TW202016229A - Method for manufacturing organic electronic element using near infrared rays and far infrared rays together, and manufacturing device for organic electronic element - Google Patents

Abstract

This method for manufacturing an organic electronic element 10 comprises: a coating film forming step for forming a coating film C by coating a coating liquid for a functional layer FL having a prescribed function on one main surface 12a side of a plastic substrate 12; and a heating step for forming the functional layer FL by heat curing the coating film by irradiating infrared rays on the coating film C within an infrared heating furnace 24, wherein with the heating step, near infrared rays are irradiated by a plurality of near infrared lamps 28 from one main surface 12a side of the plastic substrate 12 on which the coating film C is formed, and far infrared rays are irradiated by a plurality of far infrared heaters 32 from the other main surface 12b side on the reverse side from the one main surface 12a.

Description

Method for manufacturing organic electronic component using near infrared and far infrared and device for manufacturing organic electronic component

The invention relates to a method for manufacturing an organic electronic component and a device for manufacturing an organic electronic component.

Organic electroluminescence (EL) devices (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "organic EL devices"), organic photoelectric conversion devices, organic thin film transistors, and other organic electronic devices have a functional layer provided on a substrate and having a predetermined function.

As an example of the method of forming the functional layer, the technique of Patent Document 1 is known. In Patent Document 1, initially, a coating solution containing a polymer compound having a crosslinkable group and being a material of a functional layer (the conductive film of Patent Document 1) is applied on a substrate to form a coating film. Thereafter, the coating film is irradiated with infrared rays by an infrared heater, and the cross-linkable group is cross-linked by the infrared rays to heat-harden the coating film to form a functional layer. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

Patent Literature 1: International Publication No. 2013/180036

[Problems to be solved by the invention] As a method of irradiating infrared rays, infrared lamps are sometimes used. In general, a plurality of infrared lamps are installed at predetermined intervals in the heating furnace. In this case, for example, the temperature directly below the infrared lamp and the temperature between the infrared lamps adjacent to each other are different, and therefore, temperature unevenness may occur in the heating furnace. As a result, the heated plastic substrate may have uneven temperature, and the plastic substrate may be deformed due to uneven temperature, such as wrinkles. In this way, there is a problem that the yield of organic electronic components decreases.

An object of one aspect of the present invention is to provide an organic electronic component manufacturing method and an organic electronic component manufacturing apparatus that can achieve improved yield. [Means to solve the problem]

An organic electronic component manufacturing method according to an aspect of the present invention is an organic electronic component manufacturing method, including: a coating film forming step, coating a coating liquid for a functional layer having a prescribed function on one of the main surfaces of a plastic substrate Forming a coating film on the side; and a heating step in which the coating film is heated and hardened by irradiating the coating film with infrared rays in an infrared heating furnace to form a functional layer, and in the heating step, the plastic substrate on which the coating film is formed One of the main surface sides is irradiated with near infrared rays by a plurality of near infrared lamps, and the other main surface side opposite to one of the main surfaces is irradiated with far infrared rays by a plurality of far infrared heaters.

In the method for manufacturing an organic electronic component of one aspect of the present invention, in the heating step, near infrared rays are irradiated from one of the main surface sides of the plastic substrate by a plurality of near infrared lamps, and from one of the main surface opposite sides The other main surface side of the LED is irradiated with far infrared rays by a plurality of far infrared heaters. By this, one of the main surface sides of the plastic substrate is heated by the near infrared rays of the near infrared lamp, and the other main surface side is heated by the far infrared rays of the far infrared heater. In the above configuration, the far-infrared heater can eliminate the temperature unevenness caused by the near-infrared lamp. Therefore, the temperature unevenness of the plastic substrate can be suppressed. Therefore, the deformation of the plastic substrate caused by the uneven temperature can be suppressed. As a result, the yield can be improved.

In one embodiment, the coating liquid includes a material having a crosslinkable group, and in the heating step, the coating film may be heated and cured by crosslinking the crosslinkable group with infrared rays.

In one embodiment, in the heating step, in the infrared heating furnace, the coating film is irradiated with infrared rays while carrying the plastic substrate, and a plurality of near infrared lamps are separated by more than 50 mm and 100 mm in the conveying direction of the plastic substrate Configured at the following intervals. With this, the difference between the temperature directly below the near-infrared lamp and the temperature between the near-infrared lamps adjacent to each other can be reduced. Therefore, the occurrence of temperature unevenness can be suppressed.

In one embodiment, the total area of the projection surfaces of the plurality of far-infrared heaters with respect to the other main surface in the opposing direction of one of the main surfaces and the other main surface may be present in the infrared heating furnace The surface area of the other main surface of the plastic substrate is more than 30%. Thereby, the plastic substrate can be effectively heated.

In one embodiment, at least one of the plurality of far-infrared heaters may be arranged in each of the plurality of regions, and the temperature may be adjusted for each region. In this way, the temperature can be adjusted for each zone in the infrared heating furnace. Therefore, the temperature in the infrared heating furnace can be adjusted more accurately. As a result, the occurrence of temperature unevenness can be suppressed, and the deformation of the plastic substrate caused by the temperature unevenness can be suppressed.

In one embodiment, in each of the plurality of regions, the length in the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the plastic substrate may be 0.3 m or less. With this, the temperature can be adjusted more accurately in each region of the infrared heating furnace.

In one embodiment, in the heating step, inert gas may be blown onto at least one of one of the main surfaces and the other of the main surface of the plastic substrate. Regarding the plastic substrate in the infrared heating furnace, if the infrared ray is used for heating, an upward air flow (convection) is generated from the surface by the heated air. If an upward air flow is generated, temperature unevenness may occur. Therefore, in one embodiment, an inert gas is blown onto at least one of one of the main surfaces and the other main surface of the plastic substrate. With this, the generation of ascending air current can be suppressed, and the occurrence of temperature unevenness can be suppressed. As a result, the deformation of the plastic substrate caused by uneven temperature can be suppressed.

In one embodiment, a step of forming a base layer on one of the main surfaces of the plastic substrate may be included. In the step of forming a coating film, a coating film is formed on the base layer. In this way, a base layer (such as electrodes, etc.) can be formed between the plastic substrate and the functional layer.

An organic electronic component manufacturing apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention is an organic electronic component manufacturing apparatus including an infrared heating furnace, which is coated on one of the main surface sides of a plastic substrate and is coated with a function having a prescribed function The coating film formed by the coating liquid for the layer is irradiated with infrared rays to heat and harden the coating film. The infrared heating furnace includes: a plurality of near infrared lamps, which radiate near infrared rays from one of the main surface sides of the plastic substrate on which the coating film is formed ; And multiple far-infrared heaters, irradiating far-infrared rays from the side of the other main surface opposite to one of the main surfaces.

In an apparatus for manufacturing an organic electronic component according to an aspect of the present invention, the infrared heating furnace includes a plurality of near-infrared lamps and a plurality of far-infrared heaters. By this, one of the main surface sides of the plastic substrate is heated by the near infrared rays of the near infrared lamp, and the other main surface side is heated by the far infrared rays of the far infrared heater. In the above configuration, the far-infrared heater can eliminate the temperature unevenness caused by the near-infrared lamp. Therefore, the temperature unevenness of the plastic substrate can be suppressed. Therefore, the deformation of the plastic substrate caused by the uneven temperature can be suppressed. As a result, the yield can be improved. [Effect of invention]

According to an aspect of the present invention, an improvement in yield can be achieved.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the description of the drawings, the same or corresponding elements are denoted by the same symbols, and repeated explanations are omitted.

In this embodiment, a mode in which the organic electronic element is an organic EL element will be described. The organic EL element 10 manufactured by the method for manufacturing an organic EL element (organic electronic element) according to an embodiment schematically shown in FIG. 1 can be used, for example, in a curved or planar lighting device, for example, as a light source for a scanner Planar light source and display device.

The organic EL element 10 includes a plastic substrate 12, an anode 14, an organic EL portion 16, and a cathode 18. The organic EL element 10 may take the form of emitting light from the anode 14 side or the form of emitting light from the cathode 18 side. Hereinafter, as long as it is not described, the form of light emitted from the anode 14 side will be described.

[Plastic substrate] The plastic substrate 12 is transparent to visible light (light with a wavelength of 400 nm to 800 nm). The plastic substrate 12 has, for example, a film shape and has flexibility. The thickness of the plastic substrate 12 is, for example, 30 μm or more and 700 μm or less. The plastic substrate 12 has one of the main surfaces 12a and the other main surface 12b opposite to the one of the main surfaces 12a.

Examples of the material (plastic material) of the plastic substrate 12 include: polyether sulfone (PES); polyethylene terephthalate (Polyethylene Terephthalate, PET) and polyethylene naphthalate (Polyethylene naphthalate) , PEN) and other polyester resins; polyethylene (polyethylene, PE), polypropylene (Polypropylene, PP), cyclic polyolefin and other polyolefin resins; polyamide resin; polycarbonate resin; polystyrene resin; polyethylene Alcohol resin; saponified ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer; polyacrylonitrile resin; acetal resin; polyimide resin; epoxy resin.

A driving circuit (for example, a circuit including a thin film transistor, etc.) for driving the organic EL element 10 may also be formed on the plastic substrate 12. The driving circuit is usually composed of a transparent material.

A barrier film can also be formed on the plastic substrate 12. The barrier film has a function of blocking moisture. The barrier film may also have a function of blocking gas (for example, oxygen). The barrier film may be, for example, a film containing silicon, oxygen, and carbon, or a film containing silicon, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen. Specifically, examples of the material of the barrier film are silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, and the like. An example of the thickness of the barrier film is 100 nm or more and 10 μm or less.

[anode] The anode 14 is disposed on one of the main surfaces 12a of the plastic substrate 12. In the form in which the barrier film is formed on the plastic substrate 12, the anode 14 is provided on the barrier film. As the anode 14, an electrode showing light permeability is used. As the electrode exhibiting light transmittance, a thin film of metal oxide, metal sulfide, metal, or the like with high conductivity can be used, and a thin film with high light transmittance can be preferably used. The anode 14 may also have a network structure including an electric conductor (for example, metal).

Examples of the material of the anode 14 include indium oxide, zinc oxide, tin oxide, indium tin oxide (Indium Tin Oxide: ITO for short), indium zinc oxide (Indium Zinc Oxide: IZO for short), gold, platinum, and silver , Copper, etc. Among these, ITO, IZO or tin oxide is preferred. As the material of the anode 14, organic materials such as polyaniline and its derivatives, polythiophene and its derivatives can also be used. In this case, the anode 14 can be formed as a transparent conductive film.

The thickness of the anode 14 can be determined in consideration of light permeability, electrical conductivity, and the like. The thickness of the anode 14 is generally 10 nm to 10 μm, preferably 20 nm to 1 μm, and more preferably 50 nm to 500 nm.

[Organic EL Department] The organic EL unit 16 is provided on the anode 14. The organic EL section 16 is a functional section that contributes to light emission of the organic EL element 10 according to the voltages applied to the anode 14 and the cathode 18, such as the movement of charges and the recombination of charges.

The organic EL unit 16 includes a hole injection layer FL1, a hole transport layer FL2, a light-emitting layer FL3, an electron transport layer FL4, and an electron injection layer FL5, and these layers are stacked in this order from the anode 14 side. The hole injection layer FL1, the hole transport layer FL2, the light-emitting layer FL3, the electron transport layer FL4, and the electron injection layer FL5 are respectively functional layers having predetermined functions. If the organic EL unit 16 includes the light-emitting layer FL3, it is not limited to those exemplified.

The hole injection layer FL1 is provided on the anode 14 and has a function of improving the efficiency of hole injection from the anode 14 to the light-emitting layer FL3. The thickness of the hole injection layer FL1 varies depending on the material used, and is optimally set so that the driving voltage and the luminous efficiency become appropriate values. The thickness of the hole injection layer FL1 is, for example, 1 nm to 1 μm, preferably 2 nm to 500 nm, and more preferably 5 nm to 200 nm.

As the material of the hole injection layer FL1, a well-known hole injection material can be used. Examples of the hole injection material include oxides such as vanadium oxide, molybdenum oxide, ruthenium oxide, and aluminum oxide, polythiophene derivatives such as polyethylene dioxy thiophene (PEDOT), phenylamine compounds, and starbursts. Type amine compounds, phthalocyanine compounds, amorphous carbon and polyaniline.

The hole transport layer FL2 is provided on the hole injection layer FL1 and has a function of improving hole injection from the anode 14, the hole injection layer FL1 or the hole transport layer FL2 closer to the anode 14 into the light emitting layer FL3. The thickness of the hole transport layer FL2 differs depending on the material used, and is optimally set so that the driving voltage and the luminous efficiency become appropriate values. The thickness of the hole transport layer FL2 is, for example, 1 nm to 1 μm, preferably 2 nm to 500 nm, and more preferably 5 nm to 200 nm.

As the material of the hole transport layer FL2, a well-known hole transport material can be used. Examples of the material for the hole transport layer FL2 include polyvinylcarbazole or its derivatives, polysilane or its derivatives, polysiloxane or its derivatives having aromatic amines in the side chain or main chain, and pyridine Oxazoline or its derivative, arylamine or its derivative, stilbene or its derivative, triphenyldiamine or its derivative, polyaniline or its derivative, polythiophene or its derivative, polyarylamine Or its derivatives, polypyrrole or its derivatives, poly(p-phenylene vinylidene) or its derivatives, and poly(2,5-thiophenylene vinylidene) or its derivatives, etc. As a material of the hole transport layer FL2, for example, a hole transport layer material disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2012-144722 can also be mentioned.

The light emitting layer FL3 is provided on the hole transport layer FL2, and the light emitting layer FL3 is a layer having a function of emitting light of a predetermined wavelength. The thickness of the light-emitting layer FL3 differs depending on the material used, and is optimally set so that the driving voltage and the light-emitting efficiency become appropriate values.

The light-emitting layer FL3 is usually mainly formed of an organic substance that emits fluorescence and/or phosphorescence, or the organic substance and a dopant that assists the organic substance. The dopant is added, for example, in order to improve the luminous efficiency or change the luminous wavelength. The organic substance contained in the light-emitting layer FL3 may be a low-molecular compound or a high-molecular compound. Examples of the light-emitting material constituting the light-emitting layer FL3 include organic materials and dopant materials that mainly emit fluorescence and/or phosphorescence, such as the following dye-based materials, metal complex-based materials, and polymer-based materials.

Examples of the pigment-based light-emitting material include cyclopentylamine or its derivatives, tetraphenylbutadiene or its derivatives, triphenylamine or its derivatives, oxadiazole or its derivatives, and pyrazoloquine. Pyrazoloquinoline or its derivatives, distyrylbenzene or its derivatives, distyryl aryl aryl or its derivatives, pyrrole or its derivatives, thiophene ring compounds, pyridine ring compounds, piperidone or its derivatives Substances, perylene or its derivatives, oligothiophene or its derivatives, oxadiazole dimer or its derivatives, pyrazoline dimer or its derivatives, quinacridone or its derivatives, coumarin Or its derivatives.

Examples of the metal complex-based light-emitting material include a central metal having rare earth metals such as Tb, Eu, and Dy, or Al, Zn, Be, Pt, and Ir, and a ligand having oxadiazole, thiadiazole, Metal complexes of phenylpyridine, phenylbenzimidazole, quinoline structure, etc. Examples of metal complexes include iridium complexes, platinum complexes, and other metal complexes having luminescence from a triplet excited state, aluminum quinolinol complexes, and benzohydroxyquinoline complexes. Beryllium (benzoquinolinol beryllium) complex, benzoxazolyl zinc complex, benzothiazole zinc complex, azomethyl zinc complex, porphyrin zinc complex, morpholine europium complex Wait.

Examples of the polymer-based light-emitting material include polyparaphenylene vinylene or its derivatives, polythiophene or its derivatives, polyparaphenylene or its derivatives, polysilane or its derivatives, and poly At least one of acetylene or a derivative thereof, polyfluorene or a derivative thereof, polyvinylcarbazole or a derivative thereof, the pigment material and the metal complex material is polymerized, and the like.

Examples of dopant materials include perylene or its derivatives, coumarin or its derivatives, rubrene and its derivatives, quinacridone or its derivatives, squarylium or its derivatives , Porphyrin or its derivatives, styryl pigments, fused tetrabenzene or its derivatives, pyrazolone or its derivatives, Decacyclene or its derivatives, phenoxazone or Phenoxazone or Its derivatives and so on.

The electron transport layer FL4 is provided on the light emitting layer FL3 and has a function of improving electron injection from the cathode 18, the electron injection layer FL5, or the electron transport layer FL4 closer to the cathode 18 to the light emitting layer FL3. The thickness of the electron transport layer FL4 differs depending on the material used, and is optimally set so that the driving voltage and the luminous efficiency become appropriate values. The thickness of the electron transport layer FL4 is, for example, 1 nm to 1 μm, preferably 2 nm to 500 nm, and more preferably 5 nm to 200 nm.

As the material of the electron transport layer FL4, a well-known electron transport material can be used. Examples of the electron transport material constituting the electron transport layer FL4 include oxadiazole derivatives, anthraquinone dimethane or its derivatives, benzoquinone or its derivatives, naphthoquinone or its derivatives, anthraquinone or its derivatives , Tetracyanoanthraquinone dimethane or its derivatives, fluorenone derivatives, diphenyl dicyanoethylene or its derivatives, biphenylquinone derivatives, or 8-hydroxyquinoline or its derivatives metal complex Substances, polyquinoline or its derivatives, polyquinoxaline or its derivatives, polyfluorene or its derivatives, etc.

The electron injection layer FL5 is provided on the electron transport layer FL4 and has a function of improving the efficiency of electron injection from the cathode 18 to the light-emitting layer FL3. The thickness of the electron injection layer FL5 differs depending on the material used, and is optimally set so that the driving voltage and the luminous efficiency become appropriate values. The thickness of the electron injection layer FL5 is, for example, 1 nm to 1 μm.

As the material of the electron injection layer FL5, a well-known electron injection material can be used. Examples of the material of the electron injection layer FL5 include alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, alloys containing at least one of alkali metals and alkaline earth metals, oxides, halides, carbonates of alkali metals or alkaline earth metals, or these Mixture of these substances.

Examples of alkali metals, alkali metal oxides, halides, and carbonates include lithium, sodium, potassium, rubidium, cesium, lithium oxide, lithium fluoride, sodium oxide, sodium fluoride, potassium oxide, and potassium fluoride. , Rubidium oxide, rubidium fluoride, cesium oxide, cesium fluoride, lithium carbonate, etc.

Examples of the oxides, halides, and carbonates of alkaline earth metals and alkaline earth metals include magnesium, calcium, barium, strontium, magnesium oxide, magnesium fluoride, calcium oxide, calcium fluoride, barium oxide, and barium fluoride , Strontium oxide, strontium fluoride, magnesium carbonate, etc.

In addition to this, a layer obtained by mixing a previously known electron-transporting organic material and an organic metal complex compound having an alkali metal may be used as the electron injection layer FL5. In addition to this, an ionic polymer compound containing an alkali metal salt in the side chain described in International Publication No. 12/133229 can also be used as the electron injection layer FL5.

[cathode] The cathode 18 is provided on the organic EL unit 16. The thickness of the cathode 18 varies depending on the material used, and is set in consideration of conductivity, durability, and the like. The thickness of the cathode 18 is generally 10 nm to 10 μm, preferably 20 nm to 1 μm, and more preferably 50 nm to 500 nm.

Examples of the material of the cathode 18 include alkali metals, alkaline earth metals, transition metals, and Group 13 metals of the periodic table. As the cathode 18, a transparent conductive electrode including a conductive metal oxide, a conductive organic substance, or the like can also be used.

<Manufacturing method of organic EL element> Next, as an example of a method of manufacturing the organic EL element 10, a case where the organic EL element 10 is manufactured using the flexible strip-shaped (or long) plastic substrate 12 will be described. The strip-shaped plastic substrate 12 is, for example, a plastic substrate whose length in the long side direction is 10 times or more the width direction (short side direction). The width of the plastic substrate 12 is, for example, 0.2 m to 1.0 m. As shown in FIG. 2, the manufacturing method of the organic EL element 10 includes an anode forming step (forming step) S10, an organic EL portion forming step S12, and a cathode forming step S14.

[Anode formation step] In the anode forming step S10, the anode (base layer) 14 is formed on the plastic substrate 12. In the case of using the strip-shaped plastic substrate 12, a plurality of organic EL element forming regions are set in the longitudinal direction in the plastic substrate 12, and the anode 14 is formed in each organic EL element forming region. The anode 14 can be formed by a known method in the manufacture of an organic EL element. Examples of the method for forming the anode 14 include a vacuum evaporation method, a sputtering method, an ion plating method, a plating method, and a coating method.

As the coating method, for example, an inkjet printing method may be mentioned, and any known coating method may be used as long as it can form the anode 14. Examples of well-known coating methods other than the inkjet printing method include microgravure coating method, gravure coating method, bar coating method, roll coating method, wire bar coating method, spray coating method, screen printing method, Flexographic printing method, offset printing method and nozzle printing method, etc.

The solvent of the coating liquid containing the material of the anode 14 may be any solvent that can dissolve the material of the anode 14. Examples of the solvent include chloride solvents such as chloroform, methylene chloride, and dichloroethane, ether solvents such as tetrahydrofuran, aromatic hydrocarbon solvents such as toluene and xylene, ketone solvents such as acetone and methyl ethyl ketone, and ethyl acetate. Ester solvents such as esters, butyl acetate, ethyl cellosolve acetate, etc.

[Organic EL section forming step] In the organic EL portion forming step S12, the organic EL portion 16 is formed on the anode 14. Specifically, the hole injection layer FL1, the hole transport layer FL2, the light emitting layer FL3, the electron transport layer FL4, and the electron injection layer FL5 are sequentially deposited on the anode 14 to form the organic EL portion 16.

The hole injection layer FL1, the hole transport layer FL2, the light emitting layer FL3, the electron transport layer FL4, and the electron injection layer FL5 are referred to as the functional layer FL, and a method of forming the functional layer FL (method of manufacturing the functional layer) will be described.

In FIG. 3, the layer that has been formed before the formation of the functional layer FL to be formed is illustrated as the base layer UL. When the functional layer FL to be formed is the hole injection layer FL1, the base layer UL is the anode 14, and when the functional layer FL to be formed is the hole transport layer FL2, the base layer UL is the anode 14 and the hole The injection layer FL1, in the case where the functional layer FL to be formed is the light-emitting layer FL3, the base layer UL is the anode 14, the hole injection layer FL1, and the hole transport layer FL2. The base layer UL when the functional layer FL to be formed is the electron transport layer FL4 or the electron injection layer FL5 is similarly defined.

The method for forming the functional layer FL includes a coating film forming step and a heating step. In the present embodiment, the coating film forming step and the heating step are sequentially performed while conveying the belt-shaped plastic substrate 12 along its longitudinal direction (arrow direction in FIG. 3) using a roller.

<Coating film formation step> In the coating film forming step, a coating liquid (coating liquid for functional layer FL) containing the material as the functional layer FL is applied to one of the main surfaces 12a of the plastic substrate 12 from a coating device (not shown) On the side (specifically, on the base layer UL), a coating film C is formed.

As in this embodiment, examples of the coating method performed while carrying the belt-shaped plastic substrate 12 include a slit coating method (die coating method), a microgravure coating method, a gravure coating method, and a rod Coating method, roll coating method, wire bar coating method, spray coating method, screen printing method, flexographic printing method, lithographic printing method, inkjet printing method, nozzle printing method, etc. When the coating method is an inkjet printing method, the coating device 20 may be an inkjet device including an inkjet nozzle.

The solvent of the coating liquid containing the material of the functional layer FL may be any solvent that can dissolve the material of the functional layer FL. The solvent may be the same as the solvents listed in the description of the anode forming step S10.

The coating liquid may contain a material having a crosslinkable group. Examples of the material having a crosslinkable group include organic compounds having a crosslinkable group, crosslinking agents, and the like. Here, the crosslinkable group is a substituent that can cause a crosslinking reaction of the compound under predetermined conditions.

Examples of the crosslinkable group include vinyl, ethynyl, butenyl, propenyl acetyl, propenyl oxyalkyl, propenyl acetyl amine, methacryl acetyl, methacryl oxy Alkyl, methacrylamide, vinyl ether, vinylamine, silanol, compounds with small ring members (such as cyclopropane, cyclobutane, epoxide, oxetane Alkane, dienone, episulfide, three-membered ring or four-membered ring lactone, and three-membered ring or four-membered ring polyamide, etc.) to remove at least one hydrogen atom.

Examples of the cross-linking agent include vinyl, ethynyl, butenyl, propenyl acetyl, propenyl oxyalkyl, propenyl acetyl amine, methacryl acetyl, methacryl oxyalkyl Group, methacrylamide amide group, vinyl ether group, vinyl amine group, compound with silanol group, and compound with small member ring (such as cyclopropane, cyclobutane, epoxide, oxa (Cyclobutane, dienone, episulfide, three-membered or four-membered lactone, and three-membered or four-membered lactam, etc.). As the crosslinking agent, for example, a multifunctional acrylate is preferable, and dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate (DPHA), tripentaerythritol octaacrylate (TPEA), etc. may be mentioned.

In the coating film forming step, the coating film C formed on the plastic substrate 12 is carried into the infrared heating furnace 24 provided on the conveyance path as the plastic substrate 12 is conveyed.

[Heating step] In the heating step, the coating film C is heated and cured in the infrared heating furnace 24 to form the functional layer FL. As shown in FIG. 3, the infrared heating furnace 24 has a frame 26, a near-infrared lamp 28, a first nozzle 30, a far-infrared heater 32 and a second nozzle 34. Each device of the infrared heating furnace 24 is controlled by a control device (not shown). The infrared heating furnace 24 constitutes a manufacturing device of the organic EL element 10. In the following description, the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 are suitably used.

The housing 26 accommodates the near-infrared lamp 28, the first nozzle 30, the far-infrared heater 32, and the second nozzle 34. The frame body 26 forms a heating space S for heating the coating film C. In this embodiment, the longitudinal direction of the frame body 26 is the X direction, the height direction (vertical direction) of the frame body 26 is the Y direction, and the width direction of the frame body 26 is the Z direction. The X direction of the frame 26 corresponds to the transport direction of the plastic substrate 12, and the Z direction of the frame 26 corresponds to the width direction of the plastic substrate 12. The frame 26 has a box shape. The frame 26 is formed of stainless steel (SUS), for example. The frame body 26 has an import port 26 a for carrying the plastic substrate 12 into the frame body 26, and a transport outlet 26 b for carrying the plastic substrate 12 out of the frame body 26. The length of the frame 26 in the X direction is, for example, 3.9 mm. In the present embodiment, the surface area of one of the main surfaces 12a or the other main surface 12b of the plastic substrate 12 present in the frame 26 is 2.3 m ² .

The near infrared lamp 28 radiates near infrared rays. As shown in FIG. 3, the near-infrared lamp 28 is disposed in the frame 26 at a position above the plastic substrate 12 (on one of the main surfaces 12 a side). A plurality of near infrared lamps 28 are provided. The near-infrared lamp 28 extends along the Z direction of the frame 26, that is, the direction orthogonal to the extending direction of the plastic substrate 12 (the width direction of the plastic substrate 12 ). In addition, a plurality of near-infrared lamps 28 are arranged at predetermined intervals along the X direction of the housing 26. In the present embodiment, the interval between the near-infrared lamps 28 adjacent to each other (the distance between the centers of the near-infrared lamps 28) is set to 50 mm to 100 mm. The near-infrared lamp 28 generally emits infrared rays including a wavelength range of 1.2 μm to 10.0 μm.

The first nozzle 30 sprays an inert gas. As shown in FIG. 3, the first nozzle 30 is disposed above the plastic substrate 12 (on one of the main surfaces 12 a side) in the frame 26. As a result, the first nozzle 30 sprays an inert gas from above the plastic substrate 12 to the plastic substrate 12 to blow an inert gas onto one of the main surfaces 12 a of the plastic substrate 12. In this embodiment, a plurality of first nozzles 30 are provided. The first nozzle 30 is disposed between a pair of near-infrared lamps 28 facing each other in the X direction of the housing 26, for example. An example of an inert gas is argon. The pressure of the inert gas injected from the first nozzle 30 is appropriately set.

The far-infrared heater 32 irradiates far-infrared rays. As shown in FIG. 3, the far-infrared heater 32 is disposed in the frame 26 at a position below the plastic substrate 12 (the other main surface 12 b side). A plurality of far-infrared heaters 32 are provided. As shown in FIG. 3, the far-infrared heater 32 is disposed below the plastic substrate 12 and corresponds to a position between a pair of near-infrared lamps 28 opposed in the X direction of the frame 26. In the present embodiment, the far-infrared heater 32 is arranged at a position opposed to the first nozzle 30 in the height direction of the housing 26.

FIG. 4 is a view of the far-infrared heater 32 viewed from the Y direction. As shown in FIG. 4, the far-infrared heaters 32 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the Z direction of the housing 26 (up and down directions in FIG. 4) (three in FIG. 4 ). Moreover, the far-infrared heater 32 is arrange|positioned at predetermined intervals in the X direction (left-right direction of FIG. 4) of the frame 26 (10 in FIG. 4).

As shown in FIG. 5, the projection surface PS is the far-infrared heater 32 relative to the other main surface 12 b in the opposing direction (Y direction) of one of the main surfaces 12 a and the other main surface 12 b of the plastic substrate 12. Projection surface. The projection surface PS is a surface where the far-infrared heater 32 overlaps the plastic substrate 12 as viewed from the Y direction orthogonal to the plastic substrate 12. In this embodiment, the projection surface PS has a rectangular shape (rectangular shape). The total area of the plurality of projection surfaces PS (horizontal projection area) is 30% or more of the surface area of one of the main surfaces 12b of the plastic substrate 12 present in the infrared heating furnace 24.

As shown in FIG. 4, the far-infrared heater 32 is arranged in a plurality of areas. In this embodiment, it is divided into six areas A1 to A6. At least one far infrared heater 32 is arranged in each of the areas A1 to A6. In the present embodiment, a plurality of far-infrared heaters 32 are arranged in each of the areas A1 to A6 (five in FIG. 4). The length L (dimension in the Z direction) in the width direction of each area A1 to A6 is set to 0.2 m or more and 0.3 m or less. The length L in the width direction of each region A1 to A6 may be the same as the length in the width direction of the far-infrared heater 32 or may be greater than the length in the width direction of the far-infrared heater 32. In the present embodiment, the total area of the projection surface PS of the far-infrared heater 32 arranged in each of the areas A1 to A6 is set to 1.2 m ² . The far-infrared heater 32 can adjust (control) the temperature for each area A1 to A6 (in units of the areas A1 to A6). Accordingly, for example, the temperature of the far-infrared heater 32 in the area A1 and the temperature of the far-infrared heater 32 in the area A5 can be changed in the frame 26 of the infrared heating furnace 24.

The far-infrared heater 32 is, for example, a ceramic heater. The temperature of the far-infrared heater 32 is, for example, 100°C to 300°C. The far-infrared heater 32 generally emits infrared rays including a peak wavelength range of 4 μm to 8 μm. The surface of the far-infrared heater 32 preferably has an average emissivity in the wavelength range of 5 μm to 10 μm of 0.3 or more, and more preferably 0.8 or more.

The second nozzle 34 sprays an inert gas. As shown in FIG. 3, the second nozzle 34 is arranged at a position below the plastic substrate 12 (the other main surface 12 b side) in the housing 26. As a result, the second nozzle 34 sprays an inert gas from below the plastic substrate 12 to the plastic substrate 12 to blow the inert gas onto the other main surface 12 b of the plastic substrate 12. In this embodiment, a plurality of second nozzles 34 are provided. The second nozzle 34 is disposed between a pair of far-infrared heaters 32 facing each other in the X direction of the housing 26, for example. An example of an inert gas is argon. The pressure of the inert gas injected from the second nozzle 34 may be appropriately set, and is equal to the pressure of the inert gas injected from the first nozzle 30, for example.

The heating procedure of the coating film C using the infrared heating furnace 24 will be described in more detail.

When the coating film C formed on the plastic substrate 12 is transported and carried into the infrared heating furnace 24 through the loading port 26a, the near-infrared lamp 28 irradiates the coating film C with near-infrared rays, and the far-infrared heater 32 pairs The plastic substrate 12 radiates far infrared rays. With this, the coating film C is heat-cured to form the functional layer FL. When the coating liquid has a crosslinkable group, the coating film C is heated by infrared rays to cause a crosslinking reaction (including a polymerization reaction). Thereby, the crosslinkable group is crosslinked, and the coating film C is cured to form the functional layer FL.

The functional layer FL thus formed on the plastic substrate 12 is carried out from the carrying port 26b. The conveyance speed of the plastic substrate 12 may be adjusted as follows: the infrared ray radiated from the near-infrared lamp 28 passes through the infrared heating furnace 24, and the coating film C is heated and hardened to form the functional layer FL.

In the heating step, when the coating film C is heat-cured, the inert gas G is supplied from the first nozzle 30 and the second nozzle 34 to the housing 26, and the housing 26 is previously placed in an inert gas environment.

When each layer is formed by the hole injection layer FL1, the hole transport layer FL2, the light emitting layer FL3, the electron transport layer FL4, and the electron injection layer FL5, it is formed on the anode 14 by sequentially performing the formation method of the functional layer FL . These can be carried out continuously while carrying the plastic substrate 12 along its longitudinal direction.

[Cathode formation step] In the cathode forming step S14, the cathode 18 is formed on the organic EL portion 16. The method of forming the cathode 18 may be the same as the method of forming the anode 14, so the description is omitted.

In this embodiment, in order to provide the anode 14, the organic EL portion 16, and the cathode 18 in each of the plurality of organic EL element forming regions set on the strip-shaped plastic substrate 12, after the cathode forming step S16, it is implemented In the cutting step, the organic EL element 10 is cut out. The sealing step of sealing the organic EL element 10 with a sealing member may be performed before or after the cutting step.

The anode forming step S10, the organic EL portion forming step S12, and the cathode forming step S14 can also be used to extract the plastic substrate 12 from the first roll (winding roll) around which the belt-shaped plastic substrate 12 is wound and wind it around the second roll The roll-to-roll system is implemented sequentially during the (winding roll) period. The method of forming the functional layer FL shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to a partially enlarged view of the organic EL portion 16 formed by the roll-to-roll method. Any one of the anode forming step S10, the organic EL portion forming step S14, and the cathode forming step S16 may be implemented by a roll-to-roll system.

As described above, in the method of manufacturing the organic EL element 10 of the present embodiment, in the heating step, the near-infrared light is irradiated from one of the main surfaces 12a side of the plastic substrate 12 through the near-infrared lamps 28, and from the plastic The far-infrared rays are radiated by the plurality of far-infrared heaters 32 on the other main surface 12b side of the substrate 12. Thereby, one of the main surfaces 12a side of the plastic substrate 12 is heated by the near infrared rays of the near infrared lamp 28, and the other main surface 12b side is heated by the far infrared rays of the far infrared heater 32. In the above configuration, the far-infrared heater 32 can eliminate the temperature unevenness caused by the near-infrared lamp 28. Therefore, the temperature unevenness of the plastic substrate 12 can be suppressed. Therefore, the deformation of the plastic substrate 12 due to temperature unevenness can be suppressed. As a result, the yield can be improved.

In the method of manufacturing the organic EL element 10 of the present embodiment, in the heating step, the infrared radiation furnace 24 irradiates the coating film C with infrared rays while carrying the plastic substrate 12. The near-infrared lamp 28 is arranged at an interval of 50 mm or more and 100 mm or less in the conveyance direction of the plastic substrate 12. With this, the difference between the temperature of the near-infrared lamp 28 and the temperature of the near-infrared lamps 28 adjacent to each other can be reduced. Therefore, the occurrence of temperature unevenness can be suppressed.

In the method of manufacturing the organic EL element 10 of the present embodiment, in the infrared heating furnace 24 used in the heating step, in the opposing direction of one of the main surfaces 12a and the other of the main surfaces 12b of the plastic substrate 12, The total area of the projection surfaces PS of the plurality of far-infrared heaters 32 on the other main surface 12 b is 30% or more of the surface area of the other main surface 12 b of the plastic substrate 12 present in the infrared heating furnace 24. Thereby, the plastic substrate 12 can be effectively heated.

In the method of manufacturing the organic EL element 10 of this embodiment, the plurality of far-infrared heaters 32 used in the heating step are arranged in each of the plurality of regions A1 to A6, and the temperature can be adjusted for each region A1 to A6 . As a result, in the infrared heating furnace 24, the temperature can be adjusted for each area A1 to A6. Therefore, the temperature in the infrared heating furnace 24 can be adjusted more accurately. As a result, the occurrence of temperature unevenness can be suppressed, and the deformation of the plastic substrate 12 caused by the temperature unevenness can be suppressed.

In the method of manufacturing the organic EL element 10 of the present embodiment, in the infrared heating furnace 24 used in the heating step, the width direction orthogonal to the transport direction of the plastic substrate 12 in each of the plurality of areas A1 to A6 The length L is 0.3 m or less. With this, the temperature can be adjusted in the infrared heating furnace 24 for each region A1 to A6 with higher accuracy. Furthermore, the effect of the length L in the width direction of the plurality of regions A1 to A6 is hardly affected by changes in the size of the infrared heating furnace 24 and the conveyance speed of the plastic substrate 12. Therefore, by setting the length L in the width direction of the plurality of regions A1 to A6 to 0.3 m or less, temperature control can be performed accurately without depending on changes in the use environment.

In the method of manufacturing the organic EL element 10 of the present embodiment, in the heating step, an inert gas is blown onto one of the main surfaces 12 a and the other of the main surfaces 12 b of the plastic substrate 12. Regarding the plastic substrate 12 in the infrared heating furnace 24, if heated by infrared rays, an upward air flow (convection) is generated from the surface by the heated air. If an upward air flow is generated, temperature unevenness may occur. Therefore, in this embodiment, inert gas is blown onto one of the main surfaces 12a and the other of the main surfaces 12b of the plastic substrate 12. With this, the generation of ascending air current can be suppressed, and the occurrence of temperature unevenness can be suppressed. As a result, the deformation of the plastic substrate 12 caused by uneven temperature can be suppressed.

In the method of manufacturing the organic EL element 10 of the present embodiment, the near-infrared lamp 28 used in the heating step is disposed above the frame 26, and the far-infrared heater 32 is disposed below the frame 26. The far-infrared heater 32 is disposed corresponding to the position between the pair of near-infrared lamps 28 facing each other in the X direction of the housing 26. With this, the far infrared heater 32 can suppress the temperature between the near infrared lamps 28 from decreasing. Therefore, the occurrence of temperature unevenness can be further suppressed.

The method for manufacturing the organic EL element 10 of this embodiment includes the step of forming the base layer UL on one of the main surfaces 12a of the plastic substrate 12. In the coating film forming step, the coating film C is formed on the base layer UL. Thereby, the base layer UL including the anode 14 can be formed between the plastic substrate 12 and the organic EL portion 16.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above, but the present invention is not necessarily limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and various modifications can be made within a range not departing from the gist thereof.

In the above-described embodiment, the form in which the far-infrared heater 32 is arranged in the plurality of areas A1 to A6 and the temperature of the far-infrared heater 32 is adjusted for each area A1 to A6 will be described as an example. However, the far-infrared heater 32 may not be arranged for each area. In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the embodiment divided into six regions A1 to A6 will be described as an example, but the number of regions is not limited to this.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the form in which inert gas is blown on one of the main surfaces 12a and the other of the main surfaces 12b of the plastic substrate 12 will be described as an example. However, only one of the main surface 12a and the other main surface 12b of the plastic substrate 12 may be blown with inert gas.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the mode in which the infrared heating furnace 24 has the first nozzle 30 and the second nozzle 34 will be described as an example. However, the infrared heating furnace 24 only needs to include at least one of the first nozzle 30 and the second nozzle 34.

As described above, the organic EL portion may be a laminate including functional layers other than the light-emitting layer. The following shows an example of the layer configuration of an organic EL element including various functional layers. (A) Anode/luminescent layer/cathode (B) Anode/hole injection layer/light emitting layer/cathode (C) Anode/hole injection layer/light emitting layer/electron injection layer/cathode (D) Anode/hole injection layer/light emitting layer/electron transport layer/electron injection layer/cathode (E) Anode/hole injection layer/hole transport layer/light emitting layer/cathode (F) Anode/hole injection layer/hole transport layer/light emitting layer/electron injection layer/cathode (G) Anode/hole injection layer/hole transport layer/light emitting layer/electron transport layer/electron injection layer/cathode (H) Anode/luminescent layer/electron injection layer/cathode (I) Anode/luminescent layer/electron transport layer/electron injection layer/cathode The mark "/" means that the layers on both sides of the mark "/" are joined to each other. The configuration of (f) corresponds to the configuration shown in FIG. 1.

In the case where at least one of the hole injection layer and the hole transport layer has a function of hindering the transmission of electrons, there are cases where these layers are called electron blocking layers. In the case where at least one of the electron injection layer and the electron transport layer has a function of hindering the transmission of holes, there are cases where these layers are called hole blocking layers.

The organic EL element may have a single light-emitting layer, or may have two or more light-emitting layers. In any of the layer configurations of (a) to (i) above, if the layered structure disposed between the anode and the cathode is "structural unit I", it is an organic EL having two light-emitting layers The structure of the element includes, for example, the layer structure shown in j) below. The layer configuration having two (structural units I) may be the same as each other or different. (J) anode/(structural unit I)/charge generation layer/(structural unit I)/cathode

Here, the charge generation layer is a layer that generates holes and electrons by applying an electric field. Examples of the charge generation layer include thin films containing vanadium oxide, ITO, and molybdenum oxide.

When "(structural unit I)/charge generation layer" is set to "structural unit II", the structure of an organic EL device having three or more light-emitting layers includes, for example, the following layer structure shown in (k) . (K) anode/(structural unit II) x/(structural unit I)/cathode

The symbol "x" represents an integer of 2 or more, and "(structural unit II) x" represents a (stacked structure II) layered body formed by stacking x segments. In addition, the layer configuration having a plurality of (structural units II) may be the same or different. A plurality of light-emitting layers may be directly stacked to form an organic EL element without providing a charge generation layer.

The electrode formed on the plastic substrate 12 will be described as an anode, but a cathode may be provided on one side of the plastic substrate.

The method for manufacturing an organic electronic element having an organic functional layer can be applied to organic transistors (organic electronic elements), organic photoelectric conversion elements (organic electronic elements), and organic solar cells (organic electronic elements) in addition to the illustrated organic EL elements And other methods of manufacturing organic electronic components with prescribed functional layers. [Example]

Hereinafter, the contents of the present invention will be described in more detail using examples, but the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

As a plastic substrate, a substrate with a width of 0.6 m and a thickness of 0.1 mm is used. The material of the plastic substrate is PEN. The infrared heating furnace includes a box-shaped frame, a near-infrared lamp and a far-infrared heater. The near-infrared lamp is arranged above the frame, and the far-infrared heater is arranged below the frame. The surface of the far-infrared heater is formed of an infrared radiation material having an average emissivity of 0.8 or more in a wavelength range of 5 μm to 10 μm. The infrared radiation material is exposed with respect to the lower surface of the plastic substrate. The average emissivity of the surface of the far-infrared heater can be changed by covering the surface with aluminum foil or the like, for example.

(Example) The total output power of the near-infrared lamp is 15 kW, and the total output power of the far-infrared heater is 3.6 kW. After reaching a constant temperature in the frame, the temperature distribution of the plastic substrate was measured while carrying the plastic substrate. As a result, the temperature of the plastic substrate was 150°C, and the temperature distribution was ±4.5°C. In the embodiment, no deformation of the plastic substrate is confirmed.

10: Organic EL components (organic electronic components) 12: Plastic substrate 12a: One of the main surfaces 12b: Another main surface 14: anode (base layer) 16: Organic EL Department 18: cathode 24: Infrared heating furnace 26: Frame 26a: moving entrance 26b: moving out 28: Near infrared light 30: No. 1 nozzle 32: Far infrared heater 34: No. 2 nozzle A1～A6: Area C: Coating film FL: functional layer FL1: hole injection layer (functional layer) FL2: hole transport layer (functional layer) FL3: light emitting layer (functional layer) FL4: Electronic transport layer (functional layer) FL5: electron injection layer (functional layer) L: length PS: projection surface UL: base layer S: heating space S10～S14: Procedure

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the structure of an organic EL element manufactured by the method of manufacturing an organic electronic element according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the method of manufacturing the organic EL element shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically showing an infrared heating furnace. FIG. 4 is a view of the far-infrared heater in the infrared heating furnace viewed from the Y direction. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing a projection surface of a far infrared heater on a plastic substrate.

12: Plastic substrate

12a: One of the main surfaces

12b: Another main surface

24: Infrared heating furnace

26: Frame

26a: moving entrance

26b: moving out

28: Near infrared light

30: No. 1 nozzle

32: Far infrared heater

34: No. 2 nozzle

C: Coating film

UL: base layer

S: heating space

Claims (9)

A method for manufacturing organic electronic components, including: A coating film forming step, applying a coating liquid for a functional layer having a predetermined function to one of the main surface sides of the plastic substrate to form a coating film; and In the heating step, by irradiating the coating film with infrared rays in an infrared heating furnace, the coating film is heated and hardened to form the functional layer, In the heating step, the one of the main surfaces of the plastic substrate on which the coating film is formed is irradiated with near infrared rays by a plurality of near infrared lamps, and is opposite to the one of the main surfaces The other main surface side of the side is irradiated with far infrared rays by a plurality of far infrared heaters. The method for manufacturing an organic electronic component as described in item 1 of the patent application range, wherein the coating liquid contains a material having a crosslinkable group, In the heating step, the coating film is heated and hardened by crosslinking the crosslinkable group with the infrared rays. The method for manufacturing an organic electronic component according to item 1 or 2 of the patent application scope, wherein in the heating step, in the infrared heating furnace, the coating film is applied to the coating film while carrying the plastic substrate Irradiate the infrared rays, A plurality of the near-infrared lamps are arranged at intervals of 50 mm or more and 100 mm or less in the conveying direction of the plastic substrate. The method for manufacturing an organic electronic component as described in any one of the first to third patent application ranges, wherein the relative direction of the one of the main surfaces and the other main surface The total area of the projection surfaces of the plurality of far-infrared heaters on the other main surface is 30% or more of the surface area of the other main surface of the plastic substrate present in the infrared heating furnace. The method for manufacturing an organic electronic component as described in any one of the first to fourth patent application ranges, wherein at least one of the plurality of far-infrared heaters is arranged in each of the plurality of regions, and Adjust the temperature according to each of the zones. The method for manufacturing an organic electronic component according to item 5 of the patent application range, wherein in each of the plurality of regions, the length in the width direction orthogonal to the conveying direction of the plastic substrate is 0.3 m or less. The method for manufacturing an organic electronic component according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein in the heating step, the one of the main surfaces of the plastic substrate and the other At least one of the main surfaces is blown with inert gas. The method for manufacturing an organic electronic component as described in any one of claims 1 to 7 includes the step of forming a base layer on one of the main surfaces of the plastic substrate, In the coating film forming step, the coating film is formed on the base layer. A manufacturing device for organic electronic components, Including an infrared heating furnace which irradiates infrared rays on a coating film formed by coating a coating liquid for a functional layer having a predetermined function on one of the main surface sides of the plastic substrate to heat the coating film hardening, The infrared heating furnace has: a plurality of near-infrared lamps that irradiate near-infrared rays from the one of the main surface sides of the plastic substrate on which the coating film is formed; and a plurality of far-infrared heaters, which cooperate with the One of the main surfaces is on the opposite side, and the other main surface is irradiated with far infrared rays.

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