Organic EL element, display device, and light-emitting device

• US 9,012,897 B2
• Filed: 01/22/2013
• Issued: 04/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/06/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: JOLED Inc.
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Harada, Kenji, Nishiyama, Seiji, Komatsu, Takahiro, Takeuchi, Takayuki, Ohuchi, Satoru, Fujita, Hirofumi, Fujimura, Shinya
• Primary Examiner(s): Such, Matthew W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Kilpatrick, Warren H
• Application Number:
  US13/746,474
• Publication Number:
  US 20130140543A1
• Time in Patent Office: 819 Days
• Field of Search: 257/40, 438/22
• US Class Current: 257/40
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/17 Carrier injection layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/818 Reflective anodes, e.g. ITO combined with thick metallic layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/856 comprising reflective means
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass

Abstract

An organic EL element comprises: an anode; a cathode; a functional layer that is disposed between the anode and the cathode and includes at least a light-emitting layer; a hole injection layer disposed between the anode and the functional layer; and a bank. The hole injection layer contains tungsten oxide, and has a recessed portion. A UPS spectrum of the hole injection layer, obtained from a UPS measurement, has a protrusion appearing near a Fermi surface and within a region corresponding to a binding energy range lower than a top of a valence band. The tungsten oxide contained in the hole injection layer satisfies a condition, determined from an XPS measurement, that a ratio in a number density of atoms other than tungsten atoms and oxygen atoms to the tungsten atoms does not exceed approximately 0.83.

Claims

1. An organic EL element, comprising:

an anode;

a cathode;

a functional layer that is disposed between the anode and the cathode and includes at least a light-emitting layer made of an organic material;

a hole injection layer disposed between the anode and the functional layer; and

a bank that defines a region in which the light-emitting layer is to be formed, wherein

the hole injection layer contains tungsten oxide,

an Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UPS) spectrum, obtained from a UPS measurement, has a protrusion appearing near a Fermi surface and within a region corresponding to a binding energy range lower than a top of a valence band,

the tungsten oxide contained in the hole injection layer satisfies a condition, determined from an X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) measurement, that a ratio in a number density of atoms other than tungsten atoms and oxygen atoms to the tungsten atoms does not exceed approximately 0.83,

the hole injection layer has a recessed portion in an upper surface thereof at the region defined by the bank,

the recessed portion has (i) an inner bottom surface that is in contact with a bottom surface of the functional layer, and (ii) an inner side surface that is continuous with the inner bottom surface and in contact at least with part of a side surface of the functional layer, and

the inner side surface of the recessed portion has a lower edge and an upper edge, the lower edge being continuous with the inner bottom surface, and the upper edge being one of (i) aligned with part of a lower edge of the bank, the part being in contact with the light-emitting layer, and (ii) in contact with a bottom surface of the bank.

2. The organic EL element of claim 1, wherein

in the UPS spectrum, the protrusion appears within the region corresponding to the binding energy range from approximately 1.8 eV to approximately 3.6 eV lower than the top of the valance band.

3. The organic EL element of claim 1, wherein

the ratio in the number density of the other atoms to the tungsten atoms does not exceed approximately 0.62.

4. The organic EL element of claim 1, wherein

the atoms other than tungsten atoms and oxygen atoms comprise carbon atoms.

5. The organic EL element of claim 1, wherein

the hole injection layer is irradiated with ultraviolet light so that

the hole injection layer, in the UPS spectrum, obtained by the UPS measurement, has the protrusion appearing near the Fermi surface and within the region corresponding to the binding energy range lower than the top of the valence band, and

the tungsten oxide contained in the hole injection layer satisfies the condition, as determined by the XPS measurement, that the ratio in the number density of atoms other than tungsten atoms and oxygen atoms to the tungsten atoms does not exceed approximately 0.83.

6. The organic EL element of claim 1, wherein

the bank is liquid-repellent, and the hole injection layer is liquid-philic.

11. A display apparatus comprising the organic EL element of claim 1.

12. A light-emitting apparatus comprising the organic EL element of claim 1.

13. The organic EL element of claim 1, wherein

the upper surface of the hole injection layer which has the recessed portion is located closer to the anode than entire bottom surfaces of the banks.

14. The organic EL element of claim 1, wherein

a film thickness of the hole injection layer in a region defined by the recessed portion is smaller than a film thickness in other regions, and the film thickness in the other regions is uniform.

15. The organic EL element of claim 1, wherein

a film thickness of the light-emitting layer is uniform.

16. The organic EL element of claim 1, wherein

the recessed portion extends under the bottom surface of at least one of the banks.

7. An organic EL element, comprising:

an anode;

a cathode;

a functional layer that is disposed between the anode and the cathode and includes at least a light-emitting layer made of an organic material;

a hole injection layer disposed between the anode and the functional layer; and

a bank that defines a region in which the light-emitting layer is to be formed, wherein

the hole injection layer contains tungsten oxide,

an Ultraviolet Photoelectron Spectroscopy (UPS) spectrum, obtained from a UPS measurement, has a protrusion appearing near a Fermi surface and within a region corresponding to a binding energy range lower than a top of a valence band,

a peak appears within a region corresponding to a binding energy range from approximately 4.5 eV to approximately 5.4 eV,

the hole injection layer has a recessed portion in an upper surface thereof at the region defined by the bank,

the recessed portion has (i) an inner bottom surface that is in contact with a bottom surface of the functional layer, and (ii) an inner side surface that is continuous with the inner bottom surface and in contact at least with part of a side surface of the functional layer, and

the inner side surface of the recessed portion has a lower edge and an upper edge, the lower edge being continuous with the inner bottom surface, and the upper edge being one of (i) aligned with part of a lower edge of the bank, the part being in contact with the light-emitting layer, and (ii) in contact with a bottom surface of the bank.

8. The organic EL element of claim 7, wherein

in the UPS spectrum, the protrusion appears within the region corresponding to the binding energy range from approximately 1.8 eV to approximately 3.6 eV lower than the top of the valance band.

9. The organic EL element of claim 7, wherein

the hole injection layer is irradiated with ultraviolet light so that

the hole injection layer, in the UPS spectrum, obtained by the UPS measurement, has the protrusion appearing near the Fermi surface and within the region corresponding to the binding energy range lower than the top of the valence band, and

the peak appears within the region corresponding to the binding energy range from approximately 4.5 eV to approximately 5.4 eV.

10. The organic EL element of claim 7, wherein

the bank is liquid-repellent, and the hole injection layer is liquid-philic.

17. The organic EL element of claim 7, wherein

the upper surface of the hole injection layer which has the recessed portion is located closer to the anode than entire bottom surfaces of the banks.

18. The organic EL element of claim 7, wherein

a film thickness of the hole injection layer in a region defined by the recessed portion is smaller than a film thickness in other regions, and the film thickness in the other regions is uniform.

19. The organic EL element of claim 7, wherein

a film thickness of the light-emitting layer is uniform.

20. The organic EL element of claim 7, wherein

the recessed portion extends under the bottom surface of at least one of the banks.