Light-emitting device and manufacturing method thereof

• US 9,716,208 B2
• Filed: 12/17/2013
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• 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: Ikeda, Hisao, Dozen, Yoshitaka, Hirakata, Yoshiharu, Niboshi, Manabu, Kikuchi, Katsuhiro, Kawato, Shinichi, Ochi, Takashi, Tsukamoto, Yuto, Kosaka, Tomohiro, Osaki, Tomofumi
• Primary Examiner(s): Crawford, Latanya N
• Application Number:
  US14/109,043
• Publication Number:
  US 20140175469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,316 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/005 Processes
• 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

Occurrence of a crosstalk phenomenon is prevented in a light-emitting device including a tandem element. The light-emitting device includes an insulating layer, a first lower electrode over the insulating layer, a second lower electrode over the insulating layer, a partition positioned over the insulating layer and between the first lower electrode and the second lower electrode, a first light-emitting unit over the first lower electrode, the partition, and the second lower electrode, intermediate layers over the first light-emitting unit, a second light-emitting unit over the intermediate layer, and an upper electrode over the second light-emitting unit. The partition has a first depression.

Claims

1. A light-emitting device comprising:

an insulating layer;

a first lower electrode over the insulating layer;

a second lower electrode over the insulating layer;

a partition over the insulating layer and between the first lower electrode and the second lower electrode;

a first light-emitting unit over the first lower electrode, the partition, and the second lower electrode, the first light-emitting unit comprising a first hole-injection layer, a first hole-transport layer, a first light-emitting layer, a first electron-transport layer, and a first electron-injection layer;

an intermediate layer over the first light-emitting unit;

a second light-emitting unit over the intermediate layer, the second light-emitting unit comprising a second hole-injection layer, a second hole-transport layer, a second light-emitting layer, a second electron-transport layer, and a second electron-injection layer; and

an upper electrode over the second light-emitting unit,

wherein the partition comprises a first depression,

wherein the insulating layer comprises a second depression,

wherein the partition is in the second depression,

wherein the first depression is over the second depression, and

wherein a thickness of the intermediate layer over an inclined surface of the first depression in a direction perpendicular to the inclined surface is smaller than a thickness of the intermediate layer over the first lower electrode in a direction perpendicular to the first lower electrode.

2. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, further comprising a color filter near or in contact with the upper electrode,

wherein colors of the color filter are a first color in a region overlapping with the first lower electrode and a second color in a region overlapping with the second lower electrode.

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

wherein the partition is colored.

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

wherein the partition covers an edge portion of the first lower electrode and an edge portion of the second lower electrode.

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

wherein the conductivity of the intermediate layer is higher than the conductivity of the first light-emitting unit, and

wherein the conductivity of the intermediate layer is higher than the conductivity of the second light-emitting unit.

6. A light-emitting device comprising:

an insulating layer;

a first lower electrode over the insulating layer;

a second lower electrode over the insulating layer;

a partition over the insulating layer and between the first lower electrode and the second lower electrode;

a first light-emitting unit over the first lower electrode, the partition, and the second lower electrode, the first light-emitting unit comprising a first hole-injection layer, a first hole-transport layer, a first light-emitting layer, a first electron-transport layer, and a first electron-injection layer;

an intermediate layer over the first light-emitting unit;

a second light-emitting unit over the intermediate layer, the second light-emitting unit comprising a second hole-injection layer, a second hole-transport layer, a second light-emitting layer, a second electron-transport layer, and a second electron-injection layer; and

an upper electrode over the second light-emitting unit,

wherein the partition has a valley, a first mountain to the first lower electrode side of the valley, and a second mountain to the second lower electrode side of the valley,

wherein a thickness of the intermediate layer over a first inclined surface between a top of the first mountain and the valley in a direction perpendicular to the first inclined surface is smaller than a thickness of the intermediate layer over the first lower electrode in a direction perpendicular to the first lower electrode,

wherein a thickness of the intermediate layer over a second inclined surface between a top of the second mountain and the valley in a direction perpendicular to the second inclined surface is smaller than the thickness of the intermediate layer over the first lower electrode in the direction perpendicular to the first lower electrode,

wherein the insulating layer comprises a groove,

wherein the partition is in the groove, and

wherein the valley is over a bottom of the groove.

7. A method for manufacturing a light-emitting device, comprising the steps of:

forming a first lower electrode and a second lower electrode over an insulating layer;

forming a partition in a second depression of the insulating layer and between the first lower electrode and the second lower electrode, wherein the partition comprises a first depression over the second depression;

forming a first light-emitting unit over the first lower electrode, the partition, and the second lower electrode, the first light-emitting unit comprising a first hole-injection layer, a first hole-transport layer, a first light-emitting layer, a first electron-transport layer, and a first electron-injection layer;

forming an intermediate layer over the first light-emitting unit;

forming a second light-emitting unit over the intermediate layer, the second light-emitting unit comprising a second hole-injection layer, a second hole-transport layer, a second light-emitting layer, a second electron-transport layer, and a second electron-injection layer; and

forming an upper electrode over the second light-emitting unit,

wherein a thickness of the intermediate layer over an inclined surface of the first depression in a direction perpendicular to the inclined surface is smaller than a thickness of the intermediate layer over the first lower electrode in a direction perpendicular to the first lower electrode.

8. The method for manufacturing a light-emitting device, according to claim 7, further comprising the step of forming a color filter near or in contact with the upper electrode, after the step of forming the upper electrode,

wherein colors of the color filter are a first color in a region overlapping with the first lower electrode and a second color in a region overlapping with the second lower electrode.

9. The method for manufacturing a light-emitting device, according to claim 7,

wherein the partition is colored.

10. A method for manufacturing a light-emitting device, comprising the steps of:

forming an insulating layer over a first wiring and a second wiring;

forming a first contact hole over the first wiring, a second contact hole over the second wiring, and a second depression in the insulating layer;

forming a first lower electrode on one side of the second depression, in the first contact hole and over the insulating layer, and forming a second lower electrode on the other side of the second depression, in the second contact hole and over the insulating layer;

forming a partition in the second depression and over the insulating layer;

forming a first light-emitting unit over the first lower electrode, the partition, and the second lower electrode, the first light-emitting unit comprising a first hole-injection layer, a first hole-transport layer, a first light-emitting layer, a first electron-transport layer, and a first electron-injection layer;

forming an intermediate layer over the first light-emitting unit;

forming a second light-emitting unit over the intermediate layer, the second light-emitting unit comprising a second hole-injection layer, a second hole-transport layer, a second light-emitting layer, a second electron-transport layer, and a second electron-injection layer; and

forming an upper electrode over the second light-emitting unit,

wherein the partition has a first depression over the second depression, and

wherein a thickness of the intermediate layer over an inclined surface of the first depression in a direction perpendicular to the inclined surface is smaller than a thickness of the intermediate layer over the first lower electrode in a direction perpendicular to the first lower electrode.

11. A method for manufacturing a light-emitting device, comprising the steps of:

forming an insulating layer over a first wiring and a second wiring;

forming a first contact hole over the first wiring, a second contact hole over the second wiring, and a groove in the insulating layer;

forming a first lower electrode on one side of the groove, in the first contact hole and over the insulating layer, and forming a second lower electrode on the other side of the groove, in the second contact hole and over the insulating layer;

forming a partition in the groove and over the insulating layer;

forming a first light-emitting unit over the first lower electrode, the partition, and the second lower electrode, the first light-emitting unit comprising a first hole-injection layer, a first hole-transport layer, a first light-emitting layer, a first electron-transport layer, and a first electron-injection layer;

forming an intermediate layer over the first light-emitting unit;

forming a second light-emitting unit over the intermediate layer, the second light-emitting unit comprising a second hole-injection layer, a second hole-transport layer, a second light-emitting layer, a second electron-transport layer, and a second electron-injection layer; and

forming an upper electrode over the second light-emitting unit,

wherein the partition has a valley over a bottom of the groove, a first mountain to the first lower electrode side of the valley, and a second mountain to the second lower electrode side of the valley,

wherein a thickness of the intermediate layer over a first inclined surface between a top of the first mountain and the valley in a direction perpendicular to the first inclined surface is smaller than a thickness of the intermediate layer over the first lower electrode in a direction perpendicular to the first lower electrode, and

wherein a thickness of the intermediate layer over a second inclined surface between a top of the second mountain and the valley in a direction perpendicular to the second inclined surface is smaller than the thickness of the intermediate layer over the first lower electrode in the direction perpendicular to the first lower electrode.