JP2008139383A - Liquid crystal conveyance apparatus, liquid crystal conveyance method and method of manufacturing liquid crystal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a liquid crystal conveyance apparatus which can attain space saving and enables the cost thereof to be reduced by being made compact. <P>SOLUTION: The liquid crystal conveyance apparatus includes a storing vessel 10 for storing a liquid crystal 71 before being deaerated, a deaeration vessel 20 where the liquid crystal is deaerated under a pressure-reduced atmosphere and stored and a supplying vessel 30 for supplying the liquid crystal conveyed from the deaeration vessel 20 to a liquid crystal cell 60, wherein the liquid crystal is conveyed from the storing vessel 10 to the deaeration vessel 20 via a conveying pipe 40 by pressure difference between the storing vessel 10 and the deaeration vessel 20 in a pressure-reduced state and the liquid crystal is conveyed from the deaeration vessel 20 to the supplying vessel 30 via a conveying pipe 50 by pressure difference between the deaeration vessel 20 and the supplying vessel 30 in a pressure-reduced state. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a liquid crystal transfer device that transfers liquid crystal filled in a liquid crystal device, a liquid crystal transfer method, and a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device.

The liquid crystal filled in the liquid crystal device is transferred from a storage tank for storing liquid crystal to a supply tank for supplying liquid crystal to a semi-finished product such as a liquid crystal cell, and a pressure pump is generally used for the transfer.
For example, the liquid crystal is pumped by a pressure pump from a storage tank for storing the liquid crystal before degassing to a degassing tank for degassing the liquid crystal by a degassing tube. Thereafter, the liquid crystal is pumped by a pumping pump from a receiving tank for storing the deaerated liquid crystal to a supply tank for injecting the liquid crystal into the liquid crystal cell in a reduced pressure state (see Patent Document 1).

JP-A-5-289036

By the way, the transfer of the liquid crystal is performed by providing a large number of pressure pumps, so that there is a problem that the apparatus becomes large and the apparatus cost becomes high.

The present invention is proposed in view of the above-described problems, and can reduce the size of the device and save space, and can reduce the cost of the device, and the liquid crystal transfer device, the liquid crystal transfer method, and the manufacture of the liquid crystal device It aims to provide a method.

The liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention includes a first tank for storing liquid crystal, and a second tank for transferring liquid crystal from the first tank, and includes the first tank and the second tank. The liquid crystal is transferred from the first tank to the second tank by a pressure difference. The first and second tanks can be appropriate tanks arranged in the process of transferring the liquid crystal. According to the present invention, the first tank to the second
Since there is no need to provide a pressure pump for transferring the liquid crystal to the tank, it is possible to save space by reducing the size of the apparatus and reduce the cost of the apparatus.

The liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention includes a third tank in which liquid crystal is transferred from the second tank, and from the second tank due to a pressure difference between the second tank and the third tank. The liquid crystal is transferred to the third tank. The third tank can be an appropriate tank disposed in the step of transferring the liquid crystal. According to the present invention, there is no need to provide both a pressure pump for transferring liquid crystal from the first tank to the second tank and a pressure pump for transferring liquid crystal from the second tank to the third tank. Further, it is possible to further reduce the space by reducing the size of the device and further reduce the device cost.

In the liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention, the first tank is a deaeration tank in which the liquid crystal is degassed and stored in a reduced pressure atmosphere and the reduced pressure state can be released, and the second tank is a reduced pressure atmosphere. It is preferable to use a supply tank that is supplied to the semi-finished product of the liquid crystal device below. According to the present invention, it is possible to save space by reducing the size of the device, reduce the cost of the device, and reduce the pressure of the supply tank for supplying liquid crystal to the semi-finished liquid crystal device in order to obtain a pressure difference. Can be used effectively.

In the liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention, the first tank may be a storage tank that stores liquid crystals before deaeration, and the second tank may be a deaeration tank that degass the liquid crystals under a reduced pressure atmosphere. preferable. According to the present invention, it is possible to save space by reducing the size of the device, reduce the device cost, and effectively use the depressurized state of the degassing tank for degassing the liquid crystal in order to obtain a pressure difference. can do.

In the liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention, the first tank is a storage tank for storing the liquid crystal before degassing, and the second tank is stored by degassing and storing the liquid crystal in a reduced pressure atmosphere. It is preferable that the deaeration tank is releasable, and the third tank is a supply tank that supplies liquid crystal to a semi-finished product of the liquid crystal device in a reduced pressure atmosphere. According to the present invention, it is possible to further reduce the space by reducing the size of the device, further reduce the device cost, and to reduce the pressure of the deaeration tank for degassing the liquid crystal in order to obtain a pressure difference. And the reduced pressure state of the supply tank for supplying the liquid crystal to the semi-finished product of the liquid crystal device can be used effectively.

The liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention is preferably provided with a control unit for controlling the transfer amount of the liquid crystal transferred by the pressure difference. According to the present invention, the transfer amount of the liquid crystal between the tanks can be adjusted to an optimum amount.

In the liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention, the liquid crystal is preferably transferred by a transfer tube having one end disposed below the liquid surface of the liquid crystal stored in the first tank, the second tank, or both. According to the present invention, by arranging one end of the transfer pipe below the liquid level of the stored liquid crystal where bubbles are likely to collect, mixing of gas into the liquid crystal to be transferred can be suppressed.

In the liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention, it is preferable that one end of the transfer pipe is disposed in the vicinity of the bottom of the stored liquid crystal. According to the present invention, by arranging one end in the vicinity of the bottom of the stored liquid crystal away from the liquid surface where bubbles tend to collect, mixing of gas into the liquid crystal to be transferred can be further suppressed.

In the liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention, it is preferable that one end of the transfer pipe is disposed below the liquid level of the liquid crystal after deaeration stored in the deaeration tank for transfer to the supply tank. According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent gas from being mixed into the liquid crystal after deaeration supplied to the semi-finished product of the liquid crystal device.

In the liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention, it is preferable that the liquid crystal is transferred to a dispenser of the supply tank, and the liquid crystal is dropped onto a semi-finished product of the liquid crystal device by the dispenser. According to the present invention, the amount of liquid crystal used can be minimized.

The liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention includes a contact promoting unit that promotes the contact between the reduced-pressure atmosphere and the liquid crystal, and the liquid crystal discharged into the deaeration tank flows in contact with the reduced-pressure atmosphere. And According to the present invention, since the liquid crystal flows along the contact promoting portion, the time for contacting the reduced pressure atmosphere with a large surface area is extended, and the amount of contact between the reduced pressure atmosphere and the liquid crystal is increased. I can mind. In addition, when deaeration is performed with a deaeration tube, the deaeration amount is limited by the capacity of the deaeration tube, but there is no such limitation on the deaeration amount, and only the required amount of liquid crystal is discharged into the deaeration tank. It is possible to deaerate, and a small amount of liquid crystal can also be deaerated. In addition, there is no problem of surplus liquid crystal remaining, impurities mixed into the liquid crystal, and maintenance complicated when using a degassing tube, and there is no risk of surplus liquid crystal remaining or impurities mixed into the liquid crystal. Excellent in properties.

The liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention preferably has a discharge receiving surface that flows so that the discharged liquid crystal expands substantially radially as the contact promoting portion. According to the present invention, the liquid crystal can be expanded substantially radially, and the contact area with the reduced pressure atmosphere can be increased while making the contact with the reduced pressure atmosphere uniform, so the uniformity of deaeration with respect to the liquid crystal is improved and the deaeration rate is further improved. can do.

In the liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention, it is preferable that the discharge receiving surface is rotated to discharge liquid crystal in the vicinity of the center of the discharge receiving surface. According to the present invention, the discharged liquid crystal is uniformly spread by the centrifugal force of rotation, so that the uniformity of deaeration with respect to the liquid crystal can be further increased, and the liquid crystal is thinly stretched by the centrifugal force to further increase the surface area. Since it is enlarged, the deaeration rate can be further increased. Furthermore, since the liquid crystal is thinly stretched by the centrifugal force, the liquid with high viscosity can be deaerated well. Furthermore, since the liquid crystal quickly expands the surface area by centrifugal force, the efficiency of the deaeration treatment can be increased.

The liquid crystal transfer method of the present invention is characterized in that the liquid crystal is transferred from the first tank to the second tank due to a pressure difference between the first tank and the second tank for storing the liquid crystal. . According to the present invention,
Space saving and device cost reduction can be achieved by downsizing the device.

The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device of the present invention is characterized in that the liquid crystal is transferred by the liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention and filled in the liquid crystal device. According to the present invention, based on the effects of the liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention, the effects of reducing the manufacturing cost of the liquid crystal device, increasing the efficiency of the manufacturing process, and improving the yield of the liquid crystal device can be obtained.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a first embodiment of the liquid crystal transfer device of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the liquid crystal transfer device of the first embodiment includes a storage tank 10 that stores liquid crystal before deaeration, a deaeration tank 20 that stores liquid by degassing the liquid crystal under a reduced pressure atmosphere, and a deaeration. Liquid crystal transferred from the tank 20 is liquid crystal cell 60.
A supply tank 30 for supplying the liquid crystal, a transfer pipe 40 for transferring the liquid crystal from the storage tank 10 to the deaeration tank 20, and a transfer pipe 50 for transferring the liquid crystal from the deaeration tank 20 to the supply tank 30.

The storage tank 10 stores the liquid crystal 71 before deaeration at atmospheric pressure and at room temperature. One end of the transfer pipe 40 is disposed near the bottom of the storage tank 10, that is, near the bottom of the storage liquid crystal 71 of the storage tank 10, and the transfer pipe 40 is led out from the storage tank 10. By disposing one end of the transfer tube 40 below the liquid level of the liquid crystal 71 stored in the vicinity of the bottom, bubbles are mixed into the liquid crystal transferred by the transfer tube 40 from the liquid level of the liquid crystal 71 where the bubbles easily collect. This can be prevented. Further, the storage tank 10 can have an appropriate structure capable of adding a pressure higher than the pressure in the depressurized state of the deaeration tank 20 described later to the liquid crystal, in addition to the structure for storing the liquid crystal 71 under the atmospheric pressure. It is.

As shown in FIG. 1, the deaeration tank 20 has a sealable structure that maintains a reduced pressure state, a vacuum pump 22 is provided via a valve 21, and the inside of the deaeration tank 20 is opened to the atmosphere. A valve 23 is provided, and the inside of the deaeration tank 20 is depressurized by closing the valve 23, driving the vacuum pump 22, and opening the valve 21, and degassing tank 20 by closing the valve 21 and opening the valve 23.
It is possible to release the reduced pressure state to atmospheric pressure. The pressure at the time of depressurization of the deaeration tank 20 is
Any pressure that is lower than the pressure of the storage tank 10 and that can remove the dissolved gas in the liquid crystal at a level that does not cause a display defect of the liquid crystal device due to bubbles of the dissolved gas in the liquid crystal is appropriate. To do. The pressure when the depressurized state of the deaeration tank 20 is released is set to an appropriate pressure higher than the pressure of the supply tank 30 or its dispenser 34 at the time of depressurization described later, in addition to the atmospheric pressure. For example, the opening amount of the valve 23 closed at the time of depressurization may be reduced to a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure.

In the deaeration tank 20, a disk-shaped stage 24 is statically disposed at a medium height with the smooth upper surface, which is the discharge receiving surface 241, being substantially horizontal. The discharge receiving surface 241 is preferably formed of a water-repellent material. For example, the stage 24 is formed of Teflon (registered trademark) or Peak (registered trademark) or the like, or these are coated on a base material and the discharge receiving surface 241 is formed. It is good to form. In the deaeration tank 20, a support column 25 is erected in the vertical direction so as to penetrate the center of the stage 24, and the support column 25 fixes and supports the stage 24. As shown in FIG. 2, a through hole 242 having a diameter slightly larger than the outer diameter of the transfer pipe 50 is formed in the discharge receiving surface 241 of the stage 24. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a transfer pipe 40 is introduced into the deaeration tank 20,
The other end of the transfer tube 40 extends to a position close to the center of the discharge receiving surface 241, and the liquid crystal transferred by the transfer tube 40 can be dropped from the other end to the vicinity of the center of the discharge receiving surface 241. The degassed liquid crystal 72 is stored in the lower part of the deaeration tank 20, and one end of the transfer pipe 50 is disposed near the bottom of the deaeration tank 20, that is, near the bottom of the liquid crystal 72 stored in the deaeration tank 20. Has been. By disposing one end of the transfer pipe 50 below the liquid level of the liquid crystal 72 stored in the vicinity of the bottom, air bubbles are mixed into the liquid crystal transferred by the transfer pipe 50 from the liquid level of the liquid crystal 72 in which bubbles tend to collect. This can be prevented. The transfer pipe 50 is inserted into the through hole 242 and extends upward, and is led out from the deaeration tank 20.

As shown in FIG. 1, the supply tank 30 has a sealable structure that maintains a reduced pressure state, is provided with a vacuum pump 32 via a valve 31, and opens the supply tank 30 to the atmosphere. The supply tank 30 is depressurized by closing the valve 33, driving the vacuum pump 32, and opening the valve 31, and closing the valve 31 and opening the valve 33.
It is possible to release the reduced pressure state to atmospheric pressure. The pressure when the supply tank 30 is depressurized is:
There is no problem in the supply of liquid crystal to the semi-finished product of the liquid crystal device such as the liquid crystal cell 60, and any pressure may be used as long as the pressure is lower than the pressure when the deaeration tank 20 is released from decompression. The pressure when the reduced pressure state of the supply tank 30 is released is appropriate as long as it does not interfere with the supply of liquid crystal to the semi-finished product of the liquid crystal device such as the liquid crystal cell 60 other than the atmospheric pressure. The opening amount of the valve 33 closed at the time of depressurization may be reduced to a pressure lower than the atmospheric pressure.

A dispenser 34 for dropping liquid crystal is provided on the upper part of the supply tank 30. The other end of the transfer pipe 50 is introduced into the dispenser 34, and the liquid crystal transferred through the transfer pipe 50 is supplied into the dispenser 34. The liquid crystal cell 60 is transported to the supply tank 30 by a transport mechanism (not shown) and disposed at a predetermined position, and the liquid crystal 73 is dropped from the dispenser 34 onto the substrate 61 in the vicinity of the liquid crystal filling port 631 in a decompressed state, thereby closing the valve 31. , Supply tank 30 by opening valve 33
The inside is opened to the atmosphere, and liquid crystal is injected into the space 66 of the liquid crystal cell 60 by a pressure difference between the decompressed state of the space 66 of the liquid crystal cell 60 described later and the atmospheric pressure in the supply tank 30, that is, by vacuum injection. To do.

Here, the liquid crystal cell 60 will be described. FIG. 3A is a plan view showing a liquid crystal cell in which liquid crystal is dropped in a supply tank, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA. The liquid crystal cell 60 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of substrates 61 and 62 are arranged to face each other with a sealing material 63 interposed therebetween, and the sealing material 6
3 is provided in a substantially frame shape along the inner periphery of the substrates 61 and 62. One substrate 61 is formed slightly larger than the other substrate 62, and is arranged such that each side of one substrate 61 slightly protrudes sideways from the other substrate 62 in plan view. The sealing material 63 is provided with a liquid crystal filling port 631 for partially filling the space 66 surrounded by the sealing material 63 between the substrates 61 and 62 and filling the liquid crystal with the liquid crystal filling port 631. After filling with liquid crystal, it is sealed with a sealing material. On one substrate 61, a plurality of pixels are formed in a matrix in a display area inside the sealing material 63. For each pixel, a pixel electrode, a switching element such as a TFT (thin film transistor) connected to the pixel electrode, Wirings connected to the switching elements are provided, and an alignment film 64 is formed so as to cover them. The wiring is connected to a drive circuit provided in an outer region of the sealing material 63 of the substrate 61. The other substrate 62 is provided with a counter electrode, and an alignment film 65 is formed so as to cover the counter electrode. It should be noted that which of the pair of substrates 61 and 62 constituting the liquid crystal cell 60 is used as an element substrate and a counter substrate is appropriate.

The transfer pipe 40 between the storage tank 10 and the deaeration tank 20 and the transfer pipe 50 between the deaeration tank 20 and the supply tank 30 have valves 41 and 51 as control units for controlling the transfer amount of liquid crystal, respectively. Is provided. The valves 41 and 51 are controlled to an open mode and a closed mode by an open / close control unit (not shown). In the open mode, the valves 41 and 51 are repeatedly opened and closed in a predetermined ON / OFF time (open / close time), and intermittently connected to the transfer pipes 40 and 50. In the closed mode, the liquid crystal is circulated in the closed pipe and completely closed.
Block the distribution of zero liquid crystal. The ON / OFF time in the opening mode of the valve 41 is, for example, 0.1 second / 0.3 second, and the ON / OFF time in the opening mode of the valve 51 is, for example, 0.1.
The ON / OFF time of each valve 41, 51 in the open mode can be set or changed as appropriate, and the storage tank can be set by setting the ON / OFF time. The amount of liquid crystal transferred from 10 to the deaeration tank 20 and from the deaeration tank 20 to the supply tank 30 can be adjusted.
Note that the valves 41 and 51 may be continuously opened in the open mode.

Next, the process of transferring the liquid crystal by the liquid crystal transfer device of the first embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the liquid crystal transfer process of the first embodiment. First, in a state where the liquid crystal 71 is stored in the storage tank 10 and the valve 23 of the deaeration tank 30 is closed, the vacuum pump 22 is driven to operate the valve 2.
By opening 1, the inside of the deaeration tank 20 is depressurized (S 101). Next, the valve 41 of the transfer pipe 40 for transferring the liquid crystal from the storage tank 10 to the deaeration tank 20 is set to the open mode (S102),
The storage liquid crystal 71 of the storage tank 10 is transferred into the deaeration tank 20 through the transfer pipe 40 due to the pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure of the storage tank 10 and the pressure in the depressurized state of the deaeration tank 20 (S103). The transfer amount of the liquid crystal, that is, the discharge amount of the liquid crystal to the discharge receiving surface 241 in the deaeration tank 20 to be described later is appropriate as long as it can be degassed at a required level, for example, about 200 ml / hour. It is better to transfer and discharge at a speed.

The liquid crystal transferred to the deaeration tank 20 is discharged from the other end of the transfer pipe 40 to the discharge receiving surface 241 of the stage 24.
It is discharged in the vicinity of the center. The discharged liquid crystal flows so as to expand radially from the vicinity of the center toward the outer peripheral edge of the discharge receiving surface 241 along the discharge receiving surface 241 as indicated by a two-dot chain line arrow in FIG. Degassing is promoted because it flows. And it falls below from the outer periphery of the stage 24 or the through-hole 242, and is stored by the lower part in the deaeration tank 20 (S104). At this time, the liquid crystal adheres to the outer peripheral surface of the transfer tube 50 inserted through the through-hole 242, and the liquid crystal falls while expanding the surface area along the outer peripheral surface with the outer peripheral surface as the falling surface. However, the contact area and contact time between the liquid crystal and the reduced-pressure atmosphere are increased, and deaeration is promoted. When the required amount of liquid crystal is degassed, the valve 41 of the transfer pipe 40 is set in the closed mode to stop the transfer / discharge of the liquid crystal to the deaeration tank 20 and stop the deaeration process.

Then, in a state where the valve 33 of the supply tank 30 is closed, the vacuum pump 32 is driven to open the valve 31, thereby reducing the pressure in the supply tank 30 (S105) and communicating with the supply tank 30. The pressure in the dispenser 34 is reduced to the same pressure as in the supply tank 30, the valve 21 of the deaeration tank 20 is closed and the valve 23 is opened to release the depressurized state of the deaeration tank 20.
The inside is opened to the atmosphere and atmospheric pressure is set (S106). Next, the valve 51 of the transfer pipe 50 for transferring the liquid crystal from the deaeration tank 20 to the supply tank 30 is set to an open mode for a predetermined time (S107), and the atmospheric pressure of the deaeration tank 20 and the supply tank 30 and the dispenser 34 are in a decompressed state. Due to the pressure difference from the pressure, the storage liquid crystal 72 of the deaeration tank 20 is transferred into the dispenser 34 of the supply tank 30 via the transfer pipe 50 (
S108), the valve 51 is set to the closed mode. The deaeration tank 20 is at atmospheric pressure only when the liquid crystal is transferred to the dispenser 34, and is maintained in a reduced pressure state when the liquid crystal is supplied from the storage tank 10 or in standby.

The liquid crystal 73 transferred into the dispenser 34 is dropped on the substrate 61 in the vicinity of the liquid crystal filling port 631 of the liquid crystal cell 60 arranged in the supply tank 30 as indicated by a two-dot chain line arrow in FIGS. . By dropping the liquid crystal with the dispenser 34, the amount of liquid crystal used can be minimized. After the liquid crystal is dropped, the valve 31 is closed and the valve 33 is opened to release the depressurized state of the supply tank 30, the inside of the supply tank 30 is opened to the atmospheric pressure, and the supply tank 3 is opened.
Due to the pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure in 0 and the pressure reduced in the space 66 of the liquid crystal cell 60, the space 66 is filled with liquid crystal from the liquid crystal filling port 631 (S109). The liquid crystal filling port 631 after the liquid crystal filling is sealed with a sealing material.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In the liquid crystal transfer device of the second embodiment, only the deaeration tank 80 is different from the first embodiment, and the storage tank 10 and the supply tank 3 are different.
Since 0, the transfer pipes 40 and 50, the valves 41 and 51, and the liquid crystal cell 60 filled with liquid crystal are the same as those in the first embodiment, only the portion relating to the deaeration tank 80 will be described below. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional explanatory view showing a deaeration tank in the liquid crystal transfer device of the second embodiment, and FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a stage of the deaeration tank.

As shown in FIG. 5, the deaeration tank 80 in the second embodiment has a sealable structure that maintains a reduced pressure state, a vacuum pump 82 is provided via a valve 81, and a deaeration Tank 80
Is opened to the atmosphere, and the inside of the deaeration tank 80 is depressurized to about 6 Pa by closing the valve 83, driving the vacuum pump 82, and opening the valve 81, thereby closing the valve 81 and opening the valve 83. Thus, the depressurized state of the deaeration tank 80 can be released to the atmospheric pressure.
In addition, the pressure at the time of depressurization of the deaeration tank 80 and the pressure at the time of releasing the depressurization of the degassing tank 80 can be appropriately set and configured in the same manner as in the first embodiment other than the 6 Pa and the atmospheric pressure. is there.

In the deaeration tank 80, a disk-shaped stage 84 is disposed at a medium height with the smooth upper surface, which is the discharge receiving surface 841, substantially horizontal. The discharge receiving surface 841 is preferably formed of a water-repellent material as in the first embodiment. The motor 86 installed at the lower part of the deaeration tank 80 has a rotating shaft 85.
Is vertically installed, and the upper end of the rotary shaft 85 is fixed to the center of the lower surface of the stage 84, and the stage 84 can be rotated by rotating the rotary shaft 85 by driving the motor 86. Around the side of the stage 84 and around the lower side, a receiving portion 87 having a substantially W-shaped rotating body is provided.
7 side peripheral walls 874 are arranged apart from the outer peripheral edge of the stage 84. The bottom plate 875 of the receiving portion 87 is formed so as to be inclined obliquely downward from the center toward the outside.
1 is provided, and the rotation shaft 85 is inserted through the shaft hole 871. Side peripheral wall 874 and bottom plate 8
A liquid crystal flow path 872 is formed at a predetermined position of the bottom portion 873 at a position where 75 abuts.
3 is gradually inclined so as to become lower toward the upper end opening of the flow path 872. The lower end opening of the flow path 872 communicates with a storage portion 88 that stores the liquid crystal 72.

A transfer pipe 40 is introduced into the deaeration tank 80, and the other end of the introduced transfer pipe 40 is extended to a position near the center of the discharge receiving surface 841 of the stage 84 as shown in FIG. The liquid crystal transferred at 40 can be dropped from the other end to the vicinity of the center of the discharge receiving surface 841. The transfer pipe 50 for transferring liquid crystal from the deaeration tank 20 near the bottom of the reservoir 88, that is, near the bottom of the liquid crystal 72 stored in the reservoir 88, avoids the liquid level of the liquid crystal 72 where bubbles tend to collect. One end is arranged, and the transfer pipe 50 is led out from the deaeration tank 20. Reference numerals 41 and 51 denote valves for adjusting the liquid crystal transfer amounts of the transfer pipes 40 and 50 by opening / closing control, respectively.

When performing the deaeration process in the deaeration tank 80, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the inside of the deaeration tank 10 is depressurized by driving the vacuum pump 82 or the like, and the motor 86 is turned on by a rotation control unit (not shown). Driven to rotate the discharge receiving surface 841 of the stage 84 via the rotation shaft 85. The rotational speed of the discharge receiving surface 841 is, for example, 1000 rpm, but is appropriate if a required level of deaeration is possible.
It is preferable to set it as 0-1500 rpm, and it is good to set it as 800-1200 rpm more suitably.

Then, the liquid crystal before deaeration transferred from the storage tank 10 to the deaeration tank 80 by the transfer pipe 40 is discharged from the tip of the transfer pipe 40 to the vicinity of the center of the discharge receiving surface 841 as in the first embodiment. The discharge amount of the liquid crystal is appropriate as long as it can be degassed at a required level. For example, it is preferable to transfer and discharge at a rate of about 200 ml / hour. The discharged liquid crystal flows so as to expand radially from the vicinity of the center toward the outer peripheral edge of the discharge receiving surface 841 along the discharge receiving surface 841, as indicated by a two-dot chain line arrow in FIG. Although flowing, the centrifugal force of the rotation of the discharge receiving surface 841 causes the liquid crystal to be thinly and uniformly stretched, and the expansion of the surface area is promoted. By increasing the surface area, the contact area between the liquid crystal and the reduced-pressure atmosphere is increased, the deaeration rate of the liquid crystal is increased, and since the liquid crystal is uniformly stretched, the uniformity of deaeration with respect to the liquid crystal can be enhanced, Since the surface area of the liquid crystal is quickly expanded by centrifugal force, the efficiency of the deaeration treatment can be improved.

The liquid crystal whose surface area has been enlarged by the discharge receiving surface 841 falls from the outer peripheral edge of the discharge receiving surface 841 to the bottom portion 873 of the receiving portion 87, but a part thereof is blown obliquely downward by the centrifugal force of the discharge receiving surface 841, It adheres to the inner peripheral surface of the side peripheral wall 874 of the receiving portion 87 and drops to the bottom portion 873 while increasing the surface area along the inner peripheral surface using the inner peripheral surface as a falling surface. Again, the contact area and the contact time between the liquid crystal and the reduced-pressure atmosphere are increased to promote deaeration. The liquid crystal dropped to the bottom portion 873 gathers at the upper end opening of the flow path 872 along the inclined surface of the bottom portion 873 and is stored in the storage portion 88 through the flow path 872. Thereafter, the liquid crystal 72 stored in the storage unit 88 is transferred to the dispenser 34 of the supply tank 30 through the transfer pipe 50 as in the first embodiment.

[Modifications of Embodiment, etc.]
The invention disclosed in this specification includes a part of the configuration of each invention of the above problem solving means, or a part of the configuration of each invention that is partially deleted to create a superordinate concept. What added various changes to the said embodiment etc. is also included.

In the deaeration tanks 20, 80, liquid crystals such as the discharge receiving surfaces 241, 841 of the stages 24, 84, the outer peripheral surface of the transfer pipe 50, or the inner peripheral surface of the side peripheral wall 874 of the receiving portion 87 are transmitted along. The shape of the contact promoting surface that flows along the liquid crystal while in contact with the reduced-pressure atmosphere in the degassing tanks 20 and 80, such as a falling surface that falls on the surface, is a smooth surface. When unevenness is formed in the partial region or the entire region, the contact time between the liquid crystal and the reduced-pressure atmosphere in a state where the surface area is large can be increased, which is favorable. For example, the projections and depressions are formed with fine convex portions such as ridges or protrusions, or fine concave portions such as concave grooves or depressions, or formed with undulating convex portions or concave portions so that the flow of liquid crystal can be overcome. Further, it is preferable that the convex portion or the concave portion and the other region have a curved surface shape so that the turbulent flow can be suppressed and the liquid crystal can flow smoothly. In addition, the irregularity formation pattern is appropriate, but it is preferable to use a continuous pattern with a predetermined pitch. For example, the convex stripes are formed at a predetermined pitch substantially concentrically from the discharge location, or a configuration in which the convex stripes are formed in a grid pattern. It may be configured. FIG. 7 shows an example in which grid-like ridges 243 are formed at a predetermined pitch on the discharge receiving surface 241 of the stage 24. Further, the height of the convex portions such as the convex stripes and protrusions or the depth of the concave portions such as the concave grooves and depressions is determined by the discharge receiving surfaces 241 and 8.
It is preferable that the thickness of the liquid crystal flowing along the contact promoting surface such as 41 is smaller than or substantially the same. For example, when the liquid crystal flows with a thickness of about 1 mm, the thickness is preferably more than 0 mm and 1 mm or less.

Moreover, the contact promotion part of this invention is not limited to a substantially planar contact promotion surface, For example, the discharge receiving surface 24
It may be a groove-like contact promotion path that flows along the liquid crystal formed in the first grade. The shape of the contact promotion path is appropriate such as a spiral path or a meander path. FIG. 8 shows an example in which a spiral groove path 244 is formed as a contact promoting path on the discharge receiving surface 241. Liquid crystal is dropped near one end of the groove path 244 located near the center of the discharge receiving surface 241, and the groove path 244 is formed. And the liquid crystal is dropped from the other end of the groove path 244 in contact with the outer peripheral edge of the discharge receiving surface 241. Groove path 2
If the bottom surface is inclined so that it gradually becomes lower from one end to the other end, the liquid crystal having viscosity can easily flow.

In addition, the type of the liquid crystal of the present invention is not limited, and a nematic liquid crystal, a smectic liquid crystal, a cholesteric liquid crystal, or the like is appropriate. Further, the present invention is not limited to the configuration for transferring the liquid crystal at room temperature, and may be configured to transfer the heated liquid crystal in a partial or overall transfer path. And the speed of the transfer process and deaeration process can be increased. When raising the temperature of the liquid crystal, for example, a heater is provided in the storage tank 10 of FIG. 1, and the liquid crystal 71 of the storage tank 10 is heated and discharged into the deaeration tank 20 through the transfer pipe 40. . The upper limit temperature for raising the temperature of the liquid crystal is a predetermined temperature lower than the temperature at which the liquid crystal component changes, for example, 6
Set to about 0 ° C. In addition, the storage tank 10, the lower part of the deaeration tank 20, and the storage unit 88 are provided with level sensors for recognizing the upper and lower limits of the liquid level of the liquid crystals 71 and 72 to be stored. It is preferable that the information is sent to various devices such as a device for notification. When the level sensor is provided, it is preferable that one end of the transfer pipes 40 and 50 is provided below the lower limit liquid level of the level sensor.

In addition, the supply of liquid crystal in the supply tank 30 is not limited to the liquid crystal cell 60, and it is possible to make semi-finished products of various liquid crystal devices capable of supplying liquid crystal. For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a state before the substrates 62 or 61 of the liquid crystal cell 60 are bonded together, that is, a substrate 61 or 62 in which a sealing material 63 is formed in a substantially frame shape may be used. In this case, the liquid crystal 74 is dropped from the dispenser 34 at a predetermined pitch in the region surrounded by the sealing material 63 of the substrate 61, and then the substrate 62 or 6.
The liquid crystal is filled by a dropping injection method in which 1 is bonded.

Further, the supply of liquid crystal to the semi-finished liquid crystal device in the supply tank 30 is not limited to the dispenser 34, and any appropriate supply means can be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, an immersion tank 35 may be provided instead of the dispenser 34. In this case, while the supply tank 30 is in a reduced pressure state, liquid crystal is supplied from the transfer pipe 50 to the immersion tank 35, the liquid crystal filling port 631 of the liquid crystal cell 60 is immersed in the liquid crystal reservoir in the immersion tank 35, and then the valve 33 is opened to the atmosphere, and a vacuum injection method in which liquid crystal is injected into the space 66 from the liquid crystal filling port 631 by the pressure difference between the atmospheric pressure in the supply tank 30 and the pressure in the decompressed state of the space 66 of the liquid crystal cell 60. Fill the liquid crystal with.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows 1st Embodiment of the liquid-crystal transfer apparatus of this invention. It is a perspective view which shows the stage of the deaeration tank in 1st Embodiment. (A) is a plane block diagram which shows the liquid crystal cell by which a liquid crystal is dripped by the supply tank in the liquid-crystal transfer apparatus of FIG. 1, (b) is the AA arrow directional cross-sectional view. It is a flowchart of the liquid-crystal transfer process of 1st Embodiment. It is sectional explanatory drawing which shows the deaeration tank in the liquid-crystal transfer apparatus of 2nd Embodiment. It is a perspective view which shows the stage of the deaeration tank in 2nd Embodiment. (A) is a top view which shows the modification of a discharge receiving surface, (b) is the partial longitudinal cross-section of the stage which has the discharge receiving surface of the same figure (a). The top view which shows the other modification of an ejection receiving surface. It is perspective explanatory drawing which shows the example by which a liquid crystal is dripped from the dispenser of a supply tank to the board | substrate which has a sealing material. It is sectional explanatory drawing which shows the liquid crystal cell into which the supply tank and liquid crystal of a modification are inject | poured.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Storage tank 20, 80 ... Deaeration tank 21, 23, 81, 83 ... Valve 22, 82 ... Vacuum pump 24, 84 ... Stage 241, 841 ... Discharge receiving surface 242 ... Through-hole 243
... ridge 244 ... groove path 25 ... support 85 ... rotating shaft 86 ... motor 87 ... receiving part 87
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Shaft hole 872 ... Flow path 873 ... Bottom part 874 ... Side peripheral wall 875 ... Bottom plate 88 ... Storage part 30 ... Supply tank 31, 33 ... Valve 32 ... Vacuum pump 34 ... Dispenser 35 ...
Immersion tank 40, 50 ... Transfer pipe 41, 51 ... Valve 60 ... Liquid crystal cell 61, 62 ... Substrate 63 ... Sealing material 631 ... Liquid crystal filling port 64, 65 ... Alignment film 66 ... Space 71, 72
73, 74 ... Liquid crystal

Claims (15)

A first tank for storing liquid crystal;
A second tank in which liquid crystal is transferred from the first tank,
A liquid crystal transfer device, wherein the liquid crystal is transferred from the first tank to the second tank by a pressure difference between the first tank and the second tank. A third tank in which liquid crystal is transferred from the second tank,
The liquid crystal transfer device according to claim 1, wherein liquid crystal is transferred from the second tank to the third tank by a pressure difference between the second tank and the third tank. The first tank is a deaeration tank capable of degassing and storing the liquid crystal in a reduced pressure atmosphere and releasing the reduced pressure state,
The liquid crystal transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the second tank is a supply tank that supplies liquid crystal to a semi-finished product of the liquid crystal device in a reduced pressure atmosphere. The first tank is a storage tank for storing liquid crystal before deaeration,
2. The liquid crystal transfer device according to claim 1, wherein the second tank is a deaeration tank for degassing the liquid crystal under a reduced pressure atmosphere. The first tank is a storage tank for storing liquid crystal before deaeration,
The second tank is a deaeration tank capable of degassing and storing the liquid crystal in a reduced pressure atmosphere and releasing the reduced pressure state,
3. The liquid crystal transfer device according to claim 2, wherein the third tank is a supply tank that supplies liquid crystal to a semi-finished product of the liquid crystal device under a reduced pressure atmosphere. The liquid crystal transfer device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls a transfer amount of the liquid crystal transferred by the pressure difference. The liquid crystal is transferred by a transfer pipe having one end disposed below the liquid surface of the liquid crystal stored in the first tank, the second tank, or both. Liquid crystal transfer device. 8. The liquid crystal transfer device according to claim 7, wherein one end of the transfer pipe is disposed in the vicinity of the bottom of the stored liquid crystal. 9. The liquid crystal transfer device according to claim 7, wherein one end of the transfer pipe is disposed below the liquid level of the liquid after deaeration stored in the deaeration tank for transfer to the supply tank. The liquid crystal transport device according to claim 3, wherein the liquid crystal is transported to a dispenser of the supply tank, and the liquid crystal is dropped onto a semi-finished product of the liquid crystal device by the dispenser. The liquid crystal discharged in the said deaeration tank flows so that it may contact along with the said decompression atmosphere, and the contact promotion part which accelerates | stimulates the contact with the said decompression atmosphere and a liquid crystal is provided.
A liquid crystal transfer device according to any one of the above. 12. The liquid crystal transfer device according to claim 11, wherein the contact promoting portion has a discharge receiving surface that flows so that the discharged liquid crystal expands substantially radially. The liquid crystal transfer device according to claim 12, wherein the discharge receiving surface is rotated to discharge liquid crystal in the vicinity of the center of the discharge receiving surface. A liquid crystal transfer method, wherein the liquid crystal is transferred from the first tank to the second tank by a pressure difference between the first tank and the second tank for storing liquid crystal. A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal device, wherein the liquid crystal is transferred by the liquid crystal transfer device according to claim 1 and filled in the liquid crystal device.

Images