Organic light emitting display having auxiliary electrode

• US 7,990,050 B2
• Filed: 02/05/2009
• Issued: 08/02/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/05/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Eom, Ji-Hye
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Nimeshkumar D
• Assistant Examiner(s): ZIMMERMAN, GLENN D
• Application Number:
  US12/366,202
• Publication Number:
  US 20100060147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 313/504, 313/505
• US Class Current: 313/504
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/3026 Top emission
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/814 combined with auxiliary electrodes, e.g. ITO layer combined with metal lines
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/824 combined with auxiliary electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/828 Transparent cathodes, e.g. comprising thin metal layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/351 comprising more than three subpixels, e.g. red-green-blue-white [RGBW]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/352 the areas of the RGB subpixels being different
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/353 characterised by the geometrical arrangement of the RGB subpixels

Abstract

The present invention provides an organic light emitting display (OLED). The OLED includes a substrate, a first electrode arranged on a subpixel area of the substrate, an organic light emitting layer arranged on the first electrode, and a second electrode arranged on the organic light emitting layer, which extends to a non-subpixel area. An auxiliary electrode that is connected to the second electrode is arranged on the substrate, thereby the auxiliary electrode applies a same voltage as that of the second electrode.

Claims

1. An organic light emitting display, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of pixels arranged on the substrate, each pixel having a plurality of subpixels surrounded by a non-subpixel area;

a plurality of gate lines extending in a first direction on the substrate;

a plurality of data lines extending in a second direction on the substrate, the data lines crossing the gate lines to define the subpixels together with the gate lines;

a first electrode arranged on each subpixel;

an organic light emitting layer arranged on the first electrode and a part of the non-subpixel area;

a second electrode arranged on an entire surface of the substrate having the organic light emitting layer;

an auxiliary electrode connected to the second electrode to apply an auxiliary voltage to the second electrode; and

an auxiliary electrode line to apply a voltage to the auxiliary electrode, the auxiliary electrode line being arranged directly on the same layer as that of the gate lines or the data lines,

wherein the non-subpixel area comprises a first area having the organic light emitting layer and a second area adjacent to the first area, and wherein the auxiliary electrode is arranged in the second area.

2. The organic light emitting display of claim 1, wherein each subpixel has a rectangular shape and the auxiliary electrode is positioned among vertices of the subpixels.

3. The organic light emitting display of claim 2, wherein the vertices of the subpixels are rounded, respectively.

4. The organic light emitting display of claim 1, wherein the pixel comprises four subpixels that produce red, green, blue, and blue colors, respectively.

5. The organic light emitting display of claim 1, wherein the pixel comprises four subpixels that produce red, green, blue, and white colors, respectively.

6. The organic light emitting display of claim 1, wherein the pixel comprises three subpixels, and at least one of the three subpixels has an area different from areas of remaining subpixels.

7. The organic light emitting display of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary electrode comprises the same material as the first electrode.

8. The organic light emitting display of claim 1, further comprising a partition arranged in the non-subpixel area to surround the organic light emitting layer, and wherein the partition has an opening exposing a portion of the auxiliary electrode.

9. The organic light emitting display of claim 8, wherein the second electrode is connected to the auxiliary electrode through the opening.

10. The organic light emitting display of claim 1, further comprising:

transistors connected to the gate lines and the data lines, respectively, to apply a voltage to the first electrode.

11. The organic light emitting display of claim 10, wherein each transistor comprises:

a semiconductor layer arranged on the substrate;

a gate electrode arranged on the semiconductor layer, the gate electrode being insulated from the semiconductor layer;

an interlayer insulator arranged on the gate electrode; and

a source electrode and a drain electrode spaced apart from each other on the interlayer insulator, with the source electrode and the drain electrode being connected to the semiconductor layer through contact holes, respectively.

12. The organic light emitting display of claim 1, wherein the auxiliary electrode line comprises the same material as the first electrode and is arranged directly on the same layer as that of the gate electrode.

13. The organic light emitting display of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary electrode connection line arranged between the auxiliary electrode and the auxiliary electrode line to connect the auxiliary electrode to the auxiliary electrode line.

14. The organic light emitting display of claim 13, wherein the auxiliary electrode connection line comprises the same material as the source electrode and the drain electrode, and is arranged directly on the same layer as that of the source electrode and the drain electrode.

18. The organic light emitting display of claim 1, wherein a voltage applied to the auxiliary electrode has the same level to that of a voltage applied to the second electrode.

15. An organic light emitting display, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of pixels arranged on the substrate, each pixel having a plurality of subpixels surrounded by a non-subpixel area;

a first electrode arranged on each subpixel;

an organic light emitting layer arranged on the first electrode and a part of the non-subpixel area;

a second electrode arranged on an entire surface of the substrate having the organic light emitting layer;

an auxiliary electrode connected to the second electrode to apply an auxiliary voltage to the second electrode; and

an auxiliary electrode line to apply a voltage to the auxiliary electrode, the auxiliary electrode line being arranged on the same layer as that of the gate lines or the data lines,

wherein the non-subpixel area comprises a first area having the organic light emitting layer and a second area adjacent to the first area, and wherein the auxiliary electrode is arranged in the second area,

wherein the auxiliary electrode line and the auxiliary electrode are arranged directly on the same layer as the first electrode.

16. The organic light emitting display of claim 15, further comprising a partition arranged on the non-subpixel area to surround the organic light emitting layer, wherein the partition has an opening exposing a portion of the auxiliary electrode.

17. The organic light emitting display of claim 16, wherein the second electrode is connected to the auxiliary electrode through the opening.

19. An organic light emitting display, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of pixels arranged on the substrate, each pixel comprising a plurality of subpixels surrounded by a non-subpixel area, each subpixel having rounded vertices;

a plurality of gate lines extending in a first direction on the substrate;

a plurality of data lines extending in a second direction on the substrate, the data lines crossing the gate lines to define the subpixels together with the gate lines;

a first electrode arranged in each subpixel;

an organic light emitting layer arranged on the first electrode;

a second electrode arranged on the organic light emitting layer and a part of the non-subpixel area;

an auxiliary electrode connected to the second electrode to apply an auxiliary voltage to the second electrode, the auxiliary electrode being arranged in the non-subpixel area and between vertices of the subpixels, and

an auxiliary electrode line to apply a voltage to the auxiliary electrode, the auxiliary electrode line being arranged directly on the same layer as that of the gate lines or the data lines.