JP2012089339A - Sealing jig and device sealing method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a sealing jig and a device sealing method which can easily seal a device such as an organic electroluminescence (EL) element without large-scale equipment and even in a place, like an inside of a glove box, where a work range is restricted.SOLUTION: A sealing jig for sealing a device by attaching a sealing sheet on the device, comprises a plurality of pillars in the vicinity of one end of the jig, and a recessed portion having an opening of which depth is equal to or less than the thickness of the device and on which the device can be placed. A device sealing method is provided by using the sealing jig.

Description

  The present invention relates to a sealing jig used for sealing a device by attaching a sealing sheet, and a device sealing method.

In recent years, organic electronics has attracted attention as a technology that can form displays, circuits, batteries, etc. on flexible transparent plastic substrates at low temperatures close to room temperature using coating and printing methods. Research and development is ongoing. For example, organic electroluminescence (EL) elements are attracting attention for application to liquid crystal displays and EL displays as light-emitting elements capable of high-luminance emission by low-voltage direct current drive.
However, when the organic EL element is driven for a certain period of time, there is a problem that the light emission characteristics of light emission luminance, light emission efficiency, and light emission uniformity are deteriorated compared to the initial stage. Causes of deterioration include oxidation of the electrode due to oxygen and moisture entering the organic EL element, modification of the organic light emitting element material, oxidative decomposition of the organic light emitting element material due to heat during driving, and the like. Therefore, in order to avoid contact with moisture and oxygen, it has been studied to seal the organic EL element with a sealing material.

Although a method for sealing an organic EL element has not been established, for example, a method of sealing by adhering the periphery of a glass sealing material having a hollow portion with an adhesive so as not to contact the element Is mentioned. However, this sealing method has problems that it takes time to seal and that the sealing material is expensive.
On the other hand, a sealing method such as laminating and laminating an organic EL element and a sealing sheet is also conceivable. The sealing sheet is a laminated sheet composed of a sealing pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and a substrate, and is preferable in that it is cheaper than the glass sealing material.
It is desirable to seal a device such as an organic EL element under conditions that prevent moisture and oxygen from entering the device during operation. For example, a method and an apparatus that perform sealing under reduced pressure conditions in an inert gas atmosphere are known (see Patent Document 1). However, in order to perform sealing under reduced pressure conditions, a large apparatus such as a vacuum chamber is required.
Therefore, a method of sealing the device in a glove box in an inert gas atmosphere such as nitrogen or argon is also conceivable. However, since the working range is remarkably limited in the glove box, it is difficult to perform a precise work of aligning and bonding the device and the sealing sheet. In particular, a large amount of time and labor are required when the number of sealed sheets is large.
Then, development of the simple and easy sealing jig | tool for sticking a sealing sheet and sealing a device is desired.

JP 2007-035514 A

  The present invention provides a sealing treatment capable of easily sealing a device such as an organic EL element with a sealing sheet without using a large-scale apparatus and in a place where the work range is limited as in a glove box. An object is to provide a device and a device sealing method.

The present invention is (1) a sealing jig for affixing a sealing sheet to a device to seal the device, having a plurality of support posts near one end of the jig, A sealing jig provided with a recess having an opening that can be placed on the device, and (2) a method of sealing the device by attaching a sealing sheet to the device The recessed portion of the sealing jig having a plurality of support columns in the vicinity of one end, and having a recessed portion having a depth equal to or smaller than the thickness of the device and capable of mounting the device. The above-mentioned device is placed, and the post is inserted into the insertion hole of the adhesive sheet having a plurality of insertion holes through which the post can be inserted and the sealing sheet is temporarily bonded to a portion other than the insertion hole. After the sealing sheet and the device are brought into contact with each other, the sealing sheet is Device sealing method of attaching to the device by pressing the bets,
It is.

  According to the sealing jig and the device sealing method of the present invention, various devices such as organic EL elements, solar cells, and organic / inorganic thin film transistors can be easily and easily sealed with a sealing sheet.

(A) is a top view which shows an example of the jig | tool for sealing of this invention, (b) is the side view. FIG. 3 is a perspective view of an example of a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet in which a sealing jig on which a device to be sealed is placed and a sealing sheet are temporarily bonded to a recess provided in the sealing jig of the present invention. . It is the elements on larger scale which show an example of the upper surface of the sealing jig main part which further provided the recessed part for inserting / removing a device from the recessed part provided in the jig | tool for sealing of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the device sealing method using the jig | tool for sealing of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the sealing sheet used for this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows an example of the adhesive sheet to which the sealing sheet used for this invention was temporarily bonded. (A) is a top view which shows an example of the plate-shaped pressing jig used when pressing a sealing sheet and sticking to a device, (b) is the side view. (A) is a top view which shows an example of the roll-shaped pressing jig used when pressing a sealing sheet and sticking to a device, (b) is the side view, (c) is the perspective view. is there.

[Sealing jig]
The sealing jig of the present invention includes a sealing jig main body and a plurality of support columns. A recess is provided on the upper surface of the sealing jig main body.
Fig.1 (a) is a top view of an example of the sealing jig | tool based on this invention, (b) is the side view. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a sealing jig in which a device is placed in a recess and an adhesive sheet on which a sealing sheet is temporarily bonded.
1 and 2, 1 is a sealing jig, 11 is a sealing jig main body, 12 is a support column, and 13 is a recess having an opening in which a device can be placed.
In FIG. 2, 2 is a device, 3 is an adhesive sheet, 31 is an insertion hole provided in the vicinity of one end of the adhesive sheet, and 4 is a sealing sheet.
The size of the sealing jig 1 can be appropriately selected according to the area and shape of the device 2 to be sealed, but is large enough to enter the glove box from the viewpoint of easy control of the atmosphere during the sealing operation. It is preferable.

The shape of the sealing jig main body 11 is not particularly limited, but can be made long, for example, as shown in FIGS. It is preferable that the upper surface of the sealing jig body 11 is smooth.
The material of the sealing jig main body 11 is not particularly limited as long as it has mechanical strength that can withstand a series of device sealing steps described later. For example, a metal, a plastic, etc. are mentioned. Especially, it is preferable that the material of the jig body 11 for sealing is made of polytetrafluoroethylene. This is because, in the device sealing method described later, after the sealing sheet 4 is pressed and attached to the device 2, it is easy to peel the adhesive sheet 3 from the sealing jig body 11.
Further, the sealing jig main body 11 has a sealing jig main body so that the sealing jig 1 does not move when a sealing sheet is attached to the device in the device sealing method described later. A metal member made of stainless steel or the like having a high specific gravity may be joined to the lower portion of 11 or anti-slip processing may be performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of support columns 12 are arranged near one end of the upper surface of the sealing jig main body 11. When the sealing sheet 4 is pasted, the number of the support posts 12 is less likely to be displaced after the support posts 12 are inserted into the insertion holes 31 of the adhesive sheet 3 to which the sealing sheet 4 is temporarily bonded, and the alignment is stabilized. From the viewpoint that it is possible to do it, it is preferably 3 or more, more preferably 4 or more.

The arrangement of the plurality of struts 12 is not particularly limited, but when there are three or more struts 12, it is preferable that they are not on the same straight line. Further, it is preferable that the plurality of support columns 12 are provided at positions separated to some extent without contacting each other.
The height of the support 12 is not particularly limited, but when the sealing sheet 4 is attached to the device 2, the insertion hole 31 of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 to which the sealing sheet 4 is temporarily bonded does not come off from the support 12, and From the viewpoint that the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 can be easily removed from the support column 12 at the end of sticking, it is preferably 5 mm to 5 cm.
Moreover, the thickness of the support | pillar 12 is the adhesive sheet which temporarily bonded the sealing sheet 4 when applying force, such as tension | pulling, to the adhesive sheet 3 which temporarily bonded the sealing sheet 4 at the time of sticking of the sealing sheet 4 If 3 breakage does not occur, there is no particular limitation. The cross-sectional shape of the support column 12 is not particularly limited. From the viewpoint of preventing breakage of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 to which the sealing sheet 4 is temporarily bonded when the sealing sheet 4 is pasted, an acute angle such as circular, elliptical, or quadrangular. It is preferable that it is a shape which does not have.
The material of the support column 12 should have a mechanical strength that does not deform the shape when a force such as tension is applied to the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 to which the sealing sheet 4 is temporarily bonded when the sealing sheet 4 is applied. There is no particular limitation. For example, a metal, a plastic, etc. are mentioned.

The recess 13 has a depth that is equal to or less than the thickness of the device 2 and has an opening in which the device 2 can be placed. If the depth of the recess 13 is deeper than the thickness of the device 2, the device 2 and the sealing sheet 4 may not contact each other in the device sealing method described later, and the sealing sheet 4 may not be attached. A plurality of the recesses 13 are provided as shown in FIGS.
The opening part of the recessed part 13 should just be a shape which can mount the device 2, and it is preferable that it is a shape which can fix the device 2 from a viewpoint that it is easy to perform alignment with the device 2 and the sealing sheet 4. FIG. For example, the shape is similar to that of the device 2 and has an opening that is large enough to mount the device 2.
As shown in FIG. 3, the recess 13 may further include a recess 14 for inserting and removing the device 2. For example, by inserting a tip such as tweezers into the recess 14, the device 2 placed in the recess 13 can be easily taken out.

[Device sealing method]
FIG. 4 is a view showing an example of a device sealing method using the sealing jig of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the sealing sheet 4. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an example of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 to which the sealing sheet 4 is temporarily bonded.
With reference to FIGS. 4-6, the sealing method of the device 2 using the jig | tool 1 for sealing of this invention is demonstrated still in detail.
First, as shown in FIG. 4A, the device 2 is placed in a plurality of recesses 13 provided on the upper surface of the sealing jig main body 11. Although the device 2 is not particularly limited, for example, an element to be sealed is formed on a substrate such as glass, and various devices such as an organic EL element, a solar cell, and an organic / inorganic thin film transistor are exemplified. The device 2 is placed in the recess 13 so that an element to be sealed is on top.
Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, a plurality of insertion holes 31 provided in the vicinity of one end of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 to which the sealing sheet 4 is temporarily bonded are provided on the upper surface of the sealing jig body 11. The provided support columns 12 are inserted.
In the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3, insertion holes 31 are provided at positions facing the plurality of support columns 12 provided in advance on the upper surface of the sealing jig main body 11. The opening of the insertion hole 31 is slightly larger than the diameter of the column 12, and the column 12 can be inserted.

The pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 is preferably a sheet in which a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer is provided on a substrate. Although there is no restriction | limiting in particular in the base material used for the adhesive sheet 3, The material which is hard to fracture | rupture by the tensile force at the time of aligning the sealing sheet 4 and the device 2, and the press at the time of pressing a sealing sheet Further, in order to facilitate the alignment between the device 2 and the sealing sheet 4, it is preferable that the device 2 is transparent or translucent. For example, what was illustrated as the base material 41 of the sealing sheet 4 mentioned later is mentioned.
The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 is preferably slightly adhesive so that it can be easily peeled off from the jig body 11 for sealing and the device 2 after the sealing sheet 4 is attached to the device 2. As the pressure-sensitive adhesive forming such a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, a known one can be used. The pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 is more preferably subjected to antistatic processing. In FIG. 4B, the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 becomes a surface in contact with the upper surface of the sealing jig main body 11.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the sealing sheet 4 is a sheet in which at least a base material 41 and a sealing adhesive layer 42 are laminated. Moreover, if desired, a release sheet 43 may be laminated on the sealing adhesive layer 42.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the base material 41, A various thing can be used. Specifically, sheets made of polyolefins such as polyethylene and polypropylene, polyesters such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, polyimides, polyamides, and the like; those obtained by depositing metal such as aluminum, magnesium, zinc and tin A silicon compound such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, polysilazane compound, polycarbosilane compound, polysilane compound, polyorganosiloxane compound or tetraorganosilane compound, aluminum compound such as aluminum oxide or aluminum oxynitride; Laminated with inorganic oxides such as magnesium oxide, zinc oxide, indium oxide and tin oxide; paper made of fine paper, impregnated paper, etc .; metal foil such as aluminum foil, copper foil and iron foil; non-woven fabric; synthetic paper etc Used.
As the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 42 for sealing, those usually used as the pressure-sensitive adhesive forming the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer, for example, acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive, rubber-based pressure-sensitive adhesive, polyurethane-based pressure-sensitive adhesive, and silicone-based pressure-sensitive adhesive can be used. Of these, rubber pressure-sensitive adhesives are preferred from the viewpoint of gas barrier properties.
The sealing sheet 4 is created, for example, by forming the sealing adhesive layer 42 on the base material 41 by applying a sealing adhesive by a known method.

The sealing sheet 4 is one or more devices placed in the recess 13 provided on the upper surface of the sealing jig body 11 when the support 12 is inserted through the insertion hole 31 on the adhesive sheet 3. 2 is preferably preliminarily bonded to the device 2 side, that is, a surface (adhesive layer surface) in contact with the upper surface of the sealing jig main body 11 of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 so as to face the position 2.
6A and 6B show an example of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 to which the sealing sheet 4 is temporarily bonded.
As a method of temporarily adhering the sealing sheet 4 to the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3, the base material 41 comes to the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer surface of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 after the sealing sheet 4 is cut into a shape corresponding to the device 2 by punching or the like. In this manner, the sealing sheet 4 may be temporarily bonded so as to be in a position facing the device 2 (FIG. 6A). Although not shown, the release sheet 43 may be laminated on the sealing sheet 4.
Further, a half cut is performed from the base material 41 side of the sealing sheet 4 to the release sheet 43 by a punching process or the like so as to obtain a shape corresponding to the device 2, and a cut is made on the release sheet 43 to a shape corresponding to the device 2. The sealing sheet 4 may be temporarily bonded to the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer side of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 in a state where the sealing sheet 4 thus laminated is laminated (FIG. 6B). The release sheet 43 is peeled off when the sealing sheet 4 is attached to the device 2.
The pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 to which the sealing sheet 4 is temporarily bonded is preferably annealed before being attached to the device 2 to remove excess moisture contained in the sealing sheet 4.

As shown in FIG. 4B, a plurality of support columns 12 that can be inserted into the insertion holes 31 are provided on the upper surface of the sealing jig main body 11 at positions facing the insertion holes 31 of the adhesive sheet 3. By inserting the support 12 into the insertion hole 31, the device 2 placed in the recess 13 of the sealing jig and the sealing sheet 4 temporarily bonded to the adhesive sheet 3 are easily aligned. The sealing sheet 4 and the device 2 can be brought into contact with each other.
Next, the sealing sheet 4 that is brought into contact with the device 2 is pressed from above the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 so that the sealing sheet 4 is attached to the device 2 and the device 2 is sealed.
Here, when the sealing sheet 4 is pressed from above the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3, a pressing jig or the like can be used.
As shown in FIG. 4 (c), the surface on the pressure-sensitive adhesive layer side of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 is placed on the upper surface of the sealing jig main body 11 from the end side where the support column 12 of the sealing jig 1 is provided. Using the pressing jig 5, the sealing sheet 4 is pressed from above the adhesive sheet 3, and the pressing jig 5 is moved in the direction opposite to the side where the support column 12 is provided. It is preferable to attach the sealing sheet 4 to the device 2 to be performed.
At this time, the device 2 and the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 4 do not come into contact with each other, by supporting the end of the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 opposite to the insertion hole 31 with an appropriate force and applying a tensile force, so that bubbles and the like are mixed. The sealing sheet 4 can be uniformly adhered to the device 2 and sealed.

The pressing jig 5 is not particularly limited as long as it can press the device 2 and the sealing sheet 4 from above the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 in the device sealing method of the present invention. 7, a plate-shaped pressing jig as shown in FIG. 7, and a roll-shaped pressing jig as shown in FIG.
The plate-like pressing jig 5 generally includes a squeegee for attaching a seal or the like, and the roll-shaped pressing jig 5 includes a laminate roll or the like.
From the viewpoint of easily pressing the sealing sheet 4, the pressing jig 5 is preferably plate-shaped. Moreover, since the part which touches the adhesive sheet 3 of the press jig | tool 5 is an acute angle, since it is easy to apply moderate force, it is preferable.
The size of the pressing jig 5 is not particularly limited as long as it can press the device 2 and the sealing sheet 4 from above the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 and affix the sealing sheet 4 to the device 2.

In addition, the pressing jig 5 may be configured only by the pressing jig main body 51, or may be configured by providing the pressing jig main body 51 with the flexible portion 52. The latter is preferable from the viewpoint that the sealing sheet 4 is easily pressed and stuck.
When the pressing jig 5 is plate-shaped, a flexible portion 52 can be provided at the tip of the pressing jig main body 51 as shown in FIG. When the pressing jig 5 is in a roll shape, a flexible portion 52 can be provided on the outer periphery of the pressing jig main body 51 as shown in FIG.
The material of the pressing jig main body 51 is not particularly limited as long as it has a mechanical strength that can withstand a series of sealing processes described later and is easy to handle, and examples thereof include metals and plastics.
The flexible portion 52 provided in the pressing jig main body 51 does not damage the device 2 or the upper surface of the sealing jig main body 11 when the sealing sheet 4 is pressed and stuck to the device 2. It is provided to make it. The material of the flexible portion 52 is not particularly limited as long as it is a material having flexibility, and examples thereof include felt; cloth; sponge; elastic body such as rubber;

  In the device sealing method of the present invention, after sticking the sealing sheet to the device, the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3 is peeled from the upper surface of the sealing jig main body 11. At this time, the sealed device 2 may also be peeled from the recess 13 of the sealing jig main body 11 simultaneously with the pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 3. Further, when the sealed device 2 remains in the recess 13, it can be taken out by inserting a tip of a tweezers into the recess 14.

  According to the sealing jig and the device sealing method of the present invention, the organic EL can be easily and easily performed in a place where the working range is limited as in a glove box without using a large-scale apparatus. Various devices such as elements, solar cells, and organic / inorganic thin film transistors can be sealed with a sealing sheet.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Sealing jig | tool 11 Sealing jig | tool main-body part 12 Support | pillar 13 The recessed part 14 which has the opening part which can mount a device The recessed part 2 for inserting / removing a device 2 Device 3 Adhesive sheet 31 Insertion hole 4 Sealing sheet 41 Substrate 42 Sealing adhesive layer 43 Release sheet 5 Pressing jig 51 Pressing jig body 52 Flexible part

Claims (2)

  A sealing jig for affixing a sealing sheet and a device to seal the device, having a plurality of support columns near one end of the jig, and having a depth equal to or less than the thickness of the device A sealing jig provided with a recess having an opening on which the device can be placed.   A method of sealing a device by attaching a sealing sheet to a device, the device having a plurality of support columns in the vicinity of one end, an opening having a depth equal to or less than the thickness of the device and capable of placing the device The device is placed in the recess of a sealing jig provided with a recess having a portion, and the sealing sheet is temporarily bonded to a portion other than the insertion hole having a plurality of insertion holes through which the support column can be inserted. A device sealing method for inserting the support column into the insertion hole of the adhesive sheet, bringing the sealing sheet and the device into contact with each other, and then pressing the sealing sheet to attach the device to the device .

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