OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass and manufacturing method

Abstract

The application provides an ultrathin glass-based OLED panel and a manufacturing method, wherein the OLED panel comprises: an ultrathin glass substrate having a plurality of bending stress dissipation grooves, the extension direction of the bending stress dissipation grooves being perpendicular to a preset bending direction; a substrate electrode layer formed on one side of the ultrathin glass substrate, the substrate electrode layer comprising a plurality of high-molecular strip-shaped substrates and functional electrodes in the same layer, the high-molecular strip-shaped substrates covering at least the bending stress dissipation grooves, and the functional electrodes being arranged in the gaps between the high-molecular strip-shaped substrates; and an OLED device layer formed on the side of the high-molecular strip-shaped substrates away from the ultrathin glass substrate. The application can reduce the number of bonding times, reduce material use and waste, enhance the functionality of the panel, and reduce the overall thickness of the panel, thereby reducing the overall production cost and improving the process yield of the OLED.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of panel manufacturing processes, and more specifically, to OLED panels based on ultra-thin glass and their manufacturing methods. Background Technology

[0002] The existing OLED manufacturing process mainly includes the following steps:

[0003] (1) Glass substrate raw materials;

[0004] (2) Polymer folding and base molding;

[0005] (3) OLED display manufacturing process;

[0006] (4) OLED device and glass separation process;

[0007] (5) The OLED device is combined with a flexible folding support base plate (usually using a bonding process);

[0008] (6) OLED device combined with encapsulation cover plate.

[0009] Since (4) and (5) involve peeling the OLED device from the glass and then attaching it to a flexible folding support base, this process is not only time-consuming and labor-intensive, but also restricts the OLED process yield and overall production cost.

[0010] Meanwhile, as a crucial component of foldable cover plates, the quality of the ultra-thin glass substrate (UTG substrate) is key to achieving a smaller or even lower bending radius (R=2mm). In particular, after the UTG substrate is cut to specific dimensions, special treatment is required at its edges to remove defects such as chipped edges and micro-cracks caused by cutting, thereby preventing the glass from breaking during bending due to these micro-cracks.

[0011] The existing OLED manufacturing process has the following problems:

[0012] (1) There is a problem of OLED device tearing during the peeling process;

[0013] (2) During the transfer of OLED devices, it is necessary to prevent them from coming into contact with other components, which would affect the yield.

[0014] (3) There may be inaccurate alignment during the bonding process.

[0015] The aforementioned problems have significantly hampered the yield rate of OLED manufacturing processes and the overall production cost.

[0016] Therefore, there is a need for an OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass and a manufacturing method therefor. Summary of the Invention

[0017] In view of the problems in the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide an OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass and a manufacturing method thereof, which overcomes the difficulties of the prior art, eliminates the need for release molding, reduces the number of bonding cycles, reduces material usage and waste, enhances panel functionality, and reduces the overall thickness of the panel, thereby reducing the overall production cost and improving the OLED process yield.

[0018] Embodiments of the present invention provide an OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass, comprising:

[0019] An ultrathin glass substrate has several bending stress dissipation grooves, the extension direction of which is perpendicular to a preset bending direction.

[0020] A substrate electrode layer is formed on one side of the ultrathin glass substrate. The substrate electrode layer includes a plurality of polymer strip substrates and functional electrodes on the same layer. The polymer strip substrates at least cover the bending stress dissipation grooves, and the functional electrodes are disposed in the gaps between the polymer strip substrates.

[0021] An OLED device layer is formed on the side of the polymer strip substrate opposite to the ultrathin glass substrate.

[0022] Preferably, the functional electrode is one or a combination of a power supply electrode, a fingerprint recognition electrode, a touch recognition electrode, and a driving electrode.

[0023] Preferably, the bending stress dissipation groove is included in the first projection area of ​​the OLED device layer by the polymer strip substrate in the second projection area of ​​the OLED device layer.

[0024] Preferably, it further includes an encapsulation cover layer formed on the side of the OLED device layer opposite to the polymer strip substrate.

[0025] Preferably, the ultrathin glass substrate includes a rigid region supporting the polymer strip substrate and a bending stress dissipation groove to dissipate bending stress when the panel is bent, wherein the thickness of the rigid region ranges from 0.1 mm to 0.55 mm.

[0026] Preferably, the bending stress relief groove is a through groove that penetrates the ultrathin glass substrate, and a portion of the polymer strip substrate is exposed from the bending stress relief groove.

[0027] Preferably, the bending stress dissipation groove is formed by etching the ultra-thin glass substrate to create a grid structure or mesh structure connecting both sides of the groove. The extension direction of the grid structure is parallel to the preset bending direction, and the thickness of the ultra-thin glass substrate in the bending stress dissipation groove is less than the thickness of the rigid region.

[0028] Preferably, the thickness of the ultrathin glass substrate within the range of the bending stress dissipation groove is 10 micrometers to 90 micrometers.

[0029] Embodiments of the present invention also provide a method for manufacturing an OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass, comprising the following steps:

[0030] Provide an ultra-thin glass substrate;

[0031] A substrate electrode layer is formed on the first side of the ultrathin glass substrate. The substrate electrode layer includes a polymer strip substrate and a functional electrode disposed in the same layer. The functional electrode is disposed in the gap between the polymer strip substrate.

[0032] An OLED device layer is formed on the side of the polymer strip substrate opposite to the ultrathin glass substrate;

[0033] The second side of the ultrathin glass substrate is locally thinned, and the thinned area forms several bending stress dissipation grooves.

[0034] Preferably, the substrate electrode layer is formed on the first side of the ultrathin glass substrate, the substrate electrode layer comprising a polymer strip substrate and a functional electrode disposed in the same layer, including:

[0035] A polymer substrate layer is formed on the first side of the ultrathin glass substrate;

[0036] The polymer substrate layer is patterned to form a plurality of spaced polymer strips; and

[0037] Functional electrodes are arranged between the polymer strip substrates. The functional electrodes are one or a combination of power supply electrodes, fingerprint recognition electrodes, touch recognition electrodes, and driving electrodes.

[0038] The purpose of this invention is to provide an OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass and a manufacturing method thereof, which can eliminate the need for release molding, reduce the number of bonding times, reduce material usage and waste, enhance panel functionality, and reduce the overall thickness of the panel, thereby reducing the overall production cost and improving the process yield of OLED. Attached Figure Description

[0039] Other features, objects, and advantages of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0040] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass according to the present invention.

[0041] Figure 2This is a flowchart of a manufacturing method for an embodiment of an OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass according to the present invention.

[0042] Figures 3 to 8 This is a schematic diagram of the manufacturing process of an embodiment of the OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass according to the present invention.

[0043] Figure Labels

[0044] 1. Ultra-thin glass substrate

[0045] 10 Bending stress dissipation groove

[0046] 11 Rigid Region

[0047] 12 Bending stress dissipation groove

[0048] 2. Polymer strip substrate

[0049] 3 OLED device layer

[0050] 4. Encapsulation cover layer

[0051] 5 Functional Electrodes Detailed Implementation

[0052] Exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, these exemplary embodiments can be implemented in many forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that the invention will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the drawings denote the same or similar structures, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted.

[0053] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass according to the present invention. Figure 1As shown, the OLED panel based on ultrathin glass of the present invention includes: an ultrathin glass substrate 1, a substrate electrode layer, and an OLED device layer 3. The ultrathin glass substrate 1 has a plurality of bending stress dissipation grooves 10, the extension direction of which is perpendicular to a predetermined bending direction. The substrate electrode layer is formed on one side of the ultrathin glass substrate 1, and includes a plurality of polymer strip substrates 2 and functional electrodes 5 on the same layer. The polymer strip substrates 2 at least cover the bending stress dissipation grooves 10, and the functional electrodes 5 are disposed in the gaps between the polymer strip substrates 2. The OLED device layer 3 is formed on the side of the polymer strip substrates 2 facing away from the ultrathin glass substrate 1. Specifically, the upper surface of the polymer strip substrate 2 of the present invention supports the OLED device layer, the lower surface is partially formed on the ultrathin glass substrate 1, and the remaining part of the lower surface can be exposed from the through groove of the ultrathin glass substrate 1. The functional electrodes 5 can be distributed on both sides of the polymer strip substrate 2, so that the functional electrodes 5 and the polymer strip substrate 2 form a co-layer structure, which can enhance the flexibility of the panel and reduce the thickness of the panel.

[0054] In a preferred embodiment, the functional electrode 5 is one or a combination of a power supply electrode, a fingerprint recognition electrode, a touch recognition electrode, and a driving electrode, but is not limited thereto.

[0055] In a preferred embodiment, the bending stress dissipation groove 10 is included in the first projection area of ​​the OLED device layer 3 by the polymer strip substrate 2 in the second projection area of ​​the OLED device layer 3. The area of ​​the polymer strip substrate is less than or equal to the large outer frame area of ​​the glass substrate, but is not limited thereto.

[0056] In a preferred embodiment, an encapsulation cover layer 4 is further formed on the side of the OLED device layer 3 facing away from the polymer strip substrate 2, but this is not a limitation.

[0057] In a preferred embodiment, the ultrathin glass substrate 1 includes a rigid region 11 supporting the polymer strip substrate 2 and a bending stress dissipation groove 10 for dissipating bending stress when the panel is bent. The thickness of the rigid region 11 ranges from 0.1 mm to 0.55 mm, but is not limited thereto.

[0058] In a preferred embodiment, the bending stress dissipation groove 10 is a through groove that penetrates the ultrathin glass substrate 1, and a local polymer strip substrate 2 is exposed from the bending stress dissipation groove 10, but this is not a limitation.

[0059] In a preferred embodiment, the bending stress dissipation groove 10 is formed by etching an ultra-thin glass substrate 1 to create a grid structure or mesh structure connecting the two sides of the stress dissipation groove. The extension direction of the grid structure is parallel to the preset bending direction. The thickness of the ultra-thin glass substrate 1 in the bending stress dissipation groove 10 is less than the thickness of the rigid region 11, but is not limited thereto.

[0060] In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the ultrathin glass substrate 1 within the range of the bending stress dissipation groove 10 is from 10 micrometers to 90 micrometers, but is not limited thereto.

[0061] In a preferred embodiment, one side of the polymer strip substrate can serve as the substrate for the OLED device layer, while the other side can block the etching of the ultra-thin glass substrate, preventing accidental etching of the OLED device layer and enhancing the tolerance of etching control. The polymer strip substrate can be composed of polyimide, parylene-C, parylene-D, parylene-N, etc., and its thickness ranges from 5 to 100 μm. The manufacturing process of the polymer strip substrate involves applying a polymer material as a base layer onto existing glass, using processes such as coating, multiplication, or hot pressing. Compared to existing technologies, this eliminates the need for release molding, reduces the number of bonding operations, and minimizes material usage and waste. Existing technologies use lasers for release molding, rendering the glass substrate unusable, and then the OLED is bonded to the support material using adhesive.

[0062] This invention utilizes a polymer strip substrate 2, where one side serves as the substrate for the OLED device layer, while the other side blocks the etching of the ultra-thin glass substrate, preventing accidental etching of the OLED device layer and enhancing the tolerance of etching control. Furthermore, the structure of placing the polymer strip substrate 2 and the functional electrode 5 in the same layer reduces the amount of polymer strip substrate 2 used, lowering costs, and utilizes the gaps between the polymer strip substrates 2 to place the functional electrode 5, reducing the thickness of one electrode layer, which is equivalent to reducing the overall thickness of the panel.

[0063] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a manufacturing method for an embodiment of an OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass according to the present invention. Figures 3 to 8 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the manufacturing process of a method for manufacturing an OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass, according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 2 to 8 As shown, the manufacturing method of the OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass of the present invention includes the following steps:

[0064] S110, Provide an ultra-thin glass substrate 1 (see...) Figure 3 The original thickness of the ultrathin glass substrate 1 ranges from 0.33 mm to 0.55 mm.

[0065] S120. A substrate electrode layer is formed on the first side of the ultrathin glass substrate 1. The substrate electrode layer includes polymer strip substrates 2 and functional electrodes 5 disposed on the same layer. The functional electrodes 5 are arranged in the gaps between the polymer strip substrates 2. First, a polymer substrate layer is formed on the first side of the ultrathin glass substrate 1. Then, the polymer substrate layer is patterned to form a plurality of spaced polymer strip substrates 2 (see...). Figure 4 Finally, functional electrodes 5 are arranged between the polymer strip substrates 2. The functional electrodes 5 are one or a combination of power supply electrodes, fingerprint recognition electrodes, touch recognition electrodes, and driving electrodes (see [reference]). Figure 5 ).

[0066] S130, An OLED device layer 3 is formed on the side of the polymer strip substrate 2 facing away from the ultrathin glass substrate 1 (see...). Figure 6 ).

[0067] S140. Local thinning is performed on the second side of the ultrathin glass substrate 1, and several bending stress dissipation grooves 10 are formed in the thinned area. The bending stress dissipation grooves 10 are through grooves that penetrate the ultrathin glass substrate 1, and the local polymer strip substrate 2 is exposed from the bending stress dissipation grooves 10. (See) Figure 7 )

[0068] S150, An encapsulation cover layer is formed on the side of the OLED device layer facing away from the polymer strip substrate (see...). Figure 8 ).

[0069] The main steps of this invention include: providing glass substrate raw materials, polymer folding and molding, OLED display process, and glass substrate etching process. Furthermore, the glass substrate etching process can be divided into two cases:

[0070] (1) The thickness of the glass substrate remains unchanged; only the glass in the bending area is etched.

[0071] (2) After the glass substrate thickness is reduced, the glass in the bending area is etched.

[0072] Traditional foldable OLED This invention Cost (materials, equipment, yield) high Low Large-area stripping Disaster No stripping process required Subsequent bonding process required High-precision bonding machine required No bonding process

[0073] This invention utilizes a polymer strip substrate at the bending region as an etching stop layer during glass etching in the bending region, resulting in a consistent bending effect. The glass thickness at the bending region is thinner than that in other non-bendable areas (10-100 μm). Furthermore, the thinner glass at the bending region is patterned.

[0074] Based on the above technical features, compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following technical effects:

[0075] (1) It can be degenerated without the need for degeneration.

[0076] (2) Reduce the number of bonding times, reduce material usage and waste.

[0077] (3) It reduced the overall production cost.

[0078] (4) Improved the process yield of OLED.

[0079] (5) The overall thickness of the panel has been reduced.

[0080] In summary, the purpose of this invention is to provide an OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass and a manufacturing method thereof, which eliminates the need for release molding, reduces the number of bonding cycles, reduces material usage and waste, enhances panel functionality, and reduces the overall thickness of the panel, thereby reducing overall production costs and improving the OLED process yield.

[0081] The above description, in conjunction with specific preferred embodiments, provides a further detailed explanation of the present invention. It should not be construed that the specific implementation of the present invention is limited to these descriptions. For those skilled in the art, various simple deductions or substitutions can be made without departing from the concept of the present invention, and all such modifications and substitutions should be considered within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. An ultra-thin glass-based OLED panel, characterized in that, include: An ultrathin glass substrate has several bending stress dissipation grooves, the extension direction of which is perpendicular to a preset bending direction. A substrate electrode layer is formed on one side of the ultrathin glass substrate. The substrate electrode layer is composed of a plurality of polymer strip substrates arranged at intervals and functional electrodes arranged in the same layer in the gaps between the polymer strip substrates. The polymer strip substrates at least cover and span the bending stress dissipation grooves, and the functional electrodes are arranged in the gaps between the polymer strip substrates. as well as An OLED device layer is formed on the side of the polymer strip substrate facing away from the ultrathin glass substrate. The ultrathin glass substrate includes a rigid region supporting the polymer strip substrate and a bending stress dissipation groove to dissipate bending stress when the panel is bent. The thickness of the rigid region ranges from 0.1 mm to 0.55 mm. The bending stress dissipation groove is a through groove, so that a portion of the polymer strip substrate is exposed from the bending stress dissipation groove. The polymer strip substrate acts as an etching barrier layer for the OLED device layer in the bending stress dissipation groove. 2.The ultra-thin glass-based OLED panel of claim 1, wherein, The functional electrode is one or a combination of a power supply electrode, a fingerprint recognition electrode, a touch recognition electrode, and a driving electrode. 3.The ultra-thin glass based OLED panel of claim 1, wherein, The bending stress dissipation groove is included in the first projection area of ​​the OLED device layer by the polymer strip substrate in the second projection area of ​​the OLED device layer. 4.The ultra-thin glass based OLED panel of claim 1, wherein, It also includes an encapsulation cover layer formed on the side of the OLED device layer opposite to the polymer strip substrate.

5. A method for manufacturing an OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: An ultrathin glass substrate is provided, having a plurality of bending stress dissipation grooves, wherein the extension direction of the bending stress dissipation grooves is perpendicular to a preset bending direction. A substrate electrode layer is formed on a first side of the ultrathin glass substrate. The substrate electrode layer is composed of a plurality of polymer strip substrates arranged at intervals and functional electrodes disposed in the gaps between the polymer strip substrates. The polymer strip substrates at least cover and span the bending stress dissipation grooves. The functional electrodes are disposed in the gaps between the polymer strip substrates. An OLED device layer is formed on the side of the polymer strip substrates opposite to the ultrathin glass substrate. The ultrathin glass substrate is partially thinned on the second side, and the thinned area forms several bending stress dissipation grooves. The ultrathin glass substrate includes a rigid region supporting the polymer strip substrate and bending stress dissipation grooves to dissipate bending stress when the panel is bent. The thickness of the rigid region ranges from 0.1 mm to 0.55 mm. The bending stress dissipation grooves are through grooves, so that a portion of the polymer strip substrate is exposed from the bending stress dissipation grooves, and the polymer strip substrate acts as an etching barrier layer for the OLED device layer in the bending stress dissipation grooves.

6. The method for manufacturing an OLED panel based on ultra-thin glass according to claim 5, characterized in that, The functional electrode is one or a combination of a power supply electrode, a fingerprint recognition electrode, a touch recognition electrode, and a driving electrode.

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