JP2005250035A - Electro-optical device and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electro-optical device configured by using a non-linear element as a pixel switching element and eliminating dispersion of a pseudo-capacity component as a parasite with the pixel switching element, and also to provide electronic equipment with such a device. <P>SOLUTION: The pixel-switching element is composed of a lateral MIM element structure formed sequentially laminated in the order of a first conductor 2, an insulator 3 and second conductors 4a and 4b on an element substrate. When the insulator 3 is etched so that the film thickness is thin at the side of a signal line and is thick at the side of a pixel electrode 5, along the direction of the pixel electrode 5 from the signal line LD, it is laminated so as to be run on a barrier layer 3a by the same distance, as going over an insulating layer 3b from the side of the pixel electrode 5 together with the second conductors 4a and 4b. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electro-optical device and an electronic apparatus.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is an active matrix type electro-optical device in which each pixel includes a nonlinear element as a pixel switching element and drives the pixel by turning on and off the nonlinear element. As a non-linear element, an MIM (Metal Insulator Metal) element having a structure in which a first conductor, an insulator, and a second conductor are stacked in this order on an element substrate is known.

  In this type of MIM element, the film thickness of the insulator laminated on the upper surface of the first conductor is made larger than the film thickness of the insulator laminated on the side surface of the first conductor. There is a lateral MIM element in which an insulator stacked on the upper surface of the first conductor is caused to function as a barrier layer having a high electric resistance so that current flows in a concentrated manner only on the side surface of the first conductor. . Since the lateral MIM element uses only the side surface of the first conductor as a nonlinear element, the area of the nonlinear element can be reduced. Therefore, the pixel switching element is extremely effective for increasing the density and definition of the electro-optical device. It is.

  However, the lateral MIM element as described above is a pseudo MIM element that includes a first conductor, an insulator (barrier layer) stacked on the top surface, and a second conductor stacked on the top surface. May be adversely affected and various characteristics required for the original lateral MIM element may be adversely affected. In order to eliminate the influence of the pseudo MIM element, it is necessary to increase the resistance component of the pseudo MIM element portion as much as possible and to reduce the capacitance component. For this purpose, the barrier layer may be made as thick as possible, but if it is made too thick, the step becomes large and processing becomes difficult. For example, when the level difference of the element increases, the tact time of film formation and etching increases, defects such as disconnection at the level difference portion increase, photo alignment becomes difficult, and pattern blurring easily occurs during photo etching. There's a problem.

In order to solve this problem, as a technique for increasing the resistance component of the pseudo MIM element and reducing the capacitance component without increasing the thickness of the barrier layer, the configuration in which a pair of nonlinear elements are provided in series What to do is figured out. According to this configuration, a pseudo MIM element is configured by the barrier layer formed in the first nonlinear element, and the first conductor and the second conductor in contact with the barrier layer. And since the path of the signal passing through the two pseudo MIM elements is connected in series, it passes through the barrier layer twice, and when the thicknesses of both barrier layers are equal, This is equivalent to the case where the film thickness is doubled, the resistance value can be doubled, and the capacitance value can be substantially halved (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-133377

  However, in the step of forming the lateral MIM element, when the insulator and the first conductor are subjected to the dry etching process and patterned, the so-called anisotropic etching process is performed. The upper surface of the body may be etched into a shape having an inclination in one direction.

FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view of a known liquid crystal device using a lateral MIM element as a pixel switching element. As shown in FIG. 11, in the liquid crystal device 90, an insulating film 91a is formed on an element substrate 91, and a first conductor 92, an insulator 93, and a second conductor 94 are formed on the insulating film 91a.
a and 94b constitute a lateral MIM element 95 in which a first conductor 92, an insulator 93, and second conductors 94a and 94b are laminated in this order.

  In the laminated portion of the first conductor 92, the insulator 93, and the second conductor 94a, the side surface of the first conductor 92 and the laminated portion of the insulating layer 93 and the second conductor 94a become the first nonlinear element S1. . Similarly, in the stacked portion of the first conductor 92, the insulator 93, and the second conductor 94b, the side surface of the first conductor 92, the stacked portion of the insulating layer 93, and the second conductor 94b is the second portion. The nonlinear element S2 is obtained. The first nonlinear element S 1 is connected to a signal line for supplying an image signal (not shown), and the second nonlinear element S 2 is connected to the pixel electrode 96. Each of the first and second nonlinear elements S <b> 1 and S <b> 2 is configured to be provided in a pair in series via the first conductor 92.

  The upper surface of the insulator 93 constituting the lateral MIM element 95 configured in this way is not uniform in thickness in the T direction in FIG. Specifically, the film thickness of the insulator 93 gradually increases along the T direction. Each of the first and second nonlinear elements S1 and S2 has an equivalent pseudo resistance component and capacitance component, and the capacitance component is an insulator laminated on the upper surface of the first conductor 92. It depends on the film thickness of 93 (barrier layer). The capacitance component affects the characteristics of the first and second nonlinear elements S1 and S2.

  For this reason, if the film thickness of the insulator 93 (barrier layer) stacked on the upper surface of the first conductor 92 is different for each of the nonlinear elements S1 and S2, the first nonlinear element S1 and the second nonlinear element S2 Therefore, a desired image signal is not applied to the pixel electrode. As a result, there is a problem that the luminance corresponding to the desired image signal is not displayed.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to use a non-linear element as a pixel switching element and eliminate a variation in pseudo capacitance components parasitic on the pixel switching element. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electro-optical device and an electronic apparatus including such an electro-optical device.

  An electro-optical device according to the present invention includes a nonlinear element having a structure in which a first conductor, an insulator, and a second conductor are sequentially stacked, and a pixel electrode that is driven via the nonlinear element. In the device, there are at least two second conductors, and each of the second conductors is laminated on the insulator on one side of the insulator.

  According to this, in a non-linear element having an MIM (Metal Insulator Metal) element structure in which a first conductor, an insulator, and a second conductor are stacked in order, each of the first conductors from the one side direction along the variation direction of the film thickness. Two conductors were stacked on the insulator. Therefore, even when the thickness of the insulator is gradually changed in one direction, the thickness of the insulator immediately below each second conductor is the same. At this time, for example, by making the areas where the second conductors are formed on the insulators the same, it is possible to make all the pseudo capacitance components parasitic on the MIM elements the same. Therefore, for example, in an electro-optical device having a configuration in which a predetermined second conductor is connected to a pixel electrode, a signal having the same level as a signal applied to another second conductor is applied to the predetermined second conductor. To be supplied to the pixel electrode. As a result, it is possible to display the luminance according to the desired signal.

  In this electro-optical device, the thickness of the insulator gradually changes along the one side direction, and each second conductor is formed on the upper surface of the insulator on the thicker side. It was made to be laminated.

  According to this, since the film thickness of the insulator layered immediately below each of the second conductors is thicker than the film thickness of other regions, for example, the insulator layered directly below each of the second conductors In a so-called lateral MIM element used as a barrier layer, the characteristics of the lateral MIM element can be improved.

  In this electro-optical device, the insulator is provided so as to cover an upper surface and a side surface of the first conductor, and the film thickness of the insulator stacked on the upper surface of the first conductor is It is formed thicker than the film thickness of the insulator laminated on the side surface of the first conductor.

  According to this, in the MIM element in which the non-linear element has a lateral MIM element structure, the film thickness laminated on the upper surface of the insulator is thick, so that the characteristics of the non-linear element as the lateral MIM element can be improved.

  In the electro-optical device, each of the nonlinear elements is formed on an element substrate, and includes a counter substrate facing the element substrate. The element substrate and the counter substrate are bonded to each other with a sealant, and the element The electro-optical material is sealed in a region surrounded by the substrate, the counter substrate, and the sealing material.

  The electro-optical device of the present invention includes a nonlinear element having a structure in which a first conductor, an insulator, and a plurality of second conductors are sequentially stacked, and a pixel electrode that is driven via the nonlinear element. In the electro-optical device, the first conductor has a shape surrounded by a plurality of sides, and the plurality of second conductors are on the same side of the plurality of sides of the first conductor. It is opposed to the first conductor via the insulator.

  According to this, in the nonlinear element having an MIM (Metal Insulator Metal) element structure in which a first conductor having a shape surrounded by a plurality of sides, an insulator, and a plurality of second conductors are sequentially stacked, The second conductor faces the first conductor via the insulator on the same side of the plurality of sides of the first conductor. Therefore, even when the film thickness of the insulator gradually changes from the region on one side of the plurality of sides of the first conductor toward the region on the other side, the plurality of second The film thickness of the insulator directly under the conductor is the same. At this time, for example, by making the areas where the plurality of second conductors are formed on the insulators the same, it is possible to make all the pseudo capacitance components parasitic on each MIM element the same. Therefore, for example, in an electro-optical device having a configuration in which a predetermined second conductor is connected to a pixel electrode, a signal having the same level as a signal applied to another second conductor is applied to the predetermined second conductor. To be supplied to the pixel electrode. As a result, it is possible to display the luminance according to the desired signal.

The electronic apparatus of the present invention comprises the above electro-optical device.
According to the electronic apparatus of the present invention, since the electro-optical device is provided, for example, a projection display device, a liquid crystal television, a mobile phone, and an electronic notebook capable of displaying luminance according to a desired signal. Various electronic devices such as a word processor, a viewfinder type or a monitor direct-view type video tape recorder, a workstation, a videophone, a POS terminal, and a touch panel can be realized.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Hereinafter, the electro-optical device according to the invention is applied to an active matrix liquid crystal device.
(First embodiment)
First, the main part of the liquid crystal device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the periphery of the pixel electrode of the liquid crystal device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. 2A is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line a1-a1 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along the line b1-b1 in FIG. 1 and 2 show an active matrix liquid crystal device including a TFD (Thin Film Diode) element (two-terminal nonlinear element) as a pixel switching element.

  In this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, an insulating film 1a made of tantalum oxide (TaOx) or the like is provided on the entire surface of the element substrate 1 made of a light transmissive glass plate or the like. It is. On the insulating film 1a, as shown in FIG. 1, a signal line LD made of a conductive material extending in the vertical direction in the drawing is provided. Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2A and 2B, on the insulating film 1a, a substantially rectangular electrode in a plan view formed of a transparent conductive material such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) is used. A certain pixel electrode 5 and a first conductor 2 (lower electrode) made of tantalum (Ta) having a substantially trapezoidal cross section are provided between the pixel electrode 5 and the signal line LD. Further, the first conductor 2 is disposed near the pixel electrode 5.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the first conductor 2 has a shape surrounded by a plurality of sides. In the present embodiment, it is rectangular or longitudinal in the direction along the signal line LD, and has a substantially uniform width. The first conductor 2 may be not only a rectangle but also other polygons. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, an insulator 3 for forming a non-linear element as a lateral MIM element is laminated on the entire surface of the first conductor 2. The insulator 3 includes a barrier layer 3 a that is thickly stacked on the upper surface of the first conductor 2 and an insulating layer 3 b that is thinly stacked on the side surface of the first conductor 2. Here, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the insulating layer 3 b is formed between the signal conductor LD side (left side in the drawing) and the pixel electrode 5 side (right side in the drawing) of the first conductor 2. A place is formed.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the second conductor 4a (upper electrode) is stacked on the barrier layer 3a of the insulator 3 so as to run over the insulating layer 3b from the pixel electrode 5 side. . As shown in FIG. 2B, the second conductor 4b (upper electrode) is stacked on the barrier layer 3a of the insulator 3 so as to run over the insulating layer 3b from the pixel electrode 5 side. ing. The second conductors 4a and 4b are both stacked on the barrier layer 3a by the same distance. The widths of the second conductors 4a and 4b are the same. Therefore, the areas where the second conductors 4a and 4b run on the barrier layer 3a are equal.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the second conductor 4 a of the second conductors 4 a and 4 b is connected to the pixel electrode 5. One second conductor 4b is connected to the signal line LD to which an image signal is applied.

  In such a structure, as shown in FIG. 2A, the side surface of the first conductor 2 is crossed at the intersecting portion (laminated portion) of the first conductor 2, the insulator 3, and the second conductor 4a. The intersecting portion (laminated portion) of the insulating layer 3b and the second conductor 4a becomes the first nonlinear element S1. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 2 (b), the side surface of the first conductor 2 and the insulating layer 3b at the intersection (stacked portion) of the first conductor 2, the insulator 3, and the second conductor 4b. The intersecting portion (laminated portion) of the second conductor 4b becomes the second nonlinear element S2. That is, each of the first and second nonlinear elements S1 and S2 has a structure in which the insulating layer 3b is sandwiched between the side surface of the first conductor 2 and the second conductors 4a and 4b. It is an element.

  The connection state between the first and second nonlinear elements S1 and S2 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of the pixel electrode switching element including the first conductor 2, the insulator 3, and the second conductors 4a and 4b. Since the first nonlinear element S1 and the second nonlinear element S2 are electrically connected via the first conductor 2 as shown in FIG. 1, they are connected in series.

  When the signal line LD is set to a positive potential and the pixel electrode 5 is set to a negative potential, the current flows in the order of the second conductor 4b → the insulating layer 3b → the first conductor 2 with respect to the second nonlinear element S2. . Further, a current flows through the first nonlinear element S1 in the order of the first conductor 2 → the insulating layer 3b → the second conductor 4a. That is, the direction of the current flowing through the first conductor 2, the insulating layer 3b, and the second conductors 4a and 4b is reversed between the first nonlinear element S1 and the second nonlinear element S2. Here, the current flows easily in the order of the second conductor 4b → the insulating layer 3b → the first conductor 2, and conversely, the current hardly flows in the order of the first conductor 2 → the insulating layer 3b → the second conductor 4b. . Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the first nonlinear element S1 and the second nonlinear element S2 are equivalent to a diode connected in series and in the opposite direction.

  A pseudo nonlinear element is formed in the vicinity of each of the first and second nonlinear elements S1 and S2. For example, a pseudo nonlinear element D1 is formed in the vicinity of the first nonlinear element S1 by the barrier layer 3a and the first conductor 2 and the second conductor 4a in contact with the barrier layer 3a. Similarly, a pseudo nonlinear element D2 is formed in the vicinity of the second nonlinear element S2 by the barrier layer 3a and the first conductor 2 and the second conductor 4b in contact with the barrier layer 3a. The pseudo nonlinear element D1 is equivalent to a resistance component r1 and a capacitance component C1 connected in parallel to the nearby first nonlinear element S1. Similarly, the pseudo nonlinear element D2 is equivalent to a resistance component r2 and a capacitance component C2 connected in parallel to the nearby second nonlinear element S2. As a result, the pixel electrode switching element including the first conductor 2, the insulator 3, and the second conductors 4a and 4b is pseudo-simulated with the first nonlinear element S1 connected in parallel to each other as shown in FIG. The non-linear element D1 is represented by an equivalent circuit connected in series to the second non-linear element S2 and the pseudo non-linear element D2 connected in parallel to each other.

  By the way, in the pixel electrode switching element including the first and second nonlinear elements S1 and S2 of the present embodiment, the upper surface of the barrier layer 3a is in the direction from the signal line LD to the pixel electrode 5, as shown in FIG. In some cases, it is inclined along. For example, in the step of forming the first and second nonlinear elements S1 and S2, the insulator 3 formed on the first conductor 2 is so-called anisotropic along the direction from the signal line LD to the pixel electrode 5. The insulator 3 formed on the first conductor 2 due to the anisotropy when patterning is performed by the etching process is not parallel to the element substrate 1 and is thin on the signal line LD side, and on the pixel electrode 5 side. It may be etched thickly. That is, the film thickness of the barrier layer 3a differs between the signal line LD side and the pixel electrode 5 side. At this time, since the etching process of the insulator 3 is uniformly performed over a wide range, the thickness of the barrier layer 3 a is uniform with respect to the longitudinal direction of the first conductor 2.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the second conductors 4a and 4b are both placed on the barrier layer 3a over the insulating layer 3b from the pixel electrode 5 side by the same distance. Laminated so as to ride. For this reason, the barrier layer 3a immediately below the second conductor 4a and the barrier layer 3a immediately below the second conductor 4b have the same film thickness. That is, the film thickness of the barrier layer 3a sandwiched between the upper surface of the first conductor 2 and the second conductor 4a, and the barrier layer sandwiched between the upper surface of the first conductor 2 and the second conductor 4b. The film thickness of 3a is the same. Moreover, the area which each 2nd conductor 4a, 4b climbed on the barrier layer 3a is equal. Accordingly, the capacitance component C1 of the pseudo first nonlinear element D1 is equal to the capacitance component C2 of the pseudo second nonlinear element D2.

  As a result, even if the upper surface of the barrier layer 3a is inclined along the direction from the signal line LD to the pixel electrode 5, the capacitance component C1 of the pseudo first nonlinear element D1 and the pseudo second Since the capacitance component C2 of the non-linear element D2 can be made equal, the capacity balance between the first non-linear element S1 and the second non-linear element S2 is not lost. In this way, since a signal having the same magnitude as the image signal applied to the signal line LD can be supplied to the pixel electrode 5, the luminance corresponding to the desired image signal can be displayed.

In the present embodiment, the second conductors 4a and 4b are stacked on the insulator 3 from the pixel electrode 5 side where the insulator 3 (barrier layer 3a) is thick. Accordingly, the resistance components r1 and r2 of the first and second nonlinear elements D1 and D2 can be increased correspondingly, so that current leaks to the second conductor 4a through the barrier layer 3a. Absent. As a result, the characteristics of the first and second nonlinear elements D1, D2 as the lateral MIM element can be improved.
(Second Embodiment)
Next, main parts of the liquid crystal device according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing the periphery of the pixel electrode of the liquid crystal device according to the second embodiment of the present invention. 5A is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line a2-a2 in FIG. 4, and FIG. 5B is an enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line b2-b2 in FIG. In the second embodiment, the same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals as those in the first embodiment, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 4, in the pixel electrode switching element of the present embodiment, each of the second conductors 4a and 4b (upper electrodes) crosses the insulating layer 3b from the signal line LD side and the barrier layer of the insulator 3 They are stacked so as to ride on the same distance on 3a, which is different from the configuration of the pixel electrode switching element described in the first embodiment.

  In such a structure, as shown in FIG. 5A, at the intersection (laminated portion) of the first conductor 2, the insulator 3, and the second conductor 4a extending from the signal line LD side, The side surface of the first conductor 2, the intersecting portion (laminated portion) of the insulating layer 3b and the second conductor 4a becomes the first nonlinear element S1. Similarly, as shown in FIG. 5 (b), the side surface of the first conductor 2 and the insulating layer 3b at the intersection (lamination portion) of the first conductor 2, the insulator 3, and the second conductor 4b. The intersecting portion (laminated portion) of the second conductor 4b extending from the signal line LD side becomes the second nonlinear element S2. That is, each of the first and second nonlinear elements S1 and S2 has a structure in which the insulating layer 3b is sandwiched between the side surface of the first conductor 2 and the second conductors 4a and 4b. It is an element. Similarly to the first embodiment, the upper surface of the barrier layer 3a is formed to be inclined from the signal line LD along the direction of the pixel electrode 5 by etching or the like.

  In such a configuration, in the present embodiment, the second conductors 4a and 4b are stacked so as to run on the insulator 3 by the same distance from the signal line LD side. Therefore, even if the upper surface of the insulator 3 is formed to be inclined along the direction of the pixel electrode 5 from the signal line LD, the barrier layer 3a immediately below the second conductor 4a and the barrier layer immediately below the second conductor 4b. The film thickness of 3a can be made equal, and the area which each 2nd conductor 4a, 4b covers the barrier layer 3a can be made equal.

As a result, also in the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the capacitance component C1 of the pseudo first nonlinear element D1 and the capacitance component C2 of the pseudo second nonlinear element D2 can be made equal. Therefore, a signal having the same magnitude as the image signal applied to the signal line LD can be supplied to the pixel electrode 5. Accordingly, it is possible to display the luminance corresponding to the desired image signal.
(Production method)
Next, a method for manufacturing the peripheral portion of the pixel electrode switching element, which is the main part of the liquid crystal device according to the first and second embodiments, will be described. In this manufacturing method, only the method for manufacturing the pixel electrode switching element of the first embodiment will be described. 6A to 6E are diagrams showing manufacturing steps of the pixel electrode switching element according to the first embodiment.

  First, as shown in FIG. 6A, the insulating film 1a is formed on the entire surface of the light-transmitting element substrate 1 such as glass, and then the first conductor 2 is formed on the insulating film 1a. The conductive film 2a is formed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, an insulating film 3c for forming the insulator 3 is formed on the entire surface of the conductive film 2a. Thereafter, the insulating film 3c and the conductive film 2a are patterned by dry etching to form the island-shaped first conductor 2 and the insulating film 3c (see FIG. 6C). At this time, since the dry etching is a so-called anisotropic etching process in which etching is gradually performed from the signal line LD side to the pixel electrode 5 side, the insulating film 3c as shown in FIG. 6 has a trapezoidal shape with a slope that gradually increases in thickness from the left side (signal line LD side) in FIG. 6 toward the right side (pixel electrode 5 side) in FIG.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6D, both side surfaces 2A and 2B of the first conductor 2 are anodized to form an insulating layer 3b on the side surfaces 2A and 2B. Since this insulating layer 3b is formed by anodic oxidation, its film thickness can be made much thinner than that of the insulating film 3c. The insulating film 3c formed on the conductive film 2a corresponds to the barrier layer 3a. The insulator 3 is formed by the barrier layer 3a and the insulating layer 3b.

  Subsequently, a conductive thin film is formed over the insulating film 1a and the insulator 3, and then patterned to form the insulating layer 3b from the pixel electrode 5 side to the signal line LD side as shown in FIG. 6 (e). The second conductors 4a and 4b are formed so as to ride over the same distance until reaching the barrier layer 3a.

  In addition, a pixel electrode 5 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view formed of a transparent conductive material such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), for example, on the insulating film 1a and in the vicinity of the first conductor 2 is disposed on the second conductor. It forms so that it may connect to 4a.

The side surface 2A of the first conductor 2, the insulating layer 3b, and the second conductor 4a at the intersection (stacked portion) of the first conductor 2, the insulator 3, and the second conductor 4a formed in this way. The intersecting portion (laminated portion) becomes the first nonlinear element S1 having a lateral MIM element structure.
(Configuration of liquid crystal device)
Next, an example of the overall configuration of a liquid crystal device to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an electrical configuration of a liquid crystal device LCD which is an example of an electro-optical device to which the present invention is applied. The liquid crystal device shown in FIG. 7 is an active matrix driving type liquid crystal device using pixel electrode switching elements constituted by the nonlinear elements S1 and S2 of the first and second embodiments. As shown in FIG. 7, this liquid crystal device is provided at each intersection of a plurality of scanning lines 25 extending in the X direction, a plurality of signal lines LD extending in the Y direction, and the scanning lines 25 and the signal lines LD. Pixel 50. Here, the signal line LD is electrically connected to the second conductor 4b of each of the above embodiments.

  Among the plurality of scanning lines 25, the odd-numbered scanning lines 25 (hereinafter simply referred to as “odd-numbered scanning lines”) counted from the top in FIG. 7 are connected to the first Y driver IC 401. 7, the even-numbered scanning lines 25 (hereinafter simply referred to as “even-numbered scanning lines”) are connected to the second Y driver IC 402. The scanning signals generated by these Y driver ICs 401 and 402 are supplied to each scanning line 25. In the following description, the first Y driver IC 401 and the second Y driver IC 402 are simply referred to as “Y driver IC” when it is not necessary to distinguish between them. Then, the scanning signal generated by the Y driver IC is supplied to each scanning line 25, so that the plurality of scanning lines 25 are sequentially selected.

Each of the plurality of signal lines LD is connected to an X driver IC 41, and an image signal generated by the X driver IC 41 is supplied. On the other hand, each of the plurality of pixels 50 arranged in a matrix corresponds to one of R (red), G (green), and B (blue). Each pixel 50 has a configuration in which a liquid crystal display element 51 and a pixel electrode switching element 13 are connected in series. Here, the pixel electrode switching element 13 is the first of the above embodiments.
This corresponds to the first and second nonlinear elements S1 and S2 including the conductor 2, the insulator 3, and the second conductors 4a and 4b. The electrode of the liquid crystal display element 51 corresponds to the pixel electrode 5 of each of the above embodiments.

  Next, FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration when the present liquid crystal device is viewed from the back side (that is, the side opposite to the side where the observer should be positioned). As shown in FIG. 8, the negative direction of the X axis is defined as “A side” and the positive direction is defined as “B side”. As shown in FIG. 8, in the present liquid crystal device, an element substrate 1 and a counter substrate (another substrate) 20 facing each other are bonded together by a sealing material 30 and surrounded by both the substrates 1, 20 and the sealing material 30. A liquid crystal (not shown in FIG. 8) that is an electro-optical material is sealed in the region. The sealing material 30 is formed in a substantially rectangular frame shape along the edge of the counter substrate 20, but has a shape in which a part is opened to enclose the liquid crystal. For this reason, the opening is sealed with the sealing material 31 after the liquid crystal is sealed.

  The sealing material 30 has a large number of conductive particles dispersed therein. The conductive particles are, for example, plastic particles plated with metal or conductive resin particles. The conductive particles are electrically connected to each other on the element substrate 1 and the counter substrate 20. It also functions as a spacer that keeps the gap (cell gap) between the substrates 1 and 20 constant. In practice, a deflection plate for deflecting incident light, a phase difference plate for compensating for interference colors, and the like are appropriately attached to the outer surfaces of the element substrate 1 and the counter substrate 20.

  The element substrate 1 and the counter substrate 20 are light-transmitting plate-like base materials such as glass, quartz, and plastic. Among these, the signal lines LD described above are formed on the inner surface (opposite substrate 20 side) surface of the element substrate 1 located on the observation side, while the inner side (element substrate 1 side) of the counter substrate 20 located on the back side. A plurality of scanning lines 25 are formed on the surface. In addition, the element substrate 1 has a region 10a outside the sealing material 30 (that is, a region not facing the sealing material 30 and the liquid crystal, hereinafter referred to as “edge region”) 10a. The X driver IC 41 is located near the center of the edge region 10a in the X direction, and the first Y driver IC 401 and the second Y driver IC 402 are located on both sides of the X driver IC 41, respectively. It is implemented using. That is, each of these driver ICs 41, 401, 402 is mounted on the element substrate 1 through an anisotropic conductive film (ACF) in which conductive particles are dispersed in an adhesive. Further, a plurality of pads 17 are formed in the vicinity of the edge of the element substrate 1 in the edge region 10a, and one end of a flexible substrate (not shown) is bonded in the vicinity of the portion where the pads 17 are formed. . An external device such as a circuit board is connected to the other end of the flexible board.

With this configuration, the X driver IC 41 generates an image signal according to a signal input from an external device via the flexible board and the pad 17 and outputs the image signal to the signal line LD. On the other hand, the Y driver ICs 401 and 402 generate and output a scanning signal in accordance with a signal input from an external device via the flexible substrate and the pad 17. This scanning signal is transmitted from the routing wiring 16 formed on the element substrate 1 to the counter substrate 20 side through the conductive particles in the sealing material 30, and is applied to each scanning line 25 on the counter substrate 20.
(Electronics)
FIG. 9 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating an example in which the electro-optical device according to the invention is applied to a display unit of a mobile personal computer. As shown in FIG. 9, the personal computer 60 includes a main body 62 including a keyboard 61 and a display unit 63 including the liquid crystal device.

The liquid crystal device of the above embodiment is not limited to the personal computer 60, and for example, an electronic book, a mobile phone, a digital still camera, a liquid crystal television, a viewfinder type or a monitor direct view type video tape recorder, a car navigation device, a pager, an electronic Notebook, calculator, word processor, projection display device, workstation, videophone, POS terminal, touch panel, display device using a digital micromirror device (DMD), display device using an electron-emitting device (FED) or SED (Surface) -It can use suitably as an image display means of various electronic devices, such as -Construction Electron-Emitter Display, and can display with the brightness | luminance according to a desired signal in any electronic device.

  The electro-optical device described in the claims corresponds to the liquid crystal device LCD in this embodiment. The electronic device described in the claims corresponds to the personal computer 60 in the present embodiment.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be appropriately changed without departing from the spirit or concept of the invention that can be read from the claims and the entire specification. Electronic devices are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

In addition, embodiment of invention is not limited to the said embodiment, You may implement as follows.
In each of the above embodiments, when the insulator 3 is etched so that its film thickness is thin from the signal line LD side to the pixel electrode 5 along the direction from the signal line LD to the pixel electrode 5, The two conductors 4a and 4b are both laminated on the barrier layer 3a from the pixel electrode 5 side or the signal line LD side. Instead, when the film thickness of the insulator 3 is etched along the longitudinal direction of the signal line LD, the second conductors 4a and 4b are both placed on the barrier layer 3a along the longitudinal direction of the signal line LD. You may make it laminate | stack. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the formation positions of the second conductors 4a and 4b when the film thickness of the insulator 3 is etched along the longitudinal direction of the signal line LD. Even in such a case, the same effects as those of the above embodiments can be obtained. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, when the thickness of the barrier layer 3a varies along a predetermined direction due to etching or the like, both the second conductors 4a and 4b are attached from the same side along the predetermined direction. What is necessary is just to laminate | stack on the barrier layer 3a only the same distance.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the periphery of a pixel electrode of the liquid crystal device according to the first embodiment. (A) is an expanded sectional view of line a1-a1 in FIG. 1, (b) is an enlarged sectional view of line b1-b1 in FIG. It is a circuit diagram which shows the equivalent circuit of the switching element for pixel electrodes which consists of the 1st conductor 2, the insulator 3, and 2nd conductor 4a, 4b. It is a top view which shows the periphery of the pixel electrode of the liquid crystal device which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. (A) is an expanded sectional view of line a2-a2 of FIG. 4, (b) is an enlarged sectional view of line b2-b2 of FIG. (A), (b), (c), (d), and (e) are figures which show the manufacturing process of the switching element for pixel electrodes of 1st Embodiment, respectively. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electrical configuration of a liquid crystal device that is an example of an electro-optical device to which the present invention is applied. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure at the time of seeing a liquid crystal device from the back side. 1 is a perspective configuration diagram illustrating an example in which an electro-optical device according to the present invention is applied to a display unit of a mobile personal computer. It is a figure for demonstrating the formation position of each 2nd conductor when the film thickness of an insulator is etched along the longitudinal direction of a signal wire | line. It is a partial cross section figure of a well-known liquid crystal device.

Explanation of symbols

  LCD: liquid crystal device as an electro-optical device, S1, S2: nonlinear element, 1 ... element substrate, 2 ... first conductor, 3 ... insulator, 4a, 4b ... second conductor, 5 ... pixel electrode, 20 ... Counter substrate, 30... Sealing material, 60... Mobile personal computer as an electronic device.

Claims (6)

A nonlinear element having a structure in which a first conductor, an insulator, and a second conductor are sequentially laminated;
In an electro-optical device having a pixel electrode driven through the nonlinear element,
There are at least two second conductors,
Each of the second conductors is stacked on the insulator on one side of the insulator. The electro-optical device according to claim 1.
The insulator has a thickness that gradually changes from the one side to the other side,
The electro-optical device, wherein each of the second conductors is stacked on an upper surface of the insulator on the thicker side. The electro-optical device according to claim 1,
The insulator is provided so as to cover an upper surface and a side surface of the first conductor,
The insulator stacked on the top surface of the first conductor is formed thicker than the insulator stacked on the side surface of the first conductor. Electro-optic device. The electro-optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Each nonlinear element is formed on an element substrate,
An opposing substrate opposite to the element substrate, the element substrate and the opposing substrate being bonded together by a sealing material, and an electro-optical material in a region surrounded by the element substrate and the opposing substrate and the sealing material An electro-optical device characterized in that the structure is enclosed. In an electro-optical device having a nonlinear element having a structure in which a first conductor, an insulator, and a plurality of second conductors are sequentially stacked, and a pixel electrode driven via the nonlinear element,
The first conductor has a shape surrounded by a plurality of sides,
The plurality of second conductors are opposed to the first conductor via the insulator on the same side of the plurality of sides of the first conductor. apparatus. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 1.

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