JP2007310152A - Electro-optical device, manufacturing method of the electro-optical device and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent breakage of an electrode, in an aperture part for conductively connecting a switching element and the electrode. <P>SOLUTION: A liquid crystal display device has a TFT element 21, provided on a first light transmitting substrate 7a and provided with a drain electrode 36, a connecting conductive film 36b extending from the drain electrode 36, a rugged resin film 23 provided on the substrate 7a and covering the TFT element 21 and the conductive film 36b, a contact hole 27 opened in the rugged resin film 23 on the conductive film 36b, a pixel electrode 25 provided on the rugged resin film 23 and connected to the connecting conductive film 36b via the contact hole 27 and a protrusion material 28, provided at a position that is superimposed two-dimensionally on the contact hole between the substrate 7a and the rugged resin film 23. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an electro-optical device such as a liquid crystal display device. The present invention also relates to a manufacturing method for manufacturing the electro-optical device. The present invention also relates to an electronic apparatus configured using the electro-optical device.

Currently, in various electronic devices such as mobile phones and portable information terminals, electro-optical devices such as liquid crystal display devices are widely used as display units for visually displaying various information related to the electronic devices. . In this electro-optical device, display is performed by controlling a voltage applied to an electro-optical material such as liquid crystal for each pixel. As a method for controlling the voltage applied to the electro-optic material for each pixel, a method of attaching a switching element, for example, a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) element or a TFD (Thin Film Diode) element to each of a plurality of pixels has been conventionally known. It has been.

In an electro-optical device using a switching element as described above, an insulating film is provided on the switching element, a contact hole as an opening is provided at an appropriate position of the insulating film, and an electrode is formed on the insulating film. A structure in which the electrode and the switching element are conductively connected to each other through a contact hole is conventionally known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In the electro-optical device, the electrode and the switching element are conductively connected by contacting the electrode and the conductive film extending from the switching element at the bottom of the contact hole. Also,
In this electro-optical device, an uneven pattern including a plurality of concave portions and a plurality of convex portions is provided on the surface of the insulating film. And these recessed part and convex part, and the contact hole are each formed in the separate process.

JP 2003-156766 A (pages 6-7, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2)

Incidentally, in the conventional electro-optical device disclosed in Patent Document 1, the conductive film extending from the switching element is formed in the same plane as the switching element. Therefore, the contact hole is formed deep in order to bring the electrode on the insulating film into contact with the conductive film extending from the switching element. Therefore, when an electrode is formed on the surface of the insulating film with a metal oxide such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide), the ITO may be broken at the wall surface of the contact hole.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to prevent the electrode from being broken at the opening for electrically connecting the switching element and the electrode.

The electro-optical device according to the present invention includes a substrate, a switching element provided on the substrate and provided with an electrode, a conductive film for connection extending from the electrode, the switching element provided on the substrate, and the switching element. An insulating film covering the connecting conductive film; an opening formed in the insulating film on the connecting conductive film; and the connecting conductive film electrically connected to the connecting conductive film via the opening provided on the insulating film It has a connected pixel electrode, and a protruding member provided at a position between the substrate and the insulating film and overlapping the opening in a plane.

In the electro-optical device having the above configuration, as the switching element, a three-terminal switching element such as a TFT element (thin film transistor), a two-terminal switching element such as a TFD element (thin film diode), or the like can be used. The connection conductive film is a conductive film extending outward from the electrode of the switching element in order to bring the switching element and the pixel electrode into contact with each other. The conductive film for connection can be formed simultaneously with the electrode of the switching element when the switching element is formed. Moreover, the conductive film for connection can also be formed in a separate process from the electrode of the switching element.

According to the electro-optical device according to the present invention, since the protruding member is provided between the substrate and the insulating film and in a position overlapping the opening for conductive connection in a plane, the depth of the opening is set to the height of the protruding member. You can make it shallower. Thereby, the electrode provided on the insulating film and connected to the connection conductive film after flowing into the opening can be prevented from breaking at the wall of the opening.

Next, in the electro-optical device according to the invention, when the height of the top surface of the protruding member from the substrate surface is h1, and the depth of the opening from the top surface of the insulating film is h2,
h1> h2
It is desirable that If it carries out like this, it can prevent more reliably that the electrode connected to the electrically conductive film for a connection after flowing into an opening part breaks in the place of the wall of the opening part.

Next, in the electro-optical device according to the invention, the surface of the insulating film is provided with a plurality of concave portions or a plurality of convex portions, and the depth of the opening from the top surface of the insulating film is h2, When the depth of the concave portion or the height of the convex portion is h3,
h2> h3
It is desirable that In the electro-optical device having this configuration, the plurality of concave portions or the plurality of convex portions forms a concavo-convex pattern on the surface of the insulating film. This uneven pattern is generally provided in an electro-optical device provided with a display area for performing reflective display. In such an electro-optical device, a light reflecting film made of a metal such as Al (aluminum) is provided on the surface of the insulating film on which the concavo-convex pattern is formed, and display is performed using light reflected by the light reflecting film. Is called. The concavo-convex pattern is mainly for imparting a concavo-convex shape to the light reflecting film provided on the insulating film.

If the relationship between the depth of the concave portion or the height h3 of the convex portion and the depth h2 of the opening from the top surface of the insulating film is h2 <h3, the insulating film in the portion where the projecting member is provided projects. Due to the influence of the member, it may protrude from the surface of the other part of the insulating film. In this case, there is a possibility that a failure such as an alignment failure may occur in the portion where the insulating film protrudes.

According to the electro-optical device of the aspect of the invention, the relationship between the depth of the concave portion or the height h3 of the convex portion and the depth h2 of the opening portion from the top surface of the insulating film is obtained.
h2> h3
Since the surface of the insulating film in the portion where the projecting member is provided does not protrude beyond the other portion of the insulating film, stable operation can be displayed.

Next, in the electro-optical device according to the present invention, it is preferable that a step is provided on a side surface of the protruding member. This “step portion” is provided with a shelf portion extending in parallel to or inclined with respect to the surface of the substrate in a part of the middle where the side surface of the projecting member extends in the vertical direction with respect to the surface of the substrate. That is. If a step is provided on the side surface of the projecting member in this way, the function of the step is that the conductive film extending from the switching element and provided on the projecting member breaks at the side of the projecting member. Can prevent.

Next, in the electro-optical device according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the protruding member is formed using a photosensitive resin. The photosensitive resin is generally a material having insulating properties. Therefore, if the projecting member is formed using this photosensitive resin, it is possible to prevent a short circuit between the conductive film on the projecting member and another conductive member provided on the substrate. The photosensitive resin is a material that is also used as an insulating film that covers the switching element, for example. Therefore, if the projecting member is formed of a photosensitive resin, the projecting member can be formed using an existing material, and can be easily provided without using new materials and equipment.

Next, in the electro-optical device according to the invention, the switching element is a TFT (thin film transistor) element, and the electrode provided in the switching element is integrally formed of the same material as the connection conductive film. A drain electrode of the thin film transistor is desirable. The drain electrode is one of the electrodes constituting the TFT element and functions as an electrode for electrically connecting the TFT element and the pixel electrode. The connection conductive film extends from the drain electrode. In this configuration, if the drain electrode and the conductive film for connection are integrally formed of the same material, the steps for manufacturing the electro-optical device can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Next, in the electro-optical device according to the invention, the switching element is a TFD (thin film diode) element having a laminated structure of a first electrode, an insulating film, and a second electrode, and the electrode provided in the switching element is It is desirable that the second electrode be integrally formed of the same material as the connection conductive film. The second electrode is one of the electrodes constituting the TFD element, and the TFD
It functions as an electrode for electrically connecting the element and the pixel electrode. The connection conductive film extends from the second electrode. In this configuration, if the second electrode and the connection conductive film are integrally formed of the same material, the number of steps for manufacturing the electro-optical device can be reduced, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Next, the electro-optical device manufacturing method according to the present invention includes, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, a step of providing a switching element on a substrate (P101) and a step of providing a projecting member on the substrate (P1).
02), providing a conductive film for connection to the electrode of the switching element on the protruding member (P103), and providing an insulating film on the substrate to cover the switching element and the protruding member (P104) A step of providing an opening in a region of the insulating film that planarly overlaps the protruding member (P105), a step of providing a pixel electrode on the insulating film (P107),
It is characterized by having.

According to the method for manufacturing the electro-optical device, the opening is provided in the step P105 in the region that overlaps the protruding member provided on the substrate in the step P102 in FIG. It can be formed shallower than the film thickness. As described above, if the opening having a shallow depth is provided in the insulating film, when the pixel electrode material is supplied onto the insulating film in the process P107 of providing the pixel electrode, the material of the electrode flowing into the opening is It can connect to the conductive film for connection on the projecting member without breaking at the wall of the opening.

The process P103 for providing the connection conductive film is the process P101 for providing the switching element.
It can also be carried out at the same time as forming the electrode of the switching element in step P101. When actually manufacturing an electro-optical device,
After the opening is formed in the process P105, the process P106 for forming the light reflecting film can also be performed. In addition, after the pixel electrode is formed in the process P107, the process P108 for forming the alignment film can be performed.

Next, in the method for manufacturing an electro-optical device according to the invention, a plurality of concave portions or a plurality of convex portions are provided on the surface of the insulating film, and in the step of forming the opening, the plurality of concave portions or the plurality of concave portions are formed. A single exposure process is performed using an exposure mask having a pattern corresponding to the convex portion and a pattern corresponding to the opening, thereby forming the plurality of concave portions or the plurality of convex portions on the insulating film. It is desirable that the opening be formed at the same time.

In a conventional electro-optical device, there are cases where a concave or convex portion on an insulating film and an opening in the insulating film are formed in different steps. In this case, the manufacturing process becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost tends to increase. On the other hand, in the aspect of the present invention, the provision of the plurality of concave portions or the plurality of convex portions on the surface of the insulating film and the provision of the opening portion in the insulating film are performed simultaneously. As a result, the manufacturing process can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

In the electro-optical device having the conventional configuration, the connection conductive film connected to the electrode of the switching element is often formed in the same plane as the switching element. Therefore, the opening is often formed deep in order to bring the pixel electrode on the insulating film into contact with the conductive film for connection. In the electro-optical device having such a configuration, when it is considered to simultaneously form the concave or convex portion on the insulating film and the opening in the insulating film, the following problems may occur.

Conventionally, when simultaneously forming the concave or convex portion on the insulating film and the opening in the insulating film,
For example, a concave portion or a convex portion and an opening portion are formed by a photolithography process using an exposure mask having an exposure pattern finer than the limit of the resolution of the exposure machine, a so-called gray tone mask. In the method using the gray tone mask, a pattern corresponding to a plurality of concave portions or a plurality of convex portions is made a finer pattern than the limit of the resolution of the exposure machine, and a pattern corresponding to the opening portion is a normal pattern (that is, exposure). By making the pattern wider than the resolution of the machine, the concave portion or the convex portion and the opening can be formed simultaneously by one exposure process.

However, in an electro-optical device having a conventional configuration, it is necessary to form an opening deeply in order to ensure contact between the pixel electrode and the conductive film for connection. Therefore, in the exposure process, it is necessary to increase the exposure amount according to the depth of the opening. When the amount of exposure is increased, the amount of exposure also increases for the portion corresponding to the concave portion or the convex portion, so that the depth of the concave portion tends to increase or the height of the convex portion tends to increase. Therefore, it has been difficult to adjust the depth of the concave portion or the height of the convex portion to a desired depth or height. Specifically, it has been difficult to reduce the depth of the concave portion or reduce the height of the convex portion.

According to the electro-optical device of the aspect of the present invention, in the step of forming the opening, since the shallow opening is formed at a position overlapping the projection member in a plane, the opening can be reliably formed with a small exposure amount. As a result, in the exposure process, the amount of exposure to a portion corresponding to a plurality of concave portions or a plurality of convex portions can be reduced, so the depth of the concave portion or the height of the convex portion is adjusted to a desired depth or height. It became easier. Specifically, it has become easy to reduce the depth of the concave portion or reduce the height of the convex portion.

Next, in the method for manufacturing the electro-optical device according to the invention, a step of providing a second insulating film between the switching element and the insulating film and between the protruding member and the insulating film, and the protruding member It is preferable that the method further includes a step of removing the second insulating film in a region overlapping in a plane. This configuration is mainly applied when a TFT element is used as a switching element.
When a TFT element is used as the switching element, generally, a second insulating film made of, for example, a nitride film (SiN) is provided between the TFT element and the insulating film and between the connection conductive film and the insulating film. That is, the second insulating film is also provided on the connection conductive film provided on the protruding member. According to the electro-optical device of the aspect of the present invention, the pixel electrode and the connection conductive film can be reliably connected on the projecting member by removing the second insulating film in the region overlapping the projecting member in a plane.

Next, in the method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to the invention, in the step of providing the protruding member,
It is preferable that exposure is performed through a multi-tone mask having a plurality of regions having different light transmittances on the translucent substrate, and a step portion is formed on the side surface portion of the protruding member. If it carries out like this, a step part can be accurately formed in the side part of a projection member. When the step portion is provided on the side surface portion of the projecting member in this manner, the conductive film for connection provided on the projecting member extending from the switching element is broken at the side surface of the projecting member. Can be prevented by working.

Next, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the electro-optical device having the above-described configuration. In the electro-optical device according to the present invention, the depth of the opening can be reduced by providing the projecting member between the substrate and the insulating film and overlapping the opening in plan view. As a result, the electrode provided on the insulating film and connected to the connecting conductive film after flowing into the opening can be prevented from breaking at the wall of the opening. Therefore, also in the electronic device according to the present invention, the electrode can be prevented from being broken and an electronic device having high reliability can be obtained.

(First embodiment of electro-optical device)
Hereinafter, as an example of an electro-optical device, a transflective TFT (Thin Film Transistor) is used.
) An embodiment of the present invention will be described by taking as an example a case where the present invention is applied to a liquid crystal display device capable of color display by a driving method. Further, in the present embodiment, the present invention is applied to a liquid crystal display device using a channel etch type single-gate amorphous silicon TFT element as a TFT element. In this embodiment, the liquid crystal mode is ECB (Electrically Controlled).
The present invention is applied to a liquid crystal display device employing a birefringence (electric field control birefringence mode).
Of course, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In the drawings used in the following description, the dimensions of a plurality of constituent elements may be shown in different ratios from actual ones in order to easily show the characteristic portions.

FIG. 1 shows a side sectional structure of the entire liquid crystal display device according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion indicated by an arrow Z1 in FIG. 3 shows an arrow A in FIG.
The plane structure according to FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Z2-Z2 of FIG. 3, and mainly shows TFT elements. FIG. 1 corresponds to a cross-sectional structure according to the Z3-Z3 line of FIG.

In FIG. 1, a liquid crystal display device 1 includes a liquid crystal panel 2 that is an electro-optical panel, and a lighting device 3 attached to the liquid crystal panel 2. Regarding the liquid crystal display device 1, the side on which the arrow A is drawn is the observation side, and the illumination device 3 is disposed on the opposite side to the observation side with respect to the liquid crystal panel 2 and functions as a backlight.

The liquid crystal panel 2 includes a pair of substrates 7 and 8 that are bonded to each other by a rectangular or square and annular sealing material 6 when viewed from the direction of arrow A. The substrate 7 is an element substrate on which switching elements are formed. The substrate 8 is a color filter substrate on which a color filter is formed. In the present embodiment, the color filter substrate 8 is disposed on the observation side, and the element substrate 7 is disposed on the back as viewed from the observation side.

The sealing material 6 forms a gap, so-called cell gap G, between the element substrate 7 and the color filter substrate 8. The sealing material 6 has a liquid crystal injection port (not shown) in a part thereof, and liquid crystal as an electro-optical material is injected between the element substrate 7 and the color filter substrate 8 through the liquid crystal injection port. The injected liquid crystal forms a liquid crystal layer 12 in the cell gap G as a layer of electro-optic material. The liquid crystal injection port is sealed with resin after the liquid crystal injection is completed. As a method for injecting liquid crystal, a method of dropping liquid crystal in a region surrounded by a continuous annular sealing material 6 having no liquid crystal injection port may be used in addition to the method of performing through the liquid crystal injection port as described above. In the present embodiment, nematic liquid crystal having positive dielectric anisotropy can be used as the liquid crystal.

The distance between the cell gaps G, and hence the thickness of the liquid crystal layer 12 is maintained constant by a plurality of spacers (not shown) provided in the cell gap G. The spacers randomly (ie, disorderly) a plurality of spherical resin members on the surface of the element substrate 7 or the color filter substrate 8.
Can be formed by placing on. The spacer can also be formed in a columnar shape at a predetermined position by photolithography.

The illumination device 3 includes an LED (Light Emitting Diode) 13 as a light source and a light guide body 14. As the light source, in addition to a point light source such as an LED, a linear light source such as a cold cathode tube can be used. The light guide 14 is formed by, for example, a molding process using a light-transmitting resin as a material, the side facing the LED 13 is the light incident surface 14a, and the surface facing the liquid crystal panel 2 is the light emitting surface 14b. is there. On the back of the light guide 14 as viewed from the observation side indicated by the arrow A,
A light reflecting layer 16 is provided as necessary. Moreover, the light-diffusion layer 17 is provided in the light-projection surface 14b of the light guide 14 as needed.

The element substrate 7 includes a first light-transmitting substrate 7a formed of, for example, light-transmitting glass or light-transmitting plastic. A polarizing plate 18a is formed on the outer surface of the first light transmitting substrate 7a.
Is pasted. If necessary, an optical element other than the polarizing plate 18a, for example, a retardation plate can be additionally provided. On the other hand, on the inner surface of the first translucent substrate 7a, source lines 19 are arranged in the column direction Y (that is, the left-right direction in FIG. 2) as shown in FIG. 2 which is an enlarged view of the portion indicated by the arrow Z1. It extends. Further, the gate line 20 extends in the row direction X (that is, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG. 2). TF, which is an active element that functions as a switching element
A T element 21 is formed in connection with the source line 19 and the gate line 20.

A protective film 22 as a second insulating film covering them is formed on the TFT element 21, source line 19 and gate line 20, and an uneven resin film 23 as an insulating film is formed thereon, A light reflection film 24 is formed thereon, a pixel electrode 25 is formed thereon, and an alignment film 26a is formed thereon. This alignment film 26a is subjected to an alignment process, for example, a rubbing process, and thereby the initial alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the vicinity of the element substrate 7 is determined. In the present embodiment, the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules is set to be horizontal alignment in a state where no electric field is applied to the liquid crystal.

In the present embodiment, the protective film 22 is formed using a light-transmitting and insulating nitride film (SiN). The protective film 22 can also be formed using a silicon dioxide film (SiO2). The uneven resin film 23 is formed, for example, by patterning a resin having translucency, photosensitivity, and insulation, such as an acrylic resin or a polyimide resin, by a photolithography process.

The light reflecting film 24 is formed, for example, by patterning a light reflecting material such as Al (aluminum), Al alloy or the like by a photoetching process. The pixel electrode 25 is formed by patterning a metal oxide such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) with a photo-etching process. Also,
The alignment film 26a is formed, for example, by applying polyimide or the like by printing or the like.

A plurality of light reflecting films 24 and pixel electrodes 25 are formed in a matrix along the row direction X and the column direction Y on the element substrate 7 when viewed in plan from the arrow A direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the light reflection film 24 and the pixel electrode 25 are provided in the vicinity of the position where each source line 19 and each gate line 20 intersect, and are connected to the individual TFT elements 21. Yes.

In FIG. 2, a contact hole 27 that is a through hole is formed in the concavo-convex resin film 23 as an opening for electrically connecting the pixel electrode 25 and the TFT element 21. The contact hole 27 is formed at a position that does not overlap the element body portion of the TFT element 21 when viewed in plan from the direction of the arrow A and overlaps the pixel electrode 25. In FIG. 4, a projecting member 28 is provided on the first light transmitting substrate 7 a at a position corresponding to the contact hole 27. The projecting member 28 can be formed using, for example, a photosensitive resin. The contact hole 27 and the projecting member 28 will be described in detail later.

The TFT element 21 used in this embodiment is an amorphous silicon TFT, and this TFT
As shown in FIG. 4, the element 21 includes a gate electrode 31, a gate insulating film 32, a semiconductor film 33 formed of a-Si (amorphous silicon), N + -Si films 34a and 34b, a source electrode 35, and a drain electrode. 36. The TFT element 21 of this embodiment is configured as a channel etch type TFT element having a bottom gate structure and a single gate structure.

An auxiliary capacitor 37 is provided a little away from the TFT element 21. The auxiliary capacitance 37 is provided to prevent the capacitance associated with the pixel electrode 25 from becoming too small. The auxiliary capacitor 37 is a first layer formed of the same material in the same layer as the gate electrode 31.
The insulating film 32a is formed in the same layer as the electrode 31a and the gate insulating film 32 and is formed of the same material and covers the first electrode 31a. The insulating film 32 is formed in the same layer as the drain electrode 36.
a second electrode 36a covering a. As shown in FIG. 3, the first electrode 31a
Is parallel to the gate line 20 and extends across the source line 19. The second electrode 36a
Is formed in a rectangular shape with a large area.

In FIG. 4, the drain electrode 36 has one end connected to the semiconductor film 33 via the N + -Si film 34 b and the other end extending to the second electrode 36 a of the auxiliary capacitor 37. Further, the drain electrode 36 is electrically connected to the pixel electrode 25 through the contact hole 27, and the source electrode 35 is branched from the source line 19 as shown in FIG. The gate electrode 31 extends from the gate line 20 that extends in a direction perpendicular to the source line 19.

In FIG. 4, the layer of the pixel electrode 25 and the layer of the TFT element 21 are separated into separate layers by providing an interlayer insulating film composed of a protective film 22 and an uneven resin film 23 under the pixel electrode 25. Thereby, the surface of the element substrate 7 can be effectively used as compared with the structure in which the pixel electrode 25 and the TFT element 21 are formed in the same layer. For example, by making the layer of the pixel electrode 25 and the layer of the TFT element 21 as separate layers, the area of the pixel electrode 25, that is, the pixel area can be increased without being obstructed by the TFT element 21. A clear display can be performed on the display device.

Next, a conductive film for connection 36 b for electrically connecting the pixel electrode 25 and the TFT element 21 is provided on the projecting member 28. The connection conductive film 36b is formed using, for example, a conductive metal such as Cr (chromium) or Al. A part of the conductive film for connection 36b is in contact with the pixel electrode 25 provided on the concavo-convex resin film 23 on the projecting member 28, and an end part thereof is a TFT.
This is the drain electrode 36 of the element 21. In the present embodiment, the connection conductive film 36 b is simultaneously formed in the same layer as the drain electrode 36 of the TFT element 21 and the second electrode 36 a of the auxiliary capacitor 37. The conductive film for connection 36b is from at least a position exceeding the N + -Si film 34b to a position exceeding the top surface 28b of the projecting member 28 among the conductive films from the drain electrode 36 to the second electrode 36a in FIG. The part between. In the present embodiment, the conductive film for connection 36
Since b is formed in the same process using the same material as the drain electrode 36, the manufacturing process can be reduced. Note that the conductive film for connection 36b can also be formed separately in different steps using the same material or different material as the drain electrode.

In the present embodiment, by providing an interlayer insulating film composed of the protective film 22 and the uneven resin film 23 under the pixel electrode 25, the layer of the pixel electrode 25 and the layer of the TFT element 21 are separated into separate layers. Yes. Thereby, the surface of the element substrate 7 can be effectively used as compared with the structure in which the pixel electrode 25 and the TFT element 21 are formed in the same layer. For example, the layer of the pixel electrode 25 and the TFT element 2
By making the one layer different from the one layer, the area of the pixel electrode 25, that is, the pixel area can be increased without being obstructed by the TFT element 21, so that a clear display can be performed in the liquid crystal display device. it can.

Next, in FIG. 1, the color filter substrate 8 facing the element substrate 7 includes a second light-transmitting substrate 8 a as a rectangular or square second substrate as viewed from the direction of the arrow A. The second translucent substrate 8a is made of, for example, translucent glass, translucent plastic, or the like. A polarizing plate 18b is attached to the outer surface of the second light transmissive substrate 8a. If necessary, an optical element other than the polarizing plate 18b, for example, a retardation plate may be additionally provided. In the present embodiment, the polarizing plates 18a and 18b are arranged in a crossed Nicols arrangement. The display mode of the liquid crystal display device is set to a normally white mode, that is, a display mode in which white display is performed when no voltage is applied and black display is applied when a voltage is applied.

As shown in FIG. 2, a colored film 41 constituting a color filter is formed on the inner surface of the second translucent substrate 8a, a light shielding film 42 is formed around the colored film 41, and the colored film 41 and the light shielding film 42 are formed. An overcoat film 43 is formed thereon, a common electrode 44 is formed thereon, and an alignment film 26b is formed thereon. The overcoat film 43 functions as a protective film that protects the color filter. The alignment film 26b is formed, for example, by applying polyimide or the like by printing or the like.

Each colored film 41 is formed in a rectangular or square dot shape (that is, an island shape) when viewed from the direction of arrow A. A plurality of the colored films 41 are arranged in a matrix in the row direction X and the column direction Y when viewed from the arrow A direction. The light shielding film 42 is formed in a lattice shape surrounding the colored films 41.

Each of the colored films 41 is set to have an optical characteristic that allows one of R (red), G (green), and B (blue) to pass through. The colored films 41 of R, G, and B are viewed from the direction of the arrow A. They are arranged in a predetermined arrangement, for example, a stripe arrangement, a mosaic arrangement, or a delta arrangement. The optical characteristics of the colored film 41 are R,
It is not limited to the three primary colors G and B, but may have a characteristic of passing the three primary colors C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow). The light-shielding film 42 is formed by stacking colored films 41 of different colors,
Or it forms with a predetermined material (for example, Cr).

In FIG. 1, the common electrode 44 is provided on the entire surface of the color filter substrate 8. On the other hand, the plurality of pixel electrodes 25 provided on the element substrate 7 are arranged in a matrix along the row direction X and the column direction Y as viewed in a plan view from the arrow A direction. These pixel electrodes 25 and the common electrode 44 provided on the color filter substrate 8 overlap with each other in a plurality of dot-like regions as viewed in a plan view from the arrow A direction. The overlapping region forms a sub-pixel D for display. Then, the plurality of sub-pixels D are arranged in a matrix in the row direction X and the column direction Y, thereby forming a rectangular or square effective display region V as viewed from the direction of the arrow A, and in this effective display region V Images such as letters, numbers and figures are displayed.

When color display is performed using the colored film 41 composed of the three colors R, G, and B as in the present embodiment, 3 corresponding to the three colored films 41 corresponding to the three colors R, G, and B. One subpixel D forms one pixel. On the other hand, when performing monochromatic display in black and white or any two colors, one pixel is formed by one sub-pixel D.

In FIG. 2, the light reflecting film 24 is formed by, for example, a photoetching process. The light reflecting film 24 is provided in a partial region R of the sub-pixel D, and is not provided in the remaining region T. The region T is a part of the rectangular region in the sub-pixel D as shown in FIG. On the other hand, the region R is a region other than the region T in the sub-pixel D, and is a region surrounding the region T in this embodiment.

In each of the sub-pixels D, a region where the light reflecting film 24 exists is a reflective display region R, and a region where the light reflecting film 24 does not exist is a transmissive display region T. In FIG. 2, the external light L0 incident from the observation side indicated by the arrow A is reflected by the light reflecting film 24 in the reflective display region R. On the other hand, the light L1 in FIG. 2 emitted from the light guide 14 of the illumination device 3 in FIG.

A plurality of concave portions 29 and a plurality of convex portions 30 are randomly formed on the surface of the concave-convex resin film 23 in a plane corresponding to the reflective display region R in each sub-pixel D as viewed in the direction of the arrow A. As a result, a concavo-convex pattern is formed. The light reflecting film 24 is formed with a certain film thickness on the concavo-convex resin film 23 on which such an concavo-convex pattern is formed, and itself has the same concavo-convex pattern shape. By forming the uneven pattern on the light reflecting film 24 in this way, the light L0 reflected by the light reflecting film 24 is not specularly reflected, but light having appropriate scattered light and appropriate directivity. it can.

The overcoat film 43 on the color filter substrate 8 is provided corresponding to the reflective display region R, and is not provided in the region corresponding to the transmissive display region T. For this reason, the layer thickness t0 of the liquid crystal layer 12 in the reflective display region R is thinner than the layer thickness t1 of the liquid crystal layer 12 in the transmissive display region T. Desirably, t0 = t1 / 2. The adjustment of the layer thickness of the liquid crystal layer 12 is performed in the reflective display in which the light L0 passes through the liquid crystal layer 12 twice in the reflective display region R and in the transmissive display region T, the light L1 passes through the liquid crystal layer 12 only once. This is performed in order to obtain a clear display by making the retardation (Δnd) of the liquid crystal layer 12 uniform. However, “Δn” indicates the refractive index anisotropy, and “d” indicates the liquid crystal layer thickness.

Next, in FIG. 1, the first translucent substrate 7 a constituting the element substrate 7 has an overhanging portion 45 that projects outward from the color filter substrate 8. On the surface of the overhanging portion 45, wiring 46 is provided.
Is formed by a photo-etching process or the like. A plurality of wirings 46 are formed as viewed from the direction of arrow A, and the plurality of wirings are arranged at intervals from each other along the direction perpendicular to the paper surface. Further, a plurality of external connection terminals 47 are formed at the side edges of the overhanging portion 45 so as to be arranged at intervals from each other along the direction perpendicular to the paper surface. For example, an FPC board (not shown) is connected to the side end of the overhanging portion 45 provided with these external connection terminals 47.

The plurality of wirings 46 are formed so as to extend in the column direction Y toward the region surrounded by the sealing material 6. A part of these wirings 46 is directly connected to the source line 19 (see FIG. 2) on the element substrate 7 and functions as a data line. Further, another part of the plurality of wirings 46 is formed of the sealing material 6.
Is formed so as to extend in the Y direction along the side edge of the element substrate 7 in the region surrounded by, and is further bent and formed as a pattern extending in the row direction X. Wiring 4 of this pattern
6 is directly connected to the gate line 20 (see FIG. 2) on the element substrate 7 and functions as a scanning line.

On the surface of the overhanging portion 45, an ACF (Anisotropic Conductive Film) 4
The driving IC 50 is mounted by a COG (Chip On Glass) technology using 9.
The driving IC 50 transmits a data signal to the source line 19 and transmits a scanning signal to the gate line 20. The driving IC 50 may be formed by a single IC chip, or a plurality of ICs as necessary.
You may form with a chip | tip. When the driving IC 50 is constituted by a plurality of IC chips, these IC chips are mounted side by side in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

According to the liquid crystal display device 1 configured as described above, when the liquid crystal display device 1 is placed outdoors or in a bright room, a reflective display is performed using external light such as sunlight or room light. . On the other hand, when the liquid crystal display device 1 is placed outside a dark room or in a dark room, a transmissive display is performed using the lighting device 3 as a backlight.

In the case of performing the reflective display, the external light L0 that has entered the liquid crystal panel 2 through the color filter substrate 8 from the direction of arrow A on the observation side in FIG. 2 passes through the liquid crystal layer 12 and into the element substrate 7. After entering, the light is reflected by the light reflection film 24 in the reflective display region R and supplied to the liquid crystal layer 12 again. On the other hand, when performing the above-described transmissive display, the light source 13 of the illumination device 3 in FIG. 1 is turned on, and light from the light source 13 is introduced into the light guide 14 from the light incident surface 14a of the light guide 14, and further, the light is emitted. The light is emitted from the surface 14b as planar light. The emitted light is supplied to the liquid crystal layer 12 through a region where the light reflection film 24 does not exist in the transmissive display region T as indicated by a symbol L1 in FIG.

While light is supplied to the liquid crystal layer 12 as described above, a predetermined voltage specified by the scanning signal and the data signal is present between the pixel electrode 25 of the element substrate 7 and the common electrode 44 of the color filter substrate 8. Applied, the orientation of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 12 is controlled for each sub-pixel D. As a result, the light supplied to the liquid crystal layer 12 is modulated for each sub-pixel D. When the modulated light passes through the polarizing plate 18b (see FIG. 1) of the color filter substrate 8, the polarizing plate 18b
Passing is restricted for each sub-pixel D by the polarization characteristics of the sub-pixel D, and images such as letters, numbers, figures, etc. are displayed on the surface of the element substrate 7 and are visually recognized from the direction of the arrow A.

Hereinafter, the contact hole 27 and the protruding member 28 provided on the element substrate 7 will be described in detail. In FIG. 2, a contact hole 27 is provided in the concavo-convex resin film 23 and in the vicinity of each TFT element 21. As shown in FIG. 4, the projecting member 28 is provided on the first light transmitting substrate 7 at a position overlapping the contact hole 27 in a plan view.

The projecting member 28 is made of a photosensitive resin such as an acrylic resin or a polyimide resin.
For example, it is formed by a photolithography process. On the side surface of the protruding member 28,
A plurality of step portions 28a, two in the present embodiment, are provided in the middle of the uneven resin film 23 in the thickness direction (that is, the vertical direction in FIG. 4). Each of these step portions 28a is a plane parallel to the surface of the substrate 7a. By providing the step portion 28a on the side surface of the protruding member 28, the cross section of the side surface portion of the protruding member 28 has a stepped shape.

The connecting conductive film 36 b is provided on the protruding member 28, and the connecting conductive film 36 b and the pixel electrode 25 are in contact with the top surface 28 b of the protruding member 28. TFT
A protective film 22 is provided on the element 21, the projecting member 28, and the auxiliary capacitor 37 to cover them. However, since the protective film 22 is removed from the top surface 28b of the projecting member 28, the pixel electrode 25 and the connection conductive film 36b can be electrically connected to each other at the top surface 28b.

The dimensions of the contact hole 27, the projecting member 28, the concave portion 29, and the convex portion 30 are set as follows. First, in FIG. 4, the projecting member 2 extends from the surface of the first translucent substrate 7a.
8 to the top surface 28b (hereinafter referred to as the height of the protruding member 28) is h1, and the uneven resin film 2
3 when the depth of the contact hole 27 from the top surface 23b of 3 (hereinafter referred to as the depth of the contact hole 27) is h2, the relationship between the height h1 of these protruding members 28 and the depth h2 of the contact hole 27 Is
h1> h2
Is set to In the present embodiment, the connecting conductive film 36b is placed on the top surface 28b of the protruding member 28. However, the connecting conductive film 36b is very thin compared to the height h1 of the protruding member 28. It is a membrane. Therefore, the contact hole 27 in the concavo-convex resin film 23
In consideration of the depth h2, the height h1 of the projecting member 28 may be mainly considered, and the thickness of the connection conductive film 36b can be ignored.

Next, when the depth of the concave portion 29 or the height of the convex portion 30 is h3, the relationship between the depth h2 of the contact hole 27 and the depth h3 of the concave portion 29, or the depth h2 of the contact hole 27 and the convex portion. The relationship with the height of
h2> h3
Is set to

By the way, in the conventional liquid crystal display device, the conductive film for connection extended from a switching element is formed in the same plane as the said switching element. Therefore, the contact hole is
It is formed deep in order to bring the electrode on the insulating film into contact with the conductive film extending from the switching element. Therefore, when the pixel electrode is formed on the surface of the insulating film using a metal oxide such as ITO, the ITO may be broken at the wall surface of the contact hole.

On the other hand, the liquid crystal display device according to the present embodiment has the first translucent substrate 7a shown in FIG.
And the protruding resin 28 at a position between the concave and convex resin film 23 and the contact hole 27 in a plane.
Is provided. By providing the projecting member 28, the depth h2 of the contact hole 28 can be made shallower than that of the conventional liquid crystal display device. Specifically, the relationship between the height h1 from the surface of the first translucent substrate 7a to the top surface 28b of the protruding member 28 and the depth h2 of the contact hole 27 from the top surface 23b of the concavo-convex resin film 23 is as follows. ,
h1> h2
Is set.

As described above, by reducing the depth h2 of the contact hole 27, the concave-convex resin film 23 is obtained.
It is possible to prevent the pixel electrode 25 that is provided above and flows into the contact hole 27 and then connected to the connection conductive film 36 b from breaking at the wall 27 a of the contact hole 27.

In the protruding member 28, the conductive film for connection 36b provided on the protruding member 28 is
It is formed in a bent shape according to the shape of the protruding member 28. In this case, the conductive film for connection 36
Although b becomes easy to fracture | rupture compared with the case where it forms in a flat surface, in this embodiment,
Since the plurality of step portions 28a are provided on the side surface portion of the protruding member 28, the possibility that the connecting conductive film 36b is broken can be extremely reduced. That is, in the liquid crystal display device of the present embodiment, the pixel electrode 25 can be prevented from breaking, and the connection conductive film 36b can be prevented from breaking.
Connection reliability inside the liquid crystal display device can be improved.

(Second embodiment of electro-optical device)
Next, another embodiment of a liquid crystal display device as an electro-optical device according to the invention will be described. The overall configuration of the liquid crystal display device according to this embodiment is substantially the same as that of the liquid crystal display device 1 shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, a projecting member having a different shape is provided instead of the projecting member 28 shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the liquid crystal display device 1 of FIG. 1 according to the present embodiment. The present embodiment shown in FIG. 5 has the same components as those of the previous embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.

The projecting member used in the present embodiment is provided on the surface of the first light-transmissive substrate 7 at a position overlapping the contact hole 27 in a plan view as indicated by reference numeral 58 in FIG. This protruding member 5
8 is formed by, for example, a photolithography process using a photosensitive resin such as an acrylic resin or a polyimide resin. The projecting member 58 stands upright from the substrate 7a as shown in FIG.
It is formed in a column shape extending in the vertical direction. The height h1 of the top surface 58b of the projecting member 58 from the surface of the first light transmitting substrate 7a (hereinafter referred to as the height of the projecting member 58) h1 is the projecting member in the previous embodiment shown in FIG. It is set higher than the height h1 of 28.

In the present embodiment shown in FIG. 5 as well, the height h1 of the protruding member 58 and the contact hole 2
7 is similar to the depth h2 in the first embodiment shown in FIG.
h1> h2
Is set to In the present embodiment, the connection conductive film 36 b is laminated on the top surface 58 b of the projecting member 58, and the connection conductive film 36 b is in contact with the pixel electrode 25 on the bottom surface of the contact hole 27.

Next, the relationship between the depth h2 of the contact hole 27 and the depth h3 of the concave portion 29 or the relationship between the depth h2 of the contact hole 27 and the height of the convex portion is:
h2 = h3
Is set to That is, the bottom surface 29 a of the recess 29 and the bottom surface 27 of the contact hole 27.
In b, the vertical position in FIG. 5 is formed at the same position. That is, the height h1 of the projecting member 58 is formed to be substantially the same as the film thickness of the concavo-convex resin film 23 in a state where the connection conductive film 36b is laminated on the projecting member 58.

In the liquid crystal display device of the present embodiment, the height h1 of the protruding member 58 is formed to be substantially the same as the film thickness of the concavo-convex resin film 23, so that the depth h2 of the contact hole 27 can be formed shallow. The depth h2 of the contact hole 27 is shallower than the depth of the contact hole in the conventional liquid crystal display device. The depth h2 of the contact hole 27 in the first embodiment shown in FIG.
It is formed even shallower. Thus, in FIG. 5, the pixel electrode 25 provided on the uneven resin film 23 and connected to the connection conductive film 36 b after flowing into the contact hole 27 is broken at the wall 27 a of the contact hole 27. It can be prevented more reliably.

(Third embodiment of electro-optical device)
Next, still another embodiment of the liquid crystal display device as the electro-optical device according to the invention will be described. In the first embodiment of FIG. 4 and the second embodiment of FIG. 5, the present invention is applied to the liquid crystal display device 1 using the TFT element 21 as a switching element. On the other hand, this embodiment applies the present invention to an active matrix liquid crystal display device using a TFD (Thin Film Diode) which is a two-terminal switching element as a switching element.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of the liquid crystal display device according to the present embodiment, and shows a portion corresponding to FIG. 4 in the first embodiment. The overall configuration of the liquid crystal display device is substantially the same as the liquid crystal display device shown in FIG. 1 except for the internal structure of the liquid crystal panel. The present embodiment shown in FIG. 6 shows the same components as those of the previous embodiment shown in FIG. 4, and the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

In FIG. 6, the data lines 59 are arranged in the column direction Y (that is, in FIG. 6) on the first translucent substrate 7a.
In the direction perpendicular to the paper surface). T that functions as a switching element
An FD element 61 is formed connected to the data line 59. Although not shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of data lines 59 are provided on the substrate 7a in parallel to each other with an interval in the row direction X (that is, the left-right direction in FIG. 6). A plurality of TFD elements 61 are provided at equal intervals along each data line.

A projecting member 28 is provided on the substrate 7a. The protruding member 28 is formed by using, for example, a photolithography process using a photosensitive resin such as an acrylic resin or a polyimide resin. A plurality of stepped portions 28 a, two in the present embodiment, are provided on the side surface portion of the protruding member 28 at a position in the middle of the thickness direction of the uneven resin film 23 (that is, the vertical direction in FIG. 6). Each of these step portions 28a is a plane parallel to the surface of the substrate 7a. By providing the step portion 28a on the side surface of the protruding member 28, the cross section of the side surface portion of the protruding member 28 has a stepped shape.

On the TFD elements 61, the data lines 59, and the protruding members 28, an uneven resin film 23 is formed as an insulating film covering them, a light reflecting film 24 is formed thereon, and a pixel electrode 25 is formed thereon. The alignment film 26a is formed thereon.

Between the projecting member 28 and the concavo-convex resin film 23, a connecting conductive film 36 b is provided on the projecting member 28. Further, the uneven resin film 23 at a position corresponding to the protruding member 28 is provided on the pixel electrode 2.
A contact hole 27 is formed as an opening for electrically connecting 5 to the TFD element 61. Through the contact hole 27, the pixel electrode 25 and the conductive film for connection 36b on the protruding member 28 are connected.

The TFD element 61 includes a pair of TFD elements 65a and 65 electrically connected in series with each other.
b. The first TFD element 65a is formed by overlapping a first element electrode 62 as a first electrode, an insulating film 63, and a second element electrode 64a as a second electrode in that order. Further, the second TFD element 65b includes the first element electrode 62 and the insulating film 6.
3 and the second element electrode 64b as the second electrode are stacked in that order. The first element electrode 62 is made of, for example, Ta (tantalum) or Ta alloy. As the Ta alloy, for example, TaW (tantalum / tungsten) can be used. The insulating film 63 is formed by, for example, an anodic oxidation process. Second element electrodes 64a, 6
4b is made of, for example, Cr or a molybdenum-tungsten (MoW) alloy.

The second element electrode 64 a in the first TFD element 65 a extends from the data line 59. Also,
The conductive film constituting the second element electrode 64b and the conductive film for connection 36b in the second TFD element 65b is connected to the insulating film 63 at a position where one end thereof overlaps the first element electrode 62 in plan and the other end protrudes. It extends over the member 28 and is formed on the protruding member 28. The second element electrode 64 b is a portion connected to the insulating film 63. On the other hand, the connection conductive film 36b is formed of the insulating film 6b.
3 is a portion between a position exceeding 3 and a position exceeding the top surface 28b of the protruding member 28.

In the present embodiment, the second element electrode 64b and the conductive film for connection 36b are integrally formed of the same material. The connection conductive film 36 b is connected to the pixel electrode through the contact hole 27 on the protruding member 28. That is, the second element electrode 64b and the pixel electrode 2
5 is electrically connected through a conductive film for connection 36b.

Considering that a signal is transmitted from the data line 59 to the pixel electrode 25, the first TFD element 65a and the second TFD element 65b are connected in series with two TFD elements having opposite polarities. This structure is sometimes referred to as a back-to-back structure. In this embodiment, the back-to-back structure TFD element is used as described above. However, the TFD element may be formed by a single TFD element.

Although not shown, a colored film constituting a color filter is formed on the substrate facing the substrate 7a, a light shielding film is formed around the colored film, and an overcoat film is formed on the colored film and the light shielding film. Has been. Then, on the overcoat film, the row direction X on the substrate 7a.
A strip-shaped electrode extending in the row direction X is formed at a position overlapping the column of the plurality of pixel electrodes 25 arranged in a plane. An alignment film is formed thereon.

Also in this embodiment, since the projecting member 28 is provided at a position between the first translucent substrate 7a and the concavo-convex resin film 23 and overlapping the contact hole 27 in a plane, the depth h2 of the contact hole 27 is provided. Can be made shallower than the conventional liquid crystal display device. Specifically, the relationship between the height h1 from the surface of the first translucent substrate 7a to the top surface 28b of the protruding member 28 and the depth h2 of the contact hole 27 from the top surface 23b of the concavo-convex resin film 23 is as follows. ,
h1> h2
Is set.

As described above, by reducing the depth h2 of the contact hole 27, the concave-convex resin film 23 is obtained.
It is possible to prevent the pixel electrode 25 that is provided above and flows into the contact hole 27 and then connected to the connection conductive film 36 b from breaking at the wall 27 a of the contact hole 27.

In the protruding member 28, the conductive film for connection 36b provided on the protruding member 28 is
The protruding member 28 is formed in a bent shape according to the side surface shape. In this case, the conductive film for connection 36b is easily broken as compared with the case where it is formed on a flat side surface. However, in this embodiment, a plurality of step portions 28a are provided on the side surface portion of the projecting member 28. The conductive film for connection 36b
The possibility of breaking is extremely low. That is, in the liquid crystal display device of this embodiment, the pixel electrode 25 can be prevented from being broken, and the connection conductive film 36b can be prevented from being broken, so that the connection reliability inside the liquid crystal display device can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the second element electrode 64b and the connection conductive film 36b are integrally formed of the same material. Thereby, since the 2nd element electrode 64b and the electrically conductive film 36b for connection can be manufactured simultaneously, the manufacturing process of a liquid crystal display device can be reduced.

(Other embodiments of electro-optical device)
The present invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the invention described in the claims.
For example, in the second embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the projecting member 58 is formed in a columnar shape, but the shape of the projecting member 58 is the same as that of the projecting member 28 in the first embodiment shown in FIG. It is good also as a shape which has a step part.

Further, in each of the above embodiments, the present invention is applied to a liquid crystal display device using a TFT element which is a three-terminal type switching element as a switching element and is a channel etch type single-gate amorphous silicon TFT element. However, the present invention can also be applied to a liquid crystal display device using amorphous silicon TFT elements having other structures. The present invention also provides TFT elements other than amorphous silicon TFT elements, such as high-temperature polysilicon TFTs.
The present invention can also be applied to an active matrix type liquid crystal display device using an element, a low-temperature polysilicon TFT element or the like as a switching element.

In each of the above embodiments, the present invention is applied to a liquid crystal display device adopting an ECB liquid crystal mode. However, the present invention can be applied to, for example, an STN (Super Twisted Nematic) mode or a VA (Vertically Aligned: The present invention can also be applied to a liquid crystal display device employing a liquid crystal mode such as a (vertical alignment) mode.

(Embodiment of manufacturing method of electro-optical device)
Next, with respect to the method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to the present invention, the case of manufacturing the liquid crystal display device shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 (that is, the liquid crystal display device using the protruding member 28 whose side surface is stepped). An example will be described. In the present embodiment, a plurality of liquid crystal display devices are manufactured simultaneously using a light-transmitting substrate having a large area, instead of manufacturing each liquid crystal display device one by one.

In such a manufacturing method, the element substrate 7 and the color filter substrate 8 shown in FIG.
Instead of forming each element, elements corresponding to a plurality of element substrates 7 are simultaneously formed on an element-side mother translucent substrate having an area large enough to form a plurality of element substrates 7. Then, a mother element substrate is formed. On the other hand, regarding the color filter substrate 8, a plurality of elements of the color filter substrate are simultaneously formed on the color filter side mother transparent substrate having an area large enough to form a plurality of color filter substrates 8. A color filter substrate is formed.

Then, by bonding the mother element substrate and the mother color filter substrate together, the liquid crystal panel 2 (in the state without the liquid crystal layer 12 in FIG. 1) has a large area that includes a plurality of rows vertically and horizontally. A panel structure is produced. Next, 1 for the large-area panel structure.
A second cutting process (so-called primary break) is performed. In this primary break, a large-area panel structure is cut in the vertical or horizontal direction to produce a medium-area panel structure including a plurality of liquid crystal panels 2 in a single row, a so-called strip-shaped panel structure. To do. With respect to the strip-shaped panel structure, a liquid crystal inlet provided in the sealing material 6 (see FIG. 1) in the plurality of liquid crystal panels 2 included in the strip-shaped panel structure is opened to the outside on one side surface of the strip-shaped panel structure. To do.

Next, liquid crystal is injected into each liquid crystal panel 2 through a liquid crystal injection port opened to the outside to form a liquid crystal layer 12 (see FIG. 1), and then the liquid crystal injection port is closed with resin. A second cutting process (so-called secondary break) is performed on the strip-shaped panel structure. By this secondary break, the individual liquid crystal panels 2 are cut out from the strip-shaped panel structure. Then, as shown in FIG. 1, the polarizing plates 18a and 18b are attached to the liquid crystal panel 2, the driving IC 50 is mounted, the FPC board is connected, and the liquid crystal display device 1 is completed. To do.

In the method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to the present embodiment, a conventionally well-known manufacturing method can be employed for the process of manufacturing the color filter substrate 8 of FIG. On the other hand, improvements have been made with respect to manufacturing the element substrate 7 of FIG. In view of this situation, in the following description, the description of the manufacturing method related to the color filter substrate 8 is omitted, and the manufacturing method of the element substrate 7 will be described in detail.

FIG. 7 shows an embodiment of a method for manufacturing the element substrate 7 of FIG. In the method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to this embodiment, steps P1 to P3, P5, and P6 in FIG.
1 and corresponds to the switching element process P101 of the manufacturing method shown in FIG. 7 is a process for forming the protruding member 28 in FIG. 4, and the process P4 in FIG.
102. Step P5 in FIG. 7 is a step of forming the drain electrode 36 which is a component of the TFT element 21 in FIG. 4 and forming the connection conductive film 36b, and corresponds to the step P103 in FIG.

In the process chart of FIG. 12, the connecting conductive film forming process P103 is depicted as a separate process from the switching element forming process P101. However, in the manufacturing method of this embodiment,
As shown in FIG. 7, the conductive film forming step P5 for connecting is a TFT element 2 as a switching element.
1 is included in step P5, which is one of the steps for forming 1. Specifically, the protruding member 28 in FIG.
After forming, the drain electrode 36 and the conductive film for connection 36b are formed simultaneously.

First, in step P1 of FIG. 7, the gate electrode 31 and the gate line 20 (see FIG. 4) are formed on the mother substrate of the first light-transmissive substrate 7a of FIG. Further, the second electrode 31a of the auxiliary capacitor 37 is provided.
At the same time. These elements are formed by a two-layer structure in which a second layer mainly made of Mo (molybdenum) is laminated on a first layer mainly made of Al. In forming each of these elements, first, Al is formed by sputtering, for example, with a film thickness of 1000 mm,
Next, Mo is deposited on the Al by sputtering, for example, with a film thickness of 500 mm.
The upper layer is formed of Mo for the following reason. That is, since Al easily forms an oxide film on its surface, when a gate electrode or the like is formed of Al alone, contact between them may be deteriorated when another metal film is laminated thereon. On the other hand, if Mo is stacked on Al to form a gate electrode or the like, the contact property when another metal film is laminated thereon can be maintained well.

With the above, when the Mo / Al material layer is formed, next, a resist is applied onto the material layer, and the resist is patterned into a predetermined planar shape by photolithography,
The Mo / Al layer is etched using the patterned resist as a mask, and a series of processes of peeling off the resist used as the mask is performed. Thereby, the gate electrode 31 and the gate line 20 are each formed in a predetermined shape at a predetermined position on the mother substrate.

Next, in step P2 of FIG. 7, the gate insulating film 32 and the insulating film 32a of FIG. 4 are formed. Specifically, SiN, which is an insulating resin, is used as a material by CVD, for example, 40
It is formed to a thickness of 00 mm. Next, in step P3 of FIG. 7, the semiconductor film 33 and N + of FIG.
-Si films 34a and 34b are formed. Specifically, a-Si (the material of the semiconductor film 33)
A material layer made of (amorphous silicon) is formed by a CVD process, for example, with a film thickness of 1000 mm. Next, the material layers of the N + -Si films 34a and 34b are formed to a thickness of, for example, 500 mm by a CVD process.

Next, a patterning process for forming the a-Si film 33 and the N ⁺ -Si films 34a and 34b in an island shape (that is, an island shape) is performed. Specifically, a resist that is a photosensitive resin is applied on the material layer of the N ⁺ -Si films 34a and 34b, the resist is patterned by photolithography, and the patterned resist is etched as a mask. By stripping the resist used as a mask, island-shaped a-Si films 33 and island-shaped N ⁺ -Si films 34a and 34b as shown in FIG. 4 are formed. At this time, the island-like N ⁺ -Si films 34a and 34b are not in a state where the N ⁺ -Si film is divided into two parts 34a and 34b as shown in FIG. 4, but 34a and 34b are integrated. It has become a state.

Next, in step P4 of FIG. 7, the projecting member 28 of FIG. 4 is formed by patterning, for example, a photosensitive resin by photolithography. At this time, a stepped portion 28 a is formed on the side surface portion of the protruding member 28. As for the step part 28a, the side surface of the protrusion member 28 is the 1st translucent board | substrate 7
A plurality, two in the present embodiment, are provided in the middle of the portion extending in the vertical direction (that is, the vertical direction in FIG. 4) with respect to the surface of a. Details of this step will be described later.

Next, in step P5 of FIG. 7, the source electrode 35, the drain electrode 36, and the connection conductive film 36b of FIG. 4 are formed. Specifically, conductive materials for the source electrode 35, the drain electrode 36, and the connection conductive film 36b are formed by sputtering. In this embodiment, the source electrode 35, the drain electrode 36, and the connection conductive film 36b are formed in a three-layer structure. First, M
A first layer having a thickness of 50 mm is formed by o, a second layer having a thickness of 1000 mm is formed thereon by Al, and a third layer having a thickness of 500 mm is further formed by Mo. That is, the conductive material layers for the source electrode 35 and the drain electrode 36 are Mo (third layer), Al (second layer), M
It is formed by a three-layer structure of o (first layer). The conductive material layer is formed over substantially the entire surface of the mother substrate of the first translucent substrate 7a.

The reason why the 50 μm Mo layer is provided as the first layer is to prevent Al from diffusing into the semiconductor film 33 which is the lower layer of the source electrode 35 and the drain electrode 36. The reason why the Mo layer of 500 mm is provided as the third layer is to maintain high lead wire contact property when another metal film is provided on the drain electrode 36 or the like.

Next, a resist that is a photosensitive resin is applied on the conductive material, the resist is patterned by a photolithography process, the patterned resist is etched as a mask, and the resist used as the mask is further peeled off, As shown in FIG. 4, the source electrode 35, the drain electrode 36, and the connection conductive film 36b are formed in a predetermined shape from a conductive material. At this time, one end of the connection conductive film 36b is the drain electrode 3 of the TFT element 21.
6 and a portion extending to the outside of the drain electrode 36 is formed on the protruding member 28.

Next, in step P6 of FIG. 7, a channel etch process is performed. Specifically, by performing an etching process on the island-like N ⁺ -Si films 34a and 34b, the N ⁺ -Si
The central portions of the films 34a and 34b are removed, and N ⁺ − in a state separated into left and right as shown in FIG.
Si films 34a and 34b are formed. Thus, the TFT element 21 is formed.

Next, in step P7 of FIG. 7, the protective film 22 of FIG. 4 is formed. Specifically, protective film 2
A film of SiN as the second material layer is formed to a thickness of 4000 mm by the CVD method, and further patterned into a predetermined shape by photolithography. At this time, the protective film 22 is formed only in the effective display area V in each liquid crystal panel forming area. The effective display area V here is the effective display area V shown in FIG.

Next, in step P <b> 8 of FIG. 7, the uneven resin film 23 of FIG. 4 is formed on the protective film 22. The uneven resin film 23 is formed to a predetermined film thickness by applying a photosensitive resin. Then, it is patterned into a predetermined shape by photolithography. Also, during this patterning,
A plurality of concave portions 29 or a plurality of convex portions 30 are randomly formed in a plane on the surface of the concave-convex resin film 23, whereby a concave-convex pattern is formed on the surface of the concave-convex resin film. Further, at the time of patterning, the contact hole 27 is formed simultaneously with the formation of the concavo-convex pattern. Details of this step will be described later.

Next, in step P9 of FIG. 7, a portion of the protective film 22 of FIG. 4 that overlaps the contact hole 27 in a plane, that is, a portion on the top surface 28b of the protruding member 28 is removed by photolithography. As a result, the conductive film for connection 36 b provided on the top surface 28 b of the projecting member 28 is exposed from the contact hole 27 to the outside of the uneven resin film 23.

Next, in the process P10 of FIG. 7, the light reflection film 24 of FIG. 4 is formed. Specifically, the material layer of the light reflecting film 24 is formed to a thickness of 1000 mm by sputtering using, for example, Al or an Al alloy as a material. At this time, the material layer laminated on the uneven shape of the uneven resin film 23 has the same uneven shape according to the uneven shape. Next, a photoetching process is performed on the material layer of the light reflecting film 24, and the light reflecting film 24 having a predetermined shape is patterned.
As shown in FIG. 3, the light reflecting film 24 is formed in a planar shape such that a part of the sub-pixel D becomes the reflective display region R. 4 and the drain electrode 3 of the TFT element 21.
In order to secure the connection with the TFT 6, the light reflecting film 24 is not formed in a region overlapping the TFT element 21 in a plane, at least in a region overlapping the drain electrode 36 in a plane.

Next, in the process P11 of FIG. 7, the pixel electrode 25 is formed on the light reflection film 24 and the uneven resin film 23 of FIG. Specifically, a material for the pixel electrode 25, for example, ITO is formed into a film with a thickness of 1000 mm by sputtering. At this time, ITO flows into the contact hole 27 of FIG. 4 and contacts the conductive film for connection 36b extending from the drain electrode. Subsequently, by performing a photo-etching process on the material film of the pixel electrode 25, the pixel electrode 25 is patterned so that the rectangular sub-pixel D in FIG. 3 is formed. The pixel electrode 25 thus formed is connected to the TFT element 21 via the contact hole 27 as shown in FIG.
The conductive film for connection 36b extending from the drain electrode 36 is contacted. The conductive film for connection 36b is M
Since it has a three-layer structure of o / Al / Mo and the uppermost layer is Mo having a high conductive contact property, the contact property between the pixel electrode 25 and the conductive film for connection 36b is maintained well.

Next, in step P12 of FIG. 7, an alignment film 26a is formed on the pixel electrode 25 of FIG. 4 by printing, for example, polyimide, and the alignment film 26a is further rubbed. As described above, the element-side mother substrate in which a plurality of element substrates 7 of FIG. 1 are formed is manufactured.

Thereafter, the separately prepared color filter side mother substrate and the above element side mother substrate are bonded together, liquid crystal is further injected, and the substrate is further cut, whereby the individual liquid crystal panels 2 shown in FIG. Is produced.

Hereinafter, the protruding member forming process P4 and the uneven resin film forming process P8 of FIG. 7 will be described. First, the protruding member forming step P4 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 7 is the same as the process P102 in FIG. 12, but since the drain electrode 36 and the conductive film for connection 36b in FIG. 4 are formed in the same process, the process shown in FIG. The member forming step P4 is a step before the step P5 for forming the drain electrode. FIG. 8A shows a process P in FIG.
1 to P3, the gate electrode 31 and the gate insulating film 32 of the TFT element 21 shown in FIG.
The semiconductor film 33 and the N + -Si films 34a and 34b are formed.

When the protruding member forming step P4 in FIG. 7 is started, first, the substrate 7a in FIG. 8A is cleaned with a predetermined cleaning liquid. Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, a photosensitive resin 28 ′, which is a positive resist, which is a material of the protruding member 28, is applied on the gate insulating film 32 to a uniform thickness by, for example, spin coating. To do. Next, pre-baking is performed to remove the solvent in the photosensitive resin 28 '.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8C, an exposure process is executed. Specifically, the substrate 7a (having a large area before cutting) is placed at a predetermined position of an exposure apparatus, for example, a batch exposure apparatus, and a halftone mask, that is, a halftone type multi-tone exposure mask 71 is provided. It is installed at a predetermined position facing the substrate 7a. The halftone mask 71 is an exposure mask having four regions having different light transmittances. More specifically, the halftone mask 71 is a complete light transmission region A0, a first partial light transmission region A1, a second partial light transmission region A2, And a halftone mask having a complete light-shielding region A3.

In the present embodiment, the light transmission amounts of the regions A0, A1, A2, and A3 are made different so that the exposure amount varies depending on the shape of the step portion 28a of the protruding member 28 in FIG. In particular,
(1) The complete light-shielding region A3 is aligned with the portion corresponding to the top surface 28b of the protruding member 28,
(2) The second partial light transmission region is aligned with the portion corresponding to the step portion 28a that is lowered by one step from the top surface 28b of the projecting member 28,
(3) The first partial light transmission region is aligned with the portion corresponding to the step portion 28a that is two steps down from the top surface 28b of the protruding member 28;
(4) The complete light transmission region A0 is aligned with the portion where the protruding member 28 is not formed.

The light transmittance of the complete light shielding region A3 is T3, the light transmittance of the second partial light transmission region A2 is T2, the light transmittance of the first partial light transmission region A1 is T1, and the light transmission of the complete light transmission region A0. Rate to T
In this embodiment, when 0,
T3 <T2 <T1 <T0
Set to. Also,
T3 = 0%, T0 = 100%
Set to.

In this way, changing the light transmittance can be realized, for example, by providing materials having different light transmittances for each region. For example, the complete light transmission region A0 can be realized by placing no light shielding material on the mask substrate. The partial light transmission regions A1 and A2 can be realized by placing a material that attenuates and transmits light, for example, molybdenum silicide (MoSi or MoSi ₂ ) on the mask substrate. How many light transmittances are set can be determined by the film thickness of the film placed on the mask substrate. The complete light-shielding region A3 can be realized by placing a material that does not transmit light completely, for example, laminated chrome having a two-layer structure of Cr and CrO _x (chromium oxide) on the mask substrate.

When a certain amount of exposure light L2 is irradiated to the photosensitive resin 28 'through the halftone mask 71 having the above-described configuration, the portion above the exposure image indicated by the chain line is solubilized. Next, development processing is performed. Specifically, the substrate 7a in FIG. 8C is immersed in the developer for a predetermined time. Then, the solubilized portion of the photosensitive resin 28 ′ in FIG. 8C is removed, and as shown in FIG. 8D, a protruding member 28 having a stepped side surface is formed. Thereafter, the substrate 7a and the protruding member 28 in FIG. 8D are fired to set the shape and properties of the protruding member 28 to a stable state. Thus, the process P4 in FIG. 7 is completed, and thereafter, the process after the source electrode formation process P5 described above is performed.

Next, the uneven resin film forming step P8 will be described in detail with reference to FIG. Note that FIG.
a) is a process in steps P1 to P7 of FIG.
And the state in which the protective film 22 was formed is shown.

When the uneven resin film forming step P8 of FIG. 7 is started, first, the substrate 7a of FIG. 9A is cleaned with a predetermined cleaning liquid. Next, as shown in FIG. 9B, the uneven resin film 23 is formed on the protective film 22.
The photosensitive resin 23 ′, which is a positive resist, which is a material of the above, is applied to a uniform thickness by, for example, spin coating. Next, pre-baking is performed to remove the solvent in the photosensitive resin 23 ′.

Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, an exposure process is executed. Specifically, the substrate 7a (having a large area before cutting) is set at a predetermined position of an exposure apparatus, for example, a batch exposure apparatus, and the gray tone mask 76 is set at a predetermined position facing the substrate 7a. Gray tone mask 7
Reference numeral 6 denotes an exposure mask having three regions having different light transmittances. Specifically, the light shielding area A
5, an exposure mask having a first light transmission region A4 and a second light transmission region A6. Shading area A5
Is a region where a material that does not transmit light, such as Cr, is placed on the mask substrate, and is a region that does not transmit light. The first light transmission region A4 is a region between the light shielding regions A5 and A5 adjacent to each other, and is a region where no light shielding material is placed on the mask substrate. The second light transmission region A6 is a region wider than the first light transmission region A4, and is a region where no light shielding material is placed on the mask substrate.

The gray tone mask 76 is an exposure mask having a pattern finer than the limit of the exposure resolution of the exposure machine. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 9C, the light shielding regions A5, adjacent to each other.
The width t of the light transmission area A4, which is an area between A5, is set to be narrower than the limit width of the resolution of the exposure machine. In this way, in the portion of the photosensitive resin 23 ′ corresponding to the light transmission region A4,
Complete exposure with a sufficient exposure amount is not performed. In this case, the portion corresponding to the light transmission region A4 in the photosensitive resin 23 ′ is in a state similar to the state in which the exposure is performed with a light amount smaller than the light irradiated on the mask 76. As a result, the boundary between the part of the photosensitive resin 23 ′ that is shielded against the area A5 and the part that is exposed to face the area A4 becomes unclear. For example, an exposure image of a gentle slope is formed. Will be formed.

In the present embodiment, a portion corresponding to the concavo-convex pattern formed on the surface of the concavo-convex resin film 23 in FIG. 4 is a gray-tone shading pattern (that is, the region A) in the mask 76 in FIG.
4 and A5). Specifically, the light shielding region A5 in FIG. 9C is aligned with the portion corresponding to the convex portion 30 in FIG. 4, and the portion corresponding to the concave portion 29 in FIG.
) Of the first light transmission region A4. Further, the second light transmission region A6 of FIG. 9C is aligned with the portion corresponding to the contact hole 27 of FIG. 4 which is the opening.

When a certain amount of exposure light L3 is irradiated to the photosensitive resin 23 'through the gray tone mask 76 having the above-described configuration, the portion above the exposure image indicated by the chain line is solubilized. Specifically, the exposed portion in the area A4 is not completely exposed as in the case where the exposure amount is relatively small, so that an exposure image 29 ′ corresponding to the concave portion is formed. Further, the portion exposed in the region A5 is the region A.
Since the exposure amount is even smaller than 4, an exposure image 30 ′ corresponding to the convex portion is formed.

In addition, since the exposure amount in the area A6 is large, an exposure image 27 ′ deeper than the exposure images 29 ′ and 30 ′ is formed. Thus, exposure images 29 ′ and 30 ′ corresponding to the uneven pattern are formed on the surface of the photosensitive resin 23 ′, and further, an exposure image 27 ′ corresponding to the contact hole 27 is formed therein, and these exposure images are formed. The upper part is solubilized.

Next, development processing is performed. Specifically, the substrate 7a in FIG. 9C is immersed in a developer for a predetermined time. Then, the solubilized portion of the photosensitive resin 23 ′ in FIG. 9C is removed, and as shown in FIG. 9D, a necessary area on the surface has a concavo-convex pattern, and an inner required area. A concave-convex resin film 23 having contact holes 27 is formed.

The photosensitive resin 23 ′, which is the material of the uneven resin film 23, tends to pass a lot of yellow light derived from unreacted photosensitive groups due to its properties. Accordingly, a process for completing the reaction by irradiating the uneven resin film 23 in FIG. Thereby, yellowing of the uneven resin film 23 is suppressed and the transmittance is improved. Next, the substrate 7a in FIG.
And the uneven | corrugated resin film 23 is baked, for example at 220 degreeC for 30 to 50 minutes, and the shape and property of the uneven | corrugated resin film 23 are set to a stable state. As described above, the process P8 of FIG. 7 is completed, and then the protective film removing process P9 and the subsequent processes are executed.

According to the method for manufacturing the electro-optical device according to the present embodiment, in the step of forming the concavo-convex resin film shown in step P5 of FIG. 7, the projection member 28 provided on the first light-transmissive substrate 7a of FIG. Since the contact hole 27 is formed in the overlapping region, the depth h2 of the contact hole 27 can be formed shallower than the film thickness of the concavo-convex resin film 23. In this way, the contact hole 27 having a shallow depth is provided.
Is formed in the concavo-convex resin film 23, in the step of providing the pixel electrode 25, the concavo-convex resin film 23 is formed.
When ITO, which is the material of the pixel electrode 25, is supplied to the top, the ITO flowing into the contact hole 27 is not broken at the wall 27a of the contact hole 27 and connected to the connection conductive film 36b on the protruding member 28. it can.

7, forming a plurality of concave portions 29 or a plurality of convex portions 30 on the surface of the concavo-convex resin film 23 in FIG. 4, and forming a contact hole 27 in the concavo-convex resin film 23. , Decided to do at the same time. As a result, the manufacturing process can be simplified and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

Further, in the process P5 of FIG. 7, the photosensitive resin 23 ′, which is the material of the uneven resin film 23, was exposed using the gray tone mask 76 as the exposure mask shown in FIG. 9C. A method of forming a concave or convex portion on the concavo-convex resin film and an opening in the insulating film at the same time using a gray-tone mask is a conventional method. In this case, the pattern corresponding to the plurality of concave portions or the plurality of convex portions is a pattern finer than the limit of the resolution of the exposure machine, and the pattern corresponding to the contact hole is a normal pattern, so that The opening is formed simultaneously by a single exposure process.

However, in the conventional liquid crystal display device, it is necessary to form a deep contact hole in order to ensure contact between the pixel electrode and the conductive film for connection. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the exposure amount according to the depth of the contact hole in the exposure process. When the amount of exposure is increased, the amount of exposure also increases for the portion corresponding to the concave portion or the convex portion, so that the depth of the concave portion tends to increase or the height of the convex portion tends to increase. Therefore, it has been difficult to adjust the depth of the concave portion or the height of the convex portion to a desired depth or height. Specifically, it has been difficult to reduce the depth of the concave portion or reduce the height of the convex portion.

On the other hand, according to the manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the shallow contact hole 27 is formed in a position overlapping the projection member 28 of FIG. 4 in the uneven resin film formation step P8 of FIG.
The contact hole 27 can be reliably formed with a small exposure amount. As a result, in step P8 of FIG. 7, exposure processing is performed using the gray-tone mask 76 of FIG.
Since the exposure amount for the portions corresponding to the plurality of recesses 29 shown in (d) can be reduced, the depth of the recesses 29 can be easily adjusted to a desired depth. Specifically, the recess 29
It became easy to make the depth of the shallow.

In the manufacturing method of this embodiment, in the protruding member forming step P4 of FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 8C, a halftone mask having a plurality of regions having different light transmittances on the light transmitting substrate 7a. 71 was used for the exposure process. In this way, the stepped portion 28a can be accurately formed on the side surface portion of the protruding member 28 of FIG. In this way, if the step portion 28a is provided on the side surface portion of the protruding member 28,
7, the connection conductive film 36b formed on the protruding member 28 of FIG. 4 can be prevented from breaking at the side surface of the protruding member 28 by the action of the step portion 28a.

(First Embodiment of Electronic Device)
Hereinafter, embodiments of an electronic apparatus according to the present invention will be described. In addition, this embodiment shows an example of this invention and this invention is not limited to this embodiment.

FIG. 10 shows an embodiment of an electronic apparatus according to the invention. The electronic equipment shown here
A liquid crystal display device 101 and a control circuit 102 for controlling the liquid crystal display device 101 are provided. The control circuit 102
The display information output source 105, the display information processing circuit 106, the power supply circuit 107, and the timing generator 108 are included. The liquid crystal display device 101 includes a liquid crystal panel 103 and a drive circuit 104.

The display information output source 105 includes a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage unit such as various disks, a tuning circuit that tunes and outputs a digital image signal, and various clock signals generated by the timing generator 108. The display information processing circuit 106 is supplied with display information such as a predetermined format image signal.

Next, the display information processing circuit 106 includes a number of well-known circuits such as an amplification / inversion circuit, a rotation circuit, a gamma correction circuit, a clamp circuit, and the like, executes processing of input display information, and outputs an image signal. It is supplied to the drive circuit 104 together with the clock signal CLK. Here, the drive circuit 104 is a generic term for an inspection circuit and the like together with a scanning line drive circuit and a data line drive circuit. The power supply circuit 107 supplies a predetermined power supply voltage to each of the above components.

The liquid crystal display device 101 can be configured using, for example, the liquid crystal display device 1 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid crystal display device 1 has a contact hole by providing a projecting member 28 at a position between the first translucent substrate 7a and the uneven resin film 23 and overlapping the contact hole 27 in a plane. The depth of 27 can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent the pixel electrode 25 provided on the uneven resin film 23 and connected to the connection conductive film 36 b after flowing into the contact hole 27 from breaking at the wall 27 a of the contact hole 27. Therefore, also in the electronic device according to the present invention, the electrode can be prevented from being broken and an electronic device having high reliability can be obtained.

(Second Embodiment of Electronic Device)
FIG. 11 shows a mobile phone which is another embodiment of the electronic apparatus according to the invention. A cellular phone 110 shown here includes a main body 111 and a display body 112 that can be opened and closed with respect to the main body 111. A display device 113 configured by an electro-optical device such as a liquid crystal display device is disposed inside the display body 112, and various displays relating to telephone communication can be visually recognized on the display screen 114 of the display body 112. The operation button 1 is provided on the main body 111.
15 are arranged.

A telescopic antenna 116 is attached to one end of the display body 112. A speaker (not shown) is arranged inside the receiver unit 117 provided at the upper part of the display body unit 112.
Further, a microphone (not shown) is built in the transmitter 118 provided at the lower end of the main body 111. The control unit for controlling the operation of the display device 113 is the main unit 111 or the display unit 11 as a part of the control unit that controls the entire mobile phone or separately from the control unit.
2 is stored.

The display device 113 can be configured using, for example, the liquid crystal display device 1 shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the liquid crystal display device 1 has a contact hole by providing a projecting member 28 at a position between the first translucent substrate 7a and the uneven resin film 23 and overlapping the contact hole 27 in a plane. The depth of 27 can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to prevent the pixel electrode 25 provided on the uneven resin film 23 and connected to the connection conductive film 36 b after flowing into the contact hole 27 from breaking at the wall 27 a of the contact hole 27. Therefore, also in the electronic device according to the present invention, the electrode can be prevented from being broken and an electronic device having high reliability can be obtained.

In addition to the above-described mobile phones and the like as electronic devices, personal computers, liquid crystal televisions, viewfinder type or monitor direct view type video tape recorders, car navigation devices, pagers, electronic notebooks, calculators, word processors, Examples include workstations, video phones, and POS terminals.

1 is a side sectional view showing an embodiment of an electro-optical device according to the invention. It is an expanded sectional view of the part shown by arrow Z1 of FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a planar structure of one subpixel on an element substrate and its periphery according to an arrow A in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line Z2-Z2 of FIG. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of another embodiment of the electro-optical device according to the invention. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a main part of still another embodiment of the electro-optical device according to the invention. FIG. 6 is a process diagram showing main steps of a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device according to the invention. FIG. 8 is a structural transition diagram of a film configuration on a substrate in the protruding member forming step of FIG. 7. FIG. 8 is a structural transition diagram of a film configuration on a substrate in the uneven resin film forming step of FIG. 7. It is a block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the electronic device which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the mobile telephone which is other Embodiment of the electronic device which concerns on this invention. FIG. 6 is a process diagram showing one aspect of a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device according to the invention.

Explanation of symbols

1. 1. liquid crystal display device (electro-optical device), 2. Liquid crystal panel Lighting equipment,
6). 6. sealing material Element substrate, 7a. 7. a first translucent substrate; Color filter substrate,
8a. Second translucent substrate, 12. Liquid crystal layer, 13. LED, 14. Light guide,
18a, 18b. Polarizing plate, 19. Source line, 20. Gate line,
21. TFT (thin film transistor) element (switching element),
22. Protective film (second insulating film), 23. Uneven resin film (insulating film), 24. Light reflecting film,
25. Pixel electrodes, 26a, 26b. Alignment film, 27. Contact hole (opening),
28, 58. Projecting member, 28a. Step, 28b, 58b. Top surface, 29. Recess,
29 '. 30. exposure image of recess, Convex part, 30 '. 32. Exposure image of convex part Gate electrode,

31a. First electrode, 32. A gate insulating film, 32a. Insulating film, 33. Semiconductor film,
34a, 34b. N + -Si film, 35. Source electrode, 36. Drain electrode,
36a. Second electrode, 36b. Conductive film for connection, 37. Auxiliary capacity, 41. Colored film,
42. Light shielding film, 43. Overcoat film, 44. Common electrode, 45. Overhang,
46. Wiring, 47. Terminal for external connection, 49. ACF, 50. Driving IC,
59. Data line 61. TFD (thin film diode) element (switching element),
62. First element electrode (first electrode), 63. Insulation film,
64a, 64b. Second element electrode (second electrode), 65a. A first TFD element;
65b. Second TFD element, 71. Halftone mask (exposure mask),
76. 101 gray tone mask Liquid crystal display devices (electro-optical devices),
102. Control circuit, 103. Liquid crystal panel, 104. Drive circuit,
110. Mobile phone (electronic device), D.E. Sub-pixels, G. Cell gap,
h1. The height of the protruding member, h2. Contact hole depth,
h3. Depth of recess, height of protrusion, L0, L1, L2, L3. Light, R.A. Reflective display area,
T.A. A transmissive display area; Effective display area

Claims (12)

A substrate,
A switching element provided on the substrate and provided with an electrode;
A conductive film for connection extending from the electrode;
An insulating film provided on the substrate and covering the switching element and the conductive film for connection;
An opening formed in the insulating film on the connection conductive film;
A pixel electrode provided on the insulating film and electrically connected to the connection conductive film through the opening;
A protruding member provided between the substrate and the insulating film and in a position overlapping the opening in a plane;
An electro-optical device comprising: The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein a height of the top surface of the protruding member from the substrate surface is h1, and a depth of the opening from the top surface of the insulating film is h2.
h1> h2
An electro-optical device characterized by the above. 3. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of concave portions or a plurality of convex portions are provided on a surface of the insulating film, and a depth of the opening portion is defined as h <b> 2. When the height of the convex part is h3,
h2> h3
An electro-optical device characterized by the above. 4. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein a step portion is provided on a side surface portion of the projecting member. 5. 5. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the projecting member is formed using a photosensitive resin. 6. 6. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the switching element is a thin film transistor, and the electrode included in the switching element is integrally formed of the same material as the conductive film for connection. An electro-optical device, which is a drain electrode of the thin film transistor formed. 6. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the switching element is a thin film diode having a stacked structure of a first electrode, an insulating film, and a second electrode, and the switching element includes the switching element. The electro-optical device, wherein the electrode is the second electrode integrally formed of the same material as the connection conductive film. Providing a switching element on the substrate;
Providing a projecting member on the substrate;
Providing a conductive film for connection connected to the electrode of the switching element on the protruding member;
Providing an insulating film covering the switching element and the protruding member on the substrate;
Providing an opening in a region of the insulating film that planarly overlaps the protruding member;
Providing a pixel electrode on the insulating film;
A method for manufacturing an electro-optical device. 9. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 8, wherein a plurality of recesses or a plurality of protrusions are provided on the surface of the insulating film, and the step of forming the opening includes the plurality of the recesses or the plurality of protrusions. One exposure process is performed using an exposure mask having a pattern corresponding to a portion and a pattern corresponding to the opening, thereby forming the plurality of concave portions or the plurality of convex portions on the insulating film. A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device, wherein the opening is formed at the same time. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 8 or 9, wherein a second insulating film is provided between the switching element and the insulating film and between the projecting member and the insulating film.
And a step of removing the second insulating film in a region overlapping the projecting member in a plan view. 11. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 8, wherein in the step of providing the protruding member, a multi-gradation having a plurality of regions having different light transmittances on the light-transmitting substrate. A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device, wherein exposure is performed through a mask, and a step portion is formed on a side surface portion of the protruding member. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 1.

Images