Tunable Gap OLED Microcavity for Color Control

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional organic light emitting diode (OLED) light sources have fixed specifications, making it difficult to satisfy personalized color preferences and are costly due to complex circuits required for color control in stacked OLEDs.

Innovation Solution

An OLED assembly with a tunable gap distance in a microcavity, actuated by an elastic spacer layer or electroactive layer, allowing for linear correlation of gap distance changes with maximum-gain wavelength, enabling full-color tunability without the need for complicated circuits.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If stacked OLEDs with complex circuits are used for color control, then color preference personalization is achieved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor preference personalizationVSAvoidcircuit complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the physical parameter of the microcavity gap distance to control the resonant wavelength and emitted color. By adjusting the gap distance between the OLED and the reflective substrate, the resonant cavity length changes, which directly tunes the emitted light wavelength without requiring complex color control circuits

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent replaces the electrical control system (complex circuits) with a mechanical adjustment system (gap distance control). The microcavity gap is mechanically adjusted to change the resonant wavelength, substituting the need for complex electrical color control circuits with a simpler mechanical parameter adjustment

Inventive Principle:
Principle #28Mechanics substitution (Replace mechanical system)

2Adaptability or versatility

If stacked OLEDs with complex circuits are used for color control, then color preference personalization is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecolor preference personalizationVSAvoidmanufacturing cost
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of manufacture

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses parameter change (gap distance) to achieve color tuning, which simplifies the manufacturing process. Instead of manufacturing different stacked OLED structures for different colors, the same OLED structure can be tuned to different colors by adjusting the gap distance, reducing manufacturing complexity and cost

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent makes a single OLED structure universal for multiple color outputs by adjusting the microcavity gap distance. The same OLED device can emit different colors depending on the gap distance, eliminating the need for multiple specialized stacked OLED structures for different color preferences

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

3Ease of manufacture

If fixed specification OLEDs are used, then manufacturing is simple, but color preference personalization is limited

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemanufacturing simplicityVSAvoidcolor preference personalization
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of manufactureVSAdaptability or versatility

Solution Approach 1:

The patent introduces dynamic adjustability to the otherwise static OLED structure. The microcavity gap distance can be dynamically adjusted after manufacturing to change the emitted color, transforming a fixed-specification OLED into a tunable light source that maintains manufacturing simplicity while enabling color personalization

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

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

Provides a simple, robust, and cost-effective color-tunable light source that can display a full spectrum of visible light by adjusting the gap distance, reducing manufacturing costs and simplifying the fabrication process.

Implementation Method 1

the elastic spacer layer is capable of undergoing deformation in response to an external force thereby actuating the gap distance

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElastic deformation: Elasticity

Implementation Method 2

a light path in the microcavity extends through the tunable gap; and the gap distance of the tunable gap is tunable such that a total light path distance of the microcavity is tunable in response to the change in the gap distance

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectOptical resonance in microcavity: Resonance

Implementation Method 3

an electric field is applied between the anode and the cathode to inject electrons from the cathode into the light emitting layer and holes from the anode into the light-emitting layer. The electrons and the holes then recombine together in the light emitting layer to generate excitons. When the excitons return to the ground state, their energy is released in the form of light

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectroluminescence: Electroluminescence

Data Source

PatentEP3520141B1Organic light emitting diode assembly, light source, and method of fabricating organic light emitting diode assembly
Publication Date: 2022.01.05 BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO LTD
  • EP3520141B1 patent drawingFigure 1~3
  • EP3520141B1 patent drawingFigure 4
  • EP3520141B1 patent drawingFigure 5

AI summary

An organic light emitting diode assembly( 100), includes a first base substrate (60); an organic light emitting diode (90) on the first base substrate (60); and a second base substrate (70) on a side of the organic light emitting diode (90) distal to the first base substrate (60). The organic light emitting diode (90) and the second base substrate (70) are spaced apart from each other by a tunable gap(G). A gap distance (L) of the tunable gap (G) is tunable such that a color of light emitted from the organic light emitting diode assembly (100) is tunable in response to a change in the gap distance(L).