CN111176028A

CN111176028A - Panel module

Info

Publication number: CN111176028A
Application number: CN202010106511.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 陈彦良
Original assignee: AU Optronics Corp
Current assignee: AUO Corp
Priority date: 2019-08-12
Filing date: 2020-02-21
Publication date: 2020-05-19
Also published as: TW202107186A

Abstract

The panel module includes a first substrate, a pixel electrode layer, a plurality of protective pads, a plurality of spacers, and a second substrate. The pixel electrode layer is disposed on the first top surface of the first substrate and includes a plurality of thin film transistors. A plurality of protective pads are disposed on the pixel electrode layer. Each protective pad has a protective pad length and a protective pad width in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction respectively, and a side of each protective pad facing away from the first substrate is substantially flat. Each spacer has a contact area disposed on one of the protective pads so that the contact area contacts the protective pad. The contact area has a contact length and a contact width in the first direction and the second direction respectively, and the protective pad length and the protective pad width are respectively greater than the contact length and the contact width. The second substrate is disposed opposite to the first substrate, and the spacer is disposed on the second substrate to contact the protective pad. The bending amount of the panel module in the first direction is greater than the bending amount in the second direction, and the length of the protective pad is greater than the width of the protective pad.

Description

Panel module

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a panel module; in particular, the present invention relates to a panel module for use with a curved display device.

Background

With the development of display technology, in addition to the improvement in size and image quality, the appearance of display devices is also changed, such as curved display devices. Compared with a flat display device, the curved display device can be manufactured in a larger size with the same width, and the curved display device can provide better viewing effect. For example, a tv screen may be made concave inward, so that when a user watches tv, the distance between the eyes and various parts of the screen may be less than that of a flat tv, and each part of the tv may have a right angle or an optimal angle of appreciation close to the right angle with the line of sight of the eyes.

After the panel module of the conventional display device is bent, the spacer located above the tft is easily separated from the original position, i.e., a misalignment occurs. The misalignment easily causes a change in the distance between the pixel electrode layer and the second substrate, resulting in non-uniform brightness of the panel module. In addition, when the spacer is misaligned, the spacer rubs against the alignment layer, which may cause a broken bright spot. As can be seen from the above description, the structure of the panel module of the conventional curved display device still needs to be improved.

Disclosure of Invention

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a panel module, which can reduce the uneven brightness when bending.

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a panel module, which can reduce the occurrence of broken bright spots during bending.

The panel module comprises a first substrate, a pixel electrode layer, a plurality of protection pads, a plurality of spacers and a second substrate. The first substrate has a first top surface. The pixel electrode layer is arranged on the first top surface and comprises a plurality of thin film transistors. The plurality of protection pads are arranged on the pixel electrode layer. Each protective pad has a protective pad length and a protective pad width in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and one side of each protective pad facing away from the first substrate is substantially a plane, wherein the first direction and the second direction are substantially parallel to the first top surface. Each spacer has a contact area, and each spacer is disposed on one of the protection pads to make the contact area contact with the protection pad. The contact region has a contact length and a contact width in the first direction and the second direction, respectively, and the protection pad length and the protection pad width are greater than the contact length and the contact width, respectively. The second substrate is arranged opposite to the first substrate, and the spacers are arranged on the second substrate and are in contact with the protection pads. The bending amount of the panel module in the first direction is larger than that in the second direction, and the length of the protection pad is larger than the width of the protection pad.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic top view of a panel module according to the present invention before being bent in a first direction.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the panel module of the present invention before bending in a first direction.

Fig. 3 is a schematic top view of the panel module of the present invention after being bent along a first direction.

Fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the panel module of the present invention after being bent in a first direction.

Fig. 5 is a schematic top view of another embodiment of the panel module of the present invention before being bent along the first direction.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the panel module of the present invention before bending in the first direction.

Fig. 7 is a schematic top view of another embodiment of the panel module of the present invention after being bent along a first direction.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the panel module of the present invention after being bent in a first direction.

Fig. 9 is a schematic cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a panel module according to the present invention.

Description of reference numerals:

100 first substrate

101 first top surface

200 pixel electrode layer

201 thin film transistor

210 channel layer

211 source electrode

212 drain electrode

213 Gate electrode

220 gate line (gate line)

221 Gate insulating layer

230 pixel electrode

240 planarization layer

250 data line (data line)

300 protective pad

301 one side of the protection pad back to the first substrate

310 extension part

400 space object

410 contact area

420 configuration area

500 second substrate

510 light-shading tape

511 band part

512 expanding part

520 color resistance

540 protective layer

600 liquid crystal layer

701 first direction

702 second direction

710 alignment layer

720 alignment layer

730 universal electrode

910 Panel module

920 Panel module

D₁Distance between each other

D₂Distance between each other

L₃₀₀Length of protective pad

L₄₁₀Length of contact

W₂₅₀Width of data line

W₃₀₀Width of protective pad

W₃₁₀Width of the extension part

W₄₁₀Width of contact

W₅₁₁Width of the belt part in the second direction

W₅₁₂Width of the expanding part in the second direction

Detailed Description

The advantages and effects of the present invention will be understood by those skilled in the art from the disclosure of the present specification, which is described below with reference to specific embodiments and accompanying drawings. However, the following disclosure is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, and those skilled in the art can implement the invention in other different embodiments based on different viewpoints and applications without departing from the principle of the concept of the present invention. In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc. have been exaggerated for clarity. Like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout the specification. It will be understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region, or substrate is referred to as being "on" or "connected to" another element, it can be directly on or connected to the other element or intervening elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or "directly connected to" another element, there are no intervening elements present. As used herein, "connected" may refer to physical and/or electrical connections. Further, "electrically connected" or "coupled" may mean that there are additional elements between the elements.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, third, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers and/or sections, these elements, components, regions, and/or sections should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a "first element," "component," "region," "layer" or "portion" discussed below could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or portion without departing from the teachings herein.

Furthermore, relative terms, such as "lower" or "bottom" and "upper" or "top," may be used herein to describe one element's relationship to another element, as illustrated. It will be understood that relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as being on the "lower" side of other elements would then be oriented on "upper" sides of the other elements. Thus, the exemplary term "lower" can include both an orientation of "lower" and "upper," depending on the particular orientation of the figure. Similarly, if the device in one of the figures is turned over, elements described as "below" or "beneath" other elements would then be oriented "above" the other elements. Thus, the exemplary terms "below" or "beneath" can encompass both an orientation of above and below.

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

The present invention provides a panel module which is preferably applicable to a display device. The invention also provides a display device using the panel module, preferably comprising a non-spontaneous display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel; and preferably can be applied to computer monitors, televisions, monitors and automotive hosts. In addition, the display device can also be applied to other electronic devices, for example, as a display screen of a mobile phone, a digital camera, a handheld game machine, and the like. The foregoing is merely exemplary and is not intended to be limiting.

Fig. 1 is a schematic top view of a panel module 910 according to the present invention before being bent along a first direction 701, and fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view along a line a' a in fig. 1. The panel module 910 of the present invention includes a first substrate 100, a pixel electrode layer 200, a plurality of protection pads 300, a plurality of spacers 400, and a second substrate 500. After the panel module 910 is bent, the bending amount of the panel module 910 in the first direction 701 is preferably greater than that in the second direction 702. In other words, the panel module 910 is bent along the first direction 701 with the second direction 702 as an axis, and is bent along the second direction 702 with the first direction 701 as an axis to a greater extent. For convenience of description, elements such as the second substrate 500, the light-shielding tape 510, the color resist 520, the protective layer 540, the alignment layer 710, the alignment layer 720, the gate insulating layer 221, and the first substrate 100 are omitted in fig. 1. The protection pad 300 and the spacer 400 are illustrated as one example. As shown in fig. 2, the first substrate 100 has a first top surface 101. The pixel electrode layer 200 is disposed on the first top surface 101 and includes a plurality of thin film transistors 201, and the thin film transistors 201 include a channel layer 210, a source electrode 211, a drain electrode 212, and a gate electrode 213. For convenience of illustration, the thin film transistor 201 is illustrated as an example. On the other hand, the pixel electrode layer 200 preferably further includes a pixel electrode 230 beside the thin film transistor 201 and coupled to the thin film transistor 201, and a planarization layer 240 covering the thin film transistor 201 and the pixel electrode 220. The pixel electrode 230 may be, for example, an indium tin oxide layer. Further, in the preferred embodiment, the pixel electrode layer 200 includes a plurality of data lines 250 (see fig. 1) extending along the first direction 701 and a plurality of gate lines 220 extending along the second direction 702, wherein each of the tfts 201 is disposed at an intersection of one of the data lines 250 and one of the gate lines 220, and is respectively coupled to one of the adjacent data lines 250 and one of the gate lines 220. Each pixel electrode 230 is disposed between two adjacent data lines 250 and two adjacent gate lines 220, and each pixel electrode 230 is electrically connected to the drain electrode 212 of the tft 201.

In an embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, a plurality of protection pads 300 are disposed on the pixel electrode layer 200, and a vertical projection range of each protection pad 300 on the first top surface 101 may partially overlap a vertical projection range of one of the thin film transistors 201 on the first top surface 101. In other words, the vertical projection range of each protection pad 300 on the top surface 101 of the first substrate covers the vertical projection range of one of the plurality of thin film transistors 201 on the top surface 101 of the first substrate. A side 301 of each protection pad 300 facing away from the first substrate 100 is substantially planar. The first direction 701 and the second direction 702 are substantially parallel to the first top surface 101. The material of the protection pad 300 may be selected from metal, alloy, silicon Oxide, nitrogen Oxide, silicon nitride Oxide, Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO), or organic material. When the protection pad 300 is made of a metal material, the protection pad 300 is not disposed at the center of the data line 250 and is slightly laterally offset in order to avoid an excessive parasitic capacitance with the data line 250.

As shown in fig. 2, each spacer 400 has a contact region 410, and each spacer 400 is disposed on one of the protection pads 300 such that the contact region 410 is in contact with the protection pad 300. The second substrate 500 is disposed opposite to the first substrate 100, and the spacers 400 are disposed on the second substrate 500 and contact the protection pads 300. The spacers 400 are, for example, a pillar structure with a narrow bottom and a wide top, and the spacers 400 have a contact region 410 contacting the protection pad 300 and an arrangement region 420 arranged on the second substrate 500. More specifically, in a preferred embodiment, the side of the second substrate 500 facing the first substrate 100 may be provided with a light-shielding tape 510, a color resist 520, and a protective layer 540 in order from the near to the far. In one embodiment, the spacers 400 are actually disposed on the side of the protection layer 540 facing the first substrate 100 by the disposition region 420. The surfaces of the protection pad 300 and the spacer 400 are covered by the alignment layers 710 and 720, respectively, and the contact region 410 is actually in contact with the protection pad 300 through the alignment layers 710 and 720. In one embodiment, a portion of the common electrode 730 may be covered by the protection pad 300, and a portion of the common electrode 730 may be covered by the alignment layer 710. In addition, in order to make the drawing simpler, only a part of the common electrode 730 is shown, and not all of it is shown.

As shown in FIG. 1, each protection pad 300 has a protection pad length L in a first direction 701 and a second direction 702 perpendicular to the first direction 701₃₀₀And a width W of the protection pad₃₀₀. The contact region 410 has a contact length L in the first direction 701 and the second direction 702 respectively₄₁₀And a contact width W₄₁₀And the length L of the protection pad₃₀₀And width W of the protection pad₃₀₀Are respectively greater than the contact length L₄₁₀And a contact width W₄₁₀. In the preferred embodiment, the length L of the protection pad₃₀₀E.g. contact length L₄₁₀2 to 4 times of the width W of the protection pad₃₀₀For example, the contact widthW₄₁₀2 to 4 times of.

Fig. 3 is a schematic top view of the panel module 910 of the present invention after being bent along the first direction 701, and fig. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line a' a in fig. 3, wherein the bending amount of the panel module 910 in the first direction 701 is greater than that in the second direction 702, and the protection pad length L300 is greater than the protection pad width W300. When the panel module 910 is bent, the vertical projection range of the contact area 410 of each spacer 400 on the first top surface 101 is covered by the vertical projection range of the protection pad 300 on the first top surface 101. More specifically, when the panel module 910 of the present invention is bent, although the spacer 400 is separated from the original position, i.e. the offset occurs, the length L of the protection pad is long₃₀₀And width W of the protection pad₃₀₀Are respectively greater than the contact length L₄₁₀And a contact width W₄₁₀The contact area 410 of the spacer 400 is still in contact with the protection pad 300. Therefore, the distance between the pixel electrode layer 200 and the second substrate 500 is not changed too much due to bending, and the brightness of the panel module is not uneven. On the other hand, the probability that the spacers 400 rub against the visible region or the portion of the alignment layer 710 adjacent to the visible region, which affects the alignment and causes the broken bright spots, can be reduced.

Fig. 5 is a schematic top view of a panel module 920 according to another embodiment of the present invention before being bent along the first direction 701, and fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along the line B' B in fig. 5. As shown in fig. 5, the extending direction of each light-shielding tape 510 is substantially parallel to the extending direction of the first direction 701. As shown in fig. 6, the liquid crystal layer 600 is disposed between the pixel electrode layer 200 and the second substrate 500, and the light shielding tape 510 is disposed between the liquid crystal layer 600 and the second substrate 500. More specifically, in the preferred embodiment, the side of the second substrate 500 facing the first substrate 100 is sequentially disposed with the light-shielding tape 510, the color resistor 520, and the protective layer 540 from the near to the far, and the liquid crystal layer 600 is substantially filled between the pixel electrode layer 200 and the protective layer 540.

As shown in fig. 5, the vertical projection range of the light shielding tape 510 on the first top surface 101 (see fig. 6) covers the vertical projection range of the data line 250 on the first top surface 101. Each shading band 510 comprises a plurality of band portions 511 and a plurality of band portions 511 arranged adjacent to each otherThe vertical projection range of each expansion part 512 on the first top surface 101 covers the vertical projection range of one of the spacers 400 on the first top surface 101, and the width W of each expansion part 512 in the second direction 702₅₁₂Is greater than the width W of each strip portion 511 in the second direction 702₅₁₁So as to ensure that the light leakage situation of poor alignment near the spacer 400 caused by the spacer 400 can be effectively shielded. Each data line 250 has a data line width W in the second direction 702₂₅₀A width W of each strip portion 511 in the second direction 702₅₁₁Preferably the width W of the data line₂₅₀2 to 9 times. The width W of each band portion 511 in the second direction₅₁₁Preferably between 14.5 and 25 μm.

As shown in fig. 5, each of the protection pads 300 further includes an extending portion 310 extending along the first direction 701, and a vertical projection range of the extending portion 310 on the first top surface 101 (see fig. 2) is covered by a vertical projection range of one of the light-shielding tapes 511 on the first top surface 101. Wherein the width W of the extension part 310₃₁₀Preferably the width W of data line₂₅₀Approximately equal, the protection pad can be extended by the extension portion 310, and the technical effect capability can be improved without affecting the aperture ratio.

Fig. 7 is a schematic top view of a panel module 920 according to another embodiment of the invention after being bent along a first direction 701, and fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along a line B' B in fig. 7. When the panel module 910 of the present invention is bent, the spacers 400 are separated from the intersection of the data line 250 and the gate line 220, i.e. a misalignment occurs, so that the alignment layers 710 and 720 are rubbed. However, since the vertical projection range of the light shielding tape 510 on the first top surface 101 covers the vertical projection range of the spacer 400 on the first top surface 101, the friction of the alignment layers 710 and 720 can be shielded, and therefore, from the perspective of a user, no broken bright spots are generated due to the bending of the panel module 920.

As shown in fig. 9, in various embodiments, the protection pad 300 may be formed together with the planarization layer 240. In other words, the planarization layer 240 has two heights, and the higher portion forms the protection pad 300. Therefore, there is an advantage in that the number of masks can be reduced.

The present invention has been described in relation to the above embodiments, which are only exemplary of the implementation of the present invention. It must be noted that the disclosed embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A panel module, comprising:

a first substrate having a first top surface;

a pixel electrode layer arranged on the first top surface and including multiple thin film transistors;

a plurality of protection pads arranged on the pixel electrode layer, wherein each protection pad has a protection pad length and a protection pad width in a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and one side of each protection pad, which faces away from the first substrate, is substantially a plane, wherein the first direction and the second direction are substantially parallel to the first top surface;

a plurality of spacers, each spacer having a contact area, each spacer being disposed on one of the protection pads to contact the contact area with the protection pad, the contact area having a contact length and a contact width in the first direction and the second direction, respectively, and the protection pad length and the protection pad width being greater than the contact length and the contact width, respectively; and

a second substrate arranged opposite to the first substrate, the spacers being arranged on the second substrate and contacting the protection pads;

the bending amount of the panel module in the first direction is larger than that in the second direction, and the length of the protection pad is larger than the width of the protection pad.

2. The panel module of claim 1, wherein a vertical projection of each of the protection pads on the first top surface and a vertical projection of one of the thin film transistors on the first top surface are partially overlapped.

3. The panel module of claim 1, wherein when the panel module is bent, a vertical projection range of the contact area of each spacer on the first top surface is covered by a vertical projection range of the protection pad on the first top surface.

4. The panel module of claim 1, wherein the protective pad is metal.

5. The panel module of claim 1, wherein the surfaces of the protection pad and the spacer are covered by a first alignment layer and a second alignment layer, respectively, and the contact region is in contact with the protection pad with the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer therebetween.

6. The panel module of claim 1, wherein the pixel electrode layer further comprises:

a plurality of pixel electrodes;

a plurality of data lines extending in the first direction; and

a plurality of gate lines extending in the second direction;

each thin film transistor is correspondingly arranged at the intersection of one of the data lines and one of the gate lines and is respectively coupled with one of the data lines and one of the gate lines which are adjacent to the thin film transistor, each pixel electrode is arranged between two adjacent data lines and two adjacent gate lines, and each pixel electrode is electrically connected with a drain electrode of one of the thin film transistors.

7. The panel module of claim 6, further comprising:

a liquid crystal layer arranged between the pixel electrode layer and the second substrate;

the plurality of light-shielding belts are arranged between the liquid crystal layer and the second substrate, and the extending direction of each light-shielding belt is substantially parallel to the extending direction of the first direction.

8. The panel module of claim 7, wherein:

the vertical projection range of each shading band on the first top surface covers the vertical projection range of one of the data lines on the first top surface,

each light shading band comprises a plurality of band parts and a plurality of expansion parts arranged between two adjacent band parts, the vertical projection range of each expansion part on the first top surface covers the vertical projection range of one of the plurality of spacers on the first top surface, and the width of each expansion part in the second direction is greater than that of each band part in the second direction.

9. The panel module of claim 8, wherein each of the data lines has a data line width in the second direction, and the width of each of the strips in the second direction is 2 to 9 times the data line width.

10. The panel module of claim 8, wherein the width of each of the strips in the second direction is between 14.5 and 25 μm.

11. The panel module of claim 7, wherein each of the protection pads further comprises an extension portion extending along the first direction, and a vertical projection range of the extension portion on the first top surface is covered by a vertical projection range of one of the light-shielding tapes on the first top surface.

12. The panel module of claim 7, wherein the pixel electrode layer comprises a planarization layer, and each of the protection pads is formed together with the planarization layer.