CN1568101A - Organic light-emitting device defect repair device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides an organic light-emitting element defect repairing device which is used for repairing an organic light-emitting element with a substantial short circuit phenomenon. The transmission chamber is used for transmitting the organic light-emitting element; the electric testing chamber is provided with a power supply end which provides a current or a voltage in the organic light-emitting element so as to form an open circuit at the substantial short circuit position of the organic light-emitting element; the isolation layer forming chamber forms an isolation layer at the open circuit position of the organic light emitting device. The present invention also provides another embodiment of the apparatus for repairing defects of organic light emitting devices, which is different from the apparatus described above in that the apparatus further comprises a photoelectric detection chamber.

Description

Organic light-emitting device defect repair device

technical field

The present invention relates to a defect repairing device for an organic light-emitting element, in particular to a defect repairing device for an organic light-emitting element capable of repairing a substantial short circuit.

Background technique

In the manufacturing process of organic light-emitting devices and organic electroluminescent displays, it is necessary to define a conductive anode and an auxiliary anode through photolithography, and then perform coating of organic materials and inorganic materials (cathode layer) in a vacuum chamber. Wherein the inorganic material includes the cathode layer. Since organic light-emitting devices are sensitive to environmental factors such as moisture and oxygen and will affect their lifespan, they need to go through a packaging process to maintain the normal operation of the device.

During the manufacturing process of the organic light-emitting device, impurities (such as air bubbles or particles) often fall into the organic light-emitting device due to insufficient cleanliness of the clean room, resulting in a substantial short circuit. Similarly, due to the excessive surface roughness of the anode substrate and the weak structure of the organic electroluminescence element itself, a substantial short circuit may also be caused. Here, the occurrence of a substantial short circuit makes the current pass only through the defect, and cannot drive all the pixels, thereby affecting the luminous efficiency of the element and the display effect of the screen. If a device for repairing defects of organic light-emitting elements can be used to make a novel structure to improve devices with poor original structures and directly improve product yield and reliability, it will help improve mass production technology and greatly reduce manufacturing costs.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the organic light-emitting device defect measurement device 3 in the prior art includes a transmission chamber 31 and an electrical testing chamber 32 . After the organic light-emitting element undergoes the encapsulation process, that is, after the sealing cover is covered, adhered with light-curing adhesive and illuminated, it is split into small-area finished products by a splitter, and then transferred to the Electrical tests are performed in the electrical test chamber 32 . After the components are tested on the board surface, the organic light-emitting components with short-circuit phenomenon are selected. Since the outer layer of the component has been encapsulated, it is impossible to repair the defect of individual pixels inside, that is, there is no possibility of rework (Re-work), so when the component is found to have a short circuit after the panel test, the entire pixel must be eliminated directly. element. For this reason, it will not only cause a decline in product yield and reliability, but also increase manufacturing costs.

In the spirit of active innovation, the inventor thought hard about a "organic light-emitting element defect repair device" that could solve the above-mentioned problems, and finally completed the invention after several researches and experiments.

Contents of the invention

The object of the present invention is to provide a defect repairing device for organic light-emitting elements that can repair pixel defects, reduce manufacturing costs, and increase product yield and reliability.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the present invention provides a defect repairing device for organic light-emitting elements, which is used to repair organic light-emitting elements with substantial short-circuit phenomenon. room. Among them, the transfer chamber is used for the transfer of organic light-emitting elements; the electrical test chamber is provided with a power supply terminal, which provides a current or voltage in the organic light-emitting elements, so that the actual short circuit of the organic light-emitting elements forms an open circuit; the insulating layer forming chamber An isolation layer is formed on the disconnection of the organic light-emitting element. The present invention also provides another embodiment of the device for repairing defects of organic light-emitting elements. The difference between this embodiment and the device for repairing defects of organic light-emitting elements is that it further includes a photoelectric detection chamber; The intensity and uniformity of brightness, color purity and short circuit degree of the organic light-emitting element in the electrical room, when the proportion of the detected short circuit is less than a certain value or the leakage current is lower than a certain value, in the subsequent insulating layer forming room, An insulating layer is formed at the break.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a defect repairing device for an organic light-emitting element, which can repair the portion of the organic light-emitting element that has pixel defects before the packaging step. The repair method makes the part with pixel defect lose its conductive properties, so that the pixel with the original defect can have the same luminous ability as the adjacent non-defective pixel. The invention can repair defective organic light-emitting elements without directly eliminating the entire panel, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost of the product and further increasing the yield rate and reliability of the product.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an organic light-emitting device defect measurement device in the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the device for repairing organic light-emitting element defects in this embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of an organic light emitting device defect repairing device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of symbols in the figure

1 Organic light-emitting element defect repair device

11 transfer room

12 Electrical test room

13 Insulation layer formation chamber

14 Solid glue coating room

15 Sealing lid setting chamber

16 light room or heating room

21 transfer room

22 Electrical testing room

23 photoelectric detection room

24 Insulation layer formation chamber

25 glue coating room

26 Sealing lid setting chamber

27 Light room or heating room

3 Organic light-emitting element defect measurement device

31 transfer room

311 robot arm

32 Electrical testing room

Detailed ways

An organic light emitting device defect repairing device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to related drawings.

As shown in FIG. 2, the present invention provides a defect repairing device 1 for an organic light-emitting element, which is used to repair an organic light-emitting element with a substantial short circuit phenomenon. The organic light-emitting element includes a substrate, a first electrode, an organic light-emitting layer, and an organic light-emitting element. The second electrode, the organic light emitting device defect repairing device 1 includes a transmission chamber 11 , an electrical testing chamber 12 and an isolation layer forming chamber 13 .

Wherein, the transmission chamber 11 is used for the transmission of the organic light-emitting element; the electrical test chamber 12 is provided with a power supply terminal (not shown in the figure), and the power supply terminal provides a current or voltage to the first electrode and the second electrode of the organic light-emitting element, so as to The substantially short circuit of the organic light-emitting element is formed as an open circuit; the insulating layer forming chamber 13 forms an insulating layer at the open circuit of the organic light-emitting element.

The transfer chamber 11 of this embodiment has a polygonal configuration (hexagonal in FIG. 2 ), and is provided with a robotic arm 111 . When repairing the defect of the organic light-emitting element, the organic light-emitting element is continuously transported to the electrical testing chamber 12 or the insulating layer forming chamber 13 by the arm 111 for performing the electrical testing step or the insulating layer forming step.

Since the material of the organic light-emitting element is very sensitive to moisture, dark spots (Dark Spot) are likely to occur after contact with the atmosphere, so the transfer chamber 11 can be exhausted to form a vacuum state, so that the process can be carried out in a vacuum environment, reducing the occurrence of dark spots. produce. The exhaust system (not shown in the figure) in the transfer chamber 11 can be composed of an oil rotary pump, a mechanical pump, a turbo molecular pump (Turbo molecular pump), and a cryopump, so that the transfer chamber 11 can reach a vacuum state in a short time.

In order to reduce the occurrence of dark spots in the organic light-emitting device, the transfer chamber 11 may also be filled with an inert gas (such as nitrogen, etc.), so that the manufacturing process is performed under an inert atmosphere.

Firstly, the robot arm 111 moves the organic light emitting device to the electrical testing room 12 . Here, the electrical test chamber 12 is provided with a power supply terminal, which provides a current or voltage to the first electrode and the second electrode of the organic light-emitting element, that is, a positive voltage and a positive voltage are respectively applied between the first electrode and the second electrode. A negative voltage, so that the organic light-emitting element is actually short-circuited to form an open circuit. Similarly, a negative voltage and a positive voltage can also be applied between the first electrode and the second electrode respectively.

The electrical test chamber is a buffer chamber or a single chamber environment, the interior of which is vacuum, and can also be filled with an inert atmosphere.

In organic light-emitting devices, substantial disconnection will cause leakage current, power consumption, and defective pixels. Here, a substantial short circuit refers to a real short circuit or a near short circuit. There are two main causes of short-circuit of organic light-emitting elements: First, in the process of organic light-emitting elements, no matter how the cleanliness of the clean room environment is controlled, there will always be a small amount of impurities (such as air bubbles or particles) falling into the organic light-emitting elements In this way, when the second electrode is formed, the second electrode contacts or substantially contacts the first electrode, thereby causing a substantial short circuit of the organic light-emitting element. In addition, when the roughness of the surface of the first electrode is too large, for example, when a sharp point is formed on the surface of the first electrode, a substantial short circuit may also occur.

In the electrical testing room, due to the application of constant voltage and variable current, the current consumed by the defective panel will be higher than the normal current value under the positive voltage, and the defective panel will produce higher leakage current. When applying a constant current and a constant voltage in the forward direction, the brightness of the panel will be relatively low or uneven. If the photodiode (photodiode) is used to convert the voltage value or image for comparison, the error value will increase.

Next, the robotic arm 111 moves the organic light-emitting element with the disconnection to the isolation layer forming chamber 13 , and forms an isolation layer at the disconnection of the organic light-emitting element by vacuum coating. In the electrical test chamber 12, the gas explosion occurs at the short-circuit due to impurities, causing the organic light-emitting layer of the organic light-emitting element and the second electrode to warp outward; or the short-circuit is caused by the surface of the first electrode The tip is melted by heat, so that the organic light-emitting layer and the second electrode are also warped. Since the coating surface of the substrate is mostly downward in the process steps of the organic light-emitting element, if an insulating layer is not formed immediately at the disconnection, in the subsequent manufacturing steps, as long as the coating surface of the substrate has a chance to be turned upward, the warped The second electrode may contact the first electrode again and form a short circuit again.

Here, the material of the insulating layer may be an organic material constituting an organic light-emitting layer, such as a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light-emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer, or an inorganic material with high resistance. Such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide and silicon oxynitride. In addition, when connected with the passivation coating system, high-resistance polymers can be used as insulating layer materials, such as fluorinated resin and Parylene. In addition, the isolation layer can also be formed by oxidizing the second electrode in a moisture-free oxygen-containing atmosphere, that is, the isolation layer is a metal oxide layer.

The organic light emitting device defect repairing device 1 further includes a glue coating chamber 14, which forms a photocurable or thermosetting glue on the organic light emitting device substrate with the insulating layer according to a predetermined pattern. Wherein, the light-curing glue is an ultraviolet light glue, and the light-curing glue can be cured by irradiating ultraviolet light. In addition, the light-curing adhesive or thermosetting adhesive needs to be degassed to ensure that there is no moisture.

Next, the organic light emitting device defect repairing device 1 further includes a cover setting chamber 15 for setting a cover on the substrate on which the glue is formed. A desiccant is injected into the sealing cover, which is also used to remove moisture in the sealed organic light-emitting element and prolong the service life of the element.

Furthermore, the organic light-emitting device defect repairing device 1 further includes a light chamber or a heating chamber 16, which irradiates ultraviolet light on the photocurable adhesive to cure the photocurable adhesive, or heats the thermosetting adhesive to cure the thermosetting adhesive. Close lid to seal.

As shown in FIG. 3 , another embodiment of the present invention provides an organic light-emitting element defect repairing device, which is used to repair an organic light-emitting element with a substantial short circuit phenomenon. The organic light-emitting element includes a substrate, a first electrode, An organic light-emitting layer and a second electrode. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device 1 includes a transmission chamber 21 , an electrical test chamber 22 , a photoelectricity detection chamber 23 and an isolation layer forming chamber 24 .

Wherein, different from the above-mentioned embodiments, the photoelectricity detection chamber 23 detects the short circuit degree of the organic light emitting element in the electrical test chamber 22 . Here, the short circuit degree is the ratio of the short circuit divided by the open circuit, or the degree of leakage current. When the degree of short circuit detected in the photoelectric detection chamber 23 is that the ratio of the short circuit divided by the open circuit is less than a certain value, or when the leakage current is lower than a certain value, an isolation layer is formed at the open circuit in the insulating layer forming chamber 24. layer.

In the photoelectric detection chamber 23, when the short-circuit degree of the organic light-emitting element is greater than a certain value, that is, when the error result obtained by using the average value of the leakage current or the brightness detection is greater than an acceptable value, in the insulating layer forming chamber 24, no organic light will be detected. An isolation layer is formed at the disconnection of the light-emitting element. And when the short circuit degree of the organic light emitting element is less than a certain value, in the insulating layer forming chamber 24, an insulating layer will be formed at the open circuit of the organic light emitting element. The detection step performed in the photoelectric detection chamber 23 can reduce the loss of the material of the isolation layer, and only the organic light-emitting elements that need to be repaired are allowed to continue the step of forming the isolation layer.

The device for repairing organic light-emitting device defects in this embodiment further includes a glue coating chamber 25 , a sealing lid setting chamber 26 , and a lighting chamber or heating chamber 27 . In this embodiment, except that the photoelectric detection chamber 23 and the isolation layer forming chamber 24 are different from those of the first embodiment, other components and features are the same as those of the first embodiment.

The device for repairing defects in organic light-emitting elements provided by the present invention is to repair the substantially short-circuit defect in the organic light-emitting element, so that the pixels that cannot be driven due to the substantial short-circuit can have the same luminous ability as the adjacent non-defective pixels, Such as efficiency, brightness and color purity. Compared with the prior art, the device solves the phenomenon of leakage current, power consumption and poor image quality caused by the substantial short circuit. Furthermore, the phenomenon of short circuit is tested and repaired before the packaging step, without having to bear the manufacturing cost of the finished organic light-emitting element panel that cannot be repaired and can only be eliminated as in the prior art after the packaging step, although a substantial short circuit is found, The manufacturing cost is reduced, and the product yield and reliability are further improved.

The foregoing are exemplary embodiments only, and are not intended to be limiting. Any equivalent modification or change without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention shall be included in the scope of the claims.

Claims (21)

1. A defect repairing device for an organic light-emitting element, used to repair an organic light-emitting element with a substantial short circuit phenomenon, characterized in that the defect repairing device for an organic light-emitting element comprises: a transfer chamber for transferring the organic light-emitting element; An electrical testing room, provided with a power supply terminal, the power supply terminal provides a current or voltage in the organic light-emitting element, so that the actual short circuit of the organic light-emitting element forms an open circuit; and An insulating layer forming chamber is used to form an insulating layer on the disconnection of the organic light-emitting element. 2. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The organic light-emitting element includes a substrate, a first electrode, an organic light-emitting layer and a second electrode, and the first electrode and the second electrode are electrically connected to the power terminal respectively. 3. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 2, further comprising: A curing glue coating chamber forms a light curing glue or thermosetting glue on the substrate according to a predetermined pattern. 4. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 3, characterized in that, The light-curing glue is an ultraviolet glue. 5. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 3, further comprising: a cover setting room, where a cover is placed on the substrate formed with the photocurable or thermosetting glue; and A light room or a heating room for irradiating ultraviolet light on the light-curable glue or heating the heat-curable glue. 6. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The transfer chamber is provided with a robotic arm. 7. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 2, characterized in that: In the insulating layer forming chamber, the second electrode is oxidized in an oxygen-containing atmosphere without water. 8. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insulating layer material is the same as the organic light emitting layer material. 9. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insulating layer material is selected from at least one of organic and inorganic materials with high resistance. 10. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The insulating layer material is a polymer material with high resistance. 11. A defect repairing device for an organic light-emitting element, used to repair an organic light-emitting element with a substantial short circuit phenomenon, characterized in that the defect repairing device for an organic light-emitting element comprises: a transfer chamber for transferring the organic light-emitting element; An electrical test room, provided with a power terminal, the power supply terminal provides a current or voltage in the organic light-emitting element, so that the actual short circuit of the organic light-emitting element forms an open circuit; an optoelectronic testing chamber for detecting the optical characteristics and/or short circuit degree of the organic light-emitting element in the electrical testing chamber; and An insulating layer forming chamber, when the detected optical characteristic and/or short circuit degree in the photoelectric detection chamber is less than a certain value, an insulating layer is formed at the open circuit. 12. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The organic light-emitting element includes a substrate, a first electrode, an organic light-emitting layer and a second electrode, and the first electrode and the second electrode are electrically connected to the power supply terminal respectively. 13. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 12, further comprising A curing glue coating chamber forms a light curing glue or thermosetting glue on the substrate according to a predetermined pattern. 14. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The optical properties include but not limited to at least one of intensity, uniformity and color purity. 15. The organic light emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 13, further comprising a cover setting room, where a cover is placed on the substrate formed with the photocurable or thermosetting glue; and A light room or a heating room for irradiating ultraviolet light on the light-curable glue or heating the heat-curable glue. 16. The organic light emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 11, characterized in that, The degree of short circuit is the ratio of short circuit divided by open circuit. 17. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The degree of short circuit is the degree of leakage current. 18. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 12, characterized in that: In the insulating layer forming chamber, the second electrode is oxidized in a water-free oxygen-containing atmosphere. 19. The organic light-emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The insulating layer material is the same as the organic light emitting layer material. 20. The organic light emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The insulating layer material is selected from at least one of organic and inorganic materials with high resistance. 21. The organic light emitting device defect repairing device according to claim 11, characterized in that: The insulating layer material is a polymer material with high resistance.