DISPLAY DEVICE, LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY PANEL ASSEMBLY, AND TESTING METHOD OF DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20070170949A1
• Filed: 01/18/2007
• Published: 07/26/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: PAK, Sang-Jin, LEE, Myung-Woo
• Application Number:
  US11/624,366
• Publication Number:
  US 20070170949A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 324/760.10
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2330/12 Test circuits or failure detection circuits included in a display system, as permanent part thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/006 Electronic inspection or testing of displays and display drivers, e.g. of LED or LCD displays testing individual LED's G01R31/2635; testing lamps G01R31/44; testing of optical features of LCD displays G02F1/1309

Abstract

A display device having a sensing unit includes a first substrate having a plurality of test spacers, and a second substrate having a plurality of sensing unit test lines facing the test spacers, respectively. The surface heights of the sensing unit test lines are different from each other. The heights of the test spacers are substantially the same. The second substrate further includes a plurality of height difference portions formed under the sensing unit test lines, and the number of height difference portions formed under the sensing unit test lines is different for different sensing unit test lines.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a first substrate having a plurality of test spacers; and

a second substrate having a plurality of sensing unit test lines facing the test spacers, respectively,

wherein surface heights of the sensing unit test lines are different from each other.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the test spacers have a same height as each other.

3. The display device of claim 1, wherein the second substrate further comprises a plurality of height difference portions formed under the sensing unit test lines, and a number of height difference portions formed under the sensing unit test lines is different for different sensing unit test lines.

4. The display device of claim 3, wherein the test spacers comprise first to third test spacers,

the sensing unit test lines comprise first to third sensing unit test lines facing the first to third test spacers, respectively,

the height difference portions comprise first to third height difference portions,

the first height difference portion is formed under the first sensing unit test line,

the first and second height difference portions are formed under the second sensing unit test line, and

the first to third height difference portions are formed under the third sensing unit test line.

5. The display device of claim 4, wherein the first substrate further comprises a conductor formed on the test spacers, and a distance between a surface of the conductor formed on the first test spacer and a surface of the first sensing unit test line is larger than 0 Å

.

6. The display device of claim 5, wherein a distance between a surface of the conductor formed on the second test spacer and a surface of the second sensing unit test line is substantially 0 Å

.

7. The display device of claim 5, wherein a distance between a surface of the conductor formed on the third test spacer and a surface of the third sensing unit test line is substantially 0 Å

.

8. The display device of claim 4, wherein the first substrate further comprises a contact sensing protrusion formed adjacent to the test spacers,

the second substrate further comprises a sensing data line facing the contact test protrusion, and

a surface height of the sensing data line is substantially the same as one of the surface heights of the sensing unit test lines.

9. The display device of claim 8, wherein the surface height of the sensing data line is substantially the same as the surface height of the first sensing unit test line.

10. The display device of claim 8, wherein the second substrate further comprises a fourth height difference portion formed under the sensing data line.

11. The display device of claim 10, wherein the fourth height difference portion is formed on a same layer of the second substrate as the first height difference portion.

12. The display device of claim 8, wherein a height of the contact sensing protrusion is the same as heights of the test spacers.

13. The display device of claim 4, wherein the second substrate further comprises:

a plurality of image scanning lines;

an insulating layer formed on the image scanning lines and the first height difference portion;

a semiconductor layer formed on the insulating layer;

a plurality of image data lines on the semiconductor layer; and

a passivation layer formed on the image data lines, the third height difference portion, an exposed portion of the second height difference portion, and an exposed portion of the insulating layer.

14. The display device of claim 13, wherein the first height difference portion is formed on a same layer of the second substrate as the image scanning line.

15. The display device of claim 14, wherein the second height difference portion is formed on a same layer of the second substrate as the semiconductor layer.

16. The display device of claim 14, wherein the third height difference portion is formed on a same layer of the second substrate as the image data lines.

17. The display device of claim 13, wherein a thickness of the passivation layer formed under the first to third sensing unit test lines is substantially equal.

18. The display device of claim 4, wherein the second substrate further comprises a fourth height difference portion formed on the second height difference portion and an ohmic contact formed on the semiconductor layer, and the fourth height difference portion and the ohmic contact are formed within a same layer of the second substrate.

19. The display device of claim 18, wherein the fourth height difference portion and the third height difference portion have a same boundary.

20. The display device of claim 1, wherein the second substrate further comprises:

a plurality of signal transmitting units connected to the sensing unit test lines, respectively;

a signal input line supplied with a control signal controlling the signal transmitting units from an external device; and

a plurality of pixel test lines connected to the signal transmitting units, respectively,

wherein the display device further comprises a plurality of pixels connected to the pixel test lines.

21. The display device of claim 20, wherein pixels representing a same color are connected to a same pixel test line.

22. The display device of claim 20, wherein the signal input line comprises a first pad inputting the control signal, and the pixel test lines comprise second test pads inputting pixel test signals from an external device, respectively.

23. A liquid crystal panel assembly comprising:

a plurality of test spacers;

a plurality of sensing unit test lines facing the respective test spacers;

a plurality of signal transmitting units connected to the sensing unit test lines, respectively;

a signal input line that is supplied with a control signal controlling the signal transmitting units from an external device;

a plurality of pixel test lines connected to the signal transmitting units, respectively; and

a plurality of pixels connected to the pixel test lines,

wherein surface heights of the sensing unit test lines are different from each other.

24. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 23, wherein the test spacers have a same height.

25. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 23, further comprising a plurality of height difference portions formed under the sensing unit test lines, whereina number of height difference portions formed under the sensing unit test lines is different for different sensing unit test lines.

26. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 25, wherein the test spacers comprise first to third test spacers,

the sensing unit test lines comprise first to third sensing unit test lines facing the first to third test spacers, respectively,

the height difference portions comprise first to third height difference portions,

the first height difference portion is formed under the first sensing unit test line,

the first and second height difference portions are formed under the second sensing unit test line, and

the first to third height difference portions are formed under the third sensing unit test line.

27. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 26, wherein the liquid crystal panel assembly further comprises a conductor formed on the test spacers, and a distance between a surface of the conductor formed on the first test spacer and a surface of the first sensing unit test line is larger than 0 Å

.

28. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 26, wherein a distance between a surface of the conductor formed on the second test spacer and a surface of the second sensing unit test line is substantially 0 Å

.

29. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 26, wherein a distance between a surface of the conductor formed on the third test spacer and a surface of the third sensing unit test line is substantially 0 Å

.

30. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 26, further comprising:

a contact sensing protrusion formed adjacent to the test spacers;

a sensing data line facing the contact sensing protrusion; and

a surface height of the sensing data line is substantially the same as one of the surface heights of the sensing unit test lines.

31. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 30, wherein the surface height of the sensing data line is substantially the same as the surface height of the first sensing unit test line.

32. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 30, further comprising a fourth height difference portion formed under the sensing data line.

33. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 32, wherein the fourth height difference portion is formed on a same layer of the liquid crystal panel assembly as the first height difference portion.

34. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 30, wherein a height of the contact sensing protrusion is the same as a height of the test spacers.

35. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 23, wherein pixels representing a same color are connected to a same pixel test line.

36. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 23, wherein the signal input line comprises a first pad inputting the control signal,

the pixel test lines comprise second test pads inputting pixel test signals from an external device, respectively, and

the first and second test pads are formed on an exposure region of the liquid crystal panel assembly.

37. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 23, wherein the sensing unit test lines and the signal transmitting units are formed on an edge region of the liquid crystal panel assembly.

38. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 23, wherein the signal transmitting units are switching elements.

39. The liquid crystal panel assembly of claim 23, further comprising a cutting line separating the connection between the pixels and the pixel test lines.

40. A testing method of a display device, the display device comprising a plurality of test spacers, a plurality of sensing unit test lines facing the test spacers, respectively, and having different surface heights from each other, a plurality of switching elements respectively connected to the sensing unit test lines, signal input lines supplied with a control signal from an external device to control the switching elements, a plurality of pixel test lines connected to the switching elements, and a plurality of pixels connected to the pixel test lines, the method comprising:

applying a signal turning off the switching elements to the signal input lines;

applying first test signals to the pixel test lines to test the pixels;

stopping application of the first test signals and applying a signal turning on the switching elements to the signal input lines;

testing the pixels; and

cutting connection between the pixels and the pixel test lines.