Display apparatus using organic electroluminescent element and manufacturing method thereof

• US 6,614,174 B1
• Filed: 11/15/2000
• Issued: 09/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/19/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JOLED Inc.
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sekiya, Mitsunobu, Urabe, Tetsuo, Sasaoka, Tatsuya, Yamagishi, Machio
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ashok
• Assistant Examiner(s): Zimmerman, Glenn
• Application Number:
  US09/711,880
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 313/504, 313/505, 313/506, 313/498, 345/45, 345/47, 345/76
• US Class Current: 313/504
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/3026 Top emission
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/125 specially adapted for multicolour light emission, e.g. for emitting white light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/818 Reflective anodes, e.g. ITO combined with thick metallic layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/80518 Reflective anodes, e.g. ITO combined with thick metallic layers

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a substrate, a plurality of pixels formed on the substrate, and a barrier plate for separating adjoining pixels from each other. Each pixel includes a lower layer portion having wiring formed on the substrate, an upper layer portion having an organic electro-luminescent element, and a middle layer portion for insulating the lower layer portion and the upper layer portion from each other electrically. The organic electro-luminescent element is connected with the wiring through a contact hole formed in the middle layer portion. The barrier plate is disposed in the upper layer portion so as to overlap with a region including a contact hole not suitable for forming the organic electro-luminescent element.

Claims

1. A display apparatus including a substrate, a plurality of pixels formed on said substrate, and a barrier plate for separating adjoining pixels of said pixels from each other, wherein:

each of said pixels comprises a lower layer portion including a wiring formed on said substrate, an upper portion including an organic electro-luminescent element, and a middle layer portion for electrically insulating said lower layer portion and said upper layer portion from each other, and

said organic electro-luminescent element is connected with the wiring through a contact hole formed in said middle layer portion, and further

said barrier plate is disposed in said upper layer portion so as to overlap with a region including the contact hole and said barrier plate is not in physical or electrical contact with at least one of said organic electro-luminescent element and said anode.

2. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said organic electro-luminescent element is composed of a reflective anode connected with said wiring, a transparent cathode disposed at a front face of said organic electro-luminescent element, and an organic layer held between the anode and the cathode, and

the organic layer emits light by recombination of a hole supplied from the anode and an electron supplied from the cathode, and further the emitted light is taken out of the cathode disposed at the front face.

3. The display apparatus according to claim 2, wherein:

said organic layer is composed of laminated films piled up selectively by means of a mask disposed over said substrate in a way of putting said barrier plate between the mask and said substrate.

4. The display apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

said lower layer portion comprises

a scanning wiring, a part of said wiring, for supplying first electric information for selecting said pixels,

a data wiring, another part of said data wiring, for supplying brightness information for driving said pixels,

a first active element controlled by second electric information supplied from the scanning wiring and having a function of writing the brightness information supplied from the data wiring into one of said pixels, and

a second active element having a function of controlling emission of light of said organic electro-luminescent element by supplying a current to said organic electro-luminescent element in accordance with the written brightness information.