Organic electroluminescent display panel, manufacturing method thereof, and display device
11765920 · 2023-09-19
Assignee
Inventors
Cpc classification
H10K71/00
ELECTRICITY
H10K50/131
ELECTRICITY
International classification
H10K71/00
ELECTRICITY
H10K71/16
ELECTRICITY
Abstract
The present disclosure relates to an organic electroluminescent display panel, a method of manufacturing the same, and a display device that can alleviate or avoid the occurrence of pixel crosstalk problems due to lateral conduction of the charge generation layer. An organic electroluminescent display panel is provided which comprises: a substrate; an anode layer and a pixel defining layer over the substrate, the pixel defining layer defining pixel units, wherein a recess is provided in the pixel defining layer between adjacent pixel units; a stack of organic electroluminescent units over the anode layer and the pixel defining layer, the stack comprising at least two organic electroluminescent units and a charge generation layer disposed between organic electroluminescent units which are adjacent to each other; a cathode layer over the stack, wherein the corresponding charge generation layers of the adjacent pixel units are disconnected at the recesses, and wherein the cathode layer is continuous at the recess.
Claims
1. A method of manufacturing an organic electroluminescent display panel, comprising: forming over a substrate an anode layer for pixel units and a pixel defining layer for defining the pixel units, wherein a recess is provided in the pixel defining layer between adjacent pixel units, the recess having two opposite sidewalls each of which has a first portion and a second portion protruding from the first portion towards the other sidewall; forming a stack of organic electroluminescent units over the anode layer and the pixel defining layer, the stack comprising at least two organic electroluminescent units and a charge generation layer between adjacent organic electroluminescent units, wherein corresponding discharge generation layers of adjacent pixel units are disconnected at the recess; and forming a cathode layer over the substrate over which the stack is formed, wherein the cathode layer is continuous at the recess.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein in each of the pixel units, the stack comprises N organic electroluminescent units, and N is an integer ≥2, and wherein forming over the substrate the anode layer for the pixel units and the pixel defining layer for defining the pixel units comprises: forming the anode layer for the pixel units over the substrate; forming a position-occupying layer at a position on the substrate corresponding to the recess to be formed, wherein a height of the position-occupying layer is set to be larger than a sum of the thicknesses of (N−1) organic electroluminescent units and all of the charge generation layers to be formed over the anode layer, and less than a sum of the thickness of the N organic electroluminescent units to be formed, the thickness of all of the charge generation layers, and the thickness of the cathode layer; forming a pixel defining layer for defining pixel units, the pixel defining layer including an opening on the position-occupying layer, the opening exposing a part of the position-occupying layer; and removing the position-occupying layer to form the recess in the pixel defining layer.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein forming the position-occupying layer comprises forming the position-occupying layer with SiO.sub.2 material; removing the position-occupying layer comprises dry etching the position-occupying layer with CF.sub.4 to remove the position-occupying layer.
4. The method according to claim 2, wherein forming the position-occupying layer comprises forming the position-occupying layer with a metal material; removing the position-occupying layer comprises: wet etching the position-occupying layer with a metal etching solution to remove the position-occupying layer; and the method further comprising: before removing the position-occupying layer, crystallizing the anode layer.
5. The method according to claim 2, wherein forming the position-occupying layer comprises forming the position-occupying layer with a positive photoresist material; forming the pixel defining layer comprises forming the pixel defining layer with a negative photoresist material; and removing the position-occupying layer comprises: exposing the position-occupying layer formed with the positive photoresist material while exposing the pixel defining layer formed with the negative photoresist material; and stripping the exposed position-occupying layer off using a positive photoresist stripping solution.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the organic electroluminescence unit comprises: a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light-emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer which are sequentially formed in a direction from the anode layer side to the cathode layer side.
7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the organic electroluminescence unit is formed by evaporation using an open mask.
8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the charge generation layer is formed by evaporation using an open mask.
9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the cathode layer is formed by evaporation using an open mask.
10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the recess penetrates the pixel defining layer in a thickness direction of the pixel defining layer.
11. The method according to claim 2, wherein a distance between a projection, on the substrate, of an end of the second portion which is adjacent to the other sidewall and a projection, on the substrate, of an intersection line of the first portion with the bottom of the corresponding recess is 0.1-5 μm.
Description
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS
(10) According to embodiments of the present disclosure, organic electroluminescent display panels, methods of manufacturing the same, and display devices are provided that can alleviate or avoid pixel crosstalk problems caused by lateral conduction of the charge generation layer.
(11) The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present disclosure will be clearly and completely described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments that would be obviously obtained by a person of ordinary skills in the art based on the embodiments of the present disclosure without inventive work are intended to be embraced in the scope of the present disclosure.
(12) It should be noted that the thicknesses and shapes of the layers in the drawings of the present disclosure are not intended to reflect the true proportions, and are merely for illustrating contents of the present disclosure.
(13)
(14) In addition, as shown in
(15) In some embodiments, the recess 18 may surround the pixel unit 13 in one turn, as shown in
(16) In the above organic electroluminescent display panels, since the cathode layer 15 is continuous at the recess 18, and each of the charge generation layer 17 is disconnected at the recess 18, it is ensured that the pixel can be normally lit and the lateral charge conduction to the adjacent pixel unit 13 can be avoided, thus the occurrence of pixel crosstalk problems due to the lateral conduction of the charge generation layer 17 can be avoided.
(17) In some embodiments, in order to increase the aperture ratio of the organic electroluminescent display panel, as shown in
(18) In some embodiments, as shown in
(19) In some embodiments, the recess 18 includes two opposite sidewalls, at least one of which has a protrusion 19 that projects towards the other sidewall. In some embodiments, both sidewalls have protrusions 19 that protrudes toward opposite sidewalls as shown in
(20) In some embodiments, The distance L1 between the projection of the top of the protrusion 19 (i.e., an end of the protrusion adjacent the opposite sidewall) and the projection, on the substrate 11, of the intersection line of the bottom of the recess 18 with the sidewall where the protrusion 19 is located (i.e., the intersection line of the bottom of the recess with the first portion) may be 0.1-5 μm as shown in
(21) For example, if the stack in the pixel unit includes two organic electroluminescent units 16 and one charge generation layer, the height H of the end of the protrusion 19 of the sidewall of the corresponding recess 18 (i.e., the end close to the opposite sidewall) to the bottom of the recess 18 is set to be larger than the sum H1 of the thickness of one organic electroluminescent unit 16 near the anode layer 12 and the thickness of the one charge generation layer 17, and less than the sum H2 of the thickness of the two organic electroluminescent units 16, the thickness of the one charge generation layer 17, and the thickness of the cathode layer 15, as shown in
(22) In some embodiments, each of the organic electroluminescent units 16 may sequentially include a hole injection layer (HIL) 161, a hole transport layer (HTL) 162, a light emitting layer (EML) 163, an electron transport layer (ETL) 164, and an electron injection layer (EIL) 165 in a direction from the side of anode layer 12 to the side of cathode layer 15, as shown in
(23) For example, in some embodiments, the organic electroluminescent unit 16 may include a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, and an electron transport layer. The organic electroluminescent unit 16 may be of any structure in the prior art, and in the embodiment of the present disclosure there is no special limitation to the structure of the organic electroluminescent unit.
(24) Methods of manufacturing an organic electroluminescent display panel according to embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below.
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(26) According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing an organic electroluminescent display panel may include the following steps.
(27) In step S101, an anode layer for pixel units and a pixel defining layer for defining pixel units are formed over a substrate, wherein a recess is provided in the pixel defining layer between adjacent pixel units, as shown in
(28) In step S103, a stack of organic electroluminescent units is formed over the anode layer and the pixel defining layer, the stack comprising at least two organic electroluminescent units and charge generation layer(s) between adjacent organic electroluminescent units, as shown in
(29) In step S105, a cathode layer is formed over the substrate on which the stack is formed, as shown in
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(31) In step S201, an anode layer is formed over the substrate.
(32) In step S203, a pixel defining layer defining pixel units is formed over the substrate on which the anode layer is formed. A recess is provided in the pixel defining layer between adjacent pixel units.
(33) In step S205, a stack of organic electroluminescent units is formed over the anode layer and the pixel defining layer. The stack comprises at least two organic electroluminescent units connected in series. A charge generation layer is disposed between adjacent organic electroluminescent units. Each of the charge generation layer is broken at the recess.
(34) In step S207, a cathode layer is formed. Here, a cathode layer is formed over the substrate on which the stack is formed. That is, the cathode layer covers the stack of pixel units and the cathode layer is continuous at the recess. As shown in the figure, the cathode layer is located on the organic electroluminescent unit which is farthest from the substrate.
(35) It should be understood that the manufacturing method shown in
(36) In some embodiments, there are N organic electroluminescent units in each pixel unit, and N is an integer ≥2. That is, the stack in the pixel unit includes N organic electroluminescent units and N−1 charge generation layers. In this case, in some more specific embodiments, the step of forming an anode layer and a pixel defining layer for defining pixel units over the substrate may include:
(37) forming an anode layer for the pixel units over the substrate;
(38) forming a position-occupying layer over the substrate at a position corresponding to a recess to be formed, wherein a height of the position-occupying layer is set to be larger than the sum of the thickness of (N−1 organic electroluminescent units of the N organic electroluminescent units to be formed over the anode layer and the thickness of all of the charge generation layers, and less than the sum of the thickness of the N organic electroluminescent units, the thickness of all of the charge generation layers, and the thickness of the cathode layer;
(39) forming a pixel defining layer for defining pixel unit over the substrate on which the position-occupying layer is formed, the pixel defining layer including an opening on the position-occupying layer, the opening partially exposing the position-occupying layer;
(40) removing the position-occupying layer to form the recess in the pixel defining layer, the recess including two opposite sidewalls, wherein at least one sidewall has a protrusion that protrudes toward the other sidewall.
(41) In some embodiments, forming the position-occupying layer may specifically include: forming a position-occupying layer with SiO.sub.2 material. Removing the position-occupying layer may include: performing dry etching on the position-occupying layer with CF.sub.4 to remove the position-occupying layer.
(42) In other embodiments, forming the position-occupying layer may also include: forming a position-occupying layer with a metal material. The method may further include: crystallizing the anode layer before removing the position-occupying layer. Removing the position-occupying layer may include: performing a wet etching on the position-occupying layer with a metal etching solution to remove the position-occupying layer.
(43) In other embodiments, forming the position-occupying layer may also include: forming a position-occupying layer with a positive photoresist material. Forming the pixel defining layer may specifically include: forming a pixel defining layer with a negative photoresist material. Removing the position-occupying layer may also include: exposing the position-occupying layer formed by the positive photoresist material when exposing the pixel defining layer formed by the negative photoresist material; and stripping the exposed position-occupying layer with a positive photoresist stripping solution.
(44) In some embodiments, forming the organic electroluminescent unit may specifically include:
(45) sequentially forming a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light-emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer in the direction from the anode layer side to the cathode layer side.
(46) In some embodiments, forming the organic electroluminescent unit may specifically include: forming the organic electroluminescent unit by evaporation using an open mask.
(47) In some embodiments, forming the charge generation layer may specifically include: forming a charge generation layer by evaporation using an open mask.
(48) In some embodiments, forming the cathode layer may specifically include: forming a cathode layer by evaporation using an open mask.
(49) It should be understood that the manufacturing method or steps of the above embodiments are merely exemplary, and the present disclosure shall not be limited thereto.
(50) In some embodiments, the recess is formed to penetrate the pixel defining layer in a thickness direction of the pixel defining layer. In some embodiments, the distance between a projection of an end of the second portion of the sidewall, which is adjacent the other sidewall, onto the substrate to a projection, on the substrate, of a line where the bottom of the corresponding recess intersects the first portion thereof is 0.1-5 μm.
(51) Below, an example of manufacturing an organic electroluminescent display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure will be specifically described with reference to
(52) Referring to
(53) Referring to
(54) Referring to
(55) Referring to
(56) In some embodiments, the recess 18 can be configured to surround each of the pixel units. In some embodiments, the recess 18 can include two opposite sidewalls, each having a projection 19 that projects toward the opposite sidewall, as shown with the dashed box in
(57) Referring to
(58) Referring to
(59) Referring to
(60) Referring to
(61) In some embodiments, the height of the position-occupying layer 73 (and therefore, the height of the corresponding recess formed, or the height of the lower edge of the protrusion of the sidewall of the recess to the bottom of the recess) is set to be larger than the sum of the thickness of one organic electroluminescent unit 1601 and the thickness of the charge generation layer 17, and is smaller than the sum of the thickness of the first organic electroluminescent unit 1601, the thickness of the charge generation layer 17, the thickness of the second organic electroluminescent unit 1602, and the thicknesses of the cathode layers 15. Thus, the charge generation layer 17 can be broken at the recess 18 and the cathode layer 15 can be continuous at the recess 18.
(62) In some embodiments, each of the first organic electroluminescent unit 1601 and the second organic electroluminescent unit 1602 may include a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer.
(63) The present disclosure also contemplates a display device comprising an organic electroluminescent display panel according to any of the embodiments of the present disclosure. The display device may comprise, but is not limited to, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a television set, a display, a notebook computer, a digital photo frame, a navigator, or any product or component having a display function.
(64) According to the organic electroluminescent display panels, the methods of manufacturing the same, and the display devices of the embodiments of the present disclosure, it is possible to prevent lateral conduction of charges to adjacent pixel units, thereby avoiding occurrence of pixel crosstalk problems due to lateral conduction of the charge generation layer.
(65) Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the boundaries between the operations (or steps) described in the above embodiments are merely illustrative. Multiple operations may be combined into a single operation, a single operation may be distributed among additional operations, and operations may be performed at least partially overlapping in time. Moreover, alternative embodiments may include multiple instances of a particular operation, and the operational sequence may be varied in other various embodiments. However, other modifications, changes, and replacements are also possible. Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded as illustrative, rather than limiting.
(66) While the specific embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in detail by way of example, those skilled in the art will readily understand that these embodiments are merely for purpose for describing, not for limiting the scope of the inventions. Also, the various embodiments disclosed herein can be freely combined as appropriate without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made to the embodiments without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. The scopes of the inventions are defined by the appended claims.