Electroluminescent device and method for manufacturing same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016204374-A1
Application number	US-201414914722-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 9, 2014
Priority date	Aug 28, 2013
Publication date	Jul 14, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

In an organic EL display device (electroluminescent device) including an organic EL element (electroluminescent element), a sealing film is provided to seal the organic EL element. The sealing film includes a first inorganic layer, a first organic layer, a second inorganic layer, a second organic layer, and a third inorganic layer (uppermost inorganic layer), which are arranged in this order. The first and second organic layers are formed so that the thickness of the end portions gradually decreases from the thickness of the central portions. The third inorganic layer is provided to cover the end portions of each of the first inorganic layer, the first organic layer, the second inorganic layer, and the second organic layer.

First claim

1 . An electroluminescent device comprising:
a substrate; and an electroluminescent element provided on the substrate, wherein the electroluminescent device comprises a sealing film that seals the electroluminescent element, the sealing film is composed of two or more organic layers and two or more inorganic layers, each of the two or more organic layers and each of the two or more inorganic layers of the sealing film are alternately arranged, each of the two or more organic layers is formed so that a thickness gradually decreases in end portions, and an uppermost layer of the sealing film is the inorganic layer, and the uppermost inorganic layer is provided to cover end portions of the lower organic layers and end portions of the lower inorganic layers.

2 . The electroluminescent device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the two or more inorganic layers is formed so that a thickness does not gradually decrease in end portions.

3 . The electroluminescent device according to claim 1 , wherein a gradual decrease region in which the thickness of each of the two or more organic layers gradually decreases is provided in an outer region of the electroluminescent element on the substrate.

4 . The electroluminescent device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the two or more organic layers is formed so that the thickness is substantially uniform in a portion located on the electroluminescent element.

5 . The electroluminescent device according to claim 1 , comprising:
a counter substrate that is located on an opposite side of the electroluminescent element with respect to the substrate; and a sealing material in the form of a frame that seals the electroluminescent element between the substrate and the counter substrate.

6 . A method for manufacturing an electroluminescent device comprising a substrate and an electroluminescent element provided on the substrate,
the manufacturing method comprising: forming a first organic layer on the electroluminescent element or a lowermost inorganic layer that seals the electroluminescent element, the first organic layer having a thickness that gradually decreases in end portions; forming an intermediate inorganic layer on the first organic layer; forming a second organic layer on the intermediate inorganic layer, the second organic layer having a thickness that gradually decreases in end portions; and forming an uppermost inorganic layer to cover end portions of each of the inorganic layers and the end portions of each of the first and second organic layers.

7 . The manufacturing method according to claim 6 , wherein each of the inorganic layers is formed by a CVD method or an ALD method.

8 . The manufacturing method according to claim 6 , wherein at least the second organic layer of the first and second organic layers is formed by an evaporation method or a sputtering method.

9 . The manufacturing method according to claim 6 , wherein the first organic layer is formed on the electroluminescent element by a wet method.

10 . The manufacturing method according to claim 6 , wherein an inversely tapered mask is used to form the inorganic layers other than the uppermost inorganic layer and the first and second organic layers.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Sonoda Tohru
• Hirase Takeshi
• Okamoto Tetsuya
• Senoo Tohru

Classifications

• H10K59/871

  Self-supporting sealing arrangements · CPC title

• H10K50/841

  Self-supporting sealing arrangements · CPC title

• H10K59/8731 Primary

  multilayered coatings having a repetitive structure, e.g. having multiple organic-inorganic bilayers · CPC title

• H01L51/524 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/0008

  Electricity · mapped topic