OLED Electrode Segmentation for Leakage Current Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) face functional loss and increased leakage current due to short defects, which can lead to dead pixels and reduced light emission, and existing methods to mitigate these issues are costly and incomplete.

Innovation Solution

The OLED design incorporates a substrate with a first electrode featuring separated conductive units and a conductive connection with high resistance regions, allowing current to flow through auxiliary electrodes, thereby preventing excessive current leakage and maintaining functionality even with short defects.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the thickness of the organic layer is increased to decrease short defects, then the reliability is improved, but the manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshort defect reductionVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The first electrode is divided into multiple conductive units that are separated from each other, with each unit independently connected to the auxiliary electrode through high resistance regions. This segmentation allows current to be distributed across multiple paths, reducing the impact of short defects in any single region and maintaining device reliability without increasing organic layer thickness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

High resistance regions are introduced as intermediary elements between the conductive units and the auxiliary electrode. These high resistance regions act as current regulators that prevent excessive current flow in case of short defects, thereby improving reliability without requiring increased organic layer thickness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Reliability

If the organic layer thickness is increased to prevent short defects, then the reliability is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveshort defect preventionVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The first electrode is segmented into multiple conductive units with separate connections to the auxiliary electrode. This segmentation creates multiple independent current paths, improving reliability against short defects while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure without requiring increased organic layer thickness.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

3Device complexity

If conventional electrode structure is used, then the device complexity is reduced, but leakage current increases when short defects occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrode structure simplicityVSAvoidleakage current
Core Design Contradiction:
Device complexityVSObject-generated harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The first electrode is divided into multiple conductive units that are separated and independently connected to the auxiliary electrode through high resistance regions. This segmentation limits leakage current by distributing current across multiple high-resistance paths, preventing excessive current concentration even when short defects occur, while maintaining relatively simple device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The resistance parameter of the connection regions between conductive units and auxiliary electrode is changed to high resistance. This parameter change effectively limits leakage current flow while maintaining a simple electrode structure without requiring complex additional components.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

4Manufacturing precision

If uniform electrode structure is used, then the manufacturing precision is improved, but current distribution becomes uneven when short defects occur

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveelectrode uniformityVSAvoidcurrent distribution stability
Core Design Contradiction:
Manufacturing precisionVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The first electrode is segmented into multiple conductive units with separate connections to the auxiliary electrode through high resistance regions. This segmentation ensures that even with uniform manufacturing, current distribution remains stable by providing multiple independent paths, preventing current concentration in case of short defects in any single region.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

This design ensures stable operation of OLEDs without increased leakage current, even when short circuits occur, by controlling current flow through high resistance regions, thus preventing device failure and maintaining light emission.

Implementation Method 1

the conductive connection includes one or more high resistance regions

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectrical Resistance: Electrical Resistance

Data Source

PatentEP3144995B1Organic light-emitting device and method for preparing same
Publication Date: 2021.09.08 LG DISPLAY CO LTD
  • EP3144995B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3144995B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3144995B1 patent drawingFigure 4~5

AI summary

The present specification relates to an organic light emitting device and a method for manufacturing the same.