Organic light emitting diode lighting devices

• US 8,414,304 B2
• Filed: 08/18/2009
• Issued: 04/09/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Plextronics Incorporated (Rhodia Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Plextronics Incorporated (Rhodia Incorporated)
• Inventors: Mathai, Mathew K., Thompson, Glenn, Storch, Mark L., Hammond, Troy D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Such, Matthew W
• Assistant Examiner(s): CARPENTER, ROBERT K
• Application Number:
  US12/543,225
• Publication Number:
  US 20100045175A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: 439/56, 257/E21.026
• US Class Current: 439/56
• CPC Class Codes: F21S 2/005 of modular construction
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2105/00 Planar light sources
• CPC Class Codes: F21Y 2115/15 Organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/80 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/805 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/84 Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/841 Self-supporting sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/18 Tiled displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/32 Stacked devices having two or more layers, each emitting at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/80 Constructional details
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/82 Interconnections, e.g. terminals H10K59/131, H10K59/179 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/871 Self-supporting sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8722 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants

Abstract

An organic light emitting diode (OLED) device includes a substrate, an anode, a cathode, an active region including an organic material, wherein the active region is electrically coupled to the anode and the cathode, at least one coupler configured to electrically couple at least one of the anode or the cathode to a power supply, and an encapsulation that isolates the active region from an ambient environment. A lighting system can be made including a plurality of OLED devices. A lighting system can be assembled using the OLED devices from a kit. The OLED devices may be polymer light emitting diode (PLED) devices or small molecule light emitting diode (SMOLED) devices. The OLED devices can use regio-regular poly-thiophene.

Claims

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

a substrate;

an anode;

a cathode;

an active region comprising an organic material, wherein the active region is electrically coupled to the anode and the cathode;

a first coupler configured to electrically couple the anode to a power supply via at least one of (i) a mount, and (ii) a second OLED device;

a second coupler configured to electrically couple the cathode to a power supply via at least one of (i) the mount, and (ii) the second OLED device; and

an encapsulation that isolates the active region from an ambient environment,

wherein each of the first coupler and the second coupler comprises a cylindrical protrusion extending from a surface of the OLED device, and

wherein each of the first coupler and the second coupler comprises a conductor extending along at least a portion of a cylindrical outer surface of the respective cylindrical protrusions of the first coupler and the second coupler.

2. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the active region is a continuous region forming a single light emitter.

3. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the active region comprises a plurality of light emitters.

4. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the active region is configured to emit a broadband emission spectrum with a full width half max (FWHM) larger than about 50 nm.

5. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the active region is configured to emit a broadband emission spectrum with a full width half max (FWHM) larger than about 100 nm.

6. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the active region is configured to emit one of a white, a red, a green, a blue, a yellow, a orange, a cyan, or a magenta spectrum.

7. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the active region has an emission spectrum that corresponds to a color rendering index (CRI) higher than about 80.

8. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the cathode comprises a combination of an organic material and an inorganic material.

9. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the active region comprises at least one of a fluorescent emitter, or a phosphorescent emitter.

10. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the active region comprises at least one of a polymer emitter, or a small molecule emitter.

11. The OLED device of claim 1, further comprising at least one hole injection layer, wherein the at least one hole injection layer comprises an inherently conductive polymer.

12. The OLED device of claim 1, further comprising at least one hole injection layer, wherein the at least one hole injection layer comprises one or more of a substituted poly-thiophene, a regio-regular substituted poly-thiophene, regio-regular substituted poly-3-thiophene, or a regio-regular substituted poly-thiophene.

13. The OLED device of claim 12, further comprising at least one planarizing agent.

14. The OLED device of claim 1, further comprising a light coupling layer.

15. The OLED device of claim 1, further comprising a light coupling layer configured to convert an output spectrum of the OLED to another spectrum of longer wavelength.

16. The OLED device of claim 1, further comprising one or more of a hole transporting layer, an electron transporting layer, a hole injecting layer, an electron injecting layer, a hole blocking layer, or an electron blocking layer.

17. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the active region has a lateral dimension larger than about 0.5 centimeter.

18. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the active region has a lateral dimension smaller than about 1 meter.

19. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the active region comprises a plurality of vertically-stacked light emitting layers.

20. The OLED device of claim 19, wherein at least two of the plurality of vertically-stacked light emitting layers are configured to emit light of different colors.

21. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein the substrate, the cathode, and the anode are substantially transparent such that the OLED device is configured to emit light in both the cathode and the anode directions.

22. The OLED device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the anode or the cathode comprises a reflective material, and wherein the OLED device is configured to be an edge emitting OLED.

23. A kit comprising:

a plurality of pre-manufactured modular organic light emitting diode (OLED) devices, each OLED device comprising;

a substrate;

an anode;

a cathode;

an active region comprising an organic material, wherein the active region is electrically coupled to the anode and the cathode;

a first coupler configured to electrically couple the anode to a power supply via at least one of (i) a mount, and (ii) a second OLED device;

a second coupler configured to electrically couple the cathode to a power supply via at least one of (i) the mount, and (ii) the second OLED device; and

an encapsulation that isolates the active region from an ambient environment,

wherein each of the first coupler and the second coupler comprises a cylindrical protrusion extending from a surface of the OLED device, and

wherein each of the first coupler and the second coupler comprises a conductor extending along at least a portion of a cylindrical outer surface of the respective cylindrical protrusions of the first coupler and the second coupler.

24. The kit of claim 23, wherein the plurality of OLED devices include at least two types of OLED devices of different color, size, or shape.

25. The kit of claim 23, further comprising a mount configured to receive at least one of the plurality of OLED devices, wherein the mount is configured to electrically couple the power supply and the at least one of the plurality of OLED devices.

26. The kit or claim 23, wherein at least one of the plurality of OLED devices has one or more via holes configured to receive an elongated conductor.

27. The kit of claim 23, wherein at least one of the plurality of OLED devices has one or more via holes configured to receive an elongated conductor, and wherein the elongated conductor is flexible.

28. The kit of claim 23, wherein at least one of the plurality of OLED devices has one or more via holes configured to receive an elongated conductor, and wherein the elongated conductor is configured to also mechanically couple one of the OLED devices with another one of the plurality of OLED devices or with a mount.

29. A lighting system comprising a plurality of organic light emitting diode (OLED) devices, wherein each of the plurality of OLED devices comprises:

a substrate;

an anode;

a cathode;

an active region comprising an organic material, wherein the active region is electrically coupled to the anode and the cathode;

a first coupler configured to electrically couple the anode to a power supply via at least one of (i) a mount, and (ii) a second OLED device;

a second coupler configured to electrically couple the cathode to a power supply via at least one of (i) the mount, and (ii) the second OLED device; and

an encapsulation that isolates the active region from an ambient environment,

wherein each of the first coupler and the second coupler comprises a cylindrical protrusion extending from a surface of the OLED device, and

wherein each of the first coupler and the second coupler comprises a conductor extending along at least a portion of a cylindrical outer surface of the respective cylindrical protrusions of the first coupler and the second coupler.

30. The lighting system of claim 29, wherein at least two of the plurality of OLED devices have different colors, and wherein the plurality of OLED devices are selected or activated such that the lighting system emits light of predetermined color characteristics.

31. The lighting system of claim 29, further comprising:

the mount; and

at least one elongated conductor configured to couple at least one of the plurality of OLED devices to the mount or to another OLED device.

32. The lighting system of claim 29, further comprising:

the mount; and

at least one elongated conductor configured to couple at least one of the plurality of OLED devices to the mount,

wherein the elongated conductor has a patterned surface including insulating and conductive regions.

33. The lighting system of claim 29, further comprising:

the mount, wherein the mount includes a plurality of conductive layers; and

a plurality elongated conductors configured to couple at least one of the plurality of OLED devices to the mount,

wherein at least one of the plurality of elongated conductors has a patterned surface including insulating and conductive regions, and wherein said conductive regions are configured to electrically connect to at least one of the plurality of conductive layers.

34. The lighting system of claim 29, further comprising:

the mount, wherein the mount includes a plurality of conductive layers; and

an elongated conductor configured to couple at least one of the plurality of OLED devices to the mount, wherein the elongated conductor has at least two arms, and wherein each of the at least two arms has at least one conductive region at a location corresponding to a location of at least one conductive layer.

35. The lighting system of claim 29, further comprising:

the mount, wherein the mount includes a plurality of conductive layers; and

an elongated conductor configured to couple at least one of the plurality of OLED devices to the mount, wherein the elongated conductor is substantially U-shaped.