Electro-optical device, method of manufacturing electro-optical device, and electronic apparatus

• US 20050186717A1
• Filed: 01/26/2005
• Published: 08/25/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/19/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Gyoda, Kozo, Nozawa, Ryoichi
• Granted Patent: US 7,282,385 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 438/149
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/3031 Two-side emission, e.g. transparent OLEDs [TOLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/18 Tiled displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass

Abstract

To provide a manufacturing method of an electro-optical device capable of effectively forming self-emitting elements in a large substrate on which a plurality of small substrates are arranged in a plane, without increasing the size of a manufacturing apparatus, the electro-optical device manufactured by the method, and an electronic apparatus equipped with the same. When manufacturing an organic EL display device by bonding a plurality of small substrates, processes required for a laser annealing technique and a photolithography technique, such as a process of forming TFTs and a process of forming pixel electrode, are performed before a process of bonding the small substrates to the large substrate, and organic EL elements are formed by an inkjet method after the bonding process. Further, a protective film is formed on the small substrates while the organic EL display elements are being formed.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device in which a plurality of substrates each having a plurality of pixel regions arranged in a matrix are arranged in a plane, each of the plurality of pixel regions including a pixel switching element and a self-emitting element,

the method comprising:

a step of forming small substrates each having the pixel switching elements and pixel electrodes of the self-emitting elements formed on one surface;

a step of bonding a large substrate to the other surfaces of a plurality of the small substrates arranged in a plane; and

a step of forming a light-emitting functional layer of the self-emitting element by selectively applying a liquid composition to a predetermined region of the one surface of each of the plurality of small substrates using an inkjet method.

2. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1,

wherein, in the bonding step, the small substrates and the large substrate are bonded to each other by an adhesive.

3. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1, further comprising:

before the bonding step, a step of laser-cutting one or more of a plurality of sides of one small substrate adjacent to other small substrates in the electro-optical device using a laser.

4. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 3,

wherein alignment marks indicating positions where a laser beam is irradiated are formed on the small substrates.

5. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1,

wherein, after the small substrate forming step, a protective film is adhered to at least the one surface of each of the small substrates, and

wherein, after the bonding step, the protective film is removed from the one surface of each of the small substrates, and the light-emitting functional layer forming step is then performed.

6. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 5,

wherein, in the bonding step, the plurality of small substrates are arranged such that the protective film faces a surface plate, and in this state, the large substrate is bonded to the other surfaces of the plurality of small substrates.

7. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 6,

wherein, in the bonding step, the large substrate is placed in contact with the other surfaces of the plurality of small substrates arranged on the surface plate, and

in this state, fluid pressure is applied to the large substrate to press against the surface plate such that the large substrate is bonded to the other surfaces of the plurality of small substrates.

8. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1,

wherein, in the bonding step, the large substrate and the small substrates are bonded to each other with first substrate-gap-controlling members interposed therebetween for controlling a gap between the substrates.

9. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 8,

wherein the first substrate-gap-controlling members are projections formed on the small substrates or the large substrate.

10. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 9,

wherein the first substrate-gap-controlling members are composed of a photosensitive resin formed by a photolithography technique.

11. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 9,

wherein the first substrate-gap-controlling members are composed of a resin composition fixed on the small substrates or the large substrate by a transferring method, a printing method, or an inkjet method.

12. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 9,

wherein the first substrate-gap-controlling members are formed in regions other than the region overlapping the forming region of the self-emitting element in plan view.

13. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 8,

wherein the first substrate-gap-controlling members are granular or rod-shaped gap materials dispersed between the small substrates and the large substrate.

14. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 8, further comprising:

after forming the self-emitting elements, a sealing step of bonding a sealing substrate to the one surface of each of the small substrates.

15. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 14,

wherein, in the sealing step, the small substrates and the sealing substrate are bonded to each other by a sealing resin.

16. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 14,

wherein, in the sealing step, the sealing substrate and the small substrates are bonded to each other with second substrate-gap-controlling members interposed therebetween for controlling a gap between the substrates.

17. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 16,

wherein the second substrate-gap-controlling members are projections formed on the small substrates or the sealing substrate.

18. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 17,

wherein the second substrate-gap-controlling members are composed of a photosensitive resin formed by a photolithography technique.

19. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 17,

wherein the second substrate-gap-controlling members are composed of a resin composition fixed on the small substrates or the sealing substrate by a transferring method, a printing method, or an inkjet method.

20. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 17,

wherein the second substrate-gap-controlling members are formed in regions other than the region overlapping the forming region of the self-emitting element in plan view.

21. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 16,

wherein the second substrate-gap-controlling members are granular or rod-shaped gap materials dispersed between the small substrates and the sealing substrate.

22. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a step of fixing the plurality of small substrate arranged in a plane to a surface plate using wax, after the small substrate forming step;

a step of thinning down the small substrates by polishing the surfaces of the small substrates; and

a step of detaching the small substrates from the surface plate by melting the wax by heating.

23. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 22,

wherein, in the thinning step, a rubbing step of thinning down the small substrates in a state in which the small substrates are fixed to the surface plate by the wax and a polishing step of smoothly polishing the surfaces of the small substrates are sequentially performed.

24. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 22,

wherein, in the fixing step, the wax, which is in a concave portion formed on an upper surface of the surface plate, is melted by heating,

wherein the plurality of small substrates is dipped in the melted wax, and fluid pressure is applied to the plurality of small substrates to press against the surface plate, and

wherein the wax is solidified by cooling such that the plurality of small substrates is fixed to the surface plate by the wax.

25. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 22,

wherein the large substrate is bonded to the plurality of small substrates on the surface plate to form a bonded substrate in which the plurality of small substrates are arranged in a plane on the large substrate, and the bonded substrate is then detached from the surface plate by melting the wax by heating.

26. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 25,

wherein, in the bonding step, the fluid pressure is applied to the large substrate in a state in which the large substrate is placed in contact with the plurality of small substrates on the surface plate, such that the large substrate presses against the surface plate.

27. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1,

wherein the electro-optical device in which the plurality of electro-optical device substrates are arranged in a plane on the large substrate is manufactured using the bonded substrate obtained by the following steps:

the small substrate forming step of forming the pixel switching elements and the pixel electrodes of the self-emitting elements in the one surface of the small substrate;

the fixing step of fixing the plurality of small substrates arranged in a plane to the surface plate by the wax, with the electrode surfaces facing downward;

the polishing step of polishing the other surfaces of the plurality of small substrates;

the bonding step of manufacturing the bonded substrate by bonding the large substrate to the polished surfaces of the plurality of small substrates;

the detaching step of detaching the bonded substrate from the surface plate by melting the wax; and

the light-emitting functional layer forming step of forming the light-emitting functional layer of the self-emitting elements on one surface of the bonded substrate composed of the plurality of small substrates.

28. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 27,

wherein the large substrate is thinned down by polishing the surface of the large substrate in a state in which the bonded substrate is fixed to the surface plate by the wax, and

wherein the bonded substrate is detached from the surface plate by melting the wax by heating.

29. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 27,

wherein after the sealing substrate is bonded to the one surface of each of the plurality of small substrate constituting the bonded substrate to form a module at a side opposite to the bonded substrate, the sealing substrate is thinned down by polishing the surface of the sealing substrate in a state in which the module is fixed to the surface plate by the wax, and the module is then detached from the surface plate by melting the wax by heating.

30. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 29,

wherein each small substrate has a plurality of terminals, and

wherein the method further comprises a step of cutting the sealing substrate such that the terminals are exposed after the step of thinning down the sealing substrate.

31. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 30,

wherein, in the cutting step, the sealing substrate is cut by a laser.

32. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1,

wherein the small substrate has partition walls for defining regions in which the liquid composition is applied, and

wherein the protective film has an adhesive layer formed on one surface of a film base whose thickness is larger than the height of the partition walls.

33. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1,

wherein the small substrate has partition walls for defining regions in which the liquid composition is applied,

wherein, in the protective film, a lyophobic material layer with respect to the liquid composition and an adhesive layer having a thickness larger than the height of the partition walls are formed on one surface of a film base, and

wherein, when the protective film is removed, in the periphery of the regions in which the liquid composition is applied, the lyophobic material layer is transferred to the small substrate.

34. An electro-optical device manufactured by the method according to claim 1.

35. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 34.