Display substrate, display device and manufacturing method

Abstract

The display substrate, the display device and the manufacturing method are provided; the display substrate comprises a first substrate, a color film layer and a protective layer which are stacked, the color film layer is divided into a plurality of light transmission parts, the plurality of light transmission parts comprise a red light transmission part, a green light transmission part, a blue light transmission part and a white light transmission part, the protective layer is provided with a recess part opposite to the white light transmission part; further comprising a transparent filling part and a spacer structure which are integrally formed, the transparent filling part is embedded in the recess part; the spacer structure is protrudingly arranged on the side of the transparent filling part away from the first substrate.The display substrate, the display device and the manufacturing method are provided; the display substrate comprises a first substrate, a color film layer and a protective layer which are stacked, the color film layer is divided into a plurality of light transmission parts, the plurality of light transmission parts comprise a red light transmission part, a green light transmission part, a blue light transmission part and a white light transmission part, the protective layer is provided with a recess part opposite to the white light transmission part; further comprising a transparent filling part and a spacer structure which are integrally formed, the transparent filling part is embedded in the recess part; the spacerstructure is protrudingly arranged on the side of the transparent filling part away from the first substrate.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a display substrate, a display device, and a method for manufacturing the same. Background Technology

[0002] To improve the light transmittance of LCDs (Liquid Crystal Displays) and make their display performance comparable to OLEDs (Organic Light-Emitting Diodes), a white light-transmitting section can be added to the color filter layer of LCDs and other display products. During the display substrate manufacturing process, this white light-transmitting section can be set as a color-resist filter-free area, allowing light to pass directly through it to form white light. However, because the white light-transmitting section lacks color-resist filling, the upper film layer replicates the morphology of the white light-transmitting section to form a recessed structure, which leads to uneven diffusion of the liquid crystal layer in the display substrate, affecting the product's display performance. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In view of this, the purpose of this disclosure is to provide a display substrate, a display device and a manufacturing method to solve the technical problem mentioned in the background art, which is that the formation of depressions on the surface of the protective layer causes uneven diffusion of the liquid crystal layer and deterioration of the display effect.

[0004] To achieve the above objectives, this disclosure provides a display substrate, including a first substrate, a color filter layer, and a protective layer stacked together. The color filter layer is divided into a plurality of light-transmitting portions, including a red light-transmitting portion, a green light-transmitting portion, a blue light-transmitting portion, and a white light-transmitting portion. A recessed portion opposite to the white light-transmitting portion is formed on the surface of the protective layer.

[0005] It also includes an integrally formed transparent filling portion and a spacer structure, wherein the transparent filling portion is embedded in the recessed portion; and the spacer structure protrudes from the side of the transparent filling portion away from the first substrate.

[0006] Based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure also provides a display device, which includes the display substrate described above.

[0007] Based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure also provides a method for preparing a display substrate, comprising: A first substrate is provided, and a color filter layer is formed on the surface of the first substrate; A protective layer is formed on the side of the color filter layer away from the first substrate, such that a recess is formed on the surface of the protective layer corresponding to the white light-transmitting portion of the color filter layer; An organic material layer is formed on the side of the protective layer away from the first substrate. The organic material layer is patterned using an exposure and development process to form a transparent filling portion in the recess, and a protruding septum structure is formed on the side of the transparent filling portion away from the first substrate.

[0008] As can be seen from the above, this disclosure provides a display substrate, a display device, and a manufacturing method. The display substrate has an integrally formed transparent filling portion and a spacer structure. The transparent filling portion can fill the recesses on the surface of the protective layer corresponding to the white light-transmitting portion, thereby flattening the surface of the protective layer, ensuring the uniform thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the display substrate, and improving the display effect of the display substrate. At the same time, the spacer structure is arranged in the white pixel area, which can maintain the cell thickness of the liquid crystal cell in the display substrate and prevent the display substrate from being squeezed in areas other than the white light-transmitting portion after being pressed, thereby ensuring the overall quality of the display substrate. Attached Figure Description

[0009] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in this disclosure or related technologies, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or related technologies will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the accompanying drawings described below are only embodiments of this disclosure. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0010] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of the display substrate in a related technical embodiment; Figure 2 This is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the spacer and the white light-transmitting part in a related technical embodiment; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of the liquid crystal layer on the display substrate in a related technical embodiment; Figure 4 for Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the QA area in the middle; Figure 5 This is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the spacer and the light-shielding layer in a related technical embodiment; Figure 6a This is a schematic diagram of the precipitation of red color resist molecules in the red light-transmitting part in a related technical embodiment; Figure 6b This is a schematic diagram illustrating the diffusion of red color resist molecules during the color filter layer fabrication process in a related technical embodiment. Figure 6c This is a schematic diagram illustrating the diffusion of red color-blocking molecules during the septum material manufacturing process in a related technical embodiment. Figure 6d This is a schematic diagram of the diffusion of red color resist molecules in the alignment layer process in a related technical embodiment. Figure 6eThis is a schematic diagram of the diffusion of red color resist molecules during the cell assembly process in a related technical embodiment. Figure 6f This is a schematic diagram illustrating the aggregation of red color resist molecules during the static stage in a related technical embodiment. Figure 7 This is a cross-sectional view of the display substrate in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 8 This is a cross-sectional view of the white light-transmitting portion in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 9a This is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of the first type of spacer structure within the display substrate in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 9b This is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of the second type of spacer structure within the display substrate in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 9c This is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of the third type of spacer structure within the display substrate in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 10a This is a schematic diagram illustrating the fabrication of the first substrate in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 10b This is a schematic diagram illustrating the fabrication of the light-shielding layer of the color filter layer in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 10c This is a schematic diagram illustrating the fabrication of multiple light-transmitting portions of the color filter layer in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 10d This is a schematic diagram illustrating the preparation of the protective layer in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 10e This is a schematic diagram illustrating the fabrication of the transparent filler and septum structure in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 11a This is a schematic diagram illustrating the fabrication of the first type of transparent septum portion in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 11b This is a schematic diagram illustrating the preparation of the second type of transparent septum portion in an embodiment of this disclosure; Figure 12 This is a flowchart illustrating the fabrication process of the display substrate in an embodiment of this disclosure.

[0011] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures: 100. First substrate; 200. Color filter layer; 211. Red light-transmitting part; 211R. Red color resist molecule; 212. Green light-transmitting part; 213. Blue light-transmitting part; 214. White light-transmitting part; 220. Light-blocking layer; 300. Protective layer; 301. Recess; 302. Bearing surface; 400. Transparent filler area; 500, Transparent spacer section; 501C, Organic material layer; 510, Spacer material; 510M, Main spacer material; 510S, Auxiliary spacer material; 601, Second substrate; 602, Liquid crystal layer; 603, Electrode layer; 604, Frame; 605, Alignment layer; 700, photomask; 701, first lithography area; 702, second lithography area. Detailed Implementation

[0012] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this disclosure clearer, the following detailed description is provided in conjunction with specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

[0013] It should be noted that, unless otherwise defined, the technical or scientific terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure should have the ordinary meaning understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. The terms "first," "second," and similar terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity, or importance, but are merely used to distinguish different components. Terms such as "comprising" or "including" mean that the element or object preceding the word encompasses the elements or objects listed following the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Terms such as "connected" or "linked" are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but can include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. Terms such as "upper," "lower," "left," and "right" are used only to indicate relative positional relationships; when the absolute position of the described object changes, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

[0014] LCD products, as display devices with mature mass production technology, wide applicability, and relatively low production costs, are widely used in consumer electronics fields such as televisions, computers, and mobile phones. With the rapid development of new display technologies such as OLED, Mini LED (Mini Light Emitting Diode), and Micro LED (Micro Light Emitting Diode), and their advantages such as superior image quality, thinner and lighter body structures, and faster screen response times, they have significantly impacted the LCD market. In terms of light transmittance, OLED products have significantly better light transmittance than LCD panels. Therefore, in related technologies, to improve the light transmittance of LCD products and make them closer to the display effect of OLED, an RGBW (Red, Green, Blue, White) four-color design scheme can be applied to the LCD display substrate. That is, when designing the color filter layer 200 of the display substrate, a white light source can be added to the RGB three-primary-color pixel areas to form white pixel areas on the display substrate, thereby improving the overall transmittance of the LCD panel.

[0015] For a display substrate with an RGBW four-color design, its color filter layer 200 has four light-transmitting parts of different colors to form multiple pixel areas such as red pixel area, green pixel area, blue pixel area and white pixel area in the display substrate. Figure 1 The displayed content is a cross-sectional view of a display substrate in related technologies. To improve the light transmittance of the display substrate while ensuring the surface flatness of the color filter layer 200 within the display substrate, such as... Figure 1 As shown, for the color filter layer 200, corresponding color resist units can be configured for various types of light-transmitting portions in the color filter layer 200. That is, red color resist is set in the red pixel area to form a red light-transmitting portion 211, green color resist is set in the green pixel area to form a green light-transmitting portion 212, blue color resist is set in the blue pixel area to form a blue light-transmitting portion 213, and white color resist is set in the white pixel area to form a white light-transmitting portion 214. However, although adding a white light-transmitting portion 214 to the color filter layer 200 can ensure the product quality of the display substrate, the material type and preparation of the light-transmitting color resist corresponding to the white pixel area need to be developed and designed separately, increasing the R&D cost of LCD products and the difficulty of panel design. At the same time, in the manufacturing stage of the display substrate, a processing step for the white light-transmitting portion 214 needs to be added to the manufacturing process of the color filter layer 200, thereby increasing the difficulty of production line modification and process complexity of the display substrate, and further increasing the manufacturing cost of the product.

[0016] In order to control the manufacturing cost of the display substrate and reduce the structural complexity of the color filter layer 200, the light transmission structure of the white pixel area can be improved in related technologies. Figure 2 The exhibit demonstrates the positional relationship between the spacer 510 and the white light-transmitting portion 214 within a display substrate, as described in related technologies. Figure 3 The exhibit is a schematic diagram showing the distribution of the liquid crystal layer 602 in a display substrate, as described in related technologies. Figure 4 The displayed content is a schematic diagram of the QA area; in the QA area, the liquid crystal molecules of liquid crystal layer 602 are in an incomplete state in the corresponding pixel area, while in the QB area, the liquid crystal molecules of liquid crystal layer 602 are in a fully filled state in the corresponding pixel area, and there is a significant difference in the display light effect between the two areas. Specifically, as shown... Figure 2 As shown, in the color filter layer 200, the white color resist structure in the white light-transmitting part 214 can be eliminated, so that the backlight source of the display device can be directly transmitted from the white light-transmitting part 214, thereby ensuring the light transmission effect of the display substrate, while also saving the R&D investment of the display substrate and reducing the manufacturing complexity and manufacturing cost of the color filter layer 200.

[0017] However, while eliminating the white color resist from the white light-transmitting portion 214 has advantages, it also negatively impacts the imaging performance of the display substrate. Specifically, for example... Figures 2 to 4As shown, during the display substrate manufacturing process, at least one layer of transparent organic resin can be coated on the surface of the color filter layer 200 to form a protective layer 300. This protective layer 300 can encapsulate and protect the color filter layer 200, while also reducing the diffusion of red color resist molecules 211R, thus mitigating the degradation of display performance caused by the diffusion of red color resist molecules 211R into the liquid crystal layer 602 during the manufacturing process. Since the white color resist structure corresponding to the white pixel area is eliminated, the protective layer 300 formed above the color filter layer 200 replicates the surface morphology of the color filter layer 200 during the manufacturing process, forming recesses 301 in the white light-transmitting portion 214. After the liquid crystal cell is formed and filled with liquid crystal, due to its fluidity, liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 602 can diffuse into some of the recesses 301, causing uneven spreading of the liquid crystal layer 602 within the liquid crystal cell and a decrease in cell thickness consistency. This leads to problems such as uneven display, poor dark state performance, and dark state light leakage, reducing the display quality of the display substrate. Specifically, as shown... Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown in the QA region; at the same time, because air is retained in some of the recessed areas and forms cavities, it can hinder the diffusion of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal cell and interfere with the transmission effect of the backlight source.

[0018] For the display substrate, the display substrate may include a first substrate 100 and a second substrate 601 disposed opposite each other, the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 601 being spaced apart to form a liquid crystal cell, and a color filter layer 200, a protective layer 300 and a liquid crystal layer 602 being stacked inside the liquid crystal cell, wherein the liquid crystal layer 602 is located on the side of the protective layer 300 away from the color filter layer 200 inside the cell. To ensure the stability and consistency of the liquid crystal cell thickness, a spacer 510 is provided on the side of the protective layer 300 away from the first substrate 100 inside the liquid crystal cell. The orthographic projection of the spacer 510 in the thickness direction of the first substrate 100 is located between two adjacent pixel areas. The spacer 510 can support the liquid crystal cell and reduce the impact of external force compression on the thickness accuracy of the liquid crystal layer 602.

[0019] Furthermore, regarding spacer 510, such as Figure 4 As shown, the spacers 510 can be divided into main spacers 510M and auxiliary spacers 510S. The main spacer 510M, with its end furthest from the first substrate 100, abuts against the second substrate 601, providing rigid support to stabilize the reference cell thickness of the liquid crystal cell. The auxiliary spacers 510S, with a pre-reserved gap between their ends furthest from the first substrate 100 and the second substrate 601, can provide auxiliary support and buffering when the cell thickness deforms, thereby improving the overall compressive strength of the display substrate. Furthermore, the color filter layer 200 of the display substrate is divided into multiple independent pixel areas by a light-shielding layer 220 composed of a black matrix. To prevent the spacers 510 from interfering with the light transmission of the pixel areas, the spacers 510 are positioned within the orthographic projection of the light-shielding layer 220 in the thickness direction of the first substrate 100. The specific projection relationship is as follows: Figure 5 As shown; however, the black matrix material forming the light-shielding layer 220, as well as the materials forming the red, green, and blue color resists, have relatively poor pressure resistance. When the display substrate is subjected to a large external force, the pressure of the spacer 510 will directly act on the edge of the black matrix and each color resist, which can easily cause the material under the spacer 510 to be deformed under pressure, irreversibly dented, or structurally damaged, thereby causing the display substrate to exhibit display abnormalities and affecting the product display effect.

[0020] Furthermore, such as Figure 5 As shown, the contact area of ​​the two end faces of the spacer 510 in the related technology is relatively small, resulting in a relatively weak resistance to transverse shear stress and insufficient overall mechanical strength. When the display substrate is subjected to a large external load, the spacer 510 is difficult to effectively resist transverse or oblique shear stress and is prone to deformation problems such as displacement and tilting on the surface of the protective layer 300. At this time, the deformed spacer 510 can cause scratches or defects on the film surface it contacts, thereby damaging the surface structure of the film and affecting the imaging quality and display effect of the display substrate.

[0021] Furthermore, for the display substrate, although the protective layer 300 can block the migration of red color resist molecules 211R within the color filter layer 200, the blocking ability of the protective layer 300 against red color resist molecules 211R is weakened due to the manufacturing process and operating conditions. Therefore, red color resist molecules 211R can still penetrate the protective layer 300 and enter the liquid crystal layer 602, causing poor color resist deposition, interfering with the alignment of liquid crystal molecules, and thus degrading the display effect. Specifically, Figures 6a to 6f The diffusion process of the red color resist molecule 211R during different stages of display substrate fabrication and its impact on display performance are illustrated; among them, for example... Figure 6a As shown, the red color resist molecules 211R within the color filter layer 200 are relatively small, making them easier to precipitate from the red color resist during fabrication. For example... Figure 6b As shown, after the color filter layer 200 is formed, a protective layer 300 needs to be formed on the side of the color filter layer 200 facing away from the first substrate 100. The protective layer 300 requires a baking process during its forming stage to accelerate the diffusion rate of the red color resist molecules 211R, allowing some of the red color resist molecules 211R to diffuse into the interior of the protective layer 300. Figure 6c As shown, after the protective layer 300 is formed, an organic material layer 501C for forming the spacer 510 needs to be prepared on the side away from the first substrate 100, and the orthogonal projection of the spacer 510 on the first substrate 100 should be located between adjacent pixel areas; however, during the organic material layer 501C coating stage, the solvent used will cause the protective layer 300 to swell, reducing the density of the protective layer 300 and further weakening its blocking ability for the red color resist molecule 211R. Figure 6d As shown, after forming the spacer 510 using organic materials, an alignment layer 605 needs to be prepared on the surface of the protective layer 300 using polyimide materials. The preparation process of the alignment layer 605 still requires a baking process, which will cause the red color resist molecules 211R within the protective layer 300 to continue diffusing into the alignment layer 605. Figure 6e as well as Figure 6f As shown, in subsequent processes, a liquid crystal cell is formed on the side of the alignment layer 605 away from the first substrate 100 by the frame 604 and the second substrate 601, and then filled with liquid crystal, thereby obtaining a liquid crystal layer 602 inside the liquid crystal cell. During the fabrication stage of the display substrate, the heating and vibration processes applied during the fabrication process can accelerate the diffusion of red color resist molecules 211R, allowing them to pass through the alignment layer 605 and enter the liquid crystal layer 602, affecting the display effect. At the same time, when the display substrate enters the testing or resting stage, the red color resist molecules 211R that have diffused into the liquid crystal layer 602 will also aggregate in the liquid crystal layer 602 and form polymers, reducing the light transmittance of the liquid crystal layer 602, thereby causing display defects in the display substrate.

[0022] In view of this, in order to solve the technical problems mentioned in the related art, this disclosure provides a display substrate, combined with Figures 7 to 12 The specific content shown provides a detailed description and explanation of the display substrate and its fabrication method.

[0023] This disclosure provides a display substrate comprising a first substrate 100, a color filter layer 200, and a protective layer 300 stacked together. The color filter layer 200 is divided into a plurality of light-transmitting portions, including a red light-transmitting portion 211, a green light-transmitting portion 212, a blue light-transmitting portion 213, and a white light-transmitting portion 214. A recessed portion 301 opposite to the white light-transmitting portion 214 is formed on the surface of the protective layer 300. The display substrate also includes an integrally formed transparent filling portion 400 and a spacer structure. The transparent filling portion 400 is embedded in the recessed portion 301. The spacer structure protrudes from the side of the transparent filling portion 400 away from the first substrate 100.

[0024] Figure 7 The content shown is a schematic diagram of the display substrate provided in this disclosure. Figure 8 The content shown is a schematic diagram of the white light-transmitting portion 214 in the display substrate. For example... Figure 7As shown, the display substrate of this disclosure may include a first substrate 100, a color filter layer 200, and a protective layer 300 stacked together. Both the first substrate 100 and the protective layer 300 are transparent substrates, which can ensure that the backlight source can pass through the display substrate and be emitted from the light-emitting side. The first substrate 100 can serve as a support carrier for the display substrate. The color filter layer 200 is divided into multiple light-transmitting portions of different colors. The multiple light-transmitting portions may include a red light-transmitting portion 211, a green light-transmitting portion 212, a blue light-transmitting portion 213, and a white light-transmitting portion 214, which can selectively transmit the light provided by the backlight source, form pixel areas of corresponding colors on the display substrate, and project red light, green light, blue light, and white light respectively. More specifically, since the red light-transmitting portion 211, the green light-transmitting portion 212, and the blue light-transmitting portion 213 are all provided with color resist structures corresponding to their respective colors, while the white light-transmitting portion 214 has no color resist structure, the protective layer 300 covering the surface of the color filter layer 200 can replicate the outline of the white light-transmitting portion 214 to form a recess 301 facing the first substrate 100 in the corresponding area of ​​the white light-transmitting portion 214.

[0025] For the display substrate, the presence of the recess 301 disrupts the thickness uniformity of the liquid crystal layer 602, thereby causing display defects. To solve this problem, such as... Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the display substrate provided in this disclosure also includes an integrally formed transparent filler portion 400 and a spacer structure. The transparent filler portion 400 is adapted to be embedded in the recessed portion 301, and can fill the recessed portion 301 to achieve surface planarization of the protective layer 300, which is beneficial to ensure good consistency of the thickness of the subsequently formed liquid crystal cell. The side of the transparent filler portion 400 away from the first substrate 100 protrudes to form a spacer structure, which is used to maintain the thickness of the formed liquid crystal cell and avoid abnormal thickness of the liquid crystal layer 602 after pressure, thus affecting the display effect. In this disclosure, the spacer structure integrally formed with the transparent filler portion 400 can replace the independent spacer 510 located between adjacent pixel areas, so that it can be prepared simultaneously in the same process. There is no need to add a new process in the display substrate manufacturing process, nor is there a need to make large-scale modifications to the display substrate production line. This helps to reduce the manufacturing difficulty of the display substrate and control the manufacturing cost of the display substrate. Furthermore, in the manufacturing process of the transparent filling portion 400 and the spacer structure, resin material can be used to form the transparent filling portion 400 and the spacer structure so that when they are set in the white pixel area, they will not block the white light-transmitting portion 214, thereby ensuring the light emission efficiency.

[0026] Furthermore, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, the transparent filling portion 400 in this disclosure is integrally formed and connected with the spacer structure, which can replace and eliminate the original spacer 510 arranged between adjacent pixel areas. Since the transparent filling portion 400 is embedded in the recessed portion 301, it can increase the bonding strength between it and the protective layer 300, improve the support performance and stability of the spacer structure, reduce the deformation amplitude of the spacer structure when the display substrate is under pressure, and help improve the stability of the liquid crystal cell in the display substrate, thereby improving the overall strength and display effect of the display substrate.

[0027] In addition, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the transparent filler portion 400 is embedded in the recessed portion 301, and the recessed portion 301 corresponds to the position of the white light-transmitting portion 214. Therefore, the orthogonal projection of the spacer structure on the first substrate 100 is located in the white pixel area and does not overlap with other areas except for the white light-transmitting portion 214. In this way, when the display substrate is subjected to greater pressure, the spacer structure can have stronger pressure resistance due to the integrally formed transparent filler portion 400. Furthermore, the spacer structure will not transfer the load it bears to other light-transmitting portions and light-shielding layers 220 in the color filter layer 200, which can prevent the color resist structure and the black matrix from failing or breaking under pressure, thereby ensuring the service life and display effect of the display substrate.

[0028] In some embodiments, the orthographic projection of the spacer structure in the thickness direction of the first substrate 100 lies within the orthographic projection of the transparent filling portion 400.

[0029] To ensure the manufacturing process effect of the septum structure, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the orthographic projection of the spacer structure in the thickness direction of the first substrate 100 lies within the orthographic projection of the transparent filler portion 400. In this way, the spacer structure can be formed by protruding in the top area of ​​the transparent filler portion 400, and the bottom contour of the spacer structure will not exceed the boundary of the transparent filler portion 400. This allows the spacer structure to directly transmit the pressure it bears to the transparent filler portion 400. The load is dispersed by the filling and supporting effect of the transparent filler portion 400 on the recessed portion 301 of the protective layer 300, avoiding the pressure from being transmitted to other areas except for the white light-transmitting portion 214. This improves the support effect and pressure-bearing performance of the spacer structure and prevents the color resist structure and black matrix in the color filter layer 200 from failing or being damaged.

[0030] In some embodiments, the protective layer 300 has a bearing surface 302 on the side away from the first substrate 100. The orthographic projection of the bearing surface 302 in the thickness direction of the first substrate 100 does not overlap with the orthographic projection of the recess 301, and the bearing surface 302 is flush with the side of the transparent filling portion 400 away from the first substrate 100.

[0031] like Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the red light-transmitting portion 211, the green light-transmitting portion 212, and the blue light-transmitting portion 213 of the color filter layer 200 are each provided with a corresponding color resist structure. The protective layer 300 covers the side of the color filter layer 200 away from the first substrate 100 to form a flat film layer on the multiple color resist surfaces, thereby forming a relatively flat bearing surface 302 on the side of the protective layer 300 away from the first substrate 100.

[0032] Furthermore, the recessed portion 301 corresponds to the white light-transmitting portion 214 of the color filter layer 200. When the protective layer 300 is formed above the white light-transmitting portion 214, it can replicate the outline of the white light-transmitting portion 214 to form the recessed portion 301, so that the orthographic projection of the recessed portion 301 in the thickness direction of the first substrate 100 and the orthographic projection of the bearing surface 302 do not overlap. Therefore, by providing the transparent filling portion 400 in the recessed portion 301, the morphological difference of the protective layer 300 in the recessed area can be compensated. At the same time, by setting the bearing surface 302 to be flush with the side of the transparent filling portion 400 away from the first substrate 100, the bearing surface 302 of the protective layer 300 and the top surface of the transparent filling portion 400 can form a continuous and flat reference surface, thereby ensuring the uniform thickness of the subsequent liquid crystal layer 602 and eliminating the uneven liquid crystal spreading defects caused by the recessed morphology.

[0033] In some embodiments, the color filter layer 200 includes a light-shielding layer 220 for dividing a plurality of light-transmitting portions. The light-shielding layer 220 is disposed between the first substrate 100 and the protective layer 300. The light-shielding layer 220 array has a plurality of light-transmitting holes, each light-transmitting hole corresponding to a light-transmitting portion. The orthographic projection of the transparent filling portion 400 in the thickness direction of the first substrate 100 does not overlap with the orthographic projection of the light-shielding layer 220.

[0034] like Figure 7 As shown, the color filter layer 200 may include a light-shielding layer 220 for dividing and separating multiple light-transmitting portions. The light-shielding layer 220 can block stray light between adjacent pixel areas to avoid light crosstalk. Specifically, the light-shielding layer 220 is disposed between the first substrate 100 and the protective layer 300. Multiple light-transmitting holes can be arrayed on the light-shielding layer 220, and each light-transmitting hole corresponds to a light-transmitting portion, so that the light provided by the backlight source can pass through the corresponding light-transmitting hole and the corresponding light-transmitting portion, thereby realizing the zonal color display of the display substrate.

[0035] To reduce the mechanical effect of the septum structure on the color filter layer 200, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8As shown, the orthographic projection of the transparent filler portion 400 in the thickness direction of the first substrate 100 and the orthographic projection of the light-shielding layer 220 are offset from each other and do not overlap. In this way, when the display substrate is subjected to external pressure, the spacer structure can transfer the stress to the transparent filler portion 400. The transparent filler portion 400 is disposed in the light-transmitting area of ​​the white light-transmitting portion 214 and will not apply pressure to areas other than the white light-transmitting portion 214. This can prevent the light-shielding layer 220 and other color resist structures from failing or breaking under pressure, and ensure the light-shielding isolation performance of the light-shielding layer 220.

[0036] In some embodiments, the septum structure includes at least one transparent septum portion 500; along the protrusion direction of the septum structure, the cross-sectional area of ​​the transparent septum portion 500 perpendicular to the protrusion direction decreases sequentially.

[0037] To further improve the overall support performance of the diaphragm structure, such as Figure 7 and Figure 8 As shown, the spacer structure may include at least one transparent spacer portion 500. On one hand, the transparent spacer portion 500 has light-transmitting characteristics, which can reduce the light blockage of the white light-transmitting portion 214 and ensure the light transmittance and light emission effect of the white pixel area. On the other hand, in the direction of the spacer structure protruding towards the second substrate 601, the cross-sectional area of ​​the transparent spacer portion 500 perpendicular to its protruding direction gradually decreases, so that the transparent spacer portion 500 forms a frustum structure that is narrow at the top and wide at the bottom. The transparent spacer portion 500 with a frustum structure can optimize the stress distribution of the spacer structure under pressure, alleviate its contact impact with the cell substrate, reduce the deformation and vibration amplitude under pressure, and improve the buffering and adaptation capability of the structure while ensuring the stability of the liquid crystal cell thickness support.

[0038] In some embodiments, the spacer structure includes a transparent spacer portion 500, which is provided in the central region of the transparent filling portion 400.

[0039] For the transparent filler portion 400, the side of the transparent filler portion 400 away from the first substrate 100 may include a central region and an edge region surrounding the central region; to simplify the structural form of the spacer structure and control the complexity of the spacer structure, each spacer structure may include one transparent spacer portion 500; wherein... Figure 9a The display shows a schematic diagram of the distribution of a single transparent spacer portion 500 within the same white light-transmitting portion 214, as shown below. Figure 7 , Figure 8 as well as Figure 9aAs shown, when the spacer structure is provided with a transparent spacer portion 500, the transparent spacer portion 500 can be arranged in the central area of ​​the transparent filling portion 400 so that the external force borne by the transparent spacer portion 500 is concentrated in the central area of ​​the transparent filling portion 400, preventing uneven local stress, ensuring the fit stability of the transparent filling portion 400 in the recess 301, and improving the overall stress uniformity and structural reliability.

[0040] In some embodiments, the spacer structure includes a transparent spacer portion 500, and at least two transparent spacer portions 500 are provided in the edge region of the transparent filling portion 400 and are centrally symmetrically distributed in the edge region.

[0041] To improve the support effect of the spacer structure on the display substrate and reduce the light blocking of the white light-transmitting part 214 by the spacer structure, the spacer structure may include at least two transparent spacer parts 500. Figure 9b The display shows a schematic diagram of the distribution of multiple transparent spacer portions 500 within the same white light-transmitting portion 214, such as... Figure 9b As shown, multiple transparent spacer portions 500 are arranged in the edge region of the transparent filling portion 400, and the multiple transparent spacer portions 500 are arranged in a centrally symmetrical manner in the edge region. This can reduce the shading of the transparent spacer portions 500 on the white light-transmitting portion 214, and at the same time, it can disperse the support points, optimize the stress distribution of the spacer structure, and reduce the risk of deformation caused by excessive single-point load. In addition, the centrally symmetrical arrangement can balance the stress state of the spacer structure and improve the support stability of the spacer structure for the thickness of the liquid crystal cell.

[0042] also, Figure 9c The content shown is a schematic diagram of the distribution of multiple transparent spacer portions 500 within the same white light-transmitting portion 214; that is, when the spacer structure includes multiple transparent spacer portions 500, one of the transparent spacer portions 500 is placed in the central area of ​​the transparent filling portion 400, and the remaining transparent spacer portions 500 are arranged in the edge area of ​​the transparent filling portion 400. This can improve the stability of the spacer structure in supporting the thickness of the liquid crystal cell, which will not be elaborated here.

[0043] In some embodiments, the display substrate further includes a second substrate 601, which is disposed on the side of the protective layer 300 away from the first substrate 100 and surrounds the protective layer 300 to form a liquid crystal cell for accommodating the liquid crystal layer 602; a spacer structure is located inside the liquid crystal cell, and the side of the second substrate 601 near the first substrate 100 abuts against the spacer structure; or there is a gap between the side of the second substrate 601 near the first substrate 100 and the spacer structure.

[0044] The display substrate may further include a second substrate 601, which is disposed on the side of the protective layer 300 away from the first substrate 100. The stacked structure formed by the first substrate 100 and the protective layer 300 and the second substrate 601 can be closed to form a liquid crystal cell for accommodating the liquid crystal layer 602. The protective layer 300 is provided with an alignment layer 605 on the side away from the first substrate 100. The alignment layer 605 can be used to control the initial orientation direction of the liquid crystal molecules so that the liquid crystal molecules are uniformly arranged at a preset angle. A frame 604 is provided around the liquid crystal cell to seal the liquid crystal cell and constrain the cell body, and help maintain the cell thickness of the liquid crystal cell.

[0045] Furthermore, regarding the spacer structure, the transparent spacer portion 500 can be used as either a main spacer portion or an auxiliary spacer portion. Specifically, when the transparent spacer portion 500 is used as a main spacer portion, its bottom is integrally formed with the transparent filling portion 400, and its end face facing the second substrate 601 abuts against the second substrate 601 to serve as a main support point to maintain the reference box thickness; when the transparent spacer portion 500 is used as an auxiliary spacer portion, its bottom is integrally formed with the transparent filling portion 400, and a gap is reserved between its end face facing the second substrate 601 and the second substrate 601, so that it can withstand pressure when subjected to external force compression and when the box thickness is compressed, thereby achieving buffer protection.

[0046] In some embodiments, an electrode layer 603 may be provided on the side of the first substrate 100 away from the protective layer 300. The electrode layer 603 may be a transparent electrode and form the driving circuit of the display substrate, which is used to drive the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 602 to deflect, thereby adjusting the light transmission effect of the display substrate.

[0047] Based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure also provides a display device, including the display substrate described in any of the foregoing embodiments. This display device can utilize the display substrate provided in the foregoing embodiments, and therefore possesses all the advantages and beneficial effects of the display substrate provided in the foregoing embodiments. Exemplarily, the display device provided in this application can be among devices with display functions such as mobile phones, tablet computers, smartwatches, televisions, robots, self-service kiosks, advertising screens, and vehicle displays, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0048] Based on the same inventive concept, this disclosure also provides a method for preparing a display substrate, wherein, Figures 10a to 10e The content shown is a schematic diagram of the display substrate at different stages of its fabrication. Figure 12 The content shown is a flowchart of the fabrication process of the display substrate in this disclosure, such as... Figures 10a to 10e , Figure 12 As shown, the method for fabricating this display substrate may include: S1: A first substrate 100 is provided, and a color filter layer 200 is formed on the surface of the first substrate 100; like Figures 10a to 10c As shown, in this step, a transparent first substrate 100 is provided first, and an electrode layer 603 is pre-formed on one side of the first substrate 100 as a carrier substrate for the display substrate; a color filter layer 200 including a red light-transmitting portion 211, a green light-transmitting portion 212, a blue light-transmitting portion 213 and a white light-transmitting portion 214 is formed on the side of the first substrate 100 away from the electrode layer 603 using a photolithography process or an inkjet printing process.

[0049] S2: A protective layer 300 is formed on the side of the color filter layer 200 away from the first substrate 100, so that a recess 301 corresponding to the white light-transmitting portion 214 of the color filter layer 200 is formed on the surface of the protective layer 300. like Figure 10d As shown, in this step, after the color filter layer 200 is prepared, a protective layer 300 can be formed on the side of the color filter layer 200 away from the first substrate 100 by a coating process. Since the white light-transmitting part 214 of the color filter layer 200 does not have a color resist structure, after the protective layer 300 is formed, a recessed part 301 will be formed in the area corresponding to the white light-transmitting part 214.

[0050] S3: An organic material layer 501C is formed on the side of the protective layer 300 away from the first substrate 100. The organic material layer 501C is patterned using an exposure and development process to form a transparent filling portion 400 in the recessed portion 301, and a protruding septum structure is formed on the side of the transparent filling portion 400 away from the first substrate 100.

[0051] like Figure 10e As shown, in this step, after the protective layer 300 is prepared, a coating process can be used to form a transparent organic material layer 501C on the side of the protective layer 300 away from the first substrate 100. After the organic material layer 501C is formed, a negative photoresist can be selected, and an exposure and development process can be used to pattern the organic material layer 501C, removing the organic material layer 501C in areas other than the white light-transmitting portion 214, retaining the organic material in the recessed portion 301 to form a transparent filling portion 400, and forming an upwardly protruding spacer structure integrally connected to it on the side of the transparent filling portion 400 away from the first substrate 100.

[0052] Figure 11a and Figure 11b The content shown is a schematic diagram of the preparation of different types of transparent septum parts 500. For the septum structure, the transparent septum part 500 of the septum structure can be set as the main septum part or the auxiliary septum part. Therefore, when preparing different types of transparent septum parts 500, the specifications of the selected mask 700 are different.

[0053] For example, such as Figure 11aAs shown, when fabricating the main spacer portion within the white light-transmitting portion 214, the mask 700 used has a first photolithography area 701 and a second photolithography area 702 surrounding the first photolithography area 701. The surface of the organic material layer 501C used to form the spacer structure is coated with a negative photoresist. The transmittance of the first photolithography area 701 can be set to 100%, and the transmittance of the second photolithography area 702 can be set to any value between 5% and 8%. During patterning using an exposure and development process, the area corresponding to the first photolithography area 701 remains unetched, thereby forming a raised main spacer portion at that location. The area corresponding to the second photolithography area 702 retains a portion of the organic material so that it can fill the recessed portion 301 to form a transparent filling layer.

[0054] For example, such as Figure 11b As shown, when fabricating the auxiliary spacer portion within the white light-transmitting portion 214, the mask 700 used has a first photolithography area 701 and a second photolithography area 702 surrounding the first photolithography area 701. The surface of the organic material layer 501C used to form the spacer structure is coated with negative photoresist. The transmittance of the first photolithography area 701 can be set to 15% to 20%, and the transmittance of the second photolithography area 702 can be set to 10% to 20%, with the transmittance of the first photolithography area 701 being greater than that of the second photolithography area 702. During patterning using an exposure and development process, the etching degree at the corresponding position of the first photolithography area 701 is greater than that at the corresponding position of the second photolithography area 702, thereby forming a raised auxiliary spacer portion at the position corresponding to the first photolithography area 701, and retaining a portion of organic material in the area corresponding to the second photolithography area 702 to fill the recessed portion 301 to form a transparent filling layer.

[0055] Furthermore, during the simultaneous fabrication of the transparent filler 400 and the spacer structure, the organic material layer 501C corresponding to the position of the color resist structure of the red light-transmitting part 211 can be etched and removed. This removes the red color resist molecules 211R that diffuse into the organic material layer 501C above the red light-transmitting part 211 during the process, ensuring that there is no red color resist precipitated in the red light-transmitting part 211 and its surrounding area. This prevents the subsequent precipitation of red color resist molecules 211R from interfering with the liquid crystal layer 602 and prevents display defects in the display substrate.

[0056] It should be noted that the above description describes some embodiments of this disclosure. Other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions or steps recorded in the claims can be performed in a different order than that shown in the above embodiments and still achieve the desired result. Furthermore, the processes depicted in the drawings do not necessarily require a specific or sequential order to achieve the desired result. In some embodiments, multitasking and parallel processing are also possible or may be advantageous.

[0057] The various embodiments in this disclosure are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on the differences from other embodiments. The same or similar parts between the various embodiments can be referred to each other.

[0058] The description in this disclosure is provided for illustrative and descriptive purposes only and is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to its forms. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to better illustrate the principles and practical application of this disclosure and to enable those skilled in the art to understand this disclosure and to design various embodiments with various modifications suitable for a particular purpose.

[0059] Those skilled in the art should understand that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely exemplary and is not intended to imply that the scope of this disclosure (including the claims) is limited to these examples; within the framework of this disclosure, the technical features of the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of the embodiments of this disclosure as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity.

[0060] Although this disclosure has been described in conjunction with specific embodiments thereof, many substitutions, modifications and variations of these embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the foregoing description.

[0061] This disclosure is intended to cover all such substitutions, modifications, and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A display substrate, characterized in that, The invention includes a first substrate, a color filter layer, and a protective layer, the color filter layer being divided into multiple light-transmitting portions, the multiple light-transmitting portions including a red light-transmitting portion, a green light-transmitting portion, a blue light-transmitting portion, and a white light-transmitting portion, the surface of the protective layer having a recessed portion opposite to the white light-transmitting portion; It also includes an integrally formed transparent filling portion and a spacer structure, wherein the transparent filling portion is embedded in the recessed portion; and the spacer structure protrudes from the side of the transparent filling portion away from the first substrate.

2. The display substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The orthographic projection of the spacer structure in the thickness direction of the first substrate lies within the orthographic projection of the transparent filler portion.

3. The display substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The protective layer has a bearing surface on the side away from the first substrate. The orthographic projection of the bearing surface in the thickness direction of the first substrate does not overlap with the orthographic projection of the recessed portion, and the bearing surface is flush with the side of the transparent filling portion away from the first substrate.

4. The display substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The color filter layer includes a light-shielding layer for dividing the plurality of light-transmitting portions. The light-shielding layer is disposed between the first substrate and the protective layer. The array of light-shielding layers has a plurality of light-transmitting holes, and each light-transmitting hole corresponds to a light-transmitting portion. The orthographic projection of the transparent filler portion in the thickness direction of the first substrate does not overlap with the orthographic projection of the light-shielding layer.

5. The display substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, The septum structure includes at least one transparent septum portion; Along the protruding direction of the septum structure, the cross-sectional area of ​​the transparent septum portion perpendicular to the protruding direction decreases sequentially.

6. The display substrate according to claim 5, characterized in that, The septum structure includes a transparent septum portion, which is disposed at the center region of the transparent filling portion.

7. The display substrate according to claim 5, characterized in that, The septum structure includes a transparent septum portion, and at least two transparent septum portions are provided. The at least two transparent septum portions are disposed in the edge region of the transparent filling portion and are centrally symmetrically distributed in the edge region.

8. The display substrate according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a second substrate, which is disposed on the side of the protective layer away from the first substrate and surrounds the protective layer to form a liquid crystal cell for accommodating the liquid crystal layer; The spacer structure is located inside the liquid crystal cell, and the side of the second substrate closest to the first substrate abuts against the spacer structure; or there is a gap between the side of the second substrate closest to the first substrate and the spacer structure.

9. A display device, characterized in that, Includes the display substrate as described in any one of claims 1-8.

10. A method for preparing a display substrate, characterized in that, include: A first substrate is provided, and a color filter layer is formed on the surface of the first substrate; A protective layer is formed on the side of the color filter layer away from the first substrate, such that a recess is formed on the surface of the protective layer corresponding to the white light-transmitting portion of the color filter layer; An organic material layer is formed on the side of the protective layer away from the first substrate. The organic material layer is patterned using an exposure and development process to form a transparent filling portion in the recess, and a protruding septum structure is formed on the side of the transparent filling portion away from the first substrate.

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