JP2001343654A - Liquid crystal display device and method of manufacture - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a liquid crystal display device capable of being easily manufactured because of its simple structure and tough against deformation due to external pressure, wherein a wall-shaped spacer is closely adhered to a substrate and intervals between the substrates are uniform. SOLUTION: In the liquid crystal display device having a liquid crystal 8 interposed between a pair of substrates 1 and 5 having electrodes 2 and 6, respectively, the wall-shaped spacer 3 is provided on one substrate 1 and a recess 9 is provided on the top part of the wall-shaped spacer 3. The internal part of the recess 9 is held in a reduced pressure state and the substrates 1 and 5 are fixed to each other in a closely adhered state by suction force developed by pressure difference of the reduced pressure and the atmospheric pressure.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a display device for displaying characters, figures, etc., a dimming device in which the amount of transmission of incident light changes,
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display element used for an optical shutter and the like and a method for manufacturing the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a conventional liquid crystal display device, glass fiber beads or resin beads are scattered between a pair of substrates having electrodes to control the distance between the substrates for holding the liquid crystal. However, when spraying beads or the like, it is difficult to strictly control the distance between the substrates and suppress deformation due to external pressure. Therefore, a columnar or wall-shaped spacer is formed between substrates using a method such as photolithography (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-161125). Further, by using a liquid crystal display element having such a wall-shaped spacer (partition structure) and performing a cooling method having a temperature gradient in a process of reorienting the liquid crystal, the liquid crystal (ferroelectric / antiferroelectric It is known that alignment defects of (liquid crystal) can be suppressed (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 7-318912).

[0003]

In order to control the distance between the substrates and to suppress deformation due to external pressure, it is necessary that the substrate and the wall-shaped spacer are in close contact with each other. Also, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-3189
As disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 12, a liquid crystal (ferroelectric / anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal) is obtained by using a liquid crystal display element having wall-shaped spacers and performing a cooling method with a temperature gradient in the process of realigning the liquid crystal. In the case of suppressing the alignment defect, it is necessary that the substrate and the wall-shaped spacer are in close contact with each other and a linear space is maintained. Therefore, the wall-shaped spacer and the substrate are bonded.

As a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device having a wall-shaped spacer, as shown in FIG. 9, after forming an alignment control layer 24, a wall-shaped spacer 23 is formed on the alignment control layer 24; As shown in FIG.
There is a method of forming the orientation control layer 24 after the formation of No. 3.

When the wall-like spacer 23 is formed on the orientation control layer 24, the orientation control layer 24 and the wall-like spacer 23 are bonded. For example, in Example 1 disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei 7-318912, a wall-like spacer 23 is formed on an alignment control layer 24 of one substrate 21 by lithography, and this is Bonding is performed by heating while mechanically pressing the substrate 25 having the same at atmospheric pressure. The substrate 21,
25 is provided with electrodes 22 and 26, respectively.

On the other hand, the wall-shaped spacer 2
In the case where 3 is formed, there arises a problem that the orientation control layer 24 is contaminated by the spacer material or the like when the wall-like spacer 23 is formed. Also, there are two types of surfaces that the liquid crystal 28 comes into contact with, ie, the alignment control layers 24 and 27 and the wall-shaped spacer 23. The alignment direction of the liquid crystal 28 to be controlled by the alignment control layers 24 and 27 is guided by the wall-shaped spacer 23. There is a possibility that the alignment directions are different. In this case, problems such as poor switching and poor alignment of the liquid crystal 28, and changes in the alignment over time with the elapse of a long time occur. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-318912 describes that it is desirable to apply a polymer organic material film to the inner wall surface of the wall-shaped spacer 23 and to chemically uniform the inner wall surface of the linear space. No method is described for coating a high molecular organic film on the substrate.

After the formation of the wall-like spacer 23, the orientation control layer 2
4 is formed, the orientation control layers 2 of both substrates 21 and 25 are formed.
4, 27 are bonded together. However, the orientation control layer 24,
It is extremely difficult to achieve a balance between the adhesive force and the orientation control force in the bonding between 27. That is, it is necessary to heat at a high temperature in order to bond organic thin films such as polyimide which are usually used as the alignment control layers 24 and 27 to each other. The orientation control force given by the treatment or the like disappears. Further, when the orientation control layers 24 and 27 are formed by using an inorganic thin film such as oblique evaporation of silicon dioxide, the size cannot be increased so much that it hinders an increase in the area of the liquid crystal display element.

Therefore, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 10-161125, a thermoplastic resin 29 and a resin (not shown) soluble in a specific solvent are laminated on a photosensitive resin to be the wall-like spacer 23 and then patterned. To form a wall-like spacer 23. At this time, the resin soluble in the thermoplastic resin 29 and the specific solvent exists only at the top of the wall-like spacer 23. Thereafter, the wall-like spacer 23 and the substrate 21
An orientation control layer 24 is formed thereon. Then, when the substrate 21 is immersed in a specific solvent and the soluble resin is peeled off, the alignment control layer 24 located above the soluble resin is removed simultaneously with the peeling of the soluble resin, and as shown in FIG. The thermoplastic resin 29 is exposed at the top of the head. Therefore, the thermoplastic resin 29 is used to bond with another substrate 25. According to this method, since the alignment control layer 24 is also present on the wall surface of the wall-shaped spacer 23, the alignment characteristics are good, and a strong adhesive force, that is, a high adhesion can be obtained. However, this method includes a plurality of steps of applying and peeling the resin, and the manufacturing process is complicated.

Although not shown, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-194
No. 350 discloses that the material for the alignment control layer and the material for the wall-like spacer are selected so that the alignment control layer material is repelled by the wall-like spacer when the alignment control layer is formed, and other than the region where the wall-like spacer is formed. A method for selectively forming an orientation control layer only in the region is disclosed. However, it is difficult to expose the spacer material only to the top of the wall-shaped spacer as the configuration in which the orientation control layer is repelled by the wall-shaped spacer only at the top of the wall-shaped spacer, and the range of material selection is further reduced. I will.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a simple configuration,
A liquid crystal display element in which the wall-shaped spacer is in close contact with the substrate, the distance between the substrates is uniform and strictly controllable, is resistant to deformation due to external pressure, and provides high contrast, and a method for easily manufacturing such a liquid crystal display element. Is to provide.

[0011]

A feature of the present invention is that in a liquid crystal display element in which liquid crystal is held between a pair of substrates having electrodes, a wall-like spacer is provided on at least one of the substrates. And a recess is provided at the top of the wall-shaped spacer.

Another feature of the present invention is that in a liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is sandwiched between a pair of substrates having electrodes, at least one substrate has at least two substantially parallel substrates. A multiple spacer line comprising wall spacers is provided, wherein a gap exists between at least two wall spacers forming the multiple spacer line.

The wall-shaped spacer having a concave portion at the top in the former configuration can be formed by a photolithography method using a gray mask (photomask having a gradation) as a photomask. That is, after applying a photoresist on the substrate, a predetermined gray mask is applied,
By irradiating light and performing development, a wall-shaped spacer having a concave portion at the top can be formed. Further, the wall-shaped spacer constituting the multiple spacer line in the latter configuration,
It can be formed by a usual photolithography technique. Further, it can be formed by a high-definition printing method or the like instead of photolithography. In any case, the wall-shaped spacer can be formed by using a technique that has been widely used in the past.

The liquid crystal display device having the above-described structure is characterized in that the suction force caused by the pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure and the atmospheric pressure in the recesses of the wall-shaped spacers or in the gap between the wall-shaped spacers constituting the multiple spacer lines causes the liquid crystal display element to have a pressure of 1: 1. The pair of substrates are fixed to each other so as to be in close contact with each other. For example, in a state where a transparent electrode substrate having an orientation control layer and a transparent electrode substrate having an orientation control layer are bonded on a wall-shaped spacer having a concave portion at the top or on a multiple spacer line composed of at least two wall-shaped spacers. It is mechanically pressed and thereby placed in close contact with the vacuum. Then, the pressure is reduced, and in the reduced pressure state, the recess at the top of the wall-shaped spacer or the gap between the wall-shaped spacers forming the multiple spacer line is sealed from the outside, and returned to the atmospheric pressure atmosphere. Then, the gap between the concave portion or the wall-shaped spacer is maintained in a negative pressure state, and the pair of substrates is fixed in a state of being in close contact with each other by an attraction force generated by the pressure difference between the concave portion and the atmospheric pressure. At this time, it is preferable to heat the substrate from the viewpoint of adhesion.

When a multi-spacer line is constituted by at least two wall-like spacers, the distance between the wall-like spacers is preferably equal to or less than the distance between a pair of the substrates.

Further, in such a liquid crystal display device, it becomes easy to simultaneously perform the close contact between the pair of substrates and the injection of the liquid crystal. When a substrate with a wall-shaped spacer with a concave portion at the top or a multiple spacer line is overlapped with another substrate and mechanically pressed, and liquid crystal is vacuum injected, the liquid crystal preferentially penetrates between the electrodes. However, it hardly penetrates into the recesses of the wall-like spacers or the gaps between the wall-like spacers constituting the multiple spacer line. Therefore, when the liquid crystal display element is returned to the atmospheric pressure after injecting the liquid crystal,
The pair of substrates can be fixed in close contact with each other by the pressure difference between the external atmospheric pressure and the recess of the wall-shaped spacer or the gap between the wall-shaped spacers.

When a liquid crystal having a smectic phase such as a ferroelectric liquid crystal or an antiferroelectric liquid crystal is used as the liquid crystal to be held, the liquid crystal having the smectic phase has a remarkable impact resistance and orientation, which are disadvantages of the liquid crystal having the smectic phase. Can be improved.

It is preferable that the wall-shaped spacer is arranged at a position other than the electrode forming position on the substrate from the viewpoint of the aperture ratio of the liquid crystal display element.

If an alignment control layer is provided on the surface of the wall-like spacer, it is effective to obtain a uniform alignment of the liquid crystal.

[0020]

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

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 shows a liquid crystal display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The configuration of this liquid crystal display element will be described below.

On a transparent substrate 1 having a transparent electrode 2,
A wall-shaped spacer 3 is formed, and an orientation control layer 4 made of polyimide is further formed thereon. In contrast,
Another substrate 5 having a transparent electrode 6 on which an orientation control layer 7 made of polyimide is formed is fixed by being overlapped so that the orientation control layers 4 and 7 face each other. A liquid crystal 8 is sealed between the substrates 1 and 5 (between the alignment control layers 4 and 7). Both alignment control layers 4 and 7 are subjected to an alignment treatment in the same direction by rubbing. In this liquid crystal display device, a recess 9 is formed at the top of the wall-shaped spacer 3 (at the tip in contact with another substrate 5). The recess 9 is closed by the orientation control layer 7 of the other substrate 5, the end is sealed by an adhesive 12 (see FIGS. 4 and 5), and the inside is kept at a negative pressure. ing. The substrates 1 and 5 (both the orientation control layers 4 and 7) are not bonded to each other by an adhesive or subjected to heat treatment, and are fixed to each other by an attraction force caused by a negative pressure in the recess 9.

Next, a method of manufacturing the liquid crystal display device will be described with reference to FIGS.

First, a transparent substrate 1 having a transparent electrode 2
A photoresist 10 is applied thereon (see FIG. 2A). A gray mask 11 is placed on the photoresist 10 (see FIG. 2B). Although this gray mask 11 is schematically shown in FIG. 2B, the portion of the electrode 2 that is to be formed is not masked by masking the portion of the electrode 2, but the center of the unmasked portion is not masked. Is a mask having a slightly lighter gradation. Then, the photoresist 11
After irradiating light to the substrate 1 coated with the resin, the uncured portion is removed with a solvent, and the wall-shaped spacer 3 having the concave portion 9 in the center portion is removed.
Is formed (see FIG. 2C). An orientation control layer 4 made of polyimide is applied and formed on the substrate 1 having the wall-shaped spacer 3, and a rubbing process is performed in parallel with the wall-shaped spacer 3 (see FIG. 2D).

On the other hand, an orientation control layer 7 made of polyimide is applied to another transparent substrate 5 having a transparent electrode 6 by coating, and the orientation control layer 4 of the substrate 1 having the wall spacer 3 is formed.
A rubbing process is performed so as to be in the same direction as (see FIG. 3).

Then, the two substrates 1 and 5 are laminated and bonded so that the orientation control layers 4 and 7 face each other (see FIG. 4). Specifically, although not shown, this element is inserted into a pressure jig and mechanically pressurized. In a reduced-pressure atmosphere, as shown schematically in FIGS. 4 and 5, a concave portion 9 opened at an end of the wall-shaped spacer 3 is closed with an adhesive 12, and the wall-shaped spacer 3 is
Take it out of the pressure reducer (in the air) while keeping it in close contact with. In this case, since the liquid crystal display element is present in the atmosphere while the inside of the concave portion 9 is kept in a reduced pressure atmosphere, the inside of the concave portion 9 is in a negative pressure state as compared with the outside air pressure, and a suction force is generated. Due to this suction force, the substrates 1 and 5 are attracted to each other and fixed. Thereafter, the ferroelectric liquid crystal 8 is vacuum-injected into a region defined by the seal 17 between the two substrates 1 and 5, and the portion into which the liquid crystal 8 is injected is closed with an adhesive (not shown). The pressure at the time of vacuum injection is made higher than the pressure at the time of close contact of the substrates to prevent the substrates 1 and 5 from peeling off. Thus, the liquid crystal display device shown in FIG. 1 is manufactured.

When this liquid crystal display element was heated to the isotropic phase temperature of the liquid crystal material and then gradually cooled to room temperature at 1 ° C./min, a uniform alignment without light leakage could be obtained. Further, this liquid crystal display element was resistant to impact.

(Second Embodiment) FIG. 6 shows a liquid crystal display device according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

The liquid crystal display element of the present embodiment has two adjacent
It has a double spacer line 14 configured as a pair of book-like spacers 13. That is, unlike the first embodiment, the double spacer line 14 is formed by forming two relatively thin wall-shaped spacers 13 substantially parallel to each other at a small interval without having the concave portion 9. ing. Portions other than the spacers have the same configuration as in the first embodiment.

The manufacturing method of the present embodiment, the main part of which is shown in FIG. 7, is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the substrates 1 and 5 are overlapped so that the orientation control layers 4 and 7 face each other. In order to attach the element, the element is sandwiched by a pressing jig and the anti-ferroelectric liquid crystal 15 is vacuum-injected while being mechanically pressed. As shown in FIG. 8, the liquid crystal 15
Penetrates into the area defined by. At this time, a very small amount of liquid crystal 15 penetrates into the gap 16 between the pair of wall-shaped spacers 13 constituting the double spacer line 14. A small amount of the liquid crystal 15 that has entered the gap 16 that is open at both ends of the wall-shaped spacer 13. As mentioned above,
Since the liquid crystal 15 penetrates only a small amount into the narrow gap 16, the gap 16 is not filled with the liquid crystal 15, but it is possible to seal both ends of the gap 16. Thereafter, the injection port 18 of the liquid crystal 15 is closed with an adhesive.

When the liquid crystal display element is returned to the atmospheric pressure, the space 16 between the pair of wall-shaped spacers 13 forming the double spacer line 14 is sealed with a small amount of liquid crystal 15 and kept in a reduced pressure atmosphere. Since the liquid crystal display element exists in the atmosphere,
The inside of the gap 16 is in a negative pressure state as compared with the outside air pressure, and a suction force is generated. Due to this suction force, the substrates 1 and 5 are attracted to each other and fixed. Thus, the liquid crystal display device shown in FIG. 6 is manufactured.

When the double spacer line 14 is constituted by the two wall spacers 13, if the distance between the wall spacers 13 is smaller than the distance between the pair of substrates 1 and 5, the suction effect due to the pressure difference will be reduced. It is preferable because it can exert more strength.

In this embodiment, the double spacer line 14 is constituted by two wall-shaped spacers 13. However, a multiplex (triple or more) spacer line is constituted by three or more wall-shaped spacer lines. Is also good.

In the liquid crystal display element thus manufactured, the liquid crystal 15 hardly penetrates into the gap 16 between the adjacent wall-shaped spacers 13, and the two substrates 1, 5 remain even after the pressing jig is removed.
Remained in close contact. When this liquid crystal display element was heated and gradually cooled in the same manner as in the first embodiment, a uniform alignment without light leakage could be obtained. Further, this liquid crystal display element was resistant to impact.

(Embodiment 3) In the present embodiment, although not shown, in the liquid crystal display element having substantially the same configuration as that of the second embodiment, the alignment processing for the alignment control layers 4 and 7 is not performed by rubbing. Photo-alignment treatment was performed. That is, similarly to the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, after the substrate 1 having the double spacer lines 14 including the adjacent wall-shaped spacers 13 is formed, the substrate 1 shown in FIG. As described above, the orientation control layer 4 made of polyimide is applied and formed, and a photo-alignment treatment is performed by irradiating polarized ultraviolet light. The other substrate 5 is coated with an orientation control layer 7 and subjected to the same photo-alignment treatment. Thereafter, similarly to the second embodiment, a liquid crystal display element is manufactured through mechanical pressure and vacuum injection of liquid crystal. When the liquid crystal display element thus manufactured was heated and gradually cooled in the same manner as in the first embodiment,
A uniform alignment without light leakage was obtained. Further, this liquid crystal display element was resistant to impact.

In the liquid crystal display device having the wall-shaped spacer 3 having the concave portion 9 at the top as in the first embodiment, even if the alignment control layer is subjected to a photo-alignment treatment instead of a rubbing treatment. Similar effects can be obtained.

Next, although not shown, a comparative example for comparison with each of the above-described embodiments of the present invention will be described.

(First Comparative Example) A transparent substrate having a transparent electrode was coated with a photoresist. A predetermined photomask (one having no gradation unlike the gray mask used in the first embodiment) is placed on this photoresist, and after light irradiation, the uncured portion is removed with a solvent, One wall-shaped spacer (without concave portion as in the first embodiment)
Was formed. After that, similarly to the first to third embodiments, an alignment control layer was formed on the wall-shaped spacer substrate and the other substrate, and an alignment process was performed. The two substrates were bonded and mechanically pressed, and heated at 150 ° C. for 2 hours. In the liquid crystal display device thus manufactured, the wall-shaped spacer and the other substrate were not in close contact.

(Second Comparative Example) Both substrates were prepared in the same manner as in the first comparative example, and the heating temperature at the time of bonding was 220 ° C. In the other steps, in the liquid crystal display device manufactured in the same manner as in the first embodiment, the wall-shaped spacer adhered to the other substrate, but the ferroelectric liquid crystal was vacuum-injected and the isotropic phase of the liquid crystal material was changed. The liquid crystal was not oriented when it was gradually cooled to room temperature at 1 ° C./min after heating to the temperature.

In the first embodiment, the substrates 1, 5
The ferroelectric liquid crystal 8 is used as the liquid crystal held between
In the embodiment, the antiferroelectric liquid crystal 15 is used, but the type of the liquid crystal is not limited. However, when a liquid crystal material having a smectic phase such as the ferroelectric liquid crystal 8 or the antiferroelectric liquid crystal 15 is used, impact resistance and orientation, which are disadvantages of the liquid crystal having a smectic phase, can be significantly improved. The configuration of the present invention is particularly effective.

The liquid crystal display device of the present invention has a structure in which liquid crystals 8 and 15 are sandwiched between a pair of substrates 1 and 5 having electrodes 2 and 6, and both substrates 1 and 5 are transparent. The present invention can be applied to not only a transmission type but also a light reflection type liquid crystal display device in which one of the substrates is opaque. For example, there are an element structure in which a liquid crystal material is sandwiched between a transparent substrate and a light reflecting plate, and an element structure in which a liquid crystal material is sandwiched between a transparent substrate having electrodes and a light absorbing plate having electrodes. In the former case, the light reflecting plate may be made of an inorganic material or an organic material as long as it is made of a material that reflects light. Further, the reflection intensity or the reflection wavelength can be arbitrarily changed according to the target device characteristics. The structure may be such that the light reflecting material forms the entire light reflecting plate, or the light reflecting material may be coated on a substrate made of another material such as glass. When a light reflecting material is coated, the light reflecting material does not need to be on the liquid crystal layer side. The substrate on which the light reflecting material is coated is not necessarily required to be transparent when the light reflecting material is not located on the light control layer side. In the latter case, the light absorbing plate may be made of an inorganic material or an organic material as long as it is made of a material that absorbs light. The absorption intensity or absorption wavelength can be arbitrarily changed depending on the target device characteristics. The structure may be such that the light absorbing material forms the entire light absorbing plate, or the light absorbing material may be coated on a substrate made of a different material such as glass. When coated with a light absorbing material, the light absorbing material need not be on the liquid crystal layer side. Further, the substrate on which the light absorbing material is coated is not necessarily required to be transparent when the light absorbing material is not located on the liquid crystal layer side.

As the configuration of the liquid crystal display element, a conventional technique can be applied. The electrodes 2 and 6 are indium-tin-
Oxide (ITO) or the like can be used, but an organic conductive thin film such as polypyrrole can also be used. When the substrates 1 and 5 used themselves have conductivity, the substrates 1 and 5 can also be used as the electrodes 2 and 6. When the above-mentioned light reflecting material or light absorbing material has conductivity, these can also be used as the electrodes 2 and 6. The electrodes 2 and 6 are installed in a state of being in close contact with the light control layer.

As the orientation control layers 4 and 7, a soluble type polyimide in which polyimide is dissolved in a solvent, a baked type polyimide which is baked to form a polyimide, nylon, or the like can be used. As described above, a rubbing process of rubbing the orientation control layers 4 and 7 with a cloth or a photo-alignment process performed by irradiation with polarized ultraviolet light can be used as the orientation process. The materials of the substrates 1 and 5 used in the present invention are glass, plastic, metal and the like. Coloring can be achieved by using the substrates 1 and 5 having a color filter, or by dispersing a pigment or a dye in the substrate. The substrates 1 and 5 are set so that the electrodes 2 and 6 are on the dimming layer side.

The liquid crystal display device of the present invention can be used in combination with an active device such as a thin-layer transistor (TFT) device or a metal-insulator-metal (MIM) device, and is driven by a simple matrix according to the application. It can also be done.

[0045]

According to the present invention, the distance between the substrates of the liquid crystal display device is uniform and strictly controllable, and is resistant to deformation due to external pressure, and a high contrast is obtained. Moreover, the structure is simple and the manufacture is easy.

When a recess is formed at the top of a wall-like spacer provided between a pair of substrates, the recess can be formed by a photolithography method using a gray mask (photomask having a gradation) as a photomask. Also,
When forming a multiple spacer line composed of a plurality of substantially parallel wall-like spacers between a pair of substrates, it can be formed by a usual photolithography method. Also,
Instead of the photolithography method, it can be formed by a high-definition printing method or the like. In any case, it can be formed by an easy method conventionally used. By providing an orientation control layer on these wall-like spacers,
High alignment characteristics can be maintained.

It is preferable that the wall-shaped spacer is arranged at a position other than the electrode forming position on the substrate from the viewpoint of the aperture ratio of the liquid crystal display element.

When an alignment control layer is provided on the surface of the wall-like spacer, it is effective to obtain a uniform alignment of the liquid crystal.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid crystal display device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a step of manufacturing one substrate of the liquid crystal display element of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a step of manufacturing the other substrate of the liquid crystal display device of the first embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a step of bonding both substrates of the liquid crystal display element of the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a recess sealing step of the liquid crystal display element of the first embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid crystal display element according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a step of manufacturing one substrate of the liquid crystal display device of the second embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing a liquid crystal injection and gap sealing step of the liquid crystal display element of the second embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid crystal display device of a first conventional example.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a configuration of a liquid crystal display device of a second conventional example.

FIG. 11 is a sectional view showing a configuration of a liquid crystal display device of a third conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 1 substrate 2 electrode 3 wall spacer 4 alignment control layer 5 substrate 6 electrode 7 alignment control layer 8 liquid crystal 9 concave portion 10 photoresist 11 gray mask 12 adhesive 13 wall spacer 14 double spacer line (multiple spacer line) 15 liquid crystal 16 Gap 17 Seal 18 Inlet

Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2H089 LA13 LA42 LA47 NA25 NA30 NA49 PA08 QA03 QA14 QA15 RA13 RA14 TA04 2H090 HB08Y JA03 JC03 KA14 KA15 LA02 LA03 MB01 MB14 5C094 AA03 AA06 AA31 BA03 BA49 CA19 EC03 EC04 5G435 ABB

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is sandwiched between a pair of substrates having electrodes, wherein a wall-shaped spacer is provided on at least one of the substrates, and a top of the wall-shaped spacer is provided on the top of the wall-shaped spacer. A liquid crystal display device comprising a concave portion. 2. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein the pair of substrates are fixed to each other by an attraction force generated by a pressure difference between an atmospheric pressure and an atmospheric pressure in the recess of the wall-shaped spacer. 3. A liquid crystal display device in which liquid crystal is sandwiched between a pair of substrates having electrodes, wherein a multi-spacer line comprising at least two substantially parallel wall-shaped spacers on at least one of the substrates. And a gap is present between the at least two wall-shaped spacers constituting the multiple spacer line. 4. A pair of said substrates are fixed to each other by an adsorption force generated by a pressure difference between an atmospheric pressure and an atmospheric pressure in said gap between said wall-like spacers constituting said multiple spacer line. 4. The liquid crystal display device according to 3. 5. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 3, wherein an interval between the wall-like spacers constituting the multiple spacer line is equal to or less than an interval between a pair of the substrates. 6. The device according to claim 1, wherein the wall-shaped spacer is arranged at a position other than the electrode forming position on the substrate.
The liquid crystal display device according to any one of the above items. 7. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein an alignment control layer is provided on a surface of said wall-shaped spacer. 8. The liquid crystal according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal sandwiched between the pair of substrates is a liquid crystal having a smectic phase such as a ferroelectric liquid crystal or an antiferroelectric liquid crystal.
A liquid crystal display element according to the item. 9. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display element in which a liquid crystal is held between a pair of substrates having electrodes, wherein a wall-shaped spacer having a concave portion at the top of the head is formed on at least one of the substrates. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element, comprising forming an alignment control layer on a surface of a spacer in a liquid crystal display form. 10. The liquid crystal display element according to claim 9, wherein a pair of said substrates are fixed to each other by an attraction force generated by a pressure difference between an atmospheric pressure in said concave portion of said wall-shaped spacer and an atmospheric pressure. Production method. 11. A method in which a pair of substrates are placed in a reduced pressure atmosphere in a state of being overlapped with each other to seal a portion where the concave portion is open to the outside, and then return to an atmospheric pressure atmosphere, thereby forming the concave portion. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element according to claim 10, wherein the inside is maintained in a negative pressure state. 12. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device in which a liquid crystal material is held between a pair of substrates having electrodes, wherein at least one of the substrates includes at least two substantially parallel wall-shaped spacers. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, comprising: forming a spacer line; and forming an alignment control layer on a surface of the wall-shaped spacer. 13. A pair of said substrates are fixed to each other by an adsorption force generated by a pressure difference between an atmospheric pressure and an atmospheric pressure in a gap between said at least two wall-like spacers constituting said multiple spacer line. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 12. 14. A method in which a pair of the substrates are placed in a reduced pressure atmosphere in a state of being overlapped, a portion where the gap is opened to the outside is sealed, and then the atmosphere is returned to an atmospheric pressure atmosphere. 14. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element according to claim 13, wherein the inside is maintained in a negative pressure state.