Hole-Area Display Encapsulation to Prevent Air Gap Interference
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional display apparatuses face challenges in manufacturing a bezel-less design with a hole area, which affects display quality and increases manufacturing costs due to interference phenomena from air gaps and structural integrity issues.
Innovation Solution
A display apparatus with a base substrate featuring a hole area and a non-display hole peripheral area, incorporating a thin film encapsulation layer with inorganic films and a structured via insulating layer to maintain display quality and reduce manufacturing costs by minimizing interference from air gaps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If a hole area is formed in the display area to arrange optical modules, then the display area can be enlarged and functionality improved, but air gaps are created that interfere with display quality and increase manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a filler material as an intermediary substance to occupy the hole area and eliminate air gaps. This filler material serves as a mediator between the display structure and the optical module housing, preventing harmful air gap interference while maintaining the enlarged display area benefit. The filler material is specifically designed to have refractive index matching properties to minimize optical interference.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical parameters of the hole area by filling it with material that has specific optical properties (refractive index matching). This parameter change transforms the harmful air gap (with different refractive index) into a beneficial filled structure that eliminates interference while maintaining the structural integrity and optical performance of the display.
2Reliability
If conventional manufacturing methods are used for display apparatus with hole areas, then manufacturing costs increase and structural integrity is compromised, but these methods can still produce functional displays
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by forming the filler material and sealing structures during the manufacturing process before final assembly. The hole area is pre-filled with appropriate material and pre-sealed with encapsulation layers during panel fabrication, eliminating the need for complex post-assembly operations and reducing overall manufacturing complexity and cost.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the hole filling operation with the existing display manufacturing process steps. The encapsulation and sealing operations that are already performed for display protection are combined with the hole filling process, eliminating separate manufacturing steps and reducing overall manufacturing cost while maintaining structural integrity.
3Device complexity
If the via insulating layer is removed in the hole area to reduce manufacturing steps, then manufacturing complexity is reduced, but structural support and insulation may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the via insulating layer selectively only in the hole area where it is not needed, while maintaining it in the display area where it provides necessary insulation and structural support. This selective extraction reduces manufacturing complexity by eliminating unnecessary removal steps while preserving structural integrity through selective retention of the insulating layer in critical areas.
Data Source
AI summary
A display apparatus includes a base substrate including a hole area through which light passes, a hole peripheral area which is a non-display area surrounding the hole area, and a display area surrounding the hole peripheral area, where the display area includes pixels to display an image, an insulating layer disposed on the base substrate in the hole peripheral area and the display area except for the hole area, a via insulating layer disposed on the insulating layer in the hole peripheral area and the display area except for the hole area, and a thin film encapsulation layer including first and second inorganic films which are disposed in the hole peripheral area and the display area except for the hole area on the base substrate on which the via insulating layer is disposed.