KR20060091929A - Organic electro-luminescence display panel with dampproofing layer and manufacturing method therof - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent display panel, a panel array, and a manufacturing method thereof having a moisture proof structure for protecting a pad region of an organic electroluminescent display panel from moisture. The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescent display panel array comprising a transparent glass substrate and a cover plate and a plurality of organic electroluminescent display panels having an organic electroluminescent material layer between the substrate and the cover plate, wherein each panel comprises a pixel region and An organic electroluminescent display panel array having a pad region and separated by a predefined cut line, wherein each panel includes a moisture proof insulating film formed along the cut line of the panel at an end of the pad region. to provide. According to the panel structure of the present invention, the moisture flowing into the pad region can be effectively blocked to prevent the inflow of moisture, and there is no fear of productivity degradation due to additional manufacturing process.

Organic electroluminescent element, moisture proof structure, moisture proof insulating film, cutting line, pad

Description

Organic electroluminescent display panel provided with a moisture proof insulating film, and its manufacturing method {ORGANIC ELECTRO-LUMINESCENCE DISPLAY PANEL WITH DAMPPROOFING LAYER AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEROF}

1 is a plan view showing a conventional panel array including a plurality of panels arranged in a lattice form on a transparent substrate.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section after assembly of individual panels cut from the panel array of FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is a plan view illustrating an organic electroluminescent display panel array according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is an enlarged plan view illustrating individual panels of the panel array of FIG. 3.

5A to 5F are perspective views sequentially illustrating a manufacturing process of the organic electroluminescent display panel array of the present invention.

<Brief description of the symbols in the drawings>

100: transparent substrate 110: transparent conductive layer

110A: transparent conductive layer pattern 120: conductive metal layer

120A: pad 130A: inter-pixel insulating film

130B: moisture proof insulating film 140: separator

150: organic electroluminescent material layer 160: cathode

200: cover plate 210, 310: sealing material

300: wiring film 320: driver IC

The present invention relates to an organic electroluminescence display panel, and more particularly to an organic electroluminescent display panel having a moisture-proof structure that protects the pad area of the panel from moisture, and a method of manufacturing the same. will be.

The organic electroluminescent device is a device in which electrons and holes injected through a cathode and an anode are formed into excitons in a monomolecular or polymer organic thin film, and light of a specific wavelength is generated from the formed excitons. The organic material layer such as an electron transport layer and the cathode are laminated.

The organic electroluminescent display in which the organic light emitting diodes are arranged in the form of a matrix inside the panel has advantages such as low voltage driving, high luminous efficiency, high viewing angle, and fast response speed. As one of the technologies, the development of technology for commercialization is actively underway.

An organic electroluminescent display generally includes a plurality of transparent anodes formed in parallel on a substrate, a pixel region on a grid formed on the anode and partitioning the plurality of regions, and an organic light emitting layer formed on the pixel regions. And an organic light emitting material layer and a plurality of cathodes formed on the organic light emitting material layers and orthogonal to the anode.

1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional panel array including a plurality of panels arranged in a lattice form on a transparent substrate 100.

Referring to FIG. 1, each panel in the panel array is defined by a scribe line, and a plurality of pads electrically connected to the pixel formation region CA and each electrode of the pixel formation region CA. It is configured to include a pad area (PA) having a. A cover plate (not shown) is attached on the transparent substrate on which the pixel formation region CA is formed, and is separated into individual panels by cutting along the cutting lines with appropriate cutting means. The separated panels are made into finished panels through a conventional encapsulation process.

In this process, the plurality of cathodes and anodes of the pixel formation region CA may be formed using a driver IC (320 of FIG. 2) by a tape automated bonding (TAB) or chip on film (COF) film through the plurality of pads of the pad region. )

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section after assembly of individual panels cut from the panel array of FIG. 1. FIG.

Referring to FIG. 2, a cover plate 200 is attached to a pixel area of the substrate 100. The cover plate 200 is adhered to the substrate 100 by a sealing material 210 and blocks moisture that penetrates into the pixel area of the substrate. A tape automated bonding (TAB) or chip on film (COF) film 300 that electrically connects the pad to the driver IC 320 is in contact with the pad region of the substrate.

At this time, the penetration of moisture may occur between the film 300 and the pad region of the substrate 100 on the cut surface of the substrate 100. At this time, if the moisture penetrated is present between adjacent pads among the plurality of pads in the pad area, the moisture acts as an electrolyte and electrochemically decomposes the pad by the potential difference between the adjacent pads. As a result, a problem arises such that the electrical connection between the pad region and the pixel region is broken and the operation of the panel is stopped.

In order to solve this problem, between the film 300 and the cut surface of the substrate 100 is sealed by a sealing material 310. However, such a sealing process is difficult to effectively block the moisture infiltration. In order to solve this disadvantage, a method of grinding the edge of the cut surface of the substrate to facilitate sealing of the sealing material may be used.

However, the above encapsulation method does not provide sufficient protection of the pad area, and in the case of the grinding method, additional processes are introduced, which is a factor that complicates the process.

The present invention is to solve the above problems of the prior art, it is effective to block the water penetrating into the pad area, there is no deterioration of reliability and durability, and an organic electric field having a pad moisture proof structure without deterioration of productivity due to its manufacture A light emitting display panel, an organic electroluminescent display panel array, and a manufacturing method thereof.

In order to achieve the above technical problem, the present invention, a pixel region comprising a transparent glass substrate, a plurality of anodes and cathodes formed on the transparent glass substrate, and an organic light emitting material interposed between the anode and the cathode, the pixel region A pad region having a plurality of pads electrically connecting a plurality of anodes and cathodes of the pixel region to an external power source, the first insulating layer extending along an end of the pad region while partially covering the pads; And a cover plate opposing the transparent glass substrate and covering the first insulating layer formed along the end of the pad region, the wiring film being in electrical contact with the pad region. An organic electroluminescent display panel is provided.

In the panel of the present invention, the pixel region includes a plurality of pixels separated by a second insulating film, and the first insulating film and the second insulating film are preferably made of the same material.

In addition, the present invention provides an organic electroluminescent display panel array comprising a transparent glass substrate and a cover plate and a plurality of organic electroluminescent display panels having a layer of an organic electroluminescent material between the substrate and the cover plate, wherein each panel includes a pixel. An organic electroluminescence having an area and a pad area and separated by a predefined cutting line, wherein each panel includes a moisture proof insulating film formed along the cutting line of the panel at an end of the pad area. It provides a display panel array.

The moisture proof insulating film in the panel array may be formed of photoresist or polyimide.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a transparent glass substrate coated with a conductive film, defining a pixel region composed of a plurality of pixels on the transparent glass substrate and a pad region composed of a plurality of pads for electrically activating the pixel. Patterning the conductive film according to the defined pixel area and the pad area, forming a first insulating film separating each pixel of the pixel area and a second insulating film covering the plurality of pads at ends of the pad area. And forming a layer of an organic electroluminescent material in each pixel and forming a cathode of each pixel on the organic electroluminescent material layer. .

In the panel manufacturing method of the present invention, the first insulating film and the second insulating film are preferably formed simultaneously.

In another aspect, the present invention provides a transparent glass substrate coated with a conductive film, each pixel region comprising a pixel region composed of a plurality of pixels and a pad region composed of a plurality of pads for electrically activating the pixel on the transparent glass substrate. Defining a plurality of panels and a cutting line for separating the plurality of panels, patterning the conductive film according to the pixel area and the pad area of each defined panel, each pixel of the pixel area in each panel Forming an insulating layer covering the plurality of pads at the end of the pad area of each panel along the cutting line of each panel, and forming an organic electroluminescent material layer on each pixel of each panel. Forming a cathode of each pixel of each panel on the organic electroluminescent material layer and according to the cutting line It provides a method of manufacturing an organic electroluminescent display panel comprising the step of cutting a plurality of panels.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a plan view illustrating an organic electroluminescent display panel array according to an embodiment of the present invention. The panel array includes a cover plate attached to the transparent substrate 100 above the transparent substrate 100, but is omitted here for convenience of illustration.

Referring to Fig. 3, each panel constituting the organic electroluminescent display panel array is defined by a broken line (double dashed line). In the panel array of FIG. 3, the panels are shown arranged in a two-dimensional matrix, but in the present invention, the panels may be arranged one-dimensionally in a horizontal or vertical manner. The panel defined by the cutting line includes a pixel formation region CA and a pad region PA formed on a transparent substrate 100 such as a glass substrate.

As illustrated, a strip-shaped moisture proof insulating film 130B is formed on the transparent substrate of the panel array of the present invention and extends along the cutting line in the longitudinal direction thereof. The moisture proof insulating film 130B is formed to cover only a part of the pad to ensure sufficient electrical contact between the pad and the TAB or COF wiring film. Without this, a person having ordinary skill in the art will not have any difficulty in designing the width of the moisture proof insulating film to achieve such an object, and those skilled in the art will appreciate It will also be appreciated that this can be easily applied to a conventional panel structure without securing a separate free space.

In the present invention, the moisture proof insulating film 130B may be implemented by the same material as a conventional inter-pixel insulating film used in a panel manufacturing process, as described below. In addition, when the moisture barrier layer is manufactured at the same time as the formation time of the inter-pixel insulation layer of the pixel formation region CA of the panel, the thickness of the moisture barrier layer will be substantially the same as the thickness of the inter-pixel insulation layer. Of course, the thickness of the moisture-proof insulating film in the present invention may be appropriately designed in consideration of the structure of the panel and the subsequent process.

In FIG. 3, the pad area of each panel constituting the panel array is illustrated as being formed only on one side (for example, the bottom side) of the panel, but this is not an essential part of the present invention. The moisture proof structure of the present invention can be easily applied even when installed separately at different sites. In addition, in this case, the moisture proof insulating film 130B may be formed on a cutting line perpendicular to the heat direction.

4 is an enlarged plan view of a panel constituting the panel array of FIG. 3 with respect to an electrode. Referring to FIG. 4, a plurality of anodes 110A and cathodes 160 that are orthogonal to each other are formed in the pixel formation region CA on the panel transparent substrate 100. The anode 110A and the cathode 160 are electrically connected to each pad 120A of the pad area PA. Wiring connecting the electrodes 110A and 160A and the pad 120A is omitted in the drawing. As described with reference to FIG. 3, the panel includes a moisture proof insulating film 130B extending along the cutting line while covering a part of the pad at the end of the pad area.

In the present invention, the moisture-proof insulating film 130B is filled between the cut surface of the transparent substrate 100 and the COF film (not shown) to block the moisture introduced therebetween.

Hereinafter, a manufacturing process of the panel array according to the structure of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5F.

First, referring to FIG. 5A, a substrate on which a transparent oxide conductive layer 120 such as indium tin oxide (ITO) is formed is provided on a transparent substrate 100 such as a transparent glass substrate. As shown, a conductive metal layer 120 such as Cr may be added on the transparent conductive layer 120 of the substrate.

5B, the pixel formation region CA and the pad region PA are defined on the substrate 100, and the conductive metal layer 120 of the pad region PA is patterned to form a plurality of pads 120A. ). Conventional photolithography processes and wet or dry etching processes may be used for the patterning of the pad area PA. At this time, the conductive metal layer 120 of the pixel formation region CA is removed.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 5C, the exposed transparent conductive layer 110 is patterned to form a transparent conductive layer pattern 110A on the pixel formation region CA (see FIG. 5C). The above-described conventional photolithography process may also be used to form the transparent conductive layer pattern 110A. As illustrated, the transparent conductive layer pattern 110A has an elongated island shape spaced apart at regular intervals and extending toward the pad region, and is formed in an appropriate number according to the number of pixels.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 5D, an inter-pixel insulating film 130A and a moisture proof insulating film 130B are formed on the pixel formation region CA.

The inter-pixel insulating layer 130A is formed on the pixel formation region CA, and divides the pixel formation region into a plurality of lattice pixels. The inter-pixel insulating layer 130A is formed over the entire pixel formation region except for the region serving as the pixel, and enables individual pixels to be electrically driven independently.

The moisture proof insulating layer 130B is formed along a cutting line at the end of the pad region, and assists sealing between the film and the substrate after the bonding process with the cover plate and the bonding process with the COF film. Shut off moisture entering the system.

The inter-pixel insulating layer 130A may be formed of, for example, a polymer material having electrical insulation such as photoresist or polyimide.

As shown in FIG. 5D, in the present invention, the patterning of the moisture proof insulating film 130B is preferably performed simultaneously with the formation of the inter pixel insulating film 130A. In this case, the moisture proof insulating film 130B may be used as the inter pixel insulating film. It is formed of the same material as the forming material.

The inter-pixel insulating film 130A and the moisture-proof insulating film 130B are uniformly coated and dried on a substrate by using an ordinary material such as a roller coater or a spin coater and an insulating material such as photoresist or polyimide, and then the pixel The photoresist may be formed through a conventional photoresist process of exposing and developing the interlayer insulating film 130A and the photomask corresponding to the moisture proof insulating film 130B.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 5E, a separator 140 is formed on the inter-pixel insulating films 130A and 130B. The separator 140 prevents electrical short between the cathode and the pixel to be formed in a subsequent process. As described in the above-described insulating film forming step, the separator 140 may be formed by a photoresist process using a conventional negative photoresist.

Although not shown, a stacked structure of an organic electroluminescent material layer (see 150 of FIG. 5F), for example, a hole injection layer / hole transport layer / light emitting layer / electron transport layer / electron injection layer is formed in the pixel formation region CA after the separator is formed. Organic material having is deposited. Deposition of the organic material may be carried out by conventional vacuum thin film deposition using a fine metal shadow mask, and for the laminated structure and the laminated material of each layer constituting the organic electroluminescent material layer, it is common in the art. If you are familiar with the knowledge of the self-explanatory, the description is omitted here.

Subsequently, referring to FIG. 5F, a cathode is formed on the organic electroluminescent material layer 150. As the cathode material, an active metal or a metal alloy having a low work function such as Mg, Ag, MgAg-Li, LiAl, LiF-Al, or the like is used, and may be formed by vacuum deposition using a metal shadow mask.

As described above, after a series of material layers are formed on the transparent substrate through the process described with reference to FIGS. 5B to 5F, the transparent substrate is bonded to a cover plate, a COF film, and the like, and then completed in a panel array. The individual organic electroluminescent display panels are separated by cutting the panel array according to preset cutting lines.

As a result, the panel to be manufactured has a structure in which a moisture proof insulating film is interposed between the transparent substrate 100 and the COF film along the end of the panel, in particular the pad area, and the moisture proof insulating film prevents the inflow of moisture into the pad area. Blocking, further encapsulation of the panel end can be made more smoothly.

As described with reference to FIG. 5D, the panel and panel array having the moisture proof insulating film of the present invention have the advantage that the conventional panel manufacturing process can be obtained only by changing the insulating film pattern without any additional process.

The organic electroluminescent display panel of the present invention includes a moisture proof insulating film along the pad region of the panel. Accordingly, according to the structure of the organic electroluminescent display panel of the present invention, it is possible to effectively block the moisture penetrating along the pad area, to prevent disconnection due to electrolysis of the pad to provide a durable organic electroluminescent display panel.

In addition, according to the organic electroluminescent display panel manufacturing method of the present invention, since the moisture-proof insulating film can be added to the panel without any additional process, there is no fear of causing a decrease in productivity.

Claims (7)

Transparent glass substrates; A pixel region including a plurality of anodes and cathodes formed on the transparent glass substrate and an organic light emitting material interposed between the anode and the cathode; A pad region adjacent to the pixel region, the pad region including a plurality of pads electrically connecting a plurality of anodes and cathodes of the pixel region to an external power source; A first insulating film extending along an end of the pad area while partially covering the pads; A cover plate facing the transparent glass substrate and encapsulating the pixel area; And And a wiring film electrically covering the pad region while covering the first insulating layer formed along an end of the pad region. The method of claim 1, The pixel area includes a plurality of pixels separated by a second insulating film, and the first insulating film and the second insulating film are made of the same material. An organic electroluminescent display panel array comprising a transparent glass substrate and a cover plate and a plurality of organic electroluminescent display panels having an organic electroluminescent material layer between the substrate and the cover plate. Each panel has a pixel area and a pad area and is divided by a predefined cutting line, wherein each panel includes a moisture proof insulating film formed along the cutting line of the panel at an end of the pad area. Organic electroluminescent display panel array. The method of claim 3, The moisture proof insulating film is an organic electroluminescent display panel array, characterized in that formed of photoresist or polyimide. Providing a transparent glass substrate coated with a conductive film; Defining a pixel region including a plurality of pixels on the transparent glass substrate and a pad region including a plurality of pads electrically activating the pixels; Patterning the conductive film according to the defined pixel area and pad area; Forming a first insulating film separating each pixel of the pixel region and a second insulating film covering the plurality of pads at an end of the pad region; Forming an organic electroluminescent material layer on each pixel; And Forming a cathode of each pixel on the organic electroluminescent material layer. The method of claim 5, And the first insulating film and the second insulating film are formed at the same time. Providing a transparent glass substrate coated with a conductive film; Defining a plurality of panels each including a pixel region composed of a plurality of pixels and a pad region composed of a plurality of pads electrically activating the pixels on the transparent glass substrate, and cutting lines for separating the plurality of panels. step; Patterning the conductive film according to the pixel area and the pad area of each defined panel; Separating each pixel of the pixel area from each panel, and forming an insulating layer covering the plurality of pads at an end of the pad area of each panel along a cutting line of each panel; Forming an organic electroluminescent material layer on each pixel of each panel; Forming a cathode of each pixel of each panel on the organic electroluminescent material layer; And And cutting the plurality of panels in accordance with the cutting lines.

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