KR20050070476A - The liquid crystal display device and the method for fabricating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display and a method of manufacturing the same, which can reduce the number of processes by simultaneously forming a black matrix layer and a patterned spacer, the first and second substrates having a predetermined space and bonded to each other; A liquid crystal layer formed between the first and second substrates; A black matrix layer formed on a portion of the second substrate other than the pixel region; The black matrix layer is formed of the same material as the black matrix layer and includes a plurality of patterned spacers for maintaining cell gaps of the first and second substrates.

Description

The liquid crystal display device and the method for fabricating the same

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly, to a liquid crystal display device and a method of manufacturing the same, which can reduce the number of processes by simultaneously forming a black matrix layer and a patterned spacer.

As the information society develops, the demand for display devices is increasing in various forms, and in recent years, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), electro luminescent displays (ELDs), and vacuum fluorescent displays (VFDs) have been developed. Various flat panel display devices have been studied, and some of them are already used as display devices in various devices.

Among them, LCD is the most widely used as a substitute for CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) for the use of mobile image display device because of the excellent image quality, light weight, thinness, and low power consumption, and mobile type such as monitor of notebook computer. In addition, it is being developed in various ways, such as a television for receiving and displaying broadcast signals, and a monitor of a computer.

As described above, although various technical advances have been made in order for the liquid crystal display device to serve as a screen display device in various fields, the task of improving the image quality as the screen display device has many advantages and disadvantages.

Therefore, in order to use a liquid crystal display device in various parts as a general screen display device, the key to development is how much high definition images such as high definition, high brightness, and large area can be realized while maintaining the characteristics of light weight, thinness, and low power consumption. It can be said.

Such a liquid crystal display device may be broadly divided into a liquid crystal panel displaying an image and a driving unit for applying a driving signal to the liquid crystal panel, wherein the liquid crystal panel includes a space between the first and second substrates, and It consists of the liquid crystal layer injected between the 1st, 2nd board | substrate.

The first substrate (TFT array substrate) may include a plurality of gate lines arranged in one direction at a predetermined interval, a plurality of data lines arranged at regular intervals in a direction perpendicular to the gate lines, and the respective gates. A plurality of thin film transistors which are switched by signals of the gate line and a plurality of pixel electrodes formed in a matrix form in each pixel region defined by crossing a line and a data line, transmit a signal of the data line to each pixel electrode. Formed.

In addition, the second substrate (color filter substrate) includes a black matrix layer for blocking light in portions other than the pixel region, an R, G, and B color filter layers for expressing color colors, and a common electrode for implementing an image. Is formed.

The first and second substrates have a predetermined space by spacers and are bonded by a sealant to form a liquid crystal between the two substrates.

Hereinafter, a conventional general liquid crystal display device will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional liquid crystal display device.

Conventional liquid crystal display devices, as shown in Figure 1, between the first and second substrates (10a, 10b) having a space and are located opposite each other, and between the first, second substrates (10a, 10b) The first substrate 10a is divided into a thin film transistor region T and a pixel region P.

The first substrate 10a may include a gate line (not shown) arranged in one direction and a gate electrode GE protruding from the gate line and formed in the pixel region P; A gate insulating film GI formed on the entire surface of the first substrate 10a including the gate electrode GE; A semiconductor layer 20 formed on the gate insulating film GI on the upper side of the gate electrode GE; Source / drain electrodes (SE, DE) formed at both edges of the data line (not shown) arranged in a direction perpendicular to the gate line except for a channel region of the semiconductor layer 20; A protective layer 40 having a drain contact hole C exposing a part of the drain electrode DE and formed on the entire surface of the first substrate 10a; The pixel electrode 50 is connected to the drain electrode DE through the drain contact hole C and is formed in the pixel region P.

The second substrate 10b may include a black matrix layer BM for blocking light in portions except the pixel region P; A color filter layer 60 formed in each pixel region P to express color; The common electrode 65 is formed on the entire surface of the second substrate 10b including the color filter layer 60 and the black matrix layer BM.

Although not shown in the drawings, first and second alignment layers for orienting liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 70 in one direction are formed on opposite surfaces of the first and second substrates 10a and 10b. have.

The first and second substrates 10a and 10b are held in the cell gap by the ball spacers 80 and bonded by a sealing material (not shown).

The liquid crystal layer 70 is formed between the first and second substrates 10a and 10b bonded by the sealing material.

Here, the material forming the ball spacer 80 is selected from glass fibers or organic materials having elasticity against external pressure, and the ball spacer 80 is randomly formed on the first or second substrates 10a and 10b. As distributed randomly, the following problems occur.

First, each of the alignment layer defects may occur as the ball spacers 80 move.

Second, a light leakage phenomenon occurs around the ball spacer due to the adsorption force between the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 70 adjacent to the ball spacer 80.

Third, when applied to a large area liquid crystal display device, it is difficult to maintain a stable cell gap.

Fourth, since the ball spacer 80 has an elastic force and cannot be fixed in position, a ripple phenomenon in which the image quality of the screen darkens in a wavy shape when the screen is touched may appear severely.

In conclusion, there is a problem that it is difficult to secure high-definition characteristics in the liquid crystal display device which maintains the cell gap using the ball spacer 80.

In order to solve this problem, a patterned spacer of a method of forming a spacer pattern at a predetermined position using a photo and etching process has been proposed.

2 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal display device including a conventional patterned spacer.

The structure of the liquid crystal display including the conventional patterned spacer is the same as the conventional liquid crystal display shown in FIG. 2, and only the spacers show a difference, and thus the description of the rest of the configuration except for the spacer will be omitted. Shall be.

That is, the patterned spacer 90 is to maintain a cell gap between the first and second substrates 10a and 10b, as shown in FIG. 2, and is formed on the black matrix layer BM. have.

When the patterned spacer 90 is used, a cell gap can be easily maintained and can be fixed to only a portion except the pixel region P, thereby reducing light leakage caused by the spacer, and requiring a small cell gap. Even when applied to a model that can be precisely control the cell gap, by fixing the position of the spacer can increase the robustness of the product and by this feature has the advantage of preventing the ripple phenomenon when the screen touch.

The patterned spacers 90 may be formed on the first substrate 10a or the second substrate 10b. As described above, the patterned spacers 90 may be patterned through photo and etching processes under the respective alignment layers.

However, in order to form such a patterned spacer, a series of photo and etching processes as described above need to be performed separately, thereby increasing the processing time and thus reducing the process yield.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, by forming a material used in forming the black matrix layer on the front surface of the substrate, by patterning by using diffraction exposure method so that the material has a different step, the It is an object of the present invention to provide a liquid crystal display and a method of manufacturing the same, which can reduce the number of processes by simultaneously forming a black matrix layer and a patterned spacer on a substrate.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystal display device including: first and second substrates having a predetermined space and bonded to each other; A liquid crystal layer formed between the first and second substrates; A black matrix layer formed on a portion of the second substrate other than the pixel region; And a plurality of patterned spacers formed on the same layer as the black matrix layer and formed of the same material as the black matrix layer to maintain cell gaps of the first and second substrates.

Here, the black matrix layer and the patterned spacer are characterized in that the resin is used.

And a color filter layer formed in each pixel region of the second substrate.

In addition, the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention configured as described above comprises the steps of: preparing first and second substrates defined by a plurality of pixel regions; Resin or resist is applied to the entire surface of the second substrate and patterned by diffraction exposure method and etching process to form a black matrix layer on the part except the pixel area, and at the same time a plurality of layers on the same layer as the black matrix layer Forming a patterned spacer; And bonding the first and second substrates to form a liquid crystal layer between the first and second substrates.

The method may further include forming a color filter layer in each pixel area of the second substrate.

Hereinafter, a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a plan view of a second substrate 100b for explaining a distribution degree of a patterned spacer.

As shown in FIG. 3, the liquid crystal display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is defined as a thin film transistor (T) region and a pixel region (P), and is bonded to the first and second substrates 100a and 100b. )and; A liquid crystal layer 800 formed between the first and second substrates 100a and 100b; A black matrix layer BM formed on a portion of the second substrate 100b except for the pixel region P; A plurality of patterned spacers 190 are formed integrally with the black matrix layer BM on a portion of the black matrix layer BM to maintain cell gaps of the first and second substrates 100a and 100b. Consists of.

The first substrate 100a may include a gate line (not shown) arranged in one direction and a gate electrode GE formed in the pixel region P from the gate line; A gate insulating film GI formed on the entire surface of the first substrate 100a including the gate electrode GE; A semiconductor layer (120) formed on the gate insulating film (GI) above the gate electrode (GE); Source lines and drain electrodes (SE, DE) formed at both edges of the semiconductor layer (120) except for the channel region of the semiconductor layer (120); A protective layer 140 having a drain contact hole C exposing a part of the drain electrode DE and formed on the entire surface of the first substrate 100a; And a pixel electrode 150 connected to the drain electrode DE through the drain contact hole C and formed in the pixel region P.

The second substrate 100b may include a black matrix layer BM for blocking light in portions except the pixel region P; A color filter layer 160 formed in each pixel area P to express color; The common electrode 155 is formed on the entire surface of the second substrate 10b including the color filter layer 160 and the black matrix layer BM.

Although not shown, a first alignment layer and a second alignment layer are further formed on opposite surfaces of the first and second substrates 100a and 100b to align the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal layer 800 in one direction. It is.

Meanwhile, in order to maintain a uniform cell gap between the first and second substrates 100b, the patterned spacer 190 may have a black matrix layer of the second substrate 100b as illustrated in FIG. 4. Formed uniformly on BM).

In general, one patterned spacer 190 per one to six pixel areas P is distributed on the black matrix layer BM.

Here, reference numerals 111a, 111b, and 111c described in FIG. 4 represent red color filter layers 111a, green color filter layers 111b, and blue color filter layers 111c, respectively.

The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention configured as described above will be described in detail.

5A through 5C are cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, taken along the line I-I ′ of FIG. 4.

First, first and second substrates 100a and 100b, which are repeatedly defined as a plurality of first, second and third pixel regions, are prepared. As shown in FIG. 5A, the second substrate 100b may be formed. Light-shielding and photosensitive resins are applied to the entire surface using a spin coating method or the like.

Here, the resin is formed to have a thickness of the patterned spacer 190 to be described later.

The diffraction mask M is aligned on the second substrate 100b coated with the resin.

The diffraction mask M may include a plurality of transmission parts m1 that transmit light, a plurality of blocking parts m2 that block the light, and a plurality of slit parts m3 that transmit a part of the light and block some of the light. Each transmissive portion m1 is formed in a portion corresponding to the first, second, and third pixel regions of the second substrate 100b, and each of the slit portions m3 is formed of the first portion. It is formed at a portion corresponding to the black matrix layer BM to be formed at the boundary of the first, second, and third pixel regions, and each blocking portion m2 is formed on a part of the upper surface of the black matrix layer BM. It is formed in a portion corresponding to the patterned spacer 190 to be formed.

If such a configuration is configured to selectively irradiate the resin of the second substrate 100b with light such as ultraviolet rays through a diffraction mask M arranged on the upper portion of the second substrate 100b, and then develop it, FIG. 5B. As shown in FIG. 3, the resin corresponding to the blocking portion m2 of the diffraction mask M remains as it is, and the resin corresponding to the transmission portion m1 is completely removed and corresponds to the slit portion m3. The resin to be removed is only a certain thickness.

Accordingly, first, second, and third pixel regions are formed in the region of the second substrate 100b corresponding to the transmissive portion m1 of the mask, and the second substrate 100b corresponding to the slit portion m3. The black matrix layer BM is formed in the region of the substrate, and the patterned spacer 190 is formed in the region of the second substrate 100b in the blocking portion m2.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5C, a red color resin is coated on the entire surface of the second substrate 100b and selectively patterned through photo and etching processes to apply the red color filter layer 111a to the first pixel region. Form.

Thereafter, a green color resin is coated on the entire surface of the second substrate 100b on which the red color filter layer 111a is formed, and is selectively patterned through a photo and etching process to form the green color filter layer 111b on the second pixel region. Form.

Next, a blue color resin is coated on the entire surface of the second substrate 100b on which the red and green color filter layers 111a and 111b are formed, and is selectively patterned through a photo and etching process, thereby forming a blue color in the third pixel region. The filter layer 111c is formed.

The common electrode 155 is formed on the entire surface of the second substrate 100b on which the red, green, and blue color filter layers 111a, 111b, and 111c are formed.

Subsequently, the second substrate 100b and the first substrate 100a completed as described above are bonded to each other, and the liquid crystal layer 800 is formed between the first and second substrates 100a and 100b.

Herein, the liquid crystal layer 800 maintains a vacuum state between the first and second substrates 100a and 100b bonded by the sealing material so that the inlet is immersed in the liquid crystal liquid to inject the liquid crystal by osmotic pressure. After the appropriate amount of liquid crystal is dropped into any one of the liquid crystal injection method and the first and second substrates 100a and 100b, the liquid crystal dropping method may be formed by bonding the first and second substrates 100a and 100b together. .

The present invention described above is not limited to the above-described embodiment and the accompanying drawings, and it is common in the art that various substitutions, modifications, and changes can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. It will be evident to those who have knowledge of.

The liquid crystal display according to the present invention described above and a manufacturing method thereof have the following effects.

According to the liquid crystal display according to the present invention and a method for manufacturing the same, the process of forming the patterned spacer and the black matrix layer can be performed in one process at the same time, thereby reducing the process time and increasing the process yield.

1 is a cross-sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional liquid crystal display device

2 is a cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal display device including a conventional patterned spacer.

3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a plan view of a second substrate for explaining a distribution degree of a patterned spacer;

5A through 5C are cross-sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, taken along the line I-I ′ of FIG. 4.

* Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100a: first substrate 100b: second substrate

140: protective layer 150: pixel electrode

155: common electrode 160: color filter layer

190: patterned spacer 120: semiconductor layer

800 liquid crystal layer SE: source electrode

DE: drain electrode GI: gate insulating film

GE: gate electrode C: contact hole

T: Thin film transistor area P: Pixel area

Claims (5)

First and second substrates having a predetermined space and bonded to each other; A liquid crystal layer formed between the first and second substrates; A black matrix layer formed on a portion of the second substrate other than the pixel region; And a plurality of patterned spacers formed on the same layer as the black matrix layer and having the same material as the black matrix layer to maintain cell gaps of the first and second substrates. The method of claim 1, And the black matrix layer and the patterned spacer are made of resin. The method of claim 1, And a color filter layer formed in each pixel region of the second substrate. Preparing first and second substrates defined by a plurality of pixel regions; Resin or resist is applied to the entire surface of the second substrate and patterned by diffraction exposure method and etching process to form a black matrix layer on the part except the pixel area, and at the same time a plurality of layers on the same layer as the black matrix layer Forming a patterned spacer; Bonding the first and second substrates to form a liquid crystal layer between the first and second substrates. The method of claim 4, wherein And forming a color filter layer in each pixel region of the second substrate.