IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,640,082
Granted Patent B2
US 12,640,082 · App. 18/229,104 · Granted May 26, 2026

Display device

Inventors: Jun Young Jo (Yongin-si, KR); Sang Won Seok (Yongin-si, KR); Seung Woo Sung (Yongin-si, KR); Na Ra On (Yongin-si, KR); Dong Eup Lee (Yongin-si, KR); Yun Kyeong In (Yongin-si, KR)
Assignee: Samsung Display Co., Ltd.
G09G3/2983G09G3/2074G09G3/3233G09G2300/02G09G2300/0413G09G2300/0452
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,640,082
App. No.
18/229,104
Granted
May 26, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

A display device includes: a main display area and a sub-display area having a plurality of transmission parts; a plurality of main pixel electrodes; a plurality of sub-pixel electrodes and a plurality of dummy electrodes in the sub-display area, the dummy electrodes being electrically connected to any one of the main pixel electrodes; and a plurality of connection electrodes connecting any one of the plurality of main pixel electrodes and any one of the plurality of dummy pixel electrodes to each other, wherein the sub-display area includes a first sub-display area having the transmission parts and the sub-pixel electrodes and a second sub-display area having the sub-pixel electrodes and the dummy pixel electrodes, and at least portions of the plurality of connection electrodes are between the dummy pixel electrodes adjacent to each other or between the dummy pixel electrode and the main pixel electrode adjacent to the dummy pixel electrode.

Claims (60)

1 . A display device comprising:

a main display area and a sub-display area surrounded by the main display area and having a plurality of transmission parts;

a plurality of main pixel electrodes in the main display area;

a plurality of sub-pixel electrodes in the sub-display area and a plurality of dummy pixel electrodes in the sub-display area and electrically connected to any one of the main pixel electrodes, respectively; and

a plurality of connection electrodes connecting any one of the plurality of main pixel electrodes and any one of the plurality of dummy pixel electrodes to each other, respectively,

wherein the sub-display area includes a first sub-display area in which the transmission parts and the sub-pixel electrodes are located and a second sub-display area which surrounds the first sub-display area and in which the sub-pixel electrodes and the dummy pixel electrodes are located,

at least portions of the plurality of connection electrodes are between the dummy pixel electrodes adjacent to each other or between a dummy pixel electrode and the main pixel electrode adjacent to the dummy pixel electrode,

a planer shape of each of the sub-pixel electrodes in the first sub-display area is different from a planer shape of each of the dummy pixel electrodes in the second sub-display area, and

at least one connection electrode of the plurality of connection electrodes has a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and the second portion extending in directions perpendicular to each other.

2 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein an interval between the main pixel electrodes adjacent to each other and an interval between the dummy pixel electrodes adjacent to each other is greater than an interval between a dummy pixel electrode from among the dummy pixel electrodes and another connection electrode that is not connected to the dummy pixel electrode.

3 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein an arrangement in which the plurality of main pixel electrodes and the plurality of dummy pixel electrodes are spaced apart from each other is different from an arrangement in which the plurality of sub-pixel electrodes are spaced apart from each other.

4 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of main pixel electrodes overlap a pixel circuit unit electrically connected to the main pixel electrodes,

the plurality of sub-pixel electrodes overlap a sub-pixel circuit unit electrically connected to the sub-pixel electrodes, and

the dummy pixel electrodes do not overlap the pixel circuit unit and the sub-pixel circuit unit.

5 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein the main pixel electrodes include a first main pixel electrode of a light emitting element emitting light of a first color and a second main pixel electrode of a light emitting element emitting light of a second color different from the first color,

the dummy pixel electrodes include a first dummy pixel electrode connected to the first main pixel electrode and in a light emitting element emitting the light of the first color and a second dummy pixel electrode connected to the second main pixel electrode and in a light emitting element emitting the light of the second color, and

an interval between the first main pixel electrode and the first dummy pixel electrode is greater than an interval between the first main pixel electrode and the second dummy pixel electrode.

6 . The display device of claim 5 , wherein the sub-pixel electrodes include a first sub-pixel electrode of a light emitting element configured to emit the light of the first color and a second sub-pixel electrode of a light emitting element configured to emit the light of the second color, and

an interval between the first sub-pixel electrode and the first dummy pixel electrode is greater than an interval between the second sub-pixel electrode and the first dummy pixel electrode.

7 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein the main pixel electrodes include a first main pixel electrode, a second main pixel electrode, and a third main pixel electrode spaced apart from the first main pixel electrode in a first direction,

the dummy pixel electrodes include a first dummy pixel electrode spaced apart from the third main pixel electrode in a second direction and connected to the first main pixel electrode through a first connection electrode and a second dummy pixel electrode spaced apart from the second main pixel electrode in the second direction and connected to the second main pixel electrode through a second connection electrode, and

the first connection electrode is spaced apart from the second dummy pixel electrode in the second direction.

8 . The display device of claim 7 , wherein the second connection electrode is between the second main pixel electrode and the second dummy pixel electrode.

9 . The display device of claim 7 , wherein the dummy pixel electrodes further include a third dummy pixel electrode spaced apart from the first main pixel electrode in the second direction and connected to the third main pixel electrode through a third connection electrode, and

the third connection electrode surrounds the first dummy pixel electrode.

10 . The display device of claim 7 , wherein a dummy pixel electrode adjacent to a boundary at one side of the first sub-display area in the first direction among boundaries between the first sub-display area and the second sub-display area and a dummy pixel electrode adjacent to a boundary at the other side of the first sub-display area in the first direction among the boundaries between the first sub-display area and the second sub-display area are different from each other.

11 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of main pixel electrodes include a plurality of connected pixel electrodes electrically connected to the dummy pixel electrodes and a plurality of independent pixel electrodes that are not connected to the dummy pixel electrodes, and

a channel region of a first transistor of a pixel circuit unit electrically connected to the independent pixel electrode has a length different from that of a channel region of a first transistor of a pixel circuit unit electrically connected to the connected pixel electrode.

12 . The display device of claim 11 , wherein the connected pixel electrodes surround the sub-display area, and the independent pixel electrodes surround the connected pixel electrodes.

13 . The display device of claim 1 , wherein the sub-display area includes a plurality of sub-pixels including the sub-pixel electrodes, and

any one of the transmission parts is between the plurality of sub-pixels spaced apart from each other in one direction.

14 . The display device of claim 13 , wherein the transmission parts include first transmission parts within the first sub-display area and second transmission parts in contact with the second sub-display area at a boundary between the first sub-display area and the second sub-display area, and

an area of the first transmission part is greater than an area of the second transmission part.

15 . A display device comprising:

a substrate including a main display area and a sub-display area surrounded by the main display area and having a plurality of transmission parts;

a thin film transistor layer including a pixel circuit unit in the main display area on the substrate, a sub-pixel circuit unit not overlapping the transmission parts in the sub-display area on the substrate, and a via layer on the pixel circuit unit and the sub-pixel circuit unit;

a plurality of main pixel electrodes on the via layer and spaced apart from each other in the main display area;

a plurality of sub-pixel electrodes and a plurality of dummy pixel electrodes on the via layer and spaced apart from each other in the sub-display area and a plurality of connection electrodes electrically connected to any one of the plurality of dummy pixel electrodes and any one of the plurality of main pixel electrodes, respectively;

a plurality of light emitting layers on the main pixel electrodes, the sub-pixel electrodes, and the dummy pixel electrodes, respectively; and

a common electrode on the plurality of light emitting layers,

wherein the main pixel electrodes overlap the pixel circuit unit,

the sub-pixel electrodes overlap the sub-pixel circuit unit, and

the dummy pixel electrodes do not overlap the pixel circuit unit and the sub-pixel circuit unit,

wherein the sub-display area includes a first sub-display area in which the sub-pixel electrodes and the transmission parts are located and a second sub-display area surrounding the first sub-display area and in which the sub-pixel electrodes and the dummy pixel electrodes are located,

the dummy pixel electrodes surround the first sub-display area,

a planer shape of each of the sub-pixel electrodes in the first sub-display area is different from a planer shape of each of the dummy pixel electrodes in the second sub-display area, and

at least one connection electrode of the plurality of connection electrodes has a first portion and a second portion, the first portion and the second portion extending in directions perpendicular to each other.

16 . The display device of claim 15 , wherein the thin film transistor layer includes a lower metal layer on the substrate and including a plurality of opening patterns overlapping the transmission parts, and

the transmission parts include first transmission parts within the first sub-display area and second transmission parts in contact with the second sub-display area and having a smaller area than the first transmission parts.

17 . The display device of claim 15 , wherein the thin film transistor layer further includes:

a lower metal layer on the substrate;

a buffer layer on the lower metal layer;

a first semiconductor layer on the buffer layer;

a gate insulating layer on the first semiconductor layer;

a gate conductive layer on the gate insulating layer;

an interlayer insulating layer on the gate conductive layer; and

a data conductive layer on the interlayer insulating layer, and

the via layer is on the data conductive layer.

18 . The display device of claim 17 , wherein the lower metal layer overlaps the pixel circuit unit and the sub-pixel circuit unit, and does not overlap the transmission parts.

19 . The display device of claim 17 , wherein the first semiconductor layer, the gate insulating layer, the gate conductive layer, the interlayer insulating layer, and the data conductive layer are not in a transmission part of the transmission parts, but only a portion of the via layer is in the transmission part.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Aug 16, 2023
From: JO, JUN YOUNG; SEOK, SANG WON; SUNG, SEUNG WOO; ON, NA RA; LEE, DONG EUP; IN, YUN KYEONG
To: SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 064614/0257 →
Priority Claims (2)
KR 10-2022-0101575 · Aug 12, 2022 · national
KR 10-2023-0054205 · Apr 25, 2023 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240054940A1 · Feb 15, 2024
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