JP2008123879A - Method of manufacturing organic el device, and organic el device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing an organic EL device, and an organic EL device superior in sealing performance and excellent in light-emitting characteristics. <P>SOLUTION: Since an anode 13 is formed on an element substrate 10, and after forming the anode 13, a barrier rib 14 is formed in a prescribed region on the element substrate 10 so that its own upper face 14a becomes leveled state with the upper face 13a of the anode 13, when an organic layer 25 and a cathode 17 are laminated on the anode 13 and the barrier rib 14, formation of level difference in the respective layers can be evaded. Accordingly, formation of the level difference in a cathode protection layer 18 installed on the cathode 17 can be evaded. Since damage of the cathode protection layer 18 due to the level difference can be prevented, an organic buffer layer 19 can be prevented from soaking into the lower layer side. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic EL device manufacturing method and an organic EL device.

  With the diversification of information equipment, the need for flat display devices that consume less power and are lighter is increasing. As one of such flat display devices, an organic electroluminescence device (hereinafter referred to as “organic EL device”) having an organic light emitting layer is known.

  In many cases, an organic EL device has a structure in which an anode, a light emitting layer, and a cathode are sequentially stacked for each pixel separated by a partition, and the cathode is covered with a cathode protective layer made of an inorganic material. When the partition is formed of an organic material, the partition is generally formed so that the upper surface of the partition is higher than the upper surface of the anode. In recent years, in order to improve the hole injection property and electron injection property, a configuration in which a hole injection layer is disposed between the anode and the light emitting layer and a configuration in which an electron injection layer is disposed between the light emitting layer and the cathode are known. ing.

  Many of the materials used for the light emitting layer, the hole injection layer, and the electron injection layer of the organic EL device react with moisture in the atmosphere and are easily deteriorated. When these layers deteriorate, a non-light emitting region called a “dark spot” is formed in the organic EL device, and the lifetime of the light emitting element is shortened.

On the other hand, a technique called thin film sealing is used in which a thin film made of an inorganic material such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, ceramics, etc., which is transparent and has excellent gas barrier properties, is formed on the light emitting element as a gas barrier layer. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1). When the gas barrier layer is directly formed on the element substrate having the pixel partition walls or the like, cracks or the like are generated due to the uneven shape on the surface. For this reason, an organic buffer layer is formed on the element substrate (on the cathode protective layer), and then a gas barrier layer is formed.
JP 2003-243171 A

However, when the upper surface of the partition wall is formed to be higher than the upper surface of the anode, a step is formed in each layer when the hole injection layer, the light emitting layer, and the cathode are formed on the partition wall and the anode. By forming the step, a step is also formed in the cathode protective layer formed on the cathode, and the cathode protective layer may be damaged at the step. When the organic buffer layer is formed, if the organic material constituting the organic buffer layer permeates from the damaged portion, the light emitting layer and the hole injection layer are deteriorated, and the light emitting characteristics are deteriorated.
In view of the circumstances as described above, an object of the present invention is to provide an organic EL device manufacturing method and an organic EL device having good sealing performance and high light emission characteristics.

In order to achieve the above object, an organic EL device manufacturing method according to the present invention includes an anode forming step of forming an anode on a substrate, and after the anode forming step, its upper surface is substantially flush with the upper surface of the anode. A partition formation step of forming a partition in a predetermined region on the substrate, an organic layer formation step of forming an organic layer including a light emitting layer on the anode after the partition formation step, and on the organic layer Forming a cathode on the cathode, forming a cathode protective layer on the cathode, forming an organic buffer layer using an organic material on the cathode protective layer, and forming an organic buffer layer on the cathode protective layer; It is characterized by comprising.
According to the present invention, the anode is formed on the substrate, and after the anode is formed, the partition wall is formed in a predetermined region on the substrate so that its upper surface is substantially flush with the upper surface of the anode. When the organic layer and the cathode are laminated on the anode and the partition, it is possible to avoid the formation of a step in each layer. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the formation of a step in the cathode protective layer provided on the cathode. Since it is possible to prevent the cathode protective layer from being damaged due to the step, it is possible to prevent the organic buffer layer from penetrating into the lower layer side. Thereby, an organic EL device having good sealing performance and high light emission characteristics can be manufactured.

In the method of manufacturing the organic EL device, in the partition formation step, the partition is formed so that the upper surface of the partition is higher than the upper surface of the anode, and the upper surface of the partition is etched to form the anode. It is characterized by being adjusted to the height of the upper surface.
According to the present invention, when forming the partition wall, first, the upper surface of the partition wall is formed to be higher than the upper surface of the anode, and the upper surface of the partition wall is etched to match the height of the upper surface of the anode. Therefore, the upper surface of the partition wall and the upper surface of the anode can be flush with each other with high accuracy.

In the method for manufacturing the organic EL device, the upper surface of the partition wall and the upper surface of the anode are etched in the partition wall forming step.
According to the present invention, since not only the upper surface of the partition wall but also the upper surface of the anode is etched, the upper surface of the anode can be flattened. When the upper surface of the anode is not flat, holes may leak from the anode into the hole injection layer. In the present invention, hole leakage can be prevented by flattening the upper surface of the anode.

In the method for manufacturing the organic EL device, the partition formation step forms the partition, and an upper surface of the partition is made substantially flush with an upper surface of the anode by a CMP method.
According to the present invention, when the barrier rib is formed, the upper surface of the barrier rib is made substantially flush with the upper surface of the anode by a CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) method. Simultaneously with the etching, the upper surface of the anode can also be etched. Thereby, etching of the partition upper surface and etching of the anode upper surface can be performed in one step.

An organic EL device according to the present invention comprises an anode provided on a substrate and an organic material provided in a predetermined region on the substrate so that the upper surface of the anode is substantially flush with the upper surface of the anode. A partition, an organic layer provided on the anode and including a light emitting layer, a cathode provided on the organic layer, a cathode protective layer provided on the cathode made of an inorganic material, and an organic material And an organic buffer layer provided on the cathode protective layer.
According to the present invention, there is provided an anode provided on a substrate, and a partition made of an organic material provided in a predetermined region on the substrate so that the upper surface of the anode is substantially flush with the upper surface of the anode. Therefore, there is almost no step between the anode and the partition. For this reason, the organic layer and the cathode provided on the anode and the partition can be flattened. Thereby, it can avoid that a cathode protective layer is damaged, and it can prevent that the organic material which comprises an organic buffer layer permeates into a lower layer side.

The organic EL device is characterized in that the organic layer is provided on the entire surface of the substrate.
According to the present invention, since the organic layer is provided on the entire surface of the substrate, the cathode on the organic layer can be flattened. Thereby, it can avoid that a cathode protective layer is damaged, and it can prevent that the organic material which comprises an organic buffer layer permeates into a lower layer side.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each of the drawings shown below, the scale is different for each layer and each member so that the size can be recognized on the drawing.

(Organic EL device)
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a configuration of an organic EL device 1 according to the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, an organic EL device having a top emission structure will be described as an example. The top emission structure is a structure in which light is extracted from the sealing substrate side instead of the element substrate side, and has an advantage that a wide light emitting area can be secured without being affected by the size of various circuits arranged on the element substrate. Luminance can be ensured while suppressing voltage and current, and the lifetime of the light-emitting element can be maintained long.

  As shown in the figure, the organic EL device 1 has a configuration in which an element substrate 10 has a display area (area inside the dashed line in the figure) 2 and a non-display area (area outside the dashed line in the figure) 3. It has become.

  The display area 2 is provided with an actual display area 4 (area inside the two-dot chain line in the figure) and a dummy area (area outside the two-dot chain line in the figure).

  In the actual display area 4, sub pixels from which red (R), green (G), and blue (B) light is emitted are arranged in a matrix. The red sub-pixel, the green sub-pixel, and the blue sub-pixel are provided in stripes one column at a time, and this stripe is repeatedly formed in the row direction. Adjacent red subpixels, green subpixels, and blue subpixels are combined to form a pixel, and full color display is possible by mixing red, green, and blue light in one pixel. Yes.

  The dummy area 5 is provided with a circuit mainly for causing each sub-pixel to emit light. For example, the scanning line driving circuit 80 is disposed along the left side and the right side of the actual display region 4 in the drawing, and the inspection circuit 90 is disposed along the upper side of the actual display region 4 in the drawing. The inspection circuit 90 is a circuit for inspecting the operating state of the organic EL device 1. For example, the inspection result is output to an external driver or the like so that the quality and defects of the organic EL device 1 can be inspected during manufacturing or at the time of shipment.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the configuration of the organic EL device 1 and shows one set of pixels.
As shown in the figure, the organic EL device 1 has a configuration in which a drive circuit layer 6, an organic EL layer 7, a sealing layer 8, and a sealing substrate 9 are sequentially stacked on an element substrate 10. Yes.

  The drive circuit layer 6 is provided with a semiconductor layer 30 constituting a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) element. The semiconductor layer 30 is made of a semiconductor such as silicon and is provided on the element substrate 10. The insulating layer 11 is provided on the element substrate 10 so as to cover at least a region where the above-described subpixel is provided and a part of the semiconductor layer 30, and the insulating layer 11 is interrupted in a region between the subpixels. .

The organic EL layer 7 is provided with a light reflecting film 12, an anode 13, a partition wall 14, a hole injection layer 15, a light emitting layer 16, and a cathode 17.
The light reflecting film 12 is a reflecting member that reflects the light emitted from the light emitting layer 16 toward the sealing layer 8. The light reflecting film 12 is made of a light reflecting material such as aluminum, copper, or silver, and is provided on the insulating layer 11. The light reflection film 12 is disposed in a region overlapping the above-described subpixel in plan view.

  The anode 13 is made of a light-transmitting conductive material such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide: registered trademark), and overlaps the above-described sub-pixels in plan view so as to cover the light reflection film 12. Arranged in the area. One end of the anode 13 extends into the insulating layer 11, and this extended portion is connected to the drain region of the semiconductor layer 30. The upper surface 13a of the anode 13 is flat.

  Since the organic EL device 1 of the present embodiment has a top emission structure, it is not necessary to use a light transmissive material as the material of the anode 13. For example, a metal material such as aluminum may be used. When a metal material is used, the light reflecting film 12 may not be provided.

  The partition wall 14 is made of an organic insulating material such as acrylic resin, and is disposed in a region between the sub-pixels described above. The partition wall 14 is stacked above the portion of the anode 13 that is connected to the drain region of the semiconductor layer 30. The upper surface 14a of the partition 14 is flat. The step between the upper surface 14a of the partition wall 14 and the upper surface 13a of the anode 13 is about 10 nm or less, and the upper surface 14a and the upper surface 13a are substantially flush with each other.

  The hole injection layer 15 is provided on almost the entire surface of the element substrate 10 so as to cover the upper surface 14 a of the partition wall and the upper surface 13 a of the anode 13. The hole injection layer 15 is made of, for example, a triarylamine (ATP) multimer or a TDP (triphenyldiamine) -based material.

  The light emitting layer 16 is made of a light emitting material that emits white light, and is provided so as to cover the hole injection layer 15. As the luminescent material, for example, a styrylamine-based luminescent material, anthracene-based dopamine (blue), a styrylamine-based luminescent material, or rubrene-based dopamine (yellow) is used. The hole injection layer 15 and the light emitting layer 16 constitute an organic layer 25.

  The cathode 17 is made of a light-transmitting conductive material such as ITO or IZO, and is provided so as to cover the light emitting layer 16. Since the present embodiment has a top emission structure, the cathode 17 needs to be made of a material having optical transparency. For the cathode 17, a material having a large electron injection effect (a work function of 4 eV or less) is preferably used. For example, calcium, magnesium, sodium, lithium metal, or a metal compound thereof is used by adjusting the film thickness to obtain transparency. Examples of the metal compound include metal fluorides such as calcium fluoride, metal oxides such as lithium oxide, and organometallic complexes such as acetylacetonato calcium.

  In addition to these materials, in order to reduce electrical resistance, a metal layer such as aluminum, gold, silver, or copper is patterned in the region between the sub-pixels, or a transparent metal such as ITO or tin oxide. You may use it in combination with the laminated body with an oxide conductive layer. Examples of the combination include lithium fluoride and a magnesium-silver alloy, an ITO laminate, and the like.

The sealing layer 8 is provided with a cathode protective layer 18, an organic buffer layer 19, and a gas barrier layer 20.
The cathode protective layer 18 is provided so as to cover the cathode 17. The cathode protective layer 18 is preferably composed of an inorganic compound such as silicon oxynitride from the aspects of transparency, adhesion, and water resistance. The thickness of the cathode protective layer 18 is preferably 100 nm or more and 200 nm or less.

  The organic buffer layer 19 is provided so as to cover the cathode protective layer 18. The organic buffer layer 19 has a function of relieving stress generated by warping or volume expansion of the element substrate 10 and preventing the cathode protective layer 18 from peeling from the cathode 17. The elastic modulus of the organic buffer layer 19 is preferably 1 to 10 GPa. If it is 10 GPa or more, the stress when the partition 14 is flattened cannot be absorbed, and if it is 1 GPa or less, the wear resistance, heat resistance, and the like are insufficient.

  The optimum film thickness of the organic buffer layer 19 is preferably 3 to 10 μm. When the organic buffer layer 19 is thicker, foreign matter is mixed in to prevent defects in the gas barrier layer 20. However, if the combined thickness of the organic buffer layer 19 exceeds 10 μm, the coloring layer 23 and the light emitting layer 16 described later This is because the efficiency of extracting light decreases because the distance increases and the amount of light escaping to the side increases.

  The raw material main component of the organic buffer layer 19 is an organic compound material that is excellent in fluidity and free of solvents and volatile components and is a raw material of a polymer skeleton, because it is formed by a screen printing method under a reduced pressure atmosphere. An epoxy monomer / oligomer having an epoxy group and a molecular weight of 3000 or less is preferably used (monomer definition: molecular weight 1000 or less, oligomer definition: molecular weight 1000 to 3000). For example, bisphenol A type epoxy oligomer, bisphenol F type epoxy oligomer, phenol novolac type epoxy oligomer, polyethylene glycol diglycidyl ether, alkyl glycidyl ether, 3,4-epoxycyclohexenylmethyl-3 ′, 4′-epoxycyclohexene carboxylate, There are ε-caprolactone-modified 3,4-epoxycyclohexylmethyl 3 ′, 4′-epoxycyclohexanecarbochelate, and these are used alone or in combination.

  The gas barrier layer 20 is provided so as to cover the organic buffer layer 19. The gas barrier layer 20 is for preventing oxygen and moisture from entering, so that deterioration of the organic layer 25 due to oxygen and moisture can be suppressed. The gas barrier layer 20 is preferably formed of a silicon compound containing nitrogen, that is, silicon nitride or an inorganic compound in consideration of transparency, gas barrier properties, and water resistance. The elastic modulus of the gas barrier layer 20 is preferably 100 GPa or more, specifically about 200 to 250 GPa.

  The film thickness of the gas barrier layer 20 is preferably about 200 to 600 nm. This is because if it is less than 200 nm, the coverage with respect to foreign matter is insufficient and a through-hole is partially formed, and the gas barrier property may be impaired. If it exceeds 600 nm, a crack due to stress occurs. Because there is a fear.

  The gas barrier layer 20 may have a structure in which a plurality of layers are laminated, or may have a configuration in which the composition is nonuniform and the oxygen concentration changes continuously or discontinuously. The film thickness when the gas barrier layer 20 has a laminated structure is preferably 200 to 400 nm as the first gas barrier layer, and if it is less than 200 nm, the surface and side surface coating of the organic buffer layer 19 will be insufficient. As a 2nd gas barrier layer which improves the coating | covering property, such as a foreign material, 200-800 nm is preferable.

  In this embodiment, since the organic EL device 1 has a top emission structure, the gas barrier layer 20 needs to have light transmittance. For this reason, it is necessary to adjust a material and a film thickness suitably. In the present embodiment, the light transmittance in the visible light region is adjusted to, for example, 80% or more.

  The sealing substrate 9 has a configuration in which the light shielding layer 22 and the colored layer 23 are provided on the surface 24 a of the transparent substrate 24, and the surface 24 a side is connected to the gas barrier layer 20 of the sealing layer 8 via the adhesive layer 21. The configuration is pasted. As the adhesive layer 21, for example, an epoxy monomer / oligomer having an epoxy group and a molecular weight of 3000 or less is suitably used as in the organic buffer layer 19 (monomer definition: molecular weight 1000 or less, oligomer definition: molecular weight 1000 to 3000).

  The transparent substrate 24 is made of a light transmissive material such as glass or transparent plastic (polyethylene terephthalate, acrylic resin, polycarbonate, polyolefin, etc.).

  The colored layer 23 is disposed in a region overlapping the above-described sub-pixels in plan view. The red sub-pixel has a red colored layer 23R, the green sub-pixel has a green colored layer 23G, and the blue sub-pixel has a red color. Are each provided with a blue colored layer 23B. The light shielding layer 22 is formed in a region between the sub-pixels.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a circuit structure of the organic EL device 1.
The organic EL device 1 includes a plurality of scanning lines 101, a plurality of signal lines 102 extending in a direction perpendicular to the scanning lines 101, and a plurality of power supply lines 103 extending in parallel to the signal lines 102. The wiring configuration consists of Pixel regions (sub-pixels) X are formed in the vicinity of the intersections of the scanning lines 101 and the signal lines 102.

  A data line driving circuit 100 including a shift register, a level shifter, a video line, and an analog switch is connected to the signal line 102. A scanning line driving circuit 80 including a shift register and a level shifter is connected to the scanning line 101.

  In each pixel region X, a switching TFT (switching element) 112 to which a scanning signal is supplied to the gate electrode via the scanning line 101 and a pixel signal shared from the signal line 102 via the switching TFT 112 are received. A holding capacitor 113 to be held, a driving TFT 30 to which a pixel signal held by the holding capacitor 113 is supplied to the gate electrode, and the power source line 103 when electrically connected to the power source line 103 through the driving TFT 30 An anode 13 into which a driving current flows from 103 and a hole injection layer 15 and a light emitting layer 16 sandwiched between the anode 13 and the cathode 17 are provided.

  In the organic EL device 1, when the scanning line 101 is driven and the switching TFT 112 is turned on, the potential of the signal line 102 at that time is held in the holding capacitor 113, and the driving line is driven according to the state of the holding capacitor 113. The on / off state of the TFT 30 is determined. When the driving TFT 30 is in an on state, a current flows from the power supply line 103 to the anode 13 through the channel, and holes are injected into the light emitting layer 16 through the hole injection layer 15. On the other hand, electrons are injected from the cathode 17 into the light emitting layer 16. The holes and electrons injected in the light emitting layer 16 are combined to emit light.

(Method for manufacturing organic EL device)
Next, a method for manufacturing the organic EL device 1 configured as described above will be described. 4 to 6 are process diagrams showing the manufacturing process of the organic EL device 1.

  First, the semiconductor layer 30 constituting the TFT is formed on the element substrate 10, and the insulating layer 11 is formed. When the insulating layer is formed, the light reflecting film 12 and the anode 13 are formed as shown in FIG. The anode 13 is formed by sputtering, for example, by covering a region other than a region overlapping the subpixel in a plan view with a mask. An extending portion connected to the drain region of the semiconductor layer 30 is also formed.

  When the anode 13 is formed, the partition wall 14 is formed. As shown in FIG. 5, the partition wall 14 is formed by a sputtering method in a state where the partition wall 14 is covered with a mask 40 having an opening 40a in a region between sub-pixels. At this time, the upper surface 14 a of the partition wall 14 is formed to be higher than the upper surface 13 a of the anode 13.

  After the partition wall 14 is formed as described above, the upper surface 14a of the partition wall 14 is etched by a CMP method so that the upper surface 14a is substantially flush with the upper surface 13a of the anode 13. At this time, the upper surface 14a of the partition wall 14 and the upper surface 13a of the anode 13 are also etched, and the upper surface 14a and the upper surface 13a are flattened. FIG. 6 shows a state after the upper surface 14a and the upper surface 13a are flattened.

  After the upper surface 14a and the upper surface 13a are planarized, the upper surface 14a and the upper surface 13a are cleaned, and the hole injection layer 15, the light emitting layer 16 and the cathode 17 are formed so as to cover them. The hole injection layer 15, the light emitting layer 16, and the cathode 17 are formed on almost the entire surface of the element substrate 10 by vapor deposition. As shown in FIG. 7, the upper surface 17a of the cathode 17 is formed flat.

After the cathode 17 is formed, a cathode protective layer 18 is formed. As shown in FIG. 8, the cathode protective layer 18 is formed on the upper surface 17a of the cathode 17 formed flat.
When the cathode protective layer 18 is formed, an organic buffer layer 19 is formed on the cathode protective layer 18 as shown in FIG. Thereafter, the transparent substrate 24 is attached via the adhesive layer 21 to complete the organic EL device 1.

  According to the present embodiment, the anode 13 is formed on the element substrate 10, and after the anode 13 is formed, the predetermined upper surface of the element substrate 10 is set so that its upper surface 14 a is substantially flush with the upper surface 13 a of the anode 13. Since the partition 14 is formed in the region, it is possible to avoid the formation of a step in each layer when the organic layer 25 and the cathode 17 are stacked on the anode 13 and the partition 14. Therefore, it is possible to avoid the formation of a step in the cathode protective layer 18 provided on the cathode 17. Since the cathode protective layer 18 can be prevented from being damaged by the step, the organic buffer layer 19 can be prevented from penetrating into the lower layer side. Thereby, the organic EL device 1 having good sealing performance and high emission characteristics can be manufactured.

  Moreover, according to this embodiment, since not only the upper surface 14a of the partition 14 but the upper surface 13a of the anode 13 was etched, the upper surface 13a of the anode 13 can be made flat. When the upper surface of the anode is not flat, holes may leak from the anode into the hole injection layer. In the present embodiment, hole leakage can be prevented by flattening the upper surface 13a of the anode 13.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, when the partition wall 14 is formed, the upper surface 14a of the partition wall 14 is substantially flush with the upper surface 13a of the anode 13 by CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing). Therefore, the upper surface 13a of the anode 13 can be etched simultaneously with the etching of the upper surface 14a of the partition wall 14. Thereby, the etching of the upper surface 14a and the etching of the upper surface 13a can be performed in one step.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, since the configuration of the light emitting layer is different from that of the first embodiment, this point will be mainly described. In the present embodiment, the description of the same components as those in the first embodiment is partially omitted.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of the organic EL device 201 according to the present embodiment, and corresponds to FIG. 2 of the first embodiment.
As shown in the figure, the organic EL device 201 has a configuration in which a drive circuit layer 206, an organic EL layer 207, a sealing layer 208, and a sealing substrate 209 are sequentially stacked on an element substrate 210. Yes. Among these, the drive circuit layer 206 and the sealing layer 208 have the same configuration as in the first embodiment.

  The organic EL layer 207 is provided with a light reflecting film 212, an anode 213, a partition wall 214, a hole injection layer 215, a light emitting layer 216, and a cathode 217. Among these, the light reflection film 212, the anode 213, the partition wall 214, the hole injection layer 215, and the cathode 217 have the same configuration as in the first embodiment.

  Regarding the light emitting layer 216, light emitting layers that emit different colors are disposed in regions overlapping the above-described sub-pixels in plan view. Specifically, the red sub-pixel is provided with a red light-emitting layer 216R, the green sub-pixel is provided with a green light-emitting layer 216G, and the blue sub-pixel is provided with a blue light-emitting layer 216B.

  As a material constituting the light emitting layer 216, for example, as a polymer material, (poly) fluorene derivative (PF), (poly) paraphenylene vinylene derivative (PPV), polyphenylene derivative (PP), polyparaphenylene derivative (PPP), Polysilanes such as polyvinylcarbazole (PVK), polythiophene derivatives, and polymethylphenylsilane (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.

  As a low molecular weight material, a host material such as Alq3 or DPVBi, doped with Nile Red, DCM, rubrene, perylene, rhodamine, or the like, or a host alone can be used in a vapor deposition method. In the case of forming by vapor deposition, each light emitting layer 216 of one color is formed individually. For example, in the case where the red light emitting layer 216R is formed, the red light emitting layer 216R is deposited using a mask that has an opening in a region where the red light emitting layer 216R is provided and shields a region where a light emitting layer of another color is provided. The same applies to the case of forming light emitting layers of other colors.

  Also in this embodiment, the anode 213 provided on the element substrate 210 and the organic material provided in a predetermined region on the element substrate 210 such that the upper surface of the anode 213 is substantially flush with the upper surface 213a of the anode 213. Therefore, there is almost no step between the anode 213 and the partition wall 214. Therefore, the organic layer 225 and the cathode 217 provided on the upper surface 213a of the anode 213 and the upper surface 214a of the partition wall can be flattened. Thereby, it can avoid that the cathode protective layer 218 is damaged, and it can prevent that the organic material which comprises the organic buffer layer 219 permeates into a lower layer side.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, an example of an electronic apparatus including the organic EL devices 1 and 201 described above will be described.

  FIG. 11A is a perspective view showing an example of a mobile phone. In FIG. 11A, reference numeral 350 indicates a mobile phone body, and reference numeral 351 indicates a display unit including the organic EL devices 1 and 201.

  FIG. 11B is a perspective view illustrating an example of a portable information processing apparatus such as a word processor or a personal computer. 11B, reference numeral 360 denotes an information processing apparatus, reference numeral 361 denotes an input unit such as a keyboard, reference numeral 363 denotes an information processing main body, and reference numeral 362 denotes a display unit including the organic EL devices 1 and 201.

  FIG. 11C is a perspective view showing an example of a wristwatch type electronic device. In FIG. 11C, reference numeral 370 indicates a watch body, and reference numeral 371 indicates a display unit including the organic EL devices 1 and 201.

  Since the electronic devices shown in FIGS. 11A to 11C are provided with the organic EL devices 1 and 201 shown in the previous embodiment, the electronic devices have good display characteristics.

  The electronic device is not limited to the electronic device, and can be applied to various electronic devices. For example, a desktop computer, a liquid crystal projector, a multimedia personal computer (PC) and an engineering workstation (EWS), a pager, a word processor, a television, a viewfinder type or a monitor direct view type video tape recorder, an electronic notebook, an electronic The present invention can be applied to electronic devices such as a desktop computer, a car navigation device, a POS terminal, and a device having a touch panel.

The technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and appropriate modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the hole injection layer 15 and the light emitting layer 16 have been described as examples of the layers constituting the organic layer 25. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and for example, the upper layer side of the light emitting layer 16 Further, an electron injection layer made of aluminum quinolinol (Alq3) or the like may be further provided.
In the above embodiment, the organic EL device having the top emission structure has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention can be applied to the organic EL device having the bottom emission structure.
In the above-described embodiment, the method of once forming the upper surface of the partition wall at a position higher than the upper surface of the anode when forming the partition wall, and then etching the upper surface of the partition wall by CMP is described. There is no. For example, when forming the partition, the upper surface of the partition may be aligned with the upper surface of the anode by controlling the sputtering time. Thereby, partition formation and leveling can be performed in one step.

1 is a plan view showing a configuration of an organic EL device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the organic electroluminescent apparatus concerning this embodiment. The circuit diagram which shows the wiring structure of the organic electroluminescent apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. Process drawing which shows the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescent apparatus which concerns on this embodiment. The process drawing. The process drawing. The process drawing. The process drawing. The process drawing. Sectional drawing which shows the structure of the organic electroluminescent apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the electronic device which concerns on 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,201 ... Organic EL device 2 ... Display area 6, 206 ... Drive circuit layer 7, 207 ... Organic EL layer 8, 208 ... Sealing layer 9, 209 ... Sealing substrate 10, 210 ... Element substrate 13, 213 ... Anode 13a, 213a ... upper surface 14, 214 ... partition wall 14a, 214a ... upper surface 15, 215 ... hole injection layer 16, 216 ... light emitting layer 17, 217 ... cathode 17a, ... upper surface 18, ... cathode protective layer 19, ... organic buffer layer 20, ... Gas barrier layer 25 ... Organic layer 40a ... Opening 40 ... Mask 216R ... Red light emitting layer 216G ... Green light emitting layer 216B ... Blue light emitting layer

Claims (6)

An anode forming step of forming an anode on the substrate;
After the anode formation step, a partition formation step of forming a partition in a predetermined region on the substrate so that its upper surface is substantially flush with the upper surface of the anode;
After the partition formation step, an organic layer formation step of forming an organic layer including a light emitting layer on the anode;
A cathode forming step of forming a cathode on the organic layer;
A cathode protective layer forming step of forming a cathode protective layer on the cathode; and
And an organic buffer layer forming step of forming an organic buffer layer using an organic material on the cathode protective layer. The partition forming step includes
Forming the partition so that the upper surface of the partition is higher than the upper surface of the anode;
The method of manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 1, wherein the upper surface of the partition wall is etched to match the height of the upper surface of the anode. The method for manufacturing an organic EL device according to claim 2, wherein in the partition formation step, an upper surface of the partition and an upper surface of the anode are etched. The partition forming step includes
4. The organic EL device according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall is formed, and an upper surface of the partition wall is substantially flush with an upper surface of the anode by a CMP method. 5. Production method. An anode provided on a substrate;
A partition made of an organic material provided in a predetermined region on the substrate so that its upper surface is substantially flush with the upper surface of the anode;
An organic layer provided on the anode and including a light-emitting layer;
A cathode provided on the organic layer;
A cathode protective layer made of an inorganic material and provided on the cathode;
An organic EL device comprising: an organic buffer layer made of an organic material and provided on the cathode protective layer. The organic EL device according to claim 5, wherein the organic layer is provided on substantially the entire surface of the substrate.

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