Display panel and display panel manufacturing method

Abstract

The present application discloses a display panel and a method for manufacturing the display panel. The display panel includes: an array substrate; a pixel definition layer disposed on one side of the array substrate; the pixel definition layer including a first opening and a second opening; a light-emitting unit disposed on a side of the pixel definition layer facing away from the array substrate, with the light-emitting unit at least partially located within the first opening; a partition portion disposed within the second opening, with the partition portion disposed around the light-emitting unit; and a first inorganic layer disposed at least on one side of the light-emitting unit array substrate, on a side of the partition portion facing away from the array substrate, and on the side of the partition portion. The partition portion and the first inorganic layer cooperate to effectively block external water and oxygen from entering the light-emitting unit, thereby achieving individual packaging of a single light-emitting unit. This allows for subsequent patterning of the entire cathode layer using a photolithography process, thereby avoiding the problem of water and oxygen corrosion causing light-emitting unit failure and improving the service life of the display panel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application belongs to the technical field of electronic products, and in particular relates to a display panel and a method for manufacturing the display panel. Background Art

[0002] OLEDs (Organic Light-Emitting Diodes) offer the advantages of autonomous illumination, flexible screens, high luminous efficiency, and fast response times. OLED display panels are characterized by their thinness, wide viewing angles, low power consumption, fast response times, and the ability to create flexible displays. Because they are active light-emitting devices, they are considered to have significant advantages in displaying high-definition and high-speed video, and have been developing towards practical application in recent years.

[0003] However, the light-emitting units (LEDs) in OLED display panels are very sensitive to external environmental factors such as moisture and oxygen. Exposing OLED display panels to these conditions can lead to a sharp decline in device performance or even complete damage. However, due to the structural limitations of existing display panels, existing packaging structures cannot meet these requirements, and the light-emitting units are at risk of corrosion from moisture and oxygen.

[0004] Therefore, a new display panel and a method for manufacturing the display panel are urgently needed. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a display panel and a method for preparing a display panel. The partition portion and the first inorganic layer cooperate to effectively block external water and oxygen from entering the light-emitting unit, thereby realizing the separate packaging of a single light-emitting unit, so that the entire cathode layer can be patterned using a photolithography process, thereby avoiding the problem of water and oxygen erosion causing the light-emitting unit to fail, and improving the service life of the display panel.

[0006] On the one hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a display panel, comprising: an array substrate; a pixel definition layer, arranged on one side of the array substrate; the pixel definition layer comprising a first opening and a second opening; a light-emitting unit, arranged on a side of the pixel definition layer facing away from the array substrate, and the light-emitting unit is at least partially located within the first opening; a partition portion, arranged within the second opening, and the partition portion is arranged around the light-emitting unit; and a first inorganic layer, arranged at least on a side of the light-emitting unit facing away from the array substrate, a side of the partition portion facing away from the array substrate, and a side surface of the partition portion.

[0007] According to one aspect of the present application, a second inorganic layer is further included, wherein the second inorganic layer is disposed between the array substrate and the pixel definition layer, and the second inorganic layer is in contact with the partition portion.

[0008] According to one aspect of the present application, along the thickness direction of the display panel, the light-emitting unit includes a first electrode layer, a light-emitting layer and a second electrode layer that are stacked, and the partition portion includes a first electrode material layer, a light-emitting material layer and a second electrode material layer that are stacked; the first electrode material layer and the first electrode layer are arranged on the same layer, the light-emitting material layer and the light-emitting layer are arranged on the same layer, and the second electrode material layer and the second electrode layer are arranged on the same layer; preferably, the first electrode material layer and the first electrode layer are both arranged on the side of the second inorganic layer away from the array substrate.

[0009] According to one aspect of the present application, the partition portion includes a composite metal layer, and the cross-section of the composite metal layer along the thickness direction of the display panel is an inverted trapezoidal shape; preferably, the material of the composite metal layer includes at least one of indium tin oxide-silver-indium tin oxide, titanium-aluminum-titanium, molybdenum-aluminum-titanium, molybdenum-aluminum-molybdenum, indium tin oxide-aluminum-indium tin oxide, and titanium-aluminum-indium tin oxide.

[0010] According to one aspect of the present application, it further includes an encapsulation layer, which covers the side of the first inorganic layer facing away from the array substrate; in the second opening, part of the encapsulation layer and the second inorganic layer are connected.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present application, the encapsulation layer includes a first inorganic encapsulation layer, an organic encapsulation layer, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer that are stacked. In the second opening, a portion of the first inorganic encapsulation layer and the second inorganic layer are in contact.

[0012] According to one aspect of the present application, a center line of an orthographic projection of the partition portion on the array substrate coincides with a center line of an orthographic projection of the second opening on the array substrate.

[0013] According to one aspect of the present application, along a thickness direction parallel to the display panel, a minimum distance from the partition portion to an outer edge of the second opening is greater than or equal to 3 μm.

[0014] On the other hand, the present invention also provides a method for preparing a display panel, comprising: providing an array substrate; forming a pixel definition layer on one side of the array substrate, the pixel definition layer comprising a first opening and a second opening; forming a light-emitting unit on a side of the pixel definition layer facing away from the array substrate, the light-emitting unit being at least partially located within the first opening; forming a partition portion within the second opening, and the partition portion being arranged around the light-emitting unit; and forming a first inorganic layer at least on a side of the light-emitting unit facing away from the array substrate, a side of the partition portion facing away from the array substrate, and a side surface of the partition portion.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present application, after the step of forming the first inorganic layer on the side of the light-emitting unit facing away from the array substrate, the side of the partition portion facing away from the array substrate, and the side of the partition portion, it also includes: forming a photoresist layer on the first inorganic layer covering the light-emitting unit and the side of the partition portion facing away from the array substrate; etching the light-emitting material layer, the second electrode material layer, and the first inorganic layer not covered by the photoresist layer.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the display panel provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes an array substrate, a pixel definition layer, a light-emitting unit, a partition portion and a first inorganic layer. Since the partition portion is arranged around the light-emitting unit and the first inorganic layer covers one side of the light-emitting unit array substrate, the side of the partition portion away from the array substrate and the side of the partition portion, the partition portion and the first inorganic layer cooperate to effectively block external water and oxygen from entering the light-emitting unit. Specifically, the partition portion can block external water vapor from entering the light-emitting unit from the outer side of the light-emitting unit, and the first inorganic layer can block external water vapor from entering the light-emitting unit from above the light-emitting unit, so as to realize the separate packaging of a single light-emitting unit and prevent external water vapor from entering the light-emitting unit during the preparation process or use of the display panel, so that the entire cathode layer can be patterned by the photolithography process in the future, avoiding the problem of water and oxygen erosion causing failure of the light-emitting unit, thereby improving the service life of the display panel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0018] Figure 1 This is a film layer structure diagram of a display panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 2 is a film layer structure diagram of a display panel provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 3 This is a diagram showing the relative positions of a partition portion and a light-emitting unit of a display panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 4 This is a flow chart of a method for manufacturing a display panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 5 This is a diagram of a film layer structure of a display panel during a method for manufacturing a display panel provided by one embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 6 This is a diagram of a film layer structure of a display panel during a method for manufacturing a display panel provided by one embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 7 This is a diagram of the film layer structure of a display panel during a method for manufacturing a display panel provided in one embodiment of the present application.

[0025] In the attached figure:

[0026] 1-array substrate; 2-pixel definition layer; 3-light-emitting unit; 31-first electrode layer; 32-light-emitting layer; 33-second electrode layer; 4-partitioning portion; 41-first electrode material layer; 42-light-emitting material layer; 43-second electrode material layer; 5-first inorganic layer; 6-second inorganic layer; 7-encapsulation layer; 71-first inorganic encapsulation layer; 72-organic encapsulation layer; 73-second inorganic encapsulation layer; 8-planarization layer; 9-photoresist layer; K1-first opening; K2-second opening; TFT-pixel circuit; S-source; D-drain; G-gate; J-active layer. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of the present application will be described in detail below. In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present application clearer, the present application will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only configured to explain the present application and are not configured to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art, the present application can be implemented without the need for some of these specific details. The following description of the embodiments is merely to provide a better understanding of the present application by illustrating the examples of the present application.

[0028] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as first and second, etc., are used only to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprises," "comprising," or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article, or device comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or elements inherent to such process, method, article, or device. In the absence of further limitations, the elements defined by the phrase "comprising..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article, or device comprising the elements.

[0029] It should be understood that when describing the structure of a component, when a layer or a region is referred to as being "on" or "over" another layer or region, it may mean that it is directly on the other layer or region, or that other layers or regions are included between it and the other layer or region. Furthermore, if the component is turned over, the layer or region will be "below" or "beneath" the other layer or region.

[0030] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in this application without departing from the spirit or scope of this application. Therefore, this application is intended to cover modifications and variations of this application that fall within the scope of the corresponding claims (technical solutions claimed for protection) and their equivalents. It should be noted that the embodiments provided in the examples of this application can be combined with each other without contradiction.

[0031] The present invention provides a display panel and a method for manufacturing the display panel. Figures 1 to 7 Various embodiments of a display panel and a method for manufacturing the display panel are described.

[0032] In related technologies, the use of transparent display screens in vehicle-mounted windshields is one of the future trends in the automotive market. When display panels are applied to vehicle-mounted windshields, in order to improve the transmittance of the display panel, patterning the cathode layer is one way to achieve cathode patterning. FMM (Fine Metal Mask) can be used for molding, but the cost is high and the economic benefits are small. Another cathode patterning solution is to use a photolithography process. However, during the photolithography process, the cathode layer and other film layers of the light-emitting unit will be exposed to the air, and external water and oxygen will invade its film layer, causing the light-emitting unit to fail.

[0033] In order to solve the above problems, the embodiment of the present invention can effectively block external water and oxygen from entering the light-emitting unit through the cooperation of the partition part and the first inorganic layer, so that the entire cathode layer can be patterned using a photolithography process to avoid the problem of water and oxygen erosion causing failure of the light-emitting unit.

[0034] See also Figure 1 A display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: an array substrate 1; a pixel definition layer 2, arranged on one side of the array substrate 1; the pixel definition layer 2 includes a first opening K1 and a second opening K2; a light-emitting unit 3, arranged on a side of the pixel definition layer 2 facing away from the array substrate 1, and the light-emitting unit 3 is at least partially located in the first opening K1; a partition portion 4, arranged in the second opening K2, and the partition portion 4 is arranged around the light-emitting unit 3; a first inorganic layer 5, arranged at least on one side of the array substrate 1 of the light-emitting unit 3, a side of the partition portion 4 facing away from the array substrate 1, and a side surface of the partition portion 4.

[0035] The display panel provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes an array substrate 1, a pixel definition layer 2, a light-emitting unit 3, a partition portion 4 and a first inorganic layer 5. Since the partition portion 4 is arranged around the light-emitting unit 3, and the first inorganic layer 5 covers the side of the array substrate 1 of the light-emitting unit 3, the side of the partition portion 4 away from the array substrate 1 and the side of the partition portion 4, the partition portion 4 and the first inorganic layer 5 cooperate to effectively block external water and oxygen from entering the light-emitting unit 3. Specifically, the partition portion 4 can block external water vapor from entering the light-emitting unit 3 from the outer peripheral side of the light-emitting unit 3, and the first inorganic layer 5 can block external water vapor from entering the light-emitting unit 3 from above the light-emitting unit 3, so as to realize the separate packaging of a single light-emitting unit 3, prevent external water vapor from entering the light-emitting unit 3 during the preparation process or use of the display panel, so that the entire cathode layer can be patterned using a photolithography process in the future, avoiding the problem of water and oxygen erosion causing failure of the light-emitting unit 3, thereby improving the service life of the display panel.

[0036] In this embodiment, since the partition portion 4 is located in the second opening K2 and the partition portion 4 is arranged around the light-emitting unit 3, the second opening K2 also needs to surround the first opening K1, that is, the second opening K2 is arranged around the light-emitting unit 3. The purpose of setting the second opening K2 is to make the partition portion 4 sink in the second opening K2, that is, the depth of the second opening K2 needs to be greater than the depth of the first opening K1, so that the partition portion 4 can be arranged opposite to the side of the light-emitting unit 3, and the partition portion 4 can prevent external water and oxygen from invading the light-emitting unit 3 from the side of the light-emitting unit 3.

[0037] Optionally, the shape of the second opening K2 matches the shape of the first opening K1 . For example, when the first opening K1 is square, the second opening K2 is a square ring, so as to surround the first opening K1 .

[0038] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 In order to further improve the packaging effect of the display panel for the light-emitting unit 3, in some optional embodiments, the display panel also includes a second inorganic layer 6, which is arranged between the array substrate 1 and the pixel definition layer 2, and the second inorganic layer 6 is connected to the partition portion 4.

[0039] It can be understood that in this embodiment, after the second inorganic layer 6 and the partition portion 4 are connected, the first inorganic layer 5, the partition portion 4 and the second inorganic layer 6 can form a relatively closed environment to protect the light-emitting unit 3 located in this environment. Specifically, the first inorganic layer 5, the partition portion 4 and the second inorganic layer 6 can respectively achieve a water and oxygen blocking effect on the top, side and bottom surfaces of the light-emitting unit 3, thereby improving the packaging effect of the single light-emitting unit 3 and having a better water and oxygen blocking effect.

[0040] Optionally, the first inorganic layer 5 and the second inorganic layer 6 can both be made of inorganic materials with good water and oxygen barrier effects, such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, and aluminum oxide. The thickness of the first inorganic layer 5 and the second inorganic layer 6 can be specifically between 3,000 angstroms and 70,000 angstroms. The specific value can be selected according to actual needs and is not particularly limited. The first inorganic layer 5 and the second inorganic layer 6 can be specifically formed using processes such as ALD (Atomic Layer Deposition), CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition), and PECVD (Plasma Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition).

[0041] Optionally, a stacked pixel circuit layer and a planarization layer 8 are provided between the array substrate 1 and the pixel definition layer 2. The second inorganic layer 6 is provided on the side of the planarization layer 8 facing away from the array substrate 1. The pixel circuit layer includes a pixel circuit TFT, and the pixel circuit TFT and the light-emitting unit 3 are electrically connected through a via. The pixel circuit TFT includes a transistor, and the transistor can specifically be a thin film transistor. The thin film transistor includes an active layer J, a gate G, a source S, and a drain D. The material of the drain D, the source S, and the gate G can include a combination of one or more of molybdenum, titanium, aluminum, copper, etc. The gate G of the thin film transistor is generally used to receive a control signal to turn the thin film transistor on or off under the control of the control signal. Either the source S or the drain D of the thin film transistor is connected to the light-emitting unit 3 to control the normal light emission of the light-emitting unit 3.

[0042] In some optional embodiments, along the thickness direction of the display panel, the light-emitting unit 3 includes a first electrode layer 31, a light-emitting layer 32 and a second electrode layer 33 that are stacked, and the partition portion 4 includes a first electrode material layer 41, a light-emitting material layer 42 and a second electrode material layer 43 that are stacked; the first electrode material layer 41 and the first electrode layer 31 are arranged in the same layer, the light-emitting material layer 42 and the light-emitting layer 32 are arranged in the same layer, and the second electrode material layer 43 and the second electrode layer 33 are arranged in the same layer.

[0043] It should be noted that the first electrode material layer 41 and the first electrode layer 31 are provided on the same layer. Specifically, the first electrode material layer 41 and the first electrode layer 31 can be formed through the same process and made of the same material. That is, the first electrode material can be first formed on the second inorganic layer 6 and the planarization layer 8 by a process such as evaporation, and then the first electrode material is patterned by a process such as photolithography to form the first electrode material layer 41 and the first electrode layer 31, respectively. The first electrode material layer 41 serves only as a water and oxygen barrier and does not have a display function. Similarly, the luminescent material layer 42 and the luminescent layer 32 can also be formed through the same process and made of the same material. That is, the luminescent material can be formed by evaporation throughout the entire layer. Due to the step difference between the bottom of the first opening K1 and the first electrode material layer 41, some of the luminescent material will fall on the bottom of the first opening K1, while some will fall on the side of the first electrode material layer 41 facing away from the array substrate 1. This step difference between the two prevents water and oxygen from entering the light-emitting unit 3 through the luminescent material and causing corrosion.

[0044] The second electrode material layer 43 and the second electrode layer 33 can also be formed by the same process. The materials of the two are the same, and the second electrode material can be formed by vapor deposition as a whole layer. Since the first inorganic layer 5, the partition portion 4 and the second inorganic layer 6 can protect the surrounded light-emitting unit 3 from being attacked by water and oxygen in the photolithography process, the second electrode material outside the area surrounded by the first inorganic layer 5, the partition portion 4 and the second inorganic layer 6 can be subsequently etched by the photolithography process to realize patterning of the second electrode material, thereby improving the overall light transmittance of the display panel.

[0045] Optionally, in order to ensure the water and oxygen blocking effect of the second inorganic layer 6 , the first electrode material layer 41 and the first electrode layer 31 are both provided on the side of the second inorganic layer 6 facing away from the array substrate 1 .

[0046] Optionally, the material of the first electrode material layer 41 and the first electrode layer 31 can specifically be a material with a high work function to improve the hole injection efficiency, which can be gold (Au), platinum (Pt), titanium (Ti), silver (Ag), indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc tin oxide (IZO) or a transparent conductive polymer (such as polyaniline) or a composite metal layer of indium tin oxide-silver-indium tin oxide, titanium-aluminum-titanium, molybdenum-aluminum-titanium, molybdenum-aluminum-molybdenum, indium tin oxide-aluminum-indium tin oxide, titanium-aluminum-indium tin oxide, etc.

[0047] The second electrode material layer 43 and the second electrode layer 33 are generally made of a material with a low work function to facilitate electron injection. This also reduces heat generated during operation, thereby extending the service life of the OLED device. The material of the second electrode material layer 43 and the second electrode layer 33 can be a metal material such as silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), lithium (Li), magnesium (Mg), ytterbium (Yb), calcium (Ca), or indium (In). It can also be an alloy of the aforementioned metal materials, such as magnesium-silver alloy (Mg / Ag) or lithium-aluminum alloy (Li / Al), but this embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0048] In addition to the above-mentioned method of forming the partition portion 4 and the light-emitting unit 3 by the same process, the partition portion 4 and the light-emitting unit 3 may also be formed separately to ensure the water and oxygen barrier effect of the partition portion 4 .

[0049] Optionally, the partition portion 4 includes a composite metal layer, and along the thickness direction of the display panel, the cross section of the composite metal layer is in an inverted trapezoidal shape.

[0050] It should be noted that, since the entire layer of light-emitting material is formed by vapor deposition, the cross-section of the composite metal layer is in an inverted trapezoidal shape, so as to prevent the light-emitting material from climbing up the side of the partition portion 4 and avoid the overlap of the second electrode material layer 43 behind the light-emitting material partition and the side of the partition portion 4. In order to make the cross-section of the composite metal layer inverted trapezoidal, it can be achieved by controlling the etching rate of each film layer of the composite metal layer. For example, when the composite metal layer includes three film layers, the etching (dry etching or wet etching) rate of the middle layer can be made lower than that of the upper and lower layers, so that the cross-section of the composite metal layer is inverted trapezoidal.

[0051] Optionally, the material of the composite metal layer may vary depending on the formation process used. Specifically, the material used in the wet etching process may include indium tin oxide-silver-indium tin oxide, the material used in the dry etching process may include titanium-aluminum-titanium, molybdenum-aluminum-titanium, molybdenum-aluminum-molybdenum, and the material selected for the mixed wet and dry etching process may include indium tin oxide-aluminum-indium tin oxide, titanium-aluminum-indium tin oxide, etc.

[0052] In some optional embodiments, the display panel further includes an encapsulation layer 7 , which covers the side of the first inorganic layer 5 facing away from the array substrate 1 ; in the second opening K2 , a portion of the encapsulation layer 7 is in contact with the second inorganic layer 6 .

[0053] It can be understood that by setting the encapsulation layer 7, the overall encapsulation of the display panel can be achieved. In the second opening K2, part of the encapsulation layer 7 is connected to the second inorganic layer 6, that is, part of the light-emitting material layer 42 and the second electrode material layer 43 located in the second opening K2 can be etched away to expose the second inorganic layer 6, so as to facilitate the contact between the encapsulation layer 7 and the second inorganic layer 6. Since the water and oxygen barrier properties of the encapsulation layer 7 and the second inorganic layer 6 are good, the encapsulation effect of the encapsulation structure formed by the contact between the two is relatively better.

[0054] Optionally, the encapsulation layer 7 may be specifically thin film encapsulation. Specifically, the encapsulation layer 7 includes a first inorganic encapsulation layer 71, an organic encapsulation layer 72, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer 73 that are stacked. In the second opening K2, part of the first inorganic encapsulation layer 71 is connected to the second inorganic layer 6.

[0055] It can be understood that since the first inorganic encapsulation layer 71 and the second inorganic layer 6 are both made of inorganic materials, both have better water and oxygen barrier properties. Of course, considering that the first inorganic layer 5 is already provided, the encapsulation layer 7 can also only include a stacked organic encapsulation layer 72 and a second inorganic encapsulation layer 73, that is, the organic encapsulation layer 72 is provided on the side of the first inorganic layer 5 facing away from the array substrate 1.

[0056] Both the first and second inorganic encapsulation layers 71 and 73 can be made of inorganic materials with good water and oxygen barrier properties, such as silicon nitride, silicon oxide, silicon oxynitride, and aluminum oxide. The thickness of the first and second inorganic encapsulation layers 71 and 73 can range from 3,000 angstroms to 10,000 angstroms, with the specific thickness being selected based on actual needs and not particularly limited. The organic encapsulation layer 72 can be made of a resin material and formed using processes such as inkjet printing or coating. The thickness of the organic encapsulation layer 72 can be greater than 50,000 angstroms.

[0057] In some optional embodiments, a center line of an orthographic projection of the partition portion 4 on the array substrate 1 coincides with a center line of an orthographic projection of the second opening K2 on the array substrate 1 .

[0058] It can be understood that the partition portion 4 is arranged in the middle of the second opening K2, so as to facilitate the determination of the formation position of the partition portion 4 during preparation. At the same time, the partition portion 4 is arranged in the middle of the second opening K2, which will also facilitate the etching of the partition portion 4 and avoid the etching affecting the film layer of other parts.

[0059] Taking into account process errors in the etching process and other factors, in some optional embodiments, the minimum distance between the partition portion 4 and the outer edge of the second opening K2 along the thickness direction parallel to the display panel is greater than or equal to 3 μm.

[0060] It is understandable that since the partition portion 4 needs to be formed by an etching process, if the minimum distance from the partition portion 4 to the outer edge of the second opening K2 is too small, that is, the space between the partition portion 4 and the outer edge of the second opening K2 is too small, it may cause other film layers adjacent to the partition portion 4 that do not need to be etched to be etched, affecting the yield of the display panel. Therefore, it is necessary to control the minimum distance from the partition portion 4 to the outer edge of the second opening K2.

[0061] See also Figure 4, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a method for manufacturing a display panel, comprising:

[0062] S110: providing an array substrate 1;

[0063] S120: forming a pixel definition layer 2 on one side of the array substrate 1, wherein the pixel definition layer 2 includes a first opening K1 and a second opening K2;

[0064] S130: forming a light-emitting unit 3 on a side of the pixel definition layer 2 facing away from the array substrate 1 , wherein at least a portion of the light-emitting unit 3 is located within the first opening K1 ;

[0065] S140: forming a partition portion 4 in the second opening K2, and the partition portion 4 is disposed around the light emitting unit 3;

[0066] S150 : forming a first inorganic layer 5 at least on one side of the array substrate 1 of the light emitting unit 3 , a side of the partition portion 4 facing away from the array substrate 1 , and a side surface of the partition portion 4 .

[0067] The display panel preparation method provided by the embodiment of the present invention is such that the partition part 4 is arranged around the light-emitting unit 3, and the first inorganic layer 5 covers the side of the array substrate 1 of the light-emitting unit 3, the side of the partition part 4 away from the array substrate 1, and the side of the partition part 4. Therefore, the partition part 4 and the first inorganic layer 5 cooperate to effectively block external water and oxygen from entering the light-emitting unit 3. Specifically, the partition part 4 can block external water vapor from entering the light-emitting unit 3 from the outer side of the light-emitting unit 3, and the first inorganic layer 5 can block external water vapor from entering the light-emitting unit 3 from above the light-emitting unit 3, so as to realize the separate packaging of a single light-emitting unit 3, prevent external water vapor from entering the light-emitting unit 3 during the preparation process or use of the display panel, so that the entire cathode layer can be patterned by the photolithography process in the future, avoiding the problem of water and oxygen erosion causing failure of the light-emitting unit 3, thereby improving the service life of the display panel.

[0068] In step S110, array substrate 1 can be a rigid array substrate, such as a glass array substrate; or a flexible array substrate, whose material can be polyimide, polystyrene, polyethylene terephthalate, polyparaxylene, polyethersulfone, or polyethylene naphthalate. Array substrate 1 is primarily used to support the devices disposed thereon.

[0069] In step S120, the material of the pixel definition layer 2 can be hexamethyldisiloxane, epoxy resin or polyimide (PI), or can be other silicone adhesive materials with a transmittance of more than 90%, or other organic adhesive materials with a slightly lower transmittance (greater than 80%) and slightly higher bending strength. This embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0070] The first opening K1 and the second opening K2 of the pixel definition layer 2 can be specifically formed by a high-temperature photolithography process. Optionally, the bottom angle of the second opening K2 is greater than or equal to 145°, that is, the bottom angle corresponding to the pixel definition layer 2 forming the second opening K2 is less than or equal to 35°, which facilitates the subsequent formation of the partition portion 4.

[0071] In step S130 , the light-emitting unit 3 specifically includes stacked film layers such as a first electrode layer 31 , a light-emitting layer 32 , and a second electrode layer 33 , which can be formed by an evaporation process.

[0072] In step S140 , the partition portion 4 can be formed of the same material as part of the film layer of the light emitting unit 3 , or can be formed separately of different materials. There is no special limitation. The partition portion 4 can be formed specifically by dry etching or wet etching.

[0073] In step S140 , the first inorganic layer 5 may be formed by using processes such as ALD, CVD, and PECVD.

[0074] In order to improve the transmittance of the display panel and facilitate the application of the display panel in components with high transmittance requirements such as vehicle front windshields, optionally, after the step of forming the first inorganic layer 5 on the side of the light-emitting unit 3 facing away from the array substrate 1, the side of the partition portion 4 facing away from the array substrate 1, and the side of the partition portion 4, the step further includes: forming a photoresist layer 9 on the first inorganic layer 5 covering the light-emitting unit 3 and the side of the partition portion 4 facing away from the array substrate 1, such as Figure 5 Etching the light emitting material layer 42, the second electrode material layer 43 and the first inorganic layer 5 not covered by the photoresist layer 9, as shown Figure 6 shown.

[0075] It can be understood that since the first inorganic layer 5 and the partition portion 4 can achieve encapsulation protection for the light-emitting unit 3 and prevent water and oxygen from invading the light-emitting unit 3, when the light-emitting material layer 42, the second electrode material layer 43 and the first inorganic layer 5 are etched using a photolithography process, the light-emitting unit 3 will not be damaged. After ensuring that the light-emitting unit 3 will not be corroded by water and oxygen, the light-emitting material layer 42, the second electrode material layer 43 and the first inorganic layer 5 that are not covered by the photoresist layer 9 and are stacked on the side of the pixel definition layer 2 away from the array substrate 1 can be etched away to improve the transmittance of the display panel.

[0076] Optionally, taking into account factors such as process errors in the photoresist layer 9 formation process, the distance from the partition portion 4 to the photoresist layer 9 in a direction parallel to the thickness direction of the display panel is greater than or equal to 1 μm, and the outward extension distance of the second inorganic layer 6 relative to the photoresist layer 9 in the direction away from the partition portion 4 is greater than or equal to 1 μm, so as to ensure the water and oxygen barrier effect of the second inorganic layer 6.

[0077] After the etching of the light emitting material layer 42, the second electrode material layer 43 and the first inorganic layer 5 which are not covered by the photoresist layer 9 and are stacked on the side of the pixel definition layer 2 away from the array substrate 1 is completed, the photoresist layer 9 can be removed, and then the packaging process of the display panel is carried out to form the packaging layer 7, such as the first inorganic packaging layer 71, the organic packaging layer 72 and the second inorganic packaging layer 73. Figure 7 and Figure 2 shown.

[0078] The display panel provided in the embodiment of the present application can be applied to mobile phones, or any electronic product with a display function, including but not limited to the following categories: televisions, laptops, desktop monitors, tablet computers, digital cameras, smart bracelets, smart glasses, car displays, medical equipment, industrial control equipment, touch interactive terminals, etc. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit this.

[0079] The above is only a specific implementation method of the present application. Those skilled in the art can clearly understand that for the convenience and brevity of description, the specific working processes of the systems, modules and units described above can refer to the corresponding processes in the aforementioned method embodiments, and will not be repeated here. It should be understood that the scope of protection of the present application is not limited to this. Any technician familiar with this technical field can easily think of various equivalent modifications or replacements within the technical scope disclosed in this application, and these modifications or replacements should be included in the scope of protection of this application.

[0080] It should also be noted that the exemplary embodiments mentioned in this application describe some methods or systems based on a series of steps or devices. However, this application is not limited to the order of the above steps. In other words, the steps can be performed in the order mentioned in the embodiments, or in a different order, or several steps can be performed simultaneously.

Claims

1. A display panel, characterized in that: include: array substrate; A pixel definition layer is provided on one side of the array substrate; The pixel definition layer includes a first opening and a second opening spaced apart from each other; a light-emitting unit disposed on a side of the pixel definition layer facing away from the array substrate, and at least partially located within the first opening; along the thickness direction of the display panel, the light-emitting unit comprises a first electrode layer, a light-emitting layer, and a second electrode layer stacked together; the light-emitting layer and the second electrode layer extend along a side of the pixel definition layer facing away from the array substrate into the second opening; a partition portion, disposed in the second opening and surrounding the light-emitting unit, the partition portion comprising a first electrode material layer, a light-emitting material layer, and a second electrode material layer stacked together, the first electrode material layer and the first electrode layer being disposed on the same layer, the light-emitting material layer and the light-emitting layer being disposed on the same layer, and the second electrode material layer and the second electrode layer being disposed on the same layer, the cross-section of the partition portion being in an inverted trapezoidal shape, and the light-emitting layer and the second electrode layer being disconnected on a side of the partition portion; a first inorganic layer, provided on a side of the light-emitting unit facing away from the array substrate, a side of the partition portion close to the light-emitting unit, a surface of a side of the partition portion facing away from the array substrate, a side of the partition portion away from the light-emitting unit, and terminated at a side of the partition portion away from the light-emitting unit; a second inorganic layer, wherein the second inorganic layer is provided between the array substrate and the pixel definition layer, and the second inorganic layer is in contact with the partition portion; An encapsulation layer covers the first inorganic layer on a side facing away from the array substrate; in the second opening, a portion of the encapsulation layer is in contact with the second inorganic layer.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein: The first electrode material layer and the first electrode layer are both arranged on a side of the second inorganic layer away from the array substrate.

3. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein: The partition portion includes a composite metal layer, and along the thickness direction of the display panel, the cross section of the composite metal layer is in an inverted trapezoidal shape.

4. The display panel according to claim 3, wherein: The material of the composite metal layer includes at least one of indium tin oxide-silver-indium tin oxide, titanium-aluminum-titanium, molybdenum-aluminum-titanium, molybdenum-aluminum-molybdenum, indium tin oxide-aluminum-indium tin oxide, and titanium-aluminum-indium tin oxide.

5. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein: The encapsulation layer includes a first inorganic encapsulation layer, an organic encapsulation layer, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer that are stacked. In the second opening, a portion of the first inorganic encapsulation layer is in contact with the second inorganic layer.

6. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein: A center line of an orthographic projection of the partition portion on the array substrate coincides with a center line of an orthographic projection of the second opening on the array substrate.

7. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein: Along a thickness direction parallel to the display panel, a minimum distance from the partition portion to an outer edge of the second opening is greater than or equal to 3 μm.

8. A method for preparing a display panel, characterized in that: For preparing the display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 7, the display panel preparation method comprising: providing an array substrate; forming a pixel definition layer on one side of the array substrate, wherein the pixel definition layer includes a first opening and a second opening; forming a light-emitting unit on a side of the pixel definition layer facing away from the array substrate, wherein the light-emitting unit is at least partially located in the first opening; forming a partition portion in the second opening, and the partition portion is arranged around the light emitting unit; A first inorganic layer is formed at least on a side of the light emitting unit facing away from the array substrate, a side of the partition portion facing away from the array substrate, and a side surface of the partition portion.

9. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 8, wherein: After the step of forming a first inorganic layer on the side of the light emitting unit facing away from the array substrate, the side of the partition portion facing away from the array substrate, and the side surface of the partition portion, the step further includes: forming a photoresist layer on the first inorganic layer covering the light emitting unit and on a side of the partition portion facing away from the array substrate; The light-emitting material layer, the second electrode material layer, and the first inorganic layer that are not covered by the photoresist layer are etched.

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