Method of manufacturing organic EL element, organic EL element, and organic EL display device

• US 20020155215A1
• Filed: 06/12/2002
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1996
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kiguchi, Hiroshi, Kanbe, Sadao, Shimoda, Tatsuya, Miyashita, Satoru
• Granted Patent: US 6,821,553 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 427/66
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/00 Functional layers of liquid crystal optical display excluding electroactive liquid crystal layer characterised by chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/10 Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of electroluminescent light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/865 comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. light-blocking layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/17 Passive-matrix OLED displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/173 comprising banks or shadow masks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/35 comprising red-green-blue [RGB] subpixels
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/353 characterised by the geometrical arrangement of the RGB subpixels
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8722 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/873 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8792 comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. black layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/135 using ink-jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/164 using vacuum deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/40 Thermal treatment, e.g. annealing in the presence of a solvent vapour
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/917 Electroluminescent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24868 Translucent outer layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31855 Of addition polymer from unsaturated monomers

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an organic EL element according to the present invention comprises the steps of forming pixel electrodes (801), (802), (803) on a transparent substrate (804) and forming on the pixel electrodes by patterning luminescent layers (806), (807), (808) made of an organic compound by means of an ink-jet method. According to this method, it is possible to carry out a high precise patterning easily and in a short time, thereby enabling to carry out optimization for a film design and luminescent characteristic easily as well as making it easy to adjust a luminous efficiency.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an organic EL device, comprising the steps of

forming a fist electrode on or above a substrate

forming at least one luminescent layer to be used a different layer from an underlying layer on or above said first electrode by discharging a composition for said at least one luminescent layer toward said substrate and onto said underlying layer from a nozzle in a head provided with a piezoelectric element and

forming a second electrode opposing the first electrode

2. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 1, at least one compound constituting the composition being a polymer organic compound.

3. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 2, the polymer organic compound being a material having functions of hole injection and hole transfer.

4. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 2, the polymer organic compound being a polyparaphenylene vinylene, its derivative or a copolymer which contains at least either one of these compounds.

5. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 1, said luminescent layer including three types of luminescent layers having different colors and at least two types of luminescent layers in the three types of luminescent layers being formed by discharging the composition for the luminescent layer.

6. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 5, said different colors including red, green and blue, and the red luminescent layer and the green luminescent layer being formed by discharging the composition for the luminescent layer.

7. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 6, the blue luminescent layer being formed by a vacuum deposition process.

8. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 7, the blue luminescent layer being made of a material having functions of electron injection and electron transfer.

9. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 1, said underlying layer being a hole injection and transfer layer.

10. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a protective film on or above the second electrode.

11. A method of manufacturing an organic EL device, comprising the steps of

forming a first electrode on or above a substrate;

forming at least one luminescent layer having a certain color and made of an organic compound on or above said electrode and

forming a second electrode opposing the electrode,

the formation of said at least one luminescent layer being performed by discharging a composition for said at least one luminescent layer toward said substrate and onto the underlying layer from a nozzle in a head provided with a piezoelectric element so that a thus formed luminescent layer is used as a different layer from the underlying layer.

12. A method of manufacturing an organic EL device, comprising the steps of

forming first electrodes on or above a substrate;

forming at least one luminescent layer having a certain color and made of an organic compound on or above said electrode by patterning, said at least one luminescent layer including a plurality of pixel luminescent layers; and

forming a second electrode opposing the electrode,

the formation of said at least one luminescent layer being performed by discharging a composition for said at least one luminescent layer toward said substrate and onto the underlying layer from a nozzle in a head provided with a piezoelectric element so that a thus formed luminescent layer can be used as a substantially final pattern in which the respective pixel luminescent layers of the luminescent layer have a predetermined shape and are arranged in a predetermined order, and the underlying layer constitutes a different layer relative to the at least one luminescent layer.