JP2008203642A - Multiple imposition thin film transistor substrate and manufacturing method of liquid crystal display element - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a multiple imposition TFT substrate which actualizes reduction in manufacturing cost for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element by aligning a ferroelectric liquid crystal with the use of an electric field application slow cooling process, and to provide a manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display element. <P>SOLUTION: The multiple imposition TFT substrate has a plurality of TFT substrate regions disposed on the substrate and is used for the liquid crystal display elements using the ferroelectric liquid crystal, wherein gate lines and source lines are insulated from each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a multifaceted thin film transistor substrate used for a liquid crystal display element using ferroelectric liquid crystal, and a method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display element using the multifaceted thin film transistor substrate.

  Liquid crystal display elements have been widely used from large displays to portable information terminals because of their thinness and low power consumption, and their development is actively underway. To date, liquid crystal display elements have been developed and put to practical use, such as TN mode, multiplex driving of STN, and active matrix driving using a thin film transistor (hereinafter, the thin film transistor may be abbreviated as TFT) for TN. Since nematic liquid crystal is used, the response speed of the liquid crystal material is as slow as several ms to several tens of ms, and it cannot be said that it is sufficiently compatible with moving image display.

  Ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) is a liquid crystal suitable for high-speed devices because its response speed is as short as μs order. Ferroelectric liquid crystals proposed by Clark and Lagerwol are widely known as bistable ones having two stable states when no voltage is applied (FIG. 14 top), but for switching in two states of light and dark. Although it has limited memory characteristics, it has a problem that gradation display cannot be performed.

In recent years, the state of the liquid crystal layer when no voltage is applied is stabilized in a single state (hereinafter referred to as “monostable”). ) Is continuously changed, and the transmitted light intensity is analog-modulated so that gradation display is possible (see Non-Patent Document 1, lower part of FIG. 14). As the liquid crystal exhibiting such monostability, generally, a ferroelectric liquid crystal that changes phase with a cholesteric (Ch) phase-chiral smectic C (SmC ^* ) phase in the temperature lowering process and does not pass through the smectic A (SmA) phase. Used (upper part of FIG. 17).

  Ferroelectric liquid crystals are difficult to align because they have higher molecular ordering than nematic liquid crystals. In particular, in a ferroelectric liquid crystal that does not pass through the SmA phase, two regions having different layer normal directions (hereinafter referred to as “double domain”) are generated. Such a double domain becomes a serious problem because black-and-white inversion is displayed during driving.

  As a method for improving the double domain, there is known an electric field applied slow cooling method in which a liquid crystal cell is heated to a temperature equal to or higher than a cholesteric phase and gradually cooled while a DC voltage is applied (see Non-Patent Document 2).

  Further, as a method for monostabilizing the ferroelectric liquid crystal, a method is proposed in which photo-alignment films are used as upper and lower alignment films, and materials having different compositions are used for these photo-alignment films (Patent Document 1, Patent) Reference 2 and Patent Document 3). In this method, the reason why a good alignment state can be obtained by using materials having different compositions for the upper and lower photo-alignment films is not clear, but the interaction between the upper and lower photo-alignment films and the ferroelectric liquid crystal is different. It is thought to be due to.

  Furthermore, as another method for monostabilizing the ferroelectric liquid crystal, a reactive liquid crystal layer is formed on one of the upper and lower alignment films by applying and aligning the reactive liquid crystal, and this reaction is performed. Has been proposed (see Patent Document 4). In this method, the reactive liquid crystal is relatively similar in structure to the ferroelectric liquid crystal, so that the interaction with the ferroelectric liquid crystal becomes stronger, so that the alignment is more effective than when only the alignment film is used. By forming the reactive liquid crystal layer on one of the upper and lower alignment films, the ferroelectric liquid crystal can be aligned without causing alignment defects such as double domains.

  In recent years, a liquid crystal dropping method (One Drop Fill: ODF) has been attracting attention. This is because a sealant is applied to one of a pair of substrates in a frame shape so as to surround a liquid crystal sealing region, liquid crystal is dropped on the substrate, and then both substrates are overlapped with a sufficiently reduced pressure between both substrates. It is made to adhere through a sealing agent. The liquid crystal dropping method has an advantage that the time required for the liquid crystal sealing step is significantly shortened as compared with the conventional vacuum injection method.

  As the liquid crystal display elements, those using TFTs as switching elements provided for each pixel are mainly used. Conventionally, in the production of a liquid crystal display element using TFTs, a multi-sided TFT substrate capable of producing a plurality of panels has been used to improve productivity. In the case of manufacturing a liquid crystal display element by the above-mentioned liquid crystal dropping method using a multi-sided TFT substrate, liquid crystal is dropped on the multi-sided TFT substrate or the common electrode substrate and the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are bonded together. Later, each panel is cut.

JP 2005-208353 A JP 2005-234549 A JP 2005-234550 A JP 2005-258428 A NONAKA, T., LI, J., OGAWA, A., HORNUNG, B., SCHMIDT, W., WINGEN, R., and DUBAL, H., 1999, Liq. Cryst., 26, 1599. PATEL, J., and GOODBY, J. W., 1986, J. Appl. Phys., 59, 2355.

  When a liquid crystal display element using a ferroelectric liquid crystal is manufactured by a liquid crystal dropping method using a predetermined alignment film as described above for the upper and lower alignment films and using a multi-surface TFT substrate, a multi-surface TFT A predetermined alignment film is formed on each of the substrate and the common electrode substrate, a ferroelectric liquid crystal is dropped on the multi-sided TFT substrate, the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are bonded together, and then cut for each panel. Manufacturing costs can be greatly reduced.

  On the other hand, when a liquid crystal display element using TFTs is prepared by aligning ferroelectric liquid crystal by an electric field application slow cooling method, a DC voltage is applied after the panel is manufactured. Therefore, when a ferroelectric liquid crystal is aligned by an electric field applied slow cooling method using a multi-faceted TFT substrate, it is necessary to apply a DC voltage to each panel after cutting each panel. Thus, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost is high.

  Therefore, in order to reduce the manufacturing cost, when manufacturing a liquid crystal display element by aligning ferroelectric liquid crystal by an electric field applied slow cooling method using a multi-faceted TFT substrate, before cutting each panel, A method of applying a DC voltage is desired. For this purpose, the multi-sided TFT substrate may be wired so that different voltages can be simultaneously applied to the pixel electrode and the common electrode of each panel.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and a multi-faceted TFT substrate capable of greatly reducing the manufacturing cost when a liquid crystal display element is produced by aligning ferroelectric liquid crystals by an electric field applied slow cooling method. And a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a multi-faceted TFT substrate having a plurality of TFT substrate regions arranged on a substrate and used for a liquid crystal display element using a ferroelectric liquid crystal, The gate line and the source line provided in the substrate, the gate line short bar disposed in the peripheral area of the substrate and connected to all the gate lines, and the peripheral line disposed in the peripheral area and connected to all the source lines The source line short bar, the gate line lead terminal disposed in the peripheral area and connected to the gate line short bar, and the peripheral line disposed in the peripheral area and connected to the source line short bar. A multi-sided TFT substrate having a source line lead-out terminal, wherein the gate line and the source line are insulated.

  According to the present invention, since the gate line and the source line are insulated, by using the multi-surface-attached TFT substrate of the present invention, in the obtained multi-surface liquid crystal cell, the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction are obtained. By simultaneously applying different voltages to the terminals, it is possible to simultaneously apply a DC voltage to each liquid crystal display element without cutting each TFT substrate region. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced.

  Further, the present invention provides a multi-faceted TFT substrate used in a liquid crystal display element using a ferroelectric liquid crystal in which a plurality of TFT substrate regions are arranged on a substrate, the gate line provided in each of the TFT substrate regions and A source line, a gate line short bar arranged in the peripheral region of the substrate and connected to all the gate lines, and a source line short bar arranged in the peripheral region and connected to all the source lines And a connecting portion that is disposed in the peripheral region, is connected to the short bar for the gate line and the short bar for the source line, and can be cut independently so as to insulate the gate line and the source line, and A gate line lead-out terminal disposed in the peripheral region and connected to the gate line short bar; and a gate line lead terminal disposed in the peripheral region and connected to the source line short bar. Providing multi with TFT substrate and having a dispensing source line terminal that is.

According to the present invention, the connection portion connected to the short bar for the gate line and the short bar for the source line can be cut independently so that the gate line and the source line are insulated. By disconnecting and removing the connection portion from the gate line, the gate line and the source line can be insulated. By using such a multi-faceted TFT substrate in which the gate lines and source lines are insulated, in the obtained multi-faced liquid crystal cell, the gate line take-out terminals and the source line take-out terminals are used, as in the above case. By applying different voltages at the same time, it is possible to simultaneously apply a DC voltage to each liquid crystal display element without cutting each TFT substrate region. Therefore, the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced.
In addition, according to the present invention, the gate line short bar and the source line short bar are connected via the connection portion. Therefore, when the multi-surface TFT substrate is manufactured, the liquid crystal display element using the multi-surface TFT substrate is used. Electrostatic breakdown can be prevented at the time of fabrication.

  In the above invention, it is preferable that the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal are each one. When the number of gate line extraction terminals and source line extraction terminals is too large, a multi-surface liquid crystal cell is produced using a multi-surface TFT substrate as described above, and the ferroelectric liquid crystal is aligned by an electric field applied slow cooling method. In addition, it may be difficult to apply a voltage to a plurality of gate line extraction terminals simultaneously.

  Furthermore, the present invention provides a multi-sided TFT substrate preparation step for preparing the above-mentioned multi-sided TFT substrate, a common electrode substrate preparation step for preparing a common electrode substrate having a common electrode formed on the substrate, the multi-sided TFT substrate, An alignment film forming step for forming an alignment film on each of the opposing surfaces of the common electrode substrate, and a liquid crystal application step for applying a ferroelectric liquid crystal on the alignment film of the multi-sided TFT substrate or the alignment film of the common electrode substrate And after the liquid crystal coating step, the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are disposed and bonded so that the alignment films face each other, and the ferroelectric liquid crystal is bonded to the ferroelectric layer. After the liquid crystal is heated to a temperature exhibiting a nematic phase or an isotropic phase, different voltages are respectively applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal of the multi-sided TFT substrate. A liquid crystal display comprising: a liquid crystal alignment step of gradually cooling the ferroelectric liquid crystal while applying a liquid crystal; and a cutting step of cutting each TFT substrate region of the multi-sided TFT substrate after the liquid crystal alignment step An element manufacturing method is provided.

  According to the present invention, since the multi-faceted TFT substrate in which the gate line and the source line are insulated is used, the pixel electrode and the common electrode in each TFT substrate region are not cut in each TFT substrate region in the liquid crystal alignment process. Different voltages can be applied simultaneously to each other, and the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced.

  The present invention also provides a multi-surface TFT substrate preparation step for preparing the multi-surface TFT substrate, a common electrode substrate preparation step for preparing a common electrode substrate on which a common electrode is formed, the multi-surface TFT substrate, An alignment film forming step for forming an alignment film on each of the opposing surfaces of the common electrode substrate, and a liquid crystal application step for applying a ferroelectric liquid crystal on the alignment film of the multi-sided TFT substrate or the alignment film of the common electrode substrate After the liquid crystal coating step, the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are arranged and bonded so that the respective alignment films face each other, and the connection portion of the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate is cut. Removing the gate line and the source line to insulate, and after the insulating step, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is in a nematic phase or the ferroelectric liquid crystal A liquid crystal alignment step of gradually cooling the ferroelectric liquid crystal while applying different voltages to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal of the multi-sided TFT substrate after heating to a temperature showing a phase; And a cutting step of cutting each TFT substrate region of the multi-sided TFT substrate after the liquid crystal alignment step.

  According to the present invention, after the substrate bonding step and before the liquid crystal alignment step, the connection portion of the multi-faceted TFT substrate is cut and removed to insulate the gate line and the source line. Different voltages can be applied simultaneously to the pixel electrode and the common electrode in each TFT substrate region without cutting each time, and the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced. Further, according to the present invention, the gate line short bar and the source line short bar are connected through the connecting portion until the substrate bonding step, so that the gate line and the source line can be electrically short-circuited. It is possible to prevent electrostatic breakdown.

  In the present invention, in the liquid crystal alignment step, the gate line lead terminal of the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate and the common electrode of the common electrode substrate are connected, and the gate line lead terminal and source of the multi-side thin film transistor substrate are connected. It is preferable to apply different voltages to the wire lead terminals. This is because it is not necessary to provide a common electrode lead-out terminal separately, so that the manufacturing process can be simplified.

  In the present invention, since the multi-sided TFT substrate has the gate line and the source line insulated, when a liquid crystal display element is produced using the multi-sided TFT substrate, the gate line lead-out terminal and the source line are used. By simultaneously applying different voltages to the extraction terminals, it is possible to simultaneously apply a DC voltage to each liquid crystal display element without cutting each TFT substrate region. As a result, the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced.

  Hereinafter, the manufacturing method of the multi-sided TFT substrate and the liquid crystal display element of the present invention is described in detail.

A. Multi-surface TFT substrate First, the multi-surface TFT substrate of the present invention will be described. The multi-sided TFT substrate of the present invention has a plurality of TFT substrate regions arranged on the substrate and is used for a liquid crystal display element using ferroelectric liquid crystal, and the gate line and the source line are insulated. Alternatively, the gate line and the source line can be insulated, and two embodiments are provided.
In the following, each embodiment will be described separately.

1. First Embodiment A multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment is a multi-sided TFT substrate used for a liquid crystal display element using a ferroelectric liquid crystal in which a plurality of TFT substrate regions are arranged on the substrate, and each of the TFTs Gate lines and source lines provided in the substrate region, gate line short bars disposed in the peripheral region of the substrate and connected to all the gate lines, and all the source lines disposed in the peripheral region A source line short bar connected to the gate line, a gate line lead-out terminal connected to the gate line short bar, and a peripheral line connected to the source line short bar. The gate line and the source line are insulated from each other. The gate line and the source line are insulated from each other.

The multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view showing an example of a multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of a TFT substrate region, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

In the multi-sided TFT substrate 1 illustrated in FIG. 1, 6 (2 × 3) TFT substrate regions 3 are arranged on one substrate 2. In the TFT substrate region 3, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the gate line 4x and the source line 4y are arranged on the substrate 2 so as to intersect each other. A portion surrounded by the gate line 4x and the source line 4y is a pixel which is a minimum unit for driving the liquid crystal display element, and a TFT element 11 and a pixel electrode 12 are arranged in each pixel. The area where the pixels are provided is the display area 9.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the TFT element 11 includes a gate electrode 14 a (gate line 4 x), a gate insulating layer 13 formed on the gate electrode 14 a (gate line 4 x), and a gate insulating layer 13. The formed semiconductor layer 15, the source electrode 14 b and the drain electrode 14 c (source line 4 y) formed on the semiconductor layer 15 so as to face each other with a certain distance, and the protective layer 16 formed thereon. And have.

  As illustrated in FIG. 1, the gate line 4x is connected to the gate line short bar 5 arranged in the peripheral region of the substrate 2 directly or via the gate line connection wiring 10a. The source line 4y is connected to the source line short bar 6 arranged in the peripheral region of the substrate 2 directly or via the source line connection wiring 10b. A gate line extraction terminal 7 is drawn out from the gate line short bar 5, and a source line extraction terminal 8 is drawn out from the source line short bar 6.

  In such a multi-faceted TFT substrate, unlike the conventional short ring, the gate line short bar and the source line short bar are not connected, and the gate line and the source line are insulated. Therefore, a voltage can be applied independently to the gate line and the source line.

  FIG. 4 shows an example of a liquid crystal cell for multi-surface production produced using the multi-surface TFT substrate of the present invention. 4 has the above-described multi-surface TFT substrate 1 and a common electrode substrate 21 having a common electrode 23 formed on the substrate 22, and each TFT substrate of the multi-surface TFT substrate. In the region, the alignment films 17 and 24 are respectively formed on the opposing surfaces of the multi-sided TFT substrate 1 and the common electrode substrate 21, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal is sandwiched between the multi-sided TFT substrate 1 and the common electrode substrate 21. Layer 25 is constructed.

For example, in the multi-panel liquid crystal cell shown in FIG. 4, although not shown, the gate line lead-out terminal drawn from the gate line 4x (gate electrode 14a) through the gate line short bar is connected to the common electrode 23. To do. Then, different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal, respectively.
At this time, for example, different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal so that the voltage of the source line extraction terminal is relatively lower than the voltage of the gate line extraction terminal. . Then, the gate line lead-out terminal is connected to the common electrode 23, the source line lead-out terminal is connected to the source line 4y, and the source electrode 14b is connected to the pixel electrode 12 through the semiconductor layer 15 and the drain electrode 14c. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the voltage of the pixel electrode 12 is relatively lower than the voltage of the common electrode 23. Therefore, due to the influence of the polarity of the applied voltage, the positive electrode (+) of the spontaneous polarization Ps of the liquid crystal molecules 30 comes to face the pixel electrode 12 side. The direction of spontaneous polarization is such a direction because the direction of spontaneous polarization is the direction in which the polarization of the ferroelectric liquid crystal and the polarity of the applied voltage are electrically balanced, so that the liquid crystal molecules are electrically stable. It is because it will be in a state.
In FIG. 5, constituent members other than the pixel electrode and the common electrode are omitted.

  In this way, a multi-sided liquid crystal cell is manufactured using the multi-sided TFT substrate of the present embodiment, and the gate line lead-out terminal and the common electrode are connected using the multi-sided liquid crystal cell to form a gate line. By simultaneously applying different voltages to the extraction terminal for the source and the extraction terminal for the source line, it is possible to simultaneously apply different voltages to the pixel electrode and the common electrode in each TFT substrate region without cutting each TFT substrate region. Is possible. Therefore, it is possible to align the ferroelectric liquid crystal by the electrolytic application slow cooling method using the multi-surfaced liquid crystal cell produced using the multi-surface TFT substrate as it is, and the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced.

Further, for example, in the multi-panel liquid crystal cell shown in FIG. 4, although not shown, a gate line lead-out terminal drawn from the gate line 4x (gate electrode 14a) through a gate line short bar and a source line 4y (source) Different voltages are applied to the source line extraction terminal drawn from the electrode 14b through the source line short bar and the common electrode extraction terminal drawn from the common electrode 23, respectively.
In the TFT element, the TFT element is turned on when the potential difference between the gate electrode and the source electrode is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Therefore, different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal so that the potential difference between the voltage of the gate line extraction terminal and the voltage of the source line extraction terminal is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Then, since the potential difference between the gate electrode and the source electrode becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the TFT element 11 is turned on, and a voltage is applied from the source electrode 14b to the pixel electrode 12 through the semiconductor layer 15 and the drain electrode 14c. At this time, for example, different voltages are applied to the common electrode extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal so that the voltage of the source line extraction terminal is relatively lower than the voltage of the common electrode extraction terminal. To do. Then, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the voltage of the pixel electrode 12 becomes relatively lower than the voltage of the common electrode 23. Therefore, due to the influence of the polarity of the applied voltage, the positive electrode (+) of the spontaneous polarization Ps of the liquid crystal molecules 30 comes to face the pixel electrode 12 side. The direction of spontaneous polarization is such a direction because the direction of spontaneous polarization is the direction in which the polarization of the ferroelectric liquid crystal and the polarity of the applied voltage are electrically balanced, so that the liquid crystal molecules are electrically stable. It is because it will be in a state.
In FIG. 5, constituent members other than the pixel electrode and the common electrode are omitted.

  In this way, a multi-sided liquid crystal cell is manufactured using the multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment, and a gate line take-out terminal, a source line take-out terminal, and a common electrode take-out are made using this multi-faced liquid crystal cell. By simultaneously applying different voltages to the terminals, it is possible to simultaneously apply different voltages to the pixel electrode and the common electrode in each TFT substrate region without cutting each TFT substrate region. Therefore, as in the case described above, it is possible to align the ferroelectric liquid crystal by the electrolytic application slow cooling method using the multi-faced liquid crystal cell produced using the multi-faceted TFT substrate as it is, greatly reducing the manufacturing cost. Is possible.

  On the other hand, in the conventional multi-surface TFT substrate, the gate line and the source line are electrically short-circuited. Therefore, in the multi-surface liquid crystal cell obtained by using the conventional multi-surface TFT substrate, the gate line and source line are taken out. When a voltage is applied to the terminal, the gate electrode and the source electrode have the same potential in the TFT element. For this reason, the TFT element cannot be turned on, and no voltage is applied to the pixel electrode even when a voltage is applied to the gate line / source line extraction terminal. Therefore, even if different voltages are applied to the gate line / source line extraction terminal and the common electrode extraction terminal in the multi-surface liquid crystal cell obtained by using the conventional multi-surface mounting TFT substrate, the pixel electrode and the common electrode It is not possible to apply different voltages to each other simultaneously.

  Hereinafter, each structure in the multi-faced TFT substrate of this embodiment will be described.

(1) Short bar for gate lines The short bar for gate lines in this embodiment is arranged in the peripheral region of the substrate and is connected to all the gate lines. A gate line lead-out terminal is connected to the gate line short bar.

  The gate line short bar only needs to be connected to all the gate lines, and the gate line may be directly connected to the gate line short bar. The gate line is connected to the gate line via the gate line connection wiring. It may be connected to a line short bar.

The formation position of the gate line short bar is not particularly limited as long as it is a peripheral region of the substrate and is not connected to the source line short bar.
Further, the pattern of the gate line short bar is not particularly limited as long as it is a pattern that can be arranged in the peripheral region of the substrate and does not connect to the source line short bar. Examples include an L shape as shown in FIG.

  The short bar for the gate line is usually formed simultaneously with the gate line by a gate line formation process.

(2) Short bar for source line The short bar for source line in this embodiment is disposed in the peripheral region of the substrate and connected to all the source lines. A source line lead-out terminal is connected to the source line short bar.

  All the source lines need only be connected to the source line short bar, the source line may be directly connected to the source line short bar, and the source line is connected to the source line via the source line connection wiring. It may be connected to a line short bar.

The formation position of the source line short bar is not particularly limited as long as it is a peripheral region of the substrate and is not connected to the gate line short bar.
The source line short bar pattern is not particularly limited as long as it is a pattern that can be disposed in the peripheral region of the substrate and does not connect to the gate line short bar. Examples include an L shape as shown in FIG.

  The short bar for the source line is usually formed simultaneously with the source line by the source line forming process.

(3) Gate line lead-out terminal The gate line lead-out terminal in this embodiment is arranged in the peripheral region of the substrate and connected to the gate line short bar.

  The gate line take-out terminal may be arranged in the peripheral region of the substrate and pulled out from the gate line short bar. As described above, a multi-sided liquid crystal cell is manufactured using a multi-sided TFT substrate, and an electric field is obtained. When the ferroelectric liquid crystal is aligned by the applied slow cooling method, it is preferably disposed at a position where a voltage can be easily applied from the outside.

The number of gate line lead-out terminals may be one or plural, but preferably one. When the number of gate line extraction terminals is too large, a multi-sided liquid crystal cell is produced using a multi-sided TFT substrate as described above, and a plurality of gate lines are used when orienting ferroelectric liquid crystal by an electric field applied slow cooling method. This is because it may be difficult to apply a voltage to the extraction terminals simultaneously.
On the other hand, when there are a plurality of gate line lead-out terminals, the number is preferably about 2 to 3 for the above reason.

  The material, thickness, size, pattern, and the like of the gate line lead-out terminal can be the same as those of a common TFT substrate.

(4) Source Line Extraction Terminal The source line extraction terminal in this embodiment is disposed in the peripheral region of the substrate and connected to the source line short bar.

  The source line lead-out terminal may be disposed in the peripheral region of the substrate and pulled out from the source line short bar. However, as described above, a multi-sided liquid crystal cell is manufactured using a multi-sided TFT substrate, and an electric field is obtained. When the ferroelectric liquid crystal is aligned by the applied slow cooling method, it is preferably disposed at a position where a voltage can be easily applied from the outside.

The number of source line lead-out terminals may be one or plural, but preferably one. When there are too many source line take-out terminals, a multi-sided liquid crystal cell is produced using a multi-sided TFT substrate as described above, and a plurality of source lines are used when orienting ferroelectric liquid crystal by an electric field applied slow cooling method. This is because it may be difficult to apply a voltage to the extraction terminals simultaneously.
On the other hand, when there are a plurality of source line extraction terminals, it is preferably about 2 to 3 for the above reasons.

  The material, thickness, size, pattern, and the like of the source line lead-out terminal can be the same as those of a common TFT substrate.

(5) Gate line and source line The gate line and source line in this embodiment are provided in each TFT substrate region, and are insulated in the entire multi-faceted TFT substrate.

  Note that the gate line and the source line are insulated not only when the gate line and the source line itself are insulated, but also a gate line short bar connected to the gate line, a gate line extraction terminal, This means that all of the gate line connection wiring and the like are insulated from the source line short bar, the source line extraction terminal, the source line connection wiring, and the like connected to the source line. .

  The forming material, thickness, size, pattern, and the like of the gate line and the source line can be the same as those of a general TFT substrate.

(6) TFT substrate region In the multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment, a plurality of TFT substrate regions are arranged on the substrate. When a liquid crystal display element is manufactured using the multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment, first, a multi-sided liquid crystal cell is manufactured using the multi-sided TFT substrate, and then this multi-sided liquid crystal cell is used. Individual liquid crystal display elements can be obtained by orienting the ferroelectric liquid crystal by an electric field applied slow cooling method and then cutting each TFT substrate region.

  The number of TFT substrate regions is not particularly limited as long as it is plural, and is appropriately adjusted according to the size of the substrate and the TFT substrate region. For example, when the size of the TFT substrate region is about 20 inches, the number of TFT substrate regions is 2 (1 × 2), 4 (2 × 2), 6 (2 × 3), 8 (2 × 4), 12 (3 × 4), etc. For example, when the size of the TFT substrate region is about 2 to 3 inches, the number of TFT substrate regions can be 8 × 12, 16 × 24, or the like. Furthermore, when the size of the TFT substrate region is about 40 to 50 inches, the number of TFT substrate regions is about 4 (2 × 2).

(7) Substrate The substrate used in this embodiment is not particularly limited as long as it is generally used as a substrate of a TFT substrate, and for example, a glass plate, a plastic plate and the like are preferably mentioned.

(8) Applications The multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment is used for a liquid crystal display element using a ferroelectric liquid crystal.
Since the ferroelectric liquid crystal and the liquid crystal display element using the ferroelectric liquid crystal are described in detail in “B. Liquid crystal display element” described later, description thereof is omitted here.

2. Second Embodiment A multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment is a multi-sided TFT substrate used in a liquid crystal display element using a ferroelectric liquid crystal in which a plurality of TFT substrate regions are arranged on the substrate, and each of the TFTs Gate lines and source lines provided in the substrate region, gate line short bars disposed in the peripheral region of the substrate and connected to all the gate lines, and all the source lines disposed in the peripheral region The source line short bar connected to the gate line and the peripheral line region, and connected to the gate line short bar and the source line short bar so that the gate line and the source line are insulated. A disconnectable connection portion, a gate line lead terminal disposed in the peripheral region and connected to the gate line short bar, and disposed in the peripheral region. And a source line lead terminal connected to the source line short bar.

The multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing an example of the multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the TFT substrate region, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG.

In the multi-sided TFT substrate 1 illustrated in FIG. 6, 6 (2 × 3) TFT substrate regions 3 are arranged on one substrate 2. In the TFT substrate region 3, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the gate line 4x and the source line 4y are arranged on the substrate 2 so as to intersect each other. A portion surrounded by the gate line 4x and the source line 4y is a pixel which is a minimum unit for driving the liquid crystal display element, and a TFT element 11 and a pixel electrode 12 are arranged in each pixel. The area where the pixels are provided is the display area 9.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the TFT element 11 includes a gate electrode 14 a (gate line 4 x), a gate insulating layer 13 formed on the gate electrode 14 a (gate line 4 x), and a gate insulating layer 13. The formed semiconductor layer 15, the source electrode 14 b and the drain electrode 14 c (source line 4 y) formed on the semiconductor layer 15 so as to face each other with a certain distance, and the protective layer 16 formed thereon. And have.

  As illustrated in FIG. 6, the gate line 4 x is connected to the gate line short bar 5 disposed in the peripheral region of the substrate 2 directly or via the gate line connection wiring 10 a. The source line 4y is connected to the source line short bar 6 arranged in the peripheral region of the substrate 2 directly or via the source line connection wiring 10b. A gate line extraction terminal 7 is drawn out from the gate line short bar 5, and a source line extraction terminal 8 is drawn out from the source line short bar 6. In addition, the gate line short bar 5 and the source line short bar 6 are connected to a connection part 31 that can be cut independently, and the gate line short bar 5, the source line short bar 6, and the connection part. 31 is formed integrally and a short ring 32 is formed.

  As described above, the gate line short bar 5 and the source line short bar 6 are connected via the connection portion 31, whereby the gate line 4x and the source line 4y can be electrically short-circuited. Therefore, it is possible to avoid electrostatic breakdown due to the influence of static electricity that occurs during the production of the multi-faceted TFT substrate. In addition, electrostatic breakdown due to the influence of static electricity that occurs when a multi-sided liquid crystal cell is manufactured using the multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment can also be avoided.

  In FIG. 6, the connecting portion 31 is connected to the gate line short bar 5 and the source line short bar 6, but can be cut independently so that the gate line 4x and the source line 4y are insulated. Then, the multi-sided TFT substrate 1 is cut by the cutting line 33 and the connecting portion 31 is cut and removed so that the gate line short bar 5 and the source line short bar 6 are not connected as illustrated in FIG. Can be. Thereby, the gate line 4x and the source line 4y can be insulated. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, a voltage can be applied independently to the gate line and the source line.

  FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing another example of the multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment, FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the TFT substrate region, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 9A is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB in FIG. 8, and FIG. 9B is a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG.

In the multi-sided TFT substrate 1 illustrated in FIG. 8, 6 (2 × 3) TFT substrate regions 3 are arranged on one substrate 2. In the TFT substrate region 3, as illustrated in FIG. 2, the gate line 4x and the source line 4y are arranged on the substrate 2 so as to intersect each other. A portion surrounded by the gate line 4x and the source line 4y is a pixel which is a minimum unit for driving the liquid crystal display element, and a TFT element 11 and a pixel electrode 12 are arranged in each pixel. The area where the pixels are provided is the display area 9.
As illustrated in FIG. 3, the TFT element 11 includes a gate electrode 14 a (gate line 4 x), a gate insulating layer 13 formed on the gate electrode 14 a (gate line 4 x), and a gate insulating layer 13. The formed semiconductor layer 15, the source electrode 14 b and the drain electrode 14 c (source line 4 y) formed on the semiconductor layer 15 so as to face each other with a certain distance, and the protective layer 16 formed thereon. And have.

  As illustrated in FIG. 8, the gate line 4 x is directly connected to the gate line short bar 5 arranged in the peripheral region of the substrate 2. The source line 4y is connected to the source line short bar 6 arranged in the peripheral region of the substrate 2 directly or via the source line connection wiring 10b. A gate line extraction terminal 7 is drawn out from the gate line short bar 5, and a source line extraction terminal 8 is drawn out from the source line short bar 6. Further, the gate line short bar 5 and the source line short bar 6 are connected to a connection part 31 (31a, 31b) that can be cut independently, and the gate line short bar 5 and a part of the connection part. 31a is integrally formed, and the source line short bar 6 and a part 31b of the connecting portion are integrally formed.

  As shown in FIG. 9B, a gate insulating layer 13 is formed between the gate line short bar 5 and the source line short bar 6, and the gate line short bar 5 and the source line short bar 6 are connected to each other. It has not been. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 9A, a through hole 35 is provided in a region where the connecting portions 31a and 31b are formed, and the through hole 35 is formed integrally with the gate line short bar. A part 31a of the connecting part and a part 31b of the connecting part formed integrally with the source line short bar are connected. Therefore, the short bar for the gate line and the short bar for the source line are connected via the connecting portion, specifically, the through hole.

  As described above, the gate line short bar and the source line short bar are connected via the connection portion (via the through hole), whereby the gate line and the source line can be electrically short-circuited. Therefore, it is possible to avoid electrostatic breakdown due to the influence of static electricity that occurs during the production of the multi-faceted TFT substrate. In addition, electrostatic breakdown due to the influence of static electricity that occurs when a multi-sided liquid crystal cell is manufactured using the multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment can also be avoided.

  In FIG. 8, the connecting portion 31 is connected to the gate line short bar 5 and the source line short bar 6 but can be cut independently so that the gate line and the source line are insulated. By cutting the attached TFT substrate 1 along the cutting line 33 and cutting and removing the connecting portion 31, the gate line short bar and the source line short bar can be made unconnected. Thereby, the gate line and the source line can be insulated. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, a voltage can be applied independently to the gate line and the source line.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a liquid crystal cell for multi-surface production produced using the multi-surface TFT substrate of the present invention. 4 has the above-described multi-surface TFT substrate 1 and a common electrode substrate 21 having a common electrode 23 formed on the substrate 22, and each TFT substrate of the multi-surface TFT substrate. In the region, the alignment films 17 and 24 are respectively formed on the opposing surfaces of the multi-sided TFT substrate 1 and the common electrode substrate 21, and a ferroelectric liquid crystal is sandwiched between the multi-sided TFT substrate 1 and the common electrode substrate 21. Layer 25 is constructed.
The multi-sided liquid crystal cell is cut at the cutting line 33 shown in FIG. 6 or FIG. 8 and the connecting portion 31 is cut and removed, thereby insulating the gate line and the source line.

For example, in a multi-panel liquid crystal cell in which the gate line and the source line are insulated from each other in this way, although not shown, for the gate line drawn from the gate line 4x (gate electrode 14a) through the gate line short bar. The extraction terminal and the common electrode 23 are connected. Then, different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal, respectively.
At this time, for example, different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal so that the voltage of the source line extraction terminal is relatively lower than the voltage of the gate line extraction terminal. . Then, the gate line lead-out terminal is connected to the common electrode 23, the source line lead-out terminal is connected to the source line 4y, and the source electrode 14b is connected to the pixel electrode 12 through the semiconductor layer 15 and the drain electrode 14c. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the voltage of the pixel electrode 12 is relatively lower than the voltage of the common electrode 23. Therefore, due to the influence of the polarity of the applied voltage, the positive electrode (+) of the spontaneous polarization Ps of the liquid crystal molecules 30 comes to face the pixel electrode 12 side.

  In this way, a multi-sided liquid crystal cell is manufactured using the multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment, and the obtained multi-sided liquid crystal cell is cut at a predetermined position to cut and remove the connection portion. After the source line is insulated, the gate line lead-out terminal and the common electrode are connected, and different voltages are simultaneously applied to the gate line lead-out terminal and the source line lead-out terminal, thereby cutting each TFT substrate region. It is possible to simultaneously apply different voltages to the pixel electrode and the common electrode in each TFT substrate region. Therefore, it is possible to align the ferroelectric liquid crystal by the electrolytic application slow cooling method using the multi-surfaced liquid crystal cell produced using the multi-surface TFT substrate as it is, and the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced.

  In addition, a multi-sided liquid crystal cell is manufactured using the multi-sided TFT substrate of the present embodiment, and the obtained multi-sided liquid crystal cell is cut at a predetermined position to cut and remove the connection portion to thereby remove the gate line and the source. After the lines are insulated, different voltages are simultaneously applied to the gate line extraction terminal, the source line extraction terminal, and the common electrode extraction terminal, so that each TFT substrate area is not cut. It is also possible to apply different voltages to the pixel electrode and the common electrode simultaneously. Therefore, as in the case described above, it is possible to align the ferroelectric liquid crystal by the electrolytic application slow cooling method using the multi-faced liquid crystal cell produced using the multi-faceted TFT substrate as it is, greatly reducing the manufacturing cost. Is possible.

  On the other hand, in the conventional multi-sided TFT substrate, even if a part of the short ring or a part of the connection wiring is cut, the gate line and the source line are insulated and the pixel electrode and the common electrode in each TFT substrate region are insulated. It is very difficult to obtain a multi-faced TFT substrate to which different voltages can be applied simultaneously.

  An example of a conventional multi-faced TFT substrate is shown in FIG. In the multi-sided TFT substrate 101 illustrated in FIG. 10, six TFT substrate regions 103 a to 103 f are arranged on one substrate 102. In the TFT substrate regions 103a to 103f, although not shown, the gate line 104x and the source line 104y are arranged on the substrate 102 so as to intersect each other, and the portion surrounded by the gate line 104x and the source line 104y is The pixel is a minimum unit for driving the liquid crystal display element, and a TFT and a pixel electrode are arranged in each pixel. The area where this pixel is provided is the display area 105. The gate line 104x and the source line 104y are connected to the short ring 107 disposed in the peripheral region of the substrate 102 directly or via the connection wiring 106.

  In the above-mentioned multi-surface TFT substrate 101, the portions 108a and 108b of the short ring 107 are cut, and the portions 108c to 108i of the connection wiring 106 are cut, whereby the gate line 104x and the source are formed in the TFT substrate regions 103a to 103f. It is possible to insulate line 104y. However, in this case, the gate line 104x is not connected to the cut short ring 107 in the TFT substrate regions 103d and 103e. Further, by cutting the portions 108a and 108b of the short ring 107 and cutting the portions 108c to 108e and 108k to 108n of the connection wiring 106, the gate line 104x and the source line 104y are formed in the TFT substrate regions 103a to 103f. It is possible to insulate. However, in this case, the source line 104y is not connected to the cut short ring 107 in the TFT substrate regions 103b and 103c. Furthermore, it is very difficult to cut the portions 108a to 108n of the connection wiring 106.

  Therefore, even if a part of the short ring or a part of the connection wiring is cut and removed by using the conventional multi-sided TFT substrate, as in the case where the multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment is cut at a predetermined position. It is extremely difficult to obtain a multi-sided TFT substrate in which the gate line and the source line are insulated and different voltages can be simultaneously applied to the pixel electrode and the common electrode in each TFT substrate region.

  In this embodiment, all the gate lines are connected to the gate line short bar, all the source lines are connected to the source line short bar, and are connected to the gate line short bar and the source line short bar. The connecting portion can be cut independently so that the gate line and the source line are insulated. That is, when the connection portion is cut and removed from the multi-sided TFT substrate, all the gate lines are connected to the gate line short bar, all the source lines are connected to the source line short bar, and the gate line and the source line are A gate line, a source line, a gate line short bar, a source line short bar, a gate line connection wiring, a source line connection wiring, and the like are arranged so as to be insulated.

The gate line short bar, the source line short bar, the gate line extraction terminal, the source line extraction terminal, the gate line, the source line, the TFT substrate region, the substrate, and the application are described in the first embodiment. Since it is the same as that of a thing, description here is abbreviate | omitted.
Hereinafter, the connection part in the multi-sided TFT substrate of this embodiment will be described.

(1) Connection part The connection part in this embodiment is arrange | positioned in the peripheral region of a board | substrate, is connected with the short bar for gate lines, and the short bar for source lines, and is independent so that a gate line and a source line may be insulated. It can be cut.

  The connection portion may be formed at the peripheral region of the substrate and can be cut independently so that the gate line and the source line are insulated. As described above, a multi-faceted TFT substrate is used. When producing a multi-surface liquid crystal cell and orienting the ferroelectric liquid crystal by an electric field applied slow cooling method, it is preferably disposed at a position where it can be easily cut.

  The connecting part only needs to be connected to the short bar for the gate line and the short bar for the source line, and the connecting part may be formed integrally with the short bar for the gate line and the short bar for the source line. The shorting bar for the gate line and the shorting bar for the source line may be formed separately. A part of the connecting part is formed integrally with the shorting bar for the gate line, and the other part of the connecting part is formed with the shorting bar for the source line. It may be formed integrally. Further, the short ring 32 may be configured as illustrated in FIG. 6 by the connecting portion, the short bar for the gate line, and the short bar for the source line. Furthermore, a through hole 35 may be provided as illustrated in FIG. 9 in order to connect the connecting portion to the gate line short bar and the source line short bar.

The connection portion forming material, thickness, and the like can be the same as those of a short ring in a general TFT substrate.
Further, the size of the connecting portion is not particularly limited, but if it is too small, it becomes difficult to cut, and therefore it is preferable that the size is larger than a certain size.

  The number of connecting portions may be one or plural, but is preferably about 1-2. If the number of connecting parts is too large, a multi-sided liquid crystal cell is produced using a multi-sided TFT substrate as described above, and when the gate line and the source line are insulated in this multi-sided liquid crystal cell, This is because it may be difficult to cut and remove the connection portion from the TFT substrate. Also, since the shape of the multi-sided TFT substrate is usually rectangular, the cutting positions of the connecting portions are the four corners of the multi-sided TFT substrate, and there are a maximum of four places, but all four corners of the multi-sided TFT substrate are cut. In this case, there is a risk of hindering subsequent processes such as transportation of the multi-sided TFT substrate and cutting for each TFT substrate region. Therefore, the number of connecting portions is preferably about 1 to 2.

B. Next, a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element of the present invention will be described. The method for producing a liquid crystal display element according to the present invention is a method for producing a liquid crystal display element using the above-described multi-faced TFT substrate, and has two aspects.
Hereinafter, the description will be made separately for each aspect.

1. 1st aspect The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display element of this aspect prepares the multi-electrode TFT substrate preparation process which prepares the multi-surface TFT substrate of the said 1st embodiment, and the common electrode substrate in which the common electrode was formed on the substrate. A common electrode substrate preparation step, an alignment film forming step for forming an alignment film on each of the multi-surface-attached TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate, and an alignment film of the multi-surface-attach TFT substrate or an alignment film of the common electrode substrate On top of this, a liquid crystal application process for applying ferroelectric liquid crystal, and a substrate bonding in which, after the liquid crystal application process, the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are arranged and bonded so that the alignment films face each other. And heating the ferroelectric liquid crystal to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits a nematic phase or an isotropic phase. A liquid crystal alignment step of gradually cooling the ferroelectric liquid crystal while applying different voltages to the source terminals for the source wires, and a cutting step of cutting each TFT substrate region of the multi-sided TFT substrate after the liquid crystal alignment step It is characterized by having.

The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display element of this aspect is demonstrated referring drawings.
First, as illustrated in FIG. 1, according to a general method, a gate line 4x, a source line 4y, a TFT, a pixel electrode, and the like constituting the display region 9, and a gate line connection wiring 10a are formed on the substrate 2 according to a general method. The source line connection wiring 10b, the gate line short bar 5, the source line short bar 6, the gate line extraction terminal 7, and the source line extraction terminal 8 are formed. Thereby, the multi-faced TFT substrate 1 is obtained.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 11A, an alignment film 17 is formed on the facing surface of the multi-faced TFT substrate 1. At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 12, an alignment film 17 is formed in the display region 9 of the multi-faced TFT substrate 1. An alignment film 24 is also formed on the opposing surface of the common electrode substrate 21 on which the common electrode 23 is formed on the substrate 22.
Then, although not shown, a silver paste for connecting the gate line lead-out terminal of the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode of the common electrode substrate is applied to each TFT substrate region of the multi-sided TFT substrate in a dot shape. .

Next, although not shown, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is heated to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits an isotropic phase (for example, 100 ° C.), and is used on the alignment film 17 of the multi-sided TFT substrate 1 using an inkjet device. A ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied in an isotropic phase. At this time, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied to the display area of the multi-sided TFT substrate.
At this time, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is heated to a temperature exhibiting an isotropic phase (for example, 100 ° C.). However, since the multi-sided TFT substrate is set to room temperature, the multi-sided surface is set higher than the temperature of the ferroelectric liquid crystal. The temperature of the TFT substrate is lower. Therefore, the ferroelectric liquid crystal applied on the alignment film of the multi-faceted TFT substrate is cooled. Ferroelectric liquid crystals have low viscosity and fluidity in the isotropic and nematic phases, but rapidly increase in viscosity in the (chiral) smectic phase and almost no fluidity. Therefore, the ferroelectric liquid crystal applied on the alignment film of the multi-faceted TFT substrate is cooled to increase the viscosity and stop flowing.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 12, a sealant 41 is applied to the peripheral portion of the display area 9 of the multi-faced TFT substrate 1. At this time, the sealing agent is applied so as to surround the outer periphery of the region where the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied.

  Next, although not shown, the multi-sided TFT substrate coated with the ferroelectric liquid crystal is heated to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits an isotropic phase (for example, 110 ° C.). As a result, the ferroelectric liquid crystal applied on the alignment film of the multi-faceted TFT substrate is heated to be in an isotropic phase, and the viscosity is lowered to flow on the alignment film.

  Next, although not shown, the multi-sided TFT substrate coated with the ferroelectric liquid crystal and the common electrode substrate are opposed so that the alignment treatment directions of the respective alignment films are substantially parallel. At this time, not only the multi-faced TFT substrate but also the common electrode substrate is heated to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits an isotropic phase (for example, 110 ° C.).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), the pressure between the multi-faced TFT substrate 1 and the common electrode substrate 21 is sufficiently reduced, and the multi-faced TFT substrate 1 and the common electrode substrate 21 are superposed under a reduced pressure to obtain a predetermined pressure. To make the cell gap uniform. Subsequently, the pressure is further applied between the multi-facet TFT substrate 1 and the common electrode substrate 21 by returning to normal pressure. Next, the sealing agent is cured, and the multi-sided TFT substrate 1 and the common electrode substrate 21 are bonded. As a result, a multi-faced liquid crystal cell is obtained.

In this multi-sided liquid crystal cell, the above-described silver paste connects the gate line lead-out terminal of the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode of the common electrode substrate. Then, different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal, respectively.
At this time, for example, different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal so that the voltage of the source line extraction terminal is relatively lower than the voltage of the gate line extraction terminal. . Then, the gate line lead-out terminal is connected to the common electrode, and the source line lead-out terminal is connected to the source line, and is connected from the source electrode to the pixel electrode through the semiconductor layer and the drain electrode. The voltage of the pixel electrode is relatively lower than the voltage of the electrode. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the positive electrode (+) of the spontaneous polarization Ps of the liquid crystal molecules 30 faces the pixel electrode 12 side due to the influence of the polarity of the applied voltage.

Subsequently, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is orientated by gradually cooling the ferroelectric liquid crystal while applying different voltages to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal, respectively.
Next, although not shown, individual liquid crystal display elements can be obtained by cutting the multi-sided liquid crystal cell for each TFT substrate region of the multi-sided TFT substrate.

  In the multi-faceted TFT substrate used in this embodiment, unlike the conventional short ring, the gate line short bar and the source line short bar are not connected, and the gate line and the source line are insulated, A voltage can be applied to the gate line and the source line independently. Therefore, in the liquid crystal alignment step, for example, the gate line lead-out terminal and the common electrode are connected, and different voltages are applied simultaneously to the gate line lead-out terminal and the source line lead-out terminal. It is possible to simultaneously apply different voltages to the pixel electrode and the common electrode in each TFT substrate region without cutting them. As described above, according to this aspect, the multi-sided liquid crystal cell manufactured using the multi-sided TFT substrate is used as it is, and the ferroelectric liquid crystal is aligned by the electrolytic application slow cooling method without being cut for each TFT substrate region. And manufacturing costs can be significantly reduced.

  Further, in this embodiment, as described above, the gate line lead-out terminal and the common electrode are connected, and different voltages are not simultaneously applied to the gate line lead-out terminal and the source line lead-out terminal. Even when different voltages are applied simultaneously to the lead-out terminal, the source-line lead-out terminal, and the common electrode lead-out terminal, the pixel electrode and the common electrode in each TFT substrate region are respectively cut without being cut for each TFT substrate region. Different voltages can be applied simultaneously.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 1, according to a general method, a gate line 4x, a source line 4y, a TFT, a pixel electrode, and the like constituting the display region 9, and a gate line connection wiring 10a are formed on the substrate 2 according to a general method. The source line connection wiring 10b, the gate line short bar 5, the source line short bar 6, the gate line extraction terminal 7, and the source line extraction terminal 8 are formed. Thereby, the multi-faced TFT substrate 1 is obtained. Next, as illustrated in FIG. 11A, an alignment film 17 is formed on the facing surface of the multi-faced TFT substrate 1. At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 12, an alignment film 17 is formed in the display region 9 of the multi-faced TFT substrate 1.
Further, as illustrated in FIG. 11A, a common electrode 23 and a common electrode lead-out terminal (not shown) drawn from the common electrode 23 are formed on the substrate 22 according to a general method. Then, the common electrode substrate 21 is obtained. Next, the alignment film 24 is also formed on the facing surface of the common electrode substrate 21.
Next, similarly to the above case, a multi-panel liquid crystal cell is manufactured.

  Different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal, the source line extraction terminal, and the common electrode extraction terminal. At this time, different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal so that the potential difference between the voltage of the gate line extraction terminal and the voltage of the source line extraction terminal is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Then, since the potential difference between the gate electrode and the source electrode becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the TFT element 11 is turned on, and a voltage is applied from the source electrode 14b to the pixel electrode 12 through the semiconductor layer 15 and the drain electrode 14c. At this time, for example, different voltages are applied to the common electrode extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal so that the voltage of the source line extraction terminal is relatively lower than the voltage of the common electrode extraction terminal. To do. Then, the voltage of the pixel electrode becomes relatively lower than the voltage of the common electrode. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the positive electrode (+) of the spontaneous polarization Ps of the liquid crystal molecules 30 faces the pixel electrode 12 side due to the influence of the polarity of the applied voltage.

Subsequently, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is gradually cooled while different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal, the source line extraction terminal, and the common electrode extraction terminal, thereby aligning the ferroelectric liquid crystal.
Next, although not shown, individual liquid crystal display elements can be obtained by cutting the multi-sided liquid crystal cell for each TFT substrate region of the multi-sided TFT substrate.

  In the multi-sided TFT substrate used in this embodiment, since the gate line and the source line are insulated, a voltage can be applied independently to the gate line and the source line. Therefore, in the liquid crystal alignment process, by applying different voltages simultaneously to the gate line extraction terminal, the source line extraction terminal, and the common electrode extraction terminal, each TFT substrate can be cut without being cut for each TFT substrate region. Different voltages can be simultaneously applied to the pixel electrode and the common electrode in the region. As described above, according to this aspect, similarly to the above case, by using a multi-surface liquid crystal cell manufactured using a multi-surface-attached TFT substrate as it is, by using an electrolytic application slow cooling method without cutting each TFT substrate region. The ferroelectric liquid crystal can be aligned, and the manufacturing cost can be greatly reduced.

  Hereinafter, each process in the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display element of this aspect is demonstrated.

(1) TFT substrate preparation process The multi-sided TFT substrate preparation process in this aspect is a process for preparing the multi-sided TFT substrate of the first embodiment.

  As a method for forming each member such as a gate line, a source line, a gate line short bar, a source line short bar, a gate line connection wiring, a source line connection wiring, a TFT, a pixel electrode, etc. A general method can be used.

  In addition, when preparing the multi-sided TFT substrate, the multi-sided TFT substrate of the first embodiment can be obtained by cutting and removing the connecting portion of the multi-sided TFT substrate of the second embodiment.

  The multi-sided TFT substrate is the same as that described in the first embodiment of “A. Multi-sided TFT substrate”, and a description thereof will be omitted.

(2) Common electrode substrate preparation step The common electrode substrate preparation step in this aspect is a step of preparing a common electrode substrate in which a common electrode is formed on the substrate.

The material for forming the common electrode, the thickness, and the like can be the same as those for a common electrode.
In addition, as a method for forming the common electrode, a general method can be used.

  In the common electrode substrate preparation step, a colored layer may be formed on the substrate before the common electrode is formed on the substrate. When the colored layer is formed, a color filter type liquid crystal display element capable of realizing color display by the colored layer can be obtained.

  As a method for forming the colored layer, a method for forming a colored layer in a general color filter can be used. For example, a pigment dispersion method (color resist method, etching method), a printing method, an inkjet method, or the like can be used. it can.

(3) Alignment film formation process The alignment film formation process in this aspect is a process of forming an alignment film on the opposing surfaces of the multi-faceted TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate.

  In the alignment film forming step, a single-layer alignment film may be formed, or a reactive liquid crystal layer alignment film is formed, and a reactive liquid crystal is immobilized on the reactive liquid crystal layer alignment film. A conductive liquid crystal layer may be formed. Hereinafter, these two aspects will be described separately.

(I) 1st aspect The alignment film formation process of this aspect is a process of forming a single-layer alignment film as an alignment film.

The method for forming the alignment film is not particularly limited as long as the alignment film capable of aligning the ferroelectric liquid crystal is obtained. For example, an alignment film can be formed by performing a rubbing process, a photo-alignment process, or the like.
When the alignment film is subjected to photo-alignment treatment, the alignment of the ferroelectric liquid crystal can be effectively controlled. In addition, since the photo-alignment process is a non-contact alignment process, there is no generation of static electricity or dust, and it is useful in that the quantitative alignment process can be controlled.
On the other hand, in the rubbing process, a higher pretilt angle can be realized as compared with the photo-alignment process, so that the generation of zigzag defects and hairpin defects can be effectively suppressed. Here, in general, a ferroelectric liquid crystal having a phase sequence passing through an SmA phase has a chevron structure in which a smectic layer is bent in order to compensate for the volume change, in the process of phase change, in which the layer spacing of the smectic layer is reduced. Therefore, domains having different major axis directions of the liquid crystal molecules are formed depending on the bending direction, and alignment defects called zigzag defects and hairpin defects are likely to occur at the interface. In order to prevent the occurrence of zigzag defects and hairpin defects, it is effective to increase the pretilt angle.
Hereinafter, the photo-alignment process and the rubbing process will be described.

a. Photo-alignment treatment When an alignment film is formed by performing photo-alignment treatment, the film is irradiated with light having a controlled polarization, causing a photoexcitation reaction (decomposition, isomerization, dimerization) to cause anisotropy in the film. By applying, an alignment film can be formed.

The photo-alignment material used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it has an effect of aligning ferroelectric liquid crystals (photoalignment) by irradiating light and causing a photoexcitation reaction. is not. This photo-alignable material is largely divided into a photoreactive material that imparts anisotropy to the alignment film by causing a photoreaction, and a photoisomerism that imparts anisotropy to the alignment film by causing a photoisomerization reaction. It can be divided into chemical materials.
Hereinafter, the photoreactive material and the photoisomerizable material will be described.

(Photoreactive material)
The photoreactive material used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it imparts anisotropy to the alignment film by causing a photoreaction, but it causes a photodimerization reaction or a photodecomposition reaction. It is preferable that the alignment film is provided with anisotropy.

  Here, the photodimerization reaction refers to a reaction in which reaction sites aligned in the polarization direction by light irradiation undergo radical polymerization and two molecules are polymerized. This reaction stabilizes the alignment in the polarization direction and is anisotropic to the alignment film. It is possible to impart sex. The photodegradation reaction is a reaction that decomposes molecular chains such as polyimide oriented in the polarization direction by light irradiation. This reaction leaves molecular chains oriented in the direction perpendicular to the polarization direction, and is anisotropic to the alignment film. It is possible to impart sex. Among them, it is more preferable to use a photodimerization-type material that imparts anisotropy to the alignment film by a photodimerization reaction because of high exposure sensitivity and a wide range of material selection.

  The photodimerization type material is not particularly limited as long as it can impart anisotropy to the alignment film by a photodimerization reaction, but has a radical polymerizable functional group and has a polarization direction. It is preferable to contain a photodimerization reactive compound having dichroism with different absorption. This is because by radical polymerization of the reaction site oriented in the polarization direction, the orientation of the photodimerization reactive compound is stabilized and anisotropy can be easily imparted to the orientation film.

  Examples of the photodimerization reactive compound having such characteristics include a dimerization reactive polymer having at least one reactive site selected from cinnamate ester, coumarin, quinoline, chalcone group and cinnamoyl group as a side chain. Can do.

  Among these, the photodimerization reactive compound is preferably a dimerization reactive polymer containing cinnamate, coumarin or quinoline as a side chain. This is because anisotropy can be easily imparted to the alignment film by radical polymerization of α and β unsaturated ketone double bonds aligned in the polarization direction as reaction sites.

  The main chain of the dimerization reactive polymer is not particularly limited as long as it is generally known as a polymer main chain, but the reaction sites of the side chains such as aromatic hydrocarbon groups are not limited. It is preferable that it does not have a substituent containing a lot of π electrons that hinders the interaction.

  The weight average molecular weight of the dimerization reactive polymer is not particularly limited, but is preferably in the range of 5,000 to 40,000, and is preferably in the range of 10,000 to 20,000. Is more preferable. The weight average molecular weight can be measured by a gel permeation chromatography (GPC) method. If the weight-average molecular weight of the dimerization reactive polymer is too small, it may not be possible to impart appropriate anisotropy to the alignment film. On the other hand, if it is too large, the viscosity of the coating solution at the time of forming the alignment film increases, and it may be difficult to form a uniform coating film.

  An example of the dimerization reactive polymer is a compound represented by the following formula (1).

In the above formula (1), M ¹¹ and M ¹² each independently represent a monomer unit of a monopolymer or a copolymer. Examples thereof include ethylene, acrylate, methacrylate, 2-chloroacrylate, acrylamide, methacrylamide, 2-chloroacrylamide, styrene derivatives, maleic acid derivatives, and siloxane. M ¹² may be acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, methacrylate, methyl methacrylate, hydroxyalkyl acrylate or hydroxyalkyl methacrylate. x and y represent the molar ratio of each monomer unit in the case of a copolymer, and are numbers satisfying 0 <x ≦ 1, 0 ≦ y <1 and satisfying x + y = 1, respectively. It is. n represents an integer of 4 to 30,000. D ¹ and D ² represent a spacer unit.

R ¹ is a group represented by -A ^1- (Z ¹ -B ¹ ) _z -Z ^2- , and R ² is represented by -A ^1- (Z ¹ -B ¹ ) _z -Z ^3-. It is a group. Here, A ¹ and B ¹ are each independently a covalent single bond, pyridine-2,5-diyl, pyrimidine-2,5-diyl, 1,4-cyclohexylene, 1,3-dioxane-2, It represents 5-diyl or 1,4-phenylene which may have a substituent. Z ¹ and Z ² are each independently a covalent single bond, —CH ₂ —CH ₂ —, —CH ₂ O—, —OCH ₂ —, —CONR—, —RNCO—, —COO— or — Represents OOC-. R is a hydrogen atom or a lower alkyl group, and Z ³ is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl or alkoxy having 1 to 12 carbon atoms, which may have a substituent, cyano, nitro, or halogen. z is an integer of 0-4. E ¹ represents a photodimerization reaction site, and examples thereof include cinnamic acid ester, coumarin, quinoline, chalcone group, cinnamoyl group and the like. j and k are each independently 0 or 1.

  Specific examples of such a dimerization reactive polymer include compounds represented by the following formulas (2) to (5).

  More specific examples of the dimerization reactive polymer include compounds represented by the following formulas (6) to (9).

  As the photodimerization reactive compound, various photodimerization reaction sites and substituents can be selected from the above-mentioned compounds according to the required characteristics. Moreover, the photodimerization reactive compound can also be used individually by 1 type or in combination of 2 or more types.

  Further, the photodimerization type material may contain an additive in addition to the photodimerization reactive compound as long as the photoalignment of the alignment film is not hindered. Examples of the additive include a polymerization initiator and a polymerization inhibitor.

  The polymerization initiator or polymerization inhibitor may be appropriately selected from generally known compounds according to the type of the photodimerization reactive compound. The addition amount of the polymerization initiator or the polymerization inhibitor is preferably in the range of 0.001% by mass to 20% by mass, and in the range of 0.1% by mass to 5% by mass with respect to the photodimerization reactive compound. It is more preferable that This is because if the addition amount of the polymerization initiator or polymerization inhibitor is too small, the polymerization may not be started (prohibited), whereas if too large, the reaction may be inhibited.

  On the other hand, examples of the photodecomposable material utilizing a photodecomposition reaction include polyimide “RN1199” manufactured by Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd.

  The wavelength range of light that causes photoreaction of the photoreactive material is preferably in the range of ultraviolet light, that is, in the range of 10 nm to 400 nm, and more preferably in the range of 250 nm to 380 nm.

(Photoisomerization type material)
The photoisomerization type material used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it imparts anisotropy to the alignment film by causing a photoisomerization reaction, but it causes a photoisomerization reaction. It is preferable that it contains a photoisomerization reactive compound that imparts anisotropy to the alignment film. By including such a photoisomerization-reactive compound, a stable isomer among a plurality of isomers is increased by light irradiation, whereby anisotropy can be easily imparted to the alignment film. is there.

  The photoisomerization reactive compound is not particularly limited as long as it is a material having the above-mentioned characteristics, but has a dichroism that makes absorption different depending on the polarization direction, and can be irradiated by light irradiation. It is preferable that it causes an isomerization reaction. This is because anisotropy can be easily imparted to the alignment film by causing isomerization of the reaction site oriented in the polarization direction of the photoisomerization reactive compound having such characteristics.

  Further, the photoisomerization reaction in which the photoisomerization reactive compound is generated is preferably a cis-trans isomerization reaction. This is because isomers of either the cis form or the trans form are increased by light irradiation, whereby anisotropy can be imparted to the alignment film.

  Examples of such photoisomerization-reactive compounds include monomolecular compounds and polymerizable monomers that are polymerized by light or heat. These may be selected as appropriate according to the type of ferroelectric liquid crystal used. However, it is possible to stabilize the anisotropy by polymerizing after imparting anisotropy to the alignment film by light irradiation. Since it can be performed, it is preferable to use a polymerizable monomer. Among such polymerizable monomers, an acrylate monomer and a methacrylate monomer are preferable because anisotropy is imparted to the alignment film and the polymer can be easily polymerized while maintaining the anisotropy in a good state.

  The polymerizable monomer may be a monofunctional monomer or a polyfunctional monomer. However, since the anisotropy of the alignment film due to polymerization becomes more stable, it is a bifunctional monomer. Preferably there is.

  Specific examples of such a photoisomerization-reactive compound include compounds having a cis-trans isomerization-reactive skeleton such as an azobenzene skeleton or a stilbene skeleton.

  In this case, the number of cis-trans isomerization reactive skeletons contained in the molecule may be one or two or more, but the alignment control of the ferroelectric liquid crystal becomes easy. Two are preferable.

  The cis-trans isomerization reactive skeleton may have a substituent in order to further enhance the interaction with the liquid crystal molecules. The substituent is not particularly limited as long as it can enhance the interaction with the liquid crystal molecules and does not interfere with the orientation of the cis-trans isomerization reactive skeleton, and examples thereof include a carboxyl group and a sulfonic acid. A sodium group, a hydroxyl group, etc. are mentioned. These structures can be appropriately selected depending on the type of ferroelectric liquid crystal used.

In addition to the cis-trans isomerization reactive skeleton, the photoisomerization reactive compound contains many π electrons such as aromatic hydrocarbon groups so that the interaction with the liquid crystal molecules can be further enhanced. It may have an included group, and the cis-trans isomerization reactive skeleton and the aromatic hydrocarbon group may be bonded via a bonding group. The bonding group is not particularly limited as long as it can enhance the interaction with the liquid crystal molecule. For example, —COO—, —OCO—, —O—, —C≡C—, —CH ₂ —CH _2- , —CH ₂ O—, —OCH ₂ — and the like can be mentioned.

  In addition, when using a polymerizable monomer as a photoisomerization reactive compound, it is preferable to have the said cis-trans isomerization reactive skeleton as a side chain. By having the cis-trans isomerization reactive skeleton as a side chain, the effect of anisotropy imparted to the alignment film becomes larger, and it is particularly suitable for controlling the alignment of ferroelectric liquid crystals. Because it becomes. In this case, the aromatic hydrocarbon group or bonding group contained in the molecule is contained in the side chain together with the cis-trans isomerization reactive skeleton so that the interaction with the liquid crystal molecule is enhanced. It is preferable.

  Further, the side chain of the polymerizable monomer may have an aliphatic hydrocarbon group such as an alkylene group as a spacer so that the cis-trans isomerization reactive skeleton can be easily oriented.

  Among the photoisomerization reactive compounds of the monomolecular compound or polymerizable monomer as described above, the photoisomerization reactive compound used in the present invention is preferably a compound having an azobenzene skeleton in the molecule. This is because the azobenzene skeleton contains a lot of π electrons, and thus has a high interaction with liquid crystal molecules and is particularly suitable for controlling the alignment of ferroelectric liquid crystals.

  Hereinafter, the reason why the azobenzene skeleton can impart anisotropy to the alignment film by causing a photoisomerization reaction will be described. First, when the azobenzene skeleton is irradiated with linearly polarized ultraviolet light, the trans azobenzene skeleton having the molecular long axis oriented in the polarization direction is changed to a cis isomer as shown in the following formula.

  Since the cis isomer of the azobenzene skeleton is chemically unstable compared to the trans isomer, it thermally or absorbs visible light and returns to the trans isomer. Whether to become the right transformer body occurs with the same probability. Therefore, if the ultraviolet light is continuously absorbed, the ratio of the right-side trans isomer increases, and the average orientation direction of the azobenzene skeleton becomes perpendicular to the polarization direction of the ultraviolet light. In the present invention, by utilizing this phenomenon, the alignment direction of the azobenzene skeleton can be aligned, anisotropy can be imparted to the alignment film, and the alignment of liquid crystal molecules on the film can be controlled.

  Among such compounds having an azobenzene skeleton in the molecule, examples of the monomolecular compound include a compound represented by the following formula (10).

In the above formula (10), R ⁴¹ each independently represents a hydroxy group. R ⁴² is _{^{- (A 41 -B 41 -A 41}} ) m - (D 41) n - represents a linking group represented ^{by, R 43} is _{^{(D 41) n - (A}} 41 -B 41 -A 41) _m represents a linking group represented by-. Here, A ⁴¹ represents a divalent hydrocarbon group, B ⁴¹ represents —O—, —COO—, —OCO—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, —NHCOO— or —OCONH—, and m represents Represents an integer of 0 to 3; D ⁴¹ represents a divalent hydrocarbon group when m is 0, and —O—, —COO—, —OCO—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, —NHCOO— when m is an integer of 1 to 3. Alternatively, -OCONH- is represented, and n represents 0 or 1. R ⁴⁴ each independently represents a halogen atom, a carboxy group, a halogenated methyl group, a halogenated methoxy group, a cyano group, a nitro group, a methoxy group or a methoxycarbonyl group. However, the carboxy group may form a salt with an alkali metal. R ⁴⁵ each independently represents a carboxy group, a sulfo group, a nitro group, an amino group or a hydroxy group. However, the carboxy group or the sulfo group may form a salt with the alkali metal.

  Specific examples of the compound represented by the formula (10) include compounds represented by the following formulas (11) to (14).

  Examples of the polymerizable monomer having an azobenzene skeleton as a side chain include compounds represented by the following formula (15).

In the above formula (15), each R ⁵¹ is independently (meth) acryloyloxy group, (meth) acrylamide group, vinyloxy group, vinyloxycarbonyl group, vinyliminocarbonyl group, vinyliminocarbonyloxy group, vinyl group, An isopropenyloxy group, an isopropenyloxycarbonyl group, an isopropenyliminocarbonyl group, an isopropenyliminocarbonyloxy group, an isopropenyl group, or an epoxy group is represented. R ⁵² is _{^{- (A 51 -B 51 -A 51}} ) m - (D 51) n - represents a linking group represented ^{by, R 53} is _{^{(D 51) n - (A}} 51 -B 51 -A 51) _m represents a linking group represented by-. Here, A ⁵¹ represents a divalent hydrocarbon group, B ⁵¹ represents —O—, —COO—, —OCO—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, —NHCOO— or —OCONH—, and m represents Represents an integer of 0 to 3; D ⁵¹ represents a divalent hydrocarbon group when m is 0, and when m is an integer of 1 to 3, —O—, —COO—, —OCO—, —CONH—, —NHCO—, —NHCOO— Alternatively, -OCONH- is represented, and n represents 0 or 1. R ⁵⁴ each independently represents a halogen atom, a carboxy group, a halogenated methyl group, a halogenated methoxy group, a cyano group, a nitro group, a methoxy group or a methoxycarbonyl group. However, the carboxy group may form a salt with an alkali metal. R ⁵⁵ each independently represents a carboxy group, a sulfo group, a nitro group, an amino group or a hydroxy group. However, the carboxy group or the sulfo group may form a salt with the alkali metal.

  Specific examples of the compound represented by the formula (15) include compounds represented by the following formulas (16) to (19).

  In the present invention, various cis-trans isomerization reactive skeletons and substituents can be selected from such photoisomerization reactive compounds according to required characteristics. In addition, these photoisomerization reactive compounds can also be used individually by 1 type or in combination of 2 or more types.

  In addition to the photoisomerization reactive compound, the photoisomerization type material may contain an additive within a range that does not interfere with the photoalignment of the alignment film. When a polymerizable monomer is used as the photoisomerization reactive compound, examples of the additive include a polymerization initiator and a polymerization inhibitor.

  The polymerization initiator or polymerization inhibitor may be appropriately selected from generally known compounds according to the type of photoisomerization reactive compound. The addition amount of the polymerization initiator or polymerization inhibitor is preferably in the range of 0.001% by mass to 20% by mass, and in the range of 0.1% by mass to 5% by mass with respect to the photoisomerization reactive compound. More preferably, it is within. This is because if the addition amount of the polymerization initiator or polymerization inhibitor is too small, the polymerization may not be started (prohibited), whereas if too large, the reaction may be inhibited.

  The wavelength region of the light that causes the photoisomerization reaction of the photoisomerizable material is preferably in the ultraviolet light range, that is, in the range of 10 nm to 400 nm, and more preferably in the range of 250 nm to 380 nm. .

(Photo-alignment processing method)
Next, the photo-alignment processing method will be described. First, an alignment film forming coating solution obtained by diluting the above-mentioned photo-alignment material with an organic solvent is applied to the opposing surfaces of the multi-faceted TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate to form a film and dried.

  The content of the photodimerization-reactive compound or photoisomerization-reactive compound in the alignment film-forming coating solution is preferably in the range of 0.05% by mass to 10% by mass, and 0.2% by mass to More preferably, it is in the range of 2% by mass. If the content is less than the above range, it will be difficult to impart appropriate anisotropy to the alignment film. Conversely, if the content is more than the above range, the viscosity of the coating liquid will increase, so a uniform coating film will be formed. It is because it becomes difficult to form.

  Examples of the coating method for the alignment film forming coating liquid include spin coating, roll coating, rod bar coating, spray coating, air knife coating, slot die coating, wire bar coating, ink jet, and flexographic printing. Method, screen printing method and the like can be used.

  The thickness of the film obtained by applying the alignment film-forming coating solution is preferably in the range of 1 nm to 1000 nm, more preferably in the range of 3 nm to 100 nm. This is because if the film thickness is thinner than the above range, sufficient optical alignment may not be obtained, and conversely if the film thickness is thicker than the above range, it may be disadvantageous in terms of cost.

  The obtained film can give anisotropy by causing a photoexcitation reaction by irradiating light whose polarization is controlled. The wavelength region of the irradiated light may be appropriately selected according to the photo-alignment material used, but is preferably in the ultraviolet light range, that is, in the range of 100 nm to 400 nm, more preferably 250 nm to 380 nm. Is within the range. The polarization direction is not particularly limited as long as it can cause the photoexcitation reaction.

  Furthermore, when a polymerizable monomer is used as the photo-alignable material among the above photoisomerization-reactive compounds, it is polymerized by heating after being subjected to a photo-alignment treatment and applied to the alignment film. Anisotropy can be stabilized.

b. Rubbing treatment When the alignment film is formed by rubbing the film, a film is formed by applying the following materials on the opposing surfaces of the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate, and this film is fixed with a rubbing cloth. An alignment film can be formed by imparting anisotropy to the film by rubbing in the direction.

  The material used for the rubbing film is not particularly limited as long as anisotropy can be imparted to the film by rubbing treatment. For example, polyimide, polyamide, polyamideimide, polyetherimide, polyvinyl alcohol And polyurethane. These may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  Examples of the method for applying the material include a roll coating method, a rod bar coating method, a slot die coating method, a wire bar coating method, an ink jet method, a flexographic printing method, and a screen printing method.

  Further, the thickness of the rubbing film is set to about 1 nm to 1000 nm, and preferably in the range of 50 nm to 100 nm.

  As the rubbing cloth, for example, a cloth made of a fiber such as nylon resin, vinyl resin, rayon, or cotton can be used. For example, by rotating a drum wrapped with such a rubbing cloth and bringing it into contact with the surface of the film using the above materials, fine grooves are formed in one direction on the film surface, and anisotropy is imparted to the film. Is done.

(Ii) Second Aspect In the alignment film forming step of this aspect, a reactive liquid crystal layer film is first formed, and the reactive liquid crystal layer film is subjected to an alignment treatment to form a reactive liquid crystal layer alignment film. Then, a step of forming a reactive liquid crystal layer formed by fixing the reactive liquid crystal on the alignment film for the reactive liquid crystal layer. That is, an alignment film for a reactive liquid crystal layer and a reactive liquid crystal layer are stacked as the alignment film.

  When forming the reactive liquid crystal layer on the alignment layer for the reactive liquid crystal layer, the reactive liquid crystal layer is aligned by the alignment layer for the reactive liquid crystal layer, and the reaction is performed by, for example, irradiating ultraviolet rays to polymerize the reactive liquid crystal The alignment state of the conductive liquid crystal can be fixed. Therefore, the alignment regulating force of the alignment film for the reactive liquid crystal layer can be imparted to the reactive liquid crystal layer, and the reactive liquid crystal layer can act as an alignment film for aligning the ferroelectric liquid crystal. Further, since the reactive liquid crystal is fixed, it has an advantage that it is not affected by temperature or the like. In addition, reactive liquid crystals are relatively similar in structure to ferroelectric liquid crystals, and interact more strongly with ferroelectric liquid crystals, so that ferroelectrics are more effective than using single-layer alignment films. The orientation of the crystalline liquid crystal can be controlled.

  Note that the alignment film for the reactive liquid crystal layer is the same as the alignment film described in the first embodiment, and thus the description thereof is omitted here.

  The reactive liquid crystal used in the present invention preferably exhibits a nematic phase. This is because the nematic phase is relatively easy to control the alignment among the liquid crystal phases.

  The reactive liquid crystal preferably contains a polymerizable liquid crystal material. This is because the alignment state of the reactive liquid crystal can be fixed. As the polymerizable liquid crystal material, any of a polymerizable liquid crystal monomer, a polymerizable liquid crystal oligomer, and a polymerizable liquid crystal polymer can be used, and among them, a polymerizable liquid crystal monomer is preferably used. The polymerizable liquid crystal monomer can be aligned at a lower temperature than other polymerizable liquid crystal materials, that is, a polymerizable liquid crystal oligomer and a polymerizable liquid crystal polymer, and has high sensitivity in alignment, and can be easily aligned. Because you can.

  The polymerizable liquid crystal monomer is not particularly limited as long as it is a liquid crystal monomer having a polymerizable functional group, and examples thereof include a monoacrylate monomer and a diacrylate monomer. These polymerizable liquid crystal monomers may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  Examples of the monoacrylate monomer include compounds represented by the following formulas (20) and (21).

In the above formulas (20) and (21), A, B, D, E and F represent benzene, cyclohexane or pyrimidine, and these may have a substituent such as halogen. A and B, or D and E may be bonded via a bonding group such as an acetylene group, a methylene group, or an ester group. M ¹ and M ² may be any of a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 3 to 9 carbon atoms, an alkoxycarbonyl group having 3 to 9 carbon atoms, or a cyano group. Furthermore, the acryloyloxy group at the end of the molecular chain and A or D may be bonded via a spacer such as an alkylene group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms.

  Moreover, as a diacrylate monomer, the compound shown, for example in following formula (22) can be mentioned.

In the above formula (22), Z ³¹ and Z ³² are each independently directly bonded —COO—, —OCO—, —O—, —CH ₂ CH ₂ —, —CH═CH—, —C ≡C—, —OCH ₂ —, —CH ₂ O—, —CH ₂ CH ₂ COO—, —OCOCH ₂ CH ₂ —, wherein R ³¹ , R ³² and R ³³ each independently represent hydrogen or carbon number Represents 1-5 alkyl. K and m represent 0 or 1, and n represents an integer in the range of 2 to 8. R ³¹ , R ³² and R ³³ are each independently alkyl having 1 to 5 carbons when k = 1, and each independently being hydrogen or alkyl having 1 to 5 carbons when k = 0. Preferably there is. R ³¹ , R ³² and R ³³ may be the same as each other.

  Specific examples of the compound represented by the above formula (22) include a compound represented by the following formula (23).

In the above formula (23), Z ²¹ and Z ²² are each independently directly bonded —COO—, —OCO—, —O—, —CH ₂ CH ₂ —, —CH═CH—, —C Represents ≡C—, —OCH ₂ —, —CH ₂ O—, —CH ₂ CH ₂ COO—, —OCOCH ₂ CH ₂ —. M represents 0 or 1, and n represents an integer in the range of 2-8.

  Examples of the diacrylate monomer also include compounds represented by the following formulas (24) and (25).

In the above formulas (24) and (25), X and Y are hydrogen, alkyl having 1 to 20 carbons, alkenyl having 1 to 20 carbons, alkyloxy having 1 to 20 carbons, or alkyl having 1 to 20 carbons. It represents oxycarbonyl, formyl, alkylcarbonyl having 1 to 20 carbons, alkylcarbonyloxy having 1 to 20 carbons, halogen, cyano or nitro. M represents an integer in the range of 2-20. Further, X is preferably alkyloxycarbonyl having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, methyl or chlorine, and particularly preferably alkyloxycarbonyl having 1 to 20 carbon atoms, particularly CH ₃ (CH ₂ ) ₄ OCO.

  Among these, compounds represented by the above formulas (22) and (24) are preferably used. In particular, a compound represented by the above formula (24) is preferable. Specific examples include “Adeka Kiracol PLC-7183”, “Adeka Kiracol PLC-7209”, and “Adeka Kiracol PLC-7218” manufactured by Asahi Denka Kogyo Co., Ltd.

  Of the polymerizable liquid crystal monomers, diacrylate monomers are preferred. This is because the diacrylate monomer can be easily polymerized while maintaining the orientation state in a good state.

  The above-mentioned polymerizable liquid crystal monomer may not itself exhibit a nematic phase. These polymerizable liquid crystal monomers may be used as a mixture of two or more kinds as described above, because the composition in which these are mixed, that is, the reactive liquid crystal may exhibit a nematic phase. It is.

  Furthermore, you may add a photoinitiator, a polymerization inhibitor, etc. to the said reactive liquid crystal as needed. For example, when polymerizing a polymerizable liquid crystal material by electron beam irradiation, a photopolymerization initiator may not be necessary, but in the case of polymerization by, for example, ultraviolet irradiation, usually photopolymerization is started. An agent is used to promote polymerization. As a photoinitiator, the photoinitiator as described in Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2005-258428 can be used, for example. Moreover, it is also possible to add a sensitizer other than a photoinitiator in the range which does not impair the objective of this invention.

  Moreover, as addition amount of a photoinitiator, it adds to the said reactive liquid crystal in the range of about 0.01-20 mass%, Preferably it is 0.1-10 mass%, More preferably, it is 0.5-5 mass%. can do.

  In the present invention, the reactive liquid crystal layer-forming coating liquid containing the reactive liquid crystal is applied onto the alignment film for the reactive liquid crystal layer, the alignment treatment is performed, and the alignment state of the reactive liquid crystal is fixed. Thus, a reactive liquid crystal layer can be formed. Alternatively, the reactive liquid crystal layer may be formed by forming a dry film or the like in advance and laminating the film on the alignment film for the reactive liquid crystal layer. Especially, the method of apply | coating the coating liquid for reactive liquid crystal layer formation is preferable at the point with a simple process.

The coating liquid for forming a reactive liquid crystal layer can be prepared by dissolving or dispersing reactive liquid crystals in a solvent.
The solvent used in the coating liquid for forming the reactive liquid crystal layer is particularly limited as long as it can dissolve or disperse the reactive liquid crystal and the like and does not inhibit the alignment ability of the alignment film for the reactive liquid crystal layer. Is not to be done. As such a solvent, for example, a solvent described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-258428 can be used. A solvent may be used independently and may use 2 or more types together.

  Further, if only a single type of solvent is used, the solubility of the reactive liquid crystal and the like may be insufficient, or the reactive liquid crystal alignment film may be eroded as described above. In this case, this inconvenience can be avoided by using a mixture of two or more solvents. Among the above-mentioned solvents, hydrocarbons and glycol monoether acetate solvents are preferable as the sole solvent, and mixed solvents of ethers or ketones and glycol solvents are preferable as the mixed solvent. .

  The solid content concentration of the coating liquid for forming the reactive liquid crystal layer cannot be defined unconditionally because it depends on the solubility of the reactive liquid crystal and the thickness of the reactive liquid crystal layer, but usually 0.1 to 40% by mass, Preferably, it adjusts in the range of 1-20 mass%. If the solid content concentration of the reactive liquid crystal layer-forming coating liquid is lower than the above range, the reactive liquid crystal may be difficult to align. Conversely, the solid content concentration of the reactive liquid crystal layer forming coating liquid is within the above range. This is because if it is higher, the viscosity of the reactive liquid crystal layer-forming coating solution becomes high, and it may be difficult to form a uniform coating film.

  Furthermore, the reactive liquid crystal layer forming coating solution may be added with a compound as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-258428, within a range not impairing the object of the present invention. The amount of these compounds added to the reactive liquid crystal is selected within a range that does not impair the object of the present invention. Addition of these compounds improves the curability of the reactive liquid crystal, increases the mechanical strength of the resulting reactive liquid crystal layer, and improves its stability.

  Examples of the application method of the coating liquid for forming the reactive liquid crystal layer include spin coating, roll coating, printing, dip coating, die coating, casting, bar coating, blade coating, spray coating, Examples thereof include a gravure coating method, a reverse coating method, an extrusion coating method, an ink jet method, a flexographic printing method, and a screen printing method.

  Moreover, after apply | coating the said coating liquid for reactive liquid crystal layer formation, a solvent is removed. Examples of the method for removing the solvent include removal under reduced pressure or heat removal, and a combination of these.

  After application of the coating liquid for forming the reactive liquid crystal layer, the applied reactive liquid crystal is aligned by the alignment film for the reactive liquid crystal layer so as to have liquid crystal regularity. That is, a nematic phase is developed in the reactive liquid crystal. This is usually performed by a method such as a method of performing a heat treatment at a temperature lower than the temperature at which the nematic phase transitions to the isotropic phase (NI transition point).

  As described above, the reactive liquid crystal contains a polymerizable liquid crystal material, and a method of irradiating active radiation that activates polymerization is used to fix the alignment state of such a polymerizable liquid crystal material. It is done. The active radiation as used herein refers to radiation capable of causing polymerization of the polymerizable liquid crystal material. If necessary, a photopolymerization initiator may be included in the polymerizable liquid crystal material.

  The actinic radiation is not particularly limited as long as it is a radiation capable of polymerizing the polymerizable liquid crystal material, but usually ultraviolet rays or visible light is used from the viewpoint of the ease of the apparatus. Irradiation light having a wavelength of 150 to 500 nm, preferably 250 to 450 nm, and more preferably 300 to 400 nm is used.

  Among them, a method of irradiating ultraviolet rays with active radiation to a polymerizable liquid crystal material in which the photopolymerization initiator generates radicals with ultraviolet rays and the polymerizable liquid crystal material undergoes radical polymerization is preferable. This is because the method using ultraviolet rays as actinic radiation is an already established technique, and therefore it can be easily applied to the present invention including the photopolymerization initiator to be used.

  As a light source of this irradiation light, a low pressure mercury lamp (sterilization lamp, fluorescent chemical lamp, black light), a high pressure discharge lamp (high pressure mercury lamp, metal halide lamp), a short arc discharge lamp (super high pressure mercury lamp, xenon lamp, mercury xenon). Lamp). In particular, the use of metal halide lamps, xenon lamps, high-pressure mercury lamps, etc. is recommended. The irradiation intensity is appropriately adjusted according to the composition of the reactive liquid crystal and the amount of photopolymerization initiator.

  Such irradiation with active radiation may be performed under a temperature condition in which the polymerizable liquid crystal material becomes a liquid crystal phase, or may be performed at a temperature lower than the temperature at which the liquid crystal phase is formed. This is because the alignment state of the polymerizable liquid crystal material once in the liquid crystal phase is not disturbed suddenly even if the temperature is lowered thereafter.

  As a method for fixing the alignment state of the polymerizable liquid crystal material, in addition to the method of irradiating the active radiation, a method of polymerizing the polymerizable liquid crystal material by heating can also be used. As the reactive liquid crystal used in this case, it is preferable that the polymerizable liquid crystal monomer contained in the reactive liquid crystal is thermally polymerized below the NI transition point of the reactive liquid crystal.

  The thickness of the reactive liquid crystal layer is appropriately adjusted according to the target anisotropy, and can be set, for example, within a range of 1 nm to 1000 nm, preferably within a range of 3 nm to 100 nm. is there. This is because if the reactive liquid crystal layer is too thick, anisotropy more than necessary occurs, and if the reactive liquid crystal layer is too thin, the predetermined anisotropy may not be obtained.

(4) Liquid crystal application process The liquid crystal application process in this aspect is a process of applying a ferroelectric liquid crystal on the alignment film of the multi-sided TFT substrate or the alignment film of the common electrode substrate.
Hereinafter, the ferroelectric liquid crystal used in the present invention and the coating method of the ferroelectric liquid crystal will be described.

(I) Ferroelectric liquid crystal The ferroelectric liquid crystal used in the present invention is not particularly limited as long as it exhibits a chiral smectic C phase (SmC ^* ). For example, the phase sequence changes in phase with the nematic phase (N) -cholesteric phase (Ch) -chiral smectic C phase (SmC ^* ) in the temperature lowering process, the nematic phase (N) -chiral smectic C phase (SmC ^* ) , Nematic phase (N) -smectic A phase (SmA) -chiral smectic C phase (SmC ^* ), phase change, nematic phase (N) -cholesteric phase (Ch) -smectic A phase (SmA ) -Chiral smectic C phase (SmC ^* ) and the like.

  When the liquid crystal display element of the present invention is driven by a field sequential color system, it is preferable to use a liquid crystal material exhibiting monostability. By using a liquid crystal material exhibiting monostability, it becomes possible to drive by an active matrix method using thin film transistors (TFTs), and to control gradation by voltage modulation, so that high-definition and high-quality display can be achieved. This is because it can be realized.

  In the ferroelectric liquid crystal, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the liquid crystal molecules 30 are tilted from the layer normal z, and rotate along a cone ridge line having a bottom surface perpendicular to the layer normal z. In such a cone, the tilt angle of the liquid crystal molecules 30 with respect to the layer normal z is referred to as a tilt angle θ.

  “Showing monostability” means a state in which the state of the ferroelectric liquid crystal when no voltage is applied is stabilized in one state. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 13, the liquid crystal molecules 30 can operate on a cone between two states inclined by a tilt angle ± θ with respect to the layer normal z, but the liquid crystal molecules can be operated when no voltage is applied. The state 30 is stabilized in any one state on the cone.

Among liquid crystal materials exhibiting monostability, for example, half-V shaped switching (hereinafter referred to as HV-shaped switching) in which liquid crystal molecules operate only when a positive or negative voltage is applied as shown in the lower left of FIG. .) Those exhibiting properties are particularly preferred. When the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibiting such HV-shaped switching characteristics is used, the opening time as a black and white shutter can be made sufficiently long, whereby each color that can be temporally switched can be displayed brighter. This is because a bright color display liquid crystal display element can be realized.
The “HV-shaped switching characteristic” refers to an electro-optical characteristic in which the light transmittance with respect to an applied voltage is asymmetric.

  Such a ferroelectric liquid crystal can be variously selected from generally known liquid crystal materials according to required characteristics.

In particular, a liquid crystal material that exhibits an SmC ^* phase from the Ch phase without passing through the SmA phase is suitable as a material that exhibits HV-shaped switching characteristics. Specifically, “R2301” manufactured by AZ Electronic Materials may be mentioned.

In addition, as the liquid crystal material that passes through the SmA phase, a material that expresses the SmC ^* phase from the Ch phase through the SmA phase is preferable because of a wide range of material selection. In this case, a single liquid crystal material exhibiting an SmC ^* phase can be used, but a non-chiral liquid crystal (hereinafter sometimes referred to as a host liquid crystal) having a low viscosity and easily exhibiting an SmC phase is used. By adding a small amount of an optically active substance that does not show large spontaneous polarization and an appropriate helical pitch, the liquid crystal material showing the phase sequence as described above has low viscosity and can realize faster response. preferable.

The host liquid crystal is preferably a material exhibiting an SmC phase in a wide temperature range, and can be used without particular limitation as long as it is generally known as a host liquid crystal of a ferroelectric liquid crystal. For example, the general formula:
^{Ra-Q 1 -X 1 - (} Q 2 -Y 1) m -Q 3 -Rb
(In the formula, Ra and Rb are each a linear or branched alkyl group, alkoxy group, alkoxycarbonyl group, alkanoyloxy group or alkoxycarbonyloxy group, and Q ¹ , Q ² and Q ³ are each 1 , 4-phenylene group, 1,4-cyclohexylene group, pyridine-2,5-diyl group, pyrazine-2,5-diyl group, pyridazine-3,6-diyl group, 1,3-dioxane-2,5 -Diyl group, and these groups may have a substituent such as a halogen atom, a hydroxyl group, and a cyano group, and X ¹ and Y ¹ are each —COO—, —OCO—, —CH ₂ O— , —OCH ₂ —, —CH ₂ CH ₂ —, —C≡C—, or a single bond, and m is 0 or 1.). As the host liquid crystal, the above compounds can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The optically active substance added to the host liquid crystal is not particularly limited as long as it is a material having a large spontaneous polarization and the ability to induce an appropriate helical pitch, and is generally added to a liquid crystal composition exhibiting an SmC phase. Any known material can be used. In particular, a material that can induce large spontaneous polarization with a small addition amount is preferable. Examples of such an optically active substance include the following general formula:
^{Rc-Q 1 -Za-Q 2} -Zb-Q 3 -Zc-Rd
(In the formula, Q ¹ , Q ² and Q ³ represent the same meaning as in the above general formula, and Za, Zb and Zc are —COO—, —OCO—, —CH ₂ O—, —OCH ₂ —, —CH _{2, respectively.} CH ₂ —, —C≡C—, —CH═N—, —N═N—, —N (→ O) ═N—, —C (═O) S— or a single bond, and Rc is asymmetric. A linear or branched alkyl group which may have a carbon atom, an alkoxy group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an alkanoyloxy group or an alkoxycarbonyloxy group, wherein Rd is a linear or branched group having an asymmetric carbon atom; And an alkyl group, an alkoxy group, an alkoxycarbonyl group, an alkanoyloxy group or an alkoxycarbonyloxy group, and Rc and Rd may be substituted with a halogen atom, a cyano group or a hydroxyl group. Can be used. As the optically active substance, the above compounds may be used alone or in combination of two or more.

  Specific examples of the ferroelectric liquid crystal passing through the SmA phase include “FELIXM4851-100” manufactured by AZ Electronic Materials.

  A compound having an arbitrary function can be added to the ferroelectric liquid crystal depending on the function required for the liquid crystal display element. Examples of this compound include polymerizable monomers. By adding a polymerizable monomer to the ferroelectric liquid crystal and polymerizing the polymerizable monomer after the liquid crystal alignment step, the alignment of the ferroelectric liquid crystal is so-called “polymer stabilization”, and excellent alignment stability is obtained. Because it is.

  The polymerizable monomer is not particularly limited as long as it is a compound that generates a polymer by a polymerization reaction, and is a thermosetting resin monomer that generates a polymerization reaction by heat treatment, and active radiation that generates a polymerization reaction by irradiation with actinic radiation. A curable resin monomer can be mentioned. Among these, it is preferable to use an actinic radiation curable resin monomer. When a thermosetting resin monomer is used, it is necessary to perform a heating process in order to cause a polymerization reaction. Therefore, the regular arrangement of the ferroelectric liquid crystal is impaired by such a heating process, There is a risk of inducing a phase transition. On the other hand, when the actinic radiation curable resin monomer is used, there is no such fear, and the alignment of the ferroelectric liquid crystal is hardly harmed by the polymerization reaction.

  Examples of the actinic radiation curable resin monomer include an electron beam curable resin monomer that undergoes a polymerization reaction upon irradiation with an electron beam, and a photocurable resin monomer that undergoes a polymerization reaction upon irradiation with light. Among these, it is preferable to use a photocurable resin monomer. It is because a manufacturing process can be simplified by using a photocurable resin monomer.

  The photocurable resin monomer is not particularly limited as long as it causes a polymerization reaction when irradiated with light having a wavelength in the range of 150 nm to 500 nm. Among them, it is preferable to use an ultraviolet curable resin monomer that generates a polymerization reaction when irradiated with light having a wavelength in the range of 250 nm to 450 nm, particularly in the range of 300 nm to 400 nm. This is because it has advantages in terms of the ease of the irradiation apparatus.

  The polymerizable functional group possessed by the ultraviolet curable resin monomer is not particularly limited as long as it causes a polymerization reaction upon irradiation with ultraviolet rays in the above wavelength region. In particular, it is preferable to use an ultraviolet curable resin monomer having an acrylate group.

  Further, the UV curable resin monomer may be a monofunctional monomer having one polymerizable functional group in one molecule, or a polyfunctional having two or more polymerizable functional groups in one molecule. It may be a monomer. Among these, it is preferable to use a polyfunctional monomer. By using a polyfunctional monomer, a stronger polymer network can be formed, so that the intermolecular force and the polymer network at the alignment film interface can be strengthened. Thereby, the disorder of the alignment of the ferroelectric liquid crystal due to the temperature change can be suppressed.

  Among the polyfunctional monomers, bifunctional monomers having a polymerizable functional group at both ends of the molecule are preferably used. By having a polymerizable functional group at both ends of the molecule, it is possible to form a polymer network with a wide interval between polymers, and to prevent a decrease in driving voltage of the ferroelectric liquid crystal due to the inclusion of a polymer of a polymerizable monomer. Because.

  Of the ultraviolet curable resin monomers, it is preferable to use an ultraviolet curable liquid crystal monomer that exhibits liquid crystallinity. The reason why such an ultraviolet curable liquid crystal monomer is preferable is as follows. That is, since the ultraviolet curable liquid crystal monomer exhibits liquid crystallinity, it can be regularly arranged by the alignment regulating force of the alignment film. For this reason, the ultraviolet curable liquid crystal monomer can be fixed while maintaining the regular alignment state by causing a polymerization reaction after the ultraviolet light curable liquid crystal monomer is regularly arranged. By the presence of the polymer having such a regular alignment state, the alignment stability of the ferroelectric liquid crystal can be improved, and excellent heat resistance and impact resistance can be obtained.

  The liquid crystal phase exhibited by the ultraviolet curable liquid crystal monomer is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include an N phase, an SmA phase, and an SmC phase.

  Examples of the ultraviolet curable liquid crystal monomer used in the present invention include compounds represented by the following formulas (20), (21), and (25).

In the above formulas (20) and (21), A, B, D, E and F represent benzene, cyclohexane or pyrimidine, and these may have a substituent such as halogen. A and B, or D and E may be bonded via a bonding group such as an acetylene group, a methylene group, or an ester group. M ¹ and M ² may be any of a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 3 to 9 carbon atoms, an alkoxycarbonyl group having 3 to 9 carbon atoms, or a cyano group. Further, the acryloyloxy group at the end of the molecular chain and A or D may be bonded via a bonding group such as an alkylene group having 3 to 6 carbon atoms.

  In the above formula (25), Y is hydrogen, alkyl having 1 to 20 carbons, alkenyl having 1 to 20 carbons, alkyloxy having 1 to 20 carbons, alkyloxycarbonyl having 1 to 20 carbons, It represents formyl, alkylcarbonyl having 1 to 20 carbons, alkylcarbonyloxy having 1 to 20 carbons, halogen, cyano or nitro.

  Among the above, the compounds represented by the following formulas can be exemplified as those suitably used.

  Moreover, the said polymerizable monomer may be used independently and may be used in combination of 2 or more type. When two or more different polymerizable monomers are used, for example, an ultraviolet curable liquid crystal monomer represented by the above formula and another ultraviolet curable resin monomer can be used.

  When an ultraviolet curable liquid crystal monomer is used as the polymerizable monomer, the polymer obtained by polymerizing the polymerizable monomer includes a main chain that exhibits liquid crystallinity by having an atomic group exhibiting liquid crystallinity in the main chain. It may be a chain liquid crystal polymer, or may be a side chain liquid crystal polymer in which the side chain exhibits liquid crystallinity by having an atomic group exhibiting liquid crystallinity in the side chain. Especially, it is preferable that the polymer of a polymerizable monomer is a side chain liquid crystal type polymer. This is because the presence of an atomic group exhibiting liquid crystallinity in the side chain increases the degree of freedom of the atomic group, so that the atomic group exhibiting liquid crystallinity is easily aligned. Further, as a result, the alignment stability of the ferroelectric liquid crystal can be improved.

  The addition amount of the polymerizable monomer is not particularly limited as long as the alignment stability of the ferroelectric liquid crystal is within a desired range, but is not limited to the total mass of the ferroelectric liquid crystal and the polymerizable monomer. In the range of 0.5% by mass to 30% by mass, more preferably in the range of 1% by mass to 20% by mass, and still more preferably in the range of 1% by mass to 10% by mass. This is because if the addition amount of the polymerizable monomer is larger than the above range, the driving voltage of the ferroelectric liquid crystal may increase or the response speed may decrease. Further, when the addition amount of the polymerizable monomer is less than the above range, the alignment stability of the ferroelectric liquid crystal becomes insufficient, and the heat resistance and impact resistance may be lowered.

(Ii) Ferroelectric liquid crystal coating method In this embodiment, ferroelectric liquid crystal is coated on the alignment film of the multi-sided TFT substrate or the alignment film of the common electrode substrate.

  The ferroelectric liquid crystal may be applied on the alignment film of the multi-sided TFT substrate, or may be applied on the alignment film of the common electrode substrate.

  When applying the ferroelectric liquid crystal on the alignment film of the multi-sided TFT substrate or the alignment film of the common electrode substrate, the ferroelectric liquid crystal may or may not be heated. The temperature of the ferroelectric liquid crystal is appropriately selected according to the ferroelectric liquid crystal coating method described later.

  For example, when a discharge method is used as a coating method of the ferroelectric liquid crystal, it is preferable that the ferroelectric liquid crystal is heated to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits an isotropic phase or a nematic phase, and particularly the ferroelectric property. It is preferable that the liquid crystal is heated to a temperature exhibiting an isotropic phase. This is because if the ferroelectric liquid crystal is not heated, the viscosity of the ferroelectric liquid crystal is too high and the discharge nozzle is clogged, making it very difficult to stably discharge the ferroelectric liquid crystal.

  In the above case, the temperature of the ferroelectric liquid crystal is set to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits an isotropic phase or a nematic phase. The specific temperature differs depending on the type of ferroelectric liquid crystal and is appropriately selected. Note that the upper limit of the temperature of the ferroelectric liquid crystal is a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal does not deteriorate. The temperature of the ferroelectric liquid crystal can be set, for example, in the vicinity of the nematic phase-isotropic phase transition temperature or higher by 0 ° C. to 10 ° C. than the nematic phase-isotropic phase transition temperature.

  On the other hand, when a coating method or a printing method is used as a method for applying the ferroelectric liquid crystal, it is preferable that the ferroelectric liquid crystal is not heated. When using a coating method or a printing method, it is preferable to use a ferroelectric liquid crystal solution obtained by diluting a ferroelectric liquid crystal with a solvent in order to improve the coating property. For this reason, when the ferroelectric liquid crystal solution is heated, the solvent in the ferroelectric liquid crystal solution is volatilized and it becomes very difficult to apply the ferroelectric liquid crystal.

  Further, when applying the ferroelectric liquid crystal on the alignment film of the multi-sided TFT substrate or the alignment film of the common electrode substrate, the substrate to which the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied may or may not be heated. The temperature of the substrate on which the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied is appropriately selected depending on the method of applying the ferroelectric liquid crystal.

  For example, when a discharge method is used as a method for applying the ferroelectric liquid crystal, the substrate on which the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied may or may not be heated.

  When heating a substrate to which a ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied, the temperature of the substrate is preferably set to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits an isotropic phase or a nematic phase. It is preferable to set the temperature to show an isotropic phase. The specific temperature differs depending on the type of ferroelectric liquid crystal and is appropriately selected. Note that the upper limit of the temperature of the multi-sided TFT substrate is a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal is not likely to deteriorate. The temperature of the multi-faced TFT substrate can be set, for example, in the vicinity of the nematic phase-isotropic phase transition temperature or 5 ° C. to 10 ° C. higher than the nematic phase-isotropic phase transition temperature.

  On the other hand, when a coating method or a printing method is used as a method for applying the ferroelectric liquid crystal, it is preferable not to heat the substrate to which the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied. This is because when the substrate to which the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied is heated, the solvent in the applied ferroelectric liquid crystal solution volatilizes, and the orientation of the ferroelectric liquid crystal may be disturbed.

The solvent used in the ferroelectric liquid crystal solution is not particularly limited as long as it can dissolve or disperse the ferroelectric liquid crystal and the like. For example, methylene chloride, chloroform, toluene, xylene, tetrahydrofuran , Acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, ethyl acetate and the like can be used. These solvents may be used alone or in combination of two or more.
The concentration of the ferroelectric liquid crystal in the ferroelectric liquid crystal solution is appropriately selected according to the coating method, the desired film thickness, and the like.

  The method of applying the ferroelectric liquid crystal is not particularly limited as long as it can apply a predetermined amount that can be sealed. Examples of such a coating method include a discharge method such as an ink jet method and a dispenser method, a coating method such as a bar coating method and a slot die coating method, a printing method such as a flexographic printing method, a gravure printing method, an offset printing method, and a screen printing method. Law.

  Further, the position where the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied is not particularly limited as long as the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied in a predetermined amount capable of being sealed.

(5) Substrate bonding step The substrate bonding step in this aspect is a step of arranging and bonding the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate so that the alignment films face each other after the liquid crystal coating step.

  Before bonding the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate, a sealing agent is applied to at least one of the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate, corresponding to the peripheral portion of the display area in each TFT substrate area. Apply. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the sealing agent 41 is usually applied in a frame shape so as to surround the outer periphery of the region where the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied. As will be described later, when a frame-like partition is formed on the opposing surface of the multi-sided TFT substrate or the common electrode substrate, a sealing agent is applied so as to surround the outer periphery of the frame-like partition.

  Moreover, when apply | coating a sealing agent to a multi-sided TFT substrate, a sealing agent may be apply | coated on a board | substrate and may be applied on an alignment film. When a sealing agent is applied on the substrate, the adhesion between the multi-faceted TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate can be improved. When the sealing agent is applied on the substrate, the alignment film is formed in a pattern so that the alignment film is not formed on the periphery of the display area in each TFT substrate area. On the other hand, when applying the sealing agent to the common electrode substrate, the sealing agent may be applied on the substrate or may be applied on the alignment film.

  The sealing agent may be applied to the substrate on which the columnar spacer or the partition is formed in relation to the columnar spacer or the partition described later, or may be applied to the substrate on which the columnar spacer or the partition is not formed. You may apply | coat to a board | substrate. Further, in the relationship with the ferroelectric liquid crystal, the sealing agent may be applied to a substrate on which the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied, or may be applied to a substrate on which the ferroelectric liquid crystal is not applied. You may apply | coat to a board | substrate. In any case, when the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are overlapped, the sealing agent is applied so that the outer periphery of the region where the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied is surrounded by the sealing agent.

  In addition, when a sealing agent is applied to a substrate coated with a ferroelectric liquid crystal, the sealing agent may be applied before the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied to the substrate, or the seal is applied after the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied to the substrate. An agent may be applied.

  As the sealing agent, sealing agents generally used for liquid crystal display elements can be used, and examples thereof include thermosetting resins and ultraviolet curable resins.

  The method for applying the sealing agent is not particularly limited as long as it can apply the sealing agent at a predetermined position, and examples thereof include a dispenser method and a screen printing method.

  After applying the sealant in this way, the multi-faceted TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are overlaid. When the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are overlaid, the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are made to face each other so that the alignment treatment directions of the alignment films are substantially parallel.

  Further, when the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are overlaid, the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are heated. It is preferable to set the temperature of the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits an isotropic phase or a nematic phase. In particular, the temperature is set at a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits an isotropic phase. It is preferable. The specific temperature differs depending on the type of ferroelectric liquid crystal and is appropriately selected. Note that the upper limit of the temperature of the multi-faceted TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate is set to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal does not deteriorate. The temperatures of the multi-faceted TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate can be set, for example, in the vicinity of the nematic phase-isotropic phase transition temperature or 5 ° C. to 10 ° C. higher than the nematic phase-isotropic phase transition temperature.

  When a ferroelectric liquid crystal solution obtained by diluting a ferroelectric liquid crystal with a solvent is applied on the alignment film by a printing method, the solvent can be removed when the substrate is heated.

Further, when the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are overlapped, it is preferable that the chamber is evacuated to sufficiently reduce the pressure between the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate. Thereby, it can prevent that a space | gap remains in a liquid crystal cell.
After the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are opposed to each other in this way, the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are superposed under reduced pressure, and a certain pressure is applied so that the cell gap becomes uniform. Then, pressure is further applied between the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate by returning the inside of the chamber to normal pressure. Thereby, a cell gap can be made more uniform. In this way, the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are pressure-bonded via the sealant.

After the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are overlaid, the sealing agent is cured and the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are bonded together.
The curing method of the sealing agent varies depending on the type of the sealing agent used, and examples thereof include a method of irradiating with ultraviolet rays and a method of heating. At this time, normally, the sealing agent is cured while maintaining the pressure when the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are overlapped.

(6) Liquid crystal alignment step The liquid crystal alignment step in this embodiment is performed by heating the ferroelectric liquid crystal to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits a nematic phase or an isotropic phase, and then taking out the gate line gate terminal of the multi-faceted TFT substrate. And a step of gradually cooling the ferroelectric liquid crystal while applying different voltages to the source line lead-out terminals.

After the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate are bonded together, the ferroelectric liquid crystal sealed between the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate is aligned. Specifically, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is in a SmC ^* phase state.

As described above, by heating the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate to a predetermined temperature, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is heated to be in, for example, a nematic phase or an isotropic phase. By cooling the ferroelectric liquid crystal while simultaneously applying a DC voltage to the pixel electrode and the common electrode in the region, the SmC ^* phase state can be obtained.

  Before applying a voltage to the pixel electrode and the common electrode, the ferroelectric liquid crystal sealed between the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate is heated. The temperature of the ferroelectric liquid crystal is preferably set to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits an isotropic phase or a nematic phase. In particular, it is preferable to set the temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits an isotropic phase. The specific temperature differs depending on the type of ferroelectric liquid crystal and is appropriately selected. Note that the upper limit of the temperature of the ferroelectric liquid crystal is a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal does not deteriorate. The temperature of the ferroelectric liquid crystal can be set, for example, in the vicinity of the nematic phase-isotropic phase transition temperature or 5 ° C. to 10 ° C. higher than the nematic phase-isotropic phase transition temperature.

  After the ferroelectric liquid crystal sealed between the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate is heated, different voltages are respectively applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal of the multi-sided TFT substrate. At this time, in order to apply different voltages to the pixel electrode and the common electrode, the gate line extraction terminal of the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate and the common electrode of the common electrode substrate are connected, and the gate line extraction terminal of the multi-sided TFT substrate is connected. Different voltages may be applied to the source line extraction terminals, the gate line extraction terminals of the multi-sided TFT substrate, the source line extraction terminals of the multi-sided TFT substrate, and the common electrode extraction terminal of the common electrode substrate, Different voltages may be applied to the two.

  When connecting the gate line extraction terminal of the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate and the common electrode of the common electrode substrate and applying different voltages to the gate line extraction terminal and source line extraction terminal of the multi-sided TFT substrate, respectively, The line lead-out terminal is connected to the common electrode, and the source line lead-out terminal is connected to the source line, and is connected from the source electrode to the pixel electrode through the semiconductor layer and the drain electrode. By simultaneously applying different voltages to the terminal and the source line extraction terminal, it is possible to simultaneously apply different voltages to the pixel electrode and the common electrode in each TFT substrate region.

  On the other hand, when different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal of the multi-sided TFT substrate, the source line extraction terminal of the multi-sided TFT substrate, and the common electrode extraction terminal of the common electrode substrate, the gate line extraction terminal By simultaneously applying different voltages to the source line extraction terminal and the common electrode extraction terminal, it is possible to simultaneously apply different voltages to the pixel electrode and the common electrode in each TFT substrate region.

  Usually, the voltage necessary for aligning the ferroelectric liquid crystal, that is, the potential difference between the pixel electrode and the common electrode necessary for aligning the ferroelectric liquid crystal is about 5V. On the other hand, in order to turn on the TFT element, the potential difference between the source electrode and the gate electrode is preferably 10 V or more. For example, if the source electrode voltage is 0 V and the gate electrode voltage is 10 V, the TFT element can be turned on. That is, the relationship among the potential (Vg) of the gate electrode of the TFT element, the potential (Vs) of the source electrode of the TFT, and the potential (Vc) of the common electrode is Vc−Vs = 5V, Vg−Vs> 10V, or Vs It is preferable to set so that −Vc = 5V and Vg−Vs> 10V.

  When different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal, the source line extraction terminal, and the common electrode extraction terminal, the potentials of the gate electrode, the source electrode, and the common electrode can be freely set. The potential difference between the electrode and the common electrode, and the potential difference between the source electrode and the gate electrode can be within the above-mentioned preferable ranges. Further, in this case, the spontaneous polarization of the ferroelectric liquid crystal is set by setting the voltage of the common electrode extraction terminal to be relatively higher or lower than the voltage of the source line extraction terminal. Can be controlled.

  On the other hand, when the gate line extraction terminal and the common electrode are connected and different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal, the potentials of the gate electrode and the common electrode are the same. For example, if the source electrode voltage is 0 V and the gate electrode voltage is 10 V as described above, the potential difference between the pixel electrode and the common electrode is also about 10 V, and the voltage applied to the ferroelectric liquid crystal becomes too large. Therefore, in this case, the potential difference between the source electrode and the gate electrode is set to be relatively small so that the potential difference between the source electrode and the gate electrode is about 5 V, and the time for applying the voltage to the ferroelectric liquid crystal is relatively long. It is preferable to set to.

  Among the above two cases, it is preferable to connect the gate line extraction terminal and the common electrode and apply different voltages to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal, respectively. This is because it is not necessary to provide a pixel electrode lead-out terminal separately, so that the manufacturing process can be simplified.

  After connecting the gate line lead-out terminal and the common electrode and applying different voltages to the gate line lead-out terminal and the source line lead-out terminal, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is gradually cooled with these voltages applied. By doing so, the ferroelectric liquid crystal can be aligned. Also, after applying different voltages to the gate line extraction terminal, the source line extraction terminal, and the common electrode extraction terminal, respectively, by gradually cooling the ferroelectric liquid crystal while applying those voltages, Ferroelectric liquid crystals can be aligned. When cooling the heated ferroelectric liquid crystal, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is usually gradually cooled to room temperature.

  When a polymerizable monomer is added to the ferroelectric liquid crystal, the polymerizable monomer is polymerized after aligning the ferroelectric liquid crystal. The polymerization method of the polymerizable monomer is appropriately selected according to the type of the polymerizable monomer. For example, when an ultraviolet curable resin monomer is used as the polymerizable monomer, the polymerizable monomer can be polymerized by ultraviolet irradiation. .

  The thickness of the liquid crystal layer composed of ferroelectric liquid crystal is preferably in the range of 1.2 μm to 3.0 μm, more preferably 1.3 μm to 2.5 μm, and even more preferably 1.4 μm to 2 μm. Within the range of 0.0 μm. This is because if the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is too thin, the contrast may be lowered. Conversely, if the thickness of the liquid crystal layer is too thick, the ferroelectric liquid crystal may be difficult to align. The thickness of the liquid crystal layer can be adjusted by bead spacers, columnar spacers, partition walls, or the like.

(7) Cutting process The cutting process in this aspect is a process of cutting for each TFT substrate region of the multi-faceted TFT substrate after the liquid crystal alignment process.

By cutting the multi-cavity liquid crystal cell obtained up to the liquid crystal alignment step for each TFT substrate region, from the multi-cavity liquid crystal cell, the gate line short bar, the source line short bar, the gate line connection wiring, The source line connection wiring, the gate line extraction terminal, the source line extraction terminal, and the like are cut and removed. Thereby, individual liquid crystal display elements are obtained.
As a method of cutting for each TFT substrate region, a general panel cutting method can be used.

(8) Other Steps (i) Columnar Spacer Formation Step In this embodiment, a columnar spacer formation step for forming columnar spacers on the opposing surface of the multi-faceted TFT substrate or common electrode substrate is performed before the alignment film formation step. Also good. In this case, columnar spacers may be formed on the opposing surface of the multi-sided TFT substrate, or columnar spacers may be formed on the opposing surface of the common electrode substrate.

  As a material for forming the columnar spacer, a material generally used for a columnar spacer of a liquid crystal display element can be used. Specifically, examples of the material for forming the columnar spacer include resins, and among them, a photosensitive resin is preferably used. This is because the photosensitive resin is easy to pattern.

  The method for forming the columnar spacer is not particularly limited as long as the columnar spacer can be formed at a predetermined position, and a general patterning method can be applied, for example, a photolithography method. Ink jet method, screen printing method and the like.

  A plurality of columnar spacers are formed, and it is preferable to regularly form the plurality of columnar spacers at predetermined positions, and it is particularly preferable to form them at regular intervals. This is because if the formation positions of the plurality of columnar spacers are disordered, it may be difficult to accurately control the application amount of the ferroelectric liquid crystal.

  The pitch of the columnar spacers can be about 100 μm to 3 mm, preferably in the range of 200 μm to 1.5 mm, more preferably in the range of 300 μm to 1.0 mm. This is because if the pitch of the columnar spacers is narrower than the above range, the display quality may deteriorate due to poor alignment of the ferroelectric liquid crystal near the columnar spacers. On the other hand, if the pitch of the columnar spacers is wider than the above range, it may vary depending on the size of the liquid crystal display element, but the desired impact resistance may not be obtained or it may be difficult to keep the cell gap constant. Because there is. Note that the pitch of the columnar spacers refers to the distance from the center to the center of adjacent columnar spacers.

  In addition, as the size of the columnar spacer, for example, when the columnar spacer has a cylindrical shape, the diameter of the bottom surface is about 1 μm to 100 μm, preferably within the range of 2 μm to 50 μm, more preferably within the range of 5 μm to 20 μm. is there. If the size of the columnar spacer is larger than the above range, the columnar spacer is also provided in the pixel region, and the effective pixel area may be narrowed and a good image display may not be obtained. This is because if the value is smaller than the above range, it may be difficult to form columnar spacers.

  Furthermore, the height of the columnar spacer is normally set to the same level as the cell gap.

  In addition, the pitch, size, and height of the columnar spacer can be measured by observing a cross section of the partition wall using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

  Examples of the shape of the columnar spacer include a columnar shape, a prismatic shape, and a truncated cone shape.

  Further, the formation position of the columnar spacer is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to form the columnar spacer in the non-pixel region. This is because it is preferable to form columnar spacers in non-pixel regions that do not affect image display because ferroelectric liquid crystal alignment defects are likely to occur in the vicinity of the columnar spacers. For example, in the case where columnar spacers are formed on the opposing surface of the multi-sided TFT substrate, the columnar spacers can be disposed on the gate lines, source lines, TFTs, and the like.

  The number of columnar spacers is not particularly limited as long as it is plural, and is appropriately selected depending on the size of the liquid crystal display element.

(Ii) Partition Formation Step In this embodiment, a partition formation step of forming a partition on the facing surface of the multi-sided TFT substrate or the common electrode substrate may be performed before the alignment film formation step. In this case, the partition may be formed on the opposing surface of the multi-faced TFT substrate, or the partition may be formed on the opposing surface of the common electrode substrate. By forming the partition wall, impact resistance can be improved. Since the SmC ^* phase is very vulnerable to external impact, the high impact resistance is useful in a liquid crystal display element using a ferroelectric liquid crystal.

  As a material for forming the partition wall, a material generally used for a partition wall of a liquid crystal display element can be used. Specifically, examples of the partition wall forming material include resins, and among them, a photosensitive resin is preferably used. This is because the photosensitive resin is easy to pattern.

  The method for forming the partition wall is not particularly limited as long as the partition wall can be formed at a predetermined position, and a general patterning method can be applied. For example, a photolithography method, an inkjet method Method, screen printing method and the like.

  A plurality of partition walls are formed, and it is preferable to form the plurality of partition walls regularly at predetermined positions, and it is particularly preferable to form the partition walls substantially in parallel at equal intervals. This is because if the formation positions of the plurality of partition walls are disordered, it may be difficult to accurately control the application amount of the ferroelectric liquid crystal.

  In addition, the formation position of the partition is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to form the partition in the non-pixel region. This is because the alignment defect of the ferroelectric liquid crystal tends to occur in the vicinity of the partition wall, and it is preferable that the partition wall is formed in a non-pixel region that does not affect image display. For example, when the partition is formed on the opposing surface of the multi-sided TFT substrate, the partition can be disposed on the gate line, the source line, the TFT, and the like.

  The pitch of the partition walls is about 1 mm to 10 mm, preferably in the range of 1.0 mm to 5.0 mm, more preferably in the range of 2.0 mm to 3.0 mm. This is because if the partition pitch is narrower than the above range, the display quality may be deteriorated due to poor alignment of the ferroelectric liquid crystal near the partition. On the contrary, if the partition pitch is wider than the above range, it may vary depending on the size of the liquid crystal display element, but the desired impact resistance may not be obtained, or it may be difficult to keep the cell gap constant. Because. In addition, the pitch of a partition means the distance from the center part of an adjacent partition to a center part.

  Moreover, the width | variety of a partition shall be about 1 micrometer-50 micrometers, Preferably it exists in the range of 2 micrometers-30 micrometers, More preferably, it exists in the range of 5 micrometers-20 micrometers. If the partition wall width is wider than the above range, the partition wall is also provided in the pixel region, the effective pixel area may become narrow, and a good image display may not be obtained, and the partition wall width is more than the above range. This is because if it is narrow, it may be difficult to form a partition wall.

  In addition, the height of the partition walls is usually about the same as the cell gap.

  Note that the pitch, width, and height of the partition walls can be measured by observing a cross section of the partition walls using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

  The number of partition walls is not particularly limited as long as it is plural, and is appropriately selected depending on the size of the liquid crystal display element.

  Further, a frame-shaped partition may be formed as the partition. When a sealant is applied to the outer periphery of the frame-shaped partition wall by forming a frame-shaped partition wall at the periphery of each TFT substrate region, the ferroelectric liquid crystal and the uncured sealant are in contact with each other. This is because it is possible to prevent the deterioration of the characteristics of the ferroelectric liquid crystal due to the mixing of impurities or the like in the sealant.

  The width of the frame-shaped partition wall is not particularly limited as long as it can prevent contact between the ferroelectric liquid crystal and the uncured sealant, and is specifically about 10 μm to 3 mm, preferably 10 μm to 1 mm. And more preferably within a range of 10 μm to 500 μm. If the width of the frame-shaped partition wall is wider than the above range, the frame-shaped partition wall is also provided in the pixel region, and the effective pixel area may be narrowed and a good image display may not be obtained. If the width of the partition wall is narrower than the above range, it may be difficult to form the frame partition wall.

  In addition, the height of the frame-shaped partition wall is usually set to the same level as the cell gap.

  Note that the width and height of the frame-shaped partition walls can be measured by observing a cross section of the frame-shaped partition walls using a scanning electron microscope (SEM).

2. Second aspect A liquid crystal display device manufacturing method according to the present aspect includes a multi-surface TFT substrate preparation step of preparing the multi-surface TFT substrate according to the second embodiment, and a common electrode substrate on which a common electrode is formed. A common electrode substrate preparation step, an alignment film forming step of forming an alignment film on the opposing surface of the multi-faced TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate, and an orientation film of the multi-facet TFT substrate or an orientation of the common electrode substrate, respectively. A liquid crystal application process for applying a ferroelectric liquid crystal on the film, and a substrate attachment for adhering the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate so that the alignment films face each other after the liquid crystal application process. A step of combining, a step of cutting and removing the connecting portion of the multi-faceted TFT substrate, and insulating the gate line and the source line; and after the step of insulating, After the ferroelectric liquid crystal is heated to a temperature exhibiting a nematic phase or an isotropic phase, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied with different voltages applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal of the multi-sided TFT substrate. And a cutting step of cutting each TFT substrate region of the multi-sided TFT substrate after the liquid crystal alignment step.

The manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display element of this aspect is demonstrated referring drawings.
First, as illustrated in FIG. 6, on the substrate 2, the gate line 4 x, the source line 4 y, the TFT, the pixel electrode, and the like constituting the display region 9 are formed according to a general method, and the gate line connection wiring 10 a The source line connection wiring 10b, the gate line short bar 5, the source line short bar 6, the connection portion 31, the gate line extraction terminal 7, and the source line extraction terminal 8 are formed. Thereby, the multi-faced TFT substrate 1 is obtained.
Then, although not shown, a silver paste for connecting the gate line lead-out terminal of the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode of the common electrode substrate is applied to each TFT substrate region of the multi-sided TFT substrate in a dot shape. .

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 11A, an alignment film 17 is formed on the facing surface of the multi-faced TFT substrate 1. At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 15, an alignment film 17 is formed in the display region 9 of the multi-faced TFT substrate 1. An alignment film 24 is also formed on the opposing surface of the common electrode substrate 21 on which the common electrode 23 is formed on the substrate 22.

Next, although not shown, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is heated to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits an isotropic phase (for example, 100 ° C.), and is used on the alignment film 17 of the multi-sided TFT substrate 1 using an inkjet device. A ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied in an isotropic phase. At this time, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied to the display area of the multi-sided TFT substrate.
At this time, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is heated to a temperature exhibiting an isotropic phase (for example, 100 ° C.). However, since the multi-sided TFT substrate is set to room temperature, the multi-sided surface is set higher than the temperature of the ferroelectric liquid crystal. The temperature of the TFT substrate is lower. Therefore, the ferroelectric liquid crystal applied on the alignment film of the multi-faceted TFT substrate is cooled. In general, the viscosity of liquid crystals increases as the temperature decreases. Therefore, the ferroelectric liquid crystal applied on the alignment film of the multi-faceted TFT substrate is cooled to increase the viscosity and stop flowing.

  Next, as illustrated in FIG. 15, a sealant 41 is applied to the peripheral portion of the display area 9 of the multi-faced TFT substrate 1. At this time, the sealing agent is applied so as to surround the outer periphery of the region where the ferroelectric liquid crystal is applied.

  Next, although not shown, the multi-sided TFT substrate coated with the ferroelectric liquid crystal is heated to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits an isotropic phase (for example, 110 ° C.). As a result, the ferroelectric liquid crystal applied on the alignment film of the multi-faceted TFT substrate is heated to be in an isotropic phase, and the viscosity is lowered to flow on the alignment film.

  Next, although not shown, the multi-sided TFT substrate coated with the ferroelectric liquid crystal and the common electrode substrate are opposed so that the alignment treatment directions of the respective alignment films are substantially parallel. At this time, not only the multi-faced TFT substrate but also the common electrode substrate is heated to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits an isotropic phase (for example, 110 ° C.).

  Next, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), the pressure between the multi-faced TFT substrate 1 and the common electrode substrate 21 is sufficiently reduced, and the multi-faced TFT substrate 1 and the common electrode substrate 21 are superposed under a reduced pressure to obtain a predetermined pressure. To make the cell gap uniform. Subsequently, the pressure is further applied between the multi-facet TFT substrate 1 and the common electrode substrate 21 by returning to normal pressure. Next, the sealing agent is cured, and the multi-sided TFT substrate 1 and the common electrode substrate 21 are bonded. As a result, a multi-faced liquid crystal cell is obtained.

Next, the obtained multi-planar liquid crystal cell is cut along a cutting line 33 of the multi-surface-attached TFT substrate 1 as shown in FIG. 15, and as shown in FIG. Cut and remove. In FIG. 15, the connecting portion 31 is connected to the gate line short bar 5 and the source line short bar 6, but can be cut independently so that the gate line 4x and the source line 4y are insulated. As shown in FIG. 16, the gate line short bar 5 and the source line short bar 6 are not connected by cutting and removing the connection portion 31 from the multi-surface liquid crystal cell. Thereby, the gate line 4x and the source line 4y can be insulated.
In FIG. 16, a part of the common electrode substrate 21 is omitted.

In this multi-sided liquid crystal cell, the above-described silver paste connects the gate line lead-out terminal of the multi-sided TFT substrate and the common electrode of the common electrode substrate. Then, different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal, respectively.
At this time, for example, different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal so that the voltage of the source line extraction terminal is relatively lower than the voltage of the gate line extraction terminal. . Then, the gate line lead-out terminal is connected to the common electrode, and the source line lead-out terminal is connected to the source line, and is connected from the source electrode to the pixel electrode through the semiconductor layer and the drain electrode. The voltage of the pixel electrode is relatively lower than the voltage of the electrode. Therefore, as illustrated in FIG. 5, the positive electrode (+) of the spontaneous polarization Ps of the liquid crystal molecules 30 faces the pixel electrode 12 side due to the influence of the polarity of the applied voltage.

Subsequently, the ferroelectric liquid crystal is orientated by gradually cooling the ferroelectric liquid crystal while applying different voltages to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal, respectively.
Next, although not shown, individual liquid crystal display elements can be obtained by cutting the multi-sided liquid crystal cell for each TFT substrate region of the multi-sided TFT substrate.

  In this embodiment, after the substrate bonding step and before the liquid crystal alignment step, the connection portion of the multi-faceted TFT substrate is cut and removed to insulate the gate line and the source line. A voltage can be applied independently. Therefore, for example, by connecting the gate line lead-out terminal and the common electrode, and simultaneously applying different voltages to the gate line lead-out terminal and the source line lead-out terminal, without cutting each TFT substrate region, Different voltages can be simultaneously applied to the pixel electrode and the common electrode in each TFT substrate region. In this way, the multi-faceted liquid crystal cell produced using the multi-faceted TFT substrate can be used as it is, and the ferroelectric liquid crystal can be aligned by the electrolytic application slow cooling method without being cut for each TFT substrate area. Costs can be significantly reduced.

  In addition, in this aspect, until the substrate bonding step, the gate line short bar and the source line short bar are connected via the connection portion to form a short ring, whereby the gate line and the source line are electrically connected. Can be short-circuited. Therefore, for example, when fabricating a multi-surface-attached TFT substrate, when transporting the multi-surface-attached TFT substrate, when positioning the multi-surface-attached TFT substrate and the common electrode substrate, and when forming an alignment film (especially performing a rubbing process) It is possible to avoid the occurrence of electrostatic breakdown due to the influence of static electricity, etc.

  The common electrode substrate preparation step, the alignment film formation step, the liquid crystal application step, the substrate bonding step, the liquid crystal alignment step, and the cutting step are the same as those in the first aspect, and thus description thereof is omitted here. Hereinafter, the multi-faceted TFT substrate preparation step and the insulating step in the method for manufacturing the liquid crystal display element of this embodiment will be described.

(1) Multi-sided TFT substrate preparation step The multi-sided TFT substrate preparation step in this aspect is a step of preparing the multi-sided TFT substrate of the second embodiment of the “A. Multi-sided TFT substrate”.

The gate line, source line, gate line short bar, source line short bar, connection part, gate line connection line, source line connection line, TFT, pixel electrode, etc. constituting the multi-sided TFT substrate As a forming method, a general method can be used.
The multi-sided TFT substrate is the same as that described in the second embodiment of “A. Multi-sided TFT substrate”, and the description thereof is omitted here.

(2) Insulating Step The insulating step in this aspect is a step of cutting and removing the connection portion of the multi-faced TFT substrate to insulate the gate line and the source line.

The gate line and the source line are insulated from each other by cutting and removing the connecting portion of the multi-sided TFT substrate from the multi-sided liquid crystal cell obtained up to the substrate bonding step.
A general panel cutting method can be used as a method for cutting and removing the connection portion of the multi-sided TFT substrate.

  The present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. The above-described embodiment is an exemplification, and the present invention has substantially the same configuration as the technical idea described in the claims of the present invention, and any device that exhibits the same function and effect is the present invention. It is included in the technical scope of the invention.

  The following examples illustrate the present invention in more detail.

(Production of multi-sided TFT substrate)
Using a mother glass substrate having a size of 370 mm × 470 mm and a thickness of 0.7 mm, 3 × 5 = 15 4 inch TFT chips (TFT substrate region) were formed by a normal process. The 15-side TFT chips are divided into two groups, and the gate line short bar, gate line connection wiring, source line short bar, and source line connection wiring of each chip are aggregated into groups, and the mother glass substrate Wiring was performed at the corners of the diagonal lines, and connected to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal, respectively. Further, at the portion where the gate line short bar and the source line short bar intersect, the insulating state of the gate line short bar and the source line short bar was maintained via the insulating layer.
Next, columnar spacers having a diameter of 10 μm and a height of about 1.5 μm were formed on the substrate by a photolithography method to obtain a TFT mother substrate A (multi-faceted TFT substrate).

Using a mother glass substrate having a size of 370 mm × 470 mm and a thickness of 0.7 mm, 3 × 5 = 15 4 inch TFT chips (TFT substrate region) were formed by a normal process. The 15-side TFT chips are divided into two groups, and the gate line short bar, gate line connection wiring, source line short bar, and source line connection wiring of each chip are aggregated into groups, and the mother glass substrate Wiring was done at the corner of the diagonal line, and the short bar for the gate line and the short bar for the source line were connected through this hole. In the portion of the mother glass substrate other than the diagonal corner, where the gate line short bar and the source line short bar intersect, the insulation state of the gate line short bar and the source line short bar is determined via the insulating layer. Maintained.
Next, columnar spacers having a diameter of 10 μm and a height of about 1.5 μm were formed on the substrate by a photolithography method to obtain a TFT mother substrate B (multi-faceted TFT substrate).

(Preparation of counter substrate)
An ITO pattern corresponding to the screen pattern of the TFT mother substrate was formed on a glass substrate of the same size as the TFT mother substrate using a metal mask. The common electrode for each panel is divided into two groups in the same manner as the TFT chip. When the common electrodes are connected to each other and bonded to the TFT mother substrate, the gate line short bar and the source line short bar are combined. It was pulled out to the corner of the diagonal line of the mother glass substrate so as to be different from the aggregated position.

[Example 1]
(Manufacture of panels)
After thoroughly washing the TFT mother substrate A and the counter substrate, a polyimide material (manufactured by Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd .: trade name SE-6210) is spin-coated on each of them, and baked at 230 ° C. A rubbing process was performed so that the rubbing directions were parallel when the two substrates were bonded together.
Next, a ferroelectric liquid crystal material (manufactured by AZ Electronic Materials: trade name R2301) was applied in a stripe pattern on each TFT chip of the TFT mother substrate A using an inkjet head heated to 100 ° C. Further, a sealing agent was applied on each TFT chip so as to surround the applied ferroelectric liquid crystal pattern.
With both substrates heated to 100 ° C., both substrates were bonded together in a vacuum so that their rubbing directions were anti-parallel, thereby obtaining panel A before alignment treatment.

(Orientation treatment)
In the pre-orientation panel A, the glass substrate portion of the counter substrate facing the portion where the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal are formed, and the TFT mother substrate facing the portion where the common electrodes are aggregated A portion of the glass substrate of A was cut so that each electrode could be taken out. In this state, + 20V is applied to the gate line short bar and + 5V is applied to the source line short bar, the common electrode is grounded, and the substrate is maintained at 100 ° C. to 40 ° C. at 2 ° C./min while maintaining this state. It was gradually cooled at a speed. Next, all terminals were grounded at 40 ° C. and further cooled to room temperature. Observation with a polarizing microscope arranged in crossed Nicols confirmed that monodomain orientation was obtained.

[Example 2]
(Manufacture of panels)
After thoroughly washing the TFT mother substrate B and the counter substrate, a polyimide material (manufactured by Nissan Chemical Industries, Ltd .: trade name SE-6210) is spin-coated on each of them, and baked at 230 ° C., A rubbing process was performed so that the rubbing directions were parallel when the two substrates were bonded together.
Next, a ferroelectric liquid crystal material (manufactured by AZ Electronic Materials: trade name R2301) was applied in a stripe pattern on each TFT chip of the TFT mother substrate B using an inkjet head heated to 100 ° C. Further, a sealing agent was applied on each TFT chip so as to surround the applied ferroelectric liquid crystal pattern.
With both substrates heated to 100 ° C., both substrates were bonded together in a vacuum so that their rubbing directions were anti-parallel, thereby obtaining panel B before alignment treatment.

(Orientation treatment)
In the panel B before the alignment treatment, the glass substrate portion of the counter substrate facing the portion where the short bar for the gate line and the short bar for the source line are concentrated, and the TFT mother facing the portion where the common electrode is concentrated The glass substrate portion of the substrate B was cut so that each electrode could be taken out. Further, in the TFT mother substrate B, the portion where the short bar for the gate line and the short bar for the source line are connected by the through hole was cut to be in an insulating state. In this state, + 20V is applied to the gate line short bar and + 5V is applied to the source line short bar, the common electrode is grounded, and the substrate is maintained at 100 ° C. to 40 ° C. at 2 ° C./min while maintaining this state. It was gradually cooled at a speed. Next, all terminals were grounded at 40 ° C. and further cooled to room temperature. Observation with a polarizing microscope arranged in crossed Nicols confirmed that monodomain orientation was obtained.

It is a schematic plan view which shows an example of the multi-sided TFT substrate of this invention. It is an enlarged view of the TFT substrate area | region in the multi-sided TFT substrate of this invention. It is the sectional view on the AA line of FIG. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows an example of the liquid crystal cell for multi-surface drawing using the multi-surface mounting TFT substrate of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the orientation state of a ferroelectric liquid crystal. It is a schematic plan view which shows the other example of the multi-sided TFT substrate of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows an example which cut and removed the connection part from the multi-surface mounting TFT substrate of this invention. It is a schematic plan view which shows the other example of the multi-sided TFT substrate of this invention. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB and a cross-sectional view taken along line CC in FIG. 8. It is a schematic plan view which shows an example of the conventional multi-sided TFT substrate. It is process drawing which shows an example of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display element of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the process of apply | coating the orientation film formation process and the sealing compound in the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display element of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows the behavior of a liquid crystal molecule. It is the graph which showed the change of the transmittance | permeability with respect to the applied voltage of a ferroelectric liquid crystal. It is a figure which shows the other example of the process of apply | coating the orientation film formation process and the sealing compound in the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display element of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the insulation process in the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal display element of this invention. It is the figure which showed the difference in orientation by the difference in the phase sequence which a ferroelectric liquid crystal has.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Multi-sided TFT substrate 2 ... Substrate 3 ... TFT substrate region 4x ... Gate line 4y ... Source line 5 ... Short bar for gate line 6 ... Short bar for source line 7 ... Extraction terminal for gate line 8 ... Extraction terminal for source line DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 9 ... Display area 10a ... Connection wiring for gate lines 10b ... Connection wiring for source lines 11 ... TFT
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 12 ... Pixel electrode 21 ... Common electrode substrate 22 ... Substrate 23 ... Common electrode 30 ... Liquid crystal molecule 31 ... Connection part

Claims (6)

A plurality of thin film transistor substrate regions disposed on a substrate, a multi-sided thin film transistor substrate used for a liquid crystal display element using a ferroelectric liquid crystal,
Gate lines and source lines provided in each thin film transistor substrate region, gate line short bars connected to all the gate lines, arranged in the peripheral region of the substrate, arranged in the peripheral region, all A source line short bar connected to the source line, a gate line lead terminal arranged in the peripheral region and connected to the gate line short bar, and a source line short arranged in the peripheral region. A multi-sided thin film transistor substrate having a source line extraction terminal connected to a bar, wherein the gate line and the source line are insulated. A plurality of thin film transistor substrate regions disposed on a substrate, a multi-sided thin film transistor substrate used for a liquid crystal display element using a ferroelectric liquid crystal,
Gate lines and source lines provided in each thin film transistor substrate region, gate line short bars connected to all the gate lines, arranged in the peripheral region of the substrate, arranged in the peripheral region, all A source line short bar connected to the source line, and disposed in the peripheral region, connected to the gate line short bar and the source line short bar, so that the gate line and the source line are insulated. A connection part that can be cut independently, a gate line lead-out terminal that is disposed in the peripheral region and connected to the gate line short bar, and is disposed in the peripheral region and connected to the source line short bar. A multi-sided thin film transistor substrate having a source line lead-out terminal.   3. The multi-sided thin film transistor substrate according to claim 1, wherein each of the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal is one. 4. A multi-sided thin film transistor substrate preparation step for preparing the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate according to claim 1;
A common electrode substrate preparation step of preparing a common electrode substrate in which a common electrode is formed on the substrate;
An alignment film forming step of forming alignment films on opposing surfaces of the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate and the common electrode substrate;
A liquid crystal application step of applying a ferroelectric liquid crystal on the alignment film of the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate or the alignment film of the common electrode substrate;
Substrate bonding step of arranging and bonding the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate and the common electrode substrate so that the alignment films face each other after the liquid crystal coating step;
After the ferroelectric liquid crystal is heated to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits a nematic phase or an isotropic phase, different voltages are applied to the gate line extraction terminal and the source line extraction terminal of the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate, respectively. A liquid crystal alignment step of gradually cooling the ferroelectric liquid crystal while
A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display element, comprising: a step of cutting each thin film transistor substrate region of the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate after the liquid crystal alignment step. A multi-sided thin film transistor substrate preparation step for preparing the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate according to claim 2;
A common electrode substrate preparation step of preparing a common electrode substrate in which a common electrode is formed on the substrate;
An alignment film forming step of forming alignment films on opposing surfaces of the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate and the common electrode substrate;
A liquid crystal application step of applying a ferroelectric liquid crystal on the alignment film of the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate or the alignment film of the common electrode substrate;
Substrate bonding step of arranging and bonding the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate and the common electrode substrate so that the alignment films face each other after the liquid crystal coating step;
Insulating step of cutting and removing the connection portion of the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate to insulate the gate line and the source line;
After the insulating step, after the ferroelectric liquid crystal is heated to a temperature at which the ferroelectric liquid crystal exhibits a nematic phase or an isotropic phase, the gate line lead-out terminal and the source line of the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate A liquid crystal alignment step of gradually cooling the ferroelectric liquid crystal while applying different voltages to the extraction terminals;
A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display element, comprising: a step of cutting each thin film transistor substrate region of the multi-sided thin film transistor substrate after the liquid crystal alignment step.   In the liquid crystal alignment step, the gate electrode lead terminal of the multi-faced thin film transistor substrate and the common electrode of the common electrode substrate are connected to the gate line lead terminal and the source line lead terminal of the multi-face thin film transistor substrate, respectively. 6. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display element according to claim 4, wherein different voltages are applied.

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