Display panel and manufacturing method thereof, and display device

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a display panel, comprising: a first display substrate, a second display substrate, a liquid crystal layer and a spacer, wherein the first display substrate and the second display substrate are arranged opposite to each other, the liquid crystal layer and the spacer are located between the first display substrate and the second display substrate; the material of the spacer comprises an inorganic material. The present disclosure also provides a method for manufacturing a display panel and a display device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of display, and in particular to a display panel and a preparation method thereof, and a display device. Background Art

[0002] The liquid crystal display panel (LCD) is composed of a display substrate, a cell substrate and a liquid crystal layer between the two. To ensure the thickness of the liquid crystal cell, a spacer is also provided between the display substrate and the cell substrate. Since the abnormal orientation of the liquid crystal molecules around the photo spacer (PS) will cause visible light leakage around the photo spacer, it is necessary to perform light shielding on the photo spacer and its surrounding areas, such as using a black matrix (BM) to shield the photo spacer and its surrounding areas to solve the light leakage problem around the photo spacer.

[0003] In the related art, the spacers are made of organic materials. Limited by the process capability of the patterning process of organic materials, the minimum width (Critical Dimension, CD) on the spacers is about 4.5um. At this time, the minimum width of the black matrix required to shield the spacers and their surroundings is about 7.5um. That is, the size of the black matrix used to shield the spacers and their surroundings is too large, which will seriously affect the product aperture ratio. Summary of the invention

[0004] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure provides a display panel, comprising: a first display substrate, a second display substrate, a liquid crystal layer and a spacer, wherein the first display substrate and the second display substrate are arranged opposite to each other, and the liquid crystal layer and the spacer are located between the first display substrate and the second display substrate; the material of the spacer comprises an inorganic material.

[0005] In some embodiments, the inorganic material includes: an inorganic insulating material or a metal material.

[0006] In some embodiments, the inorganic material includes: at least one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and silicon oxynitride;

[0007] The metal material includes at least one of molybdenum, aluminum, titanium and copper.

[0008] In some embodiments, the spacer is formed on the first display substrate, and a first buffer layer is formed between the first display substrate and the spacer;

[0009] Alternatively, the spacer is formed on the second display substrate, and a first buffer layer is formed between the second display substrate and the spacer.

[0010] In some embodiments, the spacer is formed on the first display substrate, and a second buffer layer covering a side surface of the spacer and a surface of a side of the spacer facing away from the first display substrate is formed on the side of the spacer facing away from the first display substrate;

[0011] Alternatively, the spacer is formed on the second display substrate, and a second buffer layer covering the side surface of the spacer and the surface of the spacer facing away from the second display substrate is formed on the side of the spacer facing away from the second display substrate.

[0012] In some embodiments, the invention further comprises: a base corresponding to the spacer, the base and the corresponding spacer have an overlapped orthographic projection on the first display substrate, and the material of the base comprises an organic material;

[0013] One of the spacer and the base is formed on the first display substrate, and the other is formed on the second display substrate;

[0014] Alternatively, the spacer and the base are both formed on the first display substrate, and the spacer is located on a side of the base facing away from the first display substrate;

[0015] Alternatively, the spacer and the base are both formed on the second display substrate, and the spacer is located on a side of the base facing away from the second display substrate.

[0016] In some embodiments, the orthographic projection of the spacer on the first display substrate is located within a region covered by the orthographic projection of the corresponding base on the first display substrate.

[0017] In some embodiments, the spacer and the base are formed on the first display substrate at the same time or on the second display substrate at the same time;

[0018] The spacer is in contact with the corresponding base; or a first buffer layer is provided between the spacer and the corresponding base.

[0019] In some embodiments, the invention further comprises: a light shielding pattern corresponding to the spacer, wherein the orthographic projection of the spacer on the first display substrate is located within the area covered by the orthographic projection of the corresponding light shielding pattern on the first display substrate;

[0020] The light shielding pattern and the spacer are both formed on the first display substrate, and the light shielding pattern is located on a side of the spacer facing away from the second display substrate.

[0021] In some embodiments, the light-shielding pattern and the spacer are both located on a side of the first display substrate facing the second display substrate, and the light-shielding pattern contacts the corresponding spacer.

[0022] In some embodiments, the material of the light-shielding pattern includes a metal material, and the material of the spacer includes an inorganic insulating material.

[0023] In some embodiments, the first display substrate is an array substrate, the array substrate comprising: a first base substrate and a driving function layer located on a side of the first base substrate close to the second display substrate, the driving function layer comprising: at least one metal material layer, the metal material layer comprising a metal pattern;

[0024] The spacer is located on a side of the driving function layer away from the substrate;

[0025] The light shielding pattern is located on at least one metal material layer in the driving function layer.

[0026] In some embodiments, the driving function layer includes: a first metal material layer, a first insulating layer, a second metal material layer, a second insulating layer, and a third metal material layer are sequentially arranged in a direction away from the first substrate;

[0027] The first metal material layer includes: a plurality of gate lines extending along a first direction and a plurality of first common voltage lines extending along the first direction;

[0028] The second metal material layer includes: a plurality of data lines extending along a second direction;

[0029] The third metal material layer includes: a plurality of second common voltage lines extending along a second direction, the second common voltage lines being electrically connected to the first common voltage lines,

[0030] The second common voltage line and / or the data line are / is reused as the light shielding pattern.

[0031] In some embodiments, the second common voltage line is reused as the light shielding pattern, and the spacer includes a first spacer corresponding to the second common voltage line, and the first spacer is in a strip shape and extends along the second direction;

[0032] And / or, the data line is reused as the light shielding pattern, and the spacer includes a second spacer corresponding to the data line, and the second spacer is in a strip shape and extends along the second direction.

[0033] In some embodiments, the plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines define a plurality of sub-pixel regions arranged in an array along the first direction and the second direction, and any two adjacent sub-pixel regions in the first direction or the second direction are arranged at an interval;

[0034] An area between any two adjacent sub-pixel areas in the first direction or the second direction is a wiring area, and the gate line, the data line, the first common voltage line, and the second common voltage line are all located in the wiring area;

[0035] The display substrate further comprises: a plurality of bases, the bases are in a strip shape and extend along the first direction, the material of the bases comprises an organic material, and the orthographic projection of the bases on the first display substrate is located in the routing area;

[0036] The orthographic projection of the base on the first display substrate overlaps with the orthographic projection of at least one of the first spacers on the first display substrate or the orthographic projection of at least one of the second spacers on the first display substrate.

[0037] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a display device, comprising: the display panel provided in the above-mentioned first aspect.

[0038] In a second aspect, the present disclosure also provides a method for preparing a display panel as described in the first aspect, comprising:

[0039] forming a first display substrate and a second display substrate respectively;

[0040] forming an inorganic material thin film on one side of the first display substrate or the second display substrate, and patterning the inorganic material thin film through an etching process to obtain a pattern of a spacer;

[0041] The first display substrate and the second display substrate are assembled into a cell, the spacer is located between the first display substrate and the second display substrate, and a liquid crystal layer is filled between the first display substrate and the second display substrate.

[0042] In some embodiments, the step of forming an inorganic material film on one side of the first display substrate or the second display substrate, and patterning the inorganic material film by an etching process to obtain a pattern of the spacer specifically includes:

[0043] forming a light shielding material film and an inorganic material film in sequence on one side of the first display substrate;

[0044] forming a photoresist on a side of the inorganic material film away from the first display substrate;

[0045] exposing and developing the photoresist to obtain a first pattern of the photoresist;

[0046] Etching the inorganic material film according to the photoresist having the first pattern to obtain a preliminary pattern of the spacer, and etching the light-shielding material film to obtain the light-shielding pattern;

[0047] Performing an ashing process on the photoresist having the first pattern to obtain a second pattern of the photoresist;

[0048] The inorganic material film is etched according to the photoresist having the second pattern to obtain a final pattern of the spacer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0049] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of the structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0050] Figure 1B Another schematic diagram of the structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0051] Figure 2A A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0052] Figure 2B A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0053] Figure 3A A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0054] Figure 3B A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0055] Figure 3C A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0056] Figure 3D A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0057] Figure 4A A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0058] Figure 4B A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0059] Figure 4C A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0060] Figure 4DA schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0061] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0062] Figure 6 is another circuit structure schematic diagram of a display panel in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0063] Fig. 7A A schematic diagram of a circuit structure of a display panel in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0064] Figure 7B A schematic top view of a portion of an area on a display panel in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0065] Fig. 8A for Figure 7B A schematic cross-sectional view in the A-A' direction;

[0066] Figure 8B for Figure 7B A schematic cross-sectional view in the B-B' direction;

[0067] Figure 8C for Figure 7B A schematic cross-sectional view in the C-C' direction;

[0068] Fig.8D for Figure 7B A schematic cross-sectional view in the D-D' direction;

[0069] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a structure showing two different areas on a display panel in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0070] Fig.10 Another structural schematic diagram of two different areas on a display panel in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0071] Fig.11 A flow chart of a method for preparing a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0072] Fig.12 This is a flow chart of an optional implementation method of step S2 in the embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0073] The present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In each of the accompanying drawings, the same elements are represented by similar reference numerals. For the sake of clarity, the various parts in the accompanying drawings are not all drawn to scale. In addition, some well-known parts may not be shown in the drawings.

[0074] Many specific details of the present disclosure are described below, such as component structures, materials, dimensions, processing techniques, and technologies, in order to more clearly understand the present disclosure. However, as those skilled in the art will appreciate, the present disclosure may be implemented without following these specific details.

[0075] The words "first", "second" and similar words used in this disclosure do not indicate any order, quantity or importance, but are only used to distinguish different components. Similarly, words such as "include" or "comprises" mean that the elements or objects preceding the word include the elements or objects listed after the word and their equivalents, without excluding other elements or objects. Words such as "connected" or "connected" to two structures not only include direct contact between the two structures to achieve connection, but also include indirect connection between the two structures through other structures.

[0076] The transistor in the present disclosure may be a thin film transistor or a field effect transistor or other switching devices with the same characteristics. A transistor generally includes three electrodes: a gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrode. The source electrode and the drain electrode in the transistor are symmetrical in structure and can be interchanged as needed. In the present disclosure, the control electrode refers to the gate electrode of the transistor, one of the first electrode and the second electrode is the source electrode, and the other is the drain electrode.

[0077] In addition, in the expression of the range A to B in the present disclosure, the defined range includes the two endpoint values ​​A and B.

[0078] In addition, the two structures described in the present disclosure being disposed on the same layer means that the two structures are formed based on patterning of the same material film layer; that is, the two structures can be simultaneously manufactured by patterning the same material film layer.

[0079] Figure 1A A schematic diagram of the structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1B Another structural schematic diagram of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. Figure 1A and 1B As shown, the display panel includes: a first display substrate 1, a second display substrate 2, a liquid crystal layer 4 and a spacer 3. The first display substrate 1 and the second display substrate 2 are arranged opposite to each other, and the liquid crystal layer 4 and the spacer 3 are located between the first display substrate 1 and the second display substrate 2; the material of the spacer 3 includes an inorganic material.

[0080] Unlike the spacer 3 in the related art that uses organic materials, the spacer 3 in the embodiment of the present disclosure uses inorganic materials. Based on the etching process (which can be a dry etching process or a wet etching process) of inorganic materials, a high-precision spacer 3 (Fine Photo Spacer, referred to as FPS) can be prepared, and the minimum width of the spacer 3 can be less than or equal to 4um. For example, the minimum width of the spacer 3 is 3.5um, 3um, 2.5um, 2um or less than 2um, which can be set according to actual needs. At this time, the minimum width of the black matrix part used to shield the spacer 3 and its surrounding area can also be reduced accordingly, which is conducive to improving the product aperture ratio. In actual applications, when the display panel is a high-resolution (resolution greater than or equal to 2000ppi) display panel, the corresponding product aperture ratio when the spacer 3 is prepared by organic materials is about 40%, while the product aperture ratio can be increased to 70% when the spacer 3 is prepared by inorganic materials and the minimum size of the spacer 3 is about 2um.

[0081] In some embodiments, the thickness of the spacer 3 is between 0.02um and 1.5um, which can be set according to actual needs.

[0082] In addition, the use of inorganic materials to prepare the spacer 3 can accurately control the slope angle (profile) of the spacer 3. In some embodiments, the slope angle of the spacer 3 is between 20° and 90°.

[0083] In some embodiments, the inorganic material includes: an inorganic insulating material or a metal material. Further optionally, the inorganic material includes: at least one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and silicon oxynitride; the metal material includes: at least one of molybdenum, aluminum, titanium, and copper.

[0084] It should be noted that the spacer 3 in the embodiment of the present disclosure can be a single-layer structure or a multi-layer stacked structure, and the present disclosure does not limit this. It only needs to ensure that the material of the spacer 3 is an inorganic material. Among them, the etching process for the inorganic material can be a dry etching process or a wet etching process, depending on the specific inorganic material selected for the spacer.

[0085] In the disclosed embodiment, the material of the spacer 3 is preferably an inorganic material that can be dry-etched. The dry etching has a strong anisotropic etching ability, and the pattern formed has a smaller CD bias (the difference between the bottom surface CD and the top surface CD) and a larger slope angle, which is conducive to the miniaturization of the spacer 3.

[0086] One of the first display substrate 1 and the second display substrate 2 in the embodiment of the present disclosure is an array substrate, and the other is a box-matching substrate, wherein the box-matching substrate can be a color filter substrate provided with a color filter layer. In the description of the embodiment of the present disclosure, the first display substrate 1 is an array substrate, and the second display substrate 2 is a color filter substrate. The array substrate includes a first base substrate 11 and a driving function layer 12 (generally including multiple metal material layers and multiple insulation layers), and the color filter substrate includes a second base substrate 21 and a display function layer 22 (generally including a color filter layer and a transparent protective layer).

[0087] Figure 1A FIG. 4 shows an exemplary case where the spacer 3 is formed on the first display substrate 1. Figure 1B The example in FIG. 1 shows a case where the spacer 3 is formed on the second display substrate 2 .

[0088] Figure 2A A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2B FIG. 1 is another structural diagram of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2A and 2B As shown, different from the previous embodiments, in some embodiments, the spacer 3 is formed on the first display substrate 1 ( Figure 2A As shown in FIG. 1 , a first buffer layer 5 is formed between the first display substrate 1 and the spacer 3; or, the spacer 3 is formed on the second display substrate 2 ( Figure 2B As shown in FIG. 1 , a first buffer layer 5 is formed between the second display substrate 2 and the spacer 3 .

[0089] Among them, the material of the first buffer layer 5 can be an inorganic insulating material, such as at least one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and silicon oxynitride; the material of the first buffer layer 5 can also be an organic insulating material, such as a transparent resin material. In the present disclosure, since the spacer 3 is prepared by an etching process (especially a dry etching process), the first display substrate 1 or the second display substrate 2 located below the spacer 3 may be mistakenly etched during the preparation of the spacer 3, thereby causing an abnormality in the first display substrate 1 or the second display substrate 2. In order to effectively solve this technical means, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, a first buffer layer 5 can be set between the spacer 3 and the first display substrate 1 or the second display substrate 2 to protect the first display substrate 1 or the second display substrate 2 located below the spacer 3 during the preparation of the spacer 3. In addition, a first buffer layer 5 is set on the surface of the first display substrate 1 or the second display substrate 2, and the first buffer layer 5 can also play a certain flattening role.

[0090] In some embodiments, the spacer 3 is formed on the first display substrate 1 ( Figure 2AAs shown in the figure, a second buffer layer 6 covering the side surface of the spacer 3 and the surface of the spacer 3 facing away from the first display substrate 1 is formed on the side of the spacer 3 facing away from the first display substrate 1; or, the spacer 3 is formed on the second display substrate 2, and a second buffer layer 6 covering the side surface of the spacer 3 and the surface of the spacer 3 facing away from the second display substrate 2 is formed on the side of the spacer 3 facing away from the second display substrate 2.

[0091] Among them, the material of the second buffer layer 6 can be an inorganic insulating material, such as at least one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and silicon oxynitride. In the present disclosure, since the spacer 3 will extend into the liquid crystal layer 4, when the spacer 3 is made of metal material, the spacer 3 will have a certain influence on the electric field in the liquid crystal box; in order to effectively reduce the influence of the spacer 3 made of metal material on the electric field in the liquid crystal box, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the side of the spacer 3 and the side surface of the spacer 3 away from the display substrate are covered with the second buffer layer 6, which can effectively reduce or even completely eliminate the influence of the spacer 3 made of metal material on the electric field in the liquid crystal box.

[0092] It should be noted that Figure 2A and Figure 2B The figure only illustrates the case where the first buffer layer 5 and the second buffer are simultaneously provided in the display panel; those skilled in the art should know that the case where the display panel only includes the first buffer layer 5 but not the second buffer layer 6, or the case where the display panel only includes the second buffer layer 6 but not the first buffer layer 5, both cases should also fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0093] Figure 3A A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3B A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3C A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3D FIG. 1 is another structural diagram of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D As shown, different from the previous embodiments, in the disclosed embodiment, a base 7 corresponding to the spacer 3 is further provided in the display panel, and the base 7 overlaps with the orthographic projection of the corresponding spacer 3 on the first display substrate 1, and the material of the base 7 includes organic material.

[0094] In some embodiments, the thickness of the base 7 is greater than or equal to 0.8 um.

[0095] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, since the spacers 3 are made of inorganic materials, the elasticity of the spacers 3 is poor, and the spacers 3 are easily scratched when subjected to a large pressing force. In order to effectively improve this problem, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, a corresponding organic material base 7 is provided for each spacer 3, so that the elasticity of the area where the spacers 3 are located can be effectively improved to prevent the spacers 3 from causing damage to the display substrate.

[0096] FIG. 3A to FIG. 3D 2 and 3 show examples of spacers 3 and bases 7 formed on different display substrates. Figure 3A and Figure 3C The spacer 3 is exemplarily shown to be formed on the first display substrate 1 and the base 7 is formed on the second display substrate 2. Figure 3B and Figure 3D It is exemplarily shown that the spacer 3 is formed on the second display substrate 2 and the spacer 3 is formed on the second display substrate 2 .

[0097] Figure 4A A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4B A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4C A schematic diagram of another structure of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4D FIG. 1 is another structural diagram of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4A and Figure 4D As shown, unlike the previous embodiment in which the spacer 3 and the base 7 are formed on different display substrates, in FIG. 4A to FIG. 4D In the illustrated case, the spacer 3 and the base 7 are formed on the same display substrate. Figure 4A and Figure 4C The spacers 3 and the base 7 are exemplarily shown to be formed on the first display substrate 1 at the same time, and the spacers 3 are located on the side of the base 7 facing away from the first display substrate 1; Figure 4B and Figure 4D It is exemplarily shown that the spacer 3 and the base 7 are simultaneously formed on the second display substrate 2 , and the spacer 3 is located on the side of the base 7 facing away from the second display substrate 2 .

[0098] like FIG. 3A to FIG. 4D In some embodiments, the orthographic projection of the spacer 3 on the first display substrate 1 is located within the area covered by the orthographic projection of the corresponding base 7 on the first display substrate 1 .

[0099] like Figure 4A and Figure 4B As shown, in some embodiments, the spacers 3 and the base 7 are formed simultaneously on the first display substrate 1 or simultaneously on the second display substrate 2 , and the spacers 3 are in contact with the corresponding base 7 .

[0100] like Figure 4C and Figure 4D As shown, in some embodiments, the spacer 3 and the base 7 are formed simultaneously on the first display substrate 1 or simultaneously on the second display substrate 2, and a first buffer layer 5 is provided between the spacer 3 and the corresponding base 7. In this case, the first buffer layer 5 can be used to protect the base 7 and the display substrate located below the spacer 3 during the preparation process of the spacer 3.

[0101] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is another structural diagram of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 As shown, what is different from the previous embodiment is that Figure 5 The display panel shown also includes: a shading pattern 8 corresponding to the spacer 3, the orthographic projection of the spacer 3 on the first display substrate 1 is located within the area covered by the orthographic projection of the corresponding shading pattern 8 on the first display substrate 1; the shading pattern 8 and the spacer 3 are both formed on the first display substrate 1, and the shading pattern 8 is located on the side of the spacer 3 facing away from the second display substrate 2.

[0102] The shading pattern 8 can be used to shield the spacer 3 and its surrounding area, effectively improving the problem of light leakage around the spacer 3.

[0103] In some embodiments, the light shielding pattern 8 and the spacer 3 are both located on the side of the first display substrate 1 facing the second display substrate 2 , and the light shielding pattern 8 contacts the corresponding spacer 3 .

[0104] In some embodiments, the material of the light shielding pattern 8 includes a metal material, and the material of the spacer 3 includes an inorganic insulating material.

[0105] In the disclosed embodiment, when the spacer 3 is made of metal material, although a small CD can be achieved, there are some problems: 1) The metal material film used for fine dry etching cannot be made thicker, that is, the height of the metal material spacer 3 has a small optional range, and the height of the metal material spacer 3 is relatively short, which is difficult to meet the support requirements for some large box thickness scenes; 2) During the dry etching process of the metal material film, it is difficult to control the slope angle, and the process difficulty is relatively high; 3) The edges of the metal material spacer 3 are sharp and can easily scratch the display substrate; 4) The metal material spacer 3 will have a certain influence on the electric field in the liquid crystal box, so it is necessary to cover the second buffer layer 6 to weaken the influence of the spacer 3 on the liquid crystal molecules.

[0106] When the spacer 3 is made of inorganic insulating material, the above problems can be effectively improved or even completely avoided. Specifically, the inorganic insulating material film used for fine dry etching can be made relatively thick, and the height of the inorganic insulating material spacer 3 has a large optional range. The height of the inorganic insulating material spacer 3 can be relatively high, which can meet the support requirements in the thick box scenario; in addition, during the dry etching process of the inorganic insulating material film, the control of the slope angle is less difficult, the process difficulty is low, and it is suitable for actual production; in addition, the edge sharpness of the inorganic insulating material is low, and the risk of scratching the substrate is small; more importantly, the inorganic insulating material film spacer 3 will not affect the electric field in the liquid crystal box, so there is no need to cover the spacer 3 with a second buffer layer 6, which is conducive to simplifying the structure and reducing the preparation process.

[0107] In the embodiment of the present disclosure, when the spacer 3 is made of inorganic insulating material, the light shielding pattern 8 located below the spacer 3 can be made of metal material. Among them, the size of the light shielding pattern 8 is relatively large, so the light shielding pattern 8 can be prepared based on the wet etching process of the metal material film, and the wet etching process has a fast etching rate and high etching efficiency. The light shielding pattern 8 in the embodiment of the present disclosure can, on the one hand, shield the spacer 3 and its surrounding area, and can also prevent the spacer 3 from scratching the first display substrate 1 to protect the first display substrate 1.

[0108] In some embodiments, a first buffer layer 5 is provided between the light shielding pattern 8 and the first display substrate 1. The material of the first buffer layer 5 may be an inorganic insulating material or an organic insulating material. The first buffer layer 5 plays a role in protecting the first display substrate 1. Of course, in practical applications, the first buffer layer 5 may not be provided according to actual needs, and this situation also falls within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0109] See also Figure 5 As shown, in some embodiments, a base 7 is formed on the second display substrate 2. For the relevant description of the base 7, reference may be made to the contents in the previous embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0110] It should be noted that Figure 5 The spacer 3 and the light shielding pattern 8 may also be arranged on the second display substrate 2; in this case, no corresponding drawings are given.

[0111] Figure 6 FIG. 2 is another schematic diagram of a circuit structure of a display panel in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 As shown, Figure 5 The difference is that Figure 6The first display substrate 1 in the illustrated situation is an array substrate, which includes: a first base substrate 11 and a driving function layer 12 located on the side of the first base substrate 11 close to the second display substrate 2, the driving function layer 12 includes: at least one metal material layer, the metal material layer includes a metal pattern; a spacer 3 is located on the side of the driving function layer 12 away from the base substrate; and a shading pattern 8 is located on at least one metal material layer in the driving function layer 12.

[0112] That is to say, Figure 6 In the illustrated solution, the shading pattern 8 can be simultaneously prepared based on the preparation process of a certain metal material layer in the existing array substrate preparation process, so there is no need to add an additional preparation process for the shading pattern 8, which is conducive to reducing the production process.

[0113] In some embodiments, the metal material layer within the driving function layer 12 includes a metal material layer where the gate line 50 is located and a metal material layer where the data line 51 is located; in the embodiment of the present disclosure, each shading pattern 8 may be located in the metal material layer where the gate line 50 is located, or each shading pattern 8 may be located in the metal material layer where the data line 51 is located, or part of the shading pattern 8 is located in the metal material layer where the gate line 50 is located and another part of the shading pattern 8 is located in the metal material layer where the data line 51 is located, and these situations should all fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0114] Fig. 7A A schematic diagram of a circuit structure of a display panel in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 7B A schematic top view of a portion of the area on the display panel in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 8A for Figure 7B A schematic cross-sectional view along the A-A' direction. Figure 8B for Figure 7B A schematic cross-sectional view along the B-B' direction. Figure 8C for Figure 7B A schematic cross-sectional view along the C-C' direction. Fig.8D for Figure 7B A cross-sectional diagram of the D-D' direction. 7A to 8DAs shown, in some embodiments, the driving function layer 12 includes: a first metal material layer 121, a first insulating layer 122, a second metal material layer 123, a second insulating layer 124, and a third metal material layer 125 are arranged in sequence along a direction away from the first base substrate 11; the first metal material layer 121 includes: a plurality of gate lines 50 extending along the first direction X and a plurality of first common voltage lines 54 extending along the first direction X; the second metal material layer 123 includes: a plurality of data lines 51 extending along the second direction Y; the third metal material layer 125 includes: a plurality of second common voltage lines 55 extending along the second direction Y, and the second common voltage lines 55 are electrically connected to the first common voltage lines 54. A plurality of gate lines 50 and a plurality of data lines 51 define a plurality of sub-pixel regions Pix arranged in an array along a first direction X and a second direction Y. Any two sub-pixel regions Pix adjacent to each other in the first direction X or the second direction Y are arranged at intervals. The area between any two sub-pixel regions Pix adjacent to each other in the first direction X or the second direction Y is a wiring area. The gate lines 50, the data lines 51, the first common voltage lines 54, and the second common voltage lines 55 are all located in the wiring area. A thin film transistor 52 and a pixel electrode 53 are generally provided in the sub-pixel region Pix.

[0115] In some embodiments, the orthographic projections of the second common voltage wirings on the first display substrate 1 and the orthographic projections of the data lines 51 on the first display substrate 1 are alternately arranged along the first direction X.

[0116] In some embodiments, the second common voltage line 55 and / or the data line 51 are reused as the light shielding pattern 8. By reusing the second common voltage line 55 and / or the data line 51 as the light shielding pattern 8, there is no need to add an additional light shielding pattern 8, which is conducive to improving the product aperture ratio. At this time, the spacer 3 can be set in the area covered by the second common voltage line 55 and / or the area covered by the data line 51.

[0117] It should be noted that Figures 7A to 8D The example in the figure shows that both the second common voltage line 55 and the data line 51 are reused as the light shielding pattern 8, which is only an example and does not limit the technical solution of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, only the second common voltage line 55 can be reused as the light shielding pattern 8, or only the data line 51 can be reused as the light shielding pattern 8.

[0118] In some embodiments, the second common voltage line 55 is reused as the light shielding pattern 8 , and the spacer 3 includes a first spacer 3 corresponding to the second common voltage line 55 , and the first spacer 3 is in a strip shape and extends along the second direction Y.

[0119] In some embodiments, the data line 51 is reused as the light shielding pattern 8 , and the spacer 3 includes a second spacer 3 corresponding to the data line 51 , and the second spacer 3 is in a strip shape and extends along the second direction Y.

[0120] Further optionally, in some embodiments, the display substrate further comprises: a plurality of bases 7, the bases 7 are in a strip shape and extend along the first direction X, the material of the bases 7 comprises an organic material, the orthographic projection of the bases 7 on the first display substrate 1 is located in the wiring area; the orthographic projection of the bases 7 on the first display substrate 1 overlaps with the orthographic projection of at least one first spacer 3 on the first display substrate 1 or the orthographic projection of at least one second spacer 3 on the first display substrate 1. The bases 7 may be formed on the second display substrate 2 ( Figure 8C and Fig.8D It can also be formed on the first display substrate 1, and both cases should fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0121] in addition, Figures 8A to 8D The first buffer layer 5 in the embodiment can also be selectively removed according to actual needs.

[0122] It should be noted that Fig. 7A and Figure 7B The case where the first display substrate 1 in the display panel is a dual-gate type display substrate (each row of sub-pixel areas Pix corresponds to two different gate lines 50 and the two gate lines 50 are respectively located on both sides of the row of sub-pixel areas Pix) is only an example and does not limit the technical solution of the present disclosure. In the embodiments of the present disclosure, the present disclosure does not limit the arrangement of the gate lines 50, the data lines 51 and the sub-pixel areas Pix.

[0123] Fig. 9 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a structure of two different areas on a display panel in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 As shown, the design of the main spacer (when the display panel is not under stress, the two ends of the main spacer are in contact with the display substrates on both sides respectively) and the auxiliary spacer (when the display panel is not under stress, one end of the auxiliary spacer is in contact with the display substrate, and the other end is not in contact with the display substrate). In some embodiments, at least two spacers 3 on the display panel have different heights, wherein the main spacer is a spacer 3 with a relatively high height, and the auxiliary spacer is a spacer 3 with a relatively low height.

[0124] It should be noted that in Fig. 9 In the illustrated case, the heights of the bases 7 corresponding to the spacers 3 are all the same.

[0125] Fig.10 FIG. 2 is another structural schematic diagram of two different areas on a display panel in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.10 As shown, Fig. 9 The height of the spacer 3 is designed differently to distinguish the main spacer from the auxiliary spacer. Fig.10In the scheme shown, all the spacers 3 have the same height, but there are at least two spacers 3 corresponding to different bases 7. When the display panel is not under stress, the spacers 3 in contact with the higher base 7 serve as the main spacers, and the spacers 3 not in contact with the lower base 7 serve as the auxiliary spacers.

[0126] Of course, in the embodiment of the present disclosure, the heights of the base 7 and the spacers 3 in the display panel can be designed differently to achieve the division of the main spacers and the auxiliary spacers, and this situation should also fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0127] In addition, when the spacer 3 and the base 7 are located on the same display substrate, the height of the spacer 3 and / or the base 7 can also be designed differently to achieve the division of the main spacer and the auxiliary spacer, and this situation should also fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0128] It should be noted that the different structures in the above-mentioned different embodiments can be combined with each other, and the new technical solutions obtained by the combination should also fall within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

[0129] The display panel in this embodiment can be any one of a twisted nematic (TN) type liquid crystal display panel, an in-plane switching (IPS) type liquid crystal display panel, a fringe field switch (FFS) type liquid crystal display panel, an advanced superdimensional field switch (ADS) type liquid crystal display panel, and a high advanced superdimensional field switch (HADS) type liquid crystal display panel. Wherein, when the first display substrate is an array substrate in a TN type liquid crystal display panel, the first display substrate is not provided with a common electrode; when the first display substrate is an array substrate display substrate in an IPS type liquid crystal display panel, an FFS type liquid crystal display panel, an ADS type liquid crystal display panel, or a HADS type liquid crystal display panel, the first display substrate is provided with a common electrode. The technical solution disclosed in the present invention does not limit the specific type of the display panel.

[0130] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a display device, which includes a display panel, wherein the display panel adopts the display panel provided in the previous embodiment. For the specific description of the display panel, please refer to the content in the previous embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0131] The display device in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be any product or component with a display function, such as a liquid crystal panel, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a television, a monitor, a laptop computer, a digital photo frame, a navigator, etc. The display device provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure has the beneficial effects of the display electrode provided in the embodiments of the present disclosure. For details, please refer to the specific description of the display electrode in the above embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0132] Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a method for preparing a display panel, which can be used to prepare the display panel provided in the previous embodiment.

[0133] Fig.11 A flow chart of a method for preparing a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.12 FIG. 4 is a flow chart of an optional implementation method of step S2 in the embodiment of the present disclosure. Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, the preparation method comprises:

[0134] Step S1, forming a first display substrate and a second display substrate respectively.

[0135] Step S2: forming an inorganic material thin film on one side of the first display substrate or the second display substrate, and patterning the inorganic material thin film through an etching process to obtain a pattern of a spacer.

[0136] Step S3, aligning the first display substrate and the second display substrate, wherein the spacer is located between the first display substrate and the second display substrate, and a liquid crystal layer is filled between the first display substrate and the second display substrate.

[0137] For the detailed description of steps S1 to S3, please refer to the contents of the previous embodiments, which will not be repeated here.

[0138] In some embodiments, the display panel further includes: a shading pattern corresponding to the spacer, the orthographic projection of the spacer on the first display substrate is located within the area covered by the orthographic projection of the corresponding shading pattern on the first display substrate; the shading pattern and the spacer are both formed on the first display substrate, the shading pattern is located on the side of the spacer facing away from the second display substrate; the shading pattern and the spacer are both located on the side of the first display substrate facing the second display substrate, the shading pattern is in contact with the corresponding spacer (for example Figure 5 ).

[0139] See also Fig.12 As shown, in some embodiments, step S2 includes:

[0140] Step S201 : forming a light shielding material film and an inorganic material film in sequence on one side of a first display substrate.

[0141] Optionally, the material of the light-shielding material film is a metal material, and the material of the inorganic material film includes at least one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and silicon oxynitride.

[0142] Step S202 , forming a photoresist on a side of the inorganic material film away from the first display substrate.

[0143] Step S203 , masking, exposing, and developing the photoresist to obtain a first pattern of the photoresist.

[0144] Step S204: etching the inorganic material film according to the photoresist having the first pattern to obtain a preliminary pattern of the spacer, and etching the light-shielding material film to obtain a light-shielding pattern.

[0145] Among them, when the material of the inorganic material film is an inorganic insulating material, the process of etching the inorganic material film can be a dry etching process; when the material of the shading material film is a metal material, the process of etching the shading material film can be a wet etching process.

[0146] Step S205 , performing an ashing process on the photoresist having the first pattern to obtain a second pattern of the photoresist.

[0147] Step S206: etching the inorganic material film according to the photoresist having the second pattern to obtain a final pattern of the spacer.

[0148] In step S206, the inorganic material film can be etched again by dry etching process to obtain the final pattern of the spacer. It should be noted that in order to avoid the etching process in step S206 from damaging the light shielding pattern, the material used for the light shielding pattern is copper, silver and other dry etching resistant metals.

[0149] The spacers prepared in step S206 must be located in the area where the light-shielding pattern is located, and the size of the spacers is smaller than the size of the corresponding light-shielding pattern.

[0150] Step S207, stripping off the remaining photoresist.

[0151] It can be seen from the above steps that the shading pattern and the spacer can be prepared based on one mask plate, which can effectively reduce the number of mask plates used and reduce costs, and can also achieve self-alignment of the shading pattern and the spacer. The etching method for the shading pattern and the spacer depends on the specific materials used for the shading pattern and the spacer, and is not limited.

[0152] It is to be understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary embodiments used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For those of ordinary skill in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A display panel, characterized in that: include: A first display substrate, a second display substrate, a liquid crystal layer and a spacer, wherein the first display substrate and the second display substrate are arranged opposite to each other, and the liquid crystal layer and the spacer are located between the first display substrate and the second display substrate; the material of the spacer includes an inorganic material, and the spacer is entirely an inorganic material; The spacer is formed on the first display substrate, a first buffer layer is formed between the first display substrate and the spacer, and a second buffer layer covering the side surface of the spacer and the surface of the side of the spacer facing away from the first display substrate is formed on the side of the spacer facing away from the first display substrate; Alternatively, the spacer is formed on the second display substrate, a first buffer layer is formed between the second display substrate and the spacer, and a second buffer layer covering the side surface of the spacer and the surface of the spacer facing away from the second display substrate is formed on the side of the spacer facing away from the second display substrate; It also includes a base corresponding to the spacer, the base overlaps with the orthographic projection of the corresponding spacer on the first display substrate, and the material of the base includes an organic material; One of the spacer and the base is formed on the first display substrate, and the other is formed on the second display substrate; Alternatively, the spacer and the base are both formed on the first display substrate, and the spacer is located on a side of the corresponding base facing away from the first display substrate; the spacer is in contact with the corresponding base; or the first buffer layer is provided between the spacer and the corresponding base; Alternatively, the spacer and the base are both formed on the second display substrate, and the spacer is located on the side of the corresponding base facing away from the second display substrate; the spacer is in contact with the corresponding base; or the first buffer layer is provided between the spacer and the corresponding base.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inorganic material includes: an inorganic insulating material or a metal material.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The inorganic material includes: at least one of silicon oxide, silicon nitride, and silicon oxynitride; The metal material includes at least one of molybdenum, aluminum, titanium and copper.

4. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The orthographic projection of the spacer on the first display substrate is located within a region covered by the orthographic projection of the corresponding base on the first display substrate.

5. The display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: Also includes: a light-shielding pattern corresponding to the spacer, wherein the orthographic projection of the spacer on the first display substrate is located within a region covered by the orthographic projection of the corresponding light-shielding pattern on the first display substrate; The light shielding pattern and the spacer are both formed on the first display substrate, and the light shielding pattern is located on a side of the spacer facing away from the second display substrate.

6. The display panel according to claim 5, characterized in that: The light shielding pattern and the spacer are both located on a side of the first display substrate facing the second display substrate, and the light shielding pattern is in contact with the corresponding spacer.

7. The display panel according to claim 6, characterized in that: The material of the light-shielding pattern includes a metal material, and the material of the spacer includes an inorganic insulating material.

8. The display panel according to claim 5, characterized in that: The first display substrate is an array substrate, and the array substrate comprises: a first base substrate and a driving function layer located on a side of the first base substrate close to the second display substrate, and the driving function layer comprises: at least one metal material layer, and the metal material layer comprises a metal pattern; The spacer is located on a side of the driving function layer away from the substrate; The light shielding pattern is located on at least one metal material layer in the driving function layer.

9. The display panel according to claim 8, characterized in that: The driving function layer comprises: a first metal material layer, a first insulating layer, a second metal material layer, a second insulating layer, and a third metal material layer are sequentially arranged in a direction away from the first substrate; The first metal material layer includes: a plurality of gate lines extending along a first direction and a plurality of first common voltage lines extending along the first direction; The second metal material layer includes: a plurality of data lines extending along a second direction; The third metal material layer includes: a plurality of second common voltage lines extending along a second direction, the second common voltage lines being electrically connected to the first common voltage lines, The second common voltage line and / or the data line are / is reused as the light shielding pattern.

10. The display panel according to claim 9, characterized in that: The second common voltage line is reused as the light shielding pattern, and the spacer includes a first spacer corresponding to the second common voltage line, and the first spacer is in a strip shape and extends along the second direction; And / or, the data line is reused as the light shielding pattern, and the spacer includes a second spacer corresponding to the data line, and the second spacer is in a strip shape and extends along the second direction.

11. The display panel according to claim 10, characterized in that: The plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines define a plurality of sub-pixel regions arranged in an array along the first direction and the second direction, and any two adjacent sub-pixel regions in the first direction or the second direction are arranged at an interval; An area between any two adjacent sub-pixel areas in the first direction or the second direction is a wiring area, and the gate line, the data line, the first common voltage line, and the second common voltage line are all located in the wiring area; The display substrate further comprises: a plurality of bases, the bases are in a strip shape and extend along the first direction, the material of the bases comprises an organic material, and the orthographic projection of the bases on the first display substrate is located in the routing area; The orthographic projection of the base on the first display substrate overlaps with the orthographic projection of at least one of the first spacers on the first display substrate or the orthographic projection of at least one of the second spacers on the first display substrate.

12. A display device, characterized in that: include: A display panel as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 11.

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