In an electroluminescent display device comprising layers of anode electrodes
(102), cathode electrodes (104), and an electroluminescent layer
(105), a dummy electrode (103) is arranged along the edge of te anode
electrode layer. The dummy electrode is unconnected to the electrical control means
(106,107) that control the voltage of the electrodes of the active area
of the display. The unconnected state of the dummy electrode results in a situation
where the dummy electrode attains a floating electric potential owing to the lateral
electric field produced by neighboring electrodes. This leads to a reduction in
the strength of the lateral electric field between the dummy electrode and the
adjacent electrodes, thus alleviating the negative effects of electrochemical oxidation
of the electrodes at the edge of the active area.
