OLED Lithography Eliminates Fine Metal Masks
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Solution Overview
Problem
The production of multi-color OLEDs is hindered by the need for fine metal masks, which increase processing time and cost, and reduce success rates due to alignment issues, making it difficult to achieve efficient color balancing and spectral width adjustments.
Innovation Solution
A manufacturing method for organic light-emitting devices that uses lithography techniques to form hole transport layers of varying thicknesses for red, green, and blue emitting layers without the need for fine metal masks, employing photomasks and negative photoresist materials to etch and isolate these layers accurately.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If fine metal mask is used to manufacture hole transport layers for color balancing, then manufacturing precision of spectral width and color balance is improved, but device complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and removes the fine metal mask from the manufacturing process entirely. Instead of using metal masks to define hole transport layer patterns, the invention uses photolithography with photomasks and photoresist materials to achieve the same patterning function, thereby eliminating the complexity and cost associated with fine metal masks while maintaining manufacturing precision for spectral width and color balance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanical fine metal mask system with a photolithography-based chemical system. The mechanical masking approach is substituted by using photomasks combined with photoresist materials that can be patterned through light exposure and chemical development, achieving equivalent or superior precision without the drawbacks of fine metal mask handling and alignment.
2Manufacturing precision
If fine metal mask is used for hole transport layer fabrication, then color balancing is achieved, but loss of time increases due to cleaning and alignment procedures
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the time-consuming cleaning and alignment procedures associated with fine metal masks by extracting the mask from the process entirely. The photolithography approach using photomasks and photoresist eliminates the need for mechanical mask cleaning and complex alignment steps, significantly reducing manufacturing cycle time while maintaining color balancing precision.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent substitutes the mechanical mask alignment and cleaning system with a photolithography system where patterns are transferred through light exposure. This replacement eliminates the time-intensive mechanical operations of aligning and cleaning fine metal masks, as photomasks are simply placed and exposed without requiring precise mechanical alignment or cleaning between uses.
3Manufacturing precision
If fine metal mask is used in OLED manufacturing, then spectral width adjustment is possible, but productivity decreases due to reduced production success rate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the fine metal mask from the manufacturing process, eliminating the alignment issues that cause production failures. The photolithography approach using photomasks and photoresist materials provides more robust and reliable pattern formation, increasing production success rates while maintaining the ability to precisely control spectral width for color balancing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the mechanically fragile fine metal mask system with a photolithography system that is more tolerant of manufacturing variations. The photomask and photoresist approach eliminates alignment failures and mask damage issues, thereby improving production success rates and overall productivity while maintaining spectral width control precision.
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 method reduces production costs and time while improving the efficiency and color balancing of OLEDs by eliminating the requirement for fine metal masks and enhancing the manufacturing process.
Implementation Method 1
developing the photoresist layer by a first photomask; wherein the first photomask is partially light transparent and partially (the rest of the first photomask) opaque to the first emitting layer; developing the photoresist layer after exposing to remove the un-exposing photoresist layer
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure discloses a manufacturing method of organic light emitting device, and the steps of the manufacturing method comprises: manufacturing a bottom electrode on a base substrate; manufacturing an organic electro-emitting assembly on the bottom electrode by evaporation techniques and lithography techniques; and manufacturing a top electrode on the organic electro-emitting assembly. An organic light emitting device manufactured by the aforementioned method is further disclosed in the present invention. Hole transport layers corresponded to every emitting layers is manufactured by lithography technologies in the present disclosure; therefore, no fine metal mask is needed in use to reduce production cost and time; furthermore, properties of the organic light emitting device is increased simultaneously.