JP2019082522A - Liquid crystal display device - Google Patents

Abstract

To prevent a lateral shift of a TFT substrate and a counter substrate.SOLUTION: There is provided a liquid crystal display device configured such that a liquid crystal is sandwiched between a first substrate 100 and a second substrate 200, therein a thin film transistor and an organic passivation film 108 covering the thin film transistor and a pixel electrode 111 are formed on the first substrate, and the organic passivation film has a flat part and a through-hole 130 for connecting the pixel electrode to the thin film transistor, and a light shielding film 202 and a first spacer 60 and a second spacer 70 are formed on the second substrate, and the first spacer is positioned at the flat part of the organic passivation film, and a part of the second spacer is disposed so as to be brought into contact with a side wall part in the through-hole.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device which copes with a display device and measures a phenomenon in which a spacer scrapes an alignment film due to a lateral displacement of a substrate.

  In a liquid crystal display device, a TFT substrate on which pixel electrodes, thin film transistors (TFTs) and the like are formed in a matrix, and a TFT substrate are disposed opposite to each other, and a liquid crystal is sandwiched between the TFT substrate and the opposite substrate. . An image is formed by controlling the light transmittance of liquid crystal molecules for each pixel.

  When the thickness of the liquid crystal layer between the TFT substrate and the counter substrate changes, it causes uneven color. Columnar spacers are used to keep the distance between the TFT substrate and the counter substrate constant. Columnar spacers are generally formed on the opposing substrate. The columnar spacers contact the TFT substrate in a normal state to define the distance between the substrates, and the contact between the opposing substrate and the TFT substrate when any pressure is applied to the opposing substrate causes the distance between the substrates to be excessive. There is a sub-columnar spacer to prevent it from becoming smaller.

  Patent Document 1 describes a liquid crystal display device capable of adjusting the repulsive force according to the magnitude of the external pressure applied to the counter substrate by bringing the sub-columnar spacer into contact with the inner wall of the through hole. ing.

JP, 2009-069391, A

  Recently, an input method has been increasing by touching the opposite substrate of the liquid crystal display device with a finger or the like. In a liquid crystal display device of such a type, usually, the distance between the substrates is maintained by main columnar spacers (hereinafter referred to as main spacers), and the height is lower than that of the main spacers when pressure is applied to the opposite substrate by touch operation. Sub-columnar spacers (hereinafter referred to as sub-spacers) are in contact with the TFT substrate side.

  When the touch operation is performed, the main substrate or the sub spacer may be laterally offset at the touched portion and its periphery because the opposing substrate is bent. The amount of lateral displacement is larger with the main spacer.

  On the other hand, an alignment film for initially aligning the liquid crystal is formed on the surface in contact with the liquid crystal inside the TFT substrate and the opposite substrate. When the main spacer or sub spacer causes lateral displacement on the TFT substrate, the alignment film is scraped. When the shavings of the alignment film mix in the liquid crystal, they cause bright spots.

  An object of the present invention is to prevent lateral displacement between the TFT substrate and the opposing substrate when pressure is applied to the opposing substrate, etc., to prevent abrasion of the alignment film, and to prevent screen defects.

  The present invention overcomes the above problems, and the specific means are as follows.

  (1) A liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is sandwiched between a first substrate and a second substrate, and a thin film transistor, an organic passivation film covering the thin film transistor, and a pixel electrode are formed on the first substrate. The organic passivation film has a flat portion and a through hole for connecting the pixel electrode and the thin film transistor, and the light shielding film, the first spacer, and the second spacer are provided on the second substrate. The first spacer is located on the flat portion of the organic passivation film, and a portion of the second spacer is disposed in contact with the side wall portion in the through hole. Liquid crystal display device.

  (2) A liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is held between a first substrate and a second substrate, and a thin film transistor, an organic passivation film covering the thin film transistor, and a pixel electrode are formed on the first substrate. The organic passivation film has a flat portion and a through hole for connecting the pixel electrode and the thin film transistor, and the light shielding film, the first spacer, and the second spacer are provided on the second substrate. The first spacer is located on the flat portion of the organic passivation film, and the sidewall of the second spacer is a first portion and a second portion between the first portion and the second substrate. And an angle formed between the side surface of the first portion and the main surface of the second substrate, as viewed in cross section, between the side surface of the second portion and the main surface of the second substrate Smaller than the angle formed and viewed in a plane Said central portion position of the second spacer, a liquid crystal display device characterized by being arranged together with the central position of the through hole.

1 is a plan view of a liquid crystal display to which the present invention is applied. It is sectional drawing of the display area of a liquid crystal display device. It is other sectional drawing of the display area of a liquid crystal display device. It is sectional drawing which shows the characteristic of the liquid crystal display device of this invention. It is other sectional drawing which shows the characteristic of the liquid crystal display device of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the problem of a liquid crystal display device. It is sectional drawing of the liquid crystal display which shows the effect | action of this invention. It is a perspective view of a side shift prevention spacer. It is sectional drawing of a side shift prevention spacer. It is a top view of the display area of the liquid crystal display device by this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of a side shift prevention spacer. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing Example 2; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of Example 2; FIG. 7 is a view showing a lateral displacement preventing spacer of Example 2; FIG. 18 is a view showing another example of the anti-slip spacer of Example 2; FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing Example 3; FIG. 14 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of Example 3; FIG. 16 is a plan view of a display area of Example 3; FIG. 21 is a plan view of a display area showing an example of Example 4; FIG. 21 is a plan view of a display area showing another example of the fourth embodiment.

  Hereinafter, the contents of the present invention will be described using examples.

  FIG. 1 is a plan view of a liquid crystal display device to which the present invention is applied. In FIG. 1, a TFT substrate 100 and an opposite substrate 200 are bonded by a sealing material 40, and liquid crystal is held between the TFT substrate 100 and the opposite substrate 200. The TFT substrate 100 is formed larger than the counter substrate 200, and a portion where the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200 do not overlap with each other is a terminal portion 30. An IC driver 31 for driving a liquid crystal display panel is mounted on the terminal portion 30, and a terminal for connecting a flexible wiring board for supplying a power supply, a video signal, a scanning signal and the like to the liquid crystal display panel is formed. It is done.

  In FIG. 1, scanning lines 11 extend in the horizontal direction in the display area 20 and are arranged in the vertical direction. The video signal lines 12 extend in the vertical direction and are arranged in the horizontal direction. An area surrounded by the scanning line 11 and the video signal line 12 is a pixel 13. A TFT and a pixel electrode are formed in each pixel. On the opposite substrate 200, a main spacer for defining the distance between the TFT substrate 100 and the opposite substrate 200 is formed. Further, in order to perform touch input, a sub-spacer is formed to prevent the TFT substrate 200 and the opposite substrate from coming close excessively when the opposite substrate 200 receives pressure with a finger or the like. In addition to this, a lateral deviation prevention spacer for preventing lateral deviation between the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200, which is a feature of the present invention, is formed.

  2 to 5 are cross-sectional views of the display area 20 in the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the main spacer 60 is disposed in the vicinity of the through hole 130 connecting the pixel electrode 111 and the source electrode 107 of the TFT, and in FIG. 3 the sub spacer 70 is disposed in the vicinity of the through hole 130. FIGS. 4 and 5 show an example in which the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 is disposed in the through hole 130. FIG.

  The cross-sectional configuration of the liquid crystal display device will be mainly described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a cross-sectional configuration of an IPS (In Plane Switching) liquid crystal display device. FIG. 2 is for describing the layer structure of the liquid crystal display device, and does not correspond to a specific planar structure.

  In FIG. 2, a base film 101 is formed on a TFT substrate 100 made of, for example, glass. In order to allow the liquid crystal display device to be curved, the glass substrate can be thinned to 0.2 mm or less, or the TFT substrate 100 can be formed of a resin such as polyimide.

  The base film 101 has a role of preventing impurities from glass from contaminating the semiconductor layer 102 to be formed later. The base film 101 is generally formed of a two-layer film of a silicon nitride film (hereinafter referred to as a SiN film) and a silicon oxide film (hereinafter referred to as an SiO film). The semiconductor layer 102 is formed on the base film 101. The semiconductor layer 102 is formed by first forming a-Si by CVD and then converting it into Poly-Si by irradiating an excimer laser. Note that SiN and SiO constituting the base film 101 and a-Si to be a semiconductor layer are continuously formed by CVD.

  After patterning the semiconductor layer 102, a gate insulating film 103 is formed to cover the semiconductor layer 102. The gate insulating film 103 is an SiO film made of TEOS (tetraethoxysilane) as a raw material. A gate electrode 104 is formed to cover the gate insulating film 103. The gate electrode 104 is formed of, for example, a MoW (molybdenum tungsten) alloy, and the MoW alloy is formed by sputtering or the like and then patterned.

  After patterning the gate electrode 104, ion implantation of P (phosphorus), B (boron), or the like is performed to impart conductivity to the semiconductor layer 102 other than the region covered with the gate electrode 104. Thus, the drain region 1021 and the source region 1022 are formed in the semiconductor layer 102.

  Thereafter, an interlayer insulating film 105 is formed of SiN or SiO covering the gate electrode. The interlayer insulating film 105 can be formed by CVD. Through holes are formed in the interlayer insulating film 105 and the gate insulating film 103 to enable connection of the drain region 1021 and the drain electrode 106 of the semiconductor layer 102 and connection of the source region 1022 and the source electrode 107 of the semiconductor layer. The drain electrode 106 is connected to the video signal line 11, and the source electrode 107 is connected to the pixel electrode 111 through the through hole 130 which will be formed later. In FIG. 2, the video signal line 11 doubles as the drain electrode 106.

  An organic passivation film 108 is formed of acrylic resin or the like to cover the drain electrode 106 and the source electrode 107. The organic passivation film 108 has a role of a planarizing film, and is thus formed as thick as 2 to 4 μm.

  Since the organic passivation film 108 is formed of a photosensitive resin, it is not necessary to separately form a resist for the formation of the through hole 130. The organic passivation film material is a positive photosensitive resin, and a through hole 130 is formed in a portion irradiated with light. The organic passivation film 108 can also be formed of silicon resin or polyimide other than acrylic.

  On the organic passivation film 108, the common electrode 109 is formed of an oxide transparent conductive film such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) in a planar shape. The common electrode 109 is formed in common to each pixel, but is not formed in the through hole 130. After patterning the common electrode 109, a capacitive insulating film 110 is formed of SiN to cover the common electrode 109. The capacitive insulating film 110 is formed by CVD. Since the capacitive insulating film 110 is formed after the formation of the organic passivation film 108, it can not be formed at a high temperature, and is formed by low temperature CVD at about 200.degree.

  On the capacitive insulating film 110, the pixel electrode 111 is formed of a transparent conductive oxide film such as ITO in a comb shape or a stripe shape. The insulating film 110 between the common electrode 109 and the pixel electrode 111 forms a storage capacitance between the pixel electrode and the common electrode, and is therefore called a capacitive insulating film 110.

  In the capacitive insulating film 110, a through hole is formed in the through hole 130 formed in the organic passivation film 108, and the pixel electrode 111 and the source electrode 107 are connected.

  An alignment film 112 is formed to cover the pixel electrode 111 and the capacitive insulating film 110. The alignment film 112 determines the initial alignment of the liquid crystal, and the alignment process is performed by rubbing process or photo alignment process. When a video signal is applied to the pixel electrode 111, an electric force line like an arrow is generated between the pixel electrode 111 and the common electrode 109, and the liquid crystal molecules 301 are rotated to control the transmittance of the liquid crystal layer 300 for each pixel. Form an image.

  In FIG. 2, the counter substrate 200 is disposed with the liquid crystal layer 300 interposed therebetween. In the case of a flexible display device, the counter substrate 200 can be formed of a resin such as polyimide. The color filter 201 and the black matrix 202 are formed inside the counter substrate 200. A color filter 201 is disposed at a portion where light from the backlight is to be controlled to form an image, and color display is enabled. On the other hand, it is difficult to control the light from the backlight. For example, the black matrix 202 is formed on a portion where a spacer, a through hole 130 and the like to be described later are formed to prevent light leakage.

  An overcoat film 203 is formed of a transparent organic material such as acrylic to cover the color filters 201 and the black matrix 202. In the counter substrate 200, main spacers 60 are formed on the overcoat film 203 in order to keep the distance between the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200 constant and to make the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 300 uniform. In other places, the sub spacer 70 is formed in the vicinity of the through hole 130, and in the other place, the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 is formed to be inserted into the through hole 130.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the tip of the main columnar spacer 20 is in contact with the alignment film 112 on the TFT substrate 100 side. When pressure is applied to the counter substrate 200 from the outside, a strong pressure is applied to the tip of the main columnar spacer 20 to deform the main columnar spacer 20 and cause lateral displacement, and the alignment film 112 is scraped by the main columnar spacer 20 . Although the alignment film 112 may be formed by photo alignment processing other than rubbing processing, since the alignment film 112 subjected to the photo alignment processing is mechanically weak, abrasion of the alignment film becomes a more serious problem.

  In order to cope with lateral displacement and the like of the main columnar spacer 20, as described in FIG. 10, the main spacer is covered with a black matrix bmm having a diameter larger than the diameter of the main spacer 60 in plan view.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal display device at another place. 3 differs from FIG. 2 in that a sub spacer 70 is formed in the vicinity of the through hole 130 instead of the main spacer. As shown in FIG. 3, the sub spacer 70 is not normally in contact with the TFT substrate 100 side. When pressure is applied to the counter substrate 200 from the outside, the sub spacer 70 is in contact with the TFT substrate 100 to prevent the distance between the counter substrate 200 and the TFT substrate 100 from being excessively reduced.

  Even in the case of the sub spacer 70, the sub spacer 70 is displaced relative to the TFT substrate 100 when the pressure is increased. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 10, the sub-spacer 70 is also covered with the black matrix bms having a diameter larger than the diameter of the sub-spacer 70 in a plan view. However, since the amount of displacement of the sub spacer 70 is smaller than the amount of displacement of the main spacer 60, φbms <φbmm.

  However, when the diameter of the black matrix bmm covering the main spacer 60 and the black matrix bms covering the sub spacer 70 increases, the aperture ratio decreases. According to the present invention, the main spacer 60 and the sub spacer 70 are prevented from being shifted by preventing the lateral shift between the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200, whereby the main spacer 60 and the sub spacer 70 can be viewed in plan view. The black matrix bmm to be covered and the diameters φbmm and φbms of bms can be reduced to prevent the reduction of the transmittance.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the features of the present invention. In FIG. 4, the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 is disposed inside the through hole, and the inclined portion 81 of the through hole 80 is in contact with the inner wall of the through hole 130. With the configuration as shown in FIG. 4, the movement of the counter substrate 200 in the left direction (−x direction) relative to the TFT substrate 100 is blocked.

  A feature of the anti-slip spacer 80 shown in FIG. 4 is that a sloped portion is formed near the tip, and the sloped portion 81 and the inner wall of the through hole 130 are in planar contact. Since the anti-slip spacers 80 and the inner wall of the through hole 130 are in planar contact, even if the anti-slip spacer 80 pushes the inner wall of the through hole 130 strongly, a large frictional resistance prevents lateral displacement between the substrates. Can be increased.

  FIG. 5 is another cross-sectional view showing the features of the present invention. In FIG. 5, the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 is disposed inside the through hole 130, and the inclined portion 81 of the through hole 130 is in contact with the inner wall of the through hole 130. However, the side in which the anti-slip spacer 80 is in contact with the inner wall of the through hole 130 is the opposite side to that in FIG. 4. In the configuration of FIG. 5, contrary to FIG. 4, the movement of the counter substrate 200 with respect to the TFT substrate 100 in the right direction (x direction) of the drawing is blocked.

  6 and 7 are cross-sectional views for explaining the operation of the present invention. Some layers are omitted in FIGS. 6 and 7 in order not to complicate the figure. In FIG. 6, the video signal line 12 and the source electrode 107 of the TFT are formed on the interlayer insulating film 105, and the organic passivation film 108 is formed to cover them. A through hole 130 is formed in the organic passivation film 108 in the portion of the source electrode 107. A black matrix 202 is formed on the counter substrate 200, and an overcoat film 203 is formed thereon. A main spacer 60 is formed on the overcoat film 203 to define the distance between the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200.

  In FIG. 6, when a force is applied from the outside to the opposing substrate 200 as shown by the arrow F, the opposing substrate 200 is bent and a force is generated to move the main spacer 60 in the direction of the arrow d. 60 move. At this time, the alignment film formed on the organic passivation film 108 may be scraped by the main spacer 60, and the scraped alignment film floats in the peripheral liquid crystal layer, which causes light leakage. In order to prevent this light leakage, it is necessary to form a black matrix having an area sufficiently larger than the cross section of the main spacer 60 on the counter substrate 200 side.

  FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of the present invention. The layer configuration of FIG. 7 is the same as that of FIG. The difference between FIG. 7 and FIG. 6 is that the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 is formed on the counter substrate 200 side. The inclined portion is formed in the vicinity of the tip of the anti-slip spacer 80. The inclined portion is in contact with the inner wall of the through hole 130.

  In FIG. 7, the surface on the left side (−x side) of the lateral displacement preventing spacer 80 in contact with the inner wall of the through hole 130 and the surface on the right side of the lateral displacement preventing spacer 80 in contact with the inner wall of the through hole 130 are opposite. In FIG. 7, the direction in which the opposing substrate 200 bends with respect to the TFT substrate 100 by the force F applied to the opposing substrate 200, that is, the force to displace the main spacer 60 with respect to the TFT substrate 100 is the left side of the arrow F. And in the opposite direction on the right. In FIG. 7, it is shown that the anti-slip spacer 80 receives the repulsion of the same force f from the inner wall of the through hole 130 of the organic passivation film 108 against the force f to shift the opposing substrate in the lateral direction from the TFT substrate. There is. Therefore, the configuration of FIG. 7 can prevent the shift of the counter substrate 200 with respect to the TFT substrate 100 in any direction.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the x direction, but the same applies to the y direction which is a direction perpendicular to the x direction. In the case of the y direction, the same procedure is applied except that the side of the anti-slippage spacer in contact with the inner wall of the through hole forms an angle of 90 degrees with the x direction.

  FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing an example of the lateral displacement preventing spacer 80. As shown in FIG. Contrary to FIG. 7, the anti-slip spacer 80 of FIG. 8 is upward for the sake of clarity. In FIG. 8, the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 is conical, but an inclined part 81 is formed in the vicinity of the tip. This is in order to contact the inner wall of the through hole 130 in a plane. The anti-slip spacer 80 has a conical shape in order to simplify the description, but it may have a pyramid shape without being limited thereto.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. In FIG. 9, an inclined portion 81 is formed in the vicinity of the front end portion of the lateral deviation preventing spacer 80. The angle θ2 of the side surface of the inclined portion 81 with respect to the main surface of the opposing substrate 200 is greater than the angle θ1 of the side surface of a portion between the inclined portion 81 of the anti-slip spacer 80 and the opposing substrate 200 (hereinafter referred to as the base) with respect to the main surface small. Since θ2 is smaller than θ1, the inclined portion 81 can increase the inner wall and the contact surface where the through hole 130 is inclined.

The cross section of the actual anti-slip spacer 80 forms a curved surface, depending on the processing accuracy, unlike the boundary between the base side and the main surface of the opposite substrate 200, and the boundary between the base side and the side of the inclined portion 81, unlike FIG. There are many things. In such a case, θ1 may be measured, for example, at the center of the height of the base. Further, θ2 may be measured at the center in the height direction of the inclined portion 81. The lateral deviation prevention spacer 80 as shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 can be formed, for example, using a half exposure technique.
As shown in FIGS. 2 to 7, the height of the anti-slip spacer 80 is larger than the height of the sub spacer 70. Further, the height of the anti-slippage spacer 80 is desirably higher than the height of the main spacer 60. Since it is sufficient if the front end portion of the lateral displacement preventing spacer 80 exists inside the through hole 130, even if the height of the lateral displacement preventing spacer 80 is about the same as the height of the main spacer 60, the lateral displacement preventing spacer 80 and A base may be formed between the opposing substrates 200, for example, a plurality of color filters may be arranged.

  FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a planar shape of the black matrix 202 according to the present invention, and an arrangement example of the main spacer 60, the sub spacer 70, the lateral deviation preventing spacer 80 and the through hole 130. As shown in FIG. In FIG. 10, the black matrix 202, the main spacer 60, the sub spacer 70, and the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 are formed in the counter substrate 200, and the through holes 130 are formed in the TFT substrate 100.

  Although the through hole 130 is formed in each pixel, in FIG. 10, the through hole 130 is described only in the portion where the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 is formed in order not to complicate the figure. The through holes 130 in FIG. 10 indicate small holes, and the anti-slip spacer 80 describes a plan view of the vicinity of the anti-slip spacer 80 in contact with the through holes 130. The planar shape of the through hole 130 in FIG. 10 is schematically represented by a tetragon.

  In FIG. 10, the black matrix 202 extends in the lateral direction corresponding to the scanning line of the TFT substrate 100, and the black matrix 202 extends in the vertical direction corresponding to the video signal line. Pixel electrodes are formed on the TFT substrate side in a region surrounded by the black matrix 202 extending in the horizontal direction (x direction) and the black matrix 202 extending in the vertical direction (y direction).

  In FIG. 10, a black matrix 202 extending in the horizontal direction, a black matrix 202 extending in the vertical direction, and circular black matrices bmm and bms formed at the intersections of the black matrix in the horizontal direction and the black matrix in the vertical direction. A boundary is described between the two, but this boundary is for the purpose of making the explanation easy to understand, and there is no such boundary in the actual black matrix. The same applies to FIG.

  A main spacer 60 and a sub spacer 70 are formed in the vicinity of the intersection of the black matrix in the longitudinal direction (y direction) and the lateral direction (x direction). The number of sub spacers 70 is larger than the number of main spacers 60. In FIG. 10, the main spacer 60 is formed every nine pixels in the horizontal direction and every three pixels in the vertical direction. The sub spacer 70 is formed every three pixels in the horizontal direction and every one pixel in the vertical direction. The sub spacer 70 is not formed where the main spacer 60 is disposed.

  In order to prevent the influence of the displacement of the main spacer 60 or the sub spacer 70 caused by the displacement of the main spacer 60 or the sub spacer 70 when the opposing substrate 200 receives a pressing force, a black matrix bmm is formed on the portion where the main spacer 60 is formed. A black matrix bms is formed in the portion where the sub spacer 70 is formed. Since the size of the main spacer 60 is larger, the diameter of the black matrix is such that the diameter φbms of the portion covering the sub spacer <the diameter φb mm of the portion covering the main spacer.

  In FIG. 10, a lateral displacement prevention spacer 80 is disposed between the main spacer 60 and the sub spacer 70 or between the sub spacer 70 and the sub spacer 70. Alternatively, the anti-slip spacers 80 may be formed at the intersections of the black matrix stripes b1 to b4 and the pixel columns p1 to p4. Since the anti-slip spacer 80 is in contact with the inner wall of the through hole 130, a part of the anti-slip spacer 80 is shown overlapping with the through hole 130 in FIG.

  In FIG. 10, the anti-slip spacers 80 formed at the leftmost side of the black matrix b1, that is, at the intersection region of the black matrix b1 and the pixel column p1 are in contact with the left inner wall of the through hole 130. On the other hand, in the crossing region between the black matrix b1 and the pixel column p2, which is adjacent to the right, the anti-lateral-shifting spacer 80 is in contact with the right inner wall of the through hole 130. This is repeated in the black matrix b1. Thus, lateral displacement of the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200 is prevented.

  In the black matrix b2, the anti-slip spacer 80 formed at the leftmost side, that is, at the intersection region of the b2 and the pixel column p1 is in contact with the right inner wall of the through hole 130. On the other hand, the anti-slip spacer 80 is in contact with the left inner wall of the through hole 130 in the crossing region of the black matrix b2 and the pixel column p2, which is adjacent to the right. Although the function of the anti-slip spacer 80 in the black matrix b1 and the black matrix b2 is the same, in the y direction, the anti-slip spacer 80 is in reverse contact with the inner wall of the through hole 130 to prevent the anti-slip I am improving my power.

  In the black matrix b3 of FIG. 10, the anti-slip spacer 80 is in contact with the lower side (in the direction of the drawing-y) of the inner wall of the through hole 130. Therefore, the movement of the counter substrate 200 in the downward direction (y direction in the drawing) with respect to the TFT substrate 100 is blocked. Further, in the black matrix b4 in FIG. 10, the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 is in contact with the upper side (the direction y in the drawing) of the inner wall of the through hole 130. Therefore, the upward movement (direction y in the drawing) of the counter substrate 200 with respect to the TFT substrate 100 is blocked.

  In FIG. 10, the number of anti-slip spacers 80 is greater than the number of main spacers 60. Further, the number 80 of the anti-slip spacers is slightly larger than the number of the sub spacers 70. However, the number of anti-slip spacers 80 and the number of sub spacers 70 may be the same or the number of sub spacers 70 may be larger than the number of anti-slip spacers 80.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the movement of the counter substrate 200 with respect to the TFT substrate 100 can be suppressed in any of the vertical and horizontal directions (x direction, y direction). As shown in FIG. 10, the contact position between the anti-slip spacer 80 and the inner wall of the through hole 130 can be classified into four types, but the four types of arrangement can be various combinations depending on the product.

  For example, in order to suppress movement in the y direction, a configuration in which the anti-slip spacer 80 is in contact with the upper side (y direction) of the through hole 130 and a configuration on the lower side (-y direction) of the anti-slip spacer 80 are You may mix and arrange in the same line. Furthermore, the configuration for suppressing the movement in the lateral direction (x direction) and the configuration for suppressing the movement in the vertical direction (y direction) may be mixed and arranged in the same row. Further, in FIG. 10, the lateral deviation prevention spacer 80 is in contact with the through holes 130 in the lateral direction (x direction, −x direction) and the longitudinal direction (y direction, −y direction). There is no need to limit it.

  FIG. 11 is another example of the shape of the anti-slip spacer 80 in the present invention. In FIG. 11, the upper side is a sectional view, and the lower side is a plan view. In FIG. 11, the anti-slip spacer 80 is divided into a large diameter base and a small diameter tip.

  When viewed in plan in FIG. 11, the center of the base and the center of the tip are eccentric by d1. And the step part 82 is formed in the boundary part of a base and a front-end | tip part. With such a configuration, the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 can be formed by two-step half exposure. The anti-slip spacer 80 has the height h1 of the base and the height h2 of the tip, the diameter φ1 of the base, and the tip so that the shoulder 85 of the base and the shoulder 86 of the tip contact the inner wall of the through hole 130 And the eccentricity d1 of the base and the tip end may be adjusted. That is, the angle θ2 in FIG. 11 may be adjusted to be the same as the angle of the inner wall of the through hole 130.

  The diameter of the base of the anti-slip spacer 80 in FIG. 11 is, for example, the diameter φ11 at a position 95% of the height h1 of the base, and the diameter of the tip is, for example, the diameter at a position 95% of the total height h1 + h2. It can be defined as φ21. For example, φ11 is 5 to 6 μm, and φ21 is 10 μm, for example.

  FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the present invention. The cross section of the portion where the main spacer 60 and the sub spacer 70 are formed is the same as FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 in the first embodiment. The difference between FIG. 12 and FIG. 4 of the first embodiment is the shape of the anti-slip spacer 80. That is, the lateral displacement preventing spacer 80 in FIG. 12 has the sloped portions 81 formed on both sides.

  Since the anti-slip spacer 80 in FIG. 12 does not have to make the base and the tip end eccentric, it is easy to manufacture the anti-slip spacer 80 accordingly. That is, even when the anti-slip spacer 80 is brought into contact with the right inner wall of the through hole 130, the same anti-slip spacer 80 can be used also when brought into contact with the left inner wall.

  FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of the second embodiment. The difference between FIG. 13 and FIG. 7 of the first embodiment is only the shape of the lateral displacement prevention spacer 80. In FIG. 13, in the lateral deviation preventing spacer 80, sloped portions are formed on both sides of the tip end portion. Then, on the left side (−x direction) of FIG. 13, the left inclined portion of the lateral deviation prevention spacer 80 contacts the right inner wall of the through hole 130, and on the right side (x direction) of FIG. The part is in contact with the left inner wall of the through hole. Thus, lateral displacement of the counter substrate 200 with respect to the TFT substrate 100 can be prevented. The arrangement of the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 in the present embodiment is the same as that of FIG. 10 of the first embodiment.

  FIG. 14 shows the shape of the anti-slip spacer 80 in the present embodiment, with the upper side being a cross-sectional view and the lower side being a plan view. In FIG. 14, the inclination θ2 is equal to the angle of the inner wall of the through hole 80. The anti-slip spacer 80 of FIG. 14 can also be formed, for example, using half exposure.

  FIG. 15 shows another example of the shape of the anti-slip spacer 80 in the present invention. In FIG. 15, the upper side is a sectional view, and the lower side is a plan view. In FIG. 15, the anti-slip spacer 80 is divided into a large diameter base and a small diameter tip.

  In FIG. 15, a step 82 is formed at the boundary between the base and the tip. With such a configuration, the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 can be formed by two-step half exposure. The anti-slip spacer 80 has the height h1 of the base, the height h2 of the tip, the diameter φ1 of the base, the tip so that the shoulder 85 of the base and the shoulder 86 of the tip contact the inner wall of the through hole 130 It suffices to adjust the diameter φ 2 of That is, the angle θ2 in FIG. 12 may be adjusted to be the same as the angle of the inner wall of the through hole 130. The anti-slip spacer 80 of FIG. 15 is easier to manufacture than the anti-slip spacer of FIG.

  The diameter of the base of the anti-slip spacer 80 in FIG. 15 is, for example, the diameter φ11 at a position 95% of the height h1 of the base, and the diameter of the tip is, for example, the diameter at a position 95% of the total height h1 + h2. It can be defined as φ21. For example, φ11 is 5 to 6 μm, and φ21 is 10 μm, for example.

  FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view of the third embodiment. The shape of the anti-slip spacer 80 in FIG. 16 is the same as that of the second embodiment. A feature of FIG. 16 is that the anti-slip spacer 80 is disposed at the center of the through hole 130. The configurations of the main spacer 60, the sub spacer 80, and the like are the same as in FIGS. 2 and 3 of the first embodiment.

  The feature of FIG. 16 is that in the normal state, the anti-slip spacer 80 is not in contact with the inner wall of the through hole 130. However, when pressure is applied to the opposing substrate 200 and the opposing substrate 200 causes lateral displacement with respect to the TFT substrate 100 by, for example, d 1, the lateral displacement preventing spacer 80 contacts the inner wall of the through hole 130. Also in this case, the sloped portion 81 of the anti-slip spacer 80 has the same degree of inclination as the slope of the inner wall of the through hole 130 and is in surface contact, so the opposing substrate 200 is further displaced with respect to the TFT substrate 100 To prevent that.

  FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional view showing the operation of this embodiment. In FIG. 17, the layer structure is the same as that of FIG. 7 or FIG. 13 except for the position of the anti-slip spacer 80. In FIG. 17, the center of the through hole 130 and the center of the anti-slip spacer 80 coincide with each other in plan view.

  A space of d2 exists in the x direction between the sloped portion 81 of the anti-slip spacer 80 and the inner wall of the through hole 130. Therefore, when the external pressure F is applied to the counter substrate 200, the counter substrate 200 is deviated by d2 with respect to the TFT substrate 100, but it is not deviated more. Therefore, d2 may be set to such an extent that the scraping of the alignment film 112 does not become serious even if the displacement of the main spacer 60 or the sub spacer 70 occurs.

  FIG. 18 is a plan view showing the planar shape of the black matrix 202 and the arrangement of the main spacer 60, the sub spacer 70, the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80, and the through hole 130 in the third embodiment. 18 except for the positional relationship between the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 and the through hole 130 is the same as FIG. 10 of the first embodiment.

  In FIG. 18, the lateral deviation preventing spacer 80 is formed overlapping with the through hole 130 in plan view. However, as shown in FIG. 16 and FIG. 17, when viewed in cross section, a distance d2 exists between the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 and the inner wall of the through hole 130.

  The advantage of FIG. 18 is that the gap between the anti-slip spacer 80 and the through hole 130 exists from the beginning, so that the alignment of the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200 is facilitated. That is, in the configurations of the first and second embodiments, it is necessary to align the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200 accurately in order to bring the lateral deviation prevention spacer 80 into contact with the inner wall of the through hole 130 from the beginning.

  For example, when misalignment occurs in the alignment of the TFT substrate 100 and the opposite substrate 200, the lateral deviation prevention spacer 80 may pop out from the inside of the through hole 130 and come on the flat portion of the organic passivation film. Since the anti-slip spacers 80 are often formed higher than the main spacers 60, the distance between the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200 becomes unstable. In this respect, in the fourth embodiment, since the anti-slip spacer 80 is disposed at the center of the through hole 130, the possibility of the anti-slip spacer 80 being detached from the through hole 130 is smaller than in the first or second embodiment. Can.

  As described above, in the third embodiment, by allowing slight lateral displacement between the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200, a liquid crystal display device with high manufacturing yield and high reliability can be realized.

  The lateral deviation between the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200 often becomes serious at the periphery of the screen. Further, the lateral displacement of the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200 also occurs when there is a difference in thermal expansion between the TFT substrate 100 side and the counter substrate 200 side. In this case, the main spacer 60 will cause lateral displacement with each temperature cycle. The present invention also exerts a great effect on such prevention of the slippage due to the temperature cycle.

The lateral deviation between the TFT substrate and the counter substrate due to the temperature cycle becomes more serious around the screen. Therefore, the effect of the present invention can be further enhanced by forming the anti-slippage spacer 80 of the present invention at a density higher than the center of the screen in the periphery of the screen.
FIG. 19 is an example of the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 19, in the hatched part 21 around the display area 20, the arrangement density of the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 is larger than that of the other parts. In FIG. 19, the width dc of the hatched portion in the periphery is, for example, 1⁄6 of the length of the diagonal length dd of the display area 20.

  FIG. 20 is another example of the fourth embodiment. In FIG. 20, in the hatched part 21 around the display area 20, the arrangement density of the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 is larger than that of the other parts. In FIG. 20, the width db of the hatched portion 21 in the periphery is, for example, 1/12 of the length of the diagonal length dd of the display area 20.

  The region where there are many anti-slippage spacers 80 may not be clearly divided as in FIG. 19 or FIG. It is possible to obtain a better effect by gradually increasing the arrangement density of the anti-slip spacers 80 from the center of the screen toward the periphery of the screen.

  When the TFT substrate 100 is formed of glass and the opposing substrate 200 is formed of a resin such as polyimide, the difference in thermal expansion between the TFT substrate 100 and the opposing substrate 200 is large. In such a case, the configuration of the fourth embodiment is particularly effective.

  In the configurations of the first to fourth embodiments, the shift amount between the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200 can be reduced. 10 and the like, the reason for increasing the diameters of the black matrices φbmm and φbms in the portions corresponding to the main spacer 60 and the sub spacer 70 is to prevent misalignment between the TFT substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200. Therefore, by using the present invention, the diameter of the black matrix in the portion corresponding to the main spacer 60 and the sub spacer 70 can be reduced, so that the transmittance of the display area 20 can be increased.

  In the first to third embodiments, the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 is described as being in contact with the through hole 130 connecting the pixel electrode and the source electrode. However, when the size of the pixel is large and there is enough space, not only the through hole 130 connecting the pixel electrode and the source electrode but also other through holes are formed in the organic passivation film 108 to prevent lateral displacement of the inner wall It may be used as a stopper for the spacer 80.

  In the first to third embodiments, the main spacer 60, the sub spacer 70, and the lateral deviation preventing spacer 80 are used. However, in some cases, the anti-slip spacer 80 can have the role of the sub spacer 70. In this case, only the main spacer 60 and the anti-lateral deviation spacer 80 are formed in the display area 20.

  11 scan line 12 video signal line 13 pixel 20 display area 21 area with many anti-lateral displacement spacers 30 terminal area 31 driver IC 40 seal material 60 main spacer 70 Sub-spacer 80, anti-slippage spacer 81, inclined portion 82, stepped portion 85, shoulder of base portion 86, shoulder of tip portion 100, TFT substrate 101, base film 102, semiconductor layer 103, ... Gate insulating film, 104: gate electrode, 105: interlayer insulating film, 106: drain electrode, 106: drain electrode, 107: source electrode, 108: organic passivation film, 109: common electrode, 110: capacitance insulating film, 111: pixel Electrode, 112: alignment film, 130: through hole, 200: opposing substrate, 201: color filter 202: black matrix, 203: overcoat film, 204: alignment film, 300: liquid crystal layer, 301: liquid crystal molecule, 1021: drain portion, 1022: source portion, bmm: diameter of black matrix in main spacer portion, bms: sub Diameter of the black matrix of the spacer portion, θ1: inclination angle of the base of the lateral displacement prevention spacer, θ2: inclination angle of the tip of the lateral displacement prevention spacer

Claims (18)

A liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is held between a first substrate and a second substrate,
A thin film transistor, an organic passivation film covering the thin film transistor, and a pixel electrode are formed on the first substrate,
The organic passivation film has a flat portion and a through hole for connecting the pixel electrode and the thin film transistor.
A light shielding film, a first spacer, and a second spacer are formed on the second substrate,
The first spacer is located on the flat portion of the organic passivation film,
A portion of the second spacer is disposed in contact with a side wall portion in the through hole. The sidewall of the second spacer has a first portion and a second portion between the first portion and the second substrate,
When viewed in cross section, the angle formed by the side surface of the first portion and the main surface of the second substrate is smaller than the angle formed by the side surface of the second portion and the main surface of the second substrate The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, characterized in that The second spacer is in contact with a portion of the side wall of the through hole at the side surface of the first portion,
3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 2, wherein the direction of the side wall of the through hole with which the side face of the first portion contacts is different for each second spacer, and the direction is at least four directions.   The side surface of the first portion of the second spacer in contact with the side wall of the through hole is formed on only one side of the second spacer in a cross-sectional view. Liquid crystal display.   The side surface of the first portion of the second spacer in contact with the side wall of the through hole is formed on both sides of the second spacer, as viewed in cross section. Liquid crystal display device.   The diameter of the first portion of the second spacer is smaller than the diameter of the second portion, and a step is formed between the first portion and the second portion. Item 2. A liquid crystal display device according to item 2.   The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein a height of the second spacer is higher than a height of the first spacer.   A third spacer is further formed on the second substrate, the third spacer is disposed on the flat portion, and the third spacer is higher than the first spacer. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, characterized in that   9. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 8, wherein the height of the second spacer is higher than the height of the third spacer.   The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the number of the second spacers is larger than the number of the first spacers.   2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the arrangement density of the second spacers at the periphery of the display area is larger than the arrangement density of the second spacers at the center of the display area. A liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is held between a first substrate and a second substrate,
A thin film transistor, an organic passivation film covering the thin film transistor, and a pixel electrode are formed on the first substrate,
The organic passivation film has a flat portion and a through hole for connecting the pixel electrode and the thin film transistor.
A light shielding film, a first spacer, and a second spacer are formed on the second substrate,
The first spacer is located on the flat portion of the organic passivation film,
The sidewall of the second spacer has a first portion and a second portion between the first portion and the second substrate,
When viewed in cross section, the angle formed by the side surface of the first portion and the main surface of the second substrate is smaller than the angle formed by the side surface of the second portion and the main surface of the second substrate,
The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein a central position of the second spacer is disposed in alignment with a central position of the through hole in plan view.   A third spacer is further formed on the second substrate, the third spacer is disposed on the flat portion, and the third spacer is higher than the first spacer. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 12, characterized in that   The diameter of the first portion of the second spacer is smaller than the diameter of the second portion, and a step is formed between the first portion and the second portion. Item 13. A liquid crystal display device according to item 12.   The liquid crystal display of claim 12, wherein a height of the second spacer is greater than a height of the first spacer.   The liquid crystal display of claim 13, wherein a height of the second spacer is greater than a height of the third spacer.   The liquid crystal display device according to claim 12, wherein the number of the second spacers is larger than the number of the first spacers.   The liquid crystal display device according to claim 12, wherein the arrangement density of the second spacers at the periphery of the display area is larger than the arrangement density of the second spacers at the center of the display area.

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