Display panel, manufacturing method thereof and display device

Abstract

The invention discloses a display panel and a manufacturing method thereof and a display device.The display panel comprises a substrate, a plurality of pixel definition layers, a plurality of metal partition structures and a plurality of light-emitting units, the pixel definition layers are formed on the substrate, the pixel definition layers are provided with a plurality of openings, and the openings form sub-pixel areas; the plurality of metal partition structures are arranged on the pixel definition layer, and the plurality of light-emitting units are respectively arranged in the plurality of sub-pixel areas; wherein each light-emitting unit comprises a light-emitting function layer, a protruding part is arranged on the side, close to the light-emitting function layer, of each metal partition structure, and the protruding parts are used for restraining the light-emitting function layer from overflowing towards the adjacent sub-pixel areas in the ink-jet printing process of the light-emitting function layer. The metal partition structure is used for preventing ink forming the light-emitting function layer from overflowing, and therefore the problem that the ink overflows to the adjacent sub-pixel areas due to the climbing problem in the ink-jet printing process is solved.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] The inkjet printing process is an OLED device preparation technology suitable for large-generation lines, and has a more economical advantage in the preparation of medium and large-sized products. As a non-contact patterning technology, inkjet printing can directly pattern ink droplets by spraying them onto designated locations on the substrate. The hole injection layer, hole transport layer, light-emitting layer, etc. in the light-emitting functional layer are often formed into films by printing, and then the cathode and other preparations are completed by a non-metallic mask film forming method. Before inkjet printing, it is necessary to use a pixel definition layer (PDL) to prepare openings in the sub-pixel area. The openings formed by the pixel definition layer limit the area of ​​ink to prevent ink from flowing into adjacent sub-pixel areas of different colors.

[0003] However, due to the affinity between the pixel definition layer and the ink, the ink easily climbs up the pixel definition layer, causing it to overflow into adjacent pixels and cause contamination. Therefore, those skilled in the art are in urgent need of a method to solve the above technical problem. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The purpose of this application is to provide a display panel, a manufacturing method thereof, and a display device, which utilizes a metal partition structure to prevent the ink forming the light-emitting functional layer from overflowing, thereby avoiding the problem of the light-emitting function overflowing to the adjacent sub-pixel area due to the climbing problem during the inkjet printing process, thereby improving the film layer of the light-emitting functional layer, and improving the luminous efficiency and stability of the light-emitting unit.

[0005] The present application discloses a display panel, which includes a base substrate, multiple pixel definition layers, multiple metal partition structures and multiple light-emitting units, wherein the pixel definition layer is formed on the base substrate, the pixel definition layer has multiple openings, and the openings form sub-pixel areas; multiple metal partition structures are arranged on the pixel definition layer, and multiple light-emitting units are respectively arranged in multiple sub-pixel areas; wherein the light-emitting units include a light-emitting functional layer, and the metal partition structure is provided with a protrusion on the side close to the light-emitting functional layer, and the protrusion is used to suppress the light-emitting functional layer from overflowing to the adjacent sub-pixel area during the inkjet printing process of the light-emitting functional layer.

[0006] Optionally, the metal partition structure includes a partition lower part and a partition upper part, the radial width of the partition lower part is smaller than the radial width of the partition upper part; the partition upper part protrudes from the partition lower part to form the protrusion.

[0007] Optionally, a metal oxide layer is provided on the side of the metal partition structure close to the light-emitting functional layer, and the metal oxide layer is used to insulate the light-emitting functional layer from the metal partition structure; the metal oxide layer is provided at least on the side of the lower part of the partition close to the light-emitting functional layer; and the side surface of the light-emitting functional layer is in direct contact with the metal oxide layer.

[0008] Optionally, the lower part of the partition is formed of a metal material, and the upper part of the partition is formed of a metal material, and the metal material used in the upper part of the partition is different from the metal material used in the lower part of the partition; the metal oxide layer covers the upper part of the partition and the side of the lower part of the partition, and extends to the side of the upper part of the partition away from the pixel definition layer; the metal oxide layer is arranged between the metal partition structure and the light-emitting functional layer; wherein the metal oxide layer is formed by oxidizing the lower part of the partition and the upper part of the partition; the metal material includes one or more of molybdenum, aluminum or titanium.

[0009] Optionally, the light-emitting unit further includes a bottom electrode and a top electrode, the bottom electrode is arranged on the base substrate, the light-emitting functional layer is arranged on the bottom electrode, and the top electrode is arranged on the light-emitting functional layer; the side surface of the light-emitting functional layer is in direct contact with the side surface of the pixel definition layer, the side surface of the lower part of the partition, and the side surface of the upper part of the partition.

[0010] Optionally, the metal oxide layer is provided with a notch, and the notch is located on a side of the upper portion of the partition away from the pixel definition layer; the top electrode is electrically connected to the upper portion of the partition at the position of the notch.

[0011] Optionally, the distance between the surface of the bottom electrode and the surface of the pixel definition layer is between 90nm and 300nm; the light-emitting functional layer includes a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light-emitting layer, an electron transport layer and an electron injection layer, the hole injection layer is arranged on the bottom electrode, the hole transport layer is arranged on the hole injection layer, the light-emitting layer is arranged on the hole transport layer, the electron transport layer is arranged on the light-emitting layer, and the electron injection layer is arranged on the electron transport layer; the side surfaces of the hole injection layer are in direct contact with the side surfaces of the pixel definition layer and the side surfaces of the metal partition structure respectively.

[0012] The present application also discloses a method for manufacturing a display panel, comprising the steps of:

[0013] providing a substrate;

[0014] forming a pixel definition layer on a base substrate and forming a plurality of sub-pixel regions;

[0015] forming a metal partition structure on the pixel definition layer;

[0016] forming an oxidized metal layer on the side of the metal partition structure;

[0017] forming a light-emitting functional layer in the sub-pixel area by using an inkjet printing process;

[0018] forming a light-emitting unit;

[0019] The metal partition structure is used to suppress the light-emitting functional layer from overflowing to the adjacent sub-pixel area during the inkjet printing process of the light-emitting functional layer.

[0020] Optionally, before the step of forming a pixel definition layer on the base substrate and forming a plurality of sub-pixel areas, the step includes:

[0021] forming a bottom electrode on the sub-pixel region of the base substrate;

[0022] The step of forming a metal partition structure on the pixel definition layer includes:

[0023] forming a partition lower portion on the pixel definition layer;

[0024] forming a partition upper portion on the partition lower portion;

[0025] The step of forming a metal oxide layer on the side of the metal partition structure includes:

[0026] Covering the bottom electrode and the upper portion of the partition with a protective layer;

[0027] Oxidizing the surface of the metal partition structure to form an oxidized metal layer, and forming a notch on the upper portion of the partition;

[0028] Wherein, the metal oxide layer does not overlap with the gap.

[0029] The present application also discloses a display device, comprising a driving circuit and the above-mentioned display panel, wherein the driving circuit is used to drive the display panel to display.

[0030] This application provides a metal partition structure on the pixel definition layer, forming openings in the sub-pixel regions through the metal partition structure and the pixel definition layer. This prevents the ink forming the light-emitting functional layer from overflowing during the formation of the light-emitting functional layer, thereby avoiding the problem of the light-emitting functional layer overflowing into adjacent sub-pixel regions due to slope problems during the inkjet printing process. Furthermore, the protruding portion of the metal partition structure prevents slope problems in some film layers of the light-emitting functional layer and the resulting leakage problems, thereby improving the stability of the light-emitting unit and enhancing the quality of the display panel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0031] The included drawings are used to provide a further understanding of the embodiments of the present application, which constitute a part of the specification, are used to illustrate the implementation methods of the present application, and together with the text description, explain the principles of the present application. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without inventive work. In the drawings:

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic top view of a display panel according to the first embodiment of the present application;

[0033] Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel according to a first embodiment of the present application;

[0034] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a display panel according to a second embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing a display panel of the present application;

[0036] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the steps of the method for manufacturing the display panel of the present application;

[0037] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a display device of the present application.

[0038] Among them, 100, display panel; 110, base substrate; 111, pixel definition layer; 120, metal partition structure; 121, partition lower part; 122, partition upper part; 123, protrusion; 124, metal oxide layer; 125, notch; 126, protective layer; 130, light-emitting unit; 131, bottom electrode; 132, light-emitting functional layer; 1321, hole injection layer; 1322, hole transport layer; 1323, light-emitting layer; 1324, electron transport layer; 1325, electron injection layer; 133, top electrode; 200, display device; 210, driving circuit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0039] It should be understood that the terms used herein, the specific structures and functional details disclosed are only for describing specific embodiments and are representative. However, the present application can be implemented in many alternative forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described herein.

[0040] In the description of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be understood as indicating relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, unless otherwise specified, features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features; "multiple" means two or more. In addition, terms indicating orientation or positional relationships such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "vertical", and "horizontal" are based on the orientation or relative positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings and are only for the convenience of describing a simplified description of this application, rather than indicating that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as a limitation on this application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0041] The present application is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and optional embodiments.

[0042] Figure 1 is a schematic top view of a display panel according to the first embodiment of the present application, Figure 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel according to the first embodiment of the present application, see Figures 1 to 2 As shown, the present application discloses a display panel 100, which includes a base substrate 110, a plurality of pixel definition layers 111, a plurality of metal partition structures 120 and a plurality of light-emitting units 130, wherein the plurality of pixel definition layers 111 are formed on the base substrate 110, and the pixel definition layer 111 has a plurality of openings, and the openings form sub-pixel areas; the plurality of metal partition structures 120 are arranged on the pixel definition layer 111, and the plurality of light-emitting units 130 are respectively arranged in the plurality of sub-pixel areas; wherein the light-emitting unit 130 includes a light-emitting functional layer 132, and the metal partition structure 120 is provided with a protrusion 123 on a side close to the light-emitting functional layer 132, and the protrusion 123 is used to suppress the light-emitting functional layer 132 from overflowing to the adjacent sub-pixel area during the inkjet printing process of the light-emitting functional layer 132.

[0043] This application provides a metal partition structure 120 on the pixel definition layer 111. The metal partition structure 120 and the pixel definition layer 111 form openings in the sub-pixel region. This prevents the ink forming the light-emitting functional layer 132 from overflowing when forming the light-emitting functional layer 132, thereby avoiding the problem of the light-emitting function overflowing into adjacent sub-pixel regions due to slope creep during inkjet printing. Furthermore, the protrusions 123 of the metal partition structure 120 prevent slope creep in some film layers of the light-emitting functional layer 132 and the resulting leakage, thereby improving the stability of the light-emitting unit 130 and the quality of the display panel 100.

[0044] Specifically, the metal partition structure 120 includes a partition lower portion 121 and a partition upper portion 122. The radial width of the partition lower portion 121 is smaller than the radial width of the partition upper portion 122. The partition upper portion 122 protrudes from the partition lower portion 121 to form the protrusion 123. Both sides of the partition upper portion 122 protrude from the partition lower portion 121 to form the protrusion 123. The protrusion 123 forms a concave structure with partitioning capability at the location where the partition upper portion 122 protrudes.

[0045] In this embodiment, the metal partition structure 120 is used to act as the side wall of the opening of the sub-pixel area, so that the metal partition structure 120 is used to form a groove to accommodate ink during inkjet printing, and finally the ink is removed to retain the light-emitting functional layer 132 material to form a light-emitting functional layer 132 film. In the process of inkjet printing, the ink is prevented from overflowing from the opening, thereby avoiding the contamination problem of the light-emitting functional layer 132 material in adjacent sub-pixel areas of different colors. In this embodiment, the metal partition structure 120 adopts an overhanging structure with a wider partition upper part 122 and a narrower partition lower part 121. When performing inkjet printing, the partition capacity between the partition upper part 122 and the partition lower part 121 is used to isolate the light-emitting functional layer 132, so that the light-emitting functional layers 132 of two adjacent sub-pixel areas will not be connected. Furthermore, during this process, the isolation capability of the metal partition structure 120 ensures that even if the light-emitting functional layer 132 encounters a climbing problem, the height of the climbing height of the light-emitting functional layer 132 is limited, as the partition upper portion 122 protrudes beyond the partition lower portion 121 to form the protrusion 123. More importantly, the protrusion 123 formed by the partition upper portion 122 can be used to isolate leakage or short circuit problems caused by direct contact between a portion of the film layer in the light-emitting functional layer 132 and the top electrode 133 of the light-emitting unit 130.

[0046] The light-emitting unit 130 also includes a bottom electrode 131 and a top electrode 133. The bottom electrode 131 is arranged in blocks below the pixel definition layer 111 and extends toward the opening, where it directly contacts the light-emitting functional layer 132. The bottom electrode 131 also needs to be connected to a pixel driving circuit. The pixel driving circuit is generally arranged below the light-emitting unit 130 and is formed by stacking multiple metal layers and multiple insulating layers to form a thin-film transistor, data line, scan line, and other pixel driving circuits for providing data signals to the bottom electrode 131 of the light-emitting unit 130.

[0047] Specifically, the light-emitting functional layer 132 generally includes a hole injection layer 1321, a hole transport layer 1322, a light-emitting layer 1323, an electron transport layer 1324 and an electron injection layer 1325, etc. The hole injection layer 1321 is arranged on the bottom electrode 131, the hole transport layer 1322 is arranged on the hole injection layer 1321, the light-emitting layer 1323 is arranged on the hole transport layer 1322, the electron transport layer 1324 is arranged on the light-emitting layer 1323, and the electron injection layer 1325 is arranged on the electron transport layer 1324.

[0048] In this embodiment, the hole injection layer 1321 has the best conductivity, resulting in a higher slope between the hole injection layer 1321 and the pixel definition layer 111. In other words, in the light-emitting functional layer 132, the hole injection layer 1321 is most susceptible to slope climbing, and the slope climbing position is higher. Moreover, because the hole injection layer 1321 is located at the lower portion 121 of the partition of the light-emitting functional layer 132, when the hole injection layer 1321 has a high slope climbing position, it further causes serious slope climbing problems in the subsequent hole transport layer 1322, the light-emitting layer 1323, the electron transport layer 1324, and the electron injection layer 1325. Ultimately, the film layers of the light-emitting functional layer 132 are uneven, and the luminous efficiency of the light-emitting unit 130 is low. Even worse, leakage occurs in some thinner film layers, causing the light-emitting unit 130 to fail.

[0049] The protruding structure of the metal partition structure 120 in this application can also avoid the short circuit problem caused by the hole injection layer 1321 contacting the top electrode 133 of the light-emitting unit 130 due to the high slope. When the protruding portion 123 has insulation capability, it can further avoid the leakage problem caused by the high slope of the hole injection layer 1321. That is, it is used to block the hole injection layer 1321 and the top electrode 133 to prevent the hole injection layer 1321 from short-circuiting with the top electrode 133. In this embodiment,

[0050] In this embodiment, the metal partition structure 120 not only suppresses the slope of the light-emitting functional layer 132 through its protruding structure, but also acts as an overhang in the metal mask-free evaporation technology. Specifically, the metal partition structure 120 is used to form mutually disconnected light-emitting functional layers 132 in multiple sub-pixel regions. For example, a portion of the film layer (electron injection layer 1325) within the light-emitting functional layer 132 can be formed using the metal mask-free evaporation technology. Furthermore, the metal partition structure 120 can be used to connect the top electrodes 133 of multiple sub-pixel regions to form a single, interconnected top electrode 133, thereby reducing the resistance of the top electrode 133. In particular, for large-scale display panels 100, where the voltage drop caused by the wiring impedance is more significant, it is necessary to improve the voltage drop of the top electrode 133 in order to maintain a certain brightness uniformity standard for the display panel 100. In this application, the metal partition structure 120 is used to connect the top electrodes 133 of multiple sub-pixel regions to reduce the impedance of the top electrode 133.

[0051] Specifically, in the metal partition structure 120 , at least the partition upper portion 122 is formed of a metal material, wherein the metal material includes one or more of molybdenum, aluminum, or titanium.

[0052] In this embodiment, the partition upper portion 122 is formed of a metal material with good conductive properties. However, the top electrode 133 of the light-emitting unit 130 is generally formed of a transparent conductive layer, which has a large resistance impedance and causes voltage drop problems. Considering that the metal partition structure 120 is a mesh structure on the orthographic projection of the base substrate 110, and each mesh corresponds to a sub-pixel area. In this embodiment, by connecting the top electrode 133 to the partition upper portion 122, the top electrodes 133 of multiple sub-pixel areas are connected, thereby reducing the resistance drop of the top electrode 133.

[0053] Specifically, the width of the partition lower portion 121 is smaller than the width of the pixel definition layer 111 , and the width of the partition upper portion 122 is smaller than the width of the pixel definition layer 111 .

[0054] By setting the width of the lower portion 121 of the partition smaller than the width of the pixel definition layer 111, the length of each film layer in the light-emitting functional layer 132 extending toward the edge is increased. Considering that the effective light-emitting area of ​​the light-emitting unit 130 is mainly defined by the opening of the pixel definition layer 111, the material of the light-emitting functional layer 132 on the pixel definition layer 111 does not actually directly emit light. In this embodiment, by setting the width of the metal partition structure 120 narrower than the pixel definition layer 111, the light-emitting functional layer 132 has a wider extension length. Even if the light-emitting functional layer 132 experiences a certain degree of climbing on the metal partition structure 120, its impact on the film layers in the effective light-emitting area is smaller, thereby improving the performance of the light-emitting unit 130.

[0055] Specifically, in this embodiment, the lower partition portion 121 can be formed of an inorganic insulating material, and the upper partition portion 122 can be formed of a metal material. Of course, in actual design, the light-emitting layer 1323, the hole transport layer 1322, and the hole injection layer 1321 of the light-emitting functional layer 132 need to be isolated from the upper partition portion 122 to avoid leakage or short circuit issues. Alternatively, a metal oxide layer 124 can be provided on the upper partition portion 122 to provide insulation by utilizing its non-conductive properties.

[0056] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of a display panel according to the second embodiment of the present application, see Figure 3 As shown, the present application also discloses a display panel 100, the display panel 100 includes a base substrate 110, a plurality of pixel definition layers 111, a plurality of metal partition structures 120 and a plurality of light-emitting units 130, the plurality of pixel definition layers 111 are formed on the base substrate 110, and a sub-pixel region is formed between two adjacent pixel definition layers 111; the plurality of metal partition structures 120 are arranged on the pixel definition layer 111, and the plurality of light-emitting units 130 are respectively arranged in the plurality of sub-pixel regions; wherein the light-emitting unit 130 includes a light-emitting unit 130; Functional layer 132, the metal partition structure 120 is provided with a metal oxide layer 124 on the side close to the light-emitting functional layer 132, and the metal oxide layer 124 is used to prevent the light-emitting functional layer from being insulated from the metal partition structure; the metal oxide layer 124 is provided at least on the side of the metal partition structure 120; the metal partition structure 120 is used to isolate the light-emitting functional layer 132 of two adjacent sub-pixel areas during the inkjet printing process of the light-emitting functional layer 132; the side of the light-emitting functional layer 132 is in direct contact with the metal oxide layer 124.

[0057] Specifically, the pixel definition layer 111 is generally formed of an organic insulating material. Since the organic insulating material has a certain affinity with the ink that forms the light-emitting functional layer 132, the ink easily climbs on the pixel definition layer 111. As a result, during the film formation process of the light-emitting functional layer 132 after the ink is removed, the film layer of the light-emitting functional layer 132 extends upward on the pixel definition layer 111, resulting in problems such as uneven film thickness of the light-emitting functional layer 132.

[0058] In this embodiment, the metal oxide layer 124 isolates the electrical connection between the light-emitting functional layer 132 and the metal partition structure 120, thereby preventing electrical entanglement after the light-emitting functional layer 132 is connected to the metal partition structure 120. Furthermore, the ink in this embodiment is generally an organic solvent, encapsulating the solute of the material of the light-emitting functional layer 132. Since the metal oxide layer 124 is an inorganic material, there is a certain degree of hydrophobicity between the metal oxide layer 124 and the ink. Therefore, the ink of the light-emitting functional layer 132 does not form a slope on the metal oxide layer 124, thereby mitigating the slope phenomenon of the light-emitting functional layer 132 during the inkjet printing process.

[0059] In this embodiment, the thickness of the pixel definition layer 111 can be set to be relatively small, or the pixel definition layer 111 can be completely replaced by the metal partition structure 120. In this way, during the formation of the light-emitting functional layer 132, the protruding structure of the metal partition structure 120 and the metal oxide layer 124 provided on the metal partition structure 120 can be utilized to prevent the light-emitting functional layer 132 from experiencing any slope increase. It is understood that in this application, by providing the metal partition structure 120 and forming the metal oxide layer 124 on the metal partition structure 120, the metal oxide layer 124 can be used to provide insulation and mitigate the ink slope increase.

[0060] Of course, in another embodiment, the metal oxide layer 124 can also be extended in the manner of the pixel definition layer 111 to isolate the light-emitting functional layer 132 from the pixel definition layer 111. Although the climbing problem between the pixel definition layer 111 and the light-emitting functional layer 132 can be alleviated, since the metal oxide layer 124 needs to be extended, it is necessary to consider that it does not contact the bottom electrode 131 of the light-emitting unit 130, and its process is more complicated. Therefore, a pixel definition layer 111 is provided between the metal partition structure 120 and the bottom electrode 131 of the light-emitting unit 130, and the pixel definition layer 111 is used to insulate the metal partition structure 120 from the bottom electrode 131 of the light-emitting unit 130. By reducing the thickness of the pixel definition layer 111, the light-emitting functional layer 132 can be made to contact more with the metal partition structure 120, thereby preventing the light-emitting functional layer 132 from having a climbing problem.

[0061] In this embodiment, by reducing the thickness of the pixel definition layer 111, the side surfaces of the hole injection layer 1321 are in direct contact with the side surfaces of the pixel definition layer 111 and the metal partition structure 120. That is, the side surfaces of the hole injection layer 1321 are in direct contact with the side surfaces of the pixel definition layer 111 and the side surfaces of the metal partition structure 120.

[0062] In another embodiment, the distance between the surface of the bottom electrode 131 and the surface of the pixel definition layer 111 is no more than 300 nm. This allows the side surfaces of the hole injection layer 1321 to directly contact the side surfaces of the pixel definition layer 111 and the side surfaces of the metal partition structure 120. Of course, considering that the top electrode 133 does not need to be isolated by the metal partition structure 120, the distance between the surface of the bottom electrode 131 and the surface of the pixel definition layer 111 is no more than 90 nm.

[0063] In the present application, by setting a height difference between the surface of the bottom electrode 131 and the surface of the pixel definition layer 111, the hole injection layer 1321 in the light-emitting functional layer 132, which is located near the base substrate 110, is configured so that the side of the hole injection layer 1321 can also contact the metal oxide layer 124, thereby suppressing the climbing phenomenon of the hole injection layer 1321. Of course, an electron blocking layer is generally provided between the light-emitting layer 1323 and the hole transport layer 1322, and a hole blocking layer is generally provided between the light-emitting layer 1323 and the electron transport layer 1324. The above-mentioned film layers are superimposed to form the light-emitting functional layer 132. When the hole injection layer 1321 at the bottom of the light-emitting functional layer 132 exhibits a climbing phenomenon, it has a greater impact on the multiple film layers above. Therefore, this embodiment improves the film quality of the light-emitting functional layer 132 by improving the multiple film layers in the light-emitting functional layer 132.

[0064] The metal oxide layer 124 is disposed at least on one side of the partition lower portion 121 proximal to the light-emitting functional layer 132. This embodiment primarily addresses the aforementioned hole injection layer 1321, preventing at least a significant slope increase in the hole injection layer 1321. Furthermore, since the partition lower portion 121 itself has a certain height, it can cover most film layers, such as the hole transport layer 1322, the light-emitting layer 1323, and the electron transport layer 1324. The metal oxide layer 124 disposed on the metal partition structure 120 mitigates the slope increase in the aforementioned film layers.

[0065] It is worth mentioning that the thickness of the metal oxide layer 124 mentioned in this embodiment must be sufficient to prevent the metal oxide layer 124 from being electrically broken down, that is, to render the metal oxide layer 124 non-conductive. This is to avoid the light-emitting functional layer 132 being electrically connected to the metal partition structure 120 through the conductive metal oxide layer 124, thereby preventing abnormal light emission.

[0066] In one embodiment, the partition lower portion 121 is formed of a metal material, and the partition upper portion 122 is formed of a metal material. The metal material used for the partition upper portion 122 is different from the metal material used for the partition lower portion 121. For example, if the partition upper portion 122 is made of molybdenum, the partition lower portion 121 may be made of aluminum. By selecting different materials, etching can be performed in stages during the etching process, thereby forming an overhanging shape.

[0067] The metal material includes one or more of molybdenum, aluminum or titanium. When the partition upper part 122 is a metal alloy, the partition lower part 121 can be a single metal material or a metal alloy. When multiple metal materials are used, it can be a metal alloy material.

[0068] In this embodiment, the metal partition structure 120 is not in direct contact with the bottom electrode 131 , but is separated from the bottom electrode 131 by the pixel definition layer 111 for insulation.

[0069] The side surfaces of the light-emitting functional layer 132 are in direct contact with the side surfaces of the pixel definition layer 111 and the side surfaces of the metal partition structure 120. The oxidized metal layer 124 needs to cover the side surfaces of the metal conductive structure, that is, cover the side surfaces of the partition upper portion 122 and the side surfaces of the partition lower portion 121, and extend toward the side of the partition upper portion 122 away from the base substrate 110, that is, the oxidized metal layer 124 is also partially disposed on the top surface of the partition upper portion 122.

[0070] In a specific embodiment, the light-emitting unit 130 also includes a bottom electrode 131 and a top electrode 133, the bottom electrode 131 is arranged on the base substrate 110, the light-emitting functional layer 132 is arranged on the bottom electrode 131, and the top electrode 133 is arranged on the light-emitting functional layer 132; the metal oxide layer 124 is provided with a notch 125, and the notch 125 is located on the side of the partition upper portion 122 away from the pixel definition layer 111; the top electrode 133 is in direct contact with the partition upper portion 122 at the position of the notch 125.

[0071] This solution not only considers the use of the upper partition portion 122 and the lower partition portion 121 of the metal partition structure 120 to prevent the light-emitting functional layer 132 from climbing and overflowing, but also provides an oxide metal layer 124 at as many locations as possible on the upper partition portion 122 to improve insulation between the light-emitting functional layer 132 and the top electrode 133 and the upper partition portion 122 of the metal partition structure 120 by providing a notch 125, thereby alleviating the impedance problem.

[0072] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a method for manufacturing a display panel of the present application, Figure 5This is a schematic diagram of the steps of the method for manufacturing the display panel of the present application, see Figures 4 and 5 As shown, the present application also discloses a method for manufacturing a display panel, comprising the steps of:

[0073] S110: providing a substrate;

[0074] S120: forming a pixel definition layer on the base substrate and forming a plurality of sub-pixel areas;

[0075] S130: forming a metal partition structure on the pixel definition layer;

[0076] S140: forming an oxidized metal layer on the side of the metal partition structure;

[0077] S150: forming a light-emitting functional layer in the sub-pixel area by an inkjet printing process;

[0078] S160: forming a light-emitting unit.

[0079] The metal partition structure is used to suppress the light-emitting functional layer from overflowing to the adjacent sub-pixel area during the inkjet printing process of the light-emitting functional layer.

[0080] This application provides a metal partition structure 120 on the pixel definition layer 111. The metal partition structure 120 and the pixel definition layer 111 form openings in the sub-pixel region. This prevents the ink forming the light-emitting functional layer 132 from overflowing when forming the light-emitting functional layer 132, thereby avoiding the problem of the light-emitting function overflowing into adjacent sub-pixel regions due to slope creep during inkjet printing. Furthermore, the protrusions 123 of the metal partition structure 120 prevent slope creep in some film layers of the light-emitting functional layer 132 and the resulting leakage, thereby improving the stability of the light-emitting unit 130 and the quality of the display panel 100.

[0081] Before the step S120, the following steps are also included:

[0082] S111: forming a bottom electrode on the sub-pixel region of the base substrate.

[0083] The bottom electrode 131 generally serves as the anode of the light-emitting unit 130 and is formed of a highly reflective metal material. Generally, the anode is only located at the opening, but to account for wiring, the bottom electrode 131 is partially located below the pixel definition layer 111, and a separate bottom electrode 131 is provided for each sub-pixel region.

[0084] The step S130 also includes:

[0085] S131: forming a partition lower portion on the pixel definition layer;

[0086] S132: forming a partition upper portion on the partition lower portion.

[0087] Among them, the structure in which the upper part 122 of the partition is wider than the lower part 121 of the partition is formed mainly by etching the upper part 122 and the lower part 121 of the partition respectively, and making the etching speed of the lower part 121 faster and the etching speed of the upper part 122 slower, so that the width of the upper part 122 of the partition is greater than the width of the lower part 121 of the partition, thereby forming the protrusion 123.

[0088] The steps of S140 include:

[0089] S141: Covering the bottom electrode and the partition with a protective layer;

[0090] S142: Oxidizing the surface of the metal partition structure to form an oxidized metal layer, and forming a notch in the upper part of the partition. The oxidized metal layer 124 does not overlap with the notch 125. The protective layer 126 in this embodiment can be a photoresist, which can cover the position of the notch 125 and the bottom electrode 131, thereby preventing the bottom electrode 131 from being oxidized, and can also retain the partition upper part 122 at the position of the notch 125, so that the partition upper part 122 is directly electrically connected to the top electrode 133. It can be understood that when the oxidized metal layer 124 is obtained by oxidizing the partition upper part 122, the notch 125 in this embodiment is not a structural notch 125, but refers to an area of ​​the partition upper part 122 that is not oxidized.

[0091] In step S150, a hollow injection layer, a hole transport layer 1322, a light-emitting layer 1323, an electron transport layer 1324, and an electron injection layer 1325 are formed by inkjet printing. In step S160, the top electrode 133 and a light extraction layer of the light-emitting unit 130 are formed to form the light-emitting unit 130.

[0092] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of the display device of this application, see Figure 5 As shown, the present application further discloses a display device, wherein the display device 200 includes a driving circuit 210 and any one of the display panels 100 in the above embodiments, wherein the driving circuit 210 is used to drive the display panel 100 to display.

[0093] It should be noted that the inventive concept of this application can form a large number of embodiments, but the length of the application document is limited and it is impossible to list them one by one. Therefore, under the premise of no conflict, the various embodiments or technical features described above can be arbitrarily combined to form new embodiments. After the various embodiments or technical features are combined, the original technical effects will be enhanced.

[0094] The above content is a further detailed description of the present application in conjunction with specific optional implementation methods, and the specific implementation of the present application cannot be considered to be limited to these descriptions. For ordinary technicians in the technical field to which the present application belongs, they can make several simple deductions or substitutions without departing from the concept of the present application, which should be considered to fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A display panel, characterized in that: include: substrate; A pixel definition layer is formed on the base substrate, wherein the pixel definition layer has a plurality of openings, and the openings form sub-pixel areas; as well as a plurality of metal partition structures, disposed on the pixel definition layer; A plurality of light-emitting units are respectively arranged in the plurality of sub-pixel areas; The light-emitting unit includes a light-emitting functional layer, and a protrusion is provided on the side of the metal partition structure close to the light-emitting functional layer. The protrusion is used to suppress the light-emitting functional layer from overflowing to the adjacent sub-pixel area during the inkjet printing process of the light-emitting functional layer.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein: The metal partition structure includes a partition lower portion and a partition upper portion, wherein the radial width of the partition lower portion is smaller than the radial width of the partition upper portion; The partition upper portion protrudes from the partition lower portion to form the protruding portion.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein: A metal oxide layer is provided on a side of the metal partition structure close to the light-emitting functional layer, and the metal oxide layer is used to insulate the light-emitting functional layer from the metal partition structure; The metal oxide layer is at least arranged on one side of the lower portion of the partition close to the light-emitting functional layer; The side surface of the light-emitting functional layer is in direct contact with the metal oxide layer.

4. The display panel according to claim 3, wherein: The lower portion of the partition is formed of a metal material, and the upper portion of the partition is formed of a metal material, and the metal material used in the upper portion of the partition is different from the metal material used in the lower portion of the partition; The metal oxide layer covers the upper portion of the partition and the side surface of the lower portion of the partition, and extends toward the side of the upper portion of the partition away from the pixel definition layer; the metal oxide layer is disposed between the metal partition structure and the light-emitting functional layer; Wherein, the metal oxide layer is formed by oxidizing the lower portion of the partition and the upper portion of the partition; The metal material includes one or more of molybdenum, aluminum or titanium.

5. The display panel according to claim 4, wherein: The light-emitting unit further includes a bottom electrode and a top electrode, wherein the bottom electrode is arranged on the base substrate, the light-emitting functional layer is arranged on the bottom electrode, and the top electrode is arranged on the light-emitting functional layer; The side surface of the light-emitting functional layer is in direct contact with the side surface of the pixel definition layer, the side surface of the lower portion of the partition, and the side surface of the upper portion of the partition.

6. The display panel according to claim 5, wherein: The metal oxide layer is provided with a notch, and the notch is located on a side of the upper portion of the partition away from the pixel definition layer; The top electrode is electrically connected to the upper portion of the partition at the notch position.

7. The display panel according to claim 5, wherein: The distance between the surface of the bottom electrode and the surface of the pixel definition layer is between 90 nm and 300 nm; The light-emitting functional layer includes a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light-emitting layer, an electron transport layer and an electron injection layer, wherein the hole injection layer is arranged on the bottom electrode, the hole transport layer is arranged on the hole injection layer, the light-emitting layer is arranged on the hole transport layer, the electron transport layer is arranged on the light-emitting layer, and the electron injection layer is arranged on the electron transport layer; The side surfaces of the hole injection layer are in direct contact with the side surfaces of the pixel definition layer and the side surfaces of the metal partition structure respectively.

8. A method for manufacturing a display panel, characterized in that: Including steps: providing a substrate; forming a pixel definition layer on a base substrate and forming a plurality of sub-pixel regions; forming a metal partition structure on the pixel definition layer; forming an oxidized metal layer on the side of the metal partition structure; forming a light-emitting functional layer in the sub-pixel area by using an inkjet printing process; forming a light-emitting unit; The metal partition structure is used to suppress the light-emitting functional layer from overflowing to the adjacent sub-pixel area during the inkjet printing process of the light-emitting functional layer.

9. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 8, wherein: The step of forming a pixel definition layer on the base substrate and forming a plurality of sub-pixel areas includes: forming a bottom electrode on the sub-pixel region of the base substrate; The step of forming a metal partition structure on the pixel definition layer includes: forming a partition lower portion on the pixel definition layer; forming a partition upper portion on the partition lower portion; The step of forming a metal oxide layer on the side of the metal partition structure includes: Covering the bottom electrode and the upper portion of the partition with a protective layer; Oxidizing the surface of the metal partition structure to form an oxidized metal layer, and forming a notch on the upper portion of the partition; Wherein, the metal oxide layer does not overlap with the gap.

10. A display device, characterized in that: The device comprises a driving circuit and the display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the driving circuit is used to drive the display panel to display.

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