LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY DEVICE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20120081641A1
• Filed: 06/14/2011
• Published: 04/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Park, Seung-Ryull, Kim, Jin-Pil, Noh, So-Young
• Granted Patent: US 9,223,178 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/106
• 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 1/13396 Spacers having different sizes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136286 Wiring, e.g. gate line, drain line

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device includes an array substrate including gate and data lines crossing each other on a first substrate to define a pixel region, and a thin film transistor and a pixel electrode in the pixel region, a color filter substrate including a black matrix on a second substrate and including an opening corresponding to the pixel region, and a color filter layer filling the opening, and a liquid crystal layer including a first patterned spacer contacting the array substrate and the color filter substrate, and corresponding to the thin film transistor of the array substrate, and a second patterned spacer having a first width along a length direction of the gate line, and a second width along a width direction of the gate line, contacting the color filter substrate and being spaced apart from the array substrate, and corresponding to the gate line.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

an array substrate including;

gate and data lines crossing each other on a first substrate to define a pixel region; and

a thin film transistor and a pixel electrode in the pixel region;

a color filter substrate including;

a black matrix on a second substrate and including an opening corresponding to the pixel region; and

a color filter layer filling the opening; and

a liquid crystal layer between the array substrate and the color filter substrate including;

a first patterned spacer having a cylindrical shape, contacting the array substrate and the color filter substrate, and corresponding to the thin film transistor of the array substrate; and

a second patterned spacer having a first width along a length direction of the gate line, and a second width along a width direction of the gate line and being less than the first width, the second patterned spacer contacting the color filter substrate and being spaced apart from the array substrate, and corresponding to the gate line.

2. The device according to claim 1, wherein the first width is about 22 μ

m to about 28 μ

m, and the second width is about 5 μ

m to 7 μ

m.

3. The device according to claim 2, wherein a width of the black matrix parallel to the gate line is about 55 μ

m to about 57 μ

m.

4. The device according to claim 1, wherein the color filter substrate further includes a common electrode on the color filter layer.

5. The device according to claim 4, wherein the color filter substrate further includes an overcoat layer between the color filter layer and the common electrode.

6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the array substrate further includes a common line and a common electrode connected to the common line, and the pixel electrode and the common electrode are arranged alternately in the pixel region, and

wherein the color filter substrate further includes an overcoat layer on the color filter layer.

7. The device according to claim 1, wherein a height of the second patterned spacer is equal to or less than a height of the first patterned spacer.

8. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, the method comprising:

forming a color filter substrate including a black matrix that is on a first substrate and includes an opening, wherein a color filter layer fills the opening;

forming an organic material layer on the color filter layer;

exposing light to the organic material layer using a photo mask that includes a first transmissive portion having a circular shape, a second transmissive portion having a rectangular shape, and a blocking portion, wherein the second transmissive portion includes first and second widths; and

developing the light-exposed organic material layer to form a first patterned spacer and a second patterned spacer.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the color filter substrate further includes an overcoat layer between the color filter layer and the first and second patterned spacers.

10. The method according to claim 8, wherein the color filter substrate further includes a common electrode between the color filter layer and the first and second patterned spacers.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein the first width along a first direction is about 1.8 μ

m to about 2.2 μ

m, the second width along a second direction is about 9.5 μ

m to about 10.5 μ

m.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein the second patterned spacer has a third width along the first direction and the third width ranges from about 22 μ

m to about 28 μ

m, and a fourth width of the second patterned spacer along the second direction and the fourth width ranges from about 5 μ

m to about 7 μ

m.

13. The method according to claim 8, wherein a width of the black matrix corresponding to the second patterned spacer is about 55 μ

m to about 57 μ

m.

14. The method according to claim 8, wherein a height of the second patterned spacer is equal to or less than a height of the first patterned spacer by adjusting an amount of time of the light exposure.

15. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

forming an array substrate that includes gate and data lines crossing each other on a second substrate, a thin film transistor connected to the gate and data lines, and a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor; and

bonding the array substrate and the color filter substrate with a liquid crystal layer therebetween such that the first patterned spacer contacts the array substrate corresponding to the thin film transistor, and the second patterned spacer corresponds to the gate line and spaced apart from the array substrate.

16. The method according to claim 8, wherein the second transmissive portion includes a square-shaped region, at a center portion thereof, that has a length of about 2.8 μ

m to about 3.2 μ

m, and the second transmissive portion has a cross shape.

17. A structure for a liquid crystal display device including an array substrate, a color filter substrate and a liquid crystal layer between the array substrate and the color filter substrate, the structure comprising:

a first patterned spacer having a first shape, the first patterned spacer contacting the array substrate and the color filter substrate and corresponding to a thin film transistor of the array substrate; and

a second patterned spacer having a second shape with a top area being larger than a bottom area, the top area contacting the color filter substrate and the bottom area spaced apart from the array substrate,

wherein the first and second shapes are different from each other.

18. The structure according to claim 17, wherein the first shape is a cylindrical shape and the second shape is an elliptical cylinder shape.

19. The structure according to claim 17, wherein the top area of the second patterned spacer has a first width along a length direction of the gate line, and a second width along a width direction of the gate line, and

the first width ranges from about 22 μ

m to about 28 μ

m and the second width ranges from about 5 μ

m to about 7 μ

m.

20. The structure according to claim 17, wherein a height of the second patterned spacer is equal to or less than a height of the first patterned spacer.

21. The structure according to claim 17, wherein a width of a black matrix of the color filter substrate and parallel to the gate line ranges from about 55 μ

m to about 57 μ

m.