TW202028828A - Optical member and display apparatus including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An optical member including a base substrate, a quantum dot layer disposed on the base substrate and having a first top surface including a lower wrinkle is disclosed. The quantum dot layer including a medium layer and a plurality of quantum dots dispersed in the medium layer. A lower barrier layer disposes between the base substrate and the quantum dot layer, and an upper barrier layer covers the quantum dot layer, in which the upper barrier layer has a second top surface with an upper wrinkle corresponding to the lower wrinkle of the quantum dot layer.

Description

Optical component and display device containing the same

Cross-reference of related applications This application claims the priority of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2018-0107618 filed on September 10, 2018 and Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0027343 filed on March 11, 2019 And benefits, for all purposes, the disclosures introduced by reference are as described in this article.

The exemplary embodiment of the present invention generally relates to an optical member and a display device including the same, and more specifically, an optical member with high reliability and a display device including the same.

Display devices generally include self-luminous display apparatuses, reflective display apparatuses, and transmissive display apparatuses. The reflective display device includes a display panel for changing optical transmittance, and a backlight unit for supplying light to the display panel. The display panel controls the transmittance of light emitted from the backlight unit to display images.

The display device may include various optical components in the backlight unit to improve the optical characteristics of the display device, such as optical efficiency and color reproduction characteristics. In addition, in order to meet the increasing demand for display devices with good optical characteristics, thin thickness, and high display quality, various optical components can be additionally added to the display device.

The above information disclosed in the background part is only for understanding the background of the concept of the present invention, so it may include information that does not constitute the prior art.

The optical component according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention provides a thin and highly reliable optical component and a display device including the optical component.

Other features of the concept of the present invention will be described in the following description, and part of it will be obvious from the description, or can be learned through the practice of the concept of the present invention.

An optical member according to an exemplary embodiment includes a base substrate; a quantum dot layer disposed on the base substrate and having a first top surface including a lower wrinkle, the quantum dot layer including an interposing layer and being dispersed in the interposing layer A lower barrier layer disposed between the base substrate and the quantum dot layer; and an upper barrier layer covering the quantum dot layer; wherein the upper barrier layer has a second top surface, and the second top surface has a corresponding The upper fold on the lower fold of the quantum dot layer.

The upper barrier layer may have a uniform thickness on the base substrate.

The quantum dot layer can have a varying thickness on the base substrate.

The upper barrier layer may include an inorganic layer.

The upper wrinkles may be provided on the second top surface in plural forms; and when viewed in a plan view, at least one of the plurality of upper wrinkles may have a curvilinear shape.

At least two lines of the upper folds can be connected to each other.

The curve shape may include a closed loop shape.

The upper pleat may include a first pleat and a second pleat, the first pleat has a first closed loop shape, and the second pleat has a second closed loop shape different from the first closed loop shape.

The first fold and the second fold may be connected to each other.

Each upper fold may have a vertical thickness that may be about 1 μm or less.

The distance between the upper folds can be less than 100 µm.

The optical member may further include a low refractive layer disposed between the base substrate and the lower barrier layer and having a refractive index of 1.5 or less.

The base substrate may include a glass substrate.

The optical member may further include a cover layer containing an organic material and disposed on the upper barrier layer; wherein the cover layer may cover the second top surface and have a flat top surface.

A display device according to another exemplary embodiment includes: a light source configured to emit light; an optical member having an incident surface facing the light source; and a display panel provided on the optical member and including a plurality of pixels; wherein the optical member Comprising: a base substrate including a top surface facing the display panel, a bottom surface opposite to the top surface, and a plurality of side surfaces connecting the top surface to the bottom surface, at least one of the side surfaces including an incident surface; The lower barrier layer on the base substrate, the lower barrier layer has a flat top surface; the upper barrier layer disposed on the lower barrier layer, the upper barrier layer has a wrinkled top surface on which a plurality of folds are formed (wrinkled top surface); and a quantum dot layer disposed between the lower barrier layer and the upper barrier layer, the quantum dot layer includes a dielectric layer and a plurality of quantum dots, and the plurality of quantum dots are scattered in the dielectric layer; which is viewed in plan view When the wrinkles have a curved shape.

When viewed in a plan view, the wrinkles may include a first wrinkle and a second wrinkle, the first wrinkle having a first shape, and the second wrinkle having a second shape different from the first shape.

The first fold and the second fold may be connected to each other.

The top surface of the dielectric layer may have a wrinkle shape that is different from the shape of the top surface of the base substrate.

The dielectric layer may have an uneven thickness on the base substrate; and the upper barrier layer may have a uniform thickness on the base substrate.

The upper barrier layer may include an inorganic layer.

The base substrate may include a glass substrate.

The display device may further include a low-refractive layer disposed between the base substrate and the quantum dot layer and having a refractive index less than 1.5.

The display device may further include a cover layer disposed on the upper barrier layer and covering the top surface of the upper barrier layer; wherein the cover layer may have a flat top surface, the flat top surface having a difference from the top surface of the upper barrier layer shape.

The display panel can be bent along an axis extending in one direction.

It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are both exemplary and illustrative, and are intended to provide further explanation of the claimed invention.

For the purpose of explanation, many specific details will be listed below to provide a thorough understanding of various exemplary embodiments or implementations of the present invention. As used herein, "embodiments" and "implementations" are interchangeable words, which are non-limiting examples of devices or methods that use one or more of the inventive concepts disclosed herein. However, it is apparent that various exemplary embodiments may be practiced without these specific details or one or more equivalent arrangements. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are represented in the form of block diagrams to avoid unnecessary confusion of the various exemplary embodiments. In addition, the various exemplary embodiments may be different, but are not necessarily exclusive. For example, without departing from the concept of the present invention, a specific shape, configuration, and characteristic of another exemplary embodiment may be used or implemented in an exemplary embodiment.

Unless otherwise stated, the illustrative embodiments presented should be understood as illustrative features that in fact provide different details of some of the ways in which the inventive concept may be implemented. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, the features, components, modules, layers, films, panels, regions and/or aspects of various embodiments (hereinafter, respectively, without departing from the concept of the present invention) (Or collectively referred to as "elements"), which can be combined, separated, interchanged, and/or rearranged.

In the drawings, cross-hatching and/or shading are widely provided to clarify the boundaries between adjacent elements. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, the presence or absence of cross-hatching or shading does not express or indicate the specific material, material characteristics, size, ratio, commonality between the elements shown and/or any other features, Any preference or demand for attributes, nature, etc. In addition, in the accompanying drawings, for reasons of clarity and/or description, the size and relative size of the elements may be exaggerated. When the exemplary embodiments may be implemented differently, the specific process sequence may be performed in a different order than described. For example, two consecutively described processes may be performed substantially simultaneously or in an order opposite to the described order. In addition, similar component symbols represent similar components.

When an element such as a layer is referred to as being “on”, “connected to” or “coupled to” another element or layer, it may It is directly on other elements or layers, directly connected to or coupled to other elements or layers, or intervening elements or layers may be present. However, when an element or layer is referred to as "directly on", "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element or layer Or layers, there are no intermediate elements or layers. Therefore, the term "connected" can refer to a physical, electrical, and/or fluid connection with or without intermediate components. In addition, the D1 axis, D2 axis, and D3 axis are not limited to the three axes of the rectangular coordinate system, such as x, y, and z axes, and can be interpreted in a broader sense. For example, the D1 axis, D2 axis, and D3 axis may be perpendicular to each other, or may represent different directions that are not perpendicular to each other. For the purpose of this disclosure, "at least one of X, Y, and Z (at least one of X, Y, and Z)" and "at least one of the group consisting of X, Y, and Z (at least one selected from the group consisting of X, Y, and Z)" can be understood as X only, Y only, Z only, or any combination of two or more of X, Y, and Z, for example XYZ, XYY, YZ, and ZZ. As used in this article, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related items listed.

Although various types of elements can be described in terms of "first", "second", etc., these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. Therefore, the first element described below can be referred to as the second element without departing from the teachings of the present disclosure.

For illustrative purposes, you can use space-related terms in this article, such as "beneath", "below", "under", "lower", "above" "", "upper", "over", "higher", "side" (for example, "sidewall") and other similar terms, and thus Describe the relationship between the element shown in the drawing and another element. In addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings, spatially related terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use, operation, and/or manufacturing. For example, if the device in the drawing is turned over, elements described "below" or "beneath" other elements or features will be oriented "above" of other elements or features. Therefore, the exemplary term "below" can include both above and below orientations. In addition, the device can be turned to other orientations (for example, rotated 90 degrees or other orientations), and the space-related description terms used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

The terms used herein are only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. When used in this article, unless expressly stated otherwise in the text, the singular forms of "一(a)", "一(an)" and "the (the)" are also intended to include plural forms. Furthermore, when the terms "comprises", "comprising", "includes" and "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the features, wholes, steps, and operations. The existence or addition of elements, components and/or groups thereof does not exclude the existence or addition of one or more other features, wholes, steps, operations, elements, components and/or groups thereof. It should be noted that the terms "substantially", "about" and other similar terms used in this article are used as approximate terms rather than as degree terms, and are intended to explain those who are generally knowledgeable in the field The identified inherent deviation from the measured, calculated, and/or provided value.

Herein, various exemplary embodiments are described with reference to schematic diagrams to describe idealized exemplary embodiments and/or cross-sectional views and/or exploded views of intermediate structures. Therefore, the difference between the illustrated shape and the shape caused by, for example, manufacturing technology and/or tolerance can be expected. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein do not need to be explained in a specific shape limited to the shown area, but include shape deviations caused by, for example, manufacturing. In this case, the areas shown in the drawings are schematic in nature, and the shape of these areas does not reflect the actual shape of the area of the device, and is not intended to be limiting.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used in this article (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meanings as commonly understood by those skilled in the art. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted as having meanings consistent with their meanings in the content of the relevant technology, and unless they are clearly defined here, they should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense. .

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the display device of Figure 1. FIG. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a backlight unit according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a backlight unit according to an exemplary embodiment. Hereinafter, a display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3B.

As shown in FIG. 1, the display device DA may include a display panel 100, a backlight unit BLU, an upper protection member 410, a lower protection member 420, and an optical film 500. The backlight unit BLU may include a light source 200 and an optical member 300.

The display panel 100 can receive electronic signals and display images based on the received electronic signals. The user can receive the image information provided from the display panel 100 of the display device DA. The display panel 100 may include a display surface IS substantially parallel to a plane defined by the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2. The display surface IS may include an active area AA and a peripheral area NAA. The display panel 100 can display an image on the active area AA substantially perpendicular to the third direction DR3. The active area AA can be selectively activated by electronic signals. The display panel 100 may include a plurality of pixels PX arranged in the active area AA.

The peripheral area NAA may be adjacent to the active area AA. In an exemplary embodiment, the peripheral area NAA may enclose the active area AA. Various driving circuits that provide electronic signals to the pixel PX, or solder pads that receive electronic signals from external devices, can be set in the peripheral area NAA.

FIG. 2 exemplarily shows the area of the display panel 100, in which one pixel PX is set. Hereinafter, the display panel 100 will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

The display panel 100 may include a first substrate 110, a second substrate 120, and a liquid crystal layer LCL. The first substrate 110 may include a first base layer S1, a pixel PX, and a plurality of insulating layers. As shown in FIG. 2, the insulating layer may include a first insulating layer 10, a second insulating layer 20, and a third insulating layer 30 that are sequentially stacked on the third direction DR3.

The first base layer S1 may be composed of or include an insulating material. For example, the first base layer S1 may be composed of at least one of glass or plastic material, or include at least one of glass or plastic material.

The pixel PX may include a thin film transistor TR and a pixel electrode PE. The thin film transistor TR may include a semiconductor pattern AL, a control electrode CE, an input electrode IE, and an output electrode OE. The semiconductor pattern AL may be disposed between the first base layer S1 and the first insulating layer 10. The semiconductor pattern AL may be formed of or include a semiconductor material. For example, the semiconductor material may include at least one of amorphous silicon, poly silicon, single-crystalline silicon, oxide semiconductors, or compound semiconductors. In some exemplary embodiments, the pixel PX may include a plurality of thin film transistors whose semiconductor materials are the same or different from each other, but the concept of the invention is not limited thereto.

The control electrode CE may be disposed between the first insulating layer 10 and the second insulating layer 20. The control electrode CE may be spaced apart from the semiconductor pattern AL with the first insulating layer 10 interposed therebetween.

The input electrode IE and the output electrode OE may be disposed between the second insulating layer 20 and the third insulating layer 30. The input electrode IE and the output electrode OE may be spaced apart from each other. Each input and output electrode IE and OE may penetrate the first insulating layer 10 and the second insulating layer 20, and may be coupled to the semiconductor pattern AL.

The pixel electrode PE may be connected to the thin film transistor TR. The pixel electrode PE, the common electrode CME, and the liquid crystal layer LCL may form a liquid crystal capacitor CLC. In the liquid crystal capacitor CLC, the electric field generated between the pixel electrode PE and the common electrode CME can be used to control the orientation of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer LCL, thereby controlling the optical transmittance of the liquid crystal layer LCL . The intensity of light emitted from the pixel PX can be determined by the optical transmittance of the liquid crystal layer LCL.

The pixel electrode PE may be disposed on the third insulating layer 30. The pixel electrode PE can penetrate the third insulating layer 30 and can be coupled to the thin film transistor TR. If the gate signal of the electronic signal is applied to the control electrode CE, the thin film transistor TR can be turned on; in this case, if the data signal of the electronic signal is applied to the input electrode IE, it can pass through the thin film transistor in the conductive state TR, the data signal is transmitted to the output electrode OE and the pixel electrode PE.

The second substrate 120 may include a second base layer S2, a color filter layer CF, an over-coat layer CC, and a common electrode CME. The second base layer S2 may be composed of an insulating material or include an insulating material. The second base layer S2 may be formed of, for example, at least one of glass or plastic material, or include at least one of glass or plastic material.

The second base layer S2 may include a rear surface facing the first base layer S1, and a front surface facing the rear surface. At least a part of the front surface can be used as the display surface IS (for example, refer to FIG. 1). The color filter layer CF and the common electrode CME may be disposed on the rear surface of the second base layer S2.

The color filter layer CF may include a black matrix BM and a color pattern CP. The black matrix BM can block light incident on the black matrix BM. For example, the black matrix BM can cover the area around the pixel area displaying light, thereby defining the pixel area and preventing light from leaking through the area around the pixel area.

The color pattern CP may be arranged adjacent to the black matrix BM. The color pattern CP may overlap the pixel electrode PE of the pixel PX. In an exemplary embodiment, a plurality of color patterns CP may be respectively provided on the pixel area. Each pixel area may be an area controlled by the liquid crystal capacitor CLC and corresponding to the pixel electrode PE.

The color pattern CP may allow light to pass therethrough to have a specific wavelength or color. The color pattern CP may include at least one of dyes, pigments, organic fluorescent materials, and inorganic fluorescent materials. In an exemplary embodiment, the color filter layer CF may be disposed on the first base layer S1 to form the first substrate 110. Alternatively, in some exemplary embodiments, the color filter layer CF may be omitted. The shape of the color filter layer CF may have various changes, and the inventive concept is not limited to a specific shape of the color filter layer CF.

The overcoat layer CC may cover the color filter layer CF. The overcoat CC may be formed of or contain an insulating material. The overcoat layer CC can cover the back surface of the color filter layer CF and can provide a flat surface for the common electrode CME. In some exemplary embodiments, the overcoat CC may be omitted from the display panel 100.

The common electrode CME can generate an electric field together with the pixel electrode PE. In this exemplary embodiment, the common electrode CME may be disposed on the rear surface of the second base layer S2, and may be formed on a plurality of pixels. However, the concept of the present invention is not limited to this, and in some exemplary embodiments, the common electrode CME may be formed as a plurality of patterns, which are respectively provided on the pixel area. In other exemplary embodiments, the common electrode CME may be disposed on the first base layer S1 to form the first substrate 110. FIG. 2 shows that the pixel electrode PE has a slit-free shape. However, in some exemplary embodiments, at least one of the common electrode CME and the pixel electrode PE of the display panel 100 may have a plurality of slits. .

The liquid crystal layer LCL may include liquid crystal molecules. The liquid crystal molecules can have a chemical structure, and the orientation of the chemical structure can be controlled by the electric field generated between the pixel electrode PE and the common electrode CME. The optical transmittance of the liquid crystal layer LCL can be substantially controlled by the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules.

Fig. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the backlight unit BLU of Fig. 1. According to an exemplary embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3B, the backlight unit BLU-1 may further include other elements. First, the backlight unit BLU will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 3A.

The backlight unit BLU can provide light to the display panel 100. The display panel 100 can control the light transmittance of each pixel PX to display images. In an exemplary embodiment, the display panel 100 may be a transmissive-type display panel.

The light source 200 may generate light and provide the light to the optical member 300 in a lateral direction. The light source 200 may include a circuit substrate 210 and a plurality of light emitting elements 220. The circuit substrate 210 may be an elongated plate-shaped structure in the first direction DR1, and may have a length and a width measured in the first and third directions DR1 and DR3, respectively. The circuit substrate 210 may include an insulating substrate and a circuit line mounted on the insulating substrate. The circuit line can be used to transmit electronic signals from the outside to the light-emitting element 220, or to electrically connect the light-emitting elements 220 to each other.

Each light-emitting element 220 can generate light. The light-emitting element 220 can be disposed on the circuit substrate 210 and can be electrically connected to the circuit substrate 210. The light emitting elements 220 may be spaced apart from each other in the length direction of the circuit substrate 210. As shown in FIG. 1, according to an exemplary embodiment, the light-emitting elements 220 may be arranged in the first direction DR1 to form a single row.

The optical member 300 may be a plate-shaped element substantially parallel to the display panel 100. The optical member 300 can be arranged so that its top surface 300-S (refer to FIG. 1) faces the display panel 100.

The optical member 300 may receive light from the light source 200 and provide the light to the display panel 100. The optical member 300 can control the propagation path of the light emitted from the light source 200 so that the light can be uniformly incident on the display panel 100.

In an exemplary embodiment, the optical member 300 may convert incident light into white light. In this case, even if the light source 200 generates non-white (for example, blue) light, the light provided to the display panel 100 through the optical member 300 may be white. More specifically, the optical member 300 may serve as a light guide plate and a light conversion member. In this case, the optical member 300 provided as a single structure can be used to replace both the light guide plate and the light conversion member, which can reduce the total thickness of the display device DA and simplify the assembly process of the display device DA.

The optical member 300 may include a base substrate 310 and a quantum dot unit 320. The base substrate 310 may include an incident surface SF1 facing the light source 200. As shown in FIG. 3A, one of the side surfaces of the base substrate 310 can be used as the incident surface SF1, but the concept of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, at least two of the side surfaces of the base substrate 310 may be used as the incident surface SF1.

The base substrate 310 may be composed of or include an insulating material. For example, the base substrate 310 may be formed of or include glass.

The base substrate 310 may be configured to allow light incident through the incident surface SF1 to propagate toward the top surface of the base substrate 310. For example, the incident light may propagate along an initial path substantially parallel to the second direction DR2, and the base substrate 310 may change the propagation path along a direction substantially parallel to the third direction DR3. The light guiding function of the optical member 300 can be substantially realized by the base substrate 310.

The quantum dot unit 320 may be disposed on the base substrate 310. The quantum dot unit 320 may include a quantum dot layer 321, a lower barrier layer 322 and an upper barrier layer 323. The quantum dot layer 321 may include a plurality of quantum dots. The quantum dot layer 321 can change the wavelength of light incident thereon.

The lower barrier layer 322 and the upper barrier layer 323 may seal the quantum dot layer 321. The lower barrier layer 322 may be disposed between the quantum dot layer 321 and the base substrate 310 to protect the quantum dot layer 321 from the influence of the underlying element and prevent external moisture or water from entering the quantum dot layer 321. The upper barrier layer 323 may be disposed on the quantum dot layer 321 to cover the top surface of the quantum dot layer 321. The upper barrier layer 323 can protect the quantum dot layer 321 from the elements thereon, and prevent external moisture or water from entering the quantum dot layer 321.

Each of the lower and upper barrier layers 322 and 323 may be formed of an inorganic material, or contain an inorganic material. For example, each of the lower and upper barrier layers 322 and 323 may include at least one of metal oxide or metal nitride. More specifically, each of the lower and upper barrier layers 322 and 323 may be made of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, titanium oxide, or any combination thereof. At least one of is formed of, or includes at least one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, titanium oxide, or any combination thereof. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto, as long as the upper and lower barrier layers 322 and 323 can seal the quantum dot layer 321, various inorganic materials can be used as at least one of the lower and upper barrier layers 322 and 323. In an exemplary embodiment, the lower and upper barrier layers 322 and 323 may be independently formed. Therefore, the lower and upper barrier layers 322 and 323 may be formed of the same material or different materials, or may include the same material or different materials.

In FIG. 3A, the lower and upper barrier layers 322 and 323 are illustrated as exposing the side surface of the quantum dot layer 321. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto, and in some exemplary embodiments, the side surface of the quantum dot layer 321 may be covered by at least one of the lower and upper barrier layers 322 and 323 without being exposed to the outside.

Now, referring to FIG. 3B, the backlight unit BLU-1 may further include a low refractive layer 330. The low refractive layer 330 may be disposed between the base substrate 310 and the quantum dot unit 320. The low refractive layer 330 may cover the top surface of the base substrate 310.

The low refractive layer 330 may have a lower refractive index than the base substrate 310. For example, the low refractive layer 330 may have a refractive index lower than about 1.5. The low refractive layer 330 can improve the light guide characteristics of the base substrate 310.

Referring to FIG. 1, the upper protection member 410 may be disposed on the display panel 100 to cover the display panel 100. The upper protection member 410 may include an opening 410-OP exposing at least a part of the display panel 100. For example, the opening 410-OP may expose at least the active area AA of the display panel 100, so that the user can recognize a part of the image displayed on the active area AA (for example, through the opening 410-OP). In an exemplary embodiment, the display device DA may further include a transparent protective member disposed in the opening 410-OP. Alternatively, the upper protective member 410 may be optically transparent. In this case, the opening 410-OP can be omitted.

The lower protection member 420 may be combined with the upper protection member 410 to protect the display panel 100 and the backlight unit BLU. The lower protection member 420 may include a bottom portion 420-B and a side wall portion 420-W. The area of the bottom portion 420 -B may be equal to or greater than the area of the display panel or/and the optical member 300. The side wall portion 420-W may be connected to the bottom portion 420-B, and may be bent substantially in the third direction DR3 from the bottom portion 420-B. The bottom portion 420-B and the side wall portion 420-W may define the inner space 420-SS. The display panel 100 and the backlight unit BLU can be disposed in the internal space 420-SS, and can be protected from external impact.

The optical film 500 may be disposed between the display panel 100 and the optical member 300. The optical film 500 may be configured to allow light emitted from the optical member 300 to be incident to the display panel 100, thereby having improved efficiency or improved spatial uniformity. The optical film 500 may include a single sheet or a plurality of sheets. For example, the optical film 500 may include at least one reticular sheet, prism sheet, and diffusion sheet. In some exemplary embodiments, the optical film 500 may be omitted from the display device DA.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an optical component according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of a part of an optical component according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 5B shows an image of a part of an optical member according to an exemplary embodiment. For ease of description, the base substrate 310 and the quantum dot unit 320 are as shown in FIG. 4, respectively. The area of the quantum dot unit 320 in FIG. 4 is shown in FIG. 5A. Hereinafter, an optical member according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 5B.

The base substrate 310 may include a top surface SF-U, a bottom surface SF-L, and a plurality of side surfaces. The base substrate 310 may be provided so that the top surface SF-U faces the display panel 100 (for example, refer to FIG. 1). The quantum dot unit 320 may be disposed on the top surface SF-U. The bottom surface SF-L opposite to the top surface SF-U may be a surface facing the bottom portion 420-B of the lower protective member 420 (for example, refer to FIG. 1).

The side surface may include a first side surface SF1, a second side surface SF2, a third side surface SF3, and a fourth side surface SF4. Each of the first and second side surfaces SF1 and SF2 may be substantially parallel to a plane defined by the first and third directions DR1 and DR3, and may face each other in the second direction DR2. Each of the third and fourth side surfaces SF3 and SF4 may be substantially parallel to a plane defined by the second and third directions DR2 and DR3, and may face each other in the first direction DR1.

As described above, at least one of the first side surface SF1, the second side surface SF2, the third side surface SF3, and the fourth side surface SF4 may be placed to face the light source 200 (for example, refer to FIG. 1), and may be used as Incident surface. Hereinafter, the first side surface SF1 will be described as an incident surface.

The quantum dot unit 320 may include a lower barrier layer 322, a quantum dot layer 321, and an upper barrier layer 323 stacked on the third direction DR3. The lower barrier layer 322 may be disposed on the base substrate 310. The top surface 322-S (hereinafter referred to as “LBL top surface”) of the lower barrier layer 322 may have a shape corresponding to the top surface of the base substrate 310 disposed thereunder. In this exemplary embodiment, compared to the top surface 323-S of the upper barrier layer 323 (hereinafter referred to as “UBL top surface”), the LBL top surface 322-S may be substantially flat.

The quantum dot layer 321 may include a dielectric layer MX, a plurality of quantum dots PT1 and PT2, and scattering particles SP. The quantum dots PT1 and PT2 and the scattering particles SP may be dispersed in the medium layer MX.

The dielectric layer MX can be composed of various resin compositions, which are generally referred to as binders. For example, the medium layer MX may be formed of a polymer resin, or contain a polymer resin. More specifically, the dielectric layer MX may be formed of at least one of acrylic resin, urethane resin, silicone resin, and epoxy resin, or include acrylic resin, urethane resin , At least one of silicone and epoxy. The medium layer MX may be an optically transparent resin. However, the inventive concept is not limited to this, and any element capable of dispersing the quantum dots PT1 and PT2 therein can be used as the medium layer MX.

Quantum dots PT1 and PT2 can change the wavelength of light incident on them. Each of the quantum dots PT1 and PT2 may have a nanometer-order crystalline material containing hundreds to thousands of atoms. Due to the size of the quantum dots PT1 and PT2, the band gaps of the quantum dots PT1 and PT2 will increase. The increase in the band gap is caused by the quantum confinement effect. When the energy of light incident on the quantum dots PT1 and PT2 is greater than the band gap of each quantum dot PT1 and PT2, each quantum dot PT1 and PT2 can absorb the light to have an excited state; and when it returns to its state (ground state), and each quantum dot PT1 and PT2 can emit light at a specific wavelength. The wavelength of the emitted light can be determined by the band gap. Here, the size or composition of each quantum dot PT1 and PT2 can be controlled to adjust the quantum confinement effect, which affects the optical characteristics (for example, wavelength) of the light emitted from the quantum dots PT1 and PT2.

Each quantum dot PT1 and PT2 can be selected from the group of II-VI compounds, III-V compounds, IV-VI compounds, IV elements, IV compounds, and combinations thereof.

Group II-VI compounds can be selected from binary compounds (e.g. CdS, CdSe, CdTe, ZnS, ZnSe, ZnTe, ZnO, HgS, HgSe, HgTe, MgSe, and MgS), mixtures of binary compounds, ternary compounds (e.g. CdSeS) , CdSeTe, CdSTe, ZnSeS, ZnSeTe, ZnSTe, HgSeS, HgSeTe, HgSTe, CdZnS, CdZnSe, CdZnTe, CdHgS, CdHgSe, CdHgTe, HgZnS, HgZnSe, HgZnTe, MgZnSe, a mixture of ternary compounds (ZnS) For example, HgZnTeS, CdZnSeS, CdZnSeTe, CdZnSTe, CdHgSeS, CdHgSeTe, CdHgSTe, HgZnSeS, HgZnSeTe and HgZnSTe) and mixtures of quaternary compounds.

Group III-V compounds can be selected from binary compounds (e.g., GaN, GaP, GaAs, GaSb, AlN, AlP, AlAs, AlSb, InN, InP, InAs, and InSb), mixtures of binary compounds, ternary compounds (e.g., GaNP , GaNAS, GaNSb, GaPAs, GaPSb, AlNP, AlNAs, AlNSb, AlPAs, AlPSb, InNP, InNAs, InNSb, InPAs, InPSb and GaAlNP), mixtures of ternary compounds, quaternary compounds (e.g. GaAlNAs, GaAlNSb, GaAlPAs, GaAlPSb) , GaInNP, GaInNAs, GaInNSb, GaInPAs, GaInPSb, InAlNP, InAlNAs, InAlNSb, InAlPAs and InAlPSb) and mixtures of quaternary compounds. Group IV-VI compounds can be selected from binary compounds (e.g. SnS, SnSe, SnTe, PbS, PbSe, and PbTe), mixtures of binary compounds, ternary compounds (e.g. SnSeS, SnSeTe, SnSTe, PbSeS, PbSeTe, PbSTe, SnPbS) , SnPbSe and SnPbTe), mixtures of ternary compounds, quaternary compounds (such as SnPbSSe, SnPbSeTe and SnPbSTe) and mixtures of quaternary compounds. Group IV elements can be selected from the group consisting of Si, Ge and mixtures thereof. The group IV compound may include a binary compound selected from the group consisting of SiC, SiGe, and mixtures thereof.

Here, the binary, ternary or quaternary compound may have a uniform concentration throughout the particles, or may have a spatially varying concentration distribution in each particle.

Each quantum dot PT1 and PT2 may have a core-shell structure including a core and a shell surrounding the core. In some exemplary embodiments, each of the quantum dots PT1 and PT2 may have a core/shell structure, in which one quantum dot is sealed by the other quantum dot. At the interface between the core and the shell, the element contained in the shell may have a concentration that gradually decreases toward the center.

Each quantum dot PT1 and PT2 may be nano-scale particles. Each quantum dot PT1 and PT2 may have an emission wavelength spectrum, the full width half maximum (FWHM) of which is less than about 45 nm, and in some exemplary embodiments, less than about 40 nanometers, and in other exemplary embodiments In a sexual embodiment, it is less than about 30 nanometers. In this case, the quantum dots PT1 and PT2 can improve color purity or color reproduction characteristics. In addition, the quantum dots PT1 and PT2 can emit light radially, which can increase the viewing angle.

In an exemplary embodiment, the quantum dots PT1 and PT2 may be substantially spherical, pyramid-shaped, multi-armed or cubic nanoparticle. In another exemplary embodiment, the quantum dots PT1 and PT2 may be nanotubes, nanowires, nanofibers, or nanoplate-shaped particles, but the concept of the invention is not limited thereto.

In this exemplary embodiment, the quantum dots PT1 and PT2 may include a first quantum dot PT1 and a second quantum dot PT2. The wavelengths of light incident to and emitted from the first quantum dot PT1 and the second quantum dot PT2 may be different from each other. However, the inventive concept is not limited to this, and in some exemplary embodiments, the wavelength of the light converted by the quantum dots PT1 and PT2 may be within a single wavelength range. In addition, in an exemplary embodiment, the quantum dots PT1 and PT2 may further include other quantum dots that convert other light wavelengths. However, the concept of the present invention is not limited to this, and the type or number of quantum dots PT1 and PT2 may have different changes.

The scattering particles SP may include nano particles formed of at least one of highly reflective metal oxides such as titanium oxide or silicon-based materials. The scattering particles SP can scatter the light emitted from the quantum dots PT1 and PT2 to improve the optical recycling efficiency in the quantum dot unit 320. Herein, the optical efficiency of the light emitted from the quantum dot unit 320 can be improved accordingly. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto, and in some exemplary embodiments, the scattering particles SP may be omitted from the quantum dot unit 320.

In this exemplary embodiment, the top surface 321-S of the quantum dot layer 321 (hereinafter referred to as “QDL top surface (QDL top surface)”) may include a plurality of folds or concavo-convex patterns WRK-Q (hereinafter referred to as “QDL top surface”). Referred to as "QDL wrinkles"). Compared to the plane defined by the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2, the QDL fold WRK-Q may be a part of the QDL top surface 321-S substantially protruding in the third direction DR3. When measured in the vertical direction, the QDL fold WRK-Q may have a thickness of about 1 μm or less. Here, compared to the LBL top surface 322-S, the QDL top surface 321-S may be uneven.

The QDL wrinkles WRK-Q may be formed by residual stress, which may occur or remain in the quantum dot layer 321 during or after the formation of the quantum dot layer 321. Due to the presence of QDL folds WRK-Q, the top surface of QDL 321-S may have a fold shape. The uneven shape of the QDL fold WRK-Q may be transcribed to the top surface of the upper barrier layer 323. This will be described in more detail below.

The upper barrier layer 323 may be disposed on the quantum dot layer 321 to directly cover the top surface 321-S of the QDL. The upper barrier layer 323 may have a substantially uniform thickness on the base substrate 310. For example, the upper barrier layer 323 may have a thickness T2 in a region overlapping the QDL top surface 321-S of the QDL fold WRK-Q, and in a region adjacent to the QDL top surface 321-S of the QDL fold WRK-Q It may have a thickness T1 substantially equal to T2.

In this exemplary embodiment, the top surface 323-S (for example, the UBL top surface) of the upper barrier layer 323 may define the top surface 300-S of the optical member (for example, refer to FIG. 1). The UBL top surface 323-S may have a shape corresponding to the QDL top surface 321-S disposed thereunder. Here, the UBL top surface 323-S may include a plurality of folds WRK corresponding to the QDL folds WRK-Q. Compared to the plane defined by the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2, the wrinkle WRK may be a part of the UBL top surface 323-S that substantially protrudes in the third direction DR3. Due to the existence of the wrinkles WRK, compared to the top surface SF-U of the base substrate 310, the UBL top surface 323-S may have uneven sections. For example, the UBL top surface 323-S may have a corrugated shape due to the presence of the corrugated WRK.

Figure 5B is an image showing the enlarged shape of the area 323-S on the top surface of UBL. Referring to FIG. 5B, the wrinkles WRK can be randomly arranged on the top surface SF-U of the base substrate 310.

When viewed in a plan view, the at least one fold WRK may have a substantially curvilinear shape. The curved shape may refer to a shape having at least a curved or curved portion, and may include an open or closed curved shape. In Fig. 5B, for convenience of description, only part of the wrinkles WRK (for example, the first wrinkle WRK1, the second wrinkle WRK2, and the third wrinkle WRK3) are represented by element symbols.

When viewed in a plan view, the first fold WRK1 may have a curved shape. For example, the first fold WRK1 may have a non-closed (eg, open) curve shape. When viewed in a plan view, the second fold WRK2 may have a curved shape. For example, the second fold WRK2 may have an open curve shape.

The first fold WRK1 and the second fold WRK2 may have shapes independent of each other. Specifically, since the curved shape of the first pleat WRK1 and the curved shape of the second pleat WRK2 are independently controlled, they may be the same or different from each other. In this exemplary embodiment, the first wrinkle WRK1 and the second wrinkle WRK2 are described as having different curved shapes from each other.

The first fold WRK1 and the second fold WRK2 may be connected to each other. In this exemplary embodiment, the end of the second pleat WRK2 is connected to a part of the first pleat WRK1. However, the inventive concept is not limited to this. For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the first wrinkle WRK1 and the second wrinkle WRK2 may be connected to each other at other positions, or may be separated from each other.

The third fold WRK3 may be spaced apart from the first fold WRK1 and the second fold WRK2. The third fold WRK3 may have a curved shape. The curved shape of the third fold WRK3 may be a closed loop shape.

According to exemplary embodiments, when viewed in a plan view, the wrinkles WRK may have various shapes. As mentioned above, some folds WRK may be connected to each other, or may be separated, or may be spaced apart from each other. In addition, some folds WRK may have a non-closed (for example, open) curve shape, or a closed curve shape. In an exemplary embodiment, the distance between the wrinkles WRK may be equal to or less than about 100 μm.

In an exemplary embodiment, the upper barrier layer 323 may include an uneven top surface 323-S having a plurality of wrinkles WRK. The wrinkles WRK may be formed by a substantially uneven profile of the QDL top surface 321-S. In an exemplary embodiment, even when the quantum dot layer 321 is deformed by external influences or temperature changes, since the upper barrier layer 323 is formed along the QDL folds WRK-Q, the upper barrier layer 323 can reduce the quantum Various technical stresses caused by the deformation of the dot layer 321. Herein, the possible damage of the upper barrier layer 323 is suppressed or prevented (for example, delaminated from the quantum dot layer 321, or damaged), so the reliability of the optical member 300 can be improved.

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of a part of an optical component according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of a part of an optical component according to an exemplary embodiment. The cross-sectional views of FIGS. 6A and 6B show some areas of the quantum dot units 320-1 and 320-2. Hereinafter, according to an exemplary embodiment, an optical member will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A and 6B, which may substantially include the same elements described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5B. Here, repeated descriptions of substantially the same elements will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the quantum dot unit 320-1 may include a lower barrier layer 322-1 having a plurality of layers and an upper barrier layer 323-1 having a plurality of layers. The lower barrier layer 322-1 may include a first lower layer L11 and a second lower layer L21. Each of the first lower layer L11 and the second lower layer L21 may be formed of an inorganic material, or contain an inorganic material. For example, each of the first lower layer L11 and the second lower layer L21 may be formed of at least one of metal oxide, silicon oxide, and silicon nitride, or any combination thereof, or at least one of metal oxide, silicon oxide, and silicon nitride, or any combination thereof. random combination. The materials of the first and second lower layers L11 and L21 may be the same or different from each other, and are not limited herein.

The upper barrier layer 323-1 may include a first upper layer L12 and a second upper layer L22. Each of the first upper layer L12 and the second upper layer L22 may be formed of an inorganic material or contain an inorganic material. The materials of the first and second upper layers L12 and L22 may be the same or different from each other, and are not limited herein.

As shown in FIG. 6B, compared with the quantum dot unit 320 in FIG. 5A, the quantum dot unit 320-2 may further include a cover layer 324. The cover layer 324 may be disposed on the upper barrier layer 323 to cover the UBL top surface 323-S. In this case, the top surface 300-S of the optical member in FIG. 1 may correspond to the top surface 324-S of the cover layer 324.

The cover layer 324 may cover the wrinkle WRK, and provide a substantially flat top surface on the quantum dot unit 320-2. Here, in the cover layer 324, the thickness T3 of the portion overlapping the wrinkle WRK may be different from the thickness T4 of the portion adjacent to the wrinkle WRK.

The cover layer 324 may be formed of an organic material, or contain an organic material. The cover layer 324 may be optically transparent. Due to the transparency of the cover layer 324, the efficiency of the light emitted from the quantum dot unit 320-2 will not be degraded.

FIGS. 7A to 7C are respectively cross-sectional views of optical components according to exemplary embodiments. The optical member shown in FIGS. 7B and 7C exemplarily shows the optical member 300 of FIG. 7A deformed by external impact or heat. Hereinafter, according to an exemplary embodiment, the optical member will be described with reference to FIGS. 7A to 7C.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the optical member 300 may include a base substrate 310 and a quantum dot unit 320. UBL top surface 323-S may include folds WRK. The upper barrier layer 323 may have a substantially uniform thickness. For example, the upper barrier layer 323 may have a thickness T1 on the wrinkle WRK and a thickness T2 on a region adjacent to the wrinkle WRK, and the thickness T2 is substantially equal to the thickness T1. The quantum dot layer 321 may include a corrugated top surface 321-S. Due to the existence of the wrinkles WRK, the quantum dot layer 321 may have a non-uniform thickness. The quantum dot layer 321 may have a maximum thickness TQ under the wrinkles WRK.

Referring to FIG. 7B, when the tensile stress TS-I is exerted on the optical member 300-TS, the quantum dot layer 321 may be deformed accordingly. The extent of the wrinkles WRK-T of the QDL top surface 321-S will be reduced, and the quantum dot layer 321 may have a maximum thickness TQ1 smaller than the maximum thickness TQ of FIG. 7A. The tensile stress TS-I may be caused by external impact or residual stress, and it may remain in the quantum dot layer 321.

Referring to FIG. 7C, when compressive stress CS-I is applied to the optical member 300-CS, the quantum dot layer 321 is deformed accordingly. The degree of wrinkles WRK-C of the QDL top surface 321-S will increase, and the quantum dot layer 321 may have a maximum thickness TQ2 greater than the maximum thickness TQ of FIG. 7A. The compressive stress CS-I may be caused by external impact or residual stress, and it may remain in the quantum dot layer 321.

In an exemplary embodiment, the upper barrier layer 323 may be formed to have a substantially uniform thickness along the uneven QDL top surface 321-S, and therefore, even when the degree of wrinkles of the QDL top surface 321-S occurs By changing, the upper barrier layer 323 can maintain a stable contact with the quantum dot layer 321. The degree of wrinkles WRK-T and WRK-C on the UBL top surface 323-S will be reduced or increased by the deformation of the QDL top surface 321-S. However, in the optical member 300 of FIG. 7A, the upper barrier layer 323 The thickness of the upper barrier layer 323 is maintained uniformly, and the position of the neutral plane of the upper barrier layer 323 cannot be changed.

Herein, under the deformation of the QDL top surface 321-S, the upper barrier layer 323 may be uniformly maintained, and therefore, the reliability of the optical member 300-TS may be improved accordingly.

8A to 8E are cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing an optical component according to an exemplary embodiment. 9A to 9D are cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing an optical component according to exemplary embodiments. The steps corresponding to FIGS. 8C to 8E are shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C. Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing an optical member according to an exemplary embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 9C, and is the same as the repeated description of substantially the same elements in the optical member described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7C Will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

As shown in FIG. 8A, a base substrate 310 may be provided. The base substrate 310 may be a glass substrate. The base substrate 310 may have a top surface 310-S facing in an upward direction or a third direction DR3 (for example, refer to FIG. 1).

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8B, the lower barrier layer 322 and the preliminary quantum dot layer 321-1 can be sequentially formed on the base substrate 310. For example, the lower barrier layer 322 may be formed by coating an inorganic material on the top surface 310-S of the base substrate 310. The coating process may include a deposition or printing process.

The initial quantum dot layer 321-1 may be formed after the lower barrier layer 322 is formed. The initial quantum dot layer 321 -I may include a dielectric layer MX, a first quantum dot PT1 and a second quantum dot PT2. The initial quantum dot layer 321-I can be formed by coating the dielectric layer MX on the lower barrier layer 322, and the first quantum dots PT1 and the second quantum dots PT2 are dispersed in the dielectric layer MX.

Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 8C and 8D, the initial quantum dot layer 321-1 may be cured to form the quantum dot layer 321. As shown in FIG. 8C, the curing process of the initial quantum dot layer 321-1 may include a thermal curing process in which heat HT is provided. According to the composition and content of the initial quantum dot layer 321-1 and the required thickness of the quantum dot layer 321, the process temperature or time in the thermal curing process can be adjusted in various ways.

As shown in FIG. 8D, the quantum dot layer 321 can be formed to have wrinkles WRK-Q (hereinafter referred to as "QDL folds (QDL)") on the top surface 321-S (hereinafter referred to as "QDL top surface"). wrinkles)”). After the curing process, compared to the LBL top surface 322-S, the QDL top surface 321-S may have a corrugated shape.

The QDL fold WRK-Q may be formed by the stress SS applied to the top surface 321-S of the initial quantum dot layer 321-1. As the applied stress SS becomes stronger, the degree of wrinkles of QDL wrinkles WRK-Q will be formed larger. As the degree of wrinkle of QDL fold WRK-Q becomes larger, the degree of protrusion of QDL fold WRK-Q also becomes larger.

The degree of wrinkles can be adjusted in various ways. For example, the degree of wrinkles can be changed according to the material characteristics of the initial quantum dot layer 321-1. Specifically, the degree of wrinkles may depend on the glass transition temperature of the initial quantum dot layer 321-1. As the stability of the initial quantum dot layer 321-I to heat HT decreases during the curing process, the degree of wrinkles may increase accordingly.

In an exemplary embodiment, the degree of wrinkles may be changed according to the thickness of the quantum dot layer 321. For example, a larger amount of the initial quantum dot layer 321-I can be provided to form a thicker initial quantum dot layer 321-I. In this case, as the thickness of the quantum dot layer 321 becomes larger, the degree of wrinkles can be changed accordingly. Big.

In an exemplary embodiment, the degree of wrinkles may vary according to the difference in glass transition temperature between the base substrate 310 and the initial quantum dot layer 321-1. The stability of the base substrate 310 and the initial quantum dot layer 321-1 to the heat HT provided during the curing process may be different from each other. Here, the residual stress may occur in the initial quantum dot layer 321-1, and when the residual stress is a compressive stress, the degree of wrinkles may increase accordingly.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 8E, the upper barrier layer 323 may form the optical member 300 on the quantum dot layer 321. For example, the upper barrier layer 323 can be formed by coating an inorganic layer on the top surface 321-S of the QDL. The coating process may include a deposition or printing process.

The upper barrier layer 323 may be formed to have a top surface 323-S wrinkled along the QDL top surface 321-S (hereinafter referred to as "UBL top surface"). The UBL top surface 323-S may have a vertical profile transferred from the QDL top surface 321-S. As such, the UBL top surface 323-S may include a plurality of folds WRK corresponding to the QDL folds WRK-Q.

In the optical member 300, according to an exemplary embodiment, since the upper barrier layer 323 including an inorganic material is formed on the quantum dot layer 321 with a corrugated top surface 321-S, the upper barrier layer 323 may be formed to have corrugations. Top surface 323-S. During the curing process, the deformation of the quantum dot layer 321 may be caused by thermal stress, such as heat HT. As such, by forming the quantum dot layer 321 with the uneven top surface 321-S, according to an exemplary embodiment, the thermal stress caused by the heat HT can be relieved.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the upper barrier layer 323 may be directly formed on the deformed quantum dot layer 321, and therefore, the deformation of the quantum dot layer 321 in subsequent steps is suppressed or prevented. In addition, since the upper barrier layer 323 is formed along the wrinkle WRK-Q of the quantum dot layer 321, even when the wrinkle WRK-Q is deformed by the subsequent deformation of the quantum dot layer 321, it is possible to prevent or suppress The damage or delamination problem in the upper barrier layer 323 occurs.

Referring to FIGS. 9A to 9D, according to an exemplary embodiment, the QDL wrinkle WRK-Q and the wrinkle WRK on the top surface of the UBL may be formed substantially simultaneously. As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, the first initial quantum dot layer 321-11 may be cured to form the second initial quantum dot layer 321-12. The first initial quantum dot layer 321-11 may correspond to the initial quantum dot layer 321-1 shown in FIG. 8C.

Unlike the quantum dot layer 321 of FIG. 8D formed by curing the first initial quantum dot layer 321-1, the second initial quantum dot layer 321-12 may have a flat top surface 321-S20. The top surface 321-S10 of the first initial quantum dot layer 321-11 may be substantially the same as the top surface 321-S20 of the second initial quantum dot layer 321-12. In this case, although the second initial quantum dot layer 321-I2 can be exposed to the thermal stress caused by the heat HT, its top surface 321-S20 will not change from the top surface of the first initial quantum dot layer 321-I1 321-S10 deformation.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 9C, the initial upper barrier layer 323-I may be formed on the second initial quantum dot layer 321-12. The initial upper barrier layer 323-I may have a top surface 323-S10 having a profile transferred from the top surface 321-S20 of the second initial quantum dot layer 321-12. As such, the top surface 323-S10 of the initial upper barrier layer 323-I may be a substantially flat surface.

As shown in FIG. 9D, the second initial quantum dot layer 321-12 and the initial upper barrier layer 323-I may be deformed to form the quantum dot layer 321 and the upper barrier layer 323. 9C and 9D show that the upper barrier layer 323 is deformed after its formation, but the concept of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the upper barrier layer 323 may be deformed during its formation.

Due to the deformation of the second initial quantum dot layer 321-I2 caused by the residual stress SS, such as thermal stress generated from the heat HT, the quantum dot layer 321 may be formed. Due to the residual stress SS, wrinkles WRK-Q and WRK may be formed on the top surface 321-S of the QDL and the top surface 323-S of the upper barrier layer 323-S, respectively. In an exemplary embodiment, the residual stress SS may be the compressive stress on the wrinkles WRK-Q and WRK.

According to an exemplary embodiment, since the upper barrier layer 323 may be directly formed on the deformed quantum dot layer 321, in the subsequent steps, it is possible to prevent or suppress the quantum dot layer 321 from being further deformed . In addition, in the exemplary embodiment, since the upper barrier layer 323 is formed along the wrinkle WRK of the quantum dot layer 321, even when the wrinkle WRK is deformed due to subsequent deformation of the quantum dot layer 321, it is possible that Prevent or suppress damage or delamination problems occurring in the upper barrier layer 323.

Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment. 11A to 11D are cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing an optical member according to an exemplary embodiment. Hereinafter, according to exemplary embodiments, the display device will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 11D.

As shown in Fig. 10, the display device DA-C may have a curved shape. The display device DA-C may include a display panel 100C, a backlight unit BLU, an upper protection member 410C, a lower protection member 420C, and an optical film 500.

The display panel 100C may have a curved shape. The display panel 100C may include a first substrate 110C and a second substrate 120C. Each of the first substrate 110C and the second substrate 120C may also have a curved shape, and in addition to its curved shape, the first substrate 110C and the second substrate 120C may have substantially the same shape as the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 in FIG. The same characteristics. Here, repeated descriptions of substantially the same elements and features will be omitted.

Each of the upper protection member 410C and the lower protection member 420C may have a curved shape. When the optical film 500 is assembled in the display device DA-C, it may be in a bent state. Except for the curved shapes of the upper protection member 410C, the lower protection member 420C, and the optical film 500, it may have substantially the same features as the upper protection member 410, the lower protection member 420, and the optical film 500 in FIG. Here, repeated descriptions of substantially the same elements and features will be omitted.

The backlight unit BLU may include a light source 200C and an optical member 300C. The light source 200C may include a circuit board 210C and a plurality of light emitting elements 220C. In an exemplary embodiment, the light source 200C may have substantially the same features as the light source 200 of FIG. 1, and therefore, repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted to avoid redundancy.

The optical member 300C may have a curved shape in a specific direction. The optical member 300C may be disposed so that its top surface 300C-S faces the display panel 100C. Except for its curved shape, the optical member 300C may correspond to the optical member 300 in FIG. 1. Hereinafter, the optical member 300C will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 11A to 11D.

As shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B, the base substrate 312C having a curved shape can be formed by bending the initial base substrate 312C-I along the bending axis BX. In this way, stress SS1 may occur in the base substrate 312C. The stress SS1 may be a compressive stress. The base substrate 312C can be bent along the bending axis BX by the stress SS1.

The base substrate 312C may be bent with a radius of curvature RC along the bending axis BX. Although FIG. 11B shows that the base substrate 312C is uniformly curved with a single radius of curvature (for example, the radius of curvature RC), the concept of the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in some exemplary embodiments, the base substrate 312C may be curved with at least two different radii of curvature.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 11C, the lower barrier layer 322C, the quantum dot layer 321C, and the upper barrier layer 323C may be sequentially formed on the base substrate 310C to form the optical member 300C. The wrinkles WRK may be formed on the top surface of the upper barrier layer 323C. As described above, when the quantum dot layer 321C is cured, the wrinkles WRK may be formed, or when the upper barrier layer 323C is formed, may be formed by wrinkles formed, therefore, it The repeated description will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 11D, after the optical member 300C is formed, a stress SS2 occurs in the base substrate 310C. The stress SS2 may be the residual stress of the base substrate 310C, and may be a tensile stress. The residual stress may be caused by the bending stress applied to the base substrate 310C.

In an exemplary embodiment, due to the UBL top surface 323C-S with wrinkles WRK, even when the quantum dot layer 321C and the like are deformed by the stress SS2, the bonding strength between the upper barrier layer 323C and the quantum dot layer 321C can be maintained stable. Therefore, it is possible to prevent or suppress delamination or cracking of the upper barrier layer 323C from the quantum dot layer 321C, thereby improving the reliability of the optical member 300C.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the inventive concept, the inorganic barrier layer covering the quantum dot layer may be formed to have wrinkles. Therefore, even when the quantum dot layer is deformed by thermal stress or external impact, the inorganic barrier layer can suppress damage or prevent damage, and therefore, the reliability of the optical member can be improved.

Although the present invention has described various exemplary embodiments and implementations, other embodiments and modifications will be apparent from the description herein. Therefore, the concept of the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, but should be limited to the broad scope of the scope of the attached patent application, as well as various obvious changes and equivalent arrangements that are obvious to those skilled in the art.

10: The first insulating layer 100, 100C: display panel 110, 110C: first substrate 120, 120C: second substrate 20: second insulating layer 200, 200C: light source 210, 210C: Circuit board 220, 220C: light-emitting element 30: third insulating layer 300, 300C, 300-CS, 300-TS: optical components 300-S, 300C-S, 321-S, 321-S10, 321-S20, 322-S, 323C-S, 323-S, 323-S10, 324-S, SF-U: top surface 310, 310C, 312C: base substrate 312C-I: Initial base substrate 320, 320-1, 320-2: Quantum dot unit 321, 321C: Quantum dot layer 321-I: Initial quantum dot layer 321-I1: The first initial quantum dot layer 321-I2: Second initial quantum dot layer 321-S20: Flat top surface 322,322-1,322C: Lower barrier layer 323, 323-1, 323C: upper barrier layer 323-I: Initial upper barrier layer 324: Overlay 330: low refractive layer 410, 410C: Upper protective member 410-OP: Opening 420, 420C: Lower protection member 420-B: bottom part 420-SS: Internal space 420-W: side wall part 500: optical film AA: active area AL: Semiconductor pattern BLU, BLU-1: Backlight unit BM: black matrix BX: Bending shaft CC: outer coating CE: Control electrode CF: color filter CLC: liquid crystal capacitor CME: Common electrode CP: color pattern CS-I: Compressive stress DA, DA-C: display device DR1: First direction DR2: Second direction DR3: Third party HT: heat IE: Input electrode IS: Display surface L11: The first lower layer L12: First upper layer L21: The second lower layer L22: The second upper layer LCL: liquid crystal layer MX: Medium layer NAA: surrounding area OE: output electrode PE: pixel electrode PT1: The first quantum dot PT2: second quantum dot PX: pixel RC: radius of curvature S1: The first base layer S2: second basal layer SF1: First side surface SF2: second side surface SF3: Third side surface SF4: Fourth side surface SF-L: bottom surface SP: Scattering particles SS, SS1, SS2: Stress T1, T2, T3, T4: thickness TQ, TQ1, TQ2: maximum thickness TR: thin film transistor TS-I: Tensile stress WRK, WRK-C, WRK-Q, WRK-T: folds WRK1: The first fold WRK2: second fold WRK3: third fold

The included drawings provide a further understanding of the concept of the present invention, and are introduced together and constitute a part of the specification and illustrate exemplary embodiments, and are used to explain the concept of the present invention together with the description. Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment. Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the display device of Figure 1. FIG. 3A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a backlight unit according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view of a backlight unit according to an exemplary embodiment. Fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of an optical member according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view of a part of an optical member according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 5B is an image showing a part of the optical member according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of a part of an optical member according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of a part of an optical member according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 7A, FIG. 7B, and FIG. 7C are cross-sectional views of an optical member according to an exemplary embodiment. Fig. 8A, Fig. 8B, Fig. 8C, Fig. 8D, and Fig. 8E are cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing an optical member according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 9A, FIG. 9B, FIG. 9C, and FIG. 9D are cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing an optical member according to an exemplary embodiment. Fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view of a display device according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 11A, FIG. 11B, FIG. 11C, and FIG. 11D are cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing an optical member according to an exemplary embodiment.

100: display panel

110: first substrate

120: second substrate

200: light source

210: Circuit board

220: light-emitting element

300: Optical components

300-S: Top surface

410: Upper protection member

410-OP: Opening

420: Lower protection member

420-B: bottom part

420-SS: Internal space

420-W: side wall part

500: optical film

AA: active area

BLU: Backlight unit

DA: display device

DR1: First direction

DR2: Second direction

DR3: Third party

IS: Display surface

NAA: surrounding area

PX: pixel

Claims (24)

An optical component comprising: A base substrate; A quantum dot layer is disposed on the base substrate and has a first top surface including a wrinkle, the quantum dot layer includes a medium layer and a plurality of quantum dots dispersed on the medium layer ； A lower barrier layer, which is disposed between the base substrate and the quantum dot layer; and An upper barrier layer covering the quantum dot layer; The upper barrier layer has a second top surface, and the second top surface has an upper wrinkle corresponding to the lower wrinkle of the quantum dot layer. The optical component described in claim 1, wherein the upper barrier layer has a uniform thickness on the base substrate. According to the optical component described in claim 2, wherein the quantum dot layer has a varying thickness on the base substrate. The optical member described in claim 2, wherein the upper barrier layer includes an inorganic layer. The optical component as described in item 1 of the scope of patent application, in which: The upper folds are provided in plural on the second top surface; and When viewed in a plan view, at least one of the plurality of upper folds has a curved shape. The optical member described in item 5 of the scope of patent application, wherein at least two of the plurality of upper folds are connected to each other. According to the optical member described in claim 5, the curved shape includes a closed loop shape. The optical member according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of upper wrinkles includes a first wrinkle and a second wrinkle, the first wrinkle has a first closed loop shape, and the second wrinkle has a different shape from the The first closed-loop shape is a second closed-loop shape. The optical member described in item 8 of the scope of patent application, wherein the first wrinkle and the second wrinkle are connected to each other. The optical member described in item 5 of the scope of patent application, wherein each of the plurality of upper wrinkles has a vertical thickness of about 1 μm or less. The optical member as described in item 10 of the scope of patent application, wherein the distance between the plurality of upper wrinkles is less than 100 µm. The optical member described in claim 1, further comprising a low-refractive layer disposed between the base substrate and the lower barrier layer and having a refractive index of 1.5 or less (refractive index) index). The optical component according to claim 12, wherein the base substrate includes a glass substrate. The optical member described in item 12 of the scope of patent application, which further includes a cover layer including an organic material and disposed on the upper barrier layer; The covering layer covers the second top surface and has a flat top surface. A display device including: A light source, which is configured to emit light; An optical member having an incident surface facing the light source; and A display panel, which is disposed on the optical component and includes a plurality of pixels; The optical component includes: A base substrate comprising a top surface, a bottom surface and a plurality of side surfaces; the top surface faces the display panel, the bottom surface is opposite to the top surface, and the plurality of side surfaces connects the top surface to the bottom surface , And at least one of the plurality of side surfaces includes the incident surface; A lower barrier layer, which is disposed on the base substrate, and the lower barrier layer has a flat top surface; An upper barrier layer disposed on the lower barrier layer, the upper barrier layer having a top surface of folds on which a plurality of folds are formed; and A quantum dot layer disposed between the lower barrier layer and the upper barrier layer, the quantum dot layer includes a dielectric layer and a plurality of quantum dots, and the plurality of quantum dots are dispersed in the dielectric layer; When viewed in a plan view, the plurality of folds have a curved shape. As for the display device described in claim 15, wherein when viewed in a plan view, the plurality of wrinkles includes a first wrinkle and a second wrinkle, the first wrinkle has a first shape, and the second wrinkle has A second shape different from the first shape. The display device according to the 16th patent application, wherein the first fold and the second fold are connected to each other. According to the display device described in claim 15, wherein a top surface of the medium layer has a wrinkle shape, and the wrinkle shape is different from the shape of the top surface of the base substrate. The display device described in item 18 of the scope of patent application, wherein The dielectric layer has an uneven thickness on the base substrate; and The upper barrier layer has a uniform thickness on the base substrate. According to the display device described in claim 18, the upper barrier layer includes an inorganic layer. In the display device described in claim 15, wherein the base substrate includes a glass substrate. The display device described in item 21 of the scope of patent application further includes a low-refractive layer disposed between the base substrate and the quantum dot layer and having a refractive index less than 1.5. The display device according to item 15 of the scope of patent application, further comprising a cover layer disposed on the upper barrier layer and covering the top surface of the upper barrier layer; The covering layer has a flat top surface, and the flat top surface has a shape different from the top surface of the upper barrier layer. As for the display device described in claim 15, wherein the display panel is bent along an axis extending in one direction.

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