Liquid Crystal Display Device Having Touch Sensor

• US 20110205180A1
• Filed: 11/02/2010
• Published: 08/25/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/24/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Hee-Hwan, Oh, Keun-Chan, Han, Sang-Youn, Yang, Sung-Hoon, Ham, Yeon-Sik
• Granted Patent: US 9,116,566 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/36 using liquid crystals

Abstract

A liquid crystal display having a touch screen panel (TSP) function includes a sensor unit formed on the first substrate; a first sensor wire disposed on the first substrate and a second sensor wire extending perpendicular to the first sensor wire, wherein the sensor unit includes a first sensor electrode connected to the first sensor wire and a second sensor electrode connected to the second sensor wire, wherein said first sensor electrode and said second sensor electrode connect when touched, and said first and second sensor wires confirm a touch position by transmitting a sensing current through the connection between the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode, a trench is formed near the sensor unit and a silicon protrusion pattern to increase the sensitivity of the touch screen panel.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a first substrate;

a gate line disposed on the first substrate;

a data line intersecting the gate line;

a linear electrode;

a first passivation layer that insulates the linear electrode from the gate line and the data line;

a plate-shaped electrode overlapping the linear electrode;

a second passivation layer that insulates the plate-shaped electrode from the linear electrode;

a sensor unit formed on the first substrate including a sensor electrode for sensing a touch position;

a second substrate facing the first substrate;

a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; and

a first trench disposed between the sensor unit and the linear electrode.

2. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, further comprising

a first sensor wire extending in a same direction as the gate line and a second sensor wire extending in a same direction as the data line, wherein the sensor unit includes a first sensor electrode connected to the first sensor wire and a second sensor electrode connected to the second sensor wire, wherein said first sensor electrode and said second sensor electrode connect when touched, and said first and second sensor wires confirm a touch position by transmitting a sensing current through the connection between the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode..

3. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, further comprising

a thin film transistor connected to the gate line and the data line,

wherein the linear electrode is connected to the thin film transistor thereby receiving a pixel voltage transmitted through the data line, and the plate-shaped electrode receives a common voltage.

4. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, further comprising

a thin film transistor connected to the gate line and the data line,

wherein the linear electrode receives a common voltage, and the plate-shaped electrode is connected to the thin film transistor thereby receiving a pixel voltage transmitted through the data line.

5. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein

the first trench is formed by removing the first and second passivation layers between the sensor unit and the linear electrode, and further comprising an alignment layer formed on the linear electrode and the sensor unit, wherein said alignment layer is thicker inside said first trench than on a boundary near the first trench.

6. The liquid crystal display of claim 2, wherein

the sensor unit further includes a silicon protrusion pattern disposed under the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode.

7. The liquid crystal display of claim 6, wherein

the silicon protrusion pattern includes a plurality of portions separated from each other.

8. The liquid crystal display of claim 7, further comprising

a middle conductor formed from the same layer as the first sensor wire, overlapping the silicon protrusion pattern, and electrically connected to the second sensor electrode and the second sensor wire.

9. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein

the sensor unit is a resistive type.

10. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein

the sensor unit is a capacitive type.

11. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, further comprising

a red color filter, a green color filter, and a blue color filter formed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate,

wherein the sensor unit is disposed corresponding to one of said red color filter, green color filter, or blue color filter.

12. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a first substrate;

a gate line disposed on the first substrate;

a data line intersecting the gate line;

a linear electrode;

a first passivation layer that insulates the linear electrode from the gate line and the data line;

a plate-shaped electrode overlapping the linear electrode;

a second passivation layer that insulates the plate-shaped electrode from the linear electrode;

a sensor unit formed on the first substrate and including a sensor electrode for sensing a touch position;

a second substrate facing the first substrate; and

a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate

wherein the sensor unit includes a silicon protrusion pattern disposed under the sensor electrode.

13. The liquid crystal display of claim 12, wherein

the silicon protrusion pattern includes a plurality of portions separated from each other.

14. The liquid crystal display of claim 13, further comprising

a middle conductor formed from the same layer as the first sensor wire, overlapping the silicon protrusion pattern, and electrically connected to the second sensor electrode and the second sensor wire.

15. The liquid crystal display of claim 12, further comprising

a red color filter, a green color filter, and a blue color filter formed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate,

wherein the sensor unit is disposed corresponding to one of said red color filter, green color filter, or blue color filter.

16. The liquid crystal display of claim 12, further comprising a first trench disposed between the sensor unit and the linear electrode, and an alignment layer formed on the linear electrode and the sensor unit,

wherein the first trench is formed by removing the first and second passivation layers between the sensor unit and the linear electrode, and said alignment layer is thicker inside said first trench than on a boundary near the first trench.

17. The liquid crystal display of claim 12, further comprising a plurality of column spacers formed on the second substrate that project toward the first substrate, wherein said column spacers include main column spacers for maintaining a cell gap between the first and second substrates, and sub-column spacers shorter that the main column spacers, and a conductive layer formed on the surface of the column spacers, wherein said column spacers contact the sensor electrode of the sensor unit on the first substrate.

18. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a first substrate;

a linear electrode disposed on the first substrate;

a plate-shaped electrode overlapping the linear electrode;

an insulating layer that insulates the plate-shaped electrode from the linear electrode;

a sensor unit formed on the first substrate;

a first sensor wire disposed on the first substrate and a second sensor wire extending perpendicular to the first sensor wire, wherein the sensor unit includes a first sensor electrode connected to the first sensor wire and a second sensor electrode connected to the second sensor wire, wherein said first sensor electrode and said second sensor electrode connect when touched, and said first and second sensor wires confirm a touch position by transmitting a sensing current through the connection between the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode;

a second substrate facing the first substrate; and

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

19. The liquid crystal display of claim 18, further comprising a first trench disposed between the sensor unit and the linear electrode, and an alignment layer formed on the linear electrode and the sensor unit,

wherein the first trench is formed by removing the first and second passivation layers between the sensor unit and the linear electrode, and said alignment layer is thicker inside said first trench than on a boundary near the first trench.

20. The liquid crystal display of claim 18, further comprising:

a gate line disposed on the first substrate extending in a same direction as the first sensor wire;

a data line extending in a same direction as the second sensor wire and intersecting the gate line;

a first passivation layer that insulates the linear electrode from the gate line and the data line; and

a thin film transistor connected to the gate line and the data line,

wherein one of said linear electrode and said plate-shaped electrode is connected to the thin film transistor thereby receiving a pixel voltage transmitted through the data line, and the other of said linear electrode and said plate-shaped electrode receives a common voltage.