OLED display panel and display device

Abstract

The present application discloses an OLED display panel and a display device. The OLED display panel is divided into multiple areas, including at least a pixel area and multiple pressure-bearing areas. The OLED display panel includes a stacked substrate, a pixel circuit, and a flat layer. The height of the pixel circuit in the pressure-bearing area is higher than the height of the pixel circuit in the pixel area. The pixel area includes multiple sub-pixel areas of different colors. The pressure-bearing area is arranged between the sub-pixel areas. An isolation area is provided between each pressure-bearing area and its adjacent sub-pixel area. There is no pixel circuit connection between the pressure-bearing area and the pixel area within the isolation area. According to the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, by providing a pressure-bearing area between each sub-pixel area, and the height of the pixel circuit in the pressure-bearing area is higher than the height of the pixel circuit in the pixel area, when the display panel is squeezed or impacted, the force will preferentially act on the pressure-bearing area and the film layer where the pressure-bearing area is located, thereby protecting the pixel circuit in the pixel area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention generally relates to the field of display, and more particularly to an OLED display panel and a display device. Background Art

[0002] OLED displays are made using organic light-emitting diodes. Because they have self-luminous organic light-emitting diodes, they do not require a backlight, have high contrast, are thin, have a wide viewing angle, have a fast response speed, can be used on flexible panels, have a wide operating temperature range, and have relatively simple structures and processes.

[0003] However, when OLED displays are subjected to impact or compression, the circuits in the pixel area are easily affected, causing the pixel area to fail. Therefore, improving the impact and pressure resistance of OLED displays is a development trend. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above-mentioned defects or deficiencies in the prior art, it is desired to provide an OLED display panel and a display device.

[0005] In a first aspect, an OLED display panel is provided. The OLED display panel is divided into multiple regions, including at least a pixel region and multiple pressure-bearing regions. The OLED display panel includes a stacked substrate, a pixel circuit, and a planar layer. The height of the pixel circuit in the pressure-bearing region is higher than the height of the pixel circuit in the pixel region.

[0006] The pixel area includes multiple sub-pixel areas of different colors, the pressure-bearing area is arranged between the sub-pixel areas, and an isolation area is provided between each pressure-bearing area and its adjacent sub-pixel area. There is no pixel circuit connection between the pressure-bearing area and the pixel area in the isolation area.

[0007] In a second aspect, a display device is provided, comprising the above-mentioned OLED display panel.

[0008] According to the technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application, a pressure-bearing area is set between each sub-pixel area, and the height of the pixel circuit in the pressure-bearing area is higher than the height of the pixel circuit in the pixel area. When the display panel is squeezed or impacted, the force will preferentially act on the pressure-bearing area and the film layer where the pressure-bearing area is located, thereby protecting the pixel circuit in the pixel area. Further, an isolation area is set between the pressure-bearing area and the pixel area to separate the pixel circuits between the pressure-bearing area and the pixel area. When the force applied to the display panel is increased one step and reaches a certain value, the pressure-bearing area may break under certain circumstances. Due to the existence of the isolation area, the break of the pressure-bearing area is prevented from being transmitted to the pixel area, thereby further protecting the pixel circuit in the pixel area. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0009] Other features, objects and advantages of the present application will become more apparent upon reading the detailed description of non-limiting embodiments made with reference to the following drawings:

[0010] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the top view of the OLED display panel in this embodiment;

[0011] Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the OLED display panel in this embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0012] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely for the purpose of explaining the relevant invention and are not intended to limit the invention. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only portions relevant to the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0013] It should be noted that, in the absence of conflict, the embodiments and features of the embodiments in this application can be combined with each other. The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and in combination with the embodiments.

[0014] Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 This embodiment provides an OLED display panel. The OLED display panel is divided into multiple regions, including at least a pixel region 10 and multiple pressure-bearing regions 20. The OLED display panel includes a stacked substrate 50, a pixel circuit 60, and a planar layer 70. The height of the pixel circuit 60 in the pressure-bearing region 20 is higher than the height of the pixel circuit 60 in the pixel region 10.

[0015] The pixel area 10 includes multiple sub-pixel areas of different colors, the pressure-bearing area 20 is arranged between the sub-pixel areas, and an isolation area 30 is provided between each pressure-bearing area 20 and its adjacent sub-pixel area. The pressure-bearing area 20 and the pixel area 10 are not connected by a pixel circuit 60 in the isolation area 30.

[0016] The OLED display panel provided in this embodiment sets a pressure-bearing area 20 between each sub-pixel area, and the height of the pixel circuit 60 in the pressure-bearing area 20 is higher than the height of the pixel circuit 60 in the pixel area 10. When the display panel is squeezed or impacted, the force will preferentially act on the pressure-bearing area 20 and the film layer where the pressure-bearing area 20 is located, thereby protecting the pixel circuit 60 in the pixel area 10; further, by setting an isolation area 30 between the pressure-bearing area 20 and the pixel area 10, the pixel circuit 60 between the pressure-bearing area 20 and the pixel area 10 is separated. When the force applied to the display panel is increased one step and reaches a certain value, the pressure-bearing area 20 may break in certain situations. Due to the existence of the isolation area 30, the breakage of the pressure-bearing area 20 is prevented from being transmitted to the pixel area 10, thereby further protecting the pixel circuit 60 in the pixel area 10.

[0017] refer to Figure 1 The top view of the OLED display panel is divided into a pixel area 10 and a pressure-bearing area 20, wherein the pixel area 10 includes a plurality of sub-pixel areas of different colors, including a red sub-pixel area 11, a green sub-pixel area 12, and a blue sub-pixel area 13. The pressure-bearing area 20 is arranged between the sub-pixel areas, and not every adjacent sub-pixel is provided with a pressure-bearing area 20. Instead, the pressure-bearing area 20 is provided where the PS 40 is provided. The following embodiments will be described in detail. An isolation area 30 is provided between each pressure-bearing area 20 and the pixel area 10 adjacent to the pressure-bearing area 20. The isolation area 30 isolates the pressure-bearing area 20 from the pixel circuit 60 in the pixel area 10, so that the pixel circuit 60 between the two areas has no connection, and naturally no breakage is transmitted from the pressure-bearing area 20 to the corresponding pixel area 10;

[0018] refer to Figure 2 As shown in the cross-sectional view of the OLED display panel, the display panel includes a substrate 50, and a pixel circuit 60 and a planar layer 70 arranged above the substrate 50. The gate layer, source and drain layer, and corresponding inorganic layer structures arranged on the substrate 50 are collectively referred to as the pixel circuit 60. A planar layer 70 is further provided above the pixel circuit 60. Figure 2 The planar layer 70 includes a first organic layer (PLN1), a second organic layer (PLN2) and a third organic layer (PLN3). In order to protect the pixel circuit 60 of the pixel area 10, the pixel circuit 60 of the pressure-bearing area 20 is set higher, higher than the pixel circuit 60 of the pixel area 10. The height of the pixel circuit 60 mentioned here is based on the uppermost protective layer (PVX) above the first source and drain of the pixel circuit 60 as a comparison standard, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, there is a height difference of h between the pixel circuit 60 in the pressure-bearing area 20 and the pixel circuit 60 in the pixel area 10 , and the pixel circuit 60 in the pixel area 10 is protected by the height difference.

[0019] Furthermore, the OLED display panel shown further includes a PS region, and the pressure-bearing region 20 shown at least partially overlaps with the PS region.

[0020] like Figure 1 As shown, on the OLED display panel, PS40 (spacer, PhotoSpacer) is provided between adjacent sub-pixel areas. In this embodiment, the pressure-bearing area 20 is set at the position where the PS40 is located. Therefore, not every adjacent sub-pixel area is provided with a pressure-bearing area 20. The corresponding pressure-bearing area 20 is set at the position where the PS is set, which can not only support and protect the pixel circuit 60 of the pixel area 10, but also will not increase excessive structures and processes; the pressure-bearing area 20 is set at the position where the PS is located, and there is a one-to-one correspondence between the pressure-bearing area 20 and the PS, and the two partially overlap, or the range of the pressure-bearing area includes the range of the PS, or the range of the PS includes the range of the pressure-bearing area, all of which can be achieved. It can also be set according to conventional process steps, and all pixel circuit layer structures set in the pixel area are set in the same way at the position where the PS is located. Retaining the film layer at the position where the PS is located can achieve the purpose of the pressure-bearing area 20 without increasing the number of process steps.

[0021] Furthermore, each of the pressure-bearing areas 20 is surrounded by the isolation area 30 , and the cross section of the isolation area 30 is annular.

[0022] In this embodiment, an isolation region 30 is provided between the pressure-bearing region 20 and the adjacent sub-pixel region to separate the pixel circuit 60 between the pressure-bearing region 20 and the sub-pixel region without generating any connection or force conduction. In order to ensure the isolation effect of the isolation region 30 on the pixel circuit 60 and to facilitate the setting of the isolation region 30, the isolation region 30 is preferably provided as a ring structure, such as Figure 1 As shown, the annular isolation area 30 is arranged around the pressure-bearing area 20, enclosing the pressure-bearing area 20. On the one hand, it isolates the circuit between the pressure-bearing area 20 and the pixel area 10. On the other hand, it will not have too much impact on the connection of the pixel circuit 60 between each sub-pixel in the pixel area 10 itself, and the pixel circuit 60 of the pixel area 10 does not need to be modified too much.

[0023] Preferably, the cross-sectional shape of the isolation area 30 matches the cross-sectional shape of each of the pressure-bearing areas 20 .

[0024] Figure 1The cross-section of the pressure-bearing area 20 is given as a circle, and the cross-section of the isolation area 30 is preferably set to a ring structure. The isolation area 30 formed in this embodiment is formed by digging out the corresponding position during the preparation of the display panel, that is, the material of the inorganic layer on the pixel circuit 60. Therefore, in order to facilitate the setting of the isolation area 30, the cross-section of the isolation area 30 is preferably set to match the cross-section of the pressure-bearing area 20, and is generally set to the same shape. For example, for a pressure-bearing area 20 with a square cross-section, an isolation area 30 with a square ring structure is set; for a pressure-bearing area 20 with a circular cross-section, an isolation area 30 with a ring structure is set; wherein, the cross-section of the pressure-bearing area 20 generally matches the cross-sectional shape of the PS, and is generally set to a square structure.

[0025] Preferably, the isolation region 30 is filled with organic material or polyimide.

[0026] The isolation region 30 provided in this embodiment is formed by removing the inorganic layer at the corresponding position during the preparation process. Specifically, Figure 2 The OLED display panel shown is provided with a substrate 50, and then a layer structure associated with a pixel circuit 60 is formed on the substrate 50, including a multi-layer gate layer (gate), a source and drain layer (SD) and other multi-layer metal layers, and inorganic materials are filled between adjacent metal layers, such as a buffer layer (buffer), a gate insulating layer (GI), etc. After the layer structure associated with the pixel circuit 60 is completed, the inorganic material filled in the isolation area 30 is removed to form an isolation groove between the pressure-bearing area 20 and the pixel area 10. The isolation groove structure can be filled with the corresponding The corresponding flat layer 70 material, for example, the first flat layer 70 organic material, is sequentially arranged as the second flat layer 70 and the third flat layer 70. The polyimide (PI) material can also be directly filled in the isolation groove of the isolation area 30. The organic material and the polyimide material have better elasticity. When the force applied to the pressure-bearing area 20 is too large and the pressure-bearing area 20 is broken, the material of the isolation area 30 can also block the corresponding breaking force through a certain deformation, which more effectively avoids the situation where the fracture is transmitted to the pixel area 10, and more effectively protects the pixel circuit 60 of the pixel area 10.

[0027] Optionally, the width of the isolation region 30 is 3-5 microns.

[0028] In this embodiment, an isolation region 30 is provided to isolate the pixel circuit 60. In order to reduce the influence of the isolation region 30 on the pixel circuit 60 on the entire display panel, it is preferred to set the range of the isolation region 30 to be smaller. Preferably, the width of the isolation region 30 is set to 3-5 microns. The width can be adjusted to 0. Figure 2The range between the middle dotted lines is defined, that is, the spacing between the bottom buffer layers (Buffer-s) of the pixel circuit 60 is used as the measurement standard. In the isolation region 30, the width of the isolation region 30 at one end close to the substrate 50 may be less than 3-5 microns, or part of the inorganic layer structure may remain in the isolation region 30.

[0029] Furthermore, the isolation region 30 is disposed close to the PS, and the distance between the isolation region 30 and the surrounding PS is less than 3 microns.

[0030] In this embodiment, the isolation area 30 is arranged around the pressure-bearing area 20, and the pressure-bearing area 20 is arranged at the location of the PS. Therefore, the isolation area 30 is arranged as close to the PS as possible. The smaller the distance between the two, the smaller the area occupied by the pressure-bearing area 20. While supporting the OLED display panel, the range of the pixel circuit 60 on the display panel will not be excessively affected. Preferably, the distance between the isolation area 30 and the surrounding PS is less than 3 microns.

[0031] Furthermore, the pixel circuit 60 includes multiple stacked film layers, and at least a portion of the film layers of the pixel circuit 60 in the pressure-bearing area 20 corresponds to the film layers of the pixel circuit 60 in the pixel area 10 .

[0032] In the above embodiment, a multilayer structure is mentioned as being provided at the position of the pixel circuit 60. Since the overall structure of the pixel circuit 60 in the pressure-bearing area 20 needs to be increased, it is necessary to operate the various layer structures included in the pixel circuit 60. However, the various layer structures included in the pixel circuit 60 are not suitable for thickening in terms of process. If the thickness of the layers in the pressure-bearing area 20 and the pixel area 10 are different, it is necessary to increase the number of processes and extend the process time. In this embodiment, when forming the pixel circuit film layer in the pixel area 10, the same film layer is provided in the pressure-bearing area 20, and a film layer is formed. The multiple film layers are stacked and arranged. After the film layers of the pressure-bearing area 20 are stacked, the height will gradually increase and be higher than the film layers of the pixel area 10. Since the thicknesses that can be increased by different film layers are not exactly the same, it is only necessary to increase the total thickness by a set value h. The number of film layers in the pressure-bearing area 20 formed by this arrangement may be the same as the number of film layers in the pixel area 10, or it may be less than the number of film layers in the pixel area 10. That is to say, as long as the increase in the height of the pressure-bearing area 20 is met, the number of film layers in the corresponding pressure-bearing area 20 may not be consistent with that of the pixel area 10, and all of them may be the same, or some of them may be the same.

[0033] Optionally, the height of the pixel circuit 60 in the pressure-bearing area 20 is 1±0.5 μm higher than the pixel circuit in the pixel area 10 .

[0034] According to the above embodiment, the pixel circuit 60 in the pressure-bearing area 20 is higher than the height of the pixel area 10h, where h is generally the thickness of 2-3 metal layers, and is preferably set to 1 micron. It will not have too much impact on the overall thickness of the display panel, and can also protect the pixel circuit 60 on the display panel.

[0035] Preferably, the pressure-bearing area 20 is set to a pyramid-shaped structure, and the cross-sectional area of ​​each film layer in the pressure-bearing area 20 gradually decreases from the side close to the substrate 50 to the side away from the substrate 50, forming a pyramid-shaped structure. Figure 2 The pyramid-shaped structure shown gradually becomes larger from top to bottom. When the screen is squeezed, the supporting force from top to bottom also gradually increases. This structure reduces the risk of the film layer breaking and peeling.

[0036] Optionally, the pressure-bearing area 20 is set to a columnar structure, which is not shown in the drawings. The pressure-bearing area of ​​the columnar structure is also easy to prepare and can meet the supporting effect.

[0037] This embodiment further provides a display device, including the above-mentioned OLED display panel.

[0038] The display device provided above includes any structure using an OLED display panel. When it is impacted or squeezed, the pixel circuit 60 of the screen will not be damaged by the impact and squeezing, thereby maintaining a good display effect and improving the reliability of the display.

[0039] It should be understood that the terms "center", "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inside", "outside" and the like used above to indicate orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore cannot be understood as limiting the present invention; the directional terms "inside" and "outside" refer to the inside and outside relative to the outline of each component itself. In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the technical features indicated. Therefore, features defined as "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features.

[0040] For ease of description, spatially relative terms such as "above", "above", "on the upper surface of", "above", etc. may be used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature to other devices or features as shown in the figures. It should be understood that spatially relative terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation described in the figures. For example, if the device in the drawings is inverted, the device described as "above other devices or structures" or "above other devices or structures" will be positioned "below other devices or structures" or "below other devices or structures". Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below". The device can also be positioned in other different ways, rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations, and the spatially relative descriptions used herein are interpreted accordingly.

[0041] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present application and an illustration of the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the invention herein is not limited to the technical solutions formed by the specific combination of the above-mentioned technical features, but also encompasses other technical solutions formed by any combination of the above-mentioned technical features or their equivalents without departing from the inventive concept. For example, a technical solution formed by replacing the above-mentioned features with (but not limited to) technical features having similar functions disclosed in this application.

Claims

1. An OLED display panel, characterized in that: The OLED display panel is divided into multiple areas, including at least a pixel area and multiple pressure-bearing areas. The OLED display panel includes a stacked substrate, a pixel circuit, and a flat layer. The height of the pixel circuit in the pressure-bearing area is higher than that of the pixel circuit in the pixel area. The pixel area includes multiple sub-pixel areas of different colors, the pressure-bearing area is arranged between the sub-pixel areas, and an isolation area is provided between each pressure-bearing area and its adjacent sub-pixel area. There is no pixel circuit connection between the pressure-bearing area and the pixel area in the isolation area.

2. The OLED display panel according to claim 1, wherein: The OLED display panel further includes a spacer area, and the pressure-bearing area at least partially overlaps with the spacer area.

3. The OLED display panel according to claim 1, wherein: Each of the pressure-bearing areas is surrounded by the isolation area, and the cross section of the isolation area is annular.

4. The OLED display panel according to claim 3, wherein: The cross-sectional shape of the isolation region matches the cross-sectional shape of each of the pressure-bearing regions.

5. The OLED display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The isolation region is filled with organic material or polyimide.

6. The OLED display panel according to claim 5, wherein: The width of the isolation region is 3-5 microns.

7. The OLED display panel according to claim 2, wherein: The isolation region is arranged close to the spacer region, and a distance between the isolation region and the surrounding spacer region is less than 3 microns.

8. The OLED display panel according to claim 5, wherein: The pixel circuit includes multiple stacked film layers, and at least a portion of the film layers of the pixel circuit in the pressure-bearing area corresponds to the film layers of the pixel circuit in the pixel area.

9. The OLED display panel according to claim 5, wherein: The height of the pixel circuit in the pressure-bearing area is 1±0.5 μm higher than that of the pixel circuit in the pixel area.

10. A display device comprising the OLED display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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