JP2001337216A - Method for manufacturing array substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To form a contact hole with good contact characteristics in a color filter layer on an array substrate in a short time and to obtain an array substrate with stable quality at a low cost. SOLUTION: After a color filter layer 27 is formed by coloring a resin layer 30, the region of the color filter layer 27 except for the contact hole region 32 is exposed to light. The color filter layer 27 is developed to remove the unexposed contact hole region 32 to form the contact hole 28 in the array substrate 10.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing an array substrate having a pixel electrode formed above a color filter.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, an array substrate having matrix-shaped pixel electrodes has been developed in order to prevent a decrease in aperture ratio with the increase in definition and density of pixels of a liquid crystal display device that displays a color image using a color filter. An array substrate of a color filter on array type in which a color filter layer is formed on the side has been developed.

In this color filter on array type array substrate, a thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as T
Abbreviated as FT. ) On an insulating substrate having
An operation of applying an organic insulating film colored in each of the three primary colors such as B (red, green, blue) or Y, M, C (yellow, magenta, cyan) and forming it in a stripe shape by a photolithography process is performed for each color. Each time, the color filter layer was formed three times. Then, after a contact hole is formed in the color filter layer, a pixel electrode made of indium tin oxide (hereinafter referred to as ITO) is formed as a pattern thereon, and the pixel electrode and the TFT are electrically connected through the contact hole. Thus, an array substrate was formed.

However, in the above method, the photolithography process must be repeated three times for each color in order to form a color filter layer, which requires a long manufacturing time, resulting in poor productivity and increased cost. There was a problem of inviting.

For this reason, in order to reduce the number of photolithography steps, a colorant such as three primary color dyes is applied to a resin layer formed on an array substrate by an ink jet method to color the resin layer in a stripe shape. A method has been proposed in which a contact hole is formed by dry etching in a single photolithography step, and a pixel electrode made of ITO is formed on the contact hole.

[0006]

However, when a contact hole is formed by the above dry etching,
There has been a phenomenon that the colored member remains as a residue on the contact surface, or an organic insulator, which is a resin layer material, adheres to the contact surface due to reattachment of the removed resin layer.

When the pixel electrode is patterned in this state, the contact resistance increases, or even if the contact resistance is not high, the contact characteristics are reduced, such as the display characteristics are deteriorated in a short period of time in a reliability test. This causes a problem of lowering reliability. In addition, the formation of contact holes by dry etching requires a long etching processing time, and still requires a long time for manufacturing.
There was also a problem that it hindered cost reduction.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-mentioned problems, and efficiently forms a contact hole on a color filter layer without requiring a long time, obtains good contact characteristics, and is inexpensive and stable in quality. It is an object of the present invention to provide a method of manufacturing an array substrate which can realize the above-mentioned array substrate.

[0009]

According to the present invention, as a means for solving the above-mentioned problems, there is provided a method of forming a resin layer which selectively exhibits water repellency by irradiating energy on an insulating substrate having switching elements. A step of selectively irradiating energy to the resin layer to form a water-repellent portion and a non-water-repellent portion, and applying a coloring agent to the non-water-repellent portion of the resin layer to form a colored layer. A third step of forming, and irradiating the resin layer with energy except for the contact hole region in order to make a part of the water repellent portion a contact hole region;
A fifth step of removing the resin layer in the contact hole region;
And a sixth step of pattern-forming a pixel electrode connected to the switching element via the contact hole.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention provides a first step of forming a resin layer which selectively exhibits water repellency by irradiating energy on an insulating substrate having switching elements; A second step of selectively irradiating the layer with energy to form a water-repellent portion and a non-water-repellent portion, and a third step of applying a coloring agent to the non-water-repellent portion of the resin layer to form a colored layer. A step, after the third step, a seventh step of covering the resin layer with a protective resin layer, and a part of the water-repellent portion and a part of the protective resin layer covering the water-repellent portion. A ninth step of irradiating the resin layer and the protective resin layer with energy except for the contact hole region to remove the resin layer and the protective resin layer in the contact hole region. And the contact It is intended to carry out a tenth step of patterning the pixel electrode connected to the switching element via Lumpur.

With such a structure, the present invention can easily and reliably form a contact hole in a color filter layer in a short time without performing dry etching which requires a long time and performing only one development operation after exposure. To obtain an array substrate of low cost and good quality.

[0012]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a part of the array substrate 10, and FIG.
It is sectional drawing along the line. A plurality of scanning lines 12 and auxiliary capacitance lines 13 are arranged on a glass substrate 11 of the array substrate 10, and a plurality of signal lines 14 are arranged so as to intersect these lines. In the vicinity of the intersection between the scanning line 12 and the signal line 14,
A TFT 16 serving as a switching element is provided, and drives a pixel electrode 17 composed of ITO arranged in a matrix in a region surrounded by the scanning line 12 and the signal line 14.

The TFT 16 has a gate electrode 18 integral with the scanning line 12, and a semiconductor layer 21 is formed above the gate electrode 18 via a gate insulating film 20. A source electrode 22 connected to the pixel electrode 17 and a drain electrode 23 formed integrally with the signal line 14 are provided on the semiconductor layer 21. 24 is a surface protective film.

Above the TFT 16 and the signal line 14, a resin layer made of a negative resist type acrylic copolymer resin containing a photosensitive material is colored in three primary colors of R, G, B (red, green, blue). A filter layer 27 is formed. The pixel electrode 17 formed on the color filter layer 27 is electrically connected to the source electrode 22 of the TFT 16 via the contact hole 28 formed in the color filter layer 27 on the auxiliary capacitance line 13. The pattern is formed so as to be electrically connected.

Next, referring to FIG. 3 and FIG.
A method of manufacturing a contact hole 28 provided in the color filter layer 27 for electrically connecting the pixel electrode 17 to the source electrode 22 on the pixel 0 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4A, first, a TFT (not shown) is formed on a glass substrate 11.
Is formed, a resin layer 30 made of a negative resist-based acrylic copolymer resin containing a photosensitive material is applied to the resin layer 30 by spin coating.
The first step is carried out by coating to a thickness of μm.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4B, a region parallel to the signal line 14 is exposed using a photomask (not shown), and a striped ink water-repellent layer 31 is formed in the resin layer 30. After the second step of forming the ink-repellent layer 3 is performed using, for example, an inkjet method as shown in FIG.
A third step of selectively discharging and coloring a colorant containing R, G, and B (red, green, and blue) dyes on the resin layer 30 except for the color filter layer 27 to form the color filter layer 27 is performed. I do. Further, a fourth step of performing heat treatment on the color filter layer 27 and curing the color filter layer 27 is performed. Heat treatment at 100 ℃ on hot plate
For 2 minutes.

Next, as shown in FIG. 4D, a second exposure is performed on a region except the contact hole region 32 of the color filter layer 27 using a photomask (not shown). Thereafter, the color filter layer 27 is immersed in a developing solution,
As shown in (e), a fifth step of removing the contact hole region 32, which is the unexposed portion of the color filter layer 27, and forming a contact hole 28 exposing the source electrode 22 of the TFT 16 is performed. Finally, as shown in FIG. 4F, a sixth step of patterning the pixel electrode 17 made of ITO through the contact hole 28 is performed, and the pixel electrode 17 is electrically contacted with the source electrode 22 of the TFT 16. Thus, the array substrate 10 is completed.

When the contact resistance between the pixel electrode 17 and the source electrode 22 of the array substrate 10 formed as described above was measured, the resistance was sufficiently small, and the display characteristics did not deteriorate even in the reliability test without the color filter. It was equivalent to the array substrate.

With this structure, the resin layer 30 is exposed twice without performing dry etching, and then immersed in a developing solution. A contact hole 28 having good contact characteristics can be easily formed in the filter layer 27 in a short time. Therefore, an array substrate 10 of stable quality can be easily obtained at a low price, and the cost of a high-definition liquid crystal display device can be reduced.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that a protective film is formed on the surface of the color filter before the second exposure of the resin layer is performed. The other components are the same as those of the first embodiment. Therefore, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6A, first, a TFT (not shown) is formed on a glass substrate 11.
Is formed, a resin layer 30 made of a negative resist-based acrylic copolymer resin containing a photosensitive material is applied to the resin layer 30 by spin coating.
The first step is carried out by coating to a thickness of μm. Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, a second step of exposing a region parallel to the signal line 14 to form a striped ink water-repellent layer 31 in the resin layer 30 is performed. As shown in (c), a colorant containing R, G, and B (red, green, and blue) dyes is selectively discharged to the resin layer 30 except for the ink water-repellent layer 31 by using an inkjet method. A third step of coloring and forming the color filter layer 27 is performed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6D, a seventh step of applying a protective resin layer 33 made of a negative resist acrylic copolymer resin containing a photosensitive material on the color filter layer 27 is performed. I do. Further, an eighth step of performing heat treatment on the color filter layer 27 and the protective resin layer 33 to cure the color filter layer 27 and the protective resin layer 33 is performed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 6E, a region excluding the contact hole region 32 of the color filter layer 27 and the protective resin layer 33 is exposed. Thereafter, the color filter layer 27 and the protective resin layer 33 are immersed in a developing solution to
A ninth step of removing the contact hole region 32 which is an unexposed portion of the color filter layer 27 and the protective resin layer 33 to form a contact hole 34 exposing the source electrode 22 of the TFT 16 as shown in FIG. Is carried out. Finally, as shown in FIG. 6G, a tenth step of patterning the pixel electrode 17 made of ITO through the contact hole 34 is performed, and the pixel electrode 17 is electrically contacted with the source electrode 22 of the TFT 16. Thus, the array substrate 36 is completed.

When the contact resistance between the pixel electrode 17 and the source electrode 22 of the array substrate 36 thus formed was measured, it was sufficiently small as in the first embodiment, and the display characteristics were not deteriorated. Was equivalent to an array substrate having no.

With this configuration, as in the first embodiment, the resin layer 30 and the protective resin layer 33 are exposed and then immersed in a developing solution, so that the resin layer remains or adheres to the contact surface. This makes it possible to easily form a contact hole with good contact characteristics in a short time without causing a problem, and to easily obtain a low-price, stable array substrate of high quality, thereby reducing the cost of a high-definition liquid crystal display device. It is possible to aim. Further, by coating the protective resin layer 33 on the color filter 27, the color filter 27 does not come into direct contact with the outside air at the time of development and does not come into direct contact with the developing solution at the time of development. In addition, the color tone of the color filter 27 can be kept clear without deterioration of color due to deterioration due to moisture. Therefore, by using such an array substrate for a liquid crystal display device, clear color display can be easily obtained.

The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, but can be changed without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the material and thickness of the resin layer are not limited. The colorant for coloring the resin layer may be Y, M, C (yellow, magenta, cyan) or the like.

[0027]

As described above, according to the present invention, the resin layer formed on the insulating substrate is simply developed after being exposed, without performing the dry etching requiring a long time.
It is possible to form a contact hole with good contact characteristics without any residue or reattachment in a short time. Therefore, an array substrate of stable quality can be easily obtained at a low price, and a low-cost, high-definition and clear color liquid crystal display device can be provided.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a partial schematic plan view showing an array substrate according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the array substrate according to the first embodiment of the present invention, taken along line XX ′ of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a partial schematic plan view showing contact holes formed on the array substrate according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 shows a method of forming a contact hole along the line AA ′ in FIG. 3 showing the array substrate according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and (a) shows a state where the resin layer is applied;
(B) shows a state in which the ink water-repellent layer is formed,
(C) shows a state in which the color filter layer is formed,
(D) shows the second exposure state of the resin layer, and (e)
Is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which a contact hole is formed in the resin layer, and (f) is a schematic explanatory view showing a state in which the pixel electrode is pattern-formed.

FIG. 5 is a partial schematic plan view showing contact holes formed on an array substrate according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 shows a contact hole forming method along the line BB ′ of FIG. 5 showing the array substrate according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and (a) shows a state where the resin layer is applied;
(B) shows a state in which the ink water-repellent layer is formed,
(C) shows a state in which the color filter layer is formed,
(D) shows a state in which the protective resin layer is applied,
(E) shows an exposure state of the resin layer and the protective resin layer, (f) shows a state in which a contact hole is formed in the resin layer and the protective resin layer, and (g) shows a pattern formation of the pixel electrode. FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram showing a state in which the state has been performed.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Array substrate 11 ... Glass substrate 12 ... Scanning line 13 ... Storage capacitance line 14 ... Signal line 16 ... TFT 17 ... Pixel electrode 18 ... Gate electrode 21 ... Semiconductor layer 22 ... Source electrode 23 ... Drain electrode 27 ... Color filter layer 28 ... Contact hole 30 ... Resin layer 31 ... Ink water-repellent layer

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G09F 9/00 346 G09F 9/30 349A 9/30 349 G02F 1/136 500 (72) Inventor Nobuyoshi Omoto 7-1-1 Nisshin-cho, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki City, Kanagawa Prefecture F-term (reference) 2H048 BA43 BA48 BA64 BB02 BB44 2H091 FA02Y FB04 FC22 FC23 FC25 FC26 FD04 FD05 GA02 GA13 LA12 2H092 JA26 JA46 JB05 JB56 JB69 KB25 MA10 MA10 NA11 NA27 PA08 5C094 AA43 AA44 BA03 BA43 CA19 CA24 EA04 EA07 ED02 5G435 AA17 BB12 CC09 CC12 GG12 KK05 KK09

Claims (8)

[Claims] A first step of forming a resin layer that selectively exhibits water repellency by irradiating energy on an insulating substrate having a switching element; and a water repellent section by selectively irradiating energy to the resin layer. A second step of forming a colored layer by applying a coloring agent to the non-water-repellent part of the resin layer; and contacting a part of the water-repellent part. A fifth step of irradiating the resin layer with energy except for the contact hole area to remove the resin layer in the contact hole area to form a hole area, and connecting to the switching element via the contact hole. And a sixth step of patterning the pixel electrodes. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the resin layer is made of a negative resist acrylic copolymer resin containing a photosensitive material. 3. The method for manufacturing an array substrate according to claim 1, wherein after the third step is completed, the resin layer is cured by heat treatment. 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein, in the fifth step, after the energy irradiation, the resin layer is developed with a developer to remove the resin layer in the contact hole region that is not irradiated with the energy. A method for manufacturing an array substrate according to claim 3. 5. A first step of forming a resin layer that selectively exhibits water repellency by irradiating energy on an insulating substrate having a switching element, and a water repellent portion by selectively irradiating energy to the resin layer. A second step of forming a colored layer by applying a coloring agent to the non-water-repellent part of the resin layer; and a step of forming the colored layer by completing the third step. A seventh step of coating the layer with a protective resin layer, and a part of the water-repellent part and a part of the protective resin layer covering the water-repellent part as a contact hole region,
A ninth step of irradiating the resin layer and the protective resin layer with energy except for the contact hole region to remove the resin layer and the protective resin layer in the contact hole region; And forming a pixel electrode connected to the switching element in a pattern. 6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the resin layer and the protective resin layer are made of a negative resist acrylic copolymer resin containing a photosensitive material. 7. The method according to claim 5, wherein after completion of the seventh step, the resin layer and the protective resin layer are cured by heat treatment. . 8. In the ninth step, after irradiating the energy, the resin layer and the protective resin layer are developed with a developer, and the resin layer and the protective resin in the contact hole region not irradiated with the energy are developed. The method for manufacturing an array substrate according to any one of claims 5 to 7, wherein the layer is removed.