Electronic Device with Inverted Liquid Crystal Display

Abstract

An electronic device may have a liquid crystal display with backlight structures. The backlight structures may produce backlight that passes through an array of display pixels. The display pixels may include electrode structures and thin-film transistor structures for controlling electric fields in a layer of liquid crystal material. The liquid crystal material may be formed between an outer display layer and an inner display layer. The inner display layer may be interposed between the backlight structures and the liquid crystal material. Thin-film transistor structures, electrodes, and conductive interconnection lines may be deposited in a layer on the inner surface of the outer display layer. A layer of color filter elements may be used to provide the display with color pixels. The color filter elements may be formed on top of the thin-film transistor layer or on a separate color filter array substrate such as the inner display layer.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A display having an active area and an inactive area, the display comprising:
 a thin-film transistor layer;   a color filter layer;   a backlight;   liquid crystal material, wherein the liquid crystal material is interposed between the thin-film transistor layer and the color filter layer and wherein the color filter layer is interposed between the liquid crystal material and the backlight;   an opaque matrix formed on the color filter layer; and   a layer of opaque masking material on the thin-film transistor layer, wherein the layer of opaque masking material is formed in the inactive area of the display and does not extend into the active area of the display.   
     
     
         2 . The display defined in  claim 1 , wherein the liquid crystal material is interposed between the opaque matrix and the layer of opaque masking material. 
     
     
         3 . The display defined in  claim 1 , wherein the thin-film transistor layer comprises a substrate and a layer of thin-film transistors formed on the substrate. 
     
     
         4 . The display defined in  claim 3 , wherein layer of opaque masking material is interposed between layer of thin-film transistors and the substrate. 
     
     
         5 . The display defined in  claim 4  further comprising:
 a planarization layer interposed between the layer of opaque masking material and the layer of thin-film transistors. 
 
     
     
         6 . The display defined in  claim 1 , wherein the color filter layer comprises a substrate and an array of color filter elements formed on the substrate. 
     
     
         7 . The display defined in  claim 6 , wherein the black matrix separates the color filter elements in the array. 
     
     
         8 . The display defined in  claim 1  further comprising:
 a display driver integrated circuit mounted to the thin-film transistor layer in the inactive area, wherein the layer of opaque masking material overlaps the display driver integrated circuit to hide the display driver integrated circuit from view. 
 
     
     
         9 . The display defined in  claim 1  wherein the layer of opaque material forms a rectangular ring around the active area or the display. 
     
     
         10 . A display having an active area and an inactive area, the display comprising:
 a first substrate;   a layer of thin-film transistors on the first substrate;   opaque material in the inactive area that forms a ring-shaped border around the active area, wherein the opaque material does not block the active area from view;   a second substrate;   an array of color filter elements on the second substrate;   a black matrix on the second substrate that separates the color filter elements in the array; and   a liquid crystal layer interposed between the layer of thin-film transistors and the plurality of color filter elements.   
     
     
         11 . The display defined in  claim 10  further comprising:
 backlight structures, wherein the array of color filter elements is interposed between the liquid crystal layer and the backlight structures. 
 
     
     
         12 . The display defined in  claim 10  wherein the opaque material is interposed between the layer of thin-film transistors and the first substrate. 
     
     
         13 . The display defined in  claim 10  wherein the liquid crystal material separates the opaque material and the black matrix. 
     
     
         14 . The display defined in  claim 10  further comprising:
 a display driver integrated circuit that is electrically connected to the layer of thin-film transistors and that is mounted to the second substrate in the inactive area under the ring-shaped border. 
 
     
     
         15 . The display defined in  claim 10  further comprising:
 a planarization layer interposed between the opaque material and the layer of thin-film transistors. 
 
     
     
         16 . An electronic device comprising:
 a housing; and   a display mounted in the housing, wherein the display comprises:
 an array of pixels; 
 an upper display layer comprising thin-film transistors and an opaque border that surrounds the array of pixels without overlapping the array of pixels; 
 a lower display layer comprising a plurality of color filters and a black matrix that separates individual color filters in the plurality of color filters; and 
 a light guide plate, wherein the lower display layer is interposed between the upper display layer and the light guide plate. 
   
     
     
         17 . The electronic device defined in  claim 16 , wherein the display further comprises:
 a layer of liquid crystal material interposed between the upper display layer and the lower display layer, wherein the thin-film transistors are formed in a thin-film transistor layer that is interposed between the layer of liquid crystal material and the opaque border.   
     
     
         18 . The electronic device defined in  claim 17 , wherein the upper display layer comprises a planarization layer interposed between the opaque border and the thin-film transistor layer. 
     
     
         19 . The electronic device defined in  claim 16 , wherein the array of pixels defines an active region of the display and wherein the opaque border defines an inactive region of the display. 
     
     
         20 . The electronic device defined in  claim 16 , wherein the display further comprises:
 a display driver integrated circuit that is electrically connected to the thin-film transistors, wherein the opaque border overlaps the display driver integrated circuit to hide the display driver integrated circuit from view.