JP2000356778A - Liquid crystal display device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make selectively dispersedly arrangeable spacers on a substrate and to obtain a liquid crystal display device high in contrast and uniform in cell gap by coating the surface of the spacer with a thermoplastic resin and fixing the spacer with the thermoplastic resin to the substrate. SOLUTION: The spacer 1 prepared by coating the surface of resin beads with a thermoplastic acrylic resin 32 is dispersed in a mixture liquid of water and isopropyl alcohol to prepare a spacer spraying liquid. Then, the spacer spraying liquid is sprayed on the segment side electrode substrate 25 subjected to aligning treatment so as to disperse and arrange the spacer all over the segment side electrode substrate 25. Then the substrate is irradiated with IR rays through a photomask for the segment side electrode substrate to adhere and fix the spacer 1 only in the region except for the segment electrode 3. Then, the segment side electrode substrate 25 with the spacer adhered and fixed is immersed in water and subjected to ultrasonic cleaning to remove the spacer not adhered or fixed. Thus, the spacer 1 is dispersed and arranged only in the region except for the segment electrode 3.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device used for a direct-view display device such as a transmission type or a reflection type, a projection type display device, and various information processing devices. The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device in which spacers for controlling the distance between two substrates with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween are selectively dispersed on the substrates.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A liquid crystal display device is constructed by arranging a pair of substrate members, at least one of which has translucency, at predetermined intervals, and injecting liquid crystal between the pair of substrate members. In order to maintain the above-mentioned predetermined interval, for example, after the spacers are sprayed on the liquid crystal layer side surface of the substrate member,
The pair of substrate members are bonded. For this reason, the distance between the substrate members is kept substantially equal to the size of the spacer. Conventionally, the spacer has been sprayed on almost the entire area of the surface of the substrate member on the liquid crystal layer side.

In such a liquid crystal display device, when the spacer is moved due to vibration, temperature change, or the like at the time of liquid crystal injection or panel formation, color unevenness (cell gap unevenness) occurs, or when the spacer moves, the alignment film is formed. , Causing display unevenness.

[0004] In order to solve such a problem, there has been proposed a method of bonding and fixing a spacer on an electrode substrate. As a specific method of bonding and fixing the spacer on the electrode substrate, a method of fixing in an alignment film, a method of fixing in an insulating film, a method of fixing using a thermoplastic resin, and a thermosetting resin are used. Among them, a method of fixing by heating has been proposed. Among them, a thermoplastic resin is coated on a spacer, and the spacer is dispersed and dispersed.
A method of bonding and fixing by heating using an R furnace or the like is generally used.

On the other hand, when spraying spacers on a substrate,
When the spacer actually exists on a region (pixel) involved in display, the spacer exhibits optical anisotropy different from that of liquid crystal, so that light leaks from the spacer to lower contrast. There was a problem.

In order to solve such a problem, a method has been proposed in which spacers are arranged only in regions other than pixels. As a specific method of disposing the spacer only in a region other than the pixel, a method using a thermoplastic resin as described in JP-A-2-308224 and a method as described in JP-A-4-3211013 are described. There have already been proposed a method of utilizing such a potential, a method of arranging in a black mask as described in JP-A-6-43468, and the like.

[0007]

The above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-9 / 1994
The method disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 5127 is a method in which a spacer having at least a surface coated with a thermoplastic resin is adhered and fixed to the entire surface of the electrode substrate. In this method, a spacer from a spacer existing on a pixel region is used. There is a problem that light leakage occurs and the contrast is reduced.

In the method using a thermoplastic resin disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-308224, a thermoplastic resin film is formed on an electrode substrate before an alignment film is applied, and patterning is performed. After that, the spacers are dispersed and dispersed and heated so that the spacers are adhered and fixed only to regions other than the pixels.

For this reason, when the alignment film is applied by the offset printing method or the flexographic printing method, the spacer may be peeled off from the electrode substrate when the relief plate is pressed onto the electrode substrate. Will adhere to the letterpress.

In addition, when the alignment film is applied on the next electrode substrate, the spacer attached to the relief is transferred. Since the transferred spacer is not fixed on the electrode substrate by adhesion, it is peeled off in the subsequent rubbing step, washing step, etc., especially when the spacer is transferred on the pixel area, the area where the transferred spacer is peeled off. Means that no alignment film is formed.

In other words, when a pinhole is present on the alignment film and the liquid crystal display device is completed, it becomes impossible to align the liquid crystal at the pinhole portion on the alignment film, resulting in poor display and non-defective products. Has a problem such as a decrease in

In the rubbing step, the rubbing cloth comes into contact with the spacer adhered and fixed on the electrode substrate, so that the hair of the rubbing cloth at the portion in contact with the spacer is disturbed. Since the alignment film rubbed at the portion where the nap of the rubbing cloth is disordered has a variation in the tilt angle,
When completed as a liquid crystal display device, display defects occur.

Further, the spacers adhered and fixed to areas other than the pixels may be peeled off during rubbing. If rubbing is continued in this state, the alignment film is scratched 10 as shown in FIG. Therefore, there is also a problem that the yield rate is reduced.

In the method using a potential as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 4-321103, the spacer is charged to the non-electrode portion by charging the spacer and charging the non-electrode portion to a polarity opposite to that of the spacer. It is a method to make it.

[0015] However, since the spacers sprayed in the sealed device sink and adhere to the electrode substrate,
If the potential difference between the spacer and the non-electrode portion is small, the spacer also adheres to the pixel electrode as shown in FIG. 12, and when the liquid crystal display device is completed, light is emitted from the spacer existing on the pixel electrode. There is a problem that leakage occurs and the contrast is reduced.

On the other hand, if the potential difference between the spacer and the non-electrode portion is large, when the liquid crystal display device is completed, display defects due to the charged spacers and the non-electrode portion occur, and the non-defective rate is reduced. There is also the problem of lowering. Further, in an active type liquid crystal display device, the active element may be broken.

Further, since the spacer is not adhered and fixed, the spacer moves due to vibration, temperature change, etc. at the time of injecting liquid crystal or after forming into a panel, causing color unevenness (uneven cell gap) or moving the spacer. In addition, there is a problem that the alignment film is scratched and display unevenness occurs.

In the method disclosed in JP-A-6-43468, in which the spacers are fixed on a black mask, the dispersibility of the spacers in the resin material of the black mask is poor. When the device is completed, as shown in FIG. 13, the dispersibility of the spacers is poor, so that there is a problem that cell gap unevenness occurs, resulting in a display failure and a reduction in non-defective products.

Furthermore, if the spacers are mixed and left in the black mask material resin, the spacers are aggregated, the dispersibility is further deteriorated, and when the liquid crystal display device is completed, cell gap unevenness occurs. As a result, the display becomes defective and the non-defective product rate is reduced. In ordinary wet spraying, spraying is performed while stirring a spray liquid mixed with spacers in order to prevent aggregation of the spacers. However, it is difficult to form a black mask while stirring the black mask material resin.

In addition, agglomeration of the spacers occurs before the black mask material resin is applied and cured on the electrode substrate. In other words, when the spacer is mixed in the black mask material resin, if the viscosity of the black mask material resin is low, the dispersibility of the spacer immediately after mixing is good, but the spacer is not applied until it is applied onto the electrode substrate and cured. If the viscosity of the black mask material resin is high, on the other hand, the aggregation of the spacers is unlikely to occur between the application on the electrode substrate and the curing, but the dispersibility of the spacers immediately after mixing is poor. There is a problem that it becomes.

Further, since the alignment film is formed after fixing the spacer, when the alignment film is applied by an offset printing method or a flexographic printing method, the spacer is peeled off from the electrode substrate when the relief is pressed against the electrode substrate. In some cases, the peeled spacers adhere to the relief printing plate, and have the same problem as the above-mentioned method using a thermoplastic resin disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-308224.

Further, in the rubbing step, since the rubbing cloth comes into contact with the spacer adhered and fixed to the electrode substrate, the bristle of the rubbing cloth in the portion in contact with the spacer is disturbed. It has the same problem as the method disclosed in the gazette.

The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to form an alignment film on a patterned electrode substrate, and to perform at least the surface treatment after the alignment treatment. A spacer coated with a thermoplastic resin is dispersed and arranged on the electrode substrate subjected to the orientation treatment,
The spacer is selectively irradiated and irradiated with infrared light to be adhered and fixed,
An object of the present invention is to obtain a liquid crystal display device having a high contrast and a uniform cell gap by removing a spacer that is not bonded and fixed.

[0024]

According to the liquid crystal display device of the present invention, a spacer for controlling the distance between two substrates opposed to each other with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween is selectively provided in a region other than the pixels on the substrate. In the liquid crystal display device arranged in a dispersed manner, the surface of the spacer is coated with a thermoplastic resin, and is fixed on the substrate by the thermoplastic resin, whereby the object is achieved. .

It is preferable that the thermoplastic resin is in the shape of a skirt and the spacer is fixed on the substrate.

According to the present invention, an alignment film is formed on a patterned electrode substrate, and after the alignment treatment, a spacer having at least a surface coated with a thermoplastic resin is placed on the electrode substrate that has been subjected to the alignment treatment. The liquid crystal display device is configured by dispersing and disposing the spacers, selectively irradiating the spacers with infrared light, and selectively bonding and fixing the spacers, and removing the spacers not bonded and fixed.

Therefore, since the spacers are bonded and fixed after steps (such as an alignment film printing step and a rubbing step) that may peel off the bonded and fixed spacers, the spacers may come off from the electrode substrate. Without
Pinholes of the alignment film generated by the spacer peeling off from the electrode substrate, scratches of the alignment film and the like are eliminated,
Display defects caused by these are eliminated.

Further, since the spacers can be dispersed and dispersed, the dispersibility of the spacers is good, the aggregation of the spacers is eliminated, and the display defect caused by these is eliminated. As a method of dispersing and dispersing, spacers having at least a surface coated with a thermoplastic resin are used, so that dry dispersal tends to cause agglomeration of the spacers. Is also preferred.

Further, since there is no need to charge the spacer, there is no occurrence of display failure or destruction of the active element due to this.

Next, since the spacer is bonded and fixed on the electrode substrate, the spacer moves due to vibration, temperature change, etc. at the time of injecting the liquid crystal or after forming the panel, thereby causing color unevenness (cell gap unevenness). In addition, when the spacer moves, the alignment film is not damaged, and display unevenness does not occur.

Next, since the infrared light is radiated only to the area where the spacer is to be bonded and fixed, the spacer can be securely fixed only to the area where the spacer is to be bonded and fixed. For example, when the spacer is bonded and fixed to a region other than the pixel region, it is possible to irradiate the infrared light via drawing with an infrared laser or a photomask or the like, and to surely only apply to the region. The spacer can be adhesively fixed. As a result, the spacer does not exist on the pixel region, so that it is possible to prevent a decrease in contrast or the like due to light leakage from the spacer.

Next, a comparison between the process of bonding and fixing a spacer having at least a surface coated with a thermoplastic resin on the entire surface of the electrode substrate and the process of the present invention shows that the spacer is bonded and fixed on the entire surface of the electrode substrate. In this case, a spacer having at least a surface coated with a thermoplastic resin is dispersed and dispersed on the electrode substrate that has been subjected to the alignment treatment, and the spacer is bonded and fixed by heating with hot air, infrared light, or the like.

On the other hand, according to the present invention, a spacer having at least a surface coated with a thermoplastic resin is dispersed and dispersed on an alignment-treated electrode substrate, and drawing by an infrared laser or through a photomask or the like is performed. Since the spacer is bonded and fixed by irradiating light, it is possible to bond and fix the spacer only to a region other than the pixel region, for example, although the number of processes is the same.

[0034]

(Embodiment 1) FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view showing the structure of a liquid crystal display device 21 produced according to the present invention.

First, 0.7 mm thick glass having ITO formed on the surface as a transparent conductive film was used as the electrode substrates 24 and 25. Each of the electrode substrates was washed, and a resist (not shown) was applied on the transparent conductive film by a roll coater and thermally cured. Then, the segment electrode substrate 24 was irradiated with ultraviolet rays through a segment electrode substrate photomask. The resist was exposed and patterned by wet etching. Similarly, the common electrode substrate 25 was irradiated with ultraviolet rays through a common electrode substrate photomask to expose the resist, and the transparent electrodes 2 and 3 were patterned by wet etching.

Thereafter, a polyimide-based alignment film was applied to the segment and common electrode substrates 24 and 25 by flexographic printing, fired in a firing furnace, and subjected to an alignment treatment by rubbing.

Further, about 6 g of the spacer 1 in which the surface of the resin beads is coated with the thermoplastic acrylic resin 32, and about 6 g of water 2
The mixture was dispersed in a mixture of 40 g and 60 g of isopropyl alcohol to prepare a spacer spray liquid.

Thereafter, the spacer spray liquid is sprayed on the segment side electrode substrate 25 which has been subjected to the orientation treatment, and the spacers 1 are dispersed and arranged on the entire surface of the segment side electrode substrate 25 as shown in FIG. Then, the infrared light 5 was irradiated through the segment electrode substrate photomask 6 used previously, and only the spacers 1 in the area other than the segment electrodes 3 were bonded and fixed.

Thereafter, the segment-side electrode substrate 25 to which the spacers 1 have been bonded and fixed is immersed in water and subjected to ultrasonic cleaning to remove the spacers not bonded and fixed, as shown in FIG. Spacers 1 were dispersed only in the region.

On the other hand, an epoxy-based sealing material is applied to the common-side electrode substrate 24 by screen printing, and the common-side electrode substrate 24 and the segment-side electrode substrate 25 are adhered to each other to form a liquid crystal display device as shown in FIG. 21 was obtained.

As shown in FIG. 6, the liquid crystal display device 21 has a pixel 4 where the common electrode 2 and the segment electrode 3 intersect.
The contrast was improved by about 50% as compared with the liquid crystal display device in which the spacer 1 was not present on the upper surface and the spacer was present on the entire surface of the electrode substrate.

Also, as can be seen from FIG. 1, the spacer 1 has a thermoplastic resin 32 coated on the surface of the resin beads in a skirt shape due to heat dripping, and is adhered and cured on the substrate. Therefore, the spacer 1 did not move due to vibration or the like, and the dispersibility of the spacer 1 was good, so that the uniformity of the cell gap was also good.

(Example 2) Up to the point where the upper and lower electrode substrates 24 and 25 were subjected to the alignment treatment, the same procedure as in Example 1 was used, and the same spacer spray liquid as in Example 1 was used. did.

First, the spacer spray liquid is sprayed on both the common and segment side electrode substrates 24 and 25 that have been subjected to the alignment treatment, and the spacers 1 are dispersed and arranged on the entire surface of each of the substrates, as shown in FIG. And the segment side electrode substrate 2
5 was irradiated with infrared light 5 via the segment electrode substrate photomask 6 previously used. Similarly, the common-side electrode substrate 24 was irradiated with infrared light through the previously used photomask for the common electrode substrate, and only the spacers 1 in areas other than the common electrode 2 and the segment electrode 3 were bonded and fixed.

After that, the common-side electrode substrate 24 and the segment-side electrode substrate 25 to which the spacers 1 are bonded and fixed are immersed in water and subjected to ultrasonic cleaning to remove the spacers not bonded and fixed. As shown in FIG. 7, the spacers 1 were dispersed only in regions other than the common electrode 2 and the segment electrode 3.

Then, an epoxy-based sealing material is applied on the segment-side electrode substrate 25 by a dispenser, and the common-side electrode substrate 24 and the segment-side electrode substrate 25 are attached to each other to form a liquid crystal display as shown in FIG. Device 21 was obtained.

As shown in FIG. 8, the liquid crystal display device 21 has a pixel 4 where the common electrode 2 and the segment electrode 3 intersect.
The contrast was improved by about 50% as compared with the liquid crystal display device in which the spacer 1 was not present thereon and the spacer was present on the entire surface of the electrode substrate.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, the spacer 1 is formed by the thermoplastic resin 32 coated on the surface of the resin beads forming a hakama shape due to heat dripping and hardening on the substrate. Therefore, it does not move due to vibration or the like.

Further, while the spacers are present in the form of stripes in Example 1, the spacers are present in the form of matrix in the present example, so that the uniformity of the cell gap is further improved.

(Example 3) Up to the point where the upper and lower electrode substrates 24 and 25 were subjected to the alignment treatment, the same procedure as in Example 1 was used, and the same spacer spray liquid as in Example 1 was used. did.

First, the spacer spray liquid is sprayed on the segment side electrode substrate 25 which has been subjected to the orientation treatment, and the spacers 1 are dispersed and arranged on the entire surface of the segment side electrode substrate 25, as shown in FIG. Then, the infrared light 5 was irradiated through the segment electrode substrate photomask 6 used previously, and only the spacers 1 in the area other than the segment electrodes 3 were bonded and fixed.

Thereafter, infrared light is similarly applied to the segment-side electrode substrate 2 through a photomask for the common electrode substrate.
By irradiating on the spacers 5, only the spacers 1 in the region other than the pixels 4 were bonded and fixed.

Thereafter, the segment-side electrode substrate 25 on which the spacers 1 are bonded and fixed is immersed in water and subjected to ultrasonic cleaning to remove the spacers not bonded and fixed, as shown in FIG. The spacers 1 were dispersed and arranged only in the.

On the other hand, an epoxy-based sealing material is applied to the common-side electrode substrate 24 by screen printing, and the common-side electrode substrate 24 and the segment-side electrode substrate 25 are bonded to each other to form a liquid crystal display device as shown in FIG. 21 was obtained.

As shown in FIG. 8, the liquid crystal display device 21 does not have the spacer 1 on the pixel 4 and has a higher contrast than the liquid crystal display device having the spacer on the entire surface of the electrode substrate. Was improved by about 50%.

As can be seen from FIG. 1, the thermoplastic resin 32 coated on the surface of the resin beads 31 becomes a skirt shape due to heat dripping and hardens on the substrate. Therefore, it does not move due to vibration or the like.

Further, since the spacers exist in the form of stripes in the first embodiment, the spacers exist in the form of a matrix in the present embodiment. Was good.

In the first, second and third embodiments, as shown in FIG. 2, the photomask 6 used for patterning the electrodes is again used as the photomask to irradiate the infrared light 5, thereby reducing the production equipment cost. However, by using a photomask 16 having a smaller light irradiation width than the photomask used for patterning the electrodes as shown in FIG. 3, for example, as shown in FIG. It is possible to prevent the spacer 11 located at the boundary with the region other than the electrode from being bonded and fixed, and it is possible to more reliably remove the spacer on the pixel or the electrode.

(Example 4) Up to the point where the upper and lower electrode substrates 24 and 25 have been subjected to the alignment treatment, the same procedure as in Example 1 is used, and the same spacer spray liquid as in Example 1 is used. did.

First, the spacer spray liquid is sprayed on the common-side electrode substrate 24 that has been subjected to the orientation treatment, and the spacers 1 are dispersed and arranged over the entire surface of the common-side electrode substrate 24, as shown in FIG. The infrared laser irradiation device 9 is scanned to irradiate only the region other than the common electrode 2 with the infrared light 5,
Only the spacer 1 in the area other than the common electrode 2 was fixed by bonding.

Thereafter, the common-side electrode substrate 24 to which the spacers 1 have been bonded and fixed is immersed in water and subjected to ultrasonic cleaning to remove the spacers not bonded and fixed.
As shown in the figure, the spacers 1 were dispersed only in the region other than the common electrode 2.

On the other hand, an epoxy-based sealing material is applied to the segment-side electrode substrate 25 by screen printing, and the common-side electrode substrate 24 and the segment-side electrode substrate 25 are adhered to each other to form a liquid crystal display device as shown in FIG. 21 was obtained.

As shown in FIG. 6, the liquid crystal display device 21 has a pixel 4 where the common electrode 2 and the segment electrode 3 intersect.
The contrast was improved by about 50% as compared with the liquid crystal display device in which the spacer 1 was not present thereon and the spacer was present on the entire surface of the electrode substrate.

Further, as can be seen from FIG. 1, the thermoplastic resin 32 coated on the surface of the resinous beads is formed into a hakama shape by heat dripping and hardened by being tightly adhered to the substrate. Therefore, the spacer 1 did not move due to vibration or the like, and the dispersibility of the spacer 1 was good, so that the uniformity of the cell gap was also good.

(Example 5) Up to the point where the upper and lower electrode substrates 24 and 25 were subjected to the alignment treatment, the same procedure as in Example 1 was used, and the same spacer spray liquid as in Example 1 was used. did.

First, the spacer spray liquid is sprayed on both the common-side and segment-side electrode substrates 24 and 25 that have been subjected to the alignment treatment, and the spacers 1 are dispersed and arranged on the entire surface of both the substrates. As shown in (1), the infrared light laser irradiating device 9 is scanned to irradiate the infrared light 5 only to the area other than the common electrode 2 and the segment electrode 3, and the spacer 1 in the area other than the common and segment electrodes 2 and 3 is irradiated. Only the adhesive was fixed.

Thereafter, the common-side electrode substrate 24 and the segment-side electrode substrate 25 to which the spacers 1 are bonded and fixed are immersed in water and subjected to ultrasonic cleaning to remove the non-bonded and fixed spacers. Common, as shown in
Spacers 1 were dispersed only in regions other than the segment electrodes 2 and 3.

Then, an epoxy-based sealing material is applied on the segment side electrode substrate 25 with a dispenser, and the common side electrode substrate 24 and the segment side electrode substrate 25 are bonded to each other to form a liquid crystal display device as shown in FIG. 21 was obtained.

As shown in FIG. 8, the liquid crystal display device 21 has a pixel 4 where the common electrode 2 and the segment electrode 3 intersect.
The contrast was improved by about 50% as compared with the liquid crystal display device in which the spacer 1 was not present on the upper surface and the spacer was present on the entire surface of the electrode substrate.

Further, as can be seen from FIG. 1, the thermoplastic resin 32 coated on the surface of the resin beads becomes a skirt shape due to heat dripping and hardens by being tightly adhered to the substrate. Therefore, it does not move due to vibration or the like.

Further, in the first and fourth embodiments, spacers exist in a stripe pattern, whereas in the present embodiment, spacers exist in a matrix pattern.
As in the case of No. 3, the uniformity of the cell gap became better.

(Example 6) Up to the point where the upper and lower electrode substrates 24 and 25 have been subjected to the alignment treatment, the same procedure as in Example 1 is used, and the same spacer spray liquid as in Example 1 is used. did.

First, the spacer spraying liquid is sprayed on the common-side electrode substrate 24 that has been subjected to the orientation treatment, and the spacers 1 are dispersed and arranged over the entire surface of the common-side electrode substrate 24, as shown in FIG. Then, the infrared laser irradiation device 9 was scanned to irradiate the infrared light 5 only to the area other than the pixel, and only the spacer 1 in the area other than the pixel 4 was bonded and fixed.

Thereafter, the common-side electrode substrate 24 to which the spacers 1 are bonded and fixed is immersed in water and subjected to ultrasonic cleaning to remove the spacers that are not bonded and fixed.
As shown in the figure, the spacers 1 were dispersed only in the area other than the pixels 4.

On the other hand, an epoxy-based sealing material is applied to the segment-side electrode substrate 25 by screen printing, and the common-side electrode substrate 24 and the segment-side electrode substrate 25 are bonded to each other to form a liquid crystal display device as shown in FIG. 21 was obtained.

As shown in FIG. 8, the liquid crystal display device 21 does not have the spacer 1 on the pixel 4 and has a higher contrast than the liquid crystal display device having the spacer on the entire surface of the electrode substrate. Was improved by about 50%.

Further, as can be seen from FIG. 1, the thermoplastic resin 32 coated on the surface of the resin bead is formed into a hakama shape by heat dripping, and is hardened by being tightly adhered to the substrate. Therefore, it does not move due to vibration or the like.

Further, in the first and fourth embodiments, spacers exist in a stripe shape, whereas in the present embodiment, spacers exist in a matrix shape.
Similar to Examples 3 and 5, the uniformity of the cell gap became better.

Although various embodiments of the present invention have been described, not only glass but also plastic sheets and plastic films can be used as the electrode substrate for the liquid crystal display device of the present invention. It is not something to be done. Further, the presence or absence of a color filter, the presence or absence of an active element, and the like are not particularly limited.

As a patterning method, a method such as laser patterning or wet etching can be used, but it is not particularly limited to these.

As the alignment film material, various alignment film materials can be used, such as those that perform a polymerization reaction by heat, those that only volatilize a solvent, and those that perform a polymerization reaction by light. It is not limited.
The insulating film for preventing a short circuit between the upper and lower electrode substrates may or may not be formed. As a method for forming the alignment film, a method such as offset printing, flexographic printing, or spin coating can be used, but is not particularly limited thereto. As the alignment treatment method, a method such as rubbing or a stamper can be used, but is not particularly limited thereto.

Further, as a method for forming the seal, a method such as screen printing or drawing with a dispenser can be used, but is not particularly limited thereto.

As the thermoplastic resin covering at least the surface of the spacer, materials such as polyester resin, polyamide resin, acrylic resin, polyethylene resin, modified polyolefin resin, polyvinyl acetate ethylene resin and polyurethane resin can be used. It is not particularly limited to these.

In addition, the sealing material, the liquid crystal material and the like are not particularly limited.

[0085]

According to the present invention, since the thermoplastic resin on the surface of the spacer is hardened in close contact with the substrate, the spacer does not move, and a display defect caused by the movement of the spacer is prevented. Can be eliminated. In addition, the thermoplastic resin is formed into a skirt shape due to heat dripping, and is adhered and cured on the substrate, so that the adhesive strength with the substrate is further increased.

In addition, since spacers are present in a stripe or matrix and can be adhered and fixed with good dispersibility, the uniformity of the cell gap is not impaired.

Further, since the spacer can be bonded and fixed on the electrode substrate after the alignment treatment, an alignment film printing step,
The spacer does not peel off in the rubbing step or the like, and display defects caused by this can be eliminated.

Further, by using a photomask, an infrared light laser irradiation device, or the like, it is possible to securely bond and fix only the spacer in the region where the spacer is desired to be fixed, so that it is easy to prevent the spacer from being present on the pixel region. This is particularly effective for projection and the like because it is possible to prevent a decrease in contrast due to spacers on pixels. Furthermore, the photomask used for patterning the electrodes can be used again as the photomask.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid crystal display device manufactured based on an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram when irradiating infrared light via a photomask in Examples 1, 2, and 3 of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing Embodiments 1, 2, and 3 of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram when infrared light is irradiated through a photomask having a smaller light irradiation width than a photomask used for patterning an electrode.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing Embodiments 1, 2, and 3 of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram when a spacer located at a boundary between an electrode region and a region other than the electrode is fixed when infrared light is irradiated through a photomask.

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating an arrangement of spacers on a common-side electrode substrate in Examples 1, 2, 4, and 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating an arrangement of spacers of the liquid crystal display device according to the first and fourth embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating an arrangement of spacers on a segment-side electrode substrate in Examples 2 and 5 of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating an arrangement of spacers of a liquid crystal display device according to Examples 2, 3, 5, and 6 of the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a plan view illustrating an arrangement of spacers on a common-side electrode substrate in Examples 3 and 6 of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram when irradiating infrared light with an infrared laser in Examples 4, 5, and 6 of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a plan view showing that the alignment film is damaged, which is a problem of the related art.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing that a spacer is also present on a pixel region, which is a problem of the related art.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing a problem of a conventional technique that spacers aggregate.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Spacer 2 Common electrode 3 Segment electrode 4 Pixel area 5 Infrared light 6 Photomask for electrode substrates 9 Infrared laser irradiation device 10 Damage of alignment film 11 Spacer 16 Photomask 21 Liquid crystal display device 24 Common side electrode substrate 25 Segment side Electrode substrate 32 Thermoplastic acrylic resin

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A liquid crystal display device in which spacers for controlling the distance between two substrates opposed to each other with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween are selectively dispersed in a region other than pixels on the substrate. A liquid crystal display device having a surface coated with a thermoplastic resin and fixed on the substrate by the thermoplastic resin. 2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the thermoplastic resin is in the shape of a skirt and fixes the spacer on the substrate.