Electronically controlled drum, manufacturing method thereof, and printer

Abstract

The present application provides an electronically controlled drum and a manufacturing method thereof, and a printer. The electronically controlled drum includes a substrate and a switch element layer, an electrode layer, and a charge transfer layer sequentially arranged on one side of the substrate. By electrically connecting the switch element layer, the electrode layer, and the charge transfer layer to each other, the electrode layer can extract the charge on the charge transfer layer after the switch element layer is turned on, so as to change the charge distribution on the surface of the charge transfer layer. The distribution of the charge on the surface of the charge transfer layer determines the electrostatic adsorption amount of the toner, thereby controlling the formation of the printing pattern. Compared with the method in the prior art in which the charge accumulated on the surface of the toner drum is turned on after the area on the surface of the toner drum receiving light generates photoconductivity, and then the surface charge distribution is controlled, there is no need to set up a laser scanning optical system, and the more complicated processes such as light absorption and photoconductivity are avoided, and printing abnormalities caused by light attenuation are also avoided, which reduces the volume and complexity of the product while improving the reliability of the product.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of printing technology, and in particular to an electronically controlled drum and a manufacturing method thereof, and a printer. Background Art

[0002] Current laser printers mainly use the principle of photoconductivity, which generates photoconductivity in the area on the drum surface that receives light, so that the charge accumulated on the drum surface is conducted and lost, thereby controlling the distribution of surface charge. When the charged drum surface contacts toner, the charged area absorbs the toner, so the distribution of charge on the drum surface determines the distribution of toner, thereby controlling the formation of the printed pattern.

[0003] However, the whole process of controlling the adsorption of toner by the toner cartridge in the printer through light involves light absorption and photoelectric effect, which is relatively complicated. In addition, due to reasons such as light attenuation, printing abnormalities are prone to occur, and the reliability is low. Summary of the invention

[0004] Aiming at the shortcomings of the existing methods, the present application proposes an electronically controlled drum and a manufacturing method thereof, and a printer, so as to solve the problems of easy printing abnormalities and low reliability of laser printers in the prior art.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronically controlled drum, comprising:

[0006] substrate;

[0007] A switch element layer is arranged on one side of the substrate;

[0008] An electrode layer, arranged on a side of the switch element layer away from the substrate, the electrode layer being electrically connected to the switch element layer;

[0009] A charge transfer layer is arranged on a side of the electrode layer away from the substrate, the charge transfer layer is electrically connected to the electrode layer, and the switch element layer and the electrode layer are used to extract the charge on the charge transfer layer to change the charge distribution on the surface of the charge transfer layer.

[0010] Optionally, the switching element layer includes a thin film transistor, the thin film transistor includes a source and drain layer, an active layer and a gate layer, the electrode layer is electrically connected to the source and drain layer, and the orthographic projection of the gate layer on the substrate falls within the orthographic projection of the active layer on the substrate.

[0011] Optionally, the source-drain electrode layer includes a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer, and in a first direction, there is a first gap between the gate electrode layer and the source electrode layer, and the first direction is perpendicular to a distribution direction from the substrate to the charge transfer layer.

[0012] Optionally, in the first direction, there is a second gap between the gate layer and the drain layer, and the second gap is smaller than the first gap.

[0013] Optionally, the gate layer includes a first sub-gate layer and a second sub-gate layer, the first sub-gate layer and the second sub-gate layer are spaced apart along the first direction, in the first direction, the distance between the first sub-gate layer and the second sub-gate layer is greater than 1 micron, and the first direction is perpendicular to the distribution direction from the substrate to the charge transfer layer.

[0014] Optionally, in the first direction, a distance between the second sub-gate layer and the drain layer is greater than 1 micrometer.

[0015] Optionally, the charge transfer layer includes a plurality of pixel units, and the switch element layer corresponding to the pixel units includes a first thin film transistor and a second thin film transistor, and the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor are connected in series;

[0016] The first thin film transistor includes a first drain electrode layer, and the first drain electrode layer is electrically connected to the electrode layer.

[0017] Optionally, the first thin film transistor includes a first gate layer and a first source layer, the second thin film transistor includes a second source layer, a second gate layer and a second drain layer, and the second drain layer is electrically connected to the first source layer and is disposed in the same layer;

[0018] The distance between the first gate layer and the first drain layer in the first direction is greater than 1 micrometer; and / or the distance between the second gate layer and the second drain layer in the first direction is greater than 1 micrometer.

[0019] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a printer, including the electronically controlled drum in an embodiment of the present application.

[0020] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for manufacturing an electronically controlled drum, comprising:

[0021] providing a substrate;

[0022] Sequentially manufacturing a switch element layer and an electrode layer on one side of the substrate;

[0023] A charge transport layer is formed on a side of the electrode layer away from the substrate.

[0024] The beneficial technical effects brought about by the technical solution provided by the embodiment of the present application include:

[0025] The electronically controlled drum in the embodiment of the present application includes a substrate and a switch element layer, an electrode layer and a charge transfer layer sequentially arranged on one side of the substrate. By electrically connecting the switch element layer, the electrode layer and the charge transfer layer to each other, the electrode layer can extract the charge on the charge transfer layer after the switch element layer is turned on, so as to change the charge distribution on the surface of the charge transfer layer. The distribution of the charge on the surface of the charge transfer layer determines the electrostatic adsorption amount of the toner, thereby controlling the formation of the printing pattern. Compared with the method in the prior art in which the charge accumulated on the surface of the toner drum is turned on after the area on the surface of the toner drum receives light generates photoconductivity, and then the surface charge distribution is controlled, there is no need to set up a laser scanning optical system, and the more complicated processes such as light absorption and photoconductivity are avoided, and printing abnormalities caused by light attenuation are also avoided, which reduces the volume and complexity of the product while improving the reliability of the product.

[0026] Additional aspects and advantages of the present application will be partially given in the following description, which will become apparent from the following description, or will be understood through the practice of the present application. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present application will become apparent and easily understood from the following description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of the first electronically controlled drum provided in this application;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the working principle of the electronically controlled drum in the embodiment of the present application;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of the second electronically controlled drum provided in this application;

[0031] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the structure of the third electronically controlled drum provided in this application;

[0032] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the structure of the fourth electronically controlled drum provided in this application;

[0033] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of the structure of the fifth electronically controlled drum provided in this application;

[0034] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of the structure of the printer provided for this application;

[0035] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a process for manufacturing an electronically controlled drum provided in the present application;

[0036] Figures 9a to 9f This is a schematic diagram of the structure of different processes for making an electronically controlled drum provided in this application.

[0037] In the figure:

[0038] 1-electronic control drum; 10-substrate; 11-switching element layer; 12-electrode layer; 13-charge transport layer;

[0039] 110 - thin film transistor; 111 - gate layer; 112 - source and drain layer; 113 - active layer; 114 - insulating layer;

[0040] 1121 - source electrode layer; 1122 - drain electrode layer; 1111 - first sub-gate layer; 1112 - second sub-gate layer;

[0041] 130 - pixel unit; 110a - first thin film transistor; 110b - second thin film transistor;

[0042] 111a - first gate layer; 1121a - first source layer; 1122a - first drain layer; 113a - first active layer;

[0043] 111b - second gate layer; 1121b - second source layer; 1122b - second drain layer; 113b - second active layer;

[0044] 14-buffer layer; 15-planarization resin layer; 16-passivation layer; 160-through hole;

[0045] L1-first gap; L2-second gap; L3-third gap;

[0046] 2-printer; 21-charging roller; 22-developing roller; 23-transfer roller; 30-toner. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0047] The present application is described in detail below, and examples of embodiments of the present application are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals throughout represent the same or similar components or components with the same or similar functions. In addition, if the detailed description of the known technology is unnecessary for the features of the present application shown, it will be omitted. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain the present application, and cannot be interpreted as limiting the present application.

[0048] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as those generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this application belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in general dictionaries should be understood to have meanings consistent with those in the context of the prior art, and will not be interpreted with idealized or overly formal meanings unless specifically defined as here.

[0049] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that, unless expressly stated, the singular forms "one", "said", and "the" used herein may also include plural forms. It should be further understood that the term "comprising" used in the specification of the present application refers to the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but does not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components and / or groups thereof. It should be understood that when we refer to an element as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, it may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there may be an intermediate element. In addition, the "connection" or "coupling" used herein may include wireless connection or wireless coupling. The term "and / or" used herein includes all or any unit and all combinations of one or more associated listed items.

[0050] The inventor of the present application has considered that in existing laser printers, the principle of photoconductivity is mainly used. By making the area on the surface of the drum that receives light generate photoconductivity, the charge accumulated on the surface of the drum is conducted and lost, thereby controlling the distribution of surface charge. When the charged drum surface contacts the toner, the charged area adsorbs the toner, thereby controlling the formation of the print pattern. However, the whole process of controlling the adsorption of toner by the drum in the printer through light involves light absorption and photoelectric effect, etc., which is relatively complicated. In addition, due to reasons such as light attenuation, printing abnormalities are prone to occur, and the reliability is low.

[0051] The electronically controlled drum, its manufacturing method, and printer provided in this application are intended to solve the above technical problems in the prior art.

[0052] The electronically controlled drum, its manufacturing method, and printer provided in the embodiments of the present application are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0053] The present application embodiment provides an electronically controlled drum 1, such as Figure 1 As shown, the electronically controlled drum 1 comprises:

[0054] Substrate 10;

[0055] The switch element layer 11 is arranged on one side of the substrate 10;

[0056] The electrode layer 12 is disposed on a side of the switch element layer 11 away from the substrate 10, and the electrode layer 12 is electrically connected to the switch element layer 11;

[0057] The charge transfer layer 13 is arranged on the side of the electrode layer 12 away from the substrate 10. The charge transfer layer 13 is electrically connected to the electrode layer 12. The switching element layer 11 and the electrode layer 12 are used to extract the charge on the charge transfer layer 13 to change the charge distribution on the surface of the charge transfer layer 13.

[0058] The electronically controlled drum 1 is a cylindrical structure, and the substrate 10 can be made of a flexible material to facilitate the manufacture of the roller of the electronically controlled drum 1. The switch element layer 11 is electrically connected to the electrode layer 12, and the electrode layer 12 is electrically connected to the charge transfer layer 13. The switch element layer 11 includes a plurality of switch elements, and the charge transfer layer 13 includes a plurality of independent pixel units 130, and each of the plurality of pixel units 130 is correspondingly connected to a switch element.

[0059] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 2 When the electronically controlled drum 1 is working, the charge transport layer 13 is first charged, so that the surface of the charge transport layer 13 is distributed with charges. The data signal in the printer controls the opening and closing of the switch element. When the switch element is turned on, the switch element layer 11, the electrode layer 12 and the charge transport layer 13 are connected, and the charges in the pixel unit 130 corresponding to the switch element in the turned-on state are conducted away, that is, the charges in some areas of the charge transport layer 13 are conducted away, and the charges in other areas are retained. Therefore, a latent image of charge distribution is formed on the charge transport layer 13. The surface of the toner 30 also carries charges, and the charge polarity on the toner 30 is opposite to the charge polarity on the charge transport layer 13. When the electronically controlled drum 1 contacts the developing roller, the charged area on the charge transport layer 13 absorbs the toner 30, and the uncharged area does not absorb the toner 30, thereby forming a pattern composed of the toner 30 on the surface of the charge transport layer 13. After the electronically controlled drum 1 contacts the paper, the toner 30 image is printed on the paper to form a printed pattern on the paper.

[0060] The electronically controlled drum 1 in the embodiment of the present application electrically connects the switch element layer 11, the electrode layer 12 and the charge transport layer 13 to each other. After the switch element layer 11 is turned on, the electrode layer 12 can extract the charge on the charge transport layer 13. By changing the charge distribution on the charge transport layer 13, the distribution of the toner 30 on the surface of the charge transport layer 13 is determined, thereby controlling the formation of the printing pattern. Compared with the method in the prior art in which the charge accumulated on the surface of the toner drum is turned on after the light receiving area on the surface of the toner drum generates photoconductivity, and then the surface charge distribution is controlled, the relatively complex processes such as light absorption and photoconductivity are avoided, and the printing abnormality caused by light attenuation is also avoided, thereby improving the reliability of the product.

[0061] It should be noted that the material of the charge transport layer 13 is an electron transport material, including organic materials and inorganic semiconductor materials. The charge transport layer 13 can be a single-layer structure or a multi-layer composite structure. When the charging roller charges the charge transport layer 13, the surface of the charge transport layer 13 can be positively charged or negatively charged. If the surface of the charge transport layer 13 is positively charged, the toner 30 needs to be negatively charged so that the toner 30 can be adsorbed onto the charge transport layer 13. Similarly, if the surface of the charge transport layer 13 is negatively charged, the toner 30 needs to be positively charged. The specific amount can be determined according to actual conditions.

[0062] The switch element layer 11 may include diodes and triode semiconductor switch devices. In some embodiments of the present application, Figure 1 and Figure 3 The switch element layer 11 includes a thin film transistor 110, which includes a source-drain electrode layer 112, an active layer 113 and a gate layer 111. The electrode layer 12 is electrically connected to the source-drain electrode layer 112, and the orthographic projection of the gate layer 111 on the substrate 10 falls within the orthographic projection of the active layer 113 on the substrate 10. An insulating layer 114 is provided between the gate layer 111 and the active layer 113 to insulate the gate layer 111 and the active layer 113 from each other. A source-drain electrode layer 112 is provided on the active layer 113, and the source-drain electrode layer 112 includes a source electrode layer 1121 and a drain electrode layer 1122, and the source electrode layer 1121 and the drain electrode layer 1122 are electrically connected to the active layer 113, respectively. The thin film transistor 110 has the advantages of thin thickness, reliable operation, simple manufacturing process, etc., and has good bending performance, so it is suitable as a switch element in the electronically controlled drum 1. The material of the active layer 113 of the thin film transistor 110 can be amorphous silicon or an oxide semiconductor. The shape of the thin film transistor 110 can be circular or square, which can be determined according to actual conditions and is not limited here.

[0063] like Figure 2 As shown, for the thin film transistor 110 on the right, the voltage on its gate layer 111 is less than the threshold voltage, and the thin film transistor 110 is in the off state. For the thin film transistor 110 on the left, a voltage is applied between the source and the drain on the thin film transistor 110, and the potential difference between the source and the drain can be 600v to 800v. When the voltage on the gate layer 111 in the thin film transistor 110 on the left is greater than the threshold voltage, the thin film transistor 110 is in the on state, and the charge on the pixel unit 130 electrically connected to the thin film transistor 110 is conducted away. Therefore, the surface of the charge transfer layer 13 corresponding to the thin film transistor 110 on the left has no charge, and the surface of the charge transfer layer 13 corresponding to the thin film transistor 110 on the right has charge, so as to achieve the adsorption of the toner 30.

[0064] The inventors of the present application consider that, in order to improve the efficiency of conducting away the charges on the surface of the charge transport layer 13, the potential difference between the drain and the source in the thin film transistor 110 is usually large, and the potential difference between the gate layer 111 and the source-drain layer 112 is also large, so the insulating layer 114 between the gate layer 111 and the source-drain layer 112 has the risk of being broken down. Figure 1 and Figure 3 In the embodiment of the present application, the orthographic projection of the gate layer 111 on the substrate 10 falls within the orthographic projection of the active layer 113 on the substrate 10, that is, the area of ​​the gate layer 111 is smaller than the area of ​​the active layer 113, and part of the area on the active layer 113 corresponds to the gate layer 111, and the other area is offset from the gate layer 111. When the thin film transistor 110 is in the on state, the part of the active layer 113 that is offset from the gate layer 111 has a larger resistance, thereby increasing the resistance of the film layer between the gate layer 111 and the source and drain layer 112, reducing the risk of the insulating layer 114 being broken down, and improving the reliability of the thin film transistor 110 device.

[0065] It should be noted that there are many ways to make the area of ​​the gate layer 111 smaller than the area of ​​the active layer 113. In a specific embodiment of the present application, Figure 1 As shown, the source-drain electrode layer 112 includes a source electrode layer 1121 and a drain electrode layer 1122. In a first direction, there is a first gap L1 between the gate layer 111 and the source electrode layer 1121, and the first direction is perpendicular to the distribution direction from the substrate 10 to the charge transfer layer 13. Since the source electrode layer 1121 partially covers the active layer 113, there is a gap between the gate layer 111 and the source electrode layer 1121, so that the area of ​​the gate layer 111 can be smaller than the area of ​​the active layer 113. It can be understood that the larger the gap between the gate layer 111 and the source electrode layer 1121 in the first direction, the smaller the area of ​​the gate layer 111, and the greater the resistance of the film layer between the gate layer 111 and the source-drain electrode layer 112, which helps to prevent the insulating layer 114 from being broken down. Preferably, the first gap L1 between the gate layer 111 and the source layer 1121 in the first direction is greater than 1 micron.

[0066] It can be understood that when there is a gap between the gate layer 111 and the source layer 1121 in the first direction, there may be no gap or a gap between the gate layer 111 and the drain layer 1122. Figure 1 As shown, there is no gap between the gate layer 111 and the drain layer 1122, that is, the gate layer 111 and the drain layer 1122 are aligned. In order to further improve the anti-breakdown performance, in a specific embodiment of the present application, as Figure 3As shown, in the first direction, there is a second gap L2 between the gate layer 111 and the drain layer 1122, thereby further reducing the area of ​​the gate layer 111 and reducing the risk of breakdown of the insulating layer 114. In order to prevent the gate layer 111 from being too small to affect the normal operation of the thin film transistor 110, preferably, the second gap L2 is smaller than the first gap L1. The specific values ​​of the first gap L1 and the second gap L2 can be determined according to actual conditions and are not limited here.

[0067] In an embodiment of the present application, a plurality of pixel units 130 on the charge transfer layer 13 are arranged in an array, and the driving modes of the pixel units 130 include row driving and column driving, that is, the thin film transistors 110 corresponding to the pixel units 130 are turned on by row-by-row scanning or column-by-column scanning to conduct away the charges in the area where the pixel units 130 are located on the surface of the charge transfer layer 13.

[0068] In order to independently control the charge distribution on the surface of the charge transfer layer 13 corresponding to each pixel unit 130 to improve printing accuracy, in some embodiments of the present application, each pixel unit 130 is driven by row-column driving, that is, the thin film transistor 110 corresponding to the pixel unit 130 needs to be driven by row scanning and column scanning at the same time. To control the pixel unit 130 by row-column driving, each pixel unit 130 requires two control lines.

[0069] It should be noted that the two control lines can be implemented in different ways. In a specific embodiment of the present application, Figure 4 As shown, in the thin film transistor 110 corresponding to each pixel unit 130, the gate layer 111 includes a first sub-gate layer 1111 and a second sub-gate layer 1112. By setting the thin film transistor 110 corresponding to each pixel unit 130 as a double gate, the first sub-gate layer 1111 and the second sub-gate layer 1112 in the thin film transistor 110 can be respectively connected to the row scan line and the column scan line (not shown in the figure), when the driving voltage is applied to the first sub-gate layer 1111 and the second sub-gate layer 1112 at the same time, the thin film transistor 110 is turned on, and the charges on the surface of the charge transfer layer 13 corresponding to the pixel unit 130 are conducted away, thereby realizing row and column drive control of the pixel unit 130. In order to reduce the risk of the insulating layer 114 being broken down, a part of the active layer 113 needs to be staggered with the gate layer 111, so the first sub-gate layer 1111 and the second sub-gate layer 1112 are arranged at intervals along the first direction. The distance between the first sub-gate layer 1111 and the second sub-gate layer 1112 can be determined according to actual conditions. Preferably, in the first direction, a third gap L3 between the first sub-gate layer 1111 and the second sub-gate layer 1112 is greater than 1 micron.

[0070] In order to further increase the area of ​​the active layer 113 that is staggered with the gate layer 111, while the first sub-gate layer 1111 and the second sub-gate layer 1112 are spaced apart, there is also a gap between the first sub-gate layer 1111 and the drain layer 1122. Figure 5 As shown, in the first direction, the first gap L1 between the first sub-gate layer 1111 and the drain layer 1122 is greater than 1 micron. The gap between the first sub-gate layer 1111 and the drain layer 1122 can be determined according to actual conditions and is not limited here.

[0071] like Figure 6 As shown, in another specific embodiment of the present application, the switch element layer 11 corresponding to each pixel unit 130 in the charge transfer layer 13 includes a first thin film transistor 110a and a second thin film transistor 110b, and the first thin film transistor 110a and the second thin film transistor 110b are connected in series; the first thin film transistor 110a includes a first drain electrode layer 1121a, and the first drain electrode layer 1122a is electrically connected to the electrode layer 12. By setting two thin film transistors connected in series, the first gate layer 111a of the first thin film transistor 110a can be connected to a row scan line (not shown in the figure), and the second gate layer 111b of the second thin film transistor 110b can be connected to a column scan line (not shown in the figure). When the first thin film transistor 110a and the second thin film transistor 110b are turned on at the same time, the charges on the surface of the charge transfer layer 13 corresponding to the pixel unit 130 are conducted away, thereby realizing row and column drive control of the pixel unit 130.

[0072] It should be noted that the specific structures of the first thin film transistor 110a and the second thin film transistor 110b can be determined according to actual conditions. Figure 6 As shown, in the embodiment of the present application, the first thin film transistor 110a includes a first gate layer 111a and a first source layer 1121a, and the second thin film transistor 110b includes a second source layer 1121b, a second gate layer 111b and a second drain layer 1122b, and the second drain layer 1122b is electrically connected to the first source layer 1121a and is arranged in the same layer. The second drain layer 1122b is arranged in the same layer as the first source layer 112a1, which specifically means that the second drain layer 1122b and the first source layer 1121a are formed by the same patterning process, which is conducive to reducing production costs. In order to further reduce production costs, as Figure 6 As shown, the first gate layer 111a and the second gate layer 111b are disposed in the same layer, and the first active layer 113a and the second active layer 113b are disposed in the same layer.

[0073] like Figure 6As shown, in order to reduce the risk of the insulating layer 114 in the first thin film transistor 110a being broken down, there is a gap between the first gate layer 111a and the first drain layer 1122 in the first direction. Preferably, the distance D1 between the first gate layer 111a111 and the first drain layer 1122a in the first direction is greater than 1 micron. In order to reduce the risk of the insulating layer 114 in the second thin film transistor 110b being broken down, the second gate layer 111b and the second drain layer 1122b may also be spaced apart, that is, the second gate layer 111b and the second drain layer 1122b have a distance D2 in the first direction. In the first direction, the distance D1 and the distance D2 may both be greater than 1 micron, or one of them may be greater than 1 micron, which may be determined according to actual conditions.

[0074] Based on the same inventive concept, the present application embodiment also provides a printer 2. Figure 7 As shown, the printer 2 includes the above-mentioned electronically controlled drum 1 provided in the embodiment of the present application, as well as components such as a charging roller 21 and a developing roller 22 .

[0075] When the printer 2 is working, the charge transfer layer 13 is first charged by the charging roller 21, so that the surface of the charge transfer layer 13 is distributed with charges. The data signal in the printer 2 controls the opening and closing of the switch element, so that a latent image of charge distribution is formed on the charge transfer layer 13. The surface of the developing roller 22 has toner 30. When the electronically controlled drum 1 contacts the developing roller 22, the charged area on the charge transfer layer 13 absorbs the toner 30, and the uncharged area does not absorb the toner 30, thereby forming a pattern composed of toner 30 on the surface of the charge transfer layer 13. After the electronically controlled drum 1 contacts the paper, the toner 30 image is printed on the paper. Since the printer 2 includes the above-mentioned electronically controlled drum 1 provided in the embodiment of the present application, the printer 2 has the same beneficial effects as the electronically controlled drum 1, which will not be repeated here.

[0076] exist Figure 7 In the embodiment, the thin film transistor 110 ( Figure 7 (not shown) is a P-type thin film transistor, the material of the charge transport layer 13 in the electronically controlled drum 1 is a hole transport material, the potential applied by the charging roller 21 to the electronically controlled drum 1 and the developing roller 22 is negative, and the potential applied to the transfer roller 23 is positive. It should be noted that the thin film transistor 110 in the electronically controlled drum 1 can also be an N-type thin film transistor. If the electronically controlled drum 1 adopts an N-type thin film transistor, the material of the charge transport layer 13 in the electronically controlled drum 1 is an electron transport material, the potential applied by the charging roller 21 to the electronically controlled drum 1 and the developing roller 22 is positive, and the potential applied to the transfer roller 23 is negative. The type of the thin film transistor 110 in the electronically controlled drum 1 and the specific potentials of each component in the printer can be determined according to actual conditions.

[0077] Based on the same inventive concept, the present application also provides a method for manufacturing an electronically controlled drum 1, such as Figure 8 As shown, the production method includes:

[0078] S101, providing a substrate;

[0079] S102, sequentially manufacturing a switch element layer and an electrode layer on one side of the substrate;

[0080] S103 , forming a charge transfer layer on a side of the electrode layer away from the substrate 10 .

[0081] In the manufacturing method of the electronically controlled drum 1 provided in the embodiment of the present application, the charge distribution on the charge transport layer 13 is controlled by turning on and off the switch element, so as to control the distribution of the toner 30 on the surface of the charge transport layer 13, thereby realizing the formation of the printing pattern. Compared with the method in the prior art in which the charge accumulated on the surface of the toner drum is turned on after the light receiving area on the surface of the toner drum generates photoconductivity, thereby controlling the surface charge distribution, the relatively complex processes such as light absorption and photoconductivity are avoided, and the printing abnormality caused by light attenuation is also avoided, thereby improving the reliability of the product.

[0082] The specific process of manufacturing the electronically controlled drum 1 in the embodiment of the present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0083] like Figure 9a As shown, the gate layer 111 is firstly produced on the substrate 10 by a patterning process, that is, a metal layer is first deposited, and then the metal layer is patterned to form the gate layer 111. Specifically, the patterning process in the embodiment of the present application includes the coating, exposure, development, etching of photoresist, and removal of part or all of the photoresist.

[0084] like Figure 9b As shown, next, an insulating layer 114 is formed on the side of the gate layer 111 away from the substrate 10, and the insulating layer 114 covers the gate layer 111. The material of the insulating layer 114 includes materials with good insulating properties such as aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, and silicon oxide, which can be determined according to actual conditions.

[0085] like Fig.9cAs shown, then, an active layer 113 is formed on the side of the insulating layer 114 away from the substrate 10 by a patterning process. It should be noted that the material of the active layer 113 can be an oxide semiconductor or amorphous silicon. When the material of the active layer 113 is amorphous silicon, the amorphous silicon layer is subjected to a doping process after the amorphous silicon layer is deposited to form the active layer 113; or, after the amorphous silicon layer is deposited, a doping layer is continuously deposited on the amorphous silicon layer, and finally the doping layer in the channel region is etched away to form the active layer 13. It should be noted that the insulating layer 114 and the amorphous silicon layer can be formed by one-time deposition by plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD).

[0086] like Figure 9d As shown, then, a source-drain electrode layer 112 is formed by a patterning process on a side of the active layer 113 away from the substrate 10 to form a thin film transistor 110 as a switching device in the switching element layer 11. In order to reduce the risk of the insulating layer 114 being broken down, a gap is provided between the gate layer 111 and the drain electrode layer 1122 in the first direction. Preferably, a first gap L1 between the gate layer 111 and the drain electrode layer 1122 in the first direction is greater than 1 micron.

[0087] like Fig.9e As shown, next, a buffer layer 14, a planarization resin layer 15, and a passivation layer 16 are sequentially formed on the side of the switch element layer 11 away from the substrate 10, and a through hole 160 penetrating to the drain electrode layer 1122 is opened on the passivation layer 16. Then, an electrode layer 12 is deposited on the side of the passivation layer 16 away from the substrate 10, and the electrode layer 12 is electrically connected to the drain electrode layer 1122.

[0088] like Figure 9f As shown, finally, a charge transport layer 13 is made on the side of the electrode layer 12 away from the substrate 10 to complete the manufacture of the electronically controlled drum 1. It should be noted that the material of the charge transport layer 13 is a charge transport material, including organic materials and inorganic semiconductor materials. The charge transport layer 13 can be a single-layer structure or a multi-layer composite structure. The charge transport material can be an electron transport material or a hole transport material. Since the mobility of electrons is greater than the mobility of holes, the transfer efficiency of the charge transport layer 13 is higher when electron transport materials are used. The specific setting of the charge transport layer 13 can be determined according to actual conditions.

[0089] By applying the embodiments of the present application, at least the following beneficial effects can be achieved:

[0090] 1. The electronically controlled drum 1 in the embodiment of the present application electrically connects the switch element layer 11, the electrode layer 12 and the charge transport layer 13. After the switch element layer 11 is turned on, the electrode layer 12 can extract the charge on the charge transport layer 13. By changing the charge distribution on the charge transport layer 13, the distribution of the toner 30 on the surface of the charge transport layer 13 is determined, thereby controlling the formation of the printing pattern. Compared with the prior art method of controlling the surface charge distribution by making the area on the drum surface receiving light generate photoconductivity and then conducting the charge accumulated on the drum surface, there is no need to set up a laser scanning optical system, and avoids the more complicated processes such as light absorption and photoconductivity, and also avoids printing abnormalities caused by light attenuation, reducing the product volume and complexity while improving the reliability of the product.

[0091] 2. In the electronically controlled drum 1, a thin film transistor 110 is used as a switch element in the switch element layer 11. The thin film transistor 110 has the advantages of reliable operation, simple manufacturing process, and good bending performance. By making the orthographic projection of the gate layer 111 on the substrate 10 fall within the orthographic projection of the active layer 113 on the substrate 10, that is, the area of ​​the gate layer 111 is smaller than the area of ​​the active layer 113, part of the area on the active layer 113 corresponds to the gate layer 111, and the other area is offset from the gate layer 111. When the thin film transistor 110 is in the on state, the part of the active layer 113 that is offset from the gate layer 111 has a larger resistance, thereby increasing the resistance of the film layer between the gate layer 111 and the source and drain layer 112, reducing the risk of the insulating layer 114 being broken down, and improving the reliability of the thin film transistor 110 device.

[0092] 3. In the electronically controlled drum 1, the pixel unit 130 is controlled by row and column driving, that is, the thin film transistor 110 corresponding to the pixel unit 130 is turned on by row-by-row scanning or column-by-column scanning to conduct away the charges in the area where the pixel unit 130 is located on the surface of the charge transfer layer 13, thereby improving the response speed of the electronically controlled drum 1, that is, improving the efficiency of conducting away the charges on the surface of the charge transfer layer 13, and reducing the time required for the latent image to be formed on the surface of the charge transfer layer 13.

[0093] 4. When the pixel unit 130 is controlled by the first thin film transistor 110a110 and the second thin film transistor 110b110, the second drain layer 1122 of the second thin film transistor 110b110 is arranged on the same layer as the first source layer 1121 of the first thin film transistor 110a110, that is, the second drain layer 1122 and the first source layer 1121 are formed by the same patterning process, which is beneficial to simplify the process and reduce the production cost.

[0094] In the description of the present application, it should be understood that the terms "center", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

[0095] The terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of this application, unless otherwise specified, "plurality" means two or more.

[0096] In the description of this specification, specific features, structures, materials or characteristics may be combined in an appropriate manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0097] The above description is only a partial implementation method of the present application. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, several improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the principles of the present application. These improvements and modifications should also be regarded as the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. An electronically controlled drum, characterized in that: include: substrate; A switch element layer is arranged on one side of the substrate; An electrode layer, arranged on a side of the switch element layer away from the substrate, the electrode layer being electrically connected to the switch element layer; A charge transport layer is arranged on a side of the electrode layer away from the substrate, the charge transport layer is electrically connected to the electrode layer, and the switch element layer and the electrode layer are used to conduct the charge on the charge transport layer to change the charge distribution on the surface of the charge transport layer; wherein the charge polarity on the charge transport layer is opposite to the charge polarity on the toner; The switch element layer includes a thin film transistor, and the thin film transistor includes a source-drain electrode layer, an active layer and a gate layer. The electrode layer is electrically connected to the source-drain electrode layer, and the orthographic projection of the gate layer on the substrate falls within the orthographic projection of the active layer on the substrate. The source-drain electrode layer comprises a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer, and in a first direction, a first gap is provided between the gate layer and the source electrode layer, and the first direction is perpendicular to a distribution direction from the substrate to the charge transfer layer; In the first direction, there is a second gap between the gate layer and the drain layer, and the second gap is smaller than the first gap; The gate layer includes a first sub-gate layer and a second sub-gate layer, the first sub-gate layer and the second sub-gate layer are arranged at intervals along the first direction, wherein the first sub-gate is connected to a row scan line correspondingly, and the second sub-gate is connected to a column scan line correspondingly, and in the first direction, a distance between the first sub-gate layer and the second sub-gate layer is greater than 1 micron, and the first direction is perpendicular to a distribution direction from the substrate to the charge transfer layer; A distance between the second sub-gate layer and the drain layer in the first direction is greater than 1 micrometer.

2. An electronically controlled drum, characterized in that: include: substrate; A switch element layer is arranged on one side of the substrate; An electrode layer, arranged on a side of the switch element layer away from the substrate, the electrode layer being electrically connected to the switch element layer; A charge transport layer is arranged on a side of the electrode layer away from the substrate, the charge transport layer is electrically connected to the electrode layer, and the switch element layer and the electrode layer are used to conduct the charge on the charge transport layer to change the charge distribution on the surface of the charge transport layer; wherein the charge polarity on the charge transport layer is opposite to the charge polarity on the toner; The switch element layer includes a thin film transistor, and the thin film transistor includes a source-drain electrode layer, an active layer and a gate layer. The electrode layer is electrically connected to the source-drain electrode layer, and the orthographic projection of the gate layer on the substrate falls within the orthographic projection of the active layer on the substrate. The source-drain electrode layer comprises a source electrode layer and a drain electrode layer, and in a first direction, a first gap is provided between the gate layer and the source electrode layer, and the first direction is perpendicular to a distribution direction from the substrate to the charge transfer layer; The charge transfer layer includes a plurality of pixel units, and the switch element layer corresponding to each pixel unit includes a first thin film transistor and a second thin film transistor, and the first thin film transistor and the second thin film transistor are connected in series; The first thin film transistor comprises a first drain electrode layer, and the first drain electrode layer is electrically connected to the electrode layer; The first thin film transistor includes a first gate layer and a first source layer, the second thin film transistor includes a second source layer, a second gate layer and a second drain layer, and the second drain layer is electrically connected to the first source layer and is disposed in the same layer; The distance between the first gate layer and the first drain layer in the first direction is greater than 1 micron; and / or the distance between the second gate layer and the second drain layer in the first direction is greater than 1 micron; The first gate layer of the first thin film transistor is connected to the row scan line, and the second gate layer of the second thin film transistor is connected to the column scan line.

3. A printer, characterized in that: Comprising the electronically controlled drum as claimed in claim 1 or 2.

4. A method for manufacturing an electronically controlled drum, applied to the electronically controlled drum as claimed in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: include: providing a substrate; Sequentially fabricating a switch element layer and an electrode layer on one side of the substrate; A charge transport layer is formed on a side of the electrode layer away from the substrate.

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