WO2020213175A1

WO2020213175A1 - Display panel manufacturing method and display panel manufacturing device

Info

Publication number: WO2020213175A1
Application number: PCT/JP2019/016895
Authority: WO
Inventors: 水崎　宏; 敏弘黒田
Original assignee: シャープ株式会社
Priority date: 2019-04-19
Filing date: 2019-04-19
Publication date: 2020-10-22

Abstract

A depression part (Mz) corresponding to a cut line (CL) is provided in a singulation stage (ST) on which a layered body (102) is to be placed, and a glass member (Qz) is placed in the depression part to suppress irradiation of cutting laser light (LL) to the bottom surface of the depression part.

Description

Display panel manufacturing method, display panel manufacturing equipment

The present invention relates to a display panel manufacturing method and a display panel manufacturing apparatus.

When manufacturing a display panel including a self-luminous element such as an organic EL element, a laminated body composed of a mother substrate, a thin film transistor layer, a light emitting element layer, a sealing layer, etc. is divided to obtain a plurality of display panels (individual pieces).

Japanese Patent Publication "Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2010-141181 (published on June 24, 2010)"

At the time of division, the back surface of the display panel may be contaminated by the smoke generated on the back surface side of the mother substrate.

The method for manufacturing a display panel according to one aspect of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a display panel in which a plurality of display panels are formed on a mother substrate, wherein the plurality of display panels are formed, and a thin film transistor layer and a light emitting element layer are formed. A mounting step of placing the laminated body containing the mixture on the individualized stage, and irradiating a laser beam for division from the upper surface side of the laminated body to divide the laminated body to display a plurality of individualized display panels. Including the step of individualizing to obtain, the individualizing stage is provided with a recess corresponding to the dividing line, and by installing a glass material in the recess, a laser for dividing into the bottom surface of the recess is provided. Suppress light irradiation.

The display panel manufacturing apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention is a display panel manufacturing apparatus for forming a plurality of display panels on a mother substrate, and includes a thin film transistor layer and a light emitting element layer constituting the plurality of display panels. A fragmentation stage on which the laminate is placed and a laser irradiation device that irradiates a laser beam for division for dividing the laminate from the upper surface side of the laminate are provided, and the fragmentation stage includes a fragmentation line. A recess corresponding to the above is provided, and a glass material for suppressing irradiation of the bottom surface of the recess with a laser beam for division is installed in the recess.

According to one aspect of the present invention, contamination of the back surface of the display panel can be prevented.

It is a flowchart which shows an example of the manufacturing method of a display panel. It is sectional drawing which shows the formation process of a laminated body. It is a top view which shows the structure of the laminated body. It is sectional drawing explaining the individualization process with respect to the laminated body. It is sectional drawing which shows the individualization process in the comparative example. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the display panel manufacturing apparatus. It is a flowchart which shows the example of the process of dealing with carbides adhering to a glass material.

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a display panel manufacturing method. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of forming the laminated body. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the structure of the laminated body. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the step of individualizing the laminated body.

When manufacturing a flexible display device, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, first, a resin film 12 is formed on a translucent mother substrate 10 (for example, mother glass) (resin film forming step, step S1). ). Next, the thin film transistor layer 4 is formed (thin film transistor layer forming step, step S2). Next, the top emission type light emitting element layer 5 is formed (step S3, light emitting element layer forming step). Next, the sealing layer 6 is formed (sealing layer forming step, step S4).

Next, the first film FF is attached onto the sealing layer 6 (first laminating step, step S6). Next, the lower surface of the resin film 12 is irradiated with a laser beam for peeling through the mother substrate 10 to reduce the bonding force between the mother substrate 10 and the resin film 12, and the mother substrate 10 is peeled from the resin film 12 (step S7, Peeling process). Next, the lower surface film SF is attached to the lower surface of the resin layer 12 (second laminating step, step S8) to form the laminated body 102. The laminated body 102 is provided with a display area DA and a frame area NA (including a terminal portion) surrounding the display area DA.

Next, the laminated body 102 constituting the plurality of display panel DPs is placed on the individualized stage ST (mounting step, step S9). Next, the laminate 102 (division line CL) is irradiated with laser light LL for division from the upper surface side to divide the laminate 102, and a plurality of individualized display panel DPs are obtained (individualization step, step). S10). Each of the above steps is performed by a display panel manufacturing apparatus described later.

The mother substrate 10 is, for example, a glass substrate, and the resin film 12 is a flexible layer containing a resin such as polyimide as a main component. This flexible layer can also be composed of two polyimide films and an inorganic film sandwiched between them.

As shown in FIG. 2, the thin film transistor layer 4 includes a barrier film 3 that prevents foreign substances such as water and oxygen from entering, a semiconductor layer 15 that is a layer above the barrier film 3, and a gate insulating film 16 that is a layer above the semiconductor layer 15. A first metal layer (including the gate electrode GE) above the gate insulating film 16, a first interlayer insulating film 18 above the first metal layer, and a first layer above the first interlayer insulating film 18. The two metal layers (including the initialization power supply line IL), the second interlayer insulating film 20 above the second metal layer, and the third metal layer above the second interlayer insulating film 20 (including the data signal line DL). ) And the flattening film 21 above the third metal layer.

The semiconductor layer 15 is, for example, low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS), and the transistor TR is configured to include the gate electrode GE and the semiconductor layer PS. Regarding the semiconductor layer 15, a region other than the channel region of the transistor may be made into a conductor.

The first metal layer, the second metal layer, and the third metal layer are composed of, for example, a single-layer film or a multi-layer film of a metal containing at least one of aluminum, tungsten, molybdenum, tantalum, chromium, titanium, and copper. Will be done.

The barrier film 3, the gate insulating film 16, the first interlayer insulating film 18, and the second interlayer insulating film 20 are, for example, a silicon oxide (SiOx) film or a silicon nitride (SiNx) film formed by a CVD method, or a silicon nitride (SiNx) film thereof. It can be composed of a laminated film. The flattening film 21 can be made of a coatable organic material such as polyimide or acrylic resin.

The light emitting element layer 5 includes a first electrode (lower electrode) 22 above the flattening film 21, an insulating edge cover film 23 covering the edge of the first electrode 22, and an EL layer above the edge cover film 23. It includes a (electroluminescence) layer 24 and a second electrode (upper electrode) 25 above the EL layer 24. The edge cover film 23 is formed by applying an organic material such as polyimide or acrylic resin and then patterning by photolithography.

As shown in FIG. 2, for example, a plurality of light emitting elements X are formed in the light emitting element layer 5, and each light emitting element has an island-shaped first electrode 22, an EL layer 24 (including a light emitting layer EK), and a light emitting layer EK. The second electrode 25 is included. The second electrode 25 is a solid common electrode common to a plurality of light emitting elements.

The light emitting element X may be, for example, an OLED (organic light emitting diode) including an organic layer as a light emitting layer, or a QLED (quantum dot light emitting diode) including a quantum dot layer as a light emitting layer.

The EL layer 24 is composed of, for example, laminating a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer EK, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer in this order from the lower layer side. The light emitting layer is formed in an island shape at the opening (for each sub-pixel) of the edge cover film 23 by a vapor deposition method, an inkjet method, or a photolithography method. The other layers are formed in an island shape or a solid shape (common layer). Further, the hole injection layer, the hole transport layer, the electron transport layer, and the electron injection layer may not form one or more layers.

The first electrode 22 (anode) is, for example, a light reflecting electrode composed of a laminate of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) and an alloy containing Ag (silver) or Ag. The second electrode 25 (cathode) is made of a metal thin film such as a magnesium-silver alloy and has light transmittance.

When the light emitting element X is an OLED, holes and electrons are recombined in the light emitting layer EK by the driving current between the first electrode 22 and the second electrode 25, and the excitons generated thereby transition to the ground state. Light is emitted. When the light emitting element X is a QLED, holes and electrons are recombined in the light emitting layer EK by the driving current between the first electrode 22 and the second electrode 25, and the excitons generated by this are the conduction bands of the quantum dots. Light is emitted in the process of transitioning from the conduction band to the valence band.

The sealing layer 6 covering the light emitting element layer 5 is a layer for preventing foreign substances such as water and oxygen from penetrating into the light emitting element layer 5, and is formed between the two

inorganic sealing films

26 and 28, for example. It can be composed of an organic film 27. The banks BK1 and BK2 of FIG. 4 function as a liquid stopper when the organic film 27 is formed by the inkjet method.

The second film SF is for realizing a display panel having excellent flexibility by peeling off the mother substrate 10 and then attaching it to the lower surface of the resin film 12, and examples of the material thereof include PET and the like. ..

In the above, the case of manufacturing a flexible (flexible) display panel has been described, but in the case of manufacturing a non-flexible display panel, for example, the thin film transistor layer 4 is formed on the mother substrate 10, and FIG. After performing steps S3 and S4, the process proceeds to step S9.

[Embodiment 1]
As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the individualized stage ST on which the laminated body 102 is placed corresponds to superimposition with the dividing line CL (corresponding to the outer circumference of the individualized display panel DP) in a plan view. A groove-shaped recess Mz is provided, and the glass material Qz is installed in the recess Mz. The glass material Qz is, for example, a quartz glass rod having a circular cross section. The laser irradiation device LZD irradiates the dividing line CL of the laminated body 102 with the dividing laser light LL.

In the individualization step, smoke is generated from the irradiation point (CL) of the laser LL for division in the laminated body 102, and may be fixed to the bottom surface of the recess Mz as carbide TB (ash). In the configuration of FIG. 4, the laminated body 102 is cut off, and the laser beam LL for division incident on the recessed Mz is reflected and scattered by the glass material Qz (quartz glass rod), so that the carbide TB fixed to the bottom surface of the recessed Mz Irradiation of the laser beam LL for division is suppressed. This makes it possible to prevent contamination (adhesion of carbides and the like) of the back surface of the display panel DP (the lower surface of the second film SF).

As shown in the comparative example of FIG. 5, when the glass material Qz is not provided, the dividing laser beam LL incident on the recess Mz irradiates the carbide TB fixed to the bottom surface of the recess Mz to generate a thick smoke mist. There is a problem that it occurs in the concave portion Mz and this contaminates the back surface (second film SF) of the display panel DP.

The glass material Qz is installed in contact with the bottom surface of the recess Mz. For example, a glass material Qz (quartz glass rod) having a diameter of approximately 4 mm is installed in the recess Mz having a width of 4 mm. The quartz glass rod preferably has a circular cross section. Since the laser beam for division LL is easily scattered and rotates easily, dirt does not concentrate on a specific place. The individualized stage ST is made of metal, for example, and a groove-shaped recess Mz (depth, for example, about 8 mm) is integrally formed. The bottom surface of the recess Mz is parallel to the resin film 12. For the cutting laser light LL, for example, infrared laser light and CO ₂ laser light are suitable.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the display panel manufacturing apparatus. As shown in FIG. 6, the display panel manufacturing apparatus 70 includes a film forming apparatus 73, a dividing apparatus 75 including an individualized stage ST and a laser irradiation apparatus LZD, and a controller 71 for controlling these apparatus. The film forming apparatus 73 performs steps S1 to S4 of FIG. 1, and the dividing apparatus 75 performs steps S9 to S10.

[Embodiment 2]
In order to deal with the carbides adhering to the glass material Qz, it is desirable to periodically rotate the glass material Qz, clean the glass material Qz (take-out cleaning), and replace at least one of the glass material Qz. For example, the glass material Qz may be rotated every time the individualization step is performed a first predetermined number of times. Further, the glass material Qz may be taken out and washed every time the individualization step is performed a second predetermined number of times. Further, the glass material Qz may be replaced every time the individualization step is performed a third predetermined number of times. The first predetermined number of times <the second predetermined number of times <the third predetermined number of times may be set. Further, the specific number of times of the first predetermined number of times is, for example, 500 times, the specific number of times of the second predetermined number of times is, for example, 3000 times, and the specific number of times of the third predetermined number of times is, for example. Is, for example, 20000 times.

It is a flowchart which shows the example of the coping process of the carbide adhering to the glass material of FIG. In FIG. 7, after the individualization step was performed N1 times (N1 is a natural number), the glass material Qz was rotated (120 degree rotation), and then the individualization step was performed N2 times (N2 is a natural number). Later, the glass material Qz is rotated (rotated by 120 degrees), and then the individualizing step is performed N3 times (N3 is a natural number), and then the glass material Qz is washed. Further, after the individualization step is performed N1 times (N1 is a natural number), the glass material Qz is rotated (120 degree rotation), and then the individualization step is performed N2 times (N2 is a natural number). The glass material Qz is rotated (rotated by 120 degrees), and then the individualizing step is performed N3 times (N3 is a natural number), and then the glass material Qz is replaced.

[Summary]
[Aspect 1]
A method for manufacturing a display panel in which a plurality of display panels are formed on a mother substrate.
A mounting step of forming the plurality of display panels and mounting a laminate including a thin film transistor layer and a light emitting element layer on an individualized stage.
A step of irradiating a laser beam for division from the upper surface side of the laminated body to divide the laminated body to obtain a plurality of individualized display panels, and the like.
The individualized stage is provided with a recess corresponding to the dividing line.
A method for manufacturing a display panel that suppresses irradiation of a laser beam for division to the bottom surface of the recess by installing a glass material in the recess.

[Aspect 2]
A resin film forming step of forming a resin film on the mother substrate, a thin film layer forming step of forming the thin film layer, a light emitting element layer forming step of forming the light emitting element layer, and a sealing layer forming step of forming a sealing layer. , The first laminating step of pasting the first film on the sealing layer, the laser light irradiation step of irradiating the surface of the mother substrate opposite to the resin film for peeling, and peeling the mother substrate from the resin film. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to, for example, the first aspect, wherein the peeling step and the second laminating step of attaching the second film to the lower surface of the resin film are performed in this order, and then the individualizing step is performed.

[Aspect 3]
The glass material is rotated so that the incident point of the dividing laser beam on the glass material changes between the arbitrary individualization step and the next individualization step, for example, in embodiment 1 or 2. The method of manufacturing the display panel described.

[Aspect 4]
The method for manufacturing a display panel according to, for example, the third aspect, wherein the glass material is rotated every time the individualizing step is performed a predetermined number of times.

[Aspect 5]
The method for manufacturing a display panel according to any one of aspects 1 to 4, wherein the glass material is washed every time the individualization step is performed a second predetermined number of times.

[Aspect 6]
The method for manufacturing a display panel according to any one of aspects 1 to 5, for example, wherein the glass material is replaced every time the individualizing step is performed a third predetermined number of times.

[Aspect 7]
The method for manufacturing a display panel according to any one of aspects 1 to 6, wherein the glass material is made of quartz glass, for example.

[Aspect 8]
A display panel manufacturing device that forms a plurality of display panels on a mother substrate.
Laser irradiation that irradiates an individualized stage on which a laminate including a thin film transistor layer and a light emitting element layer, which constitutes a plurality of display panels, is placed, and a laser beam for division that divides the laminate from the upper surface side of the laminate. With equipment,
The individualized stage is provided with a recess corresponding to the dividing line.
A display panel manufacturing apparatus in which a glass material that suppresses irradiation of the bottom surface of the recess with a laser beam for division is installed in the recess.

[Aspect 9]
The display panel manufacturing apparatus according to, for example, the eighth aspect, wherein the glass material is a quartz glass rod having a circular cross section.

[Aspect 10]
The display panel manufacturing apparatus according to, for example, Aspect 8 or 9, wherein the bottom surface of the recess is parallel to the mother substrate.

[Aspect 11]
The display panel manufacturing apparatus according to, for example, any one of aspects 8 to 10, wherein the recess is provided so as to correspond to the outer circumference of each display panel.

[Aspect 12]
The display panel manufacturing apparatus according to any one of aspects 8 to 11, for example, the laser light for division is an infrared laser light or a CO2 laser light.

3 Barrier film 4 Thin film transistor layer 5 Light emitting element layer 6 Encapsulating layer 12 Resin film 21 Flattening film 24 EL layer 70 Display panel manufacturing equipment 102 Laminated DP display panel CL dividing line LL Laser light for dividing Mz recess Qz glass material ST Clearing stage TB carbide LZD laser irradiation device

Claims

A method for manufacturing a display panel in which a plurality of display panels are formed on a mother substrate.
A mounting step of forming the plurality of display panels and mounting a laminate including a thin film transistor layer and a light emitting element layer on an individualized stage.
A step of irradiating a laser beam for division from the upper surface side of the laminated body to divide the laminated body to obtain a plurality of individualized display panels, and the like.
The individualized stage is provided with a recess corresponding to the dividing line.
A method for manufacturing a display panel that suppresses irradiation of a laser beam for division to the bottom surface of the recess by installing a glass material in the recess.
A resin film forming step of forming a resin film on the mother substrate, a thin film layer forming step of forming the thin film layer, a light emitting element layer forming step of forming the light emitting element layer, and a sealing layer forming step of forming a sealing layer. , The first laminating step of pasting the first film on the sealing layer, the laser light irradiation step of irradiating the surface of the mother substrate opposite to the resin film for peeling, and peeling the mother substrate from the resin film. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 1, wherein the peeling step and the second laminating step of attaching the second film to the lower surface of the resin film are performed in this order, and then the individualizing step is performed.
The invention according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the glass material is rotated so that the incident portion of the dividing laser beam on the glass material changes between an arbitrary individualizing step and the next individualizing step. How to manufacture the display panel.
The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 3, wherein the glass material is rotated every time the individualizing step is performed a first predetermined number of times.
The method for manufacturing a display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the glass material is washed every time the individualizing step is performed a second predetermined number of times.
The method for manufacturing a display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the glass material is replaced every time the individualizing step is performed a third predetermined number of times.
The method for manufacturing a display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the glass material is made of quartz glass.
A display panel manufacturing device that forms a plurality of display panels on a mother substrate.
Laser irradiation that irradiates an individualized stage on which a laminate including a thin film transistor layer and a light emitting element layer, which constitutes a plurality of display panels, is placed, and a laser beam for division that divides the laminate from the upper surface side of the laminate. With equipment,
The individualized stage is provided with a recess corresponding to the dividing line.
A display panel manufacturing apparatus in which a glass material that suppresses irradiation of the bottom surface of the recess with a laser beam for division is installed in the recess.
The display panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the glass material is a quartz glass rod having a circular cross section.
The display panel manufacturing apparatus according to claim 8 or 9, wherein the bottom surface of the recess is parallel to the mother substrate.
The display panel manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein the recess is provided so as to correspond to the outer circumference of each display panel.
The display panel manufacturing apparatus according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the dividing laser light is an infrared laser light or a CO 2 laser light.