JP2008034264A - Laser repairing method of el display device, laser repair device of el display device, program, and recording medium - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a laser repairing method of an organic EL display device in which the number of times and places in which a laser is irradiated on a dark element is reduced and which is superior in efficiency. <P>SOLUTION: In the case a pixel of the EL display device is lighted on and the dark element exists in the lighted pixel, this is equipped with a process of specifying the pixel in which the dark element exists, a process (step S25) of specifying a part in which there is a possibility of a defect in the pixel in which the dark element exists, and a process (step S27) of irradiating the laser on the part in which there is the possibility of the defect while lighting on the EL display device in which the part of the possible defect has been specified, and the process of irradiating the laser is repeated until the dark element is lighted on or until all the parts of the possible defect are irradiated (steps S26 to S28). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a laser repair method for an EL display device, a laser repair device for an EL display device, a program, and a recording medium.

  The organic EL element has a configuration in which an organic EL layer containing an organic compound is sandwiched between an anode electrode and a cathode electrode as a light emitting layer. The organic EL element generates light having a wavelength corresponding to the organic compound constituting the organic EL layer by passing a direct current between the electrodes.

  However, when a foreign substance having a size equal to or larger than the film thickness of the organic EL layer enters when forming the organic EL layer, the anode electrode and the cathode electrode may be short-circuited by the foreign substance. The organic EL element in which the anode electrode and the cathode electrode are short-circuited cannot emit light because there is no potential difference between the anode electrode and the cathode electrode.

  When forming an organic EL element arranged in a matrix on an array substrate at the time of manufacturing an organic EL display device, it is difficult to find an organic EL element mixed with foreign matters in the process of forming the organic EL element. Actually, by causing the completed organic EL display device to emit light, an organic EL element mixed with a foreign substance is recognized for the first time as a pixel having a dark spot element.

  Therefore, in order to prevent the occurrence of a pixel in which a dark spot element exists, in the method of forming an organic EL element, a method in which foreign matters are not mixed when forming an organic EL layer (for example, refer to Patent Document 1) The method of embedding with (for example, refer patent document 2) etc. is devised.

  However, it is difficult to completely prevent the generation of a dark spot element due to the mixing of foreign matters in the actual process of forming an organic EL element. For this reason, there is a problem that it is difficult to avoid the generation of a pixel having a dark spot element. Furthermore, the number of dark spot elements needs to be zero depending on the product standard of the organic EL display device. When such a strict product standard is required, the yield of the organic EL display device is greatly reduced.

On the other hand, in order to eliminate the short-circuit state of the electrodes in the dark spot element, the principle of laser repair is known in which after the organic EL display device is completed, a laser beam is irradiated on a portion where the foreign substance in the dark spot element is mixed (for example, And Patent Document 3). Therefore, according to this laser repair method, it is theoretically possible to restore the dark spot element and improve the yield of the organic EL display device.
JP 2002-289345 A JP 2000-91067 A JP 2003-233329 A

  However, when the conventional laser repair method is applied to a completed organic EL display device, for example, foreign matters may be mixed in a plurality of locations in the dark spot element. Even in the case where there are a plurality of parts in which a foreign substance is mixed in the dark spot element, a part in which all the foreign substances are mixed (hereinafter referred to as a short-circuit defect candidate part) is not necessarily the cause of the short-circuit defect of the electrode. Absent. Therefore, it is desirable to repair only the short-circuit defect portion that causes the short-circuit defect of the electrode. However, it is difficult to identify the short-circuit defect portion in advance.

  Therefore, the inventor considered the following two methods for the laser repair method when a plurality of short-circuit defect candidate portions exist in the dark spot element.

  The first method is to irradiate an arbitrary one of a plurality of short-circuit defect candidate portions in the dark spot element with laser, and then, the short circuit state of the dark spot element electrode is eliminated by laser irradiation. This is a method for checking by turning on the organic EL display device. Then, this operation is repeated until the dark spot element is turned on. However, although the first method has an advantage that the number of times of laser irradiation can be reduced compared to the second method described later, it is necessary to turn on the organic EL display device for each laser irradiation. There is a problem that it takes time and effort.

  The second method is a method in which all short-circuit defect candidate portions in the dark spot element are irradiated with laser first, and finally the lighting of the dark spot element is confirmed. Although this method has an advantage that it is more efficient than the first method, since the number of times and places of laser irradiation are larger than those of the first method, the quality of the organic EL display device is deteriorated. There is a problem of fear.

  Therefore, the present invention takes into consideration the problems of the laser repair method described above, and can reduce the number and the number of times of laser irradiation, and can efficiently reduce the laser repair method of an EL display device, the laser repair device of an EL display device, and a program And a recording medium.

In order to solve the above problems, the first aspect of the present invention provides:
Illuminating a pixel of an EL display device, and when a dark spot element is present in the lit pixel, identifying a pixel in which the dark spot element is present; and
Identifying a possible defect in a pixel in which the dark spot element is present; and
Irradiating a laser on the portion having the possibility of defect while lighting the pixel of the EL display device in which the portion having the possibility of the defect is specified,
In the laser repair method for an EL display device, the step of irradiating the laser is repeated until the dark spot element is turned on or a predetermined number of times.

The second aspect of the present invention
The predetermined number of times is the number of parts having a possibility of the defect, which is the laser repair method for the EL display device of the first aspect of the present invention.

The third aspect of the present invention
In the step of identifying a pixel in which the dark spot element is present, an area in which the pixel in which the dark spot element exists is provided with a mark that is visible to the EL display device. It is a laser repair method of the EL display device of the invention.

The fourth aspect of the present invention is
In the step of identifying the portion having the possibility of the defect, the laser repair method for the EL display device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, wherein the position of the foreign matter mixed in the dark spot element is identified using a microscope. It is.

The fifth aspect of the present invention provides
In the step of identifying the pixel, when the pixel is turned on, all the EL elements of the EL display device are turned on.

The sixth aspect of the present invention provides
In the step of specifying the pixel, when the pixel is turned on, an EL element corresponding to only one of red, green, and blue EL elements constituting each pixel of the EL display device is provided. It is the laser repair method of the EL display device of the first or second aspect of the present invention in which each color is sequentially turned on.

The seventh aspect of the present invention
The position information of the pixel of the EL display device in which the dark spot element is present is acquired, the image information of the pixel is acquired based on the acquired position information, and the reference image that has the acquired image information of the pixel in advance A defect candidate portion specifying unit that compares information and specifies position information of a portion having a possibility of a defect from the comparison result;
A laser irradiation unit configured to irradiate a laser with a portion having a possibility of a defect based on position information of the portion having a possibility of a defect while turning on a pixel of the EL display device;
A determination unit that acquires information on the luminance of the pixel after the laser irradiation and determines whether the dark spot element is a lighting element;
A laser repair device for an EL display device, comprising: a control unit that controls whether to repeat the laser irradiation on the laser irradiation unit based on a determination result of the determination unit and a predetermined criterion. .

In addition, the eighth aspect of the present invention
Of the laser repair device of the EL display device of the seventh invention,
The position information of the pixel of the EL display device in which the dark spot element is present is acquired, the image information of the pixel is acquired based on the acquired position information, and the reference image that has the acquired image information of the pixel in advance A defect candidate part specifying unit that compares information and specifies position information of a part having a possibility of a defect from the comparison result,
A determination unit that acquires information on the luminance of the pixel after the laser irradiation and determines whether the dark spot element is a lighting element,
A program for causing a computer to function as a control unit that controls whether the laser irradiation unit repeats the laser irradiation based on a determination result of the determination unit and a predetermined criterion.

The ninth aspect of the present invention provides
A recording medium on which a program according to the eighth aspect of the present invention is recorded is a recording medium that can be processed by a computer.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while being able to reduce the frequency | count and place of laser irradiation, it becomes possible to provide the efficient laser repair method of an organic electroluminescence display, a laser repair apparatus, a program, and a recording medium.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
(Embodiment 1)
Here, an embodiment of a laser repair method for an EL display device according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  In the following description, a full-color organic EL display device will be described as an example. In the full-color organic EL display device, one pixel is described as being configured by an organic EL element that emits one of red, blue, and green. The principle that the dark spot element is restored by laser irradiation will be described later.

  First, a device used in the laser repair method for an organic EL display device according to the present invention and its configuration will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an apparatus used for laser repair and an organic EL display apparatus in a laser repair method for an organic EL display apparatus according to the present invention.

  In the laser repair method for an organic EL display device according to the present invention, a control for supplying power to the laser irradiation device 27 and the organic EL display device 20 and supplying a control signal to the test circuit 24 to be described later. A signal generator 26 and a microscope (not shown) for enlarging and displaying the dark spot elements in the display area on the organic EL display device 20 are used. The laser irradiation device 27 and the microscope may be integrated. Specifically, it may be a laser irradiation device with a microscope function having a microscope, an alignment function for focusing the microscope and laser irradiation device 27 on the dark spot element, and a control signal generator 26. In the following description, the laser repair method for an organic EL display device according to the present invention will be described on the assumption that a laser irradiation device with a microscope function is used.

  In addition, the organic EL display device 20 includes a test inspection circuit 24 for finding a pixel in which a dark spot element exists, and a control signal input terminal 25 for connecting a signal line to the test inspection circuit 24. The test inspection circuit 24 and the control signal input terminal 25 are previously formed in the organic EL display device 20 in the manufacturing process for product inspection of the organic EL display device 20.

  Next, an outline of the laser repair method for the organic EL display device according to the present invention will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the control signal generator 26 and the organic EL display device 20 are connected. The control signal generator 26 generates a test signal and turns on the pixels constituting the display area 22 of the organic EL display device 20.

  The organic EL display device 20 is turned on, and the pixels 22a to 22c in which the dark spot elements are present are specified by a method described later. Then, a laser is irradiated from the display surface side of the organic EL display device to the short-circuit defect candidate portion of the dark spot element in the specified pixel. That is, laser repair of the dark spot element is performed in a state where the organic EL display device 20 is turned on. Therefore, when all the short-circuit defect candidate parts that have actually short-circuited the electrodes of the dark spot elements are removed from the short-circuit defect candidate parts by laser irradiation, the dark spot elements are immediately turned on. FIG. 1 shows a state in which laser is irradiated on the pixel 22a in which the dark spot element exists. In the following description, “laser irradiation” means that laser is irradiated from the display surface side of the organic EL display device.

  As described above, the operator can immediately confirm the result of the repair by performing the laser repair in a state where the organic EL display device is turned on, so that the efficiency of the laser repair of the organic EL display device can be increased.

  Next, the procedure of the laser repair method for the organic EL display device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an outline of the procedure of the laser repair method for the organic EL display device according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of the step (step S1) of specifying a pixel in which the dark spot element shown in FIG. 2 exists. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a detailed procedure of the laser repair process (step S2) shown in FIG.

  First, the outline of the procedure of the laser repair method of the organic EL display device according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 2, each of the completed plurality of organic EL display devices is sequentially turned on, and it is visually confirmed whether or not the lit organic EL display device has a pixel in which a dark spot element is present (step) S1). Next, laser repair is performed on the organic EL display device having a pixel in which a dark spot element is present (step S2).

  Next, a specific procedure for specifying a pixel in which a dark spot element is present (step S1) will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state where a mark is attached to an area where a pixel in which a dark spot element exists exists in the display area 22.

  Of the plurality of organic EL display devices, the operator first connects the control signal generator 26 to an arbitrary organic EL display device, and lights all the pixels of the organic EL display device (step S11). After the lighting, the operator visually checks whether or not there is a pixel in which the dark spot element exists (step S12). Next, the worker uses a erasable marker pen or the like to mark a mark such as a circle on the area including the pixel where the dark spot element is present (step S13). For example, a mark may be attached to a region including a pixel in which a dark spot element exists, such as marks 23a to 23c shown in FIG.

  Note that steps S11 and S12 are an example of a process for specifying a pixel in which the dark spot element of the present invention is present, and step S13 is an example of a process for adding a mark of the present invention.

  Subsequently, when there is an organic EL display device in which it is not confirmed whether there is a pixel in which a dark spot element exists (step S14, “No”), steps S11 to S13 are repeated. On the other hand, when the confirmation of whether or not there is a pixel having a dark spot element is completed for all the organic EL display devices (step S14, “Yes”), step S1 is ended.

  Next, a specific procedure in the laser repair process (step S2) will be described with reference to FIG. In the following description, FIG. 6 will also be described in order to specifically show how the dark spot element changes.

  FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram showing a state in which a pixel in which a dark spot element of the organic EL display device is present is enlarged and displayed. FIG. 6B is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the laser is irradiated on the short-circuit defect candidate portion 14 (see FIG. 6A) in the green element 12 which is a dark spot element. FIG. 6C is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the short-circuit defect candidate portion 15 (see FIG. 6A) is irradiated with laser. FIG. 6D is a schematic diagram showing a state where the green element 12 is lit. In FIGS. 6B to 6D, the laser-irradiated portions 14 ′ and 15 ′ are obtained by irradiating the short-circuit defect candidate portions 14 and 15 with the laser, respectively.

  6A to 6D, the red element 11, the green element 12, and the blue element 13 are arranged in this order from the left. In addition, in the organic EL elements shown in FIGS. 6A to 6D, the organic EL element expressed in a white state is in a lighting state, and the organic EL element expressed in a shaded state is in a non-lighting state. Shall. Moreover, in the green element 12 shown to Fig.6 (a)-(d), the electrode of an organic EL element demonstrates as what is in a short circuit state by the short circuit defect candidate part 15 at least among three short circuit defect candidate parts.

  Hereinafter, returning to FIG. 4, the detailed procedure of the laser repair process will be described. The operator identifies an organic EL display device in which a pixel having a dark spot element is present (step S1), and then selects one of the organic EL display devices for which laser repair work has not been completed as a laser irradiation device with a microscope function. (Step S21).

  The operator connects the control signal generator 26 to the organic EL display device again, and turns on the display area 22 of the organic EL display device (step S22). Next, the operator sequentially selects the region where the pixel where the dark spot element exists exists, using the mark marked in step S13 as a clue (step S23). Then, the worker enlarges and displays the pixel in which the dark spot element exists in the selected area (step S24).

  While looking at the enlarged display screen, the operator specifies a portion that is considered to have foreign matter mixed in as a short-circuit defect candidate portion (step S25). Usually, since a part mixed with foreign matter can be recognized as a black spot-like area, the operator specifies the presence and position of the short-circuit defect candidate part by using the black area present in the dark spot element as a clue. . In the case of the example illustrated in FIG. 6A, the worker specifies the positions of the three short-circuit defect candidate portions 14 to 16 existing in the green element 12 that is a dark spot element.

  Subsequently, the operator confirms that there is a short-circuit defect candidate portion that is not irradiated with laser in the dark spot element (step S26, “Yes”), and at the position of the unirradiated short-circuit defect candidate portion, The laser irradiation device 27 is focused and irradiated with a laser (step S27).

  Note that step S25 is an example of a process for identifying a portion having a possibility of a defect of the present invention, and step S27 is an example of a process of irradiating the laser of the present invention.

  An example of the conditions of the laser to irradiate is wavelength λ = 1064 (nm), laser power 10 (μJ), pulse width 8 (nsec), and oscillation repetition rate 2 (Hz). Of the above laser conditions, the wavelength λ may be 532 (nm).

  After irradiating the laser, the operator checks whether or not the dark spot element emits light while viewing the enlarged screen (step S28). If the dark spot element does not emit light (Step S28, “No”), Steps S26 to S28 are repeated in order to sequentially irradiate the other short-circuit defect candidate portions not irradiated with the laser.

  On the other hand, if the dark spot element that is the target of laser repair emits light after laser irradiation (step S28, “Yes”), the worker ends the laser repair of the dark spot element, and the dark spot element exists. In order to perform laser repair on the pixel area, the process returns to step S23.

  The procedure performed in steps S26 to S28 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS.

  In the green element 12 shown in FIG. 6A, all the short-circuit defect candidate portions 14 to 16 are not irradiated with laser. Therefore, the operator irradiates any one of the short-circuit defect candidate portions 14 to 16 with the laser (step S27). In the example shown in FIG. 6B, the short-circuit defect candidate portion 14 is irradiated with laser. The short-circuit defect candidate portion 14 is irradiated with a laser to become a laser irradiated portion 14 '.

  However, as shown in FIG. 6B, even if the short-circuit defect candidate portion 14 is irradiated with a laser, the green element 12 is not turned on (step S28, “No”). For this reason, the short-circuit defect candidate portion 14 does not short-circuit the electrode of the green element 12 or the short-circuit defect candidate portion short-circuits the electrode of the green element 12 exists in addition to the short-circuit defect candidate portion 14. You can see that

  Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 6C, the operator irradiates the short-circuit defect candidate portion 15 that has not been irradiated with the laser (steps S26 and S27). The short-circuit defect candidate portion 15 is irradiated with a laser to become a laser irradiated portion 15 '. As shown in FIG. 6D, when the short-circuit defect candidate portion 15 is irradiated with laser, the green element 12 emits light (step S28, “Yes”). Therefore, it can be seen that at least the short-circuit defect candidate portion 15 has short-circuited the electrode of the green element 12. The operator ends the laser repair of the green element 12 that has been the dark spot element, and performs laser repair of the area of the other pixel having the dark spot element (step S23, “Yes”).

  In the example shown in FIG. 6, the laser repair of the green element 12 can be completed without irradiating the short-circuit defect candidate portion 16 with the laser. Thus, the laser repair method for the EL display device according to the present invention does not require irradiation of all the short-circuit defect candidate portions with the laser.

  In step S23, when there is no other pixel in which the dark spot element exists in the organic EL display device, the worker ends the laser repair of the organic EL display device installed in the laser irradiation device, and returns to step S21.

  In step S21, when there is no organic EL display device that has not finished the laser repair, the worker finishes the laser repair work.

  In steps S26 to S28, even if all short-circuit defect candidate portions in the dark spot element to be repaired are irradiated with laser, the dark spot element may not be lit. It is considered that the reason why the dark spot element that is the target of laser repair does not light is not a short circuit of the electrode due to the inclusion of foreign matter. In such a case, the cause that the dark spot element targeted for laser repair does not emit light may be investigated by another method to restore the dark spot element, or the organic EL display device having the dark spot element targeted for laser repair May be treated as defective.

  Thus, the laser repair method for an EL display device according to the present invention does not require laser irradiation to all short-circuit defect candidate portions in the target organic EL element. In addition, in order to perform laser repair of the short-circuit defect candidate part in the dark spot element to be repaired with the organic EL display device turned on, the laser repair result should be confirmed immediately after the laser irradiation. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number and place of laser irradiation and improve the efficiency of laser repair of the organic EL display device.

  In addition, in step S11, the operator demonstrated that all the organic EL elements which comprise each pixel of an organic EL display apparatus were lighted. However, in step S <b> 11, the operator may turn on the organic EL element for each color constituting each pixel of the organic EL display device to specify the pixel area where the dark spot element exists. In this case, the operator needs to repeat steps S11 to S13 for each color constituting the pixel.

  In the above embodiment, the organic EL display device has been described as a full-color display. However, it goes without saying that the laser repair method according to the present invention may be applied to a black and white display organic EL display device. . In this case, the pixel of the organic EL display device and the organic EL element correspond one-to-one.

  In the above embodiment, an operation for confirming the presence or absence of a pixel having a dark spot element in a state where the organic EL display device is turned on (step S12), or an operation for visually identifying a short-circuit defect candidate portion (step) In S25), the operation (step S28) for confirming whether or not the target pixel emits light after laser irradiation has been described as being performed by the operator. However, the laser repair method for an EL display device according to the present invention can also be realized by an apparatus in which all or part of these procedures are automated.

(Embodiment 2)
Hereinafter, an embodiment of a laser repair device for an EL display device according to the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 7 is a block diagram for explaining an example of the configuration and operation of the laser repair device of the EL display device of the present invention. In the following description, a case where the laser repair device of the present embodiment repairs a full-color organic EL display device will be described.

  First, the configuration of each block of the laser repair device will be described. The laser repair device 30 shown in FIG. 7 includes an analysis unit 31, a short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32, a laser irradiation unit 33, a determination unit 34, a control unit 35, a memory unit 36, a microscope 37, and a camera. 38 and an inspection table (not shown).

  In other words, the analysis unit 31 detects a pixel in which a dark spot element is present and acquires its position information. The short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32 uses the position information 40 of the pixel where the dark spot element is present, the position information 41 of the dark spot element to be repaired with laser, and the position of the short-circuit defect candidate part in the dark spot element. Information 42 is acquired. The laser irradiation unit 33 is movable in parallel to a display surface (hereinafter referred to as an XY plane) of the organic EL display device placed on the inspection table, and based on the position information 42 of the short-circuit defect candidate portion. The short-circuit defect candidate portion is irradiated with a laser. The determination part 34 determines whether the dark spot element after laser irradiation became a lighting element. The control unit 35 determines whether or not the laser irradiation unit 33 repeats laser irradiation on the dark spot element, and controls the laser irradiation unit 33 based on the determination. The memory unit 36 includes reference luminance data 43 for detecting a pixel in which a dark spot element is present, reference image data 44a for detecting a dark spot element, and reference image data 44b for detecting a short-circuit defect candidate part. Are stored. The reference luminance data 43 and the reference image data 44a and 44b will be further described later. The microscope 37 has an imaging function, moves on the XY plane based on the position information 40 of the pixel where the dark spot element exists, and outputs an area including the pixel where the dark spot element exists as the enlarged image data 45. To do. The camera 38 images the display area of the organic EL display device and outputs it as image data 46.

  Next, the operation of each block will be described.

  First, the laser repair device 30 places the organic EL display device 20 to be inspected on an inspection table (not shown), and the organic EL display device 20 to be inspected and the control signal generator 26 (see FIG. 1). Are connected, and all the pixels of the organic EL display device 20 to be inspected are turned on.

  Subsequently, the analysis unit 31 acquires the image data 46 of the display area in a state where all the pixels of the organic EL display device 20 are lit from the camera 38. The memory unit 36 stores in advance standard luminance information at the time of lighting of each pixel of the organic EL display device of the same type as the organic EL display device 20 to be inspected as reference luminance data 43. Acquires the reference luminance data 43 from the memory unit 36.

  Then, the analysis unit 31 uses the acquired image data 46 of the display area and the reference luminance data 43 to detect a pixel in which a dark spot element exists from the difference in luminance, and the position of the pixel in which the dark spot element exists. Information 40 is acquired.

  Next, the operation of the short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32 will be described.

  First, the short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32 acquires the position information 40 of the pixel where the dark spot element exists from the analysis unit 31, and the position information 40 of the pixel where the dark spot element exists in the microscope 37 having an imaging function. Is output. Based on the acquired position information 40 of the pixel where the dark spot element exists, the microscope 37 generates enlarged image data 45 in which at least the area including the pixel where the dark spot element exists is enlarged, and identifies the short-circuit defect candidate portion. To the unit 32.

  Next, the short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32 acquires the reference image data 44a for detecting the dark spot element and the reference image data 44b for detecting the short-circuit defect candidate part from the memory unit 36. The reference image data 44a for detecting the dark spot element is image data of one pixel in a state where all the organic EL elements constituting one pixel are in a normal state and all the organic EL elements emit light. The reference image data 44b for specifying the short-circuit defect candidate portion is image data of one pixel in a state where all the organic EL elements constituting one pixel are in a normal state and all the organic EL elements are not lit.

  Next, the short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32 compares the enlarged image data 45 with the reference image data 44a for detecting the dark spot element, and specifies the dark spot element in the pixel where the dark spot element exists. Specifically, the short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32 compares the enlarged image data 45 with the reference image data 44a for detecting the dark spot element, and determines the difference in luminance in the pixel having a plurality of organic EL elements. An existing dark spot element is specified. Further, the short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32 acquires the position information 41 of the specified dark spot element from the position information 40 of the pixel where the dark spot element exists and the information of the specified dark spot element.

  Next, the short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32 compares the enlarged image data 45 and the reference image data 44b for short-circuit defect candidate part detection to detect a short-circuit defect candidate part. Specifically, the short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32 performs image processing on the specified dark spot element in the enlarged image data 45 and the reference image data 44b for short-circuit defect candidate part detection, and thereby performs a dark spot element. A black dot-shaped region in the inside is specified as a short-circuit defect candidate portion, and position information 42 of the short-circuit defect candidate portion is acquired. As described above, this utilizes the feature that the mixed foreign matter becomes a black dot-like region in the dark spot element.

  Then, the short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32 outputs the number data 47 relating to the number of short-circuit defect candidate parts existing in the dark spot element to be repaired to the control unit 35.

  Next, the operation of the laser irradiation unit 33 will be described.

  The basic function of laser irradiation of the laser irradiation unit 33 is the same as that of the laser irradiation device 27 of FIG. The laser irradiation unit 33 irradiates the short-circuit defect candidate part with laser using the position information 42 of the short-circuit defect candidate part acquired from the short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32.

  Next, the operation of the determination unit 34 will be described.

  First, the determination unit 34 acquires enlarged image data 45a from the microscope 37 each time the laser irradiation unit 33 irradiates a laser to a short-circuit defect candidate portion. And the determination part 34 acquires the information regarding the brightness | luminance of the dark spot element irradiated with the laser using the enlarged image data 45a and the positional information 41 of the dark spot element. That is, the determination unit 34 acquires information on luminance from the enlarged image data 45a of the region including the pixel having the dark spot element after laser irradiation.

  The determination unit 34 stores in advance information related to the reference luminance for each organic EL element present in one pixel. The determination unit 34 determines whether or not the dark spot element has become a lighting element by determining whether or not the brightness of the dark spot element after laser irradiation is equal to or higher than the reference brightness of the corresponding organic EL element from the acquired information on the brightness. Determine.

  Next, the operation of the control unit 35 will be described.

  First, the control unit 35 acquires the determination result 48 from the determination unit 34, and further, from the short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32, the number of all short-circuit defect candidate parts in the dark spot element that is the target of laser irradiation. The number data 47, which is data related to this, is acquired.

  When the determination result 48 indicates that the dark spot element is not yet a lighting element, the control unit 35 sets the short-circuit defect candidate part not irradiated with laser in the dark spot element that is the target of laser irradiation. On the other hand, the laser irradiation unit 33 is instructed to repeat the laser irradiation. On the other hand, if the dark spot element does not become a lighting element even if the short-circuit defect candidate portion in the dark spot element that is the target of laser irradiation is irradiated with the laser, the control section 35 will Thus, no new laser irradiation instruction is given. That is, when the number of times of laser irradiation to the dark spot element that is the target of laser irradiation becomes equal to the number of all short-circuit defect candidate parts in the dark spot element that is the target of laser irradiation, included in the number data 47, The control unit 35 does not instruct the laser irradiation unit 33 to perform new laser irradiation.

  In the laser repair device 30, when the dark spot element becomes a lighting element, or when the control unit 35 does not instruct the laser irradiation part 33 to perform laser irradiation, the dark spot element currently targeted for laser irradiation This completes the laser repair. And when the analysis part 31 detects the other pixel in which a dark spot element exists, the laser repair apparatus 30 repeats said operation | movement.

  When the analysis unit 31 cannot newly detect a pixel in which another dark spot element is present, the laser repair device 30 performs the laser repair operation of the organic EL display device 20 placed on the inspection table (not shown). Exit. When there is another organic EL display device 20 that needs laser repair, the laser repair device 30 replaces the organic EL display device 20 placed on an inspection table (not shown). On the other hand, when there is no other organic EL display device 20 that requires laser repair, the laser repair device 30 removes the organic EL display device 20 from the inspection table (not shown) and ends the laser repair operation.

  As described above, the laser repair device for the EL display device according to the present embodiment can be regarded as an example in which the laser repair method for the EL display device described in Embodiment 1 is automated.

  For example, the operation of the analysis unit 31 for detecting a pixel in which a dark spot element is present corresponds to a work (step S12) in which an operator checks whether or not there is a pixel in which a dark spot element is present from the display area. In addition, the operation of acquiring the position information of the pixel in which the dark spot element is present in the analysis unit 31 is performed sequentially by the operator using the marked mark as a clue to the area where the pixel in which the dark spot element is present. This corresponds to the operation to select (step S23).

  In addition, the work of placing the organic EL display device 20 to be inspected by the laser repair device 30 on the inspection table is performed by applying laser irradiation with a microscope function to one of the organic EL display devices for which the operator has not yet performed the laser repair work. This corresponds to the work (step S21) to be installed in the apparatus.

  The operation of the laser repair device 30 connecting the organic EL display device 20 and the control signal generator 26 and lighting all the pixels of the organic EL display device 20 to be inspected is performed by the operator. Is connected to the organic EL display device 20 and corresponds to the operation of turning on the display area 22 of the organic EL display device 20 (step S22).

  Further, the operation of the microscope 37 corresponds to a work (step S24) in which the operator enlarges and displays the pixels in which the dark spot elements are present in the selected region.

  The operation of the short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 32 corresponds to an operation of specifying a short-circuit defect candidate part while viewing the enlarged screen of the operator (step S25).

  The operation of the determination unit 34 corresponds to an operation (step S28) for confirming whether or not the dark spot element emits light after the operator irradiates the laser. Moreover, the control part 35 controls the operation | movement repeated in step S26-S28.

  In the above embodiment, the laser repair device 30 of the EL display device of the present invention is configured to include the analysis unit 31, the microscope 37, and the camera 38 in the above embodiment. The analysis unit 31 may not be included. In this case, first, an operator visually finds a pixel in which a dark spot element exists as described above, and surrounds an area including the pixel with a marker. Then, the short-circuit defect candidate portion specifying unit 32 acquires the image data 46 of the display area, recognizes the marker, and acquires the position information 40 of the pixel where the dark spot element surrounded by the marker exists.

  Moreover, although the said embodiment demonstrated the case where the laser irradiation part 33 moved on an XY plane based on the positional information 42 of a short circuit defect candidate part, it is not restricted to this, For example, an inspection stand (illustration is shown). The configuration in which the direction of (omitted) is moved in the XY plane may be employed.

  In the above embodiment, the laser repair device of the EL display device of the present invention has been described as performing laser repair of a full-color organic EL display device. Laser repair may be performed. In this case, the pixels of the organic EL display device and the organic EL elements correspond one-to-one.

  Further, in the above embodiment, the laser repair device of the EL display device of the present invention automatically places the organic EL display device 20 to be inspected on the inspection table (not shown) and controls the organic EL display device 20. Although it demonstrated as what connects the signal generator 26, it is not restricted to this, The operation | movement which mounts an organic EL display apparatus on an inspection stand, and the operation | movement which connects an organic EL display apparatus and the control signal generator 26, An operator may do it.

  In the above embodiment, the determination unit 34 has been described as determining whether or not the dark spot element is a lighting element by using information on the reference luminance for each organic EL element present in one pixel. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, it may be configured to determine whether the dark spot element is a lighting element as follows. That is, the determination unit 34 acquires and stores the luminance information of the pixel where the dark spot element to be irradiated with laser exists before the laser irradiation. Next, the determination part 34 memorize | stores the luminance information of the pixel in which the dark spot element of laser irradiation object exists after a laser irradiation by the method similar to the above. Specifically, the determination unit 34 acquires the enlarged image data 45 and 45a from the microscope 37 before and after the laser irradiation, and uses the acquired enlarged image data and the position information 41 of the dark spot element to present the dark spot element. The luminance information of the pixel to be stored is stored. The determination unit 34 compares the luminance information of the pixel where the dark spot element exists before the laser irradiation and the luminance information of the pixel where the dark spot element after the laser irradiation exists. If the luminance of the pixel in which the dark spot element after laser irradiation is present is higher than the luminance of the pixel in which the dark spot element before laser irradiation is present, the determination unit 34 determines that the dark spot element has become a lighting element. .

  Finally, the principle of restoring the dark spot element by laser irradiation will be briefly described.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of the organic EL element 1 having a short-circuit defect. FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram showing a cross section of the organic EL element 1 after laser repair.

  The organic EL element 1 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 includes a transparent electrode 2, an organic EL layer 3, an electrode 4, a partition wall 5, an insulating film 6, a sealing substrate 7, and a switching element 9. The organic EL element 1 has a configuration in which the glass substrate side on which the switching element 9 is formed serves as a display surface.

  As shown in FIG. 8, in the organic EL element 1, the transparent electrode 2 and the light-shielding electrode 4 are short-circuited as a result of foreign matters 8 being mixed when forming the organic EL layer 3. Therefore, the organic EL element 1 cannot emit light because no current flows through the organic EL layer 3. The short-circuit defect portion 10 corresponds to a portion where the transparent electrode 2 and the electrode 4 are short-circuited and a portion where foreign matter 8 is mixed (a portion surrounded by a one-dot chain line).

  In order to eliminate the short-circuit state between the transparent electrode 2 and the electrode 4, the short-circuit defect portion 10 of the organic EL element 1 is irradiated with a laser from the display surface side (the direction indicated by the dotted arrow in FIG. 8) of the organic EL element 1. . The laser irradiated to the short-circuit defect portion 10 from the display surface side of the organic EL element 1 passes through the glass substrate on which the switching element 9 is formed and the transparent electrode 2. When the energy of the laser is absorbed by the organic EL layer 3, the foreign matter 8, and the electrode 4 near the short-circuit defect portion 10, the organic EL layer 3, the foreign matter 8 and the electrode 4 (short-circuit defect portion 10) evaporate, Removed.

  As a result, the portion where the short-circuit defect portion 10 is removed becomes a cavity. Moreover, a part of the removed short-circuit defect portion 10 may reattach to the transparent electrode 2 and the electrode 4 or may be scattered as a small lump. However, in the configuration of the organic EL display device shown in FIG. 8, the transparent electrode 2 and the electrode 4 are not short-circuited again by the reattached foreign matter or the small lump.

  As a result of removing the short-circuit defect portion 10 in the organic EL element 1, the short-circuit state between the transparent electrode 2 and the electrode 4 is eliminated. As a result, the organic EL element 1 can emit light when a current flows through the organic EL layer 3.

  In addition, the foreign material 8 shown in FIG. 8 is shown in an enlarged state for explanation. Actually, the ratio of the area of the short-circuit defect portion 10 including the foreign material 8 to the light emitting area of the organic EL element is very small. Therefore, even if the short-circuit defect portion 10 is removed by laser repair, the light emission luminance of the organic EL element 1 is hardly affected.

  In the above-described principle that the dark spot element is restored, the case where the glass substrate side on which the switching element 9 is formed is the display surface of the organic EL element 1 has been described as an example. The principle of restoring the dark spot element described above can be similarly applied to the organic EL element having the display surface on the side. In the case of an organic EL element in which the surface on the sealing substrate 7 side is a display surface, the electrode formed at the position of the transparent electrode 2 is formed of a light-shielding material, and the electrode formed at the position of the electrode 4 is It will be formed of a transparent material.

  In this way, by irradiating the laser with the short-circuit defect portion of the organic EL element, it becomes possible to restore the organic EL element that cannot be turned on.

  The program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute the functions of all or part of the above-described laser repair device of the EL display device of the present invention, and operates in cooperation with the computer. It is.

  The recording medium of the present invention is a recording medium on which a program for causing a computer to execute all or a part of the operations of all or part of the above-described laser repair device of the EL display device of the present invention is recorded. A recording medium that is readable by a computer and in which the read program executes the operation in cooperation with the computer.

  The “part of means” of the present invention means one or several means out of the plurality of means, and the “function of the means” of the present invention means the above means. Means all or part of the function.

  Further, one usage form of the program of the present invention may be an aspect in which the program is recorded on a recording medium such as a ROM readable by a computer and operates in cooperation with the computer.

  Also, one use form of the program of the present invention may be an aspect in which the program is transmitted through a transmission medium such as the Internet or a transmission medium such as light, radio wave, or sound wave, read by a computer, and operates in cooperation with the computer. good.

  The computer of the present invention described above is not limited to pure hardware such as a CPU, and may include firmware, an OS, and peripheral devices.

  As described above, the configuration of the present invention may be realized by software or hardware.

  EL display device laser repair method, EL display device laser repair device, program, and recording medium according to the present invention can reduce the number of times and place of laser irradiation, and can efficiently reduce the laser display method of EL display device As an effect, it is possible to provide a laser repair device, a program, and a recording medium for an EL display device. As a laser repair method for an EL display device, a laser repair device for an EL display device, a program, a recording medium, and the like Useful.

The figure which shows the apparatus used with the laser repair method of the EL display apparatus which concerns on this invention The flowchart which shows the outline of the procedure of the laser repair method of the EL display apparatus which concerns on this invention. The flowchart which shows the detailed procedure of the process which pinpoints the pixel in which a dark spot element exists. Flow chart showing detailed procedure of laser repair process Schematic diagram showing a state where a mark is attached to an area where a pixel having a dark spot element exists (A) Schematic diagram showing a state in which a pixel having a dark spot element is enlarged and displayed, (b) A diagram showing a state in which a short-circuit defect candidate portion 14 in the green element 12 is irradiated with a laser, (c) a green element The figure which shows the state which irradiated the laser to the short circuit defect candidate part 15 in 12, the figure which shows the state in which the (d) green element 12 was lighted Block diagram of a laser repair device for an EL display device according to the present invention The schematic diagram showing the cross section of the organic EL element 1 which has the short circuit defect part 10. The schematic diagram showing the cross section of the organic EL element 1 after irradiating a laser

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Organic EL element 2 Transparent electrode 3 Organic EL layer 4 Electrode 5 Partition wall 6 Insulating film 7 Sealing substrate 8 Foreign substance 9 Switching element 10 Short-circuit defect part 11 Red element 12 Green element 13 Blue element 14, 15, 16 Short-circuit defect candidate part 14 ', 15' Laser irradiation portion 20 Organic EL display device 22 Display areas 22a, 22b, 22c Pixels 23a, 23b, 23c where dark spot elements are present Mark 24 Test inspection circuit 25 Control signal input terminal 26 Control signal generator 27 Laser Irradiation device 30 Laser repair device 31 Analysis unit 32 Short-circuit defect candidate part specifying unit 33 Laser irradiation unit 34 Determination unit 35 Control unit 36 Memory unit 37 Microscope 38 Camera 40 Pixel position information 41 Dark spot element position information 42 Short-circuit defect candidate part Position information 43 Reference luminance data 44a Reference image data 44b for dark spot element detection Short-circuit defect candidates Partial detection reference image data 45, 45a Enlarged image data 46 Display area image data 47 Number data 48 Determination result

Claims (9)

Illuminating a pixel of an EL display device, and when a dark spot element is present in the lit pixel, identifying a pixel in which the dark spot element is present; and
Identifying a possible defect in a pixel in which the dark spot element is present; and
Irradiating a laser on the portion having the possibility of defect while lighting the pixel of the EL display device in which the portion having the possibility of the defect is specified,
A laser repair method for an EL display device, wherein the laser irradiation step is repeated until the dark spot element is turned on or a predetermined number of times.   The laser repair method for an EL display device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of times is the number of portions having the possibility of the defect.   3. The step of identifying a pixel in which the dark spot element is present, wherein a region in which the pixel in which the dark spot element exists is present is marked with a mark that is visible to the EL display device. Laser display method for EL display device.   3. The laser repair method for an EL display device according to claim 1, wherein, in the step of identifying the portion having the possibility of the defect, the position of the foreign matter mixed in the dark spot element is identified using a microscope.   3. The laser repair method for an EL display device according to claim 1, wherein in the step of specifying the pixel, when the pixel is turned on, all the EL elements of the EL display device are turned on.   In the step of specifying the pixel, when the pixel is turned on, an EL element corresponding to only one of red, green, and blue EL elements constituting each pixel of the EL display device is provided. The laser repair method for an EL display device according to claim 1, wherein the light is sequentially turned on for each color. The position information of the pixel of the EL display device in which the dark spot element is present is acquired, the image information of the pixel is acquired based on the acquired position information, and the image information of the acquired pixel and the reference that has in advance A defect candidate part specifying unit that compares image information and specifies position information of a part having a possibility of a defect from the comparison result;
A laser irradiation unit configured to irradiate a laser with a portion having a possibility of a defect based on position information of the portion having a possibility of a defect while turning on a pixel of the EL display device;
A determination unit that acquires information on the luminance of the pixel after the laser irradiation and determines whether the dark spot element is a lighting element;
A laser repair device for an EL display device, comprising: a control unit that controls whether to repeat the laser irradiation on the laser irradiation unit based on a determination result of the determination unit and a predetermined criterion. The EL display device laser repair device according to claim 7,
The position information of the pixel of the EL display device in which the dark spot element is present is acquired, the image information of the pixel is acquired based on the acquired position information, and the image information of the acquired pixel and the reference that has in advance A defect candidate part specifying unit that compares image information and specifies position information of a part that may be a defect from the comparison result,
A determination unit that acquires information on the luminance of the pixel after the laser irradiation and determines whether the dark spot element is a lighting element,
A program for causing a computer to function as a control unit that controls whether or not the laser irradiation unit repeats the laser irradiation based on a determination result of the determination unit and a predetermined criterion.   A recording medium on which the program according to claim 8 is recorded, wherein the recording medium can be processed by a computer.

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