Electro-optical device, method of manufacturing the same, and electronic apparatus

• US 20060038937A1
• Filed: 08/11/2005
• Published: 02/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 138 East LCD Advancements Limited (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: Kamijo, Kimitaka, Takizawa, Keiji, Nakano, Tomoyuki, Kaneko, Hideki
• Granted Patent: US 7,391,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/110
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133512 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix G02F1/136209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13394 spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars G02F1/133377 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1365 in which the switching element is a two-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence

Abstract

An electro-optical device includes a substrate; electrodes formed on the substrate; switching elements connected to the electrodes, respectively; an electro-optical material layer disposed on the electrodes and the switching elements; photospacers that regulate the thickness of the electro-optical material layer; and spacer light-shielding films, each being provided between a corresponding photospacer and the substrate. Each of the spacer light-shielding films is made of the same material as at least one of a plurality of elements constituting each of the switching elements.

Claims

1. An electro-optical device comprising:

a substrate;

an electrode formed on the substrate;

a switching unit connected to the electrode, the switching unit including a plurality of elements;

an electro-optical material layer disposed on the electrode and the switching unit;

photospacers that maintain the thickness of the electro-optical material layer; and

a spacer light-shielding film, provided between one of the photospacers and the substrate, the spacer light-shielding film being made of the same material as at least one of the elements constituting of the switching unit.

2. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of display dot regions, each being a display unit; and

interdot light-shielding regions, each being provided between the display dot regions,

wherein the photospacers are provided within the display dot regions.

3. The electro-optical device according to claim 2, further comprising:

a second substrate that is disposed opposite to the substrate with the electro-optical materials interposed therebetween and that includes a plurality of coloring elements with different colors which are disposed so as to overlap the display dot regions and the interdot light-shielding regions,

wherein each of the interdot light-shielding regions is formed by overlapping the coloring elements with different colors.

4. The electro-optical device according to claim 3,

wherein the coloring elements with different colors are red, green and blue, which are three primary colors, and

the photospacers are provided corresponding to the display dot regions representing blue, respectively.

5. The electro-optical device according to claim 2,

wherein each of the display dot regions has a transmission region within a dot that allows light to pass therethrough and a reflection region within a dot that reflects light therefrom, and

each of the photospacers is provided in the reflection region within a dot.

6. The electro-optical device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a resin layer which is thin corresponding to the transmission region within a dot but thick corresponding to the reflection region within a dot and of which a surface corresponding to the reflection region within a dot is flat,

wherein the electro-optical material layer corresponding to the transmission region within a dot is thicker than the electro-optical material layer corresponding to the reflection region within a dot by forming the electro-optical material layer on the resin layer.

7. The electro-optical device according to claim 1,

wherein the switching unit has a laminated structure composed of a plurality of layers, and

the spacer light-shielding film is formed by laminating the same material as at least two layers of the laminated structure constituting the switching unit.

8. The electro-optical device according to claim 1,

wherein the switching unit is a thin film diode having a laminated structure in which tantalum/insulating film/chrome are sequentially laminated from the substrate side, and

the spacer light-shielding film is formed by using a simplex such as tantalum or chrome, or a laminated structure composed of tantalum/chrome sequentially laminated from the substrate side.

9. The electro-optical device according to claim 1,

wherein a surface of the substrate not facing the liquid crystal layer is a viewing side, and

a retardation film and a polarizer are provided on the surface at the viewing side of the substrate, in this order from the substrate side.

16. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 1.

10. An electro-optical device in which electro-optical materials are interposed between a pair of substrates, comprising:

an electrode that is disposed on one of the substrates to apply a voltage to the electro-optical materials;

photospacers that are respectively disposed on a corresponding electrode to maintain the thickness of a layer composed of the electro-optical materials; and

a spacer light-shielding film, provided between one of the photospacers and the substrate.

11. A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device, comprising:

forming a switching unit on a substrate;

forming spacer light-shielding films on the substrate;

forming an electrode on the substrate to be electrically connected to the switching unit, the switching unit including a plurality of elements;

forming photospacers for maintaining the thickness of an electro-optical material layer ,each photospacer being formed over a corresponding one of the plularity of spacer light-shielding films; and

positioning the electro-optical material layer on the substrate to overlap the electrode,

wherein the forming of the spacer light-shielding films is performed using the same material and process as those used to form at least one of a plurality of elements constituting of the switching unit.

12. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 11, further comprising:

forming interdot light-shielding regions so as to bury a plurality of display dot regions, each being a display unit,

wherein the photospacers are provided within the display dot regions.

13. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 12, further comprising:

forming a plurality of coloring elements, each having a different color, at a side opposite to the substrate with the electro-optical materials therebetween,

wherein, in the forming of the interdot light-shielding regions, the interdot light-shielding regions are formed by overlapping the coloring elements with different colors.

14. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 11,

wherein the forming of the switching unit includes:

forming a first metal on the substrate;

forming an insulating film on the first metal; and

forming a second metal on the insulating film,

wherein the forming of the spacer light-shielding films is performed using the same material and process as those used to form the first or second metals.

15. A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device in which electro-optical materials are interposed between a pair of substrates, comprising:

forming a spacer light-shielding film on a substrate;

forming an electrode that apply a voltage to the electro-optical materials to overlap the spacer light-shielding film in plan view;

forming a photospacer for maintaining the thickness of the electro-optical material layer on the spacer light-shielding film; and

positioning the electro-optical material layer on the substrate to overlap the electrode.