Display device wherein a thickness of a first insulating layer is greater than a thickness of a first conductor and wherein the first insulating layer completely covers lateral side surfaces of the first conductor

1. A display device, comprising:

a substrate;

a first conductor disposed on the substrate;

a first insulating layer disposed on the first conductor;

a second insulating layer disposed on the first insulating layer;

a semiconductor disposed on the second insulating layer; and

a second conductor disposed on the semiconductor,

wherein a thickness of the first insulating layer is greater than a thickness of the first conductor,

wherein the first conductor, the second insulating layer, the semiconductor, and the second conductor form a thin film transistor,

wherein the first insulating layer comprises a first opening exposing a top surface of the first conductor, the top surface of the first conductor being substantially parallel to a surface of the substrate, the first opening facing a channel region of the thin film transistor, and

wherein the second insulating layer and the semiconductor are disposed, at least in part, in the first opening, and the second insulating layer directly contacts the top surface of the first conductor in the first opening,

wherein the first insulating layer completely covers lateral side surfaces of the first conductor,

wherein a first portion of the first insulating layer disposed directly on the first conductor has a first thickness, a second portion of the first insulating layer not disposed directly on the first conductor has a second thickness, and the second thickness is greater than the first thickness.

2. The display device of claim 1 , wherein a thickness of the first conductor is in a range of 0.5 μm to 7 μm, and a thickness of the first insulating layer is greater than 0.5 μm and less than or equal to 8 μm.

3. The display device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first conductor and the second conductor comprises aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), or copper (Cu).

4. The display device of claim 1 , wherein a dielectric constant of the first insulating layer is less than 3.5.

5. The display device of claim 4 , wherein the first insulating layer comprises either an inorganic insulator or an organic insulator.

6. The display device of claim 5 , wherein the inorganic insulator comprises fluorine-doped silicon oxide (SiO 2 F), carbon-doped silicon oxide (SiO 2 C), hydrogen-doped silicon oxide (SiO 2 H), porous silicon oxide (porous SiO 2 ), porous carbon silicon oxide (porous SiO 2 C), or highly porous oxides.

7. The display device of claim 5 , wherein the organic insulator comprises hydrogen silsesquioxane (HSQ), methylsilsesquioxane, polyimide, polynorbornenes, benzocyclobutene, aromatic polymers, vapor-deposited parylene, parylene-F, fluorine-doped amorphous carbon, or Teflon® PTFE.

8. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first insulating layer comprises a flat surface.

9. The display device of claim 1 , wherein a first inclination angle is less than a second inclination angle, the first inclination angle is an angle formed by a portion of a side surface of the first opening that is disposed under the second conductor with respect to a surface of the substrate, and the second inclination angle is an angle formed by a portion of the side surface of the first opening that is not disposed under the second conductor with respect to the surface of the substrate.

10. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first conductor comprises a plurality of gate lines, each gate line comprising one or more gate electrodes and an end portion, and wherein the first conductor further comprises a plurality of storage electrode lines,

wherein the first opening comprises a second opening exposing at least a portion of the gate electrode, and

wherein the first insulating layer further comprises:

a third opening exposing at least a portion of the end portion of the gate line, and

a fourth opening exposing a portion of the storage electrode line.

11. The display device of claim 10 , wherein a single third opening exposes the end portions of all of the gate lines.

12. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first insulating layer is configured to planarize the substrate comprising the first conductor.

13. The display device of claim 1 , wherein the first insulating layer and the first conductor are both disposed directly on the substrate.