Electric lamp or space discharge component or device manufacturi – Process – With assembly or disassembly
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-16
2004-09-07
O'Shea, Sandra (Department: 2875)
Electric lamp or space discharge component or device manufacturi
Process
With assembly or disassembly
C445S024000, C445S070000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06786789
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for producing an organic EL display device, and a process for producing an organic EL display device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a producing apparatus making it possible to produce an organic EL display device capable of suppressing the generation of non-luminescence areas or non-luminescence spots, which may be referred to dark spots, in pixels; and a process for producing such an organic EL display device.
The “EL” described in the claims and the specification is an abbreviation of “electroluminescence”.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, various sealing means and moisture-proof means in organic EL display devices have been investigated to exclude the effect of moisture in the atmosphere and suppress the generation of non-luminescence areas, non-luminescence spots and the like in luminescence areas at the time of driving the devices.
It is also studied that an organic EL display device is produced without being exposed to the atmosphere. Such a producing apparatus is disclosed in JP-A-No. 8-111285, 10-214682 or 10-335061.
As illustrated in
FIG. 20
, in a producing apparatus
250
for an organic EL display device disclosed in JP-A-No. 8-111285, plural vacuum chambers
111
to
116
for working are connected to the periphery of a vacuum device
110
. A movable arm
102
for carriage is disposed inside the vacuum device. Thus, a substrate
104
can be moved while the vacuum device and the working vacuum chambers are under a reduced pressure condition.
Therefore, respective layers of an organic EL element can be formed on the substrate in the respective working vacuum chambers while the substrate is passed through the single vacuum device. In other words, an organic EL display device can be produced without being exposed to the atmosphere from the respective film-depositing step to the step of forming a protective film.
As illustrated in
FIG. 21
, an apparatus for producing an organic EL display device disclosed in JP-A-No. 10-214682 comprises independent 1 st-nth working vacuum chambers
222
a
to
226
a
, and 1 st-nth carrying vacuum chambers
222
to
226
connected to the working vacuum chambers through gate valves
222
d
to
226
d
, respectively. The carrying vacuum chambers
222
to
226
are horizontally connected to each other through gate valves
222
c
to
227
c
. A substrate and so on can be transferred from a first dry box
221
, which is an inlet, to a second dry box
227
, which is an outlet, by means of robot arms
222
b
to
226
b
set up in the respective carrying vacuum chambers.
Accordingly, it is possible that respective layers of an organic EL element are formed in the respective working vacuum chambers and the unfinished organic EL element can be successively moved in the respective working vacuum chambers through the carrying vacuum chambers while the working vacuum chambers are in a reduced pressure state. In short, an organic EL display device can be produced without being exposed to the atmosphere from the step of depositing its films to a sealing step.
As illustrated in
FIG. 22
, an apparatus for producing an organic EL display device, disclosed in JP-A-No. 10-335061, comprises a vacuum chamber
315
, a vacuum device
307
connected to the vacuum chamber, a carrying and pressing means
316
for carrying an organic EL element
309
or a sealing member
312
in the vacuum chamber, a hardening means
311
for hardening an adhesive layer
313
between the organic EL element
309
and the sealing member
312
.
It is therefore possible to form respective layers of the organic EL element inside the vacuum chamber
315
and further harden the adhesive layer
313
with the hardening means (ultraviolet-ray exposure device)
311
in the state that the sealing member
312
prepared inside the vacuum chamber is positioned and then pressed from the above by means of the carrying and pressing means
316
. In short, an organic EL display device can be produced without being exposed to the atmosphere from the step of depositing its films to a sealing step.
However, in the organic EL display device producing apparatus disclosed in JP-A-No. 8-111285, the number of the working vacuum chambers (vapor-depositing chambers or sputtering chambers) arranged around its vacuum tank is as large as, for example, five. Thus, a problem that the producing apparatus becomes large-sized arises.
No unit for removing water from an organic EL wafer wherein a transparent element, an organic film and so on are formed on a glass substrate is set up. It is therefore difficult to lower the water content in an organic luminescence medium in the resultant organic EL display device. Thus, a problem that dark spots as non-luminescence areas are easily generated arises.
A problem that sealing is insufficient is also caused since a protective film is formed on the organic EL wafer and subsequently the resultant is exposed to the air.
The organic EL display device producing apparatus disclosed in JP-A-No. 10-214682 comprises the 1 st-nth working vacuum chambers, the 1 st-nth carrying vacuum chambers and the first and second dry boxes, and they are horizontally connected to each other. Thus, this apparatus has a problem that it becomes markedly large-size.
This producing apparatus has the first dry box. However, the first dry box is a space where the water content is controlled into a low value and no heating device is set up. Thus, water contained in a substrate and so on cannot be positively removed.
Therefore, it is difficult to lower the water content in the organic luminescence medium in the resultant organic EL display device. Thus, it has still been difficult to suppress the generation of dark spots and so on as non-luminescence areas and obtain a high luminescence brightness for a long time.
The organic EL display device producing apparatus disclosed in JP-A-No. 10-335061 has no water-removing means, that is, no function for removing water contained in a substrate and so on positively. Therefore, it is difficult to lower the water content in the organic luminescence medium in the resultant organic EL display device. Thus, it has still been difficult to suppress the generation of dark spots and so on as non-luminescence areas and obtain a high luminescence brightness for a long time.
As illustrated in
FIG. 23
, an organic EL display device producing apparatus
400
disclosed in JP-A-No. 2000-133446 comprises load side receipt chambers
412
and
413
, a load side normal-pressure carrying chamber
411
, a load chamber
421
, a vacuum carrying chamber
431
, film-depositing chambers
432
to
435
, an unload chamber
441
, an unload side normal-pressure carrying chamber
451
, unload side receipt chambers
452
and
453
, and an airtight working chamber
454
, and is characterized in that an inert gas atmosphere having a water content of 100 ppm or less is filled at least into the unload chamber
441
and the unload side normal-pressure carrying chamber
451
. JP-A-No. 2000-133446 also discloses that in the load side receipt chambers
412
and
413
, a substrate and any organic material on the substrate are preferably heated to remove water from them.
However, in the disclosed organic EL display device producing apparatus, the position into which the substrate is carried and the position in which the substrate is heated are common. Therefore, the apparatus has a problem that in the case in which the load side receipt chamber is once heated, a next substrate cannot be carried thereinto until the temperature of the load side receipt chamber falls. Since the position into which a substrate is carried and the position in which the substrate is heated are common and further the load side normal-pressure carrying chamber is arranged after the heated load side receipt chamber, it is difficult to reduce the pressure of the load side receipt chamber, cool the chamber, or set up a precision balance therein. Therefore, a problem that it takes much time to remove water fr
Eida Mitsuru
Sakai Toshio
Tokailin Hiroshi
Dong Dalei
Idemitsu Kosan Co. Ltd.
O'Shea Sandra
Parkhurst & Wendel L.L.P.
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