Display panel and display device including the same

Abstract

To provide: a display panel which allows an unused light-emitting element disposed in a bezel area to be used as an electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuit; and a display device including the same.SOLUTION: A display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes: at least one first pixel (P1) disposed in a display area (AA); and at least one second pixel (P2) disposed in a bezel area (BZA). Therein, the first pixel and the second pixel can be configured to operate at voltages of different voltages, respectively. Thus, making use of an unused light-emitting element disposed in the bezel area enables a design of an electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present specification relates to a display panel and a display device including the same. [Background technology]

[0002] A display device having self-emitting elements has an advantage in that it can be made thinner than a display device having a built-in light source, and can be made flexible and foldable.

[0003] Display devices having these self-luminous elements may include organic light-emitting display devices that use organic materials as a light-emitting layer, and micro LED display devices that use micro light-emitting diodes.

[0004] However, while an organic light emitting display does not require a separate light source, it is prone to defective pixels caused by moisture and oxygen, and therefore various technical ideas are required to minimize the penetration of oxygen and moisture. In response to this requirement, research and development has been conducted in recent years on display devices that use micro light emitting diodes as light emitting elements.

[0005] Micro light-emitting diodes are semiconductor light-emitting elements that utilize the property of emitting light when an electric current is passed through a semiconductor, and are widely used in lighting, TVs, various display devices, and more. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, display devices using micro light emitting diodes may not have layers such as semiconductor (a-Si), oxide, and low temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS), and therefore the panel itself cannot implement thin film transistors.

[0007] Therefore, it is not possible to design an electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuit, and the device has a disadvantage of being vulnerable to static electricity.

[0008] Therefore, in order to solve the above-mentioned shortcomings, the inventor of this specification has invented a display panel that enables light-emitting elements that are arranged in a bezel area but are not used as pixels to be used as elements for processing static electricity.

[0009] Therefore, the problem that this specification aims to solve is to provide a display panel and a display device including the same, in which an electrostatic treatment electrode is arranged on each of the light-emitting elements arranged in the bezel region of the display panel, so that the light-emitting elements can be used as an electrostatic treatment region.

[0010] The object of the present specification is not limited to the object mentioned above, and other objects and advantages of the present invention not mentioned can be understood from the following description and can be more clearly understood by the embodiments of the present invention. It will be understood that the objects and advantages of the present invention can be realized by the means and combinations thereof as set forth in the claims. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present specification, there is provided a display panel, in which at least one first pixel (P1) is arranged in a first region (AA) and at least one second pixel (P2) is arranged in a second region (BZA), and the first pixel and the second pixel can be operated by power sources having different potentials.

[0012] Also, a display device according to an embodiment of the present specification may be provided, which includes a display panel including at least one first pixel arranged in a first region (AA) and having a first electrode on one side and a second electrode on the other side, and at least one second pixel arranged in a second region (BZA) and having a first electrode on one side and a power supply electrode on the other side, and a driver arranged on a rear surface of the first region and controlling light emission drive for the at least one first pixel, the first electrode of the second pixel being connected to ground and the power supply electrode being connected to a power supply line, and the first pixel and the second pixel being operated by power supplies having different potentials from each other. Effect of the Invention

[0013] According to the embodiments of the present specification, in a display device without a backplane, such as a-Si, oxide, and low temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS), an electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuit can be designed by utilizing unused light-emitting elements disposed in the bezel area.

[0014] Furthermore, according to the embodiments of the present specification, an ESD circuit can be provided even in a display device without a backplane, which has the effect of protecting the panel from static electricity even if static electricity is generated.

[0015] In addition, according to the embodiments of the present specification, it is possible to reduce manufacturing steps and thereby reduce manufacturing costs by configuring an electrostatic discharge (ESD) circuit using unused light-emitting elements without installing a separate ESD circuit.

[0016] Furthermore, according to the embodiments of the present specification, damage to the panel caused by the generation of static electricity can be prevented, and the quality and reliability of the display device can be improved.

[0017] Furthermore, according to the embodiment of the present specification, by implementing an electrostatic discharge (ESD) function using unused light-emitting elements, it is possible to ensure product reliability and realize a stable narrow bezel. According to another embodiment, there is provided a display panel including: a plurality of display area pixels arranged in a display area, each of the display area pixels including at least one or more display area sub-pixels configured to emit light to display an image on a display panel; and a plurality of bezel area pixels arranged in a bezel area of ​​the display panel surrounding at least a portion of the display area, each of the at least one or more bezel area pixels including at least one or more bezel area sub-pixels that do not emit light, the bezel area sub-pixels including a first bezel area sub-pixel having a first electrode electrically connected to a common node and a second electrode electrically connected to a first power supply line, and a second bezel area sub-pixel including a third electrode and a fourth electrode, the third electrode being electrically connected to the common node, and the fourth electrode being electrically connected to the first power supply line and another second power supply line.

[0018] The effects of this specification are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0019] The above-mentioned effects and specific effects of the present invention will be described in conjunction with the following description of the preferred embodiment of the invention. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0020] [Figure 1] 1 is a plan view showing a front surface of a display device according to an embodiment of the present specification, a display area, and a bezel area. [Figure 2a] 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic structure of a first pixel arranged in a display region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 2b] 4 is a diagram illustrating a schematic structure of a second pixel disposed in a bezel region according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Diagram 3] 2 is a diagram illustrating a connection structure of a first pixel and a second pixel before a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied; [Figure 4] 1 is a diagram illustrating a connection structure for a second pixel after a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied. [Figure 5a] 1 is a diagram illustrating a connection structure of one or more second pixels disposed in a second region of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. [Figure 5b] 5b is a diagram showing an example of an ESD circuit implemented by a connection structure of one or more second pixels of FIG. 5a. [Figure 6] 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection structure of a first pixel and a second pixel according to an embodiment of the present specification. [Figure 7] 11 is a graph showing characteristics of a diode included in a second pixel according to an embodiment of the present specification. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0021] With respect to the embodiments of the present specification disclosed in the present specification, specific structural or functional descriptions are merely exemplary for purposes of describing the embodiments of the present specification, and the embodiments of the present specification may be embodied in various forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments described in the present specification.

[0022] Although the embodiments according to the present specification may have various modifications and forms, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the present specification. However, it should be understood that the present specification is not intended to limit the present specification to the specific disclosed forms, and includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the spirit and technical scope of the present specification.

[0023] The above-mentioned objects, features and advantages will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that a person having ordinary skill in the art to which this specification pertains can easily implement the technical ideas of this specification.

[0024] In describing this specification, if a specific description of a known technology related to this specification is deemed to obscure the gist of this specification, the detailed description will be omitted.

[0025] Preferred embodiments according to the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same or similar components.

[0026] In addition, when a component is described as being "connected," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that the components may be directly connected or connected to each other, but that there may be other components "intervening" between each component, or each component may be "connected," "coupled," or "connected" through other components. On the other hand, when a component is described as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components between them. Other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between" and "immediately between," or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to," should be interpreted in the same manner.

[0027] The terms used in this specification are merely used to describe certain embodiments and are not intended to limit the specification. A singular expression includes a plural expression unless otherwise clearly indicated in the context. In this specification, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to specify the presence of a disclosed feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof, and should not be understood to preclude the presence or additional possibility of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0028] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification can be used in the sense commonly understood by those having ordinary skill in the art to which this specification belongs. Furthermore, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries are not to be interpreted ideally or excessively unless expressly defined otherwise.

[0029] However, when an embodiment can be implemented differently, the functions or acts described in a particular block may be performed differently from the order shown in the flow chart. For example, two consecutive blocks may in fact be performed substantially simultaneously, or the blocks may be performed in reverse depending on the functions or acts involved.

[0030] When an element or layer is referred to as being "on" another element or layer, it means not only directly on the other element or layer, but also includes the case where there are other layers or other elements between them. On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or "directly above" it means that there are no other elements or layers between them.

[0031] Spatially relative terms such as "below," "beneath," "lower," "above," "upper," and the like, are used to facilitate describing the relationship of one element or component to another element or component as depicted in the drawings. Spatially relative terms should be understood to include different orientations of elements in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the drawings. For example, if an element depicted in the drawings is flipped over, an element described as "below" or "beneath" another element may be positioned "above" the other element. Thus, the exemplary term "below" may include both an orientation of below and above.

[0032] In addition, in describing components in this specification, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. are used to distinguish the components from other components, and the terms do not limit the nature, order, sequence, number, etc. of the components.

[0033] A display panel according to an embodiment of the present specification and a display device including the same will be described below.

[0034] FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the front surface, a display area, and a bezel area of ​​a display device according to an embodiment of the present specification.

[0035] Referring to FIG. 1, a display device 1 according to an embodiment of the present specification may include a cover member 3 and a display panel 5 arranged on a front surface.

[0036] The cover member 3 may also be referred to as a cover glass (CG). The cover member 3 may include a cover glass and a cover window.

[0037] A display module and a back frame (not shown) may be disposed on the rear surface of the cover member 3. Here, the display module may include, for example, a substrate, a buffer layer, a planarization layer, a diffusion window (DW), and an ohmic contact layer (OC), etc.

[0038] The cover member 3 is disposed to cover the front surface of the display module and can play a role in protecting the display module from external impact. The edge portion of the cover member 3 may have a rounded shape formed by curving toward the rear surface on which the display module is disposed.

[0039] In this case, the cover member 3 can be arranged to cover at least a portion of the side of the display module arranged on the rear surface, and can serve to protect not only the front surface but also the side surface of the display module from external impact.

[0040] The cover member 3 may include a display panel 5. The display panel 5 may include a display module on the rear surface. The cover member 3 includes a display area (AA) for displaying a screen, and therefore may be made of a transparent material such as a cover glass so that the screen can be displayed. For example, the cover member 3 may be made of a transparent plastic material, a glass material, or a tempered glass material.

[0041] The back frame is disposed on the rear surface of the display module to house the display module and can be in contact with the cover member 3 so as to support the cover member 3 .

[0042] The back frame may act as a housing that forms the outer rear surface of the display device 1, and may be made of a polymer epoxy resin material.

[0043] In this case, the back frame can function as a case that forms the outermost part of the display device 1, but is not limited to this. For example, the back frame can function as a middle frame part that plays the role of a housing that protects the rear surface of the display module.

[0044] The display module coupled to the rear surface of the display panel 5 may include a bending area (BA), but the bending area (BA) may be located in a bezel area (BZA) on the rear surface of the cover member 3 in the -Z axis direction.

[0045] In order to reduce the bezel area (BZA), it is necessary to reduce the radius of curvature of the bending area (BA). The radius of curvature of the bending area (BA) is proportional to the total thickness of the display module and the display device 1, and as the total thickness increases, the radius of curvature of the bending area (BA) increases, and as the total thickness decreases, the radius of curvature of the bending area (BA) decreases. Therefore, in order to avoid increasing the size of the bezel area (BZA), it is necessary to prevent the total thickness of the display module and the display device 1 from increasing.

[0046] The display panel 5 may include a first area (AA) and a second area (BZA). The first area (AA) may be a display area (Active Area; AA), and the second area (BZA) may be a bezel area (Bezel Area; BZA). The bezel area (BZA) may be disposed along the outermost periphery of the display device 1 so as to surround the display area (AA). The bezel area (BZA) may include a bending area (BA) on the rear surface.

[0047] At least one or more first pixels (P1) may be arranged in the first region (AA), and at least one or more second pixels (P2) may be arranged in the second region (BZA). The first pixel (P1) and the second pixel (P2) may be operated by power sources of different potentials. For example, the first pixel (P1) may be operated by a specific data voltage, and the second pixel (P2) may be operated by a shock pulse voltage generated by static electricity.

[0048] The first pixel (P1) and the second pixel (P2) may include an organic electroluminescent diode (OLED).

[0049] The first pixel (P1) and the second pixel (P2) may both include a micro LED chip. In this case, the first pixel (P1) and the second pixel (P2) may both have a flip type micro LED chip arranged thereon. In addition, the first pixel (P1) and the second pixel (P2) may both have a horizontal type or vertical type micro LED chip arranged thereon. In addition, the first pixel (P1) and the second pixel (P2) may both have a spare area arranged around each pixel.

[0050] The first pixel (P1) and the second pixel (P2) may each be a sub-pixel (SP) that emits red, blue, and green light, but are not limited to this.

[0051] Furthermore, both the first pixel (P1) and the second pixel (P2) may be sub-pixels (SP) that emit light such as white.

[0052] Figure 2a is a cross-sectional view showing a first pixel arranged in a display region according to one embodiment of the present specification, more specifically, a cross-sectional view along A-A' of Figure 3, and Figure 2b is a cross-sectional view showing a second pixel arranged in a bezel region according to one embodiment of the present specification, more specifically, a cross-sectional view along B-B' of Figure 5A.

[0053] 2a, a first pixel (P1) according to an embodiment of the present specification may be disposed in a display area (AA) and may have a first electrode 11 disposed on one side and a second electrode 12 disposed on the other side. The first electrode 11 of the first pixel (P1) may be an anode electrode for emitting light, and the second electrode 12 of the first pixel (P1) may be a cathode electrode for emitting light.

[0054] In the first pixel (P1), a first electrode 11 may be disposed on the bank layer 16. The first electrode 11 of the first pixel (P1) may be disposed so as to cover the upper surface and one side wall of the bank layer 16. The first electrode 11 may be an anode electrode for light emission. Therefore, the first electrode 11 of the first pixel (P1) disposed so as to cover the upper surface and one side wall of the bank layer 16 is applied with light emission power from the driving transistor (Driving TR).

[0055] A diffuser window layer 15 may be disposed on the first electrode 11 and the bank layer 16 .

[0056] A conductive layer 13 may be disposed on the first electrode 11, and an active layer 10 may be disposed on the conductive layer 13. The active layer 10 may be referred to as a "light-emitting layer" or a "light-emitting element (LE)". Thus, at least one or more first pixels (P1) may be configured to emit light of any of the colors red (R), green (G), blue (B), and white (W). Also, the device may be configured of only red (R), green (G), and blue (B) first pixels (P1). In this case, the red (R), green (G), and blue (B) first pixels (P1) may constitute one unit pixel or one unit pixel region.

[0057] A sidewall diffuser layer 14 may be disposed on the diffusion window layer 15 to surround the conductive layer 13 and the active layer 10 .

[0058] A second electrode 12 may be disposed on the sidewall diffusion layer 14 and the active layer 10. The second electrode 12 may be a light emitting cathode electrode.

[0059] Referring to FIG. 2b, a second pixel (P2) according to one embodiment of the present specification may be disposed in a bezel area (BZA) and may have a first electrode 21 disposed on one side and a power supply electrode 22 disposed on the other side.

[0060] The first electrode 21 of the second pixel (P2) may be connected to ground, and the power supply electrode 22 may be connected to a power supply line. The first electrode 21 of the second pixel (P2) may be a data wiring electrode, and the second electrode of the second pixel (P2), which is a power supply electrode, may be a high potential voltage (VDD) electrode or a low potential voltage (VSS) electrode.

[0061] In the second pixel (P2), a first electrode 21 may be disposed on the bank layer 26. The first electrode 21 of the second pixel (P2) may be disposed so as to surround the upper surface and both side walls of the bank layer 26. The first electrode 21 may be an anode electrode for data wiring. Here, the first electrode 21 of the second pixel (P2) may be disposed so as to surround the upper surface and both side walls of the bank layer 26 in order to receive a larger amount of VDD power or VSS power than the light-emitting power applied to the first electrode 11 of the first pixel (P1).

[0062] A diffusion window layer 25 may be disposed on the first electrode 21 .

[0063] A conductive layer 23 may be disposed on the first electrode 21, and an active layer 20 may be disposed on the conductive layer 23. The active layer 20 may be referred to as the "light-emitting layer" or "light-emitting element (LE)."

[0064] A sidewall diffusion layer 24 may be disposed on the diffusion window layer 25 to surround the conductive layer 23 and the active layer 20 .

[0065] A power supply electrode 22 may be disposed on the sidewall diffusion layer 24 and the active layer 20. The power supply electrode 22 may be a high potential voltage (VDD) electrode or a low potential voltage (VSS) electrode.

[0066] The display device 1 of FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present specification may include a driver for controlling the light emitting operation of at least one first pixel (P1). The driver may be disposed on the rear surface of a display area (AA) which is a first region. When the driver receives image data and a light emitting control command from a timing controller, the driver may control the application of a data voltage to each first pixel (P1) corresponding to the image data. For example, the driver may generate coordinate values ​​of each sub-pixel to be emitted among the first to third sub-pixels by applying an image signal, and control the application of a data voltage set during a first control period to each sub-pixel to be emitted according to the generated coordinate values ​​with a pulse width set during a second control period.

[0067] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a connection structure of a first pixel and a second pixel before a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied.

[0068] Referring to Fig. 3, a first pixel (P1) before the display panel according to an embodiment of the present specification is applied may be disposed in a first region (AA) and may include one or more light emitting elements (LE), and one side of one light emitting element (LE) is connected to a data line (DL) as a signal line, and one side of another light emitting element (LE) is also connected to a data line (DL) as a signal line. A cathode electrode (CE) is disposed to cover all of the first pixels (P1). The cross-sectional structure along A-A' in Fig. 3 may be formed as in Fig. 2a described above.

[0069] In contrast, the second pixels (P2) arranged in the second region (BZA), which is the bezel region, only have light emitting elements (LE) located at their respective locations, and no wiring is connected to either side of the second pixels (P2). Also, no cathode electrode capable of covering all of the second pixels (P2) is arranged.

[0070] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a connection structure for a second pixel after a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is applied.

[0071] Referring to FIG. 4, it can be seen that the second pixel (P2) after the display panel according to the embodiment of the present specification is applied is disposed in the second region (BZA) which is a bezel region, and the first signal wiring (SL1) is connected to one side and the second signal wiring (SL2) is connected to the other side. At this time, in the upper region of the second region (BZA), a first power supply wiring board (VDD) is disposed in a plate shape so as to cover a large number of second pixels (P2). The first power supply wiring board (VDD) is a wiring for applying a high potential voltage, and is in contact with each of the light emitting elements (LE) of the second pixels (P2). And, in the lower region of the second region (BZA), a second power supply wiring board (VSS) is disposed in a plate shape so as to cover a large number of second pixels (P2). The second power supply wiring board (VSS) is a wiring for applying a low potential voltage, and is in contact with each of the light emitting elements (LE) of the second pixels (P2).

[0072] Therefore, when static electricity occurs in the display panel 5, even if a shock power supply due to static electricity is applied to the display panel 5, the second pixel (P2) arranged in the second area (BZA) causes the static electricity to flow from the first signal wiring (SL1) or the second signal wiring (SL2) to the first power supply wiring board (VDD) or the second power supply wiring board (VSS). Therefore, damage to the display panel 5 due to static electricity can be prevented.

[0073] 5A is a diagram illustrating a connection structure of one or more second pixels disposed in a second region of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and FIG 5B is a diagram illustrating an example of an ESD circuit implemented by the connection structure of one or more second pixels of FIG 5A.

[0074] 5a and 5b, one or more second pixels (P2) arranged in the second region of the display panel according to an embodiment of the present specification may implement an ESD circuit by a structure in which a first signal line (SL1) or a second signal line (SL2) is connected to one side and a first power supply wiring board (VDD) or a second power supply wiring board (VSS) is connected to the other side, i.e., the upper side. In this manner, since the ESD prevention circuit is not composed of a TFT circuit but can be implemented through a light emitting element (LE) or pixel having diode characteristics, it is also applicable to the case where the P1 element of the display panel 5 is driven by a separate driving chip without a semiconductor layer and a transistor.

[0075] The ESD circuit based on the electrode connection structure of the second pixel (P2) has a signal wiring (SL1 or SL2) disposed on one side, and the second pixel (P2) operates with a first diode (D1) and a second diode (D2). A high power supply voltage (VDD) wiring is connected to the first diode (D1), and a low potential voltage (VSS) wiring is connected to the second diode (D2). In this case, some of the second pixels (P2) may be arranged so that the first signal wiring (SL1) and the second signal wiring (SL2) of the second pixel (P2) are connected and surround the upper surface and both side walls of the bank layer 26, which is similar to the explanation of FIG. 2b above showing the cross section of B-B'.

[0076] Therefore, when static electricity occurs, a shock power due to the static electricity is applied to the signal wiring (SL1 or SL2) and flows to the high power supply voltage (VDD) wiring or the low potential voltage (VSS) wiring via the first diode (D1) or the second diode (D2).

[0077] Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a connection structure of a first pixel and a second pixel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and Fig. 7 is a diagram showing an ESD circuit formed by the connection structure of the second pixel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 6, a first pixel (P1) according to an embodiment of the present specification may be an element that emits red (R), green (G) and blue (B) color light.

[0079] The first pixel (P1) is arranged with red (R), green (G) and blue (B) light emitting elements (LE), and may have the same stacked structure as that described above in FIG. 2a.

[0080] The first pixel (P1) is different from the second pixel (P2) in that the first electrode disposed on the bank layer is disposed so as to cover the upper surface and one side wall of the bank layer.

[0081] The second pixel (P2) arranged in the second region (BZA) of the bezel area may also be arranged with red (R), green (G) and blue (B) light-emitting elements (LE), and may have the same stacked structure as that described above in Figure 2a or Figure 2b.

[0082] A part of the second pixel (P2) can be arranged such that, unlike the first pixel (P1), the first electrode arranged on the bank layer surrounds the top surface and both side wall surfaces of the bank layer.

[0083] Although not shown, the first electrode of the second pixel (P2) is connected to the ground, and the second electrode, which is a power supply electrode, is connected to a power supply line.

[0084] In this case, the first electrode of the second pixel (P2) may be a data line electrode, and the second electrode, which is a power supply electrode, may be a high potential voltage (VDD) electrode or a low potential voltage (VSS) electrode.

[0085] Therefore, the connection structure 500 consisting of the red (R), green (G) and blue (B) light emitting elements (LE) for the second pixel (P2) can function as an ESD circuit as shown in FIG. 5b.

[0086] At this time, the ESD circuit has a signal wiring connected to one side, and the first diode (D1) is connected to the high potential voltage (VDD) wiring in the upper direction from the signal wiring by a resistor (R1), and the second diode (D2) is connected to the low potential voltage (VSS) wiring in the lower direction. Therefore, the light emitting element (LE) of the second pixel (P2) does not function as a light emitting element (LE) that outputs light, but can function as the first diode (D1) or the second diode (D2) having the characteristics shown in FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a graph showing the characteristics of the diodes of the second pixel according to an embodiment of the present specification. As shown in FIG. 7, when the second pixel (P2) functions as the first diode (D1) or the second diode (D2), when a specific voltage is applied, the second pixel (P2) exhibits a characteristic that a current flows only in one direction.

[0087] Therefore, when static electricity occurs, the shock power generated by the static electricity flows from the transistor (TR) through the first diode (D1) to the high potential voltage (VDD) wiring, or through the second diode (D2) to the low potential voltage (VSS) wiring.

[0088] The light emitting element (LE) according to an embodiment of the present specification may use a blue light emitting element (LE) that emits blue wavelengths, and quantum dot particles may be mixed and disposed in a color filter layer used as a color conversion layer.

[0089] By using light-emitting elements (LE) of a single wavelength, there is no need to perform a process of transferring light-emitting elements (LE) of different wavelengths from each other. Light-emitting elements (LE) of the same wavelength are used collectively, and a color filter layer is used for color conversion. However, by mixing quantum dot particles into the color filter layer, the display device 1 can be provided with a simplified process while maintaining light efficiency.

[0090] The simplified transfer process can minimize defects that may occur in the sub-pixels, and since a unit pixel is composed of multiple sub-pixels, even if a defect occurs in one of the multiple sub-pixels, the color filter layer can be embodied using any of the sub-pixels that constitute the unit pixel, making it possible to provide a display device 1 that can deal with the defect.

[0091] Meanwhile, a light emitting element (LE) according to an embodiment of the present specification may include a light emitting layer, a first electrode, a second electrode, and an insulating film. The light emitting layer may include a first semiconductor layer, an active layer, and a second semiconductor layer. The light emitting element (LE) emits light by recombination of electrons and holes due to a current flowing between the first electrode and the second electrode.

[0092] The first semiconductor layer is a p-type semiconductor layer, and the second semiconductor layer may be an n-type semiconductor layer, but for convenience, they will be described as the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer. Also, although the first electrode and the second electrode or the semiconductor layer that is electrically connected can be called a p-type electrode or an n-type electrode depending on their electrical connection, that is, the semiconductor layer that is electrically connected, they will be described as the first electrode or the second electrode for convenience. Also, in this specification, the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer are described as a p-type semiconductor layer and an n-type semiconductor layer, respectively, but the first semiconductor layer and the second semiconductor layer may be an n-type semiconductor layer and a p-type semiconductor layer, respectively, which is the opposite.

[0093] The first semiconductor layer is disposed on the active layer to provide holes to the active layer. The first semiconductor layer according to an embodiment of the present specification may be made of a p-GaN-based semiconductor material, which may be GaN, AlGaN, InGaN, AlInGaN, etc. Here, the impurity used to dope the second semiconductor layer may be Mg, Zn, Be, etc.

[0094] The second semiconductor layer provides electrons to the active layer. The second semiconductor layer according to an embodiment of the present specification may be made of an n-GaN-based semiconductor material, which may be GaN, AlGaN, InGaN, AlInGaN, etc. Here, impurities used to dope the second semiconductor layer may be Si, Ge, Se, Te, C, etc.

[0095] The active layers are provided on the second semiconductor layer. These active layers have a multi-quantum well (MQW) structure having a well layer and a barrier layer having a band gap higher than that of the well layer. The active layer according to an embodiment of the present specification may have a multi-quantum well structure such as InGaN / GaN.

[0096] The first electrode is electrically connected to the first semiconductor layer and is connected to the drain electrode or the source electrode of the driving transistor which is the driving thin-film pixel, and the second electrode is connected to a common power line.

[0097] The above-mentioned first electrode may be a p-type electrode, and the second electrode may be an n-type electrode. These can be classified according to whether they supply electrons or holes, that is, whether they are electrically connected to a p-type semiconductor layer or an n-type semiconductor layer, but in this specification, they will be described as the first electrode and the second electrode.

[0098] According to an embodiment of the present specification, each of the first and second electrodes may be made of a material including one or more of metal materials such as Au, W, Pt, Si, Ir, Ag, Cu, Ni, Ti, or Cr, and alloys thereof. According to another embodiment, each of the first and second electrodes may be made of a transparent conductive material, which may be, but is not limited to, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide).

[0099] The insulating film is disposed to cover the outside of the light emitting device and has an insulating film open region (P-Open) to open at least a part of the first electrode and the second electrode. The insulating film may be formed of a material such as SiNx or SiOx and is disposed to cover the active layer.

[0100] The insulating film prevents unexpected electrical connections between elements when electrodes are arranged so that the first and second electrodes of the light-emitting element are electrically connected to the pixel electrode (PE) or the common electrode.

[0101] In addition, the second semiconductor layer, the active layer, and the first semiconductor layer may be sequentially stacked on a semiconductor substrate to form a light emitting device. Here, the semiconductor substrate includes a semiconductor material such as a sapphire substrate or a silicon substrate. These semiconductor substrates may be used as growth substrates for growing the second semiconductor layer, the active layer, and the first semiconductor layer, and then separated from the second semiconductor layer by a substrate separation process. Here, the substrate separation process may be a laser lift off or a chemical lift off process. As a result, the growth semiconductor substrate is removed from the light emitting device, so that the light emitting device may have a relatively thin thickness and may be accommodated in each sub-pixel.

[0102] On the other hand, when a voltage is applied to the p-type electrode and n-type electrode of the light-emitting element, electrons and holes are injected from the n-type GaN layer and the p-type GaN layer to the active layer, respectively, excitons are generated in the active layer, and when these excitons decay, light corresponding to the energy difference between the LUMO (Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital) and HOMO (Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital) of the light-emitting layer is generated and dissipated to the outside.

[0103] At this time, the wavelength of light emitted from the light emitting device can be adjusted by adjusting the thickness of the barrier layers in the multiple quantum well structure of the active layer.

[0104] The light emitting element can be formed to a size of about 10-100 μm. The light emitting element can be manufactured by forming a buffer layer on the substrate 110 and growing a GaN thin film on the buffer layer. In this case, the substrate for growing the GaN thin film can be sapphire, silicon (Si), GaN, silicon carbide (SiC), gallium arsenide (GaAs), zinc oxide (ZnO), or the like.

[0105] In addition, when the substrate for growing the GaN thin film is made of a material other than a GaN substrate, the buffer layer is intended to prevent deterioration in quality due to lattice mismatch that occurs when the n-type GaN layer 145, which is an epitaxial layer, is directly grown on the substrate, and AlN, GaN, or the like can be used.

[0106] An n-type GaN layer can be formed by growing an undoped GaN layer and then doping the top of the undoped thin film with an n-type impurity such as Si, while a p-type GaN layer can be formed by growing an undoped GaN thin film and then doping it with a p-type impurity such as Mg, Zn or Be.

[0107] Although a light-emitting element having a particular structure may be disposed on the protective layer, this specification is not limited to only such a light-emitting element having a particular structure, and light-emitting elements having various structures, such as a light-emitting element having a vertical structure and a light-emitting element having a horizontal structure, can be applied.

[0108] Meanwhile, among the first sub-pixel (R) to the fourth sub-pixel (W), each sub-pixel may be arranged in a flip manner. Here, the flip manner is a manner in which, when the light-emitting element is, for example, a micro LED chip, the electrode structure of the chip is flipped upside down.

[0109] Among the first sub-pixel (R) to the fourth sub-pixel (W), each sub-pixel may be arranged in a lateral manner. Here, the lateral manner is a manner in which, when the light emitting element is, for example, a micro LED chip, the electrode structure of the chip is not arranged vertically but is arranged parallel to the left and right.

[0110] Among the first sub-pixel (R) to the fourth sub-pixel (W), each sub-pixel may be arranged in a vertical manner. Here, the vertical manner is a manner in which, when the light emitting element is, for example, a micro LED chip, the electrodes of the chip are positioned above and below each other.

[0111] Among the first sub-pixel (R) to the fourth sub-pixel (W), a spare region corresponding to each sub-pixel may be disposed around each sub-pixel.

[0112] In each spare region, a fifth sub-pixel that emits light of the same color as any of the first to fourth sub-pixels (R) to (W) may be disposed.

[0113] Each fifth sub-pixel can emit light of the same color as the sub-pixel corresponding to each spare region.

[0114] Meanwhile, the driver generates coordinate values ​​of each sub-pixel to be emitted among the first sub-pixel (R) to the fourth sub-pixel (W) by applying a video signal, and controls each sub-pixel to be emitted based on the generated coordinate values ​​so that a data voltage set during a first control period is applied with a pulse width set during a second control period.

[0115] As described above, according to one embodiment of this specification, a display panel can be realized in which light-emitting elements that are arranged in the bezel area (BA) but are not used as pixels can be used as elements for processing static electricity.

[0116] According to one embodiment of the present specification, it is possible to provide a display panel and a display device including the same, in which an electrostatic treatment electrode is disposed on each of the light-emitting elements arranged in the bezel region of the display panel, so that the light-emitting elements can be used in the electrostatic treatment region.

[0117] According to another embodiment, there is provided a display panel including: a plurality of display area pixels arranged in a display area, each of the display area pixels including at least one or more display area sub-pixels configured to emit light to display an image on a display panel; and a plurality of bezel area pixels arranged in a bezel area of ​​the display panel surrounding at least a portion of the display area, each of the at least one or more bezel area pixels including at least one or more bezel area sub-pixels that do not emit light, the bezel area sub-pixels including a first bezel area sub-pixel having a first electrode electrically connected to a common node and a second electrode electrically connected to a first power supply line, and a second bezel area sub-pixel including a third electrode and a fourth electrode, the third electrode being electrically connected to the common node, and the fourth electrode being electrically connected to the first power supply line and another second power supply line.

[0118] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the illustrative drawings, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments and drawings disclosed in this specification, and it is obvious that various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technical concept of the present invention. Furthermore, even if the effects of the configuration of the present invention are not explicitly described and explained while describing the embodiments of the present invention, it is natural that the effects that can be predicted by the configuration should also be recognized. [Explanation of symbols]

[0119] 1 Display device 3 Display Panel 5 Cover member 10,20 active layer 11,21 electrode 13,23 Conductive layer 14,24 Sidewall diffusion layer 15,25 Diffusion window layer 16,26 bank layer

Claims

1. a plurality of display area pixels arranged in a display area, each of the display area pixels including at least one display area sub-pixel configured to emit light to display an image on the display panel; a plurality of bezel region pixels disposed in a bezel region of the display panel surrounding at least a portion of the display region, each of the at least one or more bezel region pixels including at least one or more bezel region sub-pixels; The sub-pixels in the bezel region include: a sub-pixel in the first bezel region having a first electrode electrically connected to the common node and a second electrode electrically connected to a first power supply line; a sub-pixel in a second bezel region including a third electrode and a fourth electrode, the third electrode being electrically connected to the common node, and the fourth electrode being electrically connected to the first power supply line and another second power supply line; a spare area is disposed around each of the display area and the bezel area; the spare region includes a sub-pixel that emits light of the same color as any of the sub-pixels in the display region and at least one of the bezel region; Display panel.

2. static electricity is discharged from the common node to the first power supply line via the sub-pixels in the first bezel region, or to the second power supply line via the sub-pixels in the second bezel region; The display panel according to claim 1 .

3. the common node is electrically connected to a ground voltage that is connected to an electrode of a sub-pixel of the display area; The display panel according to claim 1 .

4. the common node is electrically connected to a data line for driving a data voltage to an electrode of a sub-pixel of the display area; The display panel according to claim 1 .

5. Each of the sub-pixels of the display area includes an organic light emitting diode or a micro LED. The display panel according to claim 1 .

6. At least one of the sub-pixels of the display area is an anode disposed on the bank layer so as to cover an upper surface and one sidewall of the bank layer; a diffusion window layer disposed on the anode and the bank layer; a conductive layer disposed on the anode; an active layer disposed on the conductive layer; a sidewall diffusion layer disposed on the diffusion window layer to surround the conductive layer and the active layer; a cathode disposed on the sidewall diffusion layer and the active layer; Including, The display panel according to claim 1 .

7. At least one of the sub-pixels in the bezel region an anode disposed on the bank layer so as to cover an upper surface and both side walls of the bank layer; a diffusion window layer disposed on the anode; a conductive layer disposed on the anode; an active layer disposed on the conductive layer; a sidewall diffusion layer disposed on the diffusion window layer to surround the conductive layer and the active layer; a cathode disposed on the sidewall diffusion layer and the active layer; Including, The display panel according to claim 1 .

8. The display panel according to claim 1; a driver arranged on a rear surface of the display panel in the display region and controlling an amount of light emitted from a sub-pixel in the display region; Display device.

9. a display panel including at least one first pixel arranged in a first region, at least one second pixel arranged in a second region, and a driving unit arranged on a rear surface of the display panel in the first region and controlling a light emitting operation of the at least one first pixel; The first pixel includes at least one sub-pixel, each of the at least one sub-pixel having a first electrode on one side and a second electrode on the other side; The second pixel includes at least one sub-pixel, each of the at least one sub-pixel having a first electrode on one side and a power electrode on the other side; The first electrode of the sub-pixel of the second pixel is connected to a ground and the power supply electrode is connected to a power supply line; The first pixel and the second pixel are operated at voltages having different potentials from each other, a spare region is disposed around each of the first pixel and the second pixel; the spare region includes a sub-pixel that emits light of the same color as any of the sub-pixels of at least one of the first pixel and the second pixel; Display device.

10. At least one subpixel of the first pixel is configured to emit light of one of the following colors: red, green, blue, and white. The display device according to claim 9.

11. The voltages of different potentials include a data voltage applied to the first pixel and a voltage of an impulse power supply generated by static electricity applied to the second pixel; The display device according to claim 9.

12. the driving unit is configured to generate coordinate values ​​of each sub-pixel to be emitted, and to apply a data voltage set during a first control period to at least one sub-pixel of the first pixel to be emitted according to the generated coordinate values, with a pulse width set during a second control period; The display device according to claim 9.

13. The first area is a display area, and the second area is a bezel area. The display device according to claim 9.

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