Organic electroluminescent device, method for manufacturing organic electroluminescent device, and electronic apparatus

#The present invention relates to organic electroluminescent (hereinafter referred to as “EL”) devices and electronic apparatuses. As the applications of the organic EL devices, there may be mentioned display devices of information terminal apparatuses such as a computer, a mobile phone, and a television, and backlights of a liquid crystal display device.

#Organic EL elements are self-luminous devices having a structure formed of an organic light-emitting layer provided between a cathode and an anode. An organic EL panel is composed of a laminate which forms this organic EL element and which is provided on a substrate, and as the structure thereof, for example, there may be mentioned a thin-film laminate structure formed of a thin-film (anode layer) composed of a transparent and conductive material, an organic light-emitting layer composed of an organic thin-film, and a metal thin-film (cathode layer) laminated to each other in that order on a transparent substrate. In addition, when necessary, a hole injection/transport layer is provided on the anode layer side of the organic light-emitting layer, and an electron injection/transport layer is provided on the cathode layer side of the light-emitting layer.

#In this organic EL panel described above, since the laminate forming the organic EL element is easily degraded by moisture, for example, various sealing methods have been proposed.

#FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an organic EL panel of a first embodiment.

#FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the organic EL panel of the first embodiment and corresponds to a cross-sectional view taken along the line A—A in FIG. 1.

#FIG. 3 includes cross-sectional views for illustrating a method for manufacturing the organic EL panel of the first embodiment.

#Among conventional sealing methods described above, in order to obtain a sufficient sealing performance at end faces by a method for sealing the end faces of a laminate (structure including an organic EL element) forming the organic EL element with a resin layer, the width of the resin layer must be increased.

#However, in the application to a mobile phone in which the area for mounting a display panel is small, since the distance between the end face of the substrate and the display region must be decreased (for example, to 2 mm or less), it has been required that the width of the synthetic resin layer provided on the end face of the laminate be reduced to as small as possible. In addition, even when a sufficient amount of a sealing material such as a synthetic resin layer is provided, it is necessary to lengthen the path through which moisture or oxygen penetrates from the outside.

#In a method for sealing an organic EL panel having a structure which includes an organic EL element and which is provided on a substrate, an object of the present invention is to provide a sufficient sealing performance even when the width of a synthetic resin layer provided on end faces of the structure is extremely decreased. In addition, an object is to provide a further improved sealing performance even when a sufficient amount of a sealing member such as a synthetic resin layer is provided.