Method of fabricating organic electroluminescent devices

• US 7,470,610 B2
• Filed: 09/07/2006
• Issued: 12/30/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/07/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyota Jidoshokki (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nishigaki, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Richards; N Drew
• Assistant Examiner(s): Garcia; Joannie A
• Application Number:
  US11/517,726
• Publication Number:
  US 20070054430A1
• Time in Patent Office: 845 Days
• Field of Search: 438/82, 438/99, 438/623, 438/725, 438/780, 438/FOR.135
• US Class Current: 438/623
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29 of an individual layer connector
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29099 Material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/2919 with a principal constituent of the material being a polymer, e.g. polyester, phenolic based polymer, epoxy
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29199 Material of the matrix
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/2929 with a principal constituent of the material being a polymer, e.g. polyester, phenolic based polymer, epoxy
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29298 Fillers
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2224/29299 Base material
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00013 Fully indexed content
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00014 the subject-matter covered by the group, the symbol of which is combined with the symbol of this group, being disclosed without further technical details
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/04 Sealing arrangements , e.g. against humidity
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/10 Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of electroluminescent light sources
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/805 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/844 Encapsulations
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8445 multilayered coatings having a repetitive structure, e.g. having multiple organic-inorganic bilayers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/88 Terminals, e.g. bond pads

Abstract

A method of fabricating an organic EL device by which sealing films can be patterned, without using any wet process. The method has the steps of:

• • preparing a substrate 1 on which a first electrode 2 has been formed and forming a laminated film 7 by laminating an organic layer 3 comprising a luminescent layer and a second electrode 4 on the first electrode 2 in this order;
  • forming a first sealing film 5 which covers the whole region of the laminated film 7;
  • forming on the surface of the first sealing film 5 a second sealing film 6 having an opening pattern; and
  • patterning the first sealing film 5 by dry-etching the first sealing film 5 using the second sealing film 6 having the opening pattern as a mask.

Claims

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

(1) preparing a substrate on which a first electrode has been formed and forming a laminated film by laminating an organic layer comprising a luminescent layer and a second electrode on the first electrode in this order;

(2) forming a first sealing film which covers a whole region of the laminated film;

(3) forming on a surface of the first sealing film a second sealing film having an opening pattern, wherein the first sealing film and the second sealing film are formed of different film thicknesses; and

(4) patterning the first sealing film by dry-etching the first sealing film using the second sealing having the opening pattern as a mask, wherein the first sealing film is patterned utilizing the difference between the film thicknesses of the first sealing film and the second sealing film.

2. A method of fabricating an organic electroluminescent device according to claim 1 wherein the first sealing film and the second sealing film are made of different materials and wherein the first sealing film is patterned utilizing an etching speed gap arising from the difference between the materials of the first sealing film and the second sealing film.

3. A method of fabricating an organic electroluminescent device according to claim 1 wherein in step (1) the laminated film includes a luminescent portion and a terminal electrode portion, in step (2) the first sealing film is formed over the whole region of the laminated film including the luminescent portion and the terminal electrode portion, in step (3) the second sealing film is formed in which a portion corresponding to the terminal electrode portion is an opening, and in step (4) the terminal electrode portion is exposed by removal of the first sealing film on the terminal electrode portion.

4. A method of fabricating an organic electroluminescent device according to claim 1 wherein in step (3) masking tape is adhered onto the surface of the first sealing film to form a mask pattern, the second sealing film is formed on the surface of the first sealing film on which the mask pattern has been formed, and the second sealing film having the opening pattern is formed by removal of the masking tape.

5. A method of fabricating an organic electroluminescent device according to claim 1 wherein the first sealing film is made of silicon nitride and the second sealing film is made of silicon oxide.

6. A method of fabricating an organic electroluminescent device according to claim 1 wherein the first sealing film comprises multiple layers.

7. A method of fabricating an organic electroluminescent device according to claim 1 wherein in step (4) the dry-etching uses NF₃ as an etching gas.