Liquid crystal display device

• US 20040012751A1
• Filed: 06/02/2003
• Published: 01/22/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 06/17/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Central Incorporated (Japan Display Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Iizuka, Tetsuya, Sato, Seiichi, Fukuoka, Nobuko, Hanazawa, Yasuyuki
• Granted Patent: US 6,888,609 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/156
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133371 Cells with varying thickness of the liquid crystal layer
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133388 with constructional differences between the display region and the peripheral region
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133555 Transflectors
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13394 spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars G02F1/133377 takes precedence

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device includes a thin film transistor (TFT) array substrate 10, a counter substrate 22 provided opposite to the TFT array substrate 10 and a liquid crystal layer 28 held between the TFT array and counter substrates 10 and 22. The TFT array substrate 10 has display and frame areas 31 and 32. There are pixel electrodes in the display area 31 which each have reflective and transparent portions 33 and 34 with convex and concave portions 29 and 30, respectively. Convex and concave portions 36 and 37 are also provided in the frame area 32 which are substantially the same in shape as convex and concave portions 29 and 30 in the display area 31. The surface of a photoresist coating film in the display area 31 shown by a dotted line 39 is substantially the same in configuration as that in the frame area 32 to make the column-like spacers 27 and 38 substantially the same in height. A cell gap between the TFT array and counter substrates 10 and 22 is made thereby substantially uniform.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate having a display area and a frame area;

pixel electrodes including reflective and transparent portions formed on said display area of said first substrate;

said reflective and transparent portions being convex and concave in shape, respectively;

scanning lines to transmit scanning signals;

signal lines divided into at least first and second groups to transmit data signals;

a second substrate provided opposite to said first substrate;

a counter electrode formed on said second substrate;

column-like spacers to maintain a gap between said first and second substrates;

a liquid crystal layer held between said first and second substrate; and

convex and concave portions formed on said frame area.

2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said convex and concave portions formed on said frame area are substantially the same in shape as said reflective and transparent portions formed on said display area.

3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein apertures defined in said concave portions formed on said frame area are bigger in size than those defined in said transparent portions formed on said display area.

4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein said column-like spacers are provided on said convex portions formed on said frame area and said reflective portions formed on said display area.

5. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, further comprising projections formed on said concave portions formed on said frame area.

6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, wherein said column-like spacers are made on said first substrate by steps of coating a photoresist film, exposure, development and removal.