U.S. patent application number 09/923239 was filed with the patent office on 2003-02-06 for forming organic light emitting device displays on thinner substrates.
Invention is credited to Morley, Roland M..
Application Number | 20030025447 09/923239 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 25448361 |
Filed Date | 2003-02-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20030025447 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Morley, Roland M. |
February 6, 2003 |
Forming organic light emitting device displays on thinner
substrates
Abstract
An organic light emitting device display may be formed with a
first layer having standard thicknesses. The first layer may be
manufactured to include the organic light emitting device material.
The first layer may be secured to a second layer to form a panel.
Thereafter, the resulting panel can be subjected to a grinding
operation to reduce the thickness of the first layer.
Inventors: |
Morley, Roland M.; (Tempe,
AZ) |
Correspondence
Address: |
Timothy N. Trop
TROP, PRUNER & HU, P.C.
8554 KATY FWY, STE 100
HOUSTON
TX
77024-1805
US
|
Family ID: |
25448361 |
Appl. No.: |
09/923239 |
Filed: |
August 3, 2001 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
313/504 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 51/0096 20130101;
Y02E 10/549 20130101; Y02P 70/50 20151101; Y02P 70/521 20151101;
H01L 51/52 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
313/504 |
International
Class: |
H01J 001/62; H01J
063/04 |
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A method comprising: forming an organic light emitting material
on a first layer; and grinding the first layer, with the organic
light emitting material formed on the substrate, to a reduced
thickness.
2. The method of claim 1 including securing the first layer to a
second layer and then grinding the first layer to a reduced
thickness.
3. The method of claim 1 including flattening said first layer
before grinding said first layer.
4. The method of claim 3 including temporarily securing said first
layer to a second layer, flattening said first layer, and then
grinding said first layer to a reduced diameter.
5. The method of claim 4 including releasing said first layer from
said second layer.
6. The method of claim 4 including temporarily securing said first
layer to said second layer using an adhesive.
7. The method of claim 6 including providing a release layer
between said second layer and said adhesive.
8. The method of claim 1 including flattening said first layer
temporarily while grinding said first layer.
9. An organic light emitting display comprising: a front plate; a
back plate secured to said front plate; and said front plate having
a thickness of less than 0.5 millimeters and a ground exterior
surface.
10. The display of claim 9 wherein said front plate is formed of
glass.
11. The substrate of claim 9 wherein said back plate is formed of
ceramic.
12. The display of claim 11 including a layer of adhesive on the
exterior of said back plate.
13. A device comprising: a glass substrate; a back plate secured to
said glass substrate; and said glass substrate having a thickness
of less than 0.5 millimeters and a ground exterior surface.
14. The device of claim 13 including a ceramic back plate.
15. The device of claim 13 including a layer of adhesive on the
exterior of said back plate.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] This invention relates generally to organic light emitting
device (OLED) displays.
[0002] In an OLED display, an organic light emitting material is
subjected to an appropriate potential, causing the material to emit
light. Organic light emitting device displays may be formed of a
plurality of components including a glass substrate. In one form of
OLED display, the light emitting material is deposited on a glass
substrate. The glass substrate may then be joined with another
layer, such as ceramic layer, that provides for interconnections to
various driver circuits and the like.
[0003] Generally, the light emitting material is formed on the back
side of the glass substrate. Thus, the emitted light shines through
the glass substrate to the viewer. Thinner glass substrates improve
display contrast, resolution and improve the ability to interface
with microlenses.
[0004] Current organic light emitting device displays employ glass
substrates with thicknesses of between 0.5 to 0.7 millimeters
(thicker glass substrates). These thicknesses are compatible with
pixel spacings of 1.5 millimeters and greater. As pixel pitch
becomes smaller, the use of thinner glass substrates becomes more
desirable. However, thinner glass substrates (less than 0.5
millimeters) including those as thin as 0.2 millimeters are not
amenable to volume manufacturing. In particular, the use of thinner
glass substrates raises material handling problems resulting in
lower yields.
[0005] Conventional glass handling machines are not specifically
adapted for relatively thin glass substrates. Thus, to handle such
thinner glass substrates, special equipment may be required,
increasing the cost of display manufacture.
[0006] For a variety of reasons, it would be desirable to have
organic light emitting displays that use thinner glass
substrates.
[0007] Thus, there is a need for better ways to enable the use of
thinner glass substrates for forming OLED displays.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0008] FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of one embodiment of the
present invention;
[0009] FIG. 2 is a side elevational of the embodiment shown in FIG.
1 at a later point in the manufacturing process;
[0010] FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the embodiment shown in
FIG. 1 at a subsequent point in the manufacturing process; and
[0011] FIG. 4 is a side elevational view of the completed
assembly.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Referring to FIG. 1, a panel 10 may include a pair of layers
12 and 14. In one embodiment, the layer 14 may be formed of glass
and the layer 12 may be formed of a ceramic material.
[0013] The composite panel 10 may be electrically coupled to
external integrated circuits. The layers 12 and 14 may be
electrically coupled using bump bonding or surface mounting in one
embodiment. The region between the layers 12 and 14 may be
underfilled with a filler such as epoxy after surface mounting, in
order to distribute mechanical stresses between components evenly
over the panel 10 surface.
[0014] The panel 10 may not be perfectly flat but may have a camber
in some embodiments. This camber may be the result of the materials
as supplied or the result of assembly processes. The panel 10 may
be laid on an optically flat reference surface 20 with the glass
layer 14 against the reference surface 20. The layer 12 may be
abutted against a grinding fixture 16 coated with an adhesive 18
such as epoxy. Alternatively, other adhesives or sticky materials
may be utilized.
[0015] The panel 10 may then be flattened (if needed) by applying
pressure through the grinding fixture 16 against the optically flat
reference surface 20, causing the panel 10 to assume the flattened
configuration shown in FIG. 2. In another embodiment, the panel 10
may be pushed onto the reference surface 20 by applying pressure to
the rear of the panel 10 or by applying reduced pressure or suction
at the interface with the reference surface 20. In some
embodiments, the surface 20 may be a vacuum chuck that draws the
panel 10 against the surface 20.
[0016] In the position shown in FIG. 2, the adhesive 18 loosely
bonds the blocking tool 16 to the panel 10. A release layer may be
provided between the adhesive 18 and the tool 16 in some
embodiments.
[0017] After the adhesive 18 sets, the panel 10 layer 14 is held in
a flat configuration. Referring to FIG. 3, the panel 10 may then be
placed on a grinding surface 22. The transfer between the position
shown in FIG. 2 and the position shown in FIG. 3 may be
accomplished in a flattened configuration. This is because the
adhesive 18 holds the panel 10 in a flattened condition against the
tool 16.
[0018] The grinding surface 22 may then be used to grind down the
surface of the glass layer 14 to the thickness indicated by the
lines A-A. As a result, a thicker glass layer 14 may be utilized
during the manufacturing process. The glass layer 14 may initially
have a thickness that provides sufficient structural rigidity. The
layer 14 thickness may also be sufficient to make the layer 14
compatible with conventional handling equipment. After the panel 10
has been processed in its thicker configuration, the surface of the
layer 14 may then be ground down using the grinding surface 22 to
produce the thinner glass layer 14a shown in FIG. 4.
[0019] After the layer 14 has been worked to the desired thickness,
indicated at 14a, the tool 16 is released by applying a moderate
mechanical or thermal shock. The adhesive layer 18 may remain on
the rear surface of the panel 10 as indicated in FIG. 4.
[0020] While the present invention has been described with respect
to a limited number of embodiments, those skilled in the art will
appreciate numerous modifications and variations therefrom. It is
intended that the appended claims cover all such modifications and
variations as fall within the true spirit and scope of this present
invention.
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