JP4812573B2 - Conductor film connection structure and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a conductor film connection structure between a first conductor film and a second conductor film formed on a substrate included in a display panel, and a method for manufacturing the conductor film connection structure.

  The conductor film connection technique is an indispensable technique in the manufacture of display panels such as recent organic electroluminescence display panels (hereinafter referred to as organic EL display panels). An organic EL display panel includes an organic electroluminescence element (hereinafter, referred to as an organic functional layer) including a laminate of two or more organic films including a light emitting layer made of an organic compound material that exhibits electroluminescence that emits light by current injection. A plurality of organic EL elements) is known as a display device formed on a substrate.

  In the method of manufacturing an organic EL display panel, when an organic functional layer is formed by a coating method, a coating method such as a spin coating method, a blade coating method, a roll coating method, or a spraying method, which is applied to substantially the entire surface of the substrate, or an inkjet method. There are various printing methods such as flexographic printing method and dispensing method. In the printing method, patterning can be easily performed, but it is difficult to obtain a uniform film. For example, in the ink jet method, defects and film thickness unevenness are liable to occur due to nozzle clogging and unstable injection amount. In a printing method using a plate such as flexographic printing, particles tend to be generated because the plate contacts the substrate. Also with dispensing, it is difficult to control the amount of liquid supplied with high accuracy, and uneven film thickness is likely to occur.

  On the other hand, with a coating method such as spin coating, which can be formed on a substantially entire surface, a uniform film without unevenness can be obtained, but it is difficult to form a pattern. A method for solving these problems is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In paragraph (0025) of Patent Document 1, after forming an organic functional layer of a polymer-based material layer by a coating method, a second electrode is selectively formed, and the organic functional layer is formed into a plasma using the pattern of the second electrode as a mask. A manufacturing technique is disclosed in which a third electrode is selectively formed by etching and covering the second electrode.

In the structure of the organic EL display panel disclosed in Patent Document 1, electrical connection to the wiring electrode for connection between the second electrode and external wiring covers the second electrode as shown in FIG. This is done via the third electrode.
JP 2004-6278 A

  In the conductor film connection structure of the prior art, as shown in FIG. 1, in the place where all the organic functional layers are sandwiched between the second electrode and the wiring electrodes, since the organic functional layer contains a semiconductor, The interface does not become ohmic contact, the resistance becomes very high, and almost all of the current flows from the second electrode to the wiring electrode through the third electrode. Therefore, there is a problem that the number of patterns and processes increase for each electrode.

  Problems to be solved by the present invention include a conductor film connection structure that can easily form a connection of a conductor film (second conductor film) to be connected to a wiring electrode (first conductor film), and An example is to provide a manufacturing method thereof.

The method for producing a conductor film connection structure according to claim 1 is a method for producing a connection structure between a first conductor film and a second conductor film formed on a substrate included in a display panel,
Forming a first conductor film on a substrate; forming an intermediate conductor film on the first conductor film;
A second conductor film is formed on the intermediate conductor film, and an overlapping portion of the first conductor film and the second conductor film and a connection portion of the intermediate conductor film sandwiched between the overlapping portions are provided. Defining,
The intermediate conductor film is made of a first material having an electrical resistance value higher than the higher one of the first conductor film and the second conductor film,
And a resistance reduction treatment step for lowering the electrical resistance value of the connecting portion of the intermediate conductor film to be lower than the electrical resistance value of the first material.

The conductor film connection structure according to claim 10 is a connection structure between a first conductor film and a second conductor film formed on a substrate included in a display panel,
An overlapping portion of the first conductor film and the second conductor film and a connection portion of an intermediate conductor film sandwiched between the overlapping portions, and the intermediate conductor film includes the first conductor film and the first conductor film. A ratio of the first material to the second conductor film side of the connecting portion of the intermediate conductor film is made of a first material having an electrical resistance value higher than the higher one of the two conductor films. A second material that lowers the resistance is doped.

The conductor film connection structure according to claim 11 is a connection structure between a first conductor film and a second conductor film formed on a substrate included in a display panel,
An overlapping portion of the first conductor film and the second conductor film and a connecting portion of the intermediate conductor film sandwiched between the overlapping portions, and the connecting portion of the intermediate conductor film is the first conductor A first material having a higher electrical resistance value than the higher one of the film and the second conductor film,
At least one surface of the first conductor film and the intermediate conductor film or the second conductor film and the intermediate conductor film in the connection portion of the intermediate conductor film has a rough surface.

The conductor film connection structure according to claim 12 is a connection structure between a first conductor film and a second conductor film formed on a substrate included in a display panel,
An overlapping portion of the first conductor film and the second conductor film and a connecting portion of the intermediate conductor film sandwiched between the overlapping portions, and the connecting portion of the intermediate conductor film is the first conductor A first material having a higher electrical resistance value than the higher one of the film and the second conductor film,
The first conductor film and the second conductor film include a welded portion welded together with a connection portion of the intermediate conductor film.

  Thus, according to this invention, since the film thickness of the intermediate conductor film of a connection part can be partially made thin, the electrical resistance of the connection part can be lowered | hung. In addition, since the surface area of the intermediate conductor film in the connection portion can be increased, the electrical resistance of the connection portion can be reduced. Further, when the connection portion is irradiated with laser light, the first conductor film, the intermediate conductor film, and the second conductor film are once melted and solidified again, so that the connection portion is at least partially welded and has a low Can be resistance. Here, in addition to fusion welding by laser beam irradiation (laser welding), welding such as ultrasonic welding can be used, and heat and / or pressure are used so that the joint portion, that is, the connection portion has continuity. And the first conductor film, the intermediate conductor film, and the second conductor film may be bonded together.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

  The conductive film connection structure will be described below with reference to the drawings, taking the organic EL display panel of the embodiment of the present invention as an example. Hereinafter, the first conductor film will be described as the wiring electrode 19, the second conductor film as the second electrode 15, and the intermediate conductor film as the resistance-coupled organic film 141.

  The organic EL display panel has at least one organic EL element formed on a substrate. As shown in FIG. 2, the organic EL element formed on the substrate 10 includes a first electrode 13 and a first electrode 13. And an organic functional layer 14 composed of two or more organic films including an organic light emitting layer that emits light by current injection, and a second electrode 15 connected to the organic functional layer 14. The organic EL display panel includes a wiring electrode 19 formed on the substrate 10 for power supply wiring of the organic EL element.

  The substrate 10 is generally made of glass or resin. The substrate 10 may include an element such as a transistor for driving the organic EL element, a color filter, a color conversion layer, and the like.

  The first electrode 13 and the second electrode 15 are an anode or a cathode of the organic EL element. When one is an anode, the other is a cathode. As the electrode material, anode and cathode materials of known organic EL elements can be used, and a light-transmitting material is used for the electrode on the light extraction side. In order to produce a passive drive type panel, any of the orthogonal patterns may be striped, or in order to produce an active drive type panel, a predetermined pattern may be an island shape corresponding to a pixel (light emitting portion). Good.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the organic functional layer 14 includes a functional organic film 142 including an organic light emitting layer and a resistance-coupled organic film 141 made of a conductive organic material. The resistive coupling organic film 141 laminated in the element extends between the second electrode 15 and the wiring electrode 19 and constitutes a part of the laminated connection portion Cn. That is, although the resistive coupling organic film 141 belongs to a functional organic material, the organic functional layer 14 is composed of a resistive organic film 141 made of a conductive organic material and a functional organic film 142 other than the resistive coupling organic film 141. The resistance coupling organic film 141 and the functional organic film 142 may be a single layer or a plurality of layers. The functional organic film 142 is formed so as to cover the first electrode 13 and may not be formed in the connection portion Cn.

  For example, the resistance-coupled organic film 141 is formed in substantially the same region as the second electrode 15 on the entire surface covering the connection portion Cn between the first electrode 13 and the wiring electrode 19. Note that “substantially the entire surface” means that there may be a portion that is not formed in a gap portion or the like between light emitting portions, and naturally includes a case where it is formed completely continuously without a gap. In order to form the resistively coupled organic film 141 in a pattern substantially the same as that of the second electrode 15, the resistively coupled organic film 141 is formed on substantially the entire surface of the substrate 10, and then the resistively coupled organic film 141 is masked using the pattern of the second electrode 15 as a mask. The organic film 141 may be etched. By overlapping and etching, the resistively-coupled organic film 141 can be formed in substantially the same pattern as the second electrode 15 in a self-aligning manner.

  The organic functional layer 14 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows an organic EL device in which the first electrode 13 and the second electrode 15 are an anode and a cathode. In the light-emitting layer mainly composed of an organic material, which is the functional organic film 142, holes are injected from the anode and electrons are injected from the cathode, and recombine to emit light. The organic functional layer 14 of the organic EL element includes, for example, a hole injection layer / a hole transport layer / a light emitting layer / an electron transport layer / an electron injection layer stacked in order from the first electrode 13 of the anode to the second electrode 15 of the cathode. It consists of a plurality of functional organic material films having the following functions. Further, an electron blocking layer can be provided as a functional organic film between the hole transport layer and the light emitting layer, and the hole blocking layer can be provided as a functional organic film in the light emitting layer and the electron transport layer. Except for the light emitting layer, any of the hole injection layer, the hole transport layer, the electron transport layer, the electron injection layer, the electron block layer, and the hole block layer may be omitted. The resistance-coupled organic film 141 and the functional organic film 142 are distinguished from each other by the presence / absence of a light-emitting layer and conductivity. That is, the resistance-coupled organic film 141 is a first material having an electrical resistance value higher than the higher one of the first conductor film (wiring electrode 19) and the second conductor film (second electrode 15). It should just be comprised from.

  Each organic functional layer 14 is usually made of an organic material, and may further be made of a low-molecular or dendrimer polymer organic material. The organic functional layer 14 made of a low molecular organic substance is generally formed by a dry process (vacuum process) such as a vapor deposition method, and the organic functional layer 14 made of a polymer or dendrimer organic substance is generally formed by a coating method. It is. Some of them are low-molecular materials soluble in organic solvents that can be applied, and high-molecular materials that can be vapor-deposited. In general, as a material such as a light emitting layer used for the organic functional layer 14, a P-type or N-type organic semiconductor or a bipolar organic semiconductor is often used. However, an example in which a part of the organic functional layer 14 is formed of a conductive organic material has been reported in order to improve the performance of the device. For example, PEDOT (poly (3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)), polyaniline, polyparaphenylene vinylene derivative, polythiophene derivative, polyparaphenylene derivative, polyalkylphenylene, polyacetylene derivative are used as the conductive polymer material used for the organic functional layer 14. , Etc. are mentioned. Further, conductive polymer materials used for these organic functional layers 14 are toluene, benzene, chlorobenzene, dichlorobenzene, chloroform, tetralin, xylene, anisole, dichloromethane, γ-butyrolactone, butyl cellosolve, cyclohexane, NMP (N-methyl). -2-pyrrolidone), dimethyl sulfoxide, cyclohexanone, dioxane, or one or more selected from solvents such as THF (tetrahydrofuran) are dissolved and applied. As the solvent, in addition to the above-mentioned solvents, PGME (propyleneglycol monomethyl ether), PGMEA (propyleneglycol monomethyl ether acetate), ethyl lactate, DMAc (NN-dimethylacetamide), MEK (methyl ethyl ketone), MIBK (methyl isobutyl ketone), IPA Known solvents such as (iso propyl alcohol) and ethanol can be used. Examples of the coating method include a method of coating a predetermined pattern, such as a method of coating substantially the entire surface of the substrate 10 such as spin coating, blade coating, roll coating, spraying, and various printing methods such as inkjet, flexographic printing, and dispensing. is there.

  In many cases, it is useful to use a conductive organic material as a hole injection layer. In this case, the resistance-coupled organic film 141 of the functional organic material is used as a hole injection layer, and at least one of other films such as a light emitting layer is used. May be the functional organic film 142. That is, in another example, at least one of a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer is set as the resistance coupling organic film 141.

  As the wiring electrode 19, a known wiring material used in an organic EL display panel or LCD can be used. The element is connected to an external drive circuit through the connection portion Cn of the resistance coupling organic film 141 between the wiring electrode 19 and the second electrode 15. However, when the coating solution for forming the resistance-coupled organic film 141 is an acidic solution, the surface of the wiring electrode 19 may be formed of a material with high acid resistance such as Cr, Ta, Mo, Ti. desirable.

  Although the intermediate conductor film will be described as the resistance-coupled organic film 141, the same effect can be obtained by using an intermediate conductor film made of an inorganic material as well as an organic material. For example, the present invention can be used for connection between a plurality of organic transistors and wiring electrodes built in a display panel together with a plurality of organic EL elements.

  FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged rear view of a passive drive type organic EL display panel provided with a plurality of organic EL elements arranged in a matrix on the substrate 10.

  The illustrated organic EL display panel includes a plurality of first electrodes 13 of row electrodes including transparent electrode layers, an organic functional layer, and a plurality of second electrodes 15 of column electrodes including metal electrode layers intersecting the row electrodes. Are sequentially stacked on the substrate 10. The row electrodes are each formed in a strip shape and are arranged so as to be parallel to each other at a predetermined interval, and the same applies to the column electrodes. As described above, the matrix display panel has a display region including light emitting portions of a plurality of organic EL elements formed at intersections of a plurality of row and column electrodes. The second electrode 15 is connected to the wiring electrode 19 via the connection portion Cn.

  The first electrode 13 may be formed of a metal bus line that electrically connects the island-shaped transparent electrodes in the horizontal direction. Although not shown, an inorganic passivation film made of a nitride such as silicon nitride oxide or silicon nitride, or an oxide or an inorganic substance such as carbon may be provided on the second electrode 15 as a sealing film. The organic EL display panel can also include a partition made of a plurality of insulators provided between the organic EL elements on the substrate 10 between the parallel electrodes. The sealing film of the inorganic passivation film may be a multilayer with a fluorine-based or silicon-based resin, or a synthetic resin film such as photoresist or polyimide.

  A method for manufacturing the organic EL display panel will be described with reference to FIG. 5 showing a cross section of AA in FIG.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the first electrode 13 is formed in the display area on the substrate 10 (area where the light emitting portions are to be arranged). An element such as a transistor for driving an organic EL element, a color filter, a color conversion layer, and the like may be provided on the substrate 10 in advance, and the first electrode 13 may be formed thereon.

  In order to produce a passive drive type panel, the pattern of the first electrode 13 may be a stripe shape, or in order to produce an active drive type panel, the pattern of the first electrode 13 is an island shape corresponding to the light emitting portion. It is good. The first electrode 13 may be an anode of an organic EL element.

  Although not illustrated, after the first electrode 13 is formed, a partition wall used for patterning the second electrode 15 may be formed, or an insulating film may be formed in a gap portion of the light emitting portion (pixel).

  As shown in FIG. 6, a wiring electrode 19 for leading the second electrode 15 to the outside is formed outside the display area. The wiring electrode 19 has a predetermined area in order to secure a connection portion Cn defined in a later step. The wiring electrode 19 may be formed before the first electrode 13 is formed, or the wiring electrode 19 may be formed of the same material as that of the second electrode 15 and formed simultaneously. When the substrate 10 itself has conductivity, the surface of the substrate 10 may be exposed with a predetermined area instead of the wiring electrode 19. In the case of these simultaneous formation and substrate utilization, the formation process of the wiring electrode 19 becomes unnecessary.

  As shown in FIG. 7, a resistance-coupled organic film 141 made of a conductive organic material is formed on substantially the entire surface of the substrate 10 (including the first electrode 13 and the wiring electrode 19). The resistance coupling organic film 141 on the wiring electrode 19 becomes the connection portion Cn.

  For the resistance coupling organic film 141, a conductive organic material as described above can be used. For example, the resistive coupling organic film 141 may be a hole injection layer.

  As a forming method, as described above, a coating method or a vapor deposition method can be used. Spin coating, blade coating, roll coating, spray coating, vapor deposition and the like are particularly suitable for forming almost the entire surface.

  In the organic EL display panel, the resistance of the connection portion Cn between the second electrode 15 and the wiring electrode 19 is preferably as low as possible. Therefore, in order to reduce the resistance of the connection portion Cn, a structure having a material portion having a low specific resistance is formed in at least the connection portion Cn of the resistive coupling organic film 141 as a low resistance structure.

  As shown in FIG. 8, after forming the resistive coupling organic film 141, a dopant solution that lowers the specific resistance of the resistive coupling organic film 141 is partially applied to the connection portion Cn using an ink jet nozzle and dried and diffused. In this case, the sheet resistance of the connection portion can be lowered as a whole by providing a film forming step for doping metal nanoparticles for the connection portion, for example. Further, a material that can be an electron donor or acceptor may be doped. Such a doping process is a low resistance process. Thus, the second material is applied to the connection portion Cn as a dopant.

  As shown in FIG. 9, after a region having a specific resistance value (hatch portion) lower than the surroundings is partially formed in the resistance coupling organic film 141 of the connection portion Cn, the first electrode 13 is covered except on the wiring electrode 19. A functional organic film 142 serving as an organic functional layer other than the resistance-coupled organic film 141 is formed in the portion. For example, the functional organic film 142 may be a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, or the like. Here, a step of coating the functional organic film 142 according to the emission color can be executed. Furthermore, the functional organic film 142 is formed in a region narrower than the pattern of the resistance coupling organic film 141 and the second electrode 15 defined later. This is because if the functional organic film 142 is formed in a portion to be a connection portion, the resistance is increased, and it is necessary in the case of separately coating depending on the emission color.

  As shown in FIG. 10, the second electrode 15 is formed in a predetermined pattern (which is smaller than the area of the resistance-coupled organic film 141 in order to expose a part of the wiring electrode 19 for external connection later). Since the second electrode 15 functions as a mask in the subsequent etching process of the resistively coupled organic film 141, it is desirable that the second electrode 15 has high etching resistance. Usually, a metal or metal oxide used as an electrode material has no problem because it has high etching resistance.

  On the other hand, when a conductive polymer or the like is used as the second electrode 15 material, the etching rate is about the same as that of the resistance-coupled organic film 141, so care must be taken. In that case, the problem can be solved by forming a polymer film thickness obtained by adding a film thickness that is reduced by etching to a film thickness necessary for completion.

  As a method of forming the second electrode 15, vapor deposition, sputtering, printing, or the like can be used. The method of patterning the second electrode 15 is not particularly limited, but since normal photolithography uses a solution, there is a high possibility that the organic functional layer 14 will be adversely affected. Therefore, it is preferable to pattern by mask vapor deposition or mask sputtering. Further, patterning may be performed by a partition provided on the first electrode 13.

  In order to produce a passive drive type panel, the second electrode 15 may be formed in a stripe shape, or in order to produce an active drive type panel, the second electrode 15 may be formed on a substantially entire surface. Good. The second electrode 15 may be a cathode of the organic EL element.

As shown in FIG. 11, the resistive coupling organic film 141 is etched using the pattern of the second electrode 15 as a mask. Since the organic functional layer 14 generally has low moisture resistance, the etching method is preferably dry etching using a plasma gas. As a gas used for dry etching, O ₂ , Ar, CF ₄ , or a mixed gas thereof can be used. In particular, when a gas containing O ₂ is used, the resistance-coupled organic film 141 made of an organic material is well etched, but the second electrode 15 made of an inorganic material is hardly etched, which is preferable.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the portion of the resistively coupled organic film 141 not covered with the second electrode 15 is removed, a part of the wiring electrode 19 is exposed for external connection, and the second electrode 15 is self-aligned. As a result, a resistance-coupled organic film 141 having substantially the same pattern is obtained, and the connection portion Cn is defined.

  Although the pattern accuracy is inferior, etching may be performed by forming a layer serving as an etching mask separately on the layer above the second electrode.

  Thereafter, a color filter or a color conversion layer may be formed, or sealing may be performed.

  The connection resistance of the connection portion Cn between the second electrode 15 and the wiring electrode 19 of the organic EL display panel of the embodiment will be described below.

  The second electrode 15 is electrically connected to the connection portion Cn of the wiring electrode 19 through the resistance coupling organic film 141. Since the organic functional layer 14, the second electrode 15, and the wiring electrode 19 are generally in ohmic contact, the connection resistance between the second electrode 15 and the wiring electrode 19 is sandwiched between the second electrode 15 and the wiring electrode 19 at the connection portion Cn. It may be considered that the resistance value in the film thickness direction of the resistance coupling organic film 141 is substantially equal. When the area of the connection portion Cn is S, the film thickness of the resistive coupling organic film 141 is d, and the specific resistance of the resistive coupling organic film 141 is ρ, the connection resistance R between the second electrode 15 and the wiring electrode 19 is R = ρ × It is expressed as d / S.

  Since the organic EL element is a current injection type element, if the value of the connection resistance R is large, there is a voltage drop and power consumption at this portion, which is not preferable. Therefore, the resistance value (value of connection resistance R) of the resistive coupling organic film 141 in the connection portion is preferably 1 kΩ or less, more preferably 100Ω or less.

  Since the resistive coupling organic film 141 has conductivity and the film thickness is usually about 100 nm and is very thin, the resistance value in the film thickness direction of the resistive coupling organic film 141 at the connection portion Cn is the organic functional layer of the organic EL element. It becomes a value lower than the total 14 resistance values.

For example, the specific resistance ρ of PEDOT (PEDT / PSS) (poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) / poly (4-styrenesulfonate)) generally used as a conductive organic material is approximately ρ = 10 ³ to It is about 10 ⁶ Ω · cm. Assuming an active organic EL display panel, the area of the connection portion Cn is 1 mm square (area S = 10 ⁻² cm ² ), the film thickness d of the resistive coupling organic film 141 is 100 nm = 10 ⁻⁵ cm, and PEDOT When used, the resistance R in the film thickness direction of the resistive coupling organic film 141 at the connection portion Cn is R = ρ × d / S = (10 ³ to 10 ⁶ ) × 10 ⁻⁵ / 10 ⁻² = 1 to 10 ^3. In this case, it can be seen that a good connection resistance can be obtained.

  In general, the organic EL element has low moisture resistance. This is partly due to moisture invading the interface of each layer and invading the element. However, in the organic EL display panel of the embodiment, a functional organic material is formed in a region narrower than the pattern of the resistance coupling organic film 141 and the second electrode 15. When the film 142 is formed, the interfaces exposed at the end face of the second electrode 15 are only the upper and lower interfaces of the resistive coupling organic film 141 and, if the resistive coupling organic film 141 is composed of a plurality of layers, only the interface of each layer. With respect to the functional organic film 142, the upper and lower interfaces of the layer and the interface within the layer are not exposed, and are covered with the second electrode 15 having low moisture permeability. Therefore, it contributes to improvement of element durability.

  Furthermore, in the organic EL display panel manufacturing method of the embodiment, the patterning of the resistance-coupled organic film 141 can be formed with substantially the same pattern as the second electrode 15 without requiring a “type” such as a mask, thereby reducing the number of processes. To contribute. Furthermore, since the portion sandwiched between the second electrode 15 and the wiring electrode 19 is only the resistance-coupled organic film 141 having a low resistance, a state where the connection resistance of this portion is low can be obtained.

<Other embodiments>
Further, the low resistance structure can be realized by previously patterning the portion of the wiring electrode 19 corresponding to the connection portion Cn to provide unevenness on the surface. For example, if the wiring electrode 19 is formed so as to have an uneven surface in the wiring electrode forming step shown in FIG. 6, the resistance coupling of the connecting portion Cn can be performed as shown in FIG. 13 without performing the step of applying the dopant. The organic film 141 is uneven, and the surface area is increased. At the same time, the film thickness of the resistance-coupled organic film 141 is partially reduced at the corners of the unevenness, and the connection resistance can be lowered. Such a series of processes is a resistance reduction process. In addition, the unevenness | corrugation of the connection part Cn part of the wiring electrode 19 may be multilayered. The height difference of the unevenness is preferably 1/2 or more of the film thickness of the resistance-coupled organic film 141 for lowering the resistance, and more preferably more than this film thickness.

  As shown in FIG. 14, the present embodiment is the same as the above-described structure except that a low-resistance connection portion Cn having an interface area larger than that of the surrounding area and partially thinned is formed in the resistive coupling organic film 141 without doping. It has the structure of.

  Furthermore, the other low-resistance structure and the low-resistance treatment process can be formed by laser light irradiation or the like in a subsequent process of the resistance-coupled organic film forming process. That is, in the low resistance structure, as shown in FIG. 15, after forming the resistive coupling organic film 141, the connection portion Cn of the resistive coupling organic film is irradiated with laser light instead of doping, and as shown in FIG. This can be realized by forming irregularities in the combined organic film 141 or by partially removing the resistively bonded organic film 141 as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, in the present embodiment, the second electrode 15 and the first electrode 13 are partially short-circuited to the resistance-coupled organic film 141 of the connection portion Cn, and a region having a lower resistance value is formed. Except for forming the above, it can have the same structure as the low resistance structure.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 20, after the formation up to the second electrode 15 without doping, when laser light is irradiated from above the second electrode 15 of the connection portion Cn, the second electrode 15 and the resistance-coupled organic material are formed in this portion. The film 141 and the first electrode 13 are once melted and solidified again so that the joint portion has continuity, and both are fused, and as shown in FIG. 21, a welded state is obtained via the connection portion Cn, thereby reducing the resistance. Can be achieved. Note that the connection portion Cn portion of the wiring electrode 19 may be multilayered, or the resistive coupling organic film 141 may be doped with a low resistance material, a light absorbing material, or the like as described above. Effective for denaturation by laser light. Note that the laser beam may be irradiated from the substrate side as opposed to the case of FIG.

  In any method, in order to reduce the specific resistance of the resistive coupling organic film 141 in the connection portion Cn, the thickness of the resistive coupling organic film 141 in the connection portion Cn is reduced, and further, the resistive coupling organic film in the connection portion Cn. An effective effect is obtained by increasing the surface area of 141. In the embodiment of FIGS. 13 to 21, the effect of the present invention is exhibited even if the functional organic film 142 and the resistively coupled organic film 141 are formed in substantially the same pattern.

<Example 1>
As Example 1, a passive drive organic EL display panel was produced.

  As shown in FIG. 22, as the first electrode 13, four ITO (indium tin oxide) were formed in parallel stripes on the glass substrate 10 by sputtering and photoetching.

  As shown in FIG. 23, a multilayer metal film made of Ti (50 nm thick) / Al (200 nm thick) / Ti (50 nm thick) is used as a wiring electrode 19 so as not to overlap the first electrode 13 by sputtering. It was formed by photoetching.

As shown in FIG. 24, PEDOT having a specific resistance of 10 ³ Ω · cm was formed by spin coating on the substantially entire surface of the glass substrate 10 (the first electrode 13 and the wiring electrode 19) as the resistive coupling organic film 141.

As shown in FIG. 25, as the functional organic film 142, TPD (50 nm thickness) / Alq ₃ (on the portion other than the end portion of the first electrode 13 and the resistive coupling organic film 141 on the substrate 10 corresponding to the display region. Each film of 600 nm thickness) / Li ₂ O (1 nm thickness) was formed by mask vapor deposition.

  As shown in FIG. 26, as the second electrode 15 orthogonal to the first electrode 13, Al (100 nm thickness) was formed by mask vapor deposition to form three patterns in parallel stripes.

Using the pattern of the second electrode 15 as a mask, the resistive coupling organic film 141 was etched to expose a part of the wiring electrode 19 for external connection as shown in FIG. 27 to define the connection portion Cn. At this time, the functional organic film 142 is also etched at the same time, but there is no particular problem because it is not a light emitting portion. Etching is performed using, for example, vacuum plasma. If oxygen is used as the etching gas, the pressure is set to 100 Pa, the power is set to about 1 W / cm ² , and the etching is performed for 10 minutes, the resistive coupling organic film 141 can be satisfactorily etched. Further, there was almost no damage to the second electrode 15.

  Finally, laser irradiation was performed on each of the connection portions Cn using a YAG laser having a wavelength of 1064 nm and a pulse width of 20 ns, and the passive drive organic EL display panel shown in FIG. 28 was obtained.

  Furthermore, sealing processing etc. were performed from the back side, and the organic EL display panel of Example 1 was completed. The size of the connection part Cn was 0.1 mm × 0.1 mm, and the resistance of the connection part Cn was 1Ω or less.

  In the above-described embodiments, a simple matrix display type organic EL display panel composed of an organic functional layer, that is, a light emitting portion, at a portion where a plurality of first electrodes and second electrodes on a substrate intersect has been described. It can also be applied to active matrix display panels.

<Comparative example>
A passive drive organic EL display panel was fabricated in the same manner as in Example 1 except that each of the connection portions Cn was not irradiated with laser, and the resistance of the connection portion Cn was about 100Ω.

It is a general | schematic fragmentary sectional view of the conventional organic electroluminescence display panel. It is a general | schematic fragmentary sectional view of the organic electroluminescent display panel of embodiment by this invention. It is a general | schematic fragmentary sectional view of the organic EL element of the organic EL display panel of embodiment by this invention. It is a partial expanded rear view of the organic electroluminescence display panel provided with the some organic electroluminescent element of embodiment by this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of embodiment by this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of embodiment by this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of embodiment by this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of embodiment by this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of embodiment by this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of embodiment by this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of embodiment by this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of embodiment by this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of other embodiments by the present invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of other embodiments by the present invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of other embodiments by the present invention. It is a general | schematic fragmentary sectional view of the organic electroluminescent display panel of other embodiment by this invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of other embodiments by the present invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of other embodiments by the present invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view of the board in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescence display panel of other embodiments by the present invention. It is a general | schematic fragmentary sectional view of the organic electroluminescent display panel of other embodiment by this invention. It is a general | schematic fragmentary sectional view of the organic electroluminescent display panel of other embodiment by this invention. It is a top view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescent display panel of the Example by this invention. It is a top view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescent display panel of the Example by this invention. It is a top view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescent display panel of the Example by this invention. It is a top view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescent display panel of the Example by this invention. It is a top view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescent display panel of the Example by this invention. It is a top view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescent display panel of the Example by this invention. It is a top view of the board | substrate in the manufacture process of the organic electroluminescent display panel of the Example by this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Board | substrate 13 1st electrode 14 Organic functional layer 15 2nd electrode 16 Sealing film 19 Wiring electrode 141 Resistance coupling | bonding organic film 142 Functional organic film

Claims (12)

A method for producing a connection structure between a first conductor film and a second conductor film formed on a substrate included in a display panel,
Forming a first conductor film on the substrate; forming an intermediate conductor film on the first conductor film;
A second conductor film is formed on the intermediate conductor film, and an overlapping portion of the first conductor film and the second conductor film and a connection portion of the intermediate conductor film sandwiched between the overlapping portions are provided. Defining,
The intermediate conductor film is made of a first material having an electrical resistance value higher than the higher one of the first conductor film and the second conductor film,
A method of manufacturing a conductor film connection structure, comprising: a resistance reduction process step of lowering an electrical resistance value of a connection portion of the intermediate conductor film lower than an electrical resistance value of the first material.   The low resistance treatment step includes a step of doping a second material that lowers the specific resistance of the first material into the second conductor film side of the connection portion of the intermediate conductor film. A method for producing a conductor film connection structure according to 1.   3. The conductor according to claim 2, wherein the step of doping the second material includes a step of applying and drying a solution of the dopant on the intermediate conductor film using an inkjet nozzle after forming the intermediate conductor film. A method for manufacturing a membrane connection structure.   The resistance reduction treatment step includes a step of forming irregularities on the surface in the step of forming at least one of the first conductor film and the intermediate conductor film or the second conductor film and the intermediate conductor film. The method for producing a conductor film connection structure according to claim 1.   The conductive process according to claim 1, wherein the low resistance treatment step includes a step of forming irregularities on the surface of the intermediate conductor film by irradiating the connection portion with laser light after forming the intermediate conductor film. Manufacturing method of body membrane connection structure.   The resistance reduction treatment step includes a step of irradiating the connection portion with laser light after forming the second conductor film and welding the first conductor film, the second conductor film, and the intermediate conductor film. The method for producing a conductor film connection structure according to claim 1, wherein:   7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: etching the intermediate conductor film in a pattern substantially the same as the second conductor film using the second conductor film as a mask. A manufacturing method of a conductor film connection structure.   The method of manufacturing a conductor film connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate conductor film is an inorganic substance.   The method of manufacturing a conductor film connection structure according to claim 1, wherein the intermediate conductor film is an organic substance. A connection structure between a first conductor film and a second conductor film formed on a substrate included in a display panel,
It consists of a connecting portion of the first conductive film and the second conductive film of the overlapping portion between the intermediate conductor film sandwiched between the overlapping portions, the intermediate conductor film of the first conductive film and the second It consists of the 1st material which has an electric resistance value higher than the electric resistance value of the higher one of the conductor films, and the specific resistance of the first material on the second conductor film side of the connecting portion of the intermediate conductor film Conductor film connection structure, characterized in that a second material for lowering is doped. A connection structure between a first conductor film and a second conductor film formed on a substrate included in a display panel,
The consists of a connecting portion of the first conductive film and the intermediate conductor film sandwiched between the overlapping portion and the overlapping portion of the second conductive film, the connection portion of the intermediate conductor film of the first conductive film And a first material having an electric resistance value higher than the higher electric resistance value of the second conductor film,
A conductor film connection structure having a rough surface on at least one surface of the first conductor film and the intermediate conductor film or the second conductor film and the intermediate conductor film in the connecting portion of the intermediate conductor film . A connection structure between a first conductor film and a second conductor film formed on a substrate included in a display panel,
The consists of a connecting portion of the first conductive film and the intermediate conductor film sandwiched between the overlapping portion and the overlapping portion of the second conductive film, the connection portion of the intermediate conductor film of the first conductive film And a first material having an electric resistance value higher than the higher electric resistance value of the second conductor film,
The conductor film connection structure, wherein the first conductor film and the second conductor film include a welded portion welded together with the connection portion of the intermediate conductor film.

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