CN109950286B

CN109950286B - Display panel

Info

Publication number: CN109950286B
Application number: CN201910243176.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 周志伟; 韩珍珍; 胡思明; 宋艳芹; 李威龙; 张露
Original assignee: Kunshan Govisionox Optoelectronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Kunshan Govisionox Optoelectronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-03-28
Filing date: 2019-03-28
Publication date: 2021-04-06
Anticipated expiration: 2039-03-28
Also published as: CN109950286A

Abstract

The present invention provides a display panel including: the array substrate comprises a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area; a first inspection line and a second inspection line for inspecting whether the display panel has cracks, the first inspection line and the second inspection line being located in the non-display area and surrounding at least a portion of the display area; wherein the second detection line is closer to the display area than the first detection line, and at least a portion of the first detection line is a non-metal line and the second detection line is a metal line. The non-metal wire has good brittleness, and is easier to break when micro cracks are generated on the display panel compared with the metal wire, so that the micro cracks on the display panel can be detected.

Description

Display panel

Technical Field

The invention relates to the technical field of display equipment, in particular to a display panel.

Background

Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) display panels have been gradually applied to various fields as display devices, and when the display panels are processed, the display panels need to be cut to obtain display panels with a certain size; when the display panel is cut, cracks extending from the edge to the inside of the display panel are easily formed, and therefore how to detect the cracks becomes a hot point of research.

In the prior art, metal wires are often disposed in an array substrate of a display panel and a non-display area surrounding a display area of the display panel; when the display panel has cracks, the metal lines are broken; when the resistance of the metal lines is detected to be small (e.g., several kilo ohms), there is no crack on the display panel, and when the resistance of the metal lines is detected to be large (e.g., several hundred mega ohms), there is a crack on the display panel.

Disclosure of Invention

Because the toughness of the metal wire is better, the metal wire is not easy to break when the crack is smaller, and further the detection precision of the crack is insufficient.

In view of this, embodiments of the present invention provide a display panel to solve the technical problem that the metal lines disposed in the array substrate have good toughness, and when the cracks on the display panel are small, the metal lines are not easily broken, so that the detection accuracy of the cracks is not sufficient.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a display panel, including: the array substrate comprises a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area;

first and second inspection lines for detecting whether the display panel is cracked, the first and second inspection lines being located within the non-display area and surrounding at least a portion of the display area;

wherein the second detection line is closer to the display area than the first detection line, and at least a portion of the first detection line is a non-metal line and the second detection line is a metal line.

As described above, preferably, the array substrate further includes a groove between the first inspection line and the second inspection line.

In the display panel as described above, preferably, the groove is filled with organic materials.

In the display panel described above, preferably, the display panel further includes a pixel defining layer stacked on the array substrate, the array substrate has a planarization layer, and the organic material is integrally formed with the pixel defining layer or the planarization layer.

As above-mentioned display panel, preferably, the first detection line includes a first conductive line and a second conductive line, the first conductive line is formed on the same layer as the metal layer in the array substrate, the second conductive line is a non-metal line, the second conductive line is formed on the same layer as the non-metal layer in the array substrate, and the first conductive line and the second conductive line are connected through a via hole.

In the display panel, it is preferable that the first conductive lines are provided in plurality, the plurality of first conductive lines are provided at intervals along an extending direction of the first detection lines, and adjacent first conductive lines are connected to each other by the second conductive lines.

As described above, preferably, the material of the non-metal line includes polysilicon and/or indium tin oxide.

In the display panel described above, it is preferable that at least one concave portion is provided on the first detection line, and the concave portion is formed in a zigzag shape.

The display panel as described above, preferably, the display panel further includes a third detection line disposed at a side of the first detection line facing away from the display area.

In the display panel as described above, preferably, the third detection lines are metal lines.

According to the display panel provided by the embodiment of the invention, the first detection line and the second detection line are arranged in the non-display area of the array substrate, the first detection line and the second detection line surround at least one part of the display area, the second detection line is a metal line, and at least one part of the first detection line is a non-metal line; compared with a metal wire, the non-metal wire is better in brittleness, so that the non-metal wire is easier to break when tiny cracks are generated on the display panel, the tiny cracks on the display panel can be detected, and compared with the method of detecting the display panel only through the metal wire, the crack detection precision is improved.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, and it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are some embodiments of the present invention, and those skilled in the art can also obtain other drawings according to the drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a first schematic structural diagram of an array substrate in a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 is a first schematic structural diagram of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 4 is a second schematic structural diagram of an array substrate in a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 4 at A;

fig. 6 is a third schematic structural diagram of an array substrate in a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Description of reference numerals:

10. an array substrate;

101. a display area;

102. a non-display area;

103. a second detection line;

104. a first detection line;

105. a planarization layer;

106. a substrate;

107. a third detection line;

108. a metal layer;

109. a buffer layer;

1041. a first conductive line;

1042. a second conductive line;

1043. a recess;

20. a pixel defining layer;

30. a groove;

40. a first electrode;

50. a second electrode;

60. and (6) a via hole.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are some, but not all, embodiments of the present invention. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Fig. 1 is a first schematic structural diagram of an array substrate in a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a second schematic structural diagram of an array substrate in a display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a partial enlarged view of a portion a in fig. 4.

Please refer to fig. 1-6. The present embodiment provides a display panel including: the display device comprises an array substrate 10, wherein the array substrate 10 comprises a display area 101 and a non-display area 102 surrounding the display area 101; a first inspection line 104 and a second inspection line 103 for inspecting whether the display panel has cracks; the first and

second detection lines

104 and 103 are located within the non-display area 102 and surround at least a portion of the display area 101; wherein the second detection line 103 is closer to the display area 101 than the first detection line 104, and at least a portion of the first detection line 104 is a non-metal line and the second detection line 103 is a metal line.

With continued reference to fig. 2 and 3. The display panel in this embodiment further includes a plurality of light emitting units disposed on the array substrate 10, a pixel defining layer 20 for separating the light emitting units, and a first electrode 40 disposed on a side of the pixel defining layer 20 away from the array substrate 10, the array substrate 10 has a thin film transistor therein, a second electrode 50 corresponding to each light emitting unit is disposed on a surface of the array substrate 10 facing the pixel defining layer 20, and the thin film transistor in the array substrate 10 is electrically connected to the second electrode 50. When the display panel works, the thin film transistor controls the second electrode 50 to be charged, so that the light emitting unit corresponding to the second electrode 50 emits light, and display of the display panel is realized. Wherein the first electrode 40 may be a cathode and the corresponding second electrode 50 may be an anode; alternatively, the first electrode 40 is an anode and the second electrode 50 is a cathode.

With continued reference to fig. 1, in the present embodiment, the array substrate 10 includes a display area 101 and a non-display area 102, the non-display area 102 surrounds the display area 101, and the projection of each light emitting unit on the array substrate 10 is located in the display area 101.

In the present embodiment, when the display panel is cut, a crack generated from an edge of the display panel extends toward the display area 101 in the non-display area 102, and the first sensing line 104 and the second sensing line 103 are disposed in the non-display area 102 and can be detected when the crack is generated in the non-display area 102.

Specifically, when a crack is generated in the non-display region 102 of the array substrate 10, the first sensing line 104 and the second sensing line 103 located in the non-display region 102 are stressed, resulting in breakage of the first sensing line 104 and/or the second sensing line 103; in this embodiment, whether or not the first detection line 104 and the second detection line 103 are broken can be determined by detecting the voltage, current, or resistance of the first detection line 104 and the second detection line 103, and whether or not there is a crack in the display panel can be determined.

Taking the first detection line 104 as an example, two meter pens of the multimeter can be directly connected to two ends of the first detection line 104 to detect the resistance of the first detection line 104, and when the resistance value of the first detection line 104 is detected to be high (for example, several hundred mega ohms), the first detection line 104 is broken, and a crack exists on the display panel; when the resistance value of the first sensing line 104 is detected to be low (for example, several kilo ohms), the first sensing line 104 is not broken, and no crack exists on the display panel.

Similarly, the second detection line 103 may be detected by the same method to determine whether the second detection line 103 breaks, and further determine whether the display panel has a crack, which is not described herein again.

With continued reference to fig. 1, the first detection lines 104 and the second detection lines 103 surround at least a portion of the display area 101 in the present embodiment. Taking the display area 101 as an example, the first detection line 104 and the second detection line 103 may be disposed along a side parallel to the display area 101, and the first detection line 104 and the second detection line 103 may also be disposed around a portion or the entire display area 101. The display area 101 in this embodiment is not limited to a rectangle, and the display area 101 may also be in a shape of a circle, a triangle, or the like.

With continued reference to fig. 1, the first detection lines 104 and the second detection lines 103 may be disposed in parallel, and the second detection lines 103 are closer to the display area 101 than the first detection lines 104. The second sensing line 103 may be a metal line, for example: the second sensing line 103 may be a copper line, an aluminum line, or the like.

The display panel provided by the embodiment has at least one metal layer 108, and functional devices such as a capacitor plate, a source/drain electrode and the like in the array substrate 10 are formed in the metal layer 108, and when the second electrode 50 is made of metal, the second electrode 50 may also be formed in the metal layer 108; the second sensing line 103 may be disposed in the same layer as the capacitor plate or the source/drain electrode or the second electrode 50, and may be integrally formed by a patterning process, so as to facilitate the fabrication of the second sensing line 103. Of course, the second inspection line 103 in this embodiment may also be manufactured separately, that is, the second inspection line 103 is not integrally formed with the metal layer.

In this embodiment, at least a part of the first detection line 104 is a non-metal line, which has a higher brittleness and is more likely to break after being stressed than a metal line, so that a micro crack on the display panel can be detected, thereby improving the detection accuracy.

In one implementable manner, the entire first detection line 104 may be made up of non-metallic lines. The non-metal lines may be made of various materials, for example, the non-metal lines are made of polysilicon and/or indium tin oxide. For example, the gate electrode in the array substrate 10 may be made of polysilicon, and when the non-metal line is made of polysilicon, the non-metal line may be disposed on the same layer as the gate electrode and integrally formed through a patterning process; when the second electrode 50 in the array substrate 10 is made of non-metallic indium tin oxide, the non-metallic wires may be disposed in the same layer as the second electrode 50 and integrally formed through a patterning process.

In this embodiment, the non-metal lines of the first detection line 104 may also be disposed on the same layer as other non-metal conductive layers in the array substrate 10, and are integrally formed through a patterning process. Of course, the non-metal lines of the first detection lines 104 in this embodiment may also be manufactured separately, that is, the non-metal lines and the non-metal conductive layers in the array substrate 10 are not integrally formed.

With continued reference to fig. 2 to 4, the first sensing lines 104 include first conductive lines 1041 and second conductive lines 1042, the first conductive lines 1041 are metal lines and are formed in the same layer as the metal layers 108 in the array substrate 10, the second conductive lines 1042 are non-metal lines and are formed in the same layer as the non-metal layers in the array substrate 10, and the first conductive lines 1041 are connected to the second conductive lines 1042 through vias 60. The first conductive lines 1041 are formed in the same layer as the metal layer 108, and the second conductive lines 1042 are formed in the same layer as the nonmetal layer, so as to further simplify the manufacturing process of the display panel.

Of course, in this embodiment, the first conductive line 1041 and the second conductive line 1042 may also be disposed in the same layer.

When the first electrode 40, the second electrode 50, and the source/drain electrodes are all made of metal, in this embodiment, the first lead 1041 of the first detection line 104 may be disposed in the same layer as the capacitor plate or the source/drain electrode in the array substrate 10, or the first electrode 40 or the second electrode 50, and integrally formed by a patterning process, so as to facilitate the manufacturing of the first lead 1041. The first lead 1041 and the second detection line 103 may be disposed in the same layer or different layers; when the first conductive line 1041 and the second sensing line 103 are disposed at the same layer, they may be integrally formed through a patterning process. For example, the capacitor plates and the first lead 1041 and the second sensing line 103 of the first sensing line 104 are arranged in the same layer; in processing the array substrate 10, after the metal layer 108 is formed, the capacitor plates and the first conductive lines 1041 and the second sensing lines 103 of the first sensing lines 104 are simultaneously formed on the metal layer 108 through a patterning process.

When the first electrode 40, the second electrode 50 and the gate are made of a non-metal layer conductive material, the second wire 1042 of the first detection line 104 in this embodiment may be disposed on the same layer as the gate in the array substrate 10 and integrally formed by a patterning process; alternatively, the second conductive wire 1042 is disposed on the same layer as the first electrode 40 and is integrally formed by a patterning process; alternatively, the second conductive wires 1042 are disposed on the same layer as the second electrodes 50 and are integrally formed by a patterning process. In this embodiment, the second conducting wires 1042 of the first detecting line 104 can also be disposed on the same layer as other non-metal conducting layers in the array substrate 10 and integrally formed by a patterning process.

Of course, in other embodiments, the second conductive lines 1042 of the first sensing lines 104 can also be fabricated separately, i.e., the non-metal lines are formed integrally with or not integrally with the non-metal layer portion in the array substrate 10.

With reference to fig. 4, in this embodiment, the first conductive lines 1041 are multiple, the multiple first conductive lines 1041 are disposed at intervals along the extending direction of the first detecting line 104, and the adjacent first conductive lines 1041 are connected by the second conductive line 1042. The first conductive lines 1041 and the second conductive lines 1042 are alternately arranged, so that the first detection lines 104 are prevented from being too fragile due to the fact that the second conductive lines 1042 made of non-metal lines are too long.

Specifically, the lengths of the second conductive lines 1042 along the extending direction of the first detecting lines 104 may be the same or different, and the length of each second conductive line 1042 is not limited in this embodiment. In addition, in the present embodiment, the plurality of second conductive lines 1042 may be disposed in the same layer, or the plurality of second conductive lines 1042 are disposed in different layers. In this embodiment, the plurality of first conductive lines 1041 may also be disposed in the same layer, or the plurality of first conductive lines 1041 may be disposed in different layers.

In the display panel provided by the embodiment, the first detection lines 104 and the second detection lines 103 are arranged in the non-display area 102 of the array substrate 10, the first detection lines 104 and the second detection lines 103 surround at least a part of the display area 101, the second detection lines 103 are metal lines, and at least a part of the first detection lines 104 are non-metal lines; the non-metal wire has good brittleness, and is easier to break when micro cracks are generated on the display panel compared with the metal wire, so that the micro cracks on the display panel can be detected.

With reference to fig. 2, in the display panel provided in the present embodiment, the array substrate 10 further includes a groove 30, and the groove 30 is located between the first inspection line 104 and the second inspection line 103. The grooves 30 may prevent cracks from extending towards the display area 101 of the display panel.

In this embodiment, the grooves 30 are filled with organic materials. The organic material has good toughness, and can further prevent cracks from extending to the display area 101 of the display panel.

With continued reference to fig. 2 and 3, the array substrate 10 further includes a buffer layer 109 on a side of the substrate 106 facing the pixel defining layer 20, and in order to improve the crack propagation blocking effect of the organic matter in the groove 30, the groove 30 may be made to penetrate from the top surface of the array substrate 10 facing the pixel defining layer 20 to the substrate 106 of the array substrate 10 facing away from the pixel defining layer 20, and the organic matter is made to fill the whole groove 30. Of course, the groove 30 in the present embodiment may only penetrate through one or several film layers of the array substrate 10.

In one realizable manner, the organic material filled in the grooves 30 may be formed separately; that is, after the groove 30 is formed, the groove 30 is filled with organic matter, and the groove 30 is filled with the organic matter. For simplicity, only one groove 30 is shown in fig. 2 and 3, but actually, the number of the grooves 30 may be two or more, and the shape, arrangement, etc. thereof may be different according to the circumstances.

With continued reference to fig. 2 and 3, in other implementations, the display panel further includes a pixel defining layer 20 disposed in a stack with the array substrate 10, the array substrate 10 has a planarization layer 105, and the organic material may be integrally formed with the pixel defining layer 20 or the planarization layer 105. Organic matters do not need to be filled in the groove 30 independently, and the manufacturing process of the display panel is simplified.

Specifically, the display panel includes a substrate 106, a planarization layer 105, and functional layers provided with functional devices such as thin film transistors and capacitors, which are stacked. A functional layer is located between the planarization layer 105 and the substrate 106, and the planarization layer 105 is connected with the pixel defining layer 20.

When an organic matter is integrally formed with the pixel defining layer 20, the groove 30 provided on the array substrate 10 extends from the planarization layer 105 toward the substrate 106; when the pixel defining layer 20 is formed on the array substrate 10, part of the material is filled in the groove 30; when the organic material is integrally formed with the planarization layer 105, the groove 30 is formed on the functional layer when the array substrate 10 is manufactured, and then the planarization layer 105 is formed on the functional layer, and the groove 30 is filled with a part of the material while the planarization layer 105 is formed.

With continued reference to fig. 4 and 5, the first detection line 104 is provided with a recess 1043. When a micro crack occurs in the display panel, the first detection line 104 is stressed, and at this time, stress concentration occurs in the concave portion 1043, so that the first detection line 104 is broken, and the crack detection accuracy is further improved.

Further, a plurality of the recessed portions 1043 may be provided on the first detecting line 104, and the plurality of recessed portions 1043 are provided at intervals along the extending direction of the first detecting line 104 to further improve the crack detection accuracy.

Specifically, the recess 1043 may be disposed only on the first conducting wire 1041 of the first sensing line 104, the recess 1043 may be disposed only on the second conducting wire 1042 of the first sensing line 104, and of course, the recess 1043 may be disposed on both the first conducting wire 1041 and the second conducting wire 1042. The recessed portions 1043 may have a saw-toothed shape, and one saw tooth or a plurality of saw teeth may be provided in each recessed portion 1043, and the shape thereof is not particularly limited, and any shape that can achieve stress concentration may be adopted.

With continued reference to fig. 6, the display panel provided by the present embodiment further includes third detection lines 107, and the third detection lines 107 are disposed on a side of the first detection lines 104 facing away from the display area 101.

The third detecting line 107 is disposed at a distance from the first detecting line 104 and the second detecting line 103, wherein the third detecting line 107 may be disposed at the same layer as the first detecting line 104 or the second detecting line 103 to prevent cracks from extending toward the display area 101; or the third sensing line 107 is disposed in a different layer from the first and

second sensing lines

104 and 103.

Further, the third detection line may be plural, and the plural third detection lines 107 are disposed at intervals on a side of the first detection line 104 away from the display area 101; the plurality of third sensing lines 107 may be disposed in the same layer, or the plurality of third sensing lines 107 may be disposed in different layers. Of course, the plurality of third detection lines 107 may be disposed in parallel and spaced apart, or may be disposed in non-parallel and spaced apart, and is not limited herein.

In this embodiment, the third sensing lines 107 may be metal lines. The third sensing lines 107 made of metal may be formed in the same layer as and integrated with the capacitor plates and metal devices such as source/drain electrodes made of metal in the array substrate 10, so as to facilitate the fabrication of the third sensing lines 107.

In the present invention, unless otherwise specifically stated, the terms "mounted," "connected," "fixed," and the like are to be understood broadly, and for example, may be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed, mechanically connected, electrically connected, or communicable with each other; they may be directly connected or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, or they may be connected internally or in any other manner known to those skilled in the art, unless otherwise specifically limited. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and not to limit the same; while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or the substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A display panel, comprising:

the array substrate comprises a display area and a non-display area surrounding the display area;

wherein the second detection lines are closer to the display area than the first detection lines, and at least a portion of the first detection lines are non-metal lines, the second detection lines are metal lines;

the first detection line comprises a first lead and a second lead, the first lead and a metal layer in the array substrate are formed on the same layer, the second lead is a nonmetal line, the second lead and the nonmetal layer in the array substrate are formed on the same layer, and the first lead is connected with the second lead through a through hole.

2. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the array substrate further comprises a groove between the first inspection line and the second inspection line.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein the groove is filled with an organic material.

4. The display panel according to claim 3, further comprising a pixel defining layer provided to be stacked on the array substrate, wherein the array substrate has a planarization layer, and wherein the organic material is integrally formed with the pixel defining layer or the planarization layer.

5. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive lines are a plurality of lines, the plurality of first conductive lines are arranged at intervals along an extending direction of the first detection lines, and adjacent first conductive lines are connected to each other by the second conductive lines.

6. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the material of the non-metal lines comprises polysilicon and/or indium tin oxide.

7. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein at least one concave portion is provided on the first detection line, and the concave portion is zigzag.

8. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising third detection lines disposed at a side of the first detection lines facing away from the display regions.

9. The display panel according to claim 8, wherein the third detection lines are metal lines.