JP3551379B2 - Sealing device - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a sealing device that joins a support substrate on which an organic layer including at least a light emitting layer is provided, and a sealing member that covers the organic layer via an ultraviolet curable adhesive.
[0002]
[Prior art]
An organic EL panel using an organic EL (electroluminescence) element has attracted attention because it is a self-luminous element and does not require backlight illumination, has a wide viewing angle, and is suitable for a large display panel.
[0003]
In such an organic EL panel, a transparent electrode having a predetermined pattern is formed at a predetermined position on a light-transmitting support substrate made of, for example, a glass material, and an insulating layer, a hole injection layer, and a hole transport layer are formed on the transparent electrode. , A light emitting layer and an electron transport layer are sequentially laminated to form an organic layer, and an electron injection layer and a back electrode are laminated and formed on the organic layer to obtain an organic EL device. It is obtained by airtightly covering with a sealing member.
[0004]
The method for manufacturing such an organic EL panel includes a plurality of vapor depositions corresponding to the respective organic layers (a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and a back electrode) constituting the organic EL element. The support substrate is put into the vapor deposition device having a chamber, and based on production conditions such as a vapor deposition temperature and a film thickness of each layer set by a control device that controls each vapor deposition chamber provided in the vapor deposition device, The organic EL element is formed thereon, and the support substrate on which the organic EL element is formed is put into a sealing chamber provided in a sealing device, and the supporting substrate is provided by a superposition mechanism provided in the sealing chamber. It is common to obtain an organic EL panel by joining the sealing member with the sealing member via an ultraviolet curable adhesive.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the sealing device in the method for manufacturing an organic EL panel, when the organic EL device provided on the support substrate is irradiated with ultraviolet light emitted from an ultraviolet irradiation device, the organic EL device is deteriorated and the organic EL device is deteriorated. Since the emission of the EL element is hindered, an ultraviolet cut mask is provided between the ultraviolet irradiation device and the supporting substrate to prevent the organic EL element from being irradiated with ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet cut mask includes a light shielding portion for partially blocking ultraviolet irradiation, and is disposed in the sealing chamber by a frame-shaped holder member.
[0006]
As a method of disposing the ultraviolet cut mask on the holder member, the ultraviolet cut mask is vertically positioned by a fixing portion such as a clamp provided on the holder member after being positioned with respect to a reference portion of an inner wall portion of the holder member. The holder member is disposed in the disposing portion provided in the sealing chamber, and the positioning member is disposed on the supporting substrate or the sealing member at the application position of the adhesive. There is a way to do that. When the ultraviolet cut mask is held by the fixing portion, the ultraviolet cut mask is held via a buffer member having an elastic force in order to prevent breakage of the ultraviolet cut mask. However, in such an arrangement method, the elastic force of the cushioning member decreases due to a change over time, and the holding force for clamping the ultraviolet cut mask decreases from above and below. A gap may be generated between the ultraviolet cut mask and the arrangement position where the positioning has been performed may be shifted.By the shift of the arrangement position of the ultraviolet cut mask in the holder member, the position of the ultraviolet cut mask may be changed. A gap occurs between the formation pattern of the light-shielding portion and the application location of the adhesive on the support substrate or the sealing member, and the ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet irradiation device is not applied to the application location of the adhesive, so that the adhesive Cannot be sufficiently cured, or the organic EL element is irradiated with ultraviolet rays. It had the kind of problems.
[0007]
Therefore, the present invention focuses on the above-described problems, suppresses the occurrence of a shift in the arrangement position of the ultraviolet cut mask on the holder member, and can sufficiently cure the ultraviolet curable adhesive, It is another object of the present invention to provide a sealing device capable of preventing an organic EL element from being irradiated with ultraviolet rays.
[0008]
In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a transparent electrode, an organic layer including at least a light-emitting layer, and a support substrate on which an organic EL element formed by laminating a back electrode is provided. A sealing device, which is formed by joining a sealing member to be covered with an ultraviolet-curable adhesive,
A first mounting portion provided in the sealing chamber maintained in an inert gas atmosphere and provided with the support substrate, and a substrate provided in the first mounting portion and holding two sides of the support substrate A holder, a support for supporting a substantially central portion of a side of the support substrate that is not held by the substrate holder from below , an insertion mechanism for inserting the support toward the support substrate, and the sealing member. A second mounting portion to be provided, and an overlapping mechanism for overlapping the support substrate and the sealing member,
An ultraviolet irradiation device that is provided above the overlapping mechanism and irradiates the adhesive with ultraviolet light;
An ultraviolet cut mask disposed between the superposition mechanism and the ultraviolet irradiation device and partially blocking ultraviolet light,
A frame portion and a spring portion provided in two directions of the frame portion are provided in the sealing chamber in a state where the ultraviolet cut mask is pressed and fixed to a reference portion facing the spring portion by the spring portion. A frame-shaped holder member that is disposed on the disposing portion, and that positions and disposes the ultraviolet cut mask with respect to the application position of the adhesive on the support substrate or the sealing member.
It is characterized by comprising.
[0009]
Further, the ultraviolet cut mask is characterized in that a light shielding portion for blocking the ultraviolet rays is partially formed on a base portion made of a translucent resin material.
[0011]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, a sealing device A according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0012]
FIG. 1 shows a method for joining a translucent substrate (supporting substrate) 3 and a sealing substrate (sealing member) 4 provided in a sealing device A via an ultraviolet-curable adhesive (hereinafter referred to as an adhesive). Shows a sealing chamber A1 for irradiating ultraviolet rays in a state where both members are overlapped.
[0013]
The sealing device A is evacuated to the sealing chamber A1 through an exhaust port 1 by a vacuum pump (not shown) so that the inside of the chamber is substantially in a vacuum state. A nitrogen chamber A2 having a concentration of 100 ppm or less and a dew point of -70 ° C or less is provided.
[0014]
The sealing device A includes a superposition mechanism 5 in which the light-transmitting substrate 3 and the sealing substrate 4 are disposed substantially at the center of the nitrogen chamber A2, and the bonding mechanism 5 that is disposed above the nitrogen chamber A2. An ultraviolet irradiation device 6 (hereinafter, referred to as a UV irradiation device) for irradiating the agent with ultraviolet light, and an arrangement portion 7 provided between the UV irradiation device 6 and the superposition mechanism 5 via a mask holder 8 (holder member). An ultraviolet cut mask 9 (hereinafter, referred to as a UV cut mask) that is provided and partially blocks ultraviolet light from the UV irradiation device 6 is provided.
[0015]
The translucent substrate 3 is made of a glass material, and is a hole injection layer, which is an organic layer formed on a transparent electrode formed in a predetermined pattern by a vapor deposition device (not shown) provided in the organic EL panel manufacturing apparatus. , A hole transporting layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transporting layer, an electron injecting layer, and a back electrode are sequentially laminated at a plurality of locations. It is configured to be used for so-called multi-paneling, in which individual organic EL panels are obtained by dividing each element.
[0016]
The sealing substrate 4 has a plurality of recesses for hermetically covering the organic EL elements corresponding to the formation positions of the organic EL elements on the translucent substrate 3. Further, the sealing substrate 4 is coated with the adhesive by an adhesive coating device (not shown) in which a dispenser is attached to a robot that is provided in the organic EL panel manufacturing apparatus and that is movable in, for example, the XYZ directions. It is applied to the joint surface with the translucent substrate 3.
[0017]
As a method of applying the adhesive to the sealing substrate 4, a portion where the application amount of the adhesive increases due to the overlap of the start point and the end point of the adhesive application occurs, and the sealing substrate and the light transmitting property When the dispenser reaches near the end point of the adhesive application, in order to prevent the adhesive from protruding during bonding with the substrate, the air pressure applied to the syringe filled with the adhesive is reduced and By performing the lifting operation of the dispenser, the application amount of the adhesive in the vicinity of the end point is reduced, thereby preventing a place where a large amount of the adhesive is applied on the sealing substrate.
[0018]
The superposition mechanism 5 includes, for example, a first mounting portion 5a on which the translucent substrate 3 is provided, a second mounting portion 5b on which the sealing substrate 4 is provided, and a second mounting portion 5b. A lifting mechanism 5c for moving upward by a driving means composed of a cylinder.
[0019]
Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the superposition mechanism 5 includes a positioning pin 5d for positioning the light-transmitting substrate 3 on the first mounting portion 5a, and a positioning pin made of, for example, a clamp. A substrate holder 5e for arranging and fixing the light-transmitting substrate 3 in the vertical direction, and a flat supporting portion for supporting, from below, a substantially central portion of a side of the light-transmitting substrate 3 which is not held by the substrate holder 5e. 5f, and the translucent substrate 3 is positioned at the disposition position in the first mounting portion 5a by being pressed against the positioning pin 5d, and is fixed in a state where it is positioned by the substrate holder 5e. .
[0020]
The superposition mechanism 5 inserts the support portion 5f into a position corresponding to a substantially central portion of the side of the light-transmitting substrate 3 by an insertion mechanism (not shown) including, for example, a driving unit formed of a cylinder. A substantially central portion of the side not held by the third substrate holder 5e is supported from below by the support portion 5f. By supporting the substantially central portion of the side of the light-transmitting substrate 3 that is not held by the substrate holder 5e by the support portion 5f, the central portion of the light-transmitting substrate 3 is prevented from being bent by the influence of its own weight, and is sealed. It is possible to prevent the occurrence of a displacement at the joining portion when joining with the substrate 4. A concave portion is formed at a portion of the sealing substrate 4 facing the support portion 5f, and the support portion 5f and the sealing substrate 4 come into contact with each other when the translucent substrate 3 and the sealing substrate 4 are joined. Has been prevented.
[0021]
A positioning pin (not shown) is provided on the second mounting portion 5b similarly to the first mounting portion 5a, and is arranged on the second mounting portion 5b by being pressed against the positioning pin. It is positioned at the installation position.
[0022]
The superposing mechanism 5 drives the lifting mechanism 5c to raise the second mounting portion 5b, and superposes the sealing substrate 4 on the light transmitting substrate 3 at a predetermined pressure. Note that the superposition mechanism 5 includes an elastic member g on the second mounting portion 5b to prevent an excessive pressure from being applied to the translucent substrate 3 and the sealing substrate 4.
[0023]
When the translucent substrate 3 and the sealing substrate 4 are overlapped by the overlapping mechanism 5, the sealing device A irradiates ultraviolet rays from the UV irradiation device 6 to the application position of the adhesive through the UV cut mask 9. By doing so, the two members are joined and sealed with good airtightness.
[0024]
As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the mask holder 8 includes a frame 8a made of a metal material, a step 8b provided on the frame 8a for disposing the UV cut mask 9, and a frame 8b. A spring portion 8c formed of a plate spring formed by bending a plate-shaped metal material into a substantially U-shape, for example, and being formed in two directions in which the outer sides of the portion 8a intersect substantially vertically, and a step portion of the frame body 8a A fixing portion 8d is provided at a position corresponding to the formation portion of 8b and is formed of a clamp, a leaf spring, or the like. The spring portion 8c and the fixing portion 8d are fixed to the frame 8a by screw portions 8e and 8f, respectively.
[0025]
When disposing the UV cut mask 9, the mask holder 8 first disposes the UV cut mask 9 on the step portion 8b without the fixing portion 8d. At this time, the spring portion 8c disposed so as to protrude inward of the frame 8a pushes the UV cut mask 9 in the direction of the arrow by the elastic force of the spring portion 8c, and the UV cut mask 9 is connected to the spring portion 8c. It is pressed against and fixed to a reference portion 8g provided on the facing surface, and is positioned and arranged with respect to the reference portion 8g.
[0026]
Further, the mask holder 8 has a fixing portion 8d disposed and fixed so as to face the step portion 8b, and holds the UV cut mask 9 by sandwiching the UV cut mask 9 from above and below between the step portion 8b and the fixing portion 8d. . It should be noted that the holding by the fixing portion 8d is only required to prevent the UV cut mask 9 from falling off the stepped portion 8b, and there may be a gap between the fixing portion 8d and the UV cut mask 9. In this case, since the UV cut mask 9 is not sandwiched by a strong pressure, a buffer member having an elastic force for preventing the UV cut mask 9 from being damaged is unnecessary.
[0027]
The mask holder 8 includes a positioning hole 8h corresponding to a positioning pin (not shown) provided in the disposing portion 7 in the nitrogen chamber A2. The mask holder 8 is disposed with the positioning pin inserted through the positioning hole 8h. The UV cut mask 9 is positioned and disposed on the sealing substrate 4 with respect to the application point of the adhesive by being disposed and fixed to the setting portion 7.
[0028]
The UV cut mask 9 is made of a non-light-transmitting material such as Cr (chromium) on a base portion made of a light-transmitting resin material such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate). It is formed corresponding to the formation position of the element. By using a translucent resin material for the base portion, it is easier to manage the UV cut mask 9 than when the base portion is formed of, for example, quartz glass that is easily damaged and easily damaged. Further, by using the UV cut mask 9 made of an inexpensive resin material, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the organic EL panel.
[0029]
A plurality of UV cut masks 9 are stored in a UV cut mask storage room provided in the sealing device A in a state where the UV cut masks 9 are attached to a mask holder 8 according to the type of the organic EL panel. . Therefore, the replacement of the UV cut mask 9 is a replacement including the mask holder 8.
[0030]
With such a configuration, the sealing device A is provided with the spring portions 8c on two sides of the frame portion 8a of the mask holder 8, and presses and fixes the UV cut mask 9 against the reference portion 8g by the spring portions 8c to fix the UV cut mask. 9 is positioned and disposed with respect to the reference portion 8g of the mask holder 8, and the mask holder 8 in a state where the UV cut mask 9 is fixed is disposed in the disposed portion 7 provided in the nitrogen chamber A2 to perform UV cut. By positioning and disposing the mask 9 with respect to the position where the adhesive is applied on the sealing substrate 4, the UV cut mask 9 is constantly pressed against the reference portion 8g of the mask holder 8 by the pressure of the spring portion 8c. By disposing the cut mask 9, the position of the UV cut mask 9 relative to the reference portion 8 g of the mask holder 8 is shifted from that of the related art, which has only been sandwiched from above and below after positioning. It is possible to suppress the causing. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of a shift between the formation pattern of the light-shielding portion of the UV cut mask 9 and the application location of the adhesive on the sealing substrate 4 due to a shift in the arrangement position of the UV cut mask 9 in the mask holder 8, When the ultraviolet ray emitted from the ultraviolet ray irradiating device is normally irradiated to the application point of the adhesive, the adhesive can be sufficiently cured, and the ultraviolet ray is prevented from being irradiated to the organic EL element. It is possible to do.
[0031]
Further, the UV cut mask 9 is formed on the base portion made of a light-transmitting resin material so that the light-shielding portion made of a non-light-transmitting material and blocking ultraviolet rays corresponds to the formation position of the organic EL element. By using a resin material that is not easily damaged for the base portion, it becomes easy to manage the UV cut mask 9, and by using the UV cut mask 9 made of an inexpensive resin material, the organic EL panel is manufactured. Costs can be reduced.
[0032]
Further, a supporting portion 5f is provided at a position corresponding to a substantially central portion of the side of the translucent substrate 3, and the substantially central portion of the side of the translucent substrate 3 is supported from below by the supporting portion 5f. By supporting the substantially central portion of the side of the light-transmitting substrate 3 which is not held by the above, the central portion of the light-transmitting substrate 3 bends due to the influence of gravity, and a displacement occurs at the joining portion when joining with the sealing substrate 4. This can be prevented from occurring.
[0033]
In the embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive is applied on the sealing substrate 4 by the adhesive applying device. May be applied.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
The present invention relates to a sealing device that joins a support substrate on which an organic layer including at least a light emitting layer is provided, and a sealing member that covers the organic layer via an ultraviolet-curable adhesive. It is possible to sufficiently prevent the ultraviolet curable adhesive from being hardened by suppressing the occurrence of a shift in the position where the cut mask is arranged on the holder member, and to prevent the organic EL element from being irradiated with ultraviolet light. Becomes possible.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a sealing chamber provided in a sealing device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a superposition mechanism in the sealing device of the above.
FIG. 3 is a view showing a mask holder in the sealing device according to the first embodiment;
[Explanation of symbols]
A sealing device 3 translucent substrate (support substrate)
4 Sealing substrate (sealing member)
5 Superposition mechanism 5f Support section 6 UV irradiation device 7 Arrangement section 8 Mask holder (holder member)
8a Frame part 8c Spring part 8g Reference part 9 UV cut mask

Claims (2)

A transparent electrode, an organic layer including at least a light-emitting layer, and a support substrate provided with an organic EL element formed by laminating a back electrode, and a sealing member covering the organic EL element are bonded by ultraviolet curing. A sealing device joined through an agent,
A first mounting portion provided in the sealing chamber maintained in an inert gas atmosphere and provided with the support substrate, and a substrate provided in the first mounting portion and holding two sides of the support substrate A holder, a support for supporting a substantially central portion of a side of the support substrate that is not held by the substrate holder from below , an insertion mechanism for inserting the support toward the support substrate, and the sealing member. A second mounting portion to be provided, and an overlapping mechanism for overlapping the support substrate and the sealing member,
An ultraviolet irradiation device that is provided above the overlapping mechanism and irradiates the adhesive with ultraviolet light;
An ultraviolet cut mask disposed between the superposition mechanism and the ultraviolet irradiation device and partially blocking ultraviolet light,
A frame portion and a spring portion provided in two directions of the frame portion are provided in the sealing chamber in a state where the ultraviolet cut mask is pressed and fixed to a reference portion facing the spring portion by the spring portion. A frame-shaped holder member that is disposed on the disposing portion, and that positions and disposes the ultraviolet cut mask with respect to the application position of the adhesive on the support substrate or the sealing member.
A sealing device comprising: The sealing device according to claim 1, wherein the ultraviolet cut mask is formed by partially forming a light shielding portion for blocking the ultraviolet light on a base portion made of a translucent resin material.

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