Electro-optical device and electronic apparatus

Abstract

To provide an electro-optical device including an inter-substrate conductive part having excellent conductivity.SOLUTION: An electro-optical device includes conduction electrodes 21 provided in an outside area A2, and an insulating film 22 overlapping the conduction electrodes 21 in a plan view and having a plurality of opening 22a. A display device includes a device substrate 100 including a conductive film 210 having a plurality of opening side walls and an alignment film 12 having an opening side 210a exposing a conduction 22a 21 in the opening side 22a provided at a position overlapping the conduction 12a 21 and an insulating film 22 having a plurality of opening side walls in a plan view, a counter substrate 200 provided to face the device substrate 100 and having a conduction 51b 25 facing the conduction 51b 21, and conductive particles 511 including a core side 51a having flexibility and a metallic film side wall covering the core side wall. And a conduction member 50 for electrically connecting the conduction electrodes 21 and 25. The conductive particles 511 are in contact with the conduction electrodes 21 in the opening 12a.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an electro-optical device and an electronic apparatus equipped with the electro-optical device. [Background technology]

[0002] BACKGROUND ART There is known an electro-optical device that has an alignment film formed by oblique vapor deposition, and that is designed so that when the alignment film is formed, problems such as the alignment film blocking electrical conduction of the mounting terminals of the inter-substrate conductive portion do not occur.

[0003] The electro-optical device described in Patent Document 1 has a wall portion provided near the mounting terminal, and when an alignment film is evaporated, the wall portion casts a shadow on the mounting terminal, preventing the alignment film from being formed in the portion of the mounting terminal that is shaded by the wall portion, thereby avoiding blocking of electrical conductivity of the mounting terminal.

[0004] The electro-optical device described in Patent Document 2 covers the mounting terminals with a mask member to prevent the alignment film from being formed on the mounting terminals when the alignment film is vapor-deposited, thereby avoiding blocking of the electrical conductivity of the mounting terminals. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-17339 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-65438 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] The electro-optical device described in Patent Document 1 has the problem that it is difficult to make it smaller or narrower in frame because it needs to have a wall near the mounting terminal. Furthermore, in order to create a large shadow, the wall needs to be high, which makes it difficult to make it thinner. The electro-optical device described in Patent Document 2 has a problem in that foreign matter adhering to the mask member may fall onto the wafer, causing defects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] An electro-optical device according to one embodiment of the present application comprises a first substrate having a first electrode provided outside a display area, an insulating film or conductive film having a plurality of first openings provided at a position overlapping the first electrode in a planar view, and a first alignment film provided in at least the display area, a second substrate provided opposite the first substrate and having a second electrode, a conductive member having a first conductive member including a flexible resin member and a first metal member covering the resin member, and electrically connecting the first electrode and the second electrode, wherein the first conductive member is in contact with the first electrode exposed from the first alignment film within the first opening.

[0008] An electronic device according to one aspect of the present application includes the electro-optical device described above. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a plan view of an electro-optical device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the electro-optical device taken along line II-II in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a wiring diagram showing a circuit configuration of the electro-optical device. [Figure 4A] FIG. [Figure 4B] FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4A. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a conductive material. [Figure 6] FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of an inter-substrate conductive portion according to a modified example. [Figure 8A] FIG. 10 is a plan view of a conduction electrode according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8B] FIG. 8B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 8A. [Figure 9] FIG. 10 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of an inter-substrate conductive portion according to a second embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an electronic device according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings below, the dimensions of the components may be shown on different scales to make them easier to see.

[0011] For ease of explanation, the following description will appropriately use the mutually orthogonal X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis. A direction along the X-axis will be referred to as the X1 direction, and a direction opposite the X1 direction will be referred to as the X2 direction. A direction along the Y-axis will be referred to as the Y1 direction, and a direction opposite the Y1 direction will be referred to as the Y2 direction. A direction along the Z-axis will be referred to as the Z1 direction, and a direction opposite the Z1 direction will be referred to as the Z2 direction. In the following description, viewing in the Z1 or Z2 direction will be referred to as a "planar view," and viewing from a direction perpendicular to a cross section including the Z-axis will be referred to as a "cross-sectional view."

[0012] Furthermore, in the following description, for example, the expression "on a substrate" with respect to a substrate means that the substrate is disposed in contact with the substrate, that the substrate is disposed via another structure, or that a portion of the substrate is disposed in contact with the substrate and a portion of the substrate is disposed via another structure.

[0013] 1. Embodiment 1 In this embodiment, a liquid crystal device 300 will be described as an example of an electro-optical device. The liquid crystal device 300 is an active-drive transmissive liquid crystal device that includes a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) as a switching element for each pixel P. The liquid crystal device 300 is used as a light modulation device in, for example, a projection display device 1000 described below. In this embodiment, the projection display device 1000 is an example of an electronic device.

[0014] 1.1. Planar and cross-sectional structures of liquid crystal devices Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the planar structure of a liquid crystal device 300. Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing the cross-sectional structure of the liquid crystal device 300, and shows a schematic cross-sectional structure of the liquid crystal device 300 taken along line II-II in Fig. 1.

[0015] 1 and 2, the liquid crystal device 300 includes a light-transmitting element substrate 100, a light-transmitting counter substrate 200 disposed opposite the element substrate 100, a frame-shaped seal member 8 provided between the element substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200, and a liquid crystal layer Lc. Note that "light-transmitting" refers to transparency to visible light, and preferably refers to a visible light transmittance of 50% or more. In this embodiment, the element substrate 100 is an example of a first substrate, and the counter substrate 200 is an example of a second substrate.

[0016] As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal device 300 has a display area A1 for displaying an image and an outer area A2 located outside the display area A1. The display area A1 is provided with a plurality of pixels P arranged in a matrix. The pixels P are provided corresponding to intersections of scanning lines 3 and data lines 4, which will be described later.

[0017] The outer area A2 is provided with a scanning line driving circuit 6, a data line driving circuit 7, a sealing member 8, terminals 9, an inter-substrate conductive portion 20, and wiring 91. Although the liquid crystal device 300 and the display area A1 shown in FIG. 1 are rectangular, they may be of another shape, such as a circle.

[0018] The scanning line driving circuit 6 supplies scanning signals to the pixels P. In this embodiment, the scanning line driving circuit 6 is provided along each of the two opposing short sides of the display area A1 of the element substrate 100. Note that the scanning line driving circuit 6 may be configured on only one side.

[0019] The data line driving circuit 7 is provided along the long side of the display area A1 of the element substrate 100, and supplies image signals to the pixels P.

[0020] The plurality of terminals 9 are arranged along the long sides of the element substrate 100. The plurality of terminals 9 are mounting terminals on which external connection lines such as FPCs (Flexible Printed Circuits) (not shown) are mounted. Various signals such as image signals, synchronization signals, inspection signals, common potentials, and power supply potentials are supplied to each of the plurality of terminals 9 from the outside via the external connection lines.

[0021] The inter-substrate conductive sections 20 are arranged at each of the four corners of the liquid crystal device 300, and electrically connect the element substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200. The four inter-substrate conductive sections 20 are electrically connected by wiring 91, and a common potential is supplied from the outside via a terminal 9. The common potential is supplied to a common electrode 250 of the counter substrate 200 via the inter-substrate conductive sections 20.

[0022] Such inter-substrate conductive portion 20 is required to have good conductivity, as poor conductivity can cause a decrease in display quality. Furthermore, the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 is required to be compact due to demands for smaller size, narrower frame, and thinner liquid crystal device 300. The inter-substrate conductive portion 20 of this embodiment has a structure devised to improve conductivity and compactness. Details of the structure of the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 will be described in Section 1.3 below.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 2, the element substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200 are disposed with a liquid crystal layer Lc interposed therebetween. In this embodiment, the counter substrate 200 is disposed on the light incident side of the liquid crystal layer Lc, and the element substrate 100 is disposed on the light emitting side of the liquid crystal layer Lc. Incident light IL incident on the counter substrate 200 is modulated by the liquid crystal layer Lc and emitted from the element substrate 100 as modulated light ML.

[0024] The element substrate 100 has a base 40 and an insulating layer 30 provided on the base 40 . The substrate 40 is, for example, a glass substrate or a quartz substrate. The insulating layer 30 is made of an inorganic material such as silicon oxide (SiO2). The insulating layer 30 includes a plurality of insulating layers, and pixel electrodes 10, alignment films 12, transistors 1 (described later), scanning lines 3, data lines 4, and capacitance lines 5 are provided between or on the insulating layers.

[0025] The counter substrate 200 has a base 70, an insulating layer 60 provided on the surface of the base 70 facing the pixel electrode 10, a common electrode 250, an alignment film 13, and a conductive electrode 25 of the inter-substrate conductive section 20 described later.

[0026] The substrate 70 is, for example, a glass substrate or a quartz substrate. The insulating layer 60 is made of an inorganic material such as silicon oxide. The common electrode 250 is an electrode disposed opposite the plurality of pixel electrodes 10, and can be called an opposing electrode.

[0027] A common potential is supplied to the common electrode 250 from the outside via the terminal 9, the wiring 91, and the inter-substrate conductive portion 20. The common electrode 250 and the pixel electrode 10 apply an electric field corresponding to the common potential of the common electrode 250 and the pixel potential of the pixel electrode 10 to the liquid crystal layer Lc.

[0028] The sealing member 8 is disposed between the element substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200. The sealing member 8 is formed using an adhesive containing various curable resins such as epoxy resin. The sealing member 8 may also contain a gap material made of an inorganic material such as glass.

[0029] The liquid crystal layer Lc is disposed within an area surrounded by the element substrate 100, the counter substrate 200, and the sealing member 8. The liquid crystal layer Lc is an electro-optical layer whose optical properties change in response to the electric field generated by the pixel electrodes 10 and the common electrode 250. The liquid crystal layer Lc contains liquid crystal molecules with positive or negative dielectric anisotropy. The orientation of the liquid crystal molecules changes in response to the electric field applied to the liquid crystal layer Lc. The liquid crystal layer Lc modulates incident light IL in response to the applied electric field.

[0030] 1.2.Circuit configuration of LCD device FIG. 3 is a wiring diagram showing the circuit configuration of the liquid crystal device 300. As shown in FIG. 3, a display area A1 of the element substrate 100 is provided with a plurality of transistors 1, n scanning lines 3, m data lines 4, m capacitance lines 5, pixel electrodes 10, and capacitance elements 2. n and m are each an integer of 2 or greater.

[0031] A pixel P is provided corresponding to each intersection of n scanning lines 3 and m data lines 4 . The n scanning lines 3 are supplied with scanning signals G1, G2, G3, G4, . . . , Gn from a scanning line driving circuit 6, respectively. The m data lines 4 are supplied with image signals E1, E2, E3, E4, E5, . . . , Em from a data line driving circuit 7, respectively. A common potential is supplied to the capacitance line 5 via a terminal 9 .

[0032] 1.3.Configuration of the inter-board conduction section The configuration of inter-substrate conductive portion 20 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4A to 7. FIG. FIG. 4A is a plan view showing the configuration of the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 on the element substrate 100 side. FIG. 4B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 4A. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of a conductive material 50a used in the inter-substrate conductive portion 20. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the inter-substrate conductive portion 20. FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of an inter-substrate conductive portion 20 according to a modified example.

[0033] 6, the inter-substrate conductive section 20 electrically connects the element substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200. The inter-substrate conductive section 20 includes a configuration on the element substrate 100 side, a configuration on the counter substrate 200 side, and a conductive member 50 sandwiched between the element substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200.

[0034] 1.3.1. Configuration of the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 on the element substrate 100 side As shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B, and 6, the inter-substrate conduction section 20 has wiring 91, an insulating film 22, a conductive electrode 21, and an alignment film 12 as components on the element substrate 100 side. The wiring 91 is electrically connected to the terminal 9, and a common potential is supplied from the outside. The wiring 91 may be electrically connected to the capacitance line 5. In this embodiment, the wiring 91 is provided in the same layer as the capacitance line 5, and is formed in the same process and from the same material. Like the capacitance line 5, the wiring 91 has a structure in which TiN (titanium nitride) is laminated on Al (aluminum).

[0035] The insulating film 22 is provided on the wiring 91. The insulating film 22 includes a BSG (Boro-Silicate Glass) film 23 provided on the insulating film 22. The insulating film 22 is provided along the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction, and is provided in a vertical lattice pattern in plan view.

[0036] The insulating film 22 has an opening 22a. The opening 22a has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The width direction of the opening 22a is the X1 direction or the X2 direction, and the length direction is the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction. In other words, the opening 22a extends along the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction. In this embodiment, the opening 22a is an example of a first opening.

[0037] The conductive electrode 21 is provided on the insulating film 22 and on the wiring 91 exposed in the opening 22a, and is electrically connected to the wiring 91 within the opening 22a. In this embodiment, the conductive electrode 21 is formed using the same process and material as the pixel electrode 10. The conductive electrode 21 is formed of, for example, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide). In this embodiment, the conductive electrode 21 is an example of a first electrode.

[0038] The alignment film 12 is provided on the conductive electrode 21. The alignment film 12 has an opening 12a in the opening 22a. The opening 12a has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The width direction of the opening 12a is the X1 direction or the X2 direction, and the length direction is the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction. In other words, the opening 12a extends along the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction. In this embodiment, the opening 12a is an example of a second opening.

[0039] The alignment film 12 is an inorganic alignment film made of an inorganic material such as silicon oxide and formed by oblique evaporation. The evaporation direction of the alignment film 12 is direction d1 or direction d2, which intersects with the Y1 or Y2 direction in which the openings 22a extend. In other words, the evaporation direction of the alignment film 12 intersects with the Y1 or Y2 direction in which the insulating film 22 extends.

[0040] In this embodiment, the deposition direction of the alignment film 12 and the extension direction of the insulating film 22 intersect at an angle of 45 degrees or -45 degrees, but this is not limiting. The deposition direction of the alignment film 12 and the extension direction of the insulating film 22 may be perpendicular to each other.

[0041] The opening 12a is formed in a portion that is shaded by the insulating film 22 during vapor deposition of the alignment film 12. In other words, the opening 12a is a region that is shaded by the insulating film 22 and where the alignment film 12 is not formed. Therefore, the opening 12a is formed adjacent to the insulating film 22. The conductive electrode 21 is exposed in the opening 12a.

[0042] As described above, in this embodiment, the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 has the insulating film 22, and the insulating film 22 forms the opening 12a in the alignment film 12. Therefore, compared to the structure described in Patent Document 1 in which a wall portion is provided near the mounting terminal, the structure in which the opening 12a is formed in the alignment film 12 can be made more compact. In other words, the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 can be made more compact.

[0043] In this embodiment, the width 20w of the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 is approximately 600 μm, the same as the width of the conductive electrode 21. The width 22w of the insulating film 22 is approximately 1 μm. The thickness of the insulating film 22 is approximately 1 μm. The width of the opening 22a is approximately 6 μm. Therefore, the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 has approximately 85 insulating films 22, openings 22a, and openings 12a extending along the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction, respectively. In other words, in this embodiment, a large number of openings 12a exposing the conductive electrodes 21 from the alignment film 12 are evenly formed throughout the entire inter-substrate conductive portion 20, thereby achieving good conductivity. Furthermore, in this embodiment, a mask member is not used to achieve good conductivity in the inter-substrate conductive portion 20, as in Patent Document 2, and therefore defects caused by the use of a mask member can be avoided. In this embodiment, the width of the openings 22a is not limited to 6 μm, but is preferably 3 μm to 6 μm. The width 20w of the inter-substrate conductive portion 20, the width 22w of the insulating film 22, and the width of the opening 22a are shown as suitable examples, but are not limited to these. Some or all of these values ​​may be changed as appropriate depending on the specifications of the liquid crystal device 300.

[0044] 1.3.2. Configuration of the Inter-Substrate Conduction Section 20 on the Counter Substrate 200 Side As shown in FIG. 6, the inter-substrate conduction section 20 has an insulating layer 60, a conduction electrode 25, and an alignment film 13 as components on the counter substrate 200 side.

[0045] The insulating layer 60 includes a HDP (high density plasma) oxide film 26 provided on the insulating layer 60. The insulating layer 60 has protruding portions 60p protruding toward the element substrate 100 side and recessed portions 60a between the protruding portions 60p.

[0046] The protrusions 60p are arranged along the Y1 or Y2 direction and are arranged in a vertical lattice pattern in plan view. The recesses 60a have a substantially rectangular shape in plan view. The width direction of the recesses 60a is the X1 or X2 direction, and the length direction is the Y1 or Y2 direction. In other words, the recesses 60a extend along the Y1 or Y2 direction.

[0047] The conductive electrode 25 is provided on the insulating layer 60. The conductive electrode 25 is electrically connected to the common electrode 250. The conductive electrode 25 is formed using the same process and material as the common electrode 250. The conductive electrode 25 is formed of, for example, ITO. In this embodiment, the conductive electrode 25 is an example of a second electrode.

[0048] The alignment film 13 is provided on the conductive electrode 25. The alignment film 13 has an opening 13a in the recess 60a. The opening 13a has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The width direction of the opening 13a is the X1 direction or the X2 direction, and the length direction is the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction. In other words, the opening 13a extends along the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction.

[0049] Like the alignment film 12, the alignment film 13 is an inorganic alignment film made of an inorganic material such as silicon oxide and formed by oblique evaporation. The evaporation direction of the alignment film 13 is direction d1 or direction d2, like the alignment film 12, and intersects with the Y1 or Y2 direction in which the recesses 60a extend. In other words, the evaporation direction of the alignment film 13 intersects with the Y1 or Y2 direction in which the protrusions 60p extend.

[0050] In this embodiment, the deposition direction of the alignment film 13 and the extension direction of the convex portions 60p intersect at an angle of 45 degrees or -45 degrees, but are not limited to this. The deposition direction of the alignment film 13 and the extension direction of the convex portions 60p may be perpendicular to each other.

[0051] The openings 13a are formed in the areas that are shaded by the convex portions 60p of the insulating layer 60 during vapor deposition of the alignment film 13. In other words, the openings 13a are areas that are shaded by the convex portions 60p and where the alignment film 13 is not formed. Therefore, the openings 13a are provided adjacent to the convex portions 60p. The conductive electrodes 25 are exposed in the openings 13a. In this embodiment, the openings 13a are an example of a third opening.

[0052] As described above, in this embodiment, the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 has the protrusion 60p, and the protrusion 60p forms the opening 13a in the alignment film 13. Therefore, compared to the structure described in Patent Document 1 in which a wall portion is provided near the mounting terminal, the structure in which the opening 13a is formed in the alignment film 13 can be made more compact. In other words, the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 can be made more compact.

[0053] In this embodiment, the width of the conductive electrode 25 is approximately 600 μm, similar to that of the conductive electrode 21. The width 60w of the convex portion 60p of the insulating layer 60 is approximately 1 μm, similar to that of the insulating film 22. The thickness of the convex portion 60p of the insulating layer 60 is approximately 1 μm. The width of the concave portion 60a of the insulating layer 60 is approximately 6 μm, similar to that of the opening 22a. Therefore, the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 has approximately 85 convex portions 60p, concave portions 60a, and openings 13a extending along the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction, respectively. In other words, in this embodiment, a large number of openings 13a exposing the conductive electrode 25 from the alignment film 13 are evenly formed throughout the entire inter-substrate conductive portion 20, thereby achieving good conductivity. Note that in this embodiment, the width of the concave portions 60a is not limited to 6 μm, but is preferably 3 μm to 6 μm.

[0054] In this embodiment, the convex portion 60p and the insulating film 22, and the concave portion 60a and the opening 22a are respectively provided at positions that overlap in a planar view, but the convex portion 60p and the insulating film 22, and the concave portion 60a and the opening 22a may also be respectively provided at different positions in the X1 direction or the X2 direction in a planar view.

[0055] 1.3.3. Configuration of Conductive Member 50 of Inter-Substrate Conductive Section 20 As shown in FIG. 6, the conductive member 50 electrically connects the element substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200.

[0056] The conductive member 50 is composed of a conductive material 50a as shown in Fig. 5. The conductive material 50a is a conductive adhesive in which conductive particles are dispersed in a binder resin 54 as a main component. In this embodiment, conductive particles 51, conductive particles 52, and silver powder 53 are used as the conductive particles.

[0057] The conductive particles 51 are flexible resin-core conductive fine particles in which a spherical silicone resin core 51b is coated with an AU (gold) metal film 51a, and may be, for example, Micropearl (registered trademark) AU from Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. In this embodiment, the core 51b is an example of a flexible resin member, the metal film 51a is an example of a first metal member, and the conductive particles 51 are an example of a first conductive member.

[0058] The conductive particles 52 are hard, conductive fine particles each having a cylindrical inorganic core 52b coated with a conductive metal film 52a. In this embodiment, the core 52b is glass fiber, and the conductive particles 52 are plated glass fiber.

[0059] 6 , the conductive member 50 electrically connects the conductive electrode 21 and the conductive electrode 25 via a conductive particle 511 among the conductive particles 51 that contacts the conductive electrode 21 through the opening 12a, a conductive particle 512 among the conductive particles 51 that contacts the conductive electrode 25 through the opening 13a, and a conductive particle 52 that contacts the conductive particle 511 and the conductive particle 512. The conductive member 50 may include a portion where the conductive particle 511 and the conductive particle 512 are in direct contact with each other to electrically connect the conductive electrode 21 and the conductive electrode 25, or a portion where the conductive particle 511 and the conductive particle 512 are in direct contact with each other to electrically connect the conductive electrode 21 and the conductive electrode 25 via another conductive particle 51. In this embodiment, the conductive particle 511 is an example of a first conductive member, and the conductive particle 512 is an example of another first conductive member.

[0060] Since the conductive particles 511 are flexible, they are sandwiched between the hard conductive particles 52 and the element substrate 100, deform, and come into contact with the conductive electrode 21 exposed in the opening 12 a. Similarly, the conductive particles 512 are sandwiched between the conductive particles 52 and the opposing substrate 200, deform, and come into contact with the conductive electrode 25 exposed in the opening 13 a. In this way, in this embodiment, the conductive member 50 has flexible conductive particles 51, 511, and 512, thereby achieving good conductivity in the inter-substrate conductive portion 20.

[0061] In this embodiment, the distance between the opening 22a and the recess 60a is approximately 5 μm, and the width of the opening 22a and the recess 60a is approximately 6 μm. In this case, the conductive particles 51, 511, and 512 preferably have a diameter of approximately 3 μm. The conductive particles 52 have a base diameter of 4.2 μm and a length of 10 μm to 20 μm. The silver powder 53 has a diameter of 0.5 μm to 5.0 μm. The silver powder 53 may be omitted. The inventors of the present application have confirmed that this configuration can achieve good conductivity in the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 and maintain an appropriate distance between the opening 22a and the recess 60a.

[0062] 1.3.4. Modifications of the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 FIG. 7 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view showing the configuration of an inter-substrate conductive portion 20 according to a modified example. The modified example differs from the above-described embodiment in that the insulating film 22 is replaced with a conductive film 210. Note that the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components as those in the above-described embodiment, and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0063] The conductive film 210 is formed using the same process and material as the pixel electrode 10. The conductive film 210 is made of, for example, ITO. The width 210w of the conductive film 210 is about 1 μm, similar to the insulating film 22, and the thickness of the conductive film 210 is about 0.15 μm. The conductive film 210 is provided on the wiring 91 and is electrically connected to the wiring 91. In this embodiment, the wiring 91 is an example of a first electrode.

[0064] The conductive film 210 has an opening 210a. The opening 210a has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The width direction of the opening 210a is the X1 direction or the X2 direction, and the length direction is the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction. In other words, the opening 210a extends along the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction. In this embodiment, the opening 210a is an example of a first opening.

[0065] In this modification, the alignment film 12 is provided on the conductive film 210 and the wiring 91 exposed in the opening 210a. The alignment film 12 has an opening 12a within the opening 210a. The opening 12a has a substantially rectangular shape in a plan view. The width direction of the opening 12a is the X1 direction or the X2 direction, and the length direction is the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction. In other words, the opening 12a extends along the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction. In this embodiment, the opening 12a is an example of a second opening.

[0066] In this embodiment, the deposition direction of the alignment film 12 and the extension direction of the conductive film 210 intersect at an angle of 45 degrees or -45 degrees, but this is not limiting. The deposition direction of the alignment film 12 and the extension direction of the conductive film 210 may be perpendicular to each other.

[0067] The opening 12a is formed in a portion that is shaded by the conductive film 210 during vapor deposition of the alignment film 12. In other words, the opening 12a is a region that is shaded by the conductive film 210 and where the alignment film 12 is not formed. Therefore, the opening 12a is provided adjacent to the conductive film 210. The wiring 91 is exposed in the opening 12a.

[0068] The inventors of the present application have confirmed that good conduction can be achieved in the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 even with the configuration of this modified example. Note that the configuration using the insulating film 22 of the above-described first embodiment has better conduction than the configuration using the conductive film 210 of the modified example. In the modified example, the thickness of the conductive film 210 is thinner than that of the insulating film 22, and therefore the shadow of the conductive film 210 is smaller than the shadow of the insulating film 22 during vapor deposition of the alignment film 12. Therefore, the width of the opening 12a in the alignment film 12 is narrower than the width of the opening 12a, and the exposed portion of the wiring 91 is reduced.

[0069] As described above, the liquid crystal device 300 as an electro-optical device of this embodiment can provide the following effects. The liquid crystal device 300 of this embodiment includes: an element substrate 100 as a first substrate having a conductive electrode 21 or wiring 91 as a first electrode provided in an outer region A2 outside the display region A1; an insulating film 22 having openings 22a as a plurality of first openings provided at positions overlapping the conductive electrode 21 in a planar view; or a conductive film 210 having openings 210a as a plurality of first openings provided at positions overlapping the wiring 91 in a planar view; and an alignment film 12 as a first alignment film provided at least in the display region A1; a counter substrate 200 as a second substrate provided opposite the element substrate; and a conductive member 50 having conductive particles 511 as a first conductive member including a core 51b as a flexible resin member and a metal film 51a as a first metal member covering the core 51b, and electrically connecting the conductive electrode 21 or wiring 91 to the conductive electrode 25, wherein the conductive particles 511 are in contact with the conductive electrode 21 or wiring 91 within the opening 12a.

[0070] As described above, in this embodiment, by devising the configuration of the element substrate 100 side in the inter-substrate conductive section 20 that electrically connects the element substrate 100 and the counter substrate 200, it is possible to achieve good conductivity in the inter-substrate conductive section 20. Therefore, it is possible to realize a liquid crystal device 300 with excellent display quality.

[0071] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by devising the configuration of the element substrate 100 side of the inter-substrate conductive section 20, the inter-substrate conductive section 20 can be configured compactly, and a liquid crystal device 300 suitable for miniaturization, narrow frame, or thinning can be realized.

[0072] In the liquid crystal device 300 of this embodiment, the counter substrate 200 serving as the second substrate has a plurality of recesses 60a at positions that overlap with the conduction electrodes 25 serving as the second electrodes in a plan view.

[0073] In this manner, in this embodiment, by devising the configuration of the counter substrate 200 side of the inter-substrate conductive portion 20, it is possible to achieve good conductivity in the inter-substrate conductive portion 20. Therefore, it is possible to realize a liquid crystal device 300 with excellent display quality.

[0074] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by devising the configuration of the opposing substrate 200 side of the inter-substrate conductive section 20, the inter-substrate conductive section 20 can be configured compactly, and a liquid crystal device 300 suitable for miniaturization, narrow frame, or thinning can be realized.

[0075] In the liquid crystal device 300 of this embodiment, the opposing substrate 200 as the second substrate has an alignment film 13 as the second alignment film that overlaps with the conductive electrode 25 as the second electrode and the multiple recesses 60a in a planar view and has an opening 13a as a third opening that exposes the conductive electrode 25 within the recess 60a, and conductive particles 512 as the first conductive member other than the conductive particles 511 as the first conductive member contact the conductive electrode 25 within the opening 13a.

[0076] In this way, in this embodiment, by devising the configuration of the opposing substrate 200 side in the inter-substrate conductive section 20, it is possible to achieve good conductivity in the inter-substrate conductive section 20, and to realize a liquid crystal device 300 with excellent display quality.

[0077] In the liquid crystal device 300 of this embodiment, the alignment film 12 as the first alignment film is formed by vapor deposition in a direction d1 as the first direction in a planar view, and the openings 22a as the first openings and the recesses 60a extend along the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction as the second direction intersecting the direction d1 as the first direction.

[0078] In this manner, by arranging the plurality of openings 22a and the plurality of recesses 60a, in this embodiment, it is possible to form a compact configuration for forming the openings 12a and the openings 13a in the alignment films 12 and 13. In other words, it is possible to form the inter-substrate conduction portion 20 in a compact configuration.

[0079] In the liquid crystal device 300 of this embodiment, the conductive member 50 has a core 52b as a cylindrical inorganic member and a metal film 52a as a second metal member covering the core 52b, and a plurality of conductive particles 52 as a second conductive member.

[0080] Thus, the conductive member 50 includes flexible conductive particles 51 and hard conductive particles 52 made of an inorganic material. Therefore, the conductive particles 51 are deformed, and the deformed conductive particles 51 come into contact with the conductive electrode 21 exposed in the opening 12a, thereby achieving good conductivity in the inter-substrate conductive portion 20.

[0081] In the liquid crystal device 300 of this embodiment, the conductive electrode 21 as a first electrode and the conductive electrode 25 as a second electrode are electrically connected via conductive particles 511 as a first conductive member, conductive particles 512 as another first conductive member, and conductive particles 52 as a second conductive member that contacts the conductive particles 511 and the conductive particles 512.

[0082] Thus, the conductive member 50 includes flexible conductive particles 511 and 512 and hard conductive particles 52 made of an inorganic material. Therefore, the conductive particles 511 and 512 that come into contact with the conductive particles 52 are sandwiched between the element substrate 100 or the counter substrate 200 and the conductive particles 52, respectively, and are deformed. The deformed conductive particles 511 then come into contact with the conductive electrodes 21 exposed in the openings 12a, and the deformed conductive particles 512 come into contact with the conductive electrodes 25 exposed in the openings 13a, electrically connecting the conductive electrodes 21 and 25. Therefore, good conductivity can be achieved in the inter-substrate conductive portion 20.

[0083] 2. Embodiment 2 The schematic configuration of a liquid crystal device 300 as an electro-optical device according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 9. FIG. Fig. 8A is a plan view showing the configuration of the element substrate 100 side of the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 according to embodiment 2. Fig. 8B is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view taken along line BB in Fig. 8A. Fig. 9 is a partially enlarged cross-sectional view of the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 according to embodiment 2.

[0084] The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that the width of the opening 22b is narrower than the opening 22a in the first embodiment, and the width of the recess 60b is narrower than the recess 60a in the first embodiment. Note that the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components as those in the first embodiment, and the description thereof will be omitted.

[0085] In the second embodiment, the width of the opening 22b and the width of the recess 60b are each approximately 1 μm. In the second embodiment, during oblique deposition of the alignment film 12, the inside of the opening 22b is substantially in the shadow of the insulating film 22, so the opening 12a of the alignment film 12 substantially coincides with the opening 22b. Similarly, during oblique deposition of the alignment film 13, the inside of the recess 60b is substantially in the shadow of the protrusion 60p, so the opening 13a of the alignment film 13 substantially coincides with the recess 60b. Note that the values ​​of the width of the opening 22b and the width of the recess 60b described above are preferred examples, but are not limited to these. Some or all of these values ​​may be changed as appropriate depending on the specifications of the liquid crystal device 300.

[0086] In the second embodiment, the width 20w of the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 is approximately 600 μm, as in the first embodiment. The width 22w of the insulating film 22 and the width 60w of the convex portion 60p are approximately 1 μm. The thickness of the insulating film 22 and the convex portion 60p is approximately 1 μm. The widths of the openings 22b and the concave portions 60b are approximately 1 μm. Therefore, the inter-substrate conductive portion 20 has approximately 300 insulating films 22, openings 22b, openings 12a, convex portions 60p, concave portions 60b, and openings 13a extending along the Y1 direction or the Y2 direction, respectively. In other words, in this embodiment, a large number of openings 12a exposing the conductive electrodes 21 from the alignment film 12 and a large number of openings 13a exposing the conductive electrodes 25 from the alignment film 13 are evenly formed throughout the entire inter-substrate conductive portion 20, thereby achieving good conductivity.

[0087] In the second embodiment, the distance between the opening 22b and the recess 60b is approximately 5 μm, and the width of the opening 22b and the recess 60b is approximately 1 μm. In the second embodiment, the conductive particles 51 have a larger diameter than those employed in the first embodiment, for example, a diameter of 9.0 to 9.5 μm. The inventors of the present application have confirmed that by using conductive particles 51 with a diameter of approximately 9.25 μm, the configuration of the second embodiment can achieve good conductivity and maintain an appropriate distance between the opening 22b and the recess 60b. Note that when conductive particles 51 with a diameter of approximately 9.0 to 9.5 μm are used, the conductive particles 52 may be omitted.

[0088] As shown in Figure 9, conductive particles 51 with a diameter of approximately 9.5 μm are sandwiched between the element substrate 100 and the opposing substrate 200 and deformed, so that a portion of them contacts the conductive electrode 21 through the opening 12a and another portion of them contacts the conductive electrode 25 through the opening 13a, thereby achieving good conductivity in the inter-substrate conductive section 20.

[0089] In this embodiment, the convex portion 60p and the insulating film 22, and the concave portion 60b and the opening 22b are respectively arranged at positions that overlap in a planar view, but the convex portion 60p and the insulating film 22, and the concave portion 60b and the opening 22b may also be respectively arranged at different positions in the X1 direction or the X2 direction in a planar view.

[0090] As described above, the liquid crystal device 300 as an electro-optical device according to the second embodiment can achieve the following effects in addition to the effects of the first embodiment. In the liquid crystal device 300 of this embodiment, the opposing substrate 200 as the second substrate has an alignment film 13 as the second alignment film which overlaps with the conductive electrode 25 as the second electrode and the plurality of recesses 60b in a planar view, and has an opening 13a as a third opening that exposes the conductive electrode 25 within the recesses 60b, and the conductive particles 51 contact the conductive electrode 25 within the opening 13a.

[0091] In this way, the conductive member 50 can achieve good conductivity in the inter-substrate conductive section 20 by the flexible conductive particles 51 deforming and coming into contact with the conductive electrode 21 exposed in the opening 12a and the conductive electrode 25 exposed in the opening 13a.

[0092] 3. Embodiment 3 FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an electronic device, and is a schematic diagram showing a schematic configuration of a projection display device 1000 as the electronic device. The projection display device 1000 is, for example, a three-panel projector equipped with three of the above-described liquid crystal devices 300. The liquid crystal device 300R corresponds to the display color red, the liquid crystal device 300G corresponds to the display color green, and the liquid crystal device 300B corresponds to the display color blue. The control unit 1005 includes, for example, a processor and memory, and controls the operations of the liquid crystal devices 300R, 300G, and 300B.

[0093] The illumination optical system 1001 supplies red light RL, green light GL, and blue light BL of the light emitted from the illumination device 1002, which is a light source, to the liquid crystal device 300R, the liquid crystal device 300G, and the liquid crystal device 300B. Each of the liquid crystal devices 300R, 300G, and 300B functions as a light modulation device that modulates the color light RL, GL, and BL supplied from the illumination optical system 1001 in accordance with the displayed image. The projection optical system 1003 combines the light emitted from the liquid crystal device 300R, the liquid crystal device 300G, and the liquid crystal device 300B, and projects the combined light onto the screen 1004.

[0094] As described above, the projection display device 1000 serving as the electronic device of this embodiment includes the liquid crystal device 300 described above. Therefore, by employing the liquid crystal device 300 of this embodiment, the performance of the projection display device 1000 can be improved.

[0095] The electronic device is not limited to the exemplified three-panel projector. For example, it may be a single-panel, two-panel, or projector equipped with four or more liquid crystal devices 300. The electronic device may also be a smartphone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a camera, a television, a car navigation device, a personal computer, a display, electronic paper, a calculator, a videophone, a POS (Point of Sale), a printer, a scanner, a copier, a video player, or a device equipped with a touch panel.

[0096] Although the preferred embodiment has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. Furthermore, the configuration of each part of the present invention can be replaced with any configuration that exhibits the same function as the above embodiment, and any configuration can be added. [Explanation of symbols]

[0097] 1...transistor, 2...capacitive element, 3...scanning line, 4...data line, 5...capacitive line, 6...scanning line driving circuit, 7...data line driving circuit, 8...sealing member, 9...terminal, 91...wiring, 10...pixel electrode, 12...alignment film, 12a...opening, 13...alignment film, 13a...opening, 20...inter-substrate conductive portion, 20w...width, 21...conductive electrode, 22...insulating film, 22a, 22b...opening, 22w...width, 23...BSG film, 25...conductive electrode, 250...common electrode, 26...HDP oxide film, 30...insulating layer, 40...base, 50...conductive member, 50a...conductive material, 51, 511, 512...conductive particles, 51a...metal film, 51b...core, 52...conductive particles, 52a...metal film, 52b...core A, 53...silver powder, 54...binder resin, 60...insulating layer, 60a, 60b...recesses, 60p...protrusions, 60w...width, 70...base, 100...element substrate, 200...opposite substrate, 210...conductive film, 210a...opening, 210w...width, 300, 300B, 300G, 300R...liquid crystal device, 1000...projection display device, 1001...illumination optical system, 1002...illumination device, 1003...projection optical system, 1004...screen, 1005...controller, A1...display area, A2...outer area, E1...image signal, G1...scanning signal, d1, d2...direction, P...pixel, IL...incident light, ML...modulated light, RL...red light, GL...green light, BL...blue light, Lc...liquid crystal layer

Claims

1. a first substrate including a first electrode provided outside a display area, an insulating film or a conductive film having a plurality of first openings provided at positions overlapping the first electrode in a plan view, and a first alignment film provided in at least the display area; a second substrate provided opposite the first substrate and having a second electrode; a conductive member having a first conductive member including a flexible resin member and a first metal member covering the resin member, the conductive member electrically connecting the first electrode and the second electrode; the first conductive member is in contact with the first electrode exposed from the first alignment film in the first opening; Electro-optical device.

2. the second substrate has a plurality of recesses at positions overlapping with the second electrodes in a plan view; The electro-optical device according to claim 1 .

3. the second substrate includes a second alignment film that overlaps the second electrode and the plurality of recesses in a plan view and has third openings that expose the second electrode in the recesses; another first conductive member different from the first conductive member contacts the second electrode in the third opening; The electro-optical device according to claim 2 .

4. the first alignment film is formed by vapor deposition from a first direction in a plan view, and the first openings and the recesses extend along a second direction intersecting the first direction; The electro-optical device according to claim 2 .

5. the conductive member has a plurality of second conductive members including a cylindrical inorganic member and a second metal member covering the inorganic member; The electro-optical device according to claim 1 .

6. the first electrode and the second electrode are electrically connected via the first conductive member, the other first conductive member, and the second conductive member in contact with the first conductive member and the other first conductive member; The electro-optical device according to claim 5 .

7. the second substrate includes a second alignment film that overlaps the second electrode and the plurality of recesses in a plan view and has third openings that expose the second electrode in the recesses; the first conductive member contacts the second electrode within the third opening; The electro-optical device according to claim 2 .

8. 8. An electronic device comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 1.

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