Electroluminescent device and fabrication method for a light detection system
First Claim
1. A device for a light detection system comprising:
- a transparent substrate having opposed first and second surfaces;
an electroluminescent layer stack having first and second electrode layers on opposed sides of an active layer, said layer stack extending continuously along said first surface of said transparent substrate, said second electrode layer being patterned to define a transparent light collection path for passage of backreflected light through said layer stack; and
an illumination collector aligned with said illumination-free zone to receive said backreflected light.
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Abstract
A device for a light detection system includes an electroluminescent layer stack on a transparent member, such as a glass substrate, with at least one layer of the layer stack being patterned to define first and second electroluminescent regions spaced apart by a transparent light collection path for passage of backreflected light. The layer stack includes first and second electrode layers on opposed sides of one or more active layers. In one embodiment, the second electrode layer is the only layer that is patterned to define the light collection path. In this embodiment, the other layers extend continuously across the light collection path. In another embodiment, all of the layers are patterned to form a gap between the first and second electroluminescent regions. The layer stack is hermetically sealed to protect the active layer or layers from atmosphere-induced degradation. An illumination collector is aligned with the light collection path to receive light that is backreflected from a surface of interest through the light collection path. The illumination collector may be an optical arrangement, a photodetector, or both. In the preferred embodiment, the electroluminescent layer stack is an organic light-emitting source.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A device for a light detection system comprising:
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a transparent substrate having opposed first and second surfaces; an electroluminescent layer stack having first and second electrode layers on opposed sides of an active layer, said layer stack extending continuously along said first surface of said transparent substrate, said second electrode layer being patterned to define a transparent light collection path for passage of backreflected light through said layer stack; and an illumination collector aligned with said illumination-free zone to receive said backreflected light. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. An imaging system comprising:
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a first transparent member; first and second electroluminescent regions on said first transparent member for generating light in response to an excitation signal, said first and second electroluminescent regions being formed by a plurality of layers on a surface of said first transparent substrate, at least one of said layers being discontinuous to form a gap between said first and second electroluminescent regions; a seal fixed to said first transparent member and extending about said layers to hermetically seal said first and second electroluminescent regions and said gap; and detection means adjacent to said seal and aligned with said gap for forming image signals responsive to light passing through said gap. - View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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14. A method of fabricating a device for use in a light detection system comprising steps of:
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providing a first transparent substrate; forming an electroluminescent layer stack on said first transparent substrate, including forming first and second electrode layers on opposed sides of an organic active layer and further including patterning at least one layer of said layer stack to define a light collection path for passage of light through said layer stack between first and second electroluminescent regions; and forming a moisture-proof seal to encapsulate said layer stack. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification