ILLUMINATION SOURCE PROVIDING ENHANCED COLOR MIXING

• US 20080136317A1
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Duggal, Anil Raj, Rogojevic, Svetlana, Poon, Hak Fei
• Granted Patent: US 7,728,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 313/504
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 Flexible OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/85 Arrangements for extracting light from the devices
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/86 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/32 Stacked devices having two or more layers, each emitting at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/86 Series electrical configurations of multiple OLEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/88 Dummy elements, i.e. elements having non-functional features
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/90 Assemblies of multiple devices comprising at least one organic light-emitting element

Abstract

An illumination source is disclosed. The illumination source includes at least one OLED layer. The OLED layer includes an active light emitting region including a plurality of primary light-emitting OLED elements and secondary light emitting OLED elements connecting each of the plurality of primary light emitting OLED elements to at least another primary light emitting OLED element.

Claims

1. An OLED layer comprising:

at least one OLED layer segment, the OLED layer segment comprising an active light emitting region, wherein the active light emitting region comprises a plurality of primary light-emitting OLED elements and connecting secondary light emitting OLED elements, wherein the secondary light emitting OLED elements connect each of the plurality of primary light emitting OLED elements to at least another primary light emitting OLED element.

2. The OLED layer of claim 1, wherein the OLED layer segment further comprises a non-light emitting region.

3. The OLED layer of claim 1, wherein the non-light emitting region comprises inactive non-light emitting OLED elements.

4. The OLED layer of claim 1, wherein the non-light emitting region comprises substrate regions without OLED elements.

5. The OLED layer of claim 1, wherein the light emitting region comprises a plurality of groups of connected primary light-emitting OLED elements.

6. The OLED layer of claim 1, wherein at least two of the plurality of groups of connected primary light-emitting OLED elements are configured to emit light in different wavelength ranges.

7. The OLED layer of claim 1, comprising a plurality of OLED layer segments, wherein each of the plurality of OLED layer segments is electrically series interconnected to at least another OLED layer segment.

8. An illumination source comprising:

a plurality of OLED layers fabricated on different substrates assembled in a stacked configuration, wherein at least one of the plurality of OLED layers comprises at least one OLED layer segment comprising an active light emitting region and a non-light emitting region, wherein the active light emitting region comprises a plurality of primary light-emitting OLED elements and connecting secondary light emitting OLED elements connecting each of the plurality of primary light emitting OLED elements to at least another primary light emitting OLED element.

9. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein a first OLED layer of the plurality of OLED layers is disposed over a second OLED layer such that the connecting secondary light emitting OLED elements of the first OLED layer are arranged partially over the plurality of light emitting OLED elements of second OLED layer disposed below.

10. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein the non-light emitting region of the first OLED layer transmits a fraction greater than 50% of light emitted by the underlying second OLED layer in the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

11. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of OLED layers comprises a plurality of OLED layer segments, wherein each of the plurality of OLED layer segments is electrically series interconnected to at least another OLED layer segment.

12. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein the non-light emitting region comprises inactive non-light emitting OLED elements.

13. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein the non-light emitting region comprises substrate regions without OLED elements.

14. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein a shape of the primary light emitting OLED elements comprises a shape selected from the group consisting square, rectangular, triangular, pentagonal, hexagonal, quatrilateral, trapezoidal, rhombic, circular, eliptical, irregular and combinations thereof

15. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein the secondary light emitting OLED elements comprise strip shaped elements.

16. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein the plurality of OLED layers are independently electrically operable.

17. The illumination source of claim 8, further comprising an adhesive layer between the first and second OLED layers.

18. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein the active light emitting region comprises a patterned metallized electrode layer.

19. The illumination source of claim 8, additionally comprising at least one light management element.

20. The illumination source of claim 19, wherein the at least one light management element is selected from the group consisting of a diffuser element, a scattering element, a high contrast patterned element, a transparent white light emitting element, lens, and combinations thereof.

21. The illumination source of claim 19, wherein the at least one light management element is a diffuser element, wherein the diffuser element is disposed at a distance less than about 25 mm from the top layer of the plurality of OLED layers.

22. The illumination source of claim 19, wherein the at least one light management element is a diffuser element, wherein the diffuser element is disposed at a distance less than about 5 mm from the top layer of the plurality of OLED layers.

23. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein the substrates are flexible.

24. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein the illumination source produces a white light having a color temperature ranging from about 5500°

K. to about 6500°

K.

25. The illumination source of claim 24, wherein the white light has a color rendering index ranging from about 60 to about 99.

26. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein the illumination source produces a white light having a color temperature ranging from about 3000°

K. to about 5500°

K.

27. The illumination source of claim 26, wherein the white light has a color rendering index of at least 60.

28. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein a combined fill factor of the active light emitting region of the plurality of layers is greater than about 90% within a perimeter enclosing all OLED layer segments.

29. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein a combined fill factor of the active light emitting region of the plurality of layers is greater than about 95% within a perimeter enclosing all OLED layer segments.

30. The illumination source of claim 8, wherein a combined fill factor of the active light emitting region of the plurality of layers is greater than about 98% within a perimeter enclosing all OLED layer segments.

31. An illumination source comprising:

at least one OLED layer segment, the OLED layer segment comprising groups of plurality of primary light-emitting OLED elements and connecting secondary light emitting OLED elements, wherein the secondary light emitting OLED elements connect each of the plurality of primary light emitting OLED elements to at least another primary light emitting OLED element,

wherein the primary light-emitting OLED elements of a group are disposed adjacent to the secondary light emitting elements of another group,

wherein at least two of the groups are configured to emit light in different wavelength ranges.