Light-emitting device and method for manufacturing the same

• US 9,093,404 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2013
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.), Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Yokoyama, Kohei, Kosaka, Tomohiro, Shimoshikiryoh, Fumikazu, Kawato, Shinichi, Kikuchi, Katsuhiro, Niboshi, Manabu, Ochi, Takashi, Tsukamoto, Yuto, Osaki, Tomofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Laurenzi, III, Mark A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Turner, Brian
• Application Number:
  US14/132,852
• Publication Number:
  US 20140175470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 587 Days
• Field of Search: 313/498, 313/405, 313/505, 313/512, 257/99, 257/88, 257/40, 257/E33.01, 438/16, 438/22, 438/29, 438/34
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/351 Thickness
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/15 Hole transporting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/16 Electron transporting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/122 Pixel-defining structures or layers, e.g. banks
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/35 comprising red-green-blue [RGB] subpixels

Abstract

The light-emitting device includes a first lower electrode, a second lower electrode, a partition, a layer with high conductivity, light-emitting layers, and an upper electrode. The conductivity of the layer with high conductivity is higher than the conductivity of each of the light-emitting layers and lower than the conductivity of each of the lower electrodes and the upper electrode. The partition includes a first slope located on a first lower electrode side and a second slope located on a second lower electrode side. The thickness of the layer with high conductivity located over the first slope in a direction perpendicular to the first slope is different from the thickness of the layer with high conductivity located over the second slope in a direction perpendicular to the second slope.

Claims

1. A light-emitting device comprising:

a first lower electrode and a second lower electrode;

a partition between the first lower electrode and the second lower electrode;

an upper electrode over the first lower electrode, the partition, and the second lower electrode; and

a conductive layer and a light-emitting layer between the upper electrode and the first lower electrode, the partition, and the second lower electrode,

wherein conductivity of the conductive layer is higher than conductivity of the light-emitting layer and is lower than conductivity of each of the first lower electrode, the second lower electrode, and the upper electrode,

wherein the partition includes a first slope located on a first lower electrode side and a second slope located on a second lower electrode side, and

wherein a total thickness of the conductive layer and the light-emitting layer located over the first slope in a direction perpendicular to the first slope is larger than a total thickness of the conductive layer and the light-emitting layer located over the second slope in a direction perpendicular to the second slope.

2. The light-emitting device according to claim 1,

wherein the total thickness of the conductive layer and the light-emitting layer located over the second slope in the direction perpendicular to the second slope is smaller than a total thickness of the conductive layer and the light-emitting layer located over the first lower electrode in a direction perpendicular to the first lower electrode, and

wherein the total thickness of the conductive layer and the light-emitting layer located over the first slope in the direction perpendicular to the first slope is larger than the total thickness of the conductive layer and the light-emitting layer located over the first lower electrode in the direction perpendicular to the first lower electrode.

3. The light-emitting device according to claim 1,

wherein a thickness of the conductive layer located over the second slope in the direction perpendicular to the second slope is less than or equal to ½

of a thickness of the conductive layer located over the first slope in the direction perpendicular to the first slope.

4. The light-emitting device according to claim 1,

wherein a thickness of the conductive layer located over the second slope in the direction perpendicular to the second slope is less than or equal to ½

of a thickness of the conductive layer located over the first lower electrode in the direction perpendicular to the first lower electrode.

5. A light-emitting device comprising:

a first lower electrode and a second lower electrode;

a partition between the first lower electrode and the second lower electrode;

a first light-emitting layer over each of the first lower electrode, the partition, and the second lower electrode;

a first conductive layer over the first light-emitting layer;

a second light-emitting layer over the first conductive layer; and

an upper electrode over the second light-emitting layer,

wherein conductivity of the first conductive layer is higher than conductivity of each of the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer and is lower than conductivity of each of the first lower electrode, the second lower electrode, and the upper electrode,

wherein the partition includes a first slope located on a first lower electrode side and a second slope located on a second lower electrode side, and

wherein a thickness of the first conductive layer located over the first slope in a direction perpendicular to the first slope is larger than a thickness of the first conductive layer located over the second slope in a direction perpendicular to the second slope.

6. The light-emitting device according to claim 5,

wherein a thickness of the first conductive layer located over the second slope in the direction perpendicular to the second slope is less than or equal to ½

of a thickness of the first conductive layer located over the first slope in the direction perpendicular to the first slope.

7. The light-emitting device according to claim 5,

wherein a thickness of the first conductive layer located over the second slope in the direction perpendicular to the second slope is less than or equal to ½

of a thickness of the first conductive layer located over the first lower electrode in the direction perpendicular to the first lower electrode.

8. The light-emitting device according to claim 5, further comprising a color filter over the upper electrode,

wherein the color filter includes a region having a first color which overlaps with the first lower electrode and a region having a second color which overlaps with the second lower electrode, and

wherein the first color is different from the second color.

9. The light-emitting device according to claim 5,

wherein a plurality of first light-emitting elements emitting light of a first color is arranged in a form of a line,

wherein a plurality of second light-emitting elements emitting light of a second color is arranged in a form of a line,

wherein each of the plurality of first light-emitting elements includes the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer located between the first lower electrode and the upper electrode,

wherein each of the plurality of second light-emitting elements includes the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer located between the second lower electrode and the upper electrode, and

wherein the partition is provided between each of the plurality of first light-emitting elements and each of the plurality of second light-emitting elements.

10. A light-emitting device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a second conductive layer over each of the first lower electrode, the partition, and the second lower electrode, and below the first light-emitting layer.

11. The light-emitting device according to claim 10, wherein a thickness of the second conductive layer located over the first slope in a direction perpendicular to the first slope is larger than a thickness of the second conductive layer located over the second slope in a direction perpendicular to the second slope.

12. The light-emitting device according to claim 10,

wherein a thickness of the second conductive layer located over the second slope in the direction perpendicular to the second slope is less than or equal to ½

of a thickness of the second conductive layer located over the first slope in the direction perpendicular to the first slope.

13. The light-emitting device according to claim 10,

wherein a thickness of the second conductive layer located over the second slope in the direction perpendicular to the second slope is less than or equal to ½

of a thickness of the second conductive layer located over the first lower electrode in the direction perpendicular to the first lower electrode.