Display Panel Spacer Offset for Planarization Recess Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
The yield of liquid-crystal display devices is compromised due to the thickness and flatness issues caused by recesses in the planarization layer at the edges of the color filters, leading to potential crooked spacers and inconsistent distances between substrates.
Innovation Solution
The design includes a color filter with sides that deviate from the center of the spacer, ensuring the recesses in the planarization layer also deviate from the spacer's center, thereby reducing the likelihood of crooked spacers and maintaining consistent substrate distances, improving yield.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the display device is made thinner and lighter, then the device becomes more fashionable and compact, but the planarization layer develops recesses at the color filter edges causing yield issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by intentionally offsetting the spacer from the center of the color filter. The spacer is positioned closer to one edge of the color filter than the other, creating an asymmetric configuration that prevents the spacer from being affected by recesses at the color filter edges. This asymmetric placement ensures that the spacer maintains proper height and positioning without being compromised by the recesses that naturally form at the boundaries of the color filter region.
2Area of stationary object
If the color filter size is increased to improve aperture ratio, then display performance improves, but recesses at the edges become more pronounced causing spacer crookedness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by creating different conditions in different regions of the display structure. Specifically, the spacer is positioned in a location where the local geometry does not suffer from edge effects. By placing the spacer offset from the color filter center, the local region around the spacer is isolated from the harmful recesses that form at the color filter edges, ensuring that the spacer maintains its intended geometry and positioning accuracy despite the large overall color filter area.
3Device complexity
If conventional center-aligned spacer configuration is used, then the structure is simple and symmetric, but recesses at color filter edges cause spacers to become crooked
Solution Approach 1:
The patent deliberately introduces asymmetry into the structure by offsetting the spacer from the center of the color filter. This asymmetric configuration breaks the symmetry that would otherwise cause the spacer to be equally vulnerable to recesses on all sides. By creating an asymmetric layout where the spacer is closer to one edge than the other, the design ensures that the spacer operates in a region free from the detrimental effects of edge recesses, thereby maintaining spacer straightness and reliability.
Data Source
AI summary
A display panel is provided. The display panel includes a first substrate; a second substrate; a shielding layer; a first color filter; and a spacer. The second substrate is disposed opposite the first substrate. The shielding layer is disposed over the second substrate, wherein the shielding layer includes two shielding pattern rows projected onto the second substrate. The first color filter is disposed over the second substrate and the shielding layer. The spacer is disposed over the first color filter, wherein the spacer includes a spacer pattern projected onto the second substrate, and the spacer pattern overlaps one of the two shielding pattern rows, and the one of the two shielding pattern rows includes an expansion portion, wherein the expansion portion has an edge and at least part of the edge is curved.