WO2016119581A1 - 一种提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法及电润湿器件 - Google Patents

一种提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法及电润湿器件 Download PDF

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WO2016119581A1
WO2016119581A1 PCT/CN2016/070358 CN2016070358W WO2016119581A1 WO 2016119581 A1 WO2016119581 A1 WO 2016119581A1 CN 2016070358 W CN2016070358 W CN 2016070358W WO 2016119581 A1 WO2016119581 A1 WO 2016119581A1
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bonding material
substrate
electrowetting device
layer
pixel wall
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PCT/CN2016/070358
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English (en)
French (fr)
Inventor
周国富
窦盈莹
李发宏
水玲玲
海耶斯罗伯特·安德鲁
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深圳市国华光电研究院
华南师范大学
深圳市国华光电科技有限公司
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Publication of WO2016119581A1 publication Critical patent/WO2016119581A1/zh

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G02—OPTICS
    • G02B—OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS
    • G02B26/00—Optical devices or arrangements for the control of light using movable or deformable optical elements

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to electrowetting techniques, and in particular to a method for improving the encapsulation performance of an electrowetting device and an electrowetting device obtained thereby.
  • the electrowetting device generally comprises two substrates, one of which is provided with a plastic frame on the surface, and the other substrate is provided with a pixel wall arranged in a matrix, and between the two substrates, through the bonding between the plastic frame and the surface of the pixel wall
  • the package forms a closed chamber, wherein the closed chamber contains a non-conductive first fluid (alkane or the like), a conductive second fluid (water or salt solution), the fluids are in contact with each other and are immiscible.
  • the pixel wall is usually patterned by a photolithography process, and the pixel area enclosed by the pixel wall is the display area, and the electrowetting display device produces a display effect on the display area.
  • the non-conductive first fluid is filled in the display area formed by the pixel wall, and the surrounding pixel wall is used to block the flow of the first fluid to the surrounding pixel grid, thereby obtaining a stable display structure. Since the first fluid is hydrophobic, the upper surface of the pixel wall requires a higher hydrophilicity to ensure that the hydrophobic first fluid does not flow across the pixel wall to the surrounding pixel grid, otherwise the first fluid will turn over the pixel wall. In the case of driving the ink jump phenomenon, the voltage disappears and the first fluid cannot flow back, and the display cannot be repeated.
  • the contact angle of the water droplets on the surface of the pixel wall is generally less than or equal to 70°.
  • a hydrophilic SOG (spin-on-glass) material is used to prepare the pixel wall to improve the hydrophilicity of the pixel wall surface and avoid the phenomenon of driving the ink jump.
  • the sealed chamber formed by the two substrate packages also has good sealing performance, avoiding the phenomenon of ink leakage due to poor sealing during use, that is, the ink flows out through the gap, resulting in damage to the device. Affect the life of the device. That is, the plastic frame of one substrate and the surface of the pixel wall of the surface of another substrate are required to be bonded tightly to form a completely closed chamber.
  • the plastic frame is generally made of pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) material. Because it is mainly water or salt solution sealed in the closed chamber, in order to prevent the hydrophilic group of the plastic frame from interacting with water, the plastic frame is mostly hydrophobic. Preparation of pressure sensitive adhesives, such as polyacrylates, polyisobutylene, etc. ⁇ 90°, so when the hydrophilicity of the pixel wall surface is too high, the plastic frame and the pixel wall are difficult to adhere closely, resulting in poor packaging performance of the device, which is prone to ink leakage, that is, liquid in the closed chamber flows out, or external pollutants enter. This reduces the life and yield of the device.
  • PSA pressure sensitive adhesive
  • the present invention provides a method and an electrowetting device capable of improving the encapsulation performance of an electrowetting device.
  • the solution to solve the technical problem of the present invention is: a method for improving the package performance of an electrowetting device, comprising the steps of:
  • the pixel wall is a protrusion arranged in a matrix, and a water droplet contact angle of the surface of the pixel wall is ⁇ 50 degrees;
  • the encapsulation frame on the surface of the first substrate is bonded to the layer of the bonding material on the surface of the second substrate, and pressed for 6-24 hours.
  • the layer of the bonding material may not be too hydrophobic, and preferably, the surface water droplet has a contact angle of 90-100 degrees.
  • the step of disposing a layer of the bonding material on the surface of the pixel wall of the second substrate is to print a layer of the bonding material on the surface of the pixel wall by a screen printing method.
  • the step of disposing a layer of the bonding material on the surface of the pixel wall of the second substrate is to obtain the layer of the bonding material by photoresist coating, exposure, and development processing using a mask.
  • the layer of the bonding material also completely or partially covers a plurality of intersections of the longitudinal and horizontal pixel walls outside the package bonding area, that is, at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal pixel walls by the bonding material.
  • a plurality of support columns for spacing the first substrate and the second substrate are formed.
  • the first substrate and the second substrate of the electrowetting display device may have a concave shape, and the larger the thinner the substrate, the more the intermediate depression will be, which leads to the gap between the middle and the edge of the device after sealing.
  • the spacing ie, the thickness of the box
  • the spacing between the four sides is greater than the spacing between the centers.
  • the pixel walls are arranged in a matrix, and the pixel wall encloses the closed space to accommodate the first fluid, the vertical and horizontal pixel walls will intersect to form an intersection, and the intersection described here is actually an area.
  • the shape of the area is determined by the shape of the pixel wall.
  • the bonding material can cover the area in whole or in part to form a support column, which does not affect the display effect, and can also achieve the effect of the spacing support.
  • the cross-sectional shape of the support column can be square or circular. , polygons, etc.
  • the mask is applied by photoresist coating, exposure, and development to obtain a thicker coating, and the coating is applied.
  • the shape can be precisely controlled, usually the thickness of the layer of the bonding material ⁇ 10 ⁇ m; preferably, the thickness of the layer of the bonding material is ⁇ 50 ⁇ m.
  • the number of the support columns is 1-10 per 100 pixels.
  • the present invention also provides an electrowetting device packaged by any of the above methods for improving the encapsulation performance of an electrowetting device.
  • the invention has the beneficial effects that: the invention provides a layer of hydrophobic material with better hydrophobicity on the surface of the pixel wall of the package bonding area, thereby avoiding the use of a highly hydrophilic material to prepare the pixel wall to prevent the phenomenon of ink jump, the plastic frame and Pixel wall adhesion performance is poor, package sealing is not good, and the quality of the packaged device is more reliable, which avoids jumping ink and ensures the sealing of the package. Further, it is also possible to cover the bonding material at the intersection of the vertical and horizontal pixel walls to form a supporting column to prevent a series of problems caused by the bending of the substrate due to gravity or force.
  • the method of the invention has simple process, low cost and easy control, and the obtained electrowetting device has excellent packaging performance.
  • FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing the structure of a first substrate of an electrowetting device of the present invention
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing the structure of a second substrate of the electrowetting device of the present invention.
  • FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing a matrix arrangement pattern of pixel walls on a second substrate of the electrowetting device of the present invention
  • Figure 4 is a schematic view showing the process of the screen printing bonding material layer of the present invention.
  • FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a process of preparing a layer of a bonding material by a photolithography process of the present invention
  • Figure 6 is a plan view showing a mask used in the process shown in Figure 5;
  • Figure 7 is a schematic view showing the distribution of the support column of the present invention.
  • Figure 8 is a plan view showing a mask used in an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 9 is a schematic structural view of an electrowetting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 10 is a schematic structural view of an electrowetting device according to another embodiment of the present invention.
  • the method for improving the encapsulation performance of the electrowetting device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 10.
  • the method of the present invention comprises the following steps:
  • a first substrate 1 having a package bead 13 is provided.
  • the structure of the first substrate 1 is as shown in FIG. 1 , including a first support plate 11 , a first electrode layer 12 disposed on the surface of the first support plate 11 , and an encapsulation frame 13 disposed on the first electrode layer;
  • the first support plate 11 can be a glass, metal or polymer support plate and can be rigid or flexible.
  • the first electrode layer 12 may be a conductive ITO (indium tin oxide), a metal electrode coating, or the like, and may be of any desired shape or form.
  • the function of the encapsulation frame 13 is to bond the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2 to form the sealed chamber 3 as shown, as shown in FIG. 9 or 10.
  • the sealing frame 13 can be a pressure sensitive material, a heat sensitive material, a photosensitive material, a microwave polymer material, etc., because the pressure sensitive material is simple to use, and does not cause other damage to the device, so the sealing plastic frame 13 is mostly made of a pressure sensitive material. .
  • the first fluid 4 is filled in the display area 26 of the wall of the pixel wall 24, the sealed chamber 3 is filled with the second fluid 5, and the second fluid 5 is an aqueous solution or a salt solution, thereby ensuring the package plastic frame. 13 does not work with it, or the aqueous solution penetrates the frame material to affect the life of the device.
  • the sealing frame 13 uses hydrophobic pressure sensitive materials such as polyacrylate and polyisobutylene.
  • S2 providing a second substrate 2 having a pixel wall 24 on the surface, the pixel wall 24 being a matrix-arranged protrusion, and a water droplet contact angle on the surface of the pixel wall 24 ⁇ 50 degrees.
  • the second substrate 2 includes a second support plate 21 disposed opposite to the first substrate 1, the second support plate 21 has a second electrode layer 22 thereon, and the second electrode layer 22 may be conductive ITO (indium oxide) Tin), metal electrode coatings, etc., can be of any desired shape or form.
  • ITO indium oxide
  • metal electrode coatings etc.
  • a hydrophobic insulating layer 23 which may be transparent or reflective, the hydrophobic insulating layer 23 having a thickness of less than 2 ⁇ m, more preferably less than 1 ⁇ m.
  • the hydrophobic insulating layer 23 may be an amorphous fluoropolymer such as AF1600, AF1600X or AF1601 supplied by DuPont, or any other low surface energy polymer such as Cytop, Hyflon, and the like.
  • the hydrophobic insulating layer 23 has a thickness of between 300 and 800 nm.
  • the hydrophobic insulating layer 23 can also be divided into two layers: an insulating layer and a hydrophobic layer, that is, a dielectric material such as a silicon oxide layer or a silicon nitride layer is coated on the second electrode layer 22 to have a thickness of, for example, 200 nm.
  • the insulating layer is then coated with a layer of hydrophobic material to form a hydrophobic layer.
  • the hydrophobic insulating layer 23 can be directly coated. .
  • a pixel wall 24 is disposed on the hydrophobic insulating layer 23, and the pixel wall material may be a photoresist (for example, SU-8), and the thickness is controlled to be 2-50 ⁇ m.
  • a photoresist for example, SU-8
  • the pixel wall 24 can be prepared by a method well known to those skilled in the art.
  • the photoresist material can be coated in one step or multiple steps.
  • the coating method can be, but not limited to, spin-coating and roller coating. -coating), slit-coating, dip-coating, spray-coating, blade-coating, and the like.
  • the film is further pre-baked, exposed to UV light and baked after exposure (PEB), and then developed to obtain the pixel wall 24, in order to avoid driving the phenomenon of ink jump, the water droplet contact on the surface of the pixel wall 24 is ensured.
  • the pixel wall 24 is prepared by the method of the inventor's prior patent application number: 201410665529.5, that is, the pixel wall 24 is formed of a hydrophilic SOG material or the pixel wall surface has a hydrophilic SOG material.
  • the pixel wall 24 thus obtained has a high hydrophilicity surface, and can avoid driving the ink jump phenomenon.
  • the resulting pixel walls 24 are matrix-arranged protrusions as shown in FIG.
  • the cross section is typically square or rectangular, with the pixel walls 24 intersecting vertically and horizontally to form a plurality of intersections 28.
  • the matrix display edge is an exposed cross-linked photoresist film, i.e., package-bonding region 25, typically having a width of 0.2-2 cm, more preferably 0.5-1 cm.
  • the area enclosed by the pixel walls 24 in the middle of the matrix is the display area 26 in which the first fluid 4 is confined.
  • a surface of the pixel wall 24 of the second substrate is provided with a bonding material layer 27 covering the surface of the pixel wall 24 corresponding to the package plastic frame 13; the bonding material The surface of the layer 27 has a water droplet contact angle of 70-120 degrees.
  • the bonding material may be a photoresist or other relatively hydrophobic material, and the hydrophilicity of the bonding material needs to satisfy the contact angle of the water droplets by 70-120 degrees, in order to ensure the coating effect of the bonding material on the surface of the pixel wall material, and the bonding material.
  • the adhesion effect with the pixel wall material more preferably, the water droplet contact angle is 90-100 degrees.
  • the bonding material is made of a photoresist material, a more hydrophobic type of SU-8 glue, KMPR glue (MicroChem), and AZ glue (AZ), GM glue (Gersteltec) and the like can be used.
  • the setting of the bonding material can be carried out by various methods, such as one-step or multi-step coating, and the coating method can be, but not limited to, screen-printing, spin-coating, and roller-coating. ), slit-coating, dip-coating, spray-coating, blade-coating, and the like.
  • the bonding material layer 27 is printed on the surface of the pixel wall 24 by the screen printing method by using the screen printing plate 6, and the implementation process is as shown in FIG.
  • the screen printing plate 6, which may be a synthetic fiber mesh, a stainless steel wire mesh, a natural fiber mesh, or the like, has an ink-permeable area and an ink-impermeable area, and the ink-permeable area corresponds to the position of the package-bonding area 25; In the region other than the bonding region 25, the ink-impermeable region of the screen printing plate 6 is filled with a photoresist or the like during the web-forming process, and commercially available dichromate, diazonium, iron salt, etc.
  • the liquid bonding material is printed on the package bonding region 25 of the pixel wall 24 of the second substrate by a screen printing machine; and the solvent in the liquid bonding material is further baked and evaporated to form a film.
  • an AF material (Dupont) having a very good hydrophobicity is applied as the bonding material layer 27, and the AF solution is printed by the screen printing machine to the package bonding region 25 of the pixel wall 24 of the second substrate, and then baked, first low temperature.
  • the hot plate is pre-baked, and the higher temperature convection oven completes the more uniform and thorough baking, that is, the hydrophobic film is obtained on the surface of the pixel wall 24 located in the package bonding area 25, and the contact angle of the surface of the obtained AF film is 108-120.
  • the area outside the package bonding area 25 is still a highly hydrophilic pixel wall, and at the same time solves the problem of ink leakage caused by driving the ink jump and the tightness of the bonding.
  • the bonding material layer 27 is obtained by using a photoresist, using a mask 7, and coating, exposing, and developing a photoresist.
  • the implementation process is shown in FIG. 5.
  • the structure of the mask 7 used is similar to that of the screen printing board 6 used in the screen printing process, and the plane schematic is shown in FIG. 6. Specifically, the surface of the pixel wall formed of the hydrophilic SOG material is coated with a layer 71 of a relatively hydrophobic photoresist SU-8, and further prebaked to evaporate part of the solvent.
  • the bonding material layer 27 is exposed and baked by the mask 7 to further wash off the SU-8 glue other than the package bonding region 25 by development, so that the surface of the package bonding region 25 is relatively hydrophobic.
  • SU-8 glue, SU-8 film surface water droplet contact angle is 85-95 degrees, and the area outside the package bonding area 25 is still a highly hydrophilic SOG pixel wall, while solving the drive jump and fit The problem of ink leakage caused by not being tight.
  • the bonding material layer 27 since the bonding material layer 27 only uses the hydrophobic property of its surface to ensure the bonding with the encapsulating frame 13, the thickness thereof is not required, and the preparation process of the thicker material layer is more complicated, and the material consumption is more complicated. More, therefore, preferably, the thickness of the layer of bonding material 27 is ⁇ 5 ⁇ m, further preferably ⁇ 2 ⁇ m.
  • a bonding material layer 27 is formed on the surface of the pixel wall 24 of the package bonding region 25 to improve the encapsulation performance of the electrowetting device, and also to cover the bonding material in the middle region of the matrix of the pixel wall 24 It can serve as a support column between the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2, preventing a series of problems caused by gravity or bending of the substrate.
  • the bonding material is covered at the intersection 28 of the vertical and horizontal pixel walls of the matrix type pixel wall 24, and the intersection 28 is actually an area, and the bonding material may completely or partially cover the area.
  • the cross section of the support column may be a circle, a triangle, a square, a polygon, etc., preferably, the number of support columns is 1-10 per 100 pixels, as shown in FIG. 7, each square in the figure
  • the grid is a pixel unit area, each pixel unit area is 10 ⁇ 10 pixels, and the arrangement positions of the support columns are as shown by black dots in the figure.
  • the thickness of the bonding material layer 27 is generally ⁇ 10 ⁇ m, preferably ⁇ 50 ⁇ m, in order to achieve a better spacing support effect.
  • a transparent plastic hole can be reserved at the intersection 28 where the covering material needs to be covered; or the shape of the masking plate 7 during photolithographic development can be changed, and a light-emitting hole is reserved at the intersection 28, This makes it possible to form a support post formed of a bonding material at the intersection 28 of the vertical and horizontal pixel walls 24 while covering the bonding material in the package bonding region 25, thereby preventing problems caused by the gravity or bending of the substrate.
  • the structure of the modified mask 7 in one embodiment of the present invention is shown.
  • the first fluid 4 and the second fluid 5 are not mixed.
  • the first fluid 4 is electrically non-conductive and may be an alkane such as hexadecane or (silicone) oil.
  • the first fluid 4 is preferably opaque, but may be colored or white.
  • the second fluid 5 is electrically conductive or polar and may be water or a salt solution, for example, a solution of potassium chloride in a mixture of water and ethanol.
  • the second fluid 5 is preferably transparent, but may be colored, white, absorbing or reflective.
  • the method of applying the first fluid 4 and the second fluid 5 to the second substrate 2 may be performed by a method well known in the art, such as immersing the second substrate 2 in the second fluid 5 (such as water) by having a surface close to The dispenser of the elongated opening submerged into the second fluid 5 distributes the first fluid 4 to the surface of the substrate. Since the first fluid 4 is hydrophobic and the second fluid 5 is hydrophilic, the first fluid 4 preferentially covers the surface of the hydrophobic insulating layer 23 first, and is confined in the space surrounded by the pixel walls 24.
  • FIG. 9 is a schematic structural view of an electrowetting device according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 10 is a schematic structural view of an electrowetting device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

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Abstract

一种能够提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法及电润湿器件。通过在封装贴合区域的像素墙表面设置一层疏水性较好的贴合材料，避免当采用高亲水材料制备像素墙防止跳墨现象时，胶框与像素墙粘附性能差，封装密封性不好的问题，并且得到的封装器件质量更可靠，既避免了跳墨，也保证了封装的密封性。进一步地，还可以在纵、横像素墙的交叉点也覆盖贴合材料，形成支撑柱，防止基板因重力或者受力而弯曲导致一系列显示问题。方法工艺简单，成本低，容易控制，得到的电润湿器件具有优良的封装性能。

Description

一种提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法及电润湿器件
技术领域
本发明涉及电润湿技术，具体涉及一种可以提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法及由此得到的电润湿器件。
背景技术
电润湿器件一般包括两个基板，其中一个基板表面设有胶框，另一个基板表面设置有呈矩阵排列的像素墙，两个基板之间，通过胶框和像素墙表面之间的粘合，封装形成密闭腔室，其中密闭腔室包含不导电的第一流体（烷烃等）、导电的第二流体（水或盐溶液），流体相互接触且不可混溶。
像素墙通常是经光刻工艺得到图案化结构，而像素墙围成的像素格区域就是显示区域，电润湿显示装置就在这个显示区上产生显示效果。不导电的第一流体便填充于像素墙所形成的显示区域内，其周围的像素墙用于阻挡第一流体流向周围像素格，从而得到稳定的显示结构。由于第一流体是疏水的，因此像素墙的上表面需要较高的亲水性以保证疏水的第一流体不会跨过像素墙流向周围像素格，否则会出现第一流体翻过像素墙的情况，即驱动跳墨现象，从而导致电压消失而第一流体不能流回，无法重复显示。
因此像素墙表面的水滴接触角一般小于等于70°。如发明人之前的专利，申请号：201410665529.5，采用亲水的SOG（spin-on-glass）材料来制备像素墙，以提高像素墙表面的亲水性，避免出现驱动跳墨现象。
但另一方面，为保证显示质量，两基板封装形成的密闭腔室也要具有良好的密封性能，避免使用过程中因密闭不好出现漏墨现象，即油墨经缝隙流出，导致器件损坏，严重影响器件的寿命。即要求一基板的胶框和另一基板表面的像素墙表面要能够实现粘合紧密，形成完全密闭的腔室。
而胶框一般是压敏胶类（PSA）材料制成，因封在密闭腔室里的主要为水或者盐溶液，为防止胶框亲水基团与水作用，因此胶框多采用疏水性压敏胶制备，如聚丙烯酸酯、聚异丁烯等，表面水滴接触角一般 ≥ 90°，故当像素墙表面亲水性太高时，胶框与像素墙难以粘合紧密，导致器件封装性能差，容易产生漏墨现象，即密闭腔室内液体流出，或外界污染物进入，从而降低器件的寿命和产量。
发明内容
为解决上述问题，本发明提供一种能够提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法及电润湿器件。
本发明解决其技术问题的解决方案是：一种提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法，包括步骤：
提供具有封装胶框的第一基板；
提供表面具有像素墙的第二基板；所述像素墙为矩阵排列的突起，所述像素墙表面的水滴接触角≤50度；
在第二基板的像素墙的表面设置一贴合材料层，所述贴合材料层覆盖像素墙表面与封装胶框相对应的封装贴合区域；所述贴合材料层的表面水滴接触角70-120度；
将第一流体和第二流体施加到第二基板；
将第一基板表面的封装胶框与第二基板表面的贴合材料层进行粘合，并按压6-24h。
为实现贴合材料在像素墙材料表面的涂布，所述贴合材料层疏水性不可太强，优选地，表面水滴接触角90-100度。
优选地，所述在第二基板的像素墙的表面设置贴合材料层的步骤，是通过丝网印刷方法在像素墙表面印刷得到贴合材料层的。
优选地，所述在第二基板的像素墙的表面设置贴合材料层的步骤，是利用掩膜板，通过光刻胶涂布、曝光、显影处理，得到所述贴合材料层的。
作为上述方案的进一步改进，所述贴合材料层还完全或者部分覆盖位于封装贴合区域之外的纵、横像素墙的若干交叉点，即在纵、横像素墙的交叉点由贴合材料形成若干用于间隔第一基板和第二基板的支撑柱。
由于重力和毛细力的作用，电润湿显示器件的第一基板和第二基板会呈现凹陷的形状，并且越大越薄的基板中间凹陷会更严重，这就导致密封后器件中间和边缘的空隙间距(即为盒厚)不相等，四周间距大于中间间距。当基板承受来自外部的压力时，像素墙内的第一流体会被毛细力破坏，显示过程中留下坏点。因此，支撑柱的存在可以避免类似问题的出现。
由于像素墙是呈矩阵排列的，而且像素墙由于围成封闭的空间来容纳第一流体，故纵、横像素墙会交叉，形成交叉点，这里所述的交叉点其实是一个区域。区域的形状由像素墙的形状决定，贴合材料可以全部或者部分覆盖这个区域，形成支撑柱，既不影响显示效果，也可以达到间隔支撑的效果，支撑柱的截面形状可以是正方形、圆形、多边形等。
当贴合材料覆盖纵、横像素墙的交叉点，形成支撑柱时，优选地，采用掩膜板，通过光刻胶涂布、曝光、显影处理，以便得到较厚的涂层，且涂层形状可以精确控制，通常所述贴合材料层的厚度 ≥ 10μm；优选地，所述贴合材料层的厚度 ≥ 50μm。
优选地，所述支撑柱的个数为每100个像素1-10个。
本发明还提供了一种电润湿器件，采用上述任一项提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法封装得到。
本发明的有益效果是：本发明通过在封装贴合区域的像素墙表面设置一层疏水性较好的贴合材料，避免当采用高亲水材料制备像素墙防止跳墨现象时，胶框与像素墙粘附性能差，封装密封性不好的问题，并且得到的封装器件质量更可靠，既避免了跳墨，也保证了封装的密封性。进一步的，还可以在纵、横像素墙的交叉点也覆盖贴合材料，形成支撑柱，防止基板因重力或者受力而弯曲导致的一系列问题。本发明的方法工艺简单，成本低，容易控制，得到的电润湿器件具有优良的封装性能。
附图说明
为了更清楚地说明本发明实施例中的技术方案，下面将对实施例描述中所需要使用的附图作简单说明。显然，所描述的附图只是本发明的一部分实施例，而不是全部实施例，本领域的技术人员在不付出创造性劳动的前提下，还可以根据这些附图获得其他设计方案和附图。
图1是本发明的电润湿器件的第一基板结构示意图；
图2是本发明的电润湿器件的第二基板结构示意图；
图3是本发明的电润湿器件的第二基板上像素墙的矩阵排列图案示意图；
图4是本发明的丝网印刷贴合材料层的工艺示意图；
图5是本发明的光刻工艺制备贴合材料层的工艺示意图；
图6是图5所示工艺中使用的掩膜板的平面示意图；
图7是本发明的支撑柱的分布示意图；
图8是本发明一实施例中使用的掩膜板的平面示意图；
图9是本发明一实施例的电润湿器件封装后的结构示意图；
图10是本发明另一实施例的电润湿器件封装后的结构示意图。
具体实施方式
以下将结合实施例和附图对本发明的构思、具体结构及产生的技术效果进行清楚、完整的描述，以充分地理解本发明的目的、特征和效果。显然，所描述的实施例只是本发明的一部分实施例，而不是全部实施例，基于本发明的实施例，本领域的技术人员在不付出创造性劳动的前提下所获得的其他实施例，均属于本发明保护的范围。本发明创造中的各个技术特征，在不互相矛盾冲突的前提下可以交互组合。
结合图1~10，对本发明的提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法进行说明，本发明的方法包括以下步骤：
S1：提供具有封装胶框13的第一基板1。
第一基板1的结构如图1所示，包括第一支撑板11，设置于第一支撑板11表面上的第一电极层12，和设置在第一电极层之上的封装胶框13；第一支撑板11可以是玻璃、金属或聚合物支撑板，并且可以是刚性的或柔性的。第一电极层12可以为导电ITO（氧化铟锡）、金属电极涂层等，可以是任何期望的形状或形式。
封装胶框13的作用为将第一基板1与第二基板2粘合，以形成显示的密闭腔室3，如图9或10所示。封装胶框13可采用压敏材料、热敏材料、光敏材料、微波聚合材料等，因压敏材料使用方法简单，且不会对器件造成其他的损坏，因此封装胶框13多采用压敏材料。同时，因第一流体4填充在像素墙24围城的显示区域26内，而密闭腔室3内填充的主要是第二流体5，第二流体5为水溶液或者盐溶液，因此为保证封装胶框13不与之作用而失效，或者水溶液渗过胶框材料而影响器件寿命，封装胶框13多采用疏水性的压敏材料，如聚丙烯酸酯、聚异丁烯等。
S2：提供表面具有像素墙24的第二基板2，所述像素墙24为矩阵排列的突起，像素墙24表面的水滴接触角 ≤ 50度。
如图2所示，第二基板2包括与第一基板1相对设置的第二支撑板21，第二支撑板21上具有第二电极层22，第二电极层22可以为导电ITO（氧化铟锡）、金属电极涂层等，可以是任何期望的形状或形式。
第二电极层22之上是疏水绝缘层23，疏水绝缘层23可以是透明的或反射的，疏水绝缘层23的厚度少于2µm，更优选地，少于1µm。疏水绝缘层23可以是DuPont公司提供的诸如AF1600、AF1600X或AF1601的非晶体含氟聚合物，或者任何其他低表面能聚合物，如Cytop，Hyflon等。优选地，疏水绝缘层23厚度在300~800nm之间。
疏水绝缘层23也可以分为两层：绝缘层和疏水层，即先在第二电极层22之上涂布一层电介质材料如氧化硅层或氮化硅层，具有例如200nm的厚度，形成绝缘层；然后再涂布一层疏水材料，形成疏水层，当然涂布的材料同时满足疏水和绝缘的要求时，如上述的AF1600、AF1600X或AF1601等，则可以直接涂布形成疏水绝缘层23。
疏水绝缘层23上设置有像素墙24，像素墙材料可以是光刻胶（例如，SU-8），厚度控制在2-50µm。
像素墙24的制备可以采用本领域技术人员熟知的方法，如对于光刻胶材料可以采用一步或多步法涂布，涂布方式可以但不限于旋涂（spin-coating）、滚涂（roller-coating）、狭缝涂布（slit-coating）、浸涂（dip-coating）、喷涂（spray-coating）、刮涂（blade-coating）等。然后进一步对胶膜进行预烘烤、UV光照曝光和曝光后的烘烤（PEB），再经显影等得到像素墙24，为避免驱动跳墨现象，要保证得到的像素墙24表面的水滴接触角 ≤ 50度。
优选地采用本发明人之前的提交的申请号为：201410665529.5的发明专利中的方法制备像素墙24，即像素墙24是由亲水的SOG材料形成的或者像素墙表面具有一层亲水SOG材料，这样得到的像素墙24表面亲水性高，可以避免驱动跳墨现象。
得到的像素墙24为矩阵排列的突起，如图3所示。横截面通常是正方形或长方形，像素墙24纵横交叉，形成多个交叉点28。矩阵显示边缘为曝光交联的光刻胶胶膜，即为封装贴合区域25，通常宽度为0.2-2cm，更优为0.5-1cm。矩阵中间的像素墙24围成的区域即为显示区域26，第一流体4便被限制在这个区域内。
S3：在第二基板的像素墙24的表面设置一贴合材料层27，所述贴合材料层覆盖像素墙24表面与封装胶框13相对应的封装贴合区域25；所述贴合材料层27的表面水滴接触角70-120度。
贴合材料可以为光刻胶，也可以为其他较为疏水的材料，其亲疏水性需满足水滴接触角70-120度，为保证贴合材料在像素墙材料表面的涂布效果，及贴合材料与像素墙材料的粘附效果，更优地，水滴接触角90-100度。当贴合材料采用光刻胶类物质时，可以选用较为疏水的SU-8胶、KMPR胶（MicroChem公司），以及AZ胶（安智）、GM胶（Gersteltec公司）等多类胶。
贴合材料的设置可以采用多种方法，如一步或多步法涂布，涂布方式可以但不限于丝网印刷（screen-printing）、旋涂（spin-coating）、滚涂（roller-coating）、狭缝涂布（slit-coating）、浸涂（dip-coating）、喷涂（spray-coating）、刮涂（blade-coating）等。
本发明的一实施例，利用网印板6，通过丝网印刷方法在像素墙24表面印刷贴合材料层27，实施过程如图4所示。网印板6，可以为合成纤维丝网、不锈钢丝网、天然纤维丝网等，具有透墨区和不透墨区，透墨区对应封装贴合区域25的位置；不透墨区对应封装贴合区域25以外的区域，网印板6的不透墨区在制网过程中被光刻胶类物质等填充，市售的有重铬酸盐系、重氮盐系、铁盐系等，在暗室中涂布、干燥，进而在冷光源晒板机上曝光并显影之后得到，阻止贴合材料在丝网印刷过程中透过网印板6。进而通过丝网印刷机将液体状的贴合材料印刷至第二基板的像素墙24的封装贴合区域25；并进一步烘烤蒸发掉液体状的贴合材料中的溶剂，使其成膜，形成贴合材料层27；而对于负性光刻胶类的贴合材料层27在烘烤后还需要一步空白曝光的过程，即没有掩膜板或者掩膜板没有光遮区的情况下UV光照射，并进一步做光照后的烘烤，以保证所成膜的物化性质的稳定。例如，涂布疏水性非常好的AF材料（Dupont）作为贴合材料层27，由网印机将AF溶液印刷至第二基板的像素墙24的封装贴合区域25，进而烘烤，先低温热板预烤，进而较高温对流烘箱完成更均匀彻底的烘烤，即在位于封装贴合区域25的像素墙24表面得到较为疏水的AF膜，得到的AF膜表面水滴接触角为108-120度，而封装贴合区域25以外的区域仍为亲水性高的像素墙，同时解决了驱动跳墨和贴合不紧导致的漏墨问题。
本发明的另一个实施例，采用光刻胶，利用掩膜板7，通过光刻胶涂布、曝光、显影处理，得到所述贴合材料层27的。实施过程如图5所示，采用的掩膜板7的结构和丝网印刷工艺中用到的网印板6的结构类似，平面示意图如图6所示。具体地，在由亲水SOG材料形成的像素墙表面涂布较为疏水的光刻胶SU-8的贴合材料层27，并进一步预烘烤，蒸发掉部分溶剂。进一步，通过掩膜板7对贴合材料层27进行曝光并烘烤，进而通过显影的方式洗掉封装贴合区域25以外的的SU-8胶，即得到封装贴合区域25表面为较为疏水的SU-8胶，SU-8胶膜表面水滴接触角为85-95度，而封装贴合区域25以外的区域仍为亲水性高的SOG像素墙，同时解决了驱动跳墨和贴合不紧导致的漏墨问题。
因该贴合材料层27只是使用其表面的疏水性性质以保证与封装胶框13的贴合，因此其厚度没有要求，而考虑到较厚的材料层的制备工艺更复杂，且消耗材料更多，因此，优选地，贴合材料层27的厚度为 ≤ 5μm，进一步优选地，≤ 2μm。
进一步优选地，在封装贴合区域25的像素墙24表面形成贴合材料层27，改善电润湿器件封装性能的同时，还可以在像素墙24矩阵的中间区域，也覆盖贴合材料，使之可以充当第一基板1和第二基板2之间的支撑柱，防止因重力或者受力基板弯曲而导致的一系列问题。
为避免影响显示效果，贴合材料要覆盖在矩阵型像素墙24的纵、横像素墙的交叉点28，所述的交叉点28实际是一个区域，贴合材料可以完全或者部分覆盖这个区域，形成支撑柱，支撑柱的横截面可以是圆形、三角形、正方形、多边形等，优选地，支撑柱的个数为每100个像素1-10个，如图7所示，图中每个正方形格为一个像素单元区，每个像素单元区为10×10个像素，支撑柱的布置位置如图中黑点所示。同时形成支撑柱时，贴合材料层27的厚度一般为 ≥ 10μm，优选地，≥ 50μm，以便达到更好的间隔支撑效果。
可以通过改变网印板6的结构，在需要覆盖贴合材料的交叉点28预留出透胶孔；或者改变光刻显影时掩膜板7的形状，在交叉点28预留出光照孔，这样就可以在封装贴合区域25覆盖贴合材料的同时在纵、横像素墙24的交叉点28形成由贴合材料形成的支撑柱，防止基板因重力或者受力弯曲而导致的问题。
由于支撑柱的尺寸较小，一般的丝网印刷难以达到精确控制，所以优选地，采用光刻工艺来实现支撑柱。如图8所示，给出了本发明的一个实施例中改进的掩膜板7的结构。
S4：将第一流体4和第二流体5施加到第二基板2。
第一流体4和第二流体5不相混合。第一流体4是不导电的，可以是烷烃，比如十六烷或(硅)油。第一流体4优选地是不透明的，但是可以是彩色的或白色的。第二流体5是导电的或具有极性的，并且可以是水或盐溶液，例如，氯化钾在水和乙醇的混合物中的溶液。第二流体5优选地是透明的，但是可以是彩色的、白色的、吸收的或反射的。
第一流体4和第二流体5施加到第二基板2上的方法可以采用本领域内熟知的方法进行，如将第二基板2浸没在第二流体5中（如水），通过具有靠近表面且浸没到第二流体5中的细长开口的分配器将第一流体4分配到基板表面。由于第一流体4是疏水的，第二流体5是亲水的，所以第一流体4优先地先覆盖在疏水绝缘层23的表面，被限制于像素墙24围成的空间内。
或者采用申请人之前的申请CN 103852887 A中公布的方法进行。
S5：将第一基板1表面的封装胶框13与第二基板2表面的贴合材料层27进行粘合，并按压6-24h。按压可以进一步保证密封效果，提高封装性能。按压后，便可以得到密封性能良好的封装好的电润湿器件。
如图9，为本发明一实施例得到的电润湿器件的结构示意图。
如图10，为本发明另一实施例得到的电润湿器件的结构示意图。
以上对本发明的较佳实施方式进行了具体说明，但本发明创造并不限于所述实施例，熟悉本领域的技术人员在不违背本发明精神的前提下还可作出种种的等同变型或替换，这些等同的变型或替换均包含在本申请权利要求所限定的范围内。

Claims (10)

  1. 一种提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法，其特征在于，包括步骤：
    提供具有封装胶框的第一基板；
    提供表面具有像素墙的第二基板，所述像素墙为矩阵排列的突起，所述像素墙表面的水滴接触角≤50度；
    在第二基板的像素墙的表面设置贴合材料层，所述贴合材料层覆盖像素墙表面与封装胶框相对应的封装贴合区域；所述贴合材料层的表面水滴接触角为70-120度；
    将第一流体和第二流体施加到第二基板；
    将第一基板表面的封装胶框与第二基板表面的贴合材料层进行粘合，并按压6-24h。
  2. 根据权利要求1所述的提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法，其特征在于：所述贴合材料层表面水滴接触角为90-100度。
  3. 根据权利要求1所述的提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法，其特征在于：所述在第二基板的像素墙的表面设置贴合材料层的步骤，是通过丝网印刷方法在像素墙表面得到贴合材料层的。
  4. 根据权利要求1所述的提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法，其特征在于：所述在第二基板的像素墙的表面设置贴合材料层的步骤，是利用掩膜板，通过光刻胶涂布、曝光、显影，得到所述贴合材料层。
  5. 根据权利要求1-4任一项所述的提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法，其特征在于：所述贴合材料层的厚度 ≤ 5μm。
  6. 根据权利要求5所述的提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法，其特征在于：所述贴合材料层的厚度 ≤ 2μm。
  7. 根据权利要求1、2、4任一项所述的提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法，其特征在于：所述贴合材料层还完全或者部分覆盖位于封装贴合区域之外的纵、横像素墙的若干交叉点，即在纵、横像素墙的交叉点由贴合材料形成若干用于间隔第一基板和第二基板的支撑柱。
  8. 根据权利要求7所述的提高电润湿器件封装性能的基板，其特征在于：所述贴合材料层的厚度 ≥ 50μm。
  9. 根据权利要求7所述的提高电润湿器件封装性能的基板，其特征在于：所述支撑柱的个数为每100个像素1-10个。
  10. 一种电润湿器件，其特征在于：采用上述任一项提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法封装得到。
PCT/CN2016/070358 2015-01-27 2016-01-07 一种提高电润湿器件封装性能的方法及电润湿器件 WO2016119581A1 (zh)

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