LIGHT-EMITTING ELEMENT, LIGHT-EMITTING DEVICE, AND VAPOR DEPOSITION APPARATUS

• US 20090026917A1
• Filed: 04/10/2006
• Published: 01/29/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Seo, Satoshi, Ikeda, Hisao, Sakata, Junichiro, Iwaki, Yuji
• Granted Patent: US 8,125,144 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 313/503
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/044 using masks to redistribute rather than totally prevent coating, e.g. producing thickness gradient
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/24 Vacuum evaporation
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/505 for rotation of the substrates
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/548 Controlling the composition
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/10 Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of electroluminescent light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/22 characterised by the chemical or physical composition or the arrangement of auxiliary dielectric or reflective layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/3026 Top emission
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/3031 Two-side emission, e.g. transparent OLEDs [TOLED]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/155 comprising dopants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/165 comprising dopants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/17 Carrier injection layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/164 using vacuum deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/633 comprising polycyclic condensed aromatic hydrocarbons as substituents on the nitrogen atom

Abstract

To provide a light-emitting element and a light-emitting device which can be designed and manufactured with redundancy. A light-emitting element of the invention includes a pair of electrode, and a layer containing a light-emissive substance between the pair of electrodes. The layer containing a light-emissive substance includes a layer containing a composite material, and the layer containing a composite material includes an organic compound and an inorganic compound. The concentration ratio of the organic compound to the inorganic compound changes periodically. The layer containing a composite maternal can be changed in electrical characteristics without changing the composition ratio of the organic compound to the inorganic compound in the layer or changing the kind of compounds used for the layer.

Claims

1. A light-emitting element comprising a pair of electrodes, and a layer containing a light-emissive substance sandwiched therebetween,

wherein the layer containing a light-emissive substance comprises a layer containing a composite material;

wherein the layer containing the composite material comprises an organic compound and an inorganic compound; and

wherein a concentration ratio of the organic compound to the inorganic compound changes periodically in a stacked direction.

6. The light-emitting element according to claim 1 or claim 5, wherein the concentration of the organic compound is not less than 10 wt % and not more than 95 wt %.

7. The light-emitting element according to claim 1 or claim 5, wherein the concentration of the organic compound is not less than 20 wt % and not more than 90 wt %.

8. The light-emitting element according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 5, wherein one cycle of a periodic change of the concentration ratio or the concentration is not less than 0.5 nm and not more than 30 nm.

9. The light-emitting element according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 5, wherein one cycle of a periodic change of the concentration ratio or the concentration is not less than 1 nm and not more than 10 nm.

10. The light-emitting element according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 5, wherein the layer containing the composite material is in contact with one of the pair of electrodes.

11. The light-emitting element according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 5, wherein two layers, each of the two layers comprising the layer containing the composite material are in contact with the pair of electrodes respectively.

12. The light-emitting element according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 5, wherein the inorganic compound is transition metal oxide.

13. The light-emitting element according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 5, wherein the inorganic compound is one or more of titanium oxide, zirconium oxide, hafnium oxide, vanadium oxide, niobium oxide, tantalum oxide, chromium oxide, molybdenum oxide, tungsten oxide, manganese oxide, and rhenium oxide.

14. The light-emitting element according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 5, wherein the organic compound has a hole transporting property.

15. The light-emitting element according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 5, wherein the organic compound is an organic compound having an arylamine skeleton or an organic compound having a carbazole skeleton.

21. A light-emitting device comprising the light-emitting element according to any one of claims 1, 2, 5, 16, and 18, and means for controlling light emission of the light-emitting element.

25. The light-emitting element according to claim 1, wherein a concentration of the inorganic compound is not less than 5 wt % and not more than 90 wt %.

26. The light-emitting element according to claim 1, wherein a concentration of the inorganic compound is not less than 10 wt % and not more than 80 wt %.

2. A light-emitting element comprising a pair of electrodes, and a layer containing a light-emissive substance sandwiched therebetween,

wherein the layer containing the light-emissive substance comprises a layer containing a composite material;

wherein the layer containing the composite material comprises an organic compound and an inorganic compound; and

wherein a concentration of the inorganic compound changes periodically in a stacked direction.

3. The light-emitting element according to claim 2, wherein the concentration of the inorganic compound is not less than 5 wt % and not more than 90 wt %.

4. The light-emitting element according to claim 2, wherein the concentration of the inorganic compound is not less than 10 wt % and not more than 80 wt %.

5. A light-emitting element comprising a pair of electrodes, and a layer containing a light-emissive substance sandwiched therebetween,

wherein the layer containing the light-emissive substance comprises a layer containing a composite material;

wherein the layer containing the composite material comprises an organic compound and an inorganic compound; and

wherein the concentration of the organic compound changes periodically in the stacked direction.

16. A light-emitting element comprising:

a pair of electrodes; and

a layer containing a light-emissive substance sandwiched therebetween,

wherein a first region having a first average atomic weight and a second region having a second average atomic weight lower than the first average atomic weight are alternately stacked in the layer.

17. A light-emitting element according to claim 16,

wherein an image of the light-emitting element is observed with a transmission electron microscope.

19. A light-emitting element comprising according to claim 16 or claim 18,

wherein a thickness of the first and second regions is not less than 0.5 nm and not more than 30 nm.

20. The light-emitting element according to claim 16 or claim 18, wherein the layer containing the light-emissive substance comprises an organic compound and an inorganic compound.

27. The light-emitting element according to claim 16 or claim 18, wherein a thickness of the first region and the second region is not less than 1 nm and not more than 10 nm.

18. A light-emitting element comprising:

a pair of electrodes; and

a layer containing a light-emissive substance sandwiched therebetween,

wherein, based on an image of the light-emitting observed with a transmission electron microscope, a first region with a first color and a second region with a second color lighter than the first color are alternately stacked in the layer.

22. A vapor deposition apparatus comprising:

a first evaporation source for holding a first material;

a second evaporation source for holding a second material;

a first rotating plate having an axis; and

a plurality of second rotating plates for holding a plurality of substrates, each of the plurality of second rotating plates having an axis on the first rotating plate,

wherein the plurality of second rotating plates are opposed to the first and second evaporation sources.

23. A vapor deposition apparatus comprising:

a first evaporation source for holding a first material;

a second evaporation source for holding a second material;

a rotating plate for fixing the first and second evaporation sources, the rotating plate having an axis; and

a holding portion for holding an object to be processed so that the object to be processed is opposed to the first and second evaporation sources.

24. A vapor deposition apparatus comprising:

a first evaporation source for holding a first material;

a second evaporation source for holding a second material;

a holding portion for holding an object to be processed; and

a rotating plate having an axis at the center of the rotating plate and an opening except the center;

wherein the rotating plate is between the first and second evaporation sources and the holding portion.