JP2000206538A - Manufacture of liquid crystal display element, its manufacturing device and liquid crystal display element - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve display quality by preventing fluctuation of scattering density of spacer particulates and ensuring a uniform cell gap. SOLUTION: Particulates 14 are sprayed and scattered on a substrate 13 while controlling spray time in accordance with quantity of liquid to be scattered 1 so as to control density of particulates on a substrate surface to approach a target value. Or number of particulates 14 scattered on the substrate 13 is counted and the spray time for the subsequent step of the liquid to be scattered is controlled in accordance with the counted value so as to control the density of particulates 14 on the substrate surface to approach the target value.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device in which spacers are sprayed by a semi-dry spraying method, and a liquid crystal display device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, in a liquid crystal display device, a pair of substrates having a sealing material applied to at least one of the outer peripheral edges of the substrate are brought into close contact with each other via a spacer, and bonded together with a sealing material to form a liquid crystal cell. The liquid crystal cell is constructed by injecting and filling liquid crystal. The distance between the pair of substrates of the liquid crystal display element is the thickness of the liquid crystal layer (hereinafter, referred to as “cell thickness”).

[0003] The cell thickness of a liquid crystal display element is an important factor in determining the optical characteristics of the display element, and fine particles having a size of about several μm serving as spacers are interposed between substrates so that the display area has a uniform cell thickness. It is attached to.

In order to attach fine particles serving as spacers between the substrates, for example, a dry electrostatic spraying method in which the fine particles are charged and dispersed and sprayed on the substrate before bonding, or a spraying method which moves on the substrate A moving nozzle spraying method in which fine particles are sprayed by a nozzle and a semi-dry spray spraying method in which fine particles are dispersed in a volatile liquid and sprayed are used. Among them, the semi-dry spraying method can be particularly preferably used.

In performing the semi-dry spray spraying method, first, fine particles are dispersed in a volatile liquid such as alcohol to prepare a spraying liquid. The size of the fine particles to be dispersed in the spray liquid is about several μm, so that the particles are stirred with a stirrer or ultrasonic waves to uniformly disperse the particles.

FIG. 9 shows a spacer spraying apparatus for performing a conventional semi-dry spray spraying method.

The spray liquid 1 is sent from the container 4 by the pump 6 in the direction of the arrow A through the liquid circulation hose 5a, passes through the spray nozzle 8 provided at the upper part of the spray chamber 7, and further flows into the liquid circulation hose 5b. Through the container 4 in the direction of arrow B and return to the container 4 for circulation.

Inside the spray nozzle 8, a needle valve (not shown) is provided in a liquid circulation path, and high-pressure air 24, the pressure of which is controlled by a regulator (not shown), is piped through an electromagnetic valve 10a. When the air is sent in the direction of arrow C through 9a and supplied to the spray nozzle 8, the air pressure opens the needle valve.

When a high-pressure nitrogen gas 25 whose pressure is controlled by a regulator (not shown) is sent in the direction of arrow D through a pipe 9b via an electromagnetic valve 10b, the spray liquid 1 is sprayed by the nitrogen gas. It is configured to be.

The opening and closing of the electromagnetic valves 10a and 10b is controlled by a spray control unit 3, and the opening and closing time is controlled by a timer 2 provided in the spray control unit 3 and an operation panel 12 connected thereto. Is done. And the electromagnetic valve 10
When both a and 10b are opened, the spray liquid 1 is sprayed.

When spraying the spray liquid 1 on the substrate 13 of the spray chamber 7, a predetermined spray time is set on the operation panel 12 in advance. In accordance with the set spraying time, the timer 2 built in the spraying control unit 3 is operated, the electromagnetic valves 10a and 10b are opened, and high-pressure air and nitrogen are supplied to the spray nozzle 8, so that the spraying liquid 1 is sprayed. You.

A substrate 13 is provided below the inside of the spraying chamber 7, and the sprayed spraying liquid 1 slowly descends as indicated by a broken line in the spraying chamber 7, during which the volatile liquid evaporates. The fine particles 14 adhere to the substrate 13.

The substrate 13 on which the fine particles 14 are sprayed is carried out from the spraying chamber 7 as shown by an arrow E, and the number of the fine particles 14 on the substrate 13 is measured by a particle counter 15a.
The particle counter 15a generally employs a method of electrically imaging a part of the substrate surface and measuring the number of fine particles from an image signal.

A sealant is applied in advance to the surface of the substrate 13 on which the fine particles 14 are dispersed.
The liquid crystal cell is formed by bonding the other side of the substrate with the surface subjected to the spraying of No. 3 to another substrate to form a cell gap, and by heating or irradiating ultraviolet rays to cure the sealant.

Finally, liquid crystal is injected and filled into the liquid crystal cell to complete the liquid crystal display device.

The liquid crystal display device configured as described above has
This is a display element utilizing the electro-optical characteristics of liquid crystal, and the cell thickness is one of the important factors that determine the display characteristics.

Fine particles 14 serving as spacers are scattered to make the cell thickness a predetermined value. When the density of the fine particles 14 in the liquid crystal cell changes, the cell thickness changes accordingly.
Therefore, during mass production of the liquid crystal display element, the density of the fine particles 14 on
It is called "spray density". ) Is desired to be sprayed so as to be uniform and stable.

[0018]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional spraying apparatus, there is a problem that the spraying density decreases as the number of times of spraying increases and a stable cell thickness cannot be obtained for the following reasons. That is, in the above conventional spraying device,
Before spraying, a large amount of the spraying liquid 1 is set in the container 4 and spraying is performed on the substrate 13 sequentially sent. Therefore, as the number of processed substrates 13 increases with time, the amount of the spray liquid 1 that has entered the container 4 decreases.

When the amount of the spraying liquid 1 decreases, the liquid level of the spraying liquid 1 decreases, so that the liquid pressure applied to the spraying liquid 1 in the liquid circulation hoses 5a and 5b and the spray nozzle 8 decreases.

When the high-pressure nitrogen gas 25 is sprayed from the tip of the spray nozzle 8, the inside of the tip of the spray nozzle 8 becomes negative pressure. This is performed by being sucked to the tip and injected together with the high-pressure nitrogen gas 25.

However, when the liquid pressure decreases as the spray liquid 1 decreases as described above, the amount of the spray liquid 1 coming out of the spray nozzle 8 decreases, and the fine particles 14 sprayed on the surface of the substrate 13 are sprayed. The density will decrease.

In the above-mentioned conventional spraying apparatus, since there is no method for compensating for a decrease in the spraying density, if the spraying density is out of the target range, the operator can change the spraying time during the production. And had to respond.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device by a semi-dry spraying method, wherein a decrease in the scattering density of spacer fine particles provided on a substrate is prevented, a uniform cell thickness is provided, and a display quality is improved. A method and apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element capable of obtaining a good liquid crystal display element,
And a liquid crystal display device.

[0024]

According to a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display element of the present invention, fine particles serving as spacers are dispersed in a liquid, and at least one of the amount and weight of a spray liquid contained in a container is detected. And a spraying time, a spraying pressure, and a pressure based on at least one of the detected liquid amount and the weight.
Determining the value of the opening of the needle valve inside the spray nozzle, or the distance between the spray nozzle and the substrate, and the spray time, spray pressure, the opening of the needle valve inside the spray nozzle, or Controlling the distance between the spray nozzle and the substrate to spray and spray the spray liquid onto the substrate, wherein the control is performed such that the density of the fine particles on the substrate surface approaches a predetermined target value.

With such a configuration, it is possible to control each element that tends to cause variations in the process, suppress variations in the distribution density, prevent variations in the cell gap, and obtain a liquid crystal display device with good display quality.

The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element of the present invention comprises:
A step of spraying the spray liquid stored in the container by dispersing the fine particles serving as spacers into a liquid and spraying the spray liquid on the substrate, a step of detecting the amount of the spray liquid, and controlling the spray time in accordance with the detected liquid amount. And controlling the density of fine particles on the substrate surface to approach a predetermined target value.

According to this configuration, by controlling the spraying time in accordance with the amount of the spray liquid, a decrease in the spray density is suppressed, a decrease in the cell gap is prevented, and a liquid crystal display device with good display quality can be obtained. .

Further, the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element of the present invention comprises:
A step of spray-spraying a dispersion liquid in which fine particles serving as spacers are dispersed in a liquid, a step of counting the number of fine particles sprayed on the substrate, and a processing step in a post-process corresponding to the counted value. And controlling the spray time of the spray liquid to make the density of the fine particles on the substrate surface close to a predetermined target value.

According to this configuration, the number of fine particles sprayed on the substrate is directly counted, and the next spraying time is controlled based on the counted value, so that a decrease in the spray density due to a decrease in the spray liquid amount is suppressed. In addition, a decrease in the cell gap can be prevented, and a liquid crystal display element with good display quality can be obtained.

Further, the apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element of the present invention comprises:
A container for storing the spray liquid, a spray device having a spray function for spraying the spray liquid stored in the container onto the substrate, a liquid amount detecting means for detecting the liquid amount of the spray liquid, and a liquid amount detected by the liquid amount detecting means And spray time control means for controlling the spray time so that the density of the fine particles on the substrate surface approaches a predetermined target value.

According to this configuration, it is possible to easily stabilize the spray density when spraying.

Further, the apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element of the present invention
A container for storing the spray liquid, a spray device having a spraying function for spraying the spray liquid stored in the container onto the substrate, a means for measuring the number of fine particles sprayed on the substrate, and corresponding to the measured number of fine particles And spray time control means for controlling the spray time so that the density of the fine particles on the substrate surface approaches a predetermined target value.

According to this configuration, the spray density can be easily stabilized when spraying is performed.

A liquid crystal display device according to the present invention is characterized by being manufactured by the above-described method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device.

According to this configuration, a liquid crystal display device with good display quality without fluctuation of the cell gap can be obtained.

[0036]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

It is to be noted that components having the same functions as those in FIG. 9 showing the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals.

Embodiment 1 A method and an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention are shown in FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. 5B.

FIG. 1 shows a configuration diagram of the spraying apparatus according to the first embodiment, FIG. 2 shows a main part of the spraying apparatus used in the embodiment 1 which is a specific example thereof, and FIGS. It shows the measurement results.

In the first embodiment, in order to stabilize the spraying density compared to the conventional spraying device, a liquid amount detecting device for detecting the liquid amount of the spray liquid and a liquid amount detected by the liquid amount detecting device are used. A new spray time control device for controlling the spray time so that the spray density approaches the target value in correspondence with the above is new, and the other basic configuration is substantially the same as that of FIG. is there.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the container 4 containing the spray liquid 1 is provided with a liquid amount detecting device 16 for detecting the amount of the spray liquid 1 that changes with spraying. . Further, in FIG.
Spray control unit 3 which has a built-in
Instead of this, in the first embodiment, a control device 11 having a built-in spray time control unit 17 connected to a liquid amount detection device 16 is provided.

In the spraying apparatus configured as described above, when the amount of liquid in the container 4 decreases as the number of spraying increases, the amount of the spraying liquid 1 in the container 4 is calculated by the liquid amount detecting device 16, This liquid amount information is transmitted as a signal to the spray time control unit 17 constituting the control device 11.

The spray time control unit 17 having obtained the liquid amount information calculates the spray time for next spraying from the information, and changes the setting of the timer so as to obtain the same spray density as the previous spraying. , And controls the electromagnetic valves 10a and 10b.

With such a configuration, even if the number of times of spraying increases, the density of spraying on the substrate 13 is always constant.
A cell gap with little variation can be stably obtained, and a liquid crystal display element with good display quality can be obtained.

(Embodiment 2) FIG. 6 shows a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

In the first embodiment, the liquid amount detecting device 16 and the spraying time are used in order to keep the spray density constant in the subsequent process in which the liquid level is below the predetermined liquid amount detecting position and in the preceding process in which the liquid surface is above. Although the control unit 17 is provided, the second embodiment is different from the second embodiment in that a device for measuring the application density instead of the liquid amount detection device 16 has a special configuration.

That is, in the first embodiment, the same device as the conventional one is used as the particle counter 15a for connecting the liquid amount detection device 16 and the spray time control unit 17 and measuring the spray density. In No. 2, the liquid counter 16 is not provided, the configuration of the particle counter 15b is specially configured, and the particle counter 15b is connected to the spray time control unit 17,
The difference is that the spray time is controlled by the spray time control unit 17 so that the spray density approaches the target value in accordance with the number of the fine particles 14 measured by the particle counter 15b.

More specifically, when the substrate 13 after the spray liquid 1 has been sprayed is carried into the particle counter 15b, the particle counter 15b measures the number of fine particles on the substrate 13 and controls the spray density information to control the spray time. Transmit to the unit 17.

The spray time control unit 17 that has obtained the spray density information
Resets the spraying time for the next spraying to the timer based on the information, and controls the electromagnetic valves 10a and 10b.

Therefore, the spray density in the pre-process and the post-process can be kept stable, and a liquid crystal display device having a uniform cell gap can be obtained.

[0051]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

(Example 1) In the spraying apparatus according to the first embodiment, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG.
A light source 18 and a photoelectric sensor 19 were used as the liquid amount detection device 16. A timer A 17a and a timer B 17b were used as the spray time control unit 17 constituting the control device 11.

Then, a transparent glass container was used as the container 4 for holding the spray liquid 1, and was previously set so that the light emitted from the light source 18 passed through the container 4 and reached the photoelectric sensor 19.

The spray liquid 1 is, for example, an aqueous solution in which isopropyl alcohol and pure water are mixed at a ratio of 50:50, and fine particles having a diameter of 5 μm serving as spacers are mixed and dispersed at a concentration of 1 g per 100 ml. Was used.

Such a spray liquid 1 is difficult to transmit light because the fine particles 14 are mixed, and the spray liquid 1 does not exist in the optical path between the light source 18 and the photoelectric sensor 19 when the spray liquid 1 exists or not. The amount of light received by the photoelectric sensor 19 changes greatly.

Therefore, in the first embodiment, a pair of light sources 1
8 and the photoelectric sensor 19 are used to determine whether the liquid level of the spray liquid 1 in the container 4 is above or below a predetermined liquid amount detection position.
9 to the spray time control unit 17 provided in the control device 11.

The spraying time control unit 17 includes a timer A 17a
And a timer B17b. The spraying time when the liquid level of the spray liquid 1 is above a predetermined liquid amount detection position is set in the timer A17a, and the liquid level of the spray liquid 1 is set to a predetermined value. Is set to the timer B17b when the spraying time is below the liquid amount detection position.

Therefore, at the start of spraying on the substrate 13, the liquid level of the spray liquid 1 is above the predetermined liquid amount detection position, and after the start of spraying, the liquid level is within the predetermined liquid amount detection position where the photoelectric sensor 19 is installed. The spraying is performed for the time set by the timer A17a, the consumption of the spraying liquid 1 gradually progresses, and the spraying is performed from the predetermined liquid amount detection position for the time set by the timer B17b.

Using the device configured as described above, the spraying time of the timer A 17a was set to 5.0 seconds, and the timer B1 was used.
The spraying time of 7b was set to 5.5 seconds, and spraying was performed, and the relationship between the number of times of spraying and the relative value of the spraying density was measured.

The liquid amount detection position, that is, the photoelectric sensor 1
The position of 9 was a position of half the capacity of the container 4. Also,
The relative value of the application density is 100% of the target application density.
The spray density is obtained by measuring 18 places on the substrate with a particle counter and calculating the average value.

FIG. 3A shows the measurement results obtained.

Comparative Example 1 FIG. 3B shows the result of measurement using the spraying apparatus shown in FIG. 9 showing the above-mentioned conventional example, for comparison with the above-mentioned Example 1. The spray time at this time is 5.0
Fixed in seconds.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the spray density tends to decrease slightly as the number of sprays increases, but the spray density increases after the spraying time is switched, and the number of fine particles decreases. The passing has been eliminated.

As shown in FIG. 3B, in the conventional spraying apparatus, the spraying density decreases as the number of spraying increases.

As described above, by controlling the spraying time in accordance with the height of the liquid level of the spray liquid, that is, the liquid amount, it is possible to prevent a decrease in the number of fine particles sprayed on the substrate due to a decrease in the spray liquid amount. As a result, a liquid crystal display device having a stable and uniform cell thickness and good display quality can be obtained.

In this embodiment, an example in which a pair of light sources 18 and photoelectric sensors 19 are used has been described. By determining the spraying time according to the range of the plurality of predetermined liquid level heights, the spray density can be controlled with higher accuracy. (Embodiment 2) FIG. 4 shows Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

In the second embodiment, a laser scanning type sensor, that is, a laser scanning type light source 20 and a photoelectric sensor 21 are used as the liquid amount detecting device 16, and a writable timer 17 c is used as a spray time control unit 17 constituting the control device 11. It differs from the first embodiment in that the photoelectric sensor 21 and the numerical conversion unit 17d are connected via the sensor control unit 22 using the numerical conversion unit 17d, and the other basic configuration is almost the same as that of the first embodiment. The same is true.

The laser scanning type light source 20 and the photoelectric sensor 21 as the liquid amount detecting device 16 are arranged so that the spot light emitted from the laser scanning type light source 20 is directed to an arrow F indicating the inside of the measurement range.
When the laser beam is scanned temporally as indicated by an arrow G, the laser light is received by the photoelectric sensor 21 and the liquid level position is digitized by the sensor control unit 22. The liquid amount of the spray liquid is calculated from the liquid level position of the spray liquid.

When such a liquid amount detecting device 16 is used,
Even a slight change in the liquid level due to one spraying can be constantly sensed by the laser scanning sensors 20 and 21 and the amount of the sprayed liquid can be sent to the spray time control unit 17 as numerical information. Therefore, the laser scanning sensor 20 that scans a predetermined range,
With the use of 21, the amount of the spray liquid 1 contained in the container 4 can be measured more accurately than in the first embodiment.

The liquid surface position measured by the laser scanning sensors 20 and 21 for scanning the predetermined range is digitized by the sensor control unit 22 and transmitted to the spray time control unit 17. The spraying time control device 17 is configured to perform multi-stage control according to the transmitted signal.

More specifically, the spray time control unit 17 has been set in advance using the numerical value conversion unit 17d in accordance with the information on the liquid surface position transmitted from the sensor control unit 22, ie, the information on the amount of the spray liquid. The spray time is set in the writable timer 17c.

The relationship between the spray time and the amount of the spray liquid is as follows.
For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, the numerical information of the liquid amount is set so as to correspond to the multi-stage spraying time.

In the second embodiment, the spray liquid amount is 300 m
Up to 1 was divided into seven stages, and the spraying time was set at each stage as shown in the figure. For example, spraying is started at a spray time of 5.0 seconds with a liquid amount of 300 ml at first, and the number of times of spraying is soon advanced. When the liquid amount reaches 240 ml, the spray time is switched to 5.4 seconds.

As described above, the relationship between the number of applications and the application density was examined by controlling the amount of the application solution and the application time in multiple stages.

FIG. 5B shows the obtained measurement results.

As shown in FIG. 5B, even if the number of times of spraying increases, there is almost no decrease in the spraying density, and the spraying density is smaller than the measurement results of FIG. 3A showing Example 1 and FIG. 3B showing Comparative Example 1. It can be seen that the density is stabilized.

As described above, by performing the multi-step time control, more precise control becomes possible, and a liquid crystal display element having a stable and uniform cell gap and a high display quality can be obtained.

In order to perform more precise control, the number of spray time steps may be increased, and as another method,
The information of the liquid surface position may be sent to the spray time control unit 17 as an analog electric signal, and the spray time control unit 17 may employ a method of relating the liquid surface position information to the spray time in a continuous amount.

In this embodiment, the method for detecting the amount or level of the spray liquid has been described in detail. However, even if the apparatus for measuring the weight of the spray liquid is provided and the density of the sprayed fine particles is controlled by changing the spray time of the spray liquid based on the weight or both of the weight and the liquid amount, It goes without saying that it is good. The apparatus for measuring the weight of the spray liquid (not shown) may be placed below the container 4 for the spray liquid (Example 3) A specific example of the second embodiment will be described below.

FIG. 7 shows a main part of a spraying apparatus according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

The particle counter 15b has a CCD camera provided with a ring illumination as an optical system 23b so that fine particles in the image pickup area are not shadowed, and a computer for counting the number of particles from an image picked up by the camera. It is composed of a measuring device 23a.

The substrate 13 that has been sprayed with the fine particles 14 in the spray chamber 7 is received by a stage (not shown) and is carried into the inside of the particle counter 15b.

When the particle counter 15b starts measurement, the stage moves to a position specified in advance by a measurement program, and images a plurality of locations on the substrate 13 with a CCD camera. The number of fine particles in the captured image is measured by the image processing / measuring device 23a, and the image is stored in the storage device together with information such as measurement conditions as scatter density data.

By comparing the number of fine particles 14 thus measured with the target number of fine particles 14, information for controlling the spray time can be obtained.

Based on this information, the spraying time control section 17 changes the spraying time for the next spraying, and operates so as to compensate for an excess or deficiency in the number of fine particles 14.

Generally, the particle counter 15b has a general-purpose computer as the image processing / measuring device 23a and also as a machine control and data processing device.
Can be simplified.

In the third embodiment, the difference between the target spray density and the actually measured spray density is defined as Δn, and the spray density and the spray time set in advance for the Δn by the computer of the image processing / measuring device 23a. The spray time is determined from the table showing the relationship with the above, and this spray time is sent to the spray time control unit 17.

The spray time control unit 17 may have a writable timer 17c, and may be configured to simply set a numerical value given from a computer to the opening time of the electromagnetic valve.

FIG. 8 shows the difference between the target value and the actually measured value of the spray density.
An example of the relationship between n and the spraying time is shown.

In this case, the spraying time is set in 14 steps at intervals of 5 pieces / mm ² within the range of ± 35 pieces / mm ² .

When the spraying is performed in this manner, a stable spraying density can be realized with respect to the number of times of spraying, similarly to FIG. 5B which is the measurement result in the second embodiment.

Further, in the spraying apparatus configured as described above, since a complicated arithmetic processing can be performed by a computer, it is possible to associate Δn and the spraying time with an arbitrary correspondence table or a calculation formula. is there.

In the third embodiment, the computer is used for the particle counter 15b. However, the present invention is not limited to this. Instead of the computer, the spray time control unit 17 uses a calculation function for determining the spray time. And a function to input and output conditions and data.
Alternatively, only the data of the application density may be output from b.

As described above, by controlling the number of the fine particles 14 actually sprayed on the substrate 13 in accordance with the spraying time, not only the number of the fine particles 14 is reduced but also the spray pressure fluctuation (in this case, The control can be performed in response to an increase in the number of fine particles 14 due to other problems such as pressure rise. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a liquid crystal display device having a stable and uniform cell gap and a good display quality.

The embodiment of the present invention has described in detail an example in which the spray time is determined based on the detected liquid amount or the count value of the scattered fine particles. However, when the spray pressure changes, the spray density also changes. In order to stabilize the spray density with respect to the fluctuation of the spray pressure, a device for measuring the spray pressure for spraying the fine particles is provided, and the spray time is determined based on the detected liquid volume and the measured value of the spray pressure. It is possible to realize a fine particle density with little variation. The spray pressure measuring device is, for example, between the spray nozzle 8 and the electromagnetic valve 10b (not shown).
It is provided in.

Further, based on the amount of the spray liquid, the weight of the spray liquid, the counted value of the fine particles sprayed, or a combination thereof, not only the spray time is changed, but also the spray pressure is controlled and the spray nozzle is controlled. By controlling the opening of the internal needle valve, controlling the distance between the spray nozzle and the substrate, or controlling them in combination, etc., the density of the sprayed fine particles can be more accurately adjusted to a predetermined target value. Needless to say, it can be controlled to be closer.

[0097]

As described above, according to the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device of the present invention, when a spray liquid in which fine particles are uniformly dispersed is spray-sprayed on a substrate by a semi-dry spray method,
By spraying and spraying on the substrate while controlling the spraying time in accordance with the amount of the spraying liquid, and controlling the density of the fine particles on the substrate surface to approach the target value, the reduction of the spraying density is suppressed and the cell gap is reduced. A liquid crystal display element with good display quality can be obtained by preventing deterioration.

Alternatively, the fine particles are sprayed and sprayed on the substrate while controlling the spraying time in the subsequent process in accordance with the number of fine particles sprayed on the substrate, so that the density of the fine particles on the substrate surface approaches the target value. Even in this case, the same effect as above can be obtained.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial side view of a configuration of a manufacturing apparatus of a liquid crystal display element in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

3A is a diagram showing a change in relative spray density with respect to the number of sprays in Example 1. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing a change in relative spray density with respect to the number of sprays in Comparative Example 1.

FIG. 4 is a partial side view of a configuration of a liquid crystal display element manufacturing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5A is a diagram illustrating a relationship between a spray liquid amount and a spray time according to a second embodiment. FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating a relationship between the number of sprays and a spray time according to the second embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a side view of an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a partial side view of a configuration of an apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between the difference between the target value and the actually measured value of the spray density and the spray time according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram of a conventional liquid crystal display element spacer dispersing apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 spraying liquid 4 container 7 spraying chamber 8 spray nozzle 11 control device 13 substrate 14 fine particles 15a, 15b particle counter 16 liquid amount detecting device 17 spraying time control unit 17a timer A 17b timer B 17c writable timer 17d numerical value conversion unit 18 light source 19 Photoelectric sensor 20 Laser scanning light source 21 Photoelectric sensor 22 Sensor control unit 23a Image processing measurement unit 23b Optical system

Claims (16)

[Claims] A step of detecting at least one of a liquid amount and a weight of a spray liquid contained in a container by dispersing fine particles serving as spacers in a liquid; and detecting a difference between the detected liquid amount and the weight. Spraying time based on at least one of:
Determining the value of the spray pressure, the opening of the needle valve inside the spray nozzle, or the distance between the spray nozzle and the substrate; spray time, spray pressure based on the determined value;
Spraying and spraying the spray liquid on the substrate by controlling the opening degree of a needle valve inside the spray nozzle or the distance between the spray nozzle and the substrate, and setting the density of the fine particles on the substrate surface to a predetermined target. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element that controls so as to approach a value. 2. A step of detecting a liquid amount of a spray liquid contained in a container by dispersing fine particles serving as spacers in a liquid, and a step of determining a spraying time based on the detected liquid amount;
Spraying the spray liquid onto the substrate for the determined spray time, and controlling the density of the fine particles on the substrate surface to approach a predetermined target value. 3. The method according to claim 2, further comprising a step of measuring a spray pressure at which the fine particles are sprayed, wherein the spray time is determined based on the detected liquid amount and a measured value of the spray pressure.
The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display element described in. 4. A step of dispersing fine particles serving as spacers in a liquid and spraying a spray liquid contained in a container onto a substrate;
The step of detecting the liquid amount of the spray liquid and spraying while controlling the spray time in accordance with the detected liquid amount,
Controlling the density of the fine particles on the substrate surface to approach a predetermined target value. 5. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element according to claim 4, wherein the detection of the amount of the spray liquid is performed by detecting the level of the liquid level of the spray liquid contained in the container. 6. A plurality of liquid levels at which the spray liquid is detected, and each of the sprays is sprayed according to a range of a plurality of predetermined liquid levels. 5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the time is determined. 7. A step of counting the number of fine particles on a substrate on which a spray liquid in which fine particles serving as spacers are dispersed in a liquid is sprayed, and a spray time is determined based on the counted value of the fine particles. And manufacturing a liquid crystal display element that controls the density of the fine particles on the substrate surface to approach a predetermined target value, comprising the steps of: spraying the spray liquid onto the substrate for the determined spray time. Method. 8. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 7, wherein the spraying time is determined based on the count value of the fine particles using a correspondence table or a calculation formula that associates the count value of the fine particles with the spray time. Manufacturing method. 9. The method according to claim 7, further comprising a step of measuring a spray pressure at which the fine particles are sprayed, wherein the spray time is determined based on the counted value of the fine particles and the measured value of the spray pressure.
The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display element described in. 10. A step of spraying and spraying a spray liquid obtained by dispersing fine particles serving as spacers in a liquid onto a substrate, a step of counting the number of the fine particles sprayed on the substrate, and a step corresponding to the counted value. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element, comprising: controlling a spraying time of a spray liquid to a substrate to be processed in a subsequent step to control the density of the fine particles on the substrate surface to approach a predetermined target value. 11. A container for storing a spray liquid, a spray device having a spray function for spraying the spray liquid stored in the container onto a substrate, a liquid amount detecting means for detecting a liquid amount of the spray liquid,
An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, comprising: spray time control means for controlling a spray time so that the density of fine particles on the substrate surface approaches a predetermined target value in accordance with the liquid amount detected by the liquid amount detection means. 12. The apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element according to claim 11, wherein said liquid amount detecting means comprises liquid level detecting means for detecting a liquid level position of said spray liquid. 13. The apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 11, further comprising a device for measuring a spray pressure for spraying the fine particles. 14. A container for storing a spray liquid, a spray device having a spraying function for spraying the spray liquid stored in the container to a substrate, means for measuring the number of fine particles sprayed on the substrate, and measurement. An apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element, comprising: a spray time control means for controlling a spray time such that a density of the fine particles on the substrate surface approaches a predetermined target value in accordance with the number of the fine particles. 15. The apparatus for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 12, further comprising a device for measuring a spray pressure for spraying the fine particles. 16. A liquid crystal display device manufactured by the method according to claim 1, 4, 7, or 10.