Optical: systems and elements – Optical modulator – Light wave directional modulation
Reexamination Certificate
2002-01-24
2003-11-18
Epps, Georgia (Department: 2873)
Optical: systems and elements
Optical modulator
Light wave directional modulation
C315S111210, C118S050100
Reexamination Certificate
active
06650464
ABSTRACT:
CROSS-REFERENCES TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is related to Japanese applications No. 2001-017201 filed on Jan. 25, 2001 whose priority is claimed under 35 USC § 119, the disclosures of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a laser processing device, and more particularly to a laser processing device in case where a transfer method is used as a method for forming an organic substance layer in an organic electroluminescent display panel using an organic electroluminescent element at its pixel luminescing portion having an element structure of a substrate; a first electrode; an organic substance layer including at least a luminous layer; and a second electrode.
The present invention also relates to an organic electroluminescent display panel using the laser processing device.
2. Description of the Prior Arts
A demand has rapidly been increasing to a display panel as a man-to-machine interface as the times of multi-media has come around. A liquid crystal display panel has widely been used, among various display panels, because of the characteristics of thin-size, reduced consumptive electric power, or the like.
Pixel portions of R (red), G (green) and B (blue) are required to be formed for establishing a full-color display on the liquid crystal display. The liquid crystal display achieves this object by using a color filter transmitting each color of R, G and B. A well-known popular photolithography method has generally been applied for minutely patterning these color filters into R, G and B.
However, the patterning has been difficult nowadays due to a progressed high precision of the display. Further, the influence given to the environment is concerned, since developing solution such as organic solvent is used in a great amount upon developing.
In recent years, a transfer method has been paid an attention as a pattern forming method of a color filter made of an organic substance.
When the transfer method is applied for a method for forming the color filter of the liquid crystal display device, a thin-film layer that is to be transferred is firstly formed onto a donor substrate comprised of a PET (polyethylene terephthalate) film or the like by a vapor-deposition method, spin coating method or printing method. The resultant thin-film layer is then adhered to an acceptor substrate on which the film is expected to be formed. A laser beam from a laser beam source is applied from the donor substrate to thereby transfer the thin-film layer formed at the side of the donor substrate to the acceptor substrate side. Thereafter, the donor substrate is detached, whereby the portion to which the laser beam is irradiated is transferred to the acceptor substrate.
The structure of the donor substrate used for the transfer method is not specifically limited. When laser beam is utilized for an energy source, the use of a film having a thermal transmission layer, light-to-heat conversion layer or separate layer formed thereon enhances a transfer efficiency.
The excellent points of the transfer method are that the patterning is not specifically required for forming the thin-film onto the donor substrate and that the portion irradiated by laser beam is only transferred onto the acceptor substrate from the donor substrate. Further, a small adverse affect to the environment can be taken as one of the excellent points of the transfer method.
Frequently, the donor substrate and the acceptor substrate are fixedly adhered with each other upon performing the transfer process. The film-formation principle lies in the fusing or sublimation of the area irradiated by laser beam or heat because of an instantaneous rise in the temperature of this area. This is an instantaneous phenomenon. Therefore, the organic substance thin-film remains intact, whereby the film formed on the donor substrate is exactly formed onto the acceptor substrate side.
FIG. 5
is a schematic view showing a process for forming an organic substance thin-film such as a color filter on a acceptor substrate with the transfer method.
A donor substrate (
101
) has an organic substance thin-film layer (
102
) formed by a known method such as the spin coating method or vapor-deposition method. The donor substrate (
101
) may be a single PET film, but in many cases, it has a light-to-heat conversion layer, thermal transmitting layer or separate layer suitably formed thereon for performing a satisfactory transfer.
The donor substrate (
101
) adheres to an acceptor substrate (
103
) on which, for example, a transparent electrode line is wired such that the side of the donor substrate (
101
) having the organic substance thin-film layer (
102
) formed thereon contacts with the acceptor substrate (
103
). A roller method or vacuum laminate method is frequently used for adhering the donor substrate to the acceptor substrate.
Subsequently, laser beam (
105
) is irradiated from the side of the donor substrate (
101
) by a laser beam source (heat source) (
104
). The excessive large distance between the heat source (
104
) and the donor substrate (
101
) reduces a laser intensity, thus inconvenient. On the other hand, satisfactory transferring conditions can be set by suitably mounting a lens (
106
) or slit plate (
107
) between the heat source (
104
) and the donor substrate (
101
).
On the other hand, an organic electroluminescent display panel using an organic electroluminescent element at its pixel luminescing portion has been developing as a display panel in the future generation that takes place of the liquid crystal display panel.
The organic electroluminescent display panel using an organic electroluminescent element at its pixel luminescing portion has an element structure of a substrate; a first electrode; an organic substance layer including at least a luminous layer; and a second electrode. It has features of a thin-size, completely solid-state, plane self-luminescence and high-speed response.
FIG. 6
is a structural sectional view of an organic electroluminescent element having a general structure wherein luminescence is taken out from the first electrode side.
A transparent first electrode (
202
) is formed on a transparent substrate (
201
). An organic substance layer (
203
) including at least a luminous layer and a second electrode (
204
) made of a metal thin film are successively formed on the first electrode (
202
).
Luminescence (
205
) is obtained via the transparent substrate (
201
) and the transparent first electrode (
202
). ITO (indium tin oxide) is used as the first electrode (
202
)in most cases. The ITO is widely utilized in a liquid crystal display panel. The formation of the wiring is easy by using the ITO, whereby its technique can also be applied to the organic electroluminescent element.
The principle of the luminescence in the organic electroluminescent element is based upon the fact that the application of voltage between the electrodes injects an electron from one electrode to the luminous layer while injects a hole from the other electrode to the same layer, which brings a plane luminescence from the luminous layer because of the re-combination of these electron and hole.
Therefore, either one of the electrodes is desirably transparent in order to obtain the plane luminescence. In most cases, a transparent conductive film is used as the first electrode formed on the substrate for taking out the luminescence. In this case, the substrate has to be transparent for taking out the luminescence. Specifically, the element structure becomes as follows: a transparent substrate; a transparent first electrode; an organic substance layer including at least a luminous layer; and a second electrode that does not have to be transparent.
Subsequently, a manufacturing process of the organic electroluminescent element will be explained. The first electrode formed on the substrate is made generally of the ITO as described above. Specifically, the first electrode is formed by forming the ITO on the whole surface of the s
Choi William
Epps Georgia
Nixon & Vanderhye P.C.
Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
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