High-resolution, low-power OLED displays with extended lifetime

Abstract

The present invention relates to high resolution, low power consumption OLED displays with extended lifetime. A full color pixel arrangement suitable for use in a device such as an OLED display is provided, wherein a plurality of sub-pixels are configured to emit different colors of light, each sub-pixel having an optical path length different from some or all of the other sub-pixels within the pixel.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of the invention patent application with the application date of May 27, 2015, application number "201580028268.9", and invention name "High-resolution, low-power OLED display with extended life".

[0002] The claimed invention was made by, on behalf of, and / or in conjunction with one or more of the following parties to a joint university-corporate research agreement: The Regents of the University of Michigan, Princeton University, the University of Southern California, and Universal Display Corporation. Said agreement was in effect on and before the date on which the claimed invention was made, and the claimed invention was made as a result of activities performed within the scope of said agreement.

[0003] priority

[0004] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Nos. 62 / 003,269, filed May 27, 2014, 62 / 005,343, filed May 30, 2014, 62 / 026,494, filed July 18, 2014, and 62 / 068,281, filed October 24, 2014, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. This application also claims priority to U.S. Application Nos. 14 / 605,876, filed January 26, 2015, 14 / 605,748, filed January 26, 2015, and 14 / 698,352, filed April 28, 2015, the disclosure of each of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

[0005] The present invention relates to light emitting devices, such as OLED devices; and more particularly, to devices including full-color pixel arrangements having pixel arrangements of no more than two colors and / or four colors of sub-pixels including emitting areas; and to OLEDs and other devices incorporating the same. Background Art

[0006] Optical electronic devices utilizing organic materials are becoming increasingly popular for several reasons. Many of the materials used to make such devices are relatively inexpensive, so organic optical electronic devices have the potential to gain cost advantages over inorganic devices. In addition, the inherent properties of organic materials (such as their flexibility) can make them very suitable for specific applications, such as manufacturing on flexible substrates. Examples of organic optical electronic devices include organic light emitting devices (OLEDs), organic phototransistors, organic photovoltaic cells, and organic photodetectors. For OLEDs, organic materials can have performance advantages over conventional materials. For example, the wavelength of light emitted by the organic emissive layer can generally be easily adjusted with appropriate dopants.

[0007] OLEDs utilize organic thin films that emit light when voltage is applied to the device. OLEDs are becoming an increasingly attractive technology for use in applications such as flat panel displays, lighting, and backlighting. Several OLED materials and configurations are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,844,363, 6,303,238, and 5,707,745, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0008] One application of phosphorescent emitting molecules is full color displays. Industry standards for such displays require pixels adapted to emit specific colors (referred to as "saturated" colors). Specifically, these standards require saturated red, green, and blue pixels. Color can be measured using CIE coordinates, which are well known in the art.

[0009] An example of a green emitting molecule is tris(2-phenylpyridine)iridium, denoted Ir(ppy)3, which has the following structure:

[0010]

[0011] In this figure and in subsequent figures herein, the coordinate bond from nitrogen to the metal (here, Ir) is depicted as a straight line.

[0012] As used herein, the term "organic" includes polymeric materials as well as small molecule organic materials, which can be used to make organic optical electronic devices. "Small molecule" refers to any organic material that is not a polymer, and a "small molecule" may actually be quite large. In some cases, a small molecule may include a repeating unit. For example, the use of a long chain alkyl group as a substituent does not remove the molecule from the "small molecule" category. Small molecules can also be incorporated into polymers, for example as side groups on a polymer backbone or as part of a backbone. Small molecules can also serve as the core portion of a dendritic polymer, which consists of a series of chemical shells built on the core portion. The core portion of a dendritic polymer can be a fluorescent or phosphorescent small molecule emitter. A dendritic polymer can be a "small molecule", and it is believed that all dendritic polymers currently used in the field of OLEDs are small molecules.

[0013] As used herein, "top" means farthest from the substrate, while "bottom" means closest to the substrate. Where a first layer is described as being "disposed" "on" a second layer, the first layer is disposed farther from the substrate. Unless it is specified that the first layer is "in contact with" the second layer, other layers may be present between the first and second layers. For example, a cathode may be described as being "disposed" "on" an anode even though various organic layers are present between the cathode and the anode. As used herein, two layers or regions may be described as being disposed in a "stacked" form when at least a portion of one layer or region is disposed on at least a portion of the other.

[0014] As used herein, "solution processable" means capable of being dissolved, dispersed or transported in and / or deposited from a liquid medium in the form of a solution or suspension.

[0015] A ligand may be referred to as "photoactive" when it is believed that the ligand directly contributes to the photoactive property of the emissive material. A ligand may be referred to as "ancillary" when it is believed that the ligand does not contribute to the photoactive property of the emissive material, but the ancillary ligand may alter the properties of the photoactive ligand.

[0016] As used herein, and as will be generally understood by one skilled in the art, a first "highest occupied molecular orbital" (HOMO) or "lowest unoccupied molecular orbital" (LUMO) energy level is "greater than" or "higher than" a second HOMO or LUMO energy level if the first energy level is closer to the vacuum energy level. Since the ionization potential (IP) is measured as a negative energy relative to the vacuum energy level, a higher HOMO energy level corresponds to an IP with a smaller absolute value (an IP that is less negative). Similarly, a higher LUMO energy level corresponds to an electron affinity (EA) with a smaller absolute value (an EA that is less negative). On a conventional energy level diagram, the vacuum energy level is at the top, and the LUMO energy level of a material is higher than the HOMO energy level of the same material. A "higher" HOMO or LUMO energy level appears closer to the top of this diagram than a "lower" HOMO or LUMO energy level.

[0017] As used herein, and as will be generally understood by one skilled in the art, a first work function is "greater than" or "higher than" a second work function if the first work function has a higher absolute value. Because work functions are typically measured as negative numbers relative to the vacuum energy level, this means that the "higher" work function is more negative. On a conventional energy level diagram, the vacuum energy level is at the top, and the "higher" work function is illustrated as being farther away from the vacuum energy level in a downward direction. Therefore, the definition of HOMO and LUMO energy levels follows a different convention than that of work functions.

[0018] Layers, materials, regions, and devices may be described herein with reference to the color of light they emit. Generally, as used herein, an emissive region described as producing a particular color of light may include one or more emissive layers disposed on top of each other in a stacked manner.

[0019] As used herein, a "red" layer, material, region, or device refers to a layer, material, region, or device that emits light in the range of about 580-700nm; a "green" layer, material, region, or device refers to a layer, material, region, or device having an emission spectrum with a peak wavelength in the range of about 500-600nm; a "blue" layer, material, or device refers to a layer, material, region, or device having an emission spectrum with a peak wavelength in the range of about 400-500nm; and a "yellow" layer, material, region, or device refers to a layer, material, region, or device having an emission spectrum with a peak wavelength in the range of about 540-600nm. In some arrangements, separate regions, layers, materials, regions, or devices can provide separate "dark blue" and "light blue" lights. As used herein, in arrangements that provide separate "light blue" and "dark blue", the "dark blue" component refers to a component whose peak emission wavelength is at least about 4nm less than the peak emission wavelength of the "light blue" component. Typically, the peak emission wavelength of the "light blue" component is in the range of about 465-500nm, and the peak emission wavelength of the "dark blue" component is in the range of about 400-470nm, but these ranges can vary for some configurations. Similarly, a color-shifting layer refers to a layer that converts or modifies light of another color into light having a wavelength specified with respect to that color. For example, a "red" color filter refers to a color filter that forms light having a wavelength in the range of about 580-700nm. In general, there are two types of color-shifting layers: color filters that modify the spectrum by removing undesirable wavelengths of light, and color-shifting layers that convert higher energy photons into lower energy.

[0020] More details regarding OLEDs and the definitions set forth above may be found in US Pat. No. 7,279,704, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Summary of the invention

[0021] Various embodiments disclosed herein provide devices, such as OLED displays, and techniques for manufacturing the same, that include a limited number of emissive regions while still being able to provide a sufficient color range to provide full color displays and similar devices.

[0022] In one embodiment, a full-color OLED display comprises a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels comprising at least four sub-pixels having different colors. In addition, among all sub-pixels, there may be exactly a single color transition between sub-pixels within the emission region and / or between sub-pixels in each pixel within the emission region. The single color transition may be observed in a direction parallel to the scan lines and / or data lines of the display. The display may include an emission region having only two colors, such as light blue and yellow or dark blue and yellow.

[0023] In one embodiment, a full-color OLED display is provided, comprising a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels having at least two emission regions with different colors disposed adjacent to each other on a substrate. The resolution of the OLED display may be 600 dpi or greater. Each pixel may include exactly two emission regions with different colors, and the display and / or each pixel may include sub-pixels with at least four different colors. Each sub-pixel may be used for only one or one or more of the pixels.

[0024] In one embodiment, a full-color pixel arrangement is provided for a display, such as an OLED display. The arrangement may include a substrate and a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels including an emission region having exactly two colors. The arrangement may include pixels that emit at least four colors. Each emission region in each pixel may be arranged adjacent to an emission region of the same color in an adjacent pixel and adjacent to an emission region of a different color in the same pixel, for example in a direction parallel to a scan line or a data line of the OLED display. Some of all pixels may include no more than two color-changing layers and / or no more than three color-changing layers. Each pixel may include a yellow emission region, which may be adjacent to an emission region of an adjacent pixel. Each pixel may include a blue and yellow emission region, such as a light blue or dark blue and a yellow emission region. Each pixel may include at least one color-changing layer, such as a green color-changing layer or a red color-changing layer.

[0025] In an embodiment, a full color display may incorporate a pixel arrangement as disclosed herein, each pixel comprising a plurality of sub-pixels. The number of sub-pixels in at least some of the pixels may be less than the number of colors of the sub-pixels in the display.

[0026] In one embodiment, a device is provided, comprising a full-color OLED display. The OLED display may include a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels including no more than two color-changing layers. The resolution of the OLED display may be at least 600 dpi, 700 dpi, or 800 dpi. Each pixel may include exactly two colors of the emissive layer.

[0027] In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing pixels in a full-color OLED display is provided. The method may include obtaining a pixelated mask, at least a portion of which includes a plurality of openings; and depositing a common emission material for a plurality of individually addressable sub-pixels through each of the plurality of openings on a substrate, the plurality of sub-pixels being disposed adjacent to each other on the substrate. The area of ​​each of the plurality of openings in the pixelated mask may be at least the combined area of ​​two of the plurality of sub-pixels. No more than two colors of emission areas may be deposited on the substrate to form the full-color OLED display. The area of ​​the pixelated mask may be at least the combined area of ​​two of the plurality of sub-pixels of different colors of light leaving the display. The area of ​​each of the openings in the pixelated mask may be at least the combined area of ​​four of the plurality of sub-pixels. The depositing step may include, for a group of at least two sub-pixels, depositing the common emission material through the openings in the pixelated mask onto a first emission area, and disposing a first color-changing layer on a first portion of the first emission area to form a first sub-pixel. The method may further include disposing a second color-changing layer on a second portion of the first emission area to form a second sub-pixel. The common emission material may include a yellow emission material, a light blue emission material, or a dark blue emission material. When a color-changing layer is used, the first color-changing layer may include a green color-changing layer and / or the second color-changing layer may include a red color-changing layer. The third portion of the emission area may form an emission layer for a third sub-pixel. The method may further include depositing a second emission area through an opening of the pixelated mask, wherein the second emission area forms an emission layer for a fourth sub-pixel. The first emission area may include an emission material configured to emit a color such as yellow, magenta, or cyan. The method may include depositing or patterning no more than two colors of a color-changing layer, such as blue and yellow; and / or depositing or patterning no more than one color-changing layer for each of the multiple pixels. The area of ​​each of the openings in the pixelated mask may not exceed 10% of the area of ​​the pixelated mask.

[0028] In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing an OLED display (e.g., a full-color OLED display) is provided, comprising depositing a display including a plurality of emissive regions having a first color through a pixelated mask having a plurality of openings having a first mask opening size to form a plurality of sub-pixels having the first color; wherein the display may have at least twice as many sub-pixels having the first color as compared to the number of openings in the pixelated mask; and the OLED display may include no more than two colors of emissive regions. The method may include depositing a first TFT circuit adjacent to a first row of pixels and depositing a second TFT circuit adjacent to a second row of pixels, wherein the first row of pixels and the second row of pixels have no TFT circuitry therebetween. The method may further include depositing a third TFT circuit adjacent to the second TFT circuit, the third TFT circuit being adjacent to a third row of pixels. The pixelated mask may have openings having an area that is at least the combined area of ​​two of the plurality of sub-pixels of different colors of light exiting the display. The area of ​​each opening in the pixelated mask may be at least the combined area of ​​three of the plurality of sub-pixels. To deposit the sub-pixels, a first emission region may be deposited through an opening in the pixelated mask, and a first color-changing layer may be disposed on a first portion of the emission region to form a first sub-pixel. Similarly, a second color-changing layer may be disposed on a second portion of the emission region to form a second sub-pixel. A third portion of the emission region may form an emission layer for a third sub-pixel. The method may further include depositing a second emission region through an opening in the pixelated mask, wherein the second emission region forms an emission layer for a fourth sub-pixel. The first emission material may be configured to emit yellow, magenta, or cyan light. The method may further include depositing or patterning no more than two colors of a color-changing layer and / or no more than two colors of an emission layer.

[0029] In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing an OLED display is provided, comprising depositing a display including a plurality of emissive regions having a first color through a pixelated mask having a plurality of openings having a first pixelated mask opening size to form a plurality of sub-pixels having the first color; wherein at least one distance between adjacent openings in the pixelated mask is at least twice the distance between adjacent sub-pixels having the first color in the display. The distance may be a distance parallel to a scan line of the display or perpendicular to a scan line of the display. The display may be a full-color display. The method may further include depositing a first TFT circuit adjacent to a first row of pixels and depositing a second TFT circuit adjacent to a second row of pixels, wherein the first row of pixels and the second row of pixels do not contain a TFT circuit therebetween. A third TFT circuit may be disposed adjacent to the second TFT circuit, the third TFT circuit being adjacent to a third row of pixels.

[0030] In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing an OLED display is provided, comprising depositing a display including a plurality of emissive regions having a first color through a pixelated mask having a plurality of openings having a first pixelated mask opening size to form a plurality of sub-pixels having the first color, each sub-pixel being a portion of a pixel in the display. The display may have a higher density of pixels per unit area than the density of openings per unit area in the pixelated mask; and emissive regions having no more than two colors may be deposited to manufacture the OLED display.

[0031] In one embodiment, a method of manufacturing pixels in a full-color OLED display is provided. A pixelated mask may be obtained, at least a portion of which includes a plurality of openings; and a common emitting material may be deposited on a substrate through each of the plurality of openings for a plurality of individually addressable sub-pixels disposed adjacent to each other on the substrate. The area of ​​each of the plurality of openings in the pixelated mask may be at least the combined area of ​​four of the plurality of sub-pixels.

[0032] In one embodiment, a full-color pixel arrangement is provided, comprising a first organic emissive region configured to emit a first color; and a second organic emissive region disposed adjacent to the first emissive region and configured to emit a second color different from the first color. A first portion of the first emissive region may be optically coupled to a microcavity, and the second emissive region is not optically coupled to the microcavity. The second emissive region may emit light having 1931 CIE (x, y) coordinates within (+ / -0.02, + / -0.02) of a point on a straight line between the 1931 CIE coordinates of the light emitted by the first emissive region and the 1931 CIE coordinates of a selected white point. For viewing angles between 0° and 60°, including 0° and 60°, the color shift in the 1931 CIE (x, y) coordinates of the white point may be less than (0.01, 0.01). The pixel arrangement may include an emissive region having no more than two colors and / or no more than two color-changing layers. A second portion of the first emissive region may be optically coupled to the microcavity. The arrangement may include a first emissive stack including the first emissive region, wherein the first emissive stack is a bottom-emitting OLED stack. The arrangement may include an electrode superimposed on the first and second emission regions, wherein a distance between a surface of the electrode and the first emission region measured in a direction perpendicular to the electrode is smaller than a distance between the surface of the electrode and the second emission region measured in a direction perpendicular to the electrode.

[0033] In an embodiment, a full-color OLED display is provided, comprising a pixel arrangement as disclosed herein, wherein for viewing angles between 0° and 60°, inclusive, the color shift in the 1931 CIE (x, y) coordinates of the white point of the display is less than (0.02, 0.02). For viewing angles between 0° and 60°, inclusive, the color shift in the 1931 CIE (x, y) coordinates of the white point of the display may be less than (0.01, 0.01). Each of the plurality of pixels may include an emissive region having no more than two colors. Each of the pixels may include no more than one microcavity.

[0034] In one embodiment, a full-color OLED display is provided, comprising a first organic emissive region configured to emit a first color; and a second organic emissive region disposed adjacent to the first emissive region and configured to emit a second color different from the first color. At least one of the first emissive region and the second emissive region may be optically coupled to a microcavity. For viewing angles between 0° and 60°, inclusive, the color shift in the 1931 CIE coordinates of the white point of the display may be less than (0.01, 0.01). The second emissive region may emit light having 1931 CIE (x, y) coordinates within (+ / -0.02, + / -0.02) of a point on a straight line between the 1931 CIE coordinates of light emitted by the first emissive region and the 1931 CIE coordinates of a selected white point. The color gamut of the display may be at least 90% of the NTSC color gamut in the 1931 CIE color space.

[0035] In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing pixels in an OLED display is provided, comprising obtaining a first pixelated mask, at least a portion of which includes a plurality of openings; depositing a first common emission material for a plurality of first sub-pixels on a substrate through each of the plurality of openings in the first pixelated mask, the plurality of sub-pixels being disposed adjacent to each other on the substrate; depositing a second common emission material for a plurality of second sub-pixels on the substrate through each of the plurality of openings in the second pixelated mask, the plurality of sub-pixels being disposed adjacent to each other on the substrate and disposed within a microcavity; and depositing a non-emitting layer on the substrate through each of the plurality of openings in a third pixelated mask. The area of ​​each of the plurality of openings in the first pixelated mask may be at least the combined area of ​​two of the plurality of first sub-pixels. The first common emission material for the plurality of first sub-pixels deposited through each opening may include emission materials for sub-pixels in at least two individually addressable pixels. The non-emitting layer may include one or more materials, such as a hole transport material, an electron blocking material, and a hole injection material. The method may further include positioning the second pixelated mask such that each of the plurality of openings spans at least two sub-pixels and / or such that each of the plurality of openings spans at least two colors of sub-pixels.The first and second pixelated masks may be a single mask.

[0036] In one embodiment, a full-color pixel arrangement is provided, comprising a first emissive layer having a first color; a second emissive layer having a second color, the second emissive layer overlapping only a portion of the first emissive layer that is less than the entire first emissive layer; and a first color-changing layer of the first color overlapping a first portion of the second emissive layer. The arrangement may include emissive layers having exactly two colors, and may emit light having at least four colors. The arrangement may include a second color-changing layer of the second color overlapping a second portion of the second emissive layer and non-overlapping with the first color-changing layer. The first emissive layer may also be a hole transport layer for the second emissive layer. The arrangement may include an electrode and / or a passivation layer disposed between the first emissive layer and the second emissive layer.

[0037] In an embodiment, a full color display is provided, comprising a plurality of pixels, each pixel having exactly n-1 sub-pixels having different colors, n being at least 3. The display may include sub-pixels having n different colors. The display may also include only n-1 data lines for each of the plurality of pixels.

[0038] In one embodiment, a full-color pixel arrangement is provided for use in a device, such as an OLED display. The arrangement includes a substrate and a plurality of pixels, each of which includes an emission region having exactly two colors disposed laterally adjacent to each other on the substrate. Each pixel may include a plurality of sub-pixels of different colors configured to emit light, wherein each sub-pixel may have an optical path length different from some or all of the other sub-pixels. The arrangement may include two, three, four or more sub-pixels. Different optical path lengths may be provided by layers having different thicknesses within each sub-pixel (e.g., transport or blocking layers having different thicknesses). In some embodiments, the total thickness of the organic layer within each sub-pixel may be the same, and / or the thickness of the same type of organic layer within each sub-pixel may be the same as some or all of the other sub-pixels. Alternatively or additionally, each sub-pixel may be disposed in a stacked manner with an electrode stack, each of which may have a different thickness relative to the electrode stack of the other sub-pixels. Each pixel may include a color-changing layer, and may include no more than two such color-changing layers.

[0039] The arrangements disclosed herein can be incorporated into a wide variety of devices, such as wearable devices, flat panel displays, computer monitors, medical monitors, televisions, billboards, lights for interior or exterior lighting, signs, color-adjustable or color-temperature-adjustable lighting sources, heads-up displays, 3D displays, fully transparent displays, flexible displays, laser printers, telephones, cell phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, digital cameras, camcorders, viewfinders, microdisplays, vehicles, large area walls, theater or stadium screens, and signage.

[0040] In an embodiment, a method of manufacturing a pixel arrangement is provided, wherein a transparent layer is constructed whose at least one optical characteristic (e.g. optical path length or thickness or refractive index) is different in different regions of the layer, each of which may correspond to a different sub-pixel within the display. The layer may be disposed in the arrangement as part of an electrode stack.

[0041] In an embodiment, the pixel arrangement may comprise a plurality of sub-pixels, wherein at least one layer in each sub-pixel has a different thickness than the same layer in every other sub-pixel.The arrangement may comprise an emissive region having no more than two colours.

[0042] In an embodiment, a pixel arrangement comprising a plurality of sub-pixels may be manufactured by manufacturing a plurality of layers on a substrate, at least one layer in each sub-pixel having a different thickness than the same layer in each of the other sub-pixels.

[0043] Embodiments disclosed herein may provide a display having a resolution of at least 500 dpi, 600 dpi, 700 dpi, 800 dpi, or any value therein, such as a full color OLED display. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] Figure 1 An organic light-emitting device is demonstrated.

[0045] Figure 2 An inverted organic light-emitting device without a separate electron transport layer is demonstrated.

[0046] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an example masking arrangement suitable for manufacturing a pixel arrangement as disclosed herein is shown.

[0047] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a pixel arrangement according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0048] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a pixel arrangement according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0049] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a pixel arrangement according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0050] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of an example masking arrangement suitable for manufacturing a pixel arrangement as disclosed herein is shown.

[0051] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a pixel arrangement according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0052] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of an example masking arrangement suitable for manufacturing a pixel arrangement as disclosed herein is shown.

[0053] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of a pixel arrangement according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0054] Fig.11 A 1931 CIE diagram is shown highlighting a set of points outside the RG lines according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0055] Fig.12 A 1931 CIE diagram is shown with coordinates for pure red, green, and blue, and multi-component yellow light sources that lie outside the RG lines according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0056] Fig.13 An example color point that appears without using a red sub-pixel according to an embodiment disclosed herein is illustrated.

[0057] Fig.14 A CIE diagram is shown that identifies red, green, blue, and yellow points, determines the white point, and various color regions according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0058] Fig.15 A schematic diagram of a pixel arrangement including a blue color shifting layer disposed on a blue emission region according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0059] Fig.16 A schematic diagram of a pixel arrangement including a blue color shifting layer disposed on a blue emission region according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0060] Fig.17 A schematic diagram of a pixel arrangement including a blue color shifting layer disposed on a blue emission region according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0061] Fig.18 A diagram showing identification of red, green, blue, and yellow points and associated color space according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0062] Fig.19 Another diagram showing identification of red, green, blue, and yellow points and associated color space according to an embodiment disclosed herein.

[0063] Fig. 20A A color space defined by two sub-pixels according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0064] Fig. 20B A color space defined by a single sub-pixel according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown.

[0065] Fig.21A and 21B Top emitting (TE) and bottom emitting (BE) configurations are shown respectively to achieve arrangements as disclosed herein.

[0066] Fig.22A and 22B Top and bottom emitting devices are shown respectively, where according to one embodiment a further masking step is used to deposit a further thickness of a hole transporting (HTL) or electron blocking layer (EBL).

[0067] Fig.23A and 23B Top and bottom emission devices are shown, which according to one embodiment is a configuration in which the anodes can be individually patterned to independently optimize emission from each sub-pixel.

[0068] Fig.24An example schematic arrangement is shown in which the yellow sub-pixel is located in a separate plane relative to the substrate and the blue sub-pixel according to an embodiment.

[0069] Fig.25 An example arrangement is shown where there are multiple yellow, red and green sub-pixels in each pixel including a single blue sub-pixel according to an embodiment.

[0070] Fig.26 An example device configuration having two sub-pixel planes according to an embodiment is shown.

[0071] Fig. 27 An example top-emitting device configuration having two sub-pixel planes according to an embodiment is shown.

[0072] Fig.28A An example OLED deposition according to an embodiment is shown. Fig.28B The corresponding pixelated mask is shown, where the unshaded areas correspond to the openings in the mask.

[0073] Fig.29A An example sub-pixel emitting material layout is shown in accordance with an embodiment, where sub-pixels of the same color are grouped together in adjacent pixels on the same row. Fig.29B The corresponding pixelated mask arrangement is shown.

[0074] Fig. 30A and 30B An example sub-pixel layout and a corresponding pixelation mask according to an embodiment are respectively shown.

[0075] Fig.31 An example sub-pixel layout according to an embodiment is shown.

[0076] Fig.32 An example mask design to implement such a configuration is shown.

[0077] Fig.33 Another example of a staggered layout according to an embodiment is shown.

[0078] Fig.34 Shows the corresponding Fig.33 An example mask arrangement for a layout of FIG.

[0079] Fig.35 An example of a data line configuration according to an embodiment is shown.

[0080] Fig.36 An example arrangement according to an embodiment is shown.

[0081] Fig.37 Shown Fig.36A variation on the arrangement shown in FIG. 1 is shown in FIG. 2 , where according to one embodiment blue and yellow sub-pixels may be deposited in pairs.

[0082] Fig.38 Another example arrangement is shown according to an embodiment, where each mask opening is used to simultaneously deposit on 4 sub-pixels of the same color.

[0083] Fig.39 An example arrangement according to an embodiment is shown, wherein according to an embodiment, relative to Fig.38 In the arrangement shown in , four adjacent blue sub-pixels are replaced by a single large sub-pixel.

[0084] Fig.40 According to one embodiment, Fig.39 An example arrangement of scan and data line layouts of sub-pixel arrangements.

[0085] Fig.41 An example RGB1B2Y arrangement is shown according to an embodiment.

[0086] Fig.42A Shown Fig.41 An example variation of the arrangement in , wherein according to an embodiment, four of the dark blue sub-pixels are replaced by a single large dark blue sub-pixel that is shared by four pixels.

[0087] Fig.42B Shows something like Fig.42A An example arrangement of , which may be more suitable for efficient deposition via OVJP and similar printing techniques.

[0088] Fig.43 A configuration according to an embodiment is shown, which may be suitable for wearable devices and similar applications.

[0089] Fig.44 The red, green, and blue points on a CIE diagram are shown, along with a desired yellow color ("Yellow 1"), according to one embodiment.

[0090] Fig.45 A comparison of an example conventional RGB side-by-side pixel layout and an arrangement as disclosed herein deposited using only two OLED emission regions is shown.

[0091] Fig.46 An example arrangement is shown in which a green color shifting layer is disposed over a light blue ("LB") sub-pixel, according to an embodiment.

[0092] Fig.47 An arrangement according to an embodiment is shown, wherein a green color shifting layer is disposed over both the light blue and yellow emitting regions to produce a green sub-pixel according to an embodiment.

[0093] Fig.48 An arrangement according to an embodiment is shown in which a green color shifting layer is disposed over deep blue and yellow emitting regions.

[0094] Fig.49 An example arrangement according to an embodiment is shown in which the display requires only 3 TFT circuits in each pixel and in which there are no dark blue sub-pixels.

[0095] Fig.50 An example arrangement is shown in which a green color shifting layer is disposed over a light blue emitting region to provide a green sub-pixel according to an embodiment.

[0096] Fig.51 Another example according to an embodiment is shown in which a green color shifting layer is disposed on a light blue emitting region to provide a green sub-pixel.

[0097] Fig.52 An example schematic pixel layout according to an embodiment is shown.

[0098] Fig.53 An example schematic pixel layout according to an embodiment is shown.

[0099] Fig.54 An example device arrangement is shown in which a thin metal layer is disposed over a TCO layer according to an embodiment.

[0100] Fig.55 Simulation data is presented for an embodiment including blue and yellow emitting regions, with the blue region coupled to a microcavity.

[0101] Fig.56 An example system and process for visualizing display data according to one embodiment is presented.

[0102] Fig.57 A schematic diagram of electrode stacking of multiple sub-pixels according to an embodiment is shown.

[0103] Fig.58 A schematic diagram of electrode stacking of multiple sub-pixels according to an embodiment is shown.

[0104] Fig.59 A schematic diagram of electrode stacking of multiple sub-pixels according to an embodiment is shown.

[0105] Fig.60 A schematic diagram of electrode stacking of multiple sub-pixels according to an embodiment is shown.

[0106] Fig.61A and 61B Schematic diagram showing sub-pixel arrangements with different optical path lengths. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0107] In general, an OLED comprises at least one organic layer disposed between an anode and a cathode and electrically connected to the anode and the cathode. When an electric current is applied, the anode injects holes and the cathode injects electrons into the organic layer. The injected holes and electrons each migrate toward the oppositely charged electrode. When electrons and holes are confined to the same molecule, an "exciton" is formed, which is a localized electron-hole pair with an excited energy state. When the exciton relaxes via a photoemission mechanism, light is emitted. In some cases, the exciton can be confined to an exciton or an excited complex. Non-radiative mechanisms (such as thermal relaxation) may also occur, but are generally considered undesirable.

[0108] The first OLEDs used emissive molecules that emitted light from a singlet state ("fluorescence"), as disclosed, for example, in US Pat. No. 4,769,292, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Fluorescence emission typically occurs in a time frame of less than 10 nanoseconds.

[0109] Recently, OLEDs with emissive materials that emit light from triplet states ("phosphorescence") have been demonstrated. Baldo et al., "Highly Efficient Phosphorescent Emission from Organic Electroluminescent Devices," Nature, Vol. 395, pp. 151-154, 1998; ("Baldo-I") and Baldo et al., "Very high-efficiency green organic light-emitting devices based on electrophosphorescence," Appl. Phys. Lett., Vol. 75, No. 3, pp. 4-6 (1999) ("Baldo-II"), which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Phosphorescence is described in more detail in U.S. Pat. No. 7,279,704, columns 5-6, incorporated by reference.

[0110] Figure 1An organic light emitting device 100 is shown. The figures are not necessarily drawn to scale. The device 100 may include a substrate 110, an anode 115, a hole injection layer 120, a hole transport layer 125, an electron blocking layer 130, an emission layer 135, a hole blocking layer 140, an electron transport layer 145, an electron injection layer 150, a protective layer 155, a cathode 160, and a barrier layer 170. The cathode 160 is a composite cathode having a first conductive layer 162 and a second conductive layer 164. The device 100 can be manufactured by depositing the described layers in sequence. The properties and functions of these various layers and example materials are described in more detail in columns 6-10 of US 7,279,704, which is incorporated by reference.

[0111] There are more examples of each of these layers. For example, a flexible and transparent substrate-anode combination is disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 5,844,363, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. An example of a p-doped hole transport layer is m-MTDATA doped with F4-TCNQ at a molar ratio of 50:1, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003 / 0230980, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. Examples of emissive materials and host materials are disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 6,303,238 to Thompson et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. An example of an n-doped electron transport layer is BPhen doped with Li at a molar ratio of 1:1, as disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003 / 0230980, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. U.S. Patent Nos. 5,703,436 and 5,707,745, which are incorporated by reference in their entirety, disclose examples of cathodes including composite cathodes having a thin layer of metal such as Mg:Ag with an overlying transparent, conductive, sputter-deposited ITO layer. The principles and use of barrier layers are described in more detail in U.S. Patent No. 6,097,147 and U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2003 / 0230980, which are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Examples of injection layers are provided in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004 / 0174116, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. A description of protective layers can be found in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2004 / 0174116, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0112] Figure 2An inverted OLED 200 is shown. The device includes a substrate 210, a cathode 215, an emissive layer 220, a hole transport layer 225, and an anode 230. Device 200 can be manufactured by depositing the described layers in order. Because the most common OLED configuration has a cathode disposed on the anode, and device 200 has cathode 215 disposed under anode 230, device 200 can be referred to as an "inverted" OLED. In the corresponding layers of device 200, materials similar to those described with respect to device 100 can be used. Figure 2 One example is provided of how some layers may be omitted from the structure of device 100 .

[0113] Figure 1 and 2 The simple layered structure illustrated in is provided as a non-limiting example, and it should be understood that embodiments of the present invention can be used in conjunction with a variety of other structures. The specific materials and structures described are exemplary in nature, and other materials and structures can be used. Functional OLEDs can be achieved by combining the various layers described in different ways, or several layers can be omitted entirely, based on design, performance, and cost factors. Other layers not specifically described may also be included. Materials different from the materials specifically described may be used. Although many of the examples provided herein describe various layers as comprising a single material, it should be understood that a combination of materials (e.g., a mixture of a host and a dopant) or, more generally, a mixture may be used. Also, the layers may have various sublayers. The names given to the various layers herein are not intended to be strictly limiting. For example, in device 200, hole transport layer 225 transports holes and injects holes into emissive layer 220, and may be described as a hole transport layer or a hole injection layer. In one embodiment, the OLED may be described as having an "organic layer" disposed between a cathode and an anode. This organic layer may include a single layer, or may further include, for example, Figure 1 and 2 Multiple layers of different organic materials are described.

[0114] Structures and materials not specifically described may also be used, such as OLEDs containing polymeric materials (PLEDs), such as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,247,190 to Friend et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. As another example, an OLED having a single organic layer may be used. OLEDs may be stacked, such as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,707,745 to Forrest et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. OLED structures may be separated from Figure 1 and 2For example, the substrate may include angled reflective surfaces to improve out-coupling, such as a mesa structure as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,091,195 to Forrest et al., and / or a pit structure as described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,834,893 to Bulovic et al., which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.

[0115] Unless otherwise specified, any of the layers of the various embodiments may be deposited by any suitable method. For organic layers, preferred methods include thermal evaporation, inkjet (e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,013,982 and 6,087,196, which are incorporated by reference in their entirety), organic vapor phase deposition (OVPD) (e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,337,102 to Forrest et al., which is incorporated by reference in its entirety), and deposition by organic vapor jet printing (OVJP) (e.g., as described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,431,968, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety). Other suitable deposition methods include spin coating and other solution-based processes. Solution-based processes are preferably performed in a nitrogen or inert atmosphere. For other layers, preferred methods include thermal evaporation. Preferred patterning methods include deposition through a mask, cold welding (such as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,294,398 and 6,468,819, which are incorporated by reference in their entirety), and patterning associated with some of the deposition methods such as inkjet and OVJD. Other methods may also be used. The material to be deposited may be modified to make it compatible with a specific deposition method. For example, substituents such as alkyl and aryl groups, which may be branched or unbranched and preferably contain at least 3 carbons, may be used in small molecules to enhance their ability to withstand solution processing. Substituents having 20 or more carbons may be used, and 3-20 carbons are a preferred range. Materials having asymmetric structures may have better solution processability than materials having symmetric structures because asymmetric materials may have a lower tendency to recrystallize. Dendritic polymer substituents may be used to enhance the ability of small molecules to withstand solution processing.

[0116] The device manufactured according to the embodiment of the present invention may further optionally include a barrier layer. One purpose of the barrier layer is to protect the electrode and the organic layer from being damaged by exposure to harmful substances (including moisture, vapor and / or gas, etc.) in the environment. The barrier layer can be deposited on a substrate, an electrode, deposited under a substrate, an electrode, or deposited beside a substrate, an electrode, or deposited on any other part (including the edge) of the device. The barrier layer may include a single layer or multiple layers. The barrier layer may be formed by various known chemical vapor deposition techniques, and may include a composition having a single phase and a composition having multiple phases. Any suitable material or material combination may be used for the barrier layer. The barrier layer may be incorporated with an inorganic compound or an organic compound or both. A preferred barrier layer comprises a mixture of a polymeric material and a non-polymeric material, as described in U.S. Patent No. 7,968,146, PCT Patent Application No. PCT / US2007 / 023098, and No. PCT / US2009 / 042829, which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In order to be considered a "mixture", the aforementioned polymeric material and non-polymeric material constituting the barrier layer should be deposited under the same reaction conditions and / or at the same time. The weight ratio of polymeric material to non-polymeric material can be in the range of 95:5 to 5:95. The polymeric material and non-polymeric material can be produced from the same precursor material. In one example, the mixture of polymeric material and non-polymeric material consists essentially of polymeric silicon and inorganic silicon.

[0117] The device manufactured according to embodiments of the present invention can be incorporated into various consumer products, including flat panel displays, computer monitors, medical monitors, televisions, billboards, lights for internal or external lighting and / or signaling, color-adjustable or color-temperature-adjustable lighting sources, head-up displays, fully transparent displays, flexible displays, laser printers, telephones, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), laptop computers, digital cameras, camcorders, viewfinders, microdisplays, vehicles, large-area walls, theater or stadium screens, or signboards. Various control mechanisms can be used to control the device manufactured according to the present invention, including passive matrices and active matrices. It is primarily intended that many of the devices in the device be used in a temperature range comfortable for humans, such as 18 degrees Celsius to 30 degrees Celsius, and more preferably at room temperature (20-25 degrees Celsius), but can be operated at temperatures outside this range (e.g., -40C to +85C or higher).

[0118] The materials and structures described herein can be applied to devices other than OLEDs. For example, other optoelectronic devices such as organic solar cells and organic photodetectors can use the materials and structures. More generally, organic devices such as organic transistors can use the materials and structures.

[0119] The terms halo, halogen, alkyl, cycloalkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aralkyl, heterocyclyl, aryl, aromatic and heteroaryl are known in the art and are defined in US 7,279,704, columns 31-32, which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0120] Current display architectures and manufacturing capabilities typically do not allow for low power and high-resolution OLED displays. For example, a side-by-side (SBS) architecture typically can achieve relatively low power consumption (and therefore good life), but this architecture may require relatively high-resolution shading. Such technology is typically limited to a resolution of about 250 dpi. In order to achieve higher resolution, an architecture using a white device in combination with a color filter can be used to avoid patterning the OLED emission layer. However, such technology typically suffers from relatively low efficiency and therefore high power consumption, which also reduces life. These constraints can be overcome to some extent by utilizing an RGBW pixel architecture, which uses both unfiltered white sub-pixels and devices that emit in individual colors by utilizing color filters on other white sub-pixels. Compared to a comparable RGB SBS display, this architecture is generally considered to produce poorer image quality, and typically has lower power consumption and poorer life.

[0121] The present invention provides a pixel component arrangement that provides a full-color device while using an emitting device that emits no more than two colors and / or a limited number of color-changing layers. The embodiments disclosed herein can provide improved performance over conventional RGBW displays, such as lower power consumption and longer life, fewer high-resolution masking steps, and at lower resolutions compared to conventional RGB SBS displays. That is, although the arrangement as disclosed herein may include multiple sub-pixels or other emitting devices or regions, there may be a limited number of colors within the arrangement that are emitted by the emitting devices or regions within the arrangement. As a specific example, the arrangement as disclosed herein may include three sub-pixels. Two of the sub-pixels may include an emitting region (e.g., OLED) that emits light of the same color, and one of the sub-pixels is filtered or otherwise modified to produce different colors after the light is emitted by the emitting region. The third sub-pixel may include an emitting region that emits light of a color different from the first emitting region within the two sub-pixels. Therefore, although the sub-pixels as a whole can produce light of three or more colors, the emitting region within the arrangement only needs to initially emit light of two colors. The device disclosed herein can also be implemented using simplified manufacturing techniques compared to conventional SBS arrangements because fewer masking steps may be required.

[0122] In one embodiment, two masking steps can be used. This can provide simplified manufacturing when compared to the three masking steps required for conventional RGB SBS displays. Each mask opening area can be approximately half the pixel area, as opposed to one-third in conventional SBS displays. The increase in the area of ​​the shaded mask opening relative to a conventional SBS display of the same pixel size can provide a higher pixel density. For example, the same size opening will provide up to about 50% increase in display resolution compared to conventional SBS technology. In some configurations, the exact size of the mask opening can be determined based on lifetime matching considerations in order to optimize the current through each sub-pixel and thus improve the overall display lifetime.

[0123] Using the techniques disclosed herein, fill factor increases are also possible, particularly for top-emitting active matrix OLED (AMOLED) displays, which can provide higher efficiency relative to conventional three-mask pixelation methods of the same resolution. This is due to the relative increase in the area of ​​the three sub-pixels in the two-mask method as disclosed compared to the conventional three-mask method. Using the two-mask method as disclosed, at least some sub-pixels may require less current to be displayed by the display for the same brightness. This can result in higher device efficiency, lower voltage, and / or longer display lifetime.

[0124] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an example masking arrangement suitable for manufacturing a pixel arrangement as disclosed herein is shown. In a first masked deposition, an emitting layer structure or a stacked device structure including multiple emitting layers can be deposited in a first region 310. The first region contains one or more emitting layers that emit light having a first color. A second masked deposition can be performed in an adjacent or otherwise proximate region 320 to deposit an emitting layer or stacked structure that emits light having a second color, which is different from the first color. Two color-changing layers 330, 340 can then be disposed on the second emitting region so that light passing through each color filter can be converted from the second color to a third and fourth color, respectively, which are each different from the first and second colors. In some configurations, a portion of the second emitting region can remain uncovered so that the illustrated arrangement can provide light having four unique colors. In some configurations, the color-changing layers 330, 340 can cover the entire second region so that the illustrated arrangement provides light having three unique colors. Although Figure 3For illustrative purposes, the color filters are shown as being arranged with a certain distance between them, but it should be understood that, in general, the color filters can be arranged in close proximity to each other so that no yellow light is emitted in the area between the color filters. Similarly, each color filter can extend to the appropriate edge of the yellow emission area so that no yellow light is emitted by the edge of the color-changing layer adjacent to the color-changing layer. Each of the emission layers or stacked structures can include one or more emission materials, each of which can be phosphorescent or fluorescent. More generally, each emission material can include any of the emission materials, layers and / or structures disclosed herein.

[0125] As a specific example, the first mask deposition 310 can provide a blue device, which can be a single EML structure or a stacked device containing more than one EML. As is known in the art, a stacked device may be required to provide extended life and / or reduced image sticking; in other arrangements, a single-layer emitting device may be preferred to reduce manufacturing costs and complexity. The blue OLED can be phosphorescent or fluorescent. The second mask deposition 320 can provide a yellow device, which can be made, for example, by combining red and green emitters. More generally, a yellow device can be provided using any suitable combination of emitting materials and / or layers. As a specific example, separate red and green emitters can be provided in a mixed layer; in separate layers within a two-EML device; in a stacked device having a red EML in one OLED in the stack and a green EML in the other; in a yellow device using a single EML containing a yellow emitter; or in a stacked device containing two yellow EMLs. Therefore, in some configurations, an emitting region can be provided by a plurality of emitting materials, each of which has an emission spectrum or peak emission wavelength different from the overall final color of the region. Various combinations can also be used, but advantageously any selected combination can be deposited using the same second mask arrangement. In the completed example configuration, the blue device is controlled by an anode and associated active matrix control circuit. The yellow device is divided into three sub-pixels, yellow, green and red. Each sub-pixel is then controlled by its own anode and associated active matrix control circuit. The yellow sub-pixel uses unfiltered yellow light from the yellow OLED. The green sub-pixel is obtained by placing a green color filter on the yellow OLED, and similarly, the red sub-pixel is obtained by placing a red color filter on the yellow OLED. Therefore, the resulting pixel arrangement has four sub-pixels, red, green, blue and yellow (RGBY). Such an arrangement can be advantageous because the blue performance may not be limited by the color filter as in a conventional RGBW display, but can have the same optimized lifespan as in a conventional RGB SBS display. In addition, in a conventional RGBW arrangement, the green color filter is configured to prevent as much blue and red light as possible from being transmitted. Therefore, a bandpass color filter is typically used as a green color filter. In an RGBY arrangement as disclosed herein where yellow light is used as a multi-component light source, a green filter can be configured to prevent only red light from being transmitted, because the multi-component light does not include a blue component. Thus, a cutoff filter can be used instead of a bandpass filter, which can provide relatively greater efficiency and color saturation.

[0126] The embodiments disclosed herein can use unfiltered yellow light to improve display efficiency when highly saturated red or green is not required. In operation, the unfiltered yellow device can be used in a similar manner to white in a conventional RGBW display, and similar algorithms can be used for signal processing. In order to display specific unsaturated colors, yellow light can be mixed with three individual red, green or blue primary colors, which can provide higher efficiency than using only red, green or blue primary colors alone. A full-color display using this technology can have power consumption that is only about 12% higher than a conventional SBS RGB arrangement, in contrast to a conventional RGBW arrangement, which typically has power consumption that is about 50% higher than an SBS RGB arrangement. This power reduction level can be achieved even if the overall efficiency of the red and green sub-pixels is reduced by 25%. For example, a color filter can reduce the efficiency of individual red and green by 50%, but the unfiltered yellow sub-pixel can recover most of this loss.

[0127] The embodiments disclosed herein can similarly provide an increased display color range. For example, referring to Fig.11 , the yellow multi-component light source can be configured so that it emits light having CIE coordinates (e.g., point 1104 illustrated) located on the "RG line" between the identified pure red and green points. In some embodiments, the identified red and green points can correspond to the "pure" colors emitted by the emission regions in the corresponding sub-pixels. Alternatively, the yellow multi-component light source can be configured to emit light located outside the RG line (e.g., point 1108), any point along the illustrated curve 1100, and the like. The use of such multi-component light sources can increase the available display color gamut by allowing the use of CIE regions outside the RG line. According to various arrangements disclosed herein, the increase in color gamut can be achieved or used when the yellow multi-component light source is filtered to provide red and / or green light, or it can be used when an unfiltered yellow light source is used. Therefore, in some configurations, it may be desirable for the yellow multi-component light source to have CIE coordinates located outside the RG line on the 1931 CIE diagram.

[0128] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a pixel arrangement according to an embodiment disclosed herein is shown. Figure 3 As described, the arrangement includes four sub-pixels 410, 420, 430, 440. One sub-pixel 410 includes one or more emitting devices or regions that emit light having a first color. Other sub-pixels 420, 430, 440 are constructed using emitting regions that emit light having a second color. Color-changing layers 432, 442 can be disposed on each of the emitting regions 434, 444. The third sub-pixel 420 remains unfiltered, resulting in a pixel arrangement with four sub-pixels, each of which provides light having a different color.

[0129] In some configurations, additional color-changing layers may be used. For example, a blue color-changing layer may be disposed on the blue emission region 410 to modify the resulting spectral output at the blue sub-pixel. An example of such a configuration is shown in Fig.15 In which the blue color-changing layer is arranged on the blue emission area, and the other emission areas and the color-changing layer are Figure 4 Although generally shown as a blue color-changing layer and a blue emission region for the sake of clarity, the blue color-changing layer can be a light blue or dark blue color-changing layer. Similarly, the blue emission region can be a dark blue or light blue emission region.

[0130] As about Figure 3 As described, each sub-pixel can be controlled by an associated control circuit. An example control circuit is shown for illustration purposes in Figure 4 In the figure, various control elements are shaded to match the emission area being controlled. The specific arrangement of the control circuit is provided as an example only, and any suitable control circuit may be used as will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art.

[0131] In general terms in the art, a "sub-pixel" may refer to an emissive region in combination with any color-changing layer, which may be a single layer of EML, a stacked device, etc., which is used to modify the color emitted by the emissive region. For example, sub-pixel 430 includes an emissive region 434 and a color-changing layer 432. As used herein, the "emissive region" of a sub-pixel refers to any and all emissive layers, regions, and devices that are initially used to produce light for the sub-pixel. The sub-pixel may also include additional layers that are stacked with the emissive region and affect the color ultimately produced by the sub-pixel, such as the color-changing layers disclosed herein, but such color-changing layers are typically not considered "emissive layers" as disclosed herein. An unfiltered sub-pixel is a sub-pixel that excludes a color-modifying component (e.g., a color-changing layer) but may include one or more emissive regions, layers, or devices.

[0132] In some configurations, an "emission region" may include an emissive material that emits light having multiple colors. For example, a yellow emissive region may include multiple materials that, when each material is used alone in an OLED device, emit red and green light. When used in a yellow device, the individual materials are typically not arranged so that they can be independently activated or addressed. That is, a "yellow" OLED stack containing the material cannot be driven to produce red, green, or yellow light; in fact, the stack can be driven as a whole to produce yellow light. Such an emissive region may be referred to as a yellow emissive region, although at the level of the individual emitters, the stack does not directly produce yellow light. As described in more detail below, the individual emissive materials used in the emissive region (if more than one) may be placed in the same emissive layer within the device, or in multiple emissive layers within an OLED device that includes an emissive region. As described in more detail below, the embodiments disclosed herein may provide an OLED device (e.g., a display) that includes a limited number of emissive region colors while including more sub-pixels or other OLED device colors than the number of colors of the emissive region. For example, a device as disclosed herein may include only blue and yellow emissive regions. Other colors of sub-pixels can be achieved by using a color-shifting layer disposed in a stacked manner with a yellow or blue emission region. In some cases, the general color provided by a sub-pixel can be the same as the color provided by the emission region in the stack that defines the sub-pixel, such as where a dark blue color-shifting layer is disposed in a stacked manner with a light blue emission region to produce a dark blue sub-pixel. Similarly, the color provided by a sub-pixel can be different from the color provided by the emission region in the stack that defines the sub-pixel, such as where a green color-shifting layer is disposed in a stacked manner with a yellow emission region to produce a green sub-pixel.

[0133] In some configurations, an emissive region and / or emissive layer can span multiple sub-pixels, such as where additional layers and circuitry are fabricated to allow portions of the emissive region or layer to be individually addressable.

[0134] Emission regions as disclosed herein may be distinguished from emission "layers" as typically referenced in the art and as used herein. In some cases, a single emission region may include multiple layers, such as where a yellow emission region is fabricated by sequentially producing red and green emission layers to form a yellow emission region. As previously described, when such layers are present in an emission region as disclosed herein, the layers are not individually addressable within a single emission stack; in fact, the layers are activated or driven simultaneously to produce the desired color of light for the emission region. In other configurations, an emission region may include a single emission layer having a single color, or multiple emission layers having the same color, in which case the color of such emission layer will be the same as or in the same region of the spectrum as the color of the emission region in which the emission layer is disposed.

[0135] In some configurations, fewer sub-pixels may be used to achieve a full-color device or pixel arrangement. Figure 5 An example arrangement using three sub-pixels 510, 520, 530 is shown. Figure 4 In the example shown in , the first sub-pixel 510 can be produced by depositing one or more emission regions through a mask in a single emission layer or stacked arrangement, and keeping the resulting sub-pixel unfiltered. The other two sub-pixels 520, 530 can be deposited during a single masked deposition. As previously described, each of them can include one or more emission materials and / or layers, and can be individual emission layers or stacked devices. The color-changing layer 532 can then be placed on one or more of the emission regions to produce a full-color arrangement with three sub-pixels with different colors.

[0136] As a specific example, the two masking steps can be blue and green. That is, in the first masked deposition technique, the blue layer or stack can be deposited in the area corresponding to the first sub-pixel 510. The green layer or stack device can be deposited in the second masked deposition in the area corresponding to the second and third sub-pixels 520, 530. The green sub-pixel 520 provides unfiltered green light. The red sub-pixel 530 uses a color-changing layer 532 (e.g., a green to red color-changing layer) with a relatively high conversion efficiency to convert the green light emitted by the green device 530 into red light. Such a configuration can produce a display having a resolution of up to 50% more than a fairly conventional RGB SBS display, with little or no increase in power consumption or associated life reduction. Such methods can also improve display efficiency by not "losing" as much light as is used by conventional color filters (using a color-changing layer instead to provide a third color).

[0137] As another example, a blue color-shifting layer can be disposed on a blue emitting region as previously described. Such a configuration is shown in Fig.16 As previously described, the blue color-changing layer can be a light blue or dark blue color-changing layer, and the blue emission region can be a dark blue or light blue emission region.

[0138] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a configuration is shown where the two masking steps are blue and yellow, i.e. one or more blue emitting layers are deposited during one masked deposition and one or more yellow emitting layers are deposited during another masked deposition. Figure 6Again, the illustrated configuration uses only three sub-pixels, red, green, and blue. In this example, the green sub-pixel uses a green color filter to convert light from the yellow OLED to green, the red sub-pixel uses a red color filter to convert light from the yellow OLED to red, and the blue sub-pixel uses unfiltered light from the blue OLED. Similar configurations can use color-changing layers other than or in addition to the specific color filters shown.

[0139] As another example, a blue color-shifting layer can be disposed on a blue emitting region as previously described. Such a configuration is shown in Fig.17 As previously described, the blue color-changing layer can be a light blue or dark blue color-changing layer, and the blue emission region can be a dark blue or light blue emission region.

[0140] In some configurations, the efficiency of one or more sub-pixels can be enhanced by using a color-shifting layer instead of or in addition to a conventional color filter (as disclosed herein). Figure 6 In the example shown in , a red color-changing layer with relatively high conversion efficiency from yellow to red can be placed between the yellow OLED and the red color filter. Such a configuration can enhance the efficiency of the red sub-pixel. More generally, the use of a color-changing layer arranged in a stacked manner with the OLED or the OLED and the color filter can enhance the efficiency of the sub-pixel.

[0141] Other configurations disclosed herein may use additional color shifting layers, and may include color shifting layers disposed over multiple emissive regions or multiple types of emissive regions. Figure 7 An example masking arrangement is shown using an emissive region having two colors, light blue 710 and white 720. The masking region can be used to deposit the emissive region of each color as previously disclosed. Various color-changing layers can also be placed on the resulting emissive region to produce a full-color pixel arrangement. Figure 7 In the example shown in FIG. 7 , a dark blue filter 730, a red filter 740, and a green filter 750 are placed over corresponding white emission regions to form three sub-pixels of those colors, while a light blue emission region remains unfiltered to form a light blue sub-pixel. Such a configuration can be used to enhance overall blue lifetime by using light blue and dark blue sub-pixels as desired, as described in U.S. Patent Publication No. 2010 / 0090620, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. As previously described, the light blue filter 730, the red filter 740, and the green filter 750 can be placed over corresponding white emission regions to form three sub-pixels of those colors, while the light blue emission region remains unfiltered to form a light blue sub-pixel. Figure 7 Other color shifting layers may be used in addition to or in place of the specific color filters described.

[0142] Figure 8 Shows the corresponding Figure 7An example pixel arrangement of the deposition arrangement shown in FIG. Figure 4 The layout shown in Figure 7 The arrangement includes an unfiltered sub-pixel 810, and three sub-pixels 820, 830, 840, each of which is formed by an emission region 821, 831, 841 and a color filter 822, 832, 842, respectively. Figure 7 In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the unfiltered sub-pixel 810 is a light blue sub-pixel, and the color filters 822, 832, 842 are dark blue, red, and green, respectively. The specific emission colors and color filters are shown for illustration only, and various other colors, color-changing layers, and combinations may be used without departing from the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0143] In one embodiment, each emissive region deposited during each of the two masked deposition operations may be combined with a color shifting layer to form one or more pixels. Fig. 9 An example arrangement is shown in which each type of emission region is combined with one or more color shifting layers to produce multiple sub-pixels. For example, two masked regions may correspond to a light blue emission region 910 and a yellow emission region 920, each of which may be deposited in one of the two masking steps as previously described. A dark blue color shifting layer 930 may be combined with the light blue emission region 910 to form a dark blue sub-pixel. Red and green color shifting layers 930, 940 may each be combined with a portion of the yellow emission region to form red and green sub-pixels, respectively. The light blue emission region may also remain unfiltered to form a light blue sub-pixel. As described with respect to Figure 7 As described, the use of light and dark blue sub-pixels can improve performance and device lifetime. In addition, the relatively long light blue lifetime can extend overall display operation and provide improved power efficiency because the light blue sub-pixel is unfiltered.

[0144] Fig.10 Shows the corresponding Fig. 9 Pixel arrangement of the described mask and color-changing layer arrangement. As shown, four sub-pixels are produced by two emitting regions having a first color (one of which is unfiltered) and two emitting regions having a second color. Fig. 9 In the example of FIG. 1 , a light blue subpixel is formed by an unfiltered light blue emission region, a dark blue subpixel is formed by a light blue emission region and a dark blue color-changing layer, a red subpixel is formed by a yellow emission region and a red color-changing layer, and a green subpixel is formed by a yellow emission region and a green color-changing layer. The specific emission colors and color-changing layers are shown for illustration only, and various other colors, color-changing layers, and combinations may be used without departing from the scope of the embodiments disclosed herein.

[0145] Various techniques may be used to manufacture the arrangements disclosed herein. In general, an optical cavity (i.e., a layer thickness optimized with respect to optical properties from the device, which does not necessarily or specifically refer to a microcavity) may be required for each color to be tuned for that color. However, such limitations may require that each sub-pixel stack have a different optical path length, increasing the complexity of the manufacturing process.

[0146] For example, Fig.21A and 21B Methods for implementing the arrangements disclosed herein (e.g. Fig.15 ) top emission (TE) and bottom emission (BE) configurations. In this arrangement, the transport layer has a common thickness across all sub-pixels. For top emission devices, the cap layer (CPL) can also be common to all sub-pixels. Fig.21A and 21B The arrangement shown in the may require the use of only two high-resolution masks to deposit the blue and yellow emission layers, respectively. As described in more detail, various regions of the blue and yellow emission layers can be used as separate emission regions in separate sub-pixels, which can be the same or different colors. That is, as disclosed herein, the OLED emission material deposited during a single deposition step can be used to produce multiple sub-pixels and multiple colors of sub-pixels.

[0147] As another example, Fig.22A and 22B Top and bottom emitting devices are shown, wherein another masking step is used to deposit another thickness of material, such as hole transport layer (HTL) material, electron blocking layer (EBL) material, hole injection layer (HIL) material, etc., between the common HTL and the yellow emission layer (EML). Such a configuration can increase the external efficiency of the yellow emission layer and / or the associated sub-pixel. Alternatively or in addition, the additional masking step can be used to deposit additional ETL and / or HBL materials between the yellow EML and the common electron transport layer (ETL). As described in more detail below, the use of such additional materials can be used to configure the sub-pixel to have an optical path length that is particularly suitable for the color of the light emitted by the sub-pixel. Additional masking steps can be used for green and red sub-pixels.

[0148] As another example, Fig.23A and 23BA configuration is shown in which the anodes can be individually patterned to independently optimize the emission from each subpixel. As a specific example, two anodes can be used for yellow and blue subpixels; or three anodes can be used for yellow, blue, and red or green subpixels; or four anodes can be used for yellow, blue, red, and green subpixels. Such configurations can increase the efficiency, lifetime, and color of each associated subpixel. For bottom-emitting devices, these configurations can be achieved by having a thicker TCO. For top-emitting architectures, metal reflective spacers and / or TCO anodes can be used. In this case, the reflective spacer length is part of the pixel optical cavity, so individually patterning the spacer between the TCO and the reflective metal can allow the optical cavity to be adjusted to the desired color for each subpixel.

[0149] It should be understood that multiple layers are shown in Figures 21-23 for illustrative purposes, but not all of the layers shown are required, other layers may be used, and other layer arrangements may be used except as specifically indicated with respect to each example.

[0150] As previously indicated, in some embodiments, it may be advantageous for different sub-pixels to be "tuned" to a particular color or range of colors based on an optical cavity associated with the sub-pixel, which may or may not be a microcavity. In some embodiments, the optical path length may be different between sub-pixels within a pixel. Various techniques may be used to achieve different optical path lengths (i.e., different optical thicknesses) so that each display color (e.g., red, green, blue, and yellow) may have a specific optical thickness that may improve or optimize the resulting color and efficiency. In some embodiments, these methods are independent of or do not negatively impact the patterning requirements of the emissive layer or the resolution required for the masked deposition techniques disclosed herein, and therefore may avoid unwanted complexity that may be imposed by conventional deposition techniques. The embodiments disclosed herein may also be used, for example, to optimize the cavity of a top emission architecture, where only organic layers of a common thickness are used outside the emissive layer, such as where the emissive layer is to be patterned by OVJP.

[0151] In some embodiments, the various layers for individual sub-pixels can be produced using the same mask and / or printing technique used to deposit the emission layer. For example, assuming that the resonance node of each sub-pixel is the same, the blue optical stack will be the thinnest, followed by green, yellow, and red in order of increasing thickness. The blue sub-pixel can be optically adjusted by patterning the HTL for the blue sub-pixel using the same mask and / or printing technique as used to deposit the blue emission layer. Similar methods can be used for other sub-pixels, such as the green sub-pixel formed by the yellow OLED deposition as disclosed herein. In such a configuration, additional optical thickness can be added to optimize the yellow and red sub-pixels. That is, the yellow sub-pixel HTL thickness can be optimized for the green sub-pixel, and additional cavity modifications can be made to optimize the yellow and red sub-pixels. More generally, a single mask and / or deposition technique can be used to pattern one or more layers within a sub-pixel to obtain an optical path length specifically targeted and / or optimized for the sub-pixel, while providing different optical path lengths to other sub-pixels within the pixel arrangement.

[0152] In one embodiment, different optical path lengths for each sub-pixel may be formed by patterning an electrode (eg, an anode) such that regions of the electrode have different thicknesses under each organic stack of the sub-pixel. Fig.57 An example of such a configuration is shown. In the example, the electrode material 5740 can have different thicknesses under each OLED organic stack 5751, 5752, 5753. The electrode material arranged in a stacked manner with a particular OLED stack or sub-pixel can be referred to as an electrode stack. For example, the electrode stack under OLED stack 5751 is thinner than the electrode stack under OLED stacks 5752 and 5753. Fig.57In the example shown in , organic stacks 5752 and 5753 have the same thickness, resulting in different total thicknesses of the corresponding sub-pixels. In contrast, organic stacks 5751 and 5753 have different thicknesses, but the corresponding sub-pixels have the same or approximately the same thickness. Different relative thicknesses can be produced by different manufacturing processes. For example, if electrode 5740 is patterned and a common transport layer is used across sub-pixels, the organic stacks can have approximately the same thickness. More generally, each sub-pixel can have the same or different thickness as other sub-pixels, and / or each organic stack can have the same or different thickness as other organic stacks. The thickness of the organic layer within each sub-pixel can also be the same or different, for example, depending on the different manufacturing techniques used to manufacture the various layers. In some embodiments, the total thickness of the organic layers within some or all of the sub-pixels in a pixel can be the same. Generally speaking, if one is within 3%, 2%, or 1% of the other, then the two layers or stacks can be considered to have the same thickness, and / or the two optical path lengths can be considered to be the same. For example, if the optical path length of the first organic stack is no greater than 3% higher or lower than the second organic stack, then the first and second stacks are considered to have the same optical path length. Alternatively or additionally, some or all of the same type of organic layers within each sub-pixel can be the same as in some or all of the other sub-pixels, as described throughout the present invention. For example, the thickness of one or more transport, blocking, injection and / or emission layers can be the same in one or more sub-pixels within a pixel.

[0153] For example Fig.57 The structure shown in FIG. 1 can be fabricated, for example, using repeated deposition, photoresist, etching, and / or lift-off processes of electrodes and / or other materials to produce separate optical path lengths for individual sub-pixels. In general, the electrodes can be patterned so that the transparent layer (e.g., transparent conductive oxide layer) has different optical thicknesses, so that Fig.57 The diagram shown in FIG. 5 provides different optical thicknesses and path lengths between the electrode pads and the reflector.

[0154] Fabricating structures to provide different optical path lengths and thus enhance light output from different sub-pixels can be accomplished using semiconductor manufacturing processes such as stripping, deposition, and etching. These processes can be performed as part of the backplane manufacturing process before depositing the organic layers. The optical path length can be varied by depositing a transparent layer between the reflector and the organic layer, and adjusting the thickness of the transparent layer for the emission wavelength of the sub-pixel. Alternatively or additionally, the composition of the transparent layer can be modified by changing the ratio of the components to, for example, modify the refractive index of the material. As a specific example, in Si x N yThe ratio of Si to N in the film can be selected to achieve the desired refractive index of the film. Such arrangements can be achieved by a combination of deposition and wet etching, deposition and dry etching, and lift-off deposition. In general, each technique can also utilize patterned photoresist to define individual sub-pixel cavities.

[0155] In the deposition and etching technique, one or more material layers are disposed between the reflective layer and the electrode to vary the thickness of the electrode stack in different regions of the electrode. For example, silicon dioxide and silicon nitride layers can be fabricated on top of a metal reflective layer, under an ITO anode. The etching chemistry is selected to have good selectivity between silicon dioxide and silicon nitride so that the bottom layer can be used as an etch stop layer. As described in more detail, both dry etching and wet etching can be used to obtain the desired optical path length. Fig.58 A schematic diagram of a set of sub-pixels and a cross-section of the cavity layer under the pixel are shown. In an example structure, silicon dioxide can be deposited and patterned first, followed by silicon nitride. The silicon dioxide layer then forms an etch stop layer for the silicon nitride etch. The thickness of the silicon dioxide and silicon nitride can be selected to provide the appropriate optical path length for individual sub-pixels (e.g., green and red sub-pixels). Therefore, Fig.58 The example shown in shows regions with three different optical path lengths: a region where no oxide or nitride film is present on the reflector, a region where only a nitride film is present on the reflector, and a region where both an oxide film and a nitride film are present on the reflector.

[0156] As a specific example, Fig.58 The structure shown in can be manufactured by blanket depositing SiO2 on a substrate and / or a reflective layer. A photoresist is then patterned on the SiO2 layer, and the SiO2 layer is etched using, for example, buffered HF (wet etching) or NF3 (dry etching), followed by removal of the photoresist. Similarly, a blanket Si3N4 layer is deposited on the SiO2 layer and the reflective layer, followed by deposition of a photoresist layer. Si3N4 is then etched using, for example, H3PO4:H2ONF3 / O2 / N2 (wet etching) or NF3 / O2 / N2 (dry etching). The photoresist is then removed, and a blanket ITO or other electrode material layer shown with a hash mark can be deposited on the remaining layer.

[0157] Fig.59 Another example structure according to an embodiment is shown. Fig.59 The structure shown in can be manufactured, for example, by repeatedly depositing a blanket ITO layer, patterning a photoresist layer, depositing the next ITO layer, and performing a lift-off technique to remove a portion of the previous ITO layer. For example, ITO layers 5910, 5920, 5930 can be sequentially deposited between sequential ITO layers using intervening photoresists and lift-off techniques. For example Fig.60 A similar structure as shown in can be obtained by using the same general process with different masks for the photoresist layers. For example, ITO layers 6010, 6020, 6030 can be deposited in sequence between sequential ITO layers using intervening photoresists and lift-off techniques.

[0158] In some embodiments, a common anode structure can be used for multiple sub-pixels, and deposition techniques such as OVJP can be used to pattern different optical lengths of different sub-pixels. For example, different HTL thicknesses can be used for different colors of sub-pixels, such as yellow and red sub-pixels in a four-color display as disclosed herein. Alternatively or in addition, OVJP can be used to deposit thicker HTL materials in a 'maskless' process. When considering the use of OVJP to deposit non-emitting areas (such as HTL), the problem of 'overflow' by OVJP is a minor problem. In contrast to other conventional uses of OVJP, in the embodiments disclosed herein, overflow from OVJP into adjacent sub-pixels is likely to have a minimal or minor effect on the performance of adjacent sub-pixels. If the HTL is deposited with multiple different thicknesses for different sub-pixels by OVJP, then the impurity problems usually associated with OVJP deposition can be alleviated by depositing a common EBL, HBL or similar layer on the HTL to prevent the EML interface from contacting the OVJP layer. The shared layer can also increase the efficiency of a single type of sub-pixel, such as increasing the external efficiency of the yellow and red sub-pixels. Alternatively, a high-resolution mask step can add an additional ETL, HBL, or other material between one or more emission layers and the common ETL or other common layers. If the ETL is deposited by OVJP at multiple different thicknesses, any impurity issues associated with OVJP deposition can be alleviated by depositing a common HBL on the EML. This prevents contact between the EML interface and the OVJP layer. The OVJP technology as disclosed herein can allow the manufacture of devices with different colors (e.g., top-emitting OLED devices) where OVJP is used to selectively deposit emission layers. This allows all common transport layers to be utilized, thereby allowing each OLED subpixel color to have an optimized optical stack.

[0159] Using the technology disclosed herein, a full-color pixel arrangement suitable for use in a device (e.g., an OLED display) can be manufactured, wherein each pixel includes an emission area having no more than two colors disposed laterally adjacent to each other on a substrate. As used herein, "laterally adjacent" refers to sub-pixels or areas that are not disposed in a stacked manner with each other but may have different thicknesses and / or be disposed at different points within an OLED stack adjacent to each other relative to a substrate. For example, two adjacent sub-pixels may both include an emission area having the same color. Each emission area may have a different thickness and may not be perfectly aligned or not aligned at all with each other emission area in a direction parallel to the substrate. Such areas are considered to be laterally adjacent to each other because they are not in a common OLED stack and because they are disposed adjacent to each other on a common substrate or other layer. Each pixel in the pixel arrangement includes a plurality of sub-pixels, each of which may be configured to emit light having a different color from the other sub-pixels in the pixel, and each of which may have a different optical path length from each other sub-pixel in the pixel. For example, a pixel may include red, yellow, green, and / or blue sub-pixels, each of which may have an optical path length configured to optimize the output of the corresponding color emitted by the sub-pixel. As used herein, the "optical path length" of a sub-pixel or other arrangement refers to the optical path within the sub-pixel, for example, between a reflective surface of an electrode within the sub-pixel and an outer surface of the electrode opposite the reflective surface. The optical path length refers to the distance that light within the sub-pixel can traverse, and can be weighted for the different refractive indices of the materials within the stack that make up the sub-pixel. Thus, the optical path length of a sub-pixel refers to the sum of the optical path lengths of each material in the sub-pixel stack between the reflective surface (on one side of the device) and the transparent surface (where the light leaves the device on the other side), with each optical path length equal to the product of the thickness of the material and the refractive index of the material. Typically, the optical path length excludes the thickness of the substrate on which the device is fabricated.

[0160] In some embodiments, one or more sub-pixels may have the same, approximately the same, or different optical path lengths compared to one or more other sub-pixels within a pixel. For example, when two sub-pixels include some or all common layers between the sub-pixels, they may have the same optical path length, possibly excluding a color-shifting layer disposed in each sub-pixel. That is, a first sub-pixel may have a different optical path length than one, two, or three other sub-pixels disposed within the same pixel.

[0161] As previously described, different optical path lengths can be produced within each subpixel by an electrode stack disposed in a stacked manner with the organic OLED stack used to generate light. For example, Figure 56-60Examples of electrode arrangements are shown where the transparent layer and / or electrode material is configured to form three electrode stacks with different heights relative to the substrate. When the OLED is arranged in a stack with the illustrated electrode stack, it can have different optical path lengths due to the different electrode stack heights. Alternatively or in addition, the OLED stack itself can have different heights, for example where transport and / or blocking layers of different thicknesses are used within each sub-pixel. The combination of the OLED stack height and the electrode stack height can produce sub-pixels with the same or different optical path lengths. Fig.61A An example arrangement is shown, where the Fig.59 , the three example sub-pixels have different optical path lengths. In the example, each of the three sub-pixels includes an emission stack 6101, 6102, 6103, which when combined with three electrode stacks formed by different layers 5910, 5920, 5930 produces three sub-pixels with three different optical path lengths. Similarly, Fig.61B A configuration is shown in which two sub-pixels 6131, 6132 have the same optical path length, which is different from the optical path length of the third sub-pixel 6133. Figure 56-6 The example shown and described uses three sub-pixels for clarity, but a similar arrangement including four sub-pixels may be used as disclosed herein.

[0162] As disclosed herein, each sub-pixel in an arrangement of sub-pixels having different optical path lengths may include other layers and features. For example, a sub-pixel may have an optical path length configured to optimize the output of the pixel for a specific color emission (e.g., yellow). However, the sub-pixel may be used to emit different color light, such as green light. To do this, the color-changing layer may be stacked with the yellow emission region in a sub-pixel having an optical path length optimized for yellow emission. Therefore, as disclosed herein, multiple sub-pixels may have the same color emission region and may have a path length optimized for the color while being configured to emit light of different colors.

[0163] When using top-emitting and / or cavity-design OLEDs, e.g. Figure 36-39 , 41-43, 46-51 and throughout the present invention, it may be advantageous to use an optimized optical path length for one or more sub-pixels as disclosed herein. In addition, arrangements that allow HTL or other layer materials to be deposited in striped, cross-hatched, or similar configurations may facilitate the deposition of different optical path length pixel arrangements using techniques such as OVJP. As a specific example, for example Fig.25 The configuration described in can be manufactured using OVJP deposition technology while achieving different optical path lengths for different sub-pixels.

[0164] Alternatively or in addition to the previously described arrangements, embodiments disclosed herein may provide an OLED structure including only two colors of emissive regions and / or an arrangement including four or more sub-pixels within each pixel of a full-color OLED display. Additional colors other than the colors emitted by the emissive regions may be achieved, for example, by using a color-shifting layer as disclosed herein.

[0165] For example, some embodiments provide architectures and methods for constructing superimposed and / or spatial color synthesis OLED pixel architectures. In such embodiments, one color of an OLED deposition can be positioned adjacent to and / or in a separate plane relative to one or more other depositions and / or substrates. Fig.24 An example schematic arrangement is shown in which the yellow ("Y") sub-pixel is located in a separate plane relative to the substrate and the blue ("B") sub-pixel. In this configuration, either the Y sub-pixel or the B sub-pixel can be substantially transparent. Red and green color-shifting layers can then be superimposed on a portion of each of the yellow sub-pixels to appear red and green in the final device.

[0166] For example Fig.24 The architecture shown in can have several advantages over conventional side-by-side pixel arrangements. For example, it can allow the fill factor of the blue subpixel to be maximized to increase its lifetime. The blue subpixel can also be a microcavity as disclosed in more detail herein, such as a top emission (TE) OLED combined with a substantially Lambertian emitting Y subpixel plane. Such a configuration can allow the blue spectrum to be manipulated for color saturation and efficiency while minimizing the negative angle dependence problem associated with a full-color display where all subpixels are top-emitting, i.e., color shift and image distortion that occur with angle. For a given resolution, the lifetime of the yellow subpixels (including red and green color-changing subpixels) can also be increased because the aperture ratio of these pixels can be higher because there are only 3 subpixels per plane instead of 4. The ratio of yellow, red, or green subpixels to blue can also be greater than 1, i.e., there can be more than 1 yellow, red, or green subpixel for each blue. An example of such a configuration is shown in Fig.25 , where there are multiple yellow, red, and green sub-pixels in each pixel including a single blue sub-pixel. The display resolution will then be determined by the Y(RG) (i.e., the yellow emitting region with red and green color shifting layers) sub-pixels. Such a configuration may be acceptable for full color OLED displays and similar devices because the human eye typically has relatively poor spatial resolution in the blue region of the spectrum and is therefore relatively insensitive to the brightness of the blue sub-pixels. Although Fig.25A configuration is illustrated in which the blue subpixel has the same area as the combined Y (RG) subpixel, but it will be appreciated that other configurations may be used in which the blue and yellow emissive regions and / or the blue, red, and green subpixels have different relative sizes.

[0167] The two planes of OLED subpixels can be constructed in a variety of ways. For example, in a Y(RG)B display, the Y(RG) subpixels and the B subpixels can be manufactured on separate backplanes and then connected together, with one of the backplanes being substantially transparent. Alternatively, the OLED planes can be manufactured on top of each other on one backplane.

[0168] Another way to make OLEDs on two different planes is to have a blue sub-pixel that is approximately the same size as the yellow sub-pixel on the second plane, so that the blue light from the first plane is not lost and absorbed by the red and green color filters of the second plane. This will again produce a higher fill factor display than placing all four colors in one plane. Because red and green are only needed to form highly saturated colors, these sub-pixels can typically be relatively small compared to the yellow and blue sub-pixel area.

[0169] Fig.26 An example device configuration with two sub-pixel planes is shown. The two planes include blue and yellow emitting regions. Green and red are displayed using a color-changing layer disposed in a stacked manner with portions of the yellow emitting region. Fig.26 In the example shown in FIG. 1 , the central electrode is shared by two sub-pixel emission area planes.

[0170] Fig. 27 An example top-emitting device configuration with two sub-pixel planes is shown. Fig.26 As in the example shown in , red and green are displayed by using a color-changing layer arranged in a stacked manner with part of the yellow emitting region. Fig. 27 In the example shown in , the passivation layer is disposed between the planes of the sub-pixel emission areas.

[0171] More generally, embodiments disclosed herein may include two emissive layers having different colors, with only a portion of one emissive layer superimposed with a second emissive layer. As used herein, two layers or regions are "superimposed" or one layer or region is "superimposed" with another layer or region if one layer is disposed above or below another layer relative to a substrate or similar reference. Thus, as previously described, a layer that may be described as being "above" or "below" another layer or closer to the "top" or "bottom" of the device than another layer may also be described as being "superimposed" with the layer. A color-changing layer may be superimposed with a portion of the second emissive layer. For example, as previously described, yellow and blue emissive regions or layers may be superimposed within the device, and one or more color-changing layers may be superimposed with a portion of the yellow emissive layer that is not superimposed with the blue emissive layer relative to the substrate. Additional color-changing layers may be superimposed with other portions of the second emissive layer, such as where a red and / or green color-changing layer is superimposed with a yellow emissive region. In one embodiment, a device may include an emissive layer or region having exactly two colors, and the device may emit light having at least four colors.

[0172] As previously described with respect to example devices including superimposed blue and yellow layers, one layer can act as a hole transport or similar layer relative to emission from another layer, i.e., the layer can be used to transport holes for recombination within the first layer while itself producing little or no emission in the region superimposed with the first layer. Intervening electrodes and / or passivation layers can be disposed between the two layers, as previously shown in and described with respect to Figures 22-23. Thus, as previously described, an emission region having one color can include some or all of the following layers, which can provide emission of that color in an emission region elsewhere in the device while promoting the resulting emission of an emission region having another color in a different portion of the device.

[0173] Embodiments of the invention disclosed herein may use a variety of drive schemes. In many embodiments, four sub-pixels may be used to render each color. Typically, only three sub-pixels may be needed to render a particular color; therefore, there are a variety of options for the electrical drive configuration used to render that color. For example, Fig.12 A 1931 CIE diagram is shown with coordinates for pure red, green, and blue, and multi-component yellow light sources that are outside the RG lines according to an embodiment disclosed herein. In a four-subpixel arrangement as disclosed herein, when displaying a color in GBY space 1210, no red subpixel is required; similarly, if the color to be displayed is in RBY space 1220, no green subpixel is required. Fig.13 An example color point is shown without using the red sub-pixel, i.e., at Fig.121210 in GBY space. As shown, in an RGBY arrangement, the initial contributions of the pixel of the example point may be R0, G0, B0 for red, green, and blue sub-pixels, respectively. In an RGBY arrangement as disclosed herein, the equivalent contributions of the yellow, green, and blue sub-pixels may be Y', G', B', respectively. It is worth noting that the red sub-pixel does not have to be used to render the desired color.

[0174] Another driving arrangement according to embodiments disclosed herein is to use yellow and blue sub-pixels to fix the white point. The desired color can then be rendered by using either green or red sub-pixels, depending on whether the color is in GBY or RBY space. Fig.14 A CIE diagram is shown that identifies red, green, blue, and yellow points as previously disclosed. A white point 1404 can be determined along the BY line using a combination of only blue and yellow sub-pixels as shown. Color points 1400 that fall in GBY space (i.e., on the green side of the BY line) can therefore be visualized using green sub-pixels in addition to blue and yellow sub-pixels. Similarly, points in BYR space (i.e., on the red side of the BY line) can be visualized using blue, yellow, and red sub-pixels. Thus, the embodiments disclosed herein provide a variety of drive arrangements and can provide additional flexibility, efficiency, and color range compared to conventional RGBW and similar arrangements.

[0175] The emission regions, layers or devices disclosed herein may be single-layer emission layers, or they may be stacked devices. Each emission region, layer or device may also include a plurality of emission materials that provide appropriate color light to the component when operated in combination. For example, a yellow emission region may include both red and green emission materials in appropriate proportions to provide yellow light. Similarly, any emission region or device may be a stacked device or otherwise include emission sub-regions with sub-colors that are used to provide the desired color to the region or device, such as a stacked configuration in which red and green devices are provided to provide a yellow emission region. Each of them may also include a plurality of emission materials that provide light of the same color or in the same region. In addition, unless specifically indicated to the contrary, each emission material used in any of the configurations disclosed herein may be phosphorescent, fluorescent or mixed. Although a single emission region as disclosed herein may include a plurality of emission materials, it may be described as emitting only a single color because typically it will not be configured to allow the use of only one of the emission materials. For example, a yellow emission region may include both red and green emission materials. Such regions are described herein as yellow emitting regions and are considered single color emitting regions because the red and green emitting materials cannot be activated independently of each other.

[0176] According to embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, a pixel including at least four sub-pixels can be driven based on a projection associated with a color signal. The sub-pixels can correspond to or include emission regions containing two or fewer colors, such as a blue emission region and a yellow emission region. Multiple sub-pixels can be formed as previously described from a single emission region, such as by using a color-changing layer that is optically coupled to a portion of one of the sub-pixels. Such a pixel arrangement can include no more than two color-changing layers.

[0177] In operation, a color signal that defines or otherwise provides an expected color to be produced by a pixel is used to drive the pixel. As an example, a display containing thousands of pixels may be configured to display an image of a car at a given time. A particular pixel may be positioned in an area of ​​the display such that, to display a car, the expected color output by the pixel is an orange color represented by the hex value #FFA500. Instead of driving all four sub-pixels, three of the four sub-pixels may be driven so that light emitted by a primary color sub-pixel (e.g., a green sub-pixel) in a conventional display may instead be emitted by a secondary color pixel (e.g., a yellow sub-pixel). In addition, of the three of the four sub-pixels being driven, the primary color sub-pixel (e.g., a red sub-pixel) may be driven at a lower magnitude based on a secondary sub-pixel (e.g., a yellow sub-pixel) that emits a portion of the light that the primary color sub-pixel (e.g., a red sub-pixel) would emit if no secondary sub-pixel was driven.

[0178] As disclosed herein, a color space can be defined by one or more sub-pixels. A color space can correspond to a range of colors available based on the color emission range of one or more sub-pixels. An example of a three-sub-pixel color space is shown in Fig.18 The three axes (red, blue, and green) represent the color space available based on the three corresponding red, blue, and green sub-pixels, as shown in box 1800. It is worth noting that any color point within the color space box 1800 can be emitted by driving the red, blue, and green sub-pixels at levels corresponding to the projection of the color point onto each corresponding sub-pixel. Fig.1820a. Here, the x-axis 2020 is represented by the emission capability of the red sub-pixel and the y-axis 2010 is represented by the emission capability of the green sub-pixel. Notably, any color point within the color space represented by the two axes can be emitted by driving the red and green sub-pixels at levels corresponding to the projection of the color point onto each respective sub-pixel. As a more specific example, a color point 2030 within the color space represented by the red and green color space can be projected onto the red axis as shown by projection 2032 and can be projected onto the green axis as shown by projection 2034. The color point 2030 can be emitted by driving the red sub-pixel at a value corresponding to 2033 (i.e., the projection point of the color point 2030 onto the red sub-pixel axis) and the green sub-pixel at a value corresponding to 2031 (i.e., the projection point of the color point 2030 onto the green sub-pixel axis). An example of a single sub-pixel color space is shown in FIG. 20b. Here, the only axis 2040 corresponds to the emission capability of the red sub-pixel. It is noteworthy that any color point within the color space of this red pixel can be represented by a point on axis 2040. As a specific example, point 2045 is a color point that can be emitted by driving the red sub-pixel at point 2045 itself. It should be understood that the same sub-pixel or sub-pixel type used to demonstrate a single sub-pixel color space can be part of a dual and / or triple sub-pixel color space. As a specific example, a red pixel can have the emission capability represented in Figure 20b, as does the red pixel in Figures 20a and 18.

[0179] As previously described, a display pixel as disclosed herein may include at least four sub-pixels. A projection of an initial color signal onto a color space defined by two of the four sub-pixels may be determined. As an example, one way to produce the color specified in the initial color signal is to have red, green, and blue light emitted by red, green, and blue sub-pixels, respectively. As disclosed herein, alternatively, the initial color signal may be projected onto a color space defined by two of the sub-pixels (e.g., a red and green color space). Notably, the projection of the initial color signal onto a color space defined by two of the sub-pixels may correspond to a magnitude required to emit the portion of the emitted initial color signal corresponding to the two sub-pixels corresponding to the two sub-pixels.

[0180] Fig.18 An illustrative example of projecting an initial color signal onto a color space defined by two sub-pixels is shown. Fig.18As shown in , the initial color signal can be represented by point 1810. Point 1810 can indicate that the initial color signal is a color signal that can be emitted by driving the red, green, and blue sub-pixels in a direction and magnitude based on point 1810. As disclosed herein, in order to produce a specified color using two sub-pixels, a projection of the initial color signal onto the color space defined by the red and green sub-pixels can be determined. This projection can be represented by Fig.18 The first projection vector 1802 shown in represents. Projecting the original color signal onto the red and green color space can generate components of the original color signal based only on the red and green color space. In other words, the projection represents the red / green components of the original color signal.

[0181] As previously described, color spaces can also be defined for a single sub-pixel. As shown in FIG. 20 b, when the color space is only a single size (as a result of being defined for driving a single sub-pixel), the color space for a single sub-pixel can be represented by a line. The color space for a single sub-pixel can be for primary colors (e.g., blue, green, red) or can be for secondary colors (e.g., yellow, magenta, cyan, etc.). As an example, a yellow sub-pixel can have a color space that is a factor of the red and green color spaces. As an illustrative example, Fig.18 As shown in , the y vector 1803 represents the color space of the yellow sub-pixel. As shown, the color space of the yellow sub-pixel can be represented by a point within the red-green color space, so that the red and / or green sub-pixels can be driven to emit a color point represented by the yellow color space.

[0182] After determining the first projection of the color signal, a second projection of the first projection onto a color space defined by a single sub-pixel may be determined. The color space defined by a single sub-pixel may be used for a sub-pixel associated with a secondary color such that the secondary color is within the color space of two other sub-pixels in the pixel for which the first projection was determined. In other words, the color space used for a single sub-pixel may be a combination of at least two other colors emitted by two other corresponding sub-pixels in the pixel. As an example, the second projection may be onto a color space defined by a yellow sub-pixel such that light emitted by the yellow sub-pixel may be light within the color space of red and green sub-pixels. In an illustrative example, as Fig.18 , the color space for the yellow sub-pixel may be defined by a Y vector 1804. As shown, the Y vector 1804 may represent the color space defined by the yellow sub-pixel. The first projection represented by the first projection vector 1802 may have an end at a point 1811. The first projection vector 1802 may be projected onto the Y vector 1804 such that the second projection corresponds to a point 1805 on the Y vector 1804.

[0183] The second projection of the first projection may represent a single sub-pixel vector corresponding to the components of the two components of the two other sub-pixels (the two sub-pixel color spaces are associated with the other sub-pixels). Fig.18 As shown in , the projection onto the Y vector represented by point 1805 represents a color point associated with both the red and green components of the first projection. In this example, point 1805 represents the entire green component of the first projection vector and represents the entire red component minus R vector 1803 (i.e., red component-R vector=red portion of Y vector). As a more specific example, point 1811 of the first projection vector corresponds to a red value of 200 and a green value of 150 (as shown in FIG. 1 ). Fig.18 ). The projection of the first projection vector onto the Y vector 1804 produces point 1805. Point 1805 on the Y vector represents the entire green component (i.e., 150) and represents a red component value of 100. Here, the R vector can represent the remaining value of 100, so that the overall red value of 200 is represented by the R vector plus the red component of the Y vector at point 1805.

[0184] According to embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, a subpixel corresponding to the second projection can be driven based on the magnitude of the second projection. Driving a third subpixel based on the magnitude of the second projection can result in emitting light representing one or more of the components of the first projection onto the color space represented by the two color pixels. Continuing with the previous illustrative example, Fig.18 As shown in , the yellow subpixel can be driven based on a magnitude associated with the second projection point 1805 such that the yellow subpixel emits all of the green component (150) associated with the first projection vector 1802 and a portion of the red component (100) of the total red component (200) of the first projection vector 1802. Notably, driving the yellow subpixel at a magnitude associated with the second projection can effectively eliminate the need to drive the green subpixel because the green component value (150) is emitted by the yellow subpixel. Additionally, driving the yellow subpixel at a magnitude associated with the second projection can effectively reduce the intensity at which the red pixel needs to be driven to produce a desired color. The reduction can correspond to a magnitude of the R vector such that, when aggregated, the red component of the yellow emitted light plus the R vector is equal to or substantially close to the red component of the first projection vector. Such a configuration can be more energy efficient than a conventional three-color arrangement in which each of the red, green, and blue subpixels would need to be driven at a level corresponding to the red, green, and blue components of the desired color.

[0185] More generally, according to embodiments disclosed herein, at least one subpixel in a pixel may not be activated to emit an initial color signal. For example, as described above, a desired color may be achieved by using a yellow subpixel to obtain the green component of the desired color without activating the green subpixel at all. As described above, a second subpixel may be driven based on the difference between the first and second projections, such as the red subpixel in the above example. A third subpixel may be driven based on the magnitude of the second projection as previously described, such as the yellow subpixel in the above example. Finally, a fourth subpixel may be driven based on a corresponding color component of the initial color signal. For example, in relation to Fig.18 In the described example, the blue subpixel can be driven at a level corresponding to the blue component of the color signal. Notably, the first subpixel may not need to be driven at all, as the third subpixel can be driven at a magnitude that includes the desired color component of the first subpixel. Additionally, the second subpixel can be driven at a reduced level, as the third subpixel is driven at a magnitude that includes at least a portion of the desired color component of the second subpixel. Notably, the third subpixel can emit a color that is equivalent to a combination of the colors emitted by the first and second subpixels.

[0186] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the initial color signal may be defined by three primary colors. For example, the initial color signal may be defined by red, green, and blue coordinates (R, G, B). Each primary color may have a sub-pixel associated therewith. In addition, the secondary sub-pixel may emit light having color coordinates (r', g', 0) such that it contains components of both R and G. The secondary sub-pixel may be driven at ((G×r′) / g′, G, 0), where (G×r′) / g′ corresponds to the red color component of the initial signal (R, G, B), and G corresponds to the entire green component of the initial signal. The red sub-pixel may be driven at (R-(G×r′) / g′, 0, 0), where R-(G×r′) / g′ corresponds to the remainder of R, such that the combination of (G×r′) / g and R-(G×r′) / g′ (i.e., the components of the secondary sub-pixel and the components of the red sub-pixel) is equivalent to R, the red component of the initial color signal. Therefore, between the secondary sub-pixel and the red sub-pixel, both the R and G components of the initial color signal are covered. The sub-pixel corresponding to the blue emission color can be driven at (0,0,B) so that the initial color signal (R,G,B) is replicated among the secondary sub-pixel, the red sub-pixel, and the blue sub-pixel. It is worth noting that the green sub-pixel may not be activated to emit the initial color signal (R,G,B) in this instance. Here, the green sub-pixel may not be activated in this instance because g' / r' is greater than or equal to G / R, which corresponds to a secondary sub-pixel that is capable of emitting the entire green component but not the entire red component. Described another way, in this case, the projection onto the green / red color space corresponds to being on the "red side" of the "yellow line" (i.e., Fig.18 A point on the side to which the R vector described in belongs.

[0187] As another illustrative example, Fig.19 As shown in , an initial color signal can be represented by vector 1901, and a first projection of the initial color signal can be determined onto a color space defined by red and green sub-pixels. The first projection can correspond to a first projection vector 1902. A second projection onto a Y vector 1904 can be determined and can correspond to a point 1905 on the Y vector. Point 1905 can correspond to the entire red component of the first projection vector 1902 and a portion of the green component of the first projection vector 1902. The entire green component can be represented by point 1905 plus a G vector 1903, as shown in FIG. Fig.19 as shown in .

[0188] According to the embodiments disclosed herein, the initial color signal may be defined by three primary colors. For example, the initial color signal may be defined by red, green, and blue coordinates (R, G, B). Each primary color may have a sub-pixel associated therewith. In addition, the secondary sub-pixel may emit light having color coordinates (r', g', 0) such that it contains components of both R and G. The secondary sub-pixel may be driven at (R, (R×g′) / r′, 0), where (R×g′) / r′ corresponds to a portion of G, the green color component of the initial signal (R, G, B), and R corresponds to the entire red component of the initial signal. The green sub-pixel may be driven at (0, G-(R×g′) / r′, 0), where G-(R×g′) / r′ corresponds to the remainder of G, such that (R×g′) / r′ and G-(R×g′) / r′ (i.e., the components of the secondary sub-pixel and the components of the green sub-pixel) are combined to form G, the green component of the initial color signal. Therefore, among the secondary sub-pixel and the green sub-pixel, both the R and G components of the initial color signal are covered. The sub-pixel corresponding to the blue emission color can be driven at (0,0,B) so that the initial color signal (R,G,B) is copied between the secondary sub-pixel, the green sub-pixel and the blue sub-pixel. It is worth noting that the red sub-pixel may not be activated to emit the initial color signal (R,G,B) in this example. Here, the red sub-pixel may not be activated in this example because g' / r' is less than G / R, which corresponds to a secondary sub-pixel that is capable of emitting the entire red component but not the entire green component. This situation corresponds to a situation where the projection is located Fig.19 On the "green side" of the Y vector shown in Fig.18 Contrast with the points explained in .

[0189] According to an embodiment of the disclosed subject matter, a secondary color sub-pixel (e.g., a yellow sub-pixel) can have a color space that can be defined by three or more primary colors. As an example, FIG. 20a shows a color point 2030 that corresponds to a red component 2033 and a green component 2031. Color point 2030 is defined by two primary colors. Similarly, the color space for a sub-pixel can be defined by two primary colors. Fig.18 As shown in , the color space for the yellow subpixel (Y vector) is defined within the red-green color space. All points on the yellow subpixel color space are within the red-green color space. Alternatively, if, for example, the color signal is such that it contains a red component, a green component, and a blue component, then it can be initially emitted by three subpixels corresponding to the primary colors. Similar to the color signal defined by three primary color subpixels, the color space for the subpixels can be defined by three or more primary colors. The techniques disclosed herein can be applied by first projecting the color space for the subpixels defined by three or more primary colors onto a color space defined by two colors (e.g., Fig.18The Y vector in will be the projection of the yellow subpixel color space rather than the projection of the actual color space itself). A subpixel defined by three or more primary colors can be driven based on the first and second projections onto the subpixel projection. Additionally, two subpixels can be operated at reduced values ​​based on driving subpixels defined by three or more primary colors. As an illustrative example, a yellow subpixel can have a color space defined by red, green, and blue. The projection of the yellow subpixel color space can correspond to Fig.18 . Based on the techniques disclosed herein, the green subpixel may not be activated and the red subpixel may be driven at a reduced level based on driving the yellow subpixel at an amount related to the projection onto the Y vector. Additionally, the blue subpixel may be operated at a reduced level based on the difference between the color space of the yellow subpixel and the Y vector (i.e., the projection of the color space of the yellow subpixel onto the red-green color space).

[0190] If the initial color signal is within the color space of two sub-pixels (i.e., instead of three sub-pixels), then only the first projection may be required and the initial color signal may be emitted using only two sub-pixels. Here, the secondary sub-pixel color space may also be contained within the color space of the same two sub-pixels in which the initial color signal is located. Thus, the initial color signal may be projected onto the color space of the secondary sub-pixels. The secondary sub-pixels may be driven based on the magnitude of the projection. The secondary sub-pixel may be driven so that it contains the entire first color component of the initial color signal and a portion of the second color component of the initial signal. Different sub-pixels may be driven to compensate for the remaining portion of the second color component of the initial signal. Thus, of the at least four sub-pixels within the pixel, only the secondary sub-pixel and another sub-pixel may be driven.

[0191] It should be understood that, under any given color signal, a given subpixel may be activated or inactivated based on the color signal. As an example, using the notation introduced previously, when g' / r' is greater than or equal to G / R, then the green subpixel may not be activated, and when it is less than G / R, the red subpixel may not be activated. It should be understood that for two different color signals, a given subpixel may be active or not. It should also be understood that, although colors such as red, green, blue, yellow, magenta, and cyan are disclosed herein, the techniques disclosed herein may be applied to any color signal and / or subpixel associated with any color.

[0192] Fig.56Another example of processing conventional display data of a display on an RGBY display as disclosed herein is shown. In general, conventional R'G'B' data can be received, digitally processed and displayed on an RGBY display as shown. R'G'B' data that has been conventionally digitally gamma quantized can be received by a linearization function 5610. The function applies the desired gamma to convert the R'G'B' data into linear RGB data, which can then be digitally processed. The RGB data is converted into RGBY data in a gamut mapping algorithm (GMA) 5620, which provides several functions, including converting a color vector from an RGB color vector to an RGBY color vector that substantially reproduces the same color. The GMA may also take into account the fact that the RGB color space and the RGBY color display have different gamuts. In the SPR function 5630, the RGBY data is mapped, sub-pixels and conditional isochromatic objects are displayed, and the result is represented as RGBYp. The RGBYp data is received by the gamma correction block 5640, which operates to gamma quantize the linear RGBYp data into R'G'B'Y'p data of a gamma distribution that matches the available light levels of the RGBY display. The R'G'B'Y'p data is then provided to the RGBY display 5650. Fig.39 The example arrangement shown in provides a specific example of visualizing an RGBY display. Additional information regarding the development and use of filter kernels is provided in U.S. Patent No. 7,688,335, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0193] Displays and similar devices as disclosed herein are typically manufactured using fine metal masks, as previously described. Such masks may be referred to herein as pixelated masks because they are scaled to allow deposition of sub-pixels as opposed to large-area deposition. That is, the purpose of the pixelated mask is to deposit individual color emission areas or layers, such as for addressable sub-pixels with a specific color, not to distinguish between different panels or displays, where each opening in the mask has the size of the display itself (e.g., a white emission panel or display manufactured on a large substrate for manufacturing efficiency). Pixelated masks may be referred to as fine metal masks in the art in context, but other masks may also be referred to as fine metal masks. Embodiments of the displays disclosed herein may be designed and manufactured using the following layouts, which may increase the pixelated mask opening size; increase the vertical and horizontal spacing between the mask openings; and produce a design in which the mask resolution may be only half the resolution of the display itself. In addition, the technology disclosed herein may allow full-color OLED displays and similar devices to be manufactured using only two colors of emissive material deposition and / or four or more colors of sub-pixels. Similar to the previously described embodiments, such an arrangement may be achieved, for example, by placing one or more color shifting layers in a stacked manner with one or more portions of the emissive region to form multiple sub-pixels from a single color deposition.

[0194] It is relatively difficult to manufacture accurate pixelated masks (especially for large sizes or high resolutions). Therefore, the mask arrangements, pixel arrangements, and manufacturing techniques disclosed herein can provide significant advantages with respect to manufacturing costs and device yields. The techniques disclosed herein can also reduce the resolution requirements for IJP and OVJP printing. Using the methods disclosed herein can also allow the same resolution display to be manufactured by printing or otherwise depositing organic stripes with wider widths than can otherwise be achieved and with greater spacing between adjacent stripes.

[0195] Fig.28A An example OLED deposition according to an embodiment is shown. In this example, only OLED deposition to form yellow and blue emission regions is shown. As previously described, the red and green sub-pixels can be further defined by using a color-changing layer (e.g., a color filter) disposed on portions of the blue and / or yellow emission regions. Fig.28B The corresponding pixelated mask is shown, where the unshaded areas correspond to the openings in the mask.

[0196] Fig.29A An example sub-pixel emitting material layout is shown in accordance with an embodiment, where sub-pixels of the same color are grouped together in adjacent pixels on the same row. Fig.29BThe corresponding pixelated mask arrangement is shown. As can be seen from the mask layout, the size of the mask openings is increased relative to those in FIG. 28, and the horizontal spacing between the mask openings is increased. Such a configuration can simplify the manufacture and use of the mask. For example Fig.29B The layout shown in may be particularly suitable for manufacture using printing techniques, and Fig.29A It may be particularly suitable for printing techniques such as IJP or OVJP, where columns of pixels having the same color can be manufactured relatively efficiently. Fig.28A and 29A , obviously, Fig.29A The width of each stripe in is doubled and only one emission region transition is included per pixel. In addition, wider gaps can be incorporated into the mask and layout design, thus reducing the printing resolution requirements for the same resolution.

[0197] Notably, as described with respect to FIG. 29 and other example arrangements disclosed herein, the provided manufacturing techniques can allow for only a single emission area color change per pixel. This can be advantageous regardless of the deposition technique because, regardless of the technique used, it is necessary to have alignment tolerances between emission layers or regions having different colors to allow for manufacturing tolerances that ensure the proper emission material is deposited on any given sub-pixel area. Conventional RGB displays typically require three such alignment tolerances per pixel, thereby reducing the fill factor of each sub-pixel and therefore the overall display life. In the embodiments disclosed herein, a full color display can be manufactured by not filtering all of the light emitted by the display and using only one color change per pixel, providing an increased sub-pixel fill factor while maintaining power efficiency equivalent or comparable to that of a conventional RGB display.

[0198] Fig. 30A and 30B Another example subpixel layout and corresponding pixelated mask according to one embodiment are shown in Figures 1 and 2, respectively. In this configuration, subpixels with the same color are grouped in each row, but the yellow and blue OLED deposition and emission areas are staggered from one row to the next (i.e., from row x to row x+1). The advantages of this layout are shown in Figures 2 and 3. Fig. 30B , the figure demonstrates that the mask openings can be staggered from row to row, resulting in a more rigid mask design because no mask opening is directly parallel to another mask opening.

[0199] A significant difference between the arrangements illustrated in Figures 29 and 30 is that each vertical column in Figure 30 has sub-pixels of different colors, while in Figure 29 each sub-pixel color is in a striped configuration. As described in more detail herein, an interlaced layout as shown in Figure 30 can be implemented by interlacing the data lines that supply the pixel video information so that each external data driver in turn drives a pixel of the same color but on a different row and using scan line multiplexing. Each yellow sub-pixel can be divided into 2 or 3 sub-pixels using a color changing layer (e.g., a color filter), for example to appear red and green, or red, yellow, and green. Thus, each yellow sub-pixel can have 2 or 3 data lines running through it, while each blue sub-pixel can have one data line connecting the sub-pixel to the external driver. An example of data lines interlaced to avoid short circuits is provided in Fig.35 More generally, in one embodiment, the number of data lines required for the display can be less than three times the number of sub-pixels in the display.

[0200] Fig.31 Another example sub-pixel layout according to an embodiment is shown. In this configuration, the position of the TFT and scan line (shown in dashed shading) varies for each row. As shown, the TFT and scan line can be placed in the upper half of the sub-pixel of one row and the lower half of the next row. Fig.32 An example mask design for implementing such a configuration is shown. Notably, each mask opening can evaporate four sub-pixels of the same color simultaneously, halving both vertical and horizontal resolution. Changes in TFT and scan line positions increase the vertical spacing between mask openings compared to the arrangement shown in FIG. 30.

[0201] Fig.33 Another example of a staggered layout according to an embodiment is shown. Fig.34 An example corresponding mask arrangement is shown. The staggering of the mask openings results in an even more rigid mask design, since no mask opening is directly parallel to another mask opening. Fig.34 The mask design shown in provides a pixelated mask resolution that is less than half the dpi resolution of the arrangement shown in FIG. 28 at the same display resolution.

[0202] Fig.35 An example of a data line configuration according to an embodiment is shown, where the scan line layer is configured as previously described to provide a staggered layout configuration. In this configuration, the data lines of the staggered sub-pixels can be connected by using the underlying scan line layer.

[0203] Fig.36Another example arrangement according to an embodiment is shown. As shown, this arrangement includes half the number of red and green sub-pixels relative to the number of yellow sub-pixels, but maintains the same area and number of blue sub-pixels to promote blue life. In this configuration, each pixel has only three sub-pixels as opposed to four as previously described. Such an arrangement can simplify the associated electrical design by reducing the number of data drivers as well as reducing the TFT area and reducing the number of TFTs required per pixel. This provides an improved aperture ratio and display performance. Fig.36 The configuration shown in can be advantageous because the eye's resolution peaks in the yellow region of the spectrum at about 580 nm and is at lower values ​​for red, green, and especially blue.

[0204] Fig.37 Shown Fig.36 A variation on the arrangement shown in , where the blue and yellow sub-pixels can be deposited in pairs, thus allowing the openings in the pixelated mask to be larger. Fig. 30B A mask of the configuration shown in can be used to deposit the arrangement shown.

[0205] In an embodiment as previously described, the yellow and blue emission regions can act as primary colors to drive the white point, such that red and green are more saturated and therefore the color gamut display is higher than can be achieved with comparable power consumption using a conventional arrangement. Using a yellow emission region provides a high color gamut display with extremely saturated greens and reds, but without the typical higher power consumption that would otherwise be expected. In general, using a yellow emission region makes the display power consumption independent of the overall display color gamut.

[0206] Fig.38 Another example arrangement according to an embodiment is shown, where each mask opening is used to deposit emissive material for 4 sub-pixels of the same color in four different pixels simultaneously. Such a technique allows the mask resolution in both the x and y directions to be half the display resolution, based on the number of openings in the mask relative to the number of pixels in the display. Each pixel has 3 sub-pixels, so the number of data lines and TFTs does not increase compared to conventional displays. Fig.38 The arrangement shown in may require only two depositions of OLED emission materials through a pixelated mask, for example blue and yellow as previously described. Another masked deposition step may be performed for other layers (e.g. HTL). It is worth noting that although there are only two colors in the emission area in the display, the display includes four primary colors (in the illustrated example, blue, yellow, green and red). As previously described, this can be achieved by using a color-changing layer placed on part of the yellow emission area to realize red and green sub-pixels.

[0207] Fig.39An example arrangement according to an embodiment is shown, wherein relative to Fig.38 , four adjacent blue sub-pixels are replaced by a single large sub-pixel. Such a configuration may be used because the human eye typically has a relatively low resolution for blue light. As shown, the yellow sub-pixel may be placed closest to the blue sub-pixel. It may be preferred that the width of the large blue emission area is slightly reduced so that the yellows are approximately evenly spaced one pixel apart. Combining the four blue sub-pixels of each cluster together into one large addressable sub-pixel also reduces the required number of data drivers and the number of data lines required across the display. Thus, the pixel arrangement may include half the number of red and green sub-pixels compared to the yellow sub-pixels and one-quarter the number of blue sub-pixels compared to the yellow sub-pixels. Fig.39 The arrangement shown in can be used, for example, by using Fig.34 The mask shown in is manufactured. The mask resolution is half the display resolution in both the x and y directions. In some configurations disclosed herein, a relatively large emission area can provide sub-pixel functionality to multiple pixels. In such configurations, the emission area and related structures can be considered to provide "partial" sub-pixels to one or more pixels. For example, when a relatively large blue emission area is shared by or used in conjunction with sub-pixels in four pixels, the blue emission area can be considered to provide 1 / 4 blue sub-pixel to each pixel. Therefore, in general, the number of sub-pixels in a pixel in a display or a display area can be less than the number of sub-pixel colors in the display or a display area.

[0208] As previously described, various techniques may be used to convert conventional RGB data for display on an RGBY display, such as Fig.39 Other examples shown in and provided herein. Fig.39 As an illustrative example, a layout 3950 of red sub-pixels 3910, green sub-pixels 3920, blue sub-pixels 3930, and yellow sub-pixels 3940 is provided. Yellow sub-pixels 3940 may be arranged so that they may be mapped to incoming pixel data in a one-to-one manner. Fig.56 In the depicted SPR function 5630, the yellow component of the RGBY data does not have to be subsampled. Furthermore, the yellow subpixel can be used to reconstruct most of the high spatial frequency image details given this one-to-one relationship and the fact that the yellow subpixel can be used to provide maximum energy efficiency by shifting many of the energy isochromatics from the red and green subpixels (which use relatively inefficient color shifting layers) to the yellow subpixel.

[0209] The red and green sub-pixels 3910, 3920 can be sub-sampled so that the input pixel is mapped to a red or green sub-pixel, which is arranged in a checkerboard pattern as shown. Therefore, each red and green sub-pixel can be associated with a single yellow sub-pixel. The red and green sub-pixels can be displayed sub-pixel, using, for example, the following "diamond filter" to sample the R and G color channels of the RGBY data in the SPR function 5630:

[0210] 0 0.125 0 0.125 0.5 0.125 0 0.125 0

[0211] Such filters may appear to "blur" the resulting image, in which case it can be sharpened using a filter such as the following:

[0212] -0.0625 0 -0.0625 0 0.25 0 -0.0625 0 -0.0625

[0213] The blue subpixel can be mapped to four input pixels, so the filter kernel is a two-by-two color filter with each value multiplied by 25%:

[0214] 0.25 0.25 0.25 0.25

[0215] In the examples provided, the filter kernels represent the coefficients in the equations; the position of the coefficients in each table represents the relative position of the input pixel being resampled relative to the sub-pixel from which it is reconstructed. The coefficients are multiplied by the value of the input pixel, then summed and used as the value of the reconstructed sub-pixel. Although Fig.39 The example arrangement shown in FIG. 1 is described, but those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that similar or identical techniques may be used for another pixel arrangement disclosed herein.

[0216] Fig.40 Shown Fig.39 An example of a sub-pixel arrangement of scan and data line layout. It is worth noting that, relative to Fig.35 In the arrangement shown in , the number of lines is significantly reduced.

[0217] In some embodiments, it may be desirable to use three color filters or two color filters and a microcavity to achieve a full color display using an RGB1B2Y architecture (i.e., an architecture with red, green, dark blue, light blue, and yellow sub-pixels). In such an arrangement, the light blue and yellow emitting regions can be deposited as previously described, for example, using only two passes of the emitting material through the pixelated mask. In this case, the dark blue sub-pixel can be formed by using a portion of each light blue emitting region (defined by the color of the light blue sub-pixel). Fig.41 The horizontal dotted lines in the figure show that the color-changing layers or microcavities are stacked. Figure 38-39As in the arrangement shown, such an arrangement only requires two different OLED stack depositions and can use a mask with a resolution half that of the final display. Each pixel can include four sub-pixels, and the display as a whole includes five primary colors of sub-pixels (dark blue, light blue, yellow, red, and green). As Fig.41 The arrangement shown in Fig.41 can provide improved lifetime relative to a conventional RGB display while having similar power requirements to a conventional RGB display. Notably, such an arrangement uses a color-changing layer or microcavity to implement the dark blue sub-pixel and only uses a long-lifetime light blue emission region, which typically only uses a small portion of the time of the light blue sub-pixel. The following table shows the simulation results of an arrangement where the light blue emission region is converted to dark blue using a color filter. The unfiltered device has a CIE of (0.15, 0.265), and the filtered device has a dark blue of (0.13, 0.057).

[0218] Bottom-emitting BD377 (12% EQE BE device):

[0219] scope 1931 CIE Integrated radiance Integral brightness Photon radiation Luminous efficiency cd / A all 0.151,0.265 8.88 1998 2.21E+19 19.98 <h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"><490nm<h2 style=";text-align:left;direction:ltr"> 0.130,0.057 4.48 289 1.05E+19 2.89 ratio 0.504 0.145 0.476 0.145

[0220] The previous arrangement achieved the desired white point by using dark blue and yellow emission regions, as previously described. Referring to Fig.44 , the yellow applicable to the dark blue and yellow arrangement as previously described is labeled yellow 1. In RGB1B2Y as described with respect to Fig.41 , the implementation of the white point can be mainly achieved through the light blue emission region, and thus a yellow with a greater degree of red, "yellow 2", can be used to support the same white point. If the yellow emission region has too much red, then when used in the case of the color-changing layer used to implement the green sub-pixel as previously described, it will not have a green component sufficient to form a reasonably efficient green. This implies a trade-off between a light blue emission region with an unsaturation not so low that it requires a yellow with too much red to form the white point and thus does not have sufficient green; and a light blue with a saturation significantly lower than that of dark blue and thus having an improved lifetime. Simulations show that for the Fig.41 RGB1B2Y architecture shown in Fig.41 , the preferred y coordinate of the light blue can be in the region of 0.15 < y < 0.20 or 0.10 < y < 0.25.

[0221] Fig.42A Shows Fig.41 an example variant of Fig.41 , where four of the dark blue sub-pixels are replaced by a single dark blue sub-pixel shared by four pixels. This reduces the number of drive lines and TFT circuits per pixel from 4.0 to 3.25. The dark blue sub-pixel can be in Fig.41The deep blue sub-pixel is formed in a non-emitting region in the OLED so as not to reduce the light blue aperture ratio and thus affect its lifetime. In this configuration, the deep blue sub-pixel can be deposited using the same light blue OLED as the four adjacent light blue sub-pixels, but with an independently addressable anode. As previously described, the final deep blue emission can be achieved using a color-changing layer and / or microcavity placed on the light blue emitting material.

[0222] As another example, Fig.42A The arrangement shown in can be manufactured using only two high-resolution masking steps using a pixelated mask as previously described. For example, deposition through the pixelated mask can be performed for both the emission layer material and the hole transport layer material. In some cases, only a single high-resolution mask deposition process can be used for only the emission layer material. In contrast, a conventional process would require two OLED depositions (e.g., for blue and yellow), and another masked deposition step for the HTL deposition to increase the thickness of the HTL for the yellow sub-pixel relative to the blue sub-pixel.

[0223] As another example, a light blue emission material can be evaporated over the entire display, and a yellow emission material is deposited on the yellow sub-pixel through a pixelated mask. In this case, the emission region for the yellow device will include two blue and yellow emission layers. Because the yellow emitter typically has lower energy than the blue emitter, the excitons in both the blue and yellow bands will be transferred to the lower energy yellow emitter, and only yellow light will be generated by the yellow emission region. The blue emission layer emits light in the blue sub-pixel, but will act as another HTL in the yellow emission region. If the thickness of the blue EML provides the additional HTL thickness required to optimize the yellow sub-pixel, then additional HTL masking may not be required, so that the complete display can be manufactured with only one masking step. Similar to the previous arrangement, such an architecture may only require one or two OLED emission material depositions, and three or less masking steps (for OLED materials and HTL). The resolution of the mask can be half of the resulting display, and the display can have 3.25 sub-pixels per pixel. The display can include five primary color sub-pixels (dark blue, light blue, yellow, green and red), with only two emission area primary colors (light blue and yellow). Such a configuration may provide improved lifetime and similar power consumption requirements relative to conventional RGB displays, while requiring only a relatively long-lived light blue color as opposed to the dark blue color typically required.

[0224] The arrangements disclosed herein may also be arranged so as to be more efficiently manufactured using specific deposition techniques. For example, similar to Fig.42A The arrangement shown in FIG. 4 can be used to allow efficient deposition by OVJP or similar techniques by arranging the various emission regions and / or sub-pixels in columns. Fig.42B An example arrangement suitable for efficient deposition via OVJP is shown.

[0225] Fig.43 A similar configuration according to an embodiment is shown, which may be suitable for wearable devices and similar applications, where typical usage may not require a high color temperature white point, such as D65 or greater. For applications where a yellowish white (e.g., D30 or D40) is acceptable, the dark blue sub-pixel can be omitted entirely, thus simplifying the display to only 3 sub-pixels per pixel.

[0226] Fig.45 A comparison of an example conventional RGB side-by-side pixel layout and an arrangement as disclosed herein deposited using only two OLED emission areas is shown. Because most conventional display deposition methods typically use patterning techniques to deposit individual colors, spacing is required between sub-pixels with different colors to avoid color mixing. In contrast, because only one spacing is required per pixel between sub-pixels with different colors in the embodiments disclosed herein (as opposed to three in conventional pixel architectures), the fill factor of each sub-pixel can be much higher. Fig.45 An example of a 280 dpi display is shown, where the example double deposition arrangement roughly doubles the blue sub-pixel fill factor relative to a conventional arrangement. The example shows a 90 μm pixel, with 25 μm between active OLEDs, and the TFTs and busses are assumed to occupy 45 μm horizontally.

[0227] The examples described above include an arrangement in which various color-changing layers are disposed on the yellow emitting region to provide various colors of the sub-pixels. However, other arrangements may be used according to the embodiments disclosed herein. For example, Fig.46 An example arrangement is shown in accordance with an embodiment in which a green color shifting layer (e.g., a color filter) is disposed over a light blue ("LB") emitting region to provide a green sub-pixel. Using a combination of a light blue emitting region and a green color shifting layer can provide a deeper green color saturation relative to other embodiments in which the green color shifting layer is disposed over a yellow emitting region. Fig.46 The configuration shown in can also provide greater red color saturation and / or higher red efficiency because the yellow emission region can be designed to match the light blue white point without constraining the green color shifting layer to also match. Other arrangements can also be used, such as other red, green, light blue, dark blue and yellow patterns, where the red and green sub-pixels are provided using other color shifting layers (e.g., color filters) in combination.

[0228] It is worth noting that Figure 37-43, 46-47 and similar arrangements may include only a single color transition in the horizontal and / or vertical direction within the emission area between each sub-pixel and each adjacent sub-pixel (regardless of whether the adjacent sub-pixels are in the same pixel or adjacent pixels) in any pixel in the arrangement. That is, the emission area of ​​each sub-pixel may be adjacent to the same color emission area (e.g., adjacent red and green sub-pixels, when both are formed by a yellow emission layer and red and green color-changing layers) or one other color emission area. However, in each other horizontal and / or vertical direction within the display, each sub-pixel may be adjacent to other sub-pixels having the same color emission area. The horizontal and vertical directions may refer to, for example, the directions of the scan and / or data line layout within the display. Therefore, for the staggered layout as previously described, there may be only a single color transition in one direction but not in the vertical direction among the emission areas of adjacent pixels. The feature of having a single color transition within a pixel refers to the emission area within the sub-pixel, not the final color emitted by the sub-pixel, because adjacent sub-pixels may include one or more color-changing layers while having a common emission area or the same color emission area within the sub-pixel.

[0229] As another example, Fig.47 An arrangement is shown according to one embodiment in which a green color shifting layer (eg, a color filter) is disposed over both the light blue and yellow emitting regions to produce a green sub-pixel. Fig.46 As shown in the example, Fig.47 The arrangement shown in can provide a deeper green color saturation to the green sub-pixel, and / or provide a deeper red color saturation to the red sub-pixel, because the bluish white point does not have to be matched to the green color shifting layer as well as the red sub-pixel. Other similar arrangements can be used, for example where red, green and / or dark blue are provided via the color shifting layer.

[0230] As another example, Fig.48 An arrangement according to an embodiment is shown, in which a green color-changing layer is disposed on the dark blue and yellow emission regions, i.e., a dark blue emission region is used instead of the dark blue emission region as shown in FIG. Fig.47 Such an arrangement can provide Fig.47 The same or similar benefits as described.

[0231] As previously described, in some applications, it may be desirable or acceptable to forgo the use of a deep blue sub-pixel, such as for a limited display that does not require a full color gamut. For example, a small, portable, and / or wearable display may not require a deep blue sub-pixel to achieve an acceptable color output range. Fig.49 An example arrangement according to an embodiment is shown in which the display requires only 3 TFT circuits in each pixel and in which there are no dark blue sub-pixels.

[0232] In some cases, it may be desirable to use both light blue and dark blue sub-pixels using various combinations of the two colors of emissive regions and various color shifting layers as previously described. Fig.50 An example arrangement is shown in which a green color shifting layer is disposed on a light blue emitting region to provide a green sub-pixel, and which includes dark blue and light blue sub-pixels. As previously described, a dark blue sub-pixel can be provided by using a color shifting layer and / or a microcavity disposed on a portion of the light blue emitting region. Fig.51 Another example according to an embodiment is shown, in which a green color-changing layer is disposed on a light blue emission region to provide a green sub-pixel, and it includes dark blue and light blue sub-pixels, with Fig.50 The comparison has a different sub-pixel arrangement.

[0233] The embodiments disclosed herein can be manufactured using a variety of techniques. For example, pixels or pixel arrangements in a full-color OLED display can be manufactured using a pixelated mask, such as shown in and described with respect to Figures 28-51. The area of ​​each opening in the pixelated mask can be at least equal to the combined area of ​​two, three or more of the sub-pixels to be deposited by the mask. Similarly, the total area of ​​the mask can be at least the combined area of ​​two sub-pixels of different colors of light produced by the display. In some embodiments, the mask openings can be relatively small, such as no more than 5%, 10%, 20%, etc., compared to the total area of ​​the mask.

[0234] Common emission materials to be used in multiple emission regions and / or sub-pixels can be deposited through a mask so that the sub-pixels are arranged adjacent to each other on a substrate. Common emission materials can be materials to be used to form multiple stacks within sub-pixels that are addressed as separate and different pixels. As previously disclosed, some embodiments may include no more than two colors of emission regions, i.e., they can be manufactured using OLED deposition with only two passes through a pixelated mask. For example, as described with respect to Figures 28-51, some embodiments may include only blue and yellow, or light blue and yellow emission regions.

[0235] As previously described, multiple sub-pixels can be manufactured using a single emission region or adjacent emission regions, such as by manufacturing one or more color-changing layers on the emission region. For example, red, green and / or dark blue color-changing layers can be disposed on yellow and / or light blue emission regions. In some configurations, a portion of the emission region can remain unchanged, i.e., no color-changing layer can be disposed on the emission region or optically coupled to the emission region in other ways. For example, a yellow emission region can be optically coupled to a red color-changing layer and a green color-changing layer, and the corresponding portion of the yellow emission region can be separately addressed. A portion of the yellow emission region can also remain unfiltered to provide yellow light, as previously described. More generally, any emission region that provides an emission that can be converted into one or more other colors can be used.

[0236] In some embodiments, multiple color depositions may be performed. For example, as previously described, another emissive layer may be deposited through a pixelated mask to form additional emissive regions in a staggered configuration. The deposited emissive material may be any suitable color, such as yellow, dark or light blue, magenta, cyan, or any other color that can be achieved with an organic emissive material.

[0237] In some embodiments, no more than two colors of color-changing layers may be used. For example, as previously described, in some configurations, only red and green color-changing layers are used.

[0238] Embodiments disclosed herein may provide relatively very high resolution displays and similar devices due to the efficiency with which sub-pixels may be fabricated and arranged on a substrate. For example, in an embodiment, an OLED display may include a plurality of pixels, each of which includes at least or exactly two depositions of OLED emissive materials having different colors disposed adjacent to each other on a substrate, as previously described. Such a display may have a resolution of 500, 600, 700, or 800 dpi, or any resolution therebetween.

[0239] As previously described, embodiments disclosed herein can allow for the use of pixelated masks that are much more physically stable than conventional fine metal masks due to the increased distance between mask openings that can be used. For example, as shown in Figures 29-39 and as described elsewhere herein, the distance between adjacent openings in a pixelated mask can be at least twice the distance between adjacent emissive areas having a common color in a display. That is, the distance between adjacent openings in a pixelated mask measured parallel or perpendicular to a scan or data line in a final device defined by the mask can be at least twice the distance measured along the same direction between adjacent emissive areas having a common color. Thus, while the devices disclosed herein can have relatively high fill factors and resolutions, masks used to manufacture the devices can have relatively large amounts of "unused" space, i.e., areas of the mask that do not contain mask openings.

[0240] As previously described, in some embodiments, it may be desirable to use a microcavity to achieve one or more colors of a subpixel, such as where a microcavity is disposed over a portion of a light blue emission region to provide a dark blue subpixel. As another example, a green subpixel as disclosed herein may include a microcavity as an alternative to or in addition to the previously described color-shifting layer to increase the saturation of the green subpixel. After the OLED is formed in the cavity, the optical path length between the anode and cathode has a strong effect on OLED efficiency and performance. Further modeling suggests that in the embodiments disclosed herein having only blue and yellow emission regions, additional HTL thickness may be desirable relative to the blue emission region in a stack with a yellow emission region to provide a green and / or blue microcavity design.

[0241] For example, in a configuration using blue and yellow emission regions, it may be necessary to have a different HTL thickness for the blue emission region deposition compared to the yellow deposition. This may require another pixelated mask deposition step. Therefore, in some embodiments, three masking steps may be used, two for EML deposition and one for HTL deposition. In contrast, a similar configuration would require five masking steps to manufacture a conventional top-emitting RGB side-by-side device (3 for EML deposition and 2 for HTL deposition). As another example, another HTL may be patterned on the yellow pixel compared to the blue. More generally, an electrode may be superimposed with two emission regions, i.e., one optically coupled to the microcavity and the other not. When the distance between a selected surface of an electrode and an emission region is measured in a direction perpendicular to the electrode, it may be shorter than the distance measured in the same direction measured between the same surface and another emission region.

[0242] As another example, in one embodiment, another HTL can be deposited on the yellow and red sub-pixels, and the blue and green sub-pixels can have the same HTL thickness. In such a configuration, the green sub-pixel can be placed adjacent to the adjacent blue sub-pixel. That is, the portion of the yellow emission area for the green sub-pixel can be placed adjacent to the blue sub-pixel of the adjacent pixel. To avoid a configuration with two yellow sub-pixels adjacent to each other, the yellow unfiltered sub-pixel can be placed between the red and green, such as Fig.52 A similar arrangement is shown in Fig.53 for a configuration in which a half-resolution mask is used and the blue sub-pixels are grouped as previously disclosed. Fig.52 and 53 The dashed lines in show the HTL masking used for cavity fabrication as disclosed herein.

[0243] As previously described, when a microcavity is used in an OLED stack, it can change the color output of the stack, such as the yellow output. According to the embodiments disclosed herein, it may be preferred that the yellow subpixel have a color output that lies on a straight line defined by the blue subpixel of the device and the desired white point. This is accomplished by Fig.44 1, which illustrates the red, green, and blue colors on a CIE diagram, and shows that the desired yellow ("Yellow 1") lies on a line connecting dark blue with the desired white point. This criterion generally results in the least overall display power consumption, and in one embodiment, is the preferred mode of operation. Thus, in one embodiment, it may be desirable for a region or sub-pixel coupled to a microcavity to be configured to emit light having 1931 CIE coordinates that lie on a straight line between a selected white point and the coordinates of light emitted by a yellow sub-pixel. More generally, it may be desirable for a region or sub-pixel to emit light having 1931 CIE coordinates that lie within (+ / - 0.02, 0.02) of any point on a straight line between the CIE coordinates of light emitted by another region used to set a selected white point. In some configurations, it may be desirable for the white point itself to lie within a 1-step, 3-step, or 7-step MacAdams ellipse of the Plankian Black Body Locus between yellow and blue emissions on the 1931 CIE diagram.

[0244] Another consideration for configurations including microcavities is that microcavities typically cause OLEDs to present different colors for different viewing angles, so that the observed output color shifts with viewing angle. This is usually undesirable. However, in many cases, the blue color required for saturated deep blue cannot be easily achieved by a single emitter design alone. Typically in conventional designs, emitters with good efficiency and life and with blue rather than deep blue output are selected, and then the microcavity is used to produce extremely deep blue colors. This is especially true for televisions and similar applications that require a high color gamut. Therefore, while it may be desirable to place blue subpixels in a microcavity, it may not be desirable to place yellow, green, and / or red subpixels in a microcavity because this will result in undesirable color shifts with viewing angle. However, it has been observed that as the angle from vertical increases, red and green shift to shorter wavelengths of light, which may result in blue turbidity in the white point when viewed at an off-angle. Therefore, in some embodiments, the blue subpixel can be placed in a microcavity, while the yellow subpixel is placed in a non-cavity stack, such as a bottom emission design. More generally, embodiments may include an emitting region or subpixel placed in a microcavity or otherwise optically coupled to a microcavity and another emitting region or subpixel not so placed. In one embodiment, a bottom emitting OLED stack may be used in conjunction with a reflective cathode and a transmissive anode using a transparent conductive oxide (TCO). A thin metal may be placed above or below the TCO with or without an insulating spacer between the TCO, metal, and OLED stack such that the thin metal at the anode in conjunction with the reflective cathode forms a microcavity. Fig.54 An example schematic diagram is shown according to an embodiment, where a thin metal layer is disposed over the TCO without a spacer layer for the blue sub-pixel, and no thin metal is disposed between the yellow sub-pixel and the TCO. Thus, the resulting device includes a microcavity for the blue sub-pixel, and no microcavities are provided for yellow, red, and green emission. Such a configuration can provide a high color gamut and minimal or no color change with viewing angle, as there is little or no color shift for red, green, or yellow with viewing angle.

[0245] Fig.55 Simulation data for an embodiment including blue and yellow emitting regions with only the blue region coupled to the microcavity is shown. The shift of the white point with viewing angle is shown. Fig.55As illustrated, the color shift is much smaller than measured from commercial displays where all colors are produced by top-emitting OLEDs. Specifically, results from measuring commercial top-emitting displays show that both the x and y CIE coordinates of the white point shift by as much as + / -0.02 as the viewing angle increases from 0° to 60°. In contrast, simulation data for embodiments as disclosed herein show greatly reduced shifts, including almost no shift in the CIE x coordinate and only a 0.005 shift in the y coordinate. More generally, embodiments disclosed herein cause the color shift of the 1931 CIE coordinates of the white point of the display to be less than (+ / -0.01, 0.01) for all viewing angles between 0° and 60°.

[0246] As previously described, the various embodiments and configurations disclosed herein can provide OLED displays with a reduced number of data lines and improved fill factor and resolution. For example, for a given pixel or pixel arrangement in an OLED display as disclosed herein, a pixel may include at least 2 sub-pixels having different colors, and a device may include at least 3 sub-pixels having different colors. That is, when averaged across a display, and / or when shared sub-pixels among pixels are described as partial sub-pixels, each pixel may be described as having a non-integer number of associated sub-pixels. For example, a full-color display may include pixels defined by 2, 3, 4 or more (up to a certain integer n) sub-pixels. However, the device as a whole may include 3, 4 or 5 or more (up to n+1) sub-pixels having different colors, respectively. In addition, such a configuration may require only n data lines for each of a plurality of pixels.

[0247] As used herein, various components can be used as the color-changing layer as disclosed. Suitable components include color conversion layers, color filters, color-changing layers, microcavities, etc. The dye used in the color conversion layer as disclosed herein is not particularly limited, and any compound can be used as long as the compound is capable of converting the color of the light emitted by the light source into a desired color, which is basically a wavelength conversion element capable of converting the wavelength of the light from the light source into a wavelength 10nm or greater than the wavelength of the light from the light source. It can be an organic fluorescent substance, an inorganic fluorescent substance or a phosphorescent substance, and can be selected according to the target wavelength. Examples of materials include, but are not limited to, the following categories: xanthenes, acridines, oxazines, polyenes, cyanines, oxonols, benzimidazoles, indolenines, nitrogen methines, styryls, thiazoles, coumarins, anthraquinones, naphthalimides, aza

[18] annulins, porphines, squaric acids, fluorescent proteins, 8-hydroxyquinoline derivatives, polymethines, nanocrystals, proteins, perylenes, phthalocyanines, and metal-ligand coordination complexes.

[0248] Examples of fluorescent dyes for converting luminescence from UV and higher energy light to blue light include, but are not limited to, styryl-based dyes such as 1,4-bis(2-methylstyryl)benzene and trans-4,4'-diphenylstilbene; and coumarin-based dyes such as 7-hydroxy-4-methylcoumarin, and combinations thereof.

[0249] Examples of fluorescent dyes for converting luminescence from blue light into green light include, but are not limited to, coumarin dyes such as 2,3,5,6-1H,4H-tetrahydro-8-trifluoromethylquinolizine (9,9a,1-gh) coumarin, 3-(2'-benzothiazolyl)-7-diethylaminocoumarin, 3-(2'-benzimidazolyl)-7-N,N-diethylaminocoumarin; and naphthalimide dyes such as Basic Yellow 51, Solvent Yellow 11, and Solvent Yellow 116; and pyrene dyes such as 8-hydroxy-1,3,6-pyrenetrisulfonic acid trisodium salt (HPTS), and combinations thereof.

[0250] Examples of fluorescent dyes for converting luminescence from blue to green light to red include, but are not limited to, perylene-based dyes, such as N,N-bis(2,6-diisopropylphenyl)-1,6,7,12-tetraphenoxyperylene-3,4:9,10-tetracarboximide (Lumogen Red F300); cyanine-based dyes, such as 4-dicyanomethylidene-2-methyl-6-(p-dimethylaminophenyl)-4H-pyran; pyridine-based dyes, such as 1-ethyl-2-(4-(p-dimethylaminophenyl)-1,3-butadienyl)-pyridinium perchlorate; and rhodamine-based dyes, such as rhodamine with rhodamine 6G; and oxazine-based dyes, and combinations thereof.

[0251] Examples of the inorganic fluorescent substance include, but are not limited to, an inorganic fluorescent substance including a metal oxide or a metal chalcogenide doped with a transition metal ion (including a rare earth metal ion).

[0252] Many metal-ligand coordination complexes can be used as dyes, which can be fluorescent and phosphorescent.

[0253] It may be preferred to use the color conversion layer in a state where the layer is stacked on a color filter. Its stacked structure on the color filter makes it possible to make the color purity of the light transmitted through the color conversion layer better. In some configurations, the "color-changing layer" as disclosed herein may include multiple components, such as a color filter arranged in a stacked manner with the color conversion layer, or only the color conversion layer alone or only the color filter alone.

[0254] The material used for the color filter is not particularly limited. The color filter can be made of, for example, a dye, a pigment and a resin or only a dye or a pigment. The color filter made of a dye, a pigment and a resin can be a color filter in a solid form, wherein the dye and the pigment are dissolved or dispersed in a binder resin.

[0255] Examples of dyes or pigments used in color filters include, but are not limited to, perylene, isoindoline, cyanine, azo, oxazine, phthalocyanine, quinacridone, anthraquinone, and diketopyrrolo-pyrrole, and combinations thereof.

[0256] As used herein, and as will be understood by those skilled in the art, a "color conversion layer" (e.g., a "down conversion layer") may include a film of fluorescent or phosphorescent material that efficiently absorbs higher energy photons (e.g., blue light and / or yellow light) and re-emits photons at lower energy (e.g., at green and / or red light), depending on the material used. That is, the color conversion layer may absorb light emitted by an organic light-emitting device (e.g., a white OLED) and re-emit light at a longer wavelength (or a fragment of the wavelength of the emission spectrum of the light). The color conversion layer may be a layer formed by mixing the fluorescent medium material contained in the color conversion layer mentioned above with a color filter material. This makes it possible to give the color conversion layer the function of converting light emitted by the emitting device and the function of a color filter to further improve the color purity. Therefore, its structure is relatively simple.

[0257] Embodiments disclosed herein can be incorporated into a wide variety of products and devices, such as flat panel displays, smart phones, transparent displays, flexible displays, televisions, portable devices (such as laptops and tablet computers or displays), multimedia devices, and comprehensive lighting devices. Displays as disclosed herein can also have relatively high resolutions, including 250, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700 dpi or greater or any value therebetween.

[0258] It should be understood that the various embodiments described herein are only examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. For example, many of the materials and structures described herein can be replaced with other materials and structures without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The present invention as required can therefore include the variations of the specific examples and preferred embodiments described herein, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. It should be understood that the various theories about why the present invention works are not intended to be restrictive.

Claims

1. A full-color pixel arrangement for an OLED display, comprising: substrate; and A number of pixels, where Each pixel of the plurality of pixels comprises: a first subpixel configured to emit light having a first color, the first subpixel having a first optical path length; and a second subpixel configured to emit light having a second color, the second subpixel having a second optical path length different from the first optical path length; and Each pixel contains an emissive region with exactly two colors; wherein each emissive region in each pixel of the arrangement is adjacent to an emissive region of the same color in an adjacent pixel and to an emissive region of a different color in the same pixel, wherein each pixel comprises no more than two color-shifting layers, The different optical path lengths of each sub-pixel are provided by transport layers and / or blocking layers of different thicknesses.

2. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the pixel arrangement comprises sub-pixels emitting at least four colors.

3. An arrangement according to claim 1, wherein at least one pixel comprises no more than three color-changing layers.

4. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein each emissive region in each pixel in the arrangement is adjacent to an emissive region of the same color in an adjacent pixel in a direction parallel to a scan line in the OLED device.

5. An arrangement according to claim 1 or 4, wherein each emissive region in each pixel of the arrangement is adjacent to an emissive region of the same colour in an adjacent pixel in a direction parallel to a data line in the OLED device.

6. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein each pixel comprises a yellow emissive region, and each yellow emissive region is adjacent to an emissive region of an adjacent pixel.

7. The arrangement of claim 1, wherein each pixel comprises blue and yellow emitting regions.

8. An arrangement according to claim 7, wherein each pixel comprises at least one color-shifting layer, each color-shifting layer being of a type selected from the group consisting of: a green color-shifting layer and a red color-shifting layer.

9. A full color display comprising a pixel arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein each pixel comprises a plurality of sub-pixels, and wherein the number of sub-pixels in at least a portion of the plurality of pixels is smaller than the number of sub-pixel colors in the display.

10. A device comprising an arrangement according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the device is of a type selected from the group consisting of: a flat panel display, a computer monitor, a medical monitor, a television, a billboard, a lamp for interior or exterior lighting, a signal, a color-adjustable or color-temperature-adjustable lighting source, a head-up display, a fully transparent display, a flexible display, a laser printer, a telephone, a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a laptop computer, a digital camera, a camcorder, a viewfinder, a microdisplay, a vehicle, a large area wall, a theater or stadium screen, and a sign.

Images