JP2007047353A - Manufacturing method for electro-optical device, and washing device for electro-optical panel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method for an electro-optical device by which the electro-optical device suppressive in display unevenness can efficiently be manufactured, by preventing spacers from cohering due to ultrasonic cleaning, and to provide a cleaning device for an electro-optical panel that can perform such ultrasonic cleaning. <P>SOLUTION: The manufacturing method includes the stages of: scattering spacers on at least one of a pair of substrates; forming the electro-optical panel by sticking the pair of substrates together; and putting the electro-optical panel in washing liquid and washing the electro-optical panel while applying ultrasonic vibrations of variable frequency to the washing liquid. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electro-optical device manufacturing method and an electro-optical panel cleaning device. In particular, the present invention relates to an electro-optical device manufacturing method including an electro-optical panel cleaning process using an ultrasonic generator, and an electro-optical panel cleaning device that cleans the electro-optical panel using the ultrasonic generator.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, as one aspect of an electro-optical device, two transparent substrates made of glass or the like, which are bonded together with a sealing material at a predetermined interval, and a liquid crystal material disposed between the transparent substrates are included. Various liquid crystal devices including a liquid crystal panel are commercially available.
In order to ensure the quality of the displayed image, such a liquid crystal panel is provided with a spacer for defining the size of the distance between the pair of substrates on the entire display area corresponding to the type of liquid crystal material. ing. As this spacer, a photo spacer formed by using a photosensitive resin and a spherical spacer that scatters a spherical resin material are known.

  In the case of manufacturing such a liquid crystal device, after forming a liquid crystal panel in which a liquid crystal material is disposed between a pair of transparent substrates, cleaning is performed to remove the liquid crystal material or dust attached to the liquid crystal panel. A flexible circuit board for wiring, a semiconductor chip incorporating a drive circuit, and the like are mounted on the external terminals of the liquid crystal panel. At this time, even if the liquid crystal panel is washed, if unnecessary liquid crystal material or foreign matter remains in the liquid crystal panel, a malfunction may occur due to poor connection of semiconductor elements, short circuit between wirings, or the like. Therefore, when cleaning the liquid crystal panel, a high cleaning performance is required.

Therefore, as a method of cleaning a liquid crystal panel into which a liquid crystal material has been injected, a method of cleaning while applying ultrasonic vibration to a cleaning liquid in which the liquid crystal panel is immersed has been conventionally performed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such an ultrasonic cleaning method involves immersing a liquid crystal panel in a cleaning liquid such as a cleaning agent or a rinsing liquid contained in a cleaning tank, and applying ultrasonic vibrations by an ultrasonic generator, whereby liquid crystal adhered to the surface of the liquid crystal panel. Dirt such as material can be removed efficiently.
JP-A-5-345174 (Claims)

  However, when ultrasonic cleaning as described in Patent Document 1 is performed on the liquid crystal panel including the spherical spacer described above, the spacer 105 in the liquid crystal panel has an ultrasonic wavelength as shown in FIG. At the same time, there was a case of partial aggregation. When the spacers are aggregated in this way, there is a possibility that display unevenness is visually recognized due to intensive light leakage at the aggregated portions.

Accordingly, the inventors of the present invention have made diligent efforts and found that the above-described problems can be solved by applying ultrasonic vibration while continuously changing the frequency when ultrasonic cleaning the electro-optical panel. Was completed.
That is, the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device capable of preventing the aggregation of spacers due to ultrasonic cleaning and improving display quality, and an electro-optical panel that prevents the aggregation of spacers. It is an object of the present invention to provide an electro-optical panel cleaning apparatus capable of performing a cleaning process.

In another aspect of the present invention, a pair of substrates opposed to each other with a predetermined interval, an electro-optical material held between the pair of substrates, and a size of the interval between the pair of substrates are defined. A method for manufacturing an electro-optical device, the step of dispersing the spacer on at least one of the pair of substrates, and bonding the pair of substrates together to form an electro-optical panel And a step of cleaning the electro-optical panel while applying an ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning liquid while changing the frequency, while introducing the electro-optical panel into the cleaning liquid. It is a manufacturing method.
That is, when ultrasonically cleaning an electro-optical panel provided with a spacer, by applying ultrasonic vibration while changing the frequency, it is possible to effectively prevent the spacer from aggregating in accordance with the wavelength of a specific frequency. be able to. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently clean unnecessary electro-optical materials and foreign matters adhering to the electro-optical panel without degrading display quality.

In carrying out the method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to the present invention, it is preferable that the center value when changing the frequency is set to a value within the range of 30 to 45 Hz.
By carrying out in this way, it is possible to prevent the electro-optical panel from being damaged by ultrasonic waves, and it is possible to efficiently clean the ultrasonic vibrations without being converted into heat.

In carrying out the method for manufacturing an electro-optical device according to the present invention, it is preferable to vary the frequency at a constant cycle within a range of ± 10% of the center value.
By carrying out in this way, since the fluctuation range of the frequency does not become excessively large and the frequency does not deviate to a specific frequency, the spacers can be efficiently washed without aggregating them.

In carrying out the method of manufacturing the electro-optical device of the present invention, it is preferable to perform the step of cleaning the electro-optical panel while heating.
By carrying out in this way, the ultrasonic waves are not absorbed and attenuated, and the cleaning efficiency can be improved.

In carrying out the method for manufacturing the electro-optical device of the present invention, it is preferable that the step of cleaning the electro-optical panel is performed by holding a plurality of electro-optical panels on a holding member.
By carrying out in this way, work efficiency can be remarkably improved.

In carrying out the method of manufacturing the electro-optical device according to the present invention, it is preferable to remove the electro-optical material attached around the electro-optical panel by washing the electro-optical panel.
By carrying out in this way, for example, it is possible to efficiently remove, for example, an electro-optical material that has entered between the substrates of the outer portion of the sealing material of the electro-optical panel while preventing the spacers from aggregating.

In carrying out the method for manufacturing an electro-optical panel according to the present invention, it is preferable to remove foreign matter adhering to the periphery of the electro-optical panel by washing the electro-optical panel.
By carrying out in this way, it is possible to sufficiently remove glass powder, dust and the like adhering to the surface of the electro-optical panel, and to prevent the occurrence of electrolytic corrosion and poor conduction.

According to the present invention, a cleaning tank in which a cleaning liquid for cleaning the electro-optical panel is stored, a variable frequency type ultrasonic generator for applying ultrasonic vibration while changing the frequency of the cleaning tank, An electro-optical panel cleaning apparatus including the above is provided, and the above-described problems can be solved.
That is, by providing an ultrasonic generator capable of changing the frequency of ultrasonic vibration, it is possible to effectively prevent the spacers from aggregating in accordance with the wavelength of a specific frequency. Therefore, it is possible to provide a cleaning device that can efficiently clean unnecessary electro-optical materials and foreign matters such as dust adhering to the electro-optical panel without degrading display quality.

In configuring the electro-optical panel cleaning apparatus of the present invention, it is preferable that the center value of the frequency generated by the ultrasonic generator is a value in the range of 30 to 45 Hz.
With this configuration, damage due to ultrasonic waves can be prevented, and cleaning efficiency can be significantly improved without converting ultrasonic vibration into heat.

In configuring the electro-optical panel cleaning device of the present invention, it is preferable to further include a heating device for heating the cleaning tank.
With this configuration, the cleaning efficiency of the electro-optical panel can be significantly increased.

In configuring the liquid crystal panel cleaning device of the present invention, it is preferable to include a holding member that holds the plurality of electro-optical panels in order to simultaneously perform the cleaning process on the plurality of electro-optical panels.
With this configuration, for example, if a relatively small electro-optical panel is used, a plurality of electro-optical panels can be cleaned in the same process, so that the working efficiency can be significantly improved.

In constituting the electro-optical panel cleaning apparatus of the present invention, the cleaning liquid is preferably a cleaning agent or a rinsing liquid.
By configuring in this way, it is possible to prevent the spacers from aggregating when removing unnecessary electro-optical materials and foreign matters adhering to the surface of the electro-optical panel, or when washing away the cleaning agent or the like.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the electro-optical panel cleaning device and the electro-optical device manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. However, this embodiment shows one aspect of the present invention and does not limit the present invention, and can be arbitrarily changed within the scope of the present invention.

[First Embodiment]
The first embodiment includes a cleaning tank in which a cleaning liquid for cleaning the electro-optical panel is accommodated, and a variable frequency type ultrasonic generator for applying ultrasonic vibration while changing the frequency of the cleaning tank. An electro-optical panel cleaning apparatus comprising:
Hereinafter, a liquid crystal panel cleaning device will be described in detail as an example of the electro-optical panel cleaning device of the present embodiment. However, the electro-optical panel is not limited to the liquid crystal panel, and the present invention can be applied to any electro-optical panel provided with a spacer for defining the distance between the pair of substrates.

1. Overall Configuration FIG. 1 shows a schematic view of an example of a liquid crystal panel cleaning apparatus of the present embodiment.
The liquid crystal panel cleaning apparatus 10 includes a preliminary immersion tank 11, an ultrasonic cleaning tank 13, a rinse tank 15, an ultrasonic rinse tank 17, and a high-temperature rinse tank 19. Moreover, a cleaning agent is accommodated in the preliminary immersion tank and the ultrasonic cleaning tank, and a rinse liquid is accommodated in the rinse tank, the ultrasonic rinse tank, and the high temperature rinse tank. Each tank body to be used is not particularly limited as long as the liquid crystal panel to be cleaned can be accommodated.

Further, in the example of the liquid crystal panel cleaning apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1, a conveyor 6 is provided as transfer means for sequentially moving the liquid crystal panel 20 to be cleaned to each tank.
Thereby, the cleaning of the liquid crystal panel using the cleaning device can be automated, and the working efficiency can be remarkably improved. In addition, by providing a conveyor and automating, a plurality of liquid crystal panels can be sequentially processed for a certain period of time in each of a preliminary immersion tank, an ultrasonic cleaning tank, a rinse tank, an ultrasonic rinse tank, and a high-temperature rinse tank. Therefore, the cleaning efficiency can be remarkably improved.

Further, the example of the liquid crystal panel cleaning apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 includes a clean booth 2 that accommodates all the tanks.
Thereby, a liquid crystal panel can be wash | cleaned in a clean environment, and it can prevent that a foreign material adheres with respect to the liquid crystal panel in a washing | cleaning process.

Further, the liquid crystal panel cleaning device of the present embodiment is preferably a cleaning device used for cleaning after injecting and sealing a liquid crystal material.
This is because the liquid crystal panel is cleaned using a cleaning device of a predetermined configuration, and when the liquid crystal panel is injected, the liquid crystal material that has entered between the substrates in the outer portion of the sealing material that bonds the pair of substrates, This is because foreign substances such as glass powder and dust adhering to the surface of the liquid crystal panel can be efficiently and quickly removed. Further, even the waste liquid used for such cleaning can be processed without adversely affecting the environment.
Hereinafter, the liquid crystal panel cleaning device will be described in detail for each component.
In addition, the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal device including the cleaning process of the liquid crystal panel using the cleaning device of the present embodiment will be described in detail in the second embodiment.

2. Pre-immersion tank The pre-immersion tank 11 in the cleaning apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 performs a full-scale ultrasonic cleaning using an ultrasonic generator by immersing a liquid crystal panel in which a cleaning agent is housed. Before, it is a tank for sufficiently infiltrating the cleaning agent into the liquid crystal material and dust.
In other words, it is possible to perform ultrasonic cleaning processing in a relatively short time by immersing in a cleaning agent in advance and sufficiently infiltrating the cleaning agent into unnecessary liquid crystal materials and dust, and then performing ultrasonic cleaning. Liquid crystal material and foreign matter can be removed. Therefore, the cleaning efficiency of the liquid crystal panel can be significantly improved.
The cleaning agent contained in the preliminary immersion tank is not particularly limited, but is a cleaning agent mixed with a neutral detergent most widely used as an aqueous cleaning agent that has little adverse effect on the environment. Is preferably used.

Moreover, it is preferable that the preliminary immersion tank is not provided with a heating device, and the cleaning agent is held at room temperature. This is because when the temperature of the cleaning agent is high, the solvent may evaporate and the composition such as the concentration of the cleaning agent may change. Therefore, by keeping the cleaning agent at room temperature, it is possible to maintain the composition of the cleaning agent at a predetermined condition and prevent the cleaning efficiency of the liquid crystal panel from being lowered.
However, in the case of providing a circulation device or the like that can replace the cleaning agent as appropriate, the composition of the cleaning agent to be used can be maintained, and the reaction speed between the liquid crystal material and dust and the cleaning agent can be increased. A heating device or the like may be provided.

Further, when the cleaning device is provided with transfer means such as a conveyor as described above, it is preferable that the preliminary immersion tank is provided with a lifting device.
The reason for this is that by using the lifting device, the liquid crystal panel can be automatically put into the cleaning agent, or lifted out of the cleaning agent and transferred onto the transfer means, continuously measuring the timing with other processes. Because it can be done.
In addition, when providing a raising / lowering apparatus, it is preferable to provide buffer members, such as elastic rubber and a fluorine resin film, in a contact part with a liquid crystal panel so that the surface of a liquid crystal panel may not be damaged.

3. 1. Ultrasonic cleaning tank Further, the ultrasonic cleaning tank 13 in the cleaning apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 contains a cleaning agent inside, and the liquid crystal enters the gap outside the sealing material by being immersed in the preliminary immersion tank 11 described above. This is a tank for cleaning a liquid crystal panel in which a cleaning agent is sufficiently permeated into materials, dust attached to the surface of the liquid crystal panel, etc. while applying ultrasonic vibration.
That is, as shown in FIG. 2 (a), the ultrasonic cleaning tank is provided with an ultrasonic generator 7, and by applying ultrasonic vibration, small bubbles that are generated in the water and cannot be seen with the eyes. The liquid crystal material, dust and the like break, and the liquid crystal material and dust attached to the liquid crystal panel 20 by the shock wave at that time can be efficiently peeled off.

  Here, the ultrasonic cleaning tank in the liquid crystal panel cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment is an ultrasonic generator, and is a variable frequency type ultrasonic apparatus for applying ultrasonic vibration to the bottom or side of the cleaning tank while changing the frequency. A sound wave generator is provided. That is, by providing an ultrasonic generator that can change the frequency of such ultrasonic vibration, it is possible to effectively prevent the spacers from aggregating in a line according to the wavelength of a specific frequency. it can. Therefore, the occurrence of display unevenness due to such agglomeration of spacers can be suppressed.

Moreover, it is preferable to set the center value when the frequency is changed by the frequency-variable ultrasonic generator to a value within the range of 30 to 45 Hz.
The reason for this is that if the center value of the frequency is less than 30 Hz, depending on the members provided in the liquid crystal panel, damage may be caused by bubbles. On the other hand, if the center value of the frequency exceeds 45 Hz, the ultrasonic vibration is converted into the amount of heat, and the cleaning efficiency is lowered.
Therefore, it is more preferable to set the center value when the frequency is changed by the frequency-variable ultrasonic generator to a value within the range of 35 to 43 Hz, and even more preferable to set the value within the range of 38 to 42 Hz.

Further, it is preferable that the frequency is continuously varied at a constant period within a range of ± 10% of the center value when the frequency is varied by the variable frequency ultrasonic generator.
This is because the fluctuation range of the frequency does not become excessively large and is not biased to a specific frequency. Therefore, the spacers can be prevented from aggregating in accordance with the wavelength of the specific frequency, and the occurrence of display unevenness can be suppressed.

Moreover, as shown in FIG.2 (b), it is preferable that an ultrasonic cleaning apparatus is equipped with the raising / lowering apparatus 4 for throwing in or raising the liquid crystal panel 20 in a tank.
The reason for this is that, as in the above-described pre-immersion tank, the liquid crystal panel is put into the cleaning agent by the lifting device, or it is automatically lifted from the cleaning agent and transferred onto the transfer means. This is because it can be performed continuously while measuring the timing. In addition, since the pulling speed when pulling up from the ultrasonic cleaning tank can be controlled relatively slowly, it is possible to sufficiently drain a cleaning agent, liquid crystal material, dust, or the like having a high viscosity. Therefore, the carry-in to the rinse tank which implements the next process decreases, and the increase in the contamination degree of the waste liquid in a rinse tank, an ultrasonic rinse tank, and a high temperature rinse tank can be prevented.

Further, in the case where such a lifting device is provided, as shown in FIG. 3, the display surface of the liquid crystal panel 20 and the liquid surface of the cleaning agent are not related to the pulling direction when the liquid crystal panel is pulled up and the angle at which the liquid crystal panel is held. It is preferably configured to be pulled up in a direction perpendicular to the liquid surface of the cleaning agent while being inclined so as to be in a horizontal and non-vertical state.
This is because a cleaning agent having a relatively high viscosity can be efficiently dropped by pulling up the liquid crystal panel while holding the liquid crystal panel.

Moreover, it is preferable to make the temperature of the washing | cleaning liquid accommodated in an ultrasonic cleaning tank into the value within the range of 30-60 degreeC.
This is because when the temperature of the cleaning agent is less than 30 ° C., sound waves are absorbed and attenuated, and the cleaning efficiency may decrease. On the other hand, when the temperature exceeds 60 ° C., the water as the solvent evaporates, the concentration of the cleaning agent changes, or the generated bubbles become too large, which may inhibit the transmission of sound waves.
Accordingly, the temperature of the cleaning liquid stored in the ultrasonic cleaning tank is more preferably set to a value within the range of 32 to 55 ° C, and further preferably set to a value within the range of 35 to 50 ° C.

The liquid crystal panel cleaning apparatus may include a plurality of such ultrasonic cleaning tanks.
That is, the ultrasonic wave is used so that the liquid crystal panels to be cleaned can be successively put into the cleaning device without matching the working time in all the tanks provided in the cleaning device and providing a waiting time on the way. It is preferable that the number of adjustment tanks is adjusted.
Accordingly, the number of liquid crystal panels that can be cleaned within a predetermined time can be remarkably increased, and cleaning efficiency can be improved.

4). 1. Rinsing tank Further, the rinsing tank 15 in the cleaning apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 contains a rinsing liquid and is attached to the liquid crystal panel by immersing the liquid crystal panel cleaned in the ultrasonic cleaning tank 13 described above. It is a tank for temporarily removing cleaning agents, excess liquid crystal material, dust, and the like.
That is, in an ultrasonic cleaning tank, after using a cleaning agent to decompose liquid crystal material that has entered a predetermined location or foreign matter adhering to the surface of the liquid crystal panel, it is immersed in a rinsing tank that does not include an ultrasonic generator. Accordingly, it is possible to rinse off the cleaning agent and the foreign matters which are attached to the liquid crystal panel and are relatively easy to remove. Therefore, the pollution degree of the waste liquid in this rinse tank, the ultrasonic rinse tank used in a post process, and the high temperature rinse tank can be lowered as a whole, and the waste liquid treatment can be facilitated.
Since there is no particular limitation on the temperature of the rinsing liquid stored in the rinsing tank, a room temperature rinsing liquid can be used from the viewpoint of simplifying the configuration without providing a heating device or the like in the rinsing tank. preferable.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the rinsing tank 15. In the rinsing tank 15, the liquid crystal panel 20 placed on the conveyor 6 or the like is immersed near the surface of the rinsing liquid in the rinsing tank 15, and a supply means for a pump 8 or the like is supplied into the rinsing tank 15. The rinsing tank 15 is configured so that the rinsing liquid is supplied by the above, and the rinsing liquid overflowing is collected in another tank 16 provided outside the rinsing tank 15 and can be rinsed while repeatedly using the rinsing liquid.
If it is such a rinsing tank, in order to be able to repeatedly use the rinsing liquid while purifying the rinsing liquid in the stage before supplying it into the rinsing tank with a pump or the like, reduce the frequency of waste liquid treatment, Rinsing can be performed efficiently.

However, the rinsing tank is not limited to such a configuration. For example, a rinsing tank in which a rinsing liquid is accommodated may be used without providing any other device. With such a rinsing tank, the configuration of the rinsing tank can be remarkably simplified and the cost can be reduced.
In addition, the same effect as the rinse tank of this invention can be acquired also by providing the showering apparatus which can perform shower washing | cleaning instead of a rinse tank. The configuration of the showering device is not particularly limited as long as it is a device that discharges water uniformly and at a high pressure to clean foreign matters.

5. Ultrasonic rinse tank Moreover, the ultrasonic rinse tank 17 in the cleaning apparatus 10 shown in FIG. 1 is for rinsing the liquid crystal panel in which the rinse liquid is housed and immersed in the rinse tank 15 described above while applying ultrasonic vibration. It is a tank of.
That is, the ultrasonic rinsing tank is equipped with an ultrasonic generator similar to the ultrasonic cleaning tank described above, and using the small bubbles generated by the ultrasonic vibration, Foreign matters can be rinsed off.
Regarding the temperature of the rinsing liquid stored in the ultrasonic rinsing tank, it is preferable to set the value within the range of 30 to 60 ° C., similarly to the temperature of the cleaning agent in the ultrasonic cleaning tank described above. Also, a plurality of ultrasonic rinsing tanks may be provided.
Moreover, also in the ultrasonic rinse tank, it can be set as the structure which can be used repeatedly, purifying the rinse liquid similarly to the rinse tank mentioned above.
In addition, about the waste liquid of the rinse liquid used in this ultrasonic rinse tank, since the above-mentioned rinse tank is provided, a comparatively low degree of contamination can be maintained and waste liquid processing becomes easy.

In addition, the ultrasonic rinsing tank in the liquid crystal panel cleaning apparatus of the present embodiment is similar to the ultrasonic cleaning tank described above, and the ultrasonic vibration is applied to the bottom or side of the rinsing tank as an ultrasonic generator while changing the frequency. Is provided with a continuously variable frequency ultrasonic generator. Therefore, even when the rinsing process is performed while applying ultrasonic vibration, it is possible to effectively prevent the spacers from aggregating in accordance with the wavelength of a specific frequency.
In addition, about the center value and fluctuation range of the frequency to generate | occur | produce, it can be set as the structure similar to the ultrasonic cleaning tank mentioned above.

6). 1 is a high-temperature rinse tank 19 shown in FIG. 1, in which pure water having a temperature higher than that of the rinse liquid in the ultrasonic rinse tank 17 described above is contained, and the liquid crystal panel rinsed in the ultrasonic rinse tank 17 is It is a tank for rinsing with high-temperature pure water.
That is, by performing rinsing as a final step in cleaning the liquid crystal panel using high-temperature pure water, it is possible to speed up drying of pure water as a rinsing liquid attached to the liquid crystal panel after the cleaning step, Work efficiency can be increased.
Regarding the temperature of the pure water accommodated in such a high temperature rinsing tank, it is preferably higher than the temperature of the ultrasonic rinsing tank, for example, within a range of 50 to 85 ° C. This is because the liquid crystal panel can be dried quickly while the liquid crystal panel is prevented from being damaged. However, since the amount of energy used for heating the pure water can be suppressed and pure evaporation can be prevented, the temperature of the pure water in the ultrasonic rinsing tank is higher and lower than that of the pure water. Is preferably used.

Moreover, it is preferable that a high temperature rinse tank is equipped with a raising / lowering apparatus similarly to the ultrasonic cleaning tank mentioned above. The reason for this is that the work can be performed automatically and continuously, and when the liquid crystal panel is pulled up, pure water having a relatively high viscosity can be dropped into the tank. This is because the speed can be further increased.
Also, with respect to the pulling direction when pulling up the liquid crystal panel and the angle at which the liquid crystal panel is held, the display surface of the liquid crystal panel and the liquid surface of the cleaning agent are non-horizontal and the same as in the lifting device in the ultrasonic cleaning tank described above. It is preferably configured to be pulled up in a direction perpendicular to the liquid surface of the cleaning agent while being inclined so as to be in a non-vertical state.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, a pair of substrates opposed to each other with a predetermined interval, an electro-optical material sandwiched between the pair of substrates, and a size of the interval between the pair of substrates are defined. A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device including a spacer,
Spraying spacers on at least one of the pair of substrates; and
Bonding a pair of substrates to form an electro-optic panel;
Washing the electro-optical panel while applying the ultrasonic vibration while changing the frequency to the cleaning liquid while putting the electro-optical panel into the cleaning liquid;
A method for manufacturing an electro-optical device.
Hereinafter, as a method for manufacturing the electro-optical device according to the second embodiment, a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device having an active matrix type structure including a TFT element will be specifically described. However, the electro-optical device is not limited to a liquid crystal device, and the present invention can be applied to any electro-optical device provided with a spacer for defining the distance between a pair of substrates.

1. Formation of Liquid Crystal Panel (1) Formation of Element Substrate and Counter Substrate First, a liquid crystal panel including an element substrate disposed opposite to each other and a color filter substrate as a counter substrate is manufactured.
An element substrate constituting such a liquid crystal panel is obtained by laminating various members on a glass substrate or the like as a substrate of the element substrate, so that a TFT element, a predetermined pattern scanning line, a predetermined pattern data line, an external connection terminal, etc. Are formed as appropriate. Next, after laminating a transparent conductive film such as ITO by sputtering or the like, pixel electrodes are formed in a matrix in the display region by photolithography and etching. Further, an alignment film made of polyimide is formed on the substrate surface on which the pixel electrode is formed. In this way, an element substrate on which various resin films and conductive films are formed is manufactured.

  Next, by laminating various members on a glass substrate or the like as a base constituting a color filter substrate as a counter substrate, a colored layer or a light shielding film is appropriately formed. Next, after laminating a transparent conductive film such as ITO by sputtering or the like, a counter electrode over the entire display region is formed by photolithography and etching. Further, an alignment film made of polyimide is formed on the substrate surface on which the counter electrode is formed. In this way, a color filter substrate on which various resin films and conductive films are formed is manufactured.

(2) Scattering of spacers Next, a spacer for defining the size of the space between the substrates when the substrates are bonded is sprayed on either the element substrate or the color filter substrate.
Spacers can be sprayed by using a dry spray method that uses static electricity or dispersing by airflow, or by dispersing the spacers in a low-boiling organic solvent such as chlorofluorocarbon or alcohol using ultrasonic waves. There is a wet spraying method in which the organic solvent is blown off after spraying, and any method may be used.
However, the conditions for spraying are required to be uniform over the entire substrate, to control the number per predetermined unit area, and not to be a lump. In the case of the wet spraying method, there are restrictions on the electrostatic charge and the types of organic solvents such as chlorofluorocarbon and alcohol that can be used. Therefore, it is more preferable to disperse the spacers by a dry spray method.

(3) Bonding and Injection of Liquid Crystal Material Next, the color filter substrate and the element substrate are bonded to each other through a sealing material to form a cell structure, and a liquid crystal material is injected into the cell structure, thereby FIG. A liquid crystal panel 20 as shown in (a) can be formed.
After the liquid crystal material 21 is injected in this way, as shown in FIG. 5B, the gap between the pair of substrates in the outer portion of the sealing material 23 in the liquid crystal panel 20 is unnecessary due to a capillary phenomenon. The liquid crystal material 21 enters the state. Further, when the liquid crystal panel is formed using a large-sized substrate, glass powder or the like when the substrate is divided adheres to the surface of the liquid crystal panel.
Note that the arrangement method of the liquid crystal material is not limited to the injection method after bonding the substrates as described above, and after applying a frame-shaped sealing material to one or both of the element substrate and the color filter substrate, the sealing is performed. The present invention can be applied even to a so-called sealing-less method in which a liquid crystal material is dropped in correspondence with a region partitioned by a material and then a substrate is bonded.

2. Next, as shown in FIGS. 6 to 7, the liquid crystal panel 20 is washed to adhere to the liquid crystal material 21 that has entered between the pair of substrates in the outer portion of the sealing material 23 and the surface of the liquid crystal panel 20. Remove dust.
The cleaning process of the liquid crystal panel includes a predetermined preliminary dipping process, an ultrasonic cleaning process, a rinsing process, an ultrasonic rinsing process, and a high temperature rinsing process. This will be explained step by step.

(1) Pre-immersion step First, although not shown, the liquid crystal panel is placed on transfer means such as a conveyor.
Next, the placed liquid crystal panel is lowered using a lifting device above the preliminary immersion tank and immersed in the cleaning agent accommodated in the preliminary immersion tank 11 as shown in FIG. Thus, before the ultrasonic cleaning in the next step, the cleaning agent is allowed to penetrate in advance into the liquid crystal material that has entered between the pair of substrates in the outer portion of the sealing material, the dust adhered to the surface of the liquid crystal panel 20, or the like. Even when the ultrasonic cleaning time is significantly shortened, the liquid crystal material, dust, and the like can be reliably removed.
Regarding the time for performing such a pre-immersion step, when cleaning a plurality of liquid crystal panels one after another, it is preferable that the tact time is matched with the other steps.
Then, when this preliminary | backup immersion process is complete | finished, while raising a liquid crystal panel using an raising / lowering apparatus, it mounts on a conveyor again.

(2) Ultrasonic cleaning step Next, the liquid crystal panel that has been transported onto the ultrasonic cleaning tank is lowered using an elevating device, and as shown in FIG. Cleaning is performed while applying ultrasonic vibration while continuously changing the frequency. Thus, in the previous step, the cleaning agent can sufficiently permeate, and the liquid crystal material, dust, and the like at a predetermined position can be peeled off using the destructive force of small bubbles generated by ultrasonic vibration.
At this time, the liquid crystal panel is cleaned while applying ultrasonic vibration to the cleaning agent while continuously changing the frequency. Accordingly, the spacers are not aggregated in a line shape in accordance with the wavelength of a specific frequency, so that the occurrence of display unevenness can be suppressed.
In addition, as described in the first embodiment, the frequency of the ultrasonic vibration to be applied is set to a value within the range of 30 to 45 Hz, and within a range of ± 10% of the center value at a constant period, as described in the first embodiment. It is preferable to vary.

  Thereafter, when the ultrasonic cleaning process is completed, the liquid crystal panel is pulled up using the lifting device and placed on the conveyor again. At this time, it is preferable to set the speed when pulling up the liquid crystal panel from the cleaning agent to a value within the range of 0.1 to 2.0 cm / second. The reason for this is to drop the cleaning agent having a relatively high viscosity adhering to the liquid crystal panel and to improve the efficiency of the next rinsing step. At that time, as shown in FIG. 6C, the display surface of the liquid crystal panel 20 and the liquid surface of the cleaning agent are inclined with respect to the liquid surface of the cleaning agent while being inclined so as to be in a non-horizontal and non-vertical state. By pulling up in the vertical direction, it is possible to drop a cleaning agent having a relatively high viscosity more efficiently.

(3) Rinsing Step Next, as shown in FIG. 7A, the liquid crystal panel conveyed on the rinsing tank is moved on the rinsing tank 15 while being immersed in pure water as it is. As a result, it is possible to primarily wash away the cleaning agent or extraneous foreign matter adhering to the liquid crystal panel 20, while the contamination level of the waste liquid in the rinsing step and the waste liquid in the rinsing step after the next step is totally determined. It can be made low to facilitate waste liquid treatment.
However, the rinsing process is not limited to the method of immersing in a pure water solution using a tank, and the showering device 5 is used for the liquid crystal panel 20 moving on the conveyor 6 as shown in FIG. The cleaning agent or the like attached to the liquid crystal panel 20 may be washed away by showering with pure water.

(4) Ultrasonic Rinse Step Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the liquid crystal panel that has been transported onto the ultrasonic rinse tank is lowered using the elevating device 4 and put into the ultrasonic rinse tank 17. Rinse while applying ultrasonic vibration. Thereby, it is possible to wash away the cleaning agent and the like that could not be washed away in the rinsing step of the previous step using bubbles generated by ultrasonic waves.
At this time, similarly to the above-described ultrasonic cleaning step, the spacers can be prevented from aggregating by rinsing the liquid crystal panel while applying ultrasonic vibration while changing the frequency.
Thereafter, when the ultrasonic rinsing process is completed, the liquid crystal panel is pulled up using the lifting device and placed on the conveyor again.

(5) High-temperature rinsing step Next, as shown in FIG. 7C, the liquid crystal panel conveyed on the high-temperature rinsing tank is lowered using the elevating device 4, put into the high-temperature rinsing tank 19, and the ultrasonic wave Rinse with pure water at a higher temperature than the pure water used for rinsing. Thereby, the liquid crystal panel after the high temperature rinsing step can be quickly dried, and the cleaning efficiency can be remarkably improved.
Thereafter, when the high-temperature rinsing process is completed, the liquid crystal panel is pulled up using the lifting device and unloaded to finish the liquid crystal panel cleaning process.

(6) Continuous Processing Hereinafter, a cleaning method for performing the liquid crystal panel cleaning process described so far while continuously flowing a plurality of liquid crystal panels will be described. FIGS. 9A to 9C are flowcharts showing an example of the procedure of the cleaning method as a preferred embodiment of the present invention.
First, in step 1, as shown to Fig.9 (a), each liquid crystal panel 20 is conveyed by the conveyor 6 to the tank for performing each process.

  Next, in step 2, as shown in FIG. 9B, the work is performed on the liquid crystal panel 20 that has been transported. For example, in a pre-immersion bath, an ultrasonic cleaning bath, and a high-temperature rinse bath, using a lifting device or the like, it is put into each bath and a predetermined operation is performed, and again on the conveyor using a lifting device or the like. Pull up. In other rinse tanks and ultrasonic rinse tanks, a predetermined operation is performed while moving while being placed on a conveyor or the like. During this time, the total work time in each process is constant. As a result, a plurality of liquid crystal panels can be washed successively without providing a waiting time.

  Next, in step 3, as shown in FIG. 9C, the liquid crystal panel 20 that has finished the high temperature rinsing process is carried out of the cleaning device 10, while a new liquid crystal panel 20 to be cleaned is placed in the cleaning device 10. It is brought in. Thereafter, the process returns to Step 1 again, and each liquid crystal panel is transferred to the next process by a conveyor or the like, and then proceeds to Step 2 to perform each operation. By repeating these steps 1 to 3, a plurality of liquid crystal panels can be efficiently cleaned.

3. Assembly of liquid crystal device Next, a liquid crystal device is manufactured by placing a polarizing plate and a retardation plate on a liquid crystal panel, connecting a semiconductor element and a flexible circuit board, and incorporating the light source into a housing. can do.

[Third Embodiment]
The third embodiment is a modification of the electro-optical panel cleaning apparatus according to the first embodiment, and is a cleaning apparatus for simultaneously cleaning a plurality of electro-optical panels as the electro-optical panel to be cleaned. .
Hereinafter, the liquid crystal panel cleaning device as the electro-optical panel cleaning device of the present embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment, and description of points that can have the same configuration will be omitted as appropriate.

The liquid crystal panel cleaning apparatus according to the present embodiment is a cleaning apparatus including a holding member that holds a plurality of liquid crystal panels to be cleaned in order to perform a cleaning process on a plurality of liquid crystal panels simultaneously.
FIG. 10A shows an example of the holding member 28. The holding member 28 is a holding member 28 that can hold the plurality of liquid crystal panels 20 in an upright state. If it is such a holding member, it can prevent that each tank and by extension, a washing | cleaning apparatus enlarge in a plane.
Further, as shown in FIG. 10B, it is also preferable to further include a second holding member 29 that holds a plurality of holding members (first holding members) 28 that hold a plurality of liquid crystal panels 20 together. . By using such first and second holding members, a larger number of liquid crystal panels can be cleaned in the same process, so that the work efficiency can be further improved.

  In addition, when the holding member is provided, the preliminary immersion tank, the ultrasonic cleaning tank provided with the continuously variable frequency ultrasonic generator, the rinse tank, the ultrasonic rinse tank, and the high temperature described in the first embodiment. Each tank of the rinsing tank is provided with an elevating device for immersing or pulling up the plurality of liquid crystal panels held by the holding member, which are conveyed by a conveyor or the like, into the cleaning liquid or the rinsing liquid together with the holding member. Yes. Accordingly, even when a plurality of liquid crystal panels are held by the holding member for cleaning, the cleaning operation can be performed by automation.

Further, as shown in FIGS. 11A to 11B, when the plurality of liquid crystal panels 20 are pulled up from the cleaning liquid or the rinsing liquid, the display surface of each liquid crystal panel 20 and the liquid surface of the cleaning agent are not It is preferable that the holding members 28 and 29 are configured to be held so as to be in a horizontal and non-vertical state.
This is because the liquid crystal panel is tilted at a predetermined angle without fine control of the lifting device, so that the cleaning agent and the rinse liquid can be easily drained.

Other configurations such as a pre-soak tank, an ultrasonic cleaning tank, a rinse tank, an ultrasonic rinse tank, and a high-temperature rinse tank, a clean booth that accommodates each tank, transfer means such as a conveyor, and the like can be provided. The point can be the same as the configuration of the first embodiment.
With such a liquid crystal panel cleaning device, a plurality of liquid crystal panels can be cleaned at the same time, so that the efficiency of the cleaning operation is remarkably reduced while preventing aggregation of the spacers due to ultrasonic cleaning. Can be improved.

[Fourth Embodiment]
The fourth embodiment is a method of manufacturing an electro-optical device, including a cleaning process of the electro-optical panel using the electro-optical panel cleaning device of the third embodiment.
Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device as a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device according to the present embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the second embodiment, and description of points that can have the same configuration will be omitted as appropriate. To do.

In the liquid crystal device manufacturing method of the present embodiment, in the liquid crystal panel cleaning step in the liquid crystal device manufacturing method described in the second embodiment, a plurality of liquid crystal panels are held by a holding member and are cleaned in the same step. It is characterized by.
That is, as shown in FIG. 10 (a) or (b), a holding member 28 holding a plurality of liquid crystal panels 20 is conveyed by conveying means such as a conveyor, and in each tank, an elevating device is used. Each step of the preliminary dipping step, the ultrasonic cleaning step while continuously changing the frequency, the rinsing step, the ultrasonic rinsing step, and the high-temperature rinsing step is performed by introducing and pulling up into the tank.
Further, by using the holding members 28 and 29 as shown in FIG. 11A or 11B, the respective liquid crystal panels 20 are held at a predetermined angle and each cleaning step is performed, whereby FIG. As shown in (a) or (b), when pulling up from each tank, a relatively high viscosity cleaning agent or rinsing liquid can be efficiently drained to improve the efficiency of the subsequent steps. .

Other implementation contents and continuous processing in each process can be the same as those in the second embodiment.
If the liquid crystal device manufacturing method includes such a liquid crystal panel cleaning step, the liquid crystal device can be efficiently manufactured while preventing the spacer aggregation due to ultrasonic cleaning while significantly improving the efficiency of the cleaning operation. Can do.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to prevent the spacers from aggregating in accordance with the wavelength of the specific frequency by providing the cleaning device with the frequency variable type ultrasonic generator. Therefore, the liquid crystal panel to be cleaned can be cleaned efficiently while suppressing the occurrence of display unevenness.
Therefore, it can be applied to a manufacturing method of various electro-optical devices including a spacer, including a liquid crystal device including a liquid crystal panel.

It is the schematic which shows the washing | cleaning apparatus of the liquid crystal panel of 1st Embodiment. (A)-(b) is a figure which shows the structural example of an ultrasonic cleaning tank. It is a figure which shows the state which inclines and pulls up a liquid crystal panel. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a rinse tank. (A)-(b) is the perspective view and partial sectional view of a liquid crystal panel. (A)-(c) is a figure provided in order to demonstrate the washing | cleaning process of a liquid crystal panel (the 1). (A)-(c) is a figure provided in order to demonstrate the washing | cleaning process of a liquid crystal panel (the 2). It is a figure provided in order to demonstrate the method of rinsing a liquid crystal panel using a showering apparatus. (A)-(c) is a figure provided in order to demonstrate the method of wash | cleaning a some liquid crystal panel sequentially. (A)-(b) is a figure which shows the holding member for hold | maintaining a some liquid crystal panel. (A)-(b) is a figure which shows the holding member for inclining and hold | maintaining several liquid crystal panels. (A)-(b) is a figure which shows the state which makes the liquid crystal panel incline, hold | maintains it on a holding member, and pulls it up. It is a figure which shows the state which the spacer aggregated partially according to the wavelength of the ultrasonic wave.

Explanation of symbols

2: Clean booth, 4: Lifting device, 6: Conveyor, 7: Frequency variable type ultrasonic generator, 10: Liquid crystal panel cleaning device, 11: Pre-immersion bath, 13: Ultrasonic cleaning bath, 15: Rinse bath, 17: Ultrasonic rinse tank, 19: High temperature rinse tank, 20: Liquid crystal panel, 23: Seal material, 28: Holding member (first holding member), 29: Second holding member, 30: Color filter substrate, 60 : Element substrate

Claims (12)

A pair of substrates opposed to each other with a predetermined interval; an electro-optic material sandwiched between the pair of substrates; and a spacer for defining the size of the interval between the pair of substrates. A method of manufacturing an electro-optical device including:
Dispersing spacers on at least one of the pair of substrates;
Bonding the pair of substrates to form the electro-optical panel;
Washing the electro-optical panel while applying the ultrasonic vibration while changing the frequency of the electro-optical panel in the cleaning liquid and changing the frequency;
A method for manufacturing an electro-optical device.   2. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein a center value when the frequency is changed is set to a value within a range of 30 to 45 Hz.   The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 2, wherein the frequency is varied at a constant cycle within a range of ± 10% of the center value.   The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the step of cleaning the electro-optical panel is performed while heating.   The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the step of cleaning the electro-optical panel is performed by holding a plurality of the electro-optical panels on a holding member.   The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein the electro-optical material attached to the periphery of the electro-optical panel is removed by cleaning the electro-optical panel.   7. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein foreign matter adhering to the periphery of the electro-optical panel is removed by cleaning the electro-optical panel. A cleaning tank in which a cleaning liquid for cleaning the electro-optical panel is stored;
A variable frequency type ultrasonic generator for applying ultrasonic vibration while changing the frequency to the cleaning tank;
An electro-optical panel cleaning apparatus comprising:   9. The electro-optical panel cleaning apparatus according to claim 8, wherein a center value of a frequency generated by the ultrasonic generator is a value within a range of 30 to 45 Hz.   The electro-optical panel cleaning apparatus according to claim 8, further comprising a heating device for heating the cleaning tank.   The electro-optic panel cleaning according to any one of claims 8 to 10, further comprising a holding member that holds the plurality of electro-optic panels in order to simultaneously wash the plurality of electro-optic panels. apparatus.   12. The electro-optical panel cleaning apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the cleaning liquid is a cleaning agent or a rinsing liquid.

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