Auxiliary Electrode Layout for Misalignment-Tolerant LED Displays

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Solution Overview

Problem

Display devices face contact failures between light-emitting elements and contact electrodes due to eccentricity or misalignment, leading to electrical disconnection and reduced performance.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating auxiliary electrodes made of transparent conductive materials like amorphous indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO) that overlap the light-emitting elements and contact electrodes, ensuring proper alignment and electrical connection, and using insulating layers to protect and position these electrodes effectively.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If light-emitting elements are positioned between first and second electrodes, then light emission function is achieved, but contact failure occurs due to eccentricity or misalignment between light-emitting elements and contact electrodes

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecontact reliabilityVSAvoidalignment precision

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

Auxiliary electrodes are introduced as intermediary components between the light-emitting elements and the contact electrodes. These auxiliary electrodes overlap with the light-emitting elements in the thickness direction and provide alternative contact paths, ensuring reliable electrical connection even when misalignment occurs during manufacturing. The auxiliary electrodes act as mediators that compensate for positioning errors.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The auxiliary electrodes are positioned in advance to overlap with the light-emitting elements before final contact is made. This beforehand positioning creates a buffer zone that accommodates potential misalignment, ensuring that contact electrodes can reliably connect to light-emitting elements even with manufacturing tolerances and eccentricity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #11Beforehand cushioning (Prior cushioning)

2Reliability

If auxiliary electrodes are added to overlap light-emitting elements, then contact failure is prevented, but device structure becomes more complex

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveelectrical connection reliabilityVSAvoidelectrode structure complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The auxiliary electrodes are integrated into the existing electrode structure by positioning them on the same substrate layer as the first and second electrodes. This merging approach allows the auxiliary electrodes to share the same manufacturing process and structural framework, reducing the actual increase in device complexity while still providing the reliability benefits.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Solution Approach 2:

The auxiliary electrodes serve multiple functions: they provide alternative electrical contact paths, compensate for misalignment, and can be integrated into the existing electrode architecture. This multi-functionality reduces the need for separate dedicated components, thereby limiting the increase in device complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20230369345A1Display device

Publication Date: 2023.11.16 SAMSUNG DISPLAY CO LTD

AI summary

A display device including a substrate, first banks disposed on the substrate to be spaced apart from each other, first and second electrodes disposed on the first banks to cover the first banks and be spaced apart from each other, first auxiliary electrodes on the first electrode, and light-emitting elements disposed between the first and second electrodes, the first auxiliary electrodes overlap the light-emitting elements.