Flexible display panel, fabrication method, and flexible display apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9929374-B2
Application number	US-201715497792-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2017
Priority date	Dec 28, 2016
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

A flexible display panel and a flexible display apparatus are provided. The flexible display panel comprises a flexible substrate, an organic light-emitting layer disposed on a side of the flexible substrate and having a first side facing the flexible substrate and an opposing side, and a thin-film-encapsulation layer disposed on the opposing side of the organic light-emitting layer and including at least one organic encapsulation layer and at least one inorganic encapsulation layer. The flexible display panel includes at least one bending area. The at least one organic encapsulation layer has a first side facing the flexible substrate and an opposing side. In the at least one bending area, at least one groove is formed on the opposing side of the at least one organic encapsulation layer. A bottom width W of the at least one groove is configured to be

W
≥

n

180
⁢
°

⁢
π
⁢

⁢

R
.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible display panel, comprising:
a flexible substrate;
an organic light-emitting layer disposed on a side of the flexible substrate and having a first side facing the flexible substrate and an opposing side; and
a thin-film-encapsulation layer disposed on the opposing side of the organic light-emitting layer and including at least one organic encapsulation layer and at least one inorganic encapsulation layer,
wherein:
the flexible display panel includes at least one bending area;
the at least one organic encapsulation layer has a first side facing the flexible substrate and an opposing side;
the at least one inorganic encapsulation layer has a first side facing the flexible substrate and an opposing side;
in the at least one bending area, at least one groove is formed on the opposing side of the at least one organic encapsulation layer; and
a bottom width W of the at least one groove is configured to be

W
≥

n

180
⁢
°

⁢
π
⁢

⁢
R

,

where n is a maximum bending angle of the at least one bending area, 0°<n≤180°, and R is a bending radius of the at least one bending area.

2. The flexible display panel according to claim 1 , wherein:
the bottom width W of the at least one groove is configured to be W=πR.

3. The flexible display panel according to claim 1 , wherein:
the bending radius R is greater than or equal to about 0.1 mm.

4. The flexible display panel according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one organic encapsulation layer includes a first organic encapsulation sub-layer and a second organic encapsulation sub-layer;
the first organic encapsulation sub-layer is configured continuously;
the second organic encapsulation sub-layer is discontinued in the at least one bending area to form the at least one groove; and
the second organic encapsulation sub-layer is configured on the opposing side of the first organic encapsulation sub-layer.

5. The flexible display panel according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one organic encapsulation layer is formed by an ink jet printing process.

6. The flexible display panel according to claim 1 , wherein:
the thin-film-encapsulation layer includes a first inorganic encapsulation layer, a second inorganic encapsulation layer, and a first organic encapsulation layer,
wherein the first organic encapsulation layer is disposed between the first inorganic encapsulation layer and the second inorganic encapsulation layer;
the first inorganic encapsulation layer is disposed between the organic light-emitting layer and the first organic encapsulation layer; and
in the at least one bending area, the at least one groove is formed on the first organic encapsulation layer.

7. The flexible display panel according to claim 1 , wherein:
the thin-film-encapsulation layer includes a first inorganic encapsulation layer, a first organic encapsulation layer, a second inorganic encapsulation layer, a second organic encapsulation layer, and a third inorganic encapsulation layer, which are configured sequentially on the opposing side of the organic light-emitting layer, and
in the at least one bending area, the at least one groove is formed in either the first organic encapsulation layer or the second organic encapsulation layer.

8. The flexible display panel according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one organic encapsulation layer is configured with the at least one groove and has a thickness of approximately between 2 μm and 40 μm; and
the at least one groove has a thickness of approximately between 1 μm and 20 μm.

9. The flexible display panel according to claim 1 , comprising at least one of the following:
a bottom of the at least one groove transitions to a side wall of the at least one groove through a first curved line; and
the side wall of the at least one groove transitions to a non-recessed surface of the at least one organic encapsulation layer through a second curved line.

10. The flexible display panel according to claim 9 , wherein:
an angle α between the first curved line and the bottom of the at least one groove is approximately in a range of 0°<α≤70°.

11. The flexible display panel according to claim 10 , wherein:
an angle β between the second curved line and the non-recessed surface of the at least one organic encapsulation layer is approximately in a range of 0°<β≤60°.

12. The flexible display panel according to claim 9 , wherein:
an angle α between the first curved line and the bottom of the at least one groove is approximately in a range of 15°<α≤70°.

13. The flexible display panel according to claim 12 , wherein:
an angle β between the second curved line and the non-recessed surface of the at least one organic encapsulation layer is approximately in a range of 15°<β≤45°.

14. The flexible display panel according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one bending area includes a plurality of grooves; and
the plurality of the grooves is arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to an extension direction of a groove.

15. The flexible display panel according to claim 1 , wherein:
the at least one organic encapsulation layer is made of acrylic, epoxy, or silicone materials.

16. The flexible display panel according to claim 1 , wherein:
the flexible display panel includes a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area; and
at least one of the display area and the non-display area is configured with the at least one bending area.

17. The flexible display panel according to claim 16 , wherein:
a peripheral circuit is configured in the non-display area; and
the peripheral circuit at least partially overlaps with the at least one bending area in a direction perpendicular to the flexible substrate.

18. The flexible display panel according to claim 16 , wherein:
the display area includes two sections; and
the at least one bending area is disposed between the two sections of the display area.

19. The flexible display panel according to claim 18 , wherein:
the display area includes two sections for displaying different images; and
the at least one bending area is disposed between the two sections of the display area.

20. The flexible display panel according to claim 16 , wherein:
an orthogonal projection of the at least one groove onto the organic light-emitting layer is located between two rows or two columns of sub-pixels.

21. The flexible display panel according to claim 16 , wherein:
the flexible display panel includes a plurality of bending areas; and
a plurality of grooves in the plurality of the bending areas are arranged in parallel.

22. The flexible display panel according to claim 16 , wherein:
the at least one groove is arranged in a straight line or a folded line in an extension direction of the at least one groove.

23. A flexible display apparatus, comprising the flexible display panel according to claim 1 .

24. A fabri

Assignees

• Shanghai Tianma Am Oled Co Ltd
• Tianma Micro Electronics Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jin Jian
• Su Congyi

Classifications

• H10D84/01

  Manufacture or treatment · CPC title

• H01L51/56

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/0097

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L2251/5338

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/5246 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic