Active matrix display

• US 7,432,885 B2
• Filed: 01/18/2002
• Issued: 10/07/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Yamada, Jiro, Hirano, Takashi, Asano, Mitsuru, Mori, Takao
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz; Sumati
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kumar; Srilakshmi K
• Application Number:
  US10/051,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20020190924A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,454 Days
• Field of Search: 345 87-104, 345/211, 345/36, 345 76- 81, 349/44, 257/59, 359/259, 315/169.3
• US Class Current: 345/76
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0842 forming a memory circuit, e.g. a dynamic memory with one capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3225 using an active matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/824 combined with auxiliary electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/123 Connection of the pixel electrodes to the thin film transistors [TFT]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/353 characterised by the geometrical arrangement of the RGB subpixels
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/80522 combined with auxiliary electrodes

Abstract

An active matrix display comprises a circuitry layer and a device layer having a planarizing layer therebetween on the glass substrate. The circuitry layer has pixel circuits defining pixel units and the device layer has organic EL devices defining the pixel units. The organic EL devices are electrically connected with respective pixel circuits by contacts. The contacts are each positioned at the exterior of the emitting area, or the luminescent layer including an organic layer, of each pixel unit in the device layer.

Claims

1. An organic electroluminescence display having active-matrix circuitry, the organic electroluminescence display comprising:

a substrate;

a device layer provided on the substrate, the device layer comprising a plurality of luminescent devices defining pixel units arrayed in a matrix, each luminescent device having an emitting area that emits independently of the emitting areas of the other luminescent devices;

a circuitry layer provided between the substrate and the device layer, the circuitry layer comprising pixel circuits for driving the respective luminescent devices, the pixel circuits defining the pixel units; and

contacts electrically connecting each of the luminescent devices with a corresponding pixel circuit, wherein the contacts are provided between adjacent emitting areas of the luminescent devices and between adjacent upper pixel electrodes that each cover a respective one of the emitting areas, wherein

the contacts are arrayed in a single dimension for each row or column in the matrix,

the contacts for the pixel units belonging to two adjacent rows or columns in the matrix are arrayed in a single dimension between the two adjacent rows or columns, and

the contacts for two adjacent pixel units each belonging to a respective adjacent row or column are positioned directly between the two adjacent pixel units.

2. An organic electroluminescence display according to claim 1, wherein the luminescent devices are organic electroluminescence devices, each comprising a first electrode, a second electrode, and an organic layer including a luminescent layer and lying between the first electrode and the second electrode.

3. An organic electroluminescence display according to claim 1, wherein the pixel circuits each comprise a thin-film transistor.

4. An organic electroluminescence display having active-matrix circuitry, the organic electroluminescence display comprising:

a substrate;

a device layer provided on the substrate, the device layer comprising a plurality of luminescent devices defining pixel units, each luminescent device comprising a lower electrode, an upper electrode, and an organic light emitting layer provided between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, that emits independently of the emitting areas of the other luminescent devices; and

a circuitry layer provided between the substrate and the device layer, the circuitry layer comprising pixel circuits for driving the respective luminescent devices, the pixel circuits defining the pixel units;

wherein

each lower electrode has a contact electrically connecting the corresponding luminescent device with the corresponding pixel circuit,

the contact is provided between adjacent emitting areas of the luminescent devices and between adjacent upper pixel electrodes that each cover a respective one of the emitting areas,

the contacts are arrayed in a single dimension for each row or column in the matrix,

the contacts for the pixel units belonging to two adjacent rows or columns in the matrix are arrayed in a single dimension between the two adjacent rows or columns, and

the contacts for two adjacent pixel units each belonging to a respective adjacent row or column are positioned directly between the two adjacent pixel units.

5. An organic electroluminescence display according to claim 4, wherein the pixel circuits each comprise a thin-film transistor.

6. An organic electroluminescence display having active-matrix circuitry, the organic electroluminescence display comprising:

a substrate;

a device layer provided on the substrate, the device layer comprising a plurality of luminescent devices defining RGB subpixel units, each luminescent device having an emitting layer comprised of different materials corresponding to the RGB subpixel units and having an emitting area that emits independently of the emitting areas of the other luminescent devices;

a circuitry layer provided between the substrate and the device layer, the circuitry layer comprising pixel circuits for driving the respective luminescent devices, the pixel circuits defining the pixel units; and

contacts electrically connecting each of the luminescent devices with a corresponding pixel circuit, wherein the contacts are provided between adjacent emitting areas of the luminescent devices and wherein at least one contact is provided for each of the luminescent devices, wherein

the contacts are arrayed in a single dimension for each row or column in the matrix,

the contacts for the pixel units belonging to two adjacent rows or columns in the matrix are arrayed in a single dimension between the two adjacent rows or columns, and

the contacts for two adjacent pixel units each belonging to a respective adjacent row or column are positioned directly between the two adjacent pixel units.

7. An organic electroluminescence display having active-matrix circuitry, the organic electroluminescence display comprising:

a substrate;

a device layer provided on the substrate, the device layer comprising a plurality of luminescent devices defining pixel units arrayed in a matrix, each luminescent device having a lower electrode, an insulating layer provided on the lower electrode, the insulating layer having a plurality of windows defining emitting areas, an organic layer provided within the windows of the insulating layer, an upper electrode provided on the organic layer, and an auxiliary electrode provided on the insulating layer, the auxiliary electrode is connected to the upper electrode;

a circuitry layer provided between the substrate and the device layer, the circuitry layer comprising pixel circuits for driving the respective luminescent devices, the pixel circuits defining the pixel units; and

contacts electrically connecting each of the luminescent devices with a corresponding pixel circuit, wherein the contacts are provided under the insulating layer and wherein at least one contact is provided for each of the luminescent devices.

8. An organic electroluminescence display according to claim 7, wherein the upper electrode is provided except for the area which is directly above the contacts.