Display panel, manufacturing method thereof and display device

By setting a base and an end in the light-emitting structure of the display panel and adopting specific process steps, the problem of poor light-gathering effect of the light-emitting structure was solved, and higher luminous brightness and contrast were achieved.

CN119816061BActive Publication Date: 2026-04-07TCL CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECHNOLOGY CO LTD
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2024-12-10
Publication Date
2026-04-07

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

In existing technologies, the light-emitting structure of display panels has poor light-gathering effect, resulting in poor brightness and contrast.

Method used

By setting a base and an end in the light-emitting structure of the display panel and manufacturing them separately, the ratio of the sum of the heights of the base and the end to the width is ensured to be greater than or equal to 1.2. Different process steps, such as photolithography and thermal reflow, are used to form an arc-shaped or inclined structure to increase the height of the light-emitting structure and reduce the gap between adjacent light-emitting structures.

Benefits of technology

It improves the light-gathering effect of the light-emitting structure, enhances the brightness and contrast of the display panel, and increases pixel density.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a display panel, a manufacturing method thereof and a display device, and relate to the technical field of display. The purpose is to at least solve the problem of poor light condensation effect of the light-out structure in the related art. The display panel comprises a driving substrate, a light-emitting unit and a light-out structure. The light-emitting unit is arranged on the driving substrate and spaced from each other. The light-out structure covers the light-emitting unit. There is a gap between two adjacent light-out structures. The light-out structure comprises a base portion and an end portion arranged in sequence along the height direction thereof. The end portion is located on the side of the base portion away from the light-emitting unit. The ratio of the sum of the height of the base portion and the height of the end portion to the width of the base portion is greater than or equal to 1.2.
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Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of display, in particular to a display panel, a manufacturing method thereof and a display device. BACKGROUND

[0002] The display panel comprises light emitting units and light emitting structures covering the light emitting units, and gaps between adjacent light emitting structures.

[0003] In the related art, the light emitting structure is usually formed by setting a light emitting structure layer in an entirety, then setting photoresist above the light emitting structure layer, and then forming gaps between adjacent light emitting structures by a photoetching process, so as to separate the adjacent light emitting structures from each other. However, the light emitting structure usually has a small height after being manufactured by the above method, which leads to a relatively poor light condensing effect. SUMMARY

[0004] Embodiments of the present application provide a display panel, a manufacturing method thereof and a display device, to at least solve the problem of poor light condensing effect of the light emitting structure in the related art.

[0005] In one aspect, the present application provides a display panel, comprising: a driving substrate, light emitting units and light emitting structures, the light emitting units are arranged on the driving substrate and spaced from each other, the light emitting structures cover the light emitting units, and gaps are formed between adjacent two light emitting structures, the light emitting structure comprises a base portion and an end portion arranged in sequence along the height direction of the light emitting structure, the end portion is located on the side of the base portion away from the light emitting units, and the ratio of the sum of the height of the base portion and the height of the end portion to the width of the base portion is greater than or equal to 1.2.

[0006] In some embodiments, the ratio of the sum of the height of the base portion and the height of the end portion to the width of the base portion is less than or equal to 6.

[0007] In some embodiments, the height of the base portion is equal to the height of the end portion.

[0008] In some embodiments, the sidewall of the base portion comprises a first inclined surface having a first slope, wherein the sidewall of the end portion comprises an arc surface, the second slope of the tangent line of the arc surface at different positions gradually decreases in the direction of the end portion away from the base portion, or the sidewall of the end portion comprises a second inclined surface having a third slope, and the third slope is smaller than the first slope.

[0009] In some embodiments, the end portion is part of a sphere, and the axis of the sphere coincides with the central axis of the light emitting unit.

[0010] In some embodiments, the end portion is part of an ellipsoid, and a major axis of the ellipsoid coincides with the central axis of the light emitting unit.

[0011] In some embodiments, a ratio of the height of the light extraction structure to the width of the gap is greater than 6.

[0012] In some embodiments, a ratio of the height of the light extraction structure to the width of the gap is less than or equal to 12.

[0013] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present application also provide a display device, which comprises the display panel according to any one of the above embodiments.

[0014] In another aspect, the embodiments of the present application also provide a manufacturing method of a display panel, which comprises: manufacturing light emitting units spaced from each other on a driving substrate; and manufacturing light extraction structures on the light emitting units respectively, wherein a gap is provided between two adjacent light extraction structures, each light extraction structure comprises a base portion and an end portion arranged in sequence along the height direction of the light extraction structure, the end portion is located on the side of the base portion away from the light emitting unit, and a ratio of the sum of the height of the base portion and the height of the end portion to the width of the base portion is greater than or equal to 1.2.

[0015] In some embodiments, the manufacturing of the light extraction structures on the light emitting units respectively comprises: providing a base material layer on the side of the light emitting unit away from the driving substrate; opening a first slot on the base material layer by a photoetching process to form the base portion; providing an end portion material layer on the side of the base portion away from the driving substrate; opening a second slot on the end portion material layer by a photoetching process to form an initial end portion; providing a photoresist on the side of the initial end portion away from the driving substrate; after the photoresist is exposed and developed, performing heat reflowing so that the remaining photoresist comprises an arc-shaped side surface, and the fourth slope of the tangent of the arc-shaped side surface at different positions gradually decreases along the direction of the initial end portion away from the driving substrate; and transferring the shape of the remaining photoresist to the initial end portion by an etching process to form the end portion.

[0016] For the display panel provided by the embodiments of the present application, since the light extraction structure comprises the base portion and the end portion, the base portion and the end portion can be manufactured respectively, so that the height of the light extraction structure can be effectively increased. By setting the ratio of the sum of the height of the base portion and the height of the end portion to the width of the base portion to be greater than or equal to 1.2, the height of the light extraction structure can be relatively high, so as to be conducive to gathering the light of the light emitting unit towards the central axis thereof, thereby improving the light gathering effect and the contrast of the display panel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1This is a structural diagram of a display panel provided in some embodiments of this application;

[0018] Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of a display panel provided in some other embodiments of this application;

[0019] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of a display panel provided in some embodiments of this application;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a structural diagram of a display device provided in some embodiments of this application;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a flowchart illustrating the manufacturing process of a display panel according to some embodiments of this application;

[0022] Figures 6 to 13 This is a diagram illustrating the manufacturing steps of step S20 in some embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this application will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The described technical solutions are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0024] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," and "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships based on the orientation or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, are used only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," and similar words do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are only used to distinguish different technical features. The term "multiple" and similar words indicate two or more, unless otherwise expressly defined.

[0025] "A and / or B" includes the following three combinations: A only, B only, and a combination of A and B.

[0026] The use of "applies to" or "configured to" in this application implies open and inclusive language, which does not exclude the applicability to or configuration to devices performing additional tasks or steps. Additionally, the use of "based on" implies openness and inclusivity, because processes, steps, calculations, or other actions "based on" one or more of the stated conditions or values ​​may in practice be based on additional conditions or values ​​beyond those stated.

[0027] In this application, the term "exemplary" is used to mean "serving as an example, illustration, or description." Any embodiment described as "exemplary" in this application is not necessarily to be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments. The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to make and use this application.

[0028] The various embodiments of this application are similar, and features from different embodiments and / or different examples can be combined with each other.

[0029] Some embodiments of this application provide a display panel, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the display panel 100 includes a driving substrate 10, light-emitting units 20 disposed on the driving substrate 10 and spaced apart from each other, and a light-emitting structure 30 covering each light-emitting unit 20, with a gap K between adjacent light-emitting structures 30. Each light-emitting unit 20 and its corresponding light-emitting structure 30 can be considered as a pixel, and by providing a gap K between the light-emitting structures 30, interference between the light emitted by adjacent pixels can be reduced.

[0030] The light-emitting structure 30 includes a base 31 and an end 32 arranged sequentially along its height direction, with the end 32 located on the side of the base 31 away from the light-emitting unit 20.

[0031] In this embodiment, the ratio of the sum of the height D1 of the base 31 and the height D2 of the end 32 to the width D3 of the base 31 is greater than or equal to 1.2. That is, (D1+D2) / D3≥1.2. Here, the sum of the height D1 of the base 31 and the height D2 of the end 32 is the height of the light-emitting structure 30, and the width D3 of the base 31 is the width of the light-emitting structure 30.

[0032] In the display panel provided in this embodiment, since its light-emitting structure 30 includes a base 31 and an end 32, and the base 31 and end 32 can be fabricated separately, the height of the light-emitting structure 30 can be effectively increased. Furthermore, by setting the ratio of the height to the width of the light-emitting structure 30 to be greater than or equal to 1.2, the height of the light-emitting structure 30 is relatively high, which helps to focus the light towards the central axis P of the light-emitting unit 20, thereby improving its light-gathering effect and enhancing the contrast of the display panel 100.

[0033] It is worth noting that the height D1 of the base 31 refers to the height of the base 31 along the central axis P of the light-emitting unit 20, while the height D2 of the end 32 refers to the height of the end 32 along the central axis P of the light-emitting unit 20.

[0034] In some examples, the central axis P of the light-emitting unit 20 coincides with the central axis of the light-emitting structure 30.

[0035] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the sidewall 311 of the base 31 includes a first inclined surface with a first slope. In this case, a cross-section is taken along the height direction of the light-emitting structure 30, and the sidewall of the base 31 is a straight line in this cross-section. The first slope of the first inclined surface is the slope of the straight line. The sidewall of the base 31 may be the same as or similar to the sidewall of the frustum-shaped structure; or, the sidewall of the base 31 may be the same as or similar to the sidewall of the frustum-shaped structure.

[0036] In some examples, such as Figure 1 As shown, the sidewall 321 of the end portion 32 includes an arcuate surface, and along the direction of the end portion 32 away from the base 31, the second slope of the tangent of the arcuate surface gradually decreases at different positions. For example, along the direction of the end portion 32 away from the base 31, the arcuate surface has a first position Q1 and a second position Q2 arranged sequentially, and the slopes of the tangents of the arcuate surface at the first position Q1 and the second position Q2 are α1 and α2, respectively, and α1 > α2.

[0037] At this point, a cross-section is taken along the height direction of the light-emitting structure 30, and the sidewall 321 of the end portion 32 is curved on this cross-section. For example, the end portion 32 is part of a sphere, or the end portion 32 is part of an ellipsoid. Based on this, the second slope can be the slope of the tangent line to the sidewall of the end portion 32 at any position, which represents the slope of the tangent line relative to the horizontal line (…). Figure 1 The angle between the dashed lines at the first position Q1 and the second position Q2 is the size of the horizontal line.

[0038] When end portion 32 is part of a sphere, the axis of the sphere coincides with the central axis P of the light-emitting unit 20. The axis of the sphere is a straight line passing through the center of the sphere. For example, the structure of end portion 32 can be a hemisphere, a third of a sphere, etc., meaning that end portion 32 can be extended to form a sphere.

[0039] When the end portion 32 is part of an ellipsoid, the main axis of the ellipsoid coincides with the central axis P of the light-emitting unit 20. The main axis of the ellipsoid can be either the major axis or the minor axis. For example, the structure of the end portion 32 can be a semi-ellipsoid, a third-order ellipsoid, etc., that is, the end portion 32 can be extended to form an ellipsoid.

[0040] It is worth noting that in related technologies, the light-emitting structure layer is typically formed as a single, continuous layer, followed by a photoresist layer. Photolithography is then used to create gaps between adjacent light-emitting structures, separating them. However, the etching process of the light-emitting structure layer is limited by the material properties of the photoresist layer. The greater the etching depth of the light-emitting structure layer, the larger the gap between the two light-emitting structures. For example, when the height of the light-emitting structure is 6μm, conventional photoresist results in a 1μm gap between the two structures; while when the height is 12μm, conventional photoresist leads to a 2μm gap. Since the height of the light-emitting structure significantly affects the light emission performance of the light-emitting unit, setting a larger light-emitting structure height and using conventional photoresist for photolithography results in a larger gap between adjacent structures. This reduces the number of light-emitting units on the display panel, thus affecting the panel's brightness.

[0041] Regarding the display panel provided in this embodiment, since the sidewall 311 of the base 31 includes a first inclined surface, and the sidewall 321 of the end 32 includes an arcuate surface, the end 32 and the base 31 are manufactured through different steps. Because the end 32 and the base 31 are manufactured through different steps, a groove can be etched first when manufacturing the base 31, and then the material forming the end 32 can be laid in its entirety to form an end material layer when manufacturing the end 32, with the end material layer partially filling the groove; during the manufacturing process of the end 32, the portion of the end material layer located within the groove is etched away. Therefore, due to the limitations of the photoresist layer's material properties, the groove width etched in the base 31 during fabrication is a first width, and the groove width etched in the end 32 during fabrication is a second width. The final width of the gap between the two light-emitting structures 30 is the larger of the first and second widths. This avoids directly etching the grooves in a single etching process, which would result in the final width of the gap between the two light-emitting structures 30 being the sum of the first and second widths. Therefore, in the above embodiments of this application, the gap K between two adjacent light-emitting structures 30 can be effectively reduced, thereby improving pixel density and increasing the luminous brightness of the display panel 100.

[0042] Furthermore, since the sidewall 321 of the end portion 32 includes an arcuate surface, and the second slope of the tangent at different locations of the arcuate surface gradually decreases, the end portion 32 can be fabricated using a hot reflow process. This process will be described in detail later and will not be introduced here.

[0043] In other examples, such as Figure 2As shown, the sidewall 321 of the end portion 32 includes a second inclined surface with a third slope. In this case, a cross-section is taken along the height direction of the light-emitting structure 30, and the sidewall 321 of the end portion 32 is a straight line on this cross-section. The third slope of the second inclined surface is the slope of the straight line. The sidewall of the end portion 32 may be the same as or similar to the sidewall of the frustum-shaped structure; or, the sidewall of the end portion 32 may be the same as or similar to the sidewall of the conical structure; or, the sidewall of the end portion 32 may be the same as or similar to the sidewall of the frustum-shaped structure; or, the sidewall of the end portion 32 may be the same as or similar to the sidewall of the pyramidal structure. When the sidewall of the end portion 32 is the same as or similar to the sidewall of the conical or pyramidal structure, the end of the end portion 32 away from the base 31 is a pointed tip; and when the sidewall of the end portion 32 is the same as or similar to the sidewall of the frustum-shaped or pyramidal structure, the end of the end portion 32 away from the base 31 is a plane, and this plane may be a flat or uneven surface.

[0044] The third slope is less than the first slope, meaning that the end portion 32 and the base portion 31 are fabricated through different steps. Because the end portion 32 and the base portion 31 are fabricated through different steps, a groove can be etched first in the base portion 31, and then the material forming the end portion 32 can be laid in its entirety to form an end material layer, which partially fills the groove. During the fabrication of the end portion 32, the portion of the end material layer located within the groove is etched away. Therefore, due to the limitations of the photoresist layer's material properties, the width of the groove etched in the base portion 31 during fabrication is the first width, and the width of the groove etched in the end portion 32 during fabrication is the second width. The final width of the gap between the two light-emitting structures 30 is the larger of the first and second widths. This avoids the situation where directly etching the groove in a single etching process results in the final width of the gap between the two light-emitting structures 30 being the sum of the first and second widths. Therefore, the width of the gap between two adjacent light-emitting structures 30 in the above embodiments of this application can be effectively reduced, which is beneficial to improving the luminous brightness of the display panel 100.

[0045] Since the end portion 32 can be in the form of a frustum, cone, pyramid, or pyramid shape, it can be manufactured using a grayscale exposure process.

[0046] In some examples, the material of the base 31 and the material of the end 32 can be the same, so that light will not be deflected when it passes through the base 31 and enters the end 32, thereby improving the light-gathering effect of the light-emitting structure 30 and improving the luminous efficiency. For example, both the material of the base 31 and the material of the end 32 can be silicon dioxide.

[0047] In other examples, the materials of the base 31 and the end 32 can be different, so that the light emitted by the light-emitting unit 20 can be flexibly adjusted by utilizing the interface between the base 31 and the end 32.

[0048] In some examples, the projection of end 32 onto base 31 lies within the area of ​​base 31. For example, the side of end 32 near base 31 falls into the area of ​​base 31 near end 32, which is beneficial for the fabrication of end 32.

[0049] As an example, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the width of the end 32 near the base 31 is greater than the width of the end 32 away from the base 31. In this case, the width of the end 32 gradually decreases along the direction away from the light-emitting unit 20, which helps to focus the divergent light emitted by the light-emitting unit 20 toward the central axis P of the light-emitting unit 20, thereby achieving a light-focusing effect.

[0050] In some embodiments, the ratio of the sum of the height D1 of the base 31 and the height D2 of the end 32 to the width D3 of the base 31 is less than or equal to 6. By limiting the ratio of the height to the width of the light-emitting structure 30 to the above range, the manufacturing difficulty of the light-emitting structure 30 can be effectively reduced.

[0051] In some embodiments, the height D1 of the base 31 is equal to the height D2 of the end 32.

[0052] In this case, during the fabrication of the base 31, due to the limitations of the photoresist layer's material properties, the groove between two adjacent bases 31 has a first width after etching. During the fabrication of the end 32, the end material layer used to form the end 32 partially fills the groove, and this portion of the end material layer is subsequently etched to create a second width. Since the height D1 of the base 31 is equal to the height D2 of the end 32, the first width and the second width are equal. This helps to minimize the gap K between two adjacent light-emitting structures 30, thereby increasing the pixel density and improving the luminous brightness of the display panel 100.

[0053] In some embodiments, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the sidewall 321 of the end 32 is connected to the sidewall 311 of the base 31. That is, the sidewall 321 of the end 32 and the sidewall 311 of the base 31 are directly connected, which helps to improve the smoothness of the junction between the end 32 and the base 31, thereby improving the light-gathering effect of the light-emitting structure 30 on the light-emitting unit 20.

[0054] In other embodiments, such as Figure 3 As shown, there is a step 301 between the end 32 and the base 31.

[0055] Because the end portion 32 needs to be adapted to its shape during the manufacturing process (i.e., the sidewall of the end portion 32 includes an arc surface or a second inclined surface), the lower edge of the end portion 32 does not fit with the upper edge of the base 31, thus forming a step 301 between the end portion 32 and the base 31.

[0056] In some examples, such as Figure 3 As shown, along the second direction Y, the size of the end portion 32 is smaller than the size of the base portion 31, wherein the second direction Y is perpendicular to the height direction of the light-emitting structure 30 (i.e., the first direction X). In this case, a step 301 exists between the end portion 32 and the base portion 31 for transition.

[0057] In other examples, along the second direction Y, the dimension of the end portion 32 is larger than the dimension of the base portion 31, wherein the second direction Y is perpendicular to the height direction of the light-emitting structure 30 (i.e., the first direction X). In this case, a step 301 exists between the end portion 32 and the base portion 31 for transition.

[0058] In some examples, the step 301 surrounds the base 31 circumferentially. This helps to improve the symmetry of the light-emitting structure 30 and enhance its light-focusing effect on the light-emitting unit 20.

[0059] In some embodiments, the ratio of the height of the light-emitting structure 30 (i.e., the sum of the height D1 of the base 31 and the height D2 of the end 32) to the width of the gap K is greater than 6.

[0060] The gap K is formed by etching the substrate material layer corresponding to the base 31, and the bottom dimension of the gap K is typically smaller than the size of its opening. In this embodiment, the width of the gap K refers to the dimension of the bottom of the gap K in the second direction Y.

[0061] In related technologies, when etching the gaps between light-emitting structures, the aspect ratio of traditional photoresists is only 6:1. In this case, when the height of the light-emitting structure is 12μm, the width of the gap will reach 2μm. This leads to a reduction in the density of light-emitting units on the display panel, which in turn reduces the brightness of the display panel.

[0062] In this application, the ratio of the height of the light-emitting structure 30 to the width of the gap K is greater than 6. This allows the width of the gap K to be less than 2μm when manufacturing a light-emitting structure with a height of 12μm, thereby effectively ensuring the density of the light-emitting units 20 on the display panel 100 and thus ensuring that the display panel 100 has good luminous brightness.

[0063] In some embodiments, the ratio of the height of the light-emitting structure 30 to the width of the gap K is less than or equal to 12.

[0064] Because the light-emitting structure 30 in this application is divided into a base 31 and an end 32 and manufactured separately, the width of the gap K can be effectively reduced. Following the above method, the light-emitting structure 30 can also be divided along its height direction into a first base, a second base, and an end 32 and manufactured separately, which can further reduce the width of the gap K. However, with the increase in the above manufacturing steps, the manufacturing cost of the display panel 100 will increase. Therefore, this application sets the ratio of the height of the light-emitting structure 30 to the width of the gap K to be less than or equal to 12, which means that the light-emitting structure 30 is only divided into a base 31 and an end 32 and manufactured separately, thus helping to reduce the manufacturing cost of the display panel 100.

[0065] For example, when the height D1 of the base 31 and the height D2 of the end 32 are the same, the ratio of the height of the light-emitting structure 30 to the width of the gap K is equal to 12.

[0066] In some embodiments, such as Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the driving substrate 10 may include a driving circuit electrically connected to the light-emitting unit 20 to drive the light-emitting unit 20 to emit light. For example, the driving substrate 10 may include a CMOS integrated circuit.

[0067] In some examples, the light-emitting unit 20 can be a Micro LED. For example, the light-emitting unit 20 may include a first electrode 21, a compound pixel 22, and a second electrode 24 arranged sequentially along a direction away from the driving substrate 10. The second electrodes 24 of the plurality of light-emitting units 20 may be interconnected to form a metal layer for synchronous input voltage. The compound pixel 22 emits light under the drive of the voltage applied to the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 24.

[0068] In some examples, the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 24 can be made of a transparent conductive material. For example, the transparent conductive material can be one or a combination of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), AZO (Antimony doped Zinc Oxide), and ATO (Antimony doped Tin Oxide).

[0069] When the light-emitting unit 20 includes a red light-emitting unit, a green light-emitting unit, and a blue light-emitting unit, the display panel 100 can emit colored light, which can then be used to display colored images.

[0070] In some examples, an insulating portion 23 is provided between two adjacent light-emitting units 20. The insulating portion 23 is located between the compound pixel 22 and the second electrode 24 and surrounds the sidewall of the compound pixel 22 and the first electrode 21, so as to avoid short circuit between the first electrode 21 and the second electrode 24 of the light-emitting unit 20.

[0071] In some examples, a passivation layer 11 and a bonding metal layer may be sequentially disposed on the driving substrate 10. The bonding metal layer includes a plurality of spaced-apart bonding metal portions, with adjacent bonding metal portions being insulated from each other by insulating portions 23. Through-holes are formed in the passivation layer 11, through which the first electrode 21 of the light-emitting unit 20 is electrically connected to the bonding metal portions, and the bonding metal portions are electrically connected to the driving circuit in the driving substrate 10 via the through-holes. For example, the bonding metal layer includes a first bonding metal layer 12 and a second bonding metal layer 13 disposed along its thickness direction and electrically connected to each other. The bonding metal portions in the first bonding metal layer 12 are electrically connected to the driving circuit via the through-holes, and the bonding metal portions in the second bonding metal layer 13 are electrically connected to the corresponding first electrode 21, thereby realizing signal transmission.

[0072] Some embodiments of this application also provide a display device, such as... Figure 4 As shown, the display device 200 includes a display panel 100.

[0073] Since it includes a display panel 100, the display device 200 has all the technical effects of the display panel 100 described above, which will not be repeated here.

[0074] The display panel 100 in this embodiment can be used for display or for lighting. More specifically, the display device 200 can be a display device, and correspondingly, the display panel 100 can be used as a backlight module or directly as a display panel. Alternatively, the display device can be a lighting device, and correspondingly, the display panel 100 is used for lighting.

[0075] For example, the display device 200 can be an AR device or a VR device. Because the light-emitting units 20 in the display panel 100 have a high density, they have high pixel clarity and high brightness, thereby providing a realistic display effect for the AR device or VR device and enhancing the user experience.

[0076] In some examples, the display device 200 also includes a fastener 101, which can be used to fix the display panel 100 to its different uses.

[0077] Some embodiments of this application provide a method for manufacturing a display panel, such as... Figure 5 As shown, the method includes steps S10 to S20.

[0078] S10: Fabricate light-emitting unit 20 on driving substrate 10.

[0079] S20: A light structure 30 is fabricated on each light-emitting unit 20, wherein there is a gap K between two adjacent light-emitting structures 30. The light-emitting structure 30 includes a base 31 and an end 32 arranged sequentially along its height direction. The end 32 is located on the side of the base 31 away from the light-emitting unit 20. The ratio of the sum of the height of the base 31 and the height of the end 32 to the width of the base 31 is greater than or equal to 1.2.

[0080] In this case, the end portion 32 and the base portion 31 can be manufactured through different steps, which can effectively increase the height of the light-emitting structure 30. By setting the ratio of the sum of the height of the base portion 31 and the height of the end portion 32 to the width of the base portion 31 to be greater than or equal to 1.2, the height of the light-emitting structure 30 can be made relatively high, which is beneficial for focusing the light from the light-emitting unit 20 toward its central axis, thereby improving its light-gathering effect and enhancing the contrast of the display panel 100.

[0081] In some embodiments, the sidewall of the base 31 includes a first inclined surface with a first slope, and the sidewall 321 of the end 32 includes an arcuate surface, and the second slope of the tangent of the arcuate surface gradually decreases at different locations along the direction of the end 32 away from the base 31. In this case, step S20 includes steps S201 to S207.

[0082] S201: As Figure 6 As shown, a base material layer 31' is provided on the side of the light-emitting unit 20 away from the driving substrate 10.

[0083] S202: As Figures 7 to 9 As shown, a first groove K1 is formed on the substrate material layer 31' by photolithography to form the substrate bottom 31.

[0084] Specifically, such as Figure 7 As shown, a first photoresist can be first coated on the substrate material layer 31', and then the first photoresist can be exposed using a first mask; as... Figure 8 As shown, the first photoresist is developed, causing the exposed photoresist to be washed away; as... Figure 9 As shown, the substrate material layer 31' not covered by the first photoresist is etched. The etched portion of the substrate material layer 31' forms the first groove K1, while the retained portion of the substrate material layer 31' is the base 31.

[0085] S203: As Figure 10 As shown, an end material layer 32' is provided on the side of the base 31 facing away from the driving substrate 10.

[0086] S204: As Figures 11 to 12As shown, a second groove K2 is formed on the end material layer 32' by photolithography to form the initial end 320.

[0087] Specifically, such as Figure 11 As shown, a second photoresist 42 can be first coated on the end material layer 32', and then the second photoresist can be exposed using a second mask; subsequently, the second photoresist can be developed to remove the exposed photoresist; as... Figure 12 As shown, the end material layer 32' not covered by the second photoresist is etched. The etched portion of the end material layer 32' forms the second groove K2, while the retained portion of the end material layer 32' is the initial end 320. The second groove K2 and the first groove K1 together form the gap between two adjacent light-emitting structures.

[0088] In some examples, the coverage area of ​​the second mask may be smaller than the top surface area of ​​the portion of the second photoresist 42 located above the base 31. In this case, the upper portion of the initial end 320 is relatively convex, which is beneficial for subsequent fabrication of the end 32.

[0089] S205: As Figure 13 As shown, a third photoresist 43 is disposed on the side of the initial end 320 away from the driving substrate 10.

[0090] It is worth noting that the first photoresist 41 to the third photoresist 43 can be made of materials with a relatively large aspect ratio, and the thickness of the photoresist can be determined according to the material of the light-emitting structure and the etching rate of the photoresist material.

[0091] S206: After the third photoresist 43 is exposed and developed, it is reflowed so that the remaining third photoresist includes an arc-shaped side surface, and along the direction away from the driving substrate 10 at the initial end 320, the fourth slope of the tangent at different positions of the arc-shaped side surface gradually decreases.

[0092] The thermal reflow process allows the remaining third photoresist to have an ellipsoidal or partial sphere structure. The thermal reflow process steps can be performed using existing techniques and will not be elaborated upon here.

[0093] S207: As Figure 3 As shown, the remaining photoresist is transferred to the initial end 320 through an etching process to form the end 32.

[0094] Through the above process, the end portion 32 and the base portion 31 can be manufactured through different steps. This effectively reduces the gap K between two adjacent light-emitting structures 30, thereby increasing pixel density and improving the luminous brightness of the display panel 100.

[0095] In other embodiments, the sidewall of the base 31 includes a first slope with a first inclination, and the sidewall of the end 32 includes a second slope with a third inclination, the third inclination being less than the first inclination.

[0096] In this case, the end 32 and the base 31 can also be manufactured through different steps, which can effectively reduce the gap K between two adjacent light-emitting structures 30, thereby improving the pixel density and increasing the luminous brightness of the display panel 100.

[0097] The specific operations for fabricating the end portion 32 and the base portion 31 can be referred to steps S201-S207. Since the shape of the end portion 32 in this embodiment differs from that in the previous embodiment, the hot reflow process in the previous embodiment needs to be replaced with, for example, a grayscale exposure process to form the end portion 32 including the second bevel. The grayscale exposure process steps can be performed using existing related technologies, and will not be elaborated here.

[0098] The embodiments of this application have been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of this application. The description of the above embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand the method and core ideas of this application. At the same time, for those skilled in the art, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope based on the ideas of this application. Therefore, the content of this specification should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

Claims

1. A display panel, characterized in that, include: Drive substrate; Light-emitting units disposed on the driving substrate and spaced apart from each other; as well as A light-emitting structure covering each of the light-emitting units, with a gap between two adjacent light-emitting structures, the light-emitting structure including a base and an end arranged sequentially along its height direction, the end being located on the side of the base away from the light-emitting unit, the ratio of the sum of the height of the base and the height of the end to the width of the base being greater than or equal to 1.2, and the ratio of the height of the light-emitting structure to the width of the gap being greater than 6.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ratio of the sum of the height of the base and the height of the end to the width of the base is less than or equal to 6.

3. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The height of the base is equal to the height of the end.

4. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sidewall of the base portion includes a first inclined surface having a first slope, wherein... The sidewall of the end includes an arcuate surface, and along the direction away from the base of the end, the second slope of the tangent of the arcuate surface gradually decreases at different positions; or The sidewall of the end includes a second inclined surface, the second inclined surface having a third slope, and the third slope being less than the first slope.

5. The display panel according to claim 4, characterized in that, The end portion is a sphere, and the axis of the sphere coincides with the central axis of the light-emitting unit; or, The end portion is an ellipsoid, and the main axis of the ellipsoid coincides with the central axis of the light-emitting unit.

6. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ratio of the height of the light-emitting structure to the width of the gap is less than or equal to 12.

7. A display device, characterized in that, include: The display panel as described in any one of claims 1-6.

8. A method for manufacturing a display panel, characterized in that, include: Light-emitting units spaced apart from each other are fabricated on the driving substrate; Light-emitting structures are fabricated on each of the light-emitting units, wherein there is a gap between two adjacent light-emitting structures. Each light-emitting structure includes a base and an end portion arranged sequentially along its height direction. The end portion is located on the side of the base portion away from the light-emitting unit. The ratio of the sum of the height of the base portion and the height of the end portion to the width of the base portion is greater than or equal to 1.

2. The ratio of the height of the light-emitting structure to the width of the gap is greater than 6.

9. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 8, characterized in that, The process of fabricating light structures on each of the light-emitting units includes: A base material layer is provided on the side of the light-emitting unit away from the driving substrate; A first groove is formed on the substrate material layer using photolithography to form the substrate base; An end material layer is provided on the side of the base away from the driving substrate; A second groove is formed on the end material layer by photolithography to form the initial end; Photoresist is applied to the side of the initial end facing away from the driving substrate; After exposure and development of the photoresist, thermal reflow is performed, such that the remaining photoresist includes an arc-shaped side surface, and along the direction away from the driving substrate from the initial end, the fourth slope of the tangent at different positions of the arc-shaped side surface gradually decreases; and The remaining photoresist is transferred to the initial end via an etching process to form the end.

Citation Information

Patent Citations

  • LED light-emitting device and manufacturing method thereof

    CN113557609A