Patterning OLED device electrodes and optical material

• US 20070077349A1
• Filed: 09/30/2005
• Published: 04/05/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Yang, Zhihao, Tredwell, Timothy, Cok, Ronald, Newman, David
• Application Number:
  US11/241,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20070077349A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/66
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/3026 Top emission
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/331 Nanoparticles used in non-emissive layers, e.g. in packaging layer
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/814 combined with auxiliary electrodes, e.g. ITO layer combined with metal lines
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/824 combined with auxiliary electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/828 Transparent cathodes, e.g. comprising thin metal layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/854 comprising scattering means
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/858 comprising refractive means, e.g. lenses
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/865 comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. light-blocking layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/351 comprising more than three subpixels, e.g. red-green-blue-white [RGBW]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/38 comprising colour filters or colour changing media [CCM]

Abstract

A method of making an OLED display having a plurality of OLED devices includes providing a plurality of OLED devices on a substrate, such OLED devices sharing a common light-transmissive electrode; forming a patterned conductive layer structure over the common light-transmissive electrode to define wells in alignment with emissive areas of one or more OLED devices; and providing optical material into one or more wells

Claims

1. A method of making an OLED display having a plurality of OLED devices comprising:

(a) providing a plurality of OLED devices on a substrate, such OLED devices sharing a common light-transmissive electrode;

(b) forming a patterned conductive layer structure over the common light-transmissive electrode to define wells in alignment with emissive areas of one or more OLED devices; and

(c) providing optical material into one or more wells.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the patterned conductive layer structure includes a patterned conductive layer in contact with the common light-transmissive electrode and a patterned insulating layer disposed over the patterned conductive layer.

3. The method according to claim 2 wherein the patterned conductive layer structure is formed by:

(i) depositing a conductive layer over the common light-transmissive electrode;

(ii) providing a patterned insulating layer over the conductive layer; and

(iii) using the patterned insulating layer as an etch mask to pattern the conductive layer to form the patterned conductive layer.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the patterned insulating layer is provided by uniformly coating a polymer layer and using laser ablation to pattern the polymer layer.

5. The method according to claim 3 wherein the patterned insulating layer is provided by patterned thermal transfer of a polymer from a donor sheet.

6. The method according to claim 3 wherein the conductive layer is patterned by chemical etching or plasma etching.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the optical material is provided into the one or more wells by ink jet deposition.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the optical material is a color filter material, a color conversion material, a light-scattering material, or a lenslet.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein different color filter materials are deposited into different wells by ink jet deposition to provide a color filter array.

10. The method according to claim 9 wherein the optical materials do not fill the well and the wells serve as barriers to prevent the diffusion of optical material from one well to another.

11. The method according to claim 1 wherein the patterned conductive layer structure acts as a black matrix.

12. The method according to claim 1 wherein one or more barrier layers are provided after forming the patterned conductive layer structure but before providing optical materials into the one or more wells.

13. The method according to claim 1 further comprising:

(d) providing one or more barrier layers over the optical material and the patterned conductive layer structure.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein a light-transmissive cover is provided over the display.

15. The method according to claim 8 wherein the optical material includes a light scattering material, a light-transmissive cover is provided over the display and there is a gap of at least 0.5 microns between the light-scattering material and the cover, said gap is filled with air, inert gas, or a material having an optical refractive index lower than that of the light-transmissive cover and having an optical refractive index lower than that of any organic materials in the light-emissive layer(s) of the OLED.

16. The method according to claim 1 wherein the wells are greater than 0.5 microns deep.

17. The method according to claim 1 wherein the wells are greater than 5 microns deep.

18. The method according to claim 1 wherein the OLED display includes red, green, and blue, light-emitting pixels.

19. The method according to claim 18 further including white light-emitting pixels.

20. The method according to claim 1 wherein step (b) includes laser transfer of metal nanoparticles from a donor sheet to form the patterned conductive layer structure.