ORGANIC EL DISPLAY DEVICE AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE ORGANIC EL DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20150090989A1
• Filed: 09/29/2014
• Published: 04/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Inventors: MATSUMOTO, Yuko, SAKAMOTO, Hirotsugu
• Granted Patent: US 9,590,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/40
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/824 combined with auxiliary electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/1315 comprising structures specially adapted for lowering the resistance
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/80522 combined with auxiliary electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass

Abstract

An organic EL display device includes a first organic layer that is arranged between lower electrodes and an upper electrode, and formed of a plurality of layers including a light emitting layer, a laminated auxiliary line that has a first auxiliary line and a second auxiliary line, and laminated on each other in order, and extend in one direction between two of pixels adjoining each other, and a second organic layer that is formed of a plurality of the same layers as the first organic layer, and arranged in contact with the first auxiliary line in a connection hole opened in the second auxiliary line so as to come out of contact with the first organic layer, in which the upper electrode is arranged in contact with the first auxiliary line around the second organic layer so as to embed the connection hole.

Claims

1. An organic EL display device, comprising:

lower electrodes that are arranged in each of pixels within a display area, made of a conductive material, and controlled in potential for each of the pixels;

an upper electrode that is arranged to cover the pixels, and made of a conductive material;

a first organic layer that is arranged between the lower electrodes and the upper electrode, and formed of a plurality of layers including a light emitting layer which is made of an organic material that emits light;

a laminated auxiliary line that has at least a first auxiliary line and a second auxiliary line made of a conductive material, and laminated on each other in order, and extends in one direction between two of the pixels adjoining each other within the display area; and

a second organic layer that is formed of a plurality of the same layers as the first organic layer, and arranged in contact with the first auxiliary line in a connection hole opened in the second auxiliary line so as to come out of contact with the first organic layer,

wherein the upper electrode is arranged in contact with the first auxiliary line around the second organic layer so as to embed the connection hole.

2. The organic EL display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a planarization film that is made of an organic material which covers a circuit having a thin film transistor formed on a substrate; and

an insulating bank that covers ends of the lower electrodes of the two of the pixels, and electrically isolates between the two of the pixels,

wherein the laminated auxiliary line is formed on the planarization film, and

wherein the upper electrode comes in contact with the first auxiliary line through the connection hole opened in the insulating bank.

3. The organic EL display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a metal line that extends between the two of the pixels within the display area;

a planarization film that is made of an organic material which covers the metal line; and

an insulating bank that covers ends of the lower electrodes of the two of the pixels, and electrically isolates between the two of the pixels,

wherein the laminated auxiliary line is formed on the metal line, and

wherein the upper electrode comes in contact with the first auxiliary line through the connection hole opened in the planarization film and the insulating bank.

4. The organic EL display device according to claim 1,

wherein the lower electrodes have the same laminated structure as that of the laminated auxiliary line.

5. The organic EL display device according to claim 1,

wherein the laminated auxiliary line has a structure in which a third auxiliary line is laminated in addition to the first auxiliary line and the second auxiliary line, and wherein the connection hole is opened at a position of the third auxiliary line corresponding to a position opened in the second auxiliary line.

6. The organic EL display device according to claim 5,

wherein a material of the third auxiliary line is identical with a material of the first auxiliary line.

7. The organic EL display device according to claim 1,

wherein the first auxiliary line is made of ITO (indium tin oxide), and

wherein the second auxiliary line is made of Ag.

8. The organic EL display device according to claim 1,

wherein the first organic layer has a light emitting layer that emits light of the same color in all of the pixels within the display area.

9. A method for manufacturing an organic EL display device, comprising the steps of:

forming an first auxiliary line and a second auxiliary line each made of a conductive material in order as a laminated auxiliary line forming step;

overetching the second auxiliary line to form a connection hole, and expose the first auxiliary line as an overetching step;

forming a first organic layer that is formed of a plurality of layers including a light emitting layer made of an organic material which emits light, and a second organic layer that is arranged on the first auxiliary line through the connection hole, and is discontinuous to the first organic layer at the same time as an organic layer forming step; and

forming an upper electrode that is made of a conductive material, comes in contact with the first auxiliary line through the connection hole, and covers pixels as an upper electrode forming step, after the organic layer forming step.

10. The method for manufacturing an organic EL display device according to claim 9,

wherein the laminated auxiliary line forming step includes a step of further forming a third auxiliary line in a position other than that corresponding to the connection hole of the second auxiliary line.

11. The method for manufacturing an organic EL display device according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

forming a planarization film made of an organic material as a planarization film forming step; and

forming lower electrodes for each of the pixels on the planarization film as a lower electrode forming step,

wherein the lower electrodes have the same layer structure as that of the laminated auxiliary lines, and

wherein the lower electrode forming step is the same step of the laminated auxiliary line forming step, and implemented at the same time.

12. The method for manufacturing an organic EL display device according to claim 9, further comprising the steps of:

forming a metal line between two of the pixels adjoining each other as a metal line forming step;

forming an insulating film made of an insulating material so as to cover a display area as an insulating film forming step, after the metal line forming step; and

forming a contact hole from which at least apart of the metal line is exposed, in the insulating film as a contact hole forming step,

wherein in the laminated auxiliary line forming step, the first auxiliary line and the second auxiliary line are formed on the metal line through the contact hole.

13. The method for manufacturing an organic EL display device according to claim 9,

wherein the organic layer forming step includes a step of forming the organic layer through a vapor deposition technique, and

wherein the upper electrode forming step includes a step of forming the upper electrode through a sputtering technique.