Display panel

By designing high-refractive index raised portions and low-refractive index flat layer in the insulating layer of the display panel, and optimizing the roughness of the side walls of the raised portions, the problems of improving the light output efficiency and high-view brightness of the display panel in the prior art are solved, and better light output performance is achieved.

WO2025050465A1PCT designated stage expired Publication Date: 2025-03-13WUHAN CHINA STAR OPTOELECTRONICS TECH CO LTD
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Patent Information

Application Number
PCT/CN2023/124191
Authority / Receiving Office
WO · WO
Patent Type
Applications
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2023-09-08
Filing Date
2023-10-12
Publication Date
2025-03-13

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

The existing microlens structure has limited improvement in the light output efficiency of the display panel, and it is difficult to improve the display brightness at a large viewing angle, which makes it difficult to improve the light output performance of the display panel.

Method used

A display panel design including a substrate, a light emitting layer, an insulating layer and a flat layer is adopted. A high refractive index projection is provided in the insulating layer, and a low refractive index planar layer is provided thereon. The side wall roughness of the projection is designed as a first protruding portion and a second protruding portion, which are used for convergence and scattering of light, respectively, and optimize the exit angle of light.

Benefits of technology

Through the design of frontal angle convergence and large angle scattering, the light output efficiency of the display panel at the frontal angle and large angle is improved, the display brightness is improved, and the light output performance is improved.

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Abstract

Disclosed in the embodiments of the present application is a display panel. The display panel comprises a substrate, a light-emitting layer located on one side of the substrate, an insulating layer and a planarization layer. The insulating layer is provided with protruding parts corresponding to pixel units of the light-emitting layer and recesses between adjacent protruding parts, each protruding part comprising a first protruding sub-part and a second protruding sub-part, and the roughness of the side wall of the first protruding sub-part corresponding to the recess being greater than the roughness of the side wall of the second protruding sub-part corresponding to the recess.
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Description

Display panel Technical Field

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

[0002] Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panels are popular among users for their high luminous efficiency, fast response speed, and ability to be fabricated on flexible substrates. They offer advantages such as bend resistance and wide viewing angles. To improve the light extraction efficiency of OLED display panels, microlens structures are typically used for light extraction. However, existing microlens structures offer limited improvements in light extraction efficiency and struggle to improve display brightness at wide viewing angles, resulting in difficulties in improving the light extraction performance of display panels.

[0003] Therefore, a display panel is urgently needed to solve the above technical problems. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The present application provides a display panel that can alleviate the technical problems of the current microlens structure in that the light extraction efficiency of the display panel is limited and it is difficult to improve the display brightness of the display panel under a large viewing angle.

[0005] To solve the above problems, the technical solutions provided by this application are as follows:

[0006] The present application provides a display panel, comprising:

[0007] substrate;

[0008] a light-emitting layer, disposed on one side of the substrate, the light-emitting layer comprising a plurality of pixel units;

[0009] an insulating layer, disposed on a side of the light-emitting layer away from the substrate, the insulating layer comprising a plurality of raised portions disposed corresponding to the pixel units and grooves disposed between adjacent raised portions;

[0010] a flat layer, disposed on a side of the insulating layer away from the substrate, wherein the refractive index of the flat layer is smaller than the refractive index of the insulating layer;

[0011] In which, the insulating layer includes a first insulating sub-layer and a second insulating sub-layer arranged in a stacked manner, and the raised portion includes: a first raised sub-portion corresponding to the first insulating sub-layer and a second raised sub-portion corresponding to the second insulating sub-layer, and the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first raised sub-portion is greater than the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second raised sub-portion.

[0012] Preferably, the first insulating sublayer is arranged between the substrate and the second insulating sublayer.

[0013] Preferably, the first insulating sublayer and the second insulating sublayer both include inorganic insulating materials.

[0014] Preferably, the first insulating sublayer and the second insulating sublayer both comprise the same inorganic insulating material, and the film formation qualities of the first insulating sublayer and the second insulating sublayer are different.

[0015] Preferably, the nitrogen content in the first insulating sublayer is less than the nitrogen content in the second insulating sublayer.

[0016] Preferably, the display panel further includes:

[0017] an encapsulation layer, disposed on a side of the light-emitting layer away from the substrate;

[0018] A touch layer is provided on a side of the packaging layer away from the substrate, the touch layer comprising: the first insulating sublayer, the first metal layer, the second insulating sublayer, the second metal layer, and the planar layer stacked in sequence,

[0019] The groove exposes a portion of the surface of the packaging layer away from the substrate, and the roughness of the surface of the packaging layer away from the substrate corresponding to the groove is between the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second protruding sub-portion and the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first protruding sub-portion.

[0020] Preferably, the encapsulation layer includes: a first inorganic insulating layer, a first organic insulating layer, and a second inorganic insulating layer stacked in sequence, the groove exposes a portion of the surface of the second inorganic insulating layer away from the substrate, and the roughness of the surface of the second inorganic insulating layer away from the substrate corresponding to the groove is between the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second protruding sub-portion and the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first protruding sub-portion.

[0021] Preferably, the roughness of the surface of the second inorganic insulating layer away from the substrate corresponding to the groove is greater than the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second protruding sub-portion, and less than the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first protruding sub-portion.

[0022] Preferably, the second inorganic insulating layer comprises an inorganic insulating material different from that of the first insulating sublayer and the second insulating sublayer.

[0023] Preferably, a surface of the encapsulation layer close to the insulating layer includes a first portion and a second portion, the groove exposes the second portion, the protrusion covers the first portion, and the roughness of the second portion is greater than that of the first portion.

[0024] Preferably, the second metal layer includes touch electrodes arranged between the corresponding pixel units, and the first metal layer includes touch traces arranged between the corresponding pixel units.

[0025] The insulating layer also includes: an insulating portion arranged between the pixel units, the groove is arranged between the insulating portion and the raised portion, the insulating portion includes: a first insulating sub-portion arranged corresponding to the first insulating sub-layer and a second insulating sub-portion corresponding to the second insulating sub-layer, the touch line is arranged between the first insulating sub-portion and the second insulating sub-portion, and the touch electrode is arranged between the second insulating sub-portion and the flat layer.

[0026] Preferably, the protrusion includes a first surface close to the substrate and a second surface away from the substrate;

[0027] The first surface and the second surface intersect with the same cross section perpendicular to the substrate to form a first intersection line and a second intersection line, and the length of the first intersection line is greater than the length of the second intersection line.

[0028] Preferably, the roughness of the second surface of the protrusion is smaller than the roughness of the side wall of the second protrusion sub-portion corresponding to the groove.

[0029] Preferably, the sidewall of the protrusion corresponding to the groove includes a sidewall curve, the sidewall curve is formed by the intersection of the sidewall of the protrusion corresponding to the groove and a cross section perpendicular to the substrate, and the sidewall curve is arranged between the first intersection line and the second intersection line;

[0030] The intersection angle between the sidewall curve and the first surface is greater than or equal to 20 degrees, and the intersection angle between the sidewall curve and the first intersection line is less than or equal to 55 degrees.

[0031] Preferably, the thickness of the first raised sub-portion is less than or equal to the thickness of the second raised sub-portion.

[0032] Preferably, along the direction from the substrate to the insulating layer, the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first protruding sub-portion gradually decreases, and the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second protruding sub-portion gradually decreases.

[0033] Preferably, the thickness of the protrusion is greater than or equal to 0.5 microns.

[0034] Preferably, the display panel further includes a pixel definition layer, the pixel definition layer and the pixel unit are located on the same side of the substrate, the pixel definition layer includes a pixel definition portion and a second opening located between the pixel definition portions, the pixel unit is located in the second opening, and the protrusion is arranged corresponding to the second opening.

[0035] Preferably, the difference in refractive index between the insulating layer and the flat layer is greater than or equal to 0.3, and the difference in refractive index between the insulating layer and the flat layer is less than or equal to 0.5.

[0036] Preferably, the planar layer is selected from transparent organic materials. Beneficial effects

[0037] The present application utilizes a high-refractive-index insulating layer to form a raised portion, and arranges a low-refractive-index flat layer on the raised portion, so that the sidewalls where the raised portion contacts the flat layer converge the light emitted by the pixel unit at a positive viewing angle, thereby improving the light extraction efficiency at a positive viewing angle. At the same time, the sidewalls of the first and second raised sub-portions of the raised portion are formed into a rough surface, thereby scattering the light emitted by the pixel unit at a large angle, so that the light at a large viewing angle is not attenuated too severely, achieving a balance between improving the light extraction efficiency at a positive viewing angle and not attenuating the light extraction efficiency at a large viewing angle. The roughness of the sidewalls of the groove corresponding to the first raised sub-portion is relatively large, which increases the emission angle of some light emitted by the pixel unit, thereby improving the display brightness of the display panel at a large viewing angle. The roughness of the sidewalls of the groove corresponding to the second raised sub-portion is utilized to converge the emission angle of some light, thereby improving the light extraction efficiency of the display panel and improving the light extraction performance of the display panel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0038] FIG1 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a first structure of a lens of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0040] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a second structure of a lens of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0041] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a third structure of a lens of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0042] FIG5 is a diagram showing the slice morphology of the lens of the display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application.

[0043] Implementation Methods of the Application

[0044] The present application provides a display panel. To make the purpose, technical solution, and effects of the present application clearer and more explicit, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not intended to limit the present application.

[0045] Currently, the microlens structure used in the display panel has limited effect on improving the light extraction efficiency of the display panel and is difficult to improve the display brightness of the display panel at a wide viewing angle, resulting in a technical problem of difficulty in improving the light extraction performance of the display panel.

[0046] Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4 , an embodiment of the present application provides a display panel 100 , including:

[0047] substrate 101;

[0048] A light-emitting layer 102 is provided on one side of the substrate 101, and the light-emitting layer 102 includes a plurality of pixel units 102a;

[0049] an insulating layer 103 disposed on a side of the light-emitting layer 102 away from the substrate 101 , the insulating layer 103 including a plurality of raised portions 104 corresponding to the pixel units 102 a and grooves 105 between adjacent raised portions 104 ;

[0050] a flat layer 106 , disposed on a side of the insulating layer 103 away from the substrate 101 , wherein the refractive index of the flat layer 106 is smaller than that of the insulating layer 103 ;

[0051] In which, the insulating layer 103 includes a first insulating sub-layer 107 and a second insulating sub-layer 108 arranged in a stacked manner, and the raised portion 104 includes: a first raised sub-portion 109 corresponding to the first insulating sub-layer 107 and a second raised sub-portion 110 corresponding to the second insulating sub-layer 108, and the roughness of the side wall of the groove 105 corresponding to the first raised sub-portion 109 is greater than the roughness of the side wall of the groove 105 corresponding to the second raised sub-portion 110.

[0052] In the embodiment of the present application, a high-refractive-index insulating layer is used to form a raised portion 104, and a low-refractive-index flat layer 106 is provided on the raised portion 104, so that the side walls where the raised portion 104 contacts the flat layer 106 form a positive-view convergence effect on the light emitted by the pixel unit 102a, thereby improving the light extraction efficiency at the positive view angle; at the same time, a rough surface is formed by the side walls of the first raised sub-portion 109 and the second raised sub-portion 110 of the raised portion 104, thereby scattering the light emitted by the pixel unit 102a at a large angle, so that the light at a large viewing angle is not attenuated too severely, thereby achieving a balance between improving the light extraction efficiency at the positive view angle and not attenuating the light extraction efficiency at a large viewing angle. Among them, the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first protruding sub-portion 109 is relatively large, which increases the emission angle of part of the light emitted by the pixel unit 102a, thereby improving the display brightness of the display panel 100 at a wide viewing angle. The roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second protruding sub-portion 110 is utilized to converge the emission angle of part of the light, thereby improving the light extraction efficiency of the display panel 100 and improving the light extraction performance of the display panel 100.

[0053] The technical solution of this application is now described in conjunction with specific embodiments.

[0054] Referring to Figures 1 to 4 , in some embodiments, the pixel unit 102a is disposed corresponding to the protrusion 104. Among the light rays emitted by the pixel unit 102a and reaching the sidewall of the protrusion 104 corresponding to the groove 105, the light rays reaching the end of the sidewall of the protrusion 104 corresponding to the groove 105 closer to the substrate 101 have a smaller incident angle (the angle between the incident light ray and the normal), making it more difficult to change their exit angle to perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101. The light rays reaching the end of the sidewall of the protrusion 104 corresponding to the groove 105 farther from the substrate 101 have a larger incident angle, making it easier to change their exit angle to perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101. Therefore, the roughness of the sidewall of the protrusion 104 corresponding to the groove 105 closer to the substrate 101 is greater than the roughness of the sidewall of the protrusion 104 corresponding to the groove 105 farther from the substrate 101. The end of the sidewall of the raised portion 104 corresponding to the groove 105, which is closer to the substrate 101, has a greater roughness, so that the exit angle of light rays that are difficult to change to a direction perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101 further deviates from the direction perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101, thereby improving the display brightness of the display panel 100 at large angles. The end of the sidewall of the raised portion 104 corresponding to the groove 105, which is farther away from the substrate 101, has a smaller roughness, so that the exit angle of light rays that are easy to change to a direction perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101 further converges, thereby improving the forward light extraction rate of the display panel 100 and improving the light extraction performance of the display panel 100. It is understood that the "exit angle is perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101" in this application means that the angle between the exit direction of the light rays and the plane of the substrate 101 is between 85 degrees and 95 degrees. The display brightness of the display panel 100 at a large angle, that is, the display brightness of the display panel 100 obtained when deviating from the normal viewing angle of the display panel 100 (for example, the display brightness of the display panel 100 at an angle of 45 degrees between the direction perpendicular to the plane where the substrate 101 is located).

[0055] Specifically, the insulating layer 103 may include a first insulating sub-layer 107 and a second insulating sub-layer 108 arranged in a stacked manner, the first insulating sub-layer 107 being arranged between the substrate 101 and the second insulating sub-layer 108, the raised portion 104 including: a first raised sub-portion 109 corresponding to the first insulating sub-layer 107 and a second raised sub-portion 110 corresponding to the second insulating sub-layer 108, the roughness of the side wall of the groove 105 corresponding to the first raised sub-portion 109 being greater than the roughness of the side wall of the groove 105 corresponding to the second raised sub-portion 110, so that the roughness of the end of the side wall of the groove 105 corresponding to the raised portion 104 close to the substrate 101 is greater than the roughness of the end of the side wall of the groove 105 corresponding to the raised portion 104 away from the substrate 101.

[0056] In some embodiments, the roughness of the sidewalls of the groove 105 corresponding to the protrusion 104 gradually decreases along the direction from the substrate 101 to the insulating layer 103. Along the direction from the substrate 101 to the insulating layer 103, the incident angle of the light emitted by the pixel unit 102a and reaching the first side surface 111 gradually increases, and the exit angle of the light is gradually easily changed to be perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101. Therefore, by reducing the roughness of the sidewalls of the groove 105 corresponding to the protrusion 104 along the direction from the substrate 101 to the insulating layer 103, it is helpful to control the proportion of the light emitted from the pixel unit 102a that is emitted in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101 and the proportion that is emitted in a large angle direction, thereby facilitating obtaining a suitable light extraction rate of the display panel 100 and the display brightness of the display panel 100 at a large viewing angle. Specifically, along the direction from the substrate 101 to the insulating layer 103 , the roughness of the sidewall of the groove 105 corresponding to the first protrusion 109 gradually decreases, and the roughness of the sidewall of the groove 105 corresponding to the second protrusion 110 gradually decreases.

[0057] Referring to Figures 2 to 5 , specifically, the first raised sub-portion 109 includes a first sidewall 111a corresponding to the groove 105, and the second raised sub-portion 110 includes a second sidewall 111b corresponding to the groove 105. The roughness of the first sidewall 111a is greater than that of the second sidewall 111b. The first sidewall 111a and the second sidewall 111b are continuous. Light emitted by the pixel unit 102a and reaching the second sidewall 111b passes through the second sidewall 111b with less roughness, thereby minimizing the angle of emission, with more light emitting at an angle perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101. Light emitted by the pixel unit 102a and reaching the first sidewall 111a passes through the first sidewall 111a with greater roughness, thereby increasing the angle of emission, further deviating from the direction perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101, thereby improving the display brightness of the display panel 100 at wide angles. Referring to FIG. 2 , among the light rays emitted by the pixel unit 102a, when light rays L4, L5, and L6 are incident on the second sidewall 111b having a smaller roughness, the roughness of the second sidewall 111b causes the normal directions of the incident light rays L4, L5, and L6 to differ. Light rays L4, L5, and L6 are deflected in a direction perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101, satisfying the law of refraction, thereby improving the light extraction efficiency of the display panel 100. Among the light rays emitted by the pixel unit 102a, when light rays L7, L8, and L9 are incident on the first sidewall 111a having a larger roughness, due to the greater roughness of the first sidewall 111a, light rays L7, L8, and L9 are deflected in a direction of a wide viewing angle of the display panel 100, satisfying the law of refraction, thereby improving the brightness of the display panel 100 at a wide viewing angle.

[0058] In some embodiments, the first insulating sublayer 107 and the second insulating sublayer 108 both include inorganic insulating materials. The first insulating sublayer 107 and the second insulating sublayer 108 are both inorganic insulating layers and can be formed using the same etching method (eg, wet etching, etc.).

[0059] In some embodiments, the first insulating sub-layer 107 and the second insulating sub-layer 108 include different inorganic insulating materials, and different insulating materials have different tolerances to the etching process. Therefore, the etching degree is different, resulting in the inorganic insulating material included in the first insulating sub-layer 107 being more sensitive to the etching process and the surface being more prone to roughness. The roughness of the side wall of the groove 105 corresponding to the first protrusion 109 is greater than the roughness of the side wall of the groove 105 corresponding to the second protrusion 110, that is, the roughness of the first side wall 111a is greater than the roughness of the second side wall 111b.

[0060] In some embodiments, the first insulating sublayer 107 and the second insulating sublayer 108 both comprise the same inorganic insulating material, and the first insulating sublayer 107 and the second insulating sublayer 108 have different film qualities. The first insulating sublayer 107 and the second insulating sublayer 108 both comprise the same inorganic insulating material, that is, the first insulating sublayer 107 and the second insulating sublayer 108 are composed of the same element types. For example, the first insulating sublayer 107 and the second insulating sublayer 108 respectively include Si, N, O, and other elements. The first insulating sublayer 107 and the second insulating sublayer 108 have different film qualities, that is, there is a difference in the content of different elements in the first insulating sublayer 107 and the second insulating sublayer 108. The different film quality of the first insulating sub-layer 107 and the second insulating sub-layer 108 results in different tolerances of the first insulating sub-layer 107 and the second insulating sub-layer 108 to the etching process, resulting in the roughness of the sidewall of the first raised sub-portion 109 corresponding to the groove 105 being greater than the roughness of the sidewall of the second raised sub-portion 110 corresponding to the groove 105. For example, by controlling the nitrogen content (mass fraction) in the first insulating sub-layer 107 and the second insulating sub-layer 108 so that the nitrogen content (mass fraction) in the first insulating sub-layer 107 is less than the nitrogen content (mass fraction) in the second insulating sub-layer 108, the roughness of the first sidewall 111a is increased relative to the roughness of the second sidewall 111b.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 2 to FIG. 4 , in some embodiments, the protrusion includes a first surface 112 close to the substrate 101 and a second surface 113 away from the substrate 101 .

[0062] 2 and 3 , the second surface 113 may be a smooth plane. Alternatively, as shown in FIG4 , the second surface 113 may be a plane with a certain degree of roughness.

[0063] In some embodiments, the roughness of the sidewall of the groove 105 corresponding to the protrusion 104 and the first surface 112 and the second surface 113 can be determined based on the slice topography results shown in FIG5 . In FIG5 , Lens-1 represents the second protrusion sub-portion 110 , and Lens-2 represents the first protrusion sub-portion 109 . As can be seen from FIG5 , the roughness of the sidewall of the groove 105 corresponding to the first protrusion sub-portion 109 is significantly greater than the roughness of the sidewall of the groove 105 corresponding to the second protrusion sub-portion 110 .

[0064] Referring to FIG. 4 , in some embodiments, the roughness of the second surface 113 is smaller than the roughness of the second sidewall 111 b .

[0065] Referring to Figures 2 and 3 , when the second surface 113 is smooth, light rays L1, L2, and L3 emitted by the pixel unit 102a, upon incident on the second surface 113, are directly emitted at an angle perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101. When the second surface 113 is rough, light rays L1, L2, and L3 emitted by the pixel unit 102a are deflected at their angles of incidence upon incident on the second surface 113, while other light rays remain emitted at angles perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101. This helps maintain a balance between the front-view light extraction efficiency and brightness at different viewing angles of the display panel 100. Preferably, to further balance the light rays emitted from the second surface 113 whose angles deviate from perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101 and those whose angles are perpendicular to the plane of the substrate 101, the roughness of the second surface 113 is less than the roughness of the second sidewall 111b.

[0066] In some embodiments, the orthographic projection of the pixel unit 102a on the plane where the second surface 113 is located is located within the second surface 113, and the orthographic projection of the third side surface on the plane where the second surface 113 is located covers the second surface 113, so that as much light as possible emitted by the pixel unit 102a can be redirected by the sidewall of the protrusion 104 corresponding to the groove 105, thereby allowing more light to be emitted in a direction perpendicular to the plane where the substrate 101 is located, thereby improving the light extraction efficiency of the display panel 100. Specifically, the first surface 112 and the second surface 113 intersect with the same cross-section perpendicular to the substrate to form a first intersection line and a second intersection line, and the length of the first intersection line is greater than the length of the second intersection line.

[0067] In some embodiments, the sidewall of the protrusion 104 corresponding to the groove 105 includes a sidewall curve. The sidewall curve is formed by the intersection of the sidewall of the protrusion 104 corresponding to the groove 105 and a cross section perpendicular to the substrate. The sidewall curve is disposed between the first intersection line and the second intersection line. To allow as much light as possible to change its exit direction through the sidewall of the protrusion 104 corresponding to the groove 105, thereby improving the light extraction efficiency of the display panel 100, the intersection angle between the sidewall curve and the first intersection line is greater than or equal to 20 degrees, and less than or equal to 55 degrees. For example, the intersection angle between the sidewall curve and the first surface 112 can be the angle formed by a straight line approximation (fitting the uneven sidewall curve into a straight line) of the sidewall curve and the first intersection line.

[0068] Referring to FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, the display panel 100 further includes a pixel definition layer 114. The pixel definition layer 114 and the pixel unit 102a are located on the same side of the substrate 101. The pixel definition layer 114 includes pixel definition portions and second openings located between the pixel definition portions. The pixel unit 102a is located within the second openings. The protrusions 104 are disposed corresponding to the second openings.

[0069] In some embodiments, the display panel 100 includes an anode, a light-emitting layer 102, and a cathode layer. The anode is located within the second opening, and the pixel definition portion surrounds the anode and covers the edge of the anode. The functional layer is located on the side of the pixel definition layer 114 away from the substrate 101, and the cathode layer covers the functional layer. Along the direction from the anode to the cathode layer, the light-emitting layer 102 includes a hole-forming organic layer, a light-emitting material layer, and an electronic organic layer stacked in sequence. The hole-forming organic layer may include a hole injection layer and a hole transport layer. The hole injection layer is in direct contact with the anode, and the hole transport layer is located between the hole injection layer and the light-emitting material layer. The hole-forming organic layer may further include an electron blocking layer located between the hole transport layer and the light-emitting material layer. The electronic organic layer may include an electron injection layer and an electron transport layer. The electron injection layer is in direct contact with the cathode layer, and the electron transport layer is located between the electron injection layer and the light-emitting material layer. The electronic organic layer may further include a hole blocking layer located between the electron transport layer and the light-emitting layer 102.

[0070] When the display panel 100 is displaying, the pixel unit 102a participating in the display emits light, and at least part of the light emitted by the pixel unit 102a changes its emission angle through the protrusion 104, so that it is emitted in a direction perpendicular to the plane where the substrate 101 is located, thereby improving the light extraction rate of the display panel 100.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, the display panel 100 further includes an encapsulation layer disposed on a side of the light-emitting layer 102 facing away from the substrate. Specifically, the encapsulation layer is located between the insulating layer 103 and the pixel unit 102a. The side of the encapsulation layer 115 closest to the insulating layer 103 is in direct contact with the insulating layer 103. The encapsulation layer 115 can be formed by alternately laminating one or more organic layers and one or more inorganic layers. Multiple inorganic layers or organic layers can be provided. The organic layer is formed from a polymer and can be, for example, a laminate or a single layer formed from polyethylene terephthalate, polyimide, polycarbonate, epoxy resin, polyethylene, or polyacrylate. The organic layer can be formed from a polyacrylate, specifically a material obtained by polymerizing a monomer composition comprising a diacrylate-based monomer and a triacrylate-based monomer. The monomer composition may also include a monoacrylate-based monomer. Furthermore, the monomer composition may include a known photoinitiator such as TPO, but the monomer composition is not limited thereto. The inorganic layer may be a laminate or a single layer comprising a metal oxide or a metal nitride. For example, the inorganic layer may include any one of SiNx, Al2O3, SiO2, and TiO2. The encapsulation layer 115 may include, in a direction away from the substrate 101, a first inorganic insulating layer 115a, a first organic insulating layer 115b, and a second inorganic insulating layer 115c located on the cathode layer (as shown in FIG1 ). In addition, the encapsulation layer may include, in a direction away from the substrate 101, a first inorganic insulating layer, a first organic insulating layer, a second inorganic insulating layer, a second organic encapsulation layer, and a third inorganic encapsulation layer located on the cathode layer. In addition, the encapsulation layer may include, in a direction away from the substrate 101, a first inorganic insulating layer, a first organic insulating layer, a second inorganic insulating layer, a second organic encapsulation layer, a third inorganic encapsulation layer, a third organic encapsulation layer, and a fourth inorganic encapsulation layer located on the cathode layer.

[0072] In some embodiments, the groove 105 exposes a portion of the surface of the packaging layer away from the substrate, that is, the groove 105 forms a first opening exposing a portion of the packaging layer, and the first opening exposes a portion of the surface of the packaging layer away from the substrate.

[0073] Please refer to Figure 2. The surface of the packaging layer away from the substrate can be a smooth plane, that is, the roughness of the surface of the portion of the packaging layer exposed by the groove 105 away from the substrate is the same as the roughness of the surface of the portion of the packaging layer not exposed by the groove 105 away from the substrate.

[0074] Alternatively, referring to Figures 3 and 4 , the surface of the encapsulation layer 115 on one side near the insulating layer 103 includes a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is in direct contact with the first raised sub-portion 109, and the second portion is in direct contact with the planar layer 106. That is, the second portion is exposed by the groove 105. The first portion is a smooth surface, while the second portion has a certain degree of roughness, that is, the roughness of the second portion is greater than that of the first portion.

[0075] In some embodiments, since the first opening and the raised portion 104 are formed by etching the insulating layer 103, the portion of the encapsulation layer 115 that is in direct contact with the raised portion 104 is an inorganic insulating layer. When the first opening is formed, the encapsulation layer 115 exposed by the first opening is further etched to form the second portion having a roughness. The first portion is protected by the raised portion 104 and is not etched, resulting in a roughness greater than that of the first portion.

[0076] Referring to Figures 2 to 4 , light emitted from the pixel unit 102a reaches the second portion and exits, such as light rays L10, L11, and L12. When the second portion is a smooth surface (as shown in Figure 2 ), some of the light rays (such as light ray L12) are totally reflected due to an excessively large angle of incidence. When the roughness of the second portion is greater than that of the first portion (as shown in Figures 3 and 4 ), light rays that were originally unable to exit due to total reflection can now exit due to a change in their normal direction, further increasing the display brightness of the display panel 100 at a wide viewing angle.

[0077] In some embodiments, the groove 105 exposes a portion of the surface of the encapsulation layer away from the substrate, and the roughness of the surface of the encapsulation layer away from the substrate corresponding to the groove 105 is between the roughness of the sidewall of the groove 105 corresponding to the second raised sub-portion 110 and less than the roughness of the sidewall of the groove 105 corresponding to the first raised sub-portion 109. Specifically, the roughness of the surface of the encapsulation layer away from the substrate 101 corresponding to the groove 105 is greater than the roughness of the sidewall of the groove 105 corresponding to the second raised sub-portion 110, and less than the roughness of the sidewall of the groove 105 corresponding to the first raised sub-portion 109. Specifically, the encapsulation layer includes a first inorganic insulating layer 115a, a first organic insulating layer 115b, and a second inorganic insulating layer 115c stacked in sequence. The groove 105 exposes a portion of the surface of the second inorganic insulating layer 115c on the side away from the substrate. The roughness of the surface of the second inorganic insulating layer 115c on the side away from the substrate corresponding to the groove 105 is between the roughness of the sidewall of the second raised sub-portion 110 corresponding to the groove 105 and the roughness of the sidewall of the first raised sub-portion 109 corresponding to the groove 105. Furthermore, the roughness of the surface of the second inorganic insulating layer 115c on the side away from the substrate corresponding to the groove 105 is greater than the roughness of the sidewall of the second raised sub-portion 110 corresponding to the groove 105, and less than the roughness of the sidewall of the first raised sub-portion 109 corresponding to the groove 105. In other words, the roughness of the second portion is greater than the roughness of the second sidewall 111b, and the roughness of the second portion is less than the roughness of the first sidewall 111a. 3 and 4 , the light emitted from the pixel unit 102a and reaching the second portion has a larger incident angle. Utilizing the second portion having a roughness between the roughness of the first sidewall 111a and the roughness of the second sidewall 111b facilitates controlling as much light as possible reaching the second portion to be emitted from the display panel 100 at a large angle.

[0078] In some embodiments, the second inorganic insulating layer 115c contains an inorganic insulating material different from the first insulating sublayer 107 and the second insulating sublayer 108, so that the second portion has a roughness between the roughness of the first sub-sidewall 111a and the roughness of the second sub-sidewall 111b.

[0079] In some embodiments, in order to allow more light emitted by the pixel unit 102a to pass through the side wall of the groove 105 corresponding to the second protruding sub-portion 110, thereby improving the light output rate of the display panel 100, the thickness of the first protruding sub-portion 109 is less than or equal to the thickness of the second protruding sub-portion 110, and accordingly, the thickness of the first insulating sub-layer 107 is less than or equal to the thickness of the second insulating sub-layer 108.

[0080] In some embodiments, the thickness of the protrusion 104 is greater than or equal to 0.5 micrometers, for example, 0.6 micrometers, 0.8 micrometers, 1 micrometer, 1.5 micrometers, 2 micrometers, etc., so as to effectively improve the light extraction efficiency of the display panel 100 .

[0081] 1 , in some embodiments, the display panel 100 further includes a touch layer 116, which is located on a side of the pixel unit 102a away from the substrate 101. The touch layer includes: a first insulating sublayer 107, a first metal layer, a second insulating sublayer 108, a second metal layer, and the planar layer 106, which are stacked in sequence.

[0082] In some embodiments, the second metal layer includes touch electrodes arranged between the corresponding pixel units 102a, the first metal layer includes touch traces arranged between the corresponding pixel units 102a, the insulating layer 103 also includes: an insulating portion arranged between the pixel units 102a, the groove 105 is arranged between the insulating portion and the raised portion 104, the insulating portion includes: a first insulating sub-portion arranged corresponding to the first insulating sub-layer 107 and a second insulating sub-portion corresponding to the second insulating sub-layer 108, the touch traces are arranged between the first insulating sub-portion and the second insulating sub-portion, and the touch electrodes are arranged between the second insulating sub-portion and the flat layer 106.

[0083] Referring to FIG. 1 , in some embodiments, the planar layer 106 covers the insulating layer 103. The refractive index of the planar layer 106 is lower than that of the insulating layer 103. The difference in refractive index between the insulating layer 103 and the planar layer 106 is greater than or equal to 0.3, and the difference in refractive index between the insulating layer 103 and the planar layer 106 is less than or equal to 0.5. For example, the difference can be 0.35, 0.4, 0.45, etc. The planar layer 106 can be selected from a transparent organic material.

[0084] In some embodiments, there is a certain refractive index difference between the first insulating sublayer 107 and the second insulating sublayer 108. In this case, the refractive index difference between the first insulating sublayer 107 and the flat layer 106 is greater than or equal to 0.3, and the refractive index difference between the first insulating sublayer 107 and the flat layer 106 is less than or equal to 0.5; the refractive index difference between the second insulating sublayer 108 and the flat layer 106 is greater than or equal to 0.3, and the refractive index difference between the second insulating sublayer 108 and the flat layer 106 is less than or equal to 0.5.

[0085] Referring to Figure 1, in some embodiments, the substrate 101 includes a substrate 121, a buffer layer 122 located on one side of the substrate 121, a thin film transistor layer 123 located on a side of the buffer layer 122 away from the substrate 121, and a second planar layer 118 located on a side of the thin film transistor layer 123 away from the substrate 121.

[0086] The substrate 121 may be a rigid substrate, such as a glass substrate; or the substrate 121 may be a flexible substrate, such as a polyimide substrate. When the substrate 121 is a flexible substrate, the substrate 121 includes a first flexible sub-substrate, an intermediate layer, an adhesive layer, and a second flexible sub-substrate. The first flexible sub-substrate and the second flexible sub-substrate may be formed of the same material, such as polyimide. The intermediate layer may be formed of an inorganic material including, for example, at least one of SiOx and SiNx, and the adhesive layer may be formed of hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H).

[0087] The buffer layer 122 may include one or more inorganic insulating layers comprising materials such as silicon oxide or silicon nitride. The buffer layer 122 may provide a planarization layer on the upper surface of the substrate 121 and may block or prevent impurities and moisture from penetrating from the substrate 121 into the light-emitting layer. Specifically, the buffer layer 122 includes a first sub-buffer layer 122 formed, for example, of silicon nitride and a second sub-buffer layer 122 formed, for example, of silicon oxide. The second sub-buffer layer 122 and the first sub-buffer layer 122 may be formed of silicon nitride having the same film quality (e.g., the same density and the same film stress), and an oxide film may be positioned at the interface between the second sub-buffer layer 122 and the first sub-buffer layer 122. In practical applications, the thickness of the first sub-buffer layer 122 may be 50 nm to 100 nm, and the thickness of the second sub-buffer layer 122 may be approximately 100 nm to 300 nm.

[0088] The thin film transistor layer 123 includes a thin film transistor, which includes a semiconductor formed on the buffer layer 122, and the semiconductor can be formed of polycrystalline silicon. The semiconductor is divided into a channel region and a source region and a drain region formed on both sides of the channel region. The channel region of the semiconductor is polycrystalline silicon without doping impurities, that is, an intrinsic semiconductor. The source region and the drain region are polycrystalline silicon doped with conductive impurities, that is, impurity semiconductors. The impurities doped in the source region and the drain region can be any one of P-type impurities and N-type impurities. The thin film transistor layer 123 also includes a first gate insulating layer, which covers the semiconductor. The first gate insulating layer can be a plurality of layers or a single layer including at least one of tetraethyl orthosilicate (tetraethyl orthosilicate, TEOS), silicon nitride, and silicon oxide.

[0089] The thin film transistor also includes a first gate electrode formed on the first gate insulating layer, the first gate electrode overlapping the channel region. The first gate electrode can be formed as multiple layers or a single layer including a low-resistance material such as Al, Ti, Mo, Cu, Ni, or alloys thereof, or a material with high corrosion resistance. The thin film transistor layer 123 also includes a second gate insulating layer, which covers the first gate electrode. The second gate insulating layer can be multiple layers or a single layer including at least one of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), silicon nitride, and silicon oxide. The thin film transistor also includes a second gate electrode formed on the second gate insulating layer, the second gate electrode overlapping the first gate electrode. The second gate electrode can be formed as multiple layers or a single layer including a low-resistance material such as Al, Ti, Mo, Cu, Ni, or alloys thereof, or a material with high corrosion resistance. The thin film transistor layer 123 also includes a first interlayer insulating layer formed on the second gate electrode. The first interlayer insulating layer can be formed as multiple layers or a single layer, for example, of tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS), silicon nitride, or silicon oxide. The first interlayer insulating layer, the first gate insulating layer, and the second gate insulating layer include a source contact hole and a drain contact hole, and the source region and the drain region are exposed through the source contact hole and the drain contact hole, respectively.

[0090] The thin film transistor also includes a source electrode and a drain electrode arranged in the same layer, both formed on the first interlayer insulating layer, the source electrode is connected to the source region through a source contact hole, and the drain electrode is connected to the drain region through a drain contact hole. The source electrode and the drain electrode can be multiple layers or a single layer formed of a low-resistance material such as Al, Ti, Mo, Cu, Ni, or an alloy thereof, or a material with high corrosion resistance. For example, the source electrode and the drain electrode can be a triple layer of Ti / Cu / Ti, Ti / Ag / Ti, Ti / Al / Ti or Mo / Al / Mo, or other single or multilayer structures.

[0091] Referring to FIG. 1 , the second planarization layer 118 is formed on the source and drain electrodes. The second planarization layer 118 can be formed as multiple layers or a single layer, for example, from tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), silicon nitride, or silicon oxide, and can be formed from an organic material with a low dielectric constant (e.g., polyimide). The second planarization layer 118 can include a first planarization sublayer 119 and a second planarization sublayer 120. The first planarization sublayer 119 is located on a side of the second planarization sublayer 120 that is closer to the substrate 121.

[0092] The substrate 101 further includes a metal transfer layer located between the first planar sub-layer 119 and the second planar sub-layer 120 , and the anode is connected to the thin film transistor through the metal transfer layer.

[0093] In some embodiments, the display panel 100 further includes a cover layer located on a side of the flat layer 106 away from the substrate 101 . The cover layer may be a flexible cover.

[0094] In some embodiments, the display panel 100 further includes a polarizing layer located between the cover layer and the planar layer 106 .

[0095] The display panel 100 provided in the embodiment of the present application increases the emission angle of part of the light emitted by the pixel unit 102a by virtue of the greater roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first protruding sub-portion 109, thereby improving the display brightness of the display panel 100 at a wide viewing angle. The roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second protruding sub-portion 110 is utilized to converge the emission angle of part of the light, thereby improving the light extraction efficiency of the display panel 100 and improving the light extraction performance of the display panel 100.

[0096] An embodiment of the present application discloses a display panel, which includes a substrate, a light-emitting layer located on one side of the substrate, an insulating layer and a flat layer. The insulating layer is provided with a raised portion corresponding to the pixel unit of the light-emitting layer and a groove between adjacent raised portions. The raised portion includes a first raised sub-portion and a second raised sub-portion. The roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first raised sub-portion is greater than the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second raised sub-portion. The present application utilizes the larger roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first raised sub-portion to increase the exit angle of part of the light emitted by the pixel unit, thereby improving the display brightness of the display panel at a wide viewing angle. The roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second raised sub-portion is utilized to converge the exit angle of part of the light, thereby improving the light output efficiency of the display panel and improving the light output performance of the display panel.

[0097] It is understandable that those skilled in the art can make equivalent substitutions or changes based on the technical solution and inventive concept of this application, and all these changes or substitutions should fall within the scope of protection of the claims attached to this application.

Claims

1. A display panel, wherein: include: substrate; A light-emitting layer is disposed on one side of the substrate, and the light-emitting layer includes a plurality of pixel units; An insulating layer, arranged on a side of the light-emitting layer away from the substrate, the insulating layer comprising a plurality of raised portions arranged corresponding to the pixel units and grooves arranged between adjacent raised portions; A flat layer, disposed on a side of the insulating layer away from the substrate, wherein the refractive index of the flat layer is smaller than the refractive index of the insulating layer; Wherein, the insulating layer includes a first insulating sub-layer and a second insulating sub-layer which are stacked, and the raised portion includes: a first raised sub-portion corresponding to the first insulating sub-layer and a second raised sub-portion corresponding to the second insulating sub-layer, and the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first raised sub-portion is greater than the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second raised sub-portion.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein: The first insulating sublayer is disposed between the substrate and the second insulating sublayer.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein: The first insulating sublayer and the second insulating sublayer both include an inorganic insulating material.

4. The display panel according to claim 3, wherein: The first insulating sublayer and the second insulating sublayer both include the same inorganic insulating material, and the first insulating sublayer and the second insulating sublayer have different film formation qualities.

5. The display panel according to claim 4, wherein: A nitrogen content in the first insulating sublayer is less than a nitrogen content in the second insulating sublayer.

6. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein: The display panel further includes: An encapsulation layer is arranged on a side of the light-emitting layer away from the substrate; A touch layer is arranged on a side of the packaging layer away from the substrate, and the touch layer includes: the first insulating sublayer, the first metal layer, the second insulating sublayer, the second metal layer, and the planar layer which are stacked in sequence. The groove exposes part of the surface of the packaging layer away from the substrate, and the roughness of the surface of the packaging layer away from the substrate corresponding to the groove is between the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second protruding sub-portion and the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first protruding sub-portion.

7. The display panel according to claim 6, wherein: The encapsulation layer includes: a first inorganic insulating layer, a first organic insulating layer, and a second inorganic insulating layer which are stacked in sequence, the groove exposes a portion of the surface of the second inorganic insulating layer away from the substrate, and the roughness of the surface of the second inorganic insulating layer away from the substrate corresponding to the groove is between the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second protruding sub-portion and the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first protruding sub-portion.

8. The display panel according to claim 7, wherein: The roughness of the surface of the second inorganic insulating layer away from the substrate corresponding to the groove is greater than the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second protrusion, and less than the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first protrusion.

9. The display panel according to claim 7, wherein: The second inorganic insulating layer includes an inorganic insulating material different from that of the first insulating sublayer and the second insulating sublayer.

10. The display panel according to claim 6, wherein: A surface of one side of the encapsulation layer close to the insulating layer includes a first portion and a second portion, the groove exposes the second portion, the protrusion covers the first portion, and the roughness of the second portion is greater than that of the first portion.

11. The display panel according to claim 6, wherein: The second metal layer includes touch electrodes arranged between the corresponding pixel units, and the first metal layer includes touch traces arranged between the corresponding pixel units. The insulating layer also includes: an insulating portion arranged between the pixel units, the groove is arranged between the insulating portion and the protruding portion, the insulating portion includes: a first insulating sub-portion arranged corresponding to the first insulating sub-layer and a second insulating sub-portion corresponding to the second insulating sub-layer, the touch wiring is arranged between the first insulating sub-portion and the second insulating sub-portion, and the touch electrode is arranged between the second insulating sub-portion and the flat layer.

12. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein: The protrusion comprises a first surface close to the substrate and a second surface away from the substrate; The first surface and the second surface intersect with the same cross section perpendicular to the substrate to form a first intersection line and a second intersection line, and the length of the first intersection line is greater than the length of the second intersection line.

13. The display panel according to claim 12, wherein: The roughness of the second surface of the protrusion is smaller than the roughness of the side wall of the second protrusion sub-portion corresponding to the groove.

14. The display panel according to claim 12, wherein: The side wall of the protrusion corresponding to the groove includes a side wall curve, the side wall curve is formed by the intersection of the side wall of the protrusion corresponding to the groove and a cross section perpendicular to the substrate, and the side wall curve is arranged between the first intersection line and the second intersection line; Wherein, an intersection angle between the side wall curve and the first intersection line is greater than or equal to 20 degrees, and an intersection angle between the side wall curve and the first intersection line is less than or equal to 55 degrees.

15. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein: The thickness of the first protruding sub-portion is less than or equal to the thickness of the second protruding sub-portion.

16. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein: Along the direction from the substrate to the insulating layer, the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the first protrusion sub-portion gradually decreases, and the roughness of the side wall of the groove corresponding to the second protrusion sub-portion gradually decreases.

17. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein: The thickness of the protrusion is greater than or equal to 0.5 micrometers.

18. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein: The display panel also includes a pixel definition layer, which is located on the same side of the substrate as the pixel unit. The pixel definition layer includes a pixel definition portion and a second opening located between the pixel definition portions. The pixel unit is located in the second opening, and the protrusion is arranged corresponding to the second opening.

19. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein: A difference in refractive index between the insulating layer and the planar layer is greater than or equal to 0.3, and a difference in refractive index between the insulating layer and the planar layer is less than or equal to 0.

5.

20. The display panel according to claim 19, wherein: The planar layer is selected from transparent organic materials.

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