CN117012101A - Display module, manufacturing method thereof and display device - Google Patents

Abstract

The application relates to a display module, a manufacturing method thereof and a display device. The display module comprises a flexible display panel and a first protective layer, wherein the flexible display panel comprises a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area, and the non-display area comprises a bending area; the first protection layer is positioned on one side of the flexible display panel and at least covers the display area and the bending area. The application can ensure the normal use and display of the display module, improves the production efficiency of the display module and is beneficial to mass production.

Description

Display module, manufacturing method thereof and display device

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of display, in particular to a display module, a manufacturing method thereof and a display device.

Background

OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode), also known as Organic laser display, organic Light Emitting semiconductor. Compared with an LCD (liquid crystal display panel), the OLED display panel is lighter and thinner, has high brightness, low power consumption, quick response, high definition, good flexibility and high luminous efficiency, can meet the new requirements of consumers on display technology, and gradually becomes a hot spot for research of various manufacturers. Due to its thinness and flexibility, research into foldable, bendable display panels has also been driven. The flexible display panel needs to be stable and reliable in structure after being bent or folded for a plurality of times in use.

The bending protection layer is covered on the corresponding bending area of the flexible display panel in the related technology, and the bending protection layer is easy to fall off or crack after the flexible display panel is bent or folded for many times, so that the normal use and display of the flexible display panel are affected.

Disclosure of Invention

Based on this, it is necessary to provide a display module, a manufacturing method thereof and a display device, which can ensure the normal use and display of the display module.

In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a display module, including a flexible display panel and a first protective layer, where the flexible display panel includes a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area, and the non-display area includes a bending area; the first protection layer is positioned on one side of the flexible display panel and at least covers the display area and the bending area.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a method for manufacturing a display module, including:

manufacturing the flexible display panel, wherein the flexible display panel comprises a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area, and the non-display area comprises a bending area;

and forming a first protection layer on one side of the flexible display panel, wherein the first protection layer at least covers the display area and the bending area.

In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application further provides a display device, where the display device includes the display module provided in the first aspect.

According to the display module provided by the embodiment of the application, the first protective layer is arranged on one side of the flexible display panel, so that the first protective layer at least covers the display area and the bending area, and therefore, the first protective layer can replace the bending protective layer in the related technology, the layer structure in the bending area can be protected, the stress on the circuit wiring in the layer structure in the bending area can be effectively reduced, and the probability of damage to the circuit wiring in the display panel caused by overlarge stress during bending is reduced; the film layer covering the display area and the bending area is the same complete film layer, so that the phenomenon that the bending protective layer easily falls off or cracks in the related technology can be solved, the structural strength of the display module is improved, and the normal use and display of the display module are ensured. In addition, the first protective layer covering the display area and the bending area can be manufactured in an integrated mode, so that the production efficiency of the display module is improved, and mass production is facilitated.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a flexible display panel in a display module according to an embodiment of the application before bending;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the direction A-A in FIG. 1;

fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display module according to an embodiment of the application;

fig. 4 is another schematic cross-sectional view of a display module according to an embodiment of the application;

fig. 5 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is another flowchart of a method for manufacturing a display module according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a display device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Reference numerals illustrate:

10. a display module; 20. a display device;

101. a display area; 102. a non-display area; 102a, a bending region; 102b, binding area;

110. a flexible display panel; 111. a substrate; 112. a light emitting element; 113. a filter layer; 1131. a light filtering unit; 114. a light shielding layer; 1141. an opening; 115. a first planarization layer; 116. an encapsulation layer; 1161. a first inorganic layer; 1162. an organic layer; 1163. a second inorganic layer; 117. a touch layer; 118. a driving circuit layer; 1181. an active layer; 1182. a gate metal layer; 1183. a source electrode; 1184. a drain electrode; 119. a pixel definition layer; 1101. an anode layer; 1102. a cathode layer; 120. a first protective layer; 130. a first adhesive layer; 140. a second protective layer; 150. a second adhesive layer; 160. and a third protective layer.

Detailed Description

In order that the application may be readily understood, a more complete description of the application will be rendered by reference to the appended drawings. Preferred embodiments of the present application are shown in the drawings. This application 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.

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 application belongs. The terminology used herein in the description of the application is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the application. The term "and/or" as used herein 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 indicated. Further, when a layer is referred to as being "under" another layer, it can be directly under, or one or more intervening elements 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 elements may also be present.

Where the terms "comprising," "having," and "including" are used herein, another component may also be added unless explicitly defined as such, e.g., "consisting of … …," etc. Unless mentioned to the contrary, singular terms may include 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 element. 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 application.

It will be further understood that when interpreting an element, although not explicitly described, the element is intended to include the range of errors which should be within the acceptable limits of deviation from the particular values identified by those skilled in the art. For example, "about," "approximately," or "substantially" may mean within one or more standard deviations, and is not limited herein.

Further, in the specification, the phrase "planar distribution diagram" refers to the drawing when the target portion is viewed from above, and the phrase "cross-sectional diagram" refers to the drawing when the cross section taken by vertically cutting the target portion is viewed from the side.

Further, the drawings are not 1:1, and the relative dimensions of the various elements are drawn by way of example only in the drawings and are not necessarily drawn to true scale.

As described in the background art, in the related art, the flexible display panel is generally covered with the bending protection layer corresponding to the bending region, so as to protect the layer structure in the bending region, effectively reduce the stress on the circuit trace in the layer structure in the bending region, and further effectively reduce the probability of damage to the circuit trace in the display panel caused by overlarge stress during bending. However, the bending protective layer is easy to fall off or crack after the flexible display panel is bent or folded for many times, which affects the normal use and display of the flexible display panel. The inventors have found that the above problem arises because, when the bending region of the flexible display panel is bent to the non-display surface side of the flexible display panel, a slip dislocation amount is generated between a layer structure (e.g., a polarizer or an impact resistant layer covering at least the display region) located at the display surface side of the flexible display panel and the flexible display panel, and when the layer structure is in direct contact with the curved protective layer or the gap is small, the slip dislocation amount exists to cause the layer structure and the curved protective layer to press against each other, generating additional stress, causing the curved protective layer to easily fall off or crack. The inventor also found that, in some related arts, in order to overcome the phenomenon that the curved protection layer is detached or cracked due to the above reasons, a certain gap is left between the curved protection layer and a layer structure of the flexible display panel on one side of the display surface (for example, a polarizer or an impact-resistant layer at least covering the display area) during manufacturing the curved protection layer, however, the gap needs to be controlled by AOI microscopy or artificial OM microscopy, so that the manufacturing difficulty of the curved protection layer is increased, the production efficiency of the display module is reduced, and mass production is not facilitated.

Based on the technical problems, the inventor researches and discovers that by arranging the first protective layer on one side of the flexible display panel, the first protective layer at least covers the display area and the bending area, so that the first protective layer can replace the bending protective layer in the related technology, can protect the layer structure in the bending area, effectively reduce the stress on the circuit wiring in the layer structure in the bending area, and reduce the probability of circuit wiring damage in the display panel caused by overlarge stress during bending; the film layer covering the display area and the bending area is the same complete film layer, so that the phenomenon that the bending protective layer easily falls off or cracks in the related technology can be solved, the structural strength of the display module is improved, and the normal use and display of the display module are ensured. In addition, the first protective layer covering the display area and the bending area can be manufactured in an integrated mode, so that the production efficiency of the display module is improved, and mass production is facilitated.

Based on the above, the inventors further studied the technical scheme of the embodiment of the present application. Specifically, the embodiment of the application provides a display module, which comprises a flexible display panel and a first protective layer, wherein the flexible display panel comprises a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area, and the non-display area comprises a bending area; the first protection layer is positioned on one side of the flexible display panel and at least covers the display area and the bending area. By adopting the technical scheme, the first protective layer is arranged on one side of the flexible display panel, so that the first protective layer at least covers the display area and the bending area, and the first protective layer can replace the bending protective layer in the related technology, so that the layer structure in the bending area can be protected, the stress on the circuit wiring in the layer structure in the bending area can be effectively reduced, and the probability of damage to the circuit wiring in the display panel caused by overlarge stress during bending is reduced; the film layer covering the display area and the bending area is the same complete film layer, so that the phenomenon that the bending protective layer easily falls off or cracks in the related technology can be solved, the structural strength of the display module is improved, and the normal use and display of the display module are ensured. In addition, the first protective layer covering the display area and the bending area can be manufactured in an integrated mode, so that the production efficiency of the display module is improved, and mass production is facilitated.

The foregoing is the core idea of the present application, and the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without making any inventive effort are intended to fall within the scope of the present application.

Fig. 1 is a schematic plan view of a flexible display panel in a display module according to an embodiment of the application before bending; fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a flexible display panel before bending in a display module according to an embodiment of the application; fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display module according to an embodiment of the application. Referring to fig. 1 to 3, a display module 10 according to an embodiment of the present application includes a flexible display panel 110 and a first protective layer 120, where the flexible display panel 110 includes a display area 101 and a non-display area 102 surrounding the display area 101, and the non-display area 102 includes a bending area 102a; the first protection layer 120 is located at one side of the flexible display panel 110, and the first protection layer 120 covers at least the display area 101 and the bending area 102a.

Specifically, the flexible display panel 110 includes a display area 101 and a non-display area 102, the display area 101 is a normal display area of the display module 10, the non-display area 102 may be disposed around at least a portion of the display area 101, the non-display area 102 includes a bending area 102a and a binding area 102b, and the binding area 102b is located at a side of the bending area 102a away from the display area 101; the flexible display panel 110 includes a first surface and a second surface that are disposed opposite to each other, and the bending region 102a of the flexible display panel 110 is bent to the second surface of the flexible display panel 110 together with the binding region 102b, so that the narrow bezel requirement of the display module 10 can be ensured.

The display area 101 of the flexible display panel 110 may include a plurality of sub-pixels (not shown) of different colors, and the sub-pixels are arranged in an array for displaying a picture; as shown in fig. 4, the specific structure of each sub-pixel can be manufactured by a film layer such as a driver circuit layer 118, a planarizing layer, an anode layer 1101, a pixel defining layer 119, a light emitting element 112, a cathode layer 1102, and an encapsulation layer 116, which are provided over a substrate 111. The Light Emitting element 112 may be an Organic Light-Emitting diode (OLED), micro-LED, mini-LED, or quantum dot Light Emitting diode (Quantum Dot Light Emitting Diodes, QLED), etc. The driving circuit layer 118 includes a thin film transistor including an active layer 1181, a gate insulating layer, a gate metal layer 1182, an interlayer insulating layer, a source electrode 1183, and a drain electrode 1184. The encapsulation layer 116 may be formed using a Thin film encapsulation (Thin-Film Encapsulation, TFE) process. The substrate 111 of the flexible display panel 110 may be made of a flexible material such as ultra-thin glass, metal foil, or polymer plastic material, and the flexible substrate 111 may block oxygen and moisture, and prevent moisture or impurities from diffusing into the display panel through the substrate 111. Alternatively, the substrate 111 may be manufactured to have two layers of flexible substrate, namely a first substrate and a second substrate (not shown in the figure), and in the manufacturing process of the substrate 111, the film layers are generally manufactured layer by layer, alternatively, the first substrate is generally manufactured on a hard substrate (which may be manufactured by a coating manner), and then the second substrate is manufactured, so that the bending resistance of the substrate 111 is enhanced, and the flexible display device is conveniently manufactured.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment of the present application, the first surface may be a surface of the flexible display panel 110 away from the driving circuit layer 118, and the second surface may be a surface of the flexible display panel 110 close to the driving circuit layer 118.

In some alternative embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, a filter layer 113 may be disposed on a side of the encapsulation layer 116 of the flexible display panel 110 facing away from the substrate 111, that is, CFOT (Color Filter On TFE) technology, where the filter layer 113 replaces a polarizer to achieve the effect of reducing reflection, so as to ensure the display effect of the flexible display panel 110 and improve the bendable performance of the flexible display panel 110; the thickness of the filter layer 113 is much smaller than that of the polarizer, so that the thickness of the flexible display panel 110 can be reduced, and thus the overall thickness of the display module 10 can be reduced.

In some alternative embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, the first protection layer 120 may be disposed on a side of the optical filter layer 113 away from the substrate 111, where the first protection layer 120 may cover the display area 101 and the non-display area 102, so, on one hand, no bending protection layer is required to be disposed, and the first protection layer 120 can protect the layer structure in the bending area 102a, so that stress suffered by the circuit trace in the layer structure in the bending area 102a is effectively reduced, and probability of damage to the circuit trace in the display panel caused by excessive stress during bending is reduced; on the other hand, the film layer covering the display area 101 and the bending area 102a is the same complete film layer, so that when the bending area 102a of the flexible display panel 110 is bent to the second surface of the flexible display panel 110, even if the first protective layer 120 slides, the first protective layer 120 cannot fall off or crack due to extrusion, thereby solving the problem that the bending protective layer is easy to fall off or crack in the related art, and further ensuring the normal use and display of the display module 10; in addition, the first protection layer 120 can be formed integrally, which improves the production efficiency of the display module 10 and facilitates mass production.

Optionally, the material of the first protective layer 120 includes any one of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or transparent polyimide (CPI). Preferably, the first protective layer 120 is made of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), and the impact resistance of the display module 10 is improved and the reliability of the display module 10 is improved by utilizing the characteristic that the thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU) has good tensile property; the thickness of the first protective layer 120 made of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer can be made thinner, so that the overall thickness of the display module 10 can be further reduced.

In summary, in the display module 10 provided by the embodiment of the application, by arranging the first protection layer 120 on one side of the flexible display panel 110, the first protection layer 120 at least covers the display area 101 and the bending area 102a, so that the first protection layer 120 can replace a bending protection layer in related technology, and can protect a layer structure in the bending area 102a, effectively reduce stress received by a circuit trace in the layer structure in the bending area 102a, and reduce probability of damage to the circuit trace in the display panel caused by overlarge stress during bending; the film layer covering the display area 101 and the bending area 102a is the same complete film layer, so that the phenomenon that the bending protective layer is easy to fall off or crack in the related art can be solved, the structural strength of the display module 10 is improved, and the normal use and display of the display module 10 are ensured. In addition, the first protection layer 120 covering the display area 101 and the bending area 102a can be formed integrally, which improves the production efficiency of the display module 10 and facilitates mass production.

As shown in fig. 3, in some embodiments, the display module 10 further includes a first adhesive layer 130, where the first adhesive layer 130 is located between the first protective layer 120 and the flexible display panel 110 to fix the first protective layer 120 to the flexible display panel 110; orthographic projection of the first adhesive layer 130 on the flexible display panel 110 is located on orthographic projection of the first protective layer 120 on the flexible display panel 110.

Specifically, the first adhesive layer 130 may be an optical adhesive, such as a photosensitive adhesive, so that the first adhesive layer 130 is disposed between the first protective layer 120 and the flexible display panel 110, and thus the first protective layer 120 may be conveniently fixed to the flexible display panel 110, and the first adhesive layer 130 is prevented from overflowing the outer edge of the flexible display panel 110 when the first protective layer 120 is adhered to the flexible display panel 110 by making the front projection of the first adhesive layer 130 on the flexible display panel 110 be positioned on the front projection of the first protective layer 120 on the flexible display panel 110.

As shown in fig. 3, in some embodiments, the display module 10 further includes a second protective layer 140, where the second protective layer 140 is located on a side of the first protective layer 120 facing away from the flexible display panel 110; the front projection of the second protective layer 140 on the flexible display panel 110 covers the front projection of the first protective layer 120 on the flexible display panel 110. Optionally, the material of the second protective layer 140 includes one of transparent polyimide and ultra-thin glass. By providing the second protective layer 140, the bending performance of the display module 10 can be ensured while improving the impact resistance and scratch resistance of the display module 10.

As shown in fig. 3, in some embodiments, the display module 10 further includes a second adhesive layer 150, where the second adhesive layer 150 is located between the second protective layer 140 and the first protective layer 120 to fix the second protective layer 140 to the first protective layer 120; orthographic projection of the second adhesive layer 150 on the flexible display panel 110 is located on orthographic projection of the first protective layer 120 on the flexible display panel 110. In particular, the second adhesive layer 150 may be an optical adhesive. The second protective layer 140 may be fixed to the first protective layer 120 through the second adhesive layer 150, so that the second protective layer 140 is fixed to the flexible display panel 110, and by making the orthographic projection of the second adhesive layer 150 on the flexible display panel 110 be located on the orthographic projection of the first protective layer 120 on the flexible display panel 110, the second adhesive layer 150 is prevented from overflowing the outer edge of the flexible display panel 110 when the second protective layer 140 is adhered to the first protective layer 120.

As shown in fig. 3, in some embodiments, the display module 10 further includes a third protective layer 160, where the third protective layer 160 is located on a side of the second protective layer 140 facing away from the flexible display panel 110; the orthographic projection of the third protective layer 160 on the flexible display panel 110 is located on the orthographic projection of the second protective layer 140 on the flexible display panel 110. By providing the third protective layer 160, scratch resistance of the display module 10 can be improved.

As shown in connection with fig. 4, in some embodiments, the flexible display panel 110 includes a substrate 111, a plurality of light emitting elements 112, and a filter layer 113; a plurality of light emitting elements 112 are provided on one side of the substrate 111; the filter layer 113 is located on a side of the plurality of light emitting elements 112 facing away from the substrate 111, and the filter layer 113 includes a plurality of filter units 1131, where an orthographic projection of each filter unit 1131 on the substrate 111 covers an orthographic projection of the light emitting element 112 on the substrate 111; the first protection layer 120 is located on a side of the filter layer 113 facing away from the substrate 111, and covers the filter layer 113. By arranging the filter layer 113 comprising the plurality of filter units 1131, the front projection of each filter unit 1131 on the substrate 111 covers the front projection of a light emitting element 112 on the substrate 111, when the external ambient light is incident to the filter unit 1131, the light inconsistent with the color of the filter unit 1131 in the ambient light is filtered and cannot be further incident into the display panel, so that the quantity of the ambient light reflected by the metal layer in the display panel is effectively reduced, the reflection of the ambient light is further reduced, the contrast ratio of the display module 10 is improved, and the display quality of the display module 10 is improved.

Further, the color of the light transmitted by the filter unit 1131 is the same as the color of the light emitted by the light emitting element 112. Specifically, the red filter unit 1131 may be disposed corresponding to the red light emitting element 112, the green filter unit 1131 may be disposed corresponding to the green light emitting element 112, and the blue filter unit 1131 may be disposed corresponding to the blue light emitting element 112. Taking the red light emitting element 112 as an example, after the red light emitted by the red light emitting element 112 passes through the red filtering unit 1131, the light having a large deviation from the red spectrum can be filtered by the filtering action of the red filtering unit 1131, so that the purity of the red light passing through the red filtering unit 1131 is improved.

As shown in fig. 4, in some embodiments, the flexible display panel 110 further includes a light shielding layer 114, where the light shielding layer 114 is located on a side of the light emitting elements 112 facing away from the substrate 111, and a plurality of openings 1141 are disposed on the light shielding layer 114; each filter unit 1131 is disposed in an opening 1141, and the front projection of each filter unit 1131 on the light shielding layer 114 covers the opening 1141; the first protection layer 120 is located on a side of the light shielding layer 114 facing away from the substrate 111, and covers the light shielding layer 114.

Alternatively, the light shielding layer 114 is a Black Matrix (BM) or a black light shielding material. By providing the light shielding layer 114, a plurality of openings 1141 are provided on the light shielding layer 114; each filter unit 1131 is disposed in an opening 1141, and the front projection of each filter unit 1131 on the light shielding layer 114 covers the opening 1141, so that the light shielding layer 114 can separate different filter units 1131, thereby reducing crosstalk between light rays emitted from the filter units 1131 with different colors. Each of the filter units 1131 covers the opening 1141 in the front projection of the light shielding layer 114, that is, the filter units 1131 overlap with the light shielding layer 114, so that when the external ambient light is incident on one filter unit 1131, the light reflected by the filter unit 1131 can be received by another adjacent filter unit 1131, and is reflected and absorbed in the inner film layer of the flexible display panel 110 for multiple times, so as to reduce the intensity of the external ambient light, reduce the probability of the external ambient light exiting from the flexible display panel 110, and further improve the display effect of the display module 10. By positioning the first protection layer 120 on the side of the light shielding layer 114 away from the substrate 111 and covering the light shielding layer 114, the light shielding layer 114 and the optical filter unit 1131 can be protected, and the reliability of the display module 10 can be improved.

As shown in connection with fig. 4, in some embodiments, the flexible display panel 110 further includes a first planarization layer 115, the first planarization layer 115 being located on a side of the filter layer 113 facing away from the substrate 111, the first planarization layer 115 covering the filter layer 113; the first protection layer 120 is located on a side of the first planarization layer 115 facing away from the substrate 111, and covers the first planarization layer 115. By providing the first planarization layer 115, the flatness of the surface of the side of the light filtering and shielding layer 114 facing away from the substrate 111 can be improved, so as to facilitate the manufacture of subsequent film layers.

Alternatively, the material of the first planarization layer 115 may include a transparent resin or other transparent insulating material, which is not particularly limited in the present application.

As shown in connection with fig. 4, in some embodiments, the flexible display panel 110 further includes an encapsulation layer 116, the encapsulation layer 116 is located on a side of the filter layer 113 near the substrate 111, and the encapsulation layer 116 covers the plurality of light emitting elements 112.

Specifically, the encapsulation layer 116 includes at least a first inorganic layer 1161, an organic layer 1162, and a second inorganic layer 1163, and provides protection for the display panel by disposing the inorganic layer and the organic layer on top of each other. The inorganic layer generally has good compactness, can isolate steam and oxygen, and the organic layer has the characteristic of flexibility, and the applied organic layer as the one deck of encapsulation layer 116 can cushion the stress from external world, avoids display panel to receive external stress to influence the display effect, simultaneously, can reduce the risk that inorganic layer fracture leads to the encapsulation inefficacy.

As shown in connection with fig. 4, in some embodiments, the flexible display panel 110 further includes a touch layer 117, and the touch layer 117 is located between the filter layer 113 and the encapsulation layer 116. Through setting up touch layer 117 between filter layer 113 and encapsulation layer 116 for touch layer 117 and the range upon range of setting of display structure can avoid touch and display to influence each other, improves display effect and touch effect.

Alternatively, the touch layer 117 may be a self-contained touch layer 117 or a mutual-contained touch layer 117, which is not particularly limited in the present application.

Based on the same application conception, the embodiment of the application also provides a manufacturing method of the display module 10, and fig. 5 is a flowchart of the manufacturing method of the display module 10 provided by the embodiment of the application. As shown in fig. 5, the manufacturing method of the display module 10 includes:

s1, manufacturing a flexible display panel 110, wherein the flexible display panel 110 comprises a display area 101 and a non-display area 102 surrounding the display area 101, and the non-display area 102 comprises a bending area 102a;

s2, forming a first protection layer 120 on one side of the flexible display panel 110, where the first protection layer 120 covers at least the display area 101 and the bending area 102a.

In the method for manufacturing the display module 10 provided in this embodiment, the first protection layer 120 is disposed on one side of the flexible display panel 110, so that the first protection layer 120 at least covers the display area 101 and the bending area 102a, and thus, the first protection layer 120 can replace a bending protection layer in related technology, which can protect a layer structure in the bending area 102a, effectively reduce stress received by a circuit trace in the layer structure in the bending area 102a, and reduce probability of damage to the circuit trace in the display panel caused by overlarge stress during bending; the film layer covering the display area 101 and the bending area 102a is the same complete film layer, so that the phenomenon that the bending protective layer is easy to fall off or crack in the related art can be solved, the structural strength of the display module 10 is improved, and the normal use and display of the display module 10 are ensured. In addition, the first protection layer 120 covering the display area 101 and the bending area 102a can be formed integrally, which improves the production efficiency of the display module 10 and facilitates mass production.

As shown in conjunction with fig. 6, in some embodiments, in step S1, fabricating the flexible display panel 110 includes:

s11, providing a substrate 111;

s12, forming a plurality of light emitting elements 112 over the substrate 111;

s13, forming a filter layer 113 on one side of the light emitting elements 112, which is away from the substrate 111, wherein the filter layer 113 comprises a plurality of filter units 1131, and the orthographic projection of each filter unit 1131 on the substrate 111 covers the orthographic projection of the light emitting element 112 on the substrate 111;

in step S2, a step of forming a first protective layer 120 on one side of the flexible display panel 110 includes:

a first protective layer 120 is formed on a side of the filter layer 113 facing away from the substrate 111, the first protective layer 120 covering the filter layer 113.

In an embodiment, by forming the plurality of light emitting elements 112 on the substrate 111, forming the filter layer 113 on a side of the plurality of light emitting elements 112 facing away from the substrate 111, the filter layer 113 includes a plurality of filter units 1131, and the front projection of each filter unit 1131 on the substrate 111 covers the front projection of the light emitting element 112 on the substrate 111, so when external ambient light is incident on the filter units 1131, the light inconsistent with the color of the filter units 1131 in the ambient light is filtered and cannot be further incident into the flexible display panel 110, thereby effectively reducing the amount of the ambient light reflected by the metal layer in the flexible display panel 110, further reducing the reflection of the ambient light, improving the contrast of the display module 10, and improving the display quality of the display module 10.

As shown in connection with fig. 7, in some embodiments, after forming the plurality of light emitting elements 112 on the substrate 111, the step of fabricating the flexible display panel 110 further includes:

a light shielding layer 114 is formed on a side of the light emitting elements 112 facing away from the substrate 111, and a plurality of openings 1141 are formed on the light shielding layer 114; each filter unit 1131 is disposed in an opening 1141, and the front projection of each filter unit 1131 on the light shielding layer 114 covers the opening 1141;

in step S2, a step of forming a first protective layer 120 on one side of the flexible display panel 110, further includes:

the first protection layer 120 covers the light shielding layer 114.

In the embodiment, by forming the light shielding layer 114 on the side of the plurality of light emitting elements 112 facing away from the substrate 111, a plurality of openings 1141 are provided on the light shielding layer 114; each filter unit 1131 is disposed in an opening 1141, and the front projection of each filter unit 1131 on the light shielding layer 114 covers the opening 1141, so that the light shielding layer 114 can separate different filter units 1131, thereby reducing crosstalk between light rays emitted from the filter units 1131 with different colors. Each of the filter units 1131 covers the opening 1141 in the front projection of the light shielding layer 114, that is, the filter units 1131 overlap with the light shielding layer 114, so that when the external ambient light is incident on one filter unit 1131, the light reflected by the filter unit 1131 can be received by another adjacent filter unit 1131, and is reflected and absorbed in the inner film layer of the flexible display panel 110 for multiple times, so as to reduce the intensity of the external ambient light, reduce the probability of the external ambient light exiting from the flexible display panel 110, and further improve the display effect of the display module 10. By positioning the first protection layer 120 on the side of the light shielding layer 114 away from the substrate 111 and covering the light shielding layer 114, the light shielding layer 114 and the optical filter unit 1131 can be protected, and the reliability of the display module 10 can be improved.

Based on the same application conception, the embodiment of the application also provides a display device. Fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a display device 20 according to an embodiment of the present application, and as shown in fig. 8, the display device 20 includes the display module 10 according to any of the above embodiments. Illustratively, as shown in fig. 8, the display device 20 includes a display module 10. Therefore, the display device 20 also has the advantages of the display module 10 in the above embodiment, and the same points can be understood by referring to the explanation of the display module 10, which is not described in detail below.

The display device 20 provided in the embodiment of the present application may be a mobile phone as shown in fig. 8, or any electronic product with a display function, including but not limited to the following categories: television, notebook computer, desktop display, tablet computer, digital camera, smart bracelet, smart glasses, vehicle-mounted display, industrial control equipment, medical display screen, touch interactive terminal, etc., which is not particularly limited by the embodiment of the application.

The technical features of the above-described embodiments may be arbitrarily combined, and all possible combinations of the technical features in the above-described embodiments are not described for brevity of description, however, as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features, they should be considered as the scope of the description.

The above examples illustrate only a few embodiments of the application, which are described in detail and are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the application. It should be noted that it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that several variations and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the application, which are all within the scope of the application. Accordingly, the scope of protection of the present application is to be determined by the appended claims.

Claims (16)

1. A display module, comprising:

a flexible display panel including a display region and a non-display region surrounding the display region, the non-display region including a inflection region;

the first protection layer is positioned on one side of the flexible display panel and at least covers the display area and the bending area.

2. The display module of claim 1, further comprising a first adhesive layer between the first protective layer and the flexible display panel to secure the first protective layer to the flexible display panel; the orthographic projection of the first bonding layer on the flexible display panel is positioned on the orthographic projection of the first protection layer on the flexible display panel.

3. The display module of claim 1, further comprising a second protective layer on a side of the first protective layer facing away from the flexible display panel; the orthographic projection of the second protective layer on the flexible display panel covers the orthographic projection of the first protective layer on the flexible display panel.

4. The display module of claim 3, further comprising a second adhesive layer between the second protective layer and the first protective layer to secure the second protective layer to the first protective layer; the orthographic projection of the second bonding layer on the flexible display panel is positioned on the orthographic projection of the first protection layer on the flexible display panel.

5. A display module according to claim 3, further comprising a third protective layer on a side of the second protective layer facing away from the flexible display panel; the orthographic projection of the third protective layer on the flexible display panel is positioned on the orthographic projection of the second protective layer on the flexible display panel.

6. The display module of claim 1, wherein the flexible display panel comprises a substrate, a plurality of light emitting elements, and a filter layer; a plurality of the light emitting elements are arranged on one side of the substrate; the light filtering layer is positioned on one side of the light emitting elements, which is away from the substrate, and comprises a plurality of light filtering units, wherein the orthographic projection of each light filtering unit on the substrate covers the orthographic projection of one light emitting element on the substrate; the first protection layer is positioned on one side of the filter layer, which is away from the substrate, and covers the filter layer.

7. The display module of claim 6, wherein the flexible display panel further comprises a light shielding layer, the light shielding layer being located on a side of the plurality of light emitting elements facing away from the substrate, the light shielding layer having a plurality of openings therein; each light filtering unit is arranged at one opening, and the orthographic projection of each light filtering unit on the shading layer covers the opening; the first protection layer is positioned on one side of the shading layer, which is away from the substrate, and covers the shading layer.

8. The display module of claim 6 or 7, wherein the flexible display panel further comprises a first planar layer on a side of the filter layer facing away from the substrate, the first planar layer covering the filter layer; the first protection layer is positioned on one side of the first flat layer, which is away from the substrate, and covers the first flat layer.

9. The display module of claim 8, wherein the flexible display panel further comprises an encapsulation layer, the encapsulation layer is located on a side of the filter layer adjacent to the substrate, and the encapsulation layer covers the plurality of light emitting elements.

10. The display module of claim 9, wherein the flexible display panel further comprises a touch layer, the touch layer being located between the filter layer and the encapsulation layer.

11. The display module of claim 1, wherein the first protective layer is made of any one of a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, polyethylene terephthalate, and transparent polyimide.

12. A display module according to claim 3, wherein the material of the second protective layer is transparent polyimide or ultra-thin glass.

13. The manufacturing method of the display module is characterized by comprising the following steps:

manufacturing a flexible display panel, wherein the flexible display panel comprises a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area, and the non-display area comprises a bending area;

and forming a first protection layer on one side of the flexible display panel, wherein the first protection layer at least covers the display area and the bending area.

14. The method of manufacturing a display module according to claim 13, wherein the step of manufacturing a flexible display panel includes:

providing a substrate;

forming a plurality of light emitting elements on the substrate;

forming a filter layer on one side of the light-emitting elements, which is far away from the substrate, wherein the filter layer comprises a plurality of filter units, and the orthographic projection of each filter unit on the substrate covers the orthographic projection of one light-emitting element on the substrate;

the step of forming a first protective layer on one side of the flexible display panel includes:

and forming a first protection layer on one side of the filter layer, which is away from the substrate, wherein the first protection layer covers the filter layer.

15. The method of manufacturing a display module according to claim 14, wherein after forming the plurality of light emitting elements on the substrate, the step of manufacturing a flexible display panel further comprises:

forming a light shielding layer on one side of the light emitting elements, which is away from the substrate, and forming a plurality of openings on the light shielding layer; each light filtering unit is arranged at one opening, and the orthographic projection of each light filtering unit on the shading layer covers the opening;

the step of forming a first protective layer on one side of the flexible display panel further includes:

the first protection layer covers the light shielding layer.

16. A display device comprising a display module according to any one of claims 1 to 12.