Thin Film Transistor Substrate Dummy Area Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Liquid crystal displays face misalignment issues due to the difficulty in accurately aligning pixel electrodes and color filters formed on different panels, leading to inefficiencies in the manufacturing process and potential dummy areas during exposure and developing processes.
Innovation Solution
A thin film transistor substrate design that incorporates a dummy area alongside the display area, where the dummy area includes vertical dummy pixels with dummy color filters, and the display area features a color filter layer exposing switching elements through contact holes, with dummy contact holes on the dummy color filter layer aligning with contact holes on the color filter layer, allowing for bridge connections and securing panel area usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If pixel electrodes and color filters are formed on different display panels, then the manufacturing process can follow conventional methods, but misalignment occurs between the pixel electrode and color filter
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the color filter formation process with the pixel electrode formation process by forming both structures on the same display panel. This integration eliminates the need for separate alignment between two different panels, thereby resolving the misalignment issue while maintaining ease of manufacture through a unified fabrication approach.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a dummy area with dummy color filters as an intermediary structure during the manufacturing process. This dummy area serves as a reference and mediator to facilitate precise alignment between the color filter layer and pixel electrode layer, enabling accurate positioning without requiring complex alignment procedures between separate panels.
2Ease of manufacture
If a dummy area is used during exposure and developing processes, then the color filter can be formed, but the dummy area reduces the effective panel area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the dummy area multi-functional by designing it to serve both as a necessary element for the exposure and developing processes and as an extended display area. The dummy color filters in the dummy area are configured to function similarly to the main color filters, allowing the dummy area to contribute to the overall display functionality while maintaining its role in the manufacturing process.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent recovers the dummy area that would traditionally be discarded or left non-functional. By configuring the dummy color filters and associated structures to work in conjunction with the main display area, the patent transforms the previously wasted dummy area into a useful extension of the display panel, thereby recovering lost area while maintaining manufacturing process requirements.
3Device complexity
If the dummy area is left unused, then the manufacturing process remains simple, but the panel area is not maximized
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the functional parameters of the dummy area by configuring the dummy color filters and associated structures to match the operational parameters of the main display area. This parameter alignment allows the dummy area to function as an extended display region, maximizing panel area utilization without requiring complex additional structures or processes.
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein is a thin film transistor substrate, including: an insulating substrate having a dummy area and a display area; a signal line formed in the dummy area on the insulating substrate; a switching element positioned in the display area on the insulating substrate; a color filter layer positioned in the display area on the insulating substrate and exposing a portion of the switching element through at least one contact hole; and a dummy color filter layer positioned on the dummy area on the insulating substrate and exposing a portion of the signal line through at least one dummy contact hole, wherein the at least one dummy contact hole formed on the dummy color filter layer and the at least one contact hole formed on the color filter layer are formed on the same position in a plane view.