Electrowetting display panel, electrowetting display apparatus, method of driving electrowetting display panel, and method of fabricating electrowetting display panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11237381-B2
Application number	US-201916464613-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 7, 2019
Priority date	Jul 3, 2018
Publication date	Feb 1, 2022
Grant date	Feb 1, 2022

Abstract

An electrowetting display panel includes a plurality of subpixels. Each of the plurality of subpixels having a subpixel area and an hater-subpixel area. The electrowetting display panel includes a first substrate, including a first insulating layer, a first electrode layer on the first insulating layer, and a first lyophobic layer on a side of the first electrode layer away from the first insulating layer; a second substrate facing the first substrate, including a second electrode layer, and a second lyophobic layer on the second electrode layer; and a plurality of sealing elements between the first substrate and the second substrate to define a plurality of fluid channels, each of the plurality of sealing elements being in the inter-subpixel area. The electrowetting display panel includes a first fluid reservoir and a respective one of the plurality of fluid channels between the first lyophobic layer and the second lyophobic layer.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An electrowetting display panel comprising a plurality of subpixels, each of the plurality of subpixels having a subpixel area and an inter-subpixel area, wherein the electrowetting display panel comprises:
a first substrate, comprising a first insulating layer, a first electrode layer on the first insulating layer, and a first lyophobic layer on a side of the first electrode layer away from the first insulating layer;
a second substrate facing the first substrate, comprising a second electrode layer, and a second lyophobic layer on the second electrode layer; and
a plurality of sealing elements between the first substrate and the second substrate to define a plurality of fluid channels, each of the plurality of sealing elements being in the inter-subpixel area;
wherein the electrowetting display panel in a respective one of the plurality of subpixels comprises:
a first fluid reservoir in the first substrate and in the inter-subpixel area for storing an electrowetting fluid; and
a respective one of the plurality of fluid channels between the first lyophobic layer and the second lyophobic layer connecting with the first fluid reservoir;
wherein the second substrate further comprises:
a light shielding layer in the inter-subpixel area;
a second insulating layer on a side of the second electrode layer away from the second lyophobic layer; and
a second via extending through the second insulating layer;
wherein an orthographic projection of the light shielding layer on the first substrate covers the first fluid reservoir; and
the second electrode layer is connected to the light shielding layer through the second via.

2. The electrowetting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the electrowetting display panel in the respective one of the plurality of subpixels further comprises:
a first thin film transistor configured to provide a first driving signal to the first electrode layer; and
a second thin film transistor configured to provide a second driving signal to the second electrode layer.

3. The electrowetting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the first substrate further comprises:
a first via extending through the first insulating layer; and
a conductive layer on a side of the first insulating layer away from the first electrode layer, being connected to the first electrode layer through the first via.

4. The electrowetting display panel of claim 3 , wherein the first substrate further comprises a first buffer layer between the conductive layer and the first insulating layer; and
the first via extends through the first insulating layer and the first buffer layer.

5. The electrowetting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the light shielding layer connects a second thin film transistor to the second electrode layer in the respective one of the plurality of subpixels.

6. The electrowetting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the light shielding layer is in direct contact with the second electrode layer.

7. The electrowetting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the electrowetting display panel in the respective one of the plurality of subpixels comprises a second fluid reservoir in the second substrate and in the inter-subpixel area for storing the electrowetting fluid, and in fluid communication with the respective one of the plurality of fluid channels.

8. The electrowetting display panel of claim 7 , wherein the first fluid reservoir and the second fluid reservoir are disposed on two opposite sides of the respective one of the plurality of subpixels in a substantially symmetrical fashion with respect to the respective one of the plurality of fluid channels.

9. The electrowetting display panel of claim 7 , wherein the first fluid reservoir and the second fluid reservoir are disposed in a substantially asymmetrical fashion with respect to the respective one of the plurality of fluid channels.

10. The electrowetting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the second substrate further comprises a second buffer layer on a side of the second insulating layer away from the second electrode layer; and
the second via extends through the second insulating layer and the second buffer layer.

11. The electrowetting display panel of claim 10 , wherein the light shielding layer is in direct contact with the second buffer layer.

12. The electrowetting display panel of claim 1 , further comprising an electrowetting fluid in one or a combination of the respective one of the plurality of fluid channels and the first fluid reservoir;
wherein the electrowetting fluid in at least two of the plurality of subpixels has different colors.

13. The electrowetting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the first fluid reservoir extends into the first substrate by a depth in a range of approximately 40 μm to approximately 80 μm, and has a lateral width in a range of approximately 15 μm to approximately 30 μm.

14. The electrowetting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the first lyophobic layer covers the first electrode layer; and
the second lyophobic layer covers the second electrode layer.

15. The electrowetting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the first substrate further comprises a first dielectric layer between the first electrode layer and the first lyophobic layer, and is covered by the first lyophobic layer; and
the second substrate further comprises a second dielectric layer between the second electrode layer and the second lyophobic layer, and is covered by the second lyophobic layer.

16. The electrowetting display panel of claim 1 , wherein the second electrode layer is a transparent electrode layer; and
the second lyophobic layer is a transparent lyophobic layer.

17. An electrowetting display apparatus, comprising the electrowetting display panel of claim 1 , and one or more integrated circuits connected to the electrowetting display panel.

18. A method of fabricating an electrowetting display panel comprising a plurality of subpixels, each of the plurality of subpixels having a subpixel area and an inter-subpixel area, wherein the method comprises:
forming a first substrate comprising a first insulating layer, a first electrode layer on the first insulating layer, a first lyophobic layer on a side of the first electrode layer away from the first insulating layer, and a first fluid reservoir in the first substrate and in the inter-subpixel area for storing an electrowetting fluid in a respective one of the plurality of subpixels;
forming a second substrate facing the first substrate, comprising a second electrode layer, and a second lyophobic layer on the second electrode layer;
forming a plurality of sealing elements between the first substrate and the second substrate to define a plurality of fluid channels, each of the plurality of sealing elements being in the inter-subpixel area; and
assembling the first substrate and the second substrate together thereby forming a respective one of the plurality of fluid channels between the first lyophobic layer and the second lyophobic layer connecting with the first fluid reservoir;
wherein the electrowetting display panel in the respective one of the plurality of subpixels comprises:
a first fluid reservoir in the first substrate and in the inter-subpixel area for storing the electrowetting fluid; and
a respective one of the plurality of fluid channels between the first lyophobic layer and the second lyophobic layer connecting with the first fluid reservoir
wherein the second substrate further comprises:
a light shielding layer in the inter-subpixel area;
a second insulating layer on a

Assignees

• Beijing Boe Optoelectronics Tech Co Ltd
• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Lv Mingyang
• Li Yue
• Li Yanchen
• Li Jinyu
• Zhao Yu
• Feng Dawei
• Guo Wang

Classifications

• G02B26/005 Primary

  based on electrowetting · CPC title

• G02F1/1685

  Operation of cells; Circuit arrangements affecting the entire cell · CPC title

• G09G3/348

  based on the deformation of a fluid drop, e.g. electrowetting · CPC title

• G02B2207/115

  Electrowetting · CPC title

• G02F1/167 Primary

  by electrophoresis · CPC title