JP2007234499A - Organic el panel, gas exchange device, organic el device, and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an organic EL (electroluminescent) panel capable of being long in service life and improved in luminous characteristics by making the gas in a panel exchangeable. <P>SOLUTION: This organic EL panel comprises an element substrate 3, on a side of which a plurality of organic EL elements 2 are arranged; and a sealing member 4 disposed as opposed to the side of the element substrate 3. The organic EL elements 2 are arranged in a sealed space S which is configured so as to hermetically seal a space between the element substrate 3 and the sealing member 4, and so as to have an injection valve 11 for injecting the gas into the sealed space S and a discharge valve 12 for discharging the gas from the sealed space S. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic EL panel, a gas exchange device, an organic EL device, and an electronic apparatus.

   An organic EL (electroluminescence) panel is an organic EL device in which an organic light emitting layer containing a luminescent material is sandwiched between an anode and a cathode, and the holes injected from the anode side and the cathode side are formed. This utilizes the phenomenon in which electrons injected from the above are recombined with each other in the organic light-emitting layer, and light is emitted when they are lost from the excited state.

  Incidentally, it is known that organic EL elements are easily deteriorated by moisture, oxygen, etc. in the atmosphere. For this reason, in an organic EL panel, an element substrate on which an organic EL element is formed is sealed with a sealing member, and the organic EL element is placed in a sealed sealing space. The panel is filled with an inert gas such as helium, nitrogen or argon in order to protect the organic EL element. Further, a desiccant is disposed in the sealed space in order to remove moisture in the panel.

  In the organic EL panel, the oxygen concentration contained in the gas in the sealed space is preferably 1 ppm or less and the moisture concentration is preferably 10 ppm or less (see Patent Document 1). Further, the gas that degrades the organic EL element is a gas having high chemical activity in addition to the above-described moisture and oxygen (hereinafter, these are collectively referred to as an active gas). It is also conceivable that such an active gas is emitted from the material constituting the element itself.

  On the other hand, there has been proposed a sensor that detects the mixing of moisture and oxygen by the generation and expansion rate of dark spots in an organic EL element (see Patent Document 2). In organic EL panels, moisture and oxygen have become a major factor affecting the light emission characteristics of organic EL elements as the method of using the organic EL element itself as a sensor is proposed. Monitoring is very important in identifying the cause of failure and failure.

  Therefore, in the organic EL panel, it is important to dispose the organic EL element in an atmosphere in which such an active gas does not exist in order to improve the light emission characteristics and extend the life of the organic EL element. For this reason, in the organic EL panel, methods such as improving the barrier property in the above-described sealing structure and securing an atmosphere in the panel using a moisture-proof barrier film are also taken.

However, in the conventional organic EL panel, even if the sealing structure is strengthened, it is not possible to avoid the generation of gas inside due to external gas mixing, heat or chemical reaction during driving, etc. Have difficulty. For example, it is known that an aromatic compound such as benzene or a halogen compound is detected as an outgas from a sealing agent used for sealing (see Non-Patent Document 1). Depending on the case, there is a concern that gas other than oxygen and moisture may enter. Furthermore, it is not easy to specify newly generated gas in the panel or gas entering from the outside.
JP-A-8-78159 JP 2005-43303 A “Remaining Important Issues and Strategies for Practical Use of Organic LED Devices”, published July 1, 1999, edited by Organic Electronics Materials Research Group, P.A. 98-103

  The present invention has been proposed in view of such conventional circumstances, and provides an organic EL panel capable of improving the light emission characteristics and extending the life by allowing the gas in the panel to be exchanged. For the purpose. Moreover, an object of this invention is to provide the gas exchange apparatus which replaces | exchanges the gas in such an organic electroluminescent panel. Moreover, an object of this invention is to provide the organic electroluminescent apparatus provided with such an organic electroluminescent panel and a gas exchange apparatus. Moreover, an object of this invention is to provide the electronic device provided with such an organic electroluminescent apparatus.

In order to achieve this object, an organic EL panel according to the present invention includes an element substrate provided with an organic EL element on one surface, and a sealing member disposed to face one surface of the element substrate. And the sealing member are hermetically sealed, so that the organic EL element is disposed in a hermetically sealed space, and an injection valve for injecting gas into the sealed space; And a discharge valve for discharging the gas in the sealed space.
According to this configuration, gas can be injected into the sealed space through the injection valve and gas in the sealed space can be discharged through the discharge valve. Therefore, by replacing the gas in the organic EL panel, In addition, it is possible to improve the light emission characteristics of the organic EL element and to extend the lifetime.

In the organic EL panel according to the present invention, the sealing space is preferably filled with an inert gas.
Thereby, the invasion of gas from the outside can be prevented, and the deterioration of the organic EL element arranged in the organic EL panel can be prevented.

Moreover, the organic EL panel according to the present invention may be configured to include a sensor that detects an active gas in the sealed space.
In this case, by monitoring the active gas present in the organic EL panel with a sensor, it is possible to specify the cause of failure or failure, or to determine the time for replacing the gas in the panel.

On the other hand, the gas exchange device according to the present invention performs gas exchange in the organic EL panel, and includes a gas injection mechanism for injecting gas into the sealed space through the injection valve, and a gas in the sealed space through the discharge valve. And a gas discharge mechanism for discharging gas.
According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a gas exchange device that can exchange gas in the organic EL panel.

The gas exchange device according to the present invention includes an injection side buffer mechanism that adjusts a gas pressure between an injection valve and a gas injection mechanism, and a discharge side buffer that adjusts a gas pressure between the discharge valve and the gas discharge mechanism. It is good also as a structure provided with any one or both with a mechanism.
In this case, by adjusting the gas pressure by the buffer mechanism, it is possible to prevent the gas pressure from being directly applied to the sealed space when the gas in the organic EL panel is exchanged.

On the other hand, the organic EL device according to the present invention includes the organic EL panel and the gas exchange device.
According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an organic EL device that can perform gas exchange in the organic EL panel within the device.

On the other hand, the organic EL device according to the present invention includes the organic EL device.
According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an electronic apparatus including an organic EL device that can perform gas exchange of the organic EL panel in the device.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, various structures are illustrated using drawings, but the structures shown in these drawings are different in number and size from the actual structures in order to show the characteristic parts in an easy-to-understand manner. Yes.

(Organic EL panel)
First, an organic EL panel to which the present invention is applied will be described.
As an embodiment of the present invention, an organic EL panel 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes an element substrate 3 provided with an organic EL element 2 on one surface, and a sealing member 4 disposed to face one surface of the element substrate 3. And the element substrate 3 and the sealing member 4 are hermetically sealed between the element substrate 3 and the sealing member 4, thereby having a structure in which the organic EL element 2 is disposed in a sealed sealing space S. Yes.

  Specifically, a rectangular transparent glass substrate or a transparent resin substrate is used as the element substrate 3, and an anode 6 made of transparent indium-tin oxide (ITO) or the like is formed on the element substrate 3, and light emission. A plurality of organic EL elements 2 are formed by sequentially forming an organic light emitting layer 7 using an organic material containing a substance and a cathode 8 having a small work function such as Ca or Mg.

  When a transparent glass substrate is used as the element substrate 3, for example, a barium borosilicate glass substrate or an alumino borosilicate glass is suitable. On the other hand, when a transparent resin substrate is used as the element substrate 3, for example, an organic material such as polyimide, polystyrene, polypropylene, or polycarbonate, an epoxy resin containing glass fiber, a phenol resin, or a urea resin is suitable. When such a resin substrate is used, the weight can be reduced as compared with the case where a transparent glass substrate is used. Moreover, when using a resin substrate, it is preferable to cover the surface with inorganic oxide thin films or inorganic nitride thin films, such as silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and aluminum oxide. Thereby, permeation | transmission of a water | moisture content or oxygen can be prevented, and deterioration of the organic EL element 2 arrange | positioned in the sealing space S can be prevented.

  About the organic light emitting layer 7 which comprises the organic EL element 2, a single layer type which consists of a single light emitting layer, or a charge injection layer, a charge transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron injection layer, etc. using several different organic materials etc. May be any of the stacked types in which the layers are sequentially stacked according to function.

  In addition, a drive element unit 3a is provided on the element substrate 3. The drive element unit 3a includes a switching drive element such as a thin film transistor (TFT), which is not shown in the drawing. A plurality of elements are arranged corresponding to the elements 2. In the driving element portion 3a, a plurality of scanning lines electrically connected to the gate electrodes of the TFTs and signal lines electrically connected to the source electrodes of the TFTs are arranged in a direction intersecting each other. It has been. The organic EL elements 2 arranged at the intersections of the scanning lines and the signal lines constitute one pixel, and a plurality of these pixels are arranged in a matrix, so that the organic EL panel as a whole is arranged. 1 display area is formed. Further, a drive circuit (not shown) for driving a drive element connected to each organic EL element 2 is provided in a region outside the region sealed with the sealing member 4 of the element substrate 3. It has been.

  The sealing member 4 has a recess 4a that covers the plurality of organic EL elements 2 formed on the element substrate 3 and forms a sealing space S therein, and uses, for example, glass, resin, metal material, or the like. Is formed. The sealing member 4 is bonded to one surface of the element substrate 3 with a sealant 5 applied in an annular shape around the organic EL element 2 of the element substrate 3. Thereby, a sealed sealing space S is formed between the element substrate 3 and the recess 4 a of the sealing member 4. The sealed space S is filled with an inert gas such as nitrogen, helium, argon, krypton, or neon.

  As the sealant 5, a thermosetting resin, an ultraviolet curable resin, or the like can be used, and among them, an epoxy resin is particularly preferably used as a material that hardly allows oxygen or moisture to pass through. Thereby, permeation | transmission of a water | moisture content or oxygen can be prevented, and deterioration of the organic EL element 2 arrange | positioned in the sealing space S can be prevented. In addition, when sealing between the element substrate 3 and the sealing member 4 with the sealing agent 5, it is preferable to carry out in the inert gas atmosphere mentioned above.

  The organic EL panel 1 having the above structure is a so-called bottom emission type, and can extract light emitted from the organic EL element 2 from the element substrate 3 side. That is, in this organic EL panel 1, the organic EL element 2 emits light by recombining holes injected from the anode 6 side and electrons injected from the cathode 8 side in the organic light emitting layer 7. Light is emitted to the outside through the element substrate 3. In the organic EL panel 1, image display can be performed by controlling each lighting of the plurality of organic EL elements 2 arranged in a matrix on the element substrate 3.

  On the other hand, the organic EL panel 1 may be a so-called top emission type in which light emitted from the organic EL element 2 is extracted from the sealing member 4 side. In this case, the element substrate 3 does not need to be transparent, the cathode 8 of the organic EL element 2 is formed of a transparent conductive material, and the sealing member 4 may be formed of transparent glass or resin material.

  By the way, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the organic EL panel 1 to which the present invention is applied discharges the gas in the sealing space S and the injection valve 11 for injecting the gas into the sealing space S. The exhaust valve 12 is provided, and the gas in the sealed space S can be exchanged through these valves 11 and 12.

  Specifically, the injection valve 11 and the discharge valve 12 are provided on one side surface of the organic EL panel 1 in a state of penetrating the sealing agent 5 between the element substrate 3 and the sealing member 4. Of these valves 11 and 12 for gas exchange, the injection valve 11 is a check valve that is opened only during gas injection, and the discharge valve 12 is a check valve that is opened only during gas discharge.

  As described above, in an organic EL panel, even if its sealing structure is strengthened, a gas containing moisture, oxygen, or the like enters from the outside, or the organic EL panel is internally driven by heat or chemical reaction during driving. It is difficult to avoid the generation of gas that degrades the element 2. Accordingly, as in the organic EL panel 1 to which the present invention is applied, a new inert gas is injected into the sealed space S through the injection valve 11, and the active gas is contained in the sealed space S through the discharge valve 12. If the inert gas is discharged, it is possible to always keep the inside of the sealed space S in an inert gas atmosphere that does not contain the active gas.

  As described above, in the organic EL panel 1, the gas in the sealed space S is exchanged to prevent the deterioration of the organic EL element 2 in the sealed space S, and the light emission characteristics of the organic EL element 2 are improved. It is possible to improve and extend the life.

  Moreover, the organic EL panel 1 to which the present invention is applied preferably includes a sensor 13 that detects the active gas in the sealed space S as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The sensor 13 can be arranged at an arbitrary position in the sealing space S. In the present embodiment, the sensors 13 are arranged at the four corners and the central portion of the panel, respectively. Further, the sensor 13 may be disposed on any of the surfaces of the element substrate 3 and the sealing member 4 that face each other.

In addition, it is preferable to arrange a sensor 13 corresponding to a detection target in advance. For example, a surface control type or bulk control type semiconductor sensor includes H ₂ , hydrocarbon, alcohol, CO, O ₂ , NH _3. , H ₂ S, NO, NO ₂ , SO _X , O _{3 and the} like. The solid electrolyte sensor is preferably used for detecting O ₂ , H ₂ , CO, H ₂ O, CO ₂ , NO, NO ₂ , SO _X , Br ₂ , Cl ₂ , H ₂ S and the like. Further, the humidity sensor is preferably used for the detection of H 2 _O. The FET sensor is preferably used for detecting H ₂ , C ₂ H _{4, and the} like. The piezoelectric sensor is preferably used for detecting H ₂ O, SO _X , NH ₃ , NO _{2 and the} like. These sensors 13 are preferably selected as appropriate depending on the gas concentration of the gas to be detected.

  In the organic EL panel 1 to which the present invention is applied, the cause of the failure or defect is specified by monitoring the active gas (the type or concentration of gas to be detected) in the sealed space S by the sensor 13. It is possible to determine when to replace the gas in the sealed space S.

The organic EL panel 1 to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the configuration shown in FIG. 2 described above, but other than the configuration in which the injection valve 11 and the discharge valve 12 are arranged on one side surface of the organic EL panel 1. In addition, for example, as shown in FIG. 4A, the injection valve 11 and the discharge valve 12 are arranged at diagonal positions of the organic EL panel 1, or as shown in FIG. And a configuration in which the discharge valves 12 are disposed on the side portions facing each other of the organic EL panel 1, and a configuration in which a plurality of injection valves 11 and discharge valves 12 are disposed in the organic EL panel 1 as shown in FIG. It is also possible to do.
Further, the injection valve 11 and the discharge valve 12 are not limited to the configuration that penetrates the sealing agent 5 between the element substrate 3 and the sealing member 4 described above, and penetrate either the element substrate 3 or the sealing member 4. It can also be provided.

(Gas exchange device)
Next, a gas exchange device to which the present invention is applied will be described.
A gas exchange device 50 shown in FIG. 2 performs gas exchange in the organic EL panel 1 described above. A gas injection mechanism 51 that injects gas into the sealed space S through the injection valve 11 and a discharge valve 12. And a gas discharge mechanism 52 for discharging the gas in the sealed space S.

  Among these, the gas injection mechanism 51 includes a cylinder 51a filled with an inert gas and a hose 51b having one end connected to the cylinder 51a. The other end of the hose 51b is connected to the injection valve 11. It is a mechanism to do. On the other hand, the gas discharge mechanism 52 includes a decompressor 52a for adjusting the injection amount (discharge amount) of gas injected (discharged) into the sealed space S, and a hose 52b having one end connected to the decompressor 52a. The other end of the hose 52b is connected to the discharge valve 12.

  When gas exchange in the organic EL panel 1 is performed using the gas exchange device 50 as described above, first, hoses 51b and 52b are connected to the injection valve 11 and the discharge valve 12, respectively. Next, the cylinder 51a is opened and a new inert gas is injected into the sealed space S through the injection valve 11, and the gas pressure in the sealed space S is adjusted through the discharge valve 12 while the gas pressure is adjusted by the decompressor 52a. Drain inert gas (including gas). As described above, in the gas exchange device 50, the above-described gas exchange in the organic EL panel 1 can be performed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the gas exchange device 50 to which the present invention is applied includes an injection side buffer mechanism 53 for adjusting a gas pressure between the injection valve 11 and the gas injection mechanism 51, a discharge valve 12, and a gas discharge. It is good also as a structure provided with the discharge side buffer mechanism 54 which adjusts a gas pressure between the mechanisms 52. FIG.

  The gas exchange device 50 can prevent the gas pressure from being directly applied to the sealed space S during the gas exchange in the organic EL panel 1 by adjusting the gas pressure using the buffer mechanisms 53 and 54. Therefore, in this gas exchange device 50, it is possible to stably perform the gas exchange in the organic EL panel 1 described above.

  Note that the gas exchange device 50 to which the present invention is applied is not limited to the configuration including both the injection side buffer mechanism 53 and the discharge side buffer mechanism 54 described above, and any of the injection side buffer mechanism 53 and the discharge side buffer mechanism 54 can be used. It can also be set as the structure provided with either.

(Organic EL device)
Next, the organic EL device 100 to which the present invention is applied will be described.
The organic EL device 100 shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 includes the organic EL panel 1 and the gas exchange device 50 described above, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, and the organic EL panel 1 in this device. It is possible to exchange gas inside.

  Specifically, in the organic EL device 100, the sensor 13 of the organic EL panel 1 described above detects the active gas (the type or concentration of gas to be detected) present in the sealed space S. When it is determined that the gas in the sealed space S needs to be exchanged based on the detection result detected by the sensor 13, the gas exchange device 50 exchanges the gas in the organic EL panel 1.

  As described above, in this organic EL device 100, since the gas exchange device 50 automatically performs gas exchange in the organic EL panel 1, the inside of the organic EL panel 1 always contains an inert gas atmosphere containing no active gas. It is possible to keep on. Therefore, in this organic EL device 100, it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the organic EL element 2 in the organic EL panel 1, and thereby it is possible to improve the performance and extend the life of the organic EL panel 1. .

  The organic EL device 100 to which the present invention is applied may be configured such that the gas exchange device 50 periodically exchanges the gas in the organic EL panel 1 regardless of the detection result of the sensor 13 described above. Further, the organic EL device 100 may be configured to inject the inert gas into the organic EL panel 1 again after removing moisture and the like contained in the inert gas discharged from the organic EL panel 1.

(Electronics)
Next, an example of an electronic apparatus to which the present invention is applied will be described.
FIG. 5 shows a thin large-screen television 1200 which is an example of an electronic apparatus to which the present invention is applied.
The thin large-screen television 1200 is mainly configured by a display unit 1201 including the organic EL device 100, a housing 1202, and an audio output unit 1203 such as a speaker. The thin large-screen television 1200 includes the display unit 1201 including the organic EL device 100, and thus has excellent reliability of the display unit 1201.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the specific configurations and constituent materials of the respective parts of the organic EL panel 1 and the gas exchange device 50 exemplified in the above embodiment are merely examples, and can be appropriately changed.
Moreover, in the said embodiment, although the example which used the said organic EL panel 1 as the display apparatus was shown, for other uses, for example, a light source of a liquid crystal display device, a light writing type laser printer, a light source of optical communication, etc. Can also be applied.

It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the organic electroluminescent panel to which this invention is applied. It is a top view which shows typically the organic electroluminescent panel, gas exchange apparatus, and organic electroluminescent apparatus to which this invention is applied. It is a top view which shows the modification of the gas exchange apparatus shown in FIG. It is a top view which shows the modification of the organic electroluminescent panel to which this invention is applied. It is a perspective view which shows an example of the electronic device to which this invention is applied.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Organic EL panel 2 ... Organic EL element 3 ... Element board | substrate 4 ... Sealing member 5 ... Sealing agent 6 ... Anode 7 ... Organic light emitting layer 8 ... Cathode 11 ... Injection valve 12 ... Discharge valve 50 ... Gas exchange apparatus 51 ... Gas Injection mechanism 52 ... Gas discharge mechanism 53 ... Injection side buffer mechanism 54 ... Discharge side buffer mechanism 100 ... Thin large-screen television (electronic equipment)

Claims (7)

An element substrate provided with an organic EL element on one surface and a sealing member disposed to face the one surface of the element substrate are hermetically sealed between the element substrate and the sealing member. The organic EL panel is disposed in a sealed space in which the organic EL element is sealed,
An organic EL panel comprising: an injection valve for injecting gas into the sealing space; and a discharge valve for discharging gas in the sealing space.   The organic EL panel according to claim 1, wherein the sealed space is filled with an inert gas.   The organic EL panel according to claim 1, further comprising a sensor that detects an active gas in the sealed space. A gas exchange device for exchanging gas in the sealed space of the organic EL panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A gas exchange device comprising: a gas injection mechanism for injecting gas into the sealed space through the injection valve; and a gas discharge mechanism for discharging gas in the sealed space through the discharge valve.   Either an injection side buffer mechanism that adjusts a gas pressure between the injection valve and the gas injection mechanism and a discharge side buffer mechanism that adjusts a gas pressure between the discharge valve and the gas discharge mechanism, or The gas exchange device according to claim 4, comprising both.   An organic EL device comprising the organic EL panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3 and the gas exchange device according to claim 4 or 5.   An electronic apparatus comprising the organic EL device according to claim 6.

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