JP2006317483A - Electro-optical device, inspection method for electro-optical device, method for manufacturing electro-optical device, and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electro-optical device having an inspection pattern for verifying film thickness or resistance of a resin film or a conductive film with high accuracy, and to provide an inspection method for an electro-optical device, a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, and an electronic apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: The electro-optical device comprises a pair of substrates disposed opposing to each other and stuck by a sealing material, an electro-optical material held between the pair of substrates, and a resin film and a conductive film disposed on at least one of the pair of substrates, wherein an inspection pattern to inspect a fabrication state of the resin film or the conductive film is disposed in an area out of the sealing area on the substrate and in an area where the pair of substrates overlapped, so as to measure, for example, film thickness and resistance by using the inspection pattern. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electro-optical device, an electro-optical device inspection method, an electro-optical device manufacturing method, and an electronic apparatus. In particular, the present invention relates to an electro-optical device provided with an inspection pattern capable of accurately verifying the film thickness and resistance value of a resin film or a conductive film, an electro-optical device inspection method, an electro-optical device manufacturing method, and an electronic apparatus.

  Conventionally, a liquid crystal device which is an embodiment of an electro-optical device is configured by disposing a pair of substrates each having a colored layer, a protective film, and an electrode, and injecting a liquid crystal material between the pair of substrates. ing. For example, in the case of a liquid crystal device equipped with a TFT element (Thin Film Transistor) which is a three-terminal type non-linear element, the element substrate is an electric wiring, TFT element, interlayer insulating film, pixel electrode, orientation on a glass substrate or the like. A film or the like is laminated. In addition, a colored layer, a light shielding film, a counter electrode, an alignment film, and the like are stacked on the counter substrate facing the element substrate. The element substrate and the counter substrate are bonded together with a sealing material to form a cell structure, and a liquid crystal material is injected into the formed cell.

  By the way, the formation state of each member formed on each substrate is an element that greatly affects the display quality of the liquid crystal device. For example, if the electrical wiring formed on the substrate is broken or the like, it causes display defects such as point defects and line defects. Therefore, an image display device having a simple and reliable inspection circuit on a substrate with a small occupation area has been proposed. More specifically, by changing a part of the dummy pixels arranged around the pixel portion to make an inspection circuit, an inspection machine using many probe pins and complicated additional circuits are not required, and the number is small. This is an image display device that can easily and reliably perform inspections such as disconnection of data signal lines and scanning lines, and inspection of pixel control with an occupied area, and thereby can produce a panel at low cost (Patent Document 1). reference).

On the other hand, in addition to the disconnection of the electrical wiring, the thickness of the colored layer affects the color density and color unevenness of the displayed image. It affects the reaction speed and the occurrence of display unevenness. Therefore, at the stage of manufacturing each substrate, it is necessary to measure the film thickness, resistance value, etc. of each member to verify the formation state of each member, but if such film thickness, resistance value, etc. are inspected with all products Then, it takes time and work efficiency is remarkably lowered.
Here, normally, when manufacturing a substrate, a plurality of substrates are manufactured at a time using a mother substrate including a plurality of cell regions. Therefore, when a predetermined member is formed in each cell region on the mother substrate, as shown in FIG. 12, an inspection pattern 610 is formed in a region to be separated and removed later on the mother substrate 60A. The inspection pattern 610 is used to verify the formation state of the member. That is, by inspecting the cell region by using the inspection pattern formed in the predetermined region of the mother board on the assumption that the formation state of the inspection pattern is the same as the formation state of the member in each cell region. The formation state such as the film thickness of the member formed in the above is verified.
JP-A-2004-199054 (Claims)

However, in the method of inspecting using the inspection pattern formed on a part of the mother board, the distance from all the cell areas on the mother board is not short, but in the cell area existing away from the inspection pattern. The correlation with each formed member was low. Therefore, there is a problem that the reliability of the inspection result using the inspection pattern is not necessarily high. For example, if there is unevenness in the film thickness at the film formation stage of a predetermined member, the film thickness can be reduced if it is thinner or thicker than the desired film thickness in the region where the inspection pattern is formed. However, it is impossible to detect a film thickness defect or the like in a cell region located away from the inspection pattern.
Also, the inspection pattern provided at a predetermined location on the mother board does not remain on the board after it is assembled as a single panel, so if a display defect is found after assembly, it will be in the cell area. Since the formed member is shaved and the member to be measured itself is exposed, the inspection cannot be performed, which is very troublesome.

Accordingly, the inventors of the present invention have made extensive studies on the above problems, and as a result, formed an inspection pattern outside the seal region on each substrate constituting the electro-optical device and where the pair of substrates overlap. Thus, it has been found that the above-described problems can be solved.
That is, the present invention forms an inspection pattern at a predetermined location near the display area on the substrate constituting each electro-optical device, and remains on the substrate even after assembly so that the resin film or the like is formed. An object of the present invention is to provide an electro-optical device that has high inspection reliability and can be easily inspected even after assembly. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electro-optical device inspection method, an electro-optical device manufacturing method, and an electronic apparatus using such an inspection pattern.

According to the present invention, a pair of substrates disposed opposite to each other and bonded together by a sealing material, an electro-optic material held between the pair of substrates, and provided on at least one of the pair of substrates An electro-optical device including a resin film and a conductive film, and an inspection pattern for inspecting a formation state of the resin film or the conductive film in a region outside the seal region on the substrate and where the pair of substrates overlap An electro-optical device is provided, which can solve the above-described problem.
That is, it is possible to provide an electro-optical device that is close to the display area and capable of performing a highly reliable inspection by forming the inspection pattern at a predetermined position on any substrate constituting each electro-optical device. . In addition, since the inspection pattern is formed at a predetermined location, the inspection pattern can be provided without increasing the size of the electro-optical device. Further, since the inspection pattern remains even after being assembled, when a defective product is generated, it can be easily verified.

In configuring the electro-optical device of the present invention, the resin film is at least one member of a colored layer, a light shielding film, a protective film, and a photo spacer, and the conductive film is at least one member of an electrode or an electric wiring. It is preferable that
By comprising in this way, the formation state of each member which affects display quality can be test | inspected accurately.

Further, in configuring the electro-optical device of the present invention, it is preferable that the inspection pattern is formed for each member alone or by stacking a plurality of members.
By comprising in this way, the test | inspection pattern can be formed according to the aspect of each member formed on a board | substrate, and a desired test | inspection can be implemented.

In configuring the electro-optical device of the present invention, it is preferable that the inspection pattern is an inspection pattern for measuring a film thickness or an inspection pattern for measuring a resistance value.
With this configuration, it is possible to accurately perform a predetermined inspection that easily affects the display quality.

Another embodiment of the present invention includes a pair of substrates that are arranged to face each other and bonded together with a sealing material, an electro-optic material that is held between the pair of substrates, and at least one of the pair of substrates. An electro-optical device inspection method for inspecting a formation state of a resin film or a conductive film in an electro-optical device including a resin film and a conductive film provided on the substrate, wherein the method is outside a sealing region on a substrate. An inspection method for an electro-optical device, in which a formation state of a resin film or a conductive film is inspected using an inspection pattern independent of the resin film or the conductive film formed in a region where a pair of substrates overlap It is.
That is, since the distance from the actual display area is close by inspecting using an inspection pattern formed at a predetermined location on any substrate constituting each electro-optical device, The correlation is high, and the reliability of the inspection result can be improved. In addition, since the inspection pattern remains on the substrate even after assembly, for example, even when a display defect is found after the product is manufactured, the inspection can be easily performed.

In carrying out the inspection method for the electro-optical device of the present invention, it is preferable that the formation state inspection is a film thickness inspection or a resistance value inspection.
By carrying out in this way, it is possible to accurately inspect the film thickness of a colored layer or the like, which easily affects the display quality, and the resistance value of an electrode or the like. In addition, since a predetermined inspection pattern exists in each electro-optical device, the inspection can be easily performed even after assembly.

In carrying out the electro-optical device inspection method of the present invention, it is preferable to inspect the formation state at a plurality of locations in the inspection pattern.
By carrying out in this way, the reliability of the inspection result can be improved even when the formation state of the inspection pattern itself varies.

Still another aspect of the present invention provides a pair of substrates that are arranged to face each other and bonded together with a sealing material, an electro-optical material that is held between the pair of substrates, and at least one of the pair of substrates. A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device including a resin film and a conductive film provided on a substrate, the step of forming a resin film or a conductive film on a substrate, and patterning the resin film or the conductive film, A step of forming a test pattern independent of the resin film or the conductive film at a position corresponding to a region where the resin film or the conductive film and the pair of substrates overlap outside the sealing region of the substrate; And a step of inspecting a formation state of a resin film or a conductive film using a pattern.
That is, when forming each member corresponding to each cell region, by simultaneously forming a test pattern at a predetermined location, the reliability of the inspection of the formation state of the resin film and the conductive film is high, An electro-optical device that can be inspected even after assembly can be efficiently manufactured. In addition, since the setting conditions of each manufacturing apparatus can be corrected based on the inspection result, an electro-optical device with few display defects can be efficiently manufactured.

In carrying out the method for manufacturing the electro-optical device of the present invention, it is preferable that the formation state is inspected after the pair of substrates are bonded.
By carrying out in this way, even when the electro-optical device is assembled, if a display defect or the like is found, the formation defect of the resin film or the conductive film can be easily verified.

Still another embodiment of the present invention is an electronic apparatus including any of the electro-optical devices described above.
That is, since the predetermined inspection pattern is provided with the electro-optical device left in the predetermined area on the substrate, the reliability of the inspection result such as the film thickness is high, and when a defect is found, An electronic device that can be easily inspected can be provided.

[First Embodiment]
1st Embodiment was provided in at least one board | substrate of a pair of board | substrates which were opposingly arranged and bonded together by the sealing material, the electro-optic material hold | maintained between the said pair of board | substrates, and a pair of board | substrates In an electro-optical device including a resin film and a conductive film, an inspection pattern for inspecting a formation state of the resin film or the conductive film is provided in a region outside the sealing region on the substrate and overlapping the pair of substrates. This is an electro-optical device.
Hereinafter, as a method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to the first embodiment, an element substrate having a three-terminal nonlinear element and a pixel electrode having a predetermined structure, and a color filter substrate having a colored layer and a counter electrode as a counter substrate are provided. A manufacturing method of the liquid crystal device provided will be described as an example. However, description of this embodiment shows one aspect | mode of this invention, Comprising: This invention is not limited, It can change arbitrarily within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the present embodiment, an active matrix structure liquid crystal device including a TFT element which is a three-terminal nonlinear element will be described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the two-terminal nonlinear element is not limited thereto. An active matrix liquid crystal device including a TFD element (Thin Film Diode) may be used, or a passive matrix liquid crystal device including no switching element may be used.
In addition, in each figure, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected about what shows the same member, and description is abbreviate | omitted suitably in description of each figure.

1. Liquid Crystal Device First, the liquid crystal device according to the present embodiment will be described. Here, FIG. 1A shows a cross-sectional view of the liquid crystal device 10, and FIG. 1B shows a plan view of the element substrate 60 in the liquid crystal device of FIG. In each drawing, some members are omitted as appropriate.
As shown in FIG. 1A, in the liquid crystal device 10, the counter substrate 30 and the element substrate 60 are bonded to each other at a peripheral portion thereof by a sealing material (not shown). The liquid crystal material 21 is sealed in a gap surrounded by the substrate 60 and the sealing material.

The counter substrate 30 is formed of glass, plastic, or the like, and on the counter substrate 30, a color filter, that is, colored layers 37r, 37g, and 37b, and a counter layer formed on the colored layers 37r, 37g, and 37b. An electrode 33 and an alignment film 45 formed on the counter electrode 33 are provided. In addition, an insulating layer 41 for optimizing retardation is provided between the colored layers 37r, 37g, and 37b and the counter electrode 33 in the reflective region R.
Here, the counter electrode 33 is a planar electrode formed over the entire surface of the counter substrate 30 with ITO (indium tin oxide) or the like. In addition, the colored layers 37r, 37g, and 37b are disposed at positions facing the pixel electrode 63 on the element substrate 60 side, such as R (red), G (green), B (blue), or C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y. A color filter element of any color such as (yellow) is provided. A black mask or black matrix, that is, a light shielding film 39 is provided next to the colored layers 37 r, 37 g, and 37 b and at a position that does not face the pixel electrode 63.

The element substrate 60 facing the counter substrate 30 is formed of glass, plastic, or the like. On the element substrate 60, a TFT element 69 as an active element functioning as a switching element and a transparent insulating film 81 are sandwiched. And the pixel electrode 63 formed in the upper layer of the TFT element 69.
Here, the pixel electrode 63 is formed as a light reflection film 79 (63a) for performing reflective display in the reflective region R, and is formed as a transparent electrode 63b with ITO or the like in the transmissive region T. . The light reflection film 79 as the pixel electrode 63a is formed of a light reflective material such as Al (aluminum) or Ag (silver). An alignment film 85 made of a polyimide-based polymer resin is formed on the pixel electrode 63, and a rubbing process as an alignment process is performed on the alignment film 85.

  A phase difference plate 47 is formed on the surface of the counter substrate 30 outside (that is, the upper side in FIG. 1A), and a polarizing plate 49 is further formed thereon. Similarly, a phase difference plate 87 is formed on the surface of the element substrate 60 (that is, the lower side in FIG. 1A), and a polarizing plate 89 is further formed thereunder. Further, a backlight unit (not shown) is disposed below the element substrate 60.

The TFT element 69 includes a gate electrode 71 formed on the element substrate 60, a gate insulating film 72 formed on the entire area of the element substrate 60 on the gate electrode 71, and the gate insulating film 72 interposed therebetween. A semiconductor layer 70 formed above the gate electrode 71, a source electrode 73 formed on one side of the semiconductor layer 70 via a contact electrode 77, and a contact electrode 77 on the other side of the semiconductor layer 70. And a drain electrode 66 formed through the electrode.
The gate electrode 71 extends from the gate bus wiring (not shown), and the source electrode 73 extends from the source bus wiring (not shown). Further, a plurality of gate bus lines extend in the horizontal direction of the element substrate 60 and are formed in parallel in the vertical direction at equal intervals, and the source bus lines cross the gate bus lines with the gate insulating film 72 interposed therebetween. A plurality of lines extending in the vertical direction are formed in parallel in the horizontal direction at equal intervals.
Such a gate bus wiring is connected to a liquid crystal driving IC (not shown) and functions as, for example, a scanning line, while a source bus wiring is connected to another driving IC (not shown), for example, a signal line. Acts as
The pixel electrode 63 is formed in a region excluding a portion corresponding to the TFT element 69 in a rectangular region defined by the gate bus wiring and the source bus wiring intersecting each other.

  Here, the gate bus wiring and the gate electrode can be formed of chromium, tantalum, or the like, for example. The gate insulating film is formed of, for example, silicon nitride (SiNx), silicon oxide (SiOx), or the like. Further, the semiconductor layer can be formed of, for example, doped a-Si, polycrystalline silicon, CdSe, or the like. Further, the contact electrode can be formed of, for example, a-Si, and the source electrode and the source bus wiring and the drain electrode integrated therewith can be formed of, for example, titanium, molybdenum, aluminum, or the like.

The organic insulating film 81 is formed over the entire area of the element substrate 60 so as to cover the gate bus lines, the source bus lines, and the TFT elements. However, a contact hole 83 is formed in a portion corresponding to the drain electrode 66 of the organic insulating film 81, and the pixel electrode 63 and the drain electrode 66 of the TFT element 69 are electrically connected at the contact hole 83.
In addition, in the organic insulating film 81, a resin film having a concavo-convex pattern composed of a regular or irregular repetitive pattern of peaks and valleys is formed as a scattering shape in a region corresponding to the reflective region R. Has been. As a result, the light reflection film 79 (63a) laminated on the organic insulating film 81 also has a light reflection pattern composed of an uneven pattern. However, this uneven pattern is not formed in the transmission region T.

In the liquid crystal device 10 having the above-described structure, during reflective display, external light such as sunlight or indoor illumination light enters the liquid crystal device 10 from the counter substrate 30 side, and the colored layers 37r, 37g, 37b, the liquid crystal material 21, and the like, reach the light reflection film 79, reflected there, and again pass through the liquid crystal material 21, the colored layers 37r, 37g, 37b, etc., and then exit from the liquid crystal device 10 to be reflected. Display is performed.
On the other hand, in the transmissive display, a backlight unit (not shown) is turned on, and light emitted from the backlight unit passes through the translucent transparent electrode 63b, and the colored layers 37r, 37g, The transmissive display is performed by passing through the liquid crystal material 21 and the like 37b and going out of the liquid crystal device 10.

  As described above, an organic insulating film, an alignment film, and the like are provided as a resin film on the element substrate constituting the liquid crystal device, and the pixel electrode, the gate electrode, the source electrode, the drain electrode, and the like are provided as the conductive film. Is provided. On the other hand, on the opposing color filter substrate, a colored layer, a light shielding film, an insulating film, an alignment film, and the like are provided as a resin film, and a counter electrode is provided as a conductive film.

2. Pattern for Inspection (1) Basic Configuration As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3A to 3B, the liquid crystal device of the present embodiment has a sealing region on the color filter substrate 30 as the element substrate 60 or the counter substrate. The inspection pattern 11 for inspecting the formation state of the resin film or the conductive film is provided in a region outside the area 23 where the element substrate 60 and the color filter substrate 30 overlap. Here, FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the appearance of the liquid crystal device 10 having the configuration shown in FIGS. 1A to 1B in the region corresponding to each pixel, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the liquid crystal device 10 of FIG. 2, and FIG. 3B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the section XX ′ in FIG.
That is, by providing a predetermined inspection pattern on any substrate in the liquid crystal device, since the distance to each member actually formed in the display area is close, the correlation with those members is high, The reliability of the inspection result can be increased. In addition, even after being assembled, since the inspection pattern remains, when a display defect or the like is found after assembly, without actually exposing the member itself formed in the display area, The formation state of the member can be easily confirmed.

(2) Arrangement Further, as shown in FIGS. 3A to 3B, the inspection pattern is outside the seal region 23 in the element substrate 60 and the color filter substrate 30 which are bonded to face each other. Thus, the two substrates 30 and 60 are formed at overlapping positions. That is, it is not necessary to increase the outer shape of the substrate by forming the inspection pattern using the existing area. In addition, by forming outside the seal area, other members in the display area are not affected and display defects are not caused. Furthermore, by forming at such a position, it is possible to prevent the inspection pattern from being damaged since it is less likely to come into direct contact with the outside after being assembled.

In addition, such an inspection pattern is preferably formed in the vicinity of a corner of the element substrate 60 or the color filter substrate 30 as shown in FIG.
The reason for this is that electrical wiring and dummy electrodes may be formed at locations along the side other than the corners of the substrate, and static electricity or the like is generated in the electrical wiring or the like through the inspection pattern. This is because it can be prevented.
Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4, the corner portion at a location outside the sealing region 23 on the element substrate 60 or the color filter substrate 30 and away from the mounting region of the semiconductor element 91 or the like at a position where the two substrates overlap. It is preferable that the inspection pattern 11 is formed in the vicinity of.

(3) Target Member The resin film or conductive film as the target member for forming the inspection pattern can be any member formed on the substrate. For example, examples of the resin film include the interlayer insulating film on the element substrate, the semiconductor layer, and the alignment film, the colored layer on the color filter substrate, the light shielding film, and the alignment film. Examples of the conductive film include the data line, the scanning line, the pixel electrode, the gate electrode, the source electrode, and the drain electrode on the element substrate, the counter electrode on the color filter substrate, and the like.

(4) Pattern Configuration In addition, it is preferable that the inspection pattern is formed independently for each of the above-described members, or a plurality of members are overlapped.
This is because an inspection pattern having a desired configuration can be formed according to the contents to be inspected, and a more reliable inspection can be performed.
For example, when it is desired to measure the film thickness of each member, as shown in FIG. 5A, the film thickness can be easily measured by forming the inspection pattern 11 for each member alone. Can do. Further, even when the same film thickness is measured, for example, when the light shielding film is formed by overlapping colored layers of three colors of RGB, in order to measure the height of the light shielding film, FIG. As shown in b), the resin films 37r ′, 37g ′, and 37b ′ corresponding to the three colored layers are overlapped to form the test pattern 11, thereby easily measuring the film thickness of such a light shielding film. can do. On the other hand, for example, when it is desired to measure the connection resistance value between the TFT element formed in each pixel region and the pixel electrode, as shown in FIG. 5C, the respective members 66 'and 63' are overlapped. In addition, by forming a test pattern 11 having a pseudo connection structure, a connection resistance value can be obtained with higher accuracy by using a test pattern having a structure similar to the connection structure between an actual TFT element and a pixel electrode. Can be measured.

Further, the shape of the inspection pattern is not particularly limited. For example, as shown in FIG. 5A, a rectangular inspection pattern 11 having a predetermined length is preferable.
The reason for this is that, for example, when the film thickness is measured, the formation state is inspected at a plurality of locations of the inspection pattern 11 as shown in FIGS. This is because even if there is a variation in the formation state of the test pattern, the measurement values can be averaged to improve the reliability of the measurement results.
Further, the size of the inspection pattern is not particularly limited, but the seal on the conventional substrate is used so that the area outside the seal region in the substrate does not increase and the external shape of the liquid crystal device does not increase. It is preferable to form it in such a size that it can be formed outside the region.

Moreover, it is preferable that all the test patterns corresponding to each resin film or conductive film are gathered and formed in one place. That is, it is preferable that a plurality of inspection patterns are gathered to form a TEG (Test Element Group).
This is because the formation state of each member can be efficiently inspected using the corresponding inspection pattern by configuring such a TEG. In particular, when the same pattern is inspected for the inspection patterns corresponding to each member, the inspection can be continuously performed, and the inspection efficiency can be remarkably improved.

(5) Inspection content Moreover, it is preferable that the inspection pattern formed for these is an inspection pattern for film thickness measurement or an inspection pattern for resistance value measurement.
This is because it is possible to confirm whether each member is formed with a desired film thickness or resistance value by forming an inspection pattern for such an inspection in each liquid crystal device. . Therefore, when a display defect such as uneven color or uneven display due to defective formation of each member occurs, the cause can be verified and the manufacturing conditions can be improved and corrected promptly.
These inspection contents will be described in detail in the second embodiment.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment of the present invention, a pair of substrates that are arranged opposite to each other and bonded together with a sealing material, an electro-optic material held between the pair of substrates, and at least one of the pair of substrates An electro-optical device manufacturing method including a provided resin film and a conductive film, the method including a step of inspecting a formation state of the resin film or the conductive film.
That is, a step of forming a resin film or a conductive film on a substrate, and a patterning process for the resin film or the conductive film, and a region where the resin film or the conductive film and the substrate overlap with each other outside the sealing region of the substrate And a step of forming an inspection pattern independent of the resin film or the conductive film at a position corresponding to the above, and a step of inspecting the formation state of the resin film or the conductive film using the inspection pattern. This is a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device.
Hereinafter, as a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device according to the second embodiment, a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device including the TFT element described in the first embodiment will be described as an example.

1. Manufacturing Process First, a base substrate including a plurality of cell regions is prepared as a base constituting the element substrate, and various members are stacked corresponding to each cell region, whereby the TFT element 69 and a predetermined pattern are formed. Scan lines 75, data lines 65 having a predetermined pattern, external connection terminals 27, and the like are appropriately formed. Next, after laminating a transparent conductive film such as ITO by sputtering or the like, pixel electrodes 63 are formed in a matrix in the display region by photolithography and etching. Further, an alignment film 85 made of polyimide is formed on the substrate surface on which the pixel electrode 63 is formed. In this way, as shown in FIG. 7A, a first mother substrate 60A as an element substrate including a plurality of cell regions on which various resin films and conductive films are formed is manufactured.
FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of a region corresponding to one cell region in the first mother substrate 60A.

Next, after preparing a mother substrate including a plurality of cell regions as a base constituting a color filter substrate as a counter substrate, various members are laminated in correspondence with each cell region, whereby a colored layer 37r, 37g, 37b and a light shielding film 39 are appropriately formed. Next, after laminating a transparent conductive film such as ITO by sputtering or the like, the counter electrode 33 is formed over the entire display region by photolithography and etching. Further, an alignment film 45 made of polyimide is formed on the substrate surface on which the counter electrode 33 is formed. In this way, as shown in FIG. 7B, a second mother substrate 30A as a color filter substrate including a plurality of cell regions on which various resin films and conductive films are formed is manufactured.
FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of a region corresponding to one cell region in the second mother substrate 30A.

Here, in the method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to the present invention, as shown in FIGS. 7A to 7B, when the element substrate 60A and the color filter substrate 30A are manufactured, respectively, a resin film or a conductive layer to be laminated is used. In the process of forming each member made of a film, at the same time, it is formed in the display area at a position corresponding to the area where the element substrate and the color filter substrate overlap after assembly in the cell area. An inspection pattern 11 independent of each member formed is formed.
That is, since the inspection pattern formed under the same conditions is provided at a position close to the display area in each cell area, the correlation with the members formed in the display area can be increased. Therefore, it is possible to accurately inspect the formation state of each member using the inspection pattern.

Next, as shown in FIGS. 8A to 8C, the manufactured first mother board 60 </ b> A and second mother board 30 </ b> A are bonded together using a seal material 23 to form a large panel 20 </ b> A. Next, as shown in FIGS. 9A to 9C, the liquid crystal panel 20 as a single product is formed by dividing each cell region. Here, in the state of the strip-shaped intermediate panel 20a as shown in FIG. 9B, the liquid crystal material is injected into each cell region.
Thereafter, an electronic component such as a semiconductor element is mounted on each liquid crystal panel, a flexible circuit board, a backlight, or the like is connected to the liquid crystal panel, and the liquid crystal device can be manufactured by being incorporated in a housing.

2. Inspection Process The method for manufacturing an electro-optical device of the present invention includes a process of inspecting the formation state of each member made of a resin film or a conductive film using an inspection pattern formed at a predetermined location on a substrate.
That is, for example, after the respective members are formed on the mother substrate, the inspection can be performed before the element substrate and the color filter substrate are bonded, or after the two substrates are bonded and assembled. When a display defect is found in a lighting inspection or the like, the element substrate and the color filter substrate in the liquid crystal device can be separated and the inspection can be performed. In any case, since a test pattern is formed for each cell area, the reliability of the measurement result using the test pattern is high, and even after assembly, the member itself in the display area is Inspection can be easily performed without exposing.

Here, the inspection performed using the inspection pattern mainly includes a film thickness inspection and a resistance value measurement.
For example, when measuring the film thickness of each member, as shown in FIG. 6B, it can be easily measured using a touch-type measuring device 13. More specifically, the tip 15 of the measuring device is slid so as to trace the surface of the substrate with respect to the region including the inspection pattern formed on the substrate, and the height difference of the position where the tip 15 has moved is detected. In this way, the film thickness is measured. In the measurement of the film thickness, for example, when color unevenness occurs in the display image, the film thickness of the colored layer can be easily verified and the conditions of the apparatus for forming the colored layer can be corrected. In addition, when the contrast of the display image is lowered, the film thickness of the electrode or the like can be easily verified, and an error in the resistance value of the electrode or the like can be detected. It can be corrected.

Further, when measuring the resistance value, for example, as shown in FIG. 10A, the inspection probe 17 is brought into contact with the inspection pattern 11 formed individually, and a predetermined resistance is obtained. The value can be measured. The resistance value is measured by easily verifying the resistance value of the electrode and the electrical wiring when the reaction speed is reduced or the afterimage remains and the contrast of the display image is reduced. The conditions of the apparatus for forming the electrical wiring can be modified.
Further, when measuring the connection resistance between the TFT element and the pixel electrode, as shown in FIG. 10B, an inspection is performed using an inspection pattern 11 formed by laminating patterns corresponding to the respective members. be able to. That is, by forming a connection structure between the element and the electrode as a test pattern, the connection resistance between them can be measured, and the reliability of the measurement result can be improved.

In performing these inspections, for example, as shown in FIG. 5A, a rectangular inspection pattern 11 having a predetermined length is formed, and when the film thickness is measured, FIG. ) To (b), it is preferable to inspect the formation state at a plurality of locations of the inspection pattern 11. The reason for this is that even if there is a variation in the formation state of the test pattern, each measurement value can be averaged to improve the reliability of the measurement result.
In addition, since the inspection pattern is left in each liquid crystal device assembled as a product, a liquid crystal device in which a display defect is found in a liquid crystal device manufactured using the same mother board, and a display defect It is also preferable to compare and verify a liquid crystal device in which no is found by measuring the film thickness and the resistance value, respectively. In this way, it is possible to examine in detail the defects such as the setting of the manufacturing apparatus, and to improve the yield of the liquid crystal device by reflecting it in the subsequent manufacturing conditions.

[Third Embodiment]
As a third embodiment according to the present invention, an electronic apparatus including the liquid crystal device according to the first embodiment will be specifically described.
FIG. 11 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the overall configuration of the electronic apparatus of the present embodiment. The electronic apparatus includes a liquid crystal panel 20 provided in the liquid crystal device and a control unit 200 for controlling the liquid crystal panel 20. In FIG. 11, the liquid crystal panel 20 is conceptually divided into a panel structure 20 </ b> A and a drive circuit 20 </ b> B composed of a semiconductor element (IC) or the like. The control means 200 also includes a display information output source 201, a display processing circuit 202, a power supply circuit 203, and a timing generator 204.
The display information output source 201 includes a memory composed of a ROM (Read Only Memory), a RAM (Random Access Memory), etc., a storage unit composed of a magnetic recording disk, an optical recording disk, etc., and a tuning that outputs a digital image signal in a synchronized manner. And is configured to supply display information to the display processing circuit 202 in the form of an image signal having a predetermined format based on various clock signals generated by the timing generator 204.

The display processing circuit 202 includes various well-known circuits such as a serial-parallel conversion circuit, an amplification / inversion circuit, a rotation circuit, a gamma correction circuit, and a clamp circuit, and executes processing of input display information to display the image. Information is supplied together with the clock signal CLK to the drive circuit 20B. Furthermore, the drive circuit 20B can include a first electrode drive circuit, a second electrode drive circuit, and an inspection circuit. Further, the power supply circuit 203 has a function of supplying a predetermined voltage to each of the above-described components.
If the electronic device according to the present embodiment is provided with a liquid crystal device having a test pattern in a predetermined region on the substrate, the test result is highly reliable with respect to the test of the resin film and the conductive film, and after assembly. The electronic device can be easily inspected.

According to the electro-optical device, the inspection method of the electro-optical device, the manufacturing method of the electro-optical device, and the electronic apparatus according to the invention, the inspection pattern is formed in a predetermined region on the substrate, so that the resin film or the conductive film is formed. In addition to improving the reliability of the formation state inspection, the inspection pattern remaining on the substrate even after assembly can be easily inspected.
Accordingly, it is possible to significantly improve the yield of manufacturing an electro-optical device with little occurrence of display defects. Electro-optical devices such as liquid crystal devices and electronic devices such as mobile phones and personal computers, liquid crystal televisions, Finder type / monitor direct view type video tape recorder, car navigation device, pager, electrophoretic device, electronic notebook, calculator, word processor, workstation, video phone, POS terminal, electronic device with touch panel, electron emitting element It can be applied to devices (FED: Field Emission Display and SCEED: Surface-Conduction Electron-Emitter Display).

(A)-(b) is sectional drawing and a top view which show the liquid crystal device of 1st Embodiment, respectively. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the liquid crystal device of 1st Embodiment. (A)-(b) is the schematic plan view and schematic sectional drawing which respectively show the liquid crystal device of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example which provided the pattern for a test | inspection in the corner | angular part of a board | substrate. (A)-(c) is a figure which shows the structural example of the pattern for a test | inspection, respectively. (A)-(b) is a figure which shows the film thickness measuring method in the multiple places of the pattern for a test | inspection, respectively. (A)-(b) is a figure provided in order to demonstrate the element board | substrate and color filter board | substrate which each comprise a liquid crystal device. (A)-(c) is a figure provided in order to demonstrate the process of bonding an element substrate and a color filter substrate. (A)-(c) is a figure provided in order to divide | segment a large format panel and to explain the process of forming a liquid crystal panel. (A)-(b) is a figure provided in order to demonstrate the measuring method of resistance value. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the electronic device of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows arrangement | positioning of the conventional test pattern.

Explanation of symbols

10: liquid crystal device (electro-optical device), 11: pattern for inspection, 13: film thickness measuring instrument, 17: probe, 20 liquid crystal panel, 20A: large panel, 20a: intermediate panel, 30: color filter substrate, 30A: first 2 mother substrate, 33: counter electrode, 60: element substrate, 60A: first mother substrate, 63: pixel electrode, 69: switching element (TFT element)

Claims (10)

A pair of substrates disposed opposite to each other and bonded together by a sealing material, an electro-optical material held between the pair of substrates, and a resin film and a conductive film provided on at least one of the pair of substrates And an electro-optical device including:
An electro-optical device comprising an inspection pattern for inspecting a formation state of the resin film or the conductive film in a region outside the sealing region on the substrate and overlapping the pair of substrates.   2. The resin film according to claim 1, wherein the resin film is at least one member of a colored layer, a light shielding film, a protective film, and a photo spacer, and the conductive film is at least one member of an electrode or an electric wiring. The electro-optical device described.   3. The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the inspection pattern is formed for each of the members independently or by stacking a plurality of the members.   The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the inspection pattern is an inspection pattern for measuring a film thickness or an inspection pattern for measuring a resistance value. A pair of substrates disposed opposite to each other and bonded together by a sealing material, an electro-optical material held between the pair of substrates, and a resin film and a conductive film provided on at least one of the pair of substrates In an electro-optical device inspection method for inspecting the formation state of the resin film or conductive film in an electro-optical device including:
Using the inspection pattern independent of the resin film or conductive film formed outside the sealing region on the substrate and overlapping the pair of substrates, the formation state of the resin film or conductive film is determined. An inspection method for an electro-optical device, wherein the inspection is performed.   6. The electro-optical device inspection method according to claim 5, wherein the formation state inspection is a film thickness inspection or a resistance value inspection.   7. The inspection method for an electro-optical device according to claim 5, wherein the formation state is inspected at a plurality of locations of the inspection pattern, and the respective inspection results are averaged and evaluated. A pair of substrates disposed opposite to each other and bonded together by a sealing material, an electro-optical material held between the pair of substrates, and a resin film and a conductive film provided on at least one of the pair of substrates In an electro-optical device manufacturing method including:
Forming a resin film or a conductive film on the substrate;
The resin film or the conductive film is subjected to a patterning process, and the resin film or the conductive film is positioned outside the sealing region of the substrate and in a region corresponding to the region where the pair of substrates overlap. Is a process for forming an independent inspection pattern; and
Using the inspection pattern, inspecting the formation state of the resin film or conductive film,
A method for manufacturing an electro-optical device.   The method for manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 8, wherein the inspection of the formation state is performed after the pair of substrates are bonded. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 1.

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