JP2007310321A - Method of manufacturing substrate with spacer, and method of manufacturing liquid crystal display - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technology for efficiently disposing spacer particles to light-shielding regions on a substrate for disposing a spacer, with high accuracy. <P>SOLUTION: The method of manufacturing a substrate with spacer includes a step of ejecting and impacting droplets 8 of a spacer particle dispersion, that contains spacer particles 10, to a spacer disposition substrate 1 for disposing the spacer particles to light-shielding regions 4 on the spacer dispersion substrate 1, which has translucent regions 3 and light-shielding regions 4 disposed repeatedly at regular intervals, and the light-shielding regions 4 have a protruding step part 5 arranged thereon. The droplets 8 of the spacer particles dispersion are made to impact at separate position from an edge part 5a, opposite to the translucent region 3 of the protruding step part 5 separated by a collective reference distance S of the spacer particles 10. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a substrate with a spacer and a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device using the substrate.

Conventionally, in a liquid crystal display device, spacer particles have been used in order to keep the distance between a pair of substrates constant.
As a method for arranging spacer particles on the surface of the substrate, a droplet of the dispersion liquid in which the spacer particles are dispersed is discharged from the discharge head and landed at a predetermined position on the substrate surface, and then the solvent of the dispersion liquid is used. A method is employed in which the spacer particles are left in place by drying and removing.

  In this case, if the spacer particles are arranged on the entire surface of the substrate, the orientation of the liquid crystal may be adversely affected. Therefore, it is desirable that the droplets of the dispersion liquid be landed only on a predetermined region on the substrate.

In recent years, liquid crystal display devices are in the direction of increasing the pixel area and reducing the light-shielding area in order to achieve a brighter image quality due to an increase in display quality. This is a difficult direction when placing the spacer particles in the light shielding region, and there is a strong demand for the development of a method for selectively arranging the spacer particles with high accuracy and high efficiency. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1).
JP 2005-4094 A

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems of the prior art, and the object of the present invention is to efficiently and efficiently dispose spacer particles at the edge of the light transmitting region of the spacer arrangement substrate. To provide technology.

  Furthermore, the other object of this invention is to provide the technique which makes it difficult to move the spacer particle | grains arrange | positioned on a board | substrate.

In order to achieve the above object, the invention according to claim 1 is directed to a spacer arrangement substrate in which a light-transmitting area and a light-shielding area are repeatedly arranged at a predetermined interval and a projecting step portion is provided in the light-shielding area. A method of manufacturing a substrate with a spacer, which comprises a step of discharging and landing droplets of a spacer particle dispersion liquid containing particles and arranging spacer particles at an edge of a light-transmitting region of the spacer arrangement substrate. The center of the liquid droplet is landed at a position away from the edge of the protruding stepped portion facing the light-transmitting region by a set reference distance of the spacer particles.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the assembly reference distance of the spacer particles is ½ or less of the diameter of the spacer particle dispersion liquid after landing on the substrate.
A third aspect of the present invention is the method according to the first aspect, wherein an assembly reference distance of the spacer particles is ½ or less of a diameter of the spacer particle dispersion liquid droplet after landing on the substrate, and the center of the droplet Is not located on the protruding stepped portion.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the method according to any one of the first to third aspects includes the step of arranging spacer particles at the edge of the light transmitting region of the array side substrate for a TFT type liquid crystal display device. It is a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal display device.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, the method according to the fourth aspect further comprises the step of arranging spacer particles at the edge of the light transmitting region adjacent to one or both of the data signal line and the scanning signal line.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in any one of the first to fifth aspects, a light-shielding particle is used as the spacer particle.

In the case of the present invention, the spacer particle dispersion liquid droplets are landed on the spacer arrangement substrate at a position away from the edge of the protruding stepped portion facing the light-transmitting region by the aggregate reference distance of the spacer particles. Thus, when the solvent of the dispersion liquid is dried and removed, each spacer particle moves toward the projecting step portion due to the surface tension of the dispersion medium, and thereby the spacer particles are collectively aligned at the edge of the projecting step portion. be able to.
Therefore, according to the present invention, the spacer particles can be efficiently arranged with high accuracy at the edge of the light transmitting region of the spacer arrangement substrate.

Further, according to the present invention, since the spacer particles are fixed at two or more points along the protruding stepped portion on the substrate, it becomes difficult to move on the substrate.
Furthermore, according to the present invention, the spacer particles can be efficiently and accurately arranged in the light shielding region on the substrate by assembling the spacer particles at the edge of the signal line of the array side substrate for the TFT type liquid crystal display device. This makes it possible to efficiently manufacture a liquid crystal display device that exhibits excellent display quality without a decrease in contrast or color tone.
In the present invention, if light-shielding particles are used as the spacer particles, the contrast in the display region can be further improved.

According to the present invention, spacer particles can be efficiently and accurately arranged in a light-shielding region on a substrate, whereby a liquid crystal display device that exhibits excellent display quality can be efficiently manufactured.
Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to manufacture a liquid crystal display device in which spacer particles arranged on a substrate are difficult to move.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is an explanatory view schematically showing a spacer arrangement substrate used in the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing an apparatus for arranging spacer particles on the spacer arrangement substrate.

As shown in FIG. 1, in this spacer arrangement substrate 1, a light transmitting region 3 and a light shielding region 4 are repeatedly arranged at a predetermined interval on a transparent substrate 2 made of glass or the like.
The light shielding region 4 on the transparent substrate 2 is provided with, for example, a grid-like protruding step portion 5.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the present invention, an ejection head 7 is arranged above a spacer arrangement substrate 1 placed on a base 6, and the ejection head 7 is moved to disperse spacer particles at a predetermined timing. Liquid droplets 8 are ejected to place spacer particles on the spacer arrangement substrate 1.

3A and 3B schematically show the landing method of the droplets of the spacer particle dispersion liquid in the present invention. FIG. 3A is a front view and FIG. 3B is a plan view. .
4A to 4D are front views schematically showing the landing state of the droplets of the spacer particle dispersion liquid and the assembled state of the spacer particles in the present invention, and FIG. 5 is the assembled state of the spacer particles in the present invention. It is a top view which shows typically.

In the present invention, the spacer particle dispersion discharged as droplets 8 from the discharge head 7 is one in which spacer particles 10 are dispersed in a solvent 9.
The spacer particles 10 used in the present invention are not particularly limited. For example, inorganic particles such as resin particles such as polystyrene resin particles and silicon-modified polymer particles, and silica particles whose surfaces are coated with a silane coupling agent are used. Particles, and resin coated particles in which the surface of inorganic particles is covered with a resin layer can be used.

In the case of the present invention, from the viewpoint of improving the contrast, which is one of the display qualities of the liquid crystal display device, it is preferable to use a light-shielding material colored in black, for example, as the spacer particles 10.
In this case, the coloring method of the spacer particles is not particularly limited. For example, a coloring treatment method using a colorant such as carbon black, a disperse dye, an acid dye, a basic dye, or a metal oxide, or spacer particles. Examples include a method of forming an organic film on the surface of 10 and coloring the organic film by decomposing or carbonizing it at a high temperature, and any coloring method may be used. In addition, when the material itself which comprises the spacer particle | grains 10 is colored, you may use as it is as colored spacer particle | grains, without performing a coloring process.

In the present invention, the particle diameter of the spacer particles 10 and the concentration in the dispersion liquid are not particularly limited. For example, the average particle diameter is 2 μm or more and 6 μm or less, and the concentration is 0.1 wt% or more. 10% by weight or less.
Also, the solvent (dispersion medium) 9 used for the spacer particle dispersion is not particularly limited, and a solvent such as water, alcohol, glycol or the like can be used alone or in combination.
In addition to the spacer particles 10, the spacer particle dispersion may contain a fixing agent, a surfactant, an alignment treatment agent, an antioxidant, a colorant, and the like.

In the present invention, the spacer particle dispersion liquid droplets 8 are discharged from the discharge head 7, and the spacer particles are formed on the spacer arrangement substrate 1 from the edge portion 5 a facing the light transmitting region 3 of the protruding stepped portion 5. 10 landing reference distances (hereinafter referred to as “particle assembly reference distances”) S are landed at landing positions P separated by S (so that the center of the droplet 8 is positioned on the landing position P).
Here, the particle assembly reference distance S is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0 or more and less than or equal to ½ of the diameter D of the spacer particle dispersion liquid droplet 8 after landing on the substrate (FIG. 3 (b)).

  When the particle assembly reference distance S is smaller than 0, that is, when the center of the droplet 8 is located on the projecting step portion 5, the spacer particles 10 remain on the projecting step portion 5 after the solvent 9 is dried. Therefore, it is more preferable that the center of the droplet 8 is dropped on the light transmitting region 3 on the spacer arrangement substrate 1.

  On the other hand, when the particle assembly reference distance S is larger than ½ of the diameter D of the spacer particle dispersion liquid droplet 8 after landing on the substrate, the landing position of the liquid droplet 8 is the edge 5a of the projecting step portion 5. The spacer particles 10 may not be sufficiently gathered at the edge portion 5a of the projecting stepped portion 5 due to the distance from the distance.

  In the present invention, the amount of droplets of the spacer particle dispersion is not particularly limited as long as it is 10 pl or more, but is preferably 10 to 100 pl from the viewpoint of stabilizing the discharge speed and the discharge angle. The method for controlling the droplet amount is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include a method for optimizing the nozzle diameter of the ejection head 7 and a method for optimizing an electric signal for controlling the ejection head 7. Any method may be adopted.

In the present invention, in order to land the droplet 8 of the spacer particle dispersion liquid on the landing position P, the ejection head 7 may be scanned (moved) once or divided into a plurality of times. good.
In this case, it is preferable to control the landing accuracy of the droplets 8 of the spacer particle dispersion liquid to be within ± 10 μm.

Then, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 4B, when the droplet 8 of the spacer particle dispersion liquid is landed on the landing position P on the spacer arrangement substrate 1 under the above-described conditions, the protruding stepped portion 5 is formed. In the vicinity of, droplets 8 of the spacer particle dispersion liquid spread to the periphery, and a part of the solvent 9 comes into contact with the protruding step portion 5.
Thereafter, in this state, the solvent 9 in the droplets 8 of the spacer particle dispersion is dried.

  In the case of the present invention, the method for drying the solvent 9 in the droplet 8 is not particularly limited, and the spacer particles 10 are formed depending on the combination of the boiling point of the solvent 9 and the heating temperature of the spacer arrangement substrate 1. It is preferable to dry with a certain time width (preferably 10 seconds or more) so that the solvent 9 does not disappear while moving on the spacer arrangement substrate 1.

Then, in the course of such a drying step, the spacer particles 10 move to the protruding stepped portion 5 side due to the surface tension of the solvent 9 in the droplet 8, and as shown in FIG. 4 (d) and FIG. Finally, the arrangement is made in a state of being in contact with the edge portion 5 a of the protruding stepped portion 5.
As described above, according to the present invention, the spacer particles 10 can be efficiently and efficiently arranged on the edge of the light transmitting region 3 of the spacer arrangement substrate 1.

  6 (a) and 6 (b) show specific examples of the spacer arrangement substrate used in the present invention. FIG. 6 (a) is a schematic plan view of the array side substrate constituting the TFT type liquid crystal display device. FIG. 6B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the array-side substrate and the filter-side substrate constituting the TFT type liquid crystal display device.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the array-side substrate 20 has data signal lines 22 and scanning signal lines 23 formed in a lattice pattern on a transparent glass substrate 21, and the data signal lines 22 and the scanning signals. A transparent pixel electrode 24 made of ITO is formed in a region surrounded by the line 23 (an alignment film (not shown) is formed on the transparent pixel electrode 24).

  A thin film transistor 25 connected to the data signal line 22 and the scanning signal line 23 is provided in a region surrounded by the data signal line 22 and the scanning signal line 23, and signals from the data signal line 22 and the scanning signal line 23 are provided. The transparent pixel electrode 24 is turned on / off by driving the thin film transistor 25 based on the above.

  On the other hand, the filter side substrate 30 is disposed so as to face the array side substrate 20. The filter-side substrate 30 is formed by repeatedly forming a light-transmitting region 32 made of a predetermined color filter and a light-shielding region 33 as a black matrix on a transparent glass substrate 31.

  Here, the light transmitting region 32 is formed in a region corresponding to the transparent pixel electrode 24 of the array side substrate 20, and the light shielding region 33 corresponds to the data signal line 22, the scanning signal line 23, and the thin film transistor 25 of the array side substrate 20. It is formed in the area to be.

  Then, by arranging the array side substrate 20 and the filter side substrate 30 so as to face each other, the transparent pixel electrode 24 on the array side substrate 20 and the peripheral region thereof become a light transmissive region 26, and the data signal line 22 on the array side substrate 20. The region of the scanning signal line 23 and the thin film transistor 25 becomes a light shielding region 27.

  In such a configuration, the center of the droplet 8 of the spacer particle dispersion is opposed to the data signal line 22 of the array side substrate 20, the scanning signal line 23, and the light transmitting region 26 of the thin film transistor 25 under the above-described conditions. It is made to land in the position which left | separated only the said particle | grain assembly reference distance S from edge part 22a, 23a, 25a.

  Then, by drying the solvent 9 in the droplet 8 of the spacer particle dispersion liquid, as shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, the edge portions of the data signal line 22, the scanning signal line 23, and the thin film transistor 25 are obtained. The spacer particles 10 are assembled and aligned at 22a, 23a, and 25a.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the spacer particles 10 can be efficiently arranged with high accuracy at the edge of the light transmitting region 26 of the array side substrate 20 for the TFT type liquid crystal display device. Thus, it is possible to efficiently manufacture a liquid crystal display device that exhibits excellent display quality.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various changes can be made.
For example, the spacer arrangement substrate used in the present invention is not limited to the array side substrate of a TFT type liquid crystal display device, for example, and the data signal line, scanning signal line, or thin film transistor is also used for the region where the spacer particles are gathered. It is not restricted to the edge part.
However, the present invention is most effective when applied to an array side substrate of a TFT type liquid crystal display device, and particularly when spacer particles are arranged at the edge of a signal line.

Explanatory drawing which shows typically the board | substrate for spacer arrangement | positioning used for this invention. Schematic showing an apparatus for placing spacer particles on a spacer placement substrate. (A): Front view schematically showing landing method of droplets of spacer particle dispersion in the present invention, (b): Plan view (A)-(d): Front view schematically showing landing state of droplets of spacer particle dispersion liquid and aggregated state of spacer particles in the present invention. The top view which shows typically the assembly state of the spacer particle | grains in this invention (A): Schematic configuration plan view of array side substrate constituting TFT type liquid crystal display device, (b): Schematic configuration sectional view of array side substrate and filter side substrate constituting TFT type liquid crystal display device

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Spacer arrangement | positioning board | substrate 2 ... Transparent substrate 3 ... Translucent area | region 4 ... Light-shielding area | region 5 ... Protruding step part 8 ... Droplet 9 ... Solvent 10 ... Spacer particle

Claims (6)

A droplet of spacer particle dispersion containing spacer particles is ejected and landed on a spacer arrangement substrate in which a light transmitting region and a light shielding region are repeatedly arranged at a predetermined interval and a projecting stepped portion is provided in the light shielding region. A method for manufacturing a substrate with a spacer, comprising a step of arranging spacer particles at an edge of a light-transmitting region of a spacer arrangement substrate,
A method for producing a substrate with a spacer, wherein the center of a droplet of the spacer particle dispersion is landed at a position away from an edge of the protruding stepped portion facing the light transmitting region by a set reference distance of the spacer particle.   The method for manufacturing a substrate with a spacer according to claim 1, wherein an assembly reference distance of the spacer particles is not more than ½ of a diameter of the droplets of the spacer particle dispersion after landing on the substrate.   2. The assembly reference distance of the spacer particles according to claim 1, wherein the spacer particle dispersion liquid droplets are ½ or less of the diameter of the droplets after landing on the substrate, and the center of the droplets is on the protruding stepped portion. A method of manufacturing a substrate with a spacer that is not positioned.   A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, comprising using the method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 to dispose spacer particles at an edge of a light transmitting region of an array side substrate for a TFT type liquid crystal display device.   5. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 4, further comprising a step of disposing spacer particles at an edge portion of the light-transmitting region adjacent to one or both of the data signal line and the scanning signal line.   6. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device according to claim 1, wherein light-shielding particles are used as the spacer particles.

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