Connection Electrode Trench Layout for Stable Display Contacts
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing display devices face issues with electrode disconnection in contact holes, which can lead to performance degradation and reliability concerns.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a trench in the insulating film to overlap contact holes, with connection electrodes extending through these trenches, thereby reducing the height of the contact holes and preventing electrode disconnection.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If contact holes are formed to connect electrodes through the insulating film, then electrical connection is achieved, but electrode disconnection occurs leading to reliability degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The connection electrode is nested within the trench structure that overlaps the contact hole. The trench provides a protective cavity that houses the connection electrode, creating a nested configuration where the electrode is surrounded and supported by the trench walls, thereby preventing disconnection and improving reliability.
Solution Approach 2:
The solution transitions from a two-dimensional planar contact hole to a three-dimensional structure by introducing a trench that extends vertically through the insulating film. This dimensional change allows the connection electrode to be positioned within the trench, providing additional structural support and preventing electrode disconnection through the added vertical dimension.
2Reliability
If the contact hole height is reduced by introducing a trench, then electrode disconnection is prevented, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating film is segmented by introducing a trench that creates distinct regions: the trench region and the surrounding insulating film region. This segmentation allows the connection electrode to be specifically positioned within the trench, providing targeted structural support where needed while maintaining the overall simplicity of the device structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The trench acts as an intermediary structure between the contact hole and the connection electrode. It provides a mediating framework that supports the electrode and prevents disconnection, while the trench itself is formed using standard semiconductor fabrication processes, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A display device includes a substrate; a plurality of electrodes on the substrate; an insulating film disposed on the plurality of electrodes; a plurality of contact holes penetrating the insulating film and respectively exposing the plurality of electrodes; a trench disposed in the insulating film to overlap the plurality of contact holes; a plurality of connection electrodes respectively connected to the plurality of electrodes through the plurality of contact holes; a pixel electrode connected to at least one of the plurality of connection electrodes; a pixel defining film disposed on the pixel electrode and defining an emission area; a light-emitting layer on the pixel electrode; and a common electrode on the light-emitting layer.