Active line repair for thin-film-transistor liquid crystal displays

A new method for repairing line defects during panel fabrication is described for high-resolution thin-film-transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT/LCDs). This approach uses electronic means in conjunction with physical rewiring to supply the appropriate data signal to the undriven segment of an open data line. Active line repair is simple and inexpensive, with the capacity for repairing numerous line defects. We have successfully implemented this repair approach on 10.4-in.-diagonal, 157-dpi prototype TFT/LCDs. This method is particularly suited for lower-volume, large-area, high-resolution TFT/LCDs, which are difficult to produce with high yield.