IP Library Granted Patent US 7,369,208
Granted Patent B2
US 7,369,208 · App. 11/151,353 · Granted May 6, 2008

Liquid crystal display device

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,369,208
App. No.
11/151,353
Granted
May 6, 2008
Kind
B2
Abstract

First and second columnar spacers are formed on a color filter substrate, and step films are formed on an active matrix substrate in the same step as signal lines. The columnar spacers are formed by proximity exposure, and the step films are formed by being exposed by a lens projection system. In plan view, the step films are disposed inside the columnar spacers. The first columnar spacers are made to be in contact with the regions of the protective film that are higher in elevation with the step films in the active matrix substrate.

Claims (18)

1. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a color filter substrate, said color filter substrate comprising:

a first substrate; and

spacers formed on said first substrate;

an active matrix substrate which is opposed to a surface of said color filter substrate on which said spacers are formed, said active matrix substrate comprising:

a second substrate;

a pixel circuit which is formed on a surface of said second substrate that is opposed to said color filter substrate; and

films which are formed locally in at least some of the regions on said second substrate that are opposed to said spacers, and which make steps at the surface of said active matrix substrate, said steps being in contact with said spacers, and the contact region between said step and said spacer being disposed inside the periphery of the contact surface of said spacer; and

a liquid crystal layer which is disposed between said color filter substrate and said active matrix substrate.

2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein said pixel circuit comprises:

a scan line;

a signal line; and

a thin film transistor connected with said scan line and said signal line, and

said films formed locally are made of same material as said signal line and are formed on a same layer as said signal line.

3. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 2 , wherein said films formed locally are formed in a same step as said signal line.

4. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein said spacers are made by forming a first film on the surface of said first substrate, exposing said first film by a proximity system, and developing said first film for patterning, and said films formed locally are made by forming a second film on the surface of said second substrate, forming a resist on said second film, exposing said resist by a lens projection system or a mirror projection system, developing said resist for patterning, and etching said second film using said patterned resist as a mask.

5. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein said films formed locally are exclusively formed in some of the regions on said second substrate that are opposed to said spacers.

6. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 , wherein said color filter substrate has black matrixes and color filters which are formed on said first substrate, said spacers are formed in regions where said black matrix and said color filter are overlapped with each other, and said films formed locally are formed on said scan line.

Assignments (4)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 18, 2023
From: GOLD CHARM LIMITED
To: HANNSTAR DISPLAY CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 063351/0517 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 14, 2013
From: NEC CORPORATION
To: GOLD CHARM LIMITED
Reel/Frame 029991/0540 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 7, 2010
From: NEC LCD TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
To: NEC CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 024492/0176 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 14, 2005
From: INOUE, DAISUKE; ITO, HIDEKI; TANAKA, HIROMITSU; KAMINO, TAKASHI
To: NEC LCD TECHNOLOGIES, LTD.
Reel/Frame 016688/0836 →