Light-emitting devices, display devices, photoelectric converters, electronic devices, lighting devices, mobile devices and wearable devices

Abstract

This technology provides advantages in improving the display quality of light-emitting devices. [Solution] A light-emitting device including a first pixel and a second pixel, wherein each of the first and second pixels includes a microlens disposed on the main surface of a substrate and a light-emitting element disposed between the main surface and the microlens, the light-emitting element includes a light-emitting layer, the luminance distribution of the light-emitting region of the light-emitting layer of the first pixel and the luminance distribution of the light-emitting region of the light-emitting layer of the second pixel are different from each other, and in each of the first and second pixels, the microlens is positioned such that when light is incident from the direction normal to the main surface through the microlens toward the light-emitting layer, the area of ​​the incident region where the light beam that has passed through the entire microlens is incident is greater than the area of ​​the light-emitting region on a plane parallel to the main surface that includes the upper surface of the light-emitting layer.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to light-emitting devices, display devices, photoelectric conversion devices, electronic devices, lighting devices, mobile devices, and wearable devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Light-emitting devices equipped with light-emitting elements such as organic electroluminescent (EL) elements are known. Patent Document 1 shows an electro-optical device equipped with microlenses on top of the light-emitting element in order to improve the light extraction efficiency. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-080507 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0004] If there is variation in the brightness distribution within the light-emitting region of each light-emitting element, the intensity of the light extracted by the microlens may vary between the light-emitting elements due to the variation in brightness distribution.

[0005] This disclosure aims to provide technology that is advantageous for improving the display quality of light-emitting devices. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In view of the above problems, the light-emitting device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is a light-emitting device including a first pixel and a second pixel, wherein each of the first pixel and the second pixel includes a microlens disposed on the main surface of a substrate and a light-emitting element disposed between the main surface and the microlens, the light-emitting element includes a light-emitting layer, the luminance distribution of the light-emitting region of the light-emitting layer of the first pixel and the luminance distribution of the light-emitting region of the light-emitting layer of the second pixel are different from each other, and in each of the first pixel and the second pixel, the microlens is positioned such that when light is incident from the direction normal to the main surface through the microlens toward the light-emitting layer, the area of ​​the incident region where the light beam that has passed through the entire microlens is incident is greater than the area of ​​the light-emitting region on a plane parallel to the main surface that includes the upper surface of the light-emitting layer. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] This disclosure provides a technology that is advantageous for improving the display quality of light-emitting devices. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] A cross-sectional view showing an example configuration of the light-emitting device of this embodiment. [Figure 2] This diagram illustrates the light emitted from the pixels of the light-emitting device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 3] This diagram illustrates the light incident on the pixels of the light-emitting device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 4] Figure 1 shows an example of the optical path of light passing through the microlenses of the light-emitting device. [Figure 5] Figure 1 shows an example of the optical path of light passing through the microlenses of the light-emitting device. [Figure 6] A diagram illustrating the light-emitting device of the comparative example. [Figure 7] A diagram illustrating the effect of the light-emitting device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 8] This figure illustrates the evaluation of the light emission intensity distribution of the light-emitting device shown in Figure 1. [Figure 9]A diagram showing an example of the optical path of light passing through the microlens of the light-emitting device in FIG. 1. [Figure 10] An orthographic projection view and a cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the light-emitting device in FIG. 1. [Figure 11] A cross-sectional view showing a modified example of the light-emitting device in FIG. 1. [Figure 12] A cross-sectional view showing an example of the pixel configuration of the light-emitting device of this embodiment. [Figure 13] A diagram showing an example of an image forming apparatus using the light-emitting device of this embodiment. [Figure 14] A diagram showing an example of a display device using the light-emitting device of this embodiment. [Figure 15] A diagram showing an example of a photoelectric conversion device using the light-emitting device of this embodiment. [Figure 16] A diagram showing an example of an electronic device using the light-emitting device of this embodiment. [Figure 17] A diagram showing an example of a display device using the light-emitting device of this embodiment. [Figure 18] A diagram showing an example of a lighting device using the light-emitting device of this embodiment. [Figure 19] A diagram showing an example of a moving body using the light-emitting device of this embodiment. [Figure 20] A diagram showing an example of a wearable device using the light-emitting device of this embodiment.

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these plurality of features are essential for the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Further, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0010] An embodiment of the light-emitting device according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to Figures 1 to 11. Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an example configuration of the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment. The light-emitting device 100 comprises a plurality of pixels 110. Although two pixels 110 are shown in Figure 1, in reality, more pixels 110 may be arranged. For example, the pixels 110 may be arranged in a matrix. The pixels 110 are formed on a substrate 101.

[0011] The pixel 110 includes a microlens 107 disposed on the main surface 109 of the substrate 101, and a light-emitting element 120 disposed between the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 and the microlens 107. The light-emitting element 120 may include a lower electrode 102 disposed between the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 and the microlens 107, an upper electrode 104 disposed between the lower electrode 102 and the microlens 107, and an organic compound layer 103 including a light-emitting layer 131 disposed between the lower electrode 102 and the upper electrode 104.

[0012] The light-emitting device 100 may further include a structure 108 disposed between the substrate 101 and the lower electrode 102. The structure 108 may include wiring patterns for electrically connecting elements such as transistors disposed on the substrate 101 to the lower electrode 102. In the configuration shown in Figure 1, the lower electrode 102 is divided and arranged for each pixel 110 (light-emitting element 120), and the light-emitting device 100 further includes an insulating layer 105 having an opening 132 that exposes a part of each lower electrode 102 to the organic compound layer 103. Also in the configuration shown in Figure 1, the upper electrode 104 is shared by a plurality of pixels 110 (light-emitting elements 120), and the light-emitting device 100 further includes a protective layer 106 disposed between the upper electrode 104 and the microlens 107.

[0013] The light-emitting layer 131 emits light due to the potential difference applied between the lower electrode 102 and the upper electrode 104. The lower electrode 102 and the organic compound layer 103 are in contact at an opening 132 provided in the insulating layer 105, and the portion of the light-emitting layer 131 arranged in the organic compound layer 103 that corresponds to the opening 132 in the insulating layer 105 becomes the light-emitting region 130. In the orthogonal projection onto the main surface 109 of the substrate 101, the position of the opening 132 in the insulating layer 105 and the position of the light-emitting region 130 in the light-emitting layer 131 coincide. The microlens 107 may have a curved portion in each pixel 110 that corresponds to the light-emitting region 130 of the light-emitting element 120, and is provided on the protective layer 106.

[0014] The substrate 101 is not particularly limited as long as it can support each element constituting the light-emitting device 100 described above. For example, glass, plastic, silicon, etc., can be used as the material for the substrate 101. Switching elements such as transistors, wiring patterns, and interlayer insulating films may be arranged on the substrate 101 and on the substrate 101 (within the structure 108).

[0015] The lower electrode 102 may be transparent or opaque to the light emitted by the light-emitting layer 131. If the lower electrode 102 is a reflective layer (opaque), a material such as a metal with a reflectivity of 70% or more at the emission wavelength of the light-emitting layer 131 may be used as the lower electrode 102. Here, the emission wavelength refers to the spectral range of the light emitted from the light-emitting layer 131. For example, the material of the lower electrode 102 may be a metal such as aluminum or silver, or an alloy of these materials with silicon, copper, nickel, neodymium, etc. If the reflectivity of the lower electrode 102 is higher than a predetermined (desired) reflectivity, the lower electrode 102 may have a laminated structure with a barrier electrode made of a metal such as titanium, tungsten, molybdenum, or gold, or an alloy thereof, in addition to the above-mentioned materials. Alternatively, for example, the lower electrode 102 may have a laminated structure with a transparent conductive oxide such as ITO, IZO, AZO, or IGZO.

[0016] On the other hand, if the lower electrode 102 is not used as a reflective layer, a transparent conductive oxide may be used as the material for the lower electrode 102. Examples of transparent conductive oxides include ITO, IZO, AZO, and IGZO. When the lower electrode 102 is transparent, a reflective layer may be provided below the lower electrode 102 (on the substrate 101 side). In addition, a configuration in which an insulating film is provided between the transparent lower electrode 102 and the reflective layer may be adopted in order to obtain a predetermined optical distance. The thickness of the transparent lower electrode 102 and the thickness of the insulating film disposed between the lower electrode 102 and the reflective layer can be set according to the color emitted by each pixel 110 (light-emitting element 120).

[0017] The upper electrode 104 is translucent. The material of the upper electrode 104 may be a semi-transparent material that transmits some of the light reaching the surface of the upper electrode 104 and reflects other parts (i.e., semi-transparent reflectivity). For example, a transparent material such as the transparent conductive oxide described above may be used as the material of the upper electrode 104. Alternatively, a semi-transparent material such as aluminum, silver, gold, alkali metals (lithium, cesium, etc.), alkaline earth metals (magnesium, calcium, barium, etc.), or alloy materials containing these metal materials may be used as the material of the upper electrode 104.

[0018] When a semi-transparent material is used as the material for the upper electrode 104, an alloy mainly composed of magnesium or silver may be used. If the upper electrode 104 has an appropriate transmittance, it may have a laminated structure of multiple layers made of the above-mentioned materials. In the configuration shown in Figure 1, one upper electrode 104 is shared by multiple light-emitting elements 120, but multiple upper electrodes 104 may be provided corresponding to each light-emitting element 120.

[0019] One of the lower electrode 102 and the upper electrode 104 functions as the anode, and the other functions as the cathode. For example, the lower electrode 102 may function as the anode and the upper electrode 104 may function as the cathode. Alternatively, the lower electrode 102 may function as the cathode and the upper electrode 104 may function as the anode.

[0020] The lower electrode 102, the upper electrode 104, and the organic compound layer 103 can be formed using known techniques such as sputtering, vapor deposition, or spin coating. The lower electrode 102 and the upper electrode 104 may be composed of multiple layers. In addition, the organic compound layer 103 may include at least one of the following in addition to the light-emitting layer 131: a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron blocking layer, another hole blocking layer, an electron transport layer, or an electron injection layer.

[0021] Light is emitted when holes injected from the anode and electrons injected from the cathode recombine in the light-emitting layer 131. The light-emitting layer 131 may be a single layer or composed of multiple layers. By combining a light-emitting layer made of a red light-emitting material, a light-emitting layer made of a green light-emitting material, and a light-emitting layer made of a blue light-emitting material, the light from each light-emitting layer (red light, green light, and blue light) mixes to produce white light. Two types of light-emitting layers whose emitted colors are complementary to each other (for example, a light-emitting layer made of a blue light-emitting material and a light-emitting layer made of a yellow light-emitting material) may also be combined. The materials and composition of the light-emitting layer 131 may be made different for each pixel 110 (light-emitting element 120) so that the light-emitting layer 131 emits light of a different color for each pixel 110 (light-emitting element 120). In that case, the light-emitting layer 131 may be patterned for each pixel 110 (light-emitting element 120).

[0022] The light-emitting device 100 according to this embodiment may have a first reflective surface, a second reflective surface, and a light-emitting layer 131 disposed between the first reflective surface and the second reflective surface. The first reflective surface may be the lower electrode 102, a reflective layer disposed between the substrate 101 and the transparent lower electrode 102, or a reflective layer disposed between the lower electrode 102 and the light-emitting layer 131. The second reflective surface may be the upper electrode 104, or a semi-transparent reflective layer disposed between the upper electrode 104 and the microlens.

[0023] The protective layer 106 may be a dielectric layer containing an inorganic material that is light-transmitting and has low permeability, allowing oxygen and moisture to pass from the outside of the light-emitting device 100 to the light-emitting element 120. For example, the protective layer 106 can be formed using silicon oxide-based materials such as silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and silicon oxide, or inorganic materials such as aluminum oxide and titanium oxide. From the standpoint of protective performance, inorganic materials such as silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and aluminum oxide may be used. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD), atomic layer deposition (ALD), sputtering, etc., can be used to form the protective layer 106.

[0024] The protective layer 106 may be a single layer or a laminated structure combining the materials and formation methods described above, provided it has sufficient moisture-blocking performance. For example, the protective layer 106 may have a laminated structure of a silicon nitride layer using the CVD method and another high-density material layer using the ALD method. Furthermore, the protective layer 106 may have an organic layer such as a resin, provided it has appropriate moisture-blocking performance. For example, polyacrylate, polyimide, polyester, epoxy, etc., may be used for the protective layer 106. In addition, although multiple light-emitting elements 120 share one protective layer 106 in the configuration shown in Figure 1, multiple protective layers 106 may be provided to correspond to each of the multiple light-emitting elements 120.

[0025] The microlens 107 can be formed using an exposure and development process. Specifically, a material film (photoresist film) of the microlens 107 is formed, and the photoresist film is exposed and developed using a mask with continuous tonal changes. A gray mask can be used as such a mask. Alternatively, an area-based tonal mask can be used as the mask, which enables light irradiation with continuous tonal changes on the imaging plane by changing the density distribution of dots made of a light-shielding film with a resolution lower than or equal to that of the exposure device.

[0026] Furthermore, the lens shape can be adjusted by performing etch-back on the microlens 107 formed using the exposure and development process. The microlens 107 only needs to have a curved surface that has the power to collect light from the light-emitting region 130, and the curved surface may be part of a sphere or an aspherical surface. Specifically, in this embodiment, when the curved portion of the microlens 107 protrudes towards the light extraction side and the light is extracted into a layer with a lower refractive index than the microlens 107, such as air (for example, an air layer), the curved portion only needs to be an upwardly convex curved surface.

[0027] In the example shown in Figure 1, the layer in contact with the microlens 107 on the light extraction side is air, but it is sufficient that the refractive index n0 of the layer is smaller than the refractive index n1 of the microlens 107. For example, a transparent resin may be placed on top of the microlens 107.

[0028] In the configuration shown in Figure 1, the microlens 107 is provided directly on the protective layer 106. However, the configuration is not limited to this, and a planarization layer may be provided between the protective layer 106 and the microlens 107 for the purpose of flattening the unevenness of the upper surface of the protective layer 106. In addition, a color filter or light absorption layer may be provided for the purpose of improving color purity and viewing angle characteristics. The color filter or light absorption layer may be placed between the protective layer 106 and the microlens 107, or on top of the microlens 107. Furthermore, for example, the color filter and the protective layer 106 may be integrated, or the microlens 107 and the color filter may be integrated. Moreover, for example, the color filter may be formed on a substrate separate from the substrate 101 and bonded to the protective layer 106 facing it. In addition, the protective layer 106 and the microlens 107 may be formed as a single unit. By integrating the protective layer 106 and the microlens 107, the curved portion of the microlens 107 can be precisely aligned with the light-emitting region 130. Furthermore, the distance between the microlens 107 and the light-emitting region 130 can be reduced, improving the field of view characteristics.

[0029] As described above, the pixel 110 comprises a light-emitting element 120 and a microlens 107, and the light-emitting element 120 comprises a light-emitting layer 131 (light-emitting region 130) disposed between the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 and the microlens 107. The microlens 107 has a curved portion that protrudes away from the main surface 109 of the substrate 101, that is, towards the light emission side. The light-emitting region 130 is the upper surface of the light-emitting layer 131 that corresponds to the upper part of the opening 132 of the insulating layer 105. Hereafter, the direction perpendicular to the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 will be described as the "normal direction," and the direction parallel to the substrate will be described as the "horizontal direction."

[0030] Here, assuming the normal direction to the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 is 0°, the light ray that is opposite in direction to the light ray emitted from the light-emitting region 130 through the microlens 107 at any angle is called "incident light." The optical path of the incident light is the optical path that follows in the opposite direction to the light-emitting direction. Also, when light parallel to the normal direction of the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 passes through the microlens 107 and is incident toward the light-emitting layer 131, the light beam that has passed through the entire microlens 107 is focused by the power of the microlens 107. The region in which this light beam is incident on a plane including the upper surface of the light-emitting layer 131 (light-emitting region 130) is called the "incident region" 133. The incident light and the incident region 133 will be explained using Figures 2 and 3.

[0031] Figure 2 shows a cross-sectional view perpendicular to the main surface 109 of the substrate 101, passing through the vertex of the curved portion of the microlens 107. Figure 2 shows how the light rays extracted from the edge of the light-emitting region 130 are emitted in the normal direction, perpendicular to the main surface 109 of the substrate 101, after passing through the microlens 107 from the light-emitting region 130. In contrast to the direction of light shown in Figure 2, Figure 3 shows incident light that follows the direction of the light rays emitted from the light-emitting region 130 shown in Figure 2, but only the incident light passing through the edge of the microlens 107 is shown in Figure 3. The incident region 133 is the region in which the light beam that has passed through the entire microlens 107 from the normal direction is incident on a plane including the upper surface of the light-emitting layer 131 (light-emitting region 130), as described above. In Figures 2 and 3, only the light-emitting region 130 and the microlens 107 are shown for the sake of clarity. The same applies to Figures 4 to 7 below.

[0032] Next, the relationship between the light-emitting region 130 and the incident region 133 will be explained using Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 shows the case where the entire outer edge of the incident region 133 is inward from the outer edge of the light-emitting region 130, and the area of ​​the incident region 133 is smaller than the area of ​​the light-emitting region 130. Incident light passing through the edge of the microlens 107 is incident inward from the edge of the light-emitting region 130 in a plane that includes the upper surface of the light-emitting layer 131 (light-emitting region 130). Therefore, light emitted from the edge of the light-emitting region 130 and passing through the end of the microlens 107 closest to that edge of the light-emitting region 130 will be refracted by the power of the microlens 107 and emitted in the direction of focus.

[0033] On the other hand, Figure 5 shows the case where the entire outer edge of the light-emitting region 130 is inward from the outer edge of the incident region 133, and the area of ​​the incident region 133 is larger than the area of ​​the light-emitting region 130. Here, when light is incident from the normal direction of the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 through the microlens 107 toward the light-emitting layer 131, let S1 be the area of ​​the incident region 133 to which the light beam that has passed through the entire microlens 107 is incident. Let S2 be the area of ​​the light-emitting region 130. In this case, at each pixel 110, the microlens 107 is positioned so that the area S1 of the incident region 133 is larger than the area S2 of the light-emitting region 130. Here, the incident region 133 refers to the region to which light is incident on a plane parallel to the main surface 109 of the substrate 101, including the upper surface of the light-emitting layer 131. Therefore, incident light passing through the edge of the microlens 107 is incident outside the edge of the light-emitting region 130 in a plane that includes the upper surface of the light-emitting layer 131 (light-emitting region 130). Consequently, light emitted from the edge of the light-emitting region 130 and passing through the end of the microlens 107 closest to that edge of the light-emitting region 130 is refracted by the power of the microlens 107 and emitted as divergent light. Divergent light is light that, after being emitted from the microlens 107, is not focused on the microlens 107 as shown in Figure 5, but travels outward from the area where the microlens 107 is projected in the direction normal to the main surface 109 of the substrate 101.

[0034] Next, the area of ​​the incident region 133 and the area of ​​the light-emitting region 130 will be specifically explained using Figure 9. The upper surface of the microlens 107 has a convex curved surface 201 that moves away from the main surface 109 of the substrate 101. The vertex 202 of the curved surface 201 is the part of the curved surface 201 that constitutes the upper surface of the microlens 107 that is furthest from the main surface 109 of the substrate 101. The end 203 of the curved surface 201 can be the set of points on the curved surface 201 where the inclination angle θ is largest. For example, even if the curved surface 201 extends to the right of the end 203 at an angle smaller than the inclination angle θ at the end 203, it will not be considered an effective lens surface of the light-emitting element 120. This is because that lens surface will not produce the light-gathering effect of an ideal lens. Figure 9 shows a cross-section in the direction normal to the main surface 109 of the substrate 101, passing through the vertex 202 of the curved surface 201 that constitutes the upper surface of the microlens 107.

[0035] As shown in Figure 9, the height difference between the vertex 202 and the edge 203 in the normal direction of the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 is h [μm] (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "distance h"). The distance between the vertex 202 and the edge 203 in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface of the substrate 101 is r [μm] (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "distance r"). The height difference between the edge 203 and the light-emitting region 130 in the normal direction of the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 is H [μm] (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "distance H"). The distance from the center of the light-emitting region 130 to the edge of the light-emitting region 130 is a [μm] (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "distance a").

[0036] At the end 203 of the curved surface 201, the inclination angle θ of the microlens 107 is the largest on the curved surface 201. If the curved surface 201 is a sphere, the inclination angle θ at the end 203 can be expressed using distances h and r as sinθ = 2rh / (r 2 +h 2) is given. Consider a light ray that is refracted at a point with an inclination angle θ of the curved surface 201 and is extracted in the normal direction of the main surface 109 of the substrate 101. The incident angle α on the curved surface 201 is given by Snell's law as n1·sinα = n0·sinθ, using the refractive index n0 of the layer on the light extraction side of the light on the curved surface 201 and the refractive index n1 of the layer on the light emitting region 130 side on the curved surface 201 (in this configuration example, the microlens 107). Also, the angle β1 of this light ray with respect to the normal direction inside the layer on the light emitting region 130 side on the curved surface 201 (in this configuration example, the microlens 107) is given by β1 = |θ - α|.

[0037] Assuming that the distance that the light ray traveling from the light emitting region 130 toward the end 203 of the curved surface 201 at an angle β (the light ray extracted in the normal direction) travels in the horizontal direction of the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 is L, the area of the incident region 133 is π(r - L) 2 is given, and the area of the light emitting region 130 is πa 2 is given.

[0038] The distance L is given by calculating the angle of the light ray in each layer of the protective layer 106 in consideration of the refraction at the interface of each layer provided from the light emitting region 130 to the microlens 107. Specifically, when including the microlens 107 and having N layers (in the case of the example in FIG. 9, 3 layers), taking the microlens 107 as the first layer, and setting the refractive index of the i-th layer in the stacking order from there as n i then the light ray angle βi in the i-th layer is given by the following equation (1). n i ·sinβi = n1·sinβ1 ··· (1)

[0039] The distance Li that the light ray travels in a direction parallel to the main surface of the substrate in each layer is given by Li = H i ·tanβi. The distance L is given by adding up the distances Li of each layer from i = 1 to i = N and is given by the following equation (2). Here, H i is the height of the i-th layer with respect to the normal direction of the main surface 109 of the substrate 101. That is, when there are N layers, H = H1 + H2 + H3 + ··· + H N is. L=H1·tanβ1+ H2·tanβ2+···+H N ·tanβ N ... (2)

[0040] From the above, the condition that the area of ​​the incident region 133 is larger than the area of ​​the light-emitting region 130 is πa 2 <π(rL) 2 It can be interpreted as such.

[0041] The refractive index of the materials constituting each of the above layers can be evaluated, for example, by using a measurement method such as spectroscopic ellipsometry on a sample in which the materials have been deposited on a Si wafer. The refractive index may be, for example, the refractive index measured at a wavelength of 500 nm.

[0042] In this embodiment, the pixels 110 arranged in the light-emitting device 100 have a configuration in which the area of ​​the incident region 133 is larger than the area of ​​the light-emitting region 130. This makes it possible to provide a light-emitting device 100 with high display quality in which variations in luminous intensity in the front direction of the pixels 110 (normal direction of the main surface 109 of the substrate 101) are suppressed. The reasons for this will be explained below.

[0043] Figures 6(a) and 6(b) show the configuration of a comparative example in which the area of ​​the incident region 133 in pixel 110 is smaller than the area of ​​the light-emitting region 130. Figures 6(a) and 6(b) show the configurations of different pixels 110a and 110b, respectively. The upper part of Figures 6(a) and 6(b) shows the cross-sections of pixels 110a and 110b, and the lower part shows the cross-sectional profile of the brightness of the light-emitting element 120 (light-emitting region 130) before it reaches the microlens 107. As shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), it can be seen that the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 that emits light in the light-emitting layer 131 of pixel 110a and the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 that emits light in the light-emitting layer 131 of pixel 110b are different from each other.

[0044] The light-emitting device 100 is current-driven, meaning it uses a drive method that causes a specified amount of current to flow through the light-emitting element 120. Let's consider the case where the same amount of current flows through the light-emitting element 120. Therefore, although the brightness distribution of pixels 110a and 110b is different, the total amount of light emitted from the light-emitting region 130 is considered to be approximately the same.

[0045] As shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), the area of ​​the incident region 133 is smaller than the area of ​​the light-emitting region 130. In this case, if the incident region 133 corresponds to a low-brightness area, as in pixel 110a shown in Figure 6(a), the light from the low-brightness area is extracted via the microlens 107 in the direction of the front of the light-emitting device 100 (normal to the main surface 109 of the substrate 101). As a result, the luminosity in the front direction after passing through the microlens 107 becomes low. On the other hand, if the incident region 133 corresponds to a high-brightness area, as in pixel 110b shown in Figure 6(b), the light from the high-brightness area is extracted via the microlens 107 in the direction of the front of the light-emitting device 100. As a result, the luminosity in the front direction after passing through the microlens 107 becomes high. In other words, even if the same current is passed through the light-emitting elements 120 of each pixel 110a and 110b to achieve a uniform display, different amounts of light are extracted in the front direction by each pixel 110, resulting in an uneven display.

[0046] Figures 7(a) and 7(b) show the configuration of this embodiment in which the area of ​​the incident region 133 in the pixel 110 is larger than the area of ​​the light-emitting region 130. Similar to the case shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 that emits light in the light-emitting layer 131 of the pixel 110a and the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 that emits light in the light-emitting layer 131 of the pixel 110b are different from each other. Also, as described above, consider the case in which the same amount of current flows through the light-emitting element 120.

[0047] As shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), the area of ​​the incident region 133 is larger than the area of ​​the light-emitting region 130. In this case, even if the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 differs between pixels 110a and 110b, light emitted from a large area of ​​the light-emitting region 130 can be extracted in the direction of the front of the light-emitting device 100 (normal to the main surface 109 of the substrate 101). As shown in Figure 5, the entire outer edge of the light-emitting region 130 may be located inside the outer edge of the incident region 133. This allows light to be extracted from the entire light-emitting region 130 in the direction of the front via the microlens 107. Therefore, if the amount of current flowing through the light-emitting element 120 of each pixel 110a and 110b is the same, the luminous intensity in the direction of the front after passing through the microlens 107 tends to be approximately the same between pixels 110. This makes it possible to achieve a highly uniform display in the light-emitting device 100. As a result, it is possible to improve the display quality of the light-emitting device 100.

[0048] The configuration of this embodiment shown in Figures 5, 7(a), and 7(b) can also be described as a pixel 110 configured such that light emitted from the edge of the light-emitting region 130 and passing through the end of the microlens 107 closest to that edge of the light-emitting region 130 is emitted as divergent light due to the power of the microlens 107. In this case, in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface 109 of the substrate 101, the entire outer edge of the light-emitting region 130 may be positioned inward from the outer edge of the microlens 107.

[0049] Here, a method for evaluating the luminance distribution of the light-emitting region 130 will be explained using Figure 8. As shown in Figure 8, the microlens 107 is removed from the light-emitting device 100 shown in Figure 1, the same current is passed through each light-emitting element 120 to cause it to emit light, and a photograph is taken from above using a microscope. In this case, the magnification of the microscope is set so that the light emission distribution of each light-emitting element 120 can be seen. For example, a photograph may be taken using an objective lens of about 150x. Using such an evaluation system, the luminance of the photographs obtained by changing the luminance of light-emitting elements 120 with known luminance can be correlated with the luminance, and the luminance distribution before reaching the microlens can be calculated from the luminance of the photographs. Alternatively, the luminance distribution can be evaluated using an evaluation device such as an image colorimeter that has an integrated objective lens and luminance meter.

[0050] Here, a difference in the brightness distribution of pixels 110 means that, as shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b) above, the position of the highest brightness and the position of the lowest brightness in the light-emitting region 130 are different. For example, a coordinate system is defined when multiple pixels 110 are arranged in a matrix. The X direction (e.g., row direction) and the Y direction (e.g., column direction) intersecting (orthogonal to) the X direction can be determined as appropriate. The following explanation assumes that we are determining whether the brightness distribution of pixels 110a and 110b are different among multiple pixels 110. Pixels 110a and 110b may be the closest pixels among the multiple pixels 110 that emit light of the same color. This makes it possible to achieve a display with high uniformity in a continuous (proximity) region. However, it is not limited to this. For example, pixels 110a and 110b may be adjacent pixels among a plurality of pixels 110, or one or more pixels 110 may be placed between pixels 110a and 110b.

[0051] For example, a coordinate system is defined where the direction from the pixel 110a to the pixel 110b being compared is the X direction, the direction intersecting the X direction is the Y direction, and the origin (0,0) is the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region 130 in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 for each of the pixels 110a and 110b. If the coordinate positions of the position where the brightness is maximum in the light-emitting region 130 of pixel 110a and the position where the brightness is maximum in the light-emitting region 130 of pixel 110b are different, it may be determined that the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 of pixel 110a and the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 of pixel 110b are different. For example, the luminance distribution of the light-emitting region 130 of pixel 110a and the luminance distribution of the light-emitting region 130 of pixel 110b are different (hereinafter, this may be referred to as "the luminance distributions of pixel 110a and pixel 110b are different"), which may mean that, in the coordinate system, the position in the light-emitting region 130 of pixel 110a where the luminance is maximum and the position in the light-emitting region 130 of pixel 110b where the luminance is maximum are separated by 0.2 μm or more. Furthermore, the luminance distributions of pixel 110a and pixel 110b are different, which may mean that, in the coordinate system, the position in the light-emitting region 130 of pixel 110a where the luminance is maximum and the position in the light-emitting region 130 of pixel 110b where the luminance is maximum are separated by 0.5 μm or more. Furthermore, for example, a difference in luminance distribution between pixel 110a and pixel 110b may mean that the luminance at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region 130 of pixel 110a in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 is different from the luminance at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region 130 of pixel 110b in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface 109 of the substrate 101. For example, considering the significant difference in measurement accuracy, it may be determined that the luminance distribution between pixel 110a and pixel 110b is different if the luminance at the geometric centroid position differs by 2% or more. Also, for example, it may be determined that the luminance distribution between pixel 110a and pixel 110b is different if the luminance at the geometric centroid position differs by 5% or more. Moreover, for example, it may be determined that the luminance distribution between pixel 110a and pixel 110b is different if the luminance at the geometric centroid position differs by 10% or more. Furthermore, for example, if the brightness at the geometric centroid differs by 20% or more, it may be determined that the brightness distributions of pixel 110a and pixel 110b are different.

[0052] If the light-emitting device 100 is manufactured inexpensively using a relatively rough process, the luminance distribution of the light-emitting region 130 between pixels 110 (light-emitting elements 120) may vary significantly. On the other hand, even if the luminance distribution varies significantly as described above, the effects of this disclosure can be greatly enjoyed, and the deterioration of the display quality of the light-emitting device 100 is suppressed. In other words, the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment can be manufactured at a reduced cost, for example, by reducing the burden on process control.

[0053] Furthermore, for example, the lower electrode 102 may be composed of a conductive layer and an oxide layer covering the conductive layer. In other words, the lower electrode 102 may be composed of multiple layers. The oxide layer may be the uppermost layer of the lower electrode 102 that is in contact with the organic compound layer 103. When the uppermost layer of the lower electrode 102 is an oxide layer, there is less concern that oxidation of the conductive layer of the lower electrode 102 will progress in the process after the lower electrode 102 is formed when manufacturing the light-emitting device 100. For this reason, for example, a process can be used in which an opening 132 is formed in the insulating layer 105 and the lower electrode 102 is exposed and then exposed to the atmosphere. In other words, a process can be used in which the lower electrode 102 is made less resistive by using a conductive layer with high conductivity and then exposed to the atmosphere. This eliminates the need to manufacture the light-emitting device 100 in a continuous vacuum process from the formation of the opening 132 in the insulating layer 105 until the formation of the organic compound layer 103. In other words, the light-emitting device 100 can be manufactured at low cost using a relatively simple process. When the uppermost layer of the lower electrode 102 is an oxide layer, the degree of oxidation tends to vary within the plane of the lower electrode 102 depending on the process used, which can easily lead to a variation in the resistance when charge is injected from the lower electrode 102 to the organic compound layer 103. As a result, there is a high possibility that variations will occur in the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 for each pixel 110. Furthermore, the in-plane distribution of the thickness of the oxide layer, which has low conductivity, affects the resistivity distribution of the lower electrode 102, so there is a high possibility that variations will occur in the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 for each pixel 110. Such a configuration can greatly enjoy the effects of this disclosure.

[0054] The lower electrode 102 may have a layer configuration that includes, for example, a barrier layer containing titanium in contact with a layer containing aluminum. Aluminum has a high reflectivity of light, which is advantageous for improving the luminous efficiency of the light-emitting element 120, but when an open-air process is used, an insulating native oxide film is formed on the surface, resulting in high resistance. Therefore, a barrier layer containing titanium is formed as the uppermost layer. The oxide layer formed on the surface of titanium has a work function that is advantageous for hole injection into the organic layer, and is therefore also advantageous for reducing resistance. The lower electrode 102 can also be said to include a conductive layer and an oxide layer covering the conductive layer, and comprises a layer using aluminum or the like that constitutes part of the conductive layer, and a layer containing titanium that constitutes another part of the conductive layer and the oxide layer. Since titanium has a lower reflectivity of light than aluminum, it can be used in the form of a thin film. In this case, a distribution in the film thickness of the barrier layer is likely to occur within the plane of the lower electrode 102, and the proportion of aluminum that diffuses into the barrier layer and appears on the surface of the barrier layer changes depending on the film thickness, so the proportion of aluminum oxide, which has a work function that is unfavorable for hole injection into the organic layer, is likely to be distributed within the plane of the lower electrode 102. Therefore, variations in the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 tend to occur for each pixel 110. Thus, even with such a configuration, the effects of this disclosure can be greatly enjoyed. The thickness of the barrier layer containing the thinned titanium may be, for example, 15 nm or less. Furthermore, for example, the thickness of the barrier layer containing titanium may be 10 nm or less. This makes it possible to achieve both light reflectivity and charge injection characteristics.

[0055] The conductive layer of the lower electrode 102 may be a layer having grain boundaries. For example, aluminum or silver used as the conductive layer of the lower electrode 102 may be composed of multiple crystal grains. Because the in-plane charge injection characteristics of the lower electrode 102 may change between the crystal grains and the grain boundaries, variations in the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 tend to occur for each pixel 110. However, as described above, the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment suppresses a decrease in display quality even when variations occur in the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 for each pixel 110. In other words, even with such a configuration, the effects of this disclosure can be greatly enjoyed.

[0056] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 7(a), in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface 109 of the substrate 101, the light-emitting region 130 of pixel 110a may have multiple brightness peak positions. In that case, the brightness distribution tends to differ from that of pixels with a single brightness peak position, such as pixel 110b, or pixels 110 with a relatively uniform brightness distribution. However, even when pixels 110 having multiple brightness peak positions are arranged in the light-emitting region 130, the effects of this disclosure can still be greatly enjoyed.

[0057] As described above, when using a relatively low-cost and easy-to-control process, there is a possibility that irregularities may form on the surface of the lower electrode 102 facing the light-emitting layer 131. For example, the surface of the lower electrode 102 may have a height difference (Peak to Valley (PV) value) of 10 nm or more, or even 15 nm or more, relative to the main surface 109 of the substrate 101. In that case, the film thickness of the organic compound layer 103 may change according to the irregularities on the surface of the lower electrode 102, potentially resulting in a brightness distribution. Furthermore, if there are irregularities on the surface of the lower electrode 102, or depending on the process used to form the lower electrode 102, the lower electrode 102 may have an in-plane distribution in reflectance for light emitted from the light-emitting region 130. In that case as well, there is a possibility that variations in the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 may occur for each pixel 110. Even with such a configuration, the effects of this disclosure can be greatly enjoyed.

[0058] The following describes an example of a method for manufacturing the light-emitting device 100. In this example, the light-emitting device 100 is equipped with three types of light-emitting elements 120: a red light-emitting element having a red light-emitting layer, a green light-emitting element having a green light-emitting layer, and a blue light-emitting element having a blue light-emitting layer.

[0059] First, a structure 108 was formed on the substrate 101. The structure 108 can be formed by, for example, forming one or more wiring patterns in the dielectric. After the formation of the structure 108, an aluminum film was deposited on the structure 108, and a plurality of lower electrodes 102 were formed by patterning the aluminum film. Next, an insulating layer 105 was formed to cover each of the plurality of lower electrodes 102. For example, silicon oxide with a film thickness of 65 nm can be used as the insulating layer 105. After the formation of the insulating layer 105, an opening 132 was provided to expose the lower electrodes 102. The shape of the opening 132 can be, for example, a circle with a radius of 0.9 μm. As described above, the opening 132 of the insulating layer 105 exposes the lower electrodes 102 to the organic compound layer 103 formed on the lower electrodes 102. In the orthogonal projection onto the main surface 109 of the substrate 101, the size and shape of the opening 132 can match the size and shape of the light-emitting region 130 of the light-emitting layer 131.

[0060] Next, an organic compound layer 103 was formed on the lower electrode 102 (and insulating layer 105). Specifically, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, and an electron blocking layer were formed in order. At this time, the hole injection layer and the hole transport layer may be deposited in such a way that they cover all the lower electrodes 102 corresponding to all the light-emitting elements 120 together. Alternatively, the electron blocking layer may be deposited in three separate steps using a fine mask so that it is formed in isolation for each lower electrode 102 corresponding to each light-emitting element 120 corresponding to each emission color. For the purpose of optimizing the optical distance mentioned above, the film thickness of the electron blocking layer may be adjusted for each emission color. Next, for example, a red emission layer, a green emission layer, and a blue emission layer were deposited in three separate steps using a fine mask so that each emission layer 131 was formed in isolation for each emission color. After the formation of each emission layer 131, a hole blocking layer and an electron transport layer were formed in order. The hole blocking layer may be formed by adjusting the film thickness of the hole blocking layer for each emission color, similar to the electron blocking layer. Next, lithium fluoride was formed as an electron injection layer.

[0061] After the electron injection layer was formed, a magnesium-silver alloy was formed on the organic compound layer 103 as the upper electrode 104 to a thickness of 10 nm. The ratio of magnesium to silver may be, for example, 1:1. Subsequently, silicon nitride with a refractive index of 1.97 was formed on the upper electrode 104 as a protective layer 106 to a thickness of 2.1 μm using the CVD method.

[0062] After the protective layer 106 was formed, a microlens 107 with a refractive index of 1.53 was formed on the protective layer 106 using an exposure and development process. The curved surface 201 of the microlens 107 was made part of a sphere. For example, the distance h in the normal direction from the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 from the vertex 202 of the curved surface 201 to the edge 203 of the curved surface 201 may be 1.4 μm, and the distance r in the horizontal direction may be 1.9 μm. Above the microlens 107 is air with a refractive index of 1. In this case, by considering the height of the microlens 107 of the light-emitting element 120 with a high interference order from the surface of the protective layer 106, it becomes possible to reduce the difference in viewing angle characteristics of pixels with different interference orders.

[0063] Using the process described above, it is possible to manufacture the light-emitting device 100. Furthermore, as mentioned above, by using processes that facilitate process control in each step, even if a brightness distribution occurs in the light-emitting area 130 of the light-emitting element 120 and the brightness distribution varies among the pixels 110, a deterioration in the display quality of the light-emitting device 100 is suppressed. In other words, it is possible to provide a light-emitting device 100 with improved quality at a low cost.

[0064] Here, as described above, a configuration is described in which a transparent material is used for the lower electrode 102, a reflective layer is provided below the lower electrode 102 (on the side of the substrate 101), and an insulating film is provided between the lower electrode 102 and the reflective layer to obtain a predetermined optical distance. Figure 10(a) is an orthogonal projection of the light-emitting device 100 viewed from above in the normal direction. Figure 10(b) is a cross-sectional view between X and X' shown in Figure 10(a). In the configuration shown in Figure 10(b), the planarization layer 115 described above is placed between the protective layer 106 and the microlens 107.

[0065] In the configuration shown in Figure 10(b), the light-emitting element 120 includes a reflective layer 112 disposed between the lower electrode 102 and a structure 108 disposed on the main surface 109 of the substrate 101. The light-emitting element 120 also includes an insulating layer 111 disposed between the lower electrode 102 and the reflective layer 112, which functions as an optical adjustment layer to obtain a predetermined optical distance. The lower electrode 102 and the reflective layer 112 are electrically connected via conductive vias 114 disposed within the insulating layer 111. The reflective layers 112 disposed on each light-emitting element 120 are insulated from each other by an insulating layer 113. The lower electrode 102 and the reflective layer 112 are also electrically connected via conductive vias 114. It can also be said that the light-emitting element 120 includes conductive vias 114 that electrically connect the lower electrode 102 and the reflective layer 112. Furthermore, the light-emitting element 120 includes an insulating layer 151 positioned between the organic compound layer 103 (light-emitting layer 131) and the lower electrode 102, and overlapping with the conductive via 114 in orthogonal projection onto the main surface 109 of the substrate 101. The dashed line c shown in Figure 10(a) represents the midpoint between the openings 132 of adjacent light-emitting elements 120 within the insulating layer 105. The configurations shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b) illustrate an example where adjacent pixels 110 emit light of the same color, but the light-emitting device 100 is not limited to this configuration. For example, the thickness of the insulating layer 111 may differ depending on the color emitted from the pixels 110. This allows the optical interference distance to be adjusted according to the emitted color, thereby achieving high luminous efficiency.

[0066] As the material for the reflective layer 112, metals such as aluminum and silver, or alloys to which silicon, copper, nickel, neodymium, etc., are added may be used. The material for the conductive via 114 may be selected from cobalt, molybdenum, platinum, tantalum, titanium, titanium nitride, tungsten, etc. The conductive via 114 may be an alloy or a compound. For example, a material mainly composed of titanium or titanium nitride may be used for the conductive via 114. Among these, the conductive via 114 may be mainly composed of titanium nitride. In addition, a conductive layer such as titanium or titanium nitride may be provided at the interface between the reflective layer 112 and the insulating layer 111 on the substrate 101 side. The conductive layer provided at the interface between the reflective layer 112 and the insulating layer 111 may function as a barrier metal. The lower electrode 102 may be a transparent conductive oxide such as ITO, IZO, AZO, IGZO, or a laminated structure thereof. The insulating layer 111 can be made of a transparent material such as an inorganic material like silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or silicon oxide, or an organic material like a resin.

[0067] In the configuration shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b), irregularities may occur in the portion of the lower electrode 102 that is placed on the conductive via 114, and as a result, irregularities may occur in the portion of the upper electrode 104 that is placed on the conductive via 114. Therefore, the insulating layer 151 is placed in the region that overlaps with the conductive via 114 on the lower electrode 102 to mitigate these irregularities. In this case, in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface 109 of the substrate 101, the relative positions of the conductive via 114 and the insulating layer 151 with respect to the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region 130 (opening 132) may differ between the light-emitting elements 120. The positions of the conductive via 114 and the insulating layer 151 may be intentionally different considering the characteristics, or they may differ as a result of process variations. In the orthogonal projection onto the main surface 109 of the substrate 101, the region of the light-emitting layer 131 that overlaps with the insulating layer 151 does not emit light because no current flows between the lower electrode 102 and the upper electrode 104. Therefore, the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 differs between the light-emitting element 120a and the light-emitting element 120b shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b).

[0068] Even in that case, similar to the configurations shown in Figures 7(a) and 7(b), as shown in Figure 10(a), the area of ​​the incident region 133 of the pixel 110 in this embodiment is larger than the area of ​​the light-emitting region 130. Therefore, even if the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 differs between pixel 110a and pixel 110b, the light emitted from many areas of the light-emitting region 130 can be extracted in the direction of the front of the light-emitting device 100 (normal to the main surface 109 of the substrate 101). As shown in Figure 10(a), the entire outer edge of the light-emitting region 130 may be located inside the outer edge of the incident region 133. This allows light to be extracted from the entire light-emitting region 130 in the direction of the front via the microlens 107. Therefore, if the amount of current flowing through the light-emitting element 120 of each pixel 110a and 110b is the same, the luminous intensity in the direction of the front after passing through the microlens 107 tends to be approximately the same between the pixels 110. This enables highly uniform display in the light-emitting device 100. As a result, it is possible to improve the display quality of the light-emitting device 100.

[0069] Furthermore, in the configurations shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b), the insulating layer 151 does not necessarily have to be provided. In this case, as described above, the relative positions of the conductive vias 114 with respect to the geometric centroid of the light-emitting region 130 (aperture 132) in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface 109 of the substrate 101 may differ between the light-emitting elements 120. In this case, if the reflectivity of the conductive vias 114 differs from that of the reflective layer 112, the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 will differ between the light-emitting elements 120a and 120b. Also, for example, even if the relative positions of the conductive vias 114 with respect to the geometric centroid of the light-emitting region 130 (aperture 132) are the same, if the reflectivity of the conductive vias 114 differs between the light-emitting elements 120, the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region will differ between the light-emitting elements 120, regardless of the presence or absence of the insulating layer 151.

[0070] Even in these cases, the pixel 110 of this embodiment has an incident region 133 area that is larger than the area of ​​the light-emitting region 130. Therefore, even if the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 differs among the pixels 110, the light emitted from many areas of the light-emitting region 130 can be extracted in the direction of the front of the light-emitting device 100 (normal to the main surface 109 of the substrate 101). As a result, if the amount of current flowing through the light-emitting element 120 of each pixel 110 is the same, the luminous intensity in the front direction after passing through the microlens 107 tends to be approximately the same among the pixels 110. This makes it possible to achieve a highly uniform display in the light-emitting device 100. As a result, it is possible to improve the display quality of the light-emitting device 100.

[0071] As in this embodiment, in a light-emitting element 120 in which a reflective layer 112 is disposed between the lower electrode 102 and the structure 108, and an insulating layer 111 is disposed between the reflective layer 112 and the lower electrode 102, the reflective layer 112 has an in-plane distribution of reflectivity, as well as the insulating layer 111. Therefore, the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 tends to differ among the light-emitting elements 120. Furthermore, in a configuration that includes a conductive via 114 connecting the lower electrode 102 and the reflective layer 112, as described above, the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 tends to differ among the light-emitting elements 120 due to the influence of the conductive via 114. Therefore, a configuration in which an insulating layer 111 that functions as an optical adjustment layer is disposed between the lower electrode 102 and the reflective layer 112 can greatly enjoy the effects of this disclosure.

[0072] Figure 11 shows a modified example of the light-emitting element 120 arranged in the pixel 110 shown in Figures 10(a) and 10(b). In the configuration shown in Figure 11, the light-emitting element 120 does not include an insulating layer 111 that functions as an optical adjustment layer, but includes a conductive layer 116 that functions as an electrolytic corrosion suppression layer between the lower electrode 102 and the reflective layer 112. Other configurations may be the same as those described above, so here we will focus on describing different configurations, and descriptions of configurations that may be the same will be omitted as appropriate.

[0073] The material of the conductive layer 116 may be selected from cobalt, molybdenum, platinum, tantalum, titanium, titanium nitride, tungsten, etc. The conductive vias 114 may be alloys or compounds of these materials. For example, the conductive layer 116 may have titanium nitride as its main component. The thickness of the conductive layer 116 may be less than 10 nm from the viewpoint of reflectivity.

[0074] The conductive layer 116 may have different in-plane reflectance distributions among the light-emitting elements 120. Often, the conductive layer 116 uses a material with lower reflectance than the reflective layer 112. Therefore, to increase the overall reflectance of the reflective layer 112 and the conductive layer 116, it is necessary to thin the conductive layer 116. Because thin-film deposition is difficult to control during manufacturing, in-plane reflectance distributions tend to occur in the conductive layer 116. As a result, the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 tends to differ among the light-emitting elements 120.

[0075] In contrast, in this embodiment, the pixel 110 has an incident region 133 area that is larger than the light-emitting region 130 area, similar to the above. Therefore, even if the brightness distribution of the light-emitting region 130 differs between pixel 110a and pixel 110b, the light emitted from many areas of the light-emitting region 130 can be extracted in the direction of the front of the light-emitting device 100 (normal to the main surface 109 of the substrate 101). As a result, if the amount of current flowing through the light-emitting element 120 of each pixel 110 is the same, the luminous intensity in the front direction after passing through the microlens 107 tends to be approximately the same between pixels 110. This makes it possible to achieve a highly uniform display in the light-emitting device 100. As a result, it is possible to improve the display quality of the light-emitting device 100.

[0076] Furthermore, if the reflective layer 112 is mainly composed of aluminum or silver, with minor components such as copper or nickel alloyed with the main components, stable electrical conductivity can be achieved between a portion of the reflective layer 112 and the lower electrode 102 made of ITO or IZO, even without the conductive layer 116. In this case as well, an in-plane distribution of reflectance occurs in the reflective layer 112. Even in such cases, the above-mentioned effects can be obtained by the configuration of this embodiment, in which the area of ​​the incident region 133 is larger than the area of ​​the light-emitting region 130.

[0077] Here, examples of applications of the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment applied to image forming apparatuses, display devices, photoelectric converters, electronic devices, lighting devices, mobile devices, and wearable devices will be described using Figures 12(a), 12(b) to 20(a), 20(b). The pixels 110 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as pixels or sub-pixels) arranged in the light-emitting device 100 will be described as being equipped with organic light-emitting elements (OLEDs) such as organic EL elements using organic light-emitting materials (corresponding to the light-emitting elements 120 described above). First, the details of each component arranged in the pixels 110 (light-emitting elements 120) of the light-emitting device 100 will be shown, and then the application examples will be described.

[0078] An organic light-emitting element according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a first electrode, a second electrode, and an organic compound layer disposed between these electrodes. One of the first electrode and the second electrode is an anode and the other is a cathode. In the organic light-emitting element of this embodiment, the organic compound layer may be a single layer or a laminate consisting of multiple layers, provided that it has a light-emitting layer. If the organic compound layer is a laminate consisting of multiple layers, the organic compound layer may have, in addition to the light-emitting layer, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron blocking layer, a hole-exciton blocking layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and the like. The light-emitting layer may also be a single layer or a laminate consisting of multiple layers. If the light-emitting layer is a multi-layer structure, a charge generation layer may be provided between the light-emitting layers. The charge generation layer may be composed of a compound whose LUMO is lower than that of the hole transport layer, and the LUMO of the charge generation layer may be lower than that of the HOMO of the hole transport layer. Here, the molecular orbital energy of the organic compound layer may be the molecular orbital energy of the organic compound with the largest weight ratio of the organic compound layer.

[0079] Here, HOMO and LUMO are described as "higher" the closer they are to the vacuum level. When the LUMO of the charge generation layer is lower than the HOMO of the hole transport layer, it means that the LUMO of the charge generation layer is closer to the vacuum level than the HOMO of the hole transport layer.

[0080] In this specification, HOMO and LUMO can be calculated using molecular orbital calculations. These calculations are performed using density functional theory (DFT), with the functional being B3LYP and the basis set being 6-31G. *It is also the case that the range of graphical designs is Gaussian09(Gaussian09). ,RevisionC.01,MJFrisch,GWTrucks,HBSchlegel,GEScus area, MARobb, JRCheeseman, G. Scalmani, V. Barone, B. Mennucci, G. Petersson, H. Nakatsuji, M. Caricato, X. Li, HPHr atchian, AFIzmaylov, J. Bloino, G. Zheng, JLSonnenberg, M. Hada, M. Ehara, K. Toyota, R. Fukuda, J. Hasegawa, M. Ish ida,T.Nakajima,Y.Honda,O.Kitao,H.Nakai,T.Vreven,JAMontgomery,Jr.,JEPeralta,F.Ogliaro,M.Bearpark,JJH eyd, E. Brothers, KNKudin, VNStaroverov, T. Keith, R. Kobayashi, J. Normand, K. Raghavachari, A. Rendell, JCBuran t,SSIyengar,J.Tomasi,M.Cossi,N.Rega,JMMillam,M.Klene,JEKnox,JBCross,V.Bakken,C.Adamo,J.Jaramillo,R. Gomperts,REStratmann,O.Yazyev,AJAustin,R.Cammi,C.Pomelli,JWOchterski,RLMartin,K.Morokuma,VGZakrzews ki,GAVoth,P.Salvador,JJDannenberg,S.Dapprich,ADDaniels,O.Farkas,JBForesman,JVOrtiz,JCioslowski,and DJFox,Gaussian,Inc.,Wallingford CT,2010.)

[0081] In this specification, HOMO and LUMO can be calculated using the ionization potential and band gap. The HOMO can be estimated by measuring the ionization potential. The ionization potential can be measured by dissolving the compound to be measured in a solvent such as toluene and measuring it with a measuring device such as AC-3. The band gap can be measured by dissolving the compound to be measured in a solvent such as toluene and irradiating it with excitation light. The band gap can be measured by measuring the absorption edge of the excitation light. Alternatively, the compound to be measured can be deposited on a substrate such as glass and the deposited film can be irradiated with excitation light. The measurement can be performed by measuring the absorption edge of the absorption spectrum at which the deposited film absorbs the excitation light, thereby determining the band gap.

[0082] The LUMO can be calculated using the band gap and ionization potential. By subtracting the ionization potential from the band gap, the LUMO can be estimated.

[0083] LUMO can also be estimated from the reduction potential. For example, the one-electron reduction potential can be estimated using cyclic voltammetry (CV) measurement. CV measurements are performed, for example, in a 0.1 M tetrabutylammonium perchlorate DMF solution with an Ag / Ag reference electrode. + The measurement can be performed using Pt as the counter electrode and glassy carbon as the working electrode. The LUMO can be estimated by adding the difference of -4.8 eV between the reduction potential of the obtained compound and the reduction potential of ferrocene.

[0084] When the organic compound according to this embodiment is included in the light-emitting layer, the light-emitting layer may be composed solely of the organic compound according to this embodiment, or it may be composed of the organometallic complex according to this embodiment and other compounds. Here, when the light-emitting layer is composed of the organometallic complex according to this embodiment and other compounds, the organic compound according to this embodiment may be used as a host or a guest in the light-emitting layer. It may also be used as an assist material that can be included in the light-emitting layer. Here, the host is the compound with the largest mass ratio among the compounds constituting the light-emitting layer. The guest is a compound with a smaller mass ratio than the host among the compounds constituting the light-emitting layer, and is responsible for the main light emission. The assist material is a compound with a smaller mass ratio than the host among the compounds constituting the light-emitting layer, and assists the light emission of the guest. The assist material is also called the second host. The host material can also be called the first compound, and the assist material can be called the second compound.

[0085] When an organic compound according to one embodiment is used as a guest in the light-emitting layer, the concentration of the guest may be 0.01% by mass or more and 20% by mass or less relative to the entire light-emitting layer, or it may be 0.1% by mass or more and 10% by mass or less. The guest is also called a dopant.

[0086] The organometallic complex according to this embodiment can be used as a constituent material for organic compound layers other than the light-emitting layer constituting the organic light-emitting device of this embodiment. Specifically, it may be used as a constituent material for electron transport layers, electron injection layers, hole transport layers, hole injection layers, hole blocking layers, etc. In this case, the light-emitting color of the organic light-emitting device is not limited to red. More specifically, it may be white light or an intermediate color.

[0087] If necessary, conventionally known low-molecular-weight and high-molecular-weight hole-injecting or hole-transporting compounds, host compounds, luminescent compounds, electron-injecting or electron-transporting compounds, etc., can be used together. Examples of these compounds are listed below.

[0088] Suitable hole-injection transport materials are those with high hole mobility, which facilitates hole injection from the anode and allows for the transport of injected holes to the light-emitting layer. Furthermore, materials with high glass transition temperatures are suitable to reduce film quality degradation such as crystallization within the organic light-emitting element. Examples of low-molecular-weight and high-molecular-weight materials with hole-injection transport properties include triarylamine derivatives, arylcarbazole derivatives, phenylenediamine derivatives, stilbene derivatives, phthalocyanine derivatives, porphyrin derivatives, poly(vinylcarbazole), poly(thiophene), and other conductive polymers. Moreover, the above-mentioned hole-injection transport materials are also suitably used in electron-blocking layers. Specific examples of compounds used as hole-injection transport materials are shown below, but the material is not limited to these.

[0089] [ka]

[0090] Among the hole transport materials listed, HT16 to HT18 can reduce the driving voltage when used in the layer in contact with the anode. HT16 is widely used in organic light-emitting devices. HT2, HT3, HT4, HT5, HT6, HT10, and HT12 may be used in the organic compound layer adjacent to HT16. Furthermore, multiple materials may be used in a single organic compound layer.

[0091] Luminescent materials primarily involved in light emission include fused ring compounds (e.g., fluorene derivatives, naphthalene derivatives, pyrene derivatives, perylene derivatives, tetracene derivatives, anthracene derivatives, rubrene, etc.), quinacridone derivatives, coumarin derivatives, stilbene derivatives, organoaluminum complexes such as tris(8-quinolinolate)aluminum, iridium complexes, platinum complexes, rhenium complexes, copper complexes, europium complexes, ruthenium complexes, and polymer derivatives such as poly(phenylenevinylene) derivatives, poly(fluorene) derivatives, and poly(phenylene) derivatives.

[0092] The following are some specific examples of compounds used as luminescent materials, but they are not limited to these.

[0093] [ka]

[0094] [ka]

[0095] When the luminescent material is a hydrocarbon compound, this method is suitable because it can reduce the decrease in luminescence efficiency due to excyplex formation and the decrease in color purity due to changes in the emission spectrum of the luminescent material caused by excyplex formation.

[0096] Hydrocarbon compounds are compounds composed only of carbon and hydrogen, and among the example compounds listed above, these include BD7, BD8, GD5 through GD9, and RD1.

[0097] When the luminescent material is a condensed polycyclic material containing a five-membered ring, it has a high ionization potential, making it resistant to oxidation and suitable for devices with a long lifespan. Among the example compounds listed above, BD7, BD8, GD5 to GD9, and RD1 are suitable.

[0098] Examples of light-emitting layer hosts or light-emitting assist materials included in the light-emitting layer include aromatic hydrocarbon compounds or their derivatives, as well as carbazole derivatives, dibenzofuran derivatives, dibenzothiophene derivatives, organoaluminum complexes such as tris(8-quinolinolate)aluminum, and organoberylium complexes.

[0099] The following are specific examples of compounds used as luminescent layer hosts or luminescence assist materials contained in the luminescent layer, but are not limited to these.

[0100] [ka]

[0101] The host material may be a hydrocarbon compound. A hydrocarbon compound is a compound composed only of carbon and hydrogen, and among the example compounds listed above, these are EM1 to EM12 and EM16 to EM27. From the viewpoint of stability, a host material is more suitable if it does not have a carbon-heteroatom bond in the single bond connecting the aryl group unit in its structure, such as F3 listed in compound 1.

[0102] As electron-transporting materials, any material capable of transporting electrons injected from the cathode to the light-emitting layer can be arbitrarily selected, taking into consideration the balance with the hole mobility of the hole-transporting material. Examples of materials with electron-transporting properties include oxadiazole derivatives, pyrazine derivatives, triazole derivatives, triazine derivatives, quinoline derivatives, quinoxaline derivatives, phenanthroline derivatives, organoaluminum complexes, and fused ring compounds (e.g., fluorene derivatives, naphthalene derivatives, chrysene derivatives, anthracene derivatives, etc.). Furthermore, the above electron-transporting materials are also suitably used in the hole-blocking layer.

[0103] The following are specific examples of compounds used as electron transport materials, but are not limited to these.

[0104] [ka]

[0105] Electron-injectable materials can be arbitrarily selected from those that allow for easy electron injection from the cathode, taking into consideration the balance with hole injection properties. Organic compounds include n-type dopants and reducing dopants. Examples include alkali metal compounds such as lithium fluoride, lithium complexes such as lithium quinolinol, benzimidazolidene derivatives, imidazolidene derivatives, fluvalene derivatives, and acridine derivatives.

[0106] It can also be used in combination with the electron transport materials mentioned above.

[0107] Structure of an organic light-emitting device An organic light-emitting element is provided on a substrate by forming an insulating layer, a first electrode, an organic compound layer, and a second electrode. A protective layer, a color filter, a microlens, etc., may be provided on the cathode. If a color filter is provided, a planarization layer may be provided between the protective layer and the color filter. The planarization layer can be made of acrylic resin or the like. The same applies when a planarization layer is provided between the color filter and the microlens.

[0108] substrate Examples of substrates include quartz, glass, silicon wafers, resins, and metals. The substrate may also be equipped with switching elements such as transistors and wiring patterns, and an insulating layer may be provided on top of these. The insulating layer can be made of any material as long as it allows for the formation of contact holes between the first electrode and the substrate, enabling the formation of wiring patterns between them, and ensuring insulation from unconnected wiring patterns. For example, the insulating layer may be made of resins such as polyimide, silicon oxide, or silicon nitride.

[0109] electrode A pair of electrodes can be used as electrodes. The pair of electrodes may be an anode and a cathode. When an electric field is applied in the direction in which the organic light-emitting element emits light, the electrode with the higher potential is the anode, and the other is the cathode. Alternatively, the electrode that supplies holes to the light-emitting layer can be the anode, and the electrode that supplies electrons can be the cathode.

[0110] Materials with a high work function may be selected as the anode components. For example, elemental metals such as gold, platinum, silver, copper, nickel, palladium, cobalt, selenium, vanadium, and tungsten, or mixtures containing these, or alloys combining them, as well as metal oxides such as tin oxide, zinc oxide, indium oxide, tin-indium oxide (ITO), and zinc-indium oxide can be used. Conductive polymers such as polyaniline, polypyrrole, and polythiophene can also be used as anode components.

[0111] These electrode materials may be used individually or in combination of two or more types. Furthermore, the anode may consist of a single layer or multiple layers.

[0112] When electrodes are used as reflective electrodes, for example, chromium, aluminum, silver, titanium, tungsten, molybdenum, or alloys thereof, or laminates thereof, can be used. It is also possible to use the above materials to function as a reflective film without serving as an electrode. Furthermore, when transparent electrodes are used, oxide transparent conductive layers such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide can be used, but are not limited to these. Photolithography technology can be used to form the electrodes.

[0113] On the other hand, materials with a low work function may be selected as the constituent material of the cathode. Examples include alkali metals such as lithium, alkaline earth metals such as calcium, and elemental metals or mixtures containing these, such as aluminum, titanium, manganese, silver, lead, and chromium. Alternatively, alloys combining these elemental metals can also be used. For example, magnesium-silver, aluminum-lithium, aluminum-magnesium, silver-copper, and zinc-silver can be used. Metal oxides such as indium tin oxide (ITO) can also be used. These electrode materials may be used individually or in combination of two or more. The cathode may also have a single-layer or multi-layer structure. Silver may be used as the cathode, and a silver alloy may be used to reduce silver aggregation. The ratio of the alloy does not matter as long as silver aggregation is reduced. For example, the ratio of silver to other metals may be 1:1, 3:1, etc.

[0114] The cathode may be a top-emission element using an oxide conductive layer such as ITO, or a bottom-emission element using a reflective electrode such as aluminum (Al), and is not particularly limited. The method for forming the cathode is not particularly limited, but using a DC or AC sputtering method can result in good coverage of the formed film and a lower cathode resistance.

[0115] Pixel separation layer The pixel separation layer may be formed from so-called silicon oxides such as silicon nitride (SiN), silicon oxynitride (SiON), or silicon oxide (SiO), which are formed using chemical vapor deposition (CVD). To increase the in-plane resistance of the organic compound layer, the thickness of the organic compound layer, particularly the hole transport layer, may be thinly deposited on the sidewalls of the pixel separation layer. Specifically, by increasing the taper angle of the sidewalls of the pixel separation layer and the thickness of the pixel separation layer, the thickness of the organic processed material layer on the sidewalls can be thinned to increase vignetting during deposition.

[0116] On the other hand, the pixel isolation layer's sidewall taper angle and thickness can be adjusted to the extent that no voids are formed in the protective layer formed on top of it. By preventing voids from forming in the protective layer, the occurrence of defects in the protective layer can be reduced. As the occurrence of defects in the protective layer is reduced, reliability degradation such as the occurrence of dark spots and poor conductivity of the second electrode can be reduced.

[0117] According to this embodiment, charge leakage to adjacent pixels can be effectively suppressed even if the taper angle of the sidewall of the pixel isolation layer is not steep. As a result of this study, it was found that sufficient reduction is possible if the taper angle is in the range of 60 degrees or more and 90 degrees or less. The film thickness of the pixel isolation layer may be 10 nm or more and 150 nm or less. Furthermore, the same effect can be obtained even if the device is composed only of pixel electrodes without a pixel isolation layer. However, in this case, the film thickness of the pixel electrode can be reduced by making it less than half the thickness of the organic layer, or by making the ends of the pixel electrodes a forward taper of less than 60°.

[0118] Furthermore, even when the first electrode is the cathode and the second electrode is the anode, a wide color gamut and low-voltage driving are possible by forming an electron-transporting material, a charge transport layer, and a light-emitting layer on the charge transport layer.

[0119] organic compound layer The organic compound layer may be formed as a single layer or as multiple layers. If there are multiple layers, they may be called a hole injection layer, hole transport layer, electron blocking layer, light-emitting layer, hole blocking layer, electron transport layer, electron injection layer, etc., depending on their function. The organic compound layer is mainly composed of organic compounds, but may also contain inorganic atoms or inorganic compounds. The organic compound layer may contain, for example, copper, lithium, magnesium, aluminum, iridium, platinum, molybdenum, zinc, etc. The organic compound layer may be placed between the first electrode and the second electrode, or it may be placed in contact with the first electrode and the second electrode. If there are multiple light-emitting layers, a charge generation section may be placed between the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer. The charge generation section may contain an organic compound with a minimum unoccupied molecular orbital energy (LUMO) of -5.0 eV or less. The same applies when the charge generation section is placed between the second light-emitting layer and the third light-emitting layer.

[0120] protective layer A protective layer may be provided on the cathode. For example, by bonding glass with a desiccant to the cathode, the intrusion of moisture into the organic compound layer can be reduced, thereby reducing the occurrence of display defects. In another embodiment, a passivation layer such as silicon nitride may be provided on the cathode to reduce the intrusion of moisture into the organic compound layer. For example, after forming the cathode, it may be transported to another chamber without breaking the vacuum and a 2 μm thick silicon nitride may be formed by the CVD method to serve as the protective layer. After forming the protective layer using the CVD method, a protective layer using atomic layer deposition (ALD) may be provided. The material of the protective layer formed by the ALD method is not limited, but may be silicon nitride, silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, etc. Silicon nitride may be further formed on the protective layer formed by the ALD method using the CVD method. The protective layer formed by the ALD method may have a smaller film thickness than the protective layer formed by the CVD method. Specifically, the film thickness of the protective layer formed by the ALD method may be 50% or less, or even 10% or less, of the film thickness of the protective layer formed by the CVD method.

[0121] Color filter A color filter may be provided on the protective layer. For example, a color filter that takes into account the size of the organic light-emitting element may be provided on a separate substrate, and the substrate on which the color filter is formed and the substrate on which the organic light-emitting element is provided may be bonded together. Alternatively, for example, the color filter may be patterned on the protective layer described above using photolithography technology. The color filter may be made of polymer.

[0122] planarization layer A planarization layer may be placed between the color filter and the protective layer. The planarization layer is provided to reduce the unevenness of the layer below it. It may also be called a material resin layer without limiting its purpose. The planarization layer may be composed of an organic compound, which may be low molecular weight or high molecular weight. High molecular weight organic compounds may be used in the planarization layer to reduce unevenness.

[0123] Planarization layers may be provided above and below the color filter. In this case, the constituent materials of each planarization layer may be the same or different. Specifically, polyvinylcarbazole resin, polycarbonate resin, polyester resin, ABS resin, acrylic resin, polyimide resin, phenolic resin, epoxy resin, silicone resin, urea resin, etc., can be used as materials for the planarization layer.

[0124] Microlens An organic light-emitting device may have optical components such as microlenses on its light-emitting side. Microlenses may be made of acrylic resin, epoxy resin, or the like. Microlenses may be used to increase the amount of light extracted from the organic light-emitting device or to control the direction of the extracted light. Microlenses may have a hemispherical shape. If they have a hemispherical shape, among the tangents tangent to the hemisphere, there is a tangent parallel to the insulating layer, and the point of contact between that tangent and the hemisphere is the vertex of the microlens. The vertex of the microlens can be similarly determined in any cross-sectional view. That is, among the tangents tangent to the semicircle of the microlens in the cross-sectional view, there is a tangent parallel to the insulating layer, and the point of contact between that tangent and the semicircle is the vertex of the microlens.

[0125] Furthermore, the midpoint of a microlens can also be defined. In the cross-section of a microlens, a line segment can be imagined from the point where one arc ends to the point where another arc ends, and the midpoint of this line segment can be called the midpoint of the microlens. The cross-section used to determine the vertices and midpoints may be a cross-section perpendicular to the insulating layer.

[0126] A microlens has a first surface with a convex portion and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The second surface may be positioned closer to the functional layer (light-emitting layer) than the first surface. To adopt such a configuration, it is necessary to form the microlens on a light-emitting device. If the functional layer is an organic layer, high-temperature processes may be avoided in the manufacturing process of the microlens. Also, when adopting a configuration in which the second surface is positioned closer to the functional layer than the first surface, the glass transition temperatures of all organic compounds constituting the organic layer may be 100°C or higher, and for example, 130°C or higher is suitable.

[0127] Opposing board A counter substrate may be placed on the planarization layer. The counter substrate is called a counter substrate because it is provided in a position corresponding to the aforementioned substrate. The constituent material of the counter substrate may be the same as that of the aforementioned substrate. The counter substrate may be a second substrate if the aforementioned substrate is referred to as the first substrate.

[0128] organic layer The organic compound layers constituting the organic light-emitting element according to the embodiment of this disclosure (hole injection layer, hole transport layer, electron blocking layer, light-emitting layer, hole blocking layer, electron transport layer, electron injection layer, etc.) may be formed by the following method.

[0129] The organic compound layer constituting the organic light-emitting element according to the embodiment of this disclosure can be formed using a dry process such as vacuum deposition, ionization deposition, sputtering, or plasma deposition. Alternatively, instead of a dry process, a wet process can be used in which the layer is formed by dissolving the compound in a suitable solvent and applying a known coating method (e.g., spin coating, dipping, casting, LB method, inkjet method, etc.).

[0130] When layers are formed using methods such as vacuum deposition or solution coating, crystallization is less likely to occur, resulting in excellent stability over time. Furthermore, when forming films using coating methods, it is possible to combine the film with an appropriate binder resin.

[0131] Examples of the binder resins mentioned above include, but are not limited to, polyvinylcarbazole resin, polycarbonate resin, polyester resin, ABS resin, acrylic resin, polyimide resin, phenolic resin, epoxy resin, silicone resin, and urea resin.

[0132] Furthermore, these binder resins may be used individually as homopolymers or copolymers, or as a mixture of two or more types. Additionally, known additives such as plasticizers, antioxidants, and UV absorbers may be used in combination as needed.

[0133] Pixel circuit The light-emitting device may have a pixel circuit connected to a light-emitting element. The pixel circuit may be an active-matrix type that independently controls the light emission of the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element. The active-matrix type circuit may be voltage-programmed or current-programmed. The drive circuit has a pixel circuit for each pixel. The pixel circuit may have a light-emitting element, a transistor that controls the light emission brightness of the light-emitting element, a transistor that controls the light emission timing, a capacitor that holds the gate voltage of the transistor that controls the light emission brightness, and a transistor for connecting to GND without going through the light-emitting element.

[0134] The light-emitting device has a display area and a peripheral area arranged around the display area. The display area has a pixel circuit, and the peripheral area has a display control circuit. The mobility of the transistors constituting the pixel circuit may be smaller than the mobility of the transistors constituting the display control circuit.

[0135] The slope of the current-voltage characteristics of the transistors constituting the pixel circuit can be smaller than the slope of the current-voltage characteristics of the transistors constituting the display control circuit. The slope of the current-voltage characteristics can be measured using the so-called Vg-Ig characteristic.

[0136] The transistors that make up the pixel circuit are those connected to the light-emitting elements, such as the first light-emitting element.

[0137] pixels The organic light-emitting device has multiple pixels. Each pixel has subpixels that emit light of a different color from the others. The subpixels may each have, for example, RGB light-emitting colors.

[0138] A pixel emits light from a region also called the pixel aperture. The pixel aperture may be 15 μm or less, or 5 μm or more. More specifically, it may be 11 μm, 9.5 μm, 7.4 μm, 6.4 μm, etc.

[0139] The spacing between subpixels may be 10 μm or less, specifically 8 μm, 7.4 μm, or 6.4 μm.

[0140] Pixels can take on known arrangements in a plan view. For example, they may be in a stripe arrangement, delta arrangement, pentile arrangement, or Bayer arrangement. The shape of subpixels in a plan view may be any known shape. For example, rectangles, rhombuses or other quadrilaterals, hexagons, etc. Of course, even if it is not a precise shape, if it is close to a rectangle, it is included in the category of rectangles. The shape of subpixels and the pixel arrangement can be used in combination.

[0141] Applications of the organic light-emitting element according to the embodiment of this disclosure The organic light-emitting element according to the embodiment of this disclosure can be used as a component of a display device or lighting device. Other applications include exposure light sources for electrophotographic image forming apparatuses, backlights for liquid crystal display devices, and light-emitting devices having a color filter in a white light source.

[0142] The display device may also be an image information processing device that has an image input unit for receiving image information from an area CCD, linear CCD, memory card, etc., an information processing unit for processing the input information, and displays the input image on the display unit.

[0143] Furthermore, the display unit of the imaging device or inkjet printer may have a touch panel function. The driving method for this touch panel function may be infrared, capacitive, resistive, or electromagnetic induction, and is not particularly limited. The display device may also be used as the display unit of a multifunction printer.

[0144] Next, we will provide further explanation with reference to the drawings. Figure 12(a) shows an example of pixels arranged in the light-emitting device 100. The pixels have sub-pixels 810. The sub-pixels are divided into 810R, 810G, and 810B according to their emitted color. The emitted color may be distinguished by the wavelength emitted from the light-emitting layer, or the light emitted from the sub-pixel may be selectively transmitted or color-converted by a color filter or the like. Each sub-pixel has a reflective electrode 802 which is the first electrode, an insulating layer 803 covering the edge of the reflective electrode 802, an organic compound layer 804 covering the first electrode and the insulating layer, a transparent electrode 805 which is the second electrode, a protective layer 806, and a color filter 807 on an interlayer insulating layer 801.

[0145] The interlayer insulating layer 801 may have transistors or capacitive elements placed in the layer below or inside it. The transistor and the first electrode may be electrically connected via a contact hole or the like (not shown).

[0146] The insulating layer 803 may also be called a bank or pixel isolation layer. The insulating layer 803 covers the edge of the first electrode and is arranged to surround the first electrode. The portion of the first electrode not covered by the insulating layer 803 is in contact with the organic compound layer 804 and becomes a light-emitting region.

[0147] The organic compound layer 804 includes a hole injection layer 841, a hole transport layer 842, a first light-emitting layer 843, a second light-emitting layer 844, and an electron transport layer 845.

[0148] The second electrode may be a transparent electrode, a reflective electrode, or a semi-transparent electrode.

[0149] The protective layer 806 reduces the penetration of moisture into the organic compound layer. Although the protective layer is shown as a single layer, it may consist of multiple layers. Each layer may contain an inorganic compound layer and an organic compound layer.

[0150] The color filter 807 is classified into 807R, 807G, and 807B depending on its color. The color filter may be formed on a planarization film (not shown). A resin protective layer (not shown) may also be placed on the color filter. The color filter may also be formed on a protective layer 806. Furthermore, the color filter may be bonded to an opposing substrate, such as a glass substrate, after it has been placed on it.

[0151] Figure 12(b) shows a light-emitting device 800, which includes an organic light-emitting element 826 as an example of a light-emitting element and a TFT 818 as an example of a transistor. A substrate 811 made of glass, silicon, or the like is provided, with an insulating layer 812 on top of it. An active element such as the TFT 818 is placed on the insulating layer, and the gate electrode 813, gate insulating film 814, and semiconductor layer 815 of the active element are arranged therein. The TFT 818 is also composed of a semiconductor layer 815, a drain electrode 816, and a source electrode 817. An insulating film 819 is provided on top of the TFT 818. The anode 821 and the source electrode 817 of the organic light-emitting element 826 are connected via a contact hole 820 provided in the insulating film.

[0152] The method of electrical connection between the electrodes (anode, cathode) in the organic light-emitting element 826 and the electrodes (source electrode, drain electrode) in the TFT is not limited to the configuration shown in Figure 12(b). In other words, it is sufficient for either the anode or cathode to be electrically connected to either the source electrode or the drain electrode of the TFT. TFT refers to a thin-film transistor.

[0153] In the light-emitting device 800 shown in Figure 12(b), the organic compound layer is illustrated as a single layer, but the organic compound layer 822 may consist of multiple layers. A first protective layer 824 and a second protective layer 825 are provided on the cathode 823 to reduce the degradation of the organic light-emitting element.

[0154] In the light-emitting device 800 shown in Figure 12(b), a transistor is used as the switching element, but other switching elements may be used instead.

[0155] Furthermore, the transistor used in the light-emitting device 800 in Figure 12(b) is not limited to a transistor using a single-crystal silicon wafer, but may also be a thin-film transistor having an active layer on the insulating surface of the substrate. Examples of active layers include non-single-crystal silicon such as single-crystal silicon, amorphous silicon, and microcrystalline silicon, and non-single-crystal oxide semiconductors such as indium zinc oxide and indium gallium zinc oxide. Thin-film transistors are also called TFT elements.

[0156] The transistor included in the light-emitting device 800 in Figure 12(b) may be formed within a substrate such as a silicon substrate. Here, "formed within a substrate" means that the transistor is manufactured by processing the substrate itself, such as a silicon substrate. In other words, having a transistor within a substrate can be seen as the substrate and the transistor being formed as a single unit.

[0157] The organic light-emitting element according to this embodiment has its luminescence controlled by a TFT, which is an example of a switching element, and by providing multiple organic light-emitting elements on the surface, an image can be displayed according to the luminescence of each element. Here, the switching element according to this embodiment is not limited to a TFT, but may also be a transistor made of low-temperature polysilicon, or an active matrix driver formed on a substrate such as a silicon substrate. "On the substrate" can also be said to be "within the substrate". Whether to provide a transistor within the substrate or to use a TFT is selected depending on the size of the display area; for example, if the size is about 0.5 inches, the organic light-emitting element may be provided on a silicon substrate.

[0158] Figures 13(a) to 13(c) are schematic diagrams showing an example of an image forming apparatus using the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment. The image forming apparatus 926 shown in Figure 13(a) includes a photoreceptor 927, an exposure light source 928, a developing unit 931, a charging unit 930, a transfer unit 932, a transport unit 933 (transport rollers in the configuration of Figure 13(a)), and a fuser 935.

[0159] Light 929 is irradiated from the exposure light source 928, and an electrostatic latent image is formed on the surface of the photoreceptor 927. The light-emitting device 100 can be applied to this exposure light source 928. The developing unit 931 contains toner or the like as a developer and can function as a developer that applies the developer to the exposed photoreceptor 927. The charging unit 930 charges the photoreceptor 927. The transfer unit 932 transfers the developed image to the recording medium 934. The transport unit 933 transports the recording medium 934. The recording medium 934 may be, for example, paper or film. The fuser unit 935 fixes the image formed on the recording medium.

[0160] Figures 13(b) and 13(c) are schematic diagrams showing how multiple light-emitting units 936 are arranged along the longitudinal direction on a long substrate with an exposure light source 928. The light-emitting device 100 can be applied to these light-emitting units 936. In other words, multiple pixels 110 are arranged along the longitudinal direction of the substrate. Direction 937 is parallel to the axis of the photoreceptor 927. This column direction is the same as the direction of the axis when the photoreceptor 927 rotates. This direction 937 can also be called the longitudinal axis direction of the photoreceptor 927.

[0161] Figure 13(b) shows a configuration in which the light-emitting units 936 are arranged along the long axis of the photoreceptor 927. Figure 13(c) is a modified example of the arrangement of the light-emitting units 936 shown in Figure 13(b), in which the light-emitting units 936 are arranged alternately in the column direction in both the first and second columns. In the first and second columns, the light-emitting units 936 are arranged at different positions in the row direction. In the first column, multiple light-emitting units 936 are arranged at intervals, and in the second column, light-emitting units 936 are arranged at positions corresponding to the gaps between the light-emitting units 936 in the first column. Also, multiple light-emitting units 936 are arranged at intervals in the row direction. The arrangement of the light-emitting units 936 shown in Figure 13(c) can also be described as a grid arrangement, a houndstooth arrangement, or a checkerboard pattern.

[0162] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a display device using the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment. The display device 1000 may have a touch panel 1003, a display panel 1005, a frame 1006, a circuit board 1007, and a battery 1008 between an upper cover 1001 and a lower cover 1009. Flexible printed circuits FPCs 1002 and 1004 are connected to the touch panel 1003 and the display panel 1005. Active elements such as transistors are arranged on the circuit board 1007. The battery 1008 does not need to be provided if the display device 1000 is not a portable device, and even if it is a portable device, it does not need to be provided in this position. The light-emitting device 100 can be applied to the display panel 1005. The pixels 110 arranged on the light-emitting device 100 that functions as the display panel 1005 are connected to and operate a control circuit including active elements such as transistors arranged on the circuit board 1007.

[0163] The display device 1000 shown in Figure 14 may be used in the display unit of a photoelectric conversion device (also called an imaging device) which has an optical unit with multiple lenses and an image sensor that receives light passing through the optical unit and converts it into an electrical signal. The photoelectric conversion device may have a display unit that displays information acquired by the image sensor. The display unit may be an external display unit of the photoelectric conversion device or a display unit located inside the viewfinder. The photoelectric conversion device may be a digital camera or a digital video camera.

[0164] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a photoelectric converter using the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment. The photoelectric converter 1100 may have a viewfinder 1101, a rear display 1102, an operating unit 1103, and a housing 1104. The photoelectric converter 1100 may also be called an imaging device. The light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment can be applied to the display unit, which is the viewfinder 1101 or the rear display 1102. In this case, the light-emitting device 100 may display not only the image to be captured, but also environmental information, imaging instructions, etc. Environmental information may include the intensity of ambient light, the direction of ambient light, the speed at which the subject is moving, and the possibility that the subject may be obscured by an obstacle.

[0165] Since the optimal timing for imaging is often very short, it is desirable to display information as quickly as possible. Therefore, a light-emitting device 100, which includes pixels 110 containing light-emitting elements 120 made of organic light-emitting materials such as organic EL elements, may be used in the viewfinder 1101 or the rear display 1102. This is because organic light-emitting materials have a fast response speed. A light-emitting device 100 using organic light-emitting materials is more suitable than a liquid crystal display device for these devices where display speed is required.

[0166] The photoelectric converter 1100 has an optical section (not shown). The optical section has multiple lenses, and the light that passes through the optical section is imaged onto a photoelectric converter element (not shown) housed in a light-receiving housing 1104. The focus can be adjusted by adjusting the relative positions of the multiple lenses. This operation can also be performed automatically.

[0167] The light-emitting device 100 may be applied to the display section of an electronic device. In that case, it may have both a display function and an operating function. Examples of portable terminals include mobile phones such as smartphones, tablets, and head-mounted displays.

[0168] Figure 16 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an electronic device using the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment. The electronic device 1200 has a display unit 1201, an operation unit 1202, and a housing 1203. The housing 1203 may have a circuit, a printed circuit board having the circuit, a battery, and a communication unit. The operation unit 1202 may be a button or a touch panel type response unit. The operation unit 1202 may also be a biometric recognition unit that recognizes fingerprints to unlock, etc. A portable device having a communication unit can also be called a communication device. The light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment can be applied to the display unit 1201.

[0169] Figures 17(a) and 17(b) are schematic diagrams showing an example of a display device using the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment. Figure 17(a) is a display device such as a television monitor or a PC monitor. The display device 1300 has a frame 1301 and a display unit 1302. The light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment can be applied to the display unit 1302. The display device 1300 may also have a base 1303 that supports the frame 1301 and the display unit 1302. The base 1303 is not limited to the form shown in Figure 17(a). For example, the lower edge of the frame 1301 may also serve as the base 1303. Also, the frame 1301 and the display unit 1302 may be curved. The radius of curvature may be 5000 mm or more and 6000 mm or less.

[0170] Figure 17(b) is a schematic diagram showing another example of a display device using the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment. The display device 1310 in Figure 17(b) is configured to be foldable and is a so-called foldable display device. The display device 1310 has a first display unit 1311, a second display unit 1312, a housing 1313, and a bending point 1314. The light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment can be applied to the first display unit 1311 and the second display unit 1312. The first display unit 1311 and the second display unit 1312 may be a single display device without seams. The first display unit 1311 and the second display unit 1312 can be separated by a bending point. The first display unit 1311 and the second display unit 1312 may each display different images, or they may display a single image together.

[0171] Figure 18 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a lighting device using the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment. The lighting device 1400 may include a housing 1401, a light source 1402, a circuit board 1403, an optical film 1404, and a light diffusion unit 1405. The light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment can be applied to the light source 1402. The optical film 1404 may be a filter that improves the color rendering of the light source. The light diffusion unit 1405 can effectively diffuse the light from the light source, such as for lighting up, and deliver light over a wide area. A cover may be provided on the outermost part if necessary. The lighting device 1400 may have both the optical film 1404 and the light diffusion unit 1405, or it may have only one of them.

[0172] The lighting device 1400 is, for example, a device for illuminating a room. The lighting device 1400 may emit white light, daylight white light, or any other color from blue to red. It may have a dimming circuit for adjusting the brightness of these colors. The lighting device 1400 may have a power supply circuit connected to the light-emitting device 100, which functions as a light source 1402. The power supply circuit is a circuit that converts AC voltage to DC voltage. White light has a color temperature of 4200K, and daylight white light has a color temperature of 5000K. The lighting device 1400 may also have a color filter. The lighting device 1400 may also have a heat dissipation section. The heat dissipation section releases heat from inside the device to the outside, and examples include metals with high specific heat and liquid silicon.

[0173] Figure 19(a) is a schematic diagram of an automobile having a taillight, which is an example of a vehicle light fixture using the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment. The automobile 1500 may have a taillight 1501, and the taillight 1501 may be illuminated when the brakes are applied or otherwise. The light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment may also be used as a headlight for a vehicle.

[0174] The light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment can be applied to the tail lamp 1501. The tail lamp 1501 may have a protective member to protect the light-emitting device 100 that functions as a tail lamp 1501. The protective member can be made of any material as long as it has a reasonably high strength and is transparent, but it may be made of polycarbonate or the like. The protective member may also be made of polycarbonate mixed with a frangic acid derivative, an acrylonitrile derivative, or the like.

[0175] The automobile 1500 may have a body 1503 and windows 1502 attached thereto. The windows may be for checking the front and rear of the automobile, or they may be transparent displays such as head-up displays. The light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment may be used for such transparent displays. In this case, the constituent materials such as electrodes of the light-emitting device 100 are made of transparent materials.

[0176] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 19(b), the automobile 1500 may also be equipped with a steering wheel 1504 for controlling the direction of movement of the moving body (automobile), a display unit 1505 mounted on the vehicle body 1503 that displays a map, the position of the moving body, the direction of turns, the view behind the moving body, etc. The light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment can be applied to the display unit 1505.

[0177] The automobile 1500 is an example of a mobile body, and the mobile body according to this embodiment includes a drive force generating unit that generates a driving force mainly used for the movement of the mobile body, and one or both of a rotating body mainly used for the movement of the mobile body. The drive force generating unit may be an engine, a motor, etc. The rotating body may be a tire, a wheel, a ship's propeller, an aircraft's propeller or fan, etc. Specifically, the mobile body may be a bicycle, an automobile, a train, a ship, an aircraft, a drone, etc. The mobile body may have a body and a light fixture installed thereon. The light fixture may indicate the current position of the body. The light fixture may have the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment. The display unit may also have the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment.

[0178] Further application examples of the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment will be described with reference to Figures 20(a) and 20(b). The light-emitting device 100 can be applied to systems that can be worn as wearable devices such as smart glasses, head-mounted displays (HMDs), and smart contact lenses. The imaging display device used in such application examples has an imaging device capable of photoelectric conversion of visible light and a light-emitting device capable of emitting visible light.

[0179] Figure 20(a) illustrates a pair of glasses 1600 (smart glasses) according to one application example. An imaging device 1602, such as a CMOS sensor or SPAD, is provided on the front surface of the lens 1601 of the glasses 1600. In addition, the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment is provided on the back surface of the lens 1601.

[0180] The eyeglasses 1600 further include a control device 1603. The control device 1603 functions as a power supply that provides power to the imaging device 1602 and the light-emitting device 100 according to each embodiment. The control device 1603 also controls the operation of the imaging device 1602 and the light-emitting device 100. The lens 1601 has an optical system formed therein for focusing light onto the imaging device 1602.

[0181] Figure 20(b) illustrates a pair of glasses 1610 (smart glasses) according to one application example. The glasses 1610 have a control device 1612, which is equipped with an imaging device equivalent to an imaging device 1602 and a light-emitting device 100. The lens 1611 has an optical system formed to project the light emitted from the imaging device and the light-emitting device 100 within the control device 1612, and an image is projected onto the lens 1611. The control device 1612 functions as a power supply to provide power to the imaging device and the light-emitting device 100, and also controls the operation of the imaging device and the light-emitting device 100. The control device 1612 may have a gaze detection unit that detects the wearer's gaze. Gaze detection may use infrared light. The infrared light-emitting unit emits infrared light towards the eyeball of the user who is gazing at the displayed image. The imaging unit, which has a photodetector, detects the reflected light from the eyeball of the emitted infrared light, thereby obtaining an image of the eyeball. By having a reduction mechanism that reduces the amount of light transmitted from the infrared light-emitting part to the display part in a planar view, the degradation of image quality is reduced.

[0182] The user's gaze towards a displayed image is detected from an image of the eyeball obtained by imaging with infrared light. Any known method can be applied to gaze detection using an image of the eyeball. As an example, a gaze detection method based on the Purkinje image obtained by the reflection of the irradiated light from the cornea can be used.

[0183] More specifically, gaze detection processing is performed based on the pupil-corneal reflection method. Using the pupil-corneal reflection method, a gaze vector representing the orientation (rotation angle) of the eyeball is calculated based on the pupil image and Purkinje image contained in the captured image of the eyeball, thereby detecting the user's gaze.

[0184] The light-emitting device 100 according to the embodiment of this disclosure includes an imaging device having a light-receiving element, and may control the displayed image based on the user's line of sight information from the imaging device.

[0185] Specifically, the light-emitting device 100 determines a first field of view area that the user is fixated on, and a second field of view area other than the first field of view area, based on gaze information. The first and second field of view areas may be determined by the control device of the light-emitting device 100, or they may be determined by an external control device and received by the device. In the display area of ​​the light-emitting device 100, the display resolution of the first field of view area may be controlled to be higher than the display resolution of the second field of view area. In other words, the resolution of the second field of view area may be lower than that of the first field of view area.

[0186] Furthermore, the display area has a first display area and a second display area different from the first display area, and based on gaze information, the area with higher priority is determined from the first display area and the second display area. The first display area and the second display area may be determined by the control device of the light-emitting device 100, or they may be determined by an external control device and received. The resolution of the high-priority area may be controlled to be higher than the resolution of the areas other than the high-priority area. In other words, the resolution of the area with relatively lower priority may be lowered.

[0187] AI may be used to determine the first field of view area and high-priority areas. The AI ​​may be a model configured to estimate the angle of line of sight and the distance to the target object at the end of the line of sight from the image of the eye, using the image of the eye and the direction the eye was actually looking in the image as training data. The AI ​​program may be owned by the light-emitting device 100, the imaging device, or an external device. If it is owned by an external device, it is transmitted to the light-emitting device 100 via communication.

[0188] When display control is based on visual detection, this can be applied to smart glasses that also have an imaging device for capturing images of the surrounding environment. The smart glasses can display the captured external information in real time.

[0189] The disclosures herein include the following light-emitting devices, display devices, photoelectric converters, electronic devices, lighting devices, mobile devices, and wearable devices.

[0190] (Item 1) A light-emitting device including a first pixel and a second pixel, Each of the first and second pixels includes a microlens disposed on the main surface of the substrate and a light-emitting element disposed between the main surface and the microlens. The light-emitting element includes a light-emitting layer, The luminance distribution of the light-emitting region in the light-emitting layer of the first earlier pixel and the luminance distribution of the light-emitting region in the light-emitting layer of the second earlier pixel are different from each other. A light-emitting device characterized in that, in each of the first and second pixels, the microlens is positioned such that, when light is incident from the direction normal to the main surface through the microlens toward the light-emitting layer, the area of ​​the incident region where the light beam that has passed through the entire microlens is incident is greater than the area of ​​the light-emitting region, on a plane parallel to the main surface including the upper surface of the light-emitting layer.

[0191] (Item 2) The light-emitting device according to item 1, characterized in that in each of the first and second pixels, the entire outer edge of the light-emitting region is located inside the outer edge of the incident region.

[0192] (Item 3) A light-emitting device including a first pixel and a second pixel, Each of the first and second pixels includes a microlens disposed on the main surface of the substrate and a light-emitting element disposed between the main surface and the microlens. The light-emitting element includes a light-emitting layer, The luminance distribution of the light-emitting region in the light-emitting layer of the first earlier pixel and the luminance distribution of the light-emitting region in the light-emitting layer of the second earlier pixel are different from each other. A light-emitting device characterized in that, in each of the first and second pixels, light emitted from the first end of the light-emitting region and passing through the second end of the microlens closest to the first end is emitted from the microlens as divergent light due to the power of the microlens.

[0193] (Item 4) The light-emitting device according to item 3, characterized in that, in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface, the entire outer edge of the light-emitting region is positioned inward from the outer edge of the microlens.

[0194] (Item 5) The light-emitting device comprises a plurality of pixels, including the first pixel and the second pixel, The light-emitting device according to any one of items 1 to 4, characterized in that the first pixel and the second pixel are the closest adjacent pixels among the plurality of pixels that emit light of the same color.

[0195] (Item 6) The light-emitting device according to any one of items 1 to 5, characterized in that the light-emitting element emits light when driven by an electric current.

[0196] (Item 7) A light-emitting device according to any one of items 1 to 5, characterized in that, in each of the first pixel and the second pixel, the direction from the first pixel toward the second pixel is the first direction, the direction intersecting the first direction is the second direction, and the origin is the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region in the orthogonal projection onto the principal surface, the coordinate positions of the first position in the light-emitting region of the first pixel where the brightness is maximum and the second position in the light-emitting region of the second pixel where the brightness is maximum are different from each other.

[0197] (Item 8) The light-emitting device according to item 7, characterized in that, in the coordinate system, the first position and the second position are separated by 0.2 μm or more.

[0198] (Item 9) The light-emitting device according to item 7 or 8, characterized in that, in the coordinate system, the first position and the second position are separated by 0.5 μm or more.

[0199] (Item 10) A light-emitting device according to any one of items 1 to 9, characterized in that the brightness at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the first pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface and the brightness at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the second pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface are different from each other.

[0200] (Item 11) A light-emitting device according to any one of items 1 to 10, characterized in that the luminance at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the first pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface differs from the luminance at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the second pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface by 2% or more.

[0201] (Item 12) A light-emitting device according to any one of items 1 to 11, characterized in that the luminance at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the first pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface differs by 5% or more from the luminance at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the second pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface.

[0202] (Item 13) A light-emitting device according to any one of items 1 to 12, characterized in that the luminance at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the first pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface differs by 10% or more from the luminance at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the second pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface.

[0203] (Item 14) The light-emitting device according to any one of items 1 to 13, characterized in that, in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface, the light-emitting region of the first pixel has a plurality of luminance peak positions.

[0204] (Item 15) The light-emitting element includes a lower electrode disposed between the light-emitting layer and the main surface. The light-emitting device according to any one of items 1 to 14, characterized in that the lower electrode includes a conductive layer and an oxide layer covering the conductive layer.

[0205] (Item 16) The light-emitting element includes an organic compound layer containing the light-emitting layer, The light-emitting device according to item 15, characterized in that the oxide layer is in contact with the organic compound layer.

[0206] (Item 17) The light-emitting device according to item 15 or 16, characterized in that the lower electrode comprises a layer containing titanium, which is part of the conductive layer and constitutes the oxide layer.

[0207] (Item 18) The light-emitting device according to item 17, characterized in that the thickness of the titanium-containing layer is 15 nm or less.

[0208] (Item 19) The light-emitting device according to any one of items 15 to 18, characterized in that the conductive layer includes a layer composed of a plurality of crystal grains.

[0209] (Item 20) The light-emitting element includes a lower electrode disposed between the light-emitting layer and the main surface. The light-emitting device according to any one of items 1 to 19, characterized in that the surface of the lower electrode facing the light-emitting layer has a height difference of 10 nm or more with respect to the main surface.

[0210] (Item 21) The light-emitting element includes a lower electrode disposed between the light-emitting layer and the main surface. The light-emitting device according to any one of items 1 to 20, characterized in that the lower electrode has an in-plane distribution in its reflectance to light emitted from the light-emitting region.

[0211] (Item 22) The light-emitting device according to any one of items 1 to 21, characterized in that the light-emitting element includes a lower electrode disposed between the light-emitting layer and the main surface, a reflective layer disposed between the lower electrode and the main surface, and an insulating layer disposed between the lower electrode and the reflective layer.

[0212] (Item 23) The light-emitting device according to item 22, characterized in that the light-emitting element includes a conductive via disposed in the insulating layer that electrically connects the lower electrode and the reflective layer.

[0213] (Item 24) The light-emitting device according to item 23, characterized in that the light-emitting element includes an insulating layer disposed between the light-emitting layer and the lower electrode, and at a position that overlaps with the conductive via in orthogonal projection onto the main surface.

[0214] (Item 25) The light-emitting device according to any one of items 1 to 21, characterized in that the light-emitting element includes a lower electrode disposed between the light-emitting layer and the main surface, a reflective layer disposed between the lower electrode and the main surface, and a conductive layer disposed between the lower electrode and the reflective layer.

[0215] (Item 26) A display device comprising a light-emitting device described in any one of items 1 to 25, and a control circuit connected to the light-emitting device.

[0216] (Item 27) It comprises an optical unit having multiple lenses, an image sensor that receives light that has passed through the optical unit, and a display unit that displays an image. The photoelectric conversion device is characterized in that the display unit has a light-emitting device described in any one of items 1 to 25.

[0217] (Item 28) It comprises a housing on which a display unit is provided, and a communication unit provided in the housing for communicating with the outside, The display unit is an electronic device characterized by having a light-emitting device described in any one of items 1 to 25.

[0218] (Item 29) A lighting device having a light source and at least one of a light diffusing section and an optical film, The aforementioned light source is characterized by having a light-emitting device described in any one of items 1 to 25.

[0219] (Item 30) A mobile body having an aircraft and a display unit mounted on the aircraft, The mobile body is characterized in that the display unit has a light-emitting device described in any one of items 1 to 25.

[0220] (Item 31) A wearable device having a display device for displaying images, The aforementioned display device is a wearable device characterized by having a light-emitting device described in any one of items 1 to 25.

[0221] The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, claims are attached to disclose the scope of the invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0222] 100: Light-emitting device, 107: Microlens, 109: Main surface, 110: Pixel, 120: Light-emitting element, 130: Light-emitting region, 131: Light-emitting layer, 133: Incident region

Claims

1. A light-emitting device including a first pixel and a second pixel, Each of the first and second pixels includes a microlens disposed on the main surface of the substrate and a light-emitting element disposed between the main surface and the microlens. The light-emitting element includes a light-emitting layer, The luminance distribution of the light-emitting region in the light-emitting layer of the first pixel and the luminance distribution of the light-emitting region in the light-emitting layer of the second pixel are different from each other. A light-emitting device characterized in that, in each of the first and second pixels, the microlens is positioned such that, when light is incident from the direction normal to the main surface through the microlens toward the light-emitting layer, the area of ​​the incident region where the light beam that has passed through the entire microlens is incident is greater than the area of ​​the light-emitting region, on a plane parallel to the main surface including the upper surface of the light-emitting layer.

2. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that in each of the first and second pixels, the entire outer edge of the light-emitting region is located inside the outer edge of the incident region.

3. A light-emitting device including a first pixel and a second pixel, Each of the first and second pixels includes a microlens disposed on the main surface of the substrate and a light-emitting element disposed between the main surface and the microlens. The light-emitting element includes a light-emitting layer, The luminance distribution of the light-emitting region in the light-emitting layer of the first pixel and the luminance distribution of the light-emitting region in the light-emitting layer of the second pixel are different from each other. A light-emitting device characterized in that, in each of the first and second pixels, light emitted from the first end of the light-emitting region and passing through the second end of the microlens closest to the first end is emitted from the microlens as divergent light due to the power of the microlens.

4. The light-emitting device according to claim 3, characterized in that, in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface, the entire outer edge of the light-emitting region is positioned inward from the outer edge of the microlens.

5. The light-emitting device comprises a plurality of pixels, including the first pixel and the second pixel, The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the first pixel and the second pixel are the closest pixels among the plurality of pixels that emit light of the same color.

6. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the light-emitting element emits light when driven by an electric current.

7. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, in each of the first pixel and the second pixel, the coordinate positions of the first position in the light-emitting region of the first pixel where the brightness is maximum and the coordinate positions of the second position in the light-emitting region of the second pixel where the brightness is maximum are different in a coordinate system in which the direction from the first pixel to the second pixel is the first direction, the direction intersecting the first direction is the second direction, and the origin is the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface.

8. The light-emitting device according to claim 7, characterized in that, in the coordinate system, the first position and the second position are separated by 0.2 μm or more.

9. The light-emitting device according to claim 7, characterized in that, in the coordinate system, the first position and the second position are separated by 0.5 μm or more.

10. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the brightness at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the first pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface and the brightness at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the second pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface are different from each other.

11. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the brightness at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the first pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface differs from the brightness at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the second pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface by 2% or more.

12. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the luminance at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the first pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface differs by 5% or more from the luminance at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the second pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface.

13. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the brightness at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the first pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface differs by 10% or more from the brightness at the geometric centroid position of the light-emitting region of the second pixel in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface.

14. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that, in the orthogonal projection onto the main surface, the light-emitting region of the first pixel has a plurality of luminance peak positions.

15. The light-emitting element includes a lower electrode disposed between the light-emitting layer and the main surface. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower electrode includes a conductive layer and an oxide layer covering the conductive layer.

16. The light-emitting element includes an organic compound layer containing the light-emitting layer, The light-emitting device according to claim 15, characterized in that the oxide layer is in contact with the organic compound layer.

17. The light-emitting device according to claim 15, characterized in that the lower electrode comprises a layer containing titanium, which is part of the conductive layer and constitutes the oxide layer.

18. The light-emitting device according to claim 17, characterized in that the thickness of the titanium-containing layer is 15 nm or less.

19. The light-emitting device according to claim 15, characterized in that the conductive layer includes a layer composed of a plurality of crystal grains.

20. The light-emitting element includes a lower electrode disposed between the light-emitting layer and the main surface. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the surface of the lower electrode facing the light-emitting layer has a height difference of 10 nm or more with respect to the main surface.

21. The light-emitting element includes a lower electrode disposed between the light-emitting layer and the main surface. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the lower electrode has an in-plane distribution in its reflectance with respect to light emitted from the light-emitting region.

22. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the light-emitting element includes a lower electrode disposed between the light-emitting layer and the main surface, a reflective layer disposed between the lower electrode and the main surface, and an insulating layer disposed between the lower electrode and the reflective layer.

23. The light-emitting device according to claim 22, characterized in that the light-emitting element includes a conductive via disposed in the insulating layer that electrically connects the lower electrode and the reflective layer.

24. The light-emitting device according to claim 23, characterized in that the light-emitting element includes an insulating layer disposed between the light-emitting layer and the lower electrode, and at a position that overlaps with the conductive via in orthogonal projection onto the main surface.

25. The light-emitting device according to claim 1, characterized in that the light-emitting element includes a lower electrode disposed between the light-emitting layer and the main surface, a reflective layer disposed between the lower electrode and the main surface, and a conductive layer disposed between the lower electrode and the reflective layer.

26. A display device comprising a light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 25, and a control circuit connected to the light-emitting device.

27. It comprises an optical unit having multiple lenses, an image sensor that receives light that has passed through the optical unit, and a display unit that displays an image. The photoelectric conversion device is characterized in that the display unit has a light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 25.

28. It comprises a housing on which a display unit is provided, and a communication unit provided in the housing for communicating with the outside, The display unit is an electronic device characterized by having a light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 25.

29. A lighting device having a light source and at least one of a light diffusing section and an optical film, The lighting device is characterized in that the light source has a light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 25.

30. A mobile body having an aircraft and a display unit mounted on the aircraft, The mobile body is characterized in that the display unit has a light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 25.

31. A wearable device having a display device for displaying images, The wearable device is characterized in that the display device has a light-emitting device according to any one of claims 1 to 25.

Images