OLED Gate Electrode Barrier Layer Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing manufacturing methods for organic light emitting display (OLED) devices face reliability issues and quality deterioration due to damage of gate electrodes, storage electrodes, and pads during the etching and heat treatment processes, which also require multiple mask procedures.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing method that forms barrier layers from conductive oxide semiconductor materials on the gate electrodes, storage electrodes, and pads to prevent damage and reduce the number of mask procedures by integrating these layers into the OLED device fabrication process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If multiple mask procedures are used to form etch stopper and contact holes separately, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the formation of etch stopper and contact holes into a single mask procedure. The insulating film is patterned to simultaneously define both the etch stopper regions and contact hole regions, eliminating the need for separate mask procedures while maintaining manufacturing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating film serves multiple functions: it acts as the etch stopper to protect the channel layer during etching, and simultaneously defines the contact hole positions to expose the gate electrode. This multi-functional design reduces process complexity while maintaining precision.
2Reliability
If heat treatment process is performed for etch stopper formation, then etch stopper reliability is improved, but gate electrode and other elements suffer damage
Solution Approach 1:
The insulating film acts as a protective intermediary layer during the heat treatment process. It shields the gate electrode and other sensitive elements from direct exposure to high temperatures, allowing the heat treatment to be performed for etch stopper reliability without causing damage to other components.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating film is formed beforehand to prevent damage to the gate electrode during subsequent heat treatment. This preliminary protective action ensures that when heat treatment is applied to improve etch stopper reliability, the gate electrode and other elements are already protected from thermal damage.
3Manufacturing precision
If etch stopper and contact holes are formed through different mask procedures, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the patterning of etch stopper and contact holes into a single mask procedure. By using one insulating film layer to define both features simultaneously, the manufacturing cycle is shortened while maintaining the precision required for proper device functionality.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of manufacturing an organic light emitting display device can include sequentially forming first and second metal films on a substrate, forming a gate electrode, a first storage electrode and a pad in a thin film transistor region, a storage capacitor region and a pad region, respectively, forming a gate insulation film forming a channel layer opposite to the gate electrode, forming an insulation film, forming an etch stopper on the channel layer and first through third contact holes exposing the gate electrode, the first storage electrode and the pad, forming source and drain electrodes, and a second storage electrode on the gate insulation film opposite to the first storage electrode, forming a third storage electrode overlapping the second storage electrode with a passivation film therebetween, forming color filters in respective pixel regions, and forming an organic light emitting diode electrically connected to the third storage electrode.