In this chapter the steps in the basic manufacturing process of AMLCD panels will be described. Panel manufacturing is usually subdivided in TFT array manufacturing, LC assembly, and module assembly. TFT array production shows some similarities with semiconductor manufacturing. Many of the methods, types of equipment, and expertise acquired in the semiconductor industry have therefore been successfully applied to AMLCD array processing. They include yield optimization techniques and clean room and facility operation, and are applied to the color filter plate manufacturing as well. The front end of AMLCD manufacturing is highly automated with expensive equipment and is therefore very capital-intensive. Back-end processing (module assembly and assembly of the final product) is more labor-intensive and has often been moved to low-labor-cost regions in Asia.

3.1 Basic Structure of AMLCDs

In Fig. 3.1 a cutout view of a basic TFT LCD panel is shown. It consists of a TFT array glass plate and a color filter array plate. The two are separated by 4 5 ?m and form the sandwich for the liquid crystal layer. At the periphery of the display viewing area (Fig. 3.2), a glue seal bonds the two glass plates together and also prevents moisture and contamination from entering the LC fluid.

Figure 3.1: Cutout view of a TFT LCD.

Figure 3.2: Cross section of an edge of a TFT LCD.

The row and column drivers are attached to ledges at the edges of the TFT array glass plate to supply the address signals to the LC pixels.