CN110928063A

CN110928063A - Display panel

Info

Publication number: CN110928063A
Application number: CN201911241353.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈逸祺; 童腾赋; 李铭轩; 邱冠焴
Original assignee: AU Optronics Corp
Current assignee: AU Optronics Corp
Priority date: 2019-05-07
Filing date: 2019-12-06
Publication date: 2020-03-27
Also published as: TWI703371B; TW202041927A

Abstract

The invention discloses a display panel, which comprises a first substrate, an active element, a first insulating layer, a pixel electrode, a shared electrode, a second insulating layer, a second substrate, a spacer and a display medium. The active element is arranged on the first substrate. The first insulating layer is disposed on the active device. The pixel electrode, the common electrode and the second insulating layer are arranged on the first insulating layer. The second insulating layer is arranged between the pixel electrode and the shared electrode. The second insulating layer has a first surface and a side surface. The first surface is connected with the side surface to define a recess of the second insulating layer. The second substrate is arranged opposite to the first substrate. The spacer is disposed on the second substrate. The vertical projection of the spacer on the first substrate overlaps the vertical projection of the recess of the second insulating layer on the first substrate. The display panel has good performance.

Description

Display panel

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a display panel, and more particularly, to a display panel including spacers.

Background

With the development of display technology, display panels have been widely used in various electronic devices, such as: mobile phones, tablet computers, notebook computers, televisions, and the like. In order to make the electronic device have a thin appearance, the thickness of the display panel must be reduced. Generally, after the active device substrate and the opposite substrate are assembled, a thinning process is performed to thin the base of the active device substrate and the base of the opposite substrate. However, after the substrate is thinned, the rigidity of the substrate is reduced, and the display panel is susceptible to bending caused by gravity, resulting in a deviation between the active device substrate and the opposite substrate. When the active device substrate and the opposite substrate are deviated, the spacer of the opposite substrate deviates from the original position to scratch the alignment film on the display area of the active device substrate, thereby generating a bright spot defect.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a display panel with good performance.

In order to achieve the above objectives, an embodiment of the present invention provides a display panel, which includes a first substrate, an active device, a first insulating layer, a pixel electrode, a common electrode, a second insulating layer, a second substrate, a spacer, and a display medium. The active element is arranged on the first substrate. The first insulating layer is disposed on the active device. The pixel electrode, the common electrode and the second insulating layer are arranged on the first insulating layer. The pixel electrode is electrically connected to the active device. The second insulating layer is arranged between the pixel electrode and the shared electrode. The second insulating layer has a first surface and a side surface. The first surface is connected with the side surface to define a recess of the second insulating layer. The second substrate is arranged opposite to the first substrate. The spacer is disposed on the second substrate. The vertical projection of the spacer on the first substrate overlaps the vertical projection of the recess of the second insulating layer on the first substrate. The display medium is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate.

Wherein the spacer extends into the recess of the second insulating layer.

Wherein, still include: a conductive pattern disposed between the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer; wherein a vertical projection of the conductive pattern on the first substrate overlaps a vertical projection of the recess of the second insulating layer on the first substrate.

Wherein, still include: and a protrusion disposed in the recess of the second insulating layer, wherein the spacer and the protrusion are abutted against each other.

Wherein the protrusion has a height H, the recess of the second insulating layer has a depth D, and H > D.

Wherein the protrusion has a height H, the recess of the second insulating layer has a depth D, the display medium has a thickness G, and

an embodiment of the invention provides a display panel, which includes a first substrate, an active device, a pixel electrode, an insulating layer, a protrusion, a second substrate, a spacer, and a display medium. The active element is arranged on the first substrate. The pixel electrode is disposed on the first substrate and electrically connected to the active device. The insulating layer is disposed on the first substrate. The insulating layer has a first surface and a side surface, and the first surface is connected with the side surface to define a recess of the insulating layer. The protrusion is disposed in the recess of the insulating layer. The second substrate is arranged opposite to the first substrate. The spacer is disposed on the second substrate, wherein the spacer and the protrusion are abutted against each other. The display medium is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate.

Wherein the protrusion has a height H, the recess of the insulating layer has a depth D, and H > D.

Wherein the protrusion has a height H, the recess of the insulating layer has a depth D, the display medium has a thickness G, and

in order to make the aforementioned features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below, but not intended to limit the present invention.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Wherein, the reference numbers:

10. 10A, 10B: display panel

100: active element substrate

110: a first substrate

120: gate electrode

130: semiconductor pattern

141: source electrode

142: drain electrode

150. 160, 180: insulating layer

182: depressions

182 a: first surface

182 b: side surface

170: shared electrode

172: conductive pattern

190: pixel electrode

192: slit

194: projection

200: opposite substrate

210: second substrate

220: shading pattern

230: color filter layer

240: spacer

300: display medium

D: depth of field

GI: gate insulating layer

H: height

T: active component

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

It will be understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region, or substrate is referred to as being "on" or "connected to" another element, it can be directly on or connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or "directly connected to" another element, there are no intervening elements present. As used herein, "connected" may refer to physical and/or electrical connections. Further, "electrically connected" or "coupled" may mean that there are additional elements between the elements.

As used herein, "about", "approximately", or "substantially" includes the stated value and the average value within an acceptable range of deviation of the specified value as determined by one of ordinary skill in the art, taking into account the measurement in question and the specified amount of error associated with the measurement (i.e., the limitations of the measurement system). For example, "about" may mean within one or more standard deviations of the stated value, or within ± 30%, ± 20%, ± 10%, ± 5%. Further, as used herein, "about", "approximately" or "substantially" may be selected based on optical properties, etch properties, or other properties, with a more acceptable range of deviation or standard deviation, and not all properties may be applied with one standard deviation.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present invention and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel according to a first embodiment of the invention. Referring to fig. 1, the display panel 10 includes an active device substrate 100, an opposite substrate 200 opposite to the active device substrate 100, and a display medium 300 disposed between the active device substrate 100 and the opposite substrate 200. The display medium 300 is disposed between the first base 110 of the active device substrate 100 and the second base 210 of the opposite substrate 200. For example, in the embodiment, the display medium 300 is a liquid crystal, but the invention is not limited thereto.

The active device substrate 100 includes a first base 110. The first substrate 110 is mainly used for carrying the devices of the active device substrate 100, and the material thereof may be glass, quartz, organic polymer, or opaque/reflective material (e.g., conductive material, wafer, ceramic, or other suitable material), or other suitable material.

The active device substrate 100 includes an active device T disposed on a first substrate 110. The active device T includes a thin film transistor. The thin film transistor has a gate electrode 120, a semiconductor pattern 130, a gate insulating layer GI disposed between the gate electrode 120 and the semiconductor pattern 130, and a source electrode 141 and a drain electrode 142 electrically connected to two different regions of the semiconductor pattern 130, respectively.

In the present embodiment, the gate electrode 120 is located below the semiconductor pattern 130, and the thin film transistor may be a bottom gate type transistor. However, the invention is not limited thereto, and according to other embodiments, the thin film transistor may be a top gate type or other suitable type transistor.

The active device substrate 100 includes an insulating layer 150 disposed on the active device T. The active device substrate 100 further includes an insulating layer 160 disposed on the insulating layer 150. In the present embodiment, the material of the insulating

layers

150 and 160 may be an inorganic material (e.g., silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or a stack of at least two of the above materials), an organic material, or a combination thereof.

The active device substrate 100 includes a pixel electrode 190, a common electrode 170, and an insulating layer 180 disposed on the insulating layer 160. The insulating layer 180 is disposed between the pixel electrode 190 and the common electrode 170. The pixel electrode 190 is electrically connected to the active device T. In the present embodiment, the material of the insulating layer 180 may be an inorganic material (e.g., silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, or a stack of at least two of the above materials), an organic material, or a combination thereof.

For example, in the present embodiment, the common electrode 170 is disposed on the insulating layer 160, the insulating layer 180 is disposed on the common electrode 170, and the pixel electrode 190 is disposed on the insulating layer 180 and has a plurality of slits 192. That is, in the present embodiment, the pixel electrode 190 may be disposed above the common electrode 170. However, the invention is not limited thereto, and the pixel electrode 190 may be disposed below the common electrode 170 according to other embodiments.

The opposite substrate 200 includes a second base 210 and a spacer 240. The second substrate 210 is disposed opposite to the first substrate 110. The spacers 240 are disposed on the second substrate 210. In the present embodiment, the spacer 240 is, for example, a photo spacer (photo spacer), but the invention is not limited thereto.

In the embodiment, the opposite substrate 200 may optionally include a light shielding pattern 220 disposed on the second substrate 210. The light-shielding pattern 220 can shield the spacers 240 and the active devices T. In the embodiment, the opposite substrate 200 may further optionally include a color filter layer 230 disposed on the second substrate 210 and overlapping the pixel electrode 190. However, the invention is not limited thereto, and according to other embodiments, the light-shielding pattern 220 and/or the color filter layer 230 may also be selectively disposed on the first substrate 110.

It is noted that the insulating layer 180 of the active device substrate 100 has a first surface 182a and a side surface 182 b; the first surface 182a is connected to the side surface 182b to define a recess 182 of the insulating layer 180. The vertical projection of the spacer 240 of the opposite substrate 200 on the first substrate 110 overlaps the vertical projection of the recess 182 of the insulating layer 180 on the first substrate 110.

Based on the consideration of the aperture ratio, in the present embodiment, the recess 182 of the insulating layer 180 may be disposed above the active device T; that is, the vertical projection of the recess 182 of the insulating layer 180 on the first substrate 110 and the vertical projection of the active device T on the first substrate 110 may overlap, but the invention is not limited thereto.

It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, the spacer 240 of the opposite substrate 200 may extend into the recess 182 of the insulating layer 180 of the active device substrate 100, and the spacer 240 may abut against the first surface 182a of the recess 182. Therefore, the active device substrate 100 and the opposite substrate 200 are not prone to be shifted excessively, and the spacers 240 are not prone to be shifted from the original positions to damage the alignment films (not shown) on the pixel electrodes 190. Therefore, the bright spot defect in the prior art can be improved.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the matching of the spacer 240 and the recess 182 of the insulating layer 180 is utilized to reduce the probability of the spacer 240 deviating from the original position; instead of using the through holes of the insulating layer 180 and the spacers 240 to reduce the probability of the spacers 240 deviating from the original positions. That is, on the premise of effectively reducing the probability of the spacer 240 deviating from the original position, the insulating layer 180 covers the insulating layer 160 that is prone to absorb moisture, so that the display panel 10 is not prone to peeling (peeling) caused by expansion of the insulating layer 160 after moisture absorption.

It should be noted that the following embodiments follow the reference numerals and parts of the contents of the foregoing embodiments, wherein the same reference numerals are used to indicate the same or similar elements, and the description of the same technical contents is omitted. For the description of the omitted parts, reference may be made to the foregoing embodiments, and the following embodiments will not be repeated.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel according to a second embodiment of the invention. The display panel 10A of fig. 2 is similar to the display panel 10 of fig. 1, with the difference that: in the embodiment of fig. 2, a conductive pattern 172 may be disposed under the spacer 240.

Referring to fig. 2, in detail, the conductive pattern 172 is disposed between the insulating layer 180 and the insulating layer 160. The vertical projection of the conductive pattern 172 on the first substrate 110 overlaps the vertical projection of the recess 182 of the insulating layer 180 on the first substrate 110.

In the embodiment, the conductive pattern 172 and the common electrode 170 may be formed on the same first transparent conductive layer, and the conductive pattern 172 may be a portion of the common electrode 170, but the invention is not limited thereto.

Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel according to a third embodiment of the invention. The display panel 10B of fig. 3 is similar to the display panel 10 of fig. 1, and the difference therebetween is as follows.

Referring to fig. 3, in the present embodiment, the active device substrate 100 further includes a protrusion 194 disposed in the recess 182 of the insulating layer 180. The protrusion 194 has a height H, the recess 182 of the insulating layer 180 has a depth D, and H > D. That is, the apexes of the protrusions 194 are higher than the pixel electrodes 190 disposed on the insulating layer 180.

The spacers 240 of the opposite substrate 200 and the protrusions 194 of the active device substrate 100 abut against each other to maintain a gap (cell gap). For example, in the present embodiment, the protrusion 194 has a height H, the recess 182 of the insulating layer 180 has a depth D, the display medium 300 has a thickness G, and

in the present embodiment, the protrusion 194 may be directly disposed on the first surface 182a of the recess 182 of the insulating layer 180, and the protrusion 194 contacts the first surface 182a of the recess 182. In the present embodiment, the protrusions 194 and the insulating layer 180 may both comprise organic materials, and the protrusions 194 may be well attached to the first surface 182a of the insulating layer 180.

It should be noted that, by using the spacers 240 of the opposite substrate 200 and the protrusions 194 of the active device substrate 100 abutting against each other, the active device substrate 100 and the opposite substrate 200 are not prone to be shifted excessively, and the spacers 240 are not prone to be deviated from the original positions to damage the alignment films (not shown) on the pixel electrodes 190. Therefore, the problem of the bright spot defect in the prior art can be improved.

In addition, the height H of the protrusion 194 is limited by process capability and material characteristics, such as: not less than 1.3 μm, the protrusion 194 with a certain height H is disposed in the recess 182 of the insulating layer 180, so that the protrusion 194 will not protrude too much, and an alignment layer (not shown) can be well formed on the active device substrate 100. For example, in the embodiment, the height H of the protrusion 194 disposed in the recess 182 may be greater than or equal to 1.5 μm, and the height H of the protrusion 194 is sufficient to be not easily damaged.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the above embodiments, it should be understood that various changes and modifications can be made therein by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

The present invention is capable of other embodiments, and various changes and modifications may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A display panel, comprising:

a first substrate;

an active device disposed on the first substrate;

a first insulating layer disposed on the active device;

a pixel electrode, a common electrode and a second insulating layer disposed on the first insulating layer, wherein the pixel electrode is electrically connected to the active device, the second insulating layer is disposed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode, the second insulating layer has a first surface and a side surface, and the first surface is connected to the side surface to define a recess of the second insulating layer;

a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate;

a spacer disposed on the second substrate, wherein a vertical projection of the spacer on the first substrate overlaps a vertical projection of the recess of the second insulating layer on the first substrate; and

a display medium disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

2. The display panel of claim 1, wherein the spacers extend into the recesses of the second insulating layer.

3. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a conductive pattern disposed between the first insulating layer and the second insulating layer;

wherein a vertical projection of the conductive pattern on the first substrate overlaps a vertical projection of the recess of the second insulating layer on the first substrate.

4. The display panel of claim 1, further comprising:

and a protrusion disposed in the recess of the second insulating layer, wherein the spacer and the protrusion are abutted against each other.

5. The display panel of claim 4, wherein the protrusion has a height H, the recess of the second insulating layer has a depth D, and H > D.

6. The display panel of claim 4, wherein the protrusion has a height H, the recess of the second insulating layer has a depth D, the display medium has a thickness G, and

7. a display panel, comprising:

a first substrate;

an active device disposed on the first substrate;

a pixel electrode disposed on the first substrate and electrically connected to the active device;

an insulating layer disposed on the first substrate, wherein the insulating layer has a first surface and a side surface, and the first surface is connected to the side surface to define a recess of the insulating layer;

a protrusion disposed in the recess of the insulating layer;

a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate;

a spacer disposed on the second substrate, wherein the spacer and the protrusion are abutted against each other; and

a display medium disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

8. The display panel of claim 7, wherein the protrusion has a height H, the recess of the insulating layer has a depth D, and H > D.

9. The display panel of claim 7, wherein the protrusion has a height H, the recess of the insulating layer has a depth D, the display medium has a thickness G, and