BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is an isometric view of a liquid crystal panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention, the liquid crystal panel including a plurality of capacitors.
FIG. 2 is a top plan view of part of the liquid crystal panel of FIG. 1, showing the capacitors.
FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line III-III of FIG. 2.
FIG. 4 is similar to FIG. 3, but showing a corresponding view in the case of part of a liquid crystal panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is similar to FIG. 2, but showing a corresponding view in the case of part of a liquid crystal panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an isometric view of a conventional liquid crystal panel.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
In this description, unless the context indicates otherwise, a reference to a “printed line” is a reference to a printed electrically conductive line.
Referring to FIG. 1, a liquid crystal panel 11 according to a first embodiment of the present invention is shown. The liquid crystal panel 11 includes a first substrate 12, a second substrate 13 opposite to the first substrate 12, and a liquid crystal layer (not visible) sandwiched between the first substrate 12 and the second substrate 13. The second substrate 13 includes an extending portion 15 at a side thereof. An integrated circuit 16, a plurality of wires 17, and a plurality of capacitors 18 are disposed on the extending portion 15. The integrated circuit 16 is used to drive the liquid crystal panel 11 via certain of the wires 17. The capacitors 18 are connected to the integrated circuit 16 via certain of the wires 17, and are used to provide boosting, filtering or voltage-regulating.
Referring also to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3, each of the capacitors 18 includes an auxiliary conductive layer 180 arranged on the extending portion 15, an insulating layer 181 arranged on the auxiliary conductive layer 180, two printed lines 182, 183 arranged on the insulating layer 181, and a protective layer 184 arranged on the printed lines 182, 183 and the insulating layer 181. The printed lines 182, 183 are spaced apart from each other, and are parallel to each other. The printed lines 182, 183 both overlap the auxiliary conductive layer 180, thereby respectively defining a first capacitance C1 and a second capacitance C2. A capacitance C of the capacitor 18 can be calculated according to the following formula:
C=C
1
C
2/(C1+C2).
The auxiliary conductive layer 180 and the printed lines 182, 183 can be made from transparent conductive material or metal. The transparent conductive material can for example be indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO). The metal can for example be any one or more items selected from the group consisting of aluminum, chromium, molybdenum, silver, and gold. The insulating layer 181 can for example be made from silica.
The auxiliary conductive layer 180, the insulating layer 181, the printed lines 182, 183, and the protective layer 183 of the capacitor 18 can be simultaneously formed when a thin film transistor (TFT) array of the liquid crystal panel 11 is formed. For example, the auxiliary conductive layer 180 can be formed when gate lines of the TFT array are formed. The insulating layer 181 can be formed when a gate insulating layer of the TFT array is formed. The printed lines 182, 183 can be formed when source and drain electrodes of the TFT array are formed. The protective layer 184 can be formed when a passivation layer of the TFT array is formed. In an alternative embodiment, the auxiliary conductive layer 180 can be formed when the source and drain electrodes of the TFT array are formed, the insulating layer 181 can be formed when the passivation layer of the TFT array is formed, and the printed lines 182, 183 can be formed when a pixel electrode of the TFT array is formed. In another alternative embodiment, the capacitors 180 can be formed after the TFT array is formed.
In any of the above-described embodiments, once the first substrate 12 and the second substrate 13 have been prepared and are ready for assembly, liquid crystal material is provided. The first and second substrates 12, 13 and the liquid crystal material can be assembled together by any of various known methods, such as a one-drop-fill method or a vacuum filling method. Thereby, the liquid crystal panel 11 having the first substrate 12, the second substrate 13, and the liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the first and second substrates 12, 13 is obtained.
Unlike in conventional art, a total thickness of the auxiliary conductive layer 180, the insulating layer 181, the printed lines 182, 183, and the protective layer 184 is typically much less than a thickness of the first substrate 12. Thus, the liquid crystal panel 11 has a smaller size.
Referring to FIG. 4, a liquid crystal panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention is similar to the liquid crystal panel 11 of the first embodiment. However, each of one or more capacitors 28 includes two printed lines 282, 283 arranged on an extending portion (not labeled), an insulating layer 281 arranged on the printed lines 282, 283 and the extending portion, an auxiliary conductive layer 280 arranged on the insulating layer 281, and a protective layer 284 arranged on the auxiliary conductive layer 280.
Referring to FIG. 5, a liquid crystal panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention is similar to the liquid crystal panel of the second embodiment. However, each of one or more capacitors 38 includes three printed lines 382, 383, 384 and an auxiliary conductive layer 380. The printed lines 382, 383, 384 are spaced apart from each other, and are parallel to each other. The printed line 384 is located between the printed lines 382, 383. The auxiliary conductive layer 380 includes a first electrode 385, a second electrode 386, and a connecting portion 387 interconnecting the first and second electrodes 385, 386. The first electrode 385 overlaps the printed line 382, thereby defining a first capacitance C1. The second electrode 386 overlaps the printed line 383, thereby defining a second capacitance C2.
Further or alternative embodiments may include the following. In one example, each capacitor can include only one printed line, or more than three printed lines.
It is believed that the present embodiments and their advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the examples hereinbefore described merely being preferred or exemplary embodiments of the invention.