# US 12,010,906 B2 · Display device including through hole connecting organic layer to substrate

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- Number: US 12,010,906 B2
- Document ID: US12010906B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/288,317
- Filed: 2019-08-01
- Published: 2021-12-02
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2018-10-23
- Assignees: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Jongho Hong; Sangwoo Kim; Jaemin Shin; Junhyeong Park
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12010906B2

## CPC

- H10K 59/124: Insulating layers formed between TFT elements and OLED elements
- H10K 59/87: {Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations}
- H10K 59/8731: {multilayered coatings having a repetitive structure, e.g. having multiple organic-inorganic bilayers}
- H10K 77/111: {Flexible substrates}
- G02F 1/133305: {Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film}
- G06F 1/1641: {the display being formed by a plurality of foldable display components (G06F1/1647 takes precedence)}
- G06F 1/1652: {the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable}
- G09F 9/301: {flexible foldable or roll-able electronic displays, e.g. thin LCD, OLED}
- G09G 3/035: {for flexible display surfaces}
- G09G 3/3233: with pixel circuitry controlling the current through the light-emitting element
- G09G 2300/0809: Several active elements per pixel in active matrix panels
- H10K 59/12: Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
- H10K 59/121: characterised by the geometry or disposition of pixel elements
- H10K 59/1216: {the pixel elements being capacitors}
- H10K 59/122: Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
- H10K 59/123: Connection of the pixel electrodes to the thin film transistors [TFT]
- H10K 59/351: {comprising more than three subpixels, e.g. red-green-blue-white [RGBW]}
- H10K 59/352: {the areas of the RGB subpixels being different}
- H10K 59/353: {characterised by the geometrical arrangement of the RGB subpixels}
- H10K 2102/311: {Flexible OLED}
- Y02E 10/549: Organic PV cells
- H10K: ORGANIC ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G09F: DISPLAYING; ADVERTISING; SIGNS; LABELS OR NAME-PLATES; SEALS
- G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00)
- Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION

## Abstract

Provided is a display device capable of displaying a high-quality image even under high temperature conditions, the display device including a flexible substrate, a pixel circuit layer arranged on the flexible substrate, and including a thin-film transistor and a through hole extending to the flexible substrate, a first organic layer arranged on the pixel circuit layer and in contact with the flexible substrate through the through hole, an inorganic layer arranged on the first organic layer to cover an upper surface of the first organic layer, a pixel electrode arranged on the inorganic layer, and an encapsulation layer arranged on the pixel electrode, and including a first inorganic encapsulation layer, a second inorganic encapsulation layer, and an organic encapsulation layer between the first inorganic encapsulation layer and the second inorganic encapsulation layer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A display device comprising:
a flexible substrate;
a pixel circuit layer arranged on the flexible substrate, comprising a thin-film transistor, and defining a through hole extending to the flexible substrate;
a first organic layer arranged on the pixel circuit layer, in contact with the flexible substrate through the through hole, and defining a first opening above the thin-film transistor and exposing at least a portion of an upper surface of the pixel circuit layer;
an inorganic layer arranged on the first organic layer to cover an upper surface of the first organic layer, and to cover sidewalls of the first organic layer that define the first opening;
a pixel electrode arranged on the inorganic layer; and
an encapsulation layer arranged on the pixel electrode, and comprising a first inorganic encapsulation layer, a second inorganic encapsulation layer, and an organic encapsulation layer between the first inorganic encapsulation layer and the second inorganic encapsulation layer.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The display device of claim 1, wherein the inorganic layer is in contact with the upper surface of the pixel circuit layer exposed by the first opening.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The display device of claim 2, wherein the upper surface of the pixel circuit layer comprises an inorganic material.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The display device of claim 1, wherein the inorganic layer defines a second opening positioned in the first opening, and
wherein the pixel electrode is electrically connected to the thin-film transistor through the second opening.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The display device of claim 4, wherein the pixel circuit layer further comprises an inorganic protective layer covering the thin-film transistor and comprising an inorganic material, and
wherein the second opening extends to penetrate the inorganic protective layer.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The display device of claim 1, wherein the inorganic layer extends to cover a side surface of the first organic layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The display device of claim 1, wherein the first organic layer comprises an organic material, and wherein the through hole is filled with the organic material.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The display device of claim 1, wherein the first organic layer is in direct contact with the flexible substrate through the through hole.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The display device of claim 1, further comprising a second organic layer arranged on the inorganic layer and defining an emission area by covering an edge of the pixel electrode and exposing a central portion of the pixel electrode.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The display device of claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate defines a through pattern penetrating the flexible substrate.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

The display device of claim 1, wherein the encapsulation layer extends to cover an outer surface of the first organic layer.

### Claim 12 (depends on 11)

The display device of claim 11, wherein the first inorganic encapsulation layer of the encapsulation layer is in surface contact with the outer surface of the first organic layer.

### Claim 13 (depends on 1)

The display device of claim 1, wherein the thin-film transistor comprises a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode overlapping at least a portion of the semiconductor layer, and a source electrode and a drain electrode connected to the semiconductor layer, and
wherein the portion of the upper surface of the pixel circuit layer comprises at least one of the source electrode or the drain electrode.

### Claim 14 (depends on 13)

The display device of claim 13, wherein the inorganic layer is in surface contact with the upper surface of the pixel circuit layer exposed through the first opening.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The display device of claim 14, wherein the inorganic layer defines a second opening exposing at least one of the source electrode and the drain electrode.

### Claim 16 (depends on 15)

The display device of claim 15, wherein the pixel electrode is in electrical contact with at least one of the source electrode or the drain electrode through the second opening.

### Claim 17 (depends on 1)

The display device of claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate comprises an organic material.

### Claim 18 (depends on 17)

The display device of claim 17, wherein the first organic layer contacts the flexible substrate through the through hole.

### Claim 19

A display device comprising:
a flexible substrate;
a pixel circuit layer arranged on the flexible substrate, and comprising a plurality of thin-film transistors and defining at least one through hole extending to the flexible substrate;
a first organic layer arranged on the pixel circuit layer, in contact with the flexible substrate through the through hole, and comprising a plurality of organic pattern parts patterned in an island shape;
an inorganic layer arranged on the first organic layer to cover an upper surface of the first organic layer;
a first pixel electrode, a second pixel electrode, and a third pixel electrode arranged on the inorganic layer and arranged on the plurality of organic pattern parts, respectively; and
an encapsulation layer arranged on the first pixel electrode, the second pixel electrode, and the third pixel electrode, the encapsulation layer comprising a first inorganic encapsulation layer, a second inorganic encapsulation layer, and an organic encapsulation layer between the first inorganic encapsulation layer and the second inorganic encapsulation layer.

### Claim 20 (depends on 19)

The display device of claim 19, wherein the pixel circuit layer comprises an inorganic material,
wherein the pixel circuit layer comprises a separation area in which the plurality of organic pattern parts are spaced apart from each other to expose at least a portion of an upper surface of the pixel circuit layer, and
wherein the pixel circuit layer is in contact with the separation area.

### Claim 21 (depends on 19)

The display device of claim 19, wherein the through hole is provided as at least one through hole under each of the plurality of organic pattern parts to respectively correspond to the plurality of organic pattern parts, and
wherein each of the plurality of organic pattern parts contacts the flexible substrate through the at least one through hole.

### Claim 22 (depends on 19)

The display device of claim 19, further comprising:
a first intermediate layer arranged on the first pixel electrode for emitting light of a red wavelength, a second intermediate layer arranged on the second pixel electrode for emitting light of a green wavelength, and a third intermediate layer arranged on the third pixel electrode for emitting light of a blue wavelength; and
an opposite electrode covering the first intermediate layer, the second intermediate layer, and the third intermediate layer.

### Claim 23 (depends on 19)

The display device of claim 19, wherein the flexible substrate comprises an organic material.