JP2000147538A - Flat display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a flat display device easy to specify a defective portion. SOLUTION: This device is a liquid crystal display device provided with a matrix array substrate 2 having a TFT 16, a scanning line 12, a signal line 14 and a pixel electrode 17 connected to the TFT 16, a scanning line drive circuit 13 applying a scan signal to the scanning line 12, a signal line drive circuit 15 applying a video signal to the signal line 14, a conductive pad 28 for applying potential to a counter substrate 3 and electrode wiring 27 applying the potential to the conductive pad 28, a counter substrate 3 having a counter electrode 7 and a light shield layer 6, which is oppositely arranged on the matrix array substrate 2, and a liquid crystal composition sealed/held between the matrix array substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3. In such a case, patterns 21, 22 are provided on the electrode wiring 27, and owing to a function as an address displaying mark of the signal line 14 and the scanning line 12 as well as a function as observing window of coating state of a seal member 32, identification of defective portions is facilitated.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flat panel display device, for example, suitable for an active matrix type liquid crystal display device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, flat display devices typified by liquid crystal display devices have been developed with a view to miniaturization and light weight and low power consumption. Among them, active matrix type liquid crystal display devices are capable of displaying high-definition images and have been widely used.

A configuration of a conventional active matrix type liquid crystal display device will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of signal lines 12 are arranged in parallel on a transparent insulating substrate 4 in the matrix array substrate 2a, and a plurality of scanning lines 14 are arranged in parallel so as to be orthogonal to the plurality of signal lines. The signal lines 12 and the scanning lines 14 are electrically insulated by an insulating film (not shown).

Further, on the insulating substrate 4, each signal line 12
A signal line driving circuit 13 to which one end of a signal line 12 is connected to apply a video signal to a scanning line, and a scanning line driving circuit to which one end of a scanning line 14 is connected to apply a scanning signal to each scanning line 14. A pixel electrode 17 is arranged near a cross point of each of the signal line 12 and the scanning line 14 via a thin film transistor (hereinafter, referred to as a TFT) 16 as a switching element. The gate of the TFT 16 is connected to the corresponding scanning line 14, and the drain is connected to the corresponding signal line 1.
2 and the source is connected to the corresponding pixel electrode 17. The pixel electrode 17 is made of ITO (Indium Tin O
xide) It is composed of a transparent electrode made of a film or the like.

On the insulating substrate 4, the pixel electrode 1
A conductive pad 28 and an electrode wiring 27a for supplying a potential to a counter substrate, which will be described later, are provided in a peripheral portion of the image display area provided with 7. The conductive pad 28 and the electrode wiring 27a are made of, for example, Mo-W alloy or A
It is formed of a signal line or a scanning line material such as an l-Nd alloy.

[0006] Marks 21 a indicating addresses of the signal lines 12 and the scanning lines 14 are formed on the insulating substrate 4. This mark 21a is generally
Alternatively, when the scanning lines 14 are formed, they are formed by patterning a metal film in the same step. In a liquid crystal display device or the like, it is necessary to specify the addresses of the scanning lines 14 and the signal lines 12 on the matrix array substrate 2a when performing a failure analysis when a display failure occurs. Therefore, the mark 21a for address display is formed.

The counter substrate 3 has a configuration as shown in FIG. A light-shielding layer 6 made of a metal material or an organic material is formed on a surface of a transparent insulating substrate 5, and a counter electrode 7 made of a transparent electrode material for applying a potential to a liquid crystal composition is provided on the surface. ing. The light-shielding layer 6 is provided in order to improve display sharpness by preventing light leakage between regions other than the image display region or between pixels. For example, a metal laminated structure of chromium and chromium oxide or an organic material It is formed of a film composed of The counter electrode 7 is I
It is made of a TO film or the like and is uniformly arranged in the image display area.
The entire area becomes equipotential. In addition, since a color filter (not shown) is arranged below the transparent electrode 7, multi-color display is possible.

Further, on the surface of the peripheral portion of the insulating substrate 5, opposing conductive pads 29 for receiving a potential from the matrix array substrate 2a are provided. The opposing conductive pad 29 is formed integrally with, for example, an ITO film in the same step as the opposing electrode 7.

Then, a sealing member 32 is applied on the periphery of the matrix array substrate 2a shown in FIG. The potential applied to the counter substrate 3 is externally applied to the electrode wiring 27a on the matrix array substrate 2a and sent to the conductive pad 28. As shown in FIG. 7, a potential is applied to the conductive pad 29 on the counter substrate 3 via the silver paste 34 formed on the conductive pad 28, and the potential is supplied to the counter electrode 7.

[0010]

In recent years, in order to secure a display area larger than the external dimensions of a personal computer or the like, recently, a frame is narrowed with respect to a flat display device, that is, a peripheral frame area with respect to an effective display area. Is required to be smaller. Further, in a liquid crystal display device integrated with a driving circuit, as shown in FIG. 8, the driving circuit unit 1 is provided in a frame portion of a peripheral area on the matrix array substrate 2a.
5, the area where the electrode wiring 27a can be arranged is narrowly limited. For this reason, it is becoming difficult to prevent a portion where the sealing member 32 and the electrode wiring 27a overlap. However, if the seal member 32 and the electrode wiring 27a overlap, the application state of the seal member 32 cannot be confirmed from the matrix array substrate 2a side after the two substrates are bonded due to the presence of the electrode wiring 27a.

The sealing member 3 is formed by thinning the electrode wiring 27a.
2 can be confirmed. But,
When the electrode wiring 27a is thinned, the wiring resistance increases,
The potential of the counter electrode 7 may not be constant. Therefore, it has been difficult to reduce the thickness of the electrode wiring 27a.

On the other hand, the light-shielding layer 6 is formed on the counter substrate 3 so as to prevent light leakage from the area other than the image display area as described above. For this reason, it is impossible to confirm the state of the seal member 32 also from the counter substrate 3 side.

As described above, when it becomes impossible to confirm the application state of the seal member 32 from both the matrix array substrate 2a side and the counter substrate 3 side, after the matrix array substrate 2a and the counter substrate 3 are bonded together, , Seal member 3
No. 2 cannot be observed. If the application width of the seal member 32 is smaller than the standard or if there is a hole in the seal member 32, there is a problem that impurities may enter the liquid crystal composition from this portion and cause display defects. Was.

In the drive circuit-body type liquid crystal display device, since the drive circuit section 15 exists in the peripheral frame portion as described above, the area for patterning the address display marks 21a on the scanning lines 14 and the signal lines 12 is provided. Was difficult to secure. If the address display mark 21a cannot be formed, it is difficult to specify the failure location, and the time for failure analysis increases, resulting in an increase in cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a flat panel display device which can easily identify a failed portion, can prevent occurrence of display defects, and can contribute to cost reduction. With the goal.

[0016]

A flat display device according to the present invention comprises a scanning line and a signal line arranged to cross each other, and a pixel electrode disposed at an intersection of the scanning line and the signal line. And a matrix array substrate having wiring arranged in a peripheral portion other than the display area where the pixel electrodes are arranged, and the counter electrode and a light-shielding layer, with the matrix array substrate and a sealing member interposed therebetween. An opposing substrate disposed in opposition, and a light modulation layer sandwiched between the matrix array substrate and the opposing substrate, wherein the wiring is a window for observing the seal member, or the scanning line and / or the scanning line. Alternatively, the semiconductor device has a pattern that functions as at least one of marks for identifying the address of the signal line.

The flat display device according to the present invention may further comprise a scanning line and a signal line arranged to cross each other, and a pixel electrode disposed at an intersection of the scanning line and the signal line. A switching element connected to a scanning line, the signal line, and the pixel electrode; a scanning line driving circuit arranged at a peripheral portion of a display area where the pixel electrode is arranged, and applying a scanning signal to the scanning line; A signal line driving circuit disposed in the unit for applying a video signal to the signal line; a matrix array substrate having an electrode line for applying a potential to a counter electrode of the counter substrate; and a matrix array substrate electrically connected to the electrode line. The opposing electrode, and a light-shielding layer, the opposing substrate being opposed to the matrix array substrate via a sealing member, and being sandwiched between the matrix array substrate and the opposing substrate. A light modulation layer, and the electrode wiring has a pattern that functions as at least one of a window for observing the seal member and a mark for identifying an address of the scanning line and / or the signal line. It is characterized by.

When the pattern formed on the wiring or the electrode wiring functions as a window for observing the seal member, it is possible to detect a defective seal by observing the application state of the seal member through this window. Further, when the pattern functions as a mark for identifying the address of the scanning line and / or the signal line, it is easier to specify the failure location.

Here, the electrode wiring may be formed of the same material as at least one of the scanning line and the signal line.

Since the electrode wiring is formed of the same material as the scanning line or the signal line, an increase in the number of steps is prevented, the productivity is improved, and the cost can be reduced.

Preferably, the electrode wiring has a multilayer structure including a metal film and a transparent conductive film.

Since the electrode wiring has a multilayer structure,
Even if a pattern is present, an increase in wiring resistance is prevented, and a high-quality device free from display defects is provided.

The transparent conductive film may be formed of the same material as the pixel electrode.

Since the transparent conductive film is formed of the same material as the pixel electrode, the number of steps is not increased, the productivity is improved, and the cost is reduced.

[0025]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

The flat panel display according to the first embodiment of the present invention is an active matrix type liquid crystal display, and comprises a matrix array substrate 2 as shown in FIG.
It comprises the opposing substrate 3 shown in FIG. 6 and a liquid crystal composition sandwiched between these substrates.

The opposing substrate 3 has the same structure as that of the conventional device. A light-shielding layer 6 is formed on a transparent insulating substrate 5 and an opposing electrode 7 for applying a potential to the liquid crystal composition is disposed thereon. Has been established.

The light-shielding layer 6 is provided to improve display sharpness by preventing light leakage between regions other than the image display region or between pixels. For example, the light-shielding layer 6 is formed by laminating a metal material of chromium and chromium oxide. , Formed from organic materials. The counter electrode 7 is formed of a transparent electrode such as an ITO film. The counter electrodes 7 are uniformly arranged in the image display area so that the entire area of the image display area has substantially the same potential. In addition, a color filter made of a color material (not shown) is provided below the counter electrode 7 so as to enable multicolor display.

As shown in FIG. 1, the matrix array substrate 2 has a plurality of signal lines 12 disposed in parallel on a transparent insulating substrate 4 and a plurality of signal lines 12 intersecting the signal lines 12 at a substantially right angle. Are arranged in parallel. Each signal line 12 and scanning line 14 are electrically insulated by an insulating film (not shown).

A signal line driving circuit 13 for applying a video signal to the signal line 12 is electrically connected to one end of the signal line 12, and a scanning signal is applied to the scanning line 14 at one end of the scanning line 14. The scanning line driving circuit 15 to be applied is electrically connected.

A TFT 16 and a pixel electrode 17 are provided at each intersection between the signal line 12 and the scanning line 14. T
The gate of the FT 16 is connected to the corresponding scanning line 14, the drain is connected to the corresponding signal line 12, and the source is connected to the pixel electrode 17. The pixel electrode 17 is formed of a transparent electrode such as an ITO film.

The matrix array substrate 2 is provided with a conductive pad 28 for applying a potential to the counter substrate 3 and an electrode wiring 27. The electrode wiring 27 is formed in the same step as the step in which the signal line 12 and the scanning line 14 are formed.

A seal member 32 is applied so as to surround the periphery of the image display area of the matrix array substrate 2 and is bonded to the counter substrate 3. The potential applied to the opposing substrate 3 is applied to the electrode wiring 27 on the matrix array substrate 2 from outside.
And is sent to the conductive pad 28. Conductive pad 2
The electric potential is supplied to the conductive pad 29 of the counter substrate 3 via a silver paste (not shown) formed on the counter electrode 8, and a potential is supplied to the counter electrode 7.

The device according to the present embodiment is characterized by the electrode wiring 27 on the matrix array substrate 2, and FIG. 2 shows the shape in detail. In the electrode wiring 27,
As a window for observing the application state of the seal member 32, along the wiring direction (the arrangement direction (width direction) of the seal member 32)
The pattern 22 is formed of a plurality of slits which are cut out in a net shape (along the same). The electrode wiring 27 has
A pattern 21 indicating the address of the signal line 12 and / or the scanning line 14 is formed.

As shown in FIG. 3, the electrode wiring 27 is composed of a metal film 35 (for example, a two-layer laminated structure composed of a Mo—W alloy and an Al—Nd alloy) and a transparent conductive film 34 composed of, for example, an ITO film. It is configured. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 4, the electrode wiring 127 is formed of the metal films 35 and 135.
And a transparent conductive film 34 to form a three-layer structure.

As described above, in the flat panel display according to the present embodiment, the pattern 22 functioning as a window for observing the application state of the seal member 32 is formed on the electrode wiring 27. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, even if the seal member 32 and the electrode wiring 27 are vertically overlapped, the application state of the seal member 32 can be observed from the matrix array substrate 2 side. Further, even after the matrix array substrate 4 and the counter substrate 3 are bonded together, the application width of the seal member 32 can be measured. For this reason, when the application width of the seal member 32 is smaller than the standard, or when there is a hole in the seal member 32, it is determined whether or not impurities may enter the liquid crystal composition from the outside and cause display defects. Can be determined.

On the electrode wiring 27 or 127, a pattern 21 for address display of the signal line 12 or the scanning line 14 is formed near the corresponding signal line 12 or the scanning line 14. For this reason, it is easy to specify a failure point in the failure analysis, and the failure analysis time is shortened and the cost can be reduced.

Further, the electrode wiring 27 or 127 is formed in a multilayered structure of two or three layers of the metal film 35 and the transparent conductive film 34. Therefore, pattern 2
Even if 1 and 22 are present, an increase in the wiring resistance of the electrode wiring 27 or 127 is prevented, and the potential of the counter electrode 7 is kept constant. As a result, it is possible to provide a high-quality liquid crystal display device in which display defects are prevented from occurring.

Here, the metal film 3 forming the electrode wiring 27
5 is formed in the same step as the step of forming the signal line 12 and the scanning line 14, and the transparent conductive film 34 is formed in the same step as the pixel electrode 17. Therefore, the number of steps is not increased, the productivity is improved, and a lower cost liquid crystal display device can be provided.

The above-described embodiment is merely an example, and does not limit the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the pattern for observing the application state of the seal member and the pattern for displaying the address of the scanning line and / or the signal line are formed on the electrode wiring for applying a potential to the counter electrode. I have. However, such a pattern may be formed not only on the electrode wiring but also on other wirings arranged so as to vertically overlap the seal member in the peripheral portion of the image display area.

In the above embodiment, an active matrix type liquid crystal display device has been described as an example of a flat display device. However, the present invention is not limited to such a device, but may be applied to a flat display device in general. It can be widely applied.

[0042]

As described above, according to the flat display device of the present invention, the pattern functioning as at least one of the window for observing the seal member and the address display mark of the signal line and / or the scanning line. Is formed on the wiring, it is possible to easily specify a failure location that may cause display failure, and it is possible to provide a low-cost, high-quality device.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a matrix array substrate in an active matrix type liquid crystal display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a configuration of an electrode wiring in the liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a sectional structure of an electrode wiring of the liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 4 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a sectional structure of another electrode wiring of the liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a matrix array substrate in a conventional liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a counter substrate in the liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a structure for supplying a potential from a matrix array substrate to a counter substrate in the liquid crystal display device.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an arrangement of a drive circuit unit on a matrix array substrate in the liquid crystal display device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 matrix array substrate 3 opposing substrate 4, 5, 104 insulating substrate 6 light shielding film 7 opposing electrode 12 signal line 13 signal line driving circuit 14 scanning line 15 scanning line driving circuit 16 TFT 21 pattern (for address display) 22 pattern (sealing member) Observation window) 27, 127 electrode wiring 28, 29 conductive pad 32 sealing member 34 transparent conductive film 35, 135 metal film

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2H089 LA46 NA24 NA38 NA39 QA12 TA02 TA09 TA12 TA13 2H092 GA34 GA38 GA57 GA59 JA24 JB51 NA27 NA28 PA04 PA08 PA09 5C080 AA10 BB05 DD15 DD27 FF11 JJ02 JJ06 5G435 AA09 AE12 BB12 CC FF00 FF13 HH12 KK05 KK09

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A scanning line and a signal line disposed so as to cross each other, a pixel electrode disposed at an intersection of the scanning line and the signal line, and a display region other than a display region in which the pixel electrode is disposed. A matrix array substrate having a wiring disposed in a peripheral portion of the matrix array substrate; a counter substrate having the counter electrode and a light-shielding layer, facing the matrix array substrate via a sealing member; And a light modulation layer sandwiched between the counter substrate, and the wiring is a window for observing the seal member, or a mark for identifying an address of the scanning line and / or the signal line. A flat display device having a pattern functioning as at least one of them. 2. A scanning line and a signal line arranged to cross each other, a pixel electrode arranged at an intersection of the scanning line and the signal line, and a corresponding one of the scanning line, the signal line, and the signal line. A switching element connected to the pixel electrode, a scanning line driving circuit disposed in a peripheral portion of a display area in which the pixel electrode is disposed, and applying a scanning signal to the scanning line; and the signal line disposed in the peripheral portion. A matrix array substrate having a signal line driving circuit for applying a video signal to the substrate, an electrode wiring for applying a potential to a counter electrode of the counter substrate, the counter electrode electrically connected to the electrode wiring, and light shielding. A light modulation layer sandwiched between the matrix array substrate and the counter substrate, the light modulation layer being provided between the matrix array substrate and the counter substrate. Electrode wiring, a window for observing the seal member,
Alternatively, the flat panel display device has a pattern functioning as at least one of a mark for identifying an address of the scanning line and / or the signal line. 3. The flat display device according to claim 1, wherein the electrode wiring is formed of the same material as at least one of the scanning line and the signal line. 4. The electrode wiring according to claim 1, wherein said electrode wiring has a multilayer structure including a metal film and a transparent conductive film.
A flat panel display device according to any one of the above. 5. The flat display device according to claim 4, wherein the transparent conductive film is formed of the same material as the pixel electrode.