Method of manufacturing organic EL element, organic EL element, and organic EL display device

• US 6,863,961 B2
• Filed: 11/25/1997
• Issued: 03/08/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kiguchi, Hiroshi, Kanbe, Sadao, Shimoda, Tatsuya, Miyashita, Satoru
• Primary Examiner(s): TARAZANO, DONALD LAWRENCE
• Application Number:
  US09/101,083
• Publication Number:
  US 20030054186A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,660 Days
• Field of Search: 313/500, 313/504, 313/506, 347/20, 347/1, 428/32.1, 428/690, 428/917, 428/210, 428/203, 257/89, 257/91, 427/585, 427/66
• US Class Current: 428/203
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2323/00 Functional layers of liquid crystal optical display excluding electroactive liquid crystal layer characterised by chemical composition
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/10 Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of electroluminescent light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/865 comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. light-blocking layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/12 Active-matrix OLED [AMOLED] displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/17 Passive-matrix OLED displays
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/173 comprising banks or shadow masks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/35 comprising red-green-blue [RGB] subpixels
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/353 characterised by the geometrical arrangement of the RGB subpixels
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8722 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/873 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8792 comprising light absorbing layers, e.g. black layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/135 using ink-jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/164 using vacuum deposition
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/40 Thermal treatment, e.g. annealing in the presence of a solvent vapour
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/917 Electroluminescent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24868 Translucent outer layer
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31855 Of addition polymer from unsaturated monomers

Abstract

A method of manufacturing an organic EL element according to the present invention comprises the steps of forming pixel electrodes (801), (802), (803) on a transparent substrate (804) and forming on the pixel electrodes by patterning luminescent layers (806), (807), (808) made of an organic compound by means of an ink-jet method. According to this method, it is possible to carry out a high precise patterning easily and in a short time, thereby enabling to carry out optimization for a film design and luminescent characteristic easily as well as making it easy to adjust a luminous efficiency.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing an organic EL device, comprising:

forming first electrodes on or above a substrate;

forming at least one luminescent layer having a certain color and made of an organic compound on or above the first electrodes by an ink-jet method; and

forming a second electrode opposing the first electrodes,

the formation of said at least one luminescent layer by means of the ink-jet method being performed by discharging a luminescent material composition from a nozzle toward the substrate, the luminescent material composition serving as luminescence function and carrier transfer function in the formed at least one luminescent layer.

2. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device as claimed in claim 1, the organic compound being a polymer organic compound.

3. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device as claimed in claim 2, the polymer organic compound being a material having functions of hole injection and hole transfer.

4. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device as claimed in claim 2, the polymer organic compound being a polyparaphenylene vinylene or its derivative or a copolymer which contains at least either one of these compounds.

5. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device as claimed in claim 1, said at least one luminescent layer includes three types of luminescent layers having different colors, and wherein at least two types of luminescent layers in the three types of luminescent layers being formed by patterning by means of the ink-jet method.

6. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device as claimed in claim 5, said different colors include red, green and blue, and the red luminescent layer and the green luminescent layer being formed by patterning by means of the ink-jet method.

7. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device as claimed in claim 6, the blue luminescent layer being formed by a vacuum deposition method.

8. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device as claimed in claim 7, the blue luminescent layer being made of a material having functions of electron injection and electron transfer.

9. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device as claimed in claim 1, said at least one luminescent layer being formed on or above a hole injection and transfer layer.

10. The method of manufacturing an organic EL element as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of forming a protective film on or above the second electrode.

11. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising the step of forming on or above said substrate electrodes for driving the respective pixels.

12. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device as claimed in claim 1, said first electrodes being transparent first electrodes.

41. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 1, the EL device having a plurality of pixels, and the first electrodes being formed so as to be separated from each other for each respective pixel.

42. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 41, further comprising forming partitioning walls at least at spaces between neighboring first electrodes.

43. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 42, edge portions of the first electrodes being covered by the partitioning walls.

13. An organic EL device manufactured via a nozzle, comprising:

a substrate;

first electrodes provided on or above the substrate;

at least one luminescent layer, each of which has a certain color and is made of an organic compound, the luminescent layers being formed above the first electrodes by patterning by means of an ink-jet system, the formation of the at least one luminescent layer being performed by discharging a luminescent material composition from the nozzle toward the substrate, the luminescent material composition serving as luminescence function and carrier transfer function in the formed at least one luminescent layer; and

a second electrode formed on or above the luminescent layers.

14. The organic EL device, as claimed in claim 13, the organic compound being a polymer organic compound.

15. The organic EL device as claimed in claim 14, the polymer organic compound being a material having functions of hole injection and hole transfer.

16. The organic EL device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the polymer organic compound being a polyparaphenylene vinylene or its derivative or a copolymer which contains at least either one of these compounds.

17. The organic EL device as claimed in claim 13, said at least one luminescent layer comprises three luminescent layers having different colors, and at least two luminescent layers in the three luminescent layers being formed by patterning by means of an ink-jet method.

18. The organic EL device as claimed in claim 17, said different colors include red, green and blue, and the red luminescent layer and the green luminescent layer being patterned by means of the ink-jet method.

19. The organic EL device as claimed in claim 18, wherein the blue luminescent layer is formed by a vacuum deposition method.

20. The organic EL device as claimed in claim 19, the blue luminescent layer being made of a material having functions of electron injection and electron transfer.

21. The organic EL device as claimed in claim 13, said at least one luminescent layer being formed on or above a material having functions of electron injection and electron transfer.

22. The organic EL device as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a protective film formed on or above the second electrode.

23. The organic EL device as claimed in claim 13, said first electrodes being transparent first electrodes.

24. A display comprising the organic EL device as claimed in claim 23.

25. A method of manufacturing an organic EL device, comprising:

forming first electrodes on or above a substrate;

forming three types of luminescent layers on or above said first electrodes by patterning, each of said luminescent layers having a certain color and made of an organic compound; and

forming a second electrode opposing the first electrodes,

the formation of the at least two types of the luminescent layers being performed by means of an ink-jet method, the ink-jet method including discharging a luminescent material composition from a nozzle toward the substrate, the luminescent material composition serving as luminescence function and carrier transfer function in the formed at least two types of luminescent layers.

26. The method as claimed in claim 25, said three types of the luminescent layers have different colors, respectively, and at least two types of the luminescent layers in the three luminescent layers being formed by patterning by means of the ink-jet method.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26, said three different colors include red, green and blue, and the red luminescent layer and the green luminescent layer being patterned by means of the ink-jet method.

28. The method as claimed in claim 27, the blue luminescent layer being formed by a vacuum deposition method.

29. The method as claimed in claim 27, the blue luminescent layer being formed by means of the ink-jet method.

44. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 25, the EL device having a plurality of pixels, and the first electrodes being formed so as to be separated from each other for each respective pixel.

45. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 44, further comprising forming partitioning walls at least at spaces between neighboring first electrodes.

46. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 45, edge portions of the first electrodes being covered by the partitioning walls.

30. A method of manufacturing an organic EL device, comprising:

forming first electrodes on or above a substrate;

forming a first luminescent layer having a first color and made of a first organic compound above first predetermined first electrodes by an ink-jet method and

forming a second electrode opposing the first electrodes,

the formation of said first luminescent layer by means of the ink-jet method being performed by discharging a luminescent material composition from a nozzle toward the substrate, the luminescent material composition serving as luminescence function and carrier transfer function in the formed first luminescent layer.

31. The method as claimed in claim 30, further comprising forming a second luminescent layer having a second color which is different from the first color and made of a second organic compound on or above second predetermined first electrodes in the first electrodes, respectively, by an ink-jet method.

32. The method as claimed in claim 31, further comprising forming a third luminescent layer having a third color that is different from the first and second colors and made of a third organic compound on or above third predetermined first electrodes in the first electrodes, respectively, by the ink-jet method.

33. The method as claimed in claim 31, further comprising a step of forming a third luminescent layer having a third color which is different from the first and second colors and made of a third organic compound on or above third predetermined first electrodes in the first electrodes, respectively, the formation of the third luminescent layers being carried out by a coating method.

34. The method as claimed in claim 32, the first, second and third colors are red, green and blue, respectively.

35. The method as claimed in claim 33, the first, second and third colors are red, green and blue, respectively.

47. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 30, the EL device having a plurality of pixels, and the first electrodes being formed so as to be separated from each other for each respective pixel.

48. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 47, further comprising forming partitioning walls at least at spaces between neighboring first electrodes.

49. The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 48, edge portions of the first electrodes being covered by the partitioning walls.

36. An organic EL device manufactured via a nozzle, comprising:

a substrate;

first electrodes provided on or above the transparent substrate, said first electrodes include first first electrodes, second first electrodes and third first electrodes that are arranged in a predetermined order;

first, second and third luminescent layers respectively formed on or above the first, second and third predetermined first electrodes, in which said first, second and third luminescent layers have first, second and third colors, respectively, and are made of first, second and third organic compounds, respectively, at least the first luminescent layer formed above the first first electrodes by patterning by means of an ink-jet system, the formation of the first luminescent layer being performed by discharging a luminescent material composition from the nozzle toward the substrate, luminescent material composition serving as luminescence function and carrier transfer function in the formed first luminescent layer; and

a second electrode formed on or above the luminescent layers.

37. The organic EL device as claimed in claim 36, the formation of said second luminescent layer being performed by means of the ink-jet system.

38. The organic EL device as claimed in claim 36, the formation of the third luminescent layer being carried, out by the ink-jet system.

39. The organic EL device as claimed in claim 36, the formation of the third luminescent layer being carried out by a coating method.

40. The organic EL device as claimed in claim 36, the first, second and third colors being red, green and blue, respectively.