EL Display-Panel Manufacturing Method, EL Display-Panel Manufacturing Apparatus, EL Display panel, and EL Display Device

Abstract

An EL display panel fabricated by evaporation creates red, green, and blue pixels using a fine deposition mask ( 251 ). However, the displacement of the fine deposition mask ( 251 ) decreases the manufacturing yield. In the present invention, red, green, and blue pixel electrodes are arranged in a matrix on a TFT substrate ( 52 ). The TFT substrate ( 52 ) is transferred into a vacuum deposition chamber ( 56 ). A light-emitting layer made up of a host material and a red guest material is codeposited on the presentation screen of the TFT substrate using an organic evaporation source ( 66 ) in a vacuum. A laser device ( 58 ) generates ultraviolet laser light ( 59 ) which is guided into the vacuum deposition chamber ( 56 ) through a laser window ( 63 ) to irradiate a light-emitting layer formed on the green and blue pixel electrodes. The positions of the green and blue pixels are selected by controlling a galvano mirror ( 62 ).

1 - 20 . (canceled) 
     
     
         21 . An EL display panel in which first-color pixels, second-color pixels, and third-color pixels are disposed in matrix form, the EL display panel comprising:
 a first light-emitting layer formed commonly in the first-color pixels, the second-color pixels, and the third-color pixels;   a second light-emitting layer formed as an upper layer of the first light-emitting layer; and   a third light-emitting layer formed as an upper layer of the second light-emitting layer; wherein   the second-color pixels and the third-color pixels in the first light-emitting layer are laser-irradiation reformed, and   the second light-emitting layer in the third-color pixels is laser-irradiation reformed.   
     
     
         22 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  1 , wherein:
 the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer each contain a guest material and a host material; and   in the laser-irradiation reformed first light-emitting layer and the laser-irradiation reformed second light-emitting layer, among the three relationships,   i. the bandgap of the guest material is greater than the bandgap of the host material,   ii. in terms of the relative dispositions of the highest occupied molecular orbitals (HOMOs) in the guest material and in the host material, the disposition in the guest material is lower than in the host material, and   iii. in terms of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (LUMO) in the guest material and in the host material, the disposition in the guest material is higher than in the host material   
       at least one or more relationships hold. 
     
     
         23 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  1 , wherein:
 the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer each contain a guest material and a host material; and   in the laser-irradiation reformed first light-emitting layer and the laser-irradiation reformed second light-emitting layer, among the two relationships,   i. the guest material is decomposed, and   ii. the molecular structure of the guest material is altered,   
       at least one or more relationships hold. 
     
     
         24 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  1 , wherein:
 among a first interference order number for the first-color pixels, a second interference order number for the second-color pixels, and a third interference order number for the third-color pixels, the interference order number for the pixels of any one color differs from the interference order number for the pixels of the other colors.   
     
     
         25 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  1 , wherein:
 pixel cathode electrodes in each of the first-color pixels, the second-color pixels, and the third-color pixels are light-permeable;   the EL display panel is of structure whereby light generated in, of the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer, each of the light-emitting layers exits from the cathode-electrode side of the respective pixels; and   pixel anode electrodes in each of the light-emitting layers are transparent electrodes, reflective films are formed on underlayers of the pixel anode electrodes, and in the pixels of at least one color, the reflective films are laminated on the transparent electrodes, wherein light generated in each of the light-emitting layers is reflected by the reflective films.   
     
     
         26 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  1 , wherein:
 pixel cathode electrodes in each of the first-color pixels, the second-color pixels, and the third-color pixels are light-permeable;   the EL display panel is of structure whereby light generated in the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer of the respective light-emitting layers exits from the cathode-electrode side;   pixel anode electrodes in each of the light-emitting layers are transparent electrodes,   reflective films are formed on underlayers of the pixel anode electrodes,   between the pixel anode electrode and the reflective film in the pixels of at least one color among the first-color pixels, the second-color pixels, and the third-color pixels, a light-permeable thin film is formed,   among optical distance between the reflective film and the cathode electrode in the first-color pixels, optical distance between the reflective film and the cathode electrode in the second-color pixels, and optical distance between the reflective film and the cathode electrode in the first-color pixels, the optical distance for the pixels of at least one color differs from the optical distance for the pixels of the other colors.   
     
     
         27 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  1 , wherein:
 pixel anode electrodes in the first-color pixels, the second-color pixels, and the third-color pixels are transparent electrodes;   reflective films are formed on underlayers of the pixel anode electrodes in each of the first-color pixels, second-color pixels, and third-color pixels; and   the pixel anode electrodes and, as electrodes, the reflective films constitute capacitors.   
     
     
         28 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  1 , wherein:
 the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer each contain a guest material and a host material; and   the absorptivity of the guest material with respect to irradiation-reforming laser light is greater than the absorptivity of the host material with respect to the irradiation-reforming laser light.   
     
     
         29 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  1 , wherein:
 a hole-transport layer is formed on an underlayer of the laser-irradiation reformed first light-emitting layer; and   the absorptivity of the hole-transport layer with respect to irradiation-reforming laser light is less than the absorptivity of the first light-emitting layer with respect to the irradiation-reforming laser light.   
     
     
         30 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  1 , wherein:
 the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer are laser-irradiation reformed at a laser-beam wavelength of from 10 nm to 400 nm;   on being irradiated with the laser beam, the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer of the respective light-emitting layers generate phosphorescence or fluorescence; and   intensity of the generated phosphorescence or fluorescence is a basis of feedback-controlling of the laser beam whereby the first light-emitting layer and the second light-emitting layer are laser-irradiation reformed.   
     
     
         31 . An EL display panel comprising first-color pixels, second-color pixels, and third-color pixels disposed in matrix form, wherein:
 a first light-emitting layer, a second light-emitting layer, and a third light-emitting layer are laminated in the first-color pixels;   the second light-emitting layer and the third light-emitting layer are also laminated in the second-color pixels;   the second light-emitting layer and the third light-emitting layer are also laminated in the third-color pixels;   the first light-emitting layer in the first-color pixels is formed independently from the light-emitting layers in the other color pixels;   the second light-emitting layer is formed commonly in the first-color pixels, the second-color pixels, and the third-color pixels; and   the second light-emitting layer in the third-color pixels is laser-irradiation reformed.   
     
     
         32 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  11 , wherein:
 the first light-emitting layer, the second light-emitting layer, and the third light-emitting layer each contain a guest material and a host material;   the guest material in the first light-emitting layer is absorbent of energy from the guest material in the second light-emitting layer; and   the guest material in the second light-emitting layer is absorbent of energy from the guest material in the third light-emitting layer.   
     
     
         33 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  11 , wherein among the first light-emitting layer, the second light-emitting layer, and the third light-emitting layer formed in the first-color pixels, at least one of the light-emitting layers is formed by thermal-transfer technology. 
     
     
         34 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  11 , wherein among the first light-emitting layer, the second light-emitting layer, and the third light-emitting layer formed in the first-color pixels, at least one of the light-emitting layers is formed utilizing a vapor-deposition fine mask. 
     
     
         35 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  11 , wherein:
 on being irradiated with a laser beam, the second light-emitting layer in the third-color pixels generates phosphorescence or fluorescence; and   the generated phosphorescence or fluorescence, converted into a signal voltage via a photoelectric converter, feedback-controls the laser beam whereby the second light-emitting layer is laser-irradiation reformed.   
     
     
         36 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  11 , wherein:
 the third-color pixels are blue-light emitting pixels;   the interference order number of the third-color pixels is the first order; and   the interference order number of the first-color pixels and the second-color pixels is the zeroth order.   
     
     
         37 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  11 , wherein:
 the interference order number of the third-color pixels is the first order;   the interference order number of the first-color pixels and the second-color pixels is the zeroth order;   the film thickness of the hole-transport layer in the third-color pixels is thicker than the respective film thicknesses of the hole-transport layer in the first-color pixels and the hole-transport layer in the second-color pixels.   
     
     
         38 . An EL display panel as set forth in claim  11 , wherein:
 pixel cathode electrodes in each of the first-color pixels, the second-color pixels, and the third-color pixels are light-permeable;   the EL display panel is of structure whereby light generated in, of the first light-emitting layer, the second light-emitting layer, and the third light emitting layer, each of the light-emitting layers is extracted from the pixels' cathode-electrode side;   a sealing film made from SiON is formed on an upper layer on the cathode electrode of each pixel; and   a circularly polarizing film is disposed on the pixels' light-emitting side.   
     
     
         39 . An apparatus for manufacturing an EL display panel in which first-color pixels, second-color pixels, and third-color pixels are disposed in matrix form, the EL-display-panel manufacturing apparatus comprising:
 a first light-emitting-layer forming means for forming a first light-emitting layer commonly in the first-color pixels, the second-color pixels, and the third-color pixels;   a laser-beam generating means for selecting, and directing a laser beam onto, at least one of the first light-emitting layer in the second-color pixels, and the first light-emitting layer in the third-color pixels; and   a second light-emitting layer forming means for forming a second light-emitting layer onto the first light-emitting layer.   
     
     
         40 . An EL-display-panel manufacturing apparatus as set forth in claim  19 , further comprising a retaining container having a transmissive section for transmitting the laser beam; wherein
 the EL display panel is disposed in the retaining container;   the laser beam is transmissible through the transmissive section and optically guided inside the retaining container.