OLED Through Hole Moisture Blocking via Encapsulating Layer
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional OLED panels face a challenge where atmospheric moisture enters through holes and erodes the metal and organic light-emitting layers, threatening the lifetime of the display panel.
Innovation Solution
A display panel design featuring a flexible substrate with a thin film transistor array and organic light-emitting structural layers, where a through hole is defined in the TFT array structural layer and covered by an encapsulating layer, and barriers are used to block moisture, with specific configurations of the barriers to prevent erosion.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a through hole is defined in the OLED panel after structural layers are formed, then the camera can be arranged and exposed, but atmospheric moisture enters through the through hole and erodes the metal layer and organic light-emitting layer, threatening the lifetime of the display panel
Solution Approach 1:
The encapsulating structural layer is formed to cover the interior lateral wall of the through hole before the through hole is fully opened to expose the camera. This preliminary encapsulation prevents moisture from entering the gaps between layers during subsequent processing and operation, thereby protecting the metal and organic light-emitting layers while still allowing camera arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
An encapsulating structural layer (thin film structure) is introduced to cover the interior lateral wall of the through hole. This flexible encapsulation layer seals the through hole from the inside, preventing moisture ingress while maintaining the structural integrity needed for camera integration.
2Reliability
If the encapsulating structural layer covers the interior lateral wall of the through hole, then moisture is blocked from entering gaps between layers, but the barrier structure becomes more complex with multiple barriers required
Solution Approach 1:
The barrier structure is segmented into multiple functional barriers: a first barrier that blocks the organic light-emitting structural layer and a second barrier near the through hole with specific width variations. This segmentation allows each barrier to perform its specific protective function while collectively providing comprehensive moisture protection through the coordinated structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The second barrier is designed with varying width along its height - wider at the bottom and narrower at the top - to provide enhanced moisture protection at critical locations. The first barrier is positioned to specifically block the organic light-emitting layer. This local quality variation optimizes moisture blocking effectiveness without uniformly increasing overall structural complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
The disclosure provides a display panel and a method of manufacturing same. In the display panel, an organic light-emitting structural layer and an encapsulating structural layer are formed on a pixel defining layer and covers an entire surface of a through hole. The through hole is defined before the organic light-emitting structural layer and the encapsulating structural layer covers the surface of the through hole. Therefore, the encapsulating structural layer covers an interior lateral wall of the through hole, which prevents atmospheric moisture from invading into gaps between layers of an OLED device from the through hole and eroding a metal layer and an organic light-emitting layer in a display region.