CN110983248A

CN110983248A - Mask plate, display panel, manufacturing method of display panel and display device

Info

Publication number: CN110983248A
Application number: CN201911312387.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王格; 蒋志亮; 文平; 谢江; 王裕; 曾扬
Original assignee: BOE Technology Group Co Ltd; Chengdu BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: BOE Technology Group Co Ltd; Chengdu BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-12-18
Filing date: 2019-12-18
Publication date: 2020-04-10

Abstract

The application provides a mask plate, a display panel, a manufacturing method of the display panel and a display device. This mask plate includes: the substrate is provided with at least one through hole for evaporating an organic light-emitting layer; and at least one spacer arranged on the area outside the via holes on one side of the substrate and used for abutting against the middle panel in the process of evaporating the organic light-emitting layer. Because the mask plate is provided with at least one spacer, the spacer can be removed together when the mask plate is removed after the organic light-emitting layer is prepared, so that the spacer is not arranged on the middle panel. When the middle panel is provided with larger-sized scraps and foreign matters, the scraps and the foreign matters cannot penetrate through the whole packaging layer through the spacer, so that the display effect is influenced.

Description

Mask plate, display panel, manufacturing method of display panel and display device

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of display, in particular to a mask plate, a display panel, a manufacturing method of the display panel and a display device.

Background

In an Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) manufacturing process, an Organic Light-Emitting layer is evaporated on a thin film transistor substrate through a mask plate, and a spacer (PS) is formed on the thin film transistor substrate to support the mask plate.

However, the spacers and the mask plate rub during the alignment process, and some chips and foreign matters are easily generated. The debris and the foreign matters generated in the evaporation process are positioned on the top of the spacer, and the debris and the foreign matters with larger sizes positioned on the top of the spacer can pierce the whole packaging layer during packaging, so that the packaging fails.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the above, the present application provides a mask, a display panel, a manufacturing method thereof, and a display device, which are used to solve the technical problem that a spacer with larger-sized debris and foreign matter pierces through the entire encapsulation layer, thereby affecting the display effect.

In order to solve the above problem, the embodiments of the present application mainly provide the following technical solutions:

in a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application discloses a mask, including:

the substrate is provided with at least one through hole for evaporating an organic light-emitting layer; and

and the at least one spacer is arranged on the area outside each through hole on one side of the substrate and is used for abutting against the middle panel in the process of evaporating the organic light-emitting layer.

Optionally, each of the spacers is disposed on the substrate at intervals along a first direction and a second direction of the mask plate respectively according to a first set interval and a second set interval, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

Optionally, the mask plate has a first side and a second side, the length of the first side is greater than that of the second side, the spacer has a third side and a fourth side, and the length of the third side is greater than that of the fourth side;

the first edge of the mask plate is parallel to the third edge of the spacer, and the second edge of the mask plate is parallel to the fourth edge of the spacer; or

The first edge of the mask plate is parallel to the fourth edge of the spacer, and the second edge of the mask plate is parallel to the third edge of the spacer.

Optionally, the first set pitch is 1 pixel to 100 pixels, and the second set pitch is 1 pixel to 100 pixels.

Optionally, the spacer is 0.5 to 5 microns thick perpendicular to the substrate.

In a second aspect, embodiments of the present application disclose a display panel, including:

an array substrate;

the anode layer is arranged on one side of the array substrate;

the pixel definition layer and the organic light emitting layer are arranged on one side of the anode layer, and the organic light emitting layer is positioned in the groove of the pixel definition layer;

a cathode layer arranged on one side of the pixel definition layer and the organic light emitting layer which are far away from the anode layer;

and the packaging layer is tightly attached to the cathode layer and is positioned on one side of the cathode layer, which is far away from the organic light-emitting layer.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application discloses a display device, including: a display panel as claimed in the second aspect.

In a fourth aspect, embodiments of the present application disclose a method of manufacturing a display panel, including:

aligning and abutting one side of the mask plate with the spacer with one side of the middle panel with the pixel defining layer; the middle panel comprises an array substrate, an anode layer and a pixel definition layer which are sequentially stacked;

evaporating an organic light-emitting layer to a groove which is aligned with the through hole in the pixel defining layer through the through hole in the mask plate;

and after the organic light-emitting layer is evaporated, removing the mask plate with the spacer, and sequentially arranging a cathode layer and a packaging layer on one side of the organic light-emitting layer and the pixel definition layer, which are far away from the anode layer.

Optionally, aligning and abutting the side of the mask plate with the spacer with the side of the middle panel with the pixel defining layer, includes:

the side of the middle panel with the pixel defining layer faces downwards;

the side, provided with the shock insulator, of the mask plate faces upwards, and is close to the side, provided with the pixel definition layer, of the middle panel from the lower side of the middle panel, so that the through holes in the mask plate are aligned with the grooves in the pixel definition layer, and the shock insulator is aligned and abutted to the spacing parts of the grooves in the pixel definition layer;

and before the cathode layer and the encapsulation layer are sequentially arranged on one side of the organic light-emitting layer and the pixel definition layer, which are away from the anode layer, the organic light-emitting layer further comprises:

and the middle panel is coated with the organic light-emitting layer in an inverted evaporation mode.

In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application discloses a method for manufacturing a mask, including:

preparing a substrate, and forming at least one through hole in the substrate;

coating a spacer layer on the area outside each via hole on one side of the substrate;

and carrying out the processing of a composition process on the spacer layer, and forming the spacer through the via hole.

By means of the technical scheme, the technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the application at least has the following advantages:

because the mask plate is provided with at least one spacer, the spacer can be removed together when the mask plate is removed after the organic light-emitting layer is prepared, so that the spacer is not arranged on the middle panel. When the middle panel is provided with larger-sized scraps and foreign matters, the scraps and the foreign matters cannot penetrate through the whole packaging layer through the spacer, so that the display effect is influenced.

The foregoing description is only an overview of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, and the embodiments of the present application can be implemented according to the content of the description in order to make the technical means of the embodiments of the present application more clearly understood, and the detailed description of the embodiments of the present application will be given below in order to make the foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clearly understandable.

Drawings

Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the alternative embodiments. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating alternative embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the embodiments of the present application. Also, like reference numerals are used to refer to like parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a mask according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is a top view of a first embodiment of a mask according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a top view of a second embodiment of a mask according to the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a simplified structural diagram of a display panel with debris and foreign objects according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a simplified alignment of a method for manufacturing a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a simple vapor deposition method for manufacturing a display panel according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure when an organic light emitting layer is deposited;

fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a simple structure after an organic light-emitting layer is deposited in the method for manufacturing a display panel according to the embodiment of the present application.

The reference numerals are introduced as follows:

1-a mask plate; 2-a substrate; 3-via holes; 4-a spacer; 5-a display panel; 6-an organic light-emitting layer;

54-a cathode layer; 7-an encapsulation layer; 71-a first inorganic layer; 72-organic layer; 73-a second inorganic layer;

8-a middle panel; 51-an array substrate; 52-an anode layer; 53-pixel definition layer;

9-debris and foreign bodies.

Detailed Description

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. While exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure may be embodied in various forms and should not be limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the disclosure to those skilled in the art.

As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", "the" and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms "comprises" and/or "comprising," when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It is to be understood that the term "and/or" as used herein is intended to include all or any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

It will be understood by those within the art that, unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the prior art and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In a first aspect, fig. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a mask 1 according to an embodiment of the present application. This mask 1 includes: the substrate 2 is provided with at least one through hole 3 for evaporating an organic light-emitting layer 6; and at least one spacer 4 provided on a region other than the respective via holes 3 on the substrate 2 side for abutting against the intermediate panel in the process of depositing the organic light emitting layer 6.

Because the mask plate 1 of the embodiment of the application is provided with at least one spacer 4, after the organic light-emitting layer is prepared, the spacer 4 can be removed together when the mask plate 1 is removed, so that the spacer 4 is not arranged on the middle panel. When there are large-sized chips and foreign substances on the middle panel, the chips and foreign substances do not pierce the entire encapsulation layer through the spacer 4, thereby affecting the display effect.

Optionally, the spacers 4 are disposed on the substrate 2 at intervals along a first direction and a second direction of the mask plate 1 respectively according to a first set interval and a second set interval, where the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

In this embodiment, for example, as shown in fig. 2, the mask plate 1 is rectangular, the first direction is the length direction of the mask plate 1, and the second direction is the width direction of the mask plate 1. Because the spacer 4 is arranged on the substrate 2 according to a certain period, the spacer 4 is conveniently and periodically prepared on the substrate 2, the mask plate 1 in the embodiment of the application is beneficial to large-scale manufacturing, and the market competitiveness is enhanced.

Optionally, the mask 1 has a first side and a second side, the length of the first side is greater than the length of the second side, the spacer 4 has a third side and a fourth side, and the length of the third side is greater than the length of the fourth side. The first edge of the mask plate 1 is parallel to the third edge of the spacer 4, and the second edge of the mask plate 1 is parallel to the fourth edge of the spacer 4. Or, in another embodiment, the first edge of the mask plate 1 is parallel to the fourth edge of the spacer 4, and the second edge of the mask plate 1 is parallel to the third edge of the spacer 4.

Specifically, referring to fig. 2, the substrate 2 of the mask plate 1 has a rectangular shape, and spacers 4 are disposed between two adjacent columns of the via holes 3 and extend along a long side, i.e., a first side, of the substrate 2. In another embodiment, referring to fig. 3, the substrate 2 of the mask 1 is rectangular, and the spacers 4 are disposed between two adjacent columns of the vias 3 and extend along the short side, i.e., the second side, of the substrate 2. Therefore, the spacers 4 in the embodiment can be arranged at intervals along different directions according to actual requirements, the positions of the spacers 4 are flexibly arranged, the spacers are suitable for manufacturing display panels 5 of different types, and the practicability of the mask plate 1 is greatly improved.

Alternatively, the first set pitch is 1 pixel to 100 pixels, and the second set pitch is 1 pixel to 100 pixels, specifically, the distance between two adjacent spacers 4 may be set to be 1 pixel to 100 pixels. Meanwhile, the spacer 4 is optionally 0.5 to 5 micrometers in thickness perpendicular to the substrate 2. The shape of the spacer 4 can be various figures such as strip, triangle, trapezoid, polygon and the like or the combination of the shapes, and the spacer is periodically distributed on the mask plate, so that the mask plate is convenient and flexible. In addition, the spacer 4 may be made of a soft organic material such as polyimide in order to prevent the tft substrate from being damaged by the top.

In a second aspect, fig. 4 shows a display panel 5 of an embodiment of the present application. The display panel 5 includes: an array substrate 51; an anode layer 52 provided on one side of the array substrate 51; a pixel defining layer 53 and an organic light emitting layer 6 disposed at one side of the anode layer 52, and the organic light emitting layer 6 is positioned in the groove of the pixel defining layer 53; a cathode layer 54 disposed on a side of the pixel defining layer 53 and the organic light emitting layer 6, which are apart from the anode layer 52; the encapsulation layer 7 is closely attached to the cathode layer 54 and is located on the side of the cathode layer 54 away from the organic light emitting layer 6. It should be noted that, in order to clearly describe the display panel 5, fig. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a simple structure of the display panel with the chippings and the foreign matters according to the embodiment of the present application, wherein, referring to fig. 4 and 5, the middle panel 8 includes an array substrate 51, an anode layer 52, and a pixel defining layer 53 stacked in sequence. Thus, only the organic light-emitting layer 6, the encapsulation layer 7 and the intermediate panel 8 are shown in fig. 5. The array substrate, the pixel defining layer, the anode layer and the cathode layer are conventional manufacturing processes, and are not repeated herein.

As shown in fig. 4, the display panel 5 manufactured by the mask plate 1 of the embodiment of the present application is not provided with the spacer 4. The scraps and the foreign matters generated when the mask plate 1 and the intermediate substrate 8 are aligned are mainly left on the mask plate 1, and a few of scraps and the foreign matters 9 remained on the intermediate substrate 8 can be completely covered by a thin film packaging flat layer because of being positioned at a flat position, so that the packaging layer 7 cannot be pierced.

In the present embodiment, referring to fig. 5, the encapsulation layer 7 includes a first inorganic layer 71, an organic layer 72, and a second inorganic layer 73, which are sequentially disposed. Due to the limited height, a little debris and foreign matter 9 do not penetrate the first inorganic layer 71 provided at the bottom.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application discloses a display device, including: such as the display panel of the second aspect. Since the display device of the third aspect includes the display panel 5 of the second aspect, the display device has the same advantageous effects as the display panel 5. Therefore, the advantageous effects of the display device of the third aspect will not be repeated herein.

In a fourth aspect, fig. 6 to 9 respectively show a manufacturing method of the display panel 5 of the embodiment of the present application.

In order to clearly describe the manufacturing method of the display panel 5 of the present embodiment, fig. 4 to 9 respectively show simple schematic diagrams of a plurality of stages in the manufacturing process of the display panel of the embodiment of the present application. Specifically, the manufacturing method of the display panel 5 includes:

as shown in fig. 6 and 7, the mask plate 1 is positioned and abutted against the spacer 4 side and the middle panel 8 side having the pixel defining layer. In the present embodiment, the intermediate panel 8 includes an array substrate, an anode layer, and a pixel defining layer, which are sequentially stacked;

as shown in fig. 8, an organic light-emitting layer 6 is evaporated in a groove in the pixel definition layer, which is aligned with the via hole 3, through the via hole 3 in the mask 1;

after the organic light emitting layer 6 is evaporated, the mask plate 1 with the spacers 4 is removed, and a film structure (containing debris and foreign matter 9, a cathode layer 54 and an encapsulation layer 7 are sequentially disposed on the side of the organic light emitting layer 6 and the pixel defining layer 53, which are both away from the anode layer 52) as shown in fig. 9 is obtained, and the film structure encapsulation layer 7 as shown in fig. 4 and fig. 5 comprises a first inorganic layer 71, an organic layer 72 and a second inorganic layer 73.

Optionally, fig. 8 shows a schematic structural diagram of the display panel according to the embodiment of the present application when the organic light emitting layer is evaporated. As shown in fig. 8, during the evaporation, the spacers 4 are aligned and abutted against the pixel defining layers 53, the via holes 3 are aligned with the grooves between the two adjacent pixel defining layers 53, and after the organic light emitting layer 6 is evaporated, the organic light emitting layer 6 is positioned in the grooves formed by the two adjacent pixel defining layers 53 and the anode layer 52.

It should be noted that the organic light emitting layer 6 in fig. 8 is shown by way of example, and the organic light emitting layer 6 in fig. 5 and 9 specifically shows a red pixel unit, a green pixel unit, and a blue pixel unit, so the pattern of the organic light emitting layer 6 in fig. 8 is slightly different from the pattern of the organic light emitting layer 6 in fig. 5 and 9, but is the same organic light emitting layer 6.

The display panel 5 manufactured by the mask plate 1 of the embodiment of the present application does not contain the spacer 4. The scraps and the foreign matters generated when the mask plate 1 and the intermediate substrate 8 are aligned are mainly left on the mask plate 1, and a few of scraps and the foreign matters 9 remained on the intermediate substrate 8 can be completely covered by a thin film packaging flat layer because of being positioned at a flat position, so that the packaging layer 7 cannot be pierced.

Optionally, aligning and abutting the side of the mask 1 having the spacer 4 with the side of the middle panel 8 having the pixel defining layer includes:

the side of the middle panel 8 having the pixel defining layer faces downward; the side, provided with the spacer 4, of the mask plate 1 faces upwards, and is close to the side, provided with the pixel definition layer, of the middle panel 8 from the lower side of the middle panel 8, so that the through holes 3 in the mask plate 1 are aligned with the grooves in the pixel definition layer, and the spacer 4 is aligned and abutted to the interval parts of the grooves in the pixel definition layer.

And before the cathode layer and the encapsulation layer 7 are sequentially arranged on the side of the organic light-emitting layer 6 and the pixel definition layer which are both far away from the anode layer, the method further comprises the following steps:

the intermediate panel 8 on which the organic light-emitting layer 6 is deposited is inverted.

In a fifth aspect, a method of manufacturing a mask 1 includes:

a substrate 2 is prepared, and at least one via hole 3 is opened in the substrate 2.

A spacer layer is applied to the substrate 2 in the area outside the vias 3.

And carrying out the treatment of a composition process on the spacer layer, and forming the spacer 4 by the via hole.

Therefore, since the mask plate 1 of the embodiment of the application is provided with at least one spacer 4, after the organic light emitting layer is prepared, the spacer 4 can be removed together when the mask plate 1 is removed, so that the spacer 4 is not arranged on the middle panel. When there are large-sized chips and foreign substances on the middle panel, the chips and foreign substances do not pierce the entire encapsulation layer through the spacer 4, thereby affecting the display effect.

Optionally, the step of performing a patterning process on the spacer layer to form the spacer 4 includes:

exposing a region to be removed in the spacer layer; the regions to be removed are regions outside the regions to be reserved in the spacer layer, and the regions to be reserved are respectively arranged along the first direction and the second direction of the mask plate 1 according to the first set distance and the second set distance;

and developing the exposed spacer layer, removing the areas to be removed, and reserving the areas to be reserved as the spacers 4.

The beneficial effects obtained by applying the embodiment of the application comprise:

1. because the mask plate 1 of the embodiment of the application is provided with at least one spacer 4, after the organic light-emitting layer is prepared, the spacer 4 can be removed together when the mask plate 1 is removed, so that the spacer 4 is not arranged on the middle panel. When there are large-sized chips and foreign substances on the middle panel, the chips and foreign substances do not pierce the entire encapsulation layer through the spacer 4, thereby affecting the display effect.

2. The display panel 5 manufactured by the mask plate 1 of the embodiment of the present application is not provided with the spacer 4. The scraps and the foreign matters generated when the mask plate 1 and the intermediate substrate 8 are aligned are mainly left on the mask plate 1, and a few of scraps and the foreign matters 9 remained on the intermediate substrate 8 can be completely covered by a thin film packaging flat layer because of being positioned at a flat position, so that the packaging layer 7 cannot be pierced.

3. Because the spacer 4 is arranged on the substrate 2 according to a certain period, the spacer 4 is conveniently and periodically prepared on the substrate 2, the mask plate 1 in the embodiment of the application is beneficial to large-scale manufacturing, and the market competitiveness is enhanced.

The foregoing is only a partial embodiment of the present application, and it should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, several modifications and decorations can be made without departing from the principle of the present application, and these modifications and decorations should also be regarded as the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A mask (1), comprising:

the light-emitting diode comprises a substrate (2) and at least one through hole (3) formed in the substrate (2) and used for evaporating an organic light-emitting layer (6); and

and at least one spacer (4) which is arranged on the area outside each through hole (3) on one side of the substrate (2) and is used for abutting against the middle panel in the process of evaporating the organic light-emitting layer (6).

2. A mask (1) according to claim 1, wherein the spacers (4) are spaced apart on the substrate (2) at a first set distance and a second set distance along a first direction and a second direction of the mask (1), respectively, the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction.

3. A mask (1) according to claim 2, wherein the mask (1) has a first side and a second side, the length of the first side is greater than the length of the second side, the spacer (4) has a third side and a fourth side, and the length of the third side is greater than the length of the fourth side;

the first edge of the mask plate (1) is parallel to the third edge of the spacer (4), and the second edge of the mask plate (1) is parallel to the fourth edge of the spacer (4); or

The first edge of the mask plate (1) is parallel to the fourth edge of the spacer (4), and the second edge of the mask plate (1) is parallel to the third edge of the spacer (4).

4. A mask (1) according to claim 2, wherein the first set pitch is 1 pixel to 100 pixels and the second set pitch is 1 pixel to 100 pixels.

5. A mask (1) according to claim 2, wherein the spacer (4) has a thickness perpendicular to the substrate (2) of 0.5 to 5 μm.

6. A display panel (5), comprising:

an array substrate (51);

an anode layer (52) provided on one side of the array substrate (51);

a pixel defining layer (53) and an organic light emitting layer (6) disposed at one side of the anode layer (52), and the organic light emitting layer (6) is located in a groove of the pixel defining layer (53);

a cathode layer (54) disposed on a side of the pixel defining layer (53) and the organic light emitting layer (6) which are both away from the anode layer (52);

and an encapsulation layer (7) which is in close contact with the cathode layer (54) and is positioned on the side of the cathode layer (54) far away from the organic light-emitting layer (6).

7. A display device, comprising: a display panel (5) as claimed in claim 6.

8. A method of manufacturing a display panel (5), comprising:

aligning and abutting the side of the mask plate (1) with the spacer (4) with the side of the middle panel (8) with the pixel defining layer; the intermediate panel (8) comprises an array substrate (51), an anode layer (52) and a pixel definition layer (53) which are sequentially stacked;

evaporating an organic light-emitting layer (6) to a groove which is positioned in the pixel defining layer (53) and is aligned with the through hole (3) through the through hole (3) in the mask plate (1);

and after the organic light-emitting layer (6) is evaporated, removing the mask plate (1) with the spacer (4), and sequentially arranging a cathode layer (54) and an encapsulation layer (7) on one side of the organic light-emitting layer (6) and the pixel definition layer (53) which are far away from the anode layer (52).

9. The manufacturing method according to claim 8, wherein aligning and abutting the side of the mask (1) having the spacer (4) with the side of the middle panel (8) having the pixel defining layer comprises:

the side of the middle panel (8) with the pixel defining layer faces downwards;

the side, provided with the shock insulator (4), of the mask plate (1) faces upwards, and is close to the side, provided with the pixel definition layer, of the middle panel (8) from the lower side of the middle panel (8), so that the through holes (3) in the mask plate (1) are aligned with the grooves in the pixel definition layer, and the shock insulator (4) is aligned and abutted to the spacing parts of the grooves in the pixel definition layer;

and before a cathode layer and an encapsulation layer (7) are sequentially arranged on one side of the organic light-emitting layer (6) and the pixel definition layer which are both far away from the anode layer, the method further comprises the following steps:

the intermediate panel (8) coated with the organic light emitting layer (6) is turned over.

10. A method for manufacturing a mask (1), comprising:

preparing a substrate (2), and forming at least one through hole (3) in the substrate (2);

coating a spacer layer on the area of one side of the substrate (2) except the via holes (3);

and carrying out the treatment of a composition process on the spacer layer, and forming the spacer (4) through the via hole.