TFT Display Electrode Layout With Fewer Mask Processes
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manufacturing process of OLED display devices is complex, time-consuming, and costly due to the excessive number of mask processes required for forming electrodes and light-blocking layers.
Innovation Solution
The process is simplified by forming a light-blocking layer and an active layer using a single mask process, with the source and drain electrodes being formed under the active layer, all made of the same material and constituting the same layer as the light-blocking layer.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If separate mask processes are used for forming light-blocking layer and active layer, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity and manufacturing time increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the formation of the light-blocking layer and active layer into a single mask process. The source electrode, drain electrode, and light-blocking layer are formed simultaneously in one deposition step using the same mask pattern, eliminating the need for separate mask processes for each layer while maintaining precise positioning through the mask alignment.
Solution Approach 2:
The mask pattern serves multiple functions simultaneously: it defines the source electrode, drain electrode, and light-blocking layer positions in one step. This multi-functional mask approach reduces the total number of mask processes from 9 to 7 while ensuring proper alignment and positioning of all components.
2Manufacturing precision
If multiple mask processes are used for electrode and light-blocking layer formation, then manufacturing precision is improved, but productivity decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the deposition of source electrode, drain electrode, and light-blocking layer into a single mask process step. This merging of operations reduces the total number of mask processes from 9 to 7, thereby increasing manufacturing throughput and productivity while maintaining alignment accuracy through the unified mask pattern.
Solution Approach 2:
The light-blocking layer is formed simultaneously with the source and drain electrodes in advance of subsequent processing steps. This preliminary formation of all three components in one step prepares the structure for later etching and processing operations, improving overall manufacturing efficiency.
3Manufacturing precision
If multiple mask processes are used for forming light-blocking layer and active layer, then manufacturing precision is improved, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple deposition operations into a single mask process, reducing the total number of mask processes from 9 to 7. This consolidation eliminates redundant deposition and etching steps, directly reducing material waste, equipment usage time, and labor costs, thereby lowering overall manufacturing cost while maintaining positioning accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent eliminates unnecessary intermediate layers and processing steps that were previously required when forming light-blocking layer and active layer separately. By discarding redundant deposition and etching operations, the manufacturing process becomes more cost-effective while achieving the same functional result.
Data Source
AI summary
Discussed are a display device and a method for manufacturing the same, in which a source electrode and a drain electrode are disposed under an active layer of a thin film transistor, thereby simplifying a manufacturing process of the device, reducing a manufacturing time thereof, and reducing a manufacturing cost thereof. To this end, the source electrode, the drain electrode and a light-blocking layer are disposed on a substrate, and constitute the same layer and are made of the same material. An interlayer insulating layer is disposed thereon. A first contact-hole and a second contact-hole are disposed in the interlayer insulating layer. A first connection line connects the source electrode and an active layer to each other, and a second connection line connects the drain electrode and the active layer to each other, whereby the array substrate of the display device can be manufactured using the total of 7 mask processes.