Method of fabricating static and addressable emissive displays

• US 8,182,303 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2010
• Issued: 05/22/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NthDegree Technologies Worldwide Inc.
• Original Assignee: NthDegree Technologies Worldwide Inc.
• Inventors: Ray, William Johnstone, Lowenthal, Mark David, Claypole, Timothy Charles
• Primary Examiner(s): Roy, Sikha
• Application Number:
  US12/753,887
• Publication Number:
  US 20100310760A1
• Time in Patent Office: 779 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 445/24
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0426 Layout of electrodes and connections
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/30 using electroluminescent panels
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/06 Electrode terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/10 Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of electroluminescent light sources

Abstract

The various embodiments of the invention provide an addressable or a static emissive display comprising a plurality of layers, including a first substrate layer, wherein each succeeding layer is formed by printing or coating the layer over preceding layers. Exemplary substrates include paper, plastic, rubber, fabric, glass, ceramic, or any other insulator or semiconductor. In an exemplary embodiment, the display includes a first conductive layer attached to the substrate and forming a first plurality of conductors; various dielectric layers; an emissive layer; a second, transmissive conductive layer forming a second plurality of conductors; a third conductive layer included in the second plurality of conductors and having a comparatively lower impedance; and optional color and masking layers. Pixels are defined by the corresponding display regions between the first and second plurality of conductors. Various embodiments are addressable, have a substantially flat form factor with a thickness of 1-3 mm, and are also scalable virtually limitlessly, from the size of a mobile telephone display to that of a billboard.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating an emissive display, the method comprising:

printing a first plurality of conductors on a an embossed substrate, the embossed substrate comprising a first sealing layer and a plurality of peaks forming a corresponding plurality of spaced apart valleys, each conductor of the first plurality of conductors printed within a corresponding valley of the plurality of spaced apart valleys of the embossed substrate;

printing a dielectric layer on a first conductor of the first plurality of conductors;

printing an emissive layer on the dielectric layer;

printing a first topological leveling layer substantially adjacent to a periphery of the emissive layer;

printing a second, optically transmissive conductor on the emissive layer and on a second conductor of the first plurality of conductors; and

printing or depositing a second sealing layer on the second, optically transmissive conductor and on the first sealing layer.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing or depositing the first sealing layer on the embossed substrate.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sealing layer and the second sealing layer are comprised of a hydrophobic compound.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sealing layer and the second sealing layer are comprised of a lacquer-based compound.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the first sealing layer and the second sealing layer are further comprised of a colorant.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the colorant has a visually neutral density substantially matching a coloration of an adjacent region of the emissive display.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein the colorant has a visually neutral density substantially matching a coloration of the first plurality of conductors.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing the first topological leveling layer on the first plurality of conductors, or on the dielectric layer, or on both the first plurality of conductors and the dielectric layer.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the first topological leveling layer comprises a vinyl-based compound or a lacquer-based compound.

10. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing a second topological leveling layer comprised of a vinyl-based compound or a lacquer-based compound.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing the second conductor of the first plurality of conductors spaced apart from a periphery of the first conductor of the first plurality of conductors by a substantially uniform and predetermined distance.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing the second conductor of the first plurality of conductors as a unitary and continuous conductor having a halo and a grid configuration.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing a third conductor on the second, optically transmissive conductor, the third conductor having an impedance comparatively lower than an impedance of the second, optically transmissive conductor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the step of printing the third conductor further comprises printing a conductive ink or a conductive polymer to form at least one conductive path.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing a color layer comprising at least one fluorescent colorant or color conversion material.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing a color layer as a plurality of red, green and blue pixels, subpixels, or half-tones, or a plurality of cyan, magenta, and yellow pixels, subpixels, or half-tones.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

printing a masking layer on the color layer, the masking layer comprising a plurality of opaque areas to mask selected pixels, subpixels or half-tones of the color layer.

18. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

printing the first plurality of conductors spaced apart and substantially parallel in a first orientation; and

printing a second plurality of optically transmissive conductors spaced apart and substantially parallel in a second, different orientation.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein the first plurality of conductors are printed using a conductive ink or a conductive polymer.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein the emissive layer comprises a phosphor.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the second, optically transmissive conductor comprises antimony tin oxide, indium tin oxide, or polyethylene-dioxithiophene.

22. A method of fabricating an emissive display, the method comprising:

printing at least one color layer on an optically transmissive substrate;

printing a first, optically transmissive conductor on the at least one color layer or on the optically transmissive substrate;

printing an emissive layer on the first, optically transmissive conductor;

printing a topological leveling layer substantially adjacent to a periphery of the emissive layer;

printing a dielectric layer on the emissive layer;

printing a second conductor on the first, optically transmissive conductor and a third conductor on the dielectric layer, the second conductor comprising a unitary and continuous conductor having a halo and a grid configuration; and

coupling a first sealing layer to the second and third conductors and to the optically transmissive substrate.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the first sealing layer and the optically transmissive substrate are comprised of one or more substantially hydrophobic compounds.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the topological leveling layer comprises a vinyl-based compound or a lacquer-based compound.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

printing a second sealing layer on the first, optically transmissive conductor or on the emissive layer.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein the second sealing layer is comprised of a colorant having a visually neutral density substantially matching a coloration of its adjacent region of the emissive display.

27. The method of claim 22, wherein the emissive layer comprises at least one semiconductor, or a phosphor, or a combination of at least one semiconductor and a phosphor.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

printing the second conductor spaced apart from a periphery of the third conductor by a substantially uniform and predetermined distance.

29. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

printing a third conductor having an impedance comparatively lower than an impedance of the first, optically transmissive conductor.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein the step of coupling the first sealing layer comprises printing the first sealing layer.

31. The method of claim 22, wherein the first sealing layer is integrally combined with a second substrate to form an embossed substrate.

32. A method of fabricating an emissive display, the method comprising:

printing a first plurality of conductors on a substrate, the substrate comprising or coupled to a first sealing layer, a first conductor of the first plurality of conductors comprising unitary and continuous conductor having a halo configuration substantially spaced apart from a periphery of a second conductor of the first plurality of conductors by a substantially uniform and predetermined distance, the first conductor further comprising a grid configuration;

printing a dielectric layer on the second conductor of the first plurality of conductors;

printing an emissive layer on the dielectric layer;

printing at least one topological leveling layer coupled substantially adjacent to a periphery of the emissive layer;

printing a second, optically transmissive conductor on the emissive layer and on the first conductor of the first plurality of conductors; and

coupling a second sealing layer to the second, optically transmissive conductor or to any intervening layer, and further coupling the second sealing layer to the first sealing layer or to the substrate.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the substrate and the first sealing layer are integrally combined to form an embossed substrate.

34. The method of claim 32, wherein the first sealing layer and the second sealing layer are comprised of a hydrophobic compound.

35. The method of claim 32, wherein the first sealing layer and the second sealing layer are comprised of a lacquer-based compound.

36. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

printing at least one topological leveling layer on the first plurality of conductors, or on the dielectric layer, or on both the first plurality of conductors and the dielectric layer.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein the first topological leveling layer comprises a vinyl-based compound or a lacquer-based compound.

38. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

printing a third conductor on the second, optically transmissive conductor, the third conductor having an impedance comparatively lower than an impedance of the second, optically transmissive conductor.

39. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

printing the intervening layer as a color layer comprising at least one fluorescent colorant or color conversion material.

40. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

printing the intervening layer as a color layer comprising a plurality of red, green and blue pixels or subpixels.

41. The method of claim 40, further comprising:

printing a masking layer coupled to the color layer, the masking layer comprising a plurality of opaque areas adapted to mask selected pixels or subpixels of the plurality of red, green and blue pixels or subpixels.

42. The method of claim 32, wherein the emissive layer comprises a phosphor, or at least one semiconductor, or a combination of at least one semiconductor and a phosphor.

43. The method of claim 32, wherein the second, optically transmissive conductor comprises antimony tin oxide, indium tin oxide, or polyethylene-dioxithiophene.