JP2008003293A - Liquid crystal device and method of manufacturing liquid crystal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid crystal device of which the seal performance is improved by preventing a liquid crystal from attaching to the neighborhood of a seal part, and to provide a method of manufacturing the liquid crystal device. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid crystal device 100 comprises: a pair of substrates 10, 20 that holds the liquid crystal 50; a seal material 52 which is disposed between the pair of substrates 10, 20 and surrounds the periphery of the liquid crystal 50; a liquid crystal injection hole 1 which is disposed on at least one side substrate 20 of the pair of substrates 10, 20 and passes through the substrate 20 in the thickness direction on the inside region of the seal material 52 of the substrate 20; and an end-sealing material 55 which seals the liquid crystal injection hole 1. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a liquid crystal device and a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal device.

  In general, a liquid crystal device is manufactured by enclosing a liquid crystal between a pair of substrates. The pair of substrates are bonded together via a frame-shaped sealing material, and a gap maintained by a spacer, a so-called cell gap, is formed between the two substrates. A part of the sealing material is opened, and the opening serves as a liquid crystal injection port for injecting liquid crystal.

Liquid crystal injection is performed by evacuating the cell gap in a vacuum and then immersing the liquid crystal injection port in a container (liquid crystal dish) filled with liquid crystal. Moreover, it can also carry out by dripping a liquid crystal to the vicinity of a liquid-crystal injection hole like patent document 1. FIG. Liquid crystal in contact with the liquid crystal injection port is injected into the cell gap by capillary action. In addition, by bringing the liquid crystal into contact with the liquid crystal inlet and then releasing it to the atmosphere, the liquid crystal can be rapidly injected using the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the cell gap.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 6-27379

  However, the above-described method has a problem that liquid crystal adheres to the periphery of the liquid crystal injection port during liquid crystal injection, and the sealing performance of the liquid crystal injection port is deteriorated by applying a sealing material thereon. In addition, in order to remove the liquid crystal adhering to the periphery of the liquid crystal inlet, there is a problem that a cleaning process is required and the manufacturing process becomes complicated. Furthermore, if a sealing material is provided in the vicinity of the terminal portion, it interferes with the wiring board, so that there is a layout restriction that a liquid crystal injection port cannot be provided in the vicinity of the terminal portion.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal device that prevents adhesion of liquid crystal to the vicinity of the sealing portion and has improved sealing performance, and a method for manufacturing the same. To do.

In order to solve the above problems, a liquid crystal device of the present invention includes a pair of substrates that hold liquid crystal, a sealing material that is provided between the pair of substrates and surrounds the periphery of the liquid crystal, and the pair of substrates. A liquid crystal injection hole penetrating the substrate in the thickness direction in a region inside the sealing material of the substrate, and a sealing material for sealing the liquid crystal injection hole. Features.
According to this configuration, the liquid crystal can be prevented from adhering to the surface of the substrate by inserting the liquid crystal injection jig into the liquid crystal injection hole and injecting the liquid crystal. In addition, since the liquid crystal does not adhere to the surface of the substrate, a cleaning process is not necessary and the waste of the liquid crystal is reduced. Further, since the sealing material does not interfere with the terminal, there is no layout restriction on the position where the liquid crystal injection hole is installed.
Further, in the conventional method of injecting liquid crystal by providing an opening (liquid crystal injection port) in a part of the sealing material, the area of the opening is too small to obtain a sufficient injection rate. Thus, when the opening (liquid crystal injection hole) is formed on the surface of the substrate, the area of the opening can be increased and the injection speed is also improved. Even if the space of the opening is about 1 mm, a sufficient injection speed can be obtained. If there is a margin of about 1 mm, the liquid crystal injection jig can be easily mounted.

In the present invention, the liquid crystal injection hole is provided in a first hole portion provided on the liquid crystal side surface of the substrate, and on a surface of the substrate opposite to the liquid crystal, and from the first hole portion. It is desirable to have a 2nd hole part with a large outer diameter.
According to this configuration, since the outer diameter of the first hole is small, even if the second hole is filled with the sealing material, the sealing material is easily inserted into the space between the first hole and the substrate. Can be prevented from entering.

In the present invention, the sealing material is preferably provided inside the liquid crystal injection hole, and the surface of the sealing material and the surface of the substrate are preferably flush with each other.
According to this structure, when attaching a polarizing plate etc. on a board | substrate, it can prevent that a nonuniformity arises.

In the present invention, it is desirable that an image display area is provided in the center of the area surrounded by the sealing material, and the liquid crystal injection hole is provided in an area between the image display area and the sealing material. .
According to this configuration, it is possible to minimize the influence on the display due to the provision of the liquid crystal injection hole.

In the present invention, it is desirable that a plurality of the liquid crystal injection holes are provided in a region between the image display region and the sealing material.
According to this configuration, the liquid crystal injection speed can be increased.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the liquid crystal injection hole is provided at a corner of the sealing material provided in a rectangular frame shape.
According to this configuration, it is possible to minimize the influence on the display due to the provision of the liquid crystal injection hole.

In the present invention, it is desirable that the liquid crystal injection hole is provided at a central portion of a predetermined side of the sealing material provided in a rectangular frame shape.
According to this configuration, the injection speed can be increased as compared with the case where the liquid crystal injection hole is provided at the corner.

In the present invention, the pair of substrates includes a first substrate on which a driving element is formed and a second substrate on which the driving element is not formed, and the liquid crystal injection hole is formed on the second substrate on which the driving element is not formed. It is desirable to be provided.
According to this configuration, manufacturing is facilitated, and the influence on display performance and the like due to the provision of the liquid crystal injection hole can be minimized.

The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device of the present invention is a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal device for manufacturing the above-described liquid crystal device of the present invention, the step of bonding the pair of substrates through the sealing material, and the pair of substrates, Evacuating the interior of the space defined by the sealing material, and inserting a liquid crystal injection jig into the first hole of the liquid crystal injection hole, and supplying the liquid crystal into the space from the liquid crystal injection jig And a step of supplying the sealing material to the second hole portion of the liquid crystal injection hole and sealing the liquid crystal injection hole.
According to this method, since the liquid crystal injection hole is provided on the surface of the substrate and the liquid crystal injection jig is inserted into the liquid crystal injection hole to inject the liquid crystal, the liquid crystal does not adhere to the surface of the substrate. Therefore, when sealing with a sealing material, sealing performance is not impaired and a highly reliable liquid crystal device is provided. In addition, since the liquid crystal does not adhere to the surface of the substrate, a cleaning step is not necessary, and the sealing material does not interfere with the terminals, so that there is no layout restriction on the installation position of the liquid crystal injection hole.

In the present invention, the liquid crystal injection jig includes a second fitting portion that fits into the second hole portion, and a first fitting that protrudes from a bottom portion of the second fitting portion and fits into the first hole portion. It is desirable to have a fitting part.
According to this method, since the liquid crystal injection hole is fitted to the liquid crystal injection jig, the liquid crystal injection jig can be fixed by simply inserting the liquid crystal injection jig into the liquid crystal injection hole, and positioning is easy. Become.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the liquid crystal injection jig has a pressurizing jig that is inserted into the second fitting portion and pressurizes the liquid surface of the liquid crystal contained in the second fitting portion. .
According to this method, the progress of the injection can be promoted by the pressure from the pressing jig.

In the present invention, it is desirable to provide a sealing member that hermetically seals both the second fitting portion and the second hole portion.
According to this method, the inside of the vacuum chamber can be opened to the atmosphere with the liquid crystal injection jig mounted in the liquid crystal injection hole, and the liquid crystal can be injected smoothly.

In the present invention, it is preferable that the step of injecting the liquid crystal includes a step of opening the atmosphere outside the pair of substrates to the atmosphere after sealing the liquid crystal injection hole with the liquid crystal injection jig and the sealing member. .
According to this method, the progress of liquid crystal injection can be promoted by utilizing the pressure difference inside and outside the cell gap.

In the present invention, the liquid crystal accommodated in the liquid crystal injection jig is preferably defoamed when the inside of the space is evacuated.
According to this method, the time required for the defoaming process can be shortened, and the manufacturing process can be simplified.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In each drawing used in the following description, the scale is different for each layer and each member so that each layer and each member can be recognized on the drawing.

[First Embodiment]
[Configuration of liquid crystal device]
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the liquid crystal device according to the first embodiment of the present invention together with each component, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line HH ′ of FIG. 1 and 2, the liquid crystal device 100 includes a first substrate 10 and a second substrate 20 disposed to face the first substrate 10. The first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 are bonded together via a rectangular frame-shaped sealing material 52, and a space maintained by a spacer (not shown), a so-called cell gap, is formed between the two substrates. Yes. Liquid crystal 50 is sealed inside the cell gap, thereby forming a liquid crystal layer. The sealing material 52 is formed in a closed frame shape surrounding the periphery of the liquid crystal 50, and seals the periphery of the liquid crystal 50.

  In the central portion of the area inside the frame of the sealing material 52, pixels (not shown) and driving elements for pixel switching are formed in a matrix to constitute the image display area 100A. A data line driving circuit 201 and a mounting terminal 202 are formed along one side of the first substrate 10 in a region outside the frame of the sealing material 52, and the scanning line driving circuit 204 is formed along two sides adjacent to the one side. Is formed. On the remaining one side of the first substrate 10, a plurality of wirings 205 are provided for connecting between the scanning line driving circuits 204 provided on both sides of the image display region 100A. Further, at least one corner of the second substrate 20 is provided with an inter-substrate conductive material 206 for establishing electrical continuity between the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20.

  These various driving elements and wirings such as the data line driving circuit 201, the scanning line driving circuit 204, the wiring 205 and the mounting terminal 202 are all formed on the first substrate 10. In the case of this embodiment, the first substrate 10 is a TFT array substrate that includes a pixel electrode and a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) that drives the pixel electrode, and the second substrate 20 faces the pixel electrode. It is a counter substrate provided with a counter electrode (common electrode).

  Here, in the second substrate 20, a liquid crystal injection penetration that penetrates from the surface on the liquid crystal 50 side of the second substrate 20 to the surface opposite to the liquid crystal 50 between the sealing material 52 and the image display region 100 </ b> A. A hole (liquid crystal injection hole) 1 is provided. The liquid crystal injection hole 1 is provided at a corner of a sealing material 52 provided in a rectangular frame shape.

  The liquid crystal injection hole 1 includes a first hole portion 11 provided on the surface of the second substrate 20 on the liquid crystal 50 side, and a second hole portion 12 provided on the surface of the second substrate 20 opposite to the liquid crystal 50. It is equipped with. These holes are formed by opening the second substrate 20 in a cylindrical shape by etching or laser processing. The second hole portion 12 has an outer diameter larger than that of the first hole portion 11, and the liquid crystal injection hole 1 is sealed by filling the second hole portion 12 with the sealing material 55. .

[Method of manufacturing liquid crystal device]
Next, a method for manufacturing the liquid crystal device 1 configured as described above will be described focusing on the step of injecting liquid crystal from the liquid crystal injection hole 1. FIG. 3A is an explanatory view showing a state in which the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 are bonded to each other through the sealing material 52, and FIG. 3B is a view injecting liquid crystal using the liquid crystal injection jig 3. FIG. 3C is an explanatory diagram of a method for performing the sealing, and FIG.

  First, as shown in FIG. 3A, the first substrate 10 and the second substrate 20 are bonded together via a sealing material 52, and a panel structure in which the cell gap is not filled with liquid crystal, a so-called empty panel 110. Is made. In the empty panel 110, the liquid crystal injection hole 1 is formed on the surface of the second substrate 20. The liquid crystal injection hole 1 may be formed by etching or the like before the empty panel 110 is manufactured, or may be formed using a laser or the like after the empty panel 110 is manufactured.

  Next, the empty panel 110 is introduced into a vacuum chamber (not shown), and the inside of the cell gap is evacuated. The gas in the cell gap is discharged to the outside through the liquid crystal injection hole 1. When the inside of the cell gap is sufficiently exhausted, the liquid crystal injection jig 3 is inserted into the liquid crystal injection hole 1, and the liquid crystal is injected from the liquid crystal injection jig 3 into the cell gap.

  Here, the liquid crystal injection jig 3 includes a cylindrical second fitting portion 32 that fits into the second hole portion 12, and a first hole portion of the liquid crystal injection hole 1 that protrudes from the bottom of the second fitting portion 32. 11 and a cylindrical first fitting portion 31 that is fitted to the first fitting portion 31. A liquid crystal 51 is accommodated inside the second fitting portion 32. The liquid crystal 51 is defoamed when the cell gap is evacuated.

  A pressure jig 33 is inserted into the second fitting portion 32. The pressurizing jig 33 is provided with a first cylindrical portion 34 that is movable in the axial direction of the second fitting portion 32 (the vertical direction in FIG. 3). The first cylindrical portion 34 hermetically seals the liquid crystal 51 with the second fitting portion 32. A second cylindrical portion 35 having an outer diameter larger than that of the first cylindrical portion 34 is provided at the upper end portion of the first cylindrical portion 34. The liquid surface of the liquid crystal 51 is pressurized by pressurizing the second cylindrical portion 35. The pressurizing jig 33 is removed from the second fitting portion 32 when the liquid crystal 51 is defoamed.

  A sealing member 2 such as an O-ring is provided between the liquid crystal injection jig 3 and the liquid crystal injection hole 1. The sealing member 2 is interposed between the second hole portion 12 of the liquid crystal injection hole 1 and the second fitting portion 32 of the liquid crystal injection jig 3 and hermetically seals both. With this configuration, the inside of the cell gap is hermetically sealed while the liquid crystal injection jig 3 is mounted in the liquid crystal injection hole 1, and a vacuum state is maintained.

  As described above, when the liquid crystal injection hole 1 is sealed with the liquid crystal injection jig 3 and the sealing member 2, the inside of the vacuum chamber is opened to the atmosphere. Then, as shown in FIG. 3B, the pressure member 3 is pressurized using the pressure difference between the inside and outside of the empty panel 110, and the liquid crystal 51 accommodated in the second fitting portion 32 is removed from the empty panel 110. Inject inside. The liquid crystal 51 injected from the liquid crystal injection hole 1 enters the inside of the empty panel 110 by capillary action and spreads concentrically around the liquid crystal injection hole 1. Further, the progress of the injection is promoted by the pressure from the pressurizing jig 3.

  When the liquid crystal 51 is filled in the entire empty panel as described above, the liquid crystal injection jig 3 is removed. Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, the sealing material 55 is supplied to the second hole portion 12 of the liquid crystal injection hole 1 to seal the liquid crystal injection hole 1. The sealing material 55 is filled in a necessary amount so that the surface of the sealing material 55 and the surface of the second substrate 20 are flush with each other. By doing so, uneven pasting does not occur when a polarizing plate or the like is pasted on the second substrate 20. In addition, since the liquid crystal injection hole 1 has a bottom portion (first hole portion 11) having a small outer diameter, even if the sealing material 55 is applied, the sealing material 55 does not easily enter the empty panel. . Thus, the liquid crystal injection process is completed.

  As described above, in this embodiment, the liquid crystal injection hole 1 is provided on the surface of the second substrate 20, and the liquid crystal injection jig 3 is inserted into the liquid crystal injection hole 1 to inject the liquid crystal 51. The liquid crystal 51 does not adhere to the surface of 20. Therefore, the sealing performance is not impaired when sealing with the sealing material 55, and a highly reliable liquid crystal device is provided. In addition, since the liquid crystal 51 does not adhere to the surface of the second substrate 20, a cleaning process becomes unnecessary and the waste of liquid crystal is reduced. Further, since the sealing material does not interfere with the mounting terminal 202, there is no layout restriction on the installation position of the liquid crystal injection hole 1.

  Also, in the conventional method of injecting liquid crystal by providing an opening (liquid crystal injection port) in a part of the sealing material, the area of the opening is too small to obtain a sufficient injection speed. When the opening (liquid crystal injection hole 1) is formed on the surface of the second substrate 20 as described above, the area of the opening can be increased and the injection speed is improved. Even if the space of the opening is about 1 mm, a sufficient injection speed can be obtained. If there is a margin of about 1 mm, the liquid crystal injection jig 3 can be easily mounted.

  In addition, since the liquid crystal injection hole 1 is formed by the first hole portion 11 having a small outer diameter and the second hole portion 12 having a large outer diameter, the liquid crystal can be supplied through the first hole portion 11 and the second hole. Filling the portion 12 with the sealing material 55 can suppress the intrusion of the sealing material 55 into the empty panel. Further, since the liquid crystal injection hole 1 is fitted with the liquid crystal injection jig 3, the liquid crystal injection jig 3 can be fixed only by inserting the liquid crystal injection jig 3 into the liquid crystal injection hole 1, and positioning is easy. It becomes. Further, since the sealing member 2 is provided between the liquid crystal injection jig 3 and the liquid crystal injection hole 1, the inside of the vacuum chamber can be opened to the atmosphere with the liquid crystal injection jig 3 attached to the liquid crystal injection hole 1. Can be injected smoothly.

  In addition, since the liquid crystal injection hole 1 is formed on the second substrate on which no driving element is formed, manufacturing is facilitated, and the influence on display performance and the like due to the provision of the liquid crystal injection hole 1 is minimized. Can do.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a schematic plan view of the liquid crystal device 200 according to the second embodiment. The basic configuration of the liquid crystal device 200 is the same as that of the liquid crystal device 100 of the first embodiment, except that the liquid crystal injection hole 1 is provided at the center of the right side of the sealing material 52 provided in a rectangular frame shape. is there. According to this configuration, since the liquid crystal 51 injected from the liquid crystal injection hole 1 can spread in the direction of 180 ° in front of the liquid crystal injection hole 1, the liquid crystal 51 spreads only in the direction of 90 ° in front of the liquid crystal injection hole 1. Compared to the configuration of one embodiment, the injection rate can be increased to double the rate by simple calculation.

[Third Embodiment]
Next, a third embodiment will be described. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view of a liquid crystal device 300 according to the third embodiment. The basic configuration of the liquid crystal device 300 is the same as that of the liquid crystal device 100 of the first embodiment, except that the liquid crystal injection holes 1 are provided at all four corners of the sealing material 52 provided in a rectangular frame shape. It is. According to this configuration, the number of liquid crystal injection holes 1 is increased four times as compared with that of the first embodiment, so that the injection speed of the liquid crystal 51 can be increased to four times by simple calculation.

  In FIG. 5, the liquid crystal injection holes are provided in all four corners, but the liquid crystal injection holes 1 are not necessarily provided in all four corners, and can be provided in only two or three corners. Also, the liquid crystal injection hole 1 can be installed not at the corner of the sealing material 52 but at the center of the side of the sealing material 52 as shown in FIG. Furthermore, these can also be combined.

  The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. Various shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described examples are examples, and various modifications can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the gist of the present invention.

1 is a schematic plan view of a liquid crystal device according to a first embodiment. It is sectional drawing which follows the HH 'line | wire of FIG. FIG. 26 is an explanatory diagram representing a production method of the liquid crystal device. It is a schematic plan view of the liquid crystal device of 2nd Embodiment. It is a schematic plan view of the liquid crystal device of 3rd Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Liquid crystal injection hole, 2 ... Sealing member, 3 ... Liquid crystal injection jig, 11 ... 1st hole part, 12 ... 2nd hole part, 10 ... 1st board | substrate, 20 ... 2nd board | substrate, 31 ... 1st fitting Part 32, second fitting part 33, pressure jig, 50 liquid crystal, 51 liquid crystal, 52 sealing material, 55 sealing material, 100 liquid crystal device, 100A image display area, 200 liquid crystal Device, 300 ... Liquid crystal device

Claims (14)

A pair of substrates for holding liquid crystal;
A sealing material provided between the pair of substrates and surrounding the periphery of the liquid crystal;
A liquid crystal injection hole provided in at least one of the pair of substrates and penetrating the substrate in the thickness direction in a region inside the sealing material of the substrate;
And a sealing material for sealing the liquid crystal injection hole.   The liquid crystal injection hole is provided on a surface of the substrate on the liquid crystal side opposite to the liquid crystal and on a surface of the substrate opposite to the liquid crystal, and has an outer diameter larger than that of the first hole. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, further comprising a second hole portion.   The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the sealing material is provided inside the liquid crystal injection hole, and a surface of the sealing material is flush with a surface of the substrate.   2. The liquid crystal injection hole is provided in an area between the image display area and the sealing material, wherein an image display area is provided in a central portion of the area surrounded by the sealing material. The liquid crystal device according to any one of items 1 to 3.   The liquid crystal device according to claim 4, wherein a plurality of the liquid crystal injection holes are provided in a region between the image display region and the sealing material.   6. The liquid crystal device according to claim 4, wherein the liquid crystal injection hole is provided at a corner portion of the sealing material provided in a rectangular frame shape.   The liquid crystal device according to claim 4, wherein the liquid crystal injection hole is provided in a central portion of a predetermined side of the sealing material provided in a rectangular frame shape.   The pair of substrates includes a first substrate on which a driving element is formed and a second substrate on which the driving element is not formed, and the liquid crystal injection hole is provided in the second substrate on which the driving element is not formed. The liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein: A liquid crystal device manufacturing method for manufacturing the liquid crystal device according to claim 2,
Bonding the pair of substrates through the sealing material;
Evacuating the inside of the space defined by the pair of substrates and the sealing material;
Inserting a liquid crystal injection jig into the first hole of the liquid crystal injection hole, and injecting the liquid crystal into the space from the liquid crystal injection jig;
And a step of supplying the sealing material to the second hole portion of the liquid crystal injection hole and sealing the liquid crystal injection hole.   The liquid crystal injection jig includes a second fitting part that fits into the second hole part, a first fitting part that protrudes from the bottom part of the second fitting part and fits into the first hole part, The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to claim 9, comprising:   11. The liquid crystal injection jig includes a pressurizing jig that is inserted into the second fitting portion and pressurizes the liquid surface of the liquid crystal contained in the second fitting portion. A manufacturing method of a liquid crystal device given in the above.   The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to claim 10, wherein a sealing member is provided between the second fitting portion and the second hole portion so as to hermetically seal them.   13. The step of injecting the liquid crystal includes a step of opening the atmosphere outside the pair of substrates to the atmosphere after sealing the liquid crystal injection hole with the liquid crystal injection jig and the sealing member. A manufacturing method of a liquid crystal device given in the above. The liquid crystal device manufacturing method according to claim 9, wherein the liquid crystal contained in the liquid crystal injection jig is defoamed when the inside of the space is evacuated. .

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