Stacked OLED device and method of making the same

• US 10,431,631 B2
• Filed: 01/02/2018
• Issued: 10/01/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/04/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co., Ltd. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Semiconductor Display Technology Co., Ltd. (TCL Technology Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Xia, Cunjun
• Primary Examiner(s): Hall, Victoria K.
• Application Number:
  US15/749,187
• Publication Number:
  US 20190172876A1
• Time in Patent Office: 637 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/321 Inverted OLED, i.e. having cathode between substrate and anode
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/131 with spacer layers between the electroluminescent layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/15 Hole transporting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/16 Electron transporting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/17 Carrier injection layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/171 Electron injection layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/805 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/81 Anodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/813 characterised by their shape
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/82 Cathodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/822 characterised by their shape
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/828 Transparent cathodes, e.g. comprising thin metal layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/32 Stacked devices having two or more layers, each emitting at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/353 characterised by the geometrical arrangement of the RGB subpixels
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass

Abstract

The disclosure provides a stacked OLED device and a method thereof, wherein the device comprises a forward and reverse of a first OLED structure, and a second forward OLED structure stacked from bottom to top on a substrate sequentially; a charge generation layer disposed between the forward and reverse of the first OLED structure as a common cathode, and each organic functional layer in the forward and reverse of the first OLED structure are symmetrical with the charge generation layer; a transparent insulating layer disposed between the first reverse and the second forward OLED structure; an anode of the first and second forward OLED structure are connected through a conductive layer. The disclosure reduces the use of a precision mask so that a space occupied by three primary colors is reduced, greatly increases a pixel resolution, improves a product yield rate, saves the cost, and enhances a product competitiveness.

Claims

1. A stacked OLED device, comprising

a first forward OLED structure, a first reverse OLED structure and a second forward OLED structure stacked in order from bottom to top on a substrate;

a charge generation layer disposed between the first forward OLED structure and the first reverse OLED structure as a common cathode of the first forward OLED structure and the first reverse OLED structure, and each organic functional layer in the first forward OLED structure and each organic functional layer in the first reverse OLED structure are symmetrical with the charge generation layer;

a transparent insulating layer disposed between the first reverse OLED structure and the second forward OLED structure;

an anode of the first forward OLED structure and an anode of the second forward OLED structure are connected through a conductive layer.

2. The stacked OLED device according to claim 1, wherein the first forward OLED structure comprises:

a first anode, a first hole injection layer, a first hole transport layer, a first light-emitting layer, a first electron transport layer, and a first electron injection layer which are sequentially stacked from bottom to top on the substrate; and

the first reverse OLED structure comprises;

a second electron injection layer, a second electron transport layer, a second light-emitting layer, a second hole transport layer, a second hole injection layer and a second transparent anode which are sequentially stacked from top to bottom on the charge generation layer.

3. The stacked OLED device according to claim 2, wherein the second forward OLED structure comprises:

a third transparent anode, a third hole injection layer, a third hole transport layer, a third light-emitting layer, a third electron transport layer, a third electron injection layer, and a transparent cathode which are sequentially stacked from bottom to top on the transparent insulating layer.

4. The stacked OLED device according to claim 3, wherein the conductive layer is covered with a second insulating layer and a third insulating layer, the second insulating layer is located between the first anode and the third transparent anode, and the third insulating layer is located between the first anode and the third hole injection layer.

5. The stacked OLED device according to claim 1, wherein colors of the first light-emitting layer, the second light-emitting layer, and the third light-emitting layer are different from each other.

6. A method of making a stacked OLED device, comprising:

stacking a first forward OLED structure and a first reverse OLED structure and a second forward OLED structure in order from bottom to top on a substrate; and

disposing a charge generation layer between the first forward OLED structure and the first reverse OLED structure as a common cathode of the first forward OLED structure and the first reverse OLED structure, and making each organic functional layer in the first forward OLED structure and each organic functional layer in the first reverse OLED structure being symmetrical with the charge generation layer;

stacking a second forward OLED structure on the first reverse OLED structure, and disposing a transparent insulating layer between the first reverse OLED structure and the second forward OLED structure;

connecting an anode of the first forward OLED structure and the anode of the second forward OLED structure through a conductive layer.

7. The method of making a stacked OLED device according to claim 6, wherein stacking the first forward OLED structure and the first reverse OLED structure in order from bottom to top on the substrate specifically comprises:

forming a pixel definition layer, a conductive layer and a protective layer covering the pixel definition layer and the conductive layer on the substrate by using a film-forming process and a photolithography technique of a coating, exposing and development processes;

stacking a first hole injection layer, a first hole transport layer, a first light-emitting layer, a first electron transport layer, a first electron injection layer, and a charge generation layer of the first forward OLED structure sequentially on the first anode of the substrate by a thermal evaporation;

stacking a second electron injection layer, a second electron transport layer, a second light-emitting layer, a second hole transport layer, a second hole injection layer and a second transparent anode sequentially from top to bottom on the charge generation layer.

8. The method of making a stacked OLED device according to claim 7, wherein in the process of stacking the first forward OLED structure and the first reverse OLED structure in order from bottom to top on the substrate, a type of a mask used for a vapor deposition of the second transparent anode is a second open mask, and another type of the mask used for the other layers is a first open mask, and other type of the mask used when the transparent insulating layer is disposed between the first reverse OLED structure and the second forward OLED structure is the second open mask.

9. The method of making a stacked OLED device according to claim 8, wherein stacking the second forward OLED structure on the first reverse OLED structure specifically comprises:

removing the protective layer covering the pixel definition layer and the conductive layer prepared on the substrate by a stripping technology;

preparing an inverted trapezoidal pixel definition layer by the photolithography technique of coating, exposing and the development processes;

preparing a third transparent anode on the inverted trapezoidal pixel definition layer by the thermal evaporation;

removing the inverted trapezoidal pixel definition layer by the stripping technology;

disposing a third hole injection layer, a third hole transport layer, a third light-emitting layer, a third electron transport layer, a third electron injection layer and a transparent cathode of the second forward OLED structure sequentially on the third transparent anode by the thermal evaporation.

10. The method of making a stacked OLED device according to claim 9, wherein a type of the mask used for the vapor deposition of the third transparent anode is first open mask, and another type of the mask used for the vapor deposition of the transparent anode is a third open mask, and other type of the mask used for the other layers is the first open mask.