Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Kinichi Isaka

Hiroshi Kishishita

Masashi Kawaguchi

Hisashi Uede

Akio Inohara

Hiroyuki Shimoyama

Noriaki Nakamura

Toshihiro Ohba

Yoshihiro Endo

Yoshiharu Kanatani

Shigeyuki Harada

Etsuo Mizukami

Kiyoshi Sawae

Mikio Takeda

Hiroyuki Kawabata

Toshiaki Ishii

A method of manufacturing a thin film electroluminescent (EL) device in which an electron beam is directed to a pellet of a substance containing an additive agent, and the substance is evaporated and deposited on a substrate and a change per unit time of the growing deposit is monitored by a sensor, comprising the steps of (1) controlling energy of the electron beam in accordance with an output of the sensor during a first time interval for adjusting an evaporation rate of the substance to a specified rate, (2) maintaining the controlled energy of the electron beam constant during a second time interval, larger than the first time interval and alternatively repeating steps (1) and (2).

Method of manufacturing thin film EL device utilizing a shutter

There is provided a vapor deposition method for depositing a deposition material of an evaporation source on a substrate while a temperature of the substrate is uniformly kept. The method is implemented in a vapor deposition apparatus in which the evaporation source comprising the deposition material is opposed to the substrate in a vacuum chamber, a heater for heating the substrate is provided across the substrate from the evaporation source in the vacuum chamber and an equalizing plate is provided between the substrate and the heater. In addition, the equalizing plate is larger in size than the substrate and its thermal conductivity is 200 W.multidot.m.sup.-1 .multidot.K.sup.-1 or more and an infrared energy emissivity is 0.2 or more.

Vapor deposition method and apparatus for producing an EL thin film of

An aging drive method for a thin film EL panel includes the performing a preparatory step of short-circuiting all transparent electrodes by a first connecting line, short-circuiting every other metal electrodes by a second connecting line and short-circuiting the other metal electrodes by a third connecting line. Thereafter four fields are repeatedly periodically executed for a specified period of time to thereby cause all picture elements of the panel to luminesce for aging. Each of the four fields includes a first step of applying a first voltage across the first and second connecting lines and across the first and third connecting lines to charge all the picture elements. Further a second step is included of applying a second voltage across the second and third connecting lines while holding the transparent electrodes in a floating state. This causes luminescence of the picture elements of the metal electrodes short-circuited by the second or third connecting line, with the voltage resulting from the charge on the picture elements stored in the first step and with the second voltage. The four fields are different from one another in the combination of the polarities of the first and second voltages.

Method of driving thin film EL panel for aging

When driving a thin-film EL display panel having groups of two electrodes on opposing sides of a thin-film EL layer, a voltage is applied so that the polarity of the AC pulse applied to the intersection (picture element) of opposing electrodes is the reverse of the polarity of the AC pulse applied simultaneously or nearly simultaneously to adjacent or nearly adjacent picture elements. This drive method avoids flicker caused by differing luminance intensities resulting from alternating polarity in EL matrix-type displays.

Thin-film EL display panel drive

A thin film EL element has a glass substrate, a pair of electrode layers formed on this glass substrate, and an electroluminescent layer sandwiched between these electrode layers. The glass substrate is of non-alkali type and has volume resistivity of 10.sup.6 ohm-cm or greater at 600.degree. C., alkali content of 0.5 wt % or less, and strain point of 600.degree. C. or higher.

Thin-film electroluminescent element

A thin-film electroluminescent (EL) element comprises a thin-film electroluminescent layer, first and second dielectric layers for supporting the element layer, the first dielectric layer being disposed on a smooth surface and the second dielectric layer being disposed on an uneven surface, the thickness of the first dielectric layer being thicker than that of the second dielectric layer such that the dielectric properties of the element are assured, and first and second electrodes provided on the dielectric layers, respectively.

Layer structure of thin-film electroluminescent display panel

A thin electroluminescent (EL) display panel is disclosed which comprises an EL thin film unit for generating an EL light, two glass substrates for sealing the EL thin film unit, a protective liquid filled within a cavity defined by the two glass substrates for protecting the EL thin film unit, a pair of electrodes for conducting electric energy to the EL thin film unit, an injection hole for introducing the protective liquid, the injection hole being sealed, and a covering member for completely covering the sealed injection hole.

Structure of thin-film electroluminescent display panel sealed by glass

An aging method for a thin-film electroluminescent display element comprises the steps of applying an AC voltage having at least one characteristic selected from the features that its frequency is approximately within 500 Hz through 10 KHz, its pulse width is approximately within 20 .mu.sec through 100 .mu.sec, and its voltage is of a magnitude, at which a virgin thin-film electroluminescent display element starts to emit electroluminescence, plus 30 V through 60 V.

Aging method for thin-film electroluminescent display element

A thin-film electroluminescent display panel is sealed by a pair of glass substrates for protection from the environment. A protective liquid is introduced between a counter glass substrate and a substrate for supporting the electroluminescent display unit. The protective liquid comprises silicone oil or grease which assures the thin-film electroluminescent film of preservation in the electroluminescent display panel. The counter glass substrate is bonded to the support substrate through an adhesive of, for example, photo-curing resin. A capillary tube is provided within the glass substrate for injecting the liquid under vacuum conditions. The liquid has the capability of spreading into pin holes generated on dielectric layers, and is resistant to high voltage, high humidity and high temperature and is inert to layers constituting the thin-film electroluminescent display panel and has a small vapour pressure and a small coefficient of thermal expansion. A moisture absorptive member is introduced into the protective liquid. The member can be an Al film coated by silica gel or silica gel particles themselves. The silica gel particles, if necessary, may be confined within a tube or dispersed within the spacer. Alternatively, they are dispersed within the protective liquid. The Al film is adhered to one of the substrates. The member serves to absorb moisture contained within the protective liquid. The protective liquid can be colored by a dye material to provide a background for the EL device.

Glass sealed thin-film electroluminescent display panel free of moisture

At least one light-absorption layer is disposed between a thin electroluminescent film and a counter electrode for absorbing light applied through a transparent electrode. According to the light-absorption layer, less light is reflected by the counter electrode, thereby preventing a visual contrast provided by electroluminescence from lowering owing to the reflected light. A plurality of light-absorption layers may be formed in the same arrangement. Materials useful for the light-absorption layers are Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, Al.sub.2 O.sub.3-x, Mo, Zr, Ti, Y, Ta, Ni, Al or the like with a thickness of about 10-300 A.

Light-absorption film for rear electrodes of electroluminescent display

At least one silicon-oxynitride film is deposited on an electroluminescence layer for providing a uniform and stable dielectric layer for an electroluminescence display panel. The silicon-oxynitride film is deposited using a sputtering technique by mixing a small amount (1 mol%) of nitrous oxide (N.sub.2 O) gas into a sputtering gas such as nitrogen (N.sub.2) gas. Oxygen (O.sub.2) gas may be substituted for the N.sub.2 O gas mingled within the sputtering gas in the amount of five mol%. A target for sputtering is a pure silicon or sintered Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 plate. An R.F. discharge is provided so that the power flux density on the target becomes several to several ten W. The silicon-oxynitride film is derived by means of the reaction between ion sputtering and the sputtering gas. A dielectric layer is further provided for establishing high reliabiltiy high dielectric properties of the electroluminescence display panel, the dielectric layer being disposed together with the silicon-oxynitride film and being one of the group consisting of Al.sub.2 O.sub.3, SiO.sub.2, Ta.sub.2 O.sub.5, Si.sub.3 N.sub.4 and Y.sub.2 O.sub.3. The silicon-oxynitride flm which is injected by suitable ions such as P.sup.+, H.sup.+, He.sup.+, Ne.sup.+, or Ar.sup.+ may be further provided as the dielectric layer.

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Yamatokoriyama, Japan

Kinichi Isaka