Method for manufacturing el display device, manufacturing apparatus, and method for manufacturing electronic device
By transferring conductive ink onto the top surface of the partition wall of an organic EL display device to form auxiliary wiring, the problem of display quality degradation during the process of high precision and large size is solved, and efficient and low-cost wiring manufacturing is achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202180025577.6
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2020-03-31
- Filing Date
- 2021-03-09
- Publication Date
- 2026-02-13
- Estimated Expiration
- 2041-03-09
AI Technical Summary
In top-emitting organic EL display devices, the formation of auxiliary wiring is difficult, which leads to the degradation of display quality. Especially in the process of high precision and large size, the isolation area becomes smaller, and the auxiliary wiring is prone to breakage and high resistance. Existing mask methods are complex and costly.
A conductive ink transfer process is used to form auxiliary wiring on the top surface of the partition. By coating conductive ink on the transfer medium and rotating it to transfer it to the top surface of the partition, an electrical connection with the second electrode is achieved, simplifying the process and improving reliability.
It enables high-precision and high-reliability auxiliary wiring formation in a small isolation area, reduces display quality degradation, lowers manufacturing costs, and meets the high-precision and large-scale requirements of EL display devices.
Smart Images

Figure CN115956398B_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to a manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of an EL (electroluminescent) display device, and a manufacturing method of an electronic device. BACKGROUND
[0002] As for the cathode (second electrode) in the top emission type organic EL display device, it is generally formed on the entire surface of the display region, and in order to balance the light transmittance and the conductivity, it is formed of an extremely thin metal layer having a thickness of several nm to several tens of nm or ITO (indium / tin oxide alloy) or the like. In particular, the transparent electrode such as ITO has a high surface resistance, and therefore, in the vicinity of the center of the display region, the amount of supply of the current to the organic EL element decreases due to the voltage drop, and thus, a phenomenon in which the display quality deteriorates easily occurs. Therefore, a plurality of auxiliary wiring lines which are in contact with the cathode and extend in parallel with each other are formed on the opposing substrate side of the partition wall which partitions the organic EL elements (Patent Document 1). In this case, a method is proposed in which the auxiliary wiring lines are formed by a mask deposition method. That is, the EL element region in the display region of the EL base material surface is covered with a mask, and the particles of the conductive material are made to fly linearly toward the EL base material, and thus, the particles are accumulated in the gap portion of the mask. If the auxiliary wiring lines are formed in this way, the above-mentioned surface resistance can be reduced, and thus, the deterioration of the display quality can be alleviated.
[0003] However, if the auxiliary wiring lines are produced in this way, the following problems occur. That is, the EL element region in the display region of the EL base material surface needs to be covered with a mask, and thus, the film formation requires a lot of man-hours. In addition, if the exclusive area of the EL element region in the display region is increased in order to improve the display quality, the isolation region which is formed by spacing the adjacent EL element regions of the plurality of EL element regions needs to be made narrow.
[0004] That is, the higher the fineness of the organic EL element, the narrower the isolation region formed by the partition wall which partitions the organic EL elements, and the tendency that it becomes more difficult to form the mask which is accurately aligned in the narrow region is stronger. As a result, the following problems occur. That is, the yield rate decreases, the quality of the product deteriorates, and the manufacturing cost increases.
[0005] Further, it is difficult to form a plan view lattice-shaped mask (corresponding to the auxiliary wiring crossing the longitudinal direction and the lateral direction) at one time, and therefore in one-time mask film formation, only one direction in the planar direction (hereinafter, under a plan view, the thickness direction is denoted as the Z-axis direction, and a direction orthogonal to the thickness direction and along the organic EL element arrangement direction is denoted as the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction) is formed. If such an auxiliary wiring of only one direction is employed, there is a problem that the reduction effect of the substantial surface resistance is not too great. As a countermeasure for such a problem, it is considered to fabricate the auxiliary wiring in a lattice shape along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction in stages. That is, in order to fabricate such a lattice-shaped auxiliary wiring, two film formation processes must be continuously performed. However, if two film formation processes are performed, in addition to the problem that the working hours further increase, there are problems such as the fact that the auxiliary wiring film becomes weak at the overlapping portion, and the quality of the auxiliary wiring decreases. Moreover, in order to avoid such a problem, it is considered to fabricate a portion connected to the mask pattern (a portion corresponding to the gap described in Patent Document 2) as described in Patent Document 2, and to form the auxiliary wiring in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction at one time, but there is still a problem that the connected portion becomes high resistance due to the fact that the auxiliary wiring is not formed, and the desired purpose cannot be sufficiently achieved.
[0006] Prior Art Documents
[0007] Patent Documents
[0008] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP A) No. 2007-265756
[0009] Patent Document 2: Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP A) No. 2010-153070 SUMMARY
[0010] PROBLEMS TO BE SOLVED BY THE INVENTION
[0011] In the vicinity of the center of the display region in the EL display device, the amount of supply of the current to the organic EL element decreases due to the voltage drop, and therefore there is a problem that display quality deterioration easily occurs. This problem has become a large problem in recent years with the large-scale and high-definition of the EL display device. Further, with the high-definition of the EL display device, the tendency that the isolation region further becomes narrow is strong. The auxiliary wiring formed in the narrow isolation region is of course very thin, easily broken, and causes display quality deterioration in the display region due to the occurrence of current conduction instability based on the breakage and high resistance.
[0012] Further, the mask used in the film formation of the auxiliary wiring is removed from the EL base material of the EL display device by heating after the film formation and cleaning with a chemical. At this time, in the case where the EL material constituting the EL element is an organic material (in the case of an organic EL element), the problem that the EL material deteriorates due to heat and chemicals cannot be avoided, and a manufacturing method of the auxiliary wiring that is simple and enables stable current conduction of the auxiliary wiring with high reliability is sought instead of the mask method.
[0013] Therefore, the present application is completed in view of the above-described actual situation, and aims to provide a manufacturing method of an EL display device that enables film formation of an auxiliary wiring with high reliability in a display region of the EL display device, and to provide a manufacturing apparatus for implementing the manufacturing method. Further, the present application aims to provide a manufacturing method of an electronic device that enables film formation of a wiring with high reliability in the electronic device.
[0014] The above-described problems and aims are particularly significant in an organic EL display device, and therefore the description is made taking the organic EL display device as an example, but the same problems exist in other EL display devices in which an auxiliary wiring is to be formed in an isolated region that is narrow and low in height (for example, 10 μm or less) in structure, and therefore it goes without saying that the present application should be applied to EL display devices in general.
[0015] Solution to the problem
[0016] The manufacturing method of the EL display device of the present application for achieving the above object is characterized in that the EL display device, which has a first electrode, a second electrode disposed opposite to the first electrode, a plurality of EL material layers each emitting light in a state of being sandwiched by the first electrode and the second electrode in an electrically conductive manner, and a partition wall spacing apart adjacent ones of the plurality of EL material layers, includes a display region including a plurality of EL element regions, in which light from each of the plurality of EL material layers is emitted out through the second electrode when viewed in a thickness direction of the plurality of EL material layers, and an isolation region formed by spacing apart adjacent ones of the plurality of EL element regions by the partition wall, wherein the partition wall protrudes in the thickness direction than the plurality of EL element regions, a partition wall top surface portion as a protruding end portion of the partition wall includes a portion of the second electrode, and in the manufacturing method of the EL display device, a supply process of applying a conductive ink obtained by dispersing conductive particles in a solvent to a transfer region on a transfer medium having a cylindrical peripheral wall to form a conductive ink film, and a transfer process of rotating the transfer medium around an axis of the cylindrical peripheral wall and pressing the conductive ink film formed on the transfer region of the cylindrical peripheral wall to the display region and transferring to the partition wall top surface portion of the partition wall to form an auxiliary wiring electrically connected to the second electrode in the partition wall top surface portion.
[0017] According to the above configuration, when a current flows between the first electrode and the second electrode of the EL element region, the EL material layer in the EL element region emits light, so that the entire display region of the EL display device emits light. At this time, the central portion of the display region is farther from the power supply than the peripheral portion, and a reduction in the amount of current due to a voltage drop occurs, so there is a tendency that the amount of light emission decreases. Therefore, by forming the auxiliary wiring electrically connected to the second electrode in the isolation region in the display region, the reduction in the amount of current can be prevented.
[0018] When the auxiliary wiring is formed by the transfer process of pressing the conductive ink film and transferring to the partition wall top surface portion of the partition wall forming the isolation region, the auxiliary wiring can be formed at once over the entire region of the isolation region (existing in all the partition wall top surface portions of the isolation region). Therefore, when the auxiliary wiring is transferred to the partition wall top surface portion, it is not necessary to perform masking of the EL element region and patterning of the auxiliary wiring, and the film formation can be simply performed over the entire region of the isolation region in the display region.
[0019] Further, the transfer process is a process of transferring the conductive ink film formed on the transfer region of the transfer medium having a cylindrical peripheral wall to the display region, and therefore, only the transfer region of the transfer medium is aligned to a state of covering the display region without requiring fine alignment. Specifically, only by adjusting the relative horizontal movement distance of the rotational movement amount of the transfer medium and the display region, the transfer region of the transfer medium can be aligned to a state of covering the display region. Therefore, compared with the film formation while finely aligning the mask, the alignment of the conductive ink film with respect to the isolation region can be achieved with high precision extremely simply.
[0020] Further, the conductive ink film is formed by applying the conductive ink obtained by dispersing conductive particles in a solvent to the transfer region on the transfer medium having a cylindrical peripheral wall, and therefore, the transfer operation to the entire surface of the isolation region on the plane can be performed by the rotational operation of the transfer medium, and thus, the alignment and the pressing strength required for the pressing can be easily controlled.
[0021] Further, the transfer medium having a cylindrical peripheral wall is repeatedly used without using a resin sheet base material or the like for transfer in advance, and therefore, the conductive ink film can be formed in a low-cost and low-environmental-load manner.
[0022] Further, in the above configuration, the conductive ink film can be formed on the entire region of the partition wall top surface portion in the display region in the transfer process.
[0023] The conductive ink film can be directly used as an auxiliary wiring by performing curing. Therefore, if the area of the conductive ink film is formed as wide as possible, the current resistance is small, and the improvement effect of the display quality in the display region is high. That is, it can be said that the formation on the entire region of the partition wall top surface portion (the entire region overlapping the partition wall top surface portion in a plan view) in the display region is the most effective. By performing the above transfer process, the conductive ink film is easily spread to each corner of the partition wall top surface portion of the partition wall in the isolation region (the outline portion of the partition wall top surface portion in a plan view), and therefore, the improvement effect of the display quality can be greatly expected.
[0024] Further, in the above configuration, the EL material layer can be formed of an organic EL material.
[0025] In the vicinity of the center of the display region in the EL display device, the amount of supply of current to the organic EL material decreases due to a decrease in voltage, and thus the display quality deteriorates. In the case where an organic EL material that is easily affected by heat and chemicals during the manufacturing process is used, this is a particularly difficult problem to avoid, and there is no effective alternative, and thus the application value of the manufacturing method of the EL display device with the auxiliary wiring formed according to the above-described configuration is high.
[0026] Further, in the above-described configuration, the second electrode of the EL element region can have a first face opposing the plurality of EL material layers and a second face on the opposite side of the first face, the second electrode of the isolation region can have a third face opposing the partition wall and a fourth face on the opposite side of the third face, and the height of the fourth face with respect to the second face in at least a portion of the EL element region can be 10 μm or less.
[0027] Further, in the above-described configuration, the width of at least a portion of the partition wall top face portion in the isolation region can be 20 μm or less.
[0028] Further, in the above-described configuration, the thickness of the auxiliary wiring can be 2 μm or less.
[0029] In the vicinity of the center of the display region in the EL display device, the amount of supply of current to the EL material layer decreases due to a decrease in voltage, and thus the display quality deteriorates. In particular, as the EL display device becomes larger and higher in resolution, this can become a serious problem, but as the EL display device becomes higher in resolution, each EL element region corresponding to each EL material layer becomes small, and thus the partition wall that separates each EL element region has to be thin and narrow. Even in the case where the height of the surface of the second electrode in the isolation region with respect to the surface of the second electrode layer in the EL material element region is 10 μm or less, or the width of the partition wall top face portion in the isolation region is 20 μm or less, by performing only the above-described transfer process, the conductive ink film of the auxiliary wiring having a thickness of 2 μm or less can be formed on the partition wall top face portion (or the entire region of the partition wall top face portion). Thus, the auxiliary wiring having a relatively thin thickness can be easily provided on the partition wall top face portion of the partition wall, and thus the application value of the manufacturing method of the EL display device is high.
[0030] Further, in the above-described configuration, the transfer process can be performed while the EL display device is floating from a placement surface on which the EL display device is placed.
[0031] The manufacturing apparatus for the EL display device of the present application is characterized in that it comprises: a stage on which an EL base material is placed, the EL base material comprising a first electrode, a second electrode disposed opposite to the first electrode, a plurality of EL material layers which respectively emit light through the second electrode in a state of being sandwiched by the first electrode and the second electrode in an electrically conductive manner, and a partition wall which separates and protrudes between adjacent EL material layers among the plurality of EL material layers; a transfer medium which is rotatable around an axis and is horizontally disposed above the stage in a state of holding a conductive ink film containing a conductive ink obtained by dispersing conductive particles in a solvent, and is movable in proximity to and away from the stage; a pressure contact mechanism which controls the relative distance between the EL base material placed on the stage and the transfer medium, and adjusts the degree of contact between the EL base material on the stage and the transfer medium; a holding mechanism which holds a placement surface of the stage on which the EL base material is placed in a manner that the EL base material of the stage is horizontal; and a transfer alignment mechanism which comprises a rotation mechanism that rotates the transfer medium around an axis and a horizontal movement mechanism that horizontally moves at least one of the transfer medium and the EL base material placed on the stage in synchronization with the rotation of the transfer medium.
[0032] According to the above configuration, it is possible to configure such that, if the EL base material is placed on the placement table, the EL base material has a first electrode, a second electrode provided so as to face the first electrode, a plurality of EL material layers which emit light so as to pass through the second electrode in a state of being sandwiched by the first electrode and the second electrode in an electrically conductive manner, and a partition wall which separates and protrudes between adjacent EL material layers of the plurality of EL material layers, and the conductive ink film is transferred from the upper surface side of the EL base material on the placement table. Further, it is possible to configure such that, in a state in which the conductive ink film containing the conductive ink obtained by dispersing the conductive particles in the solvent is held, the transfer medium which is freely rotatable around the axis and freely movable in approach / withdrawal with respect to the placement table is disposed above the placement table. Furthermore, when the EL base material held on the placement surface of the placement table is held horizontally by the holding mechanism, the relative distance between the EL base material and the transfer medium is controlled by the pressure contact mechanism, and when the EL base material is brought into contact while adjusting the degree of contact between the EL base material and the transfer medium, it is possible to transfer the conductive ink film formed on the transfer medium only to the upper surface of the partition wall portion of the EL base material. At this time, the transfer alignment mechanism is provided, the transfer alignment mechanism has a rotation mechanism which rotates the transfer medium around the axis and a horizontal movement mechanism which moves the EL base material held on the placement table horizontally in synchronization with the rotation of the transfer medium, and thus it is possible to accurately transfer the conductive ink film to the EL base material, and it is possible to form the conductive ink film on the entire isolation region. Therefore, the auxiliary wiring is formed by the conductive ink film, and thus it is possible to manufacture the EL display device having the auxiliary wiring with high reliability with an extremely simple and reliable process.
[0033] Further, in the above configuration, it is also possible that the pressure contact mechanism is configured to include a pair of arms which support the transfer medium in a cross shape, independently control the support height of the transfer medium of each arm, and control the relative distance between the EL base material and the transfer medium.
[0034] According to the above configuration, it is preferable that the control of the relative distance between the EL base material and the transfer medium by the pressure contact mechanism be performed with higher precision and better accuracy.
[0035] Further, in the above configuration, it is also possible that a film formation nozzle which supplies the conductive ink to the transfer medium to thereby form the conductive ink film is provided.
[0036] According to the above configuration, it is possible to uniformly supply and apply the conductive ink (including the conductive paste in the present disclosure) to the transfer region of the transfer medium via the film formation nozzle, and thus it is preferable that the thickness of the conductive ink film formed on the transfer region be more uniformly formed.
[0037] Further, in the above configuration, the placement table can be provided with a floating mechanism that causes the EL base material to float from the placement surface, the pressure bonding mechanism can be configured to control the relative distance between the transfer medium and the EL base material placed on the placement table in a state of floating by the floating mechanism, and to adjust the degree of contact between the transfer medium and the EL base material, and the horizontal movement mechanism can move at least one of the transfer medium and the EL base material placed on the placement table in a state of floating by the floating mechanism relatively horizontally in synchronization with the rotation of the transfer medium.
[0038] The manufacturing method of the electronic device according to the present application is characterized in that the electronic device is provided with a substrate and a partition wall provided in a prescribed region on the substrate, the partition wall protrudes in the thickness direction of the substrate and has a partition wall top surface portion as a protruding end portion, and in the manufacturing method of the electronic device, a supply process of applying a conductive ink obtained by dispersing conductive particles in a solvent to a transfer region on a transfer medium having a cylindrical peripheral wall to form a conductive ink film on the transfer region, and a transfer process of rotating the transfer medium around the axis of the cylindrical peripheral wall and pressure bonding the conductive ink film formed on the transfer region of the cylindrical peripheral wall to the prescribed region and transferring it to the partition wall top surface portion of the partition wall to form a wiring on the partition wall top surface portion.
[0039] In the above configuration, the transfer process can be performed in a state in which the substrate is floated from a placement surface on which the substrate is placed.
[0040] As described above, the placement in the present application is not limited to a case in which the EL base material is physically in contact with the placement surface during transfer, but also includes a case in which the EL base material is floated at least during transfer even if the EL base material is physically in contact with the placement surface before and after transfer, and the EL base material is no longer physically in contact with the placement surface.
[0041] Effects of the Invention
[0042] Therefore, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method and a manufacturing apparatus of an EL display device that can form a reliable auxiliary wiring on a display region of the EL display device. Further, it is possible to provide a manufacturing method of an electronic device that can form a reliable wiring on the electronic device.
[0043] Note that according to the above configuration, in the EL base material, in a case in which the isolation region is narrow when the auxiliary wiring is supplied with power, it is possible to consider supplying power from the back surface of the EL base material through a via or the like, but as described above, it is sometimes difficult to form a via or the like in a narrow isolation region.
[0044] In this case, power can be supplied from the drive circuits located around the display area, thus enabling the high-definition, large-screen requirements of EL display devices to be met without any problems. Attached Figure Description
[0045] Figure 1 This is a circuit diagram showing the configuration of an EL display device.
[0046] Figure 2 This is an example of a pixel driving circuit in a circuit diagram.
[0047] Figure 3 This is a longitudinal sectional side view of the display area of an EL display device.
[0048] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the display area of the EL substrate material.
[0049] Figure 5 This is a partial longitudinal sectional side view of the manufacturing apparatus for the EL display device.
[0050] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the manufacturing process of an EL display device.
[0051] Figure 7 This is an explanatory diagram of a mounting platform for other embodiments.
[0052] Figure 8 This is an explanatory diagram of a mounting platform for other embodiments. Detailed Implementation
[0053] Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing an EL display device, a manufacturing apparatus, an EL display device, and a method for manufacturing an electronic device according to embodiments of the present invention will be described. It should be noted that preferred embodiments are described below, but these embodiments are described for the purpose of more specifically illustrating the present invention, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the following description.
[0054] [EL display device]
[0055] Figure 1The diagram illustrates an EL display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. This EL display device 1 is used as an organic EL display device. In a display area 11A on a substrate 11, a plurality of organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B are arranged in a two-dimensional matrix. The organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B generate red light (wavelength 620nm–750nm), green light (wavelength 495nm–570nm), and blue light (wavelength 450nm–495nm), respectively. The organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B correspond to sub-pixels (R-pixels, G-pixels, and B-pixels), and a group of these three R-pixels, G-pixels, and B-pixels is used as a single pixel for image display. A signal line driving circuit 11B and a scan line driving circuit 11C for image display are provided around the display area 11A.
[0056] An active driving circuit (pixel driving circuit 11D) is provided, for example, within the display area 11A. Figure 2 As shown, the pixel driving circuit 11D has a driving transistor Tr1 and a writing transistor Tr2, with a capacitor CS between transistors Tr1 and Tr2. An organic EL element 10R (or organic EL elements 10G, 10B) is connected in series with transistor Tr1 between the first power supply line (Vcc) and the second power supply line (GND). The signal line driving circuit 11B supplies image signals to the source electrode of transistor Tr2 through multiple signal lines 11Ba arranged in the column direction. The scan line driving circuit 11C sequentially supplies scan signals to the gate electrode of transistor Tr2 through multiple scan lines 11Ca arranged in the row direction.
[0057] Figure 3 It means Figure 1 The diagram shows a cross-section of the display device. It should be noted that... Figure 3 The diagram shows the regions corresponding to pixels having organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B. The organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B are disposed between substrate 11 and opposing substrate 21. A driving circuit layer 13 is provided on substrate 11, which includes pixel driving circuits 11D that drive the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B respectively. A planarization film 14 is formed to cover the driving circuit layer 13, and a first electrode 15, serving as an anode, is provided on the planarization film 14, for example. The first electrode 15 is electrically connected to a transistor Tr1 disposed on the driving circuit layer 13.
[0058] In organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B, a first electrode 15, a light-emitting EL material layer 17, and a second electrode 18 are sequentially stacked from the substrate 11 side. The EL material layer 17 is configured to be held in a state where it is electrically conductive by the first electrode 15 and the second electrode 18. Furthermore, partitions 16 are formed to separate adjacent EL element regions of the plurality of EL material layers 17.
[0059] On these organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B, opposing substrates 21 are bonded at intervals with sealing layers 19. When it is necessary to suppress diffuse reflection, a black matrix layer 20 (light-shielding layer) may also be formed on the opposing substrate 21. Furthermore, a planarization film 23 with diffuse reflection prevention function may also be formed between the black matrices.
[0060] The EL display device 1 is, for example, an organic EL display device of the so-called top-emission type (top surface light emission type) in which light generated from the EL material layer 17 is emitted from the side of the second electrode 18. Furthermore, in Figure 3 In the example shown, the EL material layer 17 includes EL materials that emit different colors of light for each organic EL element 10R, 10G, and 10B. The composition of each part will be described below.
[0061] The substrate 11 is made of, for example, glass, silicon (Si) wafer, resin, or a conductive substrate. As a conductive substrate, a substrate formed by insulating the surface with silicon oxide (SiO2), resin, or the like can be used.
[0062] Pixel transistors such as transistors Tr1 and Tr2, and capacitors such as CS, are formed in the driving circuit layer 13, but only transistor Tr1 is shown here. Transistor Tr1 is, for example, a bottom-gate thin-film transistor (TFT), such as a MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor). In this transistor Tr1, a gate electrode, a gate insulating film, a semiconductor thin film forming a channel, and an interlayer insulating film are sequentially stacked on the substrate 11, for example. Furthermore, an active electrode and a drain electrode are formed adjacent to each other at both ends of the semiconductor thin film. The first electrode 15 is electrically connected to the drain electrode of transistor Tr1. It should be noted that transistor Tr1 is not limited to this bottom-gate type, and can also be a top-gate type. In addition, the semiconductor thin film can be made of crystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, or oxide semiconductor.
[0063] The planarization film 14 is used to planarize the surface of the substrate 11 on which the drive circuit layer 13 is formed, and to uniformly form the film thickness of each layer of the organic EL element 10R, 10G, 10B. The planarization film 14 is provided with a contact hole for electrically connecting the first electrode 15 and the drain electrode of the transistor Trl, and also functions to prevent them from being unnecessarily contacted. As a material constituting the planarization film 14, for example, an organic material such as a polyimide resin, an acrylic resin, and a phenol resin, or an inorganic material such as silicon oxide (SiO2), silicon nitride (SiN x ) or silicon oxynitride (SiON) can be given.
[0064] The first electrode 15 is provided separately for each of the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, 10B, and has light reflectivity, and it is desirable to have as high reflectivity as possible in terms of improving the light emission efficiency. Further, the first electrode 15 is used as an anode, and thus it is desirable to be constituted of a material having high hole injection property. The thickness of the first electrode 15 in the stacking direction (hereinafter, simply referred to as thickness) is, for example, 100 nm or more and 5 μm or less. As a material constituting the first electrode 15, a simple substance or an alloy of a metal element such as chromium (Cr), gold (Au), platinum (Pt), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), molybdenum (Mo), tungsten (W), titanium (Ti), tantalum (Ta), silver (Ag), and aluminum (Al) can be given. A transparent conductive film such as an oxide of indium and tin (ITO) can be provided on the surface of the first electrode 15. The thickness of the first electrode 15 can be appropriately set in accordance with the balance between the wiring resistance and the reflectivity (surface roughness). Note that, although aluminum has high reflectivity, an oxide film is generated on the surface, or a hole injection barrier is generated due to a small work function, but it can be used as the first electrode 15 by providing an appropriate hole injection layer. Further, the first electrode 15 can be a single layer film of a simple substance or an alloy of the above-described metal, or a stacked film.
[0065] As Figure 3 、 Figure 4As shown, the barrier ribs 16 serve to electrically separate the first electrodes 15 for each pixel and each organic EL element, and to ensure insulation between the first electrodes 15 and the second electrodes 18. The barrier ribs 16 are opposed to the respective first electrodes 15 and have openings, and EL element regions 11Aa of the respective organic EL elements 10R, 10G, 10B are formed. The barrier ribs 16 are formed of an insulating material such as silicon oxide or polyimide, for example, and also have light shielding properties. The barrier ribs 16 are formed in a lattice shape so as to surround the plurality of EL element regions 11Aa through which the respective light emissions of the EL material layers 17 in the display region 11A are emitted through the second electrodes 18. Further, a separation region 11Ab is formed which separates adjacent EL element regions 11Aa, 11Aa of the plurality of EL element regions 11Aa. The barrier ribs 16 protrude in the thickness direction of the EL material layers 17 than the plurality of EL element regions 11Aa. Note that the display region 11A, the plurality of EL element regions 11Aa, and the separation region 11Ab are regions as viewed in the thickness direction of the EL material layers 17.
[0066] The separation region 11Ab is formed between the respective pixels and between the respective organic EL elements 10R, 10G, 10B. In the past, an auxiliary wiring 22 was provided in the separation region 11Ab between the respective pixels having a width of about 15 μm to 30 μm, but with high definition, it is difficult to form the auxiliary wiring 22 in the separation region 11Ab between the respective organic EL elements 10R, 10G, 10B having a width of about 15 μm or less. In such a separation region 11Ab, the height of a barrier rib top surface portion 16a, which is a protruding end portion of the barrier ribs 16, is 10 μm or less. The height of the barrier rib top surface portion 16a can be 5 μm or less, or 3 μm or less. Further, the height of the barrier rib top surface portion 16a can be 1 μm or more. The barrier rib top surface portion 16a includes a portion of the second electrode 18. The second electrode 18 can cover the entirety of the protruding end surface of each barrier rib 16, or can cover only a portion of the protruding end surface of each barrier rib 16.
[0067] Note that, in the present embodiment, the height of the barrier rib top surface portion 16a means the height of the surface of the second electrode 18 in the separation region 11Ab (a surface opposite to the surface opposed to the barrier ribs 16) relative to the surface of the second electrode 18 in the EL element region 11Aa (a surface opposite to the surface opposed to the EL material layer 17). Further, the width of the barrier rib top surface portion 16a in the separation region 11Ab is 20 μm or less between the pixels, and is 20 μm or less between the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, 10B (sub-pixels) within each pixel. The width of the barrier rib top surface portion 16a can be 10 μm or less, or 5 μm or less.
[0068] The first electrode 15, the second electrode 18, the EL material layer 17, and the barrier rib 16 constitute an EL base material 1A. The EL base material 1A also includes the transistor Trl and the substrate 11, and the like. Note that, in the case of referring to the barrier rib top surface portion 16a in the EL base material 1A, it refers to a portion of the surface of the barrier rib 16, which opposes the opposing substrate 21, including the surface farthest from the substrate 11 in the direction of the opposing substrate 21. For example, the barrier rib top surface portion 16a is a tip surface of the barrier rib 16. In the case where another overcoat layer such as the second electrode 18 is formed to cover at least a portion of the barrier rib 16, it refers to a region of the surface of the barrier rib 16, which opposes the opposing substrate 21, and the surface of the other overcoat layer, including the surface farthest from the substrate 11.
[0069] The EL material layer 17 can also be a light-emitting layer that emits light in a state sandwiched by the first electrode 15 and the second electrode 18 in an electrically conductive manner, and can further include, for example, a hole transport layer (HTL), a hole injection layer (HIL), an electron transport layer (ETL), and the like.
[0070] In the EL material layer 17, when an electric field is applied, recombination of electrons and holes occurs, thereby generating light.
[0071] The EL material layer 17 is composed of different materials for each of the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B, for example. The red EL material layer 17R that emits red light is formed in the organic EL element 10R, the green EL material layer 17G that emits green light is formed in the organic EL element 10G, and the blue EL material layer 17B that emits blue light is formed in the organic EL element 10B.
[0072] In the red EL material layer 17R, a portion of the holes injected from the first electrode 15 recombines with a portion of the electrons injected from the second electrode 18, thereby generating red light, by applying an electric field. Such a red EL material layer 17R includes, for example, at least one of a red light-emitting material, a hole-transporting material, an electron-transporting material, and a double-charge-transporting material. The red light-emitting material can be either fluorescent or phosphorescent. Such a red EL material layer 17R has, for example, a thickness of about 200 nm and is composed of a substance in which 30% by weight of 2,6-bis[(4'-methoxydiphenylamino)styryl]-l,5-dicyanonaphthalene (BSN) is mixed in 4,4'-bis(2,2-diphenylvinyl)biphenyl (DPVBi).
[0073] In the green EL material layer 17G, a part of the holes injected from the first electrode 15 recombine with a part of the electrons injected from the second electrode 18 by application of an electric field, thereby generating green light. Such a green EL material layer 17G includes, for example, at least one of a green light emitting material, a hole transporting material, an electron transporting material, and a double charge transporting material. The green light emitting material can be either fluorescent or phosphorescent. Such a green EL material layer 17G has, for example, a thickness of about 200 nm and is composed of a substance in which 5% by weight of coumarin 6 is mixed in DPVBi.
[0074] In the blue EL material layer 17B, a part of the holes injected from the first electrode 15 recombine with a part of the electrons injected from the second electrode 18 by application of an electric field, thereby generating blue light. Such a blue EL material layer 17B includes, for example, at least one of a blue light emitting material, a hole transporting material, an electron transporting material, and a double charge transporting material. The blue light emitting material can be either fluorescent or phosphorescent. Such a blue EL material layer 17B has, for example, a thickness of about 200 nm and is composed of a substance in which 2.5% by weight of 4,4'-bis[2-[4-(N,N-diphenylamino)phenyl]-vinyl]biphenyl (DPAVBi) is mixed in DPVBi.
[0075] The hole transporting layer serves to improve the hole injection efficiency to the EL material layers 17 of respective colors and can also function as a hole injection layer. The hole transporting layer has, for example, a thickness of about 40 nm and is composed of m-MTDATA (4,4',4"-tris((3-methylphenylphenylamino)triphenylamine) or α-NPD (α-naphthylphenyl diamine).
[0076] The electron transporting layer is composed of 8-hydroxyquinoline and aluminum (Alq3).
[0077] Further, an electron injection layer (EIL: Electron Injection Layer) can also be provided between such an EL material layer 17 and the second electrode 18. The electron injection layer is a mixed layer of an electron transporting organic material and a metal material of low work function. The electron transporting organic material is, for example, 8-hydroxyquinoline and aluminum (Alq3), and the metal material is, for example, magnesium (Mg), calcium (Ca), lithium (Li), or the like. Alternatively, the electron injection layer can also be composed of an alloy in which at least two of the metals such as magnesium, calcium, lithium, aluminum, silver, or the like are mixed.
[0078] The second electrode 18 has light-transmitting properties, and is formed, for example, by all of the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, 10B collectively over the entire surface of the display region 11A. The second electrode 18 is formed, for example, of a transparent conductive film such as indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO), aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO), gallium-doped zinc oxide (GZO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or indium titanium oxide (ITiO).
[0079] The film thickness of the second electrode 18 is, for example, 50 nm to 1000 nm, and is preferably 100 nm to 500 nm. The second electrode 18 is formed, for example, by a vapor deposition method.
[0080] The sealing layer 19 is configured to include, for example, a protective layer formed of silicon nitride, silicon oxide, or a metal oxide, and a bonding layer formed of, for example, a thermosetting resin or an ultraviolet-curing resin.
[0081] The opposing substrate 21 is formed of a material such as glass that is transparent to light generated in the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, 10B.
[0082] The black matrix layer 20 has light-blocking properties, and is, for example, provided in opposition to each light emitting region of the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, 10B and has an opening. The surface shape (a surface shape parallel to the main surface of the opposing substrate 21) of the black matrix layer 20 is, for example, lattice-shaped.
[0083] The black matrix layer 20 can be provided on either of the light incident side (element side) and the light emission side of the opposing substrate 21, but is, for example, provided on the surface of the light incident side in the present embodiment. Figure 3
[0084] In the present embodiment, the auxiliary wiring 22 is provided between the substrate 11 and the black matrix layer 20 in the configuration described above. The auxiliary wiring 22 is provided in opposition to at least a portion of the black matrix layer 20. The width of the auxiliary wiring 22 is, for example, 3 μm to 50 μm, and the thickness is, for example, 0.1 μm to 3 μm. Here, the auxiliary wiring 22 is provided on the second electrode 18, and the planar shape thereof is schematically shown as lattice-shaped in the present embodiment. Specifically, the auxiliary wiring 22 formed in a lattice shape so as to surround each light emitting region of the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, 10B is formed in the entire region of the partition top surface portion 16a in the display region 11A. Note that, in the present embodiment, the relationship between the auxiliary wiring 22 and the entire region of the partition top surface portion 16a is clarified as a schematic view in which the EL material layer 17, the second electrode 18, the sealing layer 19, the opposing substrate 21, and the like are omitted. Figure 4 Figure 4
[0085] The auxiliary wiring 22 can be formed only in the desired portion by the manufacturing method of the EL display device described later as described above.
[0086] As the material constituting the auxiliary wiring 22, a material that can be transferred by the transfer step in the manufacturing method of the EL display device described later is used, such as a conductive ink containing a conductive material or the like. As the conductive ink, for example, a metal ink obtained by dispersing a nano-sized conductive particle of silver, aluminum, copper (Cu), or the like in a solvent can be cited. By using such a conductive material, high light-shielding performance can be obtained. As such a conductive ink, a nano silver ink obtained by dispersing a silver nano particle in a solvent is preferably used.
[0087] Specifically, an EL base material 1A having a drive circuit layer 13, a planarization film 14, a first electrode 15, a partition wall 16, an EL material layer 17, and a second electrode 18 is prepared on a substrate 11. The EL base material 1A is subjected to Figure 5 a manufacturing apparatus of an EL display device shown in FIG. 6, the auxiliary wiring 22 is formed on the second electrode 18 located at the upper portion of the partition wall 16. At this time, after the above metal ink is applied on the second electrode 18, firing is performed at a prescribed temperature, whereby the auxiliary wiring 22 is formed. For example, in the case where the above nano silver ink is used, firing is performed at a temperature of about 120°C or lower, which is lower than other methods, to neck down, thereby exhibiting the conductivity of the silver nano particle. Thus, even in the case where the temperature is restricted due to the heat resistance of the organic EL material, the auxiliary wiring 22 can be formed. Note that it is desirable that the formation of the auxiliary wiring 22 is performed in an environment where the moisture is small, such as in an air atmosphere, a nitrogen atmosphere, or the like. After the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, 10B, and the auxiliary wiring 22 are formed on the substrate 11, the opposing substrate 21 on which the black matrix layer 20 is formed is attached to the substrate 11 via the sealing layer 19. Further, the black matrix layer 20 can not be provided as long as the reflection light of the auxiliary wiring 22 is sufficiently suppressed by the optical characteristics of the sealing layer 19 and there is no problem on the product.
[0088] [Manufacturing apparatus of EL display device]
[0089] As Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, the manufacturing apparatus of the EL display device forming the auxiliary wiring 22 is provided with: a base 30; a stage 31 provided to the base 30; and a drum-shaped transfer medium (e.g., a roller) 32 disposed above the stage 31, having a cylindrical peripheral wall. Note that the transfer medium 32 is rotatable about the axis and is disposed horizontally with respect to the stage 31, in a state in which a conductive ink film a containing a conductive ink obtained by dispersing conductive particles in a solvent is held.
[0090] A guide surface 30a, which is flat and horizontal, is provided to the base 30, and a pair of arms 30b is provided to the upper portion of the base 30. A horizontal drive unit 33 is provided to the guide surface 30a of the base 30. The horizontal drive unit 33 is provided with a guide rail 33a in the X direction and a linear motor 33b that reciprocally moves a horizontal moving body 34 along the guide rail 33a.
[0091] A guide body 35 is fixed to one end portion of the horizontal moving body 34, and a plurality of stage drive portions 36 are provided to the guide body 35. The stage 31 guided by the guide body 35 is held to the stage drive portions 36 so as to be driven. The stage 31 is provided so that the upper surface is flat and horizontal, and the lower surface of the EL base material 1A is held to the upper surface. The holding mechanism that holds the stage surface of the stage 31 on which the EL base material 1A is placed is configured by independently adjusting the plurality of stage drive portions 36 so that the imaginary plane including the top surface portion 16a of the partition of the EL base material 1A becomes horizontal. Note that the horizontal drive unit 33 is configured to function as a horizontal moving mechanism that horizontally moves the EL base material 1A placed on the stage 31.
[0092] Further, a pair of arms 30b provided in the base 30 is provided with a transfer medium 32 supported by the pair of arms 30b and a transfer medium up-down driving unit 37 that up-down drives the slit die 41 (an example of a film forming nozzle) with respect to the transfer medium. Further, the transfer medium 32 is up-down driven by the transfer medium holding unit 37a provided in each arm 30b by control from the control unit 38. That is, the transfer medium up-down driving unit 37 independently adjusts the transfer medium support height of each arm 30b. Further, a distance measuring sensor 42 (for example, a laser displacement sensor that can non-contact measure) is embedded in the stage 31 to measure the distance of the gap between the transfer medium 32 and the stage 31. The control unit 38 acquires the measurement result of the distance measuring sensor 42 and drives each arm 30b by the transfer medium up-down driving unit 37 based on the acquired measurement result, thereby controlling the relative distance of the EL base material 1A and the transfer medium 32. Thus, the contact degree of the EL base material 1A held on the stage 31 of the horizontal moving body 34 and the transfer medium 32 can be adjusted. The control unit 38 has, for example, a semiconductor circuit such as a processor and a storage medium such as a semiconductor memory. The processor reads a control program stored in the storage medium and performs control according to the read control program.
[0093] Further, the transfer medium 32 is connected to a motor 32A that rotates the transfer medium 32 around the axis of the cylindrical peripheral wall, and the motor 32A functions as a rotation mechanism that rotates the transfer medium 32 around the axis by control from the control unit 38. Further, the rotation mechanism is controlled in synchronization with the horizontal movement mechanism to function as a transfer alignment mechanism. The synchronization is such that the moving speed of the EL base material 1A by the horizontal movement of the horizontal movement mechanism and the rotational moving speed of the outer peripheral surface (including the surface of the transfer region 32a) of the transfer medium 32 by the rotational movement around the axis by the rotation mechanism become the same speed.
[0094] Further, the slit die 41 is provided above the transfer medium 32. A supply process of supplying the conductive ink obtained by dispersing conductive particles in a solvent is performed by the slit die 41. In the supply process, the conductive ink is applied to the transfer region 32a on the transfer medium 32 having a cylindrical peripheral wall, thereby forming a conductive ink film a.
[0095] The conductive ink film a formed on the transfer region 32a of the transfer medium 32 by the coating is pressed to the EL base material 1A by the pressing mechanism, whereby, when the transfer medium 32 is brought into contact with the display region 11A of the EL base material 1A, contact is made over the entire region of the barrier top surface portion 16a in the partition region 11Ab on the uppermost side in the display region 11A. Thus, the conductive ink film a is transferred over the entire region of the barrier top surface portion 16a, thereby forming the auxiliary wiring 22.
[0096] The transfer is performed after the conductive ink is coated on the transfer region 32a, before the conductive ink is completely dried (for example, within 3 minutes). The transfer is performed before the conductive ink is completely dried, so that the transfer can be performed only at necessary portions with very light contact. That is, the transfer can be performed without applying strong pressure or high heat, so that adverse effects on the EL base material 1A can be avoided.
[0097] Note that the transfer medium 32 has the transfer region 32a in which the surface state is adjusted so that, when the conductive ink is supplied to the transfer medium 32 through the slit die 41, the minimum required amount of the conductive ink is formed as the uniform conductive ink film a. Further, the transfer medium 32 is formed of a member (for example, an elastomer material with high hardness) that has a small amount of deformation when pressed to the EL base material 1A, and is selected so that the amount of deformation when pressed at a prescribed pressure is equal to or less than a prescribed amount of deformation (for example, 10 μm).
[0098] Further, the configuration is such that the rotation of the transfer medium 32 is synchronized with the horizontal movement of the EL base material 1A by the transfer alignment mechanism, the conductive ink film a formed on the transfer region 32a is aligned in a state in which the display region 11A on the EL base material 1A is covered, in this state, the relative distance between the EL base material 1A placed on the placement table 31 and the transfer medium 32 is controlled by the pressing mechanism, and the degree of contact between the EL base material 1A and the transfer medium 32 is adjusted to a state suitable for the transfer of the conductive ink film a. That is, the pressing by the pressing mechanism in the EL element region 11Aa is controlled to a degree of contact that does not contact the conductive ink film a, and the conductive ink film a is accurately transferred only to the barrier top surface portion 16a that forms the partition region 11Ab. Further, the conductive ink film a thus transferred is transferred over the entire region of the barrier top surface portion 16a (all of the barrier top surface portions 16a present in the partition region 11Ab), so that the auxiliary wiring 22 formed by the conductive ink film a is as wide as possible and has high reliability. Thus, the formation of a thin and low-resistance wiring can be achieved.
[0099] Further, a positioning camera 39 is provided in front of the arm 30b provided at the upper portion of the base 30. The positioning camera 39 has its measurement surface provided in opposition to the upper surface of the horizontal moving body 34.
[0100] The positioning camera 39 is connected to an image processing section 40 for performing positioning of the EL base material 1A, and the image processing section 40 is connected to a control section 38. Further, the control section 38 is connected to a stage driving section 36 provided in the horizontal moving body 34, and the stage driving section 36 is caused to operate by a prescribed amount by issuing a command. Thus, the positioning camera 39 and the image processing section 40 function as part of a moving mechanism of the stage surface of the stage 31 on which the EL base material 1A is placed, to bring the position (X, Y, Θ) of the top surface portion 16a of the partition wall of the EL base material 1A within a control range. The stage driving section 36 is configured so that by independently controlling a plurality of stage driving sections 36, position holding is performed with high accuracy in the horizontal moving direction (X direction) of the horizontal moving body 34 in the base 30, the width direction (Y direction), and the rotation direction (Θ: the amount of angular displacement of the EL base material 1A with respect to the horizontal moving direction of the base 30).
[0101] [Method for manufacturing EL display device]
[0102] Next, the EL base material 1A is transported to the stage 31 by the transport mechanism 33, and the stage 31 is caused to move by the stage driving section 36 so that the EL base material 1A is positioned on the stage 31. Figure 6 A method for manufacturing an EL display device in which the auxiliary wiring 22 is formed on the EL base material 1A using the manufacturing apparatus for the EL display device will be described.
[0103] A supply process is performed in which the conductive ink obtained by dispersing conductive particles in a solvent is supplied to the transfer medium 32 on the transfer region 32a of the manufacturing apparatus for the EL display device, thereby forming a conductive ink film a. The supply process is performed by the slit die 41 that supplies the conductive ink by dropping it from a slit-shaped discharge port to the transfer medium 32. Specifically, the transfer medium 32 is rotated around the axis of the cylindrical peripheral wall while the conductive ink is supplied by dropping it from the slit die 41 to the transfer medium 32, and the conductive ink film a formed by pre-drying the conductive ink is conveyed toward the stage 31. In the pre-drying, either natural drying or heat drying can be used, but the conductive ink film a is adjusted to a thickness and hardness suitable for transfer. Further, the pre-drying can be continuously performed within the required time from the supply process to the transfer process, or the conductive ink film a can be temporarily left to stand and pre-dried after the supply process.
[0104] On the other hand, the EL base material 1A is placed on the placement table 31 of the manufacturing apparatus of the EL display device, wherein the EL base material 1A has the first electrode 15, the second electrode 18 provided to oppose the first electrode 15, the EL material layer 17 that emits light through the second electrode 18 in a state of being sandwiched by the first electrode 15 and the second electrode 18 in an electrically conductive manner, and the partition wall 16 that separates a plurality of adjacent EL material layers 17.
[0105] Before actually performing the transfer process of forming the auxiliary wiring 22, the relationship between the height of the upper surface of the EL base material 1A (including the height of the imaginary plane of the partition wall top surface portion 16a of the EL base material 1A) and the height of the transfer medium 32 is found. That is, the transfer medium 32 in a state where the conductive ink film a containing the conductive ink obtained by dispersing conductive particles in a solvent is held is pressed against the EL base material 1A placed on the upper surface of the placement table 31. The height of the transfer medium 32 is set in such a manner that the transfer region 32a on the transfer medium 32 at that time overlaps the display region 11A of the EL base material 1A, and in such a manner that the degree of contact of the EL base material 1A on the placement table 31 with the transfer medium 32 becomes appropriate. As for the height of the transfer medium 32, the degree of contact and the parallelism of the EL base material 1A with the transfer medium 32 are appropriately set by independently controlling the height of the transfer medium up-and-down driving portion 37 provided to the pair of arms 30b. That is, the control portion 38 measures the distance of the gap between the transfer medium 32 and the placement table 31 using the distance measurement sensor 42, and performs driving adjustment of the transfer medium up-and-down driving portion 37 until the EL base material 1A and the transfer medium 32 become the appropriate degree of contact at the height. In general, it is difficult to accurately adjust the interval of two drum-shaped objects. According to the method of the present embodiment, only one drum-shaped transfer medium 32 is used, and thus, compared to the case where two drum-shaped conveyance bodies are used and the EL base material 1A is sandwiched by the two conveyance bodies, accurate interval adjustment can be easily performed.
[0106] Next, the above control portion 38 horizontally moves the horizontal moving body 34 while maintaining the height at which the transfer medium 32 is press-bonded to the EL base material 1A, and rotates the transfer medium 32 around the axis of the cylindrical peripheral wall. Thereby, the transfer process of transferring the conductive ink film a formed on the transfer region 32a of the cylindrical peripheral wall to the partition wall top surface portion 16a of the EL base material 1A is performed. In general, position maintenance of a rotating body is difficult due to shaft wobble or the like. According to the method of the present embodiment, only one transfer medium 32 that is a rotating body is used, and thus, compared to the case where two rotating bodies are used and the EL base material 1A is sandwiched by the two rotating bodies, position maintenance can be easily performed.
[0107] The conductive ink film a is transferred from the transfer area 32a of the transfer medium 32 to the partition wall top face portion 16a of the isolation region 11Ab in the display region 11A of the EL base material 1A in the portion in contact with the EL base material 1A, and the other portions remain on the transfer medium 32. As a result, in the partition wall top face portion 16a, the conductive ink film a of the auxiliary wiring 22 electrically connected to the second electrode 18 is formed in the entire region of the partition wall top face portion 16a in the display region 11A.
[0108] [Other Embodiments]
[0109] In the above embodiment, the sealing layer 19 is provided directly on the opposing substrate 21 side of the auxiliary wiring 22, but a protective layer for the auxiliary wiring 22 can also be provided. With such a protective layer, the weather resistance of the auxiliary wiring 22 can be improved, deterioration can be suppressed, or the function as a reflection preventing film that suppresses reflection of light between layers and the like can be exerted. Furthermore, other known functional layers can also be provided between the substrate 11 and the opposing substrate 21.
[0110] The configuration of the pixel of the EL element 10 is as described above, and a configuration in which EL elements 10 of each color are arranged in equal sizes is illustrated, but instead, an organic EL element 10B of blue color, which has weak luminosity, can be made slightly larger, or the like, and can be provided in consideration of the ratio of the luminosity of each color, or a pixel of another color such as white can be combined as a sub-pixel. The configuration of such a pixel can employ various known configurations.
[0111] The present disclosure can be applied to electronic devices other than EL display devices, for example, and to electronic devices that have a substrate and a partition wall provided in a prescribed region on the substrate. The partition wall can be attached to the substrate or can be formed integrally with the substrate (for example, a convex portion of a substrate having a concavo-convex surface formed on the surface). In these examples, a functional material (for example, a conductive ink, an insulating material, a partition wall material, a light control material, or the like) can be selectively patterned only in the attached partition wall or the convex portion. The pattern can be freely designed, and thus the shape of the film formation surface of the functional material can be freely designed. Furthermore, a material having a different affinity from the surface of the base material can be applied to the surface of the base material without using a partition wall, and thus a pattern can be formed using the affinity and a functional material can be applied to the portion of the surface of the base material on which the material is applied or the portion of the surface of the base material on which the material is not applied.
[0112] In the above embodiment, the manufacturing device of the EL display device is configured so that the EL base material 1A is placed in contact with the placement surface 31a of the placement table 31 of the base 30 when the EL base material 1A is placed on the placement table 31 provided in the base 30, but the configuration of the placement table 31 is not limited thereto.
[0113] For example, as shown in FIG. 27, a substrate 11 can be provided with a partition wall 16 in a prescribed region, and a functional material 20 can be selectively applied to the partition wall 16 or the substrate 11.Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the mounting stage 31 may also be equipped with a buoyancy mechanism 43 that allows the EL substrate material 1A to float from the mounting surface 31a.
[0114] The buoyancy mechanism 43 includes: a gas injection section 43a disposed on the mounting surface 31a of the EL substrate material 1A; and a gas supply mechanism 43b that supplies gas, such as air, nitrogen or other inert gas, to the gas injection section 43a.
[0115] The gas injection section 43a can be configured as a slit, a porous structure, or multiple single-hole structures. For example... Figure 7 As shown, for example, when the gas injection section 43a is configured as a slit, the length of each slit is preferably about 200 mm to 900 mm, the width of each slit is preferably about 0.5 mm to 2 mm, the depth of each slit is preferably about 1 mm to 3 mm, and the interval between adjacent slits is preferably about 30 mm to 60 mm.
[0116] Preferably, the slit is configured to allow the entire surface of the EL substrate material 1A to float with a uniform upward displacement. Thus, the floated EL substrate material 1A can generate a uniform reaction force against the transfer pressure from the transfer medium 32.
[0117] like Figure 8 As shown, the gas supply mechanism 43b is configured to include a gas supply pipe 43d that communicates with a gas supply port 43c connected to the bottom of the gas injection section 43a. The gas supply port 43c and the gas supply pipe 43d are connected via a fitting section 43e. Gas from a blower (not shown) is supplied to the gas supply port 43c via the gas supply pipe 43d and the fitting section 43e, and the gas is injected from the gas injection section 43a.
[0118] Regarding the buoyancy mechanism 43, a gas with a jet pressure that can counteract the transfer pressure from the transfer medium 32 is injected into the gas jet section 43a. As a result, even during the transfer achieved by the transfer medium 32, the EL substrate material 1A that floats from the mounting surface 31a will not come into contact with the mounting surface 31a.
[0119] It should be noted that when the thickness of the EL substrate material 1A is approximately 0.5 mm to 0.7 mm, the upward displacement of the EL substrate material 1A from the mounting surface 31a of the mounting stage 31 is preferably approximately 10 μm to 300 μm, and more preferably within the range of 10 μm to 100 μm. By making the upward displacement less than 300 μm, the adiabatic expansion of the injected gas can be reduced. This suppresses the temperature drop around the gas injection section 43a and reduces the effects of deformation, condensation, gas pressure changes, and flow rate changes on the gas injection section 43a.
[0120] In the present embodiment, the EL base material 1A is floated by about 50 μm from the placement surface 31a before and after the transfer by the transfer medium 32, but in the transfer by the transfer medium 32, the EL base material 1A is pressed by the transfer medium 32 in a manner that the floating amount from the placement surface 31a is about 2 / 3 of 50 μm.
[0121] In the present embodiment, the EL base material 1A is placed in a floated state on the placement table 31 by the floating mechanism 43, and thus, the variation in the gap between the transfer medium 32 and the EL base material 1A absorbs the variation in the gap between the EL base material 1A and the placement table 31, and thus, the transfer can be performed in a state that the gap and the contact pressure between the transfer medium 32 and the EL base material 1A are stable.
[0122] Note that the placement table 31 is provided with a guide that abuts against the periphery of the EL base material 1A. By the guide, even if the EL base material 1A is in a floated state from the placement surface 31a, the placement surface 31a does not laterally shift in the horizontal direction.
[0123] In the present embodiment, the transfer medium 32 is also provided with a transfer region 32a in which the surface state of the transfer medium 32 is adjusted, so that when the conductive ink is supplied to the transfer medium 32 through the slit die 41, the minimum amount of the conductive ink required is formed as a uniform conductive ink film a.
[0124] The surface of the transfer region 32a of the transfer medium 32 is provided with a transfer resin that is formed of a member that has a small amount of deformation when being pressed against the EL base material 1A, and the amount of deformation when being pressed at a predetermined pressure is designed to be 2 μm or less, preferably 1 μm or less, per 100 μm in the thickness direction of the transfer resin.
[0125] Note that the transfer medium 32 has a flatness in which the amount of variation in the thickness direction per 100 mm in the surface direction of the resin material is 5 μm or less. Preferably, the transfer medium 32 is configured so that the allowable gap in the thickness direction of the resin material when being pressed against the EL base material 1A is in a range of 20 μm or less. The EL base material 1A is floated by air, and thus, the allowable value of the gap can be as large as 20 μm.
[0126] By controlling the pressing force between the transfer medium 32 and the EL base material 1A, even if the height of the partition top surface portion 16a of the EL base material 1A is about 1 μm to 3 μm, and the width of the auxiliary wiring 22 is about 3 μm to 50 μm, and the thickness is about 0.1 μm to 3 μm, the printing of the auxiliary wiring 22 can be performed.
[0127] At this time, even if the EL base material 1A is not excessively pressed, the pressing force between the transfer medium 32 and the EL base material 1A can be appropriately printed so that the auxiliary wiring 22 is printed only on the barrier top surface portion 16a of the EL base material 1A and is not printed on other portions of the EL base material 1A, using the reaction force from the gas supplied by the floating mechanism 43.
[0128] Note that, in this embodiment, the conductive ink film a is formed by applying the conductive ink through the slit die 41 to the transfer region 32a of the transfer medium 32 having a cylindrical peripheral wall.
[0129] In this embodiment, when the auxiliary wiring 22 is formed on the EL base material 1A on the second electrode 18, the metal ink is applied to the second electrode 18, and then the auxiliary wiring 22 is formed by performing firing at a predetermined temperature, for example, in the range of 70°C to 200°C.
[0130] For example, in the case where the above-described nano silver ink is used, the necking is performed by performing firing at a temperature of about 120°C or lower, which is lower than in other cases, so that the conductivity of the silver nano particles is exhibited. Thus, even in the case where the temperature is restricted due to the heat resistance of the organic EL material, the auxiliary wiring 22 can be formed.
[0131] In the above description, the case where the horizontal drive unit 33 is configured to function as a horizontal movement mechanism that moves the EL base material 1A placed on the placement table 31 horizontally has been described, but the configuration of the horizontal movement mechanism is not limited thereto. For example, the horizontal movement mechanism can be configured to move the transfer medium 32 horizontally, as long as it is configured to move at least one of the transfer medium 32 and the EL base material 1A placed on the placement table 31 horizontally in synchronization with the rotation of the transfer medium 32.
[0132] Note that, the configuration disclosed in the above-described embodiment (including other embodiments, the same applies hereafter) can be applied in combination with the configuration disclosed in other embodiments without causing contradiction, and the embodiments disclosed in this specification are examples, and the embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto, and can be appropriately changed within the scope of the object of the present application.
[0133] Industrial Applicability
[0134] The manufacturing method and manufacturing apparatus of the EL display device of the present application and the manufacturing method of the electronic device can be particularly advantageously used to provide a high-fineness EL display device.
[0135] Explanation of Reference Numerals:
[0136] 1: EL display device
[0137] 1A: EL base material
[0138] 11A: Display region
[0139] 11Aa: EL element region
[0140] 11Ab: Spacer region
[0141] 15: First electrode
[0142] 16: Partition
[0143] 16a: Partition top surface portion
[0144] 17: EL material layer
[0145] 18: Second electrode
[0146] 22: Auxiliary wiring
[0147] 30b: Arm
[0148] 31: Stage
[0149] 31a: Placement surface
[0150] 32: Transfer medium
[0151] 32a: Transfer region
[0152] 41: Slit die
[0153] 43: Floating mechanism
[0154] 43a: Gas injection portion
[0155] 43b: Gas injection mechanism
[0156] 43c: Gas injection port
[0157] 43d: Gas supply pipe
[0158] 43e: Fitting portion
[0159] a: Electrically conductive ink film
Claims
1. A method for manufacturing an EL display device, the EL display device comprising a first electrode, a second electrode disposed opposite to the first electrode, a plurality of EL material layers that emit light when clamped by the first electrode and the second electrode in a manner that enables them to conduct electricity, and partitions separating adjacent EL material layers among the plurality of EL material layers. The EL display device includes a display area, which includes: Multiple EL element regions, when viewed from the thickness direction of the multiple EL material layers, allow light from each of the multiple EL material layers to pass through the second electrode and be emitted; The isolation area is formed by separating adjacent EL element regions from the plurality of EL element regions through the partition wall, wherein, The partition wall protrudes beyond the plurality of EL element regions in the thickness direction. The top portion of the partition wall, which forms the protruding end of the partition wall, includes a part of the second electrode. In the manufacturing method of the EL display device: In the supply process, conductive ink, which is obtained by dispersing conductive particles in a solvent, is applied to the transfer area on a transfer medium with a cylindrical peripheral wall, thereby forming a conductive ink film. as well as In the transfer process, the transfer medium is rotated around the axis of the cylindrical peripheral wall, and the conductive ink formed on the transfer area of the cylindrical peripheral wall is pressed onto the display area and transferred to the top surface of the partition wall, thereby forming auxiliary wiring electrically connected to the second electrode on the top surface of the partition wall. The transfer process is performed while the EL display device is suspended from the mounting surface on which the EL display device is placed.
2. The method for manufacturing an EL display device according to claim 1, wherein, In the transfer process, the conductive ink film is formed over the entire area of the top surface of the partition wall in the display area.
3. The method for manufacturing an EL display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, The EL material layer is formed of organic EL material.
4. The method for manufacturing an EL display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, In the EL element region, the second electrode has a first surface opposite to the plurality of EL material layers and a second surface opposite to the first surface. In the isolation region, the second electrode has a third surface opposite to the partition wall and a fourth surface opposite to the third surface. In at least a portion of the EL element region, the height of the fourth surface relative to the second surface is less than 10 μm.
5. The method for manufacturing an EL display device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein, At least a portion of the top surface of the partition wall in the isolation area has a width of less than 20 μm.
6. An apparatus for manufacturing an EL display device, comprising: A stage for placing an EL substrate material, the EL substrate material having a first electrode, a second electrode disposed opposite to the first electrode, multiple EL material layers that allow light to pass through the second electrode and be emitted when held by the first electrode and the second electrode in an energized manner, and a partition wall that separates and protrudes from adjacent EL material layers among the multiple EL material layers. The transfer medium, in a state where it is in a conductive ink film containing conductive ink in which conductive particles are dispersed in a solvent, is horizontally mounted above the mounting stage and is rotatable about an axis and movable relative to the mounting stage. The pressing mechanism controls the relative distance between the EL substrate material and the transfer medium placed on the mounting stage, and adjusts the contact degree between the EL substrate material and the transfer medium on the mounting stage. A holding mechanism that holds the mounting surface of the mounting stage on which the EL substrate material is mounted, such that the EL substrate material on the mounting stage is horizontal; and The transfer alignment mechanism includes a rotation mechanism and a horizontal movement mechanism. The rotation mechanism rotates the transfer medium about an axis, and the horizontal movement mechanism moves horizontally relative to at least one of the transfer medium and the EL substrate material placed on the mounting stage, synchronously with the rotation of the transfer medium. The mounting platform has a buoyancy mechanism that causes the EL matrix material to float from the mounting surface.
7. The manufacturing apparatus for an EL display device according to claim 6, wherein, The pressing mechanism has a pair of arms that support the transfer medium crossbeam. The pressing mechanism independently controls the transfer medium support height of each arm and controls the relative distance between the EL substrate material and the transfer medium.
8. The manufacturing apparatus for an EL display device according to claim 6 or 7, comprising: A film-forming nozzle supplies conductive ink to the transfer medium, thereby forming a conductive ink film.
9. The manufacturing apparatus for an EL display device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein, The pressing mechanism is configured to control the relative distance between the transfer medium and the EL substrate material placed on the mounting stage in a floating state via the levitation mechanism, and to adjust the contact degree between the transfer medium and the EL substrate material. The horizontal moving mechanism is configured to move horizontally relative to at least one of the transfer medium and the EL substrate material placed on the mounting stage in a state of floating by the levitation mechanism, in sync with the rotation of the transfer medium.
10. A method for manufacturing an electronic device, the electronic device comprising a substrate and a partition wall disposed in a predetermined area on the substrate, wherein, The partition wall protrudes in the thickness direction of the substrate and has a top portion of the partition wall as a protruding end. The following steps are performed in the manufacturing method of the electronic device: In the supply process, conductive ink, which is obtained by dispersing conductive particles in a solvent, is applied to the transfer area on a transfer medium with a cylindrical peripheral wall, thereby forming a conductive ink film. as well as In the transfer process, the transfer medium is rotated around the axis of the cylindrical peripheral wall, and the conductive ink formed on the transfer area of the cylindrical peripheral wall is pressed by a film onto the area and transferred to the top surface of the partition wall, thereby forming wiring on the top surface of the partition wall. The transfer process is performed while the substrate is lifted from the mounting surface on which the substrate is placed.
Citation Information
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