Array Substrate Light-Shielding Portion Integration
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Solution Overview
Problem
The existing liquid crystal display (LCD) devices face challenges with misalignment during substrate attachment, leading to reduced aperture ratio and increased production costs due to the need for separate light-shielding processes and margins for error.
Innovation Solution
The proposed solution involves an array substrate design with integrated light-shielding portions formed at the same layer as gate and data lines, which prevents light leakage and misalignment by covering spaces between adjacent lines, thereby reducing the number of separate processes and costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If a separate light-shielding portion is disposed on the upper substrate to prevent light leakage, then light shielding performance is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The light-shielding portion is merged with the array lines (gate lines and data lines) by forming it in the same process step. The light-shielding portion is formed as part of the array line structure, combining two separate functions (array line and light-shielding) into a single integrated structure, thereby reducing device complexity while maintaining light leakage prevention
Solution Approach 2:
The array lines serve dual functions: they function as electrical connection lines for the display pixels and simultaneously serve as light-shielding structures to prevent light leakage in non-display regions. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate light-shielding portions, reducing structural complexity
2Reliability
If a margin of error is formed in the black matrix to compensate for misalignment, then alignment reliability is improved, but aperture ratio is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The light-shielding portion is formed in advance during the array line fabrication process, before substrate attachment. By pre-forming the light-shielding structure as part of the array lines, the design accounts for potential misalignment issues from the outset, eliminating the need for additional margin in the black matrix while maintaining alignment reliability
Solution Approach 2:
The light-shielding portion is formed using the same photolithography and etching processes as the array lines, creating a precise copy of the array line pattern in the light-shielding material. This ensures that the light-shielding structure precisely follows the array line geometry, providing reliable alignment without requiring additional margin
3Object-affected harmful factors
If separate processes are used to form light-shielding portions, then light shielding performance is improved, but manufacturing cost and production time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The light-shielding portion formation is merged with the array line formation process. Both structures are formed in the same process step using the same photolithography and etching sequences, eliminating separate manufacturing steps and improving production efficiency while maintaining light leakage prevention
Solution Approach 2:
The fabrication process continues without interruption by forming both array lines and light-shielding portions in the same continuous process flow. This eliminates idle time between separate processes and maintains continuous productive action throughout the manufacturing sequence
Data Source
AI summary
An array substrate for a liquid crystal display (LCD) device includes a substrate having a display region and a non-display region at periphery portions of the display region, the non-display region including first, second, third and fourth regions; a plurality of gate lines parallel to the second and fourth regions, the plurality of gate lines including a first gate line closest to the second region and a second gate line closest to the fourth region; a plurality of data lines parallel to the first and third regions and crossing the plurality of gate lines to define a plurality of pixel regions in the display region, the plurality of data lines including a first data line closest to the first region; and a light-shielding portion corresponding to the non-display region and disposed at the same layer as at least one of the gate line and the data line, the light-shielding portion including first, second, third and fourth portions corresponding to the first, second, third and fourth regions, respectively.