Organic light emitting display device and repair method thereof

• US 9,478,591 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2014
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Nam, Kyoungjin, Hong, Gisang, Hwang, Seonhui, Noh, Soyoung, Kim, Jeongoh
• Primary Examiner(s): Fan, Michele
• Application Number:
  US14/575,435
• Publication Number:
  US 20150179719A1
• Time in Patent Office: 677 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/814 combined with auxiliary electrodes, e.g. ITO layer combined with metal lines
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/824 combined with auxiliary electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/124 Insulating layers formed between TFT elements and OLED elements

Abstract

An organic light emitting display device can include a substrate, two or more first electrodes positioned on the substrate and spaced apart from one another, an auxiliary electrode positioned between the first electrodes, a barrier rib positioned on the auxiliary electrode and having a reversely tapered structure including at least two layers, a bank layer exposing portions of the first electrodes to define a light emission region, an organic layer positioned in the light emission region and patterned by the barrier rib, and a second electrode positioned on the organic layer and the barrier rib and disposed to be in contact with the auxiliary electrode.

Claims

1. An organic light emitting display device comprising:

a substrate;

two or more first electrodes positioned on the substrate and spaced apart from one another;

an auxiliary electrode positioned between the first electrodes;

a barrier rib positioned on the auxiliary electrode and having a reversely tapered structure including at least two layers;

a bank layer exposing portions of the first electrodes to define a light emission region;

an organic layer positioned in the light emission region and patterned by the barrier rib; and

a second electrode positioned on the organic layer and the barrier rib, and disposed to be in contact with the auxiliary electrode,

wherein in a region of non-uniform brightness in the organic light emitting display device, the barrier rib is melted by irradiating a laser to increase electrical contact between the second electrode and the auxiliary electrode.

2. The organic light emitting display device of claim 1, wherein the barrier rib comprises a first layer formed of a material having a relatively high etching rate and a second layer positioned on the first layer and formed of a material having an etching rate lower than that of the first layer.

3. The organic light emitting display device of claim 1, wherein the barrier rib comprises a first layer formed of a material having a relatively high etching rate, a second layer positioned on the first layer and formed of a material having an etching rate lower than that of the first layer, and a third layer positioned below the first layer and formed of a material having an etching rate lower than that of the first layer.

4. The organic light emitting display device of claim 1, wherein the barrier rib includes materials of at least two or more selected from among ITO, ITZO, JO, SnO, ZnO, ISnO, IZO, IGO, GZO, and IGZO.

5. The organic light emitting display device of claim 2, wherein a thickness of the first layer ranges from 30% to 70% of the overall thickness of the barrier rib, and a thickness of the second layer ranges from 30% to 70% of the overall thickness of the barrier rib.

6. The organic light emitting display device of claim 3, wherein a thickness of the first layer ranges from 10% to 50% of the overall thickness of the barrier rib, and thicknesses of the second layer and the third layer range from 10% to 50% of the overall thickness of the barrier rib, respectively.

7. The organic light emitting display device of claim 2, wherein an external angle between a horizontal line passing through a point where the first layer and the auxiliary electrode meet and the side of the first layer is 30 degrees or smaller, and a tapered angle of the second layer is 30 degrees or smaller.

8. The organic light emitting display device of claim 3, wherein an external angle between a horizontal line passing through a point where the first layer and the auxiliary electrode meet and the side of the first layer is 30 degrees or smaller, and a tapered angle of the second layer is 30 degrees or smaller.

9. The organic light emitting display device of claim 2, wherein an external angle between a horizontal line passing through a point where the first layer and the auxiliary electrode meet and the side of the first layer, or a tapered angle of the second layer is 30 degrees or smaller.

10. The organic light emitting display device of claim 3, wherein an external angle between a horizontal line passing through a point where the first layer and the auxiliary electrode meet and the side of the first layer, or a tapered angle of the second layer is 30 degrees or smaller.

11. The organic light emitting display device of claim 1, further comprising thin film transistors each including a gate electrode, a semiconductor layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode between the substrate and the first electrodes.

12. An organic light emitting display device comprising:

a substrate;

two or more first electrodes positioned on the substrate and spaced apart from one another;

an auxiliary electrode positioned between the first electrodes;

a barrier rib positioned on the auxiliary electrode and including at least two layers;

a bank layer exposing portions of the first electrodes to define a light emission region; and

a second electrode continuously positioned on the barrier rib, and disposed to be in contact with the auxiliary electrode,

wherein the barrier rib comprises a third layer, a first layer positioned on the third layer, and a second layer positioned on the first layer,

wherein the second layer entirely covers the first layer and the second layer is in direct contact with a sidewall of the first layer.

13. The organic light emitting display device of claim 12, wherein the second layer of the barrier rib is in contact with the third layer.

14. The organic light emitting display device of claim 13, wherein a third layer of the barrier rib is in contact with the auxiliary electrode.

15. The organic light emitting display device of claim 12, wherein the barrier rib has a reversely tapered structure.

16. A method for repairing an organic light emitting display device including a substrate, a plurality of first electrodes positioned on the substrate and spaced apart from one another, an auxiliary electrode positioned between the first electrodes, a barrier rib positioned on the auxiliary electrode and having a reversely tapered structure including at least two layers, a bank layer exposing portions of the first electrodes to define a light emission region, an organic layer positioned in the light emission region and patterned by the barrier rib, and a second electrode positioned on the organic layer, spaced apart from the barrier rib, and disposed to be in contact with the auxiliary electrode, the method comprising:

irradiating a laser to the barrier rib and the second electrode positioned on the barrier rib,

wherein the laser melts portions of the barrier rib and portions of the second electrode to cause the second electrode to form a continuous film from an upper surface of the organic layer to an upper surface of the barrier rib.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the barrier rib comprises at least two or more layers, and at least one layer of the at least two or more layers of the barrier rib, starting from the uppermost portion of the barrier rib, is melted by the laser.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein when the laser is irradiated to the barrier rib and the second electrode, the at least one layer positioned in the uppermost portion of the barrier rib and the second electrode are melted down and the organic layer positioned between the barrier rib and the second electrode is removed.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the barrier rib comprises at least three layers, and at least one layer of the at least three layers of the barrier rib, starting from the uppermost portion of the barrier rib, is melted by the laser to cover two of the at least three layers and increase a contact area between the second electrode and the auxiliary electrode.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the irradiating of the laser to the barrier rib to melt portions of the barrier rib and the second electrode positioned on the barrier rib is controlled to only melt portions of the barrier rib corresponding to regions of non-uniform brightness in the organic light emitting display device.