Organic EL Sealing Film Etching via Reactive Substrate Mask
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing organic electroluminescent (EL) elements face challenges with moisture and oxygen ingress, leading to reduced efficiency and reliability due to residue formation during sealing processes, which affects the connection between external terminals and circuits.
Innovation Solution
A method involving the use of a second substrate with a reactive composition that vaporizes during etching, along with a protective member, to expose mounting terminals while preventing residue formation, ensuring high connection reliability and minimizing interference with the organic EL element.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a sealing substrate is used as a mask during etching to expose the external connecting region, then the protective film can be selectively removed, but the sealing substrate itself is etched and residues remain on the external connecting terminal
Solution Approach 1:
A removable protective film is introduced as an intermediary layer between the sealing substrate and the external connecting terminal. This protective film serves as the actual mask during etching, allowing the sealing substrate to be used as a mask without its residues contaminating the terminal. The protective film can be selectively removed after etching to expose the terminal while the sealing substrate remains intact.
Solution Approach 2:
The masking function is segmented into two separate components: the sealing substrate and the removable protective film. This segmentation allows each component to perform its specific function independently - the sealing substrate provides structural support and initial masking, while the protective film provides the final masking that prevents residue contamination.
2Reliability
If a metal mask is used to mask the mounting terminal before forming the sealing film, then the sealing film can be formed with proper coverage, but variations in film thickness occur due to particle incidence limits and wrapping effects
Solution Approach 1:
The mechanical metal mask system is replaced with a thin film-based masking approach. Instead of using a physical metal mask that requires precise positioning and suffers from particle incidence issues, the patent uses a deposited sealing film that can be uniformly formed across the substrate surface, eliminating the thickness variation problems associated with mechanical masking.
3Volume of moving object
If the opening section of the metal mask is positioned close to the organic EL element for miniaturization, then the apparatus size is reduced, but the sealing film cannot be reliably covered due to particle incidence limits
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs thin film technology for the sealing film, which can be deposited as a conformal layer that follows the substrate topography. This thin film approach allows the sealing film to be reliably formed even in regions close to the organic EL element, enabling miniaturization without compromising sealing reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach effectively secures high connection reliability by preventing residue contamination and maintaining the integrity of the organic EL element, allowing for efficient light emission and reliable electrical connections.
Implementation Method 1
a second substrate, which is formed with a composition which reacts with an etching gas and vaporizes
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing an organic EL apparatus includes forming an organic EL element and a mounting terminal on a substrate of an element substrate as a first substrate, forming sealing films so as to cover at least the organic EL element and the mounting terminal, adhering a sealing substrate as a second substrate with respect to the element substrate using a filler, and etching the sealing films so as to expose at least a part of the mounting terminal, in which, in the etching of the sealing films, the second substrate, which is formed with a composition which reacts with an etching gas and vaporizes, or a protective member, which covers at least a part of the second substrate, is used as a mask.