ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DIODE SEGMENT

• US 20110316012A1
• Filed: 02/25/2010
• Published: 12/29/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/05/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co., Ltd. (Xiaomi Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Hente, Dirk, Grabowski, Stefan Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,502,212 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/88
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 45/60 Circuit arrangements for operating LEDs comprising organic material, e.g. for operating organic light-emitting diodes [OLED] or polymer light-emitting diodes [PLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/828 Transparent cathodes, e.g. comprising thin metal layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/32 Stacked devices having two or more layers, each emitting at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/84 Parallel electrical configurations of multiple OLEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/86 Series electrical configurations of multiple OLEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/841 Applying alternating current [AC] during manufacturing or treatment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 20/30 Semiconductor lamps, e.g. solid state lamps [SSL] light emitting diodes [LED] or organic LED [OLED]

Abstract

The invention relates to an organic light emitting diode segment (100) comprising two organic light emitting diodes (102; 104), wherein the organic light emitting diodes are vertically stacked with their conducting directions pointing in opposed directions, wherein in the stack the organic light emitting diodes (102; 104) are electrically connected to each other by a common shared electrode (112).

Claims

1. An organic light emitting diode segment comprising two organic light emitting diodes, wherein the organic light emitting diodes are vertically stacked with their conducting directions pointing in opposed directions, wherein in the stack the organic light emitting diodes are electrically connected to each other by a common shared electrode.

2. The segment of claim 1, wherein the common shared electrode is the cathode.

3. The segment of claim 1, wherein the two organic light emitting diodes are adapted for light emission in a respective first and second wavelength range, wherein the common shared electrode is optically transparent in at least said first or second wavelength range.

4. The segment of claim 3, wherein the first wavelength range is different from the second wavelength range.

5. An organic light emitting diode device comprising a sequence of serially electrically connected organic light emitting diode segments according to claim 1, wherein the sequence of segments comprises a given segment and a neighbouring segment, wherein the given segment comprises a first and second organic light emitting diode with a first common shared electrode and first and second unshared electrodes, wherein the neighbouring segment comprises a third and fourth organic light emitting diode with a second common shared electrode and third and fourth unshared electrodes, wherein the given segment is serially electrically connected to the neighbouring segment by an electrical connection of the first common shared electrode with the third unshared electrode and by an electrical connection of the second common shared electrode with the first unshared electrode, wherein any unshared electrode comprised in the sequence of segments is electrically connected to maximally one common shared electrode comprised in the sequence of segments.

6. The device according to claim 5, wherein the sequence of segments comprises an even number of n segments and a first and a second connecting terminal for receiving electrical power for driving the device for light emission, wherein the sequence of segments comprises a first and a last segment, wherein the first connecting terminal is electrically connected to the common shared electrode of the first segment and the unshared electrode of the last segment which is unconnected to a common shared electrode, wherein the second connecting terminal is electrically connected to a common shared electrode of any segment of the sequence of the segments.

7. The device according to claim 6, wherein said second connecting terminal is electrically connected to the common shared electrode of the n/2+1 segment of the sequence of segments.

8. The device according to claim 5, wherein the sequence of segments comprises an odd number of segments and a first, second, third and fourth connecting terminal for receiving electrical power for driving the device for light emission, wherein the sequence of segments comprises a first and a last segment, wherein the first connecting terminal is electrically connected to the common shared electrode of the first segment and the second connecting terminal is electrically connected to the unshared electrode of the first segment which is unconnected to a common shared electrode, wherein the third connecting terminal is electrically connected to the common shared electrode of the last segment and the fourth connecting terminal is electrically connected to the unshared electrode of the last segment which is unconnected to a common shared electrode.

9. The device according to claim 8, wherein the common shared electrode of the first segment is electrically connected via a diode to the first connecting terminal and/or the common shared electrode of the last segment is electrically connected via a further diode to the third connecting terminal.

10. The device according to claim 8, wherein the first and second terminals are identical.

13. The device according to claim 8, wherein the third and fourth terminals are identical.

11. A method of producing an organic light emitting diode device, the method comprising:

providing a first layer comprising a first given unshared electrode segment,

depositing a first emitter layer on the first layer,

depositing a second layer comprising a given common shared electrode segment on the first emitter layer,

depositing a second emitter layer on the second layer,

depositing a third layer comprising a second given unshared electrode segment on the second emitter layer,

wherein the first given unshared electrode segment, the first emitter layer and the given common shared electrode segment form a first organic light emitting diode and wherein the given common shared electrode segment, the second emitter layer and the second given unshared electrode segment form a second organic light emitting diode, wherein the first and second organic light emitting diodes are vertically stacked with their conducting directions pointing in opposed directions.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein for producing an organic light emitting diode device comprising a sequence of serially electrically connected organic light emitting diode segments with the sequence of segments comprising a given segment and a neighbouring segment,

the first layer further comprises a first neighbouring unshared electrode segment,

the first emitter layer comprises a first gap,

the second layer further comprises a neighbouring unshared electrode segment, wherein the deposition of the second layer is performed for electrically contacting the first neighbouring unshared electrode segment by the given common shared electrode segment via the first gap,

the second emitter layer comprises a second gap,

the third layer further comprises a second neighbouring unshared electrode segment, wherein the deposition of the third layer is performed for electrically contacting the neighbouring common shared electrode segment by the second given unshared electrode segment via the first gap,

wherein the first given unshared electrode segment, the first emitter layer, the given common shared electrode segment, the second emitter layer and the second given unshared electrode segment form the given organic light emitting diode segment and wherein the first neighbouring unshared electrode segment, the first emitter layer, the neighbouring common shared electrode segment, the second emitter layer and the second neighbouring unshared electrode segment form the neighbouring organic light emitting diode segment.