Nucleation-inhibiting coatings containing rare earth compounds and devices incorporating same

Abstract

The multi-layer device includes a nucleation-inhibiting coating (NIC) disposed on a first layer surface at a first portion of a lateral side of the device, and a deposition layer composed of a deposition material disposed on a second layer surface, wherein an initial sticking probability for deposition of the deposition layer on the surface of the NIC at the first portion is substantially lower than an initial sticking probability for deposition of the deposition layer on the second layer surface, such that the NIC is substantially free of a closed coating of the deposition material and the NIC includes a compound including a rare earth element. The deposition layer may include a closed coating on the second layer surface at a second portion of the lateral side, and / or at least one discontinuous layer of grain structure on the surface of the NIC.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] Related Applications This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 025,828, filed May 15, 2020, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 107,393, filed October 29, 2020, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 153,834, filed February 25, 2021, U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 163,453, filed March 19, 2021, and U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 181,100, filed April 28, 2021, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to layered devices, particularly to layered devices forming optoelectronic devices, having a patterned coating that can function as and / or can be a nucleation-inhibiting coating (NIC), and a deposited layer deposited thereon that has been patterned using the patterned coating that can function as and / or can be a nucleation-inhibiting coating (NIC), and first and second electrodes separated by a semiconducting layer. [Background technology]

[0003] In an optoelectronic device, such as an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), at least one semiconductive layer is disposed between a pair of electrodes, such as an anode and a cathode. The anode and cathode are electrically coupled to a power source and cause holes and electrons, respectively, to migrate toward each other through the at least one semiconductive layer. When the hole and electron pairs combine, photons may be emitted.

[0004] OLED display panels may include multiple (sub)pixels, each of which has an associated pair of electrodes. The various layers and coatings of such panels are typically formed by vacuum-based deposition techniques.

[0005] In some applications, during the OLED manufacturing process, the objective may be to provide a closed coating of conductive deposition material in a pattern for each (sub)pixel of the panel, across either or both of the lateral sides and cross section of the panel, by selective deposition of at least one thin film of deposition material to form device features, such as, but not limited to, electrodes and / or conductive elements electrically coupled thereto.

[0006] One method for doing so, in some non-limiting applications, involves the insertion of a fine metal mask (FMM) during the deposition of such deposition material. However, deposition materials typically used as electrodes have relatively high evaporation temperatures, which impact the ability to reuse the FMM and / or the precision of the patterns that can be achieved, with attendant increases in cost, effort, and complexity.

[0007] One method for doing so involves depositing a deposition material and then removing the unwanted areas to form the pattern, including, in some non-limiting examples, by a laser drilling process. However, the removal process often involves the creation and / or presence of debris, which may affect the yield of the manufacturing process.

[0008] Furthermore, such methods may not be suitable for use in some applications and / or with some devices having particular topological features.

[0009] In some non-limiting applications, the objective may be to provide an improved mechanism for providing selective deposition of deposition material. Summary of the Invention [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] It is an object of the present disclosure to obviate or mitigate at least one disadvantage of the prior art.

[0011] The present disclosure discloses a layered device having a plurality of layers, wherein in a first portion of a lateral side of the device, the device includes a patterned coating, such as a nucleation inhibiting coating (NIC), disposed on a first layer surface of a base layer.

[0012] A deposition layer composed of a deposition material is disposed on the second layer surface.

[0013] The initial sticking probability for deposition of the deposition material onto the surface of the NIC in the first portion is substantially lower than the initial sticking probability for deposition of the deposition material onto the surface of the second portion, and thus the NIC is substantially devoid of a closed coating of the deposition material.

[0014] NICs include compounds containing rare earth elements.

[0015] The deposited layer may include a closed coating on the second layer surface at the second portion of the lateral side and / or at least one grain-structured discontinuous layer on the surface of the NIC.

[0016] According to a broad aspect of the present disclosure, a device having multiple layers is disclosed, the device including a nucleation inhibiting coating (NIC) disposed on a first layer surface of a base layer at a first portion of a lateral side thereof, and a deposition layer comprised of a deposition material disposed on a second layer surface, wherein an initial sticking probability for deposition of the deposition layer on the surface of the NIC at the first portion is substantially lower than an initial sticking probability for deposition of the deposition layer on the second layer surface, such that the NIC is substantially free of a closed coating of the deposition material, and the NIC comprises a compound including a rare earth element.

[0017] In some non-limiting examples, the rare earth elements may include at least one of cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), praseodymium (Pr), scandium (Sc), samarium (Sm), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), yttrium (Y), and ytterbium (Yb). In some non-limiting examples, the rare earth elements may include Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, Ho, Lu, Nd, Pr, Sm, Tb, Tm, and Yb. In some non-limiting examples, rare earth elements may include Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, Ho, Lu, Nd, Sm, Tm, and Yb.

[0018] In some non-limiting examples, the compound may include an oxide of a rare earth element. In some non-limiting examples, the oxide may be CeO2, Dy2O3, Er2O3, Eu2O3, Gd2O3, Ho2O3, La2O3, Lu2O3, Nd2O3, Pr6O 11 , Pr2O3, PrO2, Pr2O5, Pm2O3, Sm2O3, Sc2O3, Tb7O 12 , Tb2O3, TbO2, Tb3O7, Tm2O3, Yb2O3, and Y2O3.

[0019] In some non-limiting examples, the critical surface energy of the NIC can be less than about 30 dynes / cm.

[0020] In some non-limiting examples, the deposited layer may include a closed coating on the second layer surface at the second portion of the lateral side.

[0021] In some non-limiting examples, the device may further comprise an interfacial coating on the second portion, the interfacial coating comprising a rare earth element. In some non-limiting examples, the second layer surface may be a surface of the interfacial coating. In some non-limiting examples, the oxidation state of the rare earth element in the interfacial coating may be zero. In some non-limiting examples, the interfacial coating may be adjacent to the NIC on a lateral side. In some non-limiting examples, the rare earth element may comprise Yb. In some non-limiting examples, the interfacial coating may be Yb. 0 and the NIC may comprise YbO. In some non-limiting examples, the critical surface energy of the NIC may be lower than the critical surface energy of the interfacial coating.

[0022] In some non-limiting examples, the second portion may include at least one emissive region. In some non-limiting examples, the first portion may include at least a portion of the non-emissive region. In some non-limiting examples, the emissive region may include a first electrode, at least one semiconductor layer, and a second electrode, where the first electrode is between the substrate and the at least one semiconductor layer, and the at least one semiconductor layer is between the first electrode and the second electrode. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer may be electrically coupled to the second electrode. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer may form at least a portion of the second electrode in the second portion. In some non-limiting examples, the second portion may include a partition and a third electrode within a protected area of the partition, where the deposition layer is electrically coupled to the second electrode and the third electrode.

[0023] In some non-limiting examples, the deposited layer may include at least one discontinuous layer of grain structure, and the second layer surface may be a surface of the NIC.

[0024] In some non-limiting examples, the device may include at least one coating layer disposed on and interfacing with a surface of the NIC, with the deposition layer located at the interface.

[0025] In some non-limiting examples, the first portion may include at least one emission region, and the deposition layer may be adjusted to enhance outcoupling of at least one electromagnetic signal emitted by the emission region.

[0026] In some non-limiting examples, the resonance imparted by the at least one particle structure can be tuned by selecting a characteristic selected from at least one of the characteristic size, size distribution, shape, surface coverage, composition, dispersity, material of the at least one particle structure, and any combination thereof. In some non-limiting examples, the resonance can be tuned by varying at least one of the deposition thickness of the deposited material, the average film thickness of the NIC, the thickness of the at least one overlayer, the composition of the metal in the deposited material, the dielectric constant of the at least one particle structure, the extent to which the NIC is doped with organic materials having different compositions, the refractive index of the NIC, the extinction coefficient of the NIC, the material deposited as the at least one overlayer, the refractive index of the at least one overlayer, the extinction coefficient of the at least one overlayer, and any combination thereof.

[0027] In some non-limiting examples, the first portion may be substantially limited to at least one emitting region. In some non-limiting examples, the first portion may be bounded by a lateral second portion that includes at least one non-emitting region. In some non-limiting examples, the NIC may extend beyond the first portion into the second portion.

[0028] In some non-limiting examples, the emission region may comprise a first electrode, at least one semiconductor layer, and a second electrode, where the first electrode is between the substrate and the at least one semiconductor layer, and the at least one semiconductor layer is between the first electrode and the second electrode. In some non-limiting examples, the base layer may include the second electrode. In some non-limiting examples, the base layer may include one of the at least one semiconductor layer. In some non-limiting examples, the base layer may be selected from at least one of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer. In some non-limiting examples, the at least one cover layer may be selected from at least one of an electron transport layer and an electron injection layer. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer may include a second electrode. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer may be formed by deposition of a deposition material over the lateral sides. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material may form an electrode in the second portion. In some non-limiting examples, the electrode in the second portion may be an auxiliary electrode. In some non-limiting examples, the second portion may include at least one additional emissive region, and the electrode in the second portion may be an electrode of the at least one additional emissive region.

[0029] In some non-limiting examples, the at least one additional emission region may comprise a first electrode, at least one semiconductor layer, and a second electrode, where the first electrode is between the substrate and the at least one semiconductor layer, and the at least one semiconductor layer is between the first electrode and the second electrode. In some non-limiting examples, the electrode in the second portion may include the second electrode of the at least one additional emission region. In some non-limiting examples, the electrode in the second portion may be a closed coating of the deposition material.

[0030] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material may include Mg. The present invention provides, for example, the following. (Item 1) A device having multiple layers, a nucleation inhibiting coating (NIC) disposed on the first layer surface of the base layer at the first portion of the lateral side; a deposition layer comprising a deposition material disposed on the second layer surface; an initial sticking probability for deposition of the deposition layer on a surface of the NIC in the first portion is substantially lower than an initial sticking probability for deposition of the deposition layer on a surface of the second layer, such that the NIC is substantially free of a closed coating of the deposition material; The device, wherein the NIC comprises a compound containing a rare earth element. (Item 2) Item 10. The device of item 1, wherein the rare earth element comprises at least one of cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), praseodymium (Pr), scandium (Sc), samarium (Sm), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), yttrium (Y), and ytterbium (Yb). (Item 3) 3. The device of claim 1 or 2, wherein the rare earth elements include Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, Ho, Lu, Nd, Pr, Sm, Tb, Tm, and Yb. (Item 4) 4. The device of any one of items 1 to 3, wherein the rare earth elements include Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, Ho, Lu, Nd, Sm, Tm, and Yb. (Item 5) 5. The device according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the compound comprises an oxide of the rare earth element. (Item 6) The oxide is CeO 2 , Dy 2 O 3 、Er 2 O 3 ,EU 2 O 3 , Gd 2 O 3 , Ho 2 O 3 , La 2 O 3 , Lu 2 O 3 , Nd 2 O 3 、Pr 6 O 11 、Pr 2 O 3 , PrO 2 、Pr 2 O 5 , Pm 2 O 3 , Sm 2 O 3 ,Sc. 2 O 3 , Tb 7 O 12 , Tb 2 O 3 , TbO 2 , Tb 3 O 7 , Tm 2 O 3 , Yb 2 O 3 , and Y 2 O 3 Item 6. The device according to item 5, comprising at least one of: (Item 7) 7. The device of any one of items 1 to 6, wherein the critical surface energy of the NIC is less than about 30 dynes / cm. (Item 8) 8. The device of any one of items 1 to 7, wherein the deposition layer comprises a closed coating on the second layer surface at the second portion of the lateral side. (Item 9) Item 9. The device of item 8, further comprising an interfacial coating on the second portion, the interfacial coating comprising the rare earth element. (Item 10) 10. The device of claim 9, wherein the second layer surface is the surface of the interface coating. (Item 11) 11. The device of claim 9 or 10, wherein the oxidation state of the rare earth element in the interfacial coating is zero. (Item 12) 12. The device of any one of items 9 to 11, wherein the interfacial coating is adjacent to the NIC on the lateral side. (Item 13) 13. The device according to any one of items 9 to 12, wherein the rare earth element comprises Yb. (Item 14) The interface coating is Yb 0 and the NIC comprises Yb 2 O 3 Item 14. The device according to item 13, comprising: (Item 15) 15. The device of any one of items 9 to 14, wherein the critical surface energy of the NIC is lower than the critical surface energy of the interfacial coating. (Item 16) 16. The device of any one of items 8 to 15, wherein the second portion comprises at least one release region. (Item 17) Item 17. The device of item 16, wherein the first portion comprises at least a portion of a non-emitting region. (Item 18) The emission region is A substrate; a first electrode; at least one semiconductor layer; a second electrode; wherein the first electrode is between the substrate and the at least one semiconductor layer; Item 18. The device of item 16 or 17, wherein the at least one semiconductor layer is between the first electrode and the second electrode. (Item 19) Item 19. The device of item 18, wherein the deposition layer is electrically coupled to the second electrode. (Item 20) Item 19. The device of item 18, wherein the deposition layer forms at least a portion of the second electrode in the second portion. (Item 21) 21. The device of any one of items 18 to 20, wherein the second portion comprises a partition and a third electrode within a protected area of the partition, and the deposition layer is electrically coupled to the second electrode and the third electrode. (Item 22) 8. The device of any one of items 1 to 7, wherein the deposition layer comprises at least one discontinuous layer of grain structure, and the second layer surface is the surface of the NIC. (Item 23) Item 23. The device of item 22, further comprising at least one covering layer disposed on and interfacing with a surface of the NIC, the deposition layer being located at the interface. (Item 24) Item 24. The device of item 23, wherein the first portion includes at least one emission region, and the deposition layer is adjusted to enhance outcoupling of at least one electromagnetic signal emitted by the emission region. (Item 25) 25. The device of claim 24, wherein the resonance imparted by the at least one particle structure is tuned by selection of a characteristic selected from at least one of characteristic size, size distribution, shape, surface coverage, composition, dispersity, material of the at least one particle structure, and any combination thereof. (Item 26) The resonance may be a function of the deposition thickness of the deposited material, the average film thickness of the NIC, the at least one 26. The device of claim 25, wherein the dielectric constant is adjusted by varying at least one of the following: a thickness of a coating layer; a composition of a metal in the deposited material; a dielectric constant of the at least one grain structure; a degree to which the NIC is doped with an organic material having a different composition; a refractive index of the NIC; an extinction coefficient of the NIC; a material deposited as the at least one coating layer; a refractive index of the at least one coating layer; an extinction coefficient of the at least one coating layer; and any combination thereof. (Item 27) 27. The device of any one of items 24 to 26, wherein the first portion is substantially limited to the at least one emission region. (Item 28) 28. The device of any one of items 24 to 27, wherein the first portion is bounded by a second portion of the lateral side that includes at least one non-emitting region. (Item 29) Item 29. The device of item 28, wherein the NIC extends beyond the first portion to the second portion. (Item 30) The emission region is A substrate; a first electrode; at least one semiconductor layer; a second electrode; wherein the first electrode is between the substrate and the at least one semiconductor layer; 30. The device of any one of items 24 to 29, wherein the at least one semiconductor layer is between the first electrode and the second electrode. (Item 31) Item 31. The device of item 30, wherein the base layer comprises the second electrode. (Item 32) Item 31. The device of item 30, wherein the base layer comprises one of the at least one semiconductor layer. (Item 33) Item 33. The device of item 32, wherein the base layer is selected from at least one of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer. (Item 34) Item 34. The device of item 32 or 33, wherein the at least one covering layer is selected from at least one of the electron transport layer and the electron injection layer. (Item 35) Item 31. The device of item 30, wherein the deposited layer comprises the second electrode. (Item 36) 36. The device of any one of items 22 to 35, wherein the deposition layer is formed by deposition of the deposition material over the lateral sides. (Item 37) Item 37. The device of item 36, wherein the deposited material forms an electrode on the second portion. (Item 38) Item 38. The device of item 37, wherein the electrode in the second portion is an auxiliary electrode. (Item 39) Item 38. The device of item 37, wherein the second portion includes at least one further emission region, and the electrode in the second portion is an electrode of the at least one further emission region. (Item 40) The at least one further emission region is A substrate; a first electrode; at least one semiconductor layer; a second electrode; wherein the first electrode is between the substrate and the at least one semiconductor layer; Item 40. The device of item 39, wherein the at least one semiconductor layer is between the first electrode and the second electrode. (Item 41) Item 41. The device of item 40, wherein the electrode in the second portion comprises the second electrode of the at least one further emission region. (Item 42) 43. The device of any one of items 37 to 42, wherein the electrode in the second portion is a closed coating of the deposition material. (Item 43) 43. The device of any one of items 1 to 42, wherein the deposited material comprises Mg. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0031] Embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described by reference to the following figures, in which the same reference numbers in different figures indicate the same elements and / or, in some non-limiting examples, similar and / or corresponding elements:

[0032] [Figure 1] 1 is an example of an energy profile showing the relative energy states of adatoms absorbed on a surface, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the formation of membrane nuclei, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 3A] FIG. 1 is a simplified block diagram from a cross section of an exemplary device having multiple layers on a lateral side formed by selective deposition of NIC on a first portion of the lateral side, followed by deposition of a closed coating of deposition material on a second portion thereof, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 3B] FIG. 3B is a plan view of the device of FIG. 3A. [Figure 4]3B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a process for depositing a patterned coating in a pattern onto an exposed layer surface of a base material of an example version of the device of FIG. 3A, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 5A] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a process for depositing a deposition material 531 onto a second portion of an exposed layer surface including the deposition pattern of the patterned coating of FIG. 4, where the patterned coating is a nucleation-inhibiting coating (NIC). [Figure 5B] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a process for depositing a deposition material onto a first portion on an exposed layer surface substantially devoid of a patterned coating of FIG. 4, where the patterned coating is a nucleation promoting coating (NPC). [Figure 6A] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an open mask suitable for use with the process of FIG. 4 having apertures therein, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 6B] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an open mask suitable for use with the process of FIG. 4 having apertures therein, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 6C] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an open mask suitable for use with the process of FIG. 4 having apertures therein, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 6D] 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of an open mask suitable for use with the process of FIG. 4 having apertures therein, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 7] 5 is a simplified block diagram from a cross section of an exemplary device having multiple layers on a lateral side formed by selective deposition of an NPC on a first portion of the lateral side followed by deposition of a closed coating of deposition material 531 thereon in the first portion, in accordance with an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 8A] 3B is an example of a version of the device of FIG. 3A with an example of an additional deposition step, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 8B] 3B is an example of a version of the device of FIG. 3A with an example of an additional deposition step, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 8C] 3B is an example of a version of the device of FIG. 3A with an example of an additional deposition step, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 9A] FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram showing an example version of the device of FIG. 3A in cross section. [Figure 9B] FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram showing a supplemental plan view of the device of FIG. 9A. [Figure 9C] FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example version of the device of FIG. 9A. [Figure 9D] FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example version of the device of FIG. 9A. [Figure 9E] FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example version of the device of FIG. 9A. [Figure 10] 1 is a cross-sectional side block diagram of an example electroluminescent device according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 11] 11 is a cross-sectional view of an example backplane layer of the substrate of the device of FIG. 10 showing thin film transistors (TFTs) embodied in the backplane layer. [Figure 12] 12 is a circuit diagram of an example of circuitry such as may be provided by one or more of the TFTs shown in the backplane layer of FIG. 11. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. [Figure 14] 11 is a cross-sectional view of an example version of the device of FIG. 10 showing an example of at least one pixel-defining layer (PDL) that supports the deposition of at least one second electrode of the device. [Figure 15A] 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a process for depositing a patterned coating that is NPC in a pattern onto an exposed layer surface that includes the patterned coating deposition pattern of FIG. 3A. [Figure 15B] 15B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a process for depositing a deposition layer in a pattern on an exposed layer surface containing the deposited pattern of NPC of FIG. 15A. [Figure 16A] 11A-11C are schematic diagrams illustrating an example process for depositing NPCs in a pattern onto an exposed layer surface of a base material of an example version of the device of FIG. 10, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 16B] 16B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a process for depositing NIC in a pattern onto an exposed layer surface containing the NPC deposition pattern of FIG. 16A. [Figure 16C] 16C is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a process for depositing a deposition layer 330 in a pattern on an exposed layer surface including the deposited pattern of NIC of FIG. 16B. [Figure 17] 11A-11C are schematic diagrams illustrating example stages of an example printing process for depositing a selective coating in a pattern onto an exposed layer surface in an example version of the device of FIG. 10, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 18] 11A-11C are schematic diagrams illustrating, in plan view, examples of patterned electrodes suitable for use in versions of the device of FIG. 10, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 18 taken along line 19-19. [Figure 20A] 11A-11C are schematic diagrams illustrating, in plan view, several example patterns of electrodes suitable for use in example versions of the device of FIG. 10, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 20B] 20B-20B are schematic diagrams illustrating examples of cross-sectional views of the device of FIG. 20A at intermediate stages taken along line 20B-20B. [Figure 20C] FIG. 20C is a schematic diagram illustrating an example cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 20A taken along line 20C-20C. [Figure 21] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram showing a cross-sectional view of an example version of the device of FIG. 10 with an example patterned auxiliary electrode, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 22A] 11A-11C are schematic diagrams illustrating, in plan view, example arrangements of emissive and / or non-emissive regions in example versions of the device of FIG. 10, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 22B] 22B is a schematic diagram illustrating segments of a portion of FIG. 22A, each showing an example of an auxiliary electrode overlapping a non-emitting region, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 22C] 22B is a schematic diagram illustrating segments of a portion of FIG. 22A, each showing an example of an auxiliary electrode overlapping a non-emitting region, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 22D] 22B is a schematic diagram illustrating segments of a portion of FIG. 22A, each showing an example of an auxiliary electrode overlapping a non-emitting region, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 23] 1A-1C are schematic diagrams illustrating, in plan view, example patterns of auxiliary electrodes overlapping at least one emissive region and at least one non-emissive region, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 24A] 11A-11C are schematic diagrams illustrating, in plan view, example patterns for example versions of the device of FIG. 10 having multiple groups of diamond-configured emission regions, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 24B] FIG. 24B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 24A taken along line 24B-24B. [Figure 24C] FIG. 24C is a schematic diagram illustrating an example cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 24A taken along line 24C-24C. [Figure 25] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating example cross-sectional views of example versions of the device of FIG. 13 with example additional deposition steps, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 26] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating example cross-sectional views of example versions of the device of FIG. 13 with example additional deposition steps, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 27] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating example cross-sectional views of example versions of the device of FIG. 13 with example additional deposition steps, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 28] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating example cross-sectional views of example versions of the device of FIG. 13 with example additional deposition steps, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 29] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating example stages of an example process for depositing a deposition layer in a pattern on an exposed layer surface of an example version of the device of FIG. 13 by a selective deposition and subsequent removal process, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 30A] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating, in plan view, an example of a transparent version of the device of FIG. 10 including at least one example pixel region having at least one auxiliary electrode and at least one example light-transmitting region, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 30B]FIG. 30B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 30A taken along line 30B-30B. [Figure 31A] 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating, in plan view, an example of a transparent version of the device of FIG. 10 including at least one example pixel region and at least one example light-transmitting region, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 31B] FIG. 31B is a schematic diagram illustrating an example cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 31A taken along line 31B-31B. [Figure 31C] FIG. 31B is a schematic diagram illustrating another example of a cross-sectional view of the device of FIG. 31A taken along line 31B-31B. [Figure 32A] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating example stages of an example process for fabricating an example version of the device of FIG. 13 that provides an emission region with a second electrode of different thickness, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 32B] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating example stages of an example process for fabricating an example version of the device of FIG. 13 that provides an emission region with a second electrode of different thickness, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 32C] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating example stages of an example process for fabricating an example version of the device of FIG. 13 that provides an emission region with a second electrode of different thickness, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 32D] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating example stages of an example process for fabricating an example version of the device of FIG. 13 that provides an emission region with a second electrode of different thickness, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 33A] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating example stages of an example process for fabricating an example version of the device of FIG. 13 having subpixel regions with second electrodes of different thicknesses, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 33B] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating example stages of an example process for fabricating an example version of the device of FIG. 13 having subpixel regions with second electrodes of different thicknesses, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 33C]14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating example stages of an example process for fabricating an example version of the device of FIG. 13 having subpixel regions with second electrodes of different thicknesses, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 33D] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating example stages of an example process for fabricating an example version of the device of FIG. 13 having subpixel regions with second electrodes of different thicknesses, according to examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 34] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example cross-sectional view of an example version of the device of FIG. 13 in which the second electrode is coupled to an auxiliary electrode, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 35A] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating various potential behaviors of NIC at the deposition interface with deposition layers of example versions of the device of FIG. 13 according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 35B] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating various potential behaviors of NIC at the deposition interface with deposition layers of example versions of the device of FIG. 13 according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 35C] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating various potential behaviors of NIC at the deposition interface with deposition layers of example versions of the device of FIG. 13 according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 35D] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating various potential behaviors of NIC at the deposition interface with deposition layers of example versions of the device of FIG. 13 according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 35E] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating various potential behaviors of NIC at the deposition interface with deposition layers of example versions of the device of FIG. 13 according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 35F] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating various potential behaviors of NIC at the deposition interface with deposition layers of example versions of the device of FIG. 13 according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 35G] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating various potential behaviors of NIC at the deposition interface with deposition layers of example versions of the device of FIG. 13 according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 35H] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating various potential behaviors of NIC at the deposition interface with deposition layers of example versions of the device of FIG. 13 according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 35I] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating various potential behaviors of NIC at the deposition interface with deposition layers of example versions of the device of FIG. 13 according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 36] 14 is a schematic diagram showing an exemplary cross-sectional view of an exemplary version of the device of FIG. 13 having a divider and a protected area, such as a recess, in the non-releasing area of the device, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 37A] FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example cross-sectional view of an example version of the device of FIG. 13 having a partition and a protected area, such as a recess, in the non-emitting area prior to deposition of a semiconductive layer on the device, according to an example of the present disclosure. [Figure 37B] 37A and 37B are schematic diagrams illustrating various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37C] 37A and 37B are schematic diagrams illustrating various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37D] 37B is a schematic diagram showing various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37E] 37A and 37B are schematic diagrams illustrating various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37F] 37B is a schematic diagram showing various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37G] 37A and 37B are schematic diagrams illustrating various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37H]37A and 37B are schematic diagrams illustrating various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37I] 37A and 37B are schematic diagrams illustrating various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37J] 37A and 37B are schematic diagrams illustrating various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37K] 37A and 37B are schematic diagrams illustrating various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37L] 37A and 37B are schematic diagrams illustrating various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37M] 37A and 37B are schematic diagrams illustrating various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37N] 37A and 37B are schematic diagrams illustrating various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37O] 37A and 37B are schematic diagrams illustrating various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 37P] 37A and 37B are schematic diagrams illustrating various examples of interactions between the partition of FIG. 37A after deposition of a semiconductive layer and a NIC with a second electrode and a deposition layer 330 deposited thereon, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 38A]37B is a schematic diagram illustrating various examples of auxiliary electrodes in the device of FIG. 37A according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 38B] 37B is a schematic diagram illustrating various examples of auxiliary electrodes in the device of FIG. 37A according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 38C] 37B is a schematic diagram illustrating various examples of auxiliary electrodes in the device of FIG. 37A according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 38D] 37B is a schematic diagram illustrating various examples of auxiliary electrodes in the device of FIG. 37A according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 38E] 37B is a schematic diagram illustrating various examples of auxiliary electrodes in the device of FIG. 37A according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 38F] 37B is a schematic diagram illustrating various examples of auxiliary electrodes in the device of FIG. 37A according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 38G] 37B is a schematic diagram illustrating various examples of auxiliary electrodes in the device of FIG. 37A according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 39A] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating exemplary cross-sectional views of exemplary versions of the device of FIG. 13 having dividers and protected areas, such as apertures, within the non-emitting areas, according to various examples of the present disclosure. [Figure 39B] 14A-14C are schematic diagrams illustrating exemplary cross-sectional views of exemplary versions of the device of FIG. 13 having dividers and protected areas, such as apertures, within the non-emitting areas, according to various examples of the present disclosure.

[0033] In this disclosure, reference numbers having one or more numerical values (including but not limited to subscripts) and / or alphabetic characters (including but not limited to lowercase letters) appended to those numerical values may be considered to refer to a particular instance and / or a subset of particular instances of the element or feature described by the reference number. Reference to a reference number without reference to the appended value and / or characters may refer generally to the element or feature described by the reference number and / or to the set of all instances described by the reference number, as the context dictates.

[0034] In this disclosure, for purposes of explanation and not limitation, specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosure, including but not limited to particular architectures, interfaces, and / or techniques. In some instances, detailed descriptions of well-known systems, techniques, components, devices, circuits, methods, and applications are omitted so as not to obscure the description of the disclosure with unnecessary detail.

[0035] It will also be understood that the block diagrams reproduced herein may represent conceptual views of illustrative components embodying principles of the technology.

[0036] Accordingly, the components of the systems and methods are suitably represented by conventional symbols in the drawings, and only those specific details relevant to understanding the examples of the present disclosure are shown, so as not to obscure the present disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art having the benefit of the description herein.

[0037] Any drawings provided herein are not drawn to scale and are not to be construed as limiting the present disclosure in any way.

[0038] Any features or actions shown in dashed outline may be considered optional in some instances. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0039] explanation optoelectronic devices FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE This disclosure relates generally to layered devices, and more particularly to optoelectronic devices. Optoelectronic devices generally encompass any device that converts electrical signals into photons and vice versa.

[0040] Those skilled in the art will understand that while the present disclosure is directed to optoelectronic devices, the principles may be applicable to any panel having multiple layers, including but not limited to at least one layer of conductive deposited material 531 (FIG. 5A), including the layers as thin films, through which, in some non-limiting examples, electromagnetic (EM) signals may pass fully or partially at an angle relative to the plane of at least one of the layers.

[0041] Thin film formation The formation of a thin film during deposition onto the exposed layer surface 11 (FIG. 10) of the base layer may involve a process of nucleation and growth.

[0042] During the initial stages of film formation, a sufficient number of vapor monomers (which in some non-limiting examples may be molecules and / or atoms of the deposition material 531 in vapor form) may typically condense from the gas phase to form initial nuclei on the exposed layer surface 11 of the base layer. As the vapor monomers continue to impinge on such surfaces, the characteristic size S1 and / or deposition density of these initial nuclei may increase to form small grain structures 941 ( FIG. 9 ). Non-limiting examples of the dimensions to which such characteristic size S1 refers may include the height, width, length, and / or diameter of such grain structures 941.

[0043] After reaching a saturation island density, adjacent grain structures 941 typically begin to coalesce, which may increase the average characteristic size S1 of such grain structures 941 while decreasing the island deposition density.

[0044] Continuing deposition of the monomer may continue coalescence of adjacent grain structures 941 until a substantially closed coating 340 (FIG. 3A) may ultimately be deposited on the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material. The behavior of such a closed coating 340, including the optical effects caused thereby, may generally be relatively uniform, consistent, and unsurprising.

[0045] In some non-limiting examples, the formation of a thin film that becomes a closed coating 340 can have at least three basic growth modes: 1) islands (Volmer-Weber), 2) layer-by-layer (Frank-van der Merwe), and 3) Stranski-Krastanov.

[0046] Island growth typically occurs when stable clusters of monomers nucleate and grow to form discrete islands on the exposed layer surface 11. This growth mode can occur when the interactions between the monomers are stronger than the interactions between the monomers and the surface.

[0047] Nucleation rate can describe how many nuclei of a given size there are on a surface per unit time (when free energy pushes clusters of such nuclei so that they neither grow nor shrink) ("critical nuclei"). During the early stages of film formation, the deposition density of nuclei may be low, and because they may cover a relatively small fraction of the surface (e.g., there are large gaps / spaces between adjacent nuclei), it may be unlikely that a nuclei will grow from direct collision of monomers with the surface. Therefore, the rate at which a critical nucleus can grow may typically depend on the rate at which adatoms (e.g., adsorbed monomers) on the surface migrate and attach to nearby nuclei.

[0048] Examples of energy profiles of adatoms adsorbed on exposed layer surface 11 of a base material are illustrated in Figure 1. Specifically, Figure 1 illustrates exemplary qualitative energy profiles corresponding to an adatom departing from a local low-energy site (110), diffusion of the adatom on exposed layer surface 11 (120), and desorption of the adatom (120).

[0049] At 110, a local low energy site can be any site on the exposed layer surface 11 of the underlying layer where an adatom will be at a lower energy. Typically, nucleation sites can include defects and / or anomalies on the exposed layer surface 11, including, but not limited to, ledges, step edges, chemical impurities, bond sites, and / or kinks (inhomogeneities).

[0050] The sites of substrate inhomogeneity attract adatoms to the surface E des This can increase the energy involved in desorption from 131, leading to the higher density of nuclei observed at such sites. Impurities or surface contamination can also increase E des 131, which may increase the nucleation density. For deposition processes performed under high vacuum conditions, the type and deposition density of contaminants on the surface can be affected by the vacuum pressure and the composition of the residual gases that make up that pressure.

[0051] When an adatom is trapped at a local low-energy site, in some non-limiting examples, there may typically be an energy barrier before surface diffusion can occur. Such an energy barrier may be represented as ΔE in FIG. 1. In some non-limiting examples, if the energy barrier ΔE to escape from a local low-energy site is sufficiently large, the site may act as a nucleation site.

[0052] At 120, adatoms may diffuse onto the exposed layer surface 11. As a non-limiting example, in the case of localized adsorbates, adatoms may tend to oscillate around a minimum in the surface potential and move to various neighboring sites until they either desorb and / or become incorporated into the growing island 941 formed by clusters of adatoms and / or the growing film. In FIG. 1, the activation energy associated with surface diffusion of adatoms is E s 121.

[0053] At 130, the activation energy associated with the desorption of adatoms from the surface is E des 131. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that any adatoms that are not desorbed may remain on exposed layer surface 11. By way of non-limiting example, such adatoms may diffuse onto exposed layer surface 11, become part of clusters of adatoms that form islands 941 on exposed layer surface 11, and / or become incorporated as part of a growing film and / or coating.

[0054] After an adatom adsorbs on a surface, it can either desorb from the surface or move some distance on the surface before desorbing and interacting with other adatoms to form small clusters or attaching to growing nuclei. The average time an adatom remains on the surface after initial adsorption can be given as:

number

[0055] In the above formula, ν is the vibration frequency of the surface adatoms, k is the Botsman constant, T is the temperature.

[0056] From this formula, E des It can be seen that the lower the value of 131, the easier it is for the adatoms to desorb from the surface, and therefore the shorter the time they can remain on the surface. The average distance an adatom can diffuse can be given as:

number

[0057] Low values of E des 131 and / or high values of E s For 121, adatoms may diffuse a shorter distance before desorption and may therefore be less likely to attach to a growing nucleus or interact with another adatom or cluster of adatoms.

[0058] During the initial stages of formation of the deposition layer of grain structures 941, adsorbed adatoms can interact to form grain structures 941, and the critical concentration of grain structures 941 per unit area is given by:

number

number

number

[0059] Generally, i may depend on the crystalline structure of the material being deposited and may determine the critical grain structure size for forming stable nuclei.

[0060] The critical monomer feed rate for growing particle structure 941 can be given by the rate of vapor collisions and the average area over which adatoms can diffuse before desorption.

number

[0061] Therefore, the critical nucleation rate can be given by a combination of the above equations.

number

[0062] From the above equation, it can be seen that the critical nucleation rate can be suppressed on surfaces with low desorption energies of adsorbed adatoms, high activation energies for adatom diffusion, high temperatures, and / or surfaces exposed to high vapor impingement rates.

[0063] Under high vacuum conditions, the flux of molecules impinging on the surface (cm 2 -per sec) is given as follows:

number

[0064] Therefore, a higher partial pressure of reactive gases such as HO leads to a higher contamination density on the surface during deposition, and E des 131 increase, which may lead to a higher density of nuclei.

[0065] In this disclosure, "nucleation inhibiting" may refer to coatings, materials, and / or layers thereof having a surface that exhibits an initial sticking probability, S0, for deposition of deposition material 531 onto the surface, where the initial sticking probability is close to 0, including but not limited to, less than about 0.3, such that deposition of deposition material 531 onto such surfaces may be inhibited.

[0066] In this disclosure, "nucleation promoting" may refer to coatings, materials, and / or layers thereof having a surface that exhibits an initial sticking probability, S, for deposition of a deposition material 531 onto the surface, which initial sticking probability is close to 1, including but not limited to, greater than about 0.7, such that deposition of the deposition material 531 onto such a surface may be facilitated.

[0067] Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it can be postulated that the shape and size of such nuclei and their subsequent growth into islands and then into thin films may depend on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to, the interfacial tension between the vapor, the surface, and / or the condensed film nuclei.

[0068] One measure of the nucleation-inhibiting and / or nucleation-promoting properties of a surface may be the initial sticking probability, S 0 , of the surface for the deposition of a given deposition material 531 .

[0069] In some non-limiting examples, the sticking probability S may be given by:

number

[0070] A sticking probability S equal to 1 may indicate that all monomers that impinge on the surface are adsorbed and subsequently incorporated into the growing film. A sticking probability S equal to 0 may indicate that all monomers that impinge on the surface are desorbed and subsequently no film can form on the surface.

[0071] Various techniques for measuring the sticking probability S may be used to assess the sticking probability S of the deposited material 531 on various surfaces, including but not limited to the dual quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique described by Walker et al., J. Phys. Chem. C 2007, 111, 765 (2006).

[0072] As the deposition density of the deposited material 531 increases (eg, the average film thickness d increases), the sticking probability S may change.

[0073] Thus, the initial sticking probability S0 may be specified as the sticking probability S of a surface before any significant number of critical nuclei are formed. One measure of the initial sticking probability S0 may involve the sticking probability S of a surface for deposition of the deposition material 531 during the initial stages of deposition of the deposition material 531, where the average film thickness d of the deposition material 531 across the surface is equal to or less than a threshold value. In illustrating some non-limiting examples, the threshold value for the initial sticking probability S0 may be specified as 1 nm, as a non-limiting example. Then, the average sticking probability

number

number

[0074] As a non-limiting example, a low initial sticking probability S may increase as the average film thickness d increases. This may be understood based on the difference in sticking probability S between an area of exposed layer surface 11 without grain structures 941, such as a bare substrate 10 as a non-limiting example, and an area of high deposition density. As a non-limiting example, monomers impinging on the surface of grain structures 941 may have a sticking probability S close to 1.

[0075] Based on the energy profiles 110, 120, 130 shown in FIG. 1, the relatively low activation energy for desorption (E des 131), and / or a relatively high activation energy for surface diffusion (E s 121) can be deposited as NIC 310 and may be suitable for use in a variety of applications.

[0076] Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it can be assumed that in some non-limiting examples, the relationship between the various interfacial tensions present during nucleation and growth can be determined according to Young's equation in capillary theory. gamma sv =γ fs +γ vf cosθ During the ceremony, gamma sv corresponds to the interfacial tension between the substrate 10 and the vapor, gamma fs corresponds to the interfacial tension between the deposited material 531 and the substrate 10, gamma vf corresponds to the interfacial tension between the vapor and the film, θ is the contact angle of the film core.

[0077] Figure 2 illustrates the relationships between the various parameters described in this equation.

[0078] Based on Young's equation, for island growth, the contact angle θ of the film nucleus is greater than 0, and therefore γ sv <γ fs+γ vf It can be derived that f.

[0079] For layer growth in which the deposited material 531 "wets" the substrate 10, the nucleation contact angle θ is equal to 0, and therefore γ sv =γ fs +γ vf It could be.

[0080] In the case of Stranski-Krastanov (SK) growth, the strain energy per unit area of the film overgrowth is large relative to the interfacial tension between the vapor and the deposited material 531, γ sv >γ fs +γ vf is.

[0081] Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it can be assumed that the nucleation and growth mode of the deposited material 531 at the interface between the NIC 310 and the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 may follow an island growth model when θ>0.

[0082] In particular, if the NIC 310 exhibits a relatively low initial sticking probability S to the deposited material 531 (in some non-limiting examples, under conditions identified in the dual QCM technique described by Walker et al.), the thin film contact angle θ of the deposited material 531 may be relatively high.

[0083] Conversely, by way of non-limiting example, when deposition material 531 can be selectively deposited on exposed layer surface 11 without the use of patterned coating 410 by employing shadow mask 415, the nucleation and growth mode of such deposition material 531 can be different. In particular, it has been observed that coatings formed using a shadow mask 415 patterning process can exhibit, at least in some non-limiting examples, a relatively low thin film contact angle θ of less than about 10°.

[0084] Somewhat surprisingly, it has been found that in some non-limiting examples, the nucleation-inhibiting coating 310 (and / or the patterning material 511 comprising it) can exhibit a relatively low critical surface tension.

[0085] Those skilled in the art will understand that the "surface energy" of a coating, layer, and / or material comprising such coating and / or layer may generally correspond to the critical surface tension of the coating, layer, and / or material. According to some models of surface energy, the critical surface tension of a surface may correspond substantially to the surface energy of such surface.

[0086] Generally, a material with low surface energy may exhibit low intermolecular forces. Generally, a material with low intermolecular forces may readily crystallize or undergo other phase transitions at lower temperatures compared to another material with high intermolecular forces. In at least some applications, a material that readily crystallizes or undergoes other phase transitions at relatively low temperatures may be detrimental to the long-term performance, stability, reliability, and / or lifetime of a device.

[0087] Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it can be postulated that certain low-energy surfaces may exhibit a relatively low initial sticking probability S and may therefore be suitable for forming NIC 310 (FIG. 3A).

[0088] Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it may be assumed that critical surface tension is positively correlated with surface energy, particularly for low surface energy surfaces. By way of non-limiting example, a surface that exhibits a relatively low critical surface tension may also exhibit a relatively low surface energy, and a surface that exhibits a relatively high critical surface tension may also exhibit a relatively high surface energy.

[0089] Referring to Young's equation above, lower surface energy results in a larger contact angle θ and also a larger γ sv, and therefore may increase the likelihood that such a surface has low wettability and a low initial sticking probability S0 for the deposition material 531.

[0090] In various non-limiting examples, critical surface tension values herein may correspond to such values measured near ambient temperature and pressure (NTP), which in some non-limiting examples may correspond to a temperature of 20° C. and an absolute pressure of 1 atmosphere. In some non-limiting examples, the critical surface tension of a surface may be determined according to the Zisman method, as further described in Zisman, WA, "Advances in Chemistry" 43 (1964), pp. 1-51.

[0091] In some non-limiting examples, the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 may exhibit a critical surface tension of less than about 20 dynes / cm, less than 19 dynes / cm, less than 18 dynes / cm, less than 17 dynes / cm, less than 16 dynes / cm, less than 15 dynes / cm, less than 13 dynes / cm, less than 12 dynes / cm, or less than 11 dynes / cm.

[0092] In some non-limiting examples, the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 may exhibit a critical surface tension of greater than about 6 dynes / cm, greater than 7 dynes / cm, greater than 8 dynes / cm, greater than 9 dynes / cm, and greater than 10 dynes / cm.

[0093] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various methods and theories are known for determining the surface energy of a solid. As a non-limiting example, surface energy may be calculated and / or derived based on a series of measurements of contact angle θ, where various liquids are contacted with the surface of the solid and the contact angle θ between the gas-liquid interface and the surface is measured. In some non-limiting examples, the surface energy of a solid surface may be equal to the surface tension of the liquid with the highest surface tension that completely wets the surface. As a non-limiting example, a Zisman plot may be used to determine the highest surface tension value that would result in a contact angle θ of 0° with the surface.

[0094] Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, in some non-limiting examples, the contact angle θ of a coating of deposition material 531 may be determined at least in part based on the properties of the NIC 310 onto which the deposition material 531 is deposited (including, but not limited to, the initial sticking probability S). Thus, a NIC material 511 that allows for selective deposition of a deposition material 531 that exhibits a relatively high contact angle θ can provide several benefits.

[0095] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a variety of methods may be used to measure the contact angle θ, including, but not limited to, the static and / or dynamic sessile drop method and the hanging drop method.

[0096] In some non-limiting examples, the activation energy of desorption (E des 131) (in some non-limiting examples, at a temperature T of about 300 K) is converted into thermal energy (k B In some non-limiting examples, the activation energy of surface diffusion (E s 121) (in some non-limiting examples, at a temperature T of about 300 K) is converted into thermal energy (k B The ATP concentration may be greater than about 1.0-fold, greater than about 1.5-fold, greater than about 1.8-fold, greater than about 2-fold, greater than about 3-fold, greater than about 5-fold, greater than about 7-fold, or greater than about 10-fold the ATP concentration (T).

[0097] Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it may be postulated that during thin film nucleation and growth of the deposited material 531 at and / or near the interface between the exposed surface 11 of the base layer and the NIC 310, a relatively high contact angle θ between the edge of the deposited material 531 and the base layer may be observed due to inhibition of nucleation of the solid surface of the deposited material 531 by the NIC 310. Such nucleation inhibition attributes may be driven by the minimization of surface energies between the base layer, the thin film vapor, and the NIC 310.

[0098] One measure of the nucleation-inhibiting and / or nucleation-promoting attributes of a surface may be the initial deposition rate of a given (conductive) deposition material 531 on a surface relative to the initial deposition rate of the same deposition material 531 on a reference surface, both surfaces being exposed and / or exposed to an evaporation flux of the deposition material 531.

[0099] Layered Devices Referring now to FIG. 3A, an exemplary layered device 300 a 10 shows a cross-sectional view of a device 300. In some non-limiting examples, as shown in more detail in FIG.

[0100] A horizontal axis, identified as the X-axis, is shown along with a vertical axis, identified as the Z-axis. A second horizontal axis, identified as the Y-axis, is shown substantially transverse to both the X-axis and the Z-axis. At least one of the horizontal axes may define a lateral side of the device 300. The vertical axis may define a lateral side of the device 300.

[0101] Figure 3B is an example of a simplified plan view of device 300, according to the non-limiting example of Figure 3A. The plan view of Figure 3B shows a pair of horizontal axes, identified as the X-axis and the Y-axis, respectively, which may, in some non-limiting examples, be substantially intersecting each other. At least one of these horizontal axes may define a lateral side of device 300.

[0102] The layers of device 300 may extend with lateral aspects substantially parallel to a plane defined by the lateral axis. Those skilled in the art will understand that the substantially planar representation shown in FIG. 3A is, in some non-limiting examples, an abstraction for purposes of illustration. In some non-limiting examples, there may be localized substantially planar layers of different thicknesses and dimensions across the lateral extent of device 300, including, in some non-limiting examples, the substantially complete absence of layers and / or layers separated by non-planar transition regions (including lateral gaps and planar discontinuities).

[0103] Thus, for illustrative purposes, device 300 is shown in cross section as a substantially layered structure of substantially parallel planar layers, although such a display panel may locally illustrate a variety of topographies for defining features, each of which may exhibit substantially the layered profile discussed in cross section.

[0104] Deposition of patterned coatings FIG. 4 is an example schematic diagram illustrating a non-limiting example of an evaporation process, generally designated 400, in a chamber 40 for selectively depositing a patterned coating 410, including but not limited to, NIC 310 or NPC 520, onto a first portion 301 of an exposed layer surface 11 of a base material (shown here as a substrate 10, for ease of illustration only).

[0105] In process 400, a quantity of patterning material 411, including but not limited to NIC material 511 and / or NPC material 511 (FIG. 15A), is heated under vacuum to evaporate and / or sublimate 412 the patterning material 411. In some non-limiting examples, the patterning material 411 completely and / or substantially comprises the material used to form the patterning coating 410. In some non-limiting examples, such material comprises an organic material.

[0106] Vaporized patterning material 412 flows through chamber 40 toward exposed layer surface 11, including in the direction indicated by arrow 41. As vaporized patterning material 412 impinges on exposed layer surface 11, patterned coating 410 is formed thereon.

[0107] In some non-limiting examples, as shown for process 400, patterned coating 410 may be selectively deposited only on a portion of exposed layer surface 11, first portion 301 in the illustrated example, by inserting a shadow mask 415, which in some non-limiting examples may be a fine metal mask (FMM), between patterning material 411 and exposed layer surface 11. In some non-limiting examples, shadow mask 415, such as an FMM, may be used to form relatively small features, in some non-limiting examples, having feature sizes on the order of tens of microns or less.

[0108] The shadow mask 415 has at least one aperture 416 extending therethrough such that a portion of the evaporated patterning material 412 passes through the aperture 416 and impinges on the exposed layer surface 11 to form the patterned coating 410. If the evaporated patterning material 412 does not pass through the aperture 416 and impinges on the surface 417 of the shadow mask 415, it is prevented from being disposed on the exposed layer surface 11 to form the patterned coating 410. In some non-limiting examples, the shadow mask 415 is configured such that the evaporated patterning material 412 that passes through the aperture 416 impinges on the first portion 301 but not on the second portion 302. Thus, the second portion 302 of the exposed layer surface 11 is substantially free of the patterned coating 410. In some non-limiting examples (not shown), the patterning material 411 that impinges on the shadow mask 415 may be deposited on its surface 417.

[0109] Thus, a patterned surface is produced upon completion of deposition of patterned coating 410.

[0110] In some non-limiting examples, the patterning coating 410 employed in FIG.

[0111] 8 illustrates the use of a deposition process generally at 500° C. in a chamber 40 for selectively depositing a closed coating 340 of a deposition layer 330 onto a second portion 302 of an exposed layer surface 11 of a base material (shown, for ease of illustration only, as a substrate 10) that is substantially free of the NIC 310 selectively deposited onto a first portion 301, including but not limited to by the evaporation process 400 of FIG. a 1 is an example of a schematic diagram showing a non-limiting example of the results of the evaporation process shown in FIG.

[0112] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 can be comprised of a deposition material 531 that includes at least one metal in some non-limiting examples. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that organic materials typically have lower vaporization temperatures than metals, such as those that may be employed as the deposition material 531, 531.

[0113] Thus, while it may be feasible in some non-limiting examples to employ a shadow mask 415 such as an FMM to selectively deposit a patterned coating 410 such as a NIC 310, it may not be feasible to employ such a shadow mask 415 as an FMM to pattern such a deposited layer 330, 330, for the following reasons, in some non-limiting examples. FMM415 may deform during deposition processes, especially at high temperatures, such as those employed for the deposition of thin conductive films. Limited mechanical strength (including but not limited to tensile strength) and / or shadowing effects of FMM415, especially in high temperature deposition processes, may impose constraints on the aspect ratio of features that may be achievable using such FMM415; By way of non-limiting example, the types and number of patterns that may be achievable using such an FMM 415 may be constrained because each portion of the FMM 415 is physically supported such that some patterns may not be achievable in a single processing step, including, by way of non-limiting example, when the pattern specifies an isolated feature; FMMs may exhibit a tendency to warp during high temperature deposition processes, which, in some non-limiting examples, may distort the shape and position of apertures in the FMM, which may alter selective deposition patterns and reduce performance and / or yield; FMMs 415 that can be used to generate repeating structures that span the entire surface of device 300 may require a large number of apertures to be formed in the FMM 415, which may compromise the structural integrity of the FMM 415; Repeated use of the FMM 415 in successive depositions, particularly in metal deposition processes, may cause the deposition material 531 to adhere to it, which may obscure the features of the FMM 415, which may alter the selective deposition pattern and reduce performance and / or yield; FMM415 may be periodically cleaned to remove adhered non-metallic materials, but such cleaning procedures may not be suitable for use with adhered metals, and even so, may be time-consuming and / or expensive in some non-limiting examples; and Continued use of such FMM415, regardless of any such cleaning process, especially in high temperature deposition processes, may result in waste in producing the desired patterning, which may result in their disposal and / or replacement in a complex and expensive process.

[0114] Once NIC 310 is deposited on a first portion 301 of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material (in the figure, substrate 10), a closed coating 340 of deposition material 531 can be deposited on a second portion 302 of the exposed layer surface 11 that is substantially free of NIC 310 as a deposition layer 330.

[0115] Process 500 a5, a quantity of deposition material 531 is heated under vacuum to vaporize and / or sublimate 532 the deposition material 531. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 completely and / or substantially comprises the material used to form the deposition layer 330. The vaporized deposition material 532 is directed inside the chamber 40, including in the direction indicated by arrow 51, toward the exposed layer surface 11 of the first portion 301 and the second portion 302. When the vaporized deposition material 532 impinges on the second portion 302 of the exposed layer surface 11, a closed coating 340 of the deposition material 531 may be formed thereon as the deposition layer 330.

[0116] In some non-limiting examples, deposition of deposition material 531 can be performed using an open mask 600 (FIG. 6A) and / or a mask-free deposition process.

[0117] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that, as opposed to the size of the FMM 415, the size of the features of the open mask 600 will generally be comparable to the size of the device 300 being manufactured. In some non-limiting examples, such an open mask 600 may have an aperture that may generally correspond to the size of the device 300, which in some non-limiting examples may correspond to, but is not limited to, approximately 1" for a microdisplay, approximately 4-6" for a mobile display, and / or approximately 8-17" for a laptop and / or tablet display, in order to mask the edges of such device 300 during manufacturing. In some non-limiting examples, the size of the features of the open mask 600 may be on the order of approximately 1 cm or larger.

[0118] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some non-limiting examples, the use of open mask 600 may be omitted if desired. In some non-limiting examples, the open mask deposition processes described herein may alternatively be performed without the use of open mask 600, such that the entire target exposure layer surface 11 may be exposed.

[0119] 6A-6D show a non-limiting example of an open mask 600.

[0120] 6A shows a non-limiting example of an open mask 600 having and / or defining an aperture 610 formed therein. In some non-limiting examples as shown, the aperture 610 of the open mask 600 is smaller than the size of the device 300, such that when the mask 600 is overlaid on the device 300, the mask 600 covers the edges of the device 300. In some non-limiting examples as shown, the device 300 includes multiple emitting regions 2210, each corresponding to a corresponding (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x of the device 300, and the lateral sides 910 of such emitting regions 2210 may be contained within the aperture 610 and therefore exposed, while unexposed regions 620 may be formed between the outer edge 61 of the device 300 and the aperture 610. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some non-limiting examples, electrical contacts and / or other components (not shown) of device 300 can be positioned in such unexposed regions 620, such that these components remain substantially unaffected throughout the open-mask deposition process.

[0121] FIG. 6B shows the mask 600 when the mask 9411 is overlaid on the device 300. b an open mask 600 having and / or defining an aperture 611 formed therein, the aperture 611 being smaller than the aperture 610 of FIG. 6A, such that the mask 600 covers at least the lateral sides 910a of the emission region 2210 corresponding to at least some of the (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x; b As shown, in some non-limiting examples, lateral sides 910 a of emission regions 2210 corresponding to outermost (sub)pixels 1240 / 244 x are positioned within unexposed regions 613 of device 300 formed between outer edge 61 of device 300 and aperture 611, and are masked during the open mask deposition process to inhibit evaporated deposition material 532 from impinging on unexposed regions 613.

[0122] FIG. 6C shows an open mask 600 c an open mask 600 having and / or defining apertures 612 formed therein; c 3 illustrates defining a pattern that covers lateral sides 910 a of emission regions 2210 corresponding to at least some (sub)pixels 1240 / 244 x while exposing lateral sides 910 b of emission regions 2210 corresponding to at least some (sub)pixels 1240 / 244 x. As shown, in some non-limiting examples, lateral sides 910 a of emission regions 2210 corresponding to at least some (sub)pixels 1240 / 244 x positioned within non-exposed regions 614 of device 300 are masked during an open-mask deposition process to inhibit evaporated deposition material 531, 330 from impinging on non-exposed regions 614.

[0123] 6B-6C, as illustrated, the lateral sides 910a of the emission regions 2210 corresponding to at least some of the outermost (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x are masked, those skilled in the art will understand that in some non-limiting examples, the apertures of the open mask 600 may be shaped to mask the lateral sides 910 of other emission regions 2210 and / or the lateral sides x20 of non-emitting regions 2220 of the device 300.

[0124] Furthermore, although Figures 6A-6C show an open mask 600 having a single aperture 610-612, one skilled in the art will understand that such an open mask 600 may, in some non-limiting examples (not shown), have additional apertures (not shown) for exposing multiple areas of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material of the device 300.

[0125] FIG. 6D illustrates an open mask 600 having and / or defining a plurality of apertures 617a-617d. d6 shows a non-limiting example of a luminous element 2210. The apertures 617a-617d are positioned such that, in some non-limiting examples, they can selectively expose certain regions 621 of the device 300 while masking other regions 622. In some non-limiting examples, the lateral sides 910b of certain luminous elements 2210 corresponding to at least some of the (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x are exposed through the apertures 617a-617d in the region 621, while the lateral sides 910a of other luminous elements 2210 corresponding to at least some of the (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x are located within the region 622 and are therefore masked.

[0126] In fact, as shown in FIG. 5A, the evaporated deposition material 532 is incident on both the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 over the first portion 301 and the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 over the second portion 302, which is substantially free of any NIC 310.

[0127] Because the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 in the first portion 301 exhibits a relatively low initial sticking probability S for deposition of the deposition layer 330 compared to the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 in the second portion 302, the deposition layer 330 is deposited substantially selectively only on the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 in the second portion 302, which is substantially free of the NIC 310. In contrast, evaporated deposition material 532 incident on the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 across the first portion 301 tends not to be deposited as shown (533), and the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 across the first portion 301 is substantially free of the closed coating 340 of the deposition layer 330.

[0128] In some non-limiting examples, the initial deposition rate of the evaporative deposition material 531 on the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 in the second portion 302 may be greater than about 200 times, about 550 times, about 900 times, about 1,000 times, about 1,500 times, about 1,900 times, or about 2,000 times the initial deposition rate of the evaporative deposition material 531 on the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 in the first portion 301.

[0129] Thus, the combination of selective deposition of NIC 310 as patterned coating 410 in FIG. 4 using a shadow mask 415 such as an FMM and an open mask 600, and / or mask-free deposition of deposition material 531, can be used to produce version 300 of device 300 shown in FIG. 3A. a This can result in:

[0130] Device 300 a illustrates a lateral side 1310 of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material. The lateral side 1310 includes a first portion 301 and a second portion 302. In the first portion 301, the NIC 310 is disposed on the exposed layer surface 11. However, in the second portion 302, the exposed layer surface 11 is substantially free of the NIC 310. In some non-limiting examples, the second portion 302 includes that portion of the exposed layer surface 11 that lies beyond the first portion 301.

[0131] After selective deposition of the NIC 310 over the first portion 301, a closed coating 340 of deposition material 531 is deposited on the device 330 as a deposition layer 330, in some non-limiting examples using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process, but remains substantially only within the second portion 302, which is substantially free of the NIC 310.

[0132] The NIC 310 provides an exposed layer surface 11 in the first portion 301 with a relatively low initial sticking probability S for the deposition of the deposition material 531, which is in turn responsible for the deposition of the device 300 in the second portion 302. a is substantially lower than the initial sticking probability S0 for deposition of the deposition material 531 on the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material.

[0133] Thus, the first portion 301 is substantially devoid of a closed coating 340 of the deposition material 531 .

[0134] In this manner, the NIC 310 may be selectively deposited, including using a shadow mask 415, allowing a deposition layer 330 to be deposited, including but not limited to, using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process, to form device features, including but not limited to, electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150, bus bars 5050, and / or at least one layer thereof, and / or conductive elements electrically coupled thereto.

[0135] Therefore, selective deposition of NIC 310 as the patterned coating 410 of FIG. 4 using a shadow mask 415 and an open mask 600, such as an FMM, and / or mask-free deposition of deposition material 531 can be used to fabricate the device 300 shown in FIG. 3A. a In the present invention, selective deposition of at least one deposition layer 330 can be performed without employing FMM 415 in the deposition layer 330 deposition process to form device features including, but not limited to, patterned electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150, bus bars 5050, and / or at least one layer thereof, and / or conductive elements electrically coupled thereto. In some non-limiting examples, such patterning can be combined to form a device 300 a The permeability of the membrane may be allowed and / or enhanced.

[0136] In some non-limiting examples, the patterning coating 410 employed in FIG. 4 may be NPC 520 (FIG. 5B).

[0137] FIG. 5B illustrates a method for selectively depositing a closed coating 340 of a deposition layer 330 onto a first portion 301 of an exposed layer surface 11 of a base material (shown, for ease of illustration only, as NPC 520 selectively deposited onto first portion 301), generally as shown in FIG. 5B, including but not limited to by evaporation process 400 of FIG. 4, within chamber 50. b 1 is an example of a schematic diagram showing a non-limiting example of the results of the evaporation process shown in FIG.

[0138] When NPC 520 is deposited on a first portion 301 of an exposed layer surface 11 of a base material (in the figure, substrate 10), a closed coating 340 of deposition material 531 can be deposited on the first portion 301 of the exposed layer surface 11 substantially covered by NPC 520 as a deposition layer 330.

[0139] Process 500 b 5, a quantity of deposition material 531 is heated under vacuum to vaporize and / or sublimate 532 the deposition material 531. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 completely and / or substantially comprises the material used to form the deposition layer 330. The vaporized deposition material 532 is directed inside the chamber 40, including in the direction indicated by arrow 51, toward the exposed layer surface 11 of the first portion 301 and the second portion 302. When the vaporized deposition material 531, 832 impinges on the first portion 301 of the exposed layer surface 11, a closed coating 340 of the deposition material 531 may be formed thereon as the deposition layer 330.

[0140] In some non-limiting examples, deposition of deposition material 531 can be performed using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process.

[0141] In fact, as shown in FIG. 5B, the evaporated deposition material 532 is incident on both the exposed layer surface 11 of the NPC 520 over the first portion 301 and the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 over the second portion 302 that is substantially free of the NPC 520.

[0142] Because the exposed layer surface 11 of the NPC 520 in the first portion 301 exhibits a relatively high initial sticking probability S for deposition of the deposition material 531 compared to the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 in the second portion 302, the deposition layer 330 is deposited substantially selectively only on the exposed layer surface 11 of the NPC 520 in the first portion 301. In contrast, evaporated deposition material 532 incident on the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 over the second portion 302 tends not to be deposited as shown (533), and the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 over the second portion 302 is substantially free of a closed coating 340 of the deposition material 531.

[0143] Thus, a combination of selective deposition of NPC 520 as patterned coating 410 in FIG. 4 using a shadow mask 415 such as an FMM and an open mask 600, and / or mask-free deposition of deposition material 531, can result in version 700 of device 300 shown in FIG. 7.

[0144] The device 300 shows a lateral side 1310 of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material. The lateral side 1310 includes a first portion 301 and a second portion 302. In the first portion 301, the NPC 520 is disposed on the exposed layer surface 11. However, in the second portion 302, the exposed layer surface 11 is substantially free of the NPC 520. In some non-limiting examples, the second portion 302 includes that portion of the exposed layer surface 11 that lies beyond the first portion 301.

[0145] After selective deposition of NPC 520 over first portion 301, a closed coating 340 of deposition material 531 is deposited onto device 330 as deposition layer 330, in some non-limiting examples, using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process. b 301, but remains substantially only within the first portion 301 containing the deposited NPC 520.

[0146] The NPC 520 provides an exposed layer surface 11 in the first portion 301 with a relatively high initial sticking probability S for the deposition of the deposition material 531, which is in turn related to the deposition of the device 300 in the second portion 302. b is substantially higher than the initial sticking probability S0 for deposition of the deposition material 531 on the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material.

[0147] Thus, the second portion 302 is substantially devoid of a closed coating 340 of the deposition material 531 .

[0148] In this manner, the NPC 520 may be selectively deposited, including using a shadow mask 415, allowing a deposition layer 330 to be deposited, including but not limited to, using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process, to form device features, including but not limited to, electrodes, bus bars 5050, and / or at least one layer thereof, and / or conductive elements electrically coupled thereto.

[0149] 4 using a shadow mask 415 such as an FMM and an open mask 600, and / or mask-free deposition of deposition material 531 can be combined in device 700 shown in FIG. 7 to selectively deposit at least one deposition layer 330 without employing an FMM 415 in the deposition layer 330 deposition process to form device features including, but not limited to, patterned electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150, 5050, and / or conductive elements electrically coupled thereto. In some non-limiting examples, such patterning can allow and / or enhance transparency of device 700.

[0150] In some non-limiting examples, the selective coating 410, which may be NIC 310 and / or NPC 520, may be applied multiple times during the manufacturing process of the device 300 to pattern device features including multiple electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150, bus bars 5050, and / or at least one layer thereof, and / or various layers thereof, and / or deposited layers 330 electrically coupled thereto.

[0151] In some non-limiting examples, the thickness of the patterned coating 410, such as the NIC 310 and / or NPC 520, and the thickness of the subsequently deposited deposition layer 330 can be varied according to various parameters, including, but not limited to, the desired application and desired performance characteristics. In some non-limiting examples, the thickness of the NIC 310 can be comparable to and / or substantially less than the thickness of the subsequently deposited deposition layer 330. The use of a relatively thin NIC 310 to achieve selective patterning of the deposition layer 330 can be suitable for providing flexible devices 300, including, but not limited to, PMOLED devices. In some non-limiting examples, the relatively thin NIC 310 can provide a relatively flat surface upon which the barrier coating 2050 ( FIG. 20C ) or other thin-film encapsulation (TFE) layer can be deposited. In some non-limiting examples, providing such a relatively flat surface for application of the barrier coating 2050 can enhance adhesion of the barrier coating 2050 to such a surface.

[0152] NIC The NIC 310 may include a NIC material 511. In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 may include a closed coating 340 of the NIC material 511.

[0153] The NIC 310 may provide the exposed layer surface 11 with a relatively low initial sticking probability S0 for the deposition of the deposition material 531, which in some non-limiting examples may be substantially lower than the initial sticking probability S0 (for the deposition of the deposition material 531) of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base layer of the device 300 on which the NIC 310 is deposited.

[0154] Due to the low initial sticking probability S0 of the NIC 310 and / or NIC material 511, in some non-limiting examples, relative to the deposition of the deposition material 531, when deposited within the device 300 as a form of film and / or coating and under conditions similar to the deposition of the NIC 310, the NIC 310 may be substantially devoid of a closed coating 340 of the deposition material 531.

[0155] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310, and / or in some non-limiting examples, the NIC material 511 when deposited within the device 300 as some form of film and / or coating and / or under conditions similar to the deposition of the NIC 310, can have an initial sticking probability SO that is less than about 0.9, less than about 0.3, less than about 0.2, less than about 0.15, less than about 0.1, less than about 0.08, less than about 0.05, less than about 0.03, less than about 0.02, less than about 0.01, less than about 0.008, less than about 0.005, less than about 0.003, less than about 0.001, less than about 0.0008, less than about 0.0005, less than about 0.0003, or less than about 0.0001, for deposition of the deposition material 531 (in some non-limiting examples, under conditions identified in the dual QCM technique described by Walker et al.).

[0156] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310, and / or in some non-limiting examples, the NIC material 511 when deposited within the device 300 as some form of film and / or coating and / or under conditions similar to the deposition of the NIC 310, can have an initial sticking probability SO for silver (Ag) and / or magnesium (Mg) deposition (in some non-limiting examples, under conditions identified in the dual QCM technique described by Walker et al.) that is less than about 0.9, less than about 0.3, less than about 0.2, less than about 0.15, less than about 0.1, less than about 0.08, less than about 0.05, less than about 0.03, less than about 0.02, less than about 0.01, less than about 0.008, less than about 0.005, less than about 0.003, less than about 0.001, less than about 0.0008, less than about 0.0005, less than about 0.0003, or less than about 0.0001.

[0157] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310, and / or in some non-limiting examples, the NIC material 511 when deposited within the device 300 as a form of film and / or coating and under conditions similar to the deposition of the NIC 310, has a viscosity of about 0.15-0.0001, about 0.1-0.0003, about 0.08-0.0005, about 0.0006, about 0.0008, about 0.0009 ... .08~0.0008, approx. 0.05~0.001, approx. 0.03~0.0001, approx. 0.03~0.0003, approx. 0.03~0.0005, approx. 0.03~0.0008, approx. 0.03~0.001, approx. 0.03~0.005, approx. 0.03~0.008, approx. 0.03~0.01, approx. 0.02~0.0001, approx. 0.02~0.0003, approx. 0.02~0.0005, approx. 0. 0.02~0.0008, approx. 0.02~0.001, approx. 0.02~0.005, approx. 0.02~0.008, approx. 0.02~0.01, approx. 0.01~0.0001, approx. 0.01~0.0003, approx. 0.01~0.0005, approx. 0.01~0.0008, approx. 0.01~0.001, approx. 0.01~0.005, approx. 0.01~0.008, approx. 0.008~0.0001, approx. 0.0 The initial sticking probability SO of about 0.08 to 0.0003, about 0.008 to 0.0005, about 0.008 to 0.0008, about 0.008 to 0.001, about 0.008 to 0.005, about 0.005 to 0.0001, about 0.005 to 0.0003, about 0.005 to 0.0005, about 0.005 to 0.0008, or about 0.005 to 0.001 (in some non-limiting examples, under conditions identified with the dual QCM technique described by Walker et al.).

[0158] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310, and / or in some non-limiting examples, the NIC material 511 when deposited within the device 300 as some form of film and / or coating and / or under conditions similar to the deposition of the NIC 310, can have an initial sticking probability S below a threshold value for deposition of the plurality of deposition materials 531 (in some non-limiting examples, under conditions identified in the dual QCM technique described by Walker et al.). In some non-limiting examples, the threshold value can be about 0.3, about 0.2, about 0.18, about 0.15, about 0.13, about 0.1, about 0.08, about 0.05, about 0.03, about 0.02, about 0.01, about 0.008, about 0.005, about 0.003, or about 0.001.

[0159] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310, and / or in some non-limiting examples, the NIC material 511 when deposited within the device 300 as some form of film and / or coating and / or under conditions similar to the deposition of the NIC 310, can have an initial sticking probability SO that is below a threshold for deposition of two or more deposition materials 531 selected from Ag, Mg, Yb, Cd, and Zn (in some non-limiting examples, under conditions identified in the dual QCM technique described by Walker et al.). In some further non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 can exhibit a sub-threshold SO for deposition of two or more deposition materials 531 selected from Ag, Mg, and Yb.

[0160] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310, and / or in some non-limiting examples, the NIC material 511 when deposited within the device 300 as a form of film and / or coating and under conditions similar to the deposition of the NIC 310, can exhibit an initial sticking probability S0 equal to or less than a first threshold for the deposition of the first deposition material 531 and an initial sticking probability S0 equal to or less than a second threshold for the deposition of the second deposition material 531. In some non-limiting examples, the first deposition material 531 can be Ag and the second deposition material 531 can be Mg. In some other non-limiting examples, the first deposition material 531 can be Ag and the second deposition material 531 can be Yb. In some other non-limiting examples, the first deposition material 531 can be Yb and the second deposition material 531 can be Mg. In some non-limiting examples, the first threshold can be greater than the second threshold.

[0161] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310, and / or in some non-limiting examples, the NIC material 511 when deposited within the device 300 as a form of film and / or coating and under conditions similar to the deposition of the NIC 310, can have an extinction coefficient k that can be less than about 0.01 for photons of wavelengths greater than at least one of about 600 nm, about 500 nm, about 460 nm, about 420 nm, or about 410 nm.

[0162] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 includes a compound comprising a rare earth metal selected from cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), praseodymium (Pr), scandium (Sc), samarium (Sm), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), yttrium (Y), and ytterbium (Yb). In some non-limiting examples, the rare earth element is selected from Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, Ho, Lu, Nd, Pr, Sm, Tb, Tm, and Yb. In some non-limiting examples, the rare earth elements are selected from Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, Ho, Lu, Nd, Sm, Tm, and Yb.

[0163] In some non-limiting examples, the compounds include, but are not limited to, CeO2, Dy2O3, Er2O3, Eu2O3, Gd2O3, Ho2O3, La2O3, Lu2O3, Nd2O3, Pr6O 11 , Pr2O3, PrO2, Pr2O5, Pm2O3, Sm2O3, Sc2O3, Tb7O 12 , Tb2O3, TbO2, Tb3O7, Tm2O3, Yb2O3, and Y2O3.

[0164] Generally, metals and metal compounds, including, but not limited to, pure metals and metal oxides, are known to exhibit relatively high critical surface tensions. However, somewhat surprisingly, it has been discovered that at least some oxides of rare earth elements ("rare earth oxides") exhibit relatively low critical surface tensions.

[0165] Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it can be postulated that the low energy surfaces formed by such rare earth oxides may exhibit relatively low initial sticking probabilities and may therefore be particularly suitable for forming NIC 310 or components thereof.

[0166] Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it can be postulated that critical surface tension may be positively correlated with surface energy, particularly for low surface energy surfaces. By way of non-limiting example, a surface that exhibits a relatively low critical surface tension may also exhibit a relatively low surface energy, and a surface that exhibits a relatively high critical surface tension may also exhibit a relatively high surface energy.

[0167] According to some models of surface energy, the critical surface tension of a surface may be equal to, or substantially equal to, the surface energy of such a surface. Referring to Young's equation above, lower surface energy results in a larger contact angle θ and also a larger contact angle γ SV , and therefore may increase the likelihood that such a surface has low wettability and a low initial sticking probability S0 for the deposition of the deposition material 531 to form the deposition layer 330.

[0168] In some non-limiting examples, the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 is formed, at least in part, by a rare earth oxide and may exhibit a critical surface energy Y1 of less than about 40 dynes / cm, about 35 dynes / cm, about 30 dynes / cm, about 28 dynes / cm, about 25 dynes / cm, about 23 dynes / cm, about 20 dynes / cm, about 18 dynes / cm, or about 15 dynes / cm. In some non-limiting examples, the critical surface energy Y1 of the surface of the NIC 310 may be between about 10-40 dynes / cm, about 10-35 dynes / cm, about 10-30 dynes / cm, about 10-28 dynes / cm, about 10-25 dynes / cm, about 10-23 dynes / cm, about 10-20 dynes / cm, about 10-19 dynes / cm, about 10-18 dynes / cm, or about 10-15 dynes / cm. In some non-limiting examples, the critical surface energy Y1 of the surface of NIC 310 can be determined according to W. A. Zisman, Advances in Chemistry 43 (1964), pp. 1-51.

[0169] Now, referring to FIG. 8A, version 800 of device 300 a An example of this is shown.

[0170] Device 800a shows a lateral profile of exposed layer surface 11 of a base material. The lateral profile includes first portion 301 and second portion 302. In first portion 301, NIC 310 is disposed on exposed layer surface 11. In second portion 302, interfacial coating 820 is disposed on exposed layer surface 11. Second portion 302 is substantially devoid of NIC 310.

[0171] After deposition of the NIC 310 over the first portion 301 and deposition of the interfacial coating 820 over the second portion 302, the deposition material 531 may be deposited onto the device 800 using, in some non-limiting examples, an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process. a NIC 310 is deposited on the surface of the substrate 300 but remains substantially only in the second portion 302 which is substantially free of NIC 310.

[0172] The NIC 310 provides an exposed layer surface 11 in the first portion 301 with a relatively low initial sticking probability S for deposition of the deposition material 531, which is substantially lower than the initial sticking probability S for deposition of the deposition material 531 of the exposed layer surface 9410 of the interfacial coating 820 in the second portion 302. In some non-limiting examples, the interfacial coating 820 may be an NPC 520.

[0173] Thus, the first portion 301 is substantially devoid of a closed coating 340 of the deposition material 531 .

[0174] In this manner, the NIC 310 may be selectively deposited, including using a shadow mask 415, allowing a deposition layer 330 to be deposited, including but not limited to, using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process, to form device features, including but not limited to, electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150, bus bars 5050, and / or at least one layer thereof, and / or at least one layer thereof, and / or conductive elements electrically coupled thereto.

[0175] In some non-limiting examples, the interfacial coating 820 may include a rare earth element. In some non-limiting examples, the interfacial coating 820 and the NIC 310 include the same rare earth element. In some other non-limiting examples, the rare earth element in the interfacial coating 520 is different from the rare earth element in the NIC 310.

[0176] In some non-limiting examples, device 800 a is an optoelectronic device having at least one emissive region 2210 in the second portion 302. In some non-limiting examples, the interfacial coating 820 may function as an electron injection layer (EIL) 139, and the deposited layer 330 may function as an electron injection layer (EIL) 139 in the device 800. a In some non-limiting examples, the interfacial coating 820, together with the deposition layer 330, may form or part of the cathode 1242 of the device 800. a Or a part of it may form the cathode 1242 .

[0177] In some non-limiting examples, the interfacial coating 820 and the NIC 310 may form a a As a non-limiting example, the edges of the interfacial coating 820 may be adjacent to the edges of the NIC 310.

[0178] In some non-limiting examples, the interfacial coating 820 and the NIC 310 may be formed substantially continuously across the lateral sides.

[0179] In some non-limiting examples, device 800 aDuring fabrication, a rare earth element is deposited on both first portion 301 and second portion 302 of the lateral side prior to depositing deposition layer 330. In some non-limiting examples, the rare earth element deposited on first portion 301 may be oxidized upon deposition and / or additional processing to form a rare earth oxide that may comprise NIC 310. In contrast, in some non-limiting examples, the rare earth element deposited on second portion 302 may form interface coating 820. In some non-limiting examples, interface coating 820 may include a rare earth element with an oxidation state of 0.

[0180] Now, referring to FIG. 8B, version 800 of device 300 b An example of this is shown.

[0181] Device 800 b illustrates a lateral profile of exposed layer surface 11 of the base material. An interfacial coating 820 is disposed on exposed layer surface 11 across both first portion 301 and second portion 302. In first portion 301, NIC 310 is disposed on interfacial coating 820. In some non-limiting examples, NIC 310 may be formed by oxidizing exposed layer surface 11 of interfacial coating 820. After forming NIC 310, deposition layer 330 is deposited in second portion 302 on interfacial coating 820. As a non-limiting example, first portion 301 still has a portion of interfacial coating 820 disposed between NIC 310 and exposed layer surface 11 of the base surface, and second portion 302 has another portion of interfacial coating 820 disposed between deposition layer 330 and exposed layer surface 11 of the base surface. Interfacial coating 820 includes a rare earth element, and NIC 310 includes an oxide of such rare earth element. In some non-limiting examples, the interfacial coating 820 of the first portion 301 and the second portion 302 is formed contiguous with one another or as a single monolithic structure. In some non-limiting examples, the thickness of the interfacial coating 820 in the third portion 301 may be less than the thickness of the interfacial coating 820 in the second portion 302.

[0182] Now, referring to FIG. 8C, version 800 of device 300 c An example of this is shown.

[0183] Device 800 c shows a first portion 811 of a lateral side of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material disposed on the second portion 302, and a second portion 812 of the lateral side of the exposed layer surface 11 disposed on the first portion 301. In some non-limiting examples, as shown, the second portion 812 may correspond to a surface of the modified layer 815 disposed on the first portion 301. In some non-limiting examples, the device 800 c During fabrication, rare earth elements may be deposited in both first portion 301 and second portion 302. To the extent that such rare earth elements are deposited on or above modified layer 815, modified layer 815 may cause, promote, and / or catalyze the oxidation of the rare earth elements disposed thereon in first portion 301, thus forming NIC 310.

[0184] In some non-limiting examples, the surface energy or critical surface tension Y1 of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base layer surface 11 in the second portion 812 is lower than that of the first portion 811. As a non-limiting example, the exposed layer surface 11 of the second portion 812 may exhibit a lower initial sticking probability S0 for rare earth element deposition compared to the exposed layer surface 11 of the first portion 811. In such a scenario, as described herein in connection with grain structure 941, in some non-limiting examples, the thickness of the NIC 310 formed by rare earth element deposition and subsequent oxidation in the first portion 811 may be less than the thickness of the interfacial coating 820 formed by rare earth element deposition in the second portion 812. As a non-limiting example, the NIC 310 may include rare earth oxide formed as grain structure 941 in the second portion 812. Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is believed that the relatively high critical surface energy Y1 of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base surface in the second portion 812 may contribute to the formation of a cIt is envisioned that during fabrication, rare earth elements may be deposited thereon as grain structures 941. Such a form of rare earth elements may facilitate oxidation of the rare earth elements to form NIC 310.

[0185] In some non-limiting examples, the rare earth element is Yb. In some non-limiting examples, the interfacial coating 820 includes Yb and the NIC 310 includes ytterbium oxide, which may be represented, for example, by the formula YbO. In such examples, the NIC 310 includes Yb having an oxidation state of 3+. For purposes of example only, such a species is referred to herein as Yb 3+ Similarly, Yb species with oxidation states of 0 and 2+ can be expressed as Yb 0 and Yb 2+ In some non-limiting examples, the interface coating 820 can be Yb 0 Includes.

[0186] In some non-limiting examples, the Yb 3+ The concentration of the species is Yb in the second portion 302. 3+ As a non-limiting example, device 800 c may, in some non-limiting examples, satisfy the following relationship:

number

number

number

[0187] In some non-limiting examples, the Yb 0 The concentration of the species is Yb in the first portion 301. 0 As a non-limiting example, device 800 c may, in some non-limiting examples, satisfy the following relationship:

number

[0188] It has now been found that surfaces comprising rare earth elements having a zero oxidation state can exhibit a substantially higher critical surface energy Y1 than surfaces comprising rare earth oxides in which the rare earth elements have a non-zero oxidation state. As previously mentioned, materials known to form relatively low energy surfaces may be particularly suitable for use as NIC 310, and materials known to form relatively high energy surfaces may be suitable for use as interfacial coating 820, which may function as and / or be NPC 520.

[0189] In some non-limiting examples, the concentration of rare earth oxides in first portion 301 may exceed the concentration of rare earth oxides in second portion 302. In some non-limiting examples, the concentration of rare earth elements having a zero oxidation state in second portion 302 may exceed the concentration of rare earth elements having a zero oxidation state in first portion 301. In some non-limiting examples, a majority of the rare earth elements in first region 301 may have a non-zero oxidation state and a majority of the rare earth elements in second region 302 may have a zero oxidation state.

[0190] As a non-limiting example, the presence of rare earth elements and their oxidation states in thin films can be detected using a variety of techniques, including, but not limited to, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For example, XPS can be used to determine core-level binding energies and associated intensities. The measured binding energies can then be compared to reference binding energies of known elements in various forms and oxidation states to determine the species present in the measured sample. Non-limiting examples of reference core-level binding energies for various rare earth elements in metallic and oxide forms are summarized in the table below. [Table 1]

[0191] Although the binding energies are presented as ranges in the table above, one skilled in the art will understand that specific reference binding energy values within or outside these ranges can be found in a variety of sources, including, but not limited to, BV Crist. (1999). Handbook of The Elements and Native Oxides. XPS International, Inc., AV Naumkin et al., NIST X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy Database, NIST Standard Reference Database 20, Version 4.1, NIST, and JF Moulder et al. (1992). Handbook of X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy. Perkin-Elmer Corporation.

[0192] In some non-limiting examples, the critical surface energy Y1 of the NIC 310 can be less than about ⅓ of the critical surface energy Y1 of the exposed layer surface 11 on which the deposited layer 330 is disposed, which may be, for example, the exposed layer surface 11 of the interfacial coating 820. In some non-limiting examples, the critical surface energy Y1 of the NIC 310 can be less than about ⅓, less than about ¼, less than about ⅕, less than about ⅙, less than about ⅛, less than about ⅛, less than about ⅙, less than about ⅕, less than about ⅕, less than about ⅕, less than about ⅕, less than about ⅙⅕, less than about ⅕⅕, less than about ⅙⅕, less than about ⅔⅕, less than about ⅙⅕, less than about ⅔⅕, less than about ⅕ ...�⅕, less than about ⅕⅕, or less than about ⅕⅓ of the critical surface energy Y1 of the exposed layer surface 11 on which the deposited layer 330 is disposed, which may be, for example, the exposed layer surface 11 of the interfacial coating 820.

[0193] In some non-limiting examples, the contact angle θ of water on exposed layer surface 11 of NIC 310 can be at least about 90°, at least about 100°, at least about 110°, at least about 120°, at least about 130°, at least about 140°, or at least about 150°. In some non-limiting examples, the contact angle θ of water on exposed layer surface 11 of NIC 310 can be about 90-130°, or about 95-120°. Various methods can be used to measure such contact angles θ, including, but not limited to, static or dynamic sessile drop methods and hanging drop methods.

[0194] Various methods and theories are known for determining the surface energy Y1 of a solid. For example, the surface energy Y1 can be calculated or derived based on a series of measurements of the contact angle θ, in which various liquids are contacted with the surface of the solid and the contact angle θ between the gas-liquid interface and the surface is measured. In some non-limiting examples, the surface energy Y1 of a solid surface is equal to the surface tension of the liquid with the highest surface tension that completely wets the surface. As a non-limiting example, a Zisman plot can be used to determine the highest surface tension value that would result in complete wetting of the surface (i.e., a contact angle θ of 0°). According to some theories of surface energy, various types of interactions between the solid surface and the liquid can be taken into account when determining the surface energy Y1 of a solid. For example, according to some theories, including but not limited to the Owens / Wendt theory and / or the Fowkes theory, the surface energy Y1 can include a dispersive component and a non-dispersive or "polar" component.

[0195] In some non-limiting examples, the polar component of the surface energy Y1 of the NIC 310 is about 5 mJ / m 2 Less than 3 mJ / m 2 Less than 1 mJ / m 2 It may be less than, or substantially zero.

[0196] Although various examples have been described with respect to NIC 310 including certain rare earth oxides, it is understood that NIC 310 may include other rare earth compounds in place of or in conjunction with such rare earth oxides.

[0197] Some non-limiting example embodiments will now be illustrated and described with reference to the following examples, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. [Example]

[0198] A series of samples was fabricated by depositing a 20 nm thick layer of organic material in vacuum, followed by deposition of Yb layers of various thicknesses. Specifically, samples with Yb thicknesses of 3 Å, 5 Å, 1 nm, and 2 nm were fabricated. The samples were then removed and exposed to air for approximately 10 minutes to allow the surface of the Yb layer to oxidize and form NC310. Next, an open-mask 600 deposition of Mg was performed on the oxidized Yb surface of each sample. Each sample was exposed to a Mg vapor flux with an average evaporation rate of approximately 0.9 Å / s. A deposition time of approximately 167 seconds was used to obtain a baseline Mg layer thickness of approximately 15 nm.

[0199] Once the samples were fabricated, optical transmittance measurements were performed to determine the relative amount of Mg deposited on the surface of the NIC 310. As a non-limiting example, a relatively thin Mg coating, less than a few nanometers thick, is substantially transparent. However, as the thickness of the Mg coating increases, optical transmittance decreases. Therefore, the relative performance of various NIC 310 materials can be determined by measuring the optical transmittance through the sample, which directly correlates to the amount or thickness of the Mg coating deposited thereon from the Mg deposition process. Taking into account the optical loss and / or absorption caused by the presence of the glass substrate, all samples prepared as described above were found to exhibit relatively high transmittances of greater than approximately 90% across the visible spectrum. The high optical transmittance can be directly attributed to the presence of a relatively small amount of Mg coating on the exposed surface 11 of the NIC 310, which absorbs light transmitted through the sample. Accordingly, such NIC310 materials generally exhibit a relatively low affinity and / or initial sticking probability S for Mg and may therefore be particularly useful for achieving selective deposition and patterning of Mg-containing coatings in certain applications.

[0200] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 may be doped, coated, and / or supplemented with another material that can act as a seed or inhomogeneity to serve as a nucleation site for the deposited material 531. In some non-limiting examples, such other material may include an NPC material. In some non-limiting examples, such other material may include, by way of non-limiting example, organic materials, such as polycyclic aromatic compounds, and / or materials containing non-metallic elements, including, but not limited to, oxygen (O), sulfur (S), nitrogen (N), or carbon (C), the presence of which may otherwise be considered contaminants of the source material, the equipment used for deposition, and / or the vacuum chamber environment. In some non-limiting examples, such other material may be deposited at a layer thickness that is a monolayer fraction to avoid forming a continuous coating 340 of this material. Rather, monomers of such other material will tend to space out laterally to form discrete nucleation sites for the deposited material.

[0201] 9A, a version 900 of device 300 of FIG. 3A is shown, showing in exaggerated form the interface between NIC 310 of first portion 301 and deposited layer 330 of second portion 302. FIG. 9B shows device 900 in plan view.

[0202] 9B , in some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 of the first portion 301 may be surrounded on all sides by the deposited layer 330 of the second portion 302 such that the first portion 301 may have a boundary defined by an additional extent or edge 915 of the NIC 310 on a lateral side along each lateral axis. In some non-limiting examples, the NIC edge 915 on a lateral side may be defined by the perimeter of the first portion 301 on such side.

[0203] In some non-limiting examples, the first portion 301 may include at least one NIC transition region 301 at a lateral side where the thickness of the NIC 310 may transition from a maximum thickness to a reduced thickness. tThe range of the first portion 301 that does not exhibit such a transition may include the non-transition portion 301 of the first portion 301. n In some non-limiting examples, the NC 310 is identified as the NIC non-transition portion 301 of the first portion 301. n A substantially closed coating 340 can be formed on the surface.

[0204] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC transition region 301 t On the lateral side, the NIC non-transition portion 301 of the first portion 301 n and the NIC edge 915.

[0205] In some non-limiting examples, in plan view, the NIC transition region 301 t is the non-transition part 301 of the first part 301 n may surround and / or extend along the periphery of

[0206] In some non-limiting examples, along at least one horizontal axis, the NIC non-transition portion 301 n NIC transition region 301 between it and second portion 302 t It may occupy the entire first portion 301 so that there is no

[0207] As shown in FIG. 3, in some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 may include a NIC non-transitional portion 301 of the first portion 301. n In some non-limiting examples, the NIC non-transition portion 301 of the first portion 301 may have an average thickness d2 that may be in the range of about 1 to 100 nm, about 2 to 50 nm, about 3 to 30 nm, about 4 to 20 nm, about 5 to 15 nm, about 5 to 10 nm, or about 1 to 10 nm. n The average thickness d2 of the NIC 310 in the NIC non-transition portion 301 can be substantially the same or constant. n Within the thickness, the thickness may remain within about 95%, or about 90%, of the average thickness d2 of the NIC 310.

[0208] In some non-limiting examples, the average film thickness d 2 can be less than about 80 nm, less than about 60 nm, less than about 50 nm, less than about 40 nm, less than about 30 nm, less than about 20 nm, less than about 15 nm, or less than about 10 nm. In some non-limiting examples, the average film thickness d of the NIC 310 2 may be greater than about 3 nm, about 5 nm, or about 8 nm.

[0209] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC non-transition portion 301 of the first portion 301 n The average thickness d2 of the NIC 310 in the first portion 301 can be less than about 10 nm. Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is somewhat surprising that the average thickness d2 of the NIC 310 is greater than zero and less than or equal to about 10 nm, at least in some non-limiting examples, compared to the average thickness d2 of the NIC non-transition portion 301 in the first portion 301, by way of non-limiting example. n It has been found that this can provide certain advantages in achieving improved patterning contrast of the deposited material 330 for a NIC 310 having an average film thickness d2 of

[0210] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 may include a NIC transition region 301 t In some non-limiting examples, the maximum value may be at the NIC transition region 301 of the first portion 301. t and NIC non-transition part 301 n In some non-limiting examples, the minimum value may be at and / or near the boundary between the NIC edge 915 of the first portion 301 and the NIC non-transition portion 301 of the second portion 301. In some non-limiting examples, the maximum value may be at and / or near the boundary between the NIC edge 915 of the first portion 301 and the NIC non-transition portion 301 of the first portion 301. n In some non-limiting examples, the maximum value may be the average thickness d2 of the NIC non-transition portion 301 of the first portion 301. n In some non-limiting examples, the minimum value may be in the range of about 0 to 0.1 nm.

[0211] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC transition region 301 t The NIC thickness profile at may be sloped and / or follow a gradient. In some non-limiting examples, such a profile may taper off. In some non-limiting examples, the taper off may follow a linear, non-linear, parabolic, and / or exponentially decaying profile.

[0212] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 may include a NIC transition region 301 t In some non-limiting examples, at least a portion of the base surface may be covered by the NIC transition region 301. t In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 may remain uncovered by the NIC transition region 301. t In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 may include a substantially closed coating 340 on at least a portion of the NIC transition region 301. t At least a portion of the discontinuous layer 940 (FIG. 9A) may be included.

[0213] In some non-limiting examples, at least a portion of the NIC 310 in the first portion 301 can be substantially free of the closed coating 340 of the deposition layer 330. In some non-limiting examples, at least a portion of the exposed layer surface 11 of the first portion 301 can be substantially free of the deposition layer 330 or deposition material 531.

[0214] In some non-limiting examples, along at least one horizontal axis, including but not limited to the X-axis, the NIC non-transition region 301n may have a width of w1, and the NIC transition portion 301 t may have a width of w2. In some non-limiting examples, the NIC non-transition region 301 n may have a cross-sectional area 301 that may be approximated by the average thickness d2 multiplied by the width w1 in some non-limiting examples. t may have a cross-sectional area a2, which in some non-limiting examples may bet This can be approximated by multiplying the average film thickness over the

[0215] In some non-limiting examples, w1 can be greater than w2. In some non-limiting examples, the quotient of w1 / w2 can be at least about 5, about 10, about 20, about 50, about 100, about 500, about 1,000, about 1,500, about 5,000, about 10,000, about 50,000, or about 100,000.

[0216] In some non-limiting examples, at least one of w1 and w2 can exceed the average thickness d1 of the base surface.

[0217] In some non-limiting examples, at least one of w1 and w2 may exceed d2. In some non-limiting examples, both w1 and w2 may exceed d2. In some non-limiting examples, both w1 and w2 may exceed d1, or d1 may exceed d2.

[0218] Those skilled in the art will understand that, although not explicitly shown, some NIC material 511 may also be present at the interface between the deposition layer 330 and the underlying surface, including, but not limited to, the NPC 520 layer (not shown) and / or the surface of the substrate 10. Such material may be deposited as a result of a shadowing effect, in which case the deposited pattern will not be identical to the pattern of the mask 600, and in some non-limiting examples, some evaporated NIC material 512 may be deposited on the masked portion of the target surface 11. By way of non-limiting example, such material may be formed as a grain structure 941 and / or as a thin film having a thickness that may be substantially less than the average thickness of the NIC 310.

[0219] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 can act as an optical coating. In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 can modify at least one attribute and / or characteristic of light emitted from at least one emission region 2210 of the device 300. In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 can exhibit a haze that scatters the emitted light. In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 can include a crystalline material to scatter light transmitted therethrough. Such light scattering can facilitate enhanced outcoupling of light from the device in some non-limiting examples. In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 can be initially deposited as a substantially non-crystalline coating, including but not limited to a substantially amorphous coating, and then, after its deposition, the NIC 310 can be crystallized and then function as an optical coupler.

[0220] sedimentary layer The deposition layer 330 is disposed on the exposed layer surface 11 of the base surface in a second portion 302 of a lateral side of the device 300 defined by a horizontal axis, including but not limited to the X-axis. As better seen in FIG. 9B , in some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 of the first portion 301 may be surrounded on all sides by the deposition layer 330 of the second portion 302, such that the second portion 302 has a boundary defined by a further extent or edge 935 of the deposition layer 330 in the lateral side along each horizontal axis. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer edge 935 may be defined by the perimeter of the second portion 302 of such side.

[0221] In some non-limiting examples, the second portion 302 may include at least one deposition layer transition region 302 at a lateral side where the thickness of the deposition layer 330 may transition from a maximum thickness to a reduced thickness. t The range of the second portion 302 that does not exhibit such a transition may include the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302. n In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 is identified as the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302. n A substantially closed coating 340 can be formed on the surface.

[0222] In some non-limiting examples, in plan view, the deposition layer transition region 302 t The non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302 is n and the stack edge 935.

[0223] In some non-limiting examples, in plan view, the deposition layer transition region 302 t is the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302 n may surround and / or extend along the periphery of

[0224] In some non-limiting examples, along at least one horizontal axis, non-transition portion 302 n 301 and the first portion 301. t It may occupy the entire second portion 302 so that there is no

[0225] As shown in FIG. 9A, in some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 may extend over the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302. n In some non-limiting examples, the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302 may have an average thickness d3 that may be in the range of about 1 to 500 nm, about 5 to 200 nm, about 5 to 40 nm, about 10 to 30 nm, or about 10 to 100 nm. In some non-limiting examples, d3 may be greater than about 10 nm, about 50 nm, or about 100 nm. t The average thickness d3 of the deposited layer 330 at each step may be substantially the same or constant.

[0226] In some non-limiting examples, d3 can be greater than the average thickness of the base surface d1.

[0227] In some non-limiting examples, the quotient d3 / d1 can be at least about 1.5, at least about 2, at least about 5, at least about 10, at least about 20, at least about 50, or at least about 100. In some non-limiting examples, the quotient d3 / d1 can be in the range of about 0.1 to 10, or about 0.2 to 40.

[0228] In some non-limiting examples, d3 may be greater than the average thickness d2 of the NIC 310.

[0229] In some non-limiting examples, the quotient d3 / d2 can be at least about 1.5, at least about 2, at least about 5, at least about 10, at least about 20, at least about 50, or at least about 100. In some non-limiting examples, the quotient d3 / d2 can be in the range of about 0.2 to 10, or about 0.5 to 40.

[0230] In some non-limiting examples, d3 may be greater than d2, and d2 may be greater than d1. In some other non-limiting examples, d3 may be greater than d1, and d1 may be greater than d2.

[0231] In some non-limiting examples, the quotient d2 / d1 can be between about 0.2 and 3, or between about 0.1 and 5.

[0232] In some non-limiting examples, the non-transition region 302 along at least one horizontal axis, including but not limited to the X-axis, n has a width w3. In some non-limiting examples, the non-transition region 302 n may have a cross-sectional area a3, which in some non-limiting examples may be approximated by multiplying the average membrane thickness d3 by the width w3.

[0233] In some non-limiting examples, w3 is the NIC non-transition region 301 n In some non-limiting examples, w1 may be greater than w3.

[0234] In some non-limiting examples, the quotient w1 / w3 can be in the range of about 0.1 to 10, about 0.2 to 5, about 0.3 to 3, or about 0.4 to 2. In some non-limiting examples, the quotient w3 / w1 can be at least 1, at least 2, at least 3, or at least 4.

[0235] In some non-limiting examples, w3 may be greater than the average thickness d3 of the deposited layer 330.

[0236] In some non-limiting examples, the quotient w3 / d3 can be at least about 10, at least about 50, at least about 100, or at least about 500. In some non-limiting examples, the quotient w3 / d3 can be less than about 100,000.

[0237] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 may be formed in the deposition layer transition region 302 t In some non-limiting examples, the maximum thickness may be within the deposition layer transition region 302. t and the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302 n In some non-limiting examples, the minimum may be at and / or near the boundary between the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302 and the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302. In some non-limiting examples, the minimum may be at and / or near the boundary between the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302 and the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302. n In some non-limiting examples, the minimum value may be in the range of about 0 to 0.1 nm. In some non-limiting examples, the minimum value may be the average thickness d3 of the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302. n The average thickness d3 in the

[0238] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer transition region 302 t The thickness profile at may be sloped and / or follow a gradient. In some non-limiting examples, such a profile may taper off. In some non-limiting examples, the taper off may follow a linear, non-linear, parabolic, and / or exponentially decaying profile.

[0239] In some non-limiting examples, version 900 of FIG. 9C of device 300 c As shown as a non-limiting example in this example, the deposition layer 330 is located in the deposition layer transition region 302. tIn some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer transition region 302 t In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 may be at least partially uncovered at the base surface in the deposition layer transition region 302. t In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 may include a substantially closed coating 340 over at least a portion of the deposition layer transition region 302. t At least a portion of the discontinuous layer 940 may be included.

[0240] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition edge 935 may be formed by overlapping the non-transition portion 301 of the first portion 301 with the second portion 302 such that there is no overlap between the first portion 301 and the second portion 302 on the lateral side. n The lateral surface may be spaced apart from the

[0241] In some non-limiting examples, at least a portion of first portion 301 and at least a portion of second portion 302 may overlap laterally. Such overlap is identified by overlapping portion 903, as shown as a non-limiting example in FIG. 9A , where at least a portion of second portion 302 overlaps with at least a portion of first portion 301.

[0242] In some non-limiting examples, as shown by way of non-limiting example in FIG. 9D, the deposition layer transition region 302 t At least a portion of the NIC transition region 301 t In some non-limiting examples, the NIC transition region 301 may be disposed over at least a portion of the NIC transition region 301. t At least a portion of the NIC transition region 301 may be substantially free of the deposition layer 330 and / or the deposition material 531. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 may be substantially free of the deposition layer 330 and / or the deposition material 531. t A discontinuous layer 940 may be formed on at least a portion of the exposed layer surface 11 .

[0243] In some non-limiting examples, as shown by way of non-limiting example in FIG. 9E, deposition layer transition region 302 tAt least a portion of the NIC non-transition portion 301 of the first portion 301 n may be disposed on at least a portion of the

[0244] Although not shown, one skilled in the art will understand that overlapping portion 903 may reflect a scenario in which at least a portion of first portion 301 overlaps with at least a portion of second portion 302.

[0245] Thus, in some non-limiting examples, the NIC transition region 301 t At least a portion of the deposition layer transition region 302 t In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer transition region 302 t At least a portion of the deposited layer transition region 302 may be substantially free of the NIC 310 and / or the NIC material 511. In some non-limiting examples, the NIC material 511 may be present in the deposited layer transition region 302. t A discontinuous layer 940 may be formed on at least a portion of the exposed layer surface.

[0246] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC transition region 301 t At least a portion of the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302 n may be disposed on at least a portion of the

[0247] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC edge 915 may be located at the lateral side of the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302. n It may be spaced apart from

[0248] In some non-limiting examples, the sheet resistance R2 of the deposited layer 330 may generally correspond to the sheet resistance of the deposited layer 330 measured or determined separately from other components, layers, and / or parts of the device 300. In some non-limiting examples, the deposited layer 330 may be formed as a thin film. Thus, in some non-limiting examples, a characteristic sheet resistance for the deposited layer 330 may be determined and / or calculated based on the composition, thickness, and / or morphology of such a thin film. In some non-limiting examples, the sheet resistance R2 may be about 10 Ω / □ or less, about 5 Ω / □ or less, about 1 Ω / □ or less, about 0.5 Ω / □ or less, about 0.2 Ω / □ or less, or about 0.1 Ω / □ or less.

[0249] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 may include a deposition material 531 .

[0250] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include a metal having a bond dissociation energy of about 300 kJ / mol or less, about 200 kJ / mol or less, about 165 kJ / mol or less, about 150 kJ / mol or less, about 50 kJ / mol or less, about 100 kJ / mol or less, or about 20 kJ / mol or less.

[0251] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include a metal having an electronegativity of about 1.4 or less, about 1.3 or less, or about 1.2 or less.

[0252] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 may include an element selected from potassium (K), sodium (Na), lithium (Li), barium (Ba), cesium (Cs), Yb, Ag, gold (Au), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), Mg, zinc (Zn), cadmium (Cd), tin (Sn), or yttrium (Y). In some non-limiting examples, the element may include K, Na, Li, Ba, Cs, Yb, Ag, Au, Cu, Al, and / or Mg. In some non-limiting examples, the element may include Cu, Ag, and / or Au. In some non-limiting examples, the element may be Cu. In some non-limiting examples, the element may be Al. In some non-limiting examples, the element may include Mg, Zn, Cd, or Yb. In some non-limiting examples, the element may include Mg, Ag, Al, Yb, or Li. In some non-limiting examples, the element can include Mg, Ag, or Yb. In some non-limiting examples, the element can include Mg or Ag. In some non-limiting examples, the element can be Ag.

[0253] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include a pure metal. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can be a pure metal. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can be pure Ag or substantially pure Ag. In some non-limiting examples, the substantially pure Ag can have a purity of at least about 95%, at least about 99%, at least about 99.9%, at least about 99.99%, at least about 99.999%, or at least about 99.9995%. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can be pure Mg or substantially pure Mg. In some non-limiting examples, the substantially pure Mg can have a purity of at least about 95%, at least about 99%, at least about 99.9%, at least about 99.9%, at least about 99.99%, at least about 99.999%, or at least about 99.9995%.

[0254] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include an alloy. In some non-limiting examples, the alloy can be an Ag-containing alloy, an Mg-containing alloy, or an AgMg-containing alloy. In some non-limiting examples, the AgMg-containing alloy can have an alloy composition that can range from 1:10 (Ag:Mg) to about 10:1 by volume.

[0255] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include other metals as a substitute for and / or in combination with Ag. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include an alloy of Ag with at least one other metal. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include an alloy of Ag with Mg and / or Yb. In some non-limiting examples, such an alloy can be a binary alloy having a composition of about 5-95% Ag by volume, with the remainder being the other metal. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include Ag and Mg. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include an Ag:Mg alloy having a composition of about 1:10 to 10:1 by volume. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include Ag and Yb. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include a Yb:Ag alloy having a composition of between about 1:20 to 10:1 by volume. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include Mg and Yb. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include a Mg:Yb alloy. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 can include Ag, Mg, and Yb. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 can include a Ag:Mg:Yb alloy.

[0256] In some non-limiting examples, the deposited layer 330 may include at least one additional element. In some non-limiting examples, such additional element may be a non-metallic element. In some non-limiting examples, the non-metallic material may be O, S, N, or C. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that in some non-limiting examples, such additional elements may be incorporated into the deposited layer 330 as contaminants due to the presence of such additional elements in the source material, the equipment used for deposition, and / or the vacuum chamber environment. In some non-limiting examples, the concentration of such additional elements may be limited to be below a threshold concentration. In some non-limiting examples, such additional elements may form compounds with other elements in the deposited layer 330. In some non-limiting examples, the concentration of non-metallic elements in the deposition material 531 can be less than about 1%, less than about 0.1%, less than about 0.01%, less than about 0.001%, less than about 0.0001%, less than about 0.00001%, less than about 0.000001%, or less than about 0.0000001%. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 has a composition in which the total amount of O and C therein is less than about 10%, less than about 5%, less than about 1%, less than about 0.1%, less than about 0.01%, less than about 0.001%, less than about 0.0001%, less than about 0.00001%, less than about 0.000001%, or less than about 0.0000001%.

[0257] Somewhat surprisingly, it has been discovered that reducing the concentration of certain non-metallic elements in the deposition layer 330 can facilitate selective deposition of the deposition layer 330, particularly when the deposition layer 330 substantially comprises a metal and / or metal alloy. Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it may be postulated, by way of non-limiting example, that certain non-metallic elements, such as O or C, when present in the vapor flux of the deposition layer 330 and / or in the deposition chamber and / or environment, can be deposited on the surface of the NIC 310 to act as nucleation sites for the metal elements of the deposition layer 330. It may be postulated that reducing the concentration of such non-metallic elements that can act as nucleation sites can facilitate reducing the amount of deposition material 531 deposited on the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310.

[0258] In some non-limiting examples, the deposited material 531 in the first portion 301 and the underlying base layer can include a common metal.

[0259] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 may include multiple layers of deposition material 531. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 of a first layer of the multiple layers may be different from the deposition material 531 of a second layer of the multiple layers. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 may include a multi-layer coating. In some non-limiting examples, such a multi-layer coating may be Yb / Ag, Yb / Mg, Yb / Mg:Ag, Yb / Yb:Ag, Yb / Ag / Mg, or Yb / Mg / Ag.

[0260] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 may be arranged in a pattern that may be defined by at least one region of the interior that is substantially devoid of a closed coating 340 of the deposition layer 330. In some non-limiting examples, this at least one region may separate the deposition layer 330 into a plurality of discrete fragments thereof. In some non-limiting examples, each discrete fragment of the deposition layer 330 may be considered a separate second portion 302. In some non-limiting examples, the plurality of discrete fragments of the deposition layer 330 may be physically spaced apart from one another at a lateral side of the NIC 410. In some non-limiting examples, at least two of such plurality of discrete fragments of the deposition layer 330 may be electrically coupled. In some non-limiting examples, at least two of such plurality of discrete fragments of the deposition layer 330 may each be electrically coupled to a common conductive layer or coating, including, but not limited to, a base surface, to enable current flow between the at least two of the plurality of discrete fragments. In some non-limiting examples, at least two of such multiple discrete fragments of the deposition layer 330 can be electrically isolated from one another.

[0261] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 may be formed on the non-transition portion 302 of the second portion 302. nand the deposition layer transition region 302 t Alternatively, the coating may be formed as a single monolithic coating over both the surface and the substrate.

[0262] particle 9A , there may be at least one particle, including but not limited to, a nanoparticle (NP), island, plate, disconnected cluster, and / or network (collectively, particle structure 941), disposed on the NIC 310 of the first portion 301. In some non-limiting examples, the at least one particle structure 941 is disposed on the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310. In some non-limiting examples, there may be multiple such particle structures 941. In some non-limiting examples, such multiple particle structures 941 may form a discontinuous layer 940.

[0263] Without wishing to be limited to any particular theory, it may be assumed that the formation of a closed coating 340 of the deposition material 531 may be substantially inhibited on the NIC 310, but in some non-limiting examples, when the NIC 310 is exposed to deposition of the deposition material 531 onto the NIC 310, some vapor monomers of the deposition material 531 may ultimately form at least one particle structure 941 of the deposition material 531 on the NIC 310.

[0264] In some non-limiting examples, at least some of the grain structures 941 can be separated from one another. In other words, in some non-limiting examples, the discontinuous layer 940 can include features including grain structures 941 that are physically separated from one another such that the grain structures 941 do not form a closed coating 340. Thus, in some non-limiting examples, such a discontinuous layer 940 can include a thin, dispersed layer of deposition material 531 formed as grain structures 941 and interposed at the interface between the NIC 310 and at least one covering layer in the device 300 and substantially across its lateral extent.

[0265] In some non-limiting examples, at least one of the grain structures 941 of the deposited material 531 can be in physical contact with the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310. In some non-limiting examples, substantially all of the grain structures 941 of the deposited material 531 can be in physical contact with the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310.

[0266] Without wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it has been somewhat surprisingly discovered that the presence of such a thin, dispersed, discontinuous layer 540 of deposited material 531, including but not limited to at least one grain structure 941, including but not limited to a metallic grain structure 941, on the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 can exhibit one or more various properties and associated various behaviors, including but not limited to optical effects and attributes of the device 300, as described herein. In some non-limiting examples, such effects and attributes can be controlled to some extent by judicious selection of the characteristic size S1, size distribution, shape, surface coverage C1, composition, deposition density, and / or dispersity D of the grain structures 941 on the NIC 310.

[0267] In some non-limiting examples, the formation of at least one of the characteristic size S1, size distribution, shape, surface coverage C1, composition, deposition density, and / or dispersity D of such discontinuous layer 940 can be controlled, in some non-limiting examples, by judicious selection of at least one characteristic of the NIC material 511, the average film thickness d2 of the NIC 310, the introduction of non-uniformity in the NIC 310, and / or at least one of the deposition environment, including, but not limited to, the temperature, pressure, duration, deposition rate, and / or method of deposition of the NIC 310.

[0268] In some non-limiting examples, the formation of the characteristic size S1, size distribution, shape, surface coverage C1, composition, deposition density, and / or dispersity D of such discontinuous layer 940 can be controlled, in some non-limiting examples, by judicious selection of at least one property of the deposition material 531, the extent to which the NIC 310 can be exposed to the deposition of the deposition material 531 (which, in some non-limiting examples, can be specified in terms of the thickness of the corresponding discontinuous layer 940), and / or one of the deposition environments, including, but not limited to, the temperature, pressure, duration, deposition rate, and / or method of deposition of the deposition material 531.

[0269] In some non-limiting examples, the discontinuous layer 540 may be deposited in a pattern across the lateral extent of the NIC 310 using a fine metal mask (FMM).

[0270] In some non-limiting examples, the discontinuous layer 540 can be arranged in a pattern that can be defined by at least one region therein that is substantially devoid of a closed coating 340 of the deposition material 531.

[0271] In some non-limiting examples, the characteristics of such discontinuous layer 940 may be evaluated somewhat arbitrarily according to at least one of several criteria, including, but not limited to, characteristic size S1, size distribution, shape, configuration, surface coverage C1, deposition distribution, dispersibility D, and / or the presence and / or spread of agglomerated instances of deposition material 531 formed on a portion of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base layer.

[0272] In some non-limiting examples, evaluation of the discontinuous layer 940 according to at least one such criterion may be performed, including but not limited to, by measuring and / or calculating at least one characteristic of the discontinuous layer 940 using a variety of imaging techniques, including but not limited to, TEM, AFM, and / or SEM.

[0273] Those skilled in the art will understand that such evaluation of the discontinuous layer 940 may depend more or less on the extent of the exposed layer surface 11 under consideration, which in some non-limiting examples may include an area and / or region of the exposed layer surface 11. In some non-limiting examples, the discontinuous layer 940 may be evaluated over the entire extent of the exposed layer surface 11, at a first lateral side and / or at a second lateral side substantially transverse to the first lateral side. In some non-limiting examples, the discontinuous layer 940 may be evaluated over an extent that includes at least one observation window applied to (a portion of) the discontinuous layer 940.

[0274] In some non-limiting examples, the at least one observation window may be located around, at an interior location, and / or at a grid coordinate on a lateral side of the exposed layer surface 11. In some non-limiting examples, a plurality of the at least one observation window may be used in evaluating the discontinuous layer 940.

[0275] In some non-limiting examples, the observation window may correspond to the field of view of an imaging technique applied to evaluate the discontinuous layer 940, including but not limited to a TEM, AFM, and / or SEM. In some non-limiting examples, the observation window may correspond to a given magnification level, including but not limited to 2.00 μm, 1.00 μm, 500 nm, or 200 nm.

[0276] In some non-limiting examples, evaluation of the discontinuous layer 940, including but not limited to, using at least one observation window on the exposed layer surface 11 of the base layer, may involve calculating and / or measuring by any number of mechanisms, including but not limited to manual counting and / or known estimation techniques, which in some non-limiting examples may include curve, polygon, and / or shape fitting techniques.

[0277] In some non-limiting examples, evaluation of the discontinuous layer 940, including but not limited to using at least one observation window on the exposed layer surface 11 of the base layer, may involve calculating and / or measuring the mean, median, mode, maximum, minimum, and / or other probabilistic, statistical, and / or data manipulation of the calculated and / or measured values.

[0278] In some non-limiting examples, one of the at least one criteria by which such discontinuous layer 940 may be evaluated may be the surface coverage C1 of the deposition material 531 on (a portion of) such discontinuous layer 940. In some non-limiting examples, the surface coverage C1 may be represented by a (non-zero) percentage coverage of (a portion of) such discontinuous layer 940 by such deposition material 531. In some non-limiting examples, the percentage coverage may be compared to a maximum threshold percentage coverage.

[0279] In some non-limiting examples, (a portion of) the discontinuous layer 940 having a surface coverage C1 that may be substantially below the maximum threshold percentage coverage may result in the appearance of different optical properties that may be imparted to photons passing therethrough by such portion of the discontinuous layer 940 compared to photons passing through a portion of the discontinuous layer 940 having a surface coverage C1 that substantially exceeds the maximum threshold percentage coverage, regardless of whether they are fully transmitted through the device 300 and / or emitted by the device 300.

[0280] In some non-limiting examples, one measure of the amount of surface coverage C1 of conductive material on a surface can be (light) transmittance, since conductive materials, including but not limited to metals, in some non-limiting examples including but not limited to Ag, Mg, or Yb, attenuate and / or adsorb photons.

[0281] Those skilled in the art will understand that in some non-limiting examples, surface coverage C1 may be understood to encompass one or both of particle size and deposition density. Thus, in some non-limiting examples, two or more of these three criteria may be positively correlated. Indeed, in some non-limiting examples, the criterion for low surface coverage C1 may include some combination of the criterion of low deposition density and the criterion of low particle size.

[0282] In some non-limiting examples, one of the at least one criteria by which the discontinuous layer 940 may be evaluated may be the characteristic size S1 of the constituent grain structures 941.

[0283] In some non-limiting examples, at least one grain structure 941 of the discontinuous layer 940 can have a characteristic size S1 that is less than or equal to a maximum threshold size. Non-limiting examples of the characteristic size S1 can include height, width, length, and / or diameter.

[0284] In some non-limiting examples, substantially all of the grain structures 941 of the discontinuous layer 940 can have a characteristic size S1 that falls within a specified range.

[0285] In some non-limiting examples, such characteristic size S1 may be characterized by a characteristic length, which in some non-limiting examples may be considered the maximum value of the characteristic size S1. In some non-limiting examples, such maximum value may extend along a major axis of the grain structure 941. In some non-limiting examples, the major axis may be understood to be a first dimension extending in a plane defined by multiple transverse axes. In some non-limiting examples, a characteristic width may be identified as the value of the characteristic size S1 of the grain structure 941, which may extend along a minor axis of the grain structure 941. In some non-limiting examples, the minor axis may be understood to be a second dimension extending in the same plane but substantially transverse to the major axis.

[0286] In some non-limiting examples, a characteristic length of at least one grain structure 941 along a first dimension can be less than a maximum threshold size.

[0287] In some non-limiting examples, the characteristic width of at least one grain structure 941 along the second dimension can be less than a maximum threshold size.

[0288] In some non-limiting examples, the size of the constituent grain structures 941 in (a portion of) the discontinuous layer 940 may be assessed by calculating and / or measuring a characteristic size S1 of at least one such grain structure 941, including, but not limited to, mass, volume, diameter length, perimeter, major axis, and / or minor axis.

[0289] In some non-limiting examples, one of the at least one criteria by which such discontinuous layer 940 may be evaluated may be the deposition density of the deposition layer 320 .

[0290] In some non-limiting examples, the characteristic size S1 of the grain structure 941 can be compared to a maximum threshold size.

[0291] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition density of the grain structures 941 can be compared to a maximum threshold deposition density.

[0292] In some non-limiting examples, the grain structures 941 can have a substantially round shape. In some non-limiting examples, the grain structures 941 can have a substantially spherical shape.

[0293] For purposes of simplicity, in some non-limiting examples, it may be assumed that the longitudinal extent of each grain structure 941 may be substantially the same (and in any event, this longitudinal extent cannot be measured directly from a plan-view SEM image), such that the (area) size of the grain structures 941 may be expressed as a two-dimensional area coverage along a pair of horizontal axes. In this disclosure, references to (area) size refer to such a two-dimensional concept and may be understood to be distinguished from size (without the prefix "area"), which may be understood to refer to a one-dimensional concept, such as a linear dimension.

[0294] Indeed, some initial investigations have shown that, in some non-limiting examples, the longitudinal extent of such grain structures 941 along their longitudinal axes tends to be small relative to their lateral extent (along at least one of the lateral axes), such that the volumetric contribution of the longitudinal extent of the grain structures 61 can be much smaller than the deposition contribution of such lateral extent. In some non-limiting examples, this can be expressed by an aspect ratio (the ratio of the longitudinal extent to the lateral extent) that can be less than 1. In some non-limiting examples, such aspect ratios can be about 1:10, about 1:20, about 1:50, about 1:75, and about 1:300.

[0295] In this regard, the assumptions made above that the longitudinal extent is substantially the same and negligible may be appropriate to represent the grain structure 941 as a two-dimensional area coverage.

[0296] Those skilled in the art will understand that there can be considerable variability in terms of features and / or topology within the observation window, given the non-deterministic nature of the deposition process, particularly when defects and / or anomalies are present on the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material, including but not limited to non-uniformities including, but not limited to, step edges, chemical impurities, bonding sites, kinks, and / or contaminants on the exposed layer surface 11, and the resulting non-uniform nature of the formation of grain structures 941 on the exposed layer surface 11 and their coalescence as the deposition process continues, as well as uncertainty in the size and / or position of the observation window and the complexity and variability inherent in calculating and / or measuring their characteristic size S1, spacing, deposition density, cohesion, etc.

[0297] In this disclosure, for ease of illustration, certain details of the deposited material 531, including but not limited to the layer thickness profile and / or edge profile, have been omitted.

[0298] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that certain metal NPs, whether as part of the discontinuous layer 940 of the deposited material 531, including but not limited to at least one particle structure 941, exhibit surface plasmon (SP) excitations and / or coherent oscillations of free electrons, such that such NPs can absorb and / or scatter light in a range of the EM spectrum, including but not limited to the visible light spectrum and / or subranges of the visible light spectrum. The optical response of such localized SP (LSP) excitations and / or coherent oscillations, including but not limited to the (sub)range of the EM spectrum in which the absorption may be concentrated (absorption spectrum), refractive index n, and / or extinction spectrum k, can be tailored according to various attributes of such NPs, including but not limited to the characteristic size S1, size distribution, shape, surface coverage C1, composition, deposition density, dispersity D, and / or attributes, including but not limited to the material and / or aggregation degree of the nanostructure and / or medium proximate the nanostructure.

[0299] Such optical responses for photon-absorbing coatings may include absorption of photons incident on the photon-absorbing coating, thereby reducing reflection. In some non-limiting examples, the absorption may be focused in a range of the EM spectrum, including but not limited to the visible light spectrum and / or subranges thereof. In some non-limiting examples, using a photon-absorbing layer as part of an optoelectronic device may reduce reliance on polarizers in the optoelectronic device.

[0300] Fusella et al., “Plasmonic enhancement of stability and brightness in organic light-emitting devices,” Nature 2020, 585, at 379–382 (Fusella et al.), reported that the stability of OLED devices can be enhanced by incorporating an NP-based outcoupling layer above the cathode layer to extract energy from plasmonic modes. The NP-based outcoupling layer was fabricated by spin-casting cubic Ag NPs onto the organic layer above the cathode. However, because most commercial OLED devices are fabricated using vacuum-based processes, spin-casting from solution may not constitute an appropriate mechanism for forming such an NP-based outcoupling layer above the cathode.

[0301] The inventors have discovered that such NP-based outcoupling layers above the cathode can be fabricated in vacuum (and thus suitable for use in commercial OLED fabrication processes) by depositing a discontinuous layer 940 of metal deposition material 531 on the NIC 310 that, in some non-limiting examples, is on and / or can be deposited on the cathode. Such a process can avoid the use of solvents or other wet chemicals that can cause damage to the OLED device and / or adversely affect device reliability.

[0302] In some non-limiting examples, the presence of such a discontinuous layer 940 of deposited material 531, including but not limited to at least one grain structure 941, may contribute to improved light extraction, performance, stability, reliability, and / or lifetime of the device.

[0303] In some non-limiting examples, in a layered device 300, the presence of at least one discontinuous layer 940 on and / or adjacent to an exposed layer surface 11 of a NIC 310 and / or, in some non-limiting examples, adjacent to the interface of such a NIC 310 with at least one covering layer can have an optical effect on photons and / or (EM) signals emitted by and / or transmitted through the device.

[0304] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that although a simplified model of the optical effects is presented herein, other models and / or explanations may be applicable.

[0305] In some non-limiting examples, the presence of such a discontinuous layer 940 of deposited material 531, including but not limited to at least one grain structure 941, may reduce and / or mitigate crystallization of adjacently disposed thin film layers and / or coatings in the vertical plane, including but not limited to NIC 310 and / or at least one cladding layer, thereby stabilizing the attributes of the thin film disposed adjacent to the grain structure 61 and, in some non-limiting examples, reducing scattering. In some non-limiting examples, such a thin film may be and / or may include at least one layer of a device outcoupling and / or encapsulation coating, including but not limited to a capping layer (CPL).

[0306] In some non-limiting examples, the presence of such a discontinuous layer 940 of deposited material 531, including but not limited to at least one particle structure 941, can provide enhanced absorption in at least a portion of the UV spectrum. In some non-limiting examples, controlling the properties of such particle structures 941, including but not limited to the characteristic size S1, size distribution, shape, surface coverage C1, composition, deposition density, dispersity D, deposited material 531, and refractive index n of the particle structures 941, can control the absorbance, wavelength range, and peak wavelength λ of the absorption spectrum, including the UV spectrum. maxEnhanced absorption of light in at least a portion of the UV spectrum can be advantageous, for example, to improve device performance, stability, reliability, and / or lifetime.

[0307] In some non-limiting examples, optical effects can be described in terms of an effect on the transmission and / or absorption wavelength spectrum, including the wavelength range included and / or its peak intensity.

[0308] Additionally, the presented model may suggest specific effects on the transmission and / or absorption of photons passing through such discontinuous layers 940, and in some non-limiting examples, such effects may reflect local effects that may not be reflected broadly observably.

[0309] In some non-limiting examples, at least one grain structure 941 may include a grain structure material.

[0310] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 of the discontinuous layer 940 in the first portion 301, the underlying base layer, and / or the deposition layer 330 may include a common metal.

[0311] In some non-limiting examples, the grain structure material can include an element selected from K, Na, Li, Ba, Cs, Yb, Ag, Au, Cu, Al, Mg, Zn, Cd, Sn, or Y. In some non-limiting examples, the element can include K, Na, Li, Ba, Cs, Yb, Ag, Au, Cu, Al, or Mg. In some non-limiting examples, the element can include Cu, Ag, or Au. In some non-limiting examples, the element can be Cu. In some non-limiting examples, the element can be Al. In some non-limiting examples, the element can include Mg, Zn, Cd, or Yb. In some non-limiting examples, the element can include Mg, Ag, Al, Yb, or Li. In some non-limiting examples, the element can include Mg, Ag, or Yb. In some non-limiting examples, the element can include Mg or Ag. In some non-limiting examples, the element can be Ag.

[0312] In some non-limiting examples, the grain structure material can include a pure metal. In some non-limiting examples, at least one grain structure 941 can be a pure metal. In some non-limiting examples, at least one grain structure 941 can be pure Ag or substantially pure Ag. In some non-limiting examples, substantially pure Ag can have a purity of at least about 95%, at least about 99%, at least about 99.9%, at least about 99.99%, at least about 99.999%, or at least about 99.9995%. In some non-limiting examples, at least one grain structure 941 can be pure Mg or substantially pure Mg.

[0313] In some non-limiting examples, the at least one grain structure 941 can include an alloy. In some non-limiting examples, the alloy can be an Ag-containing alloy and an Mg-containing alloy, or an AgMg-containing alloy.

[0314] In some non-limiting examples, the grain structure material may include other metals as a substitute for or in combination with Ag. In some non-limiting examples, the grain structure material may include an alloy of Ag with at least one other metal. In some non-limiting examples, the grain structure material may include an alloy of Ag with Mg or Yb. In some non-limiting examples, such an alloy may be a binary alloy having a composition of about 5-95% Ag by volume, with the remainder being the other metal. In some non-limiting examples, the grain structure material may include Ag and Mg. In some non-limiting examples, the grain structure material 531 may include an Ag:Mg alloy having a composition of about 1:10 to 10:1 by volume. In some non-limiting examples, the grain structure material may include Ag and Yb. In some non-limiting examples, the grain structure material may include a Yb:Ag alloy having a composition of about 1:20 to (1-10):1 by volume. In some non-limiting examples, the grain structure material may include Mg and Yb. In some non-limiting examples, the grain structure material can include a Mg:Yb alloy. In some non-limiting examples, the grain structure material can include a Ag:Mg:Yb alloy.

[0315] In some non-limiting examples, the at least one grain structure 941 can include at least one additional element. In some non-limiting examples, such additional element can be a non-metallic element. In some non-limiting examples, the non-metallic material can be O, S, N, or C. Those skilled in the art will understand that in some non-limiting examples, such additional elements can be incorporated into the at least one grain structure 941 as contaminants due to the presence of such additional elements in the source material, the equipment used for deposition, and / or the vacuum chamber environment. In some non-limiting examples, such additional elements can form compounds with other elements of the at least one grain structure 941. In some non-limiting examples, the concentration of non-metallic elements in the deposition material 531 can be less than about 1%, less than about 0.1%, less than about 0.01%, less than about 0.001%, less than about 0.0001%, less than about 0.00001%, less than about 0.000001%, or less than about 0.0000001%. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 can have a composition in which the total amount of O and C therein is less than about 10%, less than about 5%, less than about 1%, less than about 0.1%, less than about 0.01%, less than about 0.001%, less than about 0.0001%, less than about 0.00001%, less than about 0.000001%, or less than about 0.0000001%.

[0316] In some non-limiting examples, the presence of at least one particle structure 941, including but not limited to NPs, including but not limited to within the discontinuous layer 940 on the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310, can affect some optical properties of the device 900.

[0317] 10 is a simplified block diagram of a cross-sectional side view of an example electroluminescent device 1000 according to the present disclosure. In some non-limiting examples, device 1000 is an OLED.

[0318] The device 1000 comprises a substrate 10 having disposed thereon a front plane 101010 including multiple layers, each of which includes a first electrode 1020, at least one semiconductor layer 1030, and a second electrode 1040. In some non-limiting examples, the front plane 101010 may provide a mechanism for photon emission and / or manipulation of emitted photons. In some non-limiting examples, a barrier coating 2050 may be provided to surround and / or encapsulate the layers 1020, 1030, 1040, and / or the substrate 10 disposed thereon.

[0319] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 and the base surface together form at least a portion of at least one of the first electrode 1020 and the second electrode 1040 of the device 1000. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 and the base surface together form at least a portion of the cathode 1242 of the device 1000.

[0320] In some non-limiting examples, device 1000 can be electrically coupled to a power source 1005. When so coupled, device 1000 can emit photons as described herein.

[0321] In some non-limiting examples, device 1000 can be classified according to the emission direction of photons generated therefrom. In some non-limiting examples, device 1000 can be considered a bottom-emitting device if the generated photons are emitted toward and through substrate 10 on the bottom surface of device 1000 and away from layers 1020, 1030, 1040 disposed on the top surface of substrate 10. In some non-limiting examples, device 1000 can be considered a top-emitting device if the photons are emitted away from substrate 10 on the bottom surface of device 1000 and toward and / or through top layer 1040 disposed on the top surface of substrate 10 along with intermediate layers 1020, 1030. In some non-limiting examples, device 1000 can be considered a dual-emitting device if it is configured to emit photons from both the bottom surface (toward and through substrate 10) and the top surface (toward and through top layer 1040).

[0322] substrate In some examples, the substrate 10 may comprise a base substrate 1012. In some examples, the base substrate 1012 may be formed from a material suitable for its use, including, but not limited to, inorganic materials, including, but not limited to, silicon (Si), glass, metal (including, but not limited to, metal foil), sapphire, and / or other inorganic materials, and / or organic materials, including, but not limited to, polymers, including, but not limited to, polyimides and / or silicon-based polymers. In some examples, the base substrate 1012 may be rigid or flexible. In some examples, the substrate 1012 may be defined by at least one planar surface. In some non-limiting examples, the substrate 10 has at least one surface that supports the remaining front plane 1010 components of the device 1000, including, but not limited to, a first electrode 1020, at least one semiconductive layer 1030, and / or a second electrode 1040.

[0323] In some non-limiting examples, such surfaces can be organic and / or inorganic surfaces.

[0324] In some examples, the substrate 10 may include, in addition to the base substrate 1012, one or more additional organic and / or inorganic layers (not shown or specifically described herein) supported on the exposed layer surface 11 of the base substrate 1012.

[0325] In some non-limiting examples, such additional layers may include and / or form one or more organic layers, which may include, replace, and / or supplement one or more of the at least one semiconductive layer 1030.

[0326] In some non-limiting examples, such additional layers may include one or more inorganic layers, which may include and / or form one or more electrodes, which may, in some non-limiting examples, include, replace, and / or supplement the first electrode 1020 and / or the second electrode 1040.

[0327] In some non-limiting examples, such additional layers may comprise and / or be formed from and / or as a backplane layer 1015. In some non-limiting examples, the backplane layer 1015 contains power circuitry and / or switching elements for driving the device 1000, including but not limited to electronic TFT structures and / or components thereof 1100 (FIG. 11), which may be formed by photolithographic processes that may not be provided under and / or may precede the introduction of a low pressure (including but not limited to a vacuum) environment.

[0328] In the present disclosure, a semiconducting material can generally be described as a material that exhibits a band gap. In some non-limiting examples, the band gap can be formed between the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) and the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) of the semiconducting material. Thus, a semiconducting material generally exhibits a lower conductivity than a conductive material (including, but not limited to, metals) but a higher conductivity than an insulating material (including, but not limited to, glass). In some non-limiting examples, the semiconducting material can include an organic semiconducting material. In some non-limiting examples, the semiconducting material can include an inorganic semiconducting material.

[0329] Backplane and TFT structures embodied therein FIG. 11 is a simplified cross-sectional view of an example substrate 10 of device 1000, including its backplane layer 1015. In some non-limiting examples, the backplane 1015 of substrate 10 can include one or more electronic and / or optoelectronic components, including, but not limited to, transistors, resistors, and / or capacitors, capable of supporting device 1000 operating as an active matrix and / or passive matrix device. In some non-limiting examples, such a structure can be a thin film transistor (TFT) structure, such as that shown at 1100. In some non-limiting examples, TFT structure 1100 can be fabricated using organic and / or inorganic materials to form a portion of the backplane layer 1015 of substrate 10 above various layers 1110, 112, 1130, 1140, 1150, 1160, 1170, 1180, and / or base substrate 1012. In FIG. 11, the TFT structure 1000 shown is a top-gate TFT. In some non-limiting examples, TFT technology and / or structures, including but not limited to one or more of layers 1110, 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150, 1170, 1170, 1180, may be employed to implement non-transistor components, including but not limited to resistors and / or capacitors.

[0330] In some non-limiting examples, the backplane 1015 may include a buffer layer 1110 deposited on the exposed layer surface 111 of the base substrate 1012 to support components of the TFT structure 1100. In some non-limiting examples, the TFT structure 1100 may include a semiconductive active region 1120, a gate insulating layer 1130, a TFT gate electrode 1140, an interlayer insulating layer 1150, a TFT source electrode 1160, a TFT drain electrode 1170, and / or a TFT insulating layer 1180. In some non-limiting examples, the semiconductive active region 1120 may be formed on a portion of the buffer layer 1110, and the gate insulating layer 1130 may be deposited to substantially cover the semiconductive active region 1120. In some non-limiting examples, the gate electrode 1140 may be formed on the gate insulating layer 1130, and the interlayer insulating layer 1150 may be deposited on the gate electrode. The TFT source electrode 1170 and the TFT drain electrode 1170 may be formed such that they extend through openings formed through both the interlayer insulating layer 1150 and the gate insulating layer 1130 so that they may be electrically coupled to the semiconductor active area 1120. A TFT insulating layer 1180 may then be formed over the TFT structure 1100.

[0331] In some non-limiting examples, one or more of the layers 1110, 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150, 1160, 1170, 1180 of the backplane 1015 can be patterned using photolithography, using a photomask to expose selected portions of the photoresist covering the underlying device layer to UV light. Depending on the type of photoresist used, the exposed or unexposed portions of the photomask can then be removed to expose desired portions of the underlying device layer. In some examples, the photoresist is a positive-tone photoresist, where the selected portions exposed to UV light are subsequently substantially non-removable, while the remaining portions not so exposed are subsequently substantially non-removable. In some non-limiting examples, the photoresist is a negative-tone photoresist, where the selected portions exposed to UV light are subsequently substantially non-removable, while the remaining portions not so exposed are subsequently substantially non-removable. Thus, the patterned surface can be etched, including but not limited to chemically and / or physically, and / or washed away and / or rinsed away to effectively remove exposed portions of such layers 1110, 1120, 1130, 1140, 1150, 1160, 1170, 1180.

[0332] Furthermore, although a top-gate TFT structure 1100 is shown in FIG. 11, those skilled in the art will understand that other TFT structures, including but not limited to bottom-gate TFT structures, may be formed within the backplane 1015 without departing from the scope of the present disclosure.

[0333] In some non-limiting examples, the TFT structure 1100 can be an n-type TFT and / or a p-type TFT. In some non-limiting examples, the TFT structure 1100 can incorporate any one or more of amorphous Si (a-Si), indium gallium zinc (Zn) oxide (IGZO), and / or low temperature polycrystalline Si (LTPS).

[0334] First electrode A first electrode 1020 is deposited on the substrate 10. In some non-limiting examples, the first electrode 1020 may be electrically coupled to a terminal of a power source 1005 and / or to ground. In some non-limiting examples, the first electrode 1020 is so coupled through at least one drive circuit 1200 ( FIG. 12 ), which in some non-limiting examples may incorporate at least one TFT structure 1100 in the backplane 1015 of the substrate 10.

[0335] In some non-limiting examples, the first electrode 1020 can include an anode 1241 (FIG. 12) and / or a cathode 1242 (FIG. 12). In some non-limiting examples, the first electrode 1020 is an anode 1241.

[0336] In some non-limiting examples, the first electrode 1020 may be formed by depositing at least one conductive thin film on (a portion of) the substrate 10. In some non-limiting examples, there may be multiple first electrodes 1020 arranged in a spatial arrangement on the lateral sides of the substrate 10. In some non-limiting examples, one or more of such at least one first electrode 1020 may be deposited on (a portion of) the TFT insulating layer 1180 arranged in a spatial arrangement on the lateral sides. If so, in some non-limiting examples, at least one of such at least one first electrode 1020 may extend through an opening in the corresponding TFT insulating layer 1180 and be electrically coupled to the electrodes 1140, 1160, 1170 of the TFT structure 1100 in the backplane 1015, as shown in FIG. 13 . In FIG. 13 , a portion of the at least one first electrode 1020 is shown coupled to the TFT drain electrode 1170.

[0337] In some non-limiting examples, the at least one first electrode 1020 and / or at least one thin film thereof may comprise any one or more of a variety of materials including, but not limited to, one or more metallic materials including, but not limited to, Mg, Al, calcium (Ca), Zn, Ag, Cd, Ba, or Yb, or combinations of any two or more thereof including, but not limited to, alloys containing any of such materials, one or more oxides including, but not limited to, transparent conductive oxides (TCOs) including, but not limited to, ternary compositions such as fluorine tin oxide (FTO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or indium tin oxide (ITO), or combinations or various ratios of any two or more thereof, and / or combinations of any two or more thereof within at least one layer, including, but not limited to, a thin film.

[0338] In some non-limiting examples, the conductive thin film comprising the first electrode 1020 may be selectively deposited, deposited, and / or processed using a variety of techniques, including, but not limited to, evaporation (including, but not limited to, thermal evaporation and / or electron beam evaporation), photolithography, printing (including, but not limited to, inkjet and / or evaporative jet printing, reel-to-reel printing, and / or microcontact transfer printing), PVD (including, but not limited to, sputtering), CVD (including, but not limited to, PECVD and / or OVPD), laser annealing, LTI patterning, ALD, coating (including, but not limited to, spin coating, dip coating, line coating, and / or spray coating), and / or a combination of any two or more thereof.

[0339] Second electrode A second electrode 1040 is deposited on the at least one semiconductive layer 1030. In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 is electrically coupled to a terminal of a power source 1005 and / or to ground. In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 is so coupled through at least one drive circuit 1200, which in some non-limiting examples may incorporate at least one TFT structure 1100 in the backplane 1015 of the substrate 10.

[0340] In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 can include an anode 1241 and / or a cathode 1242. In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1030 is a cathode 1242.

[0341] In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 can be formed by depositing the deposition layer 330, in some non-limiting examples as at least one thin film on (a portion of) the at least one semiconductive layer 1030. In some non-limiting examples, there can be multiple second electrodes 1040 arranged in a spatial arrangement on lateral sides of the at least one semiconductive layer 1030.

[0342] In some non-limiting examples, the at least one second electrode 1040 may comprise a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, one or more metallic materials, including, but not limited to, Mg, Al, Ca, Zn, Ag, Cd, Ba, or Yb, or combinations of any two or more thereof, including, but not limited to, alloys containing any of such materials; one or more oxides, including, but not limited to, TCOs, including, but not limited to, ternary compositions such as FTO, IZO, or ITO, or combinations of any two or more thereof, or in various ratios; zinc oxide (ZnO) or indium (In) or other oxides containing Zn, or combinations of any two or more thereof, in at least one layer; and / or one or more non-metallic materials, any one or more of which may be conductive thin films. In some non-limiting examples, for Mg:Ag alloys, the composition of such alloys may range from about 1:9 to about 9:1 by volume.

[0343] In some non-limiting examples, the conductive thin film comprising the second electrode 1040 may be selectively applied, deposited, and / or processed using a variety of techniques, including, but not limited to, evaporation (including, but not limited to, thermal evaporation and / or electron beam evaporation), photolithography, printing (including, but not limited to, inkjet and / or evaporative jet printing, reel-to-reel printing, and / or microcontact transfer printing), PVD (including, but not limited to, sputtering), CVD (including, but not limited to, PECVD and / or OVPD), laser annealing, LTI patterning, ALD, coating (including, but not limited to, spin coating, dip coating, line coating, and / or spray coating), and / or a combination of any two or more thereof.

[0344] In some non-limiting examples, deposition of the second electrode 1040 can be performed using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process.

[0345] In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 can include multiple such layers and / or coatings, which, in some non-limiting examples, can be separate layers and / or coatings disposed on top of each other.

[0346] In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 may comprise a Yb / Ag bilayer coating. By way of non-limiting example, such a bilayer coating may be formed by depositing a Yb coating followed by an Ag coating. The thickness of such an Ag coating may be greater than the thickness of the Yb coating.

[0347] In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 can be a multi-layer electrode 1040 including at least one metal layer and / or at least one oxide layer.

[0348] In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 may comprise fullerenes and magnesium.

[0349] As a non-limiting example, such a coating can be formed by depositing a fullerene coating followed by a Mg coating. In some non-limiting examples, fullerenes can be dispersed within the Mg coating to form a fullerene-containing Mg alloy coating. Non-limiting examples of such coatings are described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2015 / 0287846 (published October 8, 2015) and PCT International Application No. PCT / IB2017 / 054970 (filed August 15, 2017, published February 22, 2018 as WO2018 / 033860).

[0350] Drive circuit In the present disclosure, the concept of sub-pixels 3541-3543 (FIG. 35) may be referred to herein as sub-pixel 244x, for ease of explanation only. Similarly, in the present disclosure, the concept of pixel 1240 (FIG. 12) may be considered in conjunction with the concept of at least one sub-pixel 244x thereof. For ease of explanation only, such combined concept will be referred to herein as "(sub)pixel 1240 / 244x," and such terminology will be understood to imply either or both of pixel 1240 and / or its at least one sub-pixel 244x, unless the context dictates otherwise.

[0351] 12 is a circuit diagram of an example of a drive circuit such as may be provided by one or more of the TFT structures 1100 shown in backplane 1015. In the example shown, a circuit generally indicated at 1200 is of an example of a drive circuit for active matrix OLED (AMOLED) device 1000 (and / or its (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x) for supplying current to first electrode 1020 and second electrode 1040 and controlling photon emission from device 1000 (and / or (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x). Although the illustrated circuit 1200 is shown incorporating multiple p-type top-gate thin film TFT structures 1100, the circuit 1200 may equally incorporate one or more p-type bottom-gate TFT structures 1100, one or more n-type top-gate TFT structures 1100, one or more n-type bottom-gate TFT structures 1100, one or more other TFT structures 1100, and / or any combination thereof, whether formed as one or more thin film layers. The circuit 1200 includes, in some non-limiting examples, a switching TFT 1210, a driving TFT 1220, and a storage capacitor 1230.

[0352] The (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x of the OLED display 1000 is represented by a diode 1240. The source 1211 of the switching TFT 1210 is coupled to a data (or, in some non-limiting examples, a column select) line 1230. The gate 1212 of the switching TFT 1210 is coupled to a gate (or, in some non-limiting examples, a row select) line 1231. The drain 1213 of the switching TFT 1210 is coupled to a gate 1222 of the driving TFT 1220.

[0353] The source 1221 of the driving TFT 1220 is coupled to the positive (or negative) terminal of the power supply 1005. The (positive) terminal of the power supply 1005 is represented by the electrical supply line (VDD) 1232.

[0354] The drain 1223 of the driving TFT 1220 is coupled to the anode 1241 (which in some non-limiting examples may be the first electrode 1020) of the diode 1240 (which represents the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x of the OLED display 1000) such that the driving TFT 1220 and the diode 1240 (and / or the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x of the OLED display 1000) are coupled in series between an electrical supply line (VDD) 1232 and ground.

[0355] The cathode 1242 (which in some non-limiting examples may be the second electrode 1040) of the diode 1240 (which represents the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x of the OLED display 1000) is represented as a resistor 1250 in the circuit 1200.

[0356] The storage capacitor 1230 is coupled at its respective ends to the source 1221 and gate 1222 of the driving TFT 1220. The driving TFT 1220 limits the current passing through the diode 1240 (representing the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x of the OLED display 1000) according to the voltage of the charge stored in the storage capacitor 1230, so that the diode 1240 outputs the desired brightness. The voltage of the storage capacitor 1230 is set by the switching TFT 1210, which couples it to the data line 1230.

[0357] In some non-limiting examples, compensation circuit 1260 may be provided to compensate for any deviations in transistor characteristics from variations in the manufacturing process and / or degradation of switching TFT 1210 and / or driving TFT 1220 over time.

[0358] Semiconductive layer In some non-limiting examples, the at least one semiconductive layer 1030 can comprise multiple layers 1031, 1033, 1035, 1037, 1039, any of which can be arranged in a thin film in a stacked configuration that can include, in some non-limiting examples, any one or more of a hole injection layer (HIL) 1031, a hole transport layer (HTL) 1033, an emissive layer (EML) 1035, an electron transport layer (ETL) 1037, and / or an electron injection layer (EIL) 1039. In the present disclosure, the term "semiconductive layer" can be used interchangeably with "organic layer" because the layers 1031, 1033, 1035, 1037, 1039 in the OLED device 1000 can include organic semiconductive materials in some non-limiting examples.

[0359] In some non-limiting examples, at least one semiconducting layer 1030 can form a "tandem" structure that includes multiple EMLs 1035. In some non-limiting examples, such a tandem structure can also include at least one charge generation layer (CGL).

[0360] In some non-limiting examples, thin films, including layers 1031, 1033, 1035, 1037, 1039 in the stack that make up at least one semiconductive layer 1030, may be selectively applied, deposited, and / or processed using a variety of techniques, including, but not limited to, evaporation (including, but not limited to, thermal evaporation and / or electron beam evaporation), photolithography, printing (including, but not limited to, inkjet and / or evaporative jet printing, reel-to-reel printing, and / or microcontact transfer printing), PVD (including, but not limited to, sputtering), CVD (including, but not limited to, PECVD and / or OVPD), laser annealing, LTI patterning, ALD, coating (including, but not limited to, spin coating, dip coating, line coating, and / or spray coating), and / or combinations of any two or more thereof.

[0361] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the structure of device 1000 can be modified by omitting and / or combining one or more of semiconducting layers 1031, 1033, 1035, 1037, 1039.

[0362] Further, any of the layers 1031, 1033, 1035, 1037, 1039 of the at least one semiconducting layer 1030 can include any number of sublayers. Furthermore, such layers 1031, 1033, 1035, 1037, 1039, and / or any of their sublayers can include various mixtures and / or compositional gradients. Additionally, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the device 1000 can include one or more layers containing inorganic and / or organometallic materials and is not necessarily limited to devices composed solely of organic materials. As a non-limiting example, the device 1000 can include one or more quantum dots.

[0363] In some non-limiting examples, the HIL 1031 can be formed using a hole-injecting material that can facilitate the injection of holes by the anode 1241.

[0364] In some non-limiting examples, HTL1033 can be formed using a hole transport material that can exhibit high hole mobility in some non-limiting examples.

[0365] In some non-limiting examples, the ETL 1037 can be formed using an electron transporting material that can exhibit high electron mobility in some non-limiting examples.

[0366] In some non-limiting examples, the EIL 1039 can be formed using an electron injection material that can facilitate injection of electrons by the cathode 1242 .

[0367] In some non-limiting examples, EML1035 can be formed by doping a host material with at least one emitter material, which can be a fluorescent emitter, a phosphorescent emitter, a thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitter, and / or any combination of two or more thereof, by way of non-limiting example.

[0368] In some non-limiting examples, the device 1000 may be an OLED that includes at least an EML 10035 in which at least one semiconductive layer 1030 is sandwiched between conductive thin film electrodes 1020, 1040, such that when a potential difference is applied across them, holes are injected into the at least one semiconductive layer 1030 through the anode 1241 and electrons are injected into the at least one semiconductive layer 1030 through the cathode 1242.

[0369] The injected holes and electrons tend to travel through the various layers 1031, 1033, 1035, 1037, and 1039 until they reach and meet each other. When holes and electrons are in close proximity, they tend to be attracted to each other by Coulomb forces and, in some instances, may combine to form a bound electron-hole pair called an exciton. In particular, if an exciton can form within the EML 1035, the exciton can decay through a radiative recombination process, possibly resulting in the emission of a photon. The type of radiative recombination process can depend on the spin state of the exciton. In some instances, excitons can be characterized as having a singlet or triplet spin state. In some non-limiting examples, the radiative decay of a singlet exciton can result in fluorescence. In some non-limiting examples, the radiative decay of a triplet exciton can result in phosphorescence.

[0370] More recently, other photon emission mechanisms for OLEDs have been proposed and investigated, including, but not limited to, TADF. In some non-limiting examples, TADF emission occurs through the conversion of triplet excitons to singlet excitons via a thermal energy-assisted reverse intersystem crossing process, followed by radiative decay of the singlet excitons.

[0371] In some non-limiting examples, excitons can decay through non-radiative processes in which no photons are released, particularly if the excitons are not formed within the EML 1035.

[0372] In this disclosure, the term "internal quantum efficiency" (IQE) of OLED device 1000 refers to the fraction of all electron-hole pairs generated within device 1000 that decay through the process of radiative recombination and emit photons.

[0373] In this disclosure, the term "external quantum efficiency" (EQE) of an OLED device 1000 refers to the ratio of charge carriers delivered to the device 1000 to the number of photons emitted by the device 1000. In some non-limiting examples, an EQE of 100% indicates that one photon is emitted for every electron injected into the device 1000.

[0374] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the EQE of a device 1000 may, in some non-limiting examples, be substantially lower than the IQE of the same device 1000. The difference between the EQE and IQE of a given device 1000 may be due to many factors, including, but not limited to, in some non-limiting examples, photon absorption and reflection caused by various components of the device 1000.

[0375] In some non-limiting examples, device 1000 may be an electroluminescent quantum dot device that includes an active layer in which at least one semiconductive layer 1030 includes at least one quantum dot. When an electric current can be provided by a power source 1005 to first electrode 1020 and second electrode 1040, photons are emitted from the active layer, including at least one semiconductive layer 1030 therebetween.

[0376] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the structure of device 1000 can be altered by introducing one or more additional layers (not shown) at appropriate locations within the at least one semiconductive layer 1030 stack, including, but not limited to, a hole blocking layer (not shown), an electron blocking layer (not shown), an additional charge transport layer (not shown), and / or an additional charge injection layer (not shown).

[0377] Barrier Coating In some non-limiting examples, a barrier coating 2050 can be provided to surround and / or encapsulate the various layers of the first electrode 1020, the second electrode 1040, and the at least one semiconductive layer 1030, and / or the substrate 10 disposed thereon of the device 1000.

[0378] In some non-limiting examples, a barrier coating 2050 may be provided to inhibit exposure of the various layers 1020, 1030, 1040 of the device 1000, including at least one semiconductive layer 1030 and / or cathode 1242, to moisture and / or ambient air, as these layers 1020, 1030, 1040 are prone to oxidation.

[0379] In some non-limiting examples, application of the barrier coating 2050 to a highly uneven surface may increase the likelihood of poor adhesion of the barrier coating 2050 to such a surface.

[0380] In some non-limiting examples, a lack of barrier coating 2050 and / or a poorly applied barrier coating 2050 may cause and / or contribute to defects and / or partial and / or total failure in device 1000. In some non-limiting examples, a poorly applied barrier coating 2050 may reduce adhesion of the barrier coating 2050 to device 1000. In some non-limiting examples, poor adhesion of the barrier coating 2050 may increase the likelihood that the barrier coating 2050 will delaminate from all or portions of device 1000, particularly when device 1000 is bent and / or flexed. In some non-limiting examples, a poorly applied barrier coating 2050 may trap air pockets during application of the barrier coating 2050 between the barrier coating 2050 and the base surface of device 1000 to which the barrier coating 2050 is applied.

[0381] In some non-limiting examples, the barrier coating 2050 may be a thin film encapsulation (TFE) layer 2950 (FIG. 29B), which may be selectively applied, deposited, and / or processed using a variety of techniques, including, but not limited to, evaporation (including, but not limited to, thermal evaporation and / or e-beam evaporation), photolithography, printing (including, but not limited to, inkjet and / or evaporative jet printing, reel-to-reel printing, and / or microcontact transfer printing), PVD (including, but not limited to, sputtering), CVD (including, but not limited to, PECVD and / or OVPD), laser annealing, LTI patterning, ALD, coating (including, but not limited to, spin coating, dip coating, line coating, and / or spray coating), and / or a combination of any two or more thereof.

[0382] In some non-limiting examples, barrier coating 2050 may be provided by laminating a pre-formed barrier film onto device 1000. In some non-limiting examples, barrier coating 2050 may include a multi-layer coating including at least one of an organic material, an inorganic material, and / or any combination thereof. In some non-limiting examples, barrier coating 2050 may further include a getter material and / or a desiccant.

[0383] Side view In some non-limiting examples, including when OLED device 1000 comprises a lighting panel, an entire lateral side of device 1000 can correspond to a single lighting element. Thus, the substantially planar cross-sectional profile shown in Figure 10 can extend along substantially the entire lateral side of device 1000 such that photons are emitted from device 1000 along substantially its entire lateral extent. In some non-limiting examples, such a single lighting element can be driven by a single drive circuit 1200 of device 1000.

[0384] In some non-limiting examples, including when OLED device 1000 comprises a display module, the lateral aspect of device 1000 can be subdivided into a plurality of emission regions 2210 of device 1000, where the cross-sectional aspect of device structure 1000 within each of emission regions 2210, as shown but not limited to in FIG. 10, causes photons to be emitted therefrom when energized.

[0385] emission area In some non-limiting examples, the individual emission regions 2210 of device 1000 may be arranged in a horizontal pattern. In some non-limiting examples, the pattern may extend along a first horizontal direction. In some non-limiting examples, the pattern may also extend along a second horizontal direction, which, in some non-limiting examples, may be substantially perpendicular to the first horizontal direction. In some non-limiting examples, the pattern may have many elements within such a pattern, with each element characterized by one or more features thereof, including, but not limited to, the wavelength of light emitted by that emission region 2210, the shape of such emission region 2210, its dimensions (along either or both of the first and / or second horizontal directions), its orientation (with respect to either and / or the first and / or second horizontal directions), and / or its spacing from the previous element in the pattern (with respect to either or both of the first and / or second horizontal directions). In some non-limiting examples, the pattern may be repeated in either or both of the first and / or second horizontal directions.

[0386] In some non-limiting examples, each individual emission region 2210 of device 1000 is associated with and driven by a corresponding drive circuit 1200 in backplane 1015 of device 1000, where diode 1240 corresponds to the OLED structure for the associated emission region 2210. In some non-limiting examples, including but not limited to when emission regions 2210 are arranged in a regular pattern extending in both a first (row) horizontal direction and a second (column) horizontal direction, there can be signal lines 1230, 1231 in backplane 1015 that can be gate lines (or row select) lines 1231 corresponding to each row of emission regions 2210 extending in the first horizontal direction, and signal lines 1230, 1231 that can be data (or column select) lines 1230 in some non-limiting examples corresponding to each column of emission regions 2210 extending in the second horizontal direction. In such a non-limiting configuration, the signal on the row select line 1231 can energize the gate 1212 of each of the switching TFTs 1210 electrically coupled thereto, and the signal on the data line 1230 can energize the source of each of the switching TFTs 1210 electrically coupled thereto, such that the signal on the row select line 1231 / data line 1230 pair is electrically coupled to and energizes the positive terminal of the power source 1015 (represented by the electrical supply line VDD 1232), the anode 1241 of the OLED structure of the emission region 2210 associated with such pair causing emission of photons therefrom, its cathode 1242 being electrically coupled to the negative terminal of the power source 1015.

[0387] In some non-limiting examples, each emitting region 2210 of device 1000 corresponds to a single display pixel 1240. In some non-limiting examples, each pixel 1240 emits light in a given wavelength spectrum. In some non-limiting examples, the wavelength spectrum corresponds to, but is not limited to, a color in the visible spectrum.

[0388] In some non-limiting examples, each emissive region 2210 of device 1000 corresponds to a sub-pixel 244x of display pixel 1240. In some non-limiting examples, multiple sub-pixels 244x can be combined to form or represent a single display pixel 1240.

[0389] In some non-limiting examples, a single display pixel 1240 can be represented by three subpixels 3541-3543. In some non-limiting examples, the three subpixels 3541-3543 can be displayed as an R (red) subpixel 3541, a G (green) subpixel 3542, and / or a B (blue) subpixel 3543, respectively. In some non-limiting examples, a single display pixel 1240 can be represented by four subpixels 244x, where three of such subpixels 244x can be displayed as R, G, and B subpixels 3541-3543, and the fourth subpixel 244x can be displayed as a W (white) subpixel 244x. In some non-limiting examples, the emission spectrum of light emitted by a given subpixel 244x corresponds to the color at which the subpixel 244x is displayed. In some non-limiting examples, the wavelength of light does not correspond to such a color, but further processing is performed to convert the wavelength to one that does correspond, in a manner apparent to one skilled in the art.

[0390] Because the wavelengths of the different colored subpixels 244x may be different, the optical properties of such subpixels 244x may be different, especially when common electrodes 1020, 1040 having a substantially uniform thickness profile are employed for the different colored subpixels 244x.

[0391] If a common electrode 1020, 1040 having a substantially uniform thickness could be provided as the second electrode 1040 of the device 1000, the optical performance of the device 1000 could not be easily fine-tuned according to the emission spectrum associated with each (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x. The second electrode 1040 used in such an OLED device 1000 could, in some non-limiting examples, be a common electrode 1020, 1040 covering multiple (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x. As a non-limiting example, such a common electrode 1020, 1040 could be a relatively thin conductive layer having a substantially uniform thickness throughout the device 1000. While efforts have been made in some non-limiting examples to tailor the optical microcavity effects associated with the color of each (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x by varying the thickness of organic layers disposed within different (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x, such approaches can, in some non-limiting examples, at least in some cases, provide a significant degree of tailoring of the optical microcavity effects. Additionally, in some non-limiting examples, such approaches can be difficult to implement in an OLED display manufacturing environment.

[0392] As a result, in some non-limiting examples, the presence of optical interfaces created by multiple thin film layers and coatings with different refractive indices, such as may be used to construct optoelectronic devices, including but not limited to OLED device 1000, may create different optical microcavity effects for different color subpixels 244x.

[0393] In device 1000, some factors that may affect the microcavity effect observed include, but are not limited to, the total path length (which in some non-limiting examples may correspond to the total thickness of device 1000 that photons emitted therefrom pass through before being extracted), and the refractive indices of the various layers and coatings.

[0394] In some non-limiting examples, adjusting the thickness of the electrodes 1020, 1040 in and across the lateral sides 1310 of the emissive region 2210 of the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x may affect the observable microcavity effect, in some non-limiting examples, such an effect may result from a change in the total optical path length.

[0395] In some non-limiting examples, varying the thickness of the electrodes 1020, 1040 may also, in some non-limiting examples, vary the refractive index of light passing therethrough, in addition to varying the total optical path length, particularly where the electrodes 1020, 1040 may be formed of at least one deposited layer 330.

[0396] In some non-limiting examples, optical properties across the lateral sides 1310 of the emission region 2210 of device 1000 and / or of (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x that can be altered by adjusting at least one optical microcavity effect include, but are not limited to, the emission spectrum, intensity (including but not limited to luminosity), and / or angular distribution of the emitted light, including but not limited to the angular dependence of the brightness and / or color shift of the emitted light.

[0397] In some non-limiting examples, the first and second display pixels 340 can have the same subpixel 244x associated with them, such that the subpixel 244x is associated with a first set of other subpixels 244x to represent the first display pixel 1240 and is also associated with a second set of other subpixels 244x to represent the second display pixel 1240.

[0398] The pattern and / or organization of subpixels 244x into display pixels 340 continues to evolve, and all current and future patterns and / or organizations are considered to be within the scope of this disclosure.

[0399] Non-emission area In some non-limiting examples, the various emissive regions 2210 of the device 1000 are substantially surrounded and separated in at least one lateral direction by one or more non-emissive regions 2220, where the structure and / or configuration along a cross-sectional side of the device structure 1000, as shown but not limited to in FIG. 10 , varies to substantially suppress photons emitted therefrom. In some non-limiting examples, the non-emissive regions 2220 include those regions within the lateral side that are substantially free of emissive regions 2210.

[0400] Thus, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 13, the lateral topology of various layers of at least one semiconductive layer 1030 can be varied to define at least one emissive region 2210 surrounded (in at least one lateral direction) by at least one non-emissive region 2220.

[0401] In some non-limiting examples, an emissive region 2210 corresponding to a single display (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x can be understood to have at least one lateral side 1310 surrounded laterally by at least one non-emissive region 2220 having a lateral side 1320.

[0402] Non-limiting examples of implementations of the cross section of device 1000 as applied to an emission region 2210 corresponding to a single display (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x of OLED display 1000 are now described. While features of such implementations are shown to be specific to emission region 2210, those skilled in the art will understand that in some non-limiting examples, two or more emission regions 2210 may include common features.

[0403] In some non-limiting examples, the first electrode 1020 may be disposed on an exposed layer surface 11 of the device 1000, in some non-limiting examples within at least a portion of a lateral side 1310 of the emission region 2210. In some non-limiting examples, the exposed layer surface 11, at least within the lateral side 1310 of the emission region 2210 of (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x, may comprise the TFT insulating layer 1180 of the various TFT structures 1100 that, upon deposition of the first electrode 1020, constitute the drive circuit 1200 for the emission region 2210 corresponding to a single display (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x.

[0404] In some non-limiting examples, the TFT insulating layer 1180 can have an opening 1330 formed therethrough to allow the first electrode 1020 to be electrically coupled to one of the TFT electrodes 1140, 1160, 1170, including but not limited to the TFT drain electrode 1170, as shown in FIG.

[0405] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the drive circuit 1200 includes multiple TFT structures 1100, including, but not limited to, a switching TFT 1210, a drive TFT 1220, and / or a storage capacitor 1230. While only one TFT structure 1100 is shown in Figure 13 for ease of illustration, those skilled in the art will appreciate that such TFT structure 1100 is representative of multiple such TFT structures that make up the drive circuit 1200.

[0406] In cross-sectional view, the configuration of each emissive region 2210 can be defined, in some non-limiting examples, by introducing at least one pixel-defining layer (PDL) 1340 substantially across the entire lateral side 1320 of the surrounding non-emissive region 2220. In some non-limiting examples, the PDL 134p can include an insulating organic material and / or an insulating inorganic material.

[0407] In some non-limiting examples, the PDL 1340 is deposited substantially on the TFT insulating layer 1180, but as shown, in some non-limiting examples, the PDL 1340 may also extend over at least a portion of the deposited first electrode 1020 and / or its outer edge.

[0408] In some non-limiting examples, as shown in FIG. 13, the cross-sectional thickness and / or profile of the PDL 1340 can impart a substantially valley-shaped configuration to the emission region 2210 of each (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x with regions of increased thickness along the boundary between the lateral side 1320 of the surrounding non-emitting region 2220 and the lateral side 1310 of the surrounded emission region 2210 corresponding to the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x.

[0409] In some non-limiting examples, the profile of the PDL 1340 may have a reduced thickness beyond such a valley-shaped configuration, including, but not limited to, away from the boundary between the lateral side 1320 of the surrounding non-emitting region 2220 and the lateral side 1310 of the surrounded emitting region 2210, in some non-limiting examples, substantially well within the lateral side 1320 of such non-emitting region 2220.

[0410] While the PDL 1340 is generally shown as having linearly sloped surfaces to form a valley-shaped configuration that defines the enclosed emission region 2210, those skilled in the art will understand that, in some non-limiting examples, at least one of the shape, aspect ratio, thickness, width, and / or configuration of such a PDL 1340 can be varied. As a non-limiting example, the PDL 1340 can be formed with steeper or more gently sloping portions. In some non-limiting examples, such a PDL 1340 can be configured to extend substantially normal away from the surface on which it is deposited, covering one or more edges of the first electrode 1020. In some non-limiting examples, such a PDL 1340 can be configured to have at least one semiconductive layer 1030 deposited thereon by solution processing techniques, including but not limited to, by printing, including but not limited to, inkjet printing.

[0411] In some non-limiting examples, at least one semiconductive layer 1030 can be deposited on exposed layer surfaces 11 of device 1000, including at least a portion of lateral sides 1310 of such emission regions 2210 of (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x. In some non-limiting examples, such exposed layer surfaces 11, at least within lateral sides 1310 of emission regions 2210 of (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x, can include first electrodes 1020 upon deposition of at least one semiconductive layer 1030 (and / or its layers 1031, 1033, 1035, 1037, 1039).

[0412] In some non-limiting examples, the at least one semiconductive layer 1030 may also extend beyond the lateral sides 1310 of the emissive region 2210 of the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x and at least partially into the lateral sides 1320 of the surrounding non-emissive region 2220. In some non-limiting examples, such exposed layer surfaces 11 of such surrounding non-emissive region 2220 may include a PDL 1340 upon deposition of the at least one semiconductive layer 1030.

[0413] In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 may be disposed on an exposed layer surface 11 of the device 1000, including at least a portion of the lateral sides 1310 of the emission region 2210 of the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x. In some non-limiting examples, such exposed layer surface 11, at least within the lateral sides 1310 of the emission region 2210 of the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x, may include at least one semiconducting layer 1030 upon deposition of the second electrode 1020.

[0414] In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 may also extend beyond the lateral sides 1310 of the emissive region 2210 of the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x and at least partially into the lateral sides 1320 of the surrounding non-emissive region 2220. In some non-limiting examples, such exposed layer surfaces 11 of such surrounding non-emissive regions 2220 may include a PDL 1340 upon deposition of the second electrode 1040.

[0415] In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 can extend across substantially all or a substantial portion of the lateral side 1320 of the surrounding non-emitting region 2220 .

[0416] transparency Because OLED device 1000 emits photons through either or both first electrode 1020 (in the case of a bottom-emitting and / or dual-emitting device) and substrate 10 and / or second electrode 1040 (in the case of a top-emitting and / or dual-emitting device), it may be an objective to make either or both first electrode 1020 and / or second electrode 1040 substantially photon (or light) transmissive (“transmissive”), in some non-limiting examples, at least over a substantial portion of the lateral sides 1310 of the emitting region 2210 of device 1000. In the present disclosure, such transmissive elements, including but not limited to electrodes 1020, 1040, materials that may form such elements, and / or properties thereof, may include elements, materials, and / or properties thereof that are substantially transmissive (“transparent”), in some non-limiting examples, and / or partially transmissive (“semi-transparent”), in at least one wavelength band.

[0417] Various mechanisms have been adapted to impart permeability properties to the device 1000 over at least a substantial portion of the lateral sides 1310 of its emission region 2210.

[0418] In some non-limiting examples, including but not limited to when the device 1000 is a bottom-emitting device and / or a dual-emitting device, the TFT structure 1100 of the drive circuit 1200 associated with the emission region 2210 of the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x, which can at least partially reduce the transparency of the surrounding substrate 10, is positioned within the lateral side 1320 of the surrounding non-emitting region 2220 to avoid affecting the transparency properties of the substrate 10 within the lateral side 1310 of the emission region 2210.

[0419] In some non-limiting examples where device 1000 is a dual-sided emission device, one of electrodes 1020, 1040 may be made substantially transparent, including but not limited to, by at least one of the mechanisms disclosed herein, with respect to the lateral side 1310 of emission region 2210 of (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x, and the other of electrodes 1020, 1040 may be made substantially transparent, including but not limited to, by at least one of the mechanisms disclosed herein, with respect to the lateral side 1310 of adjacent and / or neighboring (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x. Thus, in an alternating (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x arrangement, the lateral sides 1310 of the first emission region 2210 of a (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x can be substantially top-emitting, while the lateral sides 1310 of the second emission region 2210 of an adjacent (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x can be substantially bottom-emitting, such that a subset of the (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x are substantially top-emitting and a subset of the (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x are substantially bottom-emitting, while only a single electrode 1020, 1040 of each (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x is made substantially transparent.

[0420] In some non-limiting examples, a mechanism for making the electrodes 1020, 1040 (the first electrode 1020 in the case of bottom-emitting and / or dual-emitting devices, and / or the second electrode 1040 in the case of top-emitting and / or dual-emitting devices) transparent is to form such electrodes 1020, 1040 of a transparent thin film.

[0421] In some non-limiting examples, the conductive deposition layer 330 can exhibit transparent properties, including but not limited to, those formed by depositing a conductive thin film layer of a metal, including but not limited to, Ag, Al, and / or by depositing a thin layer of a metal alloy, including but not limited to, Mg:Ag alloy and / or Yb:Ag alloy. In some non-limiting examples, the alloy can have a composition ranging from about 1:9 to 9:1 by volume. In some non-limiting examples, the electrodes 1020, 1040 can be formed from multiple conductive thin film layers of any combination of deposition layers 330, any one or more of which can be comprised of TCO, metal thin film, metal alloy thin film, and / or any combination of any of these.

[0422] In some non-limiting examples, particularly in the case of such conductive thin films, the relatively thin layer thickness can be up to substantially tens of nanometers, so as to contribute enhanced transmissive qualities for use in OLED device 1000, but also favorable optical properties (including, but not limited to, reduced microcavity effects).

[0423] In some non-limiting examples, reducing the thickness of the electrodes 1020, 1040 to promote transparency qualities may be accompanied by an increase in the sheet resistance of the electrodes 1020, 1040.

[0424] In some non-limiting examples, a device 1000 having at least one electrode 1020, 1040 with a high sheet resistance will produce a large current-resistance (IR) drop during operation when coupled to a power supply 1005. In some non-limiting examples, such IR drop can be compensated for to some extent by increasing the level (VDD) 1332 of the power supply 1005. However, in some non-limiting examples, increasing the level of the power supply 1005 for at least one (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x to compensate for the IR drop due to the high sheet resistance may require increasing the level of the voltage supplied to other components to maintain effective operation of the device 1000.

[0425] In some non-limiting examples, auxiliary electrodes 2150 and / or busbar structures 5050 can be formed on the device 1000 to reduce the electrical supply demands of the device 1000 (by employing at least one thin film layer of any combination of TCO, metal thin film, and / or metal alloy thin film) without significantly affecting the ability of the electrodes 1020, 1040 to be substantially transparent, allowing for more effective transport of current to the various emission regions of the device 1000, while simultaneously reducing the sheet resistance of the transparent electrodes 1020, 1040 and its associated IR drop.

[0426] In some non-limiting examples, the sheet resistance specification of the common electrodes 1020, 1040 of an AMOLED display device 1000 may vary according to many parameters, including, but not limited to, the (panel) size of the device 1000 and / or the tolerance for voltage variation across the device 1000. In some non-limiting examples, as the panel size increases, the sheet resistance specification may increase (i.e., a lower sheet resistance is specified). In some non-limiting examples, as the tolerance for voltage variation decreases, the sheet resistance specification may increase.

[0427] In some non-limiting examples, sheet resistance specifications can be used to derive example thicknesses of auxiliary electrode 2150 and / or bus bar 5050 to comply with such specifications for various panel sizes. In one non-limiting example, an aperture ratio of 0.64 was assumed for all display panel sizes, and the thicknesses of auxiliary electrode 2150 for various example panel sizes were calculated for voltage tolerances of 0.1V and 0.2V, for example, in Table 1 below. [Table 2]

[0428] As a non-limiting example, for a top-emitting device, the second electrode 1040 may be made transparent. On the other hand, in some non-limiting examples, such auxiliary electrodes 2150 and / or bus bars 5050 may not be substantially transparent, but may be electrically coupled to the second electrode 1040, including but not limited to, by depositing a deposition layer 330 therebetween, to reduce the effective sheet resistance of the second electrode 1040.

[0429] In some non-limiting examples, such auxiliary electrodes 2150 may be positioned and / or shaped on either or both of the lateral and / or cross-sectional sides so as not to interfere with the emission of photons from the lateral sides 1310 of the emission region 2210 of the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x.

[0430] In some non-limiting examples, a mechanism for fabricating the first electrode 1020 and / or the second electrode 1040 is to form such electrodes 1020, 1040 in a pattern that spans at least a portion of the lateral side 1310 of its emissive region 2210 and / or, in some non-limiting examples, at least a portion of the lateral side 1320 of the non-emissive region 2220 that surrounds them. In some non-limiting examples, such a mechanism can be employed to form the auxiliary electrodes 2150 and / or busbars 5050 in a position and / or shape on either or both of the lateral and / or cross-sectional sides so as not to interfere with the emission of photons from the lateral side 1310 of the emissive region 2210 of the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x, as discussed above.

[0431] In some non-limiting examples, device 1000 can be configured such that the optical path of photons emitted by device 1000 is substantially free of conductive oxide material. As a non-limiting example, at least one of the layers and / or coatings deposited after at least one semiconductive layer 1030, including but not limited to second electrode 1040, NIC 310, and / or any other layers and / or coatings deposited thereon, on lateral side 1310 of at least one emitting region 2210 corresponding to (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x, can be substantially free of conductive oxide material. In some non-limiting examples, the substantial absence of conductive oxide material can reduce absorption and / or reflection of light emitted by device 1000. As a non-limiting example, conductive oxide materials, including but not limited to ITO and / or IZO, can absorb light in at least the B (blue) region of the visible spectrum, which can generally reduce the efficiency and / or performance of device 1000.

[0432] In some non-limiting examples, a combination of these and / or other mechanisms may be employed.

[0433] Additionally, in some non-limiting examples, in addition to making one or more of the first electrode 1020, the second electrode 1040, the auxiliary electrode 2150, and / or the bus bar 5050 substantially transparent across at least a substantial portion of the lateral side 1310 of the emissive region 2210 corresponding to the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x of the device 1000, to allow photons to be substantially emitted across that lateral side 1310, as disclosed herein, it may be desirable to make at least one of the lateral sides 1320 of the surrounding non-emissive region 2220 of the device 1000 substantially transparent in both the bottom and top directions to make the device 1000 substantially transparent to light incident on its external surface so that a significant portion of such external incident light can pass through the device 1000 in addition to the emission of photons generated internally within the device 1000 (in top-emission, bottom-emission, and / or dual-side emission).

[0434] Patterning As a result of the foregoing, the objective may be to selectively deposit device features, including but not limited to at least one of the first electrode 1020, the second electrode 1040, the auxiliary electrode 2150, and / or the bus bar 5050, and / or conductive elements electrically coupled thereto, in a pattern on the exposed layer surface 11 of the front plane 1010 layer of the device 1000, across the lateral sides 1310 of the emissive region 2210 of the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x and / or the lateral sides 1320 of the non-emissive region 2220 surrounding the emissive region 2210. In some non-limiting examples, the first electrode 1020, the second electrode 1040, the auxiliary electrode 2150, and / or the bus bar 5050 may be deposited on at least one of the plurality of deposition layers 330.

[0435] FIG. 14 shows an example cross-sectional view of a device 1400 that is substantially similar to device 1000, but further includes multiple raised PDLs 1340 spanning the lateral sides 1320 of the non-emissive region 2220 surrounding the lateral sides 1310 of the emissive region 2210 corresponding to (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x.

[0436] When the deposition layer 330 is deposited using the open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process, in some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 is deposited over the lateral sides 1310 of the emissive regions 2210 corresponding to the (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x to form the second electrodes 1040 thereon, as well as over the lateral sides 1320 of the surrounding non-emissive regions 2220 to form regions of the deposition layer 330 on top of the PDL 1340. To ensure that each (segment) of the second electrodes 1040 is not electrically coupled to any of the at least one conductive deposition layer regions 330, the thickness of the PDL 1340 is greater than the thickness of the second electrodes 1040. In some non-limiting examples, as shown in the figures, the PDL 1340 can be provided with an undercut profile to further reduce the possibility that any (segment) of the second electrodes 1040 is electrically coupled to any of the at least one conductive deposition layer regions 330.

[0437] In some non-limiting examples, applying the barrier coating 2050 onto the device 1400 may result in poor adhesion of the barrier coating 2050 to the device 1400 given the highly uneven surface morphology of the device 1400.

[0438] In some non-limiting examples, the objective may be to tailor the optical microcavity effects associated with subpixels 244x of different colors (and / or wavelengths) by varying the thickness of at least one semiconductive layer 1030 (and / or layers thereof) across the lateral sides 1310 of emissive region 2210 corresponding to subpixels 244x of one color relative to the lateral sides 1310 of emissive region 2210 corresponding to subpixels 244x of another color. In some non-limiting examples, the use of FMM 415 to perform the patterning may not provide the precision needed to provide such optical microcavity modulation effects, at least in some cases, and / or in some non-limiting examples, in a production environment for OLED display 1000.

[0439] 15A illustrates stage 1501 of process 1500, in which NIC 310 is deposited on a first portion 301 of an exposed layer surface 11 of a base material (shown as substrate 10), and NPC 520 can be deposited on an NPC portion 1503 of the exposed layer surface 11 of NIC 310 deposited on substrate 10 within first portion 301. In the figure, as a non-limiting example, NPC portion 1503 can extend completely within first portion 301.

[0440] In step 1501, a quantity of NPC material 511 is heated under vacuum to evaporate and / or sublimate 1522 the NPC material 511. In some non-limiting examples, the NPC material 511 comprises entirely and / or substantially the material used to form the NPC 520. The evaporated NPC material 1522 is directed through the chamber 40, including in the direction indicated by arrow 1510, toward the first portion 301 and the exposed layer surface 11 of the NPC portion 1503. When the evaporated NPC material 1522 impinges on the NPC portion 1503 of the exposed layer surface 11, the NPC 520 may be formed thereon.

[0441] In some non-limiting examples, deposition of the NPC material 511 can be performed using an open mask 600 and / or mask-free deposition techniques, such that the NPC 520 can be formed substantially across the entire exposed layer surface 11 of the base material (which in the figure may be the NIC 310 across the first portion 301 and / or the substrate 10 through the second portion 302) to produce a treated surface (of the NPC 520).

[0442] In some non-limiting examples, as shown in the figures for stage 1501, NPC 520 may be selectively deposited, in part, only on NPC portion 1503 of exposed layer surface 11 (in the illustrated example, of NIC 310) by inserting a shadow mask 415, which in some non-limiting examples may be an FMM, between NPC material 511 and exposed layer surface 11. Shadow mask 415 has at least one aperture 1526 extending therethrough such that a portion of evaporated NPC material 1522 passes through aperture 1526 and impinges on exposed layer surface 111 (in the illustrated example, of only NIC 310 in NPC portion 1503) to form NPC 520. If evaporated NPC material 1522 does not pass through aperture 1526 and impinges on surface 1527 of shadow mask 415, it is prevented from being disposed on exposed layer surface 11 to form NPC 520. Thus, the portion 1502 of the exposed layer surface 11 located beyond the NPC portion 1503 is substantially free of the NPC 520. In some non-limiting examples (not shown), evaporated NPC material 1522 incident on the shadow mask 415 may be deposited on its surface 1527.

[0443] Although the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 in the first portion 301 exhibits a relatively low initial adhesion probability S0 for the deposited layer 330, in some non-limiting examples, this may not necessarily be the case for the NPC 520, such that the NPC 520 is still selectively deposited on the exposed layer surface 11 (in the figure, of the NIC 310) in the NPC portion 1503.

[0444] Thus, a patterned surface is generated upon completion of the deposition of NPC520.

[0445] Figure 15B illustrates stage 1504 of process 1500, in which NIC 310 is deposited on a first portion 301 of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material (in the figure, substrate 10) and NPC 520 is deposited on the NPC portion 1503 of the exposed layer surface 11 (in the figure, of NIC 310), and then a deposition layer 330 can be deposited on the NPC portion 1503 and the second portion 302 of the exposed layer surface 111 (in the figure, substrate 10).

[0446] In step 1504, a quantity of deposition material 531 is heated under vacuum to vaporize and / or sublimate 532 the deposition material 531. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition material 531 completely and / or substantially comprises the material used to form the deposition layer 330. The vaporized deposition material 532 is directed through the chamber 40 toward the exposed layer surfaces 11 of the first and second portions 301, 302 of the NPC portion 1503, including in the direction indicated by arrow 1520. When the vaporized deposition material 532 impinges on the NPC portion 1503 (of the NPC 520) and the second portion 302 of the exposed layer surface 11 (of the substrate 10), i.e., other than the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310, the deposition layer 330 may be formed thereon.

[0447] In some non-limiting examples, as shown in the figure for step 1504, deposition of the deposition layer 330 can be performed using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process such that the deposition layer 330 can be formed substantially over the entire exposed layer surface 11 of the base material (other than when the base material is NIC 310) to produce a treated surface (of the deposition layer 330).

[0448] In fact, as shown in FIG. 15B, the evaporated deposition material 532 is incident on both the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 over the first portion 301 located beyond the NPC portion 1503, and the exposed layer surface 11 of the NPC 520 over the NPC portion 1503 and the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 over the second portion 302 that is substantially free of the NIC 310.

[0449] Because the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 in the first portion 301 located beyond the NPC portion 1503 exhibits a relatively low initial adhesion probability S0 for the deposition layer 330 compared to the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 in the second portion 302, and / or because the exposed layer surface 11 of the NPC 520 in the NPC portion 1503 exhibits a relatively high initial adhesion probability S0 for the deposition layer 330 compared to both the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 in the first portion 301 located beyond the NPC portion 1503 and the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 in the second portion 302, the deposition layer 330 is deposited substantially selectively only on the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 in the NPC portion 1503 and the second portion 302, both of which are substantially free of NIC 310. In contrast, evaporated deposition material 532 incident on the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 over the first portion 301 located beyond the NPC portion 1503 tends not to deposit as shown (1523), and the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 over the first portion 301 located beyond the NPC portion 1503 is substantially free of the deposition layer 330.

[0450] Thus, a patterned surface is created upon completion of deposition of deposition layer 330.

[0451] 16A-16C show a non-limiting example of an evaporation process, generally designated 2000, in a chamber 40 for selectively depositing a deposition layer 330 on a second portion 302, 1502 (FIG. 16C) of an exposed layer surface 11 of a base material.

[0452] Figure 16A illustrates stage 1601 of process 1600, in which a quantity of NPC material 511 is heated under vacuum to evaporate and / or sublimate 1522 the NPC material 511. Figure 16A is identical to Figure 4, in which the patterned coating 410 is NPC 520, but with the addition of annotations for NPC portion 1503 and complementary portion 1502.

[0453] In some non-limiting examples, NPC material 511 comprises entirely and / or substantially the material used to form NPC 520. Vaporized NPC material 1522 is directed through chamber 40 toward exposed layer surface 11 (shown as substrate 10), including in the direction indicated by arrow 41.

[0454] In some non-limiting examples, deposition of the NPC material 511 can be performed using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process, such that the NPC 520 can be formed substantially across the entire exposed layer surface 11 of the base material (in the figure, substrate 10) to produce a treated surface (of the NPC 520).

[0455] In some non-limiting examples, as shown in the figure for stage 1601, NPC 520 can be selectively deposited, in part, only on NPC portion 1503 of exposed layer surface 11, in the example shown, by inserting a shadow mask 415, which in some non-limiting examples can be an FMM, between NPC material 511 and exposed layer surface 11. Shadow mask 415 has at least one aperture 416 extending therethrough such that a portion of evaporated NPC material 1522 passes through aperture 416 and impinges on exposed layer surface 11 to form NPC 520 in NPC portion 1503. If evaporated NPC material 1522 does not pass through aperture 416 and impinges on surface 417 of shadow mask 415, it is prevented from being disposed on exposed layer surface 11 to form NPC 520 in portion 1502 of exposed layer surface 11 located beyond NPC portion 1503. Portion 1502 is therefore substantially free of NPC 520. In some non-limiting examples (not shown), NPC material 511 incident on shadow mask 415 may be deposited on its surface 417.

[0456] When evaporated NPC material 1522 impinges on exposed layer surface 11 within NPC portion 1503, NPC 520 may be formed thereon.

[0457] Thus, a patterned surface is generated upon completion of the deposition of NPC520.

[0458] 16 illustrates stage 1602 of process 1600, in which, once NPC 520 has been deposited onto NPC portion 1503 of exposed layer surface 11 of base material (shown as substrate 10), NIC 310 may be deposited onto first portion 301 of exposed layer surface 11. In the illustration, by way of non-limiting example, first portion 301 may extend completely into NPC portion 1503. As a result, in the illustration, by way of non-limiting example, portion 1502 includes the portion of exposed layer surface 11 located beyond first portion 301.

[0459] In step 1602, a quantity of NIC material 511 is heated under vacuum to evaporate and / or sublimate 1612 the NIC material 511. In some non-limiting examples, the NIC material 511 comprises entirely and / or substantially the material used to form the NIC 310. The evaporated NIC material 1612 is directed through the chamber 40 toward the first portion 301 of the NPC portion 1503, which may extend beyond the first portion 301, and the exposed layer surface 11 of portion 1502, including in the direction indicated by arrow 1620. As the evaporated NIC material 1612 impinges on the first portion 301 of the exposed layer surface 11, the NIC 310 may be formed thereon.

[0460] In some non-limiting examples, deposition of the NIC material 511 can be performed using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process such that the NIC 310 can be formed substantially over the entire exposed layer surface 11 of the base material to produce a treated surface (of the NIC 310).

[0461] In some non-limiting examples, as shown in the figures for stage 1602, the NIC 310 can be selectively deposited, in part, on only a first portion 301 of the exposed layer surface 11 (in the illustrated example, of NPC 520) by inserting a shadow mask 415, which in some non-limiting examples can be an FMM, between the NIC material 511 and the exposed layer surface 11. The shadow mask 415 has at least one aperture 416 extending therethrough such that a portion of the evaporated NIC material 1612 passes through the aperture 416 and impinges on the exposed layer surface 11 (in the illustrated example, of NPC 520, as a non-limiting example) to form the NIC 310. If the evaporated NIC material 1612 does not pass through the aperture 416 and impinges on a surface 417 of the shadow mask 415, it is prevented from being disposed on the exposed layer surface 11 to form the NIC 310 in a second portion 302 beyond the first portion 301. Thus, the second portion 302 of the exposed layer surface 11 located beyond the first portion 301 is substantially free of the NIC 310. In some non-limiting examples (not shown), evaporated NIC material 1612 incident on the shadow mask 415 may be deposited on its surface 417.

[0462] Although the exposed layer surface 11 of the NPC 520 in the NPC portion 1503 exhibits a relatively high initial sticking probability S for deposition of the deposition layer 330, in some non-limiting examples, this may not necessarily be the case for the NIC coating 310. Even so, in some non-limiting examples, the initial sticking probability S for deposition of the NIC 310 can be such that the NIC 310 is still selectively deposited on the exposed layer surface 11 (as shown, of the NPC 520) in the first portion 301.

[0463] Thus, a patterned surface is created upon completion of the deposition of NIC 310.

[0464] 16C illustrates stage 1603 of process 1600, in which once NIC 310 is deposited on a first portion 301 of exposed layer surface 11 of base material (shown as NPC 520), a deposition layer 330 can be deposited on a second portion 302 of exposed layer surface 11 (shown as of substrate 10 over portion 1502 beyond NPC portion 1503 and of NPC 520 over NPC portion 1503 beyond first portion 301). In stage 1603, a quantity of deposition material 531 is heated under vacuum to evaporate and / or sublimate 532 the deposition material 531. In some non-limiting examples, deposition material 531 completely and / or substantially comprises the material used to form deposition layer 330. The evaporated deposition material 532 is directed through the chamber 40 toward the first portion 301 of the NPC portion 1503 and the exposed layer surface 11 of the portion 1502 beyond the NPC portion 1503, including in the direction indicated by arrow 1630. When the evaporated deposition material 532 impinges on the NPC portion 1503 of the exposed layer surface 11 (of the NPC 520) and the portion 1502 of the exposed layer surface 11 (of the substrate 10) beyond the NPC portion 1503, i.e., the second portion 302 other than the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310, a deposition layer 330 may be formed thereon.

[0465] In some non-limiting examples, as shown in the figure for step 1603, deposition of the deposition layer 330 can be performed using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process such that the deposition layer 330 can be formed substantially over the entire exposed layer surface 11 of the base material (other than when the base material is NIC 310) to produce a treated surface (of the deposition layer 330).

[0466] In fact, as shown in FIG. 16C, the evaporated deposition material 532 is incident on both the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 over the first portion 301 located within the NPC portion 1503, and the exposed layer surface 11 of the NPC 520 over the NPC portion 1503 located beyond the first portion 301 and the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 over the portion 1502 located beyond the NPC portion 1503.

[0467] Because the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 in the first portion 301 exhibits a relatively low initial sticking probability S0 for the deposition layer 330 compared to the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 in the second portion 302 located beyond the NPC portion 1503, and / or because the exposed layer surface 11 of the NPC 520 in the NPC portion 1503 located beyond the first portion 301 exhibits a relatively high initial sticking probability S0 for the deposition layer 330 compared to both the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 in the first portion 301 and the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 in the portion 1502 located beyond the NPC portion 1503, the deposition layer 330 is deposited substantially selectively only on the exposed layer surface 11 of the substrate 10 in the NPC portion 1503 located beyond the first portion 301 and the portion 1502 located beyond the NPC portion 1503, both of which are substantially free of NIC 310. In contrast, evaporated deposition material 532 incident on exposed layer surface 11 of NIC 310 over first portion 301 tends not to deposit as shown (1233), and exposed layer surface 11 of NIC 310 over first portion 301 is substantially free of deposition layer 330.

[0468] Thus, a patterned surface is created upon completion of deposition of deposition layer 330.

[0469] In some non-limiting examples, the initial deposition rate of the evaporative deposition material 532 on the exposed layer surface 11 in the second portion 302 may be greater than about 200 times, about 550 times, about 900 times, about 1,000 times, about 1,500 times, about 1,900 times, or about 2,000 times the initial deposition rate of the evaporative deposition material 532 on the exposed layer surface 11 of the NIC 310 in the first portion 301.

[0470] 17A-17C illustrate a non-limiting example of a printing process, generally designated 1700, for selectively depositing a selective coating 410, which may be NIC310 or NPC520 in some non-limiting examples, onto an exposed layer surface 11 of a base material (shown here only as substrate 10 for ease of illustration).

[0471] 17A illustrates a stage in process 1700 in which a stamp 1710 having protrusions 1711 thereon can be provided with a selective coating 410 on the exposed layer surface 11 of the protrusions 1711. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the selective coating 410 can be deposited and / or deposited on the protrusion surface 11 using a variety of suitable mechanisms.

[0472] FIG. 17B illustrates a stage of process 1700 in which stamp 1710 is brought into close proximity 1701 with exposed layer surface 11 so that selective coating 410 contacts and adheres to exposed layer surface 11.

[0473] FIG. 17C illustrates a stage in the process 1700 in which the stamp 1710 is moved 1703 away from the exposed layer surface 11 , leaving behind the selective coating 410 deposited on the exposed layer surface 11 .

[0474] Selective deposition of patterned electrodes The foregoing can be combined to provide selective deposition of at least one deposition layer 330 to form patterned electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150, and / or bus bars 5050, which in some non-limiting examples may be second electrodes 1040 and / or auxiliary electrodes 2150, without employing FMM within the high temperature deposition layer 330 deposition process. In some non-limiting examples, such patterning can allow and / or enhance transparency of the device 1000.

[0475] 18 shows an example of a patterned electrode 1800 in plan view, illustrated as a second electrode 1040 suitable for use in an example version 1900 of device 1000 (FIG. 19). Electrode 1800 may be formed with a pattern 1810 that includes a single continuous structure having or defining a plurality of patterned apertures 1820 therein, where apertures 1820 correspond to areas of device 1000 that are free of cathode 1242.

[0476] In the figure, as a non-limiting example, pattern 1810 is disposed across the entire lateral extent of device 1900, without distinguishing between lateral sides 910 of emissive regions 2210 corresponding to (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x and lateral sides 920 of non-emissive regions 2220 surrounding such emissive regions 2210. The example shown can therefore correspond to device 1500, as disclosed herein, that is substantially transparent to light incident on the external surface of device 1900, such that a significant portion of such externally incident light can be transmitted through device 1900 in addition to photon emission generated internally within device 1900 (for top-emission, bottom-emission, and / or dual-side emission).

[0477] The transparency of the device 1900 can be adjusted and / or tuned by varying the pattern 1810 employed, including but not limited to the average size of the apertures 1820 and / or the spacing and / or density of the apertures 1820.

[0478] 19, which illustrates a cross-sectional view of a device 1900 taken along line 19-19 of FIG. 18. The device 1900 is shown as including a substrate 10, a first electrode 1020, and at least one semiconductive layer 1030. In some non-limiting examples, an NPC 520 is disposed on substantially all of the exposed layer surface 11 of the at least one semiconductive layer 1030. In some non-limiting examples, the NPC 520 can be omitted.

[0479] The NIC 310 is selectively disposed in a pattern that substantially corresponds to the pattern 1810 on the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material, which is the NPC 520 (but in some non-limiting examples may be at least one semiconductive layer 1030 if the NPC 520 is omitted), as shown in the figure.

[0480] In the figure, a deposition layer 330 suitable for forming a patterned electrode 1800, which is the second electrode 1040, is disposed on substantially all of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process that does not employ any FMM 415 during the high-temperature deposition layer 330 deposition process. The base material includes both areas of NIC 310 disposed in a pattern 1810 and areas of NPC 520 in the pattern 1810 where no NIC 310 is deposited. In some non-limiting examples, the areas of NIC 310 can substantially correspond to the first portion 301 including the aperture 1820 shown in the pattern 1810.

[0481] Due to the nucleation-inhibiting properties of those areas of pattern 1810 where NIC 310 is disposed (corresponding to apertures 1820), the deposition layer 330 disposed on such areas tends not to remain, resulting in a selective deposition pattern of deposition layer 330 that substantially corresponds to the remainder of pattern 1810, while leaving those areas of first portion 301 of pattern 1810 corresponding to apertures 1820 substantially free of deposition layer 330.

[0482] In other words, the deposition layer 330 forming the cathode 1242 is deposited substantially selectively only on the second portion 302 including those areas of the NPC 520 that surround but do not occupy the apertures 1820 in the pattern 1810.

[0483] FIG. 20A shows a schematic diagram showing multiple patterns 2020, 2040 of electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150 in plan view.

[0484] In some non-limiting examples, the first pattern 1620 includes a plurality of elongated spaced apart regions extending in a first laterally direction. In some non-limiting examples, the first pattern 1620 may include a plurality of first electrodes 1020. In some non-limiting examples, the multiple regions making up the first pattern 1620 may be electrically coupled.

[0485] In some non-limiting examples, the second pattern 2040 includes a plurality of elongated spaced apart regions extending in a second lateral direction. In some non-limiting examples, the second lateral direction can be substantially perpendicular to the first lateral direction. In some non-limiting examples, the second pattern 2040 can include a plurality of second electrodes 1040. In some non-limiting examples, the multiple regions making up the second pattern 2040 can be electrically coupled.

[0486] In some non-limiting examples, the first pattern 1620 and the second pattern 2040 may form part of an example version of device 1000, generally shown at 2000 (FIG. 20C), which may include multiple PMOLED elements.

[0487] In some non-limiting examples, the lateral side 1310 of the emissive region 3010 corresponding to the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x is formed by the overlap of the first pattern 1620 with the second pattern 2040. In some non-limiting examples, the lateral side 1320 of the non-emissive region 2220 corresponds to any lateral side other than the lateral side 1310.

[0488] In some non-limiting examples, a first terminal, which in some non-limiting examples may be a positive terminal of the power source 1005, is electrically coupled to at least one electrode 1020, 1040, 2150 of the first pattern 1620. In some non-limiting examples, the first terminal is coupled to at least one electrode 1020, 1040, 2150 of the first pattern 1620 through at least one drive circuit 1200. In some non-limiting examples, a second terminal, which in some non-limiting examples may be a negative terminal of the power source 1005, is electrically coupled to at least one electrode 1020, 1040, 2150 of the second pattern 2040. In some non-limiting examples, the second terminal is coupled to at least one electrode 1020, 1040, 2150 of the second pattern 1740 through at least one drive circuit 1200.

[0489] 20B, there is shown a cross-sectional view of device 2000 at deposition stage 2000b along line 20B-20B in FIG. 20B. Device 2000 at stage 2000b is shown in the figure as including substrate 10. In some non-limiting examples, NPC 520 is disposed on exposed layer surface 11 of substrate 10. In some non-limiting examples, NPC 520 can be omitted.

[0490] The NICs 310 are selectively disposed in a pattern that substantially corresponds to the inverse of the first pattern 1620 on the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material, which is NPC 520, as shown.

[0491] In the figures, a deposition layer 330 suitable for forming a first pattern 1620 of electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150, which is a first electrode 1020, is disposed on substantially all of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process that does not employ any FMM 415 during the high-temperature deposition layer 330 deposition process. The base material includes both regions of NIC 310 disposed in the inverse of the first pattern 1620 and regions of NPC 520 disposed in the first pattern 1620 where no NIC 310 is deposited. In some non-limiting examples, the regions of NPC 520 can substantially correspond to the elongated spaced apart regions of the first pattern 1620, while the regions of NIC 310 can substantially correspond to the first portions including gaps therebetween.

[0492] Due to the nucleation-inhibiting properties of those areas of the first pattern 1620 where the NIC 310 is disposed (corresponding to the gaps therebetween), the deposition layer 330 disposed on such areas tends not to remain, resulting in a pattern of selective deposition of the deposition layer 330 that substantially corresponds to the elongated spaced areas of the first pattern 1620, while leaving the first portion 301 including the gaps therebetween that are substantially free of the closed coating 340 of the deposition layer 330.

[0493] In other words, the deposition layer 330 forming the first pattern 1620 of electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150 is deposited substantially selectively only on the second portion 302 including those regions of the NPC 520 (or, in some non-limiting examples, the substrate 10 if the NPC 520 is omitted) that define the elongated spaced apart regions of the first pattern 1620.

[0494] 20C, there is shown a cross-sectional view 2000c of device 2000 taken along line 20C-20C of FIG. 2-A, in which device 2000 is shown as including substrate 10, first pattern 1620 of electrodes 1020 deposited as shown in FIG. 20B, and at least one semiconductive layer 1030.

[0495] In some non-limiting examples, at least one semiconductive layer 1030 can be provided as a common layer across substantially all of the lateral sides of device 2000 .

[0496] In some non-limiting examples, the NPC 520 is disposed on substantially all of the exposed layer surface 11 of the at least one semiconductive layer 1030. In some non-limiting examples, the NPC 520 can be omitted.

[0497] The NIC 310 is selectively disposed in a pattern that substantially corresponds to a second pattern 2040 on the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material, which is the NPC 520 as shown (but in some non-limiting examples may be at least one semiconductive layer 1030 if the NPC 520 is omitted).

[0498] In the figures, a deposition layer 330 suitable for forming a second pattern 2040 of electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150, which is a second electrode 1040, is disposed on substantially all of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process that does not employ any FMM 415 during the high-temperature deposition layer 330 deposition process. The base material includes both regions of NIC 310 disposed inversely of the second pattern 2040 and regions of NPC 520 in the second pattern 2040 where no NIC 310 is deposited. In some non-limiting examples, the regions of NPC 520 can substantially correspond to the first portions 301 including the elongated spaced apart regions of the second pattern 2040, while the regions of NIC 310 can substantially correspond to the gaps therebetween.

[0499] Due to the nucleation-inhibiting properties of those areas of the second pattern 2040 where the NIC 310 is disposed (corresponding to the gaps therebetween), the deposition layer 330 disposed on such areas tends not to remain, resulting in a pattern of selective deposition of the deposition layer 330 that substantially corresponds to the elongated spaced areas of the second pattern 2040, while leaving the first portion 301 including the gaps therebetween that are substantially free of the closed coating 340 of the deposition layer 330.

[0500] In other words, the deposition layer 330 forming the second pattern 2040 of the electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150 is deposited substantially selectively only on the second portion 302 including those areas of the NPC 520 that define the elongated spaced apart areas of the second pattern 2040.

[0501] In some non-limiting examples, the thickness of the NIC 310 and the deposition layer 330 subsequently deposited to form either or both of the first pattern 1620 and / or second pattern 2040 of the electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150 can vary according to various parameters, including, but not limited to, the desired application and desired performance characteristics. In some non-limiting examples, the thickness of the NIC 310 can be comparable to and / or substantially less than the thickness of the subsequently deposited deposition layer 330. The use of a relatively thin NIC 310 to achieve selective patterning of the subsequently deposited deposition layer 330 can be suitable for providing flexible devices 1000, including, but not limited to, PMOLED devices. In some non-limiting examples, the relatively thin NIC 310 can provide a relatively flat surface upon which the barrier coating 2050 can be deposited. In some non-limiting examples, providing such a relatively flat surface for application of the barrier coating 2050 can enhance adhesion of the barrier coating 2050 to such a surface.

[0502] At least one of the first patterns 1620 of the electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150 and at least one of the second patterns 2040 of the electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150 may be electrically coupled to a power source 1005 either directly and / or, in some non-limiting examples, through their respective drive circuits 1200 for controlling photon emission from the lateral sides 1310 of the emission region 3010 corresponding to the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x.

[0503] Those skilled in the art will understand that the process for forming the second electrode 1040 in the second pattern 2040 shown in Figures 20A-20C can be used in a similar manner to form the auxiliary electrode 2150 for the device 2000, in some non-limiting examples. In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 can include a common electrode, and the auxiliary electrode 2150 can be deposited in the second pattern 2040 above, in some non-limiting examples, or below, in some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040, and electrically coupled to the second electrode 1040. In some non-limiting examples, the second pattern 2040 for such an auxiliary electrode 2150 can be such that the elongated spaced apart regions of the second pattern 2040 are located substantially within the lateral sides 1320 of the non-emitting region 3020 that surround the lateral sides 1310 of the emitting region 3010 corresponding to the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x. In some non-limiting examples, the second pattern 2040 for such auxiliary electrodes 2150 can be such that the elongated spaced apart regions of the second pattern 2040 are substantially located within the lateral sides 1310 of the emitting regions 3010 corresponding to the (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x and the lateral sides 1320 of the non-emitting regions 3020 surrounding them.

[0504] FIG. 21 shows an example cross-sectional view of an example version 2100 of device 1000 that is substantially similar to device 1000, but further includes at least one auxiliary electrode 2150 (not shown) arranged in the pattern described above and electrically coupled to second electrode 1040.

[0505] The auxiliary electrode 2150 is electrically conductive. In some non-limiting examples, the auxiliary electrode 2150 can be formed of at least one metal and / or metal oxide. Non-limiting examples of such metals include Cu, Al, molybdenum (Mo), or Ag. As a non-limiting example, the auxiliary electrode 2150 can include a multilayer metal structure, including, but not limited to, one formed by Mo / Al / Mo. Non-limiting examples of such metal oxides include ITO, ZnO, IZO, or other oxides containing In or Zn. In some non-limiting examples, the auxiliary electrode 2150 can include a multilayer structure formed by a combination of at least one metal and at least one metal oxide, including, but not limited to, Ag / ITO, Mo / ITO, ITO / Ag / ITO, or ITO / Mo / ITO. In some non-limiting examples, the auxiliary electrode 2150 includes a plurality of such electrically conductive materials.

[0506] The device 2100 is shown as including a substrate 10 , a first electrode 1020 , and at least one semiconducting layer 1030 .

[0507] In some non-limiting examples, the NPC 520 is disposed on substantially all of the exposed layer surface 11 of the at least one semiconductive layer 1030. In some non-limiting examples, the NPC 520 can be omitted.

[0508] A second electrode 1040 is disposed on substantially all of the exposed layer surface 11 of the NPC 520 (or of the at least one semiconductive layer 1030 if the NPC 520 is omitted).

[0509] In some non-limiting examples, particularly in top-emitting devices 2100, the second electrode 1040 may be formed by depositing a relatively thin conductive film layer (not shown) to, by way of non-limiting example, reduce optical interference (including, but not limited to, attenuation, reflection, and / or diffusion) associated with the presence of the second electrode 1040. In some non-limiting examples, as discussed elsewhere, reducing the thickness of the second electrode 1040 may generally increase the sheet resistance of the second electrode 1040, which may, in some non-limiting examples, reduce the performance and / or efficiency of the device 2100. By providing an auxiliary electrode 2150 electrically coupled to the second electrode 1040, the sheet resistance, and therefore the IR drop associated with the second electrode 1040, may be reduced in some non-limiting examples.

[0510] In some non-limiting examples, device 2100 may be a bottom-emitting and / or dual-emitting device 2100. In such examples, second electrode 1040 may be formed as a relatively thick conductive layer without substantially affecting the optical characteristics of such device 2100. Nevertheless, even in such circumstances, second electrode 1040 may nevertheless be formed as, by way of non-limiting example, a relatively thin conductive film layer (not shown), such that device 2100 may be substantially transparent to light incident on its external surface such that a significant portion of such externally incident light can transmit through device 2100 in addition to photon emission generated internally within device 2100, as disclosed herein.

[0511] The NICs 310 are selectively disposed in a pattern on the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material, which is NPC 520, as shown in the figures. In some non-limiting examples, the NICs 310 can be disposed in a first portion of the pattern as a series of parallel rows 2120, as shown in the figures.

[0512] A deposition layer 330 suitable for forming a patterned auxiliary electrode 2150 is disposed on substantially all of the exposed layer surface 11 of the base material using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process that does not employ any FMM 415 during the high temperature deposition layer 330 deposition process. The base material includes both areas of NIC 310 arranged in a pattern of rows 2120 and areas of NPC 520 where no NIC 310 is deposited.

[0513] Due to the nucleation-inhibiting properties of those rows 2120 on which the NIC 310 is disposed, the deposition layer 330 disposed on such rows 2120 tends not to remain, resulting in a pattern of selective deposition of the deposition layer 330 that substantially corresponds to at least one second portion 302 of the pattern, while leaving a first portion 301 including the rows 2120 that is substantially free of a closed coating 340 of the deposition layer 330.

[0514] In other words, the deposition layer 330 forming the auxiliary electrode 2150 is deposited substantially selectively only on the second portion 302 including those areas of the NPC 520 that surround but do not occupy the rows 2120 .

[0515] In some non-limiting examples, optical interference associated with the presence of the auxiliary electrodes 2150 can be controlled and / or reduced by selectively depositing the auxiliary electrodes 2150 so that only certain rows 2120 of the lateral sides of the device 2100 are covered, while other areas remain uncovered.

[0516] In some non-limiting examples, the auxiliary electrodes 2150 may be selectively deposited in a pattern that is not easily detected by the naked eye from a normal viewing distance.

[0517] In some non-limiting examples, auxiliary electrode 2150 may be formed in a device other than an OLED device, including to reduce the effective resistance of the electrode in such a device.

[0518] Auxiliary electrode The ability to pattern electrodes 1020, 1040, 2150, 5050, including but not limited to the second electrode 1040 and / or auxiliary electrode 2150, without employing FMM 415 during the high temperature deposition layer 330 deposition process by employing selective coating 410, including but not limited to the process illustrated in FIG. 21, allows for numerous configurations of the auxiliary electrode 2150 to be developed.

[0519] 22A shows in plan view a portion of an example version 2200 of device 1000 having multiple emissive regions 2210a-2210j and at least one surrounding non-emissive region 2220. In some non-limiting examples, device 2200 may be an AMOLED device, in which each of emissive regions 2210a-2210j corresponds to a (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x.

[0520] 22B-22D show examples of portions of device 2200 corresponding to adjacent emitting regions 2210a and 2210b, along with different configurations 2150b-d of auxiliary electrodes 2150 overlying adjacent emitting regions 2210a and 2210b, and a portion of at least one non-emitting region 2220 therebetween. In some non-limiting examples, although not explicitly shown in FIGS. 22B-22D, it is understood that second electrode 1040 of device 2200 substantially covers at least both emitting regions 2210a and 2210b and a portion of at least one non-emitting region 2220 therebetween.

[0521] 22B , auxiliary electrode configuration 2150b is disposed between two adjacent emitting regions 2210a and 2210b and is electrically coupled to second electrode 1040. In this example, the width α of auxiliary electrode configuration 2150b is less than the separation distance δ between adjacent emitting regions 2210a and 2210b. As a result, there is a gap in at least one non-emitting region 2220 on each side of auxiliary electrode configuration 2150b. In some non-limiting examples, such an arrangement can reduce the likelihood that auxiliary electrode configuration 2150b will interfere with the optical output of device 2200, in some non-limiting examples, from at least one of emitting regions 2210a and 2210b. In some non-limiting examples, such an arrangement can be appropriate when auxiliary electrode configuration 2150b is relatively thick (in some non-limiting examples, greater than several hundred nm and / or on the order of several microns in thickness). In some non-limiting examples, the aspect ratio of the auxiliary electrode configuration 2150b may be greater than about 0.05, such as at least about 0.1, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8, 1, or 2. As non-limiting examples, the height (thickness) of the auxiliary electrode configuration 2150b may be greater than about 50 nm, such as at least about 80 nm, 100 nm, 200 nm, 500 nm, 700 nm, 1000 nm, 1500 nm, 1500 nm, 1700 nm, or 2000 nm.

[0522] 22C , auxiliary electrode configuration 2150b is disposed between two adjacent emitting regions 2210a and 2210b and is electrically coupled to second electrode 1040. In this example, the width α of auxiliary electrode configuration 2150c is substantially the same as the separation distance δ between adjacent emitting regions 2210a and 2210b. As a result, there is no gap in at least one non-emitting region 2220 on either side of auxiliary electrode configuration 2150c. In some non-limiting examples, such an arrangement may be appropriate when the separation distance δ between adjacent emitting regions 2210a and 2210b is relatively small, as in, for example, a high pixel density device 2200.

[0523] 22D , auxiliary electrode 2150d is disposed between two adjacent emission regions 2210a and 2210b and is electrically coupled to second electrode 1040. In this example, auxiliary electrode configuration 2150d has a width α that is greater than the separation distance δ between adjacent emission regions 2210a and 2210b. As a result, a portion of auxiliary electrode configuration 2150d overlaps a portion of at least one of adjacent emission regions 2210a and / or 2210b. While this figure shows the degree of overlap between auxiliary electrode configuration 2150d and each of adjacent emission regions 2210a and 2210b, in some non-limiting examples, the degree of overlap and / or, in some non-limiting examples, the profile of the overlap between auxiliary electrode configuration 2150d and at least one of adjacent emission regions 2210a and 2210b can be varied and / or adjusted.

[0524] Figure 23 shows a schematic diagram in plan view illustrating an example pattern 2350 of auxiliary electrodes 2150 formed as a grid superimposed on both the lateral sides 910 of the emitting region 2210, which may correspond to the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x of the example version 2300 of device 1000, as well as the lateral sides 920 of the non-emitting region 2220 surrounding the emitting region 2210.

[0525] In some non-limiting examples, the auxiliary electrode pattern 2350 may extend substantially over only some but not all of the lateral sides 920 of the non-emitting region 2220 so as not to substantially cover any of the lateral sides 910 of the emitting region 2210.

[0526] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that while the figures show auxiliary electrode pattern 2350 as formed as a continuous structure, such that all elements thereof are physically connected and electrically coupled to each other and to at least one electrode, and at least one electrode 1020, 1040, 2150 and / or bus bar 5050, which may be first electrode 1020 and / or second electrode 1040 in some non-limiting examples, in some non-limiting examples auxiliary electrode pattern 2350 may be provided as multiple individual elements of auxiliary electrode pattern 2350 that are not physically coupled to each other while remaining electrically coupled to each other. Even so, such individual elements of auxiliary electrode pattern 2350 may still substantially lower the sheet resistance of at least one electrode 1020, 1040, 2150, 4150 and / or bus bar 5050 to which they are electrically coupled, and consequently, of device 2300, so as to increase the efficiency of device 2300, without substantially interfering with their optical characteristics.

[0527] In some non-limiting examples, the auxiliary electrodes 2150 may be employed in devices 10000 having various arrangements of the (sub)pixels 1240 / 244x. In some non-limiting examples, the (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x arrangement may be substantially diamond-shaped.

[0528] 24A shows in plan view multiple groups 2441-2443 of emissive regions 2210, each corresponding to a subpixel 244x, surrounded laterally by multiple non-emissive regions 2220 including PDLs 1340 in a diamond configuration in example version 2400 of device 1000. In some non-limiting examples, this configuration is defined by the pattern 2441-2443 of emissive regions 2210 and the pattern of PDLs 1340 in an alternating first and second row pattern.

[0529] In some non-limiting examples, the lateral sides 1320 of the non-emitting regions 2220 including the PDLs 1340 can be substantially elliptical. In some non-limiting examples, the major axes of the lateral sides 1320 of the non-emitting regions 2220 in a first row are aligned and substantially perpendicular to the major axes of the lateral sides 1320 of the non-emitting regions 2220 in a second row. In some non-limiting examples, the major axes of the lateral sides 1320 of the non-emitting regions 2220 in a first row are substantially parallel to the axis of the first row.

[0530] In some non-limiting examples, the first group 2441 of emissive regions 2210 corresponds to subpixels 244x that emit light at a first wavelength, and in some non-limiting examples, the subpixels 244x of the first group 2441 may correspond to R (red) subpixels 2441. In some non-limiting examples, the lateral sides 1310 of the emissive regions 2210 of the first group 2441 may have a substantially diamond-shaped configuration. In some non-limiting examples, the emissive regions 2210 of the first group 2441 are located in a first row pattern before and after the PDL 1340. In some non-limiting examples, the lateral sides 1310 of the emissive regions 2210 of the first group 2441 slightly overlap with the lateral sides 1320 of the non-emissive regions 2220 before and after the PDL 1340 in the same row, and with the lateral sides 1320 of the adjacent non-emissive regions 2220 before and after the PDL 1340 in the second row pattern.

[0531] In some non-limiting examples, the second group 2442 of emitting regions 2210 corresponds to subpixels 244x that emit light at a second wavelength, and in some non-limiting examples, the subpixels 244x of the second group 2442 may correspond to G (green) subpixels 2442. In some non-limiting examples, the lateral sides 1310 of the emitting regions 2210 of the second group 2441 may have a substantially elliptical configuration. In some non-limiting examples, the emitting regions 2210 of the second group 2441 are located in a second row pattern before and after the PDL 1340. In some non-limiting examples, the major axes of some of the lateral sides 1310 of the emitting regions 2210 of the second group 2441 may be at a first angle, which in some non-limiting examples may be 45°, relative to the axis of the second row. In some non-limiting examples, the other major axes of the lateral sides 1310 of the emission regions 2210 of the second group 2441 may be at a second angle, which in some non-limiting examples may be substantially perpendicular to the first angle. In some non-limiting examples, the emission regions 2210 of the first group 2441 whose lateral sides 1310 have major axes at the first angle alternate with the emission regions 2210 of the first group 2441 whose lateral sides 1310 have major axes at the second angle.

[0532] In some non-limiting examples, the third group 2443 of emissive regions 2210 corresponds to subpixels 244x that emit light at a third wavelength, and in some non-limiting examples, the subpixels 244x of the third group 2443 may correspond to B (blue) subpixels 2443. In some non-limiting examples, the lateral sides 1310 of the emissive regions 2210 of the third group 2443 may have a substantially diamond-shaped configuration. In some non-limiting examples, the emissive regions 2210 of the third group 2443 are in the pattern of the first row before and after the PDL 1340. In some non-limiting examples, the lateral sides 1310 of the emissive regions 2210 of the third group 2443 slightly overlap with the lateral sides 1310 of the non-emissive regions 2220 before and after the PDL 1340 in the same row, and with the lateral sides 1320 of the adjacent non-emissive regions 2220 before and after the PDL 1340 in the pattern before and after the second row. In some non-limiting examples, the second row pattern includes a first group 2441 of emission regions 2210, a third group 2443 of alternating emission regions 2210, each before and after the PDL 1340.

[0533] Referring now to FIG. 24B, an example cross-sectional view of device 2400 is shown taken along line 24B-24B in FIG. 24A. In the figure, device 2400 is shown as including a substrate 10 and multiple elements of a first electrode 1020 formed on its exposed layer surface 11. Substrate 10 may include a base substrate 1012 (not shown for ease of illustration) and / or at least one TFT structure 1100 corresponding to and driving each subpixel 244x. PDL 1340 is formed across substrate 10 between elements of first electrode 1020 to define emissive regions 2210 on each element of first electrode 1020 separated by non-emissive regions 2220 including PDL 1340. In the figure, emissive regions 2210 all correspond to second group 2442.

[0534] In some non-limiting examples, at least one semiconductive layer 1030 is deposited on each element of the first electrode 1020 between the surrounding PDLs 1340.

[0535] In some non-limiting examples, a second electrode 1040, which in some non-limiting examples may be a common cathode, may be deposited on the emission region 2210 of the second group 2442 and on the surrounding PDL 1340 to form its G (green) subpixel 2442.

[0536] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 is selectively deposited on the second electrode 1040 over the lateral sides 1310 of the emissive regions 2210 of the second group 2442 of G (green) subpixels 2442, enabling selective deposition of the deposition layer 330 over portions of the second electrode 1040 that are substantially free of the NIC 310, i.e., over the lateral sides 1320 of the non-emissive regions 2220 that include the PDL 1340. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 may tend not to remain on the sloped portions of the PDL 1340, but may tend to descend to the base of such sloped portions that are coated with the NIC 310, such that the deposition layer 330 may tend to build up along the substantially flat portions of the PDL 1340. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 on the substantially flat portions of the PDL 1340 may form at least one auxiliary electrode 2150 that may be electrically coupled to the second electrode 1040.

[0537] In some non-limiting examples, device 2400 can include a CPL and / or an outcoupling layer. By way of non-limiting example, such a CPL and / or outcoupling layer can be provided directly on the surface of second electrode 1040 and / or on the surface of NIC 310. In some non-limiting examples, such a CPL and / or outcoupling layer can be provided across lateral side 1310 of at least one emissive region 2210 corresponding to (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x.

[0538] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 may also act as an index-matching coating. In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 may also act as an outcoupling layer.

[0539] In some non-limiting examples, device 2400 includes an encapsulation layer. Non-limiting examples of such encapsulation layers include a glass cap, a barrier film, a barrier adhesive, and / or a TFE layer 2450, as shown in dashed outline in the figure, provided to encapsulate device 2400. In some non-limiting examples, TFE layer 2450 may be considered a type of barrier coating 2050.

[0540] In some non-limiting examples, an encapsulation layer can be disposed over at least one of the second electrode 1040 and / or the NIC 310. In some non-limiting examples, the device 2400 includes additional optical and / or structural layers, coatings, and components, including, but not limited to, polarizers, color filters, anti-reflective coatings, anti-glare coatings, cover glass, and / or optically clear adhesives (OCAs).

[0541] 24C, which illustrates an example cross-sectional view of device 2400 taken along line 24C-24C of FIG. 24A. In the figure, device 2400 is shown as including a substrate 10 and multiple elements of first electrode 1020 formed on its exposed layer surface 11. PDLs 1340 are formed across the substrate 10 between the elements of first electrode 1020 to define emissive regions 2210 on each element of first electrode 1020 separated by non-emissive regions 2220 that include PDLs 1340. In the figure, emissive regions 2210 alternately correspond to first groups 2441 and third groups 2443.

[0542] In some non-limiting examples, at least one semiconductive layer 1030 is deposited on each element of the first electrode 1020 between the surrounding PDLs 1340.

[0543] In some non-limiting examples, a second electrode 1040, which in some non-limiting examples may be a common cathode, may be deposited on the emission regions 2210 of the first group 2441 to form its R (red) subpixel 2441, on the emission regions 2210 of the third group 2443 to form its B (blue) subpixel 2443, and on the surrounding PDL 1340.

[0544] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 is selectively deposited on the second electrode 1040 over the lateral sides 1310 of the emissive regions 2210 of the first group 2441 of R (red) subpixels 2441 and the third group 2443 of B (blue) subpixels 2443, enabling selective deposition of the deposition layer 330 over portions of the second electrode 1040 that are substantially free of the NIC 310, i.e., over the lateral sides 1320 of the non-emissive regions 2220 that include the PDL 1340. In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 may tend not to remain on the sloped portions of the PDL 1340, but may tend to descend to the base of such sloped portions that are coated with the NIC 310, such that the deposition layer 330 may tend to accumulate along the substantially flat portions of the PDL 1340. In some non-limiting examples, the deposited layer 330 on the substantially planar portion of the PDL 1340 can form at least one auxiliary electrode 2150 that can be electrically coupled to the second electrode 1040.

[0545] Referring now to FIG. 25, there is shown an example of a version 2500 of device 1000, shown in cross section in FIG. 13, but incorporating a device with many of the additional deposition steps described herein.

[0546] Device 2500 shows NIC 310 selectively deposited on the base material, in this case the exposed layer surface 11 of second electrode 1040, within a first portion 301 of device 2500 that substantially corresponds to the lateral side 1310 of the emissive region 2210 corresponding to (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x, but not within a second portion of device 2500 that substantially corresponds to the lateral side 1320 of the non-emissive region 2220 that surrounds first portion 301.

[0547] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 can be selectively deposited using a shadow mask 415.

[0548] NIC 310 is subsequently deposited to provide an exposed layer surface 11 in first portion 301 with a relatively low initial sticking probability S 0 for deposited layer 330 to form auxiliary electrode 2150 .

[0549] After selective deposition of the NIC 310 , a deposition layer 330 is deposited across the device 2500 but remains substantially only in the second portion 302 that is substantially free of the NIC 310 to form the auxiliary electrode 2150 .

[0550] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 310 may be deposited using an open mask 600 and / or a mask-free deposition process.

[0551] The auxiliary electrode 2150 is located above the second electrode 1040 over a second portion that is substantially free of the NIC 310, as shown, and is electrically coupled to the second electrode 1040 so as to reduce the sheet resistance of the second electrode 1040, including by being in physical contact therewith.

[0552] In some non-limiting examples, the deposition layer 330 may include substantially the same material as the second electrode 1040 to ensure a high initial sticking probability S0 for the deposition layer 330 in the second portion.

[0553] In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 can comprise substantially pure Mg and / or an alloy of Mg with another metal, including but not limited to Ag. In some non-limiting examples, the Mg:Ag alloy composition can range from about 1:9 by volume. In some non-limiting examples, the second electrode 1040 can comprise a metal oxide, including but not limited to, a ternary metal oxide such as ITO and / or IZO, and / or a combination of metals and / or metal oxides.

[0554] In some non-limiting examples, the deposited layer 330 used to form the auxiliary electrode 2150 may include substantially pure Mg.

[0555] Referring now to FIG. 26, there is shown an example of a version 2600 of device 1000, shown in cross section in FIG. 13, but incorporating a device with many of the additional deposition steps described herein.

[0556] Device 2600 shows NIC 310 selectively deposited on the base material, shown as exposed layer surface 11 of second electrode 1040, in a first portion 301 of device 2600 substantially corresponding to a portion of a lateral side 1310 of emission region 2210 corresponding to (sub)pixel 1240 / 244x, but not in a second portion. In the figure, first portion 301 may extend partially along the extent of a sloped portion of PDL 1340 that defines emission region 2210.

[0557] In some non-limiting examples, the NIC 310 can be selectively deposited using a shadow mask 410.

[0558] NIC 310 is subsequently deposited to provide an exposed layer surface 11 in first portion 301 with a relatively low initial sticking probability S 0 for deposited layer 330 to form auxiliary electrode 2150 .

[0559] After selective deposition of the NIC 310, a deposition layer 330 is deposited across the dev...

Claims

1. 1. A device having multiple layers, the device comprising: a nucleation inhibiting coating (NIC) disposed on the first layer surface of the base layer at the first portion of the lateral side; a deposition layer comprising a deposition material disposed on the second layer surface; and Equipped with an initial sticking probability for deposition of the deposition layer on a surface of the NIC in the first portion is substantially less than an initial sticking probability for deposition of the deposition layer on a surface of the second portion, such that the NIC is substantially free of a closed coating of the deposition material; The device, wherein the NIC comprises a compound containing a rare earth element.

2. 10. The device of claim 1, wherein the rare earth element comprises at least one of cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), neodymium (Nd), promethium (Pm), praseodymium (Pr), scandium (Sc), samarium (Sm), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), yttrium (Y), and ytterbium (Yb).

3. 3. The device of claim 1 or claim 2, wherein the rare earth elements include Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, Ho, Lu, Nd, Pr, Sm, Tb, Tm, and Yb.

4. 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the rare earth elements include Ce, Dy, Er, Eu, Gd, Ho, Lu, Nd, Sm, Tm, and Yb.

5. The device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the compound comprises an oxide of the rare earth element.

6. The oxide is CeO ２ , Dy ２ O ３ , Er ２ O ３ , Eu ２ O ３ , Gd ２ O ３ , Ho ２ O ３ , La ２ O ３ , Lu ２ O ３ , Nd ２ O ３ , Pr ６ O １１ , Pr ２ O ３ , PrO ２ , Pr ２ O ５ , Pm ２ O ３ , Sm ２ O ３ , Sc ２ O ３ , Tb ７ O １２ , Tb ２ O ３ , TbO ２ , Tb ３ O ７ , Tm ２ O ３ , Yb ２ O ３ , Y ２ O ３ The device of claim 5 , comprising at least one of:

7. The device of any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the NIC has a critical surface energy of less than about 30 dynes / cm.

8. The device of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the deposited layer comprises a coating that closes on the second layer surface at the second portion of the lateral side.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein the device further comprises an interfacial coating on the second portion, the interfacial coating including the rare earth element.

10. The device of claim 9 , wherein the second layer surface is a surface of the interfacial coating.

11. 11. The device of claim 9 or claim 10, wherein the oxidation state of the rare earth element in the interfacial coating is zero.

12. The device of any one of claims 9 to 11, wherein the interfacial coating is adjacent to the NIC on the lateral side.

13. The device of any one of claims 9 to 12, wherein the rare earth element comprises Yb.

14. The interface coating is Yb ０ and the NIC comprises Yb ２ O ３ The device of claim 13 , comprising:

15. A device according to any one of claims 9 to 14, wherein the critical surface energy of the NIC is lower than the critical surface energy of the interfacial coating.

16. A device according to any one of claims 8 to 15, wherein the second portion comprises at least one emission area.

17. 17. The device of claim 16, wherein the first portion comprises at least a portion of a non-emissive region.

18. The emission region comprises: A substrate; a first electrode; at least one semiconductor layer; a second electrode; Equipped with the first electrode is between the substrate and the at least one semiconductor layer; 18. The device of claim 16 or claim 17, wherein the at least one semiconductor layer is between the first electrode and the second electrode.

19. 20. The device of claim 18, wherein the deposition layer is electrically coupled to the second electrode.

20. 20. The device of claim 18, wherein the deposition layer forms at least a portion of the second electrode in the second portion.

21. 21. The device of claim 18, wherein the second portion comprises a partition and a third electrode within a protected area of the partition, and the deposition layer is electrically coupled to the second electrode and the third electrode.

22. The device of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the deposited layer comprises at least one discontinuous layer of grain structure, and the second layer surface is a surface of the NIC.

23. 23. The device of claim 22, wherein the device further comprises at least one covering layer disposed on a surface of the NIC and forming an interface therewith, the deposition layer being located at the interface.

24. 24. The device of claim 23, wherein the first portion includes at least one emission region, and the deposition layer is adjusted to enhance outcoupling of at least one electromagnetic signal emitted by the emission region.

25. 25. The device of claim 24, wherein the resonance imparted by the at least one particle structure is tuned by selecting characteristics selected from at least one of the characteristic size, size distribution, shape, surface coverage, composition, dispersity, material of the at least one particle structure, or any combination thereof.

26. 26. The device of claim 25, wherein the resonance is tuned by varying at least one of the following: a deposition thickness of the deposited material, an average film thickness of the NIC, a thickness of the at least one overlayer, a composition of metal in the deposited material, a dielectric constant of the at least one grain structure, a degree to which the NIC is doped with an organic material having a different composition, a refractive index of the NIC, an extinction coefficient of the NIC, a material deposited as the at least one overlayer, a refractive index of the at least one overlayer, an extinction coefficient of the at least one overlayer, or any combination thereof.

27. A device according to any one of claims 24 to 26, wherein the first portion is substantially confined to the at least one emission region.

28. A device according to any one of claims 24 to 27, wherein the first portion is bounded by a second portion of the lateral side that includes at least one non-emitting region.

29. 30. The device of claim 28, wherein the NIC extends beyond the first portion into the second portion.

30. The emission region comprises: A substrate; a first electrode; at least one semiconductor layer; a second electrode; Equipped with the first electrode is between the substrate and the at least one semiconductor layer; 30. The device of any one of claims 24 to 29, wherein the at least one semiconductor layer is between the first electrode and the second electrode.

31. 31. The device of claim 30, wherein the base layer includes the second electrode.

32. 31. The device of claim 30, wherein the base layer comprises one of the at least one semiconductor layer.

33. 33. The device of claim 32, wherein the base layer is selected from at least one of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer.

34. 34. The device of claim 33, wherein the at least one cladding layer is selected from at least one of the electron transport layer and the electron injection layer.

35. The device of claim 30 , wherein the deposited layer comprises the second electrode.

36. The device of any one of claims 22 to 35, wherein the deposition layer is formed by deposition of the deposition material over the lateral sides.

37. 30. The device of claim 28 or claim 29, wherein the deposited material forms an electrode in the second portion.

38. 38. The device of claim 37, wherein the electrode in the second portion is an auxiliary electrode.

39. 38. The device of claim 37, wherein the second portion includes at least one further emissive region, and the electrode in the second portion is an electrode of the at least one further emissive region.

40. The at least one further emission region comprises: A substrate; a first electrode; at least one semiconductor layer; a second electrode; Equipped with the first electrode is between the substrate and the at least one semiconductor layer; 40. The device of claim 39, wherein the at least one semiconductor layer is between the first electrode and the second electrode.

41. 41. The device of claim 40, wherein the electrode in the second portion comprises the second electrode of the at least one further emissive region.

42. A device according to any one of claims 37 to 41, wherein the electrode in the second part is a closed coating of the deposition material.

43. A device according to any preceding claim, wherein the deposited material comprises Mg.

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