High resolution organic light-emitting diode devices, displays, and related methods

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9614191-B2
Application number	US-201314030776-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2013
Priority date	Jan 17, 2013
Publication date	Apr 4, 2017
Grant date	Apr 4, 2017

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an organic-light emitting diode (OLED) display can include providing on a substrate a first electrode associated with a first sub-pixel and a second electrode associated with a second sub-pixel, wherein a gap is formed between the first electrode and the second electrode and wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are positioned in a well having boundaries defined by a confinement structure on the substrate. The method can also include depositing in the well with the electrodes positioned therein, active OLED material to form a substantially continuous layer of active OLED material that spans the boundaries of the well such that a surface of the layer of active OLED material that faces away from the substrate has a non-planar topography. The depositing can be via inkjet printing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display comprising:
providing on a substrate a first electrode associated with a first sub-pixel and a second electrode associated with a second sub-pixel, wherein a gap is formed between the first electrode and the second electrode and wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are positioned in a well having boundaries defined by a confinement structure on the substrate; and
depositing in the well with the electrodes positioned therein, active OLED material to form a substantially continuous layer of active OLED material that spans and is contained within the boundaries of the well such that a surface of the layer of active OLED material that faces away from the substrate has a non-planar topography, wherein the depositing is via inkjet printing.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the layer of active OLED material has a substantially uniform thickness.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the layer of active OLED material includes local non-uniformities in thickness.

4. The method of claim 3 , wherein the local non-uniformities in thickness are within 5 μm-10 μm of edges of surface features in the well.

5. The method of claim 1 , the layer of active OLED material has a thickness less than a thickness of the first electrode and the second electrode.

6. The method of claim 1 , wherein the active OLED material comprises light-emissive material.

7. The method of claim 6 , wherein the light-emissive material has a light-emissive wavelength range that is the same for the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the layer of active OLED material comprises two layers of active OLED materials including a light-emissive material and a hole conducting material.

9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the hole conducting material is at least one of a hole injecting material and a hole transporting material.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the first and second sub-pixels correspond to differing pixels.

11. The method of claim 1 , further comprising providing a structure on the substrate within the gap between the first electrode and the second electrode.

12. The method of claim 11 , wherein the structure comprises an electrically resistive material.

13. The method of claim 1 , further comprising depositing a definition layer on the substrate and a portion of the first electrode and the second electrode and then depositing the confinement structure over the definition layer.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the definition layer comprises an electrically resistive material.

15. The method of claim 13 , further comprising depositing a structure on the substrate in the gap between the first electrode and the second electrode.

16. The method of claim 15 , further comprising depositing a second definition layer on the structure.

17. The method of claim 1 , wherein the organic light-emissive display is a top emission display.

18. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display has a fill factor greater than 40%.

19. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display has a fill factor greater than 60%.

20. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display has a resolution of at least 100 ppi.

21. The method of claim 1 , wherein the display has a resolution of at least 300 ppi.

22. An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display, comprising:
a first electrode disposed on a substrate, wherein the first electrode is associated with a first sub-pixel;
a second electrode disposed on the substrate and spaced from the first electrode to provide a gap between the first and second electrodes, wherein the second electrode is associated with a second sub-pixel;
a confinement structure positioned on the substrate to define boundaries of a well containing the first electrode and the second electrode; and
a substantially continuous active OLED material layer that spans and is contained within the boundaries of the well and is disposed over the first electrode and second electrode, wherein a surface of the active OLED material layer that faces away from the substrate has a non-planar topography.

23. The display of claim 22 , wherein the active OLED material layer has a substantially uniform thickness.

24. The display of claim 23 , wherein the active OLED material layer includes local non-uniformities.

25. The display of claim 24 , wherein the local non-uniformities in thickness are within 5 μm to 10 μm of edges of surface features in the well.

26. The display of claim 22 , wherein the active OLED material layer has a thickness less than a thickness of the first electrode and the second electrode.

27. The display of claim 22 , wherein the active OLED material layer comprises a light-emissive material.

28. The display of claim 27 , wherein the light-emissive material has a light-emissive wavelength range that is the same for the first sub-pixel and the second sub-pixel.

29. The display of claim 22 , wherein the active OLED material layer comprises two active OLED material layers including a light-emissive material layer and a hole conducting material layer.

30. The display of claim 29 , wherein the hole conducting material is chosen from at least one of a hole injecting material and a hole transporting material.

31. The display of claim 22 , wherein the first and second sub-pixels correspond to differing pixels.

32. The display of claim 22 , further comprising a structure disposed on the substrate within the gap between the first electrode and the second electrode.

33. The display of claim 32 , wherein the structure comprises an electrically resistive material.

34. The display of claim 22 , further comprising a definition layer disposed on the substrate over a portion of the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the confinement structure is disposed over the definition layer.

35. The display of claim 34 , wherein the definition layer comprises an electrically resistive material.

36. The display of claim 34 , further comprising a structure disposed on the substrate in the gap between the first electrode and the second electrode.

37. The display of claim 36 , further comprising a second definition layer disposed over the structure.

38. The display of claim 22 , wherein the display is a top emission display.

39. The display of claim 22 , wherein the display is an active matrix device.

40. The display of claim 22 , wherein the display has a fill factor greater than 40%.

41. The display of claim 22 , wherein the display has a fill factor greater than 60%.

42. The display of claim 22 , wherein the display has a resolution of at least 100 ppi.

43. The display of claim 22 , wherein the display has a resolution of at least 300 ppi.

Assignees

• Kateeva Inc

Inventors

• Madigan Conor Francis

Classifications

• H01L27/3246

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/5203

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/56 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/326

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L27/3218

  Electricity · mapped topic