Organic electroluminescence display panel including cell gap and method of fabricating the same

• US 7,012,366 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2002
• Issued: 03/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Philips LCD Company Limited (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Park, Jae Yong, Yoo, Choong Keun, Kim, Ock Hee, Lee, Nam Yang
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): Dong, Dalei
• Application Number:
  US10/330,257
• Publication Number:
  US 20030178936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,170 Days
• Field of Search: 313502-507, 313/509, 313/511, 313/512, 313/498, 498/690
• US Class Current: 313/505
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 1/70 with protective, conductive, or reflective layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01J 1/72 with luminescent material discontinuously arranged, e.g. in dots or lines
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/26 characterised by the composition or arrangement of the conductive material used as an electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/3026 Top emission
• 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 59/1275 Electrical connections of the two substrates
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/38 comprising colour filters or colour changing media [CCM]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8792 comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. black layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/50 Forming devices by joining two substrates together, e.g. lamination techniques

Abstract

An organic electroluminescent device includes first and second substrates attached by a seal pattern, array elements having a plurality of switching devices on the first substrate; a color changing medium on a rear surface of the second substrate, wherein the color changing medium has a black matrix that defines sub-pixel regions and has red, green and blue color changing layers respectively corresponding to the sub-pixel regions, a planarizing layer on the color changing medium, a first electrode on a rear surface of the planarizing layer, an organic electroluminescent layer on a rear surface of the first electrode, second electrodes on a rear surface of the organic electroluminescent layer that correspond to respective sub-pixel regions, and a plurality of electrical connectors between the first and second substrates, wherein electrical connectors connect the array elements on the first substrate to the second electrodes on the second substrate, respectively.

Claims

1. An organic electroluminescent device, comprising:

first and second substrates attached by a seal pattern;

array elements including a plurality of switching devices on the first substrate;

a color changing medium on a rear surface of the second substrate, wherein the color changing medium has a black matrix that defines sub-pixel regions and has red, green, and blue color changing layers respectively corresponding to the sub-pixel regions;

a planarizing layer being continuous and on the color changing medium;

a first electrode on a rear surface of the planarizing layer;

an organic electroluminescent layer on a rear surface of the first electrode;

second electrodes on a rear surface of the organic electroluminescent layer that correspond to respective sub-pixel regions; and

a plurality of electrical connectors between the first and second substrates, wherein the plurality of electrical connectors connect the array elements on the first substrate to the second electrodes on the second substrate, respectively, and wherein the plurality of electrical connectors include a material different from the second electrodes.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the organic electroluminescent layer emits short wavelength light and the primary colors of red, green, and blue light are emitted by the organic electroluminescent device.

3. The device according to claim 1, further comprising an electrode separator on the rear surface of the first electrode, wherein the electrode separator corresponds in position to the black matrix and separates the organic electroluminescent layer and the second electrode of one sub-pixel region from another sub-pixel region.

4. The device according to claim 3, wherein each electrode separator has a trapezoid like shaped taper.

5. The device according to claim 1, further comprising a space in between second electrodes of adjacent sub-pixel regions.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of electrical connectors are formed of a metal having high ductility and low specific resistance.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode is made of a transparent conductive material and the second electrode is made of an opaque metallic material.

8. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode is an anode and the second electrode is a cathode.

9. The device according to claim 1, wherein the array element includes a connecting pattern that is connected to the switching device and the electrical connector.

10. The device according to claim 9, wherein the switching device includes a gate electrode, a semiconductor layer, a drain electrode, and a source electrode.

11. The device according to claim 10, wherein one of the drain and source electrodes becomes the connecting pattern that is electrically connected to the second electrode through the electrical connector.

12. The device according to claim 1, wherein the organic electroluminescent layer includes an organic material that transports and injects one of holes and electrons.

13. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first electrode, the organic electroluminescent layer and the second electrode constitute an organic electroluminescent diode that emits short wavelength blue light in a direction toward the second substrate.

14. The device according to claim 1, wherein a cell gap between the first and second substrates, and the space between second electrodes contains an inert gas.

15. An organic electroluminescent device, comprising:

first and second substrates attached by a seal pattern;

array elements including a plurality of switching devices on the first substrate;

a color changing medium on a rear surface of the second substrate, wherein the color changing medium has a black matrix that defines sub-pixel regions and has red, green, and blue color changing layers respectively corresponding to the sub-pixel regions;

a planarizing layer on the color changing medium;

a first electrode on a rear surface of the planarizing layer;

an organic electroluminescent layer on a rear surface of the first electrode;

second electrodes on a rear surface of the organic electroluminescent layer that correspond to respective sub-pixel regions; and

a plurality of electrical connectors between the first and second substrates, wherein the electrical connectors connect the array elements to the second electrodes and create a cell gap between the first and second substrates.