KR20190038114A - Organic Light Emitting Display Device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an organic light emitting display device, in which an upper electrode positioned at an upper section of an organic light emitting layer is dually formed at an edge to lower electrode resistance at an edge not used for display, thereby preventing heat generation and reducing the width thereof. The present invention provides an organic light emitting display device, comprising: a substrate divided into an active area and an edge area surrounding the active area, provided with a plurality of sub-pixels at the active area and having a pad part on at least one side of the edge area; a lower electrode provided at each of the sub-pixels; the organic light emitting layer provided on the lower electrode; the upper electrode integrally covering the active area and provided on the organic light emitting layer; and an assistant electrode touching the upper electrode at one portion of the edge area adjacent to the pad part and having conductivity higher than the upper electrode by 100 times or more.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to an organic light emitting display device,

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display, and more particularly, to an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device capable of reducing an electrode resistance of an outer electrode.

Recently, the field of display that visually expresses electrical information signals has rapidly developed as the information age has come to a full-fledged information age. In response to this, various flat panel display devices (flat display devices) having excellent performance such as thinning, light- Display Device) has been developed to replace CRT (Cathode Ray Tube).

Specific examples of such flat panel display devices include a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), a field emission display (FED) (Organic Light Emitting Device: OLED).

Among these, an organic light emitting display is considered as a competitive application for not requiring a separate light source, compacting the device, and displaying a clear color image.

The organic light emitting display includes an organic light emitting device that independently drives each sub-pixel. The organic light emitting device includes an anode and a cathode, and an organic light emitting layer between the anode and the cathode.

On the other hand, an organic light emitting display device includes a protective layer having an array structure including a thin film transistor and an organic light emitting element corresponding to each sub pixel on a lower plate side and covering and protecting an organic light emitting element vulnerable to moisture, And an encapsulation substrate.

However, in the organic light emitting display device, the cathode adjacent to the protective layer of the anode and the cathode may be integrally formed by covering the display region. In order to apply a uniform voltage to the anode formed integrally with no voltage drop, A voltage application line and a large-width connection area must be provided at the outer periphery. This causes a problem that the outer area which can not be used for display is extended.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been conceived in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, and has an auxiliary electrode which is highly conductive and is connected to an upper electrode in an outer region adjacent to the pad portion, thereby preventing heat generation at a portion where voltage is applied to the wiring And an organic light emitting display device capable of reducing a bezel area.

The organic light emitting display device of the present invention includes a pad portion crossing the lines for applying a voltage signal and an auxiliary electrode having a high conductivity to prevent generation of heat in an outer region adjacent to the pad portion.

An organic light emitting display according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an active region and an outer region surrounding the active region, wherein the active region includes a plurality of sub-pixels, and at least one of the sub- An upper electrode formed on the organic light emitting layer, and an upper electrode formed on the outer periphery of the upper electrode adjacent to the pad portion, the lower electrode being provided for each sub-pixel, the organic light emitting layer provided on the lower electrode, And an auxiliary electrode contacting a portion of the upper electrode and having a conductivity that is 100 times higher than that of the upper electrode.

Here, the upper electrode may be a transparent electrode, and the lower electrode may include a reflective electrode.

Each of the sub-pixels has a lower electrode connected to the thin film transistor, and at least one electrode of the thin film transistor or a metal bar of the same layer as the reflective electrode is formed in a region where the upper electrode and the auxiliary electrode overlap, Pattern can be further provided.

Here, the metal bar pattern may be connected to the upper electrode or the auxiliary electrode.

The upper electrode may be a metal oxide containing at least one of indium, titanium, zinc and gallium, and the auxiliary electrode may be at least one of Ag, Mg, Al, Pt, Pd, Au, Ni, Nd, Ir, Or alloys thereof.

The auxiliary electrode covers the metal bar pattern with a larger area than the metal bar pattern, and the metal bar pattern can be connected to the pad part through the voltage application line.

The edge of the auxiliary electrode adjacent to the pad portion may be closer to the pad portion than the edge of the upper electrode or may be the same as the edge of the upper electrode.

The width of the auxiliary electrode adjacent to the pad portion in the outer region may be within 1.5 mm.

The upper electrode may protrude in the outer area adjacent to the pad part with a first width and may protrude to the outer area not adjacent to the pad part with a second width smaller than the first width.

The auxiliary electrode may further include an extension portion contacting the upper electrode at the second width, and the auxiliary electrode and the extension portion may be configured to surround the active region.

The metal bar pattern may be connected to the extension or the upper electrode within the extension with a width less than the second width.

In addition, a plurality of link wirings may be further provided between the pad portion and the active region, and the metal bar pattern may be disposed across the link wirings.

In this case, it is preferable that the connection between the metal bar pattern and the upper electrode or the auxiliary electrode is not overlapped with the link wiring.

The organic light emitting display of the present invention has the following effects.

First, when the upper electrode is made of a transparent metal oxide having a high resistance, the resistance of the upper electrode is large due to the shape of the upper electrode covering the active region, and thus the auxiliary metal component having high conductivity, The upper electrode can be connected to the outer region to prevent local heat generation.

Second, the phenomenon that the heat generated at the edge of the upper electrode is intensified can be prevented, and the heat transmission of the adjacent pad portion by the upper electrode can be prevented.

Third, it is connected to the metal bar pattern of the lower layer to apply the equal potential to one side of the upper electrode. It is possible to supply the stable power source voltage to the upper electrode by only the small area metal bar pattern through the structure of the auxiliary electrode in contact with the upper electrode. Therefore, the area occupied by the metal bar pattern and the auxiliary electrode occupies a smaller area than the connection between the general upper electrode and the metal pattern alone, and consequently, the bezel area can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to realize an organic light emitting display device in which the dead area is reduced to be slim.

1 is a plan view of an OLED display according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a circuit diagram corresponding to one sub-pixel in the OLED display of the present invention.
3A is a plan view showing a connection relationship of the upper electrode, the auxiliary electrode, and the metal bar pattern of FIG.
3B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line I-I 'in FIG.
4A is a plan view according to a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention.
4B and 4C are cross-sectional views according to variations of the first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a comparison between the comparative example and the outer region of the organic light emitting display device of the present invention.
6 is a photograph showing deterioration of an organic light emitting display according to a comparative example.
7 is a plan view of an OLED display according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an enlarged view of the area C in Fig.
9 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line II-II '
10 is a plan view of an OLED display according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an OLED display according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The advantages and features of the present invention and the manner of achieving them will become apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the invention to those skilled in the art. To fully disclose the scope of the invention to a person skilled in the art, and the invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

The shapes, sizes, ratios, angles, numbers, and the like disclosed in the drawings for describing the embodiments of the present invention are illustrative, and thus the present invention is not limited thereto. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification. In the following description, well-known functions or constructions are not described in detail since they would obscure the invention in unnecessary detail.

Where the terms "comprises," "having," "consisting of," and the like are used in this specification, other portions may be added as long as "only" is not used. Unless the context clearly dictates otherwise, including the plural unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In interpreting the constituent elements, it is construed to include the error range even if there is no separate description.

In the case of a description of the positional relationship, for example, if the positional relationship between two parts is described as 'on', 'on top', 'under', and 'next to' Or " direct " is not used, one or more other portions may be located between the two portions.

In the case of a description of a temporal relationship, for example, if the temporal relationship is described by 'after', 'after', 'after', 'before', etc., May not be continuous unless they are not used.

The first, second, etc. are used to describe various components, but these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used only to distinguish one component from another. Therefore, the first component mentioned below may be the second component within the technical spirit of the present invention.

It should be understood that the term "at least one" includes all possible combinations from one or more related items. For example, the meaning of "at least one of the first item, the second item and the third item" means not only the first item, the second item or the third item, but also the second item and the second item among the first item, May refer to any combination of items that may be presented from more than one.

It is to be understood that each of the features of the various embodiments of the present invention may be combined or combined with each other, partially or wholly, technically various interlocking and driving, and that the embodiments may be practiced independently of each other, It is possible.

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

FIG. 1 is a plan view of an OLED display according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a circuit diagram corresponding to one sub-pixel in the OLED display of the present invention. 3A is a plan view showing the connection relation between the upper electrode, the auxiliary electrode and the metal bar pattern of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line I-I 'of FIG.

1 to 3B, the organic light emitting display according to the first embodiment of the present invention is divided into an active region AA and an outer region surrounding the active region, and a plurality of sub-pixels SP are formed in the active region, A substrate 100 having a pad portion PA on at least one side of the outer region, a lower electrode 161 provided for each sub-pixel SP, An upper electrode 171 which covers the organic light emitting layer 162 and the active area AA integrally and is provided on the organic light emitting layer 162 and a part of the outer area adjacent to the pad part PA And an auxiliary electrode 172 which contacts the upper electrode 171 and has a conductivity that is 100 times higher than that of the upper electrode 171.

As shown in FIG. 2, each of the sub-pixels SP includes a gate line GL and a data line DL intersecting with each other and a gate line GL and a switching gate electrode provided at intersections of the gate line and the data line. And a driving transistor DT connected to the driving voltage line VDDL for connecting the output terminal of the switching transistor line to the driving gate electrode and connected to the driving voltage line VDDL, And an organic light emitting diode (OLED) connected to an output terminal of the driving transistor DT.

Here, the output terminal of the driving transistor DT is referred to as a first node N1, which is connected to the lower electrode (refer to 161 in FIG. 3B) of the organic light emitting diode OLED, (See 171 in FIG. 3B) is connected to the power supply voltage line VSSL through the second node N2 to receive a ground voltage signal or a power supply voltage signal of a low voltage signal.

A connection node between the output node of the switching transistor ST and the gate electrode of the driving transistor DT is referred to as a third node N3 and a connection node between the third node N3 and the first node N1 The storage capacitor C is positioned so that the voltage input to the driving transistor DT through the switching transistor ST through the data line DL can be maintained constant for one frame.

Although the driving voltage line VDDL and the power source voltage line VSSL are shown in the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction, respectively, the driving voltage line VDDL and the power source voltage line VSSL may be oriented in the sub-pixel as needed. The driving voltage line VDDL applies a high voltage required for driving to the driving transistor DT and the power supply voltage line VSSL is connected to the upper electrode 171 of the organic light emitting diode OLED to supply a ground voltage or a low voltage Supply. The driving voltage line VDDL and the power source voltage line VSSL may be connected to the pad unit PA of the outer area together with the data line DL to receive a signal. Between the pad portion PA and the active region AA, a plurality of link wirings are provided for signal transmission and supply of signals to the data lines DL and the gate lines GL. The data link wiring for applying the data voltage (Vdata) to the data lines is provided as the number of data lines (DL) provided in the active area for applying the individual data voltages for each sub-pixel. Since the driving voltage supplied to the driving voltage line VDDL is the same in each active area, it generates a driving voltage signal at the pad unit PA one at a time for each of the plurality of data lines DL, May be branched into a plurality of lines and connected to one end of the driving voltage line (VDDL) of the active area (AA).

A power supply voltage signal of a low voltage or a ground voltage to be supplied to the power supply voltage line VSSL is applied to the upper electrode 171 which substantially integrally covers the active area AA and one VSSL link wiring 1330 However, in order to prevent a voltage drop at the upper electrode 171 formed in a large area, the power supply voltage signal may be supplied from the pad portion PA to the upper electrode 171 in the same manner as the driving voltage link wiring, Similarly, a plurality of VSSL link lines 1330 may be provided to supply a signal to the upper electrode 171. The plurality of VSSL link lines 1330 may be the same layer as the gate line GL or the data line DL and may be directly connected to the upper electrode 171 or connected to the upper electrode 171 to transmit an electrical signal The metal bar pattern 155 may be connected to the metal bar pattern 155.

The upper electrode 171 is connected to the plurality of VSSL link lines 1330 in an outer area and extends in a direction intersecting with one side of the upper electrode 171 contacting the pad PA, And is connected to a metal bar pattern 155 located along the lateral direction in an outer region of the metal bar pattern 155. [ The upper electrode 171 connected to the metal bar pattern 155 can have the same potential at one side through the connection between the metal bar pattern 155 and the upper electrode 171. [ Therefore, the upper electrode 171 can maintain the equal potential in the active region AA. Here, the metal bar pattern 155 may be a metal of the same layer as at least one of the electrodes constituting the thin film transistor (ST or DT). The metal bar pattern 155 is located on a layer different from those of the link wirings with an insulating film interposed therebetween in order to prevent electrical interference with a link wiring to which a voltage signal other than the VSSL link wiring 1330 is applied.

The upper electrode 171 may be formed of a transparent metal oxide film in a top emission type and the lower electrode 161 may include a reflective electrode. For example, the transparent metal oxide may be formed of indium (In), titanium (Ti) And may be a metal oxide containing at least one of zinc (Zn) and gallium (Ga). However, these metal oxides are highly resistant due to the oxygen component contained therein for transparency. Therefore, if one side of the upper electrode 171 is supplied with an equal potential only by the connection of the metal bar pattern 155, the metal bar pattern 155 and the upper electrode 171 of the transparent metal oxide film component have a sufficient overlapping area .

The organic light emitting layer 162 disposed between the lower electrode 161 and the upper electrode 171 in the organic light emitting diode OLED may be a single layer or a common layer such as a hole transport layer and an electron transport layer Or may be a stack structure having a plurality of the above-described unit units. In this case, each stack may include a light emitting layer, and a charge generating layer having n-p junction characteristics may be provided between the stack and the stack.

In the present invention, even though the metal bar pattern 155 is narrowed to have a width of 0.5 mm or less, one side of the upper electrode 171 and one side of the upper electrode 171 and a metal or metal having a conductivity of 100 times or more And the auxiliary electrode 172 is connected to the alloy. Therefore, even when the upper electrode 171 does not directly cover the metal bar pattern 155, the electrically conductive auxiliary electrode 172 electrically connected to the metal bar pattern 155 is electrically connected to the metal bar pattern 155, The overlap width between the metal bar pattern 155 and the upper electrode 171 or the auxiliary electrode 172 can be reduced to reduce the area which can not be used for actual display. That is, the area of the upper electrode 171 occupied by the auxiliary electrode 172 in the OLED display of the present invention can be reduced by 2 mm or more. As a result, the area of the bezel (B) can be reduced. Therefore, the organic light emitting display of the present invention can reduce the bezel area B of the device and reduce the dead area which can not be used for display, thereby making it slim. In addition, since the width of the upper electrode 171 and the metal bar pattern 155 can be reduced, the area between the pad portion and the active region can be reduced and the length of the link wiring through which the signal is supplied can be reduced, Delays can be prevented, and heat generation in the pad portion and its adjacent region can be reduced. Particularly, an auxiliary electrode 172 having high conductivity is disposed to cover the metal bar pattern 155. The metal bar pattern 155 is connected to the upper electrode 171 via the auxiliary electrode 172, The heat generated by the upper electrode 171 and the metal bar pattern 155 connected thereto can be reduced.

The auxiliary electrode 172 and the upper electrode 171 can be directly connected by continuing the formation process of the electrode. These electrodes proceed after the formation of the organic light emitting layer 162. The heat generated in the upper electrode 171 adjacent to the pad PAD which can not be solved by the lower TFT array is dissipated in the process of forming the upper electrode 171, And an outer area is further provided. The upper electrode 171 and the auxiliary electrode 172 may be formed by a sputtering process, an evaporation process, or the like.

A direct signal for applying a ground voltage or a low voltage Vss voltage signal to the upper electrode 171 is provided through a VSS link wiring (see 1330 in FIG. 8) connected to the pad electrode 135 provided on the pad PAD. The VSS link wiring 1330 is electrically connected to the metal bar pattern 155 in the thin film transistor array process and is electrically connected to the metal bar pattern 155 in the process of forming the upper electrode 171 and the auxiliary electrode 172, The metal bar pattern 155 and the auxiliary electrode 172 may be electrically connected to the first connection CT1 with a connection hole in the overcoat layer 141 of the film component.

The auxiliary electrode 172 may be made of a metal such as Cu, Ag, Mg, Al, Pt, Pd, Au, Ni, Nd, Ir, Cr, Mo, W or an alloy thereof. Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 100 times < / RTI > Unlike the transparent metal oxide, this metal component has shading or reflectivity, and is provided only in the outer region in a structure requiring transparency of the active region AA like the top emission type.

3B is a cross-sectional view of the organic light emitting diode display in which the same circuit configuration as the thin film transistor in the active region is omitted and the interlayer insulating film in the thin film transistor array is omitted. The overcoat layer 141 and the organic light emitting diode (OLED). In the sectional view of FIG. 3B, the bank 167 may be omitted as long as the bank 167 is located at the edge of the active area AA. The bank 167 may be provided to define the light emitting portion of each sub-region, but may not be an essential configuration. 9 and 11, a specific configuration of the thin film transistor array on the lower side of the organic light emitting diode (OLED) can be referred to.

In addition, although only the overcoat layer 141 is located between the metal bar pattern 155 and the auxiliary electrode 172 in the outer area, in addition to the overcoat layer 141, a flat film or the like may be further added . The film of the organic film component is provided between the metal bar pattern 155 and the auxiliary electrode 172 so that the parasitic capacitance of the overlapping portion of the link wiring and the auxiliary electrode 172 in the region except for the first connection CT1 Can be limited.

3A and 3B, the auxiliary electrode 172 covers the upper and side surfaces of the metal bar pattern 155. The upper electrode 171 overlaps with one side of the auxiliary electrode 172 to form the auxiliary electrode 172 As shown in Fig. When the area of the auxiliary electrode 172 is larger than that of the upper electrode 171 in the outer area, a signal is directly applied to the metal bar pattern 155 through the VSSL link wiring 1330, The ground voltage or the low voltage signal Vss is applied to the upper electrode 171 by the arrangement of the auxiliary electrode 172 connected to the auxiliary electrode 172 and the auxiliary electrode 172 and the upper electrode 171, Can be delivered to the equipotential with no regional deviations. In addition, the arrangement of the auxiliary electrode 172 having high conductivity in the outer region can solve the problem that the outer region is heated when the ground voltage or the low voltage signal Vss is applied.

When the auxiliary electrode 172 covers the metal bar pattern 155, the width protruding outward from the edge of the metal bar pattern 155 is not more than about 0.2 mm and not more than 0.5 mm in width The auxiliary electrode 172 may protrude to within 0.9 mm at the edge of the upper electrode 171 even if protrusions on both sides are taken into consideration. Therefore, in the organic light emitting display according to the present invention, the auxiliary electrode 172 is provided in the outer region so that the required bezel region B is formed in the comparative example structure in which the metal bar pattern 155 is covered only by the upper electrode 171 The organic light emitting display of the present invention can reduce the resistance of the upper electrode 171 and reduce the bezel area B by using the auxiliary electrode 172.

3A, when the sizes of the metal bar pattern 155 and the auxiliary electrode 172 are compared with each other, the auxiliary electrode 172 covers the metal bar pattern 155 in both the horizontal and vertical directions, 3B. Preferably, the metal bar pattern 155 is within 0.5 mm, and the auxiliary electrode 172 is 0.9 mm or less. The width of the metal bar pattern 155 is preferably equal to or larger than the width of the active area AA, Respectively. In some cases, the width of the auxiliary electrode 172 may be increased in consideration of the process margin. At this time, however, the width of the auxiliary electrode 172 may be adjusted to be within 1.5 mm to reduce the bezel area as compared with the comparative example.

A protective layer 180 having a thin film sealing function is provided on the upper electrode 171 formed to cover the active area AA and the auxiliary electrode 172 formed in the outer area by alternately stacking a plurality of inorganic films and organic films . The inorganic film may be a silicon-based oxide film, a nitride film, or an oxynitride film, and the organic film may be formed using a resin-based component relatively thicker than an inorganic film. When forming a pair of the organic film and the inorganic film in one layer which are in contact with each other with at least the protective layer 180, the protective layer 180 may include more than one layer, and preferably the uppermost layer may be an inorganic film.

An encapsulating substrate 200 may be further provided on the passivation layer 180 and an adhesive layer or a filler may be further provided between the passivation layer 180 and the encapsulating substrate 200. In the case of the adhesive layer, it is provided in a shape covering the protective layer 180, and the adhesive layer itself has moisture barrier property and prevents moisture permeation. When the filler is located above the passivation layer 180, the filler may further include a seal pattern (not shown) having a shape that surrounds the outer region between the substrate 100 and the encapsulation substrate 200, The substrate 100 and the sealing substrate 200 may be bonded together. In the latter case, a getter for moisture absorption in the filler and / or seal pattern may be included.

In this case, the sealing substrate 200, the adhesive layer, the filler, and the seal pattern can be optionally provided. In the minimum unit, the sealing layer 200 can be sealed with the protective layer 180 alone have.

A touch electrode array may be provided on the protective layer 180 or the sealing substrate 200 to perform an additional touch detection function. A polarizing film or a protective film may be further provided on the outermost surface of the organic light emitting display .

The metal bar pattern 155 may be the same layer as the electrode layer of the thin film transistor or may be formed in the same layer as the reflective electrode included in the lower electrode 161 in the upper emission type. In this case, the metal bar pattern 155 may be an alloy containing at least one of Cu, Ag, Mg, Al, Pt, Pd, Au, Ni, Nd, Ir, Cr, .

The reason why the auxiliary electrode 172 of the present invention prevents the heat generation in the outer region is that the pad portion PA of the outer region is prevented from being damaged even though the metal bar pattern 155 is formed of the same or similar electrode as the auxiliary electrode 172. [ Since the link wirings are formed in the same process in forming the thin film transistors, even if the link wirings and the metal bar patterns 155 are on different layers in layers, Only the interlayer insulating film or the gate insulating film having a thin inorganic film component of 5000 angstroms or less is disposed between the metal bar pattern 155 and the metal bar pattern 155. If the overlapping of the link wiring and the metal bar pattern is made larger than a certain level, there is a problem. The equal potential of the upper electrode 171 can be achieved through the auxiliary electrode 172 having high conductivity even when the metal bar pattern 155 is 0.5 mm or less in the organic light emitting diode display of the present invention.

The auxiliary electrode 172 is formed directly in contact with the upper electrode 171 and is formed just before or after the upper electrode 171 is formed. That is, the overcoat layer or the planarization layer of the organic film component covering the thin film transistor array under the lower electrode 161 may be provided in the outer region except for the connection portion between the metal bar pattern 155 and the auxiliary electrode 172 Even when the auxiliary electrode 172 overlaps the link wiring in the outer area, an insulation rate (see FIG. 10) is provided between the auxiliary electrode 172 and the link wiring (see FIG. 8 133) The generation of parasitic capacitance between the link wiring and the auxiliary electrode 172 can be minimized.

On the other hand, the lower electrode 161 may be connected to the output terminal (source electrode) of the driving transistor DT, that is, the first node N1.

4A is a plan view according to a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention, and Figs. 4B and 4C are sectional views according to modifications of the first embodiment of the present invention.

4A shows an organic light emitting diode display according to a modification of the first embodiment of the present invention in that an edge of the upper electrode 171 is extended to the edge of the auxiliary electrode 172.

FIGS. 4B and 4C respectively show an auxiliary electrode 172 before and after the formation of the upper electrode 171, both of which correspond to the plan view of FIG. 4A. In these variations, A triple conductive path of the auxiliary electrode 172 and the upper electrode 171 is generated and the auxiliary electrode 172 with high conductivity is in direct contact with one side of the upper electrode 171. Therefore, (VSS), it is possible to prevent heat generation and prevent line delay. The edge of the auxiliary electrode 172 adjacent to the pad 135 may be connected to the upper electrode 171 and the upper electrode 171. In this case, The bezel region can be defined by the area of the auxiliary electrode 172 provided in the substantially outer region, which is located closer to the pad 135 than the edge of the upper electrode 171 or the edge of the upper electrode 171.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a comparison between the comparative example and the outer region of the organic light emitting display device of the present invention.

5 shows a comparison example in which the metal bar pattern 55 is connected only to the upper electrode 71 to obtain the equal potential of the upper electrode 71 and the metal bar pattern 155 in the OLED display according to the first embodiment of the present invention. And the connection of the upper electrode 171 and the auxiliary electrode 172 are applied together.

As shown in Fig. 5, when the metal bar pattern 55 is connected only to the upper electrode 71 made of a transparent metal oxide such as ITO having a high resistivity, the width of the connecting portion should be 2.5 mm or more The organic light emitting display according to the first embodiment of the present invention can reduce the width of the metal bar pattern 155 to within 0.5 mm and the auxiliary electrode 172 having a width larger than that of the metal bar pattern 155 The auxiliary electrode 172 covers the metal bar pattern 155 and the purpose of reducing the resistance of the upper electrode 171 can be achieved. Also, the auxiliary electrode 172 can be formed with a width of 1.5 mm or less even when considering the process margin for the longest time, and the effect of reducing the bezel area B compared to the comparative example in the organic light emitting display of the present invention can be confirmed .

Here, the reference numerals 61 and 62 denote the lower electrode and the organic layer of the organic light emitting device OLED, respectively, and reference numeral 67 denotes a bank, and since the active region of the comparative example is not different from the active region of the present invention, .

In the comparative example, it is possible to understand the cause of the heat generation at the portion of the upper electrode 71 adjacent to the pad portion. The upper electrode 71 including oxygen, the metal bar pattern 55 and the connection holes CT1 ), So that the region where the current flows locally is limited, and the heat is generated in this region.

The organic light emitting display device of the present invention includes the metal bar pattern 155 and the auxiliary electrode 171 which is a metal material having high conductivity so that even if the area of the first connection CT1 is limited, will be. This effect is also effective in the structure of the first embodiment of the present invention in which the metal bar pattern 155 and the auxiliary electrode 171 are connected to each other and the metal bar pattern 155 and the upper electrode 171 and the auxiliary electrode 172 ) Have the same effect.

6 is a photograph showing deterioration of an organic light emitting display according to a comparative example.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the heat generated in the organic light emitting display according to the comparative example is observed, the region of the metal bar pattern connected to the pad portion PA of the outer region and the upper electrode made of the transparent metal oxide has the highest heat generation Severe.

If the heat generation is severe, the temperature may be 100 ° C or more. In this case, the pixels adjacent to the metal bar pattern may deteriorate or ignite. Such deterioration is irreversible and needs to be solved. The organic light emitting display device of the present invention solves the problem of heat generation and resistance from the connection between the upper electrode 171 and the metal bar pattern 155 by connecting the auxiliary electrode 172 with high conductivity to the upper electrode 171 of the outer frame portion It is.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of an OLED display according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of a region C of FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II 'of Fig.

8, a plurality of pad electrodes 135 are provided in each of the pad units PAD A and PAD B and a plurality of pad electrodes 135 are formed in the pad units PAD A and PAD B, 135 may be connected to the data line DL and the driving voltage line VDDL or the power source voltage line VSSL in the active area AA through the link wiring 133, respectively.

The pad units PAD A and PAD B are connected in parallel to a plurality of pad electrodes 135 to be connected to a source IC (not shown) or a COF film (not shown) The closer to the active area AA is to be connected to the data lines DL and the driving voltage lines VDDL or the power source voltage lines VSSL arranged at regular intervals in the area AA, And PAD B is gradually narrowed.

7 to 9, the organic light emitting diode display according to the second embodiment of the present invention includes the auxiliary electrode 272 only in a region where the link wiring 133 between adjacent pad units PAD A and PAD B does not pass, The upper electrode 271 is connected to the upper electrode 271. In this case, there is no overlap with the lower link wiring 133 at the connection portion between the auxiliary electrode 272 and the upper electrode 271, Thereby preventing the parasitic capacitance due to wiring superimposition to which a signal is applied.

Further, as described above, the auxiliary electrode 272 may be positioned on the lower layer of the upper electrode 271 or on the upper layer. The vertical length of the auxiliary electrode 272 may be larger than the width of the metal bar pattern 155.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the auxiliary electrode 272 of FIG. 8, showing an overcoat layer between the upper electrode 271 and the metal bar pattern 155 in a region between the link wirings 133 spaced from each other. (CT1) through a connection hole provided in the first connection portion (141). Even if the positions of the upper electrode 271 and the auxiliary electrode 272 are reversed from each other and the metal bar pattern 155 and the auxiliary electrode 272 are directly connected to each other, And the effect of preventing heat generation. The metal bar pattern 155 has a lower connection VSS link 1330 and a second connection CT2 and can receive a ground voltage or a lower voltage VSS signal.

10 is a plan view of an OLED display according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 10, the organic light emitting display according to the third embodiment of the present invention includes an auxiliary electrode 372 surrounding the active area AA. Here, the width of the auxiliary electrode 372 located in the outer region adjacent to the pad portion PA among the widths of the auxiliary electrode 372 at each side may be the largest.

Also in this case, the width of the auxiliary electrode 372 adjacent to the pad portion in the outer region is within 1.5 mm, and the bezel region is small by the auxiliary electrode 372 in the comparative example.

The upper electrode 371 protrudes in the outer region adjacent to the pad portion PA with a first width a and extends in the outer region not adjacent to the pad portion PA in the first width a (B) smaller than the first width (b). In the outer region not adjacent to the pad portion PA, the second width b may be the same as shown or may be different from each other, but in any case is smaller than the first width a.

The auxiliary electrode 372 may further include an extension portion contacting the upper electrode at the second width, and the auxiliary electrode and the extension portion may be configured to surround the active region.

As described above, the metal bar pattern may be further provided on the lower layer where the auxiliary electrode 372 is located, which crosses the link wirings with an area smaller than the auxiliary electrode 372. The metal bar pattern may include a pad portion The power supply voltage signal Vss of the low voltage or the ground voltage can be received through the link wiring in the power supply PA. In this case, the metal bar pattern 155 may have a closed loop shape surrounding the active region similarly to the auxiliary electrode 372. The metal bar pattern 155 has the largest width in the outer region adjacent to the pad portion, and the width is smaller in the remaining sides.

The metal bar pattern 155 may be connected to the extension or the upper electrode 371 within the extension with a width less than the second width.

A plurality of VSS link wirings 1330 are further provided between the pad PA and the active area AA and the metal bar pattern 155 is disposed across the VSS link wirings 1330 .

Hereinafter, the organic light emitting display according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described in the form of including a thin film transistor structure below the organic light emitting diode (OLED). Although the fourth embodiment is described, the structure of the lower side of the lower electrode 161 in the first to third embodiments may be the same as that of the fourth embodiment.

11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an OLED display according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

11, in the organic light emitting diode display according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, each sub pixel of the active area AA includes at least a driving transistor (TFT), a driving transistor An organic light emitting layer 162 and an upper electrode 171 which are electrically connected to the driving transistor TFT on the overcoat layer 141 and which are stacked on the overcoat layer 141, And an organic light emitting diode (OLED). Although the organic light emitting layer 171 is illustrated as a single layer, the organic light emitting layer 171 may be formed by a plurality of layers including an EL layer substantially emitting light, a hole related layer provided thereunder and an electron- .

Meanwhile, a bank 167 for defining a light emitting portion of the organic light emitting diode OLED may be further provided at a boundary of the subpixel SP. Here, the bank 167 may include black resin. Such a bank 167 may have a thickness of 1 to 5 占 퐉, which is similar to the overcoat layer 141 as an organic material.

The overcoat layer 141 is formed to cover the active area AA as a whole except for the contact hole to which the driving transistor TFT and the lower electrode 161 are connected and extends to the outside of the active area, (Not shown).

The metal bar pattern 155 may be connected to the upper electrode 471 or the auxiliary electrode 472 in an outer area. The upper electrode 471 and the auxiliary electrode 472 may be displaced in the vertical direction and the auxiliary electrode 472 having high conductivity may be arranged in the outer region in any case, The power supply voltage signal VSS can be equipotential with the upper electrode 471 without generating heat with a small width.

The lower side of the metal bar pattern 155 passes through the link wiring 133. The metal bar pattern 155 is located at a width of 0.5 mm or less of the length of the link wiring 133 and the parasitic capacitance Can be small. 1, 8, and 9, the metal bar pattern 155 may be directly connected to some lines of the VSS link line 1330 to receive a ground voltage or a low voltage power supply voltage signal Vss.

121, which is not described in the structure on the substrate 100, is a buffer layer and is provided to prevent impurities on the substrate 100 side from flowing into the structure formed on the substrate 100. [ Or when the substrate 100 is subjected to a specific process, its influence is prevented.

The driving transistor TFT includes a gate electrode 112, a semiconductor layer 122, a source electrode 136 connected to both sides of the semiconductor layer 122, and a drain electrode 137. A gate insulating layer 131 is interposed between the gate electrode 112 and the semiconductor layer 122. The illustrated semiconductor layer 122 is an oxide semiconductor and shows a state where an etch stopper 132 is provided for protecting the channel portion when the source electrode 136 and the drain electrode 137 are patterned. However, this thin film transistor is one example, and the semiconductor layer 122 may be formed of amorphous silicon, polysilicon, or a plurality of silicon layers, in which case the etch stopper 132 may be omitted.

The drain electrode 137 is electrically connected to the lower electrode 161 of the organic light emitting diode OLED. The first electrode 151 may include a reflective metal, or may be formed in two or more layers. When it is a second layer, the reflective metal can be located at the lowest position.

The pad electrode 135 provided on the pad PA at the edge of the substrate 100 has a first pad electrode 135a in the same layer as the lower source / drain electrodes 136 and 137, The second pad electrode 135b may be formed of the same layer metal as the lower electrode 161 or the upper electrode 171 to prevent oxidation of the pad electrode 135a.

In the illustrated example, the metal bar pattern 155 formed on the same layer as the source / drain electrodes 136 and 137 and the link wiring 133 connected to the pad electrode 135 are formed on the gate electrode The pad electrode 135 and the link wiring 133 are integrally formed in the same layer as the lower electrode 161 or in the case where the metal bar pattern 155 is formed of the same layer as the lower electrode 161 or another metal layer. Layer metal. An unexplained reference numeral 138 denotes an inorganic insulating film which covers the driving transistor TFT and protects the driving transistor TFT except for a connection portion to the lower electrode 161. [

As described above, when the upper electrode is formed of a transparent metal oxide having a high resistance and is connected to only the metal bar pattern and a power supply voltage signal is applied, heat is generated at a connection portion between the upper electrode and the metal bar pattern.

In this case, the pixels adjacent to the metal bar pattern may be deteriorated or ignited. This deterioration is unrecoverable. According to the present invention, the upper electrode and the upper electrode The present invention solves this problem by providing a highly conductive auxiliary electrode to be connected.

The organic light emitting diode display of the present invention has a structure in which the upper electrode is formed of a transparent metal oxide and has an auxiliary electrode which is directly connected to the upper electrode in an outer region adjacent to the pad portion. When covering, at least at one side of the upper electrode, the heat is dispersed through the connection of the auxiliary electrode and the upper electrode, and heat can be prevented from staying in the upper electrode. This makes it possible to prevent deterioration of the pixels adjacent thereto and ignition of the arm by heat generation in the outer region.

While the present invention has been described in connection with what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. Will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art.

100: substrate 133: link wiring
135: pad electrode 161: lower electrode
162: organic light emitting layer 171: upper electrode
172: auxiliary electrode

Claims (14)

A substrate divided into an active region and an outer region surrounding the active region, the substrate having a plurality of sub-pixels in the active region and having a pad portion on at least one side of the outer region;
A lower electrode provided for each sub-pixel;
An organic light emitting layer provided on the lower electrode;
An upper electrode covering the active region integrally and provided on the organic light emitting layer;
And an auxiliary electrode contacting the upper electrode at a portion of the outer region adjacent to the pad portion and having a conductivity that is 100 times or more higher than that of the upper electrode. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the upper electrode is a transparent electrode,
Wherein the lower electrode includes a reflective electrode. 3. The method of claim 2,
The lower electrode is connected to the thin film transistor for each sub-pixel,
Further comprising a metal bar pattern in the same layer as the at least one electrode or at the same layer as the reflective electrode in an area where the upper electrode and the auxiliary electrode overlap each other. The method of claim 3,
And the metal bar pattern is connected to the upper electrode or the auxiliary electrode. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the upper electrode is a metal oxide containing at least one of indium, titanium, zinc, and gallium,
Wherein the auxiliary electrode is Ag, Mg, Al, Pt, Pd, Au, Ni, Nd, Ir, Cr, Mo, W or an alloy thereof. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the auxiliary electrode covers the metal bar pattern with a larger area than the metal bar pattern,
And the metal bar pattern is connected to the pad portion through a voltage applying line. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the edge of the auxiliary electrode adjacent to the pad portion is closer to the pad portion than the edge of the upper electrode or is the same as the edge of the upper electrode. 8. The method of claim 7,
And the width of the auxiliary electrode adjacent to the pad portion in the outer region is within 1.5 mm. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the upper electrode is adjacent to the pad portion and protrudes from the active region to the outer region in a first width,
And protruding from the active area to the outer area at a second width smaller than the first width, in an area not adjacent to the pad part. 10. The method of claim 9,
The auxiliary electrode further includes an extension portion contacting the upper electrode at the second width,
Wherein the auxiliary electrode and the extending portion have a shape surrounding the active region. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the metal bar pattern is connected to the extension portion or the upper electrode in the extension portion with a width smaller than the second width. The method of claim 3,
Further comprising a plurality of link wirings between the pad portion and the active region,
Wherein the metal bar pattern is disposed across the link wiring. 13. The method of claim 12,
And the connection between the metal bar pattern and the upper electrode or the auxiliary electrode is not overlapped with the link wiring. 14. The method of claim 13,
Further comprising an organic insulating film between the metal bar pattern and the upper electrode except for a region having a connection between the metal bar pattern and the upper electrode or the auxiliary electrode.

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