Organic electroluminescence device

• US 8,298,031 B2
• Filed: 03/03/2009
• Issued: 10/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Koike, Atsushi, Mitsui, Mutsuo, Kanai, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Anh
• Assistant Examiner(s): FEATHERLY, HANA SANEI
• Application Number:
  US12/396,860
• Publication Number:
  US 20090170393A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 445 24- 25, 313495-497
• US Class Current: 445/24
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/841 Self-supporting sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/8423 Metallic sealing arrangements
• 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: H10K 59/871 Self-supporting sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8721 Metallic sealing arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8722 Peripheral sealing arrangements, e.g. adhesives, sealants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/874 including getter material or desiccant

Abstract

The present invention provides an excellent organic EL device with a glass substrate and a sealing glass sheet which are thinned for weight reduction while avoiding lowering the durability and impact resistance of the device. The organic luminescence device is characterized in that sealing is performed at the space between a face of the sealing glass sheet along the outer edge and a face of the device substrate with a low melting point metal.

Claims

1. A process for producing an organic electroluminescence device, comprising, in sequence, the steps of:

(a) forming an organic luminescence element portion on a substrate;

(b) dehydrating a sealing glass sheet; and

(c) sealing the organic luminescence element portion by overlapping the organic luminescence element portion with the sealing glass sheet such that the organic luminescence element portion and the sealing glass sheet are in direct contact,

wherein the sealing step is conducted under a reduced pressure atmosphere and comprises the sub-steps of;

(c-i) directly contacting the substrate and the sealing glass sheet with each other at a periphery of the sealing glass sheet; and

thereafter

(c-ii) fixing the sealing glass sheet to the substrate with a low melting point metal applied along an outer edge of the sealing glass sheet and an adjoining surface of the substrate.

2. The process according to claim 1, wherein the sealing glass sheet has a thickness of 0.1 to 0.5 mm, and the reduced pressure atmosphere of the sealing step is 1/10 atm to 1/100 atm.