Water-absorbing agent for organic EL device and organic EL device

• US 7,622,199 B2
• Filed: 04/07/2005
• Issued: 11/24/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Futaba Corporation
• Original Assignee: Futaba Corporation
• Inventors: Takahashi, Hisamitsu, Hieda, Shigeru, Tanaka, Satoshi, Tsuruoka, Yoshihisa
• Primary Examiner(s): GARRETT, DAWN L
• Application Number:
  US11/100,936
• Publication Number:
  US 20050227114A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,692 Days
• Field of Search: 252/194, 313/504, 313/506, 313/512, 257/100
• US Class Current: 428/690
• CPC Class Codes: B01J 20/223 containing metals, e.g. organo-metallic compounds, coordination complexes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 23/26 including materials for absorbing or reacting with moisture or other undesired substances , e.g. getters
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/00 Indexing scheme for arrangements or methods for connecting or disconnecting semiconductor or solid-state bodies as covered by H01L24/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/0002 Not covered by any one of groups H01L24/00, H01L24/00 and H01L2224/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 2924/12044 OLED
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/04 Sealing arrangements , e.g. against humidity
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8426 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/846 comprising getter material or desiccants
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/917 Electroluminescent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/239 Complete cover or casing

Abstract

A thin-profile organic EL device with a high degree of reliability is provided. The anode, the organic layer and the light transmissible-type cathode are laminated on the substrate and the inorganic water-barrier layer are laminated thereon, and then a UV rays-curable type water-capturing agent comprising a UV rays-curing agent and a water-absorbing agent is cured to bond to the sealing substrate instead of an adhesive layer. The UV rays-curing agent comprises an acrylic monomer, initiator and accelerator. The UV rays-curable type sealing agent is placed to the outer peripheral portion of the UV rays-curable type water-capturing agent to be cured. The emission of the organic layer is transmitted upward via the cathode, UV rays-curable type water-capturing agent and the sealing substrate. The UV rays-curable type water-capturing agent can be formed in a desired thickness and pattern by applying it and irradiating with UV-rays, thereby making it possible to produce a low-profile organic EL device in large quantities with a high degree of reliability and without damaging the organic layer which is not resistant to water.

Claims

1. A water-absorbing agent for an organic EL device comprising a water-absorbing substance and an UV ray-curing agent, wherein said water-absorbing substance is an organometallic compound represented by the chemical structural formula (1);

2. A water-absorbing agent for an organic EL device according to claim 1, wherein said monomer is an acrylate and/or a methacrylate.

3. A water-absorbing agent for an organic EL device according to claim 2, wherein said monomer is selected from a group consisting of a monofunctional acrylate represented by the chemical structural formula (6) and a monofunctional methacrylate represented by the chemical structural formula (7);

4. A water-absorbing agent for an organic EL device according to claim 3, wherein said lipophilic group is a saturated hydrocarbon group having two or more carbon atoms in R.

5. A water-absorbing agent for an organic EL device according to claim 4, wherein said monomer is selected from a group consisting of a substance illustrated by the chemical structural formula (8) and a substance represented by the chemical structural formula (9)

6. A water-absorbing agent for an organic EL device according to claim 2, wherein said monomer is a bifunctional acrylate and/or bifunctional methacrylate.

7. A water-absorbing agent for an organic EL device according to claim 6, wherein said lipophilic group is a saturated hydrocarbon group having two and above of carbon atoms.

8. A water-absorbing agent for an organic EL device according to claim 7, wherein said monomer is selected from a group consisting of a substance illustrated by the chemical structural formula (10) and a substance illustrated by the chemical structural formula (11)

9. A water-absorbing agent for an organic EL device according to claim 2, wherein said monomer is a polyfunctional acrylate exceeding trifunctional acrylate and/or a polyfunctional methacrylate exceeding trifunctional methacrylate.

10. A water-absorbing agent for an organic EL device according to claim 9, wherein said lipophilic group is a saturated hydrocarbon group having two and above of carbon atoms.

11. A water-absorbing agent for an organic EL device according to claim 10, wherein said monomer is selected from a group consisting of a substance illustrated by the chemical structural formula (12) and a substance illustrated by the chemical structural formula (13)

12. An organic EL device comprising a light-emitting part having a cathode, an organic layer and an anode placed between a first substrate and a second substrate, at least one of the substrates being light-transmissible for permitting light of the organic layer to take out of at least one of the anode and the cathode, wherein the water-absorbing agent of claim 1 is placed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

13. An organic EL device according to claim 12, wherein said light-emitting part is formed as a laminate on an inner surface of said first substrate and said water-absorbing agent is charged into a space between the inner surface of said first substrate and said light-emitting part and the inner surface of said second substrate.

14. An organic EL device according to claim 13, wherein a water barrier film is placed between said light-emitting part and said water-absorbing agent.

15. An organic EL device according to claim 14, wherein said water barrier film comprises a substance selected from the group consisting of SiOx wherein x is 0<

x≦

2, SiN and mixtures thereof.

16. An organic EL device according to claim 13, wherein an ultraviolet-curable sealing agent is applied to an outer peripheral portion of said water-absorbing agent and at least one outer peripheral portion of said first substrate and said second substrate and cured.

17. An organic EL device according to claim 12, wherein said light-emitting part is formed as a laminate on an inner surface of said first substrate, a concavity is formed in the inner surface of said second substrate and said water-absorbing substance for the organic EL device is placed in said concavity to be fixed.