TWI908149B - Electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an electronic device including: a first substrate; a second substrate opposite to the first substrate; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a plurality of first transparent electrode disposed between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer; a plurality of second transparent electrode disposed between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer; a first signal line disposed between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer and electrically connected to one of the first transparent electrodes; a second signal line disposed between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer and electrically connected to one of the second transparent electrodes. The first signal line and the second signal line include blackened metal.

Description

Electronic devices

This disclosure relates to electronic devices, and more particularly to electronic devices including signal lines.

In existing reflective display panels, the electrodes on the upper or lower substrate are mainly transparent conductive layers. Due to the high impedance of the transparent conductive layer, there will be serious RC delay in large-size or high-resolution display applications, which will affect the overall display quality.

Therefore, how to reduce RC delay remains a topic of ongoing research in the industry.

An electronic device includes: a first panel, comprising: a first substrate; a second substrate opposite to the first substrate; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a plurality of first transparent electrodes disposed between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer; a plurality of second transparent electrodes disposed between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer; a first signal line disposed between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer and electrically connected to one of the plurality of first transparent electrodes; and a second signal line disposed between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer and electrically connected to one of the plurality of second transparent electrodes. The first signal line and the second signal line comprise a blackened metal.

Throughout this disclosure and the attached patent claims, certain terms will be used to refer to specific components. Those skilled in the art will understand that electronic device manufacturers may use different names to refer to the same components. This document is not intended to distinguish between components that have the same function but different names. In the following disclosure and patent claims, words such as "containing" and "comprising" are open-ended terms and should therefore be interpreted as "containing but not limited to...".

The directional terms used herein, such as "up," "down," "front," "back," "left," and "right," are for reference only in the accompanying figures. Therefore, the directional terms used are for illustrative purposes and not for limiting the scope of this disclosure. In the accompanying figures, the diagrams illustrate general characteristics of the methods, structures, and/or materials used in specific embodiments. However, these diagrams should not be construed as defining or limiting the scope or nature covered by these embodiments. For example, for clarity, the relative dimensions, thicknesses, and positions of various membrane layers, regions, and/or structures may be reduced or enlarged.

As described in this disclosure, a structure (or layer, component, or substrate) located above/above another structure (or layer, component, or substrate) can refer to the two structures being adjacent and directly connected, or to the two structures being adjacent but not directly connected. Indirect connection means that there is at least one intermediate structure (or intermediate layer, intermediate component, intermediate substrate, or intermediate spacer) between the two structures, with the lower surface of one structure adjacent to or directly connected to the upper surface of the intermediate structure, and the upper surface of the other structure adjacent to or directly connected to the lower surface of the intermediate structure. The intermediate structure can be composed of a single-layer or multi-layer solid structure or a non-solid structure, without limitation. In this disclosure, when a structure is set "on" other structures, it may mean that the structure is "directly" on other structures, or that the structure is "indirectly" on other structures, that is, there is at least one structure sandwiched between the structure and other structures.

The terms “approximately,” “equal to,” “same as,” “substantially,” or “probably” are generally interpreted as being within 20% of a given value or range, or as being within 10%, 5%, 3%, 2%, 1%, or 0.5% of a given value or range.

Furthermore, there can be a certain degree of error between any two values or directions used for comparison. If the first value is equal to the second value, it implies that there may be an error of about 10% between the first and second values; if the first direction is perpendicular to or "approximately" perpendicular to the second direction, the angle between the first and second directions can be between 80 and 100 degrees; if the first direction is parallel to or "approximately" parallel to the second direction, the angle between the first and second directions can be between 0 and 10 degrees.

The use of ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" in the specification and claims to modify components does not imply or represent any prior ordinal number of that component, nor does it represent the order of one component with another, or the order of manufacture. These ordinal numbers are used solely to clearly distinguish one component with a given name from another component with the same name. The claims and specifications may not use the same terminology; therefore, a first component in the specification may be a second component in the claims.

In this disclosure, Young's modulus can be measured by a Young's modulus tester or a tensile testing machine or other suitable instruments or methods, but is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the terms "given range is from the first value to the second value" and "given range falls within the range of the first value to the second value" indicate that the given range includes the first value, the second value, and other values between them.

Furthermore, the electronic devices disclosed herein may include, but are not limited to, display devices, backlight devices, antenna devices, sensing devices, splicing devices, touch displays, curved displays, or free-shape displays. Electronic devices may include, for example, liquid crystals, light-emitting diodes, fluorescent diodes, phosphorescent diodes, other suitable display media, or combinations thereof, but are not limited to. Display devices may be non-self-emissive or self-emissive. Antenna devices may be liquid crystal type antenna devices or non-liquid crystal type antenna devices, and sensing devices may be sensing capacitors, light, heat, or ultrasonic sensors, but are not limited to these. The splicing device can be, for example, a display splicing device or an antenna splicing device, but is not limited thereto. It should be noted that the electronic device can be any of the aforementioned arrangements and combinations, but is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the electronic device can be a flexible or bendable electronic device. It should be noted that the electronic device can be any of the aforementioned arrangements and combinations, but is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the shape of the electronic device can be rectangular, circular, polygonal, with curved edges, or other suitable shapes. The electronic device can have a driving system, control system, light source system, shelf system, etc., and other peripheral systems to support the display device, antenna device, or splicing device. For ease of explanation, the following description will use the example of an electronic device as a backlight device, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

It should be understood that, according to the embodiments disclosed herein, an optical microscope (OM), a scanning electron microscope (SEM), an α-step thickness profiler, an elliptical thickness gauge, or other suitable methods can be used to measure the depth, thickness, width, or height of each element, or the spacing or distance between elements. According to some embodiments, a scanning electron microscope can be used to obtain a cross-sectional image containing the elements to be measured, and to measure the depth, thickness, width, or height of each element, or the spacing or distance between elements.

It should be understood that, without departing from the spirit of this disclosure, features in several different embodiments can be substituted, recombined, or mixed to complete other embodiments. Features between embodiments can be arbitrarily mixed and matched as long as they do not violate the spirit of the invention or conflict with it.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. It is understood that these terms, for example, as defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted in a manner consistent with the relevant art and the context of this disclosure, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal manner, unless specifically defined in the embodiments of this disclosure.

The following describes some embodiments of the present invention in which additional steps may be provided before, during, and/or after the multiple stages described in these embodiments. Some of the stages may be substituted or omitted in different embodiments. Additional components may be added to the semiconductor device architecture. Some of the components may be substituted or omitted in different embodiments. Although some embodiments discussed are performed in a particular order, these steps may still be performed in another logically sound order.

It should be understood that the electronic devices disclosed herein may include, but are not limited to, packaged elements, display devices, antenna devices, touch displays, curved displays, or free-shape displays. The electronic devices may be bendable or flexible. The electronic devices may include, for example, light-emitting diodes, liquid crystals, fluorescence, phosphorescence, other suitable display media, or combinations thereof, but are not limited to these. The light-emitting diode may include, for example, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), inorganic light-emitting diodes (LEDs), mini-light-emitting diodes (mini LEDs), micro-light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs), quantum dot (QDs) light-emitting diodes (such as QLEDs and QDLEDs), other suitable materials, or any combination thereof, but is not limited thereto. The display device may include, for example, a video wall display device, but is not limited thereto. The concepts or principles disclosed herein may also be applied to non-self-emissive liquid crystal displays (LCDs), but are not limited thereto.

The antenna device may be, for example, a liquid crystal antenna or other types of antenna, but is not limited thereto. The antenna device may include, for example, a splicing antenna device, but is not limited thereto. It should be noted that the electronic device may be any of the aforementioned arrangements and combinations, but is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the shape of the electronic device may be rectangular, circular, polygonal, with curved edges, or other suitable shapes. The electronic device may have peripheral systems such as a drive system, control system, light source system, and shelving system to support the display device, antenna device, or splicing device. The electronic device disclosed herein may be, for example, a display device, but is not limited thereto.

According to some embodiments of the electronic device disclosed herein, the electronic device (e.g., a cholesterol liquid crystal display) includes signal lines electrically connected to transparent electrodes and extending in a specific direction. Furthermore, since the impedance of the signal lines is lower than the impedance of the transparent electrodes, signal transmission between pixels in the panel can be improved to reduce RC delay. In some embodiments, by forming the signal lines with light-absorbing properties or by providing a light-shielding structure in the electronic device, reflections from the signal lines can be reduced to improve the display quality of the electronic device.

Figures 1A and 1B are cross-sectional and top views of a first panel 10 of an electronic device, respectively, according to some embodiments disclosed herein, wherein Figure 1A is a cross-sectional view along the direction of section line AA' in Figure 1B. The first panel 10 includes a first substrate 101 and a second substrate 102, the second substrate 102 being disposed opposite to the first substrate. The first panel 10 further includes a liquid crystal layer 110 disposed between the first substrate 101 and the second substrate 102. As shown in Figure 1A, the first panel 10 further includes a first transparent electrode 121 disposed between the first substrate 101 and the liquid crystal layer 110. The first panel 10 further includes a second transparent electrode 122 disposed between the second substrate 102 and the liquid crystal layer 110. The first panel 10 further includes a first signal line 131 electrically connected to the first transparent electrode 121 and extending along a first direction D1, wherein the impedance of the first signal line 131 is less than the impedance of the first transparent electrode 121. As shown in Figure 1A, the arrow L indicates the incident light path or viewing angle direction. The second transparent electrode 122 may overlap the first transparent electrode 121.

In some embodiments, the first substrate 101 and/or the second substrate 102 may include a transparent material. In some embodiments, the first substrate 101 and/or the second substrate 102 may include a rigid substrate or a flexible substrate, such as glass, ceramic, polyimide (PI), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), other suitable materials, or combinations thereof, but are not limited thereto. The material of the liquid crystal layer 110 may include, for example, cholesterol liquid crystal, other suitable liquid crystal materials, or combinations thereof, but is not limited thereto.

The first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122 are used to control the alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 110. For example, by driving a voltage, the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122 can switch the state of the liquid crystal layer 110 to a reflective state, a transmissive state, or a grayscale state. In some embodiments, the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122 may comprise any suitable transparent conductive material.

Referring to Figure 1B, the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122 extend in directions perpendicular to each other, but are not limited thereto. In other embodiments, an acute angle may be formed between the extending directions of the first transparent electrode 121 (e.g., first direction D1) and the extending directions of the second transparent electrode 122 (e.g., second direction D2), for example, between 55° and 90°. As shown in Figure 1B, the overlapping portion of the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122 can be defined as the pixel area of the first panel 10. It should be noted that only two pixels in the direction of section AA' are shown in Figure 1A and other cross-sectional views of the first panel 10 disclosed herein, and adjacent pixels are not shown for simplicity.

In some embodiments, the first panel 10 further includes a second signal line 132, which is electrically connected to the second transparent electrode 122 and extends along a second direction D2, and the impedance of the second signal line 132 is less than the impedance of the second transparent electrode 122. Referring to Figure 1B, the first signal line 131 and the second signal line 132 extend in directions perpendicular to each other, but are not limited thereto. In other embodiments, an acute angle may be formed between the extension direction of the first signal line 131 (e.g., the first direction D1) and the extension direction of the second signal line 132 (e.g., the second direction D2), for example, between 55° and 90°.

Although in the embodiments shown in Figures 1A and 1B the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 are respectively positioned near the center of the overlapping portion of the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122, this is not a limitation. In other embodiments (as discussed below with reference to Figures 2A and 2B), the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 may also be positioned near the edge of the overlapping portion of the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122.

In some embodiments, the first signal line 131 and the second signal line 132 are respectively disposed on the first substrate 101 and the second substrate 102, and electrically connected to an external circuit for providing bias voltage. Compared with conventional panels that do not have signal lines between pixels, the panel disclosed herein can use signal lines with impedance less than that of transparent electrodes to transmit electrical signals to the pixels connected to the signal lines, thereby reducing the RC delay of the electronic device.

In some embodiments, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 comprises a metallic material, such as aluminum, copper, chromium, other suitable materials, or combinations thereof, but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 has light-absorbing properties, thereby reducing light reflection from the signal lines when using electronic devices. The first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 may be a blackened metal with light-absorbing properties formed by a blackening treatment, but is not limited thereto.

Figure 1C is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary blackened metal according to some embodiments of this disclosure, where arrow L indicates the path or viewing direction of incident light (e.g., ambient light). In other words, the second substrate 102 is closer to the viewer than the first substrate 101. In some embodiments, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 may include metal lines 1300 for transmitting signals, which include, but are not limited to, metallic materials such as aluminum, copper, chromium, other suitable materials, or combinations thereof.

In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 1C, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 may further include conductive layers 1301 and 1302, which may be disposed, for example, on both sides of the metal line 1300, but are not limited thereto. In some other embodiments, the conductive layer 1301 is disposed only on the side of the metal line 1300 facing the incident light. The conductive layer 1301 can reduce the reflection of incident light through the signal line or increase the adhesion between the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 and the substrate. The conductive layer 1302 can reduce internal reflection within the panel or increase the adhesion between the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 and the substrate.

The conductive layer 1301 or conductive layer 1302 may include materials for adjusting the refractive index of the signal line, such as _silicon oxynitride ( _SiNxOy ), _yttrium oxide ( _Y₂O₃ ) alloy, chromium _trioxide ( _Cr₂O₃ ), other suitable materials, or combinations thereof, but are not limited thereto. For example, in embodiments where the metal line 1300 comprises aluminum, conductive layer 1302 or conductive layer 1301 comprising _silicon oxynitride ( _SiNxOy ) may be used, but are not limited thereto. In embodiments where the metal line 1300 comprises copper, conductive layer 1302 or conductive layer 1301 comprising yttrium oxide ( _Y₂O₃ ) _alloy may be used, but are not limited thereto. In embodiments where the metal wire 1300 includes chromium, a conductive layer 1302 or conductive layer ₁₃₀₁ comprising chromium trioxide ( _Cr2O3 ) is used, but is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 1A, a spacer structure 140 is provided between the first substrate 101 and the second substrate 102, and the spacer structure 140 is located between the first transparent electrodes 121 of adjacent pixels and between the second transparent electrodes 122 of adjacent pixels. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 1B, the spacer structure 140 does not overlap with the first transparent electrodes 121 and/or the second transparent electrodes 122 in the top view direction D3. In some embodiments, the material of the spacer structure 140 may include organic materials, other suitable materials, or combinations of the above materials, but is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 1A, the first panel 10 further includes a first insulating layer 151, which is located between the first transparent electrode 121 and the first signal line 131, and the first transparent electrode 121 is electrically connected to the first signal line 131 through a through-hole passing through the first insulating layer 151. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 1A, the first panel 10 further includes a second insulating layer 152 and another second insulating layer 152-1, the second insulating layer 152 and the other second insulating layer 152-1 being located between the second transparent electrode 122 and the second signal line 132, and the second transparent electrode 122 being electrically connected to the second signal line 132 through a through hole passing through the second insulating layer 152 and the other second insulating layer 152-1.

By providing the aforementioned insulating layer in the first panel 10, the liquid crystal layer 130, the first signal line 131, and/or the second signal line 132 can be protected from external moisture in the first panel 10. The first insulating layer 151 and/or the second insulating layer 152 may include, but are not limited to, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, silicon carbon oxynitride, other suitable materials, or combinations of the above materials.

In some embodiments, the first panel 10 further includes an optical layer 160 located between the second transparent electrode 122 and the second signal line 132, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the optical layer 160 may be disposed between the first substrate 101 and the second substrate 102 as needed. In some embodiments, the optical layer 160 may be located between the first transparent electrode 121 and the first signal line 131, but is not particularly limited thereto. In some embodiments, the optical layer 160 is located between the second transparent electrode 122 and the second substrate 102, or between the first transparent electrode 121 and the first substrate 101. In some embodiments, the optical layer 160 includes a light-filtering layer, which includes a light-filtering material having a specific light-filtering wavelength band. In some embodiments, the optical layer 160 may include an organic or inorganic layer that does not have a light-filtering function. In some embodiments, the optical layer 160 may include a scattering layer, an optical clear adhesive, or a similar material.

It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, only the first transparent electrode 121, the second transparent electrode 122, the first signal line 131, the second signal line 132, the spacing structure 140, and the light-shielding structure (as discussed in the following embodiments) are shown in Figure 1B and some other top views of the first panel 10 disclosed herein, but the substrate, insulating layer, filter layer, and other components are not shown.

By incorporating low-impedance signal lines into the panel, signal transmission between pixels can be improved, reducing RC delay. Furthermore, by shaping the signal lines to have light-absorbing properties, reflection of ambient light through the signal lines can be reduced, thereby improving the quality of the electronic device. The electronic devices described above can reduce RC delay while maintaining optical performance.

Figures 2A and 2B are cross-sectional and top views of the panel 10 of the electronic device, respectively, according to some embodiments disclosed herein, wherein Figure 2A is a cross-sectional view along the direction of section line AA' in Figure 2B. The embodiments shown in Figures 2A and 2B are similar to those shown in Figures 1A and 1B, except that the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 are respectively positioned near the edges of the overlapping portions of the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122. In some embodiments, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 are positioned at the edges of each pixel and adjacent to the spacing structure 140. In some embodiments, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 may comprise a blackened metal.

Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device 1 comprising a first panel 10, a second panel 20, and/or a third panel 30, according to some embodiments disclosed herein. Arrow L indicates the incident light path or viewing angle direction. In other words, the second panel 20 is disposed on the first panel 10, and the third panel 30 is disposed on the second panel 20. The first panel 10 includes a first substrate 101, a second substrate 102, and a liquid crystal layer 110 disposed between the first substrate 101 and the second substrate 102. The second panel 20 is disposed on the first panel 10 and includes a first substrate 201, a second substrate 202, and a liquid crystal layer 210 disposed between the first substrate 201 and the second substrate 202. The third panel 30 is disposed on the second panel 20 and includes a first substrate 301, a second substrate 302, and a liquid crystal layer 310 disposed between the first substrate 301 and the second substrate 302. In some embodiments, optical layer 160 may be disposed between liquid crystal layer 110 and liquid crystal layer 210. In some embodiments, optical layer 260 may be disposed between liquid crystal layer 210 and liquid crystal layer 310. In some embodiments, optical layer 160 and/or optical layer 260 are respectively disposed on the light-receiving side (i.e., adjacent to the viewing surface) of liquid crystal layer 110 and/or liquid crystal layer 210.

In some embodiments, liquid crystal layers 110, 210, and 310 can be liquid crystal layers with different reflection wavelengths. Those skilled in the art can appropriately select the materials comprising liquid crystal layers 110, 210, and 310. For example, the reflection wavelength of liquid crystal layer 110 can be in the red light band, the reflection wavelength of liquid crystal layer 210 can be in the green light band, and the reflection wavelength of liquid crystal layer 310 can be in the blue light band. This disclosure does not limit the stacking order of liquid crystal layers corresponding to different reflection wavelengths.

For simplicity, other components besides the substrate, liquid crystal layer, and optical layer are not shown in Figure 3. In some embodiments, optical layer 160 and/or optical layer 260 may include light-filtering layers of different colors. In some embodiments, optical layer 160 may include a red-green light layer, and optical layer 260 may include a yellow-green light layer, but this is not a limitation. Furthermore, although an optical layer is not shown in the third panel 30 in this embodiment, the third panel 30 may actually include a transparent optical adhesive or similar material that does not have a light-filtering function.

In some embodiments, a light-absorbing layer 40 may be disposed under the first panel 10. The light-absorbing layer 40 may include a light-absorbing substrate, such as a black substrate or a light-absorbing material layer (e.g., black ink or other suitable material) formed on a substrate, but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, a refractive index matching film 42 may be disposed between the light-absorbing layer 40 and the first panel 10, thereby reducing interface reflection in the electronic device 1. In other embodiments, a refractive index matching film 42 may not be disposed between the light-absorbing layer 40 and the first panel 10.

In some embodiments, an adhesive layer 50 may be provided between the first panel 10 and the second panel 20, and/or between the second panel 20 and the third panel 30, thereby securing the different panels to each other. In some embodiments, the adhesive layer 50 may include, but is not limited to, a transparent optical adhesive or other suitable material. By providing a haze-effect transparent adhesive in the electronic device 1, moire patterns can be reduced, but this is not a limitation.

Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the panel of an electronic device corresponding to section line AA' in Figure 1B, according to some embodiments of this disclosure. The difference from the embodiment in Figure 1A is that in the embodiment shown in Figure 4, the optical layer 160 is disposed between the liquid crystal layer 110 and the first substrate 101. In some embodiments, the optical layer 160 may, for example, be disposed between the first insulating layer 151 and the first substrate 101. In this embodiment, the material of the optical layer 160 is similar to that described above, and the first signal line 131 and the second signal line 132 may be disposed near the edge of the overlapping area of the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122, similar to the embodiments in Figures 2A and 2B, which will not be elaborated here. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4, the first panel 10 includes a second insulating layer 152 located between the second transparent electrode 122 and the second signal line 132, and the second transparent electrode 122 is electrically connected to the second signal line 132 through a through-hole passing through the second insulating layer 152. In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 4, the first panel 10 includes a first insulating layer 151 and another first insulating layer 151-1, which are located between the first transparent electrode 121 and the first signal line 131. The first transparent electrode 121 is electrically connected to the first signal line 131 through a through-hole passing through the first insulating layer 151 and the other first insulating layer 151-1. In some embodiments, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 may include a blackened metal.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device 1 comprising a first panel 10, a second panel 20, and a third panel 30, according to some embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that Figure 5 includes elements similar to those shown in Figure 3, which will be represented by the same element symbols. As shown in Figure 5, in some embodiments, optical layers 260 and 360 are respectively disposed in the second panel 20 and the third panel 30, located on the backlight side of liquid crystal layers 210 and 310, respectively. In some embodiments, optical layers 260 and 360 are filter layers of different colors. In some embodiments, optical layer 360 may be a yellow filter layer, and optical layer 260 may be a red filter layer. As shown in Figure 5, the light-absorbing layer 40 can be disposed within the first panel 10.

Figures 6A and 6B are cross-sectional and top views of the panel 10 of the electronic device, respectively, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, wherein Figure 6A is a cross-sectional view along the direction of section line AA' in Figure 6B. It should be understood that Figures 6A and 6B include elements similar to those shown in Figures 1A and 1B, which will be represented by the same element symbols. In some embodiments, a light-shielding structure 133 is formed above the spacing structure 140. As shown in Figure 6B, the light-shielding structure 133 can be selectively overlapped with portions of the first transparent electrode 121 and portions of the second transparent electrode 122, and the light-shielding structure 133 can extend, for example, generally parallel to the direction of the first transparent electrode 121 and/or the direction of the second transparent electrode 122. Since the portions of the liquid crystal layer 110 that do not overlap with the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122 may not be subject to bias voltage and thus not rotate, such as the voltage difference between the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122, the dark-state light leakage from the portions of the liquid crystal layer 110 that are not subject to bias voltage and thus do not rotate can be blocked by providing the light-shielding structure 133. The light-shielding structure 133 may include materials similar to or different from those used for the first signal line 131 and the second signal line 132, and is not described again here. The light-shielding structure 133 may be formed in the same process as the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132, but is not limited thereto.

Although only the light-shielding structure 133 located between the second substrate 102 and the liquid crystal layer 110 is shown in Figure 6A, in other embodiments, the light-shielding structure 133 may be disposed between the first substrate 101 and the liquid crystal layer 110, thereby reducing internal reflections within the electronic device. In some embodiments, the optical layer 160 may be disposed, for example, between the first insulating layer 151 and another first insulating layer 151-1. In some embodiments, the optical layer 160 may be disposed, for example, between the second insulating layer 152 and another second insulating layer 152-1. The optical layer 160 may include, but is not limited to, a transparent optical adhesive, a light-filtering layer with a light-filtering function, other suitable materials, or combinations of the above materials. In some embodiments, in cross-section, the width of the light-shielding structure 133 may be the same as or different from the width of the first signal line 131 and/or the width of the second signal line 132. In some embodiments, in top view, the light-shielding structure 133 may be, for example, mesh-like. In some embodiments, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 may comprise blackened metal.

Figures 7A and 7B are cross-sectional and top views of the panel 10 of an electronic device, respectively, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, wherein Figure 7A is a cross-sectional view along the direction of section line AA' in Figure 7B. It should be understood that Figures 7A and 7B include elements similar to those shown in Figures 2A and 2B, which will be represented by the same element symbols. In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 7A and 7B, a spacer structure 140 is disposed between the first substrate 101 and the second substrate 102. In the top view direction D3, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132, for example, overlap the spacer structure 140. In some embodiments, the optical layer 160 is disposed between the first insulating layer 151 and another first insulating layer 151-1, or the optical layer 160 is disposed between the second insulating layer 152 and another second insulating layer 152-15. In some embodiments, the optical layer 160, the first insulating layer 151 and/or another first insulating layer 151-1 are disposed between the first transparent electrode 121 and the first signal line 131, thereby reducing crosstalk between the first transparent electrode 121 and the first signal line 131. In some embodiments, an optical layer 160, a second insulating layer 152, and/or another second insulating layer 152-1 are disposed between the second transparent electrode 122 and the second signal line 132, thereby reducing crosstalk between the second transparent electrode 122 and the second signal line 132. In some embodiments, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 may include blackened metal.

Next, refer to Figures 8A and 8B. It should be understood that Figures 8A and 8B include elements similar to those shown in Figures 1A and 1B, which will be represented by the same element symbols. In some embodiments, the light-shielding structure 170 may overlap with the spacer structure 140. As shown in Figure 8B, the light-shielding structure 170 may, for example, selectively overlap or not overlap the overlap of the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122. The extension direction of the light-shielding structure 170 may be parallel to the extension direction of the first transparent electrode 121 (e.g., first direction D1) and/or the extension direction of the second transparent electrode 122 (e.g., second direction D2). Since the portion of the liquid crystal layer 110 that does not overlap with the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122 may not be subject to bias voltage and thus will not rotate, and the bias voltage is the voltage difference between the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122, the dark-state light leakage from the liquid crystal layer 110 can be blocked by providing the light-shielding structure 170. The light-shielding structure 170 may include light-absorbing materials, such as black ink, black photoresist, or other suitable materials, but is not limited thereto. In the top view D3 (as shown in Figure 8B), the light-shielding structure 170 is, for example, in a mesh shape, but is not limited thereto. In a cross-section, the width of the light-shielding structure 170 may be, for example, greater than or equal to the width of the first signal line 131. In one cross-section, the width of the light-shielding structure 170 may be, for example, greater than or equal to the width of the second signal line 132. In another cross-section, the width of the light-shielding structure 170 may be greater than or equal to the width of the spacing structure 140. In some embodiments, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 may comprise a blackened metallic material.

Next, refer to Figures 9A and 9B. Figures 9A and 9B include elements similar to those shown in Figures 8A and 8B, which will be represented by the same element symbols. The difference from Figures 8A and 8B is that, in embodiments of Figures 9A and 9B, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 may be respectively positioned near the edge of the overlapping area of the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122. In some embodiments, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 may comprise a blackened metallic material.

Next, referring to Figure 10. In Figure 10, the optical layer 160 may be disposed between the first insulating layer 151 and the first transparent electrode 121 (or liquid crystal layer 110), or the optical layer 160 may be disposed between the second insulating layer 152 and the second transparent electrode 122 (or liquid crystal layer 110). By omitting the number of insulating layers between the optical layer 160 and the liquid crystal layer 110, the thickness of the first panel 10 can be reduced, saving manufacturing costs. In some embodiments, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 may include a blackened metallic material.

Next, referring to Figure 11, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 are respectively positioned near the edges of the overlapping areas of the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122. An optical layer 160 may be disposed between the first insulating layer 151 and the first transparent electrode 121 (or the liquid crystal layer 110), or the optical layer 160 may be disposed between the second insulating layer 152 and the second transparent electrode 122 (or the liquid crystal layer 110). By omitting the number of insulating layers between the optical layer 160 and the liquid crystal layer 110, the thickness of the first panel 10 can be reduced, saving manufacturing costs.

Figures 12A and 12B are cross-sectional and top views of the panel 10 of the electronic device, respectively, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, wherein figure 12A is a cross-sectional view along the direction of section line AA' in figure 12B. In some embodiments, a light-shielding structure 170 is disposed between the first signal line 131 and the second substrate 102, and the light-shielding structure 170 overlaps the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 in the top view direction D3. In some embodiments, the light-shielding structure 170 is disposed on the first signal line 131 and the second signal line 132.

In the embodiment where the light-shielding structure 170 is located above the first signal line 131 and the second signal line 132, since the light-shielding structure 170 can block reflections from the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 may, for example, not be blackened (e.g., not including the conductive layer 1301 and conductive layer 1302 in Figure 2), but is not limited thereto. Since the light-shielding structure 170 overlaps the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132, the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132 in Figure 13B are, for example, blocked by the light-shielding structure 170, and therefore no signal line (the first signal line 131 and/or the second signal line 132) is displayed. In some embodiments, the shading structure 170 may be grid-shaped in the top-view direction D3.

Next, refer to Figures 13A and 13B. The difference from the embodiment shown in Figures 12A and 12B is that the first signal line 131 and the second signal line 132 are respectively positioned near the edge of the overlapping area of the first transparent electrode 121 and the second transparent electrode 122. Figures 13A and 13B include elements similar to those shown in Figures 12A and 12B, which will be represented by the same element symbols.

Referring to Figures 12A and 13A, the light-shielding structure 170 may be disposed on one side of the second substrate 102 adjacent to the first substrate 101, and the optical layer 160 may be disposed in the gaps between the patterns of the light-shielding structure 170. In some embodiments, the optical layer 160 may cover the surface of the light-shielding structure 170 away from the second substrate 102. In some embodiments, the optical layer 160 may be, for example, unpatterned. Due to the adhesion between the optical layer 160 and the material of the light-shielding structure 170, the optical layer 160 is not easily detached from the second substrate 102. In some embodiments, the optical layer 160 may be selectively disposed between the first substrate 101 and the first insulating layer 151 (or the first signal line 131). In some embodiments, the optical layer 160 may or may not be in contact with the first substrate 101. In some embodiments, other layers (such as an insulating layer) may be selectively added between the optical layer 160 and the first substrate 101.

In addition, although not shown in Figures 12A and 13A, a light-shielding structure may be provided between the first signal line 131 and the substrate 101 to reduce internal reflections within the electronic device.

Referring again to Figure 5, it should be noted that when the light emitted by the liquid crystal layer 310 in the third panel 30 in the reflective state is blue, the light emitted by the liquid crystal layer 210 in the second panel 20 in the reflective state is green, and the light emitted by the liquid crystal layer 110 in the first panel 10 in the reflective state is red, the optical layer 360 located between the liquid crystal layer 310 and the liquid crystal layer 210 can be, for example, a yellow light filter element, and the optical layer 160 located between the liquid crystal layer 210 and the liquid crystal layer 110 can be, for example, a red light filter element, but is not limited thereto. It should be noted that although the above embodiments only illustrate the stacking of the first panel 10, the second panel 20 and the third panel 30 can also have similar stacking structures to the first panel 10. It should be noted that the overlapping of the first panel 10, the second panel 20, and the third panel 30 can, for example, adopt overlapping structures from different patterns, and it is not required that the overlapping structures of the three panels be the same.

Next, referring to Figure 14. In some embodiments, a filter element 60 (e.g., a filter layer or filter gel) may be disposed between adjacent panels of the electronic device 1. As shown in Figure 14, in some embodiments, the filter element 60 is disposed between the first panel 10 and the second panel 20, or between the second panel 20 and the third panel 30, but is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, when the light emitted by the liquid crystal layer 310 in the third panel 30 in the reflective state is blue light, the light emitted by the liquid crystal layer 210 in the second panel 20 in the reflective state is green light, and the light emitted by the liquid crystal layer 110 in the first panel 10 in the reflective state is red light, the light filter element 60 located between the second panel 20 and the third panel 30 may be, for example, a yellow light filter element, and the light filter element 60 located between the second panel 20 and the first panel 10 may be, for example, a red light filter element, but is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, an adhesive layer 50 is disposed between the first panel 10 and the second panel 20, and an adhesive layer 50 is disposed between the second panel 20 and the third panel 30. Although in Figure 14 the light filter element 60 is disposed on the backlight side of the adhesive layer 50 (i.e., the side closer to the light-absorbing layer 40), for example, one light filter element 60 is disposed between the adhesive layer 50 and the second panel 20, and another light filter element 60 is disposed between the adhesive layer 50 and the first panel 10, this disclosure is not limited thereto. In practice, the light filter element 60 may also be disposed on the light-receiving side of the adhesive layer 50 (i.e., the side away from the light-absorbing layer 40), or a portion of the light filter element 60 may be disposed within the panel, depending on the design requirements of the electronic device 1. In some embodiments, the light-absorbing layer 40 may also be disposed within the first panel 10, but the light-absorbing layer 40 must be disposed below the liquid crystal layer 110. In embodiments where the light-filtering element 60 is disposed between the panels, the cross-sectional views of each panel are similar to those described above and will not be repeated here.

Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device 1 having a shared substrate between panels, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The electronic device 1 in Figure 15 shows three panels stacked vertically on top of each other, and includes a substrate 100, a substrate 200, a substrate 300, and a substrate 400. As shown in Figure 15, a liquid crystal layer 110 is disposed, for example, between substrate 100 and substrate 200; a liquid crystal layer 210 is disposed, for example, between substrate 200 and substrate 300; and a liquid crystal layer 310 is disposed, for example, between substrate 300 and substrate 400. Liquid crystal layers 110 and 210 share substrate 200, and liquid crystal layers 210 and 310 share substrate 300. By using the common substrate design described above, the bonding process for forming the electronic device 1 can be reduced or the overall thickness of the electronic device 1 can be decreased. In some embodiments, an optical layer 160 is provided between substrate 100 and substrate 200, an optical layer 260 is provided between substrate 200 and substrate 300, and an optical layer 360 is provided between substrate 300 and substrate 400. Optical layer 160, optical layer 260, and/or optical layer 360 may include a light-filtering layer or a transparent optical clear adhesive or similar material without light-filtering function.

It should be understood that similar elements are included in the various panels of Figure 15, and these elements will be represented by similar element symbols. It should be noted that although optical layers 160, 260, 360, and light-shielding structures 170, 270, and 370 are depicted in the various panels of Figure 15, and the various panels have similar configurations, this disclosure is not limited thereto. In practice, those skilled in the art can determine the configuration within each panel as needed.

In summary, according to some embodiments of the electronic device disclosed herein, the electronic device (e.g., a cholesterol liquid crystal display) includes signal lines electrically connected to transparent electrodes and extending in a specific direction. Furthermore, since the impedance of the signal lines is lower than the impedance of the transparent electrodes, signal transmission between pixels in the panel can be improved to reduce RC delay. In some embodiments, by forming the signal lines with light-absorbing properties or by providing a light-shielding structure in the electronic device, reflections from the signal lines can be reduced to improve the display quality of the electronic device.

The above outlines the features of several embodiments to facilitate a better understanding of the viewpoints of the embodiments of the present invention by those skilled in the art. Those skilled in the art should understand that other processes and structures can be easily designed or modified based on the embodiments of the present invention to achieve the same purpose and/or advantages as the embodiments described herein. Those skilled in the art should also understand that such equivalent processes and structures do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention, and various changes, substitutions, and replacements can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention.

1: Electronic Device 10: First Panel 20: Second Panel 30: Third Panel 40: Light Absorbing Layer 42: Refractive Index Matching Film 50: Adhesive Layer 60: Filter Element 100, 200, 300, 400: Substrate 101, 201, 301: First Substrate 102, 202, 302: Second Substrate 110, 210, 310: Liquid Crystal Layer 121, 221, 321: First Transparent Electrode 122, 222, 322: Second Transparent Electrode 131, 231, 331: First Signal Line 132, 232, 332: Second Signal Line 140, 240, 340: Spacing Structure 151, 151-1, 251, 351: First insulating layer 152, 152-1, 252, 352: Second insulating layer 160, 260, 360: Optical layer 133, 170, 270, 370: Light-shielding structure 1300: Metal wire 1301, 1302: Conductive layer AA’: Sectional cut D1: First direction D2: Second direction D3: Top view L: Arrow head

The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, in accordance with industry standard practice, the features are not drawn to scale and are for illustrative purposes only. In fact, the dimensions of the components can be arbitrarily enlarged or reduced to clearly demonstrate the features of the embodiments of the present invention. Figure 1A is a cross-sectional view of the panel of the electronic device corresponding to section AA' in Figure 1B, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1B is a top view of the panel of the electronic device corresponding to Figure 1A, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 1C is a cross-sectional view of an example blackened metal, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2A is a cross-sectional view of the panel of the electronic device corresponding to section AA' in Figure 2B, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 2B is a top view of the panel of the electronic device corresponding to Figure 2A, according to some embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device including the panel stack, according to some embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the panel of the electronic device corresponding to section line AA' in Figure 1B, according to some embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device including the panel stack, according to some embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 6A is a cross-sectional view of the panel of the electronic device corresponding to section line AA' in Figure 6B, according to some embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 6B is a top view of the panel of the electronic device corresponding to Figure 6A, according to some embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 7A is a cross-sectional view of the panel of the electronic device corresponding to section AA' in Figure 7B, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 7B is a top view of the panel of the electronic device corresponding to Figure 7A, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 8A is a cross-sectional view of the panel of the electronic device corresponding to section AA' in Figure 8B, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 8B is a top view of the panel of the electronic device corresponding to Figure 8A, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 9A is a cross-sectional view of the panel of the electronic device corresponding to section AA' in Figure 9B, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 9B is a top view of the panel of the electronic device corresponding to Figure 9A, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of a panel of an electronic device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 11 is a cross-sectional view of a panel of an electronic device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 12A is a cross-sectional view of a panel of an electronic device corresponding to section line AA' in Figure 12B according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 12B is a top view of a panel of an electronic device corresponding to Figure 12A according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 13A is a cross-sectional view of a panel of an electronic device corresponding to section line AA' in Figure 13B according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 13B is a top view of a panel of an electronic device corresponding to Figure 13A according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Figure 14 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device with filter elements located between panels, according to some embodiments of this disclosure. Figure 15 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device having a common substrate between panels, according to some embodiments of this disclosure.

10: First Panel

101: First substrate

102: Second substrate

110: Liquid crystal layer

121: First Transparent Electrode

122: Second transparent electrode

131: First Signal Line

132: Second Signal Line

140: Interval structure

151: The First Layer of Absolute Depth

152,152-1: Second Insulation Layer

160: Optical layer

AA’: Section line

D3: Top-down view

L: Arrowhead

Claims (7)

An electronic device includes: a first substrate; a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate; a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a plurality of first transparent electrodes disposed between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer; a plurality of second transparent electrodes disposed between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer; and a first signal line disposed between the first substrate and the liquid crystal layer and electrically connected to the first transparent electrodes. One of the transparent electrodes; and a second signal line disposed between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer and electrically connected to one of the second transparent electrodes, wherein the first signal line and the second signal line comprise a blackened metal, wherein the first signal line comprises a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer and a third conductive layer, the second conductive layer is located between the first conductive layer and the third conductive layer, and the second conductive layer comprises copper. The electronic device of claim 1 further includes: a spacer structure disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the spacer structure is located between two adjacent first transparent electrodes and does not overlap with the two adjacent first transparent electrodes. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the spacing structure is located between two adjacent second transparent electrodes and does not overlap with the two adjacent second transparent electrodes. The electronic device of claim 1 further includes: a spacer structure disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the first signal line and the second signal line overlap the spacer structure, and in a cross-sectional view, the width of the first signal line and the width of the second signal line are greater than the width of the spacer structure. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer comprises a yttrium oxide ( _Y₂O₃ ) _alloy ; and the third conductive layer comprises a yttrium oxide ( _Y₂O₃ ) _alloy . The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second signal line includes: a fourth conductive layer, a fifth conductive layer and a sixth conductive layer, wherein the fifth conductive layer is located between the fourth conductive layer and the _sixth conductive layer, wherein the fourth conductive layer includes a yttrium oxide ( _Y₂O₃ ) alloy; and the sixth conductive layer includes a yttrium oxide _{( Y₂O₃} ) alloy. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the fifth conductive layer comprises copper.