Organic electroluminescent device comprising a patterned photosensitive composition and a method for producing same

• US 6,306,559 B1
• Filed: 01/19/2000
• Issued: 10/23/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (Mitsubishi Chemical Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fujiwara, Eisuke, Sato, Yoshiharu, Tanamura, Mitsuru
• Primary Examiner(s): McPherson, John A.
• Application Number:
  US09/487,220
• Time in Patent Office: 643 Days
• Field of Search: 430/315, 430/319, 430/321, 445/24, 313/504
• US Class Current: 430/315
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/173 comprising banks or shadow masks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/13 using printing techniques, e.g. ink-jet printing or screen printing
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/20 Changing the shape of the active layer in the devices, e.g. patterning
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/233 by photolithographic etching
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/311 Phthalocyanine
• 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

Provided is an organic electroluminescent device having a deposition-preventing layer formed with accuracy therein to have a predetermined profile. The deposition-preventing layer facilitates sure microfabrication in producing the device. The radiative recombination probability in the non-selected area of the organic luminescent layer in the device is greatly reduced. The device has a substrate, a first electrode layer overlying said substrate, a first deposition-preventing layer partly overlying said first electrode layer and forming at least a portion of boundaries of an active area of said electroluminescent device and an organic luminescent layer and a second electrode layer formed in that order overlying said first electrode layer within said active area. To form the deposition-preventing layer, used is a photosensitive resin composition which comprises:

i) a polymerizable compound; and

ii) a photoinitiator having an initiation wavelength λ,

wherein said photosensitive resin composition has a reduced transmission of light of wavelength λ.

Claims

1. An organic electroluminescent device which comprises a substrate, a first electrode layer overlying said substrate, a first deposition-preventing layer partly overlying said first electrode layer and forming at least a portion of boundaries of an active area of said electroluminescent device and an organic luminescent layer and a second electrode layer formed in that order overlying said first electrode layer within said active area,

wherein, said first deposition-preventing layer is made by irradiation of a photosensitive resin composition comprising:

i) a polymerizable compound; and

ii) a photoinitiator having an initiation wavelength λ

,

wherein said photosensitive resin composition has a reduced transmission of light of wavelength λ

.

2. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 1, wherein said photosensitive resin composition comprises:

i) a polymerizable compound;

ii) a photoinitiator having an initiation wavelength λ

; and

iii) a substance which inhibits transmission of light of wavelength λ and

which does not promote photo-curing of said composition.

3. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 2, wherein said substance which inhibits transmission of light of wavelength λ

is an electroconductive substance.

4. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 2, wherein said first deposition-preventing layer has a resistivity falling between 1×

10¹² and 1×

10⁴ Ω

·

cm.

5. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 1, wherein said photopolymerizable compound bears a group which inhibits transmission of light of wavelength λ

and which does not promote photo-curing of said composition.

6. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 1, wherein a side of said first deposition-preventing layer forms an angle with said substrate which is smaller than 90°

.

7. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 1, further comprising a second deposition-preventing layer partially overlying said first electrode layer and disposed at least partially between said first deposition-preventing layer and said first electrode layer.

8. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 7, wherein said second deposition-preventing layer forms a contiguous perimeter around said active area.

9. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 7, wherein a side of said second deposition-preventing layer forms an angle with said substrate which is greater than 90°

and a side of said first deposition-preventing layer forms an angle with said substrate which is smaller than 90°

.

10. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 7, wherein said second deposition-preventing layer is made by irradiation of a photosensitive resin composition comprising:

i) a polymerizable compound; and

ii) a photoinitiator having an initiation wavelength λ

,

wherein said photosensitive resin composition has a reduced transmission of light of wavelength λ

.

11. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 1, wherein said polymerizable compound has at least one ethylenically unsaturated double bond which is capable of being polymerized by the action of radicals.

12. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 1, wherein said first electrode layer is formed in parallel rows.

13. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 1, wherein said first deposition-preventing layer is formed in parallel rows.

14. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 1, wherein said first electrode layer is formed in parallel rows;

said first deposition-preventing layer is formed in parallel rows; and

said parallel rows of said first electrode layer and said parallel rows of said first deposition-preventing layer form an angle which is greater than 0°

.

15. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 14, wherein said angle is between 0°

and 90°

.

16. The organic electroluminescent device of claim 14, wherein said angle is 90°

.

17. A display device comprising:

i) the organic electroluminescent device of claim 1;

ii) a control circuit; and

iii) a power source.

18. The display device of claim 17, comprising a plurality of the organic electroluminescent devices.

19. A method for producing an organic electroluminescent device, which comprises;

i) forming a first electrode layer on a substrate,

ii) forming a first deposition-preventing layer partly on said first electrode layer and forming at least a portion of boundaries of an active area of said electroluminescent device, by photo-curing thereon a photosensitive resin composition comprising a polymerizable compound and a photoinitiator having an initiation wavelength λ

, wherein said photosensitive resin composition has a reduced transmission of light of wavelength λ

; and

iii) forming an organic luminescent layer and a second electrode layer in that order overlying said first electrode layer within said active area.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein said photosensitive resin composition comprises:

i) a polymerizable compound;

ii) a photoinitiator having an initiation wavelength λ

; and

iii) a substance which inhibits transmission of light of wavelength λ and

which does not promote photo-curing of said composition.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein said substance which inhibits transmission of light of wavelength λ

is an electroconductive substance.

22. The method of claim 20, wherein said first deposition-preventing layer has a resistivity falling between 1×

10¹² and 1×

10⁴ Ω

·

cm.

23. The method of claim 19, wherein said photopolymerizable compound bears a group which inhibits transmission of light of wavelength λ

and which does not promote photo-curing of said composition.

24. The method of claim 19, wherein a side of said first deposition-preventing layer forms an angle with said substrate which is smaller than 90°

.

25. The method of claim 19 further comprising forming a second deposition-preventing layer partially overlying said first electrode layer and disposed at least partially between said first deposition-preventing layer and said first electrode layer.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein said second deposition-preventing layer forms a contiguous perimeter around said active area.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein a side of said second deposition-preventing layer forms an angle with said substrate which is greater than 90°

and a side of said first deposition-preventing layer forms an angle with said substrate which is smaller than 90°

.

28. The method of claim 25, wherein said second deposition-preventing layer is made by irradiation of a photosensitive resin composition comprising:

i) a polymerizable compound; and

ii) a photoinitiator having an initiation wavelength λ

, wherein said photosensitive resin composition has a reduced transmission of light of wavelength λ

.

29. The method of claim 19, wherein said polymerizable compound has at least one ethylenically unsaturated double bond which is capable of being polymerized by the action of radicals.

30. An organic electroluminescent device which comprises a substrate, a first electrode layer overlying said substrate, a first deposition-preventing layer partly overlying said first electrode layer and forming at least of portion of the boundaries of an active area of said electroluminescent device, and an organic luminescent layer and a second electrode layer formed in that order overlying said first electrode layer within said active area,

wherein said first deposition-preventing layer has a resistivity falling between 1×

10¹² and 1×

10⁴ Ω

·

cm.

31. A method for producing an organic electroluminescent device, which comprises;

i) forming a first electrode layer on a substrate,

ii) forming a first deposition-preventing layer partly on said first electrode layer and forming at least a portion of boundaries of an active area of said electroluminescent device; and

iii) forming an organic luminescent layer and a second electrode layer in that order overlying said first electrode layer within said active area,

wherein said first deposition-preventing layer has a resistivity falling between 1×

10¹² and 1×

10⁴ Ω

·

cm.

32. The method of claim 31 further comprising forming a second deposition-preventing layer partially overlying said first electrode layer and disposed at least partially between said first deposition-preventing layer and said first electrode layer.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein a side of said second deposition-preventing layer forms an angle with said substrate which is greater than 90°

and a side of said first deposition-preventing layer forms an angle with said substrate which is smaller than 90°

.