Active matrix display device

• US 20020097363A1
• Filed: 03/22/2002
• Published: 07/25/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1997
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Keystone Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Yudasaka, Ichio
• Granted Patent: US 6,642,651 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/138
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/805 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/865 comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. light-blocking layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/35 comprising red-green-blue [RGB] subpixels
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/805 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8792 comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. black layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/135 using ink-jet printing

Abstract

In order to provide an active matrix display device in which a thick insulating film is preferably formed around an organic semiconductive film of a thin film luminescent device without damaging the thin film luminescent device, the active matrix display device is provided with a bank layer (bank) along a data line (sig) and a scanning line (gate) to suppress formation of parasitic capacitance in the data line (sig), in which the bank layer (bank) surrounds a region that forms the organic semiconductive film of the thin film luminescent device by an ink-jet process. The bank layer (bank) includes a lower insulating layer formed of a thick organic material and an upper insulating layer of an organic material which is deposited on the lower insulating layer and has a smaller thickness so as to avoid contact of the organic semiconductive film with the upper insulating layer.

Claims

1. An active matrix display device, comprising:

a substrate;

a display region including a plurality of scanning lines provided on the substrate, a plurality of data lines extending in a direction perpendicular to a direction of extension of the scanning lines, and a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix bounded by the data lines and the scanning lines, each of the pixels being provided with a thin film luminescent device having;

a conduction control circuit having a thin film transistor including a gate electrode, the conduction control circuit supplying a scanning signal to the gate electrode through one of the scanning lines,

a pixel electrode, an organic semiconductive film deposited above the pixel electrode, and

an opposite electrode deposited above the organic semiconductive film, the thin film luminescent device emitting light based on an image signal supplied from one of the data lines through the conduction control circuit; and

an insulating film, a region in which the organic semiconductive film is formed being divided by the insulating film, the insulating film being thicker than the organic semiconductive film, the insulating film including a lower insulating layer which is formed of an inorganic material and which is thicker than the organic semiconductive film, and an upper insulating layer which is deposited on the lower insulating layer and which is formed of an organic material.

2. The active matrix display device according to claim 1, the upper insulating layer being deposited in an inner region of the lower insulating layer so as to have a width narrower than a width of the lower insulating layer.

3. An active matrix display device, comprising:

a substrate;

a display region including a plurality of scanning lines provided on the substrate, a plurality of data lines extending in a direction perpendicular to a direction of extension of the scanning lines, and a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix bounded by the data lines and the scanning lines, each of the pixels being provided with a thin film luminescent device having;

a conduction control circuit having a thin film transistor including a gate electrode the conduction control circuit supplying a scanning signal to the gate electrode through one of the scanning lines,

a pixel electrode, an organic semiconductive film deposited above the pixel electrode, and

an opposite electrode deposited above the organic semiconductive film, the thin film luminescent device emitting light based on an image signal supplied from one of the data lines through the conduction control circuit; and

an insulating film, a region in which the organic semiconductive film is formed being divided by the insulating film, the insulating film being thicker than the organic semiconductive film, the insulating film including a lower insulating layer which is formed of an inorganic material, and an upper insulating layer which is formed of an inorganic material and which has a width which is narrower than a width of the lower insulating layer.

4. The active matrix display device according to claim 3, the conduction control circuit being provided with a first TFT that supplies the scanning signal to the gate electrode, and a second TFT, the gate electrode being connected to the data line through the first TFT;

and

the second TFT and the thin film luminescent device being connected in series between a common feed line, formed in addition to the data line and the scanning line that supplies a drive current, and the opposite electrode.

5. The active matrix display device according to claim 4, the insulating film being used as a bank layer which prevents bleeding of a discharged solution when the organic semiconductive film is formed by an ink-jet process in a region bounded by the insulating film.

6. The active matrix display device according to claim 5, the insulating film having a thickness of at least 1 μ

m.

7. The active matrix display device according to claim 6, a region, overlapping an area in which the conduction control circuit is formed, in a region in which the pixel electrode is formed, is covered with the insulating film.

8. The active matrix display device according to claim 7, corners bounded by the insulating film being rounded.

9. The active matrix display device according to claim 4, the lower insulating layer of the insulating film being formed so as to cover an area in which the conduction control circuit is formed, in a region in which the pixel electrode, the data line, the common feed line, and the scanning line are formed, whereas the upper insulating layer being formed so as to form a striped pattern along the data line;

and

the organic semiconductive film being formed in a region bounded by the striped pattern of the upper insulating layer.

10. The active matrix display device according to claim 9, an overlapping section in which the lower insulating layer overlaps the upper insulating layer being used as a bank layer to prevent bleeding of a discharged solution when the luminescent thin film is formed by an ink-jet process.

11. The active matrix display device according to claim 10, the overlapping section of the lower insulating layer and the upper insulating layer having a thickness of at least 1 μ

m.

12. The active matrix display device according to claim 11, the insulating film having a first discontinuities portion so that opposite electrodes of adjacent pixels are connected to each other at flat sections formed by the first discontinuities portion.

13. The active matrix display device according to claim 12, the insulating film being formed along the data line and the scanning line so as to surround the region in which the organic semiconductive film is formed, and the first discontinuities portion being formed between the adjacent pixels in the direction of extension of the data line and in the direction of extension of the scanning line.

14. The active matrix display device according to claim 12, the insulating film being formed along the data line and the scanning line so as to surround the region in which the organic semiconductive film is formed, and the first discontinuities portion being formed between the adjacent pixels in the direction of extension of the scanning line.

15. The active matrix display device according to claim 12, the insulating film being formed along the data line and the scanning line so as to surround the region in which the organic semiconductive film is formed, and the first discontinuities portion being formed between the adjacent pixels in the direction of extension of the data line.

16. The active matrix display device according to claim 12, the insulating film extending in a striped pattern along the data line, and the first discontinuities portion being formed on at least one end in the extending direction.

17. The active matrix display device according to claim 12, a periphery of the display section being provided with a data line driving circuit that supplies data signals through the data lines, and a scanning line driving circuit that supplies scanning signals through the scanning lines, the insulating film being also formed above the scanning line driving circuit and the data line driving circuit, and the insulating film having a second discontinuities portion at a position between a region in which the scanning line driving circuit is formed and a region in which the data line driving circuit is formed, so that the opposite electrodes at the display section and at the peripheral section of the substrate are connected through the flat section which does not have a step formed by the insulating film.

18. The active matrix display device according to claim 17, the lower insulating layer and the upper insulating layer both having the discontinuities portion.

19. The active matrix display device according to claim 17, only the upper insulating layer among the lower insulating layer and the upper insulating layer having the discontinuities portion.