Flat panel display and driving method using the same

• US 7,719,185 B2
• Filed: 11/27/2006
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Mobile Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jin, Dong-Un, Mo, Yeon-Gon, Jeong, Jae-Kyeong, Shin, Hyun-Soo
• Primary Examiner(s): Williams; Joseph L
• Assistant Examiner(s): FEATHERLY, HANA SANEI
• Application Number:
  US11/604,285
• Publication Number:
  US 20070138941A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,268 Days
• Field of Search: 313/506, 445 24- 25
• US Class Current: 313/506
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/44 Arrangements combining different electro-active layers, e.g. electrochromic, liquid crystal or electroluminescent layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/3031 Two-side emission, e.g. transparent OLEDs [TOLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/126 Shielding, e.g. light-blocking means over the TFTs
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/128 comprising two independent displays, e.g. for emitting information from two major sides of the display
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/50 OLEDs integrated with light modulating elements, e.g. with electrochromic elements, photochromic elements or liquid crystal elements

Abstract

An organic light emitting display (OLED), which includes a display unit and a controlling unit, is provided. The display unit includes an organic light emission layer and a transparent thin film transistor (TFT) to drive the organic light emission layer, and the display unit emits light into two opposite surfaces (upper and lower surfaces). The controlling unit includes an electro-optical layer that is capable of being switched from one state to another state by applying voltage to the layer. The controlling unit controls transmission of light emitted from the display unit. Therefore the flat panel display of the present invention is capable of displaying an image in one surface or in two surfaces. The selection of surface of image display can be manually or automatically controlled by a user. The controlling unit can includes a liquid crystal device, an electrophoretic device, or an electrochromic device.

Claims

1. An organic light emitting display comprising:

a first transparent substrate;

an emission layer arranged above an upper surface of the first transparent substrate;

a transparent thin film transistor arranged on the upper surface of the first transparent substrate for driving the emission layer;

a first transparent electrode arranged on a lower surface of the first transparent substrate;

a second transparent substrate arranged below the lower surface of the first transparent electrode;

a light shielding layer arranged between the first transparent electrode and the second transparent substrate; and

a side electrode arranged on a side of the light shielding layer.

2. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light shielding layer is capable of being switched to a first state whenever a first voltage is applied to the first transparent electrode and capable of being switched to a second state whenever a second voltage is applied to the first transparent electrode, an amount of light passing the light shielding layer at the first state is different from an amount of light passing the light shielding layer at the second state.

3. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a second transparent electrode arranged between the light shielding layer and the second transparent substrate.

4. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 3, wherein the light shielding layer is formed of one selected from the group consisting of a polymer dispersed liquid crystal, twisted nematic liquid crystal layer, and an electrochromic layer.

5. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the light shielding layer is formed of an electrophoretic layer.

6. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 5, further comprising:

a second transparent electrode arranged between the light shielding layer and the second transparent substrate.

7. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 6, wherein voltages with the same polarity are applied to the first and the second electrodes.

8. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a driving unit for applying a voltage to the first transparent electrode layer.

9. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 8, wherein the driving unit is manually controlled or automatically controlled by a photosensing.

10. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transparent thin film transistor includes a transparent semiconductor layer, a transparent gate electrode, a transparent source electrode, and a transparent drain electrode.

11. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 10, wherein each of the transparent gate electrode, the transparent source electrode, and the transparent drain electrode is made of one selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), and indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO).

12. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 10, wherein the transparent semiconductor layer included in the transparent thin film transistor is formed of a wide band semiconductor substance whose band gap is at least 3.0 eV.

13. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 12, wherein the wide band semiconductor substances are formed of one selected from the group consisting of zinc oxide (ZnO), zinc tin oxide (ZnSnO), cadmium tin oxide (CdSnO), gallium tin oxide (GaSnO), thallium tin oxide (TISnO), indium gallium zinc oxide (InGaZnO), copper aluminum oxide (CuAlO), strontium copper oxide (SrCuO), layered oxychalcogenide (LaCuOS), gallium nitride (GaN), indium gallium nitride (InGaN), aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN), indium gallium aluminum nitride (InGaAlN), silicon carbide (SiC), and diamond.

14. An organic light emitting display comprising:

a first transparent substrate;

a transparent thin film transistor formed on an upper surface of the first transparent substrate;

an emission layer formed on the top of the transparent thin film transistor that drives the emission layer;

a first transparent electrode arranged on a lower surface of the first transparent substrate;

a second transparent substrate arranged below the first transparent electrode;

a light shielding layer arranged between the first transparent electrode and the second transparent substrate; and

a side electrode arranged on a side of the light shielding layer.

15. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

a second transparent electrode arranged between the light shielding layer and the second transparent substrate.

16. The organic light emitting display as claimed in claim 14, wherein the transparent thin film transistor includes a transparent semiconductor layer, a transparent gate electrode, a transparent source electrode, and a transparent drain electrode.