Organic electroluminescent device and method for fabricating same

• US 6,811,809 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Issued: 11/02/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung SDI Company Limited
• Inventors: Tamegai, Masashi, Utsugi, Koji
• Primary Examiner(s): Cleveland, Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/164,418
• Publication Number:
  US 20020150674A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• Field of Search: 427/66, 427/282
• US Class Current: 427/66
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/17 Passive-matrix OLED displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/35 comprising red-green-blue [RGB] subpixels
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/917 Electroluminescent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24802 Discontinuous or differential coating, impregnation or bond [e.g., artwork, printing, retouched photograph, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24851 Intermediate layer is discontinuous or differential
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24917 including metal layer

Abstract

An organic EL device including: a substrate; a pair of electrodes having electrode lines and overlying the substrate; and an organic film including at least one light emitting layer disposed between the electrodes, wherein the electrode lines are formed by overlapping part of the electrodes. In the present invention, the minute electrode lines as small as 100 μm pitch can be formed by vacuum evaporation by use of a patterning mask (metal mask).

Claims

1. A method for fabricating an organic EL device comprising the steps of:

forming an organic film sandwiched by a pair of electrodes overlying a substrate;

patterning the electrodes to form a plurality of electrode lines, at least one of the electrodes being patterned by moving a patterning mask parallel to the substrate to form a plurality of electrodes units which are overlapped among one another overlying the organic film,

wherein the patterning mask is mounted to a stage for moving the patterning mask movable independently in X and Y-directions perpendicular to each other controlled by a pulse control motor;

the substrate is mounted to a stage for moving the substrate which includes a Z-axis swing means for adjusting a distance between the substrate and the patterning mask, and a swing angle, a rotating means for adjusting a rotation angle between the substrate and the mask pattern, and an X-axis and/or Y-axis moving means for moving and minutely adjusting the substrate in the X-direction and/or the Y-direction;

the substrate and the patterning mask are overlapped keeping a distance therebetween;

a positional relation between substrate and the patterning mask is adjusted by adjusting the stage for moving the substrate;

an electrode material is vapor-evaporated on the surface of the substrate through the pattern;

the stage for moving the patterning mask is minutely moved parallel to the substrate such that part of the pattern of the patterning mask is overlapped with the deposited section on the substrate; and

the electrode material is vapor-evaporated on the substrate.

2. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein a position control and a minute moving of the patterning mask with a higher accuracy is performed by controlling a pulse control motor in accordance with a digital input instruction system having a built-in feedback system.

3. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the pulse control motor includes a rotation angle sensor having a pulse encoder in accordance with an incremental instruction.

4. The method as defined in claim 1, wherein the patterning mask receiving an attracting force generated by a magnetic field is disposed overlying a top surface of the substrate over which the electrode is formed, and a magnetic field source is disposed overlying a reverse surface of the substrate.