JP2010199021A - Method of manufacturing organic electroluminescent element - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of stably manufacturing an organic electroluminescent element having a long life by a wet process. <P>SOLUTION: This organic electroluminescent element includes at least a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a luminescent layer held between the positive electrode and the negative electrode on a substrate, and the luminescent layer contains a phosphorescent material. This method of manufacturing the organic electroluminescent element includes at least two processes of a heating and drying process A and a heating and drying process B, after applying the luminescent layer. The temperature of the heating and drying process A is higher than the glass transition point of a material having the lowest glass transition point among materials contained in the electroluminescent layer, the temperature of the heating and drying process B is lower than the glass transition point of the material having the lowest glass transition point among the materials contained in the luminescent layer, and heat treatment is applied with the heating and drying process A and the heating and drying process B continued. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an organic electroluminescent element. In detail, in the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent element by a wet process, it is related with the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent element in which the low voltage drive was possible and the lifetime was improved.

  As a light-emitting electronic display device, there is an electroluminescence display (hereinafter abbreviated as ELD). As a constituent element of ELD, an inorganic electroluminescence element (hereinafter also referred to as an inorganic EL element) and an organic electroluminescence element (hereinafter also referred to as an organic EL element) can be given. Inorganic EL elements have been used as planar light sources, but an alternating high voltage is required to drive the light emitting elements.

  On the other hand, an organic electroluminescence device has a structure in which a light emitting layer containing a light emitting compound is sandwiched between a cathode and an anode, and excitons (exciton) are injected by injecting electrons and holes into the light emitting layer and recombining them. ), Which emits light by using light emission (fluorescence / phosphorescence) when the exciton is deactivated, and can emit light at a voltage of several V to several tens of V, and further self-emission. Since it is a type, it has a wide viewing angle, high visibility, and since it is a thin-film type completely solid element, it has attracted attention from the viewpoints of space saving, portability, and the like.

  Another major feature of the organic electroluminescence element is that it is a surface light source, unlike main light sources that have been put to practical use, such as light-emitting diodes and cold-cathode tubes. Applications that can effectively utilize this characteristic include illumination light sources and various display backlights. In particular, it is also suitable to be used as a backlight of a liquid crystal full color display whose demand has been increasing in recent years.

  Improvement of luminous efficiency is mentioned as a subject for putting an organic electroluminescent element into practical use as such a light source for illumination, or a backlight of a display. In order to improve the light emission efficiency, it is becoming common to incorporate a so-called host / guest structure in which a part of the organic functional layer constituting the organic electroluminescence element is formed by mixing a plurality of materials having different functions. is there. For example, a combination of host material / light emitting dopant in the light emitting layer, a combination of electron transport material / alkali metal material in the electron transport layer, and the like can be given.

  On the other hand, as a manufacturing method of these organic electroluminescence elements, there are a vapor deposition method, a wet process (spin coating method, casting method, ink jet method, spray method, printing method), etc., but a vacuum process is not required and continuous production is possible. In recent years, a manufacturing method in a wet process has attracted attention because of its simplicity.

  However, in the case of production in a wet process, the solvent tends to remain in the coating film, and the device performance, particularly the light emission life, may be deteriorated due to the influence of the remaining solvent. In order to remove the solvent remaining in the coating film, it is common to heat dry the coating film. However, the temperature at the time of heat drying is limited to a range in which the deterioration of the material used and the performance deterioration due to the structural change of the coating film do not occur. In particular, if the material is dried by heating at a temperature exceeding the glass transition point of the material, the structural change of the coating film and the mixing at the lamination interface are likely to occur, and the performance is likely to deteriorate. On the other hand, a method for improving the performance by performing a heat treatment at a temperature exceeding the glass transition point is disclosed (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this case, the mixing at the stacking interface is actively used, but the configuration in which the mixing at the stacking interface is allowed in this way is a combination that does not inhibit the light emission even if the light emitting layer and the adjacent layer are mixed. Limited. In particular, when a phosphorescent light emitting material is used for the light emitting layer, it is a requirement that the triplet excitation energy of the adjacent layer is larger than the triplet excitation energy of the phosphorescent light emitting material, and the layer configuration is very limited. It has been found that when the same treatment is applied to the layer structure that deviates, the luminous efficiency is remarkably lowered and the lifetime is deteriorated.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-2603

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, The objective is to provide the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent element which made it possible to manufacture a long life organic electroluminescent element stably with a wet process.

  The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following constitution.

  1. In a method of manufacturing an organic electroluminescent element having at least an anode, a cathode, and a light emitting layer containing a phosphorescent material sandwiched between the anode and cathode on a substrate, a heating and drying step A and a heating are performed after the light emitting layer is applied. It has at least two steps of drying step B, and heat drying step A is a temperature higher than the glass transition point of the material having the lowest glass transition point among the materials contained in the light emitting layer, and heat drying step B is applied to the light emitting layer. An organic electroluminescence device characterized in that the temperature is lower than the glass transition point of the material having the lowest glass transition point among the contained materials, and the heat drying step A and the heat drying step B are continuously heat-treated. Manufacturing method.

  2. The heating temperature (Ta) in the heating and drying step A has the following relationship with respect to the glass transition point (Tg) of the material having the lowest glass transition point among the materials contained in the light emitting layer: 2. A method for producing an organic electroluminescent device according to 1.

Ta> Tg + 10 ° C.
3. The heating temperature (Tb) in the heating and drying step B has the following relationship with respect to the glass transition point (Tg) of the material having the lowest glass transition point among the materials contained in the light emitting layer: The manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent element of 1 or 2.

Tb <Tg-10 ° C
4). 4. The method for producing an organic electroluminescent element according to any one of 1 to 3, wherein the heating time in the heat drying step A is less than 10 minutes.

  According to the present invention, a long-life organic electroluminescence element can be stably manufactured by a wet process.

  The method for producing an organic EL device of the present invention includes a heat drying step comprising at least two steps after forming a light emitting layer comprising constituents described later by a coating method. That is, the heat drying step A is a step of heating at a temperature higher than the Tg of the material having the lowest glass transition point (Tg) among the materials contained in the light emitting layer, and the heat drying step B is a material contained in the light emitting layer. Among these, the heating is performed at a temperature lower than the Tg of the material having the lowest Tg, and the heat drying step A and the heat drying step B are continuously processed. By performing such two-stage baking, the drive voltage is lowered and the life is improved. As a factor for obtaining such an effect, heating at a temperature equal to or lower than Tg is performed while temporarily removing a solvent used during coating film formation by temporarily giving a temperature equal to or higher than Tg of the material contained in the light emitting layer. The combination is considered to prevent the formation of an undesired mixed state between layers during drying, but details are still unclear. These heat drying steps may be performed immediately after the light emitting layer is formed, or may be performed after another layer is laminated.

  In the present invention, the term “continuous treatment” means that the heated state is continued, and in the case of the heat drying step A—the coating step—the heat drying step B, what is continuously heated Not say. The heating and drying steps A and B may be in any order, but the heating drying step A-the heating drying step B is preferable.

  Although there is no particular limitation on the treatment time of the heat drying steps A and B, in the present invention, the time of the heat drying step A is preferably shorter, and particularly preferably less than 10 minutes. The method for heating the substrate is not limited, but the heating temperature here refers to the temperature of the surface of the heated substrate.

  Hereinafter, the details of each component of the organic electroluminescence device of the present invention (hereinafter also referred to as the organic EL device of the present invention) will be sequentially described.

<< Layer structure of organic EL element >>
Although the preferable specific example of the layer structure of the organic EL element of this invention is shown below, this invention is not limited to these.

(I) Anode / hole transport layer / intermediate layer / light emitting layer / electron transport layer / cathode (ii) Anode / hole transport layer / intermediate layer / light emitting layer / hole blocking layer / electron transport layer / cathode (iii) Anode / hole transport layer / intermediate layer / light emitting layer / hole blocking layer / electron transport layer / cathode buffer layer / cathode (iv) Anode / anode buffer layer / hole transport layer / intermediate layer / light emitting layer / hole blocking Layer / electron transport layer / cathode buffer layer / cathode << light emitting layer >>
The light emitting layer according to the present invention is a layer that emits light by recombination of electrons and holes injected from the electrode, the electron transport layer, or the hole transport layer, and the light emitting portion is in the layer of the light emitting layer. May be the interface between the light emitting layer and the adjacent layer.

  The thickness of the light emitting layer is not particularly limited, but from the viewpoint of the uniformity of the film to be formed, the application of unnecessary high voltage during light emission, and the improvement of the stability of the emission color with respect to the drive current. It is preferable to adjust to the range of 2 nm-200 nm, More preferably, it adjusts to the range of 5 nm or more and 100 nm or less.

  The light emitting layer of the organic electroluminescence device according to the present invention is formed by a wet process. Known wet process coating methods include die coating, spin coating, casting, ink jet, spraying, printing, etc., but it is easy to obtain a homogeneous film and it is difficult to generate pinholes. From the viewpoint, in the present invention, film formation by a coating method such as a die coating method, a spin coating method, an ink jet method, a spray method, or a printing method is preferable.

  Hereinafter, a light-emitting dopant (also referred to as a light-emitting dopant compound) and a host compound contained in the light-emitting layer will be described.

(Host compound (also called luminescent host))
The host compound used in the present invention will be described.

  Here, in the present invention, the host compound means a phosphorescent quantum yield of phosphorescence emission at a room temperature (25 ° C.) having a mass ratio of 20% or more in the compound contained in the light emitting layer. Is defined as a compound of less than 0.1. The phosphorescence quantum yield is preferably less than 0.01. Moreover, it is preferable that the mass ratio in the layer is 20% or more among the compounds contained in a light emitting layer.

  As the host compound, known host compounds may be used alone or in combination of two or more. By using a plurality of types of host compounds, it is possible to adjust the movement of charges, and the organic EL element can be made highly efficient. Moreover, it becomes possible to mix different light emission by using multiple types of light emission dopants mentioned later, and, thereby, arbitrary luminescent colors can be obtained.

  The light emitting host used in the present invention may be a conventionally known low molecular compound or a high molecular compound having a repeating unit, and a low molecular compound having a polymerizable group such as a vinyl group or an epoxy group (deposition polymerization property). Light emitting host).

  As a known host compound that may be used in combination, a compound that has a hole transporting ability and an electron transporting ability, prevents the emission of light from being increased in wavelength, and has a high Tg (glass transition temperature) is preferable.

  Specific examples of known host compounds include compounds described in the following documents.

  JP-A-2001-257076, 2002-308855, 2001-313179, 2002-319491, 2001-357777, 2002-334786, 2002-8860, 2002-334787, 2002-15871, 2002-334788, 2002-43056, 2002-334789, 2002-75645, 2002-338579, 2002-105445 gazette, 2002-343568 gazette, 2002-141173 gazette, 2002-352957 gazette, 2002-203683 gazette, 2002-363227 gazette, 2002-231453 gazette, No. 003-3165, No. 2002-234888, No. 2003-27048, No. 2002-255934, No. 2002-286061, No. 2002-280183, No. 2002-299060, No. 2002. -302516, 2002-305083, 2002-305084, 2002-308837, and the like.

(Luminescent dopant)
The light emitting dopant according to the present invention will be described.

  From the viewpoint of obtaining an organic EL element with higher luminous efficiency, the light emitting layer of the organic EL element of the present invention contains the above-mentioned host compound and simultaneously contains a phosphorescent dopant.

(Phosphorescent dopant)
The phosphorescent dopant according to the present invention will be described.

  The phosphorescent dopant according to the present invention is a compound in which light emission from an excited triplet is observed. Specifically, the phosphorescent dopant is a compound that emits phosphorescence at room temperature (25 ° C.) and has a phosphorescence quantum yield of 25. Although it is defined as a compound of 0.01 or more at ° C., a preferable phosphorescence quantum yield is 0.1 or more.

  The phosphorescence quantum yield can be measured by the method described in Spectroscopic II, page 398 (1992 edition, Maruzen) of Experimental Chemistry Course 4 of the 4th edition. Although the phosphorescence quantum yield in a solution can be measured using various solvents, the phosphorescence dopant according to the present invention achieves the phosphorescence quantum yield (0.01 or more) in any solvent. That's fine.

  There are two types of light emission of phosphorescent dopants in principle. One is the recombination of carriers on the host compound to which carriers are transported to generate an excited state of the host compound, and this energy is transferred to the phosphorescent dopant. The energy transfer type that obtains light emission from the phosphorescent dopant, and the other is that the phosphorescent dopant becomes a carrier trap, carrier recombination occurs on the phosphorescent dopant, and light emission from the phosphorescent dopant is obtained. Although it is a trap type, in any case, it is a condition that the excited state energy of the phosphorescent dopant is lower than the excited state energy of the host compound.

  The phosphorescent dopant can be appropriately selected from known materials used for the light emitting layer of the organic EL device.

  The phosphorescent dopant according to the present invention is preferably a complex compound containing a group 8-10 metal in the periodic table of elements, more preferably an iridium compound, an osmium compound, or a platinum compound (platinum complex compound). Rare earth complexes, most preferably iridium compounds.

  Although the specific example of the compound used as a phosphorescence dopant below is shown, this invention is not limited to these. These compounds are described, for example, in Inorg. Chem. 40, 1704-1711, and the like.

  Next, an injection layer, a blocking layer, an electron transport layer, and the like used as a constituent layer of the organic EL element of the present invention will be described.

<< Injection layer: electron injection layer, hole injection layer >>
The injection layer is provided as necessary, and there are an electron injection layer and a hole injection layer, and as described above, it exists between the anode and the light emitting layer or the hole transport layer, and between the cathode and the light emitting layer or the electron transport layer. May be.

  An injection layer is a layer provided between an electrode and an organic layer in order to reduce drive voltage and improve light emission luminance. “Organic EL element and its forefront of industrialization (issued by NTT Corporation on November 30, 1998) 2), Chapter 2, “Electrode Materials” (pages 123 to 166) in detail, and includes a hole injection layer (anode buffer layer) and an electron injection layer (cathode buffer layer).

  The details of the anode buffer layer (hole injection layer) are described in JP-A-9-45479, JP-A-9-260062, JP-A-8-288069 and the like. As a specific example, copper phthalocyanine is used. Examples thereof include a phthalocyanine buffer layer represented by an oxide, an oxide buffer layer represented by vanadium oxide, an amorphous carbon buffer layer, and a polymer buffer layer using a conductive polymer such as polyaniline (emeraldine) or polythiophene.

  The details of the anode buffer layer (hole injection layer) are described in JP-A-9-45479, JP-A-9-260062, JP-A-8-288069 and the like. As a specific example, copper phthalocyanine is used. Examples thereof include a phthalocyanine buffer layer represented by an oxide, an oxide buffer layer represented by vanadium oxide, an amorphous carbon buffer layer, and a polymer buffer layer using a conductive polymer such as polyaniline (emeraldine) or polythiophene.

  Further, ferrocene compounds described in JP-A-6-025658, starburst type compounds described in JP-A-10-233287, etc., JP-A 2000-068058, JP-A 2004-6321 Triarylamine type compounds, sulfur-containing ring-containing compounds described in JP-A No. 2002-117879, hexaazatriphenylene described in US 2002/0158242, US 2006/0251922, JP-A 2006-49393, etc. A compound etc. are also mentioned as a positive hole injection layer.

  The details of the cathode buffer layer (electron injection layer) are described in JP-A-6-325871, JP-A-9-17574, JP-A-10-74586, and the like. Specifically, strontium, aluminum, etc. Metal buffer layer typified by lithium, alkali metal compound buffer layer typified by lithium fluoride, alkaline earth metal compound buffer layer typified by magnesium fluoride, oxide buffer layer typified by aluminum oxide, etc. . The buffer layer (injection layer) is preferably a very thin film, and the film thickness is preferably in the range of 0.1 nm to 5 μm although it depends on the material.

<Blocking layer: hole blocking layer, electron blocking layer>
The blocking layer is provided as necessary in addition to the basic constituent layer of the organic compound thin film as described above. For example, it is described in JP-A Nos. 11-204258, 11-204359, and “Organic EL elements and their forefront of industrialization” (issued by NTT, Inc. on November 30, 1998). There is a hole blocking (hole blocking) layer.

  The hole blocking layer has a function of an electron transport layer in a broad sense, and is made of a hole blocking material that has a function of transporting electrons and has a remarkably small ability to transport holes. The probability of recombination of electrons and holes can be improved by blocking. Moreover, the structure of the electron carrying layer mentioned later can be used as a hole-blocking layer concerning this invention as needed.

  The hole blocking layer of the organic EL device of the present invention is preferably provided adjacent to the light emitting layer.

  The hole blocking layer preferably contains the azacarbazole derivative mentioned as the host compound.

  In the present invention, when a plurality of light emitting layers having different light emission colors are provided, the light emitting layer having the shortest wavelength of light emission is preferably closest to the anode among all the light emitting layers. In this case, it is preferable to additionally provide a hole blocking layer between the shortest wave layer and the light emitting layer next to the anode next to the anode. Furthermore, it is preferable that 50% by mass or more of the compound contained in the hole blocking layer provided at the position has an ionization potential of 0.3 eV or more larger than the host compound of the shortest wave emitting layer.

  The ionization potential is defined by the energy required to emit an electron at the HOMO (highest occupied molecular orbital) level of the compound to the vacuum level, and can be obtained by the following method, for example.

  (1) Using Gaussian 98 (Gaussian 98, Revision A.11.4, MJ Frisch, et al, Gaussian, Inc., Pittsburgh PA, 2002.), a molecular orbital calculation software manufactured by Gaussian, USA The ionization potential can be obtained as a value obtained by rounding off the second decimal place of the value (eV unit converted value) calculated by performing structural optimization using B3LYP / 6-31G *. This calculation value is effective because the correlation between the calculation value obtained by this method and the experimental value is high.

  (2) The ionization potential can also be obtained by a method of directly measuring by photoelectron spectroscopy. For example, a method known as ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy can be suitably used by using a low energy electron spectrometer “Model AC-1” manufactured by Riken Keiki Co., Ltd.

  On the other hand, the electron blocking layer has a function of a hole transport layer in a broad sense, and is made of a material that has a function of transporting holes and has an extremely small ability to transport electrons, and transports electrons while transporting holes. By blocking, the recombination probability of electrons and holes can be improved. Moreover, the structure of the positive hole transport layer mentioned later can be used as an electron blocking layer as needed. The film thickness of the hole blocking layer and the electron transport layer according to the present invention is preferably 3 nm to 100 nm, and more preferably 5 nm to 30 nm.

《Hole transport layer》
The hole transport layer is made of a hole transport material having a function of transporting holes, and in a broad sense, a hole injection layer and an electron blocking layer are also included in the hole transport layer. The hole transport layer can be provided as a single layer or a plurality of layers.

  The hole transport material has any one of hole injection or transport and electron barrier properties, and may be either organic or inorganic. For example, triazole derivatives, oxadiazole derivatives, imidazole derivatives, polyarylalkane derivatives, pyrazoline derivatives and pyrazolone derivatives, phenylenediamine derivatives, arylamine derivatives, amino-substituted chalcone derivatives, oxazole derivatives, styrylanthracene derivatives, fluorenone derivatives, hydrazone derivatives, Examples thereof include stilbene derivatives, silazane derivatives, aniline copolymers, and conductive polymer oligomers, particularly thiophene oligomers.

  The above-mentioned materials can be used as the hole transport material, but it is preferable to use a porphyrin compound, an aromatic tertiary amine compound and a styrylamine compound, particularly an aromatic tertiary amine compound.

  Representative examples of aromatic tertiary amine compounds and styrylamine compounds include N, N, N ', N'-tetraphenyl-4,4'-diaminophenyl; N, N'-diphenyl-N, N'- Bis (3-methylphenyl)-[1,1′-biphenyl] -4,4′-diamine (TPD); 2,2-bis (4-di-p-tolylaminophenyl) propane; 1,1-bis (4-di-p-tolylaminophenyl) cyclohexane; N, N, N ′, N′-tetra-p-tolyl-4,4′-diaminobiphenyl; 1,1-bis (4-di-p-tolyl) Aminophenyl) -4-phenylcyclohexane; bis (4-dimethylamino-2-methylphenyl) phenylmethane; bis (4-di-p-tolylaminophenyl) phenylmethane; N, N'-diphenyl-N, N ' − (4-methoxyphenyl) -4,4'-diaminobiphenyl; N, N, N ', N'-tetraphenyl-4,4'-diaminodiphenyl ether; 4,4'-bis (diphenylamino) quadriphenyl; N, N, N-tri (p-tolyl) amine; 4- (di-p-tolylamino) -4 '-[4- (di-p-tolylamino) styryl] stilbene; 4-N, N-diphenylamino- (2-diphenylvinyl) benzene; 3-methoxy-4′-N, N-diphenylaminostilbenzene; N-phenylcarbazole, and also two of those described in US Pat. No. 5,061,569. Having a condensed aromatic ring in the molecule, for example, 4,4'-bis [N- (1-naphthyl) -N-phenylamino] biphenyl (NPD), JP-A-4-3086 4,4 ', 4 "-tris [N- (3-methylphenyl) -N-phenylamino] triphenylamine in which three triphenylamine units described in Japanese Patent No. 8 are linked in a starburst type ( MTDATA) and the like.

  Furthermore, a polymer material in which these materials are introduced into a polymer chain or these materials are used as a polymer main chain can also be used. In addition, inorganic compounds such as p-type-Si and p-type-SiC can also be used as the hole injection material and the hole transport material.

  JP-A-11-251067, J. Org. Huang et. al. A so-called p-type hole transport material as described in a book (Applied Physics Letters 80 (2002), p. 139) can also be used. In the present invention, these materials are preferably used because a light-emitting element with higher efficiency can be obtained.

  The hole transport layer is formed by thinning the hole transport material by a known method such as a vacuum deposition method, a die coating method, a spin coating method, a casting method, a printing method including an ink jet method, or an LB method. can do. Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular about the film thickness of a positive hole transport layer, Usually, 5 nm-about 5 micrometers, Preferably it is 5 nm-200 nm. The hole transport layer may have a single layer structure composed of one or more of the above materials.

  Alternatively, a hole transport layer having a high p property doped with impurities can be used. Examples thereof include JP-A-4-297076, JP-A-2000-196140, 2001-102175, J. Pat. Appl. Phys. 95, 5773 (2004), and the like.

《Electron transport layer》
The electron transport layer is made of a material having a function of transporting electrons, and in a broad sense, an electron injection layer and a hole blocking layer are also included in the electron transport layer. The electron transport layer can be provided as a single layer or a plurality of layers.

  Conventionally, in the case of a single electron transport layer and a plurality of layers, an electron transport material (also serving as a hole blocking material) used for an electron transport layer adjacent to the light emitting layer on the cathode side is injected from the cathode. As long as it has a function of transferring electrons to the light-emitting layer, any material can be selected and used from among conventionally known compounds. For example, nitro-substituted fluorene derivatives, diphenylquinone derivatives Thiopyrandioxide derivatives, carbodiimides, fluorenylidenemethane derivatives, anthraquinodimethane and anthrone derivatives, oxadiazole derivatives and the like. Furthermore, in the above oxadiazole derivative, a thiadiazole derivative in which the oxygen atom of the oxadiazole ring is substituted with a sulfur atom, and a quinoxaline derivative having a quinoxaline ring known as an electron withdrawing group can also be used as an electron transport material. Furthermore, a polymer material in which these materials are introduced into a polymer chain or these materials are used as a polymer main chain can also be used.

  Also, metal complexes of 8-quinolinol derivatives such as tris (8-quinolinol) aluminum (Alq), tris (5,7-dichloro-8-quinolinol) aluminum, tris (5,7-dibromo-8-quinolinol) aluminum, Tris (2-methyl-8-quinolinol) aluminum, tris (5-methyl-8-quinolinol) aluminum, bis (8-quinolinol) zinc (Znq), etc., and the central metals of these metal complexes are In, Mg, Cu , Ca, Sn, Ga, or Pb can also be used as an electron transport material. In addition, metal-free or metal phthalocyanine, or those having terminal ends substituted with an alkyl group or a sulfonic acid group can be preferably used as the electron transporting material. In addition, the distyrylpyrazine derivative exemplified as the material of the light emitting layer can also be used as an electron transport material, and an inorganic semiconductor such as n-type-Si, n-type-SiC, etc. as in the case of the hole injection layer and the hole transport layer Can also be used as an electron transporting material.

  The electron transport layer is formed by thinning the electron transport material by a known method such as a vacuum deposition method, a die coating method, a spin coating method, a casting method, a printing method including an ink jet method, or an LB method. Can do. Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular about the film thickness of an electron carrying layer, Usually, 5 nm-about 5 micrometers, Preferably it is 5 nm-200 nm. The electron transport layer may have a single layer structure composed of one or more of the above materials.

  In the inventions according to claims 7 and 8, an electron transport layer having a high n property doped with impurities is used. Examples thereof include JP-A-4-297076, JP-A-10-270172, JP-A-2000-196140, 2001-102175, J.A. Appl. Phys. 95, 5773 (2004), and the like.

  In the present invention, it is preferable to use an electron transport layer having such a high n property because an element with lower power consumption can be manufactured.

"anode"
As the anode in the organic EL element, an electrode material made of a metal, an alloy, an electrically conductive compound, or a mixture thereof having a high work function (4 eV or more) is preferably used. Specific examples of such electrode materials include metals such as Au, and conductive transparent materials such as CuI, indium tin oxide (ITO), SnO ₂ , and ZnO. Alternatively, an amorphous material such as IDIXO (In ₂ O ₃ —ZnO) capable of forming a transparent conductive film may be used.

  For the anode, these electrode materials may be formed into a thin film by a method such as vapor deposition or sputtering, and a pattern having a desired shape may be formed by a photolithography method, or when pattern accuracy is not so high (about 100 μm or more) A pattern may be formed through a mask having a desired shape at the time of vapor deposition or sputtering of the electrode material. Or when using the substance which can be apply | coated like an organic electroconductivity compound, wet film-forming methods, such as a printing system and a coating system, can also be used.

  When light emission is extracted from the anode, it is desirable that the transmittance be greater than 10%, and the sheet resistance as the anode is preferably several hundred Ω / □ or less. Further, although the film thickness depends on the material, it is usually selected in the range of 10 to 1000 nm, preferably 10 to 200 nm.

"cathode"
On the other hand, as the cathode, a material having a low work function (4 eV or less) metal (referred to as an electron injecting metal), an alloy, an electrically conductive compound, and a mixture thereof as an electrode material is used. Specific examples of such electrode materials include sodium, sodium-potassium alloy, magnesium, lithium, magnesium / copper mixture, magnesium / silver mixture, magnesium / aluminum mixture, magnesium / indium mixture, aluminum / aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃₎ mixture, indium, a lithium / aluminum mixture, and rare earth metals.

Among these, from the point of durability against electron injection and oxidation, etc., a mixture of an electron injecting metal and a second metal which is a stable metal having a larger work function than this, for example, a magnesium / silver mixture, Magnesium / aluminum mixtures, magnesium / indium mixtures, aluminum / aluminum oxide (Al ₂ O ₃ ) mixtures, lithium / aluminum mixtures, aluminum and the like are preferred.

  The cathode can be produced by forming a thin film of these electrode materials by a method such as vapor deposition or sputtering. The sheet resistance as the cathode is preferably several hundred Ω / □ or less, and the film thickness is usually selected in the range of 10 nm to 5 μm, preferably 50 to 200 nm. In order to transmit the emitted light, if either one of the anode or the cathode of the organic EL element is transparent or translucent, the light emission luminance is improved, which is convenient.

  Moreover, after producing the said metal with a film thickness of 1-20 nm on a cathode, a transparent or semi-transparent cathode can be produced by producing the electroconductive transparent material quoted by description of the anode on it, By applying this, an element in which both the anode and the cathode are transmissive can be manufactured.

《Support substrate》
As a support substrate (hereinafter also referred to as a substrate, substrate, substrate, support, etc.) that can be used in the organic EL device of the present invention, there is no particular limitation on the type of glass, plastic, etc., and it is transparent. May be opaque. When extracting light from the support substrate side, the support substrate is preferably transparent. Examples of the transparent support substrate preferably used include glass, quartz, and a transparent resin film. A particularly preferable support substrate is a resin film capable of giving flexibility to the organic EL element.

  Examples of the resin film include polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethylene, polypropylene, cellophane, cellulose diacetate, cellulose triacetate, cellulose acetate butyrate, cellulose acetate propionate (CAP), Cellulose esters such as cellulose acetate phthalate (TAC) and cellulose nitrate or derivatives thereof, polyvinylidene chloride, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene vinyl alcohol, syndiotactic polystyrene, polycarbonate, norbornene resin, polymethylpentene, polyether ketone, polyimide , Polyethersulfone (PES), polyphenylene sulfide, polysulfones Polyetherimide, polyether ketone imide, polyamide, fluorine resin, nylon, polymethyl methacrylate, acrylic or polyarylates, and cycloolefin resins such as ARTON (manufactured by JSR) or APEL (manufactured by Mitsui Chemicals).

An inorganic or organic film or a hybrid film of both may be formed on the surface of the resin film, and a barrier film having a water vapor permeability of 0.01 g / m ² / day · atm or less is preferable. Furthermore, a high barrier film having an oxygen permeability of 10 ⁻³ g / m ² / day or less and a water vapor permeability of 10 ⁻⁵ g / m ² / day or less is preferable.

  As a material for forming the barrier film, any material may be used as long as it has a function of suppressing entry of elements that cause deterioration of elements such as moisture and oxygen. For example, silicon oxide, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, or the like can be used. Further, in order to improve the brittleness of the film, it is more preferable to have a laminated structure of these inorganic layers and organic material layers. Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular about the lamination | stacking order of an inorganic layer and an organic layer, It is preferable to laminate | stack both alternately several times.

  The method for forming the barrier film is not particularly limited. For example, the vacuum deposition method, sputtering method, reactive sputtering method, molecular beam epitaxy method, cluster ion beam method, ion plating method, plasma polymerization method, atmospheric pressure plasma weight A combination method, a plasma CVD method, a laser CVD method, a thermal CVD method, a coating method, and the like can be used, but an atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization method as described in JP-A-2004-68143 is particularly preferable.

  Examples of the opaque support substrate include metal plates such as aluminum and stainless steel, films, opaque resin substrates, and ceramic substrates.

  The external extraction quantum efficiency at room temperature of light emission of the organic EL device of the present invention is preferably 1% or more, more preferably 5% or more. Here, the external extraction quantum efficiency (%) = the number of photons emitted to the outside of the organic EL element / the number of electrons sent to the organic EL element × 100.

  In addition, a hue improvement filter such as a color filter may be used in combination, or a color conversion filter that converts the emission color from the organic EL element into multiple colors using a phosphor. In the case of using a color conversion filter, the λmax of light emission of the organic EL element is preferably 480 nm or less.

<Sealing>
As a sealing means used for this invention, the method of adhere | attaching a sealing member, an electrode, and a support substrate with an adhesive agent can be mentioned, for example.

  As a sealing member, it should just be arrange | positioned so that the display area | region of an organic EL element may be covered, and concave plate shape or flat plate shape may be sufficient. Further, transparency and electrical insulation are not particularly limited.

  Specific examples include a glass plate, a polymer plate / film, and a metal plate / film. Examples of the glass plate include soda-lime glass, barium / strontium-containing glass, lead glass, aluminosilicate glass, borosilicate glass, barium borosilicate glass, and quartz. Examples of the polymer plate include polycarbonate, acrylic, polyethylene terephthalate, polyether sulfide, and polysulfone. Examples of the metal plate include those made of one or more metals or alloys selected from the group consisting of stainless steel, iron, copper, aluminum, magnesium, nickel, zinc, chromium, titanium, molybdenum, silicon, germanium, and tantalum.

  In the present invention, a polymer film and a metal film can be preferably used because the element can be thinned.

Furthermore, the polymer film oxygen permeability measured by the method based on JIS K 7126-1987 is ^{1 × 10 -3 ml / m 2} / 24h or less, as measured by the method based on JIS K 7129-1992, water vapor permeability (25 ± 0.5 ° C., relative humidity (90 ± 2)% RH) is preferably that of ^{1 × 10 -3 g / (m} 2 / 24h) or less.

  For processing the sealing member into a concave shape, sandblasting, chemical etching, or the like is used.

  Specific examples of the adhesive include photocuring and thermosetting adhesives having reactive vinyl groups such as acrylic acid oligomers and methacrylic acid oligomers, and moisture curing adhesives such as 2-cyanoacrylates. be able to. Moreover, heat | fever and chemical curing types (two-component mixing), such as an epoxy type, can be mentioned. Moreover, hot-melt type polyamide, polyester, and polyolefin can be mentioned. Moreover, a cationic curing type ultraviolet curing epoxy resin adhesive can be mentioned.

  In addition, since an organic EL element may deteriorate by heat processing, what can be adhesive-hardened from room temperature to 80 degreeC is preferable. A desiccant may be dispersed in the adhesive. Application | coating of the adhesive agent to a sealing part may use commercially available dispenser, and may print like screen printing.

  In addition, it is also preferable that the electrode and the organic layer are coated on the outside of the electrode facing the support substrate with the organic layer interposed therebetween, and an inorganic or organic layer is formed in contact with the support substrate to form a sealing film. . In this case, the material for forming the film may be any material that has a function of suppressing intrusion of elements that cause deterioration of elements such as moisture and oxygen. For example, silicon oxide, silicon dioxide, silicon nitride, or the like may be used. it can.

  Further, in order to improve the brittleness of the film, it is preferable to have a laminated structure of these inorganic layers and layers made of organic materials. The method for forming these films is not particularly limited. For example, vacuum deposition, sputtering, reactive sputtering, molecular beam epitaxy, cluster ion beam method, ion plating method, plasma polymerization method, atmospheric pressure A plasma polymerization method, a plasma CVD method, a laser CVD method, a thermal CVD method, a coating method, or the like can be used.

  In the gap between the sealing member and the display area of the organic EL element, an inert gas such as nitrogen or argon, or an inert liquid such as fluorinated hydrocarbon or silicon oil can be injected in the gas phase and liquid phase. preferable. A vacuum can also be used. Moreover, a hygroscopic compound can also be enclosed inside.

  Examples of the hygroscopic compound include metal oxides (for example, sodium oxide, potassium oxide, calcium oxide, barium oxide, magnesium oxide, aluminum oxide) and sulfates (for example, sodium sulfate, calcium sulfate, magnesium sulfate, cobalt sulfate). Etc.), metal halides (eg calcium chloride, magnesium chloride, cesium fluoride, tantalum fluoride, cerium bromide, magnesium bromide, barium iodide, magnesium iodide etc.), perchloric acids (eg perchloric acid) Barium, magnesium perchlorate, and the like), and anhydrous salts are preferably used in sulfates, metal halides, and perchloric acids.

《Protective film, protective plate》
In order to increase the mechanical strength of the element, a protective film or a protective plate may be provided on the outer side of the sealing film on the side facing the support substrate with the organic layer interposed therebetween or on the sealing film. In particular, when the sealing is performed by the sealing film, the mechanical strength is not necessarily high, and thus it is preferable to provide such a protective film and a protective plate. As a material that can be used for this, the same glass plate, polymer plate / film, metal plate / film, etc. used for the sealing can be used. It is preferable to use a film.

《Light extraction》
The organic EL element emits light inside a layer having a refractive index higher than that of air (refractive index is about 1.7 to 2.1) and can extract only about 15% to 20% of the light generated in the light emitting layer. It is generally said. This is because light incident on the interface (interface between the transparent substrate and air) at an angle θ greater than the critical angle causes total reflection and cannot be taken out of the device, or between the transparent electrode or light emitting layer and the transparent substrate. This is because the light is totally reflected between the light and the light is guided through the transparent electrode or the light emitting layer, and as a result, the light escapes in the direction of the element side surface.

  As a method of improving the light extraction efficiency, for example, a method of forming irregularities on the surface of the transparent substrate and preventing total reflection at the transparent substrate and the air interface (US Pat. No. 4,774,435), A method of improving efficiency by providing a light collecting property to a substrate (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 63-314795), a method of forming a reflective surface on a side surface of an element (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-220394), and light emission from a substrate A method of forming an antireflection film by introducing a flat layer having an intermediate refractive index between the bodies (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-172691), a flat having a lower refractive index between the substrate and the light emitter than the substrate A method of introducing a layer (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-202827), a method of forming a diffraction grating between any one of a substrate, a transparent electrode layer and a light emitting layer (including between the substrate and the outside) (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-283951) Gazette).

  In the present invention, these methods can be used in combination with the organic EL device of the present invention. However, a method of introducing a flat layer having a lower refractive index than the substrate between the substrate and the light emitter, or a substrate, transparent A method of forming a diffraction grating between any layers of the electrode layer and the light emitting layer (including between the substrate and the outside) can be suitably used.

  In the present invention, by combining these means, it is possible to obtain an element having higher luminance or durability.

  When a medium having a low refractive index is formed between the transparent electrode and the transparent substrate with a thickness longer than the wavelength of light, the light extracted from the transparent electrode has a higher extraction efficiency to the outside as the refractive index of the medium is lower.

  Examples of the low refractive index layer include aerogel, porous silica, magnesium fluoride, and a fluorine-based polymer. Since the refractive index of the transparent substrate is generally about 1.5 to 1.7, the low refractive index layer preferably has a refractive index of about 1.5 or less. Further, it is preferably 1.35 or less.

  The thickness of the low refractive index medium is preferably at least twice the wavelength in the medium. This is because the effect of the low refractive index layer is diminished when the thickness of the low refractive index medium is about the wavelength of light and the electromagnetic wave that has exuded by evanescent enters the substrate.

  The method of introducing a diffraction grating into an interface or any medium that causes total reflection is characterized by a high effect of improving light extraction efficiency. This method uses the property that the diffraction grating can change the direction of light to a specific direction different from refraction by so-called Bragg diffraction such as first-order diffraction and second-order diffraction. Light that cannot be emitted due to total internal reflection between layers is diffracted by introducing a diffraction grating in any layer or medium (in a transparent substrate or transparent electrode), and the light is removed. I want to take it out.

  The introduced diffraction grating desirably has a two-dimensional periodic refractive index. This is because light emitted from the light-emitting layer is randomly generated in all directions, so in a general one-dimensional diffraction grating having a periodic refractive index distribution only in a certain direction, only light traveling in a specific direction is diffracted. Therefore, the light extraction efficiency does not increase so much. However, by making the refractive index distribution a two-dimensional distribution, light traveling in all directions is diffracted, and light extraction efficiency is increased.

  As described above, the position where the diffraction grating is introduced may be in any of the layers or in the medium (in the transparent substrate or in the transparent electrode), but is preferably in the vicinity of the organic light emitting layer where light is generated.

  At this time, the period of the diffraction grating is preferably about 1/2 to 3 times the wavelength of light in the medium.

  The arrangement of the diffraction grating is preferably two-dimensionally repeated, such as a square lattice, a triangular lattice, or a honeycomb lattice.

<Condenser sheet>
The organic EL device of the present invention is processed on the light extraction side of the substrate so as to provide, for example, a microlens array structure, or combined with a so-called condensing sheet, for example, with respect to a specific direction, for example, the light emitting surface By condensing in the front direction, the luminance in a specific direction can be increased.

  As an example of the microlens array, quadrangular pyramids having a side of 30 μm and an apex angle of 90 degrees are two-dimensionally arranged on the light extraction side of the substrate. One side is preferably 10 to 100 μm. If it becomes smaller than this, the effect of diffraction will generate | occur | produce and color, and if too large, thickness will become thick and is not preferable.

  As the condensing sheet, for example, a sheet that is put into practical use in an LED backlight of a liquid crystal display device can be used. As such a sheet, for example, Sumitomo 3M brightness enhancement film (BEF) can be used. As the shape of the prism sheet, for example, the base material may be formed by forming a △ -shaped stripe having a vertex angle of 90 degrees and a pitch of 50 μm, or the vertex angle is rounded and the pitch is changed randomly. Other shapes may be used.

  Moreover, in order to control the light emission angle from a light emitting element, you may use together a light diffusing plate and a film with a condensing sheet. For example, a diffusion film (light-up) manufactured by Kimoto Co., Ltd. can be used.

<< Method for producing organic EL element >>
As an example of the method for producing the organic EL device of the present invention, a method for producing an organic EL device comprising an anode / hole injection layer / hole transport layer / light emitting layer / electron transport layer / electron injection layer / cathode will be described.

  First, a desired electrode material, for example, a thin film made of a material for an anode is formed on a suitable substrate by a method such as vapor deposition or sputtering so as to have a film thickness of 1 μm or less, preferably 10 to 200 nm. .

  Next, an organic compound thin film of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and a hole blocking layer, which are organic EL element materials, is formed thereon.

  As described above, the light emitting layer of the organic EL device of the present invention is formed by a wet process. As a method for forming an organic layer other than the light emitting layer, there are a vapor deposition method, a wet process (spin coating method, casting method, ink jet method, spray method, printing method), etc., but a homogeneous film can be easily obtained and a pinhole is used. In the present invention, a part or all of the organic layer is preferably formed by a coating method such as a spin coating method, an ink jet method, a spray method, or a printing method.

  Examples of the liquid medium for dissolving or dispersing the organic EL material according to the present invention include ketones such as methyl ethyl ketone and cyclohexanone, fatty acid esters such as ethyl acetate, halogenated hydrocarbons such as dichlorobenzene, toluene, xylene, and mesitylene. Aromatic hydrocarbons such as cyclohexylbenzene, aliphatic hydrocarbons such as cyclohexane, decalin, and dodecane, and organic solvents such as DMF and DMSO can be used. Moreover, as a dispersion method, it can disperse | distribute by dispersion methods, such as an ultrasonic wave, high shear force dispersion | distribution, and media dispersion | distribution.

  The method for producing an organic EL device of the present invention is characterized in that after the light emitting layer is formed by at least a coating method, the above-described heating and drying steps A and B are continuously performed. May be applied immediately after the light emitting layer is formed, or may be applied after the other layers described above are laminated. It is preferable to perform the heat drying steps A and B of the present invention at any layer forming step of the organic layer forming step preferably formed by a coating method.

  After these layers are formed, a thin film made of a cathode material is formed thereon by a method such as vapor deposition or sputtering so as to have a film thickness of 1 μm or less, preferably 50 to 200 nm, and a cathode is provided. Thus, a desired organic EL element can be obtained.

  In addition, it is also possible to reverse the production order and produce the cathode, the electron injection layer, the electron transport layer, the light emitting layer, the hole transport layer, the hole injection layer, and the anode in this order. When a DC voltage is applied to the multicolor display device thus obtained, light emission can be observed by applying a voltage of about 2 to 40 V with the positive polarity of the anode and the negative polarity of the cathode. An alternating voltage may be applied. The alternating current waveform to be applied may be arbitrary.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In addition, although the display of "part" or "%" is used in an Example, unless otherwise indicated, "part by mass" or "mass%" is represented.

Example 1
<< Production of organic EL element >>
[Production of Organic EL Element 101 (Comparison)]
After patterning a substrate (NH technoglass NA45) formed by depositing 100 nm of ITO (indium tin oxide) on a 100 mm × 100 mm × 1.1 mm glass substrate as an anode, a substrate provided with this ITO transparent electrode was formed. Ultrasonic cleaning with isopropyl alcohol, drying with dry nitrogen gas, and UV ozone cleaning were performed for 5 minutes. A solution obtained by diluting poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) -polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT / PSS, Bayer, Baytron P Al 4083) to 70% with pure water on this substrate was spin-coated at 3000 rpm for 30 seconds. After film formation by the method, the substrate was dried at a substrate surface temperature of 200 ° C. for 1 hour to provide a hole injection layer having a thickness of 30 nm.

  This substrate was transferred to a glove box under a nitrogen atmosphere in accordance with JIS B 9920, the measured cleanliness was class 100, the dew point temperature was −80 ° C. or lower, and the oxygen concentration was 0.8 ppm. A coating solution for a hole transport layer was prepared as follows in a glove box, and applied with a spin coater under conditions of 1500 rpm and 30 seconds. This substrate was dried by heating at a substrate surface temperature of 150 ° C. for 30 minutes to provide a hole transport layer. The film thickness was 20 nm when it apply | coated and measured on the conditions with the board | substrate prepared separately.

(Coating liquid for hole transport layer)
Monochlorobenzene 100g
Poly- (N, N′-bis (4-butylphenyl) -N, N′-bis (phenyl) benzidine) (ADS254BE: manufactured by American Die Source) 0.5 g
Subsequently, the light emitting layer coating liquid was prepared as follows, and it apply | coated on 2000 rpm and the conditions for 30 seconds with the spin coater. Further, the substrate was heated and dried at 120 ° C. for 30 minutes to provide a light emitting layer. When the coating was performed under the same conditions on a separately prepared substrate and measured, the film thickness was 40 nm. In addition, among the following light emitting layer composition, it was HA which showed the lowest Tg, and it was 132 degreeC.

(Light emitting layer coating solution)
Butyl acetate 100g
HA 1g
D-28 0.11g
Ir-1 0.002g
Ir-14 0.002g
Subsequently, the coating liquid for electron carrying layers was prepared as follows, and it apply | coated on the conditions of 1500 rpm and 30 seconds with a spin coater. Further, the substrate was heated and dried at 120 ° C. for 30 minutes to provide an electron transport layer. The film thickness was 30 nm when it apply | coated and measured on the conditions with the board | substrate prepared separately.

(Coating liquid for electron transport layer)
2,2,3,3-tetrafluoro-1-propanol 100 g
ET-A 0.75g
Next, the substrate provided up to the electron transport layer was moved to a vapor deposition machine without being exposed to the atmosphere, and the pressure was reduced to 4 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa. Note that potassium fluoride and aluminum were each placed in a tantalum resistance heating boat and attached to a vapor deposition machine.

  First, a resistance heating boat containing potassium fluoride was energized and heated to provide 3 nm of an electron injection layer made of potassium fluoride on the substrate. Subsequently, a resistance heating boat containing aluminum was energized and heated, and a cathode having a film thickness of 100 nm made of aluminum was provided at a deposition rate of 1 to 2 nm / second.

  The substrate provided up to the cathode is moved to a glove box with a cleanness measured in accordance with JIS B9920 of class 100, a dew point temperature of −80 ° C. or lower, and an oxygen concentration of 0.8 ppm without being exposed to the atmosphere. The organic EL element 101 was obtained by sealing with a glass sealing can attached with barium oxide as a water-absorbing agent. In addition, barium oxide which is a water-absorbing agent is a high-purity barium oxide powder manufactured by Aldrich, and is attached to a glass sealing can with a fluorine-based semipermeable membrane (Microtex S-NTF8031Q made by Nitto Denko) with an adhesive. Were prepared and used in advance. An ultraviolet curable adhesive was used for bonding the sealing can and the organic EL element, and both were bonded to each other by irradiating ultraviolet rays to produce a sealing element.

[Production of Organic EL Elements 102 to 112 and 201 to 203]
In the production of the organic EL element 101, organic EL elements 102 to 112 were produced in the same manner except that the heating and drying conditions after application of the light emitting layer or after application of the electron transport layer were changed as shown in Tables 1 and 2. Similarly, the light emitting layer configuration was changed as shown in Tables 1 and 2, and organic EL elements 201 to 203 were produced.

<< Evaluation of organic EL elements >>
[Luminance-Voltage characteristics]
With respect to the produced organic EL element, the luminance was measured while changing the applied voltage, and the voltage value when light emission with a front luminance of 1000 cd / m ² was obtained was obtained by interpolation. A spectral radiance meter CS-1000 (manufactured by Konica Minolta Sensing) was used for the measurement. The obtained results are shown in Tables 1 and 2 as relative values when the measured value of the organic EL element 101 is 100. It should be noted that a smaller value of the relative voltage value indicates a preferable result because the driving voltage is lower.

[Luminescence life]
The produced organic EL element was continuously driven by applying a current that would give a front luminance of 1000 cd / m ² . The time taken for the front luminance to reach the initial half value (500 cd / m ² ) was determined, and the relative values with the measured value of the organic EL element 101 as 100 were shown in Tables 1 and 2. Note that a larger value of the light emission lifetime indicates a longer result of the light emission lifetime, which is a preferable result.

  As is clear from Tables 1 and 2, it can be seen that the organic EL element obtained by the organic EL element manufacturing method of the present invention can be driven at a low voltage and has an improved life.

Claims (4)

  In a method of manufacturing an organic electroluminescent element having at least an anode, a cathode, and a light emitting layer containing a phosphorescent material sandwiched between the anode and cathode on a substrate, a heating and drying step A and a heating are performed after the light emitting layer is applied. It has at least two steps of drying step B, and heat drying step A is a temperature higher than the glass transition point of the material having the lowest glass transition point among the materials contained in the light emitting layer, and heat drying step B is applied to the light emitting layer. An organic electroluminescence device characterized in that the temperature is lower than the glass transition point of the material having the lowest glass transition point among the contained materials, and the heat drying step A and the heat drying step B are continuously heat-treated. Manufacturing method. The heating temperature (Ta) in the heat drying step A has the following relationship with respect to the glass transition point (Tg) of the material having the lowest glass transition point among the materials contained in the light emitting layer. Item 2. A method for producing an organic electroluminescent element according to Item 1.
Ta> Tg + 10 ° C. The heating temperature (Tb) in the heat drying step B has the following relationship with respect to the glass transition point (Tg) of the material having the lowest glass transition point among the materials contained in the light emitting layer. Item 3. A method for producing an organic electroluminescent element according to Item 1 or 2.
Tb <Tg-10 ° C   The method for producing an organic electroluminescent element according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the heating time in the heat drying step A is less than 10 minutes.