KR20170073483A - Display device - Google Patents

Abstract

The display of the electronic device includes a plurality of discrete transparent electrode blocks configured to provide one or more auxiliary features, such as touch recognition. The signal paths between the transparent electrode blocks and the driver for the auxiliary feature are implemented with a plurality of conductive lines arranged below one or more planarization layers. The conductive lines implementing the signal paths are routed across the display area, directly toward the non-display area where the drive-integrated circuits are located.

Description

DISPLAY DEVICE {DISPLAY DEVICE}

This disclosure relates generally to electronic devices, and more particularly to electronic devices having displays and methods of making the same.

Electronic devices often include displays. For example, mobile telephones and portable computers include displays for providing information to a user. In addition to displaying information, the displays may support various auxiliary features. For example, the touch screen simply allows the user to interact with the display by touching the graphical interface displayed on the screen with a finger, stylus (pen), or other object. Touch screens with ease of use and flexibility of operation are among the most common user interaction mechanisms used in various flat panel displays such as liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs).

Typically, a separate substrate, provided with a matrix of touch-driven lines and touch-sensing lines, which may be referred to as a touch panel, is overlaid or covered to provide a touch-sensing function. However, disposing a separate touch panel on the display panel increases the thickness and weight of the display panel. Similar problems may arise from adding these auxiliary features, e.g., separate components or substrates for tactile feedback or pressure sensing functions, to the displays. Thus, attempts have been made to integrate components associated with these auxiliary features in the stacks of layers that form the display panel.

However, incorporating components associated with auxiliary features (e.g., touch sensors, touch pressure sensors, tactile feedback sensors) into the display panel complicates the operation of the display panel and may even adversely affect display quality have. For example, the conductive lines that transmit signals from the display areas within the display panel to the display areas for implementation of touch-sensing, touch-pressure sensing, or tactile feedback mechanisms are coupled to other components of the display panel, Capacitance, which may cause visual defects (e.g., uneven tilting angles of liquid crystal molecules, line dimming, moire effects, etc.).

The present disclosure relates generally to display panels provided with ancillary functions such as a touch-sensing function, a touch pressure sensing function, and a tactile feedback function, and more particularly, To the configuration of segmented electrode blocks.

In the display panel, some of the elements used in connection with the display function can be configured to recognize touch inputs on the screen. For example, some drivers, such as gate drivers, data drivers, and touch drivers, may be configured to operate on display pixels and provide signals for recognizing touch inputs made on the screen. In addition, some electrodes and / or conductive layers of display pixels used to display an image on the display panel may act as part of the touch sensor.

In this way, the display panel can be provided with a lighter weight, thinner profile, and can be manufactured using fewer components with fewer manufacturing steps.

When implementing a touch sensor in a display panel, fine tuning of both the touch-sensing function and the display function can be a difficult task. Among the various types of LCD display panels, the electrodes for generating the electric fields for controlling the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules are provided on the same side as the liquid crystal layer, so that the arrangement of the components for the two functions is an in-plane-switching And fringe-field-switching (FFS) type LCD display panels.

Thus, a plurality of transparent electrode blocks (i.e., portions) provided over the display region of the display panel are provided to the display panel, and each transparent electrode block communicates with the touch driver through a signal path formed of at least one common signal lines . The common signal lines are disposed on the substrate, and the common signal lines are covered with the lower planarization layer. The lower planarization layer is provided over a plurality of common signal lines at a thickness sufficient to provide a planar surface over the common signal lines. A plurality of gate lines, a plurality of data lines and a plurality of thin-film-transistors are provided on a flat surface provided by a lower planarization layer, which form an array of pixel circuits in the display area. That is, the gate lines and the data lines define a matrix of pixel regions, and pixel circuits having one or more TFTs in each of the pixel regions are provided. Thus, a substrate provided with an array of TFTs may be referred to as a TFT substrate or a TFT backplane of a display panel.

The lower planarization layer must be formed of a material that can maintain a flat surface over common signal lines and must withstand the various processes associated with forming the components thereon. For example, the lower planarization layer may be formed of a photoresist, such as a photoresist, to withstand annealing processes, plasma treatments and other processes performed during formation of the TFT array, electrodes and various other components located on the underlying planarization layer, Must have sufficient thermal stability, mechanical stability, chemical durability and resistance to strippers / developers. To this end, the lower planarization layer may comprise a SOG layer formed of an organosiloxane hybrid layer based on Si-O monomers and polymers. More specifically, the lower planarization layer may comprise a hybrid polysiloxane polymer layer, and the hybrid polymer contains organic components including alkyl groups and aryl groups.

An upper planarization layer is provided over the array of gate lines, data lines and TFTs. A plurality of transparent electrode blocks (e.g., segmented portions of the common electrode) and a plurality of pixel electrodes are provided on the top planarization layer. The pixel electrodes are provided on a pixel basis, but each transparent electrode block is shared by a group of pixels.

Each of the transparent electrode blocks is configured to communicate with a touch driver via a signal path embodied in one or more common signal lines. The signal path for some transparent electrode blocks may be a parallel-connected signal path implemented with a set of a plurality of common signal lines, since some transparent electrode blocks are farther away from the touch driver than other transparent electrode blocks.

In some embodiments, the signal paths for connecting each of the transparent electrode blocks to the touch driver may comprise a plurality of parallel-connected signal paths. For example, the display panel may be provided with a first parallel-to-concatenated signal path and a second parallel-to-concatenated signal path. The first parallel-connected signal path is implemented with a plurality of common signal lines of the first set. The second parallel-connection signal path is implemented with a second set of common signal lines, distinct from the first set of common signal lines.

In some embodiments, the signal path of one of the first parallel-connect signal path and the second parallel-connect signal path may be implemented with fewer than common signal lines than other signal paths. A transparent electrode block coupled to a signal path implemented with a smaller number of common signal lines may be positioned closer to the touch driver than a transparent electrode block connected to a signal path implemented with a greater number of common signal lines. For example, the second set of common signal lines implementing the second parallel-to-concatenated signal path may have a common signal line that is greater than the total number of common signal lines included in the first set of common signal lines implementing the first parallel- And may include a small number of common signal lines. The transparent electrode block connected to the second parallel-connection signal path may be located closer to the touch driver than the transparent electrode block connected to the first parallel-connection signal path.

In some embodiments, the common signal lines of the first set of common signal lines are interconnected in parallel with one another by interconnect lines provided below the lower planarization layer. Similarly, the common signal lines of the second set of common signal lines are interconnected in parallel with each other by an interconnect line provided below the lower planarization layer.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first parallel-connect signal path and the second parallel-connect signal path includes a main portion and a tail portion. The tail portion of the signal path is implemented with fewer common signal lines than the number of common signal lines implementing the main portion of the signal path. That is, the main portion of the signal path may be implemented as a whole set of common signal lines, and the tail portion of the signal path may be implemented as a subset of common signal lines from a set of common signal lines implementing the signal path.

In some embodiments, the tail portion of the first parallel-to-concatenated signal path or the tail portion of the second parallel-to-concatenated signal path may be configured as separate parallel-to-concatenated signal paths provided at the ends of the main portion. In this case, the signal path includes a main parallel-connection portion and a tail parallel-connection portion.

In some embodiments, at least one of the first parallel-connect signal path and the second parallel-connect signal path includes a main portion and a tail portion, wherein the tail portion includes a first section and a data line, And a second section placed under the other one of the first and second sections. The first section and the second section of the tail portion may be connected in series. In this case, the signal path includes a main parallel connection and a tail serial connection.

In some embodiments, the transparent electrode blocks may be configured to implement a self-capacitance touch recognition system in the display panel. In this configuration, the common signal lines forming the signal path connected to one of the transparent electrode blocks may be routed across the other transparent electrode blocks and across the other transparent electrode blocks so that each transparent electrode block is individually controlled by the touch driver do.

In some other embodiments, the transparent electrode blocks may be configured to implement a mutual-capacitance touch recognition system within the display panel. In this configuration, one or more common signal lines forming a signal path to one of the transparent electrode blocks are routed across the other transparent electrode blocks beneath the other transparent electrode blocks. The signal paths may be selectively grouped together to control the selective groups of transparent electrode blocks, some of the optional groups acting as the touch-driven areas, and some of the optional groups of the mutual- And serves as a touch-sensing area.

In some embodiments, the connection between the signal path and the transparent electrode block is through the bypass line. The common signal lines forming the signal path are formed of a first metal layer, and a first metal layer is deposited on the substrate. The bypass lines may be provided by the second metal layer M2 forming the gate lines. A third metal layer M3 may be provided at the source / drain of the data lines and TFTs. In this setup, bypass lines are provided between the bottom planarization layer and the top planarization layer. Thus, the bypass line is connected to the common signal line through the lower contact hole through the lower planarization layer, and is connected to the transparent electrode block through the upper contact hole through the upper planarization layer.

In some embodiments, the common signal lines may be arranged in the same direction (e.g., Y-axis) as the data lines. In such embodiments, each of the common signal lines may be arranged under one of the corresponding data lines. The bypass lines may be arranged in the same direction as the gate lines (e.g., X-axis).

In some embodiments, the display panel may further include a plurality of dummy lines. The dummy lines are formed of the same metal layer as the common signal lines, and are covered under the lower planarization layer. The dummy lines are arranged in the same direction as the common signal lines. That is, the dummy lines lie along the data lines. In this case, each of the dummy lines may be arranged to at least partially overlap with one of the data lines.

In an aspect, a touch screen device is provided. In one embodiment, the touch screen device comprises a plurality of pixels operated by a pixel electrode and a common electrode. The common electrode is divided into a plurality of discrete portions of the common electrode blocks. Each of the common electrode blocks is shared by a group of pixels. The touch screen device further includes a plurality of TFTs coupled to the plurality of pixels. The TFTs are located on the lower planarization layer. The touch screen device also includes a touch driver. A plurality of common signal lines disposed below the lower planarization layer are also included in the touch screen device.

The plurality of common electrode blocks include a first group of common electrode blocks and a second group of common electrode blocks. The signal paths for each and all of the common electrode blocks of the first group are implemented with the same number of common signal lines (s). Similarly, the signal paths for each and every common electrode block of the second group are implemented with the same number of common signal lines (s). However, the number of common signal lines used to implement the signal path for the common electrode blocks of the first group is different from the number of common signal lines used to implement the signal path for the common electrode blocks of the second group It is different. That is, each of the signal paths for the common electrode blocks of the first group may be formed as a first set of common signal lines, and each of the signal paths for the common electrode blocks of the second group may be formed as a common Signal lines.

In some embodiments, at least some of the signal paths for the first group of common electrode blocks may include a main parallel-to-connect portion and a tail portion. The main parallel-to-line connections are implemented as a whole set of the first number of common signal lines forming the signal path, while the tail section is implemented as a subset of the common signal lines from the first set of common signal lines.

In some embodiments, at least some of the signal paths for the second group of common electrode blocks may comprise a main parallel-to-connect portion and a tail portion. The main parallel-to-line connections are implemented as a whole set of the second number of common signal lines forming the signal path, while the tail part is implemented as a subset of the common signal lines from the second set of common signal lines.

Of the common signal lines of the first set of common signal lines, a subset of the common signal lines, used to implement the tail portion of each signal path, is connected to the remainder of the common signal lines of the first set of common signal lines Is longer. Similarly, of the common signal lines of the second set of common signal lines, a subset of the common signal lines, which is used to implement the tail portion of each signal path, is the common signal of the second set of common signal lines It is longer than the rest of the lines.

In another aspect, an electronic device having a display is provided. In one embodiment, the electronic device has a display area provided with a plurality of pixels. A thin film transistor (TFT) array layer is arranged in the display area to control the plurality of pixels. At the upper end of the TFT array layer, a plurality of individual transparent electrode blocks are arranged to overlap with a plurality of pixels in the display area. The electronic device also includes a driver configured to transmit signals to the plurality of discrete transparent electrode blocks and from the plurality of discrete transparent electrode blocks. A plurality of common signal lines located below the TFT array layer are further included in the electronic device. The plurality of common signal lines implement a plurality of signal paths between each of the plurality of transparent electrode blocks and the driver. Among the plurality of signal paths, a tail portion implemented in a subset of common signal lines from a set of main parallel-connect portions and a plurality of common signal lines embodied in a plurality of sets of common signal lines is provided in one or more signal paths .

Additional features, features and various advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the detailed description of the preferred embodiments given below and the accompanying drawings.

Figures 1a and 1b are perspective views of exemplary electronic devices, such as a laptop computer with a display and a miniature electronic device with a display, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
2 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary electronic device with a display, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
3A is a schematic illustration of an exemplary display panel having a plurality of transparent electrode blocks, each transparent electrode block coupled to a common signal line and configured to operate in a magneto-capacitive touch sensor, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure .
3B is a schematic illustration of an exemplary display panel having a plurality of transparent electrode blocks, each transparent electrode block coupled to a common signal line and configured to operate in a mutual-capacitance touch sensor, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure .
4 is a timing diagram illustrating exemplary timing of signals applied to pixel electrodes and transparent electrode blocks of pixels during display intervals and during a touch sensing interval, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
5A is a timing diagram illustrating exemplary timing of a signal used to provide a plurality of touch scanning intervals in a single frame, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
5B is a diagram illustrating how the total duration of a single frame may be divided and allocated to accommodate multiple display intervals and a plurality of touch scanning intervals, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
6A is a schematic illustration showing an exemplary configuration of common signal lines and bypass lines in display panels, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
6B is a cross-sectional view illustrating an exemplary configuration for connecting a common signal line to a transparent electrode block through a bypass line, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
6C is a schematic illustration of a schematic illustration showing the order in which metal layers form common signal lines, bypass lines, TFT gate lines, data lines, and source / drain, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figures 7A and 7B illustrate cross-sectional views of a display panel during fabrication steps, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
8A is a cross-sectional view of an exemplary embodiment in which at least some of the common signal lines are in direct contact with the common electrode blocks through contact holes formed through the top planarization layer and the bottom planarization layer in the SL-VCOM contact region.
FIG. 8B illustrates a cross-sectional view of the SL-VCOM contact region shown in FIG. 8A during fabrication steps, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
9A is a top view and side cross-sectional view illustrating an exemplary configuration of a common signal line provided below a coplanar structure TFT, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
9B is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary configuration of common signal lines, bypass lines and transparent electrode blocks, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
10A is a top view of an exemplary configuration of metal line traces in a non-display region of a display panel, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
10B is a side cross-sectional view of an exemplary configuration of metal line traces in a non-display region of a display panel, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
11A is a circuit diagram of an exemplary stage of a gate driver circuit for display, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
11B is a top view and a cross-sectional view of the capacitor provided in the stage of FIG. 11A, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
12A is a circuit diagram of an exemplary compensation circuit that may be provided in embodiments configured with an intra-frame pause driving scheme, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 12B is a timing diagram of an exemplary operation of a gate driver provided with the compensation circuit of Figure 12A, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
13 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of connections to common signal lines and their transparent electrode blocks, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figures 14A-14F illustrate an exemplary configuration of common signal lines for implementing signal paths between common electrode blocks and driver, respectively, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
15A illustrates an exemplary configuration of common signal lines in a bypass section.
15B illustrates another exemplary configuration of common signal lines in a bypass section.
16 is a schematic illustration showing an exemplary configuration of a masking layer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;
Figures 17A-17E illustrate various exemplary configurations of a masking layer, according to embodiments of the present disclosure.
Figures 18A-C illustrate an exemplary configuration of common signal lines having a light shield according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.
Figure 19A illustrates an exemplary configuration for connection of a bypass line and a transparent electrode block in a BL-VCOM contact region, in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure.
Figure 19B illustrates a schematic cross-sectional view in a BL-VCOM contact region during fabrication, in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
20A illustrates an exemplary configuration of a set of bypass lines for connecting a plurality of common signal lines (or dummy lines) to a common electrode block.
20B illustrates an exemplary configuration of a set of bypass lines for connecting a plurality of common signal lines (or dummy lines) to a common electrode block.
FIG. 20C illustrates an example in which one of the bypass lines extends toward the first side of the common signal line (or dummy line) and the other of the bypass lines extends toward the second side of the common signal line (or dummy line) , An exemplary configuration of a set of bypass lines for a common electrode block.
20D illustrates an exemplary configuration of a set of bypass lines for a common electrode block, in which a plurality of contacts are provided to a common signal line and each of the contacts is routed to different pixel areas.
Figures 21A and 21B illustrate an exemplary configuration of a display panel in an area between two adjacent transparent electrode blocks.

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Exemplary embodiments may be described herein with reference to a Cartesian coordinate system, in which the x-direction and the y-direction may be equal to the horizontal (row) and vertical (column) directions, respectively. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that references to a particular coordinate system are for the sake of clarity only, and do not limit the orientation of the structures to a particular direction or to a particular coordinate system.

[Exemplary electronic devices with display]

The electronic devices may include displays used to display images to a user. Exemplary electronic devices provided with displays are shown in Figures 1A and 1B.

Figure 1A shows how the electronic device 10 may have the shape of a laptop computer with an upper housing UH and a lower housing LH. Components such as the keyboard INP1 and the touch pad INP2 may be provided in the electronic device 10. [ The electronic device 10 may have a hinge structure HNG that allows the upper housing UH to rotate in a direction about a rotation axis AX associated with the lower housing LH. The display panel PNL may be mounted in the upper housing UH, in the lower housing LH or in both the upper housing UH and the lower housing LH. The upper housing UH, which may sometimes be referred to as the display housing or lid, may be disposed in a closed position by rotating the upper housing UH about the rotation axis AX towards the lower housing LH . When the display panel PNL is mounted from the upper housing UH to the lower housing LH, the display panel PNL may be a foldable display. In addition, the upper housing UH and the lower housing LH may each include a separate display panel PNL.

1B shows an electronic device 10 provided in the form of a miniature device such as a mobile telephone, a music player, a gaming device, a control console unit of an automobile, or other small device. In a configuration for this type of electronic device 10, the housing 12 may have opposing front and back surfaces. The display panel PNL may be mounted on the front surface of the housing HS. The display panel PNL may optionally have a display cover layer or other outer layer comprising openings for components such as button BT, speakers SPK and camera CMR.

The configuration for the electronic device 10 shown in Figs. 1A and 1B is merely exemplary. In general, the electronic device 10 may be a laptop computer, a computer monitor including an embedded computer, a tablet computer, a cell phone, a media player, or other portable or small electronic device, a smaller device such as a wrist- Devices, or other wearable or miniature devices, televisions, computer displays other than embedded computers, gaming devices, navigation devices, and displays may be used in embedded systems such as kiosks or automotive-mounted systems A dashboard, a central console and a control panel), or other electronic equipment.

The display panel (PNL) may include a touch sensitive display including a layer having an array of transparent electrode blocks serving as a touch sensor. The display panel PNL may be a touch sensitive display comprising a layer having an array of transparent electrode blocks serving as a touch sensor capable of measuring the pressure of the touch inputs. The display panel PNL may be a touch sensitive display including a layer having an array of transparent electrode blocks that provide tactile feedback in response to touch inputs.

The displays for the electronic device 10 are typically formed from light-emitting diodes (LEDs), OLEDs (organic LEDs), plasma cells, electrowetting pixels, electrophoretic pixels, Image pixels, or image pixels formed from other suitable image pixel structures.

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to in-plane switching (IPS) LCDs and FFS (Fringe-Field-Switching) LCDs having pixel electrodes and common electrodes arranged on one of the substrates surrounding the LCD, ) Mode is described in the context of LCD. However, the features described herein are based on the technical similarity that the display carries signals from the driver of the display device and has a plurality of conductive lines connected to the array of transparent electrode blocks located below and / or above the array of TFTs If so, it should be understood that it is applicable to various other kinds of displays including these features. That is, the features described in this disclosure may also be employed in display technologies other than LCD displays, such as organic-light-emitting-diode (OLED) displays, electro-luminescent displays, and the like.

For example, in an OLED display, a plurality of conductive lines may be located on one side of the TFT array, and conductive lines may be connected to an array of transparent electrode blocks provided on the other side of the TFT array. The transparent electrode blocks provided on the other side of the TFT array may serve as a touch sensor to provide touch recognition functionality. As mentioned above, the function of the array of transparent electrode blocks provided on the TFT array is not limited to touch sensing, but may be used for various other functions such as touch-pressure sensing function, tactile feedback function and the like. As such, it should be noted that the terms " transparent electrode blocks " and " common electrode blocks " are used interchangeably in this disclosure.

[Exemplary Display Panel]

2 schematically illustrates a configuration of a display panel (PNL) according to an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 2, a display panel PNL includes a plurality of display pixels P connected to a plurality of data lines DL and a plurality of gate lines GL. The data driver DD and the gate driver GD are provided in an area outside the display area, which may be referred to as a non-active area (i.e., non-display area). The data driver DD and the gate driver GD are arranged to supply data signals and gate signals to the data lines DL and the gate lines GL respectively in order to drive the display pixels P of the display area .

Pixels including electrodes or other capacitive elements may be used for display function and touch-sensing function. In an LCD, for example, a layer of liquid crystal molecules (i.e., a liquid crystal layer) is interposed between two substrates, and one of the two substrates is used to generate electric fields for controlling the amount of light passing through the layer of liquid crystal molecules The data voltage and the common voltage are provided to the pixel electrode and the common electrode provided in the pixel electrode and the common electrode, respectively. Light passing through the liquid crystal layer also passes through the black matrix and color filters provided on one of the substrates to represent images on the screen. In the display panel PNL shown in Fig. 2, the common electrode VCOM is subdivided into a plurality of common electrode blocks (denoted by B1 to B12). For the sake of simplicity, only B1 to B9 are shown in Fig. However, the common electrode VCOM may be provided with a greater number of portions of the separated common electrode blocks.

 Each of the display pixels P includes a TFT having a gate, a source, and a drain. Each of the display pixels P includes a capacitor formed of a pixel electrode PXL and a common electrode VCOM. The gate of the TFT is connected to the gate line GL, the source of the TFT is connected to the data line DL, and the drain of the TFT is connected to the pixel electrode PXL of each pixel.

The touch driver TD outputs a touch-sensing related signal Tk to each of the common electrode blocks through a plurality of common signal lines SL and from each of them to use common electrode blocks when sensing touch inputs on the display panel PNL Lt; / RTI > The transparent electrode provided in the display panel PNL other than the common electrode VCOM may be subdivided into a plurality of segmented blocks and may be connected to the touch driver TD via the plurality of common signal lines SL, Sensing related signals from the touch-sensing device (TD).

In OLED display panels, a plurality of discrete transparent electrode blocks arranged across the display area of the OLED display panel may also be configured to communicate with the touch driver (TD) via common signal lines (SL).

In some embodiments, both the data driver (DD), the gate driver (GD), and the touch driver (TD) may be provided on the substrate of the display panel (PNL). In some other embodiments, some of these drivers may be mounted on separate printed circuit boards (PCBs) coupled to the substrate of the display panel (PNL) via suitable interface connection means (e.g., pads, pins, Lt; / RTI > Each of the data driver (DD), gate driver (GD) and touch driver (TD) is illustrated as an individual component in FIG. 2, but some or all of these drivers may be integrated with each other as a single component. For example, the touch driver (TD) may be provided as a part of the data driver (DD). In these cases, some of the touch sensing function related signals communicated between the touch driver (TD) and the plurality of common electrode blocks may be transmitted through the data driver (DD). The data driver DD and the touch driver TD may be provided on the same printed circuit board connected to the common signal lines SL and data lines DL provided on the substrate of the display panel PNL have.

3A and 3B illustrate exemplary configurations of transparent electrode blocks (i.e., common electrode blocks) and lines for transparent electrode blocks for implementing a touch sensor within a display panel PNL. In particular, FIG. 3A illustrates an exemplary configuration of common electrode blocks B1 through B9 and common signal lines SL for a self-capacitance touch recognition system. In the self-capacitance touch recognition system, each of the common electrode blocks (B1 to B9) functions as a touch sensing electrode having a unique coordinate, so that a change in the capacitance read from each of the common electrode blocks Can be used to detect the position of the inputs. To accomplish this, a separate signal path to the touch driver (TD) implemented as a common signal line (SL) is provided in each common electrode block. That is, although each of the common signal lines SL is connected to only one common electrode block, each of the common electrode blocks includes a plurality of common signal lines SL forming a signal path between the common electrode block and the touch driver TD, Lt; / RTI >

3B illustrates an exemplary configuration of common electrode blocks B1 to B9 and common signal lines SL for a mutual-capacitance touch recognition system in a display panel PNL. Unlike a self-capacitance touch recognition system, a mutual-capacitance touch recognition system follows a capacitance change between a touch-driven electrode and a pair of touch-sensing electrodes to detect the location of touch inputs on the display panel (PNL). Thus, in a mutual-capacitance touch recognition system, common electrode blocks are grouped together such that some groups of common electrode blocks serve as touch-driving electrodes and some other groups of common electrode blocks serve as touch-sensing electrodes . To this end, the common signal lines SL are formed such that groups of common electrode blocks arranged in one direction (e.g., X-direction) collectively form touch-driving electrodes (e.g., TX1 to TX3) And groups of common electrode blocks arranged in different directions (e.g., Y-direction) collectively can be grouped together to form touch-sensing electrodes (e.g., RX1).

The common signal lines SL connected to the corresponding common electrode blocks are routed directly through the active area (i.e., display area) of the display panel PNL and are connected to the outside of the active area to form TX lines or RX lines Are grouped together. By way of example, the common signal lines SL from the common electrode blocks B1 and B3 are grouped together as illustrated in FIG. 3B, such that the first touch drive line TX1 is formed in the X-direction. Similarly, common signal lines SL from common electrode blocks B4 and B6 and common electrode blocks B7 and B9, respectively, are grouped together to form touch-driving lines TX2 and TX3 do. The touch-sensing line RX is formed in the Y-direction by grouping the common signal lines SL from the common electrode blocks B2, B5 and B8. The TX lines TX1-TX3 may be arranged in the same direction as the gate lines GL (for example, X-direction), and the touch-sensing line RX may be arranged for the data lines DL- Direction) in the same direction. In this manner, mutual capacitance is formed at the intersection between the TX lines and the Rx line.

In FIGS. 3A and 3B, only nine common electrode blocks are shown for simpler explanation. It should be understood, however, that the number of common electrode blocks provided to the display panel PNL is not so limited, and that the common electrode of the display panel PNL may be additional portions of the common electrode blocks. As a non-limiting example, the display panel (PNL) may comprise 36 x 48 common electrode blocks. It should also be noted that the size of the individual display pixels may be much smaller than the size of the individual units of the touch sensing area to be provided in the display panel PNL. That is, the size of each of the common electrode blocks may be larger than the size of the individual display pixels. Thus, a group of pixels may share a single common electrode block, but each of these pixels is provided with a separate pixel electrode. In a non-limiting example, a single common electrode block may be shared by pixels arranged in 45 rows by 45 columns (each pixel including red, green, and blue sub-pixels).

[Touch scan operation]

FIG. 4 illustrates exemplary signals applied to common electrode blocks through common signal lines SL during a display interval and a touch-sensing interval according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Because the common electrode blocks are also used as touch electrodes, they transmit signals related to the display function during a certain period and are provided with touch sensing related signals during a certain period. That is, one frame period defined by a vertical synchronization (sync) signal includes a display period and a touch-sensing period.

The display period may be only a part of one frame period. In the display period, the gate signals and the data signals are provided to the gate lines GL and the data lines DL, respectively, in order to charge the pixels with the new image data. The remaining frame periods may be used to scan the common electrode blocks to identify touch inputs on the screen as well as to prepare the pixels to receive the next image data. For example, each of the frames is 16.6 ms when the display panel is configured to operate at a frequency of 60 frames per second. Within 16.6 ms, about 12 ms can be dedicated to the display interval. The remainder may be used to perform the touch-sensing function and to prepare the pixels to receive a new frame of image data.

Thus, the common voltage signal is transmitted from the data driver DD to the common electrode blocks during the display period. During the touch scan period, the touch-driving signal is transmitted from the touch driver (TD) to the common electrode blocks via the common signal lines (SL).

In some embodiments, the common voltage signal may be in the form of a pulse signal that swings between a positive voltage and a negative voltage to perform an LCD inversion. In some embodiments, the common voltage signal is supplied to common electrode blocks via common signal lines SL. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the common voltage signal may be supplied to the common electrode blocks via the dedicated common voltage signal line SL rather than the common signal line SL. Further, in some embodiments, the common signal lines SL may be used to provide common voltage signals to the common electrode blocks, in addition to signal lines dedicated to supply the common voltage signals to the common electrode blocks, It can also serve as a means.

[Intra-Frame Pause Touch Scanning Scheme]

In some embodiments, the display panel (PNL) may be configured to perform a touch scan operation at least twice within a single frame. That is, the display interval in the frame may be divided into at least two separate display intervals, and the intermediate touch scan interval may be located between two separate display intervals of the same frame. 5A illustrates an exemplary Intraframe Pause (IFP) drive scheme, which may be used in embodiments of the display panel (PNL) of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the intra-frame touch scan operation is performed at least once between two separate display intervals of the same frame, and at least once during the blanking period before the start of the next frame. During an intermediate touch scan interval located between two separate display intervals, a scan signal is not provided on the gate lines GL. This gate drive scheme may also be referred to as IFP " intra-frame pause " driving.

 Referring to FIG. 5A, a frame includes a first display period and a second display period separated by an IFP touch scan period. The blanking interval follows the second display interval. During the first display period, a scan signal is sequentially supplied to the gate lines GL1 to GL (m). After the scan signal is supplied to the gate line GL (m), the intra-frame touch scan operation starts on the display panel PNL. Supplying the scan signals to the gate lines GL (m + 1) to GL (end) is restarted after completion of the intra-frame touch scan operation. Once a scan signal is applied to all the gate lines GL, another touch scan operation is performed during the blanking interval. In some cases, additional display intervals and additional intra-frame touch scan intervals may be provided in a single frame to increase the touch scan resolution of the display panel (PNL).

In the example shown in FIG. 5B, a display panel having 2048 gate lines GL may be driven at 120 Hz (120 frames per second). By having 2048 gate lines, a single frame can include a first display period and a second display period each having a length of 1024H. The IFP touch scan interval between the first display interval and the second display interval may be 182H, and the blanking interval following the second display interval may be 800H.

In this example, the length of the first display section and the length of the second display section are the same. However, it should be understood that the length of the first display period and the length of the second display period may be different from each other. In other words, the number of gate lines to which the scan signal is supplied during the first display period may be different from the number of gate lines to which the scan signal is supplied during the second display period.

Temporarily stopping the scan signal output on the same gate line every frame for each frame may be accomplished by using a particular portion of the gate driver GD (e.g., a particular stage of the shift register, the particular transistor (s) Etc.) can be accelerated. Thus, in some embodiments, the length of the first display interval and the length of the second display interval may vary between two different frames. For example, during the first frame, the first display period may be longer than the second display period (i.e., during the second display period, the number of gate lines is greater than the number of gate lines supplied during the first display period, And a scan signal is supplied to the scan electrodes. In a second frame, the first display period may be shorter than the second display period (i.e., during a second display period, the number of gate lines to which a scan signal is supplied is less than the number of gate lines supplied during a second display period, Signal is supplied).

When the common electrode blocks are constituted by a self-capacitance touch recognition system, touch-driving pulses are provided to each of the common electrode blocks, and signals from each of the common electrode blocks indicate whether or not the touch input is registered in a specific common electrode block Are analyzed to determine. More particularly, in a self-capacitance touch recognition system, charging or discharging a touch-drive pulse to common electrode blocks can be used to determine touch inputs on common electrode blocks. For example, a change in the capacitance value at the time of touch input changes the time at which the voltage falls on the common electrode block. This change on each of the common electrode blocks can be analyzed to determine the location of the touch input on the display panel (PNL).

When the common electrode blocks are configured as mutual-capacitance touch recognition systems, touch-driving pulses are provided to groups of common electrode blocks composed of touch-driving lines (TX), and touch- Groups of common electrode blocks are provided with a touch reference voltage signal. The touch input made on the display panel PNL changes the capacitive coupling at the intersection of the touch-driving line TX and the touch-sensing line RX, and the current delivered by the touch- . Raw, i.e., raw information or some processed form of information can be used to determine the locations of the touch inputs on the display panel (PNL). The touch driver (TD) performs this operation at high speed for each intersection of TX lines and RX lines to provide multipoint sensing.

In the example shown in FIG. 3B, each of the TX lines is defined by a group of common electrode blocks arranged in a row (X-direction), and each of the RX lines is connected to a common electrode block Group. The number of TX lines and RX lines in the display panel (PNL) can be adjusted according to the arrangement and sizes of common electrode blocks within the active area.

The arrangement of the common electrode blocks is not limited as shown in FIG. 3B and may be arranged in various other manners depending on the desired layout of TX lines and RX lines of the display panel PNL. The number of TX lines implemented with common electrode blocks arranged in a single row as well as the number of RX lines implemented with common electrode blocks arranged in a single column can vary depending on various factors. For example, based on the size of the display panel (PNL) as well as the touch scanning frequency and accuracy, common electrode blocks arranged in a single row can be used to provide multiple TX lines, and common electrode blocks arranged in a single column May be used to provide a plurality of RX lines.

Also, the RX line of the mutual-capacitance touch recognition system may be formed of common electrode blocks that are larger than the common electrode block forming the TX lines. For example, instead of forming the RX line using a plurality of common electrode blocks arranged in the column direction, a single large common electrode block extending in the column direction (i.e., the Y-direction) across the active area is formed as an RX line Can be used.

In order to improve the touch-sensing accuracy at the edges of the display panel PNL, a common signal line from common electrode blocks located at each of the outermost ends of the active area (i.e., the left end and the right end) (SL) may be grouped together such that RX lines are formed at the outermost ends of the active area. In this way, touch inputs made with objects having a touch point (e.g., 2.5Φ) much smaller than the normal size of the finger can be recognized at the edges of the display panel PNL.

In order to further improve the performance of the touch-sensing capability, the width of the common electrode blocks serving as RX lines at the outermost end of the display panel (PNL) is greater than the width of the other touch- Lt; / RTI > Configuring the common electrode blocks as the RX line at the outermost ends of the display panel PNL enables more accurate touch input recognition from the very ends of the active area. However, this means that the position of the common electrode blocks serving as the TX line will be shifted from the edges by the width of the common electrode blocks serving as the RX line at the edges. Also, each of the TX lines does not extend completely over the RX lines located at the edges. Thus, the width of the common electrode blocks at the edges may be narrower than the width of the common electrode blocks at other areas of the active area. For example, the width of the common electrode blocks measured in the X-direction may be 1/2 of the common electrode blocks located elsewhere.

In order to improve the touch-sensing accuracy at the upper and lower edges of the display panel (PNL), common electrode blocks at the upper and lower edges of the display panel (PNL) Direction, it can have a reduced width when measured in the Y-direction. In this way, narrower TX lines can be provided at the upper and lower edges of the display panel PNL.

Regardless of the type of touch recognition system implemented in the display panel (PNL), each of the common electrode blocks is connected to at least one common signal line (SL). The common signal lines SL extend parallel to each other and are routed out of the active area in the same direction as the data lines DL. Arranging the common signal lines SL parallel to each other and routing them across the active area towards the drivers eliminates the need for space in the non-display area of the display panel to route the common signal lines SL Thereby reducing the size of the bezel.

Each of the common signal lines SL connected to the corresponding common electrode block passes common electrode blocks that run across the active area of the display panel PNL toward the non-display area and connect the other common signal lines to bypass )do. For example, in order for the drivers to reach the non-display area located at the root without contacting the common electrode blocks B4 and B7, the common signal line SL connected to the common electrode block B1 is connected to the common electrode block B1, 0.0 > B4 < / RTI > and B7.

The common signal lines SL can not be positioned just above the surface of the common electrode blocks. If the common signal lines SL are routed on the surface of the common electrode blocks, the common signal lines SL will contact the plurality of common electrode blocks along the path to the non-display area. This will disrupt the inherent co-ordinates of the common electrode blocks of the self-capacitance touch recognition system or disrupt the formation of TX / RX lines in a mutual-capacitance touch recognition system.

Also, when the common signal lines SL are positioned in the same layer as the pixel electrode PXL, the coupling generated between the common signal lines SL and the pixel electrode PXL is connected to the common signal lines SL, When used to adjust common electrode blocks during the touch-sensing period, may cause various display defects. Accordingly, placing the common signal lines SL in the same layer as the pixel electrodes PXL makes it difficult to reduce the space between the common electrode blocks and the pixel electrode PXL, and generates a lower storage capacitance . In addition, an unwanted fringe field may be generated when the common signal lines SL are located in the common electrode layer or the pixel electrode layer. These fringe fields can affect liquid crystal molecules and cause unwanted light leakage. Therefore, in order to route the common signal lines SL across the active area of the display panel PNL, the plane level of the common signal lines SL must be different from the plane levels of the pixel electrode and common electrode blocks.

Placing the common signal lines SL between the layers of the pixel electrode and the layers of the common electrode blocks raises similar problems. In this configuration, an insulating layer must be provided between the layers of the common electrode blocks and the layers of the common signal lines SL. The thickness of the insulating layer interposed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode blocks is limited in the IPS mode LCD device or the FFS mode LCD device and can not be larger than the thickness of the insulating layer between the layer of the pixel electrodes and the layer of the common electrode blocks Thereby limiting the thickness of the common signal lines SL.

For example, when the thickness of the insulating layer interposed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode blocks is about 3000 ANGSTROM, when the common signal lines SL are positioned between the common electrode blocks and the pixel electrode, SL) is limited to about 2500 angstroms. Since the thickness is one of the factors affecting the line resistance of the common signal lines SL, the limitation on the thickness of the common signal lines SL is that the thickness of the signal between the driver and the common electrode blocks SL The performance of the common signal lines SL is considerably limited at the time of transmission, particularly when the size of the display area in the device becomes larger.

For the above-mentioned reason, the common signal lines SL are positioned below the array of TFTs, sufficiently spaced from the pixel electrodes and common electrode blocks provided over the array of TFTs. This setting provides more freedom when increasing the width and thickness of the common signal lines SL. To this end, one or more planarization layers are provided between the common signal lines (SL) and the common electrode blocks, and the common signal lines (SL) are connected to the corresponding common electrode blocks through the contact holes through the planarization layer . In these settings, each of the common signal lines SL connected to the common electrode block can be routed across the active area without contacting other common electrode blocks located along its route. The common signal lines SL can simply bypass the common electrode blocks along the path to the touch driver TD in the active area.

[Bypass lines]

In some embodiments, the common signal lines SL are connected to the corresponding common electrode blocks through the contact holes of the planarization layers, via bypass lines connected to both the common signal lines SL and the common electrode blocks .

Figure 6A is a top view of an exemplary configuration of common signal lines (SL) and bypass lines (BL) in a matrix of pixel regions within a display panel (PNL) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIG. 6A, data lines DL and gate lines GL are arranged to intersect with each other to define a matrix of pixel regions of the display region of the display panel PNL. The common signal lines SL are arranged to extend in the same direction as the data lines DL. Each of the common signal lines SL is positioned to at least partially overlap with the data lines DL to minimize the reduction of the aperture ratio of the pixel regions by the common signal lines SL. As described below, the dummy lines DML may be located under some data lines DL instead of the common signal lines SL.

A TFT is provided in each of the pixel regions. The TFT may be formed with a bottom gate structure having a source and a drain provided on the opposite side of the semiconductor layer (SEM). Such a TFT structure is sometimes referred to as an inverted staggered structure or a back-channel etched structure. The source electrode of the TFT extends from the data line DL or is otherwise connected to the data line DL and the drain is connected to the pixel electrode PXL (not shown in Fig. 6A) provided in the corresponding pixel region. The pixel electrode PXL is provided with a plurality of slits so as to generate an electric field together with a common electrode block (not shown) overlapping each other.

The common signal lines SL are located below the TFTs of the pixels and each of the common electrode blocks is connected to the TFTs via planarization layers formed on the TFTs via contact holes (i.e., lower contact hole: CTL; upper contact hole: CTU) And connected to one of the corresponding common signal lines SL. In this configuration, each of the common signal lines SL is connected to at least one bypass line BL connected to the corresponding common electrode block.

The bypass line BL is arranged in the same direction as the gate line GL so that the bypass line BL extends from one pixel area to another pixel area in the same column. That is, the connection between the bypass line BL and the common signal line SL may be made through the contact hole provided in the one pixel region, and the connection between the bypass line BL and the common electrode block may be formed through the contact provided in the other pixel region Holes. 6A, a useful aperture ratio in the pixel regions is defined as the ratio of the number of the contact holes CTL (CTL) for connecting the bypass lines BL and the common signal lines SL and the common electrode blocks to the bypass lines BL , CTU).

6B is a cross-sectional view showing an exemplary configuration for connecting a common signal line to the common electrode block via the bypass line BL. 6C is a cross-sectional view showing a state in which metal layers are formed to form the common signal lines SL, bypass lines BL, gate lines GL, data lines DL and source / drain of the TFTs of the display panel PNL The order in which they are placed on top of each other is illustrated. In this disclosure, a metal layer is referenced in the order in which each of the metal layers is located on the substrate.

Referring to Figures 6B and 6C, common signal lines SL are formed using a first metal layer on the substrate. The metal layer used to form the common signal lines SL is referred to as a first metal layer M1 because it is the first metal layer disposed on the substrate and for ease of explanation other metal layers on the first metal layer M1 1 metal layer M 1, the second metal layer M 2, the third metal layer M 3, and the like. The second metal layer M2 may be referred to as a gate metal layer and the third metal layer M3 may be referred to as a source / drain metal layer.

It should be noted that the term " first metal layer " does not necessarily mean a layer composed of a single metal layer. Instead, the term " first metal layer " refers to a metal layer or stack of metal layers that can be formed on a surface and insulated from other layers of the metal layer or other stacks of metal layers by an insulating layer. Similar to the first metal layer M1, other subsequent metal layers (e.g., the second metal layer M2, the third metal layer M3) in embodiments of the present disclosure may be formed of a plurality of layers of different metals .

The metal layers forming the common signal lines SL, gate lines GL, bypass lines BL and data lines DL are formed of a metal layer such as copper, molybdenum, titanium, aluminum, As shown in FIG. In a preferred embodiment, the first metal layer Ml may be in the form of a stack of a copper layer (Cu) and a molybdenum-titanium alloy layer (MoTi). The second metal layer M2 may also be a stack of a copper layer (Cu) and a molybdenum-titanium alloy layer (MoTi). The third metal layer M3 may be a stack of a molybdenum-titanium alloy layer (MoTi), a copper layer (Cu) and another molybdenum-titanium alloy layer (MoTi). The copper layer may be thicker than the molybdenum-titanium alloy layer of each of the metal layers.

[Lower planarization layer]

In order to provide an array of TFTs on the common signal lines SL, a lower planarization layer PLN-L is provided on the common signal lines SL. The thickness of the lower planarization layer PLN-L may vary depending on the thickness of the common signal lines SL. For example, the thickness of the common signal lines SL may range from about 2500 angstroms to about 7500 angstroms, more preferably from about 3500 angstroms to about 6500 angstroms, and more preferably from about 4500 angstroms to about 5500 angstroms. In a particular example, the common signal lines SL are formed from a first metal layer Ml in the form of a copper layer (Cu) and a stack of a molybdenum-titanium alloy layer (MoTi), and the thickness of the copper layer is about 4500 A To about 5500 Angstroms and the thickness of the molybdenum-titanium alloy layer (MoTi) may range from about 100 Angstroms to about 500 Angstroms.

The thickness of the lower planarization layer PLN-L covering the common signal lines SL is in the range of about 0.5 mu m to 4 mu m, more preferably about 0.5 mu m to 3 mu m, and more preferably about 0.5 mu m to 2 mu m It is possible. The thickness of the planarization layer covering the common signal lines SL may vary based on various factors such as dielectric properties, materials, manufacturing process, and the like.

An array of TFTs is fabricated on a lower planarization layer (PLN-L). It should be noted that the fabrication of the TFTs involves high temperature processes and chemical treatments. The top planarization layer (PLN-U) disposed on the TFT is not directly affected by the processes and processes involved in the fabrication of the TFTs. On the other hand, the lower planarization layer PLN-L provided under the TFTs is directly influenced by the processes and processes performed during the fabrication of the TFTs, the electrodes of the lower planarization layer PLN-L and other components.

Thus, the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) can be formed by depositing a photoresist strippers / photoreceptor / photoresist stripper / photoresist < RTI ID = Should have sufficient thermal stability, mechanical stability, chemical durability, and resistance to heat.

For example, some processes may be performed at about 350 DEG C or higher while manufacturing a TFT having an oxide semiconductor layer such as indium-gallium-zinc-oxide (IGZO). The fabrication of TFTs with poly-silicon semiconductor layers may require processes performed at much higher temperatures. As such, the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) can not be formed of photo-acryl, which is generally used as a planarizing layer covering TFTs. Instead, the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) is formed to cover the common signal lines (SL) while maintaining the optical characteristics and physical structure to be used for the display panel (PNL) It may be formed of a material exhibiting sufficient thermal stability to provide a surface.

In particular, the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) must maintain a flat surface over the common signal lines (SL) at a temperature of 350 DEG C or higher. More preferably, the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) may maintain a flat surface over the common signal lines SL at a temperature of 380 캜 or higher. Stated differently, the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) may comprise material exhibiting less than 1% thermal gravimetric analysis (isothermal) for 30 minutes at 350 DEG C (weight percent loss at 350 DEG C / 30 min). More preferably, the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) may comprise a material exhibiting a TGA of less than 0.1% at 380 캜 for 30 minutes.

The lower planarization layer (PLN-L) should exhibit suitable optical properties after the processes and processes involved during fabrication of the TFTs. This is a particularly required property for LCD panels because the light emitted from the light source passes through the lower planarization layer (PLN-L). In this regard, the average light transmittance of the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) is greater than 70%, more preferably greater than 80%, and more preferably greater than 90% (measured for 400-800 nm thickness on bare glass %). Further, the refractive index of the material for forming the lower planarizing layer (PLN-L) may have a refractive index in the range of 1.4 to 1.6. In a particular example, a 400 nm thick barrier glass coated with a lower planarization layer (PLN-L) exhibits an average light transmittance of about 91.24% to 91.25% even after being placed at 380C for 30 minutes. Further, the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) exhibits a refractive index of 1.49 at a thickness of 633 nm.

The lower planarization layer (PLN-L) should also exhibit sufficient chemical durability to withstand chemical treatments during fabrication of TFTs, electrodes and other components on the lower planarization layer (PLN-L). For example, the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) should exhibit sufficient chemical durability against deionized water (DI), isopropyl alcohol (IPA), propylene glycol methyl ether acetate (PGMEA) and the like. In a particular example, the thickness (e.g., 1.3 占 퐉) of the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) may be reduced to less than 10 占 when treated with DI water or IPA (70 占 폚 / 10 min) Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > 20 < / RTI >

The lower planarization layer (PLN-L) should also have sufficient resistance to photoresist strippers / developers used in the fabrication of TFTs, electrodes and other components on the lower planarization layer (PLN-L). In a particular example, the thickness (e.g., 1.3 占 퐉) of the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) may change to less than 10 占 when treated with NMP (N-Methyl-2-pyrrolidone) And may be less than 20 A when treated with 2.38% TMAH (tetra-methyl-ammonium hydroxide) (RT / 10 min).

In some embodiments, the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) is formed of an organosiloxane hybrid layer based on Si-O monomer and polymer. In the present disclosure, the hybrid polysiloxane polymer layer may simply be referred to as the SOG layer.

In embodiments in which the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) is formed of a SOG layer, the lower planarization layer may comprise a hybrid polysiloxane polymer layer, and the hybrid polymer comprises an alkyl group and an aryl group, Containing organic components.

(Wherein n and m are the number of repeating units)

The material (e.g., a SOG layer) for forming the lower planarization layer PLN-L may also be formed of a material having a low thermal conductivity to cover the common signal lines SL and to provide a flat surface on the common signal lines SL. - on-glass method, slit coating method, slot-die coating method or other suitable coating methods. In some embodiments, the viscosity profile of the material forming the lower planarizing layer (PLN-L) ranges from 2.5 cps to 3 cps at 25 占 폚, and more preferably from 2.5 cps to 2.7 cps at 25 占 폚. The density of the material forming the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) may be about 1.0 g / ml at 25 占 폚. The curing process may be performed when the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) is coated on the common signal lines (SL).

Metallic ions from the first metal layer Ml forming the common signal lines SL are formed by the heat from the curing process of the lower planarization layer PLN-L and / or the annealing processes associated with TFT fabrication, (PLN-L). Similarly, the metallic ions from the second metal layer M2 forming the gate lines GL and the bypass lines BL are also electrically connected to the lower planarization layer PLN-L by heat carried during the curing / Lt; / RTI > For example, diffusion of copper (Cu) into the lower planarization layer may occur when the first metal layer (M1) or the second metal layer (M2) comprises copper (Cu). In addition, metal ion impurities and / or moisture from the glass substrate may also be diffused into the lower planarization layer (PLN-L). These metallic ions and other impurities diffused into the lower planarization layer PLN-L can raise the permittivity of the lower planarization layer PLN-L and eventually increase the dielectric constant of the RC (Resistance-capacitance) delay time.

Thus, in some embodiments, a passivation layer PAS1 serving as a capping layer is provided below the lower planarization layer PLN-L. In these embodiments, the passivation layer PAS1 covers the common signal lines SL and the surface of the substrate. The passivation layer PAS1 not only blocks the common signal lines SL and metallic ions and other impurities from the substrate but also improves the adhesion of the lower planarization layer PLN-L to the substrate. Also, in some embodiments, a passivation layer PAS2 may be provided on the lower planarization layer PLN-L. In this case, the passivation layer PAS2 includes a lower planarization layer PLN-L and a second metal layer M2 (for example, gate lines GL, Bypass lines BL).

The passivation layers PAS1 and PAS2 may be a silicon nitride layer, a silicon oxide layer, or stacks of these layers. In some suitable embodiments, the passivation layer PAS1 under the lower planarization layer PLN-L and the passivation layer PAS2 on the lower planarization layer PLN-L may be provided with substantially the same thickness, Or may be formed of a material. For example, both the passivation layer PAS1 and the passivation layer PAS2 may be a silicon nitride layer with a thickness of about 1000 A to about 3000 A. In some suitable embodiments, a passivation layer (PAS1) and a passivation layer (PAS2) may be provided on the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) having a thickness of 17,000 ANGSTROM, each having a thickness of 2000 ANGSTROM.

The passivation layer PAS2 not only serves as a capping layer but also protects the lower planarization layer PLN-L from unwanted evaporative gases / fumes (e.g., hydrogen gas) RTI ID = 0.0 > PLN-L. ≪ / RTI > Thus, the material and configuration of the passivation layer PAS2 between the lower planarization layer PLN-L and the array of TFTs may vary depending on the semiconductor layer (i.e., the active layer) of the TFTs on the lower planarization layer PLN-L . For example, in some embodiments, the passivation layer PAS2 may be formed of a silicon nitride layer when the TFTs thereon use a metal oxide semiconductor (e.g., IGZO). In some embodiments, the passivation layer PAS2 is formed between the conductive lines of the lower planarization layer PLN-L and the second metal layer M2, for example, between the gate lines GL and the bypass lines BL Lt; / RTI >

The common signal lines SL are disposed under the lower planarization layer PLN-L and the gate lines GL and the gates G of the TFTs are formed on the lower planarization layer PLN-L, M2. The bypass lines BL are also formed of a second metal layer M2 provided on the lower planarization layer PLN-L. A semiconductor layer (e.g., oxide, LTPS, a-Si) is formed on the gate insulating layer GI to provide a channel (ACT) of the TFT. The data line DL connected to the source S of the TFT is formed of the third metal layer M3.

An upper planarization layer (PLN-U) is provided over the TFTs and bypass lines (BL) to provide a planar surface to place the common electrode blocks. The drain D of the TFT contacts the pixel electrode PXL through the contact hole in the upper planarization layer PLN-U. As shown, a passivation layer PAS3 formed of an inorganic material such as SiNx and / or SiOx may be interposed between the upper planarization layer PLN-U and the third metal layer M3. Another passivation layer PAS4 is interposed between the common electrode blocks provided on the upper planarization layer PLN-U and the pixel electrodes PXL.

The contact bridge may be present in the upper contact hole CTU to connect the common electrode block corresponding to the bypass line BL. More specifically, the contact bridge is formed of a third metal layer M3 on the contact region of the bypass line BL (i.e., the BL-VCOM contact region), and is formed in the upper planarization layer PLN- CTU).

Each of the common signal lines SL is connected to one of the common electrode blocks by one or more bypass lines BL. In this regard, one end of the bypass line BL is connected to the common signal line SL through the lower contact hole CTL through the lower planarization layer PLN-L in the SL-BL contact region. The other end of the bypass line BL is connected to the common electrode block through the upper contact hole CTU through the upper planarization layer PLN-U in the BL-VCOM contact region. As shown in Fig. 6B, a contact bridge formed of the same metal layer as the source / drain metal of the TFT (i.e., the third metal layer M3) may be interposed between the bypass line BL and the common electrode block. The common electrode block may be in contact with the contact bridge through the upper contact hole CTU to electrically connect the common electrode block and the bypass line BL. It should be noted, however, that the contact bridge need not provide a connection between the bypass line BL and the common electrode block. As such, in some other embodiments, the bypass line BL may directly contact the common signal line SL through the lower contact hole CTL without interconnecting contact bridges.

Each of the common signal lines SL includes a routing portion extending under the data line DL and a contact portion protruding from the routing portion toward the lower contact hole CTL. The end of the contact portion in the SL-BL contact region may be enlarged to ensure contact area size through the lower contact hole CTL. Similarly, the ends of the bypass line BL corresponding to the SL-BL contact region and the BL-VCOM contact region may be wider than the interim section of the bypass line BL. Although only one common signal line SL is shown as the contact portion in Figure 6C, the contacts of the other common signal lines SL may be located in pixel portions of different rows.

[Exemplary manufacturing steps / masks]

Figures 7A and 7B illustrate an exemplary method of manufacturing a TFT substrate of a display panel (PNL) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to FIGS. 7A and 7B, in step 1, a first metal layer M 1 is disposed on a lower substrate and common signal lines SL are formed on a lower substrate. Although not shown in the drawings, the first metal layer M1 may be formed with conductive lines and / or pads in the non-display region of the display panel PNL, as the case may be.

In step 2, the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) is disposed on the common signal lines SL. As shown, the passivation layer PAS1 may be provided on the common signal lines SL and on the surface of the lower substrate. The lower contact hole CTL is formed in the SL-BL contact region where the connection between the common signal line SL and the bypass line BL is established. Thus, the connection portion of the common signal line SL is exposed through the lower contact hole CTL in the SL-BL contact region.

Optionally, some portion of the lower substrate in the non-display area may not be covered by the lower planarization layer (PLN-L). For example, in some embodiments, drivers (e.g., gate driver GD, data driver DD, touch driver TD), flexible printed circuit boards (FPCB) (E.g., metal lines and pads) may be located on a lower substrate that is not covered under the lower planarization layer (PLN-L).

The curing process may be performed once the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) is coated over the common signal lines (SL). As the cure temperature rises, the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) for the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) (e.g., the SOG layer) decreases. The lower planarization layer (PLN-L) may be deteriorated when cured at a temperature that causes dissociation of the Si-O bond. In addition, the hardness and modulus of the lower planarization layer PLN-L increase as the hardening temperature increases, which may easily cause a crack in the lower planarization layer PLN-L. Thus, in suitable embodiments, the curing temperature may range from 350 占 폚 to 400 占 폚. However, it should be understood that the curing temperature is not limited thereto, and may vary depending on the material of the lower planarizing layer (PLN-L).

In step 3, the second metal layer M2 forms gate lines GL and bypass lines BL on the lower planarization layer PLN-L. Similar to the first metal layer M1, the second metal layer M2 may also form metal traces in the non-display area, and the metal traces may be arranged to contact metal traces formed of the first metal layer M1 It is possible. If the lower planarization layer PLN-L is present in the non-display area between the metal traces of the first metal layer M1 and the second metal layer M2, the metal traces are electrically connected through the lower planarization layer PLN- Holes. ≪ / RTI >

As mentioned above, the passivation layer PAS2 may be provided on the lower planarization layer PLN-L before disposing the gate lines GL and the bypass lines BL. In some embodiments, the lower contact holes CTL for connecting the common signal lines SL and the bypass lines BL are formed such that the passivation layer PAS2 is located on the lower planarization layer PLN-L .

Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the lower contact holes CTL of the SL-BL contact regions are formed in the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) for enhanced protection against hydrogen fume (H +) from the lower planarization layer PLN-L). ≪ / RTI > More specifically, the lower contact holes CTL may be formed before placing the passivation layer PAS2 on the lower planarization layer PLN-L. In this way, the passivation layer PAS2 is located on the lower planarization layer PLN-L already having the contact holes therein, so that the side wall surfaces in the lower contact holes CTL can be covered with the passivation layer PAS2 have.

It should also be noted that there may be hydrogen (H) species that are not free / bonded within the passivation layer PAS2 (e.g., Si3N4). Such a hydrogen species may interfere with TFT performance, particularly if the TFT to be placed on the lower planarization layer PLN-L comprises a metal oxide semiconductor (for example, IGZO). Thus, in embodiments where the passivation layer PAS2 is on the lower planarization layer PLN-L, the curing process may be performed after forming the passivation layer PAS2 on the lower planarization layer PLN-L It is possible. In this manner, the free / unbonded hydrogen (H) species in the passivation layer PAS2 can be reduced during the curing process.

In step 4, a gate insulating layer GI is provided on the gate lines GL and the bypass lines BL. On top of the gate insulating layer GI, a semiconductor layer (SEM) (for example, IGZO) is disposed. Then, a contact hole is formed to penetrate the gate insulating layer GI and the semiconductor layer SEM so as to expose a part of the bypass line BL in the BL-VCOM contact region.

In step 5, the third metal layer M3 is disposed on the semiconductor layer (SEM) and is formed similarly to the semiconductor layer (SEM) to form the source / drain of the data lines DL and the TFTs. Thus, the semiconductor layer (SEM) beneath the data lines DL as well as below the source / drain of the TFTs remain intact even after the formation of the third metal layer M3.

In the BL-VCOM contact region, the bypass line BL may be damaged during the formation of the third metal layer M3.

The photoresist may cover the BL-VCOM contact region during formation of the third metal layer M3. As a result, the third metal layer M3 under the photoresist in the BL-VCOM contact region remains intact on the bypass line BL as shown in FIG. 7A. In this case, the electrical connection between the bypass line BL and the common electrode block is made through a portion of the third metal layer M3 remaining in the BL-VCOM contact region, referred to herein as the contact bridge.

In step 6, another passivation layer PAS3 is formed on the source / drain and data lines DL of the TFTs. An upper planarization layer PLN-U is then provided on the passivation layer PAS3 to provide a flat surface over the TFTs and data lines DL. The thermal stability of the material forming the upper planarization layer PLN-U is lower than the thermal stability of the material of the lower planarization layer PLN-L because the upper planarization layer PLN-U is provided on top of the TFTs and the data lines DL. . Thus, the upper planarization layer (PLN-U) may be formed of photo-acrylic. Top contact holes CTU are formed to penetrate the top planarization layer PLN-U, which exposes the passivation layer PAS3 in the drain regions and BL-VCOM contact regions of the TFTs.

In step 7, the passivation layer PAS3 is removed from the BL-VCOM contact region to expose the contact bridge in the BL-VCOM contact region. At this time, the passivation layer PAS3 of the SD-PXL contact region of the TFT may remain in the upper contact hole CTU.

In step 8, a transparent conductive layer such as an indium-tin-oxide (ITO) layer is formed on the upper planarization layer PLN-U to serve as a common electrode VCOM of the display panel PNL. As described above, the common electrode VCOM is patterned into a plurality of discrete portions, that is, common electrode blocks.

In step 9, another passivation layer PAS4 is provided on the common electrode blocks and the upper planarization layer PLN-U. The passivation layer PAS4 may also cover the surfaces inside the contact holes. For example, the passivation layer PAS4 may include an exposed passivation layer PAS3 under the upper contact hole CTU in the SD-PXL contact region, a portion of the common electrode block in the upper contact hole CTU in the BL- As well as the conductive lines / pads of the non-display region. The passivation layer PAS4 may then be etched in selective silver regions to expose the underlying surface. As shown, the passivation layer PAS4 may be etched together with the passivation layer PAS3 inside the upper contact hole CTU in the SD-PXL contact region to expose the drain of the TFT.

In step 10, another transmissive conductive layer (e.g., ITO) is disposed on the passivation layer PAS4 to form the pixel electrodes PXL. As the SD-PXL contact region of the TFT is exposed, the transmissive conductive layer comes into contact with the drain of the TFT. Optionally, the transmissive conductive layer may also be exposed on the conductive lines / pads located in the non-display area.

In some embodiments, the common signal lines SL may be in direct contact with corresponding common electrode blocks. Since the common signal line SL does not use the bypass line BL and is directly connected to the corresponding common electrode block, it is possible to prevent any side effects (for example, , The aperture ratio loss in the pixels) can be solved.

[Common signal line - transparent electrode block direct contact]

8A illustrates an exemplary configuration of a common signal line SL and a common electrode block which are in direct contact with each other through the upper planarization layer PLN-U and the lower planarization layer PLN-L. Considering the step coverage of the common electrode block (for example, ITO), the contact hole CT is directed toward the common signal line SL so that it can be connected to the common electrode line SL before the common electrode block without being insulated. And becomes narrower from the upper end portion to the lower end portion. More specifically, the upper portion U of the contact hole CT in the upper planarization layer PLN-U is located in the passivation layer PAS3 and the middle portion M of the contact hole CT in the gate insulating layer GI It can be wide. The middle portion M of the contact hole CT in the passivation layer PAS3 and the gate insulating layer GI may be wider than the lower portion L of the contact hole CT in the lower planarization layer PLN- have. In some embodiments, the portion of the contact hole in the gate insulating layer (GI) may also be wider than the portion of the contact hole in the passivation layer (PAS3). The width D2 of the contact hole CT in the gate insulating layer GI and the passivation layer PAS3 is greater than the width D3 of the contact hole CT in the lower planarization layer PLN- And may be wider than at least 2 mu m or more.

In addition, the gate insulating layer may have a protrusion such as a ledge in the contact hole CT. The recesses are formed in the contact hole (CT) when a portion of the gate insulating layer (GI) is etched in the first round of the etching process and another portion of the gate insulating layer is etched in the second round of the etching process different from the first round of the etching process . The first round of the etching process is performed by leaving only the gate insulating layer GI covering the lower planarization layer PLN-L in the contact holes through only the passivation layer PAS3 and a part of the gate insulating layer GI, Can be formed. Then, another round of the etching process is performed to completely form the contact hole through the gate insulating layer GI, which will leave a gate of the gate insulating layer in the contact hole CT.

The manufacturing method is as follows. In step 1, a plurality of common signal lines SL are formed in the first metal layer Ml. In step 2, the common signal lines SL are covered with a lower planarization layer PLN-L, and then the lower planarization layer PLN-L is cured. Similar to the previous example using the bypass line BL, the passivation layers PAS1 and PAS2 may be provided on the upper and lower surfaces of the lower planarization layer PLN-L, respectively. In step 3, the second metal layer M2 forms the gate lines GL and the gate electrode on the lower planarization layer PLN-L, and then the gate insulation layer GI is deposited. In step 4, a semiconductor layer (SEM) is deposited on the gate insulating layer (GI), and an annealing process is performed. Then, a semiconductor layer (SEM) is formed. In step 5, the third metal layer M3 forms the source / drain electrodes of the TFT and the data lines DL. In step 6, another passivation layer PAS3 is provided on the source / drain electrodes and data lines DL, followed by another annealing process. In step 7, an upper planarization layer (PLN-U) is deposited to provide a planar surface over the TFTs and a contact hole CT is formed to penetrate the upper planarization layer (PLN-U) to open the SL- .

FIG. 8B is a schematic illustration for explaining an exemplary manufacturing method of the display panel (PNL) in which the common signal lines SL and the common electrode blocks are in direct contact with each other. Referring to FIG. 8B, a photoresist PR may be provided on the upper planarization layer PLN-U, as shown in FIG. 8A. Then, a photo / development process is performed to create a contact hole through the passivation layer PAS3 and the gate insulating layer GI. It should be understood that the gate insulating layer (GI) may have to be provided at least partly of the display panel (PNL) during manufacturing at least temporarily. For example, the gate insulating layer GI may provide temporary protection against metal trace lines in the non-display area of the display panel PNL. In these cases, the gate insulating layer GI may remain on the SL-VCOM contact region. For example, the passivation layer PAS3 may be overetched, but the surface of the lower planarization layer PLN-L is not exposed, as shown in Fig. 8B.

After forming the contact holes through the passivation layer PAS3 and the gate insulating layer GI, another photoresist deposition and development process may be performed and the lower planarization layer PLN-L in the SL-VCOM contact region 8B so as to expose the common signal line SL as shown in (C) of FIG. After stripping the photoresist, a transparent electrode layer (e.g., ITO) is formed over the top planarization layer PLN-U and the bottom planarization layer PLN-L, as shown in Figure 8 (D) And may be deposited to be in direct contact with the common signal line SL through the contact hole.

In this exemplary method, the formation of the contact holes CT through the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) is performed after the annealing processes. That is, all thermal expansion of the lower planarization layer PLN-L occurred when the contact holes CT were formed through the lower planarization layer PLN-L. Therefore, even if the bypass line BL is not used, a stable connection between the common signal line SL and the common electrode block is possible.

 [Coplanar structure TFT]

In some embodiments, the TFTs on the lower planarization layer may have a coplanar structure, wherein the gate, source, and drain are provided on the same side of the semiconductor layer (SEM). 9A illustrates a plan and cross-sectional view of a coplanar TFT, which may be provided in an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. 9B is a cross-sectional view illustrating the connection between the common signal line SL and the common electrode block according to the embodiment of the present disclosure.

9A and 9B, a common signal line SL is formed of a first metal layer M 1 and is covered under the lower planarization layer PLN-L. Passivation layers PAS1 and PAS2 are provided on the lower surface and the upper surface of the lower planarization layer PLN-L, similar to the display panel PNL having TFTs of the inverted staggered structure shown in Fig. . The lower contact hole CTL is formed to penetrate the lower planarization layer PLN-L to open a part of the contact portion of the common signal line SL.

A semiconductor layer (SEM) (e.g., IGZO, poly-silicon) is provided on the lower planarization layer (PLN-L). The light shielding portion LS may be provided to suppress the light induced threshold voltage shift of the TFT. In this regard, the light shielding portion LS may be formed of the first metal layer M1 under the lower planarization layer PLN-L. As shown in Fig. 9A, a part of the common signal line SL may protrude toward the active region of the TFT to serve as the light shielding portion LS (see plan view). In this way, both the common signal lines SL and the light shielding portions LS can be provided from a single metal layer, thereby reducing the manufacturing time and cost of the display panel PNL.

Optionally, a buffer layer BUF may be provided between the semiconductor layer (SEM) and the lower planarization layer (PLN-L). In this regard, the buffer layer BUF may be provided in addition to the passivation layer (not shown) provided on the lower planarization layer PLN-L. Similar to the passivation layers below and above the lower planarization layer (PLN-L), the buffer layer BUF may be formed of a silicon nitride layer, a silicon oxide layer, and combinations thereof. If the semiconductor layer (SEM) to be provided on the buffer layer BUF is a metal oxide semiconductor such as IGZO, the silicon oxide layer can be composed of the outermost layer of the buffer layer BUF (i.e., a layer that interfaces with the semiconductor layer). According to the above-described configuration, the semiconductor layer (SEM) can be shielded from free / unbonded hydrogen from any silicon nitride layer existing under the semiconductor layer. For example, a passivation layer formed of a silicon nitride layer may be provided above or below the lower planarization layer (PLN-L), and a buffer layer BUF formed of a silicon oxide layer may be provided on the passivation layer.

A gate insulating layer (GI) is provided on the semiconductor layer. Then, the second metal layer M2 forms the gate line GL and the gate electrode of the TFTs on the gate insulating layer GI. An annealing process and / or a plasma treatment is performed on the semiconductor layer. In addition, the third metal layer M3 forms the data lines DL and the source / drain electrodes of the TFTs. An interlayer dielectric layer (ILD) is provided to isolate the source / drain electrodes and the gate electrode from each other. The upper planarization layer PLN-U is disposed on the above-described coplanar type TFTs, and the plurality of transparent electrode blocks are provided on the upper planarization layer PLN-U. Each of the plurality of transparent electrode blocks may serve as a common electrode VCOM during operation of the display panel PNL. The plurality of transparent electrode blocks may also serve as a touch sensor during operation of the display panel (PNL).

Each of the transparent electrode blocks is connected to at least one common signal line SL below the lower planarization layer. In some embodiments in which coplanar type TFTs are provided, the bypass lines BL are formed on the common signal lines BL under the lower planarization layer PLN-L and on the common signal lines BL on the upper planarization layer PLN- Blocks. The bypass lines BL may be formed of the second metal layer M2. Alternatively, in some other embodiments, the bypass lines BL may be formed of a third metal layer M3.

Further, in the embodiments in which the semiconductor layer (SEM) is formed of a metal oxide layer such as IGZO, the metal oxide pattern formed from the lower contact hole CTL and the upper contact hole CTU serves as a bypass line BL It can also be a challenging line. That is, the bypass lines BL may be formed by a suitable doping process, including, but not limited to, plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD), hydrogen plasma treatment, argon plasma treatment, / conductive path). < / RTI >

It should be understood that such heavily doped metal oxide paths may be provided to various other parts of the display panel (PNL). For example, the conductive lines of the non-display region of the display panel (PNL) may be formed from doped metal oxide patterns. In addition, in some embodiments, the gate driver GD of the display panel PNL may be a gate-in-panel (GIP), implemented using a plurality of TFTs formed directly in the non-display region of the display panel PNL, May also be provided. In embodiments in which a GIP type gate driver GD is provided, some nodes in the circuit of the GIP may be formed of highly doped metal oxide patterns.

It should be noted that the TFTs implementing the GIP circuit are not limited to oxide TFTs, and that the GIP circuitry may be implemented using LTPS TFTs. That is, both the oxide TFTs and the LTPS TFTs may be provided on the TFT substrate of the display panel (PNL). By way of example, the pixel circuits in the display region of the display panel PNL may be implemented with oxide TFTs and the driver circuits (e.g., buffers, shift registers, multiplexers, GIP, etc.) TFTs. Pixel circuits implemented with oxide TFTs will provide a higher voltage holding ratio than LTPS TFTs, which will preserve power while the display is being used in applications that do not require a high frame rate (i.e., frames per second) It would be advantageous to temporarily reduce the frame rate of the display. Driving circuits implemented in LTPS TFTs will be advantageous when high frequency driving of various components such as touch drivers, in particular IFP touch scanning schemes, is used.

Further, a combination of both oxide TFTs and LTPS TFTs may be used to implement pixel circuits and / or driving circuits. For example, while LTPS TFTs are used to implement the remainder of the GIP circuit, the oxide TFTs may be used to fabricate the IFP compensation circuit (to be described in detail below). If storage capacitors are used in the pixel circuit and / or driver circuit, the transistors connected to the terminals of such storage capacitors may be oxide TFTs, although LTPS TFTs are used in other parts of the circuit. As will be described in more detail below, the IFP compensation circuit includes a storage capacitor, and the transistors connected to the terminals of the storage capacitor may be oxide TFTs while LTPS TFTs are used for other parts of the GIP circuit.

In the non-display region where the common signal lines are not routed, the oxide TFTs and the LTPS TFTs may be provided in different layers from each other. For example, the LTPS TFTs may be provided below the lower planarization layer PLN-L, and the oxide TFTs may be provided on the lower planarization layer PLN-L, or vice versa. Thus, in embodiments in which both oxide TFTs and LTPS TFTs are provided, the pixel circuits and / or driver circuits of the display panel (PNL) are connected to nodes and / or electrodes formed of a doped metal oxide pattern A conductive line formed of a semiconductor layer). In embodiments in which a combination of oxide TFTs and LTPS TFTs are provided on a TFT substrate (TFT backplane), the TFTs may be provided in any coplanar structure and an inverted staggered structure. In some cases, oxide TFTs or LTPS TFTs may be implemented in a coplanar structure, and other TFTs may be provided in an inverted staggered structure.

Further, in some embodiments in which coplanar type TFTs are provided, the common signal lines SL are connected to the common electrode blocks through the contact holes through the upper planarization layer PLN-U and the lower planarization layer PLN- It may also be in direct contact.

[Non-display area: SOG open area]

In some embodiments, the FPCB with driver IC (D-IC) and / or driver may be coupled to an interface provided in the non-display area of the display panel (PNL). 10A and 10B each illustrate a schematic illustration of an exemplary configuration of an interface for a driver of a non-display area of a display panel (PNL).

Referring to FIG. 10A, a lower planarization layer (PLN-L) is provided at a portion of the non-display region and another portion of the non-display region is free of a lower planarization layer (PLN-L). For a simpler explanation, a portion of the non-display region where the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) is provided may be referred to as the " SOG region & May be referred to as " SOG open area ".

If an interface is provided on the lower planarization layer (PLN-L), the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) may be damaged when attaching the D-IC or detaching the D-IC for repair. As such, it is desirable that the interface for the D-IC be located in the SOG open area of the non-display area.

To provide an interface to the SOG open area, a plurality of metal line traces are routed from the SOG area to the SOG open area. As shown, the metal line traces routed to the SOG open area may be metal line traces formed of the first metal layer Ml. Each of the exposed metal line traces in the SOG open area may include portions configured as bumps (e.g., pads) that are part of the interface. In some embodiments, the bumps may be formed of a plurality of metal layers. For example, the second metal layer M2 may be disposed on the bump portions of the metal line traces formed of the first metal layer M1. Of course, additional metal layers may be provided on top of the underlying bump portions of the metal layer. In suitable embodiments, the metal line traces routed from the SOG region to the SOG open region may be a common signal line (SL), and the FPCB provided with the touch driver IC or touch driver is attached to the bumps provided in the SOG open region.

Referring to FIG. 10B, in some embodiments, metal line traces routed from the SOG region to the SOG open region may be formed of a second metal layer M2. In this case, the common signal lines SL can be routed to the SOG region of the non-display region, and the metal line traces formed of the second metal layer M2 can be routed from the SOG region to the SOG open region. The common signal lines SL of the SOG region can be in contact with the metal line traces formed of the second metal layer M2 through the lower contact holes CTL provided in the SOG region. The metal line traces of the second metal layer M2 in the SOG open area may comprise portions constructed as bumps for connecting the FPCB with the touch driver IC and / or the touch driver. This configuration requires that the contact holes (i.e., jumping holes) be formed in the non-display area, but the common signal lines SL will not be damaged during the formation of the second metal layer M2. In some suitable embodiments, the data link lines that are fan out from the data driver (DD), that is, the expanded data link lines, may be routed from the SOG open area to the SOG area as shown in FIG. 10B. Here, the data link lines may be formed of the second metal layer M2 or the third metal layer M3, and may be simply routed on the lower planarization layer PLN-L in the SOG region. The metal line traces, which are connected to the common signal lines SL through the lower contact holes CTL in the non-display area, may be touch link lines connected to the touch driver IC. In this setup, the data link lines connected to the data driver DD may be fan-out across the common signal lines SL located below the lower planarization layer PLN-L, 0.0 > (PNL). ≪ / RTI >

[Gate-In-Panel: GIP]

The gate driver GD of the display panel PNL may be provided in a gate-in-panel (GIP) type implemented with a plurality of TFTs formed directly in the non-display region of the display panel PNL. In some embodiments, the TFTs of the GIP circuit may be formed on the lower planarization layer, similar to the array of TFTs in the display area of the display panel (PNL). In these embodiments, conductive lines for supplying external signals to the GIP circuit may be provided under the lower planarization layer (PLN-L). For example, the plurality of external signal lines may also include a ratio of the ratio of the ratio of the ratio of the ratio of the ratio of the ratio of the ratio of the ratio - < / RTI > display area.

11A illustrates an exemplary configuration of a stage of an exemplary GIP circuit, which may be provided in a display panel (PNL). As shown in FIG. 11A, the external signal lines provided to the GIP circuit may include various clock signal lines, power signal lines (e.g., VSS, VDD), reset signal lines, and the like. These external signal lines are routed within the non-display area of the display panel (PNL). More specifically, the external signal lines may be formed of the first metal layer Ml and may be provided below the lower planarization layer PLN-L. In this manner, the external signal lines may be routed below the plurality of TFTs in the non-display area that implement the shift register of the GIP circuit. The external signal lines may be connected to respective nodes of the GIP circuit through contact holes through a lower planarization layer (PLN-L). In some embodiments, the signal lines for transmitting the common voltage signal may be routed within the non-display area under the GIP circuitry. Routing at least some of the external signal lines directly below the GIP circuitry further reduces the bezel size.

[Exemplary capacitor configuration]

In some embodiments, the capacitors included in the GIP circuits may be implemented as a metal layer beneath the lower planarization layer (PLN-L). For example, each stage of the shift register of the GIP circuit includes a pull-up TFT T6 configured to output a scan signal to the output terminal Vgout (N). The pull-up TFT T6 has a gate connected to the Q-node, a first terminal connected to the voltage source CLK and a second terminal connected to the output terminal Vgout (N) of each stage. Therefore, the pull-up TFT T6 is controlled by the voltage on the Q-node.

The capacitor CAP may be connected between the gate and the second terminal of the pull-up TFT T6. During the operation of the shift register, the voltage of the Q-node is raised to a higher voltage by bootstrapping of the capacitor (CAP) connected between the Q-node and the output terminal, and thus the pull- do.

The capacitor CAP may be constituted as a parasitic capacitor formed in the overlap region between the gate and the source of the pull-up TFT T6 formed of the second metal layer M2 and the third metal layer M3, respectively. The dimensions of the capacitor (CAP) in the GIP circuit may be quite large. Thus, the dimension of the capacitor CAP may be reduced to reduce the size of the GIP circuit in the non-display area of the display panel PNL.

To this end, the first metal layer Ml may form an additional metal layer under the lower planarization layer PLN-L to implement the capacitor CAP. 11B, the capacitor CAP includes a first capacitor plate CP1 formed of a first metal layer M1, in which a first capacitor plate CP1 and a third capacitor plate CP3 are electrically connected to each other, , A second capacitor plate CP2 formed of a second metal layer M2, and a third capacitor plate CP3 formed of a third metal layer M3. The third capacitor plate CP3 may be connected to the first capacitor plate CP1 through the contact hole CTL through the lower planarization layer PLN-L. As shown, the contact bridge formed from the second metal layer M2 may be provided to electrically connect the first capacitor plate CP1 and the third capacitor plate CP3. Of course, the contact bridge formed from the second metal layer M2 is insulated from the second capacitor plate CP2. By stacking the three metal plates, a capacitor of a more compact size can be provided without sacrificing total charge storage or resistance-capacitance. This, in turn, facilitates more compact GIP circuits.

In some embodiments, the thickness of the lower planarization layer PLN-L interposed between the first metal plate CP1 and the second metal plate CP2 is greater than the amount of capacitance that can be stored in the capacitor CAP . ≪ / RTI > To this end, a half-tone mask may be used when forming the lower contact hole CTL through the lower planarization layer PLN-L. More specifically, when forming the lower contact hole CTL, the photoresist can be placed on the lower planarization layer PLN-L and the photoresist can be developed by using a half-tone mask. The photoresist on the lower planarization layer PLN-L in the first metal plate CP1 may have a reduced thickness. Thus, the thickness of the lower planarization layer PLN-L in the capacitor CAP may also be reduced when a dry-etching process is performed to create the lower contact hole CT. A similar process may be used to form the various other capacitors described in this disclosure.

It should be noted that the shift register of the GIP circuit may include capacitors other than those described above. Similar to the capacitor CAP connected between the Q-node of the stage and the output terminal Vgout (N), other capacitors are also connected to the first capacitor plate CP1, the second capacitor plate CP2 and the third capacitor plate CP3). ≪ / RTI >

[IFP compensation circuit]

As described above, in some embodiments, the display panel PNL may be configured to operate with an intra-frame-pause (IFP) touch scan scheme to provide enhanced touch scan resolution.

In the GIP circuit, each stage of the shift resist outputs a scan signal on the gate line GL connected to the output terminal of the stage. In addition, the scan signal from one stage is supplied to the other stage of the shift register as a start signal so as to operate to output a scan signal on the gate line GL to which the stage for receiving the start signal is connected. Thus, the scan signals are supplied on all the gate lines GL in a sequential order per frame.

However, when the IFP scheme is used, the sequential output of the scan signals on the gate lines GL is temporarily paused while the touch scan operation is performed. That is, one stage of the shift register is prevented from outputting the scan signal until the intra frame touch scan operation is completed. In order to restart the output of the scan signal from the last gate line GL provided with the scan signal, the Q-node must be charged to the high-state. One way to restart the operation of the shift register is to keep the Q-node high during the IFP touch scan operation. That is, the Q-node of the stage that received the start signal from the previous stage may simply remain in a high state. However, in this case, the pull-up TFT connected to the high-state Q-node to extend the section may be degraded at a higher rate than other TFTs of the GIP circuits.

Thus, in some embodiments, the display panel PNL may include a GIP circuit having a compensation circuit configured for an IFP driving scheme. During the IFP scan operation, the compensation circuit stores the Q-node voltage in the storage capacitor and recharges the Q-node with the stored voltage after the IFP touch scan operation, causing the Q-node to discharge .

12A is a schematic circuit diagram illustrating an exemplary configuration of a compensation circuit that may be provided in one or more stages of a GIP circuit. It should be noted that the compensation circuit shown in Fig. 12A is only part of the stage, and thus the circuit of the stage is not limited to a pull-up transistor, but will include various other transistors including a pull-up transistor. For example, the compensation circuit of Fig. 12A may be added to the circuit of the stage shown in Fig. 11A.

Referring to FIG. 12A, the compensation circuit includes a first transistor TIFP1, a second transistor TIFP2, a third transistor TIFP3, and a fourth transistor TIFP4. The first transistor TIFP1 is connected between the Q-node and the low-voltage line VSS and the gate of the first transistor TIFP1 is connected to the node to which the IFP signal is supplied. The second transistor TIFP2 is connected between the high voltage line VDD and the gate of the fourth transistor TIFP4 and the gate of the second transistor TIFP2 is also connected to the high voltage line VDD. The third transistor TIFP3 is connected between the gate of the fourth transistor TIFP4 and the low voltage line VSS and the gate of the third transistor TIFP3 is connected to the node to which the IFP signal is supplied. The second transistor TIFP2 and the third transistor TIFP3 are connected in series between the high voltage line VDD and the low voltage line VSS and act as an inverter of the compensation circuit for controlling the fourth transistor TIFP4.

The fourth transistor TIFP4 includes a first terminal TM1 connected to the storage capacitor CIFP, a second terminal TM2 connected to the Q-node, and a second terminal TM2 connected in series between the high voltage line VDD and the low voltage line VSS And a gate connected to a node between the second transistor TIFP2 and the third transistor TIFP3. The compensation circuit includes a storage capacitor CIFP connected between the first terminal TM1 of the fourth transistor TIFP4 and the low voltage line VSS.

In operation, the Q-node of one stage is charged in response to the start signal from the previous stage (or via the external start signal line). As mentioned, a compensation circuit is provided on the stage. Thus, an IFP signal indicative of the beginning and end of an IFP touch scan operation is supplied to this stage. In response to the low level IFP signal, the voltage at the Q-node is stored in the storage capacitor (CIFP). As shown in FIG. 12B, the Q-node is discharged in response to the high level IFP signal. When the IFP signal is switched back to low level, the Q-node of this stage is charged to the voltage stored in the storage capacitor CIFP and outputs a scan signal. In this manner, the Q-node can be discharged during the interval to perform the IFP touch scan operation, thereby minimizing degradation of the pull-up transistor.

It should be noted that, in some embodiments, the start timing of the IFP touch scan operation within the frame may be fixed. That is, the display panel PNL may be configured to initiate an IFP touch scan operation after a scan signal is applied to each of a pre-specified number of gate lines GL in a frame. That is, one or more of the pre-specified stages of the shift register may be configured to stop to synchronize with the IFP touch scan operation. In such embodiments, the compensation circuit may be added to the circuitry of the pre-specified stages configured to stop during the IFP touch scan operation.

In some other embodiments, the start timing of the IFP touch scan operation within the frame may be variable. For example, the timing of a high-hit IFP signal may vary between any two display intervals in a single frame. Because the timing of the IFP signal is variable, the stage that is stopped during the IFP touch scan operation also varies. As such, the stage to be stopped during the IFP touch scan operation may be one of the pre-specified stages (i.e., a plurality of stages in a pre-specified range). The display panel (PNL) may be configured such that the timing of the high-level IFP signal varies for each frame. In such cases, the high level IFP signal may be supplied to a different stage of the set of pre-specified stages to receive the high level IFP signal. In these embodiments, a compensation circuit may be provided at all stages of the pre-specified set of stages, which may receive a high level IFP signal.

Similar to the bootstrapping capacitors (e.g., CAP) discussed with reference to FIG. 11A, the storage capacitor CIFP of the compensation circuit includes a first metal plate CP1 formed of a first metal layer Ml, A second metal plate CP2 formed of a first metal layer M2 and a third metal plate CP3 formed of a third metal layer M3. As mentioned above, the second metal plate CP2 is interposed between the first metal plate CP1 and the third metal plate CP3 and is connected to the first metal plate CP1. In this setup, at the end of the IFP touch scan operation, an increased amount of the Q-node may be appropriately reloaded to the initial high voltage of the Q-node before the Q- The charge can be stored in the storage capacitor (CIFP).

[Dummy line configuration]

To implement the touch sensor in the display panel PNL, by using segmented portions of transparent electrodes (e.g., segmented portions of a common electrode), each of the discrete portions is coupled to at least one common signal Should be connected to the line SL. Therefore, the minimum number of common signal lines SL required for the display panel will be equal to the number of common electrode blocks. It should be understood, however, that the display panel PNL may be provided with a much greater number of common signal lines SL than are required at least within the display panel PNL. Additional common signal lines SL may be provided in the display panel PNL so that a plurality of common signal lines SL may be connected to the single common electrode block to provide a low resistance connection between the common electrode block and the driver.

In some cases, the common signal line SL may be provided below each of all the data lines DL and may be implemented within the display panel PNL, such as a self-capacitance touch sensor system, a mutual-capacitance touch sensor system, May be coupled to common electrode blocks to provide various other functions (e.g., a touch pressure sensor system, a localized tactile feedback system, etc.).

The uniformity of the capacitance between the data line DL and the common signal line SL across the display panel PNL may be achieved by using the common signal line SL located under all the data lines DL . However, some of the common signal lines SL routed below common electrode blocks that are not connected to a particular common signal line SL increase the undesired capacitance in these common electrode blocks. As such, the dummy lines DML not directly connected to the touch driver TD can be provided instead of the unnecessary parts of the common signal lines SL. 6A, all of the data lines DL of the display panel are connected to the common signal line SL or the dummy line DML and the data lines DL are connected to the data lines DL, In order to overlap, dummy lines (DML) may be provided in the display panel (PNL). Since the dummy lines DML do not need to be connected to the common electrode blocks, the total number of bypass lines BL required for the display panel PNL can be greatly reduced, Thereby improving the aperture ratio.

It should be understood that both the common signal line SL and the dummy line DML may be placed under a single data line DL. In other words, the conductive line formed of the first metal layer M1, which is routed along the data lines DL, may be divided into a plurality of insulated portions, Serves as a line SL, and the other part serves as a dummy line DML. For example, the common signal line SL may extend below the data line DL and may be connected to the common electrode block. The common signal line SL will be terminated at the point connected to the common electrode block. Thereupon, the conductive line isolated from the common signal line SL can extend below the data line DL as the dummy line DML.

Dummy lines (DML) in a floating state may cause static electricity during manufacture of the display panel (PNL). Thus, in some embodiments, the dummy lines DML may be connected to a voltage source, such as a common voltage source, a DC voltage source, or a ground voltage source. The common signal line SL divided into a plurality of portions under the same data line DL may include isolated dummy line (DML) portions that can not extend to a voltage source located outside the display region. Thus, in some embodiments, some dummy lines (DML) may be connected to common electrode blocks via bypass lines (BL). In such cases, the dummy line DML may include a plurality of common electrode blocks that individually communicate with the touch driver (TD) through a set of common signal lines (SL) or individually via one common signal lines (SL) Do not interconnect. As long as the connection to the common electrode blocks does not change the electrical connection map of the common electrode blocks to implement a particular feature defined by the common signal lines SL, the dummy lines DML are connected to common electrode blocks Can be connected.

Figure 13 illustrates an exemplary configuration of a display panel (PNL) provided with a plurality of insulated dummy lines (DML), wherein the dummy lines (DML) are selectively connected to corresponding common electrode blocks of the common electrode blocks do. The connection between the dummy lines DML and the common electrode block can be made via the bypass line BL in the same manner as the common signal lines SL. As shown, when connected to the common electrode blocks, the dummy lines DML are not in a floating state. However, isolated dummy lines (DML) do not interconnect different common electrode blocks. Although the dummy lines DML are not directly connected to the upper touch driver TD, the dummy lines DML can serve as current paths for relaying signals in a single common electrode block.

In the example shown in FIG. 13, each of the dummy lines DML is connected to the common electrode block through a plurality of bypass lines BL located at positions of different common electrode blocks. It is to be understood that the common signal lines SL may also be connected to a plurality of bypass lines BL connected to different positions of the same corresponding common electrode block.

Referring again to the example shown in Figs. 6A to 6C, the contact portion of the common signal line SL is shown extending into the pixel region immediately adjacent to the routing portion of the common signal line SL. However, the configuration of the contact portion is not so limited, and the contact portion may extend into other pixel regions. When the dummy lines DML are disposed in the display panel PNL, the dummy lines DML below each of the data lines DL are connected to the common signal line SL to extend over the dummy lines DML. May be provided in the divided portions to provide a passageway for the contact portion.

In the embodiments in which the dummy lines DML under some data lines DL are connected to the common electrode blocks located above as shown in FIG. 13, the dummy lines DML are connected to the data lines DL And a contact portion protruding from the routing portion to be connected to the bypass line BL. The contacts of the dummy lines DML may also extend laterally across the plurality of pixel areas. In this case, the other dummy lines (DML) under the data lines DL may be provided in the divided portions to provide a passage through which the contact portion of the dummy line DML traverses. It should be noted that the contact portion of the dummy line DML may be in contact with these other dummy lines DML in a manner such that the other dummy lines DML are not connected to different common electrode blocks.

[Resistance-Capacitance Compensation]

Some common electrode blocks are located farther from the driver (e.g., touch driver TD) than other common electrode blocks and require longer communication paths to communicate with the touch driver (TD). In embodiments in which the common electrode blocks are configured to communicate with the touch driver (TD), the length difference of the common signal lines (SL) forming the signal path is converted into a resistance-capacitance delay (RC delay) difference between the common electrode blocks, This will make recognition of the touch inputs difficult. In order to compensate for the resistance differences between signal paths for common electrode blocks, some signal paths may be implemented with a greater number of common signal lines (SL) than others.

Thus, some common electrode blocks may be configured to communicate with the touch driver (TD) through a signal path comprised of a set of common signal lines (SL). The set of common signal lines may be connected in parallel with each other. That is, a parallel-connected signal path implemented with at least two common signal lines SL may be provided for at least some common electrode blocks.

Connecting a set of common signal lines (SL) in parallel to form a parallel-connection signal path can be done in various ways. In some embodiments, the parallel connection of the set of common signal lines SL can be achieved by simply forming interconnect lines into the first metal layer Ml during formation of the common signal lines SL at the first location have. That is, the metal lines may extend over selective locations of the set of common signal lines SL and may be formed of a first metal layer M 1 to interconnect to form a parallel-connected signal path. In this case, the interconnect lines may be arranged to at least partially overlap the gate lines GL to minimize the effect that the interconnect lines may have on the aperture ratio of the pixel regions. A parallel-connected signal path embodied in a set of parallel-connected common signal lines (SL) may be connected to the common electrode block using any of the arrangements described in this disclosure.

In some other embodiments, the bypass line BL commonly shared between the sets of common signal lines SL serves as a means for creating a parallel-connection for a set of common signal lines SL can do. In another embodiment, each of the common signal lines SL of the set may be individually connected to the same common electrode block, in which case the common electrode block itself will create a parallel connection between the sets of common signal lines SL.

The more common signal lines (SL) in the parallel connection signal path, the lower the resistance of the signal path. Thus, some parallel-connected signal paths may include more common signal lines than other signal paths. For example, a set of common signal lines (SL) forming a parallel-connection signal path for a common electrode block located further from the touch driver (TD) May be implemented with an additional number of common signal lines (SL) than the set of common signal lines (SL) forming a parallel-connection signal path for the common signal lines (SL). That is, a first parallel-connection signal path for the common electrode block may be implemented with N common signal lines SL, and a second parallel-connection signal path for the other common electrode block may be implemented with M common signal lines . ≪ / RTI > N may be greater than M when the common electrode block connected to the first parallel-connection signal path is located farther from the touch driver TD than the common electrode block connected to the second parallel-connection signal path.

14A illustrates an exemplary configuration of common signal lines SL for normalizing the resistance difference between common electrode blocks of a display panel PNL according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the display panel PNL, the common electrode blocks may be arranged in "X" rows and "Y" columns, for example, 48 rows x 36 columns. The pixels may also be arranged in columns of " I " rows x " J ", for example 45 rows x 45 columns. Each pixel may comprise three sub-pixels (RGB). It should be understood, however, that the above-described arrangements of common electrode blocks and pixels are merely exemplary. The number of common electrode blocks, the number of pixels, the number of sub-pixels as well as their colors may vary in other embodiments of the present disclosure.

As mentioned, for at least some common electrode blocks, the signal path from the touch driver (TD) to each common electrode block may be implemented with a plurality of common signal lines (SL) connected in parallel. In the example shown in FIG. 14A, each of the signal paths for the common electrode blocks of the columns numbered 1 to 37 is implemented with at least two parallel-connected common signal lines SL. In some cases, these parallel connection signal paths may not be provided to the common electrode blocks located relatively close to the touch driver (TD). Thus, the signal paths for common electrode blocks numbered from 38 to 48 in the same column are implemented with a signal path formed of a single common signal line SL.

As mentioned above, some parallel connection signal paths may be implemented with an increased number of parallel-connected common signal lines SL. It should be noted, however, that the total number of common signal lines SL that can be located under each of the common electrode blocks may be limited. Thus, it may not be feasible to increase the number of common signal lines SL of each of the parallel-connected signal paths for the common electrode blocks of this column. Thus, in some embodiments, even though some common electrode blocks are positioned closer to the touch driver TD than other common electrode blocks, the same number of common signal lines (SL) as the signal paths for the other common electrode blocks, May be provided in some common electrode blocks. In these embodiments, the common electrode blocks arranged in each column may be divided into a plurality of groups of common electrode blocks, and the groups are defined based on the distance between the touch driver (TD) and the common electrode blocks. Here, the signal paths for all the common electrode blocks of the same group may be implemented by the same number of common signal lines SL.

In the example shown in FIG. 14A, the common electrode blocks in a single column include five groups N1, N2, N3, N4, and N5. The common electrode blocks of the first group N1 are located closer to the common electrode blocks of the other groups. The common electrode blocks of the second group N2 are located farther from the touch driver TD than the common electrode blocks of the first group N1 but are not farther than the common electrode blocks of the third group N3. The fourth group N4 common electrode blocks are located farther from the touch driver TD than the common electrode blocks of the third group N3 but are not farther from the common electrode blocks of the fifth group N5.

In this setting, the resistance difference of the signal paths from the touch driver (TD) to the common electrode blocks is compensated by adjusting the number of common signal lines (SL) generating these signal paths. Thus, the first group N1, the second group N2, the third group N3, the fourth group N4, and the fifth group N5 of this row are sequentially shifted from # 38 to # 48 and # 27 # 37, # 18 to # 26, # 8 to # 17, and # 1 to # 7. Since the first group N1 is closest to the touch driver TD, the signal path for each of the common electrode blocks of the first group N1 consists of a signal path embodied in a single common signal line SL. For the second group N2, the parallel connection signal path for each of the common electrode blocks consists of two parallel-connected common signal lines SL. For the third group N3, the parallel connection signal path for each of the common electrode blocks consists of three parallel-connected common signal lines SL. Further, for the fourth group N4, the parallel connection signal path for each of the common electrode blocks consists of four parallel-connected common signal lines SL. Finally, for each of the common electrode blocks of the fifth group N5, the parallel connection signal path consists of five parallel-connected common signal lines SL.

In the example of Figure 14A, the resistance difference between the signal paths is compensated between the groups of common electrode blocks of this row. However, there is still a resistance difference between the common electrode blocks in the same group. When the number of the common electrode blocks included in each group increases, the resistance difference to the signal path between the common electrode blocks of the same group may not be negligible. Thus, in some embodiments, the signal path between the touch driver TD and the common electrode block may include a tail portion for secondary adjustment of the resistance of the signal path. The tail portion of the signal path can be adjusted to further normalize the resistance of the signal paths to the common electrode blocks of the same group.

14B is an exemplary configuration of tail portions for secondary adjustment of the resistance difference between signal paths for common electrode blocks. The signal path # 1 may be a signal path connected to the common electrode block # 1, and the signal path # 7 may be a signal path connected to the common electrode block # 7. As shown, the signal paths # 1 and # 7 include a main portion M and a tail portion T. [ The frame part T may be another parallel connection signal path formed at the end of the parallel connection signal path of the main part M and only the parallel connection signal path of the frame part T may be connected to the parallel connection signal path of the main part M. And is implemented with fewer common signal lines (SL) than the signal path.

14B, the parallel connection signal path of the tail portion T is formed of n-1 common signal lines SL, and " n " forms a parallel connection signal path of the main portion M. In the example shown in Fig. Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > SL < / RTI > It should be understood, however, that the number of common signal lines SL for forming the parallel connection signal path of the tees T is not limited to n-1. Thus, in some embodiments, the signal path of the tail portion may be implemented with n-2, n-3, and so on. In some cases, the parallel connection signal path may be provided with a tail portion T formed as a single common signal line SL. For example, signal paths # 27 and # 37 connected to common electrode blocks # 27 and # 37 are formed by two parallel-connected common signal lines SL, And a tail portion T formed in a line SL.

In the example shown in Fig. 14B, all the signal paths for the common electrode blocks of the same group include the tees T. The tail portions T of these signal paths are implemented with the same number of common signal lines SL. For example, tail portions T of signal paths # 1 to # 7 are implemented with n-1 (i.e., 4 in this case) common signal lines SL. For more precise adjustment, the tail portions T of some of the signal paths may be configured differently from the tail portions T of the other signal paths. The use of different tees T is particularly useful for the signal paths of the same group of common electrode blocks with the main portion M embodied in the same number of common signal lines SL as each signal path You may. For the signal paths of the common electrode blocks of the same group, the tees T may not be used extensively to compensate for the resistance difference, provided that the tees T constructed in exactly the same way as each other in all the signal paths have.

Thus, in some embodiments, even though the tees T of signal paths may be implemented with different numbers of common signal lines SL, these signal paths may be implemented with the same number of common signal lines SL (M). 14C illustrates an exemplary configuration of signal paths with the same main portions M but with different tail portions T provided. In the example shown in Fig. 14C, the signal paths # 1 to # 7 may have a main portion M implemented with n common signal lines SL (n = 5 in the example of Fig. 14C). However, the tail portion T of the signal path # 1 may be implemented with n-1 (e.g., 4) common signal lines SL and the tail portion T of the signal path # (For example, 3) common signal lines SL.

14D illustrates an exemplary configuration of signal paths for common electrode blocks of the same group. In some embodiments, of the signal paths implemented with the same number of common signal lines (SL), only a part of the signal paths may be provided with a tee portion (T). For example, the main portion M for both the signal path # 1 and the signal path # 7 is connected to the same number of common signal lines SL (for example, .

Also, in some embodiments, the length of the tail portion T may be adjusted to compensate for the resistance difference of the signal paths. For example, the tail portion (T) of the signal path # 1 and the tail portion (T) of the signal path # 7 may be provided with different lengths as shown in FIG. 14E.

It may be difficult to adjust the resistance of the signal path using a tail portion implemented with a single common signal line SL. For example, the length of a single common signal line SL for implementing the tail portion may not fit below the common electrode block to which the tail portion is connected. As such, in some embodiments, a tail portion (T) implemented with at least two common signal lines (SL) connected in a serial configuration may be provided in some signal paths.

14F illustrates an exemplary configuration of common signal lines SL for implementing a signal path using a series-connected tail portion. Referring to FIG. 14F, the signal path includes a parallel connection main portion M and a serial-connection frame portion T. As shown in FIG. The series-connected tees T are embodied as at least two portions (labeled 1 and 2), which are conductive lines formed by the first metal layer M1 and located below the different data lines DL. The interconnect line can be used to serially connect these two parts to implement a serial connection tee (T). In this regard, the total length of the serially connected tail portion can be adjusted by adjusting the length of each of the portions (labeled 1 and 2). It should be noted that such a series-connected tail portion may also be provided in signal paths having a parallel main portion implemented with three or more common signal lines SL.

In the previous examples, each of the signal paths for the common electrode blocks of the first group N1, which is the group closest to the touch driver TD, was implemented as a single common signal line SL. Using a single common signal line SL, the resistance of the signal path is very much dependent on the length of the common signal line SL. Thus, it may be difficult to normalize the resistance of signal paths when the entire signal path is implemented as a single common signal line SL. Thus, in some embodiments, all of the signal paths for the common electrode blocks of the display panel PNL may be implemented with at least two common signal lines SL connected in parallel. In such embodiments, each signal path between the common electrode block and the touch driver (TD) may each include at least one parallel connection. Some signal paths may or may not include a tail portion. For these signal paths including the tail part T, the tail part T comprises a single common signal line SL, a plurality of common signal lines SL connected in a serial configuration or a plurality of common signals SL connected in parallel, May be implemented as lines SL.

As discussed above, the dummy lines DML isolated from the common signal lines SL may be arranged below the data lines DL. 14B to 14E, the dummy lines DML under the data lines DL may be insulated from the above-described parallel connection signal paths. In addition, some common signal lines SL implementing the parallel connection signal path may continue to extend over the display area.

The signal paths for the common electrode blocks of the other columns of common electrode blocks may also be configured similar to the manner described above. It should be noted, however, that the configuration of the signal paths for the columns of common electrode blocks need not be the same for all columns of common electrode blocks. Some of the columns of the common electrode blocks may have a signal path configuration that is different from the configuration of the signal paths of the other columns of the common electrodes.

 [Contact hole position]

As mentioned, the common signal lines SL are routed across the display area of the display panel PNL along the data lines DL. This causes the routing portion of the common signal line SL to at least partially overlap the data line DL provided thereon. However, the contact portions projecting laterally from the routing portion of the common signal line SL may not be covered under the data line DL.

Since the bypass lines BL are formed of the second metal layer M2 which is the same as the non-transparent metal layer of the gate lines GL and the gate electrodes of the TFTs, 0.0 > GL). ≪ / RTI > In LCD devices, the bypass lines BL block light from passing through the light source (e.g., a backlight), which will reduce the aperture of the pixels. Even for self-emitting displays such as OLED displays, the bypass lines BL can reflect external light and make images on the screen difficult to view. Thus, the bypass lines BL as well as the contact portions of the common signal line SL are arranged such that the gate lines GL and the data lines DL are hidden under the masking layer (e.g. BM-black matrix) Lt; RTI ID = 0.0 > BM. ≪ / RTI > The same applies to the contact portions of the dummy lines DML and bypass lines BL connecting the dummy lines DML to the corresponding common electrode blocks.

Since the masking layer BM defines the aperture ratio of the pixels, covering the bypass lines BL causes a reduction in the aperture ratio of the pixels in which the bypass lines BL are arranged. Since at least one bypass line BL is required to connect the common signal line SL to the common electrode block, each of the pixel groups sharing the common electrode block may include pixels having different aperture ratios. For example, the maximum opening ratio of the pixel region having the lower contact hole CTL may be different from the maximum opening ratio of the pixel region having the upper contact hole CTU. In addition, the maximum aperture ratio of the pixel regions in which the intermediate section of the bypass line BL lies may be different from the maximum aperture ratio of the pixel regions that receive the lower or upper contact holes. Further, some pixels may not accommodate either the contact holes or the bypass line BL, and may have a maximum aperture ratio larger than the maximum aperture ratio of other pixels. In this specification, pixels having a reduced maximum aperture ratio due to contact holes or bypass lines BL may be referred to as "bypass pixels ". The maximum aperture ratio may be applied to the contact holes or bypass lines BL May be referred to as " regular pixels ".

6A, a lower contact hole CTL for connecting the common signal line SL to the bypass line BL is provided in one of the pixel regions, and the bypass line BL is connected to the common electrode block An upper contact hole CTU for connection is provided in another pixel region. The lower contact hole CTL and the upper contact hole CTU must be covered with a masking layer BM. Therefore, the pixels accommodating the lower contact hole CTL and the upper contact hole CTU have a maximum aperture ratio reduced from the pixels between these two pixels.

In order to improve the efficiency, the lower contact hole CTL and the upper contact hole CTU may be provided to specific selected pixels. For example, the lower contact hole CTL and the upper contact hole CTU may be provided in the blue pixel regions. The luminance of the blue pixels tends to be lower than the luminance of the green or red pixels, even if they are provided in the same size. With a low luminance / size ratio, the actual amount of luminance reduced by placing contact holes is smaller in the blue pixel regions compared to placing the contact holes in the red and green pixel regions. Thus, in some embodiments, the lower contact holes CTL and the upper contact holes CTU on opposite ends of the bypass lines BL may be arranged in the blue pixel regions.

As shown in the examples of Fig. 6A, the blue pixel regions for receiving the lower contact hole CTL and the upper contact hole CTU for connecting the bypass line BL may be pixels in the same row. The intermediate pixel regions between the blue pixel region having the lower contact hole CTL and the blue pixel region having the upper contact hole CTU in the same row may have pixel regions of different colors such as a red pixel region, And a white pixel region.

A blue pixel region without a contact hole may also be included in intermediate pixel regions between two blue pixels that receive contact holes. That is, an intermediate section of the bypass line BL between the blue pixel region having the lower contact hole CTL and the blue pixel region having the upper contact hole CTU is formed in the lower contact hole CTL or the upper contact hole CTU ) Of the blue pixel regions.

It should be noted that the bypass line BL and the gate lines GL are provided in the same plane and are not arranged to overlap with each other. As such, the aperture ratio of the intermediate pixel regions is also reduced by the bypass lines BL extending between the lower contact hole CTL and the upper contact hole CTU. In order to minimize the number of pixel regions where the aperture ratio is reduced due to the bypass pixel regions, i.e., the bypass line BL, the length of the bypass lines BL should be kept to a minimum. For this reason, the lower contact hole CTL and the upper contact hole CTU for each of the bypass lines BL may be provided in the two closest blue pixel regions in the same row. That is, the blue pixel region in which the upper contact hole CTU is formed may be the first blue pixel region in the same row, and leads to the blue pixel region having the lower contact hole CTL.

 [Common signal line bypass]

In order to place the SL-BL contact region and the BL-VCOM region in the blue pixel regions, the common signal line SL under one data line DL may have to be partially bypassed below the other data line DL have. For example, at the right end of the common electrode block, one or more common signal lines (SL) may be out of the blue pixel region to accommodate the BL-VCOM contact region.

15A is a schematic illustration of common signal lines SL provided with a bypass section DT, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Referring to Fig. 15A, a skewed bypass section is provided to the common signal line SL1 routed below the data line DL1. As such, the bypass section DT of the common signal line SL1 proceeds under the data line DL2. In the example of Fig. 15A, the bypass section DT of the common signal line SL1 is a single pixel length. That is, the detour section DT of the common signal line SL1 extends in the Y-direction under the data line DL2 with respect to a single pixel, and then returns under the data line DL1. However, the length of the detour section (DT) is not so limited. Optionally, the detour section DT may continue for a plurality of pixels. However, in these cases, the bypass section DT of the adjacent common signal lines SL2, SL3, etc. will also be further extended.

The shift in lanes between the two data lines DL is made in a part of the common signal line SL crossing below the gate line GL. In this regard, a slanting portion of the common signal line SL may be covered under the gate line GL. Since the common signal line SL carries the modulation pulse signal during the touch scanning interval, the signal on the pixel electrode PXL can therefore be influenced by the signal on the common signal line SL and the unwanted visual artifacts . Referring to Fig. 15B, the slanting portion of the common signal line SL may be tilted and routed so that the slanting portion is not covered by the drain D that is not covered by the gate line GL of the TFT. Also, a part of the common signal line SL may be routed in the X-direction along the gate line GL so as to be covered under the gate line GL. In addition, the slanting portion of the common signal line SL must be inclined so that a sufficient margin is provided between the two bypassing sections of the common signal lines SL. In suitable embodiments, any two of the bypass sections of the common signal lines SL may be spaced apart by 5 占 퐉 or more, more preferably by 6 占 퐉 or more.

 [Aperture ratio compensation]

Depending on size and location, a significant difference in maximum aperture ratio can occur between bypass pixels and normal pixels. The portion of the bypass line BL corresponding to the contact holes for connecting the bypass line BL to the common signal line SL and the common electrode block may be larger than other portions of the bypass line BL. As described above, the contact holes of the lower planarization layer (PLN-L) for connecting the common signal line SL to the bypass line BL and the upper planarization layer (for connecting the common electrode block to the bypass line BL) PLN-U) may have a maximum aperture ratio that is much smaller than other bypass pixels between the two planarization layers. Differences in the aperture ratio of the pixels may be visually conspicuous to the naked eye, especially when pixels of different aperture ratios are arranged in a simple repeated pattern, such as a moire pattern or a dimming line.

Since the difference in the aperture ratio of the pixels is a visually noticeable pattern, reducing the difference in aperture ratio of the pixels will make the pattern less conspicuous. Thus, in some embodiments, the masking layer BM may be configured to compensate for the loss of aperture ratio of the bypass pixels.

Referring to FIG. 16, the masking layer BM includes a plurality of strips covering the data lines DL and the gate lines GL. In this disclosure, vertically arranged strips covering data lines DL may be referred to as data BM strips. The laterally arranged strips covering gate lines GL and bypass lines BL may be referred to as gate BM strips. Further, each of the gate BM strips corresponding to the pixels and the portion of each of the data BM strips is referred to as a gate BM section and a data BM section, respectively. That is, a single gate BM strip includes a plurality of gate BM sections. Similarly, a single data BM strip includes a plurality of data BM sections. The BM sections of these BM strips and BM strips are arranged to intersect one another to set the aperture ratio of the pixel regions, which are generally referred to as black matrix patterns

[Simple BM pattern]

In some embodiments, the aperture ratio of all pixels may be formed equal to that shown in Fig. In this regard, the width of the gate BM strips may be set to the width of the gate BM strips for pixel regions having the smallest maximum aperture ratio. For example, a gate BM strip for all pixel regions may be provided with a width sufficient to cover the upper contact hole CTU and the lower contact hole CTL. In this way, the entire opening of all pixels will be reduced to the smallest opening of the pixels, but there will be no aperture ratio mismatch between bypass pixels and normal pixels.

In some cases, it may be sufficient to remove visually noticeable patterns to a certain level by simply reducing the aperture ratio mismatch between pixels that receive contact holes and normal pixels. Thus, it is also possible to cause the limited number of pixels to continue to span the width / aligned section within the strip. For example, a consecutive section of a gate BM strip spanning from a pixel with a lower contact hole CTL to a pixel with an upper contact hole CTU may be formed such that the maximum aperture ratio of some pixels in this particular section differs from some May be larger than the maximum aperture ratio of the pixels, but may have a single width and are oriented in the same way.

In some embodiments, the width of the gate BM sections can be adjusted to reduce aperture mismatch between pixel areas. For example, the widths of the gate BM sections corresponding to common pixels may be wider than the widths of the gate BM sections corresponding to bypass pixels that receive the lower or upper contact holes. In addition, the widths of the gate BM sections corresponding to the intermediate bypass pixels may be wider than the width of the gate BM sections corresponding to bypass pixels that accommodate the lower or upper contact holes. Also, the widths of the gate BM sections corresponding to bypass pixels that receive the upper contact holes may be wider than the widths of the gate BM sections corresponding to bypass pixels that receive the lower contact holes. In this setup, the widths of the gate BM sections are adjusted to maximize the opening of the bypass pixels that receive the lower contact hole and the upper contact hole, and then the widths of the gate BM sections corresponding to the other pixels, With reference to the opening of the bypass pixels having the pixels. This setting may provide a higher overall aperture ratio than the previous embodiments. However, the positions of the openings for each of the pixels may be skewed with respect to each other, which may be undesirable in some cases.

It should be noted that the width difference between different sections of the gate BM strips need not be large enough to make the aperture ratio of the pixels exactly the same. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the aperture uniformity of bypass pixels and normal pixels may place a burden on the entire aperture of the pixels. Thus, in some embodiments, the aperture of the bypass pixels may be 80% to 95% of the aperture of the generic pixel. More preferably, the aperture of the bypass pixels may be between 85% and 95% of the aperture of the general pixel. Opening mismatch at this level may not be visually noticeable to the naked eye, especially when coupled with some other features described in this disclosure.

 [Asymmetric BM pattern]

However, in such settings, the overall luminance of the display panel PNL is somewhat deteriorated. Thus, in some alternative embodiments, the optional sections of the masking layer (BM) next to the pixel areas of the bypass pixels may be masked by a masking layer (BM), such that the aperture ratio mismatch between the bypass pixels and the normal pixels may be reduced. May be provided more narrowly than the other sections of FIG. In addition, the optional sections of the masking layer BM adjacent to the pixel areas of the bypass pixels may be spaced or skewed away from the sections adjacent to the regular pixels. In this manner, the aperture ratio of the bypass pixels can be increased while reducing or maintaining the aperture ratio of common pixels. Thus, the difference between the aperture ratios of the bypass pixels and the normal pixels can be reduced while maintaining the entire luminance level of the display panel PNL.

For example, the width and / or orientation of sections of data BM strips and / or gate BM strips may be adjusted to compensate for the amount of aperture ratio difference between bypass pixels and normal pixels. In BM strips and / or gate BM strips, such adjustments may be made on a pixel by pixel basis. That is, the width / orientation of the strips may be different between the pixel with the lower contact hole CTL, the pixel with the upper contact hole CTU, the middle pixels and the normal pixels.

To reduce the aperture ratio mismatch between pixels, some sections in the data BM strip may be arranged asymmetrically from other sections of the same data BM strip. At the basic level, the sections of the data BM strips adjacent to the bypass pixels may be narrower than the sections that are tangential to normal pixels. In such arrangements, the sections of the data BM strips arranged between the two general pixels may be made wider than the other sections of the data BM strip. That is, if any of the left and right pixels of this section are bypass pixels, then the width of the data BM strip in this section may be narrower than the sections between two general pixels. In this way, the reduction of the aperture ratio of the bypass pixels due to the bypass lines BL can be compensated to some extent.

As shown in Figure 17A, in some embodiments, sections of the data BM strip (e.g., section A) between two immediately adjacent normal pixels may be provided with a width " W " A first bypass pixel having a lower contact hole CTL, a second bypass pixel having an upper contact hole CTU, and a second bypass pixel having a second contact pixel CTU adjacent to any intermediate bypass pixels between the first bypass pixel and the second bypass pixel The data is larger than the width of the sections of the BM strip. That is, in each of the data BM strips, a first bypass pixel (e.g., section C), a second bypass pixel, or any intermediate bypass pixels between the first bypass pixel and the second bypass pixel For example, the data BM sections located next to section B) may be narrower than other data BM sections located between two immediately adjacent regular pixels (e.g., section A).

Also, in some embodiments, data BM sections neighboring any of the intermediate pixels between the first bypass pixel, the second bypass pixel, or the first bypass pixel and the second bypass pixel have substantially the same width And this width is narrower than the width of the data BM sections located between two immediately adjacent regular pixels. Therefore, the differences in the widths of the masking layers BM can compensate for the aperture ratio mismatch due to the arrangement of the bypass lines BL. It should be noted, however, that the width differences between different sections of data BM strips need not be large enough to make the aperture ratio of the pixels exactly the same. As noted above, in some embodiments, the aperture of the bypass pixels may be 80% to 95% of the aperture of a generic pixel. More preferably, the aperture of the bypass pixels may be between 85% and 95% of the aperture of the generic pixel. This level of aperture mismatch may not be visually noticeable to the naked eye, especially when coupled with some other features described in this disclosure.

By way of example, the width of the sections of the data BM strip adjacent to the bypass pixels may be between about 5 and 6 microns, while the width of the sections between regular pixels may be between about 7 and 8 microns. The width of the data line and the width of the common signal line SL must be equal to or smaller than the widths of any given sections of the data BM strip. That is, the width of the data line DL and the width of the common signal line SL located thereunder may be set to the narrowest width of the data BM section next to the bypass pixels.

As mentioned above, the pixel areas that accommodate the contact holes may have the maximum aperture ratio deteriorated by the bypass line BL. Thus, in some embodiments, sections of the data BM strips located next to the pixel regions having the lower contact holes CTL and the upper contact holes CTU have a maximum compensation of the aperture ratio in these pixels Lt; / RTI > Thus, in some embodiments, some data BM sections may be centered about the center of the data line DL located below, as shown in the sections " A ", " B & May be configured so as to be spaced apart.

In Fig. 17B, data BM sections between a pixel with a contact hole and a normal pixel may be configured asymmetrically from other sections of the data BM strip. 17C-17E are cross-sectional views of sections " A ", " B " and " C " 17C, the width of the data BM sections (i.e., the wider portions of the data BM strips) between common pixels may be greater than the width of the data line DL and the common signal line SL below. Thus, the additional width of the data BM section may be equally distributed on both sides on the data line DL. By way of example, if the data BM section between two general pixels has an additional width of 3 mu m, a data BM section of 1.5 mu m is projected on each side of the data line DL and / or the common signal line SL can do.

As described above, a data BM section neighboring a pixel with a contact hole is configured asymmetrically with respect to the other sections of the data BM strips. In this regard, the length of the data BM section protruding beyond the edge of the data line DL towards the regular pixel may be greater than the length of the data BM section protruding towards the pixel with the contact hole. 17D and 17E, the edge of the data BM section and the edge of the data line DL towards the pixel having the contact hole can be accurately arranged with the maximum aperture ratio for the pixels having contact holes, They can be oriented perpendicular to each other. Further, in some embodiments, the length of the data BM section that protrudes beyond the edge of the data line DL below the pixel with the contact hole is shorter than the respective data BM section that protrudes toward the middle bypass pixel .

The BM section must cover both the data line DL and the common signal line SL below and therefore the edges of the data BM section and the edge of the common signal line SL are oriented toward pixels having contact holes with each other Note that there may be. That is, the edge of the data BM section can be oriented with an edge closer to the pixel having the contact hole of the edge of the data line DL or the edge of the common signal line SL.

Light from the light source may pass through the color filter layer, which sets the light of emission from each of the pixel regions. In some embodiments, the color filter layer and the masking layer (BM) may be provided on a second substrate different from the first substrate on which the array of TFTs is located. Here, the color filter layer may be arranged so that the masking layer BM is provided farther from the first substrate than the color filter layer. Alternatively, the color filter layer and the masking layer BM may be provided on the second substrate and the masking layer BM may be arranged to be closer to the first substrate provided with the array of TFTs than the color filter layer. Light from the display can be projected from the first substrate and extracted toward the second substrate, and the masking layer (BM) positioned closer to the first substrate than the color filter layer is capable of emitting light to one pixel Lt; / RTI >

In some embodiments, the masking layer BM may be provided closer to the light source than the color filter layer. Providing the masking layer BM closer to the light source allows more precise control of the angle of light from the light source to the color filter layer, which in turn inhibits light leakage and / or color wash-out problems in the reduced width masking layer Lt; / RTI > Thus, a discrepancy in aperture ratio between normal pixels and bypass pixels can be handled with asymmetric BM strips having such a low risk of light leakage or color washout problems.

 [Wavy bypass line]

In some embodiments, the position and shape of the bypass line BL may be adjusted to maximize the aperture ratio of the bypass pixels. Depending on the shape of the gate line GL, some portions of the bypass line BL can be formed into an arch shape toward the gate line GL while maintaining a minimum margin from the gate line GL. By eliminating the wasted space between the gate line GL and the bypass line BL, the area to be covered by the masking layer BM can be reduced for bypass pixels.

18A and 18B illustrate an exemplary configuration of the bypass line BL, which may be provided in the display panel PNL for bypass pixels with a larger aperture ratio. If both the gate line GL and the bypass line BL formed from the second metal layer M2 are used, they must be spaced apart from each other by a minimum margin (denoted by G2G). As a non-limiting example, the minimum margin G2G between the gate line GL and the bypass line BL may be about 5 mu m. As shown, the gate line GL includes a plurality of gate electrodes which protrude from the main routing portion of the gate line GL toward the active channel of the TFTs. For each of two adjacent gate electrodes, there is an open region of an indented shape for connecting the drain of the TFT and the pixel electrode (PXL). As such, the portion of the bypass line BL next to the entering open area can be arched out toward the open area that has entered until the minimum margin is reached.

Thus, the bypass line BL has a sine wave in which the portions of the bypass line BL are curved in and out. More specifically, the portions of the bypass line BL become arched toward the open open region between the two gate electrodes, and the portions of the bypass line BL are opposed to the gate electrode portion of the gate line GL Direction. In the example shown in Figs. 18A and 18B, both the SL-BL contact region and the BL-VCOM contact region are provided in the blue pixel regions. The bypass line BL between these two blue pixel regions includes three arched-in portions and three arched-out portions. Further, the gate line GL positioned closest to the bypass line BL has a plurality of open-open regions having openings facing the nearest bypass line BL. Each of the arch-in portions is provided between two immediately adjacent data lines DL. Each of the arch-out portions is provided between two immediately adjacent pixel regions. Thus, each of the arch-out portions of the bypass line BL is provided between the two arcuate portions of the bypass line. This sine waveform is provided to the bypass line BL, but all parts of the bypass line BL are at least spaced from the gate line GL which is closest to the minimum margin G2G.

 [Common signal line having light shielding portion]

Considering the minimum margin G2G between the gate line GL and the bypass line BL discussed above, a larger aperture ratio can be achieved by reducing the size of the gate electrode. In the embodiments in which the TFTs of the display panel (PNL) are bottom gate inverted stagger type TFTs, the gate electrode serves as the light shielding portion (LS) for the active channel of the TFT. In order to serve as the light shielding portion LS, the gate electrode may have to be provided in a dimension larger than that required to simply control the ON / OFF state of the TFT. The additional length of the gate electrode outside the active edge of the TFT for light shielding purposes may be referred to as gate shield GS. However, the dimensions of the gate electrode, especially the size of the gate shield GS, can be reduced if the active of the TFT can be shielded from light of other structures.

Thus, in some embodiments, some common signal lines SL may be provided with a light shielding portion LS. More specifically, the light shielding portion LS may protrude from the routing portion of the common signal line SL. The light shielding portion LS protrudes from the end of the gate electrode facing the bypass line BL. In the pixels provided with the light shielding portion LS, the width of the gate shield GS can be reduced. That is, the light shielding portion LS formed of the first metal layer M1 is provided to compensate for the reduced width of the gate shield GS. When the width of the gate shield GS is reduced, the bypass line BL can be positioned further toward the gate line GL, which enables a thinner gate BM in the bypass pixels.

As shown in FIG. 18A, since the general pixel has the largest aperture ratio without the light shielding portion LS, the light shielding portion LS may not be required for the general pixel. In these cases, the gate electrode is provided with a sufficient gate shield GS. For example, the width of the gate shield GS in the Y-direction may be 4 占 퐉 or more.

A light shield (LS) is provided on a common signal line (SL) between the general pixel and the first blue pixel. The common signal line SL includes a connection portion projecting from the routing portion. In these cases, as shown in Fig. 15A, the connection portion can be enlarged and can serve as the light shield portion LS at the same time.

Each of the common signal lines SL located between the first bypass pixel and the last bypass pixel is also provided with a light shielding portion LS. Since these common signal lines SL do not have a connection portion, the light shield portion LS of these common signal lines SL is not as large as the light shield portion of the first bypass pixel.

18B is an enlarged view showing an exemplary configuration of the common signal lines SL having the light shield portion LS. As shown, the light shielding portion LS may be positioned beside the gate shield GS on the bypass line BL side. The gate electrodes of the bypass pixels still include gate shields GS, but are much narrower than the gate shields GS of general pixels. As described above, the reduced width of the gate shield GS of the bypass pixels shifts the boundary of the minimum margin G2G between the gate line GL and the bypass line BL, and therefore the bypass line BL ) Can also be shifted toward the gate line GL without infringing the minimum margin G2G from the gate line GL.

As shown, the width of the light shielding portion LS may be greater than the width of the gate shield GS provided to the general pixel. As such, the light shielding portion LS compensates for the reduced width of the gate shield GS at the bypass pixels. In this regard, the light shielding portion LS in the bypass pixel may be configured to provide a much larger coverage than the gate shield GS of the general pixel. That is, the distance between the active edge of the TFT and the edge of the light shielding portion LS on the bypass line BL side may be larger than the distance between the edge of the gate shield GS and the active edge of the TFT. In addition, the light blocking portion LS in the bypass pixels may be arranged to at least partially overlap with the gate shield GS to ensure that external light does not reach the active portion of the TFT. In some cases, a portion of the light shielding portion LS may be positioned to partially overlap the active portion of the TFT.

In the example shown in Fig. 18B, the light shielding portion LS is configured to reduce the width of the gate electrode and to shift the bypass line BL for a larger aperture ratio of the bypass pixels. The light shield portion LS is arranged to reduce the gate shield in the vertical direction (i.e., the Y-direction). However, in some embodiments, the light shielding portion LS may also be configured to reduce the gate shield GS in the horizontal direction (i.e., the X-direction). As shown in FIG. 18C, the light shielding portion LS may extend under the gate shield GS toward the drain-pixel contact hole in the opened open region. In this setting, the light shielding portion LS may not contribute much to the aperture ratio of the pixels. However, the gate shield GS reduced toward the drain-pixel contact hole can help to further reduce the Cgs and DELTA Vp (kickback voltage) of the TFT.

[Contact Bridge]

As described above, in some embodiments, the contact bridge formed of the third metal layer M3 may be located in the BL-VCOM contact region. In these embodiments, a minimum margin between the contact bridges and other metal structures formed of the third metal layer M3 must be considered. For example, the minimum margin between the contact bridge and the drain electrode of the TFT should be maintained (denoted D2D). In addition, the minimum margin D2D must be maintained between the contact bridge and the data line DL. The minimum margin D2D that must be maintained between the metal structures formed of the third metal layer M3 may be greater than the minimum margin G2G that must be maintained between the gate line GL and the bypass line BL. As such, it is difficult to reduce the width of the gate BM in the BL-VCOM contact region even when the light shielding portion LS is provided on the common signal line SL in order to reduce the width of the gate shield GS. Due to the minimum margin D2D from the data lines DL, the position of the upper contact hole CTU in the bypass pixel may be limited.

Thus, in some embodiments, the contact between the bypass line BL and the common electrode block in the BL-VCOM contact region is achieved without a contact bridge. Figure 19A illustrates the configurations of a BL-VCOM contact area using a contact bridge and a BL-VCOM contact area without using a contact bridge. Connecting the bypass line BL and the common electrode block through the upper contact hole CTU without using the contact bridge may be accomplished by adjusting the order in which the contact holes are formed during manufacture of the display panel PNL.

FIG. 19B is an exemplary fabrication step of a display panel (PNL) that does not use a contact bridge according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Briefly, the method is described from the step of forming the second metal layer M2 on the lower planarization layer PLN-L. In step 1, the second metal layer M2 forms the formation gate lines GL and the bypass line BL. In step 2, the gate insulating layer GI and the semiconductor layer SEM are provided on the gate lines GL. Unlike the previous example described with reference to Figs. 7A and 7B, in this case, the formation of the contact hole through the semiconductor layer (SEM) and the gate insulating portion GI to expose the bypass line BL is delayed. The third metal layer M3 may be formed to provide the data lines DL and the source / drain of the TFT. However, in this embodiment, the contact bridges shown in Figures 7A and 7B are not formed in the BL-VCOM contact region. The formation of the semiconductor layer (SEM) may be performed together with the formation of the third metal layer M3, or may be performed separately before the formation of the third metal layer M3.

In this case, the contact bridge of the BL-VCOM contact region is no longer needed because the bypass line GL of the BL-VCOM contact region is covered under the gate insulating layer GI. In step 3, a passivation layer PAS3 is provided. As shown in Fig. 19B, the passivation layer PAS3 is on the gate insulating layer GI in the BL-VCOM contact region. In step 4, an upper planarization layer (PLN-U) is provided so that the data lines (DL) and the source / drain of the TFTs are covered under the upper planarization layer (PLN-U). Then, a contact hole is formed to penetrate the upper planarization layer (PLN-U). The upper contact hole CTU is formed to expose the BL-VCOM contact region. In this stage, the passivation layer PAS3 and the gate insulating layer GI still remain on the bypass line BL in the BL-VCOM contact region. Similarly, a contact hole may be formed through the top planarization layer (PLN-U) to expose the drain region of the TFT. The drain regions exposed through the contact holes of the upper planarization layer PLN-U may also be covered by the passivation layer PAS3 and the gate insulating layer GI.

After the formation of the contact holes through the upper planarization layer PLN-U, in the step 5, the passivation layer PAS3 and the gate insulating layer GI in the drain region and the BL-VCOM contact region of the TFT are connected to the bypass line BL Can be simultaneously etched to expose. Once the bypass line is exposed, in step 6, a transparent electrode layer (e.g., ITO) may be deposited to contact the bypass line BL through the upper contact hole CTU. In this way, a direct contact between the bypass line BL and the common electrode block can be made without using a contact bridge formed from the third metal layer M3.

Without using a contact bridge in the BL-VCOM contact region, the bypass line BL can be positioned closer to the gate line GL as long as the minimum margin between the bypass line BL and the gate line GL is maintained have. As described above, the width of the gate shield GS can be reduced by providing a light shield portion LS formed of the first metal layer M1 and reducing the width of the gate BM. In addition, the contact portion of the bypass line BL in the BL-VCOM contact region can be shifted left or right toward the data lines DL, which enables efficient placement of the bypass line BL in the pixel region do.

[Bypass Line Shifting]

It is a repeated arrangement of these pixels, where the aperture ratio discrepancy between pixels is the root cause of visual artifacts, but the visual artifacts are noticeable and visible to the naked eye. It will be difficult to sense the relatively low luminance of a single isolated set of bypass pixels. However, the plurality of sets of bypass pixels arranged in a repeating pattern form a low luminance area and a high luminance area in the matrix, which are much more perceptible to the naked eye. Some patterns are unavoidable in the arrangement of the bypass lines in the matrix, but may become less noticeable when the pattern is sufficiently complex.

The basic idea here is to provide a variation on the arrangement of the bypass lines BL in the matrix of pixel regions rather than simply placing the bypass lines BL in a linear order in the vertical or horizontal direction. Thus, in some embodiments, a set of bypass lines BL connected to a common electrode block may be provided from a set of bypass lines BL displaced from at least one other bypass line BL in the same set And a bypass line BL. More specifically, a pixel region for receiving the lower contact hole CTL for the bypass line BL of the set of bypass lines BL is connected to the lower portion of the same set of at least one other bypass line BL Are arranged in different rows and different columns from the pixel regions that receive the contact holes CTL.

As described above, the common electrode blocks may be connected to the dummy lines DML as well as the plurality of common signal lines SL, respectively. In addition, a single common signal line or a single dummy line (DML) may be connected to the common electrode block by using a plurality of bypass lines (BL). As described above, the set of bypass lines BL connected to the common electrode block includes a single common signal line SL, a plurality of common signal lines SL, a single dummy line DML, a plurality of dummy lines DML ) Or bypass lines (BL) connected to a combination thereof.

Figure 20A illustrates an exemplary configuration of a set of bypass lines for an electrode block. In this example, SL # 1 is connected to the common electrode block via two bypass lines (BL 1-1 and BL 1-2). Lower contact holes CTL for each of the bypass lines BL 1-1 and BL 1-2 are provided in the pixel regions of the same column. Similarly, SL # 2 is connected to the common electrode block via two bypass lines (BL 2-1 and BL 2-2) and connected to the common electrode block for each of the bypass lines (BL 2-1 and BL 2-2) The lower contact holes CTL are provided in the pixel regions in the same column. SL # 1 and SL # 2 may be a common signal line SL or a dummy line DML, respectively.

As shown in the figure, the pixel regions having the lower contact holes CTL for the bypass lines BL connected to the SL # 1 and the lower contact holes CTL for the bypass lines BL connected to the SL # ) Are provided in different rows. Skewing the placement of contact holes for bypass lines BL to at least different rows may help suppress the visually noticeable pattern, such as the Moire effect.

As mentioned above, the lower contact holes CTL and the upper contact holes CTU may be provided in the blue pixel regions. Each of the upper contact holes CTU for the bypass lines BL may also be connected to a blue pixel region that may be the same row as the blue pixel that receives the lower contact hole CTL for each bypass line BL . It should be noted that the row of pixel regions comprising the pixels that receive the contact holes need not be formed in the entire blue pixel regions. Instead, it may be formed of pixel regions having many different colors including blue pixel regions that accommodate contact holes.

Figure 20B illustrates another exemplary configuration of a set of bypass lines (BL) connected to a common electrode block. Similar to the previous example, SL # 1 and SL # 2 are connected to the same common electrode via one or more bypass lines (BL). However, in this particular example, some bypass lines BL extend to the left, while some other bypass lines BL extend to the right of the underlying lines to which they are connected.

By way of example, the bypass line BL 1-1 connected to the SL # 1 is further provided on the right side of the lower contact hole CTL from the lower contact hole CTL to the bypass line BL 1-1, And extends to the upper contact hole CTU. The bypass line BL 2-1 connected to the SL # 2 is connected to the upper contact hole CTU provided on the side of the lower contact hole CTL from the lower contact hole CTL to the bypass line BL 2-1. . Although not shown in FIG. 20B, other bypass lines connected to SL # 1 and SL # 2 may also be configured in a manner similar to the bypass line BL 1-1 and the bypass line BL 2-1.

Further, among the bypass lines connected to the same common signal line SL, some bypass lines can be arranged to extend toward one side of the common signal line SL, but some of the other bypass lines are connected to the other side Lt; / RTI > For example, as shown in FIG. 20C, the bypass line BL 1-1 may extend toward the right side of the SL # 1, but the bypass line BL 1-2 may extend to the left side of the SL # 1 Lt; / RTI > That is, the lower contact hole CTL for the bypass line BL 1-1 and the lower contact hole CTL for the bypass line BL 1-2 are provided in the pixel region of the same column. On the other hand, the upper contact holes CTU for the bypass line BL 1-1 and the bypass line BL 1-2 are provided on opposite sides of the SL # 1. Since the bypass lines are formed in the second metal layer M2 (e.g., a gate metal layer), the bypass lines can extend laterally across the SL # 1 (i.e., the first metal layer M1) And a data line DL (i.e., a third metal layer M3) is disposed thereon.

Although it is shown that the lower contact holes CTL for the bypass lines BL are provided in the pixel regions of the same row, in some other embodiments, the lower contact holes CTL for each of the bypass lines BL May be located in pixel regions of different columns, even when they are connected to the same common signal line SL (or the same dummy line DML).

20D illustrates another exemplary configuration of bypass lines BL connected to the same common electrode block. Similar to the previous example, SL # 1 is connected to the common electrode block via a plurality of bypass lines (BL). However, unlike the previous examples, the lower contact holes CTL for some bypass lines BL are provided in the pixel region spaced apart from the common signal line SL (or the dummy line DML).

Referring to FIG. 20D, a lower contact hole CTL for connecting the bypass line BL 1-1 to the SL # 1 is provided in the pixel region of the column A. A lower contact hole CTL for connecting the bypass line BL 1-2 to the SL # 1 is provided in the pixel region of the column B. Further, a lower contact hole CTL for connecting the bypass line BL 1-3 to the SL # 1 is provided in the pixel region of the column C. To this end, SL # 1 is provided with a plurality of contacts protruding from the routing portion of SL # 1, and the contacts extend to pixel regions of different columns in contact with the corresponding bypass lines. In other words, some of the contacts of SL # 1 may have different lengths than the other contacts. As described above, the dummy line DML may be divided into a plurality of portions to provide a path to the contact portions so as to traverse the pixel regions where the lower contact hole CTL is located and reach the pixel regions. In this configuration, some of the contacts will cross more or fewer dummy lines (DML) than other contacts.

20D, the lower contact holes CTL for all the bypass lines BL connected to the SL # 1 are provided in the pixel regions of different columns. It should be understood, however, that not all of the lower contact holes CTL for the bypass lines BL should be provided in the pixel regions of the different columns. That is, some of the lower contact holes CTL for the bypass lines BL may still be provided in the same column as the lower contact holes CTL for the other bypass lines BL.

In addition, the contacts of SL # 1 can be arranged not only in the X-direction but also in the Y-direction. In these cases, a portion of the contacts arranged in the Y-direction may extend below a data line different from the data line DL located on the routing portion of the common signal line SL.

Referring to the example shown in FIG. 20D, the routing unit of SL # 1 extends under the data line. The contact portions protrude from the routing portion in the X-direction. A part of the contact portion in contact with the bypass line BL 1-3 extends in the Y-direction under the data line and then reaches the pixel region where the lower contact hole CTL is located. A contact portion in contact with the bypass line BL 1-3 will extend across the gate line GL. Of course, the number of gate lines GL in which the contact portions intersect is variable by a length in which a part of the contact portion extends in the Y-direction. Thus, some lower contact holes CTL can be provided in the pixel regions of the same row, even if the contacts are provided with different lengths.

20D, the contact portions of SL # 1 protrude to the right side of the routing portion. It should be understood, however, that some common signal lines (SL) or dummy lines (DML) may include contacts that project in a different direction than the other contacts of the same line.

20A to 20D, the configuration of the bypass lines BL has been described with reference to only a single common electrode block. It should be noted, however, that the common electrode blocks of the display panel (PNL) need not be configured in the same manner as one another. That is, the configurations of the common signal lines SL and the bypass lines BL in one common electrode block may be different from those in the other common electrode blocks. In this way, a more complex bypass line (BL) pattern can be provided to the display panel (PNL) such that it is difficult for the user to visually recognize the aperture ratio difference caused by the bypass lines (BL).

[Shielded ITO]

Figures 21A and 21B illustrate an exemplary configuration of a display panel (PNL) in an area between two adjacent common electrode blocks. Since the common electrode VCOM is divided into several common electrode blocks, a space (denoted by COMM.Space in FIGS. 21A and 21B) exists between two adjacent common electrode blocks. In this space, the electric field for controlling the liquid crystal molecules due to the lack of the common electrode block may be interrupted, and may generate various visual defects. As described above, a part of the transparent electrode formed like the pixel electrodes PXL is a " COMM. Space ". This transparent electrode is referred to herein as " shielded ITO " or " shielded electrode ".

21A and 21B, a shield electrode (i.e., ITO shield or shielded ITO) is formed between the common electrode block # 1 and the common electrode block # 2. Span the space. In order to keep the common electrode block # 1 and the common electrode block # 2 separated from each other, the shielding electrode is formed from the transparent electrode layer of the pixel electrode PXL. Therefore, the passivation layer PAS4 is interposed between the shield electrode and the common electrode block # 1 and the common electrode block # 2. However, the shielding electrode must be connected to either the common electrode block # 1 or the common electrode block # 2 in order to generate an electric field for controlling the liquid crystal molecules in the COMM.Space. Accordingly, the shield electrode has a shield electrode contact portion extending on one of the common electrode block # 1 and the common electrode block # 2. 21A and 21B, the shield electrode contact portion is connected to the common electrode block # 1 through the contact hole (shielded contact hole) through the passivation layer PAS4 in the contact region of the shielding electrode (i.e., the ITO shield) Contact. Of course, the configuration of the shielding electrode can be reversed and the shielding electrode can be connected to the common electrode block # 2.

Arranging the shield electrode contacts and shielded contact holes may affect the maximum aperture ratio of the pixel area. Thus, in some embodiments, a pixel that receives a shielded contact hole may have a comb-shaped pixel electrode (PXL) as shown in Figure 21A to compensate for the aperture ratio (AR) affected by the shielded electrode contact region have. That is, the pixel having at least a part of the shield electrode contact portion may have a comb-shaped pixel electrode PXL. In this case, one or more combs of the comb-shaped pixel electrode PXL may be routed to the next shielded contact portion and extend closer to the gate line GL of the adjacent row of pixels as shown in Fig. 21A. In the example shown in Fig. 21A, one of the combs EXT longer than the other combs of the comb-like pixel electrode PXL passes through the shield electrode contact portion of the shield electrode and extends toward the gate line GL. The additional length of the pixel electrode PXL causes an electric field to be generated in a larger area within the pixel area. In some embodiments, the comb of the pixel electrode PXL passing through the shield electrode contact portion may at least partially overlap the gate line GL as shown in Fig. 21A. In this setting, the extended comb of the pixel electrode PXL can generate an electric field together with the common electrode block # 1 provided thereunder, which contributes to minimizing the width of the gate BM. In some cases, the comb-shaped pixel electrodes PXL may be provided to other pixels that do not receive the shield electrode contacts. In some embodiments, the shield electrode contacts may be positioned to at least partially overlap the gate line GL as shown in FIG. 21A. This setting causes the pixel electrode PXL to cover a larger area within the pixel area, further increasing the size of the area usable to create an electric field that need not be hidden by the gate BM.

Embodiments have been described using common signal lines SL extending along the corresponding data lines DL. However, the features described herein can also be used when the common signal lines SL are arranged to extend under the gate lines GL. Furthermore, embodiments have been described in the context of LCD display panels having a pixel-top structure. However, the features described in this disclosure can equally be applied to a display panel having a layer of common electrode blocks and a layer of pixel electrodes having a VCOM-top structure positioned in reverse order to the examples shown in the drawings of this disclosure. In the embodiments having a VCOM-top structure, the contact holes in the BL-VCOM contact region or in the SL-VCOM contact region pass the common electrode block through the passivation layer PAS4 to the bypass line or directly to the common signal lines SL Respectively.

In this disclosure, many features have been described with reference to an embodiment in which the common signal line SL and the common electrode block are connected via a bypass line BL. However, unless a particular feature is described as being exclusive to embodiments using bypass lines, the features are that the common signal line SL and the common electrode block are formed on the top planarization layer PLN-U and the bottom planarization layer PLN < RTI ID = -L) < / RTI > through contact holes.

In the present disclosure, all embodiments have been described as having common signal lines (SL) and data lines positioned to overlap with each other. The width of the common signal lines SL may be equal to the width of the data lines DL. However, it should be noted that the widths of the common signal lines SL and the widths of the data lines DL may be different from each other. By using the common electrode provided to the plurality of common electrode blocks, the field of the area between two adjacent common electrode blocks can be different from other areas on the common electrode block. As such, it may be difficult to control liquid crystal molecules over these areas, and light from the backlight can leak into pixels near these areas.

Thus, the data line DL and the common signal line SL can be located in an area between two adjacent common electrode blocks. In this way, the data line DL and the common signal line SL can be used to block light from the backlight. The width of the data lines DL and the width of the common signal lines SL can be adjusted according to the distance between two adjacent blocks. In this regard, increasing the width of the common signal lines SL can help reduce the resistance on the common signal lines SL and lower the RC delay. In embodiments using common signal lines SL disposed below the data lines DL, the width of the common signal lines SL may be greater than the width of the data lines DL. Since the common signal lines SL are located farther from the common electrode blocks and the pixel electrodes than the data lines DL, managing the coupling capacitance is more efficient than the common lines SL ). ≪ / RTI >

In the embodiments described in this disclosure, the common signal lines SL are arranged in a non-transparent manner, arranged below the data lines DL (or below the gate lines GL) And is routed from the display area to a driver (e.g., touch driver (TD)). By routing the common signal lines SL directly across the display area, the size of the display area at the side of the panel can be reduced. In addition, the thickness of the passivation layer between the pixel electrode PXL and the common electrode blocks can be kept at a minimum to raise the capacitance of the pixel. Because the common signal lines SL can be further spaced from the common electrode blocks, they can be provided with a desired thickness to reduce RC delays during the touch-sensing period. In addition, since the common electrode blocks are located on the common signal lines SL, a fringe field is not generated between the common electrode blocks and the common signal lines SL. This effectively solves the light leakage problem caused by having the common signal lines SL in the same layer as the pixel electrode PXL.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, the transparent electrodes and common signal lines SL have been described with reference to a touch-aware LCD device. However, the use of a transparent electrode (e.g., a common electrode block) and a common signal line SL is not limited to displaying images from the panel and identifying the location of the touch inputs. The functions of the transparent electrodes and common signal lines SL during the other intervals are not limited to activating pixels (e.g., LCD pixels) as described above. In addition to the touch-sensing function, the common electrode blocks and the common signal lines SL can be used to measure the amount of touching pressure on the screen, create vibrations on the screen, or be used to actuate electro- It is possible.

For example, some embodiments of the display panel (PNL) may include a layer of deformable material. The common electrode blocks may be located or interfaced near the deformable material and may be loaded using voltage signals to measure electrical changes caused by deformation of the deformable material. In these cases, the common electrode blocks can measure the amount of pressure on the display panel (PNL) in addition to the location of the touch inputs. In some embodiments, the deformable material may be electro-active materials, and the amplitude of the material and / or the frequency of the material may be controlled by electrical signals and / or an electric field. Examples of such deformable materials include piezoelectric ceramics, electro-active-polymers, and the like. In such embodiments, the common electrode blocks may be used to bend the deformable material in the desired orientations and / or to oscillate at the desired frequencies so that the display panel PNL may be tactile and / Provide feedback.

While various embodiments are described for display pixels, those skilled in the art will appreciate that in embodiments in which the display pixels are divided into sub-pixels, the term display pixels may be used interchangeably with the term display sub-pixels. For example, some embodiments directed to an RGB display may include display pixels divided into red, green, and blue sub-pixels. That is, in some embodiments, each of the sub-pixels is red (R), green (G), or blue (R), green (G), or blue B) sub-pixels.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, the present disclosure is intended to cover modifications and variations of the present invention provided within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims (81)

A plurality of pixels, each pixel comprising a thin film transistor and a pixel electrode, the thin film transistor interposed between a lower planarization layer and an upper planarization layer, the pixel electrode being on the upper planarization layer;
Touch driver;
A plurality of common signal lines below said lower planarization layer, said plurality of common signal lines being connected to said touch driver;
A plurality of bypass lines between the bottom planarization layer and the top planarization layer, each bypass line directly contacting at least one of the plurality of common signal lines through the bottom contact hole through the bottom planarization layer; The bypass line of;
A common electrode layer on the top planarization layer, wherein the common electrode layer includes discrete portions of common electrode blocks, at least one of the plurality of bypass lines through the top contact hole through the top planarization layer in each of the common electrode blocks, The common electrode layer being connected to the common electrode layer; And
A masking layer comprising a plurality of data BM strips for covering data lines and gate BM strips for covering gate lines, said plurality of bypass lines being masked below said gate BM strips The liquid crystal display device having a touch sensor. The method according to claim 1,
Each of the plurality of bypass lines extending between a first bypass pixel that receives a lower contact hole and a second bypass pixel that receives an upper contact hole. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first bypass pixel and the second bypass pixel are positioned immediately adjacent to each other. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein each of the plurality of common signal lines includes a routing portion and a contact portion in contact with one of the plurality of common signal lines,
The routing portion is arranged to at least partially overlap one of the data lines,
Wherein the contact portion is protruded from the routing portion toward one of the plurality of pixels arranged adjacent to the data line at least partially overlapping the routing portion of the common signal line, The contact portion being in contact with one of the common signal lines of the liquid crystal display device. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein a portion of the plurality of common signal lines has the contact portion protruding in a first direction and the other portion has the contact portion protruding in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein at least some of the gate BM strips comprise one or more gate BM sections arranged asymmetrically in different gate BM sections of the same respective gate BM strips. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein at least some of the gate BM strips comprise at least one gate BM section having a width different from a width of another gate BM section of the same respective gate BM strip. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein at least some of the plurality of data BM strips comprise one or more data BM sections arranged asymmetrically in different data BM sections of the same respective data BM strips. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein at least some of the plurality of data BM strips comprise one or more data BM sections having different widths from other data BM sections of the same respective data BM strips. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the data BM section is interposed between two immediate neighboring regular pixels having neither the lower contact hole nor the upper contact hole, and wherein the data BM section is located adjacent to the bypass pixel having the lower contact hole or the upper contact hole, The data having a width greater than the width of the data BM section. The method according to claim 1,
The masking layer and the color filter layer are disposed on the inner surface of the first substrate facing the inner surface of the second substrate on which the plurality of common signal lines are disposed,
Wherein the masking layer is disposed on the color filter layer so that the masking layer is located closer to the substrate below the first substrate and the second substrate than the color filter layer. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the opening of the first bypass pixel and the opening of the second bypass pixel are in a range of 80% to 95% of the opening of a general pixel which does not accommodate both the lower contact hole and the upper contact hole. Display device. A thin film transistor array coupled to a plurality of data lines and a plurality of gate lines provided on a first substrate;
An upper planarization layer on the thin film transistor array;
A plurality of separated transparent electrode blocks on the top planarization layer;
driver;
A lower planarization layer under the thin film transistor array;
A plurality of common signal lines disposed below the lower planarization layer and configured to form a plurality of signal paths, each of the plurality of signal paths defining each of the plurality of separated transparent electrode blocks between the upper planarization layer and the lower planarization layer Said plurality of common signal lines connecting to said driver through a bypass line interposed in said plurality of common signal lines; And
A color filter layer and a masking layer comprising a plurality of data BM strips configured to cover the plurality of data lines to define a plurality of pixel areas within the display area and a plurality of gate BM strips configured to cover the plurality of gate lines And a second substrate,
Wherein the bypass line is covered under the plurality of gate BM strips. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the driver is configured to measure capacitance variations on the plurality of discrete transparent electrode blocks. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the plurality of discrete transparent electrode blocks are configured to function as a self-capacitance touch sensor. 15. The method of claim 14,
Wherein the plurality of discrete transparent electrode blocks are configured to function as mutual-capacitance touch sensors. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the opening of the bypass pixel region having at least a portion of the bypass line extending into the interior of the bypass line extends between 80% and 95% of the opening of the common pixel region, / RTI > 18. The method of claim 17,
Wherein at least a portion of the gate BM strip comprises at least one gate BM section having a width different from a width of another gate BM section of the same respective gate BM strip. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the display of the electronic device is a liquid crystal display having a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. 14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the display of the electronic device is an OLED display having an organic-light emitting diode (OLED) element layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate. A plurality of common signal lines on the substrate;
A lower planarization layer covering the plurality of common signal lines;
An array of thin film transistors on the lower planarization layer, the array of thin film transistors being connected to a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines on the lower planarization layer;
An upper planarization layer covering the array of thin film transistors; And
And a plurality of transparent electrode blocks on the top planarization layer, wherein each of the plurality of transparent electrode blocks is configured to communicate with a driver through a signal path embodied in at least one of the plurality of common signal lines and,
Wherein the signal path for at least one of the plurality of transparent electrode blocks is a parallel-connected signal path implemented with a set of common signal lines. 22. The method of claim 21,
Wherein the signal path for at least one of the plurality of transparent electrode blocks is a first parallel-connected signal path implemented with a first set of common signal lines, And a second parallel-connection signal path implemented with a second set of common signal lines distinct from the first set of common signal lines. 23. The method of claim 22,
Wherein the second set of common signal lines implementing the second parallel-connected signal path is less than the total number of common signal lines of the first set of common signal lines implementing the first parallel- The common signal lines of the display panel. 24. The method of claim 23,
And the transparent electrode block connected to the second parallel-connection signal path is positioned closer to the touch driver than the transparent electrode block connected to the first parallel-connection signal path. 24. The method of claim 23,
Wherein the first set of common signal lines are interconnected in parallel with one another by interconnect lines provided below the lower planarization layer and the second set of common signal lines are interconnected by another interconnect line provided below the lower planarization layer And are interconnected in parallel with one another. 24. The method of claim 23,
Further comprising a plurality of bypass lines,
Wherein the signal path is connected to the corresponding plurality of transparent electrode blocks via at least one of the plurality of bypass lines. 25. The method of claim 24,
Wherein each of the first parallel-connection signal path and the second parallel-connection signal path includes at least one common signal line routed across the entire display area of the display panel. 27. The method of claim 26,
Wherein each of the plurality of bypass lines is connected to the signal path through the lower contact hole through the lower planarization layer and is connected to the transparent electrode block through the upper contact hole through the upper planarization layer. 22. The method of claim 21,
Further comprising a plurality of dummy lines arranged below the lower planarization layer,
Wherein each of the plurality of dummy lines is configured to extend under one of the plurality of data lines. 30. The method of claim 29,
Wherein at least one of the plurality of dummy lines is electrically connected to a voltage source. 23. The method of claim 22,
Wherein the plurality of dummy lines includes a first dummy line and a second dummy line,
Wherein the first dummy line extends under one of the plurality of data lines overlapping at least one of the common signal lines included in the first set of common signal lines,
Wherein the second dummy line extends under one of the plurality of data lines overlapping at least one of the common signal lines included in the second set of common signal lines. 23. The method of claim 22,
Wherein at least one of the first parallel-connection signal path and the second parallel-connection signal path includes a main portion and a tail portion,
Wherein the tail portion is implemented with a smaller number of common signal lines than the main portion. 32. The method of claim 31,
Wherein the tail portion is configured as an independent parallel-to-connect signal path provided at one end of the main portion. 23. The method of claim 22,
Wherein at least one of the first parallel-connection signal path and the second parallel-connection signal path includes a main portion and a tail portion,
Wherein the tail portion includes a first section below one of the plurality of data lines and a second section below another one of the plurality of data lines,
Wherein the first section and the second section are connected in series with each other. A plurality of pixels operated by a pixel electrode and a common electrode, wherein the common electrode includes a plurality of separated common electrode blocks, each of the plurality of common electrode blocks being used for operating one or more of the plurality of pixels, The plurality of pixels;
A plurality of thin film transistors coupled to the plurality of pixels and disposed on the lower planarization layer;
Touch driver; And
And a plurality of common signal lines disposed under the lower planarization layer,
Each of the common electrode blocks of the common electrode blocks of the first group being configured to communicate with the touch driver through a signal path embodied in a first set of common signal lines,
And each of the common electrode blocks of the common electrode blocks of the second group is configured to communicate with the touch driver through a signal path embodied in a second set of common signal lines. 36. The method of claim 35,
Wherein the touch driver is spaced apart from the common electrode blocks of the first group rather than the touch driver being spaced apart from the common electrode blocks of the second group,
Wherein the first set of common signal lines comprises a greater number of common signal lines than the second set of common signal lines. 37. The method of claim 36,
Wherein the common electrode blocks of the first group and the common electrode blocks of the second group are collectively arranged in a single row or a single column. 39. The method of claim 37,
At least some of the signal paths for the common electrode blocks of the first group include a main parallel-connection portion and a tail portion,
Wherein the main parallel-connected portion is implemented with all the common signal lines of the first set of common signal lines,
Wherein the tail portion is implemented with a subset of common signal lines from the first set of common signal lines implementing the signal paths. 39. The method of claim 37,
At least some of the signal paths for the common electrode blocks of the second group include a main parallel-connection portion and a tail portion,
Wherein the main parallel-connected portion is implemented with all the common signal lines of the second set of common signal lines,
Wherein the tail portion is implemented with a subset of common signal lines from the second set of common signal lines implementing the signal paths. 39. The method of claim 38,
Of the set of the first number of common signal lines, the subset of common signal lines is longer than the remaining common signal lines of the first set,
Of the set of the second number of common signal lines, the subset of common signal lines is longer than the remaining common signal lines of the second set. An electronic device having a display,
A display area having a plurality of pixels;
A layer of a thin film transistor array disposed within the display region;
A plurality of discrete transparent electrode blocks disposed on the layer of the thin film transistor array and arranged to overlap with the plurality of pixels in the display area;
driver; And
A plurality of common signal lines disposed below the layers of the thin film transistor array and configured to form a plurality of signal paths,
Each of the plurality of signal paths connecting each of the plurality of separated transparent electrode blocks to the driver,
Wherein one or more signal paths of the plurality of signal paths comprise a main parallel-connected portion embodied as a set of a plurality of common signal lines and a tail portion embodied as a subset of common signal lines from the set of common signal lines, Electronic device. Touch driver;
A plurality of common signal lines on the substrate coupled to the touch driver;
A lower planarization layer on the substrate that covers the plurality of common signal lines;
A plurality of gate lines and a plurality of data lines disposed on the lower planarization layer, each of the plurality of gate lines and each of the plurality of data lines being connected to one of a plurality of thin film transistors on the lower planarization layer; A gate line and a plurality of data lines;
An upper planarization layer disposed on the plurality of thin film transistors;
Wherein the common electrode includes a plurality of common electrode blocks spatially separated from other common electrode blocks, and each of the plurality of common electrode blocks includes a plurality of common electrode blocks The plurality of pixel electrodes and the common electrode being connected to at least one of the signal lines;
A passivation layer interposed between the common electrode and the plurality of pixel electrodes; And
A shielding electrode at least partially overlapping a space between two immediately adjacent common electrode blocks, the shielding electrode being in contact with the two immediately adjacent common electrode blocks through a shielded contact hole through the passivation layer, The liquid crystal display device having a touch sensor. 43. The method of claim 42,
Wherein the lower planarization layer comprises an organosiloxane hybrid layer comprising a monomer and a polymer. 43. The method of claim 42,
Wherein one of the plurality of data lines extends along a space between the two immediately adjacent common electrode blocks,
Wherein the shield electrode is arranged to at least partially overlap with a data line arranged between the two immediately adjacent common electrode blocks. 43. The method of claim 42,
Wherein the plurality of common signal lines are configured to extend along the plurality of data lines,
Wherein each of the plurality of common signal lines at least partially overlaps with one of the plurality of data lines. 46. The method of claim 45,
Further comprising a plurality of bypass lines interposed between the lower planarization layer and the upper planarization layer,
Wherein each of the plurality of bypass lines is connected to at least one of the plurality of common electrode blocks through an upper contact hole of the upper planarization layer and is connected to at least one of the plurality of common signal lines through a lower contact hole of the lower planarization layer And a liquid crystal display device having a touch sensor. 47. The method of claim 46,
Each of the plurality of bypass lines extending between a first blue pixel having the lower contact hole and a second blue pixel having the upper contact hole,
Wherein the first blue pixel and the second blue pixel are arranged in pixels of the same row among a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix. 43. The method of claim 42,
Wherein the pixel having the shielded contact hole arranged therein has a comb-shaped pixel electrode having a plurality of combs. 49. The method of claim 48,
And the comb-like pixel electrode has at least one comb that is configured to pass through the shielding contact hole. A first metal layer comprising a plurality of common signal lines coupled to a touch driver;
A lower planarization layer provided on the first metal layer;
A second metal layer on the lower planarization layer, the second metal layer including a plurality of gate lines and a plurality of bypass lines;
A semiconductor layer on the second metal layer;
A third metal layer on the semiconductor layer, the third metal layer comprising a plurality of data lines;
A plurality of thin film transistors each of which is connected to one of the plurality of gate lines and one of the plurality of data lines;
An upper planarization layer covering the plurality of thin film transistors;
A plurality of common electrode blocks on the upper planarization layer, wherein each of the plurality of common electrode blocks is spatially separated from another common electrode block;
A plurality of pixel electrodes on the upper planarization layer, wherein each of the plurality of pixel electrodes is connected to one of the plurality of thin film transistors;
A passivation layer interposed between the plurality of common electrode blocks and the plurality of pixel electrodes;
Wherein each of the plurality of shielding electrodes is electrically connected to one of a first common electrode block and a second common electrode block immediately adjacent to each other, Wherein each of the plurality of common electrode blocks is connected to at least one of the plurality of common signal lines through at least one of the bypass lines. 51. The method of claim 50,
One of the plurality of common signal lines and one of the plurality of data lines is configured to extend along a space between the first common electrode block and the second common electrode block,
Wherein the one of the plurality of common signal lines and the one of the plurality of data lines are arranged to at least partially overlap with the shield electrode extending between the first common electrode block and the second common electrode block, . 52. The method of claim 51,
Wherein the shield electrode comprises a shield electrode contact connected to one of the first common electrode block and the second common electrode block through a shielding contact hole of the passivation layer. 53. The method of claim 52,
Wherein the pixel housing the shield electrode contact has a comb-like pixel electrode. 54. The method of claim 53,
Wherein the comb-like pixel electrode includes at least one comb that is longer than another comb of the comb-shaped pixel electrode. 54. The method of claim 53,
And the at least one comb, which is longer than another comb of the comb-like pixel electrode, is routed next to the shield electrode contact of the shield electrode. 54. The method of claim 53,
Wherein the at least one comb, which is longer than another comb of the comb-like pixel electrode, extends over the plurality of gate lines of pixels of an adjacent row. 54. The method of claim 53,
Wherein the shield electrode contacts are arranged to at least partially overlap one of the plurality of gate lines. 51. The method of claim 50,
Wherein the plurality of common electrode blocks are positioned on the upper planarization layer,
Wherein the passivation layer is disposed on the plurality of common electrode blocks,
Wherein the plurality of pixel electrodes and the plurality of shielding electrodes are disposed on the passivation layer. 51. The method of claim 50,
Wherein the plurality of pixel electrodes and the plurality of shielding electrodes are provided on the upper planarization layer,
Wherein the passivation layer is provided on the plurality of pixel electrodes and the plurality of shielding electrodes,
And the plurality of common electrode blocks are positioned on the passivation layer. 51. The method of claim 50,
Wherein each of the plurality of common electrode blocks is configured to communicate with the touch driver through a dedicated signal path including one or more of the plurality of common signal lines such that the plurality of common electrode blocks serves as a self- Display panel. 51. The method of claim 50,
Wherein the plurality of common signal lines coupled to the plurality of common electrode blocks are connected to be selectively linked together to implement a plurality of touch-sensing electrodes and a plurality of touch-sensing electrodes serving as mutual-capacitance touch sensors, . A plurality of common signal lines on the substrate configured to transmit signals to and from the touch driver;
A lower planarization layer on the plurality of common signal lines;
A buffer layer on the lower planarization layer including at least one of a silicon nitride layer and a silicon oxide layer;
A plurality of thin film transistors on the buffer layer having a coplanar structure;
An upper planarization layer on the plurality of thin film transistors; And
And a plurality of transparent electrode blocks on the upper planarization layer, wherein each of the plurality of transparent electrode blocks includes at least one of the plurality of common signal lines through at least one of a plurality of bypass lines interposed between the lower planarization layer and the upper planarization layer Wherein each of the plurality of light shielding portions is disposed under an active channel region of one of the plurality of thin film transistors, wherein the plurality of light shielding portions are connected to at least one of the plurality of transparent signal lines, And an electrode block. 63. The method of claim 62,
Each of the plurality of light shielding portions projects from a routing portion of each of the plurality of common signal lines extending along a plurality of data lines,
Each of the plurality of light shields overlapping at least partially with one of the plurality of gate lines. 63. The method of claim 62,
Wherein the plurality of thin film transistors comprise a metal oxide semiconductor layer. 65. The method of claim 64,
Wherein each of the plurality of thin film transistors includes a gate electrode protruding from one of the plurality of gate lines and at least a portion of each of the plurality of light shielding portions protrudes outside the outer edge of the gate electrode of each of the plurality of thin film transistors , The display panel. 63. The method of claim 62,
Wherein at least some of the plurality of light shielding portions contact one of the plurality of bypass lines through a lower contact hole of the lower planarization layer. 63. The method of claim 62,
Wherein the lower planarization layer comprises an organosiloxane hybrid layer comprising Si-O monomers and a polymer. 63. The method of claim 62,
And at least one passivation layer disposed below the lower planarization layer. 69. The method of claim 68,
And at least one of the passivation layers is disposed on the plurality of common signal lines. 69. The method of claim 68,
Wherein the plurality of common signal lines are formed of a stack of a plurality of metal layers including a copper layer. 63. The method of claim 62,
Wherein the driver is configured to measure a change in capacitance on the plurality of transparent electrode blocks. 72. The method of claim 71,
Wherein the plurality of transparent electrode blocks are configured to function as a self-capacitance touch sensor. 72. The method of claim 71,
Wherein the plurality of transparent electrode blocks are configured to function as mutual-capacitance touch sensors. 72. The method of claim 71,
Further comprising an organic-light emitting diode (OLED) element,
And each of the OLED elements is connected to at least one of the plurality of thin film transistors. 72. The method of claim 71,
Further comprising a color filter substrate, and a liquid crystal molecule layer interposed between the substrate and the color filter substrate,
Wherein each pixel comprises a pixel electrode configured to generate an electric field together with one of the plurality of transparent electrode blocks to control liquid crystal molecules in each pixel of the display panel. An electronic device having a touch sensor integrated display panel,
A plurality of common signal lines on the substrate, each of the plurality of common signal lines having a routing section and a light shielding section;
A lower planarization layer on the plurality of common signal lines;
A plurality of thin film transistors arranged on the lower planarization layer, wherein each of the plurality of thin film transistors includes a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode arranged on a semiconductor layer;
An upper planarization layer on the plurality of thin film transistors;
Wherein each of the transparent electrode blocks is electrically connected to a touch driver via a signal path, the signal path comprising a plurality of transparent electrode blocks disposed on the top planarization layer, Wherein the light shielding portion of each of the plurality of common signal lines is positioned to overlap with the semiconductor layer of one of the plurality of thin film transistors. Electronic device. 80. The method of claim 76,
Wherein the semiconductor layer of the plurality of thin film transistors is a metal oxide semiconductor layer. 80. The method of claim 76,
Further comprising a plurality of bypass lines interposed between the lower planarization layer and the upper planarization layer,
Wherein each transparent electrode block is connected to a corresponding signal path through at least one of said plurality of bypass lines. 80. The method of claim 76,
A gate driver configured to provide a scan signal on a first set of gate lines during a first display interval and to provide the scan signals on a second set of gate lines following a first set of gate lines during a second display interval, Further included,
Wherein the first display period and the second display period are separated by an intermediate touch scan period in which the scan signal is not provided to the gate line and the touch driver is a part of the same frame and the touch driver identifies a touch input made on the display panel And to communicate with each of the transparent electrode blocks during the intermediate touch scan interval. 80. The method of claim 76,
Further comprising a layer of OLED elements,
Each of the OLED elements being coupled to at least one of the plurality of thin film transistors. 80. The method of claim 76,
A color filter layer, and a liquid crystal molecule layer interposed between the substrate and the color filter substrate.

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