Array substrate and its fabrication method, display panel

Abstract

This invention provides an array substrate and its fabrication method, as well as a display panel, belonging to the field of display technology. It can at least partially solve the problem of light leakage caused by poor light-shielding performance of existing light-shielding structures in display panels. The array substrate of this invention has multiple pixel areas and a light-shielding area located between any two adjacent pixel areas. The array substrate includes: a substrate; multiple color filter layers disposed on the substrate and at least partially located in the pixel areas; multiple first electrode layers disposed on the side of the color filter layers away from the substrate and located in the pixel areas, the first electrode layers being transparent electrode layers; and a light-shielding film disposed between any two adjacent first electrode layers, the light-shielding film being an opaque film layer.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of display technology, specifically relating to an array substrate and its preparation method, and a display panel. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous development of display technology, users' requirements for the performance of display panels are also constantly increasing. Existing display panels have multiple pixel areas and light-shielding areas. The pixel areas are used to emit light to form the display image, and the light-shielding areas are located between the pixel areas to avoid crosstalk between light emitted from adjacent pixel areas.

[0003] However, the light-shielding structure of the light-shielding area of ​​the existing display panel is not able to effectively block light from escaping from the light-shielding area, especially for curved display panels. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention at least partially solves the problem of light leakage caused by poor light-shielding performance of existing light-shielding structures in display panels, and provides an array substrate with a light-shielding film to prevent light leakage.

[0005] The technical solution adopted to solve the technical problem of the present invention is an array substrate having multiple pixel areas and a light-shielding area located between any two adjacent pixel areas. The array substrate includes: a substrate; multiple color filter layers disposed on the substrate and at least partially located in the pixel areas; multiple first electrode layers disposed on the side of the color filter layers away from the substrate and located in the pixel areas, wherein the first electrode layers are transparent electrode layers; and a light-shielding film disposed between any two adjacent first electrode layers, wherein the light-shielding film is an opaque film layer.

[0006] More preferably, the thickness of the light-shielding film is

[0007] More preferably, the color filter layer corresponds one-to-one with the pixel area, any two adjacent color filter layers have different colors, and each color filter layer extends into the light-shielding area adjacent to it, so that any two adjacent color filter layers overlap in the adjacent light-shielding area.

[0008] More preferably, the first electrode layer corresponds one-to-one with the pixel area; the array substrate further includes: a plurality of second electrode layers disposed on the substrate and at least partially located in the light-shielding area, wherein the orthographic projection of the second electrode layer on the substrate overlaps with the orthographic projection of the first electrode layer corresponding to the adjacent pixel area on the substrate.

[0009] More preferably, the second electrode layer is disposed between the substrate and the color filter layer.

[0010] The technical solution adopted to solve the technical problem of the present invention is a method for preparing an array substrate. Based on the array substrate described above, the method includes: forming a plurality of color filter layers in each pixel area on a substrate; forming a first electrode layer and a light-shielding film on the side of the color filter layer away from the substrate, wherein the first electrode layer is a transparent electrode layer.

[0011] More preferably, forming the first electrode layer and the light-shielding film on the side of the color filter layer away from the substrate includes: forming a first electrode material layer on the side of the color filter layer away from the substrate; forming a mask layer on the side of the first electrode material layer away from the substrate; patterning the first electrode material layer under the action of the mask layer to form the first electrode layer; forming a light-shielding material film on the side of the mask layer away from the substrate, the light-shielding material film being located in the pixel area and the light-shielding area; and removing the mask layer to form the light-shielding film.

[0012] More preferably, forming a light-shielding material film on the side of the mask layer away from the substrate includes: forming a light-shielding metal layer by magnetron sputtering, wherein the light-shielding metal layer is a light-shielding material film.

[0013] More preferably, the material forming the light-shielding metal layer includes molybdenum oxide.

[0014] The technical solution adopted to solve the technical problem of the present invention is a display panel, including the array substrate described above. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The accompanying drawings are provided to further illustrate the invention and form part of the specification. They are used together with the following detailed description to explain the invention, but do not constitute a limitation thereof. In the drawings:

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an array substrate in the prior art;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an array substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figures 3a to 3c This is a schematic diagram of the fabrication process of an array substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic flowchart of a method for fabricating an array substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] In the attached figures, the reference numerals are as follows: a, pixel area; b, light-shielding area; 1, substrate; 2, color filter layer; 3, first electrode layer; 31, first electrode material layer; 4, light-shielding film; 41, light-shielding material film; 5, second electrode layer; 6, mask layer; 7, insulating layer. Detailed Implementation

[0021] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0022] In this invention, "patterning process" refers to the steps of forming a structure with a specific pattern, which can be a photolithography process. The photolithography process includes one or more steps such as forming a material layer, coating photoresist, exposure, development, etching, and photoresist stripping. Of course, "patterning process" can also be other processes such as imprinting or inkjet printing.

[0023] The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the various drawings, the same elements are indicated by similar reference numerals. For clarity, the various parts in the drawings are not drawn to scale. Furthermore, some well-known parts may not be shown in the drawings.

[0024] Many specific details of the invention, such as the structure, materials, dimensions, processing methods, and techniques of the components, are described below to provide a clearer understanding of the invention. However, as those skilled in the art will understand, the invention may be implemented without following these specific details.

[0025] Example 1:

[0026] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, this embodiment provides an array substrate having multiple pixel regions a and a light-shielding region b located between any two adjacent pixel regions a. The array substrate includes:

[0027] Substrate 1;

[0028] Multiple color filter layers 2 are disposed on a substrate 1 and are at least partially located in pixel region a;

[0029] Multiple first electrode layers 3 are disposed on the side of the color filter layer 2 away from the substrate 1 and located in the pixel region a. The first electrode layers 3 are transparent electrode layers.

[0030] The light-shielding film 4 is disposed between any two adjacent first electrode layers 3, and the light-shielding film 4 is an opaque film layer.

[0031] Specifically, the light-shielding area b separates the pixel areas a from each other. Each pixel area a emits display light to achieve the display on the array substrate; the light-shielding area b cannot emit light, thus preventing crosstalk between adjacent pixel areas a and ensuring display performance. The first electrode layer 3 is a transparent electrode layer, therefore, the first electrode layer 3 located in pixel area a will not affect the light emission of pixel area a, and the first electrode layer 3 can provide voltage to the light-emitting units of each pixel area a.

[0032] The array substrate (COA+BOA, CF on Array+BM on Array) is structurally distributed as follows: substrate 1, color filter layer 2, and first electrode layer 3. Since the light-shielding film 4 is disposed between any two adjacent transparent electrode layers, it is equivalent to the light-shielding film 4 and the first electrode layer 3 being disposed in the same layer. Simultaneously, the transparent first electrode layer 3 is generally an indium tin oxide (ITO) electrode layer, and its thickness is generally relatively thin to ensure its light transmittance; the light-shielding film 4 is an opaque film layer, and its thickness is approximately the same as that of the first electrode layer 3 to facilitate its fabrication.

[0033] It should be noted that, as Figure 1 As shown ( Figure 1 (The dashed arrow in the middle represents the display light). In the existing array substrate, the light-shielding structure of the light-shielding area b has poor performance, which causes light leakage in the light-shielding area b. In addition, for curved array substrates, the existing light-shielding structure is relatively thick, and the step difference of the light-shielding structure after bending is relatively obvious, which causes serious light leakage in the light-shielding area b.

[0034] In the array substrate of this embodiment, by providing an opaque light-shielding film 4 in the light-shielding area b, not only can the light-shielding area b be guaranteed to be free from light leakage, but also, for the curved array substrate, since the light-shielding film 4 is relatively thin, the step difference of the light-shielding film 4 after bending is small, so as not to affect the light-shielding performance of the light-shielding film 4 and avoid serious light leakage in the light-shielding area b; in addition, the aperture ratio of the curved array substrate can be increased to avoid the generation of phenomena such as mura caused by the exposure machine lens (lens) affecting the performance of the first electrode layer 3.

[0035] Specifically, the thickness of the light-shielding film 4 is...

[0036] It should be noted that the width of the shading area b is approximately 9.5mm (e.g., Figure 2 As shown in c), the thickness of the light-shielding film 4 is also approximately 9.5 mm.

[0037] Preferably, the color filter layer 2 corresponds one-to-one with the pixel area a, and any two adjacent color filter layers 2 have different colors. Each color filter layer 2 extends into the adjacent light-shielding area b, so that any two adjacent color filter layers 2 overlap in the adjacent light-shielding area b.

[0038] In this configuration, the color filter layer 2 corresponds one-to-one with pixel area a, meaning that only one color filter layer 2 is set in each pixel area a. Since each color filter layer 2 can only transmit light of that color, when two adjacent color filter layers 2 of different colors overlap in their corresponding light-blocking areas b, they can form a light-blocking structure that blocks light transmission.

[0039] If only the light-blocking structure formed by the overlapping of color filter layer 2 is set, without the light-blocking film 4, severe light leakage will occur in the light-blocking area b. Therefore, when the light-blocking film 4 is combined with the light-blocking structure formed by the overlapping of color filter layer 2, the light-blocking effect of the light-blocking area b can be better.

[0040] Preferably, the first electrode layer 3 corresponds one-to-one with the pixel area a; the array substrate further includes: a plurality of second electrode layers 5, disposed on the substrate 1 and at least partially located in the light-shielding area b, wherein the orthographic projection of the second electrode layer 5 on the substrate 1 overlaps with the orthographic projection of the first electrode layer 3 corresponding to the adjacent pixel area a on the substrate 1.

[0041] In this configuration, the first electrode layer 3 corresponds one-to-one with pixel region a, which is equivalent to setting only one color filter layer 2 in each pixel region a. The first electrode layer 3 can serve as a pixel electrode in the array substrate. The second electrode can be the source / drain electrode of a transistor (such as a driving transistor) in the array substrate, or it can be an electrode of other structures in the array substrate.

[0042] The projection of the second electrode layer 5 onto the substrate 1 overlaps with the projection of the first electrode layer 3 onto the substrate 1 corresponding to the adjacent pixel region a, which is equivalent to the edge of the second electrode layer 5 overlapping with the first electrode layer 3 in pixel region a. When the array substrate is a liquid crystal display array substrate, an electric field may be generated in the region between the overlapping first electrode layer 3 and the second electrode layer 5, thereby controlling the deflection of the liquid crystal molecules in that region so that the liquid crystal molecules in that region can form a light-shielding structure to prevent light from emitting from the light-shielding region b.

[0043] However, if only the light-shielding structure controlled by the first electrode layer 3 and the second electrode layer 5 is provided, without the light-shielding film 4 and the light-shielding structure formed by the overlapping of the color filter layer 2, or only the light-shielding structure controlled by the first electrode layer 3 and the second electrode layer 5 and the light-shielding structure formed by the overlapping of the color filter layer 2 are provided, without the light-shielding film 4, severe light leakage will occur in the light-shielding area b. Therefore, when the light-shielding film 4, the light-shielding structure formed by the overlapping of the color filter layer 2, and the light-shielding structure controlled by the first electrode layer 3 and the second electrode layer 5 are combined, the light-shielding effect of the light-shielding area b can be improved.

[0044] Meanwhile, for curved array substrates, the combination of the above three light-shielding structures will not result in poor light-shielding performance due to the curvature of the substrate, thereby avoiding severe light leakage in the light-shielding area b.

[0045] It should be noted that the overlap between the first electrode layer 3 and the second electrode layer 5 is approximately 2 mm (e.g., ...). Figure 2 (as shown in d).

[0046] Specifically, the second electrode layer 5 is disposed between the substrate 1 and the color filter layer 2.

[0047] In other words, the structure of the array substrate is arranged as follows: substrate 1, second electrode layer 5, color filter layer 2, and first electrode layer 3.

[0048] Example 2:

[0049] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, this embodiment provides a method for fabricating an array substrate, which is used to form the array substrate in Embodiment 1. The method includes:

[0050] S11. A second electrode layer 5 is formed on the substrate 1.

[0051] The second electrode can be the source or drain electrode of a transistor (such as a driving transistor) in the array substrate, or it can be an electrode layer of other structures in the array substrate.

[0052] S12. Multiple color filter layers 2 are formed in each pixel area a on the substrate 1.

[0053] Specifically, color filter layer 2 corresponds one-to-one with pixel area a, and any two adjacent color filter layers 2 have different colors. Each color filter layer 2 can extend into its adjacent light-blocking area b, so that any two adjacent color filter layers 2 overlap in the adjacent light-blocking area b.

[0054] Since each color filter layer 2 can only transmit light of that color, when two adjacent color filter layers 2 of different colors overlap in their corresponding light-blocking areas b, they can form a light-blocking structure that blocks light transmission.

[0055] S13. A first electrode layer 3 and a light-shielding film 4 are formed on the side of the color filter layer 2 away from the substrate 1. The first electrode layer 3 is a transparent electrode layer.

[0056] Specifically, forming a first electrode layer 3 and a light-shielding film 4 on the side of the color filter layer 2 away from the substrate 1 includes:

[0057] S131, such as Figure 3a As shown, a first electrode material layer 31 is formed on the side of the color filter layer 2 away from the substrate 1.

[0058] The first electrode material layer 31 covers the pixel area a and the light-shielding area b.

[0059] S132, such as Figure 3b As shown, a mask layer 6 is formed on the side of the first electrode material layer 31 away from the substrate 1.

[0060] Among them, the mask layer 6 has an opening at the position corresponding to the light-shielding area b.

[0061] S133, such as Figure 3b As shown, the first electrode material layer 31 is patterned under the action of the mask layer 6 to form the first electrode layer 3.

[0062] In this process, the patterning process removes (etches) the first electrode material layer 31 at the opening of the mask layer 6, thereby forming the first electrode layer 3 located only in the pixel region a.

[0063] S134, such as Figure 3c As shown, a light-shielding material film 41 is formed on the side of the mask layer 6 away from the substrate 1, and the light-shielding material film 41 is located in the pixel area a and the light-shielding area b.

[0064] Among them, the light-shielding material film 41 is used to form the light-shielding film 4.

[0065] Specifically, a light-shielding metal layer (blackened metal) is formed by magnetron sputtering, and the light-shielding metal layer is a light-shielding material film 41.

[0066] The formation process of the light-shielding metal layer is as follows: Taking molybdenum (Mo) metal as an example, 3N5 molybdenum or other purity molybdenum is used as the target material. Oxygen is introduced into the chamber, and magnetron sputtering is performed using an 8.5G magnetron sputtering device at a power of 28kW. Argon (Ar) gas at 600sccm and oxygen (O2) gas at 700sccm are introduced, resulting in a film formation rate of approximately 19A / s, forming a MoOx thin film of approximately 500Å. Mo and MoO3 coexist in this film, and there are many uncertain defect states and many opaque Mo phases, causing most of the visible light to be absorbed.

[0067] For different magnetron sputtering equipment, the deposition rate and structure can be controlled by adjusting the deposition power and oxygen partial pressure, thus forming Mo / Mo-O composite films with high visible light absorption. Mo alloys can also be used as targets, and a small amount of nitrogen can be introduced during deposition to form a metal oxynitride film, resulting in a film with lower reflectivity and improved process window. Alternatively, films can be deposited directly using MoOx targets, improving the continuity and stability of the deposition process.

[0068] In addition, the light-shielding layer can also be formed by direct sputtering of a blackened metal (or other light-shielding material) target, without the need to introduce reactive gases such as oxygen during the process.

[0069] S135, such as Figure 2 As shown, the mask layer 6 (Strip off) is removed to form the light-shielding film 4.

[0070] Among them, such as Figure 2 As shown, when the mask layer 6 is removed, the light-shielding material film 41 located on the mask layer 6 can also be removed, leaving only the light-shielding material film 41 in the light-shielding area b, thus forming the light-shielding film 4.

[0071] It should be noted that at least one insulating layer 7 is formed between the above-mentioned layer structures to ensure that the performance of each layer structure is not affected by the adjacent layer structures. The steps for forming the insulating layer 7 will not be described in detail.

[0072] In the fabrication process of the array substrate in this embodiment, only the same mask layer 6 is needed to form two structures: the first electrode layer 3 and the light-shielding film 4. That is to say, the step of adding the light-shielding film 4 only requires adding the step of forming the light-shielding metal layer (S134). This not only simplifies the fabrication process of the array substrate and reduces the fabrication cost, but also ensures that the light-shielding film 4 corresponds accurately with the light-shielding area b, and reduces the number of transports during the substrate fabrication process.

[0073] Example 3:

[0074] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, this embodiment provides a display panel, including the array substrate in embodiment 1.

[0075] Preferably, the display panel is a curved liquid crystal display panel.

[0076] It should be noted that the display panel of this embodiment is particularly suitable for curved liquid crystal display panels. For curved liquid crystal display panels, since the light-shielding film 4 is relatively thin, the step difference of the light-shielding structure after bending is small, thus not affecting the light-shielding performance of the light-shielding film 4 and avoiding severe light leakage in the light-shielding area b. In addition, the combination of the three light-shielding structures in the array substrate does not lead to poor light-shielding performance due to the bending of the substrate, thus avoiding severe light leakage in the light-shielding area b.

[0077] Specifically, the display panel can be any product or component with display function, such as a liquid crystal display panel, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel, electronic paper, mobile phone, tablet computer, television, monitor, laptop computer, digital photo frame, or navigator.

[0078] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising one..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element.

[0079] As described above, these embodiments of the present invention do not exhaustively cover all details, nor do they limit the invention to the specific embodiments described. Clearly, many modifications and variations can be made based on the above description. This specification selects and specifically describes these embodiments to better explain the principles and practical applications of the invention, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to effectively utilize the invention and its modifications. The invention is limited only by the claims and their full scope and equivalents.

Claims

1. An array substrate, characterized in that, The array substrate includes multiple pixel regions and a light-shielding region located between any two adjacent pixel regions. Substrate; Multiple color filter layers are disposed on the substrate and are at least partially located in the pixel region; Multiple first electrode layers are disposed on the side of the color filter layer away from the substrate and located in the pixel region, wherein the first electrode layers are transparent electrode layers; A light-shielding film is disposed between any two adjacent first electrode layers, and the light-shielding film is an opaque film layer. The color filter layer corresponds one-to-one with the pixel area, and any two adjacent color filter layers have different colors. Each color filter layer extends into the adjacent light-shielding area so that any two adjacent color filter layers overlap in the adjacent light-shielding area. The first electrode layer corresponds one-to-one with the pixel area; The array substrate further includes: a plurality of second electrode layers disposed on the substrate and at least partially located in the light-shielding area, wherein the orthographic projection of the second electrode layer on the substrate overlaps with the orthographic projection of the first electrode layer corresponding to the adjacent pixel area on the substrate; The array substrate is a liquid crystal display array substrate. An electric field is generated in the overlapping area between the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer. This electric field can control the deflection of the liquid crystal molecules in the area so that the liquid crystal molecules in the area can form a light-shielding structure. The thickness of the light-shielding film is 400Å-1000Å; The material of the light-shielding film includes molybdenum oxide.

2. The array substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The second electrode layer is disposed between the substrate and the color filter layer.

3. A method for fabricating an array substrate, characterized in that, Based on the array substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 2, the method includes: Multiple color filter layers are formed in each pixel region on the substrate; A first electrode layer and a light-shielding film are formed on the side of the color filter layer away from the substrate, wherein the first electrode layer is a transparent electrode layer.

4. The method for fabricating an array substrate according to claim 3, characterized in that, The formation of a first electrode layer and a light-shielding film on the side of the color filter layer away from the substrate includes: A first electrode material layer is formed on the side of the color filter layer away from the substrate; A mask layer is formed on the side of the first electrode material layer away from the substrate; The first electrode material layer is patterned under the action of the mask layer to form the first electrode layer; A light-shielding material film is formed on the side of the mask layer away from the substrate, and the light-shielding material film is located in the pixel area and the light-shielding area; Remove the mask layer to form the light-shielding film.

5. The method for fabricating an array substrate according to claim 4, characterized in that, The step of forming a light-shielding material film on the side of the mask layer away from the substrate includes: A light-shielding metal layer is formed by magnetron sputtering, and the light-shielding metal layer is a light-shielding material film.

6. A display panel, characterized in that, The array substrate includes any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the display panel is a curved liquid crystal display panel.

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