KR20080008569A - Liquid crystal display and method of menufacturing and trimming the same - Google Patents

Abstract

An LCD(Liquid Crystal Display), a manufacturing method thereof, and a trimming method are provided to form a trimming checking pad at the start and end points of a trimming line set between a shorting bar and a pad. Plural gate lines(11) as the first signal lines are formed on the upper portion of a substrate(100). Plural data lines(12) as the second signal line are crossed with the gate lines and define pixel areas. Plural gate lines are connected by a gate shorting bar(15) and plural data lines are connected by a data shorting bar(16). A pixel electrode(120) is formed at the pixel area. A TFT(Thin Film Transistor) is constructed to a portion crossing the data lines and gate lines. The first trimming line(21) is set between the gate shorting bar and a gate pad. The first trimming checking pad(23B) constructed by plural pads is formed at an end of the first trimming line. The second trimming checking pad(24A) constructed by plural pads is formed at an end of the second trimming line(22) set between the data shorting bar and a data pad.

Description

Liquid crystal display, manufacturing method and trimming method {Liquid Crystal Display and method of menufacturing and trimming the same}

1 is a plan view of a liquid crystal display including a shorting bar and a trimming test pad according to an exemplary embodiment.

2 is an enlarged plan view of a portion of a liquid crystal display including a shorting bar and a trimming test pad according to an exemplary embodiment.

3 is a plan view illustrating a state after trimming of a liquid crystal display including a shorting bar and a trimming test pad according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

4 (a) to 4 (d) are cut along the lines I-I and II-II of FIG. 2 to explain a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device having a shorting bar according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Section of status.

5 (a) to 5 (d) are cut along lines III-III and IV-IV of FIG. 2 to explain a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device having a shorting bar according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Section of status.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a trimming method of a liquid crystal display device having a shorting bar according to an exemplary embodiment.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

10: array area 11: gate line

12: data line 13: gate pad

14 data pad 15 gate shorting bar

16: data shorting bar 17: gate input pad

18: data input pad 19: gate drive IC mounting area

20: Data driving IC mounting area 21: First trimming line

22: 2nd trimming line 23A and 23B: 1st trimming test pad

24A and 24B: Second Trimming Test Pad

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) having a shorting bar. In particular, a liquid crystal display capable of detecting a trimming defect during laser trimming after inspecting a liquid crystal array using the shorting bar. An apparatus, a manufacturing method thereof, and a trimming method are provided.

The liquid crystal display displays an image corresponding to the data signal on the panel by adjusting the light transmittance of the liquid crystal cells arranged in a matrix on the liquid crystal panel with a data signal supplied thereto. To this end, the liquid crystal display includes a liquid crystal panel in which liquid crystal cells are arranged in a matrix, and a driving circuit for driving the liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal panel includes a black matrix formed between the color filter and the color filter, an upper substrate on which the common electrode formed on the color filter and the black matrix is formed, a pixel substrate, a switching element, and a lower substrate on which the array wiring is formed.

The pixel electrode of the lower substrate is connected to the drain terminal of a thin film transistor (TFT) which serves as a switching element, and the source terminal of the thin film transistor is connected to the data line. Therefore, the data signal supplied through the data line is supplied to the pixel electrode through the source terminal and the drain terminal of the thin film transistor. In addition, the gate terminal of the thin film transistor is connected to the gate line to allow the pixel voltage signal to be applied to the pixel electrode.

When the liquid crystal display is completed, an inspection process for detecting a short, open or thin film transistor of a signal line, that is, a gate line and a data line, is performed. To this end, the liquid crystal display device includes a shorting bar that binds the gate line and the data line into one line to facilitate inspection. That is, the shorting bar includes one shorting bar connected to the gate line and the other shorting bar connected to the data line. In order to check for abnormality of the gate line by using the shorting bar, power is applied to the shorting bar to which the gate line is connected.

After the gate line or data line is inspected using the shorting bar, the laser IC is irradiated along the trimming line between the gate line and the data line and the shorting bar to perform laser trimming to remove the shorting bar, and then the driving IC is mounted. . For the laser trimming, a separate laser trimming equipment is used, and the trimming was performed immediately after setting the laser trimming coordinates. However, since trimming coordinates are not correctly identified after trimming, if trimming coordinates are not set correctly, damage may occur to other wirings beyond the trimming position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display, a manufacturing method thereof, and a trimming method capable of detecting a trimming defect after laser trimming.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device, a manufacturing method and a trimming method of forming a trimming test pad at a start point and an end point of a trimming line set between a shorting bar and a pad, and detecting trimming defects using the trimming test pad. .

According to an exemplary embodiment, a liquid crystal display may include a plurality of signal lines for inputting a predetermined driving signal; A shorting bar connected in common with the plurality of signal lines and receiving a signal for testing whether the signal line is defective; And a trimming test pad formed in a predetermined area between the signal line and the shorting bar.

And a plurality of connection wires extending from the plurality of signal lines, respectively, for connecting the plurality of signal lines and the shorting bar.

The trimming test pad is formed of at least one pad and is formed at a predetermined region of the trimming line set between the plurality of signal lines and the shorting bar, preferably at a start point and an end point of the trimming line, respectively.

In addition, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device may include forming a first conductive layer on a substrate and patterning the first conductive line to form a plurality of first signal lines, first shorting bars, and first trimming inspection pads. ; And forming an insulating film and a second conductive film on the entire structure, and then patterning the second conductive film to form a plurality of second signal lines, second shorting bars, and second trimming test pads.

The first shorting bar is formed to be commonly connected to the plurality of first signal lines, and the second shorting bar is formed to be commonly connected to the plurality of second signal lines.

The first trimming test pad may include at least one pad, and may include a predetermined region of a first trimming line set between the plurality of first signal lines and the first shorting bar, and preferably, a starting point of the first trimming line. It is formed at each end point.

The second trimming test pad may include at least one pad, and may include a predetermined region of a second trimming line set between the plurality of second signal lines and the second shorting bar, and preferably a starting point of the second trimming line. It is formed at each end point.

Forming a plurality of contact holes exposing a predetermined region of the plurality of signal lines and a predetermined region of the trimming test pad after forming a passivation layer over the entire structure; And forming a third conductive layer only on the contact hole formed to expose predetermined regions of the plurality of signal lines.

On the other hand, the trimming method of the liquid crystal display according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises the steps of providing a substrate having a trimming test pad formed in a predetermined region between the plurality of signal lines and the shorting bar; Setting trimming to a predetermined portion of the trimming test pad and performing trimming; And detecting whether trimming is bad by checking whether the trimming test pad is trimmed up to a predetermined part of the trimming test pad.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a plan view of a liquid crystal display including a shorting bar and a trimming test pad according to an exemplary embodiment, and illustrates only a region in which one gate driver IC and a data driver IC are mounted.

As shown in the drawing, a liquid crystal display including a shorting bar and a trimming test pad according to an exemplary embodiment has a plurality of gate lines 11 arranged in one direction at regular intervals on a substrate, and each gate line ( A plurality of data lines 12 are arranged at regular intervals in the direction perpendicular to 11).

A portion where the gate line 11 and the data line 12 cross each other is an array region 10, and a plurality of thin film transistors, a plurality of pixel electrodes, and the like are formed in the array region 10. The pixel electrodes are respectively connected to the drain terminal of the thin film transistor, and the source terminal of the thin film transistor is connected to the data line 12. Therefore, the data signal supplied through the data line 12 is supplied to the pixel electrode through the source terminal and the drain terminal of the thin film transistor. In addition, the gate electrode of the thin film transistor is connected to the gate line 11 to allow the pixel voltage signal to be applied to the pixel electrodes.

The gate pad 13 and the data pad 14 are formed at one end of the gate line 11 and the data line 12, and the gate input pad 17 has a predetermined interval at a portion facing the gate pad 13. Is formed, and data input pads 18 are formed at regular intervals in portions facing the data pads 14. Here, the portion where the gate input pad 17 is formed to face each gate pad 13 is the gate driving IC mounting region 19, and the portion where the data input pad 18 is formed to face each data pad 14 is The data driver IC mounting area 20 is provided. In addition, one gate shorting bar 15 connected to the plurality of gate pads 13 is formed in a line in a predetermined region between the gate pad 13 and the gate input pad 17, and the data pad 14 is formed in a line shape. And a data shorting bar 16 connected to the plurality of data pads 14 in a predetermined region between the data input pads 18 and the data input pads 18. In order to connect the plurality of gate pads 13 with one gate shorting bar 15, a plurality of first connection wires extend from each of the plurality of gate pads 13. Similarly, the plurality of data pads 14 may be connected. A plurality of second connection wires extend from each of the plurality of data pads 14 to connect with one data shorting bar 16.

In addition, a first trimming line 21 for performing laser trimming along the gate shorting bar 15 is set between the gate shorting bar 15 and the gate pad 13, and the data shorting bar 16 and the data pad ( A second trimming line 22 which performs laser trimming along the data shorting bar 16 is set in between.

Then, the first trimming test pads 23A and 23B are preferably formed at the start and end points of the first trimming line 21, respectively, and the second trimming test pads 24A and 24B are preferably the second trimming lines. It is formed at the start point and the end point of (22), respectively. Each of the first trimming test pads 23A and 23B and the second trimming test pads 24A and 24B is preferably formed of a plurality of pads. In addition, the first trimming test pads 23A and 23B may be formed in the same shape as the gate pad 13, and the second trimming test pads 24A and 24B may be formed in the same shape as the data pad pad 14. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be formed in various shapes.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged plan view of a liquid crystal display including a shorting bar and a trimming test pad according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. The portion A of FIG. 1 is enlarged to show an array region, a gate pad, a data pad, a gate shorting bar, A plan view showing a data shorting bar and one region of the first and second trimming test pads.

Referring to FIG. 2, a plurality of gate lines 11 serving as first signal lines formed in one direction on the substrate 100 and vertically intersect the gate lines 11 to define a plurality of pixel regions P may be formed. A plurality of data lines 12 as second signal lines are formed. The plurality of gate lines 11 are connected to one through the gate shorting bar 15. In this case, a gate pad 13 is formed at an end of the gate line 11, and the gate shorting bar 15 is connected to the gate pad 13 through the first connection line 111. In addition, the plurality of data lines 12 are connected to one through the data shorting bar 16. In this case, the data pad 14 is formed at the end of the data line 12, and the data shorting bar 16 is connected to the data pad 14 through the second connection wire 112.

The pixel electrode 120 is configured in the pixel region P, and the thin film transistor T is formed at a portion where the data line 12 and the gate line 11 cross each other, and the thin film transistor T is the gate line 11. ), A gate electrode 122, a drain electrode 124 connected to the pixel electrode 120, and a source electrode 126 spaced apart from the drain electrode 124 by a predetermined interval.

In addition, a first trimming test pad 23B consisting of a plurality of pads is preferably formed at the end of the first trimming line 21 set between the gate shorting bar 15 and the gate pad 13, and the data shorting bar. At the end of the second trimming line 22 set between the 16 and the data pad 14, a second trimming test pad 24A consisting of a plurality of pads is preferably formed.

The liquid crystal display including the shorting bar and the trimming test pad according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention configured as described above transfers a predetermined electrical signal through the gate shorting bar 15 or the data shorting bar 16. Then, it is checked whether an electrical signal is transmitted to the gate line 11 or the data line 12 opposite to the gate shorting bar 15 or the data shorting bar 16. In this manner, after detecting a failure of the gate line 11 and the data line 12 or the thin film transistor, laser trimming is performed along the first and second trimming lines 21 and 22. The laser trimming cuts the first connection wire 111 and the second connection wire 112 by irradiating a laser. In this case, the laser trimming is performed along the first and second trimming lines 21 and 22. When the coordinates are set to be trimmed to predetermined pads of the first trimming test pads 23A and 23B and the second trimming test pads 24A and 24B, each of which is composed of a plurality of pads, trimming is performed. That is, when the first trimming test pads 23A and 23B and the second trimming test pads 24A and 24B are configured with, for example, five pads, the coordinates are set such that three pads among the five pads are trimmed. Trimming is performed so that the gate shorting bar 15 and the data shorting bar 16 are separated from the gate pad 13 and the data pad 14, respectively. The state after trimming in this way is shown in FIG. After trimming, it is determined whether the first trimming test pads 23A and 23B have been trimmed by the set number, and if it is equal to or within the error range, it is determined as trimmed as desired, and if it is outside the error range, the trimming is determined as desired. Here, when three pads among the five pads are set to be trimmed, one or more and four or less are determined to be within an error range, and otherwise, the three pads are determined to be outside the error range.

4 (a) to 4 (d) are lines II and II of FIG. 2 to explain a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display including a shorting bar and a trimming test pad according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 5 (a) to 5 (d) are cross-sectional views of a state taken along a line III-III and IV-IV of FIG. 2, illustrating a method of manufacturing a lower substrate. It is to.

Referring to FIGS. 4A and 5A, after the first conductive layer 210 is formed on an insulating substrate 100 made of glass, quartz, ceramic, or plastic, a photo using a predetermined mask is used. And patterning the first conductive layer 210 by an etching process. By patterning the first conductive layer 210, the gate line 11, the gate electrode 122, the gate pad 13, the first connection wiring 111, and the gate shorting bar 15 are formed, and at the same time, the gate shorting bar. A first trimming inspection pad 23B is formed spaced apart from the predetermined interval 15. Here, the first trimming test pad 23B is preferably formed at a start point and an end point of a first trimming line (not shown) set between the gate shorting bar 15 and the gate pad 13, and includes at least one or more plurality of pads. It is preferable to consist of a pad. In addition, the plurality of pads constituting the first trimming test pad 23B may be formed in the same shape as the gate pad 13 or the first connection line 111, but the present invention is not limited thereto. have.

On the other hand, the first conductive film 210 can be formed in multiple layers, in order to compensate for the disadvantages of the metal or alloy and to obtain the desired physical properties. For example, aluminum (Al) or aluminum alloy (Al alloy) is used as the underlying layer and chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), molybdenum (Mo) -tungsten (W) or molybdenum (Mo)-tungsten nitride (WN) ) May be formed as a double layer using the upper layer. The lower layer uses aluminum or aluminum alloy with low specific resistance to prevent signal resistance due to wiring resistance, and the upper layer is used to compensate for the shortcomings of aluminum or aluminum alloy where corrosion resistance by chemicals is weak and easily oxidized to cause disconnection. It is to use chromium, molybdenum, molybdenum-tungsten or molybdenum-tungsten nitride which are highly corrosion resistant to chemicals.

Referring to FIGS. 4B and 5B, the gate line 11, the gate electrode 122, the gate pad 13, the first connection wiring 111, the gate shorting bar 15, and the first The gate insulating layer 220, the active layer 230, and the second conductive layer 240 are sequentially formed on the entire structure where the trimming test pad 23B is formed. The gate insulating layer 220 may be formed using one or more insulating materials including an inorganic insulating material including silicon nitride (SiN _x ) and silicon oxide (SiO ₂ ) having excellent adhesion to a metal material and excellent insulation breakdown voltage. have. In addition, the active layer 230 may be formed using an amorphous silicon film. In addition, the second conductive layer 240 may be formed of a single metal layer, and may be formed of multiple layers to compensate for the disadvantages of the metal or alloy and to obtain desired physical properties. For example, the second conductive layer 240 may be formed of a single layer of chromium (Cr) and may be formed of a triple layer of molybdenum (Mo), aluminum (Al), and molybdenum (Mo).

The second conductive layer 240 and the active layer 230 are selectively removed by a photolithography and an etching process using a predetermined mask to determine the region where the thin film transistor T is to be formed, and at the same time, the data line 12 and the data pad 14. ), The second connection wiring 112, the data shorting bar 16, and the second trimming test pad 24A are formed. Here, the second trimming test pad 24A is formed at a start point and an end point of a second trimming line (not shown) set between the data shorting bar 16 and the data pad 14, and includes at least one or more plurality of pads. It is preferable to consist of a pad. In addition, the plurality of pads constituting the second trimming test pad 24A may be formed in the same shape as the data pad 14 or the second connection line 112, respectively, but are not limited thereto. have.

The active layer 230 is exposed by removing a predetermined region of the second conductive layer 240 remaining in the region where the thin film transistor T is to be formed. The source electrode 124 and the drain electrode 126 are formed by removing the predetermined region of the second conductive film 240. Here, the second conductive film 240 removed to form the source electrode 124 and the drain electrode 126 is preferably an area partially overlapping the gate electrode 122.

Meanwhile, in the above description, the data line 12, the data pad 14, the data shorting bar 16, the second connection wiring 112, and the second trimming setting pad 24A are formed of the active layer 230 and the second conductive film ( Although described as being formed of a stacked structure of 240, they may be formed of only the second conductive layer 240 after removing the active layer 230.

Referring to FIGS. 4C and 5C, after forming the passivation layer 250 on the entire structure, a plurality of contacts are removed by removing a predetermined region of the passivation layer 250 by a photolithography and etching process using a predetermined mask. Form a hole. The portion where the protective layer 250 is removed to form the contact hole is, for example, the gate pad 13, the drain 126, the first trimming test pad 23B, the data pad 14, and the second trimming test pad 24A. Is a region exposing a predetermined region.

Referring to FIGS. 4D and 5D, a third conductive film 260 including an ITO film or an IZO film with a uniform thickness is formed on the entire structure including the contact hole. In addition, the remaining third conductive layer 260 is removed to partially remain on the plurality of contact holes by a photolithography and an etching process using a predetermined mask. In this way, the pixel electrode 120 and the auxiliary pad connected to each pad are formed. At this time, the third conductive film 260 does not remain in the region where the first trimming test pad 23B and the second trimming test pad 24A are formed.

In the above process, the gate line 12, the gate pad 14, the gate shorting bar 15, the first trimming test pad 23B, the data line 13, the data pad 14, and the data shorting bar ( 16), a lower substrate including a second trimming test pad 24A and a thin film transistor and a pixel electrode is manufactured.

In another process, a black matrix layer is formed on the substrate to block light transmission between pixels, for example, using a chromium thin film, and an RGB color filter is formed to coincide with each pixel region, and an ITO thin film. The upper substrate is manufactured by forming a common electrode on the front surface of the color filter without distinguishing pixels for each pixel.

After forming an alignment layer for arranging the liquid crystal molecules in a predetermined direction on each surface of the upper substrate and the lower substrate manufactured in different manufacturing processes as described above, the gap between the two substrates is kept constant using spacers. Inject the liquid crystal in between. In this way, manufacture of a liquid crystal display device is completed.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating a trimming method of a liquid crystal display including a shorting bar and a trimming test pad according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 5, a first trimming test pad is formed at a start point and an end point of a first trimming line set along a gate shorting bar between the gate shorting bar and the gate pad, and a first trimming test pad is set along the data shorting bar between the data shorting bar and the data pad. A second trimming test pad is formed at the start point and the end point of the second trimming line, respectively (S100). It is preferable that these 1st and 2nd trimming test pads consist of a some pad.

Trimming coordinates are set along the first trimming line and the second trimming line using a predetermined trimming equipment (S200). At this time, the coordinates are set to be trimmed to a predetermined pad among the first and second trimming test pads composed of a plurality of pads. For example, when the first and second trimming test pads are composed of five pads, two pads Set the trimming coordinates to trim.

The laser is irradiated along the first trimming line and the second trimming line using the set coordinates to perform laser trimming (S300).

After the laser trimming, it is checked whether the first and second trimming test pads are trimmed by a set number (S400).

If the result is equal to the set number or within the error range, it is determined to be trimmed as desired (S500), and if it is outside the error range, it is determined that it is not trimmed as desired and failed (S600). Here, when two pads among the five pads are set to be trimmed, one or more and four or less are determined to be within an error range, and otherwise, the two pads are determined to be outside the error range.

As described above, according to the present invention, a first trimming test pad including a plurality of pads is formed at a starting point and an end point of a first trimming line set between the gate shorting bar and the gate pad and a second trimming line set between the data shorting bar and the data pad. And a second trimming inspection pad. After the laser trimming is performed to trim to a predetermined portion of the first and second trimming test pads, the trimming is performed by setting errors of the first and second trimming test pads so that the trimming failure can be confirmed. Defects can be detected.

Claims (14)

A plurality of signal lines for inputting predetermined drive signals; A shorting bar connected in common with the plurality of signal lines and receiving a signal for testing whether the signal line is defective; And And a trimming test pad formed in a predetermined area between the signal line and the shorting bar. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of connection wires extending from the plurality of signal lines, respectively, for connecting the plurality of signal lines and the shorting bar. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the trimming test pad comprises at least one pad. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the trimming test pad is formed in a predetermined region of a trimming line set between the plurality of signal lines and the shorting bar. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the trimming test pad is formed at a start point and an end point of the trimming line, respectively. Forming a first conductive layer on the substrate and patterning the first conductive layer to form a plurality of first signal lines, first shorting bars, and first trimming inspection pads; And Forming an insulating film and a second conductive film over the entire structure, and then patterning the second conductive film to form a plurality of second signal lines, second shorting bars, and second trimming test pads. . The method of claim 6, wherein the first shorting bar is formed to be commonly connected to the plurality of first signal lines. The liquid crystal display of claim 6, wherein the first trimming test pad comprises at least one pad and is formed in a predetermined region of a first trimming line set between the plurality of first signal lines and the first shorting bar. Method of preparation. The liquid crystal display of claim 6 or 8, wherein the first trimming test pad is formed at a start point and an end point of the first trimming line, respectively. The method of claim 6, wherein the second shorting bar is formed to be commonly connected to the plurality of second signal lines. The liquid crystal display of claim 6, wherein the second trimming test pad comprises at least one pad, and is formed in a predetermined region of a second trimming line set between the plurality of second signal lines and the second shorting bar. Method of preparation. The method of claim 6, wherein the second trimming test pad is formed at a start point and an end point of the second trimming line, respectively. The method of claim 6, further comprising: forming a plurality of contact holes exposing a predetermined region of the plurality of signal lines and a predetermined region of the trimming test pad after forming a passivation layer over the entire structure; And And forming a third conductive layer only on the contact hole formed to expose predetermined regions of the plurality of signal lines. Providing a substrate having a trimming test pad formed in a predetermined region between the plurality of signal lines and the shorting bar; Setting trimming to a predetermined portion of the trimming test pad and performing trimming; And Detecting whether the trimming failure is performed by checking whether the trimming test pad is trimmed up to a predetermined portion of the trimming test pad.

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