Active matrix display

• US 6,373,453 B1
• Filed: 04/20/1999
• Issued: 04/16/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Intellectual Keystone Technology LLC
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Yudasaka, Ichio
• Primary Examiner(s): Shalwala, Bipin
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIZIALI, JEFFREY J
• Application Number:
  US09/284,774
• Time in Patent Office: 1,092 Days
• Field of Search: 345/55, 345/76, 345/80, 345/82, 345/84, 345/92, 345/206, 349/42, 349/138, 349/139, 349/156, 313/505, 313/506, 315/169.1, 315/169.3
• US Class Current: 345/76
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0426 Layout of electrodes and connections
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0439 Pixel structures
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0223 Compensation for problems related to R-C delay and attenuation in electrodes of matrix panels, e.g. in gate electrodes or on-substrate video signal electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3225 using an active matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/865 comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. light-blocking layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8792 comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. black layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/135 using ink-jet printing

Abstract

An active matrix display device is provided in which parasitic capacitance or the like is suppressed by forming a thick insulating film around an organic semiconductor film, and disconnection or the like does not occur in an opposing electrode formed on the upper layer of the thick insulating film. In the active matrix display device, first, a bank layer composed of a resist film is formed along data lines and scanning lines. By depositing an opposing electrode of a thin film luminescent element on the upper layer side of the bank layer, capacitance that parasitizes the data lines can be suppressed. Additionally, a discontinuities portion is formed in the bank layer. Since the discontinuities portion is a planar section which does not have a step due to the existence of the bank layer, disconnection of the opposing electrode does not occur at this section. When an organic semiconductor film is formed by an ink jet process, a liquid material discharged from an ink jet head is blocked by the bank layer.

Claims

1. An active matrix display device, comprising:

a substrate;

a display area on the substrate, the display area comprising a plurality of scanning lines extending in a first direction, a plurality of data lines extending in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and a plurality of pixels formed in a matrix by the data lines and the scanning lines, each of the pixels being provided with a thin film luminescent element comprising;

a thin film transistor including a gate electrode to which scanning signals are supplied from the plurality of scanning lines,

a pixel electrode,

an organic semiconductor film deposited above the pixel electrode, and

an opposing electrode formed above the organic semiconductor film; and

an insulating film that bounds a region where the organic semiconductor film is disposed, the insulating film comprising a discontinuities portion having a planar section without a formed step, through which the opposing electrode is connected to an opposing electrode of an adjacent thin luminescent element.

2. The active matrix display device according to claim 1, the thin film transistor being a first thin film transistor of a conduction control circuit, the conduction control circuit further comprising a second thin film transistor including a gate electrode connected to the data lines through the first thin film transistor, and the thin film luminescent element being driven by a driving current supplied from a common feeder formed independently of the data lines and the scanning lines that feeds a driving current.

3. The active matrix display device according to claim 1, the insulating film preventing spreading of a liquid material discharged by an ink jet when the liquid material as a precursor of the organic semiconductor film is applied by the ink jet process.

4. The active matrix display device according to claim 3, the insulating film having a thickness of 1 μ

m or more.

5. The active matrix display device according to claim 1, at least one portion of the insulating film being formed along the data lines and the scanning lines, the insulating film being provided with the discontinuities portion between pixels in both the first direction of extension of the scanning lines and second direction of extension of the data lines.

6. The active matrix display device according to claim 1, at least one portion of the insulating film being formed along the data lines and the scanning lines, the insulating film being provided with the discontinuities portion between pixels in the first direction of extension of the scanning lines.

7. The active matrix display device according to claim 1, at least one portion of the insulating film being formed along the data lines and the scanning lines, the insulating film being provided with the discontinuities portion between pixels in the second direction of extension of the data lines.

8. The active matrix display device according to claim 1, the insulating film being formed in a strip along the second direction of the data lines, the discontinuities portion being provided on at least one end in the second direction.

9. The active matrix display device according to claim 1, a region in which the thin film transistor is formed being covered with the insulating film.

10. The active matrix display device according to claim 1, further comprising a data-line driving circuit that supplies data signals through the data lines and a scanning-line driving circuit that supplies the scanning signals through the scanning lines in a periphery of the display area, the insulating film also being formed above the scanning-line driving circuit and the data-line driving circuit, and the insulating film comprising a discontinuities portion having a planar section without a formed step that connects opposing electrodes between a display area side and a substrate periphery side through the planar section at a position between a region in which the scanning-line driving circuit is formed and a region in which the data-line driving circuit is formed.

11. The active matrix display device according to claim 1, the discontinuities being formed by insulating film having a thickness that is smaller than a thickness of the insulating film that bounds the region where the organic semiconductor film is disposed.

12. The active matrix display device according to claim 1, the insulating film comprising an inorganic material.