Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display and method of manufacturing the same

• US 9,455,405 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2014
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jung, Myungjong, Song, Wonjun, Park, Jinwoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Swanson, Walter H
• Application Number:
  US14/574,153
• Publication Number:
  US 20160020399A1
• Time in Patent Office: 650 Days
• Field of Search: 257/40, 438/34
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/351 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/822 characterised by their shape
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/80521 characterised by their shape
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/621 Providing a shape to conductive layers, e.g. patterning or selective deposition

Abstract

An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. In one aspect, the OLED display includes a substrate, a plurality of pixel electrodes formed on the substrate and separated from each other. The OLED display also includes an opposite electrode formed as one body and corresponding to the pixel electrodes, wherein the thickness of the opposite electrode varies depending on a position. The OLED display further includes an intermediate layer formed between the pixel electrodes and the opposite electrode, wherein the intermediate layer includes at least an emission layer.

Claims

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

a substrate;

a plurality of pixel electrodes on the substrate and separated from each other;

an opposite electrode corresponding to the plurality of pixel electrodes; and

an intermediate layer between the plurality of pixel electrodes and the opposite electrode, wherein the intermediate layer includes a layer corresponding to the plurality of pixel electrodes or a layer patterned to correspond to the plurality of pixel electrodes,

wherein the opposite electrode comprises a first portion being substantially directly above a center portion of a corresponding pixel electrode, a second portion, and a third portion interconnecting the first portion and the second portion,

wherein a thickness of the first portion is greater than a thickness of the second portion,

wherein the third portion becomes gradually thinner in a direction from a position, which is adjacent to the first portion, to a position adjacent to the second portion, and

wherein a greatest distance between a top surface of the first portion and the substrate is greater than a greatest distance between a top surface of the third portion and the substrate.

2. The OLED display of claim 1, wherein the substrate has a plate shape which has a long axis and a short axis, and wherein the third portion, the first portion, the third portion, and the second portion repeatedly appear along a direction of the long axis of the substrate.

3. The OLED display of claim 2, wherein the third portion, the first portion, the third portion, and the second portion repeatedly appear along a direction of the short axis of the substrate.

4. The OLED display of claim 2, wherein the thickness of the opposite electrode is substantially uniform along a direction of the short axis of the substrate.

5. The OLED display of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the first portion of the opposite electrode is substantially uniform.

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

a substrate;

a plurality of pixel electrodes on the substrate and separated from each other;

a pixel defining layer covering an edge of each of the plurality of pixel electrodes;

an opposite electrode corresponding to the plurality of pixel electrodes; and

an intermediate layer between the plurality of pixel electrodes and the opposite electrode, wherein the intermediate layer includes a layer corresponding to the plurality of pixel electrodes or a layer patterned to correspond to the plurality of pixel electrodes,

wherein the opposite electrode comprises a plurality of protrusions spaced apart from each other, the protrusions are located substantially directly above central portions of the pixel electrodes, and a greatest distance between a top surface of each of the protrusions and the substrate is greater than a greatest distance between a top surface of a remaining portion of the opposite electrode and the substrate, the remaining portion being a portion of the opposite electrode other than the protrusions and not corresponding to the pixel defining layer.

7. A method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of pixel electrodes, which are separated from each other, on a substrate;

forming an intermediate layer over the plurality of pixel electrodes, the intermediate layer including a layer corresponding to the plurality of pixel electrodes or a layer patterned to correspond to the plurality of pixel electrodes; and

forming an opposite electrode as one body, which corresponds to the pixel electrodes, on the intermediate layer, wherein the thickness of the opposite electrode varies depending on a position,

wherein the forming of the opposite electrode comprises depositing a material for forming the opposite electrode in a state where a mask having a plurality of openings is separated from a surface, in which the opposite electrode is to be formed, by a predetermined distance,

wherein the forming of the opposite electrode comprises depositing the material for forming the opposite electrode in a state where the mask is formed so that central portions of the openings of the mask correspond to central portions of the pixel electrodes, and

wherein the forming of the opposite electrode comprises forming the opposite electrode that includes i) a plurality of first portions corresponding to the central portions of the openings of the mask, ii) a plurality of second portions which correspond to a portion between the openings of the mask, and iii) a plurality of third portions which connect the plurality of first portions to the plurality of second portions and become gradually in a direction from a position, which is adjacent to a corresponding first portion, to a position adjacent to a corresponding second portion.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the substrate has a plate shape which has a long axis and a short axis, and wherein the third portion, the first portion, the third portion, and the second portion repeatedly appear along a direction of the long axis of the substrate.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the forming of the opposite electrode comprises forming the opposite electrode such that the thickness of the opposite electrode is substantially uniform along a direction of the short axis of the substrate.

10. A method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, the method comprising:

forming a plurality of pixel electrodes, which are separated from each other, on a substrate;

forming an intermediate layer over the plurality of pixel electrodes, the intermediate layer including a layer corresponding to the plurality of pixel electrodes or a layer patterned to correspond to the plurality of pixel electrodes; and

forming an opposite electrode as one body, which corresponds to the pixel electrodes, on the intermediate layer, wherein the thickness of the opposite electrode varies depending on a position,

wherein the forming of the opposite electrode comprises depositing a material for forming the opposite electrode in a state where a mask having a plurality of openings is separated from a surface, in which the opposite electrode is to be formed, by a predetermined distance,

wherein the forming of the opposite electrode comprises depositing the material for forming the opposite electrode in a state where the mask is formed so that central portions of the openings of the mask correspond to central portions of the pixel electrodes, and wherein the forming of the opposite electrode comprises forming the opposite electrode that includes a plurality of first portions corresponding to the central portions of the openings of the mask and a plurality of third portions which correspond to a portion between the openings of the mask and become gradually thinner as being farther away from a corresponding first portion.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the substrate has a plate shape which has a long axis and a short axis, and wherein the first portions and the third portions are alternately appear along a direction of the long axis of the substrate.