Display panel and display device

Abstract

The application discloses a display panel and a display device. The display panel comprises a display area, a binding area and a peripheral area located at the periphery of the display area and the binding area. The display panel comprises an array substrate and a support assembly. The array substrate comprises an electrical connection terminal located in the binding area. The support assembly comprises a plurality of first support columns arranged in the peripheral area. The plurality of first support columns are arranged around the binding area. The first support columns are used for supporting a mask plate. The upper surface of the first support column is located on the side away from the array substrate of the upper surface of the electrical connection terminal. The display panel provided by the application has better electrical performance of the array substrate, and the yield of the display panel is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of display technology, and in particular relates to a display panel and a display device. Background Technology

[0002] Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), also known as organic electroluminescent displays or organic light-emitting semiconductors, offer advantages such as low driving voltage, active light emission, wide viewing angle, high efficiency, and fast response speed, leading to their increasingly widespread application.

[0003] Currently, OLED display panels are mainly produced using vapor deposition, where a mask controls the deposition location of organic materials on the substrate. However, during vapor deposition using a mask, static electricity can easily be generated when the mask comes into contact with the array substrate of the display panel, which can affect the circuit performance in the array substrate and severely impact the yield of the display panel. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides a display panel and a display device, wherein the array substrate in the display panel has better electrical performance and the yield of the display panel is improved.

[0005] An embodiment of the first aspect of this application provides a display panel, including a display area, a binding area, and a peripheral area located around the display area and the binding area. The display panel includes:

[0006] An array substrate, including electrical connection terminals located in the bonding region;

[0007] The support assembly includes a plurality of first support pillars disposed in the peripheral area, the plurality of first support pillars being arranged around the bonding area, the first support pillars being used to support the mask plate, and the upper surface of the first support pillars being located on the side of the upper surface of the electrical connection terminal away from the array substrate.

[0008] According to an embodiment of a first aspect of the present invention, the bonding area includes a test circuit, the test circuit includes a test circuit connection terminal, and the electrical connection terminal includes the test circuit connection terminal and a bonding terminal for bonding with a driver chip.

[0009] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the display panel further includes a light-emitting element layer located in the display area, the light-emitting element layer including a plurality of first electrodes located on the array substrate, a pixel defining layer located on the side of the first electrodes facing away from the array substrate, and a plurality of second support pillars located on the side of the pixel defining layer facing away from the array substrate, wherein the first support pillars and the second support pillars are disposed in the same layer.

[0010] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the center-to-center distance between adjacent first support columns is 50-200 μm along the arrangement direction of the plurality of first support columns.

[0011] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the shape of the cross-section of the first support column perpendicular to the thickness direction of the display panel is circular; or, the shape of the cross-section of the first support column perpendicular to the thickness direction of the display panel is quadrilateral.

[0012] Preferably, the shape of the first support column along the cross section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the display panel is rectangular, and the short side of the rectangle is parallel to the arrangement direction of the plurality of first support columns.

[0013] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the bonding area includes alignment marks for aligning with the driver chip, and the minimum distance between the first support post and the alignment marks is d, where 30≤d≤1000μm;

[0014] The width of the first support column in the outer perimeter area is 100-500 μm.

[0015] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the support assembly includes a plurality of first support column groups, each first support column group including a plurality of first support columns, and the arrangement trajectory of the plurality of first support columns in the first support column group is rhomboid.

[0016] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the distance between the upper surface of the first support column and the upper surface of the electrical connection terminal along the thickness direction of the display panel is 3-5 μm.

[0017] According to any of the foregoing embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention, the material of the first support column is an insulating material;

[0018] Preferably, the material of the first support column is organic adhesive.

[0019] An embodiment of the second aspect of this application also provides a display device, including any of the display panels provided in the first aspect of this application.

[0020] In the display panel provided in this application, a support pillar assembly is provided around the bonding area. The support pillar assembly includes a plurality of first support pillars, which are arranged around the bonding area. The upper surface of each first support pillar is located on the side of the upper surface of the electrical connection terminal away from the array substrate. Thus, during the vapor deposition of the display area through the mask, the plurality of first support pillars can support the mask and prevent the mask from contacting the array substrate, for example, preventing the mask from contacting the electrical connection terminal. This improves the effect of static electricity on the array substrate, enhances the circuit performance of the array substrate, and improves the yield of the display panel. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the embodiments of this application will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the cross section of region AA;

[0024] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of region B in the middle;

[0025] Figure 4 This is a partial structural diagram of another display panel provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of another structure provided in this application embodiment after the display panel and driver chip are bound together;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a partial structural diagram of another display panel provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0028] In the attached image:

[0029] 1-Display panel; 10-Array substrate; 101-Substrate; 102-Circuit layer; 1021-Pixel driving circuit; 1022-Test circuit; 103-Electrical connection terminal; 1031-Binding terminal; 1033-Input terminal; 1034-Output terminal; 1032-Test circuit connection terminal; 11-Support assembly; 110-First support pillar; 111-First support pillar group; 12-Light emitting element layer; 121-First electrode; 122-Pixel limiting layer; 123-Second support pillar; 2-Mask; 3-Driver chip. Detailed Implementation

[0030] The features and exemplary embodiments of various aspects of this application will now be described in detail. Numerous specific details are set forth in the following detailed description in order to provide a comprehensive understanding of this application. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that this application can be implemented without some of these specific details. The following description of embodiments is merely intended to provide a better understanding of this application by illustrating examples thereof.

[0031] It should be noted that, in this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are used merely to distinguish one entity or operation from another, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Furthermore, the terms "comprising," "including," or any other variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method, article, or apparatus that comprises a list of elements includes not only those elements but also other elements not expressly listed, or elements inherent to such a process, method, article, or apparatus. Without further limitations, an element defined by the phrase "comprising..." does not exclude the presence of additional identical elements in the process, method, article, or apparatus that includes the element.

[0032] With the development of display panels, the requirements for screen-to-body ratio are becoming increasingly stringent. COP (Chip on PI) technology is one of the mainstream technologies for reducing bezels and improving screen-to-body ratio. COP technology refers to a packaging technology that fixes the driver chip onto a flexible display panel, and the portion of the flexible display panel with the driver chip can be bent to the back of the display area.

[0033] An OLED display panel includes a display area, a bonding area located on one side of the display area, and a peripheral area surrounding the display area and the bonding area. In an OLED display panel employing COP technology, the driver chip is bonded to the aforementioned bonding area. From the perspective of film layer distribution, the display panel includes an array substrate and a light-emitting element layer formed on the array substrate. The array substrate includes a first portion located in the display area, a second portion located in the bonding area, and a third portion located in the peripheral area, with the first, second, and third portions being continuous. The light-emitting element layer is located in the display area and includes a first electrode, a light-emitting layer, and a second electrode. The first electrode, the light-emitting layer, and the second electrode all require evaporation deposition technology for fabrication. The inventors discovered that during the fabrication of the first electrode, the light-emitting layer, and the second electrode using a mask, a large amount of static electricity is generated during the repeated alignment of the mask with the array substrate. Since a high vacuum must be maintained during the evaporation deposition process, it is impossible to eliminate static electricity using external force. This part poses a significant electrostatic hazard. Specifically, the bonding area contains test circuits and bonding terminals for bonding with the drive circuit. The test circuit includes test circuit connection terminals, and both the bonding terminals and the test circuit connection terminals are electrical connection terminals. When the mask comes into contact with these electrical connection terminals, static electricity can enter the array substrate, affecting the circuit performance of the array substrate and severely impacting the yield of the display panel. For example, when the mask comes into contact with the test circuit connection terminals, a large amount of static electricity can easily be conducted into the test circuit and released in the punched areas of the transistor gates and source / drain terminals, causing circuit damage. Based on research into the above problems, the inventors provide a display panel and display device to ensure the circuit performance of the array substrate in the display panel, thereby ensuring the yield of the display panel.

[0034] To better understand this application, the following will be combined with... Figures 1 to 6 The display panel 1 and display device according to embodiments of this application will be described in detail.

[0035] Please see Figures 1 to 3 This application provides a display panel 1, including a display area AA, a binding area NA1, and a peripheral area NA2 located around the display area AA and the binding area NA1.

[0036] The display panel 1 includes an array substrate 10 and a support assembly 11. The array substrate 10 includes an electrical connection terminal 103 located in the bonding region NA1. The support assembly 11 includes a plurality of first support pillars 110 disposed in the peripheral region NA2. The plurality of first support pillars 110 are disposed around the bonding region NA1. The first support pillars 110 are used to support the mask plate 2. The upper surface of the first support pillars 110 is located on the side of the upper surface of the electrical connection terminal 103 away from the array substrate 10.

[0037] In the display panel 1 provided in this application, a support component 11 is provided around the bonding area NA1. The support component 11 includes a plurality of first support pillars 110. The plurality of first support pillars 110 are arranged around the bonding area NA1, and the upper surface of each first support pillar 110 is located on the side of the upper surface of the electrical connection terminal 103 away from the array substrate 10. Thus, during the process of vapor deposition of the display area AA through the mask 2, the plurality of first support pillars 110 can support the mask 2 and prevent the mask 2 from contacting the array substrate 10, for example, preventing the mask 2 from contacting the electrical connection terminal 103, thereby improving the impact of static electricity on the array substrate 10, improving the circuit performance of the array substrate 10, and improving the yield of the display panel 1.

[0038] In the aforementioned display panel 1, the array substrate 10 includes a substrate 101 and a circuit layer 102 located on the substrate 101. The circuit layer 102 includes a pixel driving circuit 1021 located in the display area AA and a test circuit 1022 located in the bonding area NA1. It also includes a bonding terminal 1031 located in the bonding area NA1, which is used for electrical connection to the driver chip 3. The bonding terminal 1031 includes a read terminal and an output terminal 1034. The test circuit 1022 includes a test circuit 1022 connection terminal. The electrical connection terminal 103 includes the test circuit 1022 connection terminal and the bonding terminal 1031 for bonding with the driver chip 3.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the test circuit 1022 is electrically connected to the pixel driving circuit 1021 and is used to test the pixel driving circuit 1021. The bonding terminal 1031 is also electrically connected to the pixel driving circuit 1021. The end of the bonding terminal 1031 away from the array substrate 10 is used to connect to the driver chip 3, thereby realizing the electrical connection between the driver chip 3 and the pixel driving circuit 1021, so as to control the pixel driving circuit 1021 through the driver chip 3. Therefore, after static electricity is transmitted to the electrical connection terminal 103, whether it is transmitted to the connection terminal of the test circuit 1022 or to the bonding terminal 1031, it will cause static electricity to be transmitted to the pixel driving circuit 1021, which will have an adverse effect on the pixel driving circuit 1021, and in turn, will have an adverse effect on the display effect of the display panel 1. In the display panel 1 provided in this application, after a plurality of first support pillars 110 surrounding the bonding area NA1 are arranged around the bonding area NA1, the mask 2 can be prevented from contacting the array substrate 10, thereby making the mask 2 electrostatically isolated from the array substrate 10 and preventing the static electricity in the mask 2 from having an adverse effect on the array substrate 10.

[0040] In the above embodiments, the substrate 101 is a flexible substrate 101, formed of a thin polymer, such as polyimide. The substrate 101 may also include a buffer layer, which may include a multilayer inorganic and organic layer stacked structure to block oxygen and moisture, prevent moisture or impurities from diffusing through the substrate 101, and provide a flat surface on the upper surface of the substrate 101. The specific structure will not be described in detail in this application.

[0041] In one feasible implementation, such as Figure 2 As shown, the display panel 1 also includes a light-emitting element layer 12 located in the display area AA, and the light-emitting element layer 12 is located on the pixel circuit layer 102. The light-emitting element layer 12 includes a plurality of first electrodes 121 located on the array substrate 10, a pixel limiting layer 122 located on the side of the first electrodes 121 facing away from the array substrate 10, and a plurality of second support pillars 123 located on the side of the pixel limiting layer 122 facing away from the array substrate 10. The first support pillars 110 and the second support pillars 123 are disposed on the same layer.

[0042] In the above embodiment, the display area AA of the display panel 1 includes a first electrode 121 and a pixel defining layer 122 stacked on the array substrate 10. A second support pillar 123 is disposed on the pixel defining layer 122. The pixel defining layer 122 extends to the peripheral area NA2. A first support pillar 110 is formed on the peripheral area NA2 around the bonding area NA1. The first support pillar 110 and the second support pillar 123 are disposed in the same layer. Specifically, the first support pillar 110 and the second support pillar 123 can be fabricated in the same layer using the same process. The first support pillar 110 and the second support pillar 123 are both used to support the mask plate 2. Using the same process simplifies the fabrication process and saves fabrication time.

[0043] In the above embodiments, the first support column 110 is made of an insulating material, specifically, it can be an organic adhesive. The material is readily available and provides good support and insulation, and its preparation is simple.

[0044] In one feasible implementation, the first support column 110 and the second support column 123 can be arranged in the same layer but manufactured using different processes, and this application does not make any special limitation.

[0045] In one feasible implementation, the distance between the upper surface of the first support column 110 and the upper surface of the electrical connection terminal 103 along the thickness direction of the display panel 1 is 3-5 μm, thereby providing sufficient distance between the mask plate 2 and the electrical connection terminal 103. After the first support column 110 supports the mask plate 2, it can prevent the mask plate 2 from contacting the electrical connection terminal 103, thus achieving insulation between the mask plate 2 and the electrical connection terminal 103.

[0046] In one feasible implementation, such as Figure 3As shown, along the arrangement direction of the plurality of first support columns 110, the center distance D between adjacent first support columns 110 is 50-200μm.

[0047] Specifically, the center distance between adjacent first support columns 110 can be 50μm, 51μm, 60μm, 73μm, 150μm, 175μm, 190μm or 200μm, and this application does not impose any special limitation.

[0048] When the center distance between adjacent first support columns 110 is 50-200μm, it can provide dispersed and sufficient support for the mask plate 2, preventing the mask plate 2 from sinking due to insufficient support and thus contacting the electrical connection terminal 103. This effectively prevents the mask plate 2 from contacting the electrical connection terminal 103 and provides effective isolation between the mask plate 2 and the electrical connection terminal 103.

[0049] In one feasible implementation, the plurality of first support columns 110 may be arranged at equal intervals or at unequal intervals around the binding area NA1, and this application does not make any particular limitation.

[0050] In one feasible embodiment, the first support column 110 has a circular shape in the cross-section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the display panel 1; or, as... Figure 4 As shown, the first support column 110 has a quadrilateral shape in the cross-section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the display panel 1. The first support column 110 can be easily manufactured in the above shape and can provide effective support for the mask plate 2. The first support column 110 can also be other shapes or combinations of multiple shapes, which are not particularly limited in this application.

[0051] In one feasible implementation, the first support column 110 has a rectangular shape along its cross-section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the display panel 1. The short side of the rectangle is parallel to the arrangement direction of the multiple first support columns 110. This allows for the arrangement of more first support columns 110 with smaller individual volumes in the surrounding area of ​​the bonding area NA1, thereby achieving dispersed and sufficient support for the mask plate 2 and improving the isolation effect between the mask plate 2 and the electrical connection terminal 103.

[0052] In one feasible implementation, such as Figure 4 and Figure 5As shown, the driver chip 3 is connected to the bonding terminal 1031 of the bonding area via the pad 31. The bonding area NA1 includes an alignment mark L for aligning with the driver chip 3. The minimum distance between the first support post 110 and the alignment mark L is d, where 30≤d≤1000μm. This ensures that the first support post 110 is as close as possible to the bonding area NA1 without affecting the bonding between the driver IC and the bonding area NA1, thus providing better support for the mask plate 2. This prevents the middle position of the area opposite the mask plate 2 and the bonding area NA1 from sinking and contacting the electrical connection terminal 103 due to the weight of the mask plate 2 itself, thereby achieving better isolation between the mask plate 2 and the electrical connection terminal 103.

[0053] In one feasible implementation, the width of the first support post 110 in the peripheral region NA2 is 100-500μm. This allows for a reasonable distribution range of the first support post 110 without affecting the performance of the peripheral region NA2 and ensuring a narrow bezel, while also ensuring that the first support post 110 provides good support for the mask plate 2.

[0054] In one feasible implementation, such as Figure 6 As shown, the support assembly 11 includes a plurality of first support column groups 111, each of which includes a plurality of first support columns 110, and the arrangement trajectory of the plurality of first support columns 110 in the first support column group 111 is rhomboid.

[0055] In the above embodiment, the plurality of first support column groups 111 can provide more stable support for the mask plate 2.

[0056] This application also provides a display device, including any of the display panels 1 provided in the above embodiments of this application. The display quality of this display device is improved.

[0057] The display device provided in this application can be a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone or tablet computer, or a display device such as a television or monitor, or a display device used in fields such as vehicle display, etc. This application does not make any special limitations.

[0058] The embodiments described above are not exhaustive and do not limit the invention to specific examples. Clearly, many modifications and variations can be made based on the above description. These embodiments are selected and specifically described in this specification to better explain the principles and practical applications of this application, thereby enabling those skilled in the art to effectively utilize this application and its modifications. This application is limited only by the claims and their full scope and equivalents.

Claims

1. A display panel, characterized in that, The display panel includes a display area, a binding area, and an outer area surrounding the display area and the binding area. An array substrate includes electrical connection terminals; wherein, a peripheral region is circumferentially disposed around a bonding region, and there is a height difference between the peripheral region and the bonding region to form a recess between the peripheral region and the bonding region, and the electrical connection terminals are disposed in the bonding region and located within the recess; The support assembly includes a plurality of first support pillars located on the peripheral area, the plurality of first support pillars being arranged around the electrical connection terminal located in the bonding area, the upper surface of the first support pillars being located on the side of the upper surface of the electrical connection terminal away from the array substrate, and there is a height difference between the upper surface of the first support pillars and the upper surface of the electrical connection terminal, the first support pillars being used to support the mask during the vapor deposition process so that a gap is formed between the mask and the electrical connection terminal.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The bonding area includes a test circuit, the test circuit includes a test circuit connection terminal, and the electrical connection terminal includes the test circuit connection terminal and a bonding terminal for bonding with the driver chip.

3. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The display panel further includes a light-emitting element layer located in the display area. The light-emitting element layer includes a plurality of first electrodes located on the array substrate, a pixel defining layer located on the side of the first electrodes facing away from the array substrate, and a plurality of second support pillars located on the side of the pixel defining layer facing away from the array substrate. The first support pillars and the second support pillars are disposed in the same layer.

4. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, Along the arrangement direction of the plurality of first support columns, the center distance between adjacent first support columns is 50-200μm.

5. The display panel according to claim 4, characterized in that, The first support column has a circular cross-section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the display panel; or, the first support column has a quadrilateral cross-section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the display panel.

6. The display panel according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first support column has a rectangular cross-section perpendicular to the thickness direction of the display panel, and the short side of the rectangle is parallel to the arrangement direction of the plurality of first support columns.

7. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The binding area includes alignment marks for aligning with the driver chip, and the minimum distance between the first support post and the alignment marks is d, where 30≤d≤1000μm; The width of the first support column in the outer perimeter area is 100-500 μm.

8. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support assembly includes multiple first support column groups, each first support column group includes multiple first support columns, and the arrangement trajectory of the multiple first support columns in the first support column group is diamond-shaped.

9. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between the upper surface of the first support column and the upper surface of the electrical connection terminal along the thickness direction of the display panel is 3-5 μm.

10. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first support column is made of insulating material.

11. The display panel according to claim 10, characterized in that, The material of the first support column is organic adhesive.

12. A display device, characterized in that, Includes the display panel as described in any one of claims 1-9.

Images