CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority from and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0131827, filed on Oct. 23, 2019 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0034290, filed on Mar. 20, 2020, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference for all purposes as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND

Field

Exemplary implementations of the invention relate generally to display devices and, more specifically, to display devices having an improved viewing angle.

Discussion of the Background

Electronic devices, such as smart phones, tablets, laptop computers, and smart television sets, are being developed. The electronic device includes a display device to provide information to a user. As a multimedia technology advances, there is an increasing demand for display devices suitable for the multimedia environment. In order to meet the demand, various kinds of display devices, such as liquid crystal display (LCD) and organic light emitting display (OLED) devices, have been developed.

The organic light emitting diode device includes an organic light emitting diode, which is configured to emit light. However, the light-emitting characteristic of the organic light emitting diode is poor in the lateral direction compared with the front side, which this leads to a reduction in the lateral viewing angle of the organic light emitting display device, compared to the front viewing angle.

The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for understanding of the background of the inventive concepts, and, therefore, it may contain information that does not constitute prior art.

SUMMARY

Applicant discovered that the reduction in the lateral viewing angle of organic light emitting display devices compared to a front viewing angle can be improved by diffracting light in the display panel.

Display devices constructed according to the principles and exemplary implementations of the invention have an improved lateral viewing angle, which may be achieved by providing diffraction patterns in an input sensor of the display devices.

In display devices constructed according to the principles and some exemplary embodiments of the invention, light emitted from an organic light emitting diode may be diffracted by diffraction patterns to improve a color-difference issue that may occur when a viewing angle is increased. Accordingly, the overall viewing angle characteristics of the display device may be improved.

Additional features of the inventive concepts will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the inventive concepts.

According to one aspect of the invention, a display device includes a display panel including a light-emitting device to emit light; and an input sensor disposed on the display panel, wherein the input sensor includes: a first insulating layer disposed on the display panel; a first conductive layer disposed on the first insulating layer; a second insulating layer covering the first conductive layer; and a second conductive layer disposed on the second insulating layer, wherein at least one of the first and second insulating layers includes a plurality of diffraction patterns arranged to diffract at least a portion of the light provided from the display panel.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may be disposed in the second insulating layer.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may be disposed in the first insulating layer.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may include: a plurality of first diffraction patterns disposed in the first insulating layer; and a plurality of second diffraction patterns disposed in the second insulating layer.

The first insulating layer may have a multi-layered structure including at least two stacked sub-insulating layers.

The plurality of first diffraction patterns may include: a plurality of first sub-diffraction patterns disposed in a first sub-insulating layer of the first insulating layer; and a plurality of second sub-diffraction patterns disposed in a second sub-insulating layer of the first insulating layer and overlapping the plurality of first sub-diffraction patterns, wherein the plurality of second diffraction patterns may be disposed in the second insulating layer overlap the plurality of second sub-diffraction patterns.

The display panel further may include an encapsulation layer covering the light-emitting device, and the first insulating layer is directly disposed on the encapsulation layer.

The encapsulation layer may include: a first encapsulation layer covering a plurality of pixels; a second encapsulation layer disposed on the first encapsulation layer; and a third encapsulation layer disposed on the second encapsulation layer, wherein the first insulating layer may be disposed on the third encapsulation layer.

The first insulating layer may have a multi-layered structure including at least two stacked sub-insulating layers, and the plurality of diffraction patterns may include: a plurality of first diffraction patterns disposed in the at least two sub-insulating layers; and a plurality of second diffraction patterns disposed in the second insulating layer.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may further include a plurality of third diffraction patterns disposed in the third encapsulation layer overlapping the plurality of first diffraction patterns.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may include a plurality of holes penetrating at least one of the first and second insulating layers.

The plurality of holes may have one of generally circular, polygonal, elliptical, and elongated shapes.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may be columnar-shaped structures disposed in at least one of the first and second insulating layers.

The columnar-shaped structures may have one of generally circular, polygonal, elliptical, and elongated shapes.

The input sensor may include an input-sensing unit including a protection layer disposed on the second insulating layer, and each of the first and second insulating layers has a refractive index different from a refractive index of the protection layer.

The display panel may include a plurality of pixels, and each of the plurality of pixels may include: an emission region to emit light, the light-emitting device being disposed in the emission region; and a non-emission region adjacent to the emission region.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may overlap at least the emission region.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may overlap the non-emission region.

The display panel may include a plurality of pixels including a first pixel to emit red light, a second pixel to emit green light, and a third pixel to emit blue light, and the plurality of diffraction patterns overlap at least one of the first to third pixels.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may overlap the first pixel.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may overlap the first and third pixels.

According to another aspect of the invention, a display device includes: a display panel including a plurality of pixels to display an image, each of the plurality of pixels including a light-emitting device to emit light; and an input sensor disposed on the display panel, wherein the input sensor includes: a sensing electrode; and an insulating layer disposed on or below the sensing electrode, the insulating layer including a plurality of diffraction patterns arranged to diffract at least a portion of the light provided from the display panel, the plurality of diffraction patterns overlapping at least one of the plurality of pixels.

The sensing electrode may include a first sensing electrode and a second sensing electrode intersecting each other, and each of the first and second sensing electrodes includes sensing portions and a connecting portion connecting adjacent ones of the sensing portions.

The insulating layer may include: a first insulating layer, on which the connecting portion of the first sensing electrode is disposed; and a second insulating layer, on which the sensing portions of the first sensing electrode, the sensing portions of the second sensing electrode, and the connecting portion of the second sensing electrode are disposed, wherein the second insulating layer may cover the connecting portion of the first sensing electrode, and the connecting portion of the first sensing electrode may be electrically connected to the sensing portions of the first sensing electrode through a contact hole formed in the second insulating layer.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may be disposed in at least one of the first and second insulating layers.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may include a plurality of holes penetrating at least one of the first and second insulating layers.

The display device may further include a protection layer disposed on the second insulating layer to cover the sensing portions of the first sensing electrode, the sensing portions of the second sensing electrode, and the connecting portion of the second sensing electrode.

The insulating layer may further include a third insulating layer disposed between the protection layer and the second insulating layer, and the plurality of diffraction patterns are disposed in the third insulating layer.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may be disposed in the second insulating layer, and the insulating layer may further include a fourth insulating layer disposed below the first insulating layer.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may be disposed in the second insulating layer, and the insulating layer may further include a fifth insulating layer disposed between the first and second insulating layers.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may be disposed on the first insulating layer, and the second insulating layer may include a diffraction open portion overlapping the plurality of diffraction patterns formed on the first insulating layer.

Each of the sensing portions of the first and second sensing electrodes may include a mesh electrode having a mesh shape.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may not be overlapped with the mesh electrode, when viewed in plan.

The plurality of pixels may include a first pixel to emit red light, a second pixel to emit green light, and a third pixel to emit blue light, and the plurality of diffraction patterns overlap at least one of the first to third pixels.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may overlap the first pixel.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may overlap the first and third pixels.

The display panel further may include an encapsulation layer covering the plurality of pixels, and the input sensor includes an input-sensing unit directly disposed on the encapsulation layer.

According to another aspect of the invention, a display device includes: a display panel including a plurality of pixels to display an image, each of the plurality of pixels including a light-emitting device to emit light; and a diffraction pattern layer including a plurality of diffraction patterns arranged on the display panel to diffract at least a portion of the light provided from the display panel, wherein the plurality of diffraction patterns overlap at least one of the plurality of pixels.

The plurality of pixels may include a first pixel to emit red light, a second pixel to emit green light, and a third pixel to emit blue light, and the plurality of diffraction patterns overlap at least one of the first to third pixels.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may overlap the first pixel.

The plurality of diffraction patterns may overlap the first and third pixels.

The display device may further include an input sensor disposed on the display panel, wherein the diffraction pattern layer may be disposed between the display panel and the input sensor or is disposed on the input sensor.

The display panel may further include an encapsulation layer covering the plurality of pixels, and the input sensor is directly disposed on the encapsulation layer.

The input sensor may include an input-sensing unit including: a first insulating layer directly disposed on the encapsulation layer; a first conductive layer disposed on the first insulating layer; a second insulating layer covering the first conductive layer; a second conductive layer disposed on the second insulating layer; and a protection layer covering the second conductive layer and the second insulating layer.

The diffraction pattern layer may be disposed on the protection layer.

The diffraction pattern layer may be disposed between the encapsulation layer and the first insulating layer.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the invention as claimed.

