JP2011119169A - Electro-optical apparatus and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing an electro-optical apparatus, capable of reducing the occurrence of cracks from an edge when divided. <P>SOLUTION: The method of manufacturing the electro-optical apparatus includes in order a first process for forming an electro-optical element group 12 on a first substrate 1, a second process for forming a sealing material layer 39 made of an ultraviolet beam curing material to surround the electro-optical element group 12, a third process for adhering a second substrate 2 including a counter substrate 11 and an unnecessary part 111 surrounding a periphery of the counter substrate 11 onto the first substrate 1 with the sealing material layer 39 interposed so that an interface line 49 between the counter substrate 11 and the unnecessary part 11 can be accommodated in a plan view, a fourth process for irradiating an ultraviolet beam on a region inside of the interface line 49 in a plan view of the sealing material layer 39 and curing the sealing material layer 39 in the inside region, and a fifth process for dividing the second substrate 2 by the interface line 49 and removing the unnecesssary part 111 out of the second substrate 2 and a part overlapping the unnecessary part out of the sealing material layer 39 from the adhered body between the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electro-optical device and a method for manufacturing the electro-optical device.

In recent years, FPDs (flat panel displays) as electro-optical devices have been used in display units of various electronic devices and the like. The FPD is composed of an electro-optical panel such as an organic EL panel and components attached to the panel. The electro-optical panel includes a pair of substrates generally made of glass or the like, an electro-optical element formed between the pair of substrates, a control element, and the like.
As a method for manufacturing such an electro-optical panel, as shown in Patent Document 1, after forming a plurality of unit panel regions composed of the above-described electro-optical elements on one large substrate (mother substrate), each unit panel region A panel aggregate is formed by bonding another large substrate through a sealing material formed so as to surround the sealing material, and the outer periphery of the sealing material is spaced slightly from the sealing material (the outer peripheral line) in plan view. A general method is to cut and form individual electro-optical panels.

JP 2004-303425 A

  However, as the electro-optical panel is made thinner, such a manufacturing method has a problem that the possibility of occurrence of breakage such as cracks in the substrate in the region outside the sealing material increases. That is, as described above, since the mother substrate is cut by a line having a slight gap from the outer peripheral line of the sealing material, an electro-optical panel is formed in the region between the outer peripheral line of the sealing material and the cutting line of the mother substrate. At least one of the pair of substrates constituting the bulge protrudes like a bowl.

  Such an embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of an organic EL panel as a conventional electro-optical panel. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the vicinity of an end face of an organic EL panel as a conventional electro-optical panel. In addition, about each element to which the code | symbol was provided in said figure, except for one part, it mentions by the below-mentioned embodiment.

  FIG. 1A is a schematic plan view showing the relationship between the sealing material 40 of the organic EL panel 53 and a pair of substrates (10, 11) arranged to face each other through the sealing material. FIG. 1B is an enlarged view of a circle indicated by A in FIG. As shown in FIG. 1A, the sealing material 40 is formed further inside the region where the pair of substrates (10, 11) is laminated in a plan view. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1B, a portion where the substrate protrudes in a hook shape outside the sealing material 40 is formed outside the sealing material 40. This portion is (hereinafter, referred to as “the flange portion 50”). The flange 50 is generated because the mother substrate is divided on the outer side (line) of the outer peripheral line of the sealing material 40.

  FIG. 2A shows a mode of forming a scribe line for dividing a second substrate 2 described later, that is, an upper mother substrate. Specifically, the laser 64 is irradiated from the laser irradiation device 63 to the outside of the outer circumferential line of the sealing material 40, and the material of the substrate (second substrate 2) is changed to a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface, that is, a part in the depth direction. Thus, the second scribe line 46 is formed. After forming the second scribe line 46, by applying stress along the second scribe line, the second substrate 2 is divided and an unnecessary portion that does not become a component of the organic EL device panel 53 (described later) The second unnecessary portion 111) can be removed.

  FIG. 2B shows a state where the above-described unnecessary portion is removed to form the organic EL panel 53. As described above, in order to form the second scribe line 46 outside the outer peripheral line of the sealing material 40, the end portion of the formed counter substrate 11 projects. That is, the end portion of the counter substrate 11 floats in the hollow, and the flange portion 50 is formed. Here, since the thin organic EL panel in recent years uses a substrate thinned to a thickness of several tens to several hundreds of μm, the strength is lowered. Therefore, there is a possibility that deformation due to gravity occurs as shown. In addition, a crack or the like is generated on the end face of the flange portion 50 and proceeds in the direction of the sealing material 40, so that the counter substrate 11 may be damaged.

  Here, if the 2nd scribe line 46 is formed so that the outer peripheral line of the sealing material 40 may be formed, the collar part 50 will not be formed. However, as shown in FIG. 1B, the sealing material 40 has a wavy outer circumference, that is, meanders. This is because the sealing material 40 is formed by pressing the sealing material before curing with a substrate and then curing the sealing material. Therefore, it is difficult to match the above-described outer peripheral line and the second scribe line 46 in plan view.

  SUMMARY An advantage of some aspects of the invention is to solve at least a part of the problems described above, and the invention can be implemented as the following forms or application examples.

  Application Example 1 An electro-optical device manufacturing method according to this application example includes a first step of forming an electro-optical element group on one surface of a first substrate and an ultraviolet ray surrounding the electro-optical element group. A second step of forming a sealing material layer made of a curable material; and a second substrate including a counter substrate and an unnecessary portion surrounding the counter substrate on the first substrate, the counter substrate and the unnecessary portion A third step of bonding the sealing material layer through the sealing material layer so that the boundary line of the sealing material layer fits in the sealing material layer in a plan view; A fourth step of irradiating and curing the sealing material layer in the inner region, and dividing the second substrate at the boundary line, from the bonded body of the first substrate and the second substrate The unnecessary portion of the second substrate and the sealing material layer Which comprises carrying out the portion overlapping the unnecessary portion, a fifth step of removing, in this order.

With such a manufacturing method, the outer peripheral line of the sealing material and the end face of the counter substrate can be made to substantially coincide with each other, and the occurrence of the bowl-shaped portion can be suppressed. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the progress of cracks and the like from the end surface of the counter substrate, and the reliability of the electro-optical device can be improved.
The fact that the second substrate includes the counter substrate means that a part of the second substrate will become a component of the electro-optical device in the future as the counter substrate, and the other part will be a part unrelated to the electro-optical device. That is. Further, as will be described later, a portion obtained by removing unnecessary portions from the sealing material layer is the sealing material.

  Application Example 2 In the above-described electro-optical device manufacturing method, the first substrate includes an element substrate on which the electro-optical element group is formed and an unnecessary portion surrounding the element substrate. And the counter substrate is rectangular, and at least one of the four sides of the element substrate overlaps the outline of the counter substrate, and the fifth step includes the first substrate, the second substrate, And removing the unnecessary portion of the first substrate together with the unnecessary portion of the second substrate.

  With such a manufacturing method, at least one side of the end surface on the element substrate side can be matched with the end surface of the sealing material. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the above-described cracks and the like from proceeding from the element substrate side, and it is possible to further improve the reliability and the like of the electro-optical device.

  Application Example 3 In the above-described method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, three of the four sides of the element substrate overlap with the outline of the counter substrate, and the remaining one side is a plane. The first step includes a connection between the electro-optic element group and an external driving circuit at the extension part together with the electro-optic element group. A step of forming a terminal group, and the second step is a step of forming the sealing material layer so that the sealing material layer crosses between the electro-optic element group and the connection terminal group in a plan view. It is characterized by being.

  If it is such a manufacturing method, it can suppress that a counter substrate protrudes on a connection terminal group. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the connection terminal group from being affected by the hook-shaped portion, and it is possible to further improve the reliability and the like of the electro-optical device.

  Application Example 4 In the above-described electro-optical device manufacturing method, the fifth step includes modifying a part of the element substrate and / or the counter substrate in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface by laser irradiation. Then, after the scribe line is formed, the unnecessary portion is divided and removed by applying stress along the scribe line.

  Since the laser can irradiate with high accuracy, the above-described boundary line and the scribe line can be matched with higher accuracy by such a manufacturing method. Therefore, the formation of the hook-shaped portion can be further suppressed, and the reliability and the like of the electro-optical device can be further improved.

  Application Example 5 An electro-optical device formed by the manufacturing method described above.

  With such an electro-optical device, it is possible to reduce the influence of vibration during movement, bending stress applied during use, etc. on the quality, so that it is possible to expand applications and increase demand.

The schematic plan view of the conventional organic electroluminescent panel. The schematic sectional drawing of the end surface vicinity of the conventional organic electroluminescent panel. The schematic cross section which shows the outline of an organic EL apparatus. The schematic cross section of the organic electroluminescent panel used as the object of embodiment. The schematic plan view which shows the relationship between the outer peripheral line of a sealing material, and the end surface of a counter substrate. Process sectional drawing which shows the outline of the manufacturing method of embodiment. Process sectional drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent apparatus of embodiment in detail. Process sectional drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent apparatus of embodiment in detail. Process sectional drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent apparatus of the modification 1. FIG. Process sectional drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent apparatus of the modification 1. FIG.

  Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing an organic EL device as an electro-optical device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following drawings, the scale of each layer and each part is different from the actual scale so that each layer and each part can be recognized on the drawing.

(Embodiment)
First, an organic EL device and an organic EL panel that are targets of the present embodiment and a second embodiment to be described later will be described. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an outline of the organic EL device 55. As shown in the figure, the organic EL device 55 is configured by covering a later-described organic EL panel 53 with a protective sheet and adding a circuit board and the like for conducting with an external drive circuit and the like. That is, the wiring board 59 is connected to the connection terminal 58 formed on the element substrate 10 of the organic EL panel 53, and the counter substrate 11 side of the organic EL panel 53 is covered with the second protective sheet 9, and the element substrate is covered. It is configured by covering the 10 side with the first protective sheet 8. Sealing resin 84 is filled in the gaps between the two protective sheets (8, 9), the joints of the end portions, and the like, and airtightness is ensured.

  The organic EL device 55 is used for a display screen of a mobile phone or the like, or an electronic book. When used in such applications, there is a high possibility that a slight impact, bending stress and the like are applied. The organic EL device 55 is required to have a structure that can withstand it.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of an organic EL panel 53 as an electro-optical panel, which is a main component of an organic EL device as a thin display device that is a target of the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment. As shown in the figure, the organic EL panel 53 includes an element substrate 10, a counter substrate 11, and each element formed between the pair of substrates. More specifically, the element substrate 10 on which the organic EL element 29 or the like as the electro-optic element is formed and the counter substrate 11 on which the color filter layer 76 is formed are bonded together via the sealing material 40 and the adhesive layer 79. And are formed so as to face each other.

  In the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the pair of substrates described above are made of glass, and are thinned to approximately 40 μm in order to reduce the thickness or use in applications that require flexibility such as an electronic book. . In the following description, the adhesive layer 79 side of the element substrate 10 is referred to as “upper” or “upper”. The layer thickness (height) of the sealing material 40 to be described later is approximately 15 to 20 μm. Therefore, the thickness of the organic EL panel 53 is approximately 100 μm.

  As shown in the figure, a driving TFT (hereinafter simply referred to as “TFT”) 112 and a peripheral circuit 57 are formed on the element substrate 10. A connection terminal 58 is formed on the peripheral circuit 57. The TFT 112 includes a semiconductor layer 21, a gate electrode 23 formed by patterning a conductor layer made of Ti (titanium) or AlCu (aluminum / copper alloy), and the like, and a gap between the semiconductor layer 21 and the gate electrode 23. The gate insulating layer 70 is formed. A region of the semiconductor layer 21 that overlaps the gate electrode 23 in plan view is a channel region 22, and a source region 25 and a drain region 26 are formed on both sides of the channel region.

  The peripheral circuit 57 is a circuit group formed around the organic EL element group 12 described later, such as a scanning line driving circuit that is electrically connected to the gate electrode 23, and is formed inside the frame-shaped sealing material 40 in plan view. The conducted organic EL element group 12 is electrically connected to a driving device or the like existing outside the sealing material 40. The connection terminal 58 functions to connect the wiring board 59 and the peripheral circuit 57 shown in FIG.

  Over the TFT 112, an interlayer insulating layer 71 is formed by laminating an inorganic insulating material such as silicon nitride or silicon oxide and an organic material such as acrylic resin. A pixel electrode 35 is electrically connected to the drain region 26 through a contact hole 27 formed by locally etching the interlayer insulating layer 71. The material for forming the pixel electrode 35 is required to have a work function higher than that of the cathode 19 described later, and also needs to be conductive. Therefore, the pixel electrode 35 is formed of ITO (indium oxide / tin alloy) which is a transparent conductive material.

  Under the pixel electrode 35, a reflective layer 13 that reflects light emitted from the light emitting functional layer 15 described later to the element substrate 10 side upward and a protective layer 28 that covers the reflective layer are formed. The material for forming the reflective layer 13 is preferably a material having high reflectivity and excellent workability (patterning property). Therefore, the reflective layer 13 of the organic EL panel 53 is formed of Al (aluminum) or the like. The protective layer 28 is made of a material that is resistant (selective) to an ITO etchant such as silicon nitride.

  One pixel electrode 35 is formed for each TFT 112 described above. Therefore, the pixel electrode 35 is patterned in an island shape, and the adjacent electrodes are electrically independent from each other. A partition wall 74 is formed in a region where the pixel electrode 35 is not formed in plan view. The partition wall 74 is formed by patterning an insulating material layer such as an acrylic resin, and ensures insulation between adjacent pixel electrodes 35.

  The light emitting functional layer 15 is entirely formed on the element substrate 10 on which the pixel electrode 35 and the partition wall 74 are formed. The light emitting functional layer 15 is a generic name, and specifically, a total of four layers of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an organic EL layer, and an electron transport layer are laminated in order from the element substrate 10 side. As will be described later, since the organic EL panel 53 obtains the three primary color lights with the color filter, the light emitting functional layer 15 is a white light emitting functional layer that emits white light when energized.

  A cathode 19 as a common electrode is formed on the entire surface of the light emitting functional layer 15. Since the organic EL panel 53 is a top emission type, the cathode 19 needs to be transparent (translucent) as well as conductive. In order to ensure the electron injection property, it is preferable that a material layer having a work coefficient lower than that of the material for forming the pixel electrode 35 is provided as an electron injection layer at the interface with the light emitting functional layer 15. Therefore, in the organic EL panel 53, as the electron injection layer, 2 nm of Al and 1 nm of LiF (lithium fluoride) are stacked, and ITO is stacked as the cathode 19 to ensure transparency and electron injection. A laminated body of the cathode 19, the light emitting functional layer 15, and the pixel electrode 35 is an organic EL element 29. When a voltage is applied to the pixel electrode 35 via the TFT 112, a current flows between the pixel electrode and the cathode 19 via the light emitting functional layer 15, and the organic EL layer included in the light emitting functional layer 15 corresponds to the amount of current. Flashes.

  A sealing layer 78 is formed on the organic EL elements 29 and the partition walls 74 regularly formed on the element substrate 10. Although the sealing layer 78 is illustrated as a single layer, it is actually a laminate including at least three layers of a cathode protective layer, an organic buffer layer, and a gas barrier layer formed in order from the upper layer of the cathode 19. is there.

  A color filter layer 76 is formed on the counter substrate 11 on the element substrate 10 side. The color filter layer 76 includes a color filter 75 (r, g, b) formed at a position facing each organic EL element 29, a black matrix 75k made of a light-shielding material formed between the color filters, and an overcoat. Layer 77. The color filter 75 (r, g, b) can obtain colored light from white light by transmitting light in a predetermined wavelength range and absorbing light in other wavelength ranges. Lower case alphabets (r, g, b) indicate colors corresponding to light in the wavelength range to be transmitted. The organic EL element 29 itself has no structural difference depending on the color of the emitted light, and the color of the light emitted by each organic EL element is determined by the color filter 75 (r, g, b). Each of the organic EL elements 29 emits one of the three primary colors with an arbitrary intensity through the color filter layer 76, whereby a color image is formed (displayed) on the display surface that is the surface on the counter substrate 11 side. .

  The display surface described above has a substantially rectangular shape, and the organic EL elements 29 are also regularly formed as a single unit in a substantially rectangular region in accordance with the display surface. Such a group is an organic EL element group 12 as an electro-optical element group. The sealing material 40 is formed so as to surround the organic EL element group 12 and some peripheral circuits not shown in plan view. The region surrounded by the sealing material is filled with an adhesive material to form an adhesive layer 79.

  The sealing material 40 is formed by forming an uncured sealing material layer on the element substrate 10 by a printing method or the like, disposing the counter substrate 11 so as to be opposed, and then curing the uncured sealing material layer. The sealing member 40 of the organic EL panel 53 is formed so that the outer peripheral line, that is, the outer line substantially coincides with the end surface of the counter substrate 11 in plan view as shown in the figure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing the relationship between the outer peripheral line of the sealing material 40 and the end face of the counter substrate 11. FIG. 5A shows a mode in which the counter substrate 11 is smaller than the element substrate 10 in both the major axis direction (vertical direction in the figure) and the minor axis direction (lateral direction in the figure), and FIG. In this embodiment, the counter substrate 11 has substantially the same length as the element substrate 10 in the minor axis direction.
In both aspects, the sealing material 40 crosses between the organic EL element group 12 and the connection terminal 58 on one lower side in the drawing. On the one side, the outer peripheral line of the sealing material 40 and the end surface of the counter substrate 11 substantially coincide. Therefore, the collar part 50 as shown in FIG. 1 is not produced. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5B, all end faces of the four sides of the counter substrate 11 are substantially coincident with the outer peripheral line of the sealing material 40, and the flange portion 50 is not generated.

  As described above, the presence of the flange portion 50 can reduce the reliability of the organic EL panel 53 and the organic EL device 55 including the organic EL panel. As shown in FIG. 1B described above, since the outer peripheral line of the sealing material 40 is meandering, it is difficult to match the end surface of the counter substrate 11 with the outer peripheral line of the sealing material 40. In the manufacturing method according to the present embodiment, after the counter substrate 11 is bonded to the element substrate 10 via the seal material 40, a part of the seal material is removed, whereby the end surface of the counter substrate 11 and the outer peripheral line of the seal material 40 are removed. And match.

FIG. 6 is a process cross-sectional view illustrating the outline of the manufacturing method of the present embodiment. This will be described below in the order of steps.
First, as shown in FIG. 6A, an organic EL element group 12, a connection terminal 58 corresponding to the organic EL element group, a peripheral circuit (not shown), and the like are formed on one surface of the first substrate 1. And the sealing layer 78 which covers the organic EL element group 12 is formed.

  The first substrate 1 is a portion that will be one or a plurality of future element substrates 10 (see FIG. 4) and a portion that surrounds the periphery of the element substrate 10 and is a portion that does not correspond to the element substrate 10 in the future. Unnecessary portion 101 (see FIG. 6D). As shown in the drawing, when the first substrate 1 includes a plurality of element substrates 10, the first substrate is a so-called mother substrate.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, a frame-shaped sealing material layer 39 is formed so as to surround the periphery of the laminate of each organic EL element group 12 and the sealing layer 78. The sealing material layer 39 is a layer made of an uncured sealing material, and includes a portion that will become the sealing material 40 in the future and a portion that is removed as an extra. Then, the adhesive layer 79 is formed by filling the frame-shaped sealing material layer with an adhesive material.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, a bonded body 51 is formed on the first substrate 1 by bonding the second substrate 2 including one or more future portions to be the counter substrate 11. To do. The second substrate 2 is a second unnecessary portion that is an unnecessary portion that is a portion that will be the counter substrate 11 in the future and a portion that surrounds the periphery of the counter substrate and that will not be the counter substrate 11 in the future. Part 111. A boundary line 49 is a boundary between the counter substrate 11 (a portion that will become the counter substrate 11 in the future) and the second unnecessary portion 111. As shown in the drawing, when the second substrate 2 includes a plurality of counter substrates 11 like the first substrate 1, the second substrate is a so-called mother substrate.

  The second substrate 2 is composed of one counter substrate (a portion that will become the counter substrate 11 in the future) and a second unnecessary portion 111 surrounding the one counter substrate, and a plurality of organic EL element groups 12 are formed. An embodiment in which the individual second substrate 2 is bonded to each organic EL element group on the formed first substrate 1 is also possible. In such a case, only the first substrate 1 is a mother substrate. Further, when forming a large-area organic EL panel, both the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2 may include only one element substrate 10 or counter substrate 11. When at least the first substrate 1 is a mother substrate, the bonded body 51 includes a plurality of organic EL panels 53.

  The boundary line 49, that is, the boundary between the counter substrate 11 and the second unnecessary portion 111 in the second substrate 2, and the boundary (no sign) between the element substrate 10 and the first unnecessary portion 101 in the first substrate 1 are shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 5, there are a portion (region) that overlaps in a plan view and a portion that does not overlap. At least, the side where the connection terminal 58 is formed does not match. The other three sides can be matched as shown in FIG.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 6D, a portion of the sealing material layer 39 inside the boundary line 49 in a plan view, that is, a portion of the boundary line 49 on the organic EL element group 12 side is cured to be a cured portion 41. And In the sealing material layer 39, the material outside the boundary line 49 is maintained as the uncured portion 42 when the sealing material layer 39 is formed. Since the uncured portion 42 is a portion outside the boundary line 49, it is included in the second unnecessary portion 111 in a plan view.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6E, the second substrate 2 is divided into a counter substrate 11 and a second unnecessary portion 111. Then, the second unnecessary portion 111 is removed together with the uncured portion 42. Then, the first substrate 1 is also divided into the element substrate 10 and the first unnecessary portion 101, and the first unnecessary portion 101 is removed. As a result, the organic EL panel 53 is formed. Since the boundary line 49 coincides with the boundary between the cured portion 41 and the uncured portion 42 in the sealing material layer 39 in plan view, the flange portion 50 (see FIG. 1) is formed on the counter substrate 11 of the formed organic EL panel. Is not formed.

  7 and 8 show the method of manufacturing the organic EL device according to the present embodiment in which the end surfaces of the substrates (the element substrate 10 and the counter substrate 11) are enlarged and the curing method of the sealing material layer 39 and the like are shown in more detail. It is sectional drawing. Hereinafter, it will be described in the order of steps.

  First, as shown in FIG. 7A, as a first step, an organic EL element group 12 and a connection terminal 58 corresponding to the organic EL element group on one surface of the first substrate 1 and a peripheral area (not shown). A circuit or the like is formed. And the sealing layer 78 which covers the organic EL element group 12 is formed. As described above, the first substrate 1 includes the element substrate 10 and the first unnecessary portion 101. After forming the sealing layer 78, as a second step, a frame-shaped sealing material layer 39 surrounding the periphery of the laminate of the organic EL element group 12 and the sealing layer 78 is formed using an ultraviolet curable material. Here, the ultraviolet curable material means a material having a high (large) ON / OFF ratio of curing (hardness) between an ultraviolet irradiated portion and an unirradiated portion. Further, an adhesive layer 79 is formed in the frame of the sealing material layer 39.

  In this embodiment, a material obtained by mixing an epoxy resin as a main component with a photocation generator as an initiator and a curing agent, an adhesive, and a silane coupling agent as an additive is used as an ultraviolet curable material. . The main component is a material that has basic functions as a sealing material such as adhesiveness and water resistance, the initiator (curing agent) is a material that promotes curing by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, and the adhesive (additive) is It is a material that improves interfacial adhesion.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, as a third step, the second substrate 2 including the counter substrate 11 and the second unnecessary portion 111 surrounding the counter substrate is replaced with the first substrate 1. A bonded body 51 is formed by bonding through the sealing material layer 39. As described above and as shown in FIG. 5, both the element substrate 10 and the counter substrate 11 are rectangular. Therefore, the boundary line 49 that is the boundary between the counter substrate 11 and the second unnecessary portion 111 has a rectangular frame shape. In the present embodiment, on the side of the first substrate 1 where the connection terminals 58 are not formed, the boundary between the element substrate 10 and the first unnecessary portion 101 coincides with the boundary line 49 in plan view.

  The above bonding is performed so that the boundary line 49 is included in the sealing material layer 39 in plan view. Therefore, in the second step, the sealing material layer 39 is formed so as to include the boundary line 49. In plan view, a portion of the sealing material layer 39 located inside the boundary line 49 will be the sealing material 40 (see FIG. 4 and the like) in the future. Therefore, the sealing material layer 39 is formed in the second step so that the width of the portion located on the inner side (dimension in the direction perpendicular to the extending direction) becomes a dimension that can sufficiently function as the sealing material 40. To do.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7C, as a fourth step, the ultraviolet ray 62 is applied to the portion located inside the boundary line 49 in the sealing material layer 39 made of the ultraviolet curable material described above via the irradiation mask 61. Irradiate. Then, as shown in FIG. 8 (d), the portion of the sealing material layer 39 irradiated with the ultraviolet rays 62 is cured to form a cured portion 41. As described above, since the ultraviolet ray 62 is selectively applied to the portion located inside the boundary line 49, the portion located outside the boundary line is not cured and remains as an uncured portion 42. The boundary between the cured portion 41 and the uncured portion 42 coincides with the boundary line 49 in plan view.

  The irradiation mask 61 is formed by patterning a metal film made of chromium or the like formed on the entire surface of the glass substrate, and can divide the transmission region and the non-transmission region of the ultraviolet rays 62 linearly. Therefore, the boundary line between the cured portion 41 and the uncured portion 42 is not a meandering line as shown in FIG. Further, the portion of the second substrate 2 located outside the boundary line 49 is the second unnecessary portion 111. Therefore, the uncured portion 42 is included in the second unnecessary portion 111 in plan view.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8E, the second substrate 2 is irradiated with a laser 64 along a boundary line 49 using a laser irradiation device 63. Then, the material for forming the second substrate 2 is at least partially modified in the direction perpendicular to the substrate surface to form the second scribe line 46 that overlaps the boundary line 49. In the same manner, the first scribe line 45 that overlaps the boundary line between the element substrate 10 and the first unnecessary portion 101 is also formed on the first substrate 1.

  The irradiation conditions of the laser 64 are (center wavelength: 266 nm, pulse width: 20 nsec, frequency: 50 kHz, average output: 5 W). Instead of the above-described conditions, a laser having (center wavelength: 355 nm, pulse width: 0.015 nsec, frequency: 80 kHz, average output: 5 W) may be used.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8F, as a fifth step, stress is applied to the second substrate 2 along the second scribe line 46 to cause the second substrate 2 to be second scribed. Divide at line 46. Then, the second unnecessary portion 111 is removed, and at the same time, the uncured portion 42 is also removed. Similarly, stress is applied to the first substrate 1 along the first scribe line 45, and the first substrate 1 is divided by the first scribe line 45. Then, the first unnecessary portion 101 is removed. The organic EL panel 53 is formed through the above steps.

  Here, the cured portion 41 of the sealing material layer 39 is bonded to the element substrate 10 and the counter substrate 11, that is, the portion not including unnecessary portions (101, 111) by curing. Therefore, even when both of the unnecessary portions (101, 111) are removed, it remains between the element substrate 10 and the counter substrate 11 and becomes the sealing material 40.

  As described above, since the second scribe line 46 is formed along the boundary line 49, the boundary between the cured portion 41 and the uncured portion 42 of the sealing material layer 39, the counter substrate 11 and the second unnecessary portion. The boundary with the portion 111 substantially coincides with the plan view. Further, since the fourth step, that is, the selective curing step of the sealing material layer 39 is performed by ultraviolet irradiation, the boundary surface between the uncured portion 42 and the cured portion 41 is clearly different from curing by heating or the like. It is formed. Therefore, when removing the unnecessary portions (101, 111), the uncured portion 42 can be removed at the same time, that is, in a form attached to any of the unnecessary portions. Therefore, the outer peripheral line of the counter substrate 11 and the outer peripheral line of the sealing material 40 substantially coincide with each other, and the organic EL panel 53 in which the protrusion of the end surface of the counter substrate 11, that is, the flange portion 50 is not formed, is obtained.

  Also on the element substrate 10 side, except for the side where the connection terminal 58 is formed, the first scribe line 45 is connected to the boundary line between the hardened portion 41 and the uncured portion 42 of the sealing material layer 39 and a flat surface. Protrusion of the end face of the element substrate 10 is suppressed by forming it so as to be substantially coincident with each other. Therefore, in the organic EL panel 53 obtained in this embodiment, the occurrence of the above-described cracks and the like is reduced on the end face also on the element substrate 10 side, and the reliability is improved.

  If the second scribe line 46 is formed inside the outer peripheral line of the sealing material 40 in plan view in the conventional manufacturing method, the sealing material is damaged when the second unnecessary portion 111 is removed, There is a possibility of impairing water resistance. Therefore, it is difficult to suppress the formation of the flange portion 50 without affecting the reliability of the organic EL panel 53. Further, as shown in FIG. 1B, the outer peripheral line of the conventional sealing material 40 meanders, and therefore the second scribe line 46 and the outer peripheral line are overlapped (matched) in plan view. Impossible.

  If it is the manufacturing method concerning this embodiment, since the outer periphery line (namely, the line of the boundary of the hardening part 41 and the non-hardening part 42) of the hardening part 41 which finally becomes the sealing material 40 can be formed linearly, The organic EL panel 53 with improved reliability and the organic EL device 55 including the organic EL panel can be formed only by increasing the number of steps and the manufacturing cost.

  Embodiment of this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, It is also possible to implement as a modification which added various change and improvement. A modification will be described below.

(Modification 1)
In the above-described embodiment, both the element substrate 10 and the counter substrate 11 are formed by cutting out the large-area substrates (first substrate 1 and second substrate 2), that is, removing unnecessary portions (101, 111). ing. However, the present invention can also be realized in a mode in which only the counter substrate 11 is cut out from a large-area substrate. Hereinafter, this mode is shown as a first modification.

  9 and 10 are process cross-sectional views illustrating the manufacturing method of the first modification. Hereinafter, it will be described in the order of steps. First, as shown in FIG. 9A, as in the first step, the organic EL element group 12 and the connection terminal 58 corresponding to the organic EL element group on the element substrate 10 and a peripheral circuit (not shown) Etc. And the sealing layer 78 which covers the organic EL element group 12 is formed. As described above, the element substrate 10 is obtained at the stage of this process, and the concept of the first substrate 1 (see FIG. 7 and the like) is not used in this modification. After forming the sealing layer 78, similarly to the second step described above, a frame-shaped sealing material layer 39 surrounding the laminate of the organic EL element group 12 and the sealing layer 78 using an ultraviolet curable material is formed. Form. The components of the ultraviolet curable material are the same as those in the second step.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the color filter layer 76 is formed including the counter substrate 11 and the second unnecessary portion 111 surrounding the counter substrate in the same manner as the third step described above. The second substrate 2 is bonded to the element substrate 10 via the sealing material layer 39. As described above, the boundary line 49 that is the boundary between the counter substrate 11 and the second unnecessary portion 111 is located in the sealing material layer 39 in plan view.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, the portion of the sealing material layer 39 located on the inner side of the boundary line 49 is irradiated with ultraviolet rays 62 through the irradiation mask 61 as in the fourth step described above. Then, as shown in FIG. 10 (d), the portion of the sealing material layer 39 irradiated with the ultraviolet rays 62 is cured to form a cured portion 41.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10 (e), the second substrate 2 is irradiated with a laser 64 using a laser irradiation device 63, and a second scribe line that overlaps the boundary line 49 on the second substrate 2. 46 is formed. Since the element substrate 10 side does not include an unnecessary portion, a scribe line is not formed. Laser irradiation conditions and the like are the same as in the above-described embodiment.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10F, as the fifth step, the second substrate 2 is divided by the second scribe line 46. Then, the second unnecessary portion 111 is removed, and the organic EL panel 53 is formed.

  With such a manufacturing method, even when it is not necessary to form a scribe line on the element substrate 10 side, it is possible to suppress the formation of the flange 50 (see FIG. 1) on the counter substrate 11 side. Further, the irradiation of the laser 64 can be limited only to the counter substrate 11 side. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the organic EL panel 53 having an area with improved reliability while suppressing an increase in manufacturing cost.

(Modification 2)
In the above-described embodiment, the scribe lines (45, 46) are formed up to a part of the depth direction of the substrate (the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2), and the substrate is divided by separately applying a pressing pressure. Yes. However, the scribe line may be formed so as to penetrate the substrate by increasing the output of the laser irradiation. The process of irradiating the laser and the process of dividing the substrate can be combined, and the manufacturing process can be simplified. The scribe line may be formed not by laser irradiation but by other means, for example, a means for applying plastic pressure using a blade to plastically deform the glass in the depth direction.

(Modification 3)
In the above-described embodiment, the organic EL device is described as an example of the electro-optical device. However, the embodiment of the present invention can be implemented for other display devices, for example, liquid crystal display devices. In the liquid crystal display device, the problem as described in the above “background” may occur with the progress of thinning, but by suppressing the formation of the flange portion 50 by the manufacturing method described in the above embodiment. , Can improve the reliability.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... 1st board | substrate, 2 ... 2nd board | substrate, 8 ... 1st protective sheet, 9 ... 2nd protective sheet, 10 ... Element board | substrate, 11 ... Opposite substrate, 12 ... Organic EL element group as an electro-optic element group , 13 ... reflective layer, 15 ... light emitting functional layer, 19 ... cathode, 21 ... semiconductor layer, 22 ... channel region, 23 ... gate electrode, 25 ... source region, 26 ... drain region, 27 ... contact hole, 28 ... protective layer 29 ... Organic EL element, 35 ... Pixel electrode, 39 ... Sealing material layer, 40 ... Sealing material, 41 ... Cured portion, 42 ... Uncured portion, 45 ... First scribe line, 46 ... Second scribe line, DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 49 ... Borderline, 50 ... Butt part, 51 ... Bonded body, 53 ... Organic EL panel, 55 ... Organic EL device as electro-optical device, 57 ... Peripheral circuit, 58 ... Connection terminal, 59 ... Wiring board 61 ... Irradiation Mask, 62 ... UV 63 ... Laser irradiation device, 64 ... Laser, 70 ... Gate insulating layer, 71 ... Interlayer insulating layer, 74 ... Partition wall, 75 ... Color filter, 75k ... Black matrix, 76 ... Color filter layer, 77 ... Overcoat layer, 78 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Sealing layer, 79 ... Adhesive layer, 84 ... Sealing resin, 101 ... 1st unnecessary part, 111 ... 2nd unnecessary part as an unnecessary part, 112 ... TFT.

Claims (5)

A first step of forming an electro-optic element group on one surface of the first substrate;
A second step of forming a sealing material layer made of an ultraviolet curable material so as to surround the electro-optic element group;
A second substrate including a counter substrate and an unnecessary portion surrounding the periphery of the counter substrate is disposed on the first substrate, and the boundary line between the counter substrate and the unnecessary portion is accommodated in the sealing material layer in a plan view. A third step of bonding through a sealing material layer;
A fourth step of curing the sealing material layer in the inner region by irradiating ultraviolet rays to the inner region of the boundary line in a plan view of the sealing material layer;
The second substrate is divided at the boundary line, and the unnecessary portion of the second substrate and the unnecessary portion of the sealing material layer are formed from a bonded body of the first substrate and the second substrate. A fifth step of removing the overlapping part,
Are sequentially performed. A method for manufacturing an electro-optical device. A method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to claim 1,
The first substrate includes an element substrate on which the electro-optic element group is formed and an unnecessary portion surrounding the element substrate,
The element substrate and the counter substrate are rectangular, and at least one of the four sides of the element substrate overlaps the outline of the counter substrate,
The fifth step is a step of removing the unnecessary portion of the first substrate together with the unnecessary portion of the second substrate from the bonded body of the first substrate and the second substrate. A method for manufacturing an electro-optical device. A method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to claim 2,
Three of the four sides of the element substrate overlap with the outline of the counter substrate, and the remaining one side constitutes a projecting portion that projects from the counter substrate in plan view,
The first step is a step of forming a connection terminal group serving as a contact point between the electro-optical element group and an external drive circuit in the projecting portion together with the electro-optical element group.
The second step is a step of forming the sealing material layer so that the sealing material layer crosses between the electro-optical element group and the connection terminal group in a plan view. Manufacturing method. The method for manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1,
In the fifth step, a scribe line is formed by modifying a part of the element substrate and / or the substrate surface of the counter substrate in the vertical direction by laser irradiation, and then stress is applied along the scribe line. Thus, the method for manufacturing the electro-optical device is a step of removing the unnecessary portion in a divided manner.   An electro-optical device formed by the manufacturing method according to claim 1.

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