Display panel, preparation method thereof and display device

Abstract

The application discloses a display panel, a preparation method thereof and a display device. The display panel comprises: a substrate substrate comprising a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area, the peripheral area comprising a first fan-out area adjacent to the display area and a second fan-out area located on a side of the first fan-out area away from the display area; a plurality of data lines located on one side of the substrate substrate and extending from the display area to the first fan-out area and the second fan-out area; at least one virtual data line located in the second fan-out area and between two adjacent data lines, the extension direction of the virtual data line being consistent with the extension direction of the data line, the display area, the first fan-out area and the second fan-out area being arranged along a first direction, the second fan-out area having a first edge sub-area, a center sub-area and a second edge sub-area in a second direction, the virtual data line being located in the edge sub-area, the virtual data line being a continuous linear structure and / or a continuous curved structure. Thus, the display panel has better product yield and display performance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of display technology, and more specifically, to display panels, methods for manufacturing the same, and display devices. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of flat panel display technology, the increasing multifunctionality of consumer electronics requires higher screen-to-body ratios for display panels. Consequently, the bezels of display panels are becoming narrower, which places higher demands on the circuit structure design of display panels. Improving the manufacturing yield of narrow-bezel products has become an urgent problem to be solved.

[0003] Therefore, current display panels, their manufacturing methods, and display devices still need improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application is based on the inventor's discoveries and understanding of the following facts and problems:

[0005] The inventors discovered that in the manufacturing process of narrow-bezel display panels, inconsistent line densities in the design of data lines in different areas of the fan-out region lead to significant differences in linewidth among the data lines in different areas of the fan-out region after photolithography, resulting in a high incidence of data line defects. Therefore, improving the uniformity of the linewidth of data lines in the fan-out region after photolithography is of great significance for improving the display performance of the display panel, especially for improving the yield of narrow-bezel display panels.

[0006] This application aims to at least partially alleviate or resolve at least one of the aforementioned problems.

[0007] In one aspect of this application, a display panel is provided, comprising: a substrate, the substrate including a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area, the peripheral area including a first fan-out area and a second fan-out area, the first fan-out area being disposed adjacent to the display area, and the second fan-out area being located on the side of the first fan-out area away from the display area; a plurality of data lines located on one side of the substrate and extending from the display area to the first fan-out area and the second fan-out area; at least one virtual data line located within the second fan-out area and between two adjacent data lines, the extension direction of the virtual data line being consistent with the extension direction of the data lines; the display area, the first fan-out area and the second fan-out area being arranged along a first direction; the second fan-out area having a first edge sub-region, a center sub-region and a second edge sub-region in a second direction, the second direction being perpendicular to the first direction; the virtual data line being located within the edge sub-region; and the virtual data line being a continuous linear structure and / or a continuous curved structure. This improves the uniformity of line density in different areas within the fan-out zone, resulting in higher product yield and better display performance for the display panel.

[0008] According to an embodiment of this application, the spacing between two adjacent data lines located in the central sub-region in the second direction is D1, and the spacing between two adjacent data lines located in the edge sub-region in the second direction is D2. When (D2-D1) / D1 is not less than 50%, there is at least one virtual data line between adjacent data lines. This further improves the uniformity of data line width in different areas within the fan-out region.

[0009] According to an embodiment of this application, D1 is 1-5 micrometers and D2 is 1-5 micrometers. This improves the uniformity of the linear density in the fan-out region.

[0010] According to embodiments of this application, the line width of the data line is 1-5 micrometers, and the line width of the virtual data line is also 1-5 micrometers. This improves the uniformity of the data line width.

[0011] According to an embodiment of this application, a virtual data line is provided between adjacent data lines, and the width of the multiple virtual data lines gradually decreases from the edge sub-region toward the center sub-region. This further improves the display performance of the display panel. It also further improves the uniformity of data line width within the fan-out area.

[0012] According to an embodiment of this application, the distance between adjacent data lines and virtual data lines within the edge sub-region is D3, and (D3-D1) / D1 is not greater than 30%. This further improves the display performance of the display panel.

[0013] In another aspect of this application, a method for fabricating the aforementioned display panel is proposed, comprising: providing a substrate, and depositing a metal layer for forming data lines on the substrate; performing photolithography on the metal layer to form data lines and virtual data lines based on the same photolithography process. Thus, the line density of regions with low data line density within the fan-out area can be increased by setting virtual data lines, thereby improving the uniformity of the data line width in the fan-out area.

[0014] In another aspect of this application, a display device is provided, including the aforementioned display panel. Thus, this display device possesses all the features and advantages of the aforementioned display panel, which will not be repeated here. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of this application will become apparent and readily understood from the description of the embodiments taken in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

[0016] Figure 1This shows a partial structural schematic diagram of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present application;

[0017] Figure 2 A partial structural schematic diagram of a display panel according to yet another embodiment of this application is shown;

[0018] Figure 3 A partial structural schematic diagram of a display panel in related technologies is shown;

[0019] Figure 4 A partial structural schematic diagram of a display panel according to yet another embodiment of this application is shown.

[0020] Explanation of reference numerals in the attached figures:

[0021] 1: Data cable; 2: Virtual data cable; 100: Display area; 210: First fan-out area; 220: Second fan-out area; 221: First edge sub-region; 222: Center sub-region; 223: Second edge sub-region. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below. Examples of these embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and are only used to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0023] In one aspect of this application, a display panel is provided, with reference to Figure 1 and Figure 2The system includes: a substrate, which includes a display area 100 and a peripheral area surrounding the display area. The peripheral area includes a first fan-out area 210 and a second fan-out area 220. The first fan-out area 210 is disposed adjacent to the display area 100, and the second fan-out area 220 is located on the side of the first fan-out area 210 away from the display area 100; a plurality of sub-pixels, which are located in the display area 100; a plurality of data lines 1, which are located on one side of the substrate and extend from the display area 100 to the first fan-out area 210 and the second fan-out area 220, and are configured to provide data signals to the plurality of sub-pixels; and at least one virtual data line 2, which is located within the second fan-out area 220 and between two adjacent data lines 1, and the extension direction of the virtual data line 2 is consistent with the extension direction of the data lines 1. Therefore, during product design and development, this display panel can improve the line density in areas with relatively low line density by pre-setting light-transmitting holes for data lines and virtual data lines in the photomask. This, in turn, increases the uniformity of line density of linear openings in various areas of the photomask, thereby improving the uniformity of data line width after exposure in different areas of the fan-out area. This reduces the width of the display panel's fan-out area while also reducing the occurrence of data line breakage, improving the yield of narrow-bezel display panels, and enhancing product competitiveness.

[0024] To facilitate understanding, the principle behind the aforementioned beneficial effects of the display panel in this application will be explained below:

[0025] The inventors discovered that the width of a data cable is closely related to its resistance. To improve the accuracy and consistency of data signal transmission, the width of data cables within the same display panel should be kept as consistent as possible. See also Figure 3 In the related technology, after the data line 1' extends from the first fan-out area 210' to the second fan-out area 220', the line width of the data line 1' located in region A of the first fan-out area 210' in the second fan-out area is 1.88 micrometers. Similarly, the line width of the data line 1' located in region B of the first fan-out area 210' in the second fan-out area is 2.05 micrometers, and the line width of the data line 1' located in region A of the first fan-out area 210' in the second fan-out area is 2.02 micrometers. Region A is a relatively sparse area of ​​data lines, while regions B and C are relatively dense areas of data lines. That is, the line width of the data line in region A is 0.2 micrometers smaller than that in regions B and C, resulting in an excessively narrow line width in region A and a high incidence of data line defects.

[0026] Furthermore, the inventors discovered that the data line structure on the display panel is formed through a single exposure process. Specifically, taking positive photoresist as an example, the exposure process may include: aligning a photomask with a substrate, the substrate having a metal layer and a photoresist layer stacked sequentially; the photomask having a preset hole, the orthographic projection of the preset hole on the substrate coinciding with the orthographic projection of the data line on the substrate; performing photolithography to de-crosslink the photoresist layer except for the area where the data line is located; removing the de-crosslinked photoresist layer to expose the metal layer except for the area where the data line is located, and performing etching to remove excess metal layer; finally removing the un-de-crosslinked photoresist layer in the area where the data line is located to obtain the display panel. During the exposure process, the total amount of light received by each area on the display panel is constant. For areas with sparse data line design, under the premise of consistent exposure intensity and time, the area around the data lines receives more light than the area with denser data line design. This results in the area around the data lines being etched to a greater extent during the subsequent etching process. Ultimately, this leads to the data line areas that should not have been etched being etched to a certain extent, resulting in a data line width that is narrower than the designed width.

[0027] In this application, by setting virtual data lines between adjacent data values ​​in areas where the original data line design is relatively sparse, the amount of light absorbed by the surrounding area of ​​the data lines can be reduced when exposing in areas where the original data line design is relatively sparse. This makes the bus density of the data lines and virtual data lines in areas where the original data line design is relatively sparse close to the line density in areas where the original data line design is relatively dense, thereby improving the uniformity of the data line width obtained after exposure processing in areas with dense and sparse data lines.

[0028] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "width", "upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0029] According to some embodiments of this application, the structure of the display panel is not particularly limited, for example, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The display area 100, the first fan-out area 210 and the second fan-out area 220 can be arranged along the first direction. The second fan-out area 220 has a first edge sub-region 221, a center sub-region 222 and a second edge sub-region 223 in the second direction. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. The virtual data line 2 can be located within the edge sub-region.

[0030] According to some other embodiments of this application, the relative positional relationship between the virtual data line 2 and the data line 1 is not particularly limited, as long as the orthographic projections of the virtual data line 2 and the data line 1 on the substrate do not overlap, that is, there is no electrical connection between the virtual data line and the data line, thereby avoiding the virtual data line from affecting the data transmission of the data line when the display panel is working.

[0031] According to some embodiments of this application, reference is made to Figure 2 and Figure 4 The location of the virtual data line is not particularly restricted. For example, when the distance between two adjacent data lines 1 in the second direction is D1 in the central sub-region 212 and the distance between two adjacent data lines 1 in the second direction is D2 in the edge sub-region 223, when (D2-D1) / D1 is not less than 50%, there can be at least one virtual data line 2 between adjacent data lines 1. This can prevent the data lines from being overexposed during the exposure and forming process, which would lead to excessive etching and make the line width too narrow, resulting in poor circuit breakage.

[0032] It is understood that in this application, the sub-edge region includes a first sub-edge region and / or a second sub-edge region.

[0033] According to some embodiments of this application, the range of D2 is not particularly limited. For example, when D1 is 1-5 micrometers, D2 can be 1-5 micrometers, thereby achieving the effect of improving the consistency of data line width between the edge sub-region and the center sub-region.

[0034] According to some embodiments of this application, the width of the data line and the width of the virtual data line are not particularly limited. For example, the width of the data line can be 1-5 micrometers, and the width of the virtual data line can be 1-5 micrometers.

[0035] In this application, all figures disclosed herein, whether or not the words “approximately” or “about” are used, are approximate values. Each figure may vary by less than 10% or by a difference that is considered reasonable by a person skilled in the art, such as 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, or 5%.

[0036] According to some embodiments of this application, the way the virtual data cable is set up is not particularly limited, for example, referring to Figure 2A virtual data line 2 can exist between adjacent data lines 1. The width of multiple virtual data lines 2 can gradually decrease in the direction from the edge sub-region 223 towards the center sub-region 222. Since the line density of the data lines gradually increases in the direction from the edge sub-region 223 towards the center sub-region 222, the width of the virtual data lines 2 can correspondingly decrease in the same direction. This achieves line density gradient compensation from the edge sub-region to the center sub-region, thereby ensuring a high consistency in the overall line density of the second fan-out region.

[0037] According to some embodiments of this application, the arrangement of virtual data lines is not particularly limited. For example, there can be multiple virtual data lines 2 between adjacent data lines 1, and the total width of the multiple virtual data lines 2 can gradually decrease from the edge sub-region 223 toward the center sub-region 222. Since the line density of the data lines gradually increases from the edge sub-region 223 toward the center sub-region 222, correspondingly, the total width of the multiple virtual data lines 2 located between adjacent data lines 1 can gradually decrease from the edge sub-region 223 toward the center sub-region 222, thereby making the overall line density of the second fan-out area highly consistent.

[0038] It is understandable that when there are multiple virtual data lines 2 between adjacent data lines 1, the multiple virtual data lines can be in contact with each other, that is, the virtual data lines located between adjacent data lines can be electrically connected, as long as they are not electrically connected to the adjacent data lines.

[0039] According to some embodiments of this application, the structure of the virtual data line is not particularly limited, for example, referring to Figure 2 The virtual data line includes multiple sub-electrode blocks, which are arranged at intervals along the extension direction of the data line. The multiple sub-electrode blocks together form a virtual data line in the shape of a dashed line. Furthermore, the width of the multiple sub-electrode blocks can be kept consistent.

[0040] According to some embodiments of this application, reference is made to Figure 4 The virtual data line can be a continuous linear structure. Alternatively, the virtual data line in this application can be a curved structure.

[0041] According to some embodiments of this application, by setting virtual data lines, the bus density of data lines and virtual data lines in the edge sub-region can be made closer to the data line density of the central sub-region. For example, when the distance between adjacent data lines and virtual data lines in the edge sub-region is D3, (D3-D1) / D1 is not greater than 30%, and the line density of the entire second fan-out area is highly consistent.

[0042] In another aspect of this application, a method for fabricating the aforementioned display panel is proposed, comprising: providing a substrate, and depositing a metal layer for forming data lines on the substrate; performing photolithography on the metal layer to form data lines and virtual data lines based on the same photolithography process. Specifically, the method includes the following steps: the data line structures on the display panel are all formed by a single exposure process. Specifically, taking positive photoresist as an example, the exposure process may include: aligning a photomask with the substrate, the substrate having a metal layer and a photoresist layer stacked sequentially; the photomask having a preset hole, the orthographic projection of the preset hole on the substrate coinciding with the orthographic projection of the data lines and virtual data lines on the substrate; performing photolithography to de-crosslink the photoresist layer in areas other than the data lines and virtual data lines; removing the de-crosslinked photoresist layer to expose the metal layer in areas other than the data lines and virtual data lines, and performing etching to remove excess metal layers; finally removing the un-de-crosslinked photoresist layer in areas of the data lines and virtual data lines to obtain the display panel. During the exposure process, by setting virtual data lines between adjacent data values ​​in areas where the original data line design is relatively sparse, the amount of light absorbed by the surrounding areas of the data lines can be reduced when exposing areas where the original data line design is relatively sparse. This makes the bus density of the data lines and virtual data lines in the areas where the original data line design is relatively sparse close to the line density in the areas where the original data line design is relatively dense, thereby improving the uniformity of the data line width after exposure processing in areas with dense and sparse data lines.

[0043] In another aspect of this application, a display device is provided, including the aforementioned display panel. Thus, this display device possesses all the features and advantages of the aforementioned display panel, which will not be repeated here.

[0044] According to some embodiments of this application, the aforementioned display panel can still have a good display effect even with a narrower second fan-out area, so the display device is particularly suitable for narrow bezels and displays with narrow bezels.

[0045] In the description of this application, "first feature" and "second feature" may include one or more of the features.

[0046] In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more.

[0047] In the description of this application, "A and / or B" can include any of the cases of A alone, B alone, or A and B, where A and B are merely examples and can be any technical feature connected by "and / or" in this application.

[0048] Unless otherwise stated, all technical terms used in this application have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains. All patents and publications referenced in this application are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. The terms "comprising" or "including" are open-ended expressions, meaning they include the contents specified in this application but do not exclude other contents.

[0049] In the description of this specification, references to terms such as "one embodiment," "another embodiment," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples. Moreover, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments or examples, without contradiction. Additionally, it should be noted that in this specification, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features.

[0050] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A display panel, characterized in that, include: A substrate, the substrate including a display area and a peripheral area surrounding the display area, the peripheral area including a first fan-out area and a second fan-out area, the first fan-out area being disposed adjacent to the display area, and the second fan-out area being located on the side of the first fan-out area away from the display area; Multiple data lines are located on one side of the substrate and extend from the display area to the first fan-out area and the second fan-out area. At least one virtual data line is located within the second fan-out area and between two adjacent data lines. The extension direction of the virtual data line is consistent with the extension direction of the data lines. The display area, the first fan-out area, and the second fan-out area are arranged along a first direction. The second fan-out area has a first edge sub-region, a center sub-region, and a second edge sub-region in a second direction. The second direction is perpendicular to the first direction. The virtual data line is located within the edge sub-region. The virtual data line is a continuous linear structure and / or a continuous curved structure. There is a virtual data line between adjacent data lines, and the width of the multiple virtual data lines gradually decreases from the edge sub-region toward the center sub-region.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The spacing between two adjacent data lines located in the central sub-region in the second direction is D1, and the spacing between two adjacent data lines located in the edge sub-region in the second direction is D2. When (D2-D1) / D1 is not less than 50%, there is at least one virtual data line between adjacent data lines.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that, D1 is 1 micrometer to 5 micrometers, and D2 is 1 micrometer to 5 micrometers.

4. The display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that, The line width of the data line is 1 micrometer to 5 micrometers, and the line width of the virtual data line is 1 micrometer to 5 micrometers.

5. The display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, The distance between adjacent data lines and virtual data lines within the edge sub-region is D3, and (D3-D1) / D1 is not greater than 30%.

6. A method for preparing a display panel according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, include: A substrate is provided, on which a metal layer for forming data lines is disposed; The metal layer is subjected to photolithography to form data lines and virtual data lines based on the same photolithography process.

7. A display device, characterized in that, Includes the display panel as described in any one of claims 1-5.

Images