LCD with via connections connecting the data line to a conducting line both before and beyond the sealing material

• US 6,061,105 A
• Filed: 04/16/1999
• Issued: 05/09/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/1998
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nakagawa, Yoshiki
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Eisenhut, Heidi L.
• Application Number:
  US09/293,681
• Time in Patent Office: 389 Days
• Field of Search: 349/40, 349/54, 349/192, 349/149, 349/153, 349/139
• US Class Current: 349/40
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1339 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1345 Conductors connecting electrodes to cell terminals
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136204 Arrangements to prevent high voltage or static electricity failures

Abstract

The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device that can eliminate an electrostatic discharge problem resulting from a high dielectric constant filler that is appropriate for improved shape stability of a sealing material. More particularly, the present invention is directed to sealing material 40 disposed between an array substrate 10 and an opposing substrate 12 contains a resin material and an inorganic dielectric filler. The filler consists of talc, mica or alumina having a dielectric constant higher than that of the resin material, and has plate-like or variable shape. The array substrate 10 includes gate lines 26 and data lines 24 that are separated by an insulating layer 28. The gate lines 26 or the data lines 24 that lie on the surface of the insulating layer 28 on the side of the sealing material 40 (e.g., the data lines 24) are led to the surface of the insulating layer 28 opposite the sealing material 40 through vias 62 in the insulating layer 28 and conductive lines 60, before the data lines 24 reach the location of the sealing material 40. Therefore, at the location of the sealing material 40, the data lines 24 are separated from the sealing material 40 by the insulating layer 28, and an electrostatic discharge that occurs through the sealing material 40 can be prevented.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device having electrostatic discharge prevention, said device comprising:

an array substrate including a support substrate, a plurality of display electrodes formed on said support substrate, thin-film transistors (TFTs) formed on said support substrate, each TFT having one current-conducting electrode connected to an associated display electrode, a gate line connected to a gate electrode of said TFTs, a data line connected to another current-conducting electrode of said TFTS, and an insulating layer disposed between said gate line and said data line;

an opposing substrate, having a common electrode, disposed opposite said array substrate at a predetermined distance;

a sealing material, disposed between said array substrate and said opposing substrate, surrounding a display area which includes said display electrodes and said TFTs; and

a liquid crystal material disposed in said display area,

wherein said insulating layer has a first surface on the side of said sealing material and a second surface on the side of said support substrate, and extends outward beyond the location of said sealing material, one of said gate line and said data line lying on said second surface of said insulating layer extending outward beyond said location of said sealing material for connection with a first terminal of said array substrate, and the other of said gate line and said data line lying on said first surface of said insulating layer in said display area and including a first portion extending toward said sealing material location and terminating prior thereto, and a second portion located beyond said sealing material location and extending outward therefrom for connection with a second terminal of said array substrate, said sealing material including a resin material, and a plate-like or variable-shape inorganic dielectric filler having a dielectric constant greater than that of said resin material;

said device further comprising;

an associated conducting line formed between said second surface and said support substrate from a location before said sealing material location and extending to a location beyond said sealing material location; and

first and second via connections for connecting respective said first and second portions of said other of said gate line or data line at said first surface to said associated conducting line at respective locations before and beyond said sealing material location.

2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said filler is plate-like.

3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said display electrodes are an array of pixel electrodes.

4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said first and second via connections penetrate said insulating layer at locations before and beyond said location of said sealing material.

5. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein said other of said gate line or data line at said first surface is covered with a protective layer that extends outward beyond said location of said sealing material.

6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 2, wherein said filler is selected from the group consisting of talc, alumina and mica.

7. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 2, wherein said filler is selected from the group consisting of talc and mica.

8. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of said filler is 0.2 G to 0.4 G (G is a distance between said array substrate and said opposing substrate), and the transverse dimension in the direction perpendicular to the direction of the thickness is 1 G to 4 G.

9. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 2, wherein the thickness of said filler is 1 μ

m to 2 μ

m, and said transverse dimension is 5 μ

m to 20 μ

m.

10. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 5, wherein said protective layer is a silicon nitride layer.

11. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 9, wherein the thickness of said silicon nitride layer is equal to or less than 2000 Å

.