OLED display panel and display device

Abstract

The embodiment of the present application provides an OLED display panel and a display device, wherein the OLED display panel has a bending area, and the bending area includes: a base layer; an inorganic layer, which is arranged on the base layer; a first organic layer, which is arranged on the side of the inorganic layer away from the base layer, and a hollow area is arranged on the first organic layer, the hollow area exposes the inorganic layer, and the hollow area is irregular in shape; a plurality of metal wires are arranged in sequence and spaced on the side of the first organic layer away from the inorganic layer. The OLED display panel and the display device provided by the embodiment of the present application improve the metal residue at the edge of the metal wire, reduce the risk of short circuit between adjacent metal wires, and prevent the presence of water vapor in the first organic layer, thereby avoiding corrosion of the metal wires in the bending area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to an OLED display panel and a display device. Background Art

[0002] In flat panel display technology, OLED display panels have received widespread attention and application for their advantages such as high contrast, wide viewing angle, low power consumption, and bendability. In particular, their bending characteristics have attracted the attention of consumers. As the technology becomes more and more mature, flexible and foldable OLED display panels are gradually becoming a new generation of display technology.

[0003] OLED display panels mainly include display area, fan-out line area, bending area, etc. The bending area is mainly used to lead the signal lines in the display area to the fan-out line area. Therefore, a large number of metal traces for transmitting signals are distributed in the bending area. Since the metal signal lines in the bending area are dense and the distance between adjacent metal lines is very narrow, in the actual production process of OLED display panels, adjacent metal lines in the bending area are prone to short circuit problems, resulting in poor display and seriously reducing the yield and quality of OLED display panels. Summary of the invention

[0004] The embodiments of the present application provide an OLED display panel and a display device to solve the technical problem that the metal circuits in the bending area of ​​the existing OLED display panel are prone to short circuit, thereby causing poor display of the OLED panel.

[0005] In order to solve the above problems, an embodiment of the present application provides an OLED display panel, wherein the OLED display panel has a bending area, and the bending area includes:

[0006] basal layer;

[0007] An inorganic layer, disposed on the base layer;

[0008] A first organic layer is disposed on a side of the inorganic layer away from the base layer, wherein a hollow region is disposed on the first organic layer, wherein the hollow region exposes the inorganic layer, and the hollow region is irregular in shape;

[0009] A plurality of metal wires are sequentially and spaced apart on a side of the first organic layer away from the inorganic layer.

[0010] In some embodiments, the hollow area forms a plurality of spaced grooves, and edges of the grooves are irregularly shaped.

[0011] In some embodiments, the edges of the groove are wavy.

[0012] In some embodiments, the edges of the groove are serrated.

[0013] In some embodiments, the edges of the groove are polygonal.

[0014] In some embodiments, the hollow area includes a plurality of through holes arranged at intervals.

[0015] In some embodiments, the through holes are spaced apart on both sides of the metal line.

[0016] In some embodiments, the OLED display panel further includes a second organic layer, and the second organic layer is disposed on a side of the metal line away from the first organic layer.

[0017] In some embodiments, the OLED display panel further has a display area, the display area includes a plurality of data signal lines, and each of the metal lines is connected to a corresponding data signal line.

[0018] An embodiment of the present application further provides a display device, which includes the OLED display panel described in any one of the above items.

[0019] The embodiments of the present application provide an OLED display panel and a display device, wherein a hollow area is set on the first organic layer in the bending zone, and the hollow area is irregular in shape, and a plurality of metal wires are sequentially and spaced apart on the first organic layer. Therefore, the hollow area with an irregular shape can improve the metal residue at the edge of the metal wire and reduce the risk of short circuit between adjacent metal wires. At the same time, it prevents the presence of water vapor in the organic layer and avoids corrosion of the metal circuit in the bending zone, thereby improving the yield and quality of the OLED display panel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative work.

[0021] In order to more completely understand the present application and its beneficial effects, the following description will be given in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein the same figure numbers represent the same parts in the following description.

[0022] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a first film layer of an OLED display panel provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a first structure of a bending region of an OLED display panel provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 for Figure 2A schematic diagram of a first structure of the first organic layer in the bending area of ​​the OLED display panel is shown.

[0025] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A second structural schematic diagram of the first organic layer in the bending area of ​​the OLED display panel is shown.

[0026] Figure 5 for Figure 2 A third structural schematic diagram of the first organic layer in the bending area of ​​the OLED display panel is shown.

[0027] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a second structure of a bending area of ​​an OLED display panel provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a third structure of a bending area of ​​an OLED display panel provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 8 A schematic diagram of a second film layer of an OLED display panel provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0030] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of the structure of an OLED display panel provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0031] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, rather than all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0032] For existing OLED display panels, since a large number of metal traces are densely arranged in the bending area and the bending area is limited, the distance between adjacent metal traces is very narrow. In the actual production process of OLED display panels, adjacent metal lines in the bending area are prone to short circuits or metal lines are corroded by water and oxygen, resulting in poor display. The embodiments of the present application can improve this problem.

[0033] Please refer to Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a first film layer of an OLED display panel provided by an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a first structure of a bending area of ​​an OLED display panel provided in an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 3 for Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a first structure of the first organic layer in the bending area of ​​the OLED display panel is shown.

[0034] The OLED display panel provided in the embodiment of the present application has a display area 200, a bending area 100, and a fan-out circuit area, wherein the bending area 100 is mainly used to lead the signal line of the display area 200 to the fan-out circuit area to be electrically connected to the display driver chip, so that the display driver chip can be bent to the back of the display area 200.

[0035] The bending area 100 of the OLED display panel includes: a base layer 10; an inorganic layer 20, which is arranged on the base layer 10; a first organic layer 30, which is arranged on the side of the inorganic layer 20 away from the base layer 10, and a hollow area 31 is arranged on the first organic layer 30, and the hollow area 31 is irregularly shaped, and the hollow area 31 exposes the inorganic layer 20; a plurality of metal wires 40, which are arranged in sequence and spaced apart on the side of the first organic layer 30 away from the inorganic layer 20.

[0036] The base layer 10 may be a flexible base, and the material of the flexible base may be at least one of PI (polyimide), PET (polyethylene phthalate), PEN (polyethylene naphthalate), PC (polycarbonate), PES (polyether sulfone), PAR (aromatic fluorotoluene containing polyarylate) or PCO (polycyclic olefin). Preferably, the material of the flexible base layer 10 is PI (polyimide), which may be a common polyimide or a photosensitive polyimide. The film thickness of the flexible base may range from 3 to 20 microns.

[0037] The inorganic layer 20 is disposed on the base layer 10, the bending area 100 forms at least one inorganic layer 20, and the display area 200 can form multiple inorganic layers. The inorganic layer 20 can be formed entirely by physical vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition, and the material of the inorganic layer 20 can be silicon nitride, silicon oxide, or silicon oxynitride. Since the inorganic layer 20 has a high density, it can better isolate water vapor and oxygen, prevent water vapor and oxygen in the air from diffusing into the upper film layer, and improve the display panel's resistance to water and oxygen erosion.

[0038] It should be noted that, since the flexibility of the inorganic layer 20 is relatively poor, in order to improve the bending performance of the bending zone 100, the number of inorganic layers in the bending zone 100 is usually reduced. Therefore, a slope or height difference will appear in the film layer between the bending zone 100 and the display area 200. When etching the conductive layer to form the metal wire 40, since the etching plasma is conventionally etched vertically downward, the metal on the slope or cross section cannot be completely etched away. Therefore, in order to reduce the height difference of the film layer between the bending zone 100 and the display area 200, the embodiment of the present application sets a first organic layer 30 on the side of the inorganic layer 20 of the bending zone 100 away from the base layer 10 to fill the height difference of the film layer between the bending zone 100 and the display area 200, and the flexibility of the organic layer is good, which does not affect the bending performance of the bending zone 100.

[0039] In the embodiment of the present application, the first organic layer 30 is disposed on the side of the inorganic layer 20 away from the base layer 10, and the material of the first organic layer 30 may be polyimide (PI), which may be a common polyimide or a photosensitive polyimide. A hollow region 31 is disposed on the first organic layer 30, and the hollow region 31 exposes the inorganic layer 20. The hollow region 31 may be formed by a photolithography process, or may be realized by dry etching.

[0040] It should be noted that the first organic layer 30 is provided with a hollow area 31. On the one hand, the hollow area 31 can discharge water vapor to avoid the problem of corrosion of the metal line caused by residual water vapor. On the other hand, the hollow area 31 and the non-hollow area 31 form a step difference, which can prevent the entire metal from remaining at the edge of the metal wire 40, thereby reducing the risk of short circuit between adjacent metal wires 40.

[0041] In the embodiment of the present application, a plurality of metal wires 40 are sequentially arranged at intervals on the side of the first organic layer 30 away from the inorganic layer 20. The metal layer is formed on the entire surface by physical vapor deposition or chemical vapor deposition, and then a plurality of metal wires 40 are formed by a photolithography process. The material of the metal layer can be a conductive material such as MoTi, MoTiCu, Cu, Al, etc. It should be noted that the metal wires 40 are arranged in the non-hollowed area 31 of the first organic layer 30, that is, the hollowed area 31 avoids the metal wires 40.

[0042] Continue to refer Figure 2 and Figure 3 , a plurality of spaced grooves are formed in the hollow area 31 of the first organic layer 30, and the edges of the grooves are wavy. First, the first organic layer 30 is formed on the entire surface of the bending area 100, and then a plurality of spaced grooves are formed by a photolithography process, wherein the grooves expose the inorganic layer 20. It should be noted that the grooves are equivalent to the hollow area 31 of the first organic layer 30. Then a metal layer is formed on the side of the first organic layer 30 away from the base layer 10, and the metal layer is etched to form a plurality of metal wires 40. It should be noted that the first organic layer 30 can not only fill the film layer height difference between the display area 200 and the bending area 100, but also because the edges of the grooves formed by the first organic layer 30 are set to be wavy, the problem of the entire metal residue at the edge of the metal wire 40 can be effectively improved, and the risk of short circuit between adjacent metal wires 40 can be reduced. At the same time, the grooves are also conducive to discharging water vapor inside the organic layer to avoid corrosion of the metal circuit.

[0043] Further, the groove edge of the first organic layer 30 in the bending area 100 includes a first section 32 and a second section 33 which are connected alternately in sequence, the shape of the first section 32 is a concave semicircle, the shape of the second section 33 is a straight line, and the end of the first section 32 is connected to the end of the second section 33 in sequence to form a wave shape. It should be noted that the upper edge 41 of the metal wire 40 is set to be flush with the upper edge of the second section 33, the lower edge 42 of the metal wire 40 is set to be flush with the lower edge of the second section 33, and the semicircle of the first section 32 exceeds the edges of the metal wire 40 on both sides. Therefore, the wavy hollow area 31 of the first organic layer 30 can make the first organic layer 30 form multiple steps on the edges of the metal wire 40 on both sides, avoid metal residue on the edges of the metal wire 40 on both sides, reduce the risk of short circuit of adjacent metal wires 40, and improve the yield and quality of the OLED display panel.

[0044] Please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 , Figure 4 for Figure 2 The second structural schematic diagram of the first organic layer in the bending area of ​​the OLED display panel is shown, Figure 5 for Figure 2 A third structural schematic diagram of the first organic layer in the bending area of ​​the OLED display panel is shown.

[0045] In some embodiments, the groove edge of the first organic layer 30 in the bending region 100 is serrated, and includes a first segment 32 and a second segment 33 that are alternately connected in sequence, the first segment 32 is in the shape of a concave triangle, the second segment 33 is in the shape of a straight line, and the end of the first end is sequentially connected with the end of the second segment 33 to form a serrated shape. It should be noted that the upper edge 41 of the metal wire 40 is set to be flush with the upper edge of the second segment 33, the lower edge 42 of the metal wire 40 is set to be flush with the lower edge of the second segment 33, and the triangular shape of the first segment 32 exceeds the two side edges of the metal wire 40.

[0046] In some embodiments, the groove edge of the first organic layer 30 in the bending area 100 is polygonal, and includes a first segment 32 and a second segment 33 that are connected alternately in sequence, the first segment 32 is in the shape of a concave polygon, the second segment 33 is in the shape of a straight line, and the end of the first end is connected to the end of the second segment 33 in sequence to form a polygonal shape. It should be noted that the upper edge 41 of the metal wire 40 is set to be flush with the upper edge of the second segment 33, the lower edge 42 of the metal wire 40 is set to be flush with the lower edge of the second segment 33, and the variable shape of the first segment 32 exceeds the two side edges of the metal wire 40.

[0047] Specifically, compared with the regular straight hollow area, the irregular shape of the irregular hollow area 31 of the first organic layer 30 is conducive to forming multiple steps on the edges of both sides of the metal wire 40, which can effectively improve the problem of residual metal at the edge of the metal wire 40 and reduce the risk of short circuit between adjacent metal wires 40. At the same time, the groove is also conducive to discharging water vapor inside the organic layer, avoiding corrosion of the metal line, and improving the yield and quality of the OLED display panel.

[0048] Furthermore, the irregular shape of the hollowed-out area 31 of the first organic layer 30 is not limited to the above three forms, and may also be other shapes, which are not limited here.

[0049] Please refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , Figure 6 A schematic diagram of a second structure of a bending area of ​​an OLED display panel provided in an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 7 A schematic diagram of a third structure of a bending area of ​​an OLED display panel provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] In some embodiments, the hollow region 31 of the first organic layer 30 is a plurality of through holes arranged at intervals, the through hole region exposes the inorganic layer 20, and the plurality of through holes are arranged at intervals and distributed on both sides of the metal line 40. Figure 6 , the metal wire 40 is arranged on the first organic layer 30, which is equivalent to the metal wire 40 being arranged in the non-hollowed area of ​​the first organic layer 30. Two rows of through holes are arranged between the two metal wires 40, and the two rows of through holes are arranged in an up-down staggered manner. The first organic layer 30 is arranged between the two rows of through holes, and the first organic layer 30 is also arranged between adjacent through holes, and the edges of the through holes are respectively flush with the upper edge 41 and the lower edge 42 of the metal wire 40. Therefore, the hollowed-out area 31 and the first organic layer 30 are alternately arranged on the edges of both sides of the metal wire 40, and then a plurality of steps are formed on the edges of both sides of the metal wire 40, so as to avoid metal residue on the edges of both sides of the metal wire 40, thereby reducing the risk of short circuit of adjacent metal wires 40 and improving the yield and quality of the OLED display panel.

[0051] Please refer to Figure 7 The metal wire 40 is disposed on the first organic layer 30, which is equivalent to the metal wire 40 being disposed in the non-hollow region 31 of the first organic layer 30. A row of multiple through holes is disposed between two metal wires 40, and the multiple through holes are disposed at intervals, and the first organic layer 30 is disposed between the two through holes. Among them, the upper edge 41 and the lower edge 42 of the metal wire 40 are respectively flush with the edges of the through holes. Therefore, the hollow region 31 and the first organic layer 30 are alternately arranged on both side edges of the metal wire 40, thereby forming discontinuous steps on both side edges of the metal wire 40, avoiding metal residue on the entire side edges of the metal wire 40, thereby reducing the risk of short circuits of adjacent metal wires 40.

[0052] It should be noted that the shape of the hollow area 31 is not limited to Figure 6 and Figure 7 The shape of the through hole can be a polygon or other shapes, which are not specifically limited here. The hollow areas 31 can be staggered on both sides of the metal wire 40, or can be symmetrically arranged on both sides of the metal wire 40.

[0053] Please refer to Figure 8 , Figure 8 A schematic diagram of the second film layer of the OLED display panel provided in an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment of the present application, the OLED display panel includes: a base layer 10; an inorganic layer 20, which is disposed on the base layer 10; a first organic layer 30, which is disposed on the side of the inorganic layer 20 away from the base layer 10, and a hollow area 31 is disposed on the first organic layer 30, and the hollow area 31 is irregularly shaped, and the hollow area 31 exposes the inorganic layer 20; a plurality of metal wires 40, which are sequentially arranged at intervals on the side of the first organic layer 30 away from the inorganic layer 20; a second organic layer 50, which is disposed on the side of the metal wires 40 away from the first organic layer 30, and the second organic layer 50 covers the metal wires 40, the first organic layer 30 and the inorganic layer 20.

[0054] The material of the second organic layer 50 may be polyimide (PI), which may be common polyimide or photosensitive polyimide. It should be noted that the bending area 100 may be encapsulated by the second organic layer 50 to form an encapsulation layer.

[0055] Please refer to Fig. 9 , Fig. 9 The OLED display panel provided in the embodiment of the present invention has a display area 200, and the display area 200 includes a plurality of data signal lines 210. Each metal line 40 of the bending area 100 is connected to a corresponding data signal line 210 of the display area 200, thereby leading the data signal line 210 of the display area 200 to the fan-out line area to be electrically connected to the display driver chip, so that the display driver chip can be bent to the back of the display area 200.

[0056] It should be noted that the data signal line 210 of the display area 200 can be formed integrally with the metal line 40 of the bending area 100 through a photolithography process. It can be understood that when the conductive layer is etched to form the metal line 40 of the bending area 100, the data signal line 210 of the display area 200 is also formed at the same time. The data signal line 210 of the display area 200 can be a source signal line or a drain signal line.

[0057] Furthermore, the inorganic layer 20 of the display area 200 may include multiple layers, such as a barrier layer, an insulating layer, a capacitor dielectric layer, an interlayer dielectric layer, etc., and the bending area 100 includes at least one inorganic layer 20. It can be understood that the first organic layer 30 needs to fill the film layer step between the bending area 100 and the display area 200. The fewer the number of inorganic layers 20 in the bending area 100, the thicker the film of the first organic layer 30 in the bending area 100, and the better the bending performance of the bending area 100.

[0058] Furthermore, at least one inorganic layer 20 is provided in the bending region 100. Since the inorganic layer 20 has high density, it can better isolate water vapor and oxygen, prevent water vapor and oxygen in the air from entering, and prevent the metal wire 40 in the bending region 100 from being corroded.

[0059] The embodiment of the present application also provides a display device, which includes the above-mentioned OLED display panel. The display device can be: a mobile phone, a tablet computer, an e-book, a television, a laptop computer, a digital photo frame, a navigator, or any other product or component with a display function.

[0060] An OLED display panel and a display device provided in the embodiments of the present application are provided with a hollow area on the first organic layer in the bending area, and the drain area is irregularly shaped, and a plurality of metal wires are sequentially and spaced apart on the first organic layer. Therefore, the hollow area with an irregular shape can improve the metal residue at the edge of the metal wire and reduce the risk of short circuit between adjacent metal wires. At the same time, it prevents the presence of water vapor and oxygen in the organic layer, avoids corrosion of the metal circuit in the bending area, and thus improves the yield and quality of the OLED display panel.

[0061] In the above embodiments, the description of each embodiment has its own emphasis. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant description of other embodiments. In the description of this application, the terms "first" and "second" are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more features.

[0062] The OLED display panel and display device provided in the embodiments of the present application are introduced in detail above. Specific examples are used herein to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present application. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present application and its core idea. At the same time, for technical personnel in this field, according to the idea of ​​the present application, there will be changes in the specific implementation methods and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on the present application.

Claims

1. An OLED display panel having a bending area, characterized in that: The bending zone comprises: basal layer; An inorganic layer, disposed on the base layer; A first organic layer is disposed on a side of the inorganic layer away from the base layer, a hollow region is disposed on the first organic layer, the hollow region exposes the inorganic layer, the hollow region is irregular in shape, a plurality of spaced grooves are disposed in the hollow region, or the hollow region includes a plurality of spaced through holes; A plurality of metal wires are arranged in sequence and spaced apart on a side of the first organic layer away from the inorganic layer. The metal wires are located in a non-hollowed-out area of ​​the first organic layer. A plurality of grooves are arranged between two adjacent metal wires, or a plurality of through holes are arranged between two adjacent metal wires.

2. The OLED display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The edge of the groove is irregularly shaped.

3. The OLED display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The edge of the groove is wavy.

4. The OLED display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The edge of the groove is serrated.

5. The OLED display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The edge of the groove is polygonal.

6. The OLED display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The through holes are arranged at intervals on both sides of the metal line.

7. The OLED display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The bending region further includes a second organic layer, and the second organic layer is arranged on a side of the metal line away from the first organic layer.

8. The OLED display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The OLED display panel has a display area, the display area includes a plurality of data signal lines, and each of the metal lines is connected to a corresponding data signal line.

9. A display device, characterized in that: Comprising the OLED display panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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