This application claims priority to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0028242 filed on Mar. 6, 2020, and all the benefits accruing therefrom under 35 U.S.C. § 119, the content of which in its entirety is herein incorporated by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Disclosure

The present disclosure relates to a display device and a method of fabricating the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

A display device becomes more and more important as multimedia technology evolves. Accordingly, a variety of types of display devices such as organic light-emitting display (“OLED”) devices and liquid-crystal display (“LCD”) devices are currently used.

The display device is for displaying images and includes a display panel such as an organic light-emitting display panel or a liquid-crystal display panel. Among them, light-emitting display panel may include light-emitting elements. For example, light-emitting diodes (“LEDs”) may include an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) using an organic material as a fluorescent material, and an inorganic light-emitting diode using an inorganic material as a fluorescent material.

SUMMARY

Aspects of the present disclosure provide a display device in which a bonding force of a sealing member for bonding is enhanced between a display panel and an encapsulation substrate, and a method of face the same.

It should be noted that advantages and features of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned advantages and features; and other advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following descriptions.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, a display device may include a display panel, an encapsulation substrate, and a sealing member for bonding them together. The display device may include fusing patterns formed as materials of the sealing member, the encapsulation substrate and the display panel are fused and attached at the boundary between the sealing member and the encapsulation substrate and the boundary between the sealing member and the display panel. In order to prevent a metal line layer of the display panel from being damaged by the fusing patterns, melting patterns may be disposed in the encapsulation substrate. The melting patterns may have a refractive index different from that of the nearby region, and can prevent the pulsed laser irradiated during a process of forming the fusing period of times from being irradiated onto the metal line layer.

The display device according to the exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure includes the melting patterns and the fusing patterns, such that the bonding force of the sealing member can be enhanced, and the durability against external impact can be improved.

It should be noted that advantages and features of the present disclosure are not limited to the above-mentioned advantages and features; and other advantages and features of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following descriptions.

It should be noted that effects of the present disclosure are not limited to those described above and other effects of the present disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following descriptions.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a display device includes a display panel including a display area and non-display areas surrounding the display area; an encapsulation substrate disposed on the display panel and including melting patterns disposed in regions overlapping the non-display areas; a sealing member disposed between the display panel and the encapsulation substrate to couple the display panel with the encapsulation substrate; and fusing patterns disposed across the sealing member and the encapsulation substrate, where the display panel further includes a metal line layer disposed in at least a portion of the non-display areas, at least a portion of the sealing member is disposed on the metal line layer in the non-display areas, wherein the melting patterns are disposed to overlap the metal line layer in a thickness direction, and the fusing patterns are disposed not to overlap the metal line layer in the thickness direction.

A maximum width of the melting patterns may be equal to or greater than a width of the metal line layer.

A maximum width of the fusing patterns may be equal to the maximum width of the melting patterns.

Each of the melting patterns may include a melting interface and a melting area that has a different crystal structure from a crystal structure of an adjacent region outside the melting interface.

A refractive index of the melting patterns may be smaller than a refractive index of the adjacent region outside the melting interface.

The melting patterns may be spaced apart from a lower surface of the encapsulation substrate.

The fusing patterns may be disposed across the sealing member, the display panel and the encapsulation substrate, and each of the fusing patterns may include a fusing area where materials of the sealing member, the display panel and the encapsulation substrate are fused.

At least a portion of the sealing member may directly contact the display panel at a first boundary surface and the encapsulation substrate at a second boundary surface, no physical boundary may be on virtual extended lines in the fusing patterns, and the virtual extended lines may extend from the first boundary surface and the second boundary surface where the fusing patterns are formed.

Each of the fusing patterns may include a first portion disposed in the display panel, a second portion disposed in the sealing member, a third portion disposed in the encapsulation substrate, a third boundary surface between the second portion and the sealing member, a fourth boundary surface between the third portion and the encapsulation substrate, and a fifth boundary surface between the first portion and the display panel.

The third portion of each of the fusing patterns may include a material of the sealing member.

The second portion of each of the fusing patterns may include a material of the encapsulation substrate.

A width of the first portion in the virtual extended line extending from the first boundary surface of the fusion pattern may be smaller than a width of the third portion in the virtual extended line extending from the second boundary surface.

A height of the fusing patterns may be greater than a thickness of the sealing member in the thickness direction.

The thickness of the sealing member may range from about 4.5 micrometers (μm) to about 6 μm, and the height of the fusing patterns may range from about 8 μm to about 12 μm.

A maximum width of the fusing patterns may range from about 8 μm to about 12 μm, and the width of the sealing member may be greater than the maximum width of the fusing patterns.

The display device may further include an insulating layer disposed on the display panel in the display areas, where the metal line layer may be disposed on the insulating layer.

According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a display device includes a first substrate including a display area where a plurality of light-emitting elements is disposed, and non-display areas surrounding the display area; a second substrate disposed on the first substrate and including melting patterns disposed in a region overlapping the non-display areas; a metal line layer disposed on the non-display areas of the first substrate; a sealing member disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and surrounding the display area in the non-display areas; and fusing patterns disposed in the sealing member between the first substrate and the second substrate, where the second substrate includes a melting pattern area in which the molten patterns are disposed, the melting pattern area is in a portion of the non-display areas in which the metal line layer is disposed, and the fusing patterns are disposed not to overlap with the melting patterns in a plan view.

Each of the melting patterns may include a melting interface and a melting area that has a different crystal structure from a crystal structure of an adjacent region outside the melting interface, and a refractive index of each of the melting patterns may be smaller than a refractive index of the adjacent region outside the melting interface.

The metal line layer may be disposed only in a first non-display area of the non-display area located on one side of the display area, and the melting patterns may be disposed only in a region overlapping the first non-display area.

The metal line layer may be disposed to surround the display area in the non-display area, and the melting patterns may be disposed to overlap the metal line layer in the plan view.

The display device may further include an insulating layer disposed on the first substrate in the non-display areas, and the metal line layer may be disposed on the insulating layer.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of fabricating a display device includes preparing a first substrate and a second substrate and irradiating the second substrate with a first pulsed laser to form melting patterns having a refractive index smaller than a refractive index of an adjacent region; forming a sealing member on one surface of the second substrate, and attaching the second substrate and the first substrate together; and irradiating the sealing member disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate with a second pulse laser to form fusing patterns in which materials of the sealing member, the first substrate and the second substrate are fused.

The first pulsed laser and the second pulsed laser may be irradiated at a frequency of about 1 kilohertz (kHz) to about 10 megahertz (MHz) for about 10 femtoseconds (fs) to about 50 picoseconds (ps).

A focus of the first pulsed laser may be set in the second substrate, and a focus of the second pulsed laser may be set in the first substrate.

At least a portion of the sealing member may directly contact the first substrate at a first boundary surface and the second substrate at a second boundary surface, no physical boundary may be on virtual extended lines in the fusing patterns, and the virtual extended lines may extend from the first boundary surface and the second boundary surface.

Each of the melting patterns may include a melting interface and a melting area that has a different crystal structure from a crystal structure of an adjacent region outside the melting interface.

