Organic light emitting display device

• US 8,063,561 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2006
• Issued: 11/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/2006
• 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: Park, Jin Woo, Choi, Dong Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel; Nimeshkumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hollweg; Thomas A
• Application Number:
  US11/541,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20070170845A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,880 Days
• Field of Search: 313/504, 313/512, 313/500, 313/501, 313/506, 350/4, 445/23, 445/24, 445/25
• US Class Current: 313/512
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8722 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants

Abstract

Disclosed is an organic light-emitting display device comprising: a pixel region wherein an organic light-emitting device comprised of a first electrode, an organic thin film layer and a second electrode is formed; a first substrate comprising a non-pixel region encompassing the pixel region; a second substrate disposed on the upper of the first substrate to be overlapped with the pixel region and a portion of the non-pixel region; and a plurality of frits provided between the first substrate and the second substrate and formed in parallel at spaced intervals along the peripheral portion of the pixel region, wherein the first substrate is bonded to the second substrate by the plurality of frits. Even in the case that a portion of the frit is delaminated due to a partial defection thereof, its encapsulation state can be maintained as it is by being encapsulated with the frit in a multi structure and even in the case that a substrate with a large diameter is used, the width and height of the frit do not need to increase.

Claims

1. An organic light-emitting display device comprising:

a first substrate;

an array of organic light-emitting pixels formed over the first substrate;

a second substrate placed over the first substrate, the array being interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a first frit seal interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and configured to surround the array; and

a second frit seal interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, spaced apart from the first frit seal, and configured to surround the array;

wherein each of the first and second frit seals is attached to the first substrate with or without a material between the frits and the first substrate, and each of the first and second frit seals is also attached to the second substrate with or without a material between the frits and the second substrate,

wherein the first frit seal has a height of about 10 μ

m to about 30 μ

m, and the height is measured in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the first substrate facing the second substrate,

wherein the first frit seal has a width of about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm, and the width is measured in a direction parallel to a surface of the first substrate in a cross-sectional plane of the device where the width is the smallest, and

wherein the first frit seal is apart from the second frit seal with a distance, and the first frit seal comprises a portion, along which the distance is substantially constant, and wherein in the portion along which the distance is substantially constant, the distance is from about 10 μ

m to about 1000 μ

m.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein each of the first frit seal and the second frit seal forms a closed loop around the array.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the second frit seal surrounds the first frit seal.

4. The device of claim 1, further comprising a third frit seal interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and configured to surround the array.

5. The device of claim 4, wherein the third frit seal is attached to the first substrate with or without a material therebetween, and wherein the third frit seal is further attached to the second substrate with or without a material therebetween.

6. The device of claim 4, wherein the third frit seal surrounds the first and second frit seals.

7. The device of claim 4, further comprising a fourth frit seal interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and configured to surround the array.

8. The device of claim 4, wherein the first substrate, the second substrate, the second frit seal and the third frit seal in combination define an enclosed space, which is substantially hermetically sealed.

9. The device of claim 4, wherein the device comprises a segment in which the first, second and third frit seals extend substantially parallel.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the first frit is apart from the second frit with a distance, and wherein the distance varies along the first frit seal.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the first substrate, the second substrate, the first frit seal and the second frit seal in combination define an enclosed space, which is substantially hermetically sealed.

12. The device of claim 11, wherein the enclosed space is filled with a gas other than air.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising a layer formed between the first frit seal and the first substrate, wherein the layer comprises an organic or inorganic material.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein one or both of the frit seals comprises one or more materials selected from the group consisting of magnesium oxide (MgO), calcium oxide (CaO), barium oxide (BaO), lithium oxide (Li2O), sodium oxide (Na2O), potassium oxide (K2O), boron oxide (B2O3), vanadium oxide (V2O5), zinc oxide (ZnO), tellurium oxide (TeO2), aluminum oxide (Al2O3), silicon dioxide (SiO2), lead oxide (PbO), tin oxide (SnO), phosphorous oxide (P2O5), ruthenium oxide (Ru2O), rubidium oxide (Rb2O), rhodium oxide (Rh2O), ferrite oxide (Fe2O3), copper oxide (CuO), titanium oxide (TiO2), tungsten oxide (WO3), bismuth oxide (Bi2O3), antimony oxide (Sb2O3), lead-borate glass, tin-phosphate glass, vanadate glass, and borosilicate.

15. The device of claim 1, wherein addition of the at least one additive to the first frit is configured to adjust thermal expansion characteristics and/or absorption characteristics for selected frequencies of incident radiant energy of the first frit seal.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein the second frit comprises from about 20% to about 90% by weight of glass particles and comprises at least one additive.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein the at least one additive comprises transition metals, such as chromium, iron, manganese, cobalt, copper, and vanadium, and ZnSiO₄, PbTiO₃, ZrO₂, and eucryptite.

16. A method of making an organic light-emitting display device, the method comprising:

providing an unfinished device comprising a first glass substrate and an array of organic light emitting pixels formed over the first substrate;

providing a second glass substrate;

interposing the array between the first and second substrates;

interposing a first frit between the first and second substrates while surrounding the array;

interposing a second frit between the first and second substrates and spaced apart from the first frit seal while surrounding the array; and

melting and solidifying at least part of the first and second frits so that the first and second frits directly interconnect the first substrate and the second substrate,

wherein the first frit seal has a height of about 10 μ

m to about 30 μ

m, and the height is measured in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the first substrate facing the second substrate,

wherein the first frit seal has a width of about 0.5 mm to about 1.5 mm, and the width is measured in a direction parallel to a surface of the first substrate in a cross-sectional plane of the device where the width is the smallest,

wherein the first frit seal is apart from the second frit seal with a distance, and the first frit seal comprises a portion, along which the distance is substantially constant, and wherein in the portion along which the distance is substantially constant, the distance is from about 10 μ

m to about 1000 μ

m, and

wherein interposing the first frit comprises forming the first frit on the first substrate with or without a material between the first frit and the first substrate, and wherein interposing the second frit comprising forming the second frit on the first or second substrate with or without a material between the second frit and the first or second substrate.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein interposing the array, interposing the first frit and interposing the second frit are performed substantially simultaneously.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein interposing the first frit comprises forming the first frit over the first or second substrate.

19. The method of claim 16, further comprising interposing a third frit between the first and second substrates while surrounding the first and second frits.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the first, second and third frits extend substantially parallel.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein the unfinished device further comprises a plurality of additional arrays of organic light emitting pixels formed over the first substrate, the method further comprising:

interposing two or more additional frits between the first and second substrates while the two or more additional frits surround one of the additional arrays; and

melting and solidifying the two or more additional frits around the one additional array, wherein the first and second substrates are further connected via the two or more additional frits.

22. The method of claim 21, further comprising cutting the resulting product into two or more pieces, wherein one of the pieces comprises an array encapsulated between a cut piece of the first substrate, a cut piece of the second substrate and two or more frits.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the second frit comprises glass particles and at least one additive, wherein the second frit seal comprises from about 20% to about 90% in weight with glass particles and remaining with at least one additive.