JP2004093843A - Liquid crystal device, manufacturing method of liquid crystal device, and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid crystal device having a structure by which a cell gap between substrates can be strictly controlled. <P>SOLUTION: In the liquid crystal device having the structure wherein an upper substrate 1 on which columnar spacers 11 are disposed and a lower substrate 2 on which columnar spacers 12 are disposed are disposed opposite to each other and a liquid crystal layer 3 is interposed between the substrates with a prescribed cell gap, the cell gap over the entire surface of the liquid crystal device can be strictly controlled by making the heights of the spacers different according to the laminated film thickness in the areas where the columnar spacers 11 and 12 are disposed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device, a method of manufacturing the same, and an electronic apparatus, and more particularly to a substrate structure suitable for controlling a substrate interval.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art A liquid crystal display device is a display element utilizing a phenomenon that the optical transmittance of a liquid crystal changes when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal. In a liquid crystal panel, an element substrate on which a switching element for driving a pixel electrode and the like are arranged and an opposing substrate on which an opposing electrode is arranged are arranged at a predetermined interval (distance between the substrates), and the liquid crystal is sealed between these substrates. Stopped and configured. The element substrate and the opposing substrate are bonded to each other with a sealing material at their peripheral edges so that the surfaces on which the electrodes are formed face each other. Liquid crystal is sealed in a region between the substrates partitioned by the sealing material to form a liquid crystal layer. Conventionally, in such a liquid crystal panel, in order to maintain the thickness (cell gap) of the liquid crystal layer at a predetermined size, a method of dispersing various spacers in the liquid crystal layer or in a sealing material has been used. As these spacers, beads or fillers made of glass or plastic are used, and the particle size of these spacers is used as the cell gap of the liquid crystal panel.
[0003]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, when the spacer is present in the display area in the liquid crystal layer, light incident on the liquid crystal layer is scattered by the spacer, causing a problem that the display contrast of the liquid crystal panel is reduced. There is also a problem that the spacers are aggregated and it is difficult to sufficiently control the cell gap. In addition, in recent years, it has been attempted to reduce the cell gap for the purpose of high-quality display of a liquid crystal panel. However, since the cell gap depends on the diameter of the spacer, the diameter of the spacer is reduced and the particle size is reduced. The need to strictly adjust the distribution has increased, and its implementation has been limited. Further, a semiconductor layer serving as a drive circuit, various wiring layers, and the like are laminated on the surface of the element substrate on the liquid crystal layer side, and the surface has irregularities on the order of several μm. According to the conventional configuration in which the spacers are dispersed in the liquid crystal layer, it is difficult to control where the spacers are located on the substrate surface. When the spacer is located, a slight difference occurs in the cell gap. In the conventional liquid crystal panel, the thickness of the liquid crystal layer was sufficiently large with respect to the thickness of the semiconductor layer of the element substrate, and the difference was within a negligible range. In addition, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-73093 describes that a columnar spacer is formed on one of an element substrate and an opposing substrate. There is a problem that the difference due to the arrangement position is in a non-negligible range, and positioning of the spacer is important for realizing high-quality display. As a structure of a liquid crystal panel having a spacer, for example, a structure described in JP-A-9-73093 is known.
[0004]
The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and provides a liquid crystal device having a structure in which the distance between substrates in a liquid crystal device can be strictly controlled, a method of manufacturing the same, and an electronic apparatus using the same. The purpose is to:
[0005]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, a liquid crystal device of the present invention is a liquid crystal device in which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a pair of substrates facing each other, and an inner surface of each of the substrates constituting the pair of substrates, A columnar spacer for maintaining a predetermined distance between the substrates is provided. However, even though the columnar spacer is provided on the inner surface of each substrate, since both ends of the columnar spacer are in direct contact with the pair of substrates, it is determined on which side of the substrate the columnar spacer is provided. Is considered difficult. However, as described later, when the columnar spacer is formed by photolithography using a resin material or the like, the area (lower surface) on the substrate side where the columnar spacer is formed is large due to the characteristics at the time of etching, and the area on the other substrate side is large. (Upper surface) has a small frustum shape. Thereby, the substrate on which the columnar spacer is formed can be determined.
According to the configuration of the present invention, since the columnar spacers are provided on the respective substrates, the spacers can be arranged at predetermined positions at a desired height, and uneven distribution of the spacers in the liquid crystal panel can be prevented. If a columnar spacer is to be formed only on one substrate, even if the spacer can be arranged at a desired position, a spacer having a desired height, for example, two kinds of heights depending on the location is formed. For it is extremely difficult. Thereby, the cell gap can be strictly controlled, and a liquid crystal device capable of high-quality display can be obtained.
[0006]
In the liquid crystal device according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the columnar spacer of one of the pair of substrates and the columnar spacer of the other substrate be provided in different regions of each substrate.
With such a configuration, the density and shape of the columnar spacers inside and outside a specific area of the liquid crystal device can be freely and easily varied. That is, while a large number of spacers are arranged only in the specific region, a small number of spacers can be arranged outside the specific region, and the arrangement position and shape can be controlled differently. Accordingly, the columnar spacers can be arranged at predetermined positions with a shape and density according to the characteristics of each region such as a display region and a seal region, so that a more uniform cell gap can be controlled and a liquid crystal capable of high quality display. It can be a device.
[0007]
It is preferable that the height of the columnar spacer on the one substrate is different from the height of the columnar spacer on the other substrate. Further, the sum of the height of the columnar spacer of the one substrate and the thickness of the stacked film on the one substrate and the thickness of the stacked film on the other substrate in a region where the columnar spacer is arranged, It is preferable that the sum of the height of the columnar spacer on the other substrate, the thickness of the stacked film on the other substrate, and the thickness of the stacked film on the one substrate in a region where the columnar spacer is arranged be made equal. .
In other words, the surface of each substrate on the liquid crystal layer side has irregularities of various laminated films due to drive circuits, electrodes, color filters, etc., and the height of these irregularities is determined by the difference in height between the columnar spacers of each substrate. It should just be set as. By providing columnar spacers having different heights on the respective substrates, the cell gap of the liquid crystal panel does not reflect the height of the unevenness of the substrate laminated film, so that the liquid crystal device has a uniform cell gap over the entire surface. be able to.
[0008]
Preferably, the columnar spacer of the one substrate is provided in a seal region for sealing the liquid crystal layer between the substrates. Since the sealing region corresponds to the peripheral portion of the liquid crystal device and is a region where the step of the substrate laminated film is large, the cell gap can be kept uniform by arranging the columnar spacer corresponding to the step. Further, since the seal area is outside the image display area, even if a large number of columnar spacers are provided, the display characteristics of the liquid crystal device are not degraded, and stress collapse in the seal area can be prevented.
[0009]
Further, the columnar spacer of the one substrate may be provided in a display area for displaying information by a liquid crystal layer. In this display area, drive circuits, electrodes, color filters, and the like are formed, and the surface of each substrate has unevenness due to a laminated film. By adjusting the height and shape of the columnar spacer on one substrate to correspond to the height and shape of the unevenness of the laminated film, the height of the unevenness of the substrate stacked film is reflected in the cell gap. And the difference between the height of the columnar spacer and the height of the columnar spacer on the other substrate does not occur, so that the cell gap can be uniformly and strictly maintained. Further, by adjusting the arrangement position of the columnar spacers on one of the substrates according to the position and the shape of the uneven portion of the laminated film, the cell gap can be more strictly controlled while minimizing the generation of scattered light. Thus, a liquid crystal device with good display quality can be obtained.
[0010]
The columnar spacer is preferably made of a resin material. According to this configuration, when forming the columnar spacer on each substrate, there is no need to specially prepare a member separate from the substrate, and the manufacturing cost does not increase. Further, since the columnar spacers can be formed from the film material constituting the element substrate and the counter substrate, they can be formed by slightly changing ordinary manufacturing process conditions.
[0011]
Further, the columnar spacer is preferably made of a resin material such as an acrylic film or a polyimide film. If the columnar spacers are made of a thermosetting resin having photosensitivity, a columnar spacer having a desired shape and a desired height can be easily formed in a desired region on each substrate by using photolithography technology or the like. Can be.
[0012]
The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to the present invention is a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device in which a liquid crystal layer is sandwiched between a pair of substrates facing each other, wherein each of the pair of substrates holds a predetermined distance between the substrates. Forming a columnar spacer to be formed by photolithography.
According to this method, not only can a columnar spacer having a desired shape be formed at a desired height on each substrate at a predetermined position, but also the columnar spacer can be easily formed by a slight change in a normal liquid crystal device manufacturing process. Therefore, a high-quality liquid crystal device can be provided at low cost.
[0013]
Furthermore, in the manufacturing method of the present invention, each of the pair of substrates is divided into a specific region and a non-specific region, and within a specific region of one substrate and a non-specific region of the other substrate, respectively. It is preferable to include a step of forming the columnar spacer by photolithography. This method includes a step of forming a columnar spacer in a specific region on one substrate and forming a columnar spacer in a region other than the region where the columnar spacer of the one substrate is formed on the other substrate on the other substrate. This step is performed by photolithography. According to this method, by masking the area of each substrate, the columnar spacer can be easily formed into the specific area and the non-specific area. Furthermore, since a columnar spacer having a desired shape can be formed at a desired height in accordance with the unevenness of the substrate laminated film, a liquid crystal device with a strictly adjusted cell gap can be obtained.
[0014]
An electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the liquid crystal device according to the present invention.
According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an electronic apparatus including a display unit with high display quality by including the liquid crystal device of the present invention.
[0015]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[Liquid crystal device]
FIG. 1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing an embodiment in which the configuration of the present invention is applied to an active matrix type transflective liquid crystal device using a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) element as a switching element.
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a pixel on an array substrate constituting the liquid crystal device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA 'in FIG. In addition, in each drawing, in order to make each layer and each member a size recognizable in the drawing, the scale such as a plane dimension and a film thickness is appropriately changed for each layer and each member.
[0016]
The liquid crystal panel 100 is configured such that an upper substrate 1 and a lower substrate 2 are arranged to face each other, a liquid crystal layer 3 is sandwiched between the substrates 1 and 2, and is sealed with a sealing material.
On the inner surface side (the liquid crystal layer 3 side) of the upper substrate 1, a color filter 4 and a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (hereinafter abbreviated as ITO) formed so as to cover the color filter 4. And an electrode 5 made of a conductive material. The color filter 4 corresponds to R (Red), G (Green), and B (Blue) of light, and is configured by arranging the color material layers 4R, 4G, and 4B in a matrix when viewed in plan. Further, the boundaries between the pixels composed of the color material layers 4R, 4G, and 4B are defined by light-shielding films (not shown) provided in a matrix.
[0017]
On the other hand, the lower substrate 2 is an array substrate on which TFTs as switching elements are formed, and a base insulating layer 6 is formed on the inner surface side (the liquid crystal layer 3 side). For example, a semiconductor layer 7 made of a polysilicon film having a thickness of about 30 to 100 nm is provided, and an insulating thin film 8 having a thickness of about 30 to 150 nm is formed on the entire surface so as to cover the semiconductor layer 7. Although not shown in the drawing, the semiconductor layer 7 includes a channel region, a source region, and a drain region of the TFT, and is formed by connecting a scanning line and a data line for driving the TFT. Further, a planarizing film 9 and a pixel electrode 10 are sequentially laminated on the insulating thin film 8. The flattening film 9 is also used as an insulating film, and is formed, for example, by forming an acrylic resin film, which is a kind of resin film having high flatness, to a thickness of about 2 μm. The pixel electrode 10 is made of a transparent conductive film such as ITO, and the switching is controlled by the TFT.
[0018]
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of one pixel of the liquid crystal panel 100, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA 'of FIG. Pixel electrodes 10 are arranged in a matrix on the lower substrate 2 which is one of the substrates of the liquid crystal panel 100. The data lines 13 are provided along the sides of the pixel electrodes 10 extending in the vertical direction on the paper, and the scanning lines 14 are provided on the sides extending in the horizontal direction on the paper. The semiconductor layer 7 made of a polysilicon film is formed in a substantially U-shape near the intersection of the data line 13 and the scanning line 14, and one end thereof extends in the extending direction of the data 13 and the extending direction of the scanning line 14, respectively. Have been. Further, a capacitance electrode 15 is arranged so as to cover about half the area of the pixel, and a reflection layer 16 is arranged on the capacitance electrode 15. The reflective layer 16 is provided with irregularities 16a on the surface thereof, and reflects the light incident on the liquid crystal panel by the irregularities 16a to perform a reflective display in the area. The columnar spacers 12 on the lower substrate 2 side are provided at intersections between the data lines 13 and the scanning lines 14 and at positions that are boundaries between pixels.
[0019]
A liquid crystal layer 3 is sandwiched between the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2. The distance R between the substrates is determined by the columnar spacers 11 provided from the respective substrates 1 and 2 toward each other. , 12. The columnar spacers 11 and 12 are formed of, for example, an acrylic resin or the like. In the present embodiment, the columnar spacers 11 of the upper substrate 1 are provided on a light-shielding film that partitions each pixel outside the color filter 4 region, and the columnar spacers 12 of the lower substrate 2 are It is provided in.
[0020]
In the liquid crystal panel 100 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the height R1 of the column spacer 11 provided on the upper substrate 1 and the height R2 of the column spacer 12 provided on the lower substrate 2 are as follows. , R = R1 + Δ11 + Δ12 = R2 + Δ21 + Δ22. R is the distance between the substrates of the liquid crystal panel 100, Δ11 is the layer thickness of the upper substrate 1 in the region where the columnar spacers 11 are provided, and Δ12 is the layer thickness of the lower substrate 2 in the same region. Δ21 is the film thickness of the laminated film of the upper substrate 1 in the region where the columnar spacers 12 are provided, and Δ22 is the film thickness of the laminated film of the lower substrate 2 in the same region.
[0021]
In the liquid crystal panel 100 shown in FIG. 1, Δ11 is 0, and Δ12 is the total value of the thicknesses of the base insulating layer 6, the semiconductor layer 7, the insulating thin film 8, and the planarizing film 9 on the lower substrate 1. . Δ21 is the sum of the thickness of the color filter 4 and the thickness of the electrode 5 on the upper substrate 1, and Δ22 is equal to Δ12. When forming the liquid crystal panel 100, the laminated films formed on each of the substrates 1 and 2 are formed on the liquid crystal layer 3 side of each of the substrates and come into contact with the base layers of the columnar spacers 11 and 12 or in abutting state. It is a general term of a film, and includes a reflective film layer, a plurality of semiconductor film layers, a plurality of insulating film layers, a plurality of wiring layers, a light-shielding film, and the like, in addition to the laminated films shown in FIGS.
[0022]
In the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, R1 and R2 indicate different values. However, in the area where the columnar spacers 11 and 12 are provided, there may be a case where Δ11 + Δ12 = Δ21 + Δ22. In such a case, the heights R1 and R2 of the columnar spacers 11 and 12 may be equal.
[0023]
By setting the heights R1 and R2 of the columnar spacers 11 and 12 in this manner, even in a liquid crystal panel having a narrow cell gap in which the values of Δ11 + Δ12 and Δ21 + Δ22 become larger with respect to the distance R between the substrates, the lamination on the substrate can be achieved. The cell gap (corresponding to the height R2 of the columnar spacer 12 in the present embodiment) can be strictly maintained without being affected by the film thickness. Therefore, it is possible to prevent display unevenness and a decrease in contrast due to non-uniform cell gap, and to provide a liquid crystal panel capable of high-quality display.
[0024]
The position of the columnar spacers 11 and 12 is not particularly limited in any region of the upper and lower substrates 1 and 2, but is preferably outside the pixel opening region. In the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the columnar spacers 11 of the upper substrate 1 are disposed in the light-shielding film region, and the columnar spacers 12 of the lower substrate 2 are disposed in the electrode regions of the scanning lines 14 of each pixel. All of them are outside the display area of the pixel. As described above, if the columnar spacer is provided outside the pixel opening region, display omission and scattered light due to the columnar spacer can be suppressed as much as possible, which is preferable without impairing the display characteristics of the liquid crystal panel 100.
[0025]
Further, from the viewpoint of not impairing the display characteristics of the liquid crystal panel 100 and controlling the uniform cell gap of the panel, these columnar spacers 11 and 12 are provided not in the same region of the liquid crystal panel 100 but in different regions thereof. Is preferably provided. In particular, if the columnar spacer of one substrate is formed in a seal region having a large step due to the laminated film, the step does not increase or decrease in the cell gap. Further, since the seal area is outside the image display area at the periphery of the liquid crystal device, image characteristics are not impaired.
[0026]
In addition, even if both columnar spacers are in the display area, display is affected by being selectively disposed in an area such as an electrode area of a semiconductor layer or a black matrix area which is a boundary between pixels. Strict control of the cell gap becomes possible without giving the For example, in the upper substrate 1, the area where the columnar spacers 11 are arranged matches the shape of the black matrix, and in the lower substrate 2, the area where the columnar spacers 12 are arranged is on a scanning line formed in stripes.
[0027]
The number of the columnar spacers 11 and 12 is not particularly limited. However, when the contact area with the substrate is the same, the number of the columnar spacers 11 and 12 is smaller than that having a large diameter. It is preferable to arrange a large number of them. This is because there are advantages in that the liquid crystal material is injected into the liquid crystal layer 3 and that the voltage application to the liquid crystal layer 3 is made uniform.
Further, the cross-sectional shapes of the columnar spacers 11 and 12 are not limited to regular hexagons as shown in FIG. 2, but may be various polygons other than rectangular, circular, and elliptical cross-sections.
[0028]
These columnar spacers 11 and 12 are made of one or more layers of a film material, for example, a thermosetting resin material having photosensitivity such as an acrylic film or a polyimide film, or a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film. It may be an inorganic material. When these materials are used, columnar spacers having a desired shape can be easily formed at a desired height on a substrate by using a film forming technique generally used in a semiconductor manufacturing process, in particular, a photolithography technique or the like. It is suitable. Further, in the case of a configuration in which the columnar spacers 11 and 12 are disposed directly on the substrates 1 and 2, the same material as the substrates 1 and 2 may be used. In this case, since the columnar spacers 11 and 12 can be integrally formed together with the formation of the substrates 1 and 2, there is no need to prepare a special material and a manufacturing process, and the manufacturing cost does not increase.
[0029]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, when the columnar spacers 11 and 12 are formed by the photolithography technique, their vertical cross-sectional shapes are trapezoidal with the substrate side being the lower bottom. For example, the bottom area of the columnar spacer 11 formed on the upper substrate 1 is larger on the upper substrate side and smaller on the lower substrate side. The same applies to the columnar spacers 12 of the lower substrate 2, and the bottom area on the substrate side where the columnar spacers are formed increases. In view of such a point, it is preferable that the columnar spacers 11 and 12 are formed not on one substrate but separately on the upper and lower substrates. Even if there is a difference between the upper and lower bottom areas of the columnar spacers, since the bottom area on both sides of the formed substrate is large, the columnar spacers are formed on both the upper and lower substrates, and when these are laminated, each columnar spacer is formed. The side having the larger bottom area of the spacer is alternated, and the bottom area of the columnar spacer as the whole liquid crystal panel does not differ between the upper and lower substrates.
[0030]
[Manufacturing process of liquid crystal device]
Next, a manufacturing process of the liquid crystal panel having the above configuration will be described.
First, a transparent substrate is prepared and used as upper and lower substrates. After sputtering metal chromium, for example, on the upper substrate 1, a light shielding film is formed through a photolithography process and an etching process. The light-shielding film may be formed of a material such as resin black in which carbon or Ti is dispersed in a photoresist, in addition to a metal material such as Cr (chromium), Ni (nickel), and Al (aluminum). Next, a color material layer 4 serving as a color filter is formed by a known method such as a dyeing method, a pigment dispersion method, or a printing method, and then a transparent conductive thin film such as ITO is formed on the entire surface of the upper substrate 1 by sputtering or the like. Is deposited to a thickness of about 50 to 200 nm to form the electrode 5.
[0031]
On the other hand, a base insulating film is formed on the lower substrate 2, and an amorphous silicon layer is stacked thereon. The amorphous silicon layer is recrystallized by subjecting the amorphous silicon layer to a heat treatment such as a laser annealing process to form a crystalline polysilicon layer having a thickness of, for example, about 30 to 100 nm. Next, the polysilicon layer is patterned so as to have a pattern of the semiconductor layer 7, and an insulating thin film serving as a gate insulating film having a thickness of, for example, about 30 to 150 nm is formed thereon. Then, after masking a region of the display region other than a region to be a connection between the TFT and the storage capacitor portion and a region to be a lower electrode of the storage capacitor portion with a resist such as polyimide, for example, PH3 / H2 ions as donors are The polysilicon layer is doped via the insulating thin film. Next, after removing the resist, a scanning line and a capacitance line are formed on the insulating thin film. The formation of the scanning lines and the like is performed by sputtering or vacuum depositing a metal such as tantalum or Al, forming a resist pattern of the scanning lines or the like, performing etching using the resist pattern as a mask, and stripping the resist pattern. Do. Then, after forming the scanning line and the capacitor line, a resist pattern covering the storage capacitor portion is formed, and then ions are implanted. Through the above steps, a source region and a drain region of the TFT are formed.
[0032]
Furthermore, an insulating thin film is laminated, and thereafter, a position to be a source contact hole and a drain contact hole is opened, and thereafter, a metal such as aluminum is sputtered or vapor-deposited to form a resist pattern in the shape of a data line and a drain electrode, By etching using this as a mask, a data line and a drain electrode are formed. After a flattening film is further applied, a transparent conductive thin film such as ITO having a thickness of about 50 to 200 nm is formed, and this is patterned to form a pixel electrode. Through the above steps, the lower substrate 2 of the present embodiment is completed.
[0033]
Next, columnar spacers 11 and 12 are formed on the upper and lower substrates 1 and 2 prepared by the above-described steps, respectively. For this, after forming an acrylic resin film on each substrate, a photoresist is formed, and mask exposure, development, etching, and resist peeling are performed, so that a predetermined region is formed of an acrylic resin having a desired height dimension. Columnar spacers can be provided. When the acrylic resin has photosensitivity, mask exposure and development may be performed directly on the acrylic resin without using a photoresist.
[0034]
For example, in the liquid crystal panel 100 of the present embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the columnar spacer 11 of the upper substrate 1 is on the light-shielding film, and the columnar spacer 12 of the lower substrate 2 is in the boundary area of each pixel of the liquid crystal panel 100. When the cell gap is set to 3.5 μm by forming each on the area where the data lines 7 of the TFTs are arranged, the heights of the columnar spacers 11 and 12 can be set as follows. . When the flatness of the lower substrate 2 is very good and there is no step between the wiring region and the pixel region, the cell gap 3.5 μm is equal to the height R2 of the columnar spacer 12. The total value Δ22 of the film thicknesses of the base insulating film 6, the insulating thin film 8, and the planarizing film 9 of the lower substrate 2 and the sum Δ21 of the film thicknesses of the color filter 4 and the electrode 5 of the upper substrate 1 are represented by a cell gap (R2). , That is, R = R2 + Δ21 + Δ22, and R = 7.5 μm is the distance between the substrates. The height R1 of the columnar spacer 11 is a value obtained by subtracting the thickness Δ12 of the lower substrate 2 from the distance R between the substrates, that is, R−Δ12 = R1, where R1 = 4.5 μm if Δ12 is approximately 3 μm. The 4.5 μm obtained in this manner is defined as the height of the columnar spacer 11. The formation positions and heights of these columnar spacers 11 and 12 can be changed not only as desired by utilizing photolithography technology, but also can be sufficiently formed by only slightly changing a normal liquid crystal panel manufacturing process. It is possible.
[0035]
When the columnar spacers are formed directly on the substrate, they may be integrally formed at the time of molding the substrate, thereby simplifying the manufacturing process. When the columnar spacer is made of an inorganic material such as a silicon oxide film or a silicon nitride film, a desired thickness can be easily and accurately obtained by utilizing a film forming technique generally used in a semiconductor manufacturing process. It can be manufactured in a desired shape. Further, if necessary, the columnar spacer may be formed by laminating a plurality of film materials.
[0036]
Finally, the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2 on which the respective layers and the columnar spacers are formed are arranged so as to face each other, and are bonded to each other with a sealing material to produce an empty panel. Next, by enclosing the liquid crystal in the empty panel, the liquid crystal device of the present embodiment is manufactured.
When forming columnar spacers having different heights, if columnar spacers are formed only on one of the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2, columnar spacers having different heights are formed on one substrate. Is extremely difficult in the manufacturing process, and the process becomes very complicated, if at all possible. In this regard, in the case where columnar spacers are formed on each of the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2 as in the present embodiment, there is no process problem.
[0037]
[Configuration of Liquid Crystal Device of Second Embodiment]
Hereinafter, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The liquid crystal device shown in FIG. 4 is different from the liquid crystal device shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 in that the columnar spacer 11 of the upper substrate 1 is provided in the data line region of the TFT, and the columnar spacer 12 of the lower substrate 2 is shielded from light. It is provided in the film area. As described above, the height of each columnar spacer 11, 12 satisfies R = R1 + Δ11 + Δ12 = R2 + Δ21 + Δ22. Therefore, when the values of R2, Δ11, Δ12, Δ21, and Δ22 are set in the same manner as in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, R1 = 4.5 μm and R = 7.5 μm It becomes. Even when the arrangement relationship of the columnar spacers is reversed, the effect of the present invention is not changed at all, and a liquid crystal device in which the cell gap is strictly controlled over the entire surface can be obtained.
[0038]
[Electronics]
Hereinafter, specific examples of an electronic device including the liquid crystal device of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing an example of a mobile phone. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 500 denotes a mobile phone main body, and reference numeral 501 denotes a liquid crystal display unit using the above-described liquid crystal device.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing an example of a portable information processing device such as a word processor or a personal computer. 6, reference numeral 600 denotes an information processing device, reference numeral 601 denotes an input unit such as a keyboard, reference numeral 603 denotes an information processing device main body, and reference numeral 602 denotes a liquid crystal display unit using the above liquid crystal device.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing an example of a wristwatch-type electronic device. In FIG. 7, reference numeral 700 denotes a watch main body, and reference numeral 701 denotes a liquid crystal display unit using the above-described liquid crystal device.
Since the electronic devices illustrated in FIGS. 5 to 7 include the liquid crystal display portion using the above-described liquid crystal device, electronic devices with high display quality can be realized.
[0039]
As described above, the embodiment of the present invention is characterized by the configuration of the columnar spacers provided on each of the pair of substrates. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. In the embodiment, an active matrix type transflective liquid crystal device is exemplified, but the configuration of the present invention can also be applied to a simple matrix type transmissive or reflective liquid crystal device. It is also possible to adopt the configuration of the present invention to a liquid crystal display device that does not have a black and white display.
[0040]
【The invention's effect】
As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the columnar spacers for maintaining the distance between the substrates at a predetermined distance are provided on each of the pair of substrates. Spacers can be arranged, and uneven distribution of the spacers in the liquid crystal panel can be prevented.
Furthermore, by making the height of the columnar spacers arranged on each substrate different, the height of each columnar spacer can be set corresponding to the unevenness of the laminated film on each substrate, and the unevenness of the substrate laminated film can be reduced. The cell gap is not affected, and a liquid crystal device in which the cell gap is strictly controlled over the entire liquid crystal panel can be obtained.
According to the manufacturing method of the present invention, since the columnar spacers are formed on each substrate by photolithography, the columnar spacers having the desired height and the desired shape can be accurately formed at the desired positions. In addition, a high-quality liquid crystal device can be provided at low cost by slightly changing the normal manufacturing process.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid crystal device according to a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a pixel on a TFT array substrate of the liquid crystal device.
FIG. 3 is a schematic sectional view taken along line AA ′ of FIG. 2;
FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid crystal device according to a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a perspective view illustrating an example of an electronic apparatus using the liquid crystal device of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating another example of an electronic apparatus using the liquid crystal device of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing still another example of an electronic apparatus using the liquid crystal device of the present invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1 Upper substrate
2 Lower substrate
3 Liquid crystal layer
11 Column spacer
12 Column spacer

Claims (10)

A liquid crystal device having a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a pair of substrates facing each other,
A liquid crystal device, wherein columnar spacers for maintaining a predetermined distance between the substrates are provided on the inner surfaces of the respective substrates constituting the pair of substrates. 2. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the columnar spacer on one of the pair of substrates and the columnar spacer on the other substrate are provided in mutually different regions of the respective substrates. 3. 3. The liquid crystal device according to claim 2, wherein the height of the columnar spacer on the one substrate is different from the height of the columnar spacer on the other substrate. The sum of the height of the columnar spacer of the one substrate, the thickness of the laminated film on the one substrate and the thickness of the laminated film on the other substrate in a region where the columnar spacer is arranged, and The height of the columnar spacer of the substrate is equal to the sum of the thickness of the laminated film on the other substrate and the thickness of the laminated film on the one substrate in a region where the columnar spacer is arranged. The liquid crystal device according to claim 3. The liquid crystal device according to claim 2, wherein the columnar spacer of the one substrate is provided in a seal region that seals a liquid crystal layer between the substrates. 5. The liquid crystal device according to claim 2, wherein the columnar spacer of the one substrate is provided in a display area for displaying information by a liquid crystal layer. 6. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the columnar spacer is made of a resin material. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device including a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between a pair of substrates facing each other,
A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device, comprising a step of forming, by photolithography, a columnar spacer for holding a predetermined distance between the substrates on each of the pair of substrates. 9. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to claim 8, wherein each of the pair of substrates is divided into a specific region and a non-specific region, and a specific region of one substrate and a non-specific region of the other substrate. And a step of forming columnar spacers by photolithography. An electronic apparatus comprising the liquid crystal device according to claim 1.

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