM2, may be disposed on the first organic layer 181. The second data conductive layer may include data lines or drive voltage lines. The second data conductive layer may include a metal or metal alloy (such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), or titanium (Ti)) and may consist of a single layer or multiple layers. The anode connection electrode ACM2 may be electrically connected to the first data conductive layer SD1 through a transistor connection opening OP3 formed in the first organic layer 181.

[0411] Above the second data conductive layer, a second organic layer 182 and a third organic layer 183 are disposed, and an anode connection opening OP4 is formed in the second organic layer 182 and the third organic layer 183. The anode connection electrode ACM2 is electrically connected to the anode AE ​​through the anode connection opening OP4. The second organic layer 182 and the third organic layer 183 may be organic insulating layers and may include one or more materials selected from the group consisting of polyimide, polyamide, acrylic resin, benzocyclobutene, and phenolic resin. According to an embodiment, the third organic layer 183 may be omitted.

[0412] A pixel defining layer 380 may be disposed on an anode AE ​​and have an opening OP exposing at least a portion of the anode AE, and the pixel defining layer 380 covers at least a portion of the anode AE. The pixel defining layer 380 may be a black pixel defining layer formed of a black organic material to prevent light applied from the outside from being reflected back to the outside. According to an embodiment, the pixel defining layer 380 may be formed of a transparent organic material. The pixel defining layer 380 may include a negative black organic material and a black pigment.

[0413] Spacers 385 are disposed on pixel defining layer 380. Spacers 385 may include a first portion 385-1 and a second portion 385-2, wherein the first portion 385-1 is higher and located in a narrower region, and the second portion 385-2 is lower in height and located in a wider region. Unlike pixel defining layer 380, spacers 385 may be formed of a transparent organic insulating material. According to an embodiment, spacers 385 may be formed of a positively shaped transparent organic material.

[0414] The functional layer FL and the cathode CE are formed sequentially on the anode AE, the spacer 385, and the pixel defining layer 380, and are also formed sequentially in the display area DA and the first component area EA1. The functional layer FL and the cathode CE can be located in the entire area.

[0415] The emissive layer EML is located between the functional layer FL and the emissive layer EML, and may be located only within the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380.

[0416] In the following text, the functional layer FL and the light-emitting layer EML can be collectively referred to as the intermediate layer.

[0417] The functional layer FL may include at least one of an electron injection layer, an electron transport layer, a hole transport layer, and a hole injection layer. The hole injection layer and the hole transport layer may be disposed below the light-emitting layer EML, and the electron transport layer and the electron injection layer may be disposed on the light-emitting layer EML.

[0418] An encapsulation layer 400 is disposed on the cathode CE. The encapsulation layer 400 may include at least one inorganic layer and at least one organic layer. According to an embodiment, the encapsulation layer 400 may have a three-layer structure including a first inorganic encapsulation layer, an organic encapsulation layer, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer. The encapsulation layer 400 can be used to protect the light-emitting layer EML from moisture or oxygen that may enter from the outside. According to an embodiment, the encapsulation layer 400 may include a structure in which the inorganic and organic layers are further sequentially stacked.

[0419] Sensing insulating layers 501, 510, 511 and multiple sensing electrodes 540, 541 are disposed on the encapsulation layer 400 for touch detection. Figure 30 In one implementation, two sensing electrodes 540 and 541 can be used to sense touch capacitively.

[0420] Specifically, a first sensing insulating layer 501 is disposed on the encapsulation layer 400, and a plurality of sensing electrodes 540 and 541 are formed thereon. The plurality of sensing electrodes 540 and 541 can be insulated by a second sensing insulating layer 510 inserted therebetween, and some of the plurality of sensing electrodes 540 and 541 can be electrically connected through openings located in the second sensing insulating layer 510. The sensing electrodes 540 and 541 may comprise metals or metal alloys (such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), gold (Au), molybdenum (Mo), titanium (Ti), and tantalum (Ta)), and may comprise a single layer or multiple layers. A third sensing insulating layer 511 is disposed on the upper sensing electrode 540.

[0421] Color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B are disposed on the third sensing insulating layer 511.

[0422] exist Figure 30 In this embodiment, a light-blocking layer is not included. Instead of a light-blocking layer, overlapping color filters 230R and 230B can be disposed on the third sensing insulating layer 511 and can overlap with sensing electrodes 540 and 541 in a plane. The overlapping color filters 230R and 230B may include a second opening OPCF, and the second opening OPCF of the overlapping color filters 230R and 230B overlaps with the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 in a plane.

[0423] Additionally, the second opening OPCF of the overlapping color filters 230R and 230B can be wider than the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380. As a result, the anode AE, which overlaps with the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 (i.e., is exposed through the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380), also overlaps with the second opening OPCF. This is to ensure that the anode AE ​​and the light-emitting layer EML, which can display the image, are not blocked by the overlapping color filters 230R and 230B and the sensing electrodes 540 and 541. Furthermore, the overlapping color filters 230R and 230B can overlap with the anode connection opening OP4 in a planar plane.

[0424] A single color filter can be located within the second opening OPCF of overlapping color filters 230R and 230B. For example, in Figure 30 In this embodiment, a green color filter 230G is disposed within the second opening OPCF of the overlapping color filters 230R and 230B. According to the embodiment, color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B may be replaced by a color conversion layer, or may further include a color conversion layer. The color conversion layer may include quantum dots.

[0425] A planarization layer 550 covering color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B is disposed on the color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B. The planarization layer 550 is used to planarize the upper surface of the light-emitting display device and may be a transparent organic insulating layer comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of polyimide, polyamide, acrylic resin, benzocyclobutene, and phenolic resin.

[0426] According to an embodiment, a low-refractive-index layer and an additional planarization layer can be further provided on the planarization layer 550 to improve front visibility and the light output efficiency of the display device. Light can be refracted through the low-refractive-index layer and the additional planarization layer with high refractive-index properties and emitted towards the front. In this case, according to an embodiment, the planarization layer 550 can be omitted, and the low-refractive-index layer and the additional planarization layer can be directly provided on the color filter layer 230.

[0427] In this embodiment, a polarizer is not included on top of the planarization layer 550. In other words, the polarizer can prevent display quality degradation when external light is incident and reflected by the anode AE, etc. However, in this embodiment, the sides of the anode AE ​​are covered by the pixel defining layer 380 to reduce the degree of light reflection from the anode AE, and overlapping color filters 230R and 230B are also formed to reduce the degree of incident light. In short, the display panel DP according to the embodiment already includes a structure to prevent display quality degradation due to reflection. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a polarizer separately on the front of the display panel DP.

[0428] According to the implementation, it includes an anti-reflective layer (see...) Figure 3 The overlay window of ARL in (see) Figure 3 The WU in the planarization layer 550 can be set on top of the planarization layer 550.

[0429] exist Figure 30 In addition to the stacked structure of the display area DA, a cross-sectional structure of the first component area EA1, which is formed to allow light to be transmitted through a portion of the display area DA, is also shown.

[0430] exist Figure 30 In this design, the first component region EA1 is divided into a first optical sensor region OPS1 (also known as a transmissive optical sensor region) and a second optical sensor region OPS2 (also known as a non-transmissive optical sensor region). The first optical sensor region OPS1 may include additional openings OP-1 and OPCF-1, allowing light to pass through them. Conversely, the second optical sensor region OPS2 may overlap with the black pixel-defining layer 380 and the light-blocking region of at least two color filters overlapping therein. Therefore, the second optical sensor region OPS2 may be non-transmissive.

[0431] The first optical sensor region OPS1 and the second optical sensor region OPS2 of the first component region EA1 may not include light-blocking layers, such as metal or semiconductor layers. For reference, the first optical element ES1 (reference) Figure 2 It is located on the back of the first component area EA1, and the front of the light-emitting display device can be detected by the first optical sensor area OPS1 located in the first component area EA1.

[0432] Specifically, the stacking structure of the first component region EA1 is as follows.

[0433] A buffer layer 111, serving as an inorganic insulating layer, is disposed on a substrate 110, and a first gate insulating layer 141 and a second gate insulating layer 142, also serving as inorganic insulating layers, are sequentially disposed on the buffer layer 111. Additionally, a first interlayer insulating layer 161, a third gate insulating layer 143, and a second interlayer insulating layer 162, serving as inorganic insulating layers, are sequentially stacked on the second gate insulating layer 142.

[0434] On the second interlayer insulating layer 162, a first organic layer 181, a second organic layer 182, and a third organic layer 183, which serve as organic insulating layers, are stacked sequentially.

[0435] The functional layer FL can be disposed on the third organic layer 183, and the cathode CE can be disposed on the third organic layer 183.

[0436] An encapsulation layer 400 is disposed on the cathode CE, and sensing insulating layers 501, 510, and 511 are sequentially positioned on top of the cathode CE. The encapsulation layer 400 may have a three-layer structure comprising an inorganic encapsulation layer, an organic encapsulation layer, and an inorganic encapsulation layer in sequence. Alternatively, the sensing insulating layers 501, 510, and 511 disposed on the encapsulation layer 400 may all be inorganic insulating layers.

[0437] The planarization layer 550 can be disposed on the sensing insulating layers 501, 510, and 511.

[0438] The first component region EA1 described above may not include the metal layer, the first semiconductor layer, the first gate conductive layer, the second gate conductive layer, the oxide semiconductor layer, the third gate conductive layer, the first data conductive layer, the second data conductive layer, and the anode. Additionally, the light-emitting layer EML and the sensing electrodes 540 and 541 are not formed in the first component region EA1.

[0439] Additionally, in the first optical sensor region OPS1 of the first component region EA1, additional openings OP-1 and OPCF-1 are formed in the light-blocking regions of the pixel-defining layer 380 and the color filter, respectively. Therefore, the first optical sensor region OPS1 may not include the black pixel-defining layer 380 and the color filter. As a result, light can pass through the first optical sensor region OPS1.

[0440] On the other hand, the second optical sensor region OPS2 of the first component region EA1 does not have additional openings OP-1 and OPCF-1, and overlaps with the black pixel-defining layer 380 and the light-blocking region of the color filter to block light. As a result, light will not pass through the second optical sensor region OPS2.

[0441] The above describes an embodiment in which a total of three organic layers are formed, and an anode connection opening is formed in the second and third organic layers. However, at least two organic layers may be formed, and the anode connection opening may be located in the upper organic layer positioned away from the substrate, and the lower organic layer opening may be located in the lower organic layer.

[0442] The above describes an embodiment where two or more color filters overlap to form a light-blocking region of the color filter, but without a light-blocking layer. However, a light-blocking layer may be included, and the second opening may be located within the light-blocking layer. This embodiment will be described by... Figure 31 and Figure 32 To explain.

[0443] First, refer to Figure 31 Describe a planar structure.

[0444] Figure 31 This is a plan view of a portion of the display panel according to an embodiment.

[0445] Figure 31 The image depicts an opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 and a corresponding second opening OPBM of the light-blocking layer. The second opening OPBM of the light-blocking layer has a circular shape, while the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 has an elliptical shape. Furthermore, the second opening OPBM of the light-blocking layer overlaps with a portion of the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380, and the remaining portion of the opening OP is covered by a black light-blocking layer (see [reference]). Figure 32 (220) Coverage. As a result, the light-emitting layer EML located within the opening OP of the pixel-limiting layer 380 can be partially blocked by the light-blocking layer. Figure 31 In the middle, the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 is depicted with a dashed line to indirectly show that the corresponding part is located below the light blocking layer and is covered by the light blocking layer.

[0446] exist Figure 31 In some implementations, due to errors during actual processing, the portion of the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 that is blocked by the light blocking layer may not be constant at both the top and bottom, and the area on one side may be larger.

[0447] Additionally, due to processing errors, one side of the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 may be located within or in contact with the second opening OPBM of the light blocking layer, and only the other side may be covered by the light blocking layer.

[0448] like Figure 31 As shown, if a portion of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 is covered by a light-blocking layer, light emitted from the light-emitting layer EML within the opening OP may not be provided to the front, which could be detrimental in terms of light efficiency. However, since the size of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 is related to the lifetime of the light-emitting layer EML located therein, the size of the opening OP may not be reduced in order to maintain the lifetime at a certain level.

[0449] refer to Figure 31 The length of the major axis of the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 is shown as Rop2, and the length of the minor axis is shown as Rop1. The radius of the second opening OPBM of the light-blocking layer is shown as Ropbm. Therefore, the distance from the point where the boundaries of the opening OP and the second opening OPBM intersect to the center is the same as Ropbm. However, at other locations, the boundaries of the opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 are positioned further away from or closer to the center.

[0450] According to the implementation, the major axis directions of the openings OP of the pixel defining layer 380 can be arranged differently, and the angles (or directions) formed by the major axis can have four or more angles. The angles (or directions) formed by the major axis can be arranged at intervals of less than 45 degrees. The angles (or directions) formed by the major axis can be arranged at regular intervals or at irregular intervals.

[0451] Since elliptical shapes can have different shapes depending on their eccentricity even if they have the same area, the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 can be formed as an ellipse with different eccentricities, according to the implementation.

[0452] The opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 and the second opening OPBM of the corresponding light blocking layer can have a horizontal spacing that varies in the range of 0 μm to 20 μm.

[0453] According to an embodiment, the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 can be formed as a polygonal shape that extends in one direction. Examples of polygons can include n-sided polygons such as hexagons and octagons, where n can be an integer of 3 or greater, and the second opening OPBM of the light blocking layer can be formed as an n-sided polygon corresponding to the shape of the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 or an n-sided polygon having a different shape.

[0454] Figure 31 The only difference in the implementation is that the second opening is located within the light-blocking layer. However, since the second opening OPBM is formed in a circular shape and the opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 is formed in an elliptical shape, similar to the above, the diffraction pattern caused by the uneven distance between the opening OP and the second opening OPBM can vary. When these individual diffraction patterns are mixed, the entire diffraction pattern becomes blurred. As a result, it is difficult for the user to easily identify the diffraction pattern, and the degree of display quality degradation can be reduced.

[0455] Reference Figure 32 A detailed explanation of the cross-sectional structure of the light-blocking layer, including the second opening OPBM.

[0456] Figure 32 This is a schematic cross-sectional view of the display panel according to the embodiment.

[0457] Figure 32 Is with Figure 7 and Figure 19 In the corresponding figure, the light-blocking layer 220 is disposed below the color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B, and the second opening OPBM is also formed in the portion where the light-blocking layer 220 has been removed. One of the color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B is formed within the second opening OPBM of the light-blocking layer 220.

[0458] Focus on Figure 32 and Figure 7 and Figure 19 The explanations for the different parts are as follows.

[0459] The light blocking layer 220 and color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B are disposed on the third sensing insulating layer 511.

[0460] The light-blocking layer 220 can be positioned to overlap with the sensing electrodes 540 and 541 in a plane, and can be positioned not to overlap with the anode AE ​​in a plane. This will ensure that the anode AE ​​and the light-emitting layer EML, which are capable of displaying images, are not obstructed by the light-blocking layer 220 and the sensing electrodes 540 and 541.

[0461] The light-blocking layer 220 may include a second opening OPBM. In a plan view, the second opening OPBM of the light-blocking layer 220 may be formed in a circular shape, and the corresponding opening OP of the pixel defining layer 380 may be formed in an elliptical shape. Depending on the cutting profile, one side of the light-blocking layer 220 may be disposed inward from the corresponding side of the pixel defining layer 380, or it may be disposed outward. Figure 32 A cross-section of one side of the light blocking layer 220 is depicted, which is disposed inward from the corresponding side of the pixel limiting layer 380.

[0462] Furthermore, a specific distance g1 is provided inward from the corresponding side of the pixel defining layer 380 on one side of the spacer 385, and the spacer 385 can be provided inward from one side of the light blocking layer 220. As a result, the spacer 385 can be invisible because it is blocked by the light blocking layer 220 when viewed from the front of the display panel DP.

[0463] When external light is incident, it can pass through the second opening OPBM of the light-blocking layer 220 and then be reflected on the sidewalls of the defined opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380. The sidewalls of the defined opening OP of the pixel-defining layer 380 are curved, and color separation may occur depending on the location of the reflection, causing the reflected light to appear in various colors, such as a rainbow. This color-separated reflected light can easily attract the user's attention and may degrade the display quality. Therefore, in embodiments of this disclosure, as in Figure 31 In this process, the opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 can be formed in an elliptical shape, and the second opening OPBM of the light blocking layer 220 can be formed in a circular shape to reduce the degree of diffraction of light reflected from the sidewall of the limiting opening OP of the pixel limiting layer 380 and improve the propagation of the diffraction pattern, thereby reducing the degradation of display quality due to reflected light.

[0464] Color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B are disposed on sensing insulating layers 501, 510, and 511 and light-blocking layer 220. Color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B may include a red color filter 230R that allows red light to pass through, a green color filter 230G that allows green light to pass through, and a blue color filter 230B that allows blue light to pass through. Each of the color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B may be positioned to overlap with the anode AE ​​of the light-emitting diode in a plane. Since light emitted from the emissive layer EML can change to a corresponding color as it passes through the color filter layer 230, all light emitted from the emissive layer EML can have the same color. However, the emissive layer EML can emit light of different colors, and the color of the displayed light can be enhanced after the light passes through a corresponding color filter having the same color as that light.

[0465] A light-blocking layer 220 may be located between each color filter 230R, 230G, 230B. According to an embodiment, the color filters 230R, 230G, 230B may be replaced by a color conversion layer, or may further include a color conversion layer. The color conversion layer may include quantum dots.

[0466] A planarization layer 550 covering color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B is disposed on the color filters 230R, 230G, and 230B. The planarization layer 550 is used to planarize the upper surface of the light-emitting display device and may be a transparent organic insulating layer comprising one or more materials selected from the group consisting of polyimide, polyamide, acrylic resin, benzocyclobutene, and phenolic resin.

[0467] According to one embodiment, a low-refractive-index layer and an additional planarization layer can be further disposed on the planarization layer 550 to improve front visibility and the light output efficiency of the display panel DP. Light can be refracted through the low-refractive-index layer and the additional planarization layer with high refractive-index properties and emitted towards the front. According to another embodiment, the planarization layer 550 can be omitted, and the low-refractive-index layer and the additional planarization layer can be directly disposed on the color filter layer 230.

[0468] In this embodiment, an anti-reflective layer is included (see...). Figure 3 The overlay window of ARL in (see) Figure 3 The WU (light-emitting layer) can be located on top of the planarization layer 550 and may not include a polarizer. A polarizer prevents degradation of display quality (visible to the user) when external light is incident and reflected by the sidewalls of the defined opening OP of the anode AE ​​or pixel defining layer 380. However, a polarizer is disadvantageous in terms of consuming more power to display a specific brightness because it reduces not only the reflection of external light but also the light emitted from the light-emitting layer EML. To reduce power consumption, the light-emitting display device according to the embodiment may omit the polarizer.

[0469] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the side of the anode AE ​​is covered by a pixel defining layer 380 to reduce the degree of light reflection from the anode AE, and a light blocking layer 220 is also formed to reduce the intensity of incident light, thereby reducing the amount of light incident on the anode AE. Therefore, the display panel DP according to this embodiment already includes a structure to prevent degradation of display quality. Therefore, it is not necessary to form a polarizer separately on the front of the light-emitting display panel DP.

[0470] like Figure 31 and Figure 32 As shown, the second opening, similar to the previously described color filter, which forms a light-blocking layer in a circular shape, can be modified and applied in various embodiments. These modifications include different shapes, various orientations of the major axis, different eccentricities, and combinations of two or more ellipses.

[0471] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail above, the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and various modifications and improvements are possible by those skilled in the art using the basic concept of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A light-emitting display device, characterized by comprising: The light emitting display device includes: a substrate; a plurality of anodes disposed on the substrate; a pixel-defining layer including a plurality of first openings each corresponding to each of the plurality of anodes; a plurality of light emitting layers disposed in the plurality of first openings of the pixel-defining layer; a cathode disposed on the plurality of light emitting layers and the pixel-defining layer; an encapsulation layer disposed on the cathode; and a plurality of color filters corresponding to different colors disposed on the encapsulation layer, wherein the plurality of color filters includes a plurality of second openings and a light-blocking area of the color filter, wherein the light-blocking area of the color filter is defined by at least two color filters overlapping each other and a single color filter is disposed in each of the plurality of second openings, wherein at least some of the plurality of first openings of the pixel-defining layer have an elliptical shape, and wherein the plurality of second openings of the color filter have a circular shape, the plurality of second openings at least partially overlap the plurality of first openings having the elliptical shape.

2. The light-emitting display device according to claim 1, wherein At least a portion of the first openings of the pixel-defining layer having the elliptical shape overlaps the light-blocking area of the color filter in a plane. 3.The light emitting display device of claim 2, wherein: wherein the second openings of the color filter and the first openings of the pixel-defining layer intersect each other at least twice, or wherein the second openings of the color filter are located within the first openings of the pixel-defining layer having the elliptical shape in a plan view, or wherein a length of a minor axis of the first openings of the pixel-defining layer having the elliptical shape is shorter than a diameter of the second openings of the color filter, a length of a major axis of the first openings of the pixel-defining layer is longer than the diameter of the second openings of the color filter, and the second openings of the color filter and the first openings of the pixel-defining layer intersect each other at least four times.

4. The light-emitting display device according to claim 1, wherein in a plan view, the first openings of the pixel-defining layer having the elliptical shape are located within the second openings of the color filter having the circular shape, and wherein the second openings of the color filter and the first openings of the pixel-defining layer intersect each other at least twice. 5.The light emitting display device of claim 1, wherein: wherein, the plurality of first openings include four or more major axis angles, and the major axis angle formed by major axes of two first openings among the plurality of first openings is 45 degrees or less, or wherein each of the plurality of first openings has an eccentricity in a range of 0.2 to 0.85, or wherein a gap between the first opening and the second opening overlapping the first opening in a plane is in a range of 0 μm to 20 μm.

6. The light-emitting display device according to claim 1, wherein the first opening has a planar shape that merges at least two elliptical shapes having different eccentricities, and wherein the first opening has a planar shape including a first ellipse having a first eccentricity and a second ellipse having a second eccentricity.

7. A light emitting display device, characterized by comprising: The light emitting display device includes: a substrate; a plurality of anodes disposed on the substrate; a pixel defining layer including a plurality of first openings, each of the plurality of first openings corresponding to each of the plurality of anodes; a plurality of light emitting layers disposed in the plurality of first openings of the pixel defining layer; a cathode disposed on the plurality of light emitting layers and the pixel defining layer; an encapsulation layer disposed on the cathode; and a light blocking layer disposed on the encapsulation layer and defined with a plurality of second openings, each of the plurality of second openings of the light blocking layer corresponding to a respective first opening of the plurality of first openings, wherein at least some of the plurality of first openings of the pixel defining layer have an elliptical shape, and wherein the plurality of second openings of the light blocking layer have a circular shape, the plurality of second openings at least partially overlapping the plurality of first openings having the elliptical shape.

8. The light-emitting display device according to claim 7, wherein At least a portion of the first openings of the pixel defining layer having the elliptical shape overlaps the light blocking layer in a plane.

9. The light-emitting display device according to claim 8, wherein The second openings of the light blocking layer are positioned within the first openings of the pixel defining layer having the elliptical shape in a plan view, or wherein a length of a minor axis of the first openings of the pixel defining layer having the elliptical shape is shorter than a diameter of the second openings of the light blocking layer, and a length of a major axis of the first openings of the pixel defining layer is longer than the diameter of the second openings of the light blocking layer.

10. The light-emitting display device according to claim 7, wherein In a plan view, the first openings of the pixel defining layer having the elliptical shape are located within the second openings of the light blocking layer having the circular shape.

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