CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This U.S. non-provisional patent application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2020-0061696 under 35 U.S.C. § 119, filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) on May 22, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device including a sensor layer.

An electronic device includes an active area that is activated by an electrical signal. The electronic device may sense an input applied from the outside through the active area and simultaneously display various images to provide information to a user.

The electronic device may include various elements such as a display element, a touch element, or a detection element, which are activated by an electronic signal. Also, a structure including optical functional layers on the display element and a method for forming the optical functional layers have been developed in order to improve display quality of the electronic device.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure provides an electronic device having improved reliability by controlling (or adjusting) a position of a high diffraction layer.

In an aspect, an embodiment provides an electronic device including an active area and a line area disposed adjacent to the active area, the electronic device including a display element layer; an encapsulation layer disposed on the display element layer; a sensor layer including a sensing electrode disposed in the active area; and a sensing line disposed in the line area, electrically connected with the sensing electrode, and extending in a first direction; and a high refraction layer disposed on the sensor layer. The sensor layer may further include a first conductive layer disposed on the encapsulation layer; a second conductive layer disposed on the first conductive layer; an inorganic insulation layer disposed between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer; and an organic insulation layer disposed between the second conductive layer and the high refraction layer. In the line area, at least one opening may be defined in the organic insulation layer, the at least one opening extending in a second direction different from the first direction, and the inorganic insulation layer is exposed by the at least one opening of the organic insulation layer.

In an embodiment, a plurality of the contact holes may be defined in the inorganic insulation layer, and the plurality of the contact holes may include a first contact hole and a second contact hole defined at a side and another side of the at least one opening of the organic insulation layer, respectively.

In an embodiment, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer may be electrically connected to each other through the first contact hole and the second contact hole of the plurality of contact holes.

In an embodiment, the first contact hole and the second contact hole of the plurality of contact holes may be filled by the second conductive layer.

In an embodiment, the first contact hole and the second contact hole of the plurality of contact holes may overlap the organic insulation layer and may not overlap the high refraction layer.

In an embodiment, the first direction may extend from the active area to the line area, and the second direction may be perpendicular to the first direction.

In an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a plurality of dam parts disposed in the line area and surrounding at least a portion of the active area. The plurality of dam parts may be disposed adjacent to the active area and may not overlap the at least one opening of the organic insulation layer.

In an embodiment, the line area may include a first part disposed adjacent to the active area where the plurality of dam parts are disposed; a second part overlapping the at least one opening of the organic insulation layer; and a third part disposed between the first part and the second part. The inorganic insulation layer, the organic insulation layer, and the high refraction layer may overlap each other in the first part of the line area, the inorganic insulation layer may not overlap the organic insulation layer and the high refraction layer in the second part of the line area, and the inorganic insulation layer may overlap the organic insulation layer and may not overlap the high refraction layer in the third part of the line area.

In an embodiment, the first conductive layer, the inorganic insulation layer, the second conductive layer, the organic insulation layer, and the high refraction layer may be sequentially formed in the first part of the line area, the first conductive layer and the inorganic insulation layer may be formed in the second part of the line area, and the first conductive layer, the inorganic insulation layer, the second conductive layer, and the organic insulation layer may be sequentially formed in the third part of the line area.

In an embodiment, the electronic device may further include an adhesive layer disposed on the high refraction layer, and a polarizer layer disposed on the adhesive layer. The adhesive layer may contact the high refraction layer in the first part of the line area, the adhesive layer may contact the exposed inorganic insulation layer in the second part of the line area, and the adhesive layer may contact the organic insulation layer in the third part of the line area.

In an embodiment, the at least one opening of the organic insulation layer may include a bottom portion defined by the exposed inorganic insulation layer, and a side portion defined by the organic insulation layer overlapping the second conductive layer. An inclined angle of the side portion with respect to the bottom portion may be in a range from about 100° to about 110°.

In an embodiment, the plurality of dam parts may include a first dam part disposed adjacent to the active area, a second dam part disposed outside the first dam part, and a third dam part disposed outside the second dam part, and the high refraction layer may have a thickness that gradually decreases in a direction from the first dam part to the third dam part.

In an embodiment, an edge of the high refraction layer may overlap the third dam part in a plan view.

In an embodiment, the high refraction layer may have a refractive index equal to or greater than about 1.6.

In an embodiment, the electronic device may further include a plurality of sub-protruding parts spaced apart from each other in the at least one opening of the inorganic insulation layer.

In an embodiment, the plurality of sub-protruding parts and the organic insulation layer may include a same material.

In another aspect, an electronic device including an active area, a line area disposed adjacent to the active area, and a pad area spaced apart from the active area and disposed adjacent to the line area, may include a display element layer; an encapsulation layer disposed on the display element layer; a sensor layer including a sensing electrode disposed in the active area; and a sensing line disposed in the line area, electrically connected with the sensing electrode, and extending in a first direction; and a high refraction layer disposed on the sensor layer. The sensor layer may further include a first conductive layer disposed on the encapsulation layer; a second conductive layer disposed on the first conductive layer; an inorganic insulation layer disposed between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer; and an organic insulation layer disposed between the second conductive layer and the high refraction layer. In the line area, a first opening and a second opening, each of which extends in a second direction different from the first direction, may be defined in the organic insulation layer, the second opening may be disposed closer to the pad area than the first opening, and a first contact hole is defined in the inorganic insulation layer in the line area at a side of the first opening adjacent to the active area, and a second contact hole is defined in the inorganic insulation layer at a side of the second opening adjacent to the pad area.

In an embodiment, the second direction may be perpendicular to the first direction, and each of the first opening and the second opening may have a stripe shape extending in the second direction in a plan view.

In an embodiment, the electronic device may further include an adhesive layer disposed on the high refraction layer and filling the first opening of the organic insulation layer, and a polarizer layer disposed on the adhesive layer.

In an embodiment, the adhesive layer may contact the inorganic insulation layer exposed by the first contact hole or the second contact hole, and may not contact the second conductive layer.

