JP2012209095A - Display device and manufacturing method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A display device capable of suppressing unevenness in a screen due to nonuniformity of a power supply voltage and suppressing an influence on a quality defect such as a non-light emitting point, and a manufacturing method thereof.
A plurality of first electrodes provided in a display area of a substrate, an auxiliary electrode provided in an inter-electrode area between the plurality of first electrodes, and an outline of the auxiliary electrode in the inter-electrode area. An organic layer including a light-emitting layer, an upper surface of the organic layer, and an auxiliary layer that are provided along a part of the barrier rib, are provided in the display region, and exposes a side surface along the auxiliary electrode of the barrier rib and an upper surface of the auxiliary electrode. A display device comprising: a second electrode provided on an upper surface of the electrode.
[Selection] Figure 11

Description

  The present disclosure relates to a display device having an organic EL (Electroluminescence) element and a manufacturing method thereof.

  The organic EL element has a configuration in which a first electrode, an organic layer including a light emitting layer, and a second electrode are sequentially stacked on a substrate. Examples of the method for forming the organic layer include a method in which red, green, and blue light emitting layers are separately deposited using a deposition mask provided with an opening for each pixel, and a method in which the entire effective display pixel region is opened. There is a method in which red, green and blue light emitting layers are laminated using a mask. In the display devices that are required to have high resolution and improved aperture ratio, the latter method will be the mainstream in the future.

  In the method of laminating a plurality of light emitting layers, since the organic layer is provided in common to all organic EL elements, the power supply voltage is supplied to the second electrode only in the contact region around the display region. For this reason, the electrical resistance of the second electrode becomes high near the center of the display area, and a sufficient power supply voltage is not supplied, resulting in unevenness in the screen and lowering the display quality. In particular, as the size of the display device increases, this problem becomes prominent.

  For example, in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, an auxiliary electrode is provided for each organic EL element, an organic layer is deposited, an organic layer on the auxiliary electrode is removed using a laser, and the second electrode, the auxiliary electrode, A method for securing the electrical connection of the device has been proposed.

JP 2005-11810 A JP 2009-283396 A

  However, in the conventional methods described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, the organic matter removed by the laser becomes dust, and there is a concern about the influence on quality defects such as dark spots (non-light emitting points). .

  An object of the present disclosure is to provide a display device and a method for manufacturing the same that can suppress unevenness in a screen due to non-uniform power supply voltage and can suppress the influence on quality defects such as non-light emitting points.

A display device according to the present disclosure includes the following components (A) to (E).
(A) A plurality of first electrodes provided in the display area of the substrate (B) An auxiliary electrode provided in an interelectrode area between the plurality of first electrodes (C) An outline of the auxiliary electrode in the interelectrode area Of the organic layer (E) including the light emitting layer, which is provided in the partition (D) display region provided along a part of the surface and exposes the side surface of the partition along the auxiliary electrode and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode. Second electrode provided on upper surface and upper surface of auxiliary electrode

  In the display device of the present disclosure, the organic layer exposes the side surface along the auxiliary electrode of the partition wall and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode, and the second electrode is provided on the upper surface of the organic layer and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode. Therefore, the second electrode and the auxiliary electrode are electrically connected on the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode, and unevenness in the screen due to nonuniform power supply voltage is suppressed.

A manufacturing method of a display device according to the present disclosure includes the following steps (A) to (E).
(A) A step of forming a plurality of first electrodes in the display region of the substrate (B) A step of forming an auxiliary electrode in the inter-electrode region between the plurality of first electrodes (C) A step of forming the auxiliary electrode in the inter-electrode region Step (D) of forming a partition wall along a part of the outer shape line. In the display region, an organic layer including a light emitting layer is formed by oblique deposition, and the side surface along the auxiliary electrode of the partition wall and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode are formed on the organic layer. (E) forming the second electrode on the upper surface of the organic layer, and covering the regions exposed from the organic layer of the partition walls and the auxiliary electrode with the second electrode

  According to the display device of the present disclosure, the organic layer exposes the side surface along the auxiliary electrode of the partition wall and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode, and the second electrode is provided on the upper surface of the organic layer and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode. ing. Therefore, it is possible to electrically connect the second electrode and the auxiliary electrode on the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode, and to suppress unevenness in the screen due to nonuniform power supply voltage.

  According to the manufacturing method of the display device of the present disclosure, the organic layer including the light emitting layer is formed in the display region by the oblique deposition method, and the side surface along the auxiliary electrode of the partition wall and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode are exposed from the organic layer. After that, the second electrode is formed on the upper surface of the organic layer, and the regions exposed from the organic layer of the partition walls and the auxiliary electrode are covered with the second electrode. Therefore, it is possible to electrically connect the second electrode and the auxiliary electrode on the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode, and to suppress unevenness in the screen due to nonuniform power supply voltage. Further, since the organic layer is not formed on the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode, it is not necessary to remove the organic layer on the auxiliary electrode using a laser. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the influence on quality defects such as non-light emitting points caused by organic dust removed by the laser.

It is a figure showing the structure of the display apparatus which concerns on one embodiment of this indication. It is a figure showing an example of the pixel drive circuit shown in FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of a display area illustrated in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a part of FIG. 3 in an enlarged manner. It is sectional drawing in the VV line of FIG. It is sectional drawing in the VI-VI line of FIG. FIG. 4 is a perspective view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a manufacturing method of the display device illustrated in FIG. 3 in order of steps. FIG. 8 is a perspective view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a process following FIG. 7. FIG. 9 is a perspective view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a process following FIG. 8. It is a figure for demonstrating the height of the partition shown in FIG. FIG. 10 is a perspective view and a cross-sectional view illustrating a process following FIG. 9. 10 is an enlarged plan view showing a part of a display area in a display device according to modification example 1. FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of a display area in a display device according to modification example 2. FIG. 14 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of a display area in a display device according to modification example 3. FIG. 14 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of a display area in a display device according to modification example 4. FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of a display area in a display device according to Modification Example 5. FIG. 14 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of a display area in a display device according to modification example 6. FIG. It is a top view showing schematic structure of the module containing the display apparatus of the said embodiment. It is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the application example 1 of the display apparatus of the said embodiment. (A) is a perspective view showing the external appearance seen from the front side of the application example 2, (B) is a perspective view showing the external appearance seen from the back side. 12 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of application example 3. FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating an appearance of application example 4. FIG. (A) is a front view of the application example 5 in an open state, (B) is a side view thereof, (C) is a front view in a closed state, (D) is a left side view, and (E) is a right side view, (F) is a top view and (G) is a bottom view.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. The description will be given in the following order.
1. Embodiment (Example in which a set of auxiliary electrode and partition is provided for each pixel)
2. Modification 1 (Example in which the partition wall has a rectangular shape on three sides)
3. Modification 2 (example in which a set of auxiliary electrodes and partition walls are provided for each sub-pixel)
4). Modification 3 (example in which a set of auxiliary electrodes and partition walls are provided in the region between the rows of the first electrodes for each pixel)
5. Modification 4 (example in which a set of auxiliary electrodes and partition walls are provided in the region between the rows of the first electrodes for each sub-pixel)
6). Modification 5 (Example in which a set of auxiliary electrodes and partition walls is provided for each pixel in the region between the columns of the first electrodes)
7). Modification 6 (example in which a set of auxiliary electrodes and partition walls are provided in the region between the first electrode columns for each sub-pixel)

  FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This display device is used for an organic EL television device or the like. For example, a display in which a plurality of organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B described later are arranged in a matrix on a substrate 11 such as glass. An area 110 is provided. Around the display area 110, a signal line driving circuit 120 and a scanning line driving circuit 130, which are drivers for displaying images, are provided.

  A pixel drive circuit 140 is provided in the display area 110. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of the pixel driving circuit 140. The pixel drive circuit 140 is an active drive circuit provided below the first electrode 20 described later. The pixel drive circuit 140 is, for example, in series with the drive transistor Tr1 between the drive transistor Tr1 and the write transistor Tr2, the capacitor (holding capacitor) Cs, and the first power supply line (Vcc) and the second power supply line (GND). The organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B are connected to each other. One electrode of the capacitor Cs is connected between the drive transistor Tr1 and the write transistor Tr2, and the other electrode is connected between the drive transistor Tr1 and the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B.

  In the pixel driving circuit 140, a plurality of signal lines 120A are arranged in the column direction, and a plurality of scanning lines 130A are arranged in the row direction. An intersection between each signal line 120A and each scanning line 130A corresponds to one of the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B (sub-pixel). Each signal line 120A is connected to the signal line drive circuit 120, and an image signal is supplied from the signal line drive circuit 120 to the source electrode of the write transistor Tr2 via the signal line 120A. Each scanning line 130A is connected to the scanning line driving circuit 130, and a scanning signal is sequentially supplied from the scanning line driving circuit 130 to the gate electrode of the writing transistor Tr2 via the scanning line 130A.

  FIG. 3 shows a plan configuration of a part of the display area 110 shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 shows an enlarged part of FIG. In the display area 110 of the substrate 11, the first electrodes 20 of the plurality of organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B are arranged in a matrix and spaced apart from each other. The first electrode 20 has a rectangular shape that is long in one direction, and the first electrodes 20 of the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B of different colors are sequentially arranged in the row direction parallel to the short side. The first electrodes 20 of the organic EL elements 10R (or 10G, 10B) of the same color are arranged in the column direction parallel to the long side.

  Three adjacent organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B constitute one pixel 10, and each organic EL element 10R, 10G, and 10B constitute one subpixel. The pitch (center-to-center distance) p in the row direction of the pixels 10 is, for example, 228 μm when the diagonal dimension is 40 inches. An interval L1 in the row direction of the first electrodes 20 is, for example, about 30 μm, and an interval L2 in the column direction is, for example, about 50 μm to 60 μm.

  The first electrode 20 is provided for each of the plurality of organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B. The first electrode 20 has, for example, a structure in which a titanium (Ti) layer having a thickness of about 50 nm and an Al—Nd alloy layer having a thickness of about 350 nm are stacked in this order from the substrate 11 side, and is generated in the light emitting layer. Light is extracted from the second electrode 70 side (top emission). As the constituent material of the first electrode 20, in addition to aluminum (Al) or an alloy thereof, gold (Au), platinum (Pt), nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), tungsten (W ), Molybdenum (Mo), silver (Ag), and other reflective elements made of a single element or alloy of a metal element.

  FIG. 5 illustrates a cross-sectional configuration of the display region 110 taken along the line VV in FIG. Note that the signal line driver circuit 120, the scanning line driver circuit 130, the pixel driver circuit 140, and the planarization insulating film that covers them shown in FIG. The first electrodes 20 are electrically separated from each other by an insulating film 30 provided in the inter-pixel region 20A. On the 1st electrode 20 and the insulating film 30, the organic layer 40 containing a light emitting layer and the 2nd electrode 50 are provided in this order from the 1st electrode 20 side. The organic layer 40 is provided on the entire display area 110. The second electrode 50 is provided on the upper surface of the organic layer 40. The portion where the organic layer 40 is sandwiched between the first electrode 20 and the second electrode 50 constitutes the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B described above.

  The insulating film 30 is used to ensure insulation between the first electrode 20 and the second electrode 50 and to accurately form a light emitting region in a desired shape. The insulating film 30 has an opening 30 </ b> A corresponding to the light emitting region of the first electrode 20. For example, the insulating film 30 has a thickness of about 2 μm (2000 nm) and is made of a photosensitive insulating material such as polyimide.

  The organic layer 40 is provided on the first electrode 20 and the insulating film 30 in common to the plurality of organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B over the entire display region 110. For example, the organic layer 40 has a configuration in which a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, and an electron transport layer are stacked in this order from the first electrode 20 side.

  The hole injection layer is a buffer layer for improving hole injection efficiency and preventing leakage. The hole injection layer has a thickness of 2 nm to 10 nm, for example, and is composed of hexatolylazatriphenylene shown in Chemical formula 1.

  The hole transport layer is for increasing the efficiency of hole injection into the light emitting layer. The hole transport layer has a thickness of 30 nm, for example, and is made of the material shown in Chemical Formula 2.

  The light emitting layer is, for example, sequentially from the first electrode 20 side, a red light emitting layer having a thickness of 10 nm, a light emitting separating layer having a thickness of 10 nm, a blue light emitting layer having a thickness of 10 nm, and a green light emitting layer having a thickness of 10 nm (all not shown). Are for white light emission. The red light emitting layer is injected through the hole injection layer and the hole transport layer from the first electrode 20 and a part of the holes injected from the second electrode 50 through the electron transport layer by applying an electric field. A part of the generated electrons recombine to generate red light. The light emitting separation layer is for reducing the amount of electrons supplied to the red light emitting layer. The blue light emitting layer is formed by applying part of holes injected from the first electrode 20 through the hole injection layer, the hole transport layer, and the light emitting separation layer by applying an electric field, and from the second electrode 50 to the electron transport layer. Recombines with some of the electrons injected through the light to generate blue light. The green light emitting layer is formed by applying an electric field to a part of holes injected from the first electrode 20 through the hole injection layer, the hole transport layer, and the light emitting separation layer, and from the second electrode 50 to the electron transport layer. Recombines with some of the electrons injected through the light to generate green light. The red light emitting layer, the green light emitting layer, and the blue light emitting layer emit light in a region corresponding to the opening 30 </ b> A of the insulating film 30.

  The red light emitting layer includes, for example, at least one of a red light emitting material, a hole transporting material, an electron transporting material, and a both charge transporting material. The red light emitting material may be fluorescent or phosphorescent. Specifically, the red light emitting layer has a thickness of, for example, about 5 nm, and 4,4-bis (2,2-diphenylbinine) biphenyl (DPVBi) is added to 2,6-bis [(4′-methoxydiphenyl). Amino) styryl] -1,5-dicyanonaphthalene (BSN) mixed with 30% by weight.

  The light emitting separation layer is made of, for example, the material shown in Chemical formula 3.

  The green light emitting layer includes, for example, at least one of a green light emitting material, a hole transporting material, an electron transporting material, and a charge transporting material. The green light emitting material may be fluorescent or phosphorescent. Specifically, the green light emitting layer has a thickness of about 10 nm, for example, and is composed of DPVBi mixed with 5% by weight of coumarin 6.

  The blue light emitting layer includes, for example, at least one of a blue light emitting material, a hole transporting material, an electron transporting material, and a charge transporting material. The blue light emitting material may be fluorescent or phosphorescent. Specifically, the blue light emitting layer has a thickness of about 30 nm, for example, and 4,4′-bis [2- {4- (N, N-diphenylamino) phenyl} vinyl] biphenyl (DPAVBi) is added to DPVBi. It is composed of a mixture of 2.5% by weight.

  The electron transport layer is for increasing the efficiency of electron injection into the light emitting layer. The electron transport layer has, for example, a thickness of about 20 nm and is made of 8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum (Alq3).

  The second electrode 50 is provided on the upper surface of the organic layer 40 in common to the plurality of organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B over the entire display region 110. The second electrode 50 has, for example, a first layer made of lithium fluoride (LiF) having a thickness of about 0.3 nm and a thickness of 3 nm made of calcium (Ca) in order from the first electrode 20 side. It has a configuration in which two layers and a third layer having a thickness of 5 nm and made of an Mg—Ag alloy are stacked. The second electrode 50 is an area outside the display area 110 and is connected to an auxiliary wiring (not shown). The auxiliary wiring is composed of a frame-shaped conductive film that surrounds the display region 110.

  Such organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B are covered with a protective film (not shown) such as silicon nitride (SiN) as necessary. On the protective film, a sealing substrate (not shown) made of glass or the like is bonded to the entire surface with an adhesive layer (not shown) in between. The sealing substrate is provided with a color filter, a light shielding film as a black matrix, and the like as necessary.

  Next, returning to FIGS. 3 and 4, the auxiliary electrode 60 and the partition wall 70 provided in the interelectrode region 20 </ b> A between the plurality of first electrodes 20 will be described. One set of the auxiliary electrode 60 and the partition wall 70 is provided for each pixel 10, for example, between the columns of the organic light emitting elements 10G and 10B. The auxiliary electrode 60 is a contact portion for suppressing an increase in electric resistance of the second electrode 50 near the center of the display region 110, and is connected to the auxiliary wiring of the second electrode 50 in the lower layer, although not shown. The partition wall 70 is for preventing the organic layer 40 from being formed on the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60 in the manufacturing process described later, and the auxiliary electrode 60 and the partition wall 70 are arranged in pairs. The partition wall 70 is provided along a part of the outline of the auxiliary electrode 60. Specifically, the auxiliary electrode 60 has a rectangular shape, and the partition wall 70 is provided along one long side of the auxiliary electrode 60.

  The auxiliary electrode 60 has, for example, a width w1 of 10 μm, a depth d1 of 5 μm, a thickness of 50 nm, and is made of titanium (Ti). The insulating film 30 is provided with an opening 30 </ b> B facing the auxiliary electrode 60.

  The partition wall 70 has, for example, a width w2 of 12 μm, a depth d2 of 10 μm, and a height h of 6 μm, and is made of a photosensitive insulating material such as polyimide. The partition wall 70 is integrated with the insulating film 30, and the height h of the partition wall 70 includes the thickness of the insulating film 30. The height h of the partition wall 70 can be calculated on the basis of the required area of the auxiliary electrode 60 and the incident angle at the time of vapor deposition of the organic material constituting the organic layer 40, and details thereof will be described later.

  The auxiliary electrode 60 and the partition wall 70 are, for example, regions between the rows and columns of the first electrodes 20 (regions surrounded by the vertices of the four first electrodes 20) 20B, that is, between the row region 20C and the inter-column region 20D. It is preferable to be provided in the overlapping region. Thereby, the thickness unevenness of the organic layer 40 can be reduced in the manufacturing process described later.

  FIG. 6 illustrates a cross-sectional configuration taken along line VI-VI in FIG. In the interelectrode region 20 </ b> A, the organic layer 40 exposes the side surface 70 </ b> A along the auxiliary electrode 60 of the partition wall 70 and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60. By providing the second electrode 50 on the exposed upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60, the auxiliary electrode 60 and the second electrode 50 are electrically connected. Thereby, in this display device, it is possible to suppress unevenness in the screen due to nonuniformity of the power supply voltage and to suppress the influence on quality defects such as non-light emitting points.

  This display device can be manufactured, for example, as follows.

  First, a titanium (Ti) film is formed on the display region 110 of the substrate 11 made of the above-described material by, for example, a sputtering method, and is formed into a predetermined shape by, for example, photolithography and dry etching. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 7, the auxiliary electrode 30 is formed in the inter-pixel region 20A. In the same process, a titanium layer below the first electrode 20 can also be formed.

  Next, an Al—Nd alloy film is formed by, for example, sputtering, and is formed into a predetermined shape by, for example, photolithography and dry etching. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 7, the first electrodes 20 in which the titanium layer and the Al—Nd alloy layer are stacked are formed in the display region 110 so as to be separated from each other.

  Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 8, a photosensitive insulating material such as polyimide is applied to the substrate 11 provided with the first electrode 20 and the auxiliary electrode 60, and exposure and development by photolithography are performed. Thus, the insulating film 30 having the openings 30A and 30B is formed, and the partition wall 70 is formed along the part of the outline of the auxiliary electrode 60 in the interelectrode region 20A. At that time, the insulating film 30 and the partition wall 70 can be integrally formed by performing photolithography twice or using a halftone mask.

  After that, as shown in FIG. 9, the organic layer 40 having the above-described configuration is formed in the display region 110 by an oblique deposition method. The material of the organic layer 40 is incident from above the side opposite to the side surface 70A along the auxiliary electrode 60 of the partition wall 70, as indicated by an arrow A1 in FIG. Thereby, the organic layer 40 is formed on the side surface 70B on the incident side, but the side surface 70A along the auxiliary electrode 60 of the partition wall 70 and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60 are exposed from the organic layer 40. As a vapor deposition method, vapor deposition using a linear vapor deposition source is preferable. The traveling direction (evaporation direction) of the substrate 11 is a direction (from the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B) toward the side surface 70A along the auxiliary electrode 60 from the side surface 70B on the back side of the partition wall 70, as indicated by an arrow A2 in FIG. Column direction). In addition, when the substrate 11 is a large substrate, a method of tilting the substrate 11 is conceivable, but it is desirable to perform the deposition with the line-shaped deposition source being inclined.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the height h of the partition wall 70 preferably satisfies Equation 1 when the width of the auxiliary electrode 60 is w1, the depth is d1, and the incident angle during the deposition of the organic material is θ. This is because the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60 can be reliably exposed from the organic layer 40 and contact between the auxiliary electrode 60 and the second electrode 50 can be ensured.

(Equation 1)
h = (d1 × tan θ) × 1.01

  In Equation 1, 1% of the calculated height of the partition wall 70 is added in consideration of the vapor deposition distribution of the organic material depending on the incident angle θ. Similarly, the width w <b> 2 of the partition wall 70 is expressed as shown in Equation 2 in consideration of the deposition distribution.

(Equation 2)
w2 = w1 × 1.02

  Regarding the depth d2 of the partition wall, since the deposition distribution sensitivity of the organic material depending on this is low, the process rule is given priority.

  After the organic layer 40 is formed, as shown in FIG. 11, the second electrode 50 is formed on the upper surface of the organic layer 40 and the regions exposed from the organic layer 40 of the partition wall 70 and the auxiliary electrode 60 are exposed to the second electrode 50. Cover with. Specifically, the side electrode 70 </ b> A along the auxiliary electrode 60 of the partition wall 70 and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60 are covered with the second electrode 50. As the film forming method, any method such as vapor deposition using a linear vapor deposition source, rotary vapor deposition, or sputtering can be used. Further, as shown in FIG. 11, the second electrode 50 is placed in a state where the substrate 11 and the evaporation source (not shown) are parallel, that is, the incident angle of the film forming material is indicated by the arrow A3. 11 is formed in a state of being perpendicular to 11. Thus, the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B shown in FIGS. 3 and 5 are formed, and the auxiliary electrode 60 and the second electrode 50 are electrically connected to the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60 as shown in FIG. Connected to. Even when the second electrode 50 is interrupted at the side surface 70A of the partition wall 70, the second electrode 50 is continuous around the partition wall 70, so there is no fear of disconnection.

  After that, as necessary, a protective film (not shown) made of the above-described material is formed on the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B by, for example, CVD or sputtering. In addition, a sealing substrate (not shown) on which a color filter or the like is formed is prepared, and this sealing substrate is bonded onto the protective film with an adhesive layer (not shown). Thus, the display device shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is completed.

  In this display device, a scanning signal is supplied to each pixel from the scanning line driving circuit 130 via the gate electrode of the writing transistor Tr2, and an image signal is supplied from the signal line driving circuit 120 via the writing transistor Tr2. Held in Cs. That is, the driving transistor Tr1 is controlled to be turned on / off in accordance with the signal held in the holding capacitor Cs, whereby the driving current Ids is injected into each of the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B, whereby holes, electrons, Recombine to emit light. This light passes through the second electrode 50, the protective film, the adhesive layer, the color filter, and the sealing substrate (all other than the second electrode 50 are not shown) and is extracted (top emission).

  Here, the organic layer 40 exposes the side surface 70 </ b> A along the auxiliary electrode 60 of the partition wall 70 and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60, and the second electrode 50 is provided on the upper surface of the organic layer 40 and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60. . Therefore, the second electrode 50 and the auxiliary electrode 60 are electrically connected on the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60, and unevenness in the screen due to nonuniform power supply voltage is suppressed.

  As described above, in the display device of the present embodiment, the organic layer 40 exposes the side surface 70A along the auxiliary electrode 60 of the partition wall 70 and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60, and the second electrode 50 includes the upper surface of the organic layer 40 and the auxiliary electrode. It is provided on the upper surface of the electrode 60. Therefore, it is possible to electrically connect the second electrode 50 and the auxiliary electrode 60 on the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60 to suppress unevenness in the screen due to nonuniform power supply voltage and improve display quality. It is particularly suitable for large display devices.

  In the manufacturing method of the display device of the present embodiment, the organic layer 40 including the light emitting layer is formed in the display region 110 by the oblique deposition method, and the side surface 70A along the auxiliary electrode 60 of the partition wall 70 and the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60 are formed. After being exposed from the organic layer 40, the second electrode 50 is formed on the upper surface of the organic layer 40, and regions exposed from the organic layer 40 of the partition wall 70 and the auxiliary electrode 60 are covered with the second electrode 50. . Therefore, it is possible to electrically connect the second electrode 50 and the auxiliary electrode 60 on the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60 to suppress unevenness in the screen due to nonuniform power supply voltage and improve display quality. Further, since the organic layer 40 is not formed on the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60, it is not necessary to remove the organic layer 40 on the auxiliary electrode 60 using a laser. Therefore, the apparatus and the process can be simplified, the cost can be reduced and the yield can be improved, and the influence on the quality defect such as the non-light emitting point caused by the organic dust removed by the laser can be suppressed.

(Modification 1)
In the above embodiment, the case where the partition wall 70 is provided along one long side of the rectangular auxiliary electrode 60 has been described, but the partition wall 70 has a rectangular shape as shown in FIG. The auxiliary electrode 60 may be provided along the three sides (surrounding the three sides). In this way, the exposed area of the upper surface of the auxiliary electrode 60 can be increased when the organic layer 40 is obliquely deposited. This modification is effective when the interval L1 in the row direction and the interval L2 in the column direction of the first electrode 20 are sufficiently large.

(Modification 2)
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the auxiliary electrode 60 and the partition wall 70 are provided for each pixel 10 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 13, a set of the auxiliary electrode 60 and the partition wall 70 may be provided for each of the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B that are subpixels. In this way, even when it is difficult to secure the area of the auxiliary electrode 60 due to layout limitations, it is possible to increase the number of connection points between the second electrode 50 and the auxiliary electrode 60 and obtain a higher effect. It becomes.

(Modification 3)
Further, in the above embodiment, the case where the auxiliary electrode 60 and the partition wall 70 are provided in the region 20B between the rows and the columns of the first electrodes 20 has been described. However, as shown in FIG. 14, the auxiliary electrode 60 and the partition wall 70 may be provided at a position facing the inter-row region 20 </ b> C of the first electrode 20, for example, the short side of the organic EL element 10 </ b> B. This modification is suitable when the distance L1 in the row direction of the first electrodes 20 is narrow or when the arrangement is limited due to layout restrictions.

(Modification 4)
In addition, the third modification and the second modification can be combined. That is, as shown in FIG. 15, the auxiliary electrode 60 and the partition wall 70 are a set for each of the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B that are the sub-pixels. , 10B may be provided at a position facing the short side.

(Modification 5)
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 16, the auxiliary electrode 60 and the partition wall 70 can be provided at a position facing the inter-column region 20D of the first electrode 20, for example, the long sides of the organic EL elements 10G and 10B. It is. This modified example is suitable when the interval L2 in the column direction of the first electrodes 20 is narrow or when the arrangement is limited due to layout restrictions. Moreover, in this modification, the advancing direction (evaporation direction) of the substrate 11 in the step of forming the organic layer 40 is along the auxiliary electrode 60 from the side surface 70B on the back side of the partition wall 70 as shown by an arrow A2 in FIG. The direction is toward the side surface 70A (the row direction of the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B).

(Modification 6)
In addition, modification 5 and modification 2 can be combined. That is, as shown in FIG. 17, the auxiliary electrode 60 and the partition wall 70 are a set for each of the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B that are subpixels, and the inter-column region 20D of the first electrode 20, for example, the organic EL element 10R. , 10G, 10B can be provided at positions facing the long sides. Also in the present modification, the traveling direction (evaporation direction) of the substrate 11 in the step of forming the organic layer 40 is the same as that in Modification 5. That is, as indicated by an arrow A2 in FIG. 17, the direction is a direction from the back side surface 70B of the partition wall 70 toward the side surface 70A along the auxiliary electrode 60 (row direction of the organic EL elements 10R, 10G, and 10B).

(Modules and application examples)
Hereinafter, application examples of the display device described in the above embodiment will be described. The display device according to the above embodiment is an image signal that is input from the outside or is generated internally, such as a television device, a digital camera, a notebook personal computer, a mobile terminal device such as a mobile phone, or a video camera. Alternatively, the present invention can be applied to display devices for electronic devices in various fields that display images.

(module)
The display device of the above-described embodiment is incorporated into various electronic devices such as application examples 1 to 5 described later, for example, as a module as illustrated in FIG. In this module, for example, a region 210 exposed from the sealing substrate 80 in the above embodiment is provided on one side of the substrate 11, and the signal line driving circuit 120 and the scanning line driving circuit 130 are connected to the exposed region 210. And an external connection terminal (not shown) is formed. The external connection terminal may be provided with a flexible printed circuit (FPC) 220 for signal input / output.

(Application example 1)
FIG. 19 illustrates an appearance of a television device to which the display device of the above embodiment is applied. The television apparatus has, for example, a video display screen unit 300 including a front panel 310 and a filter glass 320, and the video display screen unit 300 is configured by the display device according to each of the above embodiments. .

(Application example 2)
FIG. 20 illustrates the appearance of a digital camera to which the display device of the above embodiment is applied. The digital camera includes, for example, a flash light emitting unit 410, a display unit 420, a menu switch 430, and a shutter button 440. The display unit 420 is configured by the display device according to each of the above embodiments. Yes.

(Application example 3)
FIG. 21 illustrates an appearance of a notebook personal computer to which the display device of the above embodiment is applied. The notebook personal computer has, for example, a main body 510, a keyboard 520 for inputting characters and the like, and a display unit 530 for displaying an image. The display unit 530 is a display according to each of the above embodiments. It is comprised by the apparatus.

(Application example 4)
FIG. 22 shows the appearance of a video camera to which the display device of the above embodiment is applied. This video camera has, for example, a main body 610, a subject photographing lens 620 provided on the front side surface of the main body 610, a start / stop switch 630 at the time of photographing, and a display 640. Reference numeral 640 denotes the display device according to each of the above embodiments.

(Application example 5)
FIG. 23 shows an appearance of a mobile phone to which the display device of the above embodiment is applied. For example, the mobile phone is obtained by connecting an upper housing 710 and a lower housing 720 with a connecting portion (hinge portion) 730, and includes a display 740, a sub-display 750, a picture light 760, and a camera 770. Yes. The display 740 or the sub-display 750 is configured by the display device according to each of the above embodiments.

  While the present disclosure has been described with reference to the embodiment, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made. For example, the first modification can be applied to the second to sixth modifications.

For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the light generated in the light emitting layer is extracted from the second electrode 50 side (top emission) has been described as an example. However, the light generated in the light emitting layer can be extracted from the substrate 11 side. Yes (bottom emission). In this case, the color filter can be provided on the substrate 11. In the case of bottom emission, the first electrode 20 is made of a transparent electrode such as ITO, IZO (registered trademark), or SnO ₂ , and the second electrode 50 is made of gold (Au), platinum (Pt), It is composed of a reflective electrode made of a single element or alloy of a metal element such as nickel (Ni), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), tungsten (W), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo) or silver (Ag). Yes. Moreover, the 2nd electrode 50 may be comprised by the composite film of the reflective electrode and transparent electrode which were mentioned above.

  In addition, for example, the material and thickness of each layer described in the above embodiment, the film formation method and the film formation conditions are not limited, and other materials and thicknesses may be used, or other film formation methods. Alternatively, film forming conditions may be used.

In addition, this technique can also take the following structures.
(1)
A plurality of first electrodes provided in a display area of the substrate;
An auxiliary electrode provided in an inter-electrode region between the plurality of first electrodes;
A partition wall provided along a part of the outline of the auxiliary electrode in the inter-electrode region;
An organic layer including a light emitting layer, which is provided in the display region and exposes a side surface of the partition wall along the auxiliary electrode and an upper surface of the auxiliary electrode;
A display device comprising: a second electrode provided on an upper surface of the organic layer and an upper surface of the auxiliary electrode.
(2)
The auxiliary electrode has a rectangular shape,
The display device according to (1), wherein the partition wall is provided along one side of the auxiliary electrode.
(3)
The auxiliary electrode has a rectangular shape,
The display device according to (1), wherein the partition wall is provided to surround three sides of the auxiliary electrode.
(4)
The first electrodes have a rectangular shape and are arranged in a matrix,
The display device according to any one of (1) to (3), wherein the auxiliary electrode is provided in a region between rows and columns of the first electrode.
(5)
The display device according to any one of (1) to (4), wherein the partition is made of an insulating material.
(6)
Forming a plurality of first electrodes in a display area of a substrate;
Forming an auxiliary electrode in an inter-electrode region between the plurality of first electrodes;
Forming a partition wall along a part of the outline of the auxiliary electrode in the inter-electrode region;
Forming an organic layer including a light emitting layer in the display region by oblique deposition, and exposing a side surface of the partition along the auxiliary electrode and an upper surface of the auxiliary electrode from the organic layer;
Forming a second electrode on the upper surface of the organic layer, and covering the region exposed from the organic layer of the partition wall and the auxiliary electrode with the second electrode.
(7)
The method for manufacturing a display device according to (6), wherein the second electrode is formed in a state where the substrate and the evaporation source are parallel to each other.
(8)
The method for manufacturing a display device according to (6) or (7), wherein, in the step of forming the organic layer, a traveling direction of the substrate is a direction from a back side surface of the partition toward a side surface along the auxiliary electrode.
(9)
The display device according to any one of (6) to (8), wherein in the step of forming the organic layer, the material of the organic layer is incident from above the side opposite to the side surface of the partition along the auxiliary electrode. Manufacturing method.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Pixel, 10R, 10G, 10B ... Organic EL element, 11 ... Substrate, 20 ... First electrode, 30 ... Insulating film, 40 ... Organic layer, 50 ... Second electrode, 60 ... Auxiliary electrode, 70 ... Partition, 110 Display area 120 Signal line drive circuit 130 Scan line drive circuit 140 Pixel drive circuit Tr1, Tr2 Transistor

Claims (9)

A plurality of first electrodes provided in a display area of the substrate;
An auxiliary electrode provided in an inter-electrode region between the plurality of first electrodes;
A partition wall provided along a part of the outline of the auxiliary electrode in the inter-electrode region;
An organic layer including a light emitting layer, which is provided in the display region and exposes a side surface of the partition wall along the auxiliary electrode and an upper surface of the auxiliary electrode;
A display device comprising: a second electrode provided on an upper surface of the organic layer and an upper surface of the auxiliary electrode. The auxiliary electrode has a rectangular shape,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall is provided along one side of the auxiliary electrode. The auxiliary electrode has a rectangular shape,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall is provided so as to surround three sides of the auxiliary electrode. The first electrodes have a rectangular shape and are arranged in a matrix,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary electrode is provided in a region between rows and columns of the first electrode. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the partition wall is made of an insulating material. Forming a plurality of first electrodes in a display area of a substrate;
Forming an auxiliary electrode in an inter-electrode region between the plurality of first electrodes;
Forming a partition wall along a part of the outline of the auxiliary electrode in the inter-electrode region;
Forming an organic layer including a light emitting layer in the display region by oblique deposition, and exposing a side surface of the partition along the auxiliary electrode and an upper surface of the auxiliary electrode from the organic layer;
Forming a second electrode on the upper surface of the organic layer, and covering the region exposed from the organic layer of the partition wall and the auxiliary electrode with the second electrode. The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 6, wherein the second electrode is formed in a state where the substrate and the evaporation source are parallel to each other. The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 6, wherein in the step of forming the organic layer, a traveling direction of the substrate is a direction from a side surface on the back side of the partition toward a side surface along the auxiliary electrode. The method for manufacturing a display device according to claim 6, wherein in the step of forming the organic layer, the material of the organic layer is incident from above the opposite side of the partition along the auxiliary electrode.

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