CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0171136, filed on Dec. 27, 2018, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

Example embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a display device, and more particularly, to a display device in which a defect by external light reflection in a non-display area is minimized.

DISCUSSION OF RELATED ART

Among various display devices, an organic light emitting display device has brilliant colors, wide viewing angles, excellent contrast, and fast response speeds, and thus, is in the limelight as a next-generation display device.

Generally, an organic light-emitting display device includes thin film transistors and organic light-emitting diodes formed on a substrate, and the organic light-emitting diodes operate by emitting light in response to electrical currents supplied by the thin film transistors. The organic light-emitting display device may be used as a display unit of miniaturized products such as mobile phones, or used as a display unit of large-scale products such as televisions.

The organic light-emitting display device may include a display area in which pixels are arranged and a non-display area located outside the display area. Since the non-display area of the organic light-emitting display device is usually formed along edges of the substrate, structures for preventing external moisture transmission are arranged. Problems may arise from the formation of these structures for preventing external moisture transmission such as, for example, external light may be reflected by the structures and light leakage may occur inside the non-display area.

SUMMARY

Example embodiments of the present disclosure include a display device in which a defect by external light reflection in a non-display area is minimized. However, it should be understood that the example embodiments described herein should be considered in a descriptive sense only and not for limitation of the present disclosure.

Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be apparent from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented example embodiments.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a display device includes: a display panel and a touch unit arranged on the display panel. The display panel may include: a substrate including a display area and a non-display area arranged around the display area; an insulator including a valley portion, the valley portion being defined as an opening arranged along an outer side of the display area in the non-display area; and a display unit arranged in the display area and including a light-emitting element electrically connected to a thin film transistor. The touch unit may include a reflection prevention unit that overlaps the valley portion and is configured to reduce reflectivity of external light.

The touch unit may be directly arranged on the display panel, and may include: a sensing electrode corresponding to the display area; and a signal line corresponding to the non-display area and electrically connected to the sensing electrode.

The sensing electrode may include: a first conductive layer; a second conductive layer arranged over the first conductive layer; a first insulating layer arranged between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer; and a second insulating layer arranged on the second conductive layer.

The reflection prevention unit may include a material the same as that of the second conductive layer.

The sensing electrode may have a mesh shape.

The sensing electrode may include a first sensing electrode and a second sensing electrode intersecting the first sensing electrode, and the signal line may include: a first signal line connected to the first sensing electrode and a second signal line connected to the second sensing electrode.

At least a portion of the signal line may overlap the valley portion.

The reflection prevention unit may include at least a portion of the signal line.

The touch unit may further include: a dummy layer, to which an electric signal is not applied, arranged on an outer side of the signal line, with at least a portion of the dummy layer overlapping the valley portion.

The reflection prevention unit may include at least a portion of the dummy layer.

The touch unit may further include: an electrostatic discharge prevention line arranged on an outer side of the signal line, with at least a portion of the electrostatic discharge prevention line overlapping the valley portion.

The reflection prevention unit may include at least a portion of the electrostatic discharge prevention line.

The touch unit may further include: a guard line arranged at an outermost portion of the signal line and configured to prevent a signal interference on the signal line, with at least a portion of the guard line overlapping the valley portion.

The reflection prevention unit may include at least a portion of the guard line.

A width of the reflection prevention unit may be greater than a width of the valley portion.

The light-emitting element may include: a pixel electrode, a common electrode arranged on the pixel electrode, and an emission layer arranged between the pixel electrode and the common electrode. The display panel may further include: an encapsulation unit arranged on the common electrode, the encapsulating unit including a first inorganic encapsulation layer, a second inorganic encapsulation layer arranged over the first inorganic encapsulation layer, and an organic encapsulation layer arranged between the first inorganic encapsulation layer and the second inorganic encapsulation layer. The touch unit may be arranged on the second inorganic encapsulation layer.

The common electrode may extend to a portion of the non-display area, and may cover the valley portion.

The display area of the display panel may include a round corner portion.

A partial area of the touch unit may have a predetermined curvature to correspond to a shape of the display area.

The insulator may further include: a first insulating layer; and a second insulating layer arranged on the first insulating layer. The valley portion may include a first opening defined in the first insulating layer and a second opening defined in the second insulating layer.

The display unit may further include: a planarization layer arranged on the thin film transistor to cover the thin film transistor; and a pixel-defining layer arranged on the planarization layer and including an opening defining an emission area of the light-emitting element, in which the first insulating layer may include a material the same as that of the planarization layer, and the second insulating layer may include a material the same as that of the pixel-defining layer.

The insulator may further include: a first insulating layer; a second insulating layer arranged on the first insulating layer; and a third insulating layer arranged on the second insulating layer. The valley portion may include: a first opening defined in the first insulating layer; a second opening defined in the second insulating layer; and a third opening defined in the third insulating layer.

The display unit may further include: a first planarization layer arranged on the thin film transistor to cover the thin film transistor; a second planarization layer arranged on the first planarization layer; and a pixel-defining layer arranged on the second planarization layer and including an opening defining an emission area of the light-emitting element, in which the first insulating layer may include a material the same as that of the first planarization layer, the second insulating layer may include a material the same as that of the second planarization layer, and the third insulating layer may include a material the same as that of the pixel-defining layer.

The valley portion may surround an outer portion of the display area in a plan view, and may have a shape in which at least one side thereof is open.

The valley portion may have a stepped structure of two or more steps.

An inner surface of the valley portion may have a tapered inclined surface.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a display device includes: a substrate including a display area and a non-display area arranged around the display area; a display unit arranged in the display area and including a light-emitting element electrically connected to a thin film transistor; an insulator extending from the display area and including a valley portion defined as an opening arranged along an outer side of the display area, with at least a portion of the insulator being arranged in the non-display area; an encapsulation unit including at least one inorganic layer and at least one organic layer and arranged on the light-emitting element to encapsulate the light-emitting element; and a touch unit arranged on the encapsulation unit and including a sensing electrode corresponding to the display area, a signal line corresponding to the non-display area and connected to the sensing electrode, and a dummy layer arranged on one side of the signal line, the dummy layer overlapping the valley portion.

The sensing electrode may include a plurality of first sensing electrodes and a plurality of second sensing electrodes, the signal line may include a plurality of first signal lines respectively connected to the plurality of first sensing electrodes and a plurality of second signal lines respectively connected to the plurality of second sensing electrodes, and the dummy layer may be arranged between a first signal line arranged at an outermost portion among the plurality of first signal lines, and a second signal line arranged at an outermost portion among the plurality of second signal lines.

According to an example embodiment of the present disclosure, a display device includes: a substrate including a display area and a non-display area arranged around the display area; a display unit arranged in the display area and including a light-emitting element electrically connected to a thin film transistor; an insulator extending from the display area and including a valley portion defined as an opening arranged along an outer side of the display area, with at least a portion of the insulator being arranged in the non-display area; an encapsulation unit including at least one inorganic layer and at least one organic layer and arranged on the light-emitting element to encapsulate the light-emitting element; and a touch unit arranged on the encapsulation unit and including a reflection prevention unit configured to reduce reflectivity of external light, in which, in a plan view, the reflection prevention unit may include at least a first portion which overlaps an entirety of the valley portion, and a second portion which surrounds the first portion and does not overlap the valley portion.

The touch unit may include: a sensing electrode corresponding to the display area; and a signal line corresponding to the non-display area and electrically connected to the sensing electrode, in which the reflection prevention unit may include at least one of a part of the signal line, a part of a guard line, a part of an electrostatic discharge prevention line, and a part of a dummy layer arranged on one side of the signal line.

