CN115000124A

CN115000124A - Display panel, display screen and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN115000124A
Application number: CN202111331299.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 田正; 贺海明
Original assignee: Honor Device Co Ltd
Current assignee: Honor Device Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-11-11
Filing date: 2021-11-11
Publication date: 2022-09-02
Anticipated expiration: 2041-11-11
Also published as: WO2023082806A9; WO2023082806A1; CN115000124B

Abstract

The application provides a display panel, a display screen and an electronic device. The display panel comprises a flat area and a bending area, the flat area comprises a driving structure layer and a first light-emitting structure layer which are arranged in a stacked mode, and the first light-emitting structure layer is electrically connected with the driving structure layer and is used for being driven by the driving structure layer to emit light; the bending area is connected to the periphery of the flat area and is bent relative to the flat area, the bending area comprises a second light emitting structure layer, the second light emitting structure layer and the first light emitting structure layer are arranged on the same layer, and the second light emitting structure layer is electrically connected with the driving structure layer and is used for being driven by the driving structure layer to emit light. The technical scheme of this application can realize the narrow frame of screen on guaranteeing that the screen has good working property's basis.

Description

Display panel, display screen and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of display, in particular to a display panel, a display screen and electronic equipment.

Background

With the development of display technology, flexible display screens are increasingly widely used in screens due to their advantages such as excellent flexibility and adaptability. For a screen, a non-display area with a certain width exists around a display area of the screen, namely a frame, and the wider frame affects the use experience of a user. How to realize the narrow frame of the screen on the basis of ensuring the good working performance of the screen is a subject continuously explored in the industry.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a display panel, a display screen and an electronic device, and can realize the narrow frame of the screen on the basis of ensuring that the screen has good working performance.

In a first aspect, the present application provides a display panel comprising:

the flat area comprises a driving structure layer and a first light emitting structure layer which are arranged in a stacked mode, and the first light emitting structure layer is electrically connected with the driving structure layer and is used for being driven by the driving structure layer to emit light; and

the bending area is connected to the periphery of the flat area and is bent relative to the flat area, the bending area comprises a second light emitting structure layer, the second light emitting structure layer and the first light emitting structure layer are arranged on the same layer, and the second light emitting structure layer is electrically connected with the driving structure layer and is used for being driven by the driving structure layer to emit light.

It can be understood that, since the bending region is connected to the periphery of the flat region, in the display panel, the flat region may be a central region of the display panel, and the bending region may be an edge region of the display panel. And the bending area can be bent relative to the flat area, that is, the edge of the display panel can be bent to make the display panel present a curved profile.

Illustratively, the bending area is arranged around the flat area and is connected with the periphery of the flat area.

It should be noted that the division of the flat area and the bending area represents that the bending area is a portion of the two that is relatively easy to bend, and the flat area is a portion of the two that is relatively difficult to bend, and does not represent that the flat area is not bent. That is, in the display region, the stress that the flat region and the bending region can bear when bending is different, that is, the bending capability of the flat region and the bending region is different.

In the technical scheme of the application, the first light emitting structure layer is arranged in the flat area, so that the flat area becomes an area capable of emitting light and displaying in the display panel due to the characteristic that the first light emitting structure layer can be driven by the driving structure layer to emit light. The second light emitting structure layer is arranged in the bending area, so that the bending area becomes an area capable of performing light emitting display in the display panel due to the characteristic that the second light emitting structure layer can be driven by the driving structure layer to emit light. Based on the above description, it should be understood that the bending region and the flat region may together form a region in the display panel where light emitting display may be performed, and the light emitting display region of the display panel may extend from the flat region to the bending region.

Therefore, both the flat area and the bent area can be used for displaying, and compared with the prior art that only the flat area can be used for displaying, the area of the display panel, which can be displayed, is formed by the edge of the flat area, can be enlarged to the area formed by the edge of the bent area. Under this setting, when display panel was applied to the display screen in, can be on the basis of not changing the size of display screen, because of the expansion of display area, and very big reduction non-display area's width, also be the frame width, and then make narrow frame or even no frame become reality, and can also effectively improve the screen and account for the ratio, improve user's use and experience.

In addition, the driving structure layer has a multi-layer film structure made of inorganic materials, and the inorganic layer has a high density and is very dense, so that the driving structure layer is easy to break due to stress influence after being bent, and normal operation of the display panel is further influenced. Therefore, the driving structure layer is arranged in the flat area, the whole driving structure layer can be located in a relatively flat area with non-stress concentration, normal work of the driving structure layer is not affected under the condition that the edge of the display panel is not affected, and the whole working reliability of the display panel is improved. The second light-emitting structure layer is arranged in the bending area, so that the second light-emitting structure layer can well adapt to stress generated by bending while performing light-emitting display due to the fact that the bending area has less film layer structures made of inorganic materials, the possibility that the film layer structures are broken due to overlarge stress, wiring arrangement is influenced, and the problems of open circuit or short circuit are reduced to the minimum, the light-emitting display performance of the display panel is effectively guaranteed, and the reliability is good.

It should be noted that the second light emitting structure layer and the first light emitting structure layer are formed in the same process, that is, the two layers are disposed in the same layer, so that the display effects of the two layers can be uniform and balanced when the two layers emit light.

In a possible implementation manner, the bending region further includes a circuit layer, the circuit layer is stacked with the second light emitting structure layer, and the circuit layer is electrically connected between the second light emitting structure layer and the driving structure layer.

It can be understood that the second light emitting structure layer is located in the bending region, the driving structure layer for driving the second light emitting structure layer to emit light is located in the flat region, and the two driving structure layers are located in different regions in the display region, so that it is difficult to directly realize conduction of electrical signals. Therefore, the circuit layer is arranged in the bending area and is electrically connected between the second light-emitting structure layer and the driving structure layer, so that the control signal sent by the driving structure layer in the flat area can be transmitted to the second light-emitting structure layer through the transmission of the circuit layer, and the second light-emitting structure layer is driven to emit light. Under this setting, can prolong the control path of drive structure layer through the connection effect on circuit layer, make drive structure layer not only can control the luminous of the shorter first light emitting structure layer of distance, can also control the luminous of the longer second light emitting structure layer of distance, have the dual function of short distance control and long distance control concurrently, drive structure layer's performance is excellent.

For example, the circuit layer may include a data line, and the data line located in the bending region may be electrically connected to the data line of the flat region to supply each column of sub-pixels (i.e., the first sub-light emitting unit and the second sub-light emitting unit disposed in the same column hereinafter) in the pixel array. The data line in the bending region may be an oblique line. It can be understood that, because the data line is located in the bending area, it needs to have good bending performance, and the good bending performance can reduce the possibility of occurrence of the problem of the failure of the display panel to the minimum due to the cracking and breaking of the line caused by bending, thereby fully ensuring the service life of the display panel.

Alternatively, the data line at the inflection region may include a first portion and a second portion. The first part is connected with the data line of the flat area, the extending direction of the first part is the same as the bending direction of the bending area, the second part is connected with the first part in a bending mode, and one end, far away from the first part, of the second part is used for being connected with the driving chip. That is, the data line may be a polyline. Under this setting, can make the tensile minimum that the data line received, be favorable to guaranteeing that the data line can not fracture when buckling.

In one possible embodiment, the driving structure layer includes a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer, which are stacked, and the second conductive layer is connected between the first conductive layer and the first light emitting structure layer;

the circuit layer is electrically connected with the first conductive layer. The circuit layer and the first conductive layer can be manufactured by the same process, that is, the circuit layer and the first conductive layer are arranged on the same layer. With this arrangement, the second light emitting structure layer can be connected to the driving structure layer, so as to transmit the control signal of the driving structure layer to the second light emitting structure layer through the circuit layer.

Alternatively, the circuit layer is electrically connected to the second conductive layer. The circuit layer and the second conductive layer can be manufactured by the same process, that is, the circuit layer and the second conductive layer are arranged on the same layer. With this arrangement, the second light emitting structure layer can be connected to the driving structure layer, so as to transmit the control signal of the driving structure layer to the second light emitting structure layer through the circuit layer.

It should be noted that the circuit layer may be flexibly selected to be connected to the first conductive layer or the second conductive layer in the driving structure layer according to the actual application requirement of the display panel, and only the electrical connection relationship between the circuit layer and the driving structure layer needs to be realized, which is not strictly limited in the embodiment of the present application.

In one possible embodiment, the first light emitting structure layer has a plurality of first pixel openings, each of the first pixel openings is used for forming a first light emitting unit, the planar region further includes a first encapsulation layer, the first encapsulation layer is disposed on the first light emitting structure layer, and the first encapsulation layer covers at least a portion of surfaces of the first light emitting units and the first light emitting structure layer.

With the arrangement, the first sub-light-emitting unit and the thin film transistor can be prevented from being oxidized or damaged by water, oxygen or other impurities in the external environment due to the blocking of the first packaging layer, and the first sub-light-emitting unit and the thin film transistor have good protection performance.

Illustratively, the first encapsulation layer may be in the form of a "sandwich" of "inorganic encapsulation layer-organic encapsulation layer-inorganic encapsulation layer", such a structure ensuring a better water oxygen barrier performance of the first encapsulation layer as a whole. The inorganic encapsulation layer may be formed of an inorganic material, such as silicon nitride (SiNx) and/or silicon oxide (SiOx), and the organic encapsulation layer may be formed of an organic material, such as an epoxy-based organic material, polymethyl methacrylate, or the like. Of course, the actual number of layers of the first encapsulation layer is not limited to three, and may be one or more layers, and the number of layers of the encapsulation layer and the layer material constituting the embodiment of the present application are not strictly limited.

In a possible implementation manner, the planarization region further includes a first isolation pillar, and the first isolation pillar is disposed on the first light emitting structure layer and located at an edge of the first encapsulation layer.

Therefore, the first isolation column can isolate the first packaging layer, when external water oxygen invades the first packaging layer from one side of the first isolation column, the first packaging layer is isolated at the isolation column, so that the external water oxygen cannot cross the first isolation column to continuously invade, the first isolation column can play a role in isolating the water oxygen, and the inside of the display panel is further protected from being corroded by the water oxygen.

It should be noted that the number of the first isolation pillars may be one or more as needed, and when the number of the first isolation pillars is plural, the plural first isolation pillars are all disposed at the edge of the first encapsulation layer to block water and oxygen. In addition, when the first functional layer and the cathode are formed, since deposition of the evaporation material has directionality (particles move substantially along a straight line), the first functional layer and the first cathode may be deposited on the surface of the first separator, so that the surface of the first separator may be covered with the first functional layer and the first cathode.

In one possible embodiment, the bending region further includes a first flat layer, and the first flat layer is located between the circuit layer and the second light emitting structure layer.

Under this setting, first flat layer can cover on the circuit layer, can reduce the mechanical damage on circuit layer, avoids its inside to walk the problem emergence that causes damage, fracture because of receiving the interference of external environment. And when the wire is bent, the stress release can be provided for the wire, so that the wire is prevented from receiving overlarge tensile or compressive stress, and the wire has good protection performance.

Illustratively, the material of the first planarization layer may include one or more of acrylic resin, epoxy resin, phenolic resin, polyamide resin, polyimide resin, unsaturated polyester resin, polyphenyl resin, polyphenylene sulfide resin, and benzocyclobutene.

In a possible implementation manner, the bending region further includes an organic insulating layer, and the organic insulating layer is located on a side of the circuit layer, which is away from the first planarization layer.

Illustratively, the organic insulating layer may be formed of an organic material, such as an epoxy-based organic material, polymethyl methacrylate, or the like.

It can be understood that the inorganic material is brittle and is easy to break when bent, and therefore, the organic insulating layer made of the organic material can enable fewer inorganic layers to be arranged between the circuit layer and the substrate, so that when the bending area is bent, the film structure of the bending area is not easy to break due to the material with good toughness and ductility, the bending area has better bendability and self-adaptability, the service life of the display panel is prolonged, and the working reliability of the display panel is improved.

In a possible implementation manner, the bending region further includes a substrate, and a buffer layer and an inorganic insulating layer sequentially stacked on the substrate, the organic insulating layer is disposed on a side of the inorganic insulating layer away from the buffer layer, the inorganic insulating layer has a first groove penetrating through the inorganic insulating layer, and the buffer layer has a second groove communicating with the first groove;

the organic insulating layer fills the first groove and the second groove, and the organic insulating layer arranged in the second groove and the substrate are arranged at intervals. That is, the second groove may be similar to a blind via structure, which does not penetrate through the buffer layer, and the organic insulating layer in the second groove may be spaced from the substrate by the buffer layer.

Or the second groove penetrates through the buffer layer, the organic insulating layer fills the first groove and the second groove, and the organic insulating layer arranged in the second groove is in contact with the substrate.

In the two schemes, the organic insulating layer made of organic materials replaces the etched buffer layer and the inorganic insulating layer, the proportion of the organic materials in the bending area can be increased, less inorganic materials are arranged between the circuit layer and the substrate, and then the bending area is difficult to break due to the fact that the bending area is made of materials with good toughness and ductility when being bent, the bending area has good flexibility and adaptability, the service life of the display panel is prolonged, and the working reliability of the display panel is improved.

In a possible implementation manner, the second light emitting structure layer has a plurality of second pixel openings, each of the second pixel openings is used for forming one second light emitting unit, and the bending region further includes a plurality of sub-package structures, and each of the sub-package structures covers at least one of the second sub-light emitting units.

It should be noted that the sub-package structure disposed in the bending region may not completely cover the surface of the second light emitting structure layer, and may not cover the portion without the second sub-light emitting unit, so that the sub-package structure only covering the second sub-light emitting unit may form a structure similar to an "island", and the second light emitting structure layer without the sub-package structure is exposed between the "island" and the "island". For example, when each sub-package structure covers one second sub-light emitting unit, one sub-package structure may independently constitute one "island" encapsulating one second sub-light emitting unit, and when each sub-package structure covers two second sub-light emitting units, one sub-package structure may independently constitute one "island" encapsulating two second sub-light emitting units.

Under the arrangement, the plurality of sub-packaging structures arranged in the bending area can form an island-shaped package, and the island-shaped package can be distinguished from the whole-surface package in the prior art, so that the second light-emitting structure layer has a part which is not covered by the sub-packaging structure, thereby effectively improving the stress borne by the bending area during bending and avoiding the film structure of the bending area from breaking. In addition, the second sub-light-emitting unit can be prevented from being oxidized or damaged by water, oxygen or other impurities in the external environment due to the blocking of the packaging structure, and the second sub-light-emitting unit has good protection performance.

Illustratively, the second encapsulation layer may be in the form of a "sandwich" of "inorganic encapsulation layer-organic encapsulation layer-inorganic encapsulation layer", such a structure ensuring that the second encapsulation layer as a whole has good water and oxygen barrier properties. The inorganic encapsulation layer may be formed of an inorganic material, such as silicon nitride (SiNx) and/or silicon oxide (SiOx), and the organic encapsulation layer may be formed of an organic material, such as an epoxy-based organic material, polymethyl methacrylate, or the like. Of course, the actual number of layers of the second encapsulation layer is not limited to three, and may be one or more layers, and the number of layers of the encapsulation layer and the layer material constituting the embodiments of the present application are not strictly limited.

In a possible implementation manner, the bending region further includes a second isolation pillar, and the second isolation pillar is disposed on the second light emitting structure layer and located at an edge of the second encapsulation layer.

Therefore, the second isolation column can isolate the second packaging layer, when external water oxygen invades the second packaging layer from one side of the second isolation column, the second packaging layer is isolated at the isolation column, so that the external water oxygen cannot cross the second isolation column to continuously invade, the second isolation column can play a role in isolating the water oxygen, and the inside of the display panel is further protected from being corroded by the water oxygen.

It should be noted that the number of the second isolation pillars may be one or more as needed, and when the number of the second isolation pillars is multiple, the multiple second isolation pillars are all disposed at the edge of the second encapsulation layer to block water and oxygen. In addition, when the second functional layer and the cathode are formed, since deposition of the evaporation material has directionality (particles move substantially along a straight line), the second functional layer and the second cathode may be deposited on the surface of the second separator, so that the surface of the second separator may be covered with the second functional layer and the second cathode.

In one possible implementation manner, the first light emitting structure layer includes a plurality of first sub light emitting units, a color of each of the first sub light emitting units includes red, green or blue, the second light emitting structure layer includes a plurality of second sub light emitting units, a color of each of the second sub light emitting units includes red, green or blue, and the driving structure layer includes a plurality of pixel driving circuits;

each pixel driving circuit drives one first sub-light-emitting unit to emit light; or,

each pixel driving circuit drives one second sub-light-emitting unit to emit light; or,

each pixel driving circuit drives at least two first sub-light-emitting units with the same color to emit light; or,

each pixel driving circuit drives at least two second sub-light-emitting units of the same color to emit light; or,

each pixel driving circuit drives at least one first sub-light-emitting unit and at least one second sub-light-emitting unit of the same color to emit light.

Based on the above description, it should be understood that the pixel driving circuit can drive the first sub-light emitting unit to emit light, the second sub-light emitting unit to emit light, and the first sub-light emitting unit and the second sub-light emitting unit to emit light, and can be configured to drive the first sub-light emitting unit of any color to emit light, or drive the second sub-light emitting unit of any color to emit light, or drive the first sub-light emitting units of multiple same colors to emit light, or drive the first sub-light emitting unit and the second sub-light emitting unit of one or more same colors to emit light, as required, the driving manner can be adjusted accordingly according to the change of the actual application scene, the driving type is diversified to meet the application requirements in multiple scenes, and the reliability is better.

In a second aspect, the present application further provides a display screen, the display screen includes a cover plate and the display panel as described above, and the cover plate is attached to the display panel.

In a third aspect, the present application further provides an electronic device, where the electronic device includes the display screen as described above.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 2 is an exploded schematic view of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of an angle structure of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a display panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 6 is another schematic diagram of a display panel provided by an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is another schematic cross-sectional view of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is another schematic partial cross-sectional view of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a first functional layer of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 11 is a simplified schematic illustration of a display panel according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 12 is a schematic structural diagram of a second functional layer of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 13 is a schematic diagram of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present application.

Detailed Description

For convenience of understanding, terms referred to in the embodiments of the present application are first explained.

And/or: only one kind of association relationship describing the associated object, indicates that there may be three kinds of relationships, for example, a and/or B, may indicate: a exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone.

A plurality of: two or more than two.

Connecting: it should be understood that, for example, A and B are connected, either directly or indirectly through an intermediate.

Specific embodiments of the present application will be described more clearly below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

With the development of display technology, flexible display screens are increasingly widely used in screens due to their advantages of excellent flexibility, adaptability and the like. At present, a non-display area, i.e., a frame, with a certain width exists around a display area of a screen. The existing frame is wide, continuous optimization is difficult, screen occupation ratio is easily reduced, and the appearance of the screen and the use experience of a user are influenced.

Based on this, please refer to fig. 1 to 13 in combination, embodiments of the present application provide a display panel 100, a display screen 200, and an electronic device 300, which can increase the area of a display area on the basis of ensuring that the screen has good working performance, thereby effectively increasing the screen occupation ratio, realizing a narrow frame of the screen, and improving the user experience, which will be described in detail below.

Referring to fig. 1, the electronic device 300 may include a housing 310 and a display 200. The housing 310 serves as a structural carrier for the electronic device 300 for mounting the display 200, as well as housing or mounting other components such as circuit board assemblies. The display screen 200 may be used to display text, images, video, and the like. Illustratively, the display screen 200 may be a curved screen, the edges of which are curved to form a curved surface. That is, the display 200 may be a flexible display.

The electronic device 300 may be, but not limited to, an intelligent consumer electronic device such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a notebook computer, or a wearable electronic device such as an Augmented Reality (AR), a Virtual Reality (VR), an intelligent watch, an intelligent bracelet, or a vehicle-mounted device such as a vehicle.

The display panel 200 may be, but is not limited to, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display panel, an active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display panel, a mini-OLED (mini-organic light-emitting diode) display panel, a micro-led (micro-organic light-emitting diode) display panel, a quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) display panel.

It should be noted that the display screen 200 is not only suitable for the electronic device 300 as described above, but also suitable for any device that has a requirement for displaying text, images, videos, and the like, and the embodiment of the present application is not limited thereto.

Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2, the display panel 200 may include a cover 210 and the display panel 100, the cover 210 is attached to the display panel 100, and the display panel 100 is enclosed by the cover 210 and the housing 310. The cover plate 210 serves to shield the display panel 100, which may provide tactile and force feedback to a user when the user touches. Among them, the display panel 100 may be a flexible display panel, that is, it may have flexibility and be suitable for bending. The shape of the cover 210 may be adapted to the shape of the display panel 100, for example, when the display panel 100 is a curved panel, the cover 210 may be a curved cover.

The detailed structure of the display panel 100 will be described below with reference to fig. 3 to 13.

Referring to fig. 3, 4, 5 and 6, the display panel 100 may include a display region 10 and a border region 40. The display area 10 may be an area of the display panel 100 capable of displaying images, and the edge of the area may be curved with a predetermined curvature according to the application requirements of the display panel 100, so that the display panel 100 may be in the form of a curved panel. The edge region 40 may be a region of the display panel 100 where no image is displayed, and the edge region 40 is connected to the display region 10 and located at the periphery of the display region 10, and may be bent to the back of the display region 10 following the bending of the display region 10.

Therefore, by bending the display area 10 of the display panel 100 and arranging the edge area 40 (non-display area) of the display panel 100 at the back of the display area 10, the profile of the display surface of the display area 10 can be the profile of the display screen 200, and under this arrangement, no other structures occupy the display space except the display area 10, so that the whole surface of the display screen 200 can display images, and the device using the display panel 100 can realize full-screen display of the front of the device, thereby realizing ultra-narrow frames or even no frames, effectively improving the market competitiveness of the product, and improving the use experience of the user.

It should be noted that, as described above, the outline of the display panel 200 is formed by the outline of the display surface of the display area 10, that is, the entire surface of the display panel 200 displays images, but in practical application of the display panel 100, a part of the surface of the edge area 40 may occupy a certain surface of the display panel 200. That is, there may be a portion of the display surface (the surface facing the user when the user holds the electronic device 300) of the display screen 200 (e.g., the surface near the edge) that does not display images. It is only necessary that the display region 10 has a flat portion and a bent portion, and embodiments of the present application are not limited thereto.

Illustratively, taking the placing direction of the display panel 100 shown in fig. 5 and 6 as a reference direction, four sides of the display area 10 are divided into an upper side 101, a lower side 102, a left side 103 and a right side 104, and the four sides of the display area 10 can be bent to form a cambered surface.

The edge area 40 may be connected to three sides of the lower side 102, the left side 103 and the right side 104 of the display area 10 as shown in fig. 5, or the edge area 40 may be connected to the upper side 101, the lower side 102, the left side 103 and the right side 104 of the display area 10 as shown in fig. 6. The edge region 40 disposed on the lower edge 102 may be a region of the display panel 100 where pads and Circuit elements are disposed, for example, as shown in fig. 7, a Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) 50 may be disposed at an end portion of the edge region 40 disposed on the lower edge 102 away from the display region 10, and a driving chip 60 may be disposed at the edge region 40 disposed on the lower edge 102 and the driving chip 60 is electrically connected to the Flexible Circuit 50. As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the edge regions 40 disposed on the left and

right sides

103 and 104 may be regions in the display panel 100 where the wirings and the driving circuit 70 for driving the screen are disposed, for example, the driving circuit may be a goa (gate on array) driving circuit.

It should be noted that the connection position of the edge region 40 and the display region 10 is not limited to the above-mentioned manner, and the edge region 40 may be connected to any one, any two, any three, or each of the four sides of the display region 10 according to the actual application requirement, the key design of the embodiment of the present application is not in the edge region 40, and the specific structure and the connection position of the edge region 40 are not strictly limited.

Referring to fig. 3 and 8, the display region 10 includes a flat region 20 and a bending region 30, and the bending region 30 is connected to the periphery of the flat region 20. That is, the bending region 30 is connected with the flat region 20 and is bent with respect to the flat region 20. In other words, the flat region 20 and the bending region 30 are disposed at an included angle, which may be in an angle range of 90 ° to 180 ° (including end points of 90 ° and 180 °).

The bending region 30 may be understood as a region capable of being bent in the display region 10, and the flat region 20 may be understood as a region which is relatively flat and is not bent in the display region 10. When the bending region 30 bends relative to the flat region 20 about its bending axis (which can be understood as the rotation center line of the bending region 30 about which the bending region 30 can perform bending motion), the bending region 30 can be in an arc shape, and the horizontal dimension of the display panel 100 can be reduced.

It can be understood that, since the bending region 30 is connected to the periphery of the flat region 20, in the display panel 100, the flat region 20 may be a central region of the display panel 100, and the bending region 30 may be an edge region of the display panel 100. And the bending region 30 can be bent with respect to the flat region 20, that is, the edge of the display panel 100 can be bent to make the display panel 100 present a curved profile.

Illustratively, as shown in fig. 3, the inflection zone 30 is disposed around the flat zone 20 and is connected to the periphery of the flat zone 20.

It should be noted that the division between the flat area 20 and the bending area 30 represents that the bending area 30 is a portion of the two that is relatively easy to bend, and the flat area 20 is a portion of the two that is relatively difficult to bend, and does not represent that the flat area 20 is not bent. That is, in the display region 10, the two portions, i.e., the flat region 20 and the bending region 30, can bear different stresses when bent, i.e., the two portions have different bending capabilities.

The structure of the film layer in the flat region 20 and the bending region 30 will be described in detail below with reference to fig. 8-13.

Referring to fig. 8, the flat region 20 includes a substrate 21, a buffer layer 22, an inorganic insulating layer 26, a driving structure layer 23, a first light emitting structure layer 24, and a first encapsulation layer 25.

The substrate 21 may be a flexible substrate, and by using the flexible substrate, the flat region 20 can have good extensibility and can provide a strong support for the curved surface of the display screen 200.

Illustratively, the material of the substrate 21 may include polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), polysilane, polysiloxane, polysilazane, polycarbosilane, polyacrylate, polymethyl acrylate, polymethacrylate, polymethyl methacrylate, polyethyl acrylate, polyethyl methacrylate, Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC), Cyclic Olefin Polymer (COP), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), Polyimide (PI), Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), Polystyrene (PS), polyacetal (POM; polyoxyethylene), Polyetheretherketone (PEEK), polyester sulfone (PES), Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), Polycarbonate (PC), polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), perfluoroalkyl Polymer (PFA), styrene acrylonitrile copolymer (SAN), or combinations thereof.

The buffer layer 22 is disposed on the substrate 21. On one hand, moisture or other impurities in the external environment may be inhibited from permeating into the display panel 100 through the substrate 21. On the other hand, the buffer layer 22 can planarize the surface of the substrate 21, which is beneficial to improving the yield of the display panel 100.

The inorganic insulating layer 26 is disposed on the buffer layer 22. For example, the inorganic insulating layer 26 may have a single-layer/multilayer structure made of silicon oxide (SiOx), or the inorganic insulating layer 26 may have a single-layer/multilayer structure made of silicon nitride (SiNx).

The driving structure layer 23 is partially disposed on the buffer layer 22 and partially disposed on the inorganic insulating layer 26, and the driving structure layer 23 is used for driving the first light emitting structure layer 24 to emit light. The driving structure layer 23 may include a semiconductor layer 231 disposed on the buffer layer 22 and covered by the inorganic insulating layer 26, a first gate metal layer 232 disposed on the inorganic insulating layer 26, a first insulating layer 233 disposed on the inorganic insulating layer 26 and covering the first gate metal layer 232, a second gate metal layer 234 disposed on the first insulating layer 233, a second insulating layer 235 disposed on the first insulating layer 233 and covering the second gate metal layer 234, a first conductive layer 236 disposed on the second insulating layer 235, a second planarization layer 237 disposed on the second insulating layer 235 and covering the first conductive layer 236, a second conductive layer 238 disposed on the second planarization layer 237, and a third planarization layer 239 disposed on the second planarization layer 237 and covering the second conductive layer 238.

Specifically, the semiconductor layer 231 may include a source region for connecting with the source 2361 of the first gate metal layer 232, a drain region for connecting with the drain 2362 of the first gate metal layer 232, and a channel region connected between the source region and the drain region. Illustratively, the material of the semiconductor layer 231 may include one or more of indium tin gallium zinc oxide (InSnGaZnO), indium gallium zinc oxide (InGaZnO), indium tin zinc oxide (inssnzno), tin gallium zinc oxide (SnGaZnO), aluminum gallium zinc oxide (algalzno), indium aluminum zinc oxide (InAlZnO), tin aluminum zinc oxide (SnAlZnO), indium zinc oxide (InZnO), tin zinc oxide (SnZnO), aluminum zinc oxide (AlZnO), zinc magnesium oxide (ZnMgO), tin magnesium oxide (SnMgO), indium magnesium oxide (insmgo), indium gallium oxide (InGaO), indium oxide (InO), tin oxide (SnO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and the like.

In addition, by providing the inorganic insulating layer 26 between the semiconductor layer 231 and the first gate metal layer 232, the semiconductor layer 231 and the first gate metal layer 232 can be spaced apart from each other to be insulated from each other, so that the current flowing through the semiconductor layer 231 does not flow to the first gate metal layer 232, which is advantageous for normal flow of an electrical signal.

The first gate metal layer 232 may include a gate electrode and a first capacitor electrode. Illustratively, the material of the first gate metal layer 232 may include copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), gold (Au), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), or an alloy of the foregoing materials.

The first insulating layer 233 can space the first gate metal layer 232 and the second gate metal layer 234 to insulate them from each other, so that they have good electrical properties. Illustratively, the first insulating layer 233 may be an inorganic insulating layer, for example, the first insulating layer 233 may have a single/multi-layer structure composed of silicon oxide (SiOx), or the first insulating layer 233 may also have a single/multi-layer structure composed of silicon nitride (SiNx).

The second gate metal layer 234 may include a second capacitor electrode. Illustratively, the material of the second gate metal layer 234 may include copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), gold (Au), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), or an alloy of the foregoing materials.

The second insulating layer 235 can space the second gate metal layer 234 from the first conductive layer 236 to insulate the two from each other. Illustratively, the second insulating layer 235 may be an inorganic insulating layer, for example, the second insulating layer 235 may have a single/multi-layer structure composed of silicon oxide (SiOx), or the second insulating layer 235 may also have a single/multi-layer structure composed of silicon nitride (SiNx).

The first conductive layer 236 may also be referred to as a first source-drain metal layer (SD1), and the first conductive layer 236 may include a source 2361 and a drain 2362. The source electrode 2361 may be connected to a source electrode 2361 region of the semiconductor layer 231 through a first metal via 2363 which penetrates the inorganic insulating layer 26, the first insulating layer 233, and the second insulating layer 235. The drain electrode 2362 may be connected to the drain electrode 2362 region of the semiconductor layer 231 through a second metal via 2364 which penetrates the inorganic insulating layer 26, the first insulating layer 233, and the second insulating layer 235. The first metal via 2363 and the second metal via 2364 can be understood as an electrical connection structure having a conductive property formed by filling a conductive metal in a hole-like structure. Illustratively, the material of the first conductive layer 236 may include copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), gold (Au), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), or an alloy of the foregoing materials.

It is to be understood that the source 2361 of the first conductive layer 236, the drain 2362 of the first conductive layer 236, the gate of the first gate metal layer 232, and the semiconductor layer 231 may collectively form a thin film transistor, which is a structure constituting a part of a pixel driving circuit for driving and controlling light emission or display of the light emitting unit, and may include a driving transistor and a switching transistor. The first capacitor electrode of the first gate metal layer 232 and the second capacitor electrode of the second gate metal layer 234 may collectively form a storage capacitor, which is a part of a structure constituting a pixel driving circuit for driving and controlling light emission or display of the light emitting unit. In addition, the source electrode 2361, the drain electrode 2362, and the gate electrode are insulated from each other by the insulating layers provided between the source electrode 2361, the drain electrode 2362, and the gate electrode, which is advantageous in that the electrical characteristics of the thin film transistor are not affected and reliability is high.

It should be noted that, in practical application of the display panel 100, a plurality of thin film transistors and a plurality of storage capacitors may be formed in the driving structure layer 23, and each thin film transistor and the corresponding storage capacitor form a pixel driving circuit, so that the driving structure layer 23 actually has a plurality of pixel driving circuits.

Based on the above description, it should be understood that the driving structure layer 23 has a multi-layer structure made of inorganic materials, and the inorganic layers have a relatively high density and are very dense, so that the driving structure layer 23 is prone to be broken due to stress after being bent, and thus normal operation of the display panel 100 is affected. Therefore, the driving structure layer 23 is provided with the flat area 20, so that the driving structure layer 23 can be entirely located in a relatively flat area with no stress concentration, and the normal operation of the driving structure layer 23 is not affected under the condition that the edge bending of the display panel 100 is not affected, thereby being beneficial to improving the overall operational reliability of the display panel 100.

Referring to fig. 8, the second planarization layer 237 covers the tft, and can protect the tft, alleviate the step caused by the tft, and reduce the parasitic capacitance between the tft and other circuits and devices. Illustratively, the material of the second flat layer 237 may include one or more of acrylic resin, epoxy resin, phenolic resin, polyamide resin, polyimide resin, unsaturated polyester resin, polyphenyl resin, polyphenylene sulfide resin, and benzocyclobutene.

The second conductive layer 238 may also be referred to as a second source-drain metal layer (SD2), the second conductive layer 238 is stacked on the first conductive layer 236 and connected between the first conductive layer 236 and the first light emitting structure layer 24, the second conductive layer 238 may include a connection electrode 2381, and the connection electrode 2381 may be connected to the drain electrode 2362 of the first conductive layer 236 through a third metal via 2382 disposed on the second planarization layer 237. The third metal via 2382 can be understood as an electrical connection structure having conductive properties formed by filling a conductive metal in a hole-like structure. For example, the material of the second conductive layer 238 may include copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), gold (Au), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), an alloy of the foregoing materials, and the like.

Note that the first conductive layer 236 and the second conductive layer 238 may further include signal lines (e.g., gate lines, data lines, and the like).

A third flat layer 239 may cover the second conductive layer 238, and may function to protect the second conductive layer 238. Illustratively, the material of the third flat layer 239 may include one or more of acrylic resin, epoxy resin, phenolic resin, polyamide resin, polyimide resin, unsaturated polyester resin, polyphenyl resin, polyphenylene sulfide resin, and benzocyclobutene.

Referring to fig. 8, 9 and 10, the first light emitting structure layer 24 is disposed on the third planarization layer 239, and the first light emitting structure layer 24 is electrically connected to the driving structure layer 23 and is driven by the driving structure layer 23 to emit light. By providing the first light emitting structure layer 24 in the flat region 20, the flat region 20 can be a region of the display panel 100 where light emitting display can be performed due to the characteristic that the first light emitting structure layer 24 can be driven by the driving structure layer 23 to emit light.

Specifically, the first light emitting structure layer 24 includes a first anode 241, a first pixel defining layer 242, a first functional layer 243, and a first cathode 244.

The first anode 241 is disposed on the third planarization layer 239, and the first anode 241 can provide a hole to the first functional layer 243 and can be connected to the connection electrode 2381 through a fourth metal via disposed on the third planarization layer 239. The fourth metal via can be understood as an electrical connection structure having conductive properties formed by filling a conductive metal in a hole-like structure. For example, the material of the first anode 241 may include Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO), and the like.

The first pixel defining layer 242 is disposed on the third flat layer 239 and covers the first anode 241, the first pixel defining layer 242 has a first pixel opening 2421, and the first pixel opening 2421 exposes a portion of the first anode 241.

At least a portion of the first functional layer 243 is disposed at the first pixel opening 2421 and connected with the first anode 241, and the first functional layer 243 is used for emitting light. As shown in fig. 10, the first functional layer 243 may include a hole injection layer 2431(HIL), a hole transport layer 2432(HTL), a light emitting layer 2433, an electron transport layer 2434(ETL), and an electron injection layer 2435 (EIL).

A hole injection layer 2431 is disposed on the first anode 241 to facilitate hole injection of the first anode 241. The hole transport layer 2432 is provided on the hole injection layer 2431 to efficiently transport holes to the light emitting layer 2433. The light emitting layer 2433 is disposed on the hole transport layer 2432, and the light emitting layer 2433 may emit light of a specific color through a material capable of emitting light of a specific color, such as red light through a material capable of emitting red light, green light through a material capable of emitting green light, and blue light through a material capable of emitting blue light. The material of the light emitting layer 2433 may include an organic small molecule light emitting material, a complex light emitting material, a high molecular polymer, and the like. The electron transport layer 2434 may be disposed on the light emitting layer 2433 to efficiently transport electrons to the light emitting layer 2433. An electron injection layer 2435 may be disposed between the electron transport layer 2434 and the first cathode 244 to facilitate electron injection by the first cathode 244.

It is understood that the thin film transistor may input an anode voltage to the first anode 241 and a cathode voltage to the first cathode 244, and thus, holes injected from the first anode 241 and electrons injected from the first cathode 244 are recombined in the first functional layer 243 to generate excitons (electron-hole pairs) driven by an external voltage, and the excitons radiate and de-excite photons to generate visible light, wherein the emission color depends on the type of organic molecules of the emission layer, and the emission brightness or intensity depends on the performance of the light emitting material and the magnitude of the applied current.

Referring to fig. 8, the first cathode 244 is disposed on the first functional layer 243, at least a portion of the first cathode 244 is disposed in the first pixel opening 2421, and the first cathode 244 can provide electrons to the first functional layer 243. Illustratively, the material of the first cathode 244 may include magnesium (Mg), silver magnesium (Ag: Mg), Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO), Indium Tin Zinc Oxide (ITZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and Tin Oxide (TO).

In the embodiment of the present application, the first anode 241, the first functional layer 243 and the first cathode 244 may collectively form a first sub light emitting unit 245, and the first sub light emitting unit 245 is electrically connected to a thin film transistor, and is capable of emitting light or displaying under the driving and controlling of the pixel driving circuit.

It should be noted that fig. 8 only illustrates one first sub-light emitting unit 245, but in an actual application of the display panel 100, the number of the first pixel openings 2421 is multiple, that is, the first pixel defining layer 242 has multiple first pixel openings 2421, and each first pixel opening 2421 is formed with one first sub-light emitting unit 245, so that the first light emitting structure layer 24 actually has multiple first sub-light emitting units 245.

In addition, referring to fig. 10, the color of each of the first sub-light emitting units 245 includes red (R), green (G) or blue (B). That is, when the color of the first sub-light emitting unit 245 is red, it can emit red light under the driving of the pixel driving circuit, which may be referred to as a red sub-pixel R. When the color of the first sub-light emitting unit 245 is green, it can emit green light under the driving of the pixel driving circuit, and may be referred to as a green sub-pixel G. When the color of the first sub-light emitting unit 245 is blue, it can emit blue light under the driving of the pixel driving circuit, which may be referred to as a blue sub-pixel B.

In other words, the first pixel defining layer 242 defines a plurality of first sub-light emitting units 245 having different colors. The plurality of red first sub-light emitting units 245 (capable of emitting red light), the plurality of green first sub-light emitting units 245 (capable of emitting green light), and the plurality of blue first sub-light emitting units 245 (capable of emitting blue light) are arranged in an array.

In one possible embodiment, each pixel driving circuit drives one first sub-light emitting unit 245 to emit light, so that a 1-to-1 driving manner can be formed. Specifically, each pixel driving circuit may drive one red first sub-light emitting unit 245 to emit light, or may drive one green first sub-light emitting unit 245 to emit light, or may drive one blue first sub-light emitting unit 245 to emit light.

In another possible embodiment, each pixel driving circuit drives at least two first sub-light emitting units 245 of the same color to emit light, so that a 1-to-N driving manner can be formed. Specifically, each pixel driving circuit may drive at least two red first sub-light emitting units 245 to emit light, or may drive at least two green first sub-light emitting units 245 to emit light, or may drive at least two blue first sub-light emitting units 245 to emit light.

Based on the above description, it should be understood that the pixel driving circuit may be configured to drive one first sub-light emitting unit 245 of any color or drive a plurality of first sub-light emitting units 245 of the same color to emit light as required, the driving manner thereof may be adjusted accordingly according to the change of the actual application scene, the diversification of the driving types is beneficial to adapting to the application requirements in multiple scenes, and the reliability is better.

Referring to fig. 8, the first encapsulating layer 25 is disposed on the first light emitting structure layer 24, and the first encapsulating layer 25 covers a part of or all of the surfaces of the plurality of first sub-light emitting units 245 and the first light emitting structure layer 24. With this arrangement, the first sub-light emitting unit 245 and the thin film transistor can be protected from being oxidized or damaged by water, oxygen or other impurities in the external environment due to the blocking of the first encapsulation layer 25, and thus the protection performance is good.

Illustratively, the first encapsulation layer 25 may be in the form of a "sandwich" of "inorganic encapsulation layer-organic encapsulation layer-inorganic encapsulation layer", such a structure ensuring a better water oxygen barrier performance of the first encapsulation layer 25 as a whole. The inorganic encapsulation layer may be formed of an inorganic material, such as silicon nitride (SiNx) and/or silicon oxide (SiOx), and the organic encapsulation layer may be formed of an organic material, such as an epoxy-based organic material, polymethyl methacrylate, or the like. Of course, the actual number of layers of the first encapsulation layer 25 is not limited to three, and may be one or more layers, and the number of layers of the encapsulation layer and the layer material constituting the embodiment of the present application are not strictly limited.

In one possible embodiment, as shown in fig. 8, the flat region 20 further includes a first isolation pillar 26, and the first isolation pillar 26 is disposed on the first light emitting structure layer 24 and located at an edge of the first encapsulation layer 25. Therefore, the first isolation column 26 can isolate the first encapsulation layer 25, and when external water and oxygen invade the first encapsulation layer 25 from one side of the first isolation column 26, the external water and oxygen cannot continuously invade beyond the first isolation column 26 because the first encapsulation layer 25 is isolated at the isolation column, so that the first isolation column 26 can play a role in isolating water and oxygen, and the inside of the display panel 100 is further protected from being corroded by water and oxygen.

It should be noted that the number of the first isolation pillars 26 may be one or more as needed, and when the number of the first isolation pillars 26 is plural, the plural first isolation pillars 26 are all disposed at the edge of the first encapsulation layer 25 to block water and oxygen. In addition, when the first functional layer 243 and the first cathode 244 are formed, since deposition of the evaporation material has directionality (particles move substantially in a straight line), the first functional layer 243 and the first cathode 244 may be deposited on the surface of the first isolation pillar 26, so that the surface of the first isolation pillar 26 may be covered with the first functional layer 243 and the first cathode 244.

The film layer structure of the flat region 20 is explained above, and the film layer structure of the bending region 30 is explained in detail with reference to fig. 8, 9, 11, 12 and 13.

Referring to fig. 8 and 9, the bending region 30 includes a substrate 21, a buffer layer 22, an inorganic insulating layer 26, an organic insulating layer 31, a circuit layer 32, a first planarization layer 33, a second light emitting structure layer 34, and a second encapsulation layer 35 sequentially stacked on the substrate 21. For the detailed description of the substrate 21, the buffer layer 22, and the inorganic insulating layer 26, reference may be made to the foregoing description, and further description is omitted here.

The organic insulating layer 31 is disposed on the inorganic insulating layer 26, and a portion of the organic insulating layer 31 is located in the inorganic insulating layer 26 and the buffer layer 22, wherein the portion of the organic insulating layer 31 is located in the inorganic insulating layer 26 and the buffer layer 22, that is, the organic insulating layer 31 penetrates through the inorganic insulating layer 26 and does not penetrate through the buffer layer 22, so that there is no direct contact with the substrate 21 through the gap between the buffer layers 22, and the organic insulating layer 31 penetrates through the inorganic insulating layer 26 and the buffer layer 22, so that it is in direct contact with the substrate 21.

Specifically, the inorganic insulating layer 26 has a first groove 261, and the first groove 261 penetrates the inorganic insulating layer 26. The buffer layer 22 has a second groove 221, the second groove 221 penetrates or does not penetrate the buffer layer 22, the second groove 221 communicates with the first groove 261, and the organic insulating layer 31 fills the first groove 261 and the second groove 221. As shown in fig. 9, when the second groove 221 penetrates the buffer layer 22, the organic insulating layer 31 is in direct contact with the substrate 21. As shown in fig. 8, when the second groove 221 does not penetrate through the buffer layer 22, the organic insulating layer 31 is spaced apart from the substrate 21 by the buffer layer 22. In addition, the inner diameter of the first groove 261 may be larger than the inner diameter of the second groove 221, so that the connection between the first groove 261 and the second groove 221 is stepped. Illustratively, the organic insulating layer 31 may be formed of an organic material, such as an epoxy-based organic material, polymethyl methacrylate, or the like.

It can be understood that the buffer layer 22 and the inorganic insulating layer 26 can be made of inorganic materials, and the inorganic materials are brittle and easily broken when bending, so that the organic insulating layer 31 made of organic materials is used to replace the etched part of the buffer layer 22 and the inorganic insulating layer 26, which can increase the ratio of the organic materials in the bending region 30, so that there is less inorganic materials between the circuit layer 32 and the substrate 21, and further, when bending the bending region 30, the film structure of the bending region 30 is not easily broken due to the material with good toughness and ductility, so that the bending region 30 has better bendability and adaptivity, which is beneficial to prolonging the service life of the display panel 100 and improving the operational reliability of the display panel 100.

The circuit layer 32 is disposed on the organic insulating layer 31, and the circuit layer 32 is electrically connected between the second light emitting structure layer 34 and the driving structure layer 23, for electrically connecting the second light emitting structure layer 34 and the driving structure layer 23, so that the second light emitting structure layer 34 can be driven by the driving structure layer 23 to emit light.

It can be understood that the second light emitting structure layer 34 is located in the bending region 30, and the driving structure layer 23 for driving the second light emitting structure layer 34 to emit light is located in the flat region 20, and both are located in different regions in the display region 10, so that it is difficult to directly achieve conduction of electrical signals. Therefore, by providing the circuit layer 32 in the bending region 30 and electrically connecting the circuit layer 32 between the second light emitting structure layer 34 and the driving structure layer 23, the control signal emitted by the driving structure layer 23 in the flat region 20 can be transmitted to the second light emitting structure layer 34 through the transmission of the circuit layer 32, and the second light emitting structure layer 34 is driven to emit light. Under this setting, can prolong the control route of drive structure layer 23 through the connection effect of circuit layer 32, make drive structure layer 23 not only can control the first light emitting structure layer 24 that the distance is shorter luminous, can also control the second light emitting structure layer 34 that the distance is longer luminous, have the dual function of short distance control and long distance control concurrently, drive structure layer 23's performance is excellent.

In one possible embodiment, the circuit layer 32 is electrically connected to the first conductive layer 236. The circuit layer 32 and the first conductive layer 236 can be formed by the same process, i.e., the circuit layer 32 and the first conductive layer 236 are disposed in the same layer. With this arrangement, the second light emitting structure layer 34 can be connected to the driving structure layer 23, so as to transmit the control signal of the driving structure layer 23 to the second light emitting structure layer 34 through the circuit layer 32.

In another possible embodiment, the circuit layer 32 is electrically connected to the second conductive layer 238. The circuit layer 32 and the second conductive layer 238 can be formed by the same process, i.e., the circuit layer 32 and the second conductive layer 238 are disposed on the same layer. With this arrangement, the second light emitting structure layer 34 can be connected to the driving structure layer 23, so as to transmit the control signal of the driving structure layer 23 to the second light emitting structure layer 34 through the circuit layer 32.

It should be noted that, the connection between the circuit layer 32 and the first conductive layer 236 or the second conductive layer 238 in the driving structure layer 23 can be flexibly selected according to the actual application requirement of the display panel 100, and only the electrical connection relationship between the circuit layer 32 and the driving structure layer 23 needs to be realized, which is not strictly limited in the embodiment of the present application.

Illustratively, the circuit layer 32 may include a plurality of traces, each of which is electrically connected between the first light emitting structure layer 24 and the second light emitting structure layer 34. For example, the trace may be a data line and is electrically connected to a data line (specifically, may be located on the first conductive layer or the second conductive layer) located in the flat region, so as to supply pixels of each column in the pixel array.

Illustratively, the trace may be formed of a conductive material having excellent ductility, such as gold (Au), silver (Ag), or aluminum (Al), or may be formed of molybdenum (Mo), chromium (Cr), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), copper (Cu), and an alloy of silver (Ag) and magnesium (Mg). The wire may be a single-layer structure, or the wire may be a multi-layer structure of various conductive materials, for example, a three-layer structure of titanium (Ti)/aluminum (Al)/titanium (Ti), which is not limited strictly.

Referring to fig. 8, the first planarization layer 33 is disposed on the circuit layer 32 and between the circuit layer 32 and the second light emitting structure layer 34. With this arrangement, the first planarization layer 33 can cover the circuit layer 32, so as to reduce the mechanical damage of the circuit layer 32 and avoid the damage and fracture of the internal wiring caused by the interference of the external environment. And when the wire is bent, the stress release can be provided for the wire, so that the wire is prevented from receiving overlarge tensile or compressive stress, and the wire has good protection performance.

Illustratively, the material of the first flat layer 33 may include one or more of acrylic resin, epoxy resin, phenolic resin, polyamide resin, polyimide resin, unsaturated polyester resin, polyphenyl resin, polyphenylene sulfide resin, and benzocyclobutene. The first planarization layer 33 and the second planarization layer 237 may be formed by the same process, i.e., the first planarization layer 33 and the second planarization layer 237 are disposed on the same layer. Alternatively, the first flat layer 33 and the third flat layer 239 may be formed by the same process, i.e., the first flat layer 33 and the third flat layer 239 are disposed in the same layer.

Referring to fig. 8, the second light emitting structure layer 34 is disposed on the first planarization layer 33, and the second light emitting structure layer 34 is electrically connected to the driving structure layer 23 and is driven by the driving structure layer 23 to emit light. It should be understood that the driving structure layer 23 can drive not only the first light emitting structure layer 24 to emit light, but also the second light emitting structure layer 34 to emit light.

It should be noted that the second light emitting structure layer 34 and the first light emitting structure layer 24 may be formed in the same process, that is, they may be disposed in the same layer, so that the display effect of the two layers can be uniform and balanced when they emit light.

By providing the second light emitting structure layer 34 in the bending region 30, the bending region 30 can be an area in the display panel 100 where light emitting display can be performed due to the characteristic that the second light emitting structure layer 34 can be driven by the driving structure layer 23 to emit light. Based on the above description, it should be understood that the bending region 30 and the flat region 20 may together form a region in the display panel 100 where light emitting display may be performed, and the light emitting display region of the display panel 100 may extend from the flat region 20 to the bending region 30.

Accordingly, both the flat region 20 and the bent region 30 can be used for display, and the region of the display panel 100 in which display is possible can be expanded from the region surrounded by the edges of the flat region 20 to the region surrounded by the edges of the bent region 30, as compared with the conventional technique in which display is only performed in the flat region 20. Under this setting, when the display panel 100 is applied to the display screen 200, the width of the non-display area, that is, the width of the frame, can be greatly reduced due to the enlargement of the area of the display area on the basis of not changing the size of the display screen 200, so that the narrow frame or even no frame becomes a reality, and the screen occupation ratio can be effectively improved, and the use experience of the user is improved.

In addition, the second light emitting structure layer 34 is disposed in the bending region 30, so that the bending region 30 has a small film structure made of inorganic materials, and the second light emitting structure layer 34 can well adapt to stress generated by bending while performing light emitting display, and the possibility of occurrence of problems such as breakage of the film structure, influence on routing arrangement, disconnection or short circuit due to excessive stress is reduced to the minimum, thereby effectively ensuring the light emitting display performance of the display panel 100 and having good reliability.

Referring to fig. 8, 9 and 12, in detail, the second light emitting structure layer 34 includes a second anode 341, a second pixel defining layer 342, a second functional layer 343 and a second cathode 344.

The second anode 341 is disposed on the first flat layer 33, and the second anode 341 is capable of supplying holes to the second functional layer 343. For example, the material of the second anode 341 may include Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO), and the like. The second anode 341 may be in the form of a lead and is electrically connected to the first anode 241.

The second pixel defining layer 342 is disposed on the first planarization layer 33 and covers the second anode 341, the second pixel defining layer 342 has a second pixel opening 3421, and the second pixel opening 3421 exposes a portion of the second anode 341.

At least a portion of the second functional layer 343 is disposed in the second pixel opening 3421 and connected to the second anode 341, and the second functional layer 343 is configured to emit light. The second functional layer 343 may include a hole injection layer 3431(HIL), a hole transport layer 3432(HTL), a light emitting layer 3433, an electron transport layer 3434(ETL), and an electron injection layer 3435 (EIL).

A hole injection layer 3431 is disposed on the second anode 341 to facilitate hole injection of the second anode 341. The hole transport layer 3432 is disposed on the hole injection layer 3431 to efficiently transport holes to the light emitting layer 3433. The light emitting layer 3433 is disposed on the hole transport layer 3432, and the light emitting layer 3433 may emit light of a specific color through a material capable of emitting light of a specific color, for example, red light may be emitted through a material capable of emitting red light, green light may be emitted through a material capable of emitting green light, and blue light may be emitted through a material capable of emitting blue light. The material of the light-emitting layer 3433 may include an organic small molecule light-emitting material, a complex light-emitting material, a high molecular polymer, and the like. An electron transport layer 3434 may be disposed on the light emitting layer 3433 to efficiently transport electrons to the light emitting layer 3433. The electron injection layer 3435 may be disposed between the electron transport layer 3434 and the second cathode 344 to facilitate electron injection by the second cathode 344.

It is understood that the thin film transistor may input an anode voltage to the second anode 341 and a cathode voltage to the second cathode 344, and thus, holes injected from the second anode 341 and electrons injected from the second cathode 344 are recombined in the second functional layer 343 to generate excitons (electron-hole pairs) that radiate and de-excite photons to generate visible light, driven by an external voltage, wherein the emission color depends on the type of organic molecules of the light emitting layer, and the emission luminance or intensity depends on the properties of the light emitting material and the magnitude of the applied current.

The second cathode 344 is disposed on the second functional layer 343, at least a portion of the second cathode 344 is disposed in the second pixel opening 3421, and the second cathode 344 can provide electrons to the second functional layer 343. Illustratively, the material of the second cathode 344 may include magnesium (Mg), silver magnesium (Ag: Mg), Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO), Indium Tin Zinc Oxide (ITZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), and Tin Oxide (TO).

In an embodiment of the present application, the second anode 341, the second functional layer 343, and the second cathode 344 may collectively form a second sub light emitting unit 345, and the second sub light emitting unit 345 is electrically connected to the thin film transistor, and is capable of emitting light or displaying light under the driving and controlling of the pixel driving circuit.

It should be noted that fig. 8 only illustrates two second sub-light emitting units 345, but in practical application of the display panel 100, the number of the second pixel openings 3421 is multiple, that is, the second pixel defining layer 342 has a plurality of second pixel openings 3421, and each second pixel opening 3421 has one second sub-light emitting unit 345 formed therein, so that the second light emitting structure layer 34 actually has a plurality of second sub-light emitting units 345.

In addition, referring to fig. 10, the color of each of the second sub-light emitting units 345 includes red (R), green (G) or blue (B). That is, when the color of the second sub-light emitting unit 345 is red, it can emit red light under the driving of the pixel driving circuit, which can be referred to as a red sub-pixel R. When the color of the second sub-light emitting unit 345 is green, it can emit green light under the driving of the pixel driving circuit, which can be referred to as a green sub-pixel G. When the color of the second sub-emitting unit 345 is blue, it can emit blue light under the driving of the pixel driving circuit, which may be referred to as a blue sub-pixel B.

In other words, the second pixel defining layer 342 defines a plurality of second sub-light emitting units 345 having different colors. The plurality of red second sub light emitting cells 345 (capable of emitting red light), the plurality of green second sub light emitting cells 345 (capable of emitting green light), and the plurality of blue second sub light emitting cells 345 (capable of emitting blue light) are arranged in an array.

In one possible implementation, each pixel driving circuit drives one second sub-light emitting unit 345 to emit light, so that a 1-to-1 driving manner can be formed. Specifically, each pixel driving circuit may drive one red second sub-light emitting unit 345 to emit light, or may drive one green second sub-light emitting unit 345 to emit light, or may drive one blue second sub-light emitting unit 345 to emit light.

In another possible embodiment, each pixel driving circuit drives at least two second sub-light emitting units 345 of the same color to emit light, so that a 1-to-N driving manner can be formed. Specifically, each pixel driving circuit may drive at least two red second sub-light emitting units 345 to emit light, or may drive at least two green second sub-light emitting units 345 to emit light, or may drive at least two blue second sub-light emitting units 345 to emit light.

In yet another possible implementation manner, each pixel driving circuit drives at least one first sub-light emitting unit 245 and at least one second sub-light emitting unit 345 of the same color to emit light, so that a 1-to-N driving manner can be formed. Specifically, each pixel driving circuit may drive at least one red first sub-light emitting unit 245 to emit light and at least one red second sub-light emitting unit 345 to emit light, or may drive at least one green first sub-light emitting unit 245 to emit light and at least one green second sub-light emitting unit 345 to emit light, or may drive at least one blue first sub-light emitting unit 245 to emit light and at least one blue second sub-light emitting unit 345 to emit light.

Based on the above description, it should be understood that the pixel driving circuit can drive the first sub-light emitting unit 245 to emit light, the second sub-light emitting unit 345 to emit light, and the first sub-light emitting unit 245 and the second sub-light emitting unit 345 to emit light, and can be configured to drive the first sub-light emitting unit 245 of any color to emit light, or drive the second sub-light emitting unit 345 of any color to emit light, or drive the first sub-light emitting units 245 of multiple same colors to emit light, or drive the second sub-light emitting units 345 of multiple same colors to emit light, as required, and the driving manner thereof can be adjusted accordingly according to the change of the actual application scene, and the driving type is diversified to adapt to the application requirements under multiple scenes, and the reliability is better.

In one possible embodiment, as shown in fig. 10, the trace in the circuit layer 32 described above may include a data line 321, and the data line 321 located in the bending region 30 may be electrically connected to the data line of the flat region 20 to supply each column of sub-pixels (i.e. the first sub-light emitting unit 245 and the second sub-light emitting unit 345 arranged in the same column) in the array. That is, one end of the data line 321 of the bending region 30 is electrically connected to the data line of the flat region 20, and the other end is used for electrically connecting to the driving chip 60.

Illustratively, the data line 321 may be a diagonal line. It can be understood that, since the data line 321 is located in the bending region 30, it needs to have a good bending performance, and the good bending performance can reduce the possibility of cracking and breaking of the line caused by bending, so as to further reduce the occurrence of the failure problem of the display panel 100 to a minimum, thereby sufficiently ensuring the service life of the display panel 100.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 11, the data lines 321 each include a first portion 322 and a second portion 323. The first portion 322 is connected to the data line of the flat region 20, the extending direction of the first portion 322 is the same as the bending direction of the bending region 30, the second portion 323 is connected to the first portion 322 in a bending manner, and one end of the second portion 323 away from the first portion 322 is used for being connected to the driving chip 60. That is, the data line 321 may be a broken line. With this arrangement, the tension applied to the data line 321 can be minimized, which is beneficial to ensure that the data line 321 will not break when it is bent.

Referring to fig. 8 and 13, the second package layer 35 is disposed on the second light emitting structure layer 34, specifically, on the first planarization layer 33, the second package layer 35 includes a plurality of sub-package structures 351, and each sub-package structure 351 covers at least one second sub-light emitting unit 345.

It should be noted that the second encapsulating layer 35 disposed in the bending region 30 does not completely cover the surface of the second light emitting structure layer 34, and a gray portion in fig. 13 is a portion of the second light emitting structure layer 34 not covering the surface of the second encapsulating layer 35, that is, the second encapsulating layer 35 may not cover a portion not provided with the second sub light emitting unit 345, so that the sub-encapsulating structure 351 capable of covering the second sub light emitting unit 345 may form a structure similar to an "island", and the second light emitting structure layer 34 not provided with the second encapsulating layer 35 is exposed between the "island" and the "island". For example, when each sub-package structure 351 covers one second sub-light emitting unit 345, one sub-package structure 351 may independently constitute one "island" encapsulating one second sub-light emitting unit 345, and when each sub-package structure 351 covers two second sub-light emitting units 345, one sub-package structure 351 may independently constitute one "island" encapsulating two second sub-light emitting units 345.

Under this configuration, the sub-package structures 351 disposed in the bending region 30 can form an "island" package, which can be distinguished from the whole-surface package in the prior art, so that the second light-emitting structure layer 34 has a portion not covered by the sub-package structures 351, thereby effectively improving the stress applied to the bending region 30 during bending and preventing the film structure of the bending region 30 from breaking. In addition, the blocking of the package structure 351 can also protect the second sub-light emitting unit 345 from being oxidized or damaged by water, oxygen or other impurities in the external environment, thereby providing good protection performance.

Illustratively, the second encapsulation layer 35 may be in the form of a "sandwich" of "inorganic encapsulation layer-organic encapsulation layer-inorganic encapsulation layer", such a structure ensuring that the second encapsulation layer 35 as a whole has a good water-oxygen barrier property. The inorganic encapsulation layer may be formed of an inorganic material, such as silicon nitride (SiNx) and/or silicon oxide (SiOx), and the organic encapsulation layer may be formed of an organic material, such as an epoxy-based organic material, polymethyl methacrylate, or the like. Of course, the actual number of layers of the second encapsulation layer 35 is not limited to three, and may be one or more layers, and the number of layers and the layer material of the encapsulation layer constitute embodiments of the present application and are not strictly limited.

In one possible embodiment, as shown in fig. 8, the bending region 30 further includes a second isolation pillar 36, and the second isolation pillar 36 is disposed on the second light emitting structure layer 34 and located at an edge of the second encapsulation layer 35. Therefore, the second isolation pillar 36 can isolate the second encapsulation layer 35, and when external water and oxygen invade the second encapsulation layer 35 from one side of the second isolation pillar 36, the external water and oxygen cannot continuously invade beyond the second isolation pillar 36 because the second encapsulation layer 35 is isolated at the isolation pillar, so that the second isolation pillar 36 can play a role in isolating water and oxygen, and the inside of the display panel 100 is further protected from being corroded by water and oxygen.

It should be noted that the number of the second isolation pillars 36 may be one or more as needed, and when the number of the second isolation pillars 36 is plural, the plural second isolation pillars 36 are all disposed at the edge of the second encapsulation layer 35 to block water and oxygen. In addition, when the second functional layer 343 and the cathode are formed, since the deposition of the evaporation material has directionality (the particles move substantially along a straight line), the second functional layer 343 and the second cathode 344 may be deposited on the surface of the second separator 36, so that the surface of the second separator 36 may be covered with the second functional layer 343 and the second cathode 344.

The foregoing detailed description of the embodiments of the present application has been presented to illustrate the principles and implementations of the present application, and the above description of the embodiments is only provided to help understand the method and the core concept of the present application; meanwhile, for a person skilled in the art, according to the idea of the present application, there may be variations in the specific embodiments and the application scope, and in summary, the content of the present specification should not be construed as a limitation to the present application.

Claims

1. A display panel, comprising:

2. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the bending region further comprises a circuit layer, the circuit layer and the second light emitting structure layer are stacked, and the circuit layer is electrically connected between the second light emitting structure layer and the driving structure layer.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein the driving structure layer includes a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer disposed in a stack, the second conductive layer being connected between the first conductive layer and the first light emitting structure layer;

the circuit layer is electrically connected to the first conductive layer, or the circuit layer is electrically connected to the second conductive layer.

4. The display panel of any one of claims 1-3, wherein the first light emitting structure layer has a plurality of first pixel openings, each of the first pixel openings is configured to form a first light emitting unit, the planarization region further includes a first encapsulation layer, the first encapsulation layer is disposed on the first light emitting structure layer, and the first encapsulation layer covers at least a portion of the surfaces of the first light emitting units and the first light emitting structure layer.

5. The display panel of claim 4, wherein the planarization region further comprises a first spacer pillar disposed on the first light emitting structure layer and at an edge of the first encapsulation layer.

6. The display panel of any one of claims 2-5, wherein the bending region further comprises a first planarization layer between the wiring layer and the second light emitting structure layer.

7. The display panel of claim 6, wherein the bending region further comprises an organic insulating layer on a side of the line layer facing away from the first planarization layer.

8. The display panel according to claim 7, wherein the bending region further comprises a substrate, a buffer layer and an inorganic insulating layer sequentially stacked on the substrate, the organic insulating layer is disposed on a side of the inorganic insulating layer facing away from the buffer layer, the inorganic insulating layer has a first groove penetrating through the inorganic insulating layer, and the buffer layer has a second groove communicating with the first groove;

the organic insulating layer fills the first groove and the second groove, and the organic insulating layer arranged in the second groove is arranged at intervals with the substrate; or,

the second groove penetrates through the buffer layer, the organic insulating layer fills the first groove and the second groove, and the organic insulating layer arranged in the second groove is in contact with the substrate.

9. The display panel according to any one of claims 6 to 8, wherein the second light emitting structure layer has a plurality of second pixel openings, each of the second pixel openings is used for forming a second light emitting unit, and the bending region further includes a plurality of sub-package structures, each of the sub-package structures covers at least one of the second light emitting units.

10. The display panel of claim 9, wherein the bending region further comprises a second isolation pillar disposed on the second light emitting structure layer and at an edge of the second encapsulation layer.

11. The display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the first light emitting structure layer includes a plurality of first sub light emitting units, each of the first sub light emitting units has a color of red, green, or blue, the second light emitting structure layer includes a plurality of second sub light emitting units, each of the second sub light emitting units has a color of red, green, or blue, and the driving structure layer includes a plurality of pixel driving circuits;

each pixel driving circuit drives at least two second sub-light-emitting units with the same color to emit light; or,

12. A display screen, comprising a cover plate and the display panel of any one of claims 1-11, wherein the cover plate is attached to the display panel.

13. An electronic device characterized in that it comprises a display screen as claimed in claim 12.