JP6851519B2 - Flexible OLED device, its manufacturing method, and support substrate - Google Patents

Description

The present disclosure relates to a flexible OLED device and a method for manufacturing the same. The present invention also relates to a support substrate used in a method for manufacturing a flexible OLED device.

Typical examples of flexible displays are films formed from synthetic resins such as polyimide (hereinafter referred to as "resin films"), TFTs (Thin Film Transistors) supported by resin films, and OLEDs (Organic Light Emitting Diodes). It is equipped with the element of. The resin film functions as a flexible substrate. Since the organic semiconductor layer constituting the OLED is easily deteriorated by water vapor, the flexible display is sealed with a gas barrier film (sealing film).

The flexible display can be manufactured using a glass base having a resin film formed on the upper surface. The glass base functions as a support (carrier) that maintains the shape of the resin film flat during the manufacturing process. By forming elements such as TFTs and OLEDs and a gas barrier film on the resin film, the structure of the flexible OLED device is realized while being supported by the glass base. The flexible OLED device is then stripped from the glass base to gain flexibility. The portion where the elements such as the TFT and the OLED are arranged can be referred to as a "functional layer region" as a whole.

Patent Document 1 discloses a method of irradiating the interface between the flexible substrate and the glass base with an ultraviolet laser beam (peeling light) in order to peel the flexible substrate on which the OLED device is mounted from the glass base. In the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, an amorphous silicon layer is arranged between the flexible substrate and the glass base. Irradiation with ultraviolet laser light generates hydrogen from the amorphous silicon layer and peels the flexible substrate from the glass base.

International Publication No. 2009/0377797

Conventionally, since the resin film used for the flexible substrate absorbs ultraviolet rays, the influence of the peeling light irradiation on the TFT element and the OLED element has not been particularly studied. According to the study by the present inventor, it has been found that the ultraviolet laser light used in the peeling step may deteriorate the TFT element and the OLED element.

The present disclosure provides a flexible OLED device, a method for manufacturing the same, and a support substrate that can solve the above problems.

In an exemplary embodiment, the method of manufacturing a flexible OLED device of the present disclosure is a functional layer located between a base, a functional layer region including a TFT layer and an OLED layer, and the base and the functional layer region. A step of preparing a laminated structure including a flexible film supporting a region and a dielectric thin-film transistor mirror located between the flexible film and the functional layer region, and a flexible film with ultraviolet laser light transmitted through the base. Includes a step of peeling the flexible film from the base by irradiating with.

In a certain embodiment, the steps of preparing the laminated structure include a step of forming the dielectric multilayer film mirror on the flexible film, a step of forming a gas barrier film on the dielectric multilayer film mirror, and the gas barrier. A step of forming a semiconductor layer on a film and a step of irradiating the semiconductor layer with a laser beam having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength of the ultraviolet laser beam to modify the semiconductor layer. Including, the reflectance of the dielectric multilayer mirror is relatively lower at the second wavelength than at the first wavelength.

In certain embodiments, the ultraviolet laser light having the first wavelength is transmitted through the base and the flexible film and then incident on the dielectric multilayer mirror, and the laser light having the second wavelength is generated. After passing through the semiconductor layer, it enters the dielectric layer film mirror.

In a certain embodiment, the step of preparing the laminated structure is a step of forming the dielectric multilayer film mirror on the flexible film, and forming a high refractive index layer having a first refractive index. And the step of repeatedly forming a low refractive index layer having a second refractive index lower than the first refractive index is included.

In certain embodiments, the total thickness of the high refractive index layers contained in the dielectric multilayer mirror is 100 nm or more.

In certain embodiments, the gas barrier film has a thickness of 200 nm or less.

In certain embodiments, the high index layer is Si ₃ N ₄ , SiN _x , Al ₂ O ₃ , HfO ₂ , Sc ₂ O ₃ , Y ₂ O ₃ , ZrO ₂ , Ta ₂ O ₅ , TiO ₂ , and It is formed from at least one material selected from the group consisting of Nb ₂ O _{5 , and the low refractive index layer is a group consisting of SiO 2} , MgF ₂ , CaF ₂ , AlF ₃ , YF ₃ , LiF, and NaF. It is formed from at least one material selected from.

In certain embodiments, the thickness of the flexible film is 5 μm or more and 20 μm or less.

In an exemplary embodiment, the flexible OLED device of the present disclosure is between a functional layer region including a TFT layer and an OLED layer, a flexible film supporting the functional layer region, and the flexible film and the functional layer region. It includes a dielectric thin film transistor located.

In certain embodiments, the dielectric multilayer mirror has three or more high refractive index layers, each of which has a first refractive index, and a second refractive index, each of which is lower than the first refractive index. It also has two or more low refractive index layers located between the three or more high refractive index layers.

In an exemplary embodiment, the supporting substrate of the present disclosure is a supporting substrate for a flexible OLED device, which includes a base formed of a material that transmits ultraviolet rays, a flexible film supported by the base, and the flexible film. It is provided with a supported dielectric multilayer film mirror.

In certain embodiments, the dielectric multilayer mirror has three or more high refractive index layers, each of which has a first refractive index, and a second refractive index, each of which is lower than the first refractive index. However, it has two or more low refractive index layers located between the three or more high refractive index layers.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a new manufacturing method and a support substrate for a flexible OLED device that solves the above problems.

It is a top view which shows the structural example of the laminated structure used in the manufacturing method of the flexible OLED device by this disclosure. FIG. 3 is a sectional view taken along line BB of the laminated structure shown in FIG. 1A. It is a process sectional view which shows the manufacturing method of the support substrate in embodiment of this disclosure. It is a process sectional view which shows the manufacturing method of the support substrate in embodiment of this disclosure. It is a process sectional view which shows the manufacturing method of the support substrate in embodiment of this disclosure. It is a process sectional view which shows the manufacturing method of the flexible OLED device in embodiment of this disclosure. It is a process sectional view which shows the manufacturing method of the flexible OLED device in embodiment of this disclosure. It is a process sectional view which shows the manufacturing method of the flexible OLED device in embodiment of this disclosure. It is a process sectional view which shows the manufacturing method of the flexible OLED device in embodiment of this disclosure. It is an equivalent circuit diagram of one sub-pixel in a flexible OLED device. It is a perspective view of the laminated structure in the middle stage of a manufacturing process. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the division | division position of a laminated structure. It is a top view which shows typically the division position of the laminated structure. It is a figure which shows typically the state just before the stage supports a laminated structure. It is a figure which shows typically the state which a stage supports a laminated structure. It is a figure which shows typically the state which irradiates the interface between the base of a laminated structure and a resin film by a laser beam (peeling light) formed in a line shape. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the reflection of the separation light by the dielectric multilayer mirror in the embodiment of this disclosure. It is a perspective view which shows typically the state of irradiating the laminated structure with the line beam emitted from the line beam light source of a stripping apparatus. It is a figure which shows typically the position of the stage at the start of irradiation of the separation light. It is a figure which shows typically the position of the stage at the end of irradiation of the separation light. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the state before separating the laminated structure into a 1st part and 2nd part after irradiation of the peeling light. It is sectional drawing which shows typically the state which separated the laminated structure into the 1st part and the 2nd part. It is sectional drawing which shows the flexible OLED device in embodiment of this disclosure.

Conventionally, a flexible substrate has been formed from a resin material typified by polyimide. Since such a resin material absorbs ultraviolet rays, it has been considered that it is not necessary to particularly study the influence of the peeling light irradiation on the TFT element and the OLED element. However, according to the study of the present inventor, when the thickness of the flexible substrate becomes very thin, about 5 μm to 15 μm, it may not sufficiently absorb ultraviolet rays, and the ultraviolet laser light used in the peeling step is a TFT element and an OLED element. It was found that it may deteriorate. This problem also occurred when a release layer made of amorphous silicon was provided. This is because amorphous silicon can transmit ultraviolet rays. On the other hand, when the release layer is formed from the refractory metal, the refractory metal absorbs or reflects ultraviolet rays and does not transmit them, so that the influence of the peeling light irradiation on the TFT element and the OLED element can be prevented. However, forming a release layer using a refractory metal leads to a significant increase in manufacturing costs.

The method for manufacturing a flexible OLED device of the present disclosure makes it possible to reduce the influence of the irradiation of the peeling light on the TFT element and the OLED element even when the peeling light can pass through the flexible film.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing a flexible OLED device and an embodiment of a manufacturing apparatus according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, an unnecessarily detailed description may be omitted. For example, detailed explanations of already well-known matters and duplicate explanations for substantially the same configuration may be omitted. This is to avoid unnecessary redundancy of the following description and to facilitate the understanding of those skilled in the art. The inventors provide the accompanying drawings and the following description to allow those skilled in the art to fully understand the present disclosure. These are not intended to limit the subject matter described in the claims.

<Laminated structure>
See FIGS. 1A and 1B. In the method for manufacturing a flexible OLED device in the present embodiment, first, the laminated structure 100 illustrated in FIGS. 1A and 1B is prepared. 1A is a plan view of the laminated structure 100, and FIG. 1B is a sectional view taken along line BB of the laminated structure 100 shown in FIG. 1A. For reference, FIGS. 1A and 1B show an XYZ coordinate system having an X-axis, a Y-axis, and a Z-axis that are orthogonal to each other.

The laminated structure 100 in the present embodiment includes a base (mother substrate or carrier) 10, a flexible film 30 located between the base 10 and the functional layer region 20 and supporting the functional layer region 20, and a flexible film 30. It includes a dielectric multilayer mirror (dielectric reflective film) 36 located between the functional layer region 20 and the functional layer region 20. The functional layer region 20 has a TFT layer 20A and an OLED layer 20B. The laminated structure 100 further includes a protective sheet 50 that covers the plurality of functional layer regions 20, and a gas barrier film 40 that covers the entire functional layer region 20 between the plurality of functional layer regions 20 and the protective sheet 50. I have. The laminated structure 100 may have other layers (not shown) such as a buffer layer.

A typical example of the base 10 is a rigid glass base. A typical example of the flexible film 30 is a flexible synthetic resin film. Hereinafter, the "flexible film" is simply referred to as a "resin film". The structure including the dielectric multilayer mirror 36, the resin film 30 supporting the dielectric multilayer mirror 36, and the base 10 supporting the resin film 30 as a whole is a "support substrate" of the flexible OLED device. It is called.

The first surface 100a of the laminated structure 100 in this embodiment is defined by the base 10, and the second surface 100b is defined by the protective sheet 50. The base 10 and the protective sheet 50 are members that are temporarily used during the manufacturing process, and are not elements that constitute the final flexible OLED device.

The illustrated resin film 30 includes a plurality of flexible substrate regions 30d each supporting the plurality of functional layer regions 20, and an intermediate region 30i surrounding the individual flexible substrate regions 30d. The flexible substrate region 30d and the intermediate region 30i are merely different parts of one continuous resin film 30, and do not need to be physically distinguished. In other words, in the resin film 30, the portion located directly below each functional layer region 20 is the flexible substrate region 30d, and the other portion is the intermediate region 30i.

Each of the plurality of functional layer regions 20 finally constitutes a panel of a flexible OLED device. In other words, the laminated structure 100 has a structure in which one base 10 supports a plurality of flexible OLED devices before division. Each functional layer region 20 has a shape having, for example, a thickness (Z-axis direction size) of several tens of μm, a length (X-axis direction size) of about 12 cm, and a width (Y-axis direction size) of about 7 cm. are doing. These sizes can be set to any size depending on the size of the required display screen. The shape of each functional layer region 20 in the XY plane is rectangular in the illustrated example, but is not limited thereto. The shape of each functional layer region 20 in the XY plane may be a square, a polygon, or a shape including a curved line in the contour.

As shown in FIG. 1A, the flexible substrate regions 30d are two-dimensionally arranged in rows and columns, corresponding to the arrangement of the flexible OLED devices. The intermediate region 30i is composed of a plurality of orthogonal stripes and forms a lattice pattern. The width of the stripe is, for example, about 1 to 4 mm. The flexible substrate region 30d of the resin film 30 functions as a "flexible substrate" for each flexible OLED device in the form of a final product. On the other hand, the intermediate region 30i of the resin film 30 is not an element constituting the final product.

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the configuration of the laminated structure 100 is not limited to the illustrated examples. The number of functional layer regions 20 (the number of OLED devices) supported by one base 10 does not have to be plural, and may be singular. When the functional layer region 20 is singular, the intermediate region 30i of the resin film 30 forms a simple frame pattern surrounding one functional layer region 20.

The size or ratio of each element described in each drawing is determined from the viewpoint of comprehensibility and does not necessarily reflect the actual size or ratio.

Support Substrate With reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B, a support substrate and a method for manufacturing the same in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be described. 2A and 2B are process cross-sectional views showing a method of manufacturing the support substrate 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

<Base>
First, as shown in FIG. 2A, the base 10 is prepared. The base 10 is a carrier substrate for a process, and its thickness can be, for example, about 0.3 to 0.7 mm. The base 10 is typically made of glass. The base 10 is required to transmit the peeling light to be irradiated in a later step.

<Resin film>
Next, as shown in FIG. 2B, the resin film 30 is formed on the base 10. The resin film 30 in the present embodiment is, for example, a polyimide film having a thickness of 5 μm or more and 20 μm or less, for example, about 10 μm. The polyimide film can be formed from a precursor polyamic acid or a polyimide solution. A film of polyamic acid may be formed on the surface of the support substrate 200 and then thermally imidized, or a film may be formed on the surface of the base 10 from a polyimide solution in which polyimide is melted or dissolved in an organic solvent. The polyimide solution can be obtained by dissolving a known polyimide in an arbitrary organic solvent. A polyimide film can be formed by applying a polyimide solution to the surface of the base 10 and then drying it.

In the case of a bottom emission type flexible display, the polyimide film preferably realizes high transmittance in the entire visible light region. The transparency of the polyimide film can be expressed, for example, by the total light transmittance according to JIS K7105-1981. The total light transmittance can be set to 80% or more, or 85% or more. On the other hand, in the case of a top emission type flexible display, it is not affected by the transmittance. The refractive index of the polyimide film is, for example, about 1.7.

The resin film 30 may be a film formed of a synthetic resin other than polyimide. However, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, since heat treatment at, for example, 350 ° C. or higher is performed in the step of forming the thin film transistor, the resin film 30 is formed from a material that is not deteriorated by this heat treatment.

The resin film 30 may be a laminate of a plurality of synthetic resin films. In one embodiment of the present embodiment, when the structure of the flexible display is peeled from the base 10, a peeling light irradiation step of irradiating the resin film 30 with an ultraviolet laser beam (wavelength: 300 to 360 nm) transmitted through the base 10 is performed. .. A release layer such as an amorphous silicon layer that absorbs ultraviolet laser light and emits hydrogen gas may be arranged between the base 10 and the resin film 30. In the peeling step described later, a part (layered portion) of the resin film 30 is vaporized at the interface between the base 10 and the resin film 30 by irradiation with ultraviolet laser light, and the resin film 30 can be peeled from the base 10. The release layer has the effect of suppressing the formation of ash.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 described below functions as an ultraviolet transmission suppressing layer in the peeling light irradiation step. As a result, it is avoided or suppressed that the ultraviolet laser light enters the functional layer region 20 from the base 10 and deteriorates the characteristics of the TFT layer 20A and the OLED layer 20B.

Generally, it has been considered that even a highly transparent resin film 30 absorbs almost all ultraviolet rays. However, since the resin film 30 used in the flexible OLED device is an extremely thin layer, ultraviolet laser light can be incident on the functional layer region 20 in the peeling light irradiation step. The ultraviolet laser light may deteriorate not only the characteristics of the TFT layer 20A and the OLED layer 20B but also the sealing performance of the organic film and the inorganic film constituting the sealing structure. Furthermore, since the currently widely used resin film 30 is formed of a tan or brown polyimide material, it is not recognized that transmission of ultraviolet laser light can cause deterioration of the characteristics of the functional layer region. This is because such a polyimide material having low transparency strongly absorbs ultraviolet laser light. However, according to the study by the present inventor, it has been found that even if the resin film 30 has low transparency, the ultraviolet laser light can reach the functional layer region 20 if the thickness is only about 5 to 20 μm, for example. .. Therefore, the method according to the embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to an OLED device provided with a resin film (flexible substrate) formed of a material having high transparency and easily transmitting ultraviolet rays, as well as a thin resin film 30 (thickness) having low transparency. It is suitably used for manufacturing an OLED device provided with (about 5 to 20 μm).

When a polishing target (target) such as particles or protrusions is present on the surface of the resin film 30, the target may be polished and flattened by a polishing device. Foreign matter such as particles can be detected, for example, by processing an image acquired by an image sensor. After the polishing treatment, the surface of the resin film 30 may be flattened. The flattening treatment includes a step of forming a film (flattening film) for improving flatness on the surface of the resin film 30. The flattening film does not have to be made of resin.

<Dielectric multilayer mirror>
Next, as shown in FIG. 2C, a dielectric multilayer mirror 36 is formed on the resin film 30.

In the present disclosure, the "dielectric multilayer mirror" is a stack of multi-layers composed of k-layer dielectric layers when k is an integer of 5 or more. It means a laminate in which the optical thickness of each dielectric layer is adjusted so that the reflected light from the interface of the dielectric layers having different refractive indexes causes constructive interference.

The dielectric layer constituting the dielectric multilayer mirror is counted from the side where the peeling light is incident, and the i-th layer is called the dielectric layer (i). i is an integer of 1 or more and k or less. Let the refractive index of the dielectric layer (i) be n (i) and the thickness be d (i). In embodiments of the present disclosure, when i is odd, n (i + 1) is lower than n (i) and n (i + 2). Therefore, the odd-numbered dielectric layer (odd number) is referred to as a "high refractive index layer", and the even-numbered dielectric layer (even number) is referred to as a "low refractive index layer".

The optical thickness of the dielectric layer (i) is defined by n (i) × d (i). When the wavelength of the separation light in vacuum is λ, the optical thickness in this embodiment, that is, n (i) × d (i) is λ / 4. If n (i) × d (i) = λ / 4 holds, the refractive indexes and thicknesses of all the “high refractive index layers” need not be the same. Similarly, the refractive indexes and thicknesses of all the "low index layers" do not have to match each other. However, typically, since the "high refractive index layer" is formed from the same material having the same refractive index, the thickness of each "high refractive index layer" is the same. Further, since the "low refractive index layer" is also typically formed of the same material having the same refractive index, the thickness of each "low refractive index layer" is the same. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to such examples.

In the example shown in FIG. 2C, the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 has five dielectric layers (1), a dielectric layer (2), a dielectric layer (3), a dielectric layer (4), and a dielectric layer. It is composed of (5). The dielectric layer (1), the dielectric layer (3) and the dielectric layer (5) are the high refractive index layer 36A. The dielectric layer (2) and the dielectric layer (4) are the low refractive index layer 36B. In other words, the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 in the example of the figure has three or more high refractive index layers 36A, each of which has a first refractive index, and a second refractive index, each of which is lower than the first refractive index. And has two or more low refractive index layers 36B located between the three or more high refractive index layers 36A. In addition, "high" and "low" in the terms of "high refractive index layer" and "low refractive index layer" are not absolute sizes, but are between adjacent dielectric layers so as to form an interface. It means only the relative relationship of the refractive index.

High refractive index layers include, for example, Si ₃ N ₄ , SiN _x , Al ₂ O ₃ , HfO ₂ , Sc ₂ O ₃ , Y ₂ O ₃ , ZrO ₂ , Ta ₂ O ₅ , TiO ₂ , and Nb ₂ O _5. It can be formed from at least one material selected from the group consisting of. The low index of refraction layer can be formed from at least one material selected from the group consisting _{of, for example, SiO 2} , MgF ₂ , CaF ₂ , AlF ₃ , YF _{3, LiF, and NaF.} The "high refractive index layer" contained in one dielectric multilayer mirror 36 may be formed of a plurality of types of materials having different refractive indexes. In that sense, the "first refractive index" is not limited to the singular. The terms "low index of refraction layer" and "second index of refraction" can be interpreted similarly.

The reflectance at the interface between the high refractive index layer and the low refractive index layer increases as the difference in the refractive index between the high refractive index layer and the low refractive index layer increases. Therefore, it is preferable that the material is selected so that the difference in refractive index is large. The low refractive index layer is preferably formed from, for example, a fluorine-based material, and its refractive index is preferably less than 1.5. The high refractive index layer is preferably formed from metal oxides such as silicon nitride, tantalum (Ta), hafnium (Hf), yttrium (Y), or niobium (Nb), and has a refractive index of 1. It is desirable that it is 7 or more.

The refractive index of the resin film 30 differs depending on the material of the synthetic resin. The refractive index of the synthetic resin is typically in the range of about 1.5 to 1.7. Therefore, when the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 is in direct contact with the resin material of the resin film 30, the high refractive index layer 36A contained in the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 is arranged so as to be in contact with the resin material. With such an arrangement, the reflectance at the interface between the resin film 30 and the high refractive index layer 36A can be increased.

In the illustrated example, when the peeling light passes through the base 10 and the resin film 30 and enters the dielectric multilayer film mirror 36, a part of the peeling light is first a high refractive index layer which is a dielectric layer (1). It is reflected by the interface between 36A and the resin film 30. The light transmitted through this interface is then the interface between the dielectric layer (1) and the dielectric layer (2), the interface between the dielectric layer (2) and the dielectric layer (3), and the dielectric layer (3) and the dielectric. Reflection and transmission are repeated at the interface of the body layer (4) and the interface between the dielectric layer (4) and the dielectric layer (5), respectively. When the separated light is incident on the low refractive index layer 36B from the high refractive index layer 36A, so-called fixed end reflection occurs at the interface, and the phase shifts by π, that is, a half wavelength. On the other hand, when the separation light is incident on the high refractive index layer 36A from the low refractive index layer 36B, so-called free-end reflection occurs at the interface and the phase does not shift. Therefore, if the optical thicknesses of the high refractive index layer 36A and the low refractive index layer 36B are adjusted to λ / 4, the phases of reflection by each interface are aligned, and constructive interference of reflected light is realized. In order to obtain the effect of the present invention, the optical thickness does not have to exactly match the value of λ / 4, and a deviation of ± 20% or less can be tolerated. Further, the optical thickness when the reflected light from each interface realizes constructive interference may be more generally λ / 4 + (L × λ / 2). Here, L is an integer of 0 or more.

In the example of the figure, the repetition of the high refractive index layer 36A and the low refractive index layer 36B is 2.5 cycles. The embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this example. The repetition period of the high refractive index layer 36A and the low refractive index layer 36B may be two cycles or three or more cycles.

The reflectance of the configuration example of the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 that can be used in the embodiment of the present disclosure was determined by simulation. The results of this simulation will be described later.

The dielectric multilayer mirror 36 is manufactured by alternately forming a high refractive index layer 36A and a low refractive index layer 36B by a thin film deposition technique such as thin film deposition. The high refractive index layer 36A and the low refractive index layer 36B are typically continuous films, but may be patterned. The dielectric multilayer mirror 36 may be present in a region that suppresses the separation light from entering the TFT layer 20A and the OLED layer 20B.

When the sheet-shaped resin film 30 is attached to the base 10, the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 may be formed on the resin film 30 before the application.

The dielectric multilayer mirror 36 is a member that exerts an optical function when irradiated with peeling light in the lift-off process. However, when used as a flexible OLED device, ultraviolet rays contained in ambient light are emitted from the TFT layer 20A and the OLED layer. It can also exhibit a function of suppressing deterioration over time due to incident on 20B. Further, the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 can not only exhibit an optical function but also a gas barrier film function described below.

<Lower gas barrier membrane>
Next, as shown in FIG. 3A, the gas barrier film 38 is formed on the dielectric multilayer film mirror 36. The gas barrier membrane 38 may have various structures. Examples of gas barrier membranes are films such as silicon oxide films or silicon nitride films. Another example of a gas barrier membrane may be a multilayer membrane in which an organic material layer and an inorganic material layer are laminated. This gas barrier membrane may be referred to as a "lower layer gas barrier membrane" in order to distinguish it from the gas barrier membrane described later that covers the functional layer region 20. Further, the gas barrier membrane covering the functional layer region 20 can be called an "upper layer gas barrier membrane".

The gas barrier film 38 may be in contact with the high refractive index layer 36A or the low refractive index layer 36B constituting the dielectric multilayer film mirror 36, or between the gas barrier film 38 and the dielectric multilayer film mirror 36. Other layers may intervene. When the gas barrier film 38 and the dielectric multilayer film mirror 36 are in direct contact with each other, it is preferable that the peeling light is strongly reflected by the interface between the gas barrier film 38 and the dielectric multilayer film mirror 36. Therefore, it is desirable that the dielectric layer in contact with the gas barrier film 38 is formed of a material having a refractive index substantially different from the refractive index of the gas barrier film 38.

Functional layer region Next, a step of forming the functional layer region 20 including the TFT layer 20A and the OLED layer 20B, and the upper gas barrier film 40 will be described. More specifically, the functional layer region 20 includes a TFT layer 20A located in the lower layer and an OLED layer 20B located in the upper layer. The TFT layer 20A and the OLED layer 20B are sequentially formed by a known method. The TFT layer 20A includes a circuit of a TFT array that realizes an active matrix. The OLED layer 20B includes an array of OLED elements, each of which can be driven independently. The thickness of the TFT layer 20A is, for example, 4 μm, and the thickness of the OLED layer 20B is, for example, 1 μm.

<TFT layer>
First, as shown in FIG. 3B, the semiconductor layer 21 is formed on the lower gas barrier film 38. The semiconductor layer is amorphous at this stage. The semiconductor layer 21 is irradiated with laser light in order to polycrystallize (modify) at least a part of the semiconductor layer 21. At this time, a part of the laser light may pass through the semiconductor layer 21 and enter the dielectric multilayer mirror 36. When the laser beam is reflected by the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 and incident on the semiconductor layer 21, the heat treatment conditions such as the temperature rise rate of the semiconductor layer 21 may change as compared with the case without the dielectric multilayer mirror 36. ..

However, when the semiconductor layer 21 is formed of silicon, a large difference in refractive index occurs between the lower gas barrier film 38 and the semiconductor layer 21. Specifically, when the lower gas barrier film 38 is formed of, for example, SiN _x (refractive index: about 1.9), since the refractive index of silicon is 4 or more, a large difference in refractive index occurs at the interface. Laser light is strongly reflected at this interface. Therefore, the influence of the laser light passing through this interface and being reflected by the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 is reduced. This means that it is not necessary to change the laser light irradiation conditions for polycrystallizing the semiconductor layer 21 depending on the presence or absence of the dielectric reflection mirror.

When the wavelength of the laser light for polycrystallizing the semiconductor layer is different from the wavelength of the peeling light, the reflectance of the dielectric multilayer film mirror 36 is optimized according to the wavelength of the peeling light. Therefore, since such a dielectric multilayer mirror 36 does not strongly reflect light of other wavelengths, fluctuations in the semiconductor polycrystalline conditions are unlikely to occur in the first place.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3C, the TFT layer 20A is formed by a known TFT manufacturing process. Specifically, after patterning the semiconductor layer 21, the ground line GL is formed. After forming the gate insulating film 22, the gate electrode G is formed so as to cover the channel region of the semiconductor layer 21. A source / drain region self-aligned with the gate electrode G is formed in the semiconductor layer 21 by the ion implantation method. After depositing the interlayer insulating film 23, a contact hole is formed to form a source electrode S and a drain electrode D of the transistor Tr, and an electrode E1 on the ground line GL. After depositing the first inorganic barrier layer 24 covering them, the organic flattening film 25 and the second inorganic barrier layer 26 are formed. In this way, the TFT layer 20A is formed. The configuration and manufacturing method of the TFT layer 20A are not limited to this example, and may be various.

<OLED layer>
Next, as shown in FIG. 3D, after forming contact holes in the organic flattening film 25 and the second inorganic barrier layer 26, the anode electrode E2 and the cathode electrode E3 of the OLED light emitting element 28 are formed. After forming the bank 27, the OLED light emitting element 28 is formed on the anode electrode E2. The OLED light emitting device 28 includes an organic semiconductor layer such as a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, and an electron transport layer. The OLED layer 20B is formed by forming the transparent electrode 29 that electrically connects the electron transport layer of the OLED light emitting element 28 and the cathode electrode E3. The configuration and manufacturing method of the OLED layer 20B are not limited to this example, and may be various. In this way, the functional layer region 20 is completed.

<Upper gas barrier membrane>
After forming the functional layer region 20, as shown in FIG. 3D, the entire functional layer region 20 is covered with a thin film sealing layer (upper layer gas barrier film) 40. A typical example of the upper gas barrier film 40 is a multilayer film in which an inorganic material layer and an organic material layer are laminated. Elements such as an adhesive film, another functional layer constituting the touch screen, and a polarizing film may be arranged between the upper gas barrier film 40 and the functional layer region 20 or further above the upper gas barrier film 40. .. The upper gas barrier film 40 can be formed by a thin film encapsulation (TFE) technique. From the viewpoint of sealing reliability, the WVTR (Water Vapor Transmission Rate) of the thin film sealing structure is typically required to be 1 × 10 ^-4 g / m ² / day or less. According to the embodiments of the present disclosure, this criterion is achieved. The thickness of the upper gas barrier film 40 is, for example, 1.5 μm or less.

<Protective sheet>
Next, the protective sheet 50 (FIG. 1B) is attached to the upper surface of the laminated structure 100. The protective sheet 50 can be formed from a material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). As described above, a typical example of the protective sheet 50 has a laminated structure having a coating layer of a release agent on the surface. The thickness of the protective sheet 50 can be, for example, 50 μm or more and 150 μm or less.

After preparing the laminated structure 100 thus produced, the production method according to the present disclosure can be executed using the production apparatus (peeling apparatus 220) described later.

The laminated structure 100 that can be used in the manufacturing method of the present disclosure is not limited to the examples shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B. The protective sheet 50 may cover the entire resin film 30 and may extend outward from the resin film 30. Alternatively, the protective sheet 50 may cover the entire resin film 30 and may extend outward from the base 10. As will be described later, after the base 10 is isolated from the laminated structure 100, the laminated structure 100 becomes a flexible thin sheet-like structure having no rigidity. The protective sheet 50 impacts the functional layer region 20 when the functional layer region 20 collides with or comes into contact with an external device or instrument in the step of peeling the base 10 and the step after the peeling. It plays a role of protecting from friction. Since the protective sheet 50 is finally peeled off from the laminated structure 100, a typical example of the protective sheet 50 has a laminated structure having an adhesive layer (coating layer of a release agent) having a relatively small adhesive force on the surface. are doing. A more detailed description of the laminated structure 100 will be described later.

<Equivalent circuit>
FIG. 4 is a basic equivalent circuit diagram of sub-pixels in an organic EL (Electro Luminescence) display. One pixel of the display may be composed of sub-pixels of different colors such as R (red), G (green), B (blue) and the like. The example shown in FIG. 4 has a selection TFT element Tr1, a driving TFT element Tr2, a holding capacitance CH, and an OLED element EL. The selection TFT element Tr1 is connected to the data line DL and the selection line SL. The data line DL is a wiring that carries a data signal that defines an image to be displayed. The data line DL is electrically connected to the gate of the driving TFT element Tr2 via the selection TFT element Tr1. The selection line SL is a wiring that carries a signal for controlling on / off of the selection TFT element Tr1. The driving TFT element Tr2 controls the conduction state between the power line PL and the OLED element EL. When the driving TFT element Tr2 is turned on, a current flows from the power line PL to the ground line GL via the OLED element EL. This current causes the OLED element EL to emit light. Even if the selection TFT element Tr1 is turned off, the driving TFT element Tr2 is maintained in the ON state due to the holding capacitance CH. The driving TFT element Tr2 corresponds to the transistor Tr in FIG. 3D.

The TFT layer 20A includes a selection TFT element Tr1, a driving TFT element Tr2, a data line DL, a selection line SL, and the like. The OLED layer 20B includes an OLED element EL. Before the OLED layer 20B is formed, the upper surface of the TFT layer 20A is flattened by an interlayer insulating film covering the TFT array and various wirings. A structure that supports the OLED layer 20B and realizes active matrix drive of the OLED layer 20B is referred to as a "backplane".

Some of the circuit elements and wiring shown in FIG. 4 may be included in either the TFT layer 20A or the OLED layer 20B. Further, the wiring shown in FIG. 4 is connected to a driver circuit (not shown).

In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the specific configurations of the TFT layer 20A and the OLED layer 20B can be various. These configurations do not limit the content of this disclosure. The structure of the TFT element included in the TFT layer 20A may be a bottom gate type or a top gate type. Further, the light emission of the OLED element included in the OLED layer 20B may be a bottom emission type or a top emission type. The specific configuration of the OLED element is also arbitrary.

The material of the semiconductor layer constituting the TFT element includes, for example, crystalline silicon, amorphous silicon, and an oxide semiconductor. In the embodiment of the present disclosure, in order to improve the performance of the TFT element, a part of the steps of forming the TFT layer 20A includes a heat treatment step of 350 ° C. or higher.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view schematically showing the upper surface side of the laminated structure 100 at the stage where the upper gas barrier film 40 is formed. One laminated structure 100 includes a plurality of OLED devices 1000 supported by the base 10. In the example shown in FIG. 5, one laminated structure 100 includes more functional layer regions 20 than in the example shown in FIG. 1A. As described above, the number of functional layer regions 20 supported by one base 10 is arbitrary.

<Division of OLED device>
In the method for manufacturing a flexible OLED device of the present embodiment, after executing the step of preparing the laminated structure 100, the step of dividing each of the intermediate region 30i of the resin film 30 and the plurality of flexible substrate regions 30d is performed. The step of performing the division does not have to be performed before the LLO step, and may be performed after the LLO step.

The division can be performed by cutting the central portion of the adjacent OLED device with a laser beam or a dicing saw. In the present embodiment, the portion of the laminated structure other than the base 10 is cut, and the base 10 is not cut. However, the base 10 may be cut into a partially laminated structure comprising individual OLED devices and a base portion that supports each OLED device.

Hereinafter, a step of cutting the laminated structure other than the base 10 by irradiating the laser beam will be described. The irradiation position of the laser beam for cutting is along the outer circumference of each flexible substrate region 30d.

6A and 6B are cross-sectional views and plan views schematically showing positions for dividing the intermediate region 30i of the resin film 30 and each of the plurality of flexible substrate regions 30d, respectively. The irradiation position of the laser beam for cutting is along the outer circumference of each flexible substrate region 30d. In FIGS. 6A and 6B, the irradiation position (cutting position) CT indicated by the arrow or the broken line is irradiated with a laser beam for cutting, and the portion of the laminated structure 100 other than the base 10 is subjected to a plurality of OLED devices 1000 and others. Cut into unnecessary parts. By cutting, a gap of several tens of μm to several hundreds of μm is formed between each OLED device 1000 and its surroundings. As described above, such cutting can be performed by a dicing saw instead of irradiating the laser beam. Even after cutting, the OLED device 1000 and other unnecessary parts are fixed to the base 10.

As shown in FIG. 6B, the planar layout of the “unnecessary portion” in the laminated structure 100 is consistent with the planar layout of the intermediate region 30i of the resin film 30. In the illustrated example, this "unwanted portion" is a single continuous sheet-like structure with an opening. However, the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to this example. The irradiation position CT of the cutting laser beam may be set so as to divide the "unnecessary portion" into a plurality of portions. The sheet-like structure, which is an "unnecessary portion", includes not only the intermediate region 30i of the resin film 30 but also the cut portion of the laminate (for example, the gas barrier film 40 and the protective sheet 50) existing on the intermediate region 30i. Includes.

When cutting with a laser beam, the wavelength of the laser beam may be in any region of infrared, visible light, and ultraviolet. From the viewpoint of reducing the influence of cutting over the base 10, a laser beam having a wavelength in the green to ultraviolet region is desirable. For example, according to the Nd: YAG laser apparatus, cutting can be performed using a second harmonic (wavelength 532 nm) or a third harmonic (wavelength 343 nm or 355 nm). In that case, if the laser output is adjusted to 1 to 3 watts and scanning is performed at a speed of about 500 mm per second, the laminate supported by the base 10 can be used as an OLED device and an unnecessary part without damaging the base 10. It can be cut (divided).

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, the timing of performing the above cutting is earlier than that of the prior art. Since the cutting is performed with the resin film 30 fixed to the base 10, the cutting can be aligned with high accuracy and accuracy even if the distance between the adjacent OLED devices 1000 is narrow. Therefore, the interval between the adjacent OLED devices 1000 can be shortened, and the wasteful portion that is finally unnecessary can be reduced.

<Irradiation of peeling light>
FIG. 7A is a diagram schematically showing a state immediately before the stage 212 supports the laminated structure 100 in a manufacturing apparatus (peeling apparatus) (not shown). The stage 212 in the present embodiment is an adsorption stage having a large number of holes for adsorption on the surface. The configuration of the suction stage is not limited to this example, and may include an electrostatic chuck or other fixing device that supports the laminated structure. The laminated structure 100 is arranged so that the second surface 100b of the laminated structure 100 faces the surface 212S of the stage 212, and is in close contact with the stage 212.

FIG. 7B is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the stage 212 supports the laminated structure 100. The arrangement relationship between the stage 212 and the laminated structure 100 is not limited to the illustrated example. For example, the laminated structure 100 may be turned upside down and the stage 212 may be located below the laminated structure 100.

In the example shown in FIG. 7B, the laminated structure 100 is in contact with the surface 212S of the stage 212, and the stage 212 is adsorbing the laminated structure 100.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7C, the interface between the resin film 30 and the base 10 is irradiated with ultraviolet laser light (peeling light) 216. FIG. 7C is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the resin film 30 is irradiated from the side of the base 10 by the peeling light 216 formed in a line shape extending in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of the figure. The resin film 30 absorbs ultraviolet laser light and is heated in a short time. A part of the resin film 30 is vaporized or decomposed (disappeared) at the interface between the base 10 and the resin film 30. By scanning the resin film 30 with the peeling light 216, the degree of adhesion of the resin film 30 to the base 10 is reduced. The wavelength of the separation light 216 is in the ultraviolet region. The light absorption rate of the base 10 is, for example, about 10% in the region where the wavelength is 343 to 355 nm, but can increase to 30 to 60% in the region of 308 nm.

FIG. 7D schematically shows how the peeling light 216 is incident on the resin film 30. In this figure, the peeling light 216 is obliquely incident on the resin film 30 for the sake of clarity. The peeling light 216 is typically incident perpendicular to the resin film 30.

FIG. 7D schematically shows how a part of the peeling light 216 transmitted through the resin film 30 is reflected from the dielectric multilayer mirror 36.

<Simulation of peeling light reflection>
The reflectance of the detached light at a wavelength of 308 nm was calculated for the layer structure having the materials, refractive index, and thickness shown in Tables 1, 2, 3, and 4 below. Reflectances of 79%, 56%, 60%, and 60% were obtained for the configurations of Table 1, Table 2, Table 3, and Table 4, respectively.

In the above example, the repetition of the high refractive index layer and the low refractive index layer has 2.5 cycles, but the reflectance increases as the number of cycles increases. For example, in the layer structure shown in Table 2, when the number of repetition cycles is 4.5, a reflectance of 82% is realized, and when the number of repetition cycles is 5.5, a reflectance of 90% is realized. .. However, it is not necessary to achieve such a high reflectance, and the reflectance may be 30% or more, and a sufficient effect can be obtained if the reflectance is 50% or more.

As described above, after the semiconductor layer 21 for the TFT layer 20A is deposited, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the semiconductor layer 21 is irradiated with laser light to modify the semiconductor layer 21 to enhance the crystallinity. This laser beam enters the semiconductor layer 21 from the direction shown in FIG. 3B. As shown in FIGS. 7C and 7D, the peeling light 216 is incident on the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 after passing through the base 10 and the resin film 30, but the laser light that polycrystallizes the semiconductor layer 21 is a semiconductor. After passing through the layer 21, it will be incident on the dielectric multilayer mirror 36. The wavelength of the laser beam for semiconductor modification does not have to match the wavelength of the separation light, and can be selected from a band suitable for polycrystallization of the semiconductor layer 21. As a laser irradiation device for polycrystallizing a semiconductor layer such as silicon, an excimer laser device that emits a laser beam having a wavelength of 308 nm is widely used.

In the embodiment of the present disclosure, focusing on the fact that the wavelength of the peeling light and the wavelength of the laser light used for modifying the semiconductor layer can be different, the presence of the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 effectively realizes the reflection of the peeling light. On the other hand, it was examined to reduce the influence on the modification of the semiconductor layer. This is because if the degree of modification of the semiconductor layer 21 is uneven, the characteristics of the TFT that drives the sub-pixels of the organic EL display will be different for each TFT. Variations in the characteristics of the TFTs cause uneven brightness for each pixel in an organic EL display operated by current drive, and deteriorate the display quality. Therefore, it is desirable to reduce the reflection of the laser beam (for polycrystalline annealing) incident from the arrow in FIG. 3B by the dielectric multilayer mirror 36. As a result of the study by the present inventor, a gas barrier film 38 formed of an inorganic material is arranged between the semiconductor layer 21 and the dielectric multilayer film mirror 36, and the thickness of the gas barrier film 38 is adjusted to an appropriate size. It was found that the desired function can be realized.

Hereinafter, Tables 5, 6, 7, and 8 show that the reflectance is maintained relatively high at the wavelength of the laser light used for peeling (346 nm or 355 nm), and the wavelength of the laser light used for polycrystallization of the semiconductor layer. At (308 nm), an example of a configuration in which the reflectance is relatively low is shown.

According to the configuration example in Table 5 below, the reflectance at a wavelength of 308 nm is set to 45.2% by setting the thickness of the gas barrier film 38 formed from _{SiN x (refractive index n = 1.94) to 190 nm.} At the same time, the reflectances at wavelengths of 343 nm and 355 nm are set to 76.4% and 85.7%, respectively.

In the configuration example shown in Table 6 below, the reflectance at a wavelength of 308 nm is 12.4% by setting the thickness of the gas barrier film 38 formed from _{SiN x (refractive index n = 1.94) to 181.8 nm.} And the reflectances at wavelengths of 343 nm and 355 nm are set to 60.9% and 63.6%, respectively.

In the configuration example shown in Table 7 below, the reflectance at a wavelength of 308 nm is set to 17.1% by setting the thickness of the gas barrier film 38 formed from _{SiN x (refractive index n = 1.94) to 24 nm.} At the same time, the reflectances at wavelengths of 343 nm and 355 nm are set to 60.8% and 78.0%, respectively.

In the configuration example shown in Table 8 below, the reflectance at a wavelength of 308 nm is set to 20.4% by setting the thickness of the gas barrier film 38 formed from _{SiN x (refractive index n = 1.94) to 190 nm.} At the same time, the reflectances at wavelengths of 343 nm and 355 nm are set to 53.8% and 71.5%, respectively.

By adjusting the configuration of the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 and the optical thickness of the gas barrier film 38 in this way, the reflectance of the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 is made more semiconductor than the wavelength of the separation light (first wavelength). The wavelength of the laser light for layer modification (second wavelength) can be relatively low.

Further, the high refractive index layer contained in the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 is generally made of a dense material and exhibits a barrier effect against a gas such as water vapor. Therefore, when the total thickness of the high-refractive index layers contained in the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 is 100 nm or more, it can be expected that the moisture resistance of the flexible OLED device will be improved. Since the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 can also exhibit a function of improving moisture resistance in addition to the optical function, when the gas barrier film 38 is arranged between the dielectric multilayer mirror 36 and the functional layer region 20, the gas barrier film 38 is arranged. It is also possible to reduce the thickness of 38 to 200 nm or less.

<Details of peeling light irradiation>
Hereinafter, the irradiation of the peeling light in the present embodiment will be described in detail.

The peeling device in the present embodiment includes a line beam light source that emits peeling light 216. The line beam light source includes a laser device and an optical system that shapes the laser beam emitted from the laser device into a line beam shape.

FIG. 8A is a perspective view schematically showing how the laminated structure 100 is irradiated with the line beam (peeling light 216) emitted from the line beam light source 214 of the peeling device 220. For the sake of clarity, the stage 212, the laminated structure 100, and the line beam light source 214 are shown in a state of being separated from each other in the Z-axis direction in the drawing. When the peeling light 216 is irradiated, the second surface 100b of the laminated structure 100 is in contact with the stage 212.

FIG. 8B schematically shows the position of the stage 212 when the peeling light 216 is irradiated. Although not shown in FIG. 8B, the laminated structure 100 is supported by the stage 212.

Examples of laser devices that emit separation light 216 include gas laser devices such as excimer lasers, solid-state laser devices such as YAG lasers, semiconductor laser devices, and other laser devices. According to the XeCl excimer laser apparatus, a laser beam having a wavelength of 308 nm can be obtained. When neodymium (Nd) -doped yttrium / vanadium tetroxide (YVO ₄ ) or itterbium (Yb) -doped YVO ₄ is used as the laser oscillation medium, the laser light emitted from the laser oscillation medium (basic). Since the wavelength of the wave) is about 1000 nm, it can be used after being converted into a laser beam (third harmonic) having a wavelength of 340 to 360 nm by a wavelength conversion element.

From the viewpoint of suppressing the formation of ash, it is more effective to use the laser beam having a wavelength of 308 nm by the excimer laser device than the laser beam having a wavelength of 340 to 360 nm. Further, when the release layer is provided, it exerts a remarkable effect in suppressing the generation of ash.

Irradiation of the peeling light 216 can be performed, for example, with an energy irradiation density of ^{50 to 400 mJ / cm 2.} The line beam-shaped peeling light 216 has a size that crosses the base 10, that is, a line length that exceeds the length of one side of the base (major axis dimension, Y-axis direction size in FIG. 8B). The line length can be, for example, 750 mm or more. On the other hand, the line width of the peeling light 216 (short axis dimension, X-axis direction size in FIG. 8B) can be, for example, about 0.2 mm. These dimensions are the size of the irradiation region at the interface between the resin film 30 and the base 10. The peeling light 216 can be irradiated as a pulse or a continuous wave. The pulsed irradiation can be performed at a frequency of, for example, about 200 times per second.

The irradiation position of the peeling light 216 moves relative to the base 10, and the scanning of the peeling light 216 is executed. In the peeling device 220, the light source 214 and the optical device (not shown) that emit the peeling light are fixed, and the laminated structure 100 may move or vice versa. In the present embodiment, the peeling light 216 is irradiated while the stage 212 moves from the position shown in FIG. 8B to the position shown in FIG. 8C. That is, the movement of the stage 212 along the X-axis direction executes scanning of the peeling light 216.

<Lift off>
FIG. 9A shows a state in which the laminated structure 100 is in contact with the stage 212 after irradiation with the peeling light. While maintaining this state, the distance from the stage 212 to the base 10 is increased. At this time, the stage 212 in the present embodiment attracts the OLED device portion of the laminated structure 100.

Peeling (lift-off) is performed by a drive device (not shown) holding the base 10 and moving the entire base 10 in the direction of the arrow. The base 10 can move together with the adsorption stage in a state of being adsorbed by an adsorption stage (not shown). The direction of movement of the base 10 does not have to be perpendicular to the first surface 100a of the laminated structure 100, and may be inclined. The movement of the base 10 does not have to be a linear motion, but may be a rotary motion. Further, the base 10 may be fixed by a holding device (not shown) or another stage, and the stage 212 may move to the upper side of the drawing.

FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view showing a first portion 110 and a second portion 120 of the laminated structure 100 thus separated. The first portion 110 of the laminated structure 100 includes a plurality of OLED devices 1000 in contact with the stage 212. Each OLED device 1000 has a functional layer region 20 and a plurality of flexible substrate regions 30d of the resin film 30. On the other hand, the second portion 120 of the laminated structure 100 is the base 10.

The individual OLED devices 1000 supported by the stage 212 are disconnected from each other and can be easily removed from the stage 212 simultaneously or sequentially.

In the above embodiment, each OLED device 1000 is cut and separated before the LLO step, but each OLED device 1000 may be cut and separated after the LLO step. Further, the cutting and separation of each OLED device 1000 may include dividing the base 10 into corresponding portions.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view showing a flexible OLED device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure. The functional layer region 20 is supported by the flexible substrate region 30d of the resin film 30 peeled from the base 10.

According to the embodiment of the present disclosure, when a flexible film is used from polyimide and PET having high transparency that transmits ultraviolet rays, or a flexible film that has low transparency but is thin (thickness is 5 to 20 μm) and can transmit ultraviolet rays is used. Even in this case, deterioration of the characteristics of the functional layer region and deterioration of the performance of the gas barrier film due to ultraviolet rays can be suppressed.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of manufacturing a new flexible OLED device. Flexible OLED devices can be widely applied to smartphones, tablet terminals, automotive displays, and small to medium to large television devices.

10 ... Base, 20 ... Functional layer area, 20A ... TFT layer, 20B ... OLED layer, 30 ... Resin film, 30d ... Flexible substrate area of resin film, 30i ... Intermediate region of resin film, 40 ... gas barrier film, 50 ... protective sheet, 100 ... laminated structure, 212 ... stage, 1000 ... OLED device

Claims (3)

The functional layer region including the TFT layer and the OLED layer, and
A flexible film that supports the functional layer region and
A dielectric multilayer mirror located between the flexible film and the functional layer region is provided.
A flexible OLED device in which the reflectance of the dielectric multilayer mirror is relatively lower at a wavelength of 308 nm than at a wavelength of 355 nm. The dielectric multilayer mirror is
Three or more high-refractive index layers, each of which has a first refractive index,
Two or more low refractive index layers, each of which has a second refractive index lower than the first refractive index, and is located between the three or more high refractive index layers.
The flexible OLED device according to claim 1. The flexible OLED device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the TFT layer has a polycrystalline semiconductor layer.

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