Display panel and method for manufacturing the same
By forming oxide or fluoride protective layers on both sides of the auxiliary layer and gate of the liquid crystal display, the corner hollowing and undercut problems caused by the difference in adhesion of metal copper and glass substrate are solved, reducing the electrostatic phenomenon and black screen Risk, improve production speed and product stability.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202210616673.4
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Patents(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2022-06-01
- Publication Date
- 2025-01-10
- Estimated Expiration
- 2042-06-01
AI Technical Summary
During the manufacturing process of liquid crystal displays, the adhesion between the metal copper and the underlying glass substrate is poor, resulting in corner hollowing and undercutting easily during gate wet etching, which in turn causes electrostatic and product defects, such as black screen and Horizontal line.
Prepare dense oxide or fluoride protective layers on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate electrode, and form a superimposed film layer of copper oxide and copper fluoride by oxygen and fluorine gas treatment to avoid damage to the gate electrode by peeling the photoresist pattern liquid , reduce the risk of undercut structure and reduce static electricity.
It effectively reduces the incidence of static electricity and black screen, improves the production speed and stability of the product, and reduces the defect rate of the product.
Smart Images
Figure CN114999918B_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the field of display technology, and in particular to a display panel and a method for preparing the same. Background Art
[0002] At present, in the field of processing and manufacturing of liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCD), the materials of the conductive layer metal are mainly aluminum and molybdenum. The advantage of aluminum and molybdenum is that the film forming process is simple. As a conductive metal material, the conductivity of copper is far better than that of aluminum. For display screens larger than 15.0 inches, using copper instead of aluminum as the conductive metal material can increase the panel resolution by 35.2%, the brightness by 32%, and the flicker (flicker) and line load can be greatly reduced. Therefore, in response to the current market demand for high-resolution panels, copper will be used to replace aluminum in future display panels.
[0003] As the size of TFT-LCD products continues to increase, in order to reduce the impedance of gate wiring and data wiring, copper metal is used as the scanning line / data line electrode material. Because the adhesion between copper metal and the glass substrate below is poor, a molybdenum metal layer needs to be formed on the glass substrate. In the process of gate electrode manufacturing, the gate electrode manufacturing process needs to go through gate sputtering, gate patterning, wet etching, and photoresist stripping to form a gate pattern.
[0004] When the gate is wet-etched, it is necessary to etch metal copper and metal molybdenum. The etching liquid is easier to etch for metal copper, but more difficult to etch for metal molybdenum. In order to ensure that the metal molybdenum below is completely etched away without residue, the etching time needs to be increased. However, for metal copper, over-etching occurs, and the corners of the metal copper are easily hollowed out and undercut. In the subsequent stripping process, the stripping liquid will remain in the hollowed-out and undercut positions of the corners of the metal copper, which will further aggravate the hollowing-out and undercutting of the corners of the metal copper. The gate insulating layer covering the metal copper is prone to cracks, which can cause static electricity in severe cases, resulting in defects such as black screens and horizontal lines in the product. Therefore, it is necessary to propose a new process method for preparing a gate electrode to solve the above technical problems. Summary of the invention
[0005] The present invention provides a display panel and a preparation method thereof based on the existing technical problems, which can solve the problem that in the existing gate wet etching, metal copper and metal molybdenum need to be etched, and the etching liquid is easier to etch for metal copper, but more difficult to etch for metal molybdenum. In order to ensure that the metal molybdenum below is completely etched away without residue, it is necessary to increase the etching time, but for the metal copper, over-etching occurs, and the corners of the metal copper are easily hollowed out and undercut. In the subsequent stripping process, the stripping liquid will remain at the hollowed-out and undercut positions of the corners of the metal copper, which will further aggravate the hollowing-out and undercutting of the corners of the metal copper, causing the gate insulating layer covering the metal copper to be prone to cracks. In severe cases, static electricity may be induced, resulting in undesirable problems such as black screens and horizontal lines on the product.
[0006] To solve the above problems, the technical solution provided by the present invention is as follows:
[0007] An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for manufacturing a display panel, the method comprising:
[0008] Step S10, providing a base substrate, preparing an auxiliary metal layer on the base substrate, and preparing a functional metal layer on the auxiliary metal layer.
[0009] Step S20, preparing a photoresist pattern on the functional metal layer, using the photoresist pattern as a barrier layer, and etching the auxiliary metal layer and the functional metal layer at the same time to form the required auxiliary layer and gate respectively.
[0010] Step S30 , preparing a protective layer on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate, and then removing the photoresist pattern.
[0011] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the material of the auxiliary metal layer in step S10 is metal molybdenum, and the material of the functional metal layer is metal copper.
[0012] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, step S30 specifically includes: placing the partial structure of the display panel formed in step S20 in a closed ashing chamber, and then introducing oxygen into both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate to form an oxide film on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate.
[0013] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, step S30 further includes: introducing fluorine gas to both sides of the gate, so as to form a stacked film layer of oxide and oxyfluoride on both sides of the gate.
[0014] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the protective layer formed on both sides of the gate in step S30 includes at least one of an oxide of the gate material or a fluoride oxide of the gate material, and the material of the protective layer formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer includes at least one of an oxide of the auxiliary layer material or a fluoride oxide of the auxiliary layer material.
[0015] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the liquid used for etching the functional metal layer and the auxiliary metal layer in step S20 is a mixed solution of nitric acid and phosphoric acid.
[0016] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the method for preparing a display panel also includes: step S40, preparing a gate insulating layer on the gate having a protective layer, preparing an active layer on the gate insulating layer, preparing an interlayer insulating layer on the active layer, and preparing a source and a drain on the interlayer insulating layer.
[0017] According to the method for preparing the display panel in the above embodiment, the present invention also provides a display panel, which includes a base substrate, an auxiliary layer arranged on the base substrate, a gate arranged on the auxiliary layer, and a gate insulating layer arranged on the gate; wherein protective layers are formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate.
[0018] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, the material of the protective layer formed on both sides of the gate includes at least one of the oxide of the gate material or the fluoride oxide of the gate material, and the material of the protective layer formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer includes at least one of the oxide of the auxiliary layer material or the fluoride oxide of the auxiliary layer material.
[0019] According to an optional embodiment of the present invention, a gate insulating layer is arranged on the gate having a protective layer, an active layer is arranged on the gate insulating layer, an interlayer insulating layer is arranged on the active layer, and a source and a drain are arranged on the interlayer insulating layer; wherein a light shielding layer is also arranged between the base substrate and the auxiliary layer, and the source is electrically connected to the light shielding layer through a signal via.
[0020] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: an embodiment of the present invention provides a display panel and a method for preparing the same, the method comprising: step S10, providing a base substrate, preparing an auxiliary metal layer on the base substrate, and preparing a functional metal layer on the auxiliary metal layer; step S20, preparing a photoresist pattern on the functional metal layer, using the photoresist pattern as a barrier layer, and etching the auxiliary metal layer and the functional metal layer at the same time to form the required auxiliary layer and gate, respectively; step S30, preparing a protective layer on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate, and then removing the photoresist pattern. According to the present invention, dense protective layers are prepared on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate before stripping the photoresist pattern, the material of the gate is metallic copper, and the protective layers formed on both sides of the gate are copper oxide film layers or copper oxide and copper oxyfluoride superimposed film layers, the material of the auxiliary layer is metallic molybdenum, and the protective layers formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer are molybdenum oxide film layers. The protective layer protects the gate, thereby preventing the etching solution used in the subsequent stripping of the photoresist pattern from further damaging the gate, reducing the risk of the undercut structure formed in the process of patterning the functional metal layer, reducing the static electricity phenomenon of the product and reducing the incidence of black screen of the product; the oxygen introduced in the process of forming the protective layer can remove part of the photoresist pattern, reduce the time for stripping the photoresist pattern, and improve the production speed of the product. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0021] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments or the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.
[0022] Figures 1 to 5 The present invention is a structural schematic diagram of a manufacturing process of a display panel in the prior art.
[0023] Figure 6 and Figure 7 The present invention is a schematic diagram of an abnormal structure in a preparation process of a display panel preparation method in the prior art.
[0024] Figures 8 to 13 A structural schematic diagram of a manufacturing process of a display panel manufacturing method is provided for an embodiment of the present invention.
[0025] Fig.14 A schematic diagram of a film layer structure of a display panel is provided for an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0026] The following descriptions of the embodiments are made with reference to the attached diagrams to illustrate specific embodiments in which the present invention may be implemented. The directional terms mentioned in the present invention, such as [up], [down], [front], [back], [left], [right], [inside], [outside], [side], etc., are only with reference to the directions of the attached diagrams. Therefore, the directional terms used are used to illustrate and understand the present invention, rather than to limit the present invention. In the figures, units with similar structures are represented by the same reference numerals, and the dotted lines in the figures represent those that do not exist in the structure and only illustrate the shape and position of the structure.
[0027] Figure 1-4 The figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of a display panel manufacturing method in the prior art. The adhesion between the metal copper layer and the underlying glass substrate is poor, and a bonding layer needs to be formed on the glass substrate first. The material of the bonding layer is preferably metal molybdenum. Figure 1 As shown, a glass substrate 11 is provided, a metal molybdenum layer 121 is deposited or sputtered on the glass substrate 11, and a metal copper layer 131 is deposited or sputtered on the metal molybdenum layer 121. Figure 2 As shown, a photoresist pattern 14 is prepared on the metal copper layer 131. Figure 3 As shown, the photoresist pattern 14 is used as a barrier layer, and the metal molybdenum layer 121 and the metal copper layer 131 are wet-etched to form the required auxiliary layer 12 and the gate electrode layer 13. Figure 4 As shown, the photoresist pattern 14 is peeled off to complete the preparation of the gate electrode layer 13 of the display panel 10 .
[0028] like Figure 6 As shown, in the above-mentioned gate wet etching preparation method, metal copper and metal molybdenum need to be etched. The etching liquid is easier to etch for metal copper, but more difficult to etch for metal molybdenum. In order to ensure that the metal molybdenum below is completely etched away without residue, the etching time needs to be increased. However, for metal molybdenum, there will be over-etching, and the corners of the metal copper layer (gate electrode layer 13) are easily hollowed out and undercut, such as undercut 132 and undercut 133. Figure 7 and Figure 5 As shown, in the subsequent stripping process, the liquid for stripping the photoresist pattern 14 will remain on the corners and undercut positions of the gate electrode layer 13, such as etching droplets 134 and etching droplets 135. The etching droplets will further aggravate the corners and undercuts of the metal copper layer (gate electrode layer 13). The etching droplets will also cause the gate insulation layer 15 covering the metal copper layer to be prone to cracks, such as cracks 151 and cracks 152. The greater the degree of the cracks, the more severe it may be, causing static electricity, resulting in technical problems such as black screens and horizontal lines on the product. The present invention proposes a new gate preparation process method that can solve the above-mentioned technical defects.
[0029] An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for preparing a display panel, the method comprising: step S10, providing a base substrate, preparing an auxiliary metal layer on the base substrate, and preparing a functional metal layer on the auxiliary metal layer; step S20, preparing a photoresist pattern on the functional metal layer, using the photoresist pattern as a barrier layer, and etching the auxiliary metal layer and the functional metal layer at the same time to form the required auxiliary layer and gate, respectively; step S30, preparing a protective layer on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate, and then removing the photoresist pattern. According to the present invention, dense protective layers are prepared on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate before stripping the photoresist pattern. The material of the gate is metallic copper, and the protective layers formed on both sides of the gate are copper oxide film layers or copper oxide and copper oxyfluoride superimposed film layers. The material of the auxiliary layer is metallic molybdenum, and the protective layers formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer are molybdenum oxide film layers. The protective layer protects the gate, thereby preventing the etching solution used in the subsequent stripping of the photoresist pattern from further damaging the gate, reducing the risk of undercut structures formed in the process of patterning the functional metal layer, reducing product static electricity phenomena, and reducing the incidence of product black screens. The oxygen introduced during the formation of the protective layer can remove part of the photoresist pattern, reduce the time for stripping the photoresist pattern, and improve the production speed of the product.
[0030] Preferably, the material of the auxiliary metal layer in step S10 is metal molybdenum, and the material of the functional metal layer is metal copper. The protective layer formed on both sides of the gate in step S30 is a copper oxide film layer or a copper oxide and copper oxyfluoride superimposed film layer, and the protective layer formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer is a molybdenum oxide film layer.
[0031] Preferably, step S30 specifically includes: placing the partial structure of the display panel formed in step S20 in a closed ashing chamber, and then introducing oxygen gas to both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate, so that an oxide film is formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate. Step S30 also includes: introducing fluorine gas to both sides of the gate, so that an oxide and oxyfluoride stacked film layer is formed on both sides of the gate.
[0032] Preferably, the liquid used for etching the functional metal layer and the auxiliary metal layer in step S20 is a mixed solution of nitric acid and phosphoric acid.
[0033] Preferably, step S10 further comprises etching the surface of the auxiliary metal layer with an acidic reagent to form an uneven surface, and then preparing a functional metal layer on the uneven surface to further increase the adhesion between the functional metal layer and the auxiliary metal layer.
[0034] The method for preparing a display panel further includes: step S40, preparing a gate insulating layer on the gate with a protective layer, preparing an active layer on the gate insulating layer, preparing an interlayer insulating layer on the active layer, and preparing a source electrode and a drain electrode on the interlayer insulating layer. In other embodiments, a light shielding layer is also prepared between the base substrate and the auxiliary layer, and the source electrode is electrically connected to the light shielding layer through a signal via, so that a stable voltage is generated on the light shielding layer, thereby avoiding the floating gate effect of the TFT device of the display panel and improving the working stability of the TFT device.
[0035] Specifically, Figures 8 to 13 A schematic diagram of the structure of a manufacturing method of a display panel in a manufacturing process is provided for an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 As shown, a base substrate 21 is provided, and the base substrate 21 is preferably a glass substrate. An auxiliary metal layer 221 is deposited or sputtered on the base substrate 21, and the auxiliary metal layer 221 is preferably metal molybdenum. A functional metal layer 231 is prepared on the auxiliary metal layer 221; the functional metal layer 231 is preferably metal copper. Fig. 9 As shown, a photoresist layer is deposited on the functional metal layer 231, and a required photoresist pattern 24 is formed by developing a photomask. Fig.10 As shown, the photoresist pattern 24 is used as a barrier layer, and both sides of the functional metal layer 231 and the auxiliary metal layer 221 are etched at the same time to form the required auxiliary layer 22 and gate 23.
[0036] like Fig.11 As shown, the steps Fig.10 The partial structure of the display panel formed in the process is placed in a closed ashing chamber, and then oxygen O2 is introduced into both sides of the auxiliary layer 22 and the gate 23, so that protective layers are prepared on both sides of the auxiliary layer 22 and the gate 23, and the protective layers formed on both sides of the gate are copper oxide film layers, and the protective layers formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer are molybdenum oxide film layers, that is, a dense copper oxide film 233 is formed on the left side of the gate 23, a dense copper oxide film 232 is formed on the right side of the gate 23, a dense molybdenum oxide 223 is formed on the left side of the auxiliary layer 22, and a dense molybdenum oxide 222 is formed on the right side of the auxiliary layer 22.
[0037] In another embodiment, in order to further increase the corrosion resistance of the protective film on both sides of the gate 23, as shown in FIG. Fig.12 As shown, the steps Fig.10The partial structure of the display panel formed in the process is placed in a closed ashing chamber, and then oxygen (O2) and fluorine (F2) are introduced into both sides of the auxiliary layer 22 and the gate 23, so that protective layers are prepared on both sides of the auxiliary layer 22 and the gate 23. The protective layers formed on both sides of the gate 23 are copper oxide and copper oxyfluoride superimposed film layers, and the protective layers formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer 22 are molybdenum oxide film layers, that is, a dense copper oxyfluoride superimposed film layer 235 is formed on the left side of the gate 23, a dense copper oxyfluoride superimposed film layer 234 is formed on the right side of the gate 23, a dense molybdenum oxide 223 is formed on the left side of the auxiliary layer 22, and a dense molybdenum oxide 222 is formed on the right side of the auxiliary layer 22. Fig.13 As shown, the photoresist pattern 24 is removed by using a photoresist stripping solution to complete the preparation of the gate 23 .
[0038] According to the method for preparing the display panel in the above embodiment, the present invention further provides a display panel, which is preferably prepared by the method for preparing the display panel in the above embodiment, and the display panel comprises a base substrate, an auxiliary layer arranged on the base substrate, a gate arranged on the auxiliary layer, and a gate insulating layer arranged on the gate; wherein a protective layer is formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate. The material of the protective layer formed on both sides of the gate comprises at least one of an oxide of the gate material or a fluoride oxide of the gate material, and the material of the protective layer formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer comprises at least one of an oxide of the auxiliary layer material or a fluoride oxide of the auxiliary layer material.
[0039] like Fig.14 As shown, an embodiment of the present invention provides a schematic diagram of a film layer structure of a display panel. The display panel 20 includes a base substrate 21, an auxiliary layer 22 disposed on the base substrate 21, a gate 23 disposed on the auxiliary layer 22, a gate insulating layer 25 disposed on the gate 23, an active layer 26 disposed on the gate insulating layer 25, an interlayer insulating layer 27 disposed on the active layer 26, and a source 28 and a drain 29 disposed on the interlayer insulating layer 27; wherein, a protective layer is formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer 22 and the gate 23. The material of the gate is metallic copper, a dense copper oxide film 233 or a superimposed film layer of copper oxide and copper oxyfluoride is formed on the left side of the gate 23, a dense copper oxide film 232 or a superimposed film layer of copper oxide and copper oxyfluoride is formed on the right side of the gate 23, a dense molybdenum oxide 223 is formed on the left side of the auxiliary layer 22, and a dense molybdenum oxide 222 is formed on the right side of the auxiliary layer 22.
[0040] To further increase the adhesion between the auxiliary layer 22 and the gate electrode 23, an acidic reagent is used to etch the surface of the auxiliary layer 22 to form an uneven surface, and then the gate electrode 23 is prepared on the uneven surface ( Fig.14 The specific uneven structure is not shown).
[0041] In other embodiments, a light shielding layer is further provided between the base substrate 21 and the auxiliary layer 22, and the source electrode is electrically connected to the light shielding layer through a signal via, so that a stable voltage is generated on the light shielding layer, thereby preventing the TFT device of the display panel from generating a floating gate effect and improving the working stability of the TFT device.
[0042] As described above, the present invention provides a display panel and a preparation method thereof. Before stripping the photoresist pattern, a dense protective layer is prepared on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate. The material of the gate is metallic copper, and the protective layers formed on both sides of the gate are copper oxide film layers or copper oxide and copper oxyfluoride superimposed film layers. The material of the auxiliary layer is metallic molybdenum, and the protective layers formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer are molybdenum oxide film layers. The protective layer protects the gate to prevent the etching solution used in the subsequent stripping of the photoresist pattern from further reducing damage to the gate, reducing the risk of undercut structure formed in the process of patterning the functional metal layer, reducing product static electricity and reducing the incidence of product black screen; the oxygen introduced in the process of forming the protective layer can remove part of the photoresist pattern, reduce the time for stripping the photoresist pattern, and improve the production speed of the product.
[0043] In summary, although the present invention has been disclosed as above in terms of preferred embodiments, the above preferred embodiments are not intended to limit the present invention. A person skilled in the art may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be based on the scope defined in the claims.
Claims
1. A method for preparing a display panel, characterized in that: The method comprises: Step S10, providing a base substrate, preparing an auxiliary metal layer on the base substrate, and preparing a functional metal layer on the auxiliary metal layer; Step S20, preparing a photoresist pattern on the functional metal layer, using the photoresist pattern as a barrier layer, and etching the auxiliary metal layer and the functional metal layer at the same time to form a required auxiliary layer and a gate respectively; In step S30, protective layers are prepared on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate, and then the photoresist pattern is removed. The protective layers formed on both sides of the gate include fluoride oxide of the gate material, and the protective layers formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer include fluoride oxide of the auxiliary layer material.
2. The method for preparing a display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the auxiliary metal layer in step S10 is metal molybdenum, and the material of the functional metal layer is metal copper.
3. The method for preparing a display panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: Step S30 specifically includes: Placing the partial structure of the display panel formed in step S20 in a closed ashing chamber, and then introducing oxygen to both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate, so that an oxide film is formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate; Fluorine gas is also introduced into both sides of the gate to form a stacked film layer of oxide and oxyfluoride on both sides of the gate.
4. The method for preparing a display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The liquid used for etching the functional metal layer and the auxiliary metal layer in step S20 is a mixed solution of nitric acid and phosphoric acid.
5. The method for preparing a display panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method further includes: step S40, preparing a gate insulating layer on the gate having the protective layer, preparing an active layer on the gate insulating layer, preparing an interlayer insulating layer on the active layer, and preparing a source and a drain on the interlayer insulating layer.
6. A display panel, characterized in that: The display panel comprises a base substrate, an auxiliary layer disposed on the base substrate, a gate disposed on the auxiliary layer, and a gate insulating layer disposed on the gate; Wherein, protective layers are formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer and the gate, the material of the protective layers formed on both sides of the gate includes fluoride oxide of the gate material, and the material of the protective layers formed on both sides of the auxiliary layer includes fluoride oxide of the auxiliary layer material.
7. The display panel according to claim 6, characterized in that: A gate insulating layer is arranged on the gate with the protective layer, an active layer is arranged on the gate insulating layer, an interlayer insulating layer is arranged on the active layer, and a source electrode and a drain electrode are arranged on the interlayer insulating layer; Wherein, a light shielding layer is further arranged between the base substrate and the auxiliary layer, and the source electrode is electrically connected to the light shielding layer through a signal via.
Citation Information
Patent Citations
Electric conduction structure, manufacturing method thereof, array substrate and display device
CN104733541A