FLEXIBLE DISPLAY APPARATUS AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20130248867A1
• Filed: 08/17/2012
• Published: 09/26/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Mu-Gyeom Kim
• Inventors: Kim, Mu-Gyeom, Kim, Kyung-Ho, Kim, Sun-Ho, Cho, Joon-Hyuk, Han, Ji-Won
• Granted Patent: US 9,111,887 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/59
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 Flexible OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8445 multilayered coatings having a repetitive structure, e.g. having multiple organic-inorganic bilayers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/873 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8731 multilayered coatings having a repetitive structure, e.g. having multiple organic-inorganic bilayers

Abstract

A flexible display apparatus and a method of manufacturing the flexible display apparatus are disclosed. A flexible organic light-emitting display apparatus includes: a thin film transistor formed on a substrate in which a plurality of subpixels are located; an organic light-emitting device electrically connected to the thin film transistor and in one of the subpixels, the organic light-emitting device including a first electrode, an organic layer on the first electrode; and a second electrode on the organic layer; a pixel defining layer having an opening that exposes at least a region of the first electrode, and covering an edge region of the first electrode; a capping layer covering the organic light-emitting device; and at least one clamp unit in a non-organic layer region defined next to the one of the subpixels, wherein the non-organic layer region is a region in which the organic layer is not formed.

Claims

1. An organic light-emitting display apparatus comprising a plurality of subpixels on a substrate, the organic light-emitting display apparatus comprising:

a thin film transistor on the substrate;

an organic light-emitting device electrically connected to the thin film transistor and in one of the subpixels, the organic light-emitting device comprising a first electrode, an organic layer on the first electrode, and a second electrode on the organic layer;

a pixel defining layer having an opening that exposes at least a region of the first electrode, and covering an edge region of the first electrode;

a capping layer covering the organic light-emitting device; and

at least one clamp unit in a non-organic layer region defined next to the one of the subpixels, wherein the non-organic layer region is a region in which the organic layer is not formed.

2. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the at least one clamp unit is on a surface region of the pixel defining layer that surrounds the one of the subpixels and is buried by the capping layer, the surface region being an exposed region on which the organic layer is not formed.

3. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one clamp unit has an inverse tapered shape with a negative side slope.

4. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one clamp unit has a cross-sectional area decreasing from a first surface toward a second surface that is vertically opposite to the first surface and contacts the pixel defining layer.

5. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one clamp unit has a first surface, a second surface that is vertically opposite to the first surface and contacts the pixel defining layer, a widest portion between the first surface and the second surface, and a cross-sectional area decreasing from the widest portion toward the second surface.

6. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 3, wherein a gap exposing the surface region of the pixel defining layer is between the organic layer and the at least one clamp unit,

wherein the gap is filled with the capping layer so that the pixel defining layer and the capping layer are connected to each other.

7. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capping layer is formed by atomic layer deposition.

8. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the capping layer is a hybrid layer of alternating organic and inorganic material layers.

9. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a protection layer under the pixel defining layer to planarize an upper surface of the thin film transistor,

wherein the non-organic layer region is an exposed surface region of the protection layer in which the pixel defining layer is not present.

10. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the pixel defining layer and the at least one clamp unit are formed in a same layer.

11. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one clamp unit is on the exposed surface region of the protection layer, and is buried by the capping layer.

12. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 11, wherein the at least one clamp unit has an inverse tapered shape with a negative side slope.

13. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one clamp unit has a cross-sectional area decreasing from a first surface toward a second surface that is vertically opposite to the first surface and contacts the protection layer.

14. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the at least one clamp unit has a first surface, a second surface that is vertically opposite to the first surface and contacts the protection layer, a widest portion between the first surface and the second surface, and a cross-sectional area decreasing from the widest portion toward the second surface.

15. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 12, wherein a gap exposing the surface region of the protection layer is between the pixel defining layer and the at least one clamp unit, and is filled with the capping layer so that the pixel defining layer, the capping layer, and the protection layer are connected to one another.

16. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pixel defining layer defines the subpixels, and

the at least one clamp unit is at a corner of each of adjacent ones of the subpixels.

17. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pixel defining layer defines the subpixels, and

the at least one clamp unit is between adjacent ones of the subpixels.

18. The organic light-emitting display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of pixels on the substrate, each of the pixels comprising a red one of the subpixels, a green one of the subpixels, and a blue one of the subpixels, wherein

the pixel defining layer is between adjacent ones of the subpixels, and

the at least one clamp unit is between adjacent ones of the pixels.

19. A method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting display apparatus comprising a plurality of subpixels on a substrate, the method comprising:

forming a first electrode on a substrate having a thin film transistor;

forming a pixel defining layer that has an opening exposing at least a region of the first electrode, and covers an edge region of the first electrode;

forming at least one clamp unit next to one of the subpixels;

forming a second electrode on the first electrode as a common layer of an organic layer and the subpixels; and

forming a capping layer on the substrate to cover an organic light-emitting device including the first electrode, the organic layer, and the second electrode.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the at least one clamp unit is formed on a surface region of the pixel defining layer that corresponds to a non-organic layer region in which the organic layer is not formed.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the at least one clamp unit is formed to have an inverse tapered shape with a negative side slope.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one clamp unit is formed to have a cross-sectional area decreasing from a first surface toward a second surface that is vertically opposite to the first surface and contacts the pixel defining layer.

23. The method of claim 21, wherein the at least one clamp unit is formed to have a first surface, a second surface that is vertically opposite to the first surface and contacts the pixel defining layer, a widest portion between the first surface and the second surface, and a cross-sectional area decreasing from the widest portion toward the second surface.

24. The method of claim 20, wherein a gap exposing the surface region of the pixel defining layer is between the organic layer and the at least one clamp unit, wherein the gap is filled with the capping layer so that the pixel defining layer and the capping layer are connected to each other.

25. The method of claim 19, further comprising forming a protection layer under the pixel defining layer to planarize an upper surface of the thin film transistor, wherein the at least one clamp unit is formed in a non-organic layer region that corresponds to an exposed surface region of the protection layer in which the pixel defining layer is not present.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the at least one clamp unit is formed to have an inverse tapered shape with a negative side slope.

27. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one clamp unit is formed to have a cross-sectional area decreasing from a first surface toward a second surface that is vertically opposite to the first surface and contacts the protection layer.

28. The method of claim 26, wherein the at least one clamp unit is formed to have a first surface, a second surface that is vertically opposite to the first surface and contacts the protection layer, a widest portion between the first surface and the second surface, and a cross-sectional area decreasing from the widest portion toward the second surface.

29. The method of claim 25, wherein a gap exposing the surface region of the protection layer is between the pixel defining layer and the at least one clamp unit, wherein the gap is filled with the capping layer so that the pixel defining layer, the capping layer, and the protection layer are connected to each other.

30. The method of claim 19, wherein the capping layer is formed by atomic layer deposition.