KR102642966B1 - Electrochromic device and display device including the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent display device having an electrochromic panel with a variable type polarization function, comprising: a display panel for displaying an image, an electrochromic panel disposed outside the display panel, and the display panel; It includes a quarter wave plate disposed between the electrochromic panels, and the electrochromic panel is characterized in that an electrochromic layer having a plurality of stripe patterns in one direction is implemented as a variable polarizer. Accordingly, the transmittance can be selectively adjusted, thereby minimizing the loss of light efficiency of the organic electroluminescent display device.

Description

Organic electroluminescent display device {ELECTROCHROMIC DEVICE AND DISPLAY DEVICE INCLUDING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent display device, and more specifically, to an organic electroluminescent display device having an electrochromic panel with a variable type polarization function.

Recently, as interest in information displays has increased and the demand for using portable information media has increased, there has been a growing interest in lightweight, thin flat panel displays (FPDs) that replace the existing display devices, cathode ray tubes (CRTs). Research and commercialization are being focused on.

Among flat panel displays, organic electroluminescent displays are self-luminous, so they have superior viewing angle and contrast ratio compared to liquid crystal displays. In addition, because it does not require a backlight, it can be lightweight and thin, and is also advantageous in terms of power consumption.

A typical organic electroluminescent display device has a problem in that outdoor visibility is reduced due to an increase in reflectance due to organic light emitting diodes and various wiring or electrodes, and wiring or electrode patterns are visible. To prevent this external light reflection, a circular polarizer consisting of a quarter wave plate and a linear polarizer is applied to the upper surface of the organic electroluminescent display device.

A typical organic electroluminescent display device uses a single circular polarizer to prevent reflection of external light.

However, since the polarizer has a transmittance of about 45%, it has the disadvantage that the light efficiency of the organic electroluminescent display device can only be achieved at about 40%. In other words, if the transmittance of the polarizer is further increased to prevent reflection of external light, the light efficiency of the organic electroluminescent display device decreases.

Meanwhile, external light reflection is only necessary when external light is strong, and is not necessary when external light is weak, so a method of selectively implementing external light reflection is being considered.

Accordingly, the problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide an electrochromic panel whose transmittance can be selectively adjusted according to the state of external light by implementing a variable polarizer that can function as a linear polarizer only when necessary using an electrochromic material. An organic electroluminescent display device is provided.

The problems of the present invention are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

In order to solve the problems described above, an organic electroluminescent display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a display panel for displaying an image, an electrochromic panel disposed outside the display panel, and the display panel and the electrochromic display. It includes a quarter wave plate disposed between the panels, and the electrochromic panel may be implemented as a variable polarizer, with an electrochromic layer having a plurality of stripe patterns in one direction.

Specific details of other embodiments are included in the detailed description and drawings.

The present invention patterns an electrochromic material in the form of a stripe and uses it as a linear polarizer, thereby enabling selective adjustment of transmittance, thereby providing the effect of minimizing loss of light efficiency of an organic electroluminescent display device.

The effects according to the present invention are not limited to the contents exemplified above, and further various effects are included in the present specification.

1 is a block diagram for explaining an organic electroluminescent display device according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit configuration for a sub-pixel of an organic electroluminescent display device.
FIG. 3 is a diagram exemplarily showing a cross-sectional structure of an organic electroluminescent display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of the organic electroluminescence display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 as an example.
Figures 5a and 5b are perspective views illustrating a portion of the lower substrate of the electrochromic panel according to the first embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 6a is a diagram illustrating the transparent mode of the electrochromic panel according to the present invention.
Figure 6b is a diagram illustrating the light blocking mode of the electrochromic panel according to the present invention.
Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the electrochemical state of an electrochromic material.
FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an anti-reflection mode in the organic electroluminescent display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a transparent mode in the organic electroluminescent display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4.
FIG. 10 is a diagram exemplarily showing a cross-sectional structure of an organic electroluminescent display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of the organic electroluminescence display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 10 as an example.
Figures 12a and 12b are perspective views illustrating a portion of the lower substrate of the electrochromic panel according to the second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 13 is a diagram exemplarily showing a cross-sectional structure of an organic electroluminescent display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of the organic electroluminescent display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 13 as an example.

The advantages and features of the present invention and methods for achieving them will become clear by referring to the embodiments described in detail below along with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below and will be implemented in various different forms, but the present embodiments only serve to ensure that the disclosure of the present invention is complete and are within the scope of common knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains. It is provided to fully inform those who have the scope of the invention, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

The shapes, sizes, proportions, angles, numbers, etc. disclosed in the drawings for explaining embodiments of the present invention are illustrative, and the present invention is not limited to the matters shown. Additionally, in describing the present invention, if it is determined that a detailed description of related known technologies may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention, the detailed description will be omitted. When 'includes', 'has', 'consists of', etc. are used in this specification, other parts may be added unless 'only' is used. In cases where a component is expressed in the singular, the plural is included unless specifically stated otherwise.

When interpreting components, it is interpreted to include the margin of error even if there is no separate explicit description.

In the case of a description of a positional relationship, for example, if the positional relationship between two parts is described as 'on top', 'on top', 'on the bottom', 'next to', etc., 'right away' or Unless 'directly' is used, there may be one or more other parts placed between the two parts.

The fact that an element or layer is referred to as being on another element or layer includes all cases where another layer or other element is interposed directly on or in the middle of another element.

Although first, second, etc. are used to describe various elements, these elements are not limited by these terms. These terms are merely used to distinguish one component from another. Accordingly, the first component mentioned below may also be the second component within the technical spirit of the present invention.

Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification.

The size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are shown for convenience of explanation, and the present invention is not necessarily limited to the size and thickness of the components shown.

Each feature of the various embodiments of the present invention can be partially or fully combined or combined with each other, and as can be fully understood by those skilled in the art, various technical interconnections and operations are possible, and each embodiment may be implemented independently of each other. It may be possible to conduct them together due to a related relationship.

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

1 is a block diagram for explaining an organic electroluminescent display device according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the organic electroluminescent display device according to the present invention includes an image processing unit 115, a data conversion unit 114, a timing control unit 113, a data driver 112, a gate driver 111, and a display panel. (116) may be included.

The image processing unit 115 may use the RGB data signal (RGB) to perform various image processing, such as setting a gamma voltage to achieve maximum luminance according to the average image level, and then output the RGB data signal (RGB). The image processing unit 115 receives a driving signal including one or more of an RGB data signal (RGB), a vertical synchronization signal (Vsync), a horizontal synchronization signal (Hsync), a data enable signal (DES), and a clock signal (CLK). Can be printed.

The timing control unit 113 receives one or more of a vertical synchronization signal (Vsync), a horizontal synchronization signal (Hsync), a data enable signal (DES), and a clock signal (CLK) from the image processing unit 115 or the data conversion unit 114. A driving signal including:

The timing control unit 113 provides a gate timing control signal (GCS) for controlling the operation timing of the gate driver 111 based on the driving signal and a data timing control signal (DCS) for controlling the operation timing of the data driver 112. can be output.

The timing control unit 113 may output a data signal (DATA) in response to the gate timing control signal (GCS) and the data timing control signal (DCS).

In addition, the data driver 112 samples and latches the data signal (DATA) supplied from the timing control unit 113 in response to the data timing control signal (DCS) supplied from the timing control unit 113 to generate a gamma reference voltage. It can be converted and output.

The data driver 112 may output the converted data signal DATA through the data lines DL1, DL2, DL3 to DLm. The data driver 112 may be formed in the form of an integrated circuit (IC).

The gate driver 111 may output a gate signal while shifting the level of the gate voltage in response to the gate timing control signal (GCS) supplied from the timing controller 113.

Additionally, the gate driver 111 may output a gate signal through the gate lines GL1, GL2 to GLn. The gate driver 111 may be formed in the form of an integrated circuit (IC) or may be formed in the display panel 116 using a gate-in-panel (GIP) method.

For example, the display panel 116 may be implemented with a sub-pixel structure including a red sub-pixel (SPr), a green sub-pixel (SPg), and a blue sub-pixel (SPb). That is, one pixel (P) may be composed of RGB sub-pixels (SPr, SPg, SPb). However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may include white sub-pixels in addition to RGB sub-pixels (SPr, SPg, SPb).

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a circuit configuration for a sub-pixel of an organic electroluminescent display device.

At this time, the sub-pixel shown in FIG. 2 is an example of a 2T (Transistor) 1C (Capacitor) structure including a switching transistor, a driving transistor, a capacitor, and an organic light emitting diode. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and when a compensation circuit is added, it can be configured in various ways, such as 3T1C, 4T2C, and 5T2C.

Referring to FIG. 2, the organic electroluminescent display device includes a gate line (GL) arranged in a first direction, a data line (DL) and a driving power line ( A sub-pixel area may be defined by VDDL).

One sub-pixel may include a switching transistor (SW), a driving transistor (DR), a capacitor (Cst), a compensation circuit (CC), and an organic light emitting diode (OLED).

An organic light emitting diode (OLED) can operate to emit light according to a driving current formed by a driving transistor (DR).

The switching transistor SW may perform a switching operation so that the data signal supplied through the data line DL is stored as a data voltage in the capacitor Cst in response to the gate signal supplied through the gate line GL.

The driving transistor (DR) may operate so that a driving current flows between the driving power line (VDDL) and the ground wire (GND) according to the data voltage stored in the capacitor (Cst).

The compensation circuit (CC) can compensate for the threshold voltage of the driving transistor (DR).

The compensation circuit (CC) may be composed of one or more transistors and a capacitor. Since the composition of the compensation circuit (CC) is very diverse, detailed description thereof will be omitted.

The organic electroluminescent display device with such a sub-pixel structure has a top emission method in which light is emitted toward the front depending on the direction in which light is emitted, a bottom emission method in which light is emitted toward the back, and Alternatively, it can be classified into a dual emission method in which light is emitted from both front and back sides. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described light emitting method.

FIG. 3 is a diagram exemplarily showing a cross-sectional structure of an organic electroluminescent display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of the organic electroluminescence display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3 as an example.

At this time, Figures 3 and 4 show an organic electroluminescent display device of the top emission type as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Figure 4 shows a specific cross-section of the panel part, and when viewed from a plan view, the panel part has a plurality of sub-pixels arranged in a matrix form, for example, each sub-pixel is a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel, and a blue sub-pixel. -pixels and white sub-pixels. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

Figure 4 shows an example of a portion of the panel portion for one of the WRGB sub-pixels, with the thin film encapsulation layer omitted for convenience.

Figures 5a and 5b are perspective views illustrating a portion of the lower substrate of the electrochromic panel according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 6a is a diagram illustrating the transparent mode of the electrochromic panel according to the present invention.

Figure 6b is a diagram illustrating the light blocking mode of the electrochromic panel according to the present invention.

Figure 7 is a diagram showing an example of the electrochemical state of an electrochromic material. Figure 6 shows viologen as an example of an electrochromic material.

The organic electroluminescent display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention may largely include a display panel that displays an image and a flexible circuit board connected to the display panel.

The display panel may include a panel portion divided into an active area and a pad area, and a thin film encapsulation layer provided on the panel portion and covering the active area.

First, referring to FIGS. 3 and 4, a panel portion may be disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 110.

The substrate 110 may be glass or a flexible substrate.

Flexible substrates include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene napthalate (PEN), polycarbonate (PC), polyetherimide (PEI), polyethersulphone (PES), and polyimide. Plastics with excellent heat resistance and durability, such as polyimide, can be used as materials. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various flexible materials can be used.

At this time, in the case of a top emission method in which an image is implemented in the opposite direction of the substrate 110, as in the first embodiment of the present invention, the substrate 110 does not necessarily need to be formed of a transparent material.

The active area is formed on the outside of the pixel area (AAa), where multiple sub-pixels are arranged to actually display the image, and the outer area (AAb), which transmits signals applied from the outside into the pixel area (AAa). ) can be distinguished.

At this time, the thin film encapsulation layer 140 may be formed on the panel portion while covering a portion of the pixel portion (AAa) and the outer portion (AAb).

Although not shown in detail, sub-pixels are arranged in a matrix form in the active area, and driving elements such as scan drivers and data drivers for driving the sub-pixels and other components may be located outside the active area.

A panel element 102 may be disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 110 of the pixel portion AAa. For convenience, the term panel element 102 mentioned in this specification refers to an organic light emitting diode and a TFT array for driving the same.

Specifically referring to FIG. 4 , each sub-pixel may include an organic light emitting diode and an electronic device electrically connected to the organic light emitting diode. Electronic devices may include at least two TFTs, storage capacitors, etc. The electronic device is electrically connected to the wiring and can be driven by receiving an electrical signal from a driving device outside the panel unit.

This arrangement of electronic elements and wiring electrically connected to the organic light emitting diode is referred to as a TFT array.

At this time, as an example, in FIG. 4, only the organic light emitting diode for one sub-pixel and the driving TFT for driving the organic light emitting diode are shown. This is only for convenience of explanation, and the present invention is not limited to what is shown, and a number of A TFT, a storage capacitor, and various wiring may be further included.

For example, the driving TFT shown in FIG. 4 is a top gate type, and the active layer 124, gate electrode 121, and source/drain electrodes 122 and 123 are sequentially arranged on the buffer layer 111. It can be. However, the present invention is not limited to the top gate method of the TFT shown, and various types of TFTs may be employed.

As a light emitting device, an organic light emitting diode may include an anode 118, an organic compound layer 130, and a cathode 128.

Although not shown in detail, the organic compound layer 130 may further include various organic layers for efficiently transferring carriers of holes or electrons to the light emitting layer in addition to the light emitting layer that actually emits light.

The organic layers may include a hole injection layer and a hole transport layer located between the anode 118 and the light emitting layer, and an electron injection layer and an electron transport layer located between the cathode 128 and the light emitting layer.

In this way, an anode 118 made of transparent oxide is formed on the TFT array, and an organic compound layer 130 and a cathode 128 may be sequentially disposed on the anode 118.

Based on this structure, the organic light-emitting diode is an organic light-emitting diode in which holes injected from the anode 118 and electrons injected from the cathode 128 combine in the light-emitting layer through a transport layer for each transport, and then move to a low energy level in the light-emitting layer. Light of a wavelength corresponding to the energy difference can be generated.

At this time, as described above, the TFT may basically include a switching transistor (switching TFT) and a driving transistor (driving TFT). The switching transistor is connected to the scan line and the data line, and can transmit the data voltage input to the data line to the driving transistor according to the switching voltage input to the scan line. The storage capacitor is connected to the switching transistor and the power line, and can store the voltage corresponding to the difference between the voltage received from the switching transistor and the voltage supplied to the power line.

The driving transistor is connected to the power line and the storage capacitor and supplies an output current proportional to the square of the difference between the voltage stored in the storage capacitor and the threshold voltage to the organic light emitting diode, and the organic light emitting diode can emit light by the output current.

The driving transistor is composed of an active layer 124, a gate electrode 121, and source/drain electrodes 122 and 123, and the anode 118 of the organic light emitting diode can be connected to the drain electrode 123 of the driving transistor. there is.

As an example, a driving transistor may be formed on the buffer layer 111.

The active layer 124 may be located on the buffer layer 111.

The active layer 124 may be formed of an oxide semiconductor. At this time, when the active layer 124 is formed using an oxide semiconductor, high mobility and constant current test conditions are satisfied, and uniform characteristics are secured, which has the advantage of being applicable to large-area displays.

In addition, interest and activities have recently been focused on transparent electronic circuits. Oxide TFT, which uses an oxide semiconductor as the active layer 124, has the advantage of being used in transparent electronic circuits as it not only has high mobility but can be manufactured at low temperatures. there is.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and in addition to the oxide semiconductor described above, amorphous silicon, polycrystalline silicon obtained by crystallizing amorphous silicon, or organic semiconductor can be used.

The driving transistor may include an active layer 124 and a first insulating layer 115a formed on the substrate 110 on which the active layer 124 is formed. In addition, the driving transistor is formed on the gate electrode 121 formed on the first insulating layer 115a, the second insulating layer 115b formed on the substrate 110 on which the gate electrode 121 is formed, and the second insulating layer 115b. It may include source/drain electrodes 122 and 123 that are electrically connected to the source/drain region of the active layer 124 through the first contact hole.

A third insulating layer 115c may be formed on the substrate 110 on which the driving transistor is formed.

Also, although not shown, a color filter may be formed on the third insulating layer 115c. The color filter of each sub-pixel may have one of red, green, and blue colors. Additionally, in the case of a sub-pixel that implements white, a color filter may not be formed. The red, green, and blue colors can be arranged in various ways, and a black matrix made of a material capable of absorbing external light can be provided between each color filter.

In the case of the back-emitting method, the color filter may be located below the anode 118.

A fourth insulating layer may be formed on the substrate 110 on which the color filter is formed.

The drain electrode 123 of the driving transistor may be electrically connected to the anode 118 through the second contact hole formed in the third insulating layer 115c.

The anode 118 is a transparent conductive material with a relatively large work function value, such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO). It may be made of a reflective conductive material such as aluminum, silver, or an alloy thereof.

A bank 115d may be formed at the boundary of each sub-pixel area on the third insulating layer 115c. That is, the bank 115d has a matrix-shaped lattice structure throughout the substrate 110, surrounds the edge of the anode 118, and may expose a portion of the anode 118.

The organic compound layer 130 of the aforementioned organic light emitting diode may be formed on the anode 118 between the banks 115d. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the organic compound layer 130 of the present invention may be formed on the entire surface of the substrate 110. In this case, the patterning process can be omitted, which has the effect of simplifying the process.

A cathode 128 may be formed on the organic compound layer 130.

The cathode 128 may be made of a material with a relatively low work function value.

The cathode 128 receives a common voltage and is made of a reflective conductive material containing calcium (Ca), barium (Ba), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), etc., or a transparent conductive material such as ITO or IZO. It can be made of material.

A capping layer (not shown) made of an organic material such as a polymer may be formed on the upper part of the substrate 110 on which the cathode 128 is formed over the entire substrate 110 of the pixel portion. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a capping layer may not be formed.

In the case of the front emission method, the capping layer has a specific refractive index and serves to collect light and improve the emission of light, and in the case of the back emission method, it can serve as a buffer for the cathode 128 of the organic light emitting diode.

The capping layer may serve as an optical adjustment layer. The capping layer can increase the reflectance at the interface between the capping layer and the outside by adjusting the difference in refractive index with the outside. By increasing reflectance, the capping layer can exhibit a micro cavity effect at a specific wavelength. At this time, the capping layer may be formed to have a different thickness for each sub-pixel.

Additionally, a thin film encapsulation layer 140 may be formed on the upper surface of the substrate 110 to cover the panel element 102 (see FIG. 3). The organic compound layer 130 of the organic light emitting diode included in the panel device 102 is composed of organic materials and can be easily deteriorated by external moisture or oxygen. Therefore, the panel element 102 must be sealed to protect the organic compound layer 130. The thin film encapsulation layer 140 is a means of sealing the panel element 102 and may be formed by alternating a plurality of inorganic films and organic films. By sealing the panel element 102 with the thin film encapsulation layer 140 instead of the sealing substrate, the organic electroluminescence display device can be made thinner and more flexible. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

At this time, to describe the thin film encapsulation layer 140 in detail, as an example, on the substrate 110 equipped with the panel element 102, a primary protective film 140a, an organic film 140b, and a secondary protective film ( 140c) may be formed in sequence to form the thin film encapsulation layer 140. However, as described above, the number of inorganic films and organic films constituting the thin film encapsulation layer 140 is not limited to this.

In addition, a protective film 147 may be attached to the front of the substrate 110 including the secondary protective film 140c, and an adhesive 146 that is transparent and has adhesive properties is placed between the substrate 110 and the protective film 147. may be included.

The organic electroluminescent display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention configured as described above includes a quarter wave plate 160 and an electrochromic panel 150 sequentially on the display panel 100. It is characterized by being provided. Here, the top of the display panel 100 refers to the top of the protective film 147.

The quarter wave plate 160 is an optically anisotropic thin plate made to generate an optical path difference of λ/4 between two polarization components vibrating in directions perpendicular to each other for transmitted light of wavelength λ. When linearly polarized light is incident perpendicularly to a plate so that the vibration direction of light inside the plate is 45° relative to the vibration direction of the incident light, the transmitted light becomes circularly polarized light. Conversely, it is also used to convert circularly polarized light into linearly polarized light.

The electrochromic panel 150 is a panel that has electrochromic properties.

The electrochromic panel 150 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate 151, a first electrode 152, an electrochromic layer 153, an electrolyte layer 154, a counter layer 155, It may be configured to include a second electrode 156 and a second substrate 157. In the following description, for convenience, the direction on the first substrate 151 refers to the direction from the first substrate 151 to the electrolyte layer 154, and on the second substrate 157 refers to the direction from the second substrate 152 to the electrolyte layer 154. ) is meant to mean direction.

The electrochromic panel 150 according to the first embodiment of the present invention can selectively transmit or block light by using an electrochromic layer 153 that causes an oxidation-reduction reaction by external stimuli such as electricity. .

In particular, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the electrochromic layer 153 along with the first electrode 152 is patterned in a stripe form to serve as a linear polarizer, thereby forming the quarter wave plate 160. It is characterized by implementing a circular polarizer together with.

Referring to FIGS. 5A and 5B, the first electrode 152 and the electrochromic layer 153 of the first embodiment of the present invention may be patterned to be aligned in the vertical direction or parallel to the horizontal direction. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only needs to be patterned side by side in one direction regardless of direction to serve as a linear polarizer.

5A and 5B show an example where the lower part of the first electrode 152 is not patterned and only the upper part is patterned along the electrochromic layer 153. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first electrode ( All of 152) may be patterned along the electrochromic layer 153. Additionally, as described above, the first electrode 152 may be formed on the entire surface of the first substrate 151 without any patterning.

The width and period of the pattern of the electrochromic layer 153 according to the first embodiment of the present invention may vary depending on the desired degree of transmittance, but the minimum size for expressing the polarization effect must be maintained. For example, to express the polarization effect, the width of the pattern may range from about 80 nm to 120 nm, the height may range from about 150 nm to 250 nm, and the period may range from about 150 nm to 250 nm.

Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 4, the electrochromic panel 150 according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be driven to function as a linear polarizer only when necessary. That is, as an example, the electrochromic panel 150 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is characterized by being implemented with a variable polarizer that is driven to function as a linear polarizer only when external light is strong.

While the existing polarizer is fixed at a transmittance of around 45%, the variable electrochromic panel 150 of the present invention allows the transmittance to be adjusted in the range of about 1% to 80%, thereby minimizing the loss of light efficiency of the organic electroluminescent display device. can do.

That is, a typical organic electroluminescent display device uses a single circular polarizer to prevent reflection of external light.

However, since the polarizer has a transmittance of about 45%, it has the disadvantage that the light efficiency of the organic electroluminescent display device can only be achieved at about 40%. In other words, if the transmittance of the polarizer is further increased to prevent reflection of external light, the light efficiency of the organic electroluminescent display device decreases.

In contrast, the electrochromic panel 150 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is used as a linear polarizer by patterning an electrochromic material in the form of a stripe, thereby enabling selective adjustment of transmittance, thereby providing organic electroluminescence display. The loss of optical efficiency of the device can be minimized. In other words, by using an electrochromic material with adjustable transmittance instead of a linear polarizer with a fixed transmittance, it is possible to set a desired mode such as anti-reflection mode (or light blocking mode) or transparent mode depending on the degree of external light. For example, in places where external light is strong, it can be implemented in a light-shielding mode to function similar to an existing polarizer, and in places where external light is weak, such as indoors, it can be implemented in transparent mode.

The first substrate 151 may serve to support and protect various components of the electrochromic panel 150. The first substrate 151 may be made of glass or a flexible plastic material. If the first substrate 151 is made of a plastic material, for example, it may be made of polyimide (PI).

A first electrode 152 may be provided on the first substrate 151.

At this time, the first electrode 152 may have a stripe shape together with the electrochromic layer 153 on its top. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be formed on the entire surface of the first substrate 151 without any patterning.

The first electrode 152 is an electrode for forming an electric field in the electrochromic layer 153 and the electrolyte layer 154.

The first electrode 152 is made of a transparent conductive material, for example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), AZO (Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide), FTO (Fluorine Tin Oxide), and silver-nanowire (AgNW). there is. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first electrode 152 may be made of various transparent conductive materials.

The electrochromic layer 153 may be disposed on the first electrode 152.

Referring to FIGS. 6A and 6B, the electrochromic layer 153 is a color changing layer with electrochromic properties and may include a plurality of electrochromic particles 159 having a core-shell structure. As an example, the electrochromic particles 159 are particles with electrochromic properties and may include transparent conductive particles and an electrochromic film surrounding the transparent conductive particles.

The electrochromic layer 153 may have a stripe shape together with the first electrode 152, and can function as a linear polarizer if finely patterned to 120 nm or less. Accordingly, when the external light is strong, it can replace the role of the existing linear polarizer (see FIG. 6b), and when the external light is weak indoors, it acts in a transmission mode, increasing the light efficiency of the organic electroluminescent display device to about 10% compared to when using the existing linear polarizer. It can be improved by more than 1.5 times (see Figure 6a).

The transparent conductive particle is disposed at the center of the electrochromic particle 159 and may have a spherical shape, for example. As a conductive material, such as transparent conductive particles, is disposed at the center of the electrochromic particles 159, a uniform electric field can be applied to the electrochromic particles 159.

Transparent conductive particles may be made of a transparent conductive material. For example, the transparent conductive particles may be made of a transparent conductive oxide such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide), but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be formed of various transparent conductive materials.

The electrochromic film may be arranged to surround the transparent conductive particles. For reference, an electrochromic film is a film that has electrochromic properties, and is a film in which an oxidation-reduction reaction occurs in response to an external stimulus such as electricity, and the light transmittance changes reversibly accordingly. Specifically, since the π electrons contained in the electrochromic film can move freely to some extent, conductive properties may appear. In addition, when a π bond exists in a polymer chain through π electrons that alternate between single and double bonds along the polymer chain, an oxidation-reduction reaction can occur due to electrical forces. The electrochromic film exhibits delocalization of electron density due to this oxidation-reduction reaction, and as the electronic structure changes, electrochromic properties appear. Therefore, the color of the electrochromic film may change depending on the application of voltage. In other words, the electrochromic film can block or transmit light incident on the electrochromic film.

The electrochromic layer 153 may be composed of only the electrochromic particles 159 without a separate resin in which the electrochromic particles 159 are dispersed. That is, the electrochromic layer 153 may be formed in a form in which a plurality of electrochromic particles 159 are piled on the first electrode 152, rather than in a form in which the electrochromic particles 159 are dispersed in a specific resin. Accordingly, voids may be formed between each electrochromic particle 159. That is, after the dispersion containing the electrochromic particles 159 and the resin is coated on the first electrode 152, the coated dispersion is dried and the remaining materials except the electrochromic particles 159 can be removed. Therefore, only a plurality of electrochromic particles 159 may exist in the electrochromic layer 153. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the electrochromic layer 153 of the present invention may be configured to include a resin and electrochromic particles 159 dispersed within the resin.

The electrochromic panel 150 according to the first embodiment of the present invention can effectively exhibit electrochromism by including a plurality of electrochromic particles 159 having a core-shell structure in the electrochromic layer 153. . If the electrochromic layer 153 does not include a plurality of electrochromic particles 159 having a core-shell structure and is composed of a layer composed of an electrochromic material, the electrochromic layer 153 may not effectively perform a color change effect. You can. For example, when the electrochromic layer 153 includes a plurality of electrochromic particles 159, the exposed surface area of the electrochromic particles 159 is greater than when the electrochromic layer 153 simply includes an electrochromic material. can be increased. On the other hand, when the electrochromic layer 153 is in the shape of a layer containing an electrochromic material, the electrochromic layer 153 is an electrolyte layer (only the area where the electrochromic layer 153 and the electrolyte layer 154 are in contact). 154). Therefore, ions present in the electrochromic layer 154 can be moved to the electrochromic layer 153 only through the surface where the electrochromic layer 153 and the electrolyte layer 154 are in contact. In contrast, in the case of the electrochromic panel 150 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the electrochromic layer 153 includes electrochromic particles 159 of a core-shell structure, thereby exposing the electrochromic material. The surface area of the particles 159 increases, and thus the ions of the electrolyte layer 154 can be effectively combined with the electrochromic particles 159.

At this time, as an example, the thickness of the electrochromic layer 153 may be 2 μm or more and 7 μm or less. If the thickness of the electrochromic layer 153 is less than 2 μm, the electrochromic layer 153 may not include sufficient electrochromic particles 159. Therefore, as the thickness of the electrochromic layer 153 becomes thinner, the electrochromic layer 153 may include a smaller number of electrochromic particles 159, and thus, depending on the color change of the electrochromic particles 159, sufficient It may not have a light blocking effect. Accordingly, the electrochromic panel 150 according to the first embodiment of the present invention has a thickness of the electrochromic layer 153 of 2 μm or more and includes a sufficient number of electrochromic particles 159 to perform color change. You can.

Additionally, if the thickness of the electrochromic layer 153 is greater than 7 μm, the light transmittance of the electrochromic panel 150 may decrease. As the thickness of the electrochromic layer 153 increases, the number of electrochromic particles 159 included in the electrochromic layer 153 may increase. Although the transparent conductive particles of the electrochromic particles 159 are transparent particles, the brightness of the light passing through the transparent conductive particles may be lower than the brightness of the light before passing through the transparent conductive particles. Additionally, the brightness of the light passing through the electrochromic film of the electrochromic particles 159 may be lower than the brightness of the light before passing through. Therefore, as the thickness of the electrochromic layer 153 increases and the number of electrochromic particles 159 increases, the light transmittance of the electrochromic layer 153 may decrease. Accordingly, in the electrochromic panel 150 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the electrochromic layer 153 is formed with a thickness of 7 μm or less, so that the light transmittance of the electrochromic panel 150 can be maintained high.

An electrolyte layer 154 may be disposed on the electrochromic layer 153.

The electrolyte layer 154 is a layer containing a plurality of ions and is a layer through which current can flow due to the charged ions. For example, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the electrolyte layer 154 may include Li+ ions 158.

Ions 158 present in the electrolyte layer 154 may move between the electrolyte layer 154 and the electrochromic layer 153 according to the electric field formed in the electrolyte layer 154.

Referring to FIG. 6b, when an electric field is formed in the direction from the electrolyte layer 154 to the electrochromic layer 153, the ions 158 present in the electrolyte layer 154 reduce the electrochromic film of the electrochromic particles 159. You can do it. Therefore, due to reduction of the electrochromic film, the electrochromic particles 159 may change color and block light. This light-shielding mode can be driven with a voltage of around 1.0V and has an advantage in power consumption because it has bi-stability.

Conversely, when an electric field is formed in the direction from the electrochromic layer 153 to the electrolyte layer 154, referring to FIG. 6A, the ions 158 bound to the electrochromic film are separated from the electrochromic film by oxidation of the electrochromic film, It can move from the electrochromic layer 153 to the electrolyte layer 154. Therefore, due to oxidation of the electrochromic film, the electrochromic particles 159 become transparent and can transmit light. In this transparent mode, the Li+ ions 158 inside the electrolyte layer 154 are spread evenly, and when a reverse voltage of about -0.5V to 1.0V is applied for about 2 to 3 seconds in light-shielding mode, it becomes transparent thereafter. mode can be switched.

At this time, the thickness of the electrolyte layer 154 may be 50 μm or more and 150 μm or less. However, in terms of device thickness, it is desirable for the electrolyte layer 154 to be thin.

When the thickness of the electrolyte layer 154 is 50 μm or more, ionization and recombination of the electrolyte present in the electrolyte layer 154 may be promoted. Specifically, the charged ions 158 included in the electrolyte layer 154 are not permanent materials. The electrolyte constituting the electrolyte layer 154 may be ionized into ions 158, and the ions 158 may be recombined again. At this time, ionization and recombination of the electrolyte do not continue permanently, and the number of electrolytes that can repeat ionization and recombination may decrease over time.

That is, the ratio of ionized and recombined particles among the materials present in the electrolyte layer 154 may decrease with time after the electrolyte layer 154 is formed. Accordingly, the color change characteristic of the electrochromic layer 153 due to the ions 158 may decrease over time. In the first embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the electrolyte layer 154 is formed to be 50 μm or more, so that the color change characteristics of the electrochromic layer 153 can be maintained over time.

The electrochromic layer 153 and electrolyte layer 154 constructed in this way can be manufactured as follows.

As an example, a support made of electrochromic material may be formed on the first electrode 152.

The support for the electrochromic material may have a mixture of TiO ₂ /ITO particles or a TiO ₂ /ITO core-shell structure. The support may be dispersed in an alcohol-based solvent or a mixed solvent.

The dispersion is coated on the first electrode 152 through a spin coater, and the solvent is dried at a temperature of 90°C or higher. Thereafter, ozone treatment may be performed for more than 30 minutes to further form necking between particles.

Afterwards, the electrochromic layer 153 can be patterned using a nano imprinting method. At this time, the core particle has a size of about 10 nm, and fine patterning of 100 nm or less is possible.

As described above, the width and period of the pattern may vary depending on the desired degree of transmittance, but the minimum size for expressing the polarization effect must be maintained. For example, to express the polarization effect, the width of the pattern may range from about 80 nm to 120 nm, the height may range from about 150 nm to 250 nm, and the period may range from about 150 nm to 250 nm.

Afterwards, the electrochromic material can be adsorbed on the surface of the support.

The electrochromic material may include viologen, such as methyl viologen, ethyl viologen, or benzyl viologen. It is used by dissolving it in an alcohol-based solvent, and can be adsorbed through a general dipping method.

Referring to Figure 7, viologen is transparent (V ²⁺ ), or ⁺ , V ⁰ depending on the oxidation-reduction state; (depending on the type of R1 or R2).

Such viologen can be adsorbed on inorganic particles such as TiO ₂ , ITO, and SiO ₂ .

At this time, the electrolyte layer 154 may be composed of Li ion salt, solvent, binder, etc. Li ion salts can be used in a concentration range of 0.5M to 2.0M with anions such as commonly used TFSI series. The solvent facilitates the movement of Li ions, and materials with high boiling points such as ethylene carbonate and propylene carbonate can be used. These solvents can simultaneously act as plasticizers and provide fluidity and elasticity to the polymer membrane.

The light-curing binder material may be a material having a variety of structures having an acrylic group. At this time, the binder material may be polyurethane or polymethyl methacrylate to increase transparency, and the content can be set to 10% to 50% of the total mass depending on the intended use. .

Next, a second substrate 157 may be disposed on the electrolyte layer 154. The second substrate 157 serves to support and protect various components of the electrochromic panel 150. The second substrate 157 may be made of glass or a flexible plastic material.

Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 4, a second electrode 156, which is an opposing electrode to the first electrode 152, may be provided on the front surface of the second substrate 157.

The second electrode 156 may be made of a transparent conductive oxide such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO), but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be made of various transparent conductive materials.

A counter layer 155 may be provided on the second electrode 156.

The counter layer 155 may include a counter material, and the counter material may include, for example, ferrocene series or an application material thereof. This can be coated on the second electrode 156 using a spin coater, etc., and dried for about a few minutes at a temperature of 90°C or higher to volatilize the solvent.

The counter layer 155 can speed up the movement of ions 158 present in the electrolyte layer 154 when an electric field is formed in the electrolyte layer 154. Accordingly, the speed of the oxidation-reduction reaction of the electrochromic film of the electrochromic particles 159 according to the movement of the ions 158 can be increased. Accordingly, the driving speed of the electrochromic panel 150 can be increased.

Meanwhile, although not shown, a dam may be provided between the first substrate 151 and the second substrate 157 to maintain the cell gap. That is, after the outside of the dam is filled with sealant and the inside of the dam is filled with liquid electrolyte, the first substrate 151 and the second substrate 157 can be bonded. Thereafter, the sealant and liquid electrolyte can be cured with UV to complete the manufacture of the electrochromic panel 150.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an anti-reflection mode in the organic electroluminescent display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating a transparent mode in the organic electroluminescent display device according to the first embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4.

First, referring to FIG. 8, when the electrochromic panel 150 is in the light blocking mode, external light is converted into linearly polarized light by the electrochromic panel 150, and then circularly polarized again by the quarter wave plate 160. changes into shape. At this time, the linearly polarized light may have a polarization direction that matches the pattern direction of the electrochromic layer 153.

Afterwards, it is reflected from the electrodes of the display panel 100 and the direction of the circularly polarized light changes. As the light converted in this way passes through the quarter wave plate 160 again, it is converted into linearly polarized light whose phase is changed by 90 degrees and is blocked by the electrochromic panel 150. As the linearly polarized light passes through the quarter wave plate 160, its phase changes to have a polarization direction that is orthogonal to the pattern direction of the electrochromic layer 153.

That is, when the external light is strong, if the electrochromic panel 150 is driven in the anti-reflection mode, an external light reflection (blocking) effect can be obtained.

Next, referring to FIG. 9, in the transparent mode, the polarizing role of the electrochromic panel 150 is eliminated, so the image of the display panel 100 can be viewed as is.

That is, when the external light is weak, the electrochromic panel 150 is operated in a transparent mode, thereby maximizing the light efficiency of the display panel 100.

The transmittance and reflectance of the organic electroluminescent display device of the first embodiment of the present invention and the comparative example equipped with a general polarizer under the same conditions are as follows.

First, in the case of a comparative example equipped with a general polarizer, it can be seen that the reflectance in anti-reflection mode is about 4% and the transmittance in transparent mode is about 40%.

Next, the organic electroluminescent display device of the first embodiment of the present invention equipped with an electrochromic panel with a variable polarization function has a reflectance of about 4% in anti-reflection mode and a transmittance of about 70% in transparent mode, as shown in the comparative example. It can be seen that there is an improvement compared to . That is, in transparent mode, light loss from the light source of the organic light-emitting diode can be prevented as much as possible, and in anti-reflection mode, it can perform the same role as a conventional linear polarizer.

Additionally, in this case, it can be seen that the response speed between mode switches is excellent, within about 1 s.

Meanwhile, the electrochromic panel 150 according to the first embodiment of the present invention described above is characterized in that the first electrode 152 is patterned together with the electrochromic layer 153. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first electrode 152 may be formed on the entire surface of the first substrate 151 without any patterning, which will be described in detail through the second embodiment of the present invention below.

FIG. 10 is a diagram exemplarily showing a cross-sectional structure of an organic electroluminescent display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of the organic electroluminescent display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 10 as an example.

10 and 11 show an example of a top-emission organic electroluminescent display device, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Figure 11 shows a specific cross-section of the panel unit, and when viewed from a plan view, the panel unit has a plurality of sub-pixels arranged in a matrix form. For example, each sub-pixel is a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel, and a blue sub-pixel. -pixels and white sub-pixels. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a portion of the panel for one of the WRGB sub-pixels, with the thin film encapsulation layer omitted for convenience.

Figures 12a and 12b are perspective views illustrating a portion of the lower substrate of the electrochromic panel according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

The organic electroluminescent display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention may largely include a display panel that displays an image and a flexible circuit board connected to the display panel.

The display panel may include a panel portion divided into an active area and a pad area, and a thin film encapsulation layer provided on the panel portion and covering the active area.

First, referring to FIGS. 10 and 11 , a panel portion may be disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 210.

The substrate 210 may be glass or a flexible substrate.

At this time, in the case of a top emission method in which an image is implemented in the opposite direction of the substrate 210, as in the second embodiment of the present invention, the substrate 210 does not necessarily need to be formed of a transparent material.

The active area is formed on the outside of the pixel area (AAa), where multiple sub-pixels are arranged to actually display the image, and the outer area (AAb), which transmits signals applied from the outside into the pixel area (AAa). ) can be distinguished.

At this time, the thin film encapsulation layer 240 may be formed on the panel portion while covering a portion of the pixel portion (AAa) and the outer portion (AAb).

Although not shown in detail, sub-pixels are arranged in a matrix form in the active area, and driving elements such as scan drivers and data drivers for driving the sub-pixels and other components may be located outside the active area.

A panel element 202 may be disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 210 of the pixel portion AAa. For convenience, the term panel element 202 mentioned in this specification refers to an organic light emitting diode and a TFT array for driving the same.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 11, each sub-pixel may include an organic light emitting diode and an electronic device electrically connected to the organic light emitting diode. Electronic devices may include at least two TFTs, storage capacitors, etc. The electronic device is electrically connected to the wiring and can be driven by receiving an electrical signal from a driving device outside the panel unit.

This arrangement of electronic elements and wiring electrically connected to the organic light emitting diode is referred to as a TFT array.

At this time, as an example, in FIG. 11, only the organic light emitting diode for one sub-pixel and the driving TFT for driving the organic light emitting diode are shown. This is only for convenience of explanation, and the present invention is not limited to what is shown, and a number of A TFT, a storage capacitor, and various wiring may be further included.

For example, the driving TFT shown in FIG. 11 is a top gate type, and the active layer 224, gate electrode 221, and source/drain electrodes 222 and 223 are sequentially arranged on the buffer layer 211. It can be. However, the present invention is not limited to the top gate method of the TFT shown, and various types of TFTs may be employed.

As a light emitting device, an organic light emitting diode may include an anode 218, an organic compound layer 230, and a cathode 228.

Although not shown in detail, the organic compound layer 230 may further include various organic layers for efficiently transferring carriers of holes or electrons to the light emitting layer in addition to the light emitting layer that actually emits light.

The organic layers may include a hole injection layer and a hole transport layer located between the anode 218 and the light emitting layer, and an electron injection layer and an electron transport layer located between the cathode 228 and the light emitting layer.

In this way, an anode 218 made of transparent oxide is formed on the TFT array, and an organic compound layer 230 and a cathode 228 may be sequentially disposed on the anode 218.

Based on this structure, the organic light-emitting diode is an organic light-emitting diode in which holes injected from the anode 218 and electrons injected from the cathode 228 combine in the light-emitting layer through a transport layer for each transport, and then move to a low energy level in the light-emitting layer. Light of a wavelength corresponding to the energy difference can be generated.

At this time, as described above, the TFT may basically include a switching transistor (switching TFT) and a driving transistor (driving TFT). The switching transistor is connected to the scan line and the data line, and can transmit the data voltage input to the data line to the driving transistor according to the switching voltage input to the scan line. The storage capacitor is connected to the switching transistor and the power line, and can store the voltage corresponding to the difference between the voltage received from the switching transistor and the voltage supplied to the power line.

The driving transistor is connected to the power line and the storage capacitor and supplies an output current proportional to the square of the difference between the voltage stored in the storage capacitor and the threshold voltage to the organic light emitting diode, and the organic light emitting diode can emit light by the output current.

The driving transistor is composed of an active layer 224, a gate electrode 221, and source/drain electrodes 222 and 223, and the anode 218 of the organic light emitting diode can be connected to the drain electrode 223 of the driving transistor. there is.

As an example, a driving transistor may be formed on the buffer layer 211.

An active layer 224 may be located on the buffer layer 211.

The active layer 224 may be formed of an oxide semiconductor.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and in addition to the oxide semiconductor described above, amorphous silicon, polycrystalline silicon obtained by crystallizing amorphous silicon, or organic semiconductor can be used.

The driving transistor may include an active layer 224 and a first insulating layer 215a formed on the substrate 210 on which the active layer 224 is formed. In addition, the driving transistor is formed on the gate electrode 221 formed on the first insulating layer 215a, the second insulating layer 215b formed on the substrate 210 on which the gate electrode 221 is formed, and the second insulating layer 215b. may include source/drain electrodes 222 and 223 that are electrically connected to the source/drain region of the active layer 224 through the first contact hole.

A third insulating layer 215c may be formed on the substrate 210 on which the driving transistor is formed.

Also, although not shown, a color filter may be formed on the third insulating layer 215c. The color filter of each sub-pixel may have one of red, green, and blue colors. Additionally, in the case of a sub-pixel that implements white, a color filter may not be formed. The red, green, and blue colors can be arranged in various ways, and a black matrix made of a material capable of absorbing external light can be provided between each color filter.

In the case of the back-emitting method, the color filter may be located below the anode 218.

A fourth insulating layer may be formed on the substrate 210 on which the color filter is formed.

The drain electrode 223 of the driving transistor may be electrically connected to the anode 218 through the second contact hole formed in the third insulating layer 215c.

The anode 218 is a transparent conductive material with a relatively large work function value, such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO). It may be made of a reflective conductive material such as aluminum, silver, or an alloy thereof.

A bank 215d may be formed at the boundary of each sub-pixel area on the third insulating layer 215c. That is, the bank 215d has a matrix-shaped lattice structure throughout the substrate 210, surrounds the edge of the anode 218, and may expose a portion of the anode 218.

The organic compound layer 230 of the aforementioned organic light emitting diode may be formed on the anode 218 between the banks 215d. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the organic compound layer 230 of the present invention may be formed on the entire surface of the substrate 210. In this case, the patterning process can be omitted, which has the effect of simplifying the process.

A cathode 228 may be formed on the organic compound layer 230.

The cathode 228 may be made of a material with a relatively low work function value.

The cathode 228 receives a common voltage and is made of a reflective conductive material containing calcium (Ca), barium (Ba), magnesium (Mg), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), etc., or a transparent conductive material such as ITO or IZO. It can be made of material.

A capping layer (not shown) made of an organic material such as a polymer may be formed on the substrate 210 on which the cathode 228 is formed over the entire substrate 210 of the pixel portion. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a capping layer may not be formed.

Additionally, a thin film encapsulation layer 240 may be formed on the upper surface of the substrate 210 to cover the panel element 202 (see FIG. 10).

At this time, to describe the thin film encapsulation layer 240 in detail, as an example, on the substrate 210 equipped with the panel element 202, a primary protective film 240a, an organic film 240b, and a secondary protective film ( 240c) may be formed sequentially to form the thin film encapsulation layer 240. However, as described above, the number of inorganic films and organic films constituting the thin film encapsulation layer 240 is not limited to this.

In addition, a protective film 247 may be attached to the front of the substrate 210 including the secondary protective film 240c, and an adhesive 246 that is transparent and has adhesive properties is placed between the substrate 210 and the protective film 247. may be included.

The organic electroluminescent display device according to the second embodiment of the present invention configured as described above includes a quarter wave plate 260 and an electrochromic panel 250 sequentially on the display panel 200. It is characterized by being provided. Here, the top of the display panel 200 refers to the top of the protective film 247.

The electrochromic panel 250 is a panel that has electrochromic properties.

The electrochromic panel 250 according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate 251, a first electrode 252, an electrochromic layer 253, an electrolyte layer 254, a counter layer 255, It may be configured to include a second electrode 256 and a second substrate 257. In the following description, for convenience, the direction on the first substrate 251 refers to the direction from the first substrate 251 to the electrolyte layer 254, and on the second substrate 257 refers to the direction from the second substrate 252 to the electrolyte layer 254. ) is meant to mean direction.

The electrochromic panel 250 according to the second embodiment of the present invention can selectively transmit or block light by using the electrochromic layer 253, which causes an oxidation-reduction reaction by external stimuli such as electricity. .

In particular, in the second embodiment of the present invention, unlike the first embodiment of the present invention described above, only the electrochromic layer 253 is patterned in the form of a stripe to serve as a linear polarizer, thereby producing a polarizer with a quarter wavelength. It is characterized by implementing a circular polarizer together with the plate 260.

Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B, the electrochromic layer 253 according to the second embodiment of the present invention may be patterned vertically or horizontally. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only needs to be patterned side by side in one direction regardless of direction to serve as a linear polarizer.

At this time, the first electrode 252 may be formed on the entire surface of the first substrate 251 without any patterning.

The width and period of the pattern of the electrochromic layer 253 according to the second embodiment of the present invention may vary depending on the desired degree of transmittance, but the minimum size for expressing the polarization effect must be maintained. For example, to express the polarization effect, the width of the pattern may range from about 80 nm to 120 nm, the height may range from about 150 nm to 250 nm, and the period may range from about 150 nm to 250 nm.

Referring again to FIGS. 10 and 11, the electrochromic panel 250 according to the second embodiment of the present invention can be driven to serve as a linear polarizer only when necessary, in the same manner as the first embodiment of the present invention described above. there is.

That is, the electrochromic panel 250 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is used as a linear polarizer by finely patterning the electrochromic material in the form of a stripe, thereby enabling selective adjustment of transmittance, thereby producing organic electroluminescence. The loss of light efficiency of the display device can be minimized. In other words, by using an electrochromic material with adjustable transmittance instead of a linear polarizer with a fixed transmittance, it is possible to set a desired mode such as anti-reflection mode (or light blocking mode) or transparent mode depending on the degree of external light. For example, in places where external light is strong, it can be implemented in a light-shielding mode to function similar to an existing polarizer, and in places where external light is weak, such as indoors, it can be implemented in transparent mode.

The first substrate 251 may serve to support and protect various components of the electrochromic panel 250. The first substrate 251 may be made of glass or a flexible plastic material. If the first substrate 251 is made of a plastic material, for example, it may be made of polyimide (PI).

A first electrode 252 may be provided on the first substrate 251.

At this time, the first electrode 252 may be formed on the entire surface of the first substrate 251 without any patterning.

The first electrode 252 is an electrode for forming an electric field in the electrochromic layer 253 and the electrolyte layer 254.

The first electrode 252 is made of a transparent conductive material, for example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), AZO (Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide), FTO (Fluorine Tin Oxide), and silver-nanowire (AgNW). there is. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first electrode 252 may be made of various transparent conductive materials.

An electrochromic layer 253 may be disposed on the first electrode 252.

The electrochromic layer 253 is a color changing layer with electrochromic properties and may include a plurality of electrochromic particles having a core-shell structure. As an example, electrochromic particles are particles with electrochromic properties and may include transparent conductive particles and an electrochromic film surrounding the transparent conductive particles. Since the electrochromic layer 253 is substantially the same as the first embodiment of the present invention described above, detailed description is omitted.

The electrochromic layer 253 may have a stripe shape and can function as a linear polarizer if finely patterned to 120 nm or less. Accordingly, when the external light is strong, it can replace the role of the existing linear polarizer, and when the external light is weak indoors, it acts as a transmission mode, improving the light efficiency of the organic electroluminescent display device to about 1.5 times or more than when using the existing linear polarizer. You can do it.

The transparent conductive particle is disposed at the center of the electrochromic particle and may, for example, be spherical in shape. As a conductive material, such as transparent conductive particles, is placed in the center of the electrochromic particles, a uniform electric field can be applied to the electrochromic particles.

Transparent conductive particles may be made of a transparent conductive material. For example, the transparent conductive particles may be made of a transparent conductive oxide such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide), but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be formed of various transparent conductive materials.

The electrochromic film may be arranged to surround transparent conductive particles.

The electrochromic layer 253 may be composed of only electrochromic particles without a separate resin in which the electrochromic particles are dispersed. That is, the electrochromic layer 253 may be formed in a form in which a plurality of electrochromic particles are piled on the first electrode 252, rather than in a form where the electrochromic particles are dispersed in a specific resin. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the electrochromic layer 253 of the present invention may be configured to include a resin and electrochromic particles dispersed within the resin.

The electrochromic panel 250 according to the second embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of electrochromic particles having a core-shell structure in the electrochromic layer 253.

At this time, for example, the thickness of the electrochromic layer 253 may be 2 μm or more and 7 μm or less.

An electrolyte layer 254 may be disposed on the electrochromic layer 253.

The electrolyte layer 254 is a layer containing a plurality of ions and is a layer through which current can flow due to the charged ions. For example, the electrolyte layer 254 may include Li+ ions.

Ions 258 present in the electrolyte layer 254 may move between the electrolyte layer 254 and the electrochromic layer 253 according to the electric field formed in the electrolyte layer 254.

At this time, the thickness of the electrolyte layer 254 may be 50 μm or more and 150 μm or less. However, in terms of device thickness, it is desirable for the electrolyte layer 254 to be thin.

Next, a second substrate 257 may be disposed on the electrolyte layer 254. The second substrate 257 serves to support and protect various components of the electrochromic panel 250. The second substrate 257 may be made of glass or a flexible plastic material.

A second electrode 256, which is an opposing electrode to the first electrode 252, may be provided on the front surface of the second substrate 257.

The second electrode 256 may be made of a transparent conductive oxide such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO), but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be made of various transparent conductive materials.

A counter layer 255 may be provided on the second electrode 256.

The counter layer 255 may include a counter material, and the counter material may include, for example, ferrocene series or an application material thereof.

The counter layer 255 can speed up the movement of ions present in the electrolyte layer 254 when an electric field is formed in the electrolyte layer 254. Therefore, the speed of the oxidation-reduction reaction of the electrochromic film of the electrochromic particles due to the movement of ions can be increased. Accordingly, the driving speed of the electrochromic panel 250 can be increased.

Meanwhile, although not shown, a dam may be provided between the first substrate 251 and the second substrate 257 to maintain the cell gap. That is, after the outside of the dam is filled with sealant and the inside of the dam is filled with liquid electrolyte, the first substrate 251 and the second substrate 257 can be bonded. Thereafter, the sealant and the liquid electrolyte can be cured with UV to complete the manufacture of the electrochromic panel 250.

Meanwhile, the organic electroluminescent display devices according to the first and second embodiments of the present invention described above are configured in a top-emitting manner as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The organic electroluminescent display device of the present invention may be configured in a back-emitting manner, and this will be described in detail through the third embodiment of the present invention below.

FIG. 13 is a diagram exemplarily showing a cross-sectional structure of an organic electroluminescent display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion of the organic electroluminescent display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 13 as an example.

13 and 14 show an example of a back-emitting organic electroluminescent display device, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the organic electroluminescent display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 13 and 14 has substantially the same configuration as the first embodiment of the present invention described above, except for the back emission method.

Figure 14 shows a specific cross-section of the panel part, and when viewed from a plan view, the panel part has a plurality of sub-pixels arranged in a matrix form. For example, each sub-pixel is a red sub-pixel, a green sub-pixel, and a blue sub-pixel. -pixels and white sub-pixels. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

FIG. 14 shows an example of a portion of the panel for one of the WRGB sub-pixels, with the thin film encapsulation layer omitted for convenience.

The organic electroluminescent display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention may largely include a display panel that displays an image and a flexible circuit board connected to the display panel.

The display panel may include a panel portion divided into an active area and a pad area, and a thin film encapsulation layer provided on the panel portion and covering the active area.

Referring to FIGS. 13 and 14 , a panel portion may be disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 310.

The substrate 310 may be glass or a flexible substrate.

Flexible substrates include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene napthalate (PEN), polycarbonate (PC), polyetherimide (PEI), polyethersulphone (PES), and polyimide. Plastics with excellent heat resistance and durability, such as polyimide, can be used as materials. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various flexible materials can be used.

At this time, in the case of a back-emitting method in which an image is implemented in the direction of the substrate 310, as in the third embodiment of the present invention, the substrate 310 must be made of a transparent material.

The active area is formed on the outside of the pixel area (AAa), where multiple sub-pixels are arranged to actually display the image, and the outer area (AAb), which transmits signals applied from the outside into the pixel area (AAa). ) can be distinguished.

At this time, the thin film encapsulation layer 340 may be formed on the panel portion while covering a portion of the pixel portion (AAa) and the outer portion (AAb).

Although not shown in detail, sub-pixels are arranged in a matrix form in the active area, and driving elements such as scan drivers and data drivers for driving the sub-pixels and other components may be located outside the active area.

A panel element 302 may be disposed on the upper surface of the substrate 310 of the pixel portion AAa. For convenience, the term panel element 302 mentioned in this specification refers to an organic light emitting diode and a TFT array for driving the same.

Specifically, referring to FIG. 14, each sub-pixel may include an organic light emitting diode and an electronic device electrically connected to the organic light emitting diode. Electronic devices may include at least two TFTs, storage capacitors, etc. The electronic device is electrically connected to the wiring and can be driven by receiving an electrical signal from a driving device outside the panel unit.

This arrangement of electronic elements and wiring electrically connected to the organic light emitting diode is referred to as a TFT array.

At this time, as an example, in Figure 14, only the organic light emitting diode for one sub-pixel and the driving TFT for driving the organic light emitting diode are shown. This is only for convenience of explanation, and the present invention is not limited to what is shown, and a number of A TFT, a storage capacitor, and various wiring may be further included.

For example, the driving TFT shown in FIG. 14 is a top gate type, and the active layer 324, gate electrode 321, and source/drain electrodes 322 and 323 are sequentially arranged on the buffer layer 311. It can be. However, the present invention is not limited to the top gate method of the TFT shown, and various types of TFTs may be employed.

As a light emitting device, an organic light emitting diode may include an anode 318, an organic compound layer 330, and a cathode 328.

Although not shown in detail, the organic compound layer 330 may further include various organic layers for efficiently transferring carriers of holes or electrons to the light emitting layer in addition to the light emitting layer that actually emits light.

The organic layers may include a hole injection layer and a hole transport layer located between the anode 318 and the light emitting layer, and an electron injection layer and an electron transport layer located between the cathode 328 and the light emitting layer.

In this way, an anode 318 made of transparent oxide is formed on the TFT array, and an organic compound layer 330 and a cathode 328 may be sequentially disposed on the anode 318.

Based on this structure, the organic light-emitting diode is an organic light-emitting diode in which holes injected from the anode 318 and electrons injected from the cathode 328 combine in the light-emitting layer via a transport layer for each transport, and then move to a low energy level in the light-emitting layer. Light of a wavelength corresponding to the energy difference can be generated.

At this time, as described above, the TFT may basically include a switching transistor (switching TFT) and a driving transistor (driving TFT). The switching transistor is connected to the scan line and the data line, and can transmit the data voltage input to the data line to the driving transistor according to the switching voltage input to the scan line. The storage capacitor is connected to the switching transistor and the power line, and can store the voltage corresponding to the difference between the voltage received from the switching transistor and the voltage supplied to the power line.

The driving transistor is connected to the power line and the storage capacitor and supplies an output current proportional to the square of the difference between the voltage stored in the storage capacitor and the threshold voltage to the organic light emitting diode, and the organic light emitting diode can emit light by the output current.

The driving transistor is composed of an active layer 324, a gate electrode 321, and source/drain electrodes 322 and 323, and the anode 318 of the organic light-emitting diode can be connected to the drain electrode 323 of the driving transistor. there is.

As an example, a driving transistor may be formed on the buffer layer 311.

An active layer 324 may be located on the buffer layer 311.

The active layer 324 may be formed of an oxide semiconductor.

However, the present invention is not limited to this, and in addition to the oxide semiconductor described above, amorphous silicon, polycrystalline silicon obtained by crystallizing amorphous silicon, or organic semiconductor can be used.

The driving transistor may include an active layer 324 and a first insulating layer 315a formed on the substrate 310 on which the active layer 324 is formed. In addition, the driving transistor is formed on the gate electrode 321 formed on the first insulating layer 315a, the second insulating layer 315b formed on the substrate 310 on which the gate electrode 321 is formed, and the second insulating layer 315b. It may include source/drain electrodes 322 and 323 that are electrically connected to the source/drain region of the active layer 324 through the first contact hole.

A third insulating layer 315c may be formed on the substrate 310 on which the driving transistor is formed.

Also, although not shown, a color filter may be formed on the third insulating layer 315c. The color filter of each sub-pixel may have one of red, green, and blue colors. Additionally, in the case of a sub-pixel that implements white, a color filter may not be formed. The red, green, and blue colors can be arranged in various ways, and a black matrix made of a material capable of absorbing external light can be provided between each color filter.

In the case of the back-emitting method, the color filter may be located below the anode 318.

A fourth insulating layer may be formed on the substrate 310 on which the color filter is formed.

The drain electrode 323 of the driving transistor may be electrically connected to the anode 318 through the second contact hole formed in the third insulating layer 315c.

The anode 318 is a transparent conductive material with a relatively large work function value, for example, a metal oxide such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO), a metal and It may be made of a mixture of oxides, poly(3-methylthiophene), poly[3,4-(ethylene-1,2-dioxy)thiophene] (PEDT), conductive polymers of polypyrrole and polyaniline, etc. Additionally, it may be made of carbon nanotubes (CNT), graphene, silver nanowire, etc.

A bank 315d may be formed at the boundary of each sub-pixel area on the third insulating layer 315c. That is, the bank 315d has a matrix-shaped lattice structure throughout the substrate 310, surrounds the edge of the anode 318, and may expose a portion of the anode 318.

The organic compound layer 330 of the aforementioned organic light emitting diode may be formed on the anode 318 between the banks 315d. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the organic compound layer 330 of the present invention may be formed on the entire surface of the substrate 310. In this case, the patterning process can be omitted, which has the effect of simplifying the process.

A cathode 328 may be formed on the organic compound layer 330.

The cathode 328 may be made of a material with a relatively low work function value.

In the case of the back-emitting method, the cathode 328 may be composed of a single layer or multiple layers of an alloy composed of a first metal, such as Ag, etc., and a second metal, such as Mg, in a certain ratio.

A capping layer (not shown) made of an organic material such as a polymer may be formed on the substrate 310 on which the cathode 328 is formed over the entire substrate 310 of the pixel portion. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a capping layer may not be formed.

Additionally, a thin film encapsulation layer 340 may be formed on the upper surface of the substrate 310 to cover the panel element 302 (see FIG. 13).

At this time, to describe the thin film encapsulation layer 340 in detail, as an example, on the substrate 310 equipped with the panel element 302, a primary protective film 340a, an organic film 340b, and a secondary protective film ( 340c) may be formed sequentially to form the thin film encapsulation layer 340. However, as described above, the number of inorganic films and organic films constituting the thin film encapsulation layer 340 is not limited to this.

In addition, a protective film 347 may be attached to the front of the substrate 310 including the secondary protective film 340c, and an adhesive 346 that is transparent and has adhesive properties is placed between the substrate 310 and the protective film 347. may be included.

The organic electroluminescent display device according to the third embodiment of the present invention configured as described above includes a quarter wave plate 360 and an electrochromic panel 350 in order at the bottom of the display panel 300. It is characterized by being provided. Here, the lower part of the display panel 300 refers to the lower part of the substrate 110.

The electrochromic panel 350 is a panel that has electrochromic properties.

The electrochromic panel 350 according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate 351, a first electrode 352, an electrochromic layer 353, an electrolyte layer 354, a counter layer 355, It may be configured to include a second electrode 356 and a second substrate 357. In the following description, for convenience, the direction on the first substrate 351 refers to the direction from the first substrate 351 to the electrolyte layer 354, and on the second substrate 357 refers to the direction from the second substrate 352 to the electrolyte layer 354. ) is meant to mean direction.

The electrochromic panel 350 according to the third embodiment of the present invention can selectively transmit or block light by using an electrochromic layer 353 that causes an oxidation-reduction reaction by external stimuli such as electricity. .

In particular, in the third embodiment of the present invention, in the same manner as the first embodiment of the present invention described above, the electrochromic layer 353 along with the first electrode 352 is patterned in the form of a stripe to serve as a linear polarizer. It is characterized by implementing a circular polarizer together with the quarter wave plate 360 by doing so.

The electrochromic layer 353 according to the third embodiment of the present invention may be patterned vertically side by side or horizontally side by side with the first electrode 352. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and only needs to be patterned side by side in one direction regardless of direction to serve as a linear polarizer.

The width and period of the pattern of the electrochromic layer 353 according to the third embodiment of the present invention may vary depending on the desired degree of transmittance, but the minimum size for expressing the polarization effect must be maintained. For example, to express the polarization effect, the width of the pattern may range from about 80 nm to 120 nm, the height may range from about 150 nm to 250 nm, and the period may range from about 150 nm to 250 nm.

The electrochromic panel 350 according to the third embodiment of the present invention, like the first and second embodiments of the present invention described above, can be driven to serve as a linear polarizer only when necessary.

That is, the electrochromic panel 350 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is used as a linear polarizer by finely patterning the electrochromic material in the form of a stripe, thereby enabling selective adjustment of transmittance, thereby producing organic electroluminescence. The loss of light efficiency of the display device can be minimized. In other words, by using an electrochromic material with adjustable transmittance instead of a linear polarizer with a fixed transmittance, it is possible to set a desired mode such as anti-reflection mode (or light blocking mode) or transparent mode depending on the degree of external light. For example, in places where external light is strong, it can be implemented in a light-shielding mode to function similar to an existing polarizer, and in places where external light is weak, such as indoors, it can be implemented in transparent mode.

The first substrate 351 may serve to support and protect various components of the electrochromic panel 350. The first substrate 351 may be made of glass or a flexible plastic material. If the first substrate 351 is made of a plastic material, for example, it may be made of polyimide (PI).

A first electrode 352 may be provided on the first substrate 351.

At this time, the first electrode 352 may be formed on the entire surface of the first substrate 351 without any patterning.

The first electrode 352 is an electrode for forming an electric field in the electrochromic layer 353 and the electrolyte layer 354.

The first electrode 352 is made of a transparent conductive material, for example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), AZO (Aluminum doped Zinc Oxide), FTO (Fluorine Tin Oxide), and silver-nanowire (AgNW). there is. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the first electrode 352 may be made of various transparent conductive materials.

An electrochromic layer 353 may be disposed on the first electrode 352.

The electrochromic layer 353 is a color changing layer with electrochromic properties and may include a plurality of electrochromic particles having a core-shell structure. As an example, electrochromic particles are particles with electrochromic properties and may include transparent conductive particles and an electrochromic film surrounding the transparent conductive particles. Since the electrochromic layer 353 is substantially the same as the first and second embodiments of the present invention described above, detailed description is omitted.

The electrochromic layer 353 may have a stripe shape and, if finely patterned to 120 nm or less, may function as a linear polarizer. Accordingly, when the external light is strong, it can replace the role of the existing linear polarizer, and when the external light is weak indoors, it acts as a transmission mode, improving the light efficiency of the organic electroluminescent display device to about 1.5 times or more than when using the existing linear polarizer. You can do it.

The transparent conductive particle is disposed at the center of the electrochromic particle and may, for example, be spherical in shape. As a conductive material, such as transparent conductive particles, is placed in the center of the electrochromic particles, a uniform electric field can be applied to the electrochromic particles.

Transparent conductive particles may be made of a transparent conductive material. For example, the transparent conductive particles may be made of a transparent conductive oxide such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide), but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be formed of various transparent conductive materials.

The electrochromic film may be arranged to surround transparent conductive particles.

The electrochromic layer 353 may be composed of only electrochromic particles without a separate resin in which the electrochromic particles are dispersed. That is, the electrochromic layer 353 may be formed in a form in which a plurality of electrochromic particles are piled on the first electrode 352, rather than in a form where the electrochromic particles are dispersed in a specific resin. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the electrochromic layer 353 of the present invention may be configured to include a resin and electrochromic particles dispersed within the resin.

The electrochromic panel 350 according to the third embodiment of the present invention may include a plurality of electrochromic particles having a core-shell structure in the electrochromic layer 353.

At this time, for example, the thickness of the electrochromic layer 353 may be 2 μm or more and 7 μm or less.

An electrolyte layer 354 may be disposed on the electrochromic layer 353.

The electrolyte layer 354 is a layer containing a plurality of ions and is a layer through which current can flow due to the charged ions. For example, the electrolyte layer 354 may include Li+ ions.

Ions 358 present in the electrolyte layer 354 may move between the electrolyte layer 354 and the electrochromic layer 353 according to the electric field formed in the electrolyte layer 354.

At this time, the thickness of the electrolyte layer 354 may be 50 μm or more and 150 μm or less. However, in terms of device thickness, it is desirable for the electrolyte layer 354 to be thin.

Next, a second substrate 357 may be disposed on the electrolyte layer 354. The second substrate 357 serves to support and protect various components of the electrochromic panel 350. The second substrate 357 may be made of glass or a flexible plastic material.

A second electrode 356, which is an opposing electrode to the first electrode 352, may be provided on the front surface of the second substrate 357.

The second electrode 356 may be made of a transparent conductive oxide such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO), but the present invention is not limited thereto and may be made of various transparent conductive materials.

A counter layer 355 may be provided on the second electrode 356.

The counter layer 355 may include a counter material, and the counter material may include, for example, ferrocene series or an application material thereof.

The counter layer 355 can speed up the movement of ions present in the electrolyte layer 354 when an electric field is formed in the electrolyte layer 354. Therefore, the speed of the oxidation-reduction reaction of the electrochromic film of the electrochromic particles due to the movement of ions can be increased. Accordingly, the driving speed of the electrochromic panel 350 can be increased.

Meanwhile, although not shown, a dam may be provided between the first substrate 351 and the second substrate 357 to maintain the cell gap. That is, after the outside of the dam is filled with sealant and the inside of the dam is filled with liquid electrolyte, the first substrate 351 and the second substrate 357 can be bonded. Thereafter, the sealant and liquid electrolyte can be cured with UV to complete the manufacture of the electrochromic panel 350.

Organic electroluminescent display devices according to embodiments of the present invention can be described as follows.

An organic electroluminescent display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a display panel that displays an image, an electrochromic panel disposed outside the display panel, and a quarter disposed between the display panel and the electrochromic panel. The electrochromic panel includes a wave plate, and the electrochromic layer having a plurality of stripe patterns in one direction may be implemented as a variable polarizer.

According to another feature of the present invention, the electrochromic panel includes a first substrate, a first electrode on the first substrate, the electrochromic layer on the first electrode, a second substrate facing the first substrate, It may include a second electrode on the second substrate, a counter layer on the second electrode, and an electrolyte layer between the first substrate and the second substrate.

According to another feature of the present invention, the first electrode may have a plurality of stripe patterns together with the electrochromic layer.

According to another feature of the present invention, the first electrode and the electrochromic layer may be vertically side by side or horizontally side by side.

According to another feature of the present invention, the lower portion of the first electrode may not be patterned and only the upper portion may have a stripe pattern along the electrochromic layer.

According to another feature of the present invention, the first electrode may be disposed on the entire surface of the first substrate without patterning.

According to another feature of the present invention, the multiple stripe patterns of the electrochromic layer may have a width in the range of 80 nm to 120 nm, a height in the range of 150 nm to 250 nm, and a period in the range of 150 nm to 250 nm. .

According to another feature of the present invention, the electrochromic panel can be implemented as the variable polarizer by being driven to function as a linear polarizer only when external light is relatively strong.

According to another feature of the present invention, the electrochromic layer may be composed of a support and an electrochromic material adsorbed on the support.

According to another feature of the present invention, the support may have a mixture of TiO ₂ /ITO particles or a TiO ₂ /ITO core-shell structure.

According to another feature of the present invention, the support may be dispersed in an alcohol-based solvent or a mixed solvent.

According to another feature of the present invention, the electrochromic material may include viologen.

According to another feature of the present invention, the electrolyte layer may be composed of Li ion salt, solvent, and binder.

According to another feature of the present invention, the counter layer includes a counter material, and the counter material may include a ferrocene series or an application material thereof.

According to another feature of the present invention, the organic electroluminescent display device may further include a dam provided between the first substrate and the second substrate to maintain a cell gap.

According to another feature of the present invention, a sealant may be provided on the outside of the dam, and the electrolyte layer may be provided inside the dam.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not necessarily limited to these embodiments, and various modifications may be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. . Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed in the present invention are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present invention, but are for illustrative purposes, and the scope of the technical idea of the present invention is not limited by these embodiments. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive. The scope of protection of the present invention should be interpreted in accordance with the claims below, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be construed as being included in the scope of rights of the present invention.

100, 200, 300: Display panel
150, 250, 350: Electrochromic panel
151, 251, 351: first substrate
152, 252, 352: first electrode
153, 253, 353: Electrochromic layer
154, 254, 354: Electrolyte layer
155, 255, 355: Counter floor
156, 256, 356: second electrode
157, 257, 357: second substrate
160, 260, 360: quarter wave plate

Claims (16)

A display panel that displays images;
an electrochromic panel disposed outside the display panel; and
It includes a quarter wave plate disposed between the display panel and the electrochromic panel,
The electrochromic panel is,
first electrode;
An electrochromic layer patterned in a stripe shape together with the first electrode on the first electrode;
An electrolyte layer on the electrochromic layer;
a counter layer above the electrolyte layer; and
comprising a second electrode on the counter layer,
The first electrode and the electrochromic layer patterned in the stripe form serve as a linear polarizer and implement a circular polarizer together with the quarter wave plate,
The electrolyte layer is also filled between the stripe-shaped first electrode and the pattern of the electrochromic layer. According to claim 1,
An organic electroluminescent display device, wherein the first electrode and the electrochromic layer are patterned in a stripe shape to have the same width. delete According to claim 1,
The first electrode and the electrochromic layer are aligned vertically or horizontally. According to claim 1,
An organic electroluminescent display device in which the lower portion of the first electrode is not patterned and only the upper portion is patterned in a stripe shape along the electrochromic layer. delete According to claim 1,
The electrochromic layer is patterned to have a width in the range of 80 nm to 120 nm, a height in the range of 150 nm to 250 nm, and a period in the range of 150 nm to 250 nm. According to claim 1,
The electrochromic panel is implemented as a variable polarizer by being driven to function as the linear polarizer only when external light is relatively strong. According to claim 1,
The electrochromic layer is comprised of a support and an electrochromic material adsorbed on the support. According to clause 9,
The support is an organic electroluminescent display device having a mixture of TiO ₂ /ITO particles or a TiO ₂ /ITO core-shell structure. According to clause 9,
An organic electroluminescent display device in which the support is dispersed in an alcohol-based solvent or a mixed solvent. According to clause 9,
The electrochromic material includes viologen. According to claim 1,
The electrolyte layer is comprised of a Li ion salt, a solvent, and a binder. According to claim 1,
The counter layer includes a counter material, and the counter material includes a ferrocene series or an application material thereof. According to claim 1,
a first substrate between the quarter wave plate and the first electrode;
a second substrate on the second electrode; and
The organic electroluminescent display device further includes a dam provided between the first substrate and the second substrate to maintain a cell gap. According to claim 15,
An organic electroluminescent display device, wherein a sealant is provided on the outside of the dam, and the electrolyte layer is provided on the inside of the dam.

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