Display panel, display device and preparation method of display panel

Abstract

Embodiments of the present application provide a display panel, a display device and a preparation method of the display panel. The display panel comprises a substrate, a pixel definition layer arranged on one side of the substrate, the pixel definition layer comprising a pixel limiting portion and a pixel opening formed by the pixel limiting portion, the number of the pixel openings being multiple, and a light-emitting layer comprising a light-emitting unit, the number of the light-emitting units being multiple, at least part of the light-emitting units being located in the pixel opening, the surface of the pixel limiting portion away from the substrate being provided with a hydrophobic structure, the hydrophobic structure comprising two or more convex portions, the two or more convex portions being distributed in the direction away from the pixel opening, a hydrophobic groove being formed between the two adjacent convex portions, the convex portion comprising a first convex portion and a second convex portion, the second convex portion being located on the side of the first convex portion away from the pixel opening, and the height of the second convex portion being greater than the height of the first convex portion. The display panel, the display device and the preparation method of the display panel of the present application aim to improve the process performance of the display panel.

Description

Technical Field

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

[0002] Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, also known as organic electroluminescent displays, offer a range of advantages over existing liquid crystal displays (LCDs). These advantages include self-illumination, wide viewing angles, ultra-light weight, ultra-thinness, high brightness, low power consumption, and fast response time. Furthermore, their response speed can be up to 1000 times faster than that of LCDs. Therefore, OLED displays have become a very popular flat panel display product both domestically and internationally, with broad application prospects.

[0003] However, the current display products' manufacturing processes need improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a display panel, a display device, and a method for manufacturing the display panel, aiming to improve the process performance of the display panel.

[0005] An embodiment of the first aspect of this application provides a display panel, comprising: a substrate; a pixel definition layer disposed on one side of the substrate, the pixel definition layer including a pixel defining portion and a pixel opening formed by the pixel defining portion, the number of pixel openings being multiple; and a light-emitting layer including a light-emitting unit, the number of light-emitting units being multiple, and the light-emitting units being disposed one-to-one with the pixel openings, at least a portion of the light-emitting unit being located within the pixel opening, wherein the pixel defining portion is provided with a hydrophobic structure on the surface away from the substrate, the hydrophobic structure including two or more protrusions, the two or more protrusions being spaced apart in a direction away from the pixel opening, and a hydrophobic groove being formed between two adjacent protrusions, the two or more protrusions including a first protrusion and a second protrusion, the second protrusion being located on the side of the first protrusion away from the pixel opening, and the height of the second protrusion being greater than the height of the first protrusion.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the first aspect of this application, two or more protrusions include a first hydrophobic group and a second hydrophobic group distributed in a direction away from the pixel opening. Both the first hydrophobic group and the second hydrophobic group include two or more protrusions. The extending direction of the protrusion in the first hydrophobic group has a first angle with the surface of the pixel defining portion, and the extending direction of the protrusion in the second hydrophobic group has a second angle with the surface of the pixel defining portion. The first angle is smaller than the second angle.

[0007] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of this application, the first included angle is an acute angle.

[0008] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of this application, the second included angle is a right angle.

[0009] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of this application, the heights of two or more protrusions in the second hydrophobic group are equal.

[0010] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of this application, the first convex portion and the second convex portion are convex portions within the first hydrophobic group.

[0011] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of this application, within the first hydrophobic group, the height of the protrusion increases in the direction away from the pixel opening.

[0012] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of this application, the first protrusion and the second protrusion are disposed adjacent to each other.

[0013] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of this application, the height of the inner protrusion of the first hydrophobic group is less than the height of the inner protrusion of the second hydrophobic group.

[0014] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of this application, the hydrophobic structure and the pixel limiting portion are integrally formed.

[0015] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of this application, the height of the protrusion is 10nm to 1μm; and / or, the protrusion is arranged in a closed ring around the pixel opening.

[0016] The second aspect of this application also provides a display device, including the display panel of any of the first aspect embodiments described above.

[0017] An embodiment of the third aspect of this application also provides a display device, and a method for manufacturing a display panel, comprising:

[0018] A pixel definition material layer is set on the surface of the substrate;

[0019] A pixel definition layer is formed by patterning a pixel definition material layer. The pixel definition layer includes a pixel defining portion and a pixel opening formed in the pixel defining portion.

[0020] A hydrophobic structure is formed by patterning the surface of the pixel definition portion away from the substrate. The hydrophobic structure includes two or more protrusions spaced apart in a direction away from the pixel opening. The two or more protrusions include a first protrusion and a second protrusion. The second protrusion is located on the side of the first protrusion away from the pixel opening, and the height of the second protrusion is greater than the height of the first protrusion.

[0021] The display panel provided in this application includes a substrate, a pixel definition layer, and a light-emitting layer. The pixel definition layer is disposed on one side of the substrate and includes a pixel defining portion and a plurality of pixel openings formed by the pixel defining portion. The pixel openings are used to accommodate light-emitting units, and the pixel defining portion is used to improve the problem of light emission crosstalk between adjacent light-emitting units. The light-emitting layer includes a plurality of light-emitting units, which are disposed corresponding to the pixel openings, and at least partially located within the corresponding pixel openings, so that the light-emitting units can emit light from the pixel openings to achieve the light-emitting effect of the display panel. A hydrophobic structure is provided on the surface of the pixel defining portion away from the substrate. During the fabrication process of the display panel, when the light-emitting units are fabricated from the side of the pixel definition layer away from the substrate toward the pixel openings, the light-emitting material used to fabricate the light-emitting units is less likely to be deposited on the pixel defining portion, which can improve the problem of mutual interference between adjacent light-emitting units. In addition, the hydrophobic structure includes two or more protrusions spaced apart, and a hydrophobic groove is formed between two adjacent protrusions. The hydrophobic groove can accommodate the light-emitting material and provide a guiding effect to the light-emitting material, so that some of the light-emitting material flows within the hydrophobic groove near the pixel opening. In at least two protrusions, the second protrusion is located on the side of the first protrusion facing away from the pixel opening, and the height of the second protrusion is greater than that of the first protrusion. This improves the blocking effect of the second protrusion on the light-emitting material, making it easier for the light-emitting material to accumulate on the side of the second protrusion facing the pixel opening. In other words, the light-emitting material is more likely to accumulate at and near the pixel opening. During the fabrication of the display panel, when inkjet printing is used to fabricate the light-emitting units, it can improve the overflow phenomenon of the light-emitting material, thereby improving the color mixing problem of the display panel and enhancing its process performance. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Other features, objects, and advantages of this application will become more apparent from the following detailed description of non-limiting embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar features.

[0023] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the light-emitting material of the light-emitting unit in a display panel in the prior art;

[0024] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the display panel provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the light-emitting unit and its pixel limiting portion of the display panel provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the light-emitting material of the light-emitting unit of the display panel provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0027] Figure 5 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the hydrophobic structure of the display panel provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0028] Figure 6 This is a partial cross-sectional view of another hydrophobic structure of the display panel provided in this application embodiment;

[0029] Figure 7 This is a partial cross-sectional view of yet another hydrophobic structure of the display panel provided in this application embodiment;

[0030] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of the display panel manufacturing method provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating the specific preparation method of the hydrophobic structure of the display panel provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0032] Figure 10 This is a flowchart of another specific method for preparing the hydrophobic structure of the display panel provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0033] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the pixel definition material layer of the display panel provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0034] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the formation of pixel openings in a display panel according to an embodiment of this application;

[0035] Figure 13 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the formation of the hydrophobic structure of the display panel provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0036] Figure 14 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the formation of the photoresist layer on the display panel provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0037] Figure 15 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the display panel after the photoresist layer has been patterned, according to an embodiment of this application.

[0038] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0039] 100. Substrate;

[0040] 200, Pixel definition layer; 210, Pixel limiting part; 220, Pixel opening; 230, Hydrophobic structure; 231, Protrusion; 2311, First protrusion; 2312, Second protrusion; 2313, First segment; 2314, Second segment; 232, Hydrophobic groove; 233, First hydrophobic group; 234, Second hydrophobic group;

[0041] 300, Light-emitting layer; 310, Light-emitting unit;

[0042] 400, Pixel-defined material layer;

[0043] 500, photoresist layer. Detailed Implementation

[0044] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of this application will now be described in detail. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following detailed description to provide a comprehensive understanding of this application. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this application can be implemented without requiring some of these specific details. The following description of embodiments is merely intended to provide a better understanding of this application by illustrating examples. In the accompanying drawings and the following description, at least some well-known structures and techniques are not shown to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the application; and, for clarity, the dimensions of some structures may be exaggerated. Furthermore, the features, structures, or characteristics described below can be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.

[0045] In the description of this application, it should be noted that, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more; the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "inner," "outer," etc., indicating orientation or positional relationships are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on this application. Furthermore, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance.

[0046] The directional terms appearing in the following description refer to the directions shown in the figures and are not intended to limit the specific structure of the embodiments of this application. It should also be noted in the description of this application that, unless otherwise explicitly specified and limited, the terms "installation" and "connection" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific circumstances.

[0047] Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and flat panel displays based on light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are widely used in various consumer electronics products such as mobile phones, televisions, laptops, and desktop computers due to their advantages such as high image quality, energy saving, thin body, and wide range of applications, becoming the mainstream of display devices.

[0048] AMOLED (Active-Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) units generally adopt the vapor deposition process. The vapor deposition process refers to heating organic light-emitting materials or other functional materials to a vaporized state in a high vacuum environment, so that they are uniformly deposited on the substrate to form a thin film light-emitting unit. However, the vapor deposition process has defects in terms of material utilization and large-size fabrication.

[0049] Therefore, to avoid the drawbacks of vapor deposition in terms of material utilization and large-size fabrication, inkjet printing is typically used instead. Printing not only avoids the defects of vapor deposition but also enables the fabrication of next-generation light-emitting technologies such as quantum dot devices. However, implementing printing requires the creation of isolation structures around the pixel openings or the establishment of pixel-limiting structures to prevent the flow of printed light-emitting material to other pixel openings, thus avoiding issues such as color mixing between different pixels.

[0050] Among these factors, the one that has the greatest impact on printing process quality is the liquid contact angle α between the luminescent material and the surface of the isolation structure or pixel-defining structure, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the liquid contact angle α is the angle between the tangent of the contact portion of the luminescent material and its contact plane. Currently, the liquid contact angle between the luminescent material and the isolation structure or pixel-defining structure is usually large, leading to overflow of the luminescent material during the printing process, which affects the overall fabrication and production quality of the display panel. Therefore, the process performance of display panels needs to be improved.

[0051] like Figures 2 to 4As shown, an embodiment of the first aspect of this application provides a display panel, including: a substrate 100; a pixel definition layer 200 disposed on one side of the substrate 100, the pixel definition layer 200 including a pixel defining portion 210 and a pixel opening 220 formed by the pixel defining portion 210, the number of pixel openings 220 being multiple; and a light-emitting layer 300 including light-emitting units 310, the number of light-emitting units 310 being multiple, and the light-emitting units 310 being disposed one-to-one with the pixel openings 220, at least a portion of the light-emitting units 310 being located within the pixel openings 220. The pixel defining portion 210 has a hydrophobic structure 230 on the surface away from the substrate 100. The hydrophobic structure 230 includes two or more protrusions 231. The two or more protrusions 231 are distributed at intervals in the direction away from the pixel opening 220, and a hydrophobic groove 232 is formed between two adjacent protrusions 231. The two or more protrusions 231 include a first protrusion 2311 and a second protrusion 2312. The second protrusion 2312 is located on the side of the first protrusion 2311 away from the pixel opening 220, and the height of the second protrusion 2312 is greater than the height of the first protrusion 2311.

[0052] It should be noted that two or more protrusions 231 are distributed at intervals in the direction away from the pixel opening 220. The direction away from the pixel opening 220 is the direction from the pixel opening 220 away from itself in the plane where the pixel definition layer 200 is located, that is, the direction from the center of the pixel opening 220 to the edge, and not the direction in the thickness direction of the substrate 100, the pixel definition layer 200 and the light-emitting layer 300.

[0053] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the display panel provided in this embodiment includes a substrate 100, a pixel definition layer 200, and a light-emitting layer 300. The pixel definition layer 200 is disposed on one side of the substrate 100 and includes a pixel defining portion 210 and a plurality of pixel openings 220 formed by the pixel defining portion 210. The pixel openings 220 are used to accommodate light-emitting units 310, and the pixel defining portion 210 is used to improve the problem of light emission crosstalk between adjacent light-emitting units 310. The light-emitting layer 300 includes a plurality of light-emitting units 310, and the plurality of light-emitting units 310 are disposed one-to-one with the plurality of pixel openings 220. The light-emitting units 310 are at least partially located within their corresponding pixel openings 220, so that the light-emitting units 310 can emit light from the pixel openings 220 to achieve the light-emitting effect of the display panel. During the fabrication of the display panel, when the light-emitting unit 310 is fabricated from the side of the pixel definition layer 200 away from the substrate 100 toward the pixel opening 220, the light-emitting material used to fabricate the light-emitting unit 310 is less likely to be deposited on the pixel limiting portion 210, which can improve the mutual interference problem between adjacent light-emitting units 310.

[0054] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, a hydrophobic structure 230 is provided on the surface of the pixel limiting portion 210 away from the substrate 100. The hydrophobic structure 230 includes two or more protrusions 231 spaced apart. A hydrophobic groove 232 is formed between two adjacent protrusions 231. The hydrophobic groove 232 can accommodate light-emitting material and provide a guiding effect to the light-emitting material, so that some of the light-emitting material flows in the hydrophobic groove 232 near the pixel opening 220, thereby preventing the light-emitting material from reaching the pixel limiting portion 210 away from the pixel opening 220, making it easier for the light-emitting material to gather in the pixel opening 220 and the position near the pixel opening 220.

[0055] Furthermore, please combine this with... Figures 3 to 5 At least two protrusions 231 include a first protrusion 2311 and a second protrusion 2312. The second protrusion 2312 is located on the side of the first protrusion 2311 away from the pixel opening 220. Thus, when the light-emitting material moves away from the pixel opening 220, it will be blocked by the first protrusion 2311 and the second protrusion 2312 in sequence. Since the height of the second protrusion 2312 is greater than the height of the first protrusion 2311, the blocking effect of the second protrusion 2312 on the light-emitting material can be improved. During the flow of the light-emitting material, the blocking effect increases, making it easier for the light-emitting material to gather on the side of the second protrusion 2312 facing the pixel opening 220, that is, the pixel opening 220 and the position close to the pixel opening 220. In the manufacturing process of the display panel, when the light-emitting unit is prepared by inkjet printing, the overflow phenomenon of the light-emitting material in the printing process can be improved, thereby improving the color mixing problem of the display panel and improving the process performance of the display panel.

[0056] It should be noted that, as Figure 1 and Figure 4 As shown, since the light-emitting material is a liquid material, when the light-emitting material is placed in the pixel opening 220 formed by the pixel limiting portion 210, the edge portion of the light-emitting material will come into contact with the surface of the pixel limiting portion 210, thereby generating a liquid contact angle α between the light-emitting material and the pixel limiting portion 210. This liquid contact angle α is unavoidable in the printing process. This application reduces this liquid contact angle α by setting the hydrophobic structure 230, making it easier for the light-emitting material to gather in the pixel opening 220 and the position near the pixel opening 220, thereby improving the process performance of the display panel.

[0057] Usually, such as Figure 1 As shown, after the luminescent material is placed within the pixel opening 220, its surface forms an arc-shaped structure. Furthermore, the overall length of the luminescent material along the horizontal direction of the pixel definition layer 200 surface is relatively long, while its height along the thickness direction of the pixel definition layer 200 is relatively small. This results in a larger liquid contact angle α. Figure 4As shown, by adopting the hydrophobic structure 230 in this embodiment, the horizontal extension length of the luminescent material can be reduced and the thickness height of the luminescent material can be increased. Its liquid contact angle α is small, thereby realizing the aggregation of the luminescent material toward the pixel opening 220. This improves the problem of the luminescent material flowing into the adjacent pixel opening 220 due to its excessive overall length, which causes color mixing in the display panel. Furthermore, since the horizontal extension length of the luminescent material is reduced, its coverage area on the pixel limiting portion 210 is also reduced accordingly. After the inkjet printing process is completed, there is less residue on the pixel limiting portion 210, thereby improving the problem of luminescent material residue.

[0058] Furthermore, in this embodiment of the application, the light-emitting unit 310 is printed in the pixel opening 220 using inkjet printing technology, which can improve the pixel opening ratio of the display panel compared to the light-emitting unit 310 prepared by vapor deposition process.

[0059] In this embodiment of the application, the light-emitting unit 310 of the light-emitting layer 300 can be prepared by a printing process. The printing process uses light-emitting materials such as ink. The ink may include fluorescent materials, phosphorescent materials and thermally activated delayed fluorescent materials to form a light-emitting unit 310 that can emit light after printing.

[0060] There are various ways to configure the pixel limiting portion 210. For example, the material of the pixel limiting portion 210 may include a hydrophobic material, so that the pixel limiting portion 210 has hydrophobic properties to reduce the flow of the light-emitting material on the surface of the pixel limiting portion 210, thereby reducing the liquid contact angle and making it easier for the light-emitting material to accumulate in the pixel opening 220 and the position near the pixel opening 220. Here, hydrophobic properties refer to "hydrophobic and oleophobic" properties, which means that liquids are not easily adhered to or come into contact with the pixel limiting portion 210. Hydrophobic properties refer to the inability to come into contact with liquids, not simply the inability to come into contact with water.

[0061] like Figure 6 As shown, in some alternative embodiments, each protrusion 231 includes a first segment 2313 and a second segment 2314 distributed in a direction away from the substrate 100, wherein the orthographic projection of the second segment 2314 onto the substrate 100 lies within the orthographic projection of the first segment 2313 onto the substrate 100.

[0062] In these optional embodiments, the protrusion 231 includes a first segment 2313 and a second segment 2314 with unequal cross-sections. The second segment 2314 is located on the side of the first segment 2313 away from the substrate 100, and the orthographic projection of the second segment 2314 onto the substrate 100 is within the orthographic projection of the first segment 2313 onto the substrate 100. That is, the cross-sectional area of ​​the second segment 2314 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the first segment 2313, which can further reduce the contact between the light-emitting material and the pixel limiting portion 210, thereby reducing the surface energy and improving the hydrophobic effect.

[0063] Optionally, the width of the second segment 2314 is smaller than the width of the first segment 2313, so that the cross-sectional area of ​​the second segment 2314 is smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the first segment 2313, thereby improving the hydrophobic effect.

[0064] Optionally, in the thickness direction of the display panel, the height of the second segment 2314 is equal to the height of the first segment 2313, which improves the phenomenon of light-emitting material overflowing from one side of the second segment 2314 to the adjacent hydrophobic groove 232, and further enhances the hydrophobic effect.

[0065] like Figure 7 As shown, in some alternative embodiments, two or more protrusions 231 include a first hydrophobic group 233 and a second hydrophobic group 234 distributed in a direction away from the pixel opening 220. Both the first hydrophobic group 233 and the second hydrophobic group 234 include two or more protrusions 231. The extension direction of the protrusions 231 in the first hydrophobic group 233 has a first included angle A with the surface of the pixel limiting portion 210, and the extension direction of the protrusions 231 in the second hydrophobic group 234 has a second included angle B with the surface of the pixel limiting portion 210. The first included angle A is smaller than the second included angle B.

[0066] In these alternative embodiments, the first hydrophobic group 233 is located near the pixel opening 220, and the second hydrophobic group 234 is spaced apart from the pixel opening 220 by the first hydrophobic group 233. When the luminescent material overflows from the pixel opening 220, it first contacts the first hydrophobic group 233 on the pixel limiting portion 210 and gradually overflows to the second hydrophobic group 234. Since there is a first angle A between the extension direction of the protrusion 231 in the first hydrophobic group 233 and the surface of the pixel limiting portion 210, and a second angle B between the extension direction of the protrusion 231 in the second hydrophobic group 234 and the surface of the pixel limiting portion 210, and the first angle A is smaller than the second angle B, the larger the angle between the protrusion 231 and the pixel limiting portion 210, the better the blocking effect on the luminescent material. Therefore, during the overflow process of the luminescent material, the blocking effect increases, making it easier for the luminescent material to accumulate in the pixel opening 220 and the position near the pixel opening 220, thus improving the process performance of the display panel.

[0067] Furthermore, the smaller the angle between the extension direction of the protrusion 231 and the surface of the pixel limiting portion 210, the more it can promote the inward contraction of the light-emitting material. When the light-emitting material overflows outward from the pixel opening 220, it will come into contact with the first hydrophobic group 233, which is relatively close. Since the first angle A of the first hydrophobic group 233 is small, it can provide a large inward contraction force for a large amount of overflowing light-emitting material, so that most of the light-emitting material is contracted and concentrated in the pixel opening 220 and the first hydrophobic group 233. When the remaining part of the light-emitting material that has not been completely contracted overflows from the first hydrophobic group 233 to the second hydrophobic group 234, since the second angle B of the second hydrophobic group 234 is large, it can block the remaining part of the light-emitting material while also providing a part of the inward contraction force, so that the remaining part of the light-emitting material is contracted at the edge of the second hydrophobic group 234 near the first hydrophobic group 233, thereby ensuring the overall contraction effect of the light-emitting material.

[0068] In the embodiments of this application, the angle between the extending direction of the protrusion 231 and the surface of the pixel limiting portion 210 is the angle between the surface of the protrusion 231 facing its corresponding pixel opening 220 and the top surface of the pixel limiting portion 210 away from the substrate.

[0069] like Figure 7 As shown, in some alternative embodiments, the first included angle A is an acute angle.

[0070] In these alternative embodiments, the first included angle A between the extending direction of the inner protrusion 231 of the first hydrophobic group 233 and the surface of the pixel limiting portion 210 is set to an acute angle, that is, the inner protrusion 231 of the first hydrophobic group 233 can extend toward the direction close to the pixel opening 220. So after the light-emitting material overflows outward from the pixel opening 220 and contacts the first hydrophobic group 233, it causes the light-emitting material to shrink into the pixel opening 220, preventing the light-emitting material from expanding further outward. This makes it easier for the light-emitting material to gather in the pixel opening 220 and the position close to the pixel opening 220, thereby improving the process performance of the display panel.

[0071] like Figure 7 As shown, in some alternative embodiments, the second included angle B is a right angle.

[0072] In these alternative embodiments, the second included angle B between the extending direction of the inner protrusion 231 of the second hydrophobic group 234 and the surface of the pixel limiting portion 210 is set as a right angle, that is, the second hydrophobic group 234 is set perpendicular to the pixel limiting portion 210. This setting can ensure that the second hydrophobic group 234 has sufficient height in the thickness direction of the display panel, thereby stably blocking the overflow of the light-emitting material, preventing the further outward expansion of the light-emitting material, making it easier for the light-emitting material to gather in the pixel opening 220 and the position near the pixel opening 220, and improving the process performance of the display panel.

[0073] Furthermore, the inner protrusion 231 of the second hydrophobic group 234 is vertically arranged, and its surface facing the two adjacent pixel openings 220 is perpendicular to the surface of the pixel limiting part away from the substrate, thereby realizing the synchronous isolation of the light-emitting material in the adjacent pixel openings 220. Therefore, adjacent pixel openings 220 can share the same second hydrophobic group 234, thereby reducing the number of second hydrophobic groups 234, reducing certain process steps, and reducing the overall process difficulty of the display panel.

[0074] like Figure 2 As shown in the embodiments of this application, the pixel openings 220 of the display panel are arranged in an array, and each pixel opening 220 has a pixel limiting portion 210 surrounding its periphery. The hydrophobic structure 230 of the pixel limiting portion 210 also surrounds the periphery of the pixel opening 220, so as to promote the accumulation of light-emitting material at the pixel opening 220 and the position near the pixel opening 220. Between adjacent pixel openings 220, the same second hydrophobic group 234 is shared, that is, the first hydrophobic group 233, the second hydrophobic group 234 and the first hydrophobic group 233 are arranged in sequence, thereby reducing the process difficulty of setting the hydrophobic structure 230 in the display panel. Moreover, this arrangement can make the spacing between the pixel openings 220 smaller, and more pixel openings 220 can be set within the fixed area of ​​the display panel, thereby improving the overall resolution of the display panel while improving the color mixing problem.

[0075] In some alternative embodiments, two or more protrusions 231 within the second hydrophobic group 234 have equal heights.

[0076] like Figure 7 As shown, in these optional embodiments, the equal height of two or more protrusions 231 within the second hydrophobic group 234 ensures the uniformity of the second hydrophobic group 234 in blocking the light-emitting material in the adjacent pixel openings 220. This results in the concentration and overall size of the light-emitting material in each pixel opening 220 being approximately the same, ensuring the uniformity of the light-emitting units 310 formed after the light-emitting material is printed in each pixel opening 220, thereby ensuring the uniformity of the overall light emission of the display panel.

[0077] Optionally, two or more protrusions 231 within the second hydrophobic group 234 can be set to different heights. In this case, the protrusions 231 in each second hydrophobic group 234 are arranged symmetrically, and the protrusion 231 located in the middle of the second hydrophobic group 234 has the highest height, while the protrusions 231 on both sides decrease in height along the direction away from the middle. This arrangement can also ensure the consistency of the light-emitting materials on both sides, and the protrusion 231 in the middle can achieve the final blocking effect on the light-emitting materials on both sides, ensuring the degree of aggregation of light-emitting materials in each pixel opening 220, thereby ensuring the process performance of the display panel.

[0078] In some alternative embodiments, the first protrusion 2311 and the second protrusion 2312 are protrusions 231 within the first hydrophobic group 233.

[0079] In these optional embodiments, the protrusions 231 within the first hydrophobic group 233 are configured as a first protrusion 2311 and a second protrusion 2312. Specifically, the extending directions of both the first protrusion 2311 and the second protrusion 2312 have a first included angle A with the surface of the pixel defining portion 210, and this first included angle A is acute. By configuring the first protrusions 2311 and the second protrusions 2312 with different heights, when the luminescent material overflows from the pixel opening 220, it first contacts the closer first protrusion 2311. The first protrusion 2311 causes the luminescent material to initially contract. After passing the first protrusion 2311, the luminescent material interacts with the second protrusion 2312. The larger second protrusion 2312 further contracts the luminescent material and creates a stronger blocking effect, allowing most of the luminescent material to concentrate in the first hydrophobic group 233 and within the pixel opening 220. A small portion of the luminescent material does not continue to extend at the second hydrophobic group 234, thus ensuring the process performance of the display panel.

[0080] Within the first hydrophobic group 233, the first protrusion 2311 and the second protrusion 2312 can be set to the same number or different numbers, but it is necessary to ensure that the first protrusion 2311 is set closer to the pixel opening 220.

[0081] like Figure 7 As shown, in some alternative embodiments, within the first hydrophobic group 233, the height of the protrusion 231 increases in the direction away from the pixel opening 220.

[0082] In these alternative embodiments, the height of each protrusion 231 of the first hydrophobic group 233 increases in the direction away from the pixel opening 220. This way, after the light-emitting material passes over each protrusion 231 in sequence, it can be further blocked until the diffusion trend of the light-emitting material gradually decreases. Most of the light-emitting material can be concentrated at the first hydrophobic group 233 and within the pixel opening 220, which improves the overflow phenomenon of the light-emitting material as much as possible and further improves the process performance of the display panel.

[0083] In some alternative embodiments, the first protrusion 2311 and the second protrusion 2312 are arranged adjacent to each other.

[0084] In these alternative embodiments, the first hydrophobic group 233 includes only the first protrusion 2311 and the second protrusion 2312 arranged adjacently. This arrangement ensures that the arrangement length of the protrusions 231 of the first hydrophobic group 233 is low, thereby reducing the extension width of the pixel limiting portion 210 and making the spacing between the pixel openings 220 smaller. Within the fixed area of ​​the display panel, more pixel openings 220 can be arranged, thereby improving the overall resolution of the display panel while improving the color mixing problem.

[0085] Optionally, a protrusion 231 with a height between the first protrusion 2311 and the second protrusion 2312 may be provided; or a lower protrusion 231 may be provided on the side of the first protrusion 2311 near the pixel opening 220, or a higher protrusion 231 may be provided on the side of the second protrusion 2312 away from the pixel opening 220.

[0086] like Figure 7 As shown, in some alternative embodiments, the height of the inner protrusion 231 of the first hydrophobic group 233 is less than the height of the inner protrusion 231 of the second hydrophobic group 234.

[0087] In these alternative embodiments, the height of the inner protrusion 231 of the first hydrophobic group 233 is relatively small. When the light-emitting material overflows from the pixel opening 220 and comes into contact with the first hydrophobic group 233, the first hydrophobic group 233 mainly promotes the shrinkage of the light-emitting material, so that most of the light-emitting material can be concentrated in the pixel opening 220 to ensure the printing effect of the light-emitting material. After the light-emitting material overflows to the second hydrophobic group 234, the height of the inner protrusion 231 of the second hydrophobic group 234 is relatively large, which ensures the blocking effect on the light-emitting material, thereby preventing the light-emitting material from overflowing further, and forming an arc surface structure with a small curvature change on the surface of the light-emitting material, further improving the concentration of the light-emitting material in the pixel opening 220 and ensuring the process performance of the display panel.

[0088] In some alternative embodiments, the hydrophobic structure 230 and the pixel limiting portion 210 are integrally formed.

[0089] In these alternative embodiments, the integral molding of the hydrophobic structure 230 and the pixel limiting portion 210 ensures the connection strength between the hydrophobic structure 230 and the pixel limiting portion 210, thereby ensuring that each protrusion 231 of the hydrophobic structure 230 has a fixed angle with the pixel limiting portion 210, thus ensuring the effect of the hydrophobic structure 230 on improving the concentration of luminescent material and improving the overflow phenomenon of luminescent material.

[0090] Furthermore, in fabricating the hydrophobic structure 230, only photoresist needs to be applied to the surface of the pixel defining portion 210, patterned, and then etched onto the pixel defining portion 210 to form an integrally formed hydrophobic structure 230 on the surface of the pixel defining portion 210. Therefore, the integrally formed hydrophobic structure 230 and pixel defining portion 210, with the lower fabrication difficulty of the hydrophobic structure 230, further improves the process performance of the display panel.

[0091] In some alternative embodiments, the height of the protrusion 231 is 10 nm to 1 μm; and / or, the protrusion 231 is arranged in a closed ring around the pixel opening 220.

[0092] In these alternative embodiments,

[0093] The height of the protrusion 231 is 10nm to 1μm. For example, the height of the protrusion 231 can be 10nm, 11nm, 11.2nm, 11.6nm, 12nm, 13nm, 200nm, 500nm, 800nm, 961nm, 1μm, etc., so as to achieve a sufficient height to block the light-emitting material and thus improve the overflow phenomenon of the light-emitting material.

[0094] The protrusions 231 are arranged in a closed ring around the pixel opening 220. When the light-emitting material flows in any direction, the protrusions 231 in the opposite direction can block it, so that the light-emitting material will not overflow in any direction, thereby improving the color mixing phenomenon of all light-emitting units 310 and improving the process performance of the display panel.

[0095] The second aspect of this application also provides a display device, including the display panel of any of the first aspect embodiments described above. Since the display device provided in the second aspect of this application includes the display panel of any of the first aspect embodiments described above, it has the beneficial effects of the display panel of any of the first aspect embodiments described above, which will not be elaborated further here.

[0096] The display devices in this application include, but are not limited to, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, e-books, televisions, access control systems, smart landline phones, control consoles, and other devices with display functions.

[0097] like Figure 8 As shown, the third aspect of this application also provides a method for manufacturing a display device, which should be considered in conjunction with the following: Figures 8 to 15 The manufacturing methods for the display panel include:

[0098] S100, such as Figure 11As shown, a pixel definition material layer 400 is provided on the surface of the substrate 100.

[0099] S200, such as Figure 12 As shown, a pixel definition layer 200 is formed by patterning the pixel definition material layer 400. The pixel definition layer 200 includes a pixel limiting portion 210 and a pixel opening 220 formed in the pixel limiting portion 210.

[0100] In this process, after the pixel definition layer 200 is formed by patterning, the pixel openings 220 of the pixel definition layer 200 are arranged in an array, and the pixel limiting part 210 corresponding to each pixel opening 220 is arranged around the periphery of the pixel opening 220 to enclose and form the pixel opening 220.

[0101] S300, such as Figure 13 As shown, a hydrophobic structure 230 is formed by patterning the surface of the pixel defining portion 210 away from the substrate 100. The hydrophobic structure 230 includes two or more protrusions 231 spaced apart in a direction away from the pixel opening 220. The two or more protrusions 231 include a first protrusion 2311 and a second protrusion 2312. The second protrusion 2312 is located on the side of the first protrusion 2311 away from the pixel opening 220, and the height of the second protrusion 2312 is greater than the height of the first protrusion 2311.

[0102] The hydrophobic structure 230 of the pixel limiting part 210 is provided around the corresponding pixel opening 220. When the light-emitting material inside the pixel opening 220 overflows in any direction, it will be suppressed by the hydrophobic structure 230, which ensures that the light-emitting material can gather in the pixel opening 220 and the position near the pixel opening 220, thereby improving the problem of color mixing in the display panel.

[0103] In these alternative embodiments, after the surface of the pixel defining portion 210 away from the substrate 100 is patterned to form a hydrophobic structure 230, the second protrusion 2312 of the two or more protrusions 231 of the hydrophobic structure 230 is located on the side of the first protrusion 2311 away from the pixel opening 220. In this way, when the light-emitting material moves in a direction away from the pixel opening 220, it will be blocked by the first protrusion 2311 and the second protrusion 2312 in sequence. Since the height of the second protrusion 2312 is greater than the height of the first protrusion 2311, the second protrusion 2312 has a better blocking effect on the light-emitting material. During the flow of the light-emitting material, the blocking effect increases, making it easier for the light-emitting material to gather at the pixel opening 220 and the position close to the pixel opening 220. In the manufacturing process of the display panel, the overflow phenomenon of the light-emitting material in the printing process is improved, thereby improving the color mixing problem of the display panel and improving the process performance of the display panel.

[0104] like Figure 9 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the step of patterning the surface of the pixel defining portion 210 away from the substrate 100 to form a hydrophobic structure 230 in step S300 specifically includes:

[0105] S311, such as Figure 14 As shown, a photoresist layer 500 is applied to the surface of the pixel limiting portion 210 facing away from the substrate 100.

[0106] S312, such as Figure 15 As shown, the photoresist layer 500 is patterned to form openings in the photoresist layer 500.

[0107] S313, such as Figure 13 As shown, the surface of the pixel limiting portion 210 away from the substrate 100 is etched at the opening of the photoresist layer 500 to form a hydrophobic structure 230; wherein the etching depth does not exceed the thickness of the photoresist layer 500.

[0108] S314. Remove the photoresist layer 500.

[0109] In these alternative embodiments, the use of a high-resolution photoresist layer 500 and etching process results in a highly detailed hydrophobic structure 230, which further enhances the aggregation effect of luminescent materials, thereby improving the process performance of the display panel. While directly exposing the pixel definition layer 200 can form a patterned hydrophobic structure 230, the resolution is lower, making it difficult to achieve a resolution below 1 μm.

[0110] like Figure 10 As shown, in some optional embodiments, the step of patterning the surface of the pixel defining portion 210 away from the substrate 100 to form a hydrophobic structure 230 in step S300 specifically includes:

[0111] S321, such as Figure 13 As shown, the surface of the pixel defining portion 210 away from the substrate 100 is patterned by plasma cleaning or by asher removal to form a hydrophobic structure 230.

[0112] In these alternative embodiments, using Asher or Plasma methods eliminates the need for a photoresist layer on the surface of the pixel defining portion 210 facing away from the substrate 100, and eliminates the need for a photomask. This allows for direct patterning of the pixel defining portion 210, simplifying the process. Furthermore, this method does not require additional materials, reducing the impact on the luminous efficiency of the display panel.

[0113] like Figure 3As shown, in some optional embodiments, after the step of patterning the surface of the pixel defining portion 210 away from the substrate 100 to form a hydrophobic structure 230 in S300, the process further includes fabricating light-emitting units 310 in the pixel defining layer 200 using an inkjet printing process to form a complete display panel. Specifically, an inkjet operation is performed on the pixel opening 220 of the pixel defining layer 200 to fill the pixel opening 220 with light-emitting material; the light-emitting material in the pixel opening 220 is then printed to form light-emitting units 310 located within the pixel opening 220, and at least a portion of the orthographic projection of the light-emitting unit 310 on the substrate 100 overlaps with at least a portion of the orthographic projection of the pixel defining portion 210 on the substrate 100. This arrangement ensures that the light-emitting units 310 can completely fill the pixel opening 220, ensuring the brightness of each light-emitting unit 310 in the display panel, thereby ensuring the overall brightness and resolution of the display panel.

[0114] Although this application has been described with reference to preferred embodiments, various modifications can be made thereto and components can be replaced with equivalents without departing from the scope of this application. In particular, the technical features mentioned in the various embodiments can be combined in any manner, provided there is no structural conflict. This application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A display panel, characterized in that, include: substrate; A pixel definition layer is disposed on one side of the substrate. The pixel definition layer includes a pixel defining portion and a pixel opening formed by the pixel defining portion. The number of pixel openings is set to multiple. The light-emitting layer includes multiple light-emitting units, each light-emitting unit being disposed in a one-to-one correspondence with a pixel opening, and at least a portion of each light-emitting unit being located within the pixel opening. The pixel defining portion has a hydrophobic structure on the surface away from the substrate. The hydrophobic structure includes two or more protrusions, which are spaced apart in a direction away from the pixel opening. A hydrophobic groove is formed between two adjacent protrusions. The two or more protrusions include a first protrusion and a second protrusion. The second protrusion is located on the side of the first protrusion away from the pixel opening, and the height of the second protrusion is greater than the height of the first protrusion.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The two or more protrusions include a first hydrophobic group and a second hydrophobic group distributed in a direction away from the pixel opening. Both the first hydrophobic group and the second hydrophobic group include two or more of the protrusions. The extension direction of the protrusion in the first hydrophobic group has a first angle with the surface of the pixel defining portion, and the extension direction of the protrusion in the second hydrophobic group has a second angle with the surface of the pixel defining portion. The first angle is smaller than the second angle.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first included angle is an acute angle.

4. The display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that, The second included angle is a right angle; Preferably, the heights of two or more of the protrusions in the second hydrophobic group are equal.

5. The display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that, The first protrusion and the second protrusion are the protrusions within the first hydrophobic group; Preferably, within the first hydrophobic group, the height of the protrusion increases along the direction away from the pixel opening; Preferably, the first protrusion and the second protrusion are arranged adjacent to each other.

6. The display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that, The height of the protrusion in the first hydrophobic group is less than the height of the protrusion in the second hydrophobic group.

7. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hydrophobic structure and the pixel defining portion are integrally formed.

8. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The height of the protrusion is 10 nm to 1 μm; And / or, the protrusion is arranged in a closed ring around the pixel opening.

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

10. A method for manufacturing a display panel, characterized in that, include: A pixel definition material layer is set on the surface of the substrate; The pixel definition material layer is patterned to form a pixel definition layer, the pixel definition layer including a pixel defining portion and a pixel opening formed in the pixel defining portion; The surface of the pixel defining portion away from the substrate is patterned to form a hydrophobic structure. The hydrophobic structure includes two or more protrusions spaced apart in a direction away from the pixel opening. The two or more protrusions include a first protrusion and a second protrusion. The second protrusion is located on the side of the first protrusion away from the pixel opening, and the height of the second protrusion is greater than the height of the first protrusion.

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