# US 10,371,991 B2 · Liquid crystal display device

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- Number: US 10,371,991 B2
- Document ID: US10371991B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/039,046
- Filed: 2018-07-18
- Published: 2018-11-08
- Granted: 2019-08-06
- Earliest claimed: 2003-10-27
- Assignees: Japan Display Inc.; Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd.
- Applicants: Japan Display Inc.; Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Keiichiro Ashizawa; Mitsuo Nakatani; Hiroaki Miwa; Takao Tanaka; Sadafumi Hirai; Shinichi Kawabe; Makoto Sasaki; Kazuyuki Ito; Masahiro Ieda
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10371991B2

## CPC

- G02F 1/13394: {spacers regularly patterned on the cell subtrate, e.g. walls, pillars (G02F1/133377 takes precedence)}
- G02F 1/133512: {Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix (G02F1/136209 takes precedence)}
- G02F 1/1339: Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells
- G02F 1/134363: {for applying an electric field parallel to the substrate, i.e. in-plane switching [IPS]}
- G02F 1/13396: {Spacers having different sizes}
- G02F 1/136286: {Wiring, e.g. gate line, drain line}
- G02F 1/1368: in which the switching element is a three-electrode device {(G02F1/136277 takes precedence)}
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS

## Abstract

A liquid crystal display device with a pair of substrates which are arranged to face each other with liquid crystal therebetween, columnar spacers having the substantially equal height formed on a liquid-crystal-side surface of one substrate, and the columnar spacers include the columnar spacer which is contact with a liquid-crystal-side surface of another substrate and the columnar spacer which is not contact with the liquid-crystal-side surface of another substrate.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A liquid crystal display device comprising:
a first substrate and a second substrate with a liquid crystal layer therebetween;
a plurality of spacers disposed on the first substrate; and
a plurality of gate signal lines and a plurality of drain signal lines, the gate signal lines and the drain signal lines being disposed on the second substrate,
wherein the plurality of spacers counter the plurality of gate signal lines, and
at least one spacer among the plurality of spacers counters a stacked region where a semiconductor layer, a gate signal line among the plurality of gate signal lines, and a metal layer overlap with each other.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein
the semiconductor layer is stacked on the gate signal line, and the metal layer is stacked on the semiconductor layer.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein
the semiconductor layer is disposed between the gate signal line and the metal layer.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein
at least a part of the metal layer protrudes from the semiconductor layer in plan view.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein
at least a part of the metal layer protrudes from the gate line in plan view.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein
in a cross sectional view, a dimension of the metal layer is longer than a dimension of the semiconductor layer.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein
in a cross sectional view, a dimension of the metal layer is longer than a dimension of the gate line.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of spacers are columnar spacers.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein a pixel electrode and a counter electrode are disposed on the second substrate.