Method of making a liquid crystal display device capable of increasing capacitance of storage capacitor

1. A method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device, comprising:

forming a gate line and a gate electrode having a double-layer structure with a transparent conductive layer and a gate pattern including a lower storage electrode having the transparent conductive layer on a substrate using a first mask;

forming a gate insulating film covering the gate pattern, and forming a semiconductor layer, a source/drain layer and a data line on the gate insulating film using a second mask; and

forming a passivation film having a pixel hole and forming a pixel electrode connected to the drain electrode and overlapping with the lower storage electrode on the gate insulating film within the pixel hole using a third mask, wherein the pixel electrode is directly formed on the gate insulating film.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first mask includes a first half-tone mask.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second mask includes a diffractive exposure mask.

4. The method as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the third mask includes a second half-tone mask.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the forming a gate line and a gate electrode includes:

forming a first conductive layer as the transparent conductive layer and a second conductive layer on the substrate;

forming first and second photo-resist patterns having a different thickness on the second conductive layer by a photolithography using the first mask;

forming the gate line, the gate electrode and the lower storage electrode by patterning the first and second conductive layers using an etching through the first and second photo-resist patterns;

removing the second conductive layer on the lower storage electrode by an etching using the first photo-resist pattern; and

removing the first photo-resist pattern.

6. The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the second conductive layer remains on the lower storage electrode using the etching.

7. The method as claimed in claim 5 , further comprising thinning the first photo-resist pattern and removing the second photo-resist pattern using an ashing after forming the gate line, the gate electrode and the lower storage electrode.

8. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the data line overlaps with the semiconductor layer.

9. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the lower storage electrode is protruded from the first conductive layer of the gate line.

10. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the forming a gate line and a gate electrode further includes forming a lower gate pad electrode connected to the gate line; and

wherein forming a passivation film further includes forming a contact hole passing through the passivation film and the gate insulating film by exposing the lower gate pad electrode and forming an upper gate pad electrode connected to the lower gate pad electrode within the contact hole.

11. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the lower gate pad electrode includes the double-layer.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10 , wherein forming a gate insulating film further includes forming the lower data pad electrode connected to the data line, and

forming a passivation film further includes forming a second contact hole passing through the passivation film and the upper data pad electrode connected to the lower data pad electrode within the second contact hole.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12 , wherein forming a passivation film includes:

forming a passivation film on the source and drain electrodes;

forming first and second photo-resist patterns having a different thickness on the passivation film by a photolithography using the second mask;

forming the first contact hole by an etching using the first and second photo-resist patterns;

forming the pixel hole and the second contact hole by the etching using the first photo-resist pattern;

forming a transparent conductive layer on the first photo-resist pattern; and

forming a transparent conductive pattern having the pixel electrode, the upper gate pad electrode and the upper data pad electrode by removing the first photo-resist pattern and the transparent conductive layer using a lift-off.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , further comprising thinning the first photo-resist pattern by an ashing and removing the second photo-resist pattern after forming the first contact hole.

15. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the forming the pixel hole and the second contact hole includes forming an exposed portion of the drain electrode and the lower data pad electrode.

16. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the pixel electrode is substantially laterally connected to the drain electrode.

17. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the upper data pad electrode is substantially laterally connected to the lower data pad electrode.

18. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the forming the pixel hole and the second contact hole includes etching a semiconductor layer under the exposed portion of the drain electrode and the lower data pad electrode.

19. The method as claimed in claim 15 , wherein the forming the pixel hole and the second contact hole includes over-etching the passivation film such that the edge of the first photo-resist pattern is more protruded than the edge of the passivation film.

20. The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the first and second conductive layers have constant step coverage.