KR20060077872A - Test pattern for contact resistance - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a chain-type contact resistance test pattern and a contact resistance measuring method capable of minimizing an error range of contact resistance. The contact resistance test pattern according to the present invention includes both the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer at both ends. The resistance measuring unit of the provided with, N first conductor layer connecting portion and the second conductor layer connecting portion having a length a between each of the two resistance measuring units are connected in a chain form through the M contact portion, respectively, A first test pattern through which resistance can be measured; A resistance measuring unit of the first conductor layer is provided at both ends, and the first conductor layer having a length of a × N is formed between the two resistance measuring units to measure the resistance of only the first conductor layer. A second test pattern; And resistance measuring parts of the second conductor layer are provided at both ends, and the second conductor layer having a length of a × N is formed between the two resistance measuring parts to measure resistance of only the second conductor layer. And a second test pattern, wherein the second test pattern and the resistance value measured through the third test pattern are removed from the resistance value measured through the first test pattern. The contact resistance between the second conductor layer can be measured.

Contact Resistance, Test Pattern, Chained

Description

Contact Resistance Test Pattern {TEST PATTERN FOR CONTACT RESISTANCE}

1 is a diagram illustrating a conventional 'man' shaped contact resistance test pattern.

2A to 2D are views showing a plane and a cross section of a contact resistance test pattern according to the present invention.

3A is a view showing a liquid crystal display device of the present invention.

Figure 3b is a detailed view of a portion of the gate pad formed with a contact resistance test pattern of the present invention.

*** Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawing ***

101: first conductor layer 102: second conductor layer

111: first conductor layer resistance measuring unit 121: second conductor layer resistance measuring unit

100: first test pattern 200: second test pattern

300: third test pattern 350: contact resistance test pattern

L1: first conductor layer connector L2: second conductor layer connector

C: contact

The present invention relates to a contact resistance test pattern and a measuring method thereof, and more particularly, to a chain-type contact resistance test pattern and a contact resistance measuring method capable of minimizing an error range of contact resistance.

In recent years, as the flat panel display device is gradually integrated, not only the width of the wiring on the substrate but also the distance between the wiring and the wiring is significantly reduced, thereby causing a problem regarding the formation of contact holes. In addition, while the flat panel display device is formed in a multi-layer structure, as the number of layers of electrodes increases, the importance of forming contact holes for connecting respective patterns is gradually increasing.

In fact, in the flat panel display device, hundreds of wires are used through individual contact holes. If the contact resistance becomes too high through the contact holes, the supplied signal may not be delivered properly. Various defects are caused by the delay of the back signal.

Therefore, we currently use 'man' shaped contact resistance test patterns to monitor inter-pattern contact resistance measurements.

1 illustrates such a conventional 'man' shaped contact resistance test pattern. As shown in the drawing, a contact is formed by intersecting two types of patterns 1 and 2 to measure contact resistance in a swath shape. In this way, the contact resistance is measured.

In this manner, when the contact resistance is measured by turning on the two patterns, the first measuring unit 11 of the first conductor layer 1 and the second measuring unit of the second conductor layer 2 are measured. The resistance between the electrodes 22 is measured to obtain a contact resistance value, or the second measuring unit 22 of the second conductor layer 2 and the third measuring unit 13 of the first conductor layer 1, or The third measuring unit 13 of the first conductor layer 1 and the fourth measuring unit 24 of the second conductor layer 2 or the fourth measuring unit 24 and the first of the second conductor layer 2. The resistance between the first measuring unit 11 of the conductor layer 1 is measured to obtain a contact resistance value. In this case, the contact resistance of the above four cases may be measured and the contact resistance of the contact hole may be inferred as an average value.

However, in the 'man' shaped contact resistance test pattern, the resistance of the pattern itself is not taken into consideration, which makes it difficult to measure a reliable contact resistance. In other words, an intrinsic resistance value of the pattern between the contact portion C and the first, second, third and fourth measurement units 11, 22, 13, and 24 is included in the contact resistance value measured through the resistance meter. As a result, it was difficult to obtain the unique value of the contact resistance alone.

In addition, in the 'man'-shaped structure, there is a problem in that it is difficult to form a plurality of contact portions C substantially due to a space usage problem on the substrate, and the probe resistance of the resistance measuring instrument is relatively larger than the contact resistance. Because it has a value, it was difficult to accurately determine the contact resistance value through only one contact portion.

For this reason, accurate measurement of the contact resistance value is very difficult, there is a problem that it is very difficult to determine the specification (Spec) of the contact resistance, and as a result has a problem in that it is difficult to design the flat panel display device.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention forms a chain-type contact resistance test pattern instead of the conventional 'man' shaped contact resistance test pattern, thereby forming a plurality of contact portions, thereby affecting the contact resistance value. The purpose of the present invention is to improve the accuracy of the contact resistance value by increasing the resistance and relatively minimizing the influence of the probe resistance value.

In addition, the contact resistance test pattern of the present invention further includes a test pattern capable of measuring intrinsic resistance values of only two patterns constituting the chain, in addition to the chain-shaped test pattern, and thus pattern intrinsic from the measured resistance value at the time of contact resistance measurement Another objective is to minimize false readings by subtracting the resistance of.

In order to achieve the above object, in measuring the contact resistance of the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer, the contact resistance test pattern according to the present invention has both ends of the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer. A resistance measuring part is provided, and the N first conductor layer connecting parts and the second conductor layer connecting parts each having a length a are connected to each other in a chain form through M contact parts. A first test pattern capable of measuring resistance; A resistance measuring unit of the first conductor layer is provided at both ends, and the first conductor layer having a length of a × N is formed between the two resistance measuring units to measure the resistance of only the first conductor layer. A second test pattern; And resistance measuring parts of the second conductor layer are provided at both ends, and the second conductor layer having a length of a × N is formed between the two resistance measuring parts to measure resistance of only the second conductor layer. And a second test pattern, wherein the second test pattern and the resistance value measured through the third test pattern are removed from the resistance value measured through the first test pattern. The contact resistance between the second conductor layers can be measured.

Here, N is a positive integer of 2 or more, the number of the first conductor layer connection portion and the second conductor layer connection portion.

In addition, in the contact resistance measuring method of the present invention, resistance measuring parts of the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer are provided at both ends, and N first conductor layer connecting parts having a length a between the two resistance measuring parts and the second part are provided. Forming a first test pattern in which the conductor layer connectors are connected in a chain form through M contacts; A resistance measuring part of the first conductor layer is provided at both ends, and a second test pattern for resistance measurement of the first conductor layer made of the first conductor layer having a length of a × N is formed between the two resistance measuring parts. step; A resistance measuring unit of the first conductor layer is provided at both ends, and a third test pattern for resistance measurement of the second conductor layer made of the second conductor layer having a length of a × N is formed between the two resistance measuring units. step; Measuring resistance through resistance measuring units on both sides of the first test pattern; Measuring resistance through resistance measurement units on both sides of the second test pattern; Measuring resistance through resistance measuring units on both sides of the third test pattern; And removing the resistance values measured through the second test pattern and the third test pattern from the resistance values measured through the first test pattern, and measuring contact resistance.

In this case, the contact resistance is calculated by the following equation.                     

[Equation]

Rc: contact resistance

R1: resistance measured through the first test pattern,

R2: resistance measured through the second test pattern,

R3: resistance measured through the third test pattern,

M: number of contact portions in the first test pattern (M = 2N-1)

Wherein N is a positive integer of 2 or greater.

As described above, the present invention is characterized in that a plurality of contact portions for measuring contact resistance can be formed, and the influence of the pattern intrinsic resistance can be removed to accurately measure the actual value of the contact resistance.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

2A to 2D illustrate a contact resistance test pattern according to the present invention. As shown in the figure, the contact resistance test pattern of the present invention includes all three test patterns.

First, FIG. 2A illustrates a first test pattern 100 having a chain shape, and is formed by connecting a first conductor layer 101 and a second conductor layer 102 to measure contact resistance in a chain form. To this end, first, resistance measuring parts 111 and 121 including the first conductor layer 101 and the second conductor layer 102 are formed at both ends, and the same length (a) is formed between the resistance measuring parts 111 and 121. Each of the N first conductor layer connecting portions L1 and the second conductor layer connecting portions L2 each having?) Are alternately formed. The first conductor layer connection part L1 and the second conductor layer connection part L2 are connected through M contact parts C, respectively.

In this case, the thicknesses of the first conductor layer connection part L1 and the second conductor layer connection part L2 and the area of the contact part C are actually the thicknesses of the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer formed on the flat panel display element. And reflects the actual area of the contact portion.

Meanwhile, the number M of the contact portions C satisfies the relationship of M = 2N-1, and since N is a positive number of two or more, the first test pattern 100 of the present invention includes at least three contacts. Part (C) will be included.

FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2A, and as shown in the drawing, a first conductor layer connection part L1 having a length a formed on different layers with an insulating layer 123 interposed therebetween. And the second conductor layer connecting portion L2 are connected via a plurality of contact portions C, and are connected in a chain form.

Therefore, when the contact resistance is measured by turning on the two patterns 101 and 102, the current applied through the resistance measuring unit 111 of the first conductor layer 101 is connected to the first conductor layer connection unit. The resistance measuring part 121 of the second conductor layer 102 is reached through a chain path formed of the L1, the contact part C, and the second contact connecting part L2. The resistance value R1 of the resistance measuring units 111 and 121 disposed at both ends of the first test pattern 100 is measured using a probe. On the other hand, a plurality of pinholes 140 are formed on the upper insulating layer 123 of the second conductor layer resistance measuring unit 121, inserting a resistance meter (not shown) through the pinhole 140, It is configured to measure.

However, the resistance value R1 measured through the first test pattern 100 is not only the sum of the resistance values of the M contact parts C, but also the first conductor layer connection part L1 and the second conductor layer connection part ( Since the resistance value of L2) is also included, it is necessary to remove the influence of the resistance values of the first conductor layer connection part L1 and the second conductor layer connection part L2. Therefore, the present invention measures the resistivity of the first conductor layer 101 and the second conductor layer 102 through the second test pattern 200 and the third test pattern 300 which will be described later. By subtracting from the resistance value R1 measured through the pattern 100, it is possible to obtain a more accurate resistance value of the contact portion (C).

FIG. 2C illustrates a second test pattern 200 of the present invention for measuring a specific resistance value of the first conductor layer 101. As shown in the drawing, the first conductor layer ( A resistivity measuring unit 111 formed of only 101 is provided, and the resistivity of the first conductor layer 101 made of the first conductor layer 101 having a length of a × N is provided between the two resistance measuring units 111. The second test pattern 200 for measurement is formed.

The second test pattern 200 includes a first conductor layer having a length equal to the total length of the first conductor layer connection part L1 of the first test pattern 100 between the resistance measuring units 111 at both ends. Since it has the connection part L1 ', the resistance value of only the 1st conductor layer 101 by the said length can be measured.

FIG. 2D illustrates a third test pattern 300 of the present invention for measuring a specific resistance value of the second conductor layer 102. A second conductive layer having a plurality of resistance measuring pinholes 140 formed at both ends thereof. The body layer 102 is provided with a resistance measuring unit 121, and the resistivity of the second conductor layer 102 made of the second conductor layer 102 having a length of a × N between the two resistance measuring units 121. The third test pattern 300 for measurement is formed.

The third test pattern 300 also has a second conductor layer having the same length as the length of the second conductor layer connection part L2 in the second test pattern 200 between the resistance measuring units 121 at both ends. Since it has the connection part L2 ', the resistance value of only the 2nd conductor layer 102 by the said length can be measured.

Therefore, in the resistance measuring method of the present invention, first, a plurality of contact portions C including resistance values of the first conductor layer 101 and the second conductor layer 102 are formed through the chain-shaped first test pattern 100. The total resistance is measured, and then, by subtracting the resistance values of the first conductor layer 101 and the second conductor layer 102 through the second test pattern 200 and the third test pattern 300. The average resistance value of the contact portion C is obtained.

At this time, the contact resistance Rc of the contact unit C is calculated by the following equation.

First, the resistance value R1 measured through the first test pattern 100 is defined by Equation 1. Here, N is a positive number of two or more in the number of each of the first conductor layer connection part L1 and the second conductor layer connection part L2, and M is a number of three or more in the number of contact parts C in the first test pattern 100. Is a positive integer. Rc means a resistance value of one contact portion C, Rcn1 is a resistance of the first conductor layer connection part L1 having a length, and Rcn2 is a resistance value of a second conductor layer connection part L2 having a length a. . As described above, the first test pattern 100 includes resistance values of the first conductor layer 100 and the second conductor layer 200 in addition to the plurality of contact portion C resistances.

[Equation 1]

Meanwhile, the resistance values R2 and R3 measured by the second test pattern 200 and the third test pattern 300 may be expressed by the following equations.

[Equation 2]

[Equation 3]

On the other hand, since 2N-1 in Equation 1 is equal to the number M of the contact portions C, M is substituted into 2N-1, and Equation 1, 2, and 3 are summarized to obtain the contact resistance value Rc. do.

[Equation]

As a result, the present invention forms the contact resistance test pattern in a chain shape as described above, thereby increasing the space utilization as compared to the conventional 'man' shaped test pattern, thereby enabling the formation of a plurality of contact portions. Therefore, it is possible to minimize the influence of the probe resistance of the resistance measuring instrument having a relatively high value compared to the contact resistance, thereby enabling a more accurate measurement of the contact resistance.

In addition, the reliability of the measured contact resistance is improved by removing the resistance value of the pattern intrinsic region connecting each contact portion.

Meanwhile, the contact resistance test pattern as described above may be applied to measuring various contact resistances in a flat panel display device. For example, a contact resistance between a gate pad of a liquid crystal display device and a transparent conductive layer applying a gate signal to the gate pad may be used. Can be used for measurement.

3A is a plan view showing a liquid crystal panel of a general liquid crystal display device, and FIG. 3B is a plan view showing a part of a conventional gate pad in detail. As shown in the drawing, the liquid crystal panel includes an upper substrate 310 and a lower substrate 320. ) And a liquid crystal layer (not shown) formed therebetween. The lower substrate 320 is divided into an active region P, in which liquid crystal cells are arranged in a matrix, to display an actual image, and a gate / data pad 316 and 326 region. The region is located at the edge region of the lower substrate 320 where the upper substrate 310 and the lower substrate 320 do not overlap.

In addition, a gate line 321 and a data line 323 are arranged on the lower substrate 320 to define liquid crystal cells, and the gate / data pads 316 and 326 may be connected to the gate line 321. Each extending from the data line 323 is connected to a gate driving circuit (not shown) and a data driving circuit (not shown), respectively, to apply a gate signal and a data signal. In this case, a gate contact hole 339 is formed on the gate pad 316, and a transparent electrode pattern 337 is formed on the gate pad 316 to transmit a gate signal from an external gate driving circuit.

Meanwhile, the contact resistance test pattern 350 of the present invention may be formed in the edge region of the lower substrate 320. In this case, the first conductor layer constituting the contact resistance test pattern 350 is the same as the gate pad 316, and the second conductor layer is the same as the transparent electrode pattern 337, and the first conductor layer and The contact portion connecting the second conductor layer may be formed under the same condition as the gate contact hole 339 on the gate pad, thereby accurately measuring the contact resistance between the gate pad 316 and the transparent electrode pattern 337. .

In practice, the contact resistance between the gate pad and the transparent electrode pattern of the liquid crystal display device is very important. If the contact resistance is much higher than the specification, the signal delay from the gate driving circuit cannot be properly delivered to the gate pad. This will cause poor image quality.

Meanwhile, the first conductor layer of the present invention is formed of a data pad of a display panel, and the second conductor layer is formed of a transparent electrode layer for applying a data signal to the data pad, thereby measuring contact resistance between the data pad and the transparent electrode layer. It can also be applied as a contact resistance test pattern.

The above embodiments are illustrated to illustrate the present invention, but do not limit the scope of the present invention. That is, although not shown in the drawings, the contact resistance test pattern of the present invention can be applied to various device fields without departing from the spirit of the present invention.                     

Accordingly, the scope of the invention should be determined by the appended claims rather than by the foregoing description.

As described above, the contact resistance test pattern according to the present invention improves the accuracy and reliability of the measured contact resistance, thereby preventing defects due to signal delay, such as image quality, and facilitating the design of the display panel.

Claims (7)

In measuring the contact resistance of the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer, Resistance measuring parts of the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer are provided at both ends, and the N first conductor layer connecting parts and the second conductor layer connecting parts having a length a between the two resistance measuring parts are respectively provided through the M contact parts. A first test pattern connected in a chain shape to measure resistance through the two resistance measuring units; A resistance measuring unit of the first conductor layer is provided at both ends, and the first conductor layer having a length of a × N is formed between the two resistance measuring units to measure the resistance of only the first conductor layer. A second test pattern; And A resistance measuring unit of the second conductor layer is provided at both ends, and the second conductor layer having a length of a × N is formed between the two resistance measuring units, so that the resistance of only the second conductor layer can be measured. And a second test pattern to remove the second test pattern and the resistance value measured through the third test pattern from the resistance value measured through the first test pattern. 2 A contact resistance test pattern characterized in that the contact resistance between conductor layers can be measured. The contact resistance test pattern of claim 1, wherein N is a positive integer of at least two or more. In measuring the contact resistance of the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer, Resistance measuring parts of the first conductor layer and the second conductor layer are provided at both ends, and the N first conductor layer connecting parts and the second conductor layer connecting parts having a length a between the two resistance measuring parts are respectively provided through the M contact parts. Forming a first test pattern connected in a chain; A resistance measuring part of the first conductor layer is provided at both ends, and a second test pattern for resistance measurement of the first conductor layer made of the first conductor layer having a length of a × N is formed between the two resistance measuring parts. step; A resistance measuring unit of the first conductor layer is provided at both ends, and a third test pattern for resistance measurement of the second conductor layer made of the second conductor layer having a length of a × N is formed between the two resistance measuring units. step; Measuring resistance through resistance measuring units on both sides of the first test pattern; Measuring resistance through resistance measurement units on both sides of the second test pattern; Measuring resistance through resistance measuring units on both sides of the third test pattern; And And measuring contact resistance by removing the resistance values measured through the second test pattern and the third test pattern from the resistance values measured through the first test pattern. Way. The method of claim 3, wherein the contact resistance is calculated by the following equation. [Equation]

Rc: contact resistance R1: resistance measured through the first test pattern, R2: resistance measured through the second test pattern, R3: resistance measured through the third test pattern, M: number of contact portions in the first test pattern (M = 2N-1) 4. The method of claim 3 wherein N is a positive integer of at least two or more. The method of claim 3, wherein the first conductor layer is a gate pad of a display panel, and the second conductor layer is a transparent electrode layer applying a gate signal to the gate pad. The method of claim 3, wherein the first conductor layer is a data pad of a display panel, and the second conductor layer is a transparent electrode layer applying a data signal to the data pad.

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