Organic light emitting diode display and manufacturing method thereof
10276833 ยท 2019-04-30
Assignee
Inventors
- Sung-Soo Lee (Yongin, KR)
- Ok-Keun Song (Yongin, KR)
- Chan-Young Park (Yongin, KR)
- Yong-Han Lee (Yongin, KR)
Cpc classification
H10K50/852
ELECTRICITY
H10K59/876
ELECTRICITY
H10K59/8791
ELECTRICITY
International classification
Abstract
An OLED display includes: a first pixel including a first pixel electrode of a pixel electrode, a second pixel including a second pixel electrode of the pixel electrode, and a third pixel including a third pixel electrode of the pixel electrode; a resonance assistance layer on the first pixel electrode; an organic emission layer including a first organic emission layer on the resonance assistance layer and the second pixel electrode, a second organic emission layer on the first organic emission layer, and a third organic emission layer on the third pixel electrode; a common electrode on the organic emission layer; and a color mixture preventing layer on the common electrode and configured to absorb overlapped light in an overlapped wavelength region of a wavelength region of first light emitted by the first organic emission layer and a wavelength region of second light emitted by the second organic emission layer.
Claims
1. An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display comprising: a substrate; a first pixel comprising a first pixel electrode of a pixel electrode, a second pixel comprising a second pixel electrode of the pixel electrode, and a third pixel comprising a third pixel electrode of the pixel electrode, the pixel electrode comprising a reflective electrode on the substrate and a transparent electrode on the reflective electrode; a resonance assistance layer on the first pixel electrode; an organic emission layer comprising: a first organic emission layer on the resonance assistance layer and the second pixel electrode; a second organic emission layer on the first organic emission layer; and a third organic emission layer on the third pixel electrode; a transflective common electrode on the organic emission layer; a color mixture preventing layer on the transflective common electrode, the color mixture preventing layer being configured to uniformly absorb overlapped light corresponding to an overlapped wavelength region of a wavelength region of first light emitted by the first organic emission layer and a wavelength region of second light emitted by the second organic emission layer while uniformly transmitting non-overlapped light corresponding to wavelength regions other than the overlapped wavelength region; and a polarization film on the color mixture preventing layer, wherein the color mixture preventing layer comprises only a single distinct layer formed by mixing an adhesive of the polarization film and an absorber for absorbing the overlapped light while transmitting the non-overlapped light.
2. The OLED display of claim 1, wherein the overlapped wavelength region comprises 560 nm to 590 nm.
3. The OLED display of claim 1, wherein the first organic emission layer and the second organic emission layer have a same pattern.
4. The OLED display of claim 1, wherein a distance between the reflective electrode and the transflective common electrode is different between the first pixel and the second pixel.
5. The OLED display of claim 4, wherein the distance between the reflective electrode and the transflective common electrode becomes shorter in an order of the first pixel, the second pixel, and the third pixel.
6. The OLED display of claim 5, wherein the first pixel comprises a red pixel, the second pixel comprises a green pixel, and the third pixel comprises a blue pixel.
7. The OLED display of claim 4, wherein the transparent electrode comprises crystalline transparent conductive oxide (TCO) and the resonance assistance layer comprises amorphous TCO.
8. The OLED display of claim 1, further comprising an encapsulation layer between the transflective common electrode and the color mixture preventing layer, the encapsulation layer comprising an organic film and an inorganic film that are alternately stacked, wherein the color mixture preventing layer directly contacts the encapsulation layer.
9. A method for manufacturing an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, comprising: forming a first pixel electrode for a first pixel, a second pixel electrode for a second pixel, and a third pixel electrode for a third pixel by: forming a reflective electrode on a substrate; forming a transparent electrode on the reflective electrode to form a pixel electrode; and patterning the pixel electrode to form the first pixel electrode, the second pixel electrode, and the third pixel electrode; forming a resonance assistance layer on the first pixel electrode; forming a first organic emission layer on the resonance assistance layer and the second pixel electrode; forming a second organic emission layer on the first organic emission layer; forming a third organic emission layer on the third pixel electrode; forming a transflective common electrode on the second organic emission layer and the third organic emission layer; forming a color mixture preventing layer on the transflective common electrode, the color mixture preventing layer for uniformly absorbing overlapped light corresponding to an overlapped wavelength region of a wavelength region of first light emitted by the first organic emission layer and a wavelength region of second light emitted by the second organic emission layer while uniformly transmitting non-overlapped light corresponding to wavelength regions other than the overlapped wavelength region, the forming of the color mixture preventing layer comprising: mixing an adhesive of a polarization film and an absorber for absorbing the overlapped light while transmitting the non-overlapped light; and forming the color mixture preventing layer as only a single distinct layer of the mixed adhesive and absorber on the transflective common electrode; and forming the polarization film on the color mixture preventing layer.
10. The method of claim 9, wherein the overlapped wavelength region comprises 560 nm to 590 nm.
11. The method of claim 9, wherein the forming of the first organic emission layer comprises using a first mask, and the forming of the second organic emission layer comprises using the first mask to produce a same pattern as the first organic emission layer.
12. The method of claim 9, wherein the first pixel comprises a red pixel, the second pixel comprises a green pixel, and the third pixel comprises a blue pixel.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION
(17) The present invention will be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown. As those skilled in the art would realize, the described embodiments may be modified in various different ways, all without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.
(18) Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification. In addition, when a first element is described as coupled to a second element, the first element may be directly coupled (e.g., connected) to the second element or may be indirectly coupled (e.g., electrically connected) to the second element through one or more third elements.
(19) Further, the size and thickness of each of elements that are displayed in the drawings may be arbitrarily shown for better understanding and ease of description. The present invention is not limited by the shown size and thickness.
(20) The organic emission layer of an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display can be formed through a mask deposition method, wherein a fine metal mask (FMM) having the same pattern as the organic emission layer is disposed on a target material, and a source material is deposited through the mask to form an organic emission layer with a desired pattern on the target material. According to one way of performing the mask deposition method, the fine metal mask is exchanged with a new one each time one of the red, green, and blue sub-pixels is formed, so the mask process is performed three times. For example, a first fine metal mask is used when a red pixel is deposited, a second fine metal mask is used when a green pixel is deposited, and a third fine metal mask is used when a blue pixel is deposited, thereby completing an emission layer pattern of the unit pixel.
(21) However, using three mask processes can decrease productivity. In addition, when the mask is disposed with a predetermined gap between the mask pattern and the neighboring color's organic emission layer, using three mask processes can worsen realization of high resolution.
(22) An OLED display according to a first exemplary embodiment will now be described in detail with reference to
(23)
(24) As shown in
(25) The signal lines include a scanning signal line 121 for transmitting a gate signal (or a scan signal), a data line 171 for transmitting a data signal, and a driving voltage line 172 for transmitting a driving voltage. The scanning signal line 121 is provided in a row direction and is in parallel with other scanning signal lines. The data line 171 is provided in a column direction and is in parallel with other data lines. In
(26) Each sub-pixel PX includes a switching transistor Qs, a driving transistor Qd, a storage capacitor Cst, and an organic light emitting element LD.
(27) The switching transistor Qs includes a control terminal coupled to a first node N1, an input terminal coupled to a second node N2, and an output terminal coupled to a third node N3. In further detail, the first node N1 is coupled to the scanning signal line 121, the second node N2 is coupled to the data line 171, and the third node N3 is coupled to the driving transistor Qd. The switching transistor Qs transmits the data signal provided through the data line 171 to the driving transistor Qd in response to the scan signal provided through the scanning signal line 121.
(28) The driving transistor Qd includes a control terminal coupled to the third node N3, an input terminal coupled to a fourth node N4, and an output terminal coupled to a fifth node N5. In further detail, the third node N3 is between the output terminal of the switching transistor Qs and the control terminal of the driving transistor Qd, the fourth node N4 is between the driving voltage line 172 and the input terminal of the driving transistor Qd, and the output terminal N5 is between the organic light emitting element LD and the output terminal of the driving transistor Qd. The driving transistor Qd outputs an output current I.sub.LD that varies in accordance with a voltage between the third node N3 and the fifth node N5.
(29) The capacitor Cst is coupled between the third node N3 and the fourth node N4. The capacitor Cst charges the data signal applied to the third node N3 and maintains the same after the switching transistor Qs is turned off.
(30) For example, the organic light emitting element LD may be an OLED, including an anode coupled to the fifth node N5 and a cathode coupled to a common voltage Vss. The organic light emitting element LD displays the image by emitting light with different intensity depending on the output current I.sub.LD of the driving transistor Qd. The organic light emitting element LD can include an organic material that displays light of one or at least one of the primary colors including red, green, or blue, and the OLED display expresses the desired images by a spatial combination of the colors.
(31) The switching transistor Qs and the driving transistor Qd are n-channel field effect transistors (FETs), but in other embodiments, at least one of them can be a p-channel FET. In addition, a connection state of the switching transistor Qs, the driving transistor Qd, the capacitor Cst, and the organic light emitting element LD may vary in other embodiments.
(32)
(33) Referring to
(34) A protective layer 180 made of an inorganic or organic material can be formed on the driving transistor Qd. When the protective layer 180 is made of an organic material, its surface can be flat. A contact hole 185 for exposing a part of the driving transistor Qd is formed in the protective layer 180.
(35) A pixel electrode 190 is formed on the protective layer 180 of the respective pixels (red pixel R, green pixel G, and blue pixel B). The pixel electrode 190 includes a first pixel electrode, a second pixel electrode, and a third pixel electrode formed in the red pixel R, green pixel G, and blue pixel B, respectively. The pixel electrode 190 includes a reflection electrode 191 and a transparent electrode 192 formed on the reflection electrode 191. The reflection electrode 191 is made of a metal with great reflectance such as silver (Ag) or aluminum (Al) or their alloys, and the transparent electrode 192 can include a crystalline transparent conductive oxide (TCO) layer made of a TCO such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO). For example, the transparent electrode 192 may include a crystalline ITO layer.
(36) A resonance assistance layer 193 is formed on the pixel electrode 190 of the red pixel R, and includes an amorphous TCO layer made of a TCO such as ITO or IZO. For example, the resonance assistance layer 193 may include an amorphous ITO layer. The resonance assistance layer 193 is added to increase a gap between two electrodes (that is, the pixel electrode 190 and a common electrode 270) of the red pixel R and the two electrodes of the green pixel G. When the red organic emission layer 320R and the green organic emission layer 320G are commonly formed in the red pixel R and the green pixel G with the same shape, the red pixel R and the green pixel G emit red light and green light, respectively, because of the resonance assistance layer 193.
(37) A pixel defining film 189 covering an edge of the pixel electrode 190 is formed on the protective layer 180. A hole auxiliary layer 310 is formed on the front surface of the pixel electrode 190 and the pixel defining film 189 in the red pixel R, green pixel G, and blue pixel B. The hole auxiliary layer 310 includes a hole injection layer (HIL) and a hole transport layer (HTL) stacked thereon.
(38) The red organic emission layer 320R is commonly formed on the hole auxiliary layers 310 of the red pixel R and the green pixel G. In addition, the green organic emission layer 320G is formed on the red organic emission layer 320R. The red organic emission layer 320R and the green organic emission layer 320G are formed with the same pattern by using a first mask 10 (see
(39) A blue organic emission layer 320B is independently formed on the hole auxiliary layer 310 of the blue pixel B. The red, green, and blue organic emission layers 320R, 320G, and 320B can be made of an organic material uniquely emitting red, green, and blue light, respectively.
(40) An electron auxiliary layer 330 is formed on the green organic emission layer 320G formed in the red pixel R and the green pixel G, and on the blue organic emission layer 320B formed on the blue pixel B. The electron auxiliary layer 330 includes an electron transport layer (ETL) and an electron injection layer (EIL) stacked thereon.
(41) The hole auxiliary layer 310 and the electron auxiliary layer 330 are provided to improve luminous efficiency of the red, green, and blue organic emission layers 320R, 320G, and 320B. In further detail, the HTL and the ETL balance the electrons and holes, respectively, while the HIL and the EIL reinforce injection of the electrons and holes, respectively.
(42) The hole auxiliary layer 310, the red, green, and blue organic emission layers 320R, 320G, and 320B, and the electron auxiliary layer 330 form an organic light emitting member 370.
(43) The common electrode 270 for transmitting the common voltage Vss is formed on the electron auxiliary layer 330. The common electrode 270 includes a lower layer and an upper layer, and can be a transflective electrode for reflecting some light and transmitting other light. The lower layer and the upper layer are made of a metal that reflects light, and they can reflect or transmit the incident light when they are made thin. Further, in other embodiments, the common electrode 270 can be a single layer.
(44) In the OLED display, the pixel electrode 190, the organic light emitting member 370, and the common electrode 270 form an organic light emitting element LD. The pixel electrode 190 receives a voltage from the driving transistor Qd through the contact hole 185 of the protective layer 180.
(45) The OLED display transmits light to the common electrode 270 to display the image. Light output to the common electrode 270 from the red, green, and blue organic emission layers 320R, 320G, and 320B is transmitted to the common electrode 270. Some of the light is passed through the common electrode 270 and some of the light is reflected and transmitted to the pixel electrode 190. The pixel electrode 190 reflects the light toward the common electrode 270. The light traveling between the pixel electrode 190 and the common electrode 270 generates interference. The light having a wavelength that corresponds to a distance between the pixel electrode 190 and the common electrode 270 generating resonance causes constructive interference to strengthen intensity, while the light having other wavelengths causes destructive interference to weaken the intensity.
(46) The above-noted traveling and interference process of light is called a microcavity effect. In exemplary embodiments, the distance between the pixel electrode 190 and the common electrode 270 may become shorter in the order of the red pixel R, the green pixel G, and the blue pixel B.
(47) The blue pixel B is formed when the blue organic emission layer 320B is a separate layer from the red pixel R and the green pixel G. Accordingly, a gap between the pixel electrode 190 and the common electrode 270 in the blue pixel B may be set to generate the constructive interference for blue light. The gap between the pixel electrode 190 and the common electrode 270 in the blue pixel B can be set by controlling a thickness of the blue organic emission layer 320B.
(48) The red organic emission layer 320R and the green organic emission layer 320G are formed with the same pattern over the red pixel R and the green pixel G, respectively. The gap between the pixel electrode 190 and the common electrode 270 is different between the red pixel R and the green pixel G due to the resonance assistance layer 193 in the red pixel R. Accordingly, the gap between the pixel electrode 190 and the common electrode 270 is controlled by using the resonance assistance layer 193 so that red light constructive interference may occur in the red pixel R and green light constructive interference may occur in the green pixel G. Hence, the red pixel R outputs red light and the green pixel G outputs green light.
(49) Hereinafter, an OLED display in which the red organic emission layer 320R and the green organic emission layer 320G are formed with the same pattern over the red pixel R and the green pixel G, and a resonance assistance layer 193 is formed in the red pixel R, will be defined to be a red and green overlapping OLED display.
(50) An encapsulation layer 400 is formed on the common electrode 270. The encapsulation layer 400 can be formed with a thin film encapsulation layer generated by alternately stacking an organic film and an inorganic film. The encapsulation layer 400 encapsulates the organic light emitting member 370 and the common electrode 270 to prevent or reduce permeation of external moisture or oxygen.
(51) A polarization film 510 is formed on the encapsulation layer 400. The polarization film 510 is formed in the light emitting direction of the OLED display to prevent or reduce the phenomenon that light provided into the OLED display and the reflected light that occurs by metal wires in the OLED display when the organic emission layer emits light are mixed with the light that is originally emitted to deteriorate the contrast ratio.
(52) A color mixture preventing layer 520 for preventing or reducing color mixture of the red pixel R and the green pixel G is formed on the polarization film 510. The color mixture preventing layer 520 includes a transparent support film 521 and an absorption film 522 formed on the support film 521.
(53) The absorption film 522 absorbs overlapped light that corresponds to an overlapped wavelength region P (see
(54)
(55) Referring to
(56) As shown in curve A of
(57) A red and green overlapping OLED display according to the exemplary embodiment of
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(59) As shown in
(60) Further, as shown in
(61) However, as shown in
(62) In addition, the color mixture preventing layer 520 is formed in the red pixel R, the green pixel G, and the blue pixel B, so there is no need to arrange it by colors. Further, the color mixture preventing layer 520 can be manufactured as a film to easily adhere to the OLED display.
(63) In further embodiments, the wavelength region to be removed can be selected by stacking a plurality of color mixture preventing layers 520 so that any wavelength regions can be easily removed.
(64)
(65) As shown in
(66) A method for manufacturing an OLED display according to the exemplary embodiment of
(67)
(68) Referring to
(69) The first mask 10 having an opening corresponding to the red pixel R and the green pixel G is used to sequentially stack the red organic emission layer 320R and the green organic emission layer 320G on the hole auxiliary layer 310. The organic emission layer of the red pixel R and the organic emission layer of the green pixel G can be formed by using the single first mask 10 so the three-color organic emission layer is formed by performing the mask process twice, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process.
(70) Further, the red pixel R and the green pixel G are formed by using the first mask 10, thereby reducing the gap between the red pixel R and the green pixel G and realizing high resolution.
(71) As shown in
(72) As shown in
(73) In other embodiments, the color mixture preventing layer 520 can be made as a film and attached to the OLED display. In addition, while the color mixture preventing layer 520 is formed over the polarization film 510 in the embodiment of
(74)
(75) The exemplary embodiment shown in
(76) As shown in
(77) The absorption film 522 absorbs overlapped light that corresponds to an overlapped wavelength region P of a wavelength region of the red light emitted by the red organic emission layer 320R and a wavelength region of the green light emitted by the green organic emission layer 320G. In further detail, the absorption film 522 absorbs the overlapped light of the overlapped wavelength region P of 560 nm to 590 nm and removes it. Therefore, the overlapped wavelength region of 560 nm to 590 nm is removed from the light passing through the color mixture preventing layer 520 to prevent or reduce the color interference between the red pixel R and the green pixel G, and to improve the viewing angle.
(78) The color mixture preventing layer 520 is formed in the red pixel R, the green pixel G, and the blue pixel B in the embodiment of
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(80) The exemplary embodiment shown in
(81) As shown in
(82) The absorption film 523 absorbs overlapped light that corresponds to an overlapped wavelength region P of a wavelength region of the red light emitted by the red organic emission layer 320R and a wavelength region of the green light emitted by the green organic emission layer 320G. In further detail, the absorption film 523 absorbs the overlapped light of the overlapped wavelength region P of 560 nm to 590 nm and removes it. Therefore, the overlapped wavelength region of 560 nm to 590 nm is removed from the light passing through the color mixture preventing layer 520 to prevent or reduce the color interference between the red pixel R and the green pixel G, and to improve the viewing angle.
(83) In the second OLED display of
(84)
(85) The exemplary embodiment shown in
(86) As shown in
(87) Therefore, the overlapped wavelength region of 560 nm to 590 nm is removed from the light passing through the color mixture preventing layer 530 to prevent or reduce the color interference between the red pixel R and the green pixel G, and to improve the viewing angle. Further, the color mixture preventing layer 530 can be easily formed by mixing the absorber and the adhesive of the polarization film.
(88) In the exemplary OLED display of
(89)
(90) The exemplary embodiment shown in
(91) As shown in
(92) As shown in
(93) While this disclosure has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be practical exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims, and equivalents thereof.