Encapsulation for organic light emitting diodes devices

• US 6,949,389 B2
• Filed: 05/02/2002
• Issued: 09/27/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/02/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Pictiva Displays International Limited (f/k/a Dolya Holdco 5 Limited) (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Firschknecht, Kyle D., Pichler, Karl
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, HSIEN MING
• Application Number:
  US10/137,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20030205845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,244 Days
• Field of Search: 438/26, 438/28, 438/30, 438/48, 438/55, 438/531, 438/624, 438/627, 438/641, 257/53, 257/21, 257/59.414, 257/431, 257/701, 257/760
• US Class Current: 438/26
• CPC Class Codes: B29C 33/06 using radiation , e.g. electro-magnetic waves, induction heating
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/31051 Planarisation of the insulating layers H01L21/31058 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/846 comprising getter material or desiccants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass

Abstract

An embodiment of an encapsulated OLED device is described. This embodiment of the encapsulated OLED device is formed by: fabricating multiple OLED devices on a substrate; depositing at least one planarization layer on the OLED devices; hardening the at least one planarization layer in a patterned manner such that the hardened region substantially covers the OLED device; removing areas of the at least one planarization layer that are not hardened; and selectively depositing at least one barrier layer over the hardened region.

Claims

1. A method of encapsulating a plurality of devices fabricated upon a substrate, the steps of said method comprising:

fabricating a plurality of devices on a substrate;

depositing at least one planarization layer upon said devices;

hardening said at least one planarization layer in a patterned manner such that the

hardened region substantially coven said device;

removing areas of the at least one planarization layer that are not hardened; and

selectively depositing at least one barrier layer over said hardened region.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of depositing at least one planarization layer comprises spin coating.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of depositing at least one planarization layer comprises flash evaporation.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of depositing at least one planarization layer comprises evaporation.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of depositing at least one planarization layer comprises blade coating.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of depositing at least one planarization layer comprises roll coating.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of depositing at least one planarization layer comprises dip coating.

8. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of depositing at least one planarization layer comprises spray-coating.

9. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said step of depositing at least one planarization layer comprises screen printing or ink jet printing.

10. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of hardening said at least one planarization layer in a patterned manner comprises flood-exposure of UV light through a mask or scanning a line-source of UV light through a mask.

11. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of hardening said at least one planarization layer in a patterned manner comprises exposure by UV light comprising an optical patterning system.

12. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of hardening said at least one planarization layer in a patterned manner comprises exposure by UV light comprising a UV-beam scanning system.

13. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of hardening said at least one planarization layer further comprises cross-linking, patterned heat transfer system, patterned IR source, masked IR source, scanned IR source, patterned e-beam, masked e-beam or scanned e-beam.

14. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of removing areas of the at least one planarization layer that are not hardened comprises removing by thermal evaporation.

15. The method as recited in claim 14 wherein the step of removing by thermal evaporation further comprises applying a short high temperature pulse.

16. The method as recited in claim 15 wherein the step of applying a short high temperature pulse further comprises placing the plurality of devices onto a hotplate.

17. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of removing areas of the at least one planarization layer that are not hardened comprises removing by pumping in a vacuum.

18. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of removing areas of the at least one planarization layer that are not hardened comprises removing by thermal evaporation and pumping in a vacuum.

19. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of removing areas of the at least one planarization layer that are not hardened comprises washing, blowing away, rinsing, sonicing, or plasma.

20. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of selectively depositing at least one barrier layer further comprises a barrier layer comprising a dielectric, a metal, a metal-oxide or an alloy.

21. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of selectively depositing at least one barrier layer further comprises depositing said barrier layer through a mask.

22. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of selectively depositing at least one barrier layer further comprises depositing the barrier layer in a larger area than the planarization layer.

23. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein the step of selectively depositing at least one barrier layer further comprises depositing metal-oxide, dielectric layer, SiOx, SiNx , SiOxNy, AlOx, AlNx, ITO, ZnOx, Al-doped ZnOx, metal film, or alloy film.

24. The method as recited in claim 1 wherein said plurality of devices are a plurality of OLED displays and substantially only light emissive areas of said plurality of OLED displays are covered by the planarization layer and the barrier layer.

25. A method of encapsulating a plurality of devices fabricated upon a substrate, the steps of said method comprising

fabricating a plurality of devices on a substrate;

depositing at least one planarization layer upon said devices wherein said planarization layer is deposited as an unpatterned liquid film;

selectively depositing at least one barrier layer over said planarization layer; and

removing said areas of unwanted planarization layer.

26. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein said step of depositing at least one planarization layer further comprises curing an organic layer selectively over the substrate.

27. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein said step of depositing at least one planarization layer further comprises curing an organic layer over the entire substrate.

28. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein said step of depositing at least one planarization layer further comprises evaporating a plurality of reactive organic molecules, said reactive organic molecules comprising a condensed conformal film on the substrate.

29. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein said step of depositing at least one planarization layer further comprises a Parylene coating of said organic layer over the substrate, or a plasma-assisted organic material deposition.

30. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein the step of removing said areas of unwanted planarization layer further comprises etching art organic layer.

31. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein the step of removing said areas of unwanted planarization layer further comprises etching an organic layer with a chemical etch process.

32. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein the step of removing said areas of unwanted planarization layer further comprises etching an organic layer with a plasma-assisted etching process, oxygen plasma, reactive ion-etch, anisotropic etch, laser assisted/based removal or laser ablation.

33. The method as recited in claim 25 wherein the step of removing said areas of unwanted planarization layer further comprises removing said organic layer.

34. A method of encapsulating a plurality of devices fabricated upon a substrate, the steps of said method comprising:

fabricating a plurality of devices on a substrate;

selectively depositing at least one planarization layer upon said devices; and

selectively depositing at least one barrier layer over said planarization layer.

35. The method as recited in claim 34 wherein the step for selectively depositing at least one planarization layer further comprises depositing by ink jet of an organic layer.

36. The method as recited in claim 34 wherein the step for selectively depositing at least one planarization layer further comprises depositing by screen printing of an organic layer or depositing by gas nozzle.

37. The method as recited in claim 34 wherein the step for selectively depositing at least one planarization layer further comprises depositing an organic layer through a shadow mask.

38. The method as recited in claim 34 wherein the step for selectively depositing at least one barrier layer further comprises depositing by ink jet of said barrier layer.

39. The method as recited in claim 34 wherein the step for selectively depositing at least one barrier layer further comprises depositing by screen printing of said barrier layer.

40. The method as recited in claim 34 wherein the step for selectively depositing at least one barrier layer further comprises depositing by shadow mask, sputtering, ink jet deposition, screen printing evaporation.

41. A method of encapsulating a plurality of devices fabricated upon a substrate, the steps of said method comprising:

fabricating a plurality of devices on a substrate;

depositing a mask on top of said substrate, such that mask openings are placed on top of said devices;

depositing at least one planarization layer upon said mask and said plurality of devices;

removing said mask from said substrate; and

selectively depositing at least one barrier layer over said planarization layer.

42. The method as recited in claim 41 wherein the step of depositing said mask further comprises depositing a stamp mask, depositing a laminated film-mask, depositing a vacuum mask, or magnetically held mask.

43. The method as recited in claim 41 wherein the step of depositing said mask further comprises depositing said mask such that said mask is in contact with said substrate.

44. The method as recited in claim 41 wherein the step of depositing said mask further comprises depositing a mask, said mask comprising a material substantially non-sucking to OLED substrate over the areas in between the active areas.

45. The method as recited in claim 41 wherein the step of depositing said mask further comprises depositing a mask, said mask comprising a metal, a ceramic, a plastic, a polymer, PTFE, or poly-siloxane.

46. The method as recited in claim 41 wherein the step of depositing at least one planarization layer further comprises depositing an organic layer over the entire mask.

47. A method of encapsulating a plurality of devices fabricated upon a substrate, the steps of said method comprising:

fabricating a plurality of devices on a substrate;

depositing at least one planarization layer upon said devices; and

depositing at least one barrier layer over planarization layer wherein one or both said layers are directed away from areas that should be free of deposition by an inert gas.

48. The method as recited in claim 47 wherein the at least one said step accomplished in an inert atmosphere is the step of depositing at least one planarization layer.

49. The method as recited in claim 47 wherein the at least one said step accomplished in an inert atmosphere is the step of depositing at least one barrier layer.

50. The method as recited in claim 47 wherein the at least one said step accomplished in an inert atmosphere is both the step of depositing at least one planarization layer and the stop of depositing at least one barrier layer.

51. The method as recited in claim 47 wherein said inert gas is injected through an array of nozzles and at least one of said planarization layer and said barrier layer are deposited using said array of nozzles.

52. An electronic device, said device comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of active areas disposed upon said substrate;

a plurality of planarization layers disposed on said substrate whereby said planarization layer cover substantially only said active areas; and

a plurality of barrier layers disposed on said substrate whereby said barrier layers cover substantially only said planarization layers.

53. The electronic device as recited in claim 52 wherein said electronic device comprises an OLED, an organic electronic circuit, an organic detector or, an organic solar cell.