KR20100079095A - Organic electroluminescent device and method of repairing with using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: An organic electro luminescence device and method of repairing using the same improves the display quality by being smoothly proceed the aging task about the switching thin film transistor within pixel and organic electroluminescent diode. CONSTITUTION: It defined since a plurality of pixels(B) crosses the gate line and data line in substrate. The switching thin film transistor is formed in cross-domain. The driving thin-film transistor is connected to the switching thin film transistor. The organic electroluminescent diode(OLED) is connected to the driving thin-film transistor. The first aging circuit part comprises the first and the second thin film transistor. The second aging circuit part comprises the third and fourth thin film transistor.

Description

Organic electroluminescent device and repair method using same {ORGANIC ELECTROLUMINESCENT DEVICE AND METHOD OF REPAIRING WITH USING THE SAME}

The present invention relates to an organic light emitting display device and a repair method using the same, further comprising a switching thin film transistor provided in a pixel and a dummy thin film transistor for repair in an aging circuit unit provided to perform aging for the organic light emitting display device. The present invention relates to an organic EL device capable of efficiently using an aging circuit portion, and a repair method using the same.

In today's information society, the role of electronic display devices has become very important, and various electronic display devices have been widely used in industrial fields and life.

Such electronic display devices are mainly used for televisions and computer monitors, and the cathode ray tube (CRT) display device, which has the longest history, occupies a high market share, but such as heavy weight, large volume and high power consumption. It has a lot of disadvantages.

Therefore, recently, as a new electronic display device, a flat panel display device such as an organic light emitting display device or a liquid crystal display device has been developed as a new electronic display device due to the rapid development of semiconductor technology. Such various flat display devices have advantages such as light weight and thinness. It attracts a lot of attention.

Recently, in addition to the above-mentioned advantages, such as light weight, thin, etc., the interest in the organic electroluminescent device which is advantageous in terms of power consumption is increasing due to the advantage that the backlight is not required.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described a conventional general organic electroluminescent device as follows.

1 is a circuit diagram illustrating a pixel structure of a conventional organic light emitting display device.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the conventional organic light emitting display device, a gate line GL and a data line DL are formed on a substrate to vertically cross each other and define a plurality of pixels.

A switching thin film transistor Tr_S is formed in an area where the gate line GL and the data line DL of each pixel cross each other, and the gate electrode of the switching thin film transistor TR_S is connected to the gate line GL and has a source. The electrode is connected to the data line DL. Each pixel includes a driving thin film transistor Tr_D connected to a drain electrode of the switching thin film transistor Tr_S, a storage capacitor Cst, and an organic light emitting diode connected to the driving thin film transistor Tr_D. (OLED) is formed.

In the conventional general organic light emitting device having such a configuration, the switching transistor Tr_S causes an undesired amount of current to flow due to a leakage current generated at turn-off, thereby driving the thin film transistor. The level of the voltage applied to the gate electrode of Tr_D is changed to change the gate-source voltage V_gs of the driving thin film transistor Tr_D. Accordingly, the amount of current flowing through the organic light emitting diode OLED, which is determined by the gate-source voltage V_gs of the driving thin film transistor Tr_D, is changed, which is a major cause of deterioration of the image quality of the organic light emitting diode. .

In addition, in the conventional general organic light emitting device having the above configuration, the organic light emitting diode (OLED) is a current of an undesired predetermined amount due to the leakage current (leakage current) generated during turn-off, As a result, it is a major cause of deterioration in image quality of the organic light emitting display device.

Therefore, in the process of manufacturing a conventional organic electroluminescent device, in order to reduce the leakage current as described above, an aging process is performed in which the switching thin film transistor Tr_S and the organic light emitting diode OLED in each pixel are aging to some extent in advance. aging) is performed.

In the aging operation, an aging operation is performed to make the thin film transistor provided in the pixel into an aging state in advance not only in the organic light emitting device but also in other display devices such as a liquid crystal display.

FIG. 2 illustrates a case in which a device for performing an aging operation for the switching thin film transistor Tr_S and the organic light emitting diode OLED in each pixel A is further provided in a conventional organic EL device. Referring to FIG. 2, the means for performing the aging operation may include a first thin film transistor Tr_1 and a second thin film transistor formed to be connected to each data line DL. Tr_2).

In the conventional general liquid crystal display device having a means for performing an aging operation as described above, the first to fourth power sources V_ag1, V_ag2, V_ag2, and V_ag4 are switched on during the aging operation for the switching thin film transistor Tr_S. The gate / source voltage V_gs of the thin film transistor Tr_S may have a negative polarity and a voltage of a polarity / level at which the drain-source voltage V_ds may have a positive polarity is applied, and the organic light emitting diode The polarity at which the high level driving power supply VDD may be applied to the organic light emitting diode OLED in the first to fourth power supplies V_ag1, V_ag2, V_ag2, and V_ag4 during the aging operation for the OLED. A voltage of / level is applied.

In the conventional organic EL device as described above, at least one of the first thin film transistor Tr_1 and the second thin film transistor Tr_2 constituting a means for performing an aging operation may be caused by external energy and process defects. If the characteristics are not changed or not driven, there is a problem in that aging for the switching thin film transistor Tr_S and the organic light emitting diode OLED is not performed correctly.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a dummy thin film transistor for repair in the aging circuit unit provided to perform the aging for the switching thin film transistor and the organic light emitting device provided in the pixel. The present invention further provides an organic electroluminescent device capable of efficient use of an aging circuit portion and a repair method using the same.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an organic light emitting display device includes: a substrate in which a plurality of pixels are defined by crossing gate lines and data lines; A switching thin film transistor formed at an area where the gate line and the data line of each pixel of the substrate cross each other; A driving thin film transistor formed in each pixel to be connected to the switching thin film transistor; An organic light emitting diode formed in each pixel to be connected to the driving thin film transistor; A first aging circuit unit including a first thin film transistor and a second thin film transistor connected to the gate line; And a second aging circuit unit including a third thin film transistor and a fourth thin film transistor connected to the data line, wherein the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor include a gate electrode, an active layer, and a source electrode. And a drain electrode are connected to each other, and the third thin film transistor and the fourth thin film transistor are connected to each other by a gate electrode, an active layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode, and any one of the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor, and a third thin film transistor. Any one of the thin film transistor and the fourth thin film transistor is for repair.

In addition, a repairing method using an organic light emitting display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above object includes a substrate in which a plurality of pixels are defined by crossing a gate line and a data line; A switching thin film transistor formed at an area where the gate line and the data line of each pixel of the substrate cross each other; A driving thin film transistor formed in each pixel to be connected to the switching thin film transistor; An organic light emitting diode formed in each pixel to be connected to the driving thin film transistor; A first aging circuit unit including a first thin film transistor and a second thin film transistor connected to the gate line; And a second aging circuit unit including a third thin film transistor and a fourth thin film transistor connected to the data line. The first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor include a gate electrode, an active layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode connected to each other, and the third thin film transistor and the fourth thin film transistor include a gate electrode, an active layer, a source electrode, and In the organic light emitting device in which the drain electrodes are connected to each other, when a failure occurs in any one of the first and second thin film transistors, the gate electrode, the active layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode of the first or second thin film transistor in which the failure occurs. Is electrically opened, and when a failure occurs in any one of the third and fourth thin film transistors, the gate electrode, the active layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode of the third or fourth thin film transistor in which the failure occurs are electrically opened. do.

The organic light emitting display device having the above configuration and a repair method using the same may include first and second aging circuits provided to perform aging of the switching thin film transistor and the organic light emitting display device provided in the pixel. And third and fourth thin film transistors connected to the second transistor and the data line. When a failure occurs in any one of the first and second thin film transistors, the corresponding thin film transistor in which the failure has occurred is opened to open the remaining thin film transistors. Is operated normally, and if any one of the third and fourth thin film transistors is defective, the corresponding thin film transistor is opened to allow the remaining thin film transistors to operate normally. There is.

Accordingly, since the aging operation for the switching thin film transistor and the organic light emitting diode in the pixel is smoothly performed, there is an advantage that the screen display quality of the organic light emitting display device can be improved.

Hereinafter, an organic light emitting display device and a repair method using the same according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First, the configuration of the organic light emitting display device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5.

As shown in FIG. 3, an organic light emitting display device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a substrate in which a plurality of pixels B are defined by crossing gate lines and data lines; A switching thin film transistor Tr_S formed in an area where the gate line and the data line of each pixel of the substrate cross each other; A driving thin film transistor Tr_D formed in each pixel to be connected to the switching thin film transistor Tr_S; An organic light emitting diode (OLED) formed in each pixel to be connected to the driving thin film transistor (Tr_D); A first aging circuit unit including a first thin film transistor Tr_1 and a second thin film transistor Tr_2 connected to the gate line; And a second aging circuit unit including a third thin film transistor Tr_3 and a fourth thin film transistor Tr_4 connected to the data line. A gate electrode, an active layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode are connected to each other in the first thin film transistor Tr_1 and the second thin film transistor Tr_2, and the third thin film transistor Tr_3 and the fourth thin film transistor Tr_4 are gate electrodes. , An active layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode are connected to each other, any one of the first thin film transistor Tr_1 and the second thin film transistor Tr_2, and any of the third thin film transistor Tr_3 and the fourth thin film transistor Tr_3. One of them is for repair.

Referring to the configuration of the organic light emitting device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration as follows.

Referring to FIG. 3, a gate line and a data line are formed to cross each other on a substrate to define a plurality of pixels, and the gate line supplies a gate driving voltage V_gate to a gate electrode of the switching thin film transistor Tr_S. The data line supplies the data voltage V_data to the gate electrode of the driving thin film transistor Tr_D through the switching thin film transistor Tr_S.

A switching thin film transistor Tr_S is formed in an area where the gate line and the data line of each pixel cross each other, a driving thin film transistor Tr_D connected to the switching thin film transistor is formed in each pixel, and a driving power source is formed on the substrate. A power supply line for supplying (VDD) is formed in a direction parallel to the data line.

Here, the gate electrode of the switching thin film transistor Tr_S is connected to the gate line, the source electrode is connected to the data line, the drain electrode is connected to the gate electrode of the driving transistor Tr_D, and the source electrode of the driving thin film transistor Tr_D. Is connected to the power line and the drain electrode is connected to the organic light emitting diode (OLED).

In addition, an anode of the organic light emitting diode OLED is connected to the drain electrode of the driving thin film transistor Tr_D and a cathode of the organic light emitting diode OLED is connected to the ground GND.

Referring to FIG. 3, the first aging circuit unit includes a first thin film transistor Tr_1 and a second thin film transistor Tr_2 connected to a gate line, and the first thin film transistor Tr_1 and the second thin film transistor. Tr_2 is formed such that the gate line, the active layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode are connected to each other.

5 is a plan view of the first and second thin film transistors Tr_1 and Tr_2. Referring to FIG. 5, the gates of the first thin film transistor Tr_1 and the second thin film transistor Tr_2 are shown. The electrodes G1 and G2 are connected to each other to form a ring-like connection, a part of which has a straight or bent shape, and the active layers A1 and A2 of the first thin film transistor Tr_1 and the second thin film transistor Tr_2 are also connected to each other. Are connected to form a ring-like connection, a part of which has a straight or bent shape, and the source electrodes S1 and S2 of the first thin film transistor Tr_1 and the second thin film transistor Tr_2 are connected to each other to form a half ring-like connection. Part of which has a straight or curved shape.

When a failure occurs in any one of the first thin film transistor Tr_1 and the second thin film transistor Tr_2 of the first aging circuit unit, the gate electrode, the active layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode use cutting means such as a laser. Open electrically so that the other one can operate normally. That is, the thin film transistor in which defects occur in the first thin film transistor Tr_1 and the second thin film transistor Tr_2 is used for repair.

In the description of the present invention and in FIG. 3, the first aging circuit part includes the first and second thin film transistors Tr_1 and Tr_2, so that only one extra thin film transistor used for repair is provided as an example. The present invention is not limited thereto, and as shown in FIG. 4, various applications may be possible, such as having two or more spare thin film transistors used for repair.

Referring to FIG. 3, the second aging circuit unit includes a third thin film transistor Tr_3 and a fourth thin film transistor Tr_4 connected to a gate line, and include the third thin film transistor Tr_3 and the fourth thin film transistor. Tr_4 is formed such that the gate line, the active layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode are connected to each other.

4 illustrates a plan view of the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor Tr_1 of the first aging circuit unit, but the third and fourth thin film transistors Tr_3 and Tr_4 may also be formed from the first thin film transistor of FIG. 4. Since the second thin film transistor Tr_1 has the same shape, the third and fourth thin film transistors Tr_3 and Tr_4 will be described with reference to FIG. 4.

Referring to FIG. 5, the gate electrodes of the third thin film transistor Tr_3 and the fourth thin film transistor Tr_4 are connected to each other to form a ring-like connection, a part of which has a straight or curved shape, and a third thin film The active layers of the transistor Tr_3 and the fourth thin film transistor Tr_4 are also connected to each other to form a ring-like connection, a part of which has a straight or curved shape, and the third thin film transistor Tr_3 and the fourth thin film transistor Tr_4. Source electrodes of are connected to each other to form a half-ring-like connection, but some have a straight or bent shape.

When a failure occurs in any one of the third thin film transistor Tr_3 and the fourth thin film transistor Tr_4 of the second aging circuit unit, cutting means such as a gate electrode, an active layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode are used. Open electrically so that the other one can operate normally. In other words, one of the defects in the third thin film transistor Tr_3 and the fourth thin film transistor Tr_4 is used for repair.

In the description of the present invention and in FIG. 3, the second aging circuit part includes the third and fourth thin film transistors Tr_3 and Tr_4 so that only one extra thin film transistor used for repair is provided. The invention is not limited thereto, and as shown in FIG. 4, various applications may be possible, such as having two or more spare thin film transistors used for repair.

In the organic light emitting display device according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention having the above structure, the gate to source of the switching thin film transistor Tr_S is applied to the first to fourth power supplies during the aging operation for the switching thin film transistor Tr_S. A voltage of a polarity / level at which the voltage V_gs may have a negative polarity and the drain-source voltage V_ds may have a positive polarity is applied, and in an aging operation for the organic light emitting diode OLED The first to fourth power supplies V_ag1, V_ag2, V_ag3, and V_ag4 are applied with a polarity / level voltage to which the high level driving power source VDD can be applied to the organic light emitting diode OLED. Aging of the switch thin film transistor Tr_S and the organic light emitting diode OLED is performed.

The switching thin film transistor Tr_S, the driving thin film transistor Tr_D, and the first to fourth transistors TR_1, TR_2, TR_3, and TR_4 provided in the organic light emitting diode according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention are PMOS. Although (PMOS) is used as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first to fourth transistors TR_1, TR_2, TR_3, and TR_4 do not depart from the gist of the present invention. Can be.

The first aging circuit portion and the second aging circuit portion of the organic light emitting display according to the preferred embodiment of the present invention described above are provided in other display devices such as liquid crystal display devices to be used for aging of thin film transistors in pixels. Various display devices can be applied without departing from the gist of the present invention.

A repair method using an organic light emitting display device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention having the above-described configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 6 as follows.

If a failure occurs in any one of the first and second thin film transistors Tr_1 and Tr_2, and thus it is difficult to perform normal aging for the switching thin film transistor Tr_S and the organic light emitting diode OLED, the failure occurs. Open the overlapping region of the source electrode S1 and the active layer of the first or second thin film transistors Tr_1 and Tr_2, open the overlapping region of the drain electrode and the active layer, and open both ends of the source electrode and the drain electrode in the gate electrode. Let's do it.

That is, referring to FIG. 6, when a failure occurs in any one of the first and second thin film transistors Tr_1 and Tr_2, the source electrode of the first or second thin film transistors Tr_1 and Tr_2 where the failure occurs. Open the overlapping region of S1 and S2 and the active layers A1 and A2, open the overlapping region of the drain electrodes D1 and D2 and the active layers A1 and A2, and open the source electrode of the gate electrodes G1 and G2. Opening both ends of the S1 and S2 and the drain electrodes D1 and D2 by cutting means such as a laser allows the first or second thin film transistors TR_1 and Tr_2 to which a failure does not occur to be normally driven. .

If a failure occurs in any one of the third and fourth thin film transistors Tr_3 and Tr_4, and thus it is difficult to perform normal aging for the switching thin film transistor TR_S and the organic light emitting diode OLED, the failure occurs. The region overlapping the source electrode and the active layer of the third or fourth thin film transistors Tr_3 and Tr_4 is opened, the region overlapping the drain electrode and the active layer is opened, and both ends of the source electrode and the drain electrode are opened in the gate electrode.

That is, when a failure occurs in any one of the third and fourth thin film transistors TR_3 and Tr_4, a region where the source electrode and the active layer of the third or fourth thin film transistors TR_3 and Tr_4 in which the failure occurs is overlapped is formed. By opening the region where the drain electrode and the active layer overlap each other and opening both ends of the source electrode and the drain electrode in the gate electrode by using a cutting means such as a laser, the third or fourth thin film transistor TR_1, Tr_3) can be driven normally.

As described above, the thin film transistor in which the failure occurs in the first and second thin film transistors Tr_1 and TR_2 is opened, and the thin film transistor in which the failure does not occur is normally operated, and the failure occurs in the third and fourth thin film transistors Tr_3 and Tr_4. By opening the generated thin film transistors and operating the thin film transistors in which the defects do not occur normally, the first and second aging circuits can perform the aging operation for the switching thin film transistor Tr_S and the organic light emitting diode OLED. do.

1 is a circuit diagram showing a pixel structure of a conventional general organic electroluminescent device.

FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram illustrating a case in which a means for performing aging for a switching thin film transistor and an organic light emitting diode is provided in the organic light emitting device of FIG. 1.

3 is a circuit diagram illustrating an organic light emitting display device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a circuit diagram showing another example of an organic light emitting display device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a first thin film transistor of the first aging circuit unit of FIG. 3. FIG.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a method of electrically opening a first thin film transistor when a defect occurs in the first thin film transistor in FIG. 5; FIG.

Claims (12)

A substrate in which a plurality of pixels are defined by crossing a gate line and a data line; A switching thin film transistor formed at an area where the gate line and the data line of each pixel of the substrate cross each other; A driving thin film transistor formed in each pixel to be connected to the switching thin film transistor; An organic light emitting diode formed in each pixel to be connected to the driving thin film transistor; A first aging circuit unit including a first thin film transistor and a second thin film transistor connected to the gate line; And A second aging circuit unit including a third thin film transistor and a fourth thin film transistor connected to the data line; It is configured to include, A gate electrode, an active layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode are connected to each other in the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor, and a gate electrode, the active layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode are connected to each other. , Any one of the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor, and any one of the third thin film transistor and the fourth thin film transistor is for repairing. The gate electrode of claim 1, wherein the gate electrodes of the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor are connected to each other to form a ring-like connection, a part of which has a straight or bent shape, The active layers of the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor are connected to each other to form a ring-like connection, a part of which has a straight or bent shape, The source electrode of the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor are connected to each other to form a half-ring-like connection, a part of the organic light emitting device, characterized in that having a straight or curved shape. The gate electrode of claim 1, wherein the gate electrodes of the third thin film transistor and the fourth thin film transistor are connected to each other to form a ring-like connection, a part of which has a straight or bent shape. The active layer of the third thin film transistor and the fourth thin film transistor are connected to each other to form a ring-like connection, a part of which has a straight or bent shape, The source electrode of the third thin film transistor and the fourth thin film transistor are connected to each other to form a half-ring-like connection, a part of the organic light emitting device, characterized in that the straight or curved shape. The organic light emitting diode display according to claim 1, wherein when one of the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor is defective, the gate electrode, the active layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode are electrically open to be used for repair. Electroluminescent device. The organic light emitting diode display according to claim 1, wherein when one of the third thin film transistor and the fourth thin film transistor is defective, the gate electrode, the active layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode are electrically open to be used for repair. Electroluminescent device. The organic light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the first aging circuit unit further includes at least one transistor connected to a gate line. The organic light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the second aging circuit unit further comprises at least one transistor connected to a data line. A substrate in which a plurality of pixels are defined by crossing a gate line and a data line; A switching thin film transistor formed at an area where the gate line and the data line of each pixel of the substrate cross each other; A driving thin film transistor formed in each pixel to be connected to the switching thin film transistor; An organic light emitting diode formed in each pixel to be connected to the driving thin film transistor; A first aging circuit unit including a first thin film transistor and a second thin film transistor connected to the gate line b; And a second aging circuit unit including a third thin film transistor and a fourth thin film transistor connected to the data line. The first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor include a gate electrode, an active layer, a source electrode, and a drain electrode connected to each other, and the third thin film transistor and the fourth thin film transistor include a gate electrode, an active layer, a source electrode, and In an organic light emitting device in which drain electrodes are connected to each other, When a failure occurs in any one of the first and second thin film transistors, the gate electrode, the active layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode of the first or second thin film transistor in which the failure occurs are electrically opened. When a failure occurs in any one of the third and fourth thin film transistors, the organic light emitting diodes of the third or fourth thin film transistors are electrically opened by electrically opening the gate electrode, the active layer, the source electrode, and the drain electrode. How to repair the device. The method of claim 8, wherein the gate electrode of the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor are connected to each other to form a ring-like connection, a part of which has a straight or bent shape, The active layers of the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor are connected to each other to form a ring-like connection, a part of which has a straight or bent shape, The source electrode of the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor are connected to each other to form a half-ring-like connection, a part of the organic electroluminescent device repair method characterized in that it has a straight or curved shape. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein when a failure occurs in any one of the first and second thin film transistors, Characterized in that the region in which the source electrode and the active layer overlap the open source region of the first or second thin film transistor in which the defect is generated, the region in which the drain electrode and the active layer overlap, is opened, and both ends of the source electrode and the drain electrode are opened in the gate electrode. Repair method of organic electroluminescent device. The method of claim 8, wherein the gate electrode of the third thin film transistor and the fourth thin film transistor are connected to each other to form a ring-like connection, a part of which has a straight or bent shape, The active layer of the third thin film transistor and the fourth thin film transistor are connected to each other to form a ring-like connection, a part of which has a straight or bent shape, The source electrode of the third thin film transistor and the fourth thin film transistor are connected to each other to form a half-ring-like connection, a part of the organic electroluminescent device repair method characterized in that it has a straight or curved shape. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein in the case where a failure occurs in any one of the third and fourth thin film transistors, Characterized in that the region in which the source electrode and the active layer overlap the open source region of the first or second thin film transistor in which the defect is generated, the region in which the drain electrode and the active layer overlap, is opened, and both ends of the source electrode and the drain electrode are opened in the gate electrode. Repair method of organic electroluminescent device.

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