Electro-optical device, electronic apparatus, and method of manufacturing the same

• US 7,902,750 B2
• Filed: 08/28/2007
• Issued: 03/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/14/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Chino, Yuji, Takei, Shuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton; Toan
• Assistant Examiner(s): FEATHERLY, HANA SANEI
• Application Number:
  US11/846,090
• Publication Number:
  US 20080067506A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,288 Days
• Field of Search: 445 24- 25, 313/503, 313/504, 313/506, 427/66
• US Class Current: 313/506
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/135 using ink-jet printing
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/233 by photolithographic etching

Abstract

An electro-optical device includes a substrate having a plurality of pixel electrodes thereon, a bank structure formed on the substrate and provided with a plurality of pixel apertures corresponding to the plurality of pixel electrodes, an injection layer formed in each of the plurality of pixel apertures for injecting electrons or holes, an organic semiconductor layer formed on the injection layer in each of a plurality of pixel apertures; and an electrode formed on the organic semiconductor layer, wherein the individual bank includes a lyophilic layer formed on the substrate and a lyophobic layer formed on the lyophilic layer. Here, each of the plurality of the pixel apertures is formed so as to penetrate the lyophilic layer and the lyophobic layer.

Claims

1. An electro-optical device, comprising:

a substrate having a plurality of pixel electrodes thereon;

a bank structure formed on the substrate and provided with a plurality of pixel apertures corresponding to the plurality of pixel electrodes;

an injection layer formed in each of the plurality of pixel apertures for injecting electrons or holes;

an organic semiconductor layer formed on the injection layer in each of the plurality of pixel apertures; and

an electrode formed on the organic semiconductor layer, wherein

the bank structure includes a lyophilic layer formed on the substrate and a lyophobic layer formed on the lyophilic layer, wherein each of the plurality of pixel apertures is formed so as to penetrate the lyophilic layer and the lyophobic layer, and comprises a first aperture in the lyophilic layer and a second aperture in the lyophobic layer corresponding to the first aperture in the lyophilic layer, wherein the first and corresponding second apertures are cylindrical with a same diameter and a same central axis as each other, such that in each of the plurality of pixel apertures, an inner circumferential surface of the lyophilic layer and an inner circumferential surface of the lyophobic layer are in a same plane,

the lyophobic layer has relatively weak affinity for a material solution used for forming the injection layer in comparison with the lyophilic layer and includes a plurality of lyophobic portions corresponding to the plurality of pixel apertures, and

the plurality of lyophobic portions are provided so as to be separate from each other such that each of the lyophobic portions is separate from lyophobic portions corresponding to apertures of adjacent pixels, and each of the plurality of the lyophobic portions surrounds the corresponding pixel aperture of the plurality of pixel apertures.

2. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the lyophilic layer is made of an inorganic material.

3. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the lyophobic layer is made of an organic material.

4. An electronic apparatus including the electro-optical device according to claim 1.

5. A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device including a plurality of pixel apertures, comprising:

forming pixel electrodes on a substrate at regions corresponding to the plurality of pixel apertures;

sequentially stacking a lyophilic layer and a lyophobic thin film on the substrate so as to cover the pixel electrodes;

processing a surface of the substrate by applying energy to the surface of the lyophobic thin film in order to improve solution affinity of ring-shaped regions of the surface of the lyophobic thin film to be stronger than that of regions other than the ring-shaped regions;

forming a ring-shaped lyophobic layer by a liquid droplet ejecting method on the ring-shaped regions of the surface of the substrate;

removing the lyophobic thin film and the lyophilic layer formed at regions surrounded by the ring-shaped regions;

sequentially forming an injection layer and an organic semiconductor layer in depressions surrounded by the ring-shaped regions by a liquid droplet ejecting method; and

forming a negative electrode on the organic semiconductor layer.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the lyophobic thin film is a monomolecular film, and wherein the processing the substrate includes:

arranging a mask on the monomolecular film so as to cover regions other than the ring-shaped regions; and

removing the monomolecular film formed at the ring-shaped regions by irradiating ultraviolet rays on the surface of the substrate.

7. The method according to claim 5, wherein the processing the surface includes:

arranging a mask on the lyophobic thin film so as to cover regions other than the ring-shaped regions; and

treating the surface of the substrate with plasma.