Display panel, manufacturing method thereof and display device

Abstract

The invention relates to a display panel, a manufacturing method thereof and a display device. The display panel comprises a substrate, a plurality of sub-pixels, a packaging layer, a control circuit layer and a peep-proof structure layer, the packaging layer is arranged on the substrate; the packaging layer is arranged on one side, far away from the substrate, of the plurality of sub-pixels; the control circuit layer is arranged on one side, far away from the substrate, of the packaging layer, and the control circuit layer comprises a plurality of control elements; the peep-proof structure layer is arranged on the side, away from the substrate, of the control circuit layer and comprises a plurality of peep-proof devices, and each peep-proof device has a peep-proof mode and a non-peep-proof mode; each control element is correspondingly connected with at least one peep-proof device and controls the peep-proof device connected with the control element; the orthographic projection of at least part of the peep-proof device on the substrate is located between the orthographic projections of the adjacent sub-pixels on the substrate. The peep-proof flexibility of the display panel is improved, and local interface peep prevention of the display panel can be achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the field of display technologies, and particularly to a display panel, a manufacturing method thereof, and a display device. Background Art

[0002] With the development of display technologies, the awareness of personal privacy protection has increased, and there are more requirements for the anti-peeping function of display panels. However, in the existing anti-peeping technologies for liquid crystal displays, the entire display panel is switched to the anti-peeping state, with low flexibility and unable to specifically meet the anti-peeping needs of users. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Based on this, it is necessary to provide a display panel, a manufacturing method thereof, and a display device for the above technical problems.

[0004] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides a display panel, including:

[0005] A substrate;

[0006] A plurality of sub-pixels disposed on the substrate;

[0007] An encapsulation layer disposed on a side of the plurality of sub-pixels away from the substrate;

[0008] A control circuit layer disposed on a side of the encapsulation layer away from the substrate, the control circuit layer including a plurality of control elements;

[0009] An anti-peeping structure layer disposed on a side of the control circuit layer away from the substrate, the anti-peeping structure layer including a plurality of anti-peeping devices, the anti-peeping devices having an anti-peeping mode and a non-anti-peeping mode; each control element is correspondingly connected to at least one of the anti-peeping devices, and the control element controls the anti-peeping device connected thereto; at least a part of the anti-peeping devices are located between the orthographic projections of adjacent sub-pixels on the substrate.

[0010] For the above display panel, by correspondingly connecting each control element to at least one anti-peeping device, the anti-peeping device connected thereto can be controlled by the control element, improving the anti-peeping flexibility of the display panel, enabling local interface anti-peeping of the display panel, and anti-peeping of partial interfaces of the display panel according to application requirements while the remaining interfaces are normally displayed, specifically meeting the anti-peeping needs of users.

[0011] In one embodiment, the anti-peeping device includes a stacked first transparent electrode, an electrochromic layer, and a second transparent electrode;

[0012] One of the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode of the anti-peeping device is connected to the source electrode of the control element, and the other is connected to the drain electrode of the control element;

[0013] Preferably, the anti-peeping structure layer includes a first electrode layer, which is disposed over the entire surface, and the first transparent electrode is reused as the first electrode layer;

[0014] Preferably, the control element is an organic thin-film transistor;

[0015] Preferably, the control element is disposed on the encapsulation layer.

[0016] In this way, by turning on or off the control element, the voltage applied to the anti-peeping device can be adjusted, so that the color of the electrochromic layer changes, the light transmittance of the electrochromic layer is changed, and further the exit light angle of the sub-pixels adjusted by the anti-peeping device is changed, thereby achieving local interface anti-peeping of the display panel.

[0017] In one embodiment, the electrochromic layer includes a stacked first electrochromic layer, an electrolyte layer, and a second electrochromic layer;

[0018] When the control element is turned on, the first electrochromic layer and the second electrochromic layer are in a colored state;

[0019] When the control element is turned off, the first electrochromic layer and the second electrochromic layer are in a transparent state;

[0020] Preferably, the material of the first electrochromic layer includes at least one of nickel oxide or lithium nickel oxide;

[0021] The material of the second electrochromic layer includes tungsten oxide.

[0022] In this way, by turning on and off the control element, it can be controlled whether to apply a voltage to the anti-peeping device, and the moving direction of the carriers in the electrolyte layer can be controlled, so that the first electrochromic layer and the second electrochromic layer are simultaneously switched to the colored state, or the first electrochromic layer and the second electrochromic layer are simultaneously switched to the transparent state, so as to realize the switching of the anti-peeping device between the anti-peeping mode and the non-anti-peeping mode, and improve the switching sensitivity and switching speed.

[0023] In one embodiment, the display panel further includes:

[0024] A microlens array layer, disposed between the control circuit layer and the anti-peeping structure layer, the microlens array includes a plurality of microlenses, and the plurality of microlenses are correspondingly disposed with the plurality of anti-peeping devices, and the anti-peeping devices cover the sides and the top surfaces of the microlenses;

[0025] Preferably, the orthographic projection of the microlens on the substrate is located inside the orthographic projection of the electrochromic layer on the substrate;

[0026] Preferably, the refractive index of the microlens is less than that of the encapsulation layer.

[0027] In this way, the anti-peeping device covers the top and side surfaces of the microlens, so that the light emitted from the sub-pixels to the microlens is regulated by the anti-peeping device. When the anti-peeping device is in the non-anti-peeping mode, the anti-peeping device is transparent, and the microlens has a good light-concentrating effect, and the light can be more concentratedly emitted in front of the screen, thereby improving the brightness of the screen; when the anti-peeping device is in the anti-peeping mode, the anti-peeping device is dark-colored, and the light emitted from the sub-pixels to the microlens cannot be obliquely emitted outside the screen through the microlens. The anti-peeping device restricts the viewing angle of the light emitted from the sub-pixels, so that only the user directly in front of the screen can clearly see the screen content; that is, it can improve the display brightness of the screen in the non-anti-peeping mode and enhance the privacy protection effect.

[0028] In one embodiment, the anti-peeping device is a liquid crystal element, and the liquid crystal element is disposed on the control element;

[0029] When the control element is turned on, the liquid crystal element switches to the anti-peeping mode;

[0030] When the control element is turned off, the liquid crystal element switches to the non-anti-peeping mode;

[0031] Preferably, the liquid crystal element at least includes a stacked first liquid crystal electrode and a second liquid crystal electrode;

[0032] One of the first liquid crystal electrode and the second liquid crystal electrode is connected to the source electrode of the control element, and the other is connected to the drain electrode of the control element; or, one of the first liquid crystal electrode and the second liquid crystal electrode is connected to the source electrode or the drain electrode of the control element, and the other is connected to a fixed potential.

[0033] In this way, by using a liquid crystal element as the anti-peeping device, the arrangement state of liquid crystal molecules can be controlled by the control element, the viewing angle of the light emitted from the sub-pixels is restricted, and thus local interface anti-peeping of the display panel can be realized. The anti-peeping of some interfaces of the display panel can be performed according to application requirements, and the remaining interfaces are normally displayed, which specifically meets the anti-peeping requirements of users.

[0034] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a display panel, including:

[0035] Providing a substrate, on which a plurality of sub-pixels are formed;

[0036] Forming an encapsulation layer on a side of the plurality of sub-pixels away from the substrate;

[0037] Forming a control circuit layer on a side of the encapsulation layer away from the substrate, the control circuit layer including a plurality of control elements;

[0038] A light shielding structure layer is formed on a side of the control circuit layer away from the substrate. The light shielding structure layer includes a plurality of light shielding devices, and each light shielding device has a light shielding mode and a non-light shielding mode. Each control element is correspondingly connected to at least one of the light shielding devices, and the control element controls the light shielding device connected thereto. A positive projection of at least part of the light shielding devices on the substrate is located between positive projections of adjacent sub-pixels on the substrate.

[0039] In the manufacturing method of the above display panel, the control circuit layer is formed on the encapsulation layer. The manufacturing temperature of the control circuit layer is relatively low and will not damage the encapsulation layer. The light shielding structure layer is formed on the control circuit layer. The light shielding device connected thereto can be controlled by the control element, which improves the flexibility of the light shielding effect of the display panel, can realize local interface light shielding of the display panel, and can specifically meet the light shielding requirements of users.

[0040] In one embodiment, forming the light shielding structure layer includes:

[0041] A first transparent electrode, an electrochromic layer, and a second transparent electrode are sequentially formed on the control element to form the light shielding device. One of the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode is connected to the source electrode of the control element, and the other is connected to the drain electrode of the control element.

[0042] Preferably, forming the electrochromic layer includes: sequentially forming a first electrochromic layer, an electrolyte layer, and a second electrochromic layer on the first transparent electrode.

[0043] Preferably, the material of the first electrochromic layer includes at least one of nickel oxide or lithium nickel oxide; the material of the second electrochromic layer includes tungsten oxide.

[0044] In this way, the electrochromic effect of the electrochromic layer can be enhanced, the light shielding device can achieve a faster and more obvious color change, which is beneficial to improving the switching sensitivity of the light shielding mode.

[0045] In one embodiment, it further includes:

[0046] A microlens array is formed between the control circuit layer and the light shielding structure layer. The microlens array includes a plurality of microlenses. The microlenses are correspondingly arranged with the light shielding devices, and the light shielding devices cover the side surfaces and the top surfaces of the microlenses.

[0047] Preferably, a positive projection of the microlens on the substrate is located inside a positive projection of the electrochromic layer on the substrate.

[0048] Preferably, the refractive index of the microlens is less than the refractive index of the encapsulation layer.

[0049] In this way, the anti-peeping device covers the top and side surfaces of the microlens, so that the light emitted from the sub-pixel to the microlens is regulated by the anti-peeping device. When the anti-peeping device is in the non-anti-peeping mode, the anti-peeping device is transparent, the microlens has a good focusing effect, and the light can be emitted to the front of the screen more concentratedly, thereby improving the brightness of the screen; when the anti-peeping device is in the anti-peeping mode, the anti-peeping device is dark, and the light emitted from the sub-pixel to the microlens cannot be tilted to the outside of the screen through the microlens. The anti-peeping device limits the viewing angle of the emitted light of the sub-pixel, so that only the user directly in front of the screen can clearly see the screen content; that is, the display brightness of the screen can be improved in the non-anti-peeping mode, and the privacy protection effect can be enhanced.

[0050] In one embodiment, forming an anti-peeping structure layer includes:

[0051] forming a plurality of liquid crystal elements, wherein at least one of the liquid crystal elements is disposed on each of the control elements, and the liquid crystal element comprises a first liquid crystal electrode and a second liquid crystal electrode stacked on the control element;

[0052] Preferably, one of the first liquid crystal electrode and the second liquid crystal electrode is connected to the source of the control element, and the other is connected to the drain of the control element; or, one of the first liquid crystal electrode and the second liquid crystal electrode is connected to the source or drain of the control element, and the other is connected to a fixed potential.

[0053] In this way, by using liquid crystal elements as anti-peeping devices, the arrangement state of liquid crystal molecules can be controlled by controlling the elements, limiting the viewing angle of the sub-pixel output light, thereby achieving local interface anti-peeping of the display panel. Part of the interface of the display panel can be anti-peeping according to application requirements, and the remaining interfaces can be displayed normally, thereby specifically meeting the user's anti-peeping needs.

[0054] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a display device, comprising the display panel as described in the first aspect, or a display panel manufactured by the method for manufacturing a display panel as described in the second aspect.

[0055] The above-mentioned display device, by connecting the control element to the anti-peeping device in a one-to-one correspondence, can independently control each anti-peeping device through the control element, thereby improving the anti-peeping flexibility of the display device, and can realize the local interface anti-peeping of the display device. It can protect part of the interface of the display device from peeping according to application requirements, and display the remaining interfaces normally, thereby specifically meeting the user's anti-peeping needs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0056] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure or in the prior art, the following will briefly introduce the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. Obviously, the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present disclosure. For those of ordinary skill in the art, without creative efforts, other accompanying drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0057] Figure 1 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of an anti-peeping device of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in a non-anti-peeping mode;

[0058] Figure 2 FIG.

[0057] is a schematic structural diagram of an anti-peeping device of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure in an anti-peeping mode;

[0059] Figure 3 FIG. Figure 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an anti-peeping device of a display panel according to another embodiment of the present disclosure in a non-anti-peeping mode;

[0060] Figure 4 FIG. is a schematic structural diagram of an anti-peeping device of a display panel according to another embodiment of the present disclosure in an anti-peeping mode;

[0061] Figure 5 FIG.

[0058] is a process flow chart of a method for manufacturing a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0062] Description of reference numerals:

[0063] 11. Substrate; 12. Anti-peeping structure layer; 13. Control element; 14. Anti-peeping device; 141. First transparent electrode; 142. Electrochromic layer; 1421. First electrochromic layer; 1422. Second electrochromic layer; 143. Second transparent electrode; 144. Electrolyte layer; 15. Microlens array; 151. Microlens; 161. First liquid crystal electrode; 162. Second liquid crystal electrode; 20. Sub-pixel; 30. Encapsulation layer; 40. Control circuit layer; 50. Planarization layer. Detailed embodiments

[0064] To facilitate the understanding of the present disclosure, the following will describe the present disclosure more comprehensively with reference to the relevant accompanying drawings. The preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosure content of the present disclosure more thorough and comprehensive.

[0065] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the technical field to which this disclosure pertains. The terms used in the specification of this disclosure are for the purpose of describing specific embodiments only and are not intended to limit this disclosure. The term "and / or" used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the related listed items.

[0066] In addition, in the specification, the phrase "planar distribution schematic diagram" refers to the drawing when observing the target part from above, and the phrase "cross-sectional schematic diagram" refers to the drawing when observing the cross-section intercepted by vertically cutting the target part from the side.

[0067] In addition, the drawings are not drawn to a 1:1 scale, and the relative sizes of the components are only drawn by way of example in the drawings and not necessarily to the true scale.

[0068] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides a display panel. The display panel may include a display panel having only a display function, or may include a display panel with a touch function. For example, the display panel may adopt an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display panel, an active-matrix organic light-emitting diode display panel (AMOLED), or other types of display panels. The display panel may be a flexible display panel or a rigid display panel.

[0069] As Figure 1 、 Figure 2 or Figure 3 、 Figure 4 As shown, the display panel includes a substrate 11, a plurality of sub-pixels 20, a packaging layer 30, a control circuit layer 40, and an anti-peeping structure layer 12. The plurality of sub-pixels 20 are disposed on the substrate 11; the packaging layer 30 is disposed on a side of the plurality of sub-pixels 20 away from the substrate 11; the control circuit layer 40 is disposed on a side of the packaging layer 30 away from the substrate 11, and the control circuit layer 40 includes a plurality of control elements 13; the anti-peeping structure layer 12 is disposed on a side of the control circuit layer 40 away from the substrate 11, and the anti-peeping structure layer 12 includes a plurality of anti-peeping devices 14, and the anti-peeping devices 14 have an anti-peeping mode and a non-anti-peeping mode; each control element 13 is correspondingly connected to at least one anti-peeping device 14, and the control element 13 controls the anti-peeping device 14 connected thereto; the orthographic projection of at least part of the anti-peeping devices 14 on the substrate 11 is located between the orthographic projections of adjacent sub-pixels 20 on the substrate 11.

[0070] The substrate 11 may be flexible polyimide (PI), rigid glass, or a thin metal sheet, etc. In this embodiment of the application, the substrate 11 of other materials will not be elaborated in detail here, and those skilled in the art can select different types of materials according to actual needs.

[0071] The sub-pixel 20 includes a cathode (not shown in the figure), a light-emitting functional part (not shown in the figure), and an anode (not shown in the figure) laminated on the planarization layer of the substrate 11 in a direction away from the substrate 11. The planarization layer 50 is filled between the sub-pixels 20.

[0072] It can be understood that the light-emitting functional part at least includes an emission layer (EML). In addition, it may also include one or more of a hole injection layer (HIL), a hole transport layer (HTL), an electron injection layer (EIL), an electron transport layer (ETL), a hole block layer (HBL), and an electron block layer 142 (EBL). Alternatively, the light-emitting functional part may also be a stacked emission layer, that is, it includes at least two emission layers and a charge generation layer (CGL) located between adjacent emission layers.

[0073] The encapsulation layer 30 is provided on the side of the plurality of sub-pixels 20 away from the substrate 11 to encapsulate the plurality of sub-pixels 20. The encapsulation layer 30 includes a first encapsulation layer, a second encapsulation layer, and a third encapsulation layer laminated in sequence in a direction away from the substrate 11. Exemplarily, the material of the first encapsulation layer includes silicon oxide; the material of the second encapsulation layer includes polyimide; the material of the third encapsulation layer includes silicon oxide.

[0074] The control circuit layer 40 is provided on the encapsulation layer 30. The control circuit layer 40 includes a plurality of control elements 13, and the control elements 13 can be organic thin-film transistors.

[0075] The anti-peeping structure layer 12 is provided on the control circuit layer 40. Each control element 13 is correspondingly connected to at least one anti-peeping device 14. The anti-peeping device 14 has an anti-peeping mode and a non-anti-peeping mode. For example, each control element 12 controls one or more anti-peeping devices 14. Exemplarily, each control element 12 controls one anti-peeping device 14, two anti-peeping devices 14, or three anti-peeping devices 14, etc. The control element 13 can control the anti-peeping device 14 connected thereto to be in the anti-peeping mode or the non-anti-peeping mode, thereby realizing local interface anti-peeping of the display panel.

[0076] For the above display panel, by correspondingly connecting each control element 13 to at least one anti-peeping device 14, the anti-peeping device 14 connected thereto can be controlled by the control element 13, thereby improving the anti-peeping flexibility of the display panel. Local interface anti-peeping of the display panel can be achieved, and anti-peeping of some interfaces of the display panel can be performed according to application requirements while the remaining interfaces are normally displayed, specifically meeting the anti-peeping needs of users.

[0077] In one embodiment, as Figure 1 , Figure 2 shown, the anti-peeping device 14 includes a stacked first transparent electrode 141, an electrochromic layer 142, and a second transparent electrode 143. One of the first transparent electrode 141 and the second transparent electrode 143 of the anti-peeping device 14 is connected to the source electrode of the control element 13, and the other is connected to the drain electrode of the control element 13. In this way, by controlling the conduction or cut-off of the control element 13, the voltage applied to the anti-peeping device 14 can be adjusted, so that the color of the electrochromic layer 142 changes, the light transmittance of the electrochromic layer 142 is changed, and further the emission light angle of the sub-pixel 20 adjusted by the anti-peeping device 14 is changed, thereby achieving local interface anti-peeping of the display panel.

[0078] It should be noted that electrochromism refers to the phenomenon that the optical properties (such as reflectivity, transmittance, absorptivity, etc.) of a material undergo stable and reversible color changes under the action of an external electric field, which is manifested as reversible changes in color and light transmittance in appearance. Materials with electrochromic properties are called electrochromic materials, and the film layer made of electrochromic materials is called the electrochromic layer 142.

[0079] The electrochromic layer 142 may include a single-layer film layer, or the electrochromic layer 142 may also include a stacked multi-layer film layer, and this embodiment does not make specific limitations thereon.

[0080] The material of the electrochromic layer 142 may include at least one of tungsten oxide (WO3), niobium oxide (Nb2O5), titanium oxide (TiO2), molybdenum oxide (MoO3), copper oxide (CuO), chromium oxide (Cr2O3), manganese oxide (Mn2O3), vanadium oxide (V2O5), cobalt oxide (Co2O3), nickel oxide (NiO), or may be the above various inorganic metal oxides doped with lithium, sodium, potassium, vanadium or titanium, or at least one of the multiple inorganic metal oxides doped with lithium, sodium, potassium, vanadium or titanium. Different electrochromic materials can be selected to control the electrochromic color of the electrochromic layer 142.

[0081] The material of the first transparent electrode 141 may include transparent conductive materials such as ITO; the material of the second transparent electrode 143 may include transparent conductive materials such as ITO.

[0082] Preferably, the anti-peeping structure layer 12 includes a first electrode layer, the first electrode layer is disposed on the entire surface, and the first transparent electrode 141 is reused as the first electrode layer.

[0083] Preferably, the control element 14 is an organic thin-film transistor.

[0084] Preferably, the control element 14 is disposed on the encapsulation layer 30. That is to say, the control element 14 is disposed on the side of the encapsulation layer 30 away from the substrate 11.

[0085] In one embodiment, the orthographic projection of the anti-peeping device 14 on the substrate 11 is located between the orthographic projections of adjacent sub-pixels 20 on the substrate 11.

[0086] In this way, the anti-peeping device 14 is located in the non-display area between the sub-pixels 20. The anti-peeping device 14 does not block the light-emitting area of the sub-pixels 20 and does not affect the brightness and clarity of the display panel. The anti-peeping device 14 can be controlled by the control element 13 to make the anti-peeping device 14 electrochromic. When the anti-peeping device 14 is colored dark, the anti-peeping device 14 can limit the viewing angle of the light emitted by the sub-pixels 20 without affecting normal display, so that the picture displayed in the anti-peeping area cannot be seen from an inclined viewing angle, and only the user located directly in front of the display panel and within a preset distance range can observe the picture displayed in the anti-peeping area, realizing local anti-peeping.

[0087] In one embodiment, as Figure 1 、 Figure 2 shown, the electrochromic layer 142 includes a stacked first electrochromic layer 1421, an electrolyte layer 144, and a second electrochromic layer 1423. When the control element 13 is turned on, the first electrochromic layer and the second electrochromic layer are in a colored state. When the control element 13 is turned off, the first electrochromic layer 1421 and the second electrochromic layer 1422 are in a transparent state.

[0088] As Figure 1 、 Figure 2 shown, the electrolyte layer 144 is disposed between the first electrochromic layer 1421 and the second electrochromic layer 1422, and is used for storing carriers and transmitting carriers to the first electrochromic layer 1421 and the second electrochromic layer 1422.

[0089] When the control element 13 is turned off, the control element 13 does not apply a voltage to the anti-peeping device 14. The anti-peeping device 14 is in a non-anti-peeping mode. Carriers are stored in the electrolyte layer 144, and both the first electrochromic layer 1421 and the second electrochromic layer 1422 are in a transparent state. The light emitted by the sub-pixels 20 adjacent to the anti-peeping device 14 can pass through the anti-peeping device 14 smoothly and then radiate outward, ensuring that the image displayed on the substrate 11 can be clearly observed at multiple positions outside the display panel.

[0090] When the control element 13 is turned on, the control element 13 applies a voltage to the anti-peeping device 14. The anti-peeping device 14 is in the anti-peeping mode. A current is formed between the first transparent electrode 141 and the first transparent electrode 141. The positive charge carriers in the electrolyte layer 144 gather towards the first electrochromic layer 1421, and the negative charge carriers gather towards the second electrochromic layer 1422. The valence states of the materials of the first electrochromic layer 1421 and the second electrochromic layer 1422 undergo reversible changes, so that at least one of the first electrochromic layer 1421 and the second electrochromic layer 1422 is in a colored state, the color of the electrochromic layer 142 becomes darker, the anti-peeping device 14 is opaque, and the light emitted from the sub-pixel 20 adjacent to the anti-peeping device 14 cannot penetrate the anti-peeping device 14. Only the user located at the position directly opposite the display panel and within a preset distance range can observe the image displayed on the substrate 11, thus achieving the effect of local anti-peeping.

[0091] Preferably, the material of the first electrochromic layer 1421 includes nickel oxide or lithium nickel oxide; the material of the second electrochromic layer 1422 includes tungsten oxide.

[0092] The electrolyte layer 144 can be a solid layer, or it can also be a liquid layer encapsulated between the first electrochromic layer 1421 and the second electrochromic layer 1422.

[0093] In this way, it is possible to control whether to apply a voltage to the anti-peeping device 14 by turning on and off the control element 13, and control the moving direction of the charge carriers in the electrolyte layer 144, so that the first electrochromic layer 1421 and the second electrochromic layer 1422 are simultaneously switched to the colored state, or the first electrochromic layer 1421 and the second electrochromic layer 1422 are simultaneously switched to the transparent state, so as to realize the switching of the anti-peeping device 14 between the anti-peeping mode and the non-anti-peeping mode, improving the switching sensitivity and switching speed.

[0094] In one embodiment, as Figure 1 、 Figure 2 shown, the display panel further includes a microlens array 15. The microlens array 15 is disposed between the control circuit layer 40 and the anti-peeping structure layer 12. The microlens array 15 includes a plurality of microlenses 151. The plurality of microlenses 151 are correspondingly arranged with the plurality of anti-peeping devices 14. The anti-peeping devices 14 cover the sides and the top surfaces of the microlenses 151. In this embodiment, each anti-peeping device 14 correspondingly covers the sides and the top surface of one microlens 151. Among them, the microlens 151 can be a cylindrical microlens or a spherical microlens; the width, arch height, radius of curvature, and focal length of the microlens 151 can be flexibly adjusted according to the specific application requirements of the display panel.

[0095] In this way, by covering the top and side surfaces of the microlens 151 with the anti-peeping device 14, the light emitted from the sub-pixel 20 to the microlens 151 is regulated by the anti-peeping device 14. When the anti-peeping device 14 is in the non-anti-peeping mode, the anti-peeping device 14 is transparent, and the microlens 151 has a good light-gathering effect, so that the light can be emitted more concentratedly in front of the screen, thereby improving the brightness of the screen. When the anti-peeping device 14 is in the anti-peeping mode, the anti-peeping device 14 is dark-colored, and the light emitted from the sub-pixel 20 to the microlens 151 cannot be obliquely emitted outside the screen through the microlens 151. The anti-peeping device 14 limits the viewing angle of the light emitted from the sub-pixel 20, so that only the user directly in front of the screen can clearly see the screen content. That is, it can improve the display brightness of the screen in the non-anti-peeping mode and enhance the privacy protection effect.

[0096] Preferably, the orthographic projection of the microlens 151 on the substrate 11 is located inside the orthographic projection of the electrochromic layer 142 on the substrate 11. In this way, it is possible to prevent light from being emitted outside the display panel through the gap between the microlens 151 and the electrochromic layer 142, and the anti-peeping device 14 can more effectively regulate the light emitted from the sub-pixel 20 to the microlens 151 and control the emission direction and angle of the light emitted from the sub-pixel 20.

[0097] Preferably, the refractive index of the microlens 151 is less than the refractive index of the encapsulation layer 30. In this way, when the anti-peeping device 14 is in the non-anti-peeping mode, the light refracts when entering the microlens 151 from the encapsulation layer 30, and the light can be more concentratedly directed to the front of the display panel, which can increase the brightness of the screen and reduce the light lost at the edge of the screen.

[0098] In one embodiment, as Figure 3 、 Figure 4 shown, the anti-peeping device 14 is a liquid crystal element, and the liquid crystal element is arranged on the control element 13; at least one liquid crystal element can be arranged on each control element 13; when the control element 13 is turned on, the control element 13 controls the liquid crystal element thereon to switch to the anti-peeping mode; when the control element 13 is turned off, the control element 13 controls the liquid crystal element thereon to switch to the non-anti-peeping mode. The liquid crystal element at least includes a first liquid crystal electrode 161 and a second liquid crystal electrode 162 stacked on the control element 13.

[0099] In this way, the anti-peeping device 14 is a liquid crystal element. Each control element 13 is correspondingly connected to at least one liquid crystal element. When the control element 13 is turned on, the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal element connected thereto will be rearranged so that only the light incident at a specific angle (such as perpendicular) can pass through the liquid crystal element, filtering out the light obliquely emitted by the sub-pixel 20, thereby restricting the viewing angle of the light emitted by the sub-pixel 20, so that only the user directly in front of the screen can clearly see the screen content; when the control element 13 is turned off, the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal element of the control element 13 return to the disordered arrangement state, and all the light emitted by the sub-pixel 20 can pass through the liquid crystal element and be seen, switching to the non-anti-peeping mode.

[0100] In one example, one of the first liquid crystal electrode 161 and the second liquid crystal electrode 162 is connected to the source electrode of the control element 13, and the other is connected to the drain electrode of the control element 13.

[0101] In another example, one of the first liquid crystal electrode 161 and the second liquid crystal electrode 162 is connected to the source electrode or the drain electrode of the control element 13, and the other is connected to a fixed potential. For example, the second liquid crystal electrode 161 can be grounded.

[0102] In some embodiments, the orthographic projection of the anti-peeping device 14 on the substrate 11 is located between the orthographic projections of adjacent sub-pixels 20 on the substrate 11.

[0103] In this way, by using a liquid crystal element as the anti-peeping device 14, the arrangement state of the liquid crystal molecules can be controlled by the control element 13, restricting the viewing angle of the light emitted by the sub-pixel 20, thereby realizing local interface anti-peeping of the display panel. The anti-peeping of part of the interface of the display panel can be performed according to application requirements, and the rest of the interface is normally displayed, specifically meeting the anti-peeping needs of users. At the same time, the anti-peeping device 14 is arranged in the non-display area between the sub-pixels 20, which can reduce the direct interference of the anti-peeping device 14 on the display effect of the sub-pixel 20, and can still ensure the display effect of the display panel even when the anti-peeping mode is turned on.

[0104] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for manufacturing a display panel, as Figure 5 The method for manufacturing the display panel shown includes the following steps:

[0105] S11: Provide a substrate, on which a plurality of sub-pixels are formed; wherein, the substrate 11 can be a flexible polyimide, a rigid glass or a thin metal sheet, and a plurality of sub-pixels 20 are formed on the substrate 11.

[0106] S12: Form a packaging layer on the side of multiple sub-pixels away from the substrate; the packaging layer 30 is used to protect the sub-pixels 20 from water, oxygen, etc. in the external environment. Exemplarily, chemical vapor deposition or atomic layer deposition can be used to form the packaging layer 30. The packaging layer 30 may include a first packaging layer, a second packaging layer, and a third packaging layer stacked in sequence along the direction away from the substrate 11. Exemplarily, the material of the first packaging layer includes silicon oxide; the material of the second packaging layer includes polyimide; the material of the third packaging layer includes silicon oxide.

[0107] S13: Form a control circuit layer on the side of the packaging layer away from the substrate, and the control circuit layer includes multiple control elements;

[0108] Form a control circuit layer 40 on the side of the packaging layer 30 away from the substrate 11. The control circuit layer 40 includes multiple control elements 13, and the control elements 13 can be organic thin-film transistors. The manufacturing temperature of the organic thin-film transistors is relatively low, and they can be formed on the packaging layer 30 without damaging the packaging layer 30.

[0109] S14: Form an anti-peeping structure layer on the side of the control circuit layer away from the substrate. The anti-peeping structure layer includes multiple anti-peeping devices, and the anti-peeping devices have an anti-peeping mode and a non-anti-peeping mode; each control element is correspondingly connected to at least one anti-peeping device, and the control element controls the anti-peeping device connected to it; the orthographic projection of at least part of the anti-peeping devices on the substrate is located between the orthographic projections of adjacent sub-pixels on the substrate.

[0110] In the manufacturing method of the above display panel, the control circuit layer 40 is formed on the packaging layer 30. The manufacturing temperature of the control circuit layer 40 is relatively low and will not damage the packaging layer 30; an anti-peeping structure layer 12 is formed on the control circuit layer 40, and the anti-peeping device 14 connected to it can be controlled by the control element 13, which improves the flexibility of the anti-peeping effect of the display panel, can realize the local interface anti-peeping of the display panel, and can specifically meet the anti-peeping needs of users.

[0111] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 1 、 Figure 2 , to form the anti-peeping structure layer 12, it includes: sequentially forming a first transparent electrode 141, an electrochromic layer 142, and a second transparent electrode 143 on the control element 13 to form the anti-peeping device 14; one of the first transparent electrode 141 and the second transparent electrode 143 is connected to the source electrode of the control element 13, and the other is connected to the drain electrode of the control element 13. When the control element 13 is turned on, a voltage difference is generated between the first transparent electrode 141 and the second transparent electrode 143, and the color of the electrochromic layer 142 changes.

[0112] The material layer of the first transparent electrode 141 and the electrochromic layer 142 can be sequentially deposited by an atomic layer deposition process. Then, the material layer of the electrochromic layer 142 and the material layer of the first transparent electrode 141 are etched layer by layer to form a plurality of discrete structures; then, the second transparent electrode 143 is deposited to form the anti-peeping device 14, and the second transparent electrode 143 covers the top surface of the plurality of discrete electrochromic layers 142 and the substrate 11 between the electrochromic layers 142.

[0113] The electrochromic layer 142 can include a single-layer film, or the electrochromic layer 142 can also include a stacked multi-layer film. This embodiment does not make specific limitations on this.

[0114] Among them, the material of the electrochromic layer 142 can include at least one of tungsten oxide (WO3), niobium oxide (Nb2O5), titanium oxide (TiO2), molybdenum oxide (MoO3), copper oxide (CuO), chromium oxide (Cr2O3), manganese oxide (Mn2O3), vanadium oxide (V2O5), cobalt oxide (Co2O3), nickel oxide (NiO), or can be the above various inorganic metal oxides doped with lithium, sodium, potassium, vanadium or titanium, or at least one of a variety of inorganic metal oxides doped with lithium, sodium, potassium, vanadium or titanium. The electrochromic color of the electrochromic layer 142 can be controlled by selecting different electrochromic materials.

[0115] The material of the first transparent electrode 141 can include transparent conductive materials such as ITO; the material of the second transparent electrode 143 can include transparent conductive materials such as ITO.

[0116] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 1 、 Figure 2 , forming the electrochromic layer 142 includes: sequentially forming a first electrochromic layer 1421, an electrolyte layer 144, and a second electrochromic layer 1423 on the first transparent electrode 141. In this way, the electrochromic effect of the electrochromic layer 142 can be enhanced, and the anti-peeping device 14 can achieve a faster and more obvious color change, which is beneficial to improving the switching sensitivity of the anti-peeping mode.

[0117] Among them, the material of the first electrochromic layer 1421 includes at least one of nickel oxide or lithium nickel oxide; the material of the second electrochromic layer 1422 includes tungsten oxide.

[0118] In one embodiment, the orthographic projection of each anti-peeping device 14 on the substrate 11 is located between the orthographic projections of adjacent sub-pixels 20 on the substrate 11. In this way, the anti-peeping function can be realized through the anti-peeping device 14, and at the same time, the display effect of the sub-pixels 20 is not affected.

[0119] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 1 、 Figure 2, after step S13 and before step S14, step S15 is further executed: a microlens array 15 is formed between the control circuit layer 40 and the anti-peeping structure layer 14. The microlens array 15 includes a plurality of microlenses 151, and the microlenses 151 are correspondingly arranged with the anti-peeping devices 14. In this embodiment, the microlenses 151 and the anti-peeping devices 14 are in one-to-one correspondence, and the anti-peeping devices 14 cover the sides and the top surfaces of their corresponding microlenses 151.

[0120] In this way, the anti-peeping devices 14 cover the top surfaces and the sides of the microlenses 151, so that the light rays emitted from the sub-pixels 20 to the microlenses 151 are all regulated by the anti-peeping devices 14. When the anti-peeping devices 14 are in the non-anti-peeping mode, the anti-peeping devices 14 are transparent, and the microlenses 151 have a good light condensing effect, making the light rays more concentratedly emitted in front of the screen, thereby improving the brightness of the screen; when the anti-peeping devices 14 are in the anti-peeping mode, the anti-peeping devices 14 are dark-colored, and the light rays emitted from the sub-pixels 20 to the microlenses 151 cannot be obliquely emitted outside the screen through the microlenses 151. The anti-peeping devices 14 limit the viewing angle of the light rays emitted from the sub-pixels 20, so that only the users located directly in front of the screen can clearly see the screen content; that is, it can improve the display brightness of the screen in the non-anti-peeping mode and enhance the privacy protection effect.

[0121] In one embodiment, the orthographic projection of the microlens 151 on the substrate 11 is located inside the orthographic projection of the electrochromic layer 142 on the substrate 11. In this way, it can be avoided that the light rays are emitted outside the display panel through the gap between the microlens 151 and the electrochromic layer 142, and the anti-peeping devices 14 can more effectively regulate the light rays emitted from the sub-pixels 20 to the microlenses 151, and control the emission direction and angle of the light rays emitted from the sub-pixels 20.

[0122] In one embodiment, the refractive index of the microlens 151 is less than the refractive index of the encapsulation layer 30. In this way, when the anti-peeping devices 14 are in the non-anti-peeping mode, the light rays will refract when entering the microlens 151 from the encapsulation layer 30, and the light rays can be more concentratedly directed to the front of the display panel, which can increase the brightness of the screen and reduce the light rays dissipated at the edge of the screen.

[0123] In one embodiment, referring to Figure 3 、 Figure 4 , step S14 forms the anti-peeping structure layer 12, including: forming a plurality of liquid crystal elements, and at least one liquid crystal element is arranged on each control element 13; the liquid crystal element includes a first liquid crystal electrode and a second liquid crystal electrode stacked on the control element 13.

[0124] In this way, the anti-peeping device 14 is a liquid crystal element. Each control element 13 is connected to at least one liquid crystal element. When the control element 13 is turned on, the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal element connected to the control element 13 will be rearranged so that only the light incident at a specific angle (such as perpendicular) can pass through the liquid crystal element, filtering out the light obliquely emitted by the sub-pixel 20, thereby restricting the viewing angle of the light emitted by the sub-pixel 20, so that only the user directly in front of the screen can clearly see the screen content; when the control element 13 is turned off, the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal element connected to the control element 13 return to the disordered arrangement state, and the light emitted by the sub-pixel 20 can all pass through the liquid crystal element and be seen, switching to the non-anti-peeping mode.

[0125] In one example, one of the first liquid crystal electrode 161 and the second liquid crystal electrode 162 of the liquid crystal element is connected to the source electrode of the control element 13, and the other is connected to the drain electrode of the control element 13. In another example, the first liquid crystal electrode 161 is connected to the source electrode or the drain electrode of the control element 13, and the second liquid crystal electrode 162 is connected to a fixed potential. For example, the second liquid crystal electrode 161 can be grounded.

[0126] In some embodiments, the orthographic projection of each anti-peeping device 14 on the substrate 11 is located between the orthographic projections of two adjacent sub-pixels 20 on the substrate 11.

[0127] In this way, by using a liquid crystal element as the anti-peeping device 14, the arrangement state of the liquid crystal molecules can be controlled by the control element 13, restricting the viewing angle of the light emitted by the sub-pixel 20, thereby realizing local interface anti-peeping of the display panel. The anti-peeping of part of the interface of the display panel can be carried out according to application requirements, and the rest of the interface is normally displayed, specifically meeting the anti-peeping needs of users. At the same time, the anti-peeping device 14 is arranged outside the sub-pixel 20, which can reduce the direct interference of the anti-peeping device 14 on the display effect of the sub-pixel 20, and even when the anti-peeping mode is turned on, the display effect of the display panel can still be ensured.

[0128] It should be understood that although the steps in the flowchart of the present disclosure are sequentially shown according to the indication of the arrows, these steps are not necessarily executed in the order indicated by the arrows. Unless there is a clear indication in this article, the execution of these steps has no strict order limit, and these steps can be executed in other orders. Moreover, at least a part of the steps in the flowchart of the present disclosure may include multiple steps or multiple stages. These steps or stages are not necessarily executed at the same time, but can be executed at different times. The execution order of these steps or stages is not necessarily sequential, but can be executed alternately or alternately with at least a part of other steps or steps or stages in other steps.

[0129] In a third aspect, embodiments of the present disclosure provide a display device, including the display panel in the first aspect, or a display panel manufactured by the manufacturing method of the display panel in the second aspect.

[0130] The display device may be a mobile or fixed terminal with a display module, such as a mobile phone, a television, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, an Ultra-Mobile Personal Computer (UMPC), a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), a virtual reality device, etc.

[0131] For the above display device, an anti-peeping structure layer 12 is disposed on a substrate 11, and a control element 13 independently controls the anti-peeping device 14 connected thereto, and the control element 13 independently controls the anti-peeping mode of the anti-peeping device 14 connected thereto, improving the anti-peeping flexibility of the display panel, being beneficial to reducing the power consumption of switching the anti-peeping mode, being able to implement local interface anti-peeping of the display panel, and being capable of specifically meeting the anti-peeping requirements of users.

[0132] The technical features of the above embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. For the sake of concise description, not all possible combinations of the technical features in the above embodiments are described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, it should be considered as the scope recorded in this specification.

[0133] The above embodiments merely represent several implementation manners of the present invention, and the description thereof is relatively specific and detailed, but it should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of the invention patent. It should be noted that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of the present invention, several modifications and improvements can still be made, and these all belong to the protection scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the invention patent should be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A display panel, characterized in that: include: substrate; A plurality of sub-pixels are disposed on the substrate; An encapsulation layer, disposed on a side of the plurality of sub-pixels away from the substrate; A control circuit layer, disposed on a side of the packaging layer away from the substrate, the control circuit layer comprising a plurality of control elements; An anti-peeping structure layer is arranged on a side of the control circuit layer away from the substrate, the anti-peeping structure layer includes a plurality of anti-peeping devices, and the anti-peeping devices have an anti-peeping mode and a non-anti-peeping mode; each of the control elements is correspondingly connected to at least one of the anti-peeping devices, and the control element controls the anti-peeping device connected thereto; and the orthographic projections of at least some of the anti-peeping devices on the substrate are located between the orthographic projections of adjacent sub-pixels on the substrate.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The anti-peeping device comprises a first transparent electrode, an electrochromic layer and a second transparent electrode stacked together; One of the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode of the anti-peeping device is connected to the source of the control element, and the other of the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode is connected to the drain of the control element; Preferably, the anti-peeping structure layer includes a first electrode layer, the first electrode layer is disposed on the entire surface, and the first transparent electrode is reused as the first electrode layer; Preferably, the control element is an organic thin film transistor; Preferably, the control element is arranged on the packaging layer.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The electrochromic layer comprises a first electrochromic layer, an electrolyte layer and a second electrochromic layer stacked together; When the control element is turned on, the first electrochromic layer and the second electrochromic layer are in a colored state; When the control element is turned off, the first electrochromic layer and the second electrochromic layer are in a transparent state; Preferably, the material of the first electrochromic layer includes at least one of nickel oxide or lithium nickel oxide; The material of the second electrochromic layer includes tungsten oxide.

4. The display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The display panel further includes: A microlens array layer, arranged between the control circuit layer and the anti-peeping structure layer, the microlens array comprising a plurality of microlenses, the plurality of microlenses being arranged corresponding to the plurality of anti-peeping devices, the anti-peeping devices covering the side surfaces and top surfaces of the microlenses; Preferably, the orthographic projection of the microlens on the substrate is located inside the orthographic projection of the electrochromic layer on the substrate; Preferably, the refractive index of the microlens is smaller than the refractive index of the encapsulation layer.

5. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The anti-peeping device is a liquid crystal element, and the liquid crystal element is arranged on the control element; When the control element is turned on, the liquid crystal element switches to the anti-peeping mode; When the control element is turned off, the liquid crystal element switches to the non-peeping mode; Preferably, the liquid crystal element comprises at least a first liquid crystal electrode and a second liquid crystal electrode stacked together; One of the first liquid crystal electrode and the second liquid crystal electrode is connected to the source of the control element, and the other is connected to the drain of the control element; or, one of the first liquid crystal electrode and the second liquid crystal electrode is connected to the source or drain of the control element, and the other is connected to a fixed potential.

6. A method for manufacturing a display panel, characterized in that: include: Providing a substrate, on which a plurality of sub-pixels are formed; forming an encapsulation layer on a side of the plurality of sub-pixels away from the substrate; forming a control circuit layer on a side of the packaging layer away from the substrate, wherein the control circuit layer includes a plurality of control elements; An anti-peeping structure layer is formed on a side of the control circuit layer away from the substrate, the anti-peeping structure layer includes a plurality of anti-peeping devices, and the anti-peeping devices have an anti-peeping mode and a non-anti-peeping mode; each of the control elements is correspondingly connected to at least one of the anti-peeping devices, and the control element controls the anti-peeping device connected thereto; and the orthographic projections of at least some of the anti-peeping devices on the substrate are located between the orthographic projections of adjacent sub-pixels on the substrate.

7. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 6, characterized in that: The forming of the anti-peeping structure layer comprises: A first transparent electrode, an electrochromic layer, and a second transparent electrode are sequentially formed on the control element to form the anti-peeping device; one of the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode is connected to the source electrode of the control element, and the other of the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode is connected to the drain electrode of the control element; Preferably, forming the electrochromic layer comprises: sequentially forming a first electrochromic layer, an electrolyte layer and a second electrochromic layer on the first transparent electrode; Preferably, the material of the first electrochromic layer includes at least one of nickel oxide or lithium nickel oxide; and the material of the second electrochromic layer includes tungsten oxide.

8. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 7, characterized in that: Also includes: A microlens array is formed between the control circuit layer and the anti-peeping structure layer, wherein the microlens array includes a plurality of microlenses, the microlenses are arranged corresponding to the anti-peeping device, and the anti-peeping device covers the side surfaces and the top surface of the microlenses; Preferably, the orthographic projection of the microlens on the substrate is located inside the orthographic projection of the electrochromic layer on the substrate; Preferably, the refractive index of the microlens is smaller than the refractive index of the encapsulation layer.

9. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 6, wherein: Form an anti-peeping structure layer, including: forming a plurality of liquid crystal elements, wherein at least one of the liquid crystal elements is disposed on each of the control elements, and the liquid crystal element comprises a first liquid crystal electrode and a second liquid crystal electrode stacked on the control element; Preferably, one of the first liquid crystal electrode and the second liquid crystal electrode is connected to the source of the control element, and the other is connected to the drain of the control element; or, one of the first liquid crystal electrode and the second liquid crystal electrode is connected to the source or drain of the control element, and the other is connected to a fixed potential.

10. A display device, characterized in that: A display panel comprising the display panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, or a display panel manufactured by the method for manufacturing a display panel as claimed in any one of claims 6 to 9.

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