The application require to enjoy formerly submitted on June 9th, 2004 Korean Patent Application No. No.10-2004-0042211 and the priority of the Korean Patent Application No. No.10-2004-0045031 that formerly submitted on June 17th, 2004, its disclosed content is all introduced as a reference at this.
Detailed description of the present invention
Referring now to accompanying drawing the present invention is described in more detail.Fig. 1 illustrated an embodiment of display of organic electroluminescence of the present invention (OLED) device, it is the profile of active array type OLED device 10.
With reference to Fig. 1, this OLED device 10 comprises the substrate 81 that can be made up of such as but not limited to glass or plastics transparent material.Can choose the resilient coating 82 that forms even covered substrate 81 upper surfaces wantonly.
On resilient coating 82, can form the active layer of arranging with predetermined pattern 44.This layer 44 of having chance with can embed in the gate insulation layer 83.Gate electrode 42 can be formed on the gate insulation layer 83 in the zone corresponding to the layer 44 of having chance with.This gate electrode 42 can be embedded intermediate insulating layer 84.After forming this intermediate insulating layer 84, can by etch process for example the dry corrosion method come etch-gate insulating barrier 83 and intermediate insulating layer 84, forming contact hole 83a, 84a, thereby allow a part of active layer 44 to come out.
By contact hole 83a, 84a is connected to the source region with source electrode 41, by contact hole 83a and 84a drain electrode 43 is connected to the drain region.Source electrode 41 and drain electrode 43 can be embedded in the protective layer 85.After forming this protective layer 85, this drain electrode 43 of a part is come out by etch process.
Protective layer 85 can be made up of insulator.This protective layer 85 also can be inorganic layer, for example silica or silicon nitride.Selectively, this protective layer 85 can be an organic layer, for example acryloyl group or BCB.In one embodiment, on this protective layer 85, can further be formed for the independent insulating barrier of planarization.
By with the electric current that the is applied proportional ruddiness (R) that sends, green glow (G) or blue light (B), organic electroluminescent LED 60 have shown predetermined image.First electrode 61 (pixel capacitors) can be connected to the drain electrode 43 of TFT40.Second electrode 62 (opposite electrode) can be deposited as and cover whole pixel fully.Luminescent layer 63 can be inserted between first electrode 61 and second electrode 62.
First electrode 61 and second electrode 62 can be insulated from each other.For luminous, each electrode can apply the voltage of opposed polarity on luminescent layer 63.
Luminescent layer 63 can be made of low-molecular-weight or high molecular weight organic materials.When using the low-molecular-weight organic material, can be with hole injection layer (HIL), hole transport layer (HTL), luminescent layer (EML), electron transport layer (ETL), electron injecting layer (EIL) or the like is stacked to be individual layer or sandwich construction.The example of adoptable organic material comprises copper phthalocyanine (CuPc), N, N '-two (naphthalene-1-yl)-N, N '-diphenyl-benzidine (NPB), three oxine aluminium (Alq3) or the like.The low-molecular-weight organic material layer can form by vacuum evaporation technology.
When using high molecular weight organic materials, luminescent layer 63 can comprise one deck HTL and one deck EML.PEDOT can be used for HTL, and with high molecular weight organic materials for example poly--phenylene vinylidene (PPV) compounds and polyfluorene compound be used for EML.Can form this high molecular weight material layer by silk screen printing or ink jet printing.
It is described that organic luminous layer is not limited to top embodiment, and can adopt various execution modes.For example can as negative electrode, perhaps can reverse second electrode 62 first electrode 61 as anode with their function.Can be with first electrode, 61 patternings, thereby corresponding to the zone of each pixel, and second electrode 62 of formation is covered on the whole pixel fully.
First electrode 61 can be fabricated to transparency electrode or reflecting electrode.When first electrode 61 was transparency electrode, it can comprise ITO, IZO, ZnO, perhaps In
2O
3When first electrode 61 was reflecting electrode, it can be by at first forming by Ag, Mg, and Al, Pt, Pd, Au, Ni, Nd, Ir, the reflector that Cr or its combination are constituted forms then by ITO IZO, ZnO, perhaps In thereon
2O
3The transparent electrode layer that is constituted is made.Simultaneously, also second electrode 62 can be fabricated to transparency electrode or reflecting electrode.When second electrode 62 is transparency electrode, can deposit metal with low work function, i.e. Li, Ca, LiF/Ca, LiF/Al, Al, Ag, Mg or their combination make it directly facing to organic luminous layer 63.IZO, ZnO, perhaps In can be formed on second electrode by ITO
2O
3Auxiliary electrode layer or the bus electrode line formed.When second electrode 62 was reflecting electrode, it can be by deposition Li, Ca, and LiF/Ca, LiF/Al, Al, Ag, Mg or their combination are made.
Can form second electrode 62 with 61 insulation of first electrode.One or more organic layers can insert between first electrode 61 and second electrode 62, and comprise at least one luminescent layer.Being formed on second electrode one or more layers can be made of one or more materials with refractive index higher than the refractive index of the material that is used to form second electrode 62, thereby makes the extraction efficiency maximization by the light of second electrode 62.One or more layers that is deposited on second electrode 62 can prevent that moisture and oxygen from infiltrating first electrode 61, second electrode 62 and the organic layer under it.When a plurality of layer is formed on second electrode 62, can stacked like this these layers, make that promptly the refractive index of the material of each layer increases successively on the direction outside from second electrode 62, thereby make extraction efficiency maximization by the light of second electrode 62.
Can on second electrode 62, the examples of material of lamination comprise insulation organic or inorganic material, for example metal oxide, metal nitride or metal fluoride.The example that can be deposited on the organic material on second electrode 62 is listed in the table 1 with their refractive indexes separately.
Table 1
Compound | Refractive index |
MgO | 1.72 |
Al
2O
3 | 1.63~1.64 |
Al
2O
3+ZrO
2 | 1.66~1.75 |
SiO | 1.9 |
SiO
2 | 1.46 |
Sc
2O
3 | 1.9 |
TiO | 2.35 |
TiO
2 | 2.2~2.4 |
Ti
2O
3 | 2.34 |
TiO
2+ZrO
2 | 2.13 |
Ti
3O
5 | 2.31 |
Ti
4O
7 | 2.34 |
ZnO | 2.1 |
Y
2O
3 | 1.87 |
ZrO
2 | 2.05 |
Nb
2O
5 | 2.3 |
MoO
3 | 1.9 |
Sb
2O
3 | 2.1 |
La
2O
3 | 1.9 |
HfO
2 | 1.9~2 |
Ta
2O
5 | 2.1 |
In
2 O
3 | 2 |
In
2O
3+SnO
2 | 2 |
SnO
2 | 2 |
Ta
2O
5 | 2.1 |
WO
3 | 1.68 |
Bi
2O
3 | 1.9 |
CeO
2 |
2.13 |
Eu
2O
3 |
1.9 |
Pr
6O
11 |
1.93 |
Nb
2O
3 |
2.15 |
Nb
2O
5 |
2.2 |
Sm
2O
3 |
1.9 |
Yb
2O
3 |
1.93 |
LiF |
1.36 |
NaF |
1.3 |
Na
5Al
3F
14 |
1.33 |
Na
3AlF
6 |
1.35 |
MgF
2 |
1.38 |
AlF
3 |
1.4 |
CaF
2 |
1.4 |
SrF
2 |
1.4 |
YF
3 |
1.52 |
BaF
2 |
1.3 |
LaF
3 |
1.59 |
CeF
3 |
1.63 |
PbF
2 |
1.75 |
NbF
3 |
1.55 |
SmF
3 |
1.6 |
ZnS |
2.3 |
Ge |
4.0 |
Si |
3.3 |
The refractive index that is deposited on the material on second electrode 62 can be than the high 0.01-3.0 of refractive index of the material that forms second electrode 62, and preferred high 0.3-1.5.
The difference of refractive index described above can obtain from the refractive index of the listed material of table 1.
In another embodiment, the present invention can provide a kind of method of the OLED of manufacturing device.The step of this method can be carried out with any suitable order, and can comprise: form first electrode on substrate; On first electrode, form the one or more organic layers that comprise at least one luminescent layer; On organic layer, form second electrode; And on second electrode, form one or more layers by the layer that one or more materials constituted with refractive index higher than the refractive index of the material that forms second electrode.That is, each refractive index value can be along increasing from the outward extending direction of second electrode.
In one embodiment, on second electrode 62, can form resilient coating 67, and protective layer 65 can be formed on this resilient coating 67.Next further describe resilient coating 67 and protective layer 65 with reference to Fig. 2 A.
Fig. 2 A explanation constitutes the atomic arrangement example of protective layer 65 in one embodiment of the invention.Fig. 2 B explanation is typical atomic arrangement in the GPF (General Protection False layer.
The A that sees figures.1.and.2, protective layer 65 of the present invention can have the surface roughness of about 5 .The atom that constitutes the protective layer 65 of the surface roughness with above-mentioned scope is tending towards tight arrangement.On the contrary, the atom of the GPF (General Protection False layer 65B of pie graph 2B often comprises hole C and defective D, and they all are the fractures of atomic arrangement.Shown in Fig. 2 A; this hole and defective can not occur in compact arranged protective layer 65 of the present invention basically; it contacts by avoiding oxygen and/or moisture to infiltrate into second electrode 62 from the surfaces A of protective layer 65, thus the useful life of having improved OLED device 10.When the surface roughness of protective layer 65 greater than about 50 the time, tight atomic structure of the present invention just can not realize, therefore can not prevent the infiltration of oxygen and/or moisture.
Protective layer 65 can comprise at least a compound in metal oxide or the metal nitride.The example of metal oxide and metal nitride comprises SiO
x, SiN
x, (x 〉=1), TiO, TaO or the like, but be not limited thereto.The desmachyme that protective layer 65 may further include except metal oxide and metal nitride forms agent.Here, a kind of material represented in term " desmachyme formation agent ", it forms key and improves network between atom by the network in the disconnection of the atom that constitutes basis material (it can be by metal oxide or the formed insulating material of metal nitride, and it comprises that desmachyme forms agent).The example that the desmachyme that is fit to forms agent comprises Li, Na, K, Ca, Sn, Rb, Cs, Ba, Pb, Be, Mg, Ce and Nb, but is not limited thereto.For example, protective layer 65 can be SiO
2Or SiSnO, wherein Sn forms agent as desmachyme, but the composition of this protective layer 65 is not limited thereto.
Can use ion beam assisted depositing (IBAD) method that comprises evaporation source and ion beam source to form protective layer 65.Fig. 3 example has illustrated an operation embodiment of IBAD technology.With reference to Fig. 3, when the deposited particles 92 from evaporation source 97 emission is attached on the surface of substrate 91, has increased the surface mobility of particle 92 and caused these particles 92 tight deposition on substrate 91 from the ion 93 of ion beam source 95 emissions.
The particle 92 that emits from the evaporation source 97 of IBAD becomes/forms the material that constitutes protective layer 65.The example of particle 92 comprises metal oxide and metal nitride, more specifically is SiO
x, SiN
x, (x 〉=1), TiO, TaO or the like, but be not limited thereto.The particle 92 that emits from evaporation source 97 can also comprise that the above-mentioned desmachyme except that metal oxide and metal nitride forms agent.
The ion of launching from ion beam source 95 93 can be to constitute it to be formed with the material of the substrate of protective layer, for example, and the material of any particle reaction that sends with the material of above-mentioned formation second electrode 62 with from evaporation source not.The example of the ion that is fit to comprises inert gas ion.More specifically, can use Ar
+, Kr
+Perhaps Xe
+Ion.
The energy of the ion beam source 95 of IBAD can arrive about 200eV for about 50eV, is preferably about 80eV to 150eV.When the energy of ion beam source was lower than about 50eV, the ion energy that sends from this ion beam source became too low and can not increase the surface mobility of the particle that sends from evaporation source, and therefore can not form the tight protective layer that has high density and hang down surperficial rugosity mutually.When the energy of ion beam source during greater than about 200eV, the ion energy that sends from ion beam source is too high so that the ion that sends from ion beam source may corrode formed protective layer.Thereby 150eV preferably approximately.
When using the IBAD technology to form protective layer, can be 1: 1 from the population of evaporation source 97 emissions with ratio from the number of ions of ion beam source 95 emissions, preferred 0.9: 1.When the number of ions of launching from ion beam source was on this scope, the ion of launching from ion beam source may corrode this protective layer 65 when forming protective layer 65.When the number of ions of ion beam source 95 emission is under this scope, the quantity of ion may be too low and can not form the tight protective layer with high density and low surface roughness.
Above ratio can be by regulating ion beam source 95 electron flux and/or the influx of the adjusting gas that is used for producing ion control.For example; when using evaporation source 97 emission silicon oxide particles and Sn particle and using ion beam source 95 emission argon ions to form the protective layer that constitutes by SiSnO 65; ionic flux by regulating ion beam source 95 to about 50mA and the influx of regulating argon gas to about 5sccm, the quantity of silicon oxide particle and Sn particle and the ratio of argon ion number can be controlled at 1: 1.
When adopting IBAD to form protective layer 65, evaporation source 97 can be thermal evaporation sources or electron beam evaporation source.The example of ion beam source 95 comprises Kaufmann type ion gun, Endhall type ion gun, rf type ion gun or the like.Those of ordinary skills can easily select these sources according to purpose of the present invention.
Can form protective layer 65 by IBAD as mentioned above.Because use evaporation source 97 and ion beam source 95 simultaneously in IBAD, so the substrate portion that the particle of launching from evaporation source 97 will deposit may be subjected to from the infringement of the ion of ion beam source 95 emissions.Especially, included second electrode 62 of preceding emission (front emission) display of organic electroluminescence device may extremely thin for example about 200 or still less.When forming protective layer 65 by IBAD, so Bao second electrode 62 may be subjected to the infringement of the ion of ion beam source emission.This infringement may destroy organic layer 63.If the ion dissociation of ion beam source 95 emission the organic material of organic layer 63, then when the operation Organnic electroluminescent device, may produce leakage current.This leakage current can cause the pixel stack (pixel lamination) of difference and shorten operation lifetime.Any phenomenon all can reduce the reliability of organic electroluminescence display device and method of manufacturing same.In order to prevent that second electrode 62 and organic layer 63 are undermined when forming protective layer 65, can between second electrode 62 and protective layer 65, add resilient coating 67.
The thickness of resilient coating 67 can ( be to about 1000 , and 500 preferably approximately for about 30.When resilient coating 67 was thick less than 300 , second electrode 62 and organic layer 63 may suffer damage when protective layer forms.When resilient coating 67 is about 1000 when thick, sedimentation time is elongated.Under some situation, a thick resilient coating 67 may reduce light extraction efficiency.
Resilient coating 67 can be made of metal oxide or metal nitride or inorganic material.The example of metal oxide and metal nitride comprises silica, silicon nitride, tin oxide or the like.The example of inorganic material comprises copper phthalocyanine, but is not limited thereto.
For light extraction efficiency is maximized, resilient coating 67 can be high by the refractive index that has than the material that forms second electrode 62, but the refractive index materials lower than the refractive index of the material that forms protective layer 65 constitutes.The refractive index of the material of resilient coating 67 can reference table 1 described refractive index be selected.
Resilient coating 67 can be made of the material of the optical band gap with about 3.0eV-6.0eV.This optical band gap should be not less than 3.0eV.If optical band gap is lower than the threshold value of this 3.0eV, it is opaque that resilient coating 67 may become.Opaque resilient coating 67 can reduce light extraction efficiency.Perhaps, can produce the leakage current of not expecting that causes by conductivity.
Therefore, be included in according to the method for preparing the display of organic electroluminescence device of present embodiment and form before the protective layer 65, on second electrode 62, form resilient coating 67.Resilient coating 67 can adopt common sedimentation for example vacuum vapor deposition method or for example spin-coating method formation of rubbing method.Those of ordinary skills can be easy to select to form the method for this resilient coating 67 according to the physical property of the material that is used to form resilient coating 67.After forming resilient coating 67, can form protective layer 65 as mentioned above.
Although display of organic electroluminescence device and preparation method thereof is that example is described with the Amoled including circuit to supply zero data device according to an embodiment of the invention, the present invention is not limited only to this.
Referring now to meeting the present invention of following Example more detailed description.
Embodiment 1
Use the heat deposition method on glass substrate, to stack gradually the thick ITO of 500 , PEDOT, the PPV that 800 are thick, LiF that 10 are thick and the thick Mg:Ag of 160 , and on the Ag layer, form the thick SnOx layer of 400 .Afterwards, the silicon oxide powder of preparing 1g is as the silica sedimentary origin, and the Sn of preparation 1g is as the Sn sedimentary origin.Then, prepare a container of rotating shaft that comprises silica sedimentary origin, Sn sedimentary origin, ion beam source, thermal evaporation sources, substrate holder and be used for the rotary plate seat.With above-mentioned prepared these as silica sedimentary origin and Sn sedimentary origin, with EndHall type ion gun (buying) from Infrvion Co., Ltd as ion beam source, and with Helisys (buying) from ANS Co., Ltd as thermal evaporation sources.Prepared substrate is installed on the substrate holder, locatees this substrate holder and make it in the face of silica sedimentary origin and Sn sedimentary origin.Under condition as shown in table 2, operate this container then, thereby on the SnOx layer, form the thick SiSnO layer of 800 .
Table 2
Basic pressure | 1.0×10
-7Holder
|
Gas flux | Oxygen flux 2sccm argon gas flux 5sccm |
Thermal evaporation sources | The tungsten evaporating dish, the BN evaporating dish |
The operating condition of thermal evaporation sources | 200A |
Ion beam source | EndHall type ion gun |
The operating condition of ion beam source | Discharging current 500mA discharge voltage 300V beam voltage 150eV beam current 50mA |
Angle of deposit | 90° |
Substrate RPM | 4.5 |
Substrate temperature | 80℃ |
Deposition rate |
| 5/sec |
Therefore and the device with SnOx layer and SiSnO layer that obtains is called " sample 1 " with.
Embodiment 2
Sample 2 is with the preparation of the same way as among the embodiment 1, except formed SiSnO layer thickness is become 300 by 800 .
Comparative example 1
On the Mg:Ag layer, form the SiSnO layer in mode identical among the embodiment 1, except the thickness of formed Mg:Ag layer becomes 100 by 160 and do not form the SnO layer.It is called " sample A ".
Assessment example 1: for the assessment of the configuration of surface of SiSnO layer
Photograph to determine the surface roughness of the SiSnO layer of sample 1 by SEM.As a result, the surface roughness (rms) of the SiSnO layer of sample 1 is 30 .
Assessment example 2: to the assessment of leakage current
The leakage current that is produced when using ammeter measuring operation sample A and sample 1.This result is shown in Fig. 4 A and Fig. 4 B.In Fig. 4 A, the x axle is represented voltage and the y axle is represented electric current.The result of the leakage current of 4 times (4times) is measured in Fig. 4 B explanation.With reference to Fig. 4 A, according to the operation of sample A, 10
-2MA/cm
2Or bigger leakage current produces at-6V.Yet with reference to Fig. 4 B, according to the operation of sample 1, the leakage current that produces at-6V is 10
-4MA/cm
2Or it is littler.Therefore, can know, with buffer layer deposition to as second electrode and the organic layer unimpaired that form the sample 1 of protective layer after on the Mg:Ag layer of second electrode again.
Assessment example 3: to the assessment of optical efficiency
Determine sample 2 and have thick ITO, the PEDOT of 500 that is formed on the glass substrate, the PPV that 800 are thick, the optical efficiency of the device of the Mg:Ag that LiF that 10 are thick and 160 are thick (being called " sample B " here).(PhotoResearch PR650 Keithley238) determines this optical efficiency, and its result is shown in Figure 5 to use the IVL meter.With reference to Fig. 5, the optical efficiency of sample 2 be higher than sample B optical efficiency 1.2-1.4 doubly, illustrate that sample 2 has the optical efficiency of improvement according to an embodiment of the invention.
Assessment example 4: the assessment of colorimetric purity
Use IVL meter (PhotoResearch PR650, Keithley238) colorimetric purity of estimation sample 2 and sample B.This result is as shown in table 3.
Table 3
The sample name | Colorimetric purity |
| X | Y |
Sample B | 0.1281 | 0.1616 |
Sample 2 | 0.1427 | 0.1079 |
With reference to table 3, the color coordinates of sample B is 0.12 and 0.16, and the color coordinates of sample 2 is 0.14 and 0.10.Therefore, as can be seen, sample 2 has good color coordinates according to an embodiment of the invention.
The display of organic electroluminescence device comprises that on second electrode at least one its refractive index is higher than the refractive index materials layer of the material of second electrode according to an embodiment of the invention, thereby has good light extraction efficiency.In addition, owing between second electrode and protective layer, have resilient coating, when forming closely protective layer, can infringement gravely not arranged to second electrode and organic layer.Therefore, can obtain having the leakage current that obviously reduces, the pixel of the quality of not poor (or not poor basically) and the display of organic electroluminescence device in longer useful life.
Although the present invention illustrates and describes with reference to its exemplary embodiment especially, but one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that, wherein can carry out the variation of various forms and details, as long as it does not deviate from essence and the scope of the present invention defined in following claim.