ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20100045173A1
• Filed: 07/28/2009
• Published: 02/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: LEE, Il-Jeong, IM, Choong-Youl, NO, Dae-Hyun, KWON, Do-Hyun, Yu, Cheol-Ho
• Granted Patent: US 8,207,662 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 313/504
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 9/261 the vessel being for a flat panel display for flat discharge lamps H01J9/268
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/11 characterised by the electroluminescent [EL] layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/818 Reflective anodes, e.g. ITO combined with thick metallic layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/1216 the pixel elements being capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/123 Connection of the pixel electrodes to the thin film transistors [TFT]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/124 Insulating layers formed between TFT elements and OLED elements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/80518 Reflective anodes, e.g. ITO combined with thick metallic layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/233 by photolithographic etching

Abstract

An organic light emitting display (OLED) apparatus and a method of manufacturing the same, the OLED apparatus including: a substrate; an active layer formed on the substrate; a gate electrode insulated from the active layer; source and drain electrodes insulated from the gate electrode and electrically connected to the active layer; a pixel defining layer formed on the source and drain electrodes, having an aperture to expose one of the source and drain electrodes; an intermediate layer formed in the aperture and comprising an organic light emitting layer; and a facing electrode which is formed on the intermediate layer. One of the source and drain electrodes has an extension that operates as a pixel electrode. The aperture exposes the extended portion. The intermediate layer is formed on the extended portion.

Claims

1. An organic light emitting display (OLED) apparatus comprising:

a substrate;

an active layer formed on the substrate;

a gate electrode formed on and insulated from the active layer;

a first electrode electrically connected to the active layer and having an extended portion that operates as a pixel electrode;

a second electrode electrically connected to the active layer;

a pixel defining layer formed on the first and second electrodes, having an aperture that exposes the extended portion of the first electrode;

an intermediate layer formed in the aperture, comprising an organic light emitting layer; and

a facing electrode formed on the intermediate layer,

wherein one of the first and second electrodes is a source electrode, and the other is a drain electrode.

2. The OLED apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pixel defining layer comprises an inorganic material.

3. The OLED apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an overcoat film to insulate the first and second electrodes from the gate electrode.

4. The OLED apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a spacer to separate the pixel defining layer and the facing electrode.

5. The OLED apparatus of claim 1, wherein each of the first and second electrodes comprise a transparent conductive film that extends parallel to the active layer, and a reflective conductive film that extends between the transparent conductive film and the active layer.

6. The OLED apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the reflective conductive film comprises one selected from the group consisting of gold (Au), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), nickel (Ni), rhodium (Rh), ruthenium (Ru), iridium (Ir), osmium (Os), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), an Al;

Nd alloy, and an MoW alloy; and

the transparent conductive film comprises one selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and In₂O₃.

7. The OLED apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first capacitor electrode formed in the same plane and of the same material as the active layer; and

a second capacitor electrode formed on the first capacitor electrode, in the same plane and of the same material as the gate electrode, such that the second capacitor is insulated from the first capacitor electrode.

8. The OLED apparatus of claim 7, wherein the first capacitor electrode faces the extended portion of the first electrode.

18. The OLED apparatus of claim 1, wherein the extended portion of the first electrode extends away from the second electrode and faces the intermediate layer.

19. The OLED apparatus of claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive film of the first electrode forms the extended portion of the first electrode.

9. A method of manufacturing an organic light emitting display (OLED) apparatus, the method comprising:

forming an active layer on a substrate;

forming a gate electrode on the substrate, so as to be insulated from the active layer;

forming a first electrode on the substrate, so as to be insulated from the gate electrode and be electrically connected to the active layer, the first electrode having an extended portion that operates as a pixel electrode;

forming a second electrode on the substrate, so as to be insulated from the gate electrode and be electrically connected to the active layer;

forming a pixel defining layer on the source and drain electrodes, the pixel defining layer having an aperture that exposes the extended portion;

forming an intermediate layer comprising an organic light emitting layer, in the aperture and connected to the extended portion; and

forming a facing electrode on the intermediate layer,

wherein one of the first and second electrodes is a source electrode, and the other is a drain electrode.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, and the pixel defining layer are formed using a single halftone mask.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the pixel defining layer comprises an inorganic material.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising forming an overcoat film on the gate electrode, before the first and second electrodes are formed, to insulate the gate electrode from the first and second electrodes.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising forming a spacer on the pixel defining layer, which has an opening to expose the aperture, before the intermediate layer is formed,

wherein the forming of the facing electrode comprises forming the facing electrode on the spacer, such that the facing electrode is separated from the pixel defining layer.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and second electrodes each comprise:

a transparent conductive film that extends parallel to the active layer; and

a reflective conductive film that extends between the transparent conductive film and the active layer.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the reflective conductive film comprises one selected from the group consisting of gold (Au), palladium (Pd), platinum (Pt), nickel (Ni), rhodium (Rh), ruthenium (Ru), iridium (Ir), osmium (Os), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), an Al;

Nd alloy, and an MoW alloy; and

the transparent conductive film comprises one selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and In₂O₃.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein:

the forming of the active layer further comprises forming a first capacitor electrode in the same plane and of the same material as the active layer, and

the forming of the gate electrode further comprises forming a second capacitor electrode that is insulated from the first capacitor electrode, on the first capacitor electrode, in the same plane and of the same material as the gate electrode.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first capacitor electrode faces the extended portion.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein the extended portion of the first electrode extends away from the second electrode and faces the intermediate layer.