TWI552334B - Pixel structure of display panel - Google Patents

Description

Display panel pixel structure

The present invention relates to a pixel structure, and more particularly to a pixel structure of a display panel.

It is currently a 3C era, the era of computers, communications, and consumer electronics. In this life, there are a lot of information devices on the market, such as mobile phones, PDAs, GPS, digital cameras and monitors. However, most information devices use flat-panel displays as the primary communication interface. Therefore, in the case where the information equipment is diversified, the selectivity of the type of the flat display is also quite diverse, for example, a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic light emitting diode display panel, and the like.

In addition to the advantages of high brightness, power saving, high contrast, fast response time and low driving voltage, the organic light-emitting diode display panel also conforms to the trend of light and thin information devices. Therefore, in recent years, the products of organic light-emitting diode display panels have been continuously updated. According to the driving mode of the organic light emitting diode, the passive organic light emitting diode (PMOLED) display panel and the active organic light emitting diode can be roughly classified into two. Body (hereinafter referred to as AMOLED) display panel. Among them, the AMOLED display panel can be used to develop a large-sized display panel, and thus has attracted attention.

However, the AMOLED display panel contains a film layer formed of an organic material (for example, a pixel definition layer), wherein due to the water absorption property of the organic material, in the case of high temperature and high current, moisture will be diffused by the pixel definition layer. The internal components (such as organic light-emitting diodes, OLEDs) located around the pixel-defined layer cause the organic light-emitting diode to fail or cause dark or dark spots in the edge regions of the pixels, thereby accelerating the degradation of the AMOLED display panel. Reduce the life of the panel is shortened.

The invention relates to a pixel structure of a display panel, which can avoid the problem that water vapor diffuses to the internal components of the display panel via the pixel defining layer, thereby causing the display panel to fail to display normally.

A pixel structure of a display panel includes an active device, a first electrode, a pixel defining layer, a cladding layer, a light emitting layer, and a second electrode. The active component is located on the substrate. The first electrode is located above the active component and is electrically connected to the active component. The pixel definition layer is located on the first electrode, wherein the pixel defining layer has an opening to expose the first electrode. The cover layer covers the pixel definition layer. The luminescent layer is located within the opening and covers the exposed first electrode, wherein the luminescent layer and the pixel defining layer are separated by the cladding layer. The second electrode is located on the luminescent layer.

Based on the above, since the pixel defining layer is covered by the coating layer, not only the chance of the pixel defining layer adsorbing moisture is reduced, but also the pixel defining layer is released from the water. Gas into the internal components of the display panel. Therefore, the pixel structure of the display panel of the present invention can block the moisture in the pixel defining layer from diffusing outward to the internal components of the display panel, so as to prevent the internal components of the display panel from being damaged due to moisture and/or darkening in the pixel edge region. Zone or dark spot to ensure that the display panel is displayed properly and extends the life of the display panel.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

110‧‧‧Substrate

120‧‧‧Semiconductor layer

120S‧‧‧ source area

120C‧‧‧Channel area

120D‧‧‧Bungee Area

125‧‧‧Semiconductor pattern layer

130‧‧‧Brake insulation

140‧‧‧Shared line

150‧‧‧protection layer

160‧‧‧Storage electrode pattern layer

170‧‧‧flat layer

180‧‧‧First electrode

190‧‧‧ pixel definition layer

200‧‧ ‧ coating

210‧‧‧Lighting layer

220‧‧‧second electrode

B‧‧‧Bottom of the opening

C‧‧‧Storage capacitor

D‧‧‧汲

D1, D2‧‧ ‧ thickness of the coating

G‧‧‧ gate

OLED‧‧ Organic Light Emitting Diode

S‧‧‧ source

T‧‧‧ active components

V1‧‧‧ first opening

V1’‧‧‧ first opening

V2‧‧‧ second opening

V2’‧‧‧ second opening

V3‧‧‧ third opening

V4‧‧‧ fourth opening

Ws‧‧‧ the side wall of the opening

1A is a cross-sectional view showing a pixel structure of a display panel in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 1B is a partial schematic view of the embodiment of Figure 1A of the present invention.

2A is a cross-sectional view showing a pixel structure of a display panel in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2B is a partial schematic view of the embodiment of Figure 2A of the present invention.

The pixel structure of the present invention is applicable to, for example, an organic light-emitting diode display panel. Therefore, in order to explain the design of the pixel structure of the present invention in detail, the following description uses a single pixel structure as an example, The description will be made in conjunction with the drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that a pixel array of an organic light emitting diode display panel is composed of a plurality of identical or similar pixel structures. Therefore, those skilled in the art can understand the organic luminescence according to the following description of the single pixel structure. The structure or layout of the pixel array in the diode display panel. The active components in FIG. 1A and FIG. 2A are exemplified by active components electrically connected to the organic light emitting diodes; although other active components are not illustrated in the drawings, in reality, other active components are The structure of the active element electrically connected to the organic light emitting diode is the same or similar.

1A is a cross-sectional view showing a pixel structure of a display panel in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. In order to clearly illustrate an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1A only shows the main components of the pixel structure: an active device T electrically connected to the organic light emitting diode OLED, an organic light emitting diode OLED, and a storage capacitor C. That is, the other components are not shown in FIG. 1A, and the components that are not shown in the drawings may have a structure well known to those skilled in the art, and thus will not be described herein.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the pixel structure is located on the substrate 110. The material of the substrate 110 is, for example, glass, quartz, organic polymer or metal.

The pixel structure includes an active device T, a semiconductor pattern layer 125, a common line 140, a storage electrode pattern layer 160, a first electrode 180, a pixel defining layer 190, a cladding layer 200, a light emitting layer 210, and a second electrode 220. The pixel structure further includes a gate insulating layer 130, a protective layer 150, and a flat layer 170. The semiconductor pattern layer 125, the common line 140, and the storage electrode pattern layer 160 constitute a storage capacitor C. The first electrode 180, the light emitting layer 210, and the second electrode 220 constitute an organic light emitting diode OLED.

Specifically, the active device T is located on the substrate 110 and includes a semiconductor layer 120, a gate G, a source S, and a drain D. The semiconductor layer 120 and the semiconductor pattern layer 125 are located above the substrate 110, and the semiconductor layer 120 has a source region 120S, 汲 The polar region 120D and the channel region 120C are located between the source region 120S and the drain region 120D. The semiconductor layer 120 and the semiconductor pattern layer 125 are not connected to each other. The material of the semiconductor layer 120 and the semiconductor pattern layer 125 is, for example, an amorphous germanium, a polycrystalline germanium, a microcrystalline germanium, a single crystal germanium, an organic semiconductor material, or an oxide semiconductor material (for example, indium zinc oxide, indium antimony zinc oxide, or the like). A suitable material, or a combination thereof, or other suitable material, or a dopant, in the above materials, or a combination thereof.

The gate insulating pattern 130 is located on the semiconductor layer 120 and the semiconductor pattern layer 125, and the gate insulating pattern 130 has a first opening V1' exposing the source region 120S and a second opening V2' exposing the drain region 120D. The material of the gate insulating pattern 130 comprises hafnium oxide, tantalum nitride, hafnium oxynitride, other suitable materials, or other suitable materials, or a combination thereof.

The gate G and the common line 140 are respectively located above the channel region 120C of the semiconductor layer 120 and the semiconductor pattern layer 125, and the gate G and the common line 140 are not connected to each other. The gate insulating pattern 130 is located between the semiconductor layer 120 and the gate G and is located between the semiconductor pattern layer 125 and the common line 140. The material of the gate G and the common line 140 includes a metal, a metal oxide, an organic conductive material, or a combination thereof.

The protective layer 150 is located above the gate G and the common line 140. The protective layer 150 has a first opening V1 and a second opening V2, wherein the first opening V1 communicates with the first opening V1' to expose the source region 120S; the second opening V2 communicates with the second opening V2' to The bungee zone 120D is exposed. The material of the protective layer 150 contains inorganic materials Material (for example: cerium oxide, cerium nitride, cerium oxynitride, other suitable materials, or a stacked layer of at least two of the above materials), organic materials (for example: polyester (PET), polyolefin, polypropylene) , polycarbonates, polyalkylene oxides, polyphenylenes, polyethers, polyketones, polyalcohols, polyaldehydes, or other suitable materials, or combinations thereof, or other suitable materials Or a combination of the above.

The source S and the drain D are located above the semiconductor layer 120, and the storage electrode pattern layer 160 is located above the semiconductor pattern layer 125. The source S penetrates the protective layer 150 and the gate insulating pattern 130 through the first opening V1 and the first opening V1' to electrically connect the source region 120S. The drain D penetrates the protective layer 150 and the gate insulating pattern 130 through the second opening V2 and the second opening V2' to electrically connect the drain region 120D. Thus, the semiconductor layer 120, the gate G, the source S, and the drain D constitute the active device T of the present embodiment, and the semiconductor pattern layer 125, the common line 140, and the storage electrode pattern layer 160 constitute the storage capacitor C. The active device T is electrically connected to the storage capacitor C (not shown). In the present embodiment, the active device T is exemplified by a top gate type thin film transistor, but the present invention is not limited thereto. According to other embodiments, the active device T may also be a bottom gate type thin film transistor.

The planarization layer 170 is over the active device T and the storage capacitor C. The flat layer 170 has a third opening V3 that exposes the drain D of the active device T. The first electrode 180 is located on the active device T and the storage capacitor C and covers the third opening V3. The first electrode 180 is electrically connected to the drain D of the active device T through the third opening V3. The material of the flat layer 170 comprises an inorganic material (for example: tantalum oxide, tantalum nitride, niobium oxynitride, other suitable materials, or a stacked layer of at least two of the above materials), Machine materials (eg polyester (PET), polyolefins, polypropylene, polycarbonates, polyalkylene oxides, polyphenylenes, polyethers, polyketones, polyalcohols, polyaldehydes) Class, or other suitable material, or combinations thereof, or other suitable materials, or combinations thereof.

The pixel definition layer 190 is located on the first electrode 180. The pixel defining layer 190 has a fourth opening V4 to expose the first electrode 180. The fourth opening V4 has a bottom B and a side wall Ws. In the present embodiment, the material of the pixel defining layer 190 is, for example, an organic material, but the invention is not limited thereto.

The cladding layer 200 is on the pixel definition layer 190 to coat the pixel defining layer 190 and expose the first electrode 180. The cladding layer 200 on the pixel defining layer 190 has a thickness D1 (as shown in FIG. 1B). The cladding layer 200 covers the sidewall Ws of the fourth opening, and the cladding layer 200 on the sidewall Ws of the fourth opening has a thickness D2 (as shown in FIG. 1B). Wherein the thickness D1 and the thickness D2 are, for example, greater than 0 micrometers and less than or equal to 1 micrometer. In the present embodiment, the thickness D1 of the cladding layer 200 is, for example, not equal to the thickness D2 of the cladding layer 200, but the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the thickness D1 of the cladding layer 200 may also be the same as the thickness D2 of the cladding layer 200. The material of the cladding layer 200 comprises hafnium oxide or tantalum nitride. Taking this embodiment as an example, if the material of the cladding layer 200 is an oxide or a nitride, the thickness D1 is greater than 0 micrometers and less than or equal to 1 micrometer and the thickness D2 is greater than 0 micrometers and less than or equal to 1 micrometer. In the present embodiment, since the pixel defining layer 190 is covered by the covering layer 200, when the display panel is in a high temperature process or in use, not only the chance of the pixel defining layer 190 adsorbing moisture is reduced, but also Blocking the pixel definition layer 190 to release moisture Into the internal components of the display panel to avoid internal components of the display panel failing due to moisture.

The light emitting layer 210 is located in the fourth opening V4 and covers the exposed first electrode 180. The light-emitting layer 210 and the pixel definition layer 190 are separated by the cladding layer 200. The second electrode 220 is located above the light emitting layer 210. Thus far, the first electrode 180, the light-emitting layer 210, and the second electrode 220 constitute an organic light-emitting diode OLED.

In this embodiment, the material of the first electrode 180 and the second electrode 220 is a conductive material such as a metal or a metal oxide, and the invention is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, one of the first electrode 180 and the second electrode 220 is, for example, a metal layer, and the other is, for example, a transparent electrode layer. The material of the light-emitting layer 210 of the present embodiment is exemplified by an organic light-emitting material, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In an embodiment, the light-emitting layer 210 may be a single-layer light-emitting layer or a combination of a main light-emitting layer plus an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, a hole transport layer, and a hole injection layer. The primary luminescent layer is, for example, a layer of white light luminescent material or a layer of luminescent material of other specific colored light (eg, red, green, blue, etc.). In another embodiment, at least one of the electron transport layer, the electron injection layer, the hole transport layer, and the hole injection layer may be selected to be combined with the main light emitting layer to form a stack of two, three, four, or five layers. The layer further enhances the luminous efficiency of the light-emitting layer 210. In addition, the detailed materials and structures of other film layers of the organic light-emitting diode OLED are well known to those skilled in the art, and therefore will not be described again.

Based on the above, in the embodiment, the pixel defining layer of the pixel structure of the display panel is covered by the covering layer, so that when the display panel is in a high temperature process or in use, the pixel defining layer is not only reduced in moisture absorption. Opportunity, it can block the picture The layer releases moisture to the organic light-emitting diode. In other words, the pixel structure of the display panel of the present invention can prevent the organic light-emitting diode from being damaged by moisture due to diffusion of moisture in the pixel-defined layer to the organic light-emitting diode and/or creating a dark region in the edge region of the pixel or The problem of dark spots, which in turn ensures that the display panel is normal and extends the life of the display panel.

2A is a cross-sectional view showing a pixel structure of a display panel in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2A, the pixel structure of the embodiment of FIG. 2A is similar to the above-described pixel structure of FIG. 1A, and therefore the same or similar elements are denoted by the same or similar symbols, and the description thereof will not be repeated. The main difference between the embodiment of FIG. 2A and the embodiment of FIG. 1A is that the cladding layer 200 is located on the pixel defining layer 190 and covers the pixel defining layer 190, and the cladding layer 200 further covers the pixel defining layer 190. The first electrode 190 exposed by the fourth opening V4. In the present embodiment, the first electrode 180 is covered by the cladding layer 200, and the luminescent layer 210 is located on the cladding layer 200 in the fourth opening.

Figure 2B is a partial schematic view of the embodiment of Figure 2A of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2B, the cladding layer 200 has a thickness D3, wherein the thickness D3 is, for example, greater than 0 angstroms and less than or equal to 100 angstroms. The material of the cladding layer 200 comprises hafnium oxide or tantalum nitride. Taking this embodiment as an example, if the material of the cladding layer 200 is an oxide or a nitride, the thickness D3 is greater than 0 angstroms and less than or equal to 100 angstroms. In the present embodiment, since the pixel defining layer 190 is covered by the cladding layer 200, the light emitting layer 210 and the pixel defining layer 190 are separated by the cladding layer 200, so when the display panel is in a high temperature process or During use, not only the chance of the pixel defining layer 190 adsorbing moisture is reduced, but also the pixel defining layer 190 is blocked from releasing moisture to the light emitting layer 210 to prevent the light emitting layer 210 from being affected. The tide is damaged.

Thereby, the pixel structure in the embodiment can avoid the organic light-emitting diode from being wetted due to moisture diffusion and/or darkening in the edge region of the pixel due to diffusion of moisture in the pixel defining layer to the organic light-emitting diode. Problems with zones or dark spots, which in turn ensures that the display panel displays properly and extends the life of the display panel.

In summary, the pixel defining layer of the pixel structure of the present invention is covered by the covering layer, so that when the display panel is in a high temperature process or in use, the opportunity for the pixel defining layer to adsorb moisture can be reduced. The pixel definition layer is further blocked from releasing moisture to the internal components of the display panel (for example, an organic light emitting diode). In other words, the pixel structure of the display panel of the present invention can prevent the organic light-emitting diode from being damaged by moisture and/or creating a dark region in the edge region of the pixel due to diffusion of moisture in the pixel defining layer to the organic light-emitting diode. The problem of dark spots, which in turn ensures that the display panel is normal and extends the life of the display panel.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

110‧‧‧Substrate

120‧‧‧Semiconductor layer

120S‧‧‧ source area

120C‧‧‧Channel area

120D‧‧‧Bungee Area

125‧‧‧Semiconductor pattern layer

130‧‧‧Brake insulation

140‧‧‧Shared line

150‧‧‧protection layer

160‧‧‧Storage electrode pattern layer

170‧‧‧flat layer

180‧‧‧First electrode

190‧‧‧ pixel definition layer

200‧‧ ‧ coating

210‧‧‧Lighting layer

220‧‧‧second electrode

B‧‧‧Bottom of the opening

C‧‧‧Storage capacitor

D‧‧‧汲

G‧‧‧ gate

OLED‧‧ Organic Light Emitting Diode

S‧‧‧ source

T‧‧‧ active components

V1‧‧‧ first opening

V1’‧‧‧ first opening

V2‧‧‧ second opening

V2’‧‧‧ second opening

V3‧‧‧ third opening

V4‧‧‧ fourth opening

Ws‧‧‧ the side wall of the opening

Claims (7)

A pixel structure of a display panel includes: an active component on a substrate; a first electrode disposed above the active component and electrically connected to the active component; a pixel defining layer located on the first electrode The pixel defining layer has an opening to expose the first electrode, wherein the material of the pixel defining layer comprises an organic material; a coating layer covering the pixel defining layer; and a light emitting layer located at the opening And covering the exposed first electrode, wherein the luminescent layer is separated from the pixel defining layer by the cladding layer; and a second electrode is disposed on the luminescent layer. The pixel structure of the display panel of claim 1, wherein the thickness of the cladding layer is greater than 0 micrometers and less than or equal to 1 micrometer. The pixel structure of the display panel of claim 1, wherein the opening of the pixel defining layer has a bottom and a side wall, the covering layer covers the sidewall, and the coating layer is on the sidewall The thickness is greater than 0 microns and less than or equal to 1 micron. The pixel structure of the display panel of claim 1, wherein the cladding layer more completely covers the first electrode exposed by the opening of the pixel defining layer, and the luminescent layer is located at the fused layer On the cover. The pixel structure of the display panel of claim 4, wherein the thickness of the cladding layer is greater than 0 angstroms and less than or equal to 100 angstroms. The pixel structure of the display panel of claim 1, wherein the material of the cladding layer comprises an oxide or a nitride. The pixel structure of the display panel of claim 1, wherein one of the first electrode and the second electrode is a metal layer, and the other is a transparent electrode layer.