Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode displays realized using metal-induced unilaterally crystallized polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistors

Requirement on thin-film transistors, particularly in terms of current-drive and parameter uniformity, for active-matrix organic light-emitting diode displays, was analyzed. Metal-induced unilaterally crystallized polycrystalline silicon thin-film transistor technology was shown to satisfy such and other demands. Though pixel designs involving more transistors were certainly advantageous, appropriate biasing scheme allowed a simpler and larger aperture-ratio two-transistor design. As a demonstration, active matrices were fabricated and integrated with organic light-emitting diodes to make monochrome video display panels, each consisting of 120 rows and 160 columns.

I. Introduction

While liquid-crystal display (LCD) is presently the dominant flat-panel display technology because of its mature manufacturing practice, it is far from ideal. Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) [1] are being hotly pursued as alternative display elements because of their relative merits of being self-emitting, having large intrinsic viewing-angle and fast response. Furthermore, the fabrication of “all solid-state” OLED displays is significantly simpler than that of LCDs, requiring neither light-attenuating polarizers nor the equivalents of polymer alignment layers and liquid-crystal “fill” [2].