Tiled OLED display

• US 20060108918A1
• Filed: 11/24/2004
• Published: 05/25/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 11/24/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global OLED Technology LLC (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Cok, Ronald S., Arnold, Andrew D., Milch, James R.
• Granted Patent: US 7,408,296 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 313/506
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/805 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/179 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/18 Tiled displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/805 Electrodes

Abstract

A passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure and a method of making same. The display structure includes display area formed on a substrate. A set of busses is provided over the substrate that extends from an edge of the substrates across a predetermined portion of the substrate. An insulating layer is provided over the busses so that only the electrode pad and the end adjacent the edge of the bus is exposed. At least three sets of first electrode segments are located over the entire display area, each set of first electrode segments extending for only a portion of the length of the substrate and each of the first electrode segments designed to be active in a different portion of the display area. One or more layers of materials wherein at least one of which comprises light-emissive materials, is located over the first electrode segments. At least three sets of second electrode segments are located over the one or more layers of organic materials and entire display area and each set of the second electrode segments being designed to be active in a different portion of the display area. One of the three sets of second electrode segments being in contact with the exposed electrode busses, each of the first set of first electrode segments being associated with one set of the three sets of second electrode segments so as to form a plurality of display segments in the display area.

Claims

1. A passive-matrix tiled OLED display structure, comprising:

a) a substrate;

b) one or more electrode busses located over the substrate;

c) an insulator located over one or more of the electrode busses;

d) two or more first electrode segments located over the insulator;

e) one or more layers of organic materials, at least one of which comprises light emissive materials, located over the first electrode segments, the layer(s) having openings to expose a portion of at least one of the electrode busses; and

f) two or more second electrode segments located over the one or more layers of organic materials and in contact with the exposed portion of an electrode bus such that the one or more second electrode segments define one or more pixels in cooperation with the first electrode segments and such that at least one of the first electrode segments does not define a pixel in cooperation with at least one of the second electrode segments.

2. The passive-matrix tiled OLED display structure claimed in claim 1, further comprising first electrode segments formed over the substrate.

3. The passive-matrix tiled OLED display structure claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of insulating layers.

4. The passive-matrix tiled OLED display structure claimed in claim 3, further comprising electrode busses formed over an insulating layer.

5. The passive-matrix tiled OLED display structure claimed in claim 3, further comprising first electrode segments formed over two or more of the insulating layers.

6. The passive-matrix tiled OLED display structure claimed in claim 5 wherein one or more of the first electrode segments in one layer is oriented parallel to one or more of the first electrode segments in a second layer.

7. The passive-matrix tiled OLED display structure claimed in claim 3 wherein one or more of the first electrode segments is oriented orthogonally to one or more of the electrode segments busses.

8. The passive-matrix tiled OLED display structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the second electrode segments are transparent where they define a pixel.

9. The passive-matrix tiled OLED display structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the insulating layer is glass or plastic.

10. The passive-matrix tiled OLED display structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the insulating layer is rigid or flexible.

11. The passive-matrix tiled OLED display structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the defined pixels are grouped into groups of pixels whose electrode segments are mutually exclusive.

12. The passive-matrix tiled OLED display structure claimed in claim 1, further comprising a separate controller for each mutually exclusive group of pixels to independently control the light output from each mutually exclusive group of pixels.

13. The OLED display structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the light-emitting materials are OLED materials.

14. The OLED display structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the one or more layers of organic materials include one or more layers of hole-injection material, hole-transport material, emissive material, electron-injection material, or electron-transport material.

15. The OLED display structure claimed in claim 1, further comprising an encapsulating cover located over the second electrode segments.

16. The OLED display structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the encapsulating cover is a coated layer.

17. The OLED display structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the insulating layer is coated.

18. The OLED display structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the insulating layer is sputtered.

19. The OLED display structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the openings are formed by laser ablation of the organic layers after the organic layers are deposited.

20. The OLED display structure claimed in claim 1 wherein the openings are formed by masking.

21. A passive-matrix tiled OLED display structure having a display area, comprising:

a) a substrate;

b) one or more electrode busses located over the substrate which extend over a predetermined portion of said substrate, each of said busses having an electrode pad and a connecting end for connecting to a controller;

c) an insulator located over one or more of the electrode busses wherein said insulator does not cover said electrode pads;

d) at least three sets of first electrode segments located over the entire display area, each set of first electrode segments extending for only a portion of the length of said substrate and designed to be active in a different portion of the display area;

e) one or more layers of organic materials, at least one of which comprises light emissive materials, located over the first electrode segments, the layer(s) having openings to expose a portion of at least one of the electrode busses; and

f) at least three sets of second electrode segments located over the one or more layers of organic materials and entire display area and each of said sets of second electrode segments designed to be active in a different portion of the display area, one of said three sets of second electrode segments being in contact with the exposed portion electrode busses, each of said first set of first electrode segments being associated with one set of said three sets of second electrode segments so as to form a plurality of display segments in said display area.

22. A passive matrix tiled OLED display structure according to claim 21 wherein said plurality of display segments are identical in size.

23. A passive matrix tiled OLED display structure according to claim 22 wherein said plurality of display segments comprises nine.

24. A passive matrix tiled OLED display structure according to claim 21 wherein said first electrode segments of said second electrode segments extend orthogonal to each other.

25. A method of making a passive matrix tiled OLED display structure having a display area formed on a substrate comprising:

a) providing a set of busses that extend from an edge of said substrates across a predetermined portion of said substrate, each of busses having a electrode pad;

b) providing an insulating layer over said busses so that only said electrode pad and the end adjacent the edge of said bus is exposed;

c) providing at least three sets of first electrode segments located over the entire display area, each set of first electrode segments extending for only a portion of the length of said substrate and each of said first electrode segments designed to be active in a different portion of the display area;

d) providing one or more layers of organic materials, at least one of which comprises light emissive materials, located over the first electrode segments, the layer(s) having openings to expose said electrode pads; and

e) providing at least three sets of second electrode segments located over the one or more layers of organic materials and entire display area and each set of said second electrode segments being designed to be active in a different portion of the display area, one of said three sets of second electrode segments being in contact with the exposed electrode busses, each of said first set of first electrode segments being associated with one set of said three sets of second electrode segments so as to form a plurality of display segments in said display area.

26. The method according to claim 25 wherein said plurality of display segments are identical in size.

27. The method according to claim 25 wherein said plurality of display segments comprises nine.

28. The method according to claim 25 wherein said first electrode segments of said second electrode segments extend orthogonal to each other.

29. A passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure, comprising:

a) a substrate;

b) one or more electrode busses located over the substrate;

c) an insulator located over one or more of the electrode busses;

d) two or more first electrode segments located over the insulator;

e) one or more layers of materials, at least one of which comprises light emissive materials, located over the first electrode segments, the layer(s) having openings to expose a portion of at least one of the electrode busses; and

f) two or more second electrode segments located over the one or more layers of organic and in contact with the exposed portion of an electrode bus such that the one or more second electrode segments define one or more pixels in cooperation with the first electrode segments and such that at least one of the first electrode segments does not define a pixel in cooperation with at least one of the second electrode segments.

30. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29, further comprising first electrode segments formed over the substrate.

31. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29, further comprising a plurality of insulating layers.

32. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 31, further comprising electrode busses formed over an insulating layer.

33. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 31, further comprising first electrode segments formed over two or more of the insulating layers.

34. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 33 wherein one or more of the first electrode segments in one layer is oriented parallel to one or more of the first electrode segments in a second layer.

35. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 31 wherein one or more of the first electrode segments is oriented orthogonally to one or more of the electrode segments busses.

36. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29 wherein the second electrode segments are transparent where they define a pixel.

37. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29 wherein the insulating layer is glass or plastic.

38. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29 wherein the insulating layer is rigid or flexible.

39. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29 wherein the defined pixels are grouped into groups of pixels whose electrode segments are mutually exclusive.

40. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29, further comprising a separate controller for each mutually exclusive group of pixels to independently control the light output from each mutually exclusive group of pixels.

41. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29 wherein the light-emitting materials are OLED materials.

42. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29 wherein the one or more layers of organic materials include one or more layers of hole-injection material, hole-transport material, emissive material, electron-injection material, or electron-transport material.

43. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29, further comprising an encapsulating cover located over the second electrode segments.

44. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29 wherein the encapsulating cover is a coated layer.

45. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29 wherein the insulating layer is coated.

46. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29 wherein the insulating layer is sputtered.

47. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29 wherein the openings are formed by laser ablation of the organic layers after the organic layers are deposited.

48. The passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure claimed in claim 29 wherein the openings are formed by masking.

49. A passive-matrix pixel light emitting display structure having a display area, comprising:

a) a substrate;

b) one or more electrode busses located over the substrate which extend over a predetermined portion of said substrate, each of said busses having an electrode pad and a connecting end for connecting to a controller;

c) an insulator located over one or more of the electrode busses wherein said insulator does not cover said electrode pads;

d) at least three sets of first electrode segments located over the entire display area, each set of first electrode segments extending for only a portion of the length of said substrate and designed to be active in a different portion of the display area;

e) one or more layers of materials, at least one of which comprises light emissive materials, located over the first electrode segments, the layer(s) having openings to expose a portion of at least one of the electrode busses; and

f) at least three sets of second electrode segments located over the one or more layers of organic materials and entire display area and each of said sets of second electrode segments designed to be active in a different portion of the display area, one of said three sets of second electrode segments being in contact with the exposed portion electrode busses, each of said first set of first electrode segments being associated with one set of said three sets of second electrode segments so as to form a plurality of display segments in said display area.

50. A passive matrix pixel light emitting display structure according to claim 49 wherein said plurality of display segments are identical in size.

51. A passive matrix pixel light emitting display structure according to claim 50 wherein said plurality of display segments comprises nine.

52. A passive matrix pixel light emitting display structure according to claim 49 wherein said first electrode segments of said second electrode segments extend orthogonal to each other.

53. A method of making a passive matrix pixel light emitting display structure having a display area formed on a substrate comprising:

a) providing a set of busses that extend from an edge of said substrates across a predetermined portion of said substrate, each of said busses having an electrode pad;

b) providing an insulating layer over said busses so that only said electrode pad and the end adjacent the edge of said bus is exposed;

c) providing at least three sets of first electrode segments located over the entire display area, each set of first electrode segments extending for only a portion of the length of said substrate and each of said first electrode segments designed to be active in a different portion of the display area;

d) providing one or more layers of materials, at least one of which comprises light emissive materials, located over the first electrode segments, the layer(s) having openings to expose said electrode pads; and

e) providing at least three sets of second electrode segments located over the one or more layers of organic materials and entire display area and each set of said second electrode segments being designed to be active in a different portion of the display area, one of said three sets of second electrode segments being in contact with the exposed electrode busses, each of said first set of first electrode segments being associated with one set of said three sets of second electrode segments so as to form a plurality of display segments in said display area.

54. The method according to claim 53 wherein said plurality of display segments are identical in size.

55. The method according to claim 53 wherein said plurality of display segments comprises nine.

56. The method according to claim 53 wherein said first electrode segments of said second electrode segments extend orthogonal to each other.