JP2015215952A - Method for manufacturing organic electroluminescent device, and organic electroluminescent device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing an organic EL device, which is arranged to facilitate the detachment of a support base from a sealed organic EL device.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing an organic EL device arranged so that a sealing base material is bonded through an adhesion layer to an organic EL structure formed on a base material and arranged by laminating at least, a first electrode, an organic luminescent layer and a second electrode in this order comprises the steps of: detachably bonding a first support base composed of a resin film to the sealing base material on the side opposite to its bonding face with the organic EL structure; detachably bonding a second support base composed of a resin film to the base material on the side opposite to a first electrode formation face thereof; bonding the sealing base material with the first support base bonded thereto to the organic EL structure formed on the base material with the second support base bonded thereto through the adhesion layer having a thickness of 20 μm or more and 50 μm or less; curing the adhesion layer in a state of the sealing base material remaining bonded to the organic EL structure formed on the base material; and detaching the support base after curing of the adhesion layer.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an organic electroluminescent element and an organic electroluminescent element.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an organic EL element including an organic electroluminescence (hereinafter also referred to as organic EL) structure as a self-light-emitting element has attracted attention. The organic EL element has a structure in which a light emitting layer of an organic compound (hereinafter also referred to as an organic light emitting layer or simply a light emitting layer) is sandwiched between two electrodes, a first electrode (anode) and a second electrode (cathode), on a substrate. The organic light emitting layer emits light by disposing an organic EL structure and supplying a current between the cathode and the anode.

  The light-emitting layer of the organic compound that constitutes the organic EL element is easily affected by moisture and oxygen, and when left in the air, the quality is deteriorated by moisture and oxygen. Therefore, it is called sealing in the manufacturing process of the organic EL element. A step of forming a protective layer on the organic EL structure for reducing the influence of the outside world is added. As a sealing technique for an organic EL structure, a technique is known in which a sheet-like sealing substrate is bonded to the organic EL structure to perform sealing.

  When sealing the organic EL structure formed on the substrate, an adhesive is applied only to the portion corresponding to the organic EL structure of the sheet-shaped sealing substrate patterned in accordance with the arrangement of the organic EL structure. It is difficult to work. For this reason, patterning the sealing base material (sealing member) with an adhesive and bonding to an organic EL structure is performed.

  Recently, with the expansion of applications of organic EL elements, organic EL elements in which an organic EL structure is formed on a thin film substrate made of a resin film or the like have also appeared. Since the thin film substrate is not rigid and difficult to handle during manufacturing or processing as it is, a rigid support substrate (support substrate) is used as the thin film substrate as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2. It is known that the supporting substrate is peeled off after the organic EL structure is formed on the thin film substrate by bonding to the substrate.

  When an organic EL structure is formed on a thin film substrate, it is desirable that the sealing substrate is also a thin film in order to take advantage of the thin film substrate thin film. Is required. Since the thin film sealing substrate is not as rigid as the thin film substrate, the supporting substrate is bonded to the sealing substrate before bonding the sealing substrate to the organic EL structure, It is desirable to improve handling such as processing of a thin-film sealing member. Moreover, it is desirable to peel a support base material also about the sealing base material of a thin film, after bonding to an organic electroluminescent structure.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-219791 JP 2012-186315 A

  However, peeling the support substrate from the organic EL structure formed on the thin film substrate, which is sealed with the thin film sealing substrate to which the support substrate is bonded, is a sealed organic material. This is difficult because the EL structure and the thin film substrate do not have rigidity. When a plurality of organic EL structures are formed on a support substrate and then cut into individual organic EL elements, it is particularly difficult because the organic EL elements are small. Thus, since it is difficult to peel off the supporting substrate, it is also difficult to obtain a thin-film organic EL element.

Therefore, the present invention provides an organic EL element sealed with a sealing substrate in order to obtain an organic EL element formed with an organic EL structure on a thin film substrate and sealed with a thin film sealing substrate. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing an organic EL element that facilitates peeling of a supporting substrate for improving handling.
Moreover, this invention makes it a subject to obtain the organic EL element of the thin film excellent in sealing performance with the manufacturing method of the organic EL element which makes peeling of a support base material easy.

  The object of the present invention is achieved by the following constitution.

  1. An organic electroluminescence structure formed on the base material in which at least the first electrode, the organic light emitting layer, and the second electrode are stacked in this order is sealed with an adhesive layer containing a curable adhesive. In the method for producing an organic electroluminescence element for bonding, the base material is a resin film and a barrier layer is formed on at least one surface, and the sealing base material is a resin film. A barrier layer is formed on at least one surface, and a first support substrate that is a resin film is provided on the side of the sealing substrate opposite to the bonding surface with the organic electroluminescence structure. The step of pasting in a peelable manner, and the sealing base material in which the first support base material is pasted on the organic electroluminescence structure formed on the base material has a thickness of 20 μm or more and 50 μm or less. The process of bonding via the lower adhesive layer and the sealing substrate bonded to the first support substrate bonded to the organic electroluminescence structure formed on the substrate The method for producing an organic electroluminescence element, comprising: a step of curing the adhesive layer; and a step of peeling the first support substrate from the sealing substrate after the adhesive layer is cured.

  2. An organic electroluminescence structure formed on the base material in which at least the first electrode, the organic light emitting layer, and the second electrode are stacked in this order is sealed with an adhesive layer containing a curable adhesive. In the method for producing an organic electroluminescence element for bonding, the base material is a resin film and a barrier layer is formed on at least one surface, and the sealing base material is a resin film. A barrier layer is formed on at least one surface, and before forming the organic electroluminescence structure on the substrate, a resin-made material is formed on the opposite side of the substrate from the first electrode formation surface. The step of pasting the second support base material, which is a film, in a peelable manner, and the organic electroluminescence structure formed on the base material on which the second support base material is pasted, the sealing base material The organic electroluminescence structure formed on the base material on which the second support base material is bonded, and the step of bonding via the adhesive layer having a thickness of 20 μm to 50 μm An organic electroluminescence comprising: a step of curing the adhesive layer in a state of being bonded to a body; and a step of peeling the second support base material from the base material after the adhesive layer is cured. Device manufacturing method.

  3. An organic electroluminescence structure formed on the base material in which at least the first electrode, the organic light emitting layer, and the second electrode are stacked in this order is sealed with an adhesive layer containing a curable adhesive. In the method for producing an organic electroluminescence element for bonding, the base material is a resin film and a barrier layer is formed on at least one surface, and the sealing base material is a resin film. A barrier layer is formed on at least one surface, and a first support substrate that is a resin film is provided on the side of the sealing substrate opposite to the bonding surface with the organic electroluminescence structure. Before the organic electroluminescence structure is formed on the substrate, the second support which is a resin film is provided on the opposite side of the first electrode formation surface of the substrate. The sealing which said 1st support base material bonded to the said organic electroluminescent structure formed on the said base material which said 2nd support base material bonded, and the process of bonding material so that peeling is possible The step of bonding the base material through the adhesive layer having a thickness of 20 μm or more and 50 μm or less, and the sealing base material on which the first support base material is bonded, the second support base material is bonded. The step of curing the adhesive layer in a state of being bonded to the organic electroluminescence structure formed on the substrate, and after the curing of the adhesive layer, from the organic electroluminescence element to the first support substrate, And a step of peeling off at least one of the second supporting substrates. A method for producing an organic electroluminescent element, comprising:

  4). Any of the above 1-3, wherein the resin film constituting at least one of the base material and the sealing base material is a resin film that transmits light emitted from the organic light emitting layer. The manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent element as described in one.

  5. 5. The method for producing an organic electroluminescent element as described in any one of 1 to 4, wherein the resin film constituting the sealing substrate is a resin film having a thickness of 50 μm or less.

  6). 6. The method for producing an organic electroluminescent element according to any one of 1 to 5, wherein the resin film constituting the substrate is a resin film having a thickness of 50 μm or less.

  7). 6. The method for producing an organic electroluminescence element as described in 5 above, wherein the resin film constituting the sealing substrate is a resin film having a thickness of 20 μm or more.

  8). 7. The method for producing an organic electroluminescence element as described in 6 above, wherein the resin film constituting the substrate is a resin film having a thickness of 20 μm or more.

  9. The organic as described in any one of 1 to 8 above, wherein the total thickness of the base material, the organic electroluminescence structure, the adhesive layer, and the sealing base material is 150 μm or less. Manufacturing method of electroluminescent element.

  10. 10. The method for producing an organic electroluminescence element according to any one of 1 to 9, wherein the adhesive layer includes a thermosetting adhesive.

  11. 11. An organic electroluminescence device manufactured by the method for manufacturing an organic electroluminescence device according to any one of 1 to 10 above.

According to the present invention, after sealing the organic EL structure formed on the substrate with the sealing substrate via the adhesive layer, the adhesive layer is cured to increase the rigidity of the organic EL element. The supporting base material can be easily peeled off from the stopped organic EL element to improve handling.
In addition, according to the present invention, a thin-film organic electroluminescent element excellent in sealing performance can be obtained.

(A)-(f) It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the preparation status change of an organic EL element. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the organic EL element concerning this invention. It is a process line figure showing a part of manufacturing method of an organic EL device concerning the present invention. (A)-(f) It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the preparation status change of the organic EL element by a modification. (A)-(h) It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the preparation status change of the organic EL element by a modification.

  Next, the organic EL manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate. The present invention is not limited to the following.

  In the production of an organic EL element, the present invention is a method for improving the handleability of a base material and a sealing base material. The structure is sealed. For this reason, in order to exhibit the characteristics that it is a thin film of the organic EL element which uses a base material and a sealing base material, it is necessary to remove a support base material. There are several methods for facilitating the removal of the supporting substrate from the organic EL element after sealing, and one of them is to increase the rigidity of the organic EL element in the present invention, so that the supporting base is removed from the organic EL element. The method that makes it easy to peel off the material is adopted.

  As a means for increasing the rigidity of the organic EL element, a means for increasing the rigidity by increasing the film thickness of the base material and the sealing base material can be considered. This means is easy to perform because the film thickness can be easily controlled, but the organic EL element to be manufactured is inevitably thick. For this reason, it is difficult to employ when producing a thin-film organic EL element.

  Therefore, in the present invention, in order to make the supporting substrate easy to peel from the organic EL element by increasing the rigidity of the organic EL element while maintaining the thin film thickness of the base material and the sealing substrate, By increasing the thickness of the adhesive layer while maintaining the sealing performance of the organic EL structure by the above, the rigidity of the organic EL element is increased, and the supporting base material is easily peeled from the organic EL element.

<Configuration of organic EL element>
An example of the organic EL element 1 is shown in FIG. In addition, in each drawing after this including FIG. 1, each figure is represented typically. As shown in FIG. 1 (f), the organic EL element 1 produced according to the present invention is bonded to the organic EL structure 4 provided on the substrate 18 and the organic EL structure 4 by the adhesive layer 14. A sealing substrate 15 is provided. The organic EL structure 4 has at least a first electrode 11, a second electrode 13, and an organic light emitting layer as constituent elements on a substrate 18. The first electrode 11 and the second electrode 13 are a pair of an anode and a cathode.

The sealing member 2 is obtained by previously forming an adhesive layer 14 including a thermosetting adhesive on one surface of a flexible sealing substrate 15.
As for the sealing base material 15, a barrier layer (illustration omitted) is formed in at least one surface, and the support base material 17 is bonded.

Specific examples of the configuration of the organic EL element 1 having a multilayer structure on the substrate 18 include the following.
1. 1. Substrate / first electrode (anode) / organic light emitting layer / second electrode (cathode) / adhesive layer / sealing substrate 2. Substrate / first electrode (anode) / hole transport layer / organic light emitting layer / second electrode (cathode) / adhesive layer / sealing substrate 3. Substrate / first electrode (anode) / organic light emitting layer / electron transport layer / second electrode (cathode) / adhesive layer / sealing substrate 4. Substrate / first electrode (anode) / hole transport layer / organic light emitting layer / electron transport layer / second electrode (cathode) / adhesive layer / sealing substrate 5. Substrate / first electrode (anode) / hole transport layer / organic light emitting layer / hole blocking layer / electron transport layer / second electrode (cathode) / adhesive layer / sealing substrate 6. Substrate / first electrode (anode) / hole transport layer / organic light emitting layer / hole blocking layer / electron transport layer / electron injection layer / second electrode (cathode) / adhesive layer / sealing substrate Substrate / first electrode (anode) / hole injection layer / hole transport layer / organic light emitting layer / hole blocking layer / electron transport layer / electron injection layer / second electrode (cathode) / adhesive layer / sealing group Material 8 Substrate / first electrode (anode) / hole injection layer / hole transport layer / electron blocking layer / organic light emitting layer / hole blocking layer / electron transport layer / electron injection layer / second electrode (cathode) / adhesive layer / Sealing substrate

  In addition to the materials described below, each material constituting the organic EL element 1 may be a known material. As a manufacturing method (forming method) of each material constituting the organic EL element 1, a known manufacturing method can be used in addition to the manufacturing method described below. The configuration of the organic EL element 1 of the present invention is not limited to the above configuration.

<Base material>
The base material 18 is also called a substrate, a transparent substrate, or the like, and is a member that serves as a support for the organic EL element 1. As the base material 18, a flexible synthetic resin film having a long belt shape, preferably a transparent resin film that transmits light emitted from the organic functional layer is used.

  As for the thickness of the base material 18, 20 micrometers or more and 50 micrometers or less are desirable. When the thickness of the substrate is 50 μm or less, the physical properties (flexibility) of the thin film as an organic EL are not impaired. Further, if the thickness of the substrate 18 is less than 20 μm, the transportability and workability are greatly deteriorated, so that it is difficult to bond the support substrate, and the thickness of the substrate is preferably 20 μm or more.

The base material 18 used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it has flexibility. Examples of the material of the substrate 18 include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethersulfone (PES), polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, polyphenylene sulfide, polyarylate, polyimide, polycarbonate (PC ), Cellulose triacetate (TAC), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP), and the like.
Among these, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and the like are preferable.

(Barrier layer)
When a resin film is used as the substrate 18, a barrier layer is formed on at least one surface of the resin film. The material for forming the barrier layer may be any material that has a function of suppressing the intrusion of substances that cause deterioration such as moisture and oxygen, and examples thereof include inorganic and organic coatings, or a composite coating of both.

Examples of the inorganic barrier layer include an inorganic vapor deposition film. As the inorganic deposited film, “Thin Film Handbook” (published by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, published by Ohm Co., p879-p901), “Vacuum Technology Handbook” (published by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, p502-p509, p612, p810), “Vacuum Handbook Amendment Plate ”(published by ULVAC, Japan Vacuum Technology Co., Ltd., published by Ohm, p132 to p134). For example, metals such as In, Sn, Pb, Au, Cu, Ag, Al, Ti, Ni, MgO, SiO, SiO ₂ , Al ₂ O ₃ , GeO, NiO, CaO, BaO, Fe ₂ O ₃ , Y ₂ O ₃ , TiO ₂ , Cr ₂ O ₃ , single crystal Si, Si _x O _y (x = 1, y = 1.5 to 2.0), Ta ₂ O ₃ , TiC, SiC, ZrN, PSG, Si ₃ N ₄ , amorphous Si, W, or the like is used.

  The method for forming the barrier layer is not particularly limited. For example, the vacuum deposition method, sputtering method, reactive sputtering method, molecular beam epitaxy method, cluster ion beam method, ion plating method, plasma polymerization method, atmospheric pressure plasma weight Known methods such as a combination method, a plasma CVD method, a laser CVD method, a thermal CVD method, and a coating method can be used.

<Organic EL structure>
The organic EL structure 4 is one of the components of the organic EL element 1 including a first electrode (anode) 11, an organic functional layer 12 including an organic light emitting layer, and a second electrode (cathode) 13.
In the present invention, the method for forming the organic EL structure 4 is not particularly limited, and can be configured by a known technique. For example, it can be configured by the method described in JP 2010-103040 A.

<Sealing substrate>
The sealing substrate 15 is preferably a flexible resin substrate, and examples thereof include a resin film and a transparent resin film that transmits the light emitted from the organic light emitting layer. The sealing substrate 15 may be a single body or a laminated body, and can be appropriately selected as necessary. The sealing substrate 15 has a barrier layer (not shown) on at least one surface. The sealing substrate 15 preferably has a barrier layer (not shown) on the surface side in contact with the organic EL structure 4. The barrier layer may be a single body or a laminate, and can be appropriately selected as necessary. In the present invention, the support substrate 17 may be bonded to the sealing substrate 15 on the opposite side of the bonding surface (adhesive layer 14) to the organic EL structure 4 with a peelable adhesive. Moreover, the sealing base material 15 and the 1st support base material 17 may be bonded by static electricity, without using a peelable adhesive (without providing the 1st peelable adhesive layer 16) (electrostatic adhesion). Furthermore, a protective layer (not shown) may be provided on the barrier layer.

The sealing substrate 15 used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it has flexibility. Examples of the material of the sealing substrate 15 include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethersulfone (PEN), polyetherimide, polyetheretherketone, polyphenylene sulfide, polyarylate, polyimide, and polycarbonate. (PC), cellulose triacetate (TAC), cellulose acetate propionate (CAP) and the like.
Among these, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and the like are preferable.

  The thickness of the sealing substrate 15 is preferably 20 μm to 50 μm. When the thickness of the sealing substrate 15 is 50 μm or less, the physical properties (flexibility) of the thin film as an organic EL are not impaired. Moreover, since the conveyance property and workability of a base material will deteriorate significantly when the thickness of a sealing base material is thinner than 20 micrometers, bonding of a support base material is difficult. Therefore, the thickness of the substrate is desirably 20 μm or more.

The water vapor permeability of the sealing substrate 15 is preferably 0.01 g / m ² · day or less in consideration of barrier properties and the like required when commercializing as an organic EL element. The water vapor permeability indicates a value measured mainly by the MOCON method by a method based on the JIS K7129B method (1992).

The oxygen permeability of the sealing substrate 15 is preferably 0.01 ml / m ² · day · atm or less. The oxygen permeability is a value measured mainly by the MOCON method by a method based on the JIS K7126B method (1987).

  The rigidity of the sealing substrate alone is preferably 20 μm or more in view of the transportability and workability of the manufactured organic EL element 1.

(Barrier layer)
When a resin film is used as the sealing substrate 15, a barrier layer is formed on at least one surface of the resin film. The material for forming the barrier layer may be any material that has a function of suppressing the intrusion of substances that cause deterioration such as moisture and oxygen, and examples thereof include inorganic and organic coatings, or a composite coating of both.

Examples of the inorganic barrier layer include an inorganic vapor deposition film. As the inorganic deposited film, “Thin Film Handbook” (published by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, published by Ohm Co., p879-p901), “Vacuum Technology Handbook” (published by Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, p502-p509, p612, p810), “Vacuum Handbook Amendment Plate ”(published by ULVAC, Japan Vacuum Technology Co., Ltd., published by Ohm, p132 to p134). For example, metals such as In, Sn, Pb, Au, Cu, Ag, Al, Ti, Ni, MgO, SiO, SiO ₂ , Al ₂ O ₃ , GeO, NiO, CaO, BaO, Fe ₂ O ₃ , Y ₂ O ₃ , TiO ₂ , Cr ₂ O ₃ , single crystal Si, Si _x O _y (x = 1, y = 1.5 to 2.0), Ta ₂ O ₃ , TiC, SiC, ZrN, PSG, Si ₃ N ₄ , amorphous Si, W, or the like is used.

  The method for forming the barrier layer is not particularly limited. For example, the vacuum deposition method, sputtering method, reactive sputtering method, molecular beam epitaxy method, cluster ion beam method, ion plating method, plasma polymerization method, atmospheric pressure plasma weight Known methods such as a combination method, a plasma CVD method, a laser CVD method, a thermal CVD method, and a coating method can be used.

  As for the thickness of the barrier layer, the film thickness is about 1 μm to 100 μm, preferably about 10 μm to 50 μm.

(Adhesive layer)
In the manufacturing method of the organic EL element of the present invention, the adhesive layer 14 is formed by bonding the base material 18, the organic EL structure 4, and the sealing base material 15 with an adhesive. The adhesive used when the organic EL structure 4 and the sealing substrate 15 are bonded together is preferably an adhesive with little variation in resin thickness, and examples thereof include a thermosetting resin sheet adhesive. Examples of the thermosetting resin used for the adhesive layer include an epoxy resin, an acrylic resin, and a silicone resin, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Among these thermosetting resins, it is preferable to use an epoxy thermosetting resin because it is excellent in moisture resistance and water resistance and has little fluctuation in the resin thickness.
By using a thermosetting resin, it becomes easy to selectively cure the adhesive layer by selecting curing conditions such as heating temperature.

  The thickness of the adhesive layer 14 is such that the base material 18, the organic EL structure 4, and the sealing base material 15 are bonded together, and the base material 18, the organic EL structure 4, the adhesive layer 14, and the sealing base material 15. In the state of being sequentially laminated, the thickness is set to 20 μm to 50 μm.

When the thickness of the adhesive layer 14 is 20 μm or more in a state where the organic EL structure 4 and the sealing substrate 15 are bonded, the base material 18, the organic EL structure 4, and the adhesive layer 14 are cured after the adhesive layer 14 is cured. , Sealing substrate 15, peelable adhesive layer 16, and supporting substrate 17 (in the order of substrate 18, organic EL structure 4, sealing member 2, and supporting member 3) in a stacked state (FIG. 1D). The support substrate 17 (support member 3) is peeled off (see FIG. 1E) (see FIG. 1E), and the organic EL structure 4, the adhesive layer 14, and the sealing substrate 15 are stacked in this order (FIG. 1F). The rigidity of the organic EL element 1 that can be easily performed is obtained.
When the thickness of the adhesive layer 14 is 50 μm or less, the sealing substrate 15 (sealing member 2) has no decrease in sealing ability due to the increase in the thickness of the adhesive layer 14, and the sealing substrate A sealing capacity of 15 is maintained.

  However, when the thickness of the adhesive layer 14 is less than 20 μm, the curable adhesive of the adhesive layer 14 increases the rigidity of the organic EL element 1 (base material 18, organic EL structure 4, sealing member 2). Can not get much. As a method of increasing the rigidity of the organic EL element 1, a method of increasing the thickness of the base material 18 and the sealing base material 15 is also conceivable. However, in order to increase the rigidity without increasing the thickness of the organic EL element 1, the base material is more It is desirable to adjust the thickness of the adhesive layer 14 containing a curable adhesive having a rigidity higher than that of the sealing member 18 or the sealing substrate 15.

  Therefore, the thickness at the time of application | coating of the contact bonding layer 14 which comprises the organic EL element 1 shall be 20 micrometers or more and 50 micrometers or less.

  Since the volume of the curable adhesive hardly changes before and after curing, the thickness of the adhesive layer at the time of application and the thickness of the adhesive layer after curing are almost the same.

(Sealing member)
Bonding of the sealing substrate 15 onto the organic EL structure 4 is performed by preparing the sealing member 2 provided with the adhesive layer 14 including an adhesive that adheres to the organic EL structure 4 on the sealing substrate 15. You may go. The sealing member 2 is a member that seals the organic EL structure 4 and prevents deterioration of the organic EL structure 4 due to moisture, oxygen, or the like, like the sealing substrate 15. It is preferable to provide a barrier layer (not shown) between the sealing substrate 15 and the adhesive layer 14. In this invention, the sealing member 2 is the 1st peelable adhesive layer 16 in which the 1st support base material 17 contains a peelable adhesive on the opposite side to the bonding surface (adhesive layer 14) with the organic EL structure 4. (See FIG. 1 (b)).

  The sealing member 2 is preferably cut into a shape that covers the display area of the organic EL element 1. The size of the sealing member 2 is the same as that of the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 13 excluding the light emitting region of the organic EL structure 4 formed on the substrate 18 and the formation portion of the extraction electrode portion. It is preferable that the size includes a portion. Further, the sealing member 2 may be cut into a shape that covers the plurality of organic EL elements 1. A long sealing member 2 may be used.

<Support base material>
The support base material 17 is bonded to the sealing substrate 15 on the opposite side of the bonding surface (adhesive layer 14) to the organic EL structure 4 during the production of the organic EL element 1, whereby the sealing substrate 15 ( This improves the handleability of the sealing member 2).
Moreover, the support base material 17 may be bonded to the opposite side to the organic EL structure 4 formation surface of the base material 18 at the time of manufacture of the organic EL element 1, and the handleability of the base material 18 may be improved.
The support substrate 17 is bonded to the sealing substrate 15 or the substrate 18 by using a peelable adhesive or without using the peelable adhesive (without providing the peelable adhesive layer 16). (Electrostatic contact) can be performed.
In addition, the support base material bonded to the sealing base material 15 is also described as a first support base material, and the support base material bonded to the base material 18 is also referred to as a second support base material.

  The support base material 17 is not limited to any material as long as it is a material that improves the handleability of the sealing base material 15 or the base material 18. The support substrate 17 may be a single body or a laminate, and can be appropriately selected as necessary. Examples of the material of the support base material 17 include materials having thin and strong strength such as polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and PET.

The support base material 17 bonded to the sealing base material 15 and the support base material 17 bonded to the base material 18 do not have to be the same material, and may be different materials.
Since the support base material 17 is finally discarded, it is preferable that the support base material 17 is inexpensive in consideration of the manufacturing cost.

  The thickness of the support base material 17 can ensure the handleability of the sealing base material 15 or the base material 18, and is not limited as long as the productivity of the organic EL element 1 is not impaired. The total thickness of the support base material 17 and the base material 18 or the sealing base material 15 is preferably in the range of about 100 μm to 250 μm. For example, the thickness of the support base material 17 is preferably 75 μm or more and 200 μm or less. If the thickness of the support base material 17 is 75 μm or more, it becomes easy to peel the support base material 17 from the organic EL element 1. If the total thickness of the thickness of the support base material 17 and the thickness of the base material 18 or the sealing base material 15 is 250 μm or less, the support base material 17 is pasted on the sealing base material 15 or the base material 18. Even if it combines, it does not become a trouble in manufacture of the organic EL element 1.

(Peelable adhesive layer)
The peelable adhesive layer 16 is an adhesive layer formed on the sealing substrate 15 (sealing member 2) of the support substrate 17 or the bonding surface side with the substrate 18, and seals the support substrate 17. It adheres to the stop base material 15 (sealing member 2) or the base material 18 with a peelable adhesive force.
In addition, the peeling adhesive layer which bonds the support base material 17 to the sealing base material 15 so that peeling is described also as a 1st peelable adhesive layer, and the peeling which bonds the support base material 17 to the base material 18 so that peeling is possible The adhesive layer is also referred to as a second peelable adhesive layer.

  The adhesive contained in the peelable adhesive layer 16 is not limited as long as the support substrate 17 can be peeled from the organic EL element 1. As the adhesive contained in the peelable adhesive layer 16, a known peelable adhesive may be used, and an adhesive having a weaker adhesive force than the adhesive contained in the adhesive layer 14 is preferable.

(Support member)
Bonding of the support base material 17 to the sealing base material 15 (sealing member 2) or the base material 18 is performed by bonding the support base material 17 to the sealing base material 15 (sealing member 2) or the base material 18. You may carry out as the supporting member 3 which provided the peelable adhesive layer 16 containing the adhesive which adhere | attaches the sealing base material 15 (sealing member 2) or the base material 18 so that peeling to the bonding surface to ( (Refer FIG.1 (b)).

  The support member 3 is sealed by bonding to the opposite side of the bonding surface (adhesive layer 14) with the organic EL structure 4 of the sealing substrate 15 (sealing member 2) at the time of manufacturing the organic EL element 1. The handleability of the stop base material 15 (sealing member 2) is improved. Moreover, the support base material 17 is bonded to the opposite side to the organic EL structure 4 formation surface of the base material 18 at the time of manufacture of the organic EL element 1, and the handleability of the base material 18 is improved.

<Method for producing organic electroluminescence element>
The manufacturing method of the organic EL element 1 according to the present invention includes a sealing step S104, a peeling step S108, and the like as shown in FIG. First, the organic EL structure 4 is formed on the base material 18 (S112 to S115). Separately, the supporting substrate 17 is bonded to the thin sealing substrate 15 (S102). Then, the adhesive layer 14 is formed on the sealing substrate 15 (S103). Next, the sealing member 2 to which the support base material 17 is bonded in the sealing step S104 is bonded to the organic EL structure 4, and the organic EL structure 4 is sealed. And after hardening the contact bonding layer of the sealing member 2 by contact bonding layer hardening process S105, it cuts for every element by cutting process S106. Furthermore, after collecting the organic EL element 1 in the collecting step S107, the supporting base material 17 is peeled from the organic EL element 1 in the peeling step S108.
In addition, 2nd supporting member bonding process S111 preferable to perform in FIG. 2 is also described.

  FIG. 3 schematically shows manufacturing steps from the sealing step S104 to the recovery step S107. In FIG. 3, the organic EL structure 4 formed on the base material 18 to which the support member 3 is bonded and the sealing member 2 to which the support member 3 is bonded are schematically illustrated for convenience. .

  Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the organic EL element which uses the sealing member 2 and the supporting member 3 will be described. However, without forming the sealing member 2 and the supporting member 3, for example, a peelable adhesive, the sealing substrate 15, an adhesive, and the like are laminated on the supporting base material 17 and attached to the organic EL structure 4. Of course, the organic EL element 1 can also be manufactured.

  First, in the method for manufacturing the organic EL element 1 according to the present invention, examples of steps other than the method for forming the organic EL structure 4 will be described.

(Support member manufacturing process)
Support member preparation process S101 is the process of producing the support member 3 which improves the handleability of the sealing base material 15 by bonding to the sealing base material 15. FIG.

The support member 3 is formed by forming a peelable adhesive layer 16 that can be releasably adhered to the sealing base material 15 on the surface of the support base material 17. By producing and using the supporting member 3, it becomes easier to perform the bonding than when the supporting substrate 17 is bonded to the sealing substrate 15 alone through the peelable adhesive. Productivity of EL elements is improved.
There is no restriction | limiting in the formation method of the peelable contact bonding layer 16, and it can carry out by a well-known method. For example, it can be formed by placing a sheet-like adhesive on the long belt-like support base material 17 and then bonding by a dry laminating method. In addition, it can be formed by a wet laminating method using a liquid adhesive.

(1st support member bonding process)
1st support member bonding process S102 is the process of bonding the support member 3 to the opposite side of the bonding surface with the organic EL structure 4 of the sealing base material 15.
There is no restriction | limiting in the bonding method of the sealing base material 15 and the supporting member 3, A well-known method is applicable. For example, in the roll-to-roll method, there is a method in which the long strip-shaped sealing base material 15 and the long strip-shaped support member 3 (support base material 17) are pasted through a pasting apparatus.
In addition, the method of apply | coating a peelable adhesive to the support base material 17 and bonding to the sealing base material 15 (sealing member 2) may be sufficient, for example.

(Sealing member manufacturing process)
In the sealing member manufacturing step S103, the adhesive layer 14 that adheres to the organic EL structure 4 on the surface of the sealing substrate 15 that shields and protects moisture, oxygen, and the like from the external environment where the barrier layer is bonded (formed) by a known method. Is a step of forming the sealing member 2. By producing the sealing member 2, the organic EL structure 4 can be easily sealed with the sealing substrate 15, and the productivity of the organic EL element 1 is improved.

  There is no restriction | limiting in the method of forming the contact bonding layer 14 in the surface of the sealing base material 15, It can carry out by a well-known method. For example, it can be formed by placing a sheet-like adhesive on the long sealing substrate 15 and then bonding by a dry laminating method. In addition, it can be formed by a wet laminating method using a liquid adhesive.

  There is no restriction | limiting in the method of forming a barrier layer on the sealing base material 15, and it can carry out by a well-known method. For example, in a roll-to-roll method, after a sheet-like adhesive is placed on the sealing substrate 15, a metal thin film is stacked as a barrier layer and bonded by a dry laminating method. In addition, it can be formed by a wet laminating method using a liquid adhesive.

(Sealing process)
The sealing step S104 is a step of sealing the organic EL structure 4 by bonding the sealing member 2 to which the support member 3 is bonded to the organic EL structure 4 formed on the substrate 18. .

For sealing, the base material 18 (see FIG. 1 (a)) on which the organic EL structure 4 is formed and the sealing member 2 (see FIG. 1 (c)) to which the support member 3 is bonded, for example, By the roll-to-roll method, it is bonded and sealed to the organic EL structure 4 on the substrate 18 via the adhesive layer 14 by a bonding apparatus having upper and lower bonding rolls (see FIG. 1 (d)). .
At the time of sealing, alignment may be performed by the alignment mark on the base material 18 and the sealing member 2.

(Adhesive layer curing process)
In the adhesive layer curing step S <b> 105, the sealing member 2 to which the support member 3 is bonded and the base material 18 on which the organic EL structure 4 is formed are bonded, and the organic EL structure 4 is bonded to the sealing member 2. This is a step of curing the adhesive layer 14 in a sealed state.

  When the material constituting the adhesive layer 14 is a thermosetting resin, the adhesive layer 14 can be selectively cured by heating to a desired temperature using the curing means 105 (see FIG. 3). It becomes easier than the case of the photo-curing resin. Examples of the curing means 105 include a heating fan, a surface heater, a heating roller, a heating belt, radiant heat heating such as a halogen heater and a far infrared heater.

(Cutting process)
The cutting step S106 is a step of cutting the organic EL element 1 having the cured adhesive layer 14 for each organic EL element by the cutting means 106 (see FIG. 3) or the like.
There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the method to cut the base material 18 according to the magnitude | size of the organic EL element 1, For example, a hollow blade (for example, Thomson type blade) system, a punch die system, etc. can be used.

(Recovery process)
The recovery step S107 is a step of recovering the organic EL element 1 cut in the cutting step S106. There is no particular limitation on the recovery of the organic EL element 1, and examples thereof include a method of recovering the organic EL element 1 by a robot arm having a suction plate for taking out and holding the organic EL element 1 cut from the conveying means.

(Peeling process)
The peeling step S108 is a step of curing the adhesive layer and peeling the support member 3 from the organic EL element 1 cut for each organic EL element (see FIG. 1E).
The peeling of the supporting member 3 is not limited in the peeling method as long as the supporting member 3 can be peeled without damaging the organic EL element 1. For example, although not shown, the organic EL element 1 sealed by the suction means is fixed and the support member 3 is sucked by a robot arm provided with another suction means to remove from the sealing base material 15 (sealing member 2). The support member 3 can be peeled off. Further, for example, the support member 3 can be peeled off by adhering to the support member 3 using a robot arm having a sticky substance on the surface.

  Next, an example of a process for forming the organic EL structure 4 on the substrate 18 will be mainly described.

(Substrate cleaning process)
The substrate cleaning step S112 is a step of cleaning the substrate 18.
For example, the long base material 18 wound in a roll shape is drawn out, and in particular, the surface on which the first electrode 11 is formed is cleaned in the ultrasonic cleaning tank and the plasma cleaning tank.

(First electrode forming step)
In the first electrode formation step S113, the first electrode 11 (anode) having the extraction electrode portion is formed on the base material 18 by, for example, a mask pattern film forming method. The mask pattern film forming method is, for example, a method of forming a film using a mask having a necessary shape in advance when ITO is formed on the substrate 18 by sputtering as a material of the first electrode 11 (anode). Say.

(Organic functional layer formation process)
In the organic functional layer forming step S114, the organic functional layer (hole injection layer, hole transport layer, electron blocking layer, organic light emitting layer, hole blocking layer, electron transport layer, electron injection layer) is formed on the first electrode (anode). ).

(Hole transport layer formation)
Next, a hole transport layer that is an organic compound is laminated on the entire surface of the first electrode 11 (anode) except for a portion that becomes the extraction electrode.

  It is preferable to continuously carry out from the cleaning of the substrate 18 to the formation of the hole transport layer in a vacuum environment. To carry out continuously means to be in a vacuum environment even when moving to the next stage. After the formation of the hole transport layer, the step of forming the light emitting layer may not be in a vacuum environment. By continuously performing the formation of the hole transport layer in a vacuum environment, it is possible to prevent the foreign matter from adhering to the first electrode 11 (anode).

(Organic light emitting layer formation)
Subsequently, an organic functional layer (light emitting layer) forming coating solution is applied on the hole transport layer excluding the extraction electrode portion of the organic EL structure 4 in which the layers up to the hole transport layer are formed, and after drying, the organic functional layer (Light emitting layer) is formed.

  Usable wet coaters include, for example, die coating method, screen printing method, flexographic printing method, ink jet method, wire bar method, cap coating method, spray coating method, casting method, roll coating method, bar coating method, gravure coating. It is possible to use a coating machine such as a method. The use of these wet coating machines can be appropriately selected according to the material of the light emitting layer. In the case where the organic EL element 1 is a full-color system, in order to pattern-apply the light emitting layer on the first electrode 11 (anode) in accordance with the pattern of the first electrode 11 (anode) formed by patterning, for example, It is possible to use various coating apparatuses used for an inkjet method, a flexographic printing method, an offset printing method, a gravure printing method, a screen printing method, a spray coating method using a mask, and the like.

(Electron injection layer formation)
Subsequently, an electron injection layer is formed into a mask pattern on the light emitting layer already formed on the substrate 18. The thickness of the electron injection layer is preferably in the range of 0.1 nm to 5 μm.

(Second electrode forming step)
In the second electrode formation step S115, a second electrode 13 (cathode) having an extraction electrode on the substrate 18 is formed into a mask pattern on the already formed electron injection layer. The sheet resistance as the second electrode 13 (cathode) is preferably several hundred Ω / □ or less, and the film thickness is usually selected in the range of 10 nm to 5 μm, preferably 50 to 200 nm.
At this stage, the organic EL structure 4 having the configuration of the first electrode (anode) / hole transport layer / light emitting layer / electron injection layer / second electrode (cathode) is produced on the substrate 18.

  In the above description of the second electrode formation step S115 and the formation of the electron injection layer (cathode buffer layer), the case of the vapor deposition apparatus is shown. However, the method for forming the second electrode 13 (cathode) and the cathode buffer layer (electron injection layer) is described. There is no particular limitation, for example, sputtering method, reactive sputtering method, molecular beam epitaxy method, cluster ion beam method, ion plating method, plasma polymerization method, atmospheric pressure plasma polymerization method, plasma CVD method, laser CVD method, heat A CVD method, a coating method, or the like can be used.

<Modification>
Hereinafter, as a modification, an embodiment in which the organic EL element 1 is manufactured by bonding the support substrate 17 (support member 3) to the substrate 18, and both the sealing substrate 15 and the substrate 18 are supported by the support group. Embodiment which bonds the material 17 (support member 3) and manufactures an organic EL element is described.

[Modification 1]
Considering the handleability when the substrate 18 is a thin film, it is preferable that the support substrate 17 (support member 3) is bonded to the substrate 18 in advance before the organic EL structure 4 is formed. For this reason, it is preferable to perform 2nd support member bonding process S111 between support member preparation process S101 and base-material washing | cleaning process S112 (refer FIG. 2).
In addition, 2nd support member bonding process S111 may be after base-material washing | cleaning process S112.

(Support member manufacturing process)
Support member production process S101 is a process of producing support member 3 which improves handling nature of substrate 18 by pasting on substrate 18 in modification 1.

The support member 3 is formed by forming a peelable adhesive layer 16 that can be releasably bonded to the base material 18 on the surface of the support base material 17. By producing and using the supporting member 3, it becomes easier to perform the bonding than when the supporting substrate 17 is bonded to the substrate 18 alone through the peelable adhesive, and the workability and the organic EL element are improved. Productivity is improved.
There is no restriction | limiting in the formation method of the peelable contact bonding layer 16, and it can carry out by a well-known method. For example, it can be formed by placing a sheet-like adhesive on the long belt-like support base material 17 and then bonding by a dry laminating method. In addition, it can be formed by a wet laminating method using a liquid adhesive.

(2nd support member bonding process)
2nd support member bonding process S111 is the process of bonding the supporting member 3 to the other side of the 1st electrode formation surface of the base material 18 through the 2nd peelable adhesive layer 16 containing a peelable adhesive. Yes (see FIG. 4A). By bonding the support base material 17 (support member 3) to the base material 18, the handleability of the base material 18 is improved, and the organic EL structure 4 can be easily sealed. Productivity is improved.

There is no restriction | limiting in the bonding method of the base material 18 and the supporting member 3, A well-known method is applicable. For example, in the roll-to-roll method, it is possible to perform bonding by passing the long band-shaped base material 18 and the long band-shaped support member 3 through a bonding apparatus having upper and lower bonding rolls.
Note that a peelable adhesive may be applied to the support substrate 17 and bonded to the substrate 18.

  A barrier layer that shields and protects moisture, oxygen, and the like from the external environment is bonded (formed) to at least one surface of the substrate 18 by a known method. There is no restriction | limiting in the method of forming a barrier layer on the base material 18, and it can carry out by a well-known method. For example, in the roll-to-roll method, after a sheet-like adhesive is placed on the long base material 18, a metal thin film is stacked as a barrier layer and bonded by a dry laminating method. In addition, it can be formed by a wet laminating method using a liquid adhesive.

(Substrate cleaning process)
The base material cleaning step S112 is a step of cleaning the base material 18 to which the support member 3 is bonded in Modification 1.
For example, the long base material 18 wound in a roll shape and bonded to the support member 3 is drawn out, and in particular, the surface on which the first electrode 11 is formed is cleaned in the ultrasonic cleaning tank and the plasma cleaning tank. The

(Sealing process)
In the first modification, the sealing step S104 is performed to seal the organic EL structure 4 by bonding the sealing member 2 to the organic EL structure 4 formed on the base material 18 to which the support member 3 is bonded. This is a process of stopping.

For sealing, the base member 18 on which the support member 3 is bonded and the organic EL structure 4 is formed, and the sealing member 2 (see FIG. 4C) are vertically moved by, for example, a roll-to-roll method. The organic EL structure 4 on the base material 18 is bonded and sealed via the adhesive layer 14 by a bonding apparatus having a bonding roll (see FIG. 4D).
At the time of sealing, alignment may be performed by the alignment mark on the base material 18 and the sealing member 2.

(Adhesive layer curing process)
In the modification 1, the adhesive layer curing step S105 is performed by bonding the sealing member 2 and the base material 18 on which the support member 3 is bonded and the organic EL structure 4 is formed, to thereby form the organic EL structure 4. Is a step of curing the adhesive layer 14 in a state of being sealed by the sealing member 2.

[Modification 2]
When the thin film organic EL element 1 is manufactured using the thin film substrate 18 and the thin film sealing substrate 15, the substrate 18 and the handling property of the sealing substrate 15 are taken into consideration. It is preferable that the support base material 17 (support member 3) is bonded to both the material 18 and the sealing base material 15. That is, it is preferable to perform both the second support member bonding step S111 and the first support member bonding step S102 (see FIG. 2).

  The manufacturing process in the modification 2 will implement all the processes shown in FIG. That is, first, the support member 3 is manufactured in the support member manufacturing step S101. Next, the support member 3 is bonded to the base material 18 in the second support member bonding step S111 (see FIG. 5A), and the base material cleaning step S112 is performed in a state where the handleability of the base material 18 is improved. It is preferable to produce the organic EL structure 4 on the substrate 18 by performing the first electrode forming step S113, the organic functional layer forming step S114, and the second electrode forming step S115 (FIG. 5B). )reference). On the other hand, in the state in which the support member 3 is bonded to the sealing substrate 15 in the first supporting member bonding step S102 and the handleability of the sealing substrate 15 is improved, the sealing member 2 in the sealing member manufacturing step S103. Is preferably produced.

In the sealing step S104, the organic EL structure 4 is bonded to the organic EL structure 4 formed on the base material 18 to which the support member 3 is bonded, and the organic EL structure is bonded to the organic EL structure 4 that is bonded to the support member 3. 4 is sealed (see FIGS. 5D and 5E), and the adhesive layer 14 is cured in the adhesive layer curing step S105. Further, cutting is performed for each organic EL element in the cutting process S106, and the cut organic EL element 1 is recovered in the recovery process S107. Finally, it is preferable to peel the support member 3 from the organic EL element 1 in the peeling step S108 (see FIGS. 5F and 5G).
In addition, the content of each process is the same as that of the said description content.

As mentioned above, although embodiment of the manufacturing method of the organic EL element which uses the supporting member 3 was demonstrated, the base material 18 which bonded the supporting member 3 and formed the organic EL structure 4 previously, and wound up in roll shape, or Of course, it is possible to use the sealing member 2 to which the support member 3 is bonded to continuously seal it with other processes such as the formation of the organic EL structure 4. In view of maintaining the performance of the organic EL element 1, it is more preferable to continuously perform the steps from cleaning the substrate 18 and forming the organic EL structure 4 to sealing the organic EL structure 4.
In addition, it is naturally possible to manufacture the organic EL element 1 using the support base material 17 (support member 3) by a method other than the roll-to-roll method.

  Furthermore, the order of the steps is not limited to the above, and the order can be appropriately changed as long as it does not contradict the purpose of each step. For example, the support member 3 to be bonded to the sealing member 2 and the support member 3 to be bonded to the base material 18 may be separately formed in different processes using different materials.

  Examples in which the effects of the present invention are confirmed will be described below. In addition, this invention is not limited to this Example.

<Example>
By the method shown below, the support member was produced and bonded to the base material and the sealing base material. Next, the organic EL structure which formed the 1st electrode, the positive hole transport layer, the light emitting layer, the electron carrying layer, and the 2nd electrode in this order on the base material which bonded the support member was produced. Furthermore, after manufacturing the sealing member (sealing base material) which the support member bonded together, the organic EL structure was sealed, and the adhesive layer of the sealing member was hardened, it cut out for every organic EL element. And the peeling ease at the time of peeling a support member from the cut organic EL element was measured. In addition, after peeling the support member from the organic EL element, the barrier property of the organic EL element was measured.

[Production of organic EL element]
(Production of support member)
A 125 μm-thick polyethylene terephthalate film (manufactured by Teijin DuPont Films, Ltd., hereinafter abbreviated as PET as appropriate) was prepared as a supporting substrate.

(Preparation of sealing member)
A PET film (manufactured by Teijin DuPont Films, Inc.) having a thickness of 20 μm, 50 μm, and 60 μm was prepared as a sealing substrate, and a support member prepared on the side opposite to the side on which the barrier layer was formed was bonded to be peelable. Next, on the side where the barrier layer of the sealing base material to which the supporting member is bonded is formed, a barrier layer is formed continuously using an atmospheric pressure plasma discharge processing apparatus so that the thickness is 30 μm made of SiN. did. This produced the sealing base material whose oxygen permeability is 0.001 ml / m < ² > / day or less and whose water vapor permeability is 0.001 ml / m < ² > / day or less.

  As the adhesive layer, a thermosetting sheet-like adhesive (1600 series manufactured by ThreeBond Co., Ltd.) having a curing temperature of 120 ° C. was laminated on the barrier layer side of the sealing substrate to form an adhesive layer. The thickness of the adhesive layer was changed every 10 μm in the range of 10 μm to 60 μm.

(Preparation of base material)
A supporting member prepared on the side opposite to the side on which the barrier layer is formed (the side on which the first electrode is formed) is prepared as a base material with a PET film (made by Teijin DuPont Films Co., Ltd.) having a thickness of 20 μm, 50 μm, and 60 μm. Pasted.

Next, a barrier layer was formed on the side where the first electrode of the base material to which the support member was bonded was formed continuously using an atmospheric pressure plasma discharge processing apparatus so as to be made of SiN and to have a thickness of 30 μm. . As a result, a base material having an oxygen permeability of 0.001 ml / m ² / day or less and a water vapor permeability of 0.001 ml / m ² / day or less was produced.

(Production of organic EL structure)
<Formation of anode>
On the barrier layer of the produced base material, an ITO film was formed as a pattern with a thickness of 150 nm as an anode.

<Formation of hole transport layer>
After the surface of the base material on which the anode was formed was subjected to a charge removal treatment, the following solution was applied, dried and then heat treated to form a hole transport layer. The applied solution was a solution obtained by diluting polyethylene dioxythiophene / polystyrene sulfonate (PEDOT / PSS, Baytron P AI 4083 manufactured by Bayer) to a concentration of 5% with 65% aqueous methanol as a hole transport layer. This solution was applied on the anode by an extrusion coating method to form a hole transport layer.

<Formation of light emitting layer>
On the positive hole transport layer of the base material on which the anode and the hole transport layer were formed by ITO, a light emitting layer was formed by performing pattern coating of the following solution. The applied solution is 10 mass% of Ir (ppy) ₃ , FIr (pic), Btp ₂ Ir (acac) (1: 1: 1 mixture) as a dopant material in the host material polyvinylcarbazole (PVK). It mixed and melt | dissolved in 1, 2- dichloroethane and made solid content concentration 1 mass% solution. This solution was formed on the hole transport layer so as to have a thickness after drying of 100 nm to provide a light emitting layer. Then, it dried at 60 degreeC using the drying furnace similar to a positive hole transport layer, and heat-processed at 100 degreeC continuously.

<Formation of electron transport layer and cathode>
The organic EL structure at the stage of film formation up to the light emitting layer on the substrate is energized with a boat containing lithium fluoride in a vacuum tank at a vacuum state of 5 × 10 ⁻⁴ Pa, and a deposition rate of 0.01 nm / second to An electron transport layer having a thickness of 0.5 nm was provided at 0.02 nm / second. Subsequently, the boat containing aluminum was energized, and a cathode having a film thickness of 150 nm was attached on the electron transport layer at a deposition rate of 1 nm / second to 2 nm / second to obtain an organic EL structure.

(Sealing of organic EL structure)
A size (about 80 mm × about 80 mm) of the produced sealing member including a part of the first electrode and the second electrode excluding the light emitting region of the organic EL structure formed on the substrate and the external output terminal forming part. 80 mm). For the cutting, a Thomson blade processed to the above size was used.

  Next, the sealing member bonded with the cut support member was attached to the organic EL structure produced on the substrate. The sticking was performed according to the position of the alignment mark by detecting the alignment mark on the substrate.

  In a state where the sealing member with a supporting member is bonded to the organic EL structure on the substrate, the pressing of the roll is adjusted so that the pressing becomes 0.3 MPa in a bonding apparatus having a pair of bonding rolls. Then, it was sealed by roll hot pressing with a roller heated to 90 ° C.

(Curing the adhesive layer)
The organic EL structure formed on the base material on which the support member is bonded to the opposite side of the first electrode forming surface through the peelable adhesive layer is opposite to the bonded surface with the organic EL structure. The sealing member on which the supporting base material was pasted together so as to be peeled through the peelable adhesive layer was pasted and sealed through the adhesive layer. In this state, the adhesive layer that bonds the organic EL structure and the sealing member was cured by a curing means (heated at 120 ° C. for 30 minutes in an oven).

(Cutting)
The alignment mark on the substrate was detected and cut according to the size of the individual organic EL element (about 100 mm × about 100 mm) with a Thomson blade according to the position of the alignment mark.

(Peeling of support member)
After the adhesive layer of the sealing member is cured by heating with a heating means, an adhesive tape (CRIT-18 for Nichiban cello tape (registered trademark) clean room) is applied to the end of the support member bonded to the sealing member Then, the support member bonded to the sealing member from the organic EL element was peeled off.

  Table 1 shows the thickness of the adhesive layer of the produced organic EL element.

<Evaluation>
(Test specimen)
Each of the organic EL elements in which the thickness of the adhesive layer of the sealing member was changed every 10 μm in the range of 10 μm to 60 μm was used as a test body (test bodies 1 to 13), and the following performance test was performed.

(Peelability of support member)
The rate of occurrence of defective peeling when the support member was peeled from the organic EL element with the support member attached thereto was measured. For the measurement, a protective film peeling device manufactured by Nagano Automation Co., Ltd. was used. About 200 organic EL elements which peeled off the supporting base material pasted on the sealing member with the adhesive tape (CRIT-18 for cello tape clean room made by Nichiban), the peeling failure of the supporting base material pasted on the base material was measured, Table 1 shows the results when the occurrence rate of defective peeling of the supporting base material from the base material is less than 0.5%, ◯ is 0.5% or more and less than 5%, and 5% or more is ×. An exfoliation occurrence rate of less than 5% is accepted and 5% or more is rejected.

  The organic EL element should have a rigidity equal to or higher than that of a 125 μm PET film, preferably equal to or higher than that of a 150 μm PET film. As a comparison target of the peelability of the support substrate, instead of the organic EL element, a substrate having a support substrate bonded to one surface of a 125 μm PET film and a substrate having a support substrate bonded to one surface of a 150 μm PET film were prepared. In the same manner, the separation failure of the PET support substrate from the substrate was measured.

(Barrier performance)
The organic EL device prepared using the supporting substrate and having the supporting substrate peeled off was stored for 24 hours in a reduced pressure environment at a temperature of 25 ° C. and a pressure of 33330 Pa. Subsequently, it was stored for 250 hours under accelerated deterioration conditions at a temperature of 60 ° C. and a relative humidity of 90%. The organic EL element preserve | saved on these conditions was light-emitted, the area of the light emission part except non-light emission parts, such as a dark spot, was measured, and the ratio with the initial light emission area immediately after storage for 24 hours was calculated | required in the pressure-reduced environment. In the light emission area measurement, the area was calculated by taking an image of the light emission state and processing the image.

  The results are shown in Table 1, assuming that the ratio of the emission area to the initial emission area is 95% or more and less than 100%, ◯ is 90% or more and less than 95%, and Δ is less than 90%. A ratio with respect to the initial light emitting area of 90% or more was accepted and less than 90% was rejected.

(result)
As shown in Table 1, the specimens 2 to 6 having a thickness of the adhesive layer of the organic EL element of 20 μm or more and 60 μm or less had a peeling failure occurrence rate of less than 5%, and the peelability of the support member was particularly excellent. .

  As shown in Table 1, the test bodies 1 to 4 having an organic EL element adhesive layer thickness of 10 μm or more and 40 μm or less had a light emission area of 95% or more with respect to the initial light emission area, and the barrier property was particularly excellent.

  Instead of the organic EL element, a 125 μm-thick and 150 μm-thick PET film was bonded to a 125 μm-thick support substrate (PET film) with a thickness of the adhesive layer of 10 μm to prepare a comparative specimen. The peel failure occurrence rates of the prepared comparative test specimens were 0.5% or more and less than 5% (Δ) for the 125 μm-thick PET film, and less than 0.5% (◯) for the 150 μm-thick PET film.

As shown in Table 1, in a test specimen having an adhesive layer thickness of 10 μm, a test specimen showing a peelability equivalent to that of a comparative example in which a 125 μm PET film is used instead of an organic EL element is This is a test body 13 having a thickness of 60 μm.
That is, when the thickness of the adhesive layer after curing is 10 μm, the thickness of the base material and the sealing base material needs to be 60 μm or more in order to obtain the desired rigidity of the organic EL element. Accordingly, it can be seen that when the thickness of the adhesive layer after curing is 10 μm, the effect of improving the rigidity due to the presence of the adhesive layer containing the curable resin is small.

  Overall, when the thickness of the adhesive layer of the organic EL element is 20 μm or more and 50 μm or less, the barrier property and the peelability are excellent, and when it is 20 μm or more and 40 μm or less, it is particularly excellent.

  Therefore, the organic EL element sealed with the sealing substrate can be easily peeled off from the supporting substrate to improve the handleability, thereby forming an organic EL structure on the thin film substrate and sealing the thin film. It is also clear that an organic EL element sealed with a stop base material can be obtained. It is also clear that an organic EL device excellent in sealing performance can be obtained by a method for producing an organic EL device that facilitates peeling of the support substrate.

  As mentioned above, although the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent element which concerns on this invention was shown in detail, showing embodiment, the meaning of this invention is not limited to above-mentioned content, The scope of the right is a claim. It must be interpreted based on the description. In addition, it cannot be overemphasized that the content of this invention can be changed or changed based on the above description.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Organic EL element 2 Sealing member 3 Support member 4 Organic EL structure 11 1st electrode 12 Organic functional layer 13 Second electrode 14 Adhesive layer 15 Sealing base material 16 Peelable adhesive layer 17 Support base material 18 Base material

Claims (11)

An organic electroluminescence structure formed on the base material in which at least the first electrode, the organic light emitting layer, and the second electrode are stacked in this order is sealed with an adhesive layer containing a curable adhesive. In the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescence element that bonds
The base material is a resin film in which a barrier layer is formed on at least one surface,
The sealing substrate is a resin film, and a barrier layer is formed on at least one surface,
The process of pasting up the 1st support substrate which is a resin film on the opposite side of the pasting side with the organic electroluminescence structure of the sealing substrate so that peeling is possible,
The process of bonding the said sealing base material which the said 1st support base material bonded to the said organic electroluminescent structure formed on the said base material through the said contact bonding layer of thickness 20 micrometers or more and 50 micrometers or less. When,
A step of curing the adhesive layer in a state where the sealing substrate bonded to the first support substrate is bonded to the organic electroluminescence structure formed on the substrate;
And a step of peeling the first support substrate from the sealing substrate after the adhesive layer is cured. A method for producing an organic electroluminescent element, comprising: An organic electroluminescence structure formed on the base material in which at least the first electrode, the organic light emitting layer, and the second electrode are stacked in this order is sealed with an adhesive layer containing a curable adhesive. In the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescence element that bonds
The base material is a resin film in which a barrier layer is formed on at least one surface,
The sealing substrate is a resin film, and a barrier layer is formed on at least one surface,
Before the organic electroluminescence structure is formed on the base material, a step of pasting the second support base material, which is a resin film, on the opposite side of the first electrode forming surface of the base material so as to be peelable; ,
The process of bonding the said sealing base material to the said organic electroluminescent structure formed on the said base material with which the said 2nd support base material was bonded through the said contact bonding layer of thickness 20 micrometers or more and 50 micrometers or less. When,
A step of curing the adhesive layer in a state where the sealing substrate is bonded to the organic electroluminescence structure formed on the substrate bonded to the second support substrate;
And a step of peeling the second support base material from the base material after the adhesive layer is cured. A method for producing an organic electroluminescent element, comprising: An organic electroluminescence structure formed on the base material in which at least the first electrode, the organic light emitting layer, and the second electrode are stacked in this order is sealed with an adhesive layer containing a curable adhesive. In the manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescence element that bonds
The base material is a resin film in which a barrier layer is formed on at least one surface,
The sealing substrate is a resin film, and a barrier layer is formed on at least one surface,
The process of pasting up the 1st support substrate which is a resin film on the opposite side of the pasting side with the organic electroluminescence structure of the sealing substrate so that peeling is possible,
Before the organic electroluminescence structure is formed on the base material, a step of pasting the second support base material, which is a resin film, on the opposite side of the first electrode forming surface of the base material so as to be peelable; ,
The said sealing base material with which the said 1st support base material was bonded to the said organic electroluminescent structure formed on the said base material with which the said 2nd support base material was bonded is thickness 20 micrometers or more and 50 micrometers or less. A step of bonding through the adhesive layer;
In the state where the sealing base material bonded to the first support base material is bonded to the organic electroluminescence structure formed on the base material bonded to the second support base material, Curing the layer;
A step of peeling at least one of the first support substrate and the second support substrate from the organic electroluminescence element after the adhesive layer is cured;
The manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent element characterized by including. The resin film that constitutes at least one of the base material and the sealing base material is a resin film that transmits light emitted from the organic light emitting layer. The manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent element of Claim 1. The method for producing an organic electroluminescent element according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the resin film constituting the sealing substrate is a resin film having a thickness of 50 µm or less. The resin film which comprises the said base material is a resin film of thickness 50 micrometers or less. The manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent element as described in any one of Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned. The method for producing an organic electroluminescent element according to claim 5, wherein the resin film constituting the sealing substrate is a resin film having a thickness of 20 μm or more. The method for producing an organic electroluminescent element according to claim 6, wherein the resin film constituting the base material is a resin film having a thickness of 20 μm or more. The sum total of the thickness of the said base material, the said organic electroluminescent structure, the said contact bonding layer, and the said sealing base material is 150 micrometers or less. The characteristic of any one of Claims 1-8 characterized by the above-mentioned. Manufacturing method of organic electroluminescent element. The said adhesive layer contains a thermosetting adhesive agent. The manufacturing method of the organic electroluminescent element as described in any one of Claims 1-9 characterized by the above-mentioned.   An organic electroluminescent element manufactured by the method for manufacturing an organic electroluminescent element according to claim 1.

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