Glass package that is hermetically sealed with a frit and method of fabrication

• US 6,998,776 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2003
• Issued: 02/14/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Corning Incorporated
• Inventors: Widjaja, Sujanto, Lamberson, Lisa A., Schroeder, Joseph F. III, Aitken, Bruce G., Streltsov, Alexander, Morena, Robert, Miller, Richard J. II, Hagy, Henry E., Carberry, Joel P., DeMartino, Steven E.
• Primary Examiner(s): WILLIAMS, JOSEPH L
• Application Number:
  US10/414,794
• Publication Number:
  US 20040207314A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• Field of Search: 313495-497, 313/512, 501/15, 501/17, 501/20, 428/426
• US Class Current: 313/512
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 27/005 with compositions containing more than 50% lead oxide by weight
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 27/06 Joining glass to glass by processes other than fusing fusing C03B23/20; units for use as elements for closing wall or like openings and comprising two or more parallel glass panes in spaced relationship, the panes being permanently secured together E06B3/66
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 3/072 containing boron
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 3/17 containing aluminium or beryllium
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 3/19 containing boron
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 3/21 containing titanium, zirconium, vanadium, tungsten or molybdenum
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 8/24 Fusion seal compositions being frit compositions having non-frit additions, i.e. for use as seals between dissimilar materials, e.g. glass and metal; Glass solders
• CPC Class Codes: C03C 8/245 containing more than 50% lead oxide, by weight
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8722 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants

Abstract

A hermetically sealed glass package and method for manufacturing the hermetically sealed glass package are described herein using an OLED display as an example. Basically, the hermetically sealed OLED display is manufactured by providing a first substrate plate and a second substrate plate and depositing a frit onto the second substrate plate. OLEDs are deposited on the first substrate plate. An irradiation source (e.g., laser, infrared light) is then used to heat the frit which melts and forms a hermetic seal that connects the first substrate plate to the second substrate plate and also protects the OLEDs. The frit is glass that was doped with at least one transition metal and possibly a CTE lowering filler such that when the irradiation source heats the frit, it softens and forms a bond. This enables the frit to melt and form the hermetic seal while avoiding thermal damage to the OLEDs.

Claims

1. A glass package comprising:

a first glass plate;

a second glass plate; and

a frit made from glass that was doped with at least one transition metal and a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) lowering filler, wherein said frit was heated by a irradiation source in a manner that caused said frit to melt and form a hermetic seal which connects said first glass plate to said second glass plate.

2. The glass package of claim 1, wherein each of said first and second glass plates absorbs less light from said irradiation source when compared to light absorbed by said frit from said irradiation source.

3. The glass package of claim 1, wherein said frit has a softening temperature that is lower than the softening temperatures of said first and second glass plates.

4. The glass package of claim 1, wherein said frit has a CTE that substantially matches the CTEs of said first and second glass plates.

5. The glass package of claim 1, wherein said filler is an inversion filler.

6. The glass package of claim 1, wherein said filler is an additive filler.

7. The glass package of claim 1, wherein said frit is a low temperature glass frit containing one or more absorbing ions chosen from the group including iron, copper, vanadium, and neodymium.

8. The glass package of claim 1, wherein said frit excluding the CTE lowering filler has the following composition:

K₂O (0–

10 mole %)

Fe₂O₃ (0–

20 mole %)

Sb₂O₃ (0–

20 mole %)

ZnO (0–

20 mole %)

P₂O₅ (20–

40 mole %)

V₂O₅ (30–

60 mole %)

TiO₂ (0–

20 mole %)

Al₂O₃ (0–

5 mole %)

B₂O₃ (0–

5 mole %)

WO₃ (0–

5 mole %)

Bi₂O₃ (0–

5 mole %).

9. The glass package of claim 1, wherein said frit is selected from the group of glasses consisting of a titano-vanadium glass, an iron-vanadium glass, a zinc-vanadium glass, a Sn—

Zn-phosphate glass, a mixed alkali zinc-phosphate glass, a vanadium-phosphate glass, a Pb-borate glass, and a mixed alkali zinc-phosphate glass with vanadium and lead.

10. An organic light emitting diode device having at least one organic light emitting diode located between two plates connected to one another by a hermetic seal formed from a frit that was heated by an irradiation source in a manner that caused said frit to melt and form the hermetic seal while at the same time avoiding thermal degradation of said at least one organic light emitting diode, wherein said frit is a glass that was doped with at least one transition metal and a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) lowering filler.

11. The organic light emitting diode device of claim 10, wherein said two plates are two glass plates each of which absorbs less heat energy from said heating mechanism when compared to the heat energy absorbed by said frit from said irradiation source.

12. The organic light emitting diode device of claim 10, wherein said irradiation source is a laser or an infrared lamp.

13. The organic light emitting diode device of claim 10, wherein said filler is an inversion filler or an additive filler.

14. The organic light emitting diode device of claim 10, wherein said organic light emitting diode device is a display.

15. An organic light emitting diode display comprising:

a first substrate plate;

at least one organic light emitting diode;

a second substrate plate; and

a frit made from glass that was doped with at least one transition metal and a coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) lowering filler, wherein said frit was heated by an irradiation source in a manner that caused said frit to soften and form a hermetic seal which connects said first substrate plate to said second substrate plate and also protects said at least one organic light emitting diode located between said first substrate plate and said second substrate plate.

16. The organic light emitting diode device of claim 15, wherein each of said first and second substrate plates is a glass plate that absorbs less heat energy from said irradiation source when compared to heat energy absorbed by said frit from said irradiation source.

17. The organic light emitting diode device of claim 15, wherein said filler is an inversion filler or an additive filler including lithium alumino-silicate compounds such as beta-eucryptite.

18. The organic light emitting diode device of claim 15, wherein said frit is a low temperature glass frit containing one or more absorbing ions chosen from the group including iron, copper, vanadium, and neodymium.

19. The organic light emitting diode device of claim 15, wherein said frit excluding the CTE lowering filler has the following composition:

K₂O (0–

10mole %)

Fe₂O₃ (0–

20 mole %)

Sb₂O₃ (0–

20 mole %)

ZnO (0–

20 mole %)

P₂O₅ (20–

40 mole %)

V₂O₅ (30–

60 mole %)

TiO₂ (0–

20 mole %)

Al₂O₃ (0–

5 mole %)

B₂O₃ (0–

5 mole %)

WO₃ (0–

5 mole %)

Bi₂O₃ (0–

5 mole %).

20. The organic light emitting diode device of claim 15, wherein said frit is selected from the group of glasses consisting of a titano-vanadium glass, an iron-vanadium glass, a zinc-vanadium glass, a Sn—

Zn-phosphate glass, a mixed alkali zinc-phosphate glass, a vanadium-phosphate glass, a Pb-borate glass, and a mixed alkali zinc-phosphate glass with vanadium and lead.