JP2011249089A - Organic el display panel and method of manufacturing the same, and organic el display - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an organic EL display panel, which has a long life-time while having superior light emission characteristics since a light emission region is wide, a film thickness of an organic functional layer in the light emission region is held uniform, and the organic functional layer has no level separation, and a method of manufacturing the same, and an organic EL display.SOLUTION: An anode 105 has its end Parranged while isolated from an end Pof a bank facing an opening. The anode 105 has a laminate structure of a metal layer 1051 made of aluminum or aluminum alloy and a transparent conductive layer 1052 made of ITO from the side of a flattening film 104. A film thickness tof the metal layer 1051 is 40-200 [nm], and a surface part thereof serves as a reflection part having a predetermined reflection factor. Further, an organic functional layer 107 formed on the anode 105 has a film thickness tequal to or larger than the film thickness tof the anode 105, and is formed from an upper surface of the anode 105 to a side face of an end.

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic EL display panel, a manufacturing method thereof, and an organic EL display device.

  In recent years, research and development of organic electroluminescence (EL) display devices have been made. An organic EL display panel included in an organic EL display device has a configuration in which an organic EL element is provided for each pixel, and emits light by utilizing an electroluminescence phenomenon of a solid fluorescent material for each organic EL element. As an example of the prior art, the configuration of the organic EL display panel disclosed in Patent Documents 1 and 2 will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 16, in the organic EL display panel according to the prior art, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) layer 902 is formed on a substrate 901 (FIG. 16 shows only a part of the source). A passivation film 903 and a planarization film 904 are sequentially stacked thereon. An anode 905 is formed on the planarization film 904 in a state corresponding to each pixel 900. The anode 905 includes a metal layer 9051 and a transparent conductive layer 9052 that are sequentially stacked from the planarization film 904 side. The anode 905 is also embedded in a contact hole 904a opened in the planarization film 904, thereby connecting to the TFT layer 902.

  A bank 906 is formed on the planarization film 904 so as to partition between the pixel 900 and the adjacent pixel 900. The bank 906 is disposed so as to cover a part of the end of the anode 905. An organic functional layer 907 is stacked on the anode 905 in the region of the pixel 900 defined by the bank 905. The organic functional layer 907 is a wet coating type layer and includes at least an organic light emitting layer. A cathode 908 is formed on the organic functional layer 907 and the bank 906, and a sealing layer 909 is stacked so as to cover the cathode 908.

  By the way, in the organic EL display device according to the prior art shown in FIG. 16, since the bank 906 covers the end of the anode 905, it becomes difficult for current to flow through the portion, and the reduction of the light emitting region becomes a problem. Further, as shown in FIGS. 17A and 17B, due to coating unevenness in both end portions (portions indicated by arrows I and J) of the organic functional layers 927 and 937 in the respective pixels 920 and 930. Thickness non-uniformity may occur. Such a phenomenon causes uneven luminance of light emission, and improvement is required from the viewpoint of improving image quality.

  On the other hand, in Patent Document 3, a proposal is made to solve the above-described problems by increasing the interval between the bank and the anode by narrowing the bank width. That is, by narrowing the bank width, the end portion of the anode is not covered with the bank, and by this configuration, the light emitting region can be widened and the thickness of the organic functional layer on the anode can be made uniform.

JP-A-11-54286 JP 2004-192890 A JP 2005-93421 A

However, in the technique proposed in Patent Document 3, the organic functional layer is cut off at the end of the anode due to a gap between the bank and the anode, and the anode and the cathode are short-circuited. Even if no step breakage occurs, problems such as electric field concentration may occur due to the extremely thin organic functional layer. That is, as shown in FIG. 18, in the case of the configuration spacing _{d 9} between the end portion _{P 92} of the end portion _{P 91} and the bank 906 of the anode 955, at the end of the anode 955 (the portion indicated by the arrow K) It may occur that the anode 955 and the cathode 908 are short-circuited.

As shown in FIG. 18, the anode 955 has a laminated structure of a metal layer 9551 such as an aluminum layer or an aluminum alloy layer and an ITO (indium tin oxide) layer 9552. Of these, the metal layer 9551 is not shown. In the present situation, the film thickness t ₉₂ is formed in a thick film in accordance with the bus bar. Than this, conventionally, the thickness t ₉₁ of the anode 955 has become thicker, when the thickness t ₉₃ than to form a thin organic functional layer 957a, the organic functional layer disconnection in the portion indicated by the arrow K Produce. That is, the organic functional layer 957a and the organic functional layer 957b are discontinuous from the portion indicated by the arrow K as a boundary. In this case, there arises a problem that the anode 955 and the cathode 908 are short-circuited at the stepped portion.

  In order to prevent the occurrence of step breaks as described above, it is conceivable to increase the thickness of the organic functional layer. However, when such a configuration is adopted, the anode 955 and the cathode 908 The electrical resistance between the two increases. Therefore, in order to obtain a desired luminance, it is necessary to apply a higher voltage, and the deterioration of the organic light emitting layer in the organic functional layer is promoted, which may cause a problem that the lifetime is reduced.

  The present invention has been made to solve the above-described problem. The light emitting region is wide, the thickness of the organic functional layer in the light emitting region is maintained uniform, and the organic functional layer is not broken. Therefore, it is an object of the present invention to provide a long-life organic EL display panel, a manufacturing method thereof, and an organic EL display device having excellent light emission characteristics.

    In order to achieve the above object, an organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention is formed over a substrate, an insulating layer disposed over the substrate, and an insulating layer, and corresponds to a predetermined pixel region. A first bank disposed on the surface of the insulating layer, including an aluminum layer or an aluminum alloy layer, wherein the surface portion of the aluminum layer or the aluminum alloy layer is a reflective portion having a predetermined reflectance. An electrode, an organic functional layer formed on the upper surface of the first electrode and including at least an organic light emitting layer, light disposed above the organic functional layer and irradiated upward from the organic functional layer, and downward from the organic functional layer A second electrode that transmits the irradiated light and the light reflected by the reflecting portion of the first electrode. In the organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, the first electrode is disposed in the opening of the bank so that the end of the first electrode is separated from the end of the bank facing the opening, and is included in the first electrode. The aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer to be formed has a thickness of 40 [nm] or more and 200 [nm] or less, and the organic functional layer is a thickness of the first electrode or more. The first electrode is formed from the upper surface to the side surface of the end portion.

  In the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the film thickness of the aluminum layer or the aluminum alloy layer (hereinafter referred to as “metal layer”) in the first electrode is 40 [nm] or more and 200 [nm] or less. With the predetermined film thickness, the surface portion of the metal layer of the first electrode becomes a reflection portion having a predetermined reflectance with respect to the light emitted from the organic light emitting layer in the organic functional layer. That is, when the film thickness of the metal layer in the first electrode is less than 40 [nm], the amount of light reflected downward from the organic light emitting layer in the organic functional layer to the second electrode is reduced, and light emission Although the efficiency is lowered, high luminous efficiency can be obtained by setting the thickness of the metal layer in the first electrode to 40 [nm] or more.

  In the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the organic functional layer is greater than or equal to the predetermined thickness of the first electrode, and the organic layer extends from the top surface of the first electrode to the side surface of the end portion. A configuration in which a functional layer is formed is employed. For this reason, in the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the organic functional layer is reduced by adopting the thickness of the organic functional layer with respect to the first electrode and the form of forming the organic functional layer with respect to the first electrode. It is not necessary to make it thicker than necessary, there is no problem of a decrease in life due to an increase in electrical resistance between the first electrode and the second electrode, and the step of the organic functional layer at the end of the first electrode No cutting or extreme thinning.

  Further, in the organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, the end of the first electrode and the end of the bank facing the opening are separated from each other. Similar to the technique proposed in Document 3, the thickness of the organic functional layer on the first electrode can be made uniform. Therefore, the light emission characteristics are excellent.

  As described above, in the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting region is wide, the thickness of the organic functional layer in the light emitting region is maintained uniform, and the organic functional layer is disconnected. There is no. Therefore, the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention has a long lifetime while having excellent light emission characteristics.

1 is a schematic block configuration diagram showing a configuration of an organic EL display device 1 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional end view showing a partial configuration of an organic EL display panel 10. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional end view showing a partial configuration of an organic EL display panel 10. FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing a part of the organic EL display panel 10 extracted. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional end view showing the vicinity of an end portion of an anode 105 in an organic EL display panel 10. FIG. (A) is a schematic cross-sectional end view showing the mutual positional relationship between the anode 105 and the organic functional layer 107 in the organic EL display panel 10 according to Embodiment 1, and (b) is an organic EL according to a comparative example. FIG. 10 is a schematic cross-sectional end view showing a mutual arrangement relationship between an anode 955 and an organic functional layer 957 in a display panel. It is a characteristic view showing the relationship between the wavelength of light and the reflectance for each film thickness of the metal layer 1051. It is a characteristic view which shows the relationship between the film thickness of the metal layer 1051 for every luminescent color, and a reflectance. (A) is a schematic cross-sectional view used for defining the film thickness t ₃ when the organic functional layer 107 has a two-layer structure, and (b) shows a case where the organic functional layer 117 has a three-layer structure. it is a schematic cross-sectional view used to define the thickness t _13, (c) is a schematic sectional view used to define the thickness t232 of the charge injection layer 1271 included in the organic functional layer 127. FIGS. 4A to 4D are schematic process diagrams illustrating a part of the manufacturing process of the organic EL display panel 10. FIGS. 4A to 4C are schematic process diagrams illustrating a part of the manufacturing process of the organic EL display panel 10. (A), (b) is a schematic process drawing which shows a part of manufacturing process of the organic electroluminescence display panel 10. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional end view showing a partial configuration of an organic EL display panel 30 according to Embodiment 2. FIG. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing a partial configuration of an organic EL display panel 40 according to Embodiment 3. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional end view showing a partial configuration of an organic EL display panel 40. FIG. It is a schematic cross section end view which shows a partial structure of the organic electroluminescence display panel which concerns on a prior art. (A), (b) is a schematic cross section end view which shows the cross-sectional shape of the edge part of the organic functional layers 927 and 937 used as a problem in a prior art. It is a schematic cross-sectional end view showing the end cross-sectional shape of the organic functional layer 957 in the vicinity of the end of the anode 955 which is a problem in the related art related to improvement.

[Aspect of the Invention]
An organic EL display panel according to an aspect of the present invention includes a substrate, an insulating layer disposed above the substrate, a bank formed above the insulating layer and defining an opening corresponding to a predetermined pixel region. A first electrode disposed on the surface of the insulating layer, including an aluminum layer or an aluminum alloy layer, wherein the surface portion of the aluminum layer or the aluminum alloy layer is a reflective portion having a predetermined reflectance, and an upper surface of the first electrode An organic functional layer including at least an organic light emitting layer, light disposed on the organic functional layer and irradiated upward from the organic functional layer, and light irradiated downward from the organic functional layer. And a second electrode that transmits light reflected by the reflecting portion of the one electrode. In the organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, the first electrode is disposed in the opening of the bank so that the end of the first electrode is separated from the end of the bank facing the opening, and is included in the first electrode. The aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer to be formed has a thickness of 40 [nm] or more and 200 [nm] or less, and the organic functional layer is a thickness of the first electrode or more. The first electrode is formed from the upper surface to the side surface of the end portion.

In the present specification, the peripheral edge of the first electrode is referred to as an “end”.
In the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the film thickness of the aluminum layer or the aluminum alloy layer (hereinafter referred to as “metal layer”) in the first electrode is 40 [nm] or more and 200 [nm] or less. With the predetermined film thickness, the surface portion of the metal layer of the first electrode becomes a reflection portion having a predetermined reflectance with respect to light irradiated downward from the organic light emitting layer in the organic functional layer. That is, when the film thickness of the metal layer in the first electrode is less than 40 [nm], the amount of light reflected from the organic light emitting layer in the organic functional layer to the second electrode is reduced, and the luminous efficiency is reduced. Although the reduction is caused, high luminous efficiency can be obtained by setting the thickness of the metal layer in the first electrode to 40 [nm] or more.

  In the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the organic functional layer is greater than or equal to the predetermined thickness of the first electrode, and the organic layer extends from the top surface of the first electrode to the side surface of the end portion. A configuration in which a functional layer is formed is employed. For this reason, in the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the organic functional layer is reduced by adopting the thickness of the organic functional layer with respect to the first electrode and the form of forming the organic functional layer with respect to the first electrode. It is not necessary to make it thicker than necessary, there is no problem of a decrease in life due to an increase in electrical resistance between the first electrode and the second electrode, and the step of the organic functional layer at the end of the first electrode No cutting or extreme thinning.

  In the organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, since the end portion of the first electrode and the end portion of the bank facing the opening are separated from each other, the light emitting region can be widened and the first The thickness of the organic functional layer on the electrode can be made uniform. Therefore, the light emission characteristics are excellent.

  As described above, in the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting region is wide, the thickness of the organic functional layer in the light emitting region is maintained uniform, and the organic functional layer is disconnected. There is no. Therefore, the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention has a long lifetime while having excellent light emission characteristics.

  Further, in the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, in the above structure, the first electrode has a transparent conductive layer provided on the upper surface of the metal layer (aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer). You can also Thereby, it is possible to prevent the reflectivity of the surface portion of the metal layer from being lowered during the manufacturing process and to increase the degree of freedom in the cavity design.

  In the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, in the above structure, the thickness of the metal layer (aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer) included in the first electrode is 43 [nm] or more and 200 [nm] or less. A configuration in which the film thickness is a predetermined thickness may be employed. Thus, by setting the film thickness of the metal layer to 43 [nm] or more, it is possible to maintain a high reflectance at the surface portion of the metal layer while preventing the occurrence of stepping of the organic functional layer. Specifically, the reflectance at the surface portion of the metal layer can be a stable value of 89 [%] or more. Therefore, when this configuration is adopted, the optical characteristics can be further improved.

  In the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, in the above structure, the thickness of the metal layer (aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer) included in the first electrode is 40 [nm] or more and 120 [nm] or less. A configuration in which the film thickness is a predetermined thickness may be employed. First, by defining the upper limit of the thickness of the metal layer as 120 [nm], the thickness of the entire first electrode can be further reduced without reducing the reflectance at the surface portion of the metal layer, Occurrence of breakage of the organic functional layer at the end can be more effectively prevented. Therefore, when adopting the above configuration, a short circuit between the first electrode and the second electrode can be more reliably prevented.

  In addition, when the film thickness of the first electrode including the metal layer is increased and the film thickness of the organic functional layer is also increased in conjunction with this, as described above, between the first electrode and the second electrode, The electric resistance increases, and the amount of current flowing during this period decreases. For this reason, when such a configuration is employed, the amount of light emitted from the organic light emitting layer decreases against the increase in the distance between the first electrode and the second electrode. In particular, when the film thickness of the metal layer in the first electrode is thicker than 120 [nm] and the film thickness of the first electrode is increased accordingly, the decrease in the light emission amount in the organic light-emitting layer may be As large as it cannot be used.

  On the other hand, in the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the thickness of the metal layer of the first electrode is 120 [nm] or less, and accordingly, the thickness of the organic functional layer is also reduced. The voltage applied between the first electrode and the second electrode can be reduced, and as a result, the power consumption as the organic light emitting device can be suppressed. Even when the applied voltage is reduced in this way, a large current flows, so that it has excellent light emitting performance as an organic light emitting device. Therefore, it is possible to obtain an effect of long life while having excellent light emission characteristics.

  In the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, in the above structure, the thickness of the metal layer (aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer) included in the first electrode is 43 nm or more and 120 nm or less. A configuration in which the film thickness is a predetermined thickness may be employed. In the case of adopting the above configuration, the reflectance at the surface portion of the metal layer in the first electrode can be stabilized at a high value of 89 [%] or more. As a result, the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention has excellent optical characteristics. In addition, as the thickness of the metal layer is within the above range, the thickness of the first electrode can be further reduced along with this, and the occurrence of disconnection of the organic functional layer is prevented, The voltage applied between the second electrode can be reduced.

Therefore, the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention has excellent optical characteristics and a long lifetime.
In the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, in the above structure, the thickness of the metal layer (aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer) included in the first electrode is 50 [nm] or more and 100 [nm] or less. A configuration in which the film thickness is a predetermined thickness may be employed. In the case of adopting this configuration, the first electrode can be made as thin as possible with the thickness of the metal layer, and the first electrode in which the thickness of the metal layer exceeds 100 [nm] is adopted. It is possible to ensure the same reflectivity as that in the case of doing so. Therefore, the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention has excellent optical characteristics and can further reduce the thickness of the organic functional layer, so that it is between the first electrode and the second electrode. The voltage applied to can be reduced.

As described above, the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention has an effect of having excellent optical characteristics and a long lifetime.
In the organic EL display panel according to an aspect of the present invention, in the above structure, the organic functional layer includes at least one of a charge injection layer or a charge transport layer formed on the first electrode, A structure in which at least one of the formed charge injection layer or charge transport layer has a thickness greater than or equal to a predetermined thickness of the first electrode and is formed from the upper surface of the first electrode to the side surface of the end portion. Can also be adopted. As described above, when the organic functional layer includes at least one of the charge injection layer and the charge transport layer, the organic functional layer has excellent charge injection properties and excellent light emission characteristics. Since the charge injection layer or the charge transport layer is formed from the upper surface to the side surface of the end portion of the first electrode, the organic functional layer can be reliably prevented from being disconnected at the end portion of the first electrode. And the second electrode can be prevented from being short-circuited.

  In the organic EL display panel according to an aspect of the present invention, in the above structure, the organic functional layer has an organic light emitting layer above at least one of the charge injection layer and the charge transport layer formed on the first electrode. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the layer is provided with a layer.

  In the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, in the above structure, the organic functional layer is a layer including a charge injection layer, a charge transport layer, and an organic light emitting layer, and the charge injection layer is on the first electrode. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the charge injection layer is formed so that the thickness of the charge injection layer is equal to or greater than a predetermined thickness of the first electrode and is formed from the upper surface of the first electrode to the side surface of the end portion.

  In the organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, in the above configuration, a configuration in which an inner angle formed by the side surface of the end portion of the first electrode and the substrate is 90 [°] or less can be employed. . When adopting this configuration, it becomes possible to more reliably prevent the organic functional layer disposed above the first electrode from causing a break at the end of the first electrode, Generation | occurrence | production of the short circuit between a 1st electrode and a 2nd electrode can be prevented reliably.

  Further, in the organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, since the end of the first electrode is disposed away from the end of the bank facing the opening, the organic film is applied in the vicinity of the bank. Although it may be unstable, in the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, since the first electrode does not exist below the region, the region does not emit light (non-light emitting region). Therefore, in the organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, there is little variation in coating shape in the light emitting region, the organic functional layer has a uniform film state including film thickness, and luminance unevenness in the pixel is small. The effect of long life can be obtained.

  In the organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, a configuration in which the predetermined pixel region is a region for each pixel and the bank defines the opening for each pixel may be employed. it can. That is, a so-called pixel bank configuration can be adopted as an example.

  In the organic EL display panel according to an aspect of the present invention, the predetermined pixel region is a region in which a plurality of pixels are arranged in a line, and the bank has the openings arranged in a line. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which each pixel is defined. That is, a so-called line bank configuration can be adopted as an example.

  An organic EL display device according to one embodiment of the present invention includes any one of the above organic EL display panels. Therefore, the organic EL display device according to one embodiment of the present invention also has a long lifetime while having excellent light emission characteristics for the same reason as described above.

The method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to an aspect of the present invention includes the following steps.
(First step) A substrate is prepared.
(Second step) An insulating film is disposed above the substrate.

    (Third step) An insulating layer including a first electrode including a metal layer (aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer) and having a surface portion of the metal layer (aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer) as a reflective portion having a predetermined reflectance. Place on the surface.

(Fourth Step) A bank for defining an opening corresponding to a predetermined pixel region is formed above the insulating film.
(Fifth Step) An organic functional layer including at least the organic light emitting layer is formed to a thickness equal to or larger than a predetermined thickness of the first electrode from the upper surface of the first electrode to the side surface of the end portion.

    (6th process) The 2nd electrode which permeate | transmits the light irradiated upward from the organic light emitting layer, and the light irradiated below from the organic light emitting layer, and reflected by the reflection part of the 1st electrode It arrange | positions above the said organic light emitting layer.

  In the method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, in the above, the first electrode is disposed in the opening of the bank so that the end of the first electrode is spaced apart from the end of the bank facing the opening. A configuration is employed in which the thickness of a metal layer (aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer) included in one electrode is a predetermined thickness of 40 [nm] or more and 200 [nm] or less.

  In the method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, the metal layer (aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer) has a thickness of 40 [nm] or more and 200 [nm] or less. The surface part forms the 1st electrode used as the reflection part which has a predetermined reflectance with respect to the light irradiated from the organic light emitting layer in an organic functional layer. By setting the film thickness of the metal layer to 40 [nm] or more, it is possible to form the first electrode in which the reflection portion on the surface portion has high light emission efficiency.

  In the method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, the thickness of the organic functional layer is set to a thickness equal to or larger than a predetermined thickness of the first electrode, and from the upper surface to the end of the first electrode. The organic functional layer is formed over the side surface. For this reason, when using the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescence display panel which concerns on 1 aspect of this invention, the organic electroluminescence display panel manufactured is the film thickness of the organic functional layer with respect to a 1st electrode, and formation of the organic functional layer with respect to a 1st electrode By adopting the form, it is not necessary to increase the film thickness of the organic functional layer more than necessary, and there is no problem of a decrease in life due to an increase in electrical resistance between the first electrode and the second electrode, Further, the organic functional layer at the end of the first electrode is not cut off or extremely thinned.

  Further, in the method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, the end of the first electrode and the end of the bank facing the opening are separated from each other. And an organic EL display panel in which the thickness of the organic functional layer on the first electrode is uniform can be manufactured. Therefore, the organic EL display panel manufactured using the method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention has excellent light emission characteristics.

  As described above, in the method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting region is wide, the film thickness of the organic functional layer in the light emitting region is uniformly maintained, and the step of the organic functional layer is performed. The organic EL display panel produced without breakage has a long life while having excellent light emission characteristics.

  In the method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, in the third step, the first electrode is formed by providing a transparent conductive layer on the upper surface of the metal layer (aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer). Can be adopted. Thereby, it is possible to prevent the reflectivity of the surface portion of the metal layer from being lowered during the manufacturing process and to increase the degree of freedom in the cavity design.

  Further, in the method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, in the third step, the first electrode patterned in a predetermined shape is formed by wet etching, whereby the end portion of the first electrode is formed. It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the inner angle formed between the side surface and the substrate is 90 [°] or less. Since wet etching is isotropic etching, when the first electrode is patterned by wet etching, the inner angle formed between the side surface of the end of the first electrode and the substrate is preferably set to 90 [°] or less. It is.

  When the first electrode is patterned by wet etching as described above, the inner angle formed by the side surface of the end portion of the first electrode and the substrate is set to 90 [°] or less, so that the first electrode is disposed above the first electrode. It is possible to more reliably prevent the formed organic functional layer from being broken at the end of the first electrode. Therefore, in the method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, an organic EL display panel in which occurrence of a short circuit between the first electrode and the second electrode is reliably prevented can be manufactured.

Needless to say, the organic EL display panel manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention can use dry etching in addition to the wet etching.
In the method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, in the above structure, the organic functional layer is formed by a wet coating method of any one of an inkjet method, a die coating method, and a spin coating method. It can also be adopted. A wet coating method such as an inkjet method, a die coating method, or a spin coating method is a method capable of forming a continuous organic functional layer in a large area. For this reason, when forming an organic functional layer using any of these methods, an organic functional layer having a uniform film thickness on the first electrode is obtained while preventing disconnection at the end of the first electrode. Suitable for forming.

  In the method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to an aspect of the present invention, in the above configuration, the organic functional layer includes at least one of a charge injection layer or a charge transport layer formed on the first electrode. At least one of the charge injection layer and the charge transport layer formed on the electrode has a thickness greater than or equal to a predetermined thickness of the first electrode, and is formed from the upper surface of the first electrode to the side surface of the end portion. It is also possible to adopt the configuration of. As described above, when the organic functional layer includes at least one of the charge injection layer and the charge transport layer, the organic functional layer has excellent charge injection properties and excellent light emission characteristics. Since the charge injection layer or the charge transport layer is formed from the upper surface to the side surface of the end portion of the first electrode, the organic functional layer can be reliably prevented from being disconnected at the end portion of the first electrode. And the second electrode can be prevented from being short-circuited.

  In the method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to one aspect of the present invention, in the above structure, the organic functional layer is a layer in which an organic light emitting layer is provided above at least one of the charge injection layer and the charge transport layer. It is also possible to adopt a configuration that there is.

  In the method for manufacturing an organic EL display panel according to one embodiment of the present invention, in the above structure, the organic functional layer is a layer including a charge injection layer, a charge transport layer, and an organic light emitting layer, and the charge injection layer is the first. A structure in which the charge injection layer is formed on the electrode so that the thickness of the charge injection layer is greater than or equal to a predetermined thickness of the first electrode, and the charge injection layer is formed from the upper surface of the first electrode to the side surface of the end portion. Can also be adopted.

Below, the form for implementing this invention is demonstrated using a few examples.
The embodiment used in the following description is an example used to explain the configuration, operation, and effect of the present invention in an easy-to-understand manner, and the present invention is not limited to the following form other than its essential part. It is not something to receive.

[Embodiment 1]
1. Overall Configuration of Organic EL Display Device 1 Hereinafter, an organic EL display device 1 as an example of a light emitting device will be described.

The overall configuration of the organic EL display device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1, the organic EL display device 1 includes an organic EL display panel 10 and a drive control unit 20 connected thereto. The organic EL display panel 10 is a panel using an electroluminescence phenomenon of an organic material, and a plurality of organic EL elements are arranged in a matrix, for example. The drive control unit 20 includes four drive circuits 21 to 24 and a control circuit 25.

In the actual organic EL display device 1, the arrangement of the drive control unit 20 with respect to the display panel 10 is not limited to this.
2. Configuration of Organic EL Display Panel 10 The configuration of the organic EL display panel 10 will be described with reference to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional end view obtained by cutting a part of the configuration of the organic EL display panel 10 in the Y-axis direction in FIG. 1, and shows an end surface of the CC ′ cross-section in FIG. 4. On the other hand, FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional end view obtained by cutting a part of the configuration of the organic EL display panel 10 in the X-axis direction in FIG. 1, and shows an end surface of the DD ′ cross section in FIG.

In FIG. 4, other components are not shown for easy understanding of the relationship between the anode 105 and the bank 106.
First, as shown in FIG. 2, the organic EL display panel 10 is formed using a substrate 101 as a base. On the substrate 101, a TFT (thin film transistor) layer 102, a passivation film 103, and a planarization film 104 are sequentially stacked. In FIG. 2, only the source or drain (SD electrode) which is a part of the configuration of the TFT layer 102 is illustrated.

  A bank 106 that defines an opening corresponding to a pixel is formed on the planarization film 104 that is an insulating layer. An anode 105 is formed in the pixel region defined by the bank 106 on the planarizing film 104. The anode 105 is formed by laminating a metal layer 1051 and a transparent conductive layer 1052 in this order from the planarization film 104 side. The anode 105 is also continuously formed in the contact hole 104 a opened in the planarizing film 104 and is connected to the SD electrode of the TFT layer 102.

  The metal layer 1051 in the anode 105 is a layer made of aluminum (Al) or an aluminum alloy (Al alloy), and the transparent conductive layer 1052 is a layer made of ITO (indium tin oxide) or IZO (indium zinc oxide).

The arrangement relationship between the bank 106 and the anode 105 in the organic EL display panel 10 will be described with reference to FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4, the bank 106 in the organic EL display panel 10 is a so-called pixel bank, and an element 106a extending in the X-axis direction and an element 106b extending in the Y-axis direction are integrated. Is formed. Each opening defined by the bank 106 corresponds to one pixel, and the anode 105 is disposed in each opening. Note that the anode 105 in each pixel is connected to the SD electrode of the TFT layer 102 through a contact hole 104a.

  Returning to FIG. 2, the organic functional layer 107 is laminated on the anode 105. The organic functional layer 107 is a layer including at least an organic light emitting layer, and may further include a charge injection layer, a charge transport layer, a charge injection transport layer, or the like.

  2, in the organic EL display panel 10 according to the present embodiment, the end of the anode 105 is in a state of being separated from the end of the bank 106 that faces the opening. In the separated portion, the organic functional layer 107 is formed in contact with the surface of the planarization film 104.

  A cathode 108 is formed on the organic functional layer 107. The cathode 108 is provided in common over all the pixels in the organic EL display panel 10, and is also formed on the bank 106. A sealing layer 109 is formed on the cathode 108.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in the organic EL display panel 10, the DD ′ cross section of FIG. 4 is basically the same as the CC ′ cross section shown in FIG. 2 except that there is no contact hole 104a. It has a configuration. As shown by an arrow B portion in FIG. 3, the end portion of the anode 105 is also separated from the end portion of the bank 106 facing the opening in the D-D ′ cross section. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the region where the anode 105 is formed in each pixel is the light emitting region 100, and the other region including the region where the bank 106 is formed is the non-light emitting region 150.

  In the organic EL display panel 10, holes are supplied from the anode 105, electrons are injected from the cathode 108, these are sent to the organic functional layer 107, and light is emitted by recombination in the organic light emitting layer. The light emitted from the organic light emitting layer of the organic functional layer 107 includes a component traveling toward the cathode 108 and a component traveling toward the anode 105. The light component directed toward the anode 105 is reflected by the surface on the upper side of the Z-axis and the surface layer portion of the metal layer 1051 of the anode 105 and travels toward the cathode 108. Thus, the surface portion of the metal layer 1051 in the anode 105 also serves as a reflection portion having a predetermined reflectance.

3. Main materials constituting organic EL display panel 10 a) Substrate 101
The substrate 101 is, for example, alkali-free glass, soda glass, non-fluorescent glass, phosphate glass, boric acid glass, quartz, acrylic resin, styrene resin, polycarbonate resin, epoxy resin, polyethylene, polyester, silicone resin. Or an insulating material such as alumina.

b) Planarization film 104
The planarization film 104 is formed using an organic compound such as polyimide, polyamide, or acrylic resin material.

c) Metal layer 1051 in the anode 105
As described above, the metal layer 1051 in the anode 105 is formed using aluminum (Al) or an aluminum (Al) alloy. In the case of the organic EL display panel 10 according to this embodiment of the top emission type, it is preferable that the surface portion has high reflectivity.

d) Transparent conductive layer 1052 in the anode 105
The transparent conductive layer 1052 in the anode 105 is formed using a transparent conductive material such as ITO (indium tin oxide) or IZO (indium zinc oxide).

e) Bank 106
The bank 106 is formed using an organic material such as resin and has an insulating property. Examples of the organic material used for forming the bank 106 include acrylic resin, polyimide resin, and novolac type phenol resin. The bank 106 preferably has organic solvent resistance. Furthermore, since the bank 106 may be subjected to an etching process, a baking process, or the like during the manufacturing process, the bank 106 should be formed of a highly resistant material that does not excessively deform or alter the process. Is preferred. In addition, the surface can be treated with fluorine to give water repellency.

  When the bank 106 is formed using a lyophilic material, the difference in lyophilicity / liquid repellency between the surface of the bank 106 and the surface of the organic functional layer 107 is reduced, and the This is because it becomes difficult to selectively hold ink containing an organic substance in the opening defined by the bank 106 in order to form the organic light emitting layer.

  Furthermore, as for the structure of the bank 106, not only a single layer structure as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, but also a multilayer structure of two or more layers can be adopted. In this case, the above materials can be combined for each layer, and an inorganic material and an organic material can be used for each layer.

f) Organic functional layer 107
The organic light emitting layer included in the organic functional layer 107 has a function of emitting light by generating an excited state by injecting and recombining holes and electrons as described above. As a material used for forming the organic light emitting layer, it is necessary to use a light emitting organic material that can be formed by a wet printing method.

  Specifically, for example, an oxinoid compound, a perylene compound, a coumarin compound, an azacoumarin compound, an oxazole compound, an oxadiazole compound, a perinone compound, and pyrrolopyrrole described in Japanese Patent Publication (JP-A-5-163488). Compound, naphthalene compound, anthracene compound, fluorene compound, fluoranthene compound, tetracene compound, pyrene compound, coronene compound, quinolone compound and azaquinolone compound, pyrazoline derivative and pyrazolone derivative, rhodamine compound, chrysene compound, phenanthrene compound, cyclopentadiene compound, stilbene compound , Diphenylquinone compound, styryl compound, butadiene compound, dicyanomethylenepyran compound, dicyanomethylenethiopyran compound, fluorene In compounds, pyrylium compounds, thiapyrylium compounds, serenapyrylium compounds, telluropyrylium compounds, aromatic ardadiene compounds, oligophenylene compounds, thioxanthene compounds, anthracene compounds, cyanine compounds, acridine compounds, 8-hydroxyquinoline compound metal complexes, 2- It is preferably formed of a fluorescent substance such as a metal complex of a bipyridine compound, a Schiff salt and a group III metal complex, an oxine metal complex, or a rare earth complex.

  The organic functional layer 107 may include a charge injection layer interposed on the anode 105 side with respect to the organic light emitting layer. In this case, as a constituent material of the charge injection layer, for example, a conductive polymer material such as PEDOT (a mixture of polythiophene and polystyrene sulfonic acid) can be employed.

g) Cathode 108
The cathode 108 is formed using, for example, ITO (indium tin oxide) or IZO (indium zinc oxide). In the case of the top emission type organic EL display panel 10 as in the present embodiment, it is preferably formed of a light transmissive material. About light transmittance, it is preferable that the transmittance | permeability shall be 80 [%] or more.

  In addition to the above, the material used for forming the cathode 108 includes, for example, a layer structure containing an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, or a halide thereof, or a layer containing silver in any one of the above layers. A structure in which the layers are stacked in this order can also be used. In the above, the layer containing silver may be formed of silver alone, or may be formed of a silver alloy. In order to improve the light extraction efficiency, a highly transparent refractive index adjusting layer can be provided on the silver-containing layer.

h) Sealing layer 109
The sealing layer 109 has a function of suppressing exposure of the organic light emitting layer or the like in the organic functional layer 107 to moisture or air. For example, SiN (silicon nitride), SiON (oxynitriding) It is formed using a material such as silicon.

  Further, a sealing resin layer made of a resin material such as an acrylic resin or a silicone resin may be provided on a layer formed using a material such as SiN (silicon nitride) or SiON (silicon oxynitride).

In the case of the organic EL display panel 10 according to the present embodiment that is a top emission type, the sealing layer 109 is preferably formed of a light transmissive material.
4). Relationship between Anode 105, Bank 106, and Organic Functional Layer 107 The relationship between anode 105, bank 106, and organic functional layer 107 will be described with reference to FIGS.

As shown in FIG. 5, the organic EL display panel 10 according to the present embodiment, the end P ₁ of the anode 105, distribution from the end P ₂ of the bank 106 facing the opening in a state of being separated by a distance d ₁ Has been. This state is realized by narrowing the width of the bank 106. Therefore, the organic EL display panel 10 can have a wider opening than the organic EL display panel according to the related art shown in FIG. 16, and has excellent light emission characteristics. This is because the anode 105 is not formed immediately below the organic functional layer 107 in the interval d1, but the organic functional layer 107 is surrounded by the two-dot chain line in FIG. This is because light is emitted by the electric field generated in the portion indicated by.

Further, the spaced portions by a distance _{d 1,} will be organic functional layer 107 is formed on the planarization layer 104, Therefore, as shown in FIG. 17 (a) and FIG. 17 (b), the anode 105 The problem of non-uniform thickness of the organic functional layer 107 does not occur.

Thickness t ₂ of the metal layer 1051 at the anode 105 is set so that the reflectance for reflecting light emitted from the organic light emitting layer in the organic functional layer 107 to the side of the cathode 108 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value Yes. Specific thickness _{t 2} is in the range of 40 [nm] or more 200 [nm] or less, desirably, the lower limit value is 43 [nm], the upper limit is 120 [nm], more preferably The lower limit is 50 [nm], and the upper limit is 100 [nm]. For example, in the case of the lower limit of the predetermined range of the film thickness t ₂ and 43 [nm] it can be as illustrated in FIG. 8 to be described later, to obtain a 89% or more stable reflectivity.

In the present embodiment, the thickness t ₃ of the organic functional layer 107 is set to be equal to or greater than the thickness t _{1 of} the anode 105, and is formed from the upper surface 105 a to the end side surface 105 b of the anode 105. Yes. By adopting the relationship between the film thicknesses t ₁ and t ₃ as described above, the organic functional layer 107 does not become stepped or extremely thin at the end of the anode 105 as shown by the arrow E portion. .

  The prevention of the disconnection of the organic functional layer 107 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 (a) and 6 (b). FIG. 6A schematically shows the anode 105 and the organic functional layer 107 according to this embodiment, and FIG. 6B shows the anode 955 and the organic functional layer 957 according to the comparative example. Is schematically illustrated.

First, as shown in FIG. 6 (a), as in the present embodiment, when the film thickness t ₃ of the organic functional layer 107 is set to a film thickness t ₁ or more of the thickness of the anode 105 The organic functional layer 107 is formed from the upper surface 105a of the anode 105 to the end side surface 105b. Incidentally, as described above, the thickness t ₂ of the metal layer 1051 of the anode 105, because the relationship between the reflectance is required to be within the above range, the film thickness t ₃ of the organic functional layer 107, It is defined by a relative relationship with the film thickness t _{1 of the} anode 105 including the film thickness t ₂ of the metal layer 1051.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, the internal angle θ formed by the end side surface 105b of the anode 105 and the upper surfaces of the substrate 101 and the planarizing film 104 is 90 [°] or less. This also prevents the organic functional layer 107 from being disconnected at the arrow F portion.

As described above, the organic functional layer 107 does not break off at the end portion of the anode 105 as indicated by an arrow F portion in FIG.
Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, in the comparative example, the film thickness t ₉₃ of the organic functional layer 957 on the anode 955 has a smaller relationship than the film thickness t _{91 of the} anode 955. In the prior art, the anode 955 including the metal layer 9551 is formed in the same process as the bus bar (not shown), resulting in the film thickness t ₉₂ of the metal layer 9551 and the film thickness t ₉₂ of the anode 955. ₉₁ is thicker. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 6B, the organic functional layer 957 may break off at the arrow G portion (the end of the anode 955). Then, the organic functional layer 957 is disconnected, and the organic functional layer 957a on the upper surface 955a of the anode 955 and the organic functional layer 957b covering the end side surface 955b of the anode 955 are not continuous, and the transparent conductive layer of the anode 955 9552 is short-circuited with the cathode (not shown in FIG. 6B) at the arrow G portion.

5). Main effects of organic EL display panel 10 and organic EL display device 1 including the same In organic EL display panel 10 according to the present embodiment, metal layer 1051 (aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer) of anode 105 serving as the first electrode. referring to a film thickness _{t 2} (Figure 5) a.), and 40 [nm] or more to a predetermined thickness, thereby, the surface portion of the metal layer 1051 of the anode 105, the organic light-emitting layer in the organic functional layer 107 It becomes a reflection part which has predetermined | prescribed reflectance with respect to the light irradiated from. That is, when the film thickness t ₂ of the metal layer 1051 at the anode 105 and less than 40 [nm] is the amount of light reflected to the cathode 108 side of the light emitted from the organic light emitting layer in the organic functional layer 107 is reduced, the emission efficiency decreases, but as in the present embodiment, the thickness t ₂ of the metal layer 1051 at the anode 105 by a 40 [nm] or more, it is possible to obtain high luminous efficiency.

In the organic EL display panel 10 according to the present embodiment, the film thickness t ₃ of the organic functional layer 107 is set to be equal to or larger than the film thickness t _{1 of the} anode 105 (see FIG. 5 and the like), and the upper surface of the anode 105. A configuration in which the organic functional layer 107 is formed from 105a to the end side surface 105b is employed (see FIG. 6A). For this reason, in the organic EL display panel 10, the film thickness t ₃ of the organic functional layer 107 with respect to the anode 105 and the above-described formation form of the organic functional layer 107 with respect to the anode 105 are employed. It is not necessary to make t ₃ thicker than necessary, and there is no problem of a decrease in life due to an increase in electrical resistance between the anode 105 and the cathode 108, and the organic functional layer 107 at the end of the anode 105 does not have a problem. There will be no disconnection or extreme thinning (see FIGS. 5 and 6A). Incidentally, the thickness _{t 2} of the metal layer 1051 at the anode 105, along with the reduction of the thickness _{t 1} of the anode 105 for the prevent disconnection can be reduced, specifically, 200 [nm] or less The thickness may be preferably 120 [nm] or less, and more preferably 100 [nm] or less.

Also, FIG. 2, as shown in such Figures 3 and 5, the organic EL display panel 10, an end portion P ₁ of the anode 105, and another is spaced an end P ₂ of the bank 106 facing the opening Therefore, the light emitting region can be widened and the thickness of the organic functional layer 107 on the anode 105 can be made uniform. Therefore, the light emission characteristics are excellent.

As described above, in the organic EL display panel 10 and the organic EL display device 1 including the organic EL display panel 10 according to the present embodiment, the light emitting region is wide and the film thickness t ₃ of the organic functional layer 107 in the light emitting region is kept uniform. In addition, the organic functional layer 107 is not broken. Therefore, the organic EL display panel 10 and the organic EL display device 1 including the same have a long life while having excellent light emission characteristics.

6). The optimum range of the thickness _{t 2} of the metal layer 1051 in the optimum range anode 105 having a thickness _{t 2} of the metal layer 1051 at the anode 105, for explaining the examination results reference to FIGS. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis represents the wavelength of the measurement light of the spectrophotometer used when measuring the reflectance of the metal layer 1051, and the vertical axis represents the reflectance of the metal layer 1051. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the measured thickness of the metal layer 1051 and the reflectance at each thickness with respect to the measurement data of FIG. The horizontal axis in FIG. 8 is the film thickness of the metal layer 1051, and the vertical axis is the reflectance of the metal layer 1051.

As shown in FIG. 7, in each sample with a metal layer thickness of 43 [nm] to 98 [nm], the reflectance is approximately 89 [%] in the wavelength range of 450 [nm] to 600 [nm]. That's it.
On the other hand, in the samples with the metal layer thicknesses of 33 [nm] and 35 [nm], the reflectance is about 85 [%] in the wavelength range of 450 [nm] to 600 [nm].

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8, red (R: λ = 600 [nm]), green (G: λ = 530 [nm]), blue in the range where the thickness of the metal layer is 40 [nm] or more. In all the wavelength regions of (B: λ = 460 [nm]), the reflectance was 88 [%] or more. When the film thickness of the metal layer is 43 [nm] or more, the reflectance is 89 [%] or more, and when the film thickness is 50 [nm] or more, the reflectance is approximately 90 [%]. It was.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 8, in all the wavelength ranges of red (R: λ = 600 [nm]), green (G: λ = 530 [nm]), and blue (B: λ = 460 [nm]). As for the film thickness of the metal layer, the reflectance is approximately 90 [%] and a constant value within a range of 50 [nm] or more.

Note that the upper limit of the thickness t ₂ of the metal layer 1051 of the anode 105 is not particularly required from the viewpoint of reflectance as described above, but the step of the organic functional layer 107 is broken as described above. considering that attempts to reduce the thickness _{t 2} of the anode 105 from the viewpoint of prevention, 200 [nm] or less, preferably 120 [nm] or less, more desirably 100 [nm] or less.

Thus, the range of the thickness _{t 2} of the metal layer 1051 at the anode 105, 40 [nm] or more 200 [nm] or less, desirably, 43 [nm] or more 200 [nm] or less, or 40 [nm] to 120 [nm] or less, and more desirably 43 [nm] or more and 120 [nm] or less, or 50 [nm] or more and 100 [nm] or less.

7). In the above description, the organic functional layer 107 includes at least the organic light emitting layer. The definition including variations will be described with reference to FIG.

  (1) First, as shown in FIG. 9A, the organic functional layer 107 can be a stacked structure of a charge injection layer 1071 and an organic light emitting layer 1072. In this case, the charge injection layer 1071 is laminated on the transparent conductive layer 1052 in the anode 105, and the organic light emitting layer 1072 is laminated thereon.

In the case of adopting this configuration, the “film thickness t ₃ of the organic functional layer 107” means the thickness obtained by adding the film thickness t ₃₂ of the charge injection layer 1071 and the film thickness t ₃₁ of the organic light emitting layer 1072. It becomes.

(2) Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the organic functional layer 117 may be a three-layer structure including a charge injection layer 1171, an organic light emitting layer 1172, and an electron transport layer 1173. In this case, the “film thickness t ₁₃ of the organic functional layer 117” in comparison with the film thickness t _{1 of the} anode 105 is the sum of the film thickness t ₁₃₂ of the charge injection layer 1171 and the film thickness t ₁₃₁ of the organic light emitting layer 1172. In the comparison with the thickness t _{1 of the} anode 105, the thickness t ₁₃₃ of the electron transport layer 1173 is not included in the comparison.

(3) Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, the organic functional layer 127 may be a laminated structure having a three-layer structure including a charge injection layer 1271, a charge transport layer 1274, and an organic light emitting layer 1272. In this case, the “film thickness t ₂₃ of the organic functional layer 127” in comparison with the film thickness t _{1 of the} anode 105 is the film thickness t ₂₃₂ of the charge injection layer 1271, the film thickness t ₂₃₄ of the charge transport layer 1274, and organic light emission. a thickness obtained by adding the thickness _{t 231} of the layer 1172.

When an electron transport layer or the like is interposed on the organic light emitting layer 1272 in FIG. 9C, the film thickness of the electron transport layer is compared with the film thickness t _{1 of the} anode 105 as described above. Shall not be included.

8). Manufacturing Method of Organic EL Display Panel 10 A manufacturing method of the organic EL display panel 10 will be described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 12 are sectional end views in main processes.

As shown in FIG. 10A, a substrate 101 is prepared.
Next, the TFT layer 102 and the passivation film 103 are formed on the main surface 101a of the substrate 101 (see FIG. 10B). In FIG. 10B as well, only the SD electrode is shown for the TFT layer 102 as described above.

  Next, a planarization film 104 that is an insulating layer is formed on the main surface 103 a of the passivation film 103 that is above the substrate 101. As shown in FIG. 10C, for the planarizing film 104, a contact hole 104a is formed in a portion corresponding to the SD electrode of the TFT layer 102, and the passivation film 103 in the portion is also housed. The surface of the SD electrode of the TFT layer 102 is exposed at the bottom.

  Next, a film for forming the metal layer 1051 and a film for forming the transparent conductive layer 1052 are sequentially stacked on the main surface 104 b of the planarization film 104. Both films are also formed on the side wall surrounding the contact hole 104a. Then, this is patterned by photolithography and etching to form the anode 105 that is a stacked structure of the metal layer 1051 and the transparent conductive layer 1052 (see FIG. 10D). Here, either dry etching or wet etching can be employed for patterning, but in particular, when wet etching is employed, the wet etching is isotropic etching, so Since the inner angle of the end portion can be 90 [°] or less, it is preferable.

Next, a film for forming the bank 106 is formed by sputtering on the main surface of the planarizing film 104 exposed without forming the anode 105. Then, a bank 106 that defines an opening corresponding to the pixel region is formed by photolithography and wet etching (see FIG. 11A). As shown in FIG. 11A, the end of the bank 106 facing the opening is formed with a distance d ₁ from the end of the anode 105.

  Next, the ink 1070 for forming the organic functional layer 107 is applied to the opening defined by the bank 106 including the main surface 105a of the anode 105 (see FIG. 11B). At this time, the ink 1070 does not continue between adjacent openings due to the liquid repellency of the surface of the bank 106.

  Next, the organic functional layer 107 is formed in the opening defined by the bank 106 by drying the ink 1070 (see FIG. 11C). In addition, when the organic functional layer 107 adopts a two-layer structure or a structure of three or more layers as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C, ink application and drying for forming each layer are performed. Will be executed repeatedly.

  Next, the cathode 108 is formed on the entire region including the main surface 107a of the organic functional layer 107 and the surface of the bank 106 (see FIG. 12A). Here, the cathode 108 can be formed by a sputtering method or the like.

Next, a sealing layer 109 is stacked on the surface 108a of the cathode 108 (see FIG. 12B).
[Embodiment 2]
The configuration of the organic EL display panel 30 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 13 with a focus on differences from the first embodiment. FIG. 13 corresponds to the sectional end view shown in FIG. 2 in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the organic EL display panel 30 according to the present embodiment is different from the organic EL display panel 10 according to the first embodiment in that the anode 305 has a single layer structure of a metal layer. Also in the organic EL display panel 30, the end of the anode 305 is in a state of being separated from the end of the bank 106 facing the opening, the region where the anode 305 is formed is the light emitting region 300, and the other regions are This is a non-light emitting region 350.

  Also in the organic EL display panel 30 according to the present embodiment, the film thickness of the anode 305 is set in the range of 40 [nm] or more and 200 [nm] or less, and the film thickness of the organic functional layer 107 is the film of the anode 305. It is thicker than the thickness. The organic functional layer 107 is formed from the upper surface of the anode 305 to the end side surface.

  As described above, the organic EL display panel 30 according to the present embodiment and the organic EL display device including the same have the same effects as the organic EL display panel 10 and the organic EL display device 1 described above.

[Embodiment 3]
The configuration of the organic EL display panel 40 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 14 and 15, focusing on the differences from the first embodiment. 14 corresponds to the plan view shown in FIG. 4 in the first embodiment, and FIG. 15 corresponds to the sectional end view shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the organic EL display panel 40 according to the present embodiment is characterized in that the bank 406 has a so-called line bank structure. That is, as shown in FIG. 14, the bank 406 is composed of a plurality of elements extending in the Y-axis direction. The plurality of elements may be continuous with each other at the end, or conversely, each may be in a separated state.

  FIG. 15 is a schematic cross-sectional end view showing an end face of the H-H ′ cross section of a part of the organic EL display panel 40 in FIG. 14. As shown in FIG. 15, since the organic EL display panel 40 employs a bank 406 (see FIG. 14) having a line bank structure, the bank 406 is not interposed between adjacent pixels in the Y-axis direction.

  As shown in FIG. 15, also in this embodiment, the organic functional layer 407 is formed from the upper surface to the end side surface of the anode 105, and the cathode 408 and the sealing layer 409 are sequentially stacked thereon. . Therefore, also in the organic EL display panel 40, the region where the anode 105 is formed is the light emitting region 400, and the other region is the non-light emitting region 450.

  In addition, about the organic electroluminescent display panel 40, although illustration is abbreviate | omitted about the cross-section of the X-axis direction of FIG. 14, the said structure is the same as that of the said Embodiment 1. FIG. That is, in the X-axis direction, the end of the anode 105 is in a state of being separated from the end of the bank 406 facing the opening. Also in this embodiment mode, the thickness of the metal layer 1051 in the anode 105 is set within a range of 40 [nm] to 200 [nm], and the thickness of the organic functional layer 407 is equal to that of the anode 105. It is thicker than the film thickness.

As described above, the organic EL display panel 40 according to the present embodiment and the organic EL display device including the same have the same effects as those of the first embodiment.
[Other matters]
In the first, second, and third embodiments, the anodes 105 and 305 are disposed below the organic functional layers 107, 117, 127, and 407 in the Z-axis direction, that is, on the substrate 101 side. Although the cathodes 108 and 408 are arranged above, the arrangement relationship between the anode and the cathode can be reversed upside down. In this case, in the organic functional layer, an electron injection layer or an electron transport layer is disposed in a region on the substrate 101 side with respect to the organic light emitting layer. In this case, the "film thickness of the organic functional layer" The film thickness up to the level including the organic light emitting layer is defined by integrating from the substrate 101 side.

  Further, in FIGS. 1 to 15 used in the description of the first, second, and third embodiments, the sizes of the respective parts are not shown with strict relative values. Appropriate changes can be made upon application. Even in this case, it is necessary to define the thickness of the metal layer in the anode within the above range and to make the thickness of the organic functional layer larger than the thickness of the anode.

  The present invention is useful for realizing a long-life organic EL display panel and an organic EL display device having excellent light emission characteristics.

1. Organic EL display 10, 30, 40. Organic EL display panel 20. Drive control part 21-24. Drive circuit 25. Control circuit 100, 300, 400. Light emitting area 101. Substrate 102. TFT layer 103. Passivation film 104. Planarization film 105,305. Anode 106,406. Bank 107,117,127,407. Organic functional layer 108,408. Cathode 109,409. Sealing layer 150, 350, 450. Non-light emitting area 1051. Metal layer 1052. Transparent conductive layer 1070. Ink 1071, 1171, 1271. Charge injection layers 1072, 1172, 1272. Organic light emitting layer 1173. Electron transport layer 1274. Charge transport layer

Claims (20)

A substrate,
An insulating layer disposed above the substrate;
A bank formed above the insulating layer and defining an opening corresponding to a predetermined pixel region;
A first electrode that is disposed on the surface of the insulating layer, includes an aluminum layer or an aluminum alloy layer, and the surface portion of the aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer is a reflective portion having a predetermined reflectance;
An organic functional layer formed on an upper surface of the first electrode and including at least an organic light emitting layer;
Light that is disposed above the organic functional layer and is irradiated upward from the organic functional layer, and light that is irradiated downward from the organic functional layer and reflected by the reflecting portion of the first electrode; A second electrode that passes through,
Including
The first electrode is disposed in the opening of the bank, the end of the first electrode being spaced apart from the end of the bank facing the opening,
The film thickness of the aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer included in the first electrode is a predetermined film thickness of 40 nm or more and 200 nm or less,
The organic functional layer has a thickness equal to or greater than a predetermined thickness of the first electrode, and is formed from the upper surface of the first electrode to the side surface of the end portion.
Organic EL display panel. The first electrode has a transparent conductive layer provided on the upper surface of the aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer.
The organic EL display panel according to claim 1. The film thickness of the aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer included in the first electrode is a predetermined film thickness of 43 nm or more and 200 nm or less,
The organic EL display panel according to claim 1. The film thickness of the aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer included in the first electrode is a predetermined film thickness of 40 nm or more and 120 nm or less,
The organic EL display panel according to claim 1. The film thickness of the aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer included in the first electrode is a predetermined film thickness of 43 nm or more and 120 nm or less,
The organic EL display panel according to claim 1. The film thickness of the aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer included in the first electrode is a predetermined film thickness of 50 nm to 100 nm,
The organic EL display panel according to claim 1. The organic functional layer includes at least one of a charge injection layer or a charge transport layer formed on the first electrode,
At least one of the charge injection layer or the charge transport layer formed on the first electrode has a film thickness equal to or greater than a predetermined film thickness of the first electrode, and the upper surface of the first electrode Formed over the side of the end,
The organic EL display panel according to claim 1. The organic functional layer is a layer in which the organic light emitting layer is provided above at least one of the charge injection layer or the charge transport layer formed on the first electrode.
The organic EL display panel according to claim 7. The organic functional layer is a layer including a charge injection layer, a charge transport layer and the organic light emitting layer,
The charge injection layer is formed on the first electrode;
The charge injection layer has a thickness equal to or greater than a predetermined thickness of the first electrode, and is formed from the upper surface of the first electrode to the side surface of the end portion.
The organic EL display panel according to claim 1. The internal angle formed by the side surface of the end portion of the first electrode and the substrate is 90 degrees or less.
The organic EL display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 9. The region of the predetermined pixel is a region for each pixel,
The bank defines the opening for each pixel.
The organic EL display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The region of the predetermined pixel is a region where a plurality of pixels are arranged in a line,
The bank defines the opening for each of a plurality of pixels arranged in the line shape.
The organic EL display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 10. An organic EL display device comprising the organic EL display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 12. A first step of preparing a substrate;
A second step of disposing an insulating film above the substrate;
A third step of disposing, on the surface of the insulating layer, a first electrode that includes an aluminum layer or an aluminum alloy layer, and the surface portion of the aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer is a reflective portion having a predetermined reflectance;
A fourth step of forming a bank defining an opening corresponding to a region of a predetermined pixel above the insulating film;
A fifth step of forming an organic functional layer including at least an organic light emitting layer in a film thickness equal to or greater than a predetermined film thickness of the first electrode from an upper surface of the first electrode to a side surface of an end;
A second electrode that transmits light emitted upward from the organic light emitting layer and light reflected downward from the organic light emitting layer and reflected by the reflecting portion of the first electrode is used as the organic material. A sixth step disposed above the light emitting layer;
Including
The first electrode is disposed in the opening of the bank so that the end of the first electrode is spaced apart from the end of the bank facing the opening, and the thickness of the aluminum layer or the aluminum alloy layer included in the first electrode Is a predetermined film thickness of 40 nm or more and 200 nm or less,
Manufacturing method of organic EL display panel. In the third step, the first electrode is formed by providing a transparent conductive layer on the upper surface of the aluminum layer or aluminum alloy layer.
The manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent display panel of Claim 14. In the third step, by forming the first electrode patterned into a predetermined shape by wet etching,
An internal angle formed by the side surface of the end of the first electrode and the substrate is 90 degrees or less,
The manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescence display panel of any one of Claims 14 thru | or 15. The organic functional layer is formed by a wet coating method of any one of an inkjet method, a die coating method, and a spin coating method.
The manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescence display panel of any one of Claim 14 thru | or 16. The organic functional layer includes at least one of a charge injection layer or a charge transport layer formed on the first electrode,
At least one of the charge injection layer or the charge transport layer formed on the first electrode has a film thickness equal to or greater than a predetermined film thickness of the first electrode, and the upper surface of the first electrode Formed over the side of the end,
The manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescence display panel of any one of Claims 14 thru | or 17. The organic functional layer is a layer in which the organic light emitting layer is provided above at least one of the charge injection layer or the charge transport layer.
The manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent display panel of Claim 18. The organic functional layer is a layer including a charge injection layer, a charge transport layer and the organic light emitting layer,
The charge injection layer is formed on the first electrode;
The charge injection layer has a thickness equal to or greater than a predetermined thickness of the first electrode, and is formed from the upper surface of the first electrode to the side surface of the end portion.
The manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescence display panel of any one of Claims 14 thru | or 17.

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