JP2008058489A - Electro-optical device, method for manufacturing electro-optical device, and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electro-optical device that can be made thin and lightweight and can be configured to have a curved display surface even when a substrate made of a hard material such as a glass is used. <P>SOLUTION: The electro-optical device 1 comprises a pair of substrates 4a, 4b constituting an electro-optical panel 2, and a cooling member 5 disposed in the outer surface side of one substrate 4a of the electro-optical panel 2, and a curved face 5a provided in the cooling member 5. The pair of substrates 4a, 4b is composed of a hard material, wherein the faces on the opposite sides to the counter faces to each other are processed so as to be thin, and each substrate is attached to the curved face 5a of the cooling member 5, in a state in which each substrate is made bent. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electro-optical device capable of forming a curved display surface using a substrate made of a hard material such as glass, a manufacturing method thereof, and an electronic apparatus.

  Electro-optical devices typified by organic EL devices and the like are used in various fields by taking advantage of light weight, thinness, and low power consumption. Among them, an organic EL device using an organic EL (electroluminescence) element, which is a self-luminous element, as a pixel can display with a high contrast and a wide viewing angle. Therefore, various devices such as a portable information terminal, a measuring instrument, and a PC monitor are available. Application to electronic equipment is under consideration.

  Such electro-optical devices are required to be made thinner, and in order to meet such demands, it has been proposed to use a plastic substrate as the substrate for the electro-optical device. However, since the plastic substrate has a low heat-resistant temperature, there is a problem that wiring and electrodes cannot be formed on the substrate using a semiconductor process. Further, since the plastic substrate has low moisture resistance, there is a possibility that defects such as dark spots may occur when applied to an organic EL device. On the other hand, when a thin glass substrate is used from the beginning as a substrate for an electro-optical device, it becomes difficult to convey due to problems such as bending of the substrate due to its own weight, which causes a reduction in manufacturing yield.

Therefore, Patent Documents 1 to 5 propose a method of reducing the thickness by etching the outer surfaces of a pair of substrates constituting the electro-optical device. According to this method, since a thick glass substrate is used until the panel is assembled, problems such as cracking and chipping of the substrate during the manufacturing process are less likely to occur than when a thin substrate is used from the beginning. In addition, by thinning the substrate to about 50 μm, a flexible electro-optical device can be realized, and curved surfaces can be incorporated into the design of mobile phones, PC monitors, etc., and it can also be mounted on curved walls of trains and buildings. become able to.
JP 2005-222789 A JP 2005-222930 A JP 2006-18217 A JP 2006-133751 A JP-A-7-78690

  However, even the electro-optical device manufactured by such a manufacturing method still cannot satisfy the sufficient thickness reduction and weight reduction required in the market. In the methods of Patent Documents 1 to 5, since the entire substrate is etched, if the substrate is made too thin, cracks and chipping of the end portion may occur even with a slight impact, which may reduce the manufacturing yield. Because.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and even when a substrate made of a hard material such as glass is used, it can be reduced in thickness and weight, and a curved display surface can be configured. An object of the present invention is to provide an electro-optical device and a manufacturing method thereof. It is another object of the present invention to provide an electronic apparatus including a display unit that can achieve a reduction in thickness and weight by providing such an electro-optical device and can display a curved surface.

In order to solve the above problems, an electro-optical device according to the present invention includes a pair of substrates constituting an electro-optical panel, a cooling member provided on an outer surface side of one substrate of the electro-optical panel, and the cooling member. Each of the pair of substrates is made of a hard material, and a surface opposite to the surfaces facing each other is thinly processed, and each substrate with respect to the curved surface of the cooling member. It is characterized by being attached in a curved state.
According to this configuration, even when a substrate made of a hard material such as glass is used, it is possible to reduce the thickness and weight, and to provide an electro-optical device excellent in heat dissipation and flexibility. Since this substrate is formed by thinning a thick substrate, the thick substrate can be used until the electro-optical panel is manufactured. Therefore, compared to the case of using a thin substrate from the beginning, problems such as cracking and chipping of the substrate during the manufacturing process are less likely to occur, and an electro-optical device with a high yield can be provided. In addition, since the cooling member is provided on the one surface side of the electro-optical panel, uneven luminance due to heat generation of the electro-optical panel can be prevented, and an electro-optical device that can display a large area can be provided. Further, since the substrate is made thinner to improve heat dissipation, other cooling mechanisms such as a cooling fan can be omitted, which can contribute to downsizing of the module and reduction of power consumption.

In the present invention, the thickness of the pair of substrates is preferably 50 μm to 100 μm, respectively.
If the thickness is greater than 100 μm, high heat dissipation and flexibility cannot be obtained. If the thickness is less than 50 μm, the moisture resistance may be hindered due to the influence of pinholes or the like that the substrate itself has. .

In the present invention, a light emitting element is provided on one of the pair of substrates, and the cooling member is provided on a surface of the one substrate opposite to the light emitting element. Is desirable.
According to this configuration, since the cooling member is provided on the substrate provided with the light emitting element, it is easier to release heat from the light emitting element than in the case where the cooling member is provided on the other substrate.

The electro-optical device manufacturing method of the present invention is a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device having a pair of substrates constituting an electro-optical panel and a frame-shaped sealing material for bonding the pair of substrates. A step of disposing a mask material having an opening in a region surrounded by the sealing material on an outer surface and a side surface of the substrate, etching the pair of substrates through the mask material, and a portion where the mask material is not disposed The method includes the steps of reducing the thickness of the substrate and removing the portion of the substrate where the mask material is disposed.
According to this method, even when a substrate made of a hard material such as glass is used, it is possible to reduce the thickness and weight, and to provide an electro-optical device excellent in heat dissipation and flexibility. Since this substrate is formed by thinning a thick substrate, the thick substrate can be used until the electro-optical panel is manufactured. Further, since the portion where the mask material is disposed has a thick substrate, this portion functions as a reinforcing member, and can reinforce the mechanical strength of the electro-optical panel during the manufacturing process. Therefore, compared to the case of using a thin substrate from the beginning, problems such as cracking and chipping of the substrate during the manufacturing process are less likely to occur, and an electro-optical device with a high yield can be provided. Further, since the substrate is made thinner to improve heat dissipation, other cooling mechanisms such as a cooling fan can be omitted, which can contribute to downsizing of the module and reduction of power consumption.

In the present invention, as the pair of substrates, a large substrate provided with electrodes for a plurality of electro-optical panels is used, the mask material is disposed at a boundary portion of the plurality of panel regions, and the mask material is disposed. It is desirable to separate the pair of substrates into individual panel regions by removing a portion of the substrates.
According to this method, since the cutting of the beam portion and the separation of the electro-optical panel can be performed simultaneously, the manufacturing process is simplified.

In the present invention, the step of removing the portion of the substrate on which the mask material is disposed is preferably performed by a laser cleaving method in which the pair of substrates is irradiated with laser light to cleave the boundary between the panel regions. .
According to this method, the substrate is less likely to be damaged by pressure, vibration, or the like when the substrate is cut as compared with a case where a mechanical cutting method such as a scribe break method is used. For this reason, a manufacturing method with a high yield can be provided.

An electronic apparatus of the present invention includes the electro-optical device of the present invention described above or the electro-optical device manufactured by the method of manufacturing the electro-optical device of the present invention described above.
According to this configuration, it is possible to provide an electronic device including a display unit that can achieve a reduction in thickness and weight, and can display a curved surface. Such electronic devices include self-luminous displays such as organic EL displays and plasma displays, and non-luminous displays such as liquid crystal displays. In any case, a display with high display quality and high yield can be provided. Further, it can be used as an illumination device such as a backlight, a printer head (line head) of an optical printer, and the like, and can be applied to various electronic devices other than a display device.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. This embodiment shows one aspect of the present invention, and does not limit the present invention, and can be arbitrarily changed within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. Moreover, in the following drawings, in order to make each structure easy to understand, an actual structure and a scale, a number, and the like in each structure are different.

  In the following description, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set, and the positional relationship of each member will be described with reference to this XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. At this time, the predetermined direction in the horizontal plane is the X-axis direction, the direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction in the horizontal plane is the Y-axis direction, and the direction orthogonal to each of the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction (that is, the vertical direction) is the Z-axis direction. And

[First Embodiment]
[Overall configuration of organic EL device]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an organic EL device that is an example of the electro-optical device of the present invention. The organic EL device 1 is provided on the opposite side of the organic EL panel 2 that is an electro-optical panel, a wiring board 3 that is electrically connected to the organic EL panel 2, and the display surface side of the organic EL panel 2. And a cooling member 5. In addition to the wiring board 3 and the like, a frame and other auxiliary devices are attached to the organic EL device 1 as necessary, but these are not shown in FIG.

  The organic EL panel 2 includes a first substrate 4a and a second substrate 4b facing the first substrate 4a. On one of the first substrate 4a and the second substrate 4b, a sealing material 6 is formed in a rectangular frame shape by printing or the like. The first substrate 4a and the second substrate 4b are bonded together by the sealing material 6. A gap material (not shown) is mixed inside the seal material 6, and the gap material holds the gap between the first substrate 4 a and the second substrate 4 b at a constant interval.

  A display area 9 is provided inside the sealing material 6. Between the sealing material 6 and the display area 9, a data line driving circuit 8 is formed along one side (the side on the −Y side in the drawing) of the first substrate 4a, and two sides adjacent to this one side. Scanning line drive circuits 7 and 7 are formed along the lines respectively. On the remaining one side (the side on the + Y side in the drawing) of the first substrate 4a, a plurality of wirings (not shown) for connecting the scanning line drive circuits 7 and 7 are formed.

  In the display area 9, a plurality of scanning lines 101 extending in the Y-axis direction are arranged in the X-axis direction at equal intervals. A plurality of data lines 102 that intersect the scanning lines 101 and extend in the X-axis direction are arranged in the Y-axis direction at equal intervals. A portion where the scanning line 101 and the data line 102 intersect constitutes a minimum unit of display, that is, a display dot. The entire display area 9 is configured by arranging a plurality of display dots in a matrix. Each display dot is provided with a switching element such as a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) as necessary, and a plurality of display dots are driven in matrix by the switching element.

  In FIG. 1, in order to show the arrangement state of the scanning lines 101 and the data lines 102 in an easy-to-understand manner, the intervals between the wirings are drawn wider than actual. However, in practice, the scanning lines 101 and the data lines 102 are Many books are formed on the substrate at narrower intervals. Further, other wirings such as a common power supply line are also formed on the first substrate 4a, but these are not shown.

  The first substrate 4a is provided with an overhanging portion 4 that protrudes outside the second substrate 4b. The overhanging portion 4 is provided with a plurality of external connection terminals 41 electrically connected to the scanning line driving circuits 7 and 7 and the data line driving circuit 8. A wiring board 3 is mounted on the overhanging portion 4, and an external connection terminal 41 of the overhanging portion 4 and a terminal 32 of the wiring board 3 are electrically conductive members 34 such as an anisotropic conductive film (ACF). It is electrically connected via.

  The wiring substrate 3 includes a plastic base material 30 having flexibility. On the base material 30, a plurality of terminals 32 are formed at the side edge on the organic EL panel 2 side, and for connecting to a control board (not shown) at the side edge opposite to the organic EL panel 2. A plurality of terminals are formed. Further, wiring 33 is formed in a wide range on the base material 30, and the wiring 33 is connected to a terminal on the control board side on the one hand and connected to a terminal 32 on the organic EL panel 2 side on the other hand. In addition, an electronic component 31 such as an IC package is connected to the wiring 33, and various signals related to a display image or the like are directly connected to the organic EL panel 2 from the control board or indirectly through the electronic component 31. Is to be supplied.

  In FIG. 1, a heat radiation surface 20 is formed on the outer surface of the first substrate 4a (the surface opposite to the second substrate 4b, the surface on the −Z side in the drawing). The heat radiation surface 20 is formed by thinning the substrate by subjecting the outer surface of the first substrate 4a made of a hard material such as glass to thin processing such as etching and polishing. The heat radiating surface 20 is formed on the entire outer surface of the first substrate 4a so that heat generated in the display area 9, the scanning line driving circuits 7, 7 and the data line driving circuit 8 can be radiated to the outside. Moreover, the cooling plate 5 which is a cooling member is attached to the heat radiating surface 20 so that the heat released from the heat radiating surface 20 can be efficiently released to the outside.

  A heat radiating surface 21 is formed on the outer surface of the second substrate 4b (surface opposite to the first substrate 4a, surface on the + Z side in the drawing). The heat radiation surface 21 is formed by thinning the substrate by subjecting the outer surface of the second substrate 4b made of a hard material such as glass to thin processing such as etching and polishing. The heat radiating surface 21 is formed on the entire outer surface of the second substrate 4b so that heat generated in the display area 9, the scanning line driving circuits 7, 7 and the data line driving circuit 8 can be radiated to the outside.

  The thickness of the substrate where the heat radiating surfaces 20 and 21 are formed is desirably 50 μm to 100 μm. This is because if the thickness is greater than 100 μm, a high heat dissipation effect cannot be obtained, and if the thickness is less than 50 μm, the moisture resistance of the substrate may be hindered due to the influence of pinholes or the like that the substrate itself has.

  The cooling plate 5 is made of a material having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum or ceramics. The cooling plate 5 is installed on the entire first substrate 4a, and can efficiently dissipate heat generated in the heat display area 9, the scanning line driving circuits 7, 7 and the data line driving circuit 8. The cooling plate 5 includes a curved surface 5a that protrudes toward the organic EL panel 2, and the organic EL panel 2 is attached in a curved state on the curved surface 5a. In FIG. 1, the cooling plate 5 is provided as a cooling member, but the cooling member is not necessarily limited to such a member. For example, a cylindrical body may be installed on the outer surface of the organic EL panel 2 and the organic EL panel 2 may be cooled by circulating a cooling medium inside the cylindrical body.

[Configuration of organic EL panel]
Next, the detailed structure of the organic EL panel 2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the configuration of one display dot of the organic EL panel 2. The organic EL panel 2 employs an active matrix type driving method using thin film transistors (TFTs).

  The organic EL panel 2 includes a pair of opposing substrates 4a and 4b and a sealing material 18 as an adhesive layer provided between the pair of substrates 4a and 4b. The first substrate 4 a includes a circuit element unit 14 including a thin film transistor as a circuit element, a pixel electrode 111 serving as an anode, a light emitting unit 11 including a light emitting layer, a counter electrode 12 serving as a cathode, and a protective film 13 on a base 10. ing.

  As the substrate 10, a glass substrate having a thickness of about 50 μm is used. As the substrate 10, in addition to the glass substrate, various substrates used for electro-optical devices and circuit substrates such as a silicon substrate, a quartz substrate, a ceramic substrate, and a metal substrate can also be applied. The substrate 10 has a thickness of about 50 μm by etching a glass substrate of about 500 μm. An outer surface of the base 10 is a heat radiating surface 20, and the cooling plate 5 shown in FIG. 1 is attached to the heat radiating surface 20. Heat accompanying the light emission of the light emitting unit 11 is transmitted to the heat radiating surface 20 through the base 10 and is discharged to the outside through the cooling plate 5.

  On the substrate 10, a plurality of dot areas A as light emitting areas are arranged in a matrix. A pixel electrode 111 is arranged in each dot region A, and a signal line 102, a common power supply line 103, a scanning line 101, scanning lines for other pixel electrodes (not shown), and the like are arranged in the vicinity thereof. As the planar shape of the dot region A, any shape such as a circle and an oval can be applied in addition to the rectangle shown in the figure.

  In the dot region A, a first thin film transistor 122 to which a scanning signal is supplied to the gate electrode via the scanning line 101 and a holding for holding an image signal supplied from the signal line 102 via the first thin film transistor 122 Common when the capacitor cap, the second thin film transistor 123 to which the image signal held by the storage capacitor cap is supplied to the gate electrode, and the common power supply line 103 through the second thin film transistor 123 are electrically connected A pixel electrode 111 into which a drive current flows from the power supply line 103 and a light emitting unit 11 sandwiched between the pixel electrode 111 and the counter electrode 12 are provided. The light emitting unit 11 includes a layer (functional layer) including an organic EL layer as a light emitting layer, and the organic EL element that is a light emitting element includes a pixel electrode 111, a counter electrode 12, a light emitting unit 11, and the like. .

  In the dot region A, when the scanning line 101 is driven and the first thin film transistor 122 is turned on, the potential of the signal line 102 at that time is held in the holding capacitor cap, and the second capacitance is changed according to the state of the holding capacitor cap. The conductive state of the thin film transistor 123 is determined. Further, a current flows from the common power supply line 103 to the pixel electrode 111 through the channel of the second thin film transistor 123, and further a current flows to the counter electrode 12 through the light emitting unit 11. And according to the electric current amount at this time, the light emission part 11 light-emits.

  The sealing material 18 is disposed on the first substrate 4 a, and the second substrate 4 b is disposed on the sealing material 18. The second substrate 4 b includes a color filter 16 on the base body 15. The color filter 16 is formed by arranging the three primary colors R (red), G (green), and B (blue) in a predetermined pattern, for example, a stripe arrangement, a delta arrangement, and a mosaic arrangement. One color element of the color filter 16 is arranged corresponding to one display dot which is the minimum unit for forming an image. Then, three color elements corresponding to R, G, and B form one unit to form one pixel.

  As the substrate 15, a glass substrate having a thickness of about 50 μm is used. As the substrate 15, in addition to the glass substrate, other light-transmitting substrates such as a quartz substrate can be used. The substrate 15 has a thickness of about 50 μm by etching a glass substrate of about 500 μm. The outer surface of the base 15 is a heat radiating surface 21, and heat accompanying light emission of the light emitting unit 11 is transmitted to the heat radiating surface 21 through the sealing material 18 and the base 15 and is discharged to the outside. In addition, a material with low moisture permeability is used for the substrate 15. Thereby, the 2nd board | substrate 4b becomes a structure which serves as the sealing member which seals the surface in which the light emitting element of the 1st board | substrate 4a was formed.

  A sealing material 18 is disposed between the first substrate 4a and the second substrate 4b. As the sealing material 18, a thermosetting resin, an ultraviolet curable resin, or the like is used, and in particular, an epoxy resin that is a kind of thermosetting resin is preferably used. The sealing material 18 is a space (cell gap) maintained by the gap material mixed between the first substrate 4a and the second substrate 4b bonded together by the sealing material 6 of FIG. The second substrate 4b is bonded to the first substrate 4a via the sealing material 6 and the sealing material 18. The surface of the first substrate 4a on which the light emitting elements are formed is sealed with the sealing material 18 and the second substrate 4b, preventing water and oxygen from entering and preventing the counter electrode 12 or the light emitting unit 11 from being oxidized. It is like that.

  In the organic EL panel 2, light emitted from the light emitting unit 11 to the counter electrode 12 side passes through the color filter 16 and is emitted to the upper side (observer side) of the substrate 15, and from the light emitting unit 11 to the substrate 10 side. The emitted light is reflected by a reflection layer (not shown) provided on the lower side of the pixel electrode 111 (see reference numeral 126 in FIG. 3), and the light passes through the color filter 16 and the base 15 and passes above the base 15. Injected to (observer side) (top emission type). Note that the reflective film provided below the color filter 16 and the pixel electrode 111 may be omitted, and light emitted from the substrate 10 side may be emitted (bottom emission type).

  FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of the cross-sectional structure of the display area in the organic EL panel 2. FIG. 3 shows three dot regions corresponding to red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors. As shown in the figure, the first substrate 4a includes a circuit element portion 14 on which a circuit such as a TFT is formed on a base body 10, a light emitting portion 11 on which a pixel electrode (anode) 111 and a functional layer 110 are formed, And the cathode 12 in this order.

  A base protective film 10 c made of a silicon oxide film is formed on the base 10. On the base protective film 10c, an island-shaped semiconductor film 141 made of polycrystalline silicon is formed. Note that a source region 141a and a drain region 141b are formed in the semiconductor film 141 by high concentration P ion implantation. A portion where P is not introduced is a channel region 141c. Further, a transparent gate insulating film 142 that covers the base protective film 10 c and the semiconductor film 141 is formed on the substrate 10. A gate electrode (scanning line) 143 made of Al, Mo, Ta, Ti, W or the like is formed on the gate insulating film 142. The gate electrode 143 is provided at a position corresponding to the channel region 141c of the semiconductor film 141.

A transparent first interlayer insulating film 144 a and a second interlayer insulating film 144 b are formed on the gate electrode 143 and the gate insulating film 142. As the interlayer insulating films 144a and 144a, for example, a light-transmitting insulating film made of SiO ₂ or SiN with an appropriate thickness (for example, about 200 nm) can be employed. Contact holes between the second interlayer insulating film 144b and the semiconductor film 141 are connected to the source and drain regions 141a and 141b of the semiconductor film 141 through the first interlayer insulating film 144a and the gate insulating film 142, respectively. 145, 146 are formed. The circuit element portion 14 is formed of layers from the base protective film 2c to the second interlayer insulating film 144b.

On the second interlayer insulating film 144b, a reflective layer 126 made of a light reflective material such as Al is formed in a predetermined pattern such as an island shape or a stripe shape. A third interlayer insulating film 144c is formed on the second interlayer insulating film 144b so as to cover the reflective layer 126. Further, a transparent pixel electrode 111 made of ITO or the like is formed in an island shape on the third interlayer insulating film 144c. As the third interlayer insulating film 144c, for example, a translucent insulating film made of SiO ₂ or SiN with an appropriate thickness can be employed.

  Although not shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, a contact hole penetrating the second interlayer insulating film 144b and the third interlayer insulating film 144c is formed under the pixel electrode 111. The pixel electrode 111 is connected to the first interlayer insulating film 144a through this contact hole, and is connected to the contact hole 145 through a conductive member (not shown) formed on the first interlayer insulating film 144a. . The pixel electrode 111 and the TFT 122 are connected via these contact holes. The other contact hole 146 is connected to the common power supply line 103. In this way, the driving thin film transistor 122 including the semiconductor film 141 connected to the pixel electrode 111 is formed in the circuit element portion 14. The circuit element unit 14 is also formed with the storage capacitor cap and the switching thin film transistor 123 described above, but these are not shown in FIG.

  A light emitting unit 11 is formed on the pixel electrode 111. The light emitting unit 11 is mainly composed of a functional layer 110 stacked on the pixel electrode 111 and a partition wall 112 arranged between the functional layers 110 and partitioning each functional layer 110.

  The functional layer 110 includes one or more layers including at least a light emitting layer. As the light emitting material for forming the light emitting layer, a known light emitting material capable of emitting fluorescence or phosphorescence is used. Specifically, (poly) fluorene derivative (PF), (poly) paraphenylene vinylene derivative (PPV), polyphenylene derivative (PP), polyparaphenylene derivative (PPP), polyvinyl carbazole (PVK), polythiophene derivative, polymethyl Polysilanes such as phenylsilane (PMPS) are preferably used. In addition, these polymer materials include polymer materials such as perylene dyes, coumarin dyes, rhodamine dyes, rubrene, perylene, 9,10-diphenylanthracene, tetraphenylbutadiene, Nile red, coumarin 6, and quinacridone. It can also be used by doping a low molecular weight material such as. Alternatively, a low molecular material such as carbazole (CBP) can be doped with these low molecular dyes to form a light emitting layer. Tris-8-quinolinolato aluminum complex (Alq3) can also be added as an electron transporting layer as part of the light emitting layer.

  The functional layer 110 includes three types of light emitting materials, a red light emitting material capable of emitting red, a green light emitting material capable of emitting green, and a blue light emitting material capable of emitting blue, and is configured to emit white light. Yes. The functional layer 110 is formed so as to cover the entire display area, and is a layer common to each dot area A. The white light emitted from the functional layer 110 is colored by passing through the color filter 16 to perform color display.

  Note that a layer other than the light emitting layer may be further formed in the functional layer 110. For example, a hole injection layer that is disposed between the pixel electrode 111 and the light emitting layer and injects / transports holes supplied from the pixel electrode 111 to the light emitting layer may be formed. Further, an electron injection layer that is disposed between the counter electrode 12 and the light emitting layer and injects / transports electrons supplied from the counter electrode 12 to the light emitting layer may be formed.

  As the partition 112, an inorganic insulating material such as silicon oxide or an organic insulating material such as acrylic resin is used. In addition to such inorganic materials or organic materials, insulating materials made of organic / inorganic hybrid materials can also be used. The partition 112 is formed so as to run on the peripheral edge of the pixel electrode 111. And the functional layer 110 is formed inside the opening part of the partition 112, and the light emission part 11 is comprised. The partition 112 insulates between the dot regions and defines the formation region of the organic EL element.

  On the functional layer 110, a counter electrode 12 is formed to cover substantially the entire surface of the substrate 10. As the counter electrode 12, a material containing magnesium (Mg), lithium (Li), calcium (Ca) or the like having a small work function is used. Preferably, a thin film translucent electrode made of Mg and Ag (a material in which Mg and Ag are mixed at Mg: Ag = 10: 1) is preferably employed. An electrode made of Li, an electrode made of Li and Al, an LiF electrode and an Al electrode can also be used. A film in which these metal thin films and a transparent conductive material such as ITO are laminated can be used as the counter electrode 12. Furthermore, an anti-oxidation protective film 13 made of silicon oxide, silicon nitride or the like is formed on the counter electrode 12. Note that the organic EL element which is a light emitting element includes the pixel electrode 111, the counter electrode 12, the functional layer 110, and the like.

  In the top emission type organic EL panel, since the counter electrode 12 is formed in a thin film shape in order to improve the light extraction efficiency, the conductivity of the counter electrode 12 is low. Therefore, the auxiliary electrode 12b can be formed on the surface of the counter electrode 12, and the counter electrode 12 can have a laminated structure including the auxiliary electrode 12b and the electrode main body 12a. The auxiliary electrode 12b assists the conductivity of the electrode main body 12a described above, and is made of a metal material such as Al, Au, or Ag having excellent conductivity. The auxiliary electrode 12b is arranged around the dot area A (interdot area) in order to prevent the aperture ratio from being lowered. Note that the auxiliary electrodes 12b may be arranged in a stripe in one direction, or may be arranged in a lattice in two directions. The auxiliary electrode 12b can also function as a light shielding film.

  The counter electrode 12 functions as a semi-transmissive reflective film that transmits part of the light emitted from the light emitting unit 11 and reflects the remaining light to the reflective layer 126 side. Generally, a translucent conductive film such as ITO has a reflectance of about 10% to 50% at the interface with the functional layer 60, and such a translucent conductive film is provided unless special measures are taken. The counter electrode 12 using has a function as a transflective film as described above.

  The optical distance between the reflective film 126 and the counter electrode 12 is designed to be the same as or an integral multiple of the emission wavelength of the color displayed in the dot region A. As a result, the reflective layer 126 The counter electrode 12 constitutes an optical resonator with respect to light to be extracted from the dot region A. In the organic EL panel 2, the light emitted from the light emitting unit 11 reciprocates between the reflective layer 126 and the counter electrode 12, and only the light having the resonance wavelength corresponding to the optical distance is amplified and extracted. For this reason, light with high emission luminance and sharp spectrum can be extracted.

  The light emitted from each dot region A of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) is the resonance wavelength of the optical resonator structure formed in the dot region A, that is, the reflective layer 126 and the counter electrode 12. Light having a wavelength corresponding to the optical distance between the two. This optical distance is obtained as the sum of the optical distances of the respective layers disposed between the reflective layer 126 and the counter electrode 12. The optical distance of each layer is determined by the product of its film thickness and refractive index. Since each dot region A has a different color of emitted light, the resonance wavelength of the optical resonator structure provided in these dot regions A is also different. In the present embodiment, these resonance wavelengths are adjusted by the film thickness of the pixel electrode 111 that is an electrode on the base 10 side. The film thickness of the pixel electrode 111 in each dot area A is maximum in the red dot area where the resonance wavelength is the largest, and then the film thickness decreases in the order of the green dot area and the blue dot area.

  In these dot areas A, since the color of the output light is adjusted by the film thickness of the pixel electrode 111, the material of the light emitting portion 11 does not necessarily have to be different in the dot areas A of the respective colors. For this reason, the light emitting material of the dot area A of each color can be shared by the white light emitting material. In this case, since the lifetimes of the dot areas A of the respective colors can be made equal, the display color does not change even when used for a long time. However, since light other than a specific wavelength does not contribute to the display, an appropriate light-emitting material can be disposed for each dot region in order to increase the light utilization efficiency. That is, a red light emitting material, a green light emitting material, and a blue light emitting material are arranged for each of the dot areas A of R (red), G (green), and B (blue), and the peak wavelengths of these light emitting materials are set. In addition, if the optical distance of the optical resonator structure is adjusted, the light utilization efficiency is high and display with high luminance becomes possible.

[Method for Manufacturing Organic EL Device]
Next, the manufacturing method of the organic EL device 1 will be described focusing on the process of thinning the first substrate and the second substrate. FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a process of arranging the mask materials 50 and 51 on the surface of the organic EL panel 2p, an explanatory diagram of a process of forming the heat radiation surfaces 20 and 21 on the outer surface of the organic EL panel 2p, and FIG. , 21 is an explanatory view of a step of cutting the beam portion provided on the outer peripheral portion, and FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a configuration of the organic EL panel 2 after the beam portion is cut.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4, an organic EL panel 2 ′ is manufactured using substrates 4a ′ and 4b ′ larger than the first substrate 4a and the second substrate 4b. And the resin films 50 and 51 which are mask materials are stuck on the surface of organic electroluminescent panel 2 '.

  As the first substrate 4a ′ and the second substrate 4b ′, substrates that are slightly larger in size than the first substrate 4a and the second substrate 4b are used. A panel region, which is a region to be the first substrate 4a and the second substrate 4b, is provided at the center of the first substrate 4a ′ and the second substrate 4b ′, and the outer peripheral portion contributes to the manufacture of the panel. A dummy area is provided. This dummy region constitutes a beam portion (reinforcing member) described later.

  The resin film 50 includes an opening 50a at the center of the first substrate 4a ′ and covers all surfaces except the center of the outer surface of the first substrate 4a ′. The resin film 51 includes an opening 51a at the center of the second substrate 4b ′, and covers all surfaces except the center of the outer surface of the second substrate 4b ′. The openings 50a and 51a are provided corresponding to the panel area of the organic EL panel 2 ', respectively, and the organic EL panel 2' includes the central part of the outer surface of the first substrate 4a 'and the second substrate 4b which are panel areas. Except for the central portion of the outer surface of ′, all the outer and side surfaces of the organic EL panel 2 ′ are covered. As the resin films 50 and 51, films having resistance to an etching solution described later and self-adhesive ability are employed. In particular, a special polyolefin film having an antistatic function is suitable.

  In FIG. 4, the resin films 50 and 51 are formed in a frame shape with the same width as the dummy area, but the width of the resin films 50 and 51 may be narrower than the width of the dummy area. In this case, the substrate is etched in a larger area than the panel region, but this portion is removed in a later process, so that the production of the organic EL panel 2 is not affected.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, the outer surface central portions of the first substrate 4a ′ and the second substrate 4b ′ where the resin films 50 and 51 are not disposed are etched, and the outer surfaces of the first substrate 4a ′ and the second substrate 4b ′ are etched. Reduce the thickness of the central substrate. As the base material of the first substrate 4a ′ and the second substrate 4b ′, a glass substrate having a thickness of about 500 μm is used. Then, the glass substrate is chemically etched with an etchant such as hydrofluoric acid to reduce the thickness to about 50 μm. The thinner the substrate, the higher the heat dissipation and flexibility. However, if the substrate is too thin, the moisture resistance becomes insufficient due to the pinhole of the glass itself. The thickness is desirably about 100 μm.

  By this process, the heat radiation surfaces 20 and 21 are formed at the center portions of the outer surfaces of the first substrate 4a ′ and the second substrate 4b ′. The heat radiating surfaces 20 and 21 are provided in all the regions of the first substrate 4a and the second substrate 4b including the display region 9, the overhanging portion 4, and the regions where the scanning line driving circuits 7, 7 and the data line driving circuit 8 are arranged. It is formed. Further, beam portions 4c and 4d having a substrate thickness greater than that of the heat dissipation surfaces 20 and 21 are formed on the outer peripheral portion of the substrate where the heat dissipation surfaces 20 and 21 are not formed. The beam portions 4c and 4d are reinforcing members that reinforce the mechanical strength of the substrate, which has been reduced by thinning the substrate, and prevent the substrate from being cracked or chipped during the manufacturing process.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the resin films 50 and 51 are removed from the organic EL panel 2 ′, and the outer peripheral portion of the substrate on which the beam portions 4c and 4d are formed is cut using a laser cleaving method. Specifically, a notch is formed at the cutting start position of the first substrate 4a ′ and the second substrate 4b ′, and the irradiation of the laser beam L is started from the notch forming portion. Then, by moving the irradiation spot of the laser beam L along the planned cutting lines G1 to G4 shown in FIG. 6 while scanning the light source 60 within the substrate surface, the cracks are cut into the planned cutting line from the notch forming portion. And the substrate is gradually cut and divided.

  In this laser cleaving method, a local stress is generated on the substrate by laser irradiation, and a crack progresses at a temperature lower than the melting point of the material. For this reason, compared to the scribe break method in which a scribe groove is formed on the substrate surface and the substrate is cleaved by applying external stress along the scribe groove, the substrate is cracked by pressure or vibration when cutting the substrate, There is little possibility of chipping. In addition, since no processing marks remain in the substrate, cracks are less likely to occur against bending stress.

  The organic EL panel 2 manufactured in this way is an extremely thin panel in which the thickness of each of the substrates 4a and 4b is about 50 μm as shown in FIG. For this reason, heat dissipation is high and the flexibility is also excellent. In addition, since the surface of the substrate is etched to expose the dense surface inside the substrate, scratches on the surface of the substrate that cause cracks can be removed, and the fractured surface is formed without any processing marks. Therefore, the organic EL panel is less prone to cracking against bending stress.

  As described above, in the organic EL device 1 according to this embodiment, since both the first substrate 4a and the second substrate 4b constituting the organic EL panel are thinned, a substrate made of a hard material such as glass is used. Even if it exists, the organic EL device excellent in heat dissipation and flexibility can be provided. Since the substrates 4a and 4b are formed by thinning a thick substrate, the thick substrate can be used until the organic EL panel is manufactured. In addition, since the portion where the mask material is disposed (the beam portions 4c and 4d) has a thick substrate, this portion functions as a reinforcing member, which can reinforce the mechanical strength of the organic EL panel during the manufacturing process. it can. For this reason, compared with the case where a thin substrate is used from the beginning, problems such as cracking and chipping of the substrate during the manufacturing process are less likely to occur, and an organic EL device with a high yield can be provided.

  In addition, since the heat dissipation is improved by reducing the thickness of the substrate, it is possible to provide an organic EL device capable of emitting light in a large area, which is less likely to cause luminance unevenness and a decrease in light emission lifetime due to heat generation of the organic EL element. For example, when the thickness of the first substrate 4a and the second substrate 4b is reduced to 50 μm, the light emission lifetime is 50000 hours or more, and a light emission lifetime of about 10 times that of the conventional one can be realized. Further, since the heat dissipation is high, other cooling mechanisms such as a cooling fan can be omitted, which can contribute to downsizing of the module and reduction of power consumption.

  Further, since the cooling plate 5 is provided on the outer surface of the first substrate 4a on which the organic EL element is provided, it is easier to release heat from the organic EL element than in the case where it is provided on the outer surface of the second substrate 4b. . Further, since the heat radiating surfaces 20 and 21 are formed on the entire outer surfaces of the first substrate 4a and the second substrate 4b, the display region 9, the overhanging portion 4, the scanning line driving circuits 7, 7 and the data line driving circuit 8 The entire formed region can be cooled, and an organic EL device with higher display quality can be provided.

  In this embodiment, the organic EL panel 2 is a thin panel having a thickness of about 100 μm composed of two glass substrates 4a and 4b. However, a PET film or the like is formed on the outer surface of the first substrate 4a or the second substrate 4b. A reinforcing film may be attached. Thereby, the organic EL device excellent in mechanical strength can be provided.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, an organic EL device and a manufacturing method thereof according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram of a process for producing a large organic EL panel 2A using the first large substrate 4A on which organic EL elements for a plurality of panels are formed, and FIG. 9 shows a mask material 52 on the surface of the large organic EL panel 2A. FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram of the process of forming the heat radiation surfaces 20 and 21 on the outer surfaces of the first substrate 4A and the second substrate 4B, and FIG. 11 is a sectional view of the large organic EL panel 2A cut off. It is explanatory drawing of the process isolate | separated for every panel area | region.

  In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, a first large substrate 4A on which scanning lines 101, data lines 102, external connection terminals 41, etc. for a plurality of panels are formed, and a second filter on which color filters for a plurality of panels are formed. A large substrate 4B is produced. And after forming the sealing material 6 for several panels on the surface of 1st large sized board | substrate 4A, and also forming the outer periphery sealing material 19 surrounding the outer periphery of these sealing materials 6 for these multiple panels, inside each sealing material 6 A sealing material is disposed, and the first large substrate 4A and the second large substrate 4B are bonded together in a vacuum environment. Thus, a large organic EL panel 2A (see FIG. 9) as a large electro-optical panel including the panel region P for a plurality of panels is produced.

  In FIG. 8, the symbol P indicates a panel region which is a region to be the first substrate 4a and the second substrate 4b shown in FIG. A dummy region that does not contribute to the manufacture of the organic EL panel is provided at the boundary between the panel region P and the panel region P. This dummy region constitutes a beam portion (reinforcing member) described later.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9, the large organic EL panel 2 </ b> A is taken out into the atmosphere, and a vacuum region between the sealing material 6 and the outer peripheral sealing material 19 is pressurized. Thus, a desired gap is formed between the first large substrate 4A and the second large substrate 4B by the gap material (not shown) mixed in the sealing material 6 and the outer peripheral sealing material 19.

  Next, the resin films 52 and 53 which are mask materials are stuck on the surface of the large organic EL panel 2A. The resin film 52 includes an opening 52a at a position corresponding to each panel region P of the first large substrate 4A, and covers all surfaces except a portion corresponding to each panel region P on the outer surface of the first large substrate 4A. It comes to cover. Further, the resin film 53 includes an opening 53a at a position corresponding to each panel region P of the second large substrate 4B, and all of the resin film 53 except for a portion corresponding to each panel region P on the outer surface of the second large substrate 4B. It covers the surface. As a result, the large organic EL panel 2A is a large organic EL panel excluding a portion corresponding to each panel region P on the outer surface of the first large substrate 4A and a portion corresponding to each panel region P on the outer surface of the second large substrate 4B. All the outer and side surfaces of the EL panel 2A are covered.

  In FIG. 9, the resin films 52 and 53 are formed in a lattice shape with the same width as the dummy area at the boundary of the panel area P, but the width of the resin films 52 and 53 is smaller than the width of the dummy area. May be. In this case, the substrate is etched in a larger area than the panel region P, but this portion is removed in a later process, so that the production of the organic EL panel 2 is not affected.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the outer surface portions of the first large substrate 4A and the second large substrate 4B on which the resin films 52 and 53 are not arranged are etched, and each panel of the first large substrate 4A and the second large substrate 4B. The thickness of the substrate corresponding to the region P is reduced. As the base material of the first large substrate 4A, a glass substrate having a thickness of about 500 μm is used. Then, the glass substrate is chemically etched with an etchant such as hydrofluoric acid to reduce the thickness to about 50 μm. The thinner the substrate, the higher the heat dissipation and flexibility. However, if the substrate is too thin, the moisture resistance becomes insufficient due to the pinhole of the glass itself. The thickness is desirably about 100 μm.

  By this process, a plurality of heat radiation surfaces 20 and 21 are formed on the outer surfaces of the first large substrate 4A and the second large substrate 4B. The heat radiation surfaces 20 and 21 are all regions of the first large substrate 4A and the second large substrate 4B including the display region of each panel region P, the overhanging portion, and the region where the scanning line driving circuit and the data line driving circuit are arranged. Formed. Further, beam portions 4c and 4d having a thicker substrate than the heat radiation surfaces 20 and 21 are formed on the outer peripheral portion of the panel region where the heat radiation surfaces 20 and 21 are not formed. The beam portions 4c and 4d are reinforcing members that reinforce the mechanical strength of the substrate, which has been reduced by thinning the substrate, and prevent the substrate from being cracked or chipped during the manufacturing process.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11, the resin films 52 and 53 are removed, and the first large substrate 4 </ b> A and the second large substrate 4 </ b> B are cut using a laser cleaving method and separated into individual panel regions P. Specifically, a notch is formed at the cutting start position of the first large substrate 4A and the second large substrate 4B, and the irradiation of the laser beam L is started from the notch forming portion. Then, by moving the irradiation spot of the laser beam L along the planned cutting lines G1 to G5 shown in FIG. 8 while scanning the light source 60 within the substrate surface, the cracks are cut into the planned cutting line from the notch forming portion. And the substrate is gradually cut and divided.

  The organic EL panel (panel region) separated in this way has the same configuration as the organic EL panel 2 shown in FIG. Accordingly, the organic EL panel has high heat dissipation and excellent flexibility and is less prone to cracking against bending stress.

  As described above, in this embodiment, since the heat dissipation surfaces 20 and 21 for a plurality of panels are formed and then the first large substrate 4A and the second large substrate 4B are cut, Compared with the case where the heat radiating surfaces 20 and 21 are formed after the separation, a manufacturing method with high productivity can be provided.

[Electronics]
Next, an embodiment of an electronic apparatus including the electro-optical device according to the invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram of an example in which an organic EL device that is an example of the electro-optical device of the present invention is applied to a display unit of an electric pot 500. In the figure, reference numeral 501 is a pot body, 502 is a lid, 503 is a lid opening / closing knob, 504 is a spout, 505 is a handle, 506 is a water meter, 507 is a hot water supply button, and 508 is a display unit. The pot body 501 has a substantially cylindrical outer shape, and a display portion 508 is provided on a side surface portion thereof. The display unit 508 is provided with the organic EL device 1 shown in FIG. 1, and the organic EL device 1 is attached to the side surface of the pot body 501 in a curved state.

  Since the electric pot 500 includes the organic EL device 1 according to the present invention, the electric pot 500 is an electric pot having a long light emission life, a small size, and low power consumption. In addition, since the organic EL device 1 can be compactly disposed on the side surface of the pot body 501, the organic EL device 1 can be increased in size, and an electric pot that can be displayed in a large area can be provided.

  The electro-optical device of the present invention is not limited to the electric pot described above, and can be mounted on various electronic devices. Examples of the electronic device include an electronic book, a personal computer, a digital still camera, a liquid crystal television, a viewfinder type or a monitor direct-view type video tape recorder, a car navigation device, a measuring device, a pager, an electronic notebook, a calculator, a word processor, a workstation. There are devices such as a video phone, a POS terminal, and a touch panel, and the electro-optical device can be suitably used as these display means. The electro-optical device of the present invention can also be applied to electronic devices other than display devices, such as an illumination device such as a printer head (line head) of an optical printer or a backlight.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. Various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described examples are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 is an exploded perspective view of an organic EL device that is an electro-optical device according to a first embodiment. It is a 1-dot block diagram of the organic EL device. It is a block diagram of 1 pixel of the organic EL device. It is explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the same organic EL device. It is explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the same organic EL device. It is explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the same organic EL device. It is explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the same organic EL device. It is explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent apparatus which is the electro-optical apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the same organic EL device. It is explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the same organic EL device. It is explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the same organic EL device. It is a schematic block diagram of the electric pot which is an example of an electronic device.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Organic EL apparatus (electro-optical apparatus), 2 ... Organic EL panel (electro-optical panel), 2A ... Large organic EL panel (large electro-optical panel), 4a ... 1st board | substrate, 4b ... 2nd board | substrate, 4c, 4d ... Beam part, 4A ... 1st large substrate, 4B ... 2nd large substrate, 5 ... Cooling plate (cooling member), 5a ... Curved surface, 20, 21 ... Radiation surface, 50-54 ... Resin film (mask material), 500 ... Electric pot (electronic device), G1 to G5 ... Scheduled cutting line (panel area boundary), L ... Laser light, P ... Panel area

Claims (7)

  A pair of substrates constituting the electro-optic panel, a cooling member provided on the outer surface side of the one substrate of the electro-optic panel, and a curved surface provided on the cooling member, the pair of substrates being rigid It is made of a material, and a surface opposite to the surfaces facing each other is processed to be thin, and is mounted in a state where each substrate is curved with respect to the curved surface of the cooling member. Optical device.   2. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein each of the pair of substrates has a thickness of 50 μm to 100 μm.   A light emitting element is provided on one of the pair of substrates, and the cooling member is provided on a surface of the one substrate opposite to the light emitting element. The electro-optical device according to claim 1. An electro-optical device manufacturing method comprising a pair of substrates constituting an electro-optical panel and a frame-shaped sealing material for bonding the pair of substrates,
A step of disposing a mask material having an opening corresponding to a region surrounded by the sealing material on an outer surface and a side surface of the electro-optical panel; and etching the pair of substrates through the mask material; A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device, comprising: a step of reducing a thickness of a portion of the substrate where no mask is disposed; and a step of removing the portion of the substrate where the mask material is disposed.   As the pair of substrates, a large substrate provided with a panel region for a plurality of electro-optical panels is used, the mask material is disposed at a boundary portion of the plurality of panel regions, and a portion of the substrate where the mask material is disposed 5. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 4, wherein the pair of substrates is separated for each panel region by removing the substrate.   5. The step of removing the portion of the substrate on which the mask material is disposed is performed by a laser cleaving method in which the pair of substrates is irradiated with laser light to cleave a boundary portion of the panel region. Or a method for producing the electro-optical device according to 5. An electro-optical device manufactured by the electro-optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 or the electro-optical device manufacturing method according to any one of claims 4 to 6 is provided. Electronic equipment.

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