LCD with gate and data lines formed of copper and an aluminum under-layer
View Patent ↗A method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device is provided. An aluminum alloy layer and a copper metal layer are sequentially formed on a substrate. A photoresist pattern is formed on the copper metal layer and the copper metal layer and the underlying aluminum alloy layer are etched to form a gate line. A gate insulating layer, an amorphous silicon layer and an impurity-doped amorphous silicon layer are deposited and then etched to form a semiconductor layer. An aluminum alloy layer and a copper metal layer are sequentially formed and etched on the structure to form a data line, a source electrode and a drain electrode. A passivation layer is formed and a contact hole and a pad opening are formed in the passivation layer. A transparent conductive thin film is deposited on this structure.
1. A method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device, the method comprising:
sequentially forming a first aluminum alloy layer and a first copper metal layer on a substrate;
forming a photoresist pattern on the first copper metal layer and etching the first copper metal layer and the underlying first aluminum alloy layer to form a gate line;
depositing and etching a gate insulating layer, an amorphous silicon layer and an impurity-doped amorphous silicon layer to form a semiconductor layer;
sequentially forming and etching a second aluminum alloy layer and a second copper metal layer on the substrate to form a data line, a source electrode and a drain electrode;
forming a passivation layer on the substrate including the data line, the source electrode and the drain electrode, and forming a contact hole and a pad opening in the passivation layer; and
depositing a transparent conductive thin film on the substrate including the passivation layer having the contact hole and the pad opening.
2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of the first and second aluminum alloy layer is formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy containing aluminum and a conductive metal element.
3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of: a) the first aluminum alloy layer and the first copper metal layer or b) the second aluminum alloy layer and the second copper metal layer, are deposited in the same chamber in a continuous deposition.
4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of: a) the first aluminum alloy layer and the first copper metal layer or b) the second aluminum alloy layer and the second copper metal layer, are deposited by a non-continuous deposition that includes depositing the first or second aluminum alloy layer, exposing the deposited first or second aluminum alloy layer to air, and depositing the first or second copper metal layer.
5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein one or more of: the first copper metal layer is thicker than the first aluminum alloy layer or the second copper metal layer is thicker than the second aluminum alloy layer.
6. The method according to claim 5 , further comprising limiting the thickness of one or more of the first or second aluminum alloy layers to be no thicker than about 200 Å.
7. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising permitting an Al 2 O 3 layer of at most about a few Å to be formed between one or more of the first or second aluminum alloy layers and the corresponding first or second copper metal layer.
8. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising permitting a CuAl layer of at most about a few tens of Å to be formed between one or more of the first or second aluminum alloy layers and the corresponding first or second copper metal layer.
9. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising forming the passivation layer adjacent to the second copper layer.
10. The method according to claim 1 , further comprising limiting the number of metal layers such that one or more of: a) the first aluminum alloy layer and the first copper metal layer are the only metal layers to form the gate line or b) the second aluminum alloy layer and the second copper metal layer are the only metal layers to form the data line and source and drain electrodes.
11. A wiring structure of an LCD comprising:
a gate line formed of a first layered structure containing a first aluminum alloy layer and a first copper metal layer;
a data line formed of a second layered structure containing a second aluminum alloy layer and a second copper metal layer; and
a thin film transistor having a gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrode,
wherein the gate electrode, the source electrode, and the drain electrode are each formed of a third layered structure containing a third aluminum alloy layer and a third copper metal layer.
12. The wiring structure according to claim 11 , wherein one or more of the first, second, and third aluminum alloy layers is formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy containing aluminum and a conductive metal element.
13. The wiring structure according to claim 11 , wherein one or more of: the first copper metal layer is thicker than the first aluminum alloy layer, the second copper metal layer is thicker than the second aluminum alloy layer, or the third copper metal layer is thicker than the third aluminum alloy layer.
14. The wiring structure according to claim 13 , wherein the thickness of one or more of the first, second, and third aluminum alloy layers is no thicker than about 200 Å.
15. The wiring structure according to claim 11 , wherein an Al2O3 layer of at most about a few Å is formed between one or more of the first, second, and third aluminum alloy layers and the corresponding first, second, and third copper metal layer.
16. The wiring structure according to claim 11 , wherein a CuAl layer of at most about a few tens of Å is formed between one or more of the first, second, and third aluminum alloy layers and the corresponding first, second, and third copper metal layer.
17. The wiring structure according to claim 11 , wherein one or more of: a) the first aluminum alloy layer and the first copper metal layer are the only metal layers to form the gate line, b) the second aluminum alloy layer and the second copper metal layer are the only metal layers to form the data line, or c) the third aluminum alloy layer and the third copper metal layer are the only metal layers to form the gate, source and drain electrodes.
18. A liquid crystal display device, which is fabricated by a method comprising:
sequentially forming a first aluminum alloy layer and a first copper metal layer on a substrate;
forming a photoresist pattern on the first copper metal layer and etching the first copper metal layer and the underlying first aluminum alloy layer to form a gate line;
depositing and etching a gate insulating layer, an amorphous silicon layer and an impurity-doped amorphous silicon layer to form a semiconductor layer;
sequentially forming and etching a second aluminum alloy layer and a second copper metal layer to form a data line, a source electrode and a drain electrode;
forming a passivation layer on the substrate including the data line, the source electrode and the drain electrode, and forming a contact hole and a pad opening in the passivation layer; and
depositing a transparent conductive thin film on the substrate including the passivation layer having the contact hole and the pad opening.
19. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 18 , wherein one or more of the first and second aluminum alloy layers is formed of aluminum or an aluminum alloy containing aluminum and a conductive metal element.
20. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 18 , wherein one or more of: a) the first aluminum alloy layer and the first copper metal layer or b) the second aluminum alloy layer and the second copper metal layer, are deposited in the same chamber by a continuous deposition.
21. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 18 , wherein one or more of: a) the first aluminum alloy layer and the first copper metal layer or b) the second aluminum alloy layer and the second copper metal layer, are deposited by a non-continuous deposition including depositing the first or second aluminum alloy layer, exposing the deposited first or second aluminum alloy layer to air, and depositing the first or second copper metal layer.
22. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 18 , wherein one or more of: the first copper metal layer is thicker than the first aluminum alloy layer or the second copper metal layer is thicker than the second aluminum alloy layer.
23. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 22 , wherein the thickness of one or more of the first and second aluminum alloy layers is no thicker than about 200 Å.
24. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 18 , wherein an Al 2 O 3 layer of at most about a few Å is formed between one or more of the first and second aluminum alloy layers and the corresponding first and second copper metal layer.
25. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 18 , wherein a CuAl layer of at most about a few tens of Å is formed between one or more of the first and second aluminum alloy layers and the corresponding first and second copper metal layer.
26. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 18 , wherein one or more of: a) the first aluminum alloy layer and the first copper metal layer are the only metal layers to form the gate line or b) the second aluminum alloy layer and the second copper metal layer are the only metal layers to form the data line and the source and drain electrodes.