CN111856800A - Display panel and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A display panel comprises a first substrate and a second substrate which are assembled together, a display medium layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, frame glue between the first substrate and the second substrate and surrounding the display medium layer, a first alignment layer between the first substrate and the display medium layer, a second alignment layer between the second substrate and the display medium layer and a hydrophobic surface. One of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer has an independent central portion. The hydrophobic surface extends from an edge of the free-standing central portion toward an edge of one of the first and second substrates. The sealant extends at least between the hydrophobic surface and an edge of one of the first and second substrates. The hydrophobic surface comprises a hydrophobic material that is more hydrophobic than the freestanding central portion.

Description

Display panel and manufacturing method thereof

technical field

The present invention relates to an electronic device, and in particular, to a display panel.

Background technique

The liquid crystal display panel generally includes a display medium layer, which includes a liquid crystal material, and the liquid crystal material includes liquid crystal molecules. During the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display panel, the display medium layers are connected or assembled together via sealant or adhesive and sandwiched between the top and bottom substrates. The process typically involves dropping a liquid crystal liquid including liquid crystal molecules on a top or bottom substrate via a dispenser or ink-jet printer. When a curable material is used as a sealant or adhesive, liquid crystal molecules may come into contact with the uncured sealant before the sealant is cured. Such contacts may affect the physical properties of the liquid crystal material, eg, the resistivity or ionic content of the liquid crystal material. In other words, the performance of the display may be adversely affected by contaminants formed when the liquid crystal molecules come into contact with the uncured sealant.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A display panel and a method of manufacturing the same are described. Display panels employ hydrophobic surfaces to prevent or reduce contamination of the display medium layer due to contact with uncured sealant, which can adversely affect the performance of the display.

The present invention provides a display panel comprising a first substrate, a second substrate, a display medium layer, a sealant, a first alignment layer, a second alignment layer and a hydrophobic surface. The second substrate is assembled with the first substrate. The display medium layer is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The sealant is disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and surrounds the display medium layer. The first alignment layer is disposed on the first substrate and between the first substrate and the display medium layer. The second alignment layer is disposed on the second substrate and between the second substrate and the display medium layer. One of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer has an independent center portion. The hydrophobic surface extends from the edge of the freestanding central portion towards the edge of one of the first and second substrates. The sealant extends at least between the hydrophobic surface and an edge of one of the first and second substrates. The hydrophobic surface includes a hydrophobic material that is more hydrophobic than the freestanding central portion.

In some embodiments of the invention, the sealant covers the hydrophobic surface.

In some embodiments of the invention, the sealant partially covers the freestanding central portion.

In some embodiments of the present invention, one of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer further includes an outer portion. A gap separates the outer part from the independent central part. The hydrophobic surface extends in the gap.

In some embodiments of the invention, the separate central portion and the sealant are separated by a gap, and the hydrophobic surface extends in the gap.

In some embodiments of the invention, the boundary between the freestanding central portion and the hydrophobic surface is aligned with the edge of the sealant.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the display panel further includes an underlying hydrophobic surface disposed under the freestanding central portion. The underlying hydrophobic surface includes the same material as the hydrophobic surface.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the display panel further includes an outer hydrophobic surface extending between the hydrophobic surface and an edge of one of the first and second substrates. The outer hydrophobic surface includes the same material as the hydrophobic surface.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the display panel further includes an inorganic layer disposed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate. A portion of the inorganic layer has a top surface as a hydrophobic surface.

In some embodiments of the invention, another portion of the inorganic layer overlaps the freestanding central portion.

In some embodiments of the invention, a portion of the inorganic layer and another portion of the inorganic layer extend continuously between one of the first and second substrates and one of the first and second alignment layers.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the thickness of the inorganic layer is different from the thickness of one of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the thickness of the inorganic layer is substantially the same as the thickness of one of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the display panel further includes a first inorganic layer and a second inorganic layer disposed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate. The first inorganic layer is disposed between the second inorganic layer and one of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer. The first inorganic layer has a gap that exposes a portion of the second inorganic layer. The top surface of a portion of the second inorganic layer serves as a hydrophobic surface.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the hydrophobic material includes silanes, fluorinated silanes, long chain alcohols or acids.

The present invention also provides a preparation method of a display panel, which includes the following steps. A first substrate and a second substrate are provided. An alignment material layer is formed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate and each alignment material layer is patterned to form an independent center portion. Forms a hydrophobic surface. The hydrophobic surface extends from the edge of the freestanding central portion towards the edge of one of the first and second substrates. A sealant material is formed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate. A gap separates the sealant material from the freestanding central portion, and the hydrophobic surface extends in the gap. Drop the display medium material onto the freestanding center section. The display media material is bounded by the hydrophobic surface and does not come into contact with the sealant material. The first substrate and the second substrate are assembled through a sealant material. The sealant material is cured to form the sealant.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a portion of one of the first substrate and the second substrate is hydrophobically modified to form a hydrophobic surface, and the gap exposes a portion of the one of the first substrate and the second substrate.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the method further includes forming an inorganic layer on one of the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the inorganic layer is exposed in the gap between the freestanding center portion and the sealant material.

In some embodiments of the present invention, the inorganic layer is hydrophobically modified to form a hydrophobic surface.

In some embodiments of the present invention, a layer of alignment material is completely coated on one of the first substrate and the second substrate, cured and patterned to form an alignment layer comprising a separate central portion and an outer portion, A gap separates the outer part from the independent central part.

In some embodiments of the invention, a portion of one of the first substrate and the second substrate is hydrophobically modified to form a hydrophobic surface, wherein the portion is exposed by the gap.

Based on the above, the hydrophobic surface at least prevents or reduces the contamination of the display medium layer by the uncured sealant. The edge of the independent central portion of one of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer can also help achieve the same effect. Thus, the hydrophobic surface prevents or reduces degradation of display performance, which may be due to display medium layer contamination from contact of the display medium layer with uncured sealant.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the following embodiments are given and described in detail with the accompanying drawings as follows.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3A to 3E are schematic cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4 to 8 are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

9A to 9D are schematic cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

10A to 10D are schematic cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

11 to 17 are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

18A to 18D are schematic cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

19 and 20 are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

21A to 21D are schematic cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of reference numbers:

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1700, 1800, 1900, 2000: Display panel

101, 201, 301, 801, 901, 1001: the first alignment layer

101a, 402a, 901a, 902a: independent central parts

101aT, 102T: Surface

101b, 301b, 402b, 901b, 902b: External part

101g, 228g, 328g, 402g, 901g: Clearance

101m: The first alignment material layer

102, 202, 302, 402, 902: the second alignment layer

103, 203, 303, 403, 503, 603, 703: Inorganic layer

105, 205: Hydrophobic surface

106, 206, 306, 406, 506, 606, 706, 906, 1006, 1106, 1206, 1406, 1506: Sealant

106m: Sealant material

107, 207, 307: Display medium layer

107m: Display medium material

110: First substrate

114: The first support plate

116: Electrode layer

120, 220, 320, 420: the second substrate

124: Second support plate

126: Active layer

128, 228, 328, 428: protective layer

228a: first inorganic layer

228b: Second inorganic layer

428p: Protrusions

AL1: The first alignment layer

AL2: Second Alignment Layer

DP: Display Panel

HS: Hydrophobic Surface

ICP: Independent Center Section

SB1: first substrate

SB2: Second substrate

SL: Sealant

W: width

Detailed ways

The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, identical or similar components will be designated by the same reference numerals in the drawings.

FIG. 1 schematically shows a top view of some components of a display panel DP. Referring to FIG. 1 , the display panel DP includes a first substrate SB1 , a second substrate SB2 , a sealant SL, a display medium layer (not shown in FIG. 1 ), a first alignment layer AL1 with an independent center portion ICP, and a second alignment layer AL2 and the hydrophobic surface HS. Figure 1 only shows the relative arrangement and position of the components as seen from above, and does not show the stacking relationship between the components. In this embodiment, the first substrate SB1 and the second substrate SB2 are stacked on top of each other, and the shapes of the two substrates viewed from above may be substantially the same, so the outlines of the first substrate SB1 and the second substrate SB2 are as shown in the figure Align as shown in 1. The independent center portion ICP and the hydrophobic surface HS of the first alignment layer AL1 may be disposed on one of the first and second substrates SB1 and SB2 and face the other of the first and second substrates SB1 and SB2, while the second The alignment layer AL2 is provided on the other of the first substrate SB1 and the second substrate SB2. The sealant SL may be disposed between the first substrate SB1 and the second substrate SB2 to completely surround the display medium layer, so the display medium layer and the sealant SL are sandwiched between the first substrate SB1 and the second substrate SB2.

As shown in Figure 1, the hydrophobic surface HS abuts and completely surrounds the independent central portion ICP and extends a width W outward from the independent central portion ICP. The hydrophobic surface HS includes a hydrophobic material that is more hydrophobic than the independent central portion ICP of the first alignment layer AL1. The sealant SL extends at least between the hydrophobic surface HS and the edge of the first substrate SB1 or the second substrate SB2. In this embodiment, the inner edge of the sealant SL is aligned with the outer edge of the hydrophobic surface HS. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the sealant SL may extend inward to at least partially cover the hydrophobic surface HS or may extend further inward to also cover the outer portion of the independent central portion ICP of the first alignment layer AL1.

Viewed from above, the hydrophobic surface HS and the sealant SL may have a frame-like pattern. At least the central area of the display panel DP is surrounded by the sealant SL, and the first alignment layer AL1 and the second alignment layer AL2 are in contact with the display medium layer. In some embodiments, the display medium layer is a liquid crystal layer, and the first alignment layer AL1 and the second alignment layer AL2 can align the liquid crystal molecules and cause a pre-tilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2 , the display panel 100 includes a first substrate 110 , a second substrate 120 , a sealant 106 , a display medium layer 107 , a first alignment layer 101 having an independent center portion 101 a , a second alignment layer 102 and a hydrophobic surface 105 . The display panel 100 may have a top view similar to that of the display panel DP in FIG. 1 , wherein the first alignment layer AL1 in FIG. 1 may present a top view of the independent central portion 101 a of the first alignment layer 101 . In other words, the display panel 100 shown in FIG. 2 is similar to the display panel DP shown in FIG. 1 . Further description of the same details of the display panel 100 shown in FIG. 2 as the display panel DP already described in FIG. 1 may be omitted.

In FIG. 2 , the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 are arranged opposite to each other, and the sealant 106 is disposed between the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 . Specifically, the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 are assembled with each other via the sealant 106 . The display medium layer 107 is disposed between the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 and surrounded by the sealant 106 . The display medium layer 107 is surrounded by the first substrate 110 , the second substrate 120 and the sealant 106 . The material of the display medium layer 107 can be a liquid crystal material, so the first substrate 110 , the second substrate 120 , the display medium layer 107 and the sealant 106 can be used as liquid crystal cells.

The first alignment layer 101 is disposed between the first substrate 110 and the display medium layer 107 . In this specific embodiment, the first alignment layer 101 is composed of an independent central portion 101a. The hydrophobic surface 105 of the first substrate 110 extends a width W from the edge of the independent central portion 101a outward toward the edge of the first substrate 110 . The hydrophobic surface 105 of FIG. 2 may have a top view similar to the hydrophobic surface HS shown in FIG. 1 , except that the sealant 106 of FIG. 2 may extend to overlap the hydrophobic surface 105 . The inner edge of the sealant 106 is aligned with the boundary between the freestanding central portion 101a and the hydrophobic surface 105 . The second alignment layer 102 is disposed between the second substrate 120 and the display medium layer 107 . The properties of the first alignment layer 101 (including the material thereof) may be the same as those of the second alignment layer 102 , but the present invention is not limited thereto.

The first substrate 110 may include a first support plate 114 and an electrode layer 116 disposed on the first support plate 114 . The electrode layer 116 completely covers the surface of the first support plate 114 facing the display medium layer 107; alternatively, the electrode layer 116 can be patterned as required. The material of the first support plate 114 may be glass, quartz, or the like. The material of the electrode layer 116 may be a transparent conductive material, for example, indium tin oxide (ITO). The first alignment layer 101 is disposed on the electrode layer 116 and is opposite to the first support plate 114 .

The second substrate 120 may be a transistor array substrate, which includes a second support plate 124 , an active layer 126 and a protective layer 128 . The active layer 126 is disposed between the second support plate 124 and the display medium layer 107 , and the protective layer 128 is disposed between the active layer 126 and the display medium layer 107 . The second support plate 124 may be a glass plate, a silicon backplane, or the like. The active layer 126 may be a transistor array, eg, a thin film transistor array or a complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) element array. The protective layer 128 may include oxides or nitrides or other corrosion resistant materials for protecting the active layer 126 from erosion. The active layer 126 and the electrode layer 116 can provide a driving electric field to drive the display medium layer 107 . In some embodiments, the display panel 100 may be a thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panel or a liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) display panel. In some alternative embodiments, the electrode layer 116 may be omitted based on the driving circuit design of the display panel 100 .

The first alignment layer 101 is disposed between the electrode layer 116 and the display medium layer 107 . The first alignment layer 101 is disposed on the electrode layer 116 , and the electrode layer 116 is sandwiched between the first alignment layer 101 and the first support plate 114 .

The second alignment layer 102 is disposed on the protective layer 128 and between the protective layer 128 and the display medium layer 107 . In this specific embodiment, the second alignment layer 102 completely covers the side of the second substrate 120 facing the display medium layer 107 .

3A to 3E are schematic cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a display panel 200 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The manufacturing method of the display panel 200 of FIG. 3E may include the following steps, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the order of the steps is not limited to the order of steps presented here.

Referring to FIG. 3A , a first substrate 110 is provided, which includes a first support plate 114 and an electrode layer 116 disposed on the first support plate 114 . The first substrate 110 may be similar to that shown in FIG. 2 . The first alignment material layer 101 m is disposed on the electrode layer 116 of the first substrate 110 . The material of the first alignment material layer 101m may be organic (eg, heat-curable or UV-curable polyimide) or inorganic (eg, silicon oxide, zinc oxide, or a combination thereof).

Referring to FIG. 3B , the first alignment material layer 101 m is patterned to form the first alignment layer 201 . However, the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the first alignment layer 201 can be directly formed into a desired pattern, thereby omitting the patterning step after the forming step. In this specific embodiment, the first alignment layer 201 is composed of an independent central portion 101a and an outer portion 101b separated from the independent central portion 101a via a gap 101g. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, the first alignment layer may have different patterns. The first alignment layer 201 may be similar to the first alignment layer 101 shown in FIG. 2 in other respects. In some embodiments, the material of the first alignment material layer 101m is organic, and the first alignment layer 201 may be formed through a wet process, such as spin coating, slit coating, Flexographic coating (APR coating) or inkjet printing. The raw material used may include polyamic acid or polyimide, which may then be cured to form the first alignment layer 201 . The organic material of the first alignment layer 201 may include thermally cured or UV cured polyimide. In some embodiments, the material of the first alignment material layer 101m is inorganic, and the first alignment layer 201 can be formed by, for example, a sol-gel process or thermal evaporation of a desired material, For example, obliquely deposited silicon oxide ( _SiOx ), nanostructured zinc oxide (ZnO) or nanoporous anodic aluminium oxide (nanoporous anodic aluminium oxide). The first alignment material layer 101m of inorganic material may be patterned through etching, including wet etching or dry etching (eg, laser etching or plasma etching), to produce the first alignment layer 201 . Alternatively, the first alignment layer 201 of inorganic material may be directly formed in a desired pattern by masking the areas where the material of the first alignment layer 201 is not required, eg, using a shadow mask during the thermal evaporation process. In some embodiments, the first alignment layer 201 may have a thickness between about 200 nanometers and 2000 nanometers.

Referring to FIG. 3C , hydrophobic modification is performed on the surface of the electrode layer 116 exposed by the gap 101 g to form the hydrophobic surface 105 . The hydrophobic surface 105 may be similar to that shown in FIG. 2 . Hydrophobic modification of the surface of the electrode layer 116 can be performed by disposing a hydrophobic material on the surface, eg, by chemical vapor deposition or ink jet printing. The hydrophobic material may include silane, fluorinated silane, long-chain alcohol or acid. The hydrophobic surface 105 is more hydrophobic than the first alignment layer 201 and may have a water contact angle greater than 60 degrees.

Referring to FIG. 3D , the sealant material 106m is formed on the first substrate 110 , wherein the gap 101g separates the sealant material 106m from the independent center portion 101a of the first alignment layer 201 . In the present embodiment, the sealant material 106m is formed on the outer portion 101b of the first alignment layer 201 . A display medium material 107m (eg, a liquid crystal material) is disposed on the independent central portion 101a of the first alignment layer 201 . Diffusion or flow of the display medium material 107m is restricted by the hydrophobic surface 105 so that the display medium material 107m does not come into contact with the sealant material 106m. The display medium material 107m may be disposed on the independent central portion 101a through a onedrop filling (ODF) process, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the display panel 100, the display panel 200, or the display panels described below may be fabricated from a mother panel. The motherboard may include a plurality of display units, and each display unit of the motherboard is cut from one motherboard. During the liquid crystal drop injection (ODF) process, the display medium material is sequentially dropped on each display unit. Therefore, some display elements are dropped into the display medium material earlier than others, so that the display medium material is in contact with the uncured sealant material for longer in some display elements during the dropping step of the display medium material. However, in this embodiment, the hydrophobic surface 105 limits the diffusion of the display medium material 107m, minimizing the contact of the display medium material 107m with the uncured sealant material 106m. Thus, contamination of the display medium material 107m with the uncured sealant material 106m can be avoided or minimized.

Referring to FIG. 3E , a second substrate 120 is provided, which includes a second support plate 124 , an active layer 126 and a protective layer 128 . The second alignment layer 102 is formed on the protective layer 128 of the second substrate 120 . The second substrate 120 and the second alignment layer 102 may be similar to those shown in FIG. 2 . The material of the second alignment layer 102 may be the same as the material of the first alignment layer 201 , but the present invention is not limited thereto. The formation process of the second alignment layer 102 may also be different from the formation process of the first alignment layer 201, and the difference lies in that the formed patterns may be different. For example, in this embodiment, the second alignment layer 102 completely covers the top surface of the protective layer 128 without any further patterning.

After that, the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 are assembled through the sealant material 106m. The sealant material 106m may comprise a curable material, eg, a light-curable material or a heat-curable material. After bonding the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 via the sealant material 106m, a photocuring or thermal curing step may be performed to form the sealant 206. The display medium material 107 m may fill the display medium space surrounded by the sealant 206 , the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 to form the display medium layer 207 . The sealant 206 and the display medium layer 207 may be similar to the sealant 106 and the display medium layer 107 of the display panel 100 of FIG. 2 .

The surface 101aT of the first alignment layer 201 and the surface 102T of the second alignment layer 102 are in direct contact with the display medium layer 207 . In some embodiments, the material of the first alignment layer 201 and the second alignment layer 102 is silicon oxide, and before the display panel 200 is assembled, the surface 101aT can be cleaned by, for example, a wet cleaning process using a water jet. and at least one of surface 102T. Surface 101aT and surface 102T may have a water contact angle of about 5 degrees or less when cleaned, compared to a water contact angle of between 20 degrees and 40 degrees when uncleaned. A smaller water contact angle may facilitate a uniform pre-tilt angle of the material (eg, liquid crystal) of the display medium layer 207 .

Likewise, before assembling the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 using the sealant 206, the amount and position of the display medium material 107m and the sealant material 106m deposited on the first alignment layer 201 can be adjusted (as shown in FIG. 3 ). shown) so that the sealant 206 and the display medium layer 207 in the display panel 200 can reach the desired size and position after assembly. During the assembly step, the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 may be positioned on opposite sides of the sealant material 106m, and the sealant material 106m may be compressed and cured. Thus, the cured sealant 206 may have a different width than the uncured sealant material 106m. In the specific embodiment shown in FIG. 3E , after compression and curing, the sealant 206 of the display panel 200 covers the hydrophobic surface 105 , partially covers the freestanding central portion 101 a of the first alignment layer 201 and faces the first alignment layer 201 The outer edge of the outer portion 101b extends. The area of the sealant 206 covering a portion of the independent central portion 101a , the hydrophobic surface 105 and a portion of the outer portion 101b is substantially the same as the opposite area of the sealant 206 covering a portion of the second alignment layer 102 . The display panel 100 of FIG. 2 can be manufactured through a method similar to that shown in FIGS. 3A to 3E, except that the amount of the sealant material 106m and the drop position of the display medium material 107m can be adjusted at least, so that as shown in FIG. 2 The cured sealant 106 does not cover the top surface of the independent central portion 101 a of the first alignment layer 101 .

4 to 8 are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 4 to 8 , each of the display panels 300 to 700 is similar to the display panel 200 of FIG. 3E . Each of the display panels 300 to 700 includes a first substrate 110 , a second substrate 120 and a hydrophobic surface 105 . The display panel 300 in FIG. 4 further includes a sealant 306 , a display medium layer 207 , a first alignment layer 301 having an independent central portion 101 a and an outer portion 301 b , and a second alignment layer 102 . The display panel 400 in FIG. 5 further includes a sealant 406 , a display medium layer 207 , a first alignment layer 201 having an independent central portion 101 a and an outer portion 101 b , and a second alignment layer 202 . The display panel 500 in FIG. 6 further includes a sealant 506 , a display medium layer 207 , a first alignment layer 201 having an independent central portion 101 a and an outer portion 101 b , and a second alignment layer 302 . The display panel 600 in FIG. 7 further includes a sealant 606 , a display medium layer 307 , a first alignment layer 201 having an independent central portion 101 a and an outer portion 101 b , and a second alignment layer 102 . The display panel 700 in FIG. 8 further includes a sealant 706 , a display medium layer 407 , a first alignment layer 201 having an independent central portion 101 a and an outer portion 101 b , and a second alignment layer 102 . The first substrate 110, the second substrate 120, the sealants, the display medium layers, the first alignment layers, the second alignment layers, and the hydrophobic surface 105 may be similar to those shown in FIG. 3E. The respective display panels 300 to 700 of FIGS. 4 to 8 will be sequentially described, and the same details as those of the display panel 200 of FIG. 3E will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the display panel 300 is different from the display panel 200 of FIG. 3E in that the outer portion 301 b of the first alignment layer 301 extends from the hydrophobic surface 105 toward the edge of the first substrate 110 but does not reach the outer portion of the first substrate 110 edge. Particularly in this embodiment, the sealant 306 of the display panel 300 covers the top surface and the side surface of the outer portion 301b exposed after the first alignment layer 301 is formed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The first alignment layer 301 is formed in a similar manner to the first alignment layer 201 of the display panel 200 of FIG. 3E , wherein the first alignment layer 301 is formed or directly formed into a desired pattern as described in the formation of the gap 101g in FIG. 3B . It is then patterned into the desired pattern.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the difference between the display panel 400 and the display panel 200 of FIG. 3E is that the edge of the second alignment layer 202 extends toward the edge of the second substrate 120 but does not reach the edge of the second substrate 120 . Especially in this embodiment, the sealant 406 and the display medium layer 207 cover the top surface and the side surface of the second alignment layer 202 exposed after the second alignment layer 202 is formed. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the sealant covering the second alignment layer 202 may be narrower, leaving a portion of the second alignment layer 202 exposed. The second alignment layer 202 is formed in a similar manner to the first alignment layer 201 of the display panel 200 of FIG. 3E , wherein the second alignment layer 202 is patterned into a desired pattern after forming or directly forming the desired pattern.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the display panel 500 is different from the display panel 200 of FIG. 3E in that the edge of the second alignment layer 302 is aligned with the edge of the display medium layer 207 . In other words, the second alignment layer 302 extends in the area surrounded by the sealant 506 . Therefore, the sealant 506 does not overlap with the second alignment layer 302 . The second alignment layer 302 is formed in a similar manner to the first alignment layer 201 of the display panel 200 of FIG. 3E , wherein the second alignment layer 302 is patterned into a desired pattern after forming or directly forming the desired pattern.

Referring to FIG. 7 , the display panel 600 is different from the display panel 200 of FIG. 3E in that both the display medium layer 307 and the sealant 606 partially cover the hydrophobic surface 105 . The formation of the display medium layer 307 and the sealant 606 is similar to that of the display medium layer 207 and the sealant 206 of the display panel 200 of FIG. 3E .

8, the display panel 700 is different from the display panel 200 of FIG. 3E in that the inner edge of the sealant 706 is aligned with the boundary between the outer portion 101b of the first alignment layer 201 and the hydrophobic surface 105, and the display medium layer 407 The hydrophobic surface 105 is at least partially covered. The formation of the display medium layer 407 and the sealant 706 is similar to that of the display medium layer 207 and the sealant 206 of the display panel 200 of FIG. 3E .

9A to 9D are schematic cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a display panel 800 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The manufacturing method of the display panel 800 of FIG. 9D may include the following steps, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the order of the steps is not limited to the order of steps presented here. The manufacturing method in FIGS. 9A to 9D will be described and the same details as the manufacturing method of the display panel 200 of FIGS. 3A to 3E that have been described will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 9A , a second substrate 120 is provided, which includes a second support plate 124 , an active layer 126 and a protective layer 128 . The second substrate 120 may be similar to that shown in FIG. 2 or in FIG. 3E. The second alignment material layer 102m is disposed on the protective layer 128 of the second substrate 120 . The second alignment material layer 102m (including its material) may be as described above for the first alignment material layer 101m of FIG. 3A.

9B, the second alignment material layer 102m is patterned to form a second alignment layer 402 having an independent central portion 402a and an outer portion 402b separated from the independent central portion 402a by a gap 402g. The second alignment layer 402 may be formed, patterned, and have properties including its thickness as described above for the first alignment layer 201 in relation to FIGS. 3A-3B .

Referring to FIG. 9C , in a manner similar to that described above with respect to FIGS. 3C to 3D , the sealant material 106m and the hydrophobic surface 105 are formed on the second substrate 120 , and the display medium material 107m is disposed on the independent center portion 402a, wherein in FIG. 9C, the second substrate 120 and the second alignment layer 402 replace the first substrate 110 and the first alignment layer 201, respectively. The sealant material 106m, the hydrophobic surface 105, and the display medium material 107m may be similar to those shown in Figures 3C-3D.

Referring to FIG. 9D, a first substrate 110 is provided, which has a first alignment layer 801 completely covering its top surface. The first substrate 110 and the first alignment layer 801 may be otherwise similar to the corresponding portions shown in FIG. 3E . Then, as described above with respect to FIG. 3E, the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 are assembled via the sealant 206 formed from the sealant material 106m. The present method results in a display panel 800 having a hydrophobic surface 105 on the second substrate 120, that is, on the opposite substrate in the display panel 200 shown in Figure 3E. In this embodiment, the sealant 206 may cover the hydrophobic surface 105 in the gap 402g and a portion of the freestanding center portion 402a, similar to the sealant 206 of Figure 3E covering the hydrophobic surface 105 in the gap 101g and a portion of the freestanding center portion 101a. In some embodiments, the sealant 206 may selectively extend to the edge of the freestanding center portion 402a (as shown in FIG. 2 as the sealant 106), selectively exposing a portion of the gap 402g (as shown in FIG. 7 ) sealant 606), or aligned with the boundary between the gap 402g and the outer portion 402b (as shown in the sealant 706 in FIG. 8). Additionally, in some embodiments, the outer portion 402b of the second alignment layer 402 may be omitted, and the sealant 206 may be in contact with the protective layer 128 in the outer region of the hydrophobic surface 105 . Alternatively, the outer portion 402b of the second alignment layer 402 may not extend to the edge of the second substrate 120, and the sealant 206 may cover the top and side surfaces of the outer portion 402b.

10A to 10D are schematic cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a display panel 900 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The manufacturing method of the display panel 900 of FIG. 10D may include the following steps, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the order of the steps is not limited to the order of steps presented here. The manufacturing method shown in FIGS. 10A to 10D will be described and the same details as those of the manufacturing method of the display panel 200 of FIGS. 3A to 3E that have been described will be omitted.

Referring to FIGS. 10A and 10B , a first substrate 110 is provided, which includes a first support plate 114 and an electrode layer 116 . The first substrate 110 may be similar to that shown in FIG. 2 or in FIG. 3E. In this embodiment, the inorganic layer 103 is disposed on the electrode layer 116 . The inorganic layer 103 may be formed by evaporation, sputtering or atomic layer deposition (ALD). The material of the inorganic layer 103 may be oxide, metal oxide, or a combination thereof, and may include silicon oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum oxide, and the like. In some embodiments, the inorganic layer 103 may be a stacked structure with more than one inorganic material. The formation of the first alignment layer 901 and its properties are as described above for the first alignment layer 201 in relation to FIGS. 3A-3B . In this specific embodiment, the inorganic layer 103 is thinner than the first alignment layer 901 . In the present embodiment, the first alignment layer 901 includes an independent central portion 901a and an outer portion 901b, and a gap 901g is formed in the first alignment layer 901 to separate the independent central portion 901a and the outer portion 901b. As shown in FIG. 10B , the gap 901 g exposes at least a part of the inorganic layer 103 .

Referring to FIG. 10C, hydrophobic surface treatment is performed. The material of the inorganic layer 103 may be different from the material of the first alignment layer 901 and its chemical reactivity to the hydrophobic material used to form the hydrophobic surface 105 may be different, so the hydrophobic surface 105 is preferably formed on the inorganic layer 103 rather than the first on the alignment layer 901 . For example, the inorganic layer 103 may include a material having surface hydroxyl groups to facilitate the formation of the hydrophobic surface 105 . Thus, exposed portions of the inorganic layer 103 can be modified to be functionalized with a hydrophobic material, thereby forming a hydrophobic surface 105 in the gaps 901g on the inorganic layer 103 . In addition, as described above with respect to FIG. 3D, the sealant material 106m is formed on the first substrate 110, and the display medium material 107m is disposed on the independent central portion 901a of the first alignment layer 901, wherein the hydrophobic surface 105, the sealant material 106m and the The display medium material 107m may be similar to that shown in Figure 3D.

10D, a second substrate 120 is provided, and as described above with respect to FIG. 3E, the first substrate 110 and the second substrate 120 are assembled via the sealant 206, wherein the second substrate 120 may be similar to that shown in FIG. 3E. This results in the display panel 900 being disposed on the inorganic layer 103 on the first substrate 110 with the hydrophobic surface 105 . The sealant 206, the hydrophobic surface 105, and the first alignment layer 901 may be similar to those shown in any of FIGS. 2, 7, and 8. FIG.

11 to 17 are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 11 to 17 , each of the display panels 1000 to 1600 is similar to the display panel 900 of FIG. 10D . Each of the display panels 1000 to 1600 includes a first substrate 110 , a second substrate 120 and a hydrophobic surface 105 . The display panel 1000 in FIG. 11 further includes a display medium layer 207 , a sealant 906 , a first alignment layer 1001 having an independent center portion 901 a , a second alignment layer 102 , and an inorganic layer 103 . The display panel 1100 in FIG. 12 further includes a display medium layer 207 , a sealant 106 , a first alignment layer 1001 having an independent center portion 901 a , a second alignment layer 102 and an inorganic layer 203 . The display panel 1200 in FIG. 13 further includes a display medium layer 207 , a sealant 1006 , a first alignment layer 1001 having an independent center portion 901 a , a second alignment layer 102 and an inorganic layer 303 . The display panel 1300 in FIG. 14 further includes a display medium layer 207 , a sealant 1006 , a first alignment layer 1001 having an independent center portion 901 a , a second alignment layer 102 , and an inorganic layer 403 . The display panel 1400 in FIG. 15 further includes a display medium layer 107 , a sealant 1106 , a first alignment layer 201 having an independent central portion 101 a and an outer portion 101 b , a second alignment layer 102 , and an inorganic layer 503 . The display panel 1500 in FIG. 16 further includes a display medium layer 107 , a sealant 1206 , a first alignment layer 201 having an independent central portion 101 a and an outer portion 101 b , a second alignment layer 102 , and an inorganic layer 603 . The display panel 1600 in FIG. 17 further includes a display medium layer 207 , a sealant 206 , a first alignment layer 801 , a second alignment layer 102 having a separate central portion 902 a and an outer portion 902 b , and an inorganic layer 703 . The first substrate 110, the second substrate 120, the display medium layers, the sealants, the first alignment layers, the second alignment layers, the hydrophobic surface 105, and the inorganic layers may be similar to those shown in FIG. 10D. The respective embodiments shown in FIGS. 11 to 17 will be sequentially described, and the same details as those of the foregoing embodiments will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 11 , the display panel 1000 is different from the display panel 100 of FIG. 2 in that an inorganic layer 103 is disposed therein. A portion of the inorganic layer 103 is disposed between the electrode layer 116 of the first substrate 110 and the independent central portion 901a of the first alignment layer 1001 , and the other portion of the inorganic layer 103 including the hydrophobic surface 105 is disposed between the electrode layer 116 and the sealant 906 between. The inorganic layer 103 extends beyond the outer edge of the upper hydrophobic surface 105 toward the edge of the first substrate 110 . In other words, the sealant 906 covers the top and side surfaces of a portion of the inorganic layer 103 between the hydrophobic surface 105 and the edge of the first substrate 110 . The formation of the inorganic layer 103 including the hydrophobic surface 105 and its properties are as described above for the display panel 900 in relation to FIGS. 10A-10C .

Referring to FIG. 12 , the display panel 1100 is different from the display panel 1000 of FIG. 11 in that the edge of the inorganic layer 203 is aligned with the outer edge of the hydrophobic surface 105 . The inorganic layer 203 is the same as the inorganic layer 103 in other respects.

Referring to FIG. 13 , the display panel 1200 is different from the display panel 1000 of FIG. 11 in that the edge of the inorganic layer 303 is aligned with the outer edge of the sealant 1006 . The inorganic layer 303 is the same as the inorganic layer 103 in other respects.

Referring to FIG. 14 , the display panel 1300 is different from the display panel 1000 of FIG. 11 in that the edge of the inorganic layer 403 is aligned with the edge of the first substrate 110 . The inorganic layer 403 is the same as the inorganic layer 103 in other respects.

Referring to FIG. 15 , the difference between the display panel 1400 and the display panel 900 of FIG. 10D is that the thickness of the inorganic layer 503 is substantially the same as the thickness of the first alignment layer 201 . The inorganic layer 503 is the same as the inorganic layer 103 in other respects. In this embodiment, the hydrophobic surface 105 is formed on at least a portion of the inorganic layer 503 to face the sealant 1106 . Other aspects of the hydrophobic surface 105 are as described in the previous embodiments.

Referring to FIG. 16 , the display panel 1500 is different from the display panel 1400 of FIG. 15 in that the inorganic layer 603 is thicker than the first alignment layer 201 . The inorganic layer 603 is the same as the inorganic layer 503 in other respects.

Referring to FIG. 17 , the display panel 1600 is different from the display panel 800 of FIG. 9D in that the inorganic layer 703 is disposed on the protective layer 128 of the second substrate 120 , and then the second alignment layer 902 is formed thereon. The inorganic layer 703 including the hydrophobic surface 105 and the second alignment layer 902 are otherwise identical to the inorganic layer 103 of FIG. 10D and the second alignment layer 402 of FIG. 9D , respectively.

18A to 18D are schematic cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a display panel 1700 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The manufacturing method of the display panel 1700 of FIG. 18D may include the following steps, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the order of the steps is not limited to the order of steps presented here. The manufacturing method shown in FIGS. 18A to 18D will be described and the same details as the manufacturing method of the display panel 800 of FIGS. 9A to 9D that have been described will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 18A , a second substrate 220 is provided, which includes a second support plate 124 , an active layer 126 and a protective layer 228 . The second substrate 220 is different from the second substrate 120 of FIG. 9A in that the protective layer 228 includes a first inorganic layer 228a and a second inorganic layer 228b. The second inorganic layer 228b is disposed on the active layer 126 and between the active layer 126 and the first inorganic layer 228a. In this specific embodiment, the material of the first inorganic layer 228a is different from the material of the second inorganic layer 228b. For example, the material of the first inorganic layer 228a includes silicon nitride, and the material of the second inorganic layer 228b includes silicon oxide. However, the present invention is not limited to this. The first inorganic layer 228a has a gap 228g that exposes a portion of the second inorganic layer 228b.

Referring to FIG. 18B, the second alignment layer 402 is formed on the first inorganic layer 228a. The second alignment layer 402 is formed in a desired pattern with a gap 402g separating the independent central portion 402a from the outer portion 402b of the second alignment layer 402, and the gap 402g corresponds to the underlying gap 228g. That is, after the second alignment layer 402 is formed, the gap 228g is exposed by the gap 402g. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the first inorganic layer 228a, the second inorganic layer 228b, and the second alignment layer 402 may be formed before the gap 228g and the gap 402g are formed, eg, in one step.

Referring to FIGS. 18C and 18D , at least a portion of the surface of the second inorganic layer 228 b exposed by the gap 228 g and the gap 402 g forms the hydrophobic surface 105 . In some embodiments, hydrophobic surface 105 is formed via surface treatment of a portion of the surface of second inorganic layer 228b exposed by gap 228g and gap 402g. In some other embodiments, the hydrophobic surface 105 is formed in the gap 228g before the second alignment layer 402 is formed. For example, in the step of Figure 18A, the second inorganic layer 228b is functionalized with a hydrophobic material, and the first inorganic layer 228a is formed on the functionalized second inorganic layer 228b. Afterwards, a gap 228g is formed to expose a portion of the functionalized surface of the second inorganic layer 228b as the hydrophobic surface 105 .

Subsequent steps for manufacturing display panel 1700 are the same as described for display panel 800 in relation to FIGS. 9C-9D , other parts of display panel 1700 shown in FIG. 18D and any intermediate versions thereof are the same as those shown in FIGS. 9C-9D . The corresponding versions shown are the same or similar. The present method results in the display panel 1700 having the hydrophobic surface 105 on the second inorganic layer 228b of the gap 228g.

19 and 20 are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIGS. 19 and 20 , the display panel 1800 and the display panel 1900 are similar to the display panel 800 of FIG. 9D . Each display panel 1800 and display panel 1900 includes a first substrate 110 , a display medium layer 207 , a first alignment layer 801 , a second alignment layer 402 having a separate center portion 402 a and an outer portion 402 b , and a hydrophobic surface 105 . The display panel 1800 in FIG. 19 further includes the second substrate 320 and the sealant 1406 . The second substrate 320 includes a protective layer 328 and an active layer 126 . The display panel 1900 in FIG. 20 further includes the second substrate 420 and the sealant 1506 . The second substrate 420 includes a protective layer 428 having protrusions 428p, and the hydrophobic surface 105 is the top surface of the protrusions 428p. The first substrate 110, each of the second substrates, the display medium layer 207, each of the sealants, the first alignment layer 801, the second alignment layer 402, and the hydrophobic surface 105 may be similar to the corresponding portions shown in FIG. 9D. The respective embodiments shown in FIGS. 19 and 20 will be sequentially described, and the same details as those of the foregoing embodiments will be omitted.

Referring to FIG. 19 , the difference between the display panel 1800 and the display panel 800 of FIG. 9D is that the protective layer 328 of the second substrate 320 has a gap 328g, and the gap 328g corresponds to the gap 402g of the second alignment layer 402 and extends through the protective layer 328 to the active layer 126 . Further, at least a portion of the surface of the active layer 126 exposed by the gap 328 g of the protective layer 328 is functionalized with a hydrophobic material and serves as the hydrophobic surface 105 .

Referring to FIG. 20 , the difference between the display panel 1900 and the display panel 800 of FIG. 9D is that the protective layer 428 of the second substrate 420 has protrusions 428p, and the protrusions 428p correspond to the gaps 402g of the second alignment layer 402 . In the present embodiment, the protrusions 428p of the protective layer 428 may extend to a height aligned with the top surface of the second alignment layer 402 . However, the present invention is not limited to this. In some embodiments, the height of the protrusions 428p may be different from the thickness of the second alignment layer 402 . In some embodiments, the protrusions 428p of the protective layer 428 may be formed as an additional patterned layer on top of the base layer, wherein the patterned layer and the base layer are the same material. In some embodiments, a passivation material layer is formed, and then the top portion of the passivation material layer is selectively removed via patterning (which may be etching) to form protective layer 428 having protrusions 428p. Further, at least a portion of the top surface of the protrusions 428p of the protective layer 428 is functionalized with a hydrophobic material to serve as the hydrophobic surface 105 . The second alignment layer 402 is then formed on the protective layer 428 and does not cover the hydrophobic surface 105 .

21A to 21D are schematic cross-sectional views of a method for manufacturing a display panel 2000 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The manufacturing method of the display panel 2000 of FIG. 21D may include the following steps, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the order of the steps is not limited to the order of steps presented here. The manufacturing method shown in FIGS. 21A to 21D will be described while omitting the same details as those already described in the previous embodiments, particularly the manufacturing method of the display panel 200 of FIGS. 3A to 3E .

Referring to FIGS. 21A to 21C , a first substrate 110 is provided, which includes a first support plate 114 and an electrode layer 116 disposed on the first support plate 114 . The first substrate 110 may be similar to that shown in FIG. 3E. The hydrophobic surface 205 shown in FIG. 21B is formed on the top surface of the first substrate 110 facing away from the electrode layer 116 of the first support plate 114 before the first alignment layer is formed on the first substrate 110 . Here, the hydrophobic surface 205 may be formed by surface treating the top surface of the electrode layer 116 such that the top surface of the electrode layer 116 is functionalized with a hydrophobic material to serve as the hydrophobic surface 205 . In this particular embodiment, the hydrophobic surface 205 is formed on the entire top surface of the electrode layer 116 . However, the present invention is not limited to this. The hydrophobic surface 205 may otherwise be formed on only a portion of the top surface of the electrode layer 116, similar to how the hydrophobic surface 105 of the display panel 200 of FIG. 3C is formed. After the hydrophobic surface 205 is formed, the first alignment layer 201 as shown in FIG. 21C is formed on the first substrate 110 . The first alignment layer 201 has a gap 101 g exposing a portion of the hydrophobic surface 205 , and the gap 101 g separates the independent central portion 101 a from the outer portion 101 b of the first alignment layer 201 . In other embodiments, the extension of the hydrophobic surface 205 under the first alignment layer 201 may include at least the surface of the electrode layer 116 exposed by the gap 101g up to the entire surface of the electrode layer 116 facing the first alignment layer 201 . For example, the hydrophobic surface 205 may extend in the gap 101 g and under the independent central portion 101 a of the first alignment layer 201 , or may extend in the gap 101 g and under the outer portion 101 b of the first alignment layer 201 . The formation of the first alignment layer 201 and its properties are as described for the display panel 200 in relation to FIG. 3B.

Referring to FIG. 21D , the subsequent steps for manufacturing the display panel 2000 are the same as described for the display panel 200 in relation to FIGS. 3D to 3E , the other parts shown in FIG. 21D and any intermediate versions thereof are the same as those shown in FIGS. 3D and 3E . The corresponding versions shown are the same or similar. This method results in the display panel 2000 having a hydrophobic surface 205 on the entire surface of the electrode layer 116 facing the display medium layer 107 and the sealant 106 and under the first alignment layer 201 . However, the first alignment layer 201 exposes only a portion of the hydrophobic surface 205 surrounding the independent central portion 101 a of the first alignment layer 201 . In this embodiment, the sealant 106 can cover the hydrophobic surface 205 of the gap 101g, and the inner edge of the sealant 106 can be aligned with the edge of the independent center portion 101a. In some embodiments, the sealant 106 may selectively cover a portion of the independent center portion 101a (similar to the sealant 206 shown in FIG. 3E ), selectively cover only a portion of the gap 101g (similar to the sealant of FIG. 7 ) 606), or aligned with the boundary between gap 101g and outer portion 110b (similar to sealant 706 shown in FIG. 8).

In summary, at least the hydrophobic surface adjacent to the independent central portion of at least one of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer limits the range of display medium materials during the fabrication of the display panel to prevent or reduce the display medium material and Contact between uncured sealants, thus preventing or reducing contamination of the display media material by uncured sealants. The edges of the freestanding central portion of at least one of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer can also help limit the extent of the display medium layer to prevent or reduce contact between the display medium layer and the uncured sealant.

Therefore, the hydrophobic surface and the edge of the independent central portion of at least one of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer prevent or reduce the degradation of display panel performance, which may be caused by the contact of the display medium layer with the uncured sealant display media layer contamination.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above with examples, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person of ordinary skill in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The protection scope of the present invention should be defined by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (23)

1. A display panel, comprising: a first substrate; a second substrate assembled with the first substrate; a display medium layer, disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; a sealant, disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate and surrounding the display medium layer; a first alignment layer, disposed on the first substrate and between the first substrate and the display medium layer; a second alignment layer disposed on the second substrate and between the second substrate and the display medium layer, wherein one of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer has an independent center portion; as well as a hydrophobic surface extending from an edge of the freestanding central portion toward an edge of one of the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the sealant is at least on the hydrophobic surface and the first substrate and the second substrate One of the second substrates extends between the edges, and the hydrophobic surface includes a hydrophobic material that is more hydrophobic than the separate central portion. 2. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the sealant covers the hydrophobic surface. 3. The display panel of claim 2, wherein the sealant partially covers the freestanding center portion. 4. The display panel of claim 1, wherein one of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer further comprises an outer portion, a gap separates the outer portion from the independent center portion, and the The hydrophobic surface extends in the gap. 5. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the freestanding central portion and the sealant are separated by a gap, and the hydrophobic surface extends in the gap. 6. The display panel of claim 1, wherein an edge of the sealant is aligned with a boundary between the freestanding central portion and the hydrophobic surface. 7. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising: an underlying hydrophobic surface disposed under the independent center portion, wherein the underlying hydrophobic surface comprises the same material as the hydrophobic surface. 8. The display panel of claim 7, further comprising: an outer hydrophobic surface extending between the hydrophobic surface and the edge of one of the first and second substrates, wherein the The outer hydrophobic surface includes the same material as the hydrophobic surface. 9. The display panel of claim 8, wherein the hydrophobic surface, the underlying hydrophobic surface, and the outer hydrophobic surface extend continuously on the same level. 10. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising: an inorganic layer disposed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein a portion of the inorganic layer has as the hydrophobic surface top surface. 11. The display panel of claim 10, wherein another portion of the inorganic layer overlaps the independent center portion. 12 . The display panel of claim 11 , wherein the portion of the inorganic layer and the other portion of the inorganic layer are continuously connected to one of the first substrate and the second substrate. 13 . Extending between the first alignment layer and one of the second alignment layers. 13. The display panel of claim 12, wherein a thickness of the inorganic layer is different from a thickness of one of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer. 14. The display panel of claim 12, wherein a thickness of the inorganic layer is substantially the same as a thickness of one of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer. 15. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising: a first inorganic layer and a second inorganic layer disposed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the first inorganic layer provided between the second inorganic layer and one of the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer, the first inorganic layer having a gap exposing a portion of the second inorganic layer, and the The top surface of the portion of the second inorganic layer serves as the hydrophobic surface. 16. The display panel of claim 15, wherein materials of the first inorganic layer and the second inorganic layer are different. 17. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the hydrophobic material comprises silane, fluorinated silane, long chain alcohol or acid. 18. A method of manufacturing a display panel, comprising: providing a first substrate and a second substrate; forming an alignment material layer on one of the first substrate and the second substrate and patterning the alignment material layer to form a freestanding center portion; forming a hydrophobic surface extending from an edge of the freestanding central portion toward an edge of one of the first substrate and the second substrate; forming a sealant material on one of the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein a gap separates the sealant material from the independent center portion, and the hydrophobic surface extends in the gap; dropping a display medium material on the freestanding central portion, wherein the display medium material is bounded by the hydrophobic surface and not in contact with the sealant material; assembling the first substrate and the second substrate with the sealant material; and The sealant material is cured to form the sealant. 19. The method of manufacturing a display panel according to claim 18, wherein the hydrophobic surface is formed through hydrophobic modification of a portion of one of the first substrate and the second substrate, and the gap exposes the entire surface. the portion of one of the first substrate and the second substrate. 20. The method of manufacturing a display panel as claimed in claim 18, further comprising: forming an inorganic layer on one of the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein between the independent center portion and the sealant The gaps between materials expose the inorganic layer. 21. The method of manufacturing a display panel according to claim 20, wherein the hydrophobic surface is formed by hydrophobic modification of the inorganic layer. 22. The method of manufacturing a display panel according to claim 18, wherein the alignment material layer is completely coated on one of the first substrate and the second substrate and patterned to form an alignment layer, And the alignment layer includes the independent central portion and an outer portion, wherein the gap separates the outer portion from the independent central portion. 23. The method of manufacturing a display panel of claim 22, wherein the hydrophobic surface is formed through hydrophobic modification of a portion of one of the first substrate and the second substrate, and the gap exposes the the above part.

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