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DE-102025132877-A1 - DISPLAY DEVICE AND DISPLAY PANEL

DE102025132877A1DE 102025132877 A1DE102025132877 A1DE 102025132877A1DE-102025132877-A1

Abstract

A display device and a display panel are disclosed. The display device has a structure in which an insulating layer is arranged between a planarization layer and a pixel electrode and has an opening that overlaps with a section of the pixel electrode, and a convex insulating layer is arranged between the planarization layer and the pixel electrode, overlapping with the opening of the insulating layer and having an island shape, thereby providing a wide viewing angle with uniform brightness.

Inventors

  • Yongmin Kim
  • JungSun BAEK
  • Seongjoo LEE
  • Yosup SIM

Assignees

  • LG DISPLAY CO., LTD.

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20250818
Priority Date
20241113

Claims (20)

  1. Display device (100) comprising: a substrate (111) having a flat area (FA) and a flex area (BA); a planarization layer (440) arranged on the substrate (111); a first pixel electrode (PE1) positioned in the flat area (FA) and arranged in a pixel electrode layer on the planarization layer (440); a second pixel electrode (PE2) positioned in the flex area (BA) and arranged in the pixel electrode layer on the planarization layer (440); an insulating layer (500) arranged between the planarization layer (440) and the pixel electrode layer, comprising a first opening that overlaps with a section of the first pixel electrode (PE1) and a second opening that overlaps with a section of the second pixel electrode (PE2); at least one first convex insulating layer (510a) arranged on the planarizing layer (440) which is positioned in an island shape in the first opening and which has a convex shape; and at least one second convex insulating layer (510b) arranged on the planarization layer (440), which is positioned in an island shape in the second aperture and which has a convex shape, whereby the first pixel electrode (PE1) has a first curved section (511a) arranged along an upper surface of the at least one first convex insulating layer (510a) in the first aperture, and the second pixel electrode (PE2) has a second curved section (511b) arranged along an upper surface of the at least one second convex insulating layer (510b) in the second aperture, and whereby an area of a lower surface of the at least one second convex insulating layer (510b) is greater than an area of a lower surface of the at least one first convex insulating layer (510a).
  2. Display device (100) according to Claim 1 , wherein the first pixel electrode (PE1) has a first inclined section extending along a side face of the insulating layer (500) in the first aperture, and wherein the second pixel electrode (PE2) has a second inclined section extending along a side face of the insulating layer (500) in the second aperture.
  3. Display device (100) according to Claim 2 , further comprising: a bank (450) arranged on the first pixel electrode (PE1) and the second pixel electrode (PE2), the bank (450) comprising: a first bank opening overlapping the first inclined section and the second inclined section and positioned in the first opening; and a second bank opening positioned in the second opening.
  4. Display device (100) according to any of the Claims 1 until 3 , wherein the insulating layer (500) has the same material as the planarizing layer (440).
  5. Display device (100) according to any of the Claims 1 until 4 , wherein the at least one first convex insulating layer (510a) and the at least one second convex insulating layer (510b) are made of the same material as the planarizing layer (440).
  6. Display device (100) according to any of the Claims 1 until 5 , wherein a height of the insulating layer (500) is greater than heights (h1, h2) of each of the at least one first convex insulating layer (510a) and the at least one second convex insulating layer (510b).
  7. Display device (100) according to any of the Claims 1 until 6 , wherein the area of the upper surface of the at least one first convex insulating layer (510a) is smaller than the area of the upper surface of the at least one second convex insulating layer (510b).
  8. Display device (100) according to any of the Claims 1 until 7 , wherein a height (h1) of the at least one first convex insulating layer (510a) is less than a height (h2) of the at least one second convex insulating layer (510b).
  9. Display device (100) according to any of the Claims 1 until 8 , wherein the at least one first convex insulating layer (510a) overlaps with the first pixel electrode (PE1) and the at least one second convex insulating layer (510b) overlaps with the second pixel electrode (PE2).
  10. Display device (100) according to any of the Claims 1 until 9 , further comprising: a third pixel electrode arranged in the flat region (FA); and at least a third convex insulating layer (510) overlapping the third pixel electrode, wherein a color of light emitted by an emission sion layer on the first pixel electrode, and a color of light emitted by an emission layer on the third pixel electrode are different from each other, and wherein a number of the at least one first convex insulating layer (510) and a number of the at least one third convex insulating layer (510) are different from each other.
  11. Display device (100) according to Claim 10 , wherein the color of the light emitted by the emission layer (Green EL0) on the first pixel electrode is green, and the color of the light emitted by the emission layer (Red EL0, Blue EL0) on the third pixel electrode is red or blue, and wherein the number of at least one first convex insulating layer (510) is greater than the number of at least one third convex insulating layer (510).
  12. Display device (100) according to Claim 10 , wherein the color of the light emitted by the emission layer (blue EL0) on the first pixel electrode (PE1) is blue, and the color of the light emitted by the emission layer (red EL0) on the third pixel electrode is red, and wherein the number of at least one first convex insulating layer (510) is greater than the number of at least one third convex insulating layer (510).
  13. Display device (100) according to any of the Claims 1 until 12 , further comprising: a fourth pixel electrode located in the bending region (BA) and spaced apart from the second pixel electrode (PE2); and at least one fourth convex insulating layer (510c, 510d, 510e) overlapping the fourth pixel electrode, wherein a size of the at least one second convex insulating layer (510b) differs from a size of the at least one fourth convex insulating layer (510c, 510d, 510e).
  14. Display device (100) according to Claim 13 , wherein the size of the at least one second convex insulating layer (510b) is smaller than the size of the at least one fourth convex insulating layer (510c, 510d, 510e).
  15. Display device (100) according to Claim 13 or 14 , wherein each of the at least one second convex insulating layer (510b) and the at least one fourth convex insulating layer (510c, 510d, 510e) has an oval shape, and wherein a length of a principal axis of the at least one second convex insulating layer (510b) is smaller than that of a principal axis of the at least one fourth convex insulating layer (510c, 510d, 510e).
  16. Display device (100) according to any of the Claims 1 until 15 , wherein the total area of the at least one second convex insulating layer (510b) arranged in the bending region (BA) is greater than the total area of the at least one first convex insulating layer (510a) arranged in the flat region (FA).
  17. Display device (100) according to any of the Claims 1 until 16 , where a viewing angle of the bending area (BA) is greater than a viewing angle of the flat area (FA).
  18. Display device (100) according to any of the Claims 1 until 17 , further comprising: an encapsulation layer (460) arranged on the first pixel electrode (PE1) and the second pixel electrode (PE2); and a color filter layer arranged on the encapsulation layer (460), wherein at least one section of each of a plurality of color filters (480) contained in the color filter layer overlaps with the at least one first convex insulating layer (510a) or the at least one second convex insulating layer (510b).
  19. Display device (100) comprising: a substrate (111) on which a plurality of sub-pixels (SP) are arranged; a plurality of main light-emitting areas (E-E') overlapping the plurality of sub-pixels (SP); a plurality of sub-light-emitting areas (F-F') surrounding the plurality of main light-emitting areas (E-E'), each of the plurality of main light-emitting areas (E-E') comprising at least one diffuse light-emitting area, and each of the light emitted by the at least one diffuse light-emitting area having an emission angle that is not perpendicular to the substrate (111).
  20. Display device (100) according to Claim 19 , further comprising: a pixel electrode (PE) overlapping at least one of the plurality of principal light emission areas (E-E') and at least one of the plurality of sub-light emission areas (F-F'); and at least one convex insulating layer (510) arranged such that the at least one convex insulating layer (510) overlaps the at least one diffuse light emission area on a lower surface of the pixel electrode (PE). lappt, wherein the pixel electrode (PE) has an inclined section (501) in which at least one of the majority of sub-light emission regions (FF) is located.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED REGISTRATION This application claims priority and benefit from Korean patent application no. 10-2024-0161243 , which was filed with the Korean Intellectual Property Office on November 13, 2024, and whose entire contents are hereby expressly included for all purposes. TECHNICAL AREA The present disclosure relates to electronic devices and in particular a display panel having at least one curved or bent edge to provide an optically smooth appearance, thereby providing aesthetic satisfaction and increasing immersion in the screen, and a display device having the same. DISCUSSION OF TECHNOLOGY-RELATED In today's information society, display devices for presenting images or visual information to users are becoming increasingly important. The need for such devices has driven the advancement of display technology, leading to the development and widespread use of various types of displays, such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma displays, quantum dot light-emitting displays, organic light-emitting displays (e.g., OLEDs), inorganic light-emitting displays, and the like. In particular, recent work has progressed towards developing flexible display devices capable of displaying images even when bent or folded like paper, representing the next generation of display devices. Flexible display devices can include unbreakable displays with high durability through the use of thin-film plastic transistor substrates instead of glass, bendable displays capable of being bent without breaking, rollable displays, foldable displays, and the like. These flexible display devices can offer advantages in terms of space utilization, interior design, and aesthetics, and can have a variety of applications. The description provided in the "Related Technology" section should not be considered prior art simply because it is mentioned or associated with the "Related Technology" section. The "Related Technology" section may contain information describing one or more aspects of the subject technology, and the description in this section does not limit disclosure. EXPLANATION The inventor has recognized that, in the prior art, a display device having a bending area can be designed to have a central section with a flat shape and one or more side sections that allow the display device to be bent, and which have one or more corners. In this design, when the display device is bent, the one or more side sections may be bent into a curved shape, and as a result, when a user views the display device, the viewing angle at which the user can see an image presented by the display device may be outside of acceptable quality. In this situation, the user may notice a reduced luminance of the displayed image on the one or more side sections. Thus, the user may perceive a significant difference in luminance between the flat section in the central section and the curved section in the one or more side sections. To address these problems, display devices according to the independent claims are provided. Further embodiments are described in the dependent claims. One or more aspects of the present disclosure may provide a display device having at least one curved or bent edge to provide an optically smooth appearance, thereby providing aesthetic satisfaction and increasing immersion/immersion in the screen. One or more aspects of the present disclosure may provide a display device having a structure in which a pixel electrode is arranged on a convex insulating layer, such that light emitted by a light-emitting element is directed at different angles by means of a convex or curved section of the convex insulating layer, and is thereby able to significantly increase a viewing angle. One or more aspects of the present disclosure may provide a display device having a structure in which a pixel elect rode has at least one inclined section corresponding to the configuration of an insulating layer, such that light emitted by a light-emitting element is directed outwards without being totally reflected into the interior of a display panel, and is thereby able to improve the luminance of the display panel. One or more aspects of the present disclosure may provide a display device having a structure in which the display device has a flat central area and at least one curved or bent edge area, and is thereby able to enable a user to see an image or visual information without perceiving a difference in luminance between the flat central area and the at least one curved or bent edge area. One or more aspects of the present disclosure may provide a display device having a structure in which the display device has a bending area located in at least one edge thereof and is configured to cause a viewing angle to gradually increase as a user moves away from a central area of a display panel in the bending area, and is thereby able to enable the user to perceive a uniform luminance in the bending area. One or more aspects of the present disclosure