Display and method of fabricating the same

• US 20040212294A1
• Filed: 04/23/2004
• Published: 10/28/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/25/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Sanyo Electric Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Tsutomu, Okuyama, Masahiro, Oda, Nobuhiko
• Application Number:
  US10/830,088
• Publication Number:
  US 20040212294A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 313/498
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136227 Through-hole connection of the pixel electrode to the active element through an insulation layer

Abstract

A display having a reflective region capable of simplifying a fabrication process with no requirement for providing a reflective electrode separately from the remaining layers is provided. This display, having a reflective region, comprises a reflective material layer, formed on a region of a substrate corresponding to the reflective region, having a function for serving as a reflective layer, an insulating layer formed on the reflective material layer and a transparent electrode formed on the insulating layer, while the reflective material layer is formed by the same layer as a layer having a prescribed function different from the function for serving as the reflective layer.

Claims

1. A display, having a reflective region, comprising:

a reflective material layer, formed on a region of a substrate corresponding to said reflective region, having a function for serving as a reflective layer;

an insulating layer formed on said reflective material layer; and

a transparent electrode formed on said insulating layer, wherein

said reflective material layer is formed by the same layer as a layer having a prescribed function different from said function for serving as said reflective layer.

2. The display according to claim 1, wherein

said reflective material layer has both of said function for serving as said reflective layer and said prescribed function different from said function for serving as said reflective layer.

3. The display according to claim 2, wherein

said prescribed function different from said function for serving as said reflective layer is a function for serving as at least one layer selected from a group consisting of a source/drain electrode, a gate electrode,

a storage capacitive electrode and a black matrix layer.

4. The display according to claim 2, wherein

said prescribed function different from said function for serving as said reflective layer is a function for serving as a gate electrode and a storage capacitive electrode.

5. The display according to claim 1, further comprising:

a thin-film transistor, formed between said insulating layer and said substrate, having a pair of source/drain regions, and

source/drain electrodes connected to said pair of source/drain regions, wherein

said reflective material layer having said function for serving as said reflective layer is formed by the same layer as a layer constituting said source/drain electrodes.

6. The display according to claim 5, wherein

said reflective material layer having said function for serving as said reflective layer is a layer constituting at least either one of said source/drain electrodes.

7. The display according to claim 1, further comprising a storage capacitor having a storage capacitive electrode, wherein

said reflective material layer having said function for serving as said reflective layer is formed by the same layer as a layer constituting a storage capacitive line of said storage capacitive electrode.

8. The display according to claim 1, further comprising a thin-film transistor, formed between said insulating layer and said substrate, having a gate electrode, wherein

said reflective material layer having said function for serving as said reflective layer is formed by the same layer as a layer constituting said gate electrode.

9. The display according to claim 1, further comprising a black matrix layer formed between said insulating layer and said substrate, wherein

said reflective material layer is formed by the same layer as a layer constituting said black matrix layer.

10. The display according to claim 1, further comprising a transmissive region provided with no said reflective material layer in addition to said reflective region.

11. The display according to claim 10, further comprising:

a counter substrate provided oppositely to said substrate, and

a convex insulating layer provided on a region of said counter substrate corresponding to said reflective region.

12. The display according to claim 11, further comprising a liquid crystal layer provided between said substrate and said counter substrate, wherein

the thickness of said convex insulating layer is so set that the thickness of a portion of said liquid crystal layer located on a region corresponding to said reflective region is substantially half the thickness of another portion of said liquid crystal layer located on another region corresponding to said transmissive region.

13. The display according to claim 1, further comprising a thin-film transistor, formed between said insulating layer and said substrate, having a gate electrode, and

a storage capacitor having a storage capacitive electrode, wherein

said reflective material layer having said function for serving as said reflective layer is constituted of a layer constituting said gate electrode and another layer constituting a storage capacitive line of said storage capacitive electrode.

14. The display according to claim 13, wherein

said layer constituting said gate electrode and said layer constituting said storage capacitive line are formed by the same layer.

15. The display according to claim 1, further comprising a pixel electrode including said transparent electrode, wherein

said pixel electrode is constituted of only said transparent electrode without including a reflective electrode.

16. The display according to claim 1, wherein

said reflective material layer having said function for serving as said reflective layer consists of a plurality of layers.

17. A display, having a reflective region, comprising:

a reflective material layer, formed on a region of a substrate corresponding to said reflective region, having a function for serving as a reflective layer;

an insulating layer formed on said reflective material layer; and

a transparent electrode formed on said insulating layer, wherein

said reflective material layer is formed by at least one layer selected from a group consisting of a source/drain electrode, a gate electrode, a storage capacitive electrode and a black matrix layer.

18. The display according to claim 17, wherein

said reflective material layer is formed by a layer constituting said gate electrode and said storage capacitive electrode.

19. A method of fabricating a display having a reflective region, comprising steps of:

forming a reflective material layer also having a prescribed function different from a function for serving as a reflective layer on a substrate;

patterning said reflective material layer to be formed on a region corresponding to said reflective region;

forming an insulating layer on said reflective material layer; and

forming a transparent electrode on said insulating layer.

20. The method of fabricating a display according to claim 19, further comprising a step of forming a thin-film transistor having a pair of source/drain regions between said insulating layer and said substrate, wherein

said step of forming said reflective material layer includes a step of forming source/drain electrode layers connected to said pair of source/drain regions, and

said step of patterning said reflective material layer includes a step of patterning at least one of said source/drain electrode layers to be formed on a region corresponding to said source/drain regions and said reflective region.

21. The method of fabricating a display according to claim 19, further comprising a step of forming a storage capacitor having a storage capacitive electrode, wherein

said step of forming said reflective material layer includes a step of forming a layer constituting a storage capacitive line of said storage capacitive electrode, and

said step of patterning said reflective material layer includes a step of patterning said layer constituting said storage capacitive line to be formed on said region corresponding to said reflective region.

22. The method of fabricating a display according to claim 19, further comprising a step of forming a thin-film transistor having a gate electrode between said insulating layer and said substrate, wherein

said step of forming said reflective material layer includes a step of forming a layer constituting said gate electrode, and

said step of patterning said reflective material layer includes a step of forming said layer constituting said gate electrode to be formed on said region corresponding to said reflective region.

23. The method of fabricating a display according to claim 19, further comprising a step of forming a thin-film transistor having a gate electrode and a storage capacitor having a storage capacitive electrode between said insulating layer and said substrate, wherein

said step of forming said reflective material layer includes a step of forming a first layer for defining a layer constituting said gate electrode and another layer constituting a storage capacitive line of said storage capacitive electrode, and

said step of patterning said reflective material layer includes a step of patterning said first layer thereby forming said layer constituting said gate electrode and said layer constituting said storage capacitive line on said region corresponding to said reflective region.