KR20160072387A - Organic electro luminescent device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent device capable of suppressing a short failure between electrodes, wires, or the electrode and the wire caused by migration of a metal layer by laser beam projection in the repair, and a repair method thereof. Provided is the organic electroluminescent device comprising: a substrate where a plurality of pixel areas are defined; a plurality of wires included on the boundary of the pixel areas or inside the pixel areas; a plurality of thin film transistors which are included inside each of the pixel areas on the substrate and include one switching thin film transistor where a gate insulation film and an interlayer insulation film are located across a semiconductor layer, and one driving thin film transistor connected to the switching thin film transistor; a protection layer placed on the thin film transistors; a flattening layer placed on the protection layer; an organic electroluminescent diode placed on the flattening layer; and a crack suppressing pattern which overlaps one electrode made of a metal material among components for forming the thin film transistors or any one among the wires and is formed by being floated as an island shape.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent device,

The present invention relates to an organic electro luminescent device, and more particularly to an organic electro luminescent device capable of suppressing a short failure between electrodes, between wirings, or between electrodes and wirings due to migration of a metal layer by laser beam irradiation during repair, The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent device and a repair method thereof.

An organic electroluminescent device, which is one of flat panel displays (FPDs), has high luminance and low operating voltage characteristics.

In addition, since it is a self-luminous type that emits light by itself, it has a large contrast ratio, can realize an ultra-thin display, has a response time of several microseconds (μs), is easy to implement a moving image, Since it is stable and driven by a low voltage of 5V to 15V, it is easy to manufacture and design a driving circuit.

Therefore, the organic electroluminescent device having the advantages as described above has recently been used in various IT devices such as a TV, a monitor, and a mobile phone.

Hereinafter, the basic structure of the organic electroluminescent device will be described in more detail.

BACKGROUND ART An organic electroluminescent device is largely composed of an array element and an organic electroluminescent diode. The array element includes a switching thin film transistor connected to a gate and a data line, and at least one driving thin film transistor connected to the organic light emitting diode. The organic light emitting diode includes a first electrode connected to the driving thin film transistor, And a second electrode.

In the organic electroluminescent device having such a structure, the organic luminescent layer itself may be formed of a luminescent material that emits red, green, or blue to display a full color, or an organic luminescent material that emits white as the whole of the organic luminescent layer A color filter pattern including red, green and blue pigments is formed corresponding to each pixel region so that white light emitted from the organic light emitting layer emitting white light passes through the red, green and blue color filter patterns Full color is displayed.

However, in the organic electroluminescent device having the above-described structure, defects such as degradation of the characteristics of the thin film transistor or occurrence of internal short-circuit during the fabrication of the wiring and the switching and driving thin film transistor have been caused.

When the thin film transistor formed in one pixel region can not be normally driven, the current or voltage is not applied to the organic light emitting diode connected to the thin film transistor, so that the current is ignited or the source electrode and the drain electrode of the driving thin film transistor When the TFT is short-circuited, the driving thin film transistor is not normally driven and the voltage applied to the source electrode is directly applied to the drain electrode without being turned on / off, so that the driving pixel region is always on And it is burned.

In the case where one particular pixel region is dark or bright, the dark-lit pixel region is left in a dark state because it can not be repaired due to the current structural characteristics, and the bright- (Or an electrically connected portion between the driving thin film transistor and the switching thin film transistor) is irradiated with a laser beam having a predetermined energy density to cut off the current to the organic light emitting diode to ignite the arm.

The ignition of the pixel area in which the defective ignition is generated ignites the defective ignition of the ignition, because the ignition failure is noticeable to the user and causes the deterioration of the display quality. Therefore, even if only one is generated on the entire display area, However, since the darkened pixel region is hardly perceived by the user, it is possible to commercialize the display region even if about 10 to 20 pixels are generated in the entire display region.

1 (a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a pixel region of a conventional organic electroluminescent device, a diagram showing that a short-circuit defect occurred around a portion irradiating a laser beam to a connection portion between a gate wiring and a switching thin film transistor) The conventional organic electroluminescent device 1 has a specific region such as a driving thin film transistor (not shown) and the first electrode 60 of the organic electroluminescent diode E in the pixel region where the defective lighting is generated, (Not shown) and a switching thin film transistor (not shown), and a connection portion between the gate wiring GL and a switching thin film transistor (not shown), a laser beam And the electrical connection is cut off by irradiating the laser beam. When the laser beam is irradiated, by the energy of the laser beam itself, Heat is generated in the periphery thereof, and a crack is generated inside the insulating films 18, 40, and 50 made of an inorganic or organic material under the influence of the heat.

When cracks are generated in the insulating films 18, 40, and 50, an electrode (not shown) or wires GL, DL (not shown) formed of a metal material positioned between the insulating films 18, Is transferred between the electrodes (not shown), between the electrodes (not shown) and the lines GL, DL, or between the electrodes (not shown) sandwiched between the cracked insulating films 18, 40, GL, and DL, thereby causing short-circuit defects.

A short circuit occurs between electrodes vertically adjacent to each other with the insulating films 18, 40, and 50 therebetween, electrodes (not shown) and the lines GL and DL, or between the lines GL and DL There is a problem that the dark-lit pixel region may be re-ignited again or the neighboring pixel region may be influenced and the entire pixel line may be burned or ignited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the problems described above, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, which can prevent cracks from occurring in the insulating film during repairing through laser beam irradiation, And it is an object of the present invention to provide an organic electroluminescent device capable of suppressing a short circuit between an electrode and a wiring.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an organic electroluminescent device including a substrate on which a plurality of pixel regions are defined, a plurality of wirings provided in the pixel region boundary or the pixel region, A plurality of thin film transistors including a switching thin film transistor and a driving thin film transistor connected to the switching thin film transistor, the thin film transistor being provided in the pixel region and having a gate insulating film and an interlayer insulating film disposed therebetween, An organic light emitting diode provided on the planarization layer, and an electrode made of a metal material or a plurality of wires among the constituent elements constituting the thin film transistor. A crack that overlaps with one and floats in island shape. It includes a pattern.

At this time, the crack-suppressing pattern may be provided on the gate insulating film or the protective film, or an additional insulating film may be interposed on any one of the electrodes or the plurality of wirings made of metal among the constituent elements of the thin film transistor, And may be provided between the insulating film and the gate insulating film or the protective film.

The crack-inhibiting pattern is preferably made of a metal material.

In each pixel region, a sense thin film transistor connected to the driving thin film transistor and a first auxiliary wiring and a second auxiliary wiring connected to the sense thin film transistor are provided, and the plurality of wirings are connected to the gate electrode and the source electrode A gate wiring and a data wiring respectively connected to the driving thin film transistor, and a power wiring connected to the driving thin film transistor.

At this time, the portion provided with the crack suppression pattern becomes a portion irradiated with the laser beam in the course of the repair process, and the portion irradiated with the laser beam is connected to the connecting portion of the switching thin film transistor and the gate wiring, And the connection part of the electroluminescence diode and the second thin film transistor and the second auxiliary wiring are connected to each other.

In the organic electroluminescent device according to the embodiment of the present invention, even when the laser beam is irradiated during the repair process, cracks are limitedly generated in the insulating film in order to make the pixel region, which is defective, Even if a transition of the metal material occurs through such a crack, the short circuit between the electrodes and between the electrodes and between the electrodes and the wiring sandwiched by the cracked insulating film can be originally suppressed by the crack prevention pattern, Is effective.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion of a pixel region of a conventional organic electroluminescent device, showing a shot defect around a portion irradiating a laser beam to a connection portion between a gate wiring and a switching thin film transistor. FIG.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent device, and more particularly to an organic electroluminescent device having a switching thin film transistor and a driving thin film transistor.
3 is a circuit diagram of one pixel region of an organic electroluminescent device having one switching thin film transistor, one driving thin film transistor, and one sense thin film transistor as an auxiliary thin film transistor.
FIG. 4 is a schematic circuit diagram of one pixel region of an organic electroluminescent device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, a portion cut by irradiating a laser beam for ignition of a cell and a crack extension prevention pattern FIG.
5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion where a driving thin film transistor is formed in an organic electroluminescent device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a connection part between a gate wiring and a switching thin film transistor to which a laser beam for repairing is irradiated, and components surrounding the connection part, in the organic electroluminescent device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of a connection portion between a sense thin film transistor to which a laser beam for repairing is irradiated and a second auxiliary wiring, and components surrounding the connection portion, in the organic electroluminescent device according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an organic electroluminescent device according to a modification of the embodiment of the present invention and an organic electroluminescent device having a pattern made of a metal material with one insulating layer interposed therebetween according to a comparative example, Fig.

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

First, the basic structure and operating characteristics of the organic electroluminescent device will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

2 is a circuit diagram of one pixel region of an organic electroluminescent device including a general switching thin film transistor and one driving thin film transistor.

A switching thin film transistor Tr1 is formed in one pixel region P of the organic EL device ELD1 having one switching thin film transistor Tr1 and one driving thin film transistor Tr2, A driving thin film transistor Tr2, a storage capacitor StgC, and an organic light emitting diode E are constituted.

That is, a gate line GL is formed in a first direction and a data line DL is formed in a second direction intersecting the first direction to define a pixel region P, A power supply line PL for applying a power supply voltage VDD is formed.

A switching thin film transistor Tr1 is formed at a portion where the data line DL intersects with the gate line GL and a driving thin film transistor Tr2 electrically connected to the switching thin film transistor Tr1 is formed have.

The first electrode, which is one terminal of the organic electroluminescent diode E, is connected to the drain electrode of the driving thin film transistor Tr2, the second electrode of the other electrode is grounded, and the source of the driving thin film transistor Tr2, The electrode is connected to the power supply line PL so that the power supply line PL transfers the power supply voltage VDD to the organic light emitting diode E.

A storage capacitor StgC is formed between the gate electrode and the source electrode of the driving thin film transistor Tr2.

Therefore, when a signal is applied through the gate line GL, the switching thin film transistor Tr1 is turned on and the signal of the data line DL is transmitted to the gate electrode of the driving thin film transistor Tr2, The transistor Tr2 is turned on so that light is output through the organic electroluminescent diode E.

At this time, when the driving thin film transistor Tr2 is turned on, the level of a current flowing from the power supply line PL to the organic light emitting diode E is determined. Accordingly, the organic light emitting diode E The storage capacitor StgC is capable of maintaining a constant gate voltage of the driving thin film transistor Tr2 when the switching thin film transistor Tr1 is turned off The level of the current flowing through the organic light emitting diode E can be kept constant until the next frame even if the switching transistor Tr1 is turned off.

The organic electroluminescent device ELD1 having such a configuration is the most basic and shows that one switching thin film transistor Tr1 and one driving thin film transistor Tr2 are provided in each pixel region P. [

However, in the organic electroluminescent device, the driving thin film transistor Tr2 may be further provided with a plurality of auxiliary thin film transistors to reliably and reliably realize its luminance characteristic in consideration of its stable driving or the position of the pixel region in the display region In this case, the connection between the plurality of auxiliary thin film transistors and the driving thin film transistor and the connection between the auxiliary thin film transistors and the switching thin film transistor or the power supply wiring can be variously modified.

3 is a circuit diagram of one pixel region of an organic electroluminescent device having one switching thin film transistor, one driving thin film transistor, and one thin film transistor as an auxiliary thin film transistor.

A gate line GL and a data line DL intersect each other in a display region of an organic electroluminescence element ELD2 having three thin film transistors Tr1, Tr2 and Tr3 in a pixel region P, Is formed.

A first auxiliary wiring line SL is formed in parallel with the gate line GL and a power wiring line PL for applying a power source voltage VDD and a second auxiliary wiring line (Vref) is formed.

A switching thin film transistor Tr1 connected to the gate line GL and the data line DL is formed in the element region DA in each pixel region P and a switching thin film transistor Tr1 connected to the switching thin film transistor Tr1 and the power line PL And a sense thin film transistor Tr3 connected to the driving thin film transistor Tr2 and the first and second auxiliary wirings SL and Vref.

The first auxiliary wiring SL is connected to the gate electrode of the sense thin film transistor Tr3 and the second auxiliary wiring Vref is electrically connected to the source electrode of the sense thin film transistor Tr3.

A source electrode of the driving thin film transistor Tr2 is connected to the power supply line PL and a gate electrode of the driving thin film transistor Tr2 is connected to the source electrode of the driving thin film transistor Tr2. The drain electrode of the switching thin film transistor Tr1 is connected to the drain electrode of the sense thin film transistor Tr3 and the storage capacitor StgC and the drain electrode of the switching thin film transistor Tr1 is connected to the gate electrode of the driving thin film transistor Tr2 .

The first auxiliary line SL has the same role as the gate line GL for applying a scan voltage to the gate electrode of the switching thin film transistor Tr1 and is connected to the gate electrode GL of the sense thin film transistor Tr3, And serves as a sense wiring for applying a sense voltage.

In addition, the second auxiliary wiring Vref functions as a reference wiring for applying a common voltage which is a reference voltage.

And an organic light emitting diode E connected to a drain electrode of the driving thin film transistor Tr2 and including a first electrode, an organic light emitting layer, and a second electrode. The drain electrode of the driving thin film transistor Tr2, And the first electrodes of the organic electroluminescent diode E are connected to each other.

In the case where one sense thin film transistor Tr3 connected to the first auxiliary wiring line SL and the second auxiliary wiring line Vref is further provided in one pixel region P, It is possible to control the power applied to the organic electroluminescent diode E more stably than the organic electroluminescent element having the thin film transistors Tr1 and Tr2 (FIG. 2) (ELD1 in FIG. 2) .

Since the organic electroluminescent device ELD2 including these components must implement such a large number of components, foreign matter may be generated in the manufacturing process, static electricity may be generated, or a change in environment or process conditions A defect such as a short circuit or disconnection may be generated. Such a phenomenon that a pixel area in which a defect is finally generated due to the occurrence of a short circuit or a disconnection occurs, is caused to cause a burnout or a dark ignition.

In particular, one sense thin film transistor Tr3 and two auxiliary wirings SL and Vref are provided in comparison with the organic electroluminescent element (ELD1 in Fig. 2) having two thin film transistors (Tr1 and Tr2 in Fig. 2) (ELD2 in Fig. 3) disclosed in Fig. 3 having a relatively more complicated configuration, which is further provided with a more complicated structure, is more liable to cause a larger number of defective or ignition defects.

Hereinafter, the organic EL device ELD2 shown in FIG. 3 having a relatively complicated structure and having a high repair frequency will be mainly described. In this case, the concept of the invention according to the present invention can be applied not only to the organic EL device ELD2 disclosed in FIG. 3, but also to the organic EL device having two thin film transistors (Tr1 and Tr2 in FIG. 2) The present invention can be applied to EDL1 of FIG. 2 as well.

On the other hand, in the organic EL device ELD2 having the above-described structure, when a short circuit and a disconnection defect in the pixel region P occur, particularly, in the pixel region P in which the luminance is ignited, The repair process is being carried out so that the arm is ignited.

FIG. 4 is a schematic circuit diagram of one pixel region of an organic electroluminescent device according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4, a portion cut by irradiating a laser beam for arm ignition and a crack- Fig.

The organic electroluminescent device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4 is the same as the organic electroluminescent device (ELD2 in FIG. 3) shown in FIG. 3 except for the crack suppressing pattern, The arrangement and the connection relationship between them are described with reference to FIG.

As one of the most characteristic structures in the organic electroluminescent device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention, a crack is generated in a nearby insulating film (not shown) irradiated with the laser beam by a laser beam for repairing (GL, DL, PL, SL, Vref) with the other electrodes or the wirings (GL, DL, PL, SL, Vref) (A1, A2, and A3) irradiated with the laser beam so as to suppress the generation of cracks, and is formed of a metal material around the laser beam irradiating portion and suppresses crack extension in an island shape that is not in contact with other components Crack suppressing patterns SM1, SM2, and SM3 are provided.

At this time, the portions A1, A2, and A3 irradiated with the laser beam for ignition of the arm are connected to the connection portion A1 between the switching thin film transistor Tr1 and the gate wiring GL, the driving thin film transistor Tr2, The connecting portion A2 between the pixel electrode E and the connecting portion A3 between the second thin film transistor Tr3 serving as the auxiliary thin film transistor and the second auxiliary wiring Vref.

 DL, PL, SL, and Vref made of a metal material to be cut by the laser beam in each of the parts A1, A2, and A3 irradiated with the laser beam for arm ignition And crack-suppressing patterns SM1, SM2, and SM3 having an island shape floating on the insulating film and having an area larger than that of the portions A1, A2, and A3 directly irradiated with the laser beam are provided on the upper portion of the insulating film .

Since the crack suppressing patterns SM1, SM2 and SM3 are not electrically connected to the constituent elements provided in the pixel regions P, the circuit driving for one pixel region P is performed by the organic electroluminescence DL2, PL, SL, and Vref cut by laser beam irradiation in cross-sectional area are formed in the same manner as the elements (ELD2 in FIG. 3) Since the structure of the lamination arrangement is changed according to the change of the position, it will be described in more detail with reference to cross-sectional views.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a portion where a driving thin film transistor is formed in an organic electroluminescent device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the organic electroluminescent device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a connection portion between a gate wiring and a switching thin film transistor, and a component located around the connection portion, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. And a second auxiliary wiring, and a peripheral portion thereof.

At this time, the connection portion (A2 in FIG. 4) between the organic EL device E and the driving thin film transistor Tr2, which is another laser beam irradiation portion, is substantially laminated structurally with the sense thin film transistor Tr3 (A3) between the auxiliary wirings (Vref).

The driving and thin film transistor Tr2 and the sense thin film transistor Tr3 formed in the element region DA in each pixel region P have the same cross sectional configuration as the driving thin film transistor Tr2, (Not shown, Tr2, Tr3) among the constituent elements constituting the switching and driving thin film transistor (not shown, Tr2) and the sense thin film transistor Tr3 The source electrode 133 and the drain electrode 136 which are separated from the gate electrode 115 and the oxide semiconductor layer 120 by the corresponding numerals are denoted by the same reference numerals, A, b and c are attached to the ends of the numeral in the order of the driving and sense thin film transistors (not shown, Tr2 and Tr3), and the gate insulating film 118, the interlayer insulating film 123, Over the entire surface of the component to be formed, so connected to each other it was given only the reference numerals of the same number.

The organic electroluminescent device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a first substrate 110 having a plurality of thin film transistors Tr3 and Tr2 and an organic electroluminescent diode E, And a second substrate 170 for encapsulation that protects the organic light emitting diode E against the moisture and oxygen from the outside.

Although not shown, a printed circuit board (not shown) having a driving circuit (not shown) for driving is mounted on the non-display area of the first substrate 110 outside the display area.

Meanwhile, although the second substrate 170 is shown to be spaced apart from the first substrate 110 in the organic electroluminescent device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention, The first electrode 170 may be configured to contact the second electrode 168 provided on the uppermost layer of the first substrate 110 in the form of a film including an adhesive layer, An insulating film (not shown) or an inorganic insulating film (not shown) may be further provided and used as an encapsulation film (not shown).

Since the organic electroluminescent device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention has a characteristic feature on the first substrate 110, the following description will focus on the structure of the first substrate 110. FIG.

The first substrate 110 is provided with three thin film transistors (not shown, Tr2 and Tr3) each including a switching thin film transistor (not shown) and driving and sense thin film transistors Tr2 and Tr3 in each pixel region P And an organic light emitting diode E connected to the driving thin film transistor Tr2.

The gate wiring GL and the data wiring DL are connected to the switching thin film transistor (not shown) and intersect with each other. The gate wiring GL and the data wiring DL are spaced apart from the gate wiring GL or the data wiring DL, (PL in Fig. 4) and first and second auxiliary wirings (SL and Vref in Fig. 4).

At this time, the driving thin film transistor Tr2 is connected to the switching thin film transistor (not shown) and the sense thin film transistor Tr3, and to the power supply line (PL of FIG. 4) and the organic light emitting diode E And the sense thin film transistor Tr3 is connected to the first and second auxiliary wirings (SL and Vref in Fig. 4) in addition to the driving thin film transistor Tr2.

The driving thin film transistor Tr2 includes an interlayer insulating film 123 having a gate electrode 115b, a gate insulating film 118, an oxide semiconductor layer 120b, a semiconductor layer contact hole 125, And a source electrode 133b and a drain electrode 136b which are separated from each other on the insulating layer 123 and contact the oxide semiconductor layer 120b through the semiconductor layer contact hole 125, respectively.

The switching thin film transistor (not shown) and the sense thin film transistor Tr3 also have the same lamination structure as the driving thin film transistor Tr2.

At this time, on the same layer where the gate electrode 115b of the driving thin film transistor Tr2 is formed, that is, on the first substrate 1410, the gate wiring 115b is formed of the same metal material as the gate electrode 115b, GL) and the first auxiliary wiring (not shown) are formed in parallel to each other.

The same layer as the source and drain electrodes 133b and 136b of the driving thin film transistor Tr2 is formed on the interlayer insulating layer 123. The source and drain electrodes 133b and 136b are made of the same metal material as the source and drain electrodes 133b and 136b, The power supply line PL and the second auxiliary line Vref are spaced apart from the data line DL and extend in the direction intersecting the line GL to form the data line DL. .

A gate electrode (not shown) of the switching thin film transistor (not shown) is connected to the gate line GL and a source electrode (not shown) of the switching thin film transistor (not shown) .

The first auxiliary wiring SL is connected to the gate electrode 115c of the sense transistor Tr3 and the second auxiliary wiring Vref is connected to the source electrode of the sense transistor Tr3. And the power supply line (PL in FIG. 4) is connected to the source electrode 133b of the driving thin film transistor Tr2.

Although the switching and driving thin film transistor Tr2 and the sensing thin film transistor Tr3 have a bottom gate structure in the drawing, the switching and driving thin film transistor Tr2 (not shown) It will be obvious that the lamination structure of the thin film transistor Tr3 can be variously modified.

For example, the switching and driving thin film transistor (not shown, Tr2) and the sense thin film transistor Tr3 have a polysilicon semiconductor layer and may be configured as a top gate type.

In this case, the switching and driving thin film transistor (not shown, Tr2) and the sense thin film transistor (Tr3) comprise a semiconductor layer composed of an active region of pure polysilicon and source and drain regions of polysilicon doped with impurities on both sides thereof, An interlayer insulating film having a gate insulating film, a gate electrode formed to overlap with the active region, and a semiconductor layer contact hole exposing the source and drain regions, respectively, and an interlayer insulating film which contacts the source and drain regions through the semiconductor layer contact holes And source and drain electrodes formed separately from each other.

4) is formed on the same layer on which the data line DL is formed, that is, on the interlayer insulating film 123. The power line (PL in FIG. 4) And is connected to the source electrode 133b of the driving thin film transistor Tr2.

At this time, the gate electrode 115b and the gate wiring GL, the data wiring DL and the power wiring (PL in Fig. 4), the source and drain electrodes 133b and 136b and the first and second auxiliary wirings 4 SL and Vrf are metal materials having low resistance characteristics such as copper (Cu), copper alloy (AlNd), aluminum (Al), aluminum alloy (AlNd), molybdenum (Mo) MoTi) to form a single layer or a multilayer structure of more than two layers.

On the other hand, a protective film 140 made of an inorganic insulating material such as silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) or silicon nitride (SiNx) is formed on the switching and driving thin film transistor (not shown, Tr 2) and the sense thin film transistor Tr ₃ .

The passivation layer 140 is provided with a first drain contact hole 143 for exposing the drain electrode 136b of the driving TFT Tr2.

One of the most characteristic structures of the organic electroluminescent device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention is that the portions A1, A2, and A3 irradiated with the laser beam during the repair process, that is, the switching thin film transistor (Not shown) between the driving thin film transistor Tr2 and the organic electroluminescent diode E and the second thin film transistor Tr3 and the second auxiliary wiring Vref, The interlayer insulating film 123 or the switching and driving thin film transistor Tr2 and the sense thin film transistor Tr3 are formed of a metal material at the connecting portion A3 between the gate insulating film 118, Shaped crack suppression pattern SM1 (not shown) SM3 that is not connected to any component constituting the organic electroluminescent device 101 in a floating state on the protective film 140 covering the organic light emitting device 101 It is special A.

The crack suppression pattern SM1 has an area larger than the area of the area irradiated with the laser beam and overlaps the electrode or wiring Vref GL to be cut by irradiating the laser beam, And is formed on the insulating films 118, 123,

In the figure, the first crack suppression pattern SM1 is provided on the gate insulating film 118 in correspondence with the connection portion A1 between the switching thin film transistor (not shown) and the gate wiring GL, and the sense thin film transistor Tr3 The third crack suppression pattern SM3 is provided on the protective film 140 at the connection portion A3 between the first auxiliary wiring Vref and the second auxiliary wiring Vref.

Although not shown in the drawing, a second crack suppressing pattern (see FIG. 4) may be formed on the protective film 140 in correspondence with a connection portion (A2 in FIG. 4) between the driving thin film transistor Tr2 and the organic light emitting diode E, SM2) are provided.

The crack suppression pattern SM1 (not shown) may be made of the same metal material having the low resistance characteristic of the gate line GL or the data line DL, But may be made of other metal materials.

The crack suppressing patterns SM1 (not shown) and SM3 are formed on the insulating films 118 and 118 made of an inorganic material or an organic material located on the electrode / wiring GL, Vref, The cracks are generated only by the insulating films 118 and 123 located above the electrodes or the wirings GL and Vref to which the laser beam is irradiated. The cracks are formed only to a portion where the cracks SM1 and SM3 are located and the insulating films 123, 140 and 150 located above the crack suppression patterns SM1 and SM3 .

At this time, the laser beam irradiation is performed through the bottom surface of the first substrate 110. Since the second electrode 168 forming the organic electroluminescent diode E is formed on the entire upper surface of the first substrate 110, it is not easy to grasp the position when the laser beam is irradiated.

When the laser beam is irradiated through the second substrate 170, the second electrode 168 itself is damaged.

Since the laser beam should be irradiated onto the electrode or the wiring lines GL and Vref positioned below the second electrode 170, the laser beam should be irradiated relatively through the first substrate 110 In this case, a crack is further generated in the insulating films 118, 123, 140, and 150.

Therefore, in order to prevent this, the laser beam is irradiated through a bottom surface of the first substrate 110 to irradiate a laser beam having a level of energy density capable of cutting only one electrode or the wiring lines GL and Vref.

Therefore, even if the laser beam for repairing is irradiated through the bottom surface of the first substrate 110, the insulating films 118 and 118, which are in contact with the electrodes or the wirings GL and Vref irradiated with the laser beam, 123, and cracks are prevented by the crack suppression patterns SM1 (not shown) and SM3, so that the cracks can no longer move upward.

Therefore, even if electrodes or wiring lines GL and Vref made of a metal are transferred through the cracked portion, the insulating films 18, 23 and 40 can be formed in the same manner as in the conventional organic electroluminescent device 1 (Between GL and DL in FIG. 1) or between the electrode and the wiring can be suppressed.

The organic EL device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention is also limitedly cracked with respect to the insulating films 118 and 123 and the metal material forming the electrodes or the lines GL and Vref is transferred through the cracks.

However, this transition of the metal material is limited to the crack suppression pattern SM1 (not shown) and SM3, and the electrode or the wiring lines GL and Vref by the metal material transferred through the cracked portion and the crack- The SM1 (not shown) and the SM3 are formed in an island shape in a floating state on the insulating films 118 and 123 without being electrically connected to any of the components (SM1, SM3, SM3) So that no problem arises in terms of circuit driving within each pixel region.

Therefore, there is no problem in short-circuiting between the electrode or the wiring lines GL and Vred where the metal material is transferred through the cracks and the crack suppressing pattern SM1 (not shown, SM3) And serves to suppress the occurrence of a short circuit between the constituent elements of the organic electroluminescent element 101 made of a material.

The repair process irradiates a laser beam having an energy density enough to be cut only to electrodes or interconnections GL and Vref made of a metal material forming one layer. By this laser beam irradiation, two The crack suppression pattern SM1 (not shown) made of a metal material is not cut by the laser beam irradiation because the metal layer does not have sufficient energy to cut both the metal layer and the crack suppression pattern SM1, not shown, SM3), cracks are not generated in the upper insulating film.

On the other hand, a planarization layer 150 having a flat surface on the protective film 140 is formed over the entire display region.

The second drain contact hole 153 exposes the drain electrode 136b corresponding to the driving thin film transistor Tr2 in the planarization layer 150. The second drain contact hole 153, And the first drain contact hole 143 exposing the drain electrode 136b of the driving thin film transistor Tr2 for improving the aperture ratio of the pixel region P. [

The first and second drain contact holes 143 and 153 are connected to the planarization layer 150 for each pixel region P and are in contact with the drain electrode 136b. The first electrode 160 is formed of a material such as indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and serves as an anode electrode.

On the other hand, a bank 163 is formed at the boundary of each pixel region P above the first electrode 160.

The banks 163 are formed to surround the pixel regions P and overlap the predetermined width of the first electrodes 160 to expose the center of the first electrodes 160.

The bank 163 having such a structure is made of a transparent organic insulating material, for example, polyimide, or made of a black material, for example, a black resin.

An organic light emitting layer 165 is formed on the first electrode 160 surrounded by the banks 163 of the pixel regions P, respectively.

Aluminum (Al), an aluminum alloy (AlNd), an aluminum alloy (AlNd), or a metal material having a relatively low work function value may be formed on the organic light emitting layer 165 and the bank 163, A second electrode 168 made of any one of or a mixture of two or more of silver (Ag), magnesium (Mg), gold (Au), and aluminum magnesium alloy (AlMg) is formed.

In the pixel region, the first and second electrodes 160 and 168 and the organic light emitting layer 165 formed therebetween form an organic light emitting diode (E).

Although not shown, a multilayer structure (not shown) may be formed between the first electrode 160 and the organic emission layer 165 and between the organic emission layer 165 and the second electrode 168 to improve the emission efficiency of the organic emission layer 165, A first light emission compensation layer (not shown) and a second emission compensation layer (not shown) may be further formed.

The first emission compensation layer (not shown) may be sequentially stacked on the first electrode 160, and may include a hole injection layer and a hole transporting layer. 2 emission compensation layer (not shown) may be sequentially stacked from the organic emission layer 165 and may include an electron transporting layer and an electron injection layer.

Although the first luminescence compensation layer (not shown) and the second luminescence compensation layer (not shown) have a bilayer structure as an example, the bilayer structure is not necessarily required. That is, the first emission compensation layer (not shown) may be a hole injection layer or a hole transport layer to form a single layer structure, and the second emission compensation layer (not shown) may also be an electron injection layer or an electron transport layer, Structure.

In addition, the first emission compensation layer (not shown) may further include an electron blocking layer, and the second emission compensation layer (not shown) may further include a hole blocking layer.

Although not shown in the drawing, the organic light emitting device 101 according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a pixel region P (not shown) between the passivation layer 140 and the planarization layer 150, ), And may further include a color filter pattern (not shown) having any one of red, green, and blue colors.

When a color filter pattern (not shown) having any one of red, green, and blue colors is provided between the protective layer 140 and the planarization layer 150, the organic light emitting layer 165 is divided into the pixel regions P Green, and blue color filter patterns (not shown) to form a white organic emission layer 165 that emits white light from the front of the display region without any distinction. The white light emitted from the organic emission layer 165 transmits the red, .

At this time, the pixel region in which the red, green, and blue color filter patterns (not shown) are not provided implements white so that the contrast ratio of white and black is further improved by implementing four colors of red, .

The red, green, and blue color filter patterns (not shown) may be omitted as the organic electroluminescent device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention. In this case, Green, and blue light or red, green, blue, and white light, respectively, in a repeating manner in the order of red, green, and blue.

The organic electroluminescent device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a second substrate (not shown) for encapsulation of the organic electroluminescent diode E, corresponding to the first substrate 110 having the above- Is provided.

In this case, the first substrate 110 and the second substrate (not shown) are provided with an adhesive (not shown) made of a sealant or a frit along an edge thereof. The adhesive (not shown) The first substrate 110 and the second substrate (not shown) are bonded together to maintain the panel state.

At this time, a vacuum state may be established between the first substrate 110 and the second substrate (not shown) which are spaced apart from each other, or an inert gas atmosphere may be formed by being filled with an inert gas.

The second substrate (not shown) for the encapsulation may be made of plastic having a flexible property, or may be formed of a glass substrate.

Meanwhile, the organic electroluminescent device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention may have a configuration in which the second substrate (not shown) for encapsulation is omitted.

That is, the second substrate (not shown) may be configured to contact the second electrode 168 provided on the uppermost layer of the first substrate 110 in the form of a film including an adhesive layer, An organic insulating film (not shown) or an inorganic insulating film (not shown) is further provided on the electrode 168 to form a capping film. The organic insulating film (not shown) or the inorganic insulating film (not shown) (Not shown). In this case, the second substrate (not shown) may be omitted.

Even if the laser beam is irradiated during the repair process in order to make the pixel region P in which the defective pixel region P has been ignited due to the defects being generated in the organic electroluminescent device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration, The cracks are generated in the interlayer insulating films 118 and 123 in a limited manner and even if the metal material is transferred through the cracks, the cracks are generated by the cracks suppressing pattern SM1 (not shown) ) Between the electrodes or the wiring between the electrodes and the wiring can be originally suppressed, thereby reducing repair defects.

In the organic electroluminescent device 101 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the crack suppression pattern SM1 (not shown) and SM3 are formed on the gate insulating film 118, which is an insulating film provided for realizing the organic electroluminescent device 101, Or on the protective film 140, as shown in FIG.

The crack suppression pattern SM1 (not shown) may be formed on the interlayer insulating film 123 together with the gate insulating film 118 and the protective film 140, which are components of the organic electroluminescent device 101, 8 (a cross-sectional view of an organic electroluminescent device according to a modification of the embodiment of the present invention and a comparative organic electroluminescent device having a pattern made of a metal material with one insulating layer sandwiched therebetween, (Hereinafter, referred to as " process step "), an electrode or a wiring (hereinafter referred to as a first metal pattern) for laser beam irradiation for repairing on a laminated structure of a thin film transistor (not shown) as the organic EL device ELD3 according to a comparative example (Hereafter referred to as a first metal layer) is formed on the first insulating layer IL1 and an insulating layer (hereinafter referred to as a first metal layer) (MP2), even if a crack-inhibiting pattern is formed on the first insulating film IL1, the first insulating film IL1 is located in the same layer as the second metal pattern MP2, IL1, a short circuit between the first metal pattern MP1 and the second metal pattern MP2 can not be suppressed.

Therefore, in order to solve such a problem, the organic electroluminescent device 201 according to the modification of the embodiment of the present invention has a separate structure between the first insulating film IL1 and the second metal pattern MP2 located on the first insulating film IL1. The second insulating film IL2 is formed between the first insulating film IL1 and the added second insulating film IL2 so as to correspond to the portion SM4 irradiated with the laser beam, And an island-shaped crack suppression pattern SM4 which is not connected to the crack suppression pattern SM4.

The other structures are the same as those of the organic electroluminescent device according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, and the description thereof will be omitted.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and modifications, and various modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

101: Organic electroluminescent device
110: first substrate
118: Gate insulating film
123: Interlayer insulating film
140: Shield
150: planarization layer
160: first electrode
156: organic light emitting layer
168: Second electrode
170: second substrate
A1: Laser beam irradiation part 1
DL: Data wiring
E: Organic light emitting diode
GL: gate wiring

Claims (7)

A substrate on which a plurality of pixel regions are defined;
A plurality of wirings provided within the pixel region boundary or the pixel region;
A plurality of thin film transistors, each thin film transistor including a switching thin film transistor and a driving thin film transistor connected to the switching thin film transistor, the switching thin film transistor being disposed in each pixel region on the substrate and having a gate insulating film and an interlayer insulating film interposed therebetween;
A protective layer provided on the plurality of thin film transistors;
A planarization layer provided on the protective film;
An organic light emitting diode disposed on the planarization layer;
The organic electroluminescent device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a crack suppressing pattern formed on the substrate and overlapped with any one of the electrodes of the metal thin film transistor or the plurality of wiring lines.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the crack-inhibiting pattern is provided on the gate insulating film or the protective film.
The method according to claim 1,
The crack-suppressing pattern may be formed by depositing an additional insulating film on any one of the electrodes constituting the thin film transistor and a metal material or between the additional insulating film and the gate insulating film or the protective film, An electroluminescent device.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the crack suppression pattern is made of a metal material.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein each pixel region includes a sense thin film transistor connected to the driving thin film transistor and a first auxiliary wiring and a second auxiliary wiring connected to the sense thin film transistor,
Wherein the plurality of wirings are a gate wiring and a data wiring respectively connected to a gate electrode and a source electrode of the switching thin film transistor, and a power wiring connected to the driving thin film transistor.
6. The method of claim 5,
Wherein the portion provided with the crack suppression pattern is a portion irradiated with a laser beam in the course of a repair process.
The method according to claim 6,
The portion irradiated with the laser beam is,
Wherein a connection portion of the switching thin film transistor and the gate wiring, a connection portion of the driving thin film transistor and the organic light emitting diode, and a portion of the sense thin film transistor and the second auxiliary wiring are connected.

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