Display panel and manufacturing method thereof

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a display panel and a manufacturing method thereof, relates to the technical field of ink-jet printing, and aims to solve the problem of non-uniform film thickness of a film formed by ink-jet printing in related technologies. The manufacturing method comprises the following steps: providing an array substrate; a light-emitting functional layer is formed on the array substrate, and the manufacturing steps of the light-emitting functional layer include the steps that a spray head is controlled to move from a first position to a second position in the first direction, and the spray head is controlled to conduct first-time ink jetting on the multiple pixel units on the moving path of the spray head; and controlling the nozzle to move from the second position along a second direction opposite to the first direction, and performing second ink jet on the plurality of pixel units.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of inkjet printing technology, and in particular to a display panel and a manufacturing method thereof. Background Art

[0002] In the related art, when using inkjet printing technology to print thin films, the ink output by the nozzles in the process of inkjetting has different thicknesses, resulting in uneven thickness of the thin film at different positions. For example, when printing the organic film layer of an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) by inkjet printing technology, the uneven thickness of the film layer will also cause the OLED display panel formed by the organic light-emitting diode to have uneven brightness, affecting the user experience. Summary of the invention

[0003] The embodiments of the present application provide a display panel and a method for manufacturing the same, which are used to solve the problem of uneven film thickness of a thin film formed by inkjet printing in the related art.

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for manufacturing a display panel, the manufacturing method comprising: providing an array substrate; forming a light-emitting functional layer on the array substrate, the manufacturing steps of the light-emitting functional layer comprising: controlling the nozzle to move from a first position to a second position along a first direction, and controlling the nozzle to perform a first inkjet on a plurality of pixel units on its moving path; and controlling the nozzle to move from the second position along a second direction opposite to the first direction, and perform a second inkjet on the plurality of pixel units.

[0005] In some embodiments, there are multiple nozzles, and the multiple nozzles are arranged at intervals along a third direction, and the third direction intersects with the first direction.

[0006] In some embodiments, the multiple nozzles include a first nozzle and a second nozzle, and the ink spraying amount of the first nozzle and the second nozzle per unit time is different; the inkjet printing method includes: controlling the multiple nozzles to move along the first direction to the second position, and controlling the first nozzle to spray ink on the multiple pixel units on its moving path; and controlling the multiple nozzles to move along the second direction, and controlling the second nozzle to spray ink on the multiple pixel units, and the pixel units corresponding to the ink spraying of the second nozzle are the same as the pixel units corresponding to the ink spraying of the first nozzle.

[0007] In some embodiments, after controlling the plurality of nozzles to move along the first direction to the second position, the inkjet printing method further includes: controlling the array substrate to move a preset distance, where the preset distance is a distance between the first nozzle and the second nozzle.

[0008] In some embodiments, the multiple nozzles also include a third nozzle located on the side of the second nozzle away from the first nozzle, and the ink spraying amount of the third nozzle and the first nozzle per unit time is the same; the step of controlling the multiple nozzles to move along the first direction to the second position, and controlling the first nozzle to spray ink on the multiple pixel units on its moving path, also includes controlling the second nozzle to spray ink on the multiple pixel units on its moving path; the step of controlling the array substrate to move the preset distance includes: controlling the array substrate to move the preset distance from the second nozzle to the direction of the third nozzle; the step of controlling the multiple nozzles to move along the second direction, and controlling the second nozzle to spray ink on the multiple pixel units, also includes controlling the third nozzle to spray ink on the multiple pixel units, wherein the pixel units corresponding to the inkjet of the third nozzle are the same as the pixel units corresponding to the inkjet of the second nozzle.

[0009] In some embodiments, after controlling the multiple nozzles to move along the first direction to the second position, the inkjet printing method further includes: controlling the multiple nozzles to move a preset distance along the third direction, and the preset distance is the distance between the first nozzle and the second nozzle.

[0010] In some embodiments, the multiple nozzles also include a spare nozzle located on the side of the second nozzle away from the first nozzle, and the spare nozzle and the second nozzle have the same ink spraying amount per unit time; the step of controlling the multiple nozzles to move along the first direction to the second position, and controlling the first nozzle to spray ink on the multiple pixel units on its moving path, also includes controlling the second nozzle to spray ink on the multiple pixel units on its moving path and controlling the spare nozzle to close; the step of controlling the multiple nozzles to move a preset distance includes: controlling the multiple nozzles to move a preset distance from the spare nozzle to the direction of the second nozzle; the step of controlling the multiple nozzles to move along the second direction, and controlling the second nozzle to spray ink on the multiple pixel units, also includes controlling the spare nozzle to spray ink on the multiple pixel units, wherein the pixel units corresponding to the inkjet of the spare nozzle are the same as the pixel units corresponding to the inkjet of the second nozzle.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first nozzles are provided in plurality and arranged in sequence, and the second nozzles are provided in plurality and arranged in sequence, and the number of the first nozzles is equal to the number of the second nozzles; the controlling the plurality of nozzles to move along the first direction to the second position, and controlling the first nozzle to spray ink at a plurality of the pixel units on its moving path, comprises: controlling the plurality of the first nozzles and the plurality of the second nozzles to move along the first direction to the second position, and controlling the plurality of the first nozzles and the plurality of the second nozzles to spray ink for the first time on their moving paths; the controlling the plurality of nozzles to move along the second direction, and controlling the second nozzle to spray ink at a plurality of the pixel units, comprises: controlling the plurality of the first nozzles and the plurality of the second nozzles to move along the second direction, and controlling the plurality of the first nozzles and the plurality of the second nozzles to spray ink for the second time on their moving paths, wherein the pixel unit corresponding to the second inkjet of each of the second nozzles is the same as the pixel unit corresponding to the first inkjet of one of the first nozzles, and the pixel unit corresponding to the second inkjet of each of the first nozzles is the same as the pixel unit corresponding to the first inkjet of one of the second nozzles.

[0012] In some embodiments, the light-emitting functional layer is a hole transport layer.

[0013] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a display panel, which is manufactured using the method for manufacturing a display panel as described in the first aspect.

[0014] For the manufacturing method of the display panel provided in the embodiment of the present application, after the nozzle sprays ink along the first direction, the thickness of the first layer of ink gradually decreases in the first direction; and after the nozzle sprays ink to the same position along the second direction, the thickness of the second layer of ink gradually increases along the first direction, so that the nozzle sprays ink back and forth on the same pixel unit, so that the total thickness of the two layers of ink at each pixel unit is roughly equal, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the thickness of the finally formed light-emitting functional layer. When the light-emitting functional layer has good thickness uniformity, the risk of uneven brightness of the display panel can be effectively alleviated or even solved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0016] Figure 1 is a flow chart of a method for manufacturing a display panel according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0017] Figure 2 is a flow chart of an inkjet printing method according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0018] Figure 3 and Figure 4 is a step diagram of an inkjet printing method according to some embodiments of the present application;

[0019] Figure 5 is a comparison diagram of the thickness of ink at each pixel unit after the nozzle performs inkjet printing along the first direction in the related art;

[0020] Figure 6 is a comparison diagram of the thickness of ink at each pixel unit after the nozzle of some embodiments of the present application reciprocates to spray ink on the same pixel unit;

[0021] Figure 7 and Figure 8 is a step diagram of an inkjet printing method according to other embodiments of the present application;

[0022] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 is a step diagram of an inkjet printing method according to some other embodiments of the present application;

[0023] Fig.11 It is a flow chart of an inkjet printing method according to other embodiments of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. The described technical solutions are only used to explain and illustrate the ideas of the present application and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of protection of the present application.

[0025] In the description of this application, it should be understood that 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 "plurality" and similar words mean two or more, unless otherwise clearly defined.

[0026] “A and / or B” includes the following three combinations: A only, B only, and a combination of A and B.

[0027] In this application, the word "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 preferred or advantageous over other embodiments. The following description is provided to enable any person skilled in the art to implement and use the present application.

[0028] The various embodiments of the present application are similar, and features in different embodiments and / or different examples may be combined with each other.

[0029] Some embodiments of the present application provide a method for manufacturing a display panel. Figure 1 As shown, the manufacturing method includes steps S1 and S2.

[0030] S1: providing an array substrate.

[0031] S2: forming a light-emitting functional layer on the array substrate.

[0032] The light-emitting functional layer can be made by inkjet printing, such as Figure 2 As shown, the inkjet printing method includes steps S10 and S20.

[0033] S10: Control the nozzle to move along the first direction to the second position, and control the nozzle to spray ink on a plurality of pixel units on the moving path.

[0034] like Figure 3 As shown, the nozzle 10 can move along a moving path 101 and toward a first direction X1, and finally reach a second position T. For example, the moving path 101 can be linear.

[0035] There are a number of pixel units 21 on the moving path 101 , and the pixel units 21 are used to realize the display function of the display panel. When the nozzle 10 passes through at least some of the pixel units 21 among all the pixel units 21 , the nozzle 10 can spray ink to the pixel units 21 .

[0036] S20: Control the nozzle to move from the second position along a second direction opposite to the first direction, and spray ink at a plurality of pixel units.

[0037] like Figure 4 As shown, the nozzle 10 can move from the second position to the first position along the moving path 101 toward the second direction X2, and the nozzle 10 sprays ink to the pixel unit 21 that has sprayed ink in step S10, so that two layers of ink are formed at the above pixel unit 21.

[0038] In the related art, when using inkjet printing on thin films, there is usually a problem that the thickness of the ink output by the nozzle is different. Figure 5 As shown, when the nozzle performs inkjet printing in the first direction X1, the thickness of the ink output by the nozzle gradually decreases in the first direction X1, which will cause the thickness of the film finally formed to be uneven at different positions.

[0039] For the inkjet printing method provided in the embodiment of the present application, Figure 6As shown, after the nozzle 10 sprays ink along the first direction X1, the thickness of the first layer of ink 221 gradually decreases in the first direction X1; and after the nozzle 10 sprays ink to the same position along the second direction X2, the thickness of the second layer of ink 222 gradually increases along the first direction X1, so that the nozzle 10 sprays ink back and forth at the same position, so that the total thickness of the two layers of ink at each pixel unit 21 is roughly equal, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the thickness of the finally formed light-emitting functional layer. When the light-emitting functional layer has good thickness uniformity, the risk of uneven brightness of the display panel can be effectively alleviated or even solved.

[0040] In some embodiments, M pixel units 21 are arranged on the moving path 101 , and the number of pixel units 21 for which the nozzle 10 performs inkjet is less than M. That is, through steps S10 and S20 , inkjet may be performed only on a portion of all pixel units 21 .

[0041] In some examples, the second position T may be located outside the area where all pixel units 21 are located. For example, the light-emitting functional layer is manufactured on the array substrate by the above-mentioned inkjet printing method, and the second position T may be located at the edge of the array substrate or outside the array substrate.

[0042] In other examples, the second position T may be located at the position of one of the pixel units 21, or between two adjacent pixel units 21. This can save the stroke of the nozzle 10 and improve the inkjet printing efficiency.

[0043] In some embodiments, Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a plurality of pixel units 21 are arranged in sequence on the moving path 101 .

[0044] This arrangement can ensure that the nozzle 10 continuously sprays ink at the positions of multiple pixel units 21, thereby reducing the impact on the amount of ink output due to the large time interval between two adjacent ink-spraying processes of the nozzle 10, which can effectively ensure that the total thickness of the ink at the multiple pixel units 21 is roughly equal, thereby improving the thickness uniformity of the finally formed light-emitting functional layer. In addition, since the nozzle 10 continuously sprays ink at the positions of multiple sequentially arranged pixel units 21, this is also conducive to improving the production efficiency of the light-emitting functional layer.

[0045] As an example, when the plurality of pixel units 21 include four pixel units 21 sequentially arranged on the moving path 101, and the four pixel units 21 are sequentially the first pixel unit, the second pixel unit, the third pixel unit, and the fourth pixel unit, the first pixel unit is adjacent to the second pixel unit, the second pixel unit is adjacent to the third pixel unit, and the third pixel unit is adjacent to the fourth pixel unit. That is, no other pixel unit 21 is arranged between any two adjacent pixel units 21 among the plurality of pixel units 21.

[0046] In some examples, the spacing between any two adjacent pixel units 21 is equal on the moving path 101. This is beneficial to improving the control effect of the nozzle 10, thereby improving the thickness uniformity of the finally formed light-emitting functional layer.

[0047] In other embodiments, the plurality of pixel units 21 may be arranged at intervals on the moving path 101. When the number of pixel units 21 performing inkjet in step S10 is greater than or equal to 3, the spacing between any two adjacent pixel units 21 is equal. This can reduce the influence of the large time interval between two adjacent inkjet processes of the nozzle 10 on the amount of ink output, thereby effectively ensuring that the total thickness of the ink at the plurality of pixel units 21 is approximately equal, thereby improving the thickness uniformity of the finally formed light-emitting functional layer.

[0048] In some embodiments, the number of pixel units 21 on the moving path 101 is equal to the number of pixel units 21 that the nozzle 10 sprays ink along the first direction X1. That is, on the moving path 101 of the nozzle 10, the number of preset pixel units 21 is equal to the number of pixel units 21 that spray ink in step S10.

[0049] In this way, ink can be sprayed on all pixel units 21 on the moving path 101 through one reciprocating movement of the nozzle 10, which is beneficial to improving the production efficiency of the light-emitting functional layer.

[0050] In other embodiments, there are M pixel units 21 on the moving path 101, and steps S10 and S20 can be performed to inkjet a portion of the M pixel units 21, and then steps S10 and S20 are repeated to inkjet another portion of the M pixel units 21, thereby completing the production of the light-emitting functional layer. In this case, the second position of the nozzle 10 on its moving path 101 is located at the position of one pixel unit 21 in another portion of the pixel units 21 or between two adjacent pixel units 21.

[0051] As an example, step S10 and step S20 can be used to perform inkjet on M / 2 consecutive pixel units 21, and then step S10 and step S20 are repeated to perform inkjet on another part of M / 2 consecutive pixel units 21, thereby completing the production of the light-emitting functional layer. In other words, M pixel units 21 can be produced by performing steps S10 and S20 twice. Of course, M pixel units 21 can also be produced by performing steps S10 and S20 three or more times, and the embodiment of the present application does not limit this.

[0052] In some embodiments, Figures 7 to 10 As shown, there are multiple nozzles 10 and they are arranged at intervals along the third direction Y, and the third direction Y intersects the first direction X1. As an example, the third direction Y is perpendicular to the first direction X1, and in this case, the third direction Y is also perpendicular to the second direction X2.

[0053] By providing a plurality of shower heads 10 spaced apart along the third direction Y, the manufacturing efficiency of the light-emitting functional layer can be improved.

[0054] In some examples, the intervals between two adjacent shower heads 10 are equal, which is helpful to ensure the uniformity of the formed light-emitting functional layer.

[0055] In some embodiments, please refer to Figures 7 to 10 The plurality of nozzles 10 include a first nozzle 11 and a second nozzle 12, and the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 have different ink jetting amounts per unit time. For example, the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 have different ink jetting apertures. In this case, Fig.11 As shown, the above inkjet printing method includes step S101 and step S201.

[0056] S101 : Control the plurality of nozzles 10 to move to the second position T along the first direction X1 , and control one of the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 (eg, the first nozzle 11 ) to spray ink on the plurality of pixel units 21 on its moving path.

[0057] S201: Control the plurality of nozzles 10 to move along the second direction X2, and control the other of the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 (for example, the second nozzle 12) to spray ink on the plurality of pixel units 21. The plurality of pixel units 21 corresponding to the ink spraying of the first nozzle 11 are the same as the plurality of pixel units 21 corresponding to the ink spraying of the second nozzle 12.

[0058] In the related art, the inkjet apertures of different nozzles may be different, which may easily lead to different ink thicknesses at the positions of different rows of pixel units 21, wherein each row of pixel units 21 is arranged along the first direction X1 or the second direction X2. If the same nozzle performs reciprocating inkjet on the pixel units 21 in the same row along the first direction X1 and the second direction X2, the ink thickness difference at the positions of the pixel units 21 in different rows will be increased, resulting in a problem of large uneven thickness of the finally formed film.

[0059] In the above embodiment of the present application, the pixel unit 21 that performs inkjet printing in step S101 performs inkjet printing through different nozzles 10 in step S201. This can alleviate the problem of large differences in ink thickness in different rows due to different inkjet volumes per unit time between different nozzles 10.

[0060] As an example, in step S101, the first nozzle 11 sprays ink on a plurality of pixel units 21 located in a row (for example, all pixel units 21 located in the row), and in step S201, the second nozzle 12 sprays ink on a plurality of pixel units 21 located in the row that have been ink-sprayed in step S101. In this way, the ink spraying amounts of the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 in the pixel units 21 in the same row can be complementary, thereby controlling the ink at the pixel units 21 located in the row to a better thickness.

[0061] It is worth noting that the pixel units 21 are arranged in multiple rows and columns, the arrangement direction of the pixel units 21 in each row is the same as the first direction X1 or the second direction X2, and the arrangement direction of the pixel units 21 in each column is the same as the third direction Y.

[0062] In step S101, the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 can simultaneously spray ink on a plurality of pixel units 21 located in different rows. In step S201, if the first nozzle 11 sprays ink on the pixel unit 21 on which the second nozzle 12 has sprayed ink in step S101, the other nozzle 10 will spray ink on the pixel unit 21 on which the first nozzle 11 has sprayed ink in step S101. Alternatively, in step S201, if the second nozzle 12 sprays ink on the pixel unit 21 on which the first nozzle 11 has sprayed ink in step S101, the other nozzle 10 will spray ink on the pixel unit 21 on which the second nozzle 12 has sprayed ink in step S101. In other words, for all pixel units 21 that are sprayed with ink by a plurality of nozzles 10 in step S101, ink will be sprayed by the corresponding nozzle 10 in step S201 to ensure that two layers of ink are formed on each pixel unit 21.

[0063] In some examples, the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 may be two nozzles 10 having the largest inkjet aperture difference among all the nozzles 10 .

[0064] By spraying ink from the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 to multiple pixel units 21 located in the same row, the thickness of the ink output by the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 can be relatively balanced, thereby effectively avoiding the problem of poor uniformity of the thickness of the light-emitting functional layer caused by excessive difference in the inkjet thickness of the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12.

[0065] In some examples, the positions of the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 can be swapped. That is, in step S101, the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 can simultaneously spray ink on multiple pixel units 21 located in different rows. In step S201, the first nozzle 11 can spray ink on the pixel unit 21 that the second nozzle 12 has sprayed ink on in step S101, and the second nozzle 12 can spray ink on the pixel unit 21 that the first nozzle 11 has sprayed ink on in step S101. In this way, the ink thickness at the pixel units 21 in different rows can be effectively balanced, thereby ensuring the thickness uniformity of the light-emitting functional layer.

[0066] As another example, the ink thickness at the pixel units 21 of different rows can be balanced by controlling the ink jetting speeds of the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 without exchanging the positions of the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12. For example, the total amount of ink output by the first nozzle 11 in step S101 and step S201 can be roughly equal to the total amount of ink output by the second nozzle 12 in step S101 and step S201 by controlling the voltages of the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12, thereby ensuring that the light-emitting functional layer has good thickness uniformity.

[0067] In some embodiments, Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, after step S101 , the inkjet printing method further includes: controlling the array substrate 20 after inkjet printing to move a preset distance, where the preset distance is the distance between the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 .

[0068] In this case, by moving the array substrate 20, the pixel unit 21 after being ink-sprayed by the first nozzle 11 can be subsequently ink-sprayed by the second nozzle 12. In this way, the ink-spraying amount per unit time of the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 is complementary, so that the ink of the pixel unit 21 sprayed by different nozzles can be controlled to have a relatively good thickness.

[0069] For some examples, please refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8The plurality of nozzles 10 further include a third nozzle 13, which is located on the same side of the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12. As an example, the third nozzle 13 is located on a side of the second nozzle 12 away from the first nozzle 11, and the ink ejection amount of the third nozzle 13 and the first nozzle 11 per unit time is the same.

[0070] The inkjet printing method also includes: when controlling the multiple nozzles 10 to move along the first direction X1 to the second position T, while controlling the first nozzle 11 to spray ink on the multiple pixel units 21 on its moving path, controlling the second nozzle 12 to spray ink on the multiple pixel units 21 for the first time on its moving path; and when controlling the multiple nozzles 10 to move along the second direction X2, while controlling the second nozzle 12 to spray ink on the multiple pixel units 21 on its moving path, controlling the third nozzle 13 to spray ink on the multiple pixel units 21 on its moving path, the pixel units 21 corresponding to the inkjet of the third nozzle 13 are the same as the pixel units 21 corresponding to the first inkjet of the second nozzle 12.

[0071] The array substrate 20 moves a preset distance from the second nozzle 12 to the third nozzle 13 .

[0072] like Figure 7 As shown, in step S101, the first nozzle 11 sprays ink on the first target pixel unit 211, and the second nozzle 12 sprays ink on the second target pixel unit 212. After the array substrate 20 moves a preset distance, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 As shown, in step S102, the second nozzle 12 sprays ink on the first target pixel unit 212, and the third nozzle 13 sprays ink on the second target pixel unit 212. In this case, the thickness of the ink formed by the first target pixel unit 211 after the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 spray ink is equal to the thickness of the ink formed by the second target pixel unit 212 after the second nozzle 12 and the third nozzle 13 spray ink, thereby effectively ensuring the thickness uniformity of the light-emitting functional layer.

[0073] In other embodiments, Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown, after step S101 , the inkjet printing method further includes: controlling the plurality of nozzles 10 to move along the third direction Y by a preset distance, where the preset distance is the spacing between the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 .

[0074] In this case, by moving the position of the nozzle 10, the pixel unit 21 after being sprayed with ink by the first nozzle 11 can be sprayed with ink by the second nozzle 12. In this way, the ink spraying amount per unit time of the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 is complementary, so that the ink at the pixel unit 21 sprayed with ink by different nozzles is controlled to have a relatively good thickness.

[0075] For some examples, please refer to Fig. 9 and Fig.10 The plurality of nozzles 10 further include a spare nozzle 14, which is located on the same side of the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12. As an example, the spare nozzle 14 is located on a side of the second nozzle 12 away from the first nozzle 11, and the spare nozzle 14 and the first nozzle 11 spray the same amount of ink per unit time.

[0076] The inkjet printing method also includes: when controlling multiple nozzles 10 to move along the first direction X1 to the second position T, while controlling the first nozzle 11 to spray ink on multiple pixel units 21 on its moving path, the second nozzle 12 is controlled to spray ink on multiple pixel units 21 for the first time on its moving path and the spare nozzle 14 is controlled to be closed; when controlling multiple nozzles 10 to move along the second direction X2, while controlling the second nozzle 12 to spray ink on multiple pixel units 21 on its moving path, the spare nozzle 14 is controlled to spray ink on multiple pixel units 21 on its moving path, and the pixel units 21 corresponding to the inkjet of the spare nozzle 14 are the same as the pixel units corresponding to the first inkjet of the second nozzle 12.

[0077] The plurality of nozzles 10 are moved from the backup nozzle 14 to the second nozzle 12 by a preset distance.

[0078] like Fig. 9 As shown, in step S101, the first nozzle 11 sprays ink on the first target pixel unit 211, and the second nozzle 12 sprays ink on the second target pixel unit 212. After all nozzles 10 move a preset distance, as shown in FIG. Fig.10 As shown, in step S102, the second nozzle 12 sprays ink on the first target pixel unit 212, and the spare nozzle 14 sprays ink on the second target pixel unit 212. In this case, the thickness of the ink formed by the first target pixel unit 211 after the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 spray ink is equal to the thickness of the ink formed by the second target pixel unit 212 after the second nozzle 12 and the spare nozzle 14 spray ink, thereby effectively ensuring the thickness uniformity of the light-emitting functional layer.

[0079] In some examples, a plurality of spare nozzles 14 may be provided, some of which are located on the side of the first nozzle 11 away from the second nozzle 12, and some of which are located on the side of the second nozzle 12 away from the first nozzle 11. In this way, the moving directions of all nozzles 10 can be flexibly adjusted along one of the two relative directions on the third direction Y. In addition, the ink jetting or disabling of each spare nozzle 14 can be controlled separately.

[0080] It is worth noting that, during the inkjet printing process, when the pixel unit 21 is provided on the moving path of the spare nozzle 14, the spare nozzle 14 can be turned on and inkjet; when there is no pixel unit 21 on the moving path of the spare nozzle 14, the spare nozzle 14 can be turned off. For all nozzles 10 except the first nozzle 11, the second nozzle 12 and the spare nozzle 14, when moving along the first direction X1 or the second direction X2, the pixel unit 21 is provided on the moving path, so these nozzles can be turned on and inkjet during the inkjet printing process.

[0081] As an example, the first nozzle 11 and the second nozzle 12 are disposed adjacent to each other, and the preset distance is the distance between two adjacent pixel units along the third direction Y.

[0082] The inventors have found that the light-emitting functional layer produced by the relevant technology usually has the problem of uneven thickness, and usually there are three to four consecutive rows of pixel units with obvious bright or dark lines, and the adjacent bright and dark lines are separated by six to seven rows of pixel units.

[0083] In some embodiments, the preset distance is less than or equal to a distance between a first pixel unit 21 and an eleventh pixel unit 21 among eleven pixel units 21 arranged continuously along the third direction Y.

[0084] As an example, the preset distance may be the spacing between the first pixel unit 21 and the eighth pixel unit 21 among eight pixel units arranged continuously along the third direction Y; or, the preset distance may be the spacing between the first pixel unit 21 and the ninth pixel unit 21 among nine pixel units arranged continuously along the third direction Y; or, the preset distance may be the spacing between the first pixel unit 21 and the tenth pixel unit 21 among ten pixel units arranged continuously along the third direction Y.

[0085] Through the above setting, the ink thickness at the area corresponding to the dark lines on the display panel can be superimposed on the ink thickness at the area corresponding to the bright lines, so that the overall thickness uniformity of the light-emitting functional layer is good, thereby improving the brightness uniformity of the display panel.

[0086] In some embodiments, a plurality of first nozzles 11 are provided and arranged in sequence, and a plurality of second nozzles 12 are provided and arranged in sequence, and the number of first nozzles is equal to the number of second nozzles.

[0087] In this case, step S101 includes: controlling the plurality of first nozzles 11 and the plurality of second nozzles 12 to move to the second position T along the first direction X1, and controlling the plurality of first nozzles 11 and the plurality of second nozzles 12 to perform a first inkjet on their moving paths. Step S102 includes: controlling the plurality of first nozzles 11 and the plurality of second nozzles 12 to move along the second direction X2, and controlling the plurality of first nozzles 11 and the plurality of second nozzles 12 to perform a second inkjet on their moving paths. The pixel unit 21 corresponding to the second inkjet of each second nozzle 12 is the same as the pixel unit 21 corresponding to the first inkjet of a first nozzle 11.

[0088] That is to say, when multiple first nozzles 11 are arranged continuously and multiple second nozzles 12 are arranged continuously, the array substrate 20 or all the nozzles 10 can be moved a certain distance so that the pixel unit 21 corresponding to the second inkjet of each second nozzle 12 is the same as the pixel unit 21 corresponding to the first inkjet of a first nozzle 11. In this way, the uniformity of the ink thickness at the positions of these pixel units 21 can be effectively guaranteed, thereby improving the thickness uniformity of the light-emitting functional layer.

[0089] In some examples, the pixel unit 21 corresponding to the second inkjet of each first nozzle 11 is the same as the pixel unit 21 corresponding to the first inkjet of one second nozzle 12 .

[0090] This arrangement can ensure that the pixel units 21 corresponding to the two inkjet operations of the plurality of first nozzles 11 all have good thickness uniformity, thereby improving the thickness uniformity of the light-emitting functional layer.

[0091] As an example, multiple first nozzles 11 and multiple second nozzles 12 can be formed by rotating the nozzle unit where all the nozzles 10 are located 180°, so that the position of the first inkjet printing of the first nozzle head 11 is changed to the position of the second inkjet printing of the second nozzle head 12, and the position of the first inkjet printing of the second nozzle head 12 is changed to the position of the second inkjet printing of the first nozzle head 11.

[0092] In some examples, the display panel includes an array substrate and a pixel definition layer located on the array substrate, wherein a plurality of openings are defined on the pixel definition layer. The light-emitting function layer is located in the opening. The light-emitting function layer is driven by an anode and a cathode located on both sides thereof, so that it can emit light, thereby realizing the display function of the display panel.

[0093] In some examples, the light-emitting functional layer includes a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light-emitting material layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer that are sequentially stacked.

[0094] As an example, the ink ejected by the nozzle 10 in the above-mentioned inkjet printing method is used to form a hole transport layer.

[0095] The hole transport layer has a relatively large thickness, and therefore has a great influence on the thickness of the light-emitting functional layer. The present application uses the above-mentioned inkjet printing method to make the hole transport layer, which can effectively ensure that the hole transport layer has a uniform thickness, thereby making the thickness uniformity of the light-emitting functional layer better, thereby avoiding the problem of uneven display on the display panel.

[0096] Of course, the ink ejected by the nozzle 10 can also be used to form thin films such as a hole injection layer or a light-emitting material layer, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited to this.

[0097] It is worth noting that, when the above-mentioned inkjet printing method is only used to prepare the hole transport layer, it can ensure the thickness uniformity of the light-emitting functional layer while also helping to improve the production efficiency of the light-emitting functional layer.

[0098] Some embodiments of the present application further provide a display panel, which is manufactured using the above-mentioned method for manufacturing a display panel.

[0099] Since the manufacturing method of the display panel includes an inkjet printing method, the display panel has the technical effects of the above-mentioned inkjet printing method, which will not be described in detail here.

[0100] Some embodiments of the present application also provide an inkjet printing device, including a memory, a processor, and a computer program stored in the memory and executable on the processor, wherein when the computer program is executed by the processor, the steps of the inkjet printing method described in any of the above embodiments are implemented.

[0101] In some embodiments, the inkjet printing control device may be a microcontroller unit (MCU), a personal computer (PC), a portable computer or a server. The inkjet printing control device may include: a processor, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a communication bus, a user interface, a network interface, and a memory. Among them, the communication bus is used to realize the connection and communication between these components. The user interface may include a display screen, an input unit such as a keyboard, and the optional user interface may also include a standard wired interface and a wireless interface. The network interface may optionally include a standard wired interface and a wireless interface (such as a wireless security (WIrelessFIdelity, WIFI) interface). The memory may be a high-speed random access memory (Random Access Memory, RAM) memory, or a stable non-volatile memory (Non Volatile Memory, NVM), such as a disk memory. The memory may also be a storage device independent of the aforementioned processor.

[0102] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above device structure does not constitute a limitation on the inkjet printing control device, and may include more or fewer components, or a combination of certain components, or different component arrangements.

[0103] As an example, the memory of the computer storage medium may include an operating system, a network communication module, a user interface module, and an inkjet printing control application.

[0104] An embodiment of the present application further provides an inkjet printing system, which includes a control unit and a nozzle unit, and the nozzle unit includes a nozzle and an actuator.

[0105] Wherein, the control unit is used to send a control instruction to the nozzle unit through the inkjet printing method described in any of the above embodiments; the actuator in the nozzle unit is used to receive the control instruction to control the nozzle to execute the control instruction.

[0106] It is understandable that the inkjet printing system may also include a motion platform, a nozzle moving mechanism, a power supply and other devices to ensure the normal operation of the inkjet printing system, which will not be described in detail here.

[0107] The embodiments of the present application are introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method and core idea of ​​the present application. At the same time, for technical personnel in this field, according to the idea of ​​the present application, there will be changes in the specific implementation method and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

Claims

1. A method for manufacturing a display panel, characterized in that: include: Providing an array substrate; A light-emitting functional layer is formed on the array substrate, and the steps of manufacturing the light-emitting functional layer include: Controlling the nozzle to move from a first position to a second position along a first direction, and controlling the nozzle to spray ink for the first time on a plurality of pixel units on its moving path; as well as The nozzle is controlled to move from the second position along a second direction opposite to the first direction, and ink is sprayed to the plurality of pixel units for a second time.

2. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: There are multiple nozzles, and the multiple nozzles are arranged at intervals along a third direction, and the third direction intersects with the first direction.

3. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The plurality of nozzles include a first nozzle and a second nozzle, and the ink spraying amount of the first nozzle and the second nozzle per unit time is different; The inkjet printing method comprises: Controlling the plurality of nozzles to move along the first direction to the second position, and controlling the first nozzle to spray ink to the plurality of pixel units on its moving path; and The plurality of nozzles are controlled to move along the second direction, and the second nozzles are controlled to spray ink on the plurality of pixel units, wherein the pixel units corresponding to the ink spraying of the second nozzles are the same as the pixel units corresponding to the ink spraying of the first nozzles.

4. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 3, characterized in that: After controlling the plurality of nozzles to move along the first direction to the second position, the inkjet printing method further includes: The array substrate is controlled to move a preset distance, where the preset distance is the distance between the first nozzle and the second nozzle.

5. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 4, characterized in that: The plurality of nozzles further comprises a third nozzle located at a side of the second nozzle away from the first nozzle, and the ink spraying amount of the third nozzle and the first nozzle per unit time is the same; The controlling the plurality of nozzles to move along the first direction to the second position and controlling the first nozzle to spray ink on the plurality of pixel units on the moving path thereof also includes controlling the second nozzle to spray ink on the plurality of pixel units on the moving path thereof; The step of controlling the array substrate to move the preset distance includes: controlling the array substrate to move the preset distance from the second nozzle to the third nozzle; The controlling of the multiple nozzles to move along the second direction and controlling the second nozzle to spray ink on the multiple pixel units also includes controlling the third nozzle to spray ink on the multiple pixel units, wherein the pixel units corresponding to the inkjet of the third nozzle are the same as the pixel units corresponding to the inkjet of the second nozzle.

6. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 3, characterized in that: After controlling the plurality of nozzles to move along the first direction to the second position, the inkjet printing method further includes: The plurality of nozzles are controlled to move a preset distance along the third direction, where the preset distance is a distance between the first nozzle and the second nozzle.

7. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 6, characterized in that: The plurality of nozzles further include a spare nozzle located at a side of the second nozzle away from the first nozzle, and the spare nozzle and the second nozzle have the same ink spraying amount per unit time; The controlling the plurality of nozzles to move to the second position along the first direction and controlling the first nozzle to spray ink on the plurality of pixel units on its moving path also includes controlling the second nozzle to spray ink on the plurality of pixel units on its moving path and controlling the standby nozzle to be closed; The step of controlling the plurality of nozzles to move the preset distance comprises: controlling the plurality of nozzles to move the preset distance from the standby nozzle toward the second nozzle; The controlling of the multiple nozzles to move along the second direction and controlling the second nozzle to spray ink on the multiple pixel units also includes controlling the spare nozzle to spray ink on the pixel units, wherein the pixel units corresponding to the inkjet of the spare nozzle are the same as the pixel units corresponding to the inkjet of the second nozzle.

8. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 3, characterized in that: There are a plurality of first nozzles arranged in sequence, and there are a plurality of second nozzles arranged in sequence, and the number of the first nozzles is equal to the number of the second nozzles; The controlling the plurality of nozzles to move along the first direction to the second position, and controlling the first nozzle to spray ink on the plurality of pixel units on the moving path of the first nozzle, comprises: controlling the plurality of the first nozzles and the plurality of the second nozzles to move along the first direction to the second position, and controlling the plurality of the first nozzles and the plurality of the second nozzles to spray ink for the first time on the moving path of the first nozzles; The controlling of the plurality of nozzles to move along the second direction, and controlling the second nozzles to spray ink at the plurality of pixel units, includes: controlling the plurality of the first nozzles and the plurality of the second nozzles to move along the second direction, and controlling the plurality of the first nozzles and the second nozzles to spray ink for a second time on their moving paths, wherein the pixel unit corresponding to the second inkjet of each of the second nozzles is the same as the pixel unit corresponding to the first inkjet of one of the first nozzles, and the pixel unit corresponding to the second inkjet of each of the first nozzles is the same as the pixel unit corresponding to the first inkjet of one of the second nozzles.

9. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The light-emitting functional layer is a hole transport layer.

10. A display panel, characterized in that: The display panel is manufactured by the method for manufacturing a display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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