JP2011034682A - Organic el display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve reliability of an organic EL display device which prevents current leakage between electrodes on an upper surface side of the organic EL layer, and uses a sealing plate formed of conductive material. <P>SOLUTION: The organic EL display device includes; a display part, in which a plurality of organic EL elements, each formed by laminating a translucent lower electrode, organic EL layer, and upper electrode on a support substrate in this order, are arrayed two-dimensionally on the support substrate so as to structure a pixel; and the sealing plate formed of the conductive material and covering the display part. The organic EL display device also includes an insulating protection film for covering the upper electrode. The insulating protection film is formed of material having a lower glass-transition point than a temperature at which the organic EL element is damaged from heat. After the insulating protection film is formed on the upper electrode, it is heated to a temperature higher than the glass-transition point to be fluidized to cover and wrap up the upper electrode. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic EL display device, and in particular, in an organic EL display device including a sealing plate made of a conductive material such as a metal plate, a device that prevents current leakage between electrodes due to conductive foreign matter. Concerning structure.

  Organic electro-luminescence (hereinafter referred to as “Organic EL”) display devices that utilize the luminescence phenomenon of organic matter have higher image quality than liquid crystal displays and plasma displays, and can be made thinner and have higher brightness.・ In recent years, it has been developed as a next-generation display device because it has excellent features such as high definition and low power consumption, and is being commercialized as a display for various electronic devices such as televisions, car navigation systems, and portable terminals. is there.

  In such an organic EL display device, a light-emitting element (organic EL element) is formed by laminating an organic substance as a light emitter and both positive and negative electrodes sandwiching the organic substance on a substrate, and a large number of them are two-dimensionally arranged as pixels. This constitutes the display screen. Further, the display unit in which the organic EL elements are arranged in this way is sealed from the outside air by covering with a sealing plate. This is because organic EL materials are generally easily affected by moisture, and when exposed to the outside air, the light-emitting elements deteriorate and adversely affect the display quality and the life of the device.

  Further, there is the following patent document as a disclosure of such an organic EL display device.

JP 2000-91067 A JP 2001-68272 A

  By the way, as a sealing plate which covers a display part, the thing made from glass is generally used conventionally, However, While a glass sealing plate is excellent in the moisture-blocking property, it is easy to break and mechanical strength is inferior. There is a face. For this reason, in particular, in a bottom emission type device that emits display light to the lower surface side (support substrate side), the sealing plate does not need to have translucency, so that the metal has excellent mechanical strength (for example, SUS). It is conceivable to use a sealing plate made of metal.

  However, in the conventional organic EL display device, the upper surface side of the organic EL layer (hereinafter, the sealing plate side is “up” (for example, the upper surface, the upper portion, the upper portion, etc.) and the support substrate side from which the display light is emitted is “ The electrode laminated on the bottom (for example, described as the lower surface, the lower portion, the lower portion, etc.) is protected from the outside air by the sealing plate, but is exposed to the gas atmosphere inside the sealing plate. Yes.

  Therefore, when using a sealing plate made of a conductive material such as metal, fine metal dust generated during the manufacturing and processing of the sealing plate remains on the sealing plate even after cleaning. If such conductive foreign matter falls on the display unit and adheres between the electrodes when the sealing plate is installed or after sealing, it is easy to connect between adjacent electrodes Current leaks, and there is a possibility that display image quality may be deteriorated due to abnormal light emission or dark spots.

  On the other hand, the inventions described in Patent Documents 1 and 2 are intended to prevent electric field concentration and short circuit due to dust (foreign matter) mixed during device manufacture.

  However, the methods described in these documents target foreign matters mixed between the anode and the cathode, and heat the organic EL layer before forming the cathode to enclose the foreign matters. Current leakage due to adhering foreign matter cannot be prevented. Further, these patent documents do not teach the above-described problem of the present invention that current leakage between electrodes on the upper surface side of the organic EL layer can occur when a conductive sealing plate is used.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to prevent current leakage between electrodes on the upper surface side of the organic EL layer and to improve the reliability of an organic EL display device using a sealing plate made of a conductive material.

  In order to solve the above problems and achieve the object, an organic EL display device according to the present invention includes a light-transmitting lower electrode, an organic EL layer, and an upper electrode, which are sequentially stacked on a light-transmitting support substrate. An organic EL device comprising: a display unit in which a plurality of organic EL elements are arranged two-dimensionally on the support substrate so as to constitute a pixel; and a sealing plate made of a conductive material and covering the display unit A display device is provided with an insulating protective film covering the upper electrode.

  In the organic EL display device of the present invention, a sealing plate made of a conductive material is provided as a sealing plate that covers and seals the display unit, but the upper electrode disposed on the upper surface side (sealing plate side) of the organic EL layer is provided. It is covered with an insulating protective film. Therefore, even if conductive foreign matter adhering to the inner surface of the sealing plate is released into the sealing space, it can be prevented that it adheres to the upper electrode and causes current leakage.

  The insulating protective film (hereinafter simply referred to as “protective film”) is a material having a high electric resistance or a material having an insulating property (high electric resistor or insulator), that is, conductive on the upper surface side of the upper electrode. The material is not particularly limited as long as the material has an electric resistance of such a magnitude that current leakage does not occur between the upper electrodes when the adhering foreign material adheres. For example, as in the embodiment described later, such a protective film may be formed with an aromatic amine, or such a protective film may be formed with an organometallic complex or an organic material having high electrical resistance. is there.

  Further, the protective film may be formed of the same material as the insulating material disposed on the display portion (disposed below the protective film). More specifically, a film material (for example, ATP34 or TPD5) having a high electrical resistance provided for the organic EL layer is used, or an insulating film (for example, a lower electrode for insulation between the lower electrodes is used for the display portion). In the case of providing an insulating film provided above, the protective film may be formed using the same material as the insulating film. In this way, if the same material as the film provided in the other part of the display device is used, it is not necessary to prepare a separate material and film forming equipment in order to form the protective film unique to the present invention. Therefore, the display device according to the present invention can be manufactured without complicating the manufacturing process.

  On the other hand, the protective film is preferably formed of a material having a glass transition point. This is because, after forming the protective film, the upper electrode is better coated with the protective film by heating and melting or fluidizing the protective film. According to the aromatic amine, ATP34, and TPD5, it is possible to form such a protective film.

  Further, the glass transition point is preferably lower than the heat resistance temperature of the organic EL element (lower electrode, organic EL layer, upper electrode, and other display portions), that is, the temperature at which the portion is damaged or altered by heat. This is to prevent the organic EL element from being adversely affected (damaged) when the protective film is fluidized. For example, the glass transition temperature of the protective film is used for the protective film depending on the material of each layer of the display unit so that the heat resistance temperature of each layer (lower electrode, organic EL layer, upper electrode, etc.) forming the display unit is lower. What is necessary is just to determine a material.

  Further, in the display device of the present invention, each of the lower electrode and the upper electrode includes a plurality of strip-like electrodes extending in parallel with each other at a constant interval when viewed from the plane in the display unit, and constitutes the lower electrode The strip electrodes extending in a first direction parallel to the surface of the support substrate, and the strip electrodes constituting the upper electrode are each parallel to the surface of the support substrate and substantially perpendicular to the first direction. Extending in the direction (that is, the strip electrode constituting the lower electrode and the strip electrode constituting the upper electrode are arranged so as to be substantially orthogonal to each other when viewed from the plane), and the protective film comprises each of the upper electrode constituting the upper electrode It is preferable to cover at least the upper surface and the side surface of the strip electrode.

  This is because the upper electrode is more completely covered with a protective film to prevent current leakage due to conductive foreign matter. In addition, the formation of the protective film covering the upper surface and the side surface of the upper electrode in this way is performed by forming the protective film on the upper electrode using the material having the glass transition point as described above, and then the glass transition point. It is possible to heat the protective film until it reaches the above temperature and fluidize it.

  Further, in the display device of the present invention, the second direction (which is made of an insulating material and passes between adjacent pixels in the first direction (extending direction of the lower electrode) and in parallel to each other ( A plurality of element separators for separating the organic EL layer and the upper electrode for pixels adjacent in the first direction by extending in the upper electrode extending direction) and projecting to a position above the upper surface of the upper electrode. In some cases, the protective film is separated in the first direction by these element separators and is discontinuous in the first direction.

  In this way, if the device separator is provided and the protective film is discontinuous, and the upper surface and side surfaces of the upper electrode are individually covered for each strip electrode, for example, the entire display unit is continuous. Compared with the case where a thick protective film is formed, the film thickness of the protective film can be reduced, and the lower layer (upper electrode film, organic EL layer, lower electrode film, etc.) is adversely affected by the film stress of the protective film. This is because it can be eliminated or reduced.

  In the display device including the element separator, a conductive film made of the same material as the upper electrode may be formed on the upper surface of the element separator. In this case, the protective film It is desirable to form it also on the upper surface part of an element isolation body so that the upper surface and side surface of an electrically conductive film may be covered.

  Thus, if the conductive film formed on the upper surface of the element separator is also covered with a protective film, for example, conductive foreign matters adhere between the element separator and the upper electrodes adjacent to the left and right sides, respectively. It is possible to prevent a situation in which the upper electrodes are electrically connected to each other through the conductive film on the upper surface of the element separator and the foreign matter, thereby preventing current leakage, so that it is possible to achieve more complete insulation between the upper electrodes. It becomes.

  The thickness of the protective film is preferably 5 nm or more, more preferably 20 nm or more, from the viewpoint of ensuring good insulation. On the other hand, it can be said that the thicker the protective film is, the better in terms of insulation, but there is a risk that each layer (upper electrode, organic EL layer, lower electrode, etc.) on the lower surface of the protective film may be adversely affected by the film stress of the protective film. In order to eliminate this, it is desirable to suppress the thickness of the protective film to a certain thickness or less (for example, 100 nm or less).

  In the present invention, the lower electrode is typically formed of a translucent electrode material, for example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide). However, the material of the lower electrode is not limited to this, and other light-transmitting conductive materials such as IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide / indium zinc oxide), tin oxide, and zinc oxide can also be used.

  On the other hand, the upper electrode can be formed of a single layer or a plurality of layers of a low resistance metal or alloy, for example. As a specific material for forming the upper electrode, for example, aluminum, silver, a silver-magnesium alloy, calcium, or the like may be used.

  The laminated structure of the organic EL layer and the material used are not particularly limited. For example, the organic EL layer may have a five-layer structure in which a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer are sequentially stacked, or a three-layer structure in which the injection layer and the transport layer are combined. (Hole transporting layer, light emitting layer and electron transporting layer) Other structures can also be adopted. An example of the material used for each layer will be described later in the embodiment, but various other materials can be used.

  The sealing plate that covers the display portion is made of a conductive material, for example, a metal material, and is typically made of stainless steel (SUS), but magnesium, aluminum, or other metal materials can also be used. The sealing plate is bonded and fixed on the support substrate with an adhesive, for example. At this time, it is desirable that the protective film is not formed in a region of the support substrate surface where the sealing plate is bonded (glue margin where the sealing plate is bonded). In addition to ensuring the adhesive strength between the sealing plate and the support substrate, moisture (moisture) enters the inside of the device from the outside through a protective film interposed between the sealing plate and the support substrate. Is to prevent.

  The manufacturing method of the organic EL display device according to the present invention can manufacture the organic EL display device.

  Specifically, in the manufacturing method, an organic EL element including a lower electrode, an organic EL layer, and an upper electrode, which are sequentially stacked on a supporting substrate, is two-dimensionally formed on the supporting substrate so as to constitute a pixel. A method of manufacturing an organic EL display device comprising a plurality of arranged display units and a sealing plate made of a conductive material and covering the display unit, wherein the lower electrode is formed on the surface of the support substrate A step of forming the organic EL layer so as to be laminated on the lower electrode, a step of forming the upper electrode so as to be laminated on the organic EL layer, and the upper electrode in the display unit. Forming a protective film (insulating protective film) so as to cover the substrate, and fixing the sealing plate to the support substrate so as to cover the display portion. And the process of forming the said protective film includes the process of forming the said protective film so that it may laminate | stack on an upper electrode, and the process of heating and fluidizing the formed said protective film.

  In addition, the protective film is made of a material having a glass transition point, and in the step of heating and fluidizing the protective film, the protective film may be heated until the temperature of the protective film becomes equal to or higher than the glass transition point.

  Further, in the above manufacturing method, each of the lower electrode and the upper electrode includes a plurality of strip electrodes extending in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval when viewed from the plane in the display unit, and the strip electrodes constituting the lower electrode are Each of the strip electrodes constituting the upper electrode extends in a first direction parallel to the surface of the support substrate and extends in a second direction parallel to the surface of the support substrate and substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The method further includes the step of forming a plurality of element separators between the step of forming the lower electrode and the step of forming the organic EL layer. In the step of forming the protective film, each of the components constituting the upper electrode A protective film may be formed so as to cover at least the upper and side surfaces of the strip-shaped electrode for each strip-shaped electrode.

  The element separator is made of an insulating material, and passes between the adjacent pixels in the first direction (extending direction of the lower electrode) and in parallel with each other in the second direction ( The organic EL layer and the upper electrode are separated from each other in the pixel adjacent to the first direction by extending in the direction in which the upper electrode extends and projecting upward from the upper surface of the upper electrode.

  According to the present invention, current leakage between electrodes on the upper surface side of the organic EL layer can be prevented, and the reliability of an organic EL display device using a sealing plate made of a conductive material can be improved.

  Other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of embodiments of the present invention described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments, and it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made within the scope of the claims. Moreover, in each figure, the same code | symbol shows the same or an equivalent part.

FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing an organic EL display device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure (AA cut surface) of the organic EL display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a plan view schematically showing an enlarged part (B portion in FIG. 1) of the organic EL display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing a cross-sectional structure (a cut surface along CC in FIG. 3) of the organic EL display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing a cross-sectional structure (DD cut surface in FIG. 3) of the organic EL display device according to the embodiment. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view (similar to FIG. 4) schematically showing a manufacturing process (a state immediately after forming the protective film) of the organic EL display device according to the embodiment.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 2, an organic EL display device 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a light-transmitting flat glass substrate 12 (hereinafter sometimes simply referred to as “substrate”), An organic EL display unit 13 (hereinafter referred to as “display unit”) formed on the surface of the glass substrate 12, a sealing plate 14 covering the display unit 13, and an IC (Integrated Circuit) for driving the display unit 13 17 and an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) 18 connected to the IC 17.

  The display unit 13 is configured to display a plurality of organic EL elements constituting pixels in a two-dimensional manner, that is, in a horizontal direction (x direction in FIG. 1) and a vertical direction (y direction in FIG. 1) so as to display an image. As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 3 to FIG. 5, an anode 21 (lower electrode) on the glass substrate 12 and an insulating film 24 that electrically insulates the adjacent anodes 21 from each other, The organic EL layer 22 including the light emitting layer and the cathode 23 (upper electrode) are sequentially stacked. The display device 11 of this embodiment is a bottom emission type that emits display light downward (to the glass substrate 12 side) in FIGS. 2, 4, and 5, and the display unit 13 is driven by a passive matrix method. The

  The anode 21 is made of ITO. The anodes 21 are arranged in parallel with each other in stripes (stripes) on the substrate 12 and are provided in a number corresponding to the number of pixels. These anodes 21 extend in a first direction (y direction in FIG. 3) parallel to the surface of the substrate 12. In order to form the anode 21, for example, an electrode film for forming the anode 21 is formed on the surface of the substrate 12 by a so-called thin film forming technique such as sputtering, and the electrode film is formed into a plurality of straight lines parallel to each other. The number of anodes 21 corresponding to the number of pixels may be formed by patterning using a well-known photolithography technique (resist application, exposure through a pattern mask and development / etching process) so that the electrodes are arranged.

  Also, the auxiliary electrode 16 on the anode 21 side (see FIG. 1) is connected to each of the formed anodes 21 (see FIG. 1), and the auxiliary electrode 15 on the cathode 23 side is connected by a similar photolithography technique so that the cathode 23 can be connected later. A pattern is formed on the substrate 12. The auxiliary electrodes 15 and 16 are arranged so as to be drawn out from the display unit 13 (sealed space by the sealing plate 14), and are electrically connected to the driving IC 17 respectively.

  An insulating film 24 is provided on the anode 21. The insulating film 24 covers the edge of the anode 21 to prevent current leakage between the adjacent anodes 21, and includes a plurality of pixel openings 24 a having a substantially square planar shape for forming pixels. These pixel openings 24a are located at intersections with the anode 21 and the cathode 23 to be formed later, and the inside of these pixel openings 24a is a light emitting region. The insulating film 24 is formed of, for example, an inorganic compound mainly composed of silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, tantalum oxide, an acrylic resin, a novolac resin, a polyimide resin, a polycycloolefin resin, or the like. It is possible.

  Further, a plurality of barrier ribs 25 (element separators) are formed on the insulating film 24 in order to form a plurality of cathodes 23 extending in parallel with each other in a stripe shape (strip shape) like the anode 21. These partition walls 25 are made of an insulating material in the same manner as the insulating film 24, and extend in a direction orthogonal to the anode 21 (the x direction in FIG. 3) in order to make the cathode 23 disposed later orthogonal to the anode 21. 21 is provided so as to pass between adjacent pixel openings 24a and 24a in the extending direction (y direction in FIG. 3). Further, as shown in FIG. 4, these partition walls 25 have a height that protrudes upward from the upper surface of a protective film 31 described later.

  For example, when the cathode material is vapor-deposited, it is possible to form a similar stripe-shaped cathode by performing vapor deposition through a mask having a slit-like opening corresponding to the planar shape of the cathode 23 to be formed. 25 (element separator) is not essential for the present invention. Furthermore, the method for forming the anode 21, the organic EL layer 22, the cathode 23, and the protective film 31 described later is not particularly limited and is not limited to the example of the present embodiment.

  An organic EL layer 22 is formed on the insulating film 24. The organic EL layer 22 is depicted as a single layer in the figure, but includes a light emitting layer made of an organic EL material, and typically includes a plurality of functional layers. For example, as already described, a five-layer structure in which a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light-emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer are sequentially stacked, or a three-layer structure in which the injection layer and the transport layer are combined is used. (Hole transport layer, light emitting layer and electron transport layer) or a four-layer structure (hole transport layer, light emitting layer, electron transport layer and electron injection layer) can also be used. Also, a laminated structure other than these can be adopted.

  An example of a specific constituent material of the organic EL layer 22 is described as follows: α-NPD (Bis [N- (1-naphthyl) -N-pheny] benzidine / hole transport layer) and Alq3 doped with rubrene (rubrene) If trisquinolinato aluminum (tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum) / light emitting layer), Alq3 (electron transport layer), and lithium fluoride (electron injection layer) are vapor-deposited on the anode 21 in this order, a film is formed. good.

Further, another example of the specific constituent material of the organic EL layer 22 will be described. As a hole injection layer, a film made of ATP34 or HI406 (made by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd./glass transition temperature Tg = 133 ° C.), and a hole transport layer A film composed of TPD3 (glass transition temperature Tg = 133 ° C.), a film in which 3% by volume of IDE-102 manufactured by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. is added as a dopant to IDE-120 manufactured by Idemitsu Kosan Co., Ltd. as an emitting layer, and an electron transport layer And a film made of Alq3 (no glass transition temperature) and a film made of Li ₂ O or RuO ₂ as the electron injection layer may be deposited on the anode 21 in this order.

  A cathode 23 is disposed on the organic EL layer 22. Similar to the anode 21, the cathodes 23 are provided in parallel with each other in a stripe shape corresponding to the number of pixels, but are parallel to the substrate surface and perpendicular to the first direction (y direction in FIG. 3). The cathodes 23 extend in the direction (x direction in FIG. 3), and therefore, each cathode 23 is orthogonal to each anode 21 when viewed from above. The intersection between the cathode 23 and the anode 21 is a light emitting region. Such a striped cathode 23 can be formed by depositing a cathode material on the entire surface of the display unit 13 including the partition walls 25. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4, the cathode material is also deposited on the upper surface of the partition wall 25 to form a film (hereinafter referred to as “cathode material film”). This cathode material film 23a is described later. The cathode 23 is made of a metal material having a low electrical resistance such as aluminum, silver, or a silver-magnesium alloy.

  A protective film 31 (insulating protective film) is formed on the upper surface of the cathode 23. As the material of the protective film 31, it is preferable that the electrical resistance is high and that it has a glass transition point. In this embodiment, an aromatic amine that satisfies these requirements and is advantageous in terms of cost is used. The protective film 31 is formed by vapor-depositing the protective film material on the entire surface of the display unit 13 in the same manner as the cathode 23. The film to be formed is divided in the vertical direction by the partition wall 25 in the same manner as the cathode 23. As shown in FIG. 6, the cathode 23 is divided into an upper surface of each cathode 23 and an upper surface of each cathode material film 23 a on the upper surface of the partition wall 25. In the case where the partition wall 25 is not provided as described above, the protective film 31 is also formed only on the upper surface of the cathode 23 using a mask having a stripe-shaped slit opening at the time of vapor deposition, as in the formation of the cathode 23. Just do it.

  After the protective film 31 is formed, the protective film 31 and 31a on the cathode 23 and the cathode material film 23a are fluidized by heating the display unit 13 to a temperature equal to or higher than the glass transition point. As shown in FIG. 4, the fluidized protective films 31 and 31a have their side edges 31b and 31c hanging down to cover the side surfaces of the cathode 23 and the cathode material film 23a, and each cathode 23 and each cathode material film 23a. The cathode 23 and the cathode material film 23a are disposed so as to cover not only the upper surface but also the side surfaces thereof. As a result, the cathode 23 and the cathode material film 23a on the partition wall 25 are covered with the protective films 31 and 31a, and even if conductive foreign matter enters the sealing space S, current leakage between the cathodes can be prevented. I can do it.

  As the material of the protective film 31, in addition to the aromatic amine, various insulating materials or electrical resistances such as ATP34 (glass transition temperature Tg = 104 ° C.) and TPD5 (glass transition temperature Tg = 95 ° C.) shown below can be used. It is possible to use expensive materials.

  The sealing plate 14 that covers the display unit 13 is formed, for example, by pressing a stainless (SUS) plate. In order to fix the sealing plate 14, the sealing plate 14 may be bonded to the surface of the glass substrate 12 using an adhesive 20 made of, for example, an acrylic or epoxy ultraviolet curable resin. A desiccant (not shown) is installed or applied inside the sealing plate 14.

  Based on the above embodiment, a display device having protective films of various thicknesses and sealed with a SUS plate is manufactured, and a sampling investigation is performed to determine whether the display portion is defective (occurrence of thin dark lines and increased power consumption). Went. The results are shown in the table below.

  As can be seen from the above table, in the device without the protective film, two of the two samples found the defect, and when the protective film had a thickness of 1 nm, four of the nine samples had a defect. Although it was discovered, in the apparatus equipped with the protective film having a thickness of 5 nm and 10 nm, any one of 9 to 10 samples in which a defect was found was 1 and the thickness of the protective film was 20 nm, No defects were found in the samples with the 30 nm and 50 nm devices. Thus, it was confirmed that the probability of occurrence of defects can be suppressed by providing the protective film, and in particular, the probability of occurrence of defects can be significantly reduced by providing the protective film of 5 nm or more, more preferably 20 nm or more.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 11 Organic EL display device 12 Glass substrate 13 Organic EL display part 14 Sealing plate 15 Cathode side auxiliary electrode (lead-out wiring)
16 Anode-side auxiliary electrode (lead-out wiring)
17 Driving IC
18 FPC
20 Adhesive 21 Anode (transparent electrode)
22 Organic EL layer 23 Cathode 23a Cathode material film 24 Insulating film 24a Pixel opening 25 Partition (element separator)
31, 31a Insulating protective film 31b, 31c Edge of insulating protective film S Sealing space by sealing plate

Claims (16)

An organic EL element in which a translucent lower electrode, an organic EL layer, and an upper electrode are sequentially laminated on a translucent support substrate is two-dimensionally formed on the support substrate so as to constitute a pixel. A plurality of display units arranged in
An organic EL display device comprising a sealing plate made of a conductive material and covering the display unit,
An organic EL display device comprising an insulating protective film covering the upper electrode. The organic EL display device according to claim 1, wherein the insulating protective film is made of a material having a glass transition point. The organic EL display device according to claim 2, wherein a glass transition point of the insulating protective film is lower than a temperature at which the organic EL element is damaged by heat. Each of the lower electrode and the upper electrode includes a plurality of strip-shaped electrodes extending in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval when viewed from the plane in the display unit,
Each of the strip electrodes constituting the lower electrode extends in a first direction parallel to the surface of the support substrate,
Each of the strip electrodes constituting the upper electrode extends in a second direction parallel to the surface of the support substrate and substantially perpendicular to the first direction,
The organic EL display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the insulating protective film covers at least an upper surface and a side surface of each strip-shaped electrode constituting the upper electrode. By being made of an insulating material, extending in the second direction so as to pass between adjacent pixels in the first direction and parallel to each other, and projecting to a position above the upper surface of the upper electrode A plurality of element separators for separating the organic EL layer and the upper electrode for pixels adjacent in the first direction,
The organic EL display device according to claim 4, wherein the insulating protective film is separated in the first direction by these element separators and is discontinuous in the first direction. A conductive film made of the same material as the upper electrode is formed on the upper surface of the element separator,
The organic EL display device according to claim 5, wherein the insulating protective film is also formed on an upper surface portion of the element separator so as to cover an upper surface and a side surface of the conductive film. The organic EL display device according to claim 1, wherein the insulating protective film is made of an organometallic complex. The organic EL display device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the insulating protective film is made of an aromatic amine. The organic EL display device according to claim 1, wherein the insulating protective film is made of the same material as an insulating material disposed in the display unit. The organic EL display device according to claim 1, wherein the insulating protective film has a thickness of 5 nm or more. The organic EL display device according to claim 10, wherein the insulating protective film has a thickness of 100 nm or less. The organic EL display device according to claim 1, wherein the sealing plate is made of a metal material. The organic EL display device according to claim 12, wherein the sealing plate is made of stainless steel. A display unit in which a plurality of organic EL elements including a lower electrode, an organic EL layer, and an upper electrode stacked in order on a support substrate are two-dimensionally arranged on the support substrate so as to constitute a pixel; A method of manufacturing an organic EL display device comprising a sealing plate made of a material and covering the display unit,
Forming the lower electrode on the surface of the support substrate;
Forming the organic EL layer so as to be laminated on the lower electrode;
Forming the upper electrode so as to be laminated on the organic EL layer;
Forming an insulating protective film so as to cover the upper electrode in the display unit;
Fixing the sealing plate to the support substrate so as to cover the display unit,
The step of forming the insulating protective film includes:
Forming the insulating protective film so as to be laminated on the upper electrode;
And heating the fluidized insulating protective film to fluidize the organic EL display device. The insulating protective film is made of a material having a glass transition point,
The method of manufacturing an organic EL display device according to claim 14, wherein in the step of heating and fluidizing the insulating protective film, the insulating protective film is heated until the temperature reaches the glass transition point or higher. Each of the lower electrode and the upper electrode includes a plurality of strip-shaped electrodes extending in parallel with each other at a predetermined interval when viewed from the plane in the display unit,
Each of the strip electrodes constituting the lower electrode extends in a first direction parallel to the surface of the support substrate,
Each of the strip electrodes constituting the upper electrode extends in a second direction parallel to the surface of the support substrate and substantially perpendicular to the first direction,
Between the step of forming the lower electrode and the step of forming the organic EL layer,
By being made of an insulating material, extending in the second direction so as to pass between adjacent pixels in the first direction and parallel to each other, and projecting to a position above the upper surface of the upper electrode Forming a plurality of element separators for separating the organic EL layer and the upper electrode for pixels adjacent in the first direction;
In the step of forming the insulating protective film,
The method for manufacturing an organic EL display device according to claim 14, wherein the insulating protective film is formed so as to cover at least the upper surface and the side surface of each strip-shaped electrode constituting the upper electrode for each strip-shaped electrode. .

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