Patent Description:
Electroluminescence display apparatuses are apparatuses where a light emitting layer is provided between two electrodes and emits light with an electric field between the two electrodes, thereby displaying an image.

The light emitting layer may be formed of an organic material or an inorganic material such as a quantum dot. In the light emitting layer, an exciton is generated by a combination of an electron and a hole, and when the exciton is shifted from an excited state to a ground state, light is emitted.

Hereinafter, a related art electroluminescence display apparatus will be described with reference to the drawing.

<FIG> is a schematic cross-sectional view of a related art electroluminescence display apparatus.

As seen in <FIG>, the related art electroluminescence display apparatus includes a substrate <NUM>, a circuit element layer <NUM>, a first electrode <NUM>, a bank <NUM>, and a light emitting layer <NUM>.

The circuit element layer <NUM> is provided on the substrate <NUM>. Various signal lines, a thin film transistor (TFT), and a capacitor are provided on the circuit element layer <NUM>.

The first electrode <NUM> is provided on the circuit element layer <NUM>. The first electrode <NUM> is patterned in each of a plurality of pixels and acts as an anode of the related art electroluminescence display apparatus.

The bank <NUM> is provided in a matrix structure to define a plurality of emission areas.

The light emitting layer <NUM> is provided in each of the plurality of emission areas defined by the bank <NUM>. The light emitting layer <NUM> is formed in each of the plurality of emission areas through a solution process using an inkjet apparatus.

In the related art electroluminescence display apparatus, when the light emitting layer <NUM> is formed through the solution process, the light emitting layer <NUM> provided in one of the plurality of emission areas spreads to another emission area adjacent thereto and is mixed with the light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the neighboring emission area, and due to this, it is difficult to realize a high-quality image. <CIT> describes a method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting display device. The method includes forming a pixel electrode, forming a hydrophobic material layer on the pixel electrode, wherein the hydrophobic material layer includes a hydrophobic material, forming a pixel-defining layer by patterning the hydrophobic material layer, so as to expose at least a portion of the pixel electrode, and removing the hydrophobic material on the exposed portion of the pixel electrode using surface treatment.

<CIT> describes an organic EL display unit includes: an organic layer provided on a substrate; a plurality of pixels arranged in a display region on the substrate; and a dividing wall provided on the substrate and separates adjacent pixels out of the plurality of pixels.

<CIT> describes a substrate with barrier ribs, said substrate being provided with the barrier ribs having a structure that can be manufactured with a small number of steps; and a light emitting device that is provided with the barrier ribs.

<CIT> describes an OLED device. The device includes a substrate defined to have a first active area and a dummy area. First electrodes are formed on the substrate, and a first bank pattern is formed to overlap with edges of each first electrode and to expose a part of an upper surface of each first electrode. A second bank pattern is formed on the first bank pattern within the first active area, and a third bank pattern is formed on the first bank pattern within the dummy area in the same layer as the second bank pattern. The second bank pattern is formed to have a larger width than that of the third bank pattern. As such, an organic emission layer can be evenly formed in the active area.

<CIT> describes an organic EL display panel includes a substrate; an interlayer insulating layer on the substrate; first electrodes on the interlayer insulating layer to correspond to element formation regions in rows and columns; banks extending in columns to partition the regions in rows; organic light-emitting layers above the first electrodes, and each containing organic light-emitting material having light-emitting color differing between each two adjacent regions in rows; and second electrodes above the light-emitting layers, and being opposite in polarity to the first electrodes, wherein the interlayer insulating layer has first opening corresponding to interval between each two adjacent first electrodes in rows, the banks each have integrally formed buried part and main part, the buried part fills the interval and the first opening, and the main part is protrusion of the buried part and has recess on top thereof along with shapes of the interval and the first opening.

<CIT> describes A method of manufacturing an organic electronic or optoelectronic device, the method comprising the steps of: (a) providing a substrate having a plurality of banks formed thereon with alternating well formations formed therebetween, the surface of said banks having imprint formations formed thereon of a dimension conferring a selected wetting property to the surface of said banks that is different from the surface of said wells; and (b) depositing an organic solution into said well formations, wherein the wetting property of said banks causes any organic solution deposited thereon to be at least partially repelled.

<CIT> describes display devices such as EL elements or LED elements, or color filters and fabricating thin film elements having banks of a prescribed height and a thin film layer formed by an ink jet method in areas to be coated that are partitioned by those banks.

<CIT> describes an organic light-emitting display device that includes a substrate having an emission area and a dummy area that surrounds the emission area, a plurality of sub-pixels disposed on the emission area of the substrate, and a plurality of dummy pixels disposed on the dummy area of the substrate, each dummy pixel including a plurality of fine patterns.

Accordingly, the present disclosure is directed to providing an electroluminescence display apparatus that substantially obviates one or more problems due to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

The present disclosure is directed to providing an electroluminescence display apparatus in which light emitting layers respectively provided in emission areas adjacent to one another are prevented from being mixed with one another, and thus, image quality is enhanced.

Additional advantages and features of the disclosure will be set forth in part in the description which follows and in part will become apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned from practice of the disclosure. The objectives and other advantages of the disclosure may be realized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in the written description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these and other advantages and in accordance with the purpose of the disclosure, in an aspect there is provided an electroluminescence display apparatus as defined in claim <NUM>.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description of the present disclosure are exemplary and explanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of the disclosure as claimed.

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a further understanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this application, illustrate examples of the disclosure and together with the description serve to explain the principle of the disclosure. In the drawings:.

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary examples of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Advantages and features of the present disclosure, and implementation methods thereof will be clarified through following examples described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the examples set forth herein. Rather, these examples are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. Further, the present disclosure is only defined by scopes of claims.

A shape, a size, a ratio, an angle, and a number disclosed in the drawings for describing examples of the present disclosure are merely an example, and thus, the present disclosure is not limited to the illustrated details. In the following description, when the detailed description of the relevant known function or configuration is determined to unnecessarily obscure the important point of the present disclosure, the detailed description will be omitted.

In describing a position relationship, for example, when a position relation between two parts is described as 'on~', 'over~', 'under~', and 'next~', one or more other parts may be disposed between the two parts unless 'just' or 'direct' is used.

In describing a time relationship, for example, when the temporal order is described as 'after~', 'subsequent~', 'next~', and 'before~', a case which is not continuous may be included unless 'just' or 'direct' is used.

It will be understood that, although the terms "first", "second", etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms.

Features of various examples of the present disclosure may be partially or overall coupled to or combined with each other, and may be variously inter-operated with each other and driven technically as those skilled in the art can sufficiently understand. The examples of the present disclosure may be carried out independently from each other, or may be carried out together in co-dependent relationship.

Hereinafter, exemplary examples of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<FIG> is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electroluminescence display apparatus according to an example of the present disclosure.

As seen in <FIG>, the electroluminescence display apparatus according to an example of the present disclosure may include a substrate <NUM>, a circuit element layer <NUM>, a first electrode <NUM>, a bank <NUM>, a plurality of light emitting layers (for example, first and second light emitting layers) <NUM> and <NUM>, and a second electrode <NUM>.

The substrate <NUM> may be formed of glass, plastic, and/or the like, but is not limited thereto. The substrate <NUM> may be formed of a transparent material, or may be formed of an opaque material.

The electroluminescence display apparatus according to an example of the present disclosure may be implemented as a top emission type where emitted light travels to an upper portion, and in this case, a material of the substrate <NUM> may use an opaque material as well as a transparent material. Also, the electroluminescence display apparatus according to an example of the present disclosure may be implemented as a bottom emission type where emitted light travels to a lower portion, and in this case, the material of the substrate <NUM> may use a transparent material.

The circuit element layer <NUM> may be provided on the substrate <NUM>.

The circuit element layer <NUM> may include an active layer <NUM>, a gate insulation layer <NUM>, a gate electrode <NUM>, an interlayer insulation layer <NUM>, a source electrode 250a, a drain electrode 250b, a passivation layer <NUM>, and a planarization layer <NUM>.

The active layer <NUM> may be provided on the substrate <NUM>. The active layer <NUM> may be formed of a silicon-based semiconductor material, an oxide semiconductor material, and/or the like, but is not limited thereto. Although not shown, a light blocking layer may be further provided between the substrate <NUM> and the active layer <NUM> and may block the traveling of light to the active layer <NUM>, thereby preventing the active layer <NUM> from being deteriorated.

The gate insulation layer <NUM> may be provided on the active layer <NUM> and may insulate the active layer <NUM> from the gate electrode <NUM>.

The gate electrode <NUM> may be provided on the gate insulation layer <NUM>.

The interlayer insulation layer <NUM> may be provided on the gate electrode <NUM> and may insulate the gate electrode <NUM> from the source/drain electrode 250a/250b.

The source electrode 250a and the drain electrode 250b may face each other and may be spaced apart from each other on the interlayer insulation layer <NUM>. The source electrode 250a may be connected to one end of the active layer <NUM> through a contact hole which is provided in the interlayer insulation layer <NUM> and the gate insulation layer <NUM>, and the drain electrode 250b may be connected to the other end of the active layer <NUM> through another contact hole which is provided in the interlayer insulation layer <NUM> and the gate insulation layer <NUM>.

The passivation layer <NUM> may be provided on the source electrode 250a and the drain electrode 250b and may protect a thin film transistor (TFT).

The planarization layer <NUM> may be provided on the passivation layer <NUM> and may planarize an upper surface of the circuit element layer <NUM>.

As described above, the circuit element layer <NUM> may include a TFT which includes the gate electrode <NUM>, the active layer <NUM>, the source electrode 250a, and the drain electrode 250b. In <FIG>, a TFT having a top gate structure where the gate electrode <NUM> is provided on the active layer <NUM> is illustrated, but is not limited thereto. In other examples, the circuit element layer <NUM> may include a TFT having a bottom gate structure where the gate electrode <NUM> is provided under the active layer <NUM>.

In the circuit element layer <NUM>, a circuit element including various signal lines, TFTs, and a capacitor may be provided in each of a plurality of pixels. The signal lines may include a gate line, a data line, a power line, and a reference line, and the TFTs may include a switching TFT, a driving TFT, and a sensing TFT.

The switching TFT may be turned on by a gate signal supplied through the gate line and may transfer a data voltage, supplied through the data line, to the driving TFT.

The driving TFT may be turned on by the data voltage transferred from the switching TFT to generate a data current from a power supplied through the power line and may supply the data current to the first electrode <NUM>.

The sensing TFT may sense a threshold voltage deviation of the driving TFT which causes the degradation in image quality. The sensing TFT may supply a current of the driving TFT to the reference line in response to a sensing control signal supplied through the gate line or a separate sensing line.

The capacitor may hold the data voltage supplied to the driving TFT during one frame and may be connected to a gate electrode and a source electrode of the driving TFT.

The first electrode <NUM> may be provided on the circuit element layer <NUM>. The first electrode <NUM> may be patterned in each of the plurality of pixels and may act as an anode of the electroluminescence display apparatus.

When the electroluminescence display apparatus according to an example of the present disclosure is implemented as the top emission type, the first electrode <NUM> may include a reflective material for reflecting light, emitted from each of the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM>, to an upper portion. In this case, the first electrode <NUM> may have a stacked structure including a transparent conductive material and the reflective material. On the other hand, when the electroluminescence display apparatus according to an example of the present disclosure is implemented as the bottom emission type, the first electrode <NUM> may include the transparent conductive material.

The first electrode <NUM> may be connected to the drain electrode 250b of the TFT through a contact hole which is provided in the planarization layer <NUM> and the passivation layer <NUM>. Depending on the case, the first electrode <NUM> may be connected to the source electrode 250a of the TFT through a contact hole which is provided in the planarization layer <NUM> and the passivation layer <NUM>.

The bank <NUM> may be provided in a matrix structure in a boundary between adjacent pixels of the plurality of pixels and may define a plurality of emission areas (for example, first and second emission areas) E1 and E2 for each of the plurality of pixels. That is, in each of the plurality of pixels, an opening where the bank <NUM> is not provided may be each of the emission areas E1 and E2.

The bank <NUM> may be provided on the circuit element layer <NUM> to cover both ends of the first electrode <NUM>. Therefore, a plurality of first electrodes <NUM> respectively patterned in the plurality of pixels may be insulated from one another by the bank <NUM>.

The bank <NUM> may be formed of an organic insulating material having hydrophilicity. In this case, the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> may easily spread to a side surface of the bank <NUM> and may be uniformly provided in the emission areas E1 and E2, respectively.

When a whole portion of the bank <NUM> has hydrophilicity, the first light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the first emission area E1 may flow to the second emission area E2 via an upper surface of the bank <NUM> and may be mixed with the second light emitting layer <NUM>. Therefore, in order to prevent the first light emitting layer <NUM> from being mixed with the second light emitting layer <NUM>, the upper surface of the bank <NUM> may be configured to have an anti-spread part (<NUM>) having higher hydrophobicity than lower portion(s) of the bank. Accordingly, spread of the first light emitting layer <NUM> into the second emission area E2, and/or spread of the second light emitting layer <NUM> into the first emission area E1 may be prevented and/or reduced. To achieve hydrophobicity, an upper surface or upper portion of the bank <NUM> may be coated with a hydrophobic material such as fluorine.

In another embodiment the bank <NUM> may be patterned through a photolithography process after coating a solution mixed with an organic insulating material having hydrophilicity and a hydrophobic material such as fluorine. The hydrophobic material such as fluorine may move to an upper portion of the bank <NUM> due to light which is irradiated in the photolithography process, and thus, the upper portion of the bank <NUM> may have hydrophobicity and the other portion may have hydrophilicity. In this case, the upper surface of the bank <NUM> may have hydrophobicity, and thus, a degree to which the first light emitting layer <NUM> and the second light emitting layer <NUM> spread to the upper surface of the bank <NUM> is reduced, thereby solving a problem where the first light emitting layer <NUM> is mixed with the second light emitting layer <NUM>.

Moreover, according to an example of the present disclosure, an anti-spread part <NUM> may be included in the upper surface of the bank <NUM>. The anti-spread part <NUM> may, additionally or alternatively to the hydrophobic material, include a plurality of grooves 450a included in the upper surface of the bank <NUM>. Since the plurality of grooves 450a are included in the upper surface of the bank <NUM>, the first light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the first emission area E1 is prevented from spreading to the second emission area E2 adjacent thereto even when the first light emitting layer <NUM> flows to the upper surface of the bank <NUM>.

The plurality of grooves 450a, as illustrated, may be provided in the whole upper surface of the bank <NUM> disposed between the first and second light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> adjacent to each other, but are not limited thereto. In other examples, the plurality of grooves 450a may be provided in only a portion of the upper surface of the bank <NUM> between the first and second light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> adjacent to each other.

The plurality of light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> may be provided on the first electrode <NUM>. In detail, the plurality of light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> may be respectively provided in the plurality of emission areas E1 and E2 defined by the bank <NUM>.

The plurality of light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> may include the first light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the first emission area E1 of a first pixel and the second light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the second emission area E2 of a second pixel. The first light emitting layer <NUM> may be one of a red light emitting layer, a green light emitting layer, and a blue light emitting layer, and the second light emitting layer <NUM> may be another light emitting layer of the red light emitting layer, the green light emitting layer, and the blue light emitting layer. That is, the first light emitting layer <NUM> and the second light emitting layer <NUM> may emit lights of different colors in different pixels.

The light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> may be respectively patterned in the emission areas E1 and E2 through an inkjet process without a mask. In this case, a solution for the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> may be dried, and then, a height h1 of the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> at a center of the emission area E1 (E2) may be lower than a height h2 of the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> at an end/edge (in detail, an end contacting the bank <NUM>) of the emission areas E1 and E2. Particularly, as illustrated, a profile where a height of the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> is gradually reduced in a direction from the end of the emission areas E1 and E2 contacting the bank <NUM> to the center of the emission areas E1 and E2 may be obtained. Accordingly, a portion of the second electrode <NUM> provided on the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> may also be provided to have a profile corresponding to a profile of the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM>.

The light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> may each include at least one organic layer of a hole injecting layer (HIL), a hole transporting layer (HTL), an emitting material layer (EML), and an electron transporting layer (ETL).

The second electrode <NUM> may be provided on the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> and may act as a cathode of the electroluminescence display apparatus. The second electrode <NUM> may extend over the bank <NUM> and/or extend over the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM>. Moreover, the second electrode <NUM> may extend over the plurality of pixels and/or over a boundary between adjacent pixels of the plurality of pixels. Accordingly, the second electrode <NUM> may function as a common electrode which receives a common voltage applied to the plurality of pixels.

As described above, since the anti-spread part <NUM> including the plurality of grooves 450a is included in the upper surface of the bank <NUM>, the second electrode <NUM> may contact the anti-spread part <NUM>, and thus, a lower surface of the second electrode <NUM> may be filled into the plurality of grooves 450a. Also, the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> may be discharged in a solution state, and then, may flow to the upper surface of the bank <NUM> and may contact the anti-spread part <NUM>. In this case, the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> may be filled into some of the plurality of grooves 450a, and the lower surface of the second electrode <NUM> may be filled into the other grooves 450a.

When the electroluminescence display apparatus according to an example of the present disclosure is implemented as the top emission type, the second electrode <NUM> may include a transparent conductive material for transmitting light, emitted from each of the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM>, to an upper portion. On the other hand, when the electroluminescence display apparatus according to an example of the present disclosure is implemented as the bottom emission type, the second electrode <NUM> may include a reflective material for reflecting the light, emitted from each of the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM>, to a lower portion.

Although not shown in detail, an encapsulation layer may be further provided on the second electrode <NUM>. The encapsulation layer may prevent external water from penetrating into the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM>. The encapsulation layer may be formed of an inorganic insulating material or may be formed in a structure where an inorganic insulating material and an organic insulating material are alternately stacked, but is not limited thereto.

<FIG> is a schematic cross-sectional view of an electroluminescence display apparatus according to another example of the present disclosure. Except for that a configuration of a bank <NUM> is modified, the electroluminescence display apparatus according to another example of the present disclosure is the same as the electroluminescence display apparatus of <FIG>. Hereinafter, therefore, like reference numerals refer to like elements, and only different elements will be described.

Referring to <FIG>, a bank <NUM> may include a first bank <NUM> and a second bank <NUM>.

The first bank <NUM> may be provided on a circuit element layer <NUM> to cover an end of a first electrode <NUM>. The first bank <NUM> may be provided to have a thickness thinner than that of the second bank <NUM> and a width wider than that of the second bank <NUM>. The first bank <NUM> having such a structure may have the same hydrophilicity as that of each of a plurality of light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM>. The first bank <NUM> having hydrophilicity may be formed of an inorganic insulating material such as silicon oxide. Therefore, in a case where the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> are formed through a solution process, a solution for forming the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> may easily spread on the first bank <NUM>.

The second bank <NUM> may be provided on the first bank <NUM>. The second bank <NUM> may be provided to have a width which is narrower than that of the first bank <NUM>. The second bank <NUM> may be patterned through a photolithography process after coating a solution mixed with an organic insulating material having hydrophilicity and a hydrophobic material such as fluorine. The hydrophobic material such as fluorine may move to an upper portion of the second bank <NUM> due to light which is irradiated in the photolithography process, and thus, the upper portion of the second bank <NUM> may have a higher hydrophobicity than the lower portion of the bank. That is, a lower portion of the second bank <NUM> contacting the first bank <NUM> may have hydrophilicity, and the upper portion of the second bank <NUM> may have hydrophobicity. However, the present example is not limited thereto, and a whole portion of the second bank <NUM> may be provided to have hydrophobicity.

The spreading properties of a solution for forming the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> are enhanced by the first bank <NUM> and the lower portion of the second bank <NUM>, which have sufficient hydrophilicity to encourage spreading of the solution. By contrast the relative hydrophobicity of the upper portion of the second bank <NUM> suppresses spreading of the solution. Particularly, the first bank <NUM> may be provided to have a thickness thinner than that of the second bank <NUM> and a width wider than that of the second bank <NUM>. This two-step structure having hydrophilicity may be provided by a combination of the first bank <NUM> and the second bank <NUM>, and thus, the solution for forming the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> may easily spread to left and right ends (as viewed in <FIG>) of each of a plurality of emission areas E1 and E2.

Moreover, the upper portion of the second bank <NUM> having higher hydrophobicity than the first bank <NUM> and the lower portion of the second bank <NUM> prevents the solution for forming the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> from spreading to other adjacent emission areas E1 and E2, thereby solving a problem where the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> are mixed with each other between the adjacent emission areas E1 and E2. Also, an upper surface of the second bank <NUM> has higher hydrophobicity than lower portions of the bank <NUM>, and thus, even when the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> flow out from the emission areas E1 and E2, the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> are prevented from spreading to other adjacent emission areas E1 and E2.

Moreover, an anti-spread part <NUM> including a plurality of grooves 450a is included in the upper surface of the second bank <NUM>, and thus, the light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> respectively provided in the emission areas E1 and E2 are prevented from spreading to other adjacent emission areas E1 and E2.

<FIG> is a schematic plan view of an electroluminescence display apparatus according to an example of the present disclosure.

As seen in <FIG>, the electroluminescence display apparatus according to an example of the present disclosure may include a substrate <NUM>, a first electrode <NUM>, a bank <NUM>, and a plurality of light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

The first electrode <NUM> may be provided in each of a plurality of pixels on the substrate <NUM>. Therefore, a plurality of first electrodes <NUM> may be arranged in a matrix structure and may be spaced apart from one another.

The bank <NUM> may be provided in a matrix structure in a boundary between adjacent pixels of the plurality of pixels, and a plurality of emission areas (for example, first to third emission areas) E1 to E3 may be defined by the bank <NUM>. Therefore, one emission area may be provided in each of the plurality of pixels, and the first electrode <NUM> may be provided to correspond to each of the plurality of emission areas E1 to E3.

The plurality of light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may include a first light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the first emission area E1, a second light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the second emission area E2, and a third light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the third emission area E3. The first light emitting layer <NUM> may be provided to emit light of a first color (for example, red (R)), the second light emitting layer <NUM> may be provided to emit light of a second color (for example, green (G)), and the third light emitting layer <NUM> may be provided to emit light of a third color (for example, blue (B)).

The first light emitting layer <NUM>, the second light emitting layer <NUM>, and the third light emitting layer <NUM> may be arranged in plurality to respectively configure a plurality of columns C1 to C3. In detail, a plurality of first light emitting layers <NUM> may be arranged in one row to configure a first column C1, a plurality of second light emitting layers <NUM> may be arranged in one row to configure a second column C2, and a plurality of third light emitting layers <NUM> may be arranged in one row to configure a third column C3. Therefore, a plurality of first emission areas E1 may be arranged in one row to configure the first column C1, a plurality of second emission areas E2 may be arranged in one row to configure a second column C2, and a plurality of third emission areas E3 may be arranged in one row to configure a third column C3.

In the present disclosure, the plurality of first light emitting layers <NUM> may be light emitting layers which emit lights of the same color (for example, red (R)), and the plurality of second light emitting layers <NUM> may be light emitting layers which emit lights of the same color (for example, green (G)) which differs from the first and third light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM>. Also, the plurality of third light emitting layers <NUM> may be light emitting layers which emit lights of the same color (for example, blue (B)) which differs from the first and second light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM>.

Therefore, a plurality of light emitting layers which emit lights of the same color may be arranged in the same column.

An anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided on an upper surface of the bank <NUM>.

The anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided between adjacent columns. The anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided between the first column C1 and the second column C2, between the second column C2 and the third column C3, between the first column C1 and a left column (not shown) of the first column C1, and between the third column C3 and a right column (not shown) of the third column C3. Therefore, the anti-spread part <NUM> may extend in an extension direction (a y-axis direction) of each of the columns C1 to C3 along a boundary surface between the first light emitting layer <NUM> of the first column C1 and the second light emitting layer <NUM> of the second column C2 and may extend in the extension direction (the y-axis direction) of each of the columns C1 to C3 along a boundary surface between the second light emitting layer <NUM> and the third light emitting layer <NUM>.

In this manner, since the anti-spread part <NUM> is provided between adjacent columns of the plurality of columns C1 to C3, the first light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the first emission area E1 of the first column C1 is prevented from spreading to the second emission area E2 of the second column C2, and thus, the first light emitting layer <NUM> is not mixed with the second light emitting layer <NUM>.

The anti-spread part <NUM> may not be provided between a plurality of light emitting layers provided in the same column. In detail, the anti-spread part <NUM> may not be provided between the plurality of first light emitting layers <NUM> of the first column C1, between the plurality of second light emitting layers <NUM> of the second column C2, and between the plurality of third light emitting layers <NUM> of the third column C3.

Since the plurality of first light emitting layers <NUM> emit lights of the same color, image quality is not degraded even when the plurality of first light emitting layers <NUM> are mixed with one another. For this reason, the anti-spread part <NUM> may not be provided (i.e. may be omitted) between the plurality of first light emitting layers <NUM> of the first column C1. For the same reason, the anti-spread part <NUM> may not be provided between the plurality of second light emitting layers <NUM> of the second column C2 and between the plurality of third light emitting layers <NUM> of the third column C3.

As a result, the anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided in a continuous structure in the extension direction (the y-axis direction) of each of the plurality of columns C1 to C3. However, the present example is not limited thereto. In other examples, the anti-spread part <NUM> may be further provided between a plurality of light emitting layers provided in the same column. That is, the anti-spread part <NUM> may also be provided between the plurality of first light emitting layers <NUM> of the first column C1, between the plurality of second light emitting layers <NUM> of the second column C2, and between the plurality of third light emitting layers <NUM> of the third column C3.

The anti-spread part <NUM> may include a plurality of grooves 450a.

The plurality of grooves 450a may be spaced apart from one another and may be arranged in a vertical (or perpendicular) direction (an x-axis direction) to the extension direction (the y-axis direction) of each of the plurality of columns C1 to C3, and thus, when the light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> are discharged and spread in a solution state, the plurality of grooves 450a may prevent the spread of the light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

The plurality of grooves 450a may extend in the extension direction (the y-axis direction) of each of the columns C1 to C3. That is, the plurality of grooves 450a may extend in the extension direction (the y-axis direction) of each of the columns C1 to C3 along a boundary surface between the first light emitting layer <NUM> of the first column C1 and the second light emitting layer <NUM> of the second column C2 and may extend in the extension direction (the y-axis direction) of each of the columns C1 to C3 along a boundary surface between the second light emitting layer <NUM> and the third light emitting layer <NUM>.

In this case, some of the plurality of grooves 450a may be provided in a discontinuous structure in the extension direction (the y-axis direction) of each of the columns C1 to C3. The grooves 450a provided in the discontinuous structure may overlap the other grooves 450a in a direction (the x-axis direction) vertical (or perpendicular) to the extension direction (the y-axis direction) of each of the columns C1 to C3. Therefore, although the some grooves 450a are provided in the discontinuous structure in the extension direction (the y-axis direction) of each of the columns C1 to C3, since the some grooves 450a provided in the discontinuous structure overlap the other grooves 450a in the direction (the x-axis direction) vertical (or perpendicular) to the extension direction (the y-axis direction) of each of the columns C1 to C3, each of the plurality of light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> does not easily spread to an adjacent emission area of the plurality of emission areas E1 to E3.

The plurality of grooves 450a may be formed through a process of irradiating a laser beam onto an upper surface of the bank <NUM>. In detail, when the laser beam is irradiated onto the upper surface of the bank <NUM> in the extension direction (the y-axis direction) of each of the columns C1 to C3 in an area between adjacent columns of the columns C1 to C3, the anti-spread part <NUM> may be configured by a combination of the plurality of grooves 450a as described above.

An upper surface of a stacked structure is difficult to configure a completely flat surface, and an upper surface of each of most stacked structures has a certain roughness. Likewise, the upper surface of the bank <NUM> may not be completely flat. When a laser beam is irradiated onto the non-flat upper surface of the bank <NUM>, a portion of the irradiated laser beam may be scattered in the upper surface of the bank <NUM>. Therefore, periodic interference occurs between the irradiated laser beam and the scattered laser beam, and due to the periodic interference, melting and recrystallization may be performed on the upper surface of the bank <NUM>, whereby the plurality of grooves 450a may be formed in the upper surface of the bank <NUM>. The plurality of grooves 450a may extend in a traveling direction of the laser beam, and particularly, may not be continuously provided from a start point to an end point of the laser beam and may be intermittently disconnected. Accordingly, when the laser beam is irradiated in a scan manner in the extension direction (the y-axis direction) of each of the columns C1 to C3 in the area between adjacent columns of the columns C1 to C3, the plurality of grooves 450a may be formed to have a discontinuous structure in the extension direction of each of the columns C1 to C3 and to overlap one another in a direction vertical (or perpendicular) to the extension direction of each of the columns C1 to C3.

The irradiation of the laser beam may be performed without a mask, or may be performed in a state where a region other than a region occupied by the anti-spread part <NUM> is hidden by a mask. The irradiation of the laser beam may be performed by using a laser irradiation apparatus including a laser source, a reflecting mirror, and a lens.

<FIG> is a photograph showing shapes of the plurality of grooves 450a formed by irradiating a laser beam onto the upper surface of the bank <NUM> according to an example of the present disclosure. In <FIG>, relatively dark regions are regions where the plurality of grooves 450a are provided. As seen in <FIG>, it may be seen that some grooves 450a discontinuously extend in a lengthwise direction which is a laser irradiation direction, and discontinuous grooves 450a overlap one another in a widthwise direction vertical to the laser irradiation direction.

<FIG> is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of <FIG> and is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a line crossing the light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> of the respective columns C1 to C3 which differ.

As seen in <FIG>, a circuit element layer <NUM> may be provided on a substrate <NUM>, and a first electrode <NUM> may be provided on the circuit element layer <NUM>. Also, a bank <NUM> may be provided to cover an end of the first electrode <NUM> and to define a plurality of emission areas E1 to E3, and a plurality of light emitting layers (for example, first to third light emitting layers) <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be respectively provided in the plurality of emission areas E1 to E3. Also, a second electrode <NUM> may be provided on the plurality of light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>.

An anti-spread part <NUM> including a plurality of grooves 450a may be provided on an upper surface of the bank <NUM> which corresponds to a space between the first and second light emitting layer <NUM> and <NUM> emitting lights of different colors and a space between the second and third light emitting layers <NUM> and <NUM> emitting lights of different colors.

Therefore, the anti-spread part <NUM> prevents a light emitting layer provided in one of the plurality of emission areas E1 to E3 from spreading to another emission area adjacent to the one emission area.

<FIG> is a variation of <FIG>, in which the bank <NUM> provided between the first emission area E1 and the second emission area E2, and between the second emission area E2 and the third emission area E3, is split into a first bank <NUM> and a second bank <NUM> provided on the first bank <NUM>. As shown, the first bank may be provided to have a thickness that is thinner than that of the second bank <NUM>, and a width that is wider than that of the second bank <NUM>. The first bank <NUM> and a lower part of the second bank <NUM> may have a lower hydrophobicity than an upper portion of the second bank.

<FIG> is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line B-B of <FIG> and is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a line crossing the plurality of second light emitting layers <NUM> arranged in the same column (for example, the second column C2).

As seen in <FIG>, a circuit element layer <NUM> may be provided on a substrate <NUM>, and a first electrode <NUM> may be provided on the circuit element layer <NUM>. Also, a bank <NUM> may be provided to cover an end of the first electrode <NUM> and to define a plurality of second emission areas E2, and a plurality of second light emitting layers <NUM> may be respectively provided in the plurality of second emission areas E2. Also, a second electrode <NUM> may be provided on the plurality of second light emitting layers <NUM>.

An anti-spread part <NUM> may not be provided in an upper surface of the bank <NUM> corresponding to a space between one second light emitting layer <NUM> and another second light emitting layer <NUM>, which are adjacent to each other and emit lights of the same color.

Since the one second light emitting layer <NUM> and the other second light emitting layer <NUM> emit the lights of the same color, image quality is not degraded even when the one second light emitting layer <NUM> is mixed with the other second light emitting layer <NUM>. However, the present example is not limited thereto. In other examples, the anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided in the upper surface of the bank <NUM> corresponding to a space between one second light emitting layer <NUM> and another second light emitting layer <NUM>, which are adjacent to each other and emit lights of the same color.

<FIG> is a variation on <FIG>, in which only a first bank <NUM> is provided between the adjacent second emission areas E2. The second bank <NUM> of <FIG> is not provided between the adjacent second emission areas D2. Because the adjacent second emission areas D2 shown in <FIG> each emit light of the same color (e.g. green light), there is less need to prevent spread of light between the adjacent second emission areas E2.

<FIG> are schematic plan views of electroluminescence display apparatuses according to various examples of the present disclosure.

Each of the electroluminescence display apparatuses illustrated in <FIG> may be implemented by modifying a structure of the light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> and a structure of each of the first electrode <NUM>, the bank <NUM>, and the anti-spread part <NUM> in the electroluminescence display apparatus illustrated in <FIG>. Hereinafter, therefore, only different elements will be described.

As seen in <FIG>, a first light emitting layer <NUM> and a second light emitting layer <NUM> may face one another in a direction (i.e., a widthwise direction) vertical (or perpendicular) to an extension direction (i.e., a lengthwise direction ) of the columns C1 and C2. In detail, the first light emitting layer <NUM> and the second light emitting layer <NUM> may be respectively provided on one side (for example, a left side) and another side (for example, a right side) in the columns C1 and C2. A third light emitting layer <NUM> may be provided under the first light emitting layer <NUM> and the second light emitting layer <NUM>. In this case, the third light emitting layer <NUM> may be perpendicularly oriented relative to the first light emitting layer <NUM> and the second light emitting layer <NUM>, i.e. so as to be positioned alongside to both the first light emitting layer <NUM> and the second light emitting layer <NUM>. Therefore, an area of the third light emitting layer <NUM> may be greater than that of each of the first light emitting layer <NUM> and the second light emitting layer <NUM>. Generally, since an emission efficiency of blue (B) is lower than that of each of red (R) and green (G), the third light emitting layer <NUM> may be provided to emit blue light. A combination of the first to third light emitting layers <NUM> to <NUM> based on such a structure may be repeated in the columns C1 and C2.

A first emission area E1, a second emission area E2, and a third emission area E3 may respectively correspond to the first light emitting layer <NUM>, the second light emitting layer <NUM>, and the third light emitting layer <NUM>. Therefore, a structure of a bank <NUM> provided between the first to third emission areas E1 to E3 may differ from the structure described above with reference to <FIG>, and a structure of a first electrode <NUM> provided in each of the first to third emission areas E1 to E3 may differ from the structure described above with reference to <FIG>. In detail, an area of the first electrode <NUM> provided in the third emission area E3 may be greater than that of the first electrode <NUM> provided in the first emission area E1 and that of the first electrode <NUM> provided in the second emission area E2.

In <FIG>, the first to third light emitting layers <NUM> to <NUM> which emit lights of different colors may be arranged in the same column C1 or C2. Therefore, an anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided between adjacent light emitting layers of the first to third light emitting layers <NUM> to <NUM> in the same column C1 or C2. In detail, a first anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided between the first light emitting layer <NUM> and the second light emitting layer <NUM> in the same column C1 or C2 in a lengthwise direction parallel to an extension direction of the column C1 or C2, and a second anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided between the third light emitting layer <NUM> and the first light emitting layer <NUM> and between the third light emitting layer <NUM> and the second light emitting layer <NUM> in the same column C1 or C2 in a widthwise direction intersecting the extension direction of the column C1 or C2. The first anti-spread part <NUM> and the second anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided to intersect each other, and thus, the first to third light emitting layers <NUM> to <NUM> may not be mixed with one another in the first to third emission areas E1 to E3 in the same column C1 or C2.

Moreover, a third anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided between the columns (for example, first and second columns) C1 and C2 in the lengthwise direction parallel to the extension direction of each of the columns C1 and C2. Since the second light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the first column C1 faces the first light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the second column C2, the third anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided, and thus, the second light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the first column C1 and the first light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the second column C2 may not be mixed with each other in the first and second emission areas E1 and E2. In this case, when the third anti-spread part <NUM> is provided to intersect the second anti-spread part <NUM>, the spreading of the first to third light emitting layers <NUM> to <NUM> between the first column C1 and the second column C2 is more effectively prevented.

Moreover, the third light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the first column C1 may be provided alongside, or in-line with, the third light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the second column C2. Even when the third light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the first column C1 and the third light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the second column C2 are mixed with each other in the third emission area E3, image quality is not degraded, and thus, the third anti-spread part <NUM> may not be provided in a region between the third light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the first column C1 and the third light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the second column C2. That is, the third anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided in a discontinuous structure between the first column C1 and the second column C2 in the lengthwise direction parallel to the extension direction of each of the columns C1 and C2.

A structure of a second column C2 illustrated in <FIG> differs from the structure described above with reference to <FIG>. Hereinafter, therefore, only different elements will be described.

Referring to <FIG>, in a first column C1, a first light emitting layer <NUM> may be provided on a left side, and a second light emitting layer <NUM> may be provided on a right side. On the other hand, in a second column C2, a first light emitting layer <NUM> may be provided on a right side, and a second light emitting layer <NUM> may be provided on a left side.

Therefore, the second light emitting layer <NUM> of the first column C1 may face the second light emitting layer <NUM> of the second column C2, and a third light emitting layer <NUM> of the first column C1 may face a third light emitting layer <NUM> of the second column C2. Accordingly, the third anti-spread part <NUM> described above with reference to <FIG> may not be provided between the first column C1 and the second column C2 in <FIG>. However, in the example of <FIG>, the third anti-spread part <NUM> described above with reference to <FIG> may be provided between the first column C1 and the second column C2.

Referring to <FIG>, a plurality of emission areas E1 to E3, a plurality of light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, and a first electrode <NUM> may be provided in a diamond structure. Therefore, a bank <NUM> may be provided between the plurality of emission areas E1 to E3 to have an inclined matrix structure, and an anti-spread part <NUM> on an upper surface of the bank <NUM> may include a first anti-spread part <NUM> inclined in a first direction and a second anti-spread part <NUM> inclined in a second direction intersecting the first direction. The first anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided to intersect the second anti-spread part <NUM>, and thus, the light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> adjacent to one another are prevented from being mixed with one another in the emission areas E1 to E3.

Although not shown, the electroluminescence display apparatus according to the present disclosure may include a plurality of emission areas E1 to E3, a plurality of light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>, a first electrode <NUM>, and a bank <NUM> having various structures known to those skilled in the art, in addition to the elements illustrated in <FIG>, and thus, an anti-spread part <NUM> having various structures may be provided on an upper surface of the bank <NUM> and between the light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> which emit lights of different colors.

<FIG> is a schematic plan view of an electroluminescence display apparatus according to another example of the present disclosure and relates to an electroluminescence display apparatus including an active area AA and a dummy area DA.

Referring to <FIG>, an active area AA and a dummy area DA may be provided on a substrate <NUM>.

The active area AA may function as a display area which displays an image. In the active area AA, a first electrode <NUM> and a plurality of light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> may be provided in each of a plurality of emission areas E1 to E3, and a bank <NUM> may be provided between the plurality of emission areas E1 to E3. Also, in the active area AA, a circuit element layer may be provided between the substrate <NUM> and the first electrode <NUM>, and a second electrode may be provided on the plurality of light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM>. A configuration of the active area AA may be variously modified as in <FIG>.

The dummy area DA is provided outside the active area AA. In the dummy area DA, a plurality of dummy sub-areas DE are defined by the bank <NUM>, and a plurality of dummy layers <NUM> to <NUM> and the first electrode <NUM> are provided in the plurality of dummy sub-areas DE. In the dummy area DA, like the active area AA, the circuit element layer may be provided between the substrate <NUM> and the first electrode <NUM>, and the second electrode may be provided on the plurality of dummy layers <NUM> to <NUM>.

The presence of the dummy area DA (which does not itself emit light) does enable uniform light to be emitted in the active area AA. In detail, a difference between a drying speed at which the light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in a center region of the active area AA are dried and a drying speed at which the light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in an edge region of the active area AA are dried may occur. In this case, since a profile of each of the light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in the center region of the active area AA and a profile of each of the light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in the edge region of the active area AA are not uniform, light may not be uniformly emitted between the center region and the edge region of the active area AA. Therefore, since the dummy area DA is provided outside the active area AA and the dummy layers <NUM> to <NUM> are provided in the dummy area DA, a uniform profile may be obtained between the light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> in the active area AA even when a profile is not uniform between the dummy layers <NUM> to <NUM> provided in the dummy area DA and the light emitting layers <NUM>, <NUM>, and <NUM> provided in the active area AA.

Since the dummy area DA is not the display area which displays an image, light is not emitted in the dummy area DA. If light were to be emitted in the dummy area DA (which it is not), the display quality of the electroluminescence display apparatus would be degraded due to leakage light occurring in the dummy area DA.

In order for light to not be emitted in the dummy area DA, a configuration of the dummy area DA may differ from that of the active area AA. For example, at least one of a signal line, a TFT, and a light emitting device may not be provided or may be unstably provided in the circuit element layer provided in the dummy area DA, and thus, light may not be emitted in the dummy area DA. Also, at least one of the first electrode <NUM> and the second electrode may not be provided in the dummy area DA, and thus, light may not be emitted in the dummy area DA.

The dummy layers <NUM> to <NUM> may include a first dummy layer <NUM>, a second dummy layer <NUM>, and a third dummy layer <NUM>.

A plurality of first light emitting layers <NUM> of a first column C1 provided in the active area AA and the first dummy layer <NUM> may be arranged in one row, and a plurality of second light emitting layers <NUM> of a second column C2 provided in the active area AA and the second dummy layer <NUM> may be arranged in one row. Also, a plurality of third light emitting layers <NUM> of a third column C3 provided in the active area AA and the third dummy layer <NUM> may be arranged in one row.

The first dummy layer <NUM>, like the first light emitting layers <NUM>, may be formed of a layer capable of emitting red light, but as described above, may not actually emit light. The second dummy layer <NUM>, like the second light emitting layers <NUM>, may be formed of a layer which is capable of emitting green light, but as described above, may not actually emit light. The third dummy layer <NUM>, like the third light emitting layers <NUM>, may be formed of a layer which is capable of emitting blue light, but as described above, may not actually emit light. In <FIG>, in terms of non-emission of light as described above, DR refers to the first dummy layer <NUM>, DG refers to the second dummy layer <NUM>, and DB refers to the third dummy layer <NUM>.

The bank <NUM> may be provided in a matrix structure to define the emission areas E1 to E3 in the active area AA and to define the dummy sub-areas DE in the dummy area DA. Also, an anti-spread part <NUM> may be included in an upper surface of the bank <NUM>.

In this case, as in <FIG>, the anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided between the first to third columns C1 to C3 in the active area AA. That is, the anti-spread part <NUM> may include an anti-spread part 450a provided in the active area AA. When the active area AA is modified as in <FIG>, a structure of the anti-spread part 450a provided in the active area AA may be modified based on the modification of the active area AA.

The anti-spread part <NUM> may be further provided between the active area AA and the dummy area DA. That is, the anti-spread part <NUM> may include an anti-spread part 450b which extends from the upper surface of the bank <NUM> along a boundary surface between the active area AA and the dummy area DA. Therefore, the anti-spread part 450b prevents the dummy layers <NUM> to <NUM> provided in the dummy area DA from spreading to the emission areas E1 to E2 provided in the active area AA.

The anti-spread part <NUM> may not be provided in the dummy area DA. Since light is not emitted in the dummy area DA, image quality is not affected even when the dummy layers <NUM> to <NUM> are mixed with one another in an adjacent dummy sub-area DE in the dummy area DA.

<FIG> is a schematic plan view of an electroluminescence display apparatus according to another example of the present invention to which this European patent relates. Except for that a configuration of an anti-spread part <NUM> is modified, the electroluminescence display apparatus of <FIG> is the same as the electroluminescence display apparatus of <FIG>. Hereinafter, therefore, only different elements will be described.

Referring to <FIG>, an anti-spread part <NUM> is provided in a continuous structure between a plurality of columns C1 to C3 in an extension direction of each of the columns C1 to C3 in a whole active area AA and a whole dummy area DA.

A first dummy layer <NUM> provided in the dummy area DA is formed of the same material as that of a first light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the active area AA, and thus, image quality is not degraded even when the first dummy layer <NUM> spreads to a first emission area E1 and are mixed with the first light emitting layer <NUM>. Also, a second dummy layer <NUM> provided in the dummy area DA is formed of the same material as that of a second light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the active area AA, and thus, image quality is not degraded even when the second dummy layer <NUM> spreads to a second emission area E2 and are mixed with the second light emitting layer <NUM>. Also, a third dummy layer <NUM> provided in the dummy area DA may be formed of the same material as that of a third light emitting layer <NUM> provided in the active area AA, and thus, image quality is not degraded even when the third dummy layer <NUM> spreads to a third emission area E3 and are mixed with the third light emitting layer <NUM>.

For this reason, as in <FIG>, a separate anti-spread part <NUM> is not provided between the active area AA and the dummy area DA. However, for example, when the second dummy layer <NUM> spreads to the first emission area E1 or the third emission area E3 in the active area AA, image quality is degraded, and thus, the anti-spread part <NUM> may be provided between the first to third dummy layers <NUM> to <NUM>.

Therefore, the anti-spread part <NUM> extends continuously from the active area AA to the dummy area DA and may extend from an upper surface of a bank <NUM> along a boundary surface between a plurality of first dummy layers <NUM> and a plurality of second dummy layers <NUM>, and moreover, extends continuously from the active area AA to the dummy area DA and may extend from the upper surface of the bank <NUM> along a boundary surface between the plurality of second dummy layers <NUM> and a plurality of third dummy layers <NUM>.

As described above, according to the examples of the present disclosure, the anti-spread part is provided on the upper surface of the bank, and thus, even when the light emitting layers respectively provided in the plurality of emission areas are discharged in a solution state and flow to the upper surface of the bank, the light emitting layer provided in one emission area is prevented from spreading to the light emitting layer provided in another emission area adjacent thereto.

Claim 1:
An electroluminescence display apparatus comprising:
a substrate (<NUM>), wherein an active area (AA) and a dummy area (DA) outside the active area (AA) are provided on the substrate (<NUM>);
a bank (<NUM>) provided to define a plurality of emission areas (E1, E2) on the substrate; and
a first light emitting layer (<NUM>) provided in a first emission area (E1) of the plurality of emission areas, and a second light emitting layer (<NUM>) provided in a second emission area (E2) of the plurality of emission areas, wherein the first light emitting layer (<NUM>) and the second light emitting layer (<NUM>) are provided in the active area (AA),
a plurality of dummy sub-areas (DE) provided in the dummy area (DA), wherein the plurality of dummy sub-areas (DE) are defined by the bank (<NUM>),
a plurality of dummy layers provided in a plurality of dummy sub-areas (DE), wherein the plurality of dummy layers includes a first dummy layer (<NUM>) and a second dummy layer (<NUM>),
wherein the bank (<NUM>) comprises a first bank (<NUM>) and a second bank (<NUM>) provided on the first bank (<NUM>),
the second bank (<NUM>) is provided to have a width which is narrower than the width of the first bank (<NUM>) and a thickness which is thicker than the thickness of the first bank (<NUM>),
wherein an upper portion of the second bank (<NUM>) disposed between the first light emitting layer (<NUM>) and the second light emitting layer (<NUM>) comprises an anti-spread part which has a higher hydrophobicity than the first bank (<NUM>) and a lower portion of the second bank, wherein the anti-spread part (<NUM>) of the second bank includes a plurality of grooves (450a),
wherein the first dummy layer (<NUM>) provided in the dummy area (DA) is formed of the same material as that of the first light emitting layer (<NUM>) provided in the active area (AA), and the second dummy layer (<NUM>) provided in the dummy area (DA) is formed of the same material as that of the second light emitting layer (<NUM>) provided in the active area (AA),
wherein the anti-spread part (<NUM>) extends continuously from the active area (AA) to the dummy area (DA), and wherein the anti-spread part (<NUM>) extends along a boundary surface between the first dummy layer (<NUM>) and the second dummy layer (<NUM>) wherein the anti-spread part (<NUM>) is not provided between the active area (AA) and the dummy area (DA).