JP2004151549A - Electro-optical panel, electro-optical device, electronic equipment, and method for manufacturing electro-optical panel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing an electro-optical panel of which the substrates are improved in anti-cracking strength, an electro-optical device, electronic equipment, and an electro-optical panel. <P>SOLUTION: A liquid crystal panel 1 has a 1st surface 2c and a 2nd surface 2d, a 1st glass substrate 2 having stepped parts at least a part of the peripheral part of which is removed by etching, and a 1st surface 3c and a 2nd surface 3d, and the 1st surface 3c is arranged facing the 1st surface 2c of the 1st substrate 2, and the liquid crystal panel is provided with a 2nd glass substrate having stepped parts 3a at least a part of the peripheral part of which is removed by etching, and an electro-optical substance enclosed between the 1st glass substrate 2 and the 2nd glass substrate 3. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to an electro-optical panel, an electro-optical device, an electronic device, and a method of manufacturing an electro-optical panel in which the crack strength of a glass substrate constituting the electro-optical panel is improved.
[0002]
[Prior art]
2. Description of the Related Art A liquid crystal device as an example of an electro-optical device includes a liquid crystal panel as an example of an electro-optical panel and a housing that holds the liquid crystal panel. A liquid crystal panel is configured by sealing liquid crystal as an electro-optical material between two substantially rectangular parallelepiped glass substrates (for example, see Patent Document 1).
[0003]
[Patent Document 1]
JP-A-11-249108 (page 2)
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In the above-described liquid crystal device, there is a problem in that when a shock is applied, the liquid crystal panel held in the housing moves, and the liquid crystal panel collides with the housing to break the liquid crystal panel.
The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide an electro-optical panel, an electro-optical device, an electronic apparatus, and a method of manufacturing an electro-optical panel in which the crack strength of a substrate is improved.
[0004]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve such a problem, the present invention employs the following configuration.
[0005]
An electro-optical panel according to the present invention has a first substrate having a first surface and a second surface facing each other, a stepped portion having at least a part of a peripheral edge removed by etching, A second substrate having two surfaces, the first surface being disposed to face the first surface of the first substrate, and a step having at least a part of a peripheral portion removed by etching; An electro-optical material sealed between the first substrate and the second substrate is provided.
[0006]
According to such a configuration of the present invention, by performing the etching process, at least a part of the peripheral portion of the electro-optical panel which is easily subjected to an external impact when subjected to an external impact is subjected to the etching process to remove the scratches and cracks. Further, since the corners are rounded, the crack strength of the electro-optical panel is improved.
[0007]
The step provided on the first substrate is provided at a corner located on the outer periphery of the second surface of the first substrate, and the step provided on the second substrate is provided at a corner of the second substrate. It is provided at a corner located on the outer periphery of the second surface.
[0008]
In this manner, a structure in which a step is provided in a part of the peripheral portion in a state where the two substrates are opposed to each other can be provided.
[0009]
The first substrate and the second substrate each have a rectangular shape, and the first substrate and the second substrate have the step portions on two sides facing each other.
[0010]
As described above, by providing the step portion on at least two opposing sides of the electro-optical panel, when the electro-optical panel is held by the housing having the fitting portion into which the step portion is fitted, the entire electro-optical panel is substantially It is possible to maintain uniformity.
[0011]
Further, the first substrate and the second substrate each have a concave portion substantially at the center of the second surface, and further include an optical member arranged in the concave portion.
[0012]
As described above, by providing the concave portions for accommodating the optical members in the respective substrates, the entire thickness of the electro-optical panel can be reduced, and the size can be reduced.
[0013]
An electro-optical device according to another aspect of the invention includes the electro-optical panel described above, and a housing that holds the electro-optical panel and has a fitting portion into which a step portion of the electro-optical panel is fitted. .
[0014]
According to such a configuration of the present invention, the step portion is almost certainly supported by the fitting portion of the housing, so that the movement of the electro-optical panel in the housing can be reduced. Therefore, even if an external impact is applied to the electro-optical device, the collision between the electro-optical panel and the housing can be minimized, and the crack strength of the electro-optical panel can be improved.
[0015]
Further, a shock absorber is further provided between the electro-optical panel and the housing.
[0016]
According to such a configuration, even when an external impact is applied to the electro-optical device, the force is absorbed by the shock absorbing material, the force applied to the electro-optical panel can be reduced, and the crack strength of the electro-optical panel can be further reduced. Can be improved. For example, a silicone rubber resin or the like can be used as the shock absorber.
[0017]
An electronic apparatus according to another aspect of the invention includes the electro-optical device described above.
[0018]
According to such a configuration of the present invention, since an electro-optical device that is resistant to external impact is mounted, an electronic device with high mechanical strength can be obtained.
[0019]
In the method for manufacturing an electro-optical panel according to the present invention, the first substrate having the first surface and the second surface facing each other, and the second substrate having the first surface and the second surface facing each other, Arranging a mask so that one surface faces each other, and forming a mask on the second surface of each of the first substrate and the second substrate arranged opposite each other, except for at least a part of a peripheral portion thereof; Etching the first substrate and the second substrate via the mask.
[0020]
The electro-optical panel manufactured by such a manufacturing method of the present invention has a high crack strength because at least a part of the peripheral edge has a step portion with rounded corners.
[0021]
Further, in the masking step, the mask is formed on the second surface of each of the first substrate and the second substrate, except for at least a part of a peripheral portion and a central portion thereof. .
[0022]
According to such a configuration, it is possible to simultaneously form the recess in the center of the second surface of each of the two substrates together with the step. Then, by housing some component, for example, a component such as an optical member such as a polarizing plate in the case of a liquid crystal panel on the substrate surface of the electro-optical panel in the concave portion, the thickness of the entire electro-optical panel can be reduced.
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
(Electro-optical panel and method of manufacturing electro-optical panel)
Hereinafter, a liquid crystal panel will be described as an example of the electro-optical panel, and the liquid crystal panel and a manufacturing method thereof will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0023]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a liquid crystal panel. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal panel. 3 and 4 are schematic manufacturing process diagrams of the liquid crystal panel. FIG. 4A is a schematic perspective view of the liquid crystal panel 1 'in a state where a resist film as a mask before an etching step is formed. FIG. 4B is a schematic plan view of the liquid crystal panel viewed from the direction of arrow A in FIG. FIG. 4C is a schematic plan view of the liquid crystal panel viewed from the direction of arrow B in FIG.
[0024]
As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal panel 1 has a first glass substrate 2 having a first surface 2c and a second surface 2d facing each other, and a first surface 3c and a second surface 3d. Has a second glass substrate 3 arranged so as to face the first surface 2 c of the first glass substrate 2. The first glass substrate 2 and the second glass substrate 3 are bonded with a sealing material described later, and a liquid crystal as an electro-optical material described later is contained in a region surrounded by the two glass substrates 2 and 3 and the sealing material. It is enclosed. Further, the second glass substrate 3 has an overhanging portion 4 that overhangs the first glass substrate 2, and electrical wiring such as terminals is formed on the overhanging portion 4. Both the first glass substrate 2 and the second glass substrate 3 have step portions 2a and 3a in which a part of the peripheral portion is removed by etching. Specifically, steps 2a and 3a are formed at corners of the first glass substrate 2 and the second glass substrate 3, respectively, at the outer periphery of the second surfaces 2d and 3d. Further, the first glass substrate 2 and the second glass substrate 3 each have a rectangular planar shape, and in the present embodiment, step portions 2a and 3a are formed on two opposing sides on the second surfaces 2d and 3d, respectively. Have been. The steps 2a and 3a have rounded corners due to an etching process during the manufacturing process.
[0025]
Next, a method for manufacturing the above-described liquid crystal panel 1 will be sequentially described with reference to FIG. First, predetermined processing such as formation of a transparent electrode and formation of an alignment film is performed on the first mother substrate 11 made of glass and the second mother substrate 12 made of glass shown in FIG. S1) An open-curve sealing material 13 having a plurality of (here, 16) liquid crystal injection ports 14 is applied on one mother substrate. Thereafter, the two mother substrates are bonded together via the sealing material 13 (step S2). Thus, the large panel substrate 10 illustrated in FIG. 3A is obtained.
[0026]
Next, primary cutting is performed along the cutting line 16 shown in FIG. 3A, and only the glass substrate 11 side is removed along the cutting line 18 (step S3). Thereafter, liquid crystal is injected between the substrates from the liquid crystal injection ports 14 exposed on the cut surface, and the injection ports 14 are sealed with the sealing material 19 (step S4). As a result, the strip-shaped panel 20 having the protruding portion 21 in which the liquid crystal is sealed as shown in FIG. 3B is obtained.
[0027]
Next, the strip-shaped panel 20 is secondarily cut along a cutting line 15 shown in FIG. 2B to obtain an individual liquid crystal panel 1 'as shown in FIG. 2C (step S5). The liquid crystal panel 1 'has a first glass substrate 2' having a first surface 2'c and a second surface 2'd, and a second glass substrate 3 'having a first surface 3'c and a second surface 3'd. And a sealing material 13 for bonding the pair of glass substrates 2 ′ and 3 ′, and a liquid crystal sandwiched between the pair of glass substrates 2 ′ and 3 ′. The first glass substrate 2 ′ and the second glass substrate 3 ′ are arranged such that the first surfaces 2 ′ c and 3 ′ c face each other. The second glass substrate 3 ′ has a larger area than the first glass substrate 2 ′, and has a so-called overhang portion 4 that extends beyond the first glass substrate 2 ′. A driver IC is mounted on a surface of the overhang portion 4 located on the first glass substrate 2 'side (the first surface 3'c side), for example, in a later step. Further, on the surface of the overhang portion 4 located on the first glass substrate 2 ′ side, terminals for obtaining electrical connection with an external circuit board, a driver IC, and the like are formed. In the liquid crystal panel 1 ′, the step of separating from the large panel substrate 10 easily causes scratches and cracks. In particular, since the side surface of the liquid crystal panel 1 ′ is a cut surface, many scratches and chips are formed. Next, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, the first glass substrate 2 ′ The resist film 7 is used as a mask in a region excluding a part of the peripheral portion of the two surfaces 2'd, here, in a region excluding a portion along the two opposite sides of the peripheral portion on the second surface 2'd. Apply. Further, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4C, a region excluding a part of the peripheral portion of the second surface 3'd of the second glass substrate 3 ', here, the region on the second surface 3'd. A resist film 7 is applied as a mask to a region except for a portion along two opposing sides of the peripheral portion. Also, a resist film 7 is applied as a mask on the first surface 2'c of the overhang 4 of the second substrate 3 '(step S6). Since electric wires such as terminals are formed on the overhanging portion 4, they are protected by masking with a resist film 7 so as not to be damaged by a later etching process. As a method for applying the resist film 7, injection is used in the present embodiment. In FIG. 4, the region where the resist film 7 is applied is a region filled with oblique lines falling to the right. In the present embodiment, of the peripheral edge of each glass substrate, a portion along a side parallel to the side where the overhang portion 4 is located is a resist film non-formation region.
[0028]
Here, a resist film is used as a mask method, but a chemical resistant material having resistance to a chemical used in an etching solution may be used. For example, as the chemical-resistant material, there is a method of, for example, applying a wax or oil-based coating, applying a chemical-resistant tape, or covering a portion to be masked with a putty or clay-like material. In addition, as the method of applying the resist, injection is used here, but it is not limited to this. For example, there is a method in which a desired mask pattern is formed by printing by screen printing, applying a resist by dipping or dipping a masked portion in a resist or spraying the resist, and exposing and developing the resist. Further, a resist may be applied to the masked portion using a brush or a brush. In this case, the equipment used for resist coating can be inexpensive. Incidentally, the so-called injection resist coating method in which a droplet material is ejected from the nozzle used here to apply a resist to a desired mask pattern can be applied in a fine pattern, so that when a small liquid crystal panel is manufactured, Very effective when used.
[0029]
Next, after applying the resist, the liquid crystal panel 1 'is subjected to an etching process (step S7). Thereby, as shown in FIG. 1, a liquid crystal panel 1 including the first glass substrate 2 and the second glass substrate 3 having the step portions 2a and 3a in which a part of the peripheral portion is removed by etching is obtained. In the steps 2a and 3a, fine chips and cracks generated near the corners of the glass substrate due to the etching process are removed, and the corners are rounded. Further, also on the side surface of the liquid crystal panel 1 which is a divided cross section, scratches and cracks generated in the dividing step from the large panel substrate 10 are removed by etching. Here, for example, in the case of a liquid crystal panel having a scratch or a crack, the liquid crystal panel is likely to be broken due to an external impact, so that the scratch or the crack advances. On the other hand, in the liquid crystal panel 1 according to the present embodiment, the peripheral portion of the liquid crystal panel which is easily affected by an external impact is etched to remove scratches and cracks. Cracking strength is improved.
[0030]
The above-described etching process is performed by immersing the substrate in an etching solution. As the etchant, a hydrofluoric acid-based chemical can be suitably used. For example, an etching solution such as a hydrofluoric acid solution, a fluorinated nitric acid solution, hydrofluoric acid, ammonium fluoride, or hydrofluoric acid can be suitably used. Further, an aqueous solution containing them can also be used. For example, a mixed aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid, a mixed aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid and ammonium fluoride, a mixed aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid, ammonium fluoride and nitric acid, and an aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid and ammonium hydrogen difluoride An aqueous solution of hydrofluoric acid, ammonium hydrogen difluoride, and nitric acid can be used. Although the etching rate is low, a strongly alkaline chemical such as caustic soda (NaOH) or potassium hydroxide (KOH) can also be used. As the etching method, wet etching performed by immersing the processing substrate in the above-described etching solution is preferable, but a dry etching method using an etching gas can also be used.
[0031]
After the etching process, the resist film 7 on the overhang portion 4 is peeled off using a predetermined chemical solution (step S8). Incidentally, even when a wax or an oil-based coating is used as the mask method, the coating can be dissolved and removed with a chemical solution. When a chemical resistant tape, putty, or the like is used, they may simply be peeled off.
[0032]
Next, a driver IC is mounted at a predetermined position on the overhang portion 4, and a circuit board is connected.
[0033]
By performing the etching process as described above, at least a part of the peripheral edge portion of the liquid crystal panel which is likely to be directly impacted by an external impact is etched to remove scratches and cracks. Cracking strength is improved. Therefore, the liquid crystal panel 1 is less likely to be cracked or damaged by a manufacturing process of an electronic device such as a mobile phone or a portable terminal into which the liquid crystal panel 1 is incorporated, or by an impact during use by a user.
[0034]
In the present embodiment, the multi-cavity manufacturing method of manufacturing a plurality of panels from a pair of mother substrates has been described as an example, but a single liquid crystal panel manufacturing a single panel from a pair of substrates has been described. It goes without saying that it can be applied to the manufacturing method.
[0035]
(Electro-optical device and method of manufacturing electro-optical device)
Next, a liquid crystal device as an electro-optical device including the above-described liquid crystal panel 1 will be described with reference to FIGS.
[0036]
FIG. 5 is a schematic exploded perspective view of the liquid crystal device. FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view for explaining the method of manufacturing the liquid crystal device in FIG. 5, and corresponds to a cross section cut along line AA 'in FIG.
[0037]
As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the liquid crystal device 100 includes the above-described liquid crystal panel 1, a driver IC 9 mounted on the overhang 4 of the liquid crystal panel 1, a circuit board 6 connected to the overhang 4, The housing 40 includes a pair of polarizing plates 60 and 61 provided so as to sandwich the panel 1.
[0038]
The housing 40 has a first housing 41 and a second housing 42. Each of the first housing 41 and the second housing 42 has an opening in the center and has a rectangular frame shape. The first housing 41 and the second housing 42 are arranged to face each other with the liquid crystal panel 1 interposed therebetween. The liquid crystal device 100 has a holding structure for holding the liquid crystal panel 1 by sandwiching the periphery of the liquid crystal panel 1 from above and below by the first housing 41 and the second housing 42. The first housing 41 and the second housing 42 have fitting portions 41a and 42a having step portions formed therein, respectively. Each of the first housing 41 and the second housing 42 has a substantially rectangular shape, and fitting portions 41a and 42a are formed on two opposite sides, respectively. That is, when the liquid crystal panel 1 is held by the first housing 41 and the second housing 42, the portion where the housing 40 and the liquid crystal panel 1 come into contact with each other has a shape substantially conforming to the shape of the liquid crystal panel 1. The internal shapes of the first housing 41 and the second housing 42 are designed. In the state of the liquid crystal device 100, the step portion 3a of the second glass substrate 3 is fitted into the fitting portion 41a of the first housing 41, and the step portion 2a of the first glass substrate 2 is fitted into the fitting portion 42a of the second housing 42. Is inserted. When the liquid crystal panel 1 is held, the second housing 42 is provided with a concave portion 42b on a side corresponding to a side where the circuit board 6 electrically connected to the substantially rectangular liquid crystal panel 1 is located. I have. When the liquid crystal panel 1 is held by the housing 40, the circuit board 6 passes through the concave portion 42 b, and the end of the circuit board 6 that faces the end connected to the liquid crystal panel 1 faces the second glass substrate 2. It is bent so as to be located on the surface 2d side.
[0039]
Next, a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal device 100 using the above-described housing 40 will be described. First, the above-described liquid crystal panel 1 is prepared, and the liquid crystal panel 1 is held by the second housing 42 as shown in FIG. At this time, since the fitting portion 42a of the second housing 42 has a shape substantially along the step 2a of the first glass substrate 2 of the liquid crystal panel 1, the liquid crystal panel 1 is connected to the liquid crystal panel 1 and the second housing. The second housing 42 is held in a state where there is almost no gap between the second housing 42. As shown in the figure, the circuit board 6 is bent through the recess 42b.
[0040]
Next, as shown in FIG. 6B, the first housing 41 is placed on the liquid crystal panel 1 from above in the drawing. Thus, the liquid crystal panel 1 can be held by being sandwiched between the first housing 41 and the second housing 42 from above and below. At this time, since the fitting portion 41a of the first housing 41 has a shape substantially along the step 3a of the second glass substrate 3 of the liquid crystal panel 1, the liquid crystal panel 1 is connected to the liquid crystal panel 1 and the first housing. There is almost no gap between the first and the fourth. When the first housing 41 and the second housing 42 are overlapped, the housing 40 has a substantially rectangular hole formed by the concave portion 42b, and the circuit board 6 passes through this hole.
[0041]
As described above, in the present embodiment, the liquid crystal panel is provided with the step, and the liquid crystal panel is held using the casing having the internal shape along the step. Thus, the step at the peripheral edge of the liquid crystal panel is fitted into the fitting portion of the housing, and the liquid crystal panel is reliably suppressed from above and below by the housing, and the movement of the liquid crystal panel in the housing can be reduced. Further, by providing the liquid crystal panel with the stepped portion, the contact area between the housing and the liquid crystal panel is increased, and the liquid crystal panel can be held more stably. In the present embodiment, since there is almost no gap between the liquid crystal panel and the housing, the liquid crystal panel is securely fixed, and even if an external impact is applied to the liquid crystal device, the liquid crystal panel and the housing may collide with each other. And the liquid crystal panel is hardly broken. Also, even if a gap occurs between the liquid crystal panel and the housing due to a design error, the portion of the housing that contacts the liquid crystal panel is shaped along the liquid crystal panel. Even if the liquid crystal panel and the housing collide with each other due to the impact, the liquid crystal panel is hard to be broken because the force is uniformly dispersed. Furthermore, since the corners of the steps of the liquid crystal panel are rounded by etching, the liquid crystal panel is not easily broken.
[0042]
(Other embodiments)
Hereinafter, other embodiments will be described. The same reference numerals are given to the same structures as those in the above-described embodiments, and different structures will be mainly described.
[0043]
As another embodiment, in addition to the above-described structure of the liquid crystal panel, a concave portion for accommodating the polarizing plate may be provided in the glass substrate. This will be described below with reference to FIGS.
[0044]
FIG. 7A is a schematic perspective view of the liquid crystal panel 201, and FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB ′ of FIG. 7A. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a part of the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal panel 201 ′ before the etching process. 8A is a schematic perspective view of the liquid crystal panel 201 ', and FIGS. 8B and 8C are plan views of the liquid crystal panel when viewed from the directions of arrows A and B in FIG. 8A, respectively. FIG. 9 is a schematic sectional view of a liquid crystal device in which a polarizing plate is arranged on a liquid crystal panel 201 and held by a housing.
[0045]
As shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, the liquid crystal panel 201 has a first glass substrate 202 having a first surface 203c and a second surface 203d facing each other, and a projection 204, and has a first surface 203c and a second surface facing each other. A second glass substrate 203 having two surfaces 203d. Both the first glass substrate 202 and the second glass substrate 203 have step portions 202a (2a in the above-described embodiment) and 203a (3a in the above-described embodiment) at a part of the peripheral edge portion as in the above-described embodiment. ) Is provided. Further, in the present embodiment, a concave portion 202b is provided on the second surfaces 202d and 203d of the glass substrates 202 and 203, respectively. The polarizing plates 61 and 60 are accommodated in the concave portions 202b and 203b. By providing the concave portion and housing the polarizing plate in the concave portion as described above, the thickness of the entire liquid crystal panel can be reduced, and the size can be reduced.
[0046]
The concave portions 202b and 203b of the liquid crystal panel 201 can be formed in the same step as the step of forming the steps 202a and 203a. That is, at the time of forming the resist film in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 8, the resist film is formed so that the resist film 7 is not disposed in the region where the polarizing plate is located in addition to a part of the peripheral portion of the glass substrate. do it. Thus, by etching the glass substrate via the resist film 7, the step portions 202a and 203a and the concave portions 202b and 203b can be simultaneously formed.
[0047]
In addition, in the above-described liquid crystal device 100, nothing is disposed between the liquid crystal panel 1 and the housing 40. However, as shown in FIG. For example, a silicone rubber resin 70 may be provided as an absorbent. Thus, even when an external impact is applied to the liquid crystal device 300, the force is absorbed by the silicon rubber resin 70, the force applied to the liquid crystal panel 1 can be reduced, and the liquid crystal panel 1 is hardly broken. In this case, for example, the side of the housing 40 may be thinned by the thickness of the silicone rubber resin. FIG. 10 is a schematic sectional view of the liquid crystal device 300.
[0048]
Further, in the above-described liquid crystal panel, steps are provided on two opposing sides, respectively. However, as in the liquid crystal panel 301 shown in FIG. 11, the entire periphery of the first glass substrate 301 and the second glass substrate 302 is provided. A step portion 302a may be provided. FIG. 11A is a schematic perspective view of the liquid crystal panel 301, and FIGS. 11B and 11C are schematic sectional views taken along lines CC ′ and DD ′ in FIG. 11A, respectively. . In this manner, by providing the steps on all four sides, the entire periphery of the liquid crystal panel 301 can be fixed with a substantially uniform force. In order to hold the liquid crystal panel, it is sufficient to provide a step on at least two opposing sides as in the above embodiment.
[0049]
The liquid crystal panel 301 having such a structure can be manufactured by forming the resist film 7 in a region excluding the entire peripheral portion of the glass substrate as shown in FIG. 12 during the formation of the resist film in the above embodiment. it can. FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating a part of the manufacturing process of the liquid crystal panel. FIG. 12A is a schematic perspective view of a liquid crystal panel 301 ′ including a first glass substrate 302 ′ and a second glass substrate 303 ′ before an etching process, and FIGS. 3) is a plan view of the liquid crystal panel when viewed from the directions of arrows A and B in FIG.
[0050]
Note that, in the above-described embodiment, a case that merely holds a liquid crystal panel is taken as an example. However, a device that requires a backlight, such as a transmissive or transflective liquid crystal device, requires a backlight and a liquid crystal. The present invention can be applied to a case where a panel and a panel are held by a common housing. In this case, similarly to the above-described embodiment, the first housing and the second housing may be provided so that the outer edges of the liquid crystal panel and the backlight are sandwiched from above and below. Then, in a portion where the liquid crystal panel and the housing come into contact, the internal shape of the housing may be formed to have a shape substantially conforming to the shape of the liquid crystal panel to be brought into contact.
[0051]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where glass is used as the substrate material has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the present invention is also applicable to a case where a substrate material having properties such as quartz, silicon, or the like is used. The operation and effect of the invention can be obtained. However, when glass is used as the substrate material, the effect of the present invention is large.
[0052]
(Electronics)
Finally, an embodiment in which a liquid crystal device including the above liquid crystal panel is used as a display device of an electronic device will be described. FIG. 13 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the entire configuration. The electronic apparatus shown here has, for example, the same liquid crystal device 100 as described above, and control means 1200 for controlling the same. Here, the liquid crystal panel 100 is conceptually divided into a panel structure 100A and a driving circuit 100B including a semiconductor IC or the like. The control means 1200 includes a display information output source 1210, a display processing circuit 1220, a power supply circuit 1230, and a timing generator 1240.
[0053]
The display information output source 1210 includes a memory such as a ROM (Read Only Memory) or a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage unit such as a magnetic recording disk or an optical recording disk, and a tuning circuit for synchronizing and outputting a digital image signal. And is configured to supply display information to the display information processing circuit 1220 in the form of an image signal or the like in a predetermined format based on various clock signals generated by the timing generator 1240.
[0054]
The display information processing circuit 1220 includes various known circuits such as a serial-parallel conversion circuit, an amplification / inversion circuit, a rotation circuit, a gamma correction circuit, and a clamp circuit. Is supplied to the drive circuit 100B together with the clock signal CLK. The driving circuit 100B includes a scanning line driving circuit, a data line driving circuit, and an inspection circuit. The power supply circuit 1230 supplies a predetermined voltage to each of the above-described components.
[0055]
Specific examples of electronic equipment to which the liquid crystal device according to the present invention can be applied include portable personal computers (so-called notebook computers), mobile phones, liquid crystal televisions, viewfinder / monitor direct-view video tape recorders, and car navigation systems. There are devices, pagers, electronic organizers, calculators, word processors, workstations, video phones, POS terminals, digital still cameras, and the like.
[0056]
Further, in the embodiment described above, the liquid crystal panel has been exemplified as the electro-optical panel. However, it is sufficient that a pair of glass substrates is part of the configuration, and various types of devices such as a plasma display device and an electrophoretic display device can be used. It is possible to apply the processing of the present invention to the electro-optical device described above.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a liquid crystal panel according to an embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal panel shown in FIG.
FIG. 3 is a manufacturing process diagram (part 1) of the liquid crystal panel shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a manufacturing process diagram (part 2) of the liquid crystal panel shown in FIG.
FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of a liquid crystal device in which the liquid crystal panel shown in FIG. 1 is incorporated.
FIG. 6 is a manufacturing process diagram of the liquid crystal device of FIG. 5;
FIG. 7 is a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal panel according to another embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a part of a manufacturing process of the liquid crystal panel illustrated in FIG. 7;
9 is a sectional view of a liquid crystal device in which the liquid crystal panel shown in FIG. 7 is incorporated.
FIG. 10 is a sectional view of a liquid crystal device according to still another embodiment.
FIG. 11 is a perspective view and a cross-sectional view of a liquid crystal panel according to still another embodiment.
FIG. 12 is a view illustrating a part of a manufacturing process of the liquid crystal panel illustrated in FIG. 11;
FIG. 13 is a block diagram of an electronic device according to the invention.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 1 '201, 201', 301, 301 '... liquid crystal panel, 2, 202, 302 ... first glass substrate, 2a, 3a, 202a, 203a, 302a, 303a ... step portion, 2c , 2′c, 3c, 3′c, 202c, 202c ′, 203c, 203c ′... First surface, 2d, 2′d, 3d, 3′d, 202d, 202′d, 203d, 203′d ··· Second surface, 3, 203, 303 ··· Second glass substrate, 7 ··· Resist film, 40 ··· Housing, 41a, 42a ··· Fitting portion, 50 ··· Liquid crystal, 60 , 61: polarizing plate, 70: silicon rubber resin, 100, 200, 300: liquid crystal device, 202b, 203b: concave portion

Claims (9)

A first substrate having a first surface and a second surface facing each other, and a first substrate having a step portion in which at least a part of a peripheral portion is removed by etching;
It has a first surface and a second surface facing each other, and the first surface is disposed to face the first surface of the first substrate, and has a step portion in which at least a part of a peripheral portion is removed by etching. A second substrate;
An electro-optical panel, comprising: an electro-optical material sealed between the first substrate and the second substrate. The step portion provided on the first substrate is provided at a corner located on the outer periphery of the second surface of the first substrate,
The electro-optical panel according to claim 1, wherein the step portion provided on the second substrate is provided at a corner located on the outer periphery of the second surface of the second substrate. The first substrate and the second substrate each have a rectangular shape,
3. The electro-optical panel according to claim 2, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate have the step portions on two sides facing each other. The first substrate and the second substrate each have a concave portion substantially at the center of the second surface,
The electro-optical panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising an optical member disposed in the recess. An electro-optical panel according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
An electro-optical device, comprising: a housing that holds the electro-optical panel and has a fitting portion into which a step portion of the electro-optical panel is fitted. The electro-optical device according to claim 5, further comprising a shock absorber provided between the electro-optical panel and the housing. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 5. Disposing a first substrate having opposing first and second surfaces and a second substrate having opposing first and second surfaces such that the first surfaces oppose each other; ,
Forming a mask on the second surface of each of the first substrate and the second substrate disposed opposite each other, except for at least a part of a peripheral portion thereof;
Etching the first substrate and the second substrate via the mask. In the masking step,
9. The electro-optical device according to claim 8, wherein the mask is formed on the second surface of each of the first substrate and the second substrate except for at least a part of a peripheral portion and a central portion thereof. Panel manufacturing method.

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