CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority to, and the benefit of, Korean Patent Application No. 10-2016-0159515, filed on Nov. 28, 2016 in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field

One or more embodiments relate to a display apparatus capable of displaying images and capable of improving a light efficiency of a head-mounted display (HMD), and a head-mounted electronic device including the same.

2. Description of the Related Art

A head-mounted display (HMD) apparatus refers to a display apparatus that is worn on a user's head or eyes, and that displays an image to a user. In recent years, as concern about wearable devices has increased, an HMD apparatus in which a micro display apparatus is mounted on a front side of glasses or of a helmet has been developed. The HMD apparatus may allow a user to perceive a stereoscopic effect, and may realistically realize virtual reality or augmented reality.

In general, to make an HMD, a display apparatus for displaying an image and a lens for enlarging the image to be recognized by a user are used. As a result, a wide viewing angle may be realized with a relatively small-sized display apparatus.

However, in the conventional display apparatus, when an enlarged image is implemented using a lens, a “screen door” effect occurs, and thus an area between neighboring pixels is displayed in black.

SUMMARY

One or more embodiments include a display apparatus capable of displaying high-quality images and capable of improving a light efficiency of a head-mounted display (HMD), and a head-mounted electronic device including the same. However, this is merely an example, and embodiments of the disclosure are not limited thereto.

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

According to one or more embodiments, a display apparatus includes a substrate including a plurality of pixel areas spaced from each other, and a plurality of non-pixel areas respectively located between neighboring pixel areas, a plurality of pixel electrodes respectively located in at least a part of the plurality of pixel areas, and a scattering layer on the plurality of pixel electrodes, and including a plurality of non-scattering areas respectively at a central portion of each of the plurality of pixel areas, and a plurality of scattering areas respectively between neighboring non-scattering areas.

The display apparatus may further include a plurality of emission layers respectively on the plurality of pixel electrodes, a counter electrode located on the plurality of emission layers, and corresponding to the plurality of pixel electrodes, and an encapsulation layer interposed between the counter electrode and the scattering layer.

The encapsulation layer may include an insulating layer having a stack structure, and a layer of the insulating layer that is closest to the scattering layer may include an inorganic layer.

The inorganic layer may include silicon nitride.

The display apparatus may further include a buffer layer between the encapsulation layer and the scattering layer.

The encapsulation layer includes an insulating layer having a stack structure, and a layer of the insulating layer that is closest to the buffer layer may include an inorganic layer having a refractive index that is greater than a refractive index of the buffer layer.

At least a part of the buffer layer may directly contact the encapsulation layer.

The display apparatus may further include a light-shielding layer between the encapsulation layer and the buffer layer, and defining a plurality of openings that are configured to respectively overlap the plurality of non-scattering areas of the scattering layer.

The light-shielding layer may include a light absorbing material.

The scattering areas may have a higher rate of light scattering than the non-scattering areas.

The scattering layer may include scattering particles that are configured to scatter incident light and that are either not located in the non-scattering areas, or are located in the non-scattering areas at a lower concentration than in the scattering areas.

According to one or more embodiments, a display apparatus includes a substrate including a plurality of pixel areas spaced apart from each other, and a plurality of non-pixel areas respectively located between neighboring pixel areas, a plurality of pixel electrodes respectively located in at least a part of the plurality of pixel areas, a scattering layer on the plurality of pixel electrodes, an encapsulation layer on the plurality of pixel electrodes, and including an insulating layer having a stack structure, and a buffer layer between the encapsulation layer and the scattering layer, wherein a layer of the insulating layer that is closest to the buffer layer includes an inorganic layer having a refractive index that is greater than a refractive index of the buffer layer.

The display apparatus may further include a plurality of emission layers respectively located on the plurality of pixel electrodes, and a counter electrode on the plurality of emission layers, and corresponding to the plurality of pixel electrodes.

The inorganic layer may include silicon nitride.

At least a part of the buffer layer may directly contact the encapsulation layer.

The scattering layer may include a plurality of non-scattering areas respectively located at a central portion of each of the plurality of pixel areas, and a plurality of scattering areas respectively located between neighboring non-scattering areas, and having a higher light scattering rate than the non-scattering areas.

The scattering layer may include scattering particles that are configured to scatter incident light, and that are either not located in the non-scattering areas, or are located in the non-scattering areas at a lower concentration than in the scattering areas.

The display apparatus may further include a light-shielding layer between the encapsulation layer and the buffer layer, and defining a plurality of openings that are configured to respectively overlap the plurality of non-scattering areas of the scattering layer.

The light-shielding layer may include a light absorbing material.

According to one or more embodiments, a head-mounted electronic device includes a display apparatus including a substrate including a plurality of pixel areas spaced from each other, and a plurality of non-pixel areas respectively located between neighboring pixel areas, a plurality of pixel electrodes respectively located in at least a part of the plurality of pixel areas, and a scattering layer on the plurality of pixel electrodes, and including a plurality of non-scattering areas respectively at a central portion of each of the plurality of pixel areas, and a plurality of scattering areas respectively between neighboring non-scattering areas, a lens unit facing the display apparatus, and configured to enlarge an image displayed by the display apparatus, and refract the enlarged image in an eyeball direction of a user, and a frame configured to accommodate the display apparatus and the lens unit, and configured to be worn on a user's head.

