Liquid crystal display device and method of manufacturing the same

• US 6,529,251 B2
• Filed: 02/17/2000
• Issued: 03/04/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/23/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hibino, Yoshitaka, Tarui, Tetsuya, Hirobe, Toshihiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Chowdhury, Tarifur R.
• Application Number:
  US09/505,858
• Publication Number:
  US 20020126243A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,111 Days
• Field of Search: 349/42, 349/43, 349/46, 349/47, 349/138, 349/122, 257/59, 257/72, 257/764
• US Class Current: 349/42
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136227 Through-hole connection of the pixel electrode to the active element through an insulation layer
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 29/4908 for thin film semiconductor, e.g. gate of TFT

Abstract

A liquid crystal display device includes: a source electrode (gate electrode) having an Al or Al alloy layer; a pixel electrode provided above the source electrode (gate electrode); and interlayer insulator films interposed between the source electrode (gate electrode) and the pixel electrode by depositing a TFT protection film as an inorganic insulator film and an organic insulator film in this sequence when viewed from the source electrode, so as to cover the source electrode (gate electrode).

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:

a first electrode including an Al or Al alloy layer;

a pixel electrode provided above the first electrode, and

at least two interlayer insulator layers interposed between the first electrode and the pixel electrode so as to cover the first electrode,

wherein the two interlayer insulator layers include a first interlayer insulator layer comprising an inorganic insulator film and a second interlayer insulator layer comprising an organic insulator film, the first and second interlayer insulator layers being provided in this sequence with no other layer at any point therebetween when viewed from the first electrode, so that the second interlayer insulator layer is formed directly on the first interlayer insulator layer,

wherein the first electrode serves as a source electrode,

a gate electrode including an Al or Al alloy layer provided below the source electrode,

the source electrode including at least a first source electrode layer comprising at least one of TiN, Ta, Ti, Cr, Mo, and MoN, and a second source electrode layer comprising said Al or Al alloy layer of said first electrode, the first and second source electrode layers being provided in sequence, and

wherein the first source electrode layer and the pixel electrode are provided so as to cover a terminal section of the gate electrode that serves as a connecting terminal outside of a pixel area of the display device.

2. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first interlayer insulator layer comprising an inorganic insulator film is provided directly on the first electrode.

3. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the inorganic insulator film of the first interlayer insulator layer is a TFT protection film provided on the source electrode.

4. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 3, wherein

the gate electrode has a three-layered structure including a Ti film, an Al film, and a TiN film.

5. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the TFT protection film comprises SiN_x or SiO₂.

6. The liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the organic insulator film comprises an acrylic resin.

7. The liquid crystal display device of claim 1, wherein a contact hole is formed in a gate insulator over the gate electrode in the terminal section outside the pixel area of the display device, and wherein the first source electrode layer contacts the gate electrode in the terminal section through the contact hole formed in the gate insulator.

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

providing a first electrode including an Al or Al alloy layer;

depositing at least a first layer comprising an inorganic insulator film and a second layer comprising an organic insulator film above the first electrode so as to provide at least two interlayer insulator layers that at least partially cover the first electrode, the first and second layers being provided in this sequence when viewed from the first electrode, and the second layer being formed directly on the first layer so that no other layer is provided at any point between the first and second layers;

providing a pixel electrode above the first and second interlayer insulator layers;

wherein the first electrode serves as a source electrode,

a gate electrode including an Al or Al alloy layer provided below the source electrode,

the source electrode including at least a first source electrode layer comprising at least one of TiN, Ta, Ti, Cr, Mo, and MoN, and a second source electrode layer comprising said Al or Al alloy layer of said first electrode, the first and second source electrode layers being provided in sequence, and

wherein the first electrode layer and the pixel electrode are provided so as to cover a terminal section of the gate electrode that serves as a connecting terminal outside of a display area of the display device.

9. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the first layer comprising an inorganic insulator film is provided directly on the first electrode.

10. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device as set forth in claim 9, wherein the inorganic insulator film of the first layer is a TFT protection film provided on the source electrode.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein a contact hole is formed in a gate insulator over the gate electrode in the terminal section outside the display area of the display device, and wherein the first source electrode layer contacts the gate electrode in the terminal section through the contact hole formed in the gate insulator.

12. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:

a first electrode including an Al or Al alloy layer;

a pixel electrode provided above the first electrode, and

at least two interlayer insulator layers interposed between the first electrode and the pixel electrode so as to cover the first electrode,

wherein the two interlayer insulator layers include a first interlayer insulator layer comprising an inorganic insulator film and a second interlayer insulator layer comprising an organic insulator film, the first and second interlayer insulator layers being provided in this sequence with no other layer at any point therebetween when viewed from the first electrode, so that the second interlayer insulator layer is formed directly on the first interlayer insulator layer,

wherein the first electrode serves as a source electrode,

a gate electrode including an Al or Al alloy layer provided below the source electrode,

the source electrode including at least a first source electrode layer comprising at least one of TiN, Ta, Ti, Cr, Mo, and MoN, and a second source electrode layer comprising said Al or Al alloy layer of said first electrode, the first and second source electrode layers being provided in sequence,

wherein the first source electrode layer and the pixel electrode are provided so as to at least partially cover a terminal section of the gate electrode that serves as a connecting terminal, and

wherein in a contact hole in at least one of the interlayer insulators where the source electrode is connected to the pixel electrode, the first source electrode layer, which is exposed because of removal of the second source electrode layer, is connected to the pixel electrode.

13. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:

at least two interlayer insulator layers interposed between a source electrode portion and a pixel electrode,

wherein the two interlayer insulator layers include a first interlayer insulator layer comprising an inorganic insulator film and a second interlayer insulator layer comprising an organic insulator film, the first and second interlayer insulator layers being provided in this sequence with no other layer at any point therebetween when viewed from the first electrode, so that the second interlayer insulator layer is formed directly on the first interlayer insulator layer,

a gate electrode at least partially covered by a gate insulator,

the source electrode including at least a first source electrode layer and a second source electrode layer of different materials;

wherein a contact hole is defined in the gate insulator over at least a portion of the gate electrode; and

wherein the first source electrode layer and the pixel electrode are provided so as to at least partially extend into the contact hole defined in the gate insulator over the portion of the gate electrode so that at least the first source electrode layer contacts an exposed part of the gate electrode through the contact hole.

14. The display device of claim 13, wherein the contact hole in the gate insulator is provided in a terminal section of the display outside of a display area.

15. A liquid crystal display device, comprising:

at least two interlayer insulator layers interposed between a source electrode portion and a pixel electrode,

wherein the two interlayer insulator layers include a first interlayer insulator layer comprising an inorganic insulator film and a second interlayer insulator layer comprising an organic insulator film, the first and second interlayer insulator layers being provided in this sequence with no other layer at any point therebetween when viewed from the first electrode, so that the second interlayer insulator layer is formed directly on the first interlayer insulator layer,

a gate electrode at least partially covered by a gate insulator,

the source electrode including at least a first source electrode layer and a second source electrode layer of different materials; and

wherein in a contact hole in at least one of the interlayer insulators where the source electrode is connected to the pixel electrode, the first source electrode layer, which is exposed because of removal of the second source electrode layer, is connected to the pixel electrode.