Electronic ink screen and its preparation method, display device

Abstract

An electronic ink screen (10) and its preparation method, and a display device (100) are disclosed. The electronic ink screen (10) includes an array substrate (1) and an opposing substrate (2) disposed opposite to each other, a barrier structure (3), an adhesive layer (4) and an electrophoretic ink layer (5). The barrier structure (3) is disposed between the array substrate (1) and the opposing substrate (2), and the adhesive layer (4) is disposed between the barrier structure (3) and the opposing substrate (2). One end of the barrier structure (3) is connected to the array substrate (1), and the other end of the barrier structure (3) away from the array substrate (1) is connected to the adhesive layer (4). The barrier structure (3) includes a plurality of first openings (31). The first openings (31), the portion of the adhesive layer (4) corresponding to the first openings (31), and the portion of the array substrate (1) corresponding to the first openings (31) form a first microcavity. The electrophoretic ink layer (5) is filled in the first microcavity.

Description

Electronic ink screen, preparation method thereof and display device TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of display, and in particular to an electronic ink screen, a preparation method thereof and a display device. BACKGROUND

[0002] In the electrophoretic reflective display technology, a solution containing charged particles is encapsulated in a micro-cup structure, and the charged particles are made to produce electrophoresis in the micro-cup structure by applying and switching an electric field to realize image display, which has the advantages of small driving voltage, energy saving and small damage to eyes.

[0003] SUMMARY

[0004] In one aspect, an electronic ink screen is provided. The electronic ink screen includes an array substrate and an opposite substrate arranged oppositely, a barrier wall structure, an adhesive layer and an electrophoretic ink layer. The barrier wall structure is arranged between the array substrate and the opposite substrate, the adhesive layer is arranged between the barrier wall structure and the opposite substrate, one end of the barrier wall structure is connected with the array substrate, and the other end of the barrier wall structure away from the array substrate is connected with the adhesive layer. The barrier wall structure includes a plurality of first openings, the first openings, a portion of the adhesive layer corresponding to the first openings and a portion of the array substrate corresponding to the first openings form first micro-cavities, and the electrophoretic ink layer is filled in the first micro-cavities.

[0005] In some embodiments, the other end of the barrier wall structure away from the array substrate is embedded in the adhesive layer.

[0006] In some embodiments, the other end of the barrier wall structure away from the array substrate includes at least one insertion portion, at least a portion of the insertion portion is inserted into the adhesive layer. In the direction away from the array substrate, the insertion portion gradually decreases in size in a set direction, and the set direction is parallel to the array substrate.

[0007] In some embodiments, the height of the barrier wall structure is less than or equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the electrophoretic ink layer and the adhesive layer, and greater than or equal to the thickness of the electrophoretic ink layer. The height is the dimension of the barrier wall structure in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen.

[0008] In some embodiments, the electronic ink screen has a display area, and a plurality of first micro-cavities corresponding to a plurality of first openings are located in the display area. The electronic ink screen further includes at least two first barrier walls arranged between the array substrate and the opposite substrate. The first barrier walls extend in a first direction, and the at least two first barrier walls are respectively located on opposite sides of the display area in a second direction, and the first barrier walls have a spacing in the second direction from the display area. The first direction and the second direction intersect.

[0009] In some embodiments, the height of the first barrier wall is the same as or substantially the same as the height of the barrier wall structure, and the height is the dimension of the first barrier wall or the barrier wall structure in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen.

[0010] In some embodiments, the distance between the first barrier wall and the display area in the second direction is 2-5 times the size of the first microcavity in the second direction.

[0011] In some embodiments, the electronic ink screen further comprises at least two second barrier walls arranged between the array substrate and the counter substrate, the second barrier walls extending along the first direction, and the at least two second barrier walls being respectively located on opposite sides of the display area in the second direction. Among the first barrier wall and the second barrier wall located on the same side of the display area, the second barrier wall is located on the side of the first barrier wall away from the display area, and the second barrier wall has a distance from the first barrier wall in the second direction.

[0012] In some embodiments, the height of the second barrier wall is greater than the height of the first barrier wall, and the height is the size of the first barrier wall or the second barrier wall in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen.

[0013] In some embodiments, the ratio of the height of the second barrier wall to the height of the first barrier wall is greater than 1 and less than or equal to 2.5.

[0014] In some embodiments, the distance between the second barrier wall and the first barrier wall in the second direction is greater than the distance between the first barrier wall and the display area in the second direction; and / or, the width of the second barrier wall is greater than the width of the first barrier wall; and the width is the size of the first barrier wall or the second barrier wall in the direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0015] In some embodiments, the electronic ink screen further comprises at least two third barrier walls arranged between the array substrate and the counter substrate, the third barrier walls extending along the first direction, and the at least two third barrier walls being respectively located on opposite sides of the display area in the second direction. Among the first barrier wall and the third barrier wall located on the same side of the display area, the third barrier wall is located on the side of the first barrier wall close to the display area, the third barrier wall has a distance from the display area in the second direction, and the third barrier wall also has a distance from the first barrier wall in the second direction.

[0016] In some embodiments, the height of the third barrier wall is the same as or substantially the same as the height of the first barrier wall, and the height is the size of the first barrier wall or the third barrier wall in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen; and / or, the width of the third barrier wall is the same as or substantially the same as the width of the first barrier wall, and the width is the size of the first barrier wall or the second barrier wall in the direction perpendicular to the first direction.

[0017] In some embodiments, the electronic ink screen further comprises a liquid storage structure arranged between the array substrate and the counter substrate, the liquid storage structure being located on one side of the display area in the first direction. The liquid storage structure comprises a fourth barrier wall and a flow guide structure, the fourth barrier wall being arranged around the side of the flow guide structure away from the display area and the opposite sides of the flow guide structure in the second direction, and the two ends of the fourth barrier wall being respectively connected to the two second barrier walls.

[0018] In some embodiments, the flow guide structure and the display area have a spacing in the first direction.

[0019] In some embodiments, the spacing between the flow guide structure and the display area has a dimension in the first direction that is greater than or equal to 5 times a dimension of the first microcavity in the first direction.

[0020] In some embodiments, the flow guide structure includes a plurality of flow guide columns that are uniformly distributed within an area enclosed by a straight line on which a boundary of the display area close to the liquid storage structure and the fourth barrier wall, or the flow guide structure has a grid shape.

[0021] In some embodiments, the height of the liquid storage structure is greater than the height of the barrier wall structure, the height being a dimension of the liquid storage structure or the barrier wall structure in a thickness direction of the electronic ink screen, and / or the height of the liquid storage structure is equal to the height of the second barrier wall, the height being a dimension of the liquid storage structure or the second barrier wall in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen.

[0022] In some embodiments, the barrier wall structure further includes a plurality of second openings, the second openings, portions of the adhesive layer corresponding to the second openings, and portions of the array substrate corresponding to the second openings form second microcavities, the second microcavities being located on a side of the display area away from the liquid storage structure, and the electrophoretic ink layer also fills at least one of the second microcavities.

[0023] In some embodiments, the plurality of second microcavities are arranged into at least one column along the second direction.

[0024] In some embodiments, a dimension of the second microcavity along the second direction is 1-2 times a dimension of the first microcavity along the second direction.

[0025] In some embodiments, a dimension of the display area along the first direction is h1, a dimension of the liquid storage structure along the first direction is h2, wherein k is a ratio of a total volume of electrophoretic ink included in the electrophoretic ink layer to a total volume of the plurality of first microcavities.

[0026] In some embodiments, the total volume of electrophoretic ink included in the electrophoretic ink layer is greater than the total volume of the plurality of first microcavities corresponding to the plurality of first openings.

[0027] In some embodiments, the ratio of the total volume of electrophoretic ink included in the electrophoretic ink layer to the total volume of the plurality of first microcavities is greater than 1 and less than or equal to 1.2.

[0028] In another aspect, a display device is provided. The display device includes the electronic ink screen according to any one of the above embodiments, and a driving circuit, the electronic ink screen being electrically connected to the driving circuit.

[0029] In yet another aspect, a method for manufacturing an electronic ink screen is provided. The method for manufacturing the electronic ink screen includes the following steps.

[0030] A barrier structure is formed on the array substrate. The barrier structure includes a plurality of first openings, and one end of the barrier structure is connected to the array substrate.

[0031] Electrophoretic ink is dropped into the plurality of first openings.

[0032] An adhesive layer is formed on the opposite substrate.

[0033] One end of the opposite substrate is aligned with one end of the array substrate, and the opposite substrate is rolled on the array substrate from the one end of the opposite substrate to the other end of the opposite substrate, so that the one end of the barrier structure away from the array substrate is connected to the adhesive layer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0034] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the present disclosure, the following will briefly introduce the drawings needed to be used in some embodiments of the present disclosure. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and other drawings can also be obtained by those skilled in the art according to these drawings. In addition, the drawings in the following description can be regarded as schematic diagrams, and are not limited to the actual size, actual process, actual time sequence, etc. of the product involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 1 is a plan structure diagram of a display device according to some embodiments;

[0036] FIG. 2 is a structure diagram of a display device according to some embodiments;

[0037] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional structure diagram of an electronic ink screen according to some embodiments;

[0038] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional structure diagram according to the cross-sectional line B-B in FIG. 1;

[0039] FIG. 5 is another cross-sectional structure diagram according to the cross-sectional line B-B in FIG. 1;

[0040] FIG. 6 is another cross-sectional structure diagram according to the cross-sectional line B-B in FIG. 1;

[0041] FIG. 7 is another cross-sectional structure diagram according to the cross-sectional line B-B in FIG. 1;

[0042] FIG. 8 is another cross-sectional structure diagram according to the cross-sectional line B-B in FIG. 1;

[0043] FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional structure diagram according to the cross-sectional line C-C in FIG. 1;

[0044] FIG. 10 is a partial structure diagram of an electronic ink screen according to some embodiments;

[0045] Fig. 11 is another sectional view according to the sectional line C-C in Fig. 1;

[0046] Fig. 12 is a partial plan view of an electronic ink screen according to further embodiments;

[0047] Fig. 13 is a partial plan view of an electronic ink screen according to further embodiments;

[0048] Fig. 14A is a sectional view according to the sectional line E-E in Fig. 13;

[0049] Fig. 14B is another sectional view according to the sectional line E-E in Fig. 13;

[0050] Fig. 15 is a partial plan view of an electronic ink screen according to further embodiments;

[0051] Fig. 16 is a partial plan view of an electronic ink screen according to further embodiments;

[0052] Fig. 17 is a partial plan view of an electronic ink screen according to further embodiments;

[0053] Fig. 18 is a partial plan view of an electronic ink screen according to further embodiments;

[0054] Fig. 19 is a partial plan view of an electronic ink screen according to further embodiments;

[0055] Fig. 20 is a partial plan view of an electronic ink screen according to further embodiments;

[0056] Fig. 21 is another sectional view according to the sectional line B-B in Fig. 1;

[0057] Fig. 22 is a sectional view corresponding to step S1 in the method of manufacturing an electronic ink screen according to some embodiments;

[0058] Fig. 23 is a sectional view corresponding to step S2 in the method of manufacturing an electronic ink screen according to some embodiments;

[0059] Fig. 24 is a sectional view corresponding to step S3 in the method of manufacturing an electronic ink screen according to some embodiments;

[0060] Fig. 25 is a sectional view corresponding to step S4 in the method of manufacturing an electronic ink screen according to some embodiments;

[0061] Fig. 26 is another sectional view corresponding to step S4 in the method of manufacturing an electronic ink screen according to some embodiments;

[0062] FIG. 27 is a drop distribution diagram of electrophoretic ink in a method of preparing an electronic ink screen according to some embodiments;

[0063] FIG. 28 is another drop distribution diagram of electrophoretic ink in a method of preparing an electronic ink screen according to some embodiments;

[0064] FIG. 29 is another drop distribution diagram of electrophoretic ink in a method of preparing an electronic ink screen according to some embodiments;

[0065] FIG. 30 is another drop distribution diagram of electrophoretic ink in a method of preparing an electronic ink screen according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0066] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings. It should be apparent that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments provided by the present disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art belong to the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0067] Unless otherwise required by context, the term "comprise" and its other forms such as "comprises" and "comprising" are to be construed as open, inclusive, meaning that "comprising" means "including, but not limited to." In the description of the specification, the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "exemplary embodiments", "example", "specific example" or "some examples" are intended to mean that the specific feature, structure, material or characteristic associated with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. The illustrative representation of the above terms does not necessarily mean the same embodiment or example. In addition, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described can be included in any one or more embodiments or examples in any appropriate manner.

[0068] Hereinafter, the terms "first", "second" are used only for the purpose of description, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second" can explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the features. In the description of the embodiments of the present disclosure, unless otherwise stated, the meaning of "a plurality of" is two or more.

[0069] In describing some embodiments, "coupled" and "connected," along with their derivatives, can be used. It should be understood that these terms are not intended as synonyms for each other. Rather, "connected" can be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical or electrical contact with each other. "Coupled" can be used to indicate that two or more elements are in either physical or electrical contact with each other, even at a remote location from each other. The term "coupled" as used herein encompasses the case where one or more intervening elements can exist. The embodiments disclosed herein are not necessarily limited to the details of the embodiments described.

[0070] "at least one of A, B, and C" has the same meaning as "at least one of A, B, or C" and includes the following combinations: only A, only B, only C, a combination of A and B, a combination of A and C, a combination of B and C, and a combination of A, B, and C.

[0071] "A and / or B" includes the following three combinations: only A, only B, and a combination of A and B.

[0072] As used herein, the term "if' can, depending on the context, optionally be interpreted as meaning "when," or "while," or "in response to determining," or "in response to detecting." Likewise, the phrase "if it is determined" or "if [a stated condition or event] is detected" can, depending on the context, optionally be interpreted as meaning "upon determining," or "in response to determining," or "upon detecting," or "in response to detecting [the stated condition or event]."

[0073] The use of "adapted to" or "configured to," as used herein, means open and inclusive language that does not exclude additional devices or steps not explicitly described.

[0074] Additionally, the use of "based on" means open and inclusive language that does not exclude additional conditions or values not explicitly stated.

[0075] As used herein, "about," "approximately," or "around" includes the recited value and the average value within an acceptable range of deviation from the stated value, as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art considering the measurement being discussed and the error in measurement associated with the particular quantity being measured (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system).

[0076] As used herein, "parallel," "perpendicular," "equal" include the recited condition and conditions that are approximately the recited condition, the range of which is within an acceptable deviation range as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art taking into account the measurement being discussed and the error associated with the measurement of the particular quantity (i.e., limitations of the measurement system). For example, "parallel" includes absolute parallel and approximately parallel, where the acceptable deviation range for approximately parallel can be, for example, within 5°; "perpendicular" includes absolute perpendicular and approximately perpendicular, where the acceptable deviation range for approximately perpendicular can also be, for example, within 5°. "Equal" includes absolute equality and approximate equality, where the acceptable deviation range for approximate equality can be, for example, a difference between the two that is less than or equal to 5% of either.

[0077] It should be understood that when a layer or element is referred to as being "on" another layer or substrate, it can be directly on the other layer or substrate, or intervening layers can also be present.

[0078] Exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to cross-sectional and / or plan view illustrations that are idealized examples. In the interest of clarity, not all of the circular features can be shown in the drawings. It will be appreciated that in the development of any such actual implementation, numerous implementation-specific decisions can be made. These implementation-specific decisions can include, for example, manufacturing or processing tolerances, variations from the teaching, and / or the skill(s) of artisans within the relevant trade. As such, some of the exemplary embodiments can not be to scale. Specifically, the relative thicknesses of the layers can be varied in some embodiments, and the dimensions of some or all individual elements do not necessarily scale with each other as illustrated and / or shown. Moreover, the geometrical proportions of exemplary embodiments can have been modified for the sake of presentation. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments are not to be understood as being limited to the precise shapes and / or relative proportions shown in the drawings. Accordingly, the exemplary embodiments are not to be limited by the illustrative illustrations and / or descriptions.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 1, some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a display device 100. The display device can be an electronic ink screen display device. The electronic ink screen display device can be applied to electronic book readers, displays, notebooks, tablets, electronic tags, indoor / outdoor billboards, signs (such as bus station information signs, subway station information signs, high-speed rail station information signs, or airport information signs, etc.), and other electronic devices.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 2, the display device 100 includes an electronic ink screen 10 and a driving circuit 20, which are electrically connected.

[0081] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 3, the electronic ink screen 10' comprises: an array substrate 1 and an opposite substrate 2 arranged oppositely, and a barrier structure 3' arranged between the array substrate 1 and the opposite substrate 2. One end of the barrier structure 3' is connected with the array substrate 1, and the other end of the barrier structure 3' is connected with the opposite substrate 2. The barrier structure 3' comprises a plurality of first openings 31, and the first openings 31, a portion of the opposite substrate 2 corresponding to the first openings 31, and a portion of the array substrate 1 corresponding to the first openings 31 form first micro-cavities, and the first micro-cavities are filled with electrophoretic ink.

[0082] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the electronic ink screen 10 further comprises a frame sealing part, and an inner side wall of the frame sealing part is used to define a sealing area SA. The display area AA is located in the sealing area SA.

[0083] By arranging the frame sealing part, the barrier structure 3 can be sealed between the array substrate 1 and the opposite substrate 2, and the frame sealing part can also avoid the leakage of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0084] For example, in the preparation process of the electronic ink screen 10, when the electrophoretic ink filled in the first openings 31 overflows outward, the electrophoretic ink overflowing out of the display area AA will be blocked by the frame sealing part and will not continue to overflow outward. For another example, when the combination tightness of the barrier structure 3 and the array substrate 1 or the opposite substrate 2 is reduced, the electrophoretic ink in the first micro-cavities may also overflow, and the electrophoretic ink overflowing in the first wall will also be blocked by the frame sealing part and will not continue to overflow outward, thereby avoiding the leakage problem of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0085] Exemplarily, the array substrate 1 comprises a first substrate 11 and a first electrode layer 12 arranged on the first substrate 11. The opposite substrate 2 comprises a second substrate 21 and a second electrode layer 22 arranged on the second substrate 21. One end of the barrier structure 3' is in contact with the first electrode layer 12, and the other end of the barrier structure 3' is in contact with the second electrode layer 22.

[0086] The electrophoretic ink in the electrophoretic ink layer 5 comprises charged particles. When the electronic ink screen 10 displays a picture, a voltage is applied to the first electrode layer 12 and the second electrode layer 22 to form an electric field between the first electrode layer 12 and the second electrode layer 22, and the charged particles in the electrophoretic ink layer 5 move under the action of the electric field to make the electronic ink screen 10 display the picture.

[0087] When the display image of the electronic ink screen 10 changes, the voltage is applied to the first electrode layer 12 and the second electrode layer 22 again to make the charged particles move, so that the display image of the electronic ink screen 10 changes; when the display image of the electronic ink screen 10 does not change, after the electronic ink screen 10 displays the to-be-displayed image, the voltage is not applied to the first electrode layer 12 and the second electrode layer 22 any more, the display image of the electronic ink screen 10 remains unchanged, and the electronic ink screen 10 does not consume power in this case.

[0088] The electronic ink screen 10 is refreshed to convert the display content when the display image changes, and is not refreshed when the display image does not change, so that the fatigue degree of the eyes is reduced. Moreover, the electronic ink screen 10 does not consume power when the display image is displayed, and consumes power only when the display image is refreshed, so that the electronic ink screen 10 is more energy-saving.

[0089] The driving circuit 20 is configured to drive the electronic ink screen 10 to display an image. For example, the driving circuit 20 applies a corresponding voltage signal to the electrode layer to adjust the voltage difference between the two ends of the first microcavity, so as to control the movement of the electrophoretic particles in the first microcavity. The driving circuit 20 can be arranged on a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) or an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit).

[0090] In some embodiments, the display device 100 can not include a backlight module, and the electronic ink screen 10 can display an image by reflecting external light. In this case, the brighter the ambient light source is, the clearer the electronic ink screen 10 is visible, and in this case, the color change of the display image of the electronic ink screen 10 mainly depends on the movement and distribution of the particles in the electric field.

[0091] Alternatively, the electronic ink screen 10 can also display an image by using electrophoretic particles added with specific fluorescent materials. In this case, the electrophoretic particles added with specific fluorescent materials have the characteristic of emitting fluorescence under excitation of specific wavelength light, so that the electronic ink screen 10 can present more bright and vivid colors, and even can realize multi-color display.

[0092] In other embodiments, the display device 100 can also include a backlight module, which is configured to provide light for the electronic ink screen 10 when the external light source is weak, so as to ensure the normal display of the display device 100. When the external light source can meet the normal display requirement, the backlight module is not turned on, and the display device 100 can still realize image display with low power consumption.

[0093] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 1, the electronic ink screen 10 has an active area AA, the first openings 31 of the barrier wall structure 3 are located in the active area AA, and the plurality of first microcavities corresponding to the plurality of first openings 31 are located in the active area AA.

[0094] A plurality of independent first micro-cavities correspond to a plurality of pixels P. It can be understood that the barrier wall structure 3 is used to separate each pixel P of the electronic ink screen 10. Each first micro-cavity in the electronic ink screen 10 should be a closed space, but there is a certain height deviation in the actual manufacturing process of the barrier wall structure 3, that is, the height of each position of the barrier wall structure 3 is not completely the same, so that there are some first micro-cavities in the electronic ink screen 10 that do not form a closed space, and each pixel P of the electronic ink screen 10 is not completely sealed.

[0095] In this case, the charged particles in the electrophoretic ink shuttle between the pixels P, and the particle concentration in some pixels P changes during driving, causing poor display.

[0096] Based on this, as shown in FIG. 5, the electronic ink screen 10 further includes an adhesive layer 4 arranged between the barrier wall structure 3 and the opposite substrate 2, and the adhesive layer 4 is connected with the opposite substrate 2. One end of the barrier wall structure 3 is connected with the array substrate 1, and the other end of the barrier wall structure 3 away from the array substrate 1 is connected with the adhesive layer 4.

[0097] Exemplarily, the thickness of the adhesive layer 4 ranges from 1 μm to 5 μm. For example, the thickness of the adhesive layer 4 can be 1 μm, 1.5 μm, 2 μm, 2.5 μm, 3 μm, 3.5 μm, 4 μm, 4.5 μm or 5 μm, of course, the thickness of the adhesive layer 4 can be any value within the range of 1 μm to 5 μm (including the end value), which can be specifically designed according to actual needs, and here is only used as an example to illustrate some possible embodiments of the present disclosure, not as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0098] Exemplarily, the material of the adhesive layer 4 includes but is not limited to UV curing glue. The viscosity of the adhesive material of the adhesive layer 4 ranges from 1000 cp to 300000 cp. For example, the viscosity of the adhesive material of the adhesive layer 4 can be 1000 cp, 3000 cp, 5000 cp, 8000 cp, 10000 cp, 13000 cp, 15000 cp, 180000 cp, 21000 cp, 25000 cp, 27000 cp or 300000 cp, of course, the viscosity of the adhesive material of the adhesive layer 4 can be any value within the range of 1000 cp to 300000 cp (including the end value), which can be specifically designed according to actual needs, and here is only used as an example to illustrate some possible embodiments of the present disclosure, not as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0099] The material of the adhesive layer 4 is required to be non-infiltrated by the electrophoretic ink solvent included in the electrophoretic ink layer, so as to prevent the glue and the ink from being fused to affect the ink performance and the glue curing effect. For example, when the electrophoretic ink solvent is an oily material, the material of the adhesive layer 4 can be selected as an oil-repellent UV glue, for example, an organic fluorine modified acrylic resin.

[0100] In the preparation process of the electronic ink screen 10, the UV curing glue can be coated on the surface of the opposite substrate 2 first, and then the opposite substrate 2 is connected with the barrier wall structure 3 in correspondence, and then the UV curing glue is cured. In the process of aligning and connecting the opposite substrate 2 and the barrier wall structure 3, even if there is a height inconsistency problem in the barrier wall structure 3, since the UV curing glue is in an uncured state, it can be deformed to a certain extent. In the process of pressing the opposite substrate 2 on the barrier wall structure 3, the UV curing glue can compensate for the height difference of the barrier wall structure 3, and then the UV curing glue is cured to form the adhesive layer 4, thereby ensuring that the first microcavity formed in the electronic ink screen 10 is a sealed cavity.

[0101] By setting the adhesive layer 4, the barrier wall structure 3 and the opposite substrate 2 can be adhesively connected, and the tightness of the barrier wall structure 3 and the opposite substrate 2 is increased to ensure the sealing effect of the first microcavity.

[0102] In some embodiments, the array substrate 1 and / or the opposite substrate 2 in the electronic ink screen 10 can be a rigid substrate or a flexible substrate. The material of the first substrate 11 included in the array substrate 1 and / or the material of the second substrate 21 included in the opposite substrate 2 can be a single-layer substrate formed by one layer of substrate material, or a composite substrate composed of multiple layers (two or more layers) of substrate material.

[0103] The substrate material can be a rigid material such as glass; or the substrate material can be a flexible material such as TAC (Tri-cellulose Acetate), PI (Polyimide), PET (Polyethylene terephthalate), etc.

[0104] For example, as shown in FIG. 4, the first electrode layer 12 can include a plurality of first electrodes, each of which is located in a microcavity; or the first electrode layer 12 can also be an integral electrode layer.

[0105] Correspondingly, as shown in FIG. 4, the second electrode layer 22 can be an integral electrode layer; or the second electrode layer 22 can also be a plurality of second electrodes corresponding to a plurality of microcavities.

[0106] It should be noted that in the electronic ink screen 10, the side of the opposing substrate 2 is the display side of the electronic ink screen 10. Therefore, the materials of the second substrate 21 and the second electrode layer 22 of the opposing substrate 2 need to have good light transmittance in order to ensure the display effect of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0107] For example, the material of the second electrode layer 22 includes, but is not limited to, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide). Of course, the material of the second electrode layer 22 can also be other conductive materials with good light transmittance. The material of the first electrode layer 12 can also be ITO.

[0108] For example, the thickness of the second electrode layer 22 ranges from [specific value]. To ensure transmittance and conductivity, a suitable thickness is preferred. or Of course, the thickness of the second electrode 22 can also be chosen to be other values, for example, The above examples are merely illustrative of some possible embodiments and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.

[0109] For example, the width of the retaining wall structure 3 ranges from 4μm to 10μm. For instance, the width of the retaining wall structure 3 can be 4μm, 5μm, 6μm, 7μm, 8μm, 9μm, or 10μm. Of course, the width of the retaining wall structure 3 can be any value within the range of 4μm to 10μm (inclusive). The specific design can be adapted according to actual needs. This is only an example of some possible embodiments of this disclosure and is not intended to limit this disclosure.

[0110] For example, the retaining wall structure 3 can be fabricated using methods such as exposure development or nanoimprinting.

[0111] The display area AA contains multiple pixels P. The barrier structure 3 is used to separate the pixels P. The area defined by each first opening 31 in the display area AA corresponds to one pixel P. With the number of first openings 31 in the display area AA remaining unchanged, it can be understood that the smaller the width of the barrier structure 3 (the width of the barrier structure 3 can refer to the interval between two adjacent first openings 31), the smaller the interval between adjacent pixels P, and the larger the size of each first opening 31. Correspondingly, the proportion of the display area in the display area AA is larger, thereby increasing the proportion of the effective display area of ​​the e-ink screen.

[0112] Exemplarily, the height uniformity of the barrier structure 3 is ≤2 μm. The height uniformity of the barrier structure 3 less than or equal to 2 μm means that the height difference of any two places of the barrier structure 3 in the electronic ink screen 10 is less than or equal to 2 μm. The barrier structure 3 is used to connect the array substrate 1 and the opposite substrate 2, the sizes of the plurality of first openings 31 of the barrier structure 3 are consistent, each first opening 31 corresponds to one pixel P, by improving the height uniformity of the barrier structure 3, the thickness of the electrophoretic ink filled in the first microcavity corresponding to any one first opening 31 of any barrier structure 3 is the same or approximately the same, the amount of electrophoretic ink in each first microcavity is kept consistent, and the display uniformity can be improved.

[0113] Exemplarily, as shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, in the cross section along the direction perpendicular to the array substrate 1 and facing the barrier structure 3, the cross-sectional shape of the barrier structure 3 includes but is not limited to a rectangle, a trapezoid or an inverted trapezoid, etc.

[0114] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 6, the end of the barrier structure 3 away from the array substrate 1 is embedded in the adhesive layer 4.

[0115] By embedding the barrier structure 3 in the adhesive layer 4, the combination tightness of the barrier structure 3 and the adhesive layer 4 can be increased, and the sealing of the first microcavity formed in the electronic ink screen 10 can be ensured.

[0116] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8, the end of the barrier structure 3 away from the array substrate 1 includes at least one insertion part 32, at least part of the insertion part 32 is inserted into the adhesive layer 4. In the direction away from the array substrate 1, the size of the insertion part 32 gradually decreases in a set direction, and the set direction is parallel to the array substrate 1.

[0117] Exemplarily, the shape of the insertion part 32 includes but is not limited to a cone, a trapezoid or a hemisphere, etc.

[0118] In the cross section of the insertion part 32 along the direction perpendicular to the array substrate 1, the cross-sectional shape of the insertion part 32 includes but is not limited to a triangle, a trapezoid, a rectangle, a semicircle, etc.

[0119] By providing the insertion part 32 at the end of the barrier structure 3 connected with the adhesive layer 4, the end of the barrier structure 3 provided with the insertion part 32 is embedded in the adhesive layer 4, the connection between the barrier structure 3 and the adhesive layer 4 is more firm, and the first microcavity formed in the electronic ink screen 10 can form a closed structure, the sealing effect between the pixels P is ensured, the charged particles in the electrophoretic ink are prevented from shuttling between the pixels P, and the display effect of the electronic ink screen 10 is ensured.

[0120] In some embodiments, the height of the barrier structure 3 is less than or equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the electrophoretic ink layer 5 and the adhesive layer 4, and greater than or equal to the thickness of the electrophoretic ink layer 5. The height of the barrier structure 3 is the dimension of the barrier structure 3 in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0121] For example, the charged particles in the electrophoretic ink include black charged particles and white charged particles, the higher the content of the black and white charged particles in the electrophoretic ink, the better the black state and white state reflection effect of the electronic ink screen 10. Of course, the charged particles in the electrophoretic ink can also include colored charged particles, such as red charged particles, green charged particles, or blue charged particles, etc.

[0122] Correspondingly, in the case of the same size of the first opening 31, the higher the content of the black and white charged particles in the electrophoretic ink, the thickness of the electrophoretic ink layer 5 also increases accordingly. The thickness of the electrophoretic ink layer 5 is related to the content of the black and white charged particles in the electrophoretic ink; the height of the barrier structure 3 is related to the thickness of the electrophoretic ink layer 5 and the thickness of the adhesive layer 4.

[0123] By controlling the height of the barrier structure 3, in the process of connecting the barrier structure 3 and the adhesive layer 4, the end of the barrier structure 3 embedded in the adhesive layer 4 can be partially or completely penetrating the adhesive layer 4, both of which can form a sealed first microcavity, ensuring the sealing effect between the pixels P and avoiding the charged particles in the electrophoretic ink from shuttling between the pixels P, thereby ensuring the display effect of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0124] In some examples, the height of the barrier structure 3 is equal to the sum of the thickness of the electrophoretic ink layer 5 and the thickness of the adhesive layer 4. In this case, the barrier structure 3 completely penetrates the adhesive layer 4, and the contact area of the part of the barrier structure 3 embedded in the adhesive layer 4 with the adhesive layer 4 is larger, thereby increasing the connection tightness of the barrier structure 3 and the adhesive layer 4.

[0125] In some embodiments, the total volume of the electrophoretic ink included in the electrophoretic ink layer 5 is greater than the total volume of the plurality of first microcavities corresponding to the plurality of first openings 31.

[0126] In the preparation process of the electronic ink screen 10, the barrier structure 3 can be formed on the array substrate 1 first, then the electrophoretic ink is dropped into the first opening 31 of the barrier structure 3, and then the opposite substrate 2 with the adhesive layer 4 formed on the surface is connected opposite to the barrier structure 3.

[0127] This process is called "cell assembly", by injecting excess electrophoretic ink into the first opening 31, it can avoid the insufficient filling of the electrophoretic ink in the first microcavity during the cell assembly process, thereby avoiding the existence of bubbles and other defects in the first microcavity after the cell assembly, and improving the preparation yield of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0128] In some embodiments, the ratio of the total volume of the electrophoretic ink included in the electrophoretic ink layer 5 to the total volume of the plurality of first microcavities is greater than 1 and less than or equal to 1.2.

[0129] As described in the foregoing embodiments, increasing the injection amount of the electrophoretic ink in the electronic ink screen 10 appropriately can improve the production yield of the electronic ink screen 10, and the electrophoretic ink overflowing from the first opening 31 can be blocked by the frame portion and cannot continue to overflow outward, which has no effect on the display effect and product quality of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0130] However, in the case of injecting an excessive amount of electrophoretic ink, the amount of electrophoretic ink overflowing from the first opening 31 is large, and the electrophoretic ink may overflow the frame portion, resulting in liquid leakage and other defects of the electronic ink screen 10. By controlling the total volume of the electrophoretic ink in the electrophoretic ink layer 5, the production yield of the electronic ink screen 10 can be effectively improved.

[0131] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the electronic ink screen 10 further includes at least two first barriers 6 disposed between the array substrate 1 and the counter substrate 2. The first barriers 6 extend along the first direction X, and the at least two first barriers 6 are respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y. The first barriers 6 have a spacing d1 in the second direction Y from the display area AA. The first direction X and the second direction Y intersect.

[0132] The plurality (two or more) of first barriers 6 included in the electronic ink screen 10 have the same effect. By providing the first barriers 6, the ink overflowing from the first opening 31 can be prevented from spreading outward, and liquid leakage of the electronic ink screen 10 can be avoided, thereby improving the production yield of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0133] Exemplarily, the width of the first barrier 6 ranges from 6 μm to 30 μm. As shown in FIG. 10, the first barrier 6 extends along the first direction X. In the case where the second direction Y is perpendicular to the first direction X, the width of the first barrier 6 refers to the dimension of the first barrier 6 in the second direction Y. For example, the width of the first barrier 6 can be 6 μm, 8 μm, 10 μm, 15 μm, 20 μm, 25 μm, or 30 μm. Of course, the width of the first barrier 6 can be any value within the range from 6 μm to 30 μm (inclusive of the end values), and can be designed as needed. Here, only as an example of some possible embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure is not limited in this regard.

[0134] By keeping the width of the first barrier wall 6 within a certain range, on the one hand, the first barrier wall 6 has a certain strength, avoiding the first barrier wall 6 from tilting and collapsing under the impact of the electrophoretic ink overflowing to the display area AA, and the first barrier wall 6 can also play a certain supporting effect between the array substrate 1 and the opposite substrate 2; on the other hand, it can also avoid the frame of the electronic ink screen 10 being too wide, so that the electronic ink screen 10 can have a large display screen ratio while setting the first barrier wall 6 to prevent the electrophoretic ink from overflowing, thereby ensuring the display effect.

[0135] The electronic ink screen 10 includes at least two first barrier walls 6, and the at least two first barrier walls 6 are respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y. Specifically, the number of the first barrier walls 6 respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y can be the same or different.

[0136] Based on this, in some examples, as shown in FIG. 10, the number of the first barrier walls 6 on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y is the same. The display area AA in the second direction Y is provided with n (n is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1) first barrier walls 6 on opposite sides. That is, the electronic ink screen 10 includes 2n first barrier walls 6, and the 2n first barrier walls 6 are respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y.

[0137] For example, the display area AA in the second direction Y is provided with one first barrier wall 6 on opposite sides. That is, the electronic ink screen 10 includes two first barrier walls 6, and the two first barrier walls 6 are respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y.

[0138] For another example, the display area AA in the second direction Y is provided with two first barrier walls 6 on opposite sides. That is, the electronic ink screen 10 includes four first barrier walls 6, and the four first barrier walls 6 are respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y.

[0139] In this case, every two first barrier walls 6 respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y can be a group of first barrier walls 6, and the height and / or width of each group of first barrier walls 6 can be the same or substantially the same, or the height and / or width of each group of first barrier walls 6 can also be different.

[0140] Further, among the multiple (two or more) first barriers 6 located on the same side of the display area AA in the second direction Y, the height of each first barrier 6 can be the same or substantially the same, or the height of the first barrier 6 farther away from the display area AA can be higher than the height of the first barrier 6 closer to the display area AA. In this way, after the electrophoretic ink overflowing out of the display area AA breaks through the first barrier 6, the electrophoretic ink can be blocked by the first barrier 6 farther away from the display area AA and cannot continue to overflow outwards, thereby ensuring the blocking effect of the first barrier 6 on the electrophoretic ink.

[0141] Among the multiple (two or more) first barriers 6 located on the same side of the display area AA in the second direction Y, the width of each first barrier 6 can be the same or substantially the same, or the width of the first barrier 6 closer to the display area AA can be wider than the width of the first barrier 6 farther away from the display area AA. In this way, when the electrophoretic ink in the display area AA overflows outwards to the first barrier 6, the first barrier 6 closest to the display area AA receives a greater impact force than the first barrier 6 farther away, and therefore, the width of the first barrier 6 closest to the display area AA can be made wider to provide better impact resistance, and the width of the first barrier 6 farther away from the display area AA can be made smaller, which is conducive to achieving a narrow frame design of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0142] In other examples, the number of first barriers 6 on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y is different. The opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y are respectively provided with p first barriers 6 and q first barriers 6, where p and q are positive integers greater than or equal to 1, and p≠q. That is, the electronic ink screen 10 includes p+q first barriers 6, where the p first barriers 6 and the q first barriers 6 are respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y.

[0143] In this case, among the multiple (two or more) first barriers 6 located on the same side of the display area AA in the second direction Y, the height of each first barrier 6 can be the same or substantially the same, or the height of the first barrier 6 farther away from the display area AA can be higher than the height of the first barrier 6 closer to the display area AA.

[0144] Among the multiple (two or more) first barriers 6 located on the same side of the display area AA in the second direction Y, the width of each first barrier 6 can be the same or substantially the same, or the width of the first barrier 6 closer to the display area AA can be wider than the width of the first barrier 6 farther away from the display area AA.

[0145] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, the height of the first barrier wall 6 is the same as or substantially the same as the height of the barrier wall structure 3, which is the dimension of the first barrier wall 6 or the barrier wall structure 3 in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0146] The height of the first barrier wall 6 is the dimension of the first barrier wall 6 in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0147] As shown in FIG. 9, if the height of the first barrier wall 6 is greatly different from the height of the barrier wall structure 3, the adhesive layer 4 may not be tightly connected or even not be attached to the part of the barrier wall structure 3 close to the first barrier wall 6, resulting in that some first micro-cavities cannot form a closed structure. By making the height of the first barrier wall 6 the same as or substantially the same as the height of the barrier wall structure 3 in the display area AA, the first barrier wall 6 can prevent the electrophoretic ink from overflowing outward, and at the same time, the height of the first barrier wall 6 can also avoid affecting the generation of gaps in the surrounding pixel area, which is prone to cause defects.

[0148] Exemplarily, the height of the barrier wall structure 3 ranges from 15 μm to 100 μm. For example, the height of the barrier wall structure 3 can be 15 μm, 20 μm, 30 μm, 40 μm, 50 μm, 60 μm, 70 μm, 80 μm, 90 μm or 100 μm, and of course, the height of the barrier wall structure 3 can be any value within the range of 15 μm to 100 μm (including the end value), which can be designed according to actual needs. Here, only as an example of some possible embodiments of the present disclosure, it is not a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0149] Correspondingly, the height of the first barrier wall 6 ranges from 15 μm to 100 μm. For example, the height of the first barrier wall 6 can be 15 μm, 20 μm, 30 μm, 40 μm, 50 μm, 60 μm, 70 μm, 80 μm, 90 μm or 100 μm, and of course, the height of the first barrier wall 6 can be any value within the range of 15 μm to 100 μm (including the end value), which can be designed according to actual needs. Here, only as an example of some possible embodiments of the present disclosure, it is not a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0150] Exemplarily, the ratio of the difference between the height of the barrier wall structure 3 and the height of the first barrier wall 6 to the height of the barrier wall structure 3 is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 0.2; or the ratio of the difference between the height of the barrier wall structure 3 and the height of the first barrier wall 6 to the height of the first barrier wall 6 is greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 0.2.

[0151] Specifically, the height of the barrier wall structure 3 can be equal to the height of the first barrier wall 6, or the height of the barrier wall structure 3 can be less than the height of the first barrier wall 6, or the height of the barrier wall structure 3 can be greater than the height of the first barrier wall 6.

[0152] In some embodiments, the distance between the first barrier wall 6 and the display area AA in the second direction Y is 2-5 times the size of the first micro-cavity in the second direction Y.

[0153] By maintaining a certain distance between the first barrier wall 6 and the display area AA, a certain distance can be maintained between the barrier wall structure 3 and the first barrier wall 6. Thus, when the electrophoretic ink in the display area AA overflows out of the display area AA, it can flow between the barrier wall structure 3 and the first barrier wall 6, and the part of the electrophoretic ink that overflows out of the display area AA can also be blocked by the first barrier wall 6 and returned to the display area AA, thereby preventing the electrophoretic ink from overflowing out while ensuring that there is sufficient electrophoretic ink in the display area AA to ensure display effect.

[0154] The distance d1 between the first barrier wall 6 and the display area AA is in the range of 2-5 pixel P sizes. The size of the pixel P refers to the size of the first opening 31 in the barrier wall structure 3. In the case of a circular first opening 31, the size of the pixel P is the diameter of the circle. In the case of a rectangular first opening 31, the size of the pixel P can refer to the size of the diagonal of the rectangle.

[0155] In the case where the size of a single pixel P is 0.1 mm, the distance d1 between the first barrier wall 6 and the display area AA is in the range of 0.2 mm-0.5 mm.

[0156] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the electronic ink screen 10 further comprises at least two second barrier walls 7 disposed between the array substrate 1 and the opposing substrate 2, the second barrier walls 7 extending along the first direction X, and the at least two second barrier walls 7 being respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y. Among the first barrier wall 6 and the second barrier wall 7 located on the same side of the display area AA, the second barrier wall 7 is located on the side of the first barrier wall 6 away from the display area AA, and the second barrier wall 7 has a distance d2 from the first barrier wall 6 in the second direction Y.

[0157] As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, the adjacent first barrier wall 6 and second barrier wall 7 form a liquid guide groove D. When the electrophoretic ink overflows out of the display area AA in the second direction Y, the overflowed electrophoretic ink can be guided through the liquid guide groove D, avoiding the impact of the overflowed electrophoretic ink on the two sides of the frame portion in the second direction Y, thereby ensuring that the frame portion can be effectively sealed.

[0158] Exemplarily, the distance d2 between the second barrier wall 7 and the first barrier wall 6 in the second direction Y is in the range of 1 mm-2 mm.

[0159] By keeping the interval d2 of the second barrier wall 7 and the first barrier wall 6 in the second direction Y within a certain range, the liquid guide groove D formed between the adjacent first barrier wall 6 and the second barrier wall 7 can accommodate a certain amount of electrophoretic ink, and the frame of the electronic ink screen 10 can also be prevented from being too wide, so that the electronic ink screen 10 can have a large display screen ratio while preventing the electrophoretic ink from overflowing, thereby ensuring the display effect.

[0160] The electronic ink screen 10 includes at least two second barrier walls 7, and the at least two second barrier walls 7 are respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y. Specifically, the display area AA has at least one second barrier wall 7 on one side in the second direction Y, and at least one second barrier wall 7 on the other side in the second direction Y.

[0161] Based on this, in some examples, as shown in FIG. 10, the number of second barrier walls 7 on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y is the same. The display area AA has m (m is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1) second barrier walls 7 on opposite sides in the second direction Y. That is, the electronic ink screen 10 includes 2m second barrier walls 7, and the 2m second barrier walls 7 are respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y.

[0162] For example, the display area AA has one second barrier wall 7 on each of the opposite sides in the second direction Y. That is, the electronic ink screen 10 includes two second barrier walls 7, and the two second barrier walls 7 are respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y.

[0163] For another example, the display area AA has two second barrier walls 7 on each of the opposite sides in the second direction Y. That is, the electronic ink screen 10 includes four second barrier walls 7, and the four second barrier walls 7 are respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y.

[0164] In this case, every two second barrier walls 7 respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y can be a group of second barrier walls 7, and the height and / or width of each group of second barrier walls 7 can be the same or substantially the same, or the height and / or width of each group of second barrier walls 7 can also be different.

[0165] Further, among the multiple (two or more) second barriers 7 located on the same side of the display area AA in the second direction Y, the height of each second barrier 7 can be the same or substantially the same, or the height of the second barrier 7 farther away from the display area AA can be higher than the height of the second barrier 7 closer to the display area AA. In this way, after the electrophoretic ink overflowing out of the display area AA breaks through the first second barrier 7, the electrophoretic ink can be blocked by the second barrier 7 farther away from the display area AA and cannot continue to overflow outwards, thereby ensuring the blocking effect of the second barrier 7 on the electrophoretic ink.

[0166] Among the multiple (two or more) second barriers 7 located on the same side of the display area AA in the second direction Y, the width of each second barrier 7 can be the same or substantially the same, or the width of the second barrier 7 closer to the display area AA can be wider than the width of the second barrier 7 farther away from the display area AA. In this way, when the electrophoretic ink in the display area AA overflows outwards to the second barrier 7, the second barrier 7 closest to the display area AA receives a greater impact force than the second barrier 7 farther away, and therefore, the width of the second barrier 7 closest to the display area AA can be made wider to provide better impact resistance, and the width of the second barrier 7 farther away from the display area AA can be made smaller, which is conducive to achieving a narrow frame design of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0167] In other examples, the number of second barriers 7 on the opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y is different. The opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y are respectively provided with r second barriers 7 and t first barriers 6, where r and t are positive integers greater than or equal to 1, and r≠t. That is, the electronic ink screen 10 includes r+t second barriers 7, where the r second barriers 7 and the t second barriers 7 are respectively located on the opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y.

[0168] In this case, among the multiple (two or more) second barriers 7 located on the same side of the display area AA in the second direction Y, the height of each second barrier 7 can be the same or substantially the same, or the height of the second barrier 7 farther away from the display area AA can be higher than the height of the second barrier 7 closer to the display area AA.

[0169] Among the multiple (two or more) second barriers 7 located on the same side of the display area AA in the second direction Y, the width of each second barrier 7 can be the same or substantially the same, or the width of the second barrier 7 closer to the display area AA can be wider than the width of the second barrier 7 farther away from the display area AA.

[0170] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, the height of the second barrier wall 7 is greater than the height of the first barrier wall 6. The height refers to the dimension of the first barrier wall 6 or the second barrier wall 7 in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0171] The height of the second barrier wall 7 refers to the dimension of the second barrier wall 7 in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0172] The thickness direction of the electronic ink screen 10 is the third direction Z shown in FIG. 9. The second barrier wall 7 is mainly used to prevent the electrophoretic ink overflowing out of the display area AA from continuing to overflow outwards, and therefore, the higher the height of the second barrier wall 7, the better the blocking effect on the electrophoretic ink. By making the height of the second barrier wall 7 higher than the height of the first barrier wall 6, the overflow of the electrophoretic ink can be better blocked, and the electrophoretic ink can be prevented from further overflowing outwards.

[0173] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 9, the ratio of the height e2 of the second barrier wall 7 to the height e1 of the first barrier wall 6 is greater than 1 and less than or equal to 2.5.

[0174] As shown in FIG. 9, the height difference between the second barrier wall 7 and the first barrier wall 6 needs to be ensured within a certain range to ensure that the adhesive layer 4 can be effectively connected with the first barrier wall 6 and the second barrier wall 7.

[0175] The interval between the first barrier wall 6 and the second barrier wall 7 can serve as a height step difference buffer zone, which can reduce the influence of the height difference between the first barrier wall 6 and the second barrier wall 7 to a certain extent. In the case where the interval d2 between the second barrier wall 7 and the first barrier wall 6 in the second direction Y is determined, the height of the second barrier wall 7 is also set within a certain range, so that the second barrier wall 7 can achieve a better effect of preventing the electrophoretic ink from overflowing outwards, and at the same time, the second barrier wall 7 can also be effectively connected with the adhesive layer 4, thereby ensuring the effective sealing of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0176] Exemplarily, the ratio of the height e2 of the second barrier wall 7 to the height e1 of the first barrier wall 6 is equal to 2.

[0177] Exemplarily, the width of the second barrier wall 7 ranges from 100 μm to 200 μm. The width of the second barrier wall 7 can be the dimension of the second barrier wall 7 along the second direction Y shown in FIG. 10. For example, the width of the second barrier wall 7 can be 100 μm, 110 μm, 120 μm, 130 μm, 140 μm, 150 μm, 160 μm, 170 μm, 180 μm, 190 μm, or 200 μm. Of course, the width of the second barrier wall 7 can be any value within the range of 100 μm to 200 μm (inclusive of the end values), and the specific value can be adaptively designed according to actual needs. Here, only as an exemplification of some possible embodiments of the present disclosure, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0178] As shown in FIG. 9, in the process of connecting the adhesive layer 4 with the barrier wall structure 3, the first barrier wall 6 and the second barrier wall 7, the second barrier wall 7 is higher than the first barrier wall 6 and the barrier wall structure 3, and thus the second barrier wall 7 bears a greater force. By controlling the width range of the second barrier wall 7, it can be ensured that the second barrier wall 7 can effectively support and will not tilt or collapse due to the force.

[0179] In summary, the first barrier wall 6 is mainly used to prevent the electrophoretic ink overflowing from the display area AA from rapidly spreading to the liquid guide groove D, and can block the part of the electrophoretic ink overflowing from the display area AA and bounce back to the display area AA, so as to ensure that the first opening 31 in the edge area of the display area AA can be filled with the electrophoretic ink, and thus the distance between the first barrier wall 6 and the display area AA should not be too large. The second barrier wall 7 is mainly used to prevent the electrophoretic ink from continuing to overflow, and thus a certain space of the liquid guide groove D needs to be formed between the first barrier wall 6 and the second barrier wall 7, and thus the distance between the second barrier wall 7 and the first barrier wall 6 needs to be set larger.

[0180] Based on this, in some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10, the size d2 of the distance between the second barrier wall 7 and the first barrier wall 6 in the second direction Y is greater than the size d1 of the distance between the first barrier wall 6 and the display area AA in the second direction Y.

[0181] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 10, the width of the second barrier wall 7 is greater than the width of the first barrier wall 6; the width is the size of the first barrier wall 6 or the second barrier wall 7 in the direction perpendicular to the first direction X.

[0182] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the electronic ink screen 10 further comprises at least two third barrier walls 8 arranged between the array substrate 1 and the opposite substrate 2, the third barrier wall 8 extends along the first direction X, and the at least two third barrier walls 8 are respectively located on the opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y.

[0183] Among the first barrier wall 6 and the third barrier wall 8 located on the same side of the display area AA, the third barrier wall 8 is located on the side of the first barrier wall 6 close to the display area AA, the third barrier wall 8 has a distance d3 from the display area AA in the second direction Y, and the third barrier wall 8 also has a distance from the first barrier wall 6 in the second direction Y.

[0184] For example, the distance d3 between the third barrier wall 8 and the display area AA in the second direction Y is in the range of 1-2 pixel P sizes. In the case where the size of a single pixel P is 0.1 mm, the distance d3 between the third barrier wall 8 and the display area AA in the second direction Y can be in the range of 0.1 mm-0.2 mm.

[0185] As shown in FIG. 12, a third barrier wall 8 is located between the first barrier wall 6 and the display area AA, and has a spacing with the display area AA and the first barrier wall 6. By arranging the third barrier wall 8, the electrophoretic ink overflowing out of the display area AA can be blocked, and at least part of the electrophoretic ink overflowing out of the display area AA can be bounced back to the display area AA again, so as to ensure that the first opening 31 in the edge area of the display area AA can also be filled with sufficient amount of electrophoretic ink.

[0186] Exemplarily, the height of the third barrier wall 8 is the same as or substantially the same as the height of the first barrier wall 6, the height being the dimension of the first barrier wall 6 or the third barrier wall 8 in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen 10, and / or the width of the third barrier wall 8 is the same as or substantially the same as the width of the first barrier wall 6, the width being the dimension of the first barrier wall 6 or the second barrier wall 7 in the direction perpendicular to the first direction X.

[0187] The height of the third barrier wall 8 refers to the dimension of the third barrier wall 8 in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0188] By keeping the width of the third barrier wall 8 within a certain range, on the one hand, the third barrier wall 8 has a certain strength, avoiding the third barrier wall 8 from being tilted and collapsed under the impact of the electrophoretic ink overflowing out of the display area AA, and the third barrier wall 8 can also play a certain supporting effect between the array substrate 1 and the opposite substrate 2; on the other hand, the frame of the electronic ink screen 10 can also be prevented from being too wide, so that the electronic ink screen 10 can have a large display screen ratio while playing the role of preventing the electrophoretic ink from overflowing out, and the display effect is ensured.

[0189] The electronic ink screen 10 includes at least two third barrier walls 8, and the at least two third barrier walls 8 are respectively located on opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y, that is, at least one third barrier wall 8 is arranged on one side of the display area AA in the second direction Y, and at least one third barrier wall 8 is arranged on the other side of the display area AA in the second direction Y. Specifically, the number of the third barrier walls 8 arranged on the opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y can be the same or different.

[0190] Based on this, in some examples, the number of the third barrier walls 8 on the opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y is the same. u (u is a positive integer greater than or equal to 1) third barrier walls 8 are arranged on the opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y, respectively. That is, the electronic ink screen 10 includes 2u third barrier walls 8, and the 2u third barrier walls 8 are respectively located on the opposite sides of the display area AA in the second direction Y.

[0191] For example, the display region AA is provided with one third barrier wall 8 on each of the opposite sides in the second direction Y. That is, the electronic ink screen 10 includes two third barrier walls 8, which are respectively located on the opposite sides of the display region AA in the second direction Y.

[0192] For another example, the display region AA is provided with two third barrier walls 8 on each of the opposite sides in the second direction Y. That is, the electronic ink screen 10 includes four third barrier walls 8, which are respectively located on the opposite sides of the display region AA in the second direction Y.

[0193] In this case, every two third barrier walls 8 respectively located on the opposite sides of the display region AA in the second direction Y can be a group of third barrier walls 8, the height and / or width of each group of third barrier walls 8 can be the same or substantially the same, or the height and / or width of each group of third barrier walls 8 can also be different.

[0194] Further, among the plurality (two or more) of third barrier walls 8 located on the same side of the display region AA in the second direction Y, the height of each third barrier wall 8 can be the same or substantially the same, or the height of the third barrier wall 8 farther away from the display region AA can be higher than that of the third barrier wall 8 closer to the display region AA. In this way, after the electrophoretic ink overflowing out of the display region AA breaks through the first third barrier wall 8, the electrophoretic ink can be blocked by the third barrier wall 8 farther away from the display region AA and cannot continue to overflow out, thereby ensuring the blocking effect of the third barrier wall 8 on the electrophoretic ink overflow.

[0195] Among the plurality (two or more) of third barrier walls 8 located on the same side of the display region AA in the second direction Y, the width of each third barrier wall 8 can be the same or substantially the same, or the width of the third barrier wall 8 closer to the display region AA can be wider than that of the third barrier wall 8 farther away from the display region AA. In this way, when the electrophoretic ink in the display region AA overflows out to the third barrier wall 8, the third barrier wall 8 closest to the display region AA receives a greater impact force than the third barrier wall 8 farther away, and therefore, the width of the third barrier wall 8 closest to the display region AA can be made a little wider to make it have better impact resistance, and the width of the third barrier wall 8 farther away from the display region AA can be made a little smaller, which is conducive to realizing the narrow frame design of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0196] In other examples, the number of third barrier walls 8 on the opposite sides of the display region AA in the second direction Y is different. The display region AA is provided with f third barrier walls 8 and g third barrier walls 8 on the opposite sides in the second direction Y, where f and g are both positive integers greater than or equal to 1, and f≠g. That is, the electronic ink screen 10 includes f+g third barrier walls 8, where the f third barrier walls 8 and the g third barrier walls 8 are respectively located on the opposite sides of the display region AA in the second direction Y.

[0197] In this case, among the plurality of (two or more) third barriers 8 located on the same side of the display region AA in the second direction Y, the height of each third barrier 8 can be the same or substantially the same, or the height of the third barrier 8 farther from the display region AA can be higher than the height of the third barrier 8 closer to the display region AA.

[0198] Among the plurality of (two or more) third barriers 8 located on the same side of the display region AA in the second direction Y, the width of each third barrier 8 can be the same or substantially the same, or the width of the third barrier 8 closer to the display region AA can be wider than the width of the third barrier 8 farther from the display region AA.

[0199] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13, the electronic ink screen 10 further includes a liquid storage structure 9 disposed between the array substrate 1 and the counter substrate 2, and the liquid storage structure 9 is located on one side of the display region AA in the first direction X. The liquid storage structure 9 includes a fourth barrier 91 and a flow guide structure 92, the fourth barrier 91 is arranged on the side of the flow guide structure 92 away from the display region AA, and on the opposite sides of the flow guide structure 92 in the second direction Y, and the two ends of the fourth barrier 91 are connected with the two second barriers 7 respectively.

[0200] By arranging the liquid storage structure 9, the electrophoretic ink overflowing out of the display region AA can flow into the liquid storage structure 9. In the case that the total volume of the electrophoretic ink included in the electrophoretic ink layer 5 is greater than the total volume of the plurality of first microcavities corresponding to the plurality of first openings 31, the excess electrophoretic liquid that cannot be accommodated by the first microcavities can flow into the liquid storage structure 9 for storage, and will not overflow outwards to impact the sealing frame, thereby avoiding the problem of reliability reduction of the electronic ink screen 10 caused by the failure of the sealing frame to puncture under the impact of the overflowing electrophoretic ink.

[0201] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13, FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B, the flow guide structure 92 has a spacing with the display region AA in the first direction X.

[0202] By maintaining a certain spacing between the flow guide structure 92 and the display region AA, this part of the spacing area acts as a buffer zone, reducing the impact of the electrophoretic ink overflowing out of the display region AA on the flow guide structure 92, and ensuring that the flow guide structure 92 can effectively guide the electrophoretic ink overflowing out of the display region AA to the area surrounded by the fourth barrier 91.

[0203] FIGS. 14A and 14B are cross-sectional structural diagrams of the electronic ink screen 10 of some embodiments. In order to facilitate the illustration of the positional relationship between the liquid storage structure 9 and the barrier wall structure 3 and the display area AA, in FIGS. 14A and 14B, some of the structures in the electronic ink screen 10 are shown. In actual electronic ink screens 10, in addition to the film layer structures shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, such as the array substrate 1 and the opposing substrate 2, other film layer structures can also be included.

[0204] Exemplarily, as shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the height of the liquid storage structure 9 is greater than the height of the barrier wall structure 3, and the flow guide structure 92 of the liquid storage structure 9 and the barrier wall structure 3 have a spacing e3 therebetween.

[0205] As shown in FIGS. 14A and 14B, the height of the liquid storage structure 9 can be the height of the flow guide structure 92.

[0206] By having the flow guide structure 92 and the display area AA have a spacing in the first direction X, and also having the flow guide structure 92 and the barrier wall structure 3 have a spacing e3 therebetween, the spacing e3 between the flow guide structure 92 and the barrier wall structure 3 can serve as a height step difference buffer zone, which can reduce the influence of the height difference between the liquid storage structure 9 and the barrier wall structure 3 to some extent, so that the liquid storage structure 9 can achieve a better effect of preventing electrophoretic ink from overflowing outward, while also being able to effectively connect with the adhesive layer 4, thereby ensuring the effective sealing of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0207] Exemplarily, the size of the spacing between the flow guide structure 92 and the display area AA in the first direction X is greater than or equal to 5 times the size of the first microcavity in the first direction X.

[0208] Exemplarily, the size of the spacing between the flow guide structure 92 and the display area AA in the first direction X is greater than or equal to 0.5 mm.

[0209] In the case where the size of the pixel P is 0.1 mm, the spacing between the flow guide structure 92 and the display area AA in the first direction X can be greater than or equal to 0.5 mm. For example, the spacing between the flow guide structure 92 and the display area AA in the first direction X can be 0.5 mm, 0.55 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm, 1 mm, or greater.

[0210] In the case where the size of the pixel P is less than 1 mm, for example, the size of the pixel P is 0.08 mm, the spacing between the flow guide structure 92 and the display area AA in the first direction X can be greater than or equal to 0.4 mm. For example, the spacing between the flow guide structure 92 and the display area AA in the first direction X can be 0.4 mm, 0.45 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.55 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm, 1 mm, or greater.

[0211] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG. 13, FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the flow guide structure 92 comprises a plurality of flow guide columns 921, which are evenly distributed in the area enclosed by the fourth barrier wall 91 and the straight line where the boundary of the display area AA and the liquid storage structure 9 meet; or as shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the flow guide structure 92 is in a grid shape.

[0212] By setting the plurality of flow guide columns 921 evenly distributed, or the flow guide structure 92 in a grid shape, the flow of the electrophoretic ink overflowing from the display area AA can be better guided, and the impact force of the electrophoretic ink overflowing from the display area AA can be reduced, so that the flow guide structure and the fourth barrier wall 91 can be tilted under the impact of the electrophoretic ink, thereby ensuring the reliability of the liquid storage structure 9.

[0213] For example, in addition to the cases shown in FIG. 13, FIG. 15 and FIG. 16, the plurality of flow guide columns 921 can extend in other directions, and in addition to the cases shown in FIG. 17 and FIG. 18, the flow guide structure 92 in a grid shape can be other shapes. Herein, only as an exemplary description of some possible embodiments of the present disclosure, not as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0214] For example, the width of the flow guide column 921 can be 6 μm, 7 μm, 8 μm, 9 μm, 10 μm, 11 μm, 12 μm, 13 μm, 14 μm, 15 μm, 16 μm, 17 μm, 18 μm, 19 μm or 20 μm, of course, the width of the flow guide column 921 can be any value within the range of 6 μm to 20 μm (including the end value), which can be designed according to actual needs, herein only as an exemplary description of some possible embodiments of the present disclosure, not as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0215] For example, the distance between any two adjacent flow guide columns 921 can be 300 μm, 320 μm, 340 μm, 360 μm, 380 μm, 400 μm, 420 μm, 440 μm, 460 μm, 480 μm or 500 μm, of course, the distance between any two adjacent flow guide columns 921 can be any value within the range of 300 μm to 500 μm (including the end value), which can be designed according to actual needs, herein only as an exemplary description of some possible embodiments of the present disclosure, not as a limitation of the present disclosure.

[0216] As shown in FIG. 13, the flow guide column 921 extends along the first direction X, and the width of the flow guide column 921 is the size of the flow guide column 921 along the second direction Y. As shown in FIG. 15, the flow guide column 921 extends along the second direction Y, and the width of the flow guide column 921 is the size of the flow guide column 921 along the first direction X.

[0217] In some embodiments, the height of the liquid storage structure 9 is greater than the height of the barrier wall structure 3, the height being the dimension of the liquid storage structure 9 or the barrier wall structure 3 in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0218] The height of the liquid storage structure 9 described herein refers to the height of the fourth barrier wall 91. The height of the flow guide structure 92 can be the same as the height of the fourth barrier wall 91 or slightly lower than the fourth barrier wall 91.

[0219] The liquid storage structure 9 is used to accommodate excess electrophoretic ink and prevent further outward overflow of the electrophoretic ink, and therefore, the height of the liquid storage structure 9 can be appropriately increased to better achieve the blocking effect on the outward overflow of the electrophoretic ink.

[0220] In some embodiments, the height of the liquid storage structure 9 is equal to the height of the second barrier wall 7, the height being the dimension of the liquid storage structure 9 or the second barrier wall 7 in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0221] As shown in FIG. 17, the fourth barrier wall 91 of the liquid storage structure 9 is connected to the second barrier wall 7, and both the fourth barrier wall 91 and the second barrier wall 7 are used to prevent further outward diffusion of the electrophoretic ink, and therefore, the fourth barrier wall 91 and the second barrier wall 7 can be set to the same height.

[0222] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the barrier wall structure 3 further comprises a plurality of second openings 33, the second openings 33, the portions of the adhesive layer 4 corresponding to the second openings 33, and the portions of the array substrate 1 corresponding to the second openings 33 form second microcavities, the second microcavities are located on the side of the display area AA away from the liquid storage structure 9, and the electrophoretic ink layer 5 also fills at least one of the second microcavities.

[0223] For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the electronic ink screen 10 further comprises a dummy pixel area DA (Dummy Area), the dummy pixel area is located on one side of the display area in the first direction X. The second microcavities are located in the dummy pixel area DA.

[0224] In the case where the electronic ink screen 10 has the liquid storage structure 9 and the barrier wall structure 3 has the second openings 33, the dummy pixel area DA and the liquid storage structure 9 can be separately arranged on both sides of the display area AA in the first direction X.

[0225] For example, the opposite substrate 2 is a flexible substrate, and during the preparation process of the electronic ink screen 10, the cell assembly process can be performed by using a rolling method.

[0226] For example, the barrier structure 3 is formed on the array substrate 1, and after the electrophoretic ink is injected into the first openings 31 of the barrier structure 3, the opposite substrate 2 with the adhesive layer 4 formed on the surface is placed on the barrier structure 3, and then the virtual pixel area DA is rolled towards the display area AA along the first direction X from the side of the display area AA, so as to realize the connection between the barrier structure 3 and the adhesive layer 4.

[0227] In the process of injecting the electrophoretic ink into the first openings 31 of the barrier structure 3, the electrophoretic ink can be dripped in part of the barrier structure 3 (for example, the electrophoretic ink is dripped in part of the first openings 31 of the barrier structure 3), and in the rolling process, the electrophoretic ink overflows to the surrounding and flows into the remaining first openings 31. In this case, when the second openings 33 are not provided, at the beginning of rolling, since the electrophoretic ink droplets are not continuous, the amount of electrophoretic ink in some first microcavities in the formed electronic ink screen can be insufficient or no ink.

[0228] By providing the second openings 33 on the barrier structure 3, the second openings 33 are used as the starting point of rolling, and the second openings 33 are provided outside the display area AA, so that in the formed electronic ink screen, even if there is insufficient or no electrophoretic ink in part of the second microcavities at the beginning of rolling, since this part is not used for the display of the electronic ink screen, it will not affect the display effect of the electronic ink screen 10, and the preparation yield of the electronic ink screen 10 is improved.

[0229] In some embodiments, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the size of the virtual pixel area DA along the first direction X ranges from 1 to 2 pixels P. In the case where the size of the pixel P is 1 mm, the size of the virtual pixel area DA along the first direction X can range from 1 mm to 2 mm.

[0230] For example, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the size of the second microcavity along the second direction Y is 1 to 2 times the size of the first microcavity along the second direction Y. As shown in FIG. 19, the size of the second opening 33 can be the same as the first opening 31, and the structure of the second opening 33 is the same as the first opening 31; or as shown in FIG. 20, the size of the second opening 33 can be larger than the first opening 31.

[0231] For example, as shown in FIGS. 19 and 20, the plurality of second microcavities are arranged in at least one column along the second direction Y. In this case, the structure and size of the second microcavities can be the same as the first microcavities, or the volume of the second microcavities can be larger than the first microcavities, and the size of the second opening 33 can be larger than the first opening 31.

[0232] In some embodiments, the size of the display area AA along the first direction X is h1, the size of the liquid storage structure 9 along the first direction X is h2, Wherein, k is the ratio of the total volume of the electrophoretic ink included in the electrophoretic ink layer 5 to the total volume of the plurality of first microcavities.

[0233] In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 21, the first electrode layer 12 includes a plurality of first electrodes corresponding to the plurality of first microcavities. The array substrate 1 further includes a plurality of transistors disposed on the first substrate 11, one transistor corresponding to one first electrode. The transistor can be a thin film transistor (TFT) which is used to provide a driving voltage to the first electrode.

[0234] As shown in Fig. 21, the array substrate 1 includes, sequentially disposed on the first substrate 11, a gate layer 13, a gate insulating layer 14, an active layer 15, a first passivation layer 16, a source-drain metal layer 17, a second passivation layer 18, and the first electrode layer 12.

[0235] The gate layer includes the gate of each transistor, the active layer includes the active pattern of each transistor, and the source-drain conductive layer includes the source and the drain of each transistor, which are connected to the active layer through a via hole penetrating the first passivation layer 16, respectively.

[0236] The gate insulating layer 14 is used to separate the gate layer and the active layer, the first passivation layer 16 is used to separate the active layer 15 and the source-drain metal layer 17, and the second passivation layer 18 is used to separate the source-drain metal layer 17 and the first electrode layer 12. The first electrode in the first electrode layer 12 is connected to the drain of the transistor through a via hole penetrating the second passivation layer 18.

[0237] In some embodiments, as shown in Fig. 21, the counter substrate 2 further includes a black matrix BM. The black matrix includes a plurality of third openings corresponding to the plurality of first openings 31, and the electronic ink screen 10 further includes a filling portion T filled in the third openings. The material of the filling portion is required to have good light transmittance.

[0238] In some embodiments, the array substrate 1 and the counter substrate 2 are connected by the dam structure 3 through an ODF (One Drop Filling) cell process.

[0239] Specifically, the dam structure 3 can be formed on the array substrate 1 first, and a frame portion surrounding the dam structure 3 is formed on the array substrate 1 to obtain a back plate; then, the electrophoretic ink is dripped into the first openings 31 of the dam structure 3, and after the counter substrate 2 is connected to the back plate in a position, the connection of the dam structure 3 and the counter substrate 2 is realized to seal the electrophoretic ink in the first microcavities. The frame portion can prevent the electrophoretic ink from overflowing on one hand, and can also connect the array substrate 1 and the counter substrate 2 on the other hand.

[0240] Since the height of the barrier structure 3 of the electronic ink screen 10 may have a certain deviation in the actual manufacturing process, the ODF cell process cannot completely seal the pixels P, that is, part of the first openings 31 of the barrier structure 3 may not form a closed space with the array substrate 1 and the opposite substrate 2. In this way, the charged particles in the electrophoretic ink shuttle between the pixels P, and the particle concentration in part of the pixels P changes during driving, causing display defects.

[0241] In addition, during the cell process, the external environment is usually adjusted to a low pressure or near vacuum environment, so as to reduce the influence of dust, particles and other pollutants in the air on the electronic ink screen 10, and improve the cleanliness and yield of the product. However, during the cell process, since the external environment is a low pressure or near vacuum environment, the solvent in the electrophoretic ink will volatilize a lot, resulting in a decrease in the stability of the electrophoretic ink and easy agglomeration of the charged particles.

[0242] Based on this, the embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a preparation method of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0243] In some embodiments, the preparation method of the electronic ink screen 10 includes steps S1-S4.

[0244] S1, as shown in FIG. 22, a barrier structure 3 is formed on the array substrate 1 to obtain a back plate. The barrier structure 3 includes a plurality of first openings 31, and one end of the barrier structure 3 is connected with the array substrate 1.

[0245] S2, as shown in FIG. 23, electrophoretic ink is dripped into the plurality of first openings 31.

[0246] S3, as shown in FIG. 24, an adhesive layer 4 is formed on the opposite substrate 2.

[0247] Exemplarily, the opposite substrate 2 is a flexible substrate, and the second substrate 21 is a flexible substrate.

[0248] In the case where the second substrate 21 is a flexible substrate, during the preparation process of the electronic ink screen 10, the second substrate 21 can be first fixed on a rigid substrate, for example, the second substrate 21 is pasted on a glass substrate; then, the side of the second substrate 21 on which the second electrode layer 22 is arranged is coated with UV curing glue; and then, the second substrate 21 with the surface coated with UV curing glue is separated from the rigid substrate.

[0249] S4, as shown in FIGS. 25 and 26, one end of the opposite substrate 2 is aligned with one end of the back plate, and the opposite substrate 2 is rolled on the back plate from one end of the opposite substrate 2 to the other end of the opposite substrate 2, so that the one end of the barrier structure 3 away from the array substrate 1 is connected with the adhesive layer 4.

[0250] Exemplarily, in step S4, the opposite substrate 2 with the UV-cured glue on the surface is first peeled off from the rigid substrate; then, the opposite substrate 2 with the UV-cured glue on the surface is rolled on the back plate, and the UV-cured glue is bonded with the barrier wall structure 3 on the array substrate 1.

[0251] The preparation method of the electronic ink screen 10 provided by the embodiment adopts the rolling process to roll the opposite substrate 2 on the barrier wall structure 3, so that the force applied to the opposite substrate 2 during the rolling process facilitates the close combination of the opposite substrate 2 and the adhesive layer 4. After the array substrate 1 and the opposite substrate 2 are aligned, any first opening 31 of the barrier wall structure 3 can form a closed first microcavity with the array substrate 1 and the adhesive layer 4, thereby avoiding the overflow of the electrophoretic ink in the first microcavity to the adjacent first microcavity, ensuring the same concentration of charged particles in any first microcavity, and solving the color difference caused by the P inter-pixel particle crosstalk, thereby ensuring the display uniformity of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0252] On the other hand, the solvent of the electrophoretic ink is volatile, and the ODF process requires vacuum alignment. The vacuum environment can cause a large amount of solvent to volatilize, resulting in a decrease in the stability of the electrophoretic ink and the aggregation of the charged particles, thereby causing display defects. The rolling process for aligning the electronic ink screen 10 can effectively avoid such defects and improve the preparation yield of the electronic ink screen 10.

[0253] Exemplarily, the adhesive layer 4 formed in step S3 is uncured UV-cured glue. In step S4, the opposite substrate 2 with the UV-cured glue is attached to the back plate by rolling, and then the UV-cured glue is cured by UV curing after the connection of the barrier wall structure 3 and the adhesive layer 4, thereby completely sealing the pixels P.

[0254] In some embodiments, after step S1 and before step S2, steps S11 and S12 are further included, and the order of steps S11 and S12 is not limited.

[0255] S11, forming a first barrier wall 6 on the array substrate 1.

[0256] S12, forming a second barrier wall 7 on the array substrate 1.

[0257] In some embodiments, after step S1 and before step S2, step S13 is further included.

[0258] S13, coating a sealing glue on the array substrate 1, and the sealing glue surrounds the barrier wall structure 3.

[0259] Exemplarily, in the case where the electronic ink screen 10 further includes the first barrier wall 6 and the second barrier wall 7, the sealing glue also surrounds the first barrier wall 6 and the second barrier wall 7.

[0260] After step S4, the sealant is cured, and the sealant forms the seal portion after curing.

[0261] In some embodiments, the third barrier wall 8 can be formed on the opposing substrate 2 before step S3, i.e., before the adhesive layer 4 is formed on the opposing substrate 2. In other embodiments, the third barrier wall 8 can be formed on the adhesive layer 4 after step S3, i.e., after the adhesive layer 4 is formed on the opposing substrate 2, and before step S4.

[0262] In the electronic ink screen 10, both ends of the first barrier wall 6, the second barrier wall 7, and the third barrier wall 8 are connected to the array substrate 1 and the adhesive layer 4, respectively.

[0263] In some embodiments, in step S2, the method of dropping the electrophoretic ink into the plurality of first openings 31 includes, but is not limited to, spraying, slot coating, ODF (One Drop Filling) dropping, and the like.

[0264] Exemplarily, in step S2, when the electrophoretic ink is dropped into the plurality of first openings 31, the amount of the electrophoretic ink dropped can present a trend of more at the beginning and less at the end along the rolling direction in step S4. That is, along the rolling direction, the amount of the electrophoretic ink dropped is more at the beginning of the rolling position and less at the end of the rolling position.

[0265] In step S2, taking the example of dropping the electrophoretic ink into the first openings 31 of the barrier wall structure 3 by the PDF dropping method, the amount of the electrophoretic ink dropped can be reduced by reducing the weight of each drop of the electrophoretic ink or reducing the number of drops of the electrophoretic ink.

[0266] As shown in FIG. 27, in step S2, along the rolling direction, the electrophoretic ink can be dropped by the method of reducing the weight of each drop.

[0267] As shown in FIG. 28, in step S2, along the rolling direction, the electrophoretic ink can be dropped by the method of reducing the number of drops at the edge.

[0268] As shown in FIG. 29, in step S2, along the rolling direction, the electrophoretic ink can be dropped by the method of reducing the number of drops uniformly.

[0269] As shown in FIG. 30, in step S2, along the rolling direction, the electrophoretic ink can be dropped by the method of reducing the interval between the drops.

[0270] In combination with the foregoing description of the structure of the electronic ink screen 10, in step S2, the total amount of the electrophoretic ink dropped is greater than the total volume of the first opening 31 of the barrier wall structure 3, and in step S4, during the rolling process, the excess electrophoretic ink will overflow outside the display area AA, and the overflowed electrophoretic ink will be blocked by the third barrier wall 8, the first barrier wall 6 and the second barrier wall 7 on both sides of the display area AA, and will not continue to overflow outside. At the same time, the electrophoretic ink overflowing outside the display area AA along the rolling direction will flow into and be stored in the storage structure 9, and will not continue to overflow outside.

[0271] The overflow of the electrophoretic ink is effectively prevented, so that the seal frame portion will not be punctured by the impact of the electrophoretic ink, and the electronic ink screen 10 will not have the problem of reduced reliability such as liquid leakage.

[0272] As shown in FIGS. 27 to 30, in step S2, when the electrophoretic ink is dropped into the first opening 31, part of the first opening 31 is not filled with the ink, and in step S4, when the opposing substrate 2 is rolled, the electrophoretic ink near the rolling position will flow into the part of the first opening 31.

[0273] In step S4, when the opposing substrate 2 is rolled, in the case that the amount of the electrophoretic ink in the first opening 31 at the edge region of the display area AA is small or there is no electrophoretic liquid, if the electrophoretic ink in the display area AA diffuses too fast to the liquid guide groove D (for example, the liquid guide groove D formed between the first barrier wall 6 and the second barrier wall 7 shown in FIG. 20), it will easily cause insufficient ink in part of the pixels P, that is, the amount of the electrophoretic ink in the first microcavity formed by the first opening 31, the part of the adhesive layer 4 corresponding to the first opening 31, and the part of the array substrate 1 corresponding to the first opening 31 is insufficient.

[0274] In step S4, the electrophoretic ink exceeding the capacity of the first opening 31 is squeezed and overflowed during the rolling process, part of the squeezed and overflowed electrophoretic ink will be squeezed and overflowed along the rolling direction to flow into another first opening 31, and the other part of the overflowed electrophoretic ink between the first barrier wall 6 and the third barrier wall 8 will be blocked and flow back to the display area AA, and the electrophoretic ink flowing back to the display area AA will flow into the first opening 31 which is not filled with the electrophoretic ink, thereby ensuring that the first opening 31 can be filled with the electrophoretic ink.

[0275] The above is only a specific embodiment of the present disclosure, but the protection scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art who thinks of changes or substitutions within the technical scope disclosed by the present disclosure shall be covered within the protection scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the protection scope of the present disclosure shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An electronic ink screen, comprising: an array substrate and an opposite substrate arranged oppositely; a barrier structure arranged between the array substrate and the opposite substrate, comprising a plurality of first openings; one end of the barrier structure is connected with the array substrate; an adhesive layer arranged between the barrier structure and the opposite substrate; the other end of the barrier structure away from the array substrate is connected with the adhesive layer, the first opening, a portion of the adhesive layer corresponding to the first opening, and a portion of the array substrate corresponding to the first opening form a first microcavity; an electrophoretic ink layer filled in the first microcavity.

2. The electronic ink screen of claim 1, wherein, The other end of the barrier structure away from the array substrate is embedded in the adhesive layer.

3. The electronic ink screen of claim 2, wherein, The other end of the barrier structure away from the array substrate comprises at least one insertion part, which gradually decreases in size in a set direction along the direction away from the array substrate; the set direction is parallel to the array substrate. At least a portion of the insertion part is inserted into the adhesive layer.

4. The electronic ink screen according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein, The height of the barrier structure is less than or equal to the sum of the thicknesses of the electrophoretic ink layer and the adhesive layer, and greater than or equal to the thickness of the electrophoretic ink layer; the height is the dimension of the barrier structure in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen.

5. The electronic ink screen according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, The electronic ink screen has a display area, and a plurality of first microcavities corresponding to the plurality of first openings are located in the display area. The electronic ink screen further comprises: at least two first barriers arranged between the array substrate and the opposite substrate; the first barriers extend in a first direction, and the at least two first barriers are located on opposite sides of the display area in a second direction; the first direction and the second direction intersect; the first barriers have a spacing with the display area in the second direction.

6. The electronic ink screen of claim 5, wherein, The height of the first barriers is the same as or substantially the same as the height of the barrier structure; the height is the dimension of the first barriers or the barrier structure in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen.

7. The electronic ink screen according to claim 5 or 6, wherein, The dimension of the spacing between the first barriers and the display area in the second direction is 2-5 times the dimension of the first microcavities in the second direction.

8. The electronic ink screen according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein, The electronic ink screen further comprises: at least two second barriers arranged between the array substrate and the opposite substrate; the second barriers extend in the first direction, and the at least two second barriers are located on opposite sides of the display area in the second direction, and of the first barriers and the second barriers located on the same side of the display area, the second barriers are located on the side of the first barriers away from the display area; the second barriers have a spacing with the first barriers in the second direction.

9. The electronic ink screen of claim 8, wherein, The height of the second barriers is greater than the height of the first barriers; the height is the dimension of the first barriers or the second barriers in the thickness direction of the electronic ink screen.

10. The electronic ink screen of claim 9, wherein, The ratio of the height of the second barriers to the height of the first barriers is greater than 1 and less than or equal to 2.

5.

11. The electronic ink screen according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein, A dimension of a spacing between the second barrier wall and the display area in the second direction is greater than a dimension of a spacing between the first barrier wall and the display area in the second direction; and / or, A width of the second barrier wall is greater than a width of the first barrier wall; the width is a dimension of the first barrier wall or the second barrier wall in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.

12. The electronic ink screen according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein, The electronic ink screen further comprises: At least two third barrier walls disposed between the array substrate and the counter substrate; the third barrier walls extend along the first direction, and the at least two third barrier walls are respectively located on opposite sides of the display area in the second direction, and the third barrier walls are located on the same side of the display area as the first barrier walls and the third barrier walls; the third barrier walls are located on a side of the first barrier wall close to the display area; The third barrier walls and the display area have a spacing in the second direction, and the third barrier walls and the first barrier walls also have a spacing in the second direction.

13. The electronic ink screen of claim 12, wherein, A height of the third barrier wall is the same as or substantially the same as a height of the first barrier wall; the height is a dimension of the first barrier wall or the third barrier wall in a thickness direction of the electronic ink screen; and / or, A width of the third barrier wall is the same as or substantially the same as a width of the first barrier wall; the width is a dimension of the first barrier wall or the second barrier wall in a direction perpendicular to the first direction.

14. The electronic ink screen according to any one of claims 8 to 13, wherein, The electronic ink screen further comprises: A liquid storage structure disposed between the array substrate and the counter substrate; the liquid storage structure is located on one side of the display area in the first direction; The liquid storage structure comprises a fourth barrier wall and a flow guide structure, the fourth barrier wall is located on a side of the flow guide structure away from the display area, and on opposite sides of the flow guide structure in the second direction, and two ends of the fourth barrier wall are respectively connected to the two second barrier walls.

15. The electronic ink screen of claim 14, wherein, The flow guide structure and the display area have a spacing in the first direction.

16. The electronic ink screen of claim 15, wherein, A dimension of the spacing between the flow guide structure and the display area in the first direction is greater than or equal to 5 times a dimension of the first microcavity in the first direction.

17. The electronic ink screen according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein, The flow guide structure comprises a plurality of flow guide columns, the plurality of flow guide columns are uniformly distributed in a region enclosed by the fourth barrier wall and a straight line where a boundary of the display area close to the liquid storage structure is located; or, The flow guide structure is in a grid shape.

18. The electronic ink screen according to any one of claims 14 to 17, wherein, A height of the liquid storage structure is greater than a height of the barrier wall structure; the height is a dimension of the liquid storage structure or the barrier wall structure in a thickness direction of the electronic ink screen; and / or, The height of the liquid storage structure is equal to a height of the second barrier wall; the height is a dimension of the liquid storage structure or the second barrier wall in a thickness direction of the electronic ink screen.

19. The electronic ink screen according to any one of claims 14 to 18, wherein, The barrier wall structure further comprises a plurality of second openings, the second openings, a portion of the adhesive layer corresponding to the second openings, and a portion of the array substrate corresponding to the second openings form second microcavities; The second microcavities are located on a side of the display area away from the liquid storage structure; The electrophoretic ink layer also fills at least one of the second microcavities.

20. The electronic ink screen of claim 19, wherein, The second micro-cavities are arranged into at least one column along the second direction.

21. The electronic ink screen of claim 19 or 20, wherein, The size of the second micro-cavities along the second direction is 1-2 times the size of the first micro-cavities along the second direction.

22. The electronic ink screen according to any one of claims 14 to 21, wherein, The display region has a size h1 along the first direction, and the liquid storage structure has a size h2 along the first direction, The ratio of the total volume of the electrophoretic ink included in the electrophoretic ink layer to the total volume of the first micro-cavities.

23. The electronic ink screen of any one of claims 1 to 22, wherein, The total volume of the electrophoretic ink included in the electrophoretic ink layer is greater than the total volume of the first micro-cavities corresponding to the first openings.

24. The electronic ink screen of claim 23, wherein, The ratio of the total volume of the electrophoretic ink included in the electrophoretic ink layer to the total volume of the first micro-cavities is greater than 1 and less than or equal to 1.

2.

25. A display device comprising: The electronic ink screen according to any one of claims 1-24, and a driving circuit; The driving circuit is electrically connected with the electronic ink screen.

26. A method for manufacturing an electronic ink screen, comprising: forming a barrier structure on an array substrate; The barrier structure includes a plurality of first openings, and one end of the barrier structure is connected with the array substrate; dropping electrophoretic ink into the plurality of first openings; forming an adhesive layer on a counter substrate; aligning one end of the counter substrate with one end of the array substrate, and rolling the counter substrate on the array substrate from the one end of the counter substrate to the other end of the counter substrate, so that the barrier structure is connected with the adhesive layer away from the one end of the array substrate.

Images