KR100770260B1 - laser induced thermal imaging apparatus, laser induced thermal imaging method using the apparatus and fabrication method of OLED using the apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a laser thermal transfer apparatus, a laser thermal transfer method using the apparatus, and a method of manufacturing an organic light emitting display apparatus using the apparatus. The laser thermal transfer apparatus according to the present invention fixes an acceptor substrate. Pretend to; A body portion having an opening in the center, a pair of pad portions positioned below the body portion, and a pressurizing means connected to an upper portion of the body portion to apply pressure to the pad portion, A lamination unit for laminating a donor film on a acceptor substrate; And a laser irradiation device positioned on the lamination unit and irradiating a laser beam onto the laminated donor film through an opening of the lamination unit.

Laser heat transfer device, lamination, pad part, elastic body

Description

Laser induced thermal imaging apparatus, laser induced thermal imaging method using the apparatus and fabrication method of OLED using the laser thermal transfer apparatus, laser thermal transfer method using the apparatus, and manufacturing method of the organic light emitting display apparatus using the apparatus. apparatus}

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a laser thermal transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a side view schematically showing a laser thermal transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a laser thermal transfer apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention taken along cut line II ′ in FIG. 1.

4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of an organic light emitting display device that is an acceptor substrate.

5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of a donor film.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing an organic light emitting device manufactured using the laser thermal transfer apparatus according to the present invention.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

50: acceptor substrate 70: donor film

115: chuck 120: optical stage

130: laser irradiation device 143: film supply means

144: film winding means 150: lamination unit

151: body portion 152: pressing means

153: pad portion

The present invention relates to a laser thermal transfer apparatus, and more particularly, to a laser thermal transfer apparatus capable of performing an effective lamination of a ribbon donor film and a method of manufacturing an organic light emitting display device using the apparatus.

In general, laser thermal transfer requires at least a laser and a donor film, the donor film comprising a base film, a light-to-heat conversion layer and a transfer layer.

In the laser thermal transfer process, the donor film is laminated on the entire surface of the acceptor substrate with the transfer layer facing the acceptor substrate, and then the laser beam is irradiated onto the base film. The beam irradiated onto the base film is absorbed by the light-to-heat conversion layer and converted into thermal energy, and the transfer layer is transferred onto the acceptor substrate by the thermal energy. As a result, a transfer layer pattern is formed on the acceptor substrate. This is disclosed in US Pat. Nos. 5,998,085, 6,214,520 and 6,114,088.

However, when the donor film is laminated on the entire surface of the acceptor substrate as described above, bubbles may remain locally between the acceptor substrate and the donor film. These bubbles can cause transcription failure.

To solve this problem, US Pat. No. 6,226,020 provides a method and apparatus for producing a print by means of laser-induced thermal transfer. According to the U.S. patent, a transfer tape having a width smaller than the width of the substrate is brought into contact with a substrate provided on a substrate cylinder, and a pattern is formed on the substrate by irradiating a laser beam onto the transfer tape. At this time, contacting the transfer tape on the substrate is performed using a contact roll adjacent to the substrate. In addition, a nozzle is disposed in an oblique direction with respect to the laser beam, and the nozzle is used to spray a gas on the transfer tape to further improve the contact force between the transfer tape and the substrate.

Specifically, the contact roll serves to wrap the transfer tape to wrap the substrate cylinder with a predetermined wrap angle, and the wrap angle is between the transfer tape and the substrate on the substrate cylinder. Contact force and friction force can be formed. However, when the transfer layer of the transfer tape is an organic film, the above generation of frictional force is sufficient to damage the organic film.

In addition, when the nozzles are disposed in an oblique direction with respect to the laser beam, the distance between the nozzle and the substrate may be far, and thus it may be difficult to secure sufficient contact force between the transfer tape and the substrate using only the nozzle without the contact roll. have. In this case, in order to secure sufficient contact force, the nozzle must spray a large amount of high pressure gas onto the transfer tape. In particular, unlike the U.S. patent, when the substrate is not wound around the cylinder and lies on a flat surface and the transfer tape and the substrate are to be brought into close contact with only the pressure of the gas emitted by the nozzle without the contact roll, the nozzle and the Due to the long distance between the substrates, it is more difficult to secure a sufficient uniform contact force over a predetermined area.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems of the prior art, a laser thermal transfer device capable of obtaining a sufficient contact force between a ribbon donor film and an acceptor substrate, and an organic light emitting display device using the device. The purpose is to provide a method of manufacturing.

One aspect of the present invention to achieve the above technical problem, the chuck for fixing the acceptor substrate; A body portion having an opening in the center, a pair of pad portions positioned below the body portion, and a pressurizing means connected to an upper portion of the body portion to apply pressure to the pad portion, A lamination unit for laminating a donor film on a acceptor substrate; And a laser irradiation device positioned on the lamination unit and irradiating a laser beam onto the laminated donor film through an opening of the lamination unit.

Another aspect of the present invention to achieve the above technical problem, the positioning of the acceptor substrate on the chuck; Positioning a donor film having at least a photothermal conversion layer and a transfer layer such that the transfer layer faces the acceptor substrate; The donor film may be formed by using a lamination unit having a body part having an opening in the center, a pair of pad parts positioned below the body part, and a pressing unit connected to an upper part of the body part and pressing means for applying pressure to the pad part. Lamination on the acceptor substrate; And irradiating a laser onto the laminated donor film through the opening of the lamination unit to transfer at least a portion of the transfer layer onto the acceptor substrate.

In addition, another aspect of the present invention to achieve the above technical problem, the organic electroluminescent device substrate having a pixel electrode formed on the chuck is located; Placing a donor film having at least a photothermal conversion layer and a transfer layer such that the transfer layer faces the substrate; The donor film may be formed by using a lamination unit having a body part having an opening in the center, a pair of pad parts positioned below the body part, and a pressing unit connected to an upper part of the body part and pressing means for applying pressure to the pad part. Lamination on the acceptor substrate; And irradiating a laser onto the laminated donor film through an opening of the lamination unit to transfer a portion of the transfer layer onto the substrate to form an organic layer on the pixel electrode. It provides a method for manufacturing an electroluminescent device.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in order to describe the present invention in more detail. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described herein and may be embodied in other forms. In the figures, where a layer is said to be "on" another layer or substrate, it may be formed directly on the other layer or substrate, or a third layer may be interposed therebetween. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the specification.

(Example)

1 is a perspective view schematically showing a laser thermal transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a side view schematically showing a laser thermal transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a cut line of FIG. 1. A cross-sectional view of a portion of a laser thermal transfer apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention taken along line II ′, which will be described below.

1 to 3, the laser thermal transfer apparatus 100 includes a substrate stage 110, and a chuck 115 for fixing the acceptor substrate 50 on the substrate stage 110 is positioned. do. The substrate stage 110 has a chuck guide bar 113 for moving the chuck 115 in the X direction, whereby the chuck 115 is X along the chuck guide bar 113. Can move in the direction.

An optical stage 120 is disposed on the chuck 115 in a direction crossing the chuck 115, and a laser irradiation device 130 is installed on the optical stage 120. The optical stage 120 includes a laser guide bar 123 for moving the laser irradiation apparatus 130 in the Y direction, and furthermore, the laser irradiation apparatus 130 includes a laser irradiation apparatus base ( 125 is mounted on the optical stage 120, the laser guide bar 123 in detail.

As shown in FIG. 3, the laser irradiation apparatus 130 includes a laser source 131, a beam shaping element 132, a mask 133, and a projection lens 134. can do. The beam generated from the laser source 131 is transformed into a beam having a homogenized flat-top profile by passing through the beam shape modifying device 132, and the homogenized beam can pass through the mask 133. have. The mask 133 may include at least one light transmission pattern or at least one light reflection pattern, and a beam passing through the mask 133 passes through the projection lens 134 to allow the acceptor substrate 50. Can be irradiated on

On the side of the optical stage 120, the lamination unit 150 is mounted to be located below the laser irradiation device 130. The lamination unit 150 is installed in the lamination unit base 141 located on the side of the optical stage 120. Hereinafter, the lamination unit 150 will be described in detail.

The lamination unit 150 is an element for laminating a donor film 70 on the acceptor substrate 50, and a body part 151 made of metal or plastic, and pressing means connected to the body part 151 ( 152 and a pad portion 153 positioned below the body portion 151.

The body portion 151 extends in the Y direction across the chuck 115 and has an opening in the center thereof. As a result, the donor film positioned below the lamination unit 150 may be in close contact with the acceptor substrate in the Y direction crossing the chuck 115, and the laser irradiation apparatus 130 may move in the Y direction. The donor film may be continuously irradiated with a laser through the opening of the body part 151.

The pressing means 152 is connected to the body portion 151 to apply a predetermined pressure to the pad portion 153, for example, a known means such as an air cylinder (motor cylinder), a motor can be used. . The pressing means 152 is mounted on the protrusion 142 of the lamination unit base 141 and is connected to the upper portion of the body 151 except for the opening. Here, the pressing means 152 is located at the four corners of the body portion 151 to apply pressure evenly to the pad portion 153. In the embodiment of the present invention, four air cylinders are mounted at the corners of the body part 151, respectively, but the type, position and number of the pressing means 152 may be changed as necessary.

The pad portion 153 is mounted to the lower portion of the body portion 151 excluding the opening, and may be formed of a pair of linear pads. Here, the pad portion 153 may be made of an elastic body such as silicone, rubber, or urethane. As shown in FIG. 3, the cross section of the pad portion 153 may have a parallelogram having an internal angle of 30 to 60 degrees. It may have a shape. Therefore, when the pressure is applied in the vertical direction by the pressing means 152 to the pad portion 153, the pad portion 153 is located under the lamination unit due to the elasticity and shape of the pad portion 153. It is possible to apply a force in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction to the donor film 70 located, which is in close contact with the donor film 70 on the acceptor substrate 50 and at the same time The tension allows the effective lamination to be performed.

The donor film 70 may be in the form of a ribbon, and is located below the lamination unit 150. Film supply means 143 and film winding means 144 for providing a ribbon donor film may be installed at both sides of the lamination unit 150. The film supply means 143 and the film winding means 144 is preferably in the form of a roll. The film supply means 143 and the film winding means 144 may apply a predetermined tension to the donor film 70. The film supply means 143 and the film winding means 144 may be the lamination unit so that the donor film does not come into contact with the pad portion 153 of the lamination unit 150 when the donor film is supplied. Each of the lamination unit bases 141 may be installed at predetermined positions spaced apart from each other at 150.

4 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of an organic light emitting device which is an acceptor substrate, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of a donor film. Hereinafter, a laser thermal transfer method and a method of manufacturing an organic light emitting display device using the above-described laser thermal transfer apparatus will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 1, 4, and 5.

1, 4, and 5, the acceptor substrate 50 is positioned on the chuck 115. The acceptor substrate 50 may be an organic light emitting diode substrate.

In the organic electroluminescent device substrate, as shown in FIG. 4, the semiconductor layer 52 is positioned in a predetermined region on the substrate 51. The semiconductor layer 52 may be an amorphous silicon film or a polycrystalline silicon film obtained by crystallizing an amorphous silicon film. A gate insulating layer 53, which is a first insulating layer, is positioned on the semiconductor layer 52. A gate electrode 54 overlapping the semiconductor layer 52 is positioned on the gate insulating layer 53. The second insulating layer 55 covering the semiconductor layer 52 and the gate electrode 54 is disposed on the gate electrode 54. The source electrode 56 and the drain electrode 57 which pass through the second insulating film 55 and the first insulating film 53 on the second insulating film 55 and are connected to both ends of the semiconductor layer 52, respectively. ) Is located. The semiconductor layer 52, the gate electrode 54, and the source / drain electrodes 56 and 57 constitute a thin film transistor T. A third insulating layer 58 is disposed on the source / drain electrodes 56 and 57 to cover the source / drain electrodes 56 and 57. The third insulating layer 58 may be a passivation film for protecting the thin film transistor T and / or a planarization film for alleviating a step caused by the thin film transistor. The pixel electrode 59 penetrating the third insulating film 58 and connected to the drain electrode 57 is positioned on the third insulating film 58. The pixel electrode 59 may be, for example, an indium tin oxide (ITO) film or an indium zinc oxide (IZO) film, and a reflective metal film may be provided under the pixel electrode 59. A pixel defining layer 60 having an opening 60a exposing a portion of the pixel electrode may be disposed on the pixel electrode 59.

The donor film 70 is positioned to face the acceptor substrate 50. The donor film 70 may be a ribbon type. The donor film 70 is wound in multiple layers on the film winding means 144 or the film supply means 143, the film winding means 144 and the film supply means 143 is the donor film lamination unit 150 It is arranged to be located under the). Since the ribbon donor film 70 has a smaller width than the width of the acceptor substrate 50, the ribbon donor film 70 is easier to handle than a case where a donor film similar to or larger than the width of the substrate 50 is manufactured. And uniformity in film production can be ensured.

As shown in FIG. 5, the donor film 70 includes a base film 71 and a light-to-heat conversion layer 72 and a transfer layer 73 sequentially stacked on one surface of the base film 71. It is provided.

The base film 71 may be formed of a transparent polymer organic material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The photothermal conversion layer 72 is a film for converting incident light into heat, and may include aluminum oxide, aluminum sulfide, carbon black, graphite, or infrared dye, which are light absorbing materials. The transfer layer 73 may be an organic transfer layer when the lower substrate A is an organic light emitting diode substrate. The organic transfer layer 73 may be at least one film selected from the group consisting of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electroluminescent layer, a hole suppression layer, an electron transport layer and an electron injection layer.

Subsequently, a pressure line is formed in a line shape extending in the Y direction across the chuck and exerts pressure on the body portion 151, the pad portion 153 located below the body portion 151, and the pad portion 153. The donor film 70 is laminated on the substrate 50 by using the lamination unit 150 having the 152.

The lamination is performed by applying pressure to the pad portion 153 located under the body portion 151 by the pressing means 152. The pressurizing means 152 may be an air cylinder. The pad part 153 may be formed of a pair of linear pads having elasticity, and a cross section of the pad part 153 may have a parallelogram shape. Therefore, when pressure is applied in the vertical direction by the pressing means 152 to the body portion 151, the body portion 151 together with the donor film 70 located below the lamination unit 150, The donor film 70 is laminated on the acceptor substrate by moving onto the acceptor substrate 50 by the pad part 153. At this time, due to the elasticity and shape of the pad portion 153, the pad portion 153 is applied to the donor film 70 in the vertical and horizontal directions. That is, the donor film 70 may be brought into close contact with each other in a vertical direction and the donor film 70 may be brought into contact with a predetermined tension while being stretched in a horizontal direction, thereby enabling effective lamination.

Subsequently, a laser beam is emitted from the laser irradiation apparatus 130, and the laser beam passes through the opening of the lamination unit 150 and is irradiated onto the laminated donor film 70.

In the region where the laser beam of the donor film 70 is irradiated, the photothermal conversion layer absorbs the laser beam to generate heat, and the transfer layer under the photothermal conversion layer where the heat is generated is the optical heat by the heat. A change in the adhesion force with the conversion layer occurs and transferred onto the acceptor substrate 50. As a result, a patterned transfer layer 73a is formed on the acceptor substrate 50.

In this case, the laser irradiation apparatus base 125 moves along the Y-axis along the laser guide bar 123, and the laser irradiation apparatus 130 continuously irradiates the laser beam through the opening of the lamination unit 150. . Therefore, the transfer layer pattern 73a is continuously generated along the Y axis on the acceptor substrate 50.

When the laser irradiation device 130 reaches the edge of the acceptor substrate 50, the pressing means 152 of the lamination unit 150 removes the applied pressure, and as a result, the pad part 153 And the donor film 70 under the lamination unit 150 is separated from the acceptor substrate. At this time, the film winding means 144 is wound around the donor film 70 used for patterning, the new donor film 70 can be located below the lamination unit 150.

Subsequently, the chuck 115 moves one step along the chuck guide bar 113 and repeats the lamination and laser irradiation described above to form the transfer layer pattern 73a, that is, the organic layer on the entire substrate.

6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a portion of an organic light emitting diode substrate having a patterned transfer layer.

As described above, as illustrated in FIG. 6, the transfer layer pattern 77a is positioned on the pixel electrode 55 exposed in the opening 60a of the organic light emitting diode substrate. 77a may be a light emitting layer. Furthermore, the transfer layer pattern 77a may further include at least one layer selected from the group consisting of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a hole suppression layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer.

The organic electroluminescent device may be manufactured by forming an organic layer including at least a light emitting layer by a laser thermal transfer process as described above, and then forming an opposite electrode on the organic layer.

As described above, the present invention provides a laser thermal transfer apparatus including a lamination unit 150 having a body portion 151, a pressing means 152, and a pad portion 153, whereby Lamination can be performed. In addition, the lamination unit 150 may be elastic and have a pad portion 153 having a parallelogram cross section to apply pressure in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction to the donor film. That is, by closely adhering the donor film in the vertical direction and having a predetermined tension in the horizontal direction, it is possible to maximize the transfer efficiency during subsequent laser irradiation, and improve the quality of the transfer layer pattern by the laser thermal transfer method. Can be.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to effectively laminate the ribbon-type donor film on the acceptor substrate, thereby maximizing the transfer efficiency when forming the organic film layer by the laser thermal transfer method, and obtaining an excellent transfer pattern profile. Can be.

Claims (16)

A chuck holding the acceptor substrate; A body portion having an opening in the center, a pair of pad portions positioned below the body portion, and a pressurizing means connected to an upper portion of the body portion to apply pressure to the pad portion, A lamination unit for laminating a donor film on a acceptor substrate; And And a laser irradiation device positioned on the lamination unit and irradiating a laser beam onto the laminated donor film through an opening of the lamination unit. The method of claim 1, And the pad portion is made of an elastic body. The method of claim 1, Cross section of the pad portion is a laser thermal transfer apparatus, characterized in that the parallelogram shape. The method of claim 1, And the lamination unit is in the form of a line extending in the Y direction across the chuck. The method of claim 1, An optical stage traversing the chuck in the Y direction, The laser irradiation apparatus is positioned on the upper surface of the optical stage through a laser irradiation apparatus base, the lamination unit is installed on the side of the optical stage to be positioned below the laser irradiation apparatus through a lamination unit base Heat transfer device. The method of claim 1, And said donor film is ribbon-shaped. The method of claim 6, And film supply means and film winding means for providing the donor film on both sides of the lamination unit. The method of claim 7, wherein An optical stage traversing the chuck in the Y direction, The laser irradiation apparatus is located on the upper surface of the optical stage through a laser irradiation apparatus base, the lamination unit is installed on the side of the optical stage to be positioned below the laser irradiation apparatus through a lamination unit base, the film supply means And the film winding means is spaced apart from the lamination unit and installed in the lamination unit base, respectively. The method of claim 1, And said donor film comprises a base film, a photothermal conversion layer positioned on said base film and a transfer layer located on said photothermal conversion layer. The method of claim 9, And the transfer layer is any one selected from the group consisting of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, a hole suppression layer, an electron transport layer and an electron injection layer. The method of claim 1, The acceptor substrate is a laser thermal transfer apparatus, characterized in that the organic light emitting element substrate. Positioning the acceptor substrate on the chuck; Placing a donor film having a photothermal conversion layer and a transfer layer such that the transfer layer faces the acceptor substrate; The donor film may be formed by using a lamination unit having a body part having an opening in the center, a pair of pad parts positioned below the body part, and a pressing unit connected to an upper part of the body part and pressing means for applying pressure to the pad part. Lamination on the acceptor substrate; Irradiating a laser onto the laminated donor film through an opening of the lamination unit to transfer a portion of the transfer layer onto the acceptor substrate. The method of claim 12, And the laser is irradiated along the donor film laminated in the Y direction. Positioning an organic light emitting element substrate on which the pixel electrode is formed; Placing a donor film having a photothermal conversion layer and a transfer layer such that the transfer layer faces the substrate; The donor film is formed using a lamination unit having a body part having an opening in the center, a pair of pad parts positioned below the body part, and a pressing unit connected to an upper part of the body part and pressing means for applying pressure to the pad part. Lamination on the organic light emitting device substrate; And irradiating a laser onto the laminated donor film through an opening of the lamination unit to transfer a portion of the transfer layer onto the substrate to form an organic layer on the pixel electrode. Method of manufacturing an electroluminescent device. The method of claim 14, The organic layer is a method of manufacturing an organic light emitting display device, characterized in that any one selected from the group consisting of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, a hole suppression layer, an electron transport layer and an electron injection layer. The method of claim 14, A method of manufacturing an organic light emitting display device, the method comprising: forming a counter electrode on the organic layer.

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