Liquid crystal display device with electrodes on barrier ribs and fabricating method thereof

• US 6,762,819 B2
• Filed: 12/28/2000
• Issued: 07/13/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Philips LCD Company Limited (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Seung Chul
• Primary Examiner(s): NGO, HUYEN LE
• Application Number:
  US09/748,870
• Publication Number:
  US 20010006409A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 349/143, 349/156, 349/123, 349/73, 349/181, 345/87, 345/63, 313/582
• US Class Current: 349/156
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133377 Cells with plural compartments or having plurality of liquid crystal microcells partitioned by walls, e.g. one microcell per pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134363 for applying an electric field parallel to the substrate, i.e. in-plane switching [IPS]

Abstract

A liquid crystal display (LCD) device has electrodes on barrier ribs that are adaptive for widening a viewing angle and improving an aperture ratio of the LCD device. In the device, barrier ribs are formed from an insulating material at the boundary portion of the pixel cells. First and second electrodes are provided at opposite surfaces of the barrier ribs to apply an electric field to the liquid crystal. Accordingly, the viewing angle can be widened and the electrode area can be minimized, thereby improving the aperture ratio and the light transmissivity.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display (LCD) device comprising:

first and second substrates having liquid crystal material therebetween;

first and second electrodes, the first and second electrodes defining pixel cells and being formed vertically between the first and second substrates; and

a barrier member formed as a lattice to surround each of the pixel cells.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the barrier member extends vertically between the first and second substrates.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first substrate has a black matrix formed thereon, and wherein the barrier member extends from the second substrate to the black matrix.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the barrier member includes an insulating material.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the pixel cells include a red pixel cell, a green pixel cell, and a blue pixel cell.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein a height of the first electrode is equal to a thickness of the first electrode.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein a height of the first electrode is greater than a thickness of the first electrode.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are provided at opposite surfaces of the barrier member.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are formed at vertical surfaces of the barrier member.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes have a same shape adjacent to each other in a row direction.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein an orientation of the first and second electrodes in pixel cells adjacent to each other in a column direction is alternately inverted.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes are formed at left and right surfaces of the barrier member, respectively.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second electrodes have different polarities from each other.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein each pixel cell comprises a switching device connected to one of the first and second electrodes for switching a video data signal.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein the switching device is a thin film transistor (TFT).

16. A method of fabricating a liquid crystal display (LCD) device comprising:

providing first and second substrates;

forming first and second electrodes, the first and second electrodes defining pixel cells and being formed vertically between the first and second substrates; and

forming a barrier member formed as an undivided lattice to surround each of the pixel cells.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the barrier member extends vertically between the first and second substrates.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising forming a black matrix on the first substrate, and wherein the barrier member extends from the second substrate to the black matrix.

19. The method of claim 16, wherein the barrier member includes an insulating material.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the pixel cells include a red pixel cell, a green pixel cell, and a blue pixel cell.

21. The method of claim 16, wherein a height of the first electrode is equal to a thickness of the first electrode.

22. The method of claim 16, wherein a height of the first electrode is greater than a thickness of the first electrode.

23. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second electrodes are provided at opposite surfaces of the barrier member.

24. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second electrodes are formed at vertical surfaces of the barrier member.

25. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second electrodes have a same shape adjacent to each other in a row direction.

26. The device of claim 16, wherein an orientation of the first and second electrodes in pixel cells adjacent to each other in a column direction is alternately inverted.

27. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second electrodes are formed at left and right surfaces of the barrier member.

28. The method of claim 16, wherein the first and second electrodes have different polarities from each other.

29. The method of claim 16, further comprising providing within each pixel cell a switching device connected to one of the first and second electrodes for switching a video data signal.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the switching device is a thin film transistor.