Electroluminescent lighting element, manufacturing method of the same, and an illuminated switch unit using the same

• US 6,010,742 A
• Filed: 10/31/1997
• Issued: 01/04/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Ikoma, Heiji, Tanabe, Koji, Chikahisa, Yosuke
• Primary Examiner(s): LUSIGNAN, MICHAEL R
• Application Number:
  US08/961,912
• Time in Patent Office: 795 Days
• Field of Search: 313/506, 313/509, 313/511, 313/512, 427/66, 427/282
• US Class Current: 427/66
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/702 with contacts carried by or formed from layers in a multilayer structure, e.g. membrane switches
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/018 Electroluminescent panel
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/028 Printed information
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/046 above switch site
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2221/05 Force concentrator; Actuating dimple
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/00 Electroluminescent light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/10 Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of electroluminescent light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/12 Light sources with substantially two-dimensional radiating surfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/28 of translucent electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/102 comprising tin oxides, e.g. fluorine-doped SnO2
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/81 Anodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8051 Anodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8723 Vertical spacers, e.g. arranged between the sealing arrangement and the OLED

Abstract

All of a transparent electrode layer 2, a light-emitting layer 3, a dielectric layer 4, a back-surface electrode 5, collecting electrodes 5a, 5b, and an insulating coat layer 6 are laminated with predetermined patterns by screen printing on a insulating transparent film 1. Conductive paste used for forming transparent electrode layer 2 comprises conductive powder of indium oxide which contains needle-like powder (A) and fine-grain powder (B) at a blending ratio of (A):(B)=100:0 to 20:80. A binder resin (D), being a photo-hardening or thermal-hardening resin, is mixed with the conductive powder (C) at a blending ratio of (C):(D)=45:55 to 95:5, thereby obtaining an excellent EL lighting element. In an illuminated switch unit, a switch operating projection 14 is provided on the reverse surface of an EL lighting element 15 and this EL lighting element 15 is fixed above a membrane switch 13 via a spacer 16, thereby removing any obstacles interrupting or intercepting illumination light emitted from EL lighting element 15.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing an electroluminescent lighting element, comprising the steps of:

applying a light permeable paste in a predetermined pattern by screen printing on an insulating transparent film serving as a base material, and then forming a transparent electrode layer by performing a photo-hardening or thermal-hardening operation, to form a predetermined light-emitting region offset from an external connecting terminal of said insulating transparent film;

applying a light-emitting paste in a predetermined pattern by screen printing on said transparent electrode layer, and then forming a light-emitting layer corresponding to said light-emitting region on said transparent electrode layer by performing a heating and drying operation;

applying a dielectric paste in a predetermined pattern by screen printing on said light-emitting layer, and then forming a dielectric layer on said light-emitting layer by performing a heating and drying operation;

applying a conductive paste in a predetermined pattern by screen printing on said dielectric layer, and then forming a back-surface electrode layer on said dielectric layer by performing a heating and drying operation;

applying a conductive paste in a first pattern by screen printing in such a manner that one end of said first pattern is connected to said transparent electrode layer and the other end of said first pattern constitutes part of an external connecting terminal, and also applying a conductive paste in a second pattern by screen printing in such a manner that one end of said second pattern is connected to said back-surface electrode layer and the other end of said second pattern constitutes part of said external connecting terminal, and then forming first and second collecting electrodes by performing a heating and drying operation; and

applying an insulating paste by screen printing on an entire surface of said electroluminescent lighting element except for a distal end of said external connecting terminal, and then forming an insulating coat layer by performing a heating and drying operation.

2. The manufacturing method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said back-surface electrode layer and said collecting electrodes are integrally formed in a predetermined pattern.

3. The manufacturing method in accordance with claim 1, wherein said collecting electrodes are formed before said transparent electrode layer is formed.