Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Kiyoshi Nakazawa

Mikio Katayama

Yuzuru Kanemori

Hiroaki Kato

Hidenori Negoto

Naofumi Kondo

Akihiko Imaya

Takayoshi Nagayasu

Toshiaki Fujihara

Hiroshi Fujiki

Masaya Okamoto

Kozo Yano

Hiroshi Take

Kazuyori Mitsumoto

Katsumi Irie

Motokazu Inui

Hideji Marumoto

Kumiko Otsu

Fumiaki Funada

Hiroshi Hamada

Naofumi Kimura

Tsuneo Nakamura

Manabu Takahama

Makoto Miyago

Makoto Tachibana

Toshifumi Mitsumune

This invention provides an inspecting method, an inspecting apparatus, and a defect correcting method, for an active matrix substrate including: a gate bus line; a source bus line; a pixel electrode; a switching element for driving the pixel electrode; and a pair of electrodes constituting an auxiliary capacitance. The inspecting method includes: a step of disposing a counter substrate having a face on which a counter electrode is formed so that the face faces the active matrix substrate with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween, and connecting signal supplying terminals to gate bus lines and source bus lines and the counter electrode; and a detection step of detecting a defect on the active matrix substrate by performing at least one of a first signal generating step, a second signal generating step, and a third signal generating step. The first, second, and third signal generating steps all include alternately applying an ON signal for turning on the switching element and an OFF signal for turning off the switching element to the gate bus line. The first signal generating step includes applying a first detecting signal having a voltage which changes before the ON signal is applied to the source bus line. The second signal generating step includes applying a second detecting signal having a voltage which changes before and after the ON signal is applied. The third signal generating step includes applying a third detecting signal having a voltage which changes after the ON signal is applied.

Inspecting method, inspecting apparatus, and defect correcting method

An active display device, comprising: a plurality of source buses and a plurality of gate buses; a plurality of pixel electrodes, said pixel electrodes each having associated therewith a switching element for delivering a drive signal to said pixel electrode from at least one of said source buses as a function of a signal provided by at least one of said gate buses; and means other than said switching elements for selectively electrically connecting at least one of said pixel electrodes to a corresponding one of said source buses in the event said at least one pixel electrode is considered to be defective.

Active matrix display device

An active matrix display device which includes a first and a second insulating substrates, a gate bus an adjacent gate bus, and a source bus arranged on the first substrate, a pixel electrode in a segment enclosed by the gate and the source buses, a switching element connected to the pixel electrode, the gate bus and the source bus, wherein the source bus comprises a projection extending toward the pixel electrode so as to be electrically disconnected therefrom, and the adjacent gate bus comprises a projection extending toward the pixel electrode, the source bus being overlaid on the adjacent gate bus projection with an insulating layer sandwiched therebetween, the adjacent gate bus projection being provided with an electroconductive member at the top thereof with an insulating layer sandwiched therebetween, the electroconductive member being electrically connected to the pixel electrode, and electrically disconnected from the source bus projection.

Fault tolerant active matrix display device

An active matrix board comprising pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix fashion on an insulating substrate, and scan lines each having an addition capacity electrode placed in a superposed relation with a portion of a corresponding one of the pixel electrodes, said scan lines each comprising a first scan line formed in an area other than the area in which said addition capacity electrode is held in a superposed relation with said pixel electrode, and a second scan line formed to cover said first scan line and having said addition capacity electrode as its part, whereby the possibility of pixel defect occurrence is reduced and the production yield of display apparatuses is improved.

Active matrix board

An active matrix display apparatus comprising pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix fashion on an insulating substrate, storage capacity electrodes arranged opposite to said pixel electrodes, storage capacity lines connected individually to said storage capacity electrodes, a common main line connected to said storage capacity lines, at least one branch line branched from said common main line, and a branch terminal formed at the leading end of said branch line, whereby a signal delay can be minimized.

Active matrix display apparatus with plural signal input connections to

An active matrix display device comprising: scanning branch lines each branching from the scanning line; and switching elements each formed on an end portion of the scanning branch line, wherein the distance between the scanning line side of the switching element and the scanning line is so provided as to enable the scanning branch line to be cut off by irradiation with light energy. Alternatively, an active matrix display device comprising: a conductive layer disposed under the signal line and the pixel electrode with an insulating film interposed therebetween; and a conductive piece formed between the pixel electrode and the insulating film.

Liquid crystal display element and method for treating defective pixels

A driving circuit which can drive an LCD apparatus without causing the residual image phenomenon is disclosed. The driving circuit has a polarity-inverting circuit for converting input video signals into polarity-alternating signals. The polarity-inverting circuit has input-output characteristics which are at least partially non-linear. The input-output characteristics are linear in the positive region, and non-linear in the negative region, or non-linear in the positive region, and linear in the negative region.

Driving circuit for producing varying signals for a liquid crystal

A matrix-type display device includes a display electrode board that has a plurality of pixel electrodes arranged into a matrix. A set of scan lines extend in parallel in one direction and a set signal lines extend in an orthogonal direction so that these lines are arranged between adjacent pixel electrodes. A spare line intersects at least some of the scan lines and/or said signal lines at each end of said set of lines so as to sandwich an insulating film therebetween, and a lead-out line is connected to one end of the spare line. The lead-out lines are connected to external connecting lines, which are outside of the display electrode board, so that the lead-out lines can be connected to each other through said connecting lines. Line breakdowns can be corrected and the correction of the breakdowns entails little or no increase in load capacity, electrical resistance, and noise with respect to the corrected line.

Matrix-type display device

An active matrix board comprises pixel electrodes (9) that are disposed in a matrix fashion on an insulating substrate (1), scan lines (23) which are disposed in a parallel manner between the individual pixel electrodes (9), addition capacity lines (31), and signal lines (11) which intersect the scan lines (23) and the addition capacity lines (31). Each scan line (23) comprises a lower scan line (2) which is discontinuously disposed and an anodizable upper scan line (3) that covers the lower scan line (2) and is continuously disposed. Similarly, each addition capacity line (31) comprises a lower line (29) which is discontinuously disposed and an anodizable upper line (30) that covers the lower line (29) and is continuously disposed. Should a segment of a lower line (2, 29) be eroded during etching, the discontinuous disposition of other segments of the lower line (2, 29) precludes the other segments from being subject to erosion.

Active matrix board having double-layer scan lines and capacity lines

An active matrix display device which includes a pair of insulated substrates, pixel electrodes arranged in matrix on an inner side of one of the pair of insulated substrates, each pixel electrode being provided with at least a pair of TFTs including gate electrodes and drain electrodes, wherein the gate electrodes are formed in symmetrical shapes with respect to a central plane passing through a center between the pair of TFTs, thereby ensuring that the parasitic capacitance of the TFTs remain constant irrespective of a possible displacement of the drain electrodes and keeping the display device free from flickers due to differentiated parasitic capacitances.

Active matrix display device having drain electrodes of the pair of TFTs

An active matrix device has pixel electrodes (40), each of which is divided into a plurality of divisional pixel electrodes (41, 42). Each divisional pixel electrode (41, 42) has a corresponding switching element (31, 32). A junction bridges adjacent ones of the divisional pixel electrodes (41, 42), and at least one spare switching element (34) is disposed in proximity to the junction. The junction has a pair of metal pieces (44, 45) electrically connected to the respective pixel electrodes (41, 42), an output terminal (74) of the spare switching element (34), and a joint metal layer (46) on which both of the metal pieces (44, 45) and the output terminal (74) of the spare switching element (34) are superposed with an insulating film (54) placed therebetween.

Active matrix display device having spare switching elements connectable

A method for manufacturing an active matrix display apparatus comprising: forming picture element electrodes disposed in a matrix at the inner surface of either one of a pair of substrates, switching elements electrically connected to the picture element electrodes respectively, spare switching elements disposed close to the picture element electrodes in a non-conductive state respectively, and connections, each including an extension end of each of the spare switching elements and a metal piece electrically connected to one end of each of the picture element electrodes, the extension end and metal piece being disposed opposite to each other in a non-conductive state; applying a drive signal to a display medium via the picture element electrodes and opposite electrodes thereby detecting a defect in the switching element; and irradiating energy onto the connection between the picture element electrode connected to the switching element, the defect of which has been detected, and the spare switching element, thereby electrically connecting the picture element electrode with the spare switching element, whereby the apparatus can be provided with a high yield.

Method for the manufacture of active matrix display apparatuses

An active matrix display apparatus comprising a pair of substrates, at least one of which is translucent, a display medium charged between the substrates and modulated of its optical characteristics in response to applied voltage, picture element electrodes disposed in a matrix at the inner surface of either one of the pair of substrates, switching elements electrically connected to the picture element electrodes respectively, and spare switching elements disposed close to the picture element electrodes in a non-conductive state respectively, the extension end of the spare switching element and one end of the picture element electrode are disposed on a metal piece so as to sandwich an insulating layer therebetween, whereby a picture element defect caused by a malfunction of switching elements can be readily corrected.

Active matrix display apparatus with drain electrode extensions

A matrix display apparatus with a layered structure in which driving wires are layered on repair wires to sandwhich an insulating film therebetween, whereby it is possible to carry out complete driving of the display apparatus so that the location of picture element defects can be identified.

Matrix display apparatus with repair wires

A liquid crystal display device utilizing an insulating substrate, a plurality of transparent electrodes disposed on the insulating substrate in a matrix fashion to form a plurality of pixels, and at least two thin film transistors disposed in the vicinity of each of the transparent electrodes on the insulating substrate, each the thin film transistor having a drain electrode, a source electrode and a gate electrode. The drain electrode is connected to the transparent electrode, a gate electrode line for each line or column of the transparent electrodes is disposed on the insulating substrate in the vicinity thereof and each gate electrode of the thin film transistors connected to each of the transparent electrodes of the line or column are connected in common thereto. The source electrode lines for each column or line of the transparent electrodes are disposed on the insulating substrate in the vicinity thereof and at a right angle to the gate electrode line. The number of the source electrode lines are further equal to the number of the thin film transistors connected to one transparent electrode. Each of the source electrodes of the thin film transistors connected to each of the transparent electrodes of the column or line are thereby connected respectively thereto in a manner capable of connection to an exterior circuit.

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Fujiidera, Japan

Kiyoshi Nakazawa