Method of manufacturing display panel for flexible display device

• US 7,572,658 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2006
• Issued: 08/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/23/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Sung-Jin
• Primary Examiner(s): FOURSON III, GEORGE R
• Application Number:
  US11/526,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20070072323A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,055 Days
• Field of Search: 438/34, 438/35, 204/192.14, 204/192.17, 204/192.22, 257/E21.169
• US Class Current: 438/34
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133305 Flexible substrates, e.g. plastics, organic film
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136295 Materials; Compositions; Manufacture processes
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1214 comprising a plurality of TFTs formed on a non-semiconducting substrate, e.g. driving circuits for AMLCDs
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1259 Multistep manufacturing methods
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1262 with a particular formation, treatment or coating of the substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/1288 employing particular masking sequences or specially adapted masks, e.g. half-tone mask
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/78603 characterised by the insulating substrate or support H01L29/78657 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2102/311 Flexible OLED

Abstract

A liquid crystal display panel manufacturing method includes forming at least one thin film on a flexible plastic substrate by sputtering at a temperature of about 80° C. to about 150° C. Sputtering can be in a chamber evacuated to about 1×10⁻⁶ Torr to about 9×10⁻⁶ Torr. Sputtering targets and films sputtered on substrates include materials that are conductive or insulating, organic or inorganic, metal or metal alloy, reflective metal or transparent conductive, or combinations thereof. Thin film and pattern formation employ photolithography with laminated or liquid films. Films may be sputtered on opposing sides of a substrate and may be multilayered.

Claims

1. A method of manufacturing a display panel for a liquid crystal display, comprising:

mounting a flexible substrate in a sputtering chamber;

forming a gate line on the flexible substrate;

depositing a gate insulating layer on the flexible substrate;

forming a semiconductor layer on the gate insulating layer;

forming a data line and a drain electrode on the semiconductor layer;

forming a passivation layer on the data line and the drain electrode; and

forming a pixel electrode that is electrically connected to the drain electrode, wherein at least one of the depositing of the gate insulating layer, the forming of the semiconductor layer, and the forming of the passivation layer comprises sputtering a target at a temperature of between about 80°

C. to about 150°

C. and wherein the sputtering target is disposed on opposing sides of the flexible substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the forming of the gate line, the forming of the semiconductor layer, the forming of the data line and the drain electrode, and the forming of the pixel electrode comprises:

depositing a thin film;

laminating a photosensitive film by pressure on the thin film; and

patterning the thin film with a photolithography process.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the sputtering is performed in the sputtering chamber evacuated to between about 1×

10<sup>−

6</sup> Torr to about 9×

10<sup>−

6</sup> Torr of vacuum.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising simultaneously forming protection layers on opposing surfaces of the flexible substrate by sputtering two targets disposed opposite each other with respect to the flexible substrate.

5. A method of manufacturing a display panel for a liquid crystal display, comprising:

preparing a flexible substrate;

forming a gate line on the flexible substrate;

depositing a gate insulating layer on the flexible substrate;

forming a semiconductor layer on the gate insulating layer;

forming a data line and a drain electrode on the semiconductor layer;

forming a passivation layer on the data line and the drain electrode; and

forming a pixel electrode that is electrically connected to the drain electrode;

wherein each of the forming of the gate line, the depositing of the gate insulating layer, the forming of the semiconductor layer, the forming of the drain electrode and the data line including a source electrode, the forming of the passivation layer, and the forming of the pixel electrode comprises sputtering at a temperature of between about 80°

C. to about 150°

C., and wherein a sputtering target is disposed on opposing sides of the flexible substrate.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the preparing a flexible substrate includes:

mounting the flexible substrate in a sputtering chamber; and

depositing a protection layer on opposing surfaces of the substrate with a selected sputtering process, wherein the protection layer is simultaneously sputtered from two targets that are disposed on opposing sides of the substrate.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the sputtering is performed in the sputtering chamber evacuated to between about 1×

10<sup>−

6</sup> Torr to about 9×

10<sup>−

6</sup> Torr of vacuum.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the sputtering is performed in the sputtering chamber evacuated to between about 1×

10<sup>−

6</sup> Torr to about 9×

10<sup>−

6</sup> Torr of vacuum.

9. The method of claim 5, wherein at least one of the forming of a gate line, the forming of a semiconductor layer, the forming of a drain electrode and a data line including a source electrode, and the forming of a pixel electrode comprises laminating a photosensitive film on a target layer that is deposited with a selected sputtering process and patterning the photosensitive film with photolithography.

14. The method of claim 5, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises amorphous silicon or polysilicon.

10. A method of manufacturing a display panel for a liquid crystal display, comprising:

preparing a flexible substrate;

forming a gate line comprising a gate electrode on the flexible substrate;

depositing a gate insulating layer on the gate line and the flexible substrate;

depositing a semiconductor layer and an ohmic contact layer on the gate insulating layer;

depositing a conductive layer on the ohmic contact layer;

forming a photosensitive film pattern including first and second portions having different thicknesses on the conductive layer;

etching the conductive layer, the ohmic contact layer, and the semiconductor layer using the first and second portions of the photosensitive film pattern as an etching mask;

ashing the photosensitive film pattern to remove the second portion of the photosensitive film pattern and to expose a portion of the conductive layer corresponding to the second portion of the photosensitive film pattern;

etching the exposed portion of the conductive layer and a portion of the ohmic contact layer disposed under the exposed portion of the conductive layer using the remaining first portion of the photosensitive film pattern as an etching mask; and

forming a pixel electrode on the conductive layer,

wherein each of the forming of the gate line, the depositing of the gate insulating layer, the depositing of the semiconductor layer and the ohmic contact layer, the depositing of the conductive layer, and the forming of a pixel electrode comprises sputtering at a temperature of between about 80°

C. to about 150°

C.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the preparing of a flexible substrate includes:

mounting the flexible substrate in a sputtering chamber; and

depositing a protection layer on opposing surfaces of the flexible substrate with a selected sputtering process,

wherein the protection layer is simultaneously sputtered from two targets that are disposed on opposing sides of the flexible substrate.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the sputtering is performed in the sputtering chamber evacuated to between about 1×

10<sup>−

6</sup> Torr to about 9×

10<sup>−

6</sup> Torr of vacuum.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the sputtering is performed in the sputtering chamber evacuated to between about 1×

10<sup>−

6</sup> Torr to about 9×

10<sup>−

6</sup> Torr of vacuum.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein forming a photoresist film pattern on the conductive layer comprises forming a photosensitive film over the conductive layer, the photosensitive film comprising a first part having a first thickness and a second part having a second thickness, and further wherein the first part of the photosensitive film is disposed over a wiring region and the second part of the photosensitive film is disposed over a channel region and the second thickness is smaller than the first thickness.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the semiconductor layer comprises amorphous silicon or polysilicon.