Luminescent device and method of manufacturing the same including forming a plurality of notches or slits in a substrate to enable planar light emittance in a curved state

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9755166-B2
Application number	US-201314434250-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 16, 2013
Priority date	Oct 24, 2012
Publication date	Sep 5, 2017
Grant date	Sep 5, 2017

Abstract

A luminescent device that has at least an anode layer ( 32 ), a cathode layer ( 36 ), and an organic EL layer ( 34 ) formed on a transparent substrate ( 30 ), and has the organic EL layer ( 34 ) placed between the anode layer ( 32 ) and the cathode layer ( 36 ) is disclosed.
In this luminescent device, notches ( 22 ) are formed at the rim portion of the transparent substrate, and patterning is performed on the transparent substrate ( 30 ) so that the organic EL layer ( 34 ) avoids the notches ( 22 ), and the anode layer ( 32 ) and the cathode layer ( 34 ) overlap the organic EL layer ( 34 ). Part of the anode layer ( 32 ) and part of the cathode layer ( 36 ) are exposed through the respective notches ( 22 ) of the transparent substrate ( 30 ).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A luminescent device comprising an electroluminescence (EL) sheet having at least an anode layer, a cathode layer, and an organic EL layer formed on a substrate, the organic EL layer being placed between the anode layer and the cathode layer,
wherein
a plurality of notches or slits are formed at a rim of the substrate to enable a planar light emittance in a curved state, each of the notches or slits extending from an outer perimeter of the substrate towards a center of the substrate in a plan view,
patterning is performed on the substrate so that the organic EL layer avoids the notches or the slits, and
part of the anode layer and part of the cathode layer are exposed through the respective notches or exposed between the slits of the substrate.

2. The luminescent device according to claim 1 , further comprising
a supporting member configured to support the EL sheet,
wherein the supporting member has a three-dimensionally curved shape.

3. The luminescent device according to claim 2 , wherein the supporting member has electrode portions formed therein, the electrode portions corresponding to exposed portions of the anode layer of the EL sheet and exposed portions of the cathode layer of the EL sheet.

4. The luminescent device according to claim 1 , wherein the luminescent device has a three-dimensionally curved surface and emits light from the curved surface.

5. The luminescent device according to claim 1 , wherein the notches are wedge-shaped and the slits are linear.

6. A luminescent device comprising an electroluminescence (EL) sheet having at least an anode layer, a cathode layer, and an organic EL layer formed on a substrate, the organic EL layer being placed between the anode layer and the cathode laver,
wherein
a plurality of notches are formed at a rim of the substrate to enable a planar light emittance in a curved state, each of the notches extending from an outer perimeter of the substrate towards a center of the substrate in a plan view,
patterning is performed on the substrate so that the organic EL layer avoids the notches, and the anode layer and the cathode layer overlap the organic EL layer, and
part of the anode layer and part of the cathode layer are exposed through the respective notches of the substrate.

7. The luminescent device according to claim 6 , further comprising
a supporting member configured to support the EL sheet,
wherein the supporting member has a three-dimensionally curved shape.

8. The luminescent device according to claim 6 , wherein the luminescent device has a three-dimensionally curved surface and emits light from the curved surface.

9. The luminescent device according to claim 6 , wherein the notches are wedge-shaped.

10. A luminescent device comprising an electroluminescence (EL) sheet having at least an anode layer, a cathode layer, and an organic EL layer formed on a substrate, the organic EL layer being placed between the anode layer and the cathode layer,
wherein
a plurality of slits are formed at a rim of the substrate to enable a planar light emittance in a curved state, each of the slits extending from an outer perimeter of the substrate towards a center of the substrate in a plan view,
patterning is performed on the substrate so that the anode layer, the cathode layer, and the organic EL layer avoid the slits, and
part of the anode layer and part of the cathode layer are exposed between the slits of the substrate.

11. The luminescent device according to claim 10 , further comprising
a supporting member configured to support the EL sheet,
wherein the supporting member has a three-dimensionally curved shape.

12. The luminescent device according to claim 10 , wherein the luminescent device has a three-dimensionally curved surface and emits light from the curved surface.

13. The luminescent device according to claim 10 , wherein the slits are linear.

Assignees

• Konica Minolta Inc
• Konica Minolta Inc

Inventors

• Iwagaki Masaru
• Yagi Tsukasa
• Morikawa Masahiro
• Miki Nobuya

Classifications

• B60Q3/74

  for overall compartment lighting; for overall compartment lighting in combination with specific lighting, e.g. room lamps with reading lamps (general lighting mounted on specific fittings B60Q3/20; general lighting for mass transit vehicles B60Q3/43) · CPC title

• Y02E10/549

  Organic PV cells · CPC title

• B60Q1/26 Primary

  the devices being primarily intended to indicate the vehicle, or parts thereof, or to give signals, to other traffic · CPC title

• H01L2251/5361

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/56

  Electricity · mapped topic