U.S. patent application number 15/862866 was filed with the patent office on 2019-01-24 for organic light-emitting display panel, method for preparing the same, and organic light-emitting display device.
The applicant listed for this patent is Shanghai Tianma AM-OLED Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Congyi SU, Peng ZHANG.
Application Number | 20190027543 15/862866 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 60227653 |
Filed Date | 2019-01-24 |
United States Patent
Application |
20190027543 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
ZHANG; Peng ; et
al. |
January 24, 2019 |
ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DISPLAY PANEL, METHOD FOR PREPARING THE
SAME, AND ORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING DISPLAY DEVICE
Abstract
Provided is an organic light-emitting display panel, including:
an array substrate, an organic light-emitting element arranged on
the array substrate, and an encapsulation portion; the organic
light-emitting element includes a reflective layer, a pixel
definition layer including pixel definition parts, a light-emitting
pixel layer including light-emitting pixel parts each arranged
between the pixel definition parts, a cathode layer arranged on a
side of the light-emitting pixel layer away from the reflective
layer, and a support layer arranged between at least one pair of
adjacent light-emitting pixel parts of the light-emitting pixel
layer; the support layer includes a metal part and an annular
organic part placed on a side of the metal part away from the array
substrate; the encapsulation portion includes at least one organic
encapsulation layer and at least one inorganic encapsulation layer;
and the encapsulation portion covers the organic light-emitting
element.
Inventors: |
ZHANG; Peng; (Shanghai,
CN) ; SU; Congyi; (Shanghai, CN) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Shanghai Tianma AM-OLED Co., Ltd. |
Shanghai |
|
CN |
|
|
Family ID: |
60227653 |
Appl. No.: |
15/862866 |
Filed: |
January 5, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H01L 51/0097 20130101;
H01L 27/3283 20130101; H01L 27/3246 20130101; H01L 27/3223
20130101; H01L 51/5271 20130101; H01L 51/5237 20130101; H01L
2251/5338 20130101; H01L 51/52 20130101; H01L 51/001 20130101; H01L
51/5221 20130101; H01L 51/5253 20130101 |
International
Class: |
H01L 27/32 20060101
H01L027/32; H01L 51/52 20060101 H01L051/52 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Jul 20, 2017 |
CN |
201710596122.5 |
Claims
1. An organic light-emitting display panel, comprising: an array
substrate; an organic light-emitting element arranged on the array
substrate, the organic light-emitting element comprising a
reflective layer, a pixel definition layer comprising pixel
definition parts, a light-emitting pixel layer comprising
light-emitting pixel parts each arranged between the pixel
definition parts, a cathode layer arranged on a side of the
light-emitting pixel layer away from the reflective layer, and a
support layer arranged between at least one pair of adjacent
light-emitting pixel parts of the light-emitting pixel layer, the
support layer comprising a metal part and an annular organic part
placed on a side of the metal part away from the array substrate;
and an encapsulation portion, the encapsulation portion comprising
at least one organic encapsulation layer and at least one inorganic
encapsulation layer, the encapsulation portion covering the organic
light-emitting element.
2. The organic light-emitting display panel according to claim 1,
wherein the metal part and the reflective layer are made in a same
film layer, and the annular organic part and the pixel definition
layer are made in another same film layer.
3. The organic light-emitting display panel according to claim 2,
wherein the metal part, when viewed from top toward the array
substrate, is shaped like a rectangle, a square, a rhombus, a
circle, an ellipse, a polygon, or any combination thereof.
4. The organic light-emitting display panel according to claim 2,
wherein a height of the support layer is 0.3 .mu.m-1.2 .mu.m
greater than a height of the pixel definition layer.
5. The organic light-emitting display panel according to claim 4,
wherein a width of the annular organic part is 0.2 .mu.m-1
.mu.m.
6. The organic light-emitting display panel according to claim 1,
wherein the array substrate comprises an underlay, an array layer
placed on the underlay, and a planarization layer located on a side
of the array layer away from the underlay.
7. The organic light-emitting display panel according to claim 6,
wherein the underlay is a flexible underlay.
8. The organic light-emitting display panel according to claim 1,
wherein the reflective layer comprises a reflective metal part and
a transparent conduction part.
9. The organic light-emitting display panel according to claim 8,
wherein the reflective metal part comprises a material selected
from a group consisting of silver, nickel, ytterbium, molybdenum,
aluminum, and combinations thereof, and the transparent conduction
part comprises indium tin oxide or tin oxide.
10. The organic light-emitting display panel according to claim 8,
wherein the reflective layer is an indium tin oxide-silver-indium
tin oxide stack structure.
11. The organic light-emitting display panel according to claim 1,
wherein the metal part comprises a material selected from a group
consisting of silver, nickel, ytterbium, molybdenum, aluminum, and
combinations thereof.
12. An organic light-emitting display device, comprising an organic
light-emitting display panel, wherein the organic light-emitting
display panel comprises: an array substrate; an organic
light-emitting element arranged on the array substrate, the organic
light-emitting element comprising a reflective layer, a pixel
definition layer comprising pixel definition parts, a
light-emitting pixel layer comprising light-emitting pixel parts
each arranged between the pixel definition parts, a cathode layer
arranged on a side of the light-emitting pixel layer away from the
reflective layer, and a support layer arranged between at least one
pair of adjacent light-emitting pixel parts of the light-emitting
pixel layer, the support layer comprising a metal part and an
annular organic part placed on a side of the metal part away from
the array substrate; and an encapsulation portion, the
encapsulation portion comprising at least one organic encapsulation
layer and at least one inorganic encapsulation layer, the
encapsulation portion covering the organic light-emitting
element.
13. A method for preparing an organic light-emitting display panel,
comprising: preparing an array substrate; preparing an organic
light-emitting element, the preparing of the organic light-emitting
element comprising sequentially preparing, on the array substrate,
a reflective layer, and a pixel definition layer comprising pixel
definition parts, forming a light-emitting pixel layer comprising
light-emitting pixel parts between the pixel definition parts, and
forming a cathode layer on the light-emitting pixel layer, wherein
a metal part is formed between at least one pair of adjacent
light-emitting pixel parts at the meantime of preparing the
reflective layer, an annular organic part is formed on the metal
part at the meantime of preparing the pixel definition layer, and
the metal part and the annular organic part together form a support
layer; and preparing an encapsulation portion on a side of the
organic light-emitting element away from the array substrate.
14. The method for preparing an organic light-emitting display
panel according to claim 13, wherein the annular organic part is
formed by stacking and matching an annular mask with the metal
part, and the annular mask comprises a first mask and a second mask
surrounding the first mask.
15. The method for preparing an organic light-emitting display
panel according to claim 14, wherein the annular mask is stacked
and matched with the metal part, and an overlapping width between
the first mask and the metal part is 0 .mu.m-0.5 .mu.m.
16. The method for preparing an organic light-emitting display
panel according to claim 15, wherein the overlapping width between
the first mask and the metal part is 0 .mu.m.
17. The method for preparing an organic light-emitting display
panel according to claim 15, wherein a space of a hollow area
between the first mask and the second mask is 0.5 .mu.m-1.5
.mu.m.
18. The method for preparing an organic light-emitting display
panel according to claim 13, wherein the metal part, when viewed
from top, is shaped like a rectangle, a square, a rhombus, a
circle, an ellipse, a polygon, or any combination thereof.
19. The method for preparing an organic light-emitting display
panel according to claim 13, wherein a height of the support layer
is 0.3 .mu.m-1.2 .mu.m greater than a height of the pixel
definition layer.
20. The method for preparing an organic light-emitting display
panel according to claim 13, wherein a width of the annular organic
part is 0.2 .mu.m-1 .mu.m.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent
Application No. 201710596122.5, filed on Jul. 20, 2017, the content
of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0002] The present disclosure relates to the field of display
technologies and, particularly, to an organic light-emitting
display panel, a display device including the organic
light-emitting display panel, and a method for preparing the
organic light-emitting display panel.
BACKGROUND
[0003] With the continuous development of display technology,
manufacturing technology of display panel is also maturing. The
conventional display panel mainly includes organic light emitting
diode (OLED), liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma display panel
(PDP) and the like. An organic light-emitting display device, such
as a self-luminous display device, does not require a separate
light source. Therefore, the organic light-emitting display device
is light-weight and thin, can work at low voltage, and has high
quality characteristics of wide view angle, high contrast and fast
response. As a next generation of display device, the organic
light-emitting display device has attracted much interest.
SUMMARY
[0004] The present disclosure provides an organic light-emitting
display panel, a display device including the organic
light-emitting display panel, and a method for preparing the
organic light-emitting display panel.
[0005] In a first aspect, the present disclosure provides an
organic light-emitting display panel, including: an array
substrate; an organic light-emitting element arranged on the array
substrate, the organic light-emitting element including a
reflective layer, a pixel definition layer including pixel
definition parts, a light-emitting pixel layer including
light-emitting pixel parts each arranged between the pixel
definition parts, a cathode layer arranged on a side of the
light-emitting pixel layer away from the reflective layer, and a
support layer arranged between at least one pair of adjacent
light-emitting pixel parts of the light-emitting pixel layer, the
support layer including a metal part and an annular organic part
placed on a side of the metal part away from the array substrate;
and an encapsulation portion, the encapsulation portion including
at least one organic encapsulation layer and at least one inorganic
encapsulation layer, the encapsulation portion covering the organic
light-emitting element.
[0006] In a second aspect, the present disclosure provides an
organic light-emitting display device, including the organic
light-emitting display panel according to the first aspect.
[0007] In a third aspect, the present disclosure provides a method
for preparing an organic light-emitting panel, including: preparing
an array substrate; preparing an organic light-emitting element,
the preparing of the organic light-emitting element including
sequentially preparing, on the array substrate, a reflective layer,
and a pixel definition layer including pixel definition parts,
forming a light-emitting pixel layer including light-emitting pixel
parts between the pixel definition parts, and forming a cathode
layer on the light-emitting pixel layer, wherein a metal part is
formed between at least one pair of adjacent light-emitting pixel
parts at the meantime of preparing the reflective layer, an annular
organic part is formed on the metal part at the meantime of
preparing the pixel definition layer including pixel definition
parts, and the metal part and the annular organic part together
form a support layer; and preparing an encapsulation portion on a
side of the organic light-emitting element away from the array
substrate.
[0008] The support layer with the annular organic part formed in
the present disclosure reduces the contact area between the support
layer and the mask, thereby reducing the contamination of the vapor
deposition mask caused by particles.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0009] FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an organic
light-emitting display panel according to the present
disclosure;
[0010] FIG. 2 is a top view schematic diagram of an organic
light-emitting element of an organic light-emitting display panel
according to the present disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 3 is a structural schematic diagram of a pixel
definition part according to the present disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 4 is a structural schematic diagram of an organic
light-emitting display panel according to an embodiment of the
present disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 5a is a side view structural schematic diagram of a
support layer according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 5b is a cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of
a support layer according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0015] FIGS. 6a-6c are top view structural schematic diagrams of a
support layer according to embodiments of the present
disclosure;
[0016] FIGS. 7a and 7b are flow diagrams of steps for preparing an
organic light-emitting display panel according to an embodiment of
the present disclosure;
[0017] FIGS. 8a to 8f are structural flow diagrams of a method for
preparing an organic light-emitting display panel according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0018] FIG. 9a is a schematic diagram of a stack-matching structure
of an annular mask and a reflective layer during preparing an
annular organic part, according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 9b is a cross-sectional schematic structural diagram of
a stack-matching structure of an annular mask and a reflective
layer when preparing an annular organic part, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 10 is a line chart showing influence of an overlapping
width L1 between a first mask and a metal part on H;
[0021] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram during vapor deposition of a
light-emitting pixel layer; and
[0022] FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of an organic light-emitting
display device according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure.
DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
[0023] In order to better understand the above purposes, features
and advantages, the present disclosure will be further illustrated
as follows with reference to the drawings and specific embodiments.
However, the exemplary embodiments can be implemented in various
manners, and it should not be understood that the present
disclosure is limited to these embodiments; on the contrary, the
present disclosure can be more comprehensive and integral by
providing these embodiments, which fully conveys the concept of the
exemplary embodiments to those skilled in the art. In the
accompanying drawings, same or similar structures are represented
with same reference signs, and thus repetitive description thereof
will be omitted. In the present disclosure, the terms for
describing a position and a direction are explained with reference
to the accompanying drawings, and the modifications within the
scope of the present disclosure are also conceivable if necessary.
The drawings of the present disclosure are merely intended to
illustrate the relative positional relationship, and the thickness
of some portions is magnified in order to facilitate understanding.
The layer thicknesses shown in the drawings do not indicate the
ratio of the actual layer thicknesses.
[0024] It should be understood that specific details described as
follows are intended to facilitate a fully understanding of the
present disclosure. The present disclosure can be embodied in many
other forms other than those described herein, and those skilled in
the art are able to make similar developments without departing
from the concept of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present
disclosure is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed
below. If specific terms are used in the description and the claims
for referring to specific components, those skilled in the art
should understand that the hardware manufacturers may use different
terms to name same components. In the present description and
claims, components are differentiated from one another by
functional differences, rather than by differences in names. The
expression "including" or "comprising" used in the description and
claims is an open expression, and it should be understood as
"including but not limited to". The following description describes
the preferred embodiments of the present disclosure, for the
purpose of illustrating the general principles of the present
disclosure but not intending to limit the scope of the present
disclosure. The protection scope of the present disclosure depends
on that defined in the claims.
[0025] FIG. 1 is a structural cross-sectional diagram of an organic
light-emitting display panel 100' according to the present
disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the organic light-emitting display
panel 100' includes an array substrate 10', a light-emitting
element 20' and an encapsulation portion 30'. FIG. 2 is a
structural top view of an organic light-emitting element of an
organic light-emitting display panel according to the present
disclosure, wherein the light-emitting element 20' includes a pixel
definition layer 24' including pixel definition parts, a
light-emitting layer 22' and a support layer 40'. The pixel
definition parts 24' separate the light-emitting layer 22' into
light-emitting pixel parts (R/GB). The support layer 40' is
provided on the pixel definition layer between adjacent
light-emitting pixel parts, for supporting a mask during vapor
deposition the light-emitting layer. FIG. 3 is a structural
schematic diagram of a pixel definition part according to the
present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 3, the upper surface of the
support layer is a continuous surface, and the contact area between
the support layer and the mask is relative large, causing
contamination to the vapor deposition mask and an increase of
particulates. However, most of the encapsulation portions in
current flexible display are thin films, so that the number of the
encapsulation portion 20' is increased, which is disadvantageous to
the bending of the flexible screen. In addition, a relative great
height of the support layer according to the present disclosure
leads to a relatively great shadow effect during the vapor
deposition of the light-emitting layer 22', which causes a color
mixing.
[0026] Referring to FIGS. 4, 5a and 5b, FIG. 4 is a structural
schematic diagram of an organic light-emitting display panel
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; FIG. 5a is a
side view structural schematic diagram of a support layer according
to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and FIG. 5b is a
cross-sectional structural schematic diagram of a support layer
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Although FIG.
4 exemplifies one support layer and three light-emitting pixel
parts, those skilled in the art can understand that the organic
light-emitting display panel can include a plurality of support
layers and a plurality of light-emitting pixel parts. An embodiment
of the present disclosure provides an organic light-emitting
display panel, including: an array substrate 10; an organic
light-emitting element 20 arranged on the array substrate 10, and
an encapsulation portion 30. The organic light-emitting element 20
includes a reflective layer 21, a pixel definition layer 24
including pixel definition parts, a light-emitting pixel layer 22
including light-emitting pixel parts each arranged among the pixel
definition parts, a cathode layer 23 arranged on the side of the
light-emitting pixel layer 22 away from the reflective layer 21,
and a support layer 40 arranged between at least one pair of
adjacent light-emitting pixel parts. The support layer includes a
metal part 41 and an annular organic part 42 placed on a side of
the metal part 41 away from the array substrate 10; and an
encapsulation portion 30. The encapsulation portion includes at
least one organic encapsulation layer and at least one inorganic
encapsulation layer, and covers the organic light-emitting element
20. Referring to FIGS. 5a and 5b, the support layer according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure includes a metal part 41, and
an annular organic part 42 formed on the metal part 41 by the
reflection effect of the metal part 41. Because the support layer
according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes the
annular organic part 42, the contact area between the support layer
40 and the mask is greatly reduced compared with the solid support
layer disclosed according to the present disclosure, which reduces
particles and stains from wear of the support layer caused by
contact or friction between the support layer and the mask, and
reduces the dark spots in the encapsulation portion caused by
stains or particles. As the stains and particles are reduced, the
requirement on the encapsulation portion for covering particles is
lowered, thereby effectively reducing the thickness of the
encapsulation portion, and improving the flexibility of the organic
light-emitting display panel. In an embodiment, the annular organic
part may have a width of 0.2 .mu.m-1 .mu.m. In another embodiment,
as shown in FIGS. 3 and 5a, taking an annular organic part having a
upper surface with a radius of 5 .mu.m and a width L of 1 .mu.m as
an example, the support layer according to this embodiment has a
upper surface area of .pi.*5.sup.2-.pi.*4.sup.2=9.pi.; however,
when the upper surface of the support layer according to the
present disclosure is a circle with a radius of 5 .mu.m, the area
thereof is .pi.*5.sup.2=25.pi.. Compared with the related art, the
upper surface area of the support layer according to the embodiment
of the present disclosure is greatly reduced, thereby reducing the
stains of the mask, and reducing the dark spots in the
encapsulation portion caused by the stains or particles.
[0027] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the reflective
layer includes the reflective layer includes a reflective metal
part and a transparent conduction part.
[0028] In a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the
reflective metal part includes a material selected from a group
consisting of silver, nickel, ytterbium, molybdenum, aluminum, and
combinations thereof, and the transparent conduction part comprises
indium tin oxide or tin oxide.
[0029] In a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the
reflective layer is an indium tin oxide-silver-indium tin oxide
stack structure.
[0030] In a further embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal
part includes a material selected from a group consisting of
silver, nickel, ytterbium, molybdenum, aluminum, and combinations
thereof.
[0031] In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the support
layer 40 is 0.3 .mu.m-1.2 .mu.m higher than the pixel definition
layer 24. The smaller the height of the support layer is, the less
the shadow effect, and less shadow effect can reduce the risk of
color mixing, allow better film-coverage effect of the
encapsulation portion, and further facilitate the thinning of the
encapsulation portion. In an embodiment, the annular organic part
42 and the pixel definition layer can be prepared in a same layer,
and the metal part 41 and the reflective layer 21 can be made in
the same layer, thereby reducing the process and improving the
process capacity. In the context, the expression "in a same layer"
means that the related objects are made in the same layer, but may
have different heights or widths, which is not repeated
hereinafter. In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the metal
part are made when the reflective layer is made, and under the
stack-matching effect between an annular mask and the metal part
and the reflection effect of the metal part, a support layer which
is 0.3 .mu.m-1.2 .mu.m higher than the pixel definition layer and
has an annular organic part can be formed when the pixel definition
layer is made. In this way, the cost is reduced, the production
capacity is increased, meanwhile the color mixing during the vapor
deposition of the light-emitting pixel layer, and the stains formed
by the wear of the support layer caused by the friction between the
support layer and the mask are also reduced, thereby reducing the
dark spots caused by stains or particles.
[0032] It should be noted that, the support layer according to the
embodiments of the present disclosure is formed in a non-luminous
area between adjacent light-emitting pixel parts. The support layer
can be either placed in the non-luminous area between every two
adjacent light-emitting pixel parts, or placed at interval of
several light-emitting pixel parts and between adjacent
light-emitting pixel parts. As regards the light-emitting pixel
layer arranged in an array, the support layer can be placed between
adjacent light-emitting pixel parts in the row direction of the
array, or placed between adjacent light-emitting pixel parts in the
column direction of the array, or placed both between adjacent
light-emitting pixel parts in the row direction and between
adjacent light-emitting pixel parts in the column direction. The
specific arrangement of the support layers is not limited in the
present disclosure, and those skilled in the art can implement
depending on requirements, as long as the support layers are in the
non-display areas between adjacent light-emitting pixel parts,
which shall all fall into the protection scope of the present
disclosure.
[0033] In an embodiment, the organic light-emitting element 20
arranged on the array substrate 10 at least includes a reflective
layer 21 placed on the array substrate 10, a pixel definition layer
24 including pixel definition parts, a light-emitting pixel layer
22 including light-emitting pixel parts placed between the pixel
definition parts 24, a cathode layer 23 arranged on a side of
light-emitting pixel layer 22 away from the reflective layer 21,
and a support layer 40 arranged between at least one pair of
adjacent light-emitting pixel parts. The organic light-emitting
element 20 can further include one or more of a hole injection
layer, a hole transmission layer, an electron blocking layer, a
hole blocking layer, an electron transmission layer and an electron
injection layer. The light-emitting pixel layer 22 can be a red
light-emitting layer, a green light-emitting layer or a blue
light-emitting layer. The light-emitting pixel layer 22 can also be
a white light-emitting monolayer. The light-emitting pixel layer 22
can have a stack structure of a red light-emitting layer, a green
light-emitting layer, and/or a blue light-emitting layer. The
light-emitting pixel layer 22 having the stack structure may
include a color filter (not shown). The hole injection layer and/or
the hole transmission layer can be arranged between the reflective
layer 21 and the light-emitting pixel layer 22. The electron
injection layer and/or the electron transmission layer can be
arranged between the cathode layer 23 and the light-emitting pixel
layer 22. The hole injection layer, the hole transmission layer,
the electron transmission layer and the electron injection layer
can be formed on the entire display-area of the array substrate 10.
The present embodiment of the present disclosure shows a top
emission organic light-emitting display panel as an example, while
the organic light-emitting display panel can also be a bottom
emission structure in other embodiments. It should be noted that,
as regards the top emission structure, the reflective layer can
include a structure of ITO-Ag-ITO (i.e., indium tin
oxide-silver-indium tin oxide), and the reflective layer can
effectively reflect the light emitted from the light-emitting pixel
layer to the exit side of light, improving the light extraction
efficiency. It should be noted that, the reflection reflective
layer also can be used as an anode of the organic light-emitting
element 20 in addition to reflecting the light emitted from the
light-emitting pixel layer, and the holes injected from the anode
and the electrons injected from the cathode are combined in the
light-emitting pixel layer to generate excitons which then fall
from the excited state to the ground state and generate light.
[0034] In an embodiment, the array substrate 10 includes an
underlay 13, an array layer 11 on the underlay 13, and a
planarization layer 12 located on a side of the array layer 11 away
from the underlay 13. The array layer 11 necessary for realizing
display at least includes a plurality of data line metal layers and
a plurality of scanning line metal layers (not shown). The array
layer 11 at least includes an active layer, a source electrode, a
drain electrode, a gate electrode and an insulation layer; the
drain electrode of the array layer 11 is electrically connected to
the reflective layer 21 of the organic light-emitting element 20;
the plurality of data line metal layers and the plurality of
scanning line metal layers intersect one another; the data line
metal layers are electrically connected to the source electrode of
the array layer 11, and the scanning line metal layers are
electrically connected to the gate electrode of the array layer 11.
During work, the scanning line metal layers control the on-off
state of each subpixel by the gate electrode of the array layer 11,
and the data line metal layers are electrically connected to the
reflective layer 21 of the organic light-emitting element by the
source electrode of the array layer 11, so that when the thin-film
transistor corresponding to each sub-pixel is turned on, a data
signal is provided for each sub-pixel to control the display of
each sub-pixel. The specific structure of the array layer 11 can
refer to the known techniques, which is not repeated herein. In an
embodiment, the reflective layer 21 of the organic light-emitting
element 20 is located on the planarization layer 12, and is
electrically connected to the drain electrode of the array layer 11
through a via-hole defined in the planarization layer 12.
[0035] In an embodiment, the underlay 13 is a flexible underlay.
The material of the flexible underlay is not specifically limited
in the present disclosure, and can be an organic polymer in an
embodiment. For example, the organic polymer can be selected from a
group consisting of polyimide (PI), polyamide (PA), polycarbonate
(PC), polyethersulfone (PES), polyethylene terephthalate (PET),
polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and
cycloolefin copolymer (COC).
[0036] The encapsulation portion 30 is placed on the side of the
organic light-emitting element 20 away from the array substrate 10,
and covers the organic light-emitting element 20 for isolating the
organic light emitting element 20 from the surrounding environment,
preventing water vapor and oxygen from penetrating through and
eroding the organic substance in the organic light-emitting element
20. The encapsulation portion includes at least one organic
encapsulation layer and at least one inorganic encapsulation layer.
The material of the organic encapsulation layer can contain
polymer, for example, the organic encapsulation layer can be a
monolayer or stacked layers made of one or more of polyethylene
terephthalate, polyimide, polycarbonate, epoxy resin, polyethylene,
polyacrylate and organosiloxane. The inorganic encapsulation layer
can be a monolayer or stacked layers containing a metal oxide or a
metal nitride. For example, the inorganic encapsulation layer may
contain any one of a group consisting of SiN.sub.x (silicon
nitride), Al.sub.2O.sub.3 (aluminum oxide), SiO.sub.2 (silicon
oxide) and TiO.sub.2 (titanium oxide). The specific material and
structure of the encapsulation portion are not limited in the
embodiments of the present disclosure.
[0037] In an embodiment, referring to FIGS. 6a-6c, which are top
view structural schematic diagrams of support layers according to
embodiments of the present disclosure, shapes of the metal parts
when viewed from top toward the array substrate can be rectangles,
squares, rhombuses, circles, ellipses, polygons, or any combination
thereof. In the embodiment of the present disclosure the support
layer is used to support the mask during the vapor deposition of
the light-emitting pixel layer, and the support layer 40 includes
the annular organic part 42, thereby reducing the contact area
between the support layer and the mask, reducing the stains of
mask, and further reducing the dark spots in the encapsulation
portion caused by stains, particles and the like. Those skilled in
the art can select the shapes of the top views of the metal parts
according to requirements, which is not limited to the embodiments
of the present disclosure.
[0038] In addition, the present disclosure further provides a
method for preparing the organic light-emitting display panel.
Referring to FIGS. 7a, 7b and 8a-8e, FIGS. 7a and 7b are flow
diagrams of steps for preparing an organic light-emitting display
panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and
FIGS. 8a to 8e are structural flow diagrams of a method for
preparing an organic light-emitting display panel according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure. In an embodiment of the
present disclosure, the method for preparing an organic
light-emitting panel, including following steps.
[0039] Step 701: preparing an array substrate.
[0040] Step 702: preparing an organic light-emitting element,
wherein the preparing of the organic light-emitting element
includes following steps.
[0041] Step 7021: preparing a reflective layer and a metal part on
the array substrate.
[0042] Step 7022: forming a pixel definition layer including pixel
definition parts on the reflective layer and the metal part, in the
meantime of forming an annular organic part on the metal part, with
reference to FIG. 8c and FIG. 9b, FIG. 8c is a schematic diagram
during exposure, after the material of the pixel definition layer
(the annular organic part) has been coated, while FIG. 9b is a
cross-sectional schematic diagram of a stack-matching structure of
an annular mask and the reflective layer during preparing the
annular organic part, wherein the pixel definition layer can be
formed by firstly forming one organic layer by coating, then
exposing the coated organic layer in light, removing the exposed
area by development and keeping the area that is unexposed and
covered by the mask; an annular mask is placed at the position of
the metal part and in stack-match with the metal part, the organic
part corresponding to the middle portion of the metal part is
removed by exposing to light, and the reflection effect of the
metal part strengthens the exposure of the part of the organic part
corresponding to the middle portion of the metal part, so that the
organic part corresponding to the middle portion of the metal part
can be more easily removed when exposed in light, and the remaining
organic part corresponding to the edge of the metal part is kept
due to the coverage of the mask, forming the annular organic
part.
[0043] Step 7023: forming a light-emitting pixel layer including
light-emitting pixel parts between the pixel definition parts.
[0044] Step 7024: forming an anode on the light-emitting pixel
layer;
[0045] Step 703: forming an encapsulation portion on a side of the
organic light-emitting element away from the array substrate. In
the method for preparing an organic light-emitting panel provided
in the present embodiment, the support layer includes a metal part
and an annular organic part. The metal part is formed between at
least one pair of adjacent light-emitting pixel parts at the same
time when preparing the reflective layer, and the annular organic
part is formed on the metal part with the aid of the reflection
effect of the metal part at the same time when preparing the pixel
definition layer.
[0046] In an embodiment, FIG. 9a is a schematic diagram of a
stack-matching structure of an annular mask and a reflective layer
during preparing an annular organic part, according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure. The annular organic part is
formed by using an annular mask that is stacked and matched with
the metal part, wherein the annular mask includes a first mask 61
and a second mask 62 surrounding the first mask 61. It should be
noted that, the shape of the mask is set depending on the shape of
the metal part. In the present embodiment, the annular mask is
shaped like a rectangle for illustration. It is also conceivable
that the annular mask is shaped like a circle or any other polygon.
The support layer provided in the present embodiment includes a
metal part. In the exposure process for forming the pixel
definition layer, due to the stack-matching structure of the
annular mask and the metal part in combination with the reflection
effect of the metal part, the part of the organic part exposed to
light is removed by a developer. In addition, the reflection effect
of the metal part allows an enhanced exposure of the organic part
exposed to light on the metal part, thereby removing the part of
the organic part exposed to light on the metal part by the
developer. The organic part at the edge of the metal part is
remained due to underexposure, forming the annular organic
part.
[0047] The method for preparing the support layer provided in the
embodiment of the present disclosure can simplify the process, by
preparing the support layer and the pixel definition layer at the
same time. In addition, the support layer made according to the
embodiment of the present disclosure includes an annular organic
part, and the upper surface of the support layer is shaped like a
hollow ring, which greatly reduces the contact area between the
support layer and the mask, as compared with the solid support
layer according to the present disclosure, thereby avoiding the
dark spots caused by particles and stains due to a contact
friction. As the stains and particles are reduced, the requirement
on the encapsulation portion for encapsulation particles is
lowered, thereby effectively reducing the thickness of the
encapsulation portion, and improving the flexibility of the organic
light-emitting display panel. In addition, compared with the height
difference of 1.5 .mu.m according to the present disclosure, the
support layer and the pixel definition layer prepared according to
the embodiment of the present disclosure can have a height
difference of 0.3 .mu.m-1.2 .mu.m, so that shadow effect during
vapor deposition of the light-emitting pixel layer can be reduced,
thereby reducing the color mixing. Further, referring to FIG. 4,
the support layer made according to the embodiment of the present
disclosure includes an annular organic part, the hole in which can
be filled with the organic part and/or the inorganic part of the
encapsulation portion during the preparation of the encapsulation
portion, thereby increasing the contact area between the
encapsulation portion and the organic light-emitting element 20,
and avoiding the problem of detachment between the encapsulation
portion and the organic light-emitting element 20.
[0048] In an embodiment, referring to FIG. 9b, FIG. 9b is a
cross-sectional schematic structural diagram of a stack-matching
structure of an annular mask and a reflective layer when preparing
an annular organic part, according to an embodiment of the present
disclosure. The annular organic part is made with the aid of the
reflection effect of the reflective layer, wherein the overlapping
width L1 between the first mask and the metal part can be 0
.mu.m-0.5 .mu.m, the space of the hollow area between the first
mask and the second mask can be 0.5 .mu.m-1.5 .mu.m, and the width
L2 of the first mask can be 0.5 .mu.m-1.5 .mu.m.
[0049] It is found in experiments that, the influences of the
overlapping width L1 between the first mask and the metal part, the
space of the hollow area between the first mask and the second
mask, and the width L2 of the first mask on the height difference H
between the support layer and the pixel definition layer (i.e., the
height of the support layer higher than the pixel definition layer)
are shown in Table 1 below:
TABLE-US-00001 TABLE 1 Influences of L1, L2 and space on H
Experiment No. L1/.mu.m L2/.mu.m Space/.mu.m H/.mu.m Experiment 1 0
1.25 1.25 0.9 Experiment 2 0 1.25 1 1 Experiment 3 0 1 1 1.1
Experiment 4 0.25 1.25 1.25 0.7 Experiment 5 0.25 1.25 1 0.7
Experiment 6 0.25 1 1 0.8 Experiment 7 0.5 1.25 1.25 0 Experiment 8
0.5 1.25 1 0 Experiment 9 0.5 1 1 0
[0050] Referring to FIG. 10, FIG. 10 is a graph showing the
influence of the overlapping width L1 between the first mask and
the metal part on H. Respectively comparing the first group of
comparative experiments: Experiment 1, Experiment 4, and Experiment
7; the second group of comparative experiments: Experiment 2,
Experiment 5, and Experiment 8; and the third group of comparative
experiments: Experiment 3, Experiment 6, and Experiment 9, in the
case that the space of the hollow area between the first mask and
the second mask is identical and the width L2 of the first mask is
identical, the overlapping width L1 between the first mask and the
metal part has relative greater influence on height difference H
between the support layer and the pixel definition layer, and the
height of the support layer decreases with the increase of the
overlapping width L1 between the first mask and the metal part. An
overgreat overlapping width between the first mask and the metal
part leads to such a small exposure area of the organic part on the
metal part that the development and the formation of the annular
organic part is adversely influenced, while resulting in a
formation of an over-high support layer, which readily causes the
shadow effect during the vapor deposition of the light-emitting
pixel layer and has negative influence on the color mixing of
adjacent light-emitting pixels and the display. In an embodiment,
the overlapping width L1 between the first mask and the metal part
is 0 .mu.m-0.5 .mu.m, and the support layer is 0.3 .mu.m-1.2 .mu.m
higher than the pixel definition layer, which can achieve the
function of supporting the vapor deposition mask while reducing the
shadow effect during the vapor deposition of the light-emitting
pixel layer. In an embodiment, the overlapping width between the
first mask and the metal part is 0 .mu.m. When the overlapping
width between the first mask and the metal part is 0 .mu.m, the
whole organic part on the metal part can be exposed to light, and
with the aid of the reflection effect of the metal part on the
organic part, the organic part on the metal part can be
sufficiently developed, forming an annular organic part with proper
width. The height difference H between the support layer and the
pixel definition layer has a relative higher value, providing a
better supporting effect for the mask.
[0051] Comparing experiment 1 and experiment 2, experiment 4 and
experiment 5 or experiment 7 and experiment 8 respectively, in the
case that the overlapping width L1 between the first mask and the
metal part is identical and the width L2 of the first mask is
identical, when the overlapping width L1 between the first mask and
the metal part is 0 .mu.m, the space of the hollow area between the
first mask and the second mask has influence on the height
difference H between the support layer and the pixel definition
layer. When the overlapping width L1 between the first mask and the
metal part is greater than or equal to 0.25 .mu.m, the space of the
hollow area between the first mask and the second mask
substantially has no influence on the height difference H between
the support layer and the pixel definition layer. In an embodiment
of the present disclosure, the space of the hollow area between the
first mask and the second mask is 0 .mu.m-1.5 .mu.m, which ensures
the width of the annular organic part while improving the preparing
accuracy of the mask.
[0052] Comparing experiment 2 and experiment 3, experiment 5 and
experiment 6 or experiment 8 and experiment 9, in the case of that
the overlapping width L1 between the first mask and the metal part
is identical and the width L2 of the first mask respectively, when
the overlapping width L1 between the first mask and the metal part
is greater than 0.5 .mu.m, the space of the hollow area between the
first mask and the second mask has no influence on the height
difference H between the support layer and the pixel definition
layer.
[0053] Based on the above comparisons, it can be seen that the
height difference H between the support layer 40 and the pixel
definition layer 24 is mainly influenced by the overlapping width
L1 between the first mask and the metal part. The height difference
H between the support layer 40 and the pixel definition layer 24
can be effectively adjusted by means of adjusting the overlapping
width L1 between the first mask and the metal part. In an
embodiment of the present disclosure, the overlapping width L1
between the first mask and the metal part is 0 .mu.m-0.5 .mu.m, and
the support layer is 0.3 .mu.m-1.2 .mu.m higher than the pixel
definition layer. In an embodiment, the overlapping width L1
between the first mask and the metal part is 0 .mu.m, so that the
support layer has a sufficient height for effectively supporting
the mask during the vapor deposition of the organic part.
[0054] In an embodiment, FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram during
vapor deposition of the light-emitting pixel layer, wherein
position 2 shows a thickness assurance area of the light-emitting
pixel layer, which ensures a normal vapor deposition of the
light-emitting pixel layer, and position 1 represents the shadow
effect area, at which the color mixing between the adjacent
light-emitting pixel parts readily occurs, as shown in FIG. 11. The
greater the height difference H between the support layer and the
pixel definition layer, the larger the area of the position 1, and
the severer the color mixing. The support layer according to an
embodiment of the present disclosure includes a metal part 41.
During the preparing of the pixel definition layer 24, an annular
organic part 42 is formed by the reflection effect of the metal
part. The metal part and the annular organic part form the support
layer, and the support layer is 0.3 .mu.m-1.2 .mu.m higher than the
pixel definition layer. Compared with the related art, the support
layer according to the present disclosure is prepared in one
process, and the upper portion of the support layer is an annular
organic part, which can effectively reduce the contact area between
the support layer and the mask, thereby reducing the stains of mask
and the dark spots in the encapsulation portion caused by stains,
particles and the like, as well as reducing the thickness of the
encapsulation portion, which is advantageous to a flexible display.
In addition, in the related art, the height difference H between
the support layer and the pixel definition layer is greater than
1.5 .mu.m, which causes a severe shadow effect during the vapor
deposition of the light-emitting pixel layer and results in the
color mixing between adjacent pixels. In contrast, in the
embodiments of the present disclosure, the height difference H
between the support layer and the pixel definition layer is 0.3
.mu.m-1.2 .mu.m, which can effectively reduce the shadow effect and
the risk of color mixing while ensuring an effective support for
the mask of the light emitting pixel layer, thereby improving the
display effect.
[0055] The present disclosure further provides an organic
light-emitting display device, as shown in FIG. 12, including the
organic light-emitting display panel described in any of the above
embodiments. The organic light-emitting display device can be a
mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wearable device, or the like. It
should be understood that, the organic light-emitting display
device can include a known structure, such as a driving chip, which
will not be repeated herein.
[0056] The above are merely detailed description of the present
disclosure with reference to specific preferred embodiments, which
are not intended to limit the present disclosure. Without departing
from the concept of the present disclosure, possible deductions or
replacements made by those skilled in the art shall fall into the
protection scope of the present disclosure.
* * * * *