JP2008281740A - Method of forming spacer and blanket substrate used for the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method of forming spacer, in which spacer beads are precisely placed at a low cost on an arbitrary pattern of a glass substrate or a film substrate on which the functional pattern is preliminarily formed, and to provide a blanket substrate used for the method of forming spacer. <P>SOLUTION: This invention relates to the method of forming spacer, in which spacer beads are placed on the substrate preliminarily provided with the functional pattern by using an inkjet method, wherein at first, a spacer-bead-containing solution is ejected in a pattern on a blanket substrate subjected to water-repellent surface treatment, according to the inkjet method, solvent is dried, the spacer beads are arranged, thereafter, the spacer beads on the blanket substrate are transferred to the substrate on which the functional pattern is formed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a spacer forming method in which spacer beads are efficiently provided at predetermined positions on a glass substrate or plastic film, on which a functional pattern is provided in advance.

  Liquid crystal display devices have been widely used for small electronic devices and television applications in recent years due to colorization and high definition. However, liquid crystal display devices are expected to be thinner, larger and cheaper in the future. .

  A panel member generally used for a color television or the like is a minute space (cell) formed by bonding a color filter base material provided with a transparent conductive electrode and a transparent base material provided with a pixel electrode such as a TFT. In addition, a liquid crystal material is sealed. The thickness of the sealed cell is regulated and maintained by a minute structure called a spacer provided on one substrate. Since the cell thickness is the thickness of the liquid crystal layer as it is, there is only a difference of about 0.1 μm in the cell thickness in a part of the panel. Cause unevenness of color and defects in color reproduction.

  In a conventional method for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, spacer beads and glass fiber pieces are randomly scattered on a substrate provided with pixel electrodes, and these spacers are also arranged on the pixel pattern. For this reason, problems such as poor alignment around the spacer, light leakage, and damage to the pixel electrode due to pressurization have been problems.

  Recently, a method of forming resin columns with high accuracy on a black matrix of a color filter by a photolithography method has been used for a large number of products. However, the spacer manufacturing method by the photolithography method has a problem that a manufacturing facility becomes large because it includes steps of film formation, exposure, development, and peeling. In addition, there is a problem that the manufacturing cost increases because the use efficiency of the photoresist is low. However, as the manufacturing equipment increases in size in the future, the uniformity of the coating becomes a problem that cannot be ignored, and the height of the resin column is made uniform. There is a problem that it becomes difficult to align.

  On the other hand, when using plastic spacer beads as a spacer, since the spacer beads are held in a compressed state of several percent, the space expands due to changes in the outside air temperature or constantly vibrates. The cell structure can be easily maintained by reconstructing the shape of the spacer beads even in the situation exposed to the above. For this reason, the use in the vehicle-mounted display with severe temperature environment, the liquid crystal display using the large sized panel and film base material which are easy to have a bending in a manufacturing process, etc. is reviewed.

  Therefore, an attempt has been made to arrange spacer beads on an arbitrary pattern on a base material using an ink jet method (see Patent Document 1).

  However, since 3 to 5 μm diameter beads used as spacers are included in the ink, a nozzle diameter of 30 μm or more must be used to ensure clogging and ejection position accuracy. For this reason, it is difficult to reduce the ink droplets ejected by the inkjet method.

If the nozzle diameter to be used is about 5 to 6 μm and the landing accuracy is 8 to 10 μm, if the nozzle diameter is increased to 30 μm, the landing accuracy is deteriorated to 20 μm or more. For this reason, it is possible to arrange spacer beads on pixels with a width of several tens to several hundreds μm provided in the color filter pattern, but selective on a black matrix having a line width of about 10 to 20 μm. Is difficult to place.

The known literature is described below.
JP-A-9-105946

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above technical background, and spacer beads are placed on a glass substrate or film substrate on which a functional pattern has been provided in advance at a low cost and with high accuracy. And a blanket substrate used therefor.

In order to achieve the above object in the present invention, first, the invention of claim 1 is a method for forming a spacer, in which spacer beads are placed on a substrate provided with a functional pattern in advance using an inkjet method,
First, a spacer bead-containing solution is pattern-discharged by an ink jet method on a blanket base material that has been subjected to a water-repellent surface treatment, and after the solvent is dried and the spacer beads are arranged, the spacer beads on the blanket base material are It is a method for forming a spacer, which is characterized by transferring onto a base material provided with a functional pattern.

  The invention according to claim 2 provides the spacer bead dispersion to the recess by providing a pattern having an uneven portion shallower than the diameter of the spacer bead used on the blanket base material subjected to the water-repellent surface treatment. 2. The spacer forming method according to claim 1, wherein the spacer beads are arranged by guiding.

  In the invention of claim 3, on the blanket base material surface on which the spacer beads are arranged, the pattern surface of the base material on which the functional pattern has already been provided is made parallel to each other using an observation device such as a camera. The alignment is performed based on an alignment mark provided in advance on a base material, and then both base materials are superposed, pressed, peeled off, and the spacer beads are transferred. 2. The method for forming a spacer according to 2.

  Further, the invention of claim 4 is characterized in that when the spacer beads arranged on the blanket substrate are transferred to the substrate already provided with the functional pattern, the transfer is performed via an adhesive layer. The method for forming a spacer according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

  Further, the invention of claim 5 is a printed pattern layer that is thinner than the spacer bead diameter on a transparent substrate as a blanket substrate subjected to the water-repellent surface treatment according to any one of claims 1 to 4. After providing, a blanket base material characterized by further laminating a silicone resin layer on the whole surface of the base material.

  Since the present invention has the above features, the following effects are obtained.

That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of installing spacer beads on a substrate already provided with a functional pattern using an ink jet method, and first a blanket substrate having a water-repellent surface treatment. Since the spacer beads are arranged in a pattern on the material and then transferred onto the target substrate, a high-definition pattern is provided without any special processing for properly arranging the spacer beads on the target substrate. It is possible to form a spacer in accordance with In addition, the spacer can be formed without questioning the base material to be transferred such as a glass base material or a film base material.

  According to the invention of claim 2, a pattern having a step is arranged in the range of the landing area of the spacer bead dispersion by the inkjet method on the water-repellent surface-treated blanket substrate. Thus, in the process of volatilization of the solvent, the spacer beads can be placed according to an arbitrary pattern by inducing self-alignment of the spacer beads at the center of the pattern.

  According to the invention of claim 3, an observation device such as a camera is provided by bringing the pattern surface of the base material already provided with the functional pattern close to parallel on the surface on which the spacer beads are arranged on the blanket base material. After aligning with the alignment mark provided on each substrate as a reference, the both substrates are overlapped, pressed, peeled, and the spacer beads are transferred to the substrate to be transferred. Thus, the spacer can be formed on the high-definition pattern with good reproducibility.

  Furthermore, according to the invention which concerns on Claim 4, when transferring the spacer bead arrange | positioned on the said blanket base material to the target base material, a spacer bead is transferred on the base material through an adhesive layer. It is possible to completely perform the process, and by strengthening the close contact with the substrate to be transferred, it is possible to prevent a spacer from being lost in a later process and to reduce defects due to deflection and vibration.

  Further, according to the invention according to claim 5, after providing the printing pattern layer thinner than the spacer bead diameter on the transparent substrate as the blanket substrate subjected to the water-repellent surface treatment, the entire substrate surface is further provided. By laminating a silicone resin layer, a blanket base material having a water-repellent surface treatment with irregularities on the surface can be obtained at low cost.

  Therefore, the present invention is a method for forming a spacer inexpensively and accurately on an arbitrary substrate pattern using a glass substrate or a film substrate that already has a functional pattern by using an inkjet method and a transfer method together. I can do it.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  The blanket substrate used in the present invention can be a substrate having water repellency on the surface and capable of giving an arbitrary uneven pattern on the surface, but molds the uneven surface of the mother mold with a silicone resin. It is preferable to use a replica-type blanket substrate 105 or a print pattern-type blanket substrate 113 in which a silicone thin film layer 112 is provided on a print pattern layer 111 provided in advance.

The replica blanket base material 105 is formed of a support base material 103, an anchor layer 104, and a silicone resin layer 102. (Fig. 1c)
On the other hand, the printing pattern type blanket substrate 113 is formed of the supporting substrate 103, the printing pattern layer 111, and the silicone thin film layer 112. (Fig. 1e)
The support base material 103 can be processed and used as a glass base material such as soda glass or non-alkali glass, or a base material such as plastic. For example, films and sheets of polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, polyether sulfone, cycloolefin polymer, polyimide, nylon, aramid, polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate, polyvinyl chloride, triacetyl cellulose, and the like can be used. Further, by using a light-transmitting substrate, alignment can be facilitated during pattern superposition.

  Moreover, it is preferable to provide an easy-adhesion layer in order to improve the adhesiveness with the silicone resin layer 102 and the printed pattern layer 111, or to perform UV treatment or corona treatment before processing.

  When a replica blanket substrate 105 made of silicone resin is used as the blanket substrate, an anchor layer 104 is preferably provided to improve the adhesion between the blanket support substrate 103 and the silicone resin layer 102.

  The anchor layer 104 has a thermosetting or ultraviolet curable acrylic resin, epoxy resin, melamine resin, a mixture of these resins with a silicone resin, a silane coupling agent, or the like on the silicone resin layer 102 provided on the outermost surface. Thus, a resin layer having higher adhesion to the base material can be provided on the blanket support base material 103 in advance as the anchor layer 104.

  The silicone resin layer 102 can be used as long as it can take a mold from a matrix, and a combination of a two-component diorganopolysiloxane with a trifunctional or higher functional silane as a crosslinking agent, or a siloxane and a curing catalyst. A room-temperature curing type that is commercially available for so-called mold making is preferable. There are a condensation polymerization type and an addition polymerization type, both of which can be used. For example, TSE-3504, TSE-350, TSE-3502, TSE-3508, TSE-12-A4001, TSE-3457, TSE-3477, TSE-3450, TSE-3453 manufactured by Momentive Performance Materials Japan A series of products such as TSE-3453T, XE-15-A1814, TSE-3450, TSE-3466, TSE-3402, YE-5626, etc., and KE10, KE12, KE17, KE20 KE111, KE112, KE113, KE24, KE26, KE1400, KE1402, KE1404, KE1300, KE1600, etc. can be used. Furthermore, in order to adjust hardness, you may mix the thing from which hardness differs. Further, when the matrix pattern is a fine pattern of several tens of μm, an addition polymerization type that does not generate a by-product during polymerization is preferable.

  As the matrix 101, spacer beads are used by forming a mask pattern on a surface of a low expansion glass such as alkali-free glass using a photosensitive resin, and then using an existing dry etching process, wet etching process, or sand blasting process. Depending on the diameter and installation density of 202, a plate having a plate depth of 2 to 5 μm can be used.

  Similarly, it is possible to use a pattern obtained by patterning a surface of a low-expansion glass such as an alkali-free glass with a photosensitive resin to provide a pattern having a thickness of 2 μm to 5 μm. The photosensitive material does not need to contain an inorganic component, and only needs to be strong enough to withstand mold making such as silicone rubber. Therefore, various photosensitive materials can be used. For example, a photosensitive material used for the three-dimensional stereolithography can be used. Moreover, a photosensitive film (dry film) can also be used.

  As a method for forming the silicone resin layer 102 on the matrix 101, a known coating method can be used depending on the viscosity of the ink and the drying property of the solvent. That is, for example, spin coating, dipping method, roll coating, gravure coating, reverse coating, air knife coating, comma coating, die coating, screen printing method, spray coating, gravure offset method and the like can be mentioned. Among them, a die coat, a cap coat, a roll coat, and an applicator can form a uniform ink liquid film with respect to an ink having a wide range of viscosity, and among them, a die coat is the most efficient and preferred forming method.

First, mold making silicone is applied on the mother die 101 (FIGS. 1a and b), and a support base provided with an anchor layer in advance is laminated, then heated if necessary, and left at room temperature to cure the mold taking silicone. Then, the support base material is peeled off from the matrix to obtain a replica blanket base material 105 having a concave pattern. (Fig. 1c)
On the other hand, a printing pattern type blanket base material 113 in which a silicone thin film layer 112 is provided on a printing pattern layer 111 provided in advance can also be used.

  For the printing pattern layer 111, an existing patterning method can be used, and a screen printing method, a gravure printing method, an intaglio printing method, and a reverse printing method can be used. It is preferable to use a so-called photolithography method using a conductive resin.

  The thickness of the printed pattern layer 111 is preferably 2 μm to 5 μm depending on the diameter and installation density of the spacer beads 202 to be used.

  For the silicone thin film layer 112 provided on the printed pattern layer 111, a release agent represented by silicone oil or silicone varnish may be used, or a thin silicone rubber may be provided. For the same purpose, fluorine-based resins and fluorine-based rubbers may be used, or the fluororesin fine powder may be mixed with silicone rubber or ordinary rubber to obtain releasability.

  Specific silicones include dimethylpolysiloxanes with various molecular weights, other methylhydropolysiloxanes, methylphenylsilicone oils, methylchlorinated phenylsilicone oils, or copolymers of these polysiloxanes with organic compounds. Can be used. Silicone rubber is a combination of two-component diorganopolysiloxane and a tri- or higher functional silane as a crosslinking agent, or a combination of siloxane and a curing catalyst, or one-component diorganopolysiloxane, acetone oxime, and various methoxys. Combinations of silane, methyltriacetoxysilane, and the like are used, and other polysiloxanes for adjusting rubber hardness are appropriately used.

  As a method of forming the silicone thin film layer 112 on the printed pattern layer 111 shown above, a known coating method can be used depending on the viscosity of the ink and the drying property of the solvent. That is, for example, spin coating, dipping method, roll coating, gravure coating, reverse coating, air knife coating, comma coating, die coating, screen printing method, spray coating, gravure offset method and the like can be mentioned. Among them, a die coat, a cap coat, a roll coat, and an applicator can form a uniform ink liquid film with respect to an ink having a wide range of viscosity, and among them, a die coat is the most efficient and preferred forming method.

Thus, after apply | coating the silicone thin film layer 112 on the printing pattern layer 111, it heat-processes in order to accelerate | stimulate hardening of the silicone thin film layer 112, and the printing pattern type | mold blanket base material 113 is obtained. (Fig. 1e)
As the spacer beads 202 used in the present invention, spherical particles having a particle diameter of 3 to 5 μm can be used alone or in combination of two or more.

The material of the spacer beads 202 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include resins, organic substances, inorganic substances, and compounds and mixtures thereof. The resin is not particularly limited. For example, polyethylene, polypropylene, polymethylpentene, polyvinyl chloride, polytetrafluoroethylene, polystyrene, polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene terephthalate, polybutylene terephthalate, polyamide, polyimide, polysulfone, polyphenylene oxide. Linear or cross-linked polymer such as polyacetal; epoxy resin, phenol resin, melamine resin, benzoguanamine resin, unsaturated polyester resin, divinylbenzene polymer, divinylbenzene-styrene copolymer, divinylbenzene-acrylate copolymer Examples thereof include resins having a crosslinked structure such as a polymer, diallyl phthalate polymer, and triallyl isocyanurate polymer. Moreover, silica etc. are mention | raise | lifted as an inorganic substance.

  The spacer beads 202 have a compressive elastic modulus (10% K value) of 2500 MPa to 13000 MPa in order to reduce cell thickness unevenness due to pressure during the liquid crystal cell forming process or to withstand the pressure applied in the transfer process. Those are preferred.

  The solid content concentration of the spacer beads 202 in the spacer bead dispersion 201 of the present invention is not particularly limited, but is preferably 0.2 to 3% of the total dispersion, for example.

  If the solid content concentration of the spacer beads 202 in the spacer bead dispersion 201 is less than 0.2%, the spacer beads 202 are not easily contained in the discharged droplets, and the spacer density on the color filter substrate is lowered. If it exceeds 3%, the spacer beads 202 are aggregated, the nozzles of the inkjet coating head 203 are clogged, and the content of the spacer beads 202 in the discharged droplets tends to be excessive. This is not preferable.

  As the water-soluble solvent used in the spacer bead dispersion 201 of the present invention, those having a boiling point of 150 ° C. or higher, preferably 180 ° C. or higher can be used alone or in combination.

  Examples of the water-soluble solvent used in the present invention include glycerin, ethylene glycol, diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, propylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, hexylene glycol, 1,4-butanediol, 1,5-pentanediol, 1,2 , 4-butanetriol, 2,2′-thiodiethanol, polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, and other high-boiling low-volatility polyhydric alcohols are used, and other N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone and 1,3-dimethylimidazo Add water-soluble solvent such as lydinone, monoethanolamine, N, N-dimethylethanolamine, N, N-diethylethanolamine, diethanolamine, Nn-butyldiethanolamine, triisopropanolamine, triethanolamine To it can be.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the addition amount of the water-soluble solvent whose boiling point is 150 degreeC or more in this invention is 50 to 90%. If the added amount is 50% or less, the volatility of the spacer bead dispersion 201 is increased and the ink stability is lowered. If it is 90% or more, the viscosity of the spacer bead dispersion 201 is increased, and the ink jet coating is performed. This is not preferable because it causes a discharge failure at the time.

  Also, if necessary, alcohols or surfactants are used for the purpose of controlling the wettability between the color filter substrate and the inkjet coating head 203 and the spacer bead dispersion 201, and one or more kinds are mixed. Can be used.

  As alcohols, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, i-propyl alcohol, etc. can be used, and as the surfactant, one kind of water-soluble anionic, cationic, amphoteric, nonionic surfactant is used. Or multiple types can be added.

  In the spacer bead dispersion 201 of the present invention, it is preferable that the spacer beads 202 are dispersed in a single particle form, and various additives such as an adhesive imparting agent, viscosity adjustment, etc., as long as the effect is not impaired. An agent, a pH adjuster, a surfactant, an antifoaming agent, an antioxidant, a heat stabilizer, a light stabilizer, an ultraviolet absorber, and a colorant may be added.

  In the present invention, the spacer beads 202 are arranged at predetermined positions by the ink jet coating method. Inkjet systems are classified into two systems, a continuous jet system and a drop-on-demand system, depending on the principle of ink droplet generation. In the present invention, any method can be preferably employed.

The continuous jet method is a method in which ink droplets are continuously generated and ink droplets are selected according to a recording signal to perform recording, and there are a Sweet type, a microdot type, a Herz type, an IRIS type, and the like. The drop-on-demand method is a method for ejecting ink droplets according to a recording signal, and includes a pressure pulse method, a thermal jet method, and an ERF method.
In any system, the nozzle diameter is preferably 20 to 60 μm in consideration of ink droplet discharge reproducibility, spacer bead diameter, and prevention of nozzle clogging by the spacer beads 202.

  As an ink jet device, a blanket base material is installed in addition to the ink jet coating head 203, and the X, Y, and θ axes are moved to adjust the discharge start position and inclination, and the blanket base material is moved in synchronization with the head discharge signal. It consists of a transport system consisting of a stage that can perform the operation, an observation system for observing the discharge position and discharge state, a supply system for spacer bead dispersions, etc., but spacers can be placed on any pattern placed on the blanket substrate. As long as the bead dispersion 201 can be discharged, there are no limitations on the method of moving the discharge position, the apparatus configuration, the mounting method of the inkjet coating head 203, and the number of heads to be mounted.

  The substrate to be transferred, which is the subject of the present invention, is used for arranging and providing spacer beads 202 and can be used for various display elements, touch switches, etc., but is particularly suitable for a liquid crystal display. This substrate is not particularly limited, and may be one generally used as a liquid crystal display such as a glass substrate or a film substrate.

  Usually, a liquid crystal display is formed by overlapping two substrates. For this reason, a spacer is usually formed or arranged on one substrate. And a liquid crystal display element is produced by superimposing on the other substrate. The base material for forming the spacer is preferably the color filter base material 204 having a light shielding pattern from the viewpoint of alignment. Further, according to the arrangement method of the spacer beads 202 according to the present invention, when the spacer beads 202 are provided on the transparent conductive film layer 207 before the alignment film is provided because of the process involving the contact of the blanket by transfer and the spacer beads 202 themselves. It is preferable to use it. Therefore, the process will be described below by taking as an example the case where a spacer is formed on the transparent conductive film layer 207 of the color filter substrate 204 using a film substrate as a transfer substrate.

  The arrangement of the spacer beads 202 on the color filter substrate 204 is also arranged on the light-shielding pattern (black matrix pattern layer 206) of the panel from the viewpoint of suppressing deterioration in display quality such as light leakage caused by the spacer beads 202. It is preferable to arrange the beads 202. Further, the particle density of the spacer beads 202 on the substrate is not particularly limited depending on the resolution of the black matrix pattern layer 206, but it is usually preferably 1000 to 20000 in a 1 cm square region.

  When the spacer bead dispersion 201 is landed in the vicinity of the concave pattern on the blanket substrate provided with the concave / convex pattern, the concave portion becomes a partition due to the surface tension of the solution, and almost remains in the concave portion. In addition, the spacer beads move in the droplet as the recess solvent is dried, but once entering the recess, the spacer beads do not diffuse to the outside, so that most spacer beads 202 are fixed to the recess pattern of the blanket substrate. .

The blanket base materials 105 and 113 on which the spacer beads 202 are arranged correspond to the transfer device 20.
1 to transfer the spacer beads 202 to the color filter substrate 204.

  The transfer device 201 includes an unwinding unit 211, a winding unit 212, a movable stage 216, a drying furnace 213, an alignment camera 214, and a pressure unit 215 for the color filter base material 204.

  The unwinding unit 211 and the winding unit 212 are each a cylinder having a mounter on which a core with a diameter of 3 inches to 30 inches can be mounted in order to install or wind the original fabric of the color filter base material 204 supplied by a winding roll. And a motor for controlling the rotation and tension to convey the substrate. The original film width to be mounted can be selected from 100 mm to 1000 mm, but the width of 300 mm is selected in consideration of the practicality of the pattern and the transfer position accuracy.

  Further, the tension of the color filter base material 204 can be adjusted by holding the base material by installing a nip portion in the transport system in addition to these devices. As the nip portion, an adsorption nip formed mainly by air adsorption holes provided in the transport roll is used.

  The movable stage 216 can be driven by a ball screw, a linear motor, or the like, and can be made of metal, stone, etc., but moves up and down while maintaining at least the horizontal direction. In addition, the blanket substrate can be adsorbed. In order to prevent unevenness of the surface due to adsorption, a method of providing adsorption holes only near the edge of the film or a method of using an adsorption surface using a porous material can be selected.

  The drying furnace 213 further hardens the adhesive pattern layer 301 and the adhesive layer 302 in order to prevent the spacer beads 202 transferred onto the color filter base material 204 from being peeled off during transportation, winding, and application of the alignment film. Therefore, a drying device such as a hot plate, an oven, hot air, reduced-pressure drying, or ultraviolet irradiation may be provided.

  The alignment camera 214 is provided to align the black matrix pattern layer 206 provided on the color filter base material 204 with the blanket base material on which spacer beads are arranged. After the black matrix pattern layer 206 on the color filter substrate 204 is brought close to 100 to 250 μm on the blanket substrate adsorbed on the movable stage 216, a part of the pattern obtained on the color filter substrate 204 The alignment mark pattern and the pattern on the blanket substrate can be recognized as a transmission image, and the movable stage 216 can be operated based on the image in which each substrate pattern is recognized to correct the transfer position.

  The alignment camera 214 may be either an optical microscope or a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) microscope, but requires an autofocus function, an electrically controllable manual focus control mechanism, or both. It is possible to have an interface with an external monitor for observation or an image processing apparatus for position correction.

  In addition, a method can be selected in which a microscope camera is inserted between the color filter base material 204 and the blanket base material, and the position is corrected based on an image in which the pattern on each base material is recognized.

  The pressure unit 215 is provided with a metal roller or a rubber roller on the movable stage 216.

A roller is pressed from the blanket base material fixed to the movable stage and the color filter base material 204 installed with a slight gap, and printing pressure is applied while rotating the roller as the movable stage 216 moves. Next, the spacer beads 202 can be transferred onto the color filter substrate 204 by peeling the color filter substrate 204 from the blanket substrate.

  Even if the spacer beads 202 fixed on the concave pattern of the blanket base material are transferred as they are, the adhesion to the transparent conductive film layer 207 on the color filter base material 204 is weak and difficult to transfer. Even if the transfer can be performed by the fixing force of 202, there is a possibility that the film will be peeled off during the subsequent transport or alignment film application.

  Therefore, it is necessary to bond the spacer beads 202 and the color filter base material 204 through an adhesive component.

  As a method for transferring spacer beads via an adhesive component, a method in which an adhesive pattern layer 301 is provided on a color filter substrate 204 in advance (FIG. 3a), or a spacer bead used for ink-jet coating. A method of adding a curable resin to the dispersion 201 (FIG. 3b) and a method of ejecting the adhesive ink droplets 303 by inkjet again onto the spacer beads 202 fixed to the blanket substrate (FIG. 3c) can be considered.

  Method for Providing Adhesive Pattern Layer 301 on Color Filter Substrate 204 In advance The adhesive pattern layer 301 used in FIG. 3a) is made of a curable resin, and is known as a photo-curing as a resin column component for spacers for liquid crystal display devices. A thermosetting resin or a thermosetting resin can be used. For example, an epoxy resin, a polystyrene resin, a melamine resin, a phenol resin, an acrylic resin, an unsaturated polyester resin, and a polyurethane resin can be used. If necessary, a curing agent and a crosslinking agent are mixed and cured.

  In addition, the curable resin can be used by dissolving in a solvent as necessary at the time of patterning. For example, methyl alcohol, ethyl alcohol, n-propyl alcohol, isopropyl alcohol, methoxy alcohol, ethoxy alcohol, methoxyethoxyethanol, ethoxyethoxyethanol, ethyl acetate, butyl acetate, methyl methoxypropionate, ethyl ethoxypropionate, ethyl lactate, acetone , Methyl isobutyl ketone, cyclohexanone, methoxyethyl acetate, ethoxyethyl acetate, ethyl cellosolve acetate, methoxyethoxyethyl acetate, ethoxyethoxyethyl acetate, diethyl ether, ethylene glycol dimethyl ether, diethylene glycol dimethyl ether, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, tetrahydrofuran, N, N -Dimethylformua De, N, N- dimethylacetamide, N- methylpyrrolidone, .gamma.-butyrolactone, benzene, toluene, xylene, n- hexane, n- heptane, can be n- octane exemplified.

  The adhesive pattern layer 301 is provided on the black matrix pattern 206 on the color filter substrate 204. As a patterning method, an existing patterning method can be used, and a screen printing method, a gravure printing method, an intaglio printing method, A reverse printing ink jet method can be used.

  In the method of adding the curable resin to the spacer bead dispersion 201 (FIG. 3b), the curable resin added in advance is coated on the surface of the spacer beads together with the drying of the solvent, so that adhesion is exhibited. Then, transfer of the spacer beads 202 and subsequent fixation of the spacer beads 202 are performed.

Examples of the curable resin to be added include polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polyethylacrylate, styrene-butadiene copolymer, butadiene copolymer, acrylonitrile-butadiene copolymer, chloroprene copolymer, Cross-linked acrylic resin, cross-linked styrene resin, fluororesin, vinylidene fluoride, benzoguanamine resin, phenol resin, polyolefin resin, cellulose, styrene-acrylate copolymer, styrene-methacrylate copolymer, polystyrene, styrene-acrylamide Copolymer, n-isobutyl acrylate, acrylonitrile, vinyl acetate, acrylamide, silicone resin, polyvinyl acetal, polyamide, rosin resin, polyethylene, polycarbonate, vinyl chloride Resin, polyvinyl alcohol, cellulose resin, epoxy resin, vinyl acetate resin, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, vinyl acetate-acrylic copolymer, vinyl chloride resin, polyurethane, etc. is not. Those obtained by adding a reactive site such as an acryl group, a carboxyl group, or an isocyanate group to these water-dispersed emulsion polymers, and those obtained by adding a crosslinking agent, a photoinitiator or the like to these as necessary can be used.

  Moreover, it is also possible to provide the adhesive layer 302 on the surface of the spacer beads 202 by discharging these water-dispersed emulsions along the pattern of the spacer beads 202 arranged on the blanket substrate using an ink jet method. .

  In that case, a more accurate head having a smaller nozzle diameter can be used than the inkjet coating head 203 used when applying the spacer bead dispersion.

  After transferring the spacer beads 202 arranged on the blanket substrate by the above-described method for imparting adhesiveness for transferring the spacer beads 202 to the transfer substrate, the transfer substrate is conveyed to the drying path 213. Then, the spacer beads 202 are immobilized on the substrate to be transferred by heating and drying.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these examples.

  A replica plate made of silicone resin was used as a blanket substrate. As a replica matrix, a photolithographic method is used on a 300 mm glass substrate (pattern effective area is 150 mm, convex 25 μm wide, concave 125 μm wide stripe pattern, and alignment marks are provided inside and outside the pattern effective width. The product produced was used.

  A two-part silicone resin (Momentive Performance Materials Japan, TSE-3450 (A), (B)) mixed and degassed under reduced pressure is used as a matrix It is coated on top, and an anchor agent (made by Momentive Performance Materials Japan Co., XP81-A6361) is put on a PET base material in advance with a support base provided with a film thickness of 0.5μm, and then laminated at room temperature. In the state where the silicone resin layer was stretched to a uniform film thickness, the silicone resin layer was cured by holding for 2 days.

  The cured silicone resin layer was peeled from the matrix together with the film base material to obtain a blanket base material having a continuous stripe pattern having a pattern effective area of 150 mm, a convex portion width of 125 μm, and a concave portion width of 25 μm.

Next, while stirring a water-dispersible urethane acrylate emulsion having a reactivity (Arakawa Chemical, EM-90, solid content 40%), a photoinitiator (Ciba Specialty Chemical, Darocur 4265) was added at a solid content ratio of 5 % Was added little by little to prepare a photocurable emulsion polymer solution. Next, spacer beads (Hayakawa Rubber, Haya beads L-11
S, particle diameter 5 μm), the photocurable emulsion polymer liquid, a mixed solvent of ethylene glycol / butyl cellosolve / water = 65/5/30 (weight ratio), spacer beads / polymer liquid / mixed solvent = 0.3. /5/94.7 (weight ratio) was mixed and ultrasonically dispersed, and filtered through a stainless mesh having an aperture of 10 μm to obtain a spacer bead dispersion of Example 1. The viscosity of the obtained spacer bead dispersion was 11.0 mPa · s (23 ° C.). This spacer dispersion was discharged in accordance with the stripe pattern (concave portion) provided on the blanket substrate using an inkjet printing apparatus with an observation system equipped with a piezo inkjet head. The blanket base material was dried in an oven at 60 ° C. for 1 minute, and then fixed to the movable stage of the transfer device by air suction.

As a substrate to be transferred, a film-like color filter having a striped light-shielding pattern similar to that of the matrix was superimposed on a PET substrate, and fine adjustment of the position with a movable stage was performed while observing with an alignment camera. Furthermore, the spacer beads were brought into close contact with the film-like color filter substrate, which is the transfer substrate, by pressurization (0.3 MPa / cm 2) with a transfer roller.
After moving the movable stage and peeling off the substrate to be transferred, it is dried at 100 ° C for 2 minutes, and further irradiated with ultraviolet rays to fix the spacer beads to the substrate and form a spacer on the film-like color filter. did.

A printed pattern blanket substrate was prepared and used as the blanket substrate.
First, 100 parts by weight of an acrylate resin (manufactured by Daicel Chemical Industries, Ltd .: trade name “Cyclomer P-ACA200M”) as an alkali-soluble resin, and dipentaerythritol hexaacrylate (Toagosei Co., Ltd.) as a photopolymerizable monomer Company: Trade name: M400) 30 parts by weight, Irgacure 369 (manufactured by Ciba Special Chemicals) as a photopolymerization initiator, 6 parts by weight, and 300 parts by weight of propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate as a diluent solvent are diluted by stirring. Thus, a negative resist composition was prepared.

  A 300 mm, 0.7 mm thick glass was uniformly coated to a thickness of 2.5 μm by spin coating, and dried under reduced pressure. Thereafter, exposure and development are performed using a continuous stripe pattern having a pattern effective area of 150 mm, an opening of 25 μm width, and a light shielding portion of 125 μm width, and a mask having an opening of an alignment mark inside and outside the pattern effective width, at 210 ° C. for 1 hr. A pattern was obtained on the glass substrate by curing in the environment.

  Two-part silicone resin for peeling (Momentive Performance Materials Japan, TPR-6712, CM630 hardener 1%, diluted 4-fold with toluene) is mixed, and the thickness is also 1 μm by spin coating. It laminated | stacked on the glass pattern and the printing pattern type | mold blanket base material was obtained by hardening a silicone thin film layer by 200 degreeC and 20 minutes.

  After that, the spacer bead dispersion liquid is discharged onto the blanket in the same manner as in Example 1, the spacer beads are placed on the blanket substrate, and then the spacer beads are transferred to a predetermined position on the film-like color filter substrate. Then, spacer formation was performed.

  It can be used for applications such as various display elements and touch switches for forming spacers on a fine pattern to obtain a minute space, but it is especially used for forming spacers for liquid crystal displays using glass substrates and film substrates. Is possible.

Schematic which shows the manufacturing process of the blanket base material in this invention. Schematic which shows the installation process of the spacer bead in this invention. Schematic which shows the transcription | transfer process of the spacer bead using the contact bonding layer in this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 ... Master mold 102 ... Silicone resin layer 103 ... Blanket support base material 104 ... Anchor layer 105 ... Silicone replica type blanket base material 111 ... Print pattern layer 112 ... Silicone thin film layer 113 ... Print pattern type blanket base material 201 ... Spacer bead dispersion Liquid 202 ... Spacer beads 203 ... Inkjet coating head 204 ... Color filter substrate 205 ... Color filter pattern layer 206 ... Black matrix pattern layer 207 ... Transparent conductive film layer 210 ... Transfer device 211 ... Unwinding part 212 ... Winding part 213 ... Drying furnace 214 ... Alignment camera 215 ... Pressure unit 216 ... Moving stage 301 ... Adhesive pattern layer 302 ... Adhesive layer 303 ... Adhesive ink droplets

Claims (5)

A method of forming a spacer by using an inkjet method to place spacer beads on a substrate provided with a functional pattern in advance,
First, a spacer bead-containing solution is pattern-discharged by an ink jet method on a blanket base material that has been subjected to a water-repellent surface treatment, and after the solvent is dried and the spacer beads are arranged, the spacer beads on the blanket base material are A method for forming a spacer, which comprises transferring onto a substrate provided with a functional pattern.   On the blanket base material subjected to the water repellent surface treatment, by providing a pattern having an uneven portion shallower than the diameter of the spacer beads to be used, the spacer bead dispersion is guided to the recesses, and the spacer beads are arranged. The method for forming a spacer according to claim 1, wherein the method is performed.   On the blanket substrate surface on which the spacer beads are arranged, the pattern surface of the substrate on which the functional pattern has already been provided is brought close to the parallel, and the alignment is provided in advance on each substrate using an observation device such as a camera. 3. The method for forming a spacer according to claim 1 or 2, wherein after aligning with the mark as a reference, both substrates are superposed and pressed, then peeled off, and the spacer beads are transferred.   4. When transferring the spacer beads arranged on the blanket substrate to a substrate already provided with the functional pattern, transfer is performed through an adhesive layer. A method for forming a spacer according to claim 1.   5. The blanket base material subjected to the water-repellent surface treatment according to claim 1, wherein a printed pattern layer that is thinner than the spacer bead diameter is provided on a transparent base material, and then the whole surface of the base material. A blanket substrate characterized by laminating a silicone resin layer.