LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY AND METHOD FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20090091677A1
• Filed: 09/12/2008
• Published: 04/09/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/05/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Jun Beom, Seo, Hyeon Jin, Cho, Hang Sup, Kim, Ho Su, Kwon, Dhang, Lee, Jeong Hoon
• Granted Patent: US 8,184,257 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/46
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133512 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix G02F1/136209 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13392 spacers dispersed on the cell substrate, e.g. spherical particles, microfibres
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134363 for applying an electric field parallel to the substrate, i.e. in-plane switching [IPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/50 Protective arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/28 Adhesive materials or arrangements

Abstract

Disclosed herein are a liquid crystal display (LCD) device and a method for manufacturing the same, capable of preventing problems (i.e., movement of balls, damage to the surfaces that face spacers upon application of predetermined pressure, and variation in cell gap) associated with the use of the ball spacers. The liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other, a spacer formed on the first substrate, wherein the spacer includes a plurality of balls and a solid to aggregate the balls together and adhere the balls to the first substrate, a hard coating layer formed on the second substrate facing the spacer, and a liquid crystal layer filled between the first substrate and the second substrate.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other;

a spacer disposed on the first substrate, wherein the spacer comprises a plurality of balls and a solid to aggregate the balls together and adhere the balls to the first substrate;

a hard coating layer disposed on the second substrate facing the spacer; and

a liquid crystal layer filled between the first substrate and the second substrate.

2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein one of a thin film transistor array and a color filter array is disposed under the spacer of the first substrate and under the hard coating layer of the second substrate.

3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the solid includes at least one material selected from the group consisting of acrylic-based, urethane-based and epoxy-based organic compounds, and silicone compounds.

4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is formed by heating a spacer-forming material, comprising a liquid material consisting of about 2 to about 20 wt % of a liquid thermosetting binder in an uncured state of the solid and a solvent, and about 0.1 to about 3.0 wt % of the balls, with respect to the total weight of the liquid material, to volatilize the solvent and cure the liquid thermosetting binder.

5. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other;

a gate line and a data line disposed on the first substrate such that the gate line and the data line intersect each other to define a pixel region;

a thin film transistor disposed at an intersection between the gate line and the data line;

a black matrix layer disposed on the second substrate in a portions corresponding to the gate line and the data line;

a spacer formed in a predetermined portion provided within the black matrix layer, wherein the spacer comprises a plurality of balls, and a solid to aggregate the balls together and adhere the balls to the first substrate;

a hard coating layer disposed on the second substrate facing the spacer; and

a liquid crystal layer filled between the first substrate and the second substrate.

6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 5, further comprising:

a color filter layer disposed on the second substrate including the black matrix layer;

an overcoat layer disposed on the color filter layer,

wherein the hard coating layer is disposed on the overcoat layer.

7. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other;

a gate line and a data line disposed on the first substrate such that the gate line and the data line intersect each other to define a pixel region;

a thin film transistor disposed at an intersection between the gate line and the data line on the first substrate;

a black matrix layer disposed on the second substrate in a portion corresponding to the gate line and the data line;

a color filter array disposed on the second substrate including the black matrix layer;

a spacer disposed on the color filter array in a predetermined portion provided within the black matrix layer, wherein the spacer comprises a plurality of balls and a solid to aggregate the balls together and adhere the balls to the color filter array;

a hard coating pattern disposed on the first substrate facing the spacer; and

a liquid crystal layer filled between the first substrate and the second substrate.

8. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 7, wherein the hard coating pattern is disposed in a portion provided above the gate line.

9. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 8, further comprising a pixel electrode electrically connected to the thin film transistor formed in the pixel region,

wherein the hard coating pattern is disposed in the same layer as the pixel electrode.

10. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device comprising:

preparing a first substrate and a second substrate;

ink-jetting a spacer-forming material, comprising a plurality of balls and a mixed liquid material consisting of a liquid thermosetting binder and a solvent, on the first substrate, and heating the spacer-forming material to volatilize the solvent and to cure the liquid thermosetting binder to form a solid such that the balls are aggregated together and fixed on the first substrate, to form a spacer;

forming a hard coating layer on the second substrate facing the spacer; and

forming a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, and joining the first substrate to the second substrate.

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

forming one of a thin film transistor array and a color filter array under the spacer of the first substrate and under the hard coating layer of the second substrate.

12. The method according to claim 11, further comprising:

forming a first alignment film and a second alignment film on the thin film transistor array and the color filter array, respectively.

13. The method according to claim 10, wherein the liquid thermosetting binder includes at least one material selected from the group consisting of acrylic-based, urethane-based and epoxy-based organic compounds, and silicone compounds.

14. The method according to claim 10, wherein the spacer-forming material is prepared by mixing about 2 to about 20 wt % of the liquid thermosetting binder with the solid to obtain a liquid material, and mixing the liquid material with about 0.1 to about 3.0 wt % of the balls, with respect to the total weight of the liquid material.

15. The method according to claim 10, wherein the heating of the spacer-forming material is carried out at a temperature of about 80 to about 300°

C.

16. The method according to claim 10, wherein the solvent has a boiling point of about 60 to about 300°

C.

17. The method according to claim 10, wherein the solvent comprises an ethylene glycol.

18. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device comprising:

preparing a first substrate and a second substrate;

forming a gate line and a data line on the first substrate such that the gate line and the data line intersect each other to define a pixel region;

forming a thin film transistor at an intersection between the gate line and the data line on the first substrate;

forming a black matrix layer in a portion corresponding to the gate line and the data line on the second substrate;

ink-jetting a spacer-forming material, comprising a plurality of balls and a mixed liquid material consisting of a liquid thermosetting binder and a solvent, on the first substrate in a portion provided within the width of the black matrix layer, and heating the spacer-forming material to volatilize the solvent and to cure the liquid thermosetting binder to form a solid such that the balls are aggregated together and fixed on the first substrate, to form a spacer;

forming a hard coating layer over the entire surface of he second substrate including the black matrix layer, facing the spacer; and

forming a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, and joining the first substrate to the second substrate.

19. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device comprising:

preparing a first substrate and a second substrate;

forming a gate line and a data line on the first substrate such that the gate line and the data line intersect each other to define a pixel region;

forming a thin film transistor at an intersection between the gate line and the data line on the first substrate;

forming a black matrix layer in a portion corresponding to the gate line and data line on the second substrate;

forming a pixel electrode in the pixel region and forming a hard coating pattern in the same layer as the pixel electrode in the position within the width of the black matrix layer;

forming a color filter array on the second substrate including the black matrix layer;

ink-jetting a spacer-forming material, comprising a plurality of balls and a mixed liquid material consisting of a liquid thermosetting binder and a solvent, on the color filter array corresponding to the hard coating pattern, and heating the spacer-forming material to volatilize the solvent and to cure the liquid thermosetting binder to form a solid such that the balls are aggregated together and fixed on the color filter array, to form a spacer; and

forming a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, and joining the first substrate to the second substrate.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein the hard coating pattern is formed in a portion provided above the gate line.