Organic electroluminescent device and its method of manufacture

• US 7,733,010 B2
• Filed: 10/19/2006
• Issued: 06/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Mobile Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hwang, Euk-Che, Kim, Sang-Yeol, Lee, Sung-Hun, Park, Joon-Yong
• Primary Examiner(s): Santiago; Mariceli
• Application Number:
  US11/583,045
• Publication Number:
  US 20070252518A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,328 Days
• Field of Search: 313500-512, 445/24, 445/25, 427/66
• US Class Current: 313/504
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/173 comprising banks or shadow masks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/35 comprising red-green-blue [RGB] subpixels
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/135 using ink-jet printing

Abstract

An organic electroluminescent device includes: a substrate; a plurality of first electrodes arranged on the substrate; a plurality of banks arranged on the substrate and the first electrodes to define pixels on the first electrodes, the plurality of banks being of an inorganic material; a plurality of separators arranged in stripe shapes on the plurality of banks between the pixels, the plurality of separators being of an organic material; organic Emitting Material Layers (organic EMLs), each having a predetermined color, the organic EMLs being arranged within each of the pixels; and a plurality of second electrodes arranged on the organic EMLs, the plurality of banks, and the plurality of separators.

Claims

1. An organic electroluminescent device, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of first electrodes arranged on the substrate;

a plurality of banks arranged on the substrate and the first electrodes to define pixels on the first electrodes, the plurality of banks being of an inorganic material;

a plurality of separators arranged in stripe shapes on the plurality of banks between the pixels, the plurality of separators being of an organic material;

organic Emitting Material Layers (organic EMLs), each having a predetermined color, the organic EMLs being arranged within each of the pixels; and

a plurality of second electrodes arranged on the organic EMLs, the plurality of banks, and the plurality of separators,

wherein the plurality of separators are formed between the pixels in which organic EMLs having different colors from each other,

wherein the organic EMLs have an upper convex shaped surface in contact with the plurality of second electrodes and a lower concave shaped surface in contact with hole transport layers.

2. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 1, further comprising Hole Transport Layers (HTLs) arranged between the organic EMLs and the first electrodes.

3. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 1, wherein the first electrodes are arranged in stripe shapes and the second electrodes are arranged in stripe shapes crossing the first electrodes.

4. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 3, wherein the first electrodes are arranged parallel to the plurality of separators and wherein the second electrodes perpendicularly cross the plurality of separators.

5. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 1, wherein the first electrodes are arranged corresponding to each of the pixels.

6. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 5, wherein the second electrodes are arranged as common electrodes covering entire surfaces of the organic EMLs, the plurality of banks, and the plurality of separators.

7. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 1, wherein the substrate comprises either a glass substrate or a plastic substrate.

8. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes comprise either a transparent conductive material or a metal.

9. A method of manufacturing an organic electroluminescent device, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of first electrodes on a substrate;

defining pixels on the first electrodes by forming a plurality of banks on the substrate and the first electrodes, the plurality of banks being of an inorganic material;

forming a plurality of separators in stripe shapes on the plurality of banks between the pixels, the plurality of separators being an organic material;

forming organic Emitting Material Layers (organic EMLs), each having a predetermined color in each of the pixels; and

forming a plurality of second electrodes on the organic EMLs, the plurality of banks, and the plurality of separators,

wherein the plurality of separators are formed between the pixels in which organic EMLs having different colors from each other are formed,

wherein the organic EMLs are formed by drying and baking liquid phase organic materials having predetermined colors after the liquid phase organic materials have been respectively arranged within the pixels,

wherein the liquid phase organic materials are arranged within the pixels using a dispensing method,

wherein the onganic EMLs have an upper convex shaped surface in contact with the plurality of second electrodes and a lower concave shaped surface in contact with hole transport layers.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of banks are formed by patterning a predetermined inorganic material layer to a predetermined shape to define the pixels that expose predetermined regions on the first electrodes after coating the predetermined inorganic material layer covering the substrate and the first electrodes.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein the plurality of separators are formed by patterning a predetermined organic material layer to stripe shapes after forming the predetermined organic material layer covering the plurality of banks and the pixels.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising modifying surfaces of the plurality of banks and the plurality of separators after the plurality of banks and the plurality of separators are formed by a method of surface treating.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising forming Hole Transport Layers (HTLs) on bottoms of the pixels before forming the organic EMLs.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the HTLs are formed by drying and baking a liquid phase hole transport material after the liquid phase hole transport material has been arranged within the pixels.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the liquid phase hole transport material is arranged within the pixels using a dispensing method.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the first electrodes are formed in stripe shapes and the second electrodes are formed in stripe shapes crossing the first electrodes.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the first electrodes are formed parallel to the plurality of separators and the second electrodes are formed to perpendicularly cross the plurality of separators.

18. The method of claim 9, wherein the first electrodes are formed to correspond to each of the pixels.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the second electrodes are formed as common electrodes covering entire surfaces of the organic EMLs, the plurality of banks, and the plurality of separators.

20. The method of claim 9, wherein the substrate comprises either a glass substrate or a plastic substrate.

21. The method of claim 9, wherein the first and second electrodes comprise either a transparent conductive material or a metal.