KR100718968B1 - Light emitting diodes and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment of the present invention, a pixel circuit part including a substrate and an organic light emitting layer formed between the two electrodes and the two electrodes is disposed apart from the pixel circuit part, and a plurality of uneven parts and one or more formed on the uneven parts are provided. Provided is an electroluminescent device comprising a sealing portion including a barrier including a metal layer and a protection portion bonded to the substrate by the sealing portion to cover the pixel circuit portion.

Electroluminescent Devices, Sealing

Description

Light Emitting Diodes and Method for Manufacturing the Same

1 is a cross-sectional view of an electroluminescent device according to a first embodiment of the prior art.

2 is a cross-sectional view of an electroluminescent device according to a second embodiment of the prior art.

3 is a partially enlarged view of area A on FIG. 1;

4 is a cross-sectional view of an electroluminescent device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion A of FIG. 4; FIG.

6-8 are step by step process diagrams for the structure of FIG.

9 is a plan view showing a pattern of the barrier structure of FIG.

10 is a plan view showing a pattern of a barrier structure according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along the line A-A on FIG. 10; FIG.

Explanation of the main symbols in the drawings

10 electroluminescent element 12 substrate

18: protection part 18a: protective substrate

18b: getter 30: electroluminescent device

32 substrate 34 protective layer

38 protection part 52 substrate

54: protective layer 56: base layer

57a: uneven portion 57b: metal layer

58: adhesive layer 60: protective portion

B: Barrier P: Pixel Circuit

S: Sealant

The present invention relates to an electroluminescent device having improved lifetime and reliability and a method of manufacturing the same.

The electroluminescent device injects electrons and holes into the light emitting layer from an electron injection electrode and a hole injection electrode, respectively, and excitons of the injected electrons and holes combine from the excited state. It is a self-luminous device that emits light when it falls to the ground state.

In addition, the electroluminescent device can be driven at a low voltage and has advantages such as thinness. The electroluminescent device is attracting attention as a next-generation display that can solve the shortcomings of the conventional LCD, such as wide viewing angle and fast response speed.

Electroluminescent devices are classified into top-emission LEDs emitting light in a direction opposite to the substrate and bottom-emission LEDs emitting in the direction of the substrate according to the light emitting method.

1 is a cross-sectional view of an electroluminescent device according to a first embodiment of the prior art.

Referring to FIG. 1, an electroluminescent device 10 according to a first embodiment of the prior art includes a pixel circuit unit including two electrodes and a light emitting unit formed therebetween on a substrate 12 on which a driving unit is patterned as a bottom emission type. (P) was formed. In addition, in order to prevent oxidation or deterioration of the pixel circuit portion P due to moisture and air or the like on the pixel circuit portion P, the protecting portion 18 including the protective substrate 18a and the getters 18b and getters is sealed. It sealed on the board | substrate 12 by (S).

2 is a cross-sectional view of an electroluminescent device according to a second embodiment of the prior art.

Referring to FIG. 2, the electroluminescent device 30 according to the second embodiment of the prior art includes a pixel circuit unit including two electrodes on a substrate 32 on which a driving unit is patterned as a top emission type, and a light emitting unit formed therebetween. (P) was formed. In addition, a protective layer 34 is formed on the pixel circuit portion P in order to prevent oxidation or deterioration of the pixel circuit portion P due to moisture, air, or the like, and a protective portion 38 on the protective layer 34. Was sealed with a sealant (S). At this time, the protective part 38 is a protective substrate or formed of one or more protective films.

3 is a partially enlarged view of region A on FIG. 2, showing the structure of the edge sealing region.

Referring to FIG. 3, the protection part 38 was sealed with the sealant S on the substrate 32, and the basic structure of the region A on FIG. 1 was the same as in FIG. 3.

In the conventional electroluminescent devices 10 and 30 having the sealing area A having such a structure, the sealant S layer used as the adhesive was considerably thick in order to ensure the stability of the pixel circuit portion P. Since the penetration path of moisture through the sealant (S) layer into the device was too short, the penetration of moisture into the device was easy, and the amount thereof also had many disadvantages.

In detail, in the case of the conventional bottom emission type electroluminescent device 10, a large amount of getter is required, and thus an increase in device thickness occurs. In addition, in the conventional top emission type electroluminescent device 30, since there is no getter capable of removing moisture due to the light emission characteristics of the device, a protective layer 34 is formed. When the protective layer 34 is defective, Sudden damage of the pixel circuit portion P was caused.

As a result, a serious problem occurs in the conventional electroluminescent device in which its lifespan and reliability are lowered.

In order to solve this problem, the present invention improves the structure of the edge sealing region of the device to form an effective passivation structure, thereby maximally suppressing damage and deterioration of the device due to moisture, and electroluminescence with greatly improved lifetime and reliability. An object thereof is to provide a device and a method of manufacturing the same.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a substrate, a pixel circuit portion including two electrodes and an organic light emitting layer formed between the two electrodes, and spaced apart from the pixel circuit portion, a plurality of uneven portions and The present invention provides an electroluminescent device comprising a sealing portion including a barrier including at least one metal layer formed on the uneven portion, and a protection portion bonded to the substrate by the sealing portion to cover the pixel circuit portion.

The pixel circuit unit includes a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode corresponding to a predetermined region of the semiconductor layer, a gate insulating layer positioned between the semiconductor layer and the gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrode electrically connected to the semiconductor layer. The apparatus may further include a driver including one or more thin film transistors.

The uneven portion may include a photoresist material and the metal layer may include any one or more of materials constituting the electrodes.

The pixel circuit unit further includes at least one insulating layer including an organic material or an inorganic material, wherein the uneven part includes at least one of materials constituting the insulating layer, and the metal layer is at least one of materials constituting the electrodes. It may include.

The pixel circuit unit may further include a planarization layer positioned on the driving unit, and the sealing unit may further include a base layer formed between the substrate and the barrier and including the same material as the planarization layer.

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The sealing part may include a sealant positioned on the barrier.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of forming a pixel circuit portion including two electrodes on an substrate and an organic light emitting layer positioned between the two electrodes, wherein the plurality of sealing portions on the substrate are spaced apart from the pixel circuit portion. Forming a barrier including an uneven portion of the at least one metal layer formed on the uneven portion, and forming a protective portion covering the pixel circuit portion on the substrate.

The forming of the pixel circuit unit may include a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode corresponding to a predetermined region of the semiconductor layer, a gate insulating layer positioned between the semiconductor layer and the gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrically connected to the semiconductor layer. The method may further include forming a driver including one or more thin film transistors having an electrode.

One of the electrodes of the pixel circuit unit is formed by patterning by a photolithography method, wherein the uneven part includes a photoresist used in the photolithography method, and the metal layer is one of materials constituting the electrodes. It may include any one or more.

The pixel circuit portion further includes at least one insulating layer including an organic material or an inorganic material, wherein the uneven part includes any one of materials constituting the insulating layers, and the metal layer is any one of materials constituting the electrodes. It may contain the above.

The forming of the pixel circuit unit may include forming a planarization layer on the driving unit, and may further include forming a base layer including a material constituting the planarization layer between the substrate and the barrier.

The method of manufacturing the electroluminescent device may further include forming a sealant on the barrier.

Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

However, since the present invention is equally applied to the edge sealing regions of the top emission type and the bottom emission type, the present invention will be described below as an example of the top emission type in order to avoid redundancy and ease of explanation.

4 is a partial cross-sectional view of an electroluminescent device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 4, a pixel circuit portion P including two electrodes and a light emitting portion formed therebetween is formed on a substrate 52 on which a driving portion is patterned, and a protective layer 54 for protecting the pixel circuit portion P. ) Is formed. In this case, any one or more components of the planarization layer formed between the driving unit and the light emitting unit are selectively formed in the edge sealing region separated from the pixel circuit unit P, thereby providing the base layer 56.

In addition, the barrier B is formed on one or more of materials used in the process of forming the pixel circuit portion P on the base layer 56.

Subsequently, a protective portion 58 for protecting the element having the above structure is formed, and the protective portion 58 is sealed with a sealant S layer on the substrate 52.

The barrier structure of the electroluminescent device described above will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

FIG. 5 is a partially enlarged view of region A on FIG. 4 and shows the structure of the edge sealing region of the electroluminescent device according to the present invention.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, one or more components of the substrate sealing part from the driving part included in the pixel circuit part P and the planarization film formed between the light emitting parts are separated and stacked on the edge sealing area of the substrate 52. Layer 56 is formed.

The uneven portion 57a is formed on the base layer 56 by the photoresist used in the process of forming the pixel circuit portion P. Subsequently, any one or both of the electrodes constituting the pixel circuit portion P to cover the uneven portions 57a are laminated with the metal layer 57b to form a barrier B.

In addition, the protection part 58 is sealed by the sealant S layer on the barrier B. As shown in FIG.

This barrier (B) structure increases the penetration path of moisture through the edge sealing area in length and reduces the space in space. Thus, in the case of the bottom emission type electroluminescent device, the amount of getter affecting the device thickness is remarkable. In the case of the top emission type electroluminescent device, it is possible to minimize or prevent the penetration of moisture to a minimum.

In the barrier (B) structure of the present invention, the uneven portion 57a is described as being formed of a photoresist, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the organic material used in the process of forming the pixel circuit portion P described above, Any one or more of the minerals may be applied.

6-8 are step by step process diagrams for the structure of FIG.

6 to 8, the protecting part 58 is sealed on the substrate 52 by the sealant S, and in the process, a sealant S layer, ie, a path of moisture penetration into the inside of the device, The formation of the barrier B, which acts as a barrier to moisture penetration in the edge sealing region, is shown.

Specifically, photolithography forming pixel circuit portions (P in FIG. 4) of the device in an edge (0.5 to 50 μm thickness range) region, that is, an edge-sealing area, on the substrate 52 (FIG. 4). According to the photo-lithography process, the base layer 56 is formed without further processing, and the metal layer 57b covering the uneven portions 57a and the uneven portions 57a is formed on the base layer 56 to form a barrier (B). ).

Subsequently, the sealant (S) layer is formed of an adhesive, and the protective portion 58 is bonded to the substrate 52.

In the above barrier (B) structure, the uneven part 54 may be formed of any one or more of organic materials and inorganic materials used in photoresist (PR) or an insulating film used in the photolithography process.

In addition, the metal layer 56 may be formed of any one or more than two electrodes formed on and under the light emitting unit.

FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the pattern of the barrier structure of FIG. 7, showing the structure of the barrier B patterned in a regular stripe type on the base layer 56.

In the present invention, the structure of the barrier (B) is illustrated as a regular stripe type, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the barrier (B) is formed in a regular pattern in thickness and length and the formed direction between the barriers (B). It should be interpreted in all cases.

FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a pattern of a barrier structure according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention and is the same scale as FIG. 9.

Referring to FIG. 10, a barrier B structure irregularly patterned on a base layer 56 formed in an edge sealing region on a substrate may be seen.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view taken along line A-A on FIG. 10, and is the same scale as FIG. 7.

As described above, the barrier B structure of the irregular pattern is made of less material in the process relative to the first embodiment of FIG. 7, and more effective suppression of water penetration can be obtained.

The electroluminescent device and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention having the barrier structure as described above provided in the edge sealing region can effectively suppress and prevent moisture penetration into the device through the sealing region to achieve a desired purpose.

As described above, the present invention has been described as the case of the top emission type electroluminescent device, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention may be applied to the bottom emission type electroluminescent device.

In addition, the present invention has been described as an example of an active matrix type electroluminescent device having a driving unit, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be applied to a passive matrix type.

In addition, in the present invention, the barrier structure is illustrated as having the uneven portion formed on the base layer, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the barrier may be formed only with the uneven portion in the edge sealing region.

Further, in the present invention, the barrier structure has been described as a plurality of barriers are formed, but the barrier structure of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the barrier structure may be formed of one layer.

In addition, the present invention has been described with reference to an example in the case of the unidirectional light emission type, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and is applicable to the double-sided light emission type.

The present invention is to be understood as the scope of the electroluminescent device (LED) that can be used not only organic matter but also inorganic matter in the light emitting portion.

While the present invention has been described with reference to various embodiments, the scope of the present invention is indicated by the following claims rather than the foregoing description, and all changes derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts. Or variations should be construed as being included in the scope of the invention.

As described above, the present invention forms a barrier structure in the edge sealing region of the device to minimize and prevent the penetration of moisture in the device, thereby effectively suppressing or preventing the phenomenon of oxidation and deterioration of the device.

Accordingly, the present invention can provide an electroluminescent device and a method of manufacturing the same, which ensures stability of the passivation structure and greatly improves lifetime and reliability.

Claims (12)

Board; A pixel circuit part disposed on the substrate and including two electrodes and an organic light emitting layer formed between the two electrodes; A sealing part spaced apart from the pixel circuit part and including a barrier including a plurality of uneven parts and at least one metal layer formed on the uneven parts; And And a protective part bonded to the substrate by the sealing part to cover the pixel circuit part. The method of claim 1, The pixel circuit unit includes a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode corresponding to a predetermined region of the semiconductor layer, a gate insulating layer positioned between the semiconductor layer and the gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrode electrically connected to the semiconductor layer. An electroluminescent device further comprising a driver including one or more thin film transistors. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The uneven portion includes a photoresist material and the metal layer includes any one or more of materials constituting the electrodes. The method according to claim 1 or 2, The pixel circuit portion further includes one or more insulating layers including organic or inorganic materials, The uneven portion includes any one or more of materials constituting the insulating layer and the metal layer comprises any one or more of materials constituting the electrodes. The method of claim 2, The pixel circuit unit further includes a planarization layer positioned on the driving unit. And the sealing part further comprises a base layer formed of the same material as the planarization layer and formed between the substrate and the barrier. The method of claim 1, And the sealing part comprises a sealant positioned on the barrier. Forming a pixel circuit portion including two electrodes on the substrate and an organic light emitting layer positioned between the two electrodes; Forming a barrier including a plurality of uneven parts and at least one metal layer formed on the uneven parts on the sealing part on the substrate positioned to be spaced apart from the pixel circuit part; And Forming a protective part covering the pixel circuit part on the substrate. The method of claim 7, wherein The forming of the pixel circuit unit may include a semiconductor layer, a gate electrode corresponding to a predetermined region of the semiconductor layer, a gate insulating layer positioned between the semiconductor layer and the gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrically connected to the semiconductor layer. A method of manufacturing an electroluminescent device further comprising the step of forming a driver including at least one thin film transistor having an electrode. The method according to claim 7 or 8, One of the electrodes of the pixel circuit part is formed by patterning by photolithography method, The uneven portion includes a photoresist used in the photolithography method, wherein the metal layer comprises any one or more of the materials constituting the electrodes. The method according to claim 7 or 8, The pixel circuit portion further includes one or more insulating layers including organic or inorganic materials, The uneven part includes any one of materials constituting the insulating layers, and the metal layer comprises any one or more of materials constituting the electrodes. The method of claim 8, The forming of the pixel circuit unit includes forming a planarization layer on the driving unit, And forming a base layer comprising a material constituting the planarization layer between the substrate and the barrier. The method of claim 7, wherein And forming a sealant on the barrier.

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