Color filter substrate and display apparatus using the same

Abstract

A color filter substrate includes: an insulating transparent substrate; a color filter layer provided on the insulating transparent substrate, including a plurality of colored layers and constituting an in-screen display region; and an in-screen frame region defined around the in-screen display region. A light-blocking layer is provided in the in-screen frame region to cover the insulating transparent substrate. A first spacer part and a second spacer part are formed in the in-screen frame region and the in-screen display region, respectively, and are oriented substantially perpendicularly to the insulating transparent substrate. The sum of the height of the first spacer part and the thickness of the light-blocking layer is substantially equal to the sum of the height of the second spacer part and the thickness of the color filter layer.

1 . A display apparatus comprising:
 a color filter substrate including a transparent substrate and a color filter layer, the color filter layer being provided on the transparent substrate and made of a plurality of colored layers;   an element substrate being opposed to the color filter substrate and including a transparent substrate and a plurality of switching elements provided on the transparent substrate; and   a display medium layer sandwiched and held between the color filter substrate and the element substrate,   wherein an in-screen display region associated with the color filter layer and an in-screen frame region located around the in-screen display region are defined in each of the color filter substrate and the element substrate,   a light-blocking layer is provided in the in-screen frame region of the element substrate to cover the transparent substrate of the element substrate,   the element substrate has a surface level difference resulting from the presence of the light-blocking layer, between the in-screen frame region and the in-screen display region,   a first spacer part and a second spacer part are formed in the in-screen frame region and the in-screen display region, respectively, of the color filter substrate to define the thickness of the display medium layer, and   a height difference between the first spacer part and the second spacer part is substantially equal to the surface level difference between the in-screen frame region and the in-screen display region.   
   
   
       2 . The display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the surface of the in-screen frame region of the element substrate is at a level higher than that of the in-screen display region of the element substrate, and
 the height of the first spacer part is smaller than that of the second spacer part.   
   
   
       3 . The display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the second spacer part is formed by stacking a material constituting the first spacer part and a material constituting at least one of the colored layers in the color filter layer. 
   
   
       4 . The display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the display medium layer contains liquid crystal molecules, and
 the in-screen display region of the color filter substrate includes a projection made of a material constituting the first and second spacer parts and used for controlling orientation of the liquid crystal molecules.   
   
   
       5 . The display apparatus of  claim 1 , wherein the color filter layer, the light-blocking layer and the first and second spacer parts are formed by dry-film laminating processes in each of which a resin film formed on a film is transferred to the transparent substrate.