Organic electroluminescence element, its manufacturing method, and display device using organic electroluminescence element

• US 6,195,142 B1
• Filed: 12/24/1996
• Issued: 02/27/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: JOLED Inc.
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Iwanaga, Hideaki, Komatsu, Takahiro, Sakanoue, Kei, Gyotoku, Akira, Hara, Shintaro
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Duong, Tai V.
• Application Number:
  US08/773,732
• Time in Patent Office: 1,526 Days
• Field of Search: 349/69, 349/70, 349/71, 313/498, 313/499, 313/502, 313/503, 313/504, 313/511, 313/512, 313/505, 313/506, 313/509, 345/76
• US Class Current: 349/69
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8423 Metallic sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• 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: H10K 59/8722 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/873 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/324 comprising aluminium, e.g. Alq3
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/631 Amine compounds having at least two aryl rest on at least one amine-nitrogen atom, e.g. triphenylamine

Abstract

The invention presents an organic electroluminescence element excellent in long-term durability and reliability, a manufacturing method excellent in mass producibility, and a display device using the organic electroluminescence element. Accordingly, to prevent growth of dark spots in the luminous layer by completely shutting off invasion of moisture or oxygen into an anode or an organic thin film layer, a shield material is adhered to an element by using low melting glass or low melting solder. To fuse the low melting glass or low melting solder used for this purposes, laser or ultrasonic wave is used. The surface of the element is sealed with a protective film in a film thickness of 3 microns to 30 microns, or a protective film composed of two-layer laminate film of insulating compound layer andmetal film. According to these inventions, a highly reliable organic electroluminescence element small in changes in the time course suchas growth of dark sports and lowering of luminance is obtained.

Claims

1. An organic electroluminescence element comprising:

a substrate,

a laminate structure disposed on the upper side of said substrate, including an anode, an organic thin film layer having a light emitting function, and a cathode,

a protective layer disposed on the surface of said laminate structure, and

a shield member disposed on the surface of said substrate to cover the outer surface side of said protective layer and said laminate structure,

wherein said protective layer is in a thickness range of about 3 microns to about 30 microns.

2. An organic electroluminescence element comprising:

a substrate,

a laminate structure disposed on the upper side of said substrate, including an anode, an organic thin film layer having a light emitting function, and a cathode,

a protective layer disposed on the surface of said laminate structure, and

a shield member disposed on the surface of said substrate to cover the outer surface of said protective layer and said laminate structure such that said shield member covers at least an outer side surface of said anode.

3. An organic electroluminescence element of claim 2,

wherein said shield member is one of electric insulating glass and stainless steel.

4. The organic electroluminescence element of claim 2, wherein said shield member includes an adhesive layer that engages said substrate.

5. The organic electroluminescence element of claim 2, wherein said protective layer possesses plural layers, and the lowest layer of said plural layers is an electric insulating compound layer.

6. An organic electroluminescence element comprising:

a substrate,

a laminate structure disposed on the upper side of said substrate, including an anode, an organic thin film layer having a light emitting function, and a cathode,

a protective layer disposed on the surface of said laminate structure, and

a shield member disposed on the surface of said substrate to cover the outer surface side of said protective layer and said laminate structure,

wherein said protective layer includes;

an electric insulating layer disposed at a lowest layer, and

a metal layer disposed on said electric insulating compound layer.

7. An organic electroluminescence element comprising:

a substrate,

a laminate structure disposed on the upper side of said substrate, including at least one anode, an organic thin film layer having a light emitting function, and at least one cathode,

a protective layer disposed on the outer surface of said laminate structure such that said protective layer covers at least an outer side surface of said at least one anode.

8. An organic electroluminescene element of claim 7, further comprises:

a shield member disposed on the surface of said substrate, covering the outer surface side of said laminate structure and said protective layer.

9. The organic electroluminescence element of claim 7, wherein said protective layer engages said outer side surface of said at least one anode for providing a tight seal.

10. The organic electroluminescence element of claim 7, wherein said protective layer possesses plural layers, and the lowest layer of said plural layers is an electric insulating compound layer.

11. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

an organic electroluminescence element of claim 7, and

a liquid crystal display panel disposed at the front surface side of said organic electroluminescence element,

wherein said organic electroluminescence element has a function as an illuminating device.

12. A display device comprising:

an organic electroluminescence element of claim 7, and a driver connected to said at least one anode and said at least one cathode,

wherein said at least one anode includes first plural electrodes,

said at least one cathode includes second plural electrodes, and

when a voltage or current is applied to one of said first plural electrodes and one of said second plural electrodes, said organic thin film layer at the intersecting position of the applied electrodes emits light.

13. An organic electroluminescence element comprising:

a substrate,

a laminate structure disposed on the upper side of said substrate, including an anode, an organic thin film layer having a light emitting function, and a cathode, and

a protective layer disposed on the surface of said substrate, so as to cover the outer surface side of said laminate structure,

wherein said protective layer is formed of a substance for suppressing penetration of moisture and oxygen, and

said protective layer suppresses penetration of said moisture and said oxygen into said laminate structure,

wherein said protective layer having electric insulating property is in a thickness range of about 3 microns to about 30 microns.

14. An organic electroluminescence element comprising:

a substrate,

a laminate structure disposed on the upper side of said substrate, including at least one anode, an organic thin film layer having a light emitting function, and at least one cathode, and

a protective layer disposed on the surface of said substrate, so as to cover an outer side surface of said laminate structure wherein said protective layer covers at least an outer side surface of said at least one anode,

wherein said protective layer is formed of a substrate for suppressing penetration of moisture and oxygen, and

said protective layer suppresses penetration of said moisture and said oxygen into said laminate structure.

15. An organic electroluminescence element of claim 14, wherein said protective layer is at least one selected from the group consisting of GeO, SiO, SiO₂, MoO₃, AlN, Si₃N₄, and organic macromolecular polymer.

16. The organic electroluminescence element of claim 14, wherein said protective layer engages said outer side surface of said laminate structure for providing a tight seal.

17. The organic electroluminescence element of claim 16, wherein said outer side surface of said laminate structure includes said organic film thin layer and cathode.

18. The organic electroluminescence element of claim 14, wherein said protective layer possesses plural layers, and the lowest layer of said plural layers is an electric insulating compound layer.

19. An organic electroluminescence element of claim 14,

wherein said at least one anode includes first plural electrodes in X-direction, said at least one cathode includes second plural electrodes in Y-direction orthogonal to said X-direction, and

when a voltage or current is applied to one of said first plural electrodes and one of said second plural electrodes, said organic thin film layer at the intersecting position of the applied electrodes emits light.

20. An organic electroluminescence element of claim 14,

wherein a liquid crystal panel is disposed at the front surface of said substrate, and

when a current or voltage is applied to said at least one anode and said at least one cathode, the portion of said organic thin film layer enclosed by said at least one anode and said at least one cathode emits light so as to function as an illuminating device.

21. An organic electroluminescence element of claim 14,

wherein said organic thin film layer is one selected from the group consisting of (1) luminous layer only, (2) luminous layer and hole transfer layer, and (3) hole transfer layer, luminous layer, and electron transfer layer.

22. An organic electroluminescence element of claim 14, further comprising:

a shield member disposed on the surface of a surrounding region of said laminate structure of said substrate, covering said protective layer.

23. An organic electroluminescence element comprising:

a substrate,

a laminate structure disposed on the upper side of said substrate, including an anode, an organic thin film layer having a light emitting function, and a cathode, and

a protective layer disposed on the surface of said substrate, so as to cover the outer surface of said laminate structure,

wherein said protective layer is formed of a substrate for suppressing penetration of moisture and oxygen, and

said protective layer suppresses penetration of said moisture and said oxygen into said laminate structure,

wherein said protective layer possesses plural layers, and

the lowest layer of said plural layers is an electric insulating compound layer,

wherein a metal layer is disposed on said electric insulating compound layer.

24. An organic electroluminescence element of claim 23,

wherein said metal layer is at least one selected from the group consisting of Ag, In, Cu, Al, Cr, Fe, Ni— Fe, and Fe—

Cr.

25. An organic electroluminescence element comprising:

a substrate,

a laminate structure disposed on the upper side of said substrate, including an anode, an organic thin film layer having a light emitting function, and a cathode,

a protective layer disposed on the surface of said laminate structure, and

a shield member disposed on the surface of said substrate to cover the outer surface side of this protective layer and said laminate structure,

wherein said protective layer possesses plural layers, and

the lowest layer of said plural layers is an electric insulating compound layer,

wherein said protective layer has a thickness of about 3 microns to about 30 microns.

26. An organic electroluminescence element comprising

a substrate,

a laminate structure disposed on the upper side of said substrate, including an anode, an organic thin film layer having a light emitting function, and a cathode, and

a protective layer disposed on the surface of said substrate, so as to cover the outer surface side of said laminate structure,

wherein said protective layer is formed of a substance for suppressing penetration of moisture and oxygen, and

said protective layer suppresses penetration of said moisture and said oxygen into said laminate structure,

wherein said protective layer possesses plural layers, and

the lowest layer of said plural layers is an electric insulating compound layer,

wherein said protective layer has a thickness of about 3 microns to about 30 microns.

27. An organic electroluminescence element comprising:

a substrate,

a laminate structure disposed on the upper side of said substrate, including at least one anode, an organic thin film layer having a light emitting function, and at least one cathode, and

a protective layer disposed on the outer surface of said laminate structure,

wherein said protective layer possesses plural layers, including an electric insulating compound layer and a metal layer disposed on said electric insulating compound layer.