Display panel, preparation method thereof and display device

Abstract

The application provides a display panel, a preparation method thereof and a display device. The display panel comprises a substrate, a pixel definition layer and a plurality of support columns. The pixel definition layer is formed on the substrate and defines a plurality of pixel areas. The plurality of support columns are arranged on a side surface of the pixel definition layer away from the substrate and located between adjacent pixel areas. An avoiding part is formed on the support column to make the opening edge of a mask plate suspended by the avoiding part. The display panel can effectively ensure the flatness of the side surface of the support column away from the substrate, improve the reliability of product packaging and reduce the probability of product display abnormality.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of display, in particular to a display panel, a preparation method thereof and a display device. BACKGROUND

[0002] Organic light emission diode (OLED) is widely favored in the display technology industry due to its light emitting effect and advantages such as thin thickness, bendability, high color contrast and the like in display.

[0003] At present, referring to Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of the prior art through fine metal mask evaporation of organic material; in the preparation process of the OLED organic light emitting layer, the organic material needs to be evaporated onto the substrate prepared with a thin film transistor through the fine metal mask to form the R / G / B organic light emitting layer respectively. In the evaporation chamber, in order to prevent the fine metal mask from directly contacting the substrate and scratching the substrate film layer on the substrate, a support column is arranged at a specific position of the substrate to support the fine metal mask.

[0004] However, the support column of the existing display panel may be scratched or accumulate organic material on the side surface away from the substrate, resulting in unevenness of the surface, poor flatness, and thus poor product packaging reliability and display abnormalities. SUMMARY

[0005] The present application provides a display panel, a preparation method and a display device, aiming to solve the problem that the side surface of the support column of the existing display panel away from the substrate may be scratched by the mask, resulting in unevenness of the surface, poor flatness, and thus poor product packaging reliability and display abnormalities.

[0006] To solve the above technical problems, the first technical solution adopted by the present application is to provide a display panel. The display panel comprises a substrate, a pixel definition layer and a plurality of support columns; wherein the pixel definition layer is formed on the substrate and defines a plurality of pixel areas; the plurality of support columns are arranged on the side surface of the pixel definition layer away from the substrate and located between adjacent pixel areas; wherein the support column is formed with an avoidance part to make the opening edge of the mask suspended by the avoidance part.

[0007] The avoidance part comprises a plurality of recess structures on the side wall of the support column, and the plurality of recess structures are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the support column.

[0008] Each of the recess structures extends from a side surface of the support column away from the substrate to a side surface of the support column close to the substrate.

[0009] Preferably, the support column is in the shape of "X" in the cross section perpendicular to the film layer stacking direction of the display panel.

[0010] The sum of the areas of the cross sections of the support columns in the lateral direction perpendicular to the film layer stacking direction of the display panel and the area of the display area of the display panel are in the ratio of 2%-4%.

[0011] The inner concave surface of the recess structure is in the shape of "V" and has a first included angle, the edge of the opening of the mask plate corresponding to the position of the recess structure is in the shape of "V" and has a second included angle, and the angle of the first included angle is not less than the angle of the second included angle.

[0012] Preferably, the inner concave surface of the recess structure is in the shape of an arc and has a first radius of curvature, the edge of the opening of the mask plate corresponding to the position of the recess structure is in the shape of an arc and has a second radius of curvature, and the first radius of curvature is greater than the second radius of curvature.

[0013] The clearance portion includes a groove structure, which is opened on the side surface of the support column away from the substrate, and the groove structure extends along the edge of the opening of the corresponding mask plate.

[0014] The area of the cross section of the groove structure in the direction away from the substrate gradually increases.

[0015] To solve the above technical problems, a second technical solution adopted by the present application is to provide a display device. The display device includes the display panel as described above.

[0016] To solve the above technical problems, a third technical solution adopted by the present application is to provide a preparation method of a display panel. The method includes: forming a pixel definition layer on a substrate; wherein the pixel definition layer defines a plurality of pixel areas; forming a plurality of support columns on the pixel definition layer; wherein the support columns are located between adjacent pixel areas, and the support columns have a clearance portion formed thereon; placing a mask plate on the support columns, and making the edge of the opening of the mask plate suspended through the clearance portion.

[0017] In the case where the opening of the mask plate is aligned with the pixel area, the gap A between the surface edge of the recess structure of the support column in contact with the mask plate and the edge of the opening of the corresponding mask plate satisfies: The opening accuracy of the mask plate is ±B, and the position accuracy of the mask plate is ±C.

[0018] The display panel provided by the embodiment of the present application, the preparation method thereof and the display device. The display panel is provided with a substrate, a pixel limiting layer formed on the substrate, and the pixel limiting layer defines a plurality of pixel areas. Meanwhile, a plurality of support columns are arranged on the side surface of the pixel limiting layer away from the substrate, and the support columns are provided with an avoiding part, so that the opening edge of the mask plate is suspended by the avoiding part. In this way, the mask plate can be supported by the support columns, and in the process of aligning the mask plate with the substrate and forming the organic light-emitting layer, the opening edge of the mask plate can be suspended by the avoiding part on the support columns, so that the support columns bypass the opening edge of the mask plate, thereby effectively avoiding the problem that the opening edge of the mask plate scratches the support plate and causes pits on the surface of the support plate, and further effectively improving the flatness of the side surface of the support column away from the substrate, improving the reliability of product packaging, and reducing the probability of product display abnormalities. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0019] Figure 1 Structure diagram of the prior art for evaporating organic materials through a fine metal mask plate;

[0020] Figure 2 Structure diagram of the prior art for the positional relationship between the support column and the opening edge of the mask plate;

[0021] Figure 3 Structure diagram of the prior art for the support column being scratched;

[0022] Figure 4 Structure diagram of the prior art for the support column being deposited with organic materials;

[0023] Figure 5 Flowchart of the preparation method of the display panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 6 Positional diagram of the support column with the avoiding part in a recess structure and the opening edge of the mask plate provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Figure 7 Structure diagram of the mask plate placed on the support column provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0026] Figure 8 Positional diagram of the support column with the avoiding part in a recess structure and the opening edge of the mask plate provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0027] Figure 9 Positional diagram of the support column with the avoiding part in a groove structure and the opening edge of the mask plate provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0028] Figure 10 Positional diagram of the support column with the avoiding part in a groove structure and the opening edge of the mask plate provided by an embodiment of the present application;Figure 9 A structure diagram of placing a mask plate on a support column with a step in the avoiding position according to an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0029] Figure 11 A structure diagram of placing a mask plate on a support column with a step in the avoiding position according to an embodiment of the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0031] The terms "first", "second", "third" in the present application are only for descriptive purpose, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second", "third" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly and specifically limited. All directional indications (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present application are only used to explain the relative position relationship, movement condition, etc. between the components in a certain posture (as shown in the drawings), and if the certain posture changes, the directional indications also change accordingly. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device including a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but can optionally include steps or units not listed, or can optionally include other steps or units inherent to the process, method, product or device.

[0032] In this document, reference to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearances of the phrase in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor are they necessarily mutually exclusive of one another. It is expressly understood that the described embodiments are merely examples from a multitude of possible embodiments, which can be practically constructed and utilized.

[0033] The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings and embodiments.

[0034] At present, referring to Figure 2 , Figure 2Figure 1 is a schematic view of the positional relationship between a support column and the opening edge of a mask plate in the prior art. In order to enable the same support column 11 to support different mask plates 12 corresponding to different pixel regions 101, such as R, G, and B pixel regions 101, the support column 11 is generally arranged at the intersection of the openings 121 of different mask plates 12. However, referring to Figure 3 , Figure 3 Figure 2 is a schematic view of a structure in which a support column is scratched in the prior art. The inventors have found that, in the process of aligning the fine metal mask plate 12 and the substrate 10a, the support column 11 can be scratched by the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 corresponding to one, two, or three of the pixel regions 101, R, G, and B, resulting in pits on the surface of the support column 11 and seriously affecting the packaging effect of the product, causing abnormal display of the product. Meanwhile, referring to Figure 4 , Figure 4 Figure 3 is a schematic view of a structure in which organic material is deposited on a support column in the prior art. In the process of evaporating organic material to form an organic light-emitting layer, the surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a (hereinafter defined as the top surface of the support column 11) can accumulate organic material, resulting in protrusions on the surface of the support column 11, and further resulting in poor flatness of the surface of the support column 11. After chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is performed to deposit other functional layers, the CVD film is poor in quality, and more seriously, cracks are generated in the CVD, so that the product cannot be effectively packaged at the abnormal position of the CVD film, ultimately resulting in poor packaging reliability of the product and dark spots in the display area, affecting the normal use of the product.

[0035] Embodiments of the present application provide a preparation method of a display panel and a display panel prepared by the method, which can effectively prevent the surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a from being scratched by the mask plate 12 and prevent organic material from being deposited on the surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a, thereby effectively ensuring the flatness of the surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a, improving the reliability of the product, and avoiding abnormal display of the display panel.

[0036] Referring to Figure 5 , Figure 5 Figure 4 is a flowchart of a preparation method of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present application. The preparation method of the display panel specifically includes the following steps.

[0037] Step S1: forming a pixel definition layer on a substrate.

[0038] The substrate 10a can be a thin film transistor substrate. The thin film transistor substrate includes a substrate and a plurality of thin film transistors (TFT) disposed on the substrate. The periphery of the thin film transistor, that is, the non-display area, is also provided with a thin film transistor peripheral trace. The substrate can be formed of any suitable insulating material with flexibility, for example, a polymer material such as polyimide (PI), polycarbonate (PC), polyether sulfone (PES), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyarylate (PAR), or glass fiber reinforced plastic (FRP). The substrate can be transparent, translucent or opaque. The thin film transistor includes a gate, a source, a drain, an active layer, a gate insulating layer between the active layer and the gate, an interlayer insulating layer between the gate and the source and the drain, a passivation layer on the side of the source and the drain away from the gate, and a planarization layer on the side of the passivation layer away from the source and the drain. The planarization layer can be an organic layer such as acrylic, polyimide or benzocycloalkene.

[0039] The pixel defining layer 10b can be formed by evaporation or deposition of an organic material such as polyimide (PI), polyamide, benzocycloalkene (BCB), acrylic resin or phenolic resin. In a specific embodiment, see Figure 6 , Figure 6 The avoidance portion provided by an embodiment of the present application is a schematic view of the position between the support column with a recess structure and the opening edge of the mask plate. The pixel defining layer 10b defines a plurality of pixel regions 101, which include red, green and blue pixel regions 101. The plurality of pixel regions 101 can be arranged in an array. Each pixel region 101 can correspond to a light emitting unit.

[0040] Step S2: forming a plurality of support columns on the pixel defining layer; wherein the support columns are located between adjacent pixel regions, and the support columns are formed with avoidance portions.

[0041] The support column 11 is formed with an avoidance portion. During the execution of step S3, see Figure 7 , Figure 7The structure diagram provided by the embodiment of the present application for placing the mask plate 12 on the support column 11; the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 can be suspended by the avoiding part of the support column 11, so that the problem of scratching the side surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a by the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 can be effectively avoided. In a specific embodiment, in order to enable the support column 11 to support the mask plate 12 corresponding to a plurality of different pixel regions 101 at the same time, for example, the first mask plate 12 can be placed and supported by the support column 11, after the first mask plate 12 is removed, the second or third mask plate 12 can be placed, and the support column 11 can also support the second mask plate 12 or the third mask plate 12, and the opening edges 122 of a plurality of different mask plates 12 will not scratch the support column 11.

[0042] As shown in Figure 6 , the avoiding part can specifically include a plurality of recessed structures 111 located on the side wall of the support column 11, the plurality of recessed structures 111 are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the support column 11, and each recessed structure 111 suspends the opening 121 of one of a plurality of different mask plates 12.

[0043] In a specific embodiment, one support column 11 can simultaneously support four different mask plates 12, and it can be understood that at this time, the avoiding part of the support column 11 includes four recessed structures 111, and each recessed structure 111 corresponds to suspend the opening edge 122 of one of the mask plates 12. Specifically, in this embodiment, referring to Figure 6 , the cross section of the support column 11 along the direction perpendicular to the film layer stacking direction of the display panel is in the shape of “X”. Of course, the cross section of the support column 11 can also be in the shape of rectangle, triangle, pentagon, etc.

[0044] In a specific embodiment, the method further includes: depositing organic material on a plurality of pixel regions 101 by the mask plate 12 to form corresponding organic light-emitting layers; the specific formation can be referred to the prior art. In a specific implementation process, in order to avoid the accumulation of organic material on the surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a, which affects the flatness of the subsequent packaging layer, each recessed structure 111 can be further extended from the side surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a to the side surface of the support column 11 close to the substrate 10a, and the top view of the support column 11 corresponding to this embodiment and the openings 121 of different mask plates 12 that can be supported by the support column 11 can be specifically referred to Figure 6It can be understood that at this time, the recessed structure 111 is a through groove extending along the length direction of the side wall of the support column 11; of course, in other embodiments, the recessed structure 111 can also extend from the side surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a to the direction of the substrate 10a, but does not extend to the side surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a, that is, the recessed structure 111 is an open one end 121 and a closed one end groove opened on the side wall of the support column 11, and the side view of the groove can be seen from the following Figure 11 The present application does not limit this, as long as the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 is suspended and the organic material can accumulate in the recessed structure 111 instead of the surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a.

[0045] It can be understood by those skilled in the art that the cross section of the support column 11 is generally a regular shape, which is generally square, and if it is desired to avoid the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12, the cross section of the support column 11 needs to be reduced in the length direction and / or the width direction as a whole, however, the support effect of the support column 11 on the mask plate 12 will be poor; and if the cross section area of the support column 11 is shortened too small, the height of the support column 11 will be reduced, and if the height of the support column 11 is reduced too much, increasing the number of support columns 11 cannot play too much role in improving the support effect of the support column 11. Therefore, the embodiment of the present application sets the cross section of the support column 11 as an irregular concave structure. The special-shaped structure design can maximize the area of the support column 11 on the basis of meeting the requirement that the support column 11 does not contact the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12, which can not only meet the requirement that the support column 11 does not scratch, but also can maximize the support effect.

[0046] Specifically, the irregular concave structure can be formed by setting multiple transmittances in different areas of the same mask through halftone process. Specifically, the material in the concave area of the support column 11 can be etched away by the method of exposure and development, and the part of the "center" is reserved to support the mask plate 12. Among them, the halftone process is used to prepare the support column 11, which does not need to increase the complex process flow, and can realize the irregular patterning of the support column 11, save production cost, and have mass production property.

[0047] Specifically, the step of forming the plurality of support columns 11 on the pixel defining layer 10b specifically comprises: forming a film layer on the pixel defining layer 10b; and then exposing using a mask plate 12 to form the plurality of support columns 11. Wherein, the light transmittance of the preset position of the mask plate 12 is different, so that the inverted trapezoidal support column 11 can be obtained by one-time exposure, which is simple in process and low in cost. Wherein, the preset position of the mask plate 12 corresponds to the position of the support column 11. Specifically, the cross-sectional size of the support column 11 gradually decreases in the direction away from the pixel defining layer 10b; so that the support effect of the support column 11 on the subsequently arranged mask plate 12 can be enhanced.

[0048] Of course, the support column 11 can also be formed by evaporation, deposition, inkjet and the like, as long as the above structure can be formed.

[0049] Wherein, as shown in Figure 6 , the gap between the surface edge of the recess structure 111 of the support column 11 and the opening edge 122 of the corresponding mask plate is zero. In another specific embodiment, referring to Figure 8 , Figure 8 The avoidance part provided by another embodiment of the present application is a schematic view of the position between the support column 11 with the recess structure 111 and the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12; the surface edge of the recess structure 111 of the support column 11 and the opening edge 122 of the corresponding mask plate are spaced apart. Wherein, in the case that the plurality of openings 121 of the mask plate 12 are aligned with the pixel area 101, the gap A between the surface edge of the recess structure 111 of the support column 11 and the opening edge 122 of the corresponding mask plate 12 satisfies: Wherein, the accuracy of the opening 121 of the mask plate 12 is ±B, and the position accuracy of the opening 121 of the mask plate 12 is ±C. In this way, when the position of the opening 121 of the mask plate 12 deviates from the corresponding pixel area 101, the boundary of the support column 11 still expands outwardly from the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12, that is, the boundary of the support column 11 avoids the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12, so as to prevent the top surface of the support column 11 from being scratched or deposited with organic material, and ensure the flatness of the top surface of the support column 11. Wherein, A can be specifically not less than 1 millimeter. Of course, it can also be not less than 1.2 millimeters, 1.5 millimeters, etc.

[0050] Specifically, as shown in Figure 8As shown, the inner concave surface of the recess structure 111 of the support column 11 matches the shape of the edge of the opening 121 of the mask plate 12. In an embodiment, the inner concave surface of the recess structure 111 is in the shape of a "V" and has a first included angle a, and the edge of the opening 121 of the mask plate 12 corresponding to the position of the recess structure 111 is in the shape of a "V" and has a second included angle β, and the angle a of the first included angle is not less than the angle β of the second included angle. In another embodiment, the inner concave surface of the recess structure 111 is in the shape of an arc and has a first radius of curvature, and the edge of the opening 121 of the mask plate 12 corresponding to the position of the recess structure 111 is in the shape of an arc and has a second radius of curvature, and the first radius of curvature is greater than the second radius of curvature. The above two ways can effectively ensure that the organic material does not accumulate on the top surface of the support column 11 during the subsequent deposition of the organic material, and avoid the problem of scratching the top surface of the support column 11.

[0051] In another embodiment, referring to Figures 9 to 10 wherein, Figure 9 The position between the support column 11 with the groove structure 112 and the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 is schematically shown as an avoidance part provided in an embodiment of the present application; Figure 10 In order to avoid the problem of Figure 9 The structure schematic diagram of placing the mask plate 12 on the support column 11 is shown. The avoidance part includes the groove structure 112, which is opened on the side surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a, and the groove structure 112 extends along the edge of the opening 121 of the corresponding mask plate 12. In this way, during the execution of step S3, the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 can be suspended by the groove structure 112 on the support column 11, that is, the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 does not contact the surface of the support column 11, thereby avoiding the problem of scratching the top surface of the support column 11 during the alignment of the mask plate 12 and the support column 11, and effectively ensuring the flatness of the top surface of the support column 11, improving the reliability of product packaging, and reducing the probability of product display abnormalities. At the same time, as Figure 10 As shown, during the deposition of the organic material to form the organic light-emitting layer, the organic material deposited on the top surface of the support column 11 can be collected in the groove structure 112. Compared with the prior art, which directly accumulates on the top surface of the support column 11, the problem of the surface of the support column 11 being raised due to the deposition of the organic material is avoided, which affects the subsequent packaging and display effect. Specifically, the groove structure 112 can also be prepared in the preparation manner of the above-mentioned recess structure 111, and details can be referred to the above.

[0052] Specifically, the mask plate 12 corresponding to two adjacent openings 121 can also be supported by two or three, four, etc. support columns 11, so as to improve the supporting effect of the support column 11 on the subsequent mask plate 12 while avoiding scratching or deposition of the organic material on the support column 11.

[0053] Further, in order to ensure the contact area between the support column 11 and the mask plate 12 is not less than or even greater than the contact area between the support column 11 and the mask plate 12 in the prior art while realizing the flatness of the surface of the support column 11, the density of the support column 11 on the pixel definition layer 10b can be increased to ensure the support effect of the support column 11 on the mask plate 12. Specifically, the ratio of the sum of the areas of the cross sections of the support column 11 in the lateral direction perpendicular to the film layer stacking direction of the display panel to the area of the display area of the display panel can be 2%-4%.

[0054] It can be understood that before step S2, the step of forming an anode electrode of a corresponding pixel unit in each pixel region 101 is further included. Specifically, the method of patterning a metal layer can be used.

[0055] Step S3: placing the mask plate on the support column and making the opening edge of the mask plate hang through the avoiding part.

[0056] The structure of placing the mask plate 12 on the support column 11 can be referred to Figure 7 . Specifically, the mask plate 12 can be a metal mask plate 12, one mask plate 12 can correspond to one kind of pixel region 101, and the mask plate 12 has a plurality of openings 121. One opening 121 corresponds to one pixel region 101. In specific embodiments, the circumferential edge shape of the opening 121 is the same as the circumferential edge shape of the pixel region 101. Specifically, one kind of pixel region 101 can correspond to one mask plate 12 or a plurality of mask plates 12. For example, all red pixel regions 101 on the pixel definition layer 10b correspond to one specific mask plate 12; all blue pixel regions 101 on the pixel definition layer 10b correspond to another mask plate 12; at this time, the same kind of pixel region 101 of a plurality of pixel regions 101 is exposed through a plurality of openings 121 on the mask plate 12 to form a corresponding organic light-emitting layer through the same mask plate 12, which is simple in process and low in cost.

[0057] In specific embodiments, the shielding part of the mask plate 12 covers the top surfaces of a plurality of support columns 11; in this way, the problem that the organic material is deposited on the top surface of the support column 11 during the deposition of the organic material to form the organic light-emitting layer can be effectively prevented. The shielding part of the mask plate 12 refers to the position on the mask plate 12 that is different from the opening 121.

[0058] Of course, in specific embodiments, the method further includes forming a cathode on the organic light-emitting layer. Finally, the product is packaged. The processes of forming an anode, a cathode, and packaging and other processes for preparing a display panel are the same as or similar to those in the prior art and can achieve the same or similar technical effects, which will not be described here.

[0059] The preparation method of the display panel provided by the embodiment of the present application forms a pixel definition layer 10b on a substrate 10a; forms a plurality of support columns 11 on the pixel definition layer 10b, and forms an avoiding part on the plurality of support columns 11, so as to place a mask plate 12 on the support columns 11, and the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 can be suspended by the avoiding part, so that the mask plate 12 can be supported by the support columns 11, and the support columns 11 can bypass the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12, thereby effectively avoiding the problem that the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 scratches the support plate and causes pits on the surface of the support plate, and avoiding the problem that organic material is deposited on the side surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a in the process of forming the organic light-emitting layer, and further effectively ensuring the flatness of the side surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a, improving the reliability of product packaging, and reducing the probability of product display abnormality.

[0060] In an embodiment, a display panel prepared by the above preparation method of the display panel is also provided. Referring to Figures 6 to 10 , the display panel comprises a substrate 10a, a pixel definition layer 10b, a plurality of light-emitting units and a plurality of support columns 11.

[0061] The substrate 10a can be a thin film transistor substrate. The pixel definition layer 10b is formed on the substrate 10a and defines a plurality of pixel areas 101; the pixel definition layer 10b can be formed of organic materials such as polyimide (PI), polyamide, benzocycloalkene (BCB), acrylic resin or phenolic resin.

[0062] The plurality of light-emitting units are arranged in the plurality of pixel areas 101, and each light-emitting unit is arranged in one pixel area 101. The plurality of light-emitting units comprise blue light-emitting units, green light-emitting units and red light-emitting units. In a specific embodiment, each light-emitting unit comprises an anode, an organic light-emitting layer and a cathode. Further, each light-emitting unit further comprises at least one of a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer and a cathode. In an embodiment, the anode, the hole injection layer and the hole transport layer are located on the side of the organic light-emitting layer close to the substrate 10a, and the electron transport layer, the electron injection layer and the cathode are located on the side of the organic light-emitting layer away from the substrate 10a.

[0063] A plurality of support columns 11 are arranged on the side surface of the pixel definition layer 10b away from the substrate 10a, and the support columns 11 are formed with a clearance portion for allowing the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 to be suspended by the clearance portion of the support column 11, so that the problem of the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 scratching the side surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a can be effectively avoided. In a specific embodiment, in order to enable the support column 11 to simultaneously support a plurality of different mask plates 12 corresponding to a plurality of different pixel regions 101, for example, the first mask plate 12 can be supported by the support column 11, and after the first mask plate 12 is removed, the second or third mask plate 12 can be placed, and the support column 11 can also support the second mask plate 12 or the third mask plate 12, and the opening edge 122 of the plurality of different mask plates 12 will not scratch the support column 11. The clearance portion can specifically include a plurality of recessed structures 111 on the side wall of the support column 11, and the plurality of recessed structures 111 are arranged at intervals along the circumferential direction of the support column 11, and each recessed structure 111 suspends the opening 121 of one of the plurality of different mask plates 12.

[0064] In a specific embodiment, the clearance portion of the support column 11 includes four recessed structures 111, and each recessed structure 111 suspends the opening edge 122 of one mask plate 12, so that one support column 11 can simultaneously support four different mask plates 12. Specifically, referring to Figure 6 or Figure 7 , the support column 11 has an "X" shape in the cross section perpendicular to the film layer stacking direction of the display panel. Of course, the cross section of the support column 11 can also be rectangular, triangular, pentagonal, etc.

[0065] In a specific embodiment, in order to avoid the accumulation of organic material on the surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a during the preparation of the display panel, affecting the flatness of the subsequent encapsulation layer, each recessed structure 111 extends from the side surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a to the side surface of the support column 11 close to the substrate 10a. The top view of the support column 11 corresponding to this embodiment and the openings 121 of the different mask plates 12 that can be supported by the support column 11 can be specifically seen from Figure 6It can be understood that at this time, the recessed structure 111 is a through groove extending along the length direction of the side wall of the support column 11; of course, in other embodiments, the recessed structure 111 can also extend from the side surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a towards the substrate 10a, but does not extend to the side surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a, that is, the recessed structure 111 is an open one end 121 and a closed one end groove opened on the side wall of the support column 11, which is not limited in the present application, as long as the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 can be suspended and the organic material can be accumulated in the recessed structure 111 instead of the surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a.

[0066] Specifically, the cross-sectional size of the support column 11 gradually decreases along the direction from the bottom surface (i.e. the surface of the support column 11 close to the substrate 10a) to the top surface (i.e. the surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a) of the support column 11, so as to ensure the support effect of the support column 11 on the mask plate 12; of course, the cross-sectional size of the support column 11 along its height direction can also be the same, that is, in a columnar shape.

[0067] Specifically, as shown in Figure 8 the inner recess surface of the recessed structure 111 of the support column 11 matches the shape of the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12. In an embodiment, the inner recess surface of the recessed structure 111 is in a "V" shape and has a first included angle α, the edge of the opening 121 of the mask plate 12 corresponding to the position of the recessed structure 111 is in a "V" shape and has a second included angle β, and the angle α of the first included angle is not less than the angle β of the second included angle. In another embodiment, the inner recess surface of the recessed structure 111 is in an arc shape and has a first curvature radius, the edge of the opening 121 of the mask plate 12 corresponding to the position of the recessed structure 111 is in an arc shape and has a second curvature radius, and the first curvature radius is greater than the second curvature radius. The above two ways can effectively ensure that the organic material does not accumulate on the top surface of the support column 11 during the preparation of the display panel, and avoid the problem of scratching the top surface of the support column 11.

[0068] Specifically, in order to realize the flatness of the surface of the support column 11 while ensuring that the contact area between the support column 11 and the mask plate 12 is not less than or even greater than the contact area between the existing support column 11 and the mask plate 12, so as to ensure the support effect of the support column 11 on the mask plate 12, the ratio of the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the support columns 11 transverse to the film layer stacking direction of the display panel to the area of the display area of the display panel is 2%-4%.

[0069] In another specific embodiment, referring to Figures 9 to 10The avoiding part includes a groove structure 112, which is arranged on the side surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a, and extends along the edge of the corresponding opening 121 of the mask plate 12. In this way, when the mask plate 12 is placed, the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 can be suspended by the groove structure 112 on the support column 11, that is, the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 does not contact the surface of the support column 11, thereby avoiding the problem that the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 scratches the top surface of the support column 11 during the alignment of the mask plate 12 and the support column 11, thereby effectively ensuring the flatness of the top surface of the support column 11, improving the reliability of product packaging, and reducing the probability of product display abnormalities. At the same time, during the deposition of organic material to form an organic light-emitting layer, the organic material deposited on the top surface of the support column 11 can be collected in the groove structure 112. Compared with the prior art, which directly accumulates on the top surface of the support column 11, the problem of the top surface of the support column 11 being raised due to the deposition of organic material is avoided, which affects the subsequent packaging and display effect.

[0070] Specifically, the area of the groove structure 112 along the cross section perpendicular to the film layer stacking direction of the display panel gradually increases in the direction away from the substrate 10a; of course, it can also be rectangular or conical, etc. In another embodiment, referring to Figure 11 , Figure 11 The structure schematic diagram of placing the mask plate 12 on the support column 11 with a step in the avoiding part provided by an embodiment of the present application. The recess 111 is a step; the step is located at the edge of the side surface of the support column 11 away from the pixel defining layer 10b; and the side surface of the step extends along the circumferential edge of the corresponding opening 121.

[0071] The display panel further includes a packaging layer and other structures included in the existing display panel, and the specific structure and function thereof are the same as or similar to the related structures and functions in the existing display panel, and can achieve the same or similar technical effects, which will not be described here.

[0072] The display panel provided by the embodiment is provided with a substrate 10a, a pixel definition layer 10b formed on the substrate 10a, and the pixel definition layer 10b defines a plurality of pixel areas 101; meanwhile, a plurality of support columns 11 are arranged on the side surface of the pixel definition layer 10b away from the substrate 10a, and the support columns 11 are provided with a clearance part, so that the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 is suspended by the clearance part; in this way, the mask plate 12 can be supported by the support columns 11, and in the process of aligning the mask plate 12 with the substrate 10a and forming the organic light-emitting layer, the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 can be suspended by the clearance part on the support column 11, so that the support column 11 can bypass the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12, thereby effectively avoiding the problem that the opening edge 122 of the mask plate 12 scratches the support column 11 and causes pits on the surface of the support column 11, and further effectively improving the flatness of the side surface of the support column 11 away from the substrate 10a, improving the reliability of product packaging, and reducing the probability of product display abnormalities.

[0073] In an embodiment, a display device is also provided, which includes the display panel of any of the above embodiments.

[0074] The above is only the implementation of the present application, and does not limit the patent scope of the present application, and any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation using the content of the specification and drawings, or direct or indirect application in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a display panel, characterized in that, include: A pixel defining layer is formed on a substrate; wherein the pixel defining layer defines a plurality of pixel regions; A plurality of support pillars are formed on the pixel defining layer; wherein, the support pillars are located between adjacent pixel regions, and the support pillars have clearance portions formed thereon; A mask plate is placed on the support column, and the opening edge of the mask plate is suspended through the clearance portion; When the opening of the mask is aligned with the pixel region, the gap A between the recessed structure of the support post and the surface edge of the mask in contact with the corresponding opening edge of the mask satisfies: The opening accuracy of the mask plate is ±B, and the positional accuracy of the mask plate is ±C.

2. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clearance portion includes a plurality of recessed structures located on the side wall of the support column, the plurality of recessed structures being spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the support column.

3. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that, Each of the recessed structures extends from the side surface of the support post away from the substrate to the side surface of the support post close to the substrate.

4. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 3, characterized in that, The cross-section of the support column along the film stacking direction perpendicular to the display panel is "X" shaped.

5. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that, The ratio of the total area of ​​the cross-sections of the plurality of support columns in the transverse direction perpendicular to the film stacking direction of the display panel to the area of ​​the display area of ​​the display panel is 2%-4%.

6. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that, The concave surface of the recessed structure is V-shaped and has a first included angle. The edge of the opening of the mask plate is V-shaped and has a second included angle corresponding to the position of the recessed structure. The angle of the first included angle is not less than the angle of the second included angle.

7. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 6, characterized in that, The concave surface of the recessed structure is arc-shaped and has a first radius of curvature. The edge of the opening of the mask plate is arc-shaped and has a second radius of curvature corresponding to the position of the recessed structure. The first radius of curvature is greater than the second radius of curvature.

8. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The clearance portion includes a groove structure, which is formed on the side surface of the support column opposite to the substrate, and the groove structure extends along the edge of the corresponding opening of the mask plate.

9. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 8, characterized in that, The area of ​​the groove structure along the cross-section perpendicular to the film stacking direction of the display panel gradually increases in the direction away from the substrate.

10. A display panel, characterized in that, The display panel is manufactured using the method for preparing a display panel as described in any one of claims 1-9; the display panel comprises: substrate; A pixel defining layer is formed on the substrate and defines a plurality of pixel regions; A plurality of support pillars are disposed on the side surface of the pixel defining layer opposite to the substrate and located between adjacent pixel regions; wherein, the support pillars are provided with clearance portions so that the opening edge of the mask is suspended through the clearance portions; The clearance portion includes a plurality of recessed structures located on the side wall of the support column, and the plurality of recessed structures are spaced apart along the circumferential direction of the support column. The ratio of the total area of ​​the cross-sections of the plurality of support columns in the transverse direction perpendicular to the film stacking direction of the display panel to the area of ​​the display area of ​​the display panel is 2%-4%.

11. The display panel according to claim 10, characterized in that, Each of the recessed structures extends from the side surface of the support post away from the substrate to the side surface of the support post close to the substrate.

12. The display panel according to claim 11, characterized in that, The cross-section of the support column along the film stacking direction perpendicular to the display panel is "X" shaped.

13. The display panel according to claim 10, characterized in that, The concave surface of the recessed structure is V-shaped and has a first included angle. The edge of the opening of the mask plate is V-shaped and has a second included angle corresponding to the position of the recessed structure. The angle of the first included angle is not less than the angle of the second included angle.

14. The display panel according to claim 13, characterized in that, The concave surface of the recessed structure is arc-shaped and has a first radius of curvature. The edge of the opening of the mask plate is arc-shaped and has a second radius of curvature corresponding to the position of the recessed structure. The first radius of curvature is greater than the second radius of curvature.

15. The display panel according to claim 10, characterized in that, The clearance portion includes a groove structure, which is formed on the side surface of the support column opposite to the substrate, and the groove structure extends along the edge of the corresponding opening of the mask plate.

16. The display panel according to claim 15, characterized in that, The area of ​​the groove structure along the cross-section perpendicular to the film stacking direction of the display panel gradually increases in the direction away from the substrate.

17. A display device, characterized in that, Includes the display panel as described in any one of claims 10-16.

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