Flexible display device and fabricating method thereof

1. A method of fabricating a flexible display device comprising:

forming an insulating protective layer at one side of a glass substrate; forming a display device including a thin film transistor array and a pad part, which is connected to the thin film transistor array, on the insulating protective layer;

attaching a flexible substrate on the display device;

removing the glass substrate; and

exposing a pad electrode, which is included in the pad part, after removing the glass substrate.

2. The method of fabricating the flexible display device according to claim 1 , wherein a method of forming the display device includes:

forming a gate conductive pattern including a gate line, which is formed of a gate conductive layer, and a gate electrode, which is extended from the gate line, on the insulating protective layer;

forming a gate insulating mm to cover the gate conductive pattern;

forming a semiconductor pattern, which is overlapped with the gate electrode, and a source/drain conductive pattern including a source electrode and a drain electrode, which are disposed on the semiconductor pattern, and a data line, which is extended from the source electrode and crosses the gate line;

forming a protective mm to cover the semiconductor pattern and the source/drain conductive pattern;

forming a gate contact hole that passes through the protective film and the gate insulating to expose the gate line, and a data contact hole that passes through the protective film to expose the data line; and

forming a transparent oxidized conductive layer of a gate pad electrode, which is connected, via the gate contact hole, to the gate line, and a transparent oxidized conductive layer of a data pad electrode, which is connected, via the data contact hole, to the data line.

3. The method of fabricating the flexible display device according to claim 2 , includes:

forming a photo-resist pattern at an external surface of the insulating protective layer after removing the glass substrate; and

etching the insulating protective layer, the gate insulating film, and the protective film using the photo-resist pattern to form a pad hole that exposes a transparent oxidized conductive layer of the pad electrode.

4. The method of fabricating the flexible display device according to claim 2 , wherein the transparent oxidized conductive layer includes anyone among TO (Tin Oxide), ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), ITZO (Indium Tin Zinc Oxide), and IZO (Indium Zinc Oxide).

5. The method of fabricating the flexible display device according to claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the display device includes:

forming a transparent conductive pattern including a transparent oxidized conductive layer, that is, a data pad electrode, a gate pad electrode, a gate line, which is extended from the gate pad electrode, and a gate electrode, which is extended from the gate line, on the insulating protective layer, and a gate conductive pattern which is disposed on a transparent oxidized conductive layer of the gate pad electrode, the gate line, and the gate electrode;

forming a gate insulating film to cover the transparent conductive pattern and the gate conductive pattern;

forming a data contact hole that exposes a transparent oxidized conductive layer of the data pad electrode; and

forming a source/drain conductive pattern including a semiconductor pattern, which is overlapped with the gate electrode, a source electrode and a drain electrode, which are disposed on the semiconductor pattern, a data line, which is extended from the source electrode and crosses the gate line, and a source/drain metal layer of a data pad electrode which is extended from the data line to be connected, via the data contact hole, to a transparent oxidized conductive layer of the data pad electrode.

6. The method of fabricating the flexible display device according to claim 5 , includes:

forming a photo-resist pattern at an external surface of the insulating protective layer after removing the glass substrate; and

etching the insulating protective layer using the photo-resist pattern to form a pad hole that exposes a transparent oxidized conductive layer of the pad electrode.

7. The method of fabricating, the flexible display device according to claim 5 , includes:

entirely etching the insulating protective layer to expose the transparent conductive pattern after removing the glass substrate.

8. The method of fabricating the flexible display device according to claim 1 , wherein a pad electrode, which is included in the pad part, is formed in a single layer structure or in a multiple layered structure that includes a transparent oxidized conductive layer.

9. The method of fabricating the flexible display device according to claim 8 , wherein a transparent oxidized conductive layer of the pad electrode is most adjacent to the insulating protective layer in the pad part.

10. The method of fabricating the flexible display device according to claim 8 , wherein a pad electrode, which is exposed in the step of exposing a pad electrode included in the pad part, is the transparent oxidized conductive layer.

11. The method of fabricating the flexible display device according to claim 1 , wherein the step of forming the display device includes:

forming a smoothing layer that levels a surface where the display device is formed.