JP2006184893A - Method of manufacturing panel for information display, and information display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of manufacturing a panel for information display, with which an adhesive layer is formed with high accuracy and at a low cost on an upper surface of a partition formed on a substrate. <P>SOLUTION: In the method of manufacturing the panel for information display to display information by: forming a plurality of cells partitioned with the partitions between two sheets of substrates of which at least one is transparent and which are placed opposite to each other; sealing at least one or more kinds of display medium comprising at least one or more kinds of particles in the cells; and transferring the display medium with an electric field generated between the substrates, the adhesive 12 attached to a transfer roll 15 is transferred with high accuracy and at low cost on the upper surface of the partition 4 by rotating the transfer roll 15 with the adhesive 12 attached to the surface thereof in the state of brought into contact with the upper surface of the partition 4, in synchronism with a horizontal motion of the ribbed substrate 11 on which the partition 4 is formed, in a step to form the adhesive layer to form the adhesive layer on the upper surface of the partition. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  In the present invention, a plurality of cells partitioned by partition walls are formed between two opposing substrates, at least one of which is transparent, and at least one kind of display composed of at least one kind of particles in the cell. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an information display panel for displaying information by enclosing a medium and moving the display medium by an electric field generated in a substrate, and an information display device equipped with the information display panel.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, information display devices that use technologies such as electrophoresis, toner (particle) transfer, electrochromic, thermal, and two-color particle rotation have been proposed as information displays that replace liquid crystal (LCD). Yes.

  Compared to LCDs, these conventional technologies have advantages such as a wide viewing angle close to that of ordinary printed materials, low power consumption, and a memory function. It is considered as a technology that can be used for mobile phones, and is expected to expand to information display for mobile terminals, electronic paper, and the like. In particular, recently, an electrophoretic method (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1) in which a dispersion liquid composed of dispersion particles and a colored solution is microencapsulated and disposed between opposing substrates has been proposed and expected. It has been.

  However, the electrophoresis method has a problem that the response speed becomes slow due to the viscous resistance of the liquid because the particles migrate in the liquid. In addition, since particles with high specific gravity such as titanium oxide are dispersed in a solution with low specific gravity, it is easy to settle, and it is difficult to maintain the stability of the dispersed state, and there is a problem that the stability of repeated information display is lacking. ing. Even when microencapsulation is performed, the cell size is set to the microcapsule level, and the above-described drawbacks are hardly made to appear, and the essential problems are not solved at all.

  On the other hand, a method in which conductive particles and a charge transport layer are incorporated into a part of a substrate without using a solution is proposed instead of an electrophoresis method using behavior in a solution (see, for example, Non-Patent Document 1). ). However, this method has a problem that the structure is complicated because the charge transport layer and further the charge generation layer are arranged, and that it is difficult to inject the charges into the conductive particles, so that the stability is lacking. .

  As a method for solving the various problems described above, a plurality of cells partitioned by a partition are formed between two opposing substrates, at least one of which is transparent, and at least one kind of particles are formed in the cells. There is known an information display device in which at least one type of display medium composed of the above is enclosed and the display medium is moved by an electric field generated in a substrate to display information. An information display panel used in such an information display device is manufactured by bonding one substrate having an adhesive disposed on the upper surface of a partition wall (spacer) and the other substrate.

趙 Kuniori and three others, “New Toner Display Device (I)”, July 21, 1999, Annual Meeting of the Imaging Society of Japan (83 times in total) “Japan Hardcopy’99”, p.249-252

  In the conventional information display panel manufacturing method described above, when the adhesive is disposed on the upper surface of the partition wall, as shown in FIG. 9, for example, the apparatus 43 supporting the transfer film 42 to which the adhesive 41 is attached is lowered. Since the adhesive 41 is transferred from the transfer film 42 to the upper surface of the partition wall 44 by being brought into contact with the upper surface of the partition wall 44, the adhesive 41 is not only applied to the upper surface of the partition wall 44 but also to the side surfaces of the partition wall 44. May adhere. Further, in the above-described conventional information display panel manufacturing method, only a part of the adhesive 41 adhered to the transfer film 42 (the part corresponding to the upper surface of the partition wall 44) is used, and the transfer film 42 is used once. Therefore, the utilization efficiency of the expensive transfer film 42 is lowered, and the cost for forming the adhesive layer is increased.

  An object of this invention is to provide the manufacturing method of the information display panel which can form an adhesive bond layer on the upper surface of the partition formed on the board | substrate highly accurately and cheaply.

  In order to achieve the above object, a method for manufacturing an information display panel according to the present invention includes forming a plurality of cells partitioned by a partition wall between two opposing substrates, at least one of which is transparent, and at least inside the cell. A method for manufacturing an information display panel in which at least one type of display medium composed of one or more types of particles is encapsulated and the display medium is moved by an electric field generated in a substrate to display information. In the adhesive layer forming step in which the adhesive is disposed on the upper surface, the transfer roll having the adhesive adhered to the surface is rotated in contact with the upper surface of the partition in synchronization with the horizontal movement of the substrate on which the partition is formed. Thus, the adhesive adhered to the transfer roll is transferred to the upper surface of the partition wall.

  In the method for producing an information display panel of the present invention, the adhesive is a solventless adhesive having a viscosity of 5 to 150 Pa · s (E-type viscometer, 20 rpm, 25 ° C.), and the transfer roll is made of rubber. It is a rubber roll having a hardness of 60 ° to 90 ° (JIS-A), the transfer roll is a plate roll on which a predetermined pattern is formed in advance, and the transfer roll includes a plate roll as necessary. In order to form a predetermined pattern through the tape, the thickness of the adhesive layer on the transfer roll is 0.1 to 20 μm, and to supply the adhesive to the transfer roll, the adhesive and the transfer roll Two or more rolls are interposed between the agent supply device and the method of supplying the adhesive to the transfer roll includes a knife, comma knife, roll squeeze, slit die, mesh roll, and animation. By using a supply method that can adjust the supply amount of the X-roll, dispenser, etc., by a measuring instrument that measures the substrate thickness before forming the adhesive layer, and a substrate stage that is driven up and down based on the measurement result of the thickness, It is preferable to adjust the distance between the transfer roll and the substrate and to slightly cure the adhesive with ultraviolet energy or heat energy after the formation of the adhesive layer.

  According to the method for manufacturing an information display panel of the present invention, a plurality of cells partitioned by a partition are formed between two opposing substrates, at least one of which is transparent, and at least one or more types are formed in the cells. When manufacturing an information display panel in which at least one type of display medium composed of particles is sealed and the display medium is moved by an electric field generated in the substrate to display information, an adhesive is applied to the upper surface of the partition wall. In the adhesive layer forming step of disposing the substrate, the transfer roll having the adhesive adhered to the surface is rotated in a state of contacting the upper surface of the partition in synchronization with the horizontal movement of the substrate on which the partition is formed. Since the adhesive adhered to the roll is transferred to the upper surface of the partition wall, the adhesive adhered to the surface of the transfer roll is transferred only to the upper surface of the partition wall, and adhered to the transfer roll. Chakuzai the waste does not occur because it is transferred on the upper surface of the partition walls by the rotation of the transfer roll, the higher the efficiency. Therefore, the manufacturing method of the information display panel which can form an adhesive bond layer on the upper surface of the partition formed on the substrate with high accuracy and low cost can be provided.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  First, the structure of the information display panel manufactured by the manufacturing method of the present invention will be described. In the information display panel manufactured by the method of the present invention, an electric field is applied by some means in the substrate of the information display panel in which the display medium is sealed between the opposing substrates. The display medium charged in accordance with the electric field direction is attracted by the force of the electric field or the Coulomb force, and the display medium changes its moving direction by switching the electric field direction, thereby displaying information. Therefore, it is necessary to design the information display panel so that the display medium can move uniformly and maintain stability when rewriting the display repeatedly or when displaying the displayed information continuously. Here, as the force applied to the particles constituting the display medium, in addition to the force attracting each other by the Coulomb force between the particles, an electric mirror image force with the electrode, an intermolecular force, a liquid cross-linking force, gravity and the like can be considered.

An example of the information display panel of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
In the example shown in FIG. 1, at least two or more types of display media 3 (here, white display particles composed of particles 3Wa for white display media) having different optical reflectivity and charging characteristics composed of at least one type of particles. The black display medium 3B, which is composed of a particle group of the medium 3W and the black display medium particles 3Ba, is moved in a direction perpendicular to the substrates 1 and 2 in accordance with the electric field applied from the outside of the substrates 1 and 2. 3B is visually recognized by the observer and black display is performed, or the white display medium 3W is visually recognized by the observer and white display is performed. In the example shown in FIG. 1, for example, a partition 4 is provided in a lattice shape between the substrates 1 and 2 to form a cell. Moreover, in FIG. 1, the partition in front is abbreviate | omitted.
In the example shown in FIG. 2, at least two or more types of display media 3 (here, white display particles composed of particles 3Wa for white display media) having different optical reflectance and charging characteristics composed of at least one type of particles. The black display medium 3B including a particle group of the medium 3W and the black display medium particles 3Ba) is generated by applying a voltage between the electrode 5 provided on the substrate 1 and the electrode 6 provided on the substrate 2. Depending on the electric field, the substrate is moved perpendicularly to the substrates 1 and 2 and the black display medium 3B is visually recognized by the observer to display black, or the white display medium 3W is visually recognized by the observer and white display is performed. Is going. In the example shown in FIG. 2, for example, a partition 4 is provided between the substrates 1 and 2 in a lattice shape to form a cell. Moreover, in FIG. 2, the partition in front is abbreviate | omitted.
In the example shown in FIG. 3, one type of display medium 3 having optical reflectivity and chargeability composed of at least one kind of particles (here, white display medium 3W composed of particles of white display medium particles 3Wa). Is moved in a direction parallel to the substrates 1 and 2 in accordance with the electric field generated by applying a voltage between the electrode 5 and the electrode 6 provided on the substrate 1, and the white display medium 3W is moved to the observer. The color of the electrode 6 or the substrate 1 is displayed by making the viewer visually recognize the color of the electrode 6 or the substrate 1. In the example shown in FIG. 3, for example, a grid-like partition wall 4 is provided between the substrates 1 and 2 to form a cell. Further, in FIG. 3, the front partition is omitted.
The above description is similarly applied to the case where the white display medium 3W including the particle group is replaced with the white display medium including the powder fluid and the black display medium 3B including the particle group is replaced with the black display medium including the powder fluid. be able to. The powder fluid will be described later.

Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing an information display panel, which is a feature of the present invention, will be described in detail. The information display panel of the present invention includes a plurality of cells partitioned by partition walls between two opposing substrates, at least one of which is transparent, and at least one type of particles in the cell. An information display panel that encloses one or more types of display media and moves the display media by an electric field generated in two substrates to display information. By the following steps (1) to (7) Make it. In addition, since processes other than (4) are the same as the prior art, detailed description is omitted.
(1) Partition (rib) and electrode pattern forming process on the substrate (the latter is performed only when an electrode is required)
(2) Step of filling display medium between substrates (3) Step of removing unnecessary display medium on partition (4) Step of forming adhesive layer on partition (This step of forming adhesive layer is a step of filling display medium) May be done before)
(5) Inspection process for evaluating the formation quality of the adhesive layer (6) Alignment overlay process (7) Bonding process of two substrates

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an adhesive placement device used in an adhesive layer forming step in the method for manufacturing an information display panel of the present invention. In this adhesive placement device, an adhesive 12 is placed on the upper surface of a partition wall 4 of a substrate (hereinafter referred to as a ribbed substrate) 11 on which a partition wall is formed after the steps (2) and (3) are completed. A position where the ribbed substrate 11 placed on the cushioning material 13 is moved in the horizontal direction (rightward in the drawing) and is in contact with the partition wall 4 of the ribbed substrate 11. A transfer roll 15 arranged at a position, a metalling roll 16 arranged at a predetermined distance from the upper right of the transfer roll 15 in the figure, and an adhesive kneading operation when the metalling roll 16 rotates clockwise. In order to carry out, three kneading rolls 17 arranged at three locations around the metering roll 16 and an adhesive supply device 18 for supplying the adhesive 12 are provided.

As the adhesive 12, it is preferable to use an adhesive having a viscosity of 5 to 150 Pa · s (E-type viscometer, 20 rpm, 25 ° C.), particularly a solventless adhesive.
As the transfer roll 15, it is preferable to use a rubber roll having a rubber hardness of 60 ° to 90 ° (JIS-A). The thickness of the adhesive layer on the transfer roll 15 is preferably 0.1 to 20 μm. The transfer roll 15 may be a plate roll on which a predetermined pattern is formed in advance. A predetermined pattern may be formed on the transfer roll 15 via a plate roll as necessary.
In order to supply the kneaded adhesive 12 to the transfer roll 15, it is preferable to interpose two or more rolls between the transfer roll 15 and the adhesive supply device 18. A metering roll 16 and three kneading rolls 17 are interposed.
The metering roll 16 is configured to swing in the longitudinal direction of the roll.
As a method of supplying the adhesive 12 to the transfer roll 15 in the adhesive supply device 18, a supply method capable of adjusting the supply amount of a knife, a comma knife, a roll diaphragm, a slit die, a mesh roll, an anilox roll, a dispenser, etc. In this embodiment, a dispenser is used.
When the adhesive roll 12 is supplied from the adhesive supply device 18 via the metering roll 16, the transfer roll 15 is supplied from the transfer position shown in FIG. When the adhesive is transferred, it is separated from the metering roll 16 and placed at the transfer position shown in FIG.

Next, the adhesive layer forming process on the information display panel of the present invention will be described.
First, the ribbed substrate 11 is placed on the cushioning material 13 disposed on the vacuum chuck stage 14. At this time, the transfer roll 15 is disposed so as to be in contact with the partition 4 formed on the ribbed substrate 11. In this state, by driving the vacuum chuck stage 14, the ribbed substrate 11 is horizontally moved in the right direction as shown by the arrow B in the figure, and in synchronization with this horizontal movement (at a speed ratio of 1: 1), the transfer roll 15 is moved. It is driven to rotate counterclockwise as shown by the arrow C in the figure.
By the rotational driving of the transfer roll 15, the adhesive 12 attached to the surface of the transfer roll 15 is transferred only to the upper surface of the partition wall 4 of the ribbed substrate 11.
In the above, the moving direction of the ribbed substrate 11 (arrow B direction in the figure) and the rotation direction of the transfer roll 15 (arrow C direction in the figure) are the same traveling direction. The rotation speed (peripheral speed) of the transfer roll 15 is synchronized.
Instead of moving the ribbed substrate 11 horizontally, the ribbed substrate 11 may be fixed and moved in the horizontal direction while rotating the transfer roll 15 in the direction of the arrow C in the figure. In this case, the transfer roll 15 is relatively moved so as to satisfy the same conditions as the case where the ribbed substrate 11 is moved horizontally.

  According to the method for manufacturing an information display panel of the present invention, in the adhesive layer forming step of forming an adhesive layer on the upper surface of the partition wall, the adhesive 12 is attached to the surface in synchronization with the horizontal movement of the ribbed substrate 11. By rotating the transferred transfer roll 15 in contact with the upper surface of the partition wall 4, the adhesive 12 adhered to the transfer roll 15 is transferred to the upper surface of the partition wall 4, and thus the adhesive adhered to the transfer roll 15. 12 is transferred only to the upper surface of the partition wall 4, and the adhesive 12 adhered to the surface of the transfer roll 15 is transferred to the upper surface of the partition wall 4 by the rotation of the transfer roll 15. Therefore, the utilization efficiency is increased. Therefore, the manufacturing method of the information display panel which can form an adhesive bond layer on the upper surface of the partition wall 4 of the ribbed substrate 11 with high accuracy and low cost can be provided.

  Next, another method for manufacturing the information display panel of the present invention will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a manufacturing apparatus used in another method for manufacturing the information display panel of the present invention. The information display panel manufacturing apparatus of the present invention shown in FIG. 5 includes a substrate supply device 21, an adhesive placement device 22, an adhesive fine curing device 23, and a substrate dispensing device 24. This manufacturing apparatus is installed in an adhesive placement and fine curing line for a glass substrate (film substrate) of an information display panel.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the adhesive placement device in the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. The adhesive placement device 22 includes a stage 25 for placing a substrate, a stage vertical drive device 26 for driving the stage 25 in the vertical direction, and a stage forward / backward drive device 27 for driving the stage 25 in the horizontal direction as indicated by the arrows in the figure. A substrate thickness measuring device 28 disposed above the stage 25, an adhesive supply device 29 constituting a device for forming an adhesive layer on the upper surface of the partition wall substrate of the information display panel, and a first kneading roll 30 The second kneading roll 31, the plate roll 32 and the transfer roll 33. In the adhesive placement device 22, the thickness (for example, glass thickness) of the substrate on which the adhesive layer is formed is measured by the substrate thickness measuring device 28 placed on the upper portion of the stage 25, and the measurement result is sent to the stage vertical drive device 26. By reflecting the vertical movement, an adhesive layer is formed only on the upper surface (head portion) of the partition wall of the substrate with the partition wall.

  FIG. 7 is a view showing a configuration of an ultraviolet irradiator used as an adhesive fine curing device in the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. The ultraviolet irradiator 23 includes a substrate transport device 34 that transports the substrate in the horizontal direction, a UV lamp 35 that irradiates ultraviolet light from the top of the substrate, and the like. In FIG. 7, an ultraviolet irradiator is used as the adhesive fine curing device, but a heat treatment device may be used instead.

  According to the other manufacturing method of the information display panel of the present invention, the manufacturing apparatus shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 is installed in the adhesive placement and fine curing line for the glass substrate (or film substrate) of the information display panel. Thus, an adhesive layer having no tack can be formed on the substrate with partition walls of the information display panel efficiently in-line.

  Hereinafter, each member which comprises the information display panel used as the object of this invention is demonstrated.

  Regarding the substrate, at least one of the substrates is a transparent substrate capable of confirming the color of the display medium 3 from the outside of the information display panel, and a material having high visible light transmittance and good heat resistance is preferable. The other substrate may be transparent or opaque. Examples of substrate materials include polymer sheets such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyethersulfone, polyethylene, polycarbonate, polyimide, and acrylic, flexible materials such as metal sheets, and glass and quartz. An inorganic sheet having no flexibility is mentioned. The thickness of the substrate is preferably from 2 to 5000 μm, more preferably from 5 to 2000 μm. If it is too thin, it will be difficult to maintain the strength and the spacing uniformity between the substrates, and if it is thicker than 5000 μm, it will be a thin information display panel. Is inconvenient.

  Electrode forming materials for the electrodes 5 and 6 provided on the substrate as required include metals such as aluminum, silver, nickel, copper, and gold, and conductive metals such as ITO, indium oxide, conductive tin oxide, and conductive zinc oxide. Examples thereof include conductive polymers such as oxides, polyaniline, polypyrrole, and polythiophene, which are appropriately selected and used. As a method for forming an electrode, a method of forming the above-described materials into a thin film by sputtering, vacuum deposition, CVD (chemical vapor deposition), coating, or the like, or mixing a conductive agent with a solvent or a synthetic resin binder. The method of apply | coating is used. In many cases, the electrode provided on the display surface side substrate needs to be transparent, but the electrode provided on the back surface side substrate does not need to be transparent. In any case, the material that can be patterned and is electrically conductive can be preferably used. Note that the electrode thickness is not particularly limited as long as the conductivity can be secured and the light transmittance is not hindered, and is preferably 3 to 1000 nm, preferably 5 to 400 nm. The material and thickness of the electrode provided on the back side substrate are the same as those of the electrode provided on the display surface side substrate described above, but need not be transparent. In this case, the external voltage input may be superimposed with direct current or alternating current.

  The shape of the partition 4 is optimally set according to the type of display medium involved in the display and is not limited in general. However, the width of the partition is 2 to 100 μm, preferably 3 to 50 μm, and the height of the partition is 10 to 10 μm. The thickness is adjusted to 500 μm, preferably 10 to 200 μm. In forming the partition walls, a both-rib method in which ribs are formed on each of the opposing substrates and then bonded, and a one-rib method in which ribs are formed only on one substrate are conceivable. In the present invention, any method is preferably used.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the cells formed by the partition walls made of these ribs are exemplified by a square shape, a triangular shape, a line shape, a circular shape, and a hexagonal shape as viewed from the plane of the substrate. And a mesh shape. It is better to make the portion (the area of the frame portion of the display cell) corresponding to the partition wall cross-sectional portion visible from the display side as small as possible, and the clearness of information display increases. Here, examples of the method for forming the partition include a mold transfer method, a screen printing method, a sand blast method, a photolithography method, and an additive method. Among these, a photolithography method using a resist film and a mold transfer method are preferably used.

  Next, the powder fluid used as a display medium in the information display panel of the present invention will be described. As for the name of the powder fluid as the display medium of the present invention, the present applicant has obtained the right of “Electronic Powder Fluid (registered trademark): Registration No. 4636931”.

  The “powder fluid” in the present invention is a substance in an intermediate state of both fluid and particle characteristics that exhibits fluidity by itself without borrowing the force of gas or liquid. For example, liquid crystal is defined as an intermediate phase between a liquid and a solid, and has fluidity that is a characteristic of liquid and anisotropy (optical properties) that is a characteristic of solid (Heibonsha: Encyclopedia) . On the other hand, the definition of particle is an object with a finite mass even if it is negligible, and is said to be affected by gravity (Maruzen: Physics Encyclopedia). Here, even in the case of particles, there are special states of gas-solid fluidized bed and liquid-solid fluids. When gas is flowed from the bottom plate to the particles, upward force is applied to the particles according to the velocity of the gas. Is a gas-solid fluidized bed that is in a state where it can easily flow when it balances with gravity, and it is also called a liquid-solid fluidized state that is fluidized by a fluid (ordinary) Company: Encyclopedia). As described above, the gas-solid fluidized bed body and the liquid-solid fluid are in a state of using a gas or liquid flow. In the present invention, it has been found that a substance in a state of fluidity can be produced specifically without borrowing the force of such gas and liquid, and this is defined as powder fluid.

  That is, the pulverulent fluid in the present invention is in an intermediate state having both the characteristics of particles and liquid, as in the definition of liquid crystal (liquid and solid intermediate phase), and is the characteristic of the above-mentioned particles. It is a substance that is extremely unaffected and exhibits a unique state with high fluidity. Such a substance can be obtained in an aerosol state, that is, in a dispersion system in which a solid or liquid substance is stably suspended as a dispersoid in a gas, and the solid substance is regarded as a dispersoid in the information display panel of the present invention. To do.

The information display panel of the present invention encloses a powder fluid that exhibits high fluidity in an aerosol state in which solid particles are stably suspended as a dispersoid, for example, as a display medium, between opposing substrates, at least one of which is transparent. Such a powder fluid can be easily and stably moved by a Coulomb force or the like with a small electric field force.
As described above, for example, the powder fluid used as the display medium in the present invention is a substance in the intermediate state between the fluid and particles that exhibits fluidity by itself without borrowing the force of gas or liquid. It is. This powder fluid can be in an aerosol state in particular, and in the information display device of the present invention, a solid substance is used in a state where it floats relatively stably as a dispersoid in the gas.

Next, display medium particles (hereinafter also referred to as particles) constituting the display medium in the information display panel of the present invention will be described. The display medium particles are composed of the display medium particles as they are to form a display medium, or are combined with other particles to form a display medium, or adjusted and configured to become a powder fluid to form a display medium. Or used.
The particles can contain a charge control agent, a colorant, an inorganic additive, and the like, if necessary, in the resin as the main component, as in the conventional case. Examples of resins, charge control agents, colorants, and other additives will be given below.

  Examples of the resin include urethane resin, urea resin, acrylic resin, polyester resin, acrylic urethane resin, acrylic urethane silicone resin, acrylic urethane fluororesin, acrylic fluororesin, silicone resin, acrylic silicone resin, epoxy resin, polystyrene resin, styrene Acrylic resin, polyolefin resin, butyral resin, vinylidene chloride resin, melamine resin, phenol resin, fluororesin, polycarbonate resin, polysulfone resin, polyether resin, polyamide resin and the like can be mentioned, and two or more kinds can be mixed. In particular, acrylic urethane resin, acrylic silicone resin, acrylic fluororesin, acrylic urethane silicone resin, acrylic urethane fluororesin, fluororesin, and silicone resin are suitable from the viewpoint of controlling the adhesive force with the substrate.

  The charge control agent is not particularly limited. Examples of the negative charge control agent include salicylic acid metal complexes, metal-containing azo dyes, metal-containing oil-soluble dyes (including metal ions and metal atoms), and quaternary ammonium salt systems. Examples thereof include compounds, calixarene compounds, boron-containing compounds (benzyl acid boron complexes), and nitroimidazole derivatives. Examples of the positive charge control agent include nigrosine dyes, triphenylmethane compounds, quaternary ammonium salt compounds, polyamine resins, imidazole derivatives, and the like. In addition, metal oxides such as ultrafine silica, ultrafine titanium oxide, ultrafine alumina, nitrogen-containing cyclic compounds such as pyridine and derivatives and salts thereof, various organic pigments, resins containing fluorine, chlorine, nitrogen, etc. are also charged. It can also be used as a control agent.

  As the colorant, various organic or inorganic pigments and dyes as exemplified below can be used.

Examples of the black colorant include carbon black, copper oxide, manganese dioxide, aniline black, activated carbon and the like.
Examples of blue colorants include C.I. I. Pigment blue 15: 3, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 15, Bituminous Blue, Cobalt Blue, Alkaline Blue Lake, Victoria Blue Lake, Phthalocyanine Blue, Metal-free Phthalocyanine Blue, Phthalocyanine Blue Partial Chlorides, Fast Sky Blue, Indanthrene Blue BC, and the like.
Examples of red colorants include bengara, cadmium red, red lead, mercury sulfide, cadmium, permanent red 4R, risor red, pyrazolone red, watching red, calcium salt, lake red D, brilliant carmine 6B, eosin lake, rhodamine lake B, Alizarin Lake, Brilliant Carmine 3B, C.I. I. Pigment Red 2 etc.

Yellow colorants include chrome yellow, zinc yellow, cadmium yellow, yellow iron oxide, mineral first yellow, nickel titanium yellow, navel yellow, naphthol yellow S, Hansa Yellow G, Hansa Yellow 10G, Benzidine Yellow G, Benzidine Yellow GR, Quinoline Yellow Lake, Permanent Yellow NCG, Tartrazine Lake, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 12 etc.
Examples of green colorants include chrome green, chromium oxide, pigment green B, C.I. I. Pigment Green 7, Malachite Green Lake, Final Yellow Green G, etc.
Examples of the orange colorant include red chrome yellow, molybdenum orange, permanent orange GTR, pyrazolone orange, Vulcan orange, indanthrene brilliant orange RK, benzidine orange G, indanthrene brilliant orange GK, C.I. I. Pigment Orange 31 etc.
Examples of purple colorants include manganese purple, first violet B, and methyl violet lake.
Examples of white colorants include zinc white, titanium oxide, antimony white, and zinc sulfide.

  Examples of extender pigments include barite powder, barium carbonate, clay, silica, white carbon, talc, and alumina white. Examples of various dyes such as basic, acidic, disperse, and direct dyes include nigrosine, methylene blue, rose bengal, quinoline yellow, and ultramarine blue.

Examples of inorganic additives include titanium oxide, zinc white, zinc sulfide, antimony oxide, calcium carbonate, lead white, talc, silica, calcium silicate, alumina white, cadmium yellow, cadmium red, cadmium orange, titanium yellow, Examples include bitumen, ultramarine blue, cobalt blue, cobalt green, cobalt violet, iron oxide, carbon black, manganese ferrite black, cobalt ferrite black, copper powder, and aluminum powder.
These pigments and inorganic additives can be used alone or in combination. Of these, carbon black is particularly preferable as the black pigment, and titanium oxide is preferable as the white pigment.

  Further, the particles of the present invention preferably have an average particle diameter d (0.5) in the range of 0.1 to 20 μm, and are uniform and uniform. If the average particle diameter d (0.5) is larger than this range, the display is not clear. If the average particle diameter d (0.5) is smaller than this range, the cohesive force between the particles becomes too large, which hinders movement as a display medium.

Furthermore, in the present invention, regarding the particle size distribution of each particle, the particle size distribution Span represented by the following formula is set to less than 5, preferably less than 3.
Span = (d (0.9) −d (0.1)) / d (0.5)
(However, d (0.5) is a numerical value indicating the particle diameter in μm that 50% of the particles are larger than this, and 50% is smaller than this, and d (0.1) is a particle in which the ratio of the smaller particles is 10%. (Numerical value expressed in μm, and d (0.9) is a numerical value expressed in μm for a particle size of 90% or less.)
By keeping Span within a range of 5 or less, the size of each particle is uniform, and movement as a uniform display medium becomes possible.

  Furthermore, regarding the correlation between the particles, the ratio of the d (0.5) of the particles having the minimum diameter to the d (0.5) of the particles having the maximum diameter among the used particles is set to 50 or less, preferably 10 or less. It is essential. Even if the particle size distribution Span is reduced, particles with different charging characteristics move in opposite directions, so that the particle size is close to each other and each particle can be easily moved in the opposite direction by the equivalent amount. This is within this range.

The particle size distribution and the particle size can be obtained from a laser diffraction / scattering method or the like. When laser light is irradiated onto particles to be measured, a light intensity distribution pattern of diffracted / scattered light is spatially generated, and this light intensity pattern has a corresponding relationship with the particle diameter, so that the particle diameter and particle diameter distribution can be measured. .
Here, the particle size and particle size distribution in the present invention are obtained from a volume-based distribution. Specifically, using a Mastersizer2000 (Malvern Instruments Ltd.) measuring instrument, particles are introduced into a nitrogen stream, and the attached analysis software (software based on volume-based distribution using Mie theory) The diameter and particle size distribution can be measured.

  The charge amount of the particles used for the display medium naturally depends on the measurement conditions, but the charge amount of the particles used for the display medium in the information display panel is almost the initial charge amount, the contact with the partition, the contact with the substrate, the elapsed time. It was found that the saturation value of the charging behavior of the particles used in the display medium is a governing factor, depending on the charge decay associated with.

  As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors evaluated the range of the appropriate charging characteristic value of the particles used in the display medium by measuring the charge amount of the particles used in the display medium using the same carrier particles in the blow-off method. I found out that I can do it.

Furthermore, in the present invention, when a display medium such as a particle group or a powdered fluid is used for a dry information display panel, it is important to manage the gas in the void surrounding the display medium between the substrates, and display stability is improved. Contribute to. Specifically, it is important that the relative humidity at 25 ° C. is 60% RH or less, preferably 50% RH or less, with respect to the gas humidity in the void portion.
1-3, electrodes 5 and 6 (when electrodes are provided inside the substrate), display medium (particle group or powder fluid) from the portion sandwiched between the opposing substrate 1 and substrate 2 in FIGS. ) A gas portion in contact with a so-called display medium excluding the occupied portion of 3, the occupied portion of the partition wall 4, and the seal portion of the information display panel.
The gas in the gap is not limited as long as it is in the humidity region described above, but dry air, dry nitrogen, dry argon, dry helium, dry carbon dioxide, dry methane, and the like are preferable. This gas needs to be sealed in an information display panel so that the humidity is maintained, for example, filling a display medium, assembling an information display panel, etc. in a predetermined humidity environment, It is important to apply a sealing material and a sealing method that prevent moisture from entering from the outside.

The distance between the substrates in the information display panel of the present invention is not limited as long as the display medium can be moved and the contrast can be maintained, but is usually adjusted to 10 to 500 μm, preferably 10 to 200 μm.
The volume occupation ratio of the display medium in the space between the opposing substrates is preferably 5 to 70%, more preferably 5 to 60%. When it exceeds 70%, the movement of the display medium is hindered, and when it is less than 5%, the contrast tends to be unclear.

  EXAMPLES Hereinafter, the present invention will be described more specifically with reference to examples of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to the following examples.

<Example 1>
The information display panel of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 was manufactured by the following steps (1) to (7). Details of each step will be described in detail below.
(1) Step of forming partition walls (ribs) and electrode pattern on substrate (2) Step of filling display medium between substrates (3) Step of removing unnecessary display medium on partitions (4) Adhesive layer on partitions Forming process (This adhesive layer forming process may be performed before the display medium filling process)
(5) Inspection process for evaluating the formation quality of the adhesive layer (6) Alignment overlay process (7) Bonding process of two substrates

(1) Material: Glass, and the surfaces of the substrate 1 and the substrate 2 having a thickness of 200 μm were coated with 30 Ω / □ ITO, respectively. Thereafter, a lattice-shaped partition wall pattern having a 320 μm square opening (this portion becomes a display cell) and a line width of 30 μm and a height of 40 μm is formed on the substrate 2 coated with ITO by a photoresist method. Attached substrate 11 was obtained.
(2) In the display cell of the ribbed substrate 11, a free fall method is used so that a white display medium composed of particle groups and a black display medium composed of particle groups each having different charging characteristics have a density of 6 g / m ^2. Filled.
(3) Unnecessary display media on the partition walls were removed by pressing and peeling the slightly adhesive film on the partition walls with a roll.

(4) Using the adhesive placement device shown in FIG. 4, the transfer roll 15 with the kneaded adhesive 12 attached to the surface was brought into contact with the upper surface of the partition wall 4 in synchronization with the horizontal movement of the ribbed substrate 11. By rotating in a state, the adhesive 12 adhered to the transfer roll 15 was placed on the upper surface of the partition wall 4 by transfer. At that time, WR780P-N7 (viscosity 92 Pa · s; E-type viscometer, 20 rpm, 25 ° C.) manufactured by Kyoritsu Chemical Co., Ltd. is used as the transfer roll 15 as the adhesive 12 supplied from the adhesive supply device 18. Using a rubber roll having a rubber hardness of 85 ° (JIS-A), it was rotationally driven at 2.5 rpm. Further, as the buffer material 13, a sun map (porous polyethylene) manufactured by Nitto Denko Corporation was used.
(5) When the appearance of the adhesive layer forming portion on the upper surface of the partition wall was observed with a microscope, it was confirmed that the adhesive layer was formed only on the upper surface of the partition wall.

(6) & (7) The position of the electrodes formed on the two substrates is aligned so that they face each other, and the two substrates are bonded together, and kept at 100 ° C. for 60 minutes by hot pressing. Curing was performed.

<Example 2>
The information display panel of the present invention shown in FIG. 2 was manufactured by the following steps (1) to (7). Details of each step will be described in detail below.
(1) Partition wall (rib) and electrode pattern forming step on the substrate (2) Adhesive layer forming step on the barrier rib (this adhesive layer forming step may be performed before the display medium filling step)
(3) Display medium filling process between substrates (4) Unnecessary display medium removal process on partition walls (5) Inspection process for evaluating formation quality of adhesive layer (6) Alignment overlay process (7) Bonding process of two substrates

(1) Material: Glass, and the surfaces of the substrate 1 and the substrate 2 having a thickness of 200 μm were coated with 30 Ω / □ ITO, respectively. Thereafter, a lattice-shaped partition wall pattern having a 320 μm square opening (this portion becomes a display cell) and a line width of 30 μm and a height of 40 μm is formed on the substrate 2 coated with ITO by a photoresist method. Attached substrate 11 was obtained.
(2) Using the adhesive placement device shown in FIG. 4, the transfer roll 15 with the kneaded adhesive 12 attached to the surface was brought into contact with the upper surface of the partition wall 4 in synchronization with the horizontal movement of the ribbed substrate 11. By rotating in a state, the adhesive 12 adhered to the transfer roll 15 was placed on the upper surface of the partition wall 4 by transfer. At that time, WR798 (viscosity 53 Pa · s; E-type viscometer, 20 rpm, 25 ° C.) manufactured by Kyoritsu Chemical Co., Ltd. was used as the adhesive 12 supplied from the adhesive supply device 18, and the transfer roll 15 was made of rubber. Using a rubber roll having a hardness of 85 ° (JIS-A), it was rotationally driven at 2.5 rpm. Further, as the buffer material 13, a sun map (porous polyethylene) manufactured by Nitto Denko Corporation was used. Thereafter, the adhesive 12 was slightly cured using an ultraviolet irradiator shown in FIG. 7 (3000 mJ / cm ² at a wavelength of 365 nm).
(3) In the display cell of the ribbed substrate 11, the free fall method is applied so that the white display medium composed of particle groups and the black display medium composed of particle groups each having different charging characteristics have a density of 6 g / m ^2. Filled.
(4) An unnecessary display medium on the partition walls was removed by pressing and peeling the slightly adhesive film on the partition walls with a roll.
(5) When the appearance of the adhesive layer forming portion on the upper surface of the partition wall was observed with a microscope, it was confirmed that the adhesive layer was formed only on the upper surface of the partition wall.

(6) & (7) The position of the electrodes formed on the two substrates is aligned so that they face each other, and the two substrates are bonded together, and kept at 100 ° C. for 60 minutes by hot pressing. Curing was performed.

  An information display panel and an information display device manufactured by the method of the present invention include display units of mobile devices such as notebook computers, PDAs, mobile phones, and handy terminals, electronic papers such as electronic books and electronic newspapers, signboards, posters, and blackboards. Billboards, calculators, home appliances, car supplies, card displays such as point cards, IC cards, electronic advertisements, electronic POPs, electronic shelf labels, electronic price tags, electronic scores, and display units for RF-ID devices For example, it is suitably used.

It is a figure which shows an example of the information display panel of this invention. It is a figure which shows the other example of the information display panel of this invention. It is a figure which shows the further another example of the information display panel of this invention. It is a figure which illustrates the adhesive arrangement | positioning apparatus used for the adhesive bond layer formation process in the manufacturing method of the information display panel of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the manufacturing apparatus used for the other manufacturing method of the information display panel of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the adhesive agent arrangement | positioning apparatus in the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows the structure of the ultraviolet irradiation device used as an adhesive agent fine hardening apparatus in the manufacturing apparatus of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the shape of the partition in the information display panel of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the adhesive bond layer formation process in the manufacturing method of the conventional information display panel.

Explanation of symbols

1, 2 Substrate 3 Display medium (particle group, powder fluid)
3W White display medium 3B Black display medium 4 Partition wall 5 Electrode 6 Electrode 11 Substrate-formed substrate (substrate with ribs)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 Adhesive 13 Buffer material 14 Vacuum chuck stage 15 Transfer roll 16 Metalling roll 17 Kneading roll 18 Adhesive supply apparatus 21 Substrate supply apparatus 22 Adhesive arrangement apparatus 23 Adhesive fine hardening apparatus 24 Substrate dispensing apparatus 25 Stage 26 Stage up-down drive Device 27 Stage forward / backward drive device 28 Substrate thickness measuring device 29 Adhesive supply device 30 First kneading roll 31 Second kneading roll 32 Plate roll 33 Transfer roll 34 Substrate transport device 35 UV lamp

Claims (11)

A plurality of cells partitioned by partition walls are formed between two opposing substrates, at least one of which is transparent, and at least one type of display medium composed of at least one type of particles is enclosed in the cells. An information display panel manufacturing method for displaying information by moving a display medium by an electric field generated in a substrate,
In the adhesive layer forming step of arranging the adhesive on the upper surface of the partition wall, the transfer roll having the adhesive attached to the surface is rotated in contact with the upper surface of the partition wall in synchronization with the horizontal movement of the substrate on which the partition wall is formed. Thus, the information display panel manufacturing method is characterized in that the adhesive adhered to the transfer roll is transferred to the upper surface of the partition wall.   The method for manufacturing an information display panel according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive is a solventless adhesive having a viscosity of 5 to 150 Pa · s (E-type viscometer, 20 rpm, 25 ° C).   The method for manufacturing an information display panel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the transfer roll is a rubber roll having a rubber hardness of 60 ° to 90 ° (JIS-A).   The method for manufacturing an information display panel according to claim 1, wherein the transfer roll is a plate roll on which a predetermined pattern is formed in advance.   The method for manufacturing an information display panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a predetermined pattern is formed on the transfer roll via a plate roll as required.   The thickness of the adhesive bond layer on the said transfer roll is 0.1-20 micrometers, The manufacturing method of the information display panel in any one of Claims 1-5 characterized by the above-mentioned.   7. In order to supply the adhesive to the transfer roll, two or more rolls are interposed between the transfer roll and the adhesive supply device. Manufacturing method of information display panel.   The method for supplying the adhesive to the transfer roll uses a supply method capable of adjusting the supply amount of a knife, a comma knife, a roll diaphragm, a slit die, a mesh roll, an anilox roll, a dispenser, or the like. The manufacturing method of the information display panel in any one of 1-7.   The distance between the transfer roll and the substrate is adjusted by a measuring device that measures the substrate thickness before forming the adhesive layer and a substrate stage that is driven up and down based on the measurement result of the thickness. The manufacturing method of the information display panel in any one of 1-8.   The method for manufacturing an information display panel according to claim 1, wherein after the adhesive layer is formed, the adhesive is slightly cured by ultraviolet energy or thermal energy.   An information display device comprising an information display panel manufactured by the manufacturing method according to claim 1.

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