Active matrix substrate and method for producing same, and in-cell touch panel-type display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10388676-B2
Application number	US-201615743369-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 4, 2016
Priority date	Aug 10, 2015
Publication date	Aug 20, 2019
Grant date	Aug 20, 2019

Abstract

An active matrix substrate (1001) includes a connecting portion (101). The connecting portion. (101) includes a lower conductive layer supported by a substrate; a first insulating layer formed so as to cover the lower conductive layer (2) and having a contact hole (6p) that exposes a part of the lower conductive layer (2); a bottom conductive film (4) that is disposed in the contact hole (6p) and covers at least a part of the exposed part of the lower conductive layer (2), the exposed part being exposed by the contact hole (6p); a second insulating layer (9) that is formed on the first insulating layer (6) and in the contact hole (6p), is in contact with the bottom conductive film (4) in the contact hole (6p), and has an opening (9p) that exposes a part of the bottom conductive film (4); and an upper conductive layer (8) that is disposed on the second insulating layer (9) and in the opening (9p) and is in contact with the bottom conductive film (4) in the opening (9p). The entire bottom conductive film (4) is located on the substrate side relative to the upper surface of the first insulating layer (6).

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An active matrix substrate comprising a substrate and a connection portion supported by the substrate,
wherein the connecting portion includes:
a lower conductive layer supported by the substrate,
a first insulating layer formed so as to cover the lower conductive layer, the first insulating layer having a plurality of contact holes that exposes a part of the lower conductive layer,
a bottom conductive film that is disposed in the contact hole and covers at least a part of the exposed part of the lower conductive layer, the exposed part being exposed by the contact hole,
a second insulating layer that is formed on the first insulating layer and in the contact hole and that is in contact with the bottom conductive film in the contact hole, the second insulating layer having an opening that exposes a part of the bottom conductive film, and
an upper conductive layer that is disposed on the second insulating layer and in the opening and that is in contact with the bottom conductive film in the opening,
the entire bottom conductive film being located on the substrate side relative to an upper surface of the first insulating layer, and
further comprising a plurality of thin film transistors supported by the substrate; a plurality of first transparent electrodes; and a plurality of second transparent electrodes disposed over the first transparent electrodes with the second insulating layer interposed therebetween,
wherein the lower conductive layer is formed from a conductive film from which a source electrode of the thin film transistor is also formed,
the upper conductive layer is formed from a conductive film from which the second transparent electrode is also formed, and
the bottom conductive film includes a transparent conductive layer formed from a transparent conductive film from which the first transparent electrode is also formed.

2. The active matrix substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the second insulating layer is disposed so as to cover the bottom conductive film, at least a part of a side wall of the contact hole, and at least a part of the upper surface of the first insulating layer.

3. The active matrix substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom conductive film is disposed so as to cover an area ranging from a bottom to a part of the side wall of the contact hole and has an end face on the side wall of the contact hole, and
the second insulating layer covers the end face of the bottom conductive film.

4. The active matrix substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom conductive film includes a metal layer.

5. The active matrix substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom conductive film includes a transparent conductive layer.

6. The active matrix substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom conductive film has a multilayer structure including a transparent conductive layer and a metal layer.

7. The active matrix substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the exposed part of the bottom conductive film, the exposed part being exposed by the opening, has thickness d, as measured in a normal direction of a surface of the substrate, of 50 nm or more.

8. The active matrix substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the first insulating layer has a thickness of 1 μm or more and 3 μm or less.

9. The active matrix substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the upper surface of the first insulating layer is substantially flat.

10. The active matrix substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the first insulating layer includes an organic insulating layer.

11. The active matrix substrate according to claim 1 , wherein the bottom conductive film includes a conductive layer formed from a conductive film from which a wire for driving an in-cell touch panel is also formed.

12. A method for producing an active matrix substrate, comprising:
a step (A) of forming a lower conductive layer on a substrate;
a first insulating layer forming step (B) of forming a first insulating layer that covers the lower conductive layer, the first insulating layer having a plurality of contact holes that exposes a part of the lower conductive layer;
a bottom conductive film forming step (C) of forming a bottom conductive film in the contact hole such that the bottom conductive film covers at least a part of the exposed part of the lower conductive layer, the exposed part being exposed by the contact hole, the bottom conductive film having an upper surface located on the substrate side relative to an upper surface of the first insulating layer;
a second insulating layer forming step (D) of forming a second insulating layer on the first insulating layer and in the contact hole such that the second insulating layer is in contact with the bottom conductive film in the contact hole, the second insulating layer having an opening that exposes at least a part of the bottom conductive film; and
a step (E) of forming an upper conductive layer on the second insulating layer and in the opening such that the upper conductive layer is in contact with the bottom conductive film in the opening,
wherein, by these steps, a connecting portion that electrically connects the lower conductive layer and the upper conductive layer to each other is formed, and
the active matrix substrate further includes a plurality of thin film transistors, a plurality of first transparent electrodes, and a plurality of second transparent electrodes disposed over the first transparent electrodes with the second insulating layer interposed therebetween,
in the step (A), the lower conductive layer is formed from a conductive film from which a source electrode of the thin film transistor is also formed,
in the step (C), the bottom conductive film includes a transparent conductive layer, and the transparent conductive layer is formed from a transparent conductive film from which the first transparent electrode is also formed, and
in the step (E), the upper conductive layer is formed from a conductive film from which the second transparent electrode is also formed.

13. The method of producing an active matrix substrate according to claim 12 , wherein the bottom conductive film includes a conductive layer formed from a conductive film from which a wire for driving an in-cell touch panel is also formed.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Saitoh Takao
• Kanzaki Yohsuke
• Nakazawa Makoto
• ITO Kazuatsu
• Kaneko Seiji

Classifications

• G02F1/136227

  Through-hole connection of the pixel electrode to the active element through an insulation layer · CPC title

• H10W20/01

  Manufacture or treatment · CPC title

• G09G3/3648

  using an active matrix (G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence) · CPC title

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• G02F1/1368

  in which the switching element is a three-electrode device {(G02F1/136277 takes precedence)} · CPC title