JP2008153237A - Organic light-emitting element and display device equipped with it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an organic EL element capable of displaying images with high luminance and few luminance unevenness. <P>SOLUTION: An auxiliary electrode 150 of an organic light-emitting element 100 is installed at a portion of a wall-shape insulating layer 140, and the portion of the wall-shape insulating layer 140 on which the auxiliary electrode 150 is installed is wider than the portion having no auxiliary electrode 150 installed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic light emitting device and a display device including the same.

  A flat display device consumes less power than a conventionally used cathode ray tube (CRT) and can be thinned. For this reason, with the recent diversification of information processing equipment, the demand for flat display devices has increased. Examples of the flat display device include a liquid crystal display device and an electroluminescent display device (hereinafter abbreviated as “EL display device”). Among them, the organic EL display device has features such as low voltage driving, all solid-state type, high-speed response, and self-luminous property, and therefore, research and development are particularly actively performed.

  Organic EL display devices are roughly classified into a passive matrix system (hereinafter abbreviated as “PM system”) and an active matrix system (hereinafter abbreviated as “AM system”) depending on the driving system.

  The PM organic EL elements are line-sequentially driven. Therefore, in order to realize a high luminance organic EL element by the PM method, a large instantaneous power must be applied to each pixel (light emitting layer). Accordingly, in the PM type organic EL element, the light emitting layer is severely deteriorated. As a result, the PM organic EL element has a problem that the product life is short. In particular, in an organic EL element having a large number of scanning electrodes (high definition), the voltage applied to each pixel increases. For this reason, a high-definition organic EL element has a particularly short product life.

  On the other hand, in the AM organic EL element, since a switching element (for example, TFT) is provided for each pixel, switching can be performed for each pixel. Therefore, in the AM organic EL element, the number of scanning electrodes is not limited in principle, and display close to almost 100% of one frame period is possible. For this reason, according to the AM type organic EL element, even when the instantaneous luminance is lower than that of the PM type organic EL element, a high luminance and high quality display can be realized. In addition, the AM type organic EL element can lower the instantaneous luminance as compared with the PM type organic EL element, so that a low driving voltage and a long product life can be realized. Therefore, in recent years, research and development of AM-type organic EL elements have been particularly active.

  FIG. 14 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a conventional organic EL element 600.

  The organic EL element 600 includes a substrate 601, a light emitting organic layer 603 provided on the substrate 601, and a first electrode 602 and a second electrode 604 provided so as to sandwich the light emitting organic layer 603.

  The first electrode 602 injects holes into the light emitting organic layer 603. The second electrode 604 injects electrons into the light emitting organic layer 603. When the holes injected from the first electrode 602 and the electrons injected from the second electrode 604 are recombined in the light emitting organic layer 603, the light emitting organic layer 603 emits light. In the organic EL element 600, the substrate 601 and the first electrode 602 are light transmissive. The second electrode 604 has light reflectivity. Light emission of the light emitting organic layer 603 is emitted from the organic EL element 600 through the first electrode 602 and the substrate 601 (bottom emission method).

  In the AM organic EL element 600, it is necessary to dispose TFTs and electrodes (pixel electrode, gate electrode, source electrode, etc.) on the substrate 601. In general, TFTs and electrodes are formed of a material having low light transmittance. Specifically, the TFT is formed of silicon having a low light transmittance. For this reason, the organic EL element 600 has a problem that the ratio (aperture ratio) of the light emitting area to the pixel area is small.

  The AM organic EL element can be further divided into a current driven organic EL element and a voltage driven organic EL element. The current-driven organic EL element can suppress variation in display performance of each pixel, and can effectively suppress display performance deterioration due to deterioration of a light emitting material. However, in the current drive type organic EL element, the number of TFTs arranged in each pixel is larger than that in the voltage drive type organic EL element. For this reason, the current-driven organic EL element has a problem that the aperture ratio is further reduced.

In view of the problem, a top emission type organic EL element has been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1). In the top emission type organic EL element, the second electrode has light transmissivity and the first electrode has light reflectivity. For this reason, light emission of the light emitting organic layer can be taken out from the second electrode side opposite to the substrate on which the TFT and the electrode having low light transmittance are arranged. Therefore, the top emission organic EL element has a larger aperture ratio than the bottom emission organic EL element. As a result, a high-luminance organic element can be realized by employing the top emission method.
JP 2004-127551 A

  In the top emission type organic EL display device, light emitted from the light emitting organic layer is extracted from the second electrode side. For this reason, it is preferable that the 2nd electrode is formed with the transparent electrode material with a high light transmittance. Examples of the transparent conductive material include indium tin oxide (ITO) and indium zinc oxide (IZO).

  However, a transparent conductive material such as ITO has a higher electric resistance than a low resistance metal material such as silver (Ag) or aluminum (Al) that has been conventionally used as an electrode material. Therefore, the second electrode formed of a transparent conductive material has a large surface resistance. Therefore, there is a problem that the drive voltage is high.

  Further, when the surface resistance of the second electrode is high, a voltage drop occurs in a part of the second electrode. For this reason, a uniform voltage is not applied to the second electrode formed of a transparent conductive material having a large electrical resistance. Therefore, there is a problem that it is impossible to display an image with high uniformity.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an organic EL element capable of displaying an image with high luminance and no luminance unevenness.

  An organic light-emitting device according to the present invention includes a substrate, a plurality of first electrodes arranged in a matrix on the substrate, a wall-shaped insulating layer provided on the substrate and partitioning the plurality of first electrodes, Covering the entire surface of the light emitting organic layer provided on each of the plurality of first electrodes, the auxiliary electrode provided on the wall-like insulating layer, and the wall-like insulating layer, auxiliary electrode, and light-emitting organic layer And a second electrode that is electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode and transmits the light of the light-emitting organic layer, the auxiliary electrode is provided in a part of the wall-like insulating layer, and the auxiliary electrode is provided. The portion of the wall-like insulating layer is wider than the portion where the auxiliary electrode is not provided.

  An organic light-emitting device according to the present invention includes a substrate, a plurality of first electrodes arranged in a matrix on the substrate, a wall-shaped insulating layer provided on the substrate and partitioning the plurality of first electrodes, Covering the entire surface of the light emitting organic layer provided on each of the plurality of first electrodes, the auxiliary electrode provided on the wall-like insulating layer, and the wall-like insulating layer, auxiliary electrode, and light-emitting organic layer And a second electrode that is electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode and transmits the light of the light-emitting organic layer. The auxiliary electrode is provided in pieces on the wall-like insulating layer. The portion of the wall-like insulating layer provided is wider than the portion where the auxiliary electrode is not provided.

  In the organic light emitting device according to the present invention, the width of the portion of the wall-like insulating layer provided with the auxiliary electrode may be twice or more the width of the portion where the auxiliary electrode is not provided.

  In the organic light-emitting device according to the present invention, the light-emitting organic layer is formed of any of a plurality of types of light-emitting materials each having a different emission color, and the light-emitting organic layer has a different emission area depending on the emission color, and is The electrode may be provided on a wide portion adjacent to the light emitting organic layer having the smallest light emitting area in the wall-shaped insulating layer.

  In the organic light emitting device according to the present invention, the auxiliary electrode is provided on the wide portion of the wall-like insulating layer provided between the light emitting organic layer having the largest light emitting area and the light emitting organic layer having the smallest light emitting area. It has been.

  The organic light emitting device according to the present invention further includes a liquid crystal layer provided between the auxiliary electrode and the second electrode, in which a through hole for communicating the auxiliary electrode and the second electrode is formed. It may be electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode via a through hole.

  The organic light emitting device according to the present invention may further include a liquid crystal layer composed of a monomolecular layer provided between the auxiliary electrode and the second electrode.

  In the organic light emitting device according to the present invention, the light emitting organic layer may contain an organic electroluminescent light emitting material.

  The display device according to the present invention includes the organic light emitting element according to the present invention.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to effectively suppress the voltage drop of the second electrode by the auxiliary electrode having a high electric conductivity, and thus it is possible to display an image with high luminance and less luminance unevenness.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  Embodiment 1 FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an organic EL element 100 according to Embodiment 1. FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a portion cut out by a cut line II-II in FIG.

  The organic EL element 100 includes a thin film transistor (TFT) substrate 110, a plurality of first electrodes 120 arranged in a predetermined arrangement (for example, in a matrix) on the TFT substrate 110, and a plurality of first electrodes 120, respectively. The partition wall insulating layer 140, the light emitting organic layer 130 provided on each of the first electrodes 120, the auxiliary electrode 150 provided on the wall insulating layer 140, the wall insulating layer 140, and the auxiliary The electrode 150 and the second electrode 160 provided so as to cover the entire surface of the light emitting organic layer 130 and electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode 150 are provided. The second electrode 160 transmits the light of the light emitting organic layer 130. For convenience of explanation, the second electrode 160 is not drawn in FIG.

  The TFT substrate 110 includes an insulating substrate 111, a TFT 114 connected to each of the plurality of first electrodes 120 arranged in a predetermined arrangement, a source electrode 112 and a gate electrode 113 electrically connected to the TFT 114, and a TFT A planarizing film 115 for planarizing the surface of the substrate 110 on the light emitting organic layer 130 side.

  The insulating substrate 111 can ensure the mechanical strength of the organic EL element 100 and preferably has an insulating property. For example, the insulating substrate 111 can be composed of a substrate made of glass such as quartz or soda glass, an inorganic material such as ceramics, or an organic material such as polyimide or polyester.

  The TFT 114 covers the gate electrode 113, the gate insulating film 117 provided on the gate electrode 113, the island-shaped semiconductor 118 insulated from the gate electrode 113 by the gate insulating film 117, and the peripheral portion of the island-shaped semiconductor 118. The TFT electrode 119 is formed in a hollow shape as described above (bottom gate structure). In the present invention, the TFT is not limited to one having a bottom gate structure. The TFT may have a top gate structure, for example.

  The first electrodes 120 are arranged in a predetermined arrangement (for example, in a matrix) on the TFT substrate 110. The first electrode 120 is connected to the TFT electrode 119 via an electrical connection part (through hole) 121 provided in the planarizing film 115. The first electrode 120 injects holes into the light emitting organic layer 130 in accordance with a signal input from the TFT 114.

  The first electrode 120 is preferably provided so as not to overlap with the gate electrode 113, the source electrode 112, and the like. This is because when the first electrode 120 and the electrodes 112 and 113 are overlapped, a large parasitic capacitance is generated, so that display quality is deteriorated.

  Examples of the material of the first electrode 120 include metal materials such as silver (Ag) and aluminum (Al), and conductive oxides such as indium tin oxide (ITO) and indium zinc oxide (IZO).

  From the viewpoint of realizing high hole injection efficiency into the light emitting organic layer 130, the first electrode 120 is more preferably formed of a material having a high work function such as indium tin oxide (ITO). Moreover, in the organic EL element 100, since the light emission of the light emitting layer 130 is taken out through the second electrode 160, the first electrode 120 is preferably light reflective. In other words, the first electrode 120 is preferably formed of a light reflective material such as silver (Ag) or aluminum (Al).

  The first electrode 120 may have a multilayer structure including a metal layer such as aluminum (Al) having high conductivity and high light reflectance and an electrode layer such as indium tin oxide (ITO) having a large work function. . According to this configuration, the high light reflectivity and high hole injection efficiency of the first electrode 120 can be realized simultaneously. Therefore, the organic EL element 100 with higher brightness can be realized.

  In the organic EL element 100 according to the first embodiment, each of the first electrodes 120 is formed in a rectangular shape, but each of the first electrodes 120 is formed in various shapes (circular, elliptical, etc.). Also good.

When the light emitting organic layer 130 is formed by a wet coating method using an organic solvent such as an ink jet method or a spin coating method, the surface of the first electrode 120 is made lyophilic by UV / O ₃ treatment or the like ( It is preferable to impart a property compatible with ink). Thereby, the affinity between the first electrode 120 and the ink for forming the light emitting organic layer 130 is improved, so that a more uniform light emitting organic layer 130 can be formed. Therefore, the organic EL element 100 with few defects can be realized.

The wall-like insulating layer 140 is provided in a lattice shape so as to partition each of the plurality of first electrodes 120 arranged in a predetermined arrangement (in a matrix form). The wall-like insulating layer 140 is preferably formed of a material that hardly changes in shape and characteristics due to heating. Examples of the material for the wall-shaped insulating layer 140 include photosensitive polyimide, acrylic resin, methallyl resin, or novolac resin.
The wall-like insulating layer 140 is more preferably formed of a photosensitive resin. By using a photosensitive resin as the material of the wall-like insulating layer 140, the wall-like insulating layer 140 can be patterned by a photolithography process. Therefore, the wall-like insulating layer 140 can be easily patterned without performing etching or a peeling process.

  When the light emitting organic layer 130 is formed by a wet coating method (such as an ink jet method or a spin coating method), the wall-like insulating layer 140 has a property of repelling an organic solvent (ink) (hereinafter referred to as “liquid-repellent”). It is preferable to form with the material which has. According to this configuration, even when the light-emitting organic layer 130 is formed by a wet coating method, the supplied ink is suppressed from adhering to the wall-like insulating layer 140. For this reason, the uniform light emitting organic layer 130 can be formed.

  Further, even when the landing position of the supplied ink droplet is shifted and the ink droplet falls on the slope portion of the wall-like insulating layer 140, the ink droplet slides down the slope portion of the wall-like insulating layer 140. Ink is disposed at a desired dropping position. For this reason, the light-emitting organic layer 130 with less unevenness can be formed. Examples of the material of the wall-like insulating layer 140 having a liquid-repelling property include a material obtained by doping an organic material such as polyimide or acrylic resin with fluorine or a silicon-based additive.

  In addition, after the wall-like insulating layer 140 is formed, the wall-like insulating layer 140 may be given a liquid-repelling property. Examples of the method for imparting liquid-repelling properties include oxygen plasma treatment and carbon tetrafluoride plasma treatment.

  The light emitting organic layer 130 is provided on the first electrode 120 partitioned by the wall-like insulating layer 140 formed in a lattice shape. The light emitting organic layer 130 has a hole transport layer 131 and a light emitting layer 132. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration. That is, the light emitting organic layer 130 may be composed of only the light emitting layer 132. The light emitting organic layer 130 may be composed of the light emitting layer 132 and any one or more of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer 131, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer.

  The hole transport layer 131 transports holes injected from the first electrode 120 to the light emitting layer 132. The hole transport layer 131 preferably has high hole transport efficiency. Examples of the low molecular weight material having high transport efficiency and suitable for the hole transport layer 131 include porphyrin compounds, aromatic tertiary amine compounds, hydrazone compounds, quinacdrine compounds, and stilamine compounds. Specifically, aromatic tertiary amine compounds include N, N′-bis- (3-methylphenyl) -N, N′-bis- (phenyl) -benzidine (TPD), N, N′-di (Naphthalen-1-yl) -N, N′-diphenyl-benzidine (NPD) and the like.

  Suitable polymer materials for the hole transport layer 131 include polyaniline, 3,4-polyethylenedioxythiophene / polystyrene sulfonate (PEDT / PSS), poly (triphenylamine derivative), polyvinyl carbazole (PVCz), and the like. It is done. Suitable polymer material precursors for the hole transport layer 131 include poly (P-phenylene vinylene) precursors, poly (P-naphthalene vinylene) precursors, and the like.

  The hole transport layer 131 is not limited to a single layer structure. The hole transport layer 131 may have a multilayer structure. Further, a hole injection layer may be further provided between the hole transport layer 131 and the light emitting layer 132. By providing the hole injection layer, the efficiency of hole injection into the light emitting layer 132 can be improved. Therefore, the organic EL element 100 with higher brightness can be realized.

  The holes injected from the first electrode 120 and the electrons injected from the second electrode 160 are recombined in the light emitting layer 132, and excitons are formed in the light emitting layer 132. Light is emitted from the light emitting layer 132 when excitons are deactivated to the ground state.

  The light emitting layer 132 may include a low molecular light emitting material or a high molecular light emitting material. In the case where the light emitting layer 132 includes a low molecular light emitting material, the light emitting layer 132 can be formed by a method such as a vacuum evaporation method. On the other hand, in the case where the light emitting layer 132 includes a polymer light emitting material, the light emitting layer 132 can be formed by a wet coating method such as an inkjet method or a spin coating method. According to the wet coating method, the organic EL element 100 having the high-precision and large-area TFT substrate 110 can be manufactured at low cost with a small number of steps.

As a material of the light emitting layer 132, poly (2-decyloxy-1,4-phenylene) (DO-PPP), poly [2,5-bis- [2- (N, N, N-triethylammonium) ethoxy]- 1,4-phenyl-alt-1,4-phenylene] dibromide (PPP-NEt ³⁺ ), poly [2- (2′-ethylhexyloxy) -5-methoxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) ) And the like.

  The second electrode 160 is formed in a planar shape so as to cover the entire surface of the auxiliary electrode 150, the light emitting organic layer 130, and the wall-like insulating layer 140. The second electrode 160 injects electrons into the light emitting organic layer 130. Since the second electrode 160 transmits the light of the light emitting layer 132, the second electrode 160 preferably has a high light transmittance. Examples of a material having high light transmittance and suitable for the second electrode 160 include indium tin oxide (ITO) and indium zinc oxide (IZO).

  From the viewpoint of realizing high electron injection efficiency into the light emitting organic layer 130, the second electrode 160 is preferably formed of a material having a small work function. Examples of the material having a small work function include calcium (Ca) and aluminum (Al). Further, the second electrode 160 is formed by stacking a metal layer made of calcium (Ca) or aluminum (Al) having a small work function and a transparent electrode layer made of indium tin oxide (ITO) or the like having a high light transmittance. It may be configured. According to this configuration, high electron injection efficiency and high light transmittance of the second electrode 160 can be realized at the same time. Therefore, the organic EL element 100 with higher brightness can be realized.

  The second electrode 160 may be formed of an extremely thin thin film made of metal or the like.

  In the first embodiment, the second electrode 160 is provided so as to cover the entire surface of the light emitting organic layer 130, but the second electrode 160 may be composed of two or more planar electrodes.

  The second electrode 160 is electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode 150 formed therebelow. The auxiliary electrode 150 has a lower electrical resistance than the second electrode 160. For this reason, the sheet resistance of the second electrode 160 can be reduced. Therefore, since the occurrence of image display unevenness due to the voltage drop of the second electrode 160 can be effectively suppressed, the organic EL element 100 capable of uniform image display can be realized. Moreover, since the surface resistance of the second electrode 160 can be reduced by the auxiliary electrode 150, the organic EL element 100 having a low driving voltage can be realized.

  Examples of the material of the auxiliary electrode 150 include a low resistance metal material. Specific examples of the low resistance metal material include copper (Cu), tantalum (Ta), titanium (Ti), chromium (Cr), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the first embodiment, the auxiliary electrode 150 is provided on the entire wall-like insulating layer 140. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration.

  3 to 5 are schematic plan views illustrating examples of forming the auxiliary electrode 150.

  As shown in FIGS. 3, 4, and 5, the auxiliary electrode 150 may be formed on a part of the wall-shaped insulating layer 140. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the auxiliary electrode 150 may be formed in pieces. 3 to 5 can also reduce the surface resistance of the second electrode 160, so that the voltage drop of the second electrode 160 can be suppressed.

  When the auxiliary electrode 150 is formed on a part of the wall-like insulating layer 140, the part of the wall-like insulating layer 140 that does not form the auxiliary electrode 150 is formed to be narrower than the part of the wall-like insulating layer 140 that forms the auxiliary electrode 150. May be. In other words, the portion of the wall-like insulating layer 140 where the auxiliary electrode 150 is provided may be wider than the portion where the auxiliary electrode 150 is not provided. According to this configuration, the ratio of the area occupied by the wall-like insulating layer 140 to the image display area, that is, the area of the non-light-emitting area in the organic EL element 100 can be further reduced. Therefore, the organic EL element 100 having a higher aperture ratio and higher luminance can be realized.

  More preferably, the width of the portion of the wall-like insulating layer 140 where the auxiliary electrode 150 is provided is at least twice the width of the portion of the wall-like insulating layer 140 where the auxiliary electrode 150 is not provided. When the light-emitting organic layer 130 is formed, the wall-shaped insulating layer 140 is prevented from mixing adjacent light-emitting organic layers 130. For example, when the light emitting organic layer 130 is formed by the ink jet method, the width of the wall-like insulating layer 140 is generally set so that the ink does not adhere to the adjacent light emitting organic layer 130 even when the ink droplet landing position shift occurs. The minimum width is set so as not to mix the droplets. Therefore, the light emitting organic layer 130 is formed by setting the width of the portion of the wall-like insulating layer 140 forming the auxiliary electrode 150 to be not less than twice the width so that ink droplets do not enter the adjacent light emitting organic layer 130. In this case, it is possible to prevent the auxiliary electrode 150 on the wall-like insulating layer 140 from being covered with ink due to the deviation of the landing position of the ink droplet. Therefore, the easily manufactured organic EL element 100 in which the auxiliary electrode 150 and the second electrode 160 are reliably electrically connected can be realized.

  When the organic EL element 100 is a color organic EL element having sub-pixels (picture elements) that emit red (R) light, green (G) light, and blue (B) light, respectively, The auxiliary electrode 150 is provided only on a portion that divides a pixel composed of a sub-pixel whose emission color is red (R), a sub-pixel that is green (G), and a sub-pixel that is blue (B). It may be provided.

  Note that in this specification, a pixel includes two or more subpixels, and is not limited to one composed of three subpixels having different emission colors. Each of two or more subpixels included in one pixel may have the same emission color. Further, each of two or more sub-pixels included in one pixel may have a different emission color. For example, one pixel may be constituted by four light emission colors of red (R), green (G), blue (B), and white (W). A subpixel is composed of one light emitting organic layer 130.

  FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the organic EL element 100 when the auxiliary electrode 150 is provided on the portion of the wall-like insulating layer 140 that divides the pixel.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 6, the light emitting organic layer 130 </ b> R whose emission color is red (R), the light emitting organic layer 130 </ b> G whose emission color is green (G), and the light emitting organic layer whose emission color is blue (B). Each pixel is composed of 130B. The auxiliary electrode 150 is provided only on the portion partitioning the pixels, that is, on the wall-like insulating layer 140a provided between the light emitting organic layer 130R and the light emitting organic layer 130B. An auxiliary electrode 150 is provided on the wall-like insulating layer 140b provided between the light-emitting organic layer 130R and the light-emitting organic layer 130G, and on the wall-like insulating layer 140b provided between the light-emitting organic layer 130G and the light-emitting organic layer 130B. Not provided. When the auxiliary electrode 150 is formed on the entire wall-like insulating layer 140, the process is often more restricted than when the auxiliary electrode 150 is not formed, and the width of the wall-like insulating layer 140 must be increased. In some cases, the emission area per pixel may be small. However, according to this configuration, it is possible to minimize the reduction in the light emission area per pixel. Therefore, a high-brightness organic EL element 100 can be realized. Note that the configuration shown in FIG. 6 also has the effect of reducing the surface resistance of the second electrode 160 by the auxiliary electrode 150.

  You may provide the auxiliary electrode 150 on the part of the wall-shaped insulating layer 140 adjacent to the light emitting organic layer 130 with the smallest light emission area. Specifically, the auxiliary electrode 150 may be provided on a portion of the wall-like insulating layer 140 provided between the light emitting organic layer 130G and the light emitting organic layer 130R. In consideration of the correlation among the light emission efficiency, chromaticity, and life characteristics, the light emitting organic layer 130G has the smallest light emitting area, and the light emitting organic layer 130R has the next smallest light emitting area.

  FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the organic EL element 100 when the auxiliary electrode 150 is provided on the wall-like insulating layer 140a provided between the light emitting organic layer 130G and the light emitting organic layer 130R.

  In general, among the luminescent materials, the luminescent material whose emission color is green (G) has the highest luminous efficiency, and the luminescent material whose emission color is red (R) has the lowest emission luminance. The light emitting material whose emission color is blue (B) has an emission luminance between the emission luminance of the light emitting material whose emission color is green (G) and the emission luminance of the light emitting material whose emission color is red (R). Therefore, each of the light emitting organic layer 130R including the red (R) light emitting material, the light emitting organic layer 130G including the green (G) light emitting material, and the light emitting organic layer 130B including the blue (B) light emitting material has the same light emitting area. In the organic EL element having the above, when all the light emitting organic layers 130 emit light with the same luminance, it is necessary to pass a larger current through the light emitting organic layer 130R than the other light emitting organic layers 130G and 130B. On the other hand, regarding the element lifetime, the light emitting organic layer 130B has the fastest luminance attenuation rate. For this reason, the color balance changes with time, and a color shift occurs in the display image.

Therefore, the relative deterioration rate of the light emitting organic layer 130B with respect to the light emitting organic layers 130R and 130G can be reduced by setting the light emitting organic layer 130B to the largest light emitting area and the light emitting organic layer 130G to the smallest light emitting area. In other words, the luminance decay rates of the light emitting organic layers 130R, 130G, and 130B can be made substantially the same. Therefore, it is possible to realize the organic EL element 100 having a long product life because the color balance of the display image hardly changes over time.
When the light emitting organic layer 130B has the largest light emitting area and the light emitting organic layer 130G has the smallest light emitting area, the light emitting organic layer 130G having a small light emitting area is disposed between the light emitting organic layer 130R due to design restrictions of the TFT substrate 110. In some cases, the non-light emitting region of the light emitting device becomes relatively wide. Therefore, a wide wall-like insulating layer 140 is formed in a wide non-light-emitting region between the light-emitting organic layer 130G and the light-emitting organic layer 130R, and an auxiliary electrode 150 is formed thereon, so that the aperture ratio is almost sacrificed. The auxiliary electrode 150 can be provided without the need for the above. Therefore, according to this configuration, it is possible to realize a high-luminance organic EL element 100 in which the color balance of the display image hardly changes with time, the product life is long, and the aperture ratio is high.

  Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing the organic EL element 100 will be described.

  FIG. 8 is a follow chart showing a part of the manufacturing process of the organic EL element 100.

First, the source electrode 112, the gate electrode 113, the TFT 114, and the planarization film 115 are formed over the insulating substrate 111. The deposition method and patterning method of the source electrode 112, the gate electrode 113, the TFT 114, and the planarization film 115 are not limited. A conductive material such as aluminum (Al) is formed over the planarization film 115 by a sputtering method or the like. The first electrode 120 is formed by patterning the formed conductive film into a desired shape using a photolithographic technique or the like (step 1). When the light-emitting organic layer 130 is formed by a wet coating method (inkjet method, spin coating method, etc.), the surface of the first electrode 120 is made lyophilic (according to the organic solvent used for the inkjet method etc.) by UV / O ₃ treatment or the like. (Step 2). By making it lyophilic, the affinity between the first electrode 120 and the light emitting organic layer 130 is improved, and a more uniform light emitting organic layer 130 can be formed. Therefore, the organic EL element 100 with few defects can be realized.

  A wall-like insulating layer 140 is formed on the TFT substrate 110 on which the first electrode 120 is formed (step 3). The wall-like insulating layer 140 can be formed by the following method, for example. First, a thin film made of photosensitive polyimide or the like is formed using a spin coating method or the like. The wall-like insulating layer 140 is formed by patterning the formed thin film of polyimide or the like into a desired shape by a series of photoresist processes such as photoresist coating, pre-baking, exposure, development, post-baking, etching, and photoresist peeling. can do. In the case where the light emitting organic layer 130 is formed by a wet coating method using an organic solvent such as an ink jet method or a spin coating method, for example, the wall-like insulating layer 140 is doped with fluorine or a silicon-based additive and has a liquid-repellent property. It is preferable to form with the material which has. Instead of forming the wall-like insulating layer 140 from a lyophobic material, a process for liquefying the surface of the wall-like insulating layer 140 (a process for imparting the property of repelling the liquid (ink) containing the material of the light-emitting organic layer 130) May be performed. Examples of the liquefaction treatment include oxygen plasma treatment and carbon tetrafluoride plasma treatment. Thus, by making the surface of the wall-like insulating layer 140 liquid-repellent, it is possible to effectively prevent the landing position deviation of the ink droplets containing the material of the light-emitting organic layer 130 from being effectively prevented.

  An auxiliary electrode 150 is formed on the wall-like insulating layer 140. The auxiliary electrode 150 can be formed by sputtering, for example. A hole transport layer 131 and a light-emitting layer 132 are formed on each first electrode 120 partitioned in a matrix by the wall-shaped insulating layer 140 by using a wet coating method (inkjet method, spin coating method, etc.). Thus, the light emitting organic layer 130 is formed. By forming the light emitting organic layer 130 using a wet coating method such as an ink jet method or a spin coating method, the light emitting organic layer 130 can be formed at a low cost with a relatively small number of manufacturing steps.

  When the light-emitting organic layer 130 is formed using the wet coating method, specifically, a step of applying an ink containing a raw material of the light-emitting organic layer 130 (step 4) and a step of drying the applied ink (step 5) are performed. . Hereinafter, the formation process of the light emitting organic layer 130 will be described in detail. First, an ink containing the material for the hole transport layer 131 is applied on the first electrode 120 (step 4). The hole transport layer 131 is formed by drying the applied ink (step 5). Next, an ink containing a material for the light emitting layer 132 is applied on the hole transport layer 131 (step 4). The light emitting layer 132 is formed by drying the applied ink (step 5).

  The second electrode 160 is formed so as to cover the entire surface of the light emitting organic layer 130. The second electrode 160 can be formed by a sputtering method or the like.

  FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of an organic EL display device D including the organic EL element 100.

  As described above, the organic EL element 100 can display an image with high luminance and little luminance unevenness, and can be manufactured at low cost by a small number of manufacturing steps. Therefore, the organic EL display device D using the organic EL element 100 can also display an image with high luminance and little luminance unevenness, and can be manufactured at low cost with a small number of manufacturing steps.

(Embodiment 2)
The organic EL element 200 according to the second embodiment has the same configuration as the organic EL element 100 according to the first embodiment except for the pattern of the auxiliary electrode and the configuration of the pixels. Here, the configuration of the auxiliary electrode pattern and the pixel P of the organic EL element 200 according to Embodiment 2 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the configuration of the organic EL element 200 according to the second embodiment.

The organic EL element 200 includes a light emitting organic layer 230B whose emission color is blue (B), a light emitting organic layer 230R whose emission color is red (R), and a light emitting organic layer 230G whose emission color is green (G). Among the light emitting organic layers 230B, 230R, and 230G, the light emitting organic layer 230B has the largest light emitting area, and the light emitting organic layer 230G has the smallest light emitting area. The light emitting area of the light emitting organic layer 230R is smaller than the light emitting area of the light emitting organic layer 230B and larger than the light emitting area of the light emitting organic layer 230G. For example, in consideration of the characteristics of each color of light emitting material, the light emitting area _{S G} of the light-emitting organic layer 630G, light-emitting area _{S R} of the light-emitting organic layer 630R, the ratio of the light emission area _{S B} of the light-emitting organic layer _{630B, S} G: S _R : S _B can be 1: 2: 10.

  As described above, in general, among the light emitting materials, the light emitting material whose emission color is green (G) has the highest emission efficiency, and the light emission material whose emission color is red (R) has the lowest emission luminance. Regarding the element lifetime, the light emitting organic layer 230B has the fastest luminance decay rate. For this reason, the color balance changes with time, and a color shift occurs in the display image.

  Considering that the light emission lifetime (luminance decay rate) and the light emission efficiency of the light emitting organic layer 230 are different depending on the emission color as in the organic EL element 200 according to the second embodiment, the organic EL element 200 according to the second embodiment. As described above, by making the light emitting areas of the light emitting organic layers 230B, 230R, and 230G different, the change in color balance with time can be suppressed, and the organic EL element 200 having a long product life can be realized. In particular, in consideration of the characteristics of the light emitting materials of the respective colors, it is preferable to maximize the light emitting area of the light emitting organic layer 230B and minimize the light emitting area of the light emitting organic layer 230G as in the third embodiment.

  In the organic EL element 200, each pixel P includes one light emitting organic layer 230B, 230R, and 230G. In one pixel P, the light emitting organic layer 230B is adjacent to the light emitting organic layer 230R and the light emitting organic layer 230G, and the light emitting organic layer 230G is adjacent to the light emitting organic layer 230R and the light emitting organic layer 230B. In other words, the light emitting organic layers 230B, 230R, and 230G are substantially delta arranged. In this specification, “substantially delta arrangement” refers to an arrangement in which the centers of gravity of three light emitting regions form a triangle.

  In the case of the organic EL element 200 shown in FIG. 10, a relatively wide space is generated around the light emitting organic layer 230G having the smallest light emitting area due to the restrictions on the design of the TFT substrate (particularly the positional restrictions on the through holes). There is. Specifically, a relatively wide space may occur between the light emitting organic layer 230B and the light emitting organic layers 230R and 230G. In the organic EL element 200 according to the second embodiment, the width of the wall-like insulating layer provided in the wide portion is relatively wide as compared with other portions. And the auxiliary electrode 250 is provided in the wide part of the wall-shaped insulating layer. With such a configuration, the auxiliary electrode 250 can be provided with almost no decrease in the aperture ratio. Accordingly, it is possible to realize the organic EL element 200 having high luminance and little display unevenness.

(Embodiment 3)
The organic EL element 300 according to the third embodiment has the same configuration as the organic EL element 100 according to the first embodiment except for the pattern of the auxiliary electrode and the configuration of the pixels. Here, the configuration of the auxiliary electrode pattern and the pixel P of the organic EL element 300 according to Embodiment 3 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 11 is a plan view showing the configuration of the organic EL element 300 according to the third embodiment.

  The organic EL element 300 includes a light emitting organic layer 330B whose emission color is blue (B), a light emitting organic layer 330R whose emission color is red (R), and a light emitting organic layer 330G whose emission color is green (G). Among the light emitting organic layers 330B, 330R, and 330G, the light emitting organic layer 330B has the largest light emitting area, and the light emitting organic layer 330G has the smallest light emitting area. The light emitting area of the light emitting organic layer 330R is smaller than the light emitting area of the light emitting organic layer 330B and larger than the light emitting area of the light emitting organic layer 330G. For this reason, the organic EL element 300 according to Embodiment 3 has little change in color balance over time, and has a long product life.

In the organic EL element 300, each pixel P includes one light emitting organic layer 330B, 330R, 330G. In one pixel P, the light emitting organic layers 330B, 330R, and 330G are arranged in a substantially delta arrangement. In the case of the organic EL element 300 shown in FIG. 11, due to restrictions on the design of the TFT substrate (especially, positional restrictions on the through holes). A relatively wide interval may occur around the light emitting organic layer 330G having the smallest light emitting area. In the organic EL element 300 according to Embodiment 3, auxiliary electrodes 350 are provided between the light emitting organic layer 330G and the light emitting organic layer 330R and between the light emitting organic layer 330G and the light emitting organic layer 330B. With such a configuration, the auxiliary electrode 350 can be provided with almost no decrease in the aperture ratio. Therefore, it is possible to realize the organic EL element 300 with high luminance and little display unevenness.

  In the third embodiment, the plurality of auxiliary electrodes 350 are formed in pieces. However, even in this case, the effect of reducing the surface resistance of the second electrode (upper common electrode) can be obtained.

(Embodiment 4)
The organic EL element 400 according to the fourth embodiment has the same configuration as that of the organic EL element 100 according to the first embodiment except for the pattern of the auxiliary electrode and the configuration of the pixels. Here, the configuration of the auxiliary electrode pattern and the pixel P of the organic EL element 400 according to Embodiment 4 will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 12 is a plan view showing the configuration of the organic EL element 400 according to the fourth embodiment.

  The organic EL element 400 includes a light emitting organic layer 430B whose emission color is blue (B), a light emitting organic layer 430R whose emission color is red (R), and a light emitting organic layer 430G whose emission color is green (G). Among the light emitting organic layers 430B, 430R, and 430G, the light emitting organic layer 430B has the largest light emitting area, and the light emitting organic layer 430G has the smallest light emitting area. The light emitting area of the light emitting organic layer 430R is smaller than the light emitting area of the light emitting organic layer 430B and larger than the light emitting area of the light emitting organic layer 430G. For this reason, the organic EL element 400 according to Embodiment 4 has little change in color balance over time, and has a long product life.

  In the organic EL element 400, each pixel P includes one light emitting organic layer 430B, 430R, and 430G. In one pixel P, the light emitting organic layers 430B, 430R, and 430G are arranged in stripes. Specifically, the light emitting organic layers 430B, 430R, and 430G formed in an elongated shape are arranged in parallel to each other.

  In the case of the organic EL element 400 shown in FIG. 12, a relatively wide space is generated around the light emitting organic layer 430G having the smallest light emitting area due to the restrictions on the design of the TFT substrate (particularly the positional restrictions on the through holes). There is. Specifically, a relatively wide space may be generated between the light emitting organic layer 430G and the light emitting organic layer 430R. In the organic EL element 400 according to the fourth embodiment, the width of the wall-like insulating layer provided in the wide portion is relatively wide as compared with other portions. And the auxiliary electrode 450 is provided in the wide part of the wall-shaped insulating layer. With such a configuration, the auxiliary electrode 450 can be provided with almost no decrease in the aperture ratio. Therefore, it is possible to realize the organic EL element 400 with high luminance and little display unevenness.

  As mentioned above, although various patterns of the auxiliary electrode have been described as the first to fourth embodiments, these are merely examples, and the present invention is not limited to these configurations.

  Embodiment 5 FIG. 13 is a schematic sectional view of an organic EL element 500 according to Embodiment 5.

  The organic EL element 500 according to the fifth embodiment has a configuration in which a liquid crystal layer is further provided between the auxiliary electrode 150 and the second electrode 160 of the organic EL element 100 according to the first embodiment.

  Specifically, the organic EL element 500 includes a TFT substrate 510, a plurality of first electrodes 520 arranged in a predetermined arrangement (for example, in a matrix) on the TFT substrate 510, and a plurality of first electrodes 520. Each of the wall-shaped insulating layers 540 partitioned, the light emitting organic layer 530 provided on each of the first electrodes 520, the auxiliary electrode 550 provided on the wall-shaped insulating layer 540, and the auxiliary electrode 550 are covered. The soot layer 570, the soot layer 570, the wall-like insulating layer 540, and the light emitting organic layer 530 are provided so as to cover the entire surface, and are electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode 550 through the through hole 571. The second electrode 560 is provided. The light emitting organic layer 530 includes a hole transport layer 531 and a light emitting layer 532. The second electrode 560 transmits the light of the light emitting layer 532.

  The TFT substrate 510 includes an insulating substrate 511, a TFT 514 connected to each of the plurality of first electrodes 520 arranged in a predetermined arrangement, a source electrode 512 and a gate electrode 513 electrically connected to the TFT 514, and a TFT A flattening film 515 for flattening the light-emitting organic layer 530 side of the substrate 510.

  The liquid smoke layer 570 has liquid repellency. For this reason, for example, when the light emitting organic layer 530 is formed by the inkjet method, the landing deviation of the ink droplets occurs, and even when the ink droplets land on the liquid droplet layer 570, the desired position can be obtained. Slide down. Therefore, the ink droplets are prevented from remaining on the liquid smoke layer 570. Therefore, in the fifth embodiment, a reliable electrical connection between the auxiliary electrode 550 and the second electrode 560 can be ensured.

  Examples of the material of the liquid smoke layer 570 include a polyimide resin doped with fluorine or a silicon-based material.

  Alternatively, after forming a film having no liquid-repelling property using a spin coating method or the like, the liquid-liquid liquid-repelling layer 570 may be formed by performing a liquid-liquid treatment on the film. Examples of the soot treatment include oxygen plasma treatment and tetrafluorine plasma treatment. Oxygen plasma treatment and 4-fluorine plasma treatment may be used in combination.

  The liquid crystal layer 570 may be formed on the surface layer of the auxiliary electrode 550 by subjecting the surface of the auxiliary electrode 550 formed earlier to liquid crystal treatment such as oxygen plasma treatment or tetrafluorine plasma treatment.

  The liquid smoke layer 570 may be a monomolecular layer. Monolayers are very thin and have electrical conductivity. Therefore, when the liquid crystal layer 570 is formed of a monomolecular layer, the auxiliary electrode 550 and the second electrode 560 can be electrically connected without providing the through hole 571 in the liquid crystal layer 570. Accordingly, it is possible to realize the organic EL element 500 that is easier to manufacture.

  In addition, a stearic acid etc. are mentioned as a material of a monomolecular layer.

1 is a schematic plan view of an organic EL element according to Embodiment 1. FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the part cut out by the cutting line II-II in FIG. It is a schematic plan view which shows the example of formation of an auxiliary electrode. It is a schematic plan view which shows the example of formation of an auxiliary electrode. It is a schematic plan view which shows the example of formation of an auxiliary electrode. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the organic EL element at the time of providing an auxiliary electrode on the part which divides a pixel into each in a wall-like insulating layer. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the organic EL element at the time of providing an auxiliary electrode on the wall-shaped insulating layer provided between the light emitting organic layer and the light emitting organic layer. It is a follow chart showing a part of manufacturing process of an organic EL element. It is a schematic diagram of the organic EL display apparatus D provided with the organic EL element. It is a top view showing the structure of the organic EL element which concerns on this Embodiment 2. FIG. It is a top view showing the structure of the organic EL element which concerns on this Embodiment 3. FIG. It is a top view showing the structure of the organic EL element which concerns on this Embodiment 4. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an organic EL element according to Embodiment 5. FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the conventional organic EL element.

Explanation of symbols

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600 Organic EL element
110, 510 TFT substrate
111,511 Insulating substrate
112, 512 Source electrode
113, 513 Gate electrode
114, 514 TFT
115, 515 Planarization film
117 Gate insulation film
118 Island Semiconductor
119 TFT electrode
120, 520, 620 First electrode
130, 230, 330, 430, 530, 630 Light-emitting organic layer
131, 531, 631 Hole transport layer
132, 532, 632 Light emitting layer
140, 540, 640 Wall insulation layer
150, 250, 350, 450, 550, 650 Auxiliary electrode
160, 560 Second electrode
570 Liquid layer
571, 680 Through hole

Claims (9)

A substrate,
A plurality of first electrodes arranged in a matrix on the substrate;
A wall-like insulating layer provided on the substrate and partitioning the plurality of first electrodes,
A light emitting organic layer provided on each of the plurality of first electrodes;
An auxiliary electrode provided on the wall-like insulating layer;
A second electrode that is provided so as to cover the entire surface of the wall-like insulating layer, the auxiliary electrode, and the light-emitting organic layer, and that is electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode and transmits light of the light-emitting organic layer; ,
With
The auxiliary electrode is provided on a part of the wall-like insulating layer,
An organic light-emitting element in which a portion of the wall-like insulating layer provided with the auxiliary electrode is wider than a portion where the auxiliary electrode is not provided. A substrate,
A plurality of first electrodes arranged in a matrix on the substrate;
A wall-like insulating layer provided on the substrate and partitioning the plurality of first electrodes,
A light emitting organic layer provided on each of the plurality of first electrodes;
An auxiliary electrode provided on the wall-like insulating layer;
A second electrode that is provided so as to cover the entire surface of the wall-like insulating layer, the auxiliary electrode, and the light-emitting organic layer, and that is electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode and transmits light of the light-emitting organic layer; ,
With
The auxiliary electrode is provided in pieces on the wall-like insulating layer,
An organic light-emitting element in which a portion of the wall-like insulating layer provided with the auxiliary electrode is wider than a portion where the auxiliary electrode is not provided. The organic light emitting device according to claim 1 or 2,
The organic light-emitting device wherein the width of the portion of the wall-like insulating layer provided with the auxiliary electrode is at least twice the width of the portion where the auxiliary electrode is not provided. The organic light emitting device according to claim 1 or 2,
Each of the light-emitting organic layers is formed of any of a plurality of types of light-emitting materials having different emission colors.
The light-emitting organic layers have different light-emitting areas depending on the color of light emitted,
The auxiliary electrode is an organic light emitting device provided on a wide portion adjacent to the light emitting organic layer having the smallest light emitting area in the wall-like insulating layer. The organic light emitting device according to claim 4,
The auxiliary electrode is an organic light emitting device provided on a wide portion of the wall-like insulating layer provided between the light emitting organic layer having the largest light emitting area and the light emitting organic layer having the smallest light emitting area. element. The organic light emitting device according to claim 1 or 2,
Further comprising a liquid crystal layer provided between the auxiliary electrode and the second electrode, in which a through hole is formed to communicate the auxiliary electrode and the second electrode;
The organic light emitting device, wherein the second electrode is electrically connected to the auxiliary electrode through the through hole. The organic light emitting device according to claim 1 or 2,
The organic light emitting element which further has a liquid-crystal layer which consists of a monomolecular layer provided between the said auxiliary electrode and the said 2nd electrode. The organic light emitting device according to claim 1 or 2,
The organic light emitting element in which the said light emitting organic layer contains an organic electroluminescent light emitting material. A display device comprising the organic light-emitting element according to claim 1.

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