Mask of display device and display device fabricated with the mask

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9709842-B2
Application number	US-201514859019-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 18, 2015
Priority date	Mar 23, 2015
Publication date	Jul 18, 2017
Grant date	Jul 18, 2017

Abstract

A mask of a display device for forming a light shielding unit, which includes a first column spacer, a second column spacer, a light shielding layer, and a first groove, is capable of reducing the number of tones therein, the mask including: a first portion corresponding to the first column spacer; a second portion having substantially a same light transmittance as that of the first portion and corresponding to the second column spacer; a third portion corresponding to the light shielding layer; a fourth portion corresponding to a pixel region; and a fifth portion disposed between the first portion and the third portion to correspond to the first groove and having a light transmittance substantially the same as that of the fourth portion.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A mask of a display device for forming a light shielding unit, which includes a first column spacer, a second column spacer, a light shielding layer, and a first groove, the mask comprising:
a first portion corresponding to the first column spacer;
a second portion having substantially a same light transmittance as that of the first portion and corresponding to the second column spacer;
a third portion corresponding to the light shielding layer;
a fourth portion corresponding to a pixel region; and
a fifth portion disposed between the first portion and the third portion to correspond to the first groove and having a light transmittance substantially the same as that of the fourth portion.

2. The mask of a display device of claim 1 , wherein the fifth portion surrounds the first portion.

3. The mask of a display device of claim 1 , wherein light transmittances of the first through fifth portions are defined as the following Mathematical Formula 1,
T 1= T 2> T 3> T 4= T 5  <Mathematical Formula 1>

wherein T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 and T 5 denote the light transmittance of the first portion, the light transmittance of the second portion, the light transmittance of the third portion, the light transmittance of the fourth portion, and the light transmittance of the fifth portion, respectively.

4. The mask of a display device of claim 1 , wherein light transmittances of the first through fifth portions are defined as the following Mathematical Formula 2,
T 1= T 2< T 3< T 4= T 5  <Mathematical Formula 2>

wherein T 1 , T 2 , T 3 , T 4 and T 5 denote the light transmittance of the first portion, the light transmittance of the second portion, the light transmittance of the third portion, the light transmittance of the fourth portion, and the light transmittance of the fifth portion, respectively.

5. The mask of a display device of claim 1 , further having a light transmission control pattern formed in the fifth portion.

6. The mask of a display device of claim 5 , wherein the light transmission control pattern has a light transmittance substantially the same as that of the first portion.

7. The mask of a display device of claim 1 , wherein the first portion has a dimension greater than that of the second portion.

8. The mask of a display device of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first portion and the second portion has one of a circular or polygonal shape.

9. The mask of a display device of claim 1 , wherein the light shielding unit further has a second groove, and
the mask further has a sixth portion disposed between the second portion and the third portion to correspond to the second groove and having a light transmittance substantially the same as that of the fourth portion.

10. The mask of a display device of claim 9 , wherein the sixth portion has a dimension different from that of the fifth portion.

11. The mask of a display device of claim 10 , wherein the sixth portion has a dimension less than that of the fifth portion.

12. The mask of a display device of claim 11 , wherein the sixth portion has a width in a range of about 0.5 μm to about 1.5 μm, and
the fifth portion has a width in a range of about 2 μm to about 3 μm.

13. The mask of a display device of claim 1 , wherein the first portion and the second portion have the same light transmittance of about 0(%) or 100(%),
the fourth portion and the fifth portion have the same light transmittance of about 0(%) or 100(%),
the first portion has a different light transmittance from the fourth portion.

14. The mask of a display device of claim 1 , wherein the third portion has a light transmittance of from about 45% to about 55%.

15. A display device comprising;
a first substrate and a second substrate opposed to each other;
a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;
a gate line and a data line disposed on the first substrate;
a transistor connected to the gate line and the data line;
a pixel electrode connected to the transistor and disposed in a pixel region; and
a light shielding unit configured to define the pixel region,
wherein the light shielding unit comprises:
a light shielding layer defining the pixel region;
a first column spacer;
a second column spacer having a height less than that of the first column spacer; and
a first groove having a shape of a closed curve surrounding the first column spacer.

16. The display device of claim 15 , wherein the light shielding unit further has a second groove surrounding the second column spacer.

17. The display device of claim 16 , wherein the second groove has a width less than that of the first groove.

18. The display device of claim 16 , wherein the second groove has a depth less than that of the first groove.

19. The display device of claim 15 , wherein the light shielding unit is disposed on one of the first substrate and the second substrate.

20. The display device of claim 15 , wherein the first groove completely surrounds the first column spacer.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jang Changsoon
• KIM Esu
• Kim Heera
• Shim Yiseop

Classifications

• H10D84/01

  Manufacture or treatment · CPC title

• G02F1/133512 Primary

  Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix (G02F1/136209 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02F1/13394 Primary

  spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars (G02F1/133377 takes precedence) · CPC title

• G02F2001/13625

  Physics · mapped topic

• H01L21/77

  Electricity · mapped topic