Display panel, display device and preparation method of display panel

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention provides a display panel, a display device and a preparation method of the display panel, and relates to the technical field of display. In the display panel, a gate drive circuit layer is manufactured on one side, close to a substrate, of a pixel circuit layer, and compared with a mode of manufacturing a pixel circuit and a gate drive circuit on the same layer, gate drive circuits in the gate drive circuit layer can be correspondingly distributed at the position where a display area is located; therefore, the technical problem that the size of the non-display area cannot be further compressed due to the fact that the gate drive circuit is designed in the non-display area can be avoided, the size of the non-display area is reduced, the screen-to-body ratio of the display panel is increased, and the user experience and the market competitiveness of products are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of display technology, and in particular, to a display panel, a display device, and a method for manufacturing a display panel. Background Art

[0002] With the development of display technology, users have increasingly higher requirements for the screen-to-body ratio of display panels. How to improve the screen-to-body ratio of display panels is a technical problem that technical personnel in this field urgently need to solve. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In order to overcome the technical problems mentioned in the above technical background, embodiments of the present application provide a display panel, a display device, and a method for manufacturing a display panel.

[0004] In a first aspect of the present application, a display panel is provided, comprising:

[0005] substrate;

[0006] a gate drive circuit layer, the gate drive circuit layer being located on the substrate;

[0007] a pixel circuit layer, the pixel circuit layer being located on a side of the gate driving circuit layer away from the substrate, wherein the gate driving circuit in the gate driving circuit layer is connected to the pixel circuit in the pixel circuit layer;

[0008] A pixel device layer is located on a side of the pixel circuit layer away from the substrate, wherein the pixel circuits in the pixel circuit layer are connected to the pixel devices in the pixel device layer.

[0009] In a possible embodiment of the present application, the display panel includes at least two display areas;

[0010] The gate drive circuit layer includes at least two groups of gate drive circuits, each group of gate drive circuits is connected to a pixel circuit driving a pixel device in the corresponding display area;

[0011] Preferably, a group of gate driving circuits includes two gate driving circuits, and the two gate driving circuits are respectively connected to pixel circuits on two opposite sides of the display area in the first direction.

[0012] In a possible embodiment of the present application, the display panel is rectangular in shape, and at least two display areas are arranged sequentially along a long side of the display panel;

[0013] The orthographic projection of each group of the gate driving circuits on the substrate is located within the orthographic projection of the corresponding display area on the substrate;

[0014] Preferably, the pixel circuit and the gate driving circuit are connected via a film layer through-hole between the pixel circuit layer and the gate driving circuit layer.

[0015] In a possible embodiment of the present application, the substrate is a flexible substrate;

[0016] The long side of the display panel is greater than or equal to 1 meter;

[0017] Preferably, the display panel includes four display areas, and the gate driving circuit layer includes four groups of gate driving circuits.

[0018] In a second aspect of the present application, a display device is further provided, comprising a display panel;

[0019] The display panel includes:

[0020] substrate;

[0021] a gate drive circuit layer, the gate drive circuit layer being located on the substrate;

[0022] a pixel circuit layer, the pixel circuit layer being located on a side of the gate driving circuit layer away from the substrate, wherein the gate driving circuit in the gate driving circuit layer is connected to the pixel circuit in the pixel circuit layer;

[0023] A pixel device layer is located on a side of the pixel circuit layer away from the substrate, wherein the pixel circuits in the pixel circuit layer are connected to the pixel devices in the pixel device layer.

[0024] In a possible embodiment of the present application, the display panel includes at least two display areas;

[0025] The display device further comprises at least two display control chips, each of which is used to control the image display of one of the display areas;

[0026] Preferably, the gate driving circuit layer includes at least two groups of gate driving circuits, and each group of gate driving circuits is connected to a pixel circuit driving a pixel device in the corresponding display area;

[0027] Preferably, the display panel is rectangular in shape, and at least two display areas are arranged in sequence along the long side of the display panel;

[0028] Preferably, the pixel circuit and the gate driving circuit are connected via a film layer through-hole between the pixel circuit layer and the gate driving circuit layer.

[0029] In a possible embodiment of the present application, the substrate is a flexible substrate;

[0030] Preferably, the long side of the display panel is greater than or equal to 1 meter;

[0031] Preferably, the display device comprises a vehicle-mounted display device;

[0032] Preferably, the display panel includes four display areas, and the gate driving circuit layer includes four groups of gate driving circuits.

[0033] A third aspect of the present application further provides a method for preparing a display panel, the method comprising:

[0034] providing a substrate;

[0035] fabricating a gate drive circuit layer on the substrate;

[0036] Fabricating a pixel circuit layer on a side of the gate driving circuit layer away from the substrate, so that the gate driving circuit in the gate driving circuit layer is connected to the pixel circuit in the pixel circuit layer;

[0037] A pixel device layer is manufactured on a side of the pixel circuit layer away from the substrate, so that the pixel circuits in the pixel circuit layer are connected to the pixel devices in the pixel device layer.

[0038] In a possible embodiment of the present application, the step of forming a pixel device layer on a side of the pixel circuit layer away from the substrate includes:

[0039] forming a first electrode on a side of the pixel circuit layer away from the substrate;

[0040] manufacturing a pixel defining layer, so that the pixel defining layer forms a pixel opening on the first electrode;

[0041] forming a light-emitting functional layer in the pixel opening;

[0042] A second electrode is formed at least on a side of the light-emitting functional layer away from the substrate.

[0043] In a possible embodiment of the present application, the step of forming a light-emitting functional layer in the pixel opening includes:

[0044] The light-emitting functional layer is respectively formed in all pixel openings of the display panel by using at least two light-emitting functional layer evaporation processes, wherein the evaporation areas of the light-emitting functional layer on the display panel do not overlap each other;

[0045] Preferably, the light-emitting functional layer is respectively manufactured in all pixel openings of the display panel by adopting two light-emitting functional layer evaporation processes, and the evaporation areas of the two light-emitting functional layer evaporation processes on the display panel are complementary.

[0046] The embodiments of the present application provide a display panel, a display device, and a method for preparing a display panel. In the display panel, a gate drive circuit layer is produced on the side of the pixel circuit layer close to the substrate. Compared with the method of producing the pixel circuit and the gate drive circuit on the same layer, the gate drive circuit in the gate drive circuit layer can be distributed correspondingly to the location of the display area. In this way, the technical problem that the size of the non-display area cannot be further compressed due to the design of the gate drive circuit in the non-display area can be avoided, the size of the non-display area can be reduced, the screen-to-body ratio of the display panel can be increased, and the user experience and the market competitiveness of the product can be improved. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0047] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments. It should be understood that the following drawings only show certain embodiments of the present application and therefore should not be regarded as limiting the scope. For ordinary technicians in this field, other relevant drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

[0048] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the film layer structure of the display panel provided in this embodiment;

[0049] Figure 2 This is a second schematic diagram of the film layer structure of the display panel provided in this embodiment;

[0050] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the display area distribution of the display panel provided in this embodiment;

[0051] Figure 4 The third schematic diagram of the film layer structure of the display panel provided in this embodiment;

[0052] Figure 5 A circuit diagram of a pixel circuit provided in this embodiment;

[0053] Figure 6 A schematic structural diagram of a display device provided in this embodiment;

[0054] Figure 7 A schematic flow chart of a method for manufacturing a display panel provided in this embodiment;

[0055] Figure 8 for Figure 7 Corresponding process flow chart;

[0056] Figure 9 To achieve Figure 7 Flow chart of step S14;

[0057] Figure 10 for Figure 9 Corresponding process flow chart;

[0058] Figure 11 for Figure 9 The process flow chart corresponding to step S143.

[0059] Icon: 1-display device; 10-display panel; 110-substrate; 120-gate drive circuit layer; 1201-gate drive circuit; 130-pixel circuit layer; 1301-pixel circuit; 140-pixel device layer; 1401-pixel device; 14011-first electrode; 14012-light-emitting functional layer; 14013-second electrode; 1402-pixel defining layer; 20-display control chip; 301-first mask; 302-first support bar; 303-second mask; 304-second support bar. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0060] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present application more clear, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Generally, the components of the embodiments of the present application described and shown in the drawings herein can be arranged and designed in various different configurations.

[0061] In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "upper" and "lower" etc. indicate orientations or positional relationships based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, or are the orientations or positional relationships in which the product of the application is usually placed when in use. These 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, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be understood as limitations on this application.

[0062] Since the non-display area around the display area needs to be wired, the size of the non-display area cannot be further compressed. The inventors found that in the prior art, when making the array drive layer, the pixel circuit and the gate drive circuit are formed in the same layer, which will lead to a relatively tight wiring space. The common practice in the industry is to layout the gate drive circuit in the non-display area, which will lead to a reduction in the screen-to-body ratio of the display panel. In order to solve the above technical problems. The inventors innovatively designed the following technical solutions, and the specific implementation solutions of this application will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0063] Please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 1A schematic diagram of a film layer structure of a display panel provided in this embodiment is shown. In this embodiment, the display panel 10 includes a substrate 110, a gate driver circuit layer 120, a pixel circuit layer 130, and a pixel device layer 140. The gate driver circuit layer 120 is located on the substrate 110, the pixel circuit layer 130 is located on the side of the gate driver circuit layer 120 away from the substrate 110, and the pixel device layer 140 is located on the side of the pixel circuit layer 130 away from the substrate 110. The gate driver circuit layer 120 includes a gate driver circuit 1201, and the pixel circuit layer 130 includes a pixel circuit 1301. The gate driver circuit 1201 and the pixel circuit 1301 are connected.

[0064] In this embodiment, the pixel device layer 140 includes a plurality of pixel devices 1401 , the pixel circuit 1301 is connected to the pixel devices 1401 , and the pixel circuit 1301 is used to drive the pixel devices 1401 to emit light.

[0065] In the above structure, the gate driving circuit layer 120 is produced on the side of the pixel circuit layer 130 close to the substrate 110. Compared with the method of producing the pixel circuit 1301 and the gate driving circuit 1201 on the same layer, the gate driving circuit 1201 in the gate driving circuit layer 120 can be distributed correspondingly at the location of the display area. In this way, the technical problem that the size of the non-display area cannot be further compressed due to the design of the gate driving circuit 1201 in the non-display area can be avoided, the size of the non-display area can be reduced, the screen-to-body ratio of the display panel 10 can be increased, and the user experience and the market competitiveness of the product can be improved.

[0066] In this embodiment, the gate driver circuit layer 120 includes stacked metal layers and insulating layers located between adjacent metal layers, and the gate driver circuit 1201 is formed by at least the metal layers and insulating layers in the gate driver circuit layer 120. The pixel circuit layer 130 also includes stacked metal layers and insulating layers located between adjacent metal layers. The pixel circuit layer 130 includes transistors and storage capacitors, and the pixel circuit 1301 is formed by at least the metal layers and insulating layers in the pixel circuit layer 130. For example, when the pixel circuit layer 130 includes a first metal layer, a second metal layer, and a third metal layer stacked, the gate of the transistor and the first capacitor electrode of the storage capacitor can be made of the first metal layer, and the second capacitor electrode of the storage capacitor, the source of the transistor, and the drain of the transistor can be made of the third metal layer.

[0067] In this embodiment, please refer to Figure 2The pixel device layer 140 may further include a pixel defining layer 1402, and the pixel device 1401 may include a first electrode 14011, a light-emitting functional layer 14012 and a second electrode 14013. The first electrode 14011 is located on a side of the pixel circuit layer 130 away from the substrate 110 and is discretely arranged, that is, adjacent first electrodes 14011 are insulated from each other, wherein the first electrode 14011 is connected to the pixel circuit 1301 in the pixel circuit layer 130, and the first electrode 14011 may be a pixel anode. The pixel defining layer 1402 is located on the side of the first electrode 14011 away from the substrate 110. The pixel defining layer 1402 forms a pixel opening at the location of the first electrode 14011. The light-emitting functional layer 14012 is located within the pixel opening. The second electrode 14013 is located at least on the side of the light-emitting functional layer 14012 away from the substrate 110. Preferably, the second electrode 14013 is formed on the side of the light-emitting functional layer 14012 away from the substrate 110 by full-surface film formation. The second electrode 14013 can be a pixel cathode. The light-emitting functional layer 14012 includes one or more of an electron injection layer, an electron transport layer, a light-emitting material layer, a hole blocking layer, an electron blocking layer, a hole transport layer, and a hole injection layer. The types of layers can be selected based on the specific type of the light-emitting material layer and are not specifically limited herein. For example, the electron injection layer, the electron transport layer, and the hole blocking layer may be disposed between the second electrode 14013 and the light-emitting material layer, and the electron blocking layer, the hole transport layer, and the hole injection layer may be disposed between the first electrode 14011 and the light-emitting material layer.

[0068] In real life, users are keen to display diverse content on the same display panel. For example, in the field of in-vehicle displays, a spliced ​​screen is often used to form a display panel extending from the main driver's seat to the front passenger seat, and different content is displayed on the spliced ​​screen. However, display panels formed by splicing have gaps at the splicing positions, which results in poor display quality when the entire display panel is required to display a picture. Using the same display panel for partitioned display also results in excessive power consumption. To address the above technical issues, this embodiment provides the following solution.

[0069] For further information, please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 In this embodiment, the display panel 10 includes at least two display areas 101. The gate drive circuit layer 120 includes at least two groups of gate drive circuits, each group of gate drive circuits is connected to the pixel circuit 1301 of the pixel device 1401 in the corresponding display area 101. For example, a group of gate drive circuits includes two gate drive circuits 1201, such as Figure 4As shown, the extending direction of the pixel row in the display panel 10 is the same as the X direction in the figure, and the two gate driving circuits 1201 can be connected to the pixel circuits 1301 on the opposite sides of the display area 101 in the first direction (X direction in the figure), respectively. Figure 5 The gate drive circuit 1201 provides row scanning signals (S1, S2, and S3) and light emission control signals (EM) to the pixel circuits 1301 in the display area 101. This means that a set of gate drive circuits can be used to independently control the display of each display area 101. This not only solves the problem of reduced display quality caused by excessive splicing gaps at the splicing locations during splicing, but also reduces the power consumption of the display panel by independently controlling the display areas 101 through different sets of gate drive circuits.

[0070] In this embodiment, the shape of the display panel 10 can be rectangular, and along the long side direction of the display panel 10 ( Figure 3 The plurality of display regions 101 are arranged sequentially (in the X direction). The orthographic projection of each gate driver circuit group on the substrate 110 is located within the orthographic projection of the corresponding display region 101 on the substrate 110. The pixel circuit 1301 and the gate driver circuit 1201 can be connected via a film layer through hole between the pixel circuit 1301 and the gate driver circuit 1201.

[0071] In different application scenarios, the location area where the display panel is set may not be flat. For example, in a vehicle-mounted display scenario, there may be a raised central control area between the main driver's seat and the co-driver's seat. In order to enhance the adaptability of the display panel provided in this embodiment to different setting environments, in this embodiment, the substrate 110 in the display panel 10 can adopt a flexible substrate so that the display panel 10 can be set along the uneven location area.

[0072] Furthermore, in this embodiment, display panels of different lengths and widths can be provided according to different application scenarios. For example, in an in-vehicle display scenario, the shape of the display panel 10 can be rectangular, and the long side dimension of the display panel 10 can be greater than or equal to 1 meter. In this way, a single display panel 10 can realize the display from the main driver's seat to the co-driver's seat. Furthermore, the display panel 10 may include four display areas 101, and the gate drive circuit layer 120 includes four groups of gate drive circuits, wherein the sizes of different display areas 101 may be the same or different, which is not limited here. For example, different display areas 101 may display the same content or different content. In addition, different display areas 101 may be combined to display a complete picture.

[0073] Based on the same inventive concept, this embodiment further provides a display device, the display device comprising Figure 1The display panel 10 includes a substrate 110, a gate driver circuit layer 120, a pixel circuit layer 130, and a pixel device layer 140. The gate driver circuit layer 120 is located on the substrate 110, the pixel circuit layer 130 is located on a side of the gate driver circuit layer 120 away from the substrate 110, and the pixel device layer 140 is located on a side of the pixel circuit layer 130 away from the substrate 110. The gate driver circuit layer 120 includes a gate driver circuit 1201, and the pixel circuit layer 130 includes a pixel circuit 1301. The gate driver circuit 1201 and the pixel circuit 1301 are connected.

[0074] In this embodiment, the pixel device layer 140 includes a plurality of pixel devices 1401 , the pixel circuit 1301 is connected to the pixel devices 1401 , and the pixel circuit 1301 is used to drive the pixel devices 1401 to emit light.

[0075] In the above structure, the gate driving circuit layer 120 is produced on the side of the pixel circuit layer 130 close to the substrate 110. Compared with the method of producing the pixel circuit layer 130 and the gate driving circuit layer 120 on the same layer, the gate driving circuit 1201 in the gate driving circuit layer 120 can be distributed correspondingly at the location of the display area. In this way, the technical problem that the size of the non-display area cannot be further compressed due to the design of the gate driving circuit 1201 in the non-display area can be avoided, the size of the non-display area can be reduced, the screen-to-body ratio of the display panel 10 can be increased, and the user experience when using the display device and the market competitiveness of the display device can be improved.

[0076] In real life, users are keen to display diverse content on the same display panel. For example, in the field of in-vehicle displays, a spliced ​​screen is often used to form a display panel extending from the main driver's seat to the front passenger seat, and different content is displayed on the spliced ​​screen. However, display panels formed by splicing have gaps at the splicing positions, which results in poor display quality when the entire display panel is required to display a picture. Using the same display panel for partitioned display also results in excessive power consumption. To address the above technical issues, this embodiment provides the following solution.

[0077] For further information, please refer to Figure 6 In this embodiment, the display panel 10 includes at least two display areas 101. The gate drive circuit layer 120 includes at least two groups of gate drive circuits, each group of gate drive circuits is connected to the pixel circuit 1301 of the pixel device 1401 in the corresponding display area 101. For example, a group of gate drive circuits includes two gate drive circuits 1201, such as Figure 3As shown, the extending direction of the pixel rows in the display panel 10 is the same as the X direction in the figure, and the two gate driving circuits 1201 can be respectively connected to the pixel circuits 1301 on the opposite sides of the display area 101 in the X direction to provide row scanning signals ( Figure 5 S1 signal, S2 signal and S3 signal) and light control signal ( Figure 5 Please refer to the EM signal in Figure 6 The display device 1 further includes a plurality of display control chips 20, each of which is used to control the image display of a display area 101. For example, each display control chip 20 is connected to a gate drive circuit 1201 and a pixel circuit 1301, respectively, and controls the image display of each display area 101 through the gate drive circuit 1201 and the pixel circuit 1301. That is, a single display control chip 20 can independently control the display of each display area 101, performing partitioned scanning. This not only solves the problem of reduced display quality caused by excessive splicing gaps at the splicing positions during splicing, but also reduces the power consumption of the display panel 10 by using the display control chip 20 to independently control the display areas 101.

[0078] In this embodiment, the display panel 10 may be rectangular in shape, with multiple display areas 101 arranged sequentially along the long side of the display panel 10. The orthographic projection of each gate driver circuit group on the substrate 110 is located within the orthographic projection of the corresponding display area 101 on the substrate 110. The pixel circuit 1301 and the gate driver circuit 1201 may be connected via a film layer through-hole between the pixel circuit 1301 and the gate driver circuit 1201.

[0079] In different application scenarios, the location area where the display panel is set may not be flat. For example, in a vehicle-mounted display scenario, there may be a raised central control area between the main driver's seat and the co-driver's seat. In order to enhance the adaptability of the display panel provided in this embodiment to different setting environments, in this embodiment, the substrate 110 in the display panel 10 can adopt a flexible substrate so that the display panel 10 can be set along the uneven location area.

[0080] Furthermore, in this embodiment, display panels of different lengths and widths can be provided depending on the application scenario. For example, in an in-vehicle display scenario, the display device 1 is an in-vehicle display device, and different display areas in the display device 1 are used to display different information. For example, the display area located in the main driver's seat is used to display driving-related data, and the display area located in the front passenger seat can be used to display multimedia video image information selected by the user. In this embodiment, the shape of the display panel 10 can be rectangular, and the long side dimension of the display panel 10 can be greater than or equal to 1 meter. In this way, a single display panel 10 can realize display from the main driver's seat to the front passenger seat. Furthermore, the display panel 10 may include four display areas 101, and the gate drive circuit layer 120 includes four groups of gate drive circuits 1201. The sizes of different display areas 101 can be the same or different, which is not limited here. For example, different display areas 101 can display the same content or different content. In addition, different display areas 101 can be combined to display a complete picture.

[0081] Furthermore, based on the same inventive concept, this embodiment also provides a method for preparing a display panel, please refer to Figure 7 and Figure 8 , Figure 7 The following is a flow chart illustrating the method for manufacturing a display panel provided in this embodiment. Figure 8 Corresponding to Figure 7 The process flow chart is combined with Figure 7 and Figure 8 The method for manufacturing the display panel provided in this embodiment is introduced in detail.

[0082] Step S11: providing a substrate.

[0083] In this embodiment, the substrate 110 may be a hard substrate, such as a glass substrate, or a flexible substrate, such as a polyimide (PI) substrate.

[0084] Step S12: fabricating a gate drive circuit layer on the substrate.

[0085] In this embodiment, multiple layers of mutually spaced metal layers and insulating layers located between adjacent metal layers are sequentially fabricated on a substrate 110, and a gate drive circuit layer 120 is formed by the metal layers and the insulating layers, and a gate drive circuit 1201 in the gate drive circuit layer is formed by at least the patterned metal layers.

[0086] In step S13 , a pixel circuit layer is fabricated on a side of the gate driving circuit layer away from the substrate, so that the gate driving circuit in the gate driving circuit layer is connected to the pixel circuit in the pixel circuit layer.

[0087] In this embodiment, similar to step S12, multiple mutually spaced metal layers and insulating layers between adjacent metal layers are formed on the side of the gate driver circuit layer 120 away from the substrate 110. At least the patterned metal layers form the pixel circuit 1301 in the pixel circuit layer 130. The pixel circuit 1301 is connected to the gate driver circuit 1201 via a film layer through-hole. The gate driver circuit 1201 provides the pixel circuit 1301 with row scanning signals and light emission control signals.

[0088] Step S14: fabricating a pixel device layer on a side of the pixel circuit layer away from the substrate.

[0089] In this embodiment, the pixel circuit 1301 in the pixel circuit layer 130 is used to drive the pixel device 1401 in the pixel device layer 140 to emit light.

[0090] In the above preparation method, the gate drive circuit 1201 is prepared first and then the pixel circuit 1301 is prepared. On the one hand, the gate drive circuit 1201 is arranged in the display area, and the layout space can be larger. The distance between adjacent gate drive circuits 1201 is larger, and the unevenness of the upper film layer caused by the preparation of the gate drive circuit 1201 will be relatively weakened; on the other hand, after the pixel circuit 1301 is prepared, a planarization layer is also made to offset the unevenness of the lower film layer, thereby further ensuring that the display area has good flatness.

[0091] Please refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 , further, in this embodiment, step S14 can be implemented in the following manner.

[0092] Step S141 , forming a first electrode on a side of the pixel circuit layer away from the substrate.

[0093] The first electrodes 14011 are discretely arranged on a side of the pixel circuit layer 130 away from the substrate 110 , wherein the first electrodes 14011 are connected to the pixel circuit 1301 in the pixel circuit layer 130 , and the first electrodes 14011 may be pixel anodes.

[0094] Step S142 , manufacturing a pixel definition layer, so that the pixel definition layer forms a pixel opening on the first electrode.

[0095] A pixel defining layer 1402 is formed on a side of the first electrode 14011 away from the substrate 110 , and the pixel defining layer 1402 is patterned to remove the pixel defining layer 1402 above the first electrode 14011 to form a pixel opening.

[0096] Step S143: forming a light-emitting functional layer in the pixel opening.

[0097] The light-emitting functional layer 14012 is produced in the pixel opening by evaporation. In this embodiment, the light-emitting functional layer 14012 includes one or more of an electron injection layer, an electron transport layer, a light-emitting material layer, a hole blocking layer, an electron blocking layer, a hole transport layer and a hole injection layer. The selection can be based on the specific type of the light-emitting functional layer and is not specifically limited here.

[0098] Step S144 , forming a second electrode at least on a side of the light-emitting functional layer away from the substrate.

[0099] In this embodiment, the second electrode 14013 can be made at least on the side of the light-emitting functional layer 14012 away from the substrate 110. Preferably, the second electrode 14013 is made on the side of the light-emitting functional layer 14012 away from the substrate 110 by full-surface film formation. The second electrode 14013 can be a pixel cathode.

[0100] Furthermore, in this embodiment, in certain specific application scenarios, it is necessary to produce a display panel with a display area length of more than 1 meter. When evaporating the light-emitting functional layer, if a single mask is used to vapor-deposit the entire display area, the mask's large span will cause the mask to sag due to its own gravity. The larger the span, the more severe the sagging in the middle of the mask, resulting in more severe evaporation defects during evaporation. To address the above technical issues, this embodiment implements step S143 in the following manner.

[0101] At least two evaporation processes are used to form the light-emitting functional layer within all pixel openings of the display panel. The evaporation areas of each evaporation process do not overlap. In each evaporation process, the light-emitting functional layer is deposited within all pixel openings within the deposition area.

[0102] Illustratively, in this embodiment, the evaporation of the light-emitting functional layer may be completed by using two evaporation processes for the light-emitting functional layer, and the two evaporation processes for the light-emitting functional layer are complementary in the evaporation regions on the display panel.

[0103] Please refer to Figure 11, the area in the display panel 110 that needs to be evaporated can be divided into area A1 and area A2, wherein area A1 and area A2 are alternately distributed in the Y-axis direction. First, the first mask 301 can be used to evaporate the light-emitting functional layer on area A1. When the light-emitting functional layer is evaporated on area A1, the first mask 301 is supported by the first support bar 302, and the first support bar 302 blocks area A2. After the light-emitting functional layer of area A1 is evaporated, the second mask 303 can be used to evaporate the light-emitting functional layer on area A2. When the light-emitting functional layer is evaporated on area A2, the second mask 303 is supported by the second support bar 304, and the second support bar 304 blocks area A1. In this way, the stretching distance of the mask can be reduced. When the length of the display panel is long, poor evaporation caused by using one mask to evaporate the entire display area can be avoided.

[0104] In summary, the embodiments of the present application provide a display panel, a display device, and a method for preparing a display panel. In the display panel, a gate drive circuit layer is produced on the side of the pixel circuit layer close to the substrate. Compared with the method of producing pixel circuits and gate drive circuits on the same layer, the gate drive circuits in the gate drive circuit layer can be distributed correspondingly to the location of the display area. In this way, the technical problem that the size of the non-display area cannot be further compressed due to the design of the gate drive circuit in the non-display area can be avoided, the size of the non-display area can be reduced, the screen-to-body ratio of the display panel can be increased, and the user experience and the market competitiveness of the product can be improved.

[0105] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Various modifications and variations are possible for those skilled in the art. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, or improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present application shall be included within the scope of protection of the present application.

Claims

1. A display panel, characterized in that: The display panel comprises: substrate; A gate driving circuit layer, wherein the gate driving circuit layer is located on the substrate; a pixel circuit layer, the pixel circuit layer being located on a side of the gate driving circuit layer away from the substrate, wherein the gate driving circuit in the gate driving circuit layer is connected to the pixel circuit in the pixel circuit layer; A pixel device layer is located at a side of the pixel circuit layer away from the substrate, wherein the pixel circuits in the pixel circuit layer are connected to the pixel devices in the pixel device layer.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein: The display panel includes at least two display areas; The gate drive circuit layer includes at least two groups of gate drive circuits, each group of gate drive circuits is connected to a pixel circuit driving a pixel device in the corresponding display area; Preferably, a group of gate driving circuits includes two gate driving circuits, and the two gate driving circuits are respectively connected to pixel circuits on two opposite sides of the display area in the first direction.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein: The display panel is in a rectangular shape, and at least two display areas are arranged in sequence along the long side direction of the display panel; The orthographic projection of each group of the gate driving circuits on the substrate is located within the orthographic projection of the corresponding display area on the substrate; Preferably, the pixel circuit and the gate driving circuit are connected via a film layer through hole between the pixel circuit layer and the gate driving circuit layer.

4. The display panel according to claim 3, wherein: The substrate is a flexible substrate; The long side of the display panel is greater than or equal to 1 meter; Preferably, the display panel includes four display areas, and the gate driving circuit layer includes four groups of gate driving circuits.

5. A display device, characterized in that: The display device comprises a display panel; The display panel comprises: substrate; A gate driving circuit layer, wherein the gate driving circuit layer is located on the substrate; a pixel circuit layer, the pixel circuit layer being located on a side of the gate driving circuit layer away from the substrate, wherein the gate driving circuit in the gate driving circuit layer is connected to the pixel circuit in the pixel circuit layer; A pixel device layer is located at a side of the pixel circuit layer away from the substrate, wherein the pixel circuits in the pixel circuit layer are connected to the pixel devices in the pixel device layer.

6. The display device according to claim 5, characterized in that The display panel includes at least two display areas; The display device further comprises at least two display control chips, each of which is used to control the image display of one of the display areas; Preferably, the gate driving circuit layer includes at least two groups of gate driving circuits, and each group of gate driving circuits is connected to a pixel circuit driving a pixel device in the corresponding display area; Preferably, the display panel is in a rectangular shape, and at least two display areas are arranged in sequence along the long side direction of the display panel; Preferably, the pixel circuit and the gate driving circuit are connected via a film layer through hole between the pixel circuit and the gate driving circuit.

7. The display device according to claim 6, characterized in that The substrate is a flexible substrate; Preferably, the long side dimension of the display panel is greater than or equal to 1 meter; Preferably, the display device comprises a vehicle-mounted display device; Preferably, the display panel includes four display areas, and the gate driving circuit layer includes four groups of gate driving circuits.

8. A method for preparing a display panel, characterized in that: The method comprises: providing a substrate; Fabricating a gate drive circuit layer on the substrate; Manufacturing a pixel circuit layer on a side of the gate driving circuit layer away from the substrate, so that the gate driving circuit in the gate driving circuit layer is connected to the pixel circuit in the pixel circuit layer; A pixel device layer is manufactured on a side of the pixel circuit layer away from the substrate, so that the pixel circuit in the pixel circuit layer is connected with the pixel device in the pixel device layer.

9. The method for preparing a display panel according to claim 8, wherein: The step of manufacturing a pixel device layer on a side of the pixel circuit layer away from the substrate comprises: Making a first electrode on a side of the pixel circuit layer away from the substrate; Manufacturing a pixel definition layer, so that the pixel definition layer forms a pixel opening on the first electrode; Producing a light-emitting functional layer in the pixel opening; A second electrode is formed at least on a side of the light-emitting functional layer away from the substrate.

10. The method for manufacturing a display panel according to claim 9, wherein: The step of making a light-emitting functional layer in the pixel opening comprises: The light-emitting functional layer is respectively manufactured in all pixel openings of the display panel by using at least two light-emitting functional layer evaporation processes, wherein the evaporation regions of the light-emitting functional layer on the display panel do not overlap each time; Preferably, the light-emitting functional layer is respectively manufactured in all pixel openings of the display panel by using two light-emitting functional layer evaporation processes, and the evaporation areas of the two light-emitting functional layer evaporation processes on the display panel are complementary.

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