TFT Substrate Height Increasing Member for Contact Hole Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
In liquid crystal display (LCD) manufacturing, aligning pixel electrodes and color filters on different panels leads to alignment errors, and the dry-etching process for forming contact holes is complex and costly.
Innovation Solution
A method for forming a thin film transistor array panel with a height increasing member under the contact hole, allowing for easier dry-etching by reducing the contact hole length and improving alignment between pixel electrodes and thin film transistors, using a gate line, gate insulating layer, semiconductor, data line, and light-blocking member to create a contact hole aligned with the height increasing member.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If pixel electrodes and color filters are disposed on different display panels, then manufacturing is simplified, but alignment precision deteriorates leading to alignment errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the pixel electrode and color filter formation onto the same display panel (TFT array panel). The color filter is formed on the TFT array panel in the same manufacturing process, eliminating the need for separate panel assembly and subsequent alignment operations between different panels.
Solution Approach 2:
The color filter is formed preliminarily on the TFT array panel before final assembly. By forming the color filter on the same panel during the manufacturing process, the alignment is predetermined and eliminated, avoiding post-manufacturing alignment errors.
2Manufacturing precision
If dry-etching is used to form contact holes in the color filter, then connection precision is improved, but process complexity and manufacturing cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
A protrusion is formed on the TFT array panel before the color filter deposition. This protrusion serves as a pre-established alignment feature that guides the formation of contact holes, eliminating the need for complex dry-etching alignment processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The protrusion acts as an intermediary alignment feature between the TFT array panel and the color filter. This physical reference structure simplifies the contact hole formation process by providing a clear geometric reference for alignment.
3Ease of manufacture
If contact hole length is reduced through height increasing member, then dry-etching difficulty is reduced, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protrusion (height increasing member) is formed preliminarily on the TFT array panel before color filter deposition. This pre-formed structure reduces the required contact hole depth, making the dry-etching process easier and more reliable.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact hole formation is segmented into two parts: the upper portion through the color filter and the lower portion through the protrusion. This segmentation reduces the total etching depth required, simplifying the manufacturing process.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method simplifies the dry-etching process, reduces manufacturing defects, and lowers costs by ensuring precise alignment and reducing the length of the contact hole, thereby enhancing the productivity of the thin film transistor array panel.
Implementation Method 1
the contact hole is formed by dry-etching the color filter
Implementation Method 2
aligning the pixel electrodes and the color filters to each other
Data Source
AI summary
A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor array panel includes; forming a gate line including a gate electrode and a height increasing member on a substrate, forming a gate insulating layer on the gate line and the height increasing member, forming a semiconductor, a data line including a source electrode, and a drain electrode facing the source electrode and overlapping at least a portion of the height increasing member on the gate insulating layer, forming a first insulating layer on the gate insulating layer, a data line and the drain electrode, forming a light-blocking member on a portion of the first insulating layer corresponding to the gate line and the data line, forming a color filter in an area bound by the light-blocking member, forming a second insulating layer on the light-blocking member and the color filter, and patterning the second insulating layer, the light-blocking member or the color filter, and the first insulating layer to form a contact hole exposing a portion of the drain electrode aligned with the height increasing member.