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EP-4489551-B1 - DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

EP4489551B1EP 4489551 B1EP4489551 B1EP 4489551B1EP-4489551-B1

Inventors

  • CHOI, JUNGMIN
  • KIM, SANGYEOL
  • SONG, JEHYUN
  • JEON, WOOSIK
  • OH, EONSEOK

Dates

Publication Date
20260513
Application Date
20220223

Claims (14)

  1. A display apparatus (1) comprising: a substrate (100) comprising an opening area (OA), a display area (DA) surrounding at least a portion of the opening area, and an intermediate area (MA) between the opening area and the display area; a pixel electrode (221) at the display area; an emission layer (222b) at the display area; an opposite electrode (223) on the emission layer, and located at the display area and the intermediate area; a common organic material layer (222a) between the pixel electrode and the opposite electrode, and located at the display area and the intermediate area; and an inorganic encapsulation layer (310) on the opposite electrode, and located at the display area and the intermediate area, wherein the common organic material layer has an opening (OP1) surrounding the opening area at the intermediate area, and characterised in that the inorganic encapsulation layer (310) directly contacts an upper surface of an inorganic layer (IL) exposed through the opening.
  2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the common organic material layer comprises a first common layer (222a) and a second common layer (222c) on the first common layer and the emission layer, wherein the second common layer is directly on the first common layer at the intermediate area.
  3. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the inorganic layer comprises an inorganic insulating layer (IL) at the display area and the intermediate area, and located between the substrate and a first partition wall.
  4. The display apparatus of claim 1 or 2, further comprising: a first partition wall (PW1) at the intermediate area, and surrounding the opening area, wherein the opening comprises a first opening between the first partition wall and the display area.
  5. The display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the opening further comprises a second opening (OP2) between the first partition wall and the opening area.
  6. The display apparatus of claim 4 or 5, further comprising: a second partition wall (PW2) spaced from the first partition wall, wherein the opening further comprises a third opening (OP3) between the first partition wall and the second partition wall.
  7. The display apparatus of any one preceding claim, further comprising: a thin-film transistor (TFT) at the display area; and an organic insulating layer (209) on the thin-film transistor, wherein the opposite electrode covers a lateral end portion of the organic insulating layer.
  8. The display apparatus of any one preceding claim, wherein the intermediate area comprises a laser irradiation region (LIR), and wherein the opposite electrode is not located at the laser irradiation region.
  9. The display apparatus of claim 8, further comprising: a capping layer (230) on the opposite electrode, wherein the capping layer is not located at the laser irradiation region.
  10. The display apparatus of any one preceding claim, further comprising: a wiring portion at a region of the display area that is adjacent to the intermediate area, the wiring portion bypassing the opening area; and a dummy emission layer (222dm) on the wiring portion.
  11. The display apparatus of claim 10, wherein the dummy emission layer (222dm) comprises a same material as that of the emission layer.
  12. The display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the dummy emission layer (222dm) is between the first common layer and the second common layer.
  13. The display apparatus of claim 2 or 12, wherein a thickness of the first common layer (222a) is greater than a thickness of the second common layer (222c).
  14. The display apparatus of any preceding claim, further comprising an inorganic contact region (ICR) which is a region in which only the inorganic insulating layer (IL) is arranged between the inorganic encapsulation layer (310) and the substrate (100).

Description

BACKGROUND 1. Field Aspects of one or more embodiments relate to a display apparatus having improved reliability. 2. Description of the Related Art Recently, the usage of display apparatuses has diversified. In addition, as display apparatuses have become thinner and lighter, their range of use has gradually been extended. As the area occupied by a display area in the display apparatuses expands, various functions that are combined or associated with the display apparatuses have been added. In order to add various functions while expanding the display area, research is being carried out on display apparatuses in which various elements may be arranged in the display area. WO 2020/166793 A1 proposes a display device. The above information disclosed in this Background section is for enhancement of understanding of the background of the present disclosure, and therefore, it may contain information that does not constitute prior art. SUMMARY In one aspect there is provided a display apparatus as set out in claim 1. Preferred embodiments are set out in the dependent claims. One or more embodiments are directed to a display apparatus having an improved reliability while including an area in which various suitable kinds of components may be arranged inside a display area, and a manufacturing method thereof. However, the aspects and features of the present disclosure are not limited thereto. Additional aspects and features will be set forth, in part, in the description that follows, and in part, will be apparent from the detailed description, or may be learned by practicing one or more of the presented embodiments of the present disclosure. According to a comparative example useful for understanding the invention, a display apparatus includes: a substrate including an opening area, a display area surrounding at least a portion of the opening area, and an intermediate area between the opening area and the display area; and a display element at the display area, and including a pixel electrode, an opposite electrode on the pixel electrode, and an intermediate layer between the pixel electrode and the opposite electrode. The intermediate layer includes a first common layer, a second common layer on the first common layer, and an emission layer between the first common layer and the second common layer, the first common layer and the second common layer extend to the intermediate area, and the second common layer is directly on the first common layer at the intermediate area. In an embodiment, the first common layer and the second common layer may each have an opening at the intermediate area. In an embodiment, the display apparatus may further include: a thin-film encapsulation layer on the display element, and including at least one inorganic encapsulation layer and at least one organic encapsulation layer; and an inorganic insulating layer at the display area and the intermediate area, and located between the substrate and a first partition wall. The inorganic insulating layer may contact the inorganic encapsulation layer through the opening. In an embodiment, the display apparatus may further include: a first partition wall at the intermediate area, and surrounding the opening area, and the opening may include a first opening between the first partition wall and the display area. In an embodiment, the opening may further include a second opening between the first partition wall and the opening area. In an embodiment, the display apparatus may further include: a second partition wall spaced from the first partition wall, and the opening may further include a third opening between the first partition wall and the second partition wall. In an embodiment, the display apparatus may further include: a thin-film transistor at the display area; and an organic insulating layer on the thin-film transistor, and the opposite electrode may cover a lateral end portion of the organic insulating layer. In an embodiment, the intermediate area may include a laser irradiation region, and the opposite electrode is not located at the laser irradiation region. In an embodiment, the display apparatus may further include: a capping layer on the opposite electrode, and the capping layer is not located at the laser irradiation region. In an embodiment, the display apparatus may further include: a wiring portion at a region of the display area that is adjacent to the intermediate area, the wiring portion bypassing the opening area; and a dummy emission layer on the wiring portion. In an embodiment, the dummy emission layer may include a same material as that of the emission layer. In an embodiment, the dummy emission layer may be between the first common layer and the second common layer. In an embodiment, the dummy emission layer may include the same material as that of the emission layer. In an embodiment, a thickness of the first common layer may be greater than a thickness of the second common layer. According to the invention as claimed,