Dual panel type organic electroluminescent device and method of fabricating the same

• US 6,984,847 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/26/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Philips LCD Company Limited (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Park, Jae-Yong, Hwang, Kwang-Jo
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Mai-Huong
• Application Number:
  US10/741,440
• Publication Number:
  US 20040129936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 750 Days
• Field of Search: 257/55, 257/56, 257/59, 257/66, 257/349
• US Class Current: 257/40
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1255 integrated with passive devices, e.g. auxiliary capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/1275 Electrical connections of the two substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals

Abstract

An organic electroluminescent device includes first and second substrates facing and spaced apart from each other; a gate line on an inner surface of the first substrate; a semiconductor layer over the gate line, the semiconductor layer overlying a surface of the first substrate; a data line crossing the gate line; a data ohmic contact layer under the data line, the data ohmic contact layer having the same shape as the data line; a power line parallel to, or substantially parallel to, and spaced apart from the data line, the power line including the same material as the gate line; a switching thin film transistor connected to the gate line and the data line, the switching thin film transistor using the semiconductor layer as a switching active layer; a driving thin film transistor connected to the switching thin film transistor and the power line, the driving thin film transistor using the semiconductor layer as a driving active layer; a connection pattern connected to the driving thin film transistor, the connection pattern including a conductive polymeric material; a first electrode on an inner surface of the second substrate; an organic electroluminescent layer on the first electrode; and a second electrode on the organic electroluminescent layer, the second electrode contacting the connection pattern.

Claims

1. An organic electroluminescent device, comprising:

first and second substrates facing and spaced apart from each other;

a gate line on an inner surface of the first substrate;

a semiconductor layer over the gate line, the semiconductor layer overlying a surface of the first substrate;

a data line crossing the gate line;

a data ohmic contact layer under the data line, the data ohmic contact layer having the same shape as the data line;

a power line parallel to, or substantially parallel to, and spaced apart from the data line, the power line including the same material as the gate line;

a switching thin film transistor connected to the gate line and the data line, the switching thin film transistor using the semiconductor layer as a switching active layer;

a driving thin film transistor connected to the switching thin film transistor and the power line, the driving thin film transistor using the semiconductor layer as a driving active layer;

a connection pattern connected to the driving thin film transistor, the connection pattern including a conductive polymeric material;

a first electrode on an inner surface of the second substrate;

an organic electroluminescent layer on the first electrode; and

a second electrode on the organic electroluminescent layer, the second electrode contacting the connection pattern.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the data line and the data ohmic contact layer are sequentially patterned in a single photolithographic process.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a first link line adjacent to a crossing of the gate line and the power line, wherein the first link line includes the same material as the connection pattern.

4. The device according to claim 1, further comprising first and second link lines adjacent to a crossing of the gate line and the power line, wherein the first link line includes the same material as the connection pattern and the second link line includes the same material as the data line, wherein the second link line crosses the gate line and the first link line is disposed at both ends of the second link line.

5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a gate pad at one end of the gate line, a data pad at one end of the data line and a power pad at one end of the power line.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the switching thin film transistor includes a switching gate electrode connected to the gate line, the switching active layer over the switching gate electrode, a switching ohmic contact layer on the switching active layer, and switching source and drain electrodes on the switching ohmic contact layer.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein the driving thin film transistor includes a driving gate electrode connected to the switching drain electrode, the driving active layer over the driving gate electrode, a driving ohmic contact layer on the driving active layer, and driving source and drain electrodes on the driving ohmic contact layer.

8. The device according to claim 7, further comprising a gate insulating layer between the driving gate electrode and the driving active layer and a passivation layer on the driving thin film transistor, wherein the passivation layer includes a source contact hole exposing the driving source electrode, a drain contact hole exposing the driving drain electrode, a gate pad contact hole exposing the gate pad, a data pad contact hole exposing the data pad and a power pad contact hole exposing the power pad.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the passivation layer includes the gate pad contact hole and the power pad contact hole through the semiconductor layer and the gate insulating layer.

10. The device according to claim 9, further comprising a gate pad terminal and a power pad terminal on the passivation layer, wherein the gate pad terminal is connected to the gate pad through the gate pad contact hole and the power pad terminal is connected to the power pad through the power pad contact hole, wherein the gate pad terminal and the power pad terminal include the same material as the connection pattern.

11. The device according to claim 8, further comprising a connection electrode connected to the driving source electrode through the source contact hole and to the power line.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor layer is formed of amorphous silicon.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the data ohmic contact layer is formed of doped amorphous silicon.

14. The device according to claim 6, wherein the switching ohmic contact layer is formed of doped amorphous silicon.

15. The device according to claim 7, wherein the driving ohmic contact layer is formed of doped amorphous silicon.