Bump Spacer Design for Uniform Gap in Display Devices
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Solution Overview
Problem
Liquid crystal display (LCD) devices face issues with maintaining a uniform gap between substrates due to deformation from external forces, which can affect light transmittance and potentially damage the substrates, and existing manufacturing processes are complex and inefficient.
Innovation Solution
A display device design featuring a bump spacer on a common electrode with an insulating layer, where the bump spacer's distance to common electrode openings is equal to its distance to organic layer openings, maintaining a uniform gap and simplifying the manufacturing process by using a single mask process for forming openings and spacers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a spacer is placed between two substrates to maintain a uniform gap, then the gap uniformity is improved, but the spacer can be deformed by external force causing substrate damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies beforehand cushioning by placing a bump spacer between the common electrode and the pixel electrode that protrudes toward the second substrate. This bump spacer acts as a pre-positioned cushioning element that absorbs external forces before they can reach and damage the substrates, while still maintaining the uniform gap between the two substrates through its controlled height and positioning.
2Manufacturing precision
If a complex manufacturing process is used to ensure precise spacer positioning, then the gap uniformity is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the formation of the bump spacer with the formation of the common electrode opening by using a single mask pattern during the manufacturing process. The mask simultaneously defines both the common electrode opening and the bump spacer position, eliminating the need for separate positioning steps and reducing manufacturing complexity while ensuring precise relative positioning between the spacer and electrode openings.
Solution Approach 2:
The bump spacer is formed as an integral part of the existing layer structure through the single mask process, where the mask pattern automatically defines both the electrode opening and spacer position. This self-service approach allows the manufacturing process to automatically ensure precise positioning without requiring additional alignment steps or complex positioning mechanisms.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided are a display device its method of manufacturing. The device includes a base; first and second thin-film transistors (TFT) on the base, adjacent to each; an organic layer covering the first and second TFT, including a first and second opening overlapping the drain electrodes of the first and second TFT, respectively; a common electrode on the organic layer comprising a common electrode opening overlapping the first opening and another common electrode opening overlapping the second opening; an insulating layer on a bump spacer which is on the common electrode; a first and second pixel electrode on the insulating layer overlapping the common electrode and electrically connected to the first and second TFT, respectively, wherein a minimum distance between the bump spacer and the common electrode opening is substantially equal to a minimum distance between the bump spacer and the other common electrode opening.