Organic electroluminescence display apparatus

• US 20070029941A1
• Filed: 06/29/2006
• Published: 02/08/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/29/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Displays Limited (Japan Display Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Displays Limited (Japan Display Incorporated)
• Inventors: Ito, Naoyuki, Yamanaka, Kanae
• Application Number:
  US11/476,723
• Publication Number:
  US 20070029941A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 315/169.300
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0452 Details of colour pixel setup, e.g. pixel composed of a red, a blue and two green components
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0242 Compensation of deficiencies in the appearance of colours
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/029 by monitoring one or more pixels in the display panel, e.g. by monitoring a fixed reference pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/043 Preventing or counteracting the effects of ageing
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3233 with pixel circuitry controlling the current through the light-emitting element
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3258 with pixel circuitry controlling the voltage across the light-emitting element
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/123 Connection of the pixel electrodes to the thin film transistors [TFT]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/32 Stacked devices having two or more layers, each emitting at different wavelengths

Abstract

There is provided a high-definition and small-parallax active-driving organic EL display apparatus capable of avoiding complication of manufacturing processes and skyrocketing in component and material expenses. A plurality of organic EL elements BU, GU, and RU are multi-layered in a single subpixel area. All of active elements (i.e., thin-film transistors TFTs) to be connected to the multi-layered organic EL elements are formed between an insulating substrate SUB and the layer of the organic EL element BU which is the most proximate to this insulating substrate. This configuration makes it possible to avoid the second-layer or upper organic EL elements GU and RU from being damaged by the high-heat processing in the manufacturing processes. Accordingly, it becomes possible to implement long life-expectancy of the organic EL display apparatus. Also, inter-layer spacing between the organic EL elements can be made narrower. Consequently, it becomes possible to make the parallax exceedingly smaller.

Claims

1. An organic EL display apparatus, comprising:

first organic EL elements formed on a main surface of an insulating substrate, and

second organic EL elements formed by being multi-layered on said first organic EL elements, wherein

electric currents are controlled by first active elements and second active elements which are different active elements from each other, said electric currents being caused to flow in order to drive said first organic EL elements and said second organic EL elements.

2. The organic EL display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said first active elements and said second active elements are formed between said first organic EL elements and said insulating substrate,

said first organic EL elements and said first active elements being electrically connected to each other via first contact holes, said second organic EL elements and said second active elements being electrically connected to each other via second contact holes.

3. The organic EL display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said second contact holes for connecting said second organic EL elements and said second active elements to each other are located on side-surface sides of said first organic EL elements via insulating films.

4. The organic EL display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

said first and second contact holes are located within the same unit pixel.

5. The organic EL display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said organic EL elements belonging to the same layer of said organic EL elements formed by being multi-layered on each other include light-emitting layers formed of the same material.

6. The organic EL display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

said light-emitting layers exist all over unit pixels widely in a flat-plane-like manner.

7. The organic EL display apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

a plurality of unit pixels configure one main pixel in said organic EL elements, said plurality of unit pixels being adjacent to each other in said multi-layered direction,

said light-emitting layers being changed in said unit pixels which configure said main pixel.

8. The organic EL display apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising

a third organic EL element on each of said second organic EL elements, and wherein

said first to said third organic EL elements which are multi-layered on each other configure said one main pixel.

9. The organic EL display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

said organic EL elements belonging to the same layer of said organic EL elements formed by being multi-layered on each other include light-emitting layers formed of different materials.

10. The organic EL display apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

a plurality of unit pixels configure one main pixel, said plurality of unit pixels being adjacent to each other in said flat-plane direction.

11. An organic EL display apparatus, comprising:

an insulating substrate,

a first organic EL element formed on said insulating substrate, and

a second organic EL element formed on said first organic EL element,

light emission of said first organic EL element being emitted out to said insulating-substrate side, light emission of said second organic EL element being emitted out to an opposite side to said insulating-substrate side, wherein

said first organic EL element has a configuration formed by multi-layering a first transparent electrode, a first organic light-emitting layer, and a first reflection electrode sequentially from the most proximate side to said insulating substrate,

said second organic EL element having a configuration formed by multi-layering a second reflection electrode, a second organic light-emitting layer, and a second transparent electrode sequentially from the most proximate side to said insulating substrate,

active elements for driving said first organic EL element and said second organic EL element being provided between said insulating substrate and said first organic EL element.

12. The organic EL display apparatus according to claim 11, wherein

said second transparent electrode of said second organic EL element and said active element for driving said second organic EL element are connected to each other via a contact hole, said contact hole being located by penetrating an insulating film provided at an end portion of said first organic EL element.

13. The organic EL display apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, wherein

said first reflection electrode of said first organic EL element and said second reflection electrode of said second organic EL element are configured using one double-side reflection electrode which plays a role of said two reflection electrodes.

14. An organic EL display apparatus, comprising:

an insulating substrate,

an active element formed on said insulating substrate,

a first transparent electrode connected to said active element and separated for each color subpixel,

a first light-emitting layer separated for each color subpixel,

a double-side reflection electrode separated for each color subpixel,

a second light-emitting layer separated for each color subpixel, and

a second transparent electrode separated for each color subpixel,

said insulating substrate, said active element, said first transparent electrode, said first light-emitting layer, said double-side reflection electrode, said second light-emitting layer, and said second transparent electrode being multi-layered in this order, wherein

said double-side reflection electrode has an aperture portion for each color subpixel,

said active element and said second transparent electrode being electrically connected to each other via a contact hole which passes through said aperture portion of said double-side reflection electrode.

15. The organic EL display apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

said first organic EL element or said second organic EL element is one of said subpixels which configure one color main pixel, and

said plurality of first organic EL elements or second organic EL elements respectively configure said one color main pixel on upper and lower layers of said double-side reflection electrode,

said plurality of first organic EL elements or second organic EL elements being adjacent to each other on said insulating substrate and in a direction parallel to said insulating-substrate surface.

16. The organic EL display apparatus according to claim 14 or 15, wherein

said double-side reflection electrode is located in such a manner that said double-side reflection electrode is overlapped on said first transparent electrode configuring said first organic EL element and said second transparent electrode configuring said second organic EL element,

said double-side reflection electrode having said aperture portion for each subpixel which includes said first organic EL element and said second organic EL element, said contact hole passing through said aperture portion.