KR20060126159A - Display device and method of manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A display device and a manufacturing method thereof are provided to form the second alignment key by a laser marking process instead of the photo process of a black matrix. An LCD(Liquid Crystal Display) panel(400) includes a display area(DA) for displaying an image, a seal line area(SA) for encapsulating the display area and a peripheral area(PA) equipped at the outside of the seal line area. A lower substrate(100) includes a TFT(Thin Film Transistor) layer(120) having plural TFTs formed at the display area on the first insulating substrate(110). A passivation layer(130) is formed on the TFT layer. A color filter(150) is formed on the passivation layer and emits the predetermined color to the light. A pixel electrode(160) is connected electrically to the TFT layer.

Description

DISPLAY DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME}

1 is a cross-sectional view conceptually illustrating a liquid crystal display according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the lower substrate of FIG. 1.

3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II ′ of FIG. 2.

4 is a plan view illustrating the upper substrate of FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II ′ of FIG. 4.

6 is a diagram illustrating an alignment state of the first and second alignment keys illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view illustrating another example of the second align key illustrated in FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the upper substrate on which the second align key of FIG. 7 is formed.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of drawings *

100: lower substrate 170: gate driver

180: light leakage prevention film 200: upper substrate

700: first alignment key 710: second alignment key

The present invention relates to a display device and a method of manufacturing the same, and more particularly, to a display device and a method of manufacturing the same for simplifying the manufacturing process and preventing alignment miss.

In general, a liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate on which a thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as TFT) is formed, a second substrate on which a color filter composed of R, G, and B pixels is formed, and an intervening substrate between both substrates. And an liquid crystal display panel having a liquid crystal for determining whether light is transmitted as an electrical signal is applied thereto. In addition, the liquid crystal display device includes a backlight assembly configured under the liquid crystal display panel to provide light to the liquid crystal display panel.

Here, how precisely the assembling of the TFT of the first substrate and the color filter of the second substrate has a significant influence on the display quality of the liquid crystal display device.

The liquid crystal display structure proposed to reduce the influence of the liquid crystal display device due to the assembly error of the TFT and the color filter is a COA (Color Filter On Array). The liquid crystal display of the COA structure has a structure in which a TFT and a color filter are simultaneously formed on the first substrate.

However, a black matrix is formed on the second substrate of the COA liquid crystal display to prevent the light from leaking between the R, G, and B pixels of the color filter and surround the color filter. The second substrate may further include an alignment key formed by a photo process of the black matrix when forming the black matrix.

The COA liquid crystal display device needs a black matrix photo process for forming the alignment key, and thus there is a problem in that the manufacturing process cannot be simplified.

In addition, since the black matrix is formed on the second substrate, luminance may be lowered by the black matrix due to misalignment during the alignment process between the first substrate and the second substrate.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a display device for simplifying a manufacturing process.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a manufacturing method for manufacturing the display device.

The display device of the present invention for achieving the above object includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a first alignment key and a second alignment key. The first substrate may include a first insulating substrate including a display area, a seal line area surrounding the display area, and a peripheral area formed outside the seal line area, a switching element formed on the first insulating substrate, and a plurality of color pixels. And a color filter formed on the display area above the switching element, and a transparent electrode formed on the color filter and electrically connected to the switching element. The second substrate is opposite to the first substrate and has a second insulating substrate. The first alignment key is formed in the peripheral area on the first substrate, and the second alignment key is integrally formed on the second insulating substrate so as to correspond to the first alignment key.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a first substrate including a first display area, a first seal line area, and a first peripheral area, the first substrate having a first alignment key in the first peripheral area, and A second alignment key facing the first substrate, the second display area comprising a second display area, a second seal line area, and a second peripheral area, and corresponding to the first alignment key by a laser marking process on the second peripheral area; A second substrate having a was prepared. Subsequently, the first substrate and the second substrate are aligned with each other by the first and second alignment keys.

According to such a display device and a method of manufacturing the same, since an alignment key is formed by a laser marking process and a light leakage preventing film is formed on the first substrate, a black matrix process of the upper substrate for preventing the alignment key and light leakage is unnecessary. .

Hereinafter, a display device and a manufacturing method thereof according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a cross-sectional view conceptually illustrating a liquid crystal display according to the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, a liquid crystal display according to the present invention is composed of a liquid crystal layer 300 formed between a lower substrate 100, an upper substrate 200, a lower substrate 100, and an upper substrate 200 to display an image. The liquid crystal display panel 400 is included. In addition, the liquid crystal display according to the present invention further includes a light generating device 500 which is configured under the lower substrate 100 to provide light to the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200.

The liquid crystal display panel 400 includes a display area DA in which an image is displayed, a seal line area SA surrounding the display area DA, and a peripheral area PA provided outside the seal line area SA. It consists of.

The lower substrate 100 includes a TFT layer 120 having a plurality of TFTs (not shown) formed in the display area DA on the first insulating substrate 110, and a passivation layer 130 formed on the TFT layer 120. And a pixel electrode 160 formed on the passivation layer 130 and formed on the color filter 150 and the color filter 150 expressing a predetermined color to the light, and electrically connected to the TFT layer 120. It includes. Here, the TFT formed in the TFT layer 120 includes a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode, and the drain electrode is electrically connected to the pixel electrode 160.

In addition, the lower substrate 100 may further include a plurality of gate lines (not shown) and a plurality of data lines (not shown) formed in the display area DA on the first insulating substrate 110. The plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines cross each other insulated from each other.

The lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are firmly coupled by the seal line 600 formed in the seal line area SA. The seal line 600 is formed to have a predetermined height for maintaining a cell gap of a predetermined height between the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200. The liquid crystal layer 300 is formed in the cell gap.

In addition, the lower substrate 100 may further include a gate driver 170 formed in the seal line area SA on the first insulating substrate 110. In this case, the gate driver 170 is formed in the seal line area SA adjacent to the left side of the lower substrate 100. The gate driver 170 is formed through the same process as the TFT. In addition, the gate driver 170 is electrically connected to the plurality of gate lines formed in the display area SA.

A light leakage prevention layer 180 is formed on the gate driver 170 to prevent light leakage between the gate signal lines of the gate driver 170. The light leakage preventing layer 180 may be formed of the same material when the source electrode and the drain electrode of the TFT are formed or the same material when the color filter 150 is formed. In this case, the light leakage preventing layer 180 is formed to cover not only the gate driver 170 but also the entire seal line area SA. Therefore, the light leakage preventing layer 180 prevents light leakage that leaks through the edge of the liquid crystal display panel 400.

Meanwhile, the common electrode 220 facing the pixel electrode 160 is formed on the second insulating substrate 210 of the upper substrate 200. The common electrode 220 is formed on the entire surface of the second insulating substrate 210. That is, the common electrode 220 is formed in the display area DA, the seal line area SA, and the peripheral area PA on the second insulating substrate 210.

In the present exemplary embodiment, light leakage between the gate signal wires of the gate driver 170 and the outer edge of the liquid crystal display panel 400 is prevented by the light leakage preventing layer 180, thereby preventing the leakage of the second insulating substrate 210. There is no need for a black matrix around the perimeter. In addition, since the color filters 160 partially overlap adjacent color pixels, a black matrix formed in a matrix form between the color pixels is also unnecessary. Therefore, only the common electrode 220 is formed on the upper substrate 200. For this reason, the liquid crystal display according to the present invention has an alignment free structure in which the upper substrate 200 and the lower substrate 100 are easily aligned, and thus there is no change in luminance due to misalignment.

A first alignment key 700 for aligning the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 is formed in the peripheral area PA of the lower substrate 100. In addition, a second alignment key 710 corresponding to the first alignment key 700 is formed in the peripheral area PA of the upper substrate 200. In this case, the first alignment key 700 is formed of the same material when forming the TFT. In addition, the second alignment key 710 is formed by removing the second insulating substrate 210 to a predetermined depth so as to correspond to the first alignment key 710 by a laser.

2 is a plan view illustrating the lower substrate of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II ′ of FIG. 2.

2 and 3, a first alignment key 700 is formed at four corner regions of the lower substrate 100, that is, the peripheral region SA. The first alignment key 700 has a square annular shape having a predetermined thickness.

In addition, a TFT 810 is formed in the display area DA of the lower substrate 100. The TFT 810 includes a gate electrode 811, a gate insulating layer 812, an active layer 813, a source electrode 814, and a drain electrode 815 sequentially formed on the first insulating substrate 110. .

The passivation layer 130 is formed on the TFT 810, and the color filter 150 is formed on the passivation layer 130. The color filter 150 includes an R color 150-R, a G color 150-G, and a B color 150-B. The R, G, and B color pixels 150-R, 150-G, and 150 -B are formed by depositing R, G, and B photoresist on the passivation layer 130 and then patterning the R, G, and B photoresists. In this case, the R, G, and B color pixels 150 -R, 150 -G, and 150 -B overlap with an adjacent color pixel.

The pixel electrode 160 formed by ITO or IZO is formed on the color filter 150. The pixel electrode 160 is electrically connected to the drain electrode 815 of the TFT 810 through a predetermined contact hole.

The gate driver 170 of FIG. 1 is formed in the seal line area SA of the lower substrate 100. The gate driver 170 is made of the same material in the same process as the TFT 810. In addition, the light leakage preventing layer 180 is formed on the upper portion of the gate driver 170 to cover the gate signal lines 175 of the gate driver 170 that provides signals to the plurality of gate lines. The light leakage preventing layer 180 is formed of the same material when the source electrode 814 and the drain electrode 815 of the TFT 810 are formed. In addition, the light leakage preventing layer 180 is formed by the R, G, and B photoresists for forming the R, G, and B color pixels 150-R, 150-G, and 150 -B of the color filter 150. Can be formed.

In addition, the first alignment key 700 is formed in the peripheral area PA by forming the same metal material in the shape of a square ring in the process of forming the gate electrode 811 of the TFT 810. Meanwhile, the first alignment key 700 may be formed of the same metal material in the process of forming the source electrode 814 and the drain electrode 815 of the TFT 810.

4 is a plan view illustrating the upper substrate of FIG. 1, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II-II ′ of FIG. 4.

4 and 5, a second alignment key 710 is formed in four corner regions of the upper substrate 200, that is, the peripheral region SA. The second alignment key 710 includes a 2-1 alignment key portion 712 and a 2-2 alignment key portion 714. The 2-1 alignment key part 712 corresponds to the inside of the first alignment key 700 of FIG. 2 and has a square shape. In addition, the second-second alignment key unit 714 corresponds to an edge of the first alignment key 700 and has a triangular shape. Four second-2 alignment keys 714 are formed to correspond to four corners of the first alignment key 700.

The second alignment key 710 is formed by a laser marking process. That is, the second-1 alignment key part 712 is formed by removing the second insulating substrate 210 in a region corresponding to the first alignment key 700 by a predetermined depth. In addition, the second-second alignment key unit 714 is formed by removing the second insulating substrate 210 in a region corresponding to the first alignment key 700 by the laser by a predetermined depth.

In addition, the upper substrate 200 has ITO or IZO deposited on the entire surface of the second insulating substrate 210 on which the second alignment key 710 is formed, thereby forming the common electrode 220.

As such, since the second alignment key 710 is formed by the laser marking process, the photo matrix of the black matrix for forming the second alignment key is unnecessary, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process of the upper substrate 200.

Also, no black matrix is formed on the upper substrate 200 to prevent light leakage between the color pixels of the color filter 150 and the gate signal line 175 of the gate driver 170. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent a change in luminance due to misalignment between the upper substrate 200 and the lower substrate 100.

6 is a diagram illustrating an alignment state of the first and second alignment keys illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4.

Referring to FIG. 6, the first alignment key 700 has a square strip shape having a predetermined thickness, and the second-first alignment key portion 712 of the second alignment key 710 has a square shape. It is formed in the center area of the first alignment key 700. In addition, the second-second alignment key portion 714 of the second alignment key 710 has a triangular shape and is formed in an area corresponding to an edge of the first alignment key 700.

Here, the predetermined alignment measuring device measures a lower portion of the second alignment key 710 of the second alignment key 710 by measuring the deviation from the center area of the first alignment key 700. The alignment degree between the substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 is determined. In addition, the alignment misdirection direction of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 is determined by measuring the overlap position between the first alignment key 700 and the second-2 alignment key portion 714.

According to the present invention, the first alignment key 700 has a square strip shape, and the second alignment key 710 has a triangular shape corresponding to a square shape and an edge located inside the first alignment key 700. Although the case has been described as an example, it is apparent that it can have a variety of shapes.

In addition, although the second alignment key 710 is formed by removing the second insulating substrate 210 to a predetermined depth by a laser marking process, the present invention may be formed in another form.

7 is a perspective view illustrating another example of the second alignment key illustrated in FIG. 4, and FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an upper substrate on which the second alignment key of FIG. 7 is formed.

7 and 8, the second align key 910 includes a 2-1 align key portion 912 and a 2-2 align key portion 914. The shapes of the 2-1 and 2-2 alignment key parts 912 and 914 are the same as those of FIG. 4. That is, the 2-1 alignment key part 912 is located inside the first alignment key 700 and has a square shape. The second-2 alignment key portion 914 has a triangular shape and is formed to correspond to an edge of the first alignment key 700.

Here, the inside of the second insulating substrate 210 of the transparent material is discolored in a square shape by a laser marking process, thereby forming the 2-1 alignment key part 912. In addition, the second marking substrate 914 is formed by discoloring the inside of the second insulating substrate 210 in a triangular shape by a laser marking process.

As described above, the present invention includes a first alignment key formed on the lower substrate and a second alignment key formed on the upper substrate by a laser marking process. In addition, the present invention includes a light leakage prevention layer formed on the lower substrate to prevent light leakage between the gate signal wires of the gate driver and to the outer edge of the liquid crystal display panel.

Therefore, in the present invention, since the second alignment key is formed by the laser marking process, a black matrix photo process for forming the second alignment key is unnecessary. This has the effect of simplifying the manufacturing process of the upper substrate.

In addition, since the black matrix is not formed on the upper substrate, an alignment miss does not occur during the alignment process of the upper substrate and the lower substrate, thereby improving luminance. As a result, the display quality of the liquid crystal display device can be improved.

While the invention has been described with reference to the examples, those skilled in the art may variously modify and change the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. You will understand.

Claims (13)

A first insulating substrate, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode formed of a display area, a seal line area surrounding the display area, and a peripheral area formed outside the seal line area, and formed in the display area on the first insulating substrate. A first substrate comprising a switch element, a plurality of color pixels, a color filter formed on the display area above the switching element, and a transparent electrode formed on the color filter and electrically connected to the switching element; A second substrate facing the first substrate and having a second insulating substrate; A first alignment key formed in the peripheral area on the first substrate; And And a second alignment key integrally formed on the second insulating substrate so as to correspond to the first alignment key. The display device of claim 1, wherein the second alignment key is formed by removing the second insulating substrate by a predetermined thickness. The display device of claim 1, wherein the second alignment key is formed by discoloring the second insulating substrate by a predetermined thickness. The display device of claim 1, wherein the color filter partially overlaps the plurality of color pixels with adjacent color pixels. The method of claim 1, wherein the first substrate And a light leakage prevention layer formed in the peripheral area on the first insulating substrate to prevent light leakage from the peripheral area. The method of claim 5, wherein the first substrate And a gate driver formed in a portion of the peripheral area under the light leakage preventing layer to provide a driving signal to the switching element. The display device of claim 5, wherein the light leakage preventing layer is formed of the same material as the source electrode and the drain electrode. The display device of claim 5, wherein the light leakage preventing layer is formed of the same material as the plurality of color pixels. (a) manufacturing a first substrate including a first display area, a first seal line area, and a first peripheral area, the first substrate having a first alignment key in the first peripheral area; (b) a second display area, a second seal line area, and a second peripheral area facing the first substrate, the second peripheral area corresponding to the first alignment key by a laser marking process; Fabricating a second substrate having a second alignment key; And and (c) aligning the first substrate and the second substrate with each other by the first and second alignment keys. 10. The method of claim 9, wherein step (a) Forming a switching device in the first display area; Forming a light leakage prevention layer on the first seal line region to prevent light leakage; Forming a color filter including a plurality of color pixels formed to partially overlap adjacent color pixels in the first display area; And Forming a transparent electrode on the color filter, the transparent electrode being electrically connected to the switching element; And the light leakage preventing layer is formed of a metal film including the material forming the switching element or the color filter forming material. The method of claim 10, wherein step (a) And forming a gate driver in a portion of the first seal line region when the switching element is formed. The method of claim 9, wherein step (b) Removing the second substrate of the second peripheral area to a predetermined thickness to form the second alignment key; And And forming a transparent electrode on the second substrate having the second alignment key formed thereon. The method of claim 12, wherein step (b) Discoloring the second substrate in the second peripheral area to form the second alignment key; And And forming a transparent electrode on the second substrate having the second alignment key formed thereon.

Images