OLED Retaining Wall Undercut Structure for Crack Prevention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current OLED display panels have larger frame sizes, which occupy unnecessary space and increase the risk of cutting cracks extending to the display region during manufacturing.
Innovation Solution
The OLED display panel incorporates a retaining wall structure comprising a substrate retaining wall layer, an inorganic retaining wall layer, and an organic retaining wall layer stacked on each other, forming an undercut shape, which increases the height of the retaining wall and reduces the distance between the retaining wall and the display region, thereby blocking organic material movement and preventing cutting cracks from reaching the display area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If retaining walls are set in frame regions to prevent organic layers from moving towards frames, then frame areas are reduced, but areas between retaining walls and display regions cannot display and cutting cracks extend to display regions
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining wall is designed with an undercut cross-sectional shape that extends vertically into the substrate, creating a three-dimensional barrier structure. This vertical dimension enhancement allows the retaining wall to block organic material movement more effectively while maintaining a smaller horizontal footprint, thus reducing frame area without compromising display quality
Solution Approach 2:
The retaining wall comprises multiple layers including inorganic layers and organic layers stacked together. The inorganic layers provide mechanical strength and barrier properties, while the organic layers provide planarization and additional barrier functions. This composite structure enhances the overall blocking capability against organic material movement and cutting cracks, allowing for reduced frame size while maintaining display region integrity
2Reliability
If larger-size frames are retained to ensure quality of display panels during cutting, then display quality is maintained, but frame sizes remain large
Solution Approach 1:
The retaining wall is segmented into multiple functional layers (inorganic layers and organic layers) with distinct roles. The inorganic layers provide structural support and primary barrier function, while the organic layers provide planarization and secondary barrier function. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized for its specific function, achieving effective protection against cutting cracks with a more compact overall structure
Solution Approach 2:
The undercut cross-sectional shape extends the retaining wall vertically into the substrate, creating a deeper barrier that prevents cutting cracks from propagating horizontally into the display region. This vertical extension provides enhanced protection against cutting damage while allowing the horizontal frame size to be reduced
Data Source
AI summary
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display panel and a display device are provided. A retaining wall of the OLED display panel includes a substrate retaining wall layer, an inorganic retaining wall layer, and an organic retaining wall layer stacked on each other. Based on a structure of the retaining wall, a height of the retaining wall is increased, which can better block movements of organic materials and reduce a distance between the retaining wall and a display region. Meanwhile, the undercut shape between the retaining wall and the display region can also increase moving paths of the organic materials, which can further reduce the distance between the retaining wall and the display region, and can prevent cutting cracks from extending to the display region along the inorganic layer and a substrate, which can further reduce frame sizes.