Display Device Opening Moisture Barrier via Segmented Metal Stack
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Solution Overview
Problem
Display devices with openings are susceptible to moisture penetration, which can damage surrounding display elements.
Innovation Solution
A display device with a substrate having an opening, featuring a metal stacked structure comprising a first sub-metal layer with a first hole and a second sub-metal layer with a second hole, where the second hole overlaps the first hole and has a greater width, and an intermediate layer including organic material layers separated by the metal structure.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Weight of stationary object
If an opening is provided in the display device, then the display device can be thinner and more lightweight, but moisture may penetrate through the opening and damage display elements
Solution Approach 1:
The metal layer is divided into multiple sub-layers (first sub-metal layer, second sub-metal layer, third sub-metal layer) with progressively smaller hole openings. This segmentation creates multiple barriers that moisture must penetrate, with each layer blocking moisture from different angles and positions, thereby maintaining reliability while preserving the opening structure for thinness and lightness
Solution Approach 2:
The protective structure extends into the vertical dimension with stacked metal layers at different heights, each layer offset from the others. This three-dimensional arrangement creates overlapping protection zones that block moisture penetration paths without requiring the opening to be completely sealed, thus maintaining both thinness and moisture protection
2Reliability
If a metal stacked structure with multiple sub-layers is used to prevent moisture penetration, then reliability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The metal stacked structure serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as a barrier against moisture penetration, provides structural support for the opening, and can serve as electrical connection layers. By combining these functions into a single integrated structure, the patent avoids adding separate protective components that would increase complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The protective structure uses a nested arrangement where the second sub-metal layer is positioned within the opening of the first sub-metal layer, and the third sub-metal layer is positioned within the opening of the second sub-metal layer. This nested configuration creates efficient space utilization and overlapping protection zones without requiring excessive lateral space, thus limiting the increase in device complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A display device includes: a substrate having an opening; a plurality of display elements at a display area adjacent to the opening, the plurality of display elements each including a pixel electrode, an opposite electrode, and an intermediate layer between the pixel electrode and the opposite electrode; and a metal stacked structure between the opening and the display area, and including: a first sub-metal layer having a first hole; and a second sub-metal layer under the first sub-metal layer and having a second hole, the second hole overlapping with the first hole and having a width greater than a width of the first hole.