IP Library Granted Patent US 11,462,163
Granted Patent B2
US 11,462,163 · App. 17/555,694 · Granted Oct 4, 2022

Display with light-emitting diodes

Inventors: Chin-Wei Lin (San Jose, CA); Hung Sheng Lin (San Jose, CA); Shih Chang Chang (Cupertino, CA); Shinya Ono (Santa Clara, CA)
Assignee: Apple Inc.
G09G3/3233G09G3/3266G09G3/3275H01L27/1225H01L29/7869H01L29/78651G09G2300/0842G09G2300/0861G09G2310/0202G09G2320/0295G09G2320/043
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,462,163
App. No.
17/555,694
Granted
Oct 4, 2022
Kind
B2
Abstract

A display may have an array of pixels each of which has a light-emitting diode such as an organic light-emitting diode. A drive transistor and an emission transistor may be coupled in series with the light-emitting diode of each pixel between a positive power supply and a ground power supply. The pixels may include first and second switching transistors. A data storage capacitor may be coupled between a gate and source of the drive transistor in each pixel. Signal lines may be provided in columns of pixels to route signals such as data signals, sensed drive currents from the drive transistors, and predetermined voltages between display driver circuitry and the pixels. The switching transistors, emission transistors, and drive transistors may include semiconducting-oxide transistors and silicon transistors and may be n-channel transistors or p-channel transistors.

Claims (51)

1. A display comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels comprises:

a first emission transistor;

a drive transistor;

a second emission transistor;

a light-emitting diode, wherein the first emission transistor, the drive transistor, the second emission transistor, and the light-emitting diode are connected in series between a first power supply terminal and a second power supply terminal;

a first switching transistor that is coupled between a source of the drive transistor and a data line; and

a second switching transistor that is coupled to an anode of the light-emitting diode, wherein a gate of the second switching transistor receives a control signal that is also provided to a gate of the first switching transistor in a previous row.

2. The display defined in claim 1 , wherein the first and second emission transistors are first and second silicon emission transistors, wherein the first and second switching transistors are first and second silicon switching transistors, and wherein the drive transistor is a silicon drive transistor.

3. The display defined in claim 2 , wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels further comprises:

a third switching transistor that is coupled to a gate of the drive transistor.

4. The display defined in claim 3 , wherein the third switching transistor is a semiconducting-oxide switching transistor.

5. The display defined in claim 1 , wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels further comprises:

a capacitor that is coupled to a gate of the drive transistor.

6. The display defined in claim 1 , further comprising:

a global signal path that distributes a shared voltage to all of the plurality of pixels, wherein the second switching transistor in each pixel in the plurality of pixels is coupled to the global signal path.

7. A display comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein a first pixel in the plurality of pixels comprises:

a first emission transistor;

a drive transistor;

a second emission transistor;

a light-emitting diode, wherein the first emission transistor, the drive transistor, the second emission transistor, and the light-emitting diode are connected in series between a first power supply terminal and a second power supply terminal;

a first switching transistor that is coupled between a first node and a data line, wherein the first node is interposed between the drive transistor and the first emission transistor; and

a second switching transistor that is coupled to an anode of the light-emitting diode, wherein the second switching transistor shares a control signal with a transistor in a second pixel of the plurality of pixels.

8. The display defined in claim 7 , wherein the first pixel is in a first row of pixels and wherein the second pixel is in a second row of pixels that is a previous row to the first row of pixels.

9. The display defined in claim 8 , wherein the second pixel of the plurality of pixels comprises:

an additional first emission transistor;

an additional drive transistor;

an additional second emission transistor;

an additional light-emitting diode, wherein the additional first emission transistor, the additional drive transistor, the additional second emission transistor, and the additional light-emitting diode are connected in series between an additional first power supply terminal and an additional second power supply terminal; and

an additional first switching transistor that is coupled between an additional first node and the data line, wherein the additional first node is interposed between the additional drive transistor and the additional first emission transistor and wherein the additional first switching transistor is the transistor that shares the control signal with the second switching transistor in the first pixel.

10. The display defined in claim 7 , wherein the first and second emission transistors are first and second silicon emission transistors, wherein the first and second switching transistors are first and second silicon switching transistors, and wherein the drive transistor is a silicon drive transistor.

11. The display defined in claim 10 , wherein the first pixel further comprises:

a third switching transistor that is coupled to a gate of the drive transistor.

12. The display defined in claim 11 , wherein the third switching transistor is a semiconducting-oxide switching transistor.

13. The display defined in claim 7 , wherein the first pixel further comprises:

a capacitor that is coupled to a gate of the drive transistor.

14. The display defined in claim 7 , further comprising:

a global signal path that distributes a shared voltage to all of the plurality of pixels, wherein the second switching transistor is coupled to the global signal path.

15. A display comprising a plurality of pixels, wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels comprises:

a first emission transistor;

a drive transistor;

a second emission transistor;

a light-emitting diode, wherein the first emission transistor, the drive transistor, the second emission transistor, and the light-emitting diode are connected in series between a first power supply terminal and a second power supply terminal;

a first switching transistor that is coupled between a source of the drive transistor and a data line; and

a second switching transistor that is coupled to an anode of the light-emitting diode, wherein a gate of the second switching transistor is controlled using a scan line signal from a previous row.

16. The display defined in claim 15 , wherein, for each pixel in the plurality of pixels, the scan line signal from the previous row controls a gate of the first switching transistor in the previous row.

17. The display defined in claim 15 , wherein the first and second emission transistors are first and second silicon emission transistors, wherein the first and second switching transistors are first and second silicon switching transistors, and wherein the drive transistor is a silicon drive transistor.

18. The display defined in claim 17 , wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels further comprises:

a third switching transistor that is coupled to a gate of the drive transistor.

19. The display defined in claim 18 , wherein the third switching transistor is a semiconducting-oxide switching transistor.

20. The display defined in claim 15 , wherein each pixel in the plurality of pixels further comprises:

a capacitor that is coupled to a gate of the drive transistor.

Continuity (8)
Continuation 17222844 · Apr 5, 2021
Continuation 16897129 · Jun 9, 2020
Continuation 16678148 · Nov 8, 2019
Continuation 16289007 · Feb 28, 2019
Continuation 15811406 · Nov 13, 2017
Continuation 15263803 · Sep 13, 2016
Provisional Application 62263074 · Dec 4, 2015
Related Publication 20220114962A1 · Apr 14, 2022
Cited By (3)
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