Organic light-emitting display apparatus and method of manufacturing the same

• US 9,065,073 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Choi, Jung-Ho
• Primary Examiner(s): Dickey, Thomas L
• Application Number:
  US13/797,667
• Publication Number:
  US 20140117316A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 257/40, 438/34, 445/25
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/873 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass

Abstract

Provided are an organic light-emitting display device and a method of manufacturing the organic light-emitting display device, the method including operations of forming pattern layers in an active area and a pad area, respectively, on a substrate; and forming an encapsulation thin-film layer that covers the pattern layers on the substrate, wherein the operation of the encapsulation thin-film layer may include an operation of forming the encapsulation thin-film layer on the substrate by using a raw material of the encapsulation thin-film layer that is a single layer comprising an inorganic material.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting display device, the method comprising:

forming pattern layers in an active area and a pad area, respectively, on a substrate; and

forming an encapsulation thin-film layer that covers the pattern layers in the active area and the pad area on the substrate,

wherein the forming of the encapsulation thin-film layer comprises forming the encapsulation thin-film layer on the substrate by using a raw material of the encapsulation thin-film layer that is a single layer comprising an inorganic material; and

wherein the encapsulation thin-film layer comprises an inorganic material selected from the group consisting of borate glass containing B2O3 as a main component, phosphate glass containing P2O5 as a main component, tellurite-based composition containing TeO2 as a main component, bismuth oxide-based composition containing Bi2O3 as a main component, and chalcogenide-based composition containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, and Te.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming of the pattern layers comprises:

forming a semiconductor active layer, a first insulating layer, a gate electrode, a second insulating layer, source and drain electrodes, a third insulating layer, and a first electrode of an organic light-emitting device in the active area on the substrate, and forming a pad terminal in the pad area on the substrate;

forming a fourth insulating layer that covers the first electrode while exposing a portion of the first electrode, and that covers the pad terminal; and

forming an organic emission layer and a second electrode of the organic light-emitting device on the fourth insulating layer.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein

the first through third insulating layers are formed while extending over the active area and the pad area on the substrate, and

the source and drain electrodes, and the pad terminal are formed together on the third insulating layer.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the pad terminal comprises a first part that comprises the same material as the gate electrode, and a second part that is formed on the first part by using the same material as the source electrode or the drain electrode.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the forming of the fourth insulating layer comprises performing a half-tone exposure operation on a raw material of the fourth insulating layer in the active area and performing a non-exposure operation on a raw material of the fourth insulating layer in the pad area, wherein a thickness of the fourth insulating layer in the active area is different from a thickness of the fourth insulating layer in the pad area.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the thickness of the fourth insulating layer in the pad area is greater than the thickness of the fourth insulating layer in the active area.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein a height of the organic light-emitting device having the first electrode, the organic EML, and the second electrode is less than a height of the fourth insulating layer in the pad area.

8. The method of claim 2, wherein the forming of the encapsulation thin-film layer comprises coating, hardening, and etching the raw material of the encapsulation thin-film layer that covers all of the active area and the pad area.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the etching of the encapsulation thin-film layer comprises exposing a top surface of the fourth insulating layer formed in the pad area.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising developing the fourth insulating layer so as to externally expose the pad terminal.

11. The method of claim 2, wherein a touch screen is further formed on a top surface of the fourth insulating layer formed in the active area.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the touch screen comprises a plurality of first electrode pattern units that are arrayed in a first direction of the substrate, a plurality of second electrode pattern units that are arrayed in a second direction of the substrate, and an insulating layer that insulates the plurality of first electrode pattern units from the plurality of second electrode pattern units.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the forming of the encapsulation thin-film layer comprises:

coating the raw material of the encapsulation thin-film layer on the substrate;

hardening the encapsulation thin-film layer at a temperature equal to or less than about 200°

C.; and

completing the encapsulation thin-film layer by etching the raw material of the encapsulation thin-film layer.

17. An organic light-emitting display device manufactured by the method of claim 1.

18. An organic light-emitting display device manufactured by the method of claim 11.

14. An organic light-emitting display device comprising:

a substrate;

a thin-film transistor (TFT) formed in an active area on the substrate, and comprising a semiconductor active layer, a first insulating layer, a gate electrode, a second insulating layer, source and drain electrodes, and a third insulating layer;

an organic light-emitting device electrically connected to the TFT, and comprising a first electrode, an organic emission layer and a second electrode, wherein a portion of the first electrode is exposed by a fourth insulating layer;

a pad terminal formed in a pad area on the substrate;

an encapsulation thin-film layer covering the TFT and the organic light-emitting device, and formed as a single layer comprising an inorganic material; and

wherein the encapsulation thin-film layer comprises an inorganic material selected from the group consisting of borate glass containing B2O3 as a main component, phosphate glass containing P2O5 as a main component, tellurite-based composition containing TeO2 as a main component, bismuth oxide-based composition containing Bi2O3 as a main component, and chalcogenide-based composition containing at least one element selected from the group consisting of S, Se, and Te.

15. The organic light-emitting display device of claim 14, wherein a touch screen is further formed on an exterior surface of the fourth insulating layer.

16. The organic light-emitting display device of claim 15, wherein the touch screen comprises:

a plurality of first electrode pattern units that are arrayed in a first direction of the substrate;

a plurality of second electrode pattern units that are arrayed in a second direction of the substrate and that cross the plurality of first electrode pattern units; and

an insulating layer that insulates the plurality of first electrode pattern units from the plurality of second electrode pattern units.