Liquid crystal display device having patterned spacers and method of fabricating the same

• US 7,038,747 B2
• Filed: 11/13/2003
• Issued: 05/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 12/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Philips LCD Company Limited (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Jung-Jae, Kim, Sam-Yeoul
• Primary Examiner(s): Ton, Toan
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HOAN C
• Application Number:
  US10/706,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20040109109A1
• Time in Patent Office: 901 Days
• Field of Search: 349/106, 349/138, 349/187, 349/155, 349/156, 349/157, 345/88
• US Class Current: 349/106
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133516 Methods for their manufacture, e.g. printing, electro-deposition or photolithography
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133519 Overcoatings
• 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 2201/48 Flattening arrangements

Abstract

A color filter substrate for a liquid crystal display device includes a substrate, a black matrix having a plurality of open portions on the substrate, a color filter layer on the black matrix, and a dielectric layer including first and second layers on the color filter layer, wherein the first layer has a uniform thickness and the second layer has a convex pattern, and the first and second layers include the same material.

Claims

1. A method of fabricating a color filter substrate for a liquid crystal display device, comprising:

forming a black matrix having a plurality of open portions on a substrate;

forming a color filter layer on the black matrix;

forming an overcoat layer on the color filter layer;

forming a positive-type photoresist layer on the overcoat layer;

forming a photoresist pattern corresponding to the black matrix using photolithographic processes of the photoresist layer; and

etching the photoresist pattern and the overcoat layer to form a dielectric layer.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the photoresist and the overcoat layer are etched using a dry etching method.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the overcoat layer includes an acrylic material.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dielectric layer includes a first layer having a uniform thickness and a second layer having a convex pattern corresponding to the black matrix.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the first layer planarizes the color filter layer and the second layer maintains a cell gap of the liquid crystal display device.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein forming the photoresist pattern comprises:

disposing a photo mask having a transmissive portion and a shielding portion over the photoresist layer, the transmissive portion and the shielding portion corresponding to the plurality of open portions and the black matrix;

exposing the photoresist layer using the photo mask; and

developing the photoresist layer.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the photoresist pattern and the overcoat layer have substantially the same etching rate.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein a thickness of the photoresist pattern is substantially the same as a thickness of the second layer of the dielectric layer.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein the photoresist pattern is transcribed onto the overcoat layer.

10. A method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device, comprising:

forming a thin film transistor, a common electrode, and a pixel electrode on a first substrate having a plurality of sub-pixel regions;

forming a black matrix having a plurality of open portions corresponding to the sub-pixel region on a second substrate;

forming a color filter layer on the black matrix;

forming an overcoat layer on the color filter layer;

forming a photoresist layer on the overcoat layer;

forming a photoresist pattern corresponding to the black matrix using the photoresist layer;

etching the photoresist pattern and the overcoat layer to form a dielectric layer;

attaching the first and second substrates; and

forming a liquid crystal layer between the first and second substrates.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the dielectric layer includes a first layer having a uniform thickness and a second layer having a convex pattern corresponding to the black matrix.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the first layer planarizes the color filter layer and the second layer maintains a cell gap of the liquid crystal display device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein a thickness of the second layer is substantially the same as a thickness of the liquid crystal layer.