Methods for forming light active devices

Abstract

A method is provided for forming a light active device. A fluid carrier has light active particulate dispersed within it. A first electrode layer is provided and a layer of the fluid carrier dispersed with the light active particulate is laminated or coated on the first electrode layer. A second electrode layer is provided on top of the laminated layer of the fluid carrier dispersed with the light active particulate. The light active particulate may comprise field reactive light active particulate randomly dispersed within the fluid carrier. An aligning field is applied between the first electrode and the second electrode to form a desired alignment of the field reactive light active particulate within the fluid carrier between the first electrode and the second electrode. The carrier may comprise a hardenable material. The carrier can be hardened to form a hardened carrier for maintaining the desired alignment of the light active particulate within the hardened carrier. The light active particulate can be effective for receiving through the carrier electrical charges from the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer and generating photon emissions in response to receiving said electrical charges. The light active particulate can be effective for receiving a photon and separating electrical charges in response to the received photon, the separated electrical charges being transfer through the carrier to the first electrode layer and the second electrode.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This is a Divisional Patent Application of U.S. Utility patent application Ser. No. 10 / 321,161, filed Dec. 17, 2002, which is the US Utility Patent Application of a Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60 / 427,333.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention pertains to organic light active devices. More particularly, the present invention pertains to devices and methods for fabricating organic light active devices that can be used for applications such as general lighting, display backlighting, video displays, maps, digital newspapers, stereoscopic vision aides, advanced vehicle windshields, solar cells, cameras and photodetectors. [0003] Organic light active material (“OLAM™”) makes use of the relatively recent discovery that polymers can be made to be conductors. Organic light emitting diodes (“OLED”) convert electrical energy into light, behaving as a forward biased pn junction. OLAMs can be light emitters or light det...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0014] It is an object of the present invention to overcome the drawbacks of the prior art. In accordance with the present invention, a method is provided for fabricating light active devices using field-attractive light active particulate. It is another object of the present invention to provide an OLED device that has a long shelf life, a long service life, is robust, effective and energy efficient. It is another object of the present invention to provide a method for fabricating an OLED device using relatively simple manufacturing steps and relatively uncomplicated fabrication equipment.

[0016] The first electrode layer may an x-electrode layer having x-electrode lines. The second electrode layer may comprise a y-electrode layer having y-electrode line disposed adjacent to the x electrode layer and defining a gap therebetween so that pixel volumes are defined at intersections of respective x-electrode lines and y-electrode lines. The light active particulate can be effective for receiving through the carrier electrical charges from the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer and generating photon emissions in response to receiving said electrical charges. The light active particulate can be effective for receiving a photon and separating electrical charges in response to the received photon, the separated electrical charges being transfer through the carrier to the first electrode layer and the second electrode.

[0018] The OLED particulate may comprise organic-layered particles, each particle includes a hole transport layer and an electron emitter layer. A heterojunction is formed at the interface between the hole transport layer and the electron emitter layer. Each organic-layered particle may also include a blocking layer adjacent to the electron emitter layer and an emissive layer adjacent to the hole transport layer, thereby forming a stacked organic layered structure. The blocking layer is provided for facilitating the flow of electrons from the electron emitter layer, and the emissive layer is provided for facilitating the emission of photons when the energy state of the OLED particulate is raised.

[0020] As is described further here in, the microcapsule composition may be effective for enabling a “self healing” capability of the fabricated OLED device. In this case, the microcapsule includes a composition that causes the microcapsule to rupture if electrical energy above a threshold is applied to the microcapsule. For example, if a particular microcapsule is aligned so the during use of the OLED device it becomes a short between the electrodes, or if the microcapsule is adjacent to a dust particle or other foreign inclusion, creating such a short, when a electric potential is applied between the electrodes energy exceeding a predetermined threshold will pass through the microcapsule causing the capsule to rupture and disconnect the short. By this construction, the microcapsule is automatically removed from the path of conduction of electrical energy in the event of a short.

[0021] In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the microcapsule shell and / or internal phase may include a composition effective to provide a barrier against degradation of the OLED material. The OLED microcapsules are dispersed within a carrier fluid. This carrier fluid also provides a barrier against the intrusion of substances which degrade the OLED material.

[0024] The typical OLED includes an OLED component that is a hole transport material and an OLED component that is an electron transport material. In accordance with a formulation of the inventive microcapsules, the shell comprises an OLED component material that is either the hole transport material or the electron transport material, and the internal phase of the microcapsule includes the OLED component material that is the other of the hole transport material and the electron transport material. Depending on the desired optical qualities of the fabricated OLED device, the carrier material can be selected so that it has optical properties during use of the OLED device that are transparent, diffusive, absorptive, and / or reflective to light energy. The composition of the OLED particulate can be selected so that the electrical characteristics of the OLED particulate includes, an electro or magneto rheological characteristic. This rheological characteristic is effective for causing the OLED particulate to move within the carrier and orient in response to an applied electrical or magnetic field.

Problems solved by technology

When an electric potential is applied to the electrodes, the electrical energy passes through the carrier material raising the energy state of the OLED particulate, resulting in the emission of light.

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