KR20060130384A - Liquid crystal display device - Google Patents

Abstract

An LCD is provided to prevent a liquid crystal from flowing down, thereby suppressing the leakage of light due to gravity defect, by densely arranging column spacers on an upper substrate. A first substrate(300) and a second substrate(400) face each other. Gate lines and data lines cross one another to define pixel regions within the first substrate. A plurality of column spacers(310,410) are formed on one of the first and second substrates correspondingly to the gate and data lines. The column spacers are distanced from one another at a predetermined distance, wherein the predetermined distance is smaller than the critical value of a lower surface of any column spacer.

Description

Liquid crystal display device

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a general liquid crystal display device

2 is a flowchart of a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal injection type liquid crystal display device.

3 is a flowchart of a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal drop type liquid crystal display device;

4 is a graph showing the relationship between liquid crystal dropping amount, touch failure, and gravity failure;

5 is a photograph showing the phenomenon of gravity failure

6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II ′ of FIG. 5.

7 is a plan view illustrating an upper substrate of a liquid crystal display according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a plan view illustrating a lower substrate of a liquid crystal display according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

9 is a structural cross-sectional view taken along line II-II 'of FIG.

10 is a plan view illustrating an upper substrate of a liquid crystal display according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

11 is a plan view illustrating a lower substrate of a liquid crystal display according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

12 is a perspective view illustrating a top and bottom substrates facing each other in the liquid crystal display according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

13A and 13B are cross-sectional views of a liquid crystal display according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention at room temperature and high temperature, respectively.

14 is a plan view illustrating in detail a lower substrate of a liquid crystal display according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention applied to another mode.

15 is a cross-sectional view through column spacers of a liquid crystal display according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

* Description of symbols on the main parts of the drawings *

100: upper substrate 102: black matrix layer

103: color filter layer 110: column spacer

200: lower substrate 202: gate line

203: data line 204: semiconductor layer

205 pixel electrode

300: upper substrate 302: black matrix layer

303: color filter layer 310: first column spacer

400: lower substrate 402: gate line

403 data line 405 pixel electrode

410: second column spacer

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly, to a liquid crystal display device capable of preventing gravity defects by forming a structure in which the column spacers are arranged in a dense arrangement on the upper substrate so that liquid crystals are less likely to flow downward.

As the information society develops, the demand for display devices is increasing in various forms, and in recent years, liquid crystal display devices (LCDs), plasma display panels (PDPs), electro luminescent displays (ELD), and vacuum fluorescent (VFD) Various flat panel display devices such as displays have been studied, and some of them are already used as display devices in various devices.

Among them, LCD is the most widely used as the substitute for CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) for mobile image display device because of its excellent image quality, light weight, thinness, and low power consumption. In addition to the use of the present invention has been developed in various ways such as a television and a computer monitor for receiving and displaying broadcast signals.

In order to use such a liquid crystal display as a general screen display device in various parts, it is a matter of how high quality images such as high definition, high brightness and large area can be realized while maintaining the characteristics of light weight, thinness and low power consumption. Can be.

Hereinafter, a conventional liquid crystal display device and a spacer holding a cell gap of the liquid crystal display device will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is an exploded perspective view showing a general liquid crystal display.

A general liquid crystal display device, as shown in FIG. 1, is injected between a first substrate 1 and a second substrate 2 bonded to each other with a predetermined space, and between the first substrate 1 and the second substrate 2. It consists of the liquid crystal layer 3.

In more detail, the first substrate 1 may have a plurality of gate lines 4 in one direction and constant in a direction perpendicular to the gate lines 4 at regular intervals to define the pixel region P. FIG. A plurality of data lines 5 are arranged at intervals. In addition, a pixel electrode 6 is formed in each pixel region P, and a thin film transistor T is formed at a portion where the gate line 4 and the data line 5 cross each other, so that the thin film transistor is formed. The data signal of the data line is applied to each pixel electrode according to the signal of the gate line.

In addition, a black matrix layer 7 is formed on the second substrate 2 to block light in portions other than the pixel region P, and portions R corresponding to the respective pixel regions are formed to express colors. , G, B color filter layers 8 are formed, and a common electrode 9 for realizing an image is formed on the color filter layers 8.

In the liquid crystal display as described above, the liquid crystal layer 3 formed between the first and second substrates is aligned by an electric field between the pixel electrode 6 and the common electrode 9, and the liquid crystal layer 3 of the liquid crystal layer 3 is aligned. The amount of light passing through the liquid crystal layer 3 can be adjusted according to the degree of alignment to express the image.

Such a liquid crystal display device is called a twisted nematic (TN) mode liquid crystal display device, and the TN mode liquid crystal display device has a disadvantage of having a narrow viewing angle and an in-plane switching (IPS) mode for overcoming the disadvantages of the TN mode. Liquid crystal display devices have been developed.

In the IPS mode liquid crystal display, a pixel electrode and a common electrode are formed parallel to each other at a predetermined distance in a pixel area of the first substrate so that a lateral electric field (horizontal electric field) is generated between the pixel electrode and the common electrode and the lateral electric field is generated. This is to align the liquid crystal layer.

Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the conventional liquid crystal display device will be described.

The manufacturing method of a general liquid crystal display device can be classified into a liquid crystal injection method manufacturing method and a liquid crystal drop method manufacturing method according to the method of forming a liquid crystal layer between the first and second substrates.

First, the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device of the liquid crystal injection method is as follows.

2 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device of a general liquid crystal injection method.

Liquid crystal displays are largely classified into an array process, a cell process, a module process, and the like.

In the array process, as described above, a TFT array including a gate line and a data line, a pixel electrode, and a thin film transistor is formed on the first substrate, and a black matrix layer, a color filter layer, a common electrode, etc. are formed on the second substrate. It is a process of forming the color filter array provided with.

In this case, the array process does not form one liquid crystal panel on one substrate, but designs a plurality of liquid crystal panels on one large glass substrate to form a TFT array and a color filter array in each liquid crystal panel region.

 In this way, the TFT substrate on which the TFT array is formed and the color filter substrate on which the color filter array is formed are moved to the cell processing line.

Subsequently, an alignment process (rubbing process) S10 is applied to apply the alignment material on the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate and to make the liquid crystal molecules have uniform directionality.

Here, the alignment step (S10) proceeds in order of cleaning before the alignment film coating, alignment film printing, alignment film firing, alignment film inspection, rubbing process.

Subsequently, the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate are cleaned (S20), respectively.

Further, a ball spacer for maintaining a constant cell gap on the TFT substrate or the color filter substrate is spread (S30), and the two substrates are bonded to the outer portion of each liquid crystal panel region. Form a seal pattern (seal pattern) for (S40). At this time, the seal pattern is formed to have a liquid crystal injection hole pattern for injecting liquid crystal.

Here, the ball spacer is formed of plastic balls or elastic plastic fine particles.

The two substrates are bonded together to face the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate so that the seal patterns face each other, and the seal pattern is cured (S50).

Thereafter, the bonded and cured TFT substrate and the color filter substrate are cut and processed for each unit liquid crystal panel region (S60) to produce a unit liquid crystal panel having a predetermined size.

Thereafter, the liquid crystal is injected through the liquid crystal injection hole of each unit liquid crystal panel, and after completion of the injection, the liquid crystal injection hole is sealed (S70) to form a liquid crystal layer. The liquid crystal display device is manufactured by performing external appearance and electrical defect inspection (S80) of each unit liquid crystal panel.

Here, the liquid crystal injection process will be briefly described as follows.

First, the container containing the liquid crystal material to be injected and the liquid crystal panel to inject the liquid crystal are placed in the chamber, and the pressure in the chamber is maintained in a vacuum state to remove moisture from the liquid crystal material or the inner wall of the container. Then, bubbles are de-included and the inner space of the liquid crystal panel is vacuumed.

The liquid crystal injection hole of the liquid crystal panel is immersed in or contacted with a container containing a liquid crystal material in a desired vacuum state, and then the pressure inside the chamber is changed from a vacuum state to an atmospheric pressure state, and the pressure inside the liquid crystal panel and the pressure of the chamber. By the difference, the liquid crystal material is injected into the liquid crystal panel through the liquid crystal injection hole.

The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display of the liquid crystal injection method has the following problems.

First, after cutting into a unit panel, the liquid crystal injection hole is immersed in the liquid crystal liquid by maintaining the vacuum state between the two substrates, so that the liquid crystal injection takes a lot of time, the productivity is reduced.

Second, in the case of manufacturing a large-area liquid crystal display device, when the liquid crystal is injected by the liquid crystal injection method, the liquid crystal is not completely injected into the panel, which causes a defect.

Third, since the process is complicated and time-consuming as described above, several liquid crystal injection equipment is required, which requires a lot of space.

Accordingly, in order to overcome the problems of the liquid crystal injection method, a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal drop type liquid crystal display device in which a liquid crystal is dropped on one of two substrates and then the two substrates are bonded to each other has been developed.

3 is a flowchart of a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal drop type liquid crystal display device.

That is, the liquid crystal display device manufacturing method of the liquid crystal dropping method is a method of dropping an appropriate amount of liquid crystal onto any one of the two substrates before bonding the two substrates, and then joining the two substrates together.

Therefore, when the ball spacer is used to maintain the cell gap as in the liquid crystal injection method, when the dropped liquid crystal spreads, the ball spacer is moved in the liquid crystal spreading direction and the spacer is pushed to one side, thereby making it impossible to maintain the accurate cell gap.

Therefore, the liquid crystal dropping method should use a fixed spacer (column spacer or patterned spacer) in which the spacer is fixed to the substrate without using the ball spacer.

That is, as shown in FIG. 3, in the array process, a black matrix layer, a color filter layer, and a common electrode are formed on a color filter substrate, and a photosensitive resin is formed on the common electrode and selectively removed to form column spacers on the black matrix layer. do. In addition, the column spacer may be formed by a patterning process using a photo process.

Then, an alignment film is applied to the entire TFT substrate including the column spacer and the color filter substrate, and the alignment film is rubbed.

As described above, the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate on which the alignment process is completed are cleaned (S101), and then, a liquid crystal is dropped into a predetermined region on one of the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate (S102), and each liquid crystal of the remaining substrates. A seal pattern is formed at an outer portion of the panel region by using a dispensing apparatus (S103).

At this time, the liquid crystal may also be dropped on one of the two substrates and a seal pattern may be formed.

Then, the substrate on which the liquid crystal is not dropped is inverted (inverted to face each other) (S104), the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate are pressed together, and the seal pattern is cured (S105).

Subsequently, the bonded substrate is cut and processed for each unit liquid crystal panel (S106).

In addition, the liquid crystal display device may be manufactured by performing the external appearance and electrical defect inspection (S107) of the processed unit liquid crystal panel.

In the manufacturing method of such a liquid crystal dropping method, a column spacer is formed on a color filter substrate, a liquid crystal is dripped on a TFT substrate, and two board | substrates are joined together, and a panel is formed.

At this time, the column spacer is formed by being fixed to the color filter substrate and is in contact with the TFT substrate. The contact portion of the TFT substrate is formed by giving a predetermined height on the color filter substrate, corresponding to any single wiring of the gate line or the data line.

4 is a graph showing the relationship between the liquid crystal dropping amount, touch failure, and gravity failure.

In manufacturing a large-area liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal dropping method is used to reduce the process time, and a column spacer is used as a support between upper and lower substrates. As shown in FIG. Along with the amount, it is a big factor in determining the degree of defects in the panel.

Gravity failure refers to a phenomenon in which a liquid crystal is attracted to the side closer to the ground when the panel is erected, and this part expands bulging in the high temperature state due to the property that the liquid crystal expands as the liquid crystal rises to a high temperature.

Touch unevenness refers to a phenomenon in which, when the surface of the liquid crystal panel is scraped down by a hand or a pen in a predetermined direction, the portion passed by the hand or pen is not restored by the frictional force and the liquid crystal is dispersed in the touched portion. At this time, the non-restored portion of the liquid crystal does not collect, the light leakage defect appears in the black state. This is because a shift phenomenon occurs in a predetermined direction between the upper and lower substrates during touch, because the friction force between the substrate and the substrate in contact with the column spacer does not return to the original state.

The defects described above are not generated by independent elements but are correlated with each other. Gravity defects and touch unevenness are trade-off relations with respect to the liquid crystal dropping amount as shown in FIG. 4, so that the liquid crystal dropping amount cannot be adjusted in a direction to improve only one defect, and the two defects are adjusted to an appropriate level. It will be necessary to determine the liquid crystal dropping amount on the ship.

In particular, in the small size models, there is an appropriate level of liquid crystal dropping in which neither gravity defect nor touch defect appears in a predetermined range, but as the larger area becomes larger, the graphs of touch defect and gravity defect overlap each other and are completely free from the two defects. It became hard to find.

FIG. 5 is a photograph showing a phenomenon of gravity failure, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line II ′ of FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, the gravity failure phenomenon is observed at the edge of the liquid crystal panel close to the ground. This is because, when the liquid crystal panel is placed in a high temperature state, the edge of the liquid crystal panel close to the ground bulges bulge by the property that the liquid crystal expands with temperature.

As shown in FIG. 6, when the upper and lower portions of the upright liquid crystal panel 10 are cut off, the column spacer 30 positioned at the lower portion does not support the upper and lower substrates 2 and 1 due to the expansion force of the liquid crystal, and thus the lower substrate. The falling phenomenon occurs in (1). In particular, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, when the liquid crystal panel 10 is upright in the state in which the liquid crystal is dripped excessively, the phenomenon that the liquid crystal flows toward the ground close to the ground under the influence of gravity becomes severe.

Here, a seal pattern 25 is formed at the edge of the liquid crystal panel 10 to bond the upper and lower substrates 2 and 1, and the liquid crystal layer filled with the dropped liquid crystal between the upper and lower substrates 2 and 1. (3) is formed. The liquid crystal layer 3 has a different cell gap between a region where gravity failure occurs and a region where gravity failure does not occur.

The conventional liquid crystal display as described above has the following problems.

When manufacturing a liquid crystal display device by the liquid crystal dropping method, a liquid crystal is dripped on a predetermined amount substrate, the said liquid crystal is spread around, and it adheres with an opposing board | substrate, and forms a liquid crystal panel.

In the case of such a dropping method, it is difficult to determine the appropriate liquid crystal dropping amount as the area is increased, and the gravity defects and touch defects that may occur in the panel are trade-off relations with each other. The amount of dropping occurred, and it was difficult to find the amount of liquid crystal dropping at a level that would cancel both defects.

In particular, the touch failure hardly occurs when the liquid crystal is excessively dropped, but the gravity failure becomes more serious.

The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems, by forming a column spacer on the upper substrate in a dense arrangement, forming a structure that the liquid crystal is difficult to flow to the lower side, a liquid crystal display device that can prevent the failure of gravity The purpose is to provide.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a liquid crystal display device including: a first substrate and a second substrate facing each other, a gate line and a data line formed to define a pixel region crossing each other on the first substrate; A plurality of column spacers and the first substrate formed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate and disposed at a spacing smaller than a critical dimension of the lower formation surface of the one column spacer in correspondence with the gate line and the data line; And a liquid crystal layer filled between the second substrate and the second substrate.

The column spacers are formed on the gate line and the data line so as to be arranged in a linear shape.

A spacing interval between the plurality of column spacers is 0 to 1 μm.

The critical dimension of the lower formation surface of the said one column spacer is 1 micrometer-50 micrometers or less.

In addition, the liquid crystal display device of the present invention for achieving the same object, the first substrate and the second substrate facing each other, the gate line and data line formed on the first substrate to define a pixel area crossing each other, and A plurality of first column spacers formed on the first substrate to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval, and a plurality of first column spacers formed on the gate line of the second substrate to correspond to each other; Another feature is that it comprises a second column spacer and a liquid crystal layer filled between the first substrate and the second substrate.

The first column spacers and the second column spacers are formed in the same linear shape on the gate line.

The spacing between the first column spacer and the second column spacer adjacent to each other is 0 to 5㎛.

The first column spacer and the second column spacer have the same shape and are formed on the first substrate and the second substrate, respectively.

The critical dimension of the lower formation surface of each substrate correspondence surface area of the said 1st column spacer and the 2nd column spacer is 1 micrometer-50 micrometers or less.

The first column spacer is formed at a first interval corresponding to the gate line, and is formed at a second interval corresponding to the data line, and the first interval is less than or equal to the second interval.

Hereinafter, the liquid crystal display of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

First Embodiment

7 is a plan view illustrating an upper substrate of a liquid crystal display according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating a lower substrate of a liquid crystal display according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. It is structural sectional drawing of the II-II 'line | wire of 7.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the upper substrate 100 of the liquid crystal display according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention may include a black matrix layer 102 formed on a first substrate (not shown) corresponding to a non-pixel region. The color filter layer 103 formed in the pixel region on the first substrate including the black matrix layer 102 and the common electrode (not shown) formed on the entire surface of the first substrate including the black matrix layer 102 and the color filter layer 103. It is made, including. In addition, a plurality of column spacers 110 are disposed on the black matrix layer 102 at close and dense intervals on the same line in correspondence to the gate lines and the data lines formed on the lower substrate (200 in FIG. 8). Is formed. In this case, the column spacers 110 are formed at close and dense intervals without spaces on the lines passing through the corresponding lines such as the gate lines and the data lines. In this case, the plurality of column spacers 110 may be formed smaller than the lower surface area critical dimension (CD) of the column spacer itself. In this case, since the column spacers 110 are formed within the wiring widths of the gate line and the data line, the lower surface area (the first substrate corresponding area) of the column spacer 110 according to the wiring width of the liquid crystal panel of the corresponding model. The critical dimension of can be changed. For example, the critical dimension of the lower surface area of the column spacer 110 is 1-50 μm or less. The shape of the column spacer 110 illustrated in FIG. 7 illustrates a lower surface, and may be formed in a polygon such as a rectangle as well as the illustrated circle.

As shown in FIG. 8, a gate line 202 and a data line 203 are formed on the lower substrate 200 of the liquid crystal display according to the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention to define a pixel area crossing each other, and formed in the pixel area. And a thin film transistor formed at a portion adjacent to the intersection of the pixel electrode 205 and the gate line 202 and the data line 203. Here, the portion of the gate line 202 that passes through the data line 203 is thinner than other portions of the gate line 202. This is to reduce the parasitic capacitance generated at the intersection of the gate line 202 and the data line 203 by reducing the overlap area of the wiring at the intersection of the gate line 202 and the data line 203.

The thin film transistor may include a gate electrode 202a protruding from the gate line 202, a source electrode 203a having a 'U' shape from the data line 203, and a source electrode having a 'U' shape. A drain electrode 203b that enters the inside of the gate 203a and partially overlaps the gate electrode 202a and the pixel electrode 205 is formed.

Meanwhile, the 'U' shaped electrode source electrode 203a of the thin film transistor is shaped to have a channel having a larger area by forming a channel portion in a 'U' shape, and in some cases, may be changed to an 'L' shape. It may be formed in a general '-' shape.

On the other hand, reference numeral 204, which is not described, indicates a contact region between the pixel electrode 205 and the drain electrode 203b.

As shown in FIG. 9, in the liquid crystal display according to the first exemplary embodiment, a cross-sectional view of a portion passing through the column spacers on the gate line is disposed between the first and second substrates 100 and 200 formed to face each other. The column spacers 110 are densely formed on the first substrate 100 with almost no space. In this case, the column spacer 110 is formed on the first substrate 100 while the upper surface area of the column spacer 110 corresponds to the taper which is formed upward on the second substrate 200. The second substrate 200 may further generate some space for each column spacer 110.

The reason why the interval d between the column spacers is very narrow in the range of 0 to 1 μm is that the column spacers 110 on the first substrate 100 are semi-isolated. This is to control the fluidity of the liquid crystal flowing down at high temperature. In this structure, although not completely isolated pixel by pixel, it is easier to control the flow amount of the liquid crystal compared to the general structure in which the column spacer is formed at a predetermined position on the wiring for each predetermined pixel, and a very narrow gap between the column spacers Even when the cell gap is increased due to thermal expansion of the liquid crystal, the capillary phenomenon caused by the narrow column spacer spacing may be induced to induce a force to rise in the opposite direction of gravity, thereby preventing the liquid crystal from flowing downward.

In the above description of the first embodiment of the present invention, the case where the plurality of column spacers are formed on the upper substrate has been described as an example. The column spacers are densely arranged between the first and second substrates so that the liquid crystal flows downward. In some cases, for the same effect of preventing falling, it may be considered to be formed on the lower substrate, which is the opposite substrate.

The first embodiment described above has been described with reference to the TN mode, but the same structure may be used in the IPS mode, which adopts a structure in which a plurality of column spacers are formed on one of the upper and lower substrates.

Second Embodiment

FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating an upper substrate of a liquid crystal display according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is a plan view illustrating a lower substrate of a liquid crystal display according to a second embodiment of the present invention. 12 is a perspective view showing a state where the upper and lower substrates face each other in the liquid crystal display according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the upper substrate 300 of the liquid crystal display according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention may have a black matrix layer 302 formed on the first substrate (see 301 of FIG. 15) corresponding to the non-pixel region. And a color filter layer 303 formed in a pixel region on the first substrate including the black matrix layer 302, and a common electrode formed on the entire surface of the first substrate including the black matrix layer 302 and the color filter layer 303. 15, see FIG. 15). In addition, on the black matrix layer 302, a plurality of first columns corresponding to gate lines and data lines formed on a lower substrate (see 401 of FIG. 15) at close and dense intervals on a line in a direction parallel to each line. Spacer 310 is formed. In this case, the first column spacer 310 is formed at a tight and dense interval on the line passing through the corresponding wiring such as the gate line and the data line. In this case, a spaced interval (in the gate line direction) between the first column spacers 310 is about 0 to 1 μm.

As shown in FIG. 11, a gate line 402 and a data line 403 are formed on the lower substrate 400 of the liquid crystal display according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention to define a pixel area crossing each other, and formed in the pixel area. And a thin film transistor formed at a portion adjacent to the intersection of the pixel electrode 405 and the gate line 402 and the data line 403. In this case, the gate line 402 has a portion that passes through the data line 403 is thinner than the other portion. This is to reduce the parasitic capacitance generated at the intersection of the gate line 402 and the data line 403 by reducing the overlap area of the wiring at the intersection of the gate line 402 and the data line 403.

The thin film transistor may include a gate electrode 202a protruding from the gate line 202, a source electrode 203a having a 'U' shape from the data line 203, and a source electrode having a 'U' shape. A drain electrode 203b that enters the inside of the gate 203a and partially overlaps the gate electrode 202a and the pixel electrode 205 is formed.

Meanwhile, the 'U' shaped electrode source electrode 203a of the thin film transistor is shaped to have a channel having a larger area by forming a channel portion in a 'U' shape, and in some cases, may be changed to an 'L' shape. It may be formed in a general '-' shape.

FIG. 12 illustrates a second column spacer formed between an upper substrate 300 where the first column spacer 310 is spaced a predetermined distance from the gate line 302 of FIG. 11, and the first column spacer 310. The lower substrate 400 on which the 410 is formed is three-dimensionally shown to face each other. The spaced interval between the second column spacers 410 is about 0 μm to 1 μm of the second column spacers 410.

In this case, the second column spacers 410 formed on the lower substrate 400 are alternately formed with the first column spacers 310 on the gate line. That is, the first column spacer 310 and the second column spacer 410 are alternately formed on the gate line, so that the second column spacer 410 is sandwiched between the first column spacer 310. Similar to In this case, the first and second column spacers 310 and 410 have the same or similar shape to each other, and the size of the lower surface area formed on the substrate is the same. As described above, the distance between the first column spacers 310 is 0 to 1 μm, the distance between the second column spacers 410 is about 0 to 1 μm, and the first column spacer ( An interval (vertical line in the drawing) between the 310 and the second column spacer 410 may correspond to 0 to 5 μm.

The reason why the second column spacer 410 is alternately formed with the first column spacer 310 only in the gate line direction is that the gate line is formed on the horizontal line when the liquid crystal panel is erected. This is because it is effective in preventing the liquid crystal flowing down compared to the line direction.

In this case, the first column spacers 310 formed in the direction of the data line 303 of FIG. 11 are equal to a distance between the first column spacers 310 formed in the gate line direction, that is, in the gate line direction. It forms in the interval of 0-1 micrometer. Alternatively, the first column spacers 310 formed in the data line direction have a margin than the gap between the first column spacers 310 formed on the gate line, for example, a lower formation surface of the first column spacer 310. It may be formed at intervals of less than or equal to the critical dimension of to provide a part of the flow path of the liquid crystal on the data line. Here, the margin of the interval (vertical direction) between the first column spacer 310 and the second column spacer 410 is larger than the distance between the column spacers in the first embodiment to about 0 ~ 5㎛, the first Since the second column spacers 310 and 410 are formed on different substrates, this is a value in consideration of the bonding margin between the upper and lower substrates.

 In this case, the first and second column spacers 310 and 410 may be formed on the same line as each other, or as illustrated, the plurality of first column spacers 310 may be formed by the first column spacer 310. On the same line, the plurality of second column spacers 410 may be formed on the same line as the second column spacers 410 to form two adjacent lines on the gate line line. In the latter case, as described, the gap between the first column spacer 310 and the second column spacer 410 is formed at intervals of 0 to 5 μm, and in the former case, the first and second column spacers ( When the 310 and the second column spacer 410 are arranged on the same line, the distance between the adjacent first and second column spacers 310 and the second column spacer 410 is 0 in consideration of the bonding margin between the upper and lower substrates. It is formed by arranging at intervals of ˜5 μm.

Hereinafter, the change of the column spacer and the liquid crystal flow at room temperature and at high temperature of the liquid crystal display according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

13A and 13B are cross-sectional views of the liquid crystal display according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention, respectively, at room temperature and at high temperature.

As shown in FIG. 13A, the liquid crystal display according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention has a first column spacer 310 formed on the upper substrate 300 and a second column formed on the lower substrate 400 at room temperature. The spacer 410 is in contact with the lower substrate 400 and the upper substrate 300, which face each other.

As described above, when the surrounding environment of the liquid crystal panel changes to a high temperature, the first and second column spacers 310 and 410 in contact with the opposing substrates face each other, that is, the lower substrates 400, as shown in FIG. 13B. And from the upper substrate 300. In this case, the liquid crystal flows through the space between the first and second column spacers 310 and 410 on the gate line, but the first and second column spacers 310 and 410 are 0 to 5 μm from each other on the side surface. The first and second column spacers 310 and 410 are spaced apart from each other, and the first and second column spacers 310 and 410 are spaced apart from the opposing substrate at a high temperature. And since the separation space of the upper and lower substrates 300 and 400 is very narrow, the amount of liquid crystal flowing through the separation space will be very small. In addition, structurally, when the upper and lower substrates 300 and 400 and the first and second column spacers 310 and 410 are dropped due to the high temperature, the liquid crystal flowing in the space away from the substrate and the corresponding column spacer is again adjacent to each other. In order to meet the space of the second column spacer, the flow path of the liquid crystal has a zigzag direction, the flow is not smoothly performed, and the amount of liquid crystal flowing downward of the actual liquid crystal panel may be very small.

The liquid crystal display of the present invention according to the second embodiment has a shape in which the first column spacer and the second column spacer, which are structures on the first and second substrates, are fitted to each other on the gate line, as compared with the first embodiment. The liquid crystal is structurally prevented from flowing in the direction of gravity. In the case of the first embodiment described above, the liquid crystal fluidity is limited compared to the general structure. However, since the liquid crystal fluid is not a completely isolated partition structure, the cell gap between the column spacer and the substrate increases during thermal expansion of the liquid crystal. It is difficult to fundamentally control the phenomenon in which gaps are formed and liquid crystals flow.

However, in the second embodiment of the present invention, since the second column spacer pattern is densely formed on the gate line of the lower substrate 400, the flow restriction of the liquid crystal due to the double wall increases, and the column spacers are alternately arranged on the upper and lower substrates one by one. Since it is formed, the partition effect can be maintained even when the cell gap increases due to liquid crystal thermal expansion as shown in FIG. 13B. That is, even if the cell gap between the upper and lower substrates 300 and 400 widens due to liquid crystal thermal expansion at high temperature, the increase cannot exceed the thickness of the first or second column spacers 310 and 410, and eventually the liquid crystal is doubled. Blocked by walls of the first and second column spacers 310 and 410 are designed. In addition, even if it may flow like the liquid crystal flow path of the liquid crystal, it is considerably restricted compared to the general structure, so that the generation of light leakage at the bottom will be greatly reduced.

Therefore, the range of the proper dropping amount of the liquid crystal which satisfies the touch defect and the gravity defect at the same time is becoming smaller in general, while the liquid crystal display device of the second embodiment of the present invention has been strictly limited. It seems that the problem of liquid crystal amount can be solved. In other words, when the liquid crystal display device of the second embodiment of the present invention is applied, the amount of liquid crystal preferentially dropped onto the liquid crystal panel when the liquid crystal is dropped is set at a predetermined amount or more so that touch failure does not occur, and the degree filled in the liquid crystal panel is satisfied. The excess liquid crystal amount above can limit the flow of the liquid crystal in the downward direction through the isolation structure using the column spacer, thereby preventing the occurrence of a gravity failure. As a result, the touch failure is controlled through the amount of liquid crystal, and the gravity failure can be controlled through the structure.

14 is a plan view illustrating in detail a lower substrate of a liquid crystal display according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention applied to another mode.

The mode shown in FIG. 14 is an in-plane switching (IPS) mode and shows a structure in which the second embodiment described above is applied to the IPS mode. The above-described second embodiment described with reference to FIGS. 10 to 13B is described based on twisted nematic (TN) mode. As shown in FIG. 14, the isolation structure using the first and second column spacers 310 and 410 is IPS. When applied to the mode, the gate region 501 and the data line 502 formed by crossing each other on the lower substrate to define a pixel region are replaced with FIG. 11 in the above-described second embodiment, the pixel region Except for forming the pixel electrode 503 and the common electrode 507a alternately, and the common line 507 is formed in a direction parallel to the gate line 501 across the pixel regions, the rest of the structure Same as the second embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 14, in the structure of the second embodiment of the present invention applied to the IPS mode, second column spacers 550 are formed on the gate line 501 on the lower substrate, and as shown in FIG. 10, on the upper substrate. The first column spacer 310 may be formed at a portion corresponding to the gate line 501 and the data line 502.

15 is a cross-sectional view passing through column spacers of a liquid crystal display according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 15, the liquid crystal display according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes an upper substrate 300 and a lower substrate 400 disposed to face each other, and a first column spacer formed on the upper substrate 300. Filled between the second column spacers 410 and the first and second substrates 300 and 400 formed between the first and second column spacers 310 and 310 at a portion corresponding to an upper portion of the gate line. And a liquid crystal layer (not shown).

The upper substrate 300 may include a first substrate 301, a black matrix layer 302 formed on a predetermined portion (a portion corresponding to a non-pixel region) on the first substrate 301, and the black matrix layer. A color filter layer (see 303 in FIG. 10) formed on the first substrate 301 including 302 and a common surface formed on the entire surface of the first substrate 301 including the black matrix layer 302 and the color filter layer 303. Electrode 304. In addition, a first column spacer 310 is formed on the upper substrate 300 at predetermined intervals at positions corresponding to the gate line 402 and the data line 403 formed on the lower substrate 400. (See Figure 10).

In addition, the lower substrate 400 includes a second substrate 401, a gate line 402 formed in one direction including a gate electrode 402a on the second substrate 401, and the gate line 402. A gate insulating film 406 formed over the entire surface of the second substrate 401, a semiconductor layer (not shown) formed on the gate insulating film 406 to cover the gate electrode 402a, and a source electrode 403a. Protruded to form a data line 403 formed on the gate insulating layer 406 in a second direction perpendicular to the gate line 402, and a protective film formed on the second substrate 401 including the data line 403. 407 and a pixel electrode 405 formed in the pixel region above the passivation film 407 (see FIG. 11).

The liquid crystal display of the present invention as described above has the following effects.

In general, a liquid crystal panel manufactured by the liquid crystal dropping method tends to have a problem of gravity failure observed as a light leakage when a large amount of liquid crystal is filled in the liquid crystal panel and the excess liquid crystal flows downward to bulge at a high temperature. When insufficiently charged, the shift between the upper and lower substrates constituting the liquid crystal panel occurs when the touch of the hand or the like occurs, and the restoration is slow to the original state, and thus the touch defect observed by the light leakage tends to occur.

In the liquid crystal display device of the present invention, in consideration of the trade-off relationship between touch failure and gravity failure of the liquid crystal dropping method, the liquid crystal dropping amount is first set to a level such that touch failure does not occur, and the excess liquid crystal amount is lower By changing the pixel structure so as not to sag, it is possible to solve the touch failure and the gravity failure at the same time by preventing the gravity failure. That is, if there is an appropriate amount of liquid crystal in which touch failure and gravity failure do not occur at the same time, the amount of liquid crystal dropping is set within this range, or if there is no appropriate liquid crystal amount in which the area is large and the touch failure and gravity failure do not occur at the same time, the touch failure is preferred. The amount of liquid crystal is set to a predetermined amount or more so as not to occur, and the phenomenon in which the remaining liquid crystal amount flows downward at a high temperature is structurally prevented through the isolation structure.

In the liquid crystal display of the present invention, as a first method of preventing gravity failure, a column spacer is closely formed on a line corresponding to a gate line and a data line on a substrate to form an inter-pixel isolation structure. As a second method of preventing gravity failure, first column spacers are densely formed on a line corresponding to the gate line and the data line on the upper substrate, and between the first column spacers on the gate line on the lower substrate. The second column spacers are formed in the first and second column spacers to be alternately disposed on the gate line.

As described above, the present invention can prevent the occurrence of light leakage due to thermal expansion of the liquid crystal at a high temperature even if the appropriate liquid crystal amount and a little more amount are filled by applying the liquidity limiting structure of the liquid crystal to the adjacent pixels. That is, in an upright liquid crystal panel, column spacers are densely formed on upper and lower substrates corresponding to the upper gate lines in order to prevent the liquid crystal from sagging in the direction of gravity, thereby minimizing or structurally controlling the phenomenon in which the liquid crystal flows downward. . In this case, even though the liquid crystal between the upper and lower substrates expands at high temperature, the enlarged cell gap during expansion is expected to be smaller than twice the column spacer, so that the column spacers formed on the gate line are a kind of obstacle to the phenomenon of liquid crystal flowing. By acting as, the phenomenon that the liquid crystal sag downwards is minimized, so that gravity failure becomes difficult.

Ultimately, the liquid crystal display of the present invention has a structure capable of reaching manufacturing cost reduction in terms of improving yield and securing process margins.

Claims (10)

A first substrate and a second substrate facing each other; A gate line and a data line formed on the first substrate to define a pixel area crossing each other; A plurality of column spacers formed on at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate and disposed at an interval smaller than a critical dimension of a lower formation surface of the one column spacer; And And a liquid crystal layer filled between the first substrate and the second substrate. The method of claim 1, And the column spacers are disposed on a linear line to correspond to the gate lines and the data lines. The method of claim 1, And a separation interval between the plurality of column spacers is 0 to 1 μm. The method of claim 1, The critical dimension of the lower formation surface of the one column spacer is 1㎛ 50㎛ or less. A first substrate and a second substrate facing each other; A gate line and a data line formed on the first substrate to define a pixel area crossing each other; A plurality of first column spacers formed on the first substrate to be spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval corresponding to the gate line and the data line; A plurality of second column spacers correspondingly formed between the first column spacers formed on the gate line of the second substrate; And And a liquid crystal layer filled between the first substrate and the second substrate. The method of claim 5, The plurality of first column spacers and the second column spacers are formed in the same line, respectively. The method of claim 5, The spaced apart interval between the first column spacer and the second column spacer adjacent to each other is 0 to 5㎛. The method of claim 5, The first and second column spacers have the same shape and are formed on the first substrate and the second substrate, respectively. The method of claim 8, The critical dimension of each substrate lower formation surface of the said 1st column spacer and the 2nd column spacer is 1 micrometer-50 micrometers or less, The liquid crystal display device characterized by the above-mentioned. The method of claim 5, The first column spacer is formed at a first interval corresponding to the gate line, and is formed at a second interval corresponding to the data line, wherein the first interval is equal to or smaller than the second interval. Liquid crystal display.

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