JP2006171259A - Multilayer body, optically compensating plate using the same, the optically compensating polarizing plate, multilayer optically compensating plate, substrate for liquid crystal display, the liquid crystal display, and method for manufacturing multilayer body - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multilayer body that can be used for an optical compensating plate or the like, by using a liquid crystal and that can easily control the alignment direction of the liquid crystal, with respect to a direction except the direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the substrate. <P>SOLUTION: The multilayer body comprises a base material, an alignment layer formed on the base material and containing plate-like molecules, and a liquid crystal layer formed on the alignment layer and comprising a fixed nematic liquid crystal. The multilayer body has the plate-like molecules constitute a columnar structure with normal directions of the plate-like molecules, arranged oriented in a specified direction of the base material; the columnar structure is arranged in a plurality of numbers in a specified direction of the base material; and the nematic liquid crystal is aligned approximately perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecules. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a laminate that can be used for an optical compensator or the like.

  Currently, many optical compensators are used for liquid crystal display elements. Since the liquid crystal has a refractive index anisotropy in which the refractive index varies depending on the direction, the display quality deteriorates when the liquid crystal display element is viewed from an oblique direction. In order to improve such viewing angle dependency, an optical compensator is required.

  Examples of a general optical compensation plate include a stretched film and a liquid crystal. An optical compensator using liquid crystal has an advantage that the same function can be obtained with a thinness of 1/10 because it has a larger anisotropy than a stretched film, but an alignment film for aligning the liquid crystal is required. .

  As this alignment film, a rubbing film or an optical alignment film is generally used. However, the rubbing film has problems such as generation of static electricity and dust and unevenness during large area processing. In addition, the photo-alignment film is useful in that it does not generate static electricity or dust and can control the orientation process quantitatively. However, it requires an exposure process and requires a device cost, and the photoreaction rate is slow. There's a problem.

  On the other hand, Patent Document 1 proposes an alignment film using a dichroic dye exhibiting lyotropic liquid crystallinity. A dichroic dye exhibiting lyotropic liquid crystallinity can be aligned by applying a coating solution containing this dichroic dye using a coating method in which a shearing force acts. It has the advantage that it can be formed.

  Here, since the optical compensator is used to improve the viewing angle dependency, when the optical compensator is incorporated in the liquid crystal display element, the liquid crystal alignment direction of the liquid crystal cell or the absorption axis of the polarizing plate The optical axis of the optical compensation plate is arranged at a specific angle. In order to make such an arrangement, the optical compensator must be cut to a predetermined size, the optical axis must be arranged in a predetermined direction, and affixed to a liquid crystal cell or a polarizing plate. is there. Therefore, for example, an optical compensator having an optical axis that forms a specific angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the long film is required.

  In the optical compensation plate using the liquid crystal described above, when a rubbing film is used as the alignment film, it is difficult to rub continuously at an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the long film. It is difficult to obtain an optical compensator in which liquid crystals are aligned at an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the film. In addition, when a photo-alignment film is used as the alignment film, it can meet the requirement of liquid crystal alignment with an angle with respect to the long direction of the long film. It is difficult to keep precisely the angle and distance between the irradiation direction and the long film.

JP 2002-148441 A

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can be used for an optical compensator using liquid crystal, etc., and the orientation direction of the liquid crystal is easily other than the direction parallel to the longitudinal direction of the substrate. It is a main object to provide a laminate that can be set as follows.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a base material, an alignment layer formed on the base material and containing a plate-like molecule, and a liquid crystal formed on the alignment layer and fixing a nematic liquid crystal. A laminate having a layer,
The plate-like molecules form a column structure in which the normal direction of the plate-like molecules is arranged in a certain direction of the substrate, and a plurality of the column structures are arranged in a certain direction of the substrate, The nematic liquid crystal provides a laminate characterized by being oriented substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate molecule.

  According to the present invention, since the nematic liquid crystal is aligned substantially perpendicularly to the normal direction of the plate molecule, for example, when a long substrate is used as the substrate, the normal direction of the plate molecule is set to the base material. By setting in the long direction, nematic liquid crystal can be easily oriented in the width direction of the substrate. The alignment layer is formed, for example, by applying a coating liquid for forming an alignment layer containing plate-like molecules while applying a shear stress, and the column structure made of the plate-like molecules has an alignment layer. Since it is oriented along the application direction of the forming coating liquid, the normal of the plate-like molecule is obtained by applying the alignment layer forming coating liquid in the longitudinal direction of the substrate as is usually done. The direction can be set in the longitudinal direction of the substrate, and the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal can be set in the width direction of the substrate only by using a normal coating method. Furthermore, since an alignment layer having alignment ability can be formed by applying an alignment layer-forming coating solution containing plate-like molecules in this way, alignment processing such as rubbing or alignment is not required. The nematic liquid crystal can be aligned by a simple method, and when the laminate of the present invention is used as an optical compensator, for example, it can be an optical compensator with high production efficiency.

  In the said invention, the said base material is a elongate base material, It is preferable that the said nematic liquid crystal is orientating so that it may cross | intersect with respect to the elongate direction of the said base material. When using such a laminate, for example, as an optical compensator, it can be directly bonded to a polarizing plate whose absorption axis is in the longitudinal direction of the substrate without cutting into a predetermined size as in the past. This is because the optical compensation plate can be obtained.

  In the present invention, the alignment layer includes a resin layer having a patterned recess or protrusion, and a columner layer formed on the resin layer, the column structure being aligned along the recess of the resin layer. It may have. It is because it can be set as the columner layer which has orientation ability by orientating the column structure which consists of the said plate-shaped molecule | numerator using the recessed part of the said resin layer. In addition, since the column structure made of the plate-like molecules is oriented along the concave portions of the resin layer, the arrangement direction of the column structure made of the plate-like molecules can be changed by appropriately selecting the pattern of the concave or convex portions of the resin layer. This is because it is possible to control the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal. Thereby, for example, an optical compensator having a desired optical anisotropy can be obtained using the laminate of the present invention.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the plate molecule preferably exhibits lyotropic liquid crystallinity in a solution. Such a plate-like molecule forms a column structure by self-organization in a solution and exhibits lyotropic liquid crystallinity. Therefore, by applying an alignment layer forming coating solution containing this plate-like molecule, This is because a column structure composed of molecules can be easily oriented.

  The present invention also provides an optical compensation plate using the above-described laminate, wherein the liquid crystal layer of the laminate has an optical compensation function.

  Since the optical compensator of the present invention uses the above-described laminate, for example, nematic liquid crystal can be aligned in the width direction of a long base material. Therefore, the optical compensator plate having an optical axis in the width direction of the base material. It can be. Thereby, when bonding the optical compensation plate of this invention with a polarizing plate, manufacturing efficiency can be improved, without cut | disconnecting either to a predetermined dimension.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides an optical compensation polarizing plate using the laminate described above, wherein the liquid crystal layer of the laminate has an optical compensation function, and the alignment layer has a polarization function.

  In the present invention, since the above-described laminate is used, nematic liquid crystal can be aligned so as to be substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecules contained in the alignment layer. Since the optical compensation function and the alignment layer have a polarization function, an optical compensation polarizing plate arranged so that the optical axis of the liquid crystal layer and the absorption axis of the alignment layer are about 90 ° can be easily obtained. Furthermore, since the liquid crystal layer having the optical compensation function and the alignment layer having the polarization function are integrally formed, the optical compensation polarizing plate can be reduced in thickness and weight. The optical compensation polarizing plate of the present invention has a polarizing function and an optical compensation function as long as it has at least a substrate, an alignment layer, and a liquid crystal layer. Therefore, the polarizing plate and the optical compensation plate are separately formed and bonded. Compared to the above, there is no protective film between the alignment layer and the liquid crystal layer, so there is no need to consider the change in the refractive index due to the protective film, and the reduction in transmittance due to the large number of layers is suppressed. be able to.

  The present invention also provides a laminated optical compensator using the laminate described above, wherein the liquid crystal layer and the alignment layer of the laminate have an optical compensation function.

  In the present invention, the liquid crystal layer and the alignment layer of the laminate described above have an optical compensation function, and the compensation range of each layer is different, so that the compensation range can be widened.

  The present invention also provides a substrate for a liquid crystal display element comprising the above-described laminate, an electrode layer, and an alignment film.

  According to the present invention, since the above-described laminated body is provided, for example, when the laminated body is used as an optical compensation plate, an optical compensation polarizing plate, and a laminated optical compensation plate, the liquid crystal display element having the above-described advantages is provided. It can be a substrate. Further, when the alignment layer and the liquid crystal layer of the laminate are formed closer to the alignment film than the substrate of the laminate, the substrate is used when the liquid crystal display element is used as the liquid crystal display element substrate of the present invention. Since an alignment layer and a liquid crystal layer are formed inside the substrate, there is no influence of the birefringence of the base material, and the choice of materials used for the base material is widened, so that the liquid crystal display element is made thinner and lighter. Can also reduce manufacturing costs.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a liquid crystal display element using the laminate described above.

  According to the present invention, since the above-described laminated body is used, for example, when the laminated body is used as an optical compensation plate, an optical compensation polarizing plate, and a laminated optical compensation plate, can do.

In the present invention, a coating liquid for forming an alignment layer containing a plate molecule is applied on a substrate, and the normal direction of the plate molecule is directed to a certain direction of the substrate. A coating film forming step for forming a coating film by aligning to form an aligned column structure, a drying step for drying the coating film, and an immobilization step for fixing the orientation state of the plate molecules. An alignment layer forming step of forming an alignment layer by,
A liquid crystal composition is applied on the alignment layer, and the nematic liquid crystal in the liquid crystal composition is aligned so as to be substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecules, thereby fixing the alignment state of the nematic liquid crystal. And a liquid crystal layer forming step of forming a liquid crystal layer by forming a liquid crystal layer.

  According to the present invention, an orientation layer having orientation ability is formed by orienting the plate molecules by applying a coating liquid for forming an orientation layer containing the plate molecules, and the orientation ability of the orientation layer is utilized. The liquid crystal layer is formed by aligning nematic liquid crystal. As described above, this nematic liquid crystal is aligned so as to be substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecule. Therefore, when a long base material is used, the nematic liquid crystal is easily aligned in the width direction of the base material. Can be oriented. Thereby, for example, it is possible to manufacture a laminate that can be used as an optical compensator having an optical axis in the width direction of the substrate by a simple method.

  In the said invention, it is preferable that the coating method which applies a shear stress with respect to the said coating liquid for alignment layer formation is used in the coating-film formation process of the said alignment layer formation process. This is because a column structure composed of plate-like molecules can be arranged along the coating direction by using a coating method in which shear stress is applied.

  Moreover, in this invention, the resin layer formation process of forming the resin layer which has a pattern-shaped recessed part or convex part on the said base material may be performed before the coating-film formation process of the said orientation layer formation process. This is because by forming this resin layer, the column structure composed of plate-like molecules can be oriented along the recesses of the resin layer. In addition, since the alignment direction of the column structure composed of plate-like molecules can be controlled by selecting the pattern of the concave or convex portions of the resin layer, the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal can be controlled. . Thereby, when using the laminated body manufactured by this invention as an optical compensator, it can be set as the optical compensator which has desired optical anisotropy.

  In the said invention, it is preferable to use the spray coat method, the dip coat method, the inkjet method, or the flexographic printing method in the coating-film formation process of the said orientation layer formation process. This is because by using such a method, the column structure composed of the plate-like molecules can be easily oriented along the concave portion of the resin layer.

  Moreover, in the said invention, the said resin layer formation process is a coating process which apply | coats a curable resin composition on the said base material or the board | substrate for recessed formation which has a pattern-shaped convex part or a recessed part, the said base material, An arrangement step of stacking the recess forming substrate with the curable resin composition sandwiched therebetween, a curing step of curing the curable resin composition to form a curable resin, and the curable resin composition or the curing It is preferable to have a recess forming step of peeling the recess forming substrate from the functional resin to form a patterned recess or protrusion. Since the resin layer is formed by duplicating the convex portion of the concave portion forming substrate, the resin layer is composed of plate-like molecules by appropriately selecting the convex portion or concave portion pattern of the concave portion forming substrate. This is because the alignment direction of the column structure and the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal can be arbitrarily set. Moreover, it is possible to produce a large number of laminates that can be used for an optical compensator having a desired optical anisotropy, etc., only by once producing an original plate of a substrate for forming recesses, thereby improving production efficiency. .

  Furthermore, in the present invention, it is preferable to use a method of crosslinking the plate-like molecules in the fixing step of the alignment layer forming step. This is because the orientation of the column structure composed of plate-like molecules is stable and an orientation layer having excellent heat resistance can be formed.

  According to the present invention, when a long base material is used, nematic liquid crystal can be easily aligned in the width direction of the base material, and thus, for example, used as an optical compensator having an optical axis in the width direction of the base material. It is possible. In addition, since an alignment layer can be formed by applying a coating liquid for forming an alignment layer containing a plate-like molecule, nematic liquid crystal can be formed by a simple method without requiring alignment treatment such as rubbing treatment or alignment treatment. Can be oriented, and the production efficiency can be improved.

  Hereinafter, the laminate of the present invention, an optical compensation plate, an optical compensation polarizing plate, a laminate type optical compensation plate, a substrate for a liquid crystal display element and a liquid crystal display element, and a method for producing the laminate will be described in detail.

A. Laminated body First, the laminated body of this invention is demonstrated.
The laminate of the present invention is a laminate having a substrate, an alignment layer formed on the substrate and containing a plate-like molecule, and a liquid crystal layer formed on the alignment layer and having a nematic liquid crystal fixed thereto. The plate-like molecule forms a column structure in which the normal direction of the plate-like molecule is arranged in a certain direction of the substrate, and the column structure is arranged in a plurality in a certain direction of the substrate. The nematic liquid crystal is characterized by being aligned substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecule.

  The laminate of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the laminate of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the laminate 11 of the present invention is formed on a base material 1, an orientation layer 2 formed on the base material 1 and containing a plate-like molecule, and formed on the orientation layer 2, and is nematic. The liquid crystal layer 3 is formed by fixing liquid crystal.

  FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a model structure and normal direction of a plate-like molecule used in the present invention, and FIG. 2B is a schematic perspective view of an alignment layer used in the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2 (b), in this alignment layer, the plate-like molecules 12 are arranged so that the normal direction n of the plate-like molecules 12 faces a certain direction of the substrate 1, and the column structure 12 'is formed. A plurality of such column structures 12 'are arranged to constitute an alignment layer. In the present invention, since the alignment layer is configured by arranging the plate-like molecules 12 in this way, the column axial direction of the plurality of column structures 12 ′ is directed to a certain direction of the substrate 1. Thus, a layer having orientation ability can be obtained.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the laminate of the present invention, and shows the relationship between the normal direction of the plate-like molecules in the alignment layer and the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal in the liquid crystal layer. In FIG. 3, the nematic liquid crystal 13 constituting the liquid crystal layer is aligned in a direction m orthogonal to the normal direction n of the plate-like molecule 12. As described above, in the present invention, the nematic liquid crystal is aligned substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecule. For example, when a long substrate is used as the substrate, the normal direction of the plate-like molecule is changed. By setting in the long direction of the base material, the nematic liquid crystal can be easily oriented in the width direction of the base material. In addition, when the alignment layer is formed, for example, by applying a coating liquid for forming an alignment layer containing plate-like molecules while applying a shear stress, the plate-like molecules 12 as shown in FIG. Since the column structure 12 ′ is formed by laminating so that the normal direction n faces the coating direction A, in order to set the normal direction of the plate-like molecule to the long direction of the substrate, the long direction and It is necessary to apply the alignment layer-forming coating solution in parallel, but such application is a common practice and is very easy. The nematic liquid crystal can be aligned in the direction.

  In the present invention, the term “substantially perpendicular” means that the angle θ between the normal direction n of the plate-like molecules 12 of the alignment layer and the alignment direction m of the nematic liquid crystal of the liquid crystal layer is in the range of 90 ° ± 5 °. It means to become. This angle θ is preferably in the range of 90 ° ± 1 °. In addition, the said angle is taken as the value measured using the phase difference measuring apparatus (The Oji Scientific Instruments company make, brand name KOBRA).

In the present invention, since an alignment layer having alignment ability can be formed by applying an alignment layer-forming coating solution containing plate-like molecules in this way, alignment such as rubbing treatment or alignment treatment is performed. Without necessitating treatment, nematic liquid crystal can be aligned by a simple method. When the laminate of the present invention is used, for example, as an optical compensator, it can be an optical compensator with high production efficiency. is there.
Hereinafter, each structural member of such a laminated body is demonstrated.

1. Alignment layer First, the alignment layer used in the present invention will be described. The alignment layer used in the present invention is a layer that is formed on a substrate described later and contains a plate-like molecule. Further, the plate-like molecules contained in the alignment layer form a column structure in which the normal direction of the plate-like molecules is arranged in a certain direction of the substrate. The nematic liquid crystal is aligned substantially perpendicularly to the normal direction of the plate molecule by the interaction between the column structure composed of the plate molecules and the nematic liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal layer described later. It has an orientation ability to control the orientation.

  The alignment layer in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it contains plate-like molecules and can align nematic liquid crystals in a predetermined direction. However, as a preferred embodiment, a single layer containing plate-like molecules is preferable. In the case of a single layer (first embodiment), a resin layer having a pattern-like recess or projection, and a column structure made of plate-like molecules oriented along the recess of the resin layer. And a columnar layer (second embodiment). Hereinafter, each aspect will be described.

(1) 1st aspect The 1st aspect of the orientation layer in this invention is a case where an orientation layer is a single layer containing a plate-like molecule. When the alignment layer is a single layer, the laminate of the present invention can be thinned.

  The plate-like molecules used in this embodiment form a column structure in which the normal direction of the plate-like molecules is arranged in a certain direction of the substrate.

  Here, the plate-like molecule means a molecule having at least a plurality of aromatic ring structures and having a core portion of the molecule arranged in a planar shape.

  Such a plate-like molecule is not particularly limited as long as it can form a column structure by stacking in a columnar shape. Examples of the plate-like molecule forming the column structure include a plate-like molecule having a hydrophilic group such as a sulfonic acid group or a plate-like molecule having a hydrophobic group such as a long-chain alkyl group. Among these, it is preferable to use a plate molecule having a hydrophilic group. This is because the plate-like molecule having a hydrophilic group has a small hydrophilic group and the distance between adjacent column structures is short, so that the column structures can be easily arranged. Moreover, it is because an immobilization process becomes easy by neutralizing hydrophilic parts, such as a sulfonic acid group, and making it hardly soluble or insoluble in water.

  Examples of the hydrophilic group include sulfonic acid-based hydrophilic groups such as a sulfonic acid group, a sodium sulfonate group, an ammonium sulfonate group, a lithium sulfonate group, and a potassium sulfonate group, and a carboxyl group, a sodium carboxylate group, and a carboxyl group. Examples thereof include carboxylic acid-based hydrophilic groups such as an ammonium acid group, a lithium carboxylate group, and a potassium carboxylate group, a hydroxyl group, and an amino group. Among these, a sulfonic acid-based hydrophilic group is preferable.

  In addition, it can be confirmed by measuring using a X-ray-diffraction apparatus that a plate-shaped molecule | numerator forms the column structure.

  Among the above, the plate-like molecule used in this embodiment preferably forms a column structure in a solution and exhibits lyotropic liquid crystallinity. This is because a plate-like molecule exhibiting lyotropic liquid crystallinity in a solution has a high self-organizing power. For example, by applying a coating liquid for forming an alignment layer containing a plate-like molecule exhibiting lyotropic liquid crystallinity in a solution, the column structure can be easily aligned using self-organization of the plate-like molecule.

  Examples of the plate-like molecule exhibiting lyotropic liquid crystallinity in such a solution include a plate-like molecule exhibiting lyotropic liquid crystallinity in an aqueous solution, or a plate-like molecule exhibiting lyotropic liquid crystallinity in an organic solvent. The type of the solution differs depending on the substituent of the plate molecule, and when the plate molecule has a hydrophilic group such as a sulfonic acid group, an aqueous solution is used, and a hydrophobic property such as a long chain alkyl group. When it has a group, an organic solvent is used. In this embodiment, it is particularly preferable to use a plate-like molecule that forms a column structure in an aqueous solution and exhibits lyotropic liquid crystallinity. Such a plate-like molecule forms a column structure by self-organization in an aqueous solution and exhibits lyotropic liquid crystallinity. Therefore, by applying an alignment layer-forming coating liquid containing this plate-like molecule, the column structure This is because can be easily oriented. Furthermore, because the plate-like molecule is water-soluble, an immobilization process for immobilizing the column structure is facilitated.

  Specific examples of the plate-like molecule that forms a column structure in the aqueous solution and exhibits lyotropic liquid crystallinity include substances represented by the following chemical formula.

The alkyl group in each chemical formula is preferably one having 1 to 4 carbon atoms. The halogen in each chemical formula is preferably Cl or Br. Further, as the cation in the above ^{formula, H +, Li +, Na} +, K +, Cs + or _NH ^{4 +} and the like. These substances can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  As the plate-like molecule used in the present invention, among the above substances, substances represented by the above chemical formulas I to V are preferably used.

  The plate-like molecules are not limited to those showing lyotropic liquid crystal properties as described above, and may be those showing thermotropic liquid crystal properties.

  Furthermore, the alignment layer used in this embodiment may contain a liquid crystal material in addition to the plate-like molecule. For example, even when a column structure composed of plate-like molecules is difficult to align by coating, the column structure made of plate-like molecules can be aligned along the alignment direction of the liquid crystal material by aligning the liquid crystal material. is there. The liquid crystal material is not particularly limited as long as it is a liquid crystal material capable of aligning a column structure composed of plate-like molecules, but the laminated body of the present invention will be described later as an optical compensation polarizing plate or a laminated optical compensation. When used for a plate or the like, it is preferable to use a liquid crystal material capable of forming an alignment layer having a polarization function and an optical compensation function. The liquid crystal composition of the liquid crystal material and the plate-like molecule may exhibit lyotropic liquid crystallinity or thermotropic liquid crystallinity, but usually exhibits thermotropic liquid crystallinity. Is used.

  Although the thickness of the alignment layer used in this embodiment varies depending on the use of the laminate of the present invention, it is usually preferably in the range of 10 nm to 1000 nm, more preferably in the range of 20 nm to 500 nm, and 50 nm to More preferably within the range of 300 nm. This is because if the thickness of the alignment layer is too thin, the alignment of the nematic liquid crystal may not be sufficiently controlled. On the other hand, if the alignment layer is too thick, the alignment may be disturbed near the surface, which is not preferable in terms of cost.

  Further, the light transmittance of the alignment layer is preferably 80% or more in the visible light region, and more preferably 90% or more. The transmittance is a value measured at a distance of 40 cm using a spectrum photometer (SR-3 manufactured by Topcon).

  Such an alignment layer is formed by forming a column structure composed of the plate-like molecules in the alignment layer-forming coating solution containing the plate-like molecules, and applying the alignment layer-forming coating solution. It can be formed on the substrate while maintaining the column structure. The method for forming the alignment layer will be described in detail in the section of “G. Method for Manufacturing Laminate”, which will be described later.

(2) Second Aspect In the second aspect of the alignment layer in the present invention, for example, as shown in FIG. 4, the alignment layer 2 is formed on the resin layer 2 a having a patterned recess and the resin layer 2 a. In this case, the column structure made of the plate-like molecules has the columnar layer 2b oriented along the concave portion of the resin layer 2a. In this columner layer, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, by applying a coating liquid for forming an alignment layer containing a plate-like molecule 12 on a resin layer 2 a having a patterned concave portion, A column structure 12 'is formed by arranging the normal direction n so as to face a certain direction, and a plurality of column structures 12' are arranged along the recesses of the resin layer 2a to form columns of a plurality of column structures 12 '. Since the axial directions are aligned in a certain direction of the substrate 1, a layer having orientation ability can be obtained.

In this embodiment, since the column structure composed of plate-like molecules is oriented along the recesses of the resin layer as described above, the plate shape can be selected by appropriately selecting the pattern of the recesses or projections of the resin layer. The arrangement direction of the column structure composed of molecules can be controlled. Further, as described above, the nematic liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal layer, which will be described later, is aligned substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate molecule, and the normal direction of the plate molecule is the alignment direction of the column structure. Therefore, the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal can be controlled by selecting the concave or convex pattern of the resin layer. Thereby, when the laminated body of the present invention is used as an optical compensation plate, for example, the optical axis of the optical compensation plate can be arbitrarily set. Furthermore, the resin layer having a pattern-like concave portion or convex portion is cured by sandwiching the resin composition between, for example, a base material and a substrate for forming a concave portion having a pattern-like convex portion or concave portion on the surface. Since it is formed by peeling off the recess forming substrate, a desired recess or convex pattern can be easily formed by selecting a convex portion or a concave pattern of the concave portion forming substrate. In this embodiment, by having such a resin layer, the alignment direction of the column structure composed of plate-like molecules and the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal can be controlled by a simple method, so the laminate of the present invention is used. Thus, it is possible to easily produce an optical compensation plate having an optical axis in a desired direction.
Hereinafter, each configuration of the alignment layer will be described. Note that the columnar layer is the same as the alignment layer described in the first aspect described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

(Resin layer)
The resin layer used in this embodiment is formed on a base material to be described later, and has a patterned concave or convex portion on the surface. The shape of the pattern of such concave portions or convex portions is not particularly limited as long as it is a shape capable of orienting a column structure composed of plate-like molecules to form a layer having orientation ability. Of these, a stripe shape is preferred. This is because a column structure made of plate-like molecules can be easily oriented along the stripe-shaped recess.

  The width of the concave portion varies depending on the type of plate-like molecule to be described later, but is usually in the range of 0.1 μm to 10 μm, more preferably in the range of 0.2 μm to 1 μm, particularly 0.2 μm to It is preferable to be within the range of 0.4 μm. Forming the width of the concave portion narrower than the above range is difficult in terms of manufacturing method, and conversely, if the width of the concave portion is too wide, it may be difficult to arrange the column structure made of plate-like molecules. It is. Here, the width of the concave portion is, for example, the width indicated by a in FIG. 6 and refers to the width of the portion formed in a concave shape.

  Further, the depth of the concave portion is preferably within a range of 0.05 μm to 1 μm, and more preferably within a range of 0.1 μm to 0.2 μm. This is because if the depth of the recess is too shallow, the performance of aligning the column structure made of plate-like molecules is lowered, and if the depth of the recess is too deep, the alignment of nematic liquid crystal described later may be adversely affected. Here, the depth of the recess is, for example, the depth indicated by b in FIG. 6 and refers to the height from the deepest portion in the recess to the end of the recess.

  Furthermore, when the shape of the pattern of the recesses is a stripe shape, the interval between the recesses varies depending on the type of plate molecule, etc., but usually the interval between the ends of the adjacent recesses and the ends of the recesses, that is, the protrusions The width is less than or equal to half the wavelength of visible light, preferably in the range of 0.05 μm to 2 μm, more preferably in the range of 0.1 μm to 1 μm, and particularly preferably in the range of 0.1 μm to 0.2 μm. It is difficult in terms of manufacturing method to form the interval between the end of the adjacent recess and the end of the recess smaller than the above range. Conversely, if the interval between the end of the adjacent recess and the end of the recess is too wide, the plate This is because it may be difficult to arrange a column structure composed of molecular molecules. Further, if the distance between the end of the adjacent recess and the end of the recess is a value close to the wavelength of visible light, there is a possibility that problems such as optical coloring may occur due to light diffraction. Here, the space | interval of the edge of an adjacent recessed part and the edge of a recessed part is a space | interval shown by c of FIG. 6, for example.

  The pitch of the recesses is appropriately selected depending on the type of plate-like molecule and the like, but is usually within a range of 0.1 μm to 10 μm, preferably within a range of 0.2 μm to 1 μm, particularly 0.2 μm to It is preferable to be within the range of 0.4 μm. It is difficult to make the pitch of the recesses narrower than the above range in terms of the manufacturing method, and conversely, if the pitch of the recesses is too wide, it may be difficult to arrange the column structure made of plate-like molecules. It is. Here, the pitch of the recesses is, for example, the pitch indicated by d in FIG. 6 and refers to the distance from the center of the adjacent recesses to the center of the recesses.

  The cross-sectional shape of the recess is not particularly limited. For example, the cross-sectional shape may be a rectangle as shown in FIG. 4 or other cross-sectional shape such as a trapezoid. This is because the column structure composed of plate-like molecules can be easily oriented.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the resin layer used for this aspect consists of curable resin. The resin layer made of a curable resin is prepared by preparing a concave portion forming substrate having a convex portion corresponding to a target concave portion on the surface, and a curable resin composition is interposed between the concave portion forming substrate and a base material described later. This is because the concave portion or the convex portion can be easily formed by sandwiching and curing. Moreover, it is because the shape of a recessed part can be stabilized by consisting of curable resin which hardened the curable resin composition.

  Examples of the curable resin composition used in this embodiment include an energy ray curable resin composition that is cured by irradiation with energy rays, and a thermosetting resin composition that is cured by heat. In this embodiment, an energy ray curable resin composition is particularly preferable. Examples of the energy beam curable resin composition include a UV curable resin composition that is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, and an electron beam curable resin composition that is cured by irradiation with electron beams. A resin composition is preferred. This is because the method of using ultraviolet rays as energy rays is an already established technique and can be easily applied to the present invention.

  The UV curable resin composition is not particularly limited as long as it is cured by irradiation with ultraviolet rays, but the polyfunctional monomer component and / or oligomer component and / or polymer component is cured by photopolymerization. It is preferable.

  Although it does not specifically limit as said polyfunctional monomer component, A polyfunctional acrylate monomer is used suitably. Specifically, ethylene glycol (meth) acrylate, diethylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, propylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, dipropylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, polyethylene glycol di (meth) acrylate, polypropylene glycol di (meth) Acrylate, hexane di (meth) acrylate, neopentyl glycol di (meth) acrylate, glycerin di (meth) acrylate, glycerin tri (meth) acrylate, trimethylolpropane tri (meth) acrylate, 1,4-butanediol diacrylate, penta Erythritol (meth) acrylate, pentaerythritol tri (meth) acrylate, pentaerythritol tetra (meth) acrylate, dipentaerythritol Ruhekisa (meth) acrylate can be exemplified dipentaerythritol penta (meth) acrylate.

  The oligomer component is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include urethane acrylate, epoxy acrylate, polyester acrylate, epoxy, vinyl ether, and polyene / thiol.

  The polymer component is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a photocrosslinking polymer. Specifically, a polyvinyl cinnamate-based resin that causes a photodimerization reaction can be used.

  Further, as the photopolymerization initiator added to the UV curable resin composition, a photo radical polymerization initiator that can be activated by ultraviolet light, for example, ultraviolet light of 365 nm or less is used. Specifically, benzophenone, methyl o-benzoylbenzoate, 4,4-bis (dimethylamine) benzophenone, 4,4-bis (diethylamine) benzophenone, α-amino-acetophenone, 4,4-dichlorobenzophenone, 4- Benzoyl-4-methyldiphenyl ketone, dibenzyl ketone, fluorenone, 2,2-diethoxyacetophenone, 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone, 2-hydroxy-2-methylpropiophenone, p-tert-butyldichloro Acetophenone, thioxanthone, 2-methylthioxanthone, 2-chlorothioxanthone, 2-isopropylthioxanthone, diethylthioxanthone, benzyldimethyl ketal, benzylmethoxyethyl acetal, benzoin methyl ether, Nzoin butyl ether, anthraquinone, 2-tert-butylanthraquinone, 2-amylanthraquinone, β-chloroanthraquinone, anthrone, benzanthrone, dibenzsuberon, methyleneanthrone, 4-azidobenzylacetophenone, 2,6-bis (p-azidobenzylidene ) Cyclohexane, 2,6-bis (p-azidobenzylidene) -4-methylcyclohexanone, 2-phenyl-1,2-butadion-2- (o-methoxycarbonyl) oxime, 1-phenyl-propanedione-2- ( o-ethoxycarbonyl) oxime, 1,3-diphenyl-propanetrione-2- (o-ethoxycarbonyl) oxime, 1-phenyl-3-ethoxy-propanetrione-2- (o-benzoyl) oxime, Michler's ketone 2-methyl-1 [4- (methylthio) phenyl] -2-morpholinopropan-1-one, 2-benzyl-2-dimethylamino-1- (4-morpholinophenyl) -butanone, naphthalenesulfonyl chloride, quinoline Sulfonyl chloride, n-phenylthioacridone, 4,4-azobisisobutyronitrile, diphenyl disulfide, benzthiazole disulfide, triphenylphosphine, camphorquinone, Adeka N1717, carbon tetrabromide, tribromophenyl sulfone, Examples thereof include a combination of a photoreductive dye such as benzoin peroxide, eosin and methylene blue with a reducing agent such as ascorbic acid or triethanolamine. In this embodiment, these photopolymerization initiators can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  The content of such a photopolymerization initiator is preferably in the range of 0.5 to 30% by weight, particularly in the range of 1 to 10% by weight in the UV curable resin composition.

  Examples of the solvent that can be used for the UV curable resin composition include alcohols such as methanol, ethanol, n-propanol, isopropanol, ethylene glycol, and propylene glycol; terpenes such as α- or β-terpineol; acetone , Ketones such as methyl ethyl ketone, cyclohexanone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone; aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene, xylene, tetramethylbenzene; cellosolve, methyl cellosolve, ethyl cellosolve, carbitol, methyl carbitol, ethyl carbitol , Butyl carbitol, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, propylene glycol monoethyl ether, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, dipropylene glycol monoethyl ether, triethyl Glycol ethers such as lenglycol monomethyl ether and triethylene glycol monoethyl ether; ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, cellosolve acetate, ethyl cellosolve acetate, butyl cellosolve acetate, carbitol acetate, ethyl carbitol acetate, butyl carbitol acetate, propylene glycol monomethyl Acetic acid esters such as ether acetate and propylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate can be exemplified. Moreover, 1 type (s) or 2 or more types can be mixed and used from these solvents.

  In this embodiment, the UV curable resin composition may be applied without adding a solvent. Therefore, the content of such a solvent is preferably in the range of 0 to 99.9% by weight, particularly in the range of 0 to 80% by weight in the UV curable resin composition.

  The reason why the photopolymerization initiator and the solvent are set within the above-described ranges is as follows. In this aspect, the resin layer having a patterned recess is formed by sandwiching and curing the curable resin composition between a base material and a substrate for forming a recess having a pattern-shaped protrusion or recess. Can do. Therefore, it is preferable that the curable resin composition has a predetermined viscosity so as to enter the gaps between the concaves and convexes of the substrate for forming recesses, and the desired amount of the photopolymerization initiator and the solvent is within the above-described range. It can be set as the curable resin composition which has a viscosity.

  The thickness of the resin layer varies depending on the use of the laminate of the present invention, but the thickness of the recess is usually 1 μm or less, preferably 0.2 μm or less. It is because the laminated body of this invention may become heavy when the thickness of a recessed part is too thick. Further, considering the thickness reduction of the laminate, the thickness of the recess is preferably thin, but it is difficult to form a too thin one, so the thickness of the recess is usually 0.1 μm or more. Here, the thickness of the recess is, for example, the thickness of the portion where the recess as shown by e in FIG. 6 is formed.

  Moreover, since the resin layer used in this embodiment has concave or convex portions formed on the surface thereof, the resin layer surface has high water repellency, and the column structure made of plate-like molecules may not be sufficiently oriented. Since the columnar layer in this embodiment is formed by applying an alignment layer-forming coating solution on the resin layer, the resin layer surface is preferably hydrophilic. In this case, a hydrophilic layer may be provided on the resin layer, or the surface of the resin layer may be subjected to a hydrophilic treatment. Examples of the hydrophilic layer include a silica film formed by a sol-gel method of tetraethoxysilane. Moreover, as a method of surface-treating the surface of the resin layer so as to be hydrophilic, a hydrophilic surface treatment by plasma treatment using argon, water, or the like can be given.

2. Next, the liquid crystal layer used in the present invention will be described. The liquid crystal layer used in the present invention is formed by fixing nematic liquid crystal. This nematic liquid crystal is aligned substantially perpendicularly to the normal direction of the plate-like molecule by interacting with the column structure comprising the plate-like molecule of the alignment layer described above.

  In this invention, when the base material mentioned later is a long base material, it is preferable that the nematic liquid crystal is orientated so that it may cross | intersect with the long direction of a base material. Here, in general, when the optical compensation plate is bonded to the polarizing plate, the optical axis of the optical compensation plate is arranged so as to form a specific angle such as 90 ° with respect to the absorption axis of the polarizing plate. Is usually produced by uniaxially stretching a long polymer film, and its absorption axis is directed in the longitudinal direction of the long substrate. Since the laminate of the present invention can align nematic liquid crystals in the width direction of the substrate as described above even when a long substrate is used as the substrate, for example, the laminate of the present invention is used. When an optical compensator is used, the optical axis of the optical compensator can be set in the width direction of the substrate, so that it can be directly bonded to a polarizing plate having an absorption axis in the longitudinal direction of the substrate. It can be an optical compensator.

  In the present invention, the nematic liquid crystal is aligned so as to intersect with the long direction of the long substrate. The director of the nematic liquid crystal that has been aligned has an angle with the long direction of the substrate. (Not 0 °). Here, the director of the nematic liquid crystal can be measured using a phase difference measuring device (trade name KOBRA, manufactured by Oji Scientific Instruments).

  Further, when the alignment layer has a resin layer and a columnar layer, the column structure made of plate-like molecules is aligned along the concave portion of the resin layer as described above. By appropriately selecting the pattern of the concave portion or convex portion of the layer, it is possible to control not only the alignment direction of the column structure made of plate-like molecules but also the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal layer. Further, when the laminated body of the present invention is used as an optical compensator, for example, the optical axis of the optical compensator faces the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal, so that an optical compensator having a desired optical anisotropy can be easily obtained. Can be provided at low cost.

  The liquid crystal layer used in the present invention is formed by fixing nematic liquid crystal, and is formed by fixing the alignment state of nematic liquid crystal. The nematic liquid crystal used in the liquid crystal layer is not particularly limited as long as it is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the normal direction of the plate-like molecule and exhibits a nematic phase at a predetermined temperature. is not. Further, it may be a polymer liquid crystal material having no polymerizability, or may be a polymerizable liquid crystal material.

  As the polymerizable liquid crystal material, any of a polymerizable liquid crystal monomer, a polymerizable liquid crystal oligomer, and a polymerizable liquid crystal polymer can be used. On the other hand, as a polymer liquid crystal material having no polymerizability, a liquid crystal material having a relatively high temperature that becomes a relatively isotropic phase is required because the alignment state of the liquid crystal needs to be constant at the storage or use temperature of the laminate. Preferably used.

  In the present invention, it is particularly preferable to use a polymerizable liquid crystal material. As described later, the polymerizable liquid crystal material can be polymerized by irradiation with an active irradiation ray or the like as described later, so that the alignment state can be fixed, so that the alignment of the nematic liquid crystal can be easily performed at a low temperature state. And since the orientation state is fixed in use, it can be used regardless of the use conditions such as temperature.

  Among the polymerizable liquid crystal materials, a polymerizable liquid crystal monomer is preferably used. This is because the polymerizable liquid crystal monomer can be easily aligned because it can be aligned at a lower temperature than the polymerizable liquid crystal oligomer and the polymerizable liquid crystal polymer and has high sensitivity at the time of alignment. .

  Such a polymerizable liquid crystal monomer is not particularly limited as long as it exhibits a nematic phase as described above and is aligned substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate molecule. Examples thereof include compounds represented by the following chemical formula.

  Here, X in the above formula is hydrogen, alkyl having 1 to 20 carbons, alkenyl having 1 to 20 carbons, alkyloxy having 1 to 20 carbons, alkyloxycarbonyl having 1 to 20 carbons, formyl, carbon Represents an alkylcarbonyl having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, an alkylcarbonyloxy having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, halogen, cyano or nitro, and m represents an integer within a range of 2 to 20.

  The liquid crystal layer in the present invention may contain a photopolymerization initiator as necessary. This is because, for example, when a polymerizable liquid crystal material is polymerized by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation, a photopolymerization initiator is usually used to accelerate the polymerization. As the photopolymerization initiator, those generally used for polymerizing a polymerizable liquid crystal material are used. Moreover, it is also possible to add a sensitizer other than a photoinitiator in the range which does not impair the objective of this invention.

  The thickness of the liquid crystal layer used in the present invention varies depending on the use of the laminate of the present invention. For example, when used for an optical compensator, it may be determined according to the required optical anisotropy. In this case, the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is usually in the range of 0.1 μm to 10 μm, and preferably in the range of 0.3 μm to 6 μm. This is because if the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is too thick, more than necessary optical anisotropy occurs, and if it is too thin, the predetermined optical anisotropy may not be obtained.

3. Next, the substrate used in the present invention will be described. The base material used for this invention may be comprised only from the board | substrate, and may be comprised from the board | substrate and the functional layer. Hereinafter, each structure of such a base material is demonstrated.

(1) Substrate Although the substrate used in the present invention is not particularly limited, a transparent substrate is preferable when the laminate of the present invention is used for an optical compensation plate, for example. The transparent substrate is not particularly limited as long as it is generally used for an optical compensation plate. For example, a transparent rigid material having no flexibility such as quartz glass, Pyrex (registered trademark) glass, synthetic quartz plate and the like. Or, a transparent flexible material having flexibility such as a transparent resin film and an optical resin plate can be used.

  Moreover, as a board | substrate used for this invention, a elongate board | substrate may be sufficient and a web-like board | substrate may be sufficient, but it is preferable that it is a elongate board | substrate. As described above, since the nematic liquid crystal can be aligned in the width direction of the long substrate, when the laminate of the present invention is used as an optical compensator, for example, it has an optical axis in the width direction of the base material. This is because an optical compensation plate can be easily obtained.

  Furthermore, it is preferable to use a long transparent flexible material among the long substrates. This is because a laminated body can be continuously produced through a roll-to-roll process, and a laminated body with high production efficiency can be obtained. Examples of such a long transparent flexible material include transparent resin films such as polycarbonate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, diacetyl cellulose, triacetyl cellulose, and polypropylene.

  In the present invention, a TAC (triacetyl cellulose) film is particularly preferably used. This is because the TAC film is excellent in optical properties such as high transparency and less retardation, and versatility.

(2) Functional layer In the present invention, a functional layer may be formed on the substrate. The functional layer used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it is generally used for a liquid crystal display element, and examples thereof include a color filter layer.

  The color filter layer is not particularly limited as long as it is generally used as a color filter layer of a liquid crystal display element, and a layer using a pigment or a resin can be used. A black matrix may be formed between the colors.

(3) Others In the present invention, when the alignment layer has a resin layer and a columner layer, the substrate may be subjected to a surface treatment in order to improve the adhesion between the substrate and the resin layer. Specifically, glow discharge treatment, corona discharge treatment, UV treatment, saponification treatment, or the like can be used. Moreover, you may form a primer layer on a base material. Further, a primer layer (barrier layer) may be provided for the purpose of protecting the substrate from the curable resin. Examples of such a primer layer include silane-based and titanium-based coupling agents.

4). Laminate The thickness of the laminate of the present invention is appropriately selected depending on the use of the laminate, but can usually be in the range of 50 μm to 500 μm.

  The laminate of the present invention can be used for, for example, an optical compensation plate, an optical compensation polarizing plate, a laminated optical compensation plate, a liquid crystal display element, and the like.

B. Optical Compensation Plate Next, the optical compensation plate of the present invention will be described.
The optical compensator of the present invention uses the above-described laminate, and the liquid crystal layer of the laminate has an optical compensation function.

  In the present invention, since the liquid crystal layer of the laminate described above has an optical compensation function, an optical compensation plate capable of optical compensation can be obtained. In addition, since the nematic liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal layer is aligned substantially perpendicularly to the normal direction of the plate-like molecules contained in the alignment layer, for example, a long substrate is used. In this case, the nematic liquid crystal can be easily aligned in the width direction of the substrate, and an optical compensator having an optical axis in the width direction of the substrate can be easily obtained.

  In the present invention, since an alignment layer having alignment ability can be formed by applying an alignment layer-forming coating solution containing a plate-like molecule, an alignment process such as a rubbing process or an alignment process is required. Therefore, the nematic liquid crystal can be aligned by a simple method, and an optical compensator with high production efficiency can be obtained.

  Furthermore, when the orientation layer has a resin layer having a pattern-like recess or projection and a columnar layer in which a column structure consisting of a plate-like molecule is oriented along the recess of the resin layer, the orientation layer consists of a plate-like molecule. Since the alignment direction of the column structure and the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal can be controlled, an optical compensator having an optical axis at an arbitrary angle can be obtained.

  Generally, when an optical compensator is bonded to a polarizing plate, the optical axis of the optical compensator is arranged so as to make a specific angle with the absorption axis of the polarizing plate. Since the molecular film is produced by uniaxial stretching, the absorption axis is directed to the long direction of the long film. The optical compensator of the present invention can set the optical axis in a desired direction as described above even when a long base material is used as the base material. Even if it is a case where it bonds with the polarizing plate which faced the elongate direction, it has the advantage that it can bond as it is.

  The optical compensation plate of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the above-described laminate is used and the liquid crystal layer has an optical compensation function.

  The other points of the alignment layer, the liquid crystal layer, and the laminated body are the same as those described in the above-mentioned “A. Laminated body”, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

C. Optical Compensation Polarizing Plate Next, the optical compensation polarizing plate of the present invention will be described.
The optical compensation polarizing plate of the present invention uses the laminate described above, and the liquid crystal layer of the laminate has an optical compensation function, and the alignment layer has a polarization function.

  In the present invention, since the liquid crystal layer of the laminate described above has an optical compensation function and the alignment layer has a polarization function, an optical compensation polarizing plate in which the optical compensation function and the polarization function are integrated can be obtained. it can. Furthermore, since the liquid crystal layer having the optical compensation function and the alignment layer having the polarization function are integrally formed, the optical compensation polarizing plate can be reduced in thickness and weight. The optical compensation polarizing plate of the present invention has a polarizing function and an optical compensation function as long as it has at least a substrate, an alignment layer, and a liquid crystal layer. Therefore, the polarizing plate and the optical compensation plate are separately formed and bonded. Compared to the above, there is no protective film between the alignment layer and the liquid crystal layer, so there is no need to consider the change in the refractive index due to the protective film, and the reduction in transmittance due to the large number of layers is suppressed. be able to.

  In addition, since the optical compensation polarizing plate of the present invention uses the above-described laminate, the nematic liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal layer is aligned substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecules contained in the alignment layer. Therefore, an optical compensation polarizing plate in which the absorption axis of the alignment layer having a polarization function and the optical axis of the liquid crystal layer having an optical compensation function are substantially perpendicular can be obtained. In general, the absorption axis of the polarizing plate and the optical axis of the optical compensation plate are arranged so as to form a specific angle such as 90 °, 45 °, 0 °, etc. In the present invention, each absorption axis and It is possible to easily obtain an optical compensation polarizing plate in which the angle formed by the optical axis is about 90 °.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, an alignment layer having alignment ability can be formed by applying an alignment layer-forming coating solution containing a plate-like molecule, so that an alignment process such as a rubbing process or an alignment process is required. Therefore, the nematic liquid crystal can be aligned by a simple method, and an optical compensation polarizing plate with high production efficiency can be obtained.

  Further, when the alignment layer has a resin layer and a columnar layer, the alignment direction of the column structure composed of plate-like molecules and the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal can be controlled, so that optically compensated polarized light having desired optical characteristics is obtained. It is possible to obtain a board.

  The optical compensation polarizing plate of the present invention uses the above-described laminate, and is not particularly limited as long as the liquid crystal layer has an optical compensation function and the alignment layer has a polarization function.

  The other points of the alignment layer, the liquid crystal layer, and the laminated body are the same as those described in the above-mentioned “A. Laminated body”, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

D. Laminated optical compensator Next, the laminated optical compensator of the present invention will be described.
The laminated optical compensator of the present invention uses the above-mentioned laminated body, and the liquid crystal layer and alignment layer of the laminated body have an optical compensation function.

  In the present invention, since the liquid crystal layer and the alignment layer of the laminate described above have an optical compensation function, a laminated optical compensator in which layers having an optical compensation function are laminated can be obtained, and the compensation range is wide. Is possible.

  Here, the layer having the optical compensation function is generally classified according to the direction of the optical axis and the magnitude of the refractive index in the optical axis direction with respect to the refractive index in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis. A plate in which the direction of the optical axis is along the plane of the layer having the optical compensation function, A plate in which the direction of the optical axis is in the normal direction perpendicular to the layer having the optical compensation function, and the optical axis Is inclined from the normal direction as an O plate.

  In the alignment layer according to the present invention, for example, as shown in FIG. 2 or FIG. 5, the column structure 12 ′ composed of the plate-like molecules 12 is aligned along the coating direction A of the alignment layer forming coating solution or along the recesses of the resin layer 2 a. Although the substrate 1 faces in a certain direction, the direction of the optical axis differs depending on the type of the plate molecule, for example, A plate or C plate.

  In the liquid crystal layer, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the nematic liquid crystal 13 is aligned substantially perpendicular to the normal direction n of the plate-like molecule 12, but the direction of the optical axis depends on the type of the nematic liquid crystal and Depending on the orientation direction, structure and shape, for example, a positive A plate or a positive C plate.

  In this case, the laminated optical compensator of the present invention is a laminate of an A plate or C plate (alignment layer) and a positive A plate or positive C plate (liquid crystal layer), and the compensation range in each layer. Therefore, optical compensation over a wider range is possible.

  Further, as described above, the nematic liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal layer is aligned substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecules contained in the alignment layer, so that the optical axis of each layer is about 90 ° or A laminated optical compensator with 0 ° can be easily obtained.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, an alignment layer having alignment ability can be formed by applying an alignment layer-forming coating solution containing a plate-like molecule, so that an alignment process such as a rubbing process or an alignment process is required. Therefore, nematic liquid crystal can be aligned by a simple method, and a laminated optical compensator with high production efficiency can be obtained.

  Further, when the alignment layer has a resin layer and a columnar layer, the alignment direction of the column structure made of plate-like molecules and the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal can be controlled, so that a laminate having a desired optical anisotropy A mold optical compensator can be obtained.

  The laminated optical compensator of the present invention uses the above-described laminated body, and is not particularly limited as long as the liquid crystal layer and the alignment layer have an optical compensation function.

  The other points of the alignment layer, the liquid crystal layer, and the laminated body are the same as those described in the above-mentioned “A. Laminated body”, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

E. Next, the substrate for a liquid crystal display element of the present invention will be described.
The substrate for a liquid crystal display element of the present invention is characterized by having the above-described laminate, an electrode layer, and an alignment film.

  The substrate for a liquid crystal display element of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it has the above laminate, an electrode layer, and an alignment film. However, as a preferred embodiment, “B. When used as an optical compensation plate as described in the section “Compensation plate” (first embodiment), and as described in the section “C. Optical compensation polarizing plate” described above, the laminate is used as an optical compensation polarizing plate. When used (second embodiment), and when the laminate is used as a laminated optical compensator as described in the above section “D. Laminated optical compensator” (third embodiment). . Each embodiment will be described below.

1. First Embodiment A first embodiment of the substrate for a liquid crystal display element of the present invention is a case where a laminate is used as an optical compensator as described in the above section “B. Optical compensator”. The liquid crystal layer has an optical compensation function.

  The substrate for a liquid crystal display element of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of the substrate for a liquid crystal display element of the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 7, the substrate for a liquid crystal display element of this embodiment includes a base material 1, an alignment layer 2 formed on the base material 1, and a liquid crystal layer 3 formed on the alignment layer 2. A laminate (optical compensation plate) 11, a polarizing plate 6 formed on the substrate 1 of the laminate (optical compensation plate) 11, and an electrode layer 4 formed on the liquid crystal layer 3 of the laminate 11 And an alignment film 5 formed on the electrode layer 4.

  The substrate for a liquid crystal display element of this embodiment is not particularly limited as long as it has a laminate (optical compensation plate), an electrode layer, and an alignment film, but preferably further has a polarizing plate. This is because, as will be described later, it is possible to easily obtain a liquid crystal display element substrate in which the orientation of the optical axis of the optical compensator using the laminate and the absorption axis of the polarizing plate is in a predetermined arrangement.

  In this embodiment, since the laminate described above is used, the nematic liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal layer is aligned substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecules contained in the alignment layer. When the base material is used, nematic liquid crystal can be easily aligned in the width direction of the base material, and an optical compensator having an optical axis in the width direction of the base material can be obtained. Further, since the polarizing plate is usually produced by uniaxially stretching a long polymer film, its absorption axis is directed in the long direction of the long film. It is possible to easily obtain a substrate for a liquid crystal display element arranged so that the optical axis of the polarizing plate and the absorption axis of the polarizing plate are about 90 °. Furthermore, the alignment layer is formed by applying an alignment layer forming coating solution containing plate-like molecules, and nematic liquid crystals can be easily formed without requiring alignment treatment such as rubbing treatment or alignment treatment. Can be oriented. In general, when laminating an optical compensation plate and a polarizing plate, the optical axis of the optical compensation plate is arranged to make a specific angle such as 90 °, 45 °, 0 °, etc. with respect to the absorption axis of the polarizing plate. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is possible to provide a liquid crystal display element substrate arranged so that the optical axis of the optical compensator and the absorption axis of the polarizing plate are 90 ° by a simple method. .

  Further, when the alignment layer has a resin layer and a columnar layer, the alignment direction of the column structure composed of plate-like molecules and the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal can be controlled, so that it has a desired optical anisotropy. A substrate for a liquid crystal display element having an optical compensation plate can be obtained.

In this embodiment, when the liquid crystal layer and the polarizing plate of the laminate (optical compensator) are formed on the alignment film side of the substrate of the laminate, the liquid crystal display element substrate of this embodiment is used. When a liquid crystal display element is used, a liquid crystal layer and a polarizing plate are formed inside the base material, so there is no influence from the birefringence of the base material, and the choice of materials used for the base material spreads. The liquid crystal display element can be reduced in thickness and weight, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.
Hereinafter, each configuration of the liquid crystal display element substrate will be described. The optical compensator and the laminate are the same as those described in the respective sections of “B. Optical compensator” and “A. Laminate” described above, and a description thereof is omitted here.

(1) Alignment film The alignment film used in the present embodiment is for aligning liquid crystals when the liquid crystal display element substrate of the present embodiment is used. It is formed on the surface.

  The alignment film used in this embodiment is not particularly limited as long as the liquid crystal can be aligned. For example, a rubbing film, a photo alignment film, or the like can be used. The formation position of the alignment film is not particularly limited as long as it is the outermost surface of the liquid crystal display element substrate. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, the liquid crystal layer 3 of the laminate (optical compensator) 11 is provided. The outermost surface may be the outermost surface on the side where the substrate 1 is provided, or may be the outermost surface on the side where the substrate 1 of the laminate (optical compensation plate) 11 is provided as shown in FIG.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the alignment film may be formed on either side of the laminate (optical compensator). However, considering the influence of the birefringence of the base material, the alignment film is a laminate (optical). It is preferably formed on the liquid crystal layer side of the compensation plate.

(2) Electrode layer The electrode layer used in the present embodiment is not particularly limited as long as it is generally used as an electrode layer of a liquid crystal display element. For example, indium oxide, tin oxide, indium tin oxide Examples thereof include transparent electrodes such as (ITO) and metal electrodes such as chromium and aluminum.

  The position where the electrode layer is formed is not particularly limited as long as it is between the alignment film and the substrate of the laminate (optical compensator) and is not between the alignment layer and the liquid crystal layer. Absent. For example, when the alignment film is formed on the liquid crystal layer side of the laminate (optical compensator), the electrode layers are, for example, the liquid crystal layer 3 of the laminate (optical compensator) 11 and the alignment film 5 as shown in FIG. Although not shown, it may be formed between the base material of the laminate (optical compensation plate) and the alignment layer. Moreover, when a base material has a board | substrate and a functional layer, the electrode layer may be formed between the board | substrate and the functional layer. On the other hand, when the alignment film is formed on the base material side of the laminate (optical compensation plate), the electrode layer is formed of, for example, the base material 1 and the orientation film of the laminate (optical compensation plate) 11 as shown in FIG. 5, and when the base material has a substrate and a functional layer, an electrode layer may be formed between the substrate and the functional layer.

(3) Polarizing plate The polarizing plate used in the present embodiment is polarized in the direction of alignment of the liquid crystal molecules of the liquid crystal cell when the incident light is linearly polarized light and the liquid crystal display element substrate of the present embodiment is used in the liquid crystal display element. It has a function of transmitting only the transmitted light. Such a polarizing plate is not particularly limited as long as it transmits only a specific direction among light waves, and a polarizing plate that is generally used as a polarizing plate of a liquid crystal display element can be used.

  The formation position of the polarizing plate is not particularly limited as long as it is a position other than between the alignment layer of the laminate (optical compensation plate) and the liquid crystal layer. For example, when the alignment film is formed on the liquid crystal layer side of the laminate (optical compensator), the polarizing plate is composed of the substrate 1 and the alignment layer 2 of the laminate (optical compensator) 11 as shown in FIG. Although not shown, it may be formed outside the substrate of the laminate (optical compensator), and between the liquid crystal layer of the laminate (optical compensator) and the alignment film. It may be formed. In the case where the substrate has a substrate and a functional layer, a polarizing plate may be formed between the substrate and the functional layer. On the other hand, when the alignment film is formed on the substrate side of the laminate (optical compensator), the polarizing plate is formed on the liquid crystal layer 3 of the laminate (optical compensator) 11 as shown in FIG. Although not shown, it may be formed between the substrate of the laminate (optical compensator) and the alignment layer, and between the substrate of the laminate (optical compensator) and the alignment film. It may be formed. Moreover, when a base material has a board | substrate and a functional layer, as above-mentioned, the polarizing plate may be formed between the board | substrate and the functional layer.

  In this embodiment, any of the polarizing plate and the liquid crystal layer having an optical compensation function may be disposed on the side close to the alignment film, but in consideration of the optical compensation effect, the liquid crystal layer is disposed on the side close to the alignment film. Preferably it is formed. Moreover, when the influence by the birefringence of a base material is considered, it is preferable that the polarizing plate is formed in the orientation film side rather than the base material. Furthermore, in consideration of the refractive index at the interface of the layers, the polarizing plate is preferably disposed so as to be in contact with the liquid crystal layer.

2. Second Embodiment A second embodiment of the substrate for a liquid crystal display element of the present invention is a case where the laminate is used as an optical compensation polarizing plate as described in the above-mentioned section “C. Optical compensation polarizing plate”. The liquid crystal layer of the laminate has an optical compensation function, and the alignment layer has a polarization function.

  In this embodiment, since the liquid crystal layer having an optical compensation function and the alignment layer having a polarization function are integrally formed, the optical compensation polarizing plate can be reduced in thickness and weight. In addition, since the laminate (optical compensation polarizing plate) has at least a base material, an alignment layer, and a liquid crystal layer, it has a polarizing function and an optical compensation function. Compared to the combined one, there is no protective film between the alignment layer and the liquid crystal layer, so there is no need to consider the refractive index change due to the protective film, and the decrease in transmittance due to the large number of layers is suppressed. can do.

  In this embodiment, since the above-described laminate is used, the nematic liquid crystal constituting the liquid crystal layer is aligned substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecules contained in the alignment layer. An optical compensation polarizing plate in which the absorption axis of the alignment layer having a function and the optical axis of the liquid crystal layer having an optical compensation function are approximately perpendicular to each other can be obtained. In addition, since an alignment layer having alignment ability can be formed by applying a coating liquid for forming an alignment layer containing a plate-like molecule, it is easy without requiring an alignment process such as a rubbing process or an alignment process. Nematic liquid crystal can be aligned. Thus, a liquid crystal display element substrate having an optical compensation polarizing plate in which the angle formed by the absorption axis of the alignment layer having a polarizing function and the optical axis of the liquid crystal layer having an optical compensation function is about 90 ° is obtained by a simple method. be able to.

  Furthermore, when the alignment layer has a resin layer and a columnar layer, the alignment direction of the column structure composed of plate-like molecules and the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal can be controlled, so that optically compensated polarization having desired optical characteristics A plate can be obtained, and when the liquid crystal display element substrate of the present embodiment is used as a liquid crystal display element, it can be easily arranged in a predetermined direction with respect to the liquid crystal alignment direction of the liquid crystal cell, Manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

  In this embodiment, when the alignment layer and the liquid crystal layer of the laminate (optical compensation polarizing plate) are formed closer to the alignment film than the substrate of the laminate, the liquid crystal display element substrate of this embodiment is used. When used as a liquid crystal display element, an alignment layer and a liquid crystal layer are formed inside the base material, so there is no influence from the birefringence of the base material, and the choice of materials used for the base material is expanded. Further, the liquid crystal display element can be reduced in thickness and weight, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  The optical compensation polarizing plate and the laminate are the same as those described in the respective sections of “C. Optical compensation polarizing plate” and “A. Laminate” described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted here. . In addition, the alignment film and the electrode layer are the same as those described in the first embodiment, and a description thereof is omitted here.

3. Third Embodiment A third embodiment of the substrate for a liquid crystal display element according to the present invention is a case where a laminated body is used as a laminated optical compensator as described in the above section “D. Laminated optical compensator”. In addition, the liquid crystal layer and the alignment layer of the laminate have an optical compensation function.

  The liquid crystal display element substrate of the present embodiment is not particularly limited as long as it has a laminate (laminated optical compensator), an electrode layer, and an alignment film, but preferably further has a polarizing plate. This is because, as will be described later, it is possible to easily obtain a substrate for a liquid crystal display element in which the orientations of the optical axis of the laminated optical compensator using the laminated body and the absorption axis of the polarizing plate are in a predetermined arrangement.

  In this embodiment, as described above, the liquid crystal layer and the alignment layer have an optical compensation function so that the nematic liquid crystal is substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecules contained in the alignment layer. Since the optical axis of the liquid crystal layer and the optical axis of the alignment layer are arranged at about 90 ° or 0 °, and the compensation range in each layer is different, optical compensation in a wider range is possible. A laminated optical compensator can be obtained. Since the liquid crystal display element substrate of this embodiment has such a laminated optical compensator, the display quality can be improved when a liquid crystal display element is used.

  Further, when the alignment layer has a resin layer and a columnar layer, the alignment direction of the column structure made of plate-like molecules and the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal can be controlled, so that a laminate having a desired optical anisotropy Type optical compensator can be obtained, and when the liquid crystal display element substrate of this embodiment is used as a liquid crystal display element, it is easily arranged in a predetermined direction with respect to the liquid crystal alignment direction of the liquid crystal cell. Manufacturing efficiency can be improved.

  In the present embodiment, when the alignment layer and the liquid crystal layer of the laminate (laminated optical compensator) are formed closer to the alignment film than the base material of the laminate, the liquid crystal display element substrate of the embodiment is used. When used as a liquid crystal display element, an alignment layer and a liquid crystal layer are formed inside the base material, so there is no influence from the birefringence of the base material, and the choice of materials used for the base material is expanded. Further, the liquid crystal display element can be reduced in thickness and weight, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  The laminated optical compensator and the laminated body are the same as those described in the respective sections of “D. Laminated optical compensator” and “A. Laminated body” described above. Omitted. Further, the alignment film, the electrode layer, and the polarizing plate are the same as those described in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

F. Next, the liquid crystal display element of the present invention will be described.
The liquid crystal display element of the present invention is characterized by using the above-described laminate.

  In the present invention, when the laminate is used as an optical compensator, for example, nematic liquid crystal can be easily oriented in the width direction of the long base, and the optical axis of the optical compensator is in the long direction of the base. Therefore, when arranging the optical compensator so that the optical axis of the liquid crystal cell is 90 ° with respect to the liquid crystal alignment direction of the liquid crystal cell, it is necessary to align it after cutting it into a predetermined dimension as in the past. Since the optical compensator (laminated body) can be attached to the liquid crystal cell as it is, a liquid crystal display element with good manufacturing efficiency can be obtained.

  In addition, when the alignment layer of the laminate includes a resin layer and a columnar layer, an optical compensator having an optical axis at an arbitrary angle can be obtained, so that the liquid crystal cell and the optical compensator (laminate) are predetermined. It is easy to make this arrangement.

  The liquid crystal display element of the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the liquid crystal cell and the laminate are laminated. Moreover, as a liquid crystal cell, what is generally used for a liquid crystal display element can be used.

  The laminated body is the same as that described in the section “A. Laminated body” described above. However, as described above, the laminated body is used as an optical compensation plate, an optical compensation polarizing plate, and a laminated optical compensation plate. Is preferred.

  Moreover, in this invention, it is preferable that a liquid crystal display element uses the liquid crystal display element substrate mentioned above. In the liquid crystal display element substrate, when the alignment layer and the liquid crystal layer are formed inside the base material, the liquid crystal display element is not affected by the birefringence of the base material and the choice of materials used for the base material is widened. This is because it can be made thinner and lighter. This also leads to a reduction in manufacturing costs.

G. Next, the manufacturing method of the laminated body of this invention is demonstrated.
In the method for producing a laminate of the present invention, a coating liquid for forming an alignment layer containing a plate molecule is applied on a substrate, and the normal direction of the plate molecule is the normal direction of the plate molecule. A coating film forming step for forming a coating film by aligning it so as to form a column structure arranged in a certain direction, a drying step for drying the coating film, and immobilization for fixing the orientation state of the plate-like molecules An alignment layer forming step of forming an alignment layer by performing a conversion step;
A liquid crystal composition is applied on the alignment layer, and the nematic liquid crystal in the liquid crystal composition is aligned so as to be substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecules, thereby fixing the alignment state of the nematic liquid crystal. And a liquid crystal layer forming step of forming a liquid crystal layer by forming a liquid crystal layer.

  The manufacturing method of the laminated body of this invention is demonstrated referring drawings. FIG. 9 is a process diagram showing an example of a method for producing a laminate according to the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, in the manufacturing method of the laminated body of this invention, first, the orientation layer formation coating liquid 22 containing a plate-like molecule | numerator is apply | coated to a base material 1 applying a shear stress, and plate shape is obtained. The molecules are oriented so that a column structure is formed, and a coating film is formed (FIG. 9A, coating film forming step). Further, a drying process for drying the coating film is performed, and a hydrophobic treatment liquid 24 is applied on the dried coating film 22 ′ to perform a hydrophobic treatment, thereby fixing the orientation state of the plate molecules (FIG. 9). (B) Immobilization step). Next, the alignment layer 2 is formed by washing and drying the hydrophobic treatment liquid (FIG. 9C). In this way, the alignment layer forming step is performed.

  Next, the liquid crystal composition 23 is applied on the alignment layer 2, and the nematic liquid crystal is aligned by the alignment layer 2 by performing an alignment treatment so that the nematic liquid crystal in the liquid crystal composition 23 becomes a liquid crystal phase (FIG. 9 ( d)). Furthermore, the liquid crystal layer 3 is formed by irradiating the ultraviolet rays 25 to polymerize the nematic liquid crystal and fix the alignment state (FIG. 9E). In this way, the liquid crystal layer forming step is performed.

In the present invention, an orientation layer having orientation ability is formed by orienting the plate molecules by applying a coating liquid for forming an orientation layer containing the plate molecules, and the orientation ability of the orientation layer is utilized. A liquid crystal layer is formed by aligning nematic liquid crystal. At this time, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, the nematic liquid crystal 13 is aligned so as to be substantially perpendicular to the normal direction n of the plate-like molecules 12, and the arrangement direction of the column structure made of plate-like molecules and the nematic liquid crystal of the nematic liquid crystal. The angle formed with the orientation direction is about 90 °. The column structure composed of plate-like molecules is, for example, oriented in the coating direction of the orientation layer forming coating solution. When a long base material is used, the orientation layer forming coating is applied in the longitudinal direction of the base material. Since it is easy to apply the liquid to align the column structure composed of plate-like molecules in the longitudinal direction, nematic liquid crystal can be easily aligned in the width direction of the substrate. When the laminate of the present invention is used, for example, as an optical compensator, nematic liquid crystal can be aligned in the width direction of the long base material as described above, so that the optical axis has an optical axis in the width direction of the base material. This makes it possible to manufacture the compensation plate by a simple method.
Hereinafter, each process of the manufacturing method of such a laminated body is demonstrated.

1. Alignment layer forming step In the alignment layer forming step in the present invention, a coating liquid for forming an alignment layer containing a plate-like molecule is applied onto a substrate, and the normal direction of the plate-like molecule is the normal direction of the plate-like molecule. Fix the orientation of the plate-like molecules by forming the coating film by aligning the base material so that it forms a column structure aligned in a certain direction, drying the coating film, and drying the coating film In this step, the alignment layer is formed by performing the fixing step.
Hereinafter, each step in such an alignment layer forming step will be described.

(1) Coating-film formation process The coating-film formation process in this invention apply | coats the coating liquid for alignment layer formation containing a plate-like molecule | numerator on a base material, and makes the said plate-like molecule the normal line of the said plate-like molecule | numerator. This is a step of forming a coating film by orienting so as to form a column structure in which the direction is aligned in a certain direction of the substrate.

  The coating liquid for forming an alignment layer used in the present invention contains a plate molecule, and the plate molecule is dispersed or dissolved in a solvent. In addition, about a plate-shaped molecule | numerator, since it is the same as that of what was described in the term of the orientation layer of "A. laminated body" mentioned above, description here is abbreviate | omitted.

  The solvent used for the alignment layer-forming coating solution is appropriately selected depending on the substituent introduced into the plate molecule described above. For example, when a hydrophilic group such as a sulfonic acid group is introduced, water is used as the solvent. On the other hand, when a hydrophobic group such as a long-chain alkyl group is introduced, an organic solvent is used. A common thing can be used as such an organic solvent. Moreover, the said coating liquid for alignment layer formation may contain various additives, such as surfactant, such as polyethyleneglycol, as needed.

  In addition, the alignment layer-forming coating solution used in the present invention is preferably an aqueous solution among the above. This is because, as the plate-like molecules used in the present invention, those showing lyotropic liquid crystallinity in an aqueous solution are preferably used.

  As a method for applying such a coating liquid for forming an alignment layer, a column structure is formed by arranging the plate-like molecules so that the normal direction thereof is in a certain direction, and a plurality of the column structures are arranged in a certain direction. The method is not particularly limited as long as it can be performed, but can be divided into two modes depending on whether or not a resin layer forming step described later is performed before this step. That is, when the alignment layer to be formed is a single layer (third aspect), a resin layer having a pattern-like concave portion or convex portion, and a column structure formed on the resin layer and made of plate-like molecules And a columnar layer oriented along the recess of the resin layer (fourth embodiment). Hereinafter, the description will be made separately for each aspect.

(Third aspect)
In the present invention, when the resin layer forming step is not performed, that is, when the formed alignment layer is a single layer, the method for applying the alignment layer forming coating liquid is preferably a method in which shear stress is applied. . This is because the column structure 12 ′ composed of the plate-like molecules 12 can be arranged along the coating direction A by using a method in which a shear stress is applied, for example, as shown in FIG. Thereby, an alignment layer having alignment ability can be formed.

  Examples of the application method to which such shear stress is applied include Mayer bar coating, slot die coating, and slide coating. Among them, it is preferable to use slot die coating.

  In this embodiment, as described above, since the column structure composed of plate-like molecules can be oriented along the application direction of the coating liquid for forming the alignment layer, it is made of plate-like molecules by appropriately selecting the application direction. The arrangement direction of the column structure can be controlled. In the present invention, the nematic liquid crystal is aligned so as to be substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecule. Therefore, by selecting the coating direction, not only the alignment direction of the column structure but also the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal It is also possible to control.

(Fourth aspect)
In the present invention, when the resin layer forming step is performed, that is, the obtained alignment layer is formed on the resin layer having a pattern-like concave portion or convex portion, and on this resin layer, and the column structure made of plate-like molecules is the resin In the case of having a columnar layer oriented along the concave portion of the layer, the method for applying the orientation layer forming coating liquid is preferably a method in which no shear stress is applied. When using a method in which shear stress is applied, the column structure made of plate-like molecules may be arranged in the coating direction as described above, and the column structure made of plate-like molecules may be difficult to arrange along the concave portion of the resin layer. Because there is.

  Examples of coating methods that do not apply shear stress include spray coating, dip coating, ink jet methods, flexographic printing methods, and the like. Among these, it is preferable to use an inkjet method.

(2) Drying process The drying process in this invention is a process of drying the coating film formed in the said coating-film formation process, and is a process of drying the solvent contained in the said coating liquid for alignment layer formation. is there. In the present invention, by providing this drying step, an immobilization step described later is smoothly performed.

  As a drying method used in the present invention, when the orientation of the column structure composed of plate-like molecules is hindered, or when the resin layer forming step is performed before the coating film forming step, the concave or convex portions of the resin layer The method is not particularly limited as long as it does not change the pattern of the above, and a method generally used for drying a solvent, for example, heat drying, room temperature drying, freeze drying, far infrared drying, etc., is used. Can do.

(3) Immobilization step The immobilization step in the present invention is a step of fixing the orientation state of the plate molecule. In the present invention, by performing such an immobilization step, it is possible to impart water resistance to the alignment layer, and it is excellent in alignment stability without disturbing the alignment of the plate-like molecules due to moisture in the air. Can be.

  As a method for fixing the orientation state of the plate molecules used in the present invention, a method of crosslinking the plate molecules can be used. The method for crosslinking the plate molecule differs depending on the substituent introduced into the plate molecule.

  When the plate-like molecule has a hydrophilic group such as a sulfonic acid group, a crosslinking method for hydrophobizing the hydrophilic group is used. When the hydrophilic group of the plate molecule is hydrophobized, a cross-link is formed between adjacent plate molecules, and the orientation state of the plate molecule is fixed. When the above plate-like molecules exhibit lyotropic liquid crystallinity in an aqueous solution, unless such a hydrophobizing treatment is performed, the water resistance is poor, the orientation state is likely to be disturbed due to moisture in the air, etc. There is a case.

  The hydrophobizing solution used for the hydrophobizing treatment is not particularly limited as long as the hydrophilic group can be hydrophobized, and it varies depending on the hydrophilic group of the plate molecule used. However, it is preferable that a bridge can be formed between adjacent plate molecules. As such a hydrophobizing treatment liquid, for example, an aqueous solution of a salt of a divalent metal such as magnesium, calcium, barium or the like can be used. Specific examples include an aqueous barium chloride solution, an aqueous magnesium chloride solution, and an aqueous calcium chloride solution.

The mechanism by which adjacent plate molecules are cross-linked is as follows. For example, when the plate molecule has an SO ₃ Na group and is hydrophobized using an aqueous barium chloride solution, SO ₃ ions of the SO ₃ Na group of the plate molecule and Ba ions in the aqueous barium chloride solution By bonding, the adjacent plate-like molecules are cross-linked and the orientation state is fixed. That is, in the state where the normal direction of the plate molecules is arranged in a certain direction, the adjacent plate molecules are cross-linked, so that the column structure is fixed.

  Further, the method for the hydrophobizing treatment is not particularly limited as long as it is a method capable of hydrophobizing the hydrophilic substituent, and after the alignment layer forming coating solution is dried, the hydrophobizing treatment is performed. Examples thereof include a method of applying a liquid and a method of immersing in the hydrophobizing treatment liquid. After the application or immersion of the hydrophobizing solution, the alignment layer can be formed by washing and drying.

  On the other hand, when the plate-like molecule has a hydrophobic group such as a long-chain alkyl group, for example, by introducing a polymerizable group into a part of the alkyl side chain and polymerizing the polymerizable group, the plate-like molecule A cross-linking method is used in which the film is cross-linked in a linear or network form to fix the alignment state.

  Further, when the alignment layer forming coating solution contains the liquid crystal material described above, the alignment state of the plate-like molecules can be fixed by polymerizing the liquid crystal material. In this case, the liquid crystal material needs to have a polymerizable group.

(4) Resin layer formation process In this invention, the resin layer formation process of forming the resin layer which has a pattern-shaped recessed part or convex part on a base material may be performed before the said coating-film formation process. This is because by forming this resin layer, it is possible to align the column structure made of plate-like molecules along the recesses of the resin layer, and to form an alignment layer having alignment ability.

  In addition, since the column structure made of plate-like molecules is oriented along the concave portions of the resin layer, the arrangement direction of the column structure made of plate-like molecules is controlled by appropriately selecting the pattern of the concave or convex portions of the resin layer. be able to. Thereby, since the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal can be controlled, it becomes possible to align the nematic liquid crystal in an arbitrary direction of the substrate.

  When such a laminate is used as an optical compensator, an optical compensator having a desired optical anisotropy can be obtained. Therefore, by using the laminate production method of the present invention, for example, a long It is possible to easily manufacture an optical compensator having an optical axis that forms a specific angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the long substrate, or an optical compensator having an optical axis in an oblique direction of a web-like glass substrate. Further, since it is possible to set the optical axis of the optical compensator in a desired direction, when such an optical compensator is incorporated in a liquid crystal display element, generation of useless portions due to alignment is avoided. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be reduced and the manufacturing process can be simplified.

  The resin layer forming step in the present invention comprises a coating step of applying a curable resin composition on a substrate or a substrate for forming a recess having a pattern-like convex portion or recess, and the substrate and the substrate for forming a recess. A step of placing the curable resin composition on top of each other, a curing step of curing the curable resin composition to obtain a curable resin, and forming the recess from the curable resin composition or the curable resin. It is preferable to have a recess forming step of peeling the substrate for forming a pattern-like recess or protrusion.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 10, in the resin layer forming step in the present invention, first, the curable resin composition 32 is applied onto the substrate 1 (FIG. 10A, application step), and the substrate 1 and the pattern are formed. The recess-forming substrate 33 having a convex portion is overlapped with the curable resin composition 32 interposed therebetween, and the curable resin composition 32 is cured by irradiating energy 34 (FIG. 10B) Curing step). Furthermore, the resin layer 2a having a patterned recess is formed by peeling the recess forming substrate 33 (FIG. 10C, recess forming step).

Thus, since the resin layer is formed by duplicating the convex portion or the concave portion of the concave portion forming substrate, the resin layer is composed of plate-like molecules by selecting the pattern of the convex portion or concave portion of the concave portion forming substrate. The alignment direction of the column structure and the alignment direction of the nematic liquid crystal can be arbitrarily set. In addition, since a laminate that can be used as an optical compensator having a desired optical anisotropy can be produced in a large amount by producing a master of such a recess forming substrate once, the production efficiency is improved. Has the advantage.
Hereinafter, each process of such a resin layer formation process is demonstrated.

(Coating process)
In the resin layer forming step in the present invention, first, an application step of applying a curable resin composition on a base material or a substrate for forming a recess having a pattern-like protrusion or recess is performed.
Hereinafter, the method for applying the recess forming substrate and the curable resin composition used in this step will be described.

(I) Concave Forming Substrate The concavity forming substrate used in this step has a pattern-shaped convex part or concave part on the surface. Moreover, this convex part or recessed part is formed so that it may become symmetrical with respect to the recessed part or convex part of the target resin layer.

  The shape of the convex portion or concave portion of the concave portion forming substrate used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as the concave portion or convex portion of the target resin layer can be formed. .

  Moreover, the substrate for forming recesses used in the present invention is for forming recesses or protrusions in the resin layer such that the column structure composed of plate-like molecules is oriented to intersect with the long direction of the long base material. It is preferable to have a convex part or a concave part. By making the convex portions or concave portions of the concave portion forming substrate as described above, a laminate that can be used as an optical compensator having desired optical anisotropy can be easily manufactured at low cost. Because.

  In addition, since the width | variety, height, shape, pattern, etc. of a convex part respond | correspond to the recessed part of the resin layer described in said "A. laminated body", description here is abbreviate | omitted.

  Further, the concave portion forming substrate may be a flexible substrate such as a resin film, or may be a non-flexible substrate such as glass. In the present invention, since the recess forming substrate is used repeatedly, a material having a predetermined strength is preferably used. Specific examples include glass, ceramic, metal, and plastic. Such a material is appropriately selected depending on a method for forming a convex portion described later. Furthermore, the said recessed part formation board | substrate is suitably selected with the irradiation method of the energy at the time of hardening the curable resin composition in the hardening process mentioned later. That is, when irradiating energy rays from the concave portion forming substrate side, it is necessary to be a transparent material, but when irradiating energy rays from the base material side, it is not particularly limited to transparent materials. Absent.

  The concave portion forming substrate may be moved by the concave / convex cylindrical drum, and the concave portion forming substrate itself constitutes the concave / convex cylindrical drum, that is, a pattern-shaped convex portion on the surface of the concave / convex cylindrical drum. May be formed. It is because a recessed part can be continuously replicated on a base material and a manufacturing efficiency improves by passing through a roll to roll process. In addition, it is possible to manufacture a large number of laminates that can be used for optical compensation plates having an optical axis in an arbitrary direction by producing a master of such a recess forming substrate once, thereby further improving manufacturing efficiency. Can be made.

  As a method for forming such a convex portion, for example, a method of patterning glass or a resin film, a method of applying a photosensitive resin layer or the like on the surface of glass or the like, and a method of patterning the photosensitive resin layer, or the like is used. Can do. As the patterning method, a general method can be used, and examples thereof include a photolithography method, a sputtering method, and a mechanical cutting method. Furthermore, an oblique vapor deposition method, a rubbing method, etc. can also be used.

(Ii) Application method of curable resin composition In this process, the curable resin composition may be applied on a base material or a substrate for forming recesses. Further, the base material and the recess forming substrate may be fixed with a predetermined gap, and the curable resin composition may be poured and applied between them.

  Examples of the method for applying the curable resin composition include spin coating, roll coating, printing, dip coating, curtain coating (die coating), and the like.

  The film thickness of the applied curable resin composition is preferably in the range of 0.1 to 30 μm, particularly preferably in the range of 0.2 to 10 μm. This is because if the film thickness is too thinner than the above range, the recesses may not be sufficiently replicated in the curable resin composition. Further, if the film thickness is too thick, it is difficult to make the optical compensator thin when the laminate manufactured according to the present invention is used for an optical compensator, for example. Further, when the substrate is a film, the coated surface may be easily curled.

  Moreover, it may apply | coat by the method mentioned above, controlling application quantity so that the said curable resin composition may become a desired film thickness, and after apply | coating, you may remove an excess curable resin composition. Examples of a method for removing excess curable resin composition include a method for removing using a roller, a method for scraping using a doctor, and the like. Moreover, the process of removing such an excessive curable resin composition may be performed after an application | coating process, and may be performed after the arrangement | positioning process mentioned later.

  In addition, since it is the same as that of what was described in the term of the resin layer of "A. laminated body" mentioned above about curable resin composition, description here is abbreviate | omitted.

(Arrangement process)
Next, the arrangement | positioning process of the resin layer formation process in this invention is demonstrated. The disposing step in the present invention is a step of overlapping the base material and the concave portion forming substrate with the curable resin composition interposed therebetween.

  The arrangement method of the substrate and the recess forming substrate is not particularly limited as long as the applied curable resin composition is arranged so as to be in contact with the substrate and the recess forming substrate, but the curable resin composition is not limited. Is preferably arranged so as to be in close contact with the substrate. This is because the resin layer made of the curable resin obtained by curing the curable resin composition is formed on the substrate, and therefore, the curable resin composition is preferably in close contact with the substrate. Moreover, it is preferable that the said base material and the said board | substrate for recessed part formation are arrange | positioned with a gap | interval so that a curable resin composition may become the target film thickness.

  Moreover, in order to improve the adhesiveness of the said base material and the said curable resin composition, it is preferable to surface-treat to a base material. Specifically, glow discharge treatment, corona discharge treatment, UV treatment, saponification treatment, or the like can be used. Moreover, you may form a primer layer on a base material. Further, a primer layer (barrier layer) may be provided for the purpose of protecting the substrate from the curable resin. Examples of such a primer layer include silane-based and titanium-based coupling agents.

(Curing process)
In the resin layer forming step in the present invention, a curing step is performed in which the curable resin composition is cured to form a curable resin.

  Examples of the curing method of the curable resin composition include a method of irradiating energy rays, a method of heating, and the like. In the present invention, it is preferable to use a method of irradiating energy rays. The energy rays referred to in the present invention indicate energy rays capable of causing polymerization with respect to monomers and polymers contained in the curable resin composition.

  The energy ray is not particularly limited as long as it is an energy ray capable of polymerizing the curable resin composition, but usually ultraviolet light or visible light is used from the viewpoint of the ease of equipment and the like. Irradiation light having a wavelength of 150 to 500 nm, preferably 250 to 450 nm, and more preferably 300 to 400 nm is used.

  In the present invention, a method of irradiating ultraviolet rays (UV) as energy rays is a preferable method. This is because the method using UV as the actinic radiation is an already established technique, and therefore it is easy to apply to the present invention including the photopolymerization initiator to be used.

  As the light source of this irradiation light, low pressure mercury lamp (sterilization lamp, fluorescent chemical lamp, black light), high pressure discharge lamp (high pressure mercury lamp, metal halide lamp), short arc discharge lamp (super high pressure mercury lamp, xenon lamp, mercury xenon) Lamp). In particular, the use of metal halide lamps, xenon lamps, high-pressure mercury lamps, etc. is recommended. The irradiation intensity is appropriately adjusted according to the composition of the curable resin composition and the amount of photopolymerization initiator.

  Moreover, as a film thickness of curable resin obtained by hardening | curing curable resin composition, it is preferable to exist in the range of 0.1-30 micrometers, especially in the range of 0.2-10 micrometers. This is because if the film thickness is too thick, the laminate produced according to the present invention becomes heavy and it is difficult to reduce the thickness. Moreover, it is because toughness is inferior when a film thickness is too thin.

  In the present invention, the curing step may be performed after the coating step, after the placement step, or during the recess formation step. That is, the curable resin composition is applied onto a substrate or a substrate for forming recesses and then cured (fifth embodiment after the application step), and the substrate and the substrate for forming recesses are overlapped with the curable resin composition interposed therebetween. And then curing after disposing (sixth aspect after the disposing process) or curing after removing the recess forming substrate from the curable resin composition (seventh aspect during the recess forming process). Is also good. Hereinafter, each aspect will be described.

(I) 5th aspect In this invention, the 5th aspect of a hardening process apply | coats a curable resin composition on the base material or the board | substrate for recessed formation, and irradiates energy, The said curable resin composition is applied. The substrate and the concave portion forming substrate are placed on top of each other with the curable resin obtained by curing and curing, and the concave portion forming substrate is peeled from the curable resin to form the concave portion or the convex portion. is there.

  At this time, the irradiation direction of the energy rays for curing the curable resin composition may be from the substrate or the concave portion forming substrate side or from the curable resin composition side. However, when a curable resin composition is applied onto a substrate or a substrate for forming recesses and irradiated from the substrate or substrate for forming recesses, the substrate or substrate for forming recesses needs to be a transparent material.

  In addition, when the curable resin composition is applied and cured on the base material, the concave portion forming substrate is placed on the surface of the curable resin obtained by curing, and the concave portion is duplicated. The curable resin needs to have a predetermined viscosity. Therefore, it is preferable not to completely cure the curable resin composition, and after the recess forming substrate is disposed on the surface of the curable resin, or after the recess forming substrate is peeled from the curable resin, it may be cured again. Good.

(Ii) Sixth aspect In the present invention, the sixth aspect of the curing step is that the curable resin composition is applied onto a base material or a recess forming substrate, and the base material and the curable resin composition are sandwiched therebetween. The recessed portion forming substrate is placed in an overlapping manner, irradiated with energy to cure the curable resin composition, and the recessed portion forming substrate is peeled off from the curable resin obtained by curing to form a recessed portion or a projected portion. Is.

  At this time, the irradiation direction of the energy rays for curing the curable resin composition may be from the recess forming substrate side or from the base material side. However, when irradiating from the base material side, the base material needs to be a transparent material, and when irradiating from the concave portion forming substrate side, the concave portion forming substrate needs to be a transparent material.

(Iii) 7th aspect In this invention, the 7th aspect of a hardening process apply | coats a curable resin composition on a base material or the board | substrate for recessed formation, a base material on both sides of the said curable resin composition, and The concave forming substrate is placed in an overlapping manner, the concave forming substrate is peeled off from the curable resin composition, energy is irradiated to cure the curable resin composition, and a concave or convex portion is formed. is there.

  At this time, the irradiation direction of the energy ray for curing the curable resin composition may be from the curable resin composition side or from the substrate side. However, when irradiating from the base material side, the base material needs to be a transparent material.

  In addition, since the curable resin composition is cured after peeling the recess forming substrate from the curable resin composition, the curable resin composition needs to maintain the recess even after peeling the recess forming substrate. There is. Therefore, the curable resin composition may have a semi-cured state in advance before peeling the recess forming substrate from the curable resin composition so that the curable resin composition has a predetermined viscosity.

(Recess formation process)
In the resin layer forming step in the present invention, a concave portion forming step is performed in which the concave portion forming substrate is peeled from the curable resin composition or the curable resin to form a patterned concave portion or convex portion.

  As a method of peeling the concave portion forming substrate from the curable resin composition or the curable resin, the curable resin composition or the curable resin is peeled off from the concave portion forming substrate and is in close contact with the base material, and the concave portion is formed. If it is formed, it will not specifically limit.

  Further, in the present invention, the recess forming substrate is moved by the concave and convex cylindrical drum, and the base material is moved by the base cylindrical drum, and the curable resin composition or the curable resin is moved on the two cylindrical drums. By overlapping the base material and the concave portion forming substrate across the substrate, peeling the concave portion forming substrate from the curable resin composition or the curable resin, and continuously replicating the concave portion on the base material, A resin layer having a recess may be formed. Furthermore, the concave-convex forming substrate may be a concave-convex cylindrical drum. This is because by passing through the roll-to-roll process, the concave portions can be continuously replicated on the base material, and the production efficiency is improved. Moreover, it is because a large number of laminates that can be used for an optical compensator having an optical axis in an arbitrary direction can be manufactured by producing a master of such a recess forming substrate once.

(Other)
In the present invention, it is preferable that a hydrophilic treatment process for hydrophilizing the resin layer surface having the recesses is performed after the resin layer forming process. Usually, when the above-described resin layer forming step is performed, the surface of the formed resin layer has high water repellency, and the plate-like molecules may not be sufficiently oriented. Since the hydrophilic treatment method is the same as that described in the section of the resin layer of “A. Laminate” described above, the description thereof is omitted here.

2. Liquid Crystal Layer Forming Step Next, the liquid crystal layer forming step in the present invention will be described. The liquid crystal layer forming step in the present invention is a step of forming a liquid crystal layer by applying a liquid crystal composition on the alignment layer, aligning the nematic liquid crystal with the alignment layer, and fixing the alignment state of the nematic liquid crystal. is there.

  The liquid crystal composition used in the present invention contains the nematic liquid crystal described in the section of the liquid crystal layer of “A. Laminate” described above. Moreover, when apply | coating the said liquid-crystal composition on an orientation layer, you may melt | dissolve and use a liquid-crystal composition, and you may melt | dissolve and use a liquid-crystal composition in a solvent.

  The solvent used for dissolving the liquid crystal composition is not particularly limited as long as it can dissolve the above-described nematic liquid crystal and does not inhibit the alignment ability of the alignment layer. For example, hydrocarbons such as benzene, toluene, xylene, n-butylbenzene, diethylbenzene and tetralin; ethers such as methoxybenzene, 1,2-dimethoxybenzene and diethylene glycol dimethyl ether; acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, cyclohexanone, 2 Ketones such as 1,4-pentanedione; esters such as ethyl acetate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, γ-butyrolactone; 2-pyrrolidone, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, dimethylformamide, dimethyl Amide solvents such as acetamide; t-butyl alcohol, diacetone alcohol, glycerin, monoacetin, ethylene glycol, triethyleneglycol Alcohols such as hexylene glycol, phenols, phenols such as phenol and parachlorophenol, and one or more cellosolves such as methyl cellosolve, ethyl cellosolve, butyl cellosolve, and ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate can be used. .

  In addition, the use of a single type of solvent may result in insufficient solubility of the nematic liquid crystal or the like, and the alignment layer may be eroded as described above. By doing so, this inconvenience can be avoided. Of these solvents, hydrocarbons and glycol monoether acetate solvents are preferred as the sole solvent, and mixed solvents of ethers or ketones and glycol solvents are preferred as the mixed solvent. It is. The concentration of the solution in which the liquid crystal composition is dissolved in a solvent depends on the solubility of the nematic liquid crystal and the thickness of the target liquid crystal layer, and thus cannot be defined unconditionally, but is usually 0.1 to 40% by weight, preferably Is prepared in the range of 1 to 20% by weight. If the concentration of the solution is too low, the nematic liquid crystal may be difficult to align. Conversely, if the concentration of the solution is too high, the viscosity of the solution will increase and it may be difficult to form a uniform coating film. It is.

  Furthermore, the following compounds can be added to the liquid crystal composition as long as the object of the present invention is not impaired. Examples of compounds that can be added include polyester (meth) acrylate obtained by reacting (meth) acrylic acid with a polyester prepolymer obtained by condensing polyhydric alcohol and monobasic acid or polybasic acid; A polyurethane (meth) acrylate obtained by reacting a compound having two isocyanate groups with each other and then reacting the reaction product with (meth) acrylic acid; bisphenol A type epoxy resin, bisphenol F type epoxy resin, novolak Type epoxy resins, polycarboxylic acid polyglycidyl esters, polyol polyglycidyl ethers, aliphatic or cycloaliphatic epoxy resins, amine epoxy resins, triphenolmethane type epoxy resins, dihydroxybenzene type epoxy resins and the like (meth) Acry Photopolymerizable compound in epoxy (meth) acrylate obtained by reacting an acid; photopolymerizable liquid crystal compound having an acryl group or methacryl group and the like. The amount of these compounds added to the liquid crystal composition is selected in such a range that the object of the present invention is not impaired. By adding these compounds, the curability of the nematic liquid crystal is improved, the mechanical strength of the obtained liquid crystal layer is increased, and the stability is improved.

  Examples of the method for applying such a liquid crystal composition include spin coating, roll coating, printing, dipping and lifting, curtain coating (die coating), casting, bar coating, blade coating, and spray coating. , Gravure coating method, reverse coating method, extrusion coating method and the like.

  In the present invention, in addition to the method of forming a coating film by applying the liquid crystal composition on the alignment layer as described above, for example, a method of previously forming a dry film and laminating the film on the alignment layer. It is also possible to take In the present invention, among them, a method in which the liquid crystal composition is dissolved in a solvent, applied onto the alignment layer, and the solvent is dried is preferably used. This is because such a method is simpler in process than other methods.

  Examples of the solvent drying method include methods generally used for solvent drying, such as vacuum drying or heat drying, and a combination of these.

  In the present invention, as described above, the liquid crystal composition is applied onto the alignment layer and dried, and then the nematic liquid crystal in the liquid crystal composition is aligned by the alignment layer. The alignment treatment of the nematic liquid crystal is usually performed by a method of performing a heat treatment below the NI transition point. Here, the NI transition point indicates the temperature at which the liquid crystal phase transitions to the isotropic phase.

  In the present invention, after the nematic liquid crystal is aligned, the alignment state of the nematic liquid crystal is fixed. The fixing process of the alignment state of the nematic liquid crystal is performed by a different method depending on the nematic liquid crystal used. Specifically, there are a case where the nematic liquid crystal is a polymerizable liquid crystal material and a case where the nematic liquid crystal is a polymer liquid crystal material having no polymerizability. Hereinafter, the case of a polymerizable liquid crystal material and the case of a polymer liquid crystal material having no polymerizability will be described separately.

(1) Polymerizable liquid crystal material In the present invention, the alignment treatment of the polymerizable liquid crystal material is performed by a method of irradiating the coating film made of the polymerizable liquid crystal material with actinic radiation that activates the polymerization. .

  The active radiation as used in the field of this invention means the radiation which has the capability to cause superposition | polymerization with respect to polymeric material, If necessary, the photoinitiator may be contained in polymeric material. The photopolymerization initiator is the same as that described in the section of the liquid crystal layer of “A. Laminate” described above, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  The actinic radiation is not particularly limited as long as it is a radiation capable of polymerizing the polymerizable liquid crystal material, but usually ultraviolet light or visible light is used from the viewpoint of the ease of the apparatus, and the wavelength. Irradiating light of 150 to 500 nm, preferably 250 to 450 nm, more preferably 300 to 400 nm is used.

  In the present invention, there is a method of irradiating a polymerizable liquid crystal material in which the photopolymerization initiator generates radicals by ultraviolet (UV) and the polymerizable liquid crystal material undergoes radical polymerization, using ultraviolet (UV) as active radiation. It can be said that this is a preferred method. This is because the method using UV as the actinic radiation is an already established technique, and therefore it is easy to apply to the present invention including the photopolymerization initiator to be used.

  As the light source of this irradiation light, low pressure mercury lamp (sterilization lamp, fluorescent chemical lamp, black light), high pressure discharge lamp (high pressure mercury lamp, metal halide lamp), short arc discharge lamp (super high pressure mercury lamp, xenon lamp, mercury xenon) Lamp). Among these, use of a metal halide lamp, a xenon lamp, a high-pressure mercury lamp, etc. is recommended. The irradiation intensity is appropriately adjusted according to the composition of the polymerizable liquid crystal material and the amount of photopolymerization initiator.

  Such immobilization treatment by irradiation with actinic radiation may be performed under a temperature condition in which the polymerizable liquid crystal material becomes a liquid crystal phase, or may be performed at a temperature lower than the temperature at which the liquid crystal phase becomes. This is because the alignment state of the polymerizable liquid crystal material once in the liquid crystal phase is not disturbed suddenly even if the temperature is lowered thereafter.

(2) Polymer liquid crystal material having no polymerizability In the present invention, in the case of using a polymer liquid crystal material having no polymerizability, the alignment state is fixed from the temperature at which the liquid crystal phase is treated, It is carried out by a method of reducing the temperature to a solid phase. A liquid crystal layer can be formed by aligning a polymer liquid crystal material with an alignment layer and lowering the treatment temperature to a temperature at which glass is brought into this state.

3. Others Using the method for producing a laminate of the present invention, for example, an optical compensation plate, an optical compensation polarizing plate, a laminated optical compensation plate, a substrate for a liquid crystal display element, a liquid crystal display element and the like can be produced.

  In order to produce a substrate for a liquid crystal display element using the laminate production method of the present invention, for example, a laminate formation step of forming a laminate by the above-described laminate production method, and an electrode layer on the laminate A substrate for a liquid crystal display element can be produced by performing an electrode layer forming step of forming and an alignment film forming step of forming an alignment film on the electrode layer.

  The electrode layer can be formed by a vapor deposition method such as a CVD method, a sputtering method, or an ion plating method. In addition, as a method for forming the alignment film, a general method for forming an alignment film can be used, and examples thereof include a rubbing process and a photo-alignment process.

  Since the other points of the liquid crystal display element substrate are the same as those described in the above-mentioned “E. Liquid crystal display element substrate”, description thereof is omitted here.

  Moreover, when manufacturing a liquid crystal display element using the manufacturing method of the laminated body of this invention, it is preferable to use the manufacturing method of the board | substrate for liquid crystal display elements mentioned above. A liquid crystal display element is manufactured by arranging the liquid crystal display element substrate and a counter substrate having an electrode layer and an alignment film on a base material so that the alignment films face each other and injecting liquid crystal therebetween. be able to.

  For example, beads are dispersed as spacers on the alignment film of the liquid crystal display element substrate, a sealant is applied around the substrate, and the liquid crystal display element substrate and the counter substrate are bonded so that the alignment films face each other, Crimp. Then, utilizing the capillary effect from the injection port, the liquid crystal is heated and injected in an isotropic or nematic phase, and the injection port is sealed with an ultraviolet curable resin or the like. Thereafter, the liquid crystal is gradually cooled to be aligned. Furthermore, a liquid crystal display element can be obtained by attaching a polarizing plate to the outside of the counter substrate.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The above-described embodiment is an exemplification, and the present invention has substantially the same configuration as the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention, and any device that exhibits the same function and effect is the present invention. It is included in the technical scope of the invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be specifically described with reference to examples.
[Example 1]
(Formation of resin layer)
On the washed glass substrate with ITO, 0.1 wt% silane coupling agent dissolved in ethanol was applied using a spinner and dried to form a 10 nm anchor layer. On this anchor layer, a UV-curable acrylate resin composition having the following composition was applied, and a polycarbonate recess-forming substrate on which a desired pattern-shaped projection was formed was pressed, and a pressure of 100 kg / cm ² was applied for 1 minute. While pressing, the UV curable acrylate resin composition was cured by irradiating with about 100 mJ / cm ² of ultraviolet rays. Further, the recess-forming substrate was peeled off, and 3000 mJ / cm ² of ultraviolet rays were irradiated to completely cure the UV curable acrylate resin composition, thereby forming a patterned recess. The pattern-like recesses had a recess width: 0.2 μm, a protrusion width: 0.2 μm, a pitch: 0.4 μm, and a depth: 0.2 μm, and had a stripe pattern. Thereby, a resin layer was formed.

<UV curable acrylate resin composition>
-40 parts by weight of GOSELAC UV-7500B (manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd.)-35 parts by weight of 1,6-hexanediol acrylate (manufactured by Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd.)-21 parts by weight of pentaerythritol acrylate (manufactured by Toagosei Co., Ltd.) 1-hydroxycyclohexyl phenyl ketone (Ciba Specialty Chemicals) 2 parts by weight • Benzophenone (Nippon Kayaku Co., Ltd.) 2 parts by weight

(Formation of alignment layer)
An ink containing a plate-like molecule having dichroism (manufactured by Optiva, product name: N015) was applied onto the well-washed resin layer using an inkjet and dried, and then a 15% barium chloride aqueous solution. For about 1 second. Further, this was washed and dried again to form an alignment layer having an optical compensation function having a thickness of 0.3 μm. When the optical axis of this alignment layer was measured, it was in the vertical direction along the stripe-shaped recess.

(Formation of liquid crystal layer)
A polymerizable liquid crystal material exhibiting nematic liquid crystal properties represented by the following chemical formula and a photopolymerization initiator (manufactured by Ciba Specialty Chemicals, Inc., trade name: IRG907) were mixed at a ratio of 100: 5 (% by weight). The powder was dissolved in toluene at 30% by weight to prepare a liquid crystal composition.

  This liquid crystal composition was applied onto the alignment layer using a bar coat. Further, after the solvent was evaporated, alignment treatment was performed at 80 ° C. for 3 minutes to align the liquid crystal, and ultraviolet light was irradiated to polymerize the liquid crystal, thereby forming a liquid crystal layer having an optical compensation function. When the optical axis of the liquid crystal layer was measured, it was perpendicular to the optical axis of the alignment layer.

[Example 2]
(Formation of resin layer)
A resin layer was formed in the same manner as in Example 1.

(Formation of alignment layer)
An alignment layer having an optical compensation function was formed in the same manner as in Example 1 except that an ink containing a dichroic plate-like molecule (manufactured by Optiva, product name: Y015) was used as the plate-like molecule. . When the optical axis of this alignment layer was measured, it was in the vertical direction along the stripe-shaped recess.

(Formation of liquid crystal layer)
Further, a liquid crystal layer having an optical compensation function was formed in the same manner as in Example 1. When the optical axis of the liquid crystal layer was measured, it was perpendicular to the optical axis of the alignment layer.

[Example 3]
(Formation of resin layer)
A resin layer was formed in the same manner as in Example 1.

(Formation of alignment layer)
In the same manner as in Example 1, an alignment layer having a polarization function was formed. The alignment layer had a polarization degree of 98%, the polarization axis was parallel to the stripe-shaped recess, and the absorption axis was perpendicular to the stripe-shaped recess.

(Formation of liquid crystal layer)
Further, a liquid crystal layer having an optical compensation function was formed in the same manner as in Example 1. When the optical axis of the liquid crystal layer was measured, it was perpendicular to the absorption axis of the alignment layer.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the laminated body of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the plate-shaped molecule | numerator used for this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the plate-like molecule | numerator and nematic liquid crystal which are used for this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the other example of the laminated body of this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the plate-shaped molecule | numerator used for this invention. It is explanatory drawing for demonstrating the recessed part of the resin layer used for this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the board | substrate for liquid crystal display elements of this invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the other example of the board | substrate for liquid crystal display elements of this invention. It is process drawing which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the laminated body of this invention. It is process drawing which shows an example of the resin layer formation process in the manufacturing method of the laminated body of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Base material 2 ... Orientation layer 2a ... Resin layer 2b ... Columnar layer 3 ... Liquid crystal layer 4 ... Electrode layer 5 ... Orientation film 6 ... Polarizing plate 11 ... Laminated body 12 ... Plate-like molecule 12 '... Column structure 13 ... Nematic liquid crystal n ... Normal direction

Claims (15)

A laminate having a base material, an alignment layer formed on the base material and containing a plate-like molecule, and a liquid crystal layer formed on the alignment layer and having a nematic liquid crystal fixed thereto,
The plate-like molecule forms a column structure in which the normal direction of the plate-like molecule is arranged in a certain direction of the substrate, and a plurality of the column structures are arranged in a certain direction of the substrate, The nematic liquid crystal is aligned substantially perpendicularly to the normal direction of the plate-like molecule.   The laminate according to claim 1, wherein the base material is a long base material, and the nematic liquid crystal is oriented so as to intersect with a long direction of the base material.   The alignment layer includes a resin layer having a pattern-shaped recess or protrusion, and a columnar layer formed on the resin layer and having the column structure aligned along the recess of the resin layer. The laminated body of Claim 1 or Claim 2.   The laminate according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the plate-like molecule exhibits lyotropic liquid crystallinity in a solution.   An optical compensation plate using the laminate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a liquid crystal layer of the laminate has an optical compensation function.   The laminate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the liquid crystal layer of the laminate has an optical compensation function, and the alignment layer has a polarization function. Optical compensation polarizing plate.   A laminated optical compensator using the laminate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a liquid crystal layer and an alignment layer of the laminate have an optical compensation function. .   A substrate for a liquid crystal display element, comprising the laminate according to any one of claims 1 to 4, an electrode layer, and an alignment film.   A liquid crystal display element using the laminate according to any one of claims 1 to 4. A column structure in which a coating liquid for forming an alignment layer containing plate-like molecules is applied on a substrate, and the plate-like molecules are arranged with the normal direction of the plate-like molecules facing a certain direction of the substrate. An alignment layer is formed by performing a coating film forming process for aligning and forming a coating film, a drying process for drying the coating film, and an immobilization process for fixing the alignment state of the plate-like molecules. An alignment layer forming step,
A liquid crystal composition is applied on the alignment layer, and the nematic liquid crystal in the liquid crystal composition is aligned so as to be substantially perpendicular to the normal direction of the plate-like molecule, thereby fixing the alignment state of the nematic liquid crystal. And a liquid crystal layer forming step of forming a liquid crystal layer by forming a liquid crystal layer.   The method for producing a laminate according to claim 10, wherein in the coating film forming step of the alignment layer forming step, a coating method in which shear stress is applied to the alignment layer forming coating solution is used.   The resin layer forming step of forming a resin layer having a pattern-like concave portion or convex portion on the base material is performed before the coating film forming step of the alignment layer forming step. A manufacturing method of a layered product.   The method for producing a laminate according to claim 12, wherein a spray coating method, a dip coating method, an ink jet method, or a flexographic printing method is used in the coating film forming step of the alignment layer forming step.   The resin layer forming step includes: an application step of applying a curable resin composition on the base material or a concave portion forming substrate having a pattern-like convex portion or concave portion; and the base material and the concave portion forming substrate. An arrangement step of overlapping the curable resin composition, a curing step of curing the curable resin composition to obtain a curable resin, and forming the recess from the curable resin composition or the curable resin. 14. The method for manufacturing a laminate according to claim 12, further comprising a recess forming step of peeling the substrate to form a patterned recess or protrusion. The method for producing a laminate according to any one of claims 10 to 14, wherein a method of crosslinking the plate-like molecules is used in the fixing step of the alignment layer forming step.

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