US4967251A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Thin film electroluminescent device containing gadolinium and rare earth elements
Assignee: Sharp Corp
•
Filing: 1989-08-10
•
Granted: 1990-10-30
•
Expires: 2009-08-10
Abstract
Abstract A thin film electroluminescent(EL) device includes a luminescent layer, both sides of which are covered with insulating layers, and at least one pair of electrodes sandwiching the luminescent layer through the insulating layers. The luminescent layer is composed of zinc sulfide in which Gd and a luminously effective amount of a rare earth element, acting as luminescent center, are doped at a total amount of 1-4 atomic percent.
Inventors
- 👤 Koichi Tanaka
- 👤 Akiyoshi Mikami
- 👤 Kouji Taniguchi
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-10-30 22:42
CPC Classifications
C; C09; C09K; C09K11/00; C09K11/08; C09K11/77; C09K11/7766; C09K11/7767; C09K11/7783; C09K11/7784; C09K11/7785; H; H05; H05B; H05B33/00; H05B33/12; H05B33/14; H05B33/18; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S428/00; Y10S428/917
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 29
Claim 1
Independent Claim
71 words
A thin film electroluminescent (EL) device comprising: a luminescent layer, both sides of which are covered with insulating layers; and at least one pair of electrodes sandwiching said luminescent layer through the insulating layers, said luminescent layer being composed of zinc sulfide, in which Gd and a luminously effective amount of a rare earth element act as a luminescent center and are doped at a total amount of 1-4 atomic percent.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
71 words
A thin film electroluminescent (EL) device comprising: a luminescent layer, both sides of which are covered with insulating layers; and at least one pair of electrodes sandwiching said luminescent layer through the insulating layers, said luminescent layer being composed of zinc sulfide, in which Gd and a luminously effective amount of a rare earth element act as a luminescent center and are doped at a total amount of 1-4 atomic percent.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
21 words
The device of claim 1 in which the rare earth element is Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Er, Ho, Dy or Tm.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
15 words
The device of claim 2 in which the rare earth element is Pr or Sm.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
25 words
The device of claim 1 in which the luminously effective amount of the rare earth element is about 0.1 to 2 atomic percent in ZnS.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
19 words
The device of claim 1 in which the luminescent layer has a thickness of about 5000 to 15,000 Å.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
45 words
The device of claim 1 in which the insulating layer is a metal oxide Ta 2 O 5 , Y 2 O 3 , TiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 or SiO 2 , or a metal nitride Si 3 N 4 or AlN.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
19 words
The device of claim 1 in which the insulating layer has a thickness of about 1000 to 5000 Å.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
20 words
The device of claim 1 in which at least one side of the pair of electrodes is a transparent electrode.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
20 words
The device of claim 1 in which each of the electrodes have a thickness of about 1000 to 5000 Å.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
21 words
The device of claim 1 which has a plural pair of the electrode for a segment display or dot matrix display.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
44 words
A luminescent layer, for a thin film electroluminescent (EL) device, comprising: zinc sulfide (ZnS); gadolinium (Gd); and a rare earth element, wherein said Gd and a predetermined luminously effective amount of said rare earth element are doped into said ZnS, forming said luminescent layer.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
44 words
A luminescent layer, for a thin film electroluminescent (EL) device, comprising: zinc sulfide (ZnS); gadolinium (Gd); and a rare earth element, wherein said Gd and a predetermined luminously effective amount of said rare earth element are doped into said ZnS, forming said luminescent layer.
Claim 14
Dependent Claim
33 words
A luminescent layer, as claimed in claim 11, wherein said predetermined luminously effective amount of said rare earth element, and said Gd element, are doped at a total of approximately 1-4 atomic percent.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
A luminescent layer, as claimed in claim 11, wherein said rare earth element is Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Er, Ho, Dy, or Tm.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
26 words
A luminescent layer, as claimed in claim 11, wherein said predetermined luminously effective amount of said rare earth element is approximately 0.1-2 atomic percent in ZnS.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
64 words
A thin film electroluminescent apparatus comprising: a luminescent layer, including, zinc sulfide (ZnS), and gadolinium (Gd) and a predetermined luminously effective amount of a rare earth element doped into said ZnS; first and second electrodes sandwiching said luminescent layer; insulating means, surrounding said luminescent layer, for insulating said luminescent layer from said first and second electrodes; and a substrate attached to said first electrode.
Claim 18
Dependent Claim
64 words
A thin film electroluminescent apparatus comprising: a luminescent layer, including, zinc sulfide (ZnS), and gadolinium (Gd) and a predetermined luminously effective amount of a rare earth element doped into said ZnS; first and second electrodes sandwiching said luminescent layer; insulating means, surrounding said luminescent layer, for insulating said luminescent layer from said first and second electrodes; and a substrate attached to said first electrode.
Claim 19
Dependent Claim
20 words
A thin film electroluminescent (EL) apparatus as claimed in claim 15, wherein at least one of said electrodes is transparent.
Claim 20
Dependent Claim
40 words
A thin film electroluminescent (EL) apparatus, as claimed in claim 15, wherein said predetermined luminously effective amount of said rare earth element, and said Gd element, are doped at a total of approximately 1-4 atomic percent in said luminescent layer.
Claim 21
Dependent Claim
33 words
A thin film electroluminescent (EL) apparatus, as claimed in claim 15, wherein said predetermined luminously effective amount of said rare earth element is approximately 0.1-2 atomic percent in ZnS, in said luminescent layer.
Claim 22
Dependent Claim
30 words
A thin film electroluminescent (EL) apparatus, as claimed in claim 15, wherein said rare earth element in said luminescent layer is Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Er, Ho, Dy, or Tm.
Claim 23
Dependent Claim
46 words
A multicolor electroluminescent (EL) display apparatus comprising: a plurality of electroluminescent elements, each said electroluminescent element including a luminescent layer, each said luminescent layer including, zinc sulfide (ZnS), and gadolinium (Gd) and a predetermined luminously effective amount of a rare earth element doped into said ZnS.
Claim 24
Dependent Claim
46 words
A multicolor electroluminescent (EL) display apparatus comprising: a plurality of electroluminescent elements, each said electroluminescent element including a luminescent layer, each said luminescent layer including, zinc sulfide (ZnS), and gadolinium (Gd) and a predetermined luminously effective amount of a rare earth element doped into said ZnS.
Claim 25
Dependent Claim
37 words
An apparatus, as claimed in claim 20, wherein said predetermined luminously effective amount of said rare earth element, and said Gd element, are doped at a total of approximately 1-4 atomic percent, in each said luminescent layer.
Claim 26
Dependent Claim
30 words
An apparatus, as claimed in claim 20, wherein said predetermined luminously effective amount of said rare earth element is approximately 0.1-2 atomic percent in ZnS, in each said luminescent layer.
Claim 27
Dependent Claim
27 words
An apparatus, as claimed in claim 20, wherein said rare earth element in each said luminescent layer is Pr, Nd, Sm, Eu, Er, Ho, Dy, or Tm.
Claim 28
Dependent Claim
50 words
An apparatus, as claimed in claim 20, wherein each of said plurality of electroluminescent elements further includes, first and second electrodes sandwiching said luminescent layer, insulating means, surrounding said luminscent layer, for insulating said luminescent layer from said first and second electrodes, and a substrate, attached to said first electrode.
Claim 29
Dependent Claim
16 words
An apparatus, as claimed in claim 24, wherein at least one of said electrodes is transparent.
References Cited (Backward Citations)
USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1993-10-29 | 1994-04-30 | 1994-10-30 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1997-10-29 | 1998-04-30 | 1998-10-30 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 2001-10-29 | 2002-04-30 | 2002-10-30 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |