Angled Bidirectional Support Layer for LCD Spacer Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large liquid crystal display panels face issues with uneven gaps due to thermal expansion, rubbing, and pressing, which are difficult to manage with conventional spacers, especially when miniaturizing the spacers, leading to inconsistencies in the support layer and friction between substrates.
Innovation Solution
A support layer on the TFT substrate with a first semiconductor layer and a second metal layer, angled at 70° to 110°, provides a stable contact area for spacers in columnar form, allowing for a smaller support layer with reduced inconsistency and increased precision, even with miniaturized spacers.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the force for pressing the liquid crystal display panel is increased to increase the amount of deformation of spacers in columnar form, then the spacers are not lifted due to thermal expansion, but the friction force between substrates increases causing unevenness through rubbing
Solution Approach 1:
The support layer is divided into a first layer extending in a first direction and a second layer extending in a second direction crossing the first direction at 70° to 110°. This segmentation allows the support function to be distributed across multiple oriented structures, reducing the need for excessive pressing force while maintaining effective spacer support and minimizing substrate friction.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention transitions from using spacers alone to incorporating a bidirectional support layer structure that adds dimensional complexity. The first and second layers extend in different directions, creating a two-dimensional support network that enhances spacer stability without requiring increased pressing force, thus avoiding friction-induced unevenness.
2Object-generated harmful factors
If the area density of spacers in columnar form is reduced to increase amount of deformation without increasing friction force, then friction force decreases, but spacers plastically deform causing unevenness through pressing
Solution Approach 1:
The support layer is formed as a composite structure with a first layer and a second layer having different orientations. This composite configuration provides enhanced mechanical support that distributes pressing forces more evenly, preventing plastic deformation of spacers while maintaining low friction force between substrates.
Solution Approach 2:
By introducing a bidirectional support layer structure with layers extending in different directions (70° to 110° crossing angle), the invention creates a two-dimensional support network that enhances spacer stability. This allows reduced spacer area density without compromising gap uniformity, as the multidirectional support prevents plastic deformation.
3Manufacturing precision
If the support layer area is reduced to increase precision and reduce inconsistency, then manufacturing precision improves, but the contact area with spacers may become insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The invention maximizes the effectiveness of a reduced support layer area by orienting it bidirectionally. The first layer extending in a first direction and the second layer extending in a second direction (crossing at 70° to 110°) create a two-dimensional support network that provides sufficient contact area with spacers while maintaining a compact overall footprint, thus improving manufacturing precision without sacrificing contact adequacy.
Solution Approach 2:
The composite structure of first and second layers with different orientations enhances the mechanical efficiency of the support layer. This allows the support layer to maintain adequate contact area with spacers while occupying a smaller overall area, improving manufacturing precision and reducing inconsistency.
Data Source
AI summary
To implement a support layer which is smaller than in the prior art with a stable contact area with the spacers in columnar form even in the case where the spacers in columnar form are miniaturized.A liquid crystal display device is provided with: a first substrate; a second substrate; and a liquid crystal display panel having liquid crystal sandwiched between the above described first substrate and the above described second substrate, and characterized in that the above described second substrate has spacers in columnar form, the above described first substrate has a support layer in a region where the above described spacers in columnar form are formed, the above described support layer has: a first layer extending in a first direction; and a second layer formed on the above described first layer and extending in a second direction which crosses the above described first direction at an angle of 70° to 110°, and the surface of the above described spacers in columnar form on the above described first substrate side faces the portion where the above described first layer of the above described support layer and the above described second layer overlap. The above described first layer and the above described second layer of the above described support layer are rectangular in a plan view. The above described first layer is a semiconductor layer and the above described second layer is a metal layer.