Array Substrate ESD Protection via Integrated Capacitor Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
High-end liquid crystal displays are prone to electrostatic discharge (ESD) during manufacturing and usage, leading to product damage, yield reduction, and increased costs due to irreversible damage from static electricity and electrostatic breakdown at product test terminals.
Innovation Solution
The array substrate incorporates a capacitor structure formed by conductive layers with terminals in the same or between the layers, utilizing insulating materials to direct ESD away from terminals and into the capacitor structure, connected to ground to prevent damage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If terminals are disposed in the same layer as conductive layers without capacitor protection, then device complexity is reduced, but electrostatic discharge resistance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the terminal structure with the capacitor structure by disposing terminals in the same conductive layers as the electrode plates. The terminals share the first conductive layer, second conductive layer, and insulating layer with the capacitor, creating an integrated structure that provides ESD protection without adding separate protective layers or components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an insulating material as an intermediary substance filled between the terminal and the electrode plates. This insulating material electrically isolates the terminal from the capacitor electrodes while allowing the terminal to share the same conductive layers, enabling both ESD protection and electrical functionality.
2Reliability
If capacitor structure is added for ESD protection, then electrostatic discharge resistance is improved, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the terminal and capacitor fabrication processes into a single unified process. Both structures are formed simultaneously in the same conductive layers through the same patterning and deposition steps, eliminating the need for separate alignment processes and reducing cumulative precision requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary patterning of the conductive layers to define both terminal and capacitor electrode plate positions in advance. By establishing the geometric relationships between terminals and electrode plates during the initial layer formation, the design ensures proper alignment without requiring additional alignment steps.
3Reliability
If insulating material is filled between terminal and electrode plate, then electrostatic discharge protection is improved, but manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the insulating material deposition with the existing insulating layer formation process. The same insulating material used for the capacitor dielectric is also deposited to fill the spaces between terminals and electrode plates, eliminating the need for separate filling processes and additional material types.
Solution Approach 2:
The insulating material automatically fills the spaces between terminals and electrode plates through self-aligned deposition. The material conformally coats the surfaces and fills gaps without requiring precise positioning or additional alignment steps, allowing the structure to self-organize during the deposition process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution effectively reduces product damage and increases yield by preferentially discharging static electricity through the capacitor structure, protecting terminals and improving anti-ESD capabilities, thereby reducing production costs.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of first electrode plates and a plurality of second electrode plates are disposed in the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, respectively, and the first electrode plates and the second electrode plates are opposite to each other to form a capacitor structure
Implementation Method 2
Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) has become a technical problem of high-end liquid crystal displays... irreversible damage may be caused to the panel due to an instantaneous high current, environmental static electricity or device static electricity
Data Source
AI summary
An array substrate including a plurality of terminals, a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer, wherein the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer include an insulating layer therebetween, wherein a plurality of first electrode plates and a plurality of second electrode plates are formed in the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer, respectively, the first electrode plates and the second electrode plates are opposite to each other to constitute a capacitor structure, the terminals are provided in the same layer as the first conductive layer or the second conductive layer, or the terminals are provided in the same layer as a third conductive layer between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer. A method of manufacturing an array substrate and a display device is provided.