Electrode structure, method for manufacturing electrode structure, liquid crystal display element, method for driving liquid crystal display element, and electronic equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11428982-B2
Application number	US-201917250290-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 31, 2019
Priority date	Jul 4, 2018
Publication date	Aug 30, 2022
Grant date	Aug 30, 2022

Abstract

An electrode structure includes a light reflection film, an insulating film formed on the light reflection film, and a transparent conductive film formed on the insulating film. The transparent conductive film is divided into pieces in a two-dimensional matrix at a predetermined pitch to form transparent pixel electrodes. Each of the transparent pixel electrodes is connected to a corresponding one of drive electrodes formed in a lower layer underlying the light reflection film, through a corresponding one of vias penetrating the insulating film and the light reflection film and insulated from the light reflection film.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electrode structure, comprising:
a light reflection film;
an insulating film on the light reflection film; and
a transparent conductive film on the insulating film, wherein
the transparent conductive film comprises a plurality of pieces in a two-dimensional matrix,
the plurality of pieces corresponds to a plurality of transparent pixel electrodes at a specific pitch,
each of the plurality of transparent pixel electrodes is connected to a corresponding drive electrode through a corresponding via of a plurality of vias,
each of the plurality of vias penetrates the insulating film and the light reflection film,
the drive electrode is in a lower layer that is under the light reflection film,
the insulating film is on a wall surface of each of the plurality of vias,
a material of a top portion of the plurality of vias is different from a material of a bottom portion of the plurality of vias,
the material of the top portion is a light reflective material with a specific light reflectivity, and
the bottom portion of each via is a portion associated with the drive electrode.

2. The electrode structure according to claim 1 , wherein the light reflection film is a continuous common layer.

3. The electrode structure according to claim 1 , wherein the light reflection film comprises a plurality of strip-like pieces corresponding to the plurality of transparent pixel electrodes arranged in a row direction.

4. The electrode structure according to claim 1 , wherein the light reflection film is in a electrically floating state.

5. The electrode structure according to claim 1 , wherein
the light reflection film is connected to an electrode for voltage supply, and
the electrode for voltage supply is in the lower layer that is under the light reflection film.

6. The electrode structure according to claim 5 , wherein
the electrode structure is on a substrate that corresponds to a back panel of a reflective liquid crystal display element,
the electrode for voltage supply is supplied with a voltage through a switching transistor, and
the switching transistor is on the substrate.

7. The electrode structure according to claim 5 , wherein the light reflection film is a continuous common layer supplied with a voltage from the electrode for voltage supply.

8. The electrode structure according to claim 5 , wherein
the light reflection film comprises a plurality of strip-like pieces corresponding to the plurality of transparent pixel electrodes arranged in a row direction, and
each of the plurality of strip-like pieces is supplied with a separate voltage through a corresponding electrode of a plurality of electrodes for voltage supply connected to each of the plurality of strip-like pieces.

9. The electrode structure according to claim 1 , wherein a dielectric film is on an entire surface that includes surfaces of the plurality of transparent pixel electrodes.

10. The electrode structure according to claim 9 , wherein reduction in level differences in the dielectric film is based on planarization treatment.

11. The electrode structure according to claim 1 , wherein a transparent pixel electrode-side portion of each via includes a light-reflective conductive material.

12. A liquid crystal display element, comprising:
a front panel;
a back panel opposite to the front panel; and
a liquid crystal material layer sandwiched between the front panel and the back panel, wherein, on a substrate corresponding to the back panel, an electrode structure is configured that includes:
a light reflection film;
an insulating film on the light reflection film; and
a transparent conductive film on the insulating film, wherein
the transparent conductive film comprises a plurality of pieces in a two-dimensional matrix,
the plurality of pieces corresponds to a plurality of transparent pixel electrodes at a specific pitch,
each of the plurality of transparent pixel electrodes is connected to a corresponding drive electrode through a corresponding via of a plurality of vias,
each of the plurality of vias penetrates the insulating film and the light reflection film,
the drive electrode is in a lower layer that is under the light reflection film,
the insulating film is on a wall surface of each of the plurality of vias,
a material of a top portion of the plurality of vias is different from a material of a bottom portion of the plurality of vias,
the material of the top portion is a light reflective material with a specific light reflectivity, and
the bottom portion of each via is a portion associated with the drive electrode.

13. An electronic equipment, comprising:
a liquid crystal display element including
a front panel;
a back panel opposite to the front panel; and
a liquid crystal material layer sandwiched between the front panel and the back panel, wherein, on a substrate corresponding to the back panel, an electrode structure is configured that includes:
a light reflection film;
an insulating film on the light reflection film; and
a transparent conductive film on the insulating film, wherein
the transparent conductive film comprises a plurality of pieces in a two-dimensional matrix,
the plurality of pieces corresponds to a plurality of transparent pixel electrodes at a specific pitch,
each of the plurality of transparent pixel electrodes is connected to a corresponding drive electrode through a corresponding via of a plurality of vias,
each of the plurality of vias penetrates the insulating film and the light reflection film,
the drive electrode is in a lower layer that is under the light reflection film,
the insulating film is on a wall surface of each of the plurality of vias,
a material of a top portion of the plurality of vias is different from a material of a bottom portion of the plurality of vias,
the material of the top portion is a light reflective material with a specific light reflectivity, and
the bottom portion of each via is a portion associated with the drive electrode.

14. A method for manufacturing an electrode structure, the method comprising:
in the electrode structure that includes a light reflection film, an insulating film, and a transparent conductive film:
forming the light reflection film;
forming the insulating film on the light reflection film;
forming the transparent conductive film on the insulating film;
dividing the transparent conductive film into a plurality of pieces in a two-dimensional matrix, wherein the plurality of pieces corresponds to a plurality of transparent pixel electrodes at a specific pitch; and
forming a plurality of vias penetrating each of the insulating film and the light reflection film, wherein
each of the plurality of transparent pixel electrodes is connected to a corresponding drive electrode through a corresponding via of the plurality of vias,
the drive electrode is in a lower layer underlying the light reflection film,
the insulating film is on a wall surface of each of the plurality of vias,
a material of a top portion of the plurality of vias is different from a material of a bottom portion of the plurality of vias,
the material of the top portion is a light reflective material with a specific light reflectivity, and
the bottom portion of each via is a portion associated with the drive electrode.

15. The method for manufacturing an electrode structure according to claim 14 , wherein a predetermined voltage is supplied to the light reflection film after formation of the light reflection film.

16. A method for driving a liquid crystal display element, th

Assignees

• Sony Corp
• Sony Semiconductor Solutions Corp

Inventors

• Sakairi Takashi
• Amari Koichi
• Honda Tomoaki
• Okazaki Tsuyoshi

Classifications

• G02F1/133553 Primary

  Reflecting elements (associated to illuminating devices G02F1/133605) · CPC title

• G02F1/134336

  Matrix · CPC title

• G09G3/3696

  Generation of voltages supplied to electrode drivers · CPC title

• G02F1/133555 Primary

  Transflectors · CPC title