Organic electroluminescent display panel with projecting ramparts and method for manufacturing the same

• US 5,742,129 A
• Filed: 02/16/1996
• Issued: 04/21/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pioneer Electronics (USA) Incorporated (Pioneer Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Pioneer Electronics (USA) Incorporated (Pioneer Corporation)
• Inventors: Miyaguchi, Satoshi, Nagayama, Kenichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Pascal, Robert
• Assistant Examiner(s): VU, DAVID HUNG
• Application Number:
  US08/602,341
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 315/169.3, 315/169.4, 315/169.1, 315/168, 315/167, 315/169.2, 313/498, 313/500, 313/505, 313/503, 313/504, 313/506, 313/509
• US Class Current: 315/167
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/02 Details
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/10 Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of electroluminescent light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/12 Light sources with substantially two-dimensional radiating surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/22 characterised by the chemical or physical composition or the arrangement of auxiliary dielectric or reflective layers
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/26 characterised by the composition or arrangement of the conductive material used as an electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/28 of translucent electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/3026 Top emission
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/856 comprising reflective means
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/173 comprising banks or shadow masks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/35 comprising red-green-blue [RGB] subpixels
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/166 using selective deposition, e.g. using a mask

Abstract

A method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel having a plurality of emitting portions surrounded by ramparts and arranged as a matrix. The method includes the steps of forming a plurality of first display electrodes corresponding to emitting portions on a substrate; forming, on the substrate around the first display electrodes, electrical insulation ramparts surrounding the first display electrodes respectively; putting a shadow mask onto top surfaces of the ramparts, the shadow mask having a plurality of openings each exposing the first display electrode in the rampart, and aligning the openings to the first display electrodes respectively; depositing organic electroluminescent media through the openings onto the first display electrodes in the ramparts respectively, thereby forming organic function layers each including at least one organic electroluminescent medium on the first display electrodes in the ramparts; and forming a second display electrode formed all over or in stripe on the ramparts and the organic function layers. In the method, the mask putting and aligning step and the media depositing step are repeated in such a manner of that the shadow mask is shifted to an adjacent portion, whereby the openings are aligned to adjacent other first display electrodes, thereby enabling a highly efficient manufacturing method.

Claims

1. An organic electroluminescent display panel having a plurality of emitting portions arranged as a matrix comprising:

a substrate on which a plurality of first display electrodes corresponding to emitting portions are formed;

electrical insulation ramparts formed on said substrate so as to project higher than a level of said first display electrodes from said substrate between said first display electrodes;

organic function layers each including at least one organic electroluminescent medium formed on said first display electrodes between said ramparts; and

at least one second display electrode formed on said ramparts and said organic function layers.

2. An organic electroluminescent display panel as set forth in claim 1 and further comprising:

common scan signal lines and common data signal lines which are formed on said substrate in a coplanar surface thereof and arranged perpendicularly to one another; and

nonlinear elements each connected to said scan signal line, said data signal line and one of said first display electrodes.

3. An organic electroluminescent display panel as set forth in claim 2, wherein each of said nonlinear elements comprises a thin film transistor and a capacitor connected to each other.

4. An organic electroluminescent display panel as set forth in claim 1, wherein said substrate and said first display electrodes are transparent.

5. An organic electroluminescent display panel as set forth in claim 4, further comprising a reflection film formed on an outer side surface of said second display electrodes.

6. An organic electroluminescent display panel as set forth in claim 1, wherein said second display electrode is transparent.

7. An organic electroluminescent display panel as set forth in claim 6, further comprising a reflection film formed on an outer side surface of said first display electrodes.

8. An organic electroluminescent display panel as set forth in claim 1, wherein said second display electrode is formed all over on said ramparts and said organic function layers.

9. An organic electroluminescent display panel as set forth in claim 1, wherein said second display electrode is formed in stripe on said ramparts and said organic function layers.

10. A method for manufacturing an organic electroluminescent display panel having a plurality of emitting portions arranged as a matrix, comprising the steps of;

forming a plurality of first display electrodes corresponding to emitting portions on a substrate;

forming, on said substrate around said first display electrodes, electrical insulation ramparts so as to project higher than a level of said first display electrodes from said substrate between said first display electrodes;

putting a shadow mask onto top surfaces of said ramparts, the shadow mask having a plurality of openings each exposing one of said first display electrodes between said ramparts, and aligning the openings to said first display electrodes respectively;

depositing organic electroluminescent media through said openings onto said first display electrodes between said ramparts respectively, thereby forming organic function layers each including at least one organic electroluminescent medium on said first display electrodes between said ramparts; and

forming at least one second display electrode on said ramparts and said organic function layers.

11. A method as set forth in claim 10 further comprising, before or during the first display electrode forming step, a step of forming common scan signal lines and common data signal lines which are formed on said substrate in a coplanar surface thereof and arranged perpendicularly to one another and nonlinear elements each connected to said scan signal line, said data signal line and one of said first display electrodes.

12. A method as set forth in claim 11, wherein each of said nonlinear elements comprises a thin film transistor and a capacitor connected to each other.

13. A method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the mask putting and aligning step and the media depositing step are repeated in such a manner that said shadow mask is shifted to an adjacent portion where the openings aligned to adjacent other first display electrodes.

14. A method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said second display electrode is formed all over on said ramparts and said organic function layers.

15. A method as set forth in claim 10, wherein said second display electrode is formed in stripe on said ramparts and said organic function layers.