KR101533764B1 - Organic electroluminescent display device and methods of driving and manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent panel comprising a plurality of pixels made up of R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels; And a control circuit for outputting R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals according to a color to be expressed by the R, G, and B input data signals. The colors represented by the R, G, and B1 sub- G, and B2 sub-pixels are included in a second color area, the second color area includes the first color area, and the colors represented by R, G, and B2 And B 2 output data signals correspond to the R, G, B 1, and B2 sub-pixels, and when the color to be represented by the R, G, B input data signals is included in the first color area, Pixel, and when the color to be expressed by the R, G, B input data signals is included in the second color region but is not included in the first color region, the organic EL element emits light of the B2 sub- Device.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent device, a method of driving the same, and a method of manufacturing the same.

The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent device, and more particularly, to an organic electroluminescent device, a driving method and a manufacturing method thereof.

2. Description of the Related Art [0002] With the development of an information society, demands for a display device for displaying images have been increasing in various forms. Recently, a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP) Various flat display devices such as an organic light emitting diode (OLED) have been utilized.

Of these flat panel display devices, organic electroluminescent devices are capable of being driven at a low voltage, thin, have excellent viewing angles, and have fast response speeds.

As an organic electroluminescent device, an active matrix type organic electroluminescent device in which a plurality of subpixels are positioned in a matrix form and displays an image is widely used.

1 is an equivalent circuit diagram of a sub-pixel of a general organic light emitting device.

As shown in the drawing, the organic electroluminescent device is constituted by a gate wiring GL and a data wiring DL which define the sub-pixels SP in a crossing manner.

In each sub-pixel SP, a switching transistor T1, a driving transistor T2, and an organic light emitting diode E are formed. The gate electrode and the source electrode of the switching transistor T1 are connected to the gate wiring and the data wiring GL and DL, respectively.

The gate electrode of the driving transistor T2 is connected to the drain electrode of the switching transistor T1. The source electrode of the driving transistor T2 is connected to the power supply voltage line VDDL and the drain electrode of the driving transistor T2 is connected to the first electrode of the organic light emitting diode E.

A second electrode, that is, a cathode of the organic light emitting diode E is connected to a ground terminal GND.

On the other hand, the storage capacitor C is connected between the gate electrode and the source electrode of the driving transistor T2.

In the organic electroluminescent device having the above configuration, when a turn-on voltage is scanned and applied as a gate voltage through the gate line GL, the switching transistor T1 is turned on, do. Thus, the data voltage passes through the switching transistor T1 and is applied to the gate electrode of the driving transistor T2. Thus, a current is supplied to the organic light emitting diode E through the driving transistor T2. As a result, the organic light emitting diode E emits light and displays an image.

On the other hand, the storage capacitor C serves to store the data voltage applied to the driving transistor T2 until the next frame scan.

The current supplied to the organic light emitting diode E is adjusted by the data voltage applied to the gate electrode of the driving transistor T2.

The organic electroluminescent device as described above has a plurality of sub-pixels SP, that is, R (red), G (green), and B (blue) sub-pixels. In this manner, neighboring R, G, and B sub-pixels constitute a unit pixel.

2 is a view schematically showing a pixel of a conventional organic electroluminescent device.

As shown in Fig. 2, the pixel P is composed of R, G, and B sub-pixels arranged along the row direction. Each of the R, G, and B subpixels includes a red, green, and blue organic light emitting layer that emits red, green, and blue lights, respectively. Thus, the red, green, and blue lights emitted from the R, G, and B sub-pixels of the pixel P are mixed with each other to produce a color that the pixel P wants to express.

Among these red, green and blue organic light emitting materials, the life time of the blue organic light emitting material is the shortest. Therefore, the lifetime of the organic electroluminescent device is determined by the blue organic light emitting material.

On the other hand, various materials can be selected and used as the blue organic light emitting material. Of these, deep blue organic light emitting materials and sky blue organic light emitting materials are widely used in conventional organic electroluminescent devices.

Here, the deep-well organic electroluminescent material has an excellent color reproduction rate but short life span. On the other hand, the sky blue organic electroluminescent material is advantageous in that the color reproduction rate is somewhat lowered, but the lifetime is long.

Therefore, in the case of a conventional organic electroluminescent device using a deep-well organic electroluminescent material, there is a short life span instead of an excellent color gamut. In the case of a conventional organic electroluminescent device using a sky- There is a problem that the color reproduction rate is somewhat deteriorated instead of a long life.

As described above, the conventional organic electroluminescent device does not satisfy both the life span and the color reproducibility.

An object of the present invention is to provide an organic electroluminescent device having a long lifetime and excellent color reproducibility, and a driving method and a manufacturing method thereof.

The present invention also has an object to provide an organic electroluminescent device having an excellent aperture ratio and a method of manufacturing the same.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an organic light emitting display comprising: an organic electroluminescent panel including a plurality of pixels including R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels; And a control circuit for outputting R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals according to a color to be expressed by the R, G, and B input data signals, wherein the colors represented by the R, G, and B1 sub- Wherein the color represented by the R, G, and B2 sub-pixels is included in a second color area, the second color area includes the first color area, and the R, G, B1, B2 output data signals correspond to the R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels, and when the color to be represented by the R, G, B input data signals is included in the first color area, Pixel, and when the color to be expressed by the R, G, B input data signals is contained in the second color area but is not included in the first color area, A light emitting device is provided.

Here, the control circuit may include: a color component extracting unit that extracts color components from the R, G, and B input data signals; A color gamut determination unit for determining a color gamut including a color to be expressed by the R, G, and B input data signals using the color components; And a signal output unit for outputting the R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals according to a determination result of the color gamut determination unit, wherein a color to be represented by the R, G, The B 1 output data signal value corresponds to the B input data signal value and the color to be represented by the R, G, B input data signals is included in the second color area, The B2 output data signal value may correspond to the B input data signal value.

The B2 output data signal value has a default value so that the B2 sub pixel does not emit light and the R, G, and B input data signals are not emitted when the color to be expressed is included in the first color area, The B 1 output data signal value has a default value so that the B 1 sub pixel does not emit light when the color to be expressed by the B input data signals is included in the second color area but is not included in the first color area .

The B1 sub-pixel includes an organic emission layer that emits sky blue light, and the B2 sub-pixel may include an organic emission layer that emits deep blue light.

The R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels constituting the pixel may be arranged in a stripe type or quad type structure.

The first and second pixels neighboring each other along the first direction among the plurality of pixels in which the sub-pixels are arranged in the quad type structure are arranged such that the arrangement relationship of the sub-pixels with respect to the second direction perpendicular to the first direction is Can be symmetrical with each other.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a method comprising: outputting R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals in accordance with colors to be represented by R, G, and B input data signals; Displaying an image using an organic electroluminescent panel including a plurality of pixels including R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels corresponding to the R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals, , G and B1 sub-pixels are included in the first color gamut, the colors represented by the R, G, and B2 sub-pixels are included in the second color gamut, G, and B input data signals are included in the first color region, and the R, G, and B input data signals And the B2 sub-pixel emits light when the color to be expressed is included in the second color area but is not included in the first color area.

The step of outputting the R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals according to colors to be expressed by the R, G, and B input data signals may include extracting color components from the R, G, and B input data signals, ; Determining a color region in which the color to be expressed by the R, G, and B input data signals is contained, using the color component; And outputting the R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals according to the color region determination result, wherein the color to be represented by the R, G, and B input data signals is included in the first color region The B 1 output data signal value corresponds to the B input data signal value and the color to be represented by the R, G, B input data signals is included in the second color area, but is included in the first color area The B2 output data signal value may correspond to the B input data signal value.

The B2 output data signal value has a default value so that the B2 sub pixel does not emit light and the R, G, and B input data signals are not emitted when the color to be expressed is included in the first color area, The B 1 output data signal value has a default value so that the B 1 sub pixel does not emit light when the color to be expressed by the B input data signals is included in the second color area but is not included in the first color area .

The B1 sub-pixel includes an organic emission layer that emits sky blue light, and the B2 sub-pixel may include an organic emission layer that emits deep blue light.

The R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels constituting the pixel may be arranged in a stripe type or quad type structure.

The first and second pixels neighboring each other along the first direction among the plurality of pixels in which the sub-pixels are arranged in the quad type structure are arranged such that the arrangement relationship of the sub-pixels with respect to the second direction perpendicular to the first direction is Can be symmetrical with each other.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of driving a liquid crystal display comprising the steps of: forming a switching transistor and a driving transistor in each of four sub-pixels arranged in a quad type constituting each of a plurality of pixels; And forming an organic light emitting layer that emits light of a color corresponding to each of the four sub-pixels, wherein the organic light emitting display panel includes a plurality of sub- The first and second pixels neighboring to each other along the first direction of the pixels are symmetrical with respect to the arrangement direction of the sub-pixels with respect to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the step of forming the organic light- Forming barrier ribs between two identical sub-pixels included in the first and second pixels and adjacent to each other; And forming an organic light emitting layer corresponding to two identical sub-pixels adjacent to each other by using a shadow mask including openings corresponding to the two same sub-pixels adjacent to each other .

Here, each of the four sub-pixels may be sub-pixels emitting red, green, sky blue, and deep blue lights.

The organic electroluminescent device according to the present invention selectively emits sky blue subpixels and deep blue subpixels in accordance with the color gamut of the input RGB data signal, thereby improving the color reproducibility and lifetime.

When the R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels are formed in a quad-type arrangement structure, two neighboring identical sub-pixels are arranged adjacent to each other, and one opening corresponds to such two identical sub-pixels By forming the organic light emitting layer using the shadow mask, the aperture ratio can be improved.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an organic electroluminescent device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4 to 6 show examples of arrangement structures of sub-pixels in an organic electroluminescent device according to an embodiment of the present invention And Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the control circuit portion of Fig. 3. In Fig.

As shown, the organic electroluminescent device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an organic electroluminescent panel 200 and a driving circuit.

In the organic electroluminescent panel 200, a plurality of gate lines GL to GLn extend in a first direction, for example, a row direction. A plurality of data lines DL1 to DLm extend in a second direction intersecting the first direction, for example, in the column direction. The plurality of gate lines GL to GLn and the plurality of data lines DL1 to DLm intersecting each other define a plurality of sub-pixels SP arranged in a matrix.

On the other hand, each sub-pixel SP may have the structure of FIG. Of course, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that each sub-pixel SP may have a different structure from that of FIG.

4 to 6, the organic electroluminescent panel 200 includes R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels. Here, the sub-pixels B1 and B2 are all sub-pixels that emit blue light, and each sub-pixel emits first and second blue lights having different color reproduction characteristics. For example, the B1 sub-pixel has a sky blue organic light emitting layer that emits sky blue light, and the B2 sub-pixel has a deep blue organic light emitting layer that emits deep blue light.

As described above, the B1 and B2 sub-pixels have different characteristics. Referring to FIG. 8 illustrating a luminance versus voltage (Voled) graph of the organic light emitting diode, when the same voltage is applied, the luminance of sky blue emitted through the B1 sub- It is understood that the luminance of the deep blues is substantially higher than that of the deep blues. On the other hand, it can be seen that the R and G subpixels also have slightly different characteristics from the B1 subpixel and the B2 subpixel.

The neighboring R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels constitute a unit pixel (P). In the embodiment of the present invention, the four R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels constituting the pixel P may have various arrangement structures.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, it may have a stripe type arrangement structure. In the stripe type arrangement structure, R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels constituting the pixel P are arranged in the row direction or the column direction. For example, R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels are alternately arranged in the row direction. Sub-pixels emitting light of the same color can be arranged in the same column.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 5, it may have a quad type arrangement structure. In the quad type arrangement structure, R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels constituting the pixel P are arranged in a matrix of 2 rows and 2 columns. The pixels P composed of such quad-type sub-pixels can be repeatedly arranged along the row direction and the column direction.

Meanwhile, the R, G, B1, and B2 subpixels of FIG. 6 may also have a quad type arrangement structure. However, the quad type arrangement structure of Fig. 6 is different from the quad type arrangement structure of Fig. For example, two pixels neighboring each other along the column direction, that is, the first and second pixels P1 and P2, are symmetrical with respect to the row direction. That is, B1 and B2 sub-pixels are arranged in the first row of the first pixel P1, and such sub-pixels are arranged in the second row of the second pixel P2. The R and G sub-pixels are arranged in the second row of the first pixel P1, and these sub-pixels are arranged in the first row of the second pixel P2.

4 to 6 are examples, and it is apparent to those skilled in the art that sub-pixels may be arranged in various other forms.

3, the driving unit circuit portion includes a control circuit portion 320, a power source generating portion 330, a gate driving circuit portion 340, a data driving circuit portion 350, and a gamma voltage portion 360 can do.

The control circuit 320 receives an RGB input data signal input from an external system such as a video card, and a control signal TCS including a vertical synchronization signal, a horizontal synchronization signal, a clock signal, and a data enable signal. Here, the RGB input data signal is a data signal corresponding to the pixel P and includes R, G, and B data signals.

The control circuit unit 320 generates a data control signal DCS for controlling the data driving circuit unit 350 and a gate control signal GCS for controlling the gate driving circuit unit 340 and outputs it to the corresponding driving circuit unit .

The control circuit 320 receives the RGB input data signal, generates an RGB1B2 output data signal, samples the generated output data signal according to the data control signal DCS, and supplies the sampled output data signal to the data driving circuit unit 350. [ Here, the RGB1B2 output data signal is a data signal corresponding to the pixel P and includes R, G, B1, and B2 data signals. Here, the R, G, B1, and B2 data signals correspond to the R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels, respectively.

The gamma voltage unit 360 divides the high potential common voltage and the low potential common voltage generated from the power generation unit 330 to generate the gamma voltages Vgamma and supplies the generated gamma voltages Vgamma to the data driving circuit unit 350. The data driving circuit unit 350 generates the data voltages corresponding to the sub-pixels SP using the supplied gamma voltages Vgamma.

The power generating unit 330 generates and supplies driving voltage voltages for driving the driving unit circuit unit.

The gate driving circuit portion 340 sequentially scans a plurality of gate lines GL1 to GLn in response to a gate control signal GCS supplied from the control circuit portion 320. [ During each scan period, a turn-on voltage in the form of a pulse is supplied to the gate lines GL1 to GLn. On the other hand, a turn-off voltage is supplied to the gate lines GL1 to GLn until the scan period of the next frame.

Here, the polarity (or level) of the turn-on / turn-off voltage output from the gate drive circuit portion 340 is determined according to the type of the transistor connected to these gate wirings.

The data driving circuit unit 350 supplies the data voltages to the plurality of data lines DL1 to DLm in response to the data control signal DCS supplied from the control circuit unit 320. [ That is, the data voltage corresponding to the data signal value is generated using the gamma voltages Vgamma, and the generated data voltage is output to the data lines DL1 to DLm. Thus, R, G, B1, and B2 data voltages corresponding to the R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals are generated and supplied to the corresponding R, G, B1, and B2 sub- .

Hereinafter, the control circuit unit 320 will be described in more detail.

7, the control circuit unit 320 may include a signal conversion unit 321 and a timing control unit 322.

The signal converting section 321 converts the RGB input data signal into the RGB1B2 data signal and outputs it. The signal conversion unit 321 includes a color component extraction unit 323, a color gamut determination unit 324, and a signal output unit 325.

The color component extracting unit 323 extracts color components from the RGB input data signal. For example, the color component extracting unit 323 extracts (x, y) color coordinate values from the CIE color coordinate system from the RGB input data signal.

The color gamut determination unit 324 uses the extracted color components, i.e., the color coordinates, to determine which color region the corresponding RGB data signal is contained in the 1931 CIE color coordinate system (hereinafter referred to as CIE color coordinate system) do. This will be described with reference to Fig.

9 is a diagram showing a CIE color coordinate system. Referring to FIG. 9, in the case where sky blue is used, a color reproduction area that can be represented, that is, a color area corresponds to the first color area C1. That is, when the R sub-pixel, the G sub-pixel, and the B1 sub-pixel are used, the colors included in the first color region C1 can be reproduced. On the other hand, when the deep well is used, the color region that can be represented corresponds to the second color region C2. That is, when the R sub-pixel, the G sub-pixel, and the B2 sub-pixel are used, the colors included in the second color region C2 can be reproduced. On the other hand, in general, regarding yellowness, when y value is 0.15 or more, it corresponds to sky blue, and when it is less than 0.15, it corresponds to deep blue.

It can be seen that the second color gamut C2 can reproduce colors in a wider range than the first color gamut C1. For example, the first color region C1 has a region defined by "a-b-c" and the second color region C2 has a region defined by "a-d-c". Accordingly, it can be seen that the range of colors that can be represented in the case of using deep blues is larger than the range of colors that can be expressed in the case of using sky blue. That is, in the case of using Sky Blue, the area defined by the third color gamut C3, which can be expressed in the case of using the deep blue, i.e., "b-d-c"

If the color to be represented by the RGB input data signal is included in the first color gamut C1, such a color is also expressed using sky blue, and also expressed using deep blue. However, if the color to be represented by the RGB input data signal is not included in the first color gamut C1 but is included in the second color gamut C2, that is, included in the third color gamut C3 , Such a color is not represented using sky blue, and it is expressed by using deep blue.

In this embodiment, in consideration of the degree of color reproduction of sky blue and the degree of color reproduction of deep blue, the color to be represented by the RGB input data signal is not included in the first color gamut C1, C2), a deep well is used. When the color to be represented by the RGB input data signal is included in the first color gamut C1, sky blue is used. In other words, when the color to be represented by the RGB input data signal is not included in the first color gamut C1 but is included in the second color gamut C2, the B2 sub-pixel expressing the deep blue is emitted. When the color to be represented by the RGB input data signal is included in the first color gamut C1, the B1 sub-pixel representing sky blue emits light.

As described above, the B1 sub-pixel and the B2 sub-pixel selectively emit light in accordance with the color to be represented by the RGB input data signal. That is, with respect to colors that can be represented by both sky blue and deep blue, the blue sub-pixel having a short lifetime is not emitted, and the blue sub-pixel having a long lifetime is emitted to use sky blue. For the colors not represented by sky blue but represented only by the deep blue, the B2 sub-pixel is caused to emit light without emitting the B1 sub-pixel. On the other hand, deep blues are required mainly for displaying moving images, which are required only in a part of a moving picture screen which is generally displayed. Therefore, the frequency of using the B2 sub-pixel is not large.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the B1 sub-pixel and the B2 sub-pixel are selectively made to emit light in accordance with the color gamut including the RGB input data signal, so that the color reproducibility and lifetime can be improved at the same time.

The signal conversion unit 321 operates to reflect the above point. The color gamut determination unit 324 transmits a control signal reflecting the determination result to the signal output unit 325, thereby converting the RGB input data signal to the RGB1B2 output data signal.

For example, when the RGB input data signal is included in the first color gamut C1, the B1 output data signal having the B input data signal value is output. As the B2 output data signal, for example, a data signal having a default value is output. Here, the default data signal corresponds to a data signal that prevents the corresponding sub-pixel from emitting light of the corresponding color. Accordingly, when the RGB input data signal is included in the first color gamut C1, the B2 sub-pixel corresponding to the B2 output data signal does not emit light, and therefore the deep-blue light is not emitted. On the other hand, since the B1 output data signal has the value of the B input data signal, the B1 sub-pixel corresponding to the B1 output data signal emits light, thus sky blue light is emitted. As a result, the red light, the green light, and the sky blue light are mixed, and the pixel expresses the color included in the first color gamut C1.

On the other hand, when the RGB input data signal is included in the third color gamut C3, the B2 output data signal having the B input data signal value is output. As the B1 output data signal, for example, a data signal having a default value is output. As a result, the B2 sub-pixel corresponding to the B2 output data signal emits light, and therefore the deep-blue light is emitted. On the other hand, since the B1 output data signal corresponds to the default data signal, the B1 sub-pixel does not emit light, so sky blue light is not emitted. As a result, the red light, the green light, and the deep blue light are mixed, and the pixel expresses the color included in the third color region C3.

Then, the R, G input data signals can be output as R, G output data signals without any conversion.

The timing control unit 326 receives the RGB1B2 output data signal and transmits the RGB1B2 output data signal to the data driving circuit unit 350 according to the timing. Accordingly, the data driving circuit unit 350 converts each of the R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals of the digital form into R, G, B1, and B2 data voltages in analog form And output to the corresponding data wiring. Thus, each of the R, G, B1, and B2 data voltages is applied to the corresponding R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels. Here, one of the B1 data voltage and the B2 data voltage has a default data voltage. If the B1 output data signal has a default value, the B1 data voltage has the default voltage, so that the B1 sub-pixel does not emit light and the B2 sub-pixel emits light. On the other hand, when the B2 output data signal has a default value, the B2 data voltage has the default voltage, so that the B2 sub-pixel does not emit light and the B1 sub-pixel emits light.

In the organic electroluminescent device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the organic light emitting diode and the transistor may be formed on the same substrate or on different substrates. This will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 and 11. FIG.

10 and 11 are cross-sectional views schematically illustrating examples of an organic electroluminescent panel that can be used in an organic electroluminescent device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 10, a plurality of gate lines and data lines (GL1 to GLn and DL1 to DLm in FIG. 3) intersect each other to define a plurality of sub-pixels SP on the inner surface of the first substrate 210 . In the sub-pixel SP, a transistor T connected to the data line and the gate line is formed. The transistor T includes a switching transistor T1 connected to the data line and the gate line, and a driving transistor T2 connected to the switching transistor T1. Meanwhile, the driving transistor T 2 may be connected to the connection electrode 225.

On the other hand, a first electrode 260 is formed on the inner surface of the second substrate 250 facing the first substrate 210. On the first electrode 260, an organic light emitting layer 270 and a second electrode 280 are sequentially formed for each subpixel SP. On the other hand, the barrier ribs may be located between the sub-pixel regions SP on the first electrode 270. When the barrier ribs are used, the organic light emitting layer 270 and the second electrode 280 may be separately formed in the sub-pixel regions SP without a separate patterning process. The first electrode 260, the organic light emitting layer 270, and the second electrode 280 form an organic light emitting diode E. The first electrode 260 may be formed of at least one of a transparent conductive material such as indium-tin-oxide (ITO), indium-zinc-oxide (IZO), and indium-tin-zinc-oxide (ITZO). The second electrode 280 may be formed of an opaque conductive material. In this case, the light emitted from the organic light emitting layer 270 is emitted toward the first electrode 260. In this embodiment, as the organic light emitting layer 270 of each of the R, G, B1, and B2 subpixels, an organic light emitting layer 270 that emits red, green, sky blue, and deep blue light is used.

The driving transistor T2 formed on the first substrate 210 and the organic light emitting diode E formed on the second substrate 250 may be electrically connected to each other through the connection pattern 240. [ For example, the connection pattern 240 may be in contact with the connection electrode 225 and connected to the driving transistor T2. On the other hand, the connecting electrode 225 is not used, and the connection pattern 240 can be connected to the driving transistor T2.

As described above, the connection pattern 240 connects the organic light emitting diode E and the driving transistor T 2 across a cell gap between the first and second substrates 210 and 250. The connection pattern 240 may also serve to maintain the cell gap of the organic electroluminescence panel 200. The connection pattern 240 can be formed on any one of the first and second substrates 210 and 250.

Meanwhile, the organic electroluminescence panel 200 of FIG. 11 has a different structure from that of FIG. That is, in the organic electroluminescence panel 200 of FIG. 11, the transistor T and the organic light emitting diode E are formed on the same substrate 210.

A second electrode 280 constituting the organic light emitting diode E, an organic light emitting layer 270 and a first electrode 260 are sequentially formed on the inner surface of the substrate 210. The second electrode 280 is electrically connected to the driving transistor T2. In such a case, the second electrode 280 may be made of an opaque conductive material, and the first electrode 260 may be made of a transparent conductive material. Accordingly, light emitted from the organic light emitting layer 270 is emitted toward the first electrode 260.

Meanwhile, the first electrode 260 may be made of an opaque conductive material, and the second electrode 280 may be made of a transparent conductive material. Accordingly, the light emitted from the organic light emitting layer 270 is emitted toward the second electrode 280.

On the other hand, the substrate 210 having the organic light emitting diode E is encapsulated by the corresponding substrate 250. A moisture absorbent 251 for removing water or the like may be formed on the corresponding substrate 250. Instead of the corresponding substrate 250, a protective film for encapsulation may be formed.

In forming the organic electroluminescent panel 200 as described above, the organic light emitting layer 270 may be formed by various methods. For example, the organic light emitting layer 270 may be formed using a shadow mask. Hereinafter, a method of forming the organic emission layer 270 using a shadow mask will be described as an example.

12 and 13 are views schematically showing a method of forming an organic light emitting layer of an organic electroluminescence panel having a stripe type sub-pixel arrangement structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line XII-XII in FIG. 12 and 13, only the step of forming the organic light emitting layer 470 on the substrate 400 is shown for convenience of explanation.

As shown in the figure, a shadow mask 500 is disposed on a substrate 400 on which a plurality of pixels P are defined. The shadow mask 500 includes a plurality of openings 510 and a blocking portion 520. The opening 510 corresponds to the sub-pixel SP. For example, openings 510 are arranged along the column direction so as to correspond to sub-pixels SP which emit light of the same color. In the case where the sub-pixels are arranged in the (SP) stripe type, the two openings 510 neighboring in the row direction are spaced apart from each other by an interval of about four sub-pixels. The two openings 510 adjacent in the column direction are spaced apart by a distance of "d ".

For example, in the case of depositing a red organic light emitting material, by using the shadow mask 500, a red organic light emitting layer 470 can be selectively formed with respect to R sub-pixels among all the sub-pixels. Thereafter, the shadow mask 500 is moved, for example, by one sub-pixel interval in the row direction, and the green organic light emitting material is deposited, thereby forming a green organic light emitting layer with respect to the G sub-pixels. In this way, sky blue and deep blue organic light emitting layers can be formed for each of the sub-pixels B1 and B2.

The above-described method can be similarly applied to a case of having a layout structure other than the stripe-type arrangement structure. For example, in the case of a quad type arrangement structure, the organic light emitting layer can be formed in the subpixel by arranging the openings of the shadow mask so as to correspond to the arrangement structure of the quad type and depositing the organic luminescent material.

14 and 15 are views schematically showing a method of forming an organic light emitting layer of an organic electroluminescent panel having a quad type sub-pixel arrangement structure of FIG. Here, FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line XV-XV in FIG. 14 and 15, only the step of forming the organic light emitting layer 470 on the substrate 400 is shown for convenience of explanation.

As described above, for the quad-type sub-pixel arrangement structure of Fig. 6, the organic luminescent layer can be formed by using the method shown in Figs. 12 and 13. Fig.

On the other hand, with respect to the quad type arrangement structure of Fig. 6, an organic luminescent layer may be formed by using the method shown in Figs.

14 and 15, a shadow mask 600 is disposed on a substrate 400 on which a plurality of pixels P are defined. The shadow mask 600 includes a plurality of openings 610 and a blocking portion 620. The opening 610 corresponds to two neighboring identical sub-pixels SP. 6, neighboring two sub-pixels SP, for example, two sub-pixels SP adjacent to each other in the column direction, are symmetrical with respect to the row direction Relationship. Accordingly, the organic light emitting layer 470 can be formed over two identical sub-pixels SP adjacent to each other in the column direction through one opening 610. [ On the other hand, in such a case, a partition wall 490 is formed between two identical sub-pixels SP. In the process of forming the organic light emitting layer 470 in two identical sub-pixels SP using one opening 610, the partition wall 490 may be formed by separating the organic light emitting layer 470, SP), respectively.

In the case of depositing the red organic light emitting material, by using the shadow mask 600, it is possible to selectively form the red organic light emitting layer 470 with respect to the R sub-pixels of all the sub-pixels. Thereafter, the shadow mask 600 is moved, for example, by one sub-pixel interval in the row direction, and the green organic light emitting material is deposited, thereby forming a green organic light emitting layer with respect to the G sub-pixels. In this way, sky blue and deep blue organic light emitting layers can be formed for each of the sub-pixels B1 and B2.

In the case of forming the organic light emitting layer 470 by the method shown in Figs. 14 and 15, the effective light emitting region of the sub-pixel SP, i.e., the aperture ratio, can be increased as compared with the method shown in Figs. It is based on the following aspects.

Generally, in the case of using a shadow mask, the organic light emitting layer to be formed has an area slightly smaller than the area of the opening of the shadow mask. This is known to be caused by shadowing at the edge portion of the opening of the shadow mask. The openings of the shadow mask are designed to have a certain margin in the up / down and left / right directions in consideration of the up / down and left / right misalignment of the shadow mask. Therefore, the opening area of the shadow mask is reduced. Further, with respect to the shadow mask 500 of FIGS. 12 and 13, there is a spacing distance of "d" between the adjacent openings 510 in the column direction. Such a gap between the openings 510 may be referred to as a bridge, and the bridges are reflected to further reduce the area of the openings 510. Due to the above factors, when the shadow mask 500 of FIGS. 12 and 13 is used, the effective light-emitting area of the sub-pixel SP is lower than that of the entire sub-pixel SP. For example, the effective light emission area is approximately 30-40% of the total area of the sub-pixel SP.

On the other hand, in the shadow mask 600 of FIGS. 14 and 15, one opening 610 is formed to correspond to two identical sub-pixels SP. Thus, in the shadow mask 600 of FIGS. 14 and 15, there is no bridge present in the shadow mask 500 of FIGS. In addition, since there is no bridge, there is no fear that shadowing will occur with respect to a portion where two identical sub-pixels SP are adjacent to each other, and there is no need to set a margin in consideration of the top / bottom misalignment. Accordingly, it can be seen that the aperture ratio of the organic electroluminescent panel using the shadow mask 600 of FIGS. 14 and 15 is improved.

As described above, the organic electroluminescent device according to the embodiment of the present invention selectively emits the sky blue subpixel and the deep subpixel pixel according to the color gamut of the input RGB data signal, thereby achieving both color reproducibility and lifetime .

When the R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels are formed in a quad-type arrangement structure, two neighboring identical sub-pixels are arranged adjacent to each other, and one opening corresponds to such two identical sub-pixels By forming the organic light emitting layer using the shadow mask, the aperture ratio can be improved.

The embodiment of the present invention described above is an example of the present invention, and variations are possible within the spirit of the present invention. Accordingly, the invention includes modifications of the invention within the scope of the appended claims and equivalents thereof.

1 is an equivalent circuit diagram for a sub-pixel of a general organic electroluminescent device.

2 is a view schematically showing a pixel of a conventional organic electroluminescent device.

3 is a view schematically showing an organic electroluminescent device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 to 6 are views showing examples of the arrangement structure of sub-pixels of an organic electroluminescent device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a view showing the control circuit portion of Fig. 3; Fig.

8 is a graph illustrating a voltage versus luminance graph of an organic light emitting diode of a sub-pixel of an organic electroluminescent device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a view showing a CIE color coordinate system.

10 and 11 are cross-sectional views schematically illustrating examples of an organic electroluminescent panel that can be used in an organic electroluminescent device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

12 and 13 are views schematically showing a method of forming an organic light emitting layer of an organic electroluminescence panel having a stripe type sub-pixel arrangement structure according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 14 and 15 are views schematically showing a method of forming an organic light emitting layer of an organic electroluminescence panel having a quad type sub-pixel arrangement structure of FIG. 6;

Description of the Related Art

320: control circuit section 321:

322: a timing control unit 323: a color component extracting unit

324: Color gamut determination unit 325: Signal output unit

Claims (14)

An organic electroluminescent panel including a plurality of pixels including R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels; And a control circuit for outputting R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals according to colors to be expressed by R, G, and B input data signals, The colors represented by the R, G, and B1 sub-pixels are included in the first color area, the colors represented by the R, G, and B2 sub-pixels are included in the second color area, Said first color region, Each of the R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals corresponds to the R, G, B1, and B2 sub- Pixel, the B sub-pixel emits light when the color to be expressed by the R, G, B input data signals is included in the first color area, The B2 subpixel emits light when the color to be expressed by the R, G, and B input data signals is included in the second color area but is not included in the first color area, The R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels constituting the pixel are arranged in a quad type structure, The first and second pixels neighboring each other along the first direction among the plurality of pixels in which the sub-pixels are arranged in the quad type structure are arranged such that the arrangement relationship of the sub-pixels with respect to the second direction perpendicular to the first direction is Symmetrical Organic electroluminescent device. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the control circuit unit includes: A color component extraction unit for extracting color components from the R, G, and B input data signals; A color gamut determination unit for determining a color gamut including a color to be expressed by the R, G, and B input data signals using the color components; And a signal output unit for outputting the R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals according to the determination result of the color gamut determination unit, The B 1 output data signal value corresponds to the B input data signal value when the color to be expressed by the R, G, B input data signals is included in the first color area, And the B2 output data signal value corresponds to the B input data signal value when the color to be expressed by the R, G, B input data signals is included in the second color area but not included in the first color area felled Organic electroluminescent device. 3. The method of claim 2, The B2 output data signal value has a default value so that the B2 sub-pixel does not emit light when the color to be expressed by the R, G, B input data signals is included in the first color area, And the B1 output data signal value has a default value when the color to be expressed by the R, G, and B input data signals is included in the second color area, but is not included in the first color area, Is not emitted Organic electroluminescent device. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the B1 sub-pixel includes an organic light emitting layer that emits sky blue light, and the B2 sub-pixel includes an organic light emitting layer that emits deep blue light. delete delete Outputting R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals according to a color to be represented by the R, G, and B input data signals; Displaying an image using an organic electroluminescent panel including a plurality of pixels including R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels corresponding to the R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals, The colors represented by the R, G, and B1 sub-pixels are included in the first color area, the colors represented by the R, G, and B2 sub-pixels are included in the second color area, Said first color region, Pixel, the B sub-pixel emits light when the color to be expressed by the R, G, B input data signals is included in the first color area, The B2 subpixel emits light when the color to be expressed by the R, G, and B input data signals is included in the second color area but is not included in the first color area, The R, G, B1, and B2 sub-pixels constituting the pixel are arranged in a quad type structure, The first and second pixels neighboring each other along the first direction among the plurality of pixels in which the sub-pixels are arranged in the quad type structure are arranged such that the arrangement relationship of the sub-pixels with respect to the second direction perpendicular to the first direction is Symmetrical A method of driving an organic electroluminescent device. 8. The method of claim 7, Wherein the step of outputting the R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals according to colors to be expressed by the R, G, and B input data signals comprises: Extracting color components from the R, G, and B input data signals; Determining a color region in which the color to be expressed by the R, G, and B input data signals is contained, using the color component; And outputting the R, G, B1, and B2 output data signals according to the color region determination result, The B 1 output data signal value corresponds to the B input data signal value when the color to be expressed by the R, G, B input data signals is included in the first color area, And the B2 output data signal value corresponds to the B input data signal value when the color to be expressed by the R, G, B input data signals is included in the second color area but not included in the first color area felled A method of driving an organic electroluminescent device. 9. The method of claim 8, The B2 output data signal value has a default value so that the B2 sub-pixel does not emit light when the color to be expressed by the R, G, B input data signals is included in the first color area, And the B1 output data signal value has a default value when the color to be expressed by the R, G, and B input data signals is included in the second color area, but is not included in the first color area, Is not emitted A method of driving an organic electroluminescent device. 8. The method of claim 7, Wherein the B1 sub-pixel includes an organic light emitting layer that emits sky blue light, and the B2 sub-pixel includes an organic light emitting layer that emits deep blue light. delete delete Forming a switching transistor and a driving transistor in each of the four sub-pixels arranged in a quad-type structure constituting each of a plurality of pixels; And forming an organic light emitting layer that emits light of a color corresponding to each of the four sub-pixels, The first and second pixels neighboring each other along the first direction among the plurality of pixels in which the sub-pixels are arranged in the quad type structure are arranged such that the arrangement relationship of the sub-pixels with respect to the second direction perpendicular to the first direction is Symmetrical to each other, The forming of the organic light emitting layer may include forming barrier ribs between two identical sub-pixels included in the first and second pixels and adjacent to each other, Forming an organic light emitting layer corresponding to the two identical sub-pixels adjacent to each other using a shadow mask including openings corresponding to the two same sub-pixels adjacent to each other; A method of manufacturing an organic electroluminescent device. 14. The method of claim 13, Wherein each of the four sub-pixels is a sub-pixel that emits light of red, green, sky blue, or deep blue.

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