Patent ID: 8471467

Claim:
An electroluminescent device comprising: a substrate and on top of the substrate a substrate electrode, a counter electrode and an electroluminescent layer stack with at least one organic electroluminescent layer to emit light arranged between the substrate electrode and the counter electrode; and an electrically non-conducting encapsulation means arranged on the substrate electrode as a closed first contour having an inner edge and an outer edge framing the electroluminescent layer stack, wherein the electroluminescent layer stack at least covers an area on top of the substrate electrode defined by the inner edge of the first contour and establishing a contiguous first gap between the outer edge of the first contour and an edge of the electroluminescent layer stack, wherein the counter electrode is disposed above the entire electroluminescent layer stack establishing a contiguous second gap between the outer edge of the first contour and an edge of the counter electrode smaller than the first gap and sufficiently large to isolate the counter electrode from the substrate electrode, wherein a surface of the substrate electrode extends beyond the outer edge of the first contour such that said surface of the substrate electrode forms a closed second contour that surrounds the counter electrode and wherein said surface of the substrate electrode covers an area on top of the substrate defined entirely by an outer edge of said second contour; wherein at least a portion of said electroluminescent layer stack is disposed above a top portion of said encapsulation means, and wherein the encapsulation means is suitable to act as a diffusion barrier layer in order to provide a side encapsulation of the electroluminescent layer stack.