CN100439990C - Liquid crystal display and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an LCD having a first panel, a second panel, a sealant, and a liquid crystal layer between the two panels. The first panel includes: pads disposed in a first portion of the non-display area, and dummy metal patterns disposed in a second portion of the non-display area along the periphery of the display area. The second panel is arranged opposite to the first panel, so that a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between the two panels. An encapsulant is formed on the pads and the dummy metal pattern, and the first panel is bonded to the second panel. Accordingly, the LCDs described herein have a uniform cell gap. The present invention also discloses a method of manufacturing an LCD with a uniform cell gap.

Description

Liquid crystal display and manufacturing method thereof

Cross References to Related Applications

This application claims the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 2005-0008994 filed on February 1, 2005 and Korean Patent Application No. 2005-0043492 filed on May 24, 2005, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference .

technical field

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a manufacturing method thereof.

Background technique

A liquid crystal display (LCD), which is widely used as a display, includes an LCD panel. The LCD panel controls light transmittance of each liquid crystal cell based on a video signal. Since the liquid crystal cells are arranged in a matrix structure, desired images are displayed by controlling the light transmittance of the liquid crystal cells.

The LCD panel includes: a thin film transistor (TFT) array panel; a color filter array panel bonded to the TFT array panel; and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the TFT array panel and the color filter array panel. In addition, polarizers are attached to the outside of the TFT array panel and the color filter array panel.

The TFT array panel and the color filter panel are usually bonded together by a sealant coated along the periphery of the display area. The sealant not only combines the TFT array panel with the color filter array panel, but also forms a cell gap for the LCD. However, the peripheral thickness of the display area formed in the TFT array panel coated with the sealant varies depending on whether there is a pad for connecting the TFT array panel to a driving circuit. Therefore, the thickness of the encapsulant varies, and the cell gap of the LCD is irregular.

Optical characteristics of an LCD are closely related to a cell gap for a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a TFT array panel and a color filter array panel. In particular, optical characteristics such as contrast and viewing angle of LCD vary according to the product of the birefringence Δn of the liquid crystal layer and the distance of the cell gap. Therefore, when the cell gap of the LCD is changed, the optical characteristics of the LCD are also changed.

Contents of the invention

One aspect of the invention is an LCD having a uniform cell gap.

Another aspect of the invention is a method of manufacturing an LCD with a uniform cell gap.

Additional advantages and/or aspects of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

The above and/or other aspects of the present invention can be achieved by providing an LCD including a first panel and a second panel bonded together using a sealant, and a liquid crystal layer between the two panels. The first panel includes pads disposed in a first portion of the non-display area, and dummy metal patterns disposed in a second portion of the non-display area along the periphery of the display area. Forms encapsulant over pads and dummy metal patterns.

The sealant may include a spacer comprising plastic. For example, the sealant may include a spacer that, when a force of about 500 kg/ ^mm2 is applied to the spacer at room temperature, deforms by 5% or more in the direction of the force.

The dummy metal pattern may have a width wider than that of the encapsulant.

The fake metal pattern may include multiple dots, which may be arranged in 5 or more rows. The distance between dots can be in the range of 5 μm to 15 μm.

Some points may have circular or polygonal cross-sections.

Some dots may range in diameter from about 15 μm to about 40 μm.

The density of these dots can be arranged to be in the range of 40% to 60%.

The second panel may include an outer black matrix arranged along the encapsulant.

The dummy metal pattern may be a line pattern arranged parallel to the periphery of the display area. Alternatively, the dummy metal pattern may include a line pattern arranged at a predetermined angle to the periphery of the display area.

The pads may include a gate pad and a data pad, and the dummy metal pattern may be formed of the same layer as the gate pad or the data pad.

The LCD panel may also include signal lines disposed at least partially inside the dummy metal pattern.

The pads may include a gate pad and a data pad, and the dummy metal pattern may include a first dummy metal pattern spanning the display area from the gate pad, a second dummy metal pattern spanning the display area from the data pad, and a data pad. The wire may be placed partially inside the first dummy metal pattern.

The first panel may include: gate lines and data lines arranged at an angle to each other and insulated from each other; and signal lines insulated from the data lines and arranged at an angle to the data lines.

The signal lines may include repair lines.

In another aspect, the present invention includes an LCD panel comprising: a first panel having a display area defined by gate lines and data lines; a second panel opposite to the first panel; a sealant along the display area formed around the periphery of the first panel and the second panel; the liquid crystal layer is arranged between the first panel and the second panel; and the dummy metal pattern is arranged on the first panel or the second panel to make the sealant of uniform height.

In yet another aspect, the present invention is a method of manufacturing an LCD panel comprising: providing a first panel comprising: pads disposed in a first portion of the non-display area along the periphery of the display area and disposed in the dummy metal pattern in the second portion of the non-display area; disposing the second panel; forming a sealant along the pad and the dummy metal pattern on the first panel or the second panel; and filling between the first panel and the second panel liquid crystal, and combine the first panel with the second panel.

The pad may include a gate pad, and a dummy metal pattern, which may be formed in the same process step as the gate pad.

The pads may include data pads, and a dummy metal pattern, which may be formed simultaneously with the formation of the data pads.

The fake metal pattern may include dots.

Description of drawings

In conjunction with the accompanying drawings, the above and/or other aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and easier to understand through the description of the following embodiments. In the accompanying drawings:

1 is a structural diagram of an LCD according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is the sectional view of LCD along line II-II in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is the sectional view of LCD along line III-III in Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of LCD along line IV-IV in Fig. 1;

5 is a diagram illustrating an electrostatic phenomenon occurring in a pseudo-metal pattern;

6 is a cross-sectional view of an LCD according to a second embodiment of the present invention;

7 is a structural diagram of an LCD according to a third embodiment of the present invention;

8 is a structural diagram of an LCD according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention;

9 is a structural diagram of an LCD according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view of the LCD along line X-X in Figure 9;

11 is a diagram of a false metal pattern according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention;

12 is a diagram of a false metal pattern according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention;

13 is a diagram of a false metal pattern according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention;

14 is a diagram of a false metal pattern according to a ninth embodiment of the present invention;

15 is a structural diagram of an LCD according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention;

16 is a structural diagram illustrating a relationship between a dummy metal pattern and a repair line in an LCD according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention;

Figure 17 is a sectional view of the LCD along line XVII-XVII in Figure 15; and

FIG. 18 is a diagram illustrating an electrostatic phenomenon occurring in a false metal pattern in an LCD according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to like parts throughout. Embodiments will be described below with reference to the drawings.

Hereinafter, an LCD according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 .

Fig. 1 is the structural diagram of LCD according to the first embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 is the sectional view of LCD along line II-II in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is the sectional view of LCD along line III-III in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is A sectional view of the LCD along line IV-IV in FIG. 1 .

The LCD includes: a first panel 200 formed of a plurality of TFTs; a second panel 300 opposed to the first panel 200; a sealant 500 combining the first panel 200 with the second panel 300; and a liquid crystal layer 400 sandwiched between the second panel between the first panel 200 and the second panel 300 .

The first panel 200 is as follows.

The first insulating plate 211 is made of an insulating material such as glass, quartz, plastic, or the like. On the first insulating plate 211 are formed a gate line 221, a gate electrode 222, a gate fan out (fan out) 223, and a gate pad 224, which are collectively referred to as "gate wiring" herein. A plurality of gate lines 221 are arranged parallel to each other, extending in a first direction; gate electrodes 222 are connected to the gate lines 221; gate fan-outs 223 are extended from the gate lines 221; and a gate pad 224 is connected to the gate Fans out 223 and receives an excitation signal from an excitation circuit (not shown). In the illustrated embodiment, the gate fan-out 223 and the gate pad 224 are placed in the non-display area outside the display area.

A gate insulating layer 231 made of silicon nitride SiN _x or the like is formed on the first insulating plate 211 and the gate wirings 221 , 222 , 223 , 224 . A semiconductor layer 232 made of amorphous silicon and a resistive contact layer made of n+ amorphous silicon hydride highly doped with n-type impurities are formed on the gate insulating layer 231 deposited in a region corresponding to the gate electrode 222. 233. The resistive contact layer 233 is divided into two with respect to the gate electrode 222 .

A data line 241, a source electrode 242, a drain electrode 243, a data fan-out 244, and a data pad 245 are formed on the resistive contact layer 233 and the gate insulating layer 231, collectively referred to as "data wiring" herein. Data lines 241 are arranged in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction, and define pixels by intersecting with gate lines 221; top; the drain electrode 243 is separated from the source electrode 242 and formed opposite to the source electrode 242 with respect to the gate electrode 222 ; the data fan-out 244 extends from the data line 241 ; and the data pad 245 is connected to the data fan-out 244 . In the illustrated embodiment, the data pad portions 244, 245 are arranged in a non-display area outside the display area.

Accordingly, the gate pad portions 223, 224 and the data pad portions 244, 245 are placed in the first portion of the non-display area. No gate pad part 223, 224 or data pad part 244, 245 is disposed in the second portion of the non-display area. In the second portion of the non-display area, dummy metal patterns 281, 282 are formed along the periphery of the display area. The dummy metal patterns 281 , 282 include: a first dummy metal pattern 281 spanning the display area from the gate pad portion 223 , 224 ; and a second dummy metal pattern 282 spanning the display area from the data pad portion 224 , 225 . According to the first embodiment of the present invention, the dummy metal patterns 281, 282 are made of the same material as the gate wirings 221, 222, 223, 224. Referring to FIG. That is, the dummy metal patterns 281, 282 and the gate wirings 221, 222, 223, 224 are formed in a single step in the manufacturing process. Here, the dummy metal patterns 281 , 282 are formed to match the heights of the gate pad portions 223 , 224 and the data pad portions 244 , 245 .

The false metal pattern 281 , 282 includes a plurality of dots 283 . Points 283 are arranged to form a plurality of lines. Preferably, as will be described in more detail, the dots 283 are arranged in 5 or more rows in order to prevent static electricity from entering the display area. Although the point 283 is shown as having a circular cross-section in the embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in another embodiment, the point 283 may have a polygonal cross-section, such as an octagonal cross-section or the like. In one embodiment, the distance d14 (as shown in FIG. 4 ) between the dots 283 is in the range of 5 μm to 15 μm, and the diameter of the dots 283 is in the range of 5 μm to 40 μm. Furthermore, the dots 283 are arranged such that dots 283 in adjacent rows are staggered, thereby increasing the overall dot density. Preferably, the density of dots 283 is similar to the density of gate fan-outs 223 and data fan-outs 244 . Dots 283 may have a density of 40% to 60%.

The passivation layer 251 is formed on the data wirings 241 , 242 , 243 , 244 , 245 and the semiconductor layers not covered by the data wirings 241 , 242 , 243 , 244 , 245 . The passivation layer 251 may be made of silicon nitride. In the illustrated embodiment, the passivation layer 251 may be made of silicon nitride or an organic layer. The passivation layer 251 is formed with contact holes 271, 272, 273 through which the drain electrode 243, the gate pad 224, and the drain pad 245 are exposed, respectively. In addition, the gate insulating layer 231 is removed corresponding to the contact hole 271 to expose the gate pad 224 through the contact hole.

Transparent electrodes 261 , 262 , 263 are formed on the passivation layer 251 . The transparent electrodes 261, 262, 263 are made of a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, or the like. Here, the transparent electrodes 261, 262, 263 include: the pixel electrode 261, which is in electrical contact with the drain electrode 243 through the contact hole 271; Pad 245 contacts. In addition, the pixel electrode 261 applies a voltage from the drain electrode 243 to the liquid crystal layer, thereby adjusting the alignment of the liquid crystal.

The second panel will be described below.

The second panel 300 includes: a second insulating plate 311 made of an insulating material similar to the first insulating plate such as glass, quartz, ceramics, plastics, etc.; an outer black matrix 321 formed along the periphery of the second insulating plate 311; three A color filter 331 having a set of red, green, and blue or a set of cyan, magenta, and yellow; a cover layer 341 formed on the color filter 331; and a common electrode 351 formed on the cover layer 341 .

The outer black matrix 321 separates the display area from the non-display area. Here, the outer black matrix 321 may be made of chromium, chromium oxide, chromium nitride, or a multilayer metal including a mixture thereof. In addition, the outer black matrix 321 may be made of a photosensitive organic material including black pigments including carbon black, titanium oxide, etc. to intercept light.

The color filter 331 is formed by repeating a set of red, green, and blue or a set of cyan, magenta, and yellow. The color filter 331 acquires color to light passing through the liquid crystal layer 400 . The color filter 231 may be made of a colored photosensitive organic material by a known pigment dispersion method.

The covering layer 341 for protecting the color filter 331 is made of acrylic epoxy material.

The common electrode 351 is made of a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), or the like. Here, the common electrode 351 directly applies a signal voltage to the liquid crystal layer 400 together with the pixel electrode 261 of the first panel 200 .

Under the outer black matrix 321, a sealant 500 combining the first panel 200 and the second panel 300 is disposed. The sealant 500 includes acrylic resin, epoxy resin, etc., and is hardened by ultraviolet light and/or heat. In addition, the sealant 500 additionally includes an amide hardener, a filler such as alumina powder, and the like. A spacer 511 made of plastic such as acrylic resin is provided inside the sealant 500 . Spacer 511 may be made of silica-coated plastic. When a force of about 500 kg/ ^mm2 is applied to spacer 511 at room temperature, the "soft" nature of the plastic is such that the length of spacer 511 deforms preferably by 5% or more in the direction of the force. The spacer 511 serves to maintain a cell gap between the first panel 200 and the second panel 300 . In addition, the spacer 511 prevents the circuit from being damaged when the sealant 500 is formed on the circuit constructed on the first panel 200 . In some embodiments, the sealant 500 may have a "hard" spacer made of fiberglass or silica to maintain the cell gap between the first panel 200 and the second panel 300 . "Hard" spacers do not deform under pressure like "soft" spacers made of plastic.

The sealant 500 is placed in a region corresponding to the outer black matrix 321 . Generally, the outer black matrix 321 has a width d1 ranging from about 3 mm to 5 mm, and the width d3 of the sealant 500 is about 0.7 mm to 2 mm, which is narrower than the width d1 of the outer black matrix 321 . Referring to FIG. 1 , the sealant 500 placed on the left side of the display area is formed on the gate fan-out 223 , and the sealant 500 placed on the top side of the display area is formed on the data fan-out 244 . In addition, sealants 500 placed on the right and bottom sides of the display area are formed on the dummy metal patterns 281 and 282, respectively.

The encapsulant 500 formed on the gate fan-out 223 will be described below with reference to FIG. 2 . In a region corresponding to the encapsulant 500 , the gate fan-out 223 , the gate insulating layer 231 , and the passivation layer 251 are sequentially laid on the first panel 200 to a predetermined thickness d6. In addition, in a region corresponding to the sealant 500 , the outer black matrix 321 , the capping layer 341 , and the common electrode 351 are sequentially laid on the second panel 300 . Accordingly, the sealant 500 is placed between the passivation layer 251 and the common electrode 351 . Alternatively, the common electrode 351 may not be placed in a region corresponding to the encapsulant 500 .

The sealant 500 formed on the data spill 244 will be described below with reference to FIG. 3 . In a region corresponding to the encapsulant 500 , the gate insulating layer 231 , the data fan-out 244 , and the passivation layer 251 are sequentially laid on the first panel 200 to a predetermined thickness d9. In addition, in a region corresponding to the sealant 500 , the outer black matrix 321 , the capping layer 341 , and the common electrode 351 are sequentially laid on the second panel 300 . Accordingly, the sealant 500 is placed between the passivation layer 251 and the common electrode 351 . In some alternative embodiments, the common electrode 351 may be placed outside the area corresponding to the encapsulant 500 .

The encapsulant 500 formed on the second dummy metal pattern 282 will be described below with reference to FIG. 4 . Likewise, the encapsulant 500 formed on the first dummy metal pattern 282 has the same structure as that of FIG. 4 , and thus will not be described again. In a region corresponding to the encapsulant 500 , the dots 283 of the second dummy metal pattern 282 , the gate insulating layer 231 , and the passivation layer 251 are sequentially laid on the first panel 200 to a predetermined thickness d12. In addition, in a region corresponding to the sealant 500 , the outer black matrix 321 , the capping layer 341 , and the common electrode 351 are sequentially laid on the second panel 300 . Accordingly, the sealant 500 is disposed between the passivation layer 251 and the common electrode 351 . Alternatively, the common electrode 351 may be placed in a region other than the region corresponding to the sealant 500 . Here, the width d2 of each of the dummy metal patterns 281 and 282 is narrower than the width d2 of the outer black matrix 321 and wider than the width d3 of the sealant 400 . Accordingly, the sealant 400 is formed in regions corresponding to the dummy metal patterns 281 , 282 .

到2500的范围内。盒间隙d4、d7、和d10彼此基本上相等，而与它们的位置无关。Therefore, according to the arrangement of the sealant 500, the cell gaps d4, d7, and d10 are substantially equal to each other. For example, the cell gaps d4, d7, and d10 are in the range of 4.5 μm to 5 μm. Therefore, the distances d6, d9, and d12 between the sealant 500 and the first insulating plate 211 should be substantially equal to each other. Referring to FIGS. 2 to 4 , the distance between the sealant 500 and the second insulating plate 311 should also be substantially equal to each other. In addition, a gate insulating layer 231 and a passivation layer 251 are generally disposed between the encapsulant 500 and the first insulating plate 211 . Therefore, the thicknesses d5, d8, d11 of gate fan-out 223, data fan-out 244, and dot 283 should be equal to each other. Here, the gate fan-out 223 and the dot 283 are made in the same layer such that their thicknesses d5, d11 are equal to each other. In addition, the thickness d5 of the gate fan-out 223 is similar to the thickness d8 of the data fan-out 244 . For example, thickness d5, d8 at 2000

to 2500 In the range. The cell gaps d4, d7, and d10 are substantially equal to each other regardless of their positions.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an electrostatic phenomenon occurring in a pseudo-metal pattern. External static electricity may be applied to points 283 of the dummy metal patterns 281 , 282 . Static electricity is transferred to adjacent points 283 . Therefore, static electricity is dispersed and dissipated through many points 283 so that it is not transferred to the display area. Typically, about five elements of point 283 are required to dissipate static electricity. Therefore, the dots 283 are preferably arranged in five or more lines. Furthermore, the distance d14 between the points 283 is set to allow electrons to hop therebetween. Therefore, the dummy metal patterns 281, 282 form dot shapes, thereby preventing external static electricity from invading the display area.

Hereinafter, a method of manufacturing an LCD according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In the first panel 200 , gate wiring material is deposited and patterned on the first insulating plate 211 , thereby forming gate wiring 221 , 222 , 223 , 224 and dummy metal patterns 281 , 282 . Subsequent processing is the same as that for manufacturing known TFT array panels. In addition, the second panel 200 may be manufactured by a known method.

Next, the sealant 500 including the spacer 511 is applied to the second panel 300 . The sealant 500 may be applied using a dispensing method or a printing (screen printing) method. When the sealant is adhered to the first panel 200, the sealant 500 is formed on the gate fan-out 223, the data fan-out 244, the first dummy metal pattern 281, and the second dummy metal pattern 282, respectively. Then, the liquid crystal is filled between the second panel 300 and the sealant 500 by a dropping method. Thereafter, the first panel 200 and the second panel 300 are combined, and the sealant 500 is hardened by heat or ultraviolet rays.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an LCD according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

In a region corresponding to the encapsulant 500 , the gate insulating layer 231 , the dots 284 of the second dummy metal pattern 282 , and the passivation layer 251 are sequentially laid on the first panel 200 to a predetermined thickness d17. In addition, in a region corresponding to the sealant 500 , the outer black matrix 321 , the capping layer 341 , and the common electrode 351 are sequentially laid on the second panel 300 . Accordingly, the sealant 500 is placed between the passivation layer 251 and the common electrode 351 . In some alternative embodiments, the common electrode 351 may be placed in a region other than the region corresponding to the encapsulant 500 . Here, the dot 284 is made of the same material as the data fan-out 244 , wherein the thickness d16 of the dot 284 is equal to the thickness of the data fan-out 244 . Therefore, the cell gap d15 corresponding to the second dummy metal pattern 282 is substantially equal to the other cell gaps d4, d7. Furthermore, the diameter d18 of the dots 284 and the distance d19 between the respective dots 284 are the same as the diameter and pitch of the dots 283 according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a structural diagram of an LCD according to a third embodiment of the present invention. According to the third embodiment of the present invention, the first dummy metal pattern 281 and the second dummy metal pattern 282 are separated from each other.

FIG. 8 is a structural diagram of an LCD according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. According to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, the second dummy metal pattern 282 is formed with an inlet 285 . Similar to the first embodiment, a sealant 500 is formed on the second panel 300 . When the sealant is attached to the first panel 200, the sealant 500 is formed on the gate fan-out 223, the data fan-out 244, the first dummy metal pattern 281, and the second dummy metal pattern 282, respectively. Accordingly, the sealant 500 is formed in a shape corresponding to the second dummy metal pattern 282 formed with the inlet 285 . Subsequently, the first panel 200 and the second panel 300 are aligned and bonded to each other, and the sealant 500 is hardened by heat and/or ultraviolet rays. In this case, the liquid crystal is filled between the first panel 200 and the second panel 300 through the inlet 285 using a vacuum filling method. After the liquid crystal completely fills between the panels 200 and 300, the inlet 285 is sealed with a sealant hardened by ultraviolet rays.

9 is a structural diagram of an LCD according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view of the LCD along line X-X in FIG. 9 .

According to the fifth embodiment opposite to the first embodiment, there is no gate pad portion, and the gate lines are connected to the shift register 225 provided outside the display area. That is, the driving circuit for driving the gate lines 221 is directly disposed in the first panel 200 . The sealant 500 placed on the left side of the display area is formed on the shift register 225 including a plurality of thin film transistors such that the shift register 225 is thicker than the gate fan-out 223 of the first embodiment.

Referring to FIG. 10 , the dot 283 , the gate insulating layer 231 , the dot 284 , and the passivation layer 251 are sequentially laid between the encapsulant 500 and the first insulating plate 211 , thereby forming a predetermined thickness d21 . Here, the lower dot 283 is made of the same material as the gate wiring material, and the upper dot 284 is made of the same material as the data wiring material. Because of the lower point 283 and the upper point 284, the distance between the encapsulant 500 and the first insulating plate 211 is greater than the distances d6, d9, and d12 of the first embodiment, resulting in a gap between the shift register 225 and the gate fan-out 223. difference in thickness. Therefore, the cell gap d20 at this position is smaller than the cell gaps d4, d7, and d10 according to the first embodiment.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the dummy metal patterns 281 and 282 are not limited to dot shapes but may have various shapes, which will be described later with reference to the first dummy metal pattern by way of example.

11 to 14 are diagrams of dummy metal patterns according to sixth to ninth embodiments of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 11, the first dummy metal pattern 281 according to the sixth embodiment has a single solid shape. Referring to FIG. 12 , the first dummy metal pattern 281 according to the seventh embodiment forms a plurality of lines 285 arranged in parallel to the periphery of the display area. Referring to FIG. 13 , first dummy metal patterns 281 according to the eighth embodiment are arranged in a plurality of lines 286 perpendicular to the periphery of the display area. Referring to FIG. 14 , the first dummy metal pattern 281 according to the ninth embodiment has a lattice shape composed of parallel lines 285 and vertical lines 286 .

Alternatively, line patterns 285 and 286 may be arranged at different angles to the perimeter of the display area.

Next, an LCD according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 15 to 18. FIG.

Sometimes, signal lines such as repair lines may be formed along the periphery of the display area as required. Since the density of the panel structure has become higher recently, the signal lines are close to the corners of the substrate. Therefore, there arises a problem that the signal lines are electrostatically disconnected. In the LCD according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned problem that the signal lines are disconnected is reduced. In the following, a repair line will be described as an example of the signal line according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention. However, it should be understood that this embodiment is not limited to use with repair lines.

Along the periphery of the display region, repair lines 225 are formed on the same layer as gate wirings 221 , 222 , 223 , and 224 . The repair line 225 is disposed between the display area and the data pad 245 with one side opposite to the gate pad 224 and one side opposite to the data pad 225 . Here, the repair line 225 is insulated from and intersects with the data line 241 connected to the data pad 245, and the gate insulation layer 231 is placed between the repair line and the data line.

The repair line 225 passes through the inside of the first dummy metal pattern 281 . Therefore, the first dummy metal pattern 281 is divided into two parts by the repair line 225 . Similarly, the second dummy metal pattern 282 is also divided into two parts, but the repair line 225 passes between the second dummy metal pattern 282 and the display area. In some alternative embodiments, the second dummy metal pattern 282 may not be divided into two parts.

The sealant 500 is disposed between the repair line 225 placed inside the first dummy metal pattern 281 and the common electrode 351 instead of the liquid crystal layer 400 . If the liquid crystal layer 400 is placed between the repair line 225 and the common electrode 351, there is a resistance and capacitance (RC) delay due to a high dielectric constant, causing defects in driving the LCD.

FIG. 18 is a diagram showing that static electricity is generated in a dummy metal pattern 281 in an LCD in a case where a repair line 225 according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention is provided. External static electricity may be applied to the point 283 of the dummy metal pattern 281 . In this case, static electricity is transferred to the adjacent point 283 . Therefore, static electricity is dispersed through many points 283, and is prevented from reaching the display area. Even in case some static electricity reaches the display area, the amount reaching the display area will be very small. Therefore, the repair wire 225 is protected from external static electricity. Also, the dot 283 is disposed between the repair line 225 and the display area, thereby preventing static electricity from being applied to the display area.

The above-described embodiments can be modified. For example, the first dummy metal pattern 281 may be asymmetrically divided into two parts. In addition, the first dummy metal pattern 281 may be set as a data metal layer, or may be set as a double layer including a gate metal layer and a data metal layer.

In addition, the above-described embodiments can be used in various combinations. For example, the first dummy metal pattern 281 may have dot shapes 283, 284 in one area (eg, an area close to the display area) and line shapes 285, 286 in another area (eg, an area far from the display area) . In addition, the first dummy metal pattern 281 and the second dummy metal pattern 282 may have different shapes from each other. Also, in some embodiments, only one of the first dummy metal pattern 281 and the second dummy metal pattern 282 is provided.

As described above, the present invention provides an LCD including a uniform cell gap and a method of manufacturing the same.

The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and changes. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principles of the present invention shall be included within the scope of the claims of the present invention.

Claims (7)

1. An LCD, comprising: A first panel comprising pads disposed in a first portion of the non-display area, and a dummy metal pattern disposed in a second portion of the non-display area, wherein the first portion and the second portion are along the display Relative location around the area; second panel; an encapsulant formed on the pad and the dummy metal pattern, and bonding the first panel to the second panel; and The liquid crystal layer is arranged between the first panel and the second panel. 2. The LCD of claim 1, wherein the sealant comprises a spacer. 3. The LCD of claim 2, wherein the spacers comprise plastic. 4. The LCD of claim 1 , wherein the sealant comprises a spacer, and when ^a force of about 500 kg/mm is applied to the spacer at room temperature, the spacer is in the direction of the force Distortion of 5% or more on the 5. The LCD of claim 1, wherein the dummy metal pattern has a width wider than that of the sealant. 6. The LCD of claim 1, wherein the false metal pattern comprises a plurality of dots. 7. The LCD according to claim 6, wherein the dots are arranged in five or more rows.

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