Patent ID: 7760276

Claim:
A method of fabricating a liquid crystal display device, comprising: providing first and second substrates; forming a gate line, a gate electrode connected to the gate line, a common line parallel to the gate line and a common electrode connected to the common line on the first substrate, using a first mask; forming a gate insulating film and a semiconductor layer, forming a pixel hole through the semiconductor layer, and forming a pixel electrode in the pixel hole so that the pixel electrode is overlapping the common electrode and the semiconductor layer completely surrounds the pixel electrode with the gate insulating film there-between, using a second mask; forming a source and drain metal pattern including a data line crossing the gate line, a source electrode connected to the data line and a drain electrode formed on the pixel electrode to be connected to the pixel electrode, and a channel between the source electrode and the drain electrode, using a third mask; forming a protective film on the first substrate; and forming an alignment film on the protective film, wherein the protective film has an opening at a pad area by an etching using the alignment film as a mask, wherein using the first mask includes forming a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer on the first substrate; forming a first photo-resist pattern having a first portion with a first thickness and a second portion having a second thickness; performing a first etching to remove a portion of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer corresponding to the first photo-resist pattern; removing the first portion of the first photo-resist pattern; and performing a second etching to remove a second portion of the second conductive layer corresponding to the second portion of the first photo-resist pattern, wherein using the third mask includes forming a source and drain metal layer; forming a second photo-resist pattern on the source/drain metal layer, the second photo-resist pattern having a first portion with a first thickness and a second portion having a second thickness; forming a source and drain metal pattern corresponding to the second photo-resist pattern; performing a first etching to remove the semiconductor layer exposed by the source and drain metal pattern; removing the first portion of the second photo-resist pattern; and performing a second etching using the second portion of the second photo-resist as a mask.