Heat removal system for use in organic light emitting diode displays having high brightness

• US 6,265,820 B1
• Filed: 01/27/1999
• Issued: 07/24/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/29/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: eMagin Corporation (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: eMagin Corporation (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Johnstone, Walter V., Ghosh, Amalkumar P., Prache, Olivier F., Zimmerman, Steven M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimeshkumar D.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hopper, Todd Reed
• Application Number:
  US09/238,070
• Time in Patent Office: 909 Days
• Field of Search: 313/504, 313/493, 313/506, 313/512, 313/483, 313/12, 313/13, 313/35, 313/45, 313/46, 313/11, 428/690
• US Class Current: 313/483
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/87 Arrangements for heating or cooling
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8794 Arrangements for heating and cooling

Abstract

A heat removal system for use in an organic light emitting diode displays is disclosed. The heat removal assembly includes a heat dissipating assembly for dissipating heat from the organic light emitting device, a heat transfer assembly for transferring heat from the top organic light emitting device to the heat dissipating assembly and a cooling assembly for cooling the organic light emitting display device.

Claims

1. In an organic light emitting display device having a cathode layer and at least one organic layer, the improvement comprising:

heat removal means for removing heat from said organic light emitting display device, wherein said heat removal means comprises;

heat dissipating means for dissipating heat from said organic light emitting device;

heat transfer means for transferring heat from said cathode layer and one of said at least one organic layer to said heat dissipating means; and

cooling means for cooling said organic light emitting display device;

and wherein said heat dissipating means includes a heat sink, said heat transfer means comprises at least one thermally conducting layer, and said cooling means includes a thermoelectric cooler;

and wherein said heat removal means removes heat from said cathode layer and one of said at least one organic layer.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein said cooling means further includes a recirculating assembly for recirculating a cooling material.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein said cooling material is selected from the group consisting of a cooling liquid and a cooling gas.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein said cooling means is positioned between said heat dissipating means and said heat transfer means.

5. The device according to claim 1, wherein said cooling means further includes a fan.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the organic light emitting display device is a downwardly light emitting display having light emission from said at least one organic layer through a substrate layer.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the organic light emitting display device is an upwardly light emitting display having light emission from said at least one organic layer in a direction away from a substrate layer.

8. An organic light emitting display device comprising:

a substrate;

a first conductor layer located on said substrate;

at least one organic layer located on said first conductor layer substrate;

a second conductor layer located on said at least one organic layer; and

heat removal means for removing heat from said organic light emitting display device;

wherein said heat removal means comprises;

heat dissipating means for dissipating heat from said organic light emitting device;

heat transfer means for transferring heat from at least one of said first conductor layer and said second conductor layer and from one of said at least one organic layer to said heat dissipating means; and

cooling means for cooling said organic light emitting display device;

and wherein said heat dissipating means includes a heat sink, said heat transfer means comprises at least one thermally conducting layer, and said cooling means includes a thermoelectric cooler;

and wherein said heat removal means removes heat from at least one of said first conductor layer and said second conductor layer and from one of said at least one organic layer.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein said organic light emitting display device is an upwardly light emitting display having light emission from said at least one organic layer through said substrate.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein said organic light emitting display device is a downwardly light emitting display having light emission from said at least one organic layer in a direction away from said substrate.

11. The device according to claim 8, further comprising a plate positioned between said second conductor layer and said heat removal means.

12. The device according to claim 11, further comprising heat transferring means located between said second conductor layer and said plate for transferring heat from said organic light emitting device to said plate.

13. The device according to claim 12, wherein said heat transferring means comprises at least one thermally conducting layer.

14. A method of cooling, an organic light emitting display device, said method comprising the steps of:

transferring heat generated by the organic light emitting device to a cooling assembly, wherein said cooling assembly comprises a thermoelectric cooler; and

dissipating said transferred heat.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein said dissipating step includes dissipating the heat to an area that is external to the organic light emitting device.