Liquid crystal display device and method for manufacturing the same

• US 5,680,187 A
• Filed: 04/04/1995
• Issued: 10/21/1997
• Est. Priority Date: 04/04/1994
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nagayama, Kazuyoshi, Ueki, Toshihiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Lovering, Richard D.
• Application Number:
  US08/416,280
• Time in Patent Office: 931 Days
• Field of Search: 252/299.01, 252/299.4, 359/68, 359/74, 359/55, 349/33, 349/106, 349/108, 349/123, 349/126, 349/110, 349/156
• 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 1/133514 Colour filters
• 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 1/1362 Active matrix addressed cells G02F1/134336, G02F1/134363 take precedence

Abstract

To obtain a liquid crystal display device which has no leakage of light and has excellent contrast in the minimum number of manufacturing processes. To obtain cell gap Ga on the array panel 12, first projecting sections 38A are formed in a black matrix 38, and, on the color filter panel 13, second projecting sections 50 are formed in which a red color filter 46R, a green color filter 46G, and a blue color filter 46B are placed one upon another. Since the heights of the first projecting sections 38A and the second projecting sections 50 can be made, for instance, half of cell gap Ga, the rubbing process of orientation films 40 and 54 can be performed reliably. In this way, liquid crystal elements can be fully aligned, preventing the leakage of light. Further, since no transparent spacer is required, there is no leakage of light due to this. In addition, the projecting sections can be formed simply by the processes for forming the color filter 46 and the black matrix 38.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

an array panel upon which pixel opening sections and corresponding active elements are formed in a matrix arrangement;

a black matrix formed outside the pixel opening sections in order to block regions other than said pixel opening sections from view, wherein portions of said black matrix form a plurality of first spaced projecting sections;

a first orientation film covering the side of said array panel on which said black matrix is formed;

a color filter panel disposed opposite said array panel, upon which color filters of different colors are formed so as to correspond to said pixel opening sections;

second orientation film covering the side of said color filter panel on which said color filters are formed;

portions of said color filters forming a plurality of second spaced projecting sections aligned with said first spaced projecting sections, said aligned first and second spaced projecting sections abutting against one another so that said first and second spaced projecting sections together form spacers to maintain constant gaps in the pixel opening sections; and

liquid crystal in said gaps between the orientation films of said array panel and said color filter panel.

2. A liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second projecting sections have a multilayer structure of any two colors of the color filter forming materials of the three colors, red, green, and blue while color filters in the pixel opening sections have a color filter forming material for only one of said three colors.

3. A liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said second projecting sections have a multilayer structure of the color filter forming materials of three colors, red, green, and blue while color filters in the pixel opening sections have a color filter forming material for only one of said three colors.

4. A liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 3 wherein said first projecting sections include said active elements as part of their structure.

5. A liquid crystal display ,device as set forth in claim 4 wherein said first and second projecting sections are approximately the same height.

6. A liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first and second projecting sections are positioned opposed to each other through both orientation films.

7. A liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 6 wherein a display electrode layer is provided between the top of said second projecting sections and said orientation film.

8. A liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 1 wherein the height from the surface of the color filters formed so as to correspond to said pixel opening sections in said color filter panel to the top of said second projecting sections is limited to 3.8 μ

m or less.

9. A liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said first and second projecting sections are approximately the same height.

10. A liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 9 wherein, in said array panel, the height from the surface of said pixel opening sections to the top of said first projecting sections is limited to 3.8 μ

m or less.

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

determining the height of first projecting sections to be formed on an array panel and the height of second projecting sections to be formed on a color filter panel so that sum of the heights of said first and second projecting sections corresponds to a cell gap;

on said array panel, forming active elements;

forming a black matrix above the active elements so that said black matrix defines pixel opening sections that are open to light and regions other than said pixel opening sections that are blocked from light, and wherein said black matrix and said active elements form a plurality of first projecting sections;

on said color filter panel, forming color filters in positions corresponding to said pixel opening sections, and forming a plurality of second projecting sections of greater thickness than said color filter in areas facing said first projecting sections over said active elements;

forming a first orientation film on said array panel and a second orientation film on said color filter panel;

placing said array panel on said color filter panel so that said first and second projecting sections abut against one another to form spacers that maintain pixel opening spacing, and sealing the peripheries of said panels; and

injecting liquid crystal between said array panel and said color filter panel.

12. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 11 wherein said second projecting sections are formed as a portion of said color filters.