Depositing layers in OLED devices using viscous flow

• US 7,067,170 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2002
• Issued: 06/27/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Global OLED Technology LLC (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Klug, Justin H., Marcus, Michael A., Van Slyke, Steven A., Grace, Jeremy
• Primary Examiner(s): CLEVELAND, MICHAEL B
• Application Number:
  US10/252,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20040062856A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,373 Days
• Field of Search: 427/66, 427/68, 427/69, 427/70, 427/256, 427/286, 427/255.6
• 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: H10K 71/10 Deposition of organic active material
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/12 using liquid deposition, e.g. spin coating
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/13 using printing techniques, e.g. ink-jet printing or screen printing
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/16 using physical vapour deposition [PVD], e.g. vacuum deposition or sputtering
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/441 in the presence of solvent vapors, e.g. solvent vapour annealing
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/324 comprising aluminium, e.g. Alq3
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/341 Transition metal complexes, e.g. Ru(II)polypyridine complexes H10K85/331 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/342 comprising iridium
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/351 Metal complexes comprising lanthanides or actinides, e.g. comprising europium
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/60 Organic compounds having low molecular weight H10K85/10 - H10K85/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/615 Polycyclic condensed aromatic hydrocarbons, e.g. anthracene
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/631 Amine compounds having at least two aryl rest on at least one amine-nitrogen atom, e.g. triphenylamine
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/649 Aromatic compounds comprising a hetero atom

Abstract

A method of depositing a patterned organic layer includes providing a manifold and an OLED display substrate in a chamber at reduced pressure and spaced relative to each other; providing a structure sealingly covering at least one surface of the manifold, the structure including a plurality of nozzles extending through the structure into the manifold. The method also includes delivering vaporized organic materials into the manifold, and applying an inert gas under pressure into the manifold so that the inert gas provides a viscous gas flow through each of the nozzles, such viscous gas flow transporting at least portions of the vaporized organic materials from the manifold through the nozzles to provide directed beams of the inert gas and of the vaporized organic materials and projecting the directed beams onto the OLED display substrate for depositing a pattern of an organic layer on the substrate.

Claims

1. A method of depositing in a pattern organic material onto an OLED display substrate, comprising:

a) providing a manifold and an OLED display substrate in a chamber at reduced pressure and spaced relative to each other;

b) providing a structure sealingly covering one surface of the manifold, the structure including a plurality of nozzles with orifices, nozzles extending through the structure into the manifold, and the nozzles being spaced from each other in correspondence with the pattern to be deposited onto the OLED display substrate;

c) orienting the OLED display substrate with respect to the nozzles in the structure;

d) delivering vaporized organic materials into the manifold; and

e) applying an inert gas under pressure into the manifold so that the inert gas provides a viscous gas flow through each of the nozzles, such viscous gas flow transporting at least portions of the vaporized organic materials from the manifold through the nozzles to provide collimated beams of the inert gas and of the vaporized organic materials that exit the nozzles smoothly in streamlines parallel to the walls of the orifice and projecting the collimated beams onto the OLED display substrate thereby depositing organic material on the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein step b) includes the steps of

i) constructing the structure from a material selected from the group consisting of metals, glass, quart, graphite and ceramics;

ii) forming the plurality of nozzles in the structure as nozzles defining a circular outline or a polygonal outline; and

iii) spacing the nozzles from each other corresponding to a first color-forming pattern of a first organic light-emitting layer to be deposited on the OLED display substrate.

3. The method of claim 1 further including forming the plurality of nozzles in a plate structure or in a tubular structure.

4. The method of claim 1 further including forming the plurality of nozzles in the structure along a single center line, and providing relative motion between the OLED display substrate and the manifold during deposition of a color-forming stripe pattern of an organic light-emitting layer on the substrate.

5. The method of claim 1 further including forming the plurality of nozzles in the structure as a two-dimensional array of nozzles in correspondence with selected pixel locations on the OLED display substrate for providing a pixelated pattern of an organic light-emitting layer on the selected pixel locations of the substrate.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein step a) includes spacing the OLED display substrate from at least one surface of the structure by a distance from 0.02 to 2.0 centimeter.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein step d) includes the steps of:

i) providing at least first and second vapor sources disposed outside of the chamber;

ii) connecting each of the vapor sources to the manifold;

iii) charging the first vapor source with at least one vaporizable organic host material, and charging the second vapor source with at least one vaporizable organic dopant material selected to cause emission of one of red, green, or blue light from a pattern of an organic light-emitting layer of an operative OLED display; and

iv) controllably heating the first and second vapor sources to a vaporization temperature which causes at least portions of the organic materials charged into the vapor sources to vaporize, and delivering such vaporized organic materials from the vapor sources through respectively corresponding connections into the manifold.

8. The method of claim 7 further including heating surfaces of the vapor sources, surfaces of the connections, and surfaces of the manifold and the structure to a temperature sufficient to prevent condensation of organic material vapors on such surfaces.

9. The method of claim 7 further including controlling the delivering of vaporized organic materials into the manifold so that a selected vapor pressure of vaporized organic materials is provided in the manifold.

10. The method of claim 1 further including the steps of:

i) providing a source of inert gas;

ii) preheating the inert gas to a temperature sufficient to prevent condensation of vaporized organic materials in the manifold and in the nozzles of the structure;

iii) controlling the pressure of the preheated inert gas or controlling the flow of the preheated inert gas; and

iv) applying the preheated and controlled inert gas into the manifold.

11. The method of claim 10 further including controlling the pressure or the flow of the preheated inert gas.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said nozzles have an inside dimension in a range from 10 to 1000 micrometer, and a nozzle length dimension that is at least 5 times larger than said inside dimension.

13. A method of depositing in a pattern an organic layer onto an OLED display substrate, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a manifold and an OLED display substrate in a chamber at reduced pressure and spaced relative to each other;

b) providing a structure sealingly covering one surface of the manifold, the structure including a plurality of nozzles with orifices, the nozzles extending through the structure into the manifold, and the nozzles being spaced from each other in correspondence with the pattern to be deposited onto the OLED display substrate;

c) orienting the OLED display substrate with respect to the nozzles in the structure;

d) vaporizing organic materials in the manifold; and

e) applying an inert gas under pressure into the manifold so that the inert gas provides a viscous gas flow through each of the nozzles, such viscous gas flow transporting at least portions of the vaporized organic materials from the manifold through the nozzles to provide collimated beams of the inert gas and of the vaporized organic materials that exit the nozzles smoothly in streamlines parallel to the walls of the orifice and projecting the collimated beams onto the OLED display substrate for depositing a pattern of an organic layer on the substrate.

14. A method of depositing in a three-color pattern organic light-emitting layers onto an OLED display substrate, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a manifold and an OLED display substrate in a chamber at reduced pressure and spaced relative to each other;

b) providing a structure sealingly covering at least one surface of the manifold, the structure including a plurality of nozzles with orifices, the nozzles extending through the structure into the manifold, and the nozzles being spaced from each other in correspondence with the pattern to be deposited onto the OLED display substrate;

c) orienting the OLED display substrate with respect to the nozzles in the structure in correspondence with a first-color pattern of a first organic light-emitting layer to be deposited on the substrate;

d) delivering first-color forming vaporized organic light-emitting materials into the manifold;

e) applying an inert gas under pressure into the manifold so that the inert gas provides a viscous gas flow through each of the nozzles, such viscous gas flow transporting at least portions of the first-color forming vaporized organic light-emitting materials from the manifold through the nozzles to provide collimated beams of the inert gas and of the first-color forming vaporized organic light-emitting materials and projecting the collimated beams onto the OLED display substrate for depositing a first-color pattern of the first organic light-emitting layer on the substrate;

f) reorienting the OLED display substrate with respect to the nozzles in the structure in correspondence with a second-color pattern of a second organic light-emitting layer to be deposited on the substrate;

g) delivering second-color forming vaporized organic light-emitting materials into the manifold;

h) applying an inert gas under pressure into the manifold so that the inert gas provides a viscous gas flow through each of the nozzles, such viscous gas flow transporting at least portions of the second-color forming vaporized organic light-emitting materials from the manifold through the nozzles to provide collimated beams of the inert gas and of the second-color forming vaporized organic light-emitting materials and projecting the collimated beams onto the OLED display substrate for depositing a second-color pattern of the second organic light-emitting layer on the substrate;

i) reorienting the OLED display substrate with respect to the nozzles in the structure in correspondence with a third-color pattern of a third organic light-emitting layer to be deposited on the substrate;

j) delivering third-color forming vaporized organic light-emitting materials into the manifold; and

k) applying an inert gas under pressure into the manifold so that the inert gas provides a viscous gas flow through each of the nozzles, such viscous gas flow transporting at least portions of the third-color forming vaporized organic light-emitting materials from the manifold through the nozzles to provide collimated beams of the inert gas and of the third-color forming vaporized organic light-emitting materials and projecting the collimated beams onto the OLED display substrate for depositing a third-color pattern of the third organic light-emitting layer on the substrate

wherein the collimated beams of the inert gas and of the vaporized organic materials in each of e), h), and k) exit the nozzles smoothly in streamlines parallel to the walls of the orifice.

15. The method of claim 14 wherein step b) includes the steps of:

i) constructing the structure from a material selected from the group consisting of metals, glass, quartz, graphite and ceramics;

ii) forming the plurality of nozzles in the structure as nozzles defining a circular outline or a polygonal outline; and

iii) spacing the nozzles from each other corresponding to equal spacings between the first-color pattern and the second-color pattern, and between the second-color pattern and the third-color pattern to provide equally spaced first, second, and third organic light-emitting layers, respectively, on the OLED display substrate.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein step ii) includes the step of forming the plurality of nozzles in the structure with a nozzle inside dimension in a range from 10 to 1000 micrometer, and a nozzle length dimension extending through the structure which is at least 5 times larger than a selected nozzle inside dimension.

17. The method of claim 16 further including forming the plurality of nozzles in a plate structure or in a tubular structure.

18. The method of claim 16 further including forming the plurality of nozzles in the structure along a single center line, and providing relative motion between the OLED display substrate and the manifold during deposition of three-color stripe patterns of the first second, and third organic light-emitting layers, respectively, on the substrate.

19. The method of claim 16 further including forming the plurality of nozzles in the structure as a two-dimensional array of nozzles in correspondence with pixel locations on the OLED display substrate for providing pixelated patterns of the first, second, and third organic light-emitting layers, respectively, in corresponding pixel locations on the substrate.

20. The method of claim 14 further including forming the plurality of nozzles in the structure as a two-dimensional array of nozzles in correspondence with selected pixel locations on the OLED display substrate for providing a pixelated pattern of an organic light-emitting layer on the selected pixel locations of the substrate.

21. The method of claim 14 wherein steps d), g), and j) include the steps of:

i) providing at least four vapor sources disposed outside of the chamber;

ii) connecting each of the vapor sources to the manifold;

iii) charging a first vapor source with at least one vaporizable organic host material, charging a second vapor source with at least one vaporizable first-color forming organic dopant material, charging a third vapor source with at least one vaporizable second-color forming organic dopant material, and charging a fourth vapor source with at least one vaporizable third-color forming organic dopant material; and

iv) controllably heating the first and, in sequence, one of the second, third, or fourth vapor sources to a vaporization temperature which causes at least portions of the organic materials charged into the vapor sources to vaporize, and delivering such vaporized organic materials from the vapor sources through respectively corresponding connections into the manifold.

22. The method of claim 21 further including heating surfaces of the vapor sources, surfaces of the connections, and surfaces of the manifold and the structure to a temperature sufficient to prevent condensation of organic material vapors on such surfaces.

23. The method of claim 21 further including selecting the first-color forming, second-color forming, and third-color forming organic dopant materials to cause emission of red, green, and blue light, respectively, from respectively corresponding patterns of doped organic light-emitting layers of an operative OLED display.

24. The method of claim 21 further including controlling the delivering of vaporized organic light-emitting materials into the manifold so that a selected vapor pressure of vaporized organic materials is provided in the manifold.

25. The method of claim 14 further including the steps of:

i) providing a source of inert gas;

ii) preheating the inert gas to a temperature sufficient to prevent condensation of vaporized organic materials in the manifold and in the nozzles of the structure;

iii) controlling the pressure of the preheated inert gas or controlling the flow of the preheated inert gas; and

iv) applying the preheated and controlled inert gas into the manifold.

26. The method of claim 25 further including controlling the pressure or the flow of the preheated inert gas so that a pressure of the preheated inert gas in the manifold is higher than a vapor pressure of vaporized organic materials delivered into the manifold.

27. A method of concurrently depositing in a three-color pattern organic light-emitting layers onto an OLED display substrate, comprising the steps of:

a) providing a manifold assembly and an OLED display substrate in a chamber at reduced pressure and spaced relative to each other, the manifold assembly including a first manifold, a second manifold, and a third manifold;

b) providing a separate structure sealingly covering at least one surface of each one of the first, second, and third manifolds, each separate structure including a plurality of nozzles with orifices, the nozzles extending through each structure into a corresponding manifold, and the nozzles in each separate structure being spaced from each other in correspondence with the three-color pattern to be deposited onto the OLED display substrate;

c) orienting the OLED display substrate with respect to the nozzles in one of the separate structures;

d) delivering concurrently first-color forming vaporized organic light-emitting materials into the first manifold, second-color forming vaporized organic light-emitting materials into the second manifold, and third-color forming vaporized organic light-emitting materials into the third manifold assembly; and

e) applying an inert gas under pressure concurrently into each one of the first, second, and third manifolds so that the inert gas provides a viscous gas flow through each of the plurality of nozzles in each of the separate structures, such viscous gas flow transporting concurrently at least portions of the first-color forming, second-color forming, and third-color forming vaporized organic light-emitting materials from a respectively corresponding manifold through corresponding nozzles to provide collimated beams of the inert gas and of the first-color forming, second-color forming, and third-color forming vaporized organic right-emitting materials that exit from the corresponding nozzles smoothly in streamlines parallel to the walls of the orifice and projecting the collimated beams onto the OLED display substrate for concurrently depositing a three-color pattern on the substrate.

28. The method of claim 27 wherein step b) includes the steps of:

i) constructing each structure from a material selected from the group consisting of metals, glass, quartz, and ceramics; and

ii) forming the plurality of nozzles in each structure as nozzles defining a circular outline or a polygonal outline.

29. The method of claim 27 wherein step d) includes the steps of:

i) providing at least four vapor sources disposed outside of the chamber;

ii) connecting a first and second vapor source to the first manifold of the manifold assembly,

connecting the first and a third vapor source to the second manifold of the manifold assembly,

and connecting the first and a fourth vapor source to the third manifold of the manifold assembly;

iii) charging the first vapor source with at least one vaporizable organic host material, charging the second vapor source with at least one vaporizable first-color forming organic dopant material, charging the third vapor source with at least one vaporizable second-color forming organic dopant material, and charging the fourth vapor source with at least one vaporizable third-color forming organic dopant material; and

iv) controllably heating the first, second, third, and fourth vapor sources to a vaporization temperature which causes at least portions of the organic materials charged into the vapor sources to vaporize, and delivering such vaporized organic light-emitting materials from the vapor sources through a respectively corresponding connection into a corresponding manifold of the manifold assembly.

30. The method of claim 29 further including heating surfaces of the vapor sources, surfaces of the connections, and surfaces of the manifolds and the structures to a temperature sufficient to prevent condensation of organic material vapors on such surfaces.

31. The method of claim 29 further including selecting the first-color forming, second-color forming, and third-color forming organic dopant materials to cause emission of red, green, and blue light, respectively, from respectively corresponding patterns of doped organic light-emitting layers of an operative OLED display.

32. The method of claim 29 further including controlling the delivering of vaporized organic light-emitting materials into each manifold so that a selected vapor pressure of vaporized organic light-emitting materials is provided in each manifold.

33. The method of claim 27 further including the steps of:

i) providing a source of inert gas;

ii) preheating the inert gas to a temperature sufficient to prevent condensation of vaporized organic materials in each of the manifolds and in the nozzles of each of the separate structures;

iii) controlling the pressure of the preheated inert gas or controlling the flow of the preheated inert gas; and

iv) applying the preheated and controlled inert gas into each of the manifolds of the manifold assembly.

34. The method of claim 33 further including controlling the pressure or the flow of the preheated inert gas so that a pressure of the preheated inert gas in each of the manifolds is higher than a vapor pressure of vaporized organic materials delivered into each manifold.

35. The method of claim 27, wherein said nozzles have an inside dimension in a range from 10 to 1000 micrometer, and a nozzle length dimension that is at least 5 times larger than said inside dimension.

36. The method of claim 35 further including forming the plurality of nozzles in each structure along a single center line, and providing relative motion between the OLED display substrate and the manifold assembly during concurrent deposition of three-color stripe patterns of organic light-emitting layers on the substrate.

37. A method of depositing in a pattern vaporized material onto a surface, comprising:

a) providing vaporized material in a manifold of reduced pressure;

b) providing a structure sealingly covering at least one surface of the manifold, the structure including a plurality of nozzles with orifices, the nozzles extending through the structure into the manifold, and the nozzles being spaced from each other in correspondence with the pattern to be deposited onto the surface; and

c) applying an inert gas under pressure into the manifold so that the inert gas provides a viscous gas flow through each of the nozzles, such viscous gas flow transporting at least portions of the vaporized material from the manifold through the nozzles to provide collimated beams of the inert gas and of the vaporized material that exit the nozzles smoothly in streamlines parallel to the walls of the orifice and projecting the collimated beams onto the at least one surface thereby depositing organic material on the least one surface.

38. The method of claim 37 wherein step b) includes the steps of:

i) constructing the structure from a material selected from the group consisting of metals, glass, quartz, and ceramics;

ii) forming the plurality of nozzles in the structure as nozzles defining a circular outline or a polygonal outline; and

iii) spacing the nozzles from each other corresponding to a first color-forming pattern of a first organic light-emitting layer to be deposited on the OLED display substrate.

39. The method of claim 37 further including forming the plurality of nozzles in a plate structure or in a tubular structure.

40. The method of claim 37, wherein said nozzles have an inside dimension in a range from 10 to 1000 micrometer, and a nozzle length dimension that is at least 5 times larger than said inside dimension.

41. A method of simultaneously depositing in a pattern organic material onto an OLED display substrate, comprising:

a) providing a plurality of manifolds relative to an OLED substrate in a chamber at reduced pressure and spaced relative to each other;

b) providing a structure sealingly covering at least one surface of each of the manifolds, the structure including a plurality of nozzles with orifices, the nozzles extending through the structure into the manifold, and the nozzles being spaced from each other in correspondence with the pattern to be deposited onto the OLED display substrate;

c) providing different vaporized organic materials into each manifold; and

d) applying an inert gas under pressure into the manifolds so that the inert gas provides a viscous gas flow through each of the nozzles, such viscous gas flow transporting at least portions of the vaporized organic light-emitting materials from the manifolds through the nozzles to provide collimated beams of the inert gas and of the vaporized organic light-emitting materials that exit the nozzles smoothly in streamlines parallel to the walls of the orifice and projecting the collimated beams onto the OLED display substrate for depositing a pattern of an organic light-emitting layer on the substrate.

42. The method of claim 41, wherein said nozzles have an inside dimension in a range from 10 to 1000 micrometer, and a nozzle length dimension that is at least 5 times larger than said inside dimension.