CN109273506B

CN109273506B - Stretchable display device, manufacturing method thereof and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN109273506B
Application number: CN201811161988.4A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 赵强; 李瑶; 刘梦琳
Original assignee: Yungu Guan Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Yungu Guan Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-09-30
Filing date: 2018-09-30
Publication date: 2020-11-13
Anticipated expiration: 2038-09-30
Also published as: CN109273506A

Abstract

The invention relates to a stretchable display device, a manufacturing method thereof and an electronic device. The stretchable display device includes a substrate having a plurality of islands spaced apart from each other, a plurality of display cells respectively disposed on the plurality of islands; the packaging structure comprises a first packaging film layer and an elastic second packaging film layer, wherein the first packaging film layer comprises a plurality of first packaging units, each first packaging unit is formed above each island-shaped body to independently package a corresponding display unit, the second packaging film layer covers the first packaging film layer and the substrate, and the second packaging film layer is in direct contact with an area above the substrate between every two adjacent island-shaped bodies. According to the stretchable display device, the manufacturing method thereof and the electronic equipment, when the substrate is stretched, the first packaging unit is not stretched and has stable water and oxygen resistance, and the second packaging film layer with elasticity is stretched along with the substrate simultaneously and is not easy to break, so that the packaging effect is good.

Description

Stretchable display device, manufacturing method thereof and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of display, in particular to a stretchable display device, a manufacturing method thereof and electronic equipment.

Background

With the rapid development and popularization of electronic products carrying flexible displays, such as smart phones, wearable devices, vehicle-mounted displays, AR/VR, and the like, flexible display devices represented by OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) display devices are gaining the military market with their unique performance advantages in the aspects of display performance, thinness, flexibility, and the like. And recently, the development of flexible display devices has been further promoted by stretchable display devices.

In the conventional stretchable display device, a thin film encapsulation is generally used to protect various devices in the stretchable display device from moisture, oxygen and other contaminants, and an encapsulation layer is used to encapsulate the whole substrate of the stretchable display device (including covering the OLED device) so as to isolate the substrate from the external environment, thereby achieving a protective effect.

However, in order to ensure the stretch performance of the stretchable display device, the encapsulation layer is usually made of an elastic organic material, so that the encapsulation layer has a certain stretch capability, but the elastic organic material has a poor water and oxygen barrier capability, which results in a poor encapsulation effect.

Disclosure of Invention

Therefore, it is necessary to provide a stretchable display device, a method for manufacturing the same, and an electronic apparatus, which are capable of improving the above-mentioned problems, in order to solve the problem that the conventional stretchable display device has poor water and oxygen isolation capability due to the fact that the substrate is integrally encapsulated by the elastic organic film.

A stretchable display device includes a substrate including a plurality of islands spaced apart from each other; a plurality of display units respectively disposed on the plurality of island-shaped bodies;

the packaging structure comprises a first packaging film layer, wherein the first packaging film layer comprises a plurality of first packaging units, each first packaging unit is used for packaging one corresponding display unit, and two adjacent first packaging units are not in contact with each other; the second packaging film layer with elasticity covers the first packaging film layer and the substrate, and the substrate between two adjacent island bodies is in direct contact with the second packaging film layer;

wherein the first encapsulation film layer comprises at least one inorganic encapsulation film layer, and the second encapsulation film layer comprises at least one second organic encapsulation film layer.

Optionally, the material of the substrate is the same as that of the second encapsulation film layer.

Optionally, the inorganic encapsulation film layer contains one of a metal oxide, a non-metal oxide, a fluoride, a nitride, an oxynitride, or any combination thereof.

Optionally, the first encapsulation film layer further includes at least one first organic encapsulation film layer.

Preferably, the first organic encapsulation film layer is located at the outermost side of the first encapsulation film layer.

Optionally, the second organic encapsulation film layer comprises an organic polymer.

Preferably, the second organic encapsulation film layer comprises Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) or Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

Optionally, the stretchable display device further includes a plurality of metal wirings, the plurality of metal wirings are electrically connected to the plurality of display units, and the plurality of metal wirings are disposed between two adjacent islands; the second packaging film layer covers the metal wirings and covers the area between the metal wirings.

The manufacturing method of the stretchable display device comprises the following steps:

providing a substrate; the substrate includes a plurality of island bodies spaced apart from each other, and a plurality of display cells are respectively disposed on the island bodies;

forming a first packaging film layer on a substrate; the first packaging film layer comprises a plurality of first packaging units, each first packaging unit is used for packaging one corresponding display unit, and two adjacent first packaging units are not in contact with each other;

forming a second packaging film layer on the substrate; the second packaging film layer covers the first packaging film layer and the substrate, and the substrate between two adjacent island bodies is in direct contact with the second packaging film layer;

An electronic device, characterized by comprising the stretchable display device.

When the substrate is stretched, each first packaging unit packages one corresponding display unit, so that the first packaging units are not stretched, the first packaging film layer has stable water and oxygen resistance, the elastic second packaging film layer covers the substrate, devices between the island-shaped bodies are protected from external environment, the display units are protected for the second time, and the second packaging film layer has elasticity and can be stretched along with the substrate when the substrate is stretched, so that the stretchable display device is not easy to break, and the packaging effect of the stretchable display device is good.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a stretchable display device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the stretchable display device shown in fig. 1 taken along a-a.

Detailed Description

To facilitate an understanding of the invention, the invention will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments of the present invention are shown in the drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete.

One or more embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which elements such as shapes, sizes, proportions, angles, and numbers of elements are merely examples, and in different embodiments, the same or corresponding elements may be denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions thereof will be omitted.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

In describing positional relationships, when an element such as a layer, film or substrate is referred to as being "on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present, unless otherwise specified. Further, when a layer is referred to as being "under" another layer, it can be directly under, or one or more intervening layers may also be present. It will also be understood that when a layer is referred to as being "between" two layers, it can be the only layer between the two layers, or one or more intervening layers may also be present.

Wherein when a layer is referred to as being "above/upper" or "below/lower" another layer, it is based on the upper and lower in the overlapping of the film layers; that is, in the manufacturing process of the display panel, the film layers are formed by overlapping one by one, and the film layer formed later is regarded as being positioned on the upper layer of the film layer formed earlier; correspondingly, a previously formed film layer is considered to be "under/under" a subsequently formed film layer.

Where the terms "comprising," "having," and "including" are used herein, another element may be added unless an explicit limitation is used, such as "only," "consisting of … …," etc. Unless mentioned to the contrary, terms in the singular may include the plural and are not to be construed as being one in number.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first element could be termed a second element, and, similarly, a second element could be termed a first element, without departing from the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a stretchable display device in an embodiment of the present invention; for the purpose of illustration, the drawings show only the structures associated with embodiments of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the stretchable display device 100 includes a substrate 10, a display unit 20, and an encapsulation structure 30.

In some embodiments, the substrate 10 may include other organic materials having elasticity and ductility, such as Polyimide (PI). Preferably, the substrate 10 may include a Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) material having good tensile resistance and, at the same time, good resistance to water and oxygen.

The substrate 10 includes a plurality of islands 11 spaced apart from each other. For example, a plurality of islands 11 may be arranged in a first direction and a second direction intersecting the first direction to form a planar grid pattern. Preferably, the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

The plurality of display cells 20 are respectively provided on the plurality of island-like bodies 11. It is to be noted that a single display unit 20 may include at least a display element for displaying visible light.

The package structure 30 includes a first package film 31 and a second package film 32 with elasticity. The first packaging film 31 includes a plurality of first packaging units 311, each first packaging unit 311 is used for packaging a corresponding display unit 20, and the second packaging film 32 covers the first packaging film and the substrate 10.

It is understood that the shape of the island 11 may not be changed when the substrate 10 is stretched, and thus, the display unit 20 disposed on the island 11 is stably maintained.

It should also be understood that each first packaging unit 311 packages one corresponding display unit 20, meaning that each first packaging unit 311 is formed above each island 11 to separately package one corresponding display unit 20.

Thus, when the substrate 10 is stretched, each first packaging unit 311 packages a corresponding display unit 20, so the first packaging unit 311 is not stretched, and the first packaging film 31 has stable anti-water-oxygen performance, while the second packaging film 32 with elasticity covers the substrate 10, on one hand, the device between the island 11 and the island 11 is protected from the external environment, and the display unit 20 is protected for the second time, and on the other hand, because the second packaging film 32 has elasticity, the device can be stretched along with the substrate 10 when the substrate 10 is stretched, so the device is not easily damaged.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along A-A of FIG. 1; for the purpose of illustration, the drawings show only the structures associated with embodiments of the invention.

Referring to the drawings, the display unit 20 includes a display area DA where display elements are disposed and a non-display area NDA around the display area DA. Each display unit 20 includes at least one Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED)21 for emitting red, blue, green or white light and at least one Thin Film Transistor (TFT)22 electrically connected to the at least one OLED. However, the inventive concept is not limited thereto, and the display unit 200 may include any type of applicable display element.

In some embodiments, a buffer layer 111 is disposed over the island 11, the buffer layer 111 providing a flat surface over the island 101. The buffer layer 111 may specifically comprise a suitable material, such as PET, PEN polyacrylate and/or polyimide, forming a layered structure in the form of a single layer or a multilayer stack. A single-layer or multi-layer stacked layered structure may also be formed of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, aluminum nitride, titanium oxide, titanium nitride, or the like, or may include a composite layer of an organic material layer and/or an inorganic material.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the thin film transistor 22 may be disposed over the buffer layer 111. The thin film transistor 22 includes an active layer 221, a gate electrode 222, a source electrode 223, and a drain electrode 224.

Taking the top gate type TFT as an example, a gate insulating layer 225 is disposed between the light emitting active layer 221 and the gate electrode 222, the gate insulating layer 225 is disposed above the active layer 221, and the gate electrode 222 is disposed in a predetermined region above the gate insulating layer 225. An interlayer insulating layer 226 is further provided over the gate electrode 222, and the interlayer insulating layer 226 insulates the gate electrode 222 from the source electrode 223 and insulates the gate electrode 222 from the drain electrode 224. A source electrode 223 and a drain electrode 224 are disposed over the interlayer insulating layer 226, the interlayer insulating layer 226 and the gate insulating layer 225 expose source and drain regions of the active layer, and the source electrode 223 and the drain electrode 224 contact the exposed source and drain regions, respectively. In other embodiments, the thin film transistor 22 may also be of the bottom gate type.

Further, the thin film transistor 22 further includes a planarization layer 227, and the organic light emitting diode 21 is disposed over the planarization layer 227. Alternatively, the planarization layer 227 may be an inorganic insulating layer and/or an organic insulating layer, or may be a composite stacked structure including an inorganic insulating layer and an organic insulating layer.

In the embodiment of the present invention, each display unit 20 includes at least one organic light emitting diode 21 for emitting red, blue, green or white light to form one sub-pixel. In some embodiments, the display unit 20 includes a sub-pixel for emitting red light, a sub-pixel for emitting green light, and a sub-pixel for emitting blue light to form one pixel, and in another embodiment, the display unit 20 includes a plurality of pixels.

In addition, the organic light emitting diodes 21 in the display unit 20 may have various arrangements, for example, an RGB structure, a pixel arrangement structure (pentale) structure, a honeycomb structure, and the like.

Further, the organic light emitting diode 21 may be disposed over the planarization layer 227, which has the first electrode 211, the intermediate layer 212, and the second electrode 213.

Specifically, the first electrode 211 is disposed over the planarization layer 227 and electrically connected to the source electrode 223 or the drain electrode 224 via a contact hole in the planarization layer 227.

A pixel defining layer 214 is also formed over the first electrode 211, the pixel defining layer 214 exposing a predetermined region of the first electrode 211, and an intermediate layer 212 having at least a light emitting layer is disposed in the exposed predetermined region. In some embodiments, the intermediate layer 212 may further include functional film layers such as a hole transport layer, a hole injection layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer. In a preferred embodiment, each film layer structure of the intermediate layer 212 of the organic light emitting diode 21 can be formed by evaporation, thereby improving the performance of the organic electroluminescent device.

Taking the display unit 20 of the top emission type as an example, the second electrode 213 is disposed facing the first electrode 211, which is transmissive to light emitted from the light emitting layer of the intermediate layer 212. In other embodiments, the display unit 20 may be a bottom emission type real unit or the like that emits light from the intermediate layer 212 to the island 11, and is not limited herein.

Therefore, the first encapsulation unit 311 is disposed above the second electrode 213, and may block water and oxygen from penetrating to other layers below the display unit 20.

In some embodiments, the first encapsulation film layer 31 includes at least one inorganic encapsulation film layer. Correspondingly, the inorganic encapsulating film includes a plurality of inorganic encapsulating units, each of which encapsulates a corresponding display unit 20. The inorganic encapsulation film layer has a good ability of blocking water and oxygen, and can effectively prevent external water and oxygen from permeating into the display unit 20.

Specifically, the inorganic encapsulation film layer contains one of metal oxide, non-metal oxide, fluoride, nitride, oxynitride or any combination thereof.

When the first encapsulation film 31 includes multiple inorganic encapsulation films, each inorganic encapsulation film may be made of different materials, or two adjacent inorganic encapsulation films may be made of different materials.

Preferably, the inorganic encapsulating film layer contains silicon oxide or silicon nitride.

Further, the first encapsulation film 31 further includes at least one first organic encapsulation film. The organic material adopted by the first organic packaging film has good film forming property, flatness and uniformity, so that after the first organic packaging film is stacked with the inorganic packaging film layer for use, the protective property of the first packaging film layer can be further enhanced. In some embodiments, the inorganic encapsulation film layers are alternately stacked with the first organic encapsulation film layers.

Specifically, the first organic encapsulation film layer may include polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), Polycarbonate (PC), PS, acryl-based resin, epoxy-based resin, PI, polyethylene, and the like.

In some embodiments, the second encapsulation film layer 32 includes at least one second organic encapsulation film layer. The organic material has good tensile properties, and therefore, when the substrate 10 is stretched, the organic material can be stretched simultaneously with the substrate 10, so that the second encapsulation film 32 is not easily damaged. Specifically, the second organic encapsulation film layer comprises an organic polymer. The organic polymer has high elasticity, good insulating shoes and corrosion resistance, so that the organic polymer can better adapt to external force stretching.

For example, the second organic encapsulation film layer comprises Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) or Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

In some embodiments, the first organic encapsulation film layer is located at the outermost side of the first encapsulation film layer 31. At this time, the first organic encapsulation film layer on the outermost side is in direct contact with the second organic encapsulation film layer, and due to the existence of chemical bonds and interaction force between molecules between materials, the first encapsulation film layer 31 and the second encapsulation film layer 32 are not easy to separate, and the combination is tighter. Preferably, the first organic encapsulation film layer and the second organic encapsulation film layer are made of the same material.

Referring to fig. 1 again, in some embodiments, the stretchable display device 100 further includes a plurality of metal wires 40, the plurality of metal wires 40 are electrically connected to the plurality of display units 20, and the metal wires 40 are disposed between two adjacent islands 11.

Specifically, the thin film transistor 22 is electrically connected to the organic light emitting diode 21, a signal for the organic light emitting diode 21 is applied to the thin film transistor 22, and the metal wiring 40 is used to receive a signal for driving the organic light emitting diode 21. For example, the metal wiring 40 may include a first metal wiring for applying a scan signal to the thin film transistor 22 and a second metal wiring for applying a data signal to the thin film transistor 22, both connected to the thin film transistor 22.

It should be noted that, when the second packaging film layer 32 covers the substrate 10, the second packaging film layer 32 not only covers the first packaging film layer 31, but also covers the island 11 and the island 11 above the substrate 10. Thus, the second packaging film layer 32 covers the metal wiring 40 above the substrate 10.

It is understood that when the second encapsulation film layer 32 covers the metal wires 40 over the substrate 10, the second encapsulation film layer 32 covers the metal wires 40 and also covers the regions between the metal wires 40 over the substrate 10, so that the second encapsulation film layer 32 is in contact with the upper surface of the substrate 10.

In some embodiments, the substrate 10 may be the same material as the second encapsulation film layer 32, such as Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU). In this way, the substrate 10 and the second encapsulation film layer 32 may be directly connected in contact.

In order to further understand the technical scheme of the invention, the invention also provides a manufacturing method of the stretchable display device.

The method for manufacturing the stretchable display device in one embodiment of the invention comprises the following steps:

step S10: providing a substrate 10, wherein the substrate 10 comprises a plurality of island bodies 11 separated from each other, and a plurality of display units 20 are respectively arranged on the island bodies 11;

an insulating layer is formed on the carrier substrate by spin coating, printing, or the like, and the insulating layer may be made of an organic polymer having elasticity and ductility, and preferably, the organic polymer may be Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU). Then, the island body 11 may be formed by patterning over the insulating layer.

The display unit 20 and the metal wiring 40 are formed above the island 11.

Step S20: forming a first encapsulation film 31 on the substrate 10, where the first encapsulation film 31 includes a plurality of first encapsulation units 311, and each first encapsulation unit 311 encapsulates a corresponding display unit 20;

the first encapsulation film layer 31 may be a single-layer inorganic encapsulation film, and the inorganic encapsulation film may optionally include one of metal oxide, non-metal oxide, fluoride, nitride, and oxynitride, or any combination thereof, and preferably, the inorganic encapsulation film includes silicon oxide or silicon nitride. In other embodiments, the first encapsulation film layer 31 may also be a stacked structure of an inorganic encapsulation film layer and an organic encapsulation film layer or a stacked structure of multiple inorganic encapsulation film layers.

In some embodiments, the first encapsulation film 31 may be formed over each display unit 20 by using a chemical vapor deposition technique (CVD technique) or an inkjet technique (inkjet technique).

Step S30: a second encapsulation film 32 is formed on the substrate 10, and the second encapsulation film 32 covers the first encapsulation film 31 and the substrate 10.

The second encapsulation film layer 32 may be a single layer of organic encapsulation film, and the organic encapsulation film may be selected from materials containing organic polymers, preferably, Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) or Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

In some embodiments, the second encapsulation film layer 32 may also be formed on the first encapsulation film layer 31 and the substrate 10 by using a chemical vapor deposition technique (CVD technique), an inkjet technique (inkjet technique), or the like.

Based on the stretchable display device 100, the present invention further provides an electronic apparatus including the stretchable display device 100. In some embodiments, the electronic device may be a tablet computer or a mobile phone.

When the substrate 10 is stretched, each first packaging unit 311 packages a corresponding display unit 20, so that the first packaging unit 311 is not stretched, and the first packaging film 31 has stable anti-water-oxygen performance, while the second packaging film 32 with elasticity covers the substrate 10, on one hand, the device between the island 11 and the island 11 is protected from the external environment, and the display unit 20 is secondarily protected, and on the other hand, because the second packaging film 32 has elasticity, the device can be stretched along with the substrate 10 when the substrate 10 is stretched, so that the stretchable display device is not easily damaged, and therefore, the packaging effect of the stretchable display device is good.

The technical features of the embodiments described above may be arbitrarily combined, and for the sake of brevity, all possible combinations of the technical features in the embodiments described above are not described, but should be considered as being within the scope of the present specification as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features.

The above-mentioned embodiments only express several embodiments of the present invention, and the description thereof is more specific and detailed, but not construed as limiting the scope of the invention. It should be noted that, for a person skilled in the art, several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the inventive concept, which falls within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

1. A stretchable display device, comprising:

a substrate including a plurality of islands spaced apart from one another;

a plurality of display units respectively disposed on the plurality of island-shaped bodies;

a package structure, the package structure comprising:

the first packaging film layer comprises a plurality of first packaging units, each first packaging unit is used for packaging one corresponding display unit, and adjacent two first packaging units are not in contact with each other;

the second packaging film layer with elasticity covers the first packaging film layer and the substrate, and the substrate between two adjacent island bodies is in direct contact with the second packaging film layer;

2. A stretchable display device according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is of the same material as the second encapsulating film layer.

3. The stretchable display device of claim 2, wherein the inorganic encapsulation film layer comprises one of a metal oxide, a non-metal oxide, a fluoride, a nitride, an oxynitride, or any combination thereof.

4. A stretchable display device according to claim 2, wherein the first encapsulation film layer further comprises at least one first organic encapsulation film layer.

5. The stretchable display device of claim 4, wherein the first organic encapsulation film layer is located outermost of the first encapsulation film layer.

6. Stretchable display device according to claim 1,

the second organic encapsulation film layer comprises an organic polymer.

7. A stretchable display device according to claim 6, wherein the second organic encapsulation film layer comprises Thermoplastic Polyurethane (TPU) or Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS).

8. A stretchable display device according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of metal wirings electrically connected to a plurality of the display cells, and disposed between two adjacent islands;

the second packaging film layer covers the metal wirings and covers the area between the metal wirings.

9. A method of making a stretchable display device, comprising:

10. An electronic device comprising the stretchable display device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.