Emissive layer patterning for OLED

• US 8,053,770 B2
• Filed: 10/12/2009
• Issued: 11/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 10/14/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Display Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Display Corporation
• Inventors: D'Andrade, Brian, Weaver, Michael S., Brown, Julia J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Ha Tran T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran; Thanh Y
• Application Number:
  US12/577,482
• Publication Number:
  US 20100090241A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 257/E29.038, 257/98, 257/40, 257/79, 257/80, 257/88, 257/89, 257/10, 257/758, 257/759, 257/635, 257/642, 257/84, 257/184, 257/72, 438/22, 438/28, 438/27, 438/34, 438/99, 445/33
• US Class Current: 257/40
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/125 specially adapted for multicolour light emission, e.g. for emitting white light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/805 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/35 comprising red-green-blue [RGB] subpixels

Abstract

An organic light emitting device is provided. The device includes an anode, a cathode, and an organic emissive stack disposed between the anode and the cathode. The device may be a “pixel” in a display, capable of emitting a wide variety of colors through the use of independently addressable “sub-pixels,” each subpixel emitting a different spectrum of light. In the most general sense, the device includes a first subpixel and a second subpixel, and at least one of the anode and the cathode has independently addressable first and second regions corresponding to the first and second subpixels. The device includes an emissive stack disposed between the anode and the cathode. The emissive stack includes a first organic emissive layer and a second organic emissive layer. The first organic emissive layer is disposed between the anode and the cathode, and extends throughout the first and second regions. The second organic emissive layer is disposed between the anode and the cathode, and extends throughout the second region but not the first region. The second organic emissive layer is disposed closer to the cathode than the first organic emissive layer. The first organic emissive layer is emissive in the first region, and the second organic emissive layer is emissive in the second region.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a first subpixel;

a second subpixel;

an anode;

a cathode;

wherein at least one of the anode and the cathode has independently addressable first and second regions corresponding to the first and second subpixels;

an emissive stack disposed between the anode and the cathode, the emissive stack further comprising;

a first organic emissive layer disposed between the anode and the cathode, the first organic emissive layer extending throughout the first and second regions;

a second organic emissive layer disposed between the anode and the cathode, the second organic emissive layer extending throughout the second region but not the first region, wherein the second organic emissive layer is disposed closer to the cathode than the first organic emissive layer;

wherein the first organic emissive layer is emissive in the first region, and the second organic emissive layer is emissive in the second region.

2. The device of claim 1, the device further comprising:

a third subpixel;

wherein at least one of the anode and the cathode has independently addressable first, second and third regions corresponding to the first, second and third subpixels;

wherein the first organic emissive layer extends throughout the first, second and third regions; and

wherein the emissive stack further comprises a third organic emissive layer disposed between the anode and the cathode, the third organic emissive layer extending throughout the third region but not throughout all of the first, second and third regions.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the third organic emissive layer is disposed closer to the cathode than the first organic emissive layer.

4. The device of claim 2, wherein the third organic emissive layer is disposed closer to the anode than the first organic emissive layer.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein the second organic emissive layer extends throughout the second region but not the first and third regions.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein the second organic emissive layer extends throughout the second and third regions but not the first region.

7. The device of claim 2, the device further comprising:

a fourth subpixel;

wherein at least one of the anode and the cathode has independently addressable first, second, third and fourth regions corresponding to the first, second, third and fourth subpixels;

wherein the first organic emissive layer extends throughout the first, second, third and fourth regions; and

wherein the emissive stack further comprises a fourth organic emissive layer disposed between the anode and the cathode, the fourth organic emissive layer extending throughout the fourth region but not throughout all of the first, second, third and fourth regions.

8. The device of claim 7, wherein the fourth organic emissive layer is disposed closer to the cathode than the first organic emissive layer.

9. The device of claim 7, wherein the fourth organic emissive layer is disposed closer to the anode than the first organic emissive layer.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the first organic emissive layer is a blanket layer.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the emissive stack further comprises a non-emissive spacer layer disposed between the first organic emissive layer and the second organic emissive layer.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second organic emissive layers are in direct contact.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the first organic emissive layer is not emissive in the second region.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the first organic emissive layer is emissive in the second region.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein the first organic emissive layer further comprises an emissive phosphorescent dopant.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the emissive phosphorescent dopant has a peak emissive wavelength in the visible spectrum of 500 nm-600 nm.

17. A method of fabricating a device having a first subpixel and a second subpixel, and an anode and a cathode, wherein at least one of the anode and the cathode has independently addressable first and second regions corresponding to the first and second subpixels, the method comprising:

providing the anode;

depositing, without the use of a mask, a first organic emissive layer over the anode, the first organic emissive layer extending throughout the first and second regions;

depositing a second organic emissive layer over the first organic emissive layer, the second organic emissive layer extending throughout the second region but not the first region;

depositing the cathode over the second organic emissive layer;

wherein the first organic emissive layer is emissive in the first region, and the second organic emissive layer is emissive in the second region.