Display panel and manufacturing method thereof, display device

A display panel and manufacturing method thereof, and a display device are disclosed. The display panel includes an array substrate and a counter substrate. The array substrate includes a main region and a peripheral region, the main region coincides with an orthographical projection of the counter substrate on the array substrate, and at least one glue dispensing zone is arranged in the peripheral region or the main region. Conductive adhesive is provided in the glue dispensing zone, and is electrically connected to a grounded unit; an electrostatic conducting structure is provided on the counter substrate, and the conductive adhesive is electrically connected to the electrostatic conducting structure.

TECHNICAL FIELD

At least one embodiment of the present disclosure relates to a display panel and manufacturing method thereof, and a display device.

BACKGROUND

A liquid crystal display device includes an array substrate and a counter substrate (e.g., a color filter substrate) disposed opposite to each other, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the array substrate and the counter substrate. In the liquid crystal display device, orientation of liquid crystal molecules is controlled by applying of voltages to a common electrode and a pixel electrode, and in turn, light rays are controlled.

Generally, in the process of manufacture, production, assembly, testing, storage or transportation of a liquid crystal display device, it is easy to generate static electricity on the liquid crystal display device because of friction, or due to the electrical connection, static electricity in air, human body or other charged object, static electricity will be transferred to the liquid crystal display device. A substrate (e.g., a counter substrate or an array substrate) of the liquid crystal display device is made of an insulating material such as glass or the like, and the eliminating rate of static electricity is very slow. Thus, when accumulation of static electricity on a surface of the substrate occurs, the static electricity will not be accumulated on the surface of the substrate for a long time only if there is a proper releasing route. When electrostatic discharge takes place because of great accumulative static electricity, a display module, a driver and so on of the liquid crystal display device will be damaged by static electricity due to undue electric stress. For example, the following cases may happen: screen defects are produced, metal circuitry is molten or evaporated, resistance value of elements is changed, an oxide layer is damaged or broken down, and so on.

In order to lead out the static electricity on a substrate surface of the liquid crystal display device in time, so as to avoid the occurrence of such a case that static electricity builds up in the substrate surface of the liquid crystal display device and electrostatic damage results, the static electricity may be conducted out to a metal frame of the liquid crystal display device in the way of attaching an electrically conductive adhesive tape to the peripheries of the liquid crystal display device.

SUMMARY

According to at least one embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided a display panel and manufacturing method thereof, a display device, so that the timely lead-out of static electricity on a counter substrate in the display panel is realized to avoid the electrostatic damage and the cost is reduced.

According to at least one embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided a display panel, which includes an array substrate and a counter substrate disposed oppositely, the array substrate includes a main region and a peripheral region, the main region coincides with an orthographical projection of the counter substrate on the array substrate, at least one glue dispensing zone is arranged in the peripheral region or the main region, and conductive adhesive is provided in the glue dispensing zone and is electrically connected to a grounded unit; an electrostatic conducting structure is provided on the counter substrate, and the conductive adhesive is electrically connected to the electrostatic conducting structure.

According to at least one embodiment of the disclosure, there is further provided a display device, which includes the above display panel.

According to at least one embodiment of the disclosure, there is further provided a manufacturing method of a display panel, which includes: forming a counter substrate, wherein an electrostatic conducting structure is provided on the counter substrate; forming an array substrate, wherein the array substrate includes a main region and a peripheral region, the main region coincides with the orthographic projection of the counter substrate on the array substrate, and at least one glue dispensing zone is arranged in the peripheral region or the main region; cell-assembling the array substrate and the counter substrate; and dripping conductive adhesive in the glue dispensing zone, so that the electrostatic conducting structure and a grounded unit in the display panel are electrically connected by the conductive adhesive.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In order to make objects, technical details and advantages of the embodiments of the disclosure apparent, hereinafter, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the disclosure will be described in a clearly and fully understandable way in connection with the drawings related to the embodiments of the disclosure. It is obvious that the described embodiments are just a part but not all of the embodiments of the disclosure. Based on the described embodiments of the disclosure, those ordinarily skilled in the art can obtain other embodiment(s), without any inventive work, which come(s) into the scope sought for protection by the disclosure.

Unless otherwise defined, the technical terminology or scientific terminology used in the present disclosure should have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure belongs. “First”, “second” and the like used in the present disclosure do not show any order, number or importance, but are only used to distinguish different constituent parts. Likewise, a term “a,” “an,” or the like does not indicate limitation in number, but specifies the presence of at least one. A term “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” “including”, “contains” or the like means that an element or article ahead of this term encompasses element(s) or article(s) listed behind this term and its(their) equivalents, but does not preclude the presence of other elements or articles. A term “connection,” “connected,” or the like is not limited to physical or mechanical connection, but can include electrical connection, whether directly or indirectly. “Upper,” “lower,” “left,” “right” or the like is only used to describe a relative positional relationship, and when an absolute position of the described object is changed, the relative positional relationship might also be changed accordingly.

In the study, it has been noticed by inventors of the present application that, the mode that output of static electricity to a metal frame is achieved by using an electrically conductive adhesive tape is not suitable for a display device with a plastic frame, and the electrically conductive adhesive tape has a high material cost and requires manual operation, so that the automation cannot be achieved. Moreover, regarding how to achieve the output of static electricity on a counter substrate, there is no better way at present.

According to embodiments of the disclosure, there are provided a display panel and manufacturing method thereof, a display device. The display panel includes an array substrate and a counter substrate disposed oppositely, and a grounded unit; the array substrate includes a main region that coincides with the orthographic projection of the counter substrate on the array substrate and a peripheral region. At least one glue dispensing zone is arranged in the peripheral region or the main region, and conductive adhesive electrically connected to the grounded unit is provided in the glue dispensing zone. An electrostatic conducting structure is provided on the counter substrate, and the conductive adhesive is electrically connected to the electrostatic conducting structure. In embodiments of the disclosure, by means of arranging a glue dispensing zone in a peripheral region or a main region of the array substrate, providing conductive adhesive in the glue dispensing region and allowing it to be electrically connected to an electrostatic conducting structure on a counter substrate, the static electricity on the counter substrate can be conducted out to the conductive adhesive within the glue dispensing zone, and then conducted out to the grounded unit, and consequently, the static electricity on the counter substrate can be conducted out timely, avoiding electrostatic damage. In embodiments of the disclosure, by means of arranging a glue dispensing zone in a peripheral region of the array substrate, it can be realized that conductive adhesive is dripped into the glue dispensing zone with an automatic glue dispensing equipment, and as compared with the mode in which an electrically conductive adhesive tape is manually attached, the material cost and labor cost can be saved, and the production efficiency is enhanced.

It is to be noted that, in embodiments of the disclosure, the conductive adhesive is a kind of adhesive that has certain conductive property after it is solidified or dried, and its constituent components mainly include a matrix resin, conductive particles, a dispersing additive, an adjuvant and the like in general. In the conductive adhesive, conductive particles are bonded together with the aid of adhering action of the matrix resin, so as to form a conductive path, and thus electrical connection of a stuck material is realized. Additionally, embodiments of the disclosure are not limited to the positional and connecting relationships between a grounded unit and an array substrate or a counter substrate, any component in the display panel that is usable for conducting static electricity on conductive adhesive out of the conductive adhesive can be used as the grounded unit in embodiments of the disclosure.

Embodiments of the disclosure are suitable for a variety of display panels such as liquid crystal display panels, OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display panels and so on, and in the following embodiments, a liquid crystal display panel will be mainly described as an example.

The package manner of liquid crystal display panels can include COG (chip on glass, i.e., a chip and a glass substrate are interconnected with a conductor), COB (chip on board, i.e., a naked chip is directly connected to a printed circuit board with a wire), COF (chip on film, i.e., a chip is mounted on a thin film), etc., and GOA (gate driver on array) or other mode may be used as the gate driving manner of the liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 1ais a schematic top view illustrating a display panel in GOA mode provided by an embodiment of the disclosure; andFIG. 1bis a schematic top view illustrating a display panel in COF mode provided by an embodiment of the disclosure. Hereinafter, display panels as shown inFIG. 1aandFIG. 1bwill be described as examples.

According to at least one embodiment of the disclosure, there is provided a display panel, as shown inFIG. 1aandFIG. 1b, which includes an array substrate100and a counter substrate200disposed oppositely, and a grounded unit (e.g., a printed circuit board60). The array substrate100includes a main region11and a peripheral region12. The main region11coincides with the orthographic projection of the counter substrate200on the array substrate100, and hence, the peripheral region12is a zone of the array substrate100extending beyond the counter substrate200along the direction of the plane on which it is located. At least one glue dispensing region30is arranged in the peripheral region12(two glue dispensing regions are illustrated inFIG. 1aandFIG. 1b, respectively), and conductive adhesive90is provided in the glue dispensing region30, and electrically connected to a grounded unit (e.g., a printed circuit board60). An electrostatic conducting structure (e.g., a first wiring202inFIG. 1b) is provided on the counter substrate200, and the conductive adhesive90is electrically connected to the electrostatic conducting structure.

For example, the counter substrate200may be a color filter substrate, on which a black matrix, a color filter layer and other film layers are provided, and the color filter layer usually includes a plurality of red sub-pixels R, a plurality of green sub-pixels G, and a plurality of blue sub-pixels B. A portion of sub-pixels of the counter substrate are shown inFIG. 1aandFIG. 1b. Based on different directions in an electric field for driving liquid crystals, liquid crystal display panels can be classified into a vertical electric field type, such as Twisted Nematic (TN) mode, and the like, and a horizontal electric field type, such as In Plane Switching (IPS) mode, Advanced Super Dimension Switch (ADS) mode, and the like. In a vertical electric field type liquid crystal display panel, pixel electrodes and common electrodes are formed in an array substrate and a counter substrate, respectively; in a horizontal electric field type liquid crystal display panel, pixel electrodes and common electrodes are formed in the array substrate altogether.

In order to guide static electricity on the counter substrate to the conductive adhesive, it is required that an electrostatic conducting structure be provided on the counter substrate. By means of adjusting the dripping amount of the conductive adhesive into the glue dispensing region, the conductive adhesive can be electrically connected to the electrostatic conducting structure, and thus static electricity on the counter substrate is guided to the conductive adhesive.

In a liquid crystal display panel in a horizontal electric field control mode, common electrodes and pixel electrodes that are useful for supplying voltages so as to drive liquid crystals to deflect are each arranged in an array substrate, and thus no electrode is provided on a counter substrate so as to play a protective role for liquid crystal molecules. When a charged object (e.g., a human body) contacts with the liquid crystal display panel from the side on which the counter substrate is located, static electricity on the charged object can be transferred to the liquid crystal display panel, thereby affecting orientation of liquid crystal molecules. Thus, the display effect of pictures is affected. In this case, it is possible that, by means of providing a transparent conductive layer on a side of the counter substrate far away from the array substrate and allowing it to be grounded, external signals are shielded, so that an electric field within a liquid crystal cell is assured to be uniform, and the quality and reliability of products are guaranteed. Thus, as for a horizontal electric field type liquid crystal display panel, static electricity on the counter substrate can be guided to the conductive adhesive with the aid of the transparent conductive layer on a side of the counter substrate far away from the array substrate. That is, the electrostatic conducting structure in the above embodiment of the disclosure may be a transparent conductive layer201on a side of a counter substrate200far away from an array substrate100, as shown inFIG. 2a. For example, the transparent conductive layer201may be made of a transparent metal oxide such as indium zinc oxide, indium tin oxide, indium gallium zinc oxide or the like.

With respect to a display panel in which no transparent conductive layer is provided on a side of a counter substrate far away from an array substrate, such as a vertical electric field type liquid crystal display panel, the electrostatic conducting structure may be designed to be a wiring on a periphery of the counter substrate. For example, as shown inFIG. 1b, the electrostatic conducting structure on the counter substrate200is a first wiring202surrounding the periphery of the counter substrate200. For example, the first wiring202may be situated outside a display region110, and the first wiring202may be located on a side of the counter substrate200facing an array substrate100(as shown inFIG. 1b) or be located on a side of the counter substrate200far away from the array substrate100.

It is to be noted that, the first wiring surrounding (or disposed on) the periphery of the counter substrate means that the first wiring may be arranged in the zone where at least one side of the counter substrate is located. Illustration has been given inFIG. 1bmerely with reference to an example in which a first wiring is arranged in the zone where three sides of a counter substrate are located; embodiments of the disclosure include but is not limited to this configuration.

For example, when the first wiring is disposed on a side of a counter substrate facing an array substrate, a glue dispensing zone may be arranged in the main region of the array substrate. In this case, conductive adhesive may be set in the glue dispensing zone manually, so that the conductive adhesive is electrically connected to the first wiring.

In at least one embodiment, the first wiring may be disposed in the same layer as an electrode on a counter substrate, so that the first wiring and the electrode can be simultaneously formed in the same patterning process, and then the process flow is simplified. For example, in a vertical electric field type liquid crystal display panel, as shown inFIG. 2b, a common electrode204and a first wiring202arc provided on a side of the counter substrate200facing an array substrate100, and thus, the common electrode204and the first wiring202can be formed while the common electrode is formed. For example, as for an embedded touch display panel, touch electrodes (e.g., touch sensing electrodes) are usually provided on a counter substrate. For example, with respect to an on-cell touch display panel, touch electrodes are disposed on a side of a counter substrate far away from an array substrate, and with respect to an in-cell touch display panel, touch electrodes are disposed on a side of a counter substrate facing an array substrate. Thus, the first wiring can be formed while touch electrodes are formed.

Because an electrode on a counter substrate is usually made of a transparent conductive material, the material for a first wiring202that is formed simultaneously with the electrode is also the transparent conductive material, such as indium zinc oxide, indium tin oxide, indium gallium zinc oxide or other transparent metal oxide. Certainly, the first wiring202may not be formed simultaneously with a transparent electrode on a counter substrate, either, and in this case, the first wiring202may also be made of a metallic material.

It is to be noted that, in order to illustrate embodiments of the disclosure more clearly, structures such as a color filter layer, a planarizing layer and the like on the counter substrate200are not shown inFIG. 2b.

At the same time when static electricity on the counter substrate200is conducted out, in the display panel provided by embodiments of the disclosure, static electricity on the array substrate may also be conducted out to a certain extent in such a manner that part of static electricity on the array substrate is guided to the conductive adhesive90and afterward it is further conducted out to a grounded unit. For example, a gate signal line, a data signal line and other signal line situated in the main region11may be electrically connected to the conductive adhesive90by an electrostatic ring or other structure that is commonly used by those ordinary artisans in the related art. For example, in at least one embodiment, as shown inFIG. 1a, on the array substrate100, there may also be provided a second wiring15surrounding its periphery, and the second wiring15may be electrically connected to conductive adhesive or electrically connected to a printed circuit board60through an electrode pin. For example, inFIG. 1a, the second wiring15is situated outside the display region110, and head end and tail end of the second wiring15are each located in the glue dispensing zone30so as to be electrically connected to the conductive adhesive90. For example, the second wiring15may be formed simultaneously with a gate signal line in the main region of the array substrate, so as to simplify the process flow. The embodiment of the disclosure is more favorable to the output of static electricity on the array substrate by means of electrically connecting the second wiring to the grounded unit through conductive adhesive or an electrode pin.

It is to be noted that,FIG. 1awas illustrated with reference to an example in which a GOA mode is adopted, and when a COF mode is adopted, it is also possible for a second wiring on an array substrate to utilize a wiring on a COF (flexible circuit film) to stride across the COF zone. In addition, that the array substrate100may be further provided with a second wiring15surrounding its periphery refers to that the second wiring may be arranged in a zone where at least one side of the array substrate is located.FIG. 1awas merely presented with reference to an example in which the second wiring is arranged in a zone where three sides of the array substrate are located; but embodiments of the disclosure include are not limited to this configuration.

In at least one embodiment, conductive adhesive90may be electrically connected to a grounded unit through an electrostatic lead-out line40, and in this case, the electrostatic lead-out line40may include a portion situated in a glue dispensing zone30and electrically connected to the conductive adhesive90, and include a portion42situated outside the glue dispensing zone30and electrically connected to the grounded unit. As shown inFIG. 1aandFIG. 1b, a printed circuit board60is disposed on a data-signal input side of the array substrate100, and an end of a signal line disposed on the array substrate100is connected to the printed circuit board60through an electrode pin20. It is to be noted that, the connecting relationship between the signal line and the electrode pin is not shown inFIG. 1aandFIG. 1b. Because the printed circuit board60is set to be grounded, in at least one embodiment, the grounded unit may be a printed circuit board60. Namely, in this case, the conductive adhesive90may be electrically connected to the printed circuit board60through an electrostatic lead-out line40, which includes a portion41situated in a glue dispensing zone30and electrically connected to the conductive adhesive90, and include a portion42situated outside the glue dispensing zone30and electrically connected to a grounded unit (the printed circuit board60).

In an embodiment of the disclosure, conductive adhesive90may be dripped into a glue dispensing zone30by an automatic glue-dispensing equipment. Owing to the action of surface tension, the conductive adhesive90is formed into an ellipse shape and infiltrated into a portion41of an electrostatic lead-out line40situated in a glue-dispensing zone30, and the electric connection between the conductive adhesive90and the portion41of the electrostatic lead-out line40situated in the glue-dispensing zone30is realized. Thus, the static electricity on the conductive adhesive90can be conducted out to a printed circuit board60through the electrostatic lead-out line40.

FIG. 3ais a schematic structure view illustrating the electrical connection of conductive adhesive to a printed circuit board through an electrostatic lead-out line, provided by an embodiment of the disclosure; and,FIG. 3awill be presented with reference to an example in which a COF mode is adopted by the display panel. As shown inFIG. 3a, between an electrode pin20and a printed circuit board60, there is provided a flexible circuit thin film61, in which a flexible circuit board is used as a carrier for a packaging chip, and the chip is bonded with the flexible circuit board. During package, the flexible circuit thin film61is bent, so that the printed circuit board60can be located on a side of the array substrate far away from the counter substrate, and after that, a package frame (e.g., a metal frame or a plastic frame) is used for fixing the counter substrate and the array substrate. In embodiments of the disclosure, because conductive adhesive90is electrically connected to the printed circuit board60through an electrostatic lead-out line40, the static electricity in the liquid crystal display panel can be released by the printed circuit board even if the liquid crystal display panel is packaged with a plastic frame.

Additionally, when the liquid crystal display panel adopts a metal frame, the grounded unit may be a metal frame as well.FIG. 3bis a schematic structure view illustrating the contact of conductive adhesive with a surface of a metal frame, provided by an embodiment of the disclosure. As shown inFIG. 3b, a counter substrate200and an array substrate100are fixed by a holder500and a metal frame50after they are cell-assembled together, and by means of controlling the amount of conductive adhesive dripped into a glue-dispensing zone of the array substrate, the conductive adhesive90can be made to contact a surface of the metal frame50so as to achieve the electrical connection between the conductive adhesive90and the metal frame50. Consequently, the static electricity on the conductive adhesive90can be conducted out to the metal frame50. InFIG. 3b, a backlight source400may also be provided on a side of the array substrate100far away from the counter substrate200, so as to provide the liquid crystal display panel with backlight.

It is to be noted that, in embodiments of the disclosure, based on the different kinds of packaging manners or driving manners of the liquid crystal display panels, the number of a peripheral regions included by the array substrate also varies. For example, the display panel shown inFIG. 1adopts a GOA mode, and one cutting line of its array substrate100extends out of a cutting line of a counter substrate200in correspondence with it, namely, the array substrate100includes one peripheral region12. Certainly, the array substrate100may include a plurality of peripheral regions as well. For example, the display panel shown inFIG. 1badopts a COF mode, and a bilateral gate drive configuration is adopted for its array substrate100, and thus, the array substrate100includes three peripheral regions12,13and14. A glue dispensing zone30may be situated in at least one of the three peripheral regions and the combination thereof.

In at least one embodiment, a glue dispensing zone30may be disposed on a side of the array substrate on which a printed circuit board60is provided along the direction of plane on which it is located, namely, a side on which a peripheral region12as shown inFIG. 1aandFIG 1bis located. The glue dispensing zone30is disposed on a side on which a printed circuit board is located, and as compared to other side of the array substrate, the length of an electrostatic lead-out line can be decreased, so that the resistance of the electrostatic lead-out line is decreased. For example, inFIG. 1b, a glue dispensing zone30is provided in a peripheral region12, and an electrostatic lead-out line only travels through the peripheral region12, and as compared with the case where a glue dispensing zone is provided in a peripheral region13or14and it is necessary to travel through the peripheral region13or14and a peripheral region12, the length of the electrostatic lead-out line can be effectively shortened in this way. Furthermore, in embodiments of the disclosure, by means of arranging a glue dispensing zone30on a side of the array substrate with a printed circuit board60provided thereon, the array substrate provided with the glue dispensing zone can adopt a variety of modes such as GOA (as shown inFIG. 1a), COF (as shown inFIG. 1b) and so on, and thus it has a better versatility.

As shown inFIG. 1aandFIG. 1b, on a data signal input side (i.e., the side on which a peripheral region12is located) of the array substrate100, there is further provided a Pad zone, namely, a zone where a variety of signal lines of the array substrate are press-bonded to external lead wires of a drive circuit board. In order to prevent the signal lines and electrode pins20from being corroded by water vapor, a UV glue21(i.e., an ultraviolet curable glue) is usually coated in the Pad zone, and covers the signal lines and the electrode pin20. In an embodiment of the disclosure, when conductive adhesive90is electrically connected to a printed circuit board through an electrostatic lead-out line40, the UV glue21may cover a portion42of the electrostatic lead-out line40situated outside the glue dispensing zone30as well, as shown inFIG. 1aandFIG. 1b, so as to prevent it from being corroded by water vapor or being scratched. If a glue dispensing zone is located in the middle portion of a peripheral region12, during the course of coating a UV glue with an automatic glue dispensing equipment, a probe needs to be lifted and the glue coating process is interrupted so as to prevent the glue dispensing zone from being covered by the UV glue, this results in the fact that UV glue cannot be coated continuously, and in turn, coating efficiency of the UV glue is reduced. In order to ensure that the glue dispensing zone30does not make an impact on coating of the UV glue, and the UV glue can be coated continuously, thereby saving the time for coating UV glue with the automatic glue dispending equipment. In at least one embodiment, a glue dispensing zone30may be located at vertex angle of an array substrate100, that is, the glue dispensing zone30is disposed at an end of the peripheral region12. Each ofFIG. 1aandFIG. 1bhas been illustrated with reference to an example in which two glue dispensing zones30are disposed at the location where vertex angles α and β of the array substrate100are located, respectively.

Hereinafter, an electrostatic lead-out line40in embodiments of the disclosure will be described in detail by taking a liquid crystal display panel as an example in conjunction withFIG. 4a,FIG. 4bandFIG. 4c

As shown inFIG. 4a,FIG. 4bandFIG. 4c, a gate electrode71, a gate insulating layer77, an active layer72and source/drain electrodes73,74of a thin film transistor70, a passivation layer78, and a pixel electrode75may be sequentially disposed on a base substrate of an array substrate100, and the pixel electrode75is electrically connected to the drain electrode74of the thin film transistor through a via hole in the passivation layer78.

Along the direction of the plane on which the array substrate is located, the electrostatic lead-out line40includes a portion41situated in a glue dispensing zone30and a portion42situated outside the glue dispensing zone30, as shown inFIG. 1aandFIG. 1b; along the direction perpendicular to the plane on which the array substrate100is located, the electrostatic lead-out line40includes a first conductive part410, as shown inFIG. 4a,FIG. 4bandFIG. 4c. For example, the first conductive part410may be disposed in the same layer as an electrode in the array substrate. In this way, the first conductive part410of the electrostatic lead-out line40can be formed when the electrode in the array substrate is formed by one patterning process, so as to omit a patterning process necessary for separately forming an electrostatic lead-out line. Thus, the process flow is simplified.

The thin film transistor70is disposed in a main region of the array substrate, and includes the gate electrode71, the active layer72, the source electrode73and the drain electrode74. Because the gate electrode71and source/drain electrodes73,74are made of a metal, such as aluminum, copper, molybdenum or other metal, and the resistance of the metal is relatively smaller, in at least one embodiment, the first conductive part410of the electrostatic lead-out line40can be disposed in the same layer as the gate electrode71, as shown inFIG. 4aandFIG. 4c; or, the first conductive part410may be disposed in the same layer as source/drain electrodes73,74, as shown inFIG. 4b. That is, the above electrode in the array substrate is a gate electrode or source/drain electrodes.

It is to be noted that, based on the position of a gate electrode, thin film transistors70may be classified into a top-gate type (i.e., a gate electrode71is located on a side of an active layer72far away from a base substrate10) and a bottom-gate type (i.e., a gate electrode71is located on a side of an active layer72facing a base substrate10, as shown inFIGS. 4a, 4band 4c); based on the contact mode of source/drain electrodes73,74and an active layer72, thin film transistors70can be classified into a top contact type (i.e., source/drain electrodes73,74are located on a side of the active layer72far away from a base substrate10, as shown inFIGS. 4a, 4band 4c) and a bottom contact type (i.e., source/drain electrodes73,74are located on a side of the active layer72facing a base substrate10). In an embodiment of the disclosure, in order to prevent a first conductive part410of an electrostatic lead-out line40from being disconnected, the first conductive part410of the electrostatic lead-out line40may be arranged near a base substrate10. Therefore, the thin film transistor is preferably of a bottom-gate type and/or a bottom-contact type in embodiments of the disclosure.

In addition, a gate signal line in the array substrate is connected to the gate electrode, and a data signal line is connected to source/drain electrodes, and so, the first conductive part410, the gate electrode71and the gate signal line can be formed in the same patterning process. Or, the first conductive part410, source/drain electrodes73,74and the data signal line can be formed in the same patterning process.

In order to prevent an electrostatic lead-out line40from being corroded by water vapor, as shown inFIG. 4c, the electrostatic lead-out line40may further include an insulating layer430covering the first conductive part410. In addition, in order to further protect the first conductive part410, the electrostatic lead-out line40may further include a second conductive part420, which is electrically connected to the first conductive part410through a plurality of via holes43(i.e., a plurality of via holes43passing through the insulating layer430) in the insulating layer430. For example, the second conductive part420may be made of indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, indium gallium zinc oxide or other transparent conductive material, and this can play a role in preventing the oxidation of the first conductive part410. Moreover, the contact area between the first conductive part410and the second conductive part420can also be increased by using multiple via holes43, and thus resistance of the whole electrostatic lead-out line40is decreased. It can be understood by those skilled in the related art that, the greater the number of via holes43in the insulating layer430is, the larger the contact area between the first conductive part410and the second conductive part420, and the smaller the resistance of the whole electrostatic lead-out line40is.

In an embodiment of the disclosure, the insulating layer430may be formed of the material for a gate insulating layer77or a passivation layer78in the main region, etc. For example, as shown inFIG. 4c, after the first conductive part410of the electrostatic lead-out line40is formed by using a gate metal layer for formation of the gate electrode71, in the course of forming a gate insulating layer77, a gate insulating layer material is made to cover the first conductive part410besides; in the course of forming an active layer on the gate insulating layer77, an active layer material on the first conductive part410on which the gate insulating layer material is formed is etched; in the course of forming source/drain electrodes73,74on the active layer72, a source/drain metal layer formed on the first conductive part410is etched; in the course of forming a passivation layer on source/drain electrodes and a passivation layer via hole, a passivation layer material is made to cover the first conductive part410on which the gate insulating layer material is formed besides and a via hole43is formed, thereby forming an insulating layer430of the electrostatic lead-out line40and the via hole43in the insulating layer430. At this time, the via hole43runs through the gate insulating layer material and the passivation layer material so as to expose a part of the first conductive part410, so that a second conductive part420formed on it can be electrically connected to the first conducive part410.

It is to be noted that, according to actual situations, the insulating layer430is not limited to the case that it is formed of the material for the gate insulating layer77or the passivation layer78in the main region.

For example, in the case where the first conductive part410inFIG. 4cis disposed in the same layer as source/drain electrodes73,74, namely, the first conductive part410is disposed on the gate insulating layer77, the insulating layer430may also be formed of a material for the passivation layer78in the main region.

For example, as shown inFIG. 4b, the first conductive part410of the electrostatic lead-out line40is disposed in the same layer as source/drain electrodes73,74, and thus the material for an insulating layer430formed between the first conductive part410and the second conductive part420may not include the material for the gate insulating layer77.

In at least one embodiment, the second conductive part420of the electrostatic lead-out line40may be disposed in the same layer as a pixel electrode75in the main region of the array substrate, as shown inFIG. 4c. As such, in the course of forming the pixel electrode75on the passivation layer78, the pixel electrode75and the second conductive part420may be formed simultaneously with one patterning process.

In addition, with respect to a display panel in a horizontal electric field mode, a common electrode76may further be provided in the array substrate, as shown inFIG. 4aandFIG. 4c. Therefore, in at least one embodiment, the second conductive part420may be disposed in the same layer as the common electrode76as well.

FIG. 4aandFIG. 4bwill be illustrated with reference to an example in which a pixel electrode75is located between a common electrode76and a base substrate10, and in this case, during formation of the pixel electrode75on a passivation layer, a portion of a pixel electrode material situated in a peripheral region can be retained and this portion of pixel electrode material is made to be electrically connected to a first conductive part410through a via hole43; in the course of forming an insulating layer79between the pixel electrode75and the common electrode76, a hole forming process is carried out on a portion of the insulating layer79corresponding to the via hole43in the insulating layer430so as to expose a portion of the pixel electrode material electrically connected to the first conductive part410; in the course of forming the common electrode76above the insulating layer79, the common electrode76and a second conductive part420may be formed simultaneously in same one patterning process, so that the second conductive part420is electrically connected to the first conductive part410through the pixel electrode material left in the via hole43. Certainly, during formation of the pixel electrode75, a portion of the pixel electrode material situated in a peripheral region may also be etched, and in an electrostatic lead-out line40formed in this case, a second conductive part420is electrically connected to a first conductive part410directly.

In the above embodiment of the present, the pixel electrode75and the common electrode76are transparent electrodes, and are usually made of a transparent metal oxide, such as ITO (indium tin oxide) or the like.

It is to be noted that, embodiments of the disclosure do not place a limitation on the positional relationship of a pixel electrode75and a common electrode76in the array substrate. For example, the pixel electrode75may be located on a side of the common electrode76facing a base substrate10, as shown inFIG. 4aandFIG. 4b; for example, the pixel electrode75may also be located on a side of the common electrode76far away from a base substrate10.

As to an array substrate that includes a pixel electrode75and a common electrode76together,FIG. 4aandFIG. 4bhave been presented merely with reference to an example in which a second conductive part420and a common electrode are disposed in the same layer. According to actual situations, a second conductive part420of an electrostatic lead-out line40may be formed with a pixel electrode75and a common electrode76.

FIG. 4a,FIG. 4bandFIG. 4conly exemplarily shows the case that conductive adhesive90is electrically connected to an electrostatic lead-out line40after it is dripped into a via hole43, and their shape does not reflect the true scale.

In embodiments of the disclosure, the structure that a second conductive part420of an electrostatic lead-out line40is electrically connected to a first conductive part410through a plurality of via holes43in an insulating layer430may be mainly related to the portion41of the electrostatic lead-out line40situated in a glue dispensing zone30, an insulating-layer via hole and a second conductive part may not be provided on a portion42of the electrostatic lead-out line40situated outside the glue dispensing zone30.

Additionally, as for an OLED display panel, a first conductive part of an electrostatic lead-out line may also be formed simultaneously with a gate electrode or source/drain electrodes of a thin film transistor included by an array substrate (namely, they are disposed in the same layer), and an insulating layer covering the first conductive part may also be formed of a gate insulating layer of the thin film transistor or a passivation layer. Certainly, according to actual situations, a first conductive part and an insulating layer that covers the first conductive part may be formed by using other conductive structure or insulating layer on the array substrate in the OLED display panel as well; accordingly, a second conductive part may be formed by using a transparent conductive layer on the array substrate in the OLED display panel as well. Embodiments of the disclosure will not be described in detail in this regard.

In order to obtain a better alignment precision when conductive adhesive is dripped into a glue dispensing zone by an automatic glue-dispensing equipment, in at least one embodiment, an alignment mark may be formed in the glue dispensing zone. Because a portion41of an electrostatic lead-out line40situated in the glue dispensing zone30and a gate electrode and/or source/drain electrodes are formed simultaneously, namely, they are formed by using the same metallic (e.g., magnesium, aluminum, copper, titanium or the like) material, and a metal is usually opaque and easy to identify, a first conductive part410of the electrostatic lead-out line40may be used for forming the alignment mark.

FIG. 5is a schematic structure view illustrating dripping of conductive adhesive onto an alignment mark with an automatic glue-dispensing equipment provided by an embodiment of the disclosure. InFIG. 5, conductive adhesive is installed within a conical probe01of the glue dispensing equipment, during dispensing the conductive adhesive, an alignment mark46in a glue dispensing zone30can be read by a detecting device02of the glue dispensing equipment. Due to the fact that when a second conductive part420of an electrostatic lead-out line40and an insulating layer430are made of a transparent material, the pattern of the alignment mark formed by a first conductive part410can be seen clearly under strong light irradiation, the pattern of the alignment mark can be smoothly read and utilized by the glue dispensing equipment to achieve functions of calibration feedback, coarse alignment, and fine alignment.

FIG. 5shows the case where an alignment mark in a shape of Chinese character “” is formed by a first conductive part410of an electrostatic lead-out line40. With reference to an example in which a bottom-gate thin film transistor is formed in an array substrate, the manufacturing process of pattern of an alignment mark is conducted such as follows: an electrostatic lead-out line40is formed with a gate metal layer while a gate electrode is formed, so that pattern of a first conductive part410of the electrostatic lead-out line40corresponding to a portion41in a glue dispensing zone30is the shape of Chinese character “”.

FIG. 5was illustrated merely with a shape of Chinese character “” as an example,FIG. 6awill be illustrated with the combination of a shape of Chinese character “” and a shape of Chinese character “” as an example, andFIG. 6bwill be illustrate with a shape of Chinese character “” as an example. However, embodiments of the disclosure are not limited thereto, and in at least one embodiment, pattern of an alignment mark may include at least one of a “” shape, a “” shape, a “” shape, and a “” shape as well as a “♦” shape and a “●” shape or a combination thereof. The only consideration is that the alignment mark can be smoothly read by a detecting device of a glue dispensing equipment, so that functions of calibration feedback, coarse alignment and fine alignment can be realized by the glue dispensing equipment with the aid of the pattern of the alignment mark.

As shown inFIG. 2aandFIG. 2b, a sealant300is provided between a counter substrate200and an array substrate100, and a glue dispensing zone30is arranged on an outer side of the sealant300(i.e., the left side of the sealant300inFIG. 2aandFIG. 2b). In at least one embodiment, an end of a black matrix203in the counter substrate200located on an inner side of the sealant300may be situated in the sealant300(as shown inFIG. 2aandFIG. 2b) or located on an inner side of the sealant300; and/or, an end of a signal line80(e.g., a gate signal line, a data signal line) in the array substrate100located on an inner side of the sealant300may be situated in the sealant300or located on an inner side of the sealant300.

Because liquid droplets of the conductive adhesive coated in a glue dispensing zone has an irregular shape, their outer surface approximates to an elliptic shape due to the surface tension, and owing to infiltrating function of the conductive adhesive before solidification, the conductive adhesive90tends to intrude into the signal line80and the layer in which the black matrix203on the counter substrate200is located, which may bring about crosstalk between the signal line and static electricity as well as charge accumulation on the black matrix layer. In view of this, in an embodiment of the disclosure, by means of compressing a black matrix layer included by a counter substrate inside a display device into a sealant300or to an inner side of the sealant30, occurrence of the following case can be avoided: electrostatic accumulation on the black matrix layer is caused by contact of the black matrix layer with the conductive adhesive90, and in turn, deflection of pixel liquid crystals of the whole display screen is affected. In an embodiment of the disclosure, by compressing a signal line in an array substrate into a sealant300or to an inner side of the sealant300, the following case is avoidable: the signal line is exposed directly due to lack of UV glue coverage in the place of the conductive adhesive90and is corroded by water vapor.

According to at least one embodiment of the disclosure, there is further provided a display device, which includes the display panel as provided in any of the above embodiments. For example, the display device is a liquid crystal display device, and it may further include a backlight source for providing the display panel with backlight, and polarization sheets located on both sides of the display panel.

For example, the display device provided by embodiments of the disclosure may be a liquid crystal panel, an electronic paper, an OLED panel, a touch panel, a cell phone, a tablet computer, a television, a display, a notebook computer, a digital photo frame, a navigator or any other product or component having a display function.

According to at least one embodiment of the disclosure, there is further provided a manufacturing method of a display panel including that, a counter substrate is formed, with an electrostatic conducting structure provided on the counter substrate; an array substrate that includes a main region and a peripheral region is formed, the main region coinciding with the orthographic projection of the counter substrate on the array substrate, and at least one glue dispensing zone being arranged in the peripheral region or the main region; the array substrate and the counter substrate are cell-assembled; and conductive adhesive is dripped in the glue dispensing zone, so that the electrostatic conducting structure and a grounded unit are electrically connected by the conductive adhesive.

Embodiments of the disclosure are not limited in the mode in which conductive adhesive is dripped in a glue dispensing zone, and the conductive adhesive may be dripped in the glue dispensing zone manually, and may also be dripped in the glue dispensing zone by an automatic equipment.

In at least one embodiment, the grounded unit may be a printed circuit board arranged on an array substrate, and in this case, the step of forming the array substrate includes forming an electrostatic lead-out line in a peripheral region of the array substrate, so that the electrostatic lead-out line includes a portion situated in a glue dispending zone and a portion situated outside the glue dispensing zone and electrically connected to the printed circuit board; the step of dripping conductive adhesive in a glue dispensing zone includes allowing the conductive adhesive to be electrically connected to a portion of an electrostatic lead-out line situated in the glue dispensing zone, so as to achieve electrical connection of the conductive adhesive to the printed circuit board through the electrostatic lead-out line.

In at least one embodiment, the grounded unit may be a metal frame as well, and in this case, the step of cell-assembling the array substrate and the counter substrate includes fixing the array substrate and the counter substrate with a metal frame, and the step of dripping the conductive adhesive in the glue dispensing zone includes making the conductive adhesive be in contact with a surface of the metal frame.

It is to be noted that, in embodiments of the disclosure, there is no limit on the order of the step of forming a counter substrate and the step of forming an array substrate, it is possible that an array substrate is formed earlier and a counter substrate is formed afterwards, and it is also possible that a counter substrate is formed earlier and an array substrate is formed afterwards.

With respect to a display panel with a transparent conductive layer disposed on a side of a counter substrate far away from an array substrate, such as a horizontal electric field type liquid crystal display panel, in at least one embodiment, the electrostatic conducting structure may be the transparent conductive layer disposed on a side of the counter substrate far away from the array substrate.

With respect to a display panel without a transparent conductive layer disposed on a side of a counter substrate far away from an array substrate, such as a vertical electric field type liquid crystal display panel, an OLED display panel or the like, in at least one embodiment, the electrostatic conducting structure may be a first wiring surrounding the periphery of the counter substrate (namely, arranged in the region where at least one side of the counter substrate is located), and the first wiring is located on a side of the counter substrate facing the array substrate or on a side of the counter substrate far away from the array substrate. For example, the first wiring may be formed in the same patterning process as a common electrode or a touch electrode on the counter substrate. The touch electrode may be located on a side of the counter substrate facing the counter substrate, or located on a side of the counter substrate far away from the array substrate.

In at least one embodiment, an electrostatic lead-out line includes first conductive part along the direction perpendicular to the plane on which an array substrate is located, and the first conductive part and a gate electrode or source/drain electrodes in the array substrate are formed in the same patterning process.

In at least one embodiment, an electrostatic lead-out line may further include an insulating layer and a second conductive part that are located on a side of the first conductive part far away from an array substrate, and the second conductive part is electrically connected to the first conductive part through multiple via holes in the insulating layer. For example, the second conductive part may be formed in the same patterning process as a pixel electrode or a common electrode in the array substrate. Embodiments of the disclosure are not limited in the positional relationship of the pixel electrode and the common electrode in the array substrate.

Regarding implementation of the manufacturing method of the display panel provided by embodiments of the disclosure, reference to the above embodiments of the display panel can be made, and redundant description are omitted.

In summary, a display panel and manufacturing method and a display device provided by embodiments of the disclosure possess at least one of the following advantages.

(1) With a glue dispensing zone being arranged in a peripheral region or a main region of the array substrate, conductive adhesive being provided in the glue dispensing region and allowed to be electrically connected to an electrostatic conducting structure on a counter substrate in embodiments of the disclosure, the static electricity on the counter substrate can be conducted out to the conductive adhesive within the glue dispensing zone, and then conducted out to a grounded unit, and consequently, the static electricity in the array substrate and the counter substrate can be conducted out in time, avoiding the electrostatic damage.

(2) As compared with the mode in which an electrically conductive adhesive tape is manually attached, an automatic glue dispensing equipment can be used for dripping conductive adhesive into a glue dispensing zone in embodiments of the disclosure, so that the labor cost and material cost can be saved, and the production efficiency can be enhanced.

(3) A conductive adhesive is electrically connected to a transparent conductive layer on a side of a counter substrate far away from an array substrate, and as a result, the output of static electricity on the counter substrate is realized, and external signals can be further shielded, so as to ensure that an electric field within a liquid crystal cell is uniform, and to guarantee the quality and reliability of products.

(4) With a glue dispensing zone being arranged on a data signal input side of the array substrate, versatility of the array substrate can be raised, so that it is suitable for modes such as COF, GOA and so on; with a glue dispensing zone being arranged at a vertex angle of the array substrate, UV glue can be coated in a Pad zone continuously.

(5) Because a printed circuit board is used as a grounded unit, embodiments of the disclosure are applicable to display devices with a plastic frame.

(6) In the layered structure of an electrostatic lead-out line, an insulating layer that covers a first conductive part and a second conductive part electrically connected to the first conductive part through via holes in the insulating layer are provided, the overall resistance of the electrostatic lead-out line can be decreased, so as to prevent the electrostatic lead-out line being oxidized or corroded by water vapor; moreover, while various film structures in the array substrate are produced, corresponding parts in the layered structure of the electrostatic lead-out line are formed, so that the process flow can be simplified.

(7) An alignment mark is provided in a glue dispensing zone, the pattern of the alignment mark can be smoothly read and utilized by a glue dispensing equipment to achieve functions of calibration feedback, coarse alignment, and fine alignment.

(8) An end of a black matrix in a counter substrate is pressed into a sealant or to an inner side of the sealant, the abnormal deflection of liquid crystals that is caused by the fact that the static electricity accumulates on a black matrix layer owing to its contact with conductive adhesive can be avoided.

(9) An end of a signal line in the array substrate is provided in a sealant or on an inner side of the sealant, the direct contact of conductive adhesive with the signal line can be avoided, so as to prevent the signal line from being exposed and corroded by water vapor.

Descriptions made above are merely exemplary embodiments of the disclosure, but are not used to limit the protection scope of the disclosure. The protection scope of the disclosure is determined by the attached claims.

This application claims the benefit of priority from Chinese patent application No. 201410850811.0, filed on Dec. 31, 2014, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein in its entirety by reference as a part of the present application.