Method for Connecting Layers, Corresponding Component and Organic Light-Emitting Diode

• US 20090218591A1
• Filed: 09/22/2006
• Published: 09/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: OSRAM OLED GMBH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: Osram Opto Semiconductors GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Renner, Marianne, Grolier, Vincent, Plössl, Andreas
• Granted Patent: US 8,193,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 257/100
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8423 Metallic sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/87 Passivation; Containers; Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8721 Metallic sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 156/10 Methods of surface bonding and/or assembly therefor
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31678 Of metal

Abstract

A method for bonding several layers, which comprise at least one thermally bondable material, by means of a joint layer produced with the aid of thermocompression at least one of the layers comprising a semiconductor material, as well as to a correspondingly manufactured device. Also disclosed is a method for manufacturing an organic light-emitting diode and an organic light-emitting diode that is encapsulated between two cover layers with the aid of thermocompression.

Claims

1. A method for bonding a plurality of layer sequences, which comprise at least one thermally bondable material, at least one of the layer sequences comprising a semiconductor material,

wherein the method comprises applying thermocompression to the plurality of layer sequences for producing a joint layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein a metal, in particular gold, serves as the thermally bondable material that is thermally compressed.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor material contains an epitaxially structured layer sequence that predominantly comprises III-V-semiconductor materials.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor material comprises a thin-film chip, particularly a thin-film light-emitting diode.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein one of the layers comprises on equivalent substrate, the equivalent substrate and the semiconductor material respectively feature a gold layer, and wherein these gold layers are bonded into a common joint layer with the aid of thermocompression.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the gold layers have different thicknesses.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein at least one functional layer is respectively arranged between the first gold layer and the semiconductor material and between the second gold layer and the equivalent substrate, wherein said functional layer forms part of the group consisting of adhesion-promoting layers, reflective layers, blocking layers, barrier layers, contact layers and buffer layers.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein a blocking layer and a layer comprising ductile material, in particular aluminum, are arranged on at least one layer comprising inert material, viewed from the joining zone.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the thermocompression process comprises steps that are free of frictional movements or ultrasonic welding processes.

10. A device that comprises a semiconductor material and a joining layer and is manufactured in accordance with the method of claim 1.

11. The device according to claim 10, comprising sections of at least one component to be bonded include pads for realizing electrical contact.

12. A semi-finished product, in particular a wafer, comprising a semiconductor material and a joining layer and being bonded in accordance with the method of claim 1.

13. A method for manufacturing organic light-emitting diodes, wherein at least one element of the group consisting of anode, cathode, radiation-emitting polymers, electron hole-conducting polymers, radiation-emitting small molecules and electron hole-conducting small molecules is encapsulated between two cover layers with the aid of thermocompression.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the two cover layers comprises a transparent material.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein another material or a layer sequence of materials is applied onto sections of both cover layers, and wherein these are bonded to another with the aid of thermocompression.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein the layer sequence comprises at least one element of the group consisting of gold layer, aluminum layer, insulating layer, adhesion-promoting layer, blocking layer and contact layer.

17. The method according to claim 13, wherein several organic light-emitting diode structures are arranged between the two cover layers and separated after the encapsulation.

18. An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) being manufactured in accordance with the method of claim 13.