JPWO2012176595A1 - Sealing structure and sealing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The breakage of the glass sealing substrate is suppressed. A sealing structure of an organic EL element 100 that seals an organic functional layer formed at a predetermined position of a supporting substrate 1 with a sealing substrate 4 made of glass through a sealing adhesive 3. A sealing adhesive is provided so as to surround the organic functional layer and protrude from the surface of the organic functional layer to the side opposite to the supporting substrate. The sealing adhesive is organic from the side opposite to the supporting substrate. The sealing substrate is fixed so as to cover the functional layer, and the outer end portion 4a of the sealing substrate fixed to the sealing adhesive is disposed inside the outer end portion 3a of the sealing adhesive. .

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescence element (organic EL element), and relates to a sealing structure and a sealing method for sealing an organic functional layer formed on a support substrate.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, organic EL elements have been increasingly used for display displays and light-emitting elements of various electronic devices because they are thin and have excellent visibility and impact resistance.
The organic EL element has a configuration including an organic functional layer sandwiched between a pair of electrodes on a support substrate. The organic functional layer includes a plurality of layers having different functions, and includes, for example, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and the like.

In recent years, the use of organic EL elements that are curved not only in a flat state but also in a curved shape is increasing, and in addition to thinning a glass support substrate, adoption of a flexible substrate has been studied. Yes.
By the way, the organic functional layer is generally extremely unstable with respect to moisture and oxygen, and is deteriorated by moisture and oxygen entering from the outside of the element as well as moisture and oxygen existing in the organic EL element. There is a problem of end. Therefore, in order to prevent moisture and oxygen from entering from the external environment, a method of sealing the organic functional layer using a sealing material in which a transparent resin layer is attached to one surface of an ultrathin plate glass has been proposed. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
In addition to glass, metals and resins are known as the material for the sealing material. However, in the top emission structure that extracts light from the light emitting layer from the sealing material side, the sealing material is transparent. Therefore, glass is often used as a sealing material.

JP 2004-79432 A

However, in the case of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, since the thickness of the ultra-thin plate glass is 10 to 70 μm, even if a transparent resin layer is stuck on one side, the strength of the manufactured element itself or the panel is insufficient. End up. In particular, since glass is a brittle material, the mechanical strength decreases as the thickness is reduced, making it difficult to handle the product during and after production.
Here, it is considered that the breakage of the glass substrate is caused by the tensile stress generated in the substrate itself and the minute cracks existing on the glass surface. For example, in the case of an organic EL element in which an organic functional layer is sealed using a glass sealing substrate, bending stress generated in the organic EL element, specifically, when the organic EL element is bent or the like, The generated tensile stress acts on the surface of the sealing substrate. And when stress concentrates on the surface of a sealing substrate, especially the crack which exists in an outer edge part, the said crack will become large and the damage of the said sealing substrate will arise.
The sealing substrate has a smaller area than the support substrate due to electrode extraction, and has a structure in which stress tends to concentrate on the outer edge of the sealing substrate, and improves the mechanical strength of the glass. Therefore, it is difficult to perform a process such as chamfering on the outer end of the sealing substrate.

  This invention is made | formed in view of the said subject, The objective is to provide the sealing structure and sealing method which can suppress the failure | damage of the glass-made sealing substrate.

In order to solve the above problem, the sealing structure of the invention according to claim 1 is:
A sealing structure that seals the organic functional layer formed at a predetermined position of the supporting substrate with a glass sealing substrate through a sealing adhesive, and surrounds the organic functional layer in the supporting substrate, In addition, the sealing adhesive is disposed so as to protrude from the surface of the organic functional layer to the side opposite to the support substrate, and the sealing adhesive includes the organic adhesive from the side opposite to the support substrate. The sealing substrate is fixed so as to cover the functional layer, and the outer end portion of the sealing substrate fixed to the sealing adhesive is disposed inside the outer end portion of the sealing adhesive. It is characterized by.

The invention according to claim 2 is the sealing structure according to claim 1,
The sealing substrate in contact with the uncured sealing adhesive is cut at a predetermined position inside the outer end of the sealing adhesive, whereby the outer end of the sealing substrate is sealed. It is characterized by being arranged inside the outer end portion of the adhesive for use.

The invention according to claim 3 is the sealing structure according to claim 1,
Of the sealing substrate in contact with the uncured sealing adhesive and the support substrate, at least one is pressed so as to be relatively close to the other, and the outer end portion of the sealing adhesive is the sealing substrate The outer end portion of the sealing substrate is arranged on the inner side of the outer end portion of the sealing adhesive by being pushed outward from the outer end portion.

Invention of Claim 4 is the sealing structure as described in any one of Claims 1-3,
The sealing substrate and the support substrate are flexible substrates.

The invention according to claim 5 is the sealing structure according to claim 4,
The sealing substrate has a thickness of 200 μm or less.

The sealing method of the invention according to claim 6 is:
Glass is provided through a sealing adhesive that surrounds the organic functional layer formed at a predetermined position of the support substrate and is disposed so as to protrude from the surface of the organic functional layer to the side opposite to the support substrate. A sealing method for sealing the organic functional layer with a sealing substrate made of
A disposing step of disposing the sealing adhesive at a predetermined position of the support substrate;
The sealing substrate that covers the organic functional layer from the side opposite to the support substrate is bonded to the sealing adhesive that is disposed in the disposing step, and an outer end portion of the sealing substrate is bonded to the sealing And an adhering step of adhering so as to be arranged inside the outer end portion of the agent.

  According to the present invention, breakage of a glass sealing substrate can be suppressed.

It is a perspective view which shows the organic EL element of one Embodiment to which the sealing structure of this invention is applied. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of the organic EL element of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of the organic EL element of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of the organic EL element of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of the organic EL element of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of the organic EL element of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of the organic EL element of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of the organic EL element of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating an example of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of the organic EL element of FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of an organic EL element. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of an organic EL element. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of an organic EL element. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of an organic EL element. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of an organic EL element. It is a figure for demonstrating the modification of the sealing process of the organic functional layer of an organic EL element.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a perspective view schematically showing a part of an organic EL element 100 according to an embodiment to which a sealing structure of the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 1, the organic EL element 100 of this embodiment seals an organic functional layer 2 (see FIG. 2) formed on a support substrate 1 with the support substrate 1 via a sealing adhesive 3. A structure is employed in which sealing is performed by bonding to the stop substrate 4.
In the following description, the side of the support substrate 1 on which the organic functional layer 2 is formed is referred to as the upper side, and the opposite side is referred to as the lower side. One direction orthogonal to the vertical direction is defined as the left-right direction, and a direction orthogonal to both the vertical direction and the horizontal direction is defined as the front-rear direction.

The support substrate 1 is a flexible substrate formed from a predetermined material. That is, the support substrate 1 has flexibility by being formed to a thickness of about 200 μm, for example.
Specifically, as the support substrate 1, for example, a resin film, thin film glass, metal foil, or the like can be applied.

Examples of the resin film include polyester film, polyethylene film, polypropylene film, ionomer film, polyvinyl chloride film, polyvinylidene chloride film, polyvinyl alcohol film, polycarbonate film, polystyrene film, polyacrylonitrile film, and ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer film. , Ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer film, ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer film, nylon (registered trademark) film (polyamide film), polyimide film, cellophane and the like.
Moreover, as thin film glass, silicate glass is used, for example, Preferably silica glass and borosilicate glass are used, Most preferably, alkali free glass is used. Moreover, the thin film glass is formed into a long and thin shape (for example, a thickness of about 200 μm) by, for example, an overflow down draw method so as to have flexibility.
As a material of the metal foil, for example, a metal material such as aluminum, copper, or nickel, or an alloy material such as stainless steel or an aluminum alloy can be used. In terms of surface, aluminum is preferred.

A predetermined number of organic functional layers 2 are formed at predetermined positions on the support substrate 1. That is, the support substrate 1 is provided with a plurality of organic functional layers 2 each of which is sealed with the sealing substrate 4 in a matrix.
In FIG. 1, a portion corresponding to a predetermined number of organic functional layers 2 formed at the right end of the support substrate 1 is shown in an enlarged manner.

Each organic functional layer 2 is formed to have a substantially uniform thickness in the left-right direction and the front-rear direction, for example (see FIG. 2B and the like). Moreover, the organic functional layer 2 has the structure pinched | interposed into a pair of electrode (not shown) on the support substrate 1, for example. Specifically, the organic functional layer 2 is formed by laminating a plurality of layers having various functions. For example, although illustration is omitted, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron The structure provided with the injection layer etc. is mentioned.
The organic functional layer 2 is formed by a film formation process prior to the sealing process. Moreover, as a formation method of the organic functional layer 2, various methods, such as a vapor deposition method, a sputtering method, CVD, PVD, the apply | coating method using a solvent, are mentioned, for example. In addition, since the film formation by the vapor deposition method is generally performed under vacuum, the film formation process and the sealing process may be performed in a vacuum container (not shown) also in this embodiment.

The sealing adhesive 3 is disposed in a ring shape, for example, in a substantially “B” shape so as to surround each organic functional layer 2 on the support substrate 1.
Further, the sealing adhesive 3 is disposed so as to protrude from the surface (upper surface) of the organic functional layer 2 to the side opposite to the support substrate 1 (upper side). That is, the thickness of the sealing adhesive 3 in the vertical direction is substantially equal, and is larger than the thickness of the organic functional layer 2 in the same direction. This prevents contact between the lower surface of the sealing substrate 4 provided above the sealing adhesive 3 and the upper surface of the organic functional layer 2.
In addition, the arrangement | positioning shape of the adhesive agent 3 for sealing is an example, and is not restricted to this, It can change arbitrarily arbitrarily, for example, covers the upper surface of the organic functional layer 2, and each side surface of right and left, and front and back It may be arranged so as to.

The composition of the sealing adhesive 3 is not particularly limited, and for example, a thermoplastic resin, a thermosetting resin, a photocurable resin, a low-melting glass, or the like can be applied.
Examples of the thermoplastic resin include low-density polyethylene (LDPE), HDPE, linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), medium-density polyethylene, unstretched polypropylene (CPP), OPP, ONy, PET, cellophane, which are polymer films, Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), expanded vinylon (OV), ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVOH), ethylene-propylene copolymer, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer, ethylene-methacrylic acid copolymer, vinylidene chloride (PVDC) ) And the like.
Examples of thermosetting resins include phenolic resins, epoxy resins, melamine resins, urea resins, unsaturated polyester resins, alkyd resins, acrylic resins, silicone resins, polyurethane resins, and the like. .
Examples of the photocurable resin include radical adhesives using resins such as various acrylates such as ester acrylate, urethane acrylate, epoxy acrylate, melamine acrylate, and acrylic resin acrylate, and urethane polyester, and resins such as epoxy and vinyl ether. Examples thereof include the cationic adhesive and the thiol / ene addition type resin adhesive. Among these, a cationic curing type ultraviolet curable epoxy resin adhesive that is not inhibited by oxygen and that undergoes a polymerization reaction even after light irradiation is preferable.
As the low-melting glass, a known glass can be used. Specifically, a glass composed of a main component such as borate or lead oxide can be used. When using these low-melting-point glasses, it is preferable to perform firing at or above the softening point temperature.

  For example, a plurality of sealing substrates 4 are arranged in a matrix so as to correspond to each of the sealing adhesives 3 surrounding each organic functional layer 2. That is, each sealing substrate 4 contacts the upper edge of each sealing adhesive 3 disposed on the support substrate 1 so as to surround the organic functional layer 2, and the outer edge portion of the lower surface of the sealing substrate 4 contacts As a result, the lower surface is disposed to face the upper surface of the organic functional layer 2 on the support substrate 1.

In addition, each sealing substrate 4 has a shape corresponding to the arrangement shape of the sealing adhesive 3 and is formed in, for example, a right-sided quadrilateral shape (for example, a square or a rectangle).
The shape of the sealing substrate 4 is an example and is not limited thereto, and can be arbitrarily changed as appropriate.

Further, each sealing substrate 4 has an outer end portion 4a on the inner side of the outer end portion 3a of the sealing adhesive 3, that is, an outer end portion 3 a and an inner end portion of the sealing adhesive 3 having an annular shape. It is formed in such a size as to be disposed between 3b. Specifically, each sealing substrate 4 is arranged such that each of the left outer end portions 4a is arranged on the right side of the left outer end portion 3a of the sealing adhesive 3, and the right outer end portion 4a Each is arranged on the left side of the right outer end 3a of the sealing adhesive 3, and each of the front outer ends 4a is rearward of the front outer end 3a of the sealing adhesive 3. In addition, each of the rear outer end portions 4 a is disposed in front of the rear outer end portion 3 a of the sealing adhesive 3.
Moreover, the distance along the predetermined direction (for example, the left-right direction, the front-back direction, etc.) of the outer end part 4a of the sealing substrate 4 and the outer end part 3a of the sealing adhesive 3 is, for example, that of the sealing substrate 4 The composition (strength) and shape (particularly thickness), the composition (adhesive strength) of the sealing adhesive 3, the composition (strength) and shape of the support substrate 1, and the like can be arbitrarily changed as appropriate. Specifically, the distance between the outer end 4 a of the sealing substrate 4 and the outer end 3 a of the sealing adhesive 3 is, for example, about 10 to 1000% with respect to the thickness of the sealing substrate 4. It is length.

The sealing substrate 4 is a flexible substrate formed from glass. That is, the sealing substrate 4 has flexibility by being formed, for example, approximately equal in thickness to the support substrate 1 or thinner than the thickness. Specifically, the thickness of the sealing substrate 4 is, for example, 200 μm or less.
In addition, the glass as a material of the sealing substrate 4 is, for example, silicate glass, silica glass, borosilicate glass, non-alkali glass, etc., like the support substrate 1.

Further, minute cracks C are formed on the surface of the sealing substrate 4.
Here, as a cause of the formation of the crack C in the sealing substrate 4, the glass substrate is divided. Examples of the method for dividing the glass substrate include a scribe cutting method using a diamond wheel blade and a laser stress cutting method. That is, when the sealing substrate 4 used for the organic EL element 100 is cut out to product dimensions, a scribe line by a wheel blade is inserted into the glass substrate constituting the sealing substrate 4, and stress is applied to a predetermined position based on the scribe line of the glass substrate. A glass substrate is parted by being added. Due to the stress applied at this time, cracks C are easily formed on the surface of the glass substrate (sealing substrate 4).
In addition, the crack C is formed on the surface of the sealing substrate 4, particularly on the end portion, and is, for example, two of the lower surface facing the support substrate 1 of the sealing substrate 4 and any one side surface (for example, the right side surface). There are those that extend over the surface, and those that extend over the top three surfaces in addition to these two surfaces (see FIG. 1).

Next, a method for sealing the organic functional layer 2 of the organic EL element 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A to 2H.
In this sealing method of the organic functional layer 2, a sealing adhesive is formed so as to surround the organic functional layer 2 on the support substrate 1 and to protrude to the opposite side of the support substrate 1 from the surface of the organic functional layer 2. 3 and the sealing substrate 4 covering the organic functional layer 2 formed on the supporting substrate 1 from the side opposite to the supporting substrate 1, the outer end 4 a of the sealing adhesive 3. An adhering step of adhering to the sealing adhesive 3 so as to be arranged inside the outer end portion 3a is performed.

2A to 2H are diagrams for explaining an example of the sealing process of the organic functional layer 2 of the organic EL element 100. FIG. 2A is a plan view showing a state in which the organic functional layer 2 is formed on the support substrate 1, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 2A. 2C is a plan view showing a state in which the sealing adhesive 3 is disposed on the support substrate 1, and FIG. 2D is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 2C. 2E is a plan view showing a state in which the sealing substrate 4 is disposed so as to be in contact with the sealing adhesive 3, and FIG. 2F is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. 2E. 2G is a plan view showing a state after the sealing substrate 4 is cut, and FIG. 2H is a cross-sectional view taken along the line HH in FIG. 2G.
2A to 2H schematically show only a configuration (organic EL cell) corresponding to one organic functional layer 2 among a plurality of organic functional layers 2 arranged in a matrix on the support substrate 1. ing.

  First, for example, a support substrate 1 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) on which an organic functional layer 2 is formed at a predetermined position on the upper surface is prepared, and the organic functional layer 2 is used using predetermined coating means (for example, screen printing). The sealing adhesive 3 is disposed so as to surround (disposing step; see FIGS. 2C and 2D). Specifically, the sealing adhesive 3 is disposed on the support substrate 1 so as to surround the organic functional layer 2 and so that the upper end protrudes upward from the upper surface of the organic functional layer 2. Set up.

  Next, the sealing substrate 4 is covered so that the organic functional layer 2 on the supporting substrate 1 is covered from above and the upper end and the lower surface of the sealing adhesive 3 disposed on the supporting substrate 1 are brought into contact with each other. Arrange (see FIGS. 2E and 2F). Specifically, the sealing substrate 4 having a size substantially equal to that of the support substrate 1 is disposed, so that the organic functional layer 2 that is disposed in a matrix on the support substrate 1 is covered with all of the organic functional layers 2. To do.

Subsequently, before the sealing adhesive 3 is cured, the position is located on the inner side of the outer end portion 3a of the sealing adhesive 3 of the sealing substrate 4 from the upper surface side of each sealing substrate 4 (FIG. 2F). The position indicated by the two arrows inside is cut using a predetermined cutting means (for example, a scribing method using a diamond wheel blade). Thereby, the outer end 4a of each sealing substrate 4 is disposed inside the outer end 3a of each sealing adhesive 3, and the outer edge portion of the lower surface of the sealing substrate 4 is bonded for sealing. It will be in the state which contacted the agent 3 (refer FIG. 2G and FIG. 2H).
Thereafter, the sealing adhesive 3 is cured using a predetermined curing means corresponding to the type of the sealing adhesive 3, and the sealing substrate 4 and the support substrate 1 are bonded via the sealing adhesive 3. Fix (fixing process).
Thereby, the organic functional layer 2 on the support substrate 1 is sealed by the glass sealing substrate 4 through the sealing adhesive 3.

As described above, according to the sealing structure of the organic EL element 100 of this embodiment, the sealing adhesive 3 is made of glass so as to cover the organic functional layer 2 from the side opposite to the support substrate 1. 4 is fixed, and the outer end portion 4a of the sealing substrate 4 is arranged on the inner side of the outer end portion 3a of the sealing adhesive 3, so that the sealing adhesive fixed to the sealing substrate 4 is used. 3 and the support substrate 1 can be widened to increase the mechanical strength of the organic EL element 100 itself, and cracks C are formed on the lower surface of the outer end 4a of the sealing substrate 4. In this case, the sealing adhesive 3 can enter the inside of the crack C, and the outer end portion 4a where the stress of the sealing substrate 4 is easily concentrated can be appropriately protected by the sealing adhesive 3. That is, when the sealing adhesive 3 enters inside the crack C, the contact area between the sealing adhesive 3 and the sealing substrate 4 is increased, and the mechanical strength of the sealing substrate 4 is improved. The sealing substrate 4 and the support substrate 1 are made of a flexible substrate, and even if a bending stress is generated due to bending or the like, the crack C can be prevented from expanding.
Therefore, even if the glass sealing substrate 4 has a smaller area than the support substrate 1, without performing a predetermined processing such as chamfering for improving the mechanical strength of the sealing substrate 4. Damage to the sealing substrate 4 can be suppressed.

  Further, before the sealing adhesive 3 is cured, the sealing substrate 4 in contact with the sealing adhesive 3 is cut at a predetermined position inside the outer end portion 3a of the sealing adhesive 3, Since the outer end portion 4a of the sealing substrate 4 is arranged on the inner side of the outer end portion 3a of the sealing adhesive 3, even if the crack C is formed when the sealing substrate 4 is cut, the inner side of the crack C When the sealing adhesive 3 enters, the outer end portion 4 a of the sealing substrate 4 can be protected by the sealing adhesive 3.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various improvements and design changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.
Below, the modification of the sealing process of the organic functional layer 2 of the organic EL element 100 is demonstrated with reference to drawings. Further, the modified example has substantially the same configuration as that of the above-described embodiment except for the details described below, and the description thereof is omitted.

<Modification>
In the modification of the sealing process of the organic functional layer 2 of the organic EL element 100, at least of the support substrate 1 and the sealing substrate 4 that are in contact with the sealing adhesive 3 before the sealing adhesive 3 is cured. When one is pressed so as to be relatively close to the other, the outer end portion 3a of the sealing adhesive 3 is pushed outside the outer end portion 4a of the sealing substrate 4 (see FIG. 3F).
That is, to a predetermined dimension (for example, a dimension such that the outer end portion 4a overlaps with the outer end portion 3a of the sealing adhesive 3 vertically or is arranged outside the outer end portion 3a). After the lower surface of the formed sealing substrate 4 is brought into contact with the sealing adhesive 3 on the support substrate 1, the sealing substrate 4 is pressed toward the support substrate 1, whereby the sealing adhesive 3. The outer end 3 a of the sealing substrate 4 is pushed out of the outer end 4 a of the sealing substrate 4. Specifically, the left outer end 3 a of the sealing adhesive 3 is pushed to the left side of the left outer end 4 a of the sealing substrate 4, and the right outer end of the sealing adhesive 3 The portion 3 a is pushed to the right side of the outer end portion 4 a on the right side of the sealing substrate 4, and the outer end portion 3 a on the front side of the sealing adhesive 3 is more than the outer end portion 4 a on the front side of the sealing substrate 4. The outer end portion 3a on the rear side of the sealing adhesive 3 is pushed further to the rear side than the outer end portion 4a on the rear side of the sealing substrate 4. Thereby, the outer end portion 4 a of the sealing substrate 4 is structured to be disposed inside the outer end portion 3 a of the sealing adhesive 3.

  In addition, since the inner end 3b of the sealing adhesive 3 is pushed inward (to the organic functional layer 2 side) by pressing the sealing substrate 4 toward the support substrate 1, for example, on the support substrate 1 On the organic functional layer 2 side, contact regulating means (not shown) for regulating the contact between the organic functional layer 2 and the sealing adhesive 3 to be extruded may be provided.

Next, a method for sealing the organic functional layer 2 of the organic EL element 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A to 3F.
3A to 3F are views for explaining a modification of the sealing process of the organic functional layer 2 of the organic EL element 100. FIG. 3A is a plan view showing a state in which the sealing adhesive 3 is disposed on the support substrate 1, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 3A. FIG. 3C is a plan view showing a state in which the sealing substrate 4 is disposed so as to be in contact with the sealing adhesive 3, and FIG. 3D is a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD in FIG. 3C. 3E is a plan view showing a state after the sealing substrate 4 is pressed, and FIG. 3F is a cross-sectional view taken along line FF in FIG. 3E.

First, for example, a support substrate 1 (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) on which an organic functional layer 2 is formed at a predetermined position on the upper surface is prepared, and predetermined application means (for example, screen printing) is prepared in the same manner as in the above embodiment. The sealing adhesive 3 is disposed so as to surround the organic functional layer 2 using (a disposing step; see FIGS. 3A and 3B).
Note that the amount of the sealing adhesive 3 disposed is larger than the amount of protrusion of the sealing adhesive 3 from the upper surface of the support substrate 1 in the disposing step (see FIG. 2D) of the above embodiment. preferable.

Next, the sealing substrate 4 is disposed so that the outer edge portion of the lower surface of each sealing substrate 4 is brought into contact with the upper end portion of each sealing adhesive 3 on the support substrate 1 (see FIGS. 3C and 3D). ). Specifically, the sealing substrate 4 is arranged so that the outer end portion 4 a of the sealing substrate 4 is superposed on the outer end portion 3 a of the sealing adhesive 3.
Subsequently, before the sealing adhesive 3 is cured, the upper surface of the sealing substrate 4 is pressed toward the support substrate 1 (indicated by a white arrow in FIG. 3F), thereby The outer end portion 3a is pushed out of the outer end portion 4a of the sealing substrate 4 (in the direction indicated by two arrows in FIG. 3F). As a result, the outer end 4a of the sealing substrate 4 is placed inside the outer end 3a of the sealing adhesive 3 (see FIGS. 3E and 3F). At this time, the sealing adhesive 3 is not only pushed outward from the outer end portion 4 a of the sealing substrate 4, but also moves around the lower end portion of the side surface of the sealing substrate 4 to be pressed. Adhere.

  Thereafter, similarly to the above embodiment, the sealing adhesive 3 is cured using a predetermined curing means corresponding to the type of the sealing adhesive 3, and the sealing substrate is interposed via the sealing adhesive 3. 4 and the support substrate 1 are fixed (fixing step).

Therefore, according to this modification, the support substrate 1 in contact with the sealing adhesive 3 is pressed so as to approach the sealing substrate 4 side, and the outer end 3 a of the sealing adhesive 3 is Since the outer end 4a of the sealing substrate 4 is disposed inside the outer end 3a of the sealing adhesive 3 by being pushed outward from the outer end 4a, the outer end of the sealing substrate 4 When the crack C is formed on the lower surface of the portion 4a, the sealing adhesive 4 is infiltrated into the crack C by a simple technique of pressing the sealing substrate 4, and the stress of the sealing substrate 4 is increased. Can be protected by the sealing adhesive 3.
Therefore, similarly to the above-described embodiment, even when the glass sealing substrate 4 has a smaller area than the support substrate 1, predetermined processing such as chamfering for improving the mechanical strength of the sealing substrate 4. The damage of the sealing substrate 4 can be suppressed without performing the treatment.

  In the modified example, the sealing substrate 4 is pressed toward the support substrate 1 in order to push the outer end 3 a of the sealing adhesive 3 outward from the outer end 4 a of the sealing substrate 4. However, this is an example, and the present invention is not limited to this, and the support substrate 1 may be pressed toward the sealing substrate 4.

  Moreover, the sealing method of the said embodiment and modification may be performed in what kind of environment as long as it can prevent the penetration | invasion of the water | moisture content and oxygen from the external environment of the organic EL element 100, for example, in a vacuum (low pressure) environment. It may be an atmospheric pressure environment substituted with an inert gas such as nitrogen.

  Furthermore, in the said embodiment and modification, although the sealing adhesive 3 was arrange | positioned cyclically | annularly and it comprised the hollow structure organic EL element 100, it is an example and it is not restricted to this, An organic EL having a sealed structure in which the upper surface of the organic functional layer 2, the left and right and front and rear side surfaces, and the portion where the upper surface of the support substrate 1 outside the organic functional layer 2 is exposed are filled with the sealing adhesive 3. The element 100 may be configured.

  Further, the sealing adhesive 3 may be disposed in advance on the support substrate 1 before the sealing substrate 4 is disposed. That is, in the above embodiment and the modification, the sealing adhesive 3 is disposed so as to surround the organic functional layer 2 formed on the support substrate 1, but the seal is previously sealed at a predetermined position on the support substrate 1. The fixing adhesive 3 may be provided in an annular shape, and the organic functional layer 2 may be formed inside the annular sealing adhesive 3 before the sealing substrate 4 is provided.

  In addition, it should be thought that embodiment disclosed this time is an illustration and restrictive at no points. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

  The sealing structure and sealing method for sealing the organic functional layer according to the present invention may be used in the manufacturing field in which an organic electroluminescence element is formed on a support substrate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Organic EL element 1 Support substrate 2 Organic functional layer 3 Sealing adhesive 3a Outer end 4 Sealing substrate 4a Outer end

Claims (6)

A sealing structure that seals an organic functional layer formed at a predetermined position of a support substrate with a glass sealing substrate via a sealing adhesive,
The sealing adhesive is disposed on the support substrate so as to surround the organic functional layer and to protrude to the opposite side of the support substrate from the surface of the organic functional layer,
The sealing substrate is fixed to the sealing adhesive so as to cover the organic functional layer from the side opposite to the support substrate,
The sealing structure characterized in that an outer end portion of the sealing substrate fixed to the sealing adhesive is disposed inside an outer end portion of the sealing adhesive.   The sealing substrate in contact with the uncured sealing adhesive is cut at a predetermined position inside the outer end of the sealing adhesive, whereby the outer end of the sealing substrate is sealed. The sealing structure according to claim 1, wherein the sealing structure is disposed inside an outer end portion of the adhesive.   Of the sealing substrate in contact with the uncured sealing adhesive and the support substrate, at least one is pressed so as to be relatively close to the other, and the outer end portion of the sealing adhesive is the sealing substrate The outer end portion of the sealing substrate is disposed inside the outer end portion of the sealing adhesive by being pushed outward from the outer end portion of the sealing substrate. Sealing structure.   The sealing structure according to claim 1, wherein the sealing substrate and the support substrate are substrates having flexibility.   The sealing structure according to claim 4, wherein a thickness of the sealing substrate is 200 μm or less. Glass is provided through a sealing adhesive that surrounds the organic functional layer formed at a predetermined position of the support substrate and is disposed so as to protrude from the surface of the organic functional layer to the side opposite to the support substrate. A sealing method for sealing the organic functional layer with a sealing substrate made of
A disposing step of disposing the sealing adhesive at a predetermined position of the support substrate;
The sealing substrate that covers the organic functional layer from the side opposite to the support substrate is bonded to the sealing adhesive that is disposed in the disposing step, and an outer end portion of the sealing substrate is bonded to the sealing And a fixing step of fixing so as to be arranged inside the outer end portion of the agent.

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