阅读说明：本技术 天线装置和包括该天线装置的显示装置 (Antenna device and display device including the same ) 是由 柳汉燮 吴伦锡 许润镐 洪源斌 于 2019-03-05 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明的实施方式的天线元件包括：介电层；以及天线图案,其设置在介电层的上表面上并包括网状结构,该网状结构中组合有由多条电极线限定的单位单元。单位单元的相对两个侧边之间的最短距离为20-225μm,并且电极线的线宽度为0.5-5μm。通过单位单元结构可以抑制电极可见性并且可以提高信号灵敏度。(An antenna element of an embodiment of the present invention includes: a dielectric layer; and an antenna pattern disposed on an upper surface of the dielectric layer and including a mesh structure in which unit cells defined by the plurality of electrode lines are combined. The shortest distance between the opposite sides of the unit cell is 20-225 μm, and the line width of the electrode line is 0.5-5 μm. Electrode visibility can be suppressed and signal sensitivity can be improved by the unit cell structure.)

1. An antenna device, comprising:

a dielectric layer; and

an antenna pattern disposed on a top surface of the dielectric layer, the antenna pattern including a mesh structure in which unit cells defined by a plurality of electrode lines are combined,

wherein a minimum distance between opposite sides facing each other in the unit cell is 20 to 225 μm, and a line width of the electrode line is 0.5 to 5 μm.

2. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein a minimum distance between opposite sides of the unit cell facing each other is 50 μm to 196 μm.

3. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the mesh structure comprises a first electrode line and a second electrode line intersecting each other.

4. The antenna device according to claim 3, wherein the unit cell has a diamond shape.

5. The antenna device of claim 1, further comprising a dummy electrode disposed around the antenna pattern.

6. The antenna device of claim 5, wherein the dummy electrode comprises the same mesh structure as the antenna pattern.

7. The antenna device according to claim 6, wherein the antenna pattern and the dummy electrode comprise the same metal, and the antenna pattern and the dummy electrode comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of silver (Ag), gold (Au), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), vanadium (V), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and alloys thereof.

8. The antenna device according to claim 1, wherein the antenna pattern includes a radiation electrode, a transmission line connected to the radiation electrode, and a pad electrode connected to an end of the transmission line.

9. The antenna device according to claim 8, wherein the radiation electrode includes the mesh structure, and the pad electrode has a solid structure.

10. The antenna device according to claim 9, wherein the pad electrode is provided on an upper layer of the radiation electrode and the transmission line, and the antenna device further comprises a contact electrically connecting the pad electrode and the transmission line.

11. A display device comprising the antenna device according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an antenna device and a display device including the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to an antenna device including an electrode pattern and a display device including the antenna device.

Background

With the development of information technology, wireless communication technologies such as Wi-Fi, bluetooth, etc. are combined with display devices such as in the form of smart phones. In this case, the antenna may provide a communication function in combination with the display device.

With the rapid development of mobile communication technology, antennas capable of operating ultra-high frequency communication are required in display devices. Further, with the recent development of thin layer display devices having high transparency and high resolution, such as transparent displays, flexible displays, and the like, it may be further required to develop antennas having improved transparency and flexibility.

In recent display devices having a large-sized screen, a space or an area for a frame portion or a light shielding portion is reduced. In this case, a space or an area of the antenna is also limited, and thus a radiation electrode included in the antenna for signal transmission and reception may overlap a display region of the display device. Therefore, an image from the display device may be blocked by the radiation electrode of the antenna, or the radiation electrode may be recognized by a user to degrade image quality.

For example, korean laid-open patent application No. 2013-0095451 discloses an antenna integrated into a display panel, but does not consider image degradation of a display device caused by the antenna.

Disclosure of Invention

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an antenna device having improved visual characteristics and signal efficiency.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display device including an antenna device having improved visual characteristics and signal efficiency.

(1) An antenna device, comprising: a dielectric layer; an antenna pattern disposed on a top surface of the dielectric layer, the antenna pattern including a mesh structure in which unit cells defined by a plurality of electrode lines are combined, wherein a minimum distance between opposite sides of the unit cells facing each other is 20 to 225 μm, and line widths of the electrode lines are 0.5 to 5 μm.

(2) The antenna device according to the above (1), wherein a minimum distance between opposite sides facing each other in the unit cell is 50 μm to 196 μm.

(3) The antenna device according to the above (1), wherein the mesh structure includes a first electrode line and a second electrode line intersecting each other.

(4) The antenna device according to the above (3), wherein the unit cell has a diamond shape.

(5) The antenna device according to the above (1), further comprising a dummy electrode disposed around the antenna pattern.

(6) The antenna device according to the above (5), wherein the dummy electrode includes a mesh structure identical to the antenna pattern.

(7) The antenna device according to the above (6), wherein the antenna pattern and the dummy electrode comprise the same metal, and the antenna pattern and the dummy electrode comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of silver (Ag), gold (Au), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), vanadium (V), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), and an alloy thereof.

(8) The antenna device according to the above (1), wherein the antenna pattern includes a radiation electrode, a transmission line connected to the radiation electrode, and a pad electrode connected to an end of the transmission line.

(9) The antenna device according to the above (8), wherein the radiation electrode includes a mesh structure, and the pad electrode has a solid structure.

(10) The antenna device according to the above (9), wherein the pad electrode is provided on an upper layer of the radiation electrode and the transmission line, and the antenna device further comprises a contact electrically connecting the pad electrode and the transmission line.

(11) A display device comprising the antenna device according to any one of the above (1) to (10).

The antenna device according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a radiation electrode having a mesh structure in which unit cells in a rhombus or diamond shape, for example, are combined. The minimum distance between the opposite sides of the unit cell in the radiation electrode can be adjusted to suppress visibility of the electrode line included in the radiation electrode. In addition, the resistance and transmittance may be controlled by adjusting the line width of the electrode line.

The antenna device may be inserted or mounted in a front portion of the display device, and may prevent the radiation electrode from being seen by a user of the display device. In addition, the line width of the electrode lines may be adjusted to improve transmittance and increase signal sensitivity, thereby minimizing degradation of image quality of the display device.

The antenna device may include a metal mesh structure that improves flexibility, and may be effectively applied to a flexible display device.

Drawings

Fig. 1 and 2 are a schematic cross-sectional view and a schematic top plan view, respectively, illustrating an antenna device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 3 and 4 are schematic top plan views illustrating a mesh structure and a unit cell of an antenna device according to an exemplary embodiment, respectively.

Fig. 5 is a schematic top plan view illustrating a unit cell of an antenna device according to some exemplary embodiments.

Fig. 6 and 7 are a schematic cross-sectional view and a schematic top plan view, respectively, illustrating an antenna device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a schematic top plan view illustrating a display device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Fig. 9 is an exemplary graph showing a simulation result of the relationship between the resistance and the signal loss level (S21).

Detailed Description

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an antenna device including a radiation electrode having a mesh structure and providing improved transmittance and signal sensitivity while reducing visual recognizability of the electrode.

The antenna device may be, for example, a microstrip patch antenna manufactured in the form of a transparent film. The antenna device can be applied to a communication device for 3G to 5G mobile communication, for example.

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, there is also provided a display device including the antenna device described above.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments described with reference to the drawings are provided for further understanding of the spirit of the invention and do not limit the claimed subject matter to that disclosed in the detailed description and the appended claims.

Fig. 1 and 2 are a schematic cross-sectional view and a schematic top plan view, respectively, illustrating an antenna device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to fig. 1 and 2, an antenna device according to an exemplary embodiment may include a dielectric layer 100 and a first electrode layer 110 disposed on the dielectric layer 100. In some embodiments, a second electrode layer 90 may also be included on the bottom surface of the dielectric layer 100.

The dielectric layer 100 may include an insulating material having a predetermined dielectric constant. The dielectric layer 100 may include, for example, an inorganic insulating material such as glass, silicon oxide, silicon nitride, metal oxide, or an organic insulating material such as epoxy resin, acrylic resin, imide-based resin, or the like. The dielectric layer 100 may serve as a thin film substrate of the antenna device on which the first conductive layer 110 may be formed.

For example, a transparent film may be used as the dielectric layer 100. For example, the transparent film may include a thermoplastic resin, which may include polyester-based resins such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene isophthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, and polybutylene terephthalate; cellulose-based resins such as diacetylcellulose and triacetylcellulose; a polycarbonate-based resin; acrylic resins such as polymethyl (meth) acrylate and polyethyl (meth) acrylate; styrene-based resins such as polystyrene and acrylonitrile-styrene copolymer; polyolefin-based resins such as polyethylene, polypropylene, cyclic olefin or polyolefin having a norbornene structure and ethylene-propylene copolymer; a vinyl chloride-based resin; amide-based resins such as nylon and aramid; an imide-based resin; a polyether sulfone-based resin; a sulfone-based resin; polyether ether ketone-based resin; polyphenylene sulfide resin; a vinyl alcohol-based resin; vinylidene chloride-based resins; a vinyl butyral based resin; an allyl resin; a polyoxymethylene-based resin; an epoxy-based resin. They may be used alone or in combination of two or more of them. In addition, a transparent film formed of a thermosetting resin or a UV curable resin may be used as the dielectric layer 100, and may include a (meth) acrylic-based resin, a polyurethane-based resin, an acrylic polyurethane-based resin, an epoxy-based resin, or a silicone-based resin.

In some embodiments, the dielectric constant of the dielectric layer 100 may be adjusted in a range of about 1.5 to about 12. If the dielectric constant exceeds about 12, the driving frequency may be excessively lowered, and antenna driving at a desired high frequency band may not be achieved.

As shown in fig. 2, the first electrode layer 110 may include an antenna pattern having a radiation electrode 112 and a transmission line 114. The antenna pattern or first electrode layer 110 may further include a pad electrode 116 connected to an end portion of the transmission line 114.

In some embodiments, the first electrode layer 110 may further include a dummy electrode 118 disposed around the antenna pattern.

The first electrode layer 110 may include silver (Ag), gold (Au), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), tungsten (W), niobium (Nb), tantalum (Ta), vanadium (V), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), zinc (Zn), or an alloy thereof. They may be used alone or in combination. For example, the radiation electrode 112 may include silver (Ag) or a silver alloy to achieve low resistance, and may include, for example, a silver-palladium-copper (APC) alloy.

In some embodiments, the first electrode layer 110 may include a transparent metal oxide, such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO), indium zinc tin oxide (ITZO), or zinc oxide (ZnOx).

For example, the first electrode layer 110 may have a multi-layered structure including at least one metal or alloy layer and a transparent metal oxide layer.

In an exemplary embodiment, the radiation electrode 112 of the antenna pattern may include a mesh structure. Therefore, the transmittance of the radiation electrode 112 can be increased, and the flexibility of the antenna device can be improved. Therefore, the antenna device can be effectively applied to a flexible display device.

In some embodiments, the dummy electrode 118 may also include a mesh structure, and a mesh structure substantially identical to the mesh structure included in the radiation electrode 112 may be included in the dummy electrode 118. In some embodiments, the dummy electrode 118 and the radiation electrode 112 may include the same metal.

The transmission line 114 may protrude from one end of the radiation electrode 112 and may be electrically connected to the pad electrode 116. For example, the transmission line 114 may protrude from a protrusion formed in a central portion of the radiation electrode 112.

In one embodiment, the transmission line 114 may include substantially the same conductive material as the radiation electrode 112, and may be formed through substantially the same etching process. In this case, the transmission line 114 may be used as a substantially single member connected to the radiation electrode 112 as one body.

In some embodiments, the transmission line 114 and the radiation electrode 112 may include substantially the same mesh structure.

The pad electrode 116 may be electrically connected to the radiation electrode 112 through the transmission line 114, and may electrically connect the driving circuit unit (e.g., IC chip) and the radiation electrode 112 to each other.

For example, a circuit board such as a flexible circuit board (FPCB) may be adhered on the pad electrode 116, and the driving circuit unit may be disposed on the flexible circuit board. Accordingly, signal transmission and reception may be achieved between the antenna pattern and the driving circuit unit.

In some embodiments, the pad electrode 116 may be disposed at the same layer or at the same level as the radiation electrode 112. In this case, the pad electrode 116 may further include a mesh structure substantially the same as the radiation electrode 112.

As described above, the dummy electrode 118 may include a mesh structure substantially the same as the radiation electrode 112, and may be electrically or physically isolated from the antenna pattern and the pad electrode 116.

For example, the separation region 115 may be formed along a side line or outline of the antenna pattern to separate the dummy electrode 118 and the antenna pattern from each other.

As described above, the antenna pattern may be formed to include a mesh structure, so that the transmittance of the antenna device may be improved. In one embodiment, while the mesh structure is utilized, the electrode wire included in the mesh structure may be formed of a low-resistance metal such as copper, silver, or an APC alloy, thereby suppressing an increase in resistance. Therefore, a transparent thin film antenna having low resistance and high sensitivity can be effectively realized.

Further, the dummy electrodes 118 having the same mesh structure may be disposed around the antenna pattern, so that the antenna pattern caused by the local difference in the electrode arrangement may be prevented from being recognized by a user of the display device.

For convenience of description, only one antenna pattern is shown in fig. 2, but a plurality of antenna patterns may be disposed in an array form on the dielectric layer 100.

In some embodiments, the second electrode layer 90 may serve as a ground plane for the antenna device. For example, a capacitance or an inductance may be formed between the radiation electrode 112 and the second electrode layer 90 in the thickness direction of the antenna device through the dielectric layer 100, so that a frequency band for antenna induction or antenna driving may be adjusted. For example, the antenna device may be used as a vertical radiating antenna.

The second electrode layer 90 may include substantially the same or similar metal as the first electrode layer 110. In one embodiment, a conductive member of the display device mounted with the antenna element may be used as the second electrode layer 90.

The conductive member may include, for example, a gate electrode of a Thin Film Transistor (TFT) included in the display panel, various wirings such as a scan line or a data line, or various electrodes such as a pixel electrode and a common electrode.

Fig. 3 and 4 are schematic top plan views illustrating a mesh structure and a unit cell of an antenna device according to an exemplary embodiment, respectively. For example, fig. 3 shows a mesh structure inside an antenna pattern included in the antenna device.

Referring to fig. 3, the mesh structure included in the antenna pattern may be defined by electrode lines crossing each other.

The mesh structure may include first electrode lines 120a and second electrode lines 120b divided based on an extending direction. The first electrode lines 120a and the second electrode lines 120b may extend in directions intersecting each other, and the plurality of first electrode lines 120a and the plurality of second electrode lines 120b may intersect each other to define a mesh structure in which the unit cells 125 may be combined.

The unit cells 125 may be defined by two adjacent first electrode lines 120a and two adjacent second electrode lines 120b crossing each other, and may have a rhombus or diamond shape.

Referring to fig. 4, the unit cell 125 may have a diamond shape, and may include a pair of first sides 121a facing each other and a pair of second sides 121b facing each other. The first side 121a may originate from the first electrode line 120a, and the second side 121b may originate from the second electrode line 120 b.

The minimum distance between the opposite sides facing each other may be defined as a distance D1 between the first sides 121a or a distance D2 between the second sides 121 b. In one embodiment, the distance D1 between the first side edges 121a and the distance D2 between the second side edges 121b may be the same.

In an exemplary embodiment, the minimum distance between the opposite sides facing each other may be about 225 μm or less. In this case, the overlapping or interference of diffraction peaks generated from each side of the unit cell 125 may be reduced, so that a user may be prevented from seeing the mesh structure or the electrode lines.

If the minimum distance between the opposite two side edges facing each other is excessively reduced, the internal space in the unit cell 125 may be reduced, resulting in an overall reduction in the light transmittance of the antenna device.

The minimum distance between the opposite sides may be about 20 to about 225 μm, and preferably about 50 to about 196 μm, in view of the transmittance of the electrode and the suppression of visual recognition.

In an exemplary embodiment, the line width Lw of each side edge or electrode line of the unit cell 125 may be about 0.5 to about 5 μm. If the line width Lw of the electrode line is less than about 0.5 μm, the signal loss rate of the antenna device may excessively increase, and effective driving characteristics of the antenna device may not be obtained. If the line width Lw of the electrode line exceeds about 5 μm, the transmittance of the antenna device may be reduced.

The minimum distance between the opposite two side edges of the unit cell 125 and the line width of each electrode line may be adjusted as described above, visual recognition of the electrodes may be prevented while maintaining transmittance, and effective signal sensitivity of the antenna device may be achieved.

As described above, the unit cell 125 may have, for example, a diamond shape, and may have another convex polygonal shape such as a hexagonal shape.

Fig. 5 is a schematic top plan view illustrating a unit cell of an antenna device according to some exemplary embodiments.

Referring to fig. 5, the unit cell 127 may have a hexagonal shape. In this case, the unit cell 127 may include a first side 123a, a second side 123b, and a third side 123c, which are obtained by electrode lines extending in three different directions. For example, the first and second sides 123a and 123b may extend in two diagonal directions, and the third side 123c may extend in a vertical direction.

The minimum distance between the opposite two side edges may include a distance Da between a pair of first side edges 123a facing each other, a distance Db between a pair of second side edges 123b facing each other, and a distance Dc between a pair of third side edges 123c facing each other.

In an exemplary embodiment, the distance Da between the first side edges 123a, the distance Db between the second side edges 123b, and the distance Dc between the third side edges 123c may be the same as or different from each other, and may each be about 225 μm or less, preferably about 20 to about 225 μm, more preferably about 50 to about 196 μm.

Fig. 6 and 7 are a schematic cross-sectional view and a schematic top plan view, respectively, illustrating an antenna device according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to fig. 6 and 7, the pad electrode 130 of the antenna device may have a solid structure instead of a mesh structure. Therefore, the signal transmission/reception efficiency between the drive IC chip and the radiation electrode 112 can be improved, and signal loss can be suppressed.

As shown in fig. 6, in some embodiments, the pad electrode 130 may be located at a different layer or at a different level than the antenna pattern (e.g., the first electrode layer 110 including the radiation electrode 112 and the transmission line 114).

For example, the pad electrode 130 may be located at an upper layer of the first electrode layer 110, and may be electrically connected to the first electrode layer 110 through the contact 135.

In one embodiment, the insulating interlayer 140 may be formed on the dielectric layer 100 to cover the first electrode layer 110. The contact 135 may be formed through the insulating interlayer 140 and may be electrically connected to the transmission line 114 included in the first electrode layer 110.

The pad electrode 130 may be disposed on the insulating interlayer 140 to contact the contact 135. A protective layer 150 may also be formed on the insulating interlayer 140 to cover the pad electrode 130.

For example, a contact hole may be formed in the insulating interlayer 140 to partially expose the upper surface of the transmission line 114. Subsequently, a metal or alloy layer filling the contact holes may be formed and patterned to form contacts 135. In some embodiments, the contact 135 and the pad electrode 130 may be provided as a single member that is substantially integrally connected to each other. In this case, the contact 135 and the pad electrode 130 may be formed by the same patterning process for the metal film or the alloy film.

The insulating interlayer 140 and the protective layer 150 may include an inorganic insulating material such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, or the like, or an organic insulating material such as acrylic resin, epoxy-based resin, polyimide-based resin, or the like.

The pad electrode 130 may be disposed at a peripheral region such as a light shielding portion or a frame portion of the display device. Accordingly, the pad electrode 130 may not be visually recognized by a user, and may be formed of solid metal to suppress signal loss. The radiation electrode 112, which may be disposed at the display area of the display device, may be formed to include the above-described mesh structure to improve light transmittance and prevent the electrode from being visible.

Fig. 8 is a schematic top plan view illustrating a display device according to an exemplary embodiment. For example, fig. 8 shows the appearance of a window including a display device.

Referring to fig. 8, the display device 200 may include a display area 210 and a peripheral area 220. For example, the peripheral region 220 may be located on both lateral portions and/or both end portions of the display region 210.

In some embodiments, the antenna device may be inserted into the outer peripheral area 220 of the display device 200 in the form of a patch or a film. In some embodiments, the radiation electrode 112 of the antenna device as described above may be disposed to correspond at least in part to the display region 210 of the display device 200, and the pad electrodes 116 and 130 may be disposed to correspond to the outer peripheral region 220 of the display device 200.

The outer peripheral region 220 may correspond to, for example, a light shielding portion or a frame portion of the image display device. A driving circuit such as an IC chip of the display device and/or the antenna device may be provided in the outer peripheral area 220.

The pad electrodes 116 and 130 of the antenna device may be disposed adjacent to the driving circuit, so that signal loss may be suppressed by shortening the signal transmission/reception path.

In some embodiments, the dummy electrode 118 of the antenna device may be disposed on the display area 210. The radiation electrode 112 and the dummy electrode 118 may be formed to have the same mesh structure, for example, including the unit cells described with reference to fig. 3 and 4, and thus may effectively achieve improved light transmittance while suppressing the electrodes from being visible.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments are proposed to more specifically describe the present invention. However, the following embodiments are given only for illustrating the present invention, and those skilled in the relevant art will clearly understand that these embodiments do not limit the appended claims, but that various substitutions and modifications can be made within the scope and spirit of the present invention. Such alternatives and modifications are properly included in the appended claims.

Test example 1: evaluation of electrode visibility example and comparative example based on minimum distance between opposite two sides of unit cell

The mesh structure shown in fig. 3 is formed on the dielectric layer using an Alloy (APC) of silver (Ag), palladium (Pd), and copper (Cu). The electrode line was formed to have a line width of 3 μm and an electrode thickness (or height) ofThe minimum distance (indicated by "a" in table 1) between the opposite two side edges was adjusted by changing the diagonal length in the X-axis direction (indicated by "X" in table 1) and the diagonal length in the Y-axis direction (indicated by "Y" in table 1) to prepare the film antenna samples of the examples and comparative examples. The transmittance and electrode visibility of the samples were evaluated as follows.

(1) Measurement of light transmittance

The transmittance of the samples prepared in examples and comparative examples was measured at a wavelength of 550nm using a spectrophotometer (CM-3600A, Konica Minolta).

(2) Evaluation of electrode visibility

The samples prepared in examples and comparative examples were observed with the naked eye to determine whether the electrode wire or mesh structure was visually recognized. Specifically, samples of 10 panels were observed with the naked eye, and the electrode visibility was evaluated by determining the number of panels in which the electrode pattern was clearly visible as described below.

0 panel of 10 panels

O: 1 to 3 panels out of 10 panels

And (delta): 4-5 panels out of 10 panels

X: more than 6 of 10 panels

The results are shown in table 1 below.

[ Table 1]

Referring to table 1, when the minimum distance between the opposite sides exceeds 225 μm, the transmittance increases but the electrode visibility decreases. When the minimum distance between the opposing sides is about 20 μm or more, visual recognition of the electrodes is substantially prevented. When the minimum distance between the opposing sides is in the range of about 50 μm to about 225 μm (or 196 μm), a transmittance of greater than 87% is achieved while substantially preventing visual recognition of the electrode.

Test example 2: estimating resistance and signal loss according to line width of electrode line