JP2012084474A - Organic el device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an inexpensive organic EL device high in wiring connection strength and improved in connectivity with an external power source.SOLUTION: An organic EL device includes: a substrate 10; a first electrode layer 12 arranged on the substrate 10; an organic EL layer 14 arranged on the first electrode layer 12; a second electrode layer 16 arranged on the organic EL layer 14; a stepped sealing glass substrate 20, arranged on the first electrode layer 12 and sealing the organic EL layer 14 and the second electrode layer 16; and a first terminal electrode 22 arranged between the stepped sealing glass substrate 20 and the first electrode layer 12 via a conductive paste 24.

Description

  The present invention relates to an organic EL device, and more particularly to an organic EL device that improves connectivity with an external power source.

  In recent years, display devices and illumination devices using organic EL (EL) elements as organic light emitting elements have been developed for practical use.

  Since the organic EL element is significantly deteriorated by moisture, it needs to be moisture-proof. For this reason, the organic EL element mounted on the substrate is sealed with a sealing plate or the like. As a method for sealing the organic EL element, for example, the substrate surface on which the organic EL element is mounted is sealed with a sealing can through a sealing material, and the sealed internal space is filled with a gas such as an inert gas. Hollow sealing techniques are known. Alternatively, a liquid sealing technique is known in which a substrate surface on which an organic EL element is mounted is sealed with a sealing can through a sealing material, and the sealed internal space is filled with a filler made of a liquid such as silicone oil. Yes. Also known is a solid sealing technology in which a fluid sealing agent such as resin is applied to the substrate surface, and a glass plate or the like is stacked and the sealing agent is cured and sealed by a method such as UV light irradiation or heating. It has been.

  Conventionally, an organic EL display panel in which a wire is used as a lead wire and a power source is connected to the organic EL element is known.

  In addition, in an assembly of an organic EL display panel, a connection method in which a connector is accommodated in a step space at the peripheral edge of the organic EL display panel has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In addition, in electronic devices, a connection method using a connector with a fine dimension has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 2).

JP 2006-243322 A JP 2002-373779 A

  When wiring is externally mounted on the organic EL device, it is necessary to perform soldering on the transparent electrode (ITO electrode) surface. However, soldering to the ITO electrode surface is very bad. For this reason, the only solder forming method is ultrasonic soldering. Further, there is a problem that the wiring can be easily detached after the soldering operation.

  Further, there is a method of using an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) instead of the wire, but ACF is expensive.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an organic EL device that is inexpensive, has high connection strength, and improves connectivity with an external power source.

  According to one aspect of the present invention, a substrate, a first electrode layer disposed on the substrate, an organic EL layer disposed on the first electrode layer, and a first electrode disposed on the organic EL layer A stepped sealing glass substrate disposed on the first electrode layer and sealing the organic EL layer and the second electrode layer; the stepped sealing glass substrate; and the first electrode layer. An organic EL device including a first terminal electrode disposed via a conductive paste is provided.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an organic EL device that is inexpensive, has high connection strength, and improves connectivity with an external power source.

(A) The typical plane pattern block diagram of the organic electroluminescent apparatus which concerns on a comparative example, (b) The typical cross-section figure along the II line | wire of Fig.1 (a). (A) A schematic plane pattern configuration diagram of an organic EL device according to a comparative example in which a cathode wiring and an anode wiring are connected to a cathode electrode and an anode electrode, respectively, (b) a schematic diagram taken along line II-II in FIG. FIG. The typical plane pattern block diagram of the organic electroluminescent apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view taken along line III-III in FIG. 3. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of an element portion of an organic EL device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional structure diagram of a configuration including a hook electrode in the organic EL device according to the embodiment of the present invention, which is a schematic cross-sectional structure taken along line IV-IV in FIG. 3. The organic EL device concerning an embodiment of the invention WHEREIN: The typical section construction figure of composition provided with a hinge electrode. In the organic EL device according to the embodiment of the present invention, (a) a schematic plane pattern configuration diagram of a dipole electrode structure, (b) a schematic plane pattern configuration diagram of a quadrupole electrode structure, (c) an octupole electrode structure FIG.

  Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description of the drawings, the same or similar parts are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. However, it should be noted that the drawings are schematic, and the relationship between the thickness and the planar dimensions, the ratio of the thickness of each layer, and the like are different from the actual ones. Therefore, specific thicknesses and dimensions should be determined in consideration of the following description. Moreover, it is a matter of course that portions having different dimensional relationships and ratios are included between the drawings.

  Further, the embodiments described below exemplify apparatuses and methods for embodying the technical idea of the present invention, and the embodiments of the present invention include the material, shape, structure, The layout is not specified as follows. Various modifications can be made to the embodiment of the present invention within the scope of the claims.

[Comparative example]
A schematic planar pattern configuration of the organic EL device 1a according to the comparative example is expressed as shown in FIG. 1A, and a schematic cross-sectional structure taken along line II in FIG. 1A is shown in FIG. ).

  Moreover, the schematic plane pattern configuration of the organic EL device 1a according to the comparative example in which the cathode wirings KL1 to KJL4 and the anode wirings AL1 to AL4 are connected to the cathode electrodes K1 to K4 and the anode electrodes A1 to A4, respectively, is shown in FIG. ) And a schematic cross-sectional structure taken along line II-II in FIG. 2A is expressed as shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the organic EL device 1a according to the comparative example is disposed on the substrate 100, the transparent electrode layer 120 disposed on the substrate 100, and the transparent electrode layer 120. The organic EL layer 140, the cathode electrode layer 160 disposed on the organic EL layer 140, and the sealing substrate 200 that seals the element portion through the hollow portion 230 are provided.

  As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the organic EL device 1a according to the comparative example includes a plurality of anode electrodes A1 to A4 and cathode electrodes K1 to K4. The wirings AL1 to AL4 and the cathode wirings KL1 to KL4 are connected.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the cathode wirings KL1 to KJL4 and the anode wirings AL1 to AL4 are respectively connected to the cathode electrodes K1 to K4 and the anode electrodes A1 to A4, for example, by ultrasonic soldering. Connected by attaching technology. As shown in FIG. 2B, for example, the anode wiring AL1 is connected to the transparent electrode layer 120 via the solder layer 36A by an ultrasonic soldering technique.

[Embodiment]
(Organic EL device)
A schematic plane pattern configuration of the organic EL device 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention is expressed as shown in FIG. 3, and a schematic cross-sectional structure taken along line III-III in FIG. 3 is shown in FIG. expressed.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the organic EL device 1 according to the embodiment includes a substrate 10, a first electrode layer 12 disposed on the substrate 10, and an organic disposed on the first electrode layer 12. The EL layer 14, the second electrode layer 16 disposed on the organic EL layer 14, and the first electrode layer 12, and the organic EL layer 14 and the second electrode layer 16 are sealed through the hollow portion 23. A stepped sealing glass substrate 20 to be stopped, and a first terminal electrode 22 disposed via a conductive paste 24 between the stepped sealing glass substrate 20 and the first electrode layer 12 are provided.

  Here, the first terminal electrode 22 may include a connector 33 as shown in FIG. That is, in the organic EL device 1 according to the embodiment, the shape of the first terminal electrode 22 portion that is external to the organic EL device panel is processed into the shape of the connector 33 that matches the commercially available connector. Can expand the nature.

  Moreover, the 1st terminal electrode 22 may be provided with the hanging hole 34, as shown in FIG.

That is, in the organic EL device according to the embodiment, the shape of the first terminal electrode 22 portion that is outside the organic EL device panel is processed to form the hanging hole 34, and the organic EL device panel is hung as it is. It is possible to make full use of the characteristics as a thin lighting fixture.

  In the organic EL device 1 according to the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the substrate 10 may have a quadrangular shape, and the first electrode layer 12 may be disposed so as to extend on four sides of the quadrangular shape. . That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the first terminal electrodes 22A1, 22A2, 22A3, and 22A4 are connected to the anode electrodes A1, A2, A3, and A4 arranged on the four sides of the quadrangle. As shown in FIG. 4, these connection methods are such that the first terminal electrodes 22A1, 22A2, 22A3, and 22A4 are placed between the stepped sealing glass substrate 20 and the first electrode layer 12 with a conductive paste 24 interposed therebetween. Done by placing.

  In the organic EL device 1 according to the embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the substrate 10 has a quadrangular shape, and the second electrode layer 16 may be arranged to extend to the four corners of the quadrangular shape. good. That is, as shown in FIG. 3, the second terminal electrodes 28K1, 28K2, 28K3, and 28K4 are connected to the cathode electrodes K1, K2, K3, and K4 disposed at the four corners of the quadrangular shape, respectively. As in FIG. 4, these connection methods are performed using a conductive paste 24 between the stepped sealing glass substrate 20 and the second electrode layer 16 arranged to extend to the four corners of the quadrangular shape. This is done by arranging the second terminal electrodes 28K1, 28K2, 28K3, and 28K4.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first terminal electrodes 22A1, 22A2, 22A3, and 22A4 and the second terminal electrodes 28K1, 28K2, 28K3, and 28K4 are made of organic EL by the stepped sealing glass substrate 20 and the conductive paste 24. It can be firmly held against the apparatus main body.

  For the conductive paste 24, for example, an Ag-based paste material that can be cured by ultraviolet irradiation or thermal processing can be applied.

  The first terminal electrodes 22A1, 22A2, 22A3, 22A4 and the second terminal electrodes 28K1, 28K2, 28K3, and 28K4 can be formed of aluminum, chromium, titanium, stainless steel, an aluminum alloy, a chromium alloy, a titanium alloy, or the like. .

  In FIG. 4, the distance W1 between the end of the stepped sealing glass substrate 20 and the leg portion 20L of the stepped sealing glass substrate 20 is, for example, about 3 mm. The thickness D1 from the surface of the substrate 10 to the upper surface of the stepped sealing glass substrate 20 is about 0.7 mm. Further, the thickness D2 of the stepped sealing glass substrate 20 on the hollow portion 23 is about 0.35 mm, and the thickness D3 of the hollow portion is about 0.35 mm.

  Since the organic EL device 1 according to the embodiment is configured such that light is emitted from the substrate 10 side, the substrate 10 is a transparent substrate that transmits light. Examples of the material of the substrate 10 include glass. The thickness is preferably about 0.1 to 1.1 mm, for example. The substrate 10 can be made flexible by using a transparent resin such as polycarbonate or polyethylene terephthalate.

  The anode electrode layer 12 is capable of transmitting light and is made of a transparent electrode made of ITO (indium-tin oxide) having a thickness of, for example, about 150 to 160 nm.

  A schematic cross-sectional structure of an element portion of the organic EL device 1 according to the embodiment is expressed as shown in FIG.

  In the organic EL layer 14, a hole transport layer 32, a light emitting unit (not shown), and an electron transport layer 31 are sequentially stacked from the substrate 10 side.

  The hole transport layer 32 is for smoothly transporting the holes injected from the anode electrode layer 12 to the light emitting part. For example, NPB (N, N-di (naphthalyl)) having a thickness of about 60 nm is used. -N, N-diphenyl-benzylidene).

The electron transport layer 31 is for smoothly transporting electrons injected from the cathode electrode layer 16 to the light emitting portion, and is made of, for example, Alq ₃ (aluminum quinolinol complex) having a thickness of about 35 nm.

The light emitting portion is for emitting light by recombination of injected holes and electrons. For example, about 1% of a coumarin compound (C545T) which is a light emitting species is doped, and the thickness is about 30 nm. consisting of Alq _3.

  The organic EL layer 14 may be configured using a layer other than the hole transport layer 32 and the electron transport layer 31, for example, a hole injection layer, an electron injection layer, or the like.

  The cathode electrode layer 16 has a thickness of, for example, about 150 nm and is made of, for example, aluminum.

  The operation of the organic EL device 1 according to the embodiment is as follows.

  First, a constant voltage is applied between the anode electrode layer 12 and the cathode electrode layer 16 of the organic EL device 1. Thereby, holes are injected from the anode electrode layer 12 into the light emitting part through the hole transport layer 32, and electrons are injected from the cathode electrode layer 16 into the light emitting part through the electron transport layer 31. Light is emitted by recombination of holes and electrons injected into the light emitting portion. The emitted light is emitted to the outside through the substrate 10.

(Hook electrode configuration)
In the organic EL device 1 according to the embodiment, a schematic cross-sectional structure along the IV-IV line in FIG. 3 and including the hook electrode 26 is expressed as shown in FIG.

  That is, in the organic EL device 1 according to the embodiment, the shape of the first terminal electrode 22 portion that is outside the organic EL device panel is processed and the hook electrode 26 is provided, so that the organic EL device panel is hung as it is. It is possible to make full use of the characteristics as a thin lighting fixture.

(Hinge electrode configuration)
In the organic EL device 1 according to the embodiment, a schematic cross-sectional structure including hinge electrodes 25a and 25b movable in the hinge portion 25c is expressed as shown in FIG.

  That is, in the organic EL device 1 according to the embodiment, by processing the shape of the first terminal electrode 22 portion which is the outside of the organic EL device panel, and by providing hinge electrodes 25a and 25b movable in the hinge portion 25c. It is possible to make full use of the characteristics as a thin lighting fixture, such as assembling the organic EL device panel into an arbitrary three-dimensional shape.

  In the embodiment, an organic EL panel having an 8-pole structure in which a square is a basic pattern, an anode electrode is taken out from four sides, and a cathode electrode is taken out from four corners is mainly disclosed. However, these electrode structures are limited to eight poles. Instead, as described above, a two-pole or four-pole structure may be used. That is, in the organic EL device according to the embodiment, a typical planar pattern configuration example of the bipolar electrode structure is shown in FIG. 8A, in which the anode electrode A and the cathode electrode K are arranged on the opposite sides of the square. Can be arranged.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 8B, a typical planar pattern configuration example of a quadrupole electrode structure is such that anode electrodes A1 and A2 are arranged on opposing sides of a quadrangle, and other opposing sides of a quadrilateral. Cathode electrodes K1 and K2 can be disposed on the substrate.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 8C, a typical planar pattern configuration example of the octupole electrode structure is arranged such that anode electrodes A1, A2, A3, and A4 are arranged on four sides of a square, and cathodes are formed on four corners of a quadrangle. Electrodes K1, K2, K3, K4 can be arranged. Further, a multi-electrode structure having eight or more electrodes may be employed according to the basic pattern of the organic EL panel.

  According to the organic EL device according to the embodiment of the present invention, it is not necessary to apply an ultrasonic soldering technique that is weak in strength and difficult to perform, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an organic EL device panel that can be easily connected to a commercially available product by providing a connector that reduces wiring disconnection, reduces the number of manufacturing steps, and is compatible with a commercially available connector. Can do.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an organic EL device that is inexpensive, has high connection strength, and improves connectivity with an external power source.

(Other embodiments)
As described above, the present invention has been described according to the embodiment. However, it should not be understood that the description and drawings constituting a part of this disclosure limit the present invention. From this disclosure, various alternative embodiments, examples and operational techniques will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

  In the embodiments, the organic EL panel having a planar structure having a quadrangle as a basic pattern has been mainly disclosed. However, the organic EL panel body is not limited thereto, and the organic EL panel body has a cylindrical structure, a spherical structure, a fullerene structure, or the like. May be. The basic pattern of the organic EL panel is not limited to a quadrangle, and may be a pentagon, hexagon, polygon, circle, ellipse, or a combination pattern thereof. The organic EL panel may be arranged as a pattern structure such as a Penrose tile.

  As described above, the present invention naturally includes various embodiments not described herein. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention is defined only by the invention specifying matters according to the scope of claims reasonable from the above description.

  The organic EL device of the present invention is applicable to fields such as an organic EL display, an organic EL lighting panel, and an FED (Field Emission Display) lighting panel.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Organic EL apparatus 10 ... Board | substrate 12 ... 1st electrode layer (anode electrode layer, transparent electrode layer)
14 ... Organic EL layer 16 ... Second electrode layer (cathode electrode layer)
20 ... Stepped sealing glass substrate 20L ... Stepped sealing glass substrate legs 22, 22A1, 22A2, 22A3, 22A4 ... First terminal electrode 23 ... Hollow portion 24 ... Conductive paste 25a, 25b ... Hinge electrode 25c ... Hinge part 26 ... Hook electrode 28, 28K1, 28K2, 28K3, 28K4 ... Second terminal electrode 31 ... Electron transport layer 32 ... Hole transport layer 33 ... Connector 34 ... Suspension holes A, A1, A2, A3, A4 ... Anode Electrodes K, K1, K2, K3, K4 ... Cathode electrodes

Claims (8)

A substrate,
A first electrode layer disposed on the substrate;
An organic EL layer disposed on the first electrode layer;
A second electrode layer disposed on the organic EL layer;
A stepped sealing glass substrate disposed on the first electrode layer and sealing the organic EL layer and the second electrode layer;
An organic EL device comprising: a first terminal electrode disposed via a conductive paste between the stepped sealing glass substrate and the first electrode layer.   The organic EL device according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal electrode includes a connector.   The organic EL device according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal electrode includes a hook electrode.   The organic EL device according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal electrode includes a hanging hole.   The organic EL device according to claim 1, wherein the first terminal electrode includes a hinge electrode.   2. The organic EL device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate has a quadrangular shape, and the first electrode layer is disposed to extend on four sides of the quadrangular shape.   The organic EL device according to claim 6, wherein the second electrode layer is disposed to extend to four corners of the quadrangular shape.   2. A second terminal electrode is disposed between the stepped sealing glass substrate and the second electrode layer disposed at the four corners of the quadrangular shape via a conductive paste. 8. The organic EL device according to 7.

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