Liquid crystal display having sensor and spacer arrangement and and method of manufacturing the same

• US 8,134,652 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2008
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2008
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Rho, Soo-Guy, Lee, Seong-Jun, Park, Chul-Hwan, Uh, Kee-Han
• Primary Examiner(s): CALEY, MICHAEL H
• Application Number:
  US12/173,398
• Publication Number:
  US 20090180043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,337 Days
• Field of Search: 349/12, 349/155, 349/157, 345/104, 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 349/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13396 Spacers having different sizes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A liquid crystal display (“LCD”) includes: a first substrate; a sensor pad disposed on the first substrate; a second substrate which faces the first substrate; a sensor spacer and a supporting spacer disposed on the second substrate; and a supporting dielectric portion disposed between the supporting spacer and the first substrate. The sensor spacer is spaced apart from the sensor pad, and includes a sensor electrode disposed on a portion of the sensor spacer which faces the sensor pad. The supporting spacer is spaced apart from the first substrate, and the supporting dielectric portion uniformly maintains a cell gap between the first substrate and the second substrate.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a first substrate;

a sensor pad disposed on the first substrate;

a second substrate which faces the first substrate;

a sensor spacer disposed on the second substrate, wherein the sensor spacer is spaced apart from the sensor pad of the first substrate, and comprises a sensor electrode disposed on a portion of the sensor spacer which faces the sensor pad of the first substrate;

a supporting spacer disposed on the second substrate and spaced apart from the first substrate;

a supporting dielectric portion disposed between the supporting spacer and the first substrate, the supporting dielectric portion having a cross sectional area substantially similar to that of the supporting spacer in a plan view and which uniformly maintains a cell gap between the first substrate and the second substrate; and

a liquid crystal layer which is interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

2. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the supporting spacer is spaced apart from the first substrate and a distance between the supporting spacer and the first substrate is approximately equal to a distance between the sensor spacer and the sensor pad.

3. The liquid crystal display of claim 2, further comprising a supporting portion disposed between the supporting dielectric portion and the first substrate, wherein a height of the supporting portion above the first substrate is approximately equal to a height of the sensor pad above the first substrate.

4. The liquid crystal display of claim 2, wherein the supporting spacer and the sensor spacer are simultaneously formed.

5. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, further comprising a black matrix disposed on the second substrate, wherein the supporting spacer is disposed over at least a portion of the black matrix.

6. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the supporting dielectric portion covers an upper portion of the supporting spacer.

7. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, further comprising a color filter disposed on the first substrate.

8. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary spacer disposed on the second substrate and spaced apart from the first substrate.

9. The liquid crystal display of claim 8, wherein a distance between the auxiliary spacer and the first substrate is greater than the distance between the sensor spacer and the sensor pad.

10. The liquid crystal display of claim 8, further comprising a black matrix disposed on the second substrate, wherein the auxiliary spacer overlaps at least a portion of the black matrix.

11. The liquid crystal display of claim 8, wherein the auxiliary spacer is formed in a first pixel adjacent to a second pixel, wherein the sensor spacer is formed in the second pixel.

12. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, further comprising a black matrix disposed on the second substrate, wherein the sensor spacer overlaps at least a portion of the black matrix.

13. The liquid crystal display of claim 12, further comprising a red color filter, a green color filter and a blue color filter disposed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the sensor spacer is disposed between a pair of adjacent blue color filters.

14. The liquid crystal display of claim 13, wherein one of the sensor spacer and the supporting spacer is disposed on at least one of the red color filter, the green color filter and the blue color filter.

15. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein distances of portions of a lower surface of the sensor spacer from the second substrate are not equal.

16. The liquid crystal display of claim 15, further comprising a supporting protrusion disposed on a side of the sensor spacer, wherein

the supporting protrusion protrudes from the side of the sensor spacer toward the first substrate and is spaced apart from the first substrate, and

a distance between the supporting protrusion and the first substrate is substantially equal to the distance between the sensor spacer and the sensor pad.

17. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the sensor pad comprises a first sensor pad and a second sensor pad which are spaced apart from the first sensor pad, wherein a sensor electrode on the sensor spacer is configured to electrically connect the first sensor pad and a second sensor pad.

18. The liquid crystal display of claim 17, wherein a height of the first sensor pad is not equal to a height of the second sensor pad.

19. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the sensor pad is formed of one of indium tin oxide and indium zinc oxide.

20. The liquid crystal display of claim 1, wherein the sensor electrode further comprises a common electrode.

21. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display, the method comprising:

forming a black matrix on an insulating substrate;

forming a sensor spacer on the black matrix;

forming a supporting spacer on the black matrix;

forming an electrode on the sensor spacer and the supporting spacer; and

forming a supporting dielectric portion on the supporting spacer, the supporting dielectric portion having a cross sectional area substantially similar to that of the supporting spacer in a plan view.

22. The method of claim 21, wherein the forming the sensor spacer and the forming the supporting spacer are performed together.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

forming an auxiliary spacer on the insulating substrate; and

aligning a display panel to face the insulating substrate,

wherein a distance between the auxiliary spacer and the lower display panel is greater than a distance between the sensor spacer and the lower display panel.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the forming the auxiliary spacer and the forming the supporting dielectric portion are performed together.