OLED Partition Wall Hydrophilicity for Color Purity
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing organic light emitting diode (OLED) display devices face challenges in forming precise color filters and organic light emitting layers due to issues with inkjet printing, including misalignment, non-uniform thickness, and complexity in the fabrication process, which affect color purity and increase fabrication costs.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a hydrophilic partition wall formed using amine group materials, such as 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane or 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, is used to create openings for hydrophobic organic light emitting layers, allowing for selective and self-aligned patterning without the need for photolithography, thereby preventing ink spreading and improving color purity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If photolithography is used to form partition walls, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity and fabrication cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the photolithography process from the fabrication sequence. Instead of using photosensitive layers and exposure/development steps to form partition walls, the invention directly forms partition walls through inkjet printing or other direct deposition methods, removing the complex photolithography subsystem while maintaining partition wall formation capability
Solution Approach 2:
The partition walls are formed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: they act as structural dividers, as masks for subsequent organic light emitting layer deposition, and as barriers to prevent ink spreading. This self-service approach eliminates the need for separate masking layers and reduces the number of fabrication steps
2Ease of manufacture
If inkjet printing is used to form color filters, then ease of manufacture is improved, but manufacturing precision deteriorates due to misalignment and non-uniform thickness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent forms partition walls with precise geometric patterns and appropriate overhang structures before depositing the organic light emitting layers. These pre-formed partition walls serve as self-aligned masks that define the exact boundaries and thickness of subsequent layers, eliminating alignment issues that would otherwise require complex photolithography steps
Solution Approach 2:
The partition walls are designed with varying local geometries - wider at the base for stability, with controlled overhangs at the top to prevent ink bridging between adjacent pixels. This local quality variation allows the same inkjet printing process to achieve both precise pattern definition and uniform layer thickness without requiring multiple printing passes
3Manufacturing precision
If partition walls are formed using existing photolithography techniques, then manufacturing precision is improved, but loss of time and increased fabrication cost occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the partition wall formation and the pixel pattern definition into a single inkjet printing or direct deposition step. Instead of separately forming partition walls through photolithography and then using them as masks for subsequent layers, the process merges these functions so that the same deposited material serves both as the partition wall structure and as the mask for organic layer deposition, significantly reducing fabrication time
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 approach enables precise and uniform formation of red, green, and blue organic light emitting layers, enhancing color purity and simplifying the fabrication process, reducing costs and complexity while maintaining high display quality.
Implementation Method 1
red, green and blue organic light emitting layers having hydrophobicity and respectively formed in the plurality of openings of the partition wall
Implementation Method 2
a partition wall having hydrophilicity and formed on the first electrode
Data Source
AI summary
An organic light emitting diode display device and a method of fabricating the same, the method comprising: forming a first electrode on a substrate; forming a hydrophilic partition wall having a plurality of openings on the first electrode; forming hydrophobic red, green and blue organic light emitting layers on the plurality of openings of the partition wall, respectively; and forming a second electrode on each of the hydrophobic red, green and blue organic light emitting layers, whereby thin films can be selectively formed by a surface treatment so as to improve color impurity at boundaries of red, green and blue patterns.