JP2003255354A - Electrooptical device and electronic instrument - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electrooptical device wherein a cell gap can be kept constant over the entire surfaces of substrates although a conductive materials and the like exist. <P>SOLUTION: The electrooptical device is provided with a TFT array substrate (10) and a counter substrate (20) which are sandwiching an optoelectronic substance, the vertically conductive materials (106) for electric conduction between the substrates and a plurality of columnar spacers (401) disposed so as to be dotted within the plane parallel to the substrates for keeping the gap between the substrates in a prescribed thickness and disposed more sparsely in the vicinity of the conductive materials and more densely at other part within the plane. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the technical field of electro-optical devices and electronic equipment, and in particular, columnar spacers are used to keep a gap between two substrates at a predetermined value. The present invention belongs to the technical field of electro-optical devices having such electro-optical devices and electronic equipment having such electro-optical devices.

[0002]

BACKGROUND ART Electro-optical devices such as liquid crystal display devices are usually
A liquid crystal is sealed between two substrates on which electrodes, wirings, elements, etc. are formed. In such an electro-optical device, the gap between the two substrates, that is, the gap between the two substrates, that is, the layer thickness of the liquid crystal layer (hereinafter, referred to as “cell gap”). Is generally provided in order to maintain a constant value (for example, about 3 to 5 μm) over the entire surface of the substrate. here,
It is necessary to keep the cell gap constant. Otherwise, it may affect display characteristics such as light transmittance, contrast ratio, response speed, and in the worst case, display unevenness may occur. Because.

As the spacer, more specifically,
For example, those having a microscopic, substantially spherical shape are widely used. In the case of a direct-viewing type (large size) liquid crystal display device such as a liquid crystal television and a monitor, many of such minute spherical spacers are evenly dispersed and used in the liquid crystal between two substrates. To be done. On the other hand, in the case of a small-sized liquid crystal display device such as a light valve of a projector that performs enlarged display, it may be used in a mixed form in a sealing material that mutually adheres two substrates.

Further, as another example of the spacer, a spacer having a so-called columnar shape (hereinafter referred to as "columnar spacer") is also used. This is a spacer used in the form of a columnar member made of a suitable organic material, etc. standing on the substrate at appropriate intervals, and the two substrates are separated by the axial proof strength of the column. It supports and maintains a constant cell gap between them. Here, the "appropriate interval" is, for example, in the related art such that one columnar spacer exists in several pixels to several tens of pixels. By the way, even when such a columnar spacer is used, the above-mentioned substantially spherical spacer mixed and used in the sealing material (hereinafter, the spacer in the sealing material is referred to as a “gap material”). ).) Is commonly used together. This makes it possible to better meet the requirement for a constant cell gap over the entire surface of the substrate.

The accuracy in the case where the distance between the substrates is kept "constant" varies depending on the difference in the "twist angle" between the two substrates of the liquid crystal molecules constituting the layer made of liquid crystal. , T where the twist angle is 90 °
In the case of the N (Twisted Nematic) type, the STN (Supe is about ± 0.1 μm or less and the twist angle is about 260 °.
In the case of r Twisted Nematic type, approximately ± 0.3 μm or less is required.

[0006]

However, the conventional spacer has the following problems.
That is, in the liquid crystal display device as described above, a conductive material may be provided in order to establish electrical conduction between the two substrates, but the presence of this conductive material keeps the cell gap constant. Is a difficult point. Here, the conductive material is made of, for example, a paste containing a conductive powder material such as silver powder, and generally the four corners of the substrate, more specifically, the periphery of the substrate for sticking between the two substrates. In general, it is provided at the four corners of the square shape in the seal material arranged in a square shape.

The above situation will be described more specifically below. First, the manufacturing of the liquid crystal display device is performed as follows. That is, in advance, the necessary structures such as electrodes, wirings, elements, etc. were formed on each of the two substrates, and then
A sealing material mixed with the gap material around at least one of the two substrates is applied in a square shape so as to substantially match the shape around the substrates, and silver powder is applied to the four corners of the square shape. After applying a paste-like conductive material including the above (seal material applying step), the two substrates are bonded together (bonding step), and finally liquid crystal is injected into the gap through the liquid crystal inlet. Introduced by vacuum suction,
Becomes

In such a manufacturing process, the bonding process is generally performed while applying an appropriate pressure to the two substrates. At this time, the gap material contained in the sealing material is used. And the conductive powder material such as silver powder that constitutes the conductive material generally have different drag forces caused by them.

For this reason, the cell gap in the portion where the conductive material is present becomes larger than that in the other portions. This is because, in the bonding step, as described above, the bonding of the two substrates is executed while using an appropriate pressure, and therefore the sealing material or the gap material in the sealing material resists the pressure. As described above, a predetermined drag force is generated against the substrates that are approaching each other, and the conductive powder material forming the conductive material also similarly generates a predetermined force. Is generally less than the latter drag. That is, the drag force caused by the gap material is generally smaller than the drag force caused by the conductive powder material, and in the case where the conductive material is provided at the four corners as described above, the four corner portions are compared with other portions. It means that the cell gap is large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an electro-optical device capable of maintaining a constant cell gap over the entire surface of a substrate despite the presence of a conductive material and the like. An object is to provide an electronic device including an electro-optical device.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an electro-optical device according to the present invention has a pair of substrates sandwiching an electro-optical substance and a conduction for electrically conducting the pair of substrates. A plurality of materials, and a plurality of them are arranged so as to be scattered in the surfaces of the pair of substrates facing each other, and in the surface, more sparse in the vicinity of the conducting material, and more dense in areas other than the vicinity of the conducting material. And columnar spacers arranged.

According to the electro-optical device of the present invention, first, the columnar spacer can maintain the gap sandwiched by the pair of substrates at a predetermined thickness. Further, in the present invention, since the conductive material for electrically conducting the pair of substrates is provided, for example, only one of the pair of substrates is provided with the terminal capable of being connected to the outside. Then, it becomes possible to maintain the predetermined potential of, for example, an electrode or the like provided on the other substrate of the pair of substrates from the terminal via the conductive material.

Incidentally, such a conductive material is typically used in a seal material arranged in a square shape around the substrates for adhering a pair of substrates, and the four corners of the square shape,
Alternatively, it is generally provided in at least one of the four corners.

The conductive material is generally made of a paste material mixed with a conductive powder material such as silver powder.

Here, in the present invention, in particular, a plurality of the columnar spacers are arranged between a pair of substrates so as to be scattered in a plane parallel to the pair of substrates, and in the plane, near the conductive material. Are more sparsely populated, otherwise they are more densely populated. Therefore, the drag force due to the columnar spacers near the conducting material is smaller than that in other portions. As a result, if a considerably large pressure is applied when the pair of substrates are bonded together, the pressure cannot be sufficiently resisted in the vicinity of the conductive material. Therefore, even if the silver powder or the like in the conductive material generates a large drag force, it is possible to secure a cell gap having a predetermined thickness by looking around the conductive material as a whole.

By the way, it is extremely difficult to realize such a thing in the scattered form of the substantially spherical spacers which have been widely used in the past. That is, in a form in which substantially spherical spacers are scattered between the pair of substrates, in order to prevent the cell gap from becoming wider in the vicinity of the conductive material, in other words, to narrow the cell gap other than in the vicinity of the conductive material, It is necessary to disperse the spacers densely except in the vicinity of the conductive material, which is extremely difficult. In view of such circumstances, the superiority of using the columnar spacer in the present invention is confirmed.

From the above, according to the present invention, the gap between the pair of substrates in the vicinity of the conductive material, that is, the cell gap can be maintained at a predetermined thickness, and thus the cell gap over the entire surface of the substrate can be maintained at the predetermined thickness. Can be kept at
Further, from this, according to the electro-optical device of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the display characteristics such as the light transmittance, the contrast ratio, and the response speed are adversely affected due to the nonuniformity of the cell gap. In addition, since it is possible to reduce the possibility of causing display unevenness and the like, it is possible to improve image quality.

In the present invention, the term "vicinity" means a region that covers an appropriate range with the conductive material as the center. Further speaking, "near" means that the columnar spacers should be sparsely arranged, and to what extent they should be, in order to prevent the above-mentioned image defects such as display unevenness from occurring. It is considered and specifically decided.

For example, first, more generally, the display unevenness may be observed in the order of mm (millimeter) to about 1 cm.
The region where the columnar spacers are to be arranged sparsely is determined in consideration of such circumstances. More specifically, when the image display area is 2 inches, it is 5 mm.
Since some display unevenness may be observed, the regions where the columnar spacers are to be sparsely arranged are determined, for example, about 3 to 7 mm with the value of 5 mm therebetween.

In short, "near" in the present invention means empirical, experimental, theoretical, including the above-mentioned contents.
Alternatively, it is a matter that can be appropriately determined by simulation or the like.

In one aspect of the electro-optical device of the present invention, the columnar spacers arranged in the vicinity of the conducting material are more preferably within a semi-circular or fan-shaped region centered on the conducting material in the plane. It is sparsely arranged.

According to this aspect, it is possible to more effectively enjoy the above-described effects of the present invention.
This is because, in the case where the cell gap in the vicinity of the conductive material becomes larger than that in other portions, which has been a problem in the related art, the area that becomes larger is generally a semicircular shape centered on the conductive material or This is because it was fan-shaped. In other words, it was general that the portion where the conductive material itself was provided was the most difficult to be crushed, the cell gap was the largest, and the cell gap was gradually reduced radially based on that.

However, in this embodiment, the columnar spacers are more sparsely arranged in the semi-circular or fan-shaped region centering on the conductive material in the above-mentioned plane, so that the above-mentioned characteristic features are obtained. It is possible to more effectively eliminate the nonuniformity of the cell gap. Further, the number of columnar spacers to be densely arranged can be suppressed to a necessary minimum.

The term "semi-circular shape" as used in this embodiment literally means that "a shape of one part of a true circle cut into two parts" has the meaning. Of course, for example, "a shape which one part has when an ellipse is cut into two with its major axis or minor axis", that is, a so-called semi-elliptical shape or the like is also included.

As described above, the conductive material is typically provided at the four corners of the seal material arranged in a square shape, but in that case, the columnar material should be arranged more sparsely. The spacer region is preferably fan-shaped.

In addition, the concept of "semi-circular area" or "fan-shaped area" in the present embodiment is not limited to "semi-circular shape" or "fan-shaped", and various shapes are excluded. It is a concept including irregular shapes.

In another aspect of the electro-optical device of the present invention, pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix and switching elements connected to each of the pixel electrodes are provided on a first substrate, which is one of the pair of substrates. A light-shielding film corresponding to the matrix is provided on at least one of the other second substrate and the first substrate, and the columnar spacers are arranged within the width of the light-shielding film. There is.

According to this aspect, for example, each of the pixel electrodes is provided via a switching element such as a thin film transistor (hereinafter appropriately referred to as “TFT”) or a thin film diode (hereinafter appropriately referred to as “TFD”). Since it is possible to apply a predetermined electric field, so-called active matrix driving is possible. A so-called "pixel" is defined as a unit including at least one pixel electrode and one switching element. Further, since a light-shielding film corresponding to a matrix, that is, a light-shielding film having a lattice shape, a stripe shape, or the like is provided, the light between pixels is mixed, which causes a reduction in contrast ratio. There is no. Further, when a known color filter is provided, color mixture can be prevented.

In this embodiment, in particular, the columnar spacer is
It is arranged within the range of the width of the light shielding film. That is, since the columnar spacers are provided in a portion that is not directly related to the display of the image, the provision of the columnar spacers does not impair the brightness of the image.

In another aspect of the electro-optical device of the present invention, an alignment film formed on the side of each of the pair of substrates facing the electro-optical material is further provided, and the columnar spacers correspond to the matrix. It is arranged at a corner in the intersection in the shaded region.

According to this aspect, the columnar spacers are, so to speak, arranged in the vicinity of the corners of the pixel electrode. From this and the relationship between the alignment film particularly provided in this embodiment, the following operational effects are enjoyed.

That is, according to this aspect, it is possible to suitably perform the rubbing treatment which is usually required to be performed on the alignment film. Here, the rubbing treatment means a treatment of rubbing the orientation film surface after firing in a certain direction with a buff cloth wound around a rotating metal roller or the like. This allows
It is possible to align the orientation of liquid crystal, which is an example of an electro-optical material, in a predetermined direction. This is because the polymer main chain of polyimide forming the alignment film is stretched in the rubbing direction, and the liquid crystal distribution is aligned along the stretching direction.

By the way, such a rubbing treatment is preferably carried out as uniformly as possible on the entire surface of the alignment film. However, on each of the pair of substrates, various structures such as electrodes, wirings, and elements are usually formed, and columnar spacers are also provided particularly in the present invention. Therefore, the rubbing treatment is performed on the entire surface of the alignment film. Difficulty in performing uniformly. This is because the various structures and the columnar spacers have a “height”, and therefore, the surface of the alignment film after firing usually has irregularities corresponding to the height. That is, even if the unevenness is rubbed by the rotating roller or the like, for example, the uneven part may not be sufficiently rubbed. Therefore, in this case, the quality of the image may be adversely affected.

However, in this aspect, the columnar spacers are arranged at the corners of the intersecting portion, so that the above-mentioned problems can be solved to a considerable extent.

That is, according to the arrangement of the columnar spacers according to this aspect, the central portion in the intersection and the peripheral portion other than the corners in the intersection have a substantially flat surface without the columnar spacers arranged. Become. In such a case, the rubbing process is performed from the corner to the center of the intersection. According to this, due to the “height” of the columnar spacer, the shadowed portion, that is, the portion where it is difficult to effectively perform the rubbing process is included in the intersection.

By the way, the intersecting portion is an intersecting portion in a light-shielding region corresponding to a so-called "gap" between pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix in the first place, and as described above, this light-shielding region is formed. In view of the fact that a light-shielding film or the like is generally provided, as described above, keeping the rubbing treatment ineffective portion in the intersection,
It can be seen that it is suitable for improving the image quality. In other words, even if there is a rubbing process ineffective portion in such a light-shielded region, it does not significantly affect the image quality. In other words, as long as the columnar spacers are provided, some portion of the rubbing process ineffectiveness occurs, but according to this aspect, it is possible to confine the portion to a portion that does not affect the display of the image. In a sense, it can be said that a suitable rubbing process can be performed.

The crossing portion is assumed to be square, for example, and the columnar spacer is arranged in the upper left corner which is one of the corners. It is possible to In this case, the central part of the square and the peripheral part including the upper right corner, the lower left corner and the lower right corner in the square are substantially flat surfaces. Therefore, the direction of the rubbing process in such a case may be set such that the direction from the upper left corner to the central portion or the lower right corner with respect to the square.

In this aspect, in particular, one of the pair of substrates on which the columnar spacers are arranged is further provided with an alignment film subjected to a rubbing treatment, and the corner is formed on the side where the columnar spacers are arranged. On the substrate, it may be located at an upstream corner in the rubbing direction within the intersection. The action and effect are clear from the above.

In another aspect of the electro-optical device of the present invention, a sealing material surrounding the electro-optical material between the pair of substrates is further provided, and the conductive material is based on the electro-optical material. Outside the sealing material, they are arranged at the four corners of the sealing material.

According to this aspect, as is clear from the above description, it is possible to enjoy the operation and effect of the present invention in a general aspect of the installation form of the conductive material.

In order to solve the above problems, the electronic equipment of the present invention comprises the above-mentioned electro-optical device of the present invention (however, including its various aspects).

According to the electronic apparatus of the present invention, which is provided with the electro-optical device of the present invention including various aspects described above, the cell gap between the pair of substrates constituting the electro-optical device is kept constant. A projection type display device (liquid crystal projector), a liquid crystal television, a mobile phone, an electronic notebook, a word processor, a viewfinder type or a monitor direct view type video tape recorder, which can display a high-quality image by leaning. Station, videophone, P
Various electronic devices such as an OS terminal and a touch panel can be realized.

The operation and other advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the embodiments described below.

[0044]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. The following embodiments apply the electro-optical device of the present invention to a liquid crystal device.

(Overall Configuration of Electro-Optical Device) First, the overall configuration of the electro-optical device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. Note that FIG. 1 is a plan view of the TFT array substrate together with the constituent elements formed thereon as viewed from the counter substrate 20, and FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line HH ′ of FIG.

1 and 2, in the electro-optical device according to this embodiment, the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 2 are used.
0 and 0 are arranged to face each other. A liquid crystal layer 50 is enclosed between the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20,
The TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 are adhered to each other by a sealing material 52 provided in a sealing region located around the image display region 10a.

Here, the liquid crystal layer 50 is made of, for example, liquid crystal in which one kind or several kinds of nematic liquid crystals are mixed, and has a predetermined alignment state between a pair of alignment films described later.

The image display area 10a is formed on the TFT array substrate 10 by the pixel electrode 9a and the pixel electrode 9a.
1 is a region provided with TFTs, scanning lines and data lines connected to, or a region facing the region and provided with a counter electrode 21 on the entire surface of the counter substrate 20. This is a region that contributes to the display of an image by enabling the transmission of light from this side to the other side (that is, from the counter substrate 20 side to the TFT array substrate 10 side). . In addition,
Light can be transmitted because the pixel electrode 9a or a part thereof or the counter electrode 21 is made of a transparent material, and the state of the liquid crystal layer 50 is changed by applying an electric field to the pixel electrode 9a. By receiving. Also,
One pixel is defined as one unit that includes at least one of the pixel electrode 9a and one of the TFTs. In the present embodiment, the "pixel" and the "pixel electrode" have substantially the same meaning. It will be used as a term.

Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the sealing material 52 is provided in a "B" shape in plan view so as to surround the periphery of the image display area 10a, but a part thereof is provided. As shown in the lower part of FIG. 1, a notch is formed and a liquid crystal inlet 52a is provided. Due to the existence of the liquid crystal injection port 52a, the gap sandwiched by the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 and the outside thereof are communicated with each other. It becomes possible to inject liquid crystal. In the completed electro-optical device, the liquid crystal injection port 5
In order to prevent the liquid crystal introduced into the gap from leaking outside, a sealing material 54 made of, for example, an ultraviolet curable acrylic resin is provided corresponding to the portion where 2a exists.

Further, in the present embodiment, as described above, the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 are provided at the four corners of the square shape in the sealing material 52 provided in the square shape.
An upper and lower conducting member 106 is provided to establish electrical conduction between the and. The vertical conductive material 106 is made of a paste-like material containing silver powder or the like, and the paste is crushed and the silver powder or the like comes into contact with each other during the bonding process of the substrates 10 and 20, so that both substrates are Electrical conduction between 10 and 20 will be achieved.

On the other hand, examples of the material constituting the sealing material 52 as described above include ultraviolet curable resin and thermosetting resin. When the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 are bonded together, both substrates 10 and 20 are pressure-bonded to each other by applying an appropriate pressure, and if the sealing material is the ultraviolet curable resin, ultraviolet rays are applied to the sealing material. By irradiating, or by heating if it is composed of the thermosetting resin,
It has been cured.

Further, in the sealing material 52, both substrates 1
A gap material (not shown), which is a kind of spacer, is mixed in order to set the gap between 0 and 20 to be a predetermined value, that is, the cell gap. This gap material is made of, for example, glass fiber or glass beads,
It is common to use a material having a substantially spherical shape.

Further, in the area outside the sealing material 52,
A data line driving circuit 101 and an external circuit connection terminal 102 for driving the data line described later by supplying an image signal to the data line at a predetermined timing are provided along one side of the TFT array substrate 10. The upper and lower conducting material 1
A predetermined potential is supplied to 06 or the counter substrate 20 through the external circuit connection terminal 102.

In this embodiment, in order to maintain the cell gap between the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 at a predetermined value, in addition to the above-mentioned gap material, as shown in FIG. In addition, the columnar spacer 401 is provided on the counter electrode 21. This columnar spacer 40
Reference numeral 1 is made of a material such as acrylic resin or polyimide, and each of them has a substantially quadrangular prism shape or a substantially columnar shape as shown in FIG. In addition, such a shape is obtained by, for example, once forming an original film made of the above material on at least one of the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20, and then etching the original film by applying a photolithography technique. Thus, it can be formed by a method such as molding or patterning. In this case, the shape of the columnar spacers 401 can be shaped as described above by the exposure process (patterning process) for the resist film formed on the original film, and their arrangement can be freely determined. It is also possible.

Then, these columnar spacers 401 are
As shown conceptually in FIG. 3, the upper and lower conducting members 1 are
In the vicinity where 06 exists, they are formed and arranged more sparsely, and in other parts, they are formed and arranged more densely. More specifically, in the present embodiment, the columnar spacers 401 are the upper and lower conducting members 1.
In a substantially quadrilateral region (hereinafter, referred to as “quadrilateral region”) 501 where 06 is present, the regions are arranged more sparsely than the other regions 502.
It should be noted that FIG. 3 represents sparseness / denseness only in an ideal sense.

4 and 5, enlarged views of the circled portions indicated by reference characters X and Y in FIG. 3 are shown, and the arrangement of the columnar spacers 401 will be described in more detail.
It is also shown in a more realistic form. That is, first, in FIG. 4, each of the plurality of columnar spacers 401 is provided one by one so as to correspond to each of the pixel electrodes 9a, while in FIG. 5, two pixel spacers are provided in each of the vertical and horizontal directions in the drawing. The electrodes 9a are provided one by one with the electrode 9a interposed therebetween. Using the density unit, the former is
The columnar spacers 401 are arranged at 1 [lines / pixel], whereas the latter are about 0.1 [lines / pixel] (= 1/9).
It can be said that it is arranged in.

On the other hand, in both cases, the columnar spacers 401 are arranged in a grid-shaped light-shielding region defined so as to sew the gaps between the pixel electrodes 9a. And
The lattice-shaped light-shielding region is provided with a lattice-shaped light-shielding film 23 (see also FIG. 2) that substantially coincides with the region and a frame light-shielding film 53 (see also FIG. 1) that defines the outermost periphery thereof. There is. That is, the columnar spacers 401 in this embodiment are arranged within the width of the lattice-shaped light shielding film 23.

By the way, according to the light-shielding film 23, it is possible to prevent the mixing of light between the pixel electrodes 9a, and to prevent the deterioration of contrast. In addition, this light shielding film 23
Examples of the material that can be used include a resin black in which metallic chromium, carbon, or titanium is dispersed in a photoresist, a metallic material such as nickel, and the like, and a laminated structure including two or more materials including these materials. It is also possible to have it.

In addition, the columnar spacer 4 in this embodiment
01 is provided within the width of the lattice-shaped light-shielding film 23, and more specifically, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, it corresponds to the vicinity of the corner of the pixel electrode 9a. It is arranged. In other words, the columnar spacers 401 are arranged at the upper left corner 601a in the drawing within the intersection 601 in the lattice-shaped light-shielding regions arranged in a matrix.

In addition to the above configuration, in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the scanning line driving circuit 104 for driving the scanning line by supplying the scanning signal to the scanning line to be described later at a predetermined timing has one side. Are provided along two sides adjacent to. In addition, a plurality of wirings 105 for connecting the scanning line driving circuits 104 provided on both sides of the image display area 10a are provided on the remaining one side of the TFT array substrate 10. If the delay of the scanning signal supplied to the scanning line does not matter, the scanning line driving circuit 104
It goes without saying that only one side is required. Further, the data line driving circuits 101 may be arranged on both sides along the side of the image display area 10a.

Further, in FIG. 2, the TFT array substrate 1
An alignment film 16 is formed on the pixel electrode 9a after the TFTs for pixel switching and wirings such as scanning lines and data lines are formed on 0. On the other hand, on the counter substrate 20,
In addition to the counter electrode 21 made of a transparent material such as ITO (indium tin oxide), an alignment film 22 is formed on the uppermost layer. Here, in the alignment film 22 in the present embodiment, the counter electrode 21 is provided because the columnar spacers 401 as described above are provided on the counter substrate 20 side.
In addition to being formed so as to cover the columnar spacer 40
It is formed so as to cover 1 as well.

On the TFT array substrate 10, in addition to the data line driving circuit 101, the scanning line driving circuit 104, etc., a sampling circuit for applying an image signal to a plurality of data lines 6a at a predetermined timing, a plurality of sampling circuits. Data line 6
In a, a precharge circuit for supplying a precharge signal of a predetermined voltage level prior to each image signal, an inspection circuit for inspecting the quality, defects, etc. of the electro-optical device during manufacturing or shipping are formed. Good.

In the electro-optical device of the present embodiment having such a configuration, the following operational effects are particularly achieved due to the characteristic arrangement of the columnar spacers 401 described above.

That is, first, since the columnar spacers 401 are more sparsely arranged in the quadrilateral region 501 near the upper and lower conducting members 106, the columnar spacers 401 face the TFT array substrate 10, especially in the process of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to this embodiment. In the bonding process of the substrates 20, the upper and lower conductive materials 106
It is possible to solve the problem that the cell gap in the vicinity becomes larger than that in other portions.

The operation and effect will be described in more detail below. First, the above-mentioned problem, that is, in the step of bonding the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 with each other, the cell gap in the vicinity of the upper and lower conducting members 106 is larger than that of other portions, that is, in the upper and lower conducting members 106. The included silver powder and the sealing material 5
This is because the crushed degree (that is, the degree of elastic / plastic deformation) of the gap material included in 2 is different. For example, assuming that the diameter of the silver powder is about several tens of μm before the bonding process of both substrates 10 and 20 and that the gap material is about 10 to 20 μm, the gap material after the bonding process. Is 3
The silver powder can be crushed to about 6 μm, while the silver powder can be crushed to about 6 μm. As a result, the cell gap becomes larger in the region near the upper and lower conducting members 106.

However, in the present embodiment, the columnar spacers 401 are formed more sparsely in the quadrilateral region 501. This means that in the bonding step, the drag force caused by the columnar spacer 401 is smaller than the drag force caused by the columnar spacer 401 in other cases. As a result, when a considerably large pressure is applied when the TFT array substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 are bonded together, the upper and lower conducting members 1
In the vicinity of 06, the pressure cannot be sufficiently counteracted as compared with the other portions. Therefore, even if the silver powder or the like in the upper and lower conducting members 106 generates a large drag force, it is possible to secure a cell gap having a predetermined thickness by looking around the upper and lower conducting members 106 as a whole. is there.

As a result, the cell gap in the vicinity of the upper and lower conducting members 106 can be maintained substantially equal to that in the other portions, and thus the cell gaps over the entire surfaces of both substrates 10 and 20 can be maintained at a predetermined value. Becomes From this, according to the electro-optical device according to the present embodiment, it is possible to reduce the possibility that the display characteristics such as the light transmittance, the contrast ratio, and the response speed are adversely affected.
Further, since it is possible to reduce the possibility of causing display unevenness and the like, it is possible to improve image quality.

Further, in addition to the above, in the present embodiment, the columnar spacers 401 are within the width of the light shielding film 23 and intersect as described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. Since the columnar spacer 401 is formed in the upper left corner 601a of the portion 601, the columnar spacer 401 does not interfere with image display, and the rubbing process for the alignment film 22 can be preferably performed. Here, the rubbing process being preferably performed means that, in the present embodiment, a portion where the rubbing process is ineffective can be retained within the intersection 601.

For example, in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, when the rubbing process is performed in the direction that coincides with the arrow shown in the figure, the portion where the rubbing process is ineffective is retained in the intersection 601. Here, this intersection 601 is
Since it is a part of the formation region of the lattice-shaped light-shielding film 23, even if there is some slight defect in the laminated structure sandwiching the intersection 601, it is basically large in displaying an image. It has no effect. Therefore, even if the rubbing process defect on the alignment film 22 occurs in the intersection 601, it does not significantly affect the image display. In other words, as long as the columnar spacers 401 are provided, some portion of the rubbing process ineffectiveness occurs, but in the present embodiment, the portion is confined in a portion that does not affect the display of the image (that is, the intersecting portion 601). Therefore, it can be said that a suitable rubbing process can be carried out in the sense that it is possible.

In the above description, the region where the columnar spacers 401 should be formed more densely has a substantially quadrilateral shape, but the present invention is not limited to such a form. For example, as shown conceptually in FIG.
Assuming an area 503 having a substantially fan shape centered on 06 (hereinafter referred to as “fan shape area”) 503, and inside thereof,
It is considered that the columnar spacers 401 are arranged more sparsely and the columnar spacers 401 are arranged more densely in the region 504 other than the fan-shaped region 503.

According to such a form, it is possible to more reliably prevent the occurrence of display unevenness on the image. This is because the upper and lower conducting material 1 has been a problem in the past.
This is because, in the case where the cell gap in the vicinity of 06 is larger than that in the other portions, the area in which the cell gap becomes larger generally covers a substantially fan shape centered on the upper and lower conducting members 106.

However, according to the present embodiment, the columnar spacers 401 are more sparsely arranged in a substantially fan-shaped region centered on the upper and lower conducting members 106 as shown in FIG. Therefore, it is possible to more effectively eliminate the characteristic nonuniformity of the cell gap as described above.

In the present invention, needless to say, in addition to the above-described quadrilateral region 501 or fan-shaped region 503, various regions in which the columnar spacers 401 should be arranged sparsely can be set.

Furthermore, in the above, the arrangement density of the columnar spacers 401 to be formed in the quadrilateral region 501 and the other regions 502 (see FIG. 3) is about 0.1, respectively.
[Book / pixel] and 1 [book / pixel] have been described, but the present invention is not limited to such a form.
In short, referring to FIG. 3 as an example, the arrangement density of the columnar spacers 401 in the quadrilateral region 501 near the upper and lower conducting members 106 is p, and the region 502 other than the upper and lower conducting members 106 is 502.
If the arrangement density of the columnar spacers 401 in
It is sufficient if the relation p <q is satisfied.

In addition, in the above, the columnar spacer 4
Although 01 was formed as a columnar structure of acrylic resin or the like on the counter substrate 20 side and on the counter electrode 21, the present invention is not limited to such a form. For example, various modifications as shown in FIG. 7 can be considered.

First, as shown in FIG. 7A, on the counter substrate 20, the light shielding film 23 under the counter electrode 21 made of an ITO film (upper side in the drawing) is patterned as an insulating material layer to form a columnar shape. The spacer 401 'may be formed. In this case, it is preferable to provide a transparent insulating film 302 between the pixel electrode 9a and the counter electrode 21 (at least on one substrate) to prevent a short circuit between the pixel electrode 9a and the counter electrode 21. In addition, as shown in FIG. 7B, a columnar spacer 401 is formed on the TFT array substrate side.
″ May be provided. In this case, the columnar spacer 401 ″ is formed on the pixel electrode 9 a via the transparent insulating film 402, and the alignment film 22 on the counter substrate 20 side (not shown) is formed.
A rubbing process may be performed on the. Alternatively, FIG.
As shown in (c), columnar spacers 401 ″ ″ may be provided after forming the alignment film 22 on the counter substrate 20.

Further, instead of patterning the columnar spacers from an appropriate organic material or the like, the substrate main body (the counter substrate 20 or the TFT array substrate 1) is etched, for example.
0) or a groove (recess) formed in a region on the substrate other than the region where the columnar spacers are to be formed, such as forming a trench in the interlayer insulating film laminated on the substrate, so that the partition wall is a convex portion other than the groove. You may form from. In this case as well, as in the case of the modification of FIG. 7, it is preferable to provide a transparent insulating film for preventing a short circuit between the pixel electrode 9a and the counter electrode 21.

(Circuit Configuration and Operation of Electro-Optical Device) Below, in the electro-optical device having the above-described configuration,
How the pixel electrodes 9a and the like are driven will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 8 is an equivalent circuit of various elements, wirings, etc. in the plurality of pixels 100a formed in a matrix which configures the image display area of the electro-optical device.

In FIG. 8, a plurality of pixels 100a include
A pixel electrode 9a and a TFT 30 for controlling switching of the pixel electrode 9a are formed respectively, and a data line 6a to which an image signal is supplied is electrically connected to the source of the TFT 30. The image signals S1, S2, ..., Sn to be written in the data line 6a may be line-sequentially supplied in this order, or a plurality of adjacent data lines 6a may be supplied.
You may make it supply to each other for every group.

The scanning line 3a is electrically connected to the gate of the TFT 30, and the scanning signals G1, G2, ..., Gm are pulse-wise applied in this order to the scanning line 3a in a pulsed manner at a predetermined timing. Is configured to. The pixel electrode 9a is electrically connected to the drain of the TFT 30, and by closing the switch of the TFT 30, which is a switching element, for a certain period, the image signals S1, S2, ..., Sn supplied from the data line 6a are transmitted. Write at a predetermined timing.

An image signal S of a predetermined level written in liquid crystal as an example of an electro-optical material through the pixel electrode 9a.
, S2, ..., Sn are held for a fixed period between the counter electrode 21 formed on the counter substrate 20. The liquid crystal modulates light by changing the orientation and order of the molecular assembly depending on the applied voltage level, and enables gradation display. In the normally white mode, the transmittance for incident light decreases according to the voltage applied in units of each pixel 100a, and in the normally black mode, each pixel 100a
The transmittance with respect to the incident light is increased according to the voltage applied in the unit of a, and light having a contrast according to the image signal is emitted from the electro-optical device as a whole.

In order to prevent the held image signal from leaking, the storage capacitor 70 may be added in parallel with the liquid crystal capacitor formed between the pixel electrode 9a and the counter electrode 21. For example, the voltage of the pixel electrode 9a is 70 times longer than the time when the source voltage is applied.
Held by. As a result, the charge retention characteristics are improved, and an electro-optical device having a high contrast ratio can be realized. The storage capacitor 70 may be formed by either forming the capacitance line 300, which is a special wiring dedicated to the storage capacitor 70, or forming it between the capacitance line 300 and the preceding scanning line 3a.

(Practical Configuration of TFT and its Periphery) The pixel 100a as described above has a configuration more practically as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. Here, in FIG.
FIG. 10 is a plan view of a plurality of pixel groups adjacent to each other on the TFT array substrate used in the second embodiment, and FIG.
It is an A'sectional view. However, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 show the details of only one pixel.

In FIG. 9, on the TFT array substrate,
In addition to the above-mentioned TFT 30, scanning line 3a, data line 6a, storage capacitor 70, etc., a transparent electrode 8, a reflective electrode 9, etc. are provided. The pixel electrode 9a described above is a term that includes both the transparent electrode 8 and the reflective electrode 9 just described.

The reflective electrodes 9 are formed in a matrix on the TFT array substrate 10, and the pixel switching TFTs 30 are electrically connected to the respective reflective electrodes 9 via the transparent electrodes 8. There is. Further, a transmission window 14 is formed on the reflection electrode 9 as shown in FIG.
The region corresponding to the transparent window 14 is covered with the transparent electrode 8. The reflective electrode 9 is formed of a laminated film of aluminum, silver, or an alloy thereof, or titanium, titanium nitride, molybdenum, tantalum, or the like, and the transparent electrode 8 is formed of ITO (indium tin oxide). ) Etc.

On the other hand, below the reflective electrode 9 and the transparent electrode 8, as shown in FIG. 10, a concavo-convex forming layer 13 and a concavo-convex layer 7 (not shown in FIG. 9) are formed. There is. Here, the concavo-convex forming layer 13 and the concavo-convex layer 7 are made of, for example, a photosensitive resin such as an organic resin, and the former is a layer formed so as to include block lumps scattered on the substrate surface. The latter is a layer formed so as to cover the entire surface of the substrate including such an unevenness forming layer 13.
Therefore, the surface of the concavo-convex layer 7 is, so to speak, “wavy” depending on the scattered mode of the block lumps forming the concavo-convex forming layer 13.
As a result, the uneven pattern 9g is formed. In FIG. 9, the concavo-convex pattern 9g is shown as a circular shape, and the circular portion has a shape protruding toward this side toward the paper surface of the drawing as compared with other portions. Shows. That is, in the circular portion, the uneven layer 7 and the block block are formed on the side facing away from the drawing sheet (see FIG. 10).

In the electro-optical device of the second embodiment having such a configuration, by using the transparent electrode 8 and the transmissive window 14, it is possible to display an image in the transmissive mode, and to form the reflective electrode 9 and the unevenness. By using the layer 13, the concavo-convex layer 7, and the concavo-convex pattern 9g, it is possible to display an image in the reflection mode. That is, the area defined by the former configuration is a transmissive area that allows light emitted from an internal light source (not shown) to pass from the other side of the paper surface of FIG. 10 to this side, and the area defined by the latter configuration. Is a reflection area that reaches the reflection electrode 9 from this side of the paper surface and is reflected again, and then reaches this side of the paper surface again. In the latter case, in particular, light scattering and reflection are caused by the uneven pattern 9g, so that the viewing angle dependence of the image can be reduced.

Now, returning to FIG. 9, the data lines 6a and the scanning lines 3 are provided along the vertical and horizontal boundaries of the region where the reflective electrode 9 is formed.
a and the capacitance line 300 are formed, and the TFT 30 is connected to the data line 6a and the capacitance line 300. That is, the data line 6a is connected to the TF via the contact hole
It is electrically connected to the high-concentration source region 1d of T30, and the transparent electrode 8 is electrically connected to the high-concentration drain region 1e of the TFT 30 through the contact hole 15 and the source line 6b. In addition, the channel region 1a of the TFT 30
The scanning line 3a extends so as to face ‘

In the storage capacitor 70, a conductive material is formed in the extended portion 1f of the semiconductor film 1 for forming the TFT 30 for pixel switching as a lower electrode, and this lower electrode has the same layer as the scanning line 3a. The capacitor line 300 has a structure in which it overlaps as an upper electrode.

By the way, in this embodiment, in particular, FIG.
As described above with reference to FIGS. 5A to 5C, the columnar spacers 401 are provided at positions corresponding to the corners of the reflective electrode 9 (see FIG. 9).

In FIG. 10, in addition to the above, TF
A base protective film 111 made of a silicon oxide film (insulating film) having a thickness of 100 to 500 nm is formed on the T array substrate 10, and silicon having a thickness of 300 to 800 nm is formed on the base protective film 111 and the TFT 30. First made of oxide film
An interlayer insulating film 4 is further formed, and a second interlayer insulating film 5 (surface protection film) made of a silicon nitride film having a thickness of 100 to 800 nm is formed on the first interlayer insulating film 4. However, in some cases, the second interlayer insulating film 5 may not be formed. An alignment film 16 is formed as the uppermost layer on the TFT array substrate 10 side. Other,
In FIG. 10, contact holes and the like for electrically connecting various components are provided. On the other hand, on the counter substrate 20 side, a light shielding film 23 extending so as to sew a gap between the pixels 100a, a counter electrode 21 and an alignment film 22 formed on the entire surface of the substrate are formed so as to be stacked in this order. There is.

(Electronic Device) The electro-optical device configured as described above can be used as a display portion of various electronic devices, and one example thereof will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 11 to 13. .

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an electronic device using the electro-optical device according to the present invention as a display device.

In FIG. 11, the electronic equipment has a display information output source 77, a display information processing circuit 71, a power supply circuit 72, a timing generator 73, and a liquid crystal display device 74. The liquid crystal display device 74 also includes a liquid crystal display panel 75 and a drive circuit 76. As the liquid crystal device 74, the electro-optical device described above can be used.

The display information output source 77 is a ROM (Read Onl
y memory), a memory such as RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage unit such as various disks, a tuning circuit that tunes and outputs a digital image signal, and the like, based on various clock signals generated by the timing generator 73. Display information such as an image signal in a predetermined format is supplied to the display information processing circuit 71.

The display information processing circuit 71 is provided with various known circuits such as a serial-parallel conversion circuit, an amplification / inversion circuit, a rotation circuit, a gamma correction circuit, a clamp circuit, etc., and executes processing of input display information. The image signal together with the clock signal CLK.
Supply to. The power supply circuit 72 supplies a predetermined voltage to each component.

FIG. 12 shows a mobile personal computer which is an embodiment of the electronic apparatus according to the present invention. The personal computer 80 shown here has a main body 82 having a keyboard 81, and a liquid crystal display unit 83. The liquid crystal display unit 83 includes the electro-optical device 100 described above.

FIG. 13 shows a mobile phone which is another electronic device. The mobile phone 90 shown here has a plurality of operation buttons 91 and a display unit including the electro-optical device 100 described above.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, but can be appropriately modified within the scope of the gist or the concept of the invention which can be read from the claims and the entire specification, and accompanying such modifications. Electro-optical devices and electronic devices are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 illustrates a T in an electro-optical device according to an embodiment of the invention.
It is the top view which looked at an FT array substrate from the counter substrate side with each component formed on it.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view taken along line HH ′ of FIG.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view conceptually showing an arrangement mode of columnar spacers according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement mode of columnar spacers in a region other than the vicinity of the upper and lower conducting members.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an arrangement mode of columnar spacers in a region near the upper and lower conducting members.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view conceptually showing an arrangement mode of columnar spacers different from FIG. 3, and is different from FIG. 3 in that the regions where the columnar spacers should be arranged more sparsely are fan-shaped. Is.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing various modifications of the columnar spacer.

FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram showing an equivalent circuit of various elements, wirings, etc. provided in a plurality of pixels in a matrix forming an image display area in the electro-optical device according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a plurality of pixel groups adjacent to each other on a TFT array substrate.

10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA ′ of FIG.

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of an electronic device using the electro-optical device according to the invention as a display device.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing a mobile personal computer as an example of an electronic apparatus using the electro-optical device according to the invention.

FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram of a mobile phone as another example of an electronic apparatus using the electro-optical device according to the invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

9a ... Pixel electrode 10 ... TFT array substrate 10a ... Image display area 20 ... Counter substrate 21 ... Counter electrode 23 ... Shading film 50 ... Liquid crystal layer 52 ... Sealing material 52a ... Liquid crystal inlet 54 ... Sealing material 401 ... Columnar spacer 501 ... Quadrilateral area 502 ... Area (other than quadrilateral area) 503 ... fan-shaped area 503 ... Area (other than fan-shaped area) 601 ... intersection 601a ... The upper left corner of the intersection 3a ... scanning line 6a ... Data line 30 ... TFT 50 ... Liquid crystal layer 70 ... Storage capacity 106 ... Top and bottom conductive material

Continued front page    F-term (reference) 2H089 KA17 LA04 LA09 LA16 LA19                       LA20 MA07Z PA06 PA08                       PA12 QA03 QA12 QA13 QA14                 2H092 HA05 JA25 JA29 JA38 JA42                       JA46 MA08 MA14 MA15 MA16                       MA18 MA19 MA20 MA37 NA01                       NA14 NA15 NA25 NA29

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A pair of substrates sandwiching an electro-optical material, a conductive material for electrically conducting the pair of substrates, and scattered on the surfaces of the pair of substrates facing each other. And the columnar spacers are arranged more sparsely in the vicinity of the conductive material and denser in areas other than the conductive material in the plane. . 2. The columnar spacers arranged in the vicinity of the conducting material are more sparsely arranged in a semicircular or fan-shaped region centered on the conducting material in the plane. The electro-optical device according to claim 1. 3. A first substrate, which is one of the pair of substrates, includes pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix and switching elements connected to each of the pixel electrodes, and a second substrate, which is the other one. The light shielding film corresponding to the matrix is provided on at least one of the first substrates, and the columnar spacers are arranged within a width range of the light shielding film. 2. The electro-optical device according to item 2. 4. An alignment film formed on the side of each of the pair of substrates facing the electro-optical material is further provided, wherein the columnar spacers are provided at corners within intersections in the light-shielding regions corresponding to the matrix. The electro-optical device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the electro-optical device is arranged. 5. The one of the pair of substrates, on which the columnar spacers are arranged, is further provided with an alignment film subjected to a rubbing treatment, and the corners are on the substrate on which the columnar spacers are arranged. The electro-optical device according to claim 4, wherein the electro-optical device is located at a corner on the upstream side in the rubbing direction in the intersection. 6. A sealing material surrounding the electro-optical material between the pair of substrates is further provided, and the conductive material is provided on the outer side of the sealing material based on the electro-optical material. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the electro-optical device is arranged at four corners. 7. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 1. Description: