Active matrix substrate, method of manufacturing the same and display equipment using active matrix substrate manufactured by the same method

An active matrix substrate, comprising:

• a gate line, a storage capacity line and a data line terminal formed on an insulator substrate;
• a gate insulator film to cover said gate line and said storage capacity line;
• a plurality of active layer islands formed in array arrangement on said gate insulator film and having an ohmic contact layer separated to a source electrode side and a drain electrode side via a gap to form a semiconductor layer and a channel on an upper layer of the semiconductor;
• a source electrode connected to an ohmic contact layer on said source electrode side,
• and a data line connected to said source electrode;
• and
• one of display electrodes formed by a drain electrode connected to ohmic contact layer on the drain electrode side and by a transparent conductive film continuously connected to the drain electrode;
• and
• a color filter provided between said one of display electrodes and said gate insulator film, wherein:
• a bank of resist is provided to enclose a region where said one of the display electrodes is prepared and to enclose said drain electrode, covering a gap of said ohmic contact layer and said source electrode and said data line, and a data line of adjacent pixel;
• and
• a height of said transparent conductive film from said insulator substrate continuously connected to said one of display electrodes and said drain electrode provided on said color filter is lower than a height of said resist bank from said insulator substrate.

A method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate, said active matrix substrate comprising:

• a gate line, a storage capacity line and a data line terminal formed on an insulator substrate;
• a gate insulator film to cover said gate line and said storage capacity line;
• a plurality of active layer islands formed in array arrangement on said gate insulator film and having an ohmic contact layer separated to a source electrode side and a drain electrode side via a gap to form a semiconductor layer and a channel on an upper layer of the semiconductor;
• a source electrode connected to an ohmic contact layer on said source electrode side, and a data line connected to said source electrode;
• and
• one of display electrodes formed by a drain electrode connected to ohmic contact layer on the drain electrode side and by a transparent conductive film continuously connected to the drain electrode, wherein:
• said method comprises the steps of:
• coating a photo resist on said data line, said source electrode, and said drain electrode prepared on said insulator substrate;
• processing a terminal region of said gate line, a terminal region of said storage capacity line, a terminal region of said data line, and a part of a contact hole for connecting said data line with said terminal region by full-exposure, and a region where one of display electrodes is prepared and said drain electrode are processed by half-tone exposure;
• developing said photo resist, removing the photo resist on said full-exposure region, and leaving the photo resist in thinner thickness on said half-tone exposed region;
• performing etching and removing said gate insulator film on a region where said photo resist is removed;
• performing ashing on said photo resist and removing the photo resist on said half-tone exposed region;
• and
• dropping and coating an ink containing a transparent conductive material to said a region where said one of display electrodes is to be formed by removing photo resist of said half-tone exposed region and to said drain electrode by inkjet method using said photo resist left untouched by said ashing as a bank, and forming said one of display electrodes connected to said drain electrode.

A method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate, said active matrix substrate comprises:

• a gate line, a storage capacity line and a data line terminal formed on an insulator substrate;
• a gate insulator film to cover said gate line and said storage capacity line;
• a plurality of active layer islands formed in array arrangement on said gate insulator film and having an ohmic contact layer separated to a source electrode side and a drain electrode side via a gap to form a semiconductor layer and a channel on an upper layer of the semiconductor;
• a source electrode connected to an ohmic contact layer on said source electrode side, and a data line connected to said source electrode;
• and
• one of display electrodes formed by a drain electrode connected to ohmic contact layer on the drain electrode side and by a transparent conductive film continuously connected to the drain electrode, wherein:
• said method comprises the steps of:
• forming said gate line, said storage capacity line and a terminal of said data line on said insulator substrate;
• forming a laminated film by continuously depositing said gate insulator film, said semiconductor layer, and said ohmic contact layer in this order to cover said gate line, said storage capacity line, and the terminal of said data line;
• fabricating said laminated film on a plurality of active layer islands to make up a thin film transistor, and forming said active layer islands on said insulator substrate in array;
• and
• forming said data line, said source electrode, and said drain electrode on said active layer islands.

A method of manufacturing an active matrix substrate, said active matrix substrate comprising:

• a gate line, a storage capacity line, and a data line terminal prepared on an insulator substrate;
• a gate insulator film to cover said gate line and said storage capacity line;
• a plurality of active layer islands formed in array arrangement on said gate insulator film and having an ohmic contact layer separated to a source electrode side and a drain electrode side via a gap to form a semiconductor layer and a channel on an upper layer of the semiconductor;
• a source electrode connected to an ohmic contact layer on said source electrode side, and a data line connected to said source electrode;
• and
• one of display electrodes formed by a drain electrode connected to ohmic contact layer on the drain electrode side and by a transparent conductive film continuously connected to the drain electrode, wherein:
• said method comprises the steps of:
• coating a photo resist on said data line, said source electrode and said drain electrode prepared on said insulator substrate;
• performing full exposure on a terminal of said gate line, a terminal of said storage capacity line, and a terminal of said data line, and a part of a contact hole for connecting said data line and said terminal by using a half-tone exposure mask, and performing half-tone exposure on a region where said one of display electrodes is prepared and on said drain electrode;
• developing said photo resist, removing the photo resist on said fully exposed region, and leaving a thinner photo resist of said half-tone exposed region;
• removing said gate insulator film on a region where said photo resist is removed by etching;
• performing ashing on said photo resist and removing the photo resist on said half-tone exposed region;
• and
• after forming a color filter by coating an ink containing a color filter material by inkjet method on a region to prepare said one of display electrodes where the photo resist in said half-tone exposed region is removed by using said photo resist remaining after said ashing as a bank;
• and
• coating an ink containing a transparent conductive material on said color filter and on said drain electrode by inkjet method using said photo resist remaining after said ashing as a bank, and forming said one of display electrodes where said drain electrode is connected.

A display device, having an active matrix substrate, said active matrix substrate comprises:

• a gate line, a storage capacity line and a data line terminal formed on an insulator substrate;
• a gate insulator film to cover said gate line and said storage capacity line;
• a plurality of active layer islands formed in array arrangement on said gate insulator film and having an ohmic contact layer separated to a source electrode side and a drain electrode side via a gap to form a semiconductor layer and a channel on an upper layer of the semiconductor;
• a source electrode connected to an ohmic contact layer on said source electrode side, and a data line connected to said source electrode;
• and
• one of display electrodes formed by a drain electrode connected to ohmic contact layer on the drain electrode side and by a transparent conductive film continuously connected to the drain electrode, wherein:
• said display device comprises:
• a counter substrate with a color filter and the other of display electrodes on an insulator substrate different from said insulator substrate;
• said active matrix substrate has said gate insulator film covered with said one of display electrodes in a region where said one of display electrodes is to be prepared;
• said active matrix substrate has a resist bank to enclose the region where said one of display electrodes is to be prepared and said drain electrode, covering a counter gap of each of ohmic contact layers of said source electrode and said drain electrode, said source electrode and said data line, and also covering the data line of adjacent pixel;
• a height from an upper surface of said insulator substrate of said transparent conductive film continuously connected to said one of display electrodes and said drain electrode is lower than a height from an upper surface of said insulator substrate of said resist bank;
• an alignment layer is provided to cover each of said one of display electrodes of said active matrix substrate and said the other of display electrodes of said counter substrate;
• and
• a liquid crystal is sealed in a gap where the active matrix substrate and each of alignment layers of said counter substrate are opposed to each other.

A display device, having an active matrix substrate, said active matrix substrate comprises:

• a gate line, a storage capacity line and a data line terminal formed on an insulator substrate;
• a gate insulator film to cover said gate line and said storage capacity line;
• a plurality of active layer islands formed in array arrangement on said gate insulator film and having an ohmic contact layer separated to a source electrode side and a drain electrode side via a gap to form a semiconductor layer and a channel on an upper layer of the semiconductor;
• a source electrode connected to an ohmic contact layer on said source electrode side, and a data line connected to said source electrode;
• and
• one of display electrodes formed by a drain electrode connected to ohmic contact layer on the drain electrode side and by a transparent conductive film continuously connected to the drain electrode, wherein:
• said display device comprises:
• a counter substrate with the other of display electrodes on an insulator substrate different from said insulator substrate,
• said active matrix substrate has a counter gap of each of ohmic contact layers of said source electrode and said drain electrode, and said source electrode and said data line, and has a resist bank to enclose a region where said one of display electrodes is to be prepared and said drain electrode, covering the data line of adjacent pixel;
• a height from said insulator substrate of said transparent conductive film continuously connected to said one of display electrodes and said drain electrode provided on said color filter is lower than a height from said insulator substrate of said resist bank;
• an alignment layer is provided to cover each of said one of display electrodes of said active matrix substrate and said the other of display electrodes of said counter substrate;
• and
• a liquid crystal is sealed in a gap where the active matrix substrate and each of alignment layers of said counter substrate are opposed to each other.