Stretchable display screen, preparation method and display device

Abstract

The invention provides a stretching display screen, a preparation method and a display device. The stretching display screen comprises a substrate; a plurality of island regions are formed on the substrate; the island area comprises an anode, a pixel definition layer, a light-emitting unit, a cathode and a first inorganic packaging layer which are sequentially arranged on the substrate, the pixel definition layer comprises an inorganic material layer, and the inorganic material layer is in lap joint with the first inorganic packaging layer; the island region further comprises an auxiliary cathode arranged on the same layer as the anode, and the auxiliary cathode is electrically connected with the cathode. According to the stretching display screen provided by the invention, the pixel definition layer is made of the inorganic material, the adhesion between the pixel definition layer made of the inorganic material and the packaging layer made of the inorganic material is better, the packaging reliability is improved, structures such as isolation columns do not need to be additionally arranged at the edge of the island region, the packaging distance of the edge of the island region can be effectively shortened, and the packaging efficiency is improved. And the PPI of the device can be improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a stretched display screen, a preparation method and a display device. Background Art

[0002] The most prominent advantage of flexible OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) displays over traditional flat-panel displays is that they break through the inherent concept of the original two-dimensional display and expand the application areas of displays to more daily life and portable devices.

[0003] With the development of flexible technology, OLED displays have gradually transitioned from bending and folding to elasticity and flexibility. Flexible and stretchable displays have received widespread attention in the market due to their broad application space. At the same time, the development of flexible and stretchable displays also faces many technical challenges. Existing stretchable displays have the problem of poor packaging reliability. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the purpose of the present disclosure is to provide a stretched display screen that improves packaging reliability and shortens the packaging distance of the island edge.

[0005] Based on the above purpose, the present disclosure provides a stretchable display screen, which includes:

[0006] A substrate having a plurality of island regions formed thereon;

[0007] The island region includes an anode, a pixel definition layer, a light emitting unit, a cathode, and a first inorganic encapsulation layer arranged on the substrate, the pixel definition layer includes an inorganic material layer, and the inorganic material layer overlaps the first inorganic encapsulation layer;

[0008] The island region further includes an auxiliary cathode disposed in the same layer as the anode, and the auxiliary cathode is electrically connected to the cathode.

[0009] In one embodiment, the orthographic projections of the anode, the light-emitting unit, and the cathode on the substrate are located within the orthographic projection area of ​​the inorganic material layer on the substrate; the pixel definition layer forms a packaging connection area around the cathode, and the first inorganic packaging layer is in contact with the packaging connection area.

[0010] In one embodiment, the cathode extends out of the light emitting unit and is electrically connected to an auxiliary cathode below.

[0011] In one embodiment, the pixel definition layer is provided with a hollow area, the light-emitting unit and the cathode are provided in the hollow area, the first inorganic encapsulation layer is partially provided in the hollow area, and an organic encapsulation layer is provided on the first inorganic encapsulation layer in the hollow area.

[0012] In one embodiment, the hollow area includes a first hollow hole located above the anode and a second hollow hole located above the auxiliary cathode, the light-emitting unit, the cathode and the first inorganic packaging layer are formed in the first hollow hole, and the cathode and the first inorganic packaging layer are formed in the second hollow hole.

[0013] In one of the embodiments, the hollow area further includes a groove disposed between the first hollow hole and the second hollow hole, and the cathode and the first inorganic encapsulation layer are formed in the groove.

[0014] In one embodiment, the organic encapsulation layer and the non-hollowed-out area on the pixel definition layer form an encapsulation surface, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer is formed on the encapsulation surface.

[0015] Based on the same inventive concept, the present disclosure also discloses a method for preparing a stretched OLED display screen, and the method for preparing a stretched OLED display screen comprises:

[0016] A substrate is provided; a plurality of island regions are formed on the substrate;

[0017] forming an anode and an auxiliary cathode located in the island area on the substrate, and filling a pixel definition layer in the gap between adjacent anodes;

[0018] forming a light-emitting unit, a cathode, and a first inorganic encapsulation layer on the anode, wherein the cathode is electrically connected to the auxiliary cathode;

[0019] Wherein, the pixel definition layer includes an inorganic material layer, and the inorganic material layer overlaps with the first inorganic encapsulation layer.

[0020] In one embodiment, after forming the first inorganic encapsulation layer on the anode, the method further includes: forming an organic encapsulation layer on the first inorganic encapsulation layer.

[0021] Based on the same inventive concept, the present disclosure also discloses a display device, which includes the stretchable display screen as described above.

[0022] Compared with the prior art, the stretched display screen provided by the present invention adopts inorganic materials as pixel definition layers, and the adhesion between the inorganic material pixel definition layer and the inorganic material encapsulation layer is better, which solves the problem of poor adhesion between the organic material pixel definition layer and the inorganic material encapsulation layer in the prior art, improves the encapsulation reliability, and no longer needs to add structures such as isolation columns at the edge of the island area, thereby effectively shortening the island area edge encapsulation distance, which is beneficial to improving the device's PPI (Pixels Per Inch, pixel density unit). BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present disclosure or related technologies, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or related technical descriptions are briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present disclosure. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0024] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the hierarchical structure of the existing island bridge structure tensile device;

[0025] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the top view structure of the existing island bridge structure tensile device;

[0026] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the hierarchical structure of a stretched display screen provided in a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of a partial hierarchical structure of a stretched display screen provided in a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the top structure of a stretched display screen provided in a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Marking description: 11. Substrate; 12. Island area; 13. Bridge area; 14. Hole area; 21. Anode; 22. Light-emitting unit; 23. Cathode; 24. First inorganic encapsulation layer; 25. Organic encapsulation layer; 26. Second inorganic encapsulation layer; 27. Auxiliary cathode; 30. Pixel definition layer; 31. First hollow hole; 32. Second hollow hole; 33. Groove. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In order to make the objectives, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure more clearly understood, the present disclosure is further described in detail below in combination with specific embodiments and with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0031] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical terms or scientific terms used in the embodiments of the present disclosure should be understood by people with ordinary skills in the field to which the present disclosure belongs. The "first", "second" and similar words used in the embodiments of the present disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. "Including" or "comprising" and similar words mean that the elements or objects appearing before the word cover the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. "Connect" or "connected" and similar words are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Up", "down", "left", "right" and the like are only used to indicate relative positional relationships. When the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0032] Reference Figure 1 and 2 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of an existing island-bridge structure tensile device. The island-bridge structure tensile device includes a substrate 11, on which an island area 12 and a bridge area 13 connecting adjacent island areas are provided. A hole needs to be opened on the bridge area 13, so there are problems such as difficulty in independently packaging the island area 12 and poor packaging reliability.

[0033] At the same time, the existing OLED array structure usually uses organic glue as the pixel definition layer (PDL) material. Due to the poor adhesion between the organic material and the first inorganic packaging layer, the packaging difficulty of the island bridge structure stretching device increases. Therefore, various shapes of isolation columns are usually added to the edge of the island area, or a concave-convex structure is prepared on the side wall of the island area 12 to increase the packaging water and oxygen erosion path to improve the packaging reliability. However, structures such as isolation columns will increase the packaging distance of the island edge and reduce the PPI of the island bridge structure stretching device.

[0034] Reference Figure 3-5 As shown, a preferred embodiment of the present disclosure discloses a stretched display screen, which includes a substrate 11 , on which a plurality of island areas 12 are arranged.

[0035] The island area 12 includes an anode 21 , a pixel definition layer 30 , a light-emitting unit 22 , a cathode 23 , and a first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 disposed on the substrate 11 . The pixel definition layer includes an inorganic material layer, and the inorganic material layer overlaps the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 .

[0036] The island area 12 also includes an auxiliary cathode 27 arranged in the same layer as the anode 21, and the auxiliary cathode 27 is electrically connected to the cathode 23. The voltage drop of the signal can be reduced and the consistency of the product display can be improved. Among them, the anode 21 and the auxiliary cathode 27 can be arranged in the same layer successively, thereby improving the production efficiency. Furthermore, it also includes a bridge area 13 connecting adjacent island areas.

[0037] In the existing technology of adding isolation columns at the edge of the island area 12, the isolation columns are usually discontinuous to ensure cathode connection. In this embodiment, due to the presence of the auxiliary cathode 27, the encapsulation layer can completely encapsulate the island area 12, which can further ensure the sealing effect and improve the reliability of the encapsulation.

[0038] In some embodiments, the cathode 23 extends out of the light-emitting unit 22 and is electrically connected to the auxiliary cathode 27 below. The cathode 23 and the auxiliary cathode 27 can be effectively overlapped, which facilitates connecting the cathodes of different islands 12 without connecting from the edge of the island 12, thereby improving the packaging reliability and further reducing the voltage drop caused by the thin cathode material of the screen. Optionally, both the light-emitting unit 22 and the cathode 23 are evaporated using a precision metal mask.

[0039] The stretched display screen provided in this embodiment adopts inorganic materials as the pixel definition layer 30. Since the pixel definition layer 30 and the first inorganic packaging layer 24 are both inorganic materials, the two have better adhesion, which solves the problem of poor adhesion between the pixel definition layer of organic materials and the packaging layer of inorganic materials in the prior art, improves the packaging reliability, and no longer needs to add structures such as isolation columns at the edge of the island area, thereby effectively shortening the packaging distance at the edge of the island area, which is beneficial to improving the PPI of the device.

[0040] In one embodiment, the orthographic projections of the anode 21, the light-emitting unit 22, and the cathode 23 on the substrate 11 are located within the orthographic projection area of ​​the inorganic material layer on the substrate 11; the pixel definition layer 30 forms a packaging connection area around the cathode 23, and the first inorganic packaging layer 24 contacts the packaging connection area. Among them, by arranging the packaging connection area around the cathode 23 and the first inorganic packaging layer 24 contacts the packaging connection area, the sealing effect can be effectively guaranteed and the reliability of the packaging can be improved.

[0041] In some embodiments, the pixel definition layer 30 is provided with a hollow area, the light emitting unit 22 and the cathode 23 are provided in the hollow area, the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 is partially provided in the hollow area, and an organic encapsulation layer 25 is provided on the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 in the hollow area.

[0042] Further, see Figure 4The hollow area includes a first hollow hole 31 located above the anode 21 and a second hollow hole 32 located above the auxiliary cathode 27. The light emitting unit 22, the cathode 23 and the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 are formed in the first hollow hole 31, and the cathode 23 and the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 are formed in the second hollow hole 32. It is convenient for the cathode 23 to be directly electrically connected to the auxiliary cathode 27 below.

[0043] Furthermore, the hollow area also includes a groove 33 disposed between the first hollow hole 31 and the second hollow hole 32, and a cathode 23 and a first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 are formed in the groove 33. The groove 33 makes the upper surface of the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 in the groove area not higher than the upper surface of the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 in the non-hollow area, so that the organic encapsulation layer 25 can cover the entire hollow area, and the organic encapsulation layer 25 can be fully flattened in the island area 12, so as to facilitate further setting of an encapsulation layer for encapsulation.

[0044] Furthermore, the organic encapsulation layer 25 and the non-hollowed-out area on the pixel definition layer 30 form an encapsulation surface, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer 26 is formed on the encapsulation surface. The second inorganic encapsulation layer 26 is formed on the encapsulation surface to improve the compactness of the encapsulation film layer. In addition, the organic material can be printed on a single island area by printing the pixel area separately, thereby realizing inorganic-organic-inorganic three-layer encapsulation and further improving the encapsulation reliability.

[0045] Based on the same inventive concept, another embodiment of the present disclosure discloses a method for preparing a stretched display screen, and the method for preparing a stretched display screen comprises the following steps:

[0046] Step S10, providing a substrate 11; a plurality of island regions 12 are formed on the substrate 11;

[0047] Step S20, forming the anode 21 and the auxiliary cathode 27 located in the island area 12 on the substrate 11 in sequence, and filling the pixel definition layer in the gap between adjacent anodes 21;

[0048] Step S30, forming a light-emitting unit 22, a cathode 23, and a first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 in sequence on the anode 21, and the cathode 23 is electrically connected to the auxiliary cathode 27;

[0049] The pixel definition layer 30 includes an inorganic material layer, and the inorganic material layer overlaps with the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24. Figure 3-5 shown.

[0050] The auxiliary cathode 27 is electrically connected to the cathode 23. The voltage drop of the signal can be reduced, and the consistency of the product display can be improved. The anode 21 and the auxiliary cathode 27 can be arranged in the same layer in sequence, thereby improving the production efficiency.

[0051] In the existing technology of adding isolation columns to the edge of the island area 12, the isolation columns are usually discontinuous to ensure cathode connection. In this embodiment, due to the presence of the auxiliary cathode 27, the encapsulation layer can completely encapsulate the island area 12, which can further ensure the sealing effect and improve the reliability of the encapsulation. The preparation method of the stretched display screen provided in this embodiment uses inorganic materials as the pixel definition layer 30. Since the pixel definition layer 30 and the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 are both inorganic materials, the adhesion between the two is better, which solves the problem of poor adhesion between the pixel definition layer of organic materials and the encapsulation layer of inorganic materials in the prior art, improves the encapsulation reliability, and then no longer needs to add structures such as isolation columns at the edge of the island area, thereby effectively shortening the encapsulation distance at the edge of the island area, which is beneficial to improving the PPI of the device.

[0052] In one embodiment, the orthographic projections of the anode 21, the light-emitting unit 22, and the cathode 23 on the substrate 11 are located within the orthographic projection area of ​​the inorganic material layer on the substrate 11; the pixel definition layer 30 forms a packaging connection area around the cathode 23, and the first inorganic packaging layer 24 contacts the packaging connection area. Among them, by arranging the packaging connection area around the cathode 23 and the first inorganic packaging layer 24 contacts the packaging connection area, the sealing effect can be effectively guaranteed and the reliability of the packaging can be improved.

[0053] Reference Figure 3-5 As shown, in some embodiments, in one embodiment, after forming the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 on the anode 21, the method further includes: forming an organic encapsulation layer 25 on the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24. The combination of organic encapsulation and inorganic encapsulation improves the encapsulation effect.

[0054] In some embodiments, the pixel definition layer 30 is provided with a hollow area, the light emitting unit 22 and the cathode 23 are provided in the hollow area, the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 is partially provided in the hollow area, and an organic encapsulation layer 25 is provided on the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 in the hollow area.

[0055] Further, see Figure 4 The hollow area includes a first hollow hole 31 located above the anode 21 and a second hollow hole 32 located above the auxiliary cathode 27. The light emitting unit 22, the cathode 23 and the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 are formed in the first hollow hole 31, and the cathode 23 and the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 are formed in the second hollow hole 32. It is convenient for the cathode 23 to be directly electrically connected to the auxiliary cathode 27 below.

[0056] Furthermore, the hollow area also includes a groove 33 disposed between the first hollow hole 31 and the second hollow hole 32, and a cathode 23 and a first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 are formed in the groove 33. The groove 33 makes the upper surface of the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 in the groove area not higher than the upper surface of the first inorganic encapsulation layer 24 in the non-hollow area, so that the organic encapsulation layer 25 can cover the entire hollow area, and the organic encapsulation layer 25 can be fully flattened in the island area 12, so as to facilitate further setting of an encapsulation layer for encapsulation.

[0057] Furthermore, the organic encapsulation layer 25 and the non-hollowed-out area on the pixel definition layer 30 form an encapsulation surface, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer 26 is formed on the encapsulation surface. The second inorganic encapsulation layer 26 is formed on the encapsulation surface to improve the compactness of the encapsulation film layer. In addition, the organic material can be printed on a single island area by printing the pixel area separately, thereby realizing inorganic-organic-inorganic three-layer encapsulation and further improving the encapsulation reliability.

[0058] Another embodiment of the present disclosure discloses a display device, which includes the stretch display screen in any of the above embodiments. The display device can be mounted on a smart device (such as a mobile phone, VR device, computer, television, car display, etc.).

[0059] While the disclosure has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many alternatives, modifications and variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art in light of the foregoing description.

[0060] The embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0061] It should be noted that the above describes some embodiments of the present disclosure. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recorded in the claims can be performed in an order different from that in the above embodiments and still achieve the desired results. In addition, the processes depicted in the accompanying drawings do not necessarily require the specific order or continuous order shown to achieve the desired results. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0062] The embodiments of the present disclosure are intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure should be included in the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A stretchable display screen, characterized in that: include: A substrate having a plurality of island regions formed thereon; The island region includes an anode, a pixel definition layer, a light emitting unit, a cathode, and a first inorganic encapsulation layer arranged on the substrate, the pixel definition layer includes an inorganic material layer, and the inorganic material layer overlaps the first inorganic encapsulation layer; The island region further includes an auxiliary cathode disposed in the same layer as the anode, and the auxiliary cathode is electrically connected to the cathode.

2. The stretch display screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The orthographic projections of the anode, the light-emitting unit, and the cathode on the substrate are located within the orthographic projection area of ​​the inorganic material layer on the substrate; the pixel definition layer forms a packaging connection area around the cathode, and the first inorganic packaging layer contacts the packaging connection area.

3. The stretch display screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The cathode extends out of the light emitting unit and is electrically connected to the auxiliary cathode below.

4. The stretch display screen according to claim 1, characterized in that: The pixel definition layer is provided with a hollow area, the light emitting unit and the cathode are provided in the hollow area, the first inorganic encapsulation layer is partially provided in the hollow area, and an organic encapsulation layer is provided on the first inorganic encapsulation layer in the hollow area.

5. The stretch display screen according to claim 4, characterized in that: The hollow area includes a first hollow hole located above the anode and a second hollow hole located above the auxiliary cathode, the light emitting unit, the cathode and the first inorganic encapsulation layer are formed in the first hollow hole, and the cathode and the first inorganic encapsulation layer are formed in the second hollow hole.

6. The stretched display screen according to claim 5, characterized in that: The hollow area further includes a groove disposed between the first hollow hole and the second hollow hole, and the cathode and the first inorganic encapsulation layer are formed in the groove.

7. The stretched display screen according to claim 4, characterized in that: The organic encapsulation layer and the non-hollowed-out area on the pixel definition layer form an encapsulation surface, and a second inorganic encapsulation layer is formed on the encapsulation surface.

8. A method for preparing a stretched display screen, characterized in that: include: providing a substrate; A plurality of island regions are formed on the substrate; forming an anode and an auxiliary cathode located in the island area on the substrate, and filling a pixel definition layer in the gap between adjacent anodes; forming a light-emitting unit, a cathode, and a first inorganic encapsulation layer on the anode, wherein the cathode is electrically connected to the auxiliary cathode; Wherein, the pixel definition layer includes an inorganic material layer, and the inorganic material layer overlaps with the first inorganic encapsulation layer.

9. The method for preparing a stretched display screen according to claim 8, characterized in that: After forming a first inorganic encapsulation layer on the anode, the method further includes: forming an organic encapsulation layer on the first inorganic encapsulation layer.

10. A display device, characterized in that: It comprises the stretched display screen as described in any one of claims 1 to 7.

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