JP2006267559A - Liquid crystal display device, its manufacturing method and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid crystal display device capable of more surely sealing a liquid crystal by a simple method without complicating a sealing port, to provide a method for manufacturing the electronic display device and to provide an electronic apparatus using the liquid crystal display device. <P>SOLUTION: An injection port is formed at a position which is closer to a space for injecting liquid crystal than a position with the first opening cross-section of an injection port with a second opening cross-section which is smaller than the first opening cross-section. After liquid crystal is injected into the space for injecting the liquid crystal, sealing agent is formed at the injection port. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal display device, a manufacturing method thereof, and an electronic apparatus.

  In the liquid crystal display device manufacturing method, two substrates are bonded together using a sealing material, liquid crystal is sealed from an injection port formed in a part of the sealing material, and liquid sealing is performed in the injection port. By applying and curing the agent, for example, a liquid crystal display device is formed by the structure and method disclosed in Patent Documents 1 to 3.

  FIG. 7 shows a schematic plan view of an injection port in which a conventional sealant is formed. The conventional inlet has a tapered shape with respect to the direction in which the liquid crystal is inserted, and Patent Document 4 discloses an inversely tapered shape.

JP-A-2-162235 JP-A-5-53123 JP-A-10-186386 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-101983

However, in the inlet 54, the wettability between the liquid sealing agent 57 and the sealing material 53 is not so good, and the sealing agent 57 gathers in a part of the sealing material 53, and the sealing material 53 and the sealing agent are collected. There is a high possibility that the gap 58 is formed between the liquid crystal 56 and the liquid crystal 56 cannot be reliably sealed.
An object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display device capable of sealing liquid crystal more reliably by a simple method without complicating the sealing port, a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display device, and an electronic apparatus using the liquid crystal display device Is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-described problems, the present invention provides a sealing material forming step of forming a frame-shaped sealing material having an injection port narrowed toward the inside of the substrate on the substrate, the substrate, A step of bonding a substrate facing the substrate through the sealing material, a liquid crystal injection step of injecting liquid crystal from the injection port, and sealing the injection port with a sealing agent so as to seal the liquid crystal And having a sealing step.

According to the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, a space for injecting liquid crystal by forming a frame-shaped sealing material having an inlet narrowing toward the inside of the substrate by the sealing material forming step. After injecting the liquid crystal, a sealant is formed at the injection port. Thereby, even when the wettability between the sealing material and the sealing agent is not so good, the sealing material and the sealing agent are more closely adhered to each other in the second opening having a width smaller than the width of the first opening of the injection port. Therefore, the gap generated between the sealant and the injection port can be reduced. Therefore, manufacturing defects of the liquid crystal display device due to liquid crystal leakage or the like can be reduced.
Furthermore, by forming the injection port so that the second opening having a width smaller than the width of the first opening of the injection port is formed at a position inside the pair of substrates, the sealing material is more paired. Since it becomes easy to be drawn toward the inner side of the substrate, a gap generated between the sealant and the injection port can be reduced.

  Further, the present invention is the above-described method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, wherein in the sealing material forming step, one end and the other end of the frame-shaped sealing material constituting the injection port are the sealing material. The gist of the present invention is to form the sealing material so as to be disposed on the inner side of the outer peripheral surface.

  According to the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, one end and the other end of the sealing material constituting the injection port are inside the outer surface of the sealing material forming the frame by the sealing material forming step. A sealing material is formed so as to be disposed on the surface. As a result, the sealant and the sealing agent are more closely adhered to each other in the second opening having a width smaller than the width of the first opening of the injection port, so that a gap generated between the sealing agent and the injection port is reduced. be able to.

  Further, the present invention is a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device as described above, wherein, in the sealing material forming step, the one end of the injection port is a starting point, the other end is an end point, and the writing is performed with a single stroke using a dispenser. The gist is to form a frame-shaped sealing material.

  According to the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, the sealing material forming step forms a frame-shaped sealing material with a single stroke using a dispenser, with one end of the injection port as a starting point and the other end as an ending point, In addition, the start point and the end point are formed so as to be arranged inside the frame. As a result, the sealant and the sealing agent are more closely adhered to each other in the second opening having a width smaller than the width of the first opening of the injection port, so that a gap generated between the sealing agent and the injection port is reduced. be able to.

  Further, the present invention is the liquid crystal display device according to the above, wherein, in the sealing material forming step, the sealing material is formed such that one end and the other end of the sealing material constituting the injection port are convex curved surfaces. The gist is to form.

  According to the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, the sealing material is formed by the sealing material forming step so that the shape of one end and the other end of the sealing material constituting the injection port is a convex curved surface. As a result, the sealant and the sealing agent are more closely adhered to each other in the second opening having a width smaller than the width of the first opening of the injection port, so that a gap generated between the sealing agent and the injection port is reduced. be able to.

  Further, the present invention includes a pair of opposing substrates and a frame-shaped sealing material provided with an injection port for injecting liquid crystal and provided between the pair of substrates. The gist is that the shape narrows toward the inside of the pair of substrates.

  According to the liquid crystal display device of the present invention, the injection port for injecting liquid crystal has a shape that narrows toward the inside of the pair of substrates, and thus has a width smaller than the width of the first opening of the injection port. Since the sealing material and the sealing agent are more closely adhered to each other at the second opening, a gap generated between the sealing agent and the injection port can be reduced.

  Further, the present invention is the above-described liquid crystal display device, wherein at least a part of the surface of the sealing material forming the injection port has a shape forming an obtuse angle with the outer peripheral surface of the sealing material. The gist.

  According to the liquid crystal display device of the present invention, at least a part of the surface of the sealing material forming the injection port has a shape that intersects with the outer peripheral surface of the sealing material in the vicinity of the injection port at an obtuse angle. Since the sealing material and the sealing agent are more closely adhered to each other in the second opening having a width smaller than that of the first opening, a gap generated between the sealing agent and the injection port can be reduced.

  In the liquid crystal display device described above, one of the pair of end portions of the sealing material that forms the injection port has a shape that forms an obtuse angle with the outer peripheral surface of the sealing material. In addition, since the sealing material and the sealing agent are more closely adhered to each other in the second opening having a width smaller than that of the first opening of the inlet, the gap generated between the sealing agent and the inlet can be reduced. Can do.

  The gist of the present invention is the liquid crystal display device described above, wherein an end portion of the sealing material forming the injection port has a convex curved shape.

  According to the liquid crystal display device according to the present invention, the end portion of the sealing material forming the injection port has a convex curved surface, so that the second opening has a width smaller than the width of the first opening of the injection port. Thus, since the sealing material and the sealing agent are more closely attached, the gap generated between the sealing agent and the injection port can be reduced.

  Further, in the present invention, the liquid crystal display device described above can be used for an electronic device.

(First embodiment)
A first embodiment of a liquid crystal display device and a manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a liquid crystal display device 1 manufactured in the present embodiment. The liquid crystal display device 1 includes a glass substrate 11 as a pair of substrates, a light-transmitting substrate, and a glass as a substrate having a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) as a liquid crystal element for bringing the liquid crystal into a predetermined state. The substrate 12 includes a sealing material 13 formed as a rectangular frame, an X driver 41 and two Y drivers 42.

  The glass substrate 11 and the glass substrate 12 are bonded to each other with a sealant 13 interposed therebetween. The glass substrate 11, the glass substrate 12, and the sealing material 13 define a space 15 for injecting the liquid crystal 16. An injection port 14 for injecting liquid crystal 16 into the space 15 is formed in a part of the sealing material 13 formed in a frame shape. Liquid crystal 16 injected from the inlet 14 is sealed in the space 15.

  Since the glass substrate 11 is larger than the glass substrate 12, a part of the glass substrate 11 has a portion that does not face the glass substrate 12 when bonded to the glass substrate 12. A part of the glass substrate 11 that does not face the glass substrate 12 is referred to as a mounting base. An X driver 41 and two Y drivers 42 are mounted on the mounting base, and the planar arrangement is such that the X driver 41 is sandwiched between the two Y drivers 42. Various electrodes are arranged on the opposing surfaces of the glass substrate 11 and the glass substrate 12 (not shown). The X driver 41 and the Y driver 42 transmit voltage signals necessary for driving the liquid crystal 16 to these electrodes.

  FIG. 2 shows a schematic plan view in which the inlet 14 in FIG. 1 is enlarged. The injection port 14 is formed by separating a first end 18 as one end of the sealing material 13 and a second end 19 as the other end by a predetermined distance. A sealing agent 17 for preventing the liquid crystal 16 from leaking from the space 15 is formed at the inlet 14.

  In the inlet 14, an outer peripheral surface 13 a of the sealing material 13 in the vicinity of the inlet 14 and an opening surface 13 b of the sealing material 13 from the inlet 14 to the space 15 form an obtuse angle. The inlet 14 has a shape that narrows from the inlet of the inlet 14 toward the space 15. That is, the inlet 14 has a reverse taper shape. Accordingly, the second opening cross-sectional area S2 of the inlet 14 near the space 15 is smaller than the first opening cross-sectional area S1 of the inlet 14 near the inlet of the inlet 14.

  Here, since the height of the inlet 14 determined by the thickness of the sealing material 13 between the glass substrate 11 and the glass substrate 12 is substantially constant, the above-described opening cross-sectional area is the opening of the opening cross-sectional area. Proportional to width. Therefore, the width L2 of the second opening included in the second opening cross-sectional area S2 is smaller than the width L1 of the first opening included in the first opening cross-sectional area S1.

  In the inlet 14, when the sealant 17 is formed, the sealant 13 and the sealant are formed at a portion of the second opening cross-sectional area S <b> 2 having a smaller area than the first opening cross-sectional area S <b> 1 of the inlet 14. 17 is more closely attached. Therefore, even when the wettability between the sealing material 13 and the sealing agent 17 is not very good, the gap generated between the sealing agent 17 and the injection port 14 can be reduced. Therefore, defects such as the liquid crystal 16 leaking outside the space 15 can be reduced.

  When the outer peripheral surface 13a of the sealing material 13 and the opening surface 13b of the sealing material 13 from the inlet of the inlet 14 to the space 15 form an obtuse angle, or the opening area of the inlet 14 is reduced. In the case of having such a shape, the injection port 14 having the second opening cross-sectional area S2 whose area is smaller than the first opening cross-sectional area S1 is surely obtained. When the height of the injection port 14 is substantially constant, the above effect can be obtained because the width L2 of the second opening is smaller than the width L1 of the first opening.

In addition, although the inlet 14 in this embodiment becomes what is called a reverse taper shape, as above-mentioned, not only the shape but the 1st position of the position near the space 15 rather than the 1st opening cross-sectional area is mentioned. If the opening cross-sectional area of 2 is small, the above effect can be obtained. For example, the first end 18 of the inlet 14 and the second end 19 as the other end may be formed such that two surfaces at the end form a V-shaped acute angle shape. .
In addition, even when only one of the first end portion 18 and the second end portion 19 has an acute angle, the above effect can be obtained.

  Next, a manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device 1 will be described with reference to a flowchart of FIG. In FIG. 3, a process P12 and a process P13 are processes for laminating components on the glass substrate 11, and processes P21 to P23 are processes for laminating components on the glass substrate 12. Process P31 to process P35 are processes for completing the liquid crystal display device 1 by combining the glass substrate 11 and the glass substrate 12. Processes P12 and P13 and processes P21 to P23 are independently performed.

  Note that the glass substrate 11 and the glass substrate 12 are each formed with components corresponding to one liquid crystal display device 1 arranged in a matrix over a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns. Each liquid crystal display device 1 forms a composite substrate by laminating the glass substrate 11 and the glass substrate 12, and then performs a primary break (cutting) in the row direction to take out a strip-shaped composite substrate composed of one row, Further, the strip-shaped composite substrate can be obtained by secondary breaking into a shape corresponding to each liquid crystal display device 1.

In Step P12, a TFT (not shown) as a liquid crystal element for bringing the liquid crystal into a predetermined state is formed.
In Step P13, a photo spacer (not shown) is formed. The photo spacer is formed by arranging a resin having a certain height by a photolithography method so that a certain distance is maintained when the glass substrate 11 and the glass substrate 12 are bonded together. Note that, following the process P13, an alignment film (not shown) is applied or rubbed.

In step P21, a color filter (not shown) is formed on the glass substrate 12 using a photolithography method.
In step P22, a scan electrode (not shown) made of ITO is formed by being laminated on an overcoat (not shown). The formation of the scan electrode is performed by, for example, a photolithography method. In addition, following the process P22, an alignment film is applied or rubbed.

  In step P23, the sealing material 13 is formed at a predetermined position on the glass substrate 12 by using a dispenser method. The sealing material forming apparatus (not shown) has a nozzle that continuously discharges the sealing material 13. Gas pressurization is used as a method of discharging the sealing material 13 from the nozzle. The sealing material 13 is discharged from the nozzle by applying pressure to the sealing material supply unit of the sealing material forming apparatus with gas. In addition, the supply amount of the sealing material 13 to be discharged can be controlled by adjusting the pressure of the added gas. Further, the sealing material forming apparatus has a function of setting a coating pattern of the sealing material 13 formed on the glass substrate 11 or the glass substrate 12.

  FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view showing a method for forming a sealing material on a substrate. The sealing material 13 is drawn on the glass substrate 12 by operating a nozzle (not shown) so that the inlet 14 is formed. The sealing material 13 is formed by forming the sealing material 13 obliquely leftward from the first end 18 as one end of the sealing material 13 forming the inlet 14 and folding it at a predetermined location. It is drawn in a single stroke clockwise to draw a frame of shape. Finally, the supply of the sealing material 13 from the nozzle is stopped with the second end 19 as the other end forming the injection port 14 as the end point. At this time, the first end 18 as a start point and the second end 19 as an end point are formed so as to be arranged inside a rectangular frame that becomes a space 15 for injecting the liquid crystal 16. The That is, the first end 18 as a start point and the second end 19 as an end point are arranged on the inner side of the outer peripheral surface 13a of the sealing material 13 in the vicinity of the injection port 14 forming the frame.

  By forming the sealing material 13 as described above, it is possible to obtain the inlet 14 having a shape in which the opening narrows from the inlet of the inlet 14 toward the space 15.

  The sealing material 13 may be formed counterclockwise from the second end 19 to the first end 18 in the opposite manner to the above method. Further, the sealing material 13 may be drawn on the light-transmitting glass substrate 11 instead of the glass substrate 12 on which the liquid crystal element is formed.

In addition, the sealing material 13 can be formed by a screen printing method. A screen plate (stencil plate) in which a pattern of the sealing material 13 as shown in FIG. 4 is formed in advance is placed on the glass substrate 12 and the like, and the sealing material 13 is applied thereon, thereby reverse taper. A sealing material 13 having an injection port 14 having a shape can be formed.
In addition, the sealing material 13 can be formed by an ink jet method.

  Moreover, even if the frame formed of the sealing material 13 is not a square shape as in this embodiment, for example, a circular shape or the like, the first end 18 and the second end 19 are placed inside the frame. By forming, the inlet 14 having a shape such that the opening area of the inlet 14 or the width of the opening becomes smaller from the inlet 14 toward the space 15 can be obtained.

  In step P31, the glass substrate 11 and the glass substrate 12 are bonded together to form a composite substrate. After alignment between the glass substrate 11 and the glass substrate 12, the glass substrate 11 and the glass substrate 12 are bonded together by contact and pressure bonding via the sealing material 13.

  In step P32, a primary break is performed on the composite substrate obtained in step P31. The primary break is performed by forming scribe grooves in the row direction on the surface of the composite substrate and cutting at the positions of the scribe grooves. Thereby, a strip-shaped composite substrate in which the components corresponding to the liquid crystal display device 1 are arranged in a line is obtained. An inlet 14 corresponding to each liquid crystal display device 1 is exposed on one end face of the composite substrate.

  In Step P33, the liquid crystal 16 is injected from the injection port 14 into the strip-shaped composite substrate obtained in Step P32. The liquid crystal 16 is injected by immersing the liquid crystal 16 in the inlet under vacuum and injecting the liquid crystal 16 into the space 15 using the principle of capillary action.

  In the process P34, the inlet 14 is sealed. For sealing, an ultraviolet curable resin 17 as a sealing agent is applied to the injection port 14. In order to draw the ultraviolet curable resin 17 to a desired position of the injection port 14, a stress is applied to the composite substrate. The injection port 14 is formed in the reverse taper shape as shown in FIG. 2 by the sealing material forming step. After the ultraviolet curable resin 17 is drawn to a desired position, the resin is cured by irradiating with ultraviolet rays. After the sealing step, the substrate is washed.

  When the ultraviolet curable resin 17 is drawn into the injection port 14 by having the injection port 14 described above, the sealing material 13 and the sealing material 13 are sealed at a portion of the second opening cross-sectional area S2 smaller than the first opening cross-sectional area S1. Since the agent 17 is more closely attached, the gap generated between the sealant 17 and the injection port 14 can be reduced even when the wettability between the sealant 13 and the sealant 17 is not very good.

  In Step P35, a secondary break is performed on the strip-shaped composite substrate in which the liquid crystal 16 has been injected and sealed. The secondary break is performed by forming a scribe groove on the surface of the strip-shaped composite substrate and cutting at the position of the scribe groove. Thereby, a composite substrate having a shape (panel shape) corresponding to each liquid crystal display device 1 is obtained. Each of the obtained composite substrates has a mounting base.

  In step P36, the X driver 41 and the Y driver 42 are mounted on the mounting base of the panel-shaped composite substrate obtained in step P35. After this step, a polarizing plate is attached to the surface of the composite substrate.

  After passing through the above manufacturing process, it is possible to obtain the liquid crystal display device 1 in which the liquid crystal 16 is less likely to leak through the inlet 14.

(Second Embodiment)
A second embodiment of the liquid crystal display device and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. This embodiment is different from the first embodiment in the shape of the sealing material forming process P23 in the manufacturing process shown in the first embodiment and the shape of the injection port 14 obtained in the sealing material forming process. Since other manufacturing processes are the same as those in the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted.

  In the sealing material forming step of P23, the sealing material 13 is formed using a dispenser method, as in the first embodiment. When the sealing material 13 is formed, the supply amount of the sealing material 13 is reduced at the first end 18 as a starting point and the second end 19 as an end point. In other words, the pressure of the gas applied to the sealing material supply unit is made smaller than the pressure of the gas forming the frame portion other than the first end 18 and the second end 19, thereby causing the seal discharged from the nozzle. The supply amount of the material 13 is reduced. Accordingly, the first end 18 and the second end 19 are tapered to form a convex curved surface. Thereby, the outer peripheral surface 13a of the sealing material 13 and the opening surface 13b of the sealing material 13 from the entrance of the injection port 14 to the space 15 can form an obtuse angle. Moreover, the inlet 14 having a shape in which the opening narrows from the inlet of the inlet 14 toward the space 15 can be obtained.

Therefore, also in the inlet 14 formed by the first end 18 and the second end 19, the opening cross-sectional area at a certain location near the inlet of the inlet 14 is the same as in the first embodiment. The opening sectional area near the space 15 is smaller than the opening sectional area S1 or the first opening width L1, and the second opening sectional area S2 or the second opening width L2 is smaller. ing. Therefore, similarly to the first embodiment, when the ultraviolet curable resin 17 is drawn into the injection port 14 in the sealing agent forming process of P34, it is smaller than the first opening cross-sectional area S1 or the first opening width L1. The sealing material 13 and the sealant 17 are more closely attached to each other at the second opening cross-sectional area S2 or the width L2 of the second opening. Therefore, even when the wettability between the sealing material 13 and the sealing agent 17 is not very good, the gap generated between the sealing agent 17 and the injection port 14 can be reduced.
The sealing material 13 can be formed by screen printing. A pattern may be formed in advance on the screen plate so that the shapes of the first end 18 and the second end 19 of the sealing material 13 serving as the inlet 14 become convex curved surfaces. In addition, the sealing material 13 can be formed by an ink jet method.

(Third embodiment)
An electronic apparatus equipped with the liquid crystal display device 1 of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 6 is a schematic perspective view of a mobile phone 100 as an electronic apparatus equipped with the liquid crystal display device 1. The mobile phone 100 has a display unit 110 and operation buttons 120. The display unit 110 can display various information such as contents input by the operation buttons 120 and incoming call information by the liquid crystal display device 1 incorporated therein. The display unit 110 is mainly composed of the liquid crystal display device 1. As described above, the liquid crystal display device 1 has the injection port 14 in which the possibility of leakage of the liquid crystal 16 is reduced, so that the mobile phone 100 with a low failure rate can be obtained.

1 is a schematic perspective view of a liquid crystal display device according to a first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing an injection port for injecting liquid crystal included in the liquid crystal display device. 5 is a flowchart showing a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device. The schematic plan view which shows the method of forming the sealing material in a sealing material formation process. The schematic plan view which shows the injection port formed with the formation method of the sealing material in 2nd Embodiment. The model perspective view of the mobile telephone as an electronic device using the liquid crystal display device which concerns on this invention in 3rd Embodiment. The schematic plan view which shows the injection port for inject | pouring the conventional liquid crystal.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Liquid crystal display device 11, 12 ... Glass substrate, 13 ... Sealing material, 13a ... Outer peripheral surface of sealing material, 13b ... Opening surface of sealing material, 14 ... Injection port, 15 ... Space, 16 ... Liquid crystal, 17 ... Sealing Stop agent, 18... First end as one end, 19. Second end as the other end, 100... Mobile phone as electronic device.

Claims (9)

On the substrate, a sealing material forming step of forming a frame-shaped sealing material having an injection port that narrows toward the inside of the substrate; and
Bonding the substrate and the substrate facing the substrate through the sealing material;
A liquid crystal injection step of injecting liquid crystal from the injection port;
A sealing step of sealing the inlet with a sealant so as to seal the liquid crystal;
A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device having It is a manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device according to claim 1,
In the sealing material forming step, a liquid crystal display that forms the sealing material so that one end and the other end of the frame-shaped sealing material constituting the injection port are arranged on the inner side of the outer peripheral surface of the sealing material. Device manufacturing method. It is a manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display device according to claim 1 or 2,
In the sealing material forming step, a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, wherein the frame-shaped sealing material is formed by one stroke using a dispenser with one end of the injection port as a starting point and the other end as an end point. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
In the sealing material forming step, a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, wherein the sealing material is formed so that the shape of one end and the other end of the sealing material constituting the inlet is a convex curved surface. A pair of opposing substrates;
An inlet for injecting liquid crystal, and a frame-shaped sealing material provided between the pair of substrates,
The liquid crystal display device, wherein the injection port has a shape that narrows toward the inside of the pair of substrates. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 5,
A liquid crystal display device having a shape in which at least a part of a surface of the sealing material forming the injection port forms an obtuse angle with an outer peripheral surface of the sealing material. The liquid crystal display device according to claim 6,
A liquid crystal display device having a shape in which one end portion of the pair of end portions of the sealing material forming the injection port forms an obtuse angle with the outer peripheral surface of the sealing material. A liquid crystal display device according to any one of claims 5 to 7,
An end portion of the sealing material forming the injection port is a liquid crystal display device having a convex curved surface. The electronic device provided with the liquid crystal display device as described in any one of Claims 5 thru | or 8.

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