JPH10247588A - Organic EL light emitting device - Google Patents

Abstract

[PROBLEMS] To provide a plurality of organic EL elements as a light emitting source, such as an XY matrix type organic EL display panel, and to oppose each other as a common electrode common to a predetermined number of organic EL elements. In an organic EL light emitting device having a plurality of electrode lines, as a means for separating the above-mentioned counter electrode lines with high precision, a conventional lithography method or a vapor deposition method is used to form the counter electrode lines. Prior to this, a method of forming a resin partition at a predetermined position on a substrate for forming an organic EL element has been applied. However, by using these methods, an organic EL light emitting device having high emission characteristics of individual organic EL elements can be obtained. It is difficult. SOLUTION: A plurality of separation grooves are formed at predetermined positions of a substrate for forming an organic EL element, and the separation grooves are formed by simply depositing a conductive material serving as a material of a counter electrode line on a predetermined surface of a substrate. Thus, a predetermined number of opposed electrode lines separated from each other are formed.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an organic EL light emitting device and a light emitting device substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An organic EL device is a light emitting device having a basic layer structure in which an anode, an organic light emitting portion, and a cathode are sequentially laminated on a substrate in this order or in the reverse order.
In the organic EL device, by applying a voltage between the anode and the cathode, light of a predetermined color according to the type of the organic light emitting material used in the organic light emitting portion is obtained. Further, since the applied voltage required to cause the organic EL element to emit light is significantly lower than that of the inorganic EL element, a surface light source using the organic EL element as a light emitting source or an organic EL display using the organic EL element as a pixel is used. The development of the device is currently being actively pursued.

In order to obtain an organic EL display device, it is necessary to first manufacture an organic EL light emitting device (organic EL display panel) in which a predetermined number of pixels, that is, organic EL elements are formed on a base material. XY matrix type organic E
In the L display panel, a counter electrode (which means an electrode formed on the organic light emitting unit after the organic light emitting unit is formed; the same applies hereinafter) is not formed for each organic EL element. A required number of strip-shaped counter electrodes common to a predetermined number of organic EL elements (hereinafter, this counter electrode is referred to as “counter electrode line”) is formed.

Meanwhile, with the development of organic EL display devices, the development of higher definition organic EL display devices has been desired at present, and accordingly, for example, an XY matrix type has been desired. In the organic EL display panel, the pitch between the counter electrode lines is approximately 10 to 500 μm.
In addition, it is desired that the gap between adjacent opposing electrode lines be approximately 50 μm or less. For this reason,
Even if the gap between the opposing electrode lines is set to approximately 50 μm or less, the opposing electrode lines do not contact each other,
It is desired to establish a technique for separating the counter electrode lines with high definition.

As an organic EL display panel in which opposing electrode lines are separated with high definition, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-2
There is one disclosed in JP-A-62998. In the organic EL display panel (two-dimensional organic light-emitting diode array) disclosed in this publication, since counter electrode lines (metal strips made of an atmosphere stable metal layer) are formed by lithography, the height of the counter electrode lines is increased. According to the description of the publication, an organic EL element (organic light emitting diode) can be separated, for example, by 0.5.
It can be formed at a pitch of μm.

[0006] Further, EP-A-732868 discloses that a partition made of resin is formed at a predetermined position on a substrate for forming an organic EL element before forming a counter electrode line (second display electrode). By forming the counter electrode lines by vapor deposition while abutting the upper surface of the substrate with a mask of a predetermined shape, the organic electrode can separate the counter electrode lines with high definition (at an interval of 10 μm or less according to the description of the publication). An EL display panel is disclosed.

[0007]

A conventional vapor deposition method using a mask of a predetermined shape (in the case where a partition is formed at a predetermined position on a substrate for forming an organic EL element as disclosed in the above-mentioned European Patent Publication) Can be formed at a pitch of about 500 μm to several mm, but the gap between adjacent counter electrode lines is formed to be 50 μm or less to form these counter electrode lines. It is extremely difficult or impossible.

On the other hand, according to lithography (photolithography, etc.), a desired number of counter electrode lines are
It can be formed relatively easily at a pitch of 0 to 500 μm, and the gap between adjacent counter electrode lines can be relatively easily reduced to 50 μm or less.

When the counter electrode line is formed by lithography, a conductive film to be a material of the counter electrode line is formed, a resist film is formed on the conductive film, and a resist pattern is formed (as described above for the resist film). Exposure and development), patterning of the conductive film by wet etching or dry etching using the resist pattern as a mask, and stripping of the resist pattern. The organic light-emitting material, which is a part material, removes a solvent in a coating solution, a developing solution used in forming a resist pattern, an etching solution used in wet etching, or a resist pattern used as a raw material of a resist film. Contact with the stripper used when
The luminous ability is easily reduced or disappeared. When forming a desired number of counter electrode lines by lithography, it is difficult to prevent the above-mentioned solvent, developer, etching solution or stripping solution from entering the organic light emitting portion of the organic EL element.

When the conductive film is patterned by dry etching, the above-mentioned etchant does not need to be used, and the organic luminescent material caused by the etchant entering the organic luminescent portion of the organic EL element is not required. It is possible to prevent a decrease or disappearance of luminous ability. However, even in this case, it is difficult to prevent the solvent, the developing solution or the stripping solution from entering the organic light emitting portion of the organic EL element. Further, the luminous ability of the organic luminescent material is easily reduced or lost due to heat at the time of dry etching.

Therefore, the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 8-262998
In the case where the counter electrode lines are formed by a lithography method as in the organic EL display panel disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. H10-107, it is difficult to obtain an organic EL display panel in which individual pixels (organic EL elements) have high emission characteristics. is there.

On the other hand, as disclosed in European Patent Publication No. 732868, a resin partition is formed at a predetermined position on a substrate for forming an organic EL element prior to formation of a counter electrode line. If the counter electrode lines are formed by vapor deposition while abutting the upper surface and a predetermined mask, the opposing electrode lines can be raised while preventing the luminous ability of the organic light emitting material from being reduced or lost in the process of forming the counter electrode lines. It is possible to separate finely.

However, a photoresist partition having a reverse tapered cross section as disclosed in the publication is partially collapsed because it is extremely difficult to ensure uniform processing. Easy and low processing yield. Further, the partition walls made of photoresist have relatively high hygroscopicity, and when moisture is absorbed in the partition walls (photoresist), the moisture is released over time after the manufacture of the organic EL element, and the deterioration of the counter electrode is deteriorated. Promotes organic E
Light emission defects easily occur in the L element.

Further, the publication discloses a partition main body made of a non-photosensitive polyimide, and a Si formed on the partition main body.
A partition formed of an overhang portion made of an O ₂ film is also disclosed. However, in the partition having such a structure, the material of the counter electrode line is formed below the overhang portion (substrate side) when the counter electrode line is formed. , And adheres to the lower electrode (corresponding to the pixel electrode in the present invention) to easily cause a leak or a short circuit.

Therefore, the above-mentioned European Patent Publication No. 73
As in the organic EL display panel disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2868, even if a resin partition is formed at a predetermined position on a substrate for forming an organic EL element prior to formation of a counter electrode line, individual pixels (organic EL display panels) may be formed. It is difficult to obtain an organic EL display panel having high emission characteristics of the element).

A first object of the present invention is to provide an organic EL light-emitting device in which individual organic EL elements have high light-emitting characteristics and can easily obtain a high-definition organic EL display panel.

A second object of the present invention is to provide a light emitting device substrate which has high light emitting characteristics of individual light emitting elements and is suitable for obtaining a high definition display panel.

[0018]

According to the present invention, there is provided an organic EL light emitting device which achieves the above first object, comprising: a base material; a plurality of pixel electrode lines formed on the base material; An organic light emitting unit formed on each of the above, comprising a plurality of counter electrode lines formed on the organic light emitting unit, each of the plurality of pixel electrode lines in the base material A wiring bus that is formed, and a plurality of pixel electrodes that are formed so as to be electrically connectable to each other by the wiring bus and that are located on the surface of the base material, An organic light-emitting portion is formed at least on each of the pixel electrodes, each of the counter electrode lines is separated from each other by a separation groove provided in the base material, and Each and each one Intersect as viewed in plan on the pixel electrode, the intersection of a plan view of the opposite electrode lines and the pixel electrode is characterized in that the function as the organic EL element.

On the other hand, a light-emitting device substrate according to the present invention that achieves the second object includes a base material, and a plurality of pixel electrode lines formed on the base material. Each of the lines is formed in such a manner that the wiring bus formed in the base material and the wiring bus can be electrically connected to each other, and that the line is located on the surface of the base material. A plurality of pixel electrodes, and a separation groove is formed on each side of the pixel electrode so as to intersect with each of the plurality of pixel electrode lines. is there.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below. First, the organic EL light emitting device of the present invention will be described.
Base material, a plurality of pixel electrode lines formed on the base material, an organic light emitting portion formed on each of the pixel electrode lines, and a plurality of organic light emitting portions formed on the organic light emitting portion. And a counter electrode line.

In the case where the substrate is used as a light extraction surface in a target organic EL light-emitting device, the substrate has a high transmittance for light emission (EL light) from the organic EL element. It is preferable to use a material that imparts properties (generally 80% or more) (hereinafter, this material is referred to as a “light-transmitting substrate”). When the base material side is not used as the light extraction surface, a light-transmitting base material may be used, or a non-light-transmitting base material may be used.

Specific examples of the translucent substrate include those made of transparent glass such as alkali glass and non-alkali gas,
Examples thereof include those made of transparent resin such as polyimide and polysulfone, those made of transparent ceramics such as translucent alumina and ZnS sintered body, those made of quartz, and the like. On the other hand, when a non-translucent substrate is used, the non-translucent substrate may be made of an organic material or an inorganic material.

The substrate may be any of a film, a sheet, and a plate, and may have any of a single-layer structure and a multi-layer structure. Furthermore,
As long as a desired pixel electrode line can be formed, it may be made of any of an electrically insulating material, a semiconductor material, and a conductive material. What kind of base material is used can be appropriately selected in consideration of the intended use and productivity of the organic EL light emitting device.

A plurality of pixel electrode lines are formed on the above-mentioned base material, and each pixel electrode line has a wiring bus formed in the base material as described above. The number of wiring buses and the pitch between the wiring buses can be appropriately selected according to the intended use of the organic EL light emitting device, the degree of refinement in the organic EL light emitting device, and the like. For example,
High-definition organic EL display device (approximately 400 pixels / c
means m ² or more of those. same as below. Organic EL for)
When a light emitting device (organic EL display panel) is to be obtained, it is preferable that the number of wiring buses is about 20 / cm or more and the pitch between wiring buses is about 500 μm or less.

The individual wiring buses are preferably formed so as not to protrude from the outer surface of the substrate, and are substantially buried in the substrate, or one surface thereof is formed on the outer surface of the substrate. It is preferable that it is formed in the base material so as to be located in substantially the same plane as the above. Further, the shape of each wiring bus in plan view can be appropriately selected according to the layout specification of the organic EL element in the target organic EL light emitting device. When an organic EL light emitting device (organic EL display panel) for a pixel arrangement type organic EL display device is to be obtained, the shape can be linear.

In order to obtain a high-definition organic EL display device, it is necessary to increase the definition of the pixel electrode lines. As the definition of the pixel electrode lines increases, the electric resistance per unit length of the pixel electrode lines increases. Therefore, the above-mentioned wiring bus is preferably formed of a material having as low an electric resistance as possible, and its specific resistance is approximately 5.0 × 10 ⁻⁵ Ω ·.
cm or less.

Therefore, the material of the wiring bus is aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr), molybdenum (M
o), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), platinum (Pt), gold (A
u), elemental metals such as titanium (Ti) and nickel (Ni), Al-Ti alloy, Al-Ta alloy, Al-Nd
Alloy, Al-Si alloy, Al-Yb alloy and Al-M
Al-based alloys such as o-alloys, or W-Mo alloys, W-
A tungsten (W) -based alloy such as a Ta alloy is preferable.
The wiring bus may have a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure. When the wiring bus has a multi-layer structure, the materials of the individual layers may be the same or different.

The width (meaning the length in the lateral direction when viewed in a plan view; the same applies hereinafter) and the thickness (meaning the height in a side view; the same applies hereinafter) of each wiring bus. Since the electric resistance required for the wiring bus differs depending on the use form of the wiring bus, it can be appropriately selected according to the use form. For example, XY matrix type organic E
When a wiring bus is used as a scanning line in the L display device, it is preferable to select the width and the thickness (cross-sectional area) of the wiring bus so that the electric resistance value is approximately 100 Ω or less. When a wiring bus is used as a signal line in the organic EL display device of the type, it is preferable to select the width and the thickness (cross-sectional area) of the wiring bus so that the electric resistance value is approximately 5 kΩ or less.

However, when selecting the width of the wiring bus, the intended use of the organic EL light emitting device,
Whether or not the L light emitting device uses the substrate side as a light extraction surface, the pitch between wiring buses, and the like are also taken into consideration. That is, the target organic EL light emitting device is an organic EL
When the wiring bus is used for a display device and the substrate side is used as a light extraction surface, the display characteristics of the display device are impaired if the wiring bus is visually recognized when the organic EL light emitting device is driven. Therefore, while taking the pitch between the wiring buses into consideration, the width is selected so that the wiring bus is not visually recognized. When obtaining an organic EL light emitting device (organic EL display panel) for a high-definition organic EL display device, the width of the wiring bus should be approximately 1 to 50 μm, and the pitch between the wiring buses should be approximately 10 to 500 μm. Is preferred. On the other hand, when the target organic EL light-emitting device is a surface light source, or when the substrate side is not a light extraction surface even for an organic EL display device, the target organic EL light-emitting device is used. E
Although depending on the degree of refinement in the L light emitting device, the width of the wiring bus can be appropriately selected within a range of approximately 1 to 500 μm, and the pitch between the wiring buses is approximately 1 μm.
It can be appropriately selected within the range of 0 to 500 μm.

The thickness of the wiring bus is approximately 100 nm to
The thickness can be selected within a range of 50 μm. In selecting the thickness, consideration is also given to whether or not a part of the wiring bus (intersection with the separation groove) is cut off when forming a separation groove described later. I do. If a part of the wiring bus (intersection with the separation groove) is cut off at the time of formation of the separation groove, a thickness sufficient to prevent disconnection by the separation groove is ensured so as not to cause disconnection. In order to prevent the occurrence of the disconnection as reliably as possible, the value of the thickness of the wiring bus is set to be larger than the value of the depth of the separation groove by 100 nm or more, that is, the thickness of the wiring bus is not more than that of the separation groove. Intersection thickness 100n
m or more.

Each of the pixel electrode lines is formed so as to be electrically connectable to each other by the wiring bus in addition to the above-described wiring bus, and to be positioned on the surface of the above-described base material. It has a plurality of pixel electrodes. The pixel electrode constitutes an organic EL element together with an organic light emitting portion and a counter electrode line described later.

As shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8, each of the pixel electrodes 21 forming one pixel electrode line 20 is in contact with one wiring bus 22 forming the pixel electrode line 20. 9 or, as shown in FIG. 9, is connected to the wiring bus 22 by a predetermined wiring 23, and is in a state where it can be electrically connected to each other through the wiring bus 22.

The substrate 25 shown in FIG. 7 has a single-layer structure made of an electrically insulating material. Further, the substrate 26 shown in FIG. 8 has two layers 26 made of an electrically insulating material.
It has a two-layer structure consisting of a and 26b. The layer 26b is formed on one entire surface of the layer 26a except for a portion where the wiring bus 22 is formed. The base material 27 shown in FIG. 9 is also composed of two layers 27a and 27b made of an electrically insulating material.
It has a layered structure, and the layer 27b is formed for each formation position of the pixel electrode 21. The wiring 23 is formed so as to penetrate the layer 27b at the center of the layer 27b in plan view.

Although the bases 25 and 26 shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 do not show a separation groove which will be described later, the base 27 shown in FIG. 22).
8 can be used as a separation groove.

The shape of the pixel electrode in plan view is, for example, rectangular,
It can be circular, elliptical or the like. Further, the size and the pitch between the pixel electrodes (the pitch between the pixel electrodes in one pixel electrode line) are appropriately selected according to the degree of refinement in the target organic EL light emitting device.
For example, when an organic EL light emitting device (organic EL display panel) for a high-definition organic EL display device is to be obtained, a horizontal direction (a direction parallel to the horizontal direction of the panel) or a vertical direction of each pixel electrode is required. The pixel length (in a direction parallel to the vertical direction of the panel) is approximately 499 μm or less, and the pitch is approximately 5 μm.
It is preferable that the thickness be not more than 00 μm.

The material of the pixel electrode is appropriately selected depending on whether or not the above-mentioned substrate side is the light extraction surface in the target organic EL light emitting device. That is, in the case where the above-mentioned base material side is used as a light extraction surface in a target organic EL light emitting device, a pixel electrode having translucency is formed so that light (EL light) generated in the organic light emitting portion is transmitted. Select a material that can be formed. On the other hand, the target organic EL
In a light emitting device, when the above-described substrate side is not used as a light extraction surface and the later-described counter electrode line side is used as a light extraction surface, the pixel electrode has a property of transmitting EL light generated in the organic light emitting portion. The material may be selected depending on whether the pixel electrode is used as an anode or a cathode.

When the pixel electrode is used as an anode,
It is preferable to use a metal, an alloy, an electrically conductive compound or a mixture thereof having a large work function (for example, 4 eV or more) as a material of the pixel electrode, and specific examples thereof include a metal such as Au, CuI, ITO, and tin oxide. , Zinc oxide, and an In-Zn-O-based oxide. On the other hand, when the pixel electrode is used as a cathode, it is preferable to use a metal, an alloy, an electrically conductive compound, or a mixture thereof having a low work function (for example, 4 eV or less) as a material of the pixel electrode. Examples include sodium, sodium-potassium alloys, magnesium, lithium, alloys or mixed metals of magnesium and silver, magnesium-copper mixtures, aluminum,
_{Al / Al 2 O 3, Al} -Li alloys, rare earth metals such as indium and ytterbium, and the like.

In the organic EL light emitting device of the present invention, an organic light emitting portion is formed on at least each of the above-mentioned pixel electrodes. Here, specific examples of the layer configuration of the organic EL element are as follows (1) to (4): (1) anode / light emitting layer / cathode (2) anode / hole injection layer / light emitting layer / cathode (3) anode / light-emitting layer / electron injection layer / cathode (4) anode / hole injection layer / light-emitting layer / electron injection layer / cathode. In the organic EL device of the type (1), the light emitting layer corresponds to the organic light emitting portion of the present invention. In the organic EL device of the type (2), the hole injection layer and the light emitting layer correspond to the organic light emitting portion of the present invention. In the organic EL device of the type (3), the light emitting layer and the electron injection layer correspond to the organic light emitting portion of the present invention, and in the organic EL device of the type (4), the hole injection layer, The light emitting layer and the electron injection layer correspond to the organic light emitting portion according to the present invention.

The light-emitting layer is usually formed of one or more organic light-emitting materials. A mixture of the organic light-emitting material and the electron injection material and / or the hole injection material, or the mixture or the organic light-emitting material is dispersed. It may be formed of a polymer material or the like. Further, a hole transport layer may be used in combination with the hole injection layer, but the “hole injection layer” in this specification means that the hole transport layer is used together with the hole injection layer unless otherwise specified. And a single layer of the hole injection layer.

The layer structure of the organic light-emitting portion referred to in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as a desired light emission (EL light) can be obtained by applying a voltage between the above-mentioned pixel electrode and a later-described counter electrode line. It is not limited and can be appropriately selected. The material of the layer constituting the organic light emitting portion is not particularly limited, and light of a desired color (EL light)
Various materials can be used as long as an organic EL element that emits light is obtained.

The organic light emitting portion may be formed at least on each of the above-mentioned pixel electrodes. However, in order to prevent a short circuit from occurring between the pixel electrode and the counter electrode line, the organic light emitting portion is shown in FIG. As described above, it is preferable that the pixel electrode 30 is formed so as to cover the pixel electrode 30. FIG.
At 0, reference numeral 31 indicates an organic light emitting portion, reference numeral 32 indicates a substrate, and reference numeral 33 indicates a separation groove described later. The above-mentioned organic light-emitting portion constitutes an organic EL element together with the above-mentioned pixel electrode and a later-described counter electrode line.

In the organic EL light-emitting device of the present invention, a plurality of counter electrode lines are formed on the above-mentioned organic light-emitting portion, and each of the counter electrode lines is separated from each other by a separation groove provided in the base material. Have been.

When a conductive material to be the material of the counter electrode line is deposited on a predetermined surface by a vacuum evaporation method, a desired number of the counter electrode lines separated from each other by the separation groove are naturally formed. As long as it has a width (meaning the width of the upper end in the short direction of the separation groove; the same applies hereinafter) and a depth. The width and the depth vary depending on the thickness of the counter electrode line, the forming method and thickness of the organic light emitting portion, the thickness of the pixel electrode, the degree of refinement in the target organic EL light emitting device, and the like. High definition organic EL
Organic EL light-emitting device for display device (organic EL display panel)
When trying to obtain, about 1 ~ 30μ about the width
m, and the depth is approximately 200 n
m to 50 μm.

In both the case where the width of the separation groove is less than 1 μm and the case where the depth of the separation groove is less than 200 nm,
When a conductive material serving as a material for the counter electrode line is deposited on a predetermined surface by a vacuum evaporation method or the like, it becomes difficult to obtain a desired number of counter electrode lines separated from each other by the separation groove. On the other hand, it is difficult to form a separation groove having a depth exceeding 50 μm.

The vertical cross-sectional shape of the separation groove in the lateral direction (the vertical cross-sectional shape in a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction; the same applies hereinafter) is not particularly limited. For example, FIG.
The shapes shown in FIGS. 11A to 11E can be appropriately selected. The separation groove 40a shown in FIG. 11A has a trapezoidal vertical cross-sectional shape whose lower bottom is longer than the upper bottom, and the separation groove 40b shown in FIG. The separation groove 40c shown in FIG. 11C has a cross-sectional shape, and the upper part of the horizontally long ellipse (the upper part on FIG. 11C) is partially cut out in parallel with the major axis of the ellipse. The separation groove 40d shown in FIG. 11D has a vertical cross-sectional shape of an inverted T-shape, and the separation groove 40e shown in FIG. 11E has a rectangular shape. Two separation grooves 40e1 and 40e2 each having a vertical cross-sectional shape are 1
It is a set.

The number of separation grooves formed between adjacent counter electrode lines is not limited to one, but may be two as shown in FIG.
It may be three or more. By forming a plurality of separation grooves between adjacent counter electrode lines, counter electrode lines separated from each other can be formed more reliably.

As shown in FIGS. 11 (a) to 11 (d), the vertical cross-sectional shape in the short direction of the separation groove is set to be smaller than the diameter at the upper end in the center or bottom in the depth direction. Is larger, the material of the counter electrode line is suppressed from being deposited on the side wall of the separation groove when the material of the counter electrode line is deposited by a vacuum evaporation method or the like. It becomes easy to form a counter electrode line in this manner.

When the wiring bus intersects with the separation groove and a part or all of the inner wall of the separation groove at the intersection is formed by the wiring bus, the opposite electrode line is formed by a vacuum deposition method or the like. When the above material is deposited, the material of the counter electrode line may be deposited on part or all of the inner wall, and an unnecessary short circuit may occur between the wiring bus and the counter electrode line. A similar fear also occurs when a substrate made of a conductive material is used. Therefore, in such a case, it is preferable to perform an electrical insulation treatment on the inner wall before forming the counter electrode line. This electrical insulation treatment can be performed by a method such as anodic oxidation, treatment with oxygen plasma, or oxygen ion beam implantation.

As described above, each of the opposing electrode lines separated from each other by the above-described separation grooves intersects with each of the pixel electrode lines on one pixel electrode in plan view. At these intersections, the pixel electrode, the organic light emitting unit, and the counter electrode line are stacked in this order from the base material side, so that the intersection functions as an organic EL element.

When an organic EL light emitting device (organic EL display panel) for an organic EL display device is to be obtained, the shape of each of the opposing electrode lines in plan view is the desired organic EL device.
It can be appropriately selected according to the arrangement specification of the organic EL element in the light emitting device. For example, when the pixel arrangement pattern is a mosaic type, a stripe type, or a four-pixel arrangement type,
It can be straight.

The material of the counter electrode line is appropriately selected depending on whether or not the above-mentioned substrate side is the light extraction surface in the target organic EL light emitting device. That is, in the case where the above-described base material side is the light extraction surface in the target organic EL light emitting device, the counter electrode line has a light transmitting property for the EL light generated in the organic light emitting portion. Since the counter electrode line is not required, the material is selected according to whether the counter electrode line is used as an anode or a cathode. On the other hand, in the case where the above-mentioned base material side is used as a light extraction surface in a target organic EL light emitting device, a counter electrode line having a light-transmitting property such that light (EL light) generated in the organic light emitting portion is transmitted. The material is selected so that is obtained.

When the counter electrode line is used as a cathode, it is preferable to use a metal, an alloy, an electrically conductive compound or a mixture thereof having a small work function (for example, 4 eV or less) as a material for the pixel electrode. Specific examples include sodium, sodium-potassium alloys, magnesium, lithium, alloys or mixed metals of magnesium and silver, magnesium-copper mixtures, aluminum,
_{Al / Al 2 O 3, Al} -Li alloys, rare earth metals such as indium and ytterbium, and the like. On the other hand, when the counter electrode line is used as an anode, it is preferable to use a metal, an alloy, an electrically conductive compound or a mixture thereof having a large work function (for example, 4 eV or more) as a material of the pixel electrode. Examples include metals such as Au, CuI, ITO, tin oxide, zinc oxide, In
And a conductive transparent material such as a Zn-O-based oxide.

In the above-described organic EL light emitting device of the present invention, the counter electrode lines are separated from each other by the separation grooves provided in the base material. Can be formed, and a plurality of counter electrode lines separated from each other are formed without forming a resin partition at a predetermined portion of the base material before forming the counter electrode line. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to easily obtain an organic EL light emitting device in which the light emitting characteristics of each organic EL element are high.

In the organic EL light emitting device according to the present invention, if the pitch between the target counter electrode lines is approximately 5 μm or more, the counter electrode lines can be separated from each other only by the separation groove. The lithography method can be applied to the formation of GaN as in the prior art. Therefore, it is possible to easily obtain a high-definition organic EL light-emitting device (organic EL display panel) for a high-definition organic EL display device having a pixel count of about 400 / cm ² or more.

The organic EL light-emitting device of the present invention having the above-mentioned advantages is suitable as an organic EL display panel or a material thereof, and also as a linear pixel array.

When moisture or oxygen enters the organic EL element, its light emitting characteristics and element life are deteriorated. Therefore, in the organic EL light emitting device of the present invention, a desired sealing layer is provided so that the organic EL element has moisture or oxygen. It is preferable to prevent oxygen from entering.

Specific examples of such a material for the sealing layer include, for example, a copolymer obtained by copolymerizing a monomer mixture containing tetrafluoroethylene and at least one comonomer, and a cyclic main chain having a cyclic main chain. Fluorine-containing copolymer having a structure, polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethyl methacrylate, polyimide, polyurea, polytetrafluoroethylene, polychlorotrifluoroethylene, polydichlorodifluoroethylene, copolymer of chlorotrifluoroethylene and dichlorodifluoroethylene , A water-absorbing substance having a water absorption of 1% or more and a water absorption of 0.1%
The following moisture-proof substances: In, Sn, Pb, Au, Cu, A
g, metals such as Al, Ti, Ni, MgO, SiO, Si
O ₂ , Al ₂ O ₃ , GeO, NiO, CaO, BaO,
Metal oxides such as Fe ₂ O ₃ , Y ₂ O ₃ and TiO ₂ , MgF
₂ , metal fluorides such as LiF, AlF ₃ and CaF ₂ , liquid fluorinated hydrocarbons such as perfluoroalkane, perfluoroamine and perfluoropolyether, and adsorbents for adsorbing moisture and oxygen to the liquid fluorinated hydrocarbons And the like are dispersed.

In manufacturing the organic EL light emitting device of the present invention having the above-mentioned advantages, first, a wiring bus is formed on a base material, and a separation groove is formed before forming a pixel electrode or after forming a pixel electrode. The above-described wiring bus can be formed by, for example, a method such as (1) anodizing method, (2) ion implantation method, (3) lift-off method, and (4) burying method. Less than. The formation of the wiring bus by these methods will be described.

(1) Anodizing method This method uses aluminum (Al), chromium (Cr),
A film or sheet made of a conductive material or a semiconductor material that can be anodized, such as tantalum (Ta), is used as a base material, or a layer made of the above-described material is formed on one surface (hereinafter, this layer is referred to as “ The substrate is not oxidized by partially oxidizing the above-mentioned film-like or sheet-like material or the anodized layer by anodization using a substrate having a multilayer structure having an anodized layer ”). This is a method of using the location as a wiring bus. The case where the above-described base material having a multilayer structure is used will be described in detail below.

First, as shown in FIG. 12A, a first base material layer 50 having electrical insulation and the first base material layer 5
A substrate 52 having an anodized layer 51 formed on one side of the substrate 52 is prepared. The formation of the anodized layer 51 is performed by PVD (physical vapor deposition) or CVD (chemical vapor deposition).
And the like. The thickness of the anodized layer 51 is such that anodization can be performed over the entire thickness direction. Next, the anodized layer 51
A resist film such as a photoresist film, an X-ray resist film, and an electron beam resist film is formed thereon, and the resist film is exposed using a predetermined mask and developed using a predetermined developing solution. As shown in FIG. 12B, a resist pattern 53 having a desired shape is formed. In the resist pattern 53, an opening 54 is formed in a portion other than a portion where a wiring bus is to be formed.

Next, a portion 51 of the anodized layer 51 on which the resist pattern 53 is not located.
is completely oxidized by anodic oxidation over the entire thickness of the portion 51a. At this time, in the portion 51b where the resist pattern 53 is present on the anodized layer 51, the intrusion of the electrolytic solution is suppressed by the presence of the resist pattern 53, so that the anodic oxidation is suppressed. Thereafter, the resist pattern 53 is stripped using a predetermined stripper.

As shown in FIG. 12D, in the anodized layer 51 anodically oxidized as described above, the anodic oxidized portion 51a exhibits electrical insulation, and the non-anodized portion 51b has Since it shows conductivity, the portion 51b showing the conductivity can be used as a wiring bus.

(2) Ion implantation method In this method, an appropriate ion (for example, oxygen ion) such as aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), or conductive silicon (for example, doped Si crystal) is implanted. A film or sheet made of a conductive material or a semiconductor material capable of forming an insulating portion may be used as a base material, or a layer made of the above-described material may be formed on one surface (hereinafter, this layer is referred to as “ionized material”). By using a base material having a multilayer structure having a "implanted layer"), ion implantation is performed by partially forming an electrically insulating portion in the film or sheet or the ion-implanted layer by ion implantation. This is a method in which a portion not received is used as a wiring bus.

The wiring bus using the ion implantation method can be formed in the same manner as the above-described anodic oxidation method except that ion implantation is performed instead of anodic oxidation. The ion implantation at this time is performed so that the portion where the electric insulating portion is to be formed exhibits electric insulating properties over the entire thickness direction. Depending on the type of the base material, the ion-implanted portion can be used as a wiring bus, contrary to the above. For example, boron, phosphorus or the like is ion-implanted into a desired portion of the polysilicon layer to reduce the resistance of the portion,
This can also be used as a wiring bus.

(3) Lift-off method In this method, a release layer having an opening of a predetermined shape is provided on a base material having a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure, and the release layer and the base material (the base material surface) After forming a conductive film to be a material of a wiring bus at a portion which is the bottom of the opening among the above), the release layer is removed (lift-off) together with the conductive film formed on the release layer. Is a method of forming a wiring bus at a desired portion of the base material. Hereinafter, (A) a case using a substrate having a single-layer structure and (B) a case using a substrate having a multilayer structure will be separately described.

(A) When using a substrate having a single-layer structure First, a photoresist film is formed on an electrically insulating substrate.
A resist film such as an X-ray resist film or an electron beam resist film is formed, and the resist film is exposed to light using a predetermined mask and developed using a predetermined developing solution.
As shown in FIG. 3A, a resist pattern 61 having a desired shape is formed on one surface of the substrate 60. In the resist pattern 61, an opening 62 is formed at a position where a wiring bus is to be formed. Next, as shown in FIG. 13B, a predetermined portion of the base material 60, that is, the opening 62 is formed by an etching method (dry etching method or wet etching method) using the resist pattern 61 as a mask. Is etched to form a concave portion 63 having a desired depth. The two-dot chain line in FIG. 13B indicates the upper end of the base material 60 before being etched.

Next, as shown in FIG. 13C, a desired conductive film 64 is formed on the concave portion 63 and the resist pattern 61 so as to fill the concave portion 63. Thereafter, the resist pattern 61 is stripped together with the conductive film 64 formed thereon using a predetermined stripping solution. Therefore, the resist pattern 61 corresponds to a release layer. By removing the resist pattern 61 (peeling layer) as described above, as shown in FIG. 13D, a wiring bus made of the conductive film 64 formed in the recess 63 has a single-layer structure. On the base material 60.

(B) In the case of using a base material having a multilayer structure First, as shown in FIG. 14A, a first base material layer 70a having an electrical insulation property and a first base material layer 70a Flattening layer formed on one side (having electrical insulation)
70b is prepared. Examples of the material of the flattening layer 70b include resins such as polyimide, fluorine resin, polyquinoline, polyolefin, and polyoxadiazole, and SiO ₂ , Al ₂ O ₃ , Ta ₂ O ₅ , S
oxides such as iOF, MgO, Yb ₂ O ₃ , Si ₃ N ₄ , S
iN _x (0 <x <(4/3)), GaN, GaInN,
A nitride such as SiON or SiAlON, an oxide glass, or the like can be used.

In order to suppress the occurrence of light emission defects such as non-light-emitting portions (dark spots) in individual organic EL elements, the water absorption rate measured by a method in accordance with ASTM D570 is 0.1% or less. It is particularly preferable to form the flattening layer 70b (hereinafter, "water absorption" means a value measured by the above method). The method of forming the flattening layer 70b may be a spin coating method, a coating method, a dip coating method, a PVD method (physical vapor deposition method), a CVD (chemical vapor deposition method) method, or the like, depending on the material. It is appropriately selected. Next, a resist film such as a photoresist film, an X-ray resist film, and an electron beam resist film is formed on the flattening layer 70b, and the resist film is exposed using a predetermined mask and a predetermined developing solution. Develop using
As shown in FIG. 14B, a resist pattern 71 having a desired shape is formed. In the resist pattern 71,
An opening 72 is formed at a location where a wiring bus is to be formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 14C, a predetermined portion of the base material 70, that is, the opening is formed by an etching method (dry etching method or wet etching method) using the resist pattern 71 as a mask. The flattening layer 70b located at the bottom of the portion 72 is etched to form a concave portion 73 having a desired depth. Next, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4D, the recess 73 is filled and the resist pattern 7
A desired conductive film 74 is formed on 1. Thereafter, the resist pattern 71 is stripped together with the conductive film 74 formed thereon using a predetermined stripping solution. Therefore, the resist pattern 71 corresponds to a release layer.

As described above, the resist pattern 71
By performing until the (peeling layer) is peeled off, as shown in FIG. 14E, the conductive film 74 formed in the concave portion 73 is formed.
Can be formed on the base material 70 having a multi-layer structure. Regardless of whether a single-layer substrate or a multiple-layer substrate is used, it takes a long time to form a thick wiring bus having a thickness of about 1 μm to several tens μm by PVD or CVD. Therefore, when a thick wiring bus is to be formed, a part of the conductive film serving as a material of the wiring bus may be formed by a plating method.

In the case of forming a wiring bus by using a plating method, for example, as shown in FIG. 15A, a wiring bus made of a thin conductive film 77a is once formed by a lift-off method, and then, by a plating method. The thin wiring bus 77
15A, a desired conductive film is formed thereon, and as shown in FIG. 15B, a wiring bus 7 having a two-layer structure including the thin wiring bus 77a and the conductive film 77b formed by plating.
7 is formed. Note that among the members shown in FIG.
4 are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in FIG.

(4) Embedding method This is a method of embedding a wiring bus in a base material having electrical insulation. The continuity between the wiring bus buried in the base material and the pixel electrode is achieved by providing a through hole reaching the surface of the wiring bus at a predetermined position on the base material and using the through hole.

In embedding a wiring bus in an electrically insulating base material, first, a conductive film serving as a material for the wiring bus is formed on one surface of the electrically insulating first base material layer by CVD.
After being formed by a method such as a vacuum deposition method, a sputtering method, or the like, the conductive film is patterned into a predetermined shape by a lithography method or the like, and is formed on one surface of the first base material layer 80 as shown in FIG. The wiring bus 81 is formed. Alternatively, the wiring bus 81 is directly formed on one surface of the first base material layer 80 by a method such as a CVD method, a vacuum evaporation method, and a sputtering method. Next, as shown in FIG. 16B, an electrical insulating film 82 is formed on the wiring bus 81 and the first base material layer 80 so as to cover the wiring bus 81. Examples of the material of the electric insulating film 82 include the same materials as those exemplified as the material of the flattening film in the description of the lift-off method. By forming up to the above-mentioned electric insulating film 82, the wiring bus 81 can be embedded in the base material 83 having a multilayer structure composed of the first base material layer 80 and the electric insulating film 82.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 16C, through-holes used for establishing electrical continuity between the wiring bus 81 and the pixel electrodes (not shown) by a method such as a lithography method or a laser processing method. The hole 84 is formed in the electric insulating film 82 described above.
At a predetermined location. In order to achieve electrical continuity between the wiring bus 81 and the pixel electrode, it is preferable that the vertical cross-sectional shape of the through hole 84 be a trapezoidal shape in which the upper bottom is longer than the lower bottom. The electric edge film 82 may have some undulations as shown in FIG. 16D as long as the pixel electrode and the counter electrode line are not disconnected.

On the other hand, the above-mentioned separation groove is formed by, for example, a sand blast method before or after forming a pixel electrode at a predetermined location on the surface of the substrate on which the wiring bus is formed as described above. , A cutting method, a lithography method, a laser processing method, or the like. When the wiring bus is formed by the above-described embedding method, the separation groove may be formed together with the through hole.
The separation grooves are located on the sides of the pixel electrodes, and are separated from each other by the separation grooves when a conductive material serving as a material of the counter electrode line is deposited on a predetermined surface by a vacuum evaporation method or the like. It is formed so that the desired number of counter electrode lines are formed naturally.

When the wiring bus intersects with the separation groove and a part or all of the inner wall of the separation groove at the intersection is formed by the wiring bus, the organic EL of the present invention is used.
As described in the description of the light emitting device, it is preferable to perform an electrical insulation treatment on the inner wall before forming the counter electrode line.

In forming a pixel electrode, first,
After a conductive film serving as a material for a pixel electrode is formed on a predetermined surface of a substrate by a PVD method, a CVD method, or the like, the conductive film is patterned into a predetermined shape by a lithography method or the like to obtain a pixel electrode. Alternatively, a pixel electrode is directly formed on a predetermined surface of a substrate by a method such as a vacuum evaporation method and a sputtering method. Each pixel electrode is formed so as to constitute a pixel electrode line together with a specific wiring bus, and a single pixel electrode line is provided with a plurality of pixel electrodes which can be electrically connected to each other by a specific wiring bus. .

The pixel electrodes constituting one pixel electrode line and the wiring bus must be in a state where they can be electrically connected. Therefore, the pixel electrode is electrically connected to a predetermined wiring bus. It is formed to obtain. When a wiring bus is formed in a base material by an anodization method, an ion implantation method, or a lift-off method, one side surface (upper surface in the thickness direction of the wiring bus) of the wiring bus is exposed, and is in contact with this side surface. Thus, a pixel electrode is formed. When the wiring bus is formed by the burying method, (i) a part of the pixel electrode is formed on the inner side surface and the bottom surface of the through hole (the surface of the wiring bus).
The pixel electrode may be formed so as to reach (a) the through hole is filled with a desired conductive material before forming the pixel electrode, or the inner side surface and the bottom surface ( A desired conductive film is formed on the surface of the wiring bus), and then the conductive material filling the through hole or the conductive film formed on the inner side surface and the bottom surface (surface of the wiring bus) of the through hole The pixel electrode may be formed so as to be in contact with the pixel electrode.

By forming the wiring bus, the separation groove, and the pixel electrode as described above, the light emitting device substrate of the present invention can be obtained. In the light emitting device substrate, since the separation groove is formed in the base material, a plurality of counter electrode lines separated from each other can be easily formed on the substrate by the vacuum evaporation method without using the lithography method. Further, a plurality of opposing electrode lines separated from each other can be formed without forming a resin partition at a predetermined position of the base material before forming the opposing electrode lines. Also, the pitch between the target counter electrode lines is approximately 5 μm.
If m or more, the counter electrode lines can be separated from each other only by the separation groove, and a lithography method can be applied in the same manner as in the related art when forming a pixel electrode.

Accordingly, by forming a desired organic light emitting portion and a counter electrode line on the pixel electrode constituting the light emitting device substrate of the present invention, the organic EL light emitting device having high light emitting characteristics of each organic EL element. Can be easily obtained. Further, an organic EL light-emitting device (organic EL display panel) for a high-definition organic EL display device having a pixel count of about 400 / cm ² or more can be easily obtained. The light-emitting device substrate of the present invention having the above advantages is also suitable as a substrate for obtaining an inorganic EL light-emitting device (including an inorganic EL display panel).

In the above-described organic EL light-emitting device of the present invention, after obtaining the light-emitting device substrate of the present invention as described above, an organic light-emitting portion having a desired layer structure is formed on at least the pixel electrode. It can be obtained by forming a desired number of counter electrode lines on the organic light emitting portion, or by further forming a desired sealing layer after forming the counter electrode lines.

The organic light emitting portion may be formed at least on each of the above-mentioned pixel electrodes, but may be formed over a portion other than on the pixel electrode. In order to prevent a short circuit from occurring between the pixel electrode and the counter electrode line, it is preferable that the pixel electrode is formed so as to cover the pixel electrode as shown in FIG.

In forming the organic light emitting portion, it is preferable to form at least the light emitting layer by a vacuum evaporation method in order to obtain an organic EL light emitting device having high light emitting characteristics of each organic EL element. Other layers constituting the organic light emitting portion can be formed by applying various methods according to the material, but if other layers are formed by a vacuum evaporation method, only the vacuum evaporation method is used. Thus, an organic light emitting portion can be formed, which is practically convenient.

The counter electrode line is formed so as to intersect each of the pixel electrode lines on one pixel electrode in plan view. When a lithography method is applied in forming the counter electrode line, it becomes difficult to obtain an organic EL light emitting device having high emission characteristics of each organic EL element. Therefore, the counter electrode line is formed by a method such as a vacuum evaporation method or a sputtering method. Preferably, it is formed. At this time, a mask having a predetermined shape may be used, but since the above-described separation groove is formed in the base material, a conductive material serving as a material of the counter electrode line is formed on a predetermined surface of the base material, that is, the pixel electrode. Also, a simple number of counter electrode lines separated from each other by the above-described separation grooves can be formed by simply depositing them on the surface on which the organic light emitting portion is formed without using a mask.

As described above, each of the opposing electrode lines separated from each other by the above-described separation grooves intersects with each of the pixel electrode lines on a single pixel electrode in plan view. Has an organic light emitting portion. At these intersections, the pixel electrode, the organic light emitting unit, and the counter electrode line are stacked in this order from the base material side, so that the intersection functions as an organic EL element.

When a desired sealing layer is formed after the formation of the counter electrode line, a vacuum evaporation method,
Spin coating, sputtering, casting, MB
E (molecular beam epitaxy) method, cluster ion beam evaporation method, ion plating method, plasma polymerization method (high frequency excitation ion plating method), reactive sputtering method, plasma CVD method, laser CVD method, thermal CV
The sealing layer is formed by appropriately applying the D method, the gas source CVD method, or the like.

When a liquid material such as liquid fluorinated hydrocarbon or an adsorbent for adsorbing moisture or oxygen is dispersed in the liquid fluorinated hydrocarbon as a material of the sealing layer, the liquid fluorinated hydrocarbon is formed on a substrate. The organic EL element is formed while forming a space between the organic EL element and the organic EL element in cooperation with the base material outside the organic EL element (there may be another sealing layer). It is preferable that a housing material to cover is provided, and a sealing layer is formed by filling the space formed by the base material and the housing material with the liquid material.
As the housing material, a material made of glass or a polymer (for example, ethylene trifluoride chloride) having a small water absorption is preferably used. When a housing material is used, only the housing material may be provided without providing the above-described sealing layer, or a space formed by the housing material and the base material after the housing material is provided. A layer of an adsorbent for adsorbing oxygen or water may be provided on the substrate, or particles of the adsorbent may be dispersed.

[0089]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Example 1 (1) Formation of wiring bus and separation groove First, as shown in FIG. 1A, 20 × 20 × 0.11
cm glass plate 1 and a first fluorine-based resin layer having a thickness of 4.5 μm formed on one surface of the glass plate 1 (after curing.
Water absorption is 0.01% or less. 2) a light-transmitting substrate 3 comprising
Was prepared. The first fluororesin layer 2 is made of a glass plate 1
Is formed on one surface thereof by a spin coating method to form a 5 μm-thick fluorine-based resin layer (however, uncured. The coating solution used is Cytop CTX-809A manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.), and then the fluorine-based resin layer is heated to 300 ° C. And dry for 60 minutes
It is obtained by curing. At this time, in the initial stage of spin coating, the rotation speed of the glass plate 1 is set to 500 rpm.
After rotating at this rotation speed for 10 seconds, the rotation speed was increased to 700 rpm and the rotation was further performed for 20 seconds.

Next, a spin coating method (rotation speed 300 r
pm, a rotation time of 20 seconds) to form a positive resist layer (TOPR-100 manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd.) with a thickness of 2 μm on the first fluorine-based resin layer 2. Pre-baked for 30 minutes. Thereafter, the positive resist layer (after pre-baking) is applied to a g-line (wavelength: 436 nm) of a high-pressure mercury lamp using a mask having a predetermined shape.
The resist pattern 4 having openings 4a at predetermined locations was obtained as shown in FIG. 1 (b). The opening 4a overlaps a portion where a wiring bus is to be formed in plan view.

Next, reactive ion etching using the resist pattern 4 as a mask is performed as shown in FIG.
As shown in (c), a groove 2a having a length of 16 cm, a width of 20 μm, and a depth of 2 μm is formed in the first fluororesin layer 2 by 100 μm.
A total of 1920 lines were formed at m pitches. In the reactive ion etching at this time, a mixed gas of CHF ₃ gas, CF ₄ gas, and Ar gas is used as an etching gas, and CHF ₃ gas is used.
The flow rates of the gas and the CF ₄ gas are each 30 SCCM,
Ar gas flow rate is 100 SCCM and plasma output is 30
The operation was performed at 0 W. The two-dot chain line in FIG.
The upper end of the first fluororesin layer 2 before being etched by reactive etching is shown.

Next, from the side on which the resist pattern 4 is formed, DC is applied to the upper surface of the resist pattern 4 and the bottom of each groove 2a ("top" or "bottom" as viewed in the state shown in FIG. 1C). Aluminum (Al) was deposited by a sputtering method, and an Al film 5 having a thickness of 2 μm was formed on the upper and lower surfaces thereof, as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the resist pattern 4 was peeled off together with the Al film 5 formed thereon using a predetermined peeling liquid.

By performing the process up to this peeling, the structure shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, an Al layer having a length of 16 cm, a width of 20 μm, and a thickness of 2 μm is placed in a light-transmitting substrate 3 including a glass plate 1 and a first fluororesin layer 2 formed on one surface of the glass plate 1. 5
(Hereinafter referred to as “wiring bus 5”) were formed at a pitch of 100 μm in total of 1920.

Next, on each of the wiring bus 5 and the first fluororesin layer 2, a fluororesin layer having a thickness of 3 μm (however, uncured. The coating solution used was Cytop CTX described above) by spin coating. -809A.), And the fluororesin layer is cured to form a 4.6 μm-thick second fluororesin on each of the wiring bus 5 and the first fluororesin layer 2 as shown in FIG. A system resin layer (after curing) 6 was formed.

Next, a 2 μm-thick positive type resist (TOPR-100 manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd.) is formed on the second fluorine-based resin layer 6 by spin coating, and is pre-baked using a mask of a predetermined shape. Exposure and development are sequentially performed to obtain a resist pattern 7 in which groove-shaped openings 7a orthogonal to each of the wiring buses 5 in a plan view are formed at a predetermined pitch, as shown in FIG. 2B. Was. The opening 7 described above
Each of “a” overlaps a portion where a separation groove is to be formed in plan view.

Next, reactive ion etching using the resist pattern 7 as a mask is performed as shown in FIG.
As shown in (c), a groove 6a having a length of 20 cm, a width of 10 μm, and a depth of 2 μm is formed in the second fluororesin layer 6 by 300 μm.
A total of 480 lines were formed at m pitches. The two-dot chain line in FIG. 2C indicates the upper end of the second fluororesin layer 6 before being etched by the reactive etching.

The light-transmissive substrate 3 formed up to the groove 6a was immersed in a solvent for fluororesin (CTS01V manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) for 30 seconds. As a result of this immersion, each of the grooves 6a has a trapezoidal vertical cross-sectional shape in the lateral direction, as shown in FIG. 2D, in which the lower bottom is longer than the upper bottom (hereinafter, these grooves). Are referred to as “separation grooves 6b”). This vertical cross-sectional shape was confirmed by a scanning electron microscope. Thereafter, the resist pattern 7 was peeled off using a predetermined peeling liquid to obtain a light-transmitting base material having the wiring bus 5 and the separation groove 6b.

As shown in FIG. 2E, the light-transmitting substrate 10 obtained as described above is composed of a glass plate 1 and a first fluororesin layer 2 formed on one surface of the glass plate 1. And a total of 1920 wiring buses 5 formed on one side of the first fluororesin layer 2 at a pitch of 100 μm, and second wiring buses 5 formed on the first fluororesin layer 2 and each of the wiring buses 5. The second fluororesin layer 6 and a total of 480 separation grooves 6b formed at a predetermined pitch in the second fluororesin layer 6 are provided. The depth of each separation groove 6b is 2.1 μm, and the pitch between adjacent separation grooves 6b is 300 μm. Each of the wiring buses 5 and each of the separation grooves 6b are orthogonal to each other in plan view.

(2) Formation of Organic EL Element First, on the second fluororesin layer 6 in the translucent substrate 10 described above, a film thickness of 4 μm (separation groove 6
b), a positive resist (TOPR-100 manufactured by Tokyo Ohka Co., Ltd.) is formed.
Exposure and development are performed sequentially using a mask of a predetermined shape,
As shown in FIG. 3A, a resist pattern 11 in which openings 11a having a circular horizontal cross section were formed at a predetermined pitch was obtained. The openings 11a are formed at positions overlapping the respective wiring buses 5 in plan view.

Next, reactive ion etching using the resist pattern 11 as a mask is performed as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2B, a through hole 12 reaching the surface of the wiring bus 5 from the second fluororesin layer 6 under the opening 11a.
480 at a pitch of 300 μm per wiring bus 5
Individually formed. The reactive ion etching at this time is C
Using a mixed gas of HF ₃ gas, CF ₄ gas, Ar gas, and O ₂ gas as an etching gas, CHF ₃ gas and CF
The total flow rate of ₄ gas and Ar gas is 160 SCCM, CH
The flow ratio of F ₃ gas, CF ₄ gas, and Ar gas is set to CHF ₃
Gas: CF ₄ gas: Ar gas = 10: 2: 3, O ₂ gas flow rate was set to 16 SCCM, and plasma output was 30
0 W. This condition is such that the shape of the internal space of the through hole 12 formed by reactive ion etching is an inverted truncated cone, that is, the diameter of the upper opening is larger than the diameter of the lower opening. Is the condition for
Note that the two-dot chain line in FIG. 3B indicates the upper end of the second fluororesin layer 6 before being etched by the reactive etching.

After the through holes 12 are formed as described above, the resist pattern 11 is stripped using a predetermined stripper, and the surface treatment of the second fluororesin layer 6 is performed using oxygen plasma. Was. This surface treatment is for modifying the surface of the second fluororesin layer 6 to improve the adhesion to the pixel electrode.

Next, an In-Zn-O-based amorphous oxide film having a thickness of 200 nm was formed on the second fluororesin layer 6 after the surface modification by DC magnetron sputtering. At this time, an In—Zn—O-based oxide sintered body (indium (In)) was used as a sputtering target.
Using the atomic ratio In / (In + Zn) = 0.84) of A
mixed gas of r gas and O ₂ gas (Ar gas: O ₂ gas =
1000: 5.0 (volume ratio)) when the pressure in the vacuum chamber is 3 × 1
Sputtering was performed by introducing into a vacuum chamber so that the pressure became 0 ^-1 Pa, the sputtering output was 200 W, and the substrate temperature was room temperature.

After the formation of the In—Zn—O-based amorphous oxide film, the amorphous oxide film is patterned by photolithography to form a pixel electrode of 80 × 260 μm square on one wiring bus. 480 at 300μm pitch per 5
Individually formed.

As shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b), each of the above-mentioned pixel electrodes 13 is arranged such that the through-hole 12 is located at the center when viewed in plan.
The wiring bus 5 and the pixel electrode 13 are formed on the second fluororesin layer 6 (after surface modification), and the through holes 1
2 at the bottom. Then, one wiring bus 5 and the wiring bus 5 at the bottom of the through hole 12 are formed.
And 480 pixel electrodes that are in contact with each other, form one pixel electrode line 14. The pixel electrode line 14 has 10
A total of 1920 lines were formed at a pitch of 0 μm (however, the pitch between the wiring buses 5), the length of each of the pixel electrode lines 14 was 16 cm, and the electric resistance value was 300Ω. By forming up to the pixel electrode line 14,
The light emitting device substrate 15 of the present invention was obtained.

Next, on each of the above-mentioned pixel electrodes 13 and around these pixel electrodes 13, the following formula (I)

Embedded image (Hereinafter, abbreviated as “TPD74”) having a thickness of 200 nm
A hole injection layer having a thickness (the film thickness at the periphery of the pixel electrode 13) was formed by a vacuum evaporation method.

Further, on and around the hole injection layer, the following formula (II)

Embedded image From N, N'-bis (3-methylphenyl) -N, N'-diphenyl- (1,1'-biphenyl) -4,4'-diamine (hereinafter abbreviated as "TPD"). A hole transport layer having a thickness of 20 nm (the thickness at the peripheral portion on the pixel electrode 13) was formed by a vacuum evaporation method.

Further, a film thickness of a tris (8-hydroxyquinolino) aluminum complex (hereinafter abbreviated as “Alq”), which is one of the organic light emitting materials, on and around the hole transport layer. A light emitting layer having a thickness of 60 nm (film thickness at the peripheral portion on the pixel electrode 13) was formed by a vacuum evaporation method.

Thereafter, the light emitting device substrate 15 (see FIG. 4)
On the surface on the side where the above light emitting layer is formed,
Without using a mask, a conductive film made of an Al-Li alloy (Li concentration: 0.5 at%) and having a thickness of 200 nm (the thickness at the peripheral portion on the pixel electrode 13) was formed by a vacuum evaporation method. At this time, the separation groove 6 is formed in the light emitting device substrate 15.
Since b is formed at a pitch of 300 μm, counter electrode lines having a width of 290 μm that intersect each of the above-described pixel electrode lines 14 and one pixel electrode 13 in plan view are formed at a pitch of 300 μm.

By forming up to the above-mentioned counter electrode line, as shown in FIG. 5, each of the intersections of the pixel electrode line 14 and the counter electrode line 16 in plan view has a pixel electrode (In-Zn- O-based amorphous oxide film) 13, organic light emitting portion 17 (hole injection layer (TPD74 layer), hole transport layer (T
An organic EL element 18 was formed by sequentially laminating a PD layer) and a light emitting layer (Alq layer)) and a counter electrode line (conductive film made of an Al-Li alloy) 16. Further, the organic light emitting portion 17 is also provided in each separation groove 6b.
And a layer 16a made of the same material as the counter electrode line 16 and the layer 17a having the same layer configuration. The process from the formation of the hole injection layer (TPD 74 layer) to the formation of the counter electrode line (conductive film made of Al-Li alloy) is performed using one vacuum deposition apparatus. 1 vacuum chamber
Each layer was continuously formed without opening it again.

(3) Formation of sealing layer By forming up to the organic EL element as described above,
The organic EL light emitting device of the present invention was obtained.
In order to obtain an organic EL light emitting device having a longer element life of the L element, a sealing layer was formed as follows. First, a glass lid having a predetermined size was prepared. This glass lid is provided with a through hole used as an injection port described later. Next, a desired space is formed between the glass lid and each of the organic EL elements constituting the organic EL light emitting device and the above-mentioned glass lid. In this manner, the substrates were bonded using an ultraviolet curable resin. Next, the above space is filled with a liquid fluorinated hydrocarbon (Demnum S-20 manufactured by Daikin Industries, Ltd.) using the through hole formed in the glass lid as an injection port, whereby the liquid fluorinated liquid is used. A sealing layer made of a hydrocarbon was formed, and then the injection port was sealed to obtain a target organic EL light emitting device.

Comparative Example 1 First, an In—Zn—O-based amorphous oxide film was formed on one surface of a 20 × 20 × 0.11 cm glass plate under the same conditions as in Example 1, and this amorphous oxide film was formed. The material film is patterned by a photolithography method to form a 200 nm-thick In-Z film.
16 cm in length and 80 in width made of an n-O-based amorphous oxide film
A total of 1920 μm stripe-shaped lower electrode lines were formed at a 100 μm pitch. These lower electrode lines are formed in parallel with each other, and have an electric resistance of 24 k
Ω. Next, a hole injection layer (TPD 74 layer), a hole transport layer (TPD layer) and a light emitting layer (Alq layer) were formed on the surface of the glass plate on which the lower electrode line was formed under the same conditions as in Example 1. Layer), and thereafter, the counter electrode line (A) is formed by a vacuum deposition method using a mask having a predetermined shape.
A conductive film made of an l-Li alloy) was formed. Each of the opposing electrode lines has a stripe shape of 20 cm in length and 200 μm in width, and these opposing electrode lines are parallel to each other and orthogonal to the lower electrode line in plan view.
A total of 480 lines are formed at a pitch of 0 μm. Thereafter, a sealing layer was formed in the same manner as in Example 1 to obtain a target organic EL light emitting device.

Comparative Example 2 Example 1 was repeated except that a partition made of resin was formed instead of the separation groove.
In the same manner as in the above, an intended organic EL light-emitting device (formed up to the sealing layer) was obtained. In forming the resin partition wall, a photoresist (LAX-1 manufactured by Zeon Corporation) is used as a material for forming the partition wall, and a film made of the photoresist is formed by spin coating at 80 ° C. for 20 minutes. Prebaking was performed, and the photoresist film after prebaking was patterned by photolithography, and then postbaked at 120 ° C. for 30 minutes.
As shown in FIG. 6, the formed vertical cross section of the partition wall 19 has a reverse tapered shape with a top surface width of 10 μm and a bottom surface width of 3 μm, and a height of 5 μm. In addition, among the members illustrated in FIG. 6, members common to those illustrated in FIG. 4 are denoted by the same reference numerals as in FIG. 4.

Light-Emitting Test The organic EL devices obtained in Example 1, Comparative Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 were subjected to a light-emitting test under the following conditions. First, in each of the organic EL light emitting devices, a pixel electrode (a lower electrode line in Comparative Example 1) was used as a signal electrode, and a counter electrode line was used as a scanning electrode, and these electrodes were connected to a predetermined driving circuit. And each organic EL
It was checked whether the devices could emit light individually. Further, an image was displayed at a duty ratio of 1/480, and the displayed image was evaluated.

As a result, in the organic EL light emitting device obtained in Example 1, all the organic EL elements can emit light individually, and each of the organic EL elements has high brightness and
It was possible to emit light substantially uniformly. From these facts, in the organic EL light emitting device obtained in Example 1, the opposing electrode lines are well separated without being short-circuited between adjacent ones, and the voltage drop in each pixel electrode line is small. In addition, it was confirmed that the light emission characteristics of each organic EL element were high, and that manufacturing unevenness between the organic EL elements was small. Furthermore, the organic E obtained in Example 1
In the L light emitting device, no crosstalk was observed in the displayed image, and no delay in the response speed due to too high electric resistance of the pixel electrode line was observed.

On the other hand, in the organic EL device obtained in Comparative Example 1, each organic EL element could not emit light individually. From this, it was confirmed that there was a counter electrode line short-circuited between adjacent ones. This is because, when forming a counter electrode line by a vacuum deposition method using a mask of a predetermined shape, the gap between the adjacent counter electrode lines is set to 100 μm, so that the separation between the counter electrode lines is incomplete. It is because. In addition, in the organic EL device, each organic E
The L element could not emit light uniformly, and the luminance unevenness between the organic EL elements was very large. This is presumed to be due to the electrical resistance of the lower electrode line being as high as 24 kΩ and a large voltage drop at the lower electrode line. Further, since the luminance unevenness between the organic EL elements was very large, it was not possible to obtain a good image display.

Further, in the organic EL light emitting device obtained in Comparative Example 2, the voltage drop in the pixel electrode line was not a problem because the wiring bus was formed. Could not be emitted. When examining the cause, since the vertical cross-sectional shape in the short direction of the partition was uneven, the partition partially collapsed,
It was found that this was because the counter electrode lines were short-circuited at this portion.

Storage Test Each of the organic EL devices obtained in Example 1 and Comparative Example 2 was subjected to 100% RH (relative humidity) and room temperature conditions.
After storing for 0 hour, the luminescence test was performed. As a result, in the organic EL light emitting device obtained in Example 1, the light emission characteristics of each organic EL element were high even after storage, and the same light emission test result as before storage was obtained, but the organic EL light emitting device obtained in Comparative Example 2 was obtained. In the light emitting device, the non-light emitting portion (dark spot) spread along the edge of the counter electrode line, the effective light emitting area of each organic EL element was reduced, and the display luminance was reduced.

In the organic EL light emitting device of Example 1 and the organic EL light emitting device of Comparative Example 2 in which the organic EL element has the same layer structure and the organic EL element is sealed by a sealing layer having the same structure. It is presumed that the cause of the above difference after storage is whether or not there is a partition wall formed of a photoresist having a high water absorption of 2-3%. That is, in the organic EL light emitting device of Example 1 having no partition wall, the invasion of moisture from the outside is suppressed by the sealing layer, and the moisture from each member sealed by the sealing layer is reduced. Since there was substantially no release of the compound, it is inferred that the counter electrode did not deteriorate during storage and the same luminescence test result as before storage was obtained. On the other hand, in the organic EL light-emitting device of Comparative Example 2 having the above-described partition wall, although the intrusion of moisture from the outside was suppressed by the sealing layer, the moisture contained in the partition wall gradually decreased with time. Since the water is released and the moisture penetrates into the edge of the counter electrode line adjacent to the partition wall and deteriorates the counter electrode line, a non-light-emitting portion (dark spot) is formed along the edge of the counter electrode line after storage. It is presumed that the effective light emitting area was reduced and the display luminance was reduced.

[0119]

As described above, the organic EL of the present invention
The light emitting device is an organic EL light emitting device in which the individual organic EL elements have high light emitting characteristics and can easily obtain a high-definition organic EL display panel. Therefore, according to the present invention, it is easy to provide an organic EL display device having excellent display characteristics.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a process up to forming a wiring bus on a translucent substrate in Example 1.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a process until an isolation groove is formed in a light-transmitting substrate after a wiring bus is formed in Example 1.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a process of forming a through hole in a light-transmitting substrate having a wiring bus and a separation groove in Example 1.

FIG. 4A is a plan view schematically illustrating the light emitting device substrate manufactured in Example 1 when viewed from the pixel electrode side, and FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of the light emitting device substrate. FIG.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating the organic EL light emitting device manufactured in Example 1.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a partition formed in Comparative Example 2.

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an example of a pixel electrode line constituting an organic EL light emitting device according to the present invention when viewed from a direction parallel to a short direction of a wiring bus; FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view schematically showing the pixel electrode line when viewed from a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the wiring bus.

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another example of the pixel electrode lines constituting the organic EL light emitting device of the present invention when viewed from a direction parallel to the short direction of the wiring bus. FIG. 8B is a diagram schematically showing the pixel electrode line when viewed partially while taking a cross section from a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the wiring bus.

FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view schematically showing another example of the pixel electrode lines constituting the organic EL light emitting device of the present invention when viewed from a direction parallel to the short direction of the wiring bus. FIG. 9B is a diagram schematically showing the pixel electrode line when viewed partially while taking a cross section from a direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the wiring bus.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of forming an organic light-emitting portion constituting the organic EL light-emitting device of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a vertical cross-sectional shape in a lateral direction of a separation groove constituting an organic EL light emitting device of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view schematically showing an example of a forming process when forming a wiring bus constituting the organic EL light emitting device of the present invention by an anodic oxidation method.

FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing an example of a forming process when a wiring bus constituting the organic EL light emitting device of the present invention is formed on a base material having a single-layer structure by a lift-off method.

FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an example of a forming process when a wiring bus constituting the organic EL light emitting device of the present invention is formed on a base material having a multilayer structure by a lift-off method.

FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating an example of a forming process when forming a thick wiring bus as a wiring bus constituting the organic EL light emitting device of the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a sectional view schematically showing an example of a forming process when forming a wiring bus constituting the organic EL light emitting device of the present invention by a burying method.

[Explanation of symbols]

3: Translucent substrate 5, 22, 51b, 64, 74, 7
7, 81 ... wiring bus, 6b, 28, 33, 40a, 40
b, 40c, 40d, 40e ... separation grooves, 12, 84 ...
Through hole, 13, 21, 30 ... pixel electrode, 1
4, 20: pixel electrode line, 15: light emitting device substrate,
16, counter electrode line 17, 31, organic light emitting section,
18: Organic EL element, 25, 26, 27: Base material.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A base material, a plurality of pixel electrode lines formed on the base material, an organic light emitting portion formed on each of the pixel electrode lines, and an organic light emitting portion formed on the organic light emitting portion. A plurality of opposing electrode lines, wherein each of the plurality of pixel electrode lines is connected to a wiring bus formed in the base material and is electrically connected to each other by the wiring bus. And a plurality of pixel electrodes formed so as to be located on the surface of the base material, wherein the organic light emitting portion is formed at least on each of the pixel electrodes, and the counter electrode line Are separated from each other by a separation groove provided in the base material, and intersect with each of the pixel electrode lines in plan view on one pixel electrode, respectively, and With electrode line The organic EL light-emitting device intersection on the surface visual functions as an organic EL element, characterized in that. 2. The organic EL light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the vertical cross section of the separation groove in the radial direction has a trapezoidal shape in which the lower bottom is longer than the upper bottom. 3. The counter electrode lines are parallel to each other, and the pitch between the counter electrode lines is 10 to 500.
The organic EL according to claim 1, wherein the organic EL is μm.
Light emitting device. 4. The organic EL element according to claim 1, wherein the organic EL element is sealed by a sealing layer for preventing moisture and oxygen from entering the organic EL element. The organic EL light-emitting device according to any one of the preceding claims. 5. A semiconductor device comprising: a base material; and a plurality of pixel electrode lines formed on the base material, wherein each of the plurality of pixel electrode lines is a wiring bus formed in the base material. And a plurality of pixel electrodes formed so as to be electrically connectable to each other by the wiring bus, and to be located on the surface of the base material, each side of the pixel electrode A light-emitting device substrate, wherein a separation groove is formed so as to intersect each of the plurality of pixel electrode lines.