JP3388463B2 - LCD panel - Google Patents

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display panel. In particular, it relates to a spacer which is installed between both substrates facing each other and which maintains a constant gap between both substrates.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a liquid crystal display panel is constructed by the following method. That is, an insulating film, electrodes, etc. are patterned on two glass substrates, and an alignment film for aligning liquid crystal molecules is printed thereon by a roller transfer method or the like. Next, the two glass substrates thus formed are bonded to each other with a gap (gap) of several μm therebetween, the outer frame is sealed, and liquid crystal is injected into the gap between the two substrates to form a liquid crystal layer. Liquid crystal display panels include simple matrix type and active matrix type.
In the case of play (AM-LCD for short), a TFT substrate in which a thin film transistor (TFT for short) is formed and a CF (Color Filter) substrate having a color filter layer (coloring layer) are provided and face each other. It has a structure in which liquid crystal is sealed between both substrates.

In any of the liquid crystal display panels, a gap holding material is installed between the two substrates in order to hold a gap between the two substrates to be bonded together. Conventionally, there has been a technique of spraying plastic beads between both substrates as the gap maintaining material. However, there is a problem in that display unevenness occurs due to variations in the transmittance due to the dispersion unevenness. Therefore, a configuration is adopted in which the column-shaped resin spacers are arranged at specific portions of the display portion and the non-display portion (hereinafter referred to as the peripheral portion) around the display portion, and the above-mentioned problem is solved. Hereinafter, an example of a conventional active matrix liquid crystal display panel in which columnar resin spacers are provided at specific portions of a display portion and a peripheral portion will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the pattern structure of one cell on the TFT substrate will be explained with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a pattern configuration of one cell on a TFT substrate in a conventional active matrix liquid crystal display panel. As shown in FIG. 4, the pattern of one cell on the TFT substrate is mainly composed of the gate line 41, the semiconductor layer 42, the drain line 43, the source electrode 44, the TFT 4 formed by the intersections thereof, and the CF substrate side. The black matrix 61 (see FIG. 6) formed in FIG. 6 is formed of a transparent pixel electrode 46 that faces most of the BM opening 45 except the peripheral edge, and the source electrode 44 and the transparent pixel electrode 46 are Contact is made through the contact hole 47. Further, in order to form a storage capacitor, a part of the transparent pixel electrode 46 is formed so as to overlap the gate line 41a at the previous stage.

Next, the procedure for forming the TFT substrate and the sectional structure will be explained with reference to FIG. 5 is a sectional view taken along the line AA ′ in FIG. First, Cr on the glass substrate 101
The gate electrode 51 is formed by patterning the first metal film made of a metal such as. A gate insulating film 52 made of a material such as a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film is formed thereon. Next, the channel layer 5 made of amorphous silicon
3 is formed, and a contact layer 54 made of n-type amorphous silicon is further formed. Next, the second metal film made of a metal such as Cr is patterned to form the drain electrode 5
5, the source electrode 44 is formed. Then, after removing the contact layer in the channel portion by etching, an interlayer insulating film 56 made of a material such as a silicon nitride film is formed. next,
After removing a part of the interlayer insulating film 56 on the source electrode 44, a transparent pixel electrode 46 is formed using a material such as ITO (Indium Thin Oxitde). The transparent pixel electrode 46 is formed so as to cover the interlayer insulating film opening (contact hole 47) on the source electrode 44, and is electrically connected to the source electrode 44 through the contact hole 47.

Next, the CF substrate will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7. FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a conventional CF substrate. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional active matrix liquid crystal display panel. As shown in FIG. 6 or 7, C
The F substrate 6 has a structure in which a black matrix 61 is formed as a light shielding film on the glass substrate 102. The black matrix 61 is formed in order to prevent light leakage around the transparent pixel electrode 46 of the opposing TFT substrate and the periphery of the display portion D. On the CF substrate 6, colored layers 71 of red (R), green (G), blue (B), etc. are formed in stripes. A transparent electrode layer 72 made of ITO or the like is formed on the colored layer 71 so as to cover it. Further, an alignment film 73 is formed so as to cover the transparent electrode layer 72. Finally, the resin spacer 1 is formed on the display portion D and the peripheral portion C. The resin spacer 1 is formed, for example, by applying a negative type transparent photosensitive resin on the CF substrate 6, and then exposing and developing. As a result, the resin spacers 1 having a uniform height are formed. It is desirable that the spacer 1 is arranged in the light-shielding area on the black matrix 61. This is to prevent light leakage due to liquid crystal alignment disorder around the spacer.

The conventional TFT substrate 5 and CF substrate 6 are constructed as described above. Further, in order to complete the liquid crystal display panel shown in FIG. 7, a seal printing step of printing a sealing material 74 made of an epoxy-based insulator or the like on the outer frame of the substrate, and an assembly for bonding the TFT substrate 5 and the CF substrate 6 together.・
A sealing process is performed. Then, a liquid crystal injection process and a sealing process are performed. Note that, as shown in FIG. 7, the TFT substrate 5 has a terminal portion 62. The terminal portion 62 is arranged at a position that does not face the CF substrate 6. A transparent electrode layer 75 and a contact hole 76 for external connection are formed in the terminal portion 62,
The transparent electrode layer 75 makes contact with the gate layer 77 via the contact hole 76.

[0008]

As shown in FIG. 7, the liquid crystal display panel is divided into a display section D and a peripheral section C.
A resin spacer 1 and a sealing material 74 other than the spacer are arranged between the two substrates. The sealing material 74 is arranged outside the resin spacer 1 installed in the peripheral portion C. Further, the display portion D and the peripheral portion C have different laminated structures at the positions where the resin spacers 1 are formed. That is, in the display unit D, the CF substrate 6 is configured by laminating the black matrix 61, the coloring layer 71, the transparent electrode layer 72, and the alignment film 73 in this order on the glass substrate 102, and the glass substrate 1 is formed.
01, a gate layer 77, a gate insulating film 52, an interlayer insulating film 56, a transparent electrode layer 72, and an alignment film 73 are sequentially stacked.
The TFT substrate 5 is configured. On the other hand, the peripheral area C
In the above, the black matrix 61 is laminated on the glass substrate 102 to form the CF substrate 6, and the gate layer 77, the gate insulating film 52, and the gate layer 77 are formed on the glass substrate 101.
The TFT substrate 5 is formed by stacking the interlayer insulating film 56 in this order. Therefore, the peripheral portion C is more
The gap is increased by the amount of the colored layer 71, the transparent electrode layer 72, the alignment film 73, the transparent electrode layer 72, and the alignment film 73. In particular, since the colored layer 71 is thick, it can be said that the peripheral portion C has a larger gap than the display portion D by the colored layer 71. While the peripheral portion C has a larger gap than the display portion D, the resin spacers 1 having a uniform height are arranged on the peripheral portion C, so that the upper ends of the resin spacers 1 installed in the peripheral portion C face each other. Since it cannot contact the TFT substrate, the resin spacer 1 installed in the peripheral portion C does not function as a gap holding material.

Conventionally, a hard material such as glass or plastic is mixed into the sealing material 74 to harden the sealing material 74,
There has been a liquid crystal display panel in which the sealing material 74 has a function as a gap holding material. In such a liquid crystal display panel, even when the resin spacer 1 installed in the peripheral portion C does not function as a gap maintaining material, the sealing material 74
Acts as a gap retaining material in the peripheral area,
No major problems occurred. However, if a hard material such as glass or plastic is mixed into the sealing material 74 to give the sealing material 74 a function as a gap holding material, the cost will increase. Therefore, the sealing material 74 should not be mixed with a hard material such as glass or plastic.
A liquid crystal display panel that does not function as a gap holding material is used. In the case of a liquid crystal display panel in which the sealing material 74 does not function as a gap maintaining material, the following problems occur. That is, since the sealing material 74 and the resin spacer 1 installed in the peripheral portion C do not function as a gap holding material and there is no other gap holding material in the peripheral portion C, pressure is applied to the panel in the liquid crystal injection process or the like. In the process, the bulging near the center of the panel pushes the peripheral portion C of the TFT substrate 5 and the CF substrate 6 until the upper end of the resin spacer 1 installed in the peripheral portion C contacts the TFT substrate 5.
As a result of the peripheral portions C of both substrates being pushed from both sides in this way, the entire both substrates flex and deform in the direction in which the gap between the two substrates in the peripheral portion C narrows. Therefore, on the display section D side near the boundary between the display section D and the peripheral section C, there is a large difference between the gap at the peripheral edge of the display section D and the gap at the center of the display section D. As a result, in the conventional AM-LCD having such a structure, the transmittance is different between the central portion of the display portion D and the peripheral portion of the display portion D, and the peripheral gap unevenness (due to variations in the thickness of the liquid crystal layer). The problem arises that display unevenness in the peripheral portion of the liquid crystal display screen is easily visible.

On the other hand, other conventional techniques relating to spacers for keeping the distance between the TFT substrate and the CF substrate facing each other constant are disclosed in JP-A-10-48640 and JP-A-11-384.
No. 38.

However, the spacer in the liquid crystal display panel disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-48640 is a layer such as a coloring layer or a silicon layer which constitutes a TFT substrate or a CF substrate (hereinafter,
The existing layer. ) And the same process as each existing layer. Therefore, the gap between both substrates is limited to several heights due to the combination of a plurality of existing layers, and further, in order to make the gap between both substrates uniform, it is limited to a combination having a uniform height. Therefore,
It can be said that the height can hardly be changed. If the height can hardly be changed, there is a disadvantage that the thickness of the liquid crystal layer cannot be freely controlled.

Further, in the liquid crystal display panel disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-38438, the difference between the gap between the two substrates in the display section and the gap between the two substrates in the peripheral portion is made small, and the first display is provided in the display section. The spacer is a structure in which the second spacer is arranged in the peripheral portion. Therefore, the first spacer and the second spacer
Two types of spacers, ie, the spacers described above, are required, which inevitably increases the number of processes and costs associated therewith.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems in the prior art, and the gap between both substrates facing each other is formed from the display portion to the peripheral portion by using the columnar resin spacers formed simultaneously in the same process. An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display panel that can be held uniformly over the entire area and reduce unevenness in the peripheral gap.

[0014]

The first invention of the present application for solving the above-mentioned problems provides a liquid crystal display panel in which two substrates having a predetermined laminated pattern are bonded to each other through a columnar resin spacer. The columnar resin spacers having the same height are provided in both the peripheral portion and the peripheral portion, and the difference between the gap between the columnar resin spacer forming positions in the display portion and the peripheral portion is reduced,
In the liquid crystal display panel, a columnar resin spacer stacking-dedicated layer is formed on at least one of the substrates at a columnar resin spacer formation position in the peripheral portion.

The "predetermined laminated pattern" corresponds to a colored layer, a semiconductor layer, a signal electrode layer, a transparent electrode layer, an alignment film, etc. formed on the substrate. The “columnar resin spacers having the same height” are referred to as columnar resin spacers that are simultaneously patterned in the same process. “Gap” refers to the gap between both substrates.
The "columnar resin spacer stacking dedicated layer" is a layer that is used exclusively as a base for the columnar resin spacers and is provided for stacking the columnar resin spacers, and is used for other purposes such as wiring, electrodes, and semiconductor elements. , A layer that is not originally used for a color filter or the like. Therefore, according to the liquid crystal display panel of the first invention of the present application, since the columnar resin spacers having the same height are arranged in both the display portion and the peripheral portion, it is possible to form all the columnar resin spacers in the same step. In addition to suppressing the increase in the number of steps, since the columnar resin spacer stacking dedicated layer is formed at the columnar resin spacer formation position in the peripheral portion, the gap between the columnar resin spacer formation position in the display portion and the columnar resin spacer in the peripheral portion is formed. There is an advantage that the difference between the formation position and the gap can be reduced. As a result, since the columnar resin spacers in the peripheral portion function as a gap holding material, even if the sealing material does not function as a gap holding material, it does not easily deform even when subjected to external pressure and holds a uniform liquid crystal layer. There is an advantage that a liquid crystal display panel that does not cause unevenness in the peripheral gap can be obtained at low cost. Further, since the columnar resin spacer is used, the gap between both substrates can be freely controlled.

When the gaps at all the columnar resin spacer forming positions in the display section are substantially the same, as in the first invention of the present application, "the gaps between the columnar resin spacer forming positions in the display section and the columnar resin spacers in the peripheral portion are provided. "To reduce the difference between the formation position and the gap" may be a requirement for solving the above problem. However, when the gaps at all the columnar resin spacer formation positions in the display section are not the same and cannot be ignored, but the gaps at the outermost peripheral columnar resin spacer formation positions in the display section are almost the same. In order to more preferably solve the above-mentioned problems, the requirement is "to reduce the difference between the gap between the outermost columnar resin spacer formation positions in the display portion and the gap between the columnar resin spacer formation positions in the peripheral portion". do it. In addition, when a non-negligible variation is recognized in the gap between the outermost peripheral columnar resin spacer formation positions in the display portion, in order to more preferably solve the above problem, “the outermost peripheral columnar resin spacers in the display portion and In order to reduce the difference in the gap between the respective positions where the columnar resin spacers are formed in the peripheral portion adjacent to this, it is sufficient.

A color liquid crystal display panel in which a color filter substrate having a colored layer is used as a counter substrate, and a TFT
In an active matrix liquid crystal display panel in which switching elements such as are formed in the display portion, the difference between the gap between the columnar resin spacer formation positions in the display portion and the gap between the columnar resin spacer formation positions in the peripheral portion is the colored layer or the signal electrode layer. It cannot be ignored due to. In addition, a coloring layer, a semiconductor layer, and a signal electrode layer already exist as a predetermined stacking pattern that can be used for the layer dedicated to stacking the columnar resin spacers. Therefore, a second invention of the present application is a liquid crystal display panel comprising a substrate having a predetermined laminated pattern formed thereon and a color filter substrate having a predetermined laminated pattern formed thereon, which are bonded together through a columnar resin spacer. Columnar resin spacers of the same height are arranged on both the display part and the peripheral part,
In order to reduce the difference between the gap between the columnar resin spacer formation positions in the display portion and the gap between the columnar resin spacer formation positions in the peripheral portion, the columnar resin spacer stacking exclusive layer is provided in the peripheral portion at the columnar resin spacer formation position of the substrate. A liquid crystal display panel characterized by being formed on at least one of the substrates.

A third invention of the present application is a liquid crystal display in which an active matrix substrate having a predetermined laminated pattern formed thereon and a color filter substrate having a predetermined laminated pattern formed thereon are bonded together through a columnar resin spacer. In the panel, the columnar resin spacers having the same height are arranged in both the display portion and the peripheral portion, and the difference between the gap between the columnar resin spacer formation positions in the display portion and the peripheral portion is small. Thus, the liquid crystal display panel is characterized in that the columnar resin spacer stacking exclusive layer is formed on at least one of the substrates at the columnar resin spacer formation position in the peripheral portion.

Therefore, according to the liquid crystal display panel of the second invention of the present application or the third invention of the present application, the advantages of the first invention of the present application can be obtained in the active matrix liquid crystal display panel, and a great effect can be expected.

A fourth invention of the present application is the liquid crystal display panel according to any one of the first invention to the third invention of the present application, wherein the same layer as the predetermined lamination pattern is used, It is characterized in that a layer dedicated to stacking columnar resin spacers is formed.

"The same layer as the predetermined lamination pattern" means
It refers to a layer that is simultaneously patterned in the same step as a predetermined laminated pattern. Therefore, according to the liquid crystal display panel of the fourth invention of the present application, since the columnar resin spacer stacking dedicated layer is formed of the same layer as the predetermined stacking pattern, the columnar resin spacer stacking dedicated layer is formed. There is an advantage that no special process is required. That is, in the liquid crystal display panel of the fourth invention of the present application, the pattern of the columnar resin spacer laying-only layer is formed in the step of forming the predetermined laminated pattern.

Further, a fifth invention of the present application is the liquid crystal display panel according to any one of the first invention to the third invention of the application, wherein a new layer different from the predetermined lamination pattern is provided. Thus, the layer for exclusive use of the columnar resin spacers is formed.

Therefore, according to the liquid crystal display panel of the fifth invention of the present application, since the columnar resin spacer laying-only layer is formed by a new layer different from the predetermined laminated pattern,
Although a special step for forming the columnar resin spacer laying-only layer is required, there is an advantage that the layer thickness of the columnar resin spacer laying-only layer can be freely controlled. That is, in the liquid crystal display panel of the fifth invention of the present application, the pattern of the columnar resin spacer stacking dedicated layer is formed at a time different from the step of forming the predetermined laminated pattern.

The sixth invention of the present application is the liquid crystal display panel according to any one of the first to fifth inventions of the present application, wherein the colored layer, the semiconductor layer, the signal electrode layer,
The columnar resin spacer stacking-dedicated layer is formed of one or more layers of the transparent electrode layer and the alignment film.

When the difference between the gap between the columnar resin spacer formation positions in the display portion and the gap between the columnar resin spacer formation positions in the peripheral portion is larger than that of the transparent electrode layer or the alignment film, the gap is larger than that of the transparent electrode layer or the alignment film. It is preferable to use a thick colored layer, a semiconductor layer, or a signal electrode layer. Therefore, the seventh invention of the present application is characterized in that, in the liquid crystal display panel of the first invention of the present application, the columnar resin spacer laminating layer is formed of a colored layer on a substrate on which a color filter is formed. To do. The eighth invention of the present application is the liquid crystal display panel of the second invention of the present application or the third invention of the present application, wherein the columnar resin spacer-dedicated layer is formed of a colored layer on the color filter substrate. It is characterized by

There are various methods for selecting the colored layer.
When the R, G, and B colored layers have the same layer thickness, any colored layer may be used. However, when the R, G, and B colored layers have different thicknesses, the colored layer having the optimum thickness is selected to make the gap between the substrates uniform and the dedicated columnar resin spacer laying layer is formed. Constitute. Further, two or more layers may be selected from each colored layer as long as it is optimal for making the gap between both substrates uniform. Therefore, a ninth invention of the present application is a liquid crystal display panel comprising an active matrix substrate having a predetermined laminated pattern formed thereon and a color filter substrate having the predetermined laminated pattern formed thereon, which are bonded to each other via a columnar resin spacer. Columnar resin spacers of the same height are arranged in both the display portion and the peripheral portion, and the outermost peripheral columnar resin spacers arranged on the first colored layer in the display portion and the peripheral portion adjacent to this A second colored layer having a layer thickness different from that of the first colored layer is formed on the color filter substrate at the peripheral position of the columnar resin spacer so that the difference in the gap between the respective positions of the columnar resin spacer becomes small. It is a liquid crystal display panel characterized by the following.

The tenth invention of the present application is the liquid crystal display panel according to the third invention of the present application or the eighth invention of the present application,
The columnar resin spacer stacking-dedicated layer is formed on the active matrix substrate by at least one of a semiconductor layer and a signal electrode layer.

The eleventh invention of the present application is the liquid crystal display panel according to the seventh invention of the present application or the eighth invention of the present application,
At least one of the substrates is provided with a light-shielding layer that shields the colored layer, which is the layer dedicated to stacking the columnar resin spacers, from light.

Therefore, according to the liquid crystal display panel of the eleventh invention of the present application, there is an advantage that coloring by the colored layer used as the columnar resin spacer laminating layer in the peripheral portion is prevented.

The twelfth invention of the present application is the eleventh invention of the present application.
In the liquid crystal display panel of the invention, the light shielding layer is a signal electrode layer.

Therefore, according to the liquid crystal display panel of the twelfth invention of the present application, there is an advantage that the signal electrode layer already used as the signal electrode can be used as the light shielding film, and the number of steps is not increased.

Further, a thirteenth invention of the present application is the liquid crystal display panel according to any one of the first invention to the twelfth invention of the present application, wherein the columnar resin spacer laminating exclusive layer is a single layer. It is characterized in that an island-shaped laminated pattern corresponding to the columnar resin spacer is formed.

Therefore, according to the liquid crystal display panel of the thirteenth invention of the present application, since the columnar resin spacer stacking-dedicated layer has an island-shaped laminated pattern corresponding to a single columnar resin spacer, the material can be minimized. There is an advantage that it can be suppressed.

The fourteenth invention of the present application is the liquid crystal display panel according to any one of the first invention to the twelfth invention of the present application, wherein the columnar resin spacer-dedicated layer is provided in a plurality of columnar shapes. It is characterized in that it has a linear laminated pattern connecting the resin spacer forming positions.

Therefore, according to the liquid crystal display panel of the fourteenth invention of the present application, since the columnar resin spacer stacking-dedicated layer is a linear layered pattern connecting a plurality of columnar resin spacer formation positions, the linear layered pattern is formed. There is an advantage that the requirement for the position accuracy of the columnar resin spacer formation in the longitudinal direction of is relaxed.

[0036]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An active matrix liquid crystal display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The resin spacer 1 in the following embodiments is a columnar resin spacer, and is made of a transparent photosensitive resin. As the transparent photosensitive resin, an acrylic transparent photosensitive resin, a polyimide transparent photosensitive resin, or a polyvinyl alcohol transparent photosensitive resin can be used. However, in the following embodiments, since the resin spacer 1 is formed in a light-shielding film shape, it is not necessary to make it transparent. Further, in the following embodiments, the resin spacer 1 is formed by each step of coating, exposing and developing once. As a result, the columnar resin spacer 1 is formed with a uniform height. By adjusting the coating amount of the photosensitive resin, the gap between the substrates and thus the thickness of the liquid crystal layer can be freely controlled for each liquid crystal display panel. In contrast,
In the case of a gap holding material such as a bead material or a rod material that is dispersed on a substrate such as the plastic beads described above, the size of the gap holding material is preset, which is disadvantageous in controlling the gap. As shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the liquid crystal display panel is divided into a display section D and a peripheral section C.
1, 2, and 3, a resin spacer 1 (hereinafter, referred to as a resin spacer 1c) installed in the peripheral portion C, respectively.
And the resin spacer 1 (hereinafter, referred to as a resin spacer 1d) arranged in the display portion D is illustrated. Resin spacer 1d
Is a resin spacer at the outermost periphery of the display portion D, and the resin spacers 1c and 1d are in a positional relationship of being adjacent to each other. A resin spacer 1 and a sealing material 74 other than the spacer are arranged between the two substrates. Seal material 7
4 is arranged outside the resin spacer 1c. The TFT substrate and the CF substrate used in the present invention can be manufactured by the conventional manufacturing method described above. Below, the conventional AM-
The difference from the LCD will be mainly described.

Embodiment 1 First, an active matrix liquid crystal display panel according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1 is a sectional view showing an active matrix liquid crystal display panel according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

The display portion D and the peripheral portion C have different laminated structures at the positions where the resin spacers 1 are formed. That is, the glass substrate 10 is formed at the position where the resin spacer 1d is formed.
The black matrix 61, the colored layer 71, the transparent electrode layer 72, and the alignment film 73 are laminated in this order on the second substrate 2 to form the CF substrate 6, and the glass substrate 101 has the gate layer 77,
Gate insulating film 52, interlayer insulating film 56, transparent electrode layer 72,
The alignment film 73 and the alignment film 73 are sequentially stacked to form the TFT substrate 5. On the other hand, at the formation position of the resin spacer 1c, the black matrix 6 is formed on the glass substrate 102.
1. The CF substrate 6 is formed by sequentially laminating the colored layer 11 and the colored layer 11, and the TFT substrate 5 is formed by laminating the gate layer 77, the gate insulating film 52, and the interlayer insulating film 56 on the glass substrate 101 in this order. There is. That is, the AM of the first embodiment
The CF substrate 2 in the LCD is different from the conventional CF substrate 6 in that the colored layer 11 is provided below the resin spacer 1c. The colored layer 11 serves as a layer exclusively for resin spacers. The black matrix 61 and the gate layer 7
7 functions as a light-shielding film that prevents coloring by the colored layer 11.

As described above, in the conventional CF substrate 6, since the display portion D and the peripheral portion C have steps corresponding to the thicknesses of the coloring layer 71, the transparent electrode layer 72 and the alignment film 73, a panel is formed. In addition, there is a problem that the gap is different between the central portion of the display portion D and the peripheral portion of the display portion D, and it is likely to be visually recognized as peripheral gap unevenness. Here, the colored layer 71 occupies most of the step. However, the AM-LCD of the first embodiment
Then, since the colored layer 11 is provided, the step between the display portion D and the peripheral portion C is only the thickness of the transparent electrode layer 72 and the alignment film 73. Therefore, variations in the TFT substrate 5 and the CF substrate 2 due to the pressure applied to the panel during the manufacturing process are reduced, and the peripheral gap unevenness is improved.

Although the colored layer 11 is used as the lower layer of the resin spacer 1c in the AM-LCD of the first embodiment, it is possible to add a transparent electrode layer and an alignment film as needed. In addition, the colored layer 1 formed below the resin spacer 1c
It is desirable to set 1 as follows. When the R, G, and B colored layers have the same layer thickness, the R, G, and B colored layers below the spacer 1 of the display unit D may be any of the R, G, and B colored layers. When the layer thicknesses of the R, G, B colored layers are different from each other, the colored layer 11 is formed by selecting the colored layer having the optimum thickness to make the gap uniform.

The colored layer 11 under the resin spacer 1c is
By selecting and constructing from a colored layer of a color different from the colored layer 71 below the resin spacer 1d, the gap between the formation position of the resin spacer 1c and the gap between the formation position of the resin spacer 1d can be more accurately formed. It is possible to eliminate the difference.

Second Embodiment Next, an active matrix liquid crystal display panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an active matrix liquid crystal display panel according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 2, the display portion D and the peripheral portion C have different laminated structures at the positions where the resin spacers 1 are formed. That is, at the formation position of the resin spacer 1d, the black matrix 61,
The coloring layer 71, the transparent electrode layer 72, and the alignment film 73 are laminated in this order to form the CF substrate 6, and the gate layer 77, the gate insulating film 52, and the interlayer insulating film 5 are formed on the glass substrate 101.
6, a transparent electrode layer 72, and an alignment film 73 are sequentially stacked, and TF
The T substrate 5 is configured. On the other hand, at the position where the resin spacer 1c is formed, the black matrix 61 is laminated on the glass substrate 102 to form the CF substrate 6, and the gate layer 77, the gate insulating film 52, and the gate layer 77 are formed on the glass substrate 101. The semiconductor layer 21, the drain layer 22, and the interlayer insulating film layer 56 are sequentially laminated to form the TFT substrate 5. That is, the TFT substrate 3 in the AM-LCD of the second embodiment has the semiconductor layer 21 and the drain layer 2 at the position opposite to the resin spacer 1c with respect to the conventional TFT substrate 5.
The difference is that 2 is provided. The semiconductor layer 21 and the drain layer 22 are layers dedicated to resin spacer lamination. Therefore, the space between the resin spacer 1c and the TFT substrate 3 is
Compared with the conventional AM-LCD, the semiconductor layer 21 and the drain layer 2
It becomes smaller by the total film thickness of 2. Therefore, according to the AM-LCD of the second embodiment, the fluctuation amount of the TFT substrate 3 and the CF substrate 6 due to the pressure applied to the panel during the manufacturing process becomes smaller than that of the conventional AM-LCD, and the peripheral gap unevenness is reduced. Is improved.

In the AM-LCD of the second embodiment, the semiconductor layer 21 and the drain layer 2 are used as the height adjusting pattern.
Although No. 2 is used, other layers such as a transparent electrode layer and an alignment film can be selected and added as needed. Further, in the AM-LCD of the second embodiment, the film thickness of the TFT substrate is adjusted by stacking, but it is also possible to newly pattern the insulating film, the resin spacer and the like to increase the film thickness of the TFT substrate.

Third Embodiment Next, an active matrix liquid crystal display panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an active matrix liquid crystal display panel of Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, AM- of the third embodiment.
The LCD is one in which both the CF substrate 2 in the AM-LCD of the first embodiment and the TFT substrate 3 in the AM-LCD of the second embodiment are implemented. Therefore, the colored layer 11 is provided below the resin spacer 1c. Further, the film thickness of the TFT substrate 3 located opposite to the resin spacer 1c is increased by providing the semiconductor layer 21 and the drain layer 22. Therefore, the resin spacer 1c and TF
The distance from the T substrate 3 is smaller than that of the conventional AM-LCD by the total thickness of the colored layer 11, the semiconductor layer 21, and the drain layer 22. Therefore, according to the AM-LCD of the third embodiment, the variation amount of the TFT substrate 3 and the CF substrate 2 due to the pressure applied to the panel during the manufacturing process is smaller than that of the conventional AM-LCD of the third embodiment. , The peripheral gap unevenness is improved.

In the AM-LCD of the third embodiment, the CF substrate 2 is used as the height adjusting pattern in the colored layer 11 and the TFT.
Although the semiconductor layer 21 and the drain layer 22 are used in the substrate 3, other layers such as a transparent electrode layer and an alignment film can be selected and added as needed. A of the third embodiment
In the M-LCD, the film thickness of the TFT substrate is increased by stacking, but it is also possible to newly pattern the insulating film, the resin spacer and the like to increase the film thickness of the TFT substrate.

In the embodiment described above, the resin spacer 1 is formed on the CF substrate, but the resin spacer 1
May be formed on the TFT substrate. Further, the resin spacer 1 may be formed on both the CF substrate and the TFT substrate.

[0049]

As described above, according to the present invention, since the resin spacer laminating layer is formed at the resin spacer forming position in the peripheral portion, and the resin spacer in the peripheral portion functions as the gap holding material, the sealing material keeps the gap. Regardless of whether or not it functions as a material, it does not easily deform even when subjected to external pressure,
There is an advantage that a uniform liquid crystal layer can be held and a liquid crystal display panel that does not cause unevenness in the peripheral gap can be obtained at low cost.
Further, since the resin spacer is used, there is an effect that the gap between both substrates can be freely controlled. Further, since the same resin spacers are provided in both the display portion and the peripheral portion, it is possible to form all the resin spacers in the same step, which suppresses an increase in the number of steps, which in turn reduces the cost. is there. As a result of the above, according to the present invention, display quality and yield are improved and cost is reduced.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing an active matrix liquid crystal display panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an active matrix liquid crystal display panel of Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a sectional view showing an active matrix liquid crystal display panel of Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a pattern configuration of one cell on a TFT substrate in a conventional active matrix liquid crystal display panel.

5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A ′ in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic configuration diagram of a CF substrate of a conventional example.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a conventional active matrix liquid crystal display panel.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 resin spacer 2.6 CF substrate 3,5 TFT substrate 4 TFT 11,71 Colored layer 41, 41a Gate line 42 semiconductor layer 43 drain wire 44 Source electrode 45 BM (black matrix) opening 46 Transparent pixel electrode 47,76 contact holes 51 gate electrode 52 Gate insulating film 53 channel layer 54 Contact layer 55 drain electrode 56 Interlayer insulation film 61 Black Matrix 62 terminal 72,75 Transparent electrode layer 73 Alignment film 74 Seal material 77 Gate layer 101, 102 glass substrate C peripheral area D display

─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continuation of the front page (58) Fields surveyed (Int.Cl. ⁷ , DB name) G02F 1/1339 G02F 1/1335 G02F 1/1362 G02F 1/1345

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. A TFT substrate on which a thin film transistor including a semiconductor layer and a signal electrode layer is formed, a color filter substrate on which a colored layer is formed, and a display portion and a non-display portion around the display portion. A liquid crystal display panel having the columnar resin spacers of the same height, wherein the two substrates are bonded together via the columnar resin spacers.
A liquid crystal display panel, wherein the semiconductor layer and the signal electrode layer are provided between the columnar resin spacers and the black matrix in a non-display portion around a display portion on an FT substrate. 2. A TFT substrate on which a thin film transistor including a semiconductor layer and a signal electrode layer is formed, a color filter substrate on which a colored layer is formed, and a display portion and a non-display portion around the display portion. In a liquid crystal display panel having a columnar resin spacer of the same height and bonding the both substrates via the columnar resin spacer, a position where the columnar resin spacer is formed in a display portion on the color filter substrate. A black matrix, a colored layer, a transparent electrode layer and an alignment film are formed on the color filter substrate, and at least the colored layer between the columnar resin spacer and the black matrix in the non-display area around the display area on the color filter substrate. Is provided between the columnar resin spacers and the black matrix in the non-display area around the display area on the TFT substrate. A liquid crystal display panel comprising the semiconductor layer and the signal electrode layer.