JP2001023773A - Manufacture of organic el element and device therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and device for manufacturing an organic EL element such that vapor deposition of an emission layer by use of a mask does not adversely affect other luminous materials, etc. SOLUTION: A transparent electrode 12 is formed in a predetermined shape from a transparent electrode material, such as ITO(indium tin oxide), on the surface of a transparent substrate 10 of glass or resin, etc., and a luminous layer made from an organic EL material is laminated over the transparent electrode 12 by use of vacuum thin film formation techniques such as vapor deposition. A back electrode 24 made from Al-Li or the like and having a predetermined shape opposite to the transparent electrode 12 is formed on the surface of the luminous layer. To form the luminous layer, a mask 30 having an aperture 32 that opens in the form of the luminous layer is used, and the transparent substrate 10 side face of the mask 30 is formed with projections 36 that abut on the surface of the substrate 10. The projections 36 are located to correspond to non-luminous parts such as aluminum conductor patterns 14 on the substrate 10, and a vapor deposition material is adhered to the substrate 10 through the apertures 32 formed between the projections 36 to form a desired luminous layer.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] 1. Field of the Invention [0002] The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an organic EL element used for light-emitting display of a flat light source, a display, and other predetermined patterns.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an organic EL (electroluminescence) element is formed by forming a translucent ITO film on one surface of a transparent substrate made of glass or the like and etching it into a predetermined stripe to form a transparent electrode. I was A light-emitting layer was laminated on the transparent electrode, and the light-emitting layer was formed of an organic EL material usually in two to three layers to a thickness of about 500 ° to 1500 °. Further, a back electrode material is provided on the surface of the light emitting layer by vapor deposition or the like to form a back electrode.

Here, an organic EL material constituting a light emitting layer includes a hole transport material such as a triphenylamine derivative (TPD) and an aluminum chelate complex (Alq) as a light emitting material.
₃ ) The electron transporting material as described above. The light emitting layer is composed of a layer in which an electron transporting material is laminated on a hole transporting material, or a mixed layer thereof.

[0004]

In the case of the above-mentioned prior art, a plurality of light-emitting layers may be provided in parallel for multi-color display or full-color display. In this case, the light emitting layer is to deposit the organic EL material using a mask having a predetermined pattern, and the mask is replaced in a vacuum deposition apparatus for each color. This mask is formed by etching a thin metal plate and is easily sagged. Therefore, the mask is attracted by a magnet and closely adhered to a predetermined position to perform vapor deposition.

However, this mask is for adhering an organic substance or the like to a predetermined position in close contact with the substrate, and is located closer to the evaporation source than the substrate and is exposed to the evaporation source. Will be hotter. As a result, when the mask comes into contact with an organic substance that has already been deposited, the heat degrades the organic substance, and the organic substance may peel off as the mask moves.

In order to prevent the mask from adhering to the substrate, a projection is formed on the substrate surface with a resist or the like. However, the resist makes it difficult to remove organic contaminants attached to the substrate surface. Further, there is a problem that the residue residue of the resist also becomes a contaminant. Also,
The process of forming the protrusions on the substrate requires about seven processes similar to IC manufacturing, and has caused an increase in manufacturing cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and an organic EL device which does not adversely affect other luminescent materials when depositing a luminescent layer using a mask. An object of the present invention is to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing an element.

[0008]

According to a method of manufacturing an organic EL device of the present invention, an IT device is provided on a transparent substrate surface such as glass or resin.
A transparent electrode is formed so as to have a predetermined shape by a transparent electrode material such as O, and a light emitting layer made of an organic EL material is laminated on the transparent electrode by a vacuum thin film forming technique such as vapor deposition. A of a predetermined shape facing the transparent electrode
A back electrode such as l-Li is formed. And
When forming the light emitting layer, a mask having an opening that is opened in the shape of the light emitting layer is used, and the transparent substrate side surface of the mask has a convex portion in contact with the substrate side surface. Formed, the convex portions are positioned corresponding to the non-light-emitting portions such as the aluminum conductor pattern of the substrate, and a vapor deposition material is adhered to the substrate from the opening formed between the convex portions to form a desired light-emitting layer. This is a method for manufacturing an organic EL element to be formed. The light emitting layer is formed in the same manner for each of a plurality of luminescent colors, and the mask is sequentially moved to form luminescent layers of a plurality of luminescent colors in order. In the formation of the EL material, the projections of the mask correspond to the conductor pattern which is a non-light emitting portion along the transparent electrode of the EL element.

The present invention is also an apparatus for manufacturing an organic EL device, comprising a mask having an opening formed in the shape of the light emitting layer, wherein the transparent substrate side surface of the mask is provided with the substrate. This is an organic EL device manufacturing apparatus in which a convex portion is formed in contact with the surface on the side, and an opening for adhering a deposition material is formed at a predetermined position on the substrate surface between the convex portions. The convex portion is formed by etching a portion other than the convex portion forming portion of the metal plate forming the mask, or an organic material is printed and cured on the periphery of the opening of the metal plate forming the mask. It was formed. The openings of the mask are formed in stripes at an equal pitch. The convex portion is formed in a flat shape, and the convex portion is not acute but obtuse or smooth.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the organic EL device of this embodiment, transparent electrodes 12 made of a transparent electrode material such as ITO or SnO ₂ are formed on one surface of a transparent substrate 10 made of glass, quartz, resin, or the like at a constant pitch in a stripe shape. I have. On the front surface side of the transparent electrode 12 or the substrate 10 side, a thin striped aluminum conductor pattern 14 is formed along both side edges of the transparent electrode 12. CuPc is formed on the entire surface of the transparent electrode 12 to a thickness of about 50 to 500 °.
(Copper phthalocyanine) buffer layer 16 is formed, and a hole transport material 1 of about 50 to 1000 °
8 are formed.

Further, on the surface of the hole transport material 18,
Electron transporting materials 20R, 20G having light emitting materials having emission colors of three primary colors of light, red (R), green (G), and blue (B).
20B are formed in stripes corresponding to the transparent electrodes 12, respectively. Electron transport materials 20R, 20G, 20B
Are sequentially formed as a set of these three, and a light emitting layer 22 made of an organic EL material is formed. Then, on the surface of the electron transporting materials 20R, 20G, and 20B, Li was added to 0.0.
Back electrode 24 made of a cathode material such as Al-Li alloy having a purity of about 99% containing about 1 to 0.05% and other Al-Mg.
Are laminated at an appropriate thickness of about 300 to 1000 °. The back electrode 24 faces the transparent electrode 12 at right angles and is formed in a stripe shape. In addition to the above, the back electrode 24 may be a metal thin film containing Al, Li, Ag, Mg, In, Cs, or the like.

Here, the light emitting layer 22 is formed of the hole transport material 18.
Examples thereof include α-NPD, triphenyldiamine derivative (TPD), hydrazone derivative, arylamine derivative and the like. The EL material of the red light-emitting electron transport material 20R is DCM, and the EL material of the blue light-emitting electron transport material 20B is EL.
As the material, distyrylbiphenyl derivatives (DPVB
i) As the EL material of the green light-emitting electron transport material 20G, an organic EL light-emitting material such as an aluminum quinolyl complex (Alq ₃ ) is used. Further, an appropriate light emitting material may be mixed.

The light emitting pixel of this organic EL element is, for example,
Electrons that emit light of three primary colors, red (R), green (G), and blue (B), in one pixel are arranged at intervals of 30 μm with a 330 μm square as one pixel. The patterns of the transport materials 20R, 20G, and 20B are respectively located.
Therefore, each of the electron transporting materials 20R, 20G, and 20B has 9
They are arranged at intervals of about 10 μm with a width of 0 μm. As a result, nine pixels are arranged in a 1 mm square.

Each electron transport material 20 of this organic EL device
As shown in FIG. 4, the mask 30 for forming the R, 20G, and 20B is made of a material such as a 0.05 mm thick stainless steel plate, and is a material that can be fixed to a mask frame (not shown) with a magnet. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the mask 30 has a rectangular opening 32 having a length of about 300 μm and an interval of 30 μm. The openings 3 are provided at regular intervals in the width direction and have a width of 90 μm in the width direction of the rectangle.
2 are provided at equal intervals with an interval of about 200 μm.

On the surface of the mask 30 on the substrate 10 side,
Convex portions 36 are formed at regular intervals in parallel with the stripe shape between the stripe-shaped transparent electrodes 12 and along the aluminum conductor pattern 14. The convex portion 36 is opposed to the aluminum conductor pattern 14, and is provided with the electron transport materials 20R, 20G, and 20B.
Are provided so as to oppose the substrate 10 in a portion between them.

The manufacturing method of the mask 30 is 500 μm
The openings 32 are formed at a predetermined pitch in a stainless steel plate or the like having a thickness as small as possible. The opening 32 is formed by applying a photoresist, exposing a predetermined pattern of the opening 32,
The resist at the portion where the opening 32 is to be formed is removed, and etching is performed. Further, on one surface of the mask 30, a convex portion 36 is formed along the side edge of the opening portion 32 of the mask portion 30 and an intermediate portion thereof, and the thickness between the convex portions 36 is, for example, a stainless plate mask. It is adjusted by performing etching to a thickness of about half of 30.

In the manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the organic EL device of the present invention, a transparent electrode material such as ITO is provided on the entire surface of a transparent substrate 10 made of glass, quartz, resin or the like by vapor deposition or the like. At this time, the transparent electrode 12 is vacuum-deposited on the substrate 10 using a wire mask or the like in which stripe-shaped openings of a predetermined pitch are formed.

Next, the buffer layer 1 is formed on the surface of the transparent electrode 12.
6 is vacuum-deposited on the entire surface, and a hole transport material 18 is further vacuum-deposited on the entire surface. Thereafter, using the mask 30, layers made of the electron transporting materials 20R, 20G, and 20B and other light emitting materials are stacked by vacuum deposition, sputtering, or another vacuum thin film forming technique.

When the electron transporting materials 20R, 20G, and 20B are deposited, as shown in FIG. 1, the electron transporting material 20R that emits a predetermined color, for example, red light, of the light emitting layer 12 has a size that is opened to the width of the stripe of the light emitting layer. Vacuum deposition is performed from the evaporation source of the emission color using the mask 30 having the opening 32 of the mask. The mask 30 is arranged so that the convex portions 36 are in contact with the transparent substrate 10 side.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3A, the green light-emitting organic EL material is evaporated from an evaporation source to form an electron transport material 20.
G is deposited on a predetermined surface of the transparent substrate 10. At this time,
The position of the mask 30 is translated and fixed by an amount corresponding to the stripe width of the electron transport material 20R. At this time, the mask 3
0 is once moved away from the surface of the substrate 10 and translated. As a result, a stripe of the green light emitting organic EL material is formed next to the red light emitting organic EL material. At this time, mask 3
0 faces the convex portion 36 without contacting the electron-transporting material 20R of the red light-emitting EL material previously deposited. The position where the convex portion 36 is in contact is the non-light emitting portion.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3B, the blue light-emitting organic EL material is evaporated from an evaporation source and is deposited on a predetermined surface of the transparent substrate 10. At this time, the position of the mask 30 is further translated and fixed by the stripe width of the electron transporting material 20G of the green light emitting organic EL material in the same manner as described above. Thereby, a stripe of the electron transporting material 20B of the blue light emitting organic EL material is formed next to the green light emitting organic EL material. The electron transport material 20B is formed adjacent to the stripe of the electron transport material 20R. Also at this time, the mask 30 is made of the previously deposited electron transport material 20.
R, face without contacting 20G. The position where the convex portion 36 is in contact is the non-light emitting portion.

Next, a back electrode material is provided on the surface of the light emitting layer 22 by a vacuum thin film forming technique such as vacuum deposition. Also at this time, the back electrode 24 is formed in a direction orthogonal to the transparent electrode 12 using a wire mask or the like. The back electrode 24
The layers are appropriately laminated with a thickness of about 500 to 1000 °.

According to the manufacturing method of the EL device of this embodiment, the mask 30 does not entirely contact the light emitting portion of the organic EL material previously deposited at the time of mask deposition, but only the projection 36 abuts. The light emitting layer 22 is not damaged. Also, when a plurality of light emitting materials are sequentially deposited, even when the mask 30 is sequentially moved and deposited, the mask has the convex portions 36 in contact with the deposition surface, and most of the mask 30 does not contact the deposition surface. Therefore, the light emitting material is hardly affected. Further, the formation of luminescent pixels for color display is also facilitated.

The shape of the opening 32 of the mask 30 is as follows.
It can be set appropriately according to the pattern to be displayed. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 5, the mask 30 may have an opening 32 formed in a metal plate by etching or punching, and a projection 36 made of an organic material may be formed along the opening 32 by printing. In this case, the convex portion 36 uses, for example, a UV curable resin or the like. Further, in the resin forming the convex portion 36,
In order to make the heights of the protrusions 36 uniform, particles 38 having a constant diameter of, for example, about several tens of μm may be mixed.

The opening of the mask of the present invention can be formed in an appropriate shape. A circular or other arbitrary opening is formed, and a transparent electrode and a light emitting layer corresponding to the opening are formed. In addition, by forming the back electrode, light-emitting display of an arbitrary shape can be performed. The conductor pattern is
It may be provided by other metals such as copper and nickel other than aluminum.

[0026]

According to the method and the apparatus for manufacturing an EL element of the present invention, since the convex portion is formed on the surface of the mask to reduce the portion in contact with the deposition surface, the adverse effect on the deposition surface is small. Further, the number of processes as a whole can be reduced as compared with a case where a convex portion is formed on a substrate, and manufacturing with a high yield can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a manufacturing process of an organic EL device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a mask used in a manufacturing process of the organic EL device of this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing manufacturing steps (A), (B), and (C) of the organic EL device of this embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a partial perspective view of a mask used in a manufacturing process of the organic EL device of this embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a partial perspective view of a mask according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Transparent substrate 12 Transparent electrode 14 Aluminum conductor pattern 16 Buffer layer 18 Hole transport material 20R Red light emitting electron transport material 20G Green light emitting electron transport material 20B Blue light emitting electron transport material 22 Light emitting layer 30 Mask 32 Opening 36 Convex

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuing on the front page (72) Inventor Tetsuya Tanbo 3158, Shimo-Okubo, Osawano-machi, Kamishinkawa-gun, Toyama Prefecture Inside Hokuriku Electric Industry Co., Ltd. F term in the corporation (reference) 3K007 AB18 CA01 CA02 CA05 CB01 DA00 DB03 EB00 FA00 FA01

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A transparent electrode is formed on a transparent substrate surface with a transparent electrode material so as to have a predetermined shape, and a light emitting layer made of an organic EL material is laminated on the transparent electrode by a vacuum thin film forming technique. In the method for manufacturing an organic EL device, wherein a back electrode of a predetermined shape facing the transparent electrode is formed on the surface of a layer, a mask having an opening opened in the shape of the light emitting layer when forming the light emitting layer A convex portion facing the substrate surface is formed on the surface of the mask on the substrate side, the convex portion is positioned corresponding to the non-light emitting portion of the substrate, and formed between the convex portions. A method for manufacturing an organic EL device, comprising: depositing a deposition material on the substrate through an opening to form a desired light emitting layer. 2. The organic light-emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the light-emitting layer is formed similarly for each of a plurality of light-emitting colors, and the mask is sequentially moved to form light-emitting layers of a plurality of light-emitting colors in order. Manufacturing method of EL element. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein, when forming the EL material, the convex portion of the mask corresponds to a conductor pattern which is a non-light emitting portion along the transparent electrode of the EL element. A method for manufacturing an organic EL device. 4. A transparent electrode is formed on the surface of a transparent substrate with a transparent electrode material so as to have a predetermined shape, and a light emitting layer made of an organic EL material is laminated on the transparent electrode by a vacuum thin film forming technique. An apparatus for manufacturing an organic EL device, in which a back electrode having a predetermined shape facing the transparent electrode is formed on a surface of a layer, comprising a mask having an opening formed for each pixel in the shape of the light emitting layer; On the surface on the transparent substrate side, a convex portion facing the surface on the transparent substrate side is formed, and between the convex portions, an opening for attaching a vapor deposition material to a predetermined position on the substrate surface is formed. An apparatus for manufacturing an organic EL device, comprising: 5. The organic EL device manufacturing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the convex portion is formed by etching a portion of the metal plate forming the mask other than the convex portion forming portion. . 6. The method according to claim 4, wherein the convex portion is formed by printing and curing an organic material in a portion other than the opening forming portion of the metal plate forming the mask.
An apparatus for producing an organic EL device according to claim 1.