IP Library Granted Patent US 11,579,503
Granted Patent B2
US 11,579,503 · App. 17/525,118 · Granted Feb 14, 2023

Displays with data lines that accommodate openings

Inventors: Shin-Hung Yeh (Taipei, TW); Warren S. Rieutort-Louis (Cupertino, CA); Abbas Jamshidi Roudbari (Saratoga, CA); Chien-Ya Lee (Taipei, TW); Lun Tsai (Zhubei, TW)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
G02F1/136286G09G3/20H01L27/3246H01L27/3276G02F1/13629G09G2300/0404G09G2300/0426
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,579,503
App. No.
17/525,118
Filed
Nov 12, 2021
Granted
Feb 14, 2023
Kind
B2
Examiner
SHENG, TOM V
Art Unit
2628
USPC
345/206
Abstract

To minimize the width of a non-light-emitting border region around an opening in the active area, data lines may be stacked in the border region. Data line portions may be formed using three metal layers in three different planes within the border region. A metal layer that forms a positive power signal distribution path in the active area may serve as a data line portion in the border region. A metal layer may be added in the border region to serve as a data line portion in the border region. Data line signals may also be provided to pixels on both sides of an opening in the active area using supplemental data line paths. A supplemental data line path may be routed through the active area of the display to electrically connect data line segments on opposing sides of an opening within the display.

Claims (24)

1. A display comprising:

a substrate having an active area that includes an array of pixels, an inactive area that surrounds the active area, and an opening within the active area, wherein the opening has first and second opposing sides; and

a plurality of signal lines coupled to the array of pixels, wherein a first portion of the plurality of signal lines are uninterrupted by the opening and a second portion of the plurality of signal lines are interrupted by the opening, wherein a signal line in the second portion of the plurality of signal lines has a first signal line segment on the first side of the opening, a second signal line segment on the second side of the opening, and a supplemental signal line path that is electrically connected to the first signal line segment and the second signal line segment, wherein the supplemental signal line path is electrically connected to the first signal line segment in the inactive area, and wherein the supplemental signal line path is routed through the active area.

2. The display defined in claim 1 , wherein the inactive area has first and second opposing sides, wherein the supplemental signal line path is electrically connected to the first signal line segment on the first side of the inactive area, and wherein the supplemental signal line path is electrically connected to the second signal line segment on the second side of the inactive area.

3. The display defined in claim 1 , wherein the supplemental signal line path is electrically connected to the second signal line segment in the inactive area.

4. The display defined in claim 1 , wherein the supplemental signal line path is electrically connected to the second signal line segment in the active area.

5. The display defined in claim 1 , wherein the supplemental signal line path is at least partially formed by a first metal layer and wherein the first metal layer is interposed between second and third metal layers that form a power supply distribution line.

6. The display defined in claim 1 , wherein the supplemental signal line path has a portion that is routed above an emission line that carries an emission enable control signal.

7. The display defined in claim 1 , wherein the supplemental signal line path has a portion that is routed above a power supply distribution path.

8. A display comprising:

a substrate having an active area that includes an array of pixels, an inactive area that surrounds the active area, and an opening within the active area, wherein the opening has first and second opposing sides; and

a plurality of signal lines coupled to the array of pixels, wherein a first portion of the plurality of signal lines are uninterrupted by the opening and a second portion of the plurality of signal lines are interrupted by the opening, wherein a signal line in the second portion of the plurality of signal lines has a first signal line segment on the first side of the opening, a second signal line segment on the second side of the opening, and a supplemental signal line path that is electrically connected to the first signal line segment and the second signal line segment, wherein the supplemental signal line path is at least partially formed by a first metal layer, and wherein the first metal layer is interposed between second and third metal layers that form a power supply distribution line for the array of pixels.

9. The display defined in claim 8 , wherein the supplemental signal line path is routed through the active area.

10. The display defined in claim 8 , wherein the inactive area has first and second opposing sides, wherein the supplemental signal line path is electrically connected to the first signal line segment on the first side of the inactive area, and wherein the supplemental signal line path is electrically connected to the second signal line segment on the second side of the inactive area.

11. The display defined in claim 8 , wherein the supplemental signal line path is electrically connected to the second signal line segment in the inactive area.

12. The display defined in claim 8 , wherein the supplemental signal line path is electrically connected to the second signal line segment in the active area.

13. The display defined in claim 8 , wherein a first portion of the supplemental signal line path is routed above an emission line that carries an emission enable control signal.

14. A display comprising:

a substrate having an active area that includes an array of pixels, an inactive area that surrounds the active area, and an opening within the active area, wherein the opening has first and second opposing sides; and

a plurality of data lines coupled to the array of pixels, wherein a first portion of the plurality of data lines are uninterrupted by the opening and a second portion of the plurality of data lines are interrupted by the opening, wherein a data line in the second portion of the plurality of data lines has a first data line segment on the first side of the opening, a second data line segment on the second side of the opening, and a supplemental data line path that is electrically connected to the first data line segment and the second data line segment, wherein the supplemental data line path is electrically connected to the first data line segment in the inactive area, and wherein the supplemental data line path is routed through the active area.

15. The display defined in claim 14 , wherein the inactive area has first and second opposing sides, wherein the supplemental data line path is electrically connected to the first data line segment on the first side of the inactive area, and wherein the supplemental data line path is electrically connected to the second data line segment on the second side of the inactive area.

16. The display defined in claim 14 , wherein the supplemental data line path is electrically connected to the second data line segment in the inactive area.

17. The display defined in claim 14 , wherein the supplemental data line path is electrically connected to the second data line segment in the active area.

18. The display defined in claim 14 , wherein the supplemental data line path is at least partially formed by a first metal layer and wherein the first metal layer is interposed between second and third metal layers that form a power supply distribution line.

Continuity (4)
Continuation 17082613 · Oct 28, 2020
Continuation 16505532 · Jul 8, 2019
Provisional Application 62720705 · Aug 21, 2018
Related Publication 20220066272A1 · Mar 3, 2022