JP2004191608A - Display device and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a method of manufacturing a display device and a display device capable of cutting a substrate without damaging a display element member on the substrate when a step of cutting the substrate during manufacturing to reduce the size is provided. .
An element substrate provided with a plurality of organic EL elements (display elements) provided with an organic film, and a counter substrate disposed opposite to the organic EL element side of the element substrate. A plurality of sealing substrates 13 formed by filling and curing the sealing resin 11 are formed. The display panel 15 is formed by cutting each sealing substrate 13 along the functional region 3 where the display element 8 is provided. Thereafter, a plurality of display panels 15 are arranged and mounted on a support substrate in a state where one display screen is formed, and a display device is obtained.
[Selection diagram] Fig. 1

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a display device using an organic electroluminescence element and a method for manufacturing the same.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An organic EL element (organic EL element) using electroluminescence (hereinafter referred to as EL) of an organic material has an organic film sandwiched between an anode and a cathode. In the organic EL device having such a configuration, light generated when holes injected from the anode and electrons injected from the cathode are recombined in the organic film is extracted as luminescent light from the cathode or the anode side, Attention has been paid to a light emitting element capable of emitting high luminance of several hundreds to several 10,000 cd / m 2 at a low driving voltage of 10 V or less. Further, in the organic EL element, it is possible to obtain a light-emitting element emitting light of each color by selecting a material of the organic film. By forming the light-emitting elements emitting light of each color in a predetermined state, a multi-color display or a full-color display can be obtained. It is possible to configure a display device capable of performing the following.
[0003]
By the way, in increasing the size of a display device using an organic EL element, a technique for forming one large display screen by connecting a plurality of small panels in a plane (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2). It has been known. In this case, in order to realize a high-definition display screen, it is necessary to minimize the distance between pixels at a connected portion (joint). However, in general, it is difficult to form a pattern such as a pixel circuit, a wiring, a pixel electrode, and an organic film on the end surface of the substrate.
[0004]
Therefore, in a method of manufacturing a display device by joining small panels, first, a pattern such as a pixel circuit, wiring, a pixel electrode, and an organic film is formed on a substrate larger than the small panel forming a large screen. Further, after forming a sealing layer, the vicinity of the end face of the joint is cut with high precision by a substrate cutting device such as a laser cutter or a dicing device into small panels, and these small panels are arranged side by side and joined together. And one large display screen (see Patent Document 1).
[0005]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-2002-55634 (page 5)
[Patent Document 2]
JP 2001-175204 A (page 4 and FIG. 2)
[0006]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, when a single display screen (large screen) is formed by joining a plurality of small panels as described above, the distance between pixels sandwiching the joint is set in order to make joints between the panels as inconspicuous as possible. , And the distance between the pixels in the other parts. Therefore, the distance from the cut end face of the opening end of the display section to the pixel end becomes very short, and when the substrate is cut using a substrate cutting device such as a laser cutter or a dicing device, the organic film remains exposed. In this state, the organic film portion in the display section is damaged. This causes a decrease in reliability and a decrease in yield in a large-screen display device.
[0007]
Therefore, the present invention provides a display device obtained by cutting a substrate without damaging members on the substrate, and a method of manufacturing the display device, in a case where the substrate has a step of cutting and reducing the size during manufacture. With the goal.
[0008]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A display device of the present invention for achieving the above object has a plurality of display panels mounted on a support substrate. In particular, a display panel is formed by filling a cured sealing resin between an element substrate provided with a plurality of display elements and an opposing substrate arranged on the element substrate on the display element side. Further, these display panels are arranged and mounted on a support substrate in a state of forming one display screen.
[0009]
The method for manufacturing a display device of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a display device having such a configuration, and includes the following procedure. First, in a first step, a plurality of sealings formed by filling and curing a sealing resin between an element substrate provided with a plurality of display elements and an opposing substrate disposed on the display element side of the element substrate. Form a substrate. In the next second step, a display panel is formed by cutting each sealing substrate along a functional region provided with a display element.
[0010]
Then, in a third step after the second step, a plurality of display panels are arranged and mounted on a support substrate in a state of forming one display screen.
[0011]
In such a method of manufacturing a display device, a sealing resin that is completely solidified by filling and curing a sealing resin between an element substrate on which a display element is arranged and a counter substrate is formed, and then the sealing substrate is formed. The solidified sealing substrate is cut along the functional region. For this reason, even when the cut portion extends near a functional member such as a display element disposed in the functional region, these functional members are completely formed by the sealing resin and the element substrate and the counter substrate sandwiching the sealing resin. Since the functional member is held in a protected state, it is possible to prevent the functional member from being damaged by an impact or foreign matter at the time of cutting.
[0012]
A plurality of display panels formed by cutting the plurality of sealing substrates along the functional region are arranged and mounted on the support substrate in a state of forming one display screen, so that the display device having the above-described configuration is provided. Obtainable.
[0013]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, as an embodiment relating to a display device and a method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention, a display device having a display portion formed by arranging organic EL elements and a method of manufacturing the same will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
[0014]
1 (1) to 1 (4) are cross-sectional process diagrams illustrating the manufacturing method of the present embodiment. FIGS. 2 to 5 are plan view process diagrams for explaining the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, and correspond to FIGS. 1 (1) to 1 (4). FIG. 1 corresponds to an AA ′ section in the plan views of FIGS. 2 to 5. In the following embodiments, first, a method for manufacturing a display device will be described based on these drawings, and then the configuration of the display device will be described.
[0015]
First, as shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 2, an element substrate 1 is prepared. The element substrate 1 has a functional region 3 set in the center thereof. The functional area 3 is provided with, for example, a display portion 3a in which a display screen of a display device manufactured here is divided into quarters and a peripheral circuit portion 3b surrounding two continuous portions of the display portion 3a. I have.
[0016]
Then, an alignment mark 5 for use in positioning the element substrate 1 is formed on such an element substrate 1 for a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses used in the subsequent steps. Since the alignment mark 5 is commonly used in each of the above-described manufacturing apparatuses, it is arranged at a predetermined position on the element substrate 1 and is usually formed around the element substrate 1, that is, outside the functional region 3.
[0017]
Next, a base step for forming an organic EL element is performed on the element substrate 1. Here, a pixel circuit using a thin film transistor (TFT) not shown here, a wiring, and a pixel electrode (for example, an anode) are formed on the functional region 3 of the element substrate 1 while performing alignment using the alignment mark 5. And other functional members.
[0018]
Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 (2) and 3, an organic film 7 is pattern-formed on the display section 3a in the functional region 3 of the element substrate 1. In this step, the organic film 7 is pattern-formed at a predetermined position with respect to the already formed electrodes and the like by performing alignment using the alignment marks 5 of the element substrate 1. Thereafter, an upper electrode (for example, a cathode) is formed on the functional area 3 on which the organic film 7 is formed, thereby completing the organic EL element (display element) 8 on the display section 3a of the functional area 3. The organic EL element 8 is formed at a portion where the anode, the organic film 7 and the cathode are stacked, and is arranged at the same position as the organic film 7 in the drawings, and the following description will be made. After the formation of the upper electrode (for example, the cathode), a protective film is formed as necessary.
[0019]
Next, as shown in FIGS. 1 (3) and 4, an opposing substrate 9 is arranged on the side of the element substrate 1 on which the organic EL element 8 is formed, and a sealing resin 11 is filled therebetween to form an The counter substrate 9 is bonded. At this time, the sealing resin 11 serves as an adhesive between the element substrate 1 and the counter substrate 9. Then, the sealing resin 11 filled between the element substrate 1 and the counter substrate 9 is cured. As a result, a sealing substrate 13 having a completely solid structure, in which the organic EL element 8 is sealed in the sealing resin 11 cured while being sandwiched between the opposing substrate 9 and the element substrate 1, is obtained.
[0020]
When the display device to be manufactured here is of a so-called top emission type in which display light is extracted from the counter substrate 9 side, the counter substrate 9 and the sealing resin 11 have a light transmitting property. Is used.
[0021]
In this case, as shown only in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 1C, the opposite substrate 9 is provided with the black matrix 17 so as to be located between the organic EL elements 8 formed on the element substrate 1. The color filters 19, 19,... Of red (r), green (g), and blue (b) may be provided at positions facing the organic EL element 8. Are preferably provided on the surface of the opposing substrate 9 facing the element substrate 1 side. However, in this case, the alignment mark 21 is also formed on the counter substrate 9 side. When the element substrate 1 and the opposing substrate 9 are bonded to each other, the black matrix 17 and the color filters 19, 19,. Alignment using the alignment mark 21 and the alignment mark 5 on the element substrate 1 side is performed.
[0022]
Thereafter, as shown in FIGS. 1 (4) and 5, the sealing substrate 13 is cut along the functional region 3 of the element substrate 1, and only the functional region 3 is separated. At this time, an end of the display section 3a provided with the display element 8 is located at a part of the cut surface. Thus, the display panel 15 obtained by cutting the sealing substrate 13 into the size of the functional region 3 is obtained. When cutting the sealing substrate 13 as described above, the cutting of the divided portions of the element substrate 1 with respect to the support substrate 9 is suppressed and the divided portions of the element substrate 1 are not damaged. Conditions will be set.
[0023]
Next, the small display panels 15 formed as described above are joined together.
[0024]
In this case, first, as shown in the plan view of FIG. 6, the four display panels 15 are arranged so that the cut surfaces on the display section 3a side are abutted. In this state, the four display panels 15 are arranged so that the distance between the display portions 3a, that is, the distance between the pixels sandwiching the joint is equal to the distance between the pixels in other portions. In FIG. 6, the opposing substrate 9 constituting the display panel 15 is shown by a two-dot chain line and smaller than the element substrate 1. However, in practice, the counter substrate 9 has a shape that matches the element substrate 1.
[0025]
By arranging the four display panels 15 as described above, one large display screen 21 is formed by the four display portions 3a of these display panels 15. The display screen 21 is in a state where its periphery is surrounded by the peripheral circuit section 3b.
[0026]
Next, as shown in FIG. 7, a support substrate 23 is disposed on the opposite side of the display panel 15 arranged as shown in FIG. 6 on the side of the opposite substrate 9, and the four display panels 15 (FIG. Are shown, only two of them are shown) are bonded to the support substrate 23 and fixed. FIG. 7 is a view corresponding to a cross section taken along the line AA ′ of FIG.
[0027]
When the display device to be manufactured here is to extract light from the counter substrate 9 side as described above, a light transmissive device is used for the support substrate 23 and the adhesive 25. In this case, it is preferable that the adhesive 25 is filled without gaps between the joint portions (between the display panels 15) of the small display panel 15 fixed to the support substrate 23 and further between the counter substrate 9 and the support substrate 23. . The adhesive 25 is made of a material whose refractive index is adjusted so as to optically eliminate the joint between the display panels 15. Specifically, it is preferable to use an adhesive having a refractive index similar to that of the filler 11 and the counter substrate 9.
[0028]
Next, the plate-like member 27 may be bonded to the display panel 15 side (the element substrate 1 side) via the adhesive 25 so as to cover the joint portion of the small display panel 15 as necessary. Thereby, the display device 29 including one large display screen 21 (see FIG. 6) is completed.
[0029]
Note that the plate-like member 27 may have a shape that covers the entire surface of the element substrate 1 of the display panel 15 including the joint portion of the display panel 15 as illustrated. In this case, by forming the plate-like member 27 from a material having high thermal conductivity (for example, a metal such as aluminum), heat generated in each display panel 15 can be efficiently released to the outside through the plate-like member 27. it can. In the case where the display device 29 extracts display light from the support substrate 23 side, the surface of the plate-like member 27 is formed into a black color by, for example, a blackening process so as to have a light-shielding property. Scattering of light incident from the substrate 23 side can be prevented.
[0030]
The display device 29 obtained as described above has a plurality of display panels 15 arranged and mounted on the support substrate 23. Each display panel 15 in the display device 29 has a completely solid structure in which a sealing resin 11 is filled and cured between an element substrate 1 on which a plurality of organic EL elements 8 are arranged and a counter substrate 9. It is. In the display device 29, the display panel 15 having a completely solid structure is mounted on the support substrate 23 so that one display image 21 is formed by connecting the ends of the display portions 3a. It will be.
[0031]
According to the above manufacturing method, as described with reference to FIGS. 1 (1) to 1 (3) and FIGS. 2 to 4, the sealing substrate in which the organic EL element 8 is sealed and completely solidified. After the formation of the sealing substrate 13, the completely solidified sealing substrate 13 is cut along the functional region 3 as described with reference to FIGS. 1 (4) and 5. For this reason, even when the cut portion extends near a functional member such as a display element disposed in the functional region, these functional members are completely formed by the sealing resin and the element substrate and the counter substrate sandwiching the sealing resin. Since the functional member is held in a protected state, it is possible to prevent the functional member from being damaged by an impact or foreign matter at the time of cutting. Furthermore, it is possible to prevent the contamination at the time of cutting from reaching the entire surface of the element substrate 1 on which the functional members are arranged.
[0032]
Therefore, it is possible to improve the reliability and the yield of the display device using these display panels 15, that is, the display device 29 having a large screen here.
[0033]
Further, in the above manufacturing method, as described with reference to FIGS. 1 (4) and 5, the sealing substrate 13 is formed by completely sealing the organic EL element 8 and solidifying the sealing substrate 13. 13 is cut along the functional region 3. For this reason, in the process up to the formation of the sealing substrate 13, alignment can be performed using the alignment marks 5 arranged around the functional region 3. Therefore, the formation of the organic EL element 8 and the bonding of the counter substrate 9 on which the black matrix 17 and the color filter 19 are formed can be performed with high accuracy.
[0034]
Therefore, even when the final element substrate 1 is reduced in size by cutting compared to the step of forming the organic EL element 8, a special manufacturing apparatus corresponding to the reduced element substrate 1 is prepared. It is not necessary to change the specifications of the manufacturing apparatus in accordance with the reduced size of the supporting substrate 1 or to prepare a special apparatus jig for this purpose. As a result, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the display device 29 formed by joining the small display panels 15. In addition, versatility of the manufacturing apparatus can be ensured regardless of the substrate size (the size of the display panel 15).
[0035]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, the display element is formed by cutting the sealing substrate, which is completely solidified by sealing the display element, along the display portion to form a display panel. The end of the display section can be made a cut section without damaging the organic film. Therefore, it is possible to improve the reliability and the yield of the display panel and a display device having a large screen by connecting the display panels.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a sectional process view showing a manufacturing method of an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a plan view (part 1) for explaining a manufacturing process of the embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a plan view (part 2) for describing the manufacturing process of the embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a plan view (part 3) for explaining the manufacturing process of the embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a plan view (part 4) for explaining the manufacturing process of the embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a plan view (No. 5) for describing the manufacturing process of the embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a manufacturing process of the embodiment.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Element board, 3 ... Function area, 7 ... Organic film, 8 ... Organic EL element (display element), 9 ... Counter substrate, 11 ... Sealing resin, 13 ... Sealing substrate, 15 ... Display panel, 17 ... Black Matrix, 19 ... Color filter, 21 ... Display screen, 23 ... Support substrate, 25 ... Adhesive, 27 ... Plate member, 29 ... Display device

Claims (8)

A support substrate;
A state in which a cured sealing resin is filled between an element substrate on which a plurality of display elements are provided and an opposing substrate disposed on the display element side of the element substrate so as to constitute one display screen. And a plurality of display panels arranged and mounted on the support substrate. The display device according to claim 1,
A display device, wherein an adhesive whose refractive index is adjusted so as to optically eliminate a joint portion between the display panels is filled between the plurality of display panels. The display device according to claim 1,
The display panel has the counter substrate side as a display surface,
The display device, wherein the counter substrate is formed of a light-transmitting material, and is provided with at least one of a black matrix on one main surface side and a color filter. The display device according to claim 1,
The display device, wherein the support substrate is formed of a light transmissive material and is disposed on a display surface side of the display panel. The display device according to claim 4,
A display device, wherein a plate-shaped member having a light-shielding property is attached with the plurality of display panels sandwiched between the support substrate and the display panel. A first method for forming a plurality of sealing substrates formed by filling and curing a sealing resin between an element substrate provided with a plurality of display elements and an opposing substrate disposed to face the display element side of the element substrate. Process and
A second step of cutting each of the sealing substrates along a functional region provided with the display element to form a display panel. The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 6,
A method of manufacturing a display device, comprising, after the second step, performing a third step of arranging and mounting the plurality of display panels on a supporting substrate in a state of forming one display screen. The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 7,
The method of manufacturing a display device according to claim 3, wherein in the third step, an adhesive whose refractive index is adjusted so as to optically eliminate a joint portion between the display panels is filled.

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