Liquid Crystal Display Spacer and Light-Shielding Layer Crossing Region
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Solution Overview
Problem
In liquid crystal displays, the alignment of liquid crystal molecules is disordered near columnar spacers, leading to reduced aperture area and degraded contrast due to the light-shielding layer overlapping the spacers, which affects the display quality and aperture ratio.
Innovation Solution
A liquid crystal display configuration with a light-shielding layer and spacers arranged such that the spacers overlap crossing regions of the light-shields, including exposed regions outside the light-shielding layer, to maintain a gap between substrates while minimizing the area contributing to display degradation, thereby improving adhesion and aperture ratio.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a light-shielding layer is disposed to overlap the columnar spacer and its surroundings, then the alignment disorder of liquid crystal molecules is suppressed, but the area of the opening portion decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The light-shielding layer is selectively positioned only at the crossing regions where liquid crystal alignment disorder occurs, rather than uniformly covering the entire spacer area. This localized approach suppresses alignment disorder at critical points while preserving the opening portion area in non-critical regions.
Solution Approach 2:
The light-shielding layer is divided into multiple discrete light-shields arranged in a matrix pattern, with each light-shield corresponding to a specific crossing region. This segmentation allows the light-shielding function to be applied only where needed, minimizing the impact on the overall opening portion area.
2Strength
If the columnar spacer is overlaid on the pixel electrodes, then adhesion with the substrates is enhanced, but the liquid crystal molecule alignment becomes disordered near the spacer
Solution Approach 1:
The light-shielding layer acts as an intermediary element positioned between the spacer and the liquid crystal molecules. It suppresses the alignment disorder caused by the spacer's presence while allowing the spacer to maintain its adhesion-enhancing position on the pixel electrodes.
3Reliability
If the light-shielding layer overlaps the columnar spacer, then display degradation is reduced, but the aperture ratio decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The light-shielding function is applied locally only at crossing regions where display degradation occurs due to liquid crystal alignment disorder. This selective application maintains display quality in critical areas while preserving the aperture ratio in non-critical areas.
Solution Approach 2:
The light-shielding layer is segmented into discrete light-shields positioned at specific crossing regions, rather than forming a continuous overlay. This segmentation minimizes the total area occupied by the light-shielding layer, thereby preserving the aperture ratio while still addressing display quality issues at critical locations.
Data Source
AI summary
According to one embodiment, a liquid crystal display comprising a first substrate, a second substrate opposed the first substrate, a liquid crystal layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, a light-shielding layer including a first light-shield formed along a first direction and a second light-shield formed along a second direction and crossing the first light-shield, and a spacer which maintains a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, the spacer overlapping a crossing region where the first light-shield and the second light-shield cross each other and including an exposed region outside the light-shielding layer in a planar view.