KR101234214B1 - Liquid crystal display device and method of fabricating the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The liquid crystal display of the present invention and a method of manufacturing the same are used to simultaneously form a conductive film pattern for a gate electrode and a common electrode using diffraction exposure, and to form a common electrode by patterning the conductive film pattern when forming a contact hole. In order to simplify the manufacturing process by reducing the number of masks by forming a pixel electrode through the selective etching, providing a first substrate and a second substrate divided into a pixel portion, a gate pad portion and a data pad portion; Forming a gate electrode, a gate line, and a conductive layer pattern on the pixel portion of the first substrate through a first mask process; Forming a first insulating film on the first substrate; Forming an active pattern and a source / drain electrode on the gate electrode through a second mask process, and forming a data line substantially crossing the gate line to define a pixel region; Forming a second insulating film on the first substrate; Forming a plurality of pixel electrodes electrically connected to the drain electrode in the pixel portion through a third mask process, and patterning the conductive layer pattern to form a plurality of common electrodes; And bonding the first substrate and the second substrate to each other.

Diffraction exposure, gate electrode, common electrode, pixel electrode, transparent conductive film, number of masks

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device and a method of manufacturing the same,

1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a general liquid crystal display device.

2A to 2E are sectional views sequentially showing a manufacturing process of an array substrate in the liquid crystal display device shown in Fig.

3 is a plan view schematically showing a part of an array substrate of a liquid crystal display device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

4A to 4C are cross-sectional views sequentially showing a manufacturing process according to lines IIIa-IIIa ', IIIb-IIIb and IIIc-IIIc of the array substrate shown in FIG. 3;

5A to 5C are plan views sequentially showing the manufacturing steps of the array substrate shown in Fig.

6A to 6E are cross-sectional views illustrating in detail the first mask process illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 5A.

7A to 7E are cross-sectional views illustrating the second mask process illustrated in FIGS. 4B and 5B in detail.

8A to 8E are cross-sectional views illustrating the third mask process shown in FIGS. 4C and 5C in detail.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

108: common electrode 108l: common line

110: array substrate 116: gate line

116P: Gate pad line 117: Data line

117P: Data pad line 118: Pixel electrode

118l: storage electrode 121: gate electrode

122: source electrode 123: drain electrode

124 ': active pattern 126P: gate pad electrode

127P: Data Pad Electrode

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device and a manufacturing method thereof, and more particularly, to a liquid crystal display device and a method for manufacturing the same by reducing the number of masks to simplify the manufacturing process and improve the yield.

Recently, interest in information display has increased, and a demand for using portable information media has increased, and a light-weight flat panel display (FPD) that replaces a cathode ray tube (CRT) And research and commercialization are being carried out. In particular, a liquid crystal display (LCD) is a device that displays an image using optical anisotropy of liquid crystal, and is actively applied to a laptop or a desktop monitor because it is excellent in resolution, color display, and image quality. It is becoming.

The liquid crystal display comprises a color filter substrate as a first substrate, an array substrate as a second substrate, and a liquid crystal layer formed between the color filter substrate and the array substrate.

In this case, a thin film transistor (TFT) is generally used as a switching element of the liquid crystal display, and an amorphous silicon thin film is used as a channel layer of the thin film transistor.

Since the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display device basically requires a plurality of mask processes (ie, photolithography process) for fabricating an array substrate including a thin film transistor, a method of reducing the number of mask processes in terms of productivity is required. It is required.

Hereinafter, the structure of a typical liquid crystal display device will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

1 is an exploded perspective view schematically showing a general liquid crystal display device.

As shown in the figure, the liquid crystal display comprises a color filter substrate 5, an array substrate 10, and a liquid crystal layer (not shown) formed between the color filter substrate 5 and the array substrate 10 30).

The color filter substrate 5 includes a color filter C composed of a plurality of sub-color filters 7 for implementing colors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B); A black matrix 6 that separates the sub-color filters 7 and blocks light passing through the liquid crystal layer 30, and a transparent common electrode that applies a voltage to the liquid crystal layer 30. 8)

The array substrate 10 includes a plurality of gate lines 16 and data lines 17 arranged vertically and horizontally to define a plurality of pixel regions P and a plurality of gate lines 16 and data lines 17 A thin film transistor T which is a switching element formed in the intersection region and a pixel electrode 18 formed on the pixel region P. [

The color filter substrate 5 and the array substrate 10 configured as described above are joined to face each other by sealants (not shown) formed on the outer side of the image display area to form a liquid crystal display panel. 5) and the array substrate 10 are bonded through a bonding key (not shown) formed in the color filter substrate 5 or the array substrate 10.

2A to 2E are cross-sectional views sequentially showing the steps of manufacturing an array substrate in the liquid crystal display device shown in Fig.

As shown in FIG. 2A, a gate electrode 21 made of a conductive metal material is formed on the substrate 10 by using a photolithography process (first mask process).

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 2B, the first insulating film 15a, the amorphous silicon thin film, and the n + amorphous silicon thin film are sequentially deposited on the entire surface of the substrate 10 on which the gate electrode 21 is formed. The active pattern 24 made of an amorphous silicon thin film is formed on the gate electrode 21 by selectively patterning the amorphous silicon thin film and the n + amorphous silicon thin film by using a photolithography process (second mask process).

In this case, the n + amorphous silicon thin film pattern 25 patterned in the same form as the active pattern 24 is formed on the active pattern 24.

2C, a source electrode is formed on the active pattern 24 by depositing a conductive metal material on the entire surface of the substrate 10 and then selectively patterning the same by using a photolithography process (third mask process). And the drain electrode 23 are formed. In this case, the n + amorphous silicon thin film pattern formed on the active pattern 24 has a predetermined region removed through the third mask process to form an ohmic − between the active pattern 24 and the source / drain electrodes 22 and 23. An ohmic contact layer 25 'for ohmic contact is formed.

Next, as shown in FIG. 2D, a second insulating film 15b is deposited on the entire surface of the substrate 10 on which the source electrode 22 and the drain electrode 23 are formed, and then a photolithography process (fourth mask process). A portion of the second insulating layer 15b is removed to form a contact hole 40 exposing a portion of the drain electrode 23.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 2E, a transparent conductive metal material is deposited on the entire surface of the substrate 10 and then selectively patterned using a photolithography process (fifth mask process) to drain through the contact hole 40. The pixel electrode 18 electrically connected to the electrode 23 is formed.

As described above, fabrication of an array substrate including a thin film transistor requires at least five photolithography processes for patterning a gate electrode, an active pattern, a source / drain electrode, a contact hole, and a pixel electrode.

The photolithography process is a series of processes in which a pattern drawn on a mask is transferred onto a substrate on which a thin film is deposited to form a desired pattern. The photolithography process includes a plurality of processes such as photoresist coating, exposure, and development. As a result, many photolithography processes have many problems, such as lowering the production yield and increasing the probability of defects in the formed thin film transistors.

In particular, a mask designed to form a pattern is very expensive, and as the number of masks applied to the process increases, the manufacturing cost of the liquid crystal display device increases in proportion.

In this case, the above-described liquid crystal display device is a twisted nematic (TN) type liquid crystal display device for driving the nematic liquid crystal molecules in a direction perpendicular to the substrate, wherein the liquid crystal display device of the method is a viewing angle It has the disadvantage of being as narrow as 90 degrees. This is because of the refractive anisotropy of the liquid crystal molecules, and liquid crystal molecules aligned horizontally with the substrate are oriented in a direction substantially perpendicular to the substrate when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal display panel.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device having a reduced number of masks used for manufacturing a thin film transistor and a method of manufacturing the same.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device and a method of manufacturing the same, which improves a viewing angle by driving liquid crystal molecules in a horizontal direction with respect to a substrate.

Other objects and features of the present invention will be described in the following description of the invention and claims.

In order to achieve the above object, the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device of the present invention comprises the steps of providing a first substrate and a second substrate divided into a pixel portion, a gate pad portion and a data pad portion; Forming a gate electrode, a gate line, and a conductive layer pattern on the pixel portion of the first substrate through a first mask process; Forming a first insulating film on the first substrate; Forming an active pattern and a source / drain electrode on the gate electrode through a second mask process, and forming a data line substantially crossing the gate line to define a pixel region; Forming a second insulating film on the first substrate; Forming a plurality of pixel electrodes electrically connected to the drain electrode in the pixel portion through a third mask process, and patterning the conductive layer pattern to form a plurality of common electrodes; And bonding the first substrate and the second substrate to each other.

In addition, the liquid crystal display of the present invention includes a first substrate divided into a pixel portion, a gate pad portion, and a data pad portion; A plurality of common electrodes formed on the pixel portion of the first substrate and formed of a first conductive layer; A gate electrode, a gate line, and a common line formed in the pixel portion of the first substrate and formed of a second conductive film; A first insulating film formed on the first substrate; An active pattern formed on the gate electrode; A data line formed in the pixel portion of the first substrate and defining a pixel region substantially crossing the source / drain electrode formed of a third conductive layer and the gate line; A storage electrode formed on the pixel portion of the first substrate and formed of the third conductive layer and overlapping a portion of the common line; A second insulating film formed on the first substrate; A pixel electrode line formed on the pixel portion of the first substrate and formed of a fourth conductive layer and electrically connected to a part of the drain electrode; A plurality of pixel electrodes disposed alternately with the plurality of common electrodes in the pixel area, the plurality of pixel electrodes being made of the fourth conductive layer and electrically connected to the storage electrodes; And a second substrate bonded to and opposed to the first substrate.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of a liquid crystal display and a method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3 is a plan view schematically illustrating a portion of an array substrate of a liquid crystal display according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and shows one pixel including a gate pad part and a data pad part.

In the actual array substrate, N gate lines and M data lines cross each other, and there are M × N pixels, but one pixel is shown in the figure for simplicity of explanation.

At this time, the present embodiment describes a liquid crystal display device of a fringe field switching (FFS) mode to improve the viewing angle by driving the liquid crystal molecules in a horizontal direction with respect to the substrate as an example, but the present invention is limited thereto. The present invention may be applied to the liquid crystal display device of the twisted nematic (TN) method or the in-plane switching (IPS) mode described above.

In both the FFS mode and the IPS mode, the liquid crystal molecules are driven in a horizontal direction with respect to the substrate to improve the viewing angle. However, the FFS mode induces a fringe field, a parabolic transverse electric field, in the liquid crystal layer, thereby inducing liquid crystal molecules. In order to achieve this, the electrode gap between the pixel electrodes is densely formed compared to the electrode width.

As shown in the drawing, a gate line 116 and a data line 117 are formed on the array substrate 110 in the FFS mode and are arranged horizontally and horizontally on the substrate 110 to define a pixel region. A thin film transistor, which is a switching element, is formed at the intersection of 116 and the data line 117.

In this case, a gate pad electrode 126P and a data pad electrode 127P electrically connected to the gate line 116 and the data line 117 are formed in the edge region of the array substrate 110. The scan signal and the data signal applied from the driving circuit unit (not shown) are transferred to the gate line 116 and the data line 117, respectively.

That is, the gate line 116 and the data line 117 extend toward the driving circuit part to form the gate pad line 116P and the data pad line 117P, respectively, and the gate pad line 116P and the data pad line ( 117P is configured to receive the scan signal and the data signal applied from the driving circuit unit through the gate pad electrode 126P and the data pad electrode 127P connected to the gate pad line 116P and the data pad line 117P, respectively. 116 and the data line 117.

The thin film transistor includes a gate electrode 121 connected to the gate line 116, a source electrode 122 connected to the data line 117, and a drain electrode 123 connected to the pixel electrode 118. In addition, the thin film transistor includes a first insulating film (not shown) for insulating the gate electrode 121 and the source / drain electrodes 122 and 123 and a gate voltage supplied to the gate electrode 121. An active pattern (not shown) for forming a conductive channel between the 122 and the drain electrode 123 is included.

In this case, the source electrode 122 is connected to the data line 117 to form a part of the data line 117, and the drain electrode 123 is connected to the pixel electrode (118 ') through the pixel electrode line 118'. 118) electrically.

In the pixel area, a plurality of common electrodes 108 and pixel electrodes 118 for generating a transverse electric field are alternately arranged. In this case, the pixel electrode 118 is connected to the pixel electrode line 118 ′ which is substantially parallel to the gate line 116. In addition, the common electrode 108 is electrically connected to a common line 108l arranged substantially parallel to the gate line 116.

Although not shown in detail for convenience, the common electrode 108 and the pixel electrode 118 are alternately disposed at a predetermined distance to generate a parabolic transverse electric field in the liquid crystal layer, wherein the common electrode 108 and the pixel electrode 118 The distance between the pixel electrodes 118 may be smaller than the width of the pixel electrode 118.

The electric field formed by the common electrode 108 and the pixel electrode 118 operates both liquid crystal molecules positioned above the common electrode 108 and the pixel electrode 118 in a parabolic form, so that the long axis of the liquid crystal molecule is changed. Twist according to the electric field. Therefore, the user sees the long axis of the liquid crystal molecules in any direction, thereby improving the viewing angle of the liquid crystal display.

In this case, the gate electrode 121, the gate line 116, the gate pad line 116P and the common line 108l may be formed of a double layer of a lower layer made of a transparent conductive material and an upper layer made of an opaque conductive material. The electrode 108 is composed of a single layer of the transparent conductive material.

In addition, a storage electrode 118l connected to the pixel electrode 118 is positioned on the common line 108l, and the common line 108l is formed of the storage electrode 118l with the first insulating layer therebetween. Overlapping part of it forms a storage capacitor. The storage capacitor serves to maintain a constant voltage applied to the liquid crystal capacitor until the next signal.

In addition to maintaining the signal, the storage capacitor has effects such as stabilization of gray scale display and reduction of flicker and afterimage.

The array substrate of this embodiment configured as described above forms a conductive film pattern for the gate electrode and the common electrode using a diffraction mask or a half-tone mask, forms an active pattern and a source / drain electrode, and the conductive film pattern when forming the contact hole. By forming the common electrode and forming the pixel electrode through the selective etching of the transparent conductive film, it can be manufactured through a total of three mask processes, which will be described in detail through the following manufacturing process of the liquid crystal display device.

4A to 4C are cross-sectional views sequentially illustrating a manufacturing process along lines IIIa-IIIa ', IIIb-IIIb, and IIIc-IIIc of the array substrate illustrated in FIG. 3, and FIGS. 5A to 5C are shown in FIG. 3. It is a top view which shows the manufacturing process of an array substrate sequentially.

4A to 4C sequentially show a manufacturing process of the pixel array substrate along line IIIa-IIIa 'of the array substrate shown in FIG. 3, and on the right side, gates along line IIIb-IIIb and IIIc-IIIc are shown. The manufacturing process of the pad part and the data pad part array substrate is shown in order.

As shown in FIGS. 4A and 5A, the gate electrode 121, the gate line 116, the common line 108l, and the conductive film for the common electrode are formed in the pixel portion of the substrate 110 made of a transparent insulating material such as glass. A pattern 120 ″ is formed, and a gate pad line 116P is formed in the gate pad portion of the substrate 110.

In this case, the gate electrode 121, the gate line 116, the common line 108l, the conductive film pattern 120 ″ for the common electrode, and the gate pad line 116P may be formed of a first conductive film and a second conductive film. 110) After depositing on the entire surface is formed by patterning through a photolithography process (first mask process).

Here, a transparent conductive material having excellent transmittance such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO) may be used as the first conductive layer. Low resistance opaque conductive materials such as aluminum (Al), aluminum alloys, tungsten (W), copper (Cu), chromium (Cr), molybdenum (Mo), etc. Can be used.

In this case, a gate electrode pattern 120 'and a gate pad line pattern 120' formed of the first conductive film are formed under the gate electrode 121 and the gate pad line 116P, respectively. Although not shown in the drawing, the gate line 116 and the common line 108l also have a double layer structure like the gate electrode 121 and the gate pad line 116P.

The common electrode conductive layer pattern 120 ″ has a single layer structure composed of only the second conductive layer, and is patterned into a plurality of common electrodes through a third mask process to be described later.

As described above, the gate electrode 121, the gate line 116, the common line 108l and the gate pad line 116P of the double layer are simultaneously used with the conductive layer pattern 120 " It can be formed, which will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

6A to 6E are cross-sectional views illustrating in detail the first mask process illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 5A.

As shown in FIG. 6A, the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 130 are sequentially deposited on the entire surface of the substrate 110 made of a transparent insulating material such as glass.

In this case, a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide or indium zinc oxide may be used as the first conductive layer 120, and aluminum, aluminum alloy, tungsten, and copper may be used as the second conductive layer 130. Low resistance opaque conductive materials such as, chromium, molybdenum and molybdenum alloys can be used.

Thereafter, a photoresist film 170 made of a photoresist such as a photoresist is formed on the entire surface of the substrate 110 and then selectively formed on the photoresist film 170 through the diffraction mask (or half-tone mask) 180 of the present embodiment. Irradiate light with

In this case, the diffraction mask 180 used in the present embodiment is applied with a transmission region I and a slit pattern that transmit all of the irradiated light so that only a part of the light is transmitted and a portion of the slit region II and all of the irradiated light are blocked. The blocking region III is provided to block the light, and only the light passing through the diffraction mask 180 is irradiated to the photosensitive film 170.

Subsequently, after the photoresist film 170 exposed through the diffraction mask 180 is developed, light is blocked or partially blocked through the blocking region III and the slit region II, as shown in FIG. 6B. The photoresist patterns 170a to 170c having a predetermined thickness remain in the exposed region, and the photoresist layer is completely removed in the transmission region I through which all the light is transmitted, thereby exposing the surface of the second conductive layer 130.

In this case, the first photoresist pattern 170a and the second photoresist pattern 170b formed through the blocking region III are formed thicker than the third photoresist pattern 170c formed in the slit region II. In addition, the photoresist film is completely removed in the region where all the light is transmitted through the transmission region I. This is because a positive photoresist is used, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and a negative photoresist may be used.

Next, when the first conductive layer 120 and the second conductive layer 130 formed under the pattern using the photosensitive film patterns 170a to 170c formed as described above are masked, as shown in FIG. 6C. A gate electrode 121 made of the second conductive layer, a gate line (not shown), and a common line (not shown) are formed in the pixel portion of the substrate 110, and the gate pad portion of the substrate 110 is formed. A gate pad line 116P made of two conductive films is formed.

In this case, each of the gate electrode 121 and the gate pad line 116P formed of the second conductive layer is formed of the first conductive layer and patterned in the same form as the gate electrode 121 and the gate pad line 116P. The gate electrode pattern 120 'and the gate pad line pattern 120' "are formed.

In addition, a conductive film pattern 120 "for the common electrode made of the first conductive film and a second conductive film pattern 130 'made of the second conductive film are formed under the third photosensitive film pattern 170c.

When an ashing process is performed to remove a portion of the photoresist patterns 170a to 170c, as shown in FIG. 6D, an upper portion of the conductive electrode pattern 120 ″ for the common electrode, that is, diffraction exposure is performed. The third photoresist layer pattern of the applied slit region II is completely removed to expose the surface of the second conductive layer pattern 130 ′.

In this case, the first photoresist pattern and the second photoresist pattern correspond to the blocking region III by the fourth photoresist pattern 170a 'and the fifth photoresist pattern 170b' that have been removed by the thickness of the third photoresist pattern. It remains only in a predetermined area.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 6E, the second conductive upper portion of the conductive film pattern 120 ″ for the common electrode is formed by using the remaining fourth photoresist pattern 170a ′ and the fifth photoresist pattern 170b ′ as masks. The film pattern is removed.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 4B and 5B, the gate electrode 121, the gate line 116, the common line 108l, the conductive film pattern 120 ″ for the common electrode, and the gate pad line 116P are illustrated. The first insulating film 115a, the amorphous silicon thin film, the n + amorphous silicon thin film, and the third conductive film are sequentially deposited on the entire surface of the substrate 110, and then the amorphous silicon thin film is formed by using a photolithography process (second mask process). And selectively patterning the n + amorphous silicon thin film and the third conductive film to form an active pattern 124 'made of the amorphous silicon thin film on the gate electrode 121 and at the same time the source electrode 122 made of the third conductive film. And a drain electrode 123. At this time, the data line 117 made of the third conductive layer is formed in a direction substantially perpendicular to the gate line 116.

The n + amorphous silicon thin film is formed on the active pattern 124 'and is patterned in the same shape as the source / drain electrodes 122 and 123 to form a predetermined region and the source / drain of the active pattern 124'. An ohmic contact layer 125n that ohmic-contacts the electrodes 122 and 123 is formed.

In addition, a data pad line 117P formed of the third conductive layer is formed on the data pad portion of the substrate 110.

At this time, the second n + amorphous silicon thin film pattern 125 "and the second amorphous silicon formed of the n + amorphous silicon thin film and the amorphous silicon thin film under the data line 117 and patterned in the same shape as the data line 117. A thin film pattern 124 ″ is formed, and a third n + amorphous silicon thin film formed of the n + amorphous silicon thin film and the amorphous silicon thin film under the data pad line 117P and patterned in the same shape as the data pad line 117P. The pattern 125 '″ and the third amorphous silicon thin film pattern 124' ″ are formed.

In addition, the storage electrode 118l formed of the third conductive layer is arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the common line 108l in the pixel area, and the storage electrode 118l is disposed below the common line 108l. ) And a storage capacitor to overlap the portion of the first insulating layer 115a.

As described above, the active pattern 124 ', the source / drain electrodes 122 and 123, and the data line 117 are simultaneously formed in one mask process (second mask process) using diffraction exposure. The second mask process will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

7A through 7E are cross-sectional views illustrating a process of simultaneously forming an active pattern, a source / drain electrode, and a data line in FIGS. 4B and 5B, and sequentially illustrating a second mask process of the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7A, the substrate 110 having the gate electrode 121, the gate line 116, the common line 108l, the conductive film pattern 120 ″ for the common electrode, and the gate pad line 116P is formed. The first insulating film 115a, the amorphous silicon thin film 124, the n + amorphous silicon thin film 125, and the third conductive layer 140 are sequentially deposited on the entire surface.

In this case, a low resistance opaque conductive material such as aluminum, aluminum alloy, tungsten, copper, chromium, molybdenum and molybdenum alloy may be used as the third conductive layer 140.

Thereafter, a photoresist layer 270 formed of a photoresist such as photoresist is formed on the entire surface of the substrate 110, and then selectively formed on the photoresist layer 270 through the diffraction mask (or half-tone mask) 280 of the present embodiment. Irradiate light with

In this case, the diffraction mask 280 used in the present embodiment is applied with a transmission region I and a slit pattern that transmit all of the irradiated light so that only a part of the light is transmitted and a portion of the slit region II and all of the irradiated light are blocked. A blocking region (III) for blocking is provided, and only the light passing through the diffraction mask 280 is irradiated onto the photosensitive film 270.

Subsequently, after the photosensitive film 270 exposed through the diffraction mask 280 is developed, as shown in FIG. 7B, light is blocked or partially blocked through the blocking region III and the slit region II. The photoresist patterns 270a to 270e having a predetermined thickness remain in the exposed region, and the photoresist layer is completely removed in the transmission region I through which all the light is transmitted, thereby exposing the surface of the third conductive layer 140.

In this case, the first photoresist pattern 270a to the fourth photoresist pattern 270d formed through the blocking region III are formed thicker than the fifth photoresist pattern 270e formed in the slit region II. In addition, the photoresist film is completely removed in the region where all the light is transmitted through the transmission region I. This is because a positive photoresist is used, and the present invention is not limited thereto, and a negative photoresist may be used.

Next, when the third conductive film 140 formed below is patterned using the photoresist patterns 270a to 270e formed as described above, the pixel portion of the substrate 110 may be formed as shown in FIG. 7C. The third conductive layer pattern 140 ′ formed of the third conductive layer and the data line 117 are formed, and the data pad line 117P made of the third conductive layer is formed in the data pad portion of the substrate 110. Will be formed.

Although not shown in the drawing, the storage electrode 118l made of the third conductive layer is arranged in a direction substantially parallel to the common line 108l in the pixel area of the pixel portion.

In addition, when the amorphous silicon thin film and the n + amorphous silicon thin film are selectively removed using the photoresist patterns 270a to 270e as masks, the amorphous silicon thin film and the n + amorphous layer are formed in a predetermined region on the gate electrode 121. A first amorphous silicon thin film pattern formed of a silicon thin film, that is, an active pattern 124 'and a first n + amorphous silicon thin film pattern 125' are formed.

In this case, the second amorphous silicon thin film pattern 124 ″ and the second n + amorphous silicon formed of the amorphous silicon thin film and the n + amorphous silicon thin film under the data line 117 and patterned in the same shape as the data line 117. A thin film pattern 125 ″ is formed, and the third amorphous silicon thin film pattern is formed of the amorphous silicon thin film and the n + amorphous silicon thin film under the data pad line 117P and patterned in the same shape as the data pad line 117P. 124 '"and the third n + amorphous silicon thin film pattern 125'" are formed.

In addition, when an ashing process of removing a portion of the photoresist patterns 270a to 270e is performed, as shown in FIG. 7D, a predetermined area of the active pattern 124 ′, that is, diffraction exposure is applied. The fifth photoresist pattern of the slit region II is completely removed to expose the surface of the third conductive layer pattern 140 ′.

In this case, the first photoresist pattern to the fourth photoresist pattern correspond to the blocking region III by the sixth photoresist pattern 270a 'through the ninth photoresist pattern 270d' whose thickness is equal to that of the fifth photoresist pattern. It remains only in a predetermined area.

Subsequently, as illustrated in FIG. 7E, a predetermined region (ie, a channel region) of the active pattern 124 ′ is formed by using the remaining sixth photoresist pattern 270a ′ to ninth photoresist pattern 270d ′ as a mask. When the third conductive layer pattern is selectively etched, a source electrode 122 and a drain electrode 123 formed of the third conductive layer are formed on the gate electrode 121.

In this case, the first n + amorphous silicon thin film pattern formed on the active pattern 124 'is patterned to form ohmic contact between the active pattern 124' and the source / drain electrodes 122 and 123. 125n is formed.

4C and 5C, a plurality of pixel electrodes 118 electrically connected to the drain electrode 123 are formed in one photolithography process (third mask process), and at the same time, the gate pads are formed. A gate pad electrode 126P and a data pad electrode 127P which are electrically connected to the line 116P and the data pad line 117P, respectively, are exposed. In this case, a plurality of common electrodes 108 are formed by patterning the conductive film pattern for the common electrode through the third mask process, wherein the common electrode 108 alternates with the pixel electrode 118 in the pixel region. And generate a parabolic lateral electric field in the liquid crystal layer in the pixel region.

In the third mask process, when the insulating layers 115a and 115b are patterned, the pixel electrode region where the pixel electrode 118 is to be formed is exposed so that the substrate 110 below the substrate 110 is exposed to the gate pad line 116P. The pad portion is opened to expose a portion of the data pad line 117P.

When the contact hole is formed, the conductive layer pattern 120 ″ is patterned to form the common electrode 108, and the pixel electrode 118 is formed by surface treatment of the photoresist layer and selective crystallization and etching of the transparent conductive layer. It is possible to manufacture through the mask process, which will be described in detail through the manufacturing process of the following liquid crystal display device.

8A to 8E are cross-sectional views illustrating the third mask process illustrated in FIGS. 4C and 5C in detail.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the second insulating layer 115b and the photosensitive material are formed on the entire surface of the substrate 110 on which the active patterns 124 ', the source / drain electrodes 122 and 123, and the data lines 117 are formed. After the first photoresist film is formed, the first photoresist film is patterned through a photolithography process (a third mask process) to form a first photoresist film pattern 370 '.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the first insulating film 115a, the second insulating film 115b, and the conductive film pattern for the common electrode, which are formed under the first photosensitive film pattern 370 ′ as a mask, are selectively selected. In this case, the first hole Ha and the plurality of second holes Hb exposing the pixel electrode region where the pixel electrode is to be formed are formed, and at the same time, the gate pad line 116P and the data pad line 117P of the pad portion are formed. The third hole Hc and the fourth hole Hd exposing a portion of the pad portion electrode region are formed.

In this case, the first hole Ha is formed in a direction substantially parallel to the gate line 116 to expose a portion of the drain electrode 123, and the second holes Hb are formed in the data line 117. Are formed in the pixel region in a direction substantially parallel to the plurality of common electrodes 108 to divide the common electrode conductive film pattern into a plurality of common electrodes 108.

Here, reference numeral 108 'represents a dummy pattern formed under the drain electrode 123, and the dummy pattern 108' and the common electrode 108 are over-etched during the etching of the conductive film pattern for the common electrode. By doing so, part of the side is patterned to go inward.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 8C, the first hole Ha, the second holes Hb, the third hole Hc, and the fourth hole Hd are disposed on the entire surface of the substrate 110. The fourth conductive film 150 is formed of a transparent conductive material.

In this case, the fourth conductive layer 150 has a transmittance such as indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO) to form the pixel electrode and the pad electrode. Contains excellent transparent conductive materials. In this case, a process of hydrophobizing the surface of the first photoresist layer pattern 370 ′ may be performed by plasma or heat treatment before deposition of the ITO thin film 150. This is because the surface of the ITO thin film 150 is hydrophilic, thereby deteriorating an interface state with the first photoresist pattern 370 ', thereby selectively removing only the ITO thin film 150 formed on the first photoresist pattern 370'. will be.

In this case, the fourth conductive layer 150 in the pixel electrode region is not separated from the common electrode 108 and the dummy pattern 108 'by a predetermined distance, and thus is not electrically connected to each other. This is the result of patterning the common electrode 108 and the dummy pattern 108 ′ to enter.

Thereafter, a second photosensitive layer 470 made of a photosensitive material is formed on the entire surface of the substrate 110 on which the ITO thin film 150 is formed.

As shown in FIG. 8D, an ashing process of removing a portion of the second photoresist layer 470 may be performed to expose the ITO thin film 150 to the outside in the pixel electrode region and the pad portion electrode region. do. In this case, a part of the thickness of the second photoresist layer 470 is removed through an ashing process, so that the second photoresist layer 470 remains as a second photoresist layer pattern 470 'on the pixel electrode region and the pad portion electrode region.

Thereafter, heat treatment is performed at a temperature of about 100 to 200 ° C. to selectively crystallize only the ITO thin film 150 of the pixel electrode region and the pad portion electrode region. That is, when the photoresist patterns 370 ′ and 470 ′, which are organic layers, are in contact with the ITO thin film 150, the ITO thin film 150 is formed of an element such as carbon present in the organic film. C) crystallization is hindered so that the exposed ITO thin film 150 in regions other than the pixel electrode region and the pad portion electrode region remains in an amorphous state.

If only the exposed amorphous ITO thin film 150 is selectively removed, as illustrated in FIG. 8E, pixel electrodes 118 made of the ITO thin film are formed in the pixel electrode region, and at the same time, a pad portion electrode region is formed. The gate pad electrode 126P and the data pad electrode 127P made of the ITO thin film are formed.

In this case, the gate pad electrode 126P is electrically connected to the lower gate pad line 116P, and the data pad electrode 127P is electrically connected to the lower data pad line 117P.

Here, reference numeral 118 'denotes a pixel electrode line connecting the plurality of pixel electrodes 118 to each other, and the pixel electrode line 118' is electrically connected to a part of the drain electrode 123 thereunder.

The array substrate 110 configured as described above is bonded to face the color filter substrate (not shown) by a sealant (not shown) formed outside the image display area to form a liquid crystal display panel. The bonding of the color filter substrate is performed through a bonding key (not shown) formed on the array substrate 110 and the color filter substrate.

In the present embodiment, an amorphous silicon thin film transistor using an amorphous silicon thin film as the channel layer is described as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the present invention is also applied to a polycrystalline silicon thin film transistor using a polycrystalline silicon thin film as the channel layer. do.

In addition, the present invention can be used not only in liquid crystal display devices but also in other display devices fabricated using thin film transistors, for example, organic light emitting display devices in which organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are connected to driving transistors. have.

Many details are set forth in the foregoing description but should be construed as illustrative of preferred embodiments rather than to limit the scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention should not be construed as limited to the embodiments described, but should be determined by equivalents to the appended claims and the claims.

As described above, the liquid crystal display device and the method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention use a diffraction mask or a half-tone mask to form a conductive film pattern for the gate electrode and the common electrode, and form an active pattern and a source / drain electrode to form a thin film. By reducing the number of masks used in transistor manufacturing, the manufacturing process and cost can be reduced.

In addition, a liquid crystal display and a method of manufacturing the same according to the present invention are used to form a thin film transistor by forming a pixel electrode through the selective etching of a transparent conductive film while forming a common electrode by patterning the conductive layer pattern when forming a contact hole. The number can be further reduced.

Claims (55)

Providing a first substrate and a second substrate divided into a pixel portion, a gate pad portion, and a data pad portion; Forming a gate electrode, a gate line, and a conductive layer pattern on the pixel portion of the first substrate through a first mask process; Forming a first insulating film on the first substrate; Forming an active pattern and a source / drain electrode on the gate electrode through a second mask process, and forming a data line crossing the gate line to define a pixel region; Forming a second insulating film on the first substrate; Forming a plurality of pixel electrodes electrically connected to the drain electrode in the pixel portion through a third mask process, and patterning the conductive layer pattern to form a plurality of common electrodes; And And attaching the first substrate and the second substrate to each other. delete The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a common line on the pixel portion of the substrate through the first mask process. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a gate pad line on the gate pad of the substrate through the first mask process. The method of claim 1, wherein the first mask process Forming a first conductive film and a second conductive film on the first substrate; Forming a first photoresist pattern and a second photoresist pattern having a first thickness in the first region and the second region of the first substrate, respectively, and forming a third photoresist pattern having a second thickness in the third region; By selectively removing the first conductive film and the second conductive film using the first photosensitive film pattern to the third photosensitive film pattern as a mask, the gate electrode and the gate made of the second conductive film in the first and second regions, respectively. Forming a pad line, and forming a conductive layer pattern formed of the first conductive layer and a second conductive layer pattern formed of the second conductive layer in the third region; Removing the third photoresist pattern and simultaneously removing portions of the first photoresist pattern and the second photoresist pattern to form a fourth photoresist pattern and a fifth photoresist pattern having a third thickness; And And removing the second conductive film pattern in the third region using the fourth photoresist pattern and the fifth photoresist pattern as masks. The method of claim 5, wherein the first conductive film is formed of a transparent conductive material of indium tin oxide or indium zinc oxide, while the second conductive film is opaque of aluminum, aluminum alloy, tungsten, copper, chromium or molybdenum. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, characterized in that formed of a conductive material. delete The method of claim 5, further comprising forming a gate electrode pattern and a gate pad line pattern formed of the first conductive layer under the gate electrode and the gate pad line, respectively, and patterned in the same form as the gate electrode and the gate pad line. Method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device further comprising. The method of claim 5, wherein the first photoresist pattern and the second photoresist pattern are patterned into a fourth photoresist pattern and a fifth photoresist pattern having a third thickness reduced by the thickness of the third photoresist pattern, respectively, through an ashing process. Method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device. The method of claim 5, wherein the first region is a region in which the gate electrode is formed, the second region is a region in which the gate pad electrode is formed, and the third region is a region in which the conductive film pattern is formed. Method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device. delete delete 6. The method of claim 5, wherein the first thickness is thicker than the second thickness. 5. The method of claim 4, further comprising forming a data pad line on the data pad portion of the substrate through the second mask process. 6. The method of claim 3, further comprising forming a storage electrode arranged in a direction parallel to the common line in the pixel area through the second mask process. The method of claim 15, wherein the storage electrode overlaps a portion of a common line under the storage electrode to form a storage capacitor together with the common line with the first insulating layer therebetween. The method of claim 1, wherein the second mask process Forming an amorphous silicon thin film, an n + amorphous silicon thin film, and a third conductive film on the first substrate; A first photoresist pattern, a second photoresist pattern, and a third photoresist pattern having a first thickness are formed in the first region, the second region, and the third region of the first substrate, respectively, and have a second thickness in the fourth region. Forming a fourth photoresist pattern; By selectively removing the amorphous silicon thin film, the n + amorphous silicon thin film and the third conductive film by using the first photosensitive film pattern and the fourth photosensitive film pattern as a mask, an active pattern including the amorphous silicon thin film in the first and fourth regions And forming a third conductive film pattern formed of the third conductive film, and forming a data line and a data pad line formed of the third conductive film in the second region and the third region, respectively. Removing the fourth photoresist pattern and simultaneously removing a portion of the first to third photoresist patterns to form a fifth to seventh photoresist pattern having a third thickness; And And selectively patterning the third conductive film pattern using the fifth to seventh photosensitive film patterns as a mask to form a source electrode and a drain electrode formed of the third conductive film. Method of manufacturing the device. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the third conductive film is formed of an opaque conductive material of aluminum, aluminum alloy, tungsten, copper, chromium, or molybdenum. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the ohmic contact layer for ohmic contact between the active pattern and the source / drain electrodes is formed by selectively removing the n + amorphous silicon thin film using the fifth to seventh photoresist patterns as a mask. Method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, characterized in that it further comprises the step. The method of claim 17, wherein the first photoresist pattern to the third photoresist pattern are patterned into fifth to seventh photoresist patterns having a third thickness reduced by the thickness of the fourth photoresist pattern through an ashing process. Method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device. 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first region is a region where a source electrode and a drain electrode are formed, the second region is a region where a data line is formed, and the third region is a region where a data pad line is formed, and the fourth region. And the region is a channel region of an active pattern. delete delete delete 18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first thickness is thicker than the second thickness. The liquid crystal display device of claim 4, further comprising forming a gate pad electrode electrically connected to the gate pad line through the third mask process. Way. 15. The method of claim 14, further comprising forming a data pad electrode electrically connected to the data pad line in the data pad portion of the substrate through the third mask process. Way. The method of claim 1, further comprising: forming a pixel electrode line connecting the plurality of pixel electrodes to each other to electrically connect the drain electrode and the pixel electrode. 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the pixel electrode lines are arranged in parallel to the gate line. The method of claim 15, wherein the plurality of pixel electrodes are electrically connected to the storage electrode. The method of claim 14, wherein the third mask process Forming a first photoresist film on the first substrate; Patterning the first photoresist to form a first photoresist pattern; Selectively removing the first insulating film, the second insulating film, and the conductive film pattern using the first photoresist film pattern as a mask, thereby exposing a part of the drain electrode to the first region and the second region of the first substrate, respectively; A plurality of second holes forming a plurality of common electrodes by dividing one hole and the conductive layer pattern are formed, and a part of the gate pad line and the data pad line in the third region and the fourth region of the first substrate, respectively. Forming a third hole and a fourth hole exposing the third hole; Forming a fourth conductive film made of a transparent conductive material on the first substrate; Forming a second photoresist film on the first substrate; Removing a portion of the second photosensitive film to expose a fourth conductive film in a region other than the first to fourth regions; And Selectively removing the exposed fourth conductive layer to form a pixel electrode line electrically connected to the drain electrode in the first region, a plurality of pixel electrodes in the second region, and the gate in the third region Forming a gate pad electrode electrically connected to a pad line, and forming a data pad electrode electrically connected to the data pad line in the fourth region. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the first hole is formed in a direction parallel to the gate line, while the plurality of second holes are formed in the pixel area in a direction parallel to the data line. Method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device. delete 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the fourth conductive layer is formed of a transparent conductive material of indium tin oxide or indium zinc oxide. 32. The method of claim 31, further comprising hydrophobizing the surface of the first photoresist pattern by performing plasma treatment or heat treatment before deposition of the fourth conductive film. 32. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 31, wherein after the formation of the second photoresist film, heat treatment is performed at a temperature of 100 to 200 [deg.] C. to selectively crystallize only the fourth conductive film positioned in the first to fourth regions. Manufacturing method. 32. The liquid crystal display of claim 31, wherein the plurality of common electrodes is patterned so that a part of the side surface thereof enters inward by overetching the conductive film pattern when selectively removing the conductive film pattern. Way. 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the first region is a region in which pixel electrode lines are formed, the second region is a region in which pixel electrodes are formed, and the third region is a region in which a gate pad electrode is formed, and the fourth region is And a region in which the data pad electrode is formed. delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete delete

Images