Display Panel Pixel Defining Layer Valley Regions

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Solution Overview

Problem

Display panels face issues with color mixing and luminance defects due to lateral leakage currents caused by the common formation of organic layers between adjacent pixels, leading to suboptimal performance in electronic devices.

Innovation Solution

A display panel design featuring a base layer, pixel defining layer, and light-emitting portion with strategically positioned valley and non-valley regions to prevent lateral leakage currents, ensuring that non-valley regions do not face each other and maintaining a minimum distance of about 10 micrometers, thereby isolating adjacent pixels and preventing color mixing and luminance decrease.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If the organic layer is commonly formed between adjacent pixels using an open mask, then the manufacturing process is simplified and productivity is improved, but lateral leakage current occurs causing color mixing and luminance defects

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing efficiencyVSAvoiddisplay quality
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The pixel defining layer is segmented into valley regions and non-valley regions, creating physical barriers that divide the continuous organic layer into isolated segments over adjacent pixels. This segmentation prevents lateral leakage current while maintaining the benefit of common organic layer formation through open mask processing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The valley regions act as intermediary barrier structures between adjacent pixels. These recessed regions filled with encapsulation layers serve as mediators that block the lateral leakage current path without requiring separate processing for each pixel, thus maintaining manufacturing efficiency while improving display quality.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Area of moving object

If the distance between adjacent pixels is reduced to increase pixel density, then the display resolution is improved, but color mixing increases due to lateral leakage current

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvepixel densityVSAvoidcolor accuracy
Core Design Contradiction:
Area of moving objectVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The pixel defining layer introduces valley regions that segment the space between adjacent pixels, creating electrical isolation barriers. This allows pixels to be placed closer together while maintaining color accuracy by preventing lateral leakage current, thus enabling higher pixel density without sacrificing color precision.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Strength

If the pixel defining layer completely encloses each pixel opening with continuous material, then structural integrity is improved, but lateral leakage current cannot be prevented

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvestructural integrityVSAvoidlateral leakage current
Core Design Contradiction:
StrengthVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The pixel defining layer is segmented into discontinuous valley regions and non-valley regions, breaking the continuous material path that would otherwise allow lateral leakage current. This segmentation maintains structural integrity through the encapsulation layers while preventing harmful lateral current flow between adjacent pixels.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Material is extracted to form recessed valley regions within the pixel defining layer, removing the continuous material path that causes lateral leakage. This extraction creates discontinuities that block harmful current while the overall layer structure maintains structural integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Data Source

PatentEP4383983A1Display panel
Publication Date: 2024.06.12 SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD
  • EP4383983A1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP4383983A1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP4383983A1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B

AI summary

Provided is a display panel including a base layer including a first pixel region, a second pixel region at least partially spaced apart from the first pixel region in a first direction, and a non-pixel region adjacent to the first and second pixel regions, a pixel defining layer having first and second pixel openings defined in the pixel defining layer and respectively corresponding to the first and second pixel regions, and a light-emitting portion including a charge generation layer, wherein the pixel defining layer includes at least one first valley region and at least one first non-valley region disposed on a first virtual line completely enclosing the first pixel opening and at least one second valley region and at least one second non-valley region disposed on a second virtual line completely enclosing the second pixel opening.