Display panel, manufacturing method thereof and display device

Abstract

The application discloses a display panel and a manufacturing method therefor, and a display device. The display panel comprises a substrate, a plurality of control electrodes arranged in an array on one side of the substrate, a plurality of color film units corresponding to the control electrodes, and a plurality of microlenses. The color film units are arranged between the corresponding control electrodes and microlenses. The control electrodes and the corresponding microlenses are orthographically projected on the substrate and are located in the corresponding color film units. The orthographic projection of the control electrode is located in the orthographic projection of the corresponding microlens, and the orthographic projections of two adjacent microlenses do not overlap.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a display panel, its manufacturing method, and a display device. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, in order to improve display brightness, a lens process is usually added to the display device to achieve the purpose of focusing light and increasing brightness.

[0003] In existing technologies, the lenses on display devices are typically circular. However, with users' pursuit of high pixel density (Pixels Per Inch, PPI) display products, high PPI display products are widely used. The pixels of high PPI products are usually designed as elongated hexagons. If circular lenses are still used, it will be difficult to match the lens with the pixel, which will lead to color mixing between adjacent pixels and lower optical gain.

[0004] Therefore, how to improve optical gain while preventing color bleeding has become a pressing technical problem. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a display panel and its manufacturing method, as well as a display device, to solve the problem in the prior art of improving optical gain while preventing color bleeding.

[0006] In a first aspect, to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, embodiments of the present invention provide a display panel, comprising:

[0007] The substrate, a plurality of control electrodes arranged in an array on one side of the substrate, a plurality of color filter units corresponding to the plurality of control electrodes, and a plurality of microlenses, wherein the color filter units are disposed between the corresponding control electrodes and the microlenses;

[0008] The orthographic projections of the control electrode and the corresponding microlens on the substrate are both located within the corresponding color filter unit, and the orthographic projection of the control electrode is located within the orthographic projection of the corresponding microlens, and the orthographic projections of two adjacent microlenses do not overlap.

[0009] In one possible implementation, the control electrode is in the shape of an elongated hexagon.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the orthogonal projection of the microlens forms a rim structure around the elongated hexagon.

[0011] One possible implementation is that the shape of the orthographic projection of the microlens includes:

[0012] An oval or a long hexagon with rounded edges.

[0013] In one possible implementation, the edging width of the edging structure ranges from 0.1 to 0.3 μm.

[0014] In one possible implementation, the spacing between two adjacent microlenses ranges from 0.5 to 0.7 μm in the direction of extension of the major or minor axis of the elongated hexagon.

[0015] In one possible implementation, the ratio of the major axis to the minor axis of the microlens is in the range of 1.7:1 to 1.8:1.

[0016] In one possible implementation, the height of the microlens ranges from 1.6 to 2 μm.

[0017] Secondly, embodiments of the present invention provide a method for manufacturing a display panel, comprising:

[0018] Provide a substrate;

[0019] Multiple control electrodes are formed in an array on one side of the substrate.

[0020] Multiple color filter units are formed on the side of the multiple control electrodes away from the substrate. Each of the multiple color filter units corresponds to one of the multiple control electrodes. The orthographic projection of the color filter unit on the substrate covers the orthographic projection of the corresponding control electrode on the substrate.

[0021] Multiple hexagonal prisms are formed on the side of the plurality of color filter units away from the substrate, and the plurality of hexagonal prisms correspond one-to-one with the plurality of control electrodes; wherein, the orthographic projections of the control electrodes and the corresponding hexagonal prisms in the corresponding color filter units are all located within the corresponding color filter units, and the orthographic projections of the control electrodes are located within the orthographic projections of the corresponding hexagonal prisms, and the orthographic projections of two adjacent hexagonal prisms do not overlap.

[0022] The plurality of hexagonal prisms are heat-treated to allow them to flow in a semi-solid state, forming a plurality of corresponding microlenses.

[0023] One possible implementation involves forming a plurality of hexagonal prisms on the side of the plurality of color filter units away from the substrate, including:

[0024] A lens adhesive layer is formed on the light-emitting side of each pixel area;

[0025] The lens adhesive layer is etched using a photolithography process to obtain the plurality of hexagonal prisms.

[0026] In one possible implementation, the height of the hexagonal prism ranges from 1.5 to 1.6 μm. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the edge-binding structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the orthographic projection of a microlens onto a corresponding color filter unit, provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the edge width of an edge-binding structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the edge width of another edge-binding structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the spacing between two adjacent microlenses provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 7 A cross-sectional view of the display panel in the extension direction of the short axis of the microlens provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 8 A cross-sectional view of the display panel along the extension direction of the long axis of the microlens, provided for an embodiment of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 9 This is a physical image of the microlens array provided in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 10 A flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0037] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a hexagonal prism provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0038] This invention provides a display panel, a method for manufacturing the same, and a display device, to solve the problem in the prior art of preventing color bleeding while improving optical gain.

[0039] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. However, the 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 to make the present invention more comprehensive and complete, and to fully convey the concept of the exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals in the figures denote the same or similar structures, and therefore repeated descriptions of them will be omitted. Terms describing position and direction in the present invention are illustrative based on the accompanying drawings, but changes can be made as needed, and all such changes are included within the scope of protection of the present invention. The accompanying drawings of the present invention are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent actual proportions.

[0040] It should be noted that specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a full understanding of the invention. However, the invention can be practiced in many ways other than those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar extensions without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below. The following description is a preferred embodiment for carrying out the present application; however, the description is for the purpose of illustrating the general principles of the application and is not intended to limit the scope of the application. The scope of protection of this application shall be determined by the appended claims.

[0041] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, details a display panel, its manufacturing method, and a display device provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Please see Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The display panel includes:

[0043] The substrate (not shown in the figure), multiple control electrodes 1 arranged in an array on one side of the substrate, multiple color filter units 2 and multiple microlenses 3 corresponding to the multiple control electrodes 1, with the color filter units 2 disposed between the corresponding control electrodes 1 and the microlenses 3.

[0044] The orthographic projections of the control electrode 1 and the corresponding microlens 3 onto the substrate are both located within the corresponding color filter unit 2, and the orthographic projection of the control electrode 1 is located within the orthographic projection of the corresponding microlens 3, and the orthographic projections of two adjacent microlenses 3 do not overlap.

[0045] Different color filter units 2 can allow different colors of light to pass through. For example, red color filter unit 2 allows red light to pass through, blue color filter unit 2 allows blue light to pass through, and green color filter unit 2 allows green light to pass through. Correspondingly, red color filter unit 2 corresponds to red sub-pixels, blue color filter unit 2 corresponds to blue sub-pixels, and green color filter unit 2 corresponds to green sub-pixels. The control electrode 1 is used to control whether the light-emitting devices (not shown in the figure) corresponding to different sub-pixels emit light. The structure of the light-emitting devices includes various types, which can be selected and set according to actual needs. For example, the light-emitting devices can be OLEDs, quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QLEDs), or micro light-emitting diodes (Micro LEDs), etc.

[0046] Figure 1 This is a top view of the control electrode 1, color filter unit 2, and microlens 3 in the display panel. Figure 1 The control electrode 1 in the display panel is a long hexagon. By setting the control electrode 1 to a long hexagon, more control electrodes 1 can be accommodated in a unit area, thereby increasing the number of pixels in a unit area and giving the display panel with the control electrode 1 in the long hexagon a higher resolution. The control electrode 1 can be an anode or a cathode, but usually it is an anode in most cases.

[0047] when Figure 1 When the display panel is an OLED display panel, if the control electrode 1 is located on the light-emitting side of the light-emitting layer of the corresponding character pixel, the control electrode 1 can be a transparent electrode, and the microlens 3 corresponding to the control electrode 1 is located close to the control electrode 1. If the control electrode 1 is located on the light-emitting side away from the light-emitting layer of the corresponding character pixel, the control electrode 1 can be a transparent electrode, a non-transparent electrode, or a semi-transparent electrode; there are no specific limitations. By setting the microlens 3 on the light-emitting side of the color filter unit 2 of the display panel, the effect of focusing light and improving brightness can be achieved.

[0048] In the embodiments provided by the present invention, by having the orthographic projection of the microlens 3 on the substrate cover the orthographic projection of the corresponding control electrode 1 on the substrate, the microlens 3 can completely cover the effective light-emitting area of ​​the corresponding sub-pixel, so that the light emitted from the corresponding color filter unit 2 is enhanced by the microlens 3. The orthographic projections of two adjacent microlenses 3 on the film layer where the color filter unit 2 is located do not overlap, and the microlens 3 is located in the corresponding color filter unit 2. This can prevent cross-coloring of light from two adjacent sub-pixels emitting different light at the edge position through the microlens 3, thereby improving optical gain while preventing cross-coloring.

[0049] Please see Figure 2This is a schematic diagram of the edge-sealing structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention. The orthographic projection of the microlens 3 onto the substrate forms an edge-sealing structure for the elongated hexagon (i.e., for the orthographic projection of the control electrode 1 onto the substrate), as shown below. Figure 2 As shown in the medium gray area.

[0050] Please continue reading Figure 2 The shape of the orthographic projection of the microlens 3 onto the substrate is elliptical.

[0051] In other embodiments, the shape of the microlens 3 projected onto the substrate is a long hexagon with rounded corners, such as... Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the orthographic projection of a microlens onto a corresponding color filter unit, provided as an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] When the shape of the control electrode 1 is an elongated hexagon, setting the shape of the orthogonal projection of the microlens 3 onto the substrate to an ellipse or a rounded elongated hexagon can make the microlens 3 better match the shape of the control electrode 1, thereby increasing the light output of the display panel and thus improving the optical gain.

[0053] Please see Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the edge width of an edge-binding structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. The edge width w of the edge-binding structure ranges from 0.1 to 0.3 μm.

[0054] Figure 4 Taking the shape of the orthographic projection of the microlens 3 onto the substrate as a long hexagon with rounded corners as an example, the distance between one side of the microlens 3 and the adjacent parallel side of the corresponding control electrode 1 is the edge width of the microlens 3 on the control electrode 1. The edge width w can be, for example, 0.2 μm.

[0055] Please refer to Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the edge width of another edge-binding structure provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] Figure 5 The shape of the orthographic projection of the microlens 3 onto the substrate is elliptical, and the distance between the parallel tangents of the corresponding sides of the control electrode 1 and the microlens 3 is the rim width w.

[0057] In the embodiments provided by the present invention, by setting the border width of the edge structure formed by the microlens 3 relative to the control electrode to a range of 0.1 to 0.3 μm, the microlens 3 can completely cover the control electrode, thereby increasing the light output of the display panel and making it easier to implement in the process.

[0058] Please see Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the spacing between two adjacent microlenses provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0059] In the direction of extension of the major or minor axis of the elongated hexagon, the spacing between two adjacent microlenses 3 ranges from 0.5 to 0.7 μm.

[0060] like Figure 6 As shown, the control electrode 1 is a long hexagon, and the microlens 3 is an ellipse projected onto the corresponding color filter unit. The major axis of the control electrode 1 extends in the same Y direction as the major axis of the microlens 3, and the minor axis of the control electrode 1 extends in the same X direction as the minor axis of the microlens 3. The distance between two adjacent microlenses 3 in the X direction of the minor axis is d1, and the distance between two adjacent microlenses 3 in the Y direction of the major axis is d2. The values ​​of d1 and d2 can be the same or different. The values ​​of d1 and d2 are both 0.5 to 0.7 μm. For example, they can both be set to 0.6 μm, or one can be set to 0.5 μm and the other to 0.6 μm.

[0061] Please see Figure 7 and Figure 8 , Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of the display panel along the extension direction of the short axis of the microlens, provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the display panel along the extension direction of the long axis of the microlens, provided for an embodiment of the present invention.

[0062] Figure 7 and Figure 8 These are all cross-sectional views of an OLED display panel. The OLED display panel includes a color filter layer (CF), and a planarization layer (PLN), an organic encapsulation layer (OC), and a microlens array, which are sequentially stacked on the color filter layer (CF). The color filter layer (CF) includes multiple color filter units (2). Figure 7 and Figure 8 Due to the characteristics of the color filter layer CF, the top surface of the color filter unit 2 is usually uneven. Therefore, a planarization layer PLN needs to be set on the color filter layer CF, an organic encapsulation layer OC is set on the planarization layer PLN, and finally a microlens 3 corresponding to each color filter unit 2 is set on the organic encapsulation layer OC. Figure 7 for Figure 6 The cross-sectional view of AA' shows three microlenses 3 that correspond to three different color filter units 2 in the display panel: red color filter unit 2R, green color filter unit 2G, and blue color filter unit 2B. This is to clearly illustrate the different color filter units 2 corresponding to each color. Figure 8 for Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of BB' along the Y-axis.

[0063] In the embodiments provided by the present invention, by setting the distance between two adjacent microlenses 3 to 0.5um to 0.7um in the long axis extension direction or the short axis extension direction of the long hexagon, sufficient spacing can be maintained between the two adjacent microlenses 3 to prevent them from sticking together and causing color bleeding when the distance is too close.

[0064] In some embodiments, the ratio of the major axis to the minor axis of the microlens ranges from 1.7:1 to 1.8:1.

[0065] Please continue reading Figure 7 and Figure 8 The height of the microlens 3 is h, and the value of h ranges from 1.6 to 2 μm. For example, the height of the microlens 3 can be set to 1.8 μm, the major axis of the microlens 3 can be set to 4.2 μm, and the minor axis of the microlens 3 can be set to 2.4 μm.

[0066] In the embodiments provided by the present invention, by setting the ratio of the major axis to the minor axis of the microlens 3 to be 1.7:1 to 1.8:1 and setting the height h of the microlens 3 to be 1.6 to 2 μm, the microlens 3 can have a higher optical gain, thereby improving the brightness of the display panel. Since the brightness of the display panel is improved by using the microlens 3, there is no need to add extra current, so that the brightness of the display panel can be improved without increasing power consumption.

[0067] In some embodiments, the microlens 3 can be made of lens adhesive.

[0068] By using lens adhesive to fabricate microlenses 3, compared to fabricating microlenses 3 using liquid materials, the process difficulty can be reduced, and the upper and lower film layers of the lens adhesive are also required to be hydrophobic, thereby improving production efficiency and reducing production costs.

[0069] Please see Figure 9 This is a physical image of the microlens array provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 9 The orthographic projection of the microlens 3 onto the substrate is elliptical, and correspondingly... Figure 9 The three-dimensional shape of the microlens 3 is semi-ellipsoidal. If... Figure 9 The orthographic projection of the microlens 3 onto the corresponding color filter layer is a long hexagon with rounded corners, so the three-dimensional shape of the microlens 3 is a long hexagon with rounded corners.

[0070] Based on the same inventive concept, this invention provides a method for manufacturing a display panel as described above. For details recurring, please refer to the description of the display panel; further elaboration will not be repeated here. Figure 10 The production method includes:

[0071] Step S1: Provide a substrate;

[0072] Step S2: Form multiple control electrodes arranged in an array on one side of the substrate;

[0073] Step S3: Multiple color filter units are formed on the side of the multiple control electrodes away from the substrate. The multiple color filter units correspond one-to-one with the multiple control electrodes. The orthographic projection of the color filter unit on the substrate covers the orthographic projection of the corresponding control electrode on the substrate.

[0074] Step S4: Form multiple hexagonal prisms (e.g., on the side of the multiple color filter units away from the substrate) Figure 11 As shown, this is a schematic diagram of the structure of a hexagonal prism provided in an embodiment of the present invention; wherein, the orthographic projections of the control electrode and the corresponding hexagonal prism in the corresponding color filter unit are both located within the corresponding color filter unit, and the orthographic projection of the control electrode is located within the orthographic projection of the corresponding hexagonal prism, and the orthographic projections of two adjacent hexagonal prisms do not overlap.

[0075] The aforementioned hexagonal prism can be a long hexagonal prism, and setting the hexagonal prism as a long hexagonal prism can form a high-resolution display panel.

[0076] Please continue reading Figure 11 The height h' of the hexagonal prism ranges from 1.5 to 1.6 μm. By setting the height h' of the hexagonal prism to 1.5 μm to 1.6 μm, during the heating process of the hexagonal prism, the material around the semi-solid hexagonal prism will be compressed towards the center under stress, causing the height of the middle part to increase, thereby forming a microlens with a height range of 1.6 to 2 μm.

[0077] In some embodiments, a plurality of hexagonal prisms are formed on the side of the plurality of color filter units away from the substrate, which can be achieved in the following ways:

[0078] A lens adhesive layer is formed on the light-emitting side of each pixel area; the lens adhesive layer is etched using a photolithography process to obtain multiple hexagonal prisms.

[0079] As Figure 7 Taking the display panel shown as an example, after the color filter layer CF, the planarization layer PLN, and the organic encapsulation layer OC are formed in sequence, a lens adhesive layer is formed on the side of the organic encapsulation layer OC away from the color filter layer CF. Then, the lens adhesive layer is patterned, such as by etching the lens adhesive layer using a photolithography process to form multiple hexagonal prisms.

[0080] After obtaining the hexagonal prisms corresponding to each control electrode, step S4 can be executed.

[0081] Step S5: Heat-treat multiple hexagonal prisms to make them flow in a semi-solid state, forming multiple corresponding microlenses.

[0082] Taking the example in step S3, multiple hexagonal prisms can be heat-treated. The longer the heat treatment time, the closer the resulting lens is to a semi-ellipsoid. The shorter the heat treatment time, the more distinct the edges and corners of the resulting hexagonal prism microlens are.

[0083] Based on the same inventive concept, embodiments of the present invention also provide a display device, including the display panel as described above.

[0084] The display device can be a QLED display, QLED screen, QLED TV, or an OLED display, OLED screen, OLED TV, or a Micro LED display, Micro LED screen, Micro LED TV, or a mobile device such as a mobile phone, tablet, or laptop.

[0085] Although preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including both the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications falling within the scope of the invention.

[0086] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this invention without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, if these modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this invention and their equivalents, this invention also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A display panel, characterized in that, include: The substrate, a plurality of control electrodes arranged in an array on one side of the substrate, a plurality of color filter units corresponding to the plurality of control electrodes, and a plurality of microlenses, wherein the color filter units are disposed between the corresponding control electrodes and the microlenses; The orthographic projections of the control electrode and the corresponding microlens onto the substrate are both located within the corresponding color filter unit, and the orthographic projection of the control electrode is located within the orthographic projection of the corresponding microlens, and the orthographic projections of two adjacent microlenses do not overlap.

2. The display panel as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The control electrode is hexagonal in shape.

3. The display panel as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The orthographic projection of the microlens forms a rim structure on the elongated hexagon.

4. The display panel as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The shape of the orthographic projection of the microlens includes: An oval or a long hexagon with rounded corners.

5. The display panel as described in claim 3, characterized in that, The edging width of the edging structure ranges from 0.1µm to 0.3µm.

6. The display panel as described in any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that, In the direction of extension of the major or minor axis of the long hexagon, the spacing between two adjacent microlenses ranges from 0.5 μm to 0.7 μm.

7. The display panel as described in claim 6, characterized in that, The ratio of the major axis to the minor axis of the microlens is in the range of 1.7:1 to 1.8:

1.

8. The display panel as described in any one of claims 2-5, characterized in that, The height of the microlens ranges from 1.6 μm to 2 μm.

9. A method for manufacturing a display panel, characterized in that, include: Provide a substrate; Multiple control electrodes are formed in an array on one side of the substrate. Multiple color filter units are formed on the side of the multiple control electrodes away from the substrate. Each of the multiple color filter units corresponds to one of the multiple control electrodes. The orthographic projection of the color filter unit on the substrate covers the orthographic projection of the corresponding control electrode on the substrate. Multiple hexagonal prisms are formed on the side of the plurality of color filter units away from the substrate, and the plurality of hexagonal prisms correspond one-to-one with the plurality of control electrodes; wherein, the orthographic projections of the control electrodes and the corresponding hexagonal prisms in the corresponding color filter units are all located within the corresponding color filter units, and the orthographic projections of the control electrodes are located within the orthographic projections of the corresponding hexagonal prisms, and the orthographic projections of two adjacent hexagonal prisms do not overlap. The plurality of hexagonal prisms are heat-treated to allow them to flow in a semi-solid state, forming a plurality of corresponding microlenses.

10. The manufacturing method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, A plurality of hexagonal prisms are formed on the side of the control electrode away from the substrate, including: A lens adhesive layer is formed on the side of each color filter unit away from the substrate. The lens adhesive layer is etched using a photolithography process to obtain the plurality of hexagonal prisms.

11. The manufacturing method as described in claim 9 or 10, characterized in that, The height of the hexagonal prism ranges from 1.5µm to 1.6µm.

12. A display device, characterized in that, Includes the display panel as described in any one of claims 1-8.

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