JPH10301124A - Active matrix liquid crystal display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make a picture frame narrow by overlappingly arranging the sealing material and a peripheral electric circuit and providing dummy patterns at specific positions on a substrate or making the spacer material in the sealing material the silica spherical spacer material. SOLUTION: The sealing material 3 and one part of a peripheral electric circuit 1 are overlappedly arranged in the outside of a display area and a distance from a display screen till the end face of a counter substrate 2 is made small. Then, for example, dummy patterns 14a of an array side having 20 micrometer widths are arranged at a 100 micrometer interval at the part of the peripheral circuit being on an array substrate 14 and the peripheral electric circuit 1 is positioned in between the dummy patterns 14a of the array side. As a result, local pressures due to bar shaped spacer materials in the sealing material 3 to be generated at the time of the sticking pressurization of substrates 2, 4 are mainly applied to the dummy patterns 14a and the pressures are hardly applied to the peripheral electric circuit 1 positioned at parts of the sealing material and breakage of electric elements and the electric circuit is prevented.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a miniaturized and narrow frame of an active matrix liquid crystal display device in which a peripheral electric circuit composed of a thin film is formed on a panel substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, in order to reduce the size, weight and cost,
Active matrix liquid crystal display devices with peripheral electric circuits formed on a panel substrate are being developed and commercialized. In particular, some systems use low-temperature polysilicon for switching elements, which can use relatively low-cost substrates. It has been commercialized and its use is expected to expand in the future.

A general example of a conventional low-temperature polysilicon active matrix liquid crystal display device in which a peripheral electric circuit is formed on a panel substrate will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a liquid crystal display device showing this conventional example, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

[0005] A peripheral electric circuit 1 is disposed outside the display area, and a seal member 3 is disposed on the outermost peripheral portion of the counter substrate 2. The peripheral electric circuit 1 includes an output transistor for applying a voltage to a pixel transistor, a shift register for transferring data, and the like, and, like the pixel transistor, is mounted on an array substrate 4 made of non-alkali glass. ,
It is formed by forming a multilayer film such as a metal thin film and patterning by photolithography. An epoxy-based adhesive is used for sealing the liquid crystal 5 and mounting the upper and lower substrates on the sealing material 3. A glass for maintaining a space between the upper and lower substrates is provided inside the sealing material 3. The rod-shaped spacer material 6 made of short fiber fibers is mixed.

Further, on the inner side of the inner periphery of the sealing member 3,
Liquid crystal 5 is filled, and spherical spacer members 7 made of a resin material are randomly arranged in order to secure a space between the upper and lower substrates.

The peripheral electric circuit 1 is disposed inside the inner periphery of the sealing material 3 and outside the display area. In addition,
9 and 10, reference numeral 8 denotes a black matrix;
Is a color filter, 10 is a pixel transistor, 11 is a pixel electrode, 12 is a common electrode, 13a is a lower polarizing plate, 13
b indicates an upper polarizing plate.

However, in the configuration of the above-mentioned conventional example, if the positions of the sealing material 3 and the peripheral electric circuit 1 are overlapped and arranged,
In the liquid crystal panel manufacturing process, excessive pressure is locally applied to the overlapping portion of the glass rod-shaped spacer material 6 mixed into the inside of the sealing material 3 when the array substrate and the counter substrate are bonded and pressed. Peripheral electric circuit 1 located
Has been destroyed, resulting in a malfunction.

[0009]

Therefore, it has been practiced to arrange the peripheral electric circuit 1 inside the inner periphery of the seal member 3 so as not to overlap with the seal member 3.
According to this means, the area outside the display area (hereinafter, referred to as a frame) becomes large in consideration of the variation in the position of the sealing material 3 which occurs during manufacturing. There was a problem in narrowing the frame for a large purpose.

In this case, the spherical spacer member 7 made of a resin material is also located inside the inner periphery of the sealing member 3. With the configuration, it is impossible to prevent the peripheral electric circuit 1 from being broken due to a local excessive pressure.

An object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an active matrix liquid crystal display device with a built-in electric circuit around an array substrate which realizes a narrow frame.

[0012]

In order to achieve this object, an active matrix liquid crystal display device in which a peripheral electric circuit according to the present invention is formed on a panel substrate has a sealing material and a peripheral electric circuit which are superposed and arranged. Either a dummy pattern is provided at the specific position above, or the spacer material inside the sealing material is made spherical.

With the structure including the dummy pattern, even when the sealing material and the peripheral electric circuit are arranged in an overlapping manner, the inside of the sealing material generated when the array substrate and the opposing substrate are bonded and pressed in the liquid crystal panel manufacturing process. The local pressure due to the rod-shaped spacer material is mainly applied to the dummy pattern, and almost no pressure is applied to the peripheral electric circuit located at the seal material portion, thereby preventing breakage of electric elements and circuits.

Further, by making the shape of the spacer material mixed into the sealing material spherical, there is no overlap as in the case of the bar-shaped spacer material when the array substrate and the opposing substrate are bonded and pressed. As a result, local overpressure is not generated, and the breakdown of the peripheral electric circuit is less likely to occur.

Thus, the sealing material and the peripheral electric circuit can be arranged so as to overlap with each other, so that a narrow frame of the active matrix liquid crystal display device with a built-in peripheral electric circuit can be realized.

[0016]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention can be embodied in the form described in each claim. As described in claim 1, an array substrate having a peripheral electric circuit composed of a thin film outside a display area is provided. A counter substrate, a sealing material containing a spacer material between the array substrate and the counter substrate outside the display area, wherein the sealing material is located on the peripheral electric circuit, wherein the sealing material on the array substrate is By arranging a dummy pattern whose thickness is equal to or greater than the maximum thickness of the peripheral electric circuit portion in the located portion, pressure is not applied to the peripheral electric circuit when the array substrate and the opposing substrate are bonded and pressed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the peripheral electric circuit from being destroyed and to realize a narrower frame. It is preferable that the number of the dummy patterns is plural and the interval between the dummy patterns is made dense.

Further, a dummy pattern whose thickness is equal to or greater than the maximum thickness of the peripheral electric circuit portion on the array substrate is not overlapped with the peripheral electric circuit at a portion where the sealing material is located on the opposing substrate. It is preferable to arrange them in such a manner.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, dummy portions are provided so as to overlap with each other from both sides of the array substrate and the opposing substrate at portions where the sealing material is located and which do not overlap with the peripheral electric circuit. By forming a pattern and making the total thickness of the two mutually overlapping dummy patterns not less than the maximum thickness of the peripheral electric circuit portion on the array substrate, it is possible to prevent the destruction of the peripheral electric circuit which is the object of the present invention. It is possible to achieve a narrower frame by preventing it.

Further, according to the present invention, by disposing a silica spherical spacer material inside the sealing material on the peripheral electric circuit, the present invention aims at narrowing the frame while preventing destruction of the peripheral electric circuit. Can achieve the purpose.

[0020]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The same components as those of the conventional example shown in FIGS. 9 and 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description is omitted.

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a plan view of a liquid crystal display device in Embodiment 1, and FIG.
2A is a sectional view taken along line AA, and FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along line BB.

In FIG. 1, the sealing material 3 and a part of the peripheral electric circuit 1 are arranged outside the display area so as to overlap each other, and the distance from the display screen to the end surface of the counter substrate 2 is reduced.

As shown in FIG. 2B, array-side dummy patterns 14a having a width of 20 μm are arranged at intervals of 100 μm on the peripheral electric circuit 1 on the array substrate 4. The peripheral electric circuit 1 is located between the dummy patterns 14a on the array side.
The dummy pattern 14a on the array side is formed by laminating a metal thin film or a metal oxide film forming the pixel transistor 10 or the peripheral electric circuit 1 and patterning. By doing so, the peripheral electric circuit 1 has a thickness of 1.8 micrometers which is 0.2 micrometers thicker than the maximum thickness of 1.6 micrometers.

In this embodiment, in order to prevent the deterioration of the circuit due to moisture absorption or the like, the peripheral electric circuit 1 is made of a sealing material 3.
Even if the position shift occurs, the entirety of the seal member 3 is located inside the outer periphery.

The shape of the dummy pattern is arbitrary, and a part of the dummy pattern may be cut out or a dot pattern may be formed depending on the wiring of the peripheral electric circuit 1.

With this configuration, the distance from the display screen to the end surface of the counter substrate 2 is 1.4 mm, which is 2.3 m in the conventional example.
m, and the effective display area ratio of the liquid crystal display device was 90% for the 3-inch panel, which was significantly improved from 82% in the conventional case.

Further, it is possible to produce the liquid crystal panel without destruction of electric elements and circuits due to the pressure of bonding the array substrate and the counter substrate in the process of manufacturing the liquid crystal panel.

(Embodiment 2) Next, Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a liquid crystal display device according to a second embodiment, and FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

In FIG. 3, the sealing material 3 and a part of the peripheral electric circuit 1 are arranged outside the display area in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the distance from the display screen to the end face of the counter substrate 2 is reduced. ing.

As shown in FIG. 4, a 25-micrometer-wide dummy pattern made of a color filter 9 is formed on the counter substrate 2 in a portion located between the peripheral electric circuits 1 on the array substrate 4. They are arranged at micrometer intervals. The dummy pattern 14b on the opposite side
Is formed by laminating two layers of an acrylic resin film containing a color pigment forming the color filter 9 and by patterning by photolithography.

In this embodiment, due to the restriction on display color reproduction,
Since the thickness of the color filter 9 of one layer is 1.1 micrometers, the dummy pattern 14b on the opposite side is formed by laminating two layers of the color filters 9 having different colors, thereby maximizing the portion of the peripheral electric circuit 1. It has a thickness of 2.2 micrometers which is 0.6 micrometers thicker than 1.6 micrometers.

With this configuration, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained. This embodiment is effective when it is difficult to form a pattern higher than the maximum height of the peripheral electric circuit 1 on the array substrate 4 as in the first embodiment. However,
It is necessary only when the density of the peripheral electric circuit 1 is low and the distance between the dummy pattern and the peripheral electric circuit 1 can be set wide.

Third Embodiment A third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the liquid crystal display device according to the third embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG.

As shown in FIG. 6, an array-side dummy pattern 14a having a width of 25 micrometers is formed on the array substrate 4 between the peripheral electric circuits 1 on the array substrate 4. Of the opposing substrate 2 facing the
On the upper side, a dummy pattern 14b on the opposite side having a width of 15 μm and including one color layer of the color filter 9 is formed. The pitch of the dummy pattern is 300 micrometers.

Here, the dummy pattern 14a on the array side is used.
Is 1.6 μm, and the thickness of the dummy pattern 14 b on the opposite side is 1.1 μm. The total thickness is 2.7 μm, and the maximum thickness of the peripheral electric circuit 1 is 1. It is much thicker than 6 micrometers.

With this configuration, the same effects as in the first and second embodiments can be obtained. In the present embodiment, when it is difficult to form a pattern higher than the maximum height of the peripheral electric circuit 1 on the array substrate 4 as in the first embodiment, the color filter 9 is formed into two layers as in the second embodiment. This is effective in the case where it is difficult, and is effective when the pitch of the dummy patterns cannot be densely arranged due to the wiring of the peripheral electric circuit 1 because the step with the peripheral electric circuit 1 can be increased.

(Embodiment 4) Further, Embodiment 4 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of the liquid crystal display device according to the fourth embodiment, and FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

In FIG. 7, the sealing material 3 and a part of the peripheral electric circuit 1 are arranged outside the display area in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the distance from the display screen to the end surface of the counter substrate 2 is reduced. However, the dummy patterns as in the first to third embodiments are not formed.

In this embodiment, a spherical spacer material 6a made of silica is used as the spacer material in the sealing material 3 instead of the rod-shaped spacer material 6 made of short glass fiber as in the first to third embodiments. . The silica spherical spacer material 6a needs to have a density of 2000 or more per square millimeter.

By using the silica spherical spacer material 6a, the rod-shaped spacer material 6 does not overlap when the two substrates are bonded and pressed in the liquid crystal panel manufacturing process.
Since a local excessive pressure is unlikely to occur, even if the sealing member 3 and a part of the peripheral electric circuit 1 are overlapped, the peripheral electric circuit 1 is hardly destroyed, and a narrow frame can be realized without a dummy pattern. be able to.

In this embodiment, since there is no need for a dummy pattern, there are few restrictions on the design of the peripheral electric circuit 1.
It is possible to design a narrower frame than that of ３3. However, at the time of pressing at the time of bonding the upper and lower substrates, a pressure is generated between the maximum thickness portion of the peripheral electric circuit 1 and the silica spherical spacer material 6a. Care must be taken to reduce and equalize the pressure.

The first to third embodiments may be combined with the fourth embodiment. Further, in the first to third embodiments, a dummy pattern thicker than the convex shape of the peripheral electric circuit 1 is provided in the embodiment. Although the matching force is inferior, it is possible to achieve the same narrowing of the frame.

[0046]

As described above, according to the present invention, the sealing material and the peripheral electric circuit are superposed, and a dummy pattern is provided at a specific position on the substrate, or the spacer material inside the sealing material is a silica spherical spacer. With this configuration, it is possible to arrange the sealing material and the peripheral electric circuit in an overlapping manner, thereby realizing an active matrix liquid crystal display device with a built-in peripheral electric circuit capable of realizing a narrower frame. Things.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a main part of a liquid crystal display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 1; FIG. 2B is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a main part of a liquid crystal display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a main part of a liquid crystal display device according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view taken along line BB of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a main part of a liquid crystal display device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a main part of a liquid crystal display device in a conventional example.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 9;

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 peripheral electric circuit 2 counter substrate 3 sealing material 4 array substrate 5 liquid crystal 6 rod-shaped spacer material 6a silica spherical spacer material 7 spherical spacer material made of resin material 9 color filter 13a lower polarizing plate 13b upper polarizing plate 14a dummy pattern on array side 14b Opposite side dummy pattern

Claims (4)

[Claims] An array substrate having a peripheral electric circuit formed of a thin film outside a display region; a counter substrate; and a sealing material containing a spacer material between the array substrate and the counter substrate outside the display region. A structure in which a sealing material is located on a peripheral electric circuit, wherein a dummy pattern whose thickness is equal to or greater than the maximum thickness of the peripheral electric circuit portion is provided in a portion of the array substrate where the sealing material is located. Active matrix liquid crystal display. 2. An array substrate having a peripheral electric circuit formed of a thin film outside a display region, a counter substrate, and a sealing material containing a spacer material between the array substrate and the counter substrate outside the display region, In a configuration in which the sealing material is located on the peripheral electric circuit, a dummy pattern whose thickness is equal to or greater than the maximum thickness of the peripheral electric circuit portion on the array substrate is formed at the portion where the sealing material is located on the opposing substrate as the peripheral electric circuit. An active matrix liquid crystal display device, which is arranged so as not to overlap. 3. An array substrate having a peripheral electric circuit formed of a thin film outside a display region, a counter substrate, and a sealing material containing a spacer material between the array substrate and the counter substrate outside the display region, It is a configuration in which the sealing material is located on the peripheral electric circuit, and is a portion where the sealing material is located,
Dummy patterns are formed on both sides of the array substrate and the opposing substrate so as to overlap each other in a portion not overlapping with the peripheral electric circuit, and the total thickness of the two overlapping dummy patterns is equal to the array substrate. An active matrix liquid crystal display device characterized in that the thickness is not less than the maximum thickness of the peripheral electric circuit section. 4. An array substrate having a peripheral electric circuit formed of a thin film outside a display region, a counter substrate, and a sealing material containing a spacer material between the array substrate and the counter substrate outside the display region, An active matrix liquid crystal display device, wherein a sealing material is located on a peripheral electric circuit, and a spacer material inside the sealing material is a silica spherical spacer material.