Organic light-emitting diode display with pixel definition layers

US11145700B2 · kind B2 · utility

Assignee

• Apple Inc. · US

Inventors

• Jaein Choi · Sunnyvale, US
• Hairong Tang · Los Gatos, US
• Gloria Wong · San Jose, US
• Sunggu Kang · San Jose, US
• Younggu Lee · San Jose, US
• Gwanwoo Park · Suneung-ri, KR
• Chun-Yao Huang · Cupertino, US
• Andrew Lin · Milpitas, US
• Cheuk Chi Lo · Belmont, US
• Enkhamgalan Dorjgotov · Cupertino, US
• Michael Slootsky · Tenafly, US
• Rui Liu · Nanhu, CN
• Wendi Chang · Santa Clara, US
• Cheng Chen

Key dates

• Filing date: Jan 16, 2020
• Grant date: Oct 12, 2021
• Expiry date: Mar 27, 2040

Classification

• Technology area (CPC H): Electricity
• CPC primary: H10K50/131

Abstract

An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display may have an array of organic light-emitting diode pixels that each have OLED layers interposed between a cathode and an anode. Voltage may be applied to the anode of each pixel to control the magnitude of emitted light. The conductivity of the OLED layers may allow leakage current to pass between neighboring anodes in the display. To reduce leakage current and the accompanying cross-talk in a display, the pixel definition layer may disrupt continuity of the OLED layers. The pixel definition layer may have an undercut to disrupt continuity of some but not all of the OLED layers. The undercut may be defined by three discrete portions of the pixel definition layer. The undercut may result in a void that is interposed between different portions of the OLED layers to break a leakage path formed by the OLED layers.