OLED panel with fuses

• US 8,836,223 B2
• Filed: 08/20/2012
• Issued: 09/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Display Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Display Corporation
• Inventors: Levermore, Peter, Pang, Huiqing, Rajan, Kamala
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Daniel D
• Application Number:
  US13/590,081
• Publication Number:
  US 20130278144A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: 315/121, 315/169.1, 315/169.3, 345/36, 345/45, 345/80, 345/76
• US Class Current: 315/169.3
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/08 Fault-tolerant or redundant circuits, or circuits in which repair of defects is prepared
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/30 using electroluminescent panels
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/00 Organic light-emitting devices integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10K59/00, H10K65/00; organic semiconductor lasers H01S5/36
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/805 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/179 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/35 comprising red-green-blue [RGB] subpixels

Abstract

Embodiments may provide a first device that may comprise a substrate, a plurality of conductive bus lines disposed over the substrate, and a plurality of OLED circuit elements disposed on the substrate, where each of the OLED circuit elements comprises one and only one pixel electrically connected in series with a fuse. Each pixel may further comprise a first electrode, a second electrode, and an organic electroluminescent (EL) material disposed between the first and the second electrodes. The fuse of each of the plurality of OLED circuit elements may electrically connect each of the OLED circuit elements to at least one of the plurality of bus lines. Each of the plurality of bus lines may be electrically connected to a plurality of OLED circuit elements that are commonly addressable and at least two of the bus lines may be separately addressable.

Claims

1. A first device, comprising:

a substrate;

a plurality of conductive bus lines disposed over the substrate;

a plurality of OLED circuit elements disposed on the substrate, wherein each of the OLED circuit elements comprises one and only one pixel electrically connected in series with a fuse;

wherein each pixel further comprises;

a first electrode;

a second electrode; and

an organic electroluminescent (EL) material disposed between said first and said second electrodes;

wherein the fuse of each of the plurality of OLED circuit elements electrically connects each of the OLED circuit elements to at least one of the plurality of bus lines;

wherein each of the plurality of bus lines is electrically connected to a plurality of OLED circuit elements that are commonly addressable; and

wherein at least two of the bus lines are separately addressable.

2. The first device of claim 1, wherein the OLED circuit elements that are connected to the same bus line are electrically connected in parallel.

3. The first device of claim 1, wherein the organic EL material of each of the OLED circuit elements that are connected to the same bus line has an emission spectrum having a peak wavelength that is within 5% of one another.

4. The first device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of bus lines comprises at least a first bus line and a second bus line;

wherein the first bus line is electrically connected to a first group of OLED circuit elements comprising an organic EL material having an emission spectrum that has a first peak wavelength;

wherein the second bus line is electrically connected to a second group of OLED circuit elements comprising an organic EL material having an emission spectrum that has a second peak wavelength; and

wherein the first peak wavelength and the second peak wavelength are different.

5. The first device of claim 4,

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the first group of OLED circuit elements has a first melting current;

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the second group of OLED circuit elements has a second melting current; and

wherein the first and the second melting currents are within 5% of one another.

6. The first device of claim 4,

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the first group of OLED circuit elements has a first melting current;

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the second group of OLED circuit elements has a second melting current;

wherein the first melting current and the second melting current are between 0.1 mA and 50 mA.

7. The first device of claim 4,

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the first group of OLED circuit elements has a first melting current;

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the second group of OLED circuit elements has a second melting current; and

wherein the first and the second melting currents are at least 5% different.

8. The first device of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of bus lines comprises at least a first bus line, a second bus line, and a third bus line;

wherein the first bus line is electrically connected to a first group of OLED circuit elements comprising an organic EL material having an emission spectrum that has a first peak wavelength;

wherein the second bus line is electrically connected to a second group of OLED circuit elements comprising an organic EL material having an emission spectrum that has a second peak wavelength; and

wherein the third bus line is electrically connected to a third group of OLED circuit elements comprising an organic EL material having an emission spectrum that has a third peak wavelength.

9. The first device of claim 8,

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the first group of OLED circuit elements has a first melting current;

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the second group of OLED circuit elements has a second melting current;

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the third group of OLED circuit elements has a third melting current; and

wherein the first, the second, and the third melting currents are within 5% of one another.

10. The first device of claim 8,

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the first group of OLED circuit elements has a first melting current;

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the second group of OLED circuit elements has a second melting current;

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the third group of OLED circuit elements has a third melting current; and

wherein the first melting current, the second melting current, and the third melting current are between 0.1 mA and 50 mA.

11. The first device of claim 8,

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the first group of OLED circuit elements has a first melting current;

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the second group of OLED circuit elements has a second melting current;

wherein the fuse of each of the OLED circuit elements in the third group of OLED circuit elements has a third melting current; and

wherein the first, the second, and the third melting currents are at least 5% different.

12. The first device of claim 11,

wherein the first melting current and the second melting current are at least 10% different;

wherein the first melting current and the third melting current are at least 10% different; and

wherein the second melting current and the third melting current are at least 10% different.

13. The first device of claim 11, wherein the first melting current, the second melting, and the third melting current are at least 30% different.

14. The first device of claim 8, further comprising a fourth bus line, wherein the fourth bus line is electrically connected to a fourth group of OLED circuit elements comprising an organic EL material having an emission spectrum that has a fourth peak wavelength.

15. The first device of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of bus lines comprises at least a first bus line and a second bus line;

wherein the first bus line is electrically connected to a first group of OLED circuit elements comprising an organic EL material having an emission spectrum that has a first peak wavelength;

wherein the second bus line is electrically connected to a second group of OLED circuit elements comprising an organic EL material having an emission spectrum that has a second peak wavelength;

wherein the first peak wavelength and the second peak wavelength are different;

wherein the first device is configured to drive each of the plurality of OLED circuit elements at a plurality of luminance levels; and

wherein the plurality of luminance levels comprises a minimum luminance level and a maximum luminance level.

16. The first device of claim 15,

wherein the maximum luminance level is at least N times greater than the minimum luminance level;

and

wherein the first group of OLED circuit elements and the second group of OLED circuit elements each comprises at least N OLED circuit elements.

17. The first device of claim 16, wherein the first group of OLED circuit elements and the second group of OLED circuit elements each comprises at least 2*N OLED circuit elements.

18. The first device of claim 15,

wherein the maximum luminance level is at least two times greater than the minimum luminance level;

and

wherein the first group of OLED circuit elements and the second group of OLED circuit elements each comprises at least 2 OLED circuit elements.

19. The first device of claim 15,

wherein the maximum luminance level is at least five times greater than the minimum luminance level;

and

wherein the first group of OLED circuit elements and the second group of OLED circuit elements each comprises at least 5 OLED circuit elements.

20. The first device of claim 1,

wherein the plurality of bus lines comprises a first group of commonly addressable bus lines and a second group of commonly addressable bus lines;

wherein each of the bus lines of the first group of commonly addressable bus lines is electrically connected to a first group of OLED circuit elements comprising an organic EL material having an emission spectrum that has a first peak wavelength;

wherein each of the bus lines of the second group of commonly addressable bus lines is electrically connected to a second group of OLED circuit elements comprising an organic EL material having an emission spectrum that has a second peak wavelength; and

wherein the first peak wavelength and the second peak wavelength are different.