Organic light emitting diode display

• US 8,237,354 B2
• Filed: 07/29/2009
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2008
• 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: Kim, Eun-Ah, Kwak, Noh-Min, Jeong, Hee-Seong, Lee, Joo-Hwa, Jeong, Chul-Woo, Park, Soon-Ryong, Jung, Woo-Suk, Jeon, Hee-Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): Santiago, Mariceli
• Assistant Examiner(s): RALEIGH, DONALD L
• Application Number:
  US12/511,902
• Publication Number:
  US 20100052521A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,105 Days
• Field of Search: 257/40, 257/72, 257 98-100, 257642-643, 257/759, 313498-512, 315/169.1, 315/169.3, 427/58, 427/64, 427/66, 427532-535, 427/539, 428690-691, 428/917, 438 26- 29, 438/34, 438/82, 438/455, 445 24- 25, 345/173
• US Class Current: 313/504
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/86 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8791 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light

Abstract

An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display is provided. The OLED display includes: a substrate member; an OLED that includes a pixel electrode that is formed on the substrate member, an organic light emitting layer that is formed on the pixel electrode, and a transflective common electrode that is formed on the organic light emitting layer; an encapsulation thin film that is formed on the transflective common electrode; and a touch panel that includes a first touch conductive layer that is formed on the encapsulation thin film and that is formed with a transflective metal film, a glass substrate that is formed on the first touch conductive layer, and a second touch conductive layer that is formed on the glass substrate. In some embodiments, the transflective common electrode has reflectivity of less than 50%. Some of the external light is thus reflected again to the first touch conductive layer and back to the transflective common electrode and so on. During this cycling, destructive interference occurs and the cycled light eventually dissipates. Thus, unwanted reflected light is suppressed.

Claims

1. An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display comprising:

a substrate member;

an OLED that comprises a pixel electrode that is formed on the substrate member, an organic light emitting layer that is formed on the pixel electrode, and a transflective common electrode that is formed on the organic light emitting layer;

an encapsulation thin film that is formed on the transflective common electrode and that covers and seals the OLED from the environment; and

a touch panel that comprises a first touch conductive layer that is formed on the encapsulation thin film and that is formed with a transflective metal film, a glass substrate that is formed on the first touch conductive layer, and a second touch conductive layer that is formed on the glass substrate, wherein the first and second touch conductive layers are substantially thinner than the glass substrate, and wherein the encapsulation thin film is interposed between and contacts the transflective common electrode and the first touch conductive layer.

2. The OLED display of claim 1, wherein the transflective common electrode has reflectivity of less than 50%.

3. The OLED display of claim 2, wherein the encapsulation thin film has an average refractive index of 1.6 or more.

4. The OLED display of claim 3, wherein the encapsulation thin film has a thickness in a range of 400 Å

to 1300 Å

.

5. The OLED display of claim 4, wherein the encapsulation thin film is formed by alternative stacking of a plurality of organic films and inorganic films.

6. The OLED display of claim 4, wherein the first touch conductive layer has a thickness in a range of 50 Å

to 150 Å

.

7. The OLED display of claim 6, wherein the first touch conductive layer comprises any one of magnesium (Mg), silver (Ag), calcium (Ca), lithium (Li), chromium (Cr), and aluminum (Al).

8. The OLED display of claim 1, wherein both surfaces of the encapsulation thin film closely contact the transflective common electrode and the first touch conductive layer, respectively.

9. The OLED display of claim 1, wherein the touch panel is formed in a capacitance method.

10. The OLED display of claim 2, wherein the transflective common electrode is made of a co-deposited material comprising at least one of magnesium (Mg) and silver (Ag).

11. The OLED display of claim 2, wherein the transflective common electrode is formed with a metal film of at least one of magnesium (Mg), silver (Ag), calcium (Ca), lithium (Li), and aluminum (Al).

12. The OLED display of claim 1, wherein the first touch conductive layer is substantially thinner than the encapsulation thin film.

13. The OLED display of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the first touch conductive layer is set to effectively transflect light.