OLEDs on Metal Substrate with Insulated Feedthroughs
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) on metal substrates face challenges with current distribution across large areas, leading to inhomogeneous light emission and device degradation due to high resistance in thin conductive layers, and power loss through electrical connections, which also cause heating and reduce operational lifetime.
Innovation Solution
The solution involves a light-emitting device with OLEDs formed on a metal substrate, where electrical connections are made through insulated feedthroughs within the substrate, and series connections of light-emitting regions are used to reduce resistive power loss, with sets of connected regions in parallel for larger areas, and mechanical support provided by electrical feedthroughs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If thin conductive layers are used for electrical connections in large area OLEDs, then transparency is maintained, but resistance becomes too high causing inhomogeneous light emission and device degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent transitions from planar surface connections to three-dimensional through-substrate connections using feedthroughs. Electrical connections are made through the substrate thickness rather than along the surface, enabling thicker, lower-resistance conductive paths while maintaining a compact device footprint. This dimensional change allows sufficient current carrying capacity without compromising light emission homogeneity.
Solution Approach 2:
The substrate itself serves as an intermediary medium that houses embedded feedthrough structures. These feedthroughs act as intermediate connection elements between the front and back electrodes, providing low-resistance electrical pathways through the substrate without requiring extensive surface conductive layers that would compromise transparency or increase device complexity.
2Reliability
If additional current supply lines such as metal grid are deposited to lower resistance, then current distribution improves, but active area decreases and device efficiency is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves electrical connections from the two-dimensional surface plane into the three-dimensional substrate volume. By routing current supply lines through the substrate via feedthroughs rather than depositing metal grids on the surface, the design achieves low-resistance connections without occupying active light-emitting area, thereby maintaining high device efficiency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses standard through-substrate feedthrough technologies adapted from other industries (such as PCB manufacturing) to solve the OLED connection problem. This approach copies a proven solution from a different domain and adapts it to OLED fabrication, avoiding the need to develop new surface-mounted current supply structures that would reduce active area.
3Ease of operation
If long electrical connection paths are used to connect electrodes outside the encapsulated region, then external electrical connection is achieved, but power transmission loss increases and substrate heating occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent shortens electrical connection paths by routing them through the substrate thickness rather than along the surface. Feedthroughs provide direct vertical pathways through the substrate, dramatically reducing the length of electrical connections compared to surface-mounted approaches. This reduces both power transmission losses and heat generation in the substrate.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent incorporates electrical connections into the substrate structure during substrate fabrication or preparation, before OLED assembly. Feedthroughs are pre-installed in the substrate, allowing electrical connections to be made at the earliest stages and minimizing the length of external connection paths required for electrode access.
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 configuration reduces power loss and heat generation, enhances light emission homogeneity, and extends the operational lifetime of OLEDs by optimizing current distribution and connection efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
At least part of the electrical connections is made through the metal substrate by using several electrical feedthroughs
Implementation Method 2
electrical feedthroughs which are electrically insulated from the substrate
Implementation Method 3
Each OLED comprises a stack of organic layers between an electrode and a counter electrode, the overlapping area of the stack of organic layer with the electrode and the counter-electrode defines a light emitting region
Data Source
Figure 1~2
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AI summary
The invention relates to an organic light emitting device, comprising: an electrode, a counter electrode, at least one light emitting region comprising a stack of organic layers between the electrode and the counter electrode, which stack of organic layers (14) is provided between a metal substrate (10) and a transparent encapsulation (11), a current supply layer (13), electrically connected to the electrode or the counter-electrode, the current supply layer being partially provided overlapping an electric insulating layer (12) provided in direct contact with the metal substrate, and at least one electrical feedthrough (15) through the metal substrate and through the electric insulating layer, which electrical feedthrough provides an electrical connection to the current supply layer and is electrically isolated from the metal substrate.