Photo sensor and organic light-emitting display using the same

• US 8,477,125 B2
• Filed: 12/20/2006
• Issued: 07/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Choi, Byoung Deog, Yang, Sun A, Oh, Youn Chul, Lee, Eun Jung, Kang, Won Seok, Park, Hye Hyang
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tryder, Gregory J
• Application Number:
  US11/641,842
• Publication Number:
  US 20070138951A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,386 Days
• Field of Search: 257/E27.133, 257461-463, 257/656, 257/184, 257/292, 257/293, 345173-175, 345/204, 345/211, 345/76, 345/82, 345/77, 345/207, 250/206, 315/169.3, 313/503, 313/504, 438 22- 28
• US Class Current: 345/207
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/144 Devices controlled by radiation
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/145 the semiconductor device sensitive to radiation being characterised by at least one potential-jump barrier or surface barrier
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/153 formed in, or on, a common substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/1872 Recrystallisation
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/13 comprising photosensors that control luminance
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 70/50 Manufacturing or production processes characterised by the final manufactured product

Abstract

An organic light-emitting display includes a substrate, a thin film transistor on the substrate, an organic light-emitting diode electrically connected to the thin film transistor, and a photo sensor having a plurality of photo diodes connected to one another in parallel.

Claims

1. A photo sensor in a non-pixel region of a display device, the photo sensor comprising:

a plurality of PIN photo diodes connected to one another in parallel, each PIN photo diode including an intrinsic region between an N-type doping region and a P-type doping region, bottom surfaces of the intrinsic region and the N-type and P-type doping regions in each PIN photo diode being coplanar, wherein;

the plurality of PIN photo diodes are configured to absorb light emitted from an organic light-emitting diode in a pixel region of the display device and to convert the absorbed light into a corresponding electrical signal that represents an actual luminance value of the organic light-emitting diode to compare the actual luminance value to a predetermined luminance value,

the plurality of PIN photo diodes in the photo sensor are capable of maintaining a constant luminance of light generated in the organic light-emitting diode by converting the absorbed light into the corresponding electrical signal such that the actual luminance value is generated by the plurality of PIN photo diodes for comparing with the predetermined luminance value,

when the electrical signal outputted from the photo sensor is lower than the predetermined luminance value, a luminance of light emitted by the organic light-emitting diode is increased, and

when the electrical signal outputted from the photo sensor is higher than the predetermined luminance value, the luminance of light emitted by the organic light-emitting diode is reduced.

2. An organic light-emitting display, comprising:

a substrate having a pixel region and a non-pixel region;

a thin film transistor on the substrate in the pixel region of the substrate;

an organic light-emitting diode electrically in the pixel region of the substrate and connected to the thin film transistor; and

a photo sensor having a plurality of photo diodes connected to one another in parallel in the non-pixel region, at least one layer of the thin film transistor and the photo sensor being in a same plane, wherein;

the plurality of photo diodes are configured to absorb light emitted from the organic light-emitting diode and to convert the absorbed light into a corresponding electrical signal that represents an actual luminance value of the organic light-emitting diode to compare the actual luminance value to a predetermined luminance value,

the plurality of photo diodes in the photo sensor are capable of maintaining a constant luminance of light generated in the organic light-emitting diode by converting the absorbed light into the corresponding electrical signal such that the actual luminance value is generated by the plurality of photo diodes for comparing with the predetermined luminance value,

when the electrical signal outputted from the photo sensor is lower than the predetermined luminance value, a luminance of light emitted by the organic light-emitting diode is increased, and

when the electrical signal outputted from the photo sensor is higher than the predetermined luminance value, the luminance of light emitted by the organic light-emitting diode is reduced.

3. The organic light-emitting display as claimed in claim 2, wherein each photo diode is a PIN photo diode.

4. The organic light-emitting display as claimed in claim 3, wherein each PIN photo diode includes an intrinsic region between an N-type doping region and a P-type doping region.

5. The organic light-emitting display as claimed in claim 2, wherein each photo diode is a PN diode.

6. The organic light-emitting display as claimed in claim 5, wherein each PN photo diode includes an N-type doping region adjacent to a P-type doping region.

7. The organic light-emitting display as claimed in claim 2, further comprising a comparator that compares the electrical signals generated by the PIN photo diodes with the predetermined luminance value.

8. A portable electronic apparatus, comprising:

an organic light-emitting display device having a substrate including a pixel region and a non-pixel region, a thin film transistor in the pixel region of the substrate, an organic light-emitting diode in the pixel-region of the substrate and electrically connected to the thin film transistor, and a photo sensor having a plurality of PIN photo diodes connected to one another in parallel in the non-pixel region, wherein;

each PIN photo diode includes an intrinsic region between an N-type doping region and a P-type doping region, bottom surfaces of the intrinsic region and the N-type and P-type doping regions in each PIN photo diode being coplanar,

at least one layer of the thin film transistor and the photo sensor are in a same plane,

the plurality of PIN photo diodes are configured to absorb light emitted from the organic light-emitting diode and to convert the absorbed light into a corresponding electrical signal that represents an actual luminance value of the organic light-emitting diode to compare the actual luminance value to a predetermined luminance value,

the plurality of PIN photo diodes in the photo sensor are capable of maintaining a constant luminance of light generated in the organic light-emitting diode by converting the absorbed light into the corresponding electrical signal such that the actual luminance value is generated by the plurality of PIN photo diodes for comparing with the predetermined luminance value,

when the electrical signal outputted from the photo sensor is lower than the predetermined luminance value, a luminance of light emitted by the organic light-emitting diode is increased, and

when the electrical signal outputted from the photo sensor is higher than the predetermined luminance value, the luminance of light emitted by the organic light-emitting diode is reduced.

9. The portable electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a comparator that compares the electrical signals generated by the plurality of PIN photo diodes with the predetermined luminance value.