MULTI-FUNCTIONAL ACTIVE MATRIX ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DIODE DISPLAY
A multi-functional active matrix display comprises a transparent front sheet, a semi-transparent layer of light emissive devices adjacent the rear side of the front sheet and forming a matrix of display pixels, and a solar cell layer located behind the light emissive devices for converting both ambient light and internal light7 from the light emissive devices into electrical energy, the solar cell layer including an array of electrodes on the front surface of the solar cell layer for use in detecting the location of a change in the amount of light impinging on a portion of the front surface of the solar cell layer.
This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/564,634 filed Nov. 29, 2011, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention relates generally to active matrix displays organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays and, more particularly, to multi-functional AMOLED displays having integrated solar cells.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONOrganic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have attracted significant attention because of their great potential for making next-generation flat panel displays, i.e., active-matrix organic light-emitting diode displays (AMOLEDs). The standard OLEDs consist of a transparent electrode, organic layers and a metallic reflective electrode, which experience a strong ambient light reflection and a reduced contrast of displays operating under sunlight, mandating a circular polarizer. Other approaches, such as black cathodes, have been proposed. However, all these designs absorb and waste the incident ambient light and a significant amount of light emitted by the OLEDs. In addition, AMOLEDs today are typically integrated with a touch panel in front of the AMOLED in many applications such as cellular phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), computer displays and touch tablets. The light output from the OLEDs is further reduced by the touch panel. Altogether, the AMOLED display system is complex and costly, and exhibits relatively low efficiency and wastes a large amount of energy.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONIn accordance with one embodiment, a multi-functional active matrix display comprises a transparent front sheet, a semi-transparent layer of light emissive devices adjacent the rear side of the front sheet and forming a matrix of display pixels, and a solar cell layer located behind the light emissive devices for converting both ambient light and internal light from the light emissive devices into electrical energy, the solar cell layer including an array of electrodes on the front surface of the solar cell layer for use in detecting the location of a change in the amount of light impinging on a portion of the front surface of the solar cell layer.
In one implementation, the semi-transparent layer of light emissive devices includes a substantially transparent anode adjacent the transparent front sheet, a semi-transparent semiconductor stack forming organic light emitting diodes adjacent the rear side of the anode, and a semi-transparent cathode adjacent the rear side of the semiconductor stack. A cover glass is spaced rearwardly of the cathode, covering the solar cell layer, and a peripheral sealant bonds the cover glass to the front sheet. The peripheral sealant holds the cover sheet spaced away from the rear side of said cathode to form an air gap between the cathode and said the sheet.
This integration of the semi-transparent OLED panel and the solar panel offers ease of fabrication and low cost while providing advantages of multi-functionality such as low ambient light reflection, low power consumption, high yield and optical touch screen functionality. Specifically, the integrated device permits the touching of portions of the front surface of an active matrix OLED display to be sensed by using the solar panel to produce an electrical output signal corresponding to light that passes through said OLED display, including light reflected from an object touching the front surface of said OLED display. Then the location of the touching object can be determined by monitoring and analyzing the electrical output signals produced by said solar panel, using conventional touch-screen circuitry.
With this design, the incident ambient light and the portion of light emitted through the transparent electrode is absorbed by the back solar cell instead of being reflected, resulting in improved contrast in the displayed image. Moreover, in contrast with the polarizer and black cathode approaches, the absorbed light is recycled as useful electrical power or touch feedback instead of being converted to heat. At the same time, the display system can be manufactured with high yields by using independent panel and solar cell processes. Since the polarizer used in AMOLED displays typically has only about 43% transmittance, displays lose 57% of their electroluminance by using the polarizer.
Using the display system itself as an optical-based touch screen, without extra IR-LEDs and sensors, reduces the device complexity and fabrication cost of the display system by eliminating the need for extra IR-LEDs and sensors. The solar cell can also be used for initial uniformity calibration of the display, e.g., for correcting non-uniformities of an active matrix OLED display by (a) integrating the OLED display with a solar panel that produces an electrical output signal corresponding to light emissions from the OLED display, (b) detecting non-uniformities in the OLED display from said output signal, and (c) correcting the detected non-uniformities in the OLED display.
This display system has a simple structure that exhibits superior contrast without sacrificing electroluminance, a high power efficiency by recycling OLED internal emissions as well as incident ambient light, and touch screen functionality.
The foregoing and other advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent upon reading the following detailed description and upon reference to the drawings.
Although the invention will be described in connection with certain aspects and/or embodiments, it will be understood that the invention is not limited to those particular aspects and/or embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover all alternatives, modifications, and equivalent arrangements as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
The OLED layer 10 includes a substantially transparent anode 20, e.g., indium-tin-oxide (ITO), adjacent the glass substrate 14, an organic semiconductor stack 21 engaging the rear surface of the anode 20, and a cathode 22 engaging the rear surface of the stack 21. The cathode 22 is made of a transparent or semi-transparent material, e.g., thin silver (Ag), to allow light to pass through the OLED layer 10 to the solar panel 11. (The anode 20 and the semiconductor stack 21 in OLEDs are typically at least semi-transparent, but the cathode in previous OLEDs has often been opaque and sometimes even light-absorbing to minimize the reflection of ambient light from the OLED.)
Light that passes rearwardly through the OLED layer 10, as illustrated by the right-hand arrow in
One or more switches may be connected to the terminals 32 and 33 to permit the solar panel 11 to be controllably connected to either (1) an electrical energy storage device such as a rechargeable battery or one or more capacitors, or (2) to a system that uses the solar panel 11 as a touch screen, to detect when and where the front of the display is “touched” by a user.
In the illustrative embodiment of
One example of a suitable semitransparent OLED layer 10 includes the following materials:
Anode 20
-
- ITO (100 nm)
Semiconductor Stack 21
-
- hole transport layer—N,N′-bis(naphthalen-1-yl)-N,N′-bis (phenyl)benzidine (NBP) (70 nm)
- emitter layer—tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3): 10-(2-benzothiazolyl)-1, 1, 7, 7-tetramethyl-2, 3, 6, 7-tetrahydro-1H, 5H, 11H, [1] benzo-pyrano [6,7,8-ij] quinolizin-11-one (C545T) (99%:1%) (30 nm)
- electron transport layer—Alq3 (40 nm)
- electron injection layer—4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Bphen): (Cs2CO3) (9:1) (10 nm)
Semitransparent Cathode 22—
-
- MoO3:NPB(1:1) (20 nm)
- Ag (14 nm)
- MoO3:NPB(1:1) (20 nm)
The performance of the above OLED layer in an integrated device using a commercial solar panel was compared with a reference device, which was an OLED with exactly the same semiconductor stack and a metallic cathode (Mg/Ag). The reflectance of the reference device was very high, due to the reflection of the metallic electrode; in contrast, the reflectance of the integrated device is very low. The reflectance of the integrated device with the transparent electrode was much lower than the reflectances of both the reference device (with the metallic electrode) and the reference device equipped with a circular polarizer.
The current efficiency-current density characteristics of the integrated device with the transparent electrode and the reference device are shown in
For both the integrated device and the reference device described above, all materials were deposited sequentially at a rate of 1-3 A/s using vacuum thermal evaporation at a pressure below 5×10−6 Torr on ITO-coated glass substrates. The substrates were cleaned with acetone and isopropyl alcohol, dried in an oven, and finally cleaned by UV ozone treatment before use. In the integrated device, the solar panel was a commercial Sanyo Energy AM-1456CA amorphous silicon solar cell with a short circuit current of 6 μA and a voltage output of 2.4V. The integrated device was fabricated using the custom cut solar cell as encapsulation glass for the OLED layer.
The optical reflectance of the device was measured by using a Shimadzu UV-2501PC UV-Visible spectrophotometer. The current density (J)-luminance (L)-voltage (V) characteristics of the device was measured with an Agilent 4155C semiconductor parameter analyzer and a silicon photodiode pre-calibrated by a Minolta Chromameter. The ambient light was room light, and the tests were carried out at room temperature. The performances of the fabricated devices were compared with each other and with the reference device equipped with a circular polarizer.
Overall, the integrated device shows a higher current efficiency than the reference device with a circular polarizer, and further recycles the energy of the incident ambient light and the internal luminance of the top OLED, which demonstrates a significant low power consumption display system.
Conventional touch displays stack a touch panel on top of an LCD or AMOLED display. The touch panel reduces the luminance output of the display beneath the touch panel and adds extra cost to the fabrication. The integrated device described above is capable of functioning as an optical-based touch screen without any extra panels or cost. Unlike previous optical-based touch screens which require extra IR-LEDs and sensors, the integrated device described here utilizes the internal illumination from the top OLED as an optical signal, and the solar cell is utilized as an optical sensor. Since the OLED has very good luminance uniformity, the emitted light is evenly spread across the device surface as well as the surface of the solar panel. When the front surface of the display is touched by a finger or other object, a portion of the emitted light is reflected off the object back into the device and onto the solar panel, which changes the electrical output of the solar panel. The system is able to detect this change in the electrical output, thereby detecting the touch. The benefit of this optical-based touch system is that it works for any object (dry finger, wet finger, gloved finger, stylus, pen, etc.), because detection of the touch is based on the optical reflection rather than a change in the refractive index, capacitance or resistance of the touch panel.
When the front of the display is touched or obstructed by a finger 40 (
The solar panel may also be used for imaging, as well as a touch screen. An algorithm may be used to capture multiple images, using different pixels of the display to provide different levels of brightness for compressive sensing.
In a modified embodiment, the solar panel is calibrated with different OLED and/or ambient brightness levels, and the values are stored in a lookup table (LUT). Touching the surface of the display changes the optical behavior of the stacked structure, and an expected value for each cell can be fetched from the LUT based on the OLED luminance and the ambient light. The output voltage or current from the solar cells can then be read, and a profile created based on differences between expected values and measured values. A predefined library or dictionary can be used to translate the created profile to different gestures or touch functions.
In another modified embodiment, each solar cell unit represents a pixel or sub-pixel, and the solar cells are calibrated as smaller units (pixel resolution) with light sources at different colors. Each solar cell unit may represent a cluster of pixels or sub-pixels. The solar cells are calibrated as smaller units (pixel resolution) with reference light sources at different color and brightness levels, and the values stored in LUTs or used to make functions. The calibration measurements can be repeated during the display lifetime by the user or at defined intervals based on the usage of the display. Calibrating the input video signals with the values stored in the LUTs can compensate for non-uniformity and aging. Different gray scales may be applied while measuring the values of each solar cell unit, and storing the values in a LUT.
Each solar cell unit can represent a pixel or sub-pixel. The solar cell can be calibrated as smaller units (pixel resolution) with reference light sources at different colors and brightness levels and the values stored in LUTs or used to make functions. Different gray scales may be applied while measuring the values of each solar cell unit, and then calibrating the input video signals with the values stored in the LUTs to compensate for non-uniformity and aging. The calibration measurements can be repeated during the display lifetime by the user or at defined intervals based on the usage of the display.
Alternatively, each solar cell unit can represent a pixel or sub-pixel, calibrated as smaller units (pixel resolution) with reference light sources at different colors and brightness levels with the values being stored in LUTs or used to make functions, and then applying different patterns (e.g., created as described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0227964, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety herein) to each cluster and measuring the values of each solar cell unit. The functions and methods described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0227964 may be used to extract the non-uniformities/aging for each pixel in the clusters, with the resulting values being stored in a LUT. The input video signals may then be calibrated with the values stored in LUTs to compensate for non-uniformity and aging. The measurements can be repeated during the display lifetime either by the user or at defined intervals based on display usage.
The solar panel can also be used for initial uniformity calibration of the display. One of the major problems with OLED panels is non-uniformity. Common sources of non-uniformity are the manufacturing process and differential aging during use. While in-pixel compensation can improve the uniformity of a display, the limited compensation level attainable with this technique is not sufficient for some displays, thereby reducing the yield. With the integrated OLED/solar panel, the output current of the solar panel can be used to detect and correct non-uniformities in the display. Specifically, calibrated imaging can be used to determine the luminance of each pixel at various levels. The theory has also been tested on an AMOLED display, and
As can be seen from the foregoing description, the integrated display can be used to provide AMOLED displays with a low ambient light reflectance without employing any extra layers (polarizer), low power consumption with recycled electrical energy, and functionality as an optical based touch screen without an extra touch panel, LED sources or sensors. Moreover, the output of the solar panel can be used to detect and correct the non-uniformity of the OLED panel. By carefully choosing the solar cell and adjusting the semitransparent cathode of the OLED, the performance of this display system can be greatly improved.
While particular implementations and applications of the present disclosure have been illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise construction and compositions disclosed herein and that various modifications, changes, and variations can be apparent from the foregoing descriptions without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.
Claims
1-9. (canceled)
10. A method comprising:
- receiving at least a portion of light emitted from a display at one or more solar cells adjacent the display; and
- converting the received at least a portion of light into an electrical output.
11. The method of claim 10 further comprising:
- prior to receiving, integrating behind the display, the one or more solar cells with the display.
12. The method of claim 10, in which the electrical output comprises electrical energy, the method further comprising:
- storing the electrical energy in electrical energy storage.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising:
- receiving ambient light at the one or more solar cells; and
- converting the received ambient light into electrical energy for storage in the electrical energy storage.
14. The method of claim 10, in which the one or more solar cells are comprised in a solar cell layer which includes an array of electrodes on at least one surface of the solar cell layer for generating the electrical output, the electrical output corresponding to light emissions from various areas across the display, the method further comprising:
- detecting non-uniformities in the display from the electrical output; and
- correcting for the detected non-uniformities in the display.
15. The method of claim 10, in which the at least a portion of light includes light emitted by the display and reflected from an object near a front surface of the display, the method further comprising:
- detecting a location of the object from the electrical output.
16. An active matrix display comprising:
- a semi-transparent layer of light emissive devices forming a matrix of display pixels for displaying images; and
- one or more solar cells adjacent said semi-transparent layer for receiving at least a portion of light emitted from the semi-transparent layer and converting the at least a portion of light into an electrical output.
17. The active matrix display of claim 16 further comprising:
- a transparent front sheet adjacent a front side of the semi-transparent layer, the displayed images for viewing through the front sheet.
18. The active matrix display of claim 17 in which the semi-transparent layer of light emissive devices includes a substantially transparent anode adjacent the front sheet, a semi-transparent semiconductor stack forming organic light emitting diodes adjacent a rear side of the anode, a semi-transparent cathode adjacent a rear side of the semiconductor stack, a cover glass spaced rearwardly of the cathode and covering the one or more solar cells, and a peripheral sealant bonding the cover glass to the transparent front sheet.
19. The active matrix display of claim 18 in which the peripheral sealant holds the cover glass spaced away from a rear side of the cathode to form an air gap between the cathode and the cover glass.
20. The active matrix display of claim 17 in which the transparent front sheet is a glass substrate for the semi-transparent layer of light emissive devices.
21. The active matrix display of claim 16 in which the one or more solar cells re comprised in a solar cell layer which includes laminated N-type and P-type semiconductor materials, and includes an array of electrodes on at least one surface of said solar cell layer for generating said electrical output, the array of electrodes including multiple electrode segments located on a front surface of the semiconductor laminate and spaced from each other to allow light from the light emissive devices to impinge on the semiconductor laminate.
22. The active matrix display of claim 21 in which the array of electrodes includes first spaced electrode segments running in a first direction on one surface of the semiconductor laminate, and second spaced electrode segments running in a second direction on an opposite surface of the semiconductor laminate.
23. The active matrix display of claim 16 in which the semi-transparent layer of light emissive devices includes a substantially transparent anode and a semi-transparent cathode.
24. The active matrix display of claim 16 in which the one or more solar cells is comprised in a solar cell layer which includes an array of electrodes on at least one surface of the solar cell layer for generating said electrical output, the electrical output corresponding to light emissions from various light emissive devices across the matrix of display pixels.
25. The active matrix display of claim 24 further comprising:
- a detection circuit for detecting non-uniformities in the active matrix display from the electrical output; and
- a correction circuit for correcting for the detected non-uniformities in the active matrix display.
26. The active matrix display of claim 25, in which each solar cell of the one or more solar cells represents one or more pixels or sub-pixels.
27. The active matrix display of claim 26, in which each solar cell is calibrated at different color and brightness levels, and in which values corresponding to the electrical output are stored in a lookup table for use in the detecting and the correcting of the non-uniformities in the active matrix display.
28. The active matrix display of claim 24 in which the electrodes on the at least one surface of the solar cell layer generates the electrical output for use in detecting a location of a change in an amount of light impinging on a portion of the front surface of the solar cell layer due to an object in front of the semi-transparent layer reflecting light from the light emissive devices back through the semi-transparent layer to the solar cell layer.
29. The active matrix display of claim 28 further comprising:
- a touch screen circuit coupled to the solar cell layer for receiving the electrical output from the array of electrodes and for detecting the location of the change in the amount of light with use of the electrical output.
30. The active matrix display of claim 16, in which the electrical output comprises electrical energy, the active matrix display further comprising:
- electrical energy storage for storing the electrical energy.
Type: Application
Filed: Sep 9, 2019
Publication Date: Jan 2, 2020
Inventors: Gholamreza Chaji (Waterloo), Baolin Tian (Kitchener)
Application Number: 16/564,142