Undulated Dam Structure for OLED Encapsulation Reliability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing OLED display panels face challenges in preventing organic light emitting material overflow and water/oxygen erosion, leading to reduced service life due to the limitations of traditional barrier dams and encapsulation layers.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of undulated dams with a supporting layer and an encapsulation layer in the non-display area of the substrate, featuring a recessed or protruded structure and a preset slope angle, which increases the effective length of the encapsulation layer and reduces the risk of water and oxygen ingress.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a traditional barrier dam with a planar encapsulation layer is used, then the manufacturing process is simple, but the encapsulation layer is prone to erosion by water and oxygen, reducing service life
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature by designing the dam top surface with an undulated structure featuring recessed and protruded portions instead of a planar surface. This undulated configuration increases the effective length of the encapsulation layer, creating a longer diffusion path for water and oxygen, thereby improving protection reliability without requiring multiple separate components
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a two-dimensional planar encapsulation layer to a three-dimensional undulated structure by adding vertical dimensionality through recessed and protruded portions. This dimensional change effectively increases the encapsulation path length within the same horizontal footprint, enhancing protection while maintaining manufacturing simplicity
2Object-affected harmful factors
If the encapsulation layer path is extended to reduce water and oxygen ingress, then protection effectiveness improves, but the manufacturing complexity and process difficulty increase
Solution Approach 1:
The undulated top surface of the dam with recessed and protruded portions extends the encapsulation layer path length, creating a longer diffusion barrier against water and oxygen while maintaining a single-layer structure that can be manufactured using conventional processes without requiring complex multi-layer assemblies
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies local quality by creating specific recessed and protruded portions at strategic locations on the dam top surface. These localized undulated features concentrate the path extension effect in areas most vulnerable to erosion, providing enhanced protection where needed while keeping the overall manufacturing process simple
Data Source
AI summary
Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a display panel, a method of manufacturing the display panel, and a display apparatus with the display panel. The display panel includes: a substrate including a display area and a non-display area around the display area; at least one dam disposed in the non-display area of the substrate and having an undulated structure on a surface of the dam facing away from the substrate; and an encapsulation layer disposed on a side of the dam facing away from the substrate.