KR102278160B1 - Organic light emitting display device, method for repair of the same and - Google Patents

Abstract

An organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate, two or more first electrodes positioned on the substrate and spaced apart from each other, an auxiliary electrode positioned between the first electrodes, and the auxiliary electrode a barrier rib having a reverse tapered structure of at least two layers, a bank layer defining a light emitting area by exposing a portion of the first electrodes, an organic layer positioned on the light emitting area and patterned by the barrier rib, and the organic layer and a second electrode positioned on the film layer and the barrier rib and in contact with the auxiliary electrode.

Description

Organic light emitting display device and its repair method {ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DISPLAY DEVICE, METHOD FOR REPAIR OF THE SAME AND}

The present invention relates to an organic light emitting display device and a repair method thereof, and to an organic light emitting display device capable of simplifying a manufacturing process, lowering resistance of a second electrode, and repairing luminance unevenness, and a repair method thereof.

Recently, various flat panel display devices capable of reducing weight and volume, which are disadvantages of a cathode ray tube (CRT), have been developed. Examples of the flat panel display include a liquid crystal display (LCD), a field emission display (FED), a plasma display panel (PDP), and an organic light emitting display (OLED). : Organic Light Emitting Display), etc. Among them, the organic light emitting display device (Organic Light Emitting Display) is a self-luminous display device that emits light by excitation of organic compounds. It does not require a backlight used in LCDs, so it can be lightweight and thin and can simplify the process. have. In addition, it is possible to manufacture at low temperature, has a high response speed with a response speed of 1 ms or less, and exhibits characteristics such as low power consumption, wide viewing angle, and high contrast.

The organic light emitting display device includes a light emitting layer made of an organic material between a first electrode that is an anode and a second electrode that is a cathode, so that holes supplied from the first electrode and electrons received from the second electrode are combined in the emission layer to form a hole-electron pair. It forms excitons and emits light by the energy generated when the excitons return to the ground state. The organic light emitting display device can be divided into a bottom emission type and a top emission type according to a direction in which light is emitted. In the bottom emission type, light is emitted from the bottom of the substrate, that is, from the emission layer to the first electrode, and in the top emission type, light is emitted from the top of the substrate, that is, from the emission layer to the second electrode.

However, in the top emission type organic light emitting display device, since the second electrode, which is a metal, is very thin so that light can pass through, the resistance of the second electrode is increased, and thus the efficiency of the device is reduced. In addition, since the light emitting layer of the organic light emitting display device is deposited using a fine metal mask (FMM), the manufacturing cost of the mask and the manufacturing process of the light emitting layer are complicated.

The present invention provides an organic light emitting display device capable of simplifying a manufacturing process, lowering a resistance of a second electrode, and repairing luminance unevenness, and a repair method thereof.

In order to achieve the above object, an organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate, first electrodes, an auxiliary electrode, a barrier rib, a bank layer, an organic film layer, and a second electrode. The first electrodes are positioned on the substrate and spaced apart from each other. The auxiliary electrode is positioned between the first electrodes. The barrier rib is positioned on the auxiliary electrode and has a reverse tapered structure of at least two layers. The bank layer exposes a portion of the first electrodes to define a light emitting region. The organic layer is positioned on the light emitting region and is patterned by barrier ribs. The second electrode is positioned on the organic layer and the barrier rib, and includes a second electrode in contact with the auxiliary electrode.

The barrier rib is characterized in that it includes a first layer made of a material having a high etching rate, and a second layer positioned on the first layer and made of a material having a lower etching rate than the first layer.

The barrier rib includes a first layer made of a material having a high etching rate, a second layer disposed on the first layer and made of a material having a lower etching rate than the first layer, and located below the first layer and having a lower etching rate than the first layer. and a third layer of low material.

The barrier rib comprises at least two or more materials selected from ITO, ITZO, IO, SnO, ZnO, ISnO, IZO, IGO, GZO, and IGZO.

The thickness of the first layer is 30 to 70% of the thickness of the entire barrier rib, and the thickness of the second layer is 30 to 70% of the thickness of the entire barrier rib.

The thickness of the first layer is 10 to 50% of the thickness of the entire barrier rib, and the thickness of the second layer and the third layer is 10 to 50% of the thickness of the entire barrier rib, respectively.

An outer angle between a horizontal line passing a point where the first layer and the auxiliary electrode meet and a side surface of the first layer is 30 degrees or less, and a taper angle of the second layer is 30 degrees or less.

An outer angle formed by a horizontal line passing a point where the first layer and the auxiliary electrode meet and a side surface of the first layer or a taper angle of the second layer is 30 degrees or less.

It characterized in that it further includes thin film transistors including a gate electrode, a semiconductor layer, a source electrode and a drain electrode between the substrate and the first electrode.

In addition, the organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate, two or more first electrodes positioned on the substrate, spaced apart from each other, an auxiliary electrode positioned between the first electrodes, and positioned on the auxiliary electrode and a barrier rib made of at least two layers, a bank layer defining a light emitting region by exposing a portion of the first electrodes, an organic film layer positioned on the light emitting region but patterned by the barrier rib, and continuously positioned on the organic film layer and the barrier rib, , characterized in that it comprises a second electrode in contact with the auxiliary electrode.

A first layer of the barrier rib is in contact with the auxiliary electrode, and a second layer positioned on the first layer covers the first layer and is in contact with the auxiliary electrode.

the third layer of the barrier rib is in contact with the auxiliary electrode, the first layer of the barrier rib is located on the third layer, and the second layer of the barrier rib is located on the first layer and covers the first layer and is in contact with the auxiliary electrode. characterized.

In addition, the repair method of an organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate, two or more first electrodes positioned on the substrate and spaced apart from each other, an auxiliary electrode positioned between the first electrodes, and an auxiliary electrode on the second electrode. a barrier rib having a reverse tapered structure of at least two layers, a bank layer defining a light emitting region by exposing a portion of the first electrodes, an organic film layer positioned on the light emitting region but patterned by the barrier rib, and located on the organic film layer An organic light emitting display device comprising a second electrode spaced apart from each other at a barrier rib and contacting an auxiliary electrode, wherein the barrier rib is irradiated with a laser to melt a portion of the barrier rib and the second electrode positioned on the barrier rib; It is characterized in that the electrode is continuously formed on the upper surface of the barrier rib from the upper surface of the organic layer.

The barrier rib consists of at least two or more layers, and at least one or more layers are melted from the top of the barrier rib by a laser.

When the laser is irradiated to the barrier rib and the second electrode, at least one or more layers located at the top of the barrier rib and the second electrode are melted, and the organic film layer located between the barrier rib and the second electrode is removed.

The organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an auxiliary electrode, thereby lowering the resistance of the second electrode and lowering the driving voltage of the device, thereby making it easy to enlarge the device, and the voltage of the second electrode is non-uniform due to the resistance and thus luminance It is possible to prevent non-uniformity from occurring. In addition, the present invention has the advantage of being able to implement a simplification of the manufacturing process and reduction of manufacturing cost by forming an organic film layer without a mask by providing the conductive barrier rib having a reverse taper on the auxiliary electrode, and improving the reliability of the barrier rib. . In addition, the present invention has the advantage of being able to heal the region where the luminance non-uniformity occurs by melting the conductive barrier rib with a laser to increase the contact area with the auxiliary electrode when the luminance non-uniformity occurs.

1 is a plan view illustrating an organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
3 and 4 are cross-sectional views showing a partition wall according to embodiments of the present invention.
5A to 5D are views showing a method of manufacturing an organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention by process;
6 and 7 are images showing the three-layer structure of the partition wall manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is a plan view illustrating an organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 and 10 are cross-sectional views illustrating a contact area between an auxiliary electrode and a second electrode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

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

1 is a plan view showing an organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 , in the organic light emitting display device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, an active area AA is partitioned on a substrate 110 , and an image is realized through the active area AA. A plurality of pixels of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) are formed in the active area AA, and lighting of the plurality of pixels is controlled by a scan signal and a data signal. Each of the plurality of pixels includes a first electrode (not shown) that is an anode connected to the thin film transistor and a second electrode 180 that is a cathode opposite the first electrode. A cathode power supply line CPL for supplying a low potential voltage to the second electrode 180 is positioned on both sides of the active region AA, and the second electrode 180 is formed in a thin thickness over the entire surface of the active region AA to form a cathode. It is connected to the power line (CPL).

Meanwhile, in the present invention, in order to prevent the resistance of the second electrode 180 from increasing, an auxiliary electrode 155 is further included. In more detail, the auxiliary electrode 155 is formed between the plurality of pixels in a direction crossing the cathode power lines CPL. As shown in the drawing, the auxiliary electrode 155 may be formed one between each pixel, but is not limited thereto, and may be formed one between two pixels or between three or more pixels. Both ends of the auxiliary electrode 155 are respectively connected to the cathode power line CPL while being connected to the second electrode 180 formed on the front surface of the active area AA in a line form. Accordingly, the auxiliary electrode 155 has an advantage in that it is possible to reduce the resistance of the second electrode 180 to prevent luminance non-uniformity of the display device.

Hereinafter, the organic light emitting display device 100 of the present invention is composed of a plurality of pixels, but for convenience of description, two sub-pixels will be illustrated as an example.

Referring to FIG. 2 , in the organic light emitting display device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor layer 115 is positioned on a substrate 110 , and a gate insulating film 120 is formed on the semiconductor layer 115 . Located. A gate electrode 125 positioned to correspond to the semiconductor layer 115 is positioned on the gate insulating layer 120 , and cathode power lines CPL are positioned on both sides of the substrate 110 . In addition, the interlayer insulating layer 130 is positioned on the gate electrode 125 and the cathode power line CPL, and the source electrode 137a and the drain electrode 137b are positioned on the interlayer insulating layer 130 . The source electrode 137a and the drain electrode 137b are respectively connected to the semiconductor layer 115 through the first contact hole 135 penetrating the interlayer insulating layer 130 and the gate insulating layer 120 . Accordingly, a thin film transistor (TFT) including the semiconductor layer 115 , the gate electrode 125 , the source electrode 137a , and the drain electrode 137b is constituted.

The planarization layer 140 is positioned on the thin film transistor TFT, and the first electrode 150 and the auxiliary electrode 155 are positioned on the planarization layer 140 . The first electrode 150 is connected to the drain electrode 137b of the thin film transistor TFT through a via hole 145 penetrating the planarization layer 140 . The auxiliary electrode 155 is positioned between the first electrodes 150 spaced apart from each other and spaced apart from the first electrodes 150 . In addition, the auxiliary electrodes 155 positioned on both sides of the substrate 110 are formed along the planarization layer 140 and are connected to the cathode power line CPL through the second contact hole 136 penetrating the interlayer insulating layer 130 . do.

A bank layer 160 is positioned on the first electrode 150 and the auxiliary electrode 155 . In the bank layer 160 , an opening 165 exposing the first electrode 150 is formed to define a pixel and an emission area EA. Also, the bank layer 160 exposes the auxiliary electrode 155 through the opening 165 . The barrier rib 170 is positioned on the auxiliary electrode 155 . The barrier rib 170 has a reverse taper shape on the auxiliary electrode 155 and is spaced apart from the adjacent bank layer 160 . A detailed description of the partition wall 170 will be described later.

An organic layer 175 is positioned on the substrate 110 on which the first electrode 150 , the bank layer 160 , and the barrier rib 170 are formed. The organic layer 175 is deposited on the first electrode 150 , the bank layer 160 , and the barrier rib 170 , but is patterned by the barrier rib 170 and is not deposited on the auxiliary electrode 155 . The second electrode 180 is positioned on the organic layer 175 . The second electrode 180 is stacked on the entire surface of the substrate 110 and is also formed on the auxiliary electrode 155 positioned below the barrier rib 170 . That is, all of the second electrodes 180 are continuously formed on the entire surface of the substrate 100 without being patterned by the barrier ribs 170 . Accordingly, since the second electrode 180 is electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode 155 positioned below the barrier rib 170 , the resistance is reduced by the auxiliary electrode 155 . Therefore, by forming the auxiliary electrode on the second electrode having a large resistance in the prior art, the resistance of the second electrode is lowered and the driving voltage of the device is lowered, so that it is easy to enlarge the device, and the voltage of the second electrode is non-uniform due to the resistance. it can be prevented

3 and 4 are cross-sectional views showing partition walls according to embodiments of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3 , the barrier rib 170 of the present invention is positioned on the auxiliary electrode 155 , and includes a first layer 172 positioned below and a second layer 174 positioned on the first layer 172 . It has a two-story structure. The first layer 172 of the barrier rib 170 is in direct contact with the auxiliary electrode 155 to form a lower portion of the barrier rib 170 , and includes ITO, ITZO, IO, SnO, ZnO, ISnO, IZO, IGO, GZO and It consists of any one selected from IGZO. The second layer 174 of the barrier rib 170 is positioned on the first layer 172 to form an upper portion of the barrier rib 170 , and is ITO, ITZO, IO, SnO, ZnO, ISnO, IZO, IGO, GZO. and IGZO, but made of a material different from that of the first layer 172 .

In more detail, the barrier rib 170 has a reverse tapered shape. To this end, the first layer 172 is made of a material having a higher etching rate for the same etchant than the second layer 174 , and the second layer 174 . Silver is made of a material having a lower etching rate than that of the first layer 172 . For example, when the first layer 172 is selected from any one of ITO, ITZO, IO, SnO, ZnO, ISnO, IZO, IGO, GZO, and IGZO, the second layer 174 is the first layer ( The barrier rib 170 may be formed by selecting a material having a smaller etching rate than that of 172 .

The barrier rib 170 of the present invention has a total thickness of 0.3 μm or more and is thicker than the bank layer 160 . When the barrier rib 170 is composed of two layers of the first layer 172 and the second layer 174 , the thickness of the first layer 172 is 30 to 70% of the thickness of the entire barrier rib 170 , The thickness of the second layer 174 is 30 to 70% of the thickness of the entire partition wall 170 . This is to improve the adhesion between the barrier rib 170 and the auxiliary electrode 155 and to improve the reliability of the inverted tapered barrier rib 170 . At this time, the outer angle θ1 formed between the horizontal line L passing the point where the first layer 172 and the auxiliary electrode 155 meet and the side surface of the first layer 172 is 30 degrees or less, or the barrier rib 170 . of the second layer 174 has a taper angle θ2 of 30 degrees or less, or a horizontal line L passing through a point where the first layer 172 and the auxiliary electrode 155 meet and the first layer 172 Both the outer angle θ1 formed by the side surface and the taper angle θ2 of the second layer 174 may be 30 degrees or less. The outer angle θ1 formed between the horizontal line L passing the point where the first layer 172 and the auxiliary electrode 155 meet and the side surface of the first layer 172 and the taper angle θ2 of the second layer 174 are If it is 30 degrees or less, the barrier rib 170 is well formed in a reverse tapered shape, so that the organic film layer can be patterned in a subsequent process of depositing the organic film layer.

Meanwhile, referring to FIG. 4 , the partition wall 170 of the present invention may be formed of three layers. The partition wall 170 has a three-layer structure of a third layer 176 positioned at the lowermost portion, a first layer 172 positioned on the third layer 176 , and a second layer 174 positioned on the first layer 172 . is made of The third layer 176 of the barrier rib 170 is in direct contact with the auxiliary electrode 155 to form a lower portion of the barrier rib 170 , and includes ITO, ITZO, IO, SnO, ZnO, ISnO, IZO, IGO, GZO and It consists of any one selected from IGZO. The first layer 172 is located on the third layer 176 and forms the middle of the barrier rib 170 , and is any one selected from ITO, ITZO, IO, SnO, ZnO, ISnO, IZO, IGO, GZO, and IGZO. It is made of one material, but is made of a material different from that of the third layer 176 . The second layer 174 is a layer positioned on the first layer 172 and forming the uppermost portion of the barrier rib 170 , and any one selected from ITO, ITZO, IO, SnO, ZnO, ISnO, IZO, IGO, GZO, and IGZO. It is made of one material, but is made of a material different from that of the first layer 172 .

In more detail, the three-layer partition 170 may have an inverted taper shape, and may have a wide hourglass shape at the top and the bottom. To this end, the third layer 176 is made of a material having a smaller etching rate for the same etchant than the first layer 172 , and the first layer 172 has an etching rate for the same etchant than the second layer 174 . It is made of a large material, and the second layer 174 is made of a material having a lower etch rate than the first layer 172 . For example, when the third layer 176 is selected from any one of ITO, ITZO, IO, SnO, ZnO, ISnO, IZO, IGO, GZO, and IGZO, the first layer 172 is formed of the third layer ( The barrier rib 170 may be formed by selecting a material having a higher etching rate than that of 176 and selecting the second layer 174 as a material having an etching rate lower than that of the first layer 172 . As described above, all of the barrier ribs 170 of the present invention are made of a conductive material, for example, a metal oxide. The barrier rib 170 made of a conductive material has excellent adhesion with the auxiliary electrode 155 at the bottom to prevent peeling of the barrier rib 170, and realizes pattern miniaturization while maintaining process stability that is not damaged even at high temperatures. There are advantages to be gained.

The barrier rib 170 of the present invention has a total thickness of 0.3 μm or more and is thicker than the bank layer 160 . When the partition wall 170 includes three layers of the third layer 176 , the first layer 172 , and the second layer 174 , the thickness of the third layer 176 is 10 compared to the thickness of the entire partition wall 170 . to 50%, the thickness of the first layer 172 is 10 to 50% of the thickness of the entire partition wall 170 , and the thickness of the second layer 174 is 10 compared to the thickness of the entire partition wall 170 . to 50%. This is to improve the adhesion between the barrier rib 170 and the auxiliary electrode 155 and to improve the reliability of the inverted tapered barrier rib 170 . At this time, the outer angle θ1 formed between the first layer 172 and the horizontal line L is 30 degrees or less, or the taper angle θ2 of the second layer 174 of the barrier rib 170 is 30 degrees or less. or the outer angle θ1 formed by the horizontal line L passing through the point where the first layer 172 and the auxiliary electrode 155 meet and the side surface of the first layer 172 and the taper angle of the second layer 174 ( Both θ2) may be made to 30 degrees or less. The outer angle θ1 formed between the horizontal line L passing the point where the first layer 172 and the auxiliary electrode 155 meet and the side surface of the first layer 172 and the taper angle θ2 of the second layer 174 are If it is 30 degrees or less, the barrier rib 170 is well formed in a reverse tapered shape, so that the organic film layer can be patterned in a subsequent process of depositing the organic film layer.

As described above, since the organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the auxiliary electrode, the resistance of the second electrode is lowered and the driving voltage of the device is lowered to facilitate enlargement of the device, and the resistance of the second electrode is reduced. It is possible to prevent luminance non-uniformity from occurring due to non-uniform voltage. In addition, the present invention has the advantage of being able to implement a simplification of the manufacturing process and reduction of manufacturing cost by forming an organic film layer without a mask by providing the conductive barrier rib having a reverse taper on the auxiliary electrode, and improving the reliability of the barrier rib. .

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing the organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. 5A to 5D are diagrams illustrating a method of manufacturing an organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention for each process. In the following, the same reference numerals are attached to the same components as those of FIG. 2 described above to facilitate understanding.

First, referring to FIG. 5A , amorphous silicon (a-si) is laminated on a substrate 110 made of glass, plastic, or a conductive material and subjected to a dehydrogenation process, followed by a laser on the amorphous silicon layer. Crystallizes the amorphous silicon layer into a polycrystalline silicon layer by irradiating it. Thereafter, the polysilicon layer is patterned using a mask to form the semiconductor layer 115 . Although not shown, a buffer layer may be further formed before the semiconductor layer 115 is formed. The buffer layer prevents impurities present on the surface of the substrate 110 from being eluted and diffusing into the amorphous silicon layer during the crystallization process, and may be formed of silicon oxide (SiOx), silicon nitride (SiNx), or a stacked structure thereof.

Next, a gate insulating layer 120 is formed on the substrate 110 including the semiconductor layer 115 . The gate insulating layer 120 may be formed of silicon oxide (SiOx) or silicon nitride (SiNx), or a multilayer thereof. A gate electrode 125 is formed on the gate insulating layer 120 in a region corresponding to the semiconductor layer 115 , and cathode power lines CPL are formed on both sides of the substrate 110 . The gate electrode 125 and the cathode power line CPL may be a single layer made of aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), or an alloy thereof, and molybdenum/aluminum/molybdenum (Mo). /Al/Mo) or titanium/aluminum/titanium (Ti/Al/Ti).

Next, an interlayer insulating layer 130 is formed on the substrate 110 on which the gate electrode 125 and the cathode power line CPL are formed. The interlayer insulating layer 130 may be formed of silicon oxide (SiOx) or silicon nitride (SiNx), or a multilayer thereof. Next, the interlayer insulating layer 130 is etched to form a first contact hole 135 exposing both sides of the semiconductor layer 115 and a second contact hole exposing the cathode power line CPL. Then, a source electrode 137a and a drain electrode 137b connected to the semiconductor layer 115 through the first contact hole 135 are formed to form the semiconductor layer 115, the gate electrode 125, and the source electrode ( 137a) and a thin film transistor (TFT) including a drain electrode 137b is formed. The source electrode 137a and the drain electrode 137b may be a single layer made of aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), or an alloy thereof, and molybdenum/aluminum/molybdenum (Mo/ Al/Mo) or titanium/aluminum/titanium (Ti/Al/Ti) may be formed as a multilayer.

Next, referring to FIG. 5B , a planarization layer 140 is formed on the substrate 110 on which a thin film transistor (TFT) is formed. The planarization layer 140 may be formed of an organic material such as a benzocyclobutene (BCB)-based resin, an acrylic resin, or a polyimide resin. Then, the planarization layer 140 is patterned to form a via hole 145 exposing the drain electrode 137b of the thin film transistor TFT. Next, a material having a high work function, such as ITO, IZO, or ZnO, is deposited on the planarization layer 140 and the via hole 145 and patterned to form the first electrode 150 and the auxiliary electrode 155 . The first electrode 150 fills the via hole 145 and is electrically connected to the drain electrode 137b, and the auxiliary electrode 155 is formed between the first electrodes 150 and spaced apart therefrom. In addition, the auxiliary electrode 155 outside the substrate 110 is formed along the planarization layer 140 and is connected to the cathode power line CPL exposed by the second contact hole 136 .

Next, referring to FIG. 5C , a bank layer 160 is formed on the substrate 110 on which the first electrode 150 and the auxiliary electrode 155 are formed. The bank layer 160 is formed of an organic material such as polyimide, benzocyclobutene resin, or acrylate. Then, the bank layer 160 is patterned to form openings 165 exposing the first electrode 150 and the auxiliary electrode 155 .

Next, the barrier rib 170 is formed on the auxiliary electrode 155 exposed by the opening 165 . In more detail, a first material selected from ITO, ITZO, IO, SnO, ZnO, ISnO, IZO, IGO, GZO and IGZO is laminated on the substrate 110 on which the bank layer 160 is formed, and ITO, ITZO, IO, In SnO, ZnO, ISnO, IZO, IGO, GZO, and IGZO, a second material having an etching rate smaller than that of the first material is laminated and then etched with an etchant, the first layer 172 and the first layer 172 located below. A partition wall 170 made of a second layer 174 positioned thereon is formed. Since the first layer 172 with a high etching rate with respect to the etchant is etched quickly and the second layer 174 with a low etch rate is etched slowly, the second layer 174 is wider than the first layer 172 . A tapered barrier rib 170 is manufactured. In this embodiment, the manufacturing of the barrier rib 170 having a two-layer structure has been described, but in the case of the barrier rib 170 having a three-layer structure, a third material having a smaller etching rate than the first material is first laminated, and then the first material It can be prepared by stacking a second material and then etching with an etchant. Since the thickness, the taper angle, and the like of the partition wall 170 have been described above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Next, referring to FIG. 5D , an organic layer 175 is formed on the substrate 110 on which the barrier rib 170 is formed. The organic layer 175 is deposited on the first electrode 150 , the bank layer 160 , and the barrier rib 170 , but is patterned by the inversely tapered barrier rib 170 , and is an auxiliary electrode positioned under the barrier rib 170 . At 175 , the organic layer 175 is not deposited. The organic layer 175 may include at least one of a hole injection layer (HIL), a hole transport layer (HTL), an emission layer (EML), an electron transport layer (ETL), and an electron injection layer (EIL). For example, the organic layer 175 is formed using an evaporation method.

Next, the second electrode 180 is formed on the substrate 110 on which the organic layer 175 is formed. The second electrode 180 is stacked on the organic layer 175 , but unlike the organic layer 175 , it is stacked along the surface of the barrier rib 170 and is also stacked on the auxiliary electrode 155 . Accordingly, the second electrode 180 is electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode 155 , is connected to the auxiliary electrode 155 outside the substrate 110 , and is connected to the cathode power line CPL. The second electrode 180 may be formed of magnesium (Mg), silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), calcium (Ca), or an alloy thereof. Accordingly, the organic light emitting display device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is manufactured.

6 and 7 are images showing a three-layered barrier rib manufactured according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7 , it can be seen that ITO is formed at the bottom, IGZO is formed thereon, and a three-layer barrier rib of ITO/IGZO/ITO is formed in which ITO is located at the top. Here, the total thickness of the barrier rib was formed to be 3800 Å, the lowermost ITO was 1000 Å, IGZO was 2000 Å, and the uppermost ITO was 800 Å. It can be confirmed that IGZO with a high etching rate is formed between ITOs with a small etching rate due to the difference in the etching rates of ITO and IGZO, and a barrier rib having a reverse taper shape similar to the cross section of an hourglass is formed.

As described above, since the organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the auxiliary electrode, the resistance of the second electrode is lowered and the driving voltage of the device is lowered to facilitate enlargement of the device, and the resistance of the second electrode is reduced. It is possible to prevent luminance non-uniformity from occurring due to non-uniform voltage. In addition, the present invention has the advantage of being able to implement a simplification of the manufacturing process and reduction of manufacturing cost by forming an organic film layer without a mask by providing the conductive barrier rib having a reverse taper on the auxiliary electrode, and improving the reliability of the barrier rib. .

Meanwhile, in the above-described organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, when the luminance non-uniformity occurs due to the resistance of the second electrode, the luminance non-uniformity may be repaired using laser welding.

8 is a plan view illustrating an organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 9 and 10 are cross-sectional views illustrating a contact area between an auxiliary electrode and a second electrode according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 8 , in the organic light emitting display device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, an active area AA is partitioned on a substrate 110 , and the active area AA includes red (R) and green ( A plurality of pixels of G) and blue (B) are formed. The plurality of pixels are provided with a first electrode (not shown) and a second electrode 180 that is a cathode electrode facing the first electrode. A cathode power line CPL for supplying a low potential voltage to the second electrode 180 is positioned on both sides of the active area AA, and an auxiliary electrode 155 is used to prevent the resistance of the second electrode 180 from increasing. includes

A luminance non-uniformity may occur in a portion of the organic light emitting display device 100 according to the resistance of the second electrode 180 . As shown in FIG. 8 , there is a luminance non-uniformity region H in which luminance is non-uniform in some regions. When the luminance non-uniformity region H is generated in the organic light emitting display device 100 , display quality is deteriorated and reliability is deteriorated. Accordingly, in the present invention, the luminance unevenness of the organic light emitting display device can be repaired using laser welding, which will be described later. Meanwhile, in FIG. 8 , 30 pixels are included in the active area AA and the luminance non-uniform area H is shown to be large, but this is only exaggerated for easy understanding of the present invention, and the present invention is limited thereto. doesn't happen

Referring to FIG. 9 , the structure of the partition wall 170 existing in the luminance non-uniform region H of FIG. 8 will be described. The barrier rib 170 is positioned on the auxiliary electrode 155 . The partition wall 170 has a three-layer structure of a third layer 176 positioned at the lowermost portion, a first layer 172 positioned on the third layer 176 , and a second layer 174 positioned on the first layer 172 . is made of Since the detailed description of the partition wall 170 has been described above, it is omitted.

Looking at the structure of the second electrode 180 formed on the partition wall 170 in the luminance non-uniform region H, the second electrode 180 formed along the bank layer 160 includes the auxiliary electrode 155 and the partition wall 170 . part of the third layer 176 of the partition wall 170 but not the sides of the second layer 174 and the first layer 172 of the partition wall 170 . Accordingly, the second electrode 180 positioned on the upper surface of the second layer 174 of the barrier rib 170 and the second electrode 180 formed along the bank layer 160 are spaced apart from each other. Such a structure occurs because the deposition uniformity of the second electrode 180 is low. In this case, since the contact area CS of the second electrode 180 formed along the bank layer 160 with the conductive barrier rib 170 is very small, the resistance of the second electrode 180 is increased. Accordingly, the region in which the resistance of the second electrode 180 is increased appears as the luminance non-uniformity region H in which the luminance non-uniformity phenomenon occurs.

In the present invention, the contact area CS between the second electrode 180 and the barrier rib 170 is increased by irradiating a laser to the barrier rib 170 located in the luminance non-uniformity region H to melt some layers of the barrier rib 170 . It is widened to reduce the resistance of the second electrode 180 .

In more detail, the laser is irradiated to the barrier rib 170 located in the luminance non-uniformity region H. The laser may be irradiated from the lower portion of the substrate 110 to the barrier rib 170 , from an upper portion of the barrier rib 170 to the barrier rib 170 , or may be irradiated from both sides of the barrier rib 170 . The irradiation direction of the laser does not matter greatly in any direction as long as it can melt the barrier rib 170 . As the laser irradiation conditions, the source, focus, power, irradiation time, etc. for laser generation may be appropriately adjusted and used, and any laser may be used as long as it can melt the first layer 174 of the barrier rib 170 . However, the irradiation temperature of the laser may be adjusted to 350° C. or less so that the effect of the laser on elements such as a thin film transistor of the organic light emitting display device is minimized. Also, in order to repair the luminance non-uniformity of the organic light emitting display device 100 , a laser may be irradiated to all the barrier ribs 170 positioned in the luminance non-uniformity region H. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the laser may be irradiated to the barrier ribs 170 that are not located in the luminance non-uniformity region H but are very adjacent thereto.

Referring to FIG. 10 , the final structure of the barrier rib 170 to which the laser is irradiated is shown. When a laser is irradiated to the barrier rib 170 , the second layer 174 positioned on the uppermost portion of the barrier rib 170 is melted by the laser and the organic layer 175 is melted and removed. The second layer 174 is made of any one selected from ITO, ITZO, IO, SnO, ZnO, ISnO, IZO, IGO, GZO and IGZO, and is melted over the auxiliary electrode 150 and the third layer 176 according to the irradiation of the laser. will come down In addition, the first layer 172 of the partition wall 170 is partially melted but does not flow down. The laser irradiation is performed until the second layer 174 melts to cover both the auxiliary electrode 150 and the third layer 176 . Accordingly, the second layer 174 covers the first layer 172 and the third layer 176 of the partition wall 170 . When the second layer 174 of the barrier rib 170 is melted by laser irradiation, the second electrode 180 located on the second layer 174 is also melted to some extent to be connected to the adjacent second electrode 180 . Accordingly, as the contact area CS in which the second electrode 180 contacts the barrier rib 170 is significantly improved, the resistance of the second electrode 180 is lowered to repair the luminance non-uniformity. .

As described above, since the organic light emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes the auxiliary electrode, the resistance of the second electrode is lowered and the driving voltage of the device is lowered to facilitate enlargement of the device, and the resistance of the second electrode is reduced. It is possible to prevent luminance non-uniformity from occurring due to non-uniform voltage. In addition, the present invention has the advantage of being able to implement a simplification of the manufacturing process and reduction of manufacturing cost by forming an organic film layer without a mask by providing the conductive barrier rib having a reverse taper on the auxiliary electrode, and improving the reliability of the barrier rib. . In addition, the present invention has the advantage of being able to heal the region where the luminance non-uniformity occurs by melting the conductive barrier rib with a laser to increase the contact area with the auxiliary electrode when the luminance non-uniformity occurs.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the technical configuration of the present invention can be changed to other specific forms by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present invention. It will be appreciated that this may be practiced. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. In addition, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims to be described later rather than the above detailed description. In addition, all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents should be construed as being included in the scope of the present invention.

100: organic light emitting display device 110: substrate
115: semiconductor layer 120: gate insulating film
125: gate electrode 130: interlayer insulating film
137a: source electrode 137b: drain electrode
140: planarization film 150: first electrode
155: auxiliary electrode 160: bank layer
170: barrier rib 175: light emitting layer
180: second electrode CPL: cathode power line

Claims (15)

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two or more first electrodes positioned on the substrate and spaced apart from each other;
an auxiliary electrode positioned between the first electrodes;
a barrier rib positioned on the auxiliary electrode and formed of at least two layers;
a bank layer exposing a portion of the first electrodes to define a light emitting region;
an organic layer positioned on the light emitting region and patterned by the barrier rib; and
a second electrode continuously positioned on the organic layer and the barrier rib and in contact with the auxiliary electrode;
The barrier rib includes a third layer in contact with the auxiliary electrode, a first layer disposed on the third layer, and a second layer disposed on the first layer,
and the second layer covers the first layer, and the second layer is in direct contact with a sidewall of the first layer.
11. The method of claim 10,
and the second layer is in contact with the third layer.
11. The method of claim 10,
The barrier rib has an inverted taper structure.
A substrate, two or more first electrodes positioned on the substrate and spaced apart from each other, an auxiliary electrode positioned between the first electrodes, a barrier rib positioned on the auxiliary electrode and having a reverse tapered structure of at least two layers, the first electrode 1 A bank layer defining a light emitting region by exposing a portion of the electrodes, an organic layer positioned on the light emitting region and patterned by the barrier rib, and an organic layer positioned on the organic film layer but spaced apart from each other at the barrier rib and in contact with the auxiliary electrode In the organic light emitting display device comprising a second electrode,
irradiating a laser to the barrier rib to melt a portion of the barrier rib and a second electrode positioned on the barrier rib; and
and the second electrode is continuously formed on the upper surface of the barrier rib from the upper surface of the organic layer.
14. The method of claim 13,
The barrier rib comprises at least two or more layers, and at least one or more layers are melted from the top of the barrier rib by the laser.
15. The method of claim 14,
When the laser is irradiated to the barrier rib and the second electrode, at least one or more layers positioned at the top of the barrier rib and the second electrode are melted, and the organic film layer positioned between the barrier rib and the second electrode is removed. A method of repairing an organic light emitting display device.

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