JP2009014952A - Method for manufacturing color filter, color filter, image display device and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a color filter, which can be stably and suitably used for manufacturing of a color filter excellent in uniformity of characteristics between individuals while suppressing color shading and uneven density in each part. <P>SOLUTION: The method for manufacturing a color filter by an ink jet system using an ink containing a pigment, a dispersant and a dispersing medium to which the pigment is dispersed comprises substrate preparation step of preparing a substrate; ink application step of applying the ink onto the substrate; decompression step of laying the substrate in a reduced pressure atmosphere; and heating step of heating the substrate to remove the dispersant from the ink, thereby forming a colored part. The dispersant includes a dispersion activating liquid having a saturated vapor pressure at 25°C of 200 Pa or more at a content of 2.0 wt.%, and has a saturated vapor pressure at 25°C of 100 Pa or less. The decompression step includes performing light decompression processing for 20 seconds or more in an atmosphere with an atmospheric pressure 1-50 times the saturated vapor pressure at 25°C of the dispersion accelerating liquid. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a color filter manufacturing method, a color filter, an image display device, and an electronic apparatus.

A color filter is generally used for a liquid crystal display (LCD) or the like that performs color display.
A color filter has conventionally formed a coating film composed of a material (colored layer forming composition) containing a colorant, a photosensitive resin, a functional monomer, a polymerization initiator, etc. on a substrate, and then a photomask. It has been manufactured by using a so-called photolithography method in which a photosensitive process, a developing process, and the like are performed. In such a method, the colors are usually overlapped by repeating the operation of forming a coating film corresponding to each color on almost the entire surface of the substrate, curing only a part thereof, and removing most of the other part. Manufacture color filters so that they do not match. For this reason, only a part of the coating film formed in the production of the color filter remains as a colored layer in the finally obtained color filter, and most of it is removed in the production process. Become. For this reason, not only the manufacturing cost of a color filter rises but it is not preferable also from a viewpoint of resource saving.

  On the other hand, in recent years, a method of forming a colored layer of a color filter using an ink jet head (droplet discharge head) has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Such a method can easily control the discharge position of the droplets of the colored layer forming material (colored layer forming composition) and can reduce waste of the colored layer forming composition. The manufacturing cost can also be suppressed.

  By the way, in the manufacturing method of the color filter using an inkjet head, the ink for color filters which disperse | distributed the pigment in the dispersion medium is discharged as a droplet. However, in such a method using droplet ejection, the accuracy of the droplet ejection amount and landing position of the color filter ink tends to be unstable. Further, after the ejection, the dispersion medium of the color filter ink is removed by heating in order to form a colored layer. However, the method of removing the dispersion medium by heating has a problem that bubbles are generated in the color filter ink and a colored layer is formed in a state where the bubbles remain in the color filter ink. As described above, when the accuracy of the droplet discharge amount and the landing position becomes unstable or air bubbles are present in the colored layer, coloring between a plurality of colored portions that are originally required to have the same coloring density is performed. Variations in density occur, resulting in color unevenness and density unevenness in each part of the color filter, and characteristics among many color filters (especially contrast ratio, color gamut, etc.) Color characteristics), and the reliability of the color filter is low.

JP 2002-372613 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a color filter that can be stably and suitably used for the production of a color filter that suppresses color unevenness and density unevenness at each site and has excellent property uniformity among individuals. Providing a color filter that suppresses color unevenness and density unevenness in each part and has excellent uniformity of characteristics among individuals, and also provides an image display device and an electronic device provided with the color filter. It is to provide.

Such an object is achieved by the present invention described below.
The method for producing a color filter of the present invention is a method for producing a color filter by an ink jet method using a color filter ink containing a pigment, a dispersant, and a dispersion medium for dispersing the pigment,
A substrate preparation process for preparing a substrate;
An ink application step of ejecting the color filter ink as droplets and applying the color filter ink on the substrate;
A decompression step of placing the substrate in a decompressed atmosphere;
A heating step of heating the substrate to remove the dispersion medium from the color filter ink and forming a solid colored portion,
The dispersion medium contains a dispersion promoting liquid having a saturation vapor pressure at 25 ° C. of 200 Pa or more in a content of 2.0 wt% or more, and a saturation vapor pressure at 25 ° C. of 100 Pa or less.
The depressurizing step includes a reduced pressure treatment for depressurizing for 20 seconds or more in an atmosphere of 1 to 50 times the saturated vapor pressure at 25 ° C. of the dispersion promoting liquid.
Thus, the object of the present invention is to provide a color filter that can be stably and suitably used for the production of a color filter that suppresses uneven color and uneven density at each site and has excellent uniformity of characteristics among individuals. A manufacturing method can be provided.

In the method for producing a color filter of the present invention, when the content of the dispersion accelerating liquid in the dispersion medium is X [wt%], and the time of the reduced pressure treatment in the pressure reducing step is Y [seconds], 10 ≦ Y It is preferable that the relationship / X is satisfied.
As a result, it is possible to more effectively suppress color unevenness, density unevenness and the like in each part of the manufactured color filter, and to make the uniformity of characteristics among individuals particularly excellent.

In the method for producing a color filter of the present invention, the dispersion promoting liquid is propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether. , Cyclohexanone, ethyl lactate, methyl isobutyl ketone, and one or more selected from the group consisting of butyl acetate are preferable.
As a result, the ink droplet ejection stability during droplet ejection can be improved, and color unevenness, density unevenness, etc. at each part of the manufactured color filter can be more effectively suppressed. And uniformity of characteristics among individuals can be made particularly excellent.

In the method for producing a color filter of the present invention, the dispersion medium includes 1,3-butylene glycol diacetate, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate, 2- (2-methoxy-1-methylethoxy) -1 in addition to the dispersion promoting liquid. -It is preferable that 1 type, or 2 or more types selected from the group which consists of methyl ethyl acetate and bis (2-butoxyethyl) ether are included.
As a result, it is possible to more effectively suppress color unevenness, density unevenness and the like in each part of the manufactured color filter, and to make the uniformity of characteristics among individuals particularly excellent.

In the method for producing a color filter of the present invention, the heating step is preferably performed under atmospheric pressure.
Thereby, when the substrate is heated, it is possible to reliably prevent bubbles from being generated from the dispersion medium of the color filter ink and remaining in the formed colored portion.
In the manufacturing method of the color filter of this invention, it is preferable that the said heating process heats the said board | substrate at 60-280 degreeC.
Thereby, it is possible to reliably remove the dispersion medium from the color filter ink while reliably preventing the substrate and the color filter ink from being deteriorated by the heat of the solid content. In addition, when the color filter ink contains a resin material, a crosslinking component, and the like, these components react efficiently and the resin material can be cured.

The color filter of the present invention is manufactured by the method for manufacturing a color filter of the present invention.
As a result, it is possible to provide a color filter that suppresses color unevenness, density unevenness, and the like at each part and is excellent in uniformity of characteristics among individuals.
An image display device according to the present invention includes the color filter according to the present invention.
Accordingly, it is possible to provide an image display device that suppresses uneven color, uneven density, and the like in each part of the display unit and is excellent in uniformity of characteristics among individuals.

The image display device of the present invention is preferably a liquid crystal panel.
Accordingly, it is possible to provide an image display device that suppresses uneven color, uneven density, and the like in each part of the display unit and is excellent in uniformity of characteristics among individuals.
An electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the image display device according to the present invention.
As a result, color unevenness, density unevenness, and the like in each part of the display unit are suppressed, and an electronic device having excellent uniformity of characteristics among individuals can be provided.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail.
The method for producing a color filter of the present invention is a method for producing a color filter by an ink jet method, and a color filter ink is ejected onto a substrate by a droplet ejection device to obtain a color filter.
By the way, in the manufacturing method of the color filter using an inkjet head, generally the ink for color filters which disperse | distributed the pigment in the dispersion medium is discharged as a droplet. However, in such a method by ejecting droplets, the color filter ink tends to fluctuate in the ejection amount and landing position of the ejected droplets at the time of ejection, and the ejection port of the droplet ejection head is clogged. It was easy to happen. That is, the discharge stability of the color filter ink was inferior. Further, after the ejection, the dispersion medium of the color filter ink is removed by heating in order to form a colored layer. However, the method of removing the dispersion medium by heating has a problem that bubbles are generated in the color filter ink and a colored layer is formed in a state where the bubbles remain in the color filter ink. As described above, when the accuracy of the droplet discharge amount and the landing position becomes unstable or air bubbles are present in the colored layer, coloring between a plurality of colored portions that are originally required to have the same coloring density is performed. Variations in density occur, resulting in color unevenness and density unevenness in each part of the color filter, and characteristics among many color filters (especially contrast ratio, color gamut, etc.) Color characteristics), and the reliability of the color filter is low.

As a result of intensive studies, the inventors have arrived at the present invention. That is, a color filter ink containing a predetermined dispersion promoting liquid excellent in pigment dispersibility was used, and the droplet ejection stability was excellent. Further, by performing a decompression process (decompression process) that satisfies a predetermined condition before the dispersion medium removal process (heating process) by heating, bubbles are generated when the colored part is formed, and bubbles in the colored part are formed. The existence of was reduced. As described above, the characteristics at each colored portion can be made uniform, and the color unevenness and density unevenness at each part can be suppressed, and stable production of a color filter having excellent property uniformity among individuals can be performed. be able to.
First, prior to the description of the color filter manufacturing method, a color filter ink set including the color filter ink and the color filter ink used in the color filter manufacturing method of the present invention will be described.

《Color filter ink》
The color filter ink of the present embodiment is an ink used for manufacturing a color filter (forming a colored portion of a color filter), and particularly used for manufacturing a color filter by an inkjet method.
The color filter ink (ink) includes a pigment, a dispersion medium in which the pigment is dispersed, a resin material, and the like.

<Pigment>
A color filter usually has different colored portions (generally, three colors corresponding to RGB). The pigment is usually selected according to the color tone of the colored part to be formed.
In the present embodiment, the color filter ink is used for forming a colored portion and contains a pigment. When a pigment is included in the color filter ink, the obtained color filter has a sufficiently high color density while widening the color reproduction range. In addition, for color filters that are irradiated with light for a long time, each material constituting the color filter is required to have resistance to light and heat, but pigments have excellent resistance to light and heat. It satisfies the requirements sufficiently.

  Although it does not specifically limit as a pigment which can be used for the ink for color filters, For example, C.I. I. Pigment Red 2,3,5,17,22,23,38, 48: 1, 48: 2, 48: 3, 48: 4, 49: 1, 52: 1, 53: 1, 57: 1, 63: 1, 81, 101, 102, 105, 106, 108, 108: 1, 112, 122, 144, 146, 149, 166, 170, 176, 177, 178, 179, 185, 202, 207, 209, 254, C. I. Pigment Green 7, 15, 17, 18, 19, 26, 36, 50, C.I. I. Pigment Blue 1,15,15: 1,15: 2,15: 3,15: 4,15: 6, 17: 1,18,27,28,29,35,36,60,80, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 1, 3, 12, 13, 14, 17, 34, 35, 35: 1, 37, 37: 1, 42, 43, 53, 55, 73, 74, 81, 83, 93, 94, 95, 97, 108, 109, 110, 129, 138, 139, 150, 151, 153, 154, 157, 168, 184, 185, C.I. I. Pigment violet 1, 3, 19, 23, 50, 14, 16, C.I. I. Pigment orange 5, 13, 16, 20, 20: 1, 36, 43, 104, C.I. I. Pigment Brown 7, 11, 25, 33, various metal derivatives, phthalocyanine compounds, and the like, and one or more components selected from these can be used in combination.

  The average particle diameter of the pigment in the color filter ink is preferably 20 to 200 nm, and more preferably 30 to 180 nm. As a result, the color filter manufactured using the color filter ink is sufficiently excellent in light resistance, while the dispersion stability of the pigment in the color filter ink and the color developability and depolarization in the color filter are improved. It can be made particularly excellent.

The pigment content in the color filter ink is preferably 2 to 20 wt%, and more preferably 3 to 15 wt%. When the pigment content is within the above range, a higher color density can be secured in a color filter produced using the color filter ink, and the pigment can be used for clearer image display.
In addition, as the pigment, a powder made of the above-described material may be used, for example, after surface treatment such as lyophilic treatment (treatment for improving affinity to a dispersion medium described in detail later). Good. Thereby, for example, the dispersibility and dispersion stability of the pigment particles in the color filter ink can be made particularly excellent. As a result, in the droplet discharge device, it is possible to reliably prevent the pigments from aggregating to generate aggregates. Examples of the surface treatment for the pigment include a treatment for modifying the pigment particle surface with a polymer. Examples of the polymer that modifies the particle surface of the pigment include the polymers described in JP-A-8-259876 and various commercially available polymers or oligomers for dispersing pigments.

<Dispersion medium>
The dispersion medium has a function of dispersing the pigment as described above. In general, most of the dispersion medium is removed in the process of manufacturing the color filter. The dispersion medium includes a dispersion promoting liquid that improves the dispersion stability of the pigment in the dispersion medium as described above, and a liquid (main dispersion medium) that constitutes the main component of the dispersion medium and prevents volatilization of the dispersion medium. Is included.

  As the dispersion medium constituting the color filter ink, for example, an ester compound, an ether compound, a hydroxyketone, a carbonic acid diester, a cyclic amide compound, or the like can be used. Among them, (1) a polyhydric alcohol (for example, ethylene glycol, Ethers (polyhydric alcohol ethers) as condensates of propylene glycol, butylene glycol, glycerin, etc.), polyhydric alcohols or alkyl ethers of polyhydric alcohol ethers (eg, methyl ether, ethyl ether, butyl ether, hexyl ether, etc.), Esters (eg, formate, acetate, propionate, etc.), (2) esters of polyvalent carboxylic acids (eg, succinic acid, glutaric acid, etc.) (eg, methyl esters), (3) at least one hydroxyl group in the molecule Small Ether compounds (hydroxy acid) having a Kutomo one carboxyl group, ester, (4) a polyhydric alcohol and a carbonic acid diester having a chemical structure as obtained in the reaction with phosgene is preferred. Examples of the compound that can be used as the dispersion medium include 2- (2-methoxy-1-methylethoxy) -1-methylethyl acetate, triethylene glycol dimethyl ether, triethylene glycol diacetate, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, 4 -Methyl-1,3-dioxolan-2-one, bis (2-butoxyethyl) ether, dimethyl glutarate, ethylene glycol di-n-butylate, 1,3-butylene glycol diacetate, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate, tetraethylene glycol Dimethyl ether, 1,6-diacetoxyhexane, tripropylene glycol monomethyl ether, butoxypropanol, dipropylene glycol dimethyl ether, diethylene glycol Cole dimethyl ether, ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate, diethylene glycol ethyl methyl ether, 3-methoxybutyl acetate, diethylene glycol diethyl ether, ethyl octoate, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate, cyclohexyl acetate, diethyl succinate, ethylene glycol diacetate, propylene glycol di Acetate, 4-hydroxy-4-methyl-2-pentanone, dimethyl succinate, 1-butoxy-2-propanol, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl ether, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether, 3-methoxy-n-butyl acetate, Diacetin, dipropylene glycol n-propyl ether, polyethylene glycol Monomethyl ether, butyl glycolate, ethylene glycol monohexyl ether, dipropylene glycol n-butyl ether, N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, triethylene glycol butyl methyl ether, bis (2-propoxyethyl) ether, diethylene glycol diacetate, diethylene glycol butyl Methyl ether, diethylene glycol butyl ethyl ether, diethylene glycol butyl propyl ether, diethylene glycol ethyl propyl ether, diethylene glycol methyl propyl ether, diethylene glycol propyl ether acetate, triethylene glycol methyl ether acetate, triethylene glycol ethyl ether acetate, triethylene glycol propyl ether ether Cetate, triethylene glycol butyl ether acetate, triethylene glycol butyl ethyl ether, triethylene glycol ethyl methyl ether, triethylene glycol ethyl propyl ether, triethylene glycol methyl propyl ether, dipropylene glycol methyl ether acetate, n-nonyl alcohol, diethylene glycol mono Butyl ether, triethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol 2-ethylhexyl ether, triethylene glycol monoethyl ether, diethylene glycol monohexyl ether, triethylene glycol monobutyl ether, diethylene glycol mono-2-ethylhexyl ether, tripropylene glycol n-butyl ether, propylene Glycol monomethyl ether acetate, diacetone alcohol, 3-methoxy-1-butyl acetate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, cyclohexanone, Examples thereof include ethyl lactate, methyl isobutyl ketone, butyl acetate and the like, and two or more selected from these can be used in combination.

  The dispersion medium constituting the color filter ink contains a dispersion promoting liquid having a saturated vapor pressure at 25 ° C. of 200 Pa or more. Thereby, the pigment can be stably dispersed in the dispersion medium. As a result, it is possible to improve the ejection stability of the ink droplets during droplet ejection. That is, the accuracy of the droplet discharge amount and the landing position during droplet discharge can be made uniform, and problems such as clogging of the discharge port of the droplet discharge head can be prevented. This is considered as follows. Such a dispersion promoting liquid greatly contributes to the solubility of the dispersant in the color filter ink, and is a component that can suitably dissolve the dispersant. For this reason, the dispersion medium containing the dispersion promoting liquid has high affinity with the dispersant attached to the surface of the pigment, and as a result, the pigment attached with the dispersant can be stably dispersed in the dispersion medium. It is thought that it became. On the other hand, when such a dispersion promoting liquid is not included, the pigment cannot be stably dispersed in the dispersion medium. That is, the affinity between the dispersant and the dispersion medium is low, and the dispersibility of the pigment to which the dispersant is attached to the dispersion medium is poor. As a result, the ejection stability of ink droplets during droplet ejection is poor.

  The content of the dispersion promoting liquid in the dispersion medium is 2.0 wt% or more. Thereby, the affinity between the dispersion medium and the dispersant can be made sufficiently high, and the pigment can be suitably dispersed in the dispersion medium. On the other hand, if the content of the dispersion promoting liquid in the dispersion medium is less than the lower limit, the affinity between the dispersant and the dispersion medium cannot be sufficiently high, and the pigment is preferably contained in the dispersion medium. Cannot be dispersed. Further, the content of the dispersion promoting liquid in the dispersion medium may be as described above, but is preferably 2.0 to 20.0 wt%, more preferably 3.0 to 11.0 wt%. Preferably, the discharge stability of the droplets during droplet discharge can be made particularly excellent while the pigment is particularly preferably dispersed in the dispersion medium.

  The liquid that can be used as the dispersion promoting liquid is not particularly limited as long as the saturated vapor pressure at 25 ° C. is 200 Pa or higher, and the liquid having the saturated vapor pressure at 25 ° C. of 200 Pa or higher is used among the liquids described above. Propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, cyclohexanone, ethyl lactate, methyl isobutyl ketone and It is preferable that 1 type (s) or 2 or more types selected from the group which consists of butyl acetate are included. Thereby, the dispersibility of the pigment in a dispersion medium can be made especially high. In addition, when a resin material to be described later is included, the solubility of the resin material in the dispersion medium can be made particularly high, and the resin material is deposited at the discharge port of the droplet discharge head, causing clogging. Can be reliably prevented.

  In the present specification, when the dispersion medium contains a plurality of components having a saturated vapor pressure of 200 Pa or more at 25 ° C., the dispersion promoting liquid refers to a mixture of the plurality of components, and the dispersion promoting liquid. The saturated vapor pressure at 25 ° C. can be calculated, for example, based on the saturated vapor pressure and content of each component according to Raoul's law.

Further, the dispersion medium constituting the color filter ink includes a liquid (main dispersion medium) that constitutes the main component of the dispersion medium and prevents volatilization of the dispersion medium in addition to the dispersion promoting liquid as described above.
Such a liquid is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include the liquids described above. Among them, 1,3-butylene glycol diacetate, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate, 2- (2-methoxy-1) -Methylethoxy) -1-methylethyl acetate, preferably one or more selected from the group consisting of bis (2-butoxyethyl) ether. As a result, it is possible to more effectively suppress color unevenness, density unevenness and the like in each part of the manufactured color filter, and to make the uniformity of characteristics among individuals particularly excellent.

  The boiling point of the main dispersion medium under atmospheric pressure (1 atm) is preferably 180 to 300 ° C, more preferably 190 to 290 ° C, and further preferably 230 to 280 ° C. When the boiling point of the main dispersion medium under atmospheric pressure is a value within the above range, the discharge stability of the color filter ink droplets can be made particularly excellent, and at each part of the produced color filter. Color unevenness, density unevenness, and the like can be more effectively suppressed, and the uniformity of characteristics among individuals can be made particularly excellent.

  In the present invention, the saturated vapor pressure at 25 ° C. of the dispersion medium is 100 Pa or less. As described above, the color filter ink contains a dispersion promoting liquid having a relatively high saturation vapor pressure. By thus making the saturation vapor pressure as the entire dispersion medium sufficiently low, the color filter ink can be obtained. Thus, unintentional volatilization of the dispersion medium during storage and droplet discharge can be reliably prevented. For this reason, it is possible to prevent clogging due to aggregated pigment or the like at the discharge port of the droplet discharge head, and it is possible to improve the droplet discharge stability. In addition, changes in physical properties such as viscosity and surface tension of the color filter ink can be suitably prevented. On the other hand, when the saturation vapor pressure of the dispersion medium is large, the dispersion medium is likely to volatilize and solid contents such as pigments are likely to aggregate. For this reason, clogging is likely to occur at the discharge port of the droplet discharge head, resulting in poor droplet discharge stability. The saturated vapor pressure at 25 ° C. of the color filter ink is not limited as long as it is as described above, but is preferably 5 to 95 Pa, more preferably 10 to 80 Pa, and the effects described above. Can be obtained more remarkably. Further, in the method for producing a color filter described later, the dispersion medium can be suitably removed from the color filter ink in the decompression step and the heating step. Further, the saturated vapor pressure of the dispersion medium can be calculated and calculated based on the saturated vapor pressure and the content rate of each component of the dispersion medium, for example, according to Raoul's law.

  The viscosity of the dispersion medium at 25 ° C. is not particularly limited, but is preferably 1.2 to 4.5 mPa · s, and more preferably 1.5 to 3.8 mPa · s. When the viscosity of the dispersion medium at 25 ° C. is a value within the above range, the discharge performance (discharge stability) from the liquid droplet discharge head for the color filter is particularly excellent, and at each part of the manufactured color filter. Color unevenness, density unevenness, and the like can be more effectively suppressed, and the uniformity of characteristics among individuals can be made particularly excellent. Further, the productivity of the color filter can be made particularly excellent.

  The content of the dispersion medium in the color filter ink is preferably 70 to 98 wt%, and more preferably 80 to 95 wt%. When the content of the dispersion medium is a value within the above range, the discharge stability of the color filter ink droplets can be made particularly excellent, and the color unevenness at each part of the produced color filter, Concentration unevenness and the like can be more effectively suppressed, and uniformity of characteristics among individuals can be made particularly excellent. Further, the productivity of the color filter can be made particularly excellent.

<Dispersant>
The color filter ink contains a dispersant. Thereby, the dispersion stability of the pigment can be made particularly excellent, and the storage stability of the color filter ink can be made particularly excellent. Further, it can be easily dissolved in the dispersion promoting liquid as described above, and the color filter ink can disperse the pigment stably over a long period of time by including the dispersant and the dispersion promoting liquid.

  Examples of the dispersant include cationic, anionic, nonionic, amphoteric, silicone, and fluorine surfactants. Specific examples of the surfactant include polyoxyethylene lauryl ether, polyoxyethylene stearyl ether, polyoxyethylene alkyl ethers such as polyoxyethylene oleyl ether; polyoxyethylene n-octylphenyl ether, polyoxyethylene n-nonyl Polyoxyethylene alkyl phenyl ethers such as phenyl ether; polyethylene glycol diesters such as polyethylene glycol dilaurate and polyethylene glycol distearate; sorbitan fatty acid esters; fatty acid-modified polyesters; tertiary amine-modified polyurethanes; polyethyleneimines In addition, the following trade names are KP (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.), Polyflow (manufactured by Kyoeisha Chemical Co., Ltd.), F Top (manufactured by Tochem Products), Mega Pack (Dainippon Ink Chemical Co., Ltd.), Florard (Sumitomo 3M Co., Ltd.), Asahi Guard, Surflon (Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.), Disperbyk (Bicchemy Japan Co., Ltd.), Sol Sparse 3000 , 5000, 11200, 12000, 13240, 13650, 13940, 16000, 17000, 18000, 20000, 21000, 22000, 24000SC, 24000GR (manufactured by Nippon Lubrizol Co., Ltd.), Dinol, Surfynol (manufactured by Air Products), etc. It is done.

Moreover, as a dispersing agent, the compound which has a simeride ring can be used, for example. By using such a compound as a dispersant, the dispersibility of the pigment in the color filter ink can be made particularly excellent, and the discharge stability of the color filter ink should be made particularly excellent. Can do.
Moreover, as a dispersing agent, the compound which has the partial structure represented by following formula (I) and following formula (II) can be used, for example. By using such a compound as a dispersant, the dispersibility of the colorant (pigment) in the color filter ink can be made particularly excellent, and the discharge stability of the color filter ink is particularly excellent. Can be.

（式中、Ｒ^ａ、Ｒ^ｂ及びＲ^ｃは、各々独立に、水素原子、又は置換されていてもよい環状若しくは鎖状の炭化水素基を表すか、Ｒ^ａ、Ｒ^ｂ及びＲ^ｃのうち２つ以上が互いに結合して環状構造を形成する。Ｒ^ｄは水素原子又はメチル基を表す。Ｘは２価の連結基を表し、Ｙ⁻は対アニオンを表す。）

(Wherein, R ^a , R ^b and R ^c each independently represents a hydrogen atom or an optionally substituted cyclic or chain hydrocarbon group, or R ^a , R ^b and R ^c ) Two or more are bonded to each other to form a cyclic structure, R ^d represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group, X represents a divalent linking group, and Y ⁻ represents a counter anion.)

（式中、Ｒ^ｅは水素原子又はメチル基を表す。Ｒ^ｆは置換基を有していてもよい環状又は鎖状のアルキル基、置換基を有していてもよいアリール基、又は置換基を有していてもよいアラルキル基を表す。）

(In the formula, R ^e represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl group. R ^f represents a cyclic or chain-like alkyl group which may have a substituent, an aryl group which may have a substituent, or a substituent. Represents an aralkyl group which may have

  The content of the dispersant in the color filter ink is preferably 0.5 to 15 wt%, and more preferably 0.5 to 8 wt%. Thereby, the dispersibility of the pigment in the color filter ink can be made particularly excellent, and the discharge stability of the color filter ink can be made particularly excellent.

<Resin material>
The color filter ink usually contains a resin material (binder resin). Thereby, in the manufactured color filter, the colored layer can be made excellent in adhesion to the substrate, and the durability of the color filter can be made excellent.
As the resin material constituting the color filter ink, any resin material such as various thermoplastic resins and various thermosetting resins may be used, but it is an acrylic resin or an epoxy resin in which polyfunctional molecules are polymerized. Is preferred. These resin materials have high transparency, high hardness, and small heat shrinkage. For this reason, the adhesiveness of the colored portion to the substrate can be made particularly excellent. Among these resin materials, an epoxy resin having a silyl acetate structure (SiOCOCH ₃ ) and an epoxy structure is preferably used as the resin material constituting the color filter ink. Thereby, it is possible to suitably perform the droplet discharge by the ink jet method, to particularly improve the adhesion between the colored layer and the substrate, and to particularly improve the durability of the color filter. Can do.

  The content of the resin material in the color filter ink is preferably 0.5 to 10 wt%, and more preferably 1 to 5 wt%. When the content of the resin material is within the above range, the durability of the produced color filter is particularly improved while the dischargeability (discharge stability) from the droplet discharge head for the color filter is particularly excellent. It can be excellent. Further, a sufficient color density can be secured in the manufactured color filter. On the other hand, if the content of the resin material is too low, the discharge property (discharge stability) of the color filter ink is reduced, or the hardness of the colored portion to be formed is reduced, resulting in the durability of the produced color filter. descend. On the other hand, if the content of the resin material is too high, it is difficult to ensure a sufficient color density in the manufactured color filter.

<Other ingredients>
The color filter ink may contain various other components as required. Examples of such components (other additives) include various crosslinking agents; various polymerization initiators; dispersion aids such as blue pigment derivatives and yellow pigment derivatives such as copper phthalocyanine derivatives; fillers such as glass and alumina; Polymer compounds such as polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol monoalkyl ether, polyfluoroalkyl acrylate; vinyltrimethoxysilane, vinyltriethoxysilane, vinyltris (2-methoxyethoxy) silane, N- (2-aminoethyl) -3-amino Propylmethyldimethoxysilane, N- (2-aminoethyl) -3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane, 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-glycidoxypropylmethyldimethoxysilane, 2- (3,4-epoxy Chlohexyl) adhesion promoter such as ethyltrimethoxysilane, 3-chloropropylmethyldimethoxysilane, 3-chloropropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane, 3-mercaptopropyltrimethoxysilane; 2,2-thiobis Antioxidants such as (4-methyl-6-tert-butylphenol) and 2,6-di-tert-butylphenol; 2- (3-tert-butyl-5-methyl-2-hydroxyphenyl) -5-chlorobenzo UV absorbers such as triazole and alkoxybenzophenone; anti-aggregation agents such as sodium polyacrylate; ink jet ejection performance stabilizers such as methanol, ethanol, i-propanol, n-butanol and glycerin; , EF303, EF35 (Made by Shin-Akita Kasei Co., Ltd.), MegaFuck F171, F172, F173, F178, F178K (Made by Dainippon Ink and Chemicals), Florard FC430, FC431 (Mitsubishi, 3M Co., Ltd.) Asahi Guard AG710, Surflon S-382, SC-101, SC-102, SC-103, SC-104, SC-105, SC-106 (above, manufactured by Asahi Glass Co., Ltd.) ), KP341 (manufactured by Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd.), Polyflow No. 75, no. 95 (above, manufactured by Kyoeisha Yushi Chemical Co., Ltd.) and the like.

  The color filter ink may contain a dye in addition to the pigment. Examples of the dye include azo dyes, anthraquinone dyes, condensed polycyclic aromatic carbonyl dyes, indigoid dyes, carbonium dyes, phthalocyanine dyes, methine, and polymethine dyes. Specific examples of the dye include C.I. I. Direct Red 2, 4, 9, 23, 26, 28, 31, 39, 62, 63, 72, 75, 76, 79, 80, 81, 83, 84, 89, 92, 95, 111, 173, 184 207, 211, 212, 214, 218, 221, 223, 224, 225, 226, 227, 232, 233, 240, 241, 242, 243, 247, C.I. I. Acid Red 35, 42, 51, 52, 57, 62, 80, 82, 111, 114, 118, 119, 127, 128, 131, 143, 145, 151, 154, 157, 158, 211, 249, 254 257, 261, 263, 266, 289, 299, 301, 305, 319, 336, 337, 361, 396, 397, C.I. I. Reactive Red 3, 13, 17, 19, 21, 22, 23, 24, 29, 35, 37, 40, 41, 43, 45, 49, 55, C.I. I. Basic Red 12, 13, 14, 15, 18, 22, 23, 24, 25, 27, 29, 35, 36, 38, 39, 45, 46, C.I. I. Direct violet 7, 9, 47, 48, 51, 66, 90, 93, 94, 95, 98, 100, 101, C.I. I. Acid Violet 5, 9, 11, 34, 43, 47, 48, 51, 75, 90, 103, 126, C.I. I. Reactive violet 1,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,16,17,22,23,24,26,27,33,34, C.I. I. Basic violet 1, 2, 3, 7, 10, 15, 16, 20, 21, 25, 27, 28, 35, 37, 39, 40, 48, C.I. I. Direct yellow 8, 9, 11, 12, 27, 28, 29, 33, 35, 39, 41, 44, 50, 53, 58, 59, 68, 87, 93, 95, 96, 98, 100, 106, 108, 109, 110, 130, 142, 144, 161, 163, C.I. I. Acid Yellow 17, 19, 23, 25, 39, 40, 42, 44, 49, 50, 61, 64, 76, 79, 110, 127, 135, 143, 151, 159, 169, 174, 190, 195 196, 197, 199, 218, 219, 222, 227, C.I. I. Reactive Yellow 2, 3, 13, 14, 15, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 35, 37, 41, 42, C.I. I. Basic yellow 1, 2, 4, 11, 13, 14, 15, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 28, 29, 32, 36, 39, 40, C.I. I. Acid Green 16, C.I. I. Acid Blue 9, 45, 80, 83, 90, 185, C.I. I. Basic oranges 21, 23, and the like.

The color filter ink may contain a thermal acid generator or an acid crosslinking agent. The thermal acid generator is a component that generates an acid by heating, and examples thereof include sulfonium salts, onium salts such as benzothiazolium salts, ammonium salts, and phosphonium salts. A benzothiazolium salt is preferred.
The viscosity at 25 ° C. of the color filter ink is not particularly limited, but is preferably 5 to 12 mPa · s, more preferably 6 to 10 mPa · s. When the viscosity at 25 ° C. of the color filter ink is within the above range, the discharge property (discharge stability) from the droplet discharge head for the color filter is particularly excellent, and each of the produced color filters Color unevenness, density unevenness, and the like at the site can be more effectively suppressed, and uniformity of characteristics among individuals can be made particularly excellent. Further, the productivity of the color filter can be made particularly excellent. In addition, the measurement of a viscosity can be performed using a vibration type viscometer, for example, and can be especially performed based on JISZ8809.

  Further, the surface tension of the color filter ink at 25 ° C. is preferably 25 to 38 dyn / cm, more preferably 25 to 35 dyn / cm, and more preferably 25 to 32 dyn / cm. Further preferred. Thereby, the discharge property of the droplet can be made particularly stable, and the characteristic difference between the individual color filters to be produced can be made particularly small. In addition, the wettability of the ink to the substrate during droplet discharge can be made excellent.

<Ink set>
The color filter ink as described above is used for manufacturing a color filter by an ink jet method. Since the color filter usually corresponds to full color display, it has a plurality of colored portions (usually, three RGB colors corresponding to the three primary colors of light). For forming the colored portions of the plurality of colors, a plurality of types of color filter inks of corresponding colors are used. That is, an ink set including a plurality of color filter inks is used for manufacturing a color filter. In the present invention, in the production of the color filter, the color filter ink as described above may be used as long as it can be used to form at least one colored portion, but can be used to form colored portions of all colors. Is preferred.

"Color filter"
Next, an example of a color filter manufactured using the color filter ink as described above and a color filter manufacturing method as described later will be described.
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of the color filter of the present invention.
As shown in FIG. 1, the color filter 1 includes a substrate 11 and a colored portion 12 formed using the color filter ink 2 as described above. As the coloring portion 12, a first coloring portion 12A, a second coloring portion 12B, and a third coloring portion 12C having different colors are provided. A partition wall 13 is provided between the adjacent colored portions 12.

<Board>
The substrate 11 is a plate-like member having optical transparency, and has a function of holding the colored portion 12 and the partition wall 13.
The substrate 11 is preferably made of a substantially transparent material. Thereby, a clearer image can be formed by the light transmitted through the color filter 1.

  The substrate 11 is preferably excellent in heat resistance and mechanical strength. Thereby, for example, deformation due to heat applied during the manufacture of the color filter 1 can be reliably prevented. Examples of the constituent material of the substrate 11 that satisfies such conditions include glass, silicon, polycarbonate, polyester, aromatic polyamide, polyamideimide, polyimide, norbornene-based ring-opening polymer, and hydrogenated products thereof.

<Coloring part>
The colored portion 12 is formed using the color filter ink as described above.
Since the colored portion 12 is formed by the manufacturing method as described later using the color filter ink as described above, the variation in characteristics among the pixels is small. For this reason, the color filter 1 has high reliability in which the occurrence of uneven color and uneven density is suppressed.

Each colored portion 12 is provided in a cell 14 which is a region surrounded by a partition wall 13 which will be described later.
The first colored portion 12A, the second colored portion 12B, and the third colored portion 12C have different colors. For example, the first colored portion 12A can be a red filter region (R), the second colored portion 12B can be a green filter region (G), and the third colored portion 12C can be a blue filter region (B). A set of different colored portions 12A, 12B, and 12C constitutes one pixel. In the color filter 1, a predetermined number of colored portions 12 are arranged in the horizontal direction and the vertical direction. For example, when the color filter 1 is a high-definition color filter, 1366 × 768 pixels are arranged, and when the color filter 1 is a full high-definition color filter, 1920 × 1080 pixels are arranged. In the case of a super high vision color filter, 7680 × 4320 pixels are arranged. Note that the color filter 1 may be provided with a spare pixel outside the effective area, for example.

<Partition wall>
A partition wall (bank) 13 is provided between the adjacent colored portions 12. Thereby, it can prevent reliably that the adjacent coloring parts 12 will mix colors, As a result, a clear image can be displayed reliably.
The partition wall 13 may be made of a transparent material, but is preferably made of a light-shielding material. Thereby, an image with excellent contrast can be displayed. The color of the partition wall (light shielding part) 13 is not particularly limited, but is preferably black. Thereby, the contrast of the displayed image can be made particularly excellent.

The height of the partition wall 13 is not particularly limited, but is preferably larger than the thickness of the colored portion 12. Thereby, the color mixture between the adjacent coloring parts 12 can be prevented reliably. The specific thickness of the partition wall 13 is preferably 0.1 to 10 μm, and more preferably 0.5 to 3.5 μm. As a result, color mixing between the adjacent colored portions 12 can be reliably prevented, and the viewing angle characteristics of the image display device and electronic apparatus including the color filter 1 can be improved.
The partition wall 13 may be made of any material, but for example, is preferably made mainly of a resin material. Moreover, when the partition 13 has a function as a light-shielding part, it may include a light-absorbing material such as carbon black as a constituent material.

《Color filter manufacturing method》
Next, the manufacturing method of the color filter of this invention is demonstrated.
2 is a cross-sectional view showing a method for manufacturing a color filter, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a droplet discharge device used for manufacturing the color filter, and FIG. 4 is a droplet discharge means in the droplet discharge device shown in FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the bottom surface of the droplet ejection head in the droplet ejection device shown in FIG. 3, and FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the droplet ejection head in the droplet ejection device shown in FIG. It is a figure, (a) is a section perspective view, (b) is a sectional view.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, a substrate preparation step (1a) for preparing a substrate 11, a partition formation step (1b, 1c) for forming a partition 13 on the substrate 11, and a color filter by an ink jet method. An ink applying step (1d) for applying the ink 2 to a region surrounded by the partition wall 13, a pressure reducing step for placing the substrate 11 in a reduced pressure atmosphere, and heating the substrate 11 from the color filter ink 2 to disperse the medium. And a heating step (1e) for forming a solid colored portion 12.

  As described above, the method for producing a color filter of the present invention includes a pressure reducing step in which a substrate provided with ink is placed in a reduced pressure atmosphere. In addition, the decompression step has a reduced pressure treatment in which decompression is performed for 20 seconds or more in an atmosphere of 1 to 50 times the saturated vapor pressure of the dispersion promoting liquid at 25 ° C. In the decompression step, if necessary, the pressure can be further reduced to partially evaporate the main dispersion medium. By reducing the pressure under such conditions before completely removing the dispersion medium in the heating step, the dissolved gas in the color filter ink is reliably removed without being formed as bubbles. In addition, the dispersion promoting liquid as described above is a component having a relatively high saturated vapor pressure, but by performing such a decompression step, it is ensured that the dispersion promoting liquid is rapidly vaporized and bubbles are generated. The dispersion promoting liquid can be efficiently removed from the ink while preventing. For this reason, in the subsequent heating process, it is possible to suitably prevent bubbles from being generated in the ink and being mixed into the colored portion. As a result, a colored portion with few bubbles can be formed, and variations in characteristics between pixels are small. That is, the obtained color filter is suppressed in color unevenness and density unevenness in each part, and has excellent uniformity of characteristics among individuals.

  On the other hand, when the decompression step as described above is not performed, dissolved gas dissolved in the dispersion promoting liquid or dispersion medium is rapidly generated as bubbles in the heating step, and a large amount of these bubbles remain in the formed colored portion. Resulting in. In addition, even when the dispersion medium is removed at a relatively mild temperature in the heating process, the convection of the color filter ink due to the volatilization of the dispersion medium occurs vigorously, and the colored portion has a uniform shape. I can't. As a result, in the obtained color filter, color unevenness and density unevenness in each part appear remarkably, and characteristics among individuals vary.

In addition, when the color filter ink not including the dispersion promoting liquid as described above is used and the pressure reducing process as described above is not performed, generation of bubbles derived from the dispersion promoting liquid in the dispersion medium is prevented in the heating process. be able to. However, generation of bubbles due to dissolved gas contained in the dispersion medium cannot be prevented. In addition, it is not possible to stably discharge droplets. As a result, in the obtained color filter, color unevenness and density unevenness in each part appear remarkably, and characteristics among individuals vary.
That is, the effect of the present invention can be obtained only by applying the ink using the color filter ink as described above and performing the pressure reducing step and the subsequent heating step when removing the dispersion medium.

Hereinafter, each step will be described in detail.
<Board preparation process>
First, the substrate 11 is prepared (1a). The substrate 11 prepared in this step is preferably subjected to a cleaning process. In addition, the substrate 11 prepared in this step has been subjected to appropriate pretreatment such as chemical treatment with a silane coupling agent or the like, plasma treatment, ion plating, sputtering, gas phase reaction method, vacuum deposition, and the like. Also good.

<Partition forming process>
Next, the radiation-sensitive composition for forming the partition walls of the substrate 11 is applied to almost the entire one surface of the substrate 11 to form the coating film 3 (1b). In addition, after giving a radiation sensitive composition on the board | substrate 11, you may perform a prebaking process as needed. The pre-bake treatment can be performed, for example, under the conditions of heating temperature: 50 to 150 ° C. and heating time: 30 to 600 seconds.

Then, the partition 13 is formed by performing a post-exposure baking process (PEB) by irradiating with a radiation through a photomask, and further performing a developing process using an alkaline developer (1c). PEB can be performed, for example, under the conditions of heating temperature: 50 to 150 ° C., heating time: 30 to 600 seconds, and radiation irradiation intensity: 1 to 500 mJ / cm ² . The development processing can be performed by, for example, a liquid piling method, a dipping method, a vibration dipping method, or the like, and the development processing time can be set to, for example, 10 to 300 seconds. Further, after the development process, a post-bake process may be performed as necessary. The post-bake treatment can be performed, for example, under the conditions of heating temperature: 150 to 280 ° C. and heating time: 3 to 120 minutes.

<Ink application process>
Next, the color filter ink 2 is applied to the cell 14 surrounded by the partition wall 13 by an inkjet method (1d).
This step is performed using a plurality of types of color filter inks 2 corresponding to the plurality of colored portions 12 to be formed. At this time, since the partition wall 13 is provided, it is reliably prevented that two or more kinds of color filter inks 2 are mixed.

The color filter ink 2 is discharged using a droplet discharge device as shown in FIGS.
And this process is performed in the state which installed the droplet discharge apparatus 100 as shown in FIGS. 3-6 in the chamber (thermal chamber) set to predetermined temperature. The inside of the chamber in which the droplet discharge device 100 is installed is usually set to a temperature of 20 to 30 ° C. By setting the temperature in the chamber within such a range, temperature control can be performed relatively easily, and temperature variations and fluctuations in each part of the chamber due to heat generation of the droplet discharge device 100 and the like can be reduced. It can be relatively small. For this reason, the discharge stability of the color filter ink 2 can be made particularly excellent.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the droplet discharge device 100 used in this step is supplied with the color filter ink 2 from the tank 101 that holds the color filter ink 2, the tube 110, and the tube 110. A discharge scanning unit 102. The ejection scanning unit 102 includes a droplet ejection unit 103 in which a plurality of droplet ejection heads (inkjet heads) 114 are mounted on a carriage 105, and a first position control device 104 (movement) that controls the position of the droplet ejection unit 103. Means), a stage 106 for holding the substrate 11 on which the partition wall 13 is formed in the above process (hereinafter also simply referred to as "substrate 11"), and a second position control device 108 (moving means) for controlling the position of the stage 106. ) And a control means 112. The tank 101 and a plurality of droplet discharge heads 114 in the droplet discharge means 103 are connected by a tube 110, and the color filter ink 2 is compressed by compressed air from the tank 101 to each of the plurality of droplet discharge heads 114. Supplied.

  The first position control device 104 moves the droplet discharge means 103 along the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction orthogonal to the X-axis direction in response to a signal from the control means 112. Further, the first position control device 104 also has a function of rotating the droplet discharge means 103 around an axis parallel to the Z axis. In the present embodiment, the Z-axis direction is a direction parallel to the vertical direction (that is, the direction of gravitational acceleration). The second position controller 108 moves the stage 106 along the Y-axis direction orthogonal to both the X-axis direction and the Z-axis direction in response to a signal from the control unit 112. Further, the second position control device 108 also has a function of rotating the stage 106 around an axis parallel to the Z axis.

The stage 106 has a plane parallel to both the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction. The stage 106 is configured so that the substrate 11 having the cells 14 to which the color filter ink 2 is to be applied can be fixed or held on the plane.
As described above, the droplet discharge means 103 is moved in the X-axis direction by the first position control device 104. On the other hand, the stage 106 is moved in the Y-axis direction by the second position control device 108. That is, the first position control device 104 and the second position control device 108 change the relative position of the droplet discharge head 114 with respect to the stage 106 (the substrate 11 held on the stage 106 and the liquid droplet discharge means 103 are relative to each other). Move on).

The control unit 112 is configured to receive ejection data representing a relative position at which the color filter ink 2 is to be ejected from an external information processing apparatus.
As shown in FIG. 4, the droplet discharge means 103 has a plurality of droplet discharge heads 114 each having substantially the same structure, and a carriage 105 that holds these droplet discharge heads 114. In the present embodiment, the number of droplet discharge heads 114 held by the droplet discharge means 103 is eight. Each droplet discharge head 114 has a bottom surface provided with a plurality of nozzles 118 described later. The shape of the bottom surface of each droplet discharge head 114 is a polygon having two long sides and two short sides. The bottom surface of the droplet discharge head 114 held by the droplet discharge means 103 faces the stage 106 side, and the long side direction and the short side direction of the droplet discharge head 114 are respectively an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction. Parallel to the direction.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the droplet discharge head 114 has a plurality of nozzles 118 arranged in the X-axis direction. The plurality of nozzles 118 are arranged such that the nozzle pitch HXP in the X-axis direction in the droplet discharge head 114 has a predetermined value. Although the specific value of nozzle pitch HXP is not specifically limited, For example, it can be set as 50-90 micrometers. Here, the “nozzle pitch HXP in the X-axis direction of the droplet discharge head 114” is a plurality of images obtained by projecting all the nozzles 118 in the droplet discharge head 114 onto the X-axis along the Y-axis direction. This corresponds to the pitch between nozzle images.

  In the present embodiment, the plurality of nozzles 118 in the droplet discharge head 114 form a nozzle row 116A and a nozzle row 116B that both extend in the X-axis direction. The nozzle row 116A and the nozzle row 116B are arranged in parallel with a space therebetween. In this embodiment, 90 nozzles 118 are arranged in a line in the X-axis direction at a constant interval LNP in each of the nozzle array 116A and the nozzle array 116B. Although the specific value of LNP is not specifically limited, It can be set as 100-180 micrometers.

The position of the nozzle row 116B is shifted from the position of the nozzle row 116A by a half length of the nozzle pitch LNP in the positive direction in the X-axis direction (right direction in FIG. 5). Therefore, the nozzle pitch HXP in the X-axis direction of the droplet discharge head 114 is half the nozzle pitch LNP of the nozzle row 116A (or nozzle row 116B).
Accordingly, the nozzle line density in the X-axis direction of the droplet discharge head 114 is twice the nozzle line density of the nozzle row 116A (or nozzle row 116B). In the present specification, “nozzle line density in the X-axis direction” means the number per unit length of a plurality of nozzle images obtained by projecting a plurality of nozzles on the X-axis along the Y-axis direction. It corresponds to. Of course, the number of nozzle rows included in the droplet discharge head 114 is not limited to two. The droplet discharge head 114 may include M nozzle rows. Here, M is a natural number of 1 or more. In this case, in each of the M nozzle rows, the plurality of nozzles 118 are arranged at a pitch that is M times the nozzle pitch HXP. Further, when M is a natural number of 2 or more, the other (M−1) nozzle rows are only i times as long as the nozzle pitch HXP with respect to one of the M nozzle rows. There is no overlap in the X-axis direction. Here, i is a natural number from 1 to (M−1).

  In the present embodiment, each of the nozzle row 116 </ b> A and the nozzle row 116 </ b> B includes 90 nozzles 118, and thus one droplet discharge head 114 has 180 nozzles 118. However, 5 nozzles at both ends of the nozzle row 116A are set as “pause nozzles”. Similarly, 5 nozzles at both ends of the nozzle row 116B are also set as “pause nozzles”. The color filter ink 2 is not ejected from these 20 “rest nozzles”. Therefore, 160 nozzles 118 out of 180 nozzles 118 in the droplet discharge head 114 function as nozzles that discharge the color filter ink 2.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the droplet discharge means 103, a plurality of the droplet discharge heads 114 are arranged in two rows along the X-axis direction. The droplet discharge heads 114 in one row and the droplet discharge heads 114 in the other row are arranged so as to partially overlap when viewed from the Y-axis direction in consideration of the rest nozzles. Thereby, in the droplet discharge means 103, the nozzle 118 that discharges the color filter ink 2 is continuous in the X-axis direction at the nozzle pitch HXP over the length of the dimension of the substrate 11 in the X-axis direction. It is configured.
In the droplet discharge means 103 of the present embodiment, the droplet discharge head 114 is disposed so as to cover the entire length of the substrate 11 in the X-axis direction. A part of the length of the substrate 11 corresponding to the dimension in the X-axis direction may be covered.

  As shown in FIGS. 6A and 6B, each droplet discharge head 114 is an inkjet head. More specifically, each droplet discharge head 114 includes a vibration plate 126 and a nozzle plate 128. Between the diaphragm 126 and the nozzle plate 128, a liquid pool 129 in which the color filter ink 2 supplied from the tank 101 through the hole 131 is always filled is located.

  In addition, a plurality of partition walls 122 are located between the diaphragm 126 and the nozzle plate 128. A portion surrounded by the diaphragm 126, the nozzle plate 128, and the pair of partition walls 122 is a cavity 120. Since the cavities 120 are provided corresponding to the nozzles 118, the number of the cavities 120 and the number of the nozzles 118 are the same. The color filter ink 2 is supplied from the liquid pool 129 to the cavity 120 through the supply port 130 positioned between the pair of partition walls 122.

  On the diaphragm 126, the vibrator 124 is positioned corresponding to each cavity 120. The vibrator 124 includes a piezoelectric element 124C and a pair of electrodes 124A and 124B that sandwich the piezoelectric element 124C. By applying a driving voltage between the pair of electrodes 124A and 124B, the color filter ink 2 is ejected from the corresponding nozzle 118. The shape of the nozzle 118 is adjusted so that the color filter ink 2 is ejected from the nozzle 118 in the Z-axis direction.

  The control means 112 (see FIG. 3) may be configured to give a signal to each of the plurality of vibrators 124 independently of each other. That is, the volume of the color filter ink 2 ejected from the nozzle 118 may be controlled for each nozzle 118 in accordance with a signal from the control unit 112. The control unit 112 can also set the nozzle 118 that performs the ejection operation during the application scan and the nozzle 118 that does not perform the ejection operation.

In this specification, a portion including one nozzle 118, a cavity 120 corresponding to the nozzle 118, and a vibrator 124 corresponding to the cavity 120 may be referred to as “ejection unit 127”. According to this notation, one droplet discharge head 114 has the same number of discharge units 127 as the number of nozzles 118.
Using the droplet discharge device 100 as described above, the color filter ink 2 corresponding to the colored portions 12 of the plurality of colors of the color filter 1 is applied to the cells 14. By using the apparatus as described above, the color filter ink 2 can be efficiently and selectively applied to the cells 14. Further, as described above, the color filter ink 2 has excellent ejection stability. For this reason, droplets having a uniform droplet amount can be landed at a desired position with high accuracy. Thereby, in the manufactured color filter 1, it is possible to effectively prevent color unevenness, density unevenness, and the like in each part, and variation in characteristics among individuals. In the illustrated configuration, the droplet discharge device 100 has only one tank 101 for holding the color filter ink 2, a tube 110, etc., but the color filter 1 has a plurality of these members. It may have a plurality of colors corresponding to the colored portion 12. In manufacturing the color filter 1, a plurality of droplet discharge devices 100 corresponding to a plurality of color filter inks 2 may be used.
In the present invention, the droplet discharge head 114 may use an electrostatic actuator as a driving element instead of a piezoelectric element. In addition, the droplet discharge head 114 may be configured to use an electrothermal conversion element as a drive element and discharge the color filter ink by utilizing the thermal expansion of the material by the electrothermal conversion element.

<Decompression step>
Next, the substrate 11 provided with the color filter ink 2 in the cell 14 is placed in a reduced-pressure atmosphere, and the dissolved gas and a part of the dispersion medium contained in the color filter ink 2 are removed.
This step has a reduced pressure treatment performed in an atmosphere of 1 to 50 times the saturated vapor pressure at 25 ° C. of the dispersion promoting liquid. By performing decompression under such a relatively mild condition, the dissolved gas in the color filter ink 2 can be reliably removed. In addition, the dispersion promoting liquid can be efficiently removed from the color filter ink 2 while reliably preventing the dispersion promoting liquid having a relatively high saturated vapor pressure from being rapidly vaporized and generating bubbles. In addition, since the dissolved gas and the dispersion promoting liquid contained in the color filter ink 2 can be suitably removed as described above, bubbles are generated in the ink and bubbles are mixed into the colored portion in the heating step. Can be suitably prevented. On the other hand, when the atmospheric pressure in the reduced-pressure atmosphere is less than the lower limit, the atmospheric pressure is too low, and dissolved gas and dispersion promoting liquid are rapidly generated as bubbles in the color filter ink 2. For this reason, such a dissolved gas remains even after a heating process as described later, and the obtained color filter 1 has many bubbles in the colored portion. On the other hand, if the atmospheric pressure in the reduced-pressure atmosphere exceeds the upper limit value, the gas and dispersion promoting liquid present in the color filter ink 2 cannot be removed suitably. For this reason, in the heating process described later, a large amount of bubbles are generated, and the obtained color filter 1 has many bubbles in the colored portion. The depressurization may be performed at the atmospheric pressure described above, but is preferably 1.2 to 40 times the saturated vapor pressure of the dispersion promoting liquid at 25 ° C., and 2.0 to 30 times the atmospheric pressure. It is more preferable that the above is achieved, and the effects as described above can be obtained more remarkably.

  In this step, the time for performing the above-described reduced pressure process is 20 seconds or more. Thereby, in this process, the dissolved gas and the dispersion promoting liquid present in the color filter ink 2 can be surely removed, and in the obtained color filter, the number of bubbles present in the colored portion is reduced. be able to. On the other hand, if the time for performing the reduced pressure treatment is short, the dissolved gas and the dispersion promoting liquid existing in the color filter ink 2 cannot be sufficiently removed. For this reason, in the obtained color filter, many bubbles exist in the colored portion. In addition, the time for performing the pressure reduction treatment may be the time as described above, but is preferably 30 seconds or more, more preferably 40 seconds or more, and the effects as described above are remarkably obtained. Can do.

  Further, when the content of the dispersion promoting liquid in the dispersion medium is X [wt%] and the time of the reduced pressure treatment is Y [seconds], it is preferable that the relationship of 10 ≦ Y / X is satisfied. As a result, the dispersion promoting liquid contained in the color filter ink 2 can be reliably and efficiently removed, and it is preferable to prevent bubbles from being generated in the ink and bubbles from being mixed into the colored portion in the heating step. be able to. For this reason, it is possible to more effectively suppress color unevenness, density unevenness and the like in each part of the manufactured color filter, and to make the uniformity of characteristics among individuals particularly excellent.

  Moreover, after performing the above processes, you may perform pressure reduction under a lower atmospheric pressure (additional pressure reduction process). Thereby, the dispersion medium can be removed without applying heat to the substrate 11 to which the color filter ink 2 is applied. For this reason, deterioration by the heat | fever of the board | substrate 11 grade | etc., Can be prevented reliably. Even when the pressure is reduced at a lower atmospheric pressure, the dispersion promoting liquid and gas present in the ink are preferably removed, so that the dispersion medium in the ink is removed while preventing the generation of bubbles. can do.

  In such a case, the atmospheric pressure during decompression is preferably 2 to 20 times the saturated vapor pressure other than the dispersion promoting liquid of the dispersion medium constituting the color filter ink 2, and preferably 3 to 15 times. . Thereby, the dispersion medium can be efficiently removed while preventing the components constituting the dispersion medium from evaporating and generating bubbles.

  In this step, the substrate 11 may be placed in an atmosphere in which the temperature is controlled. As a result, the behavior of the dispersion promoting liquid and dissolved gas contained in the color filter ink 2 can be controlled more accurately, and the composition and state of the color filter ink 2 on the substrate 11 are small in the difference between solids on each substrate. It will be a thing. For this reason, the characteristic difference between individuals of the color filter ink 2 to be obtained can be reduced.

Moreover, it is preferable that the temperature of the board | substrate 11 in this process is lower than the temperature of the board | substrate 11 in a heating process.
In addition, the temperature of the substrate 11 in this step is not particularly limited, but specifically, it is preferably 20 to 30 ° C, and more preferably 21 to 27 ° C. Thereby, the dispersion medium can be efficiently removed while preventing the components constituting the dispersion medium from evaporating and generating bubbles.

<Heating process>
Next, the substrate 11 is heated to remove the dispersion medium from the color filter ink 2 in the cell 14 to obtain a solid colored portion 12 (1e). Thereby, the color filter 1 is obtained. The color filter ink 2 on the substrate 11 is such that components having a relatively high vapor pressure such as a dispersion promoting liquid, dissolved gas, and the like are suitably removed in the above-described decompression step. For this reason, even when the substrate 11 is heated and the temperature of the substrate 11 is relatively high, the generation of bubbles in the color filter ink 2 can be reliably prevented. As a result, the obtained color filter 1 has a small variation in characteristics in each colored portion, and has high reliability in which the occurrence of color unevenness and density unevenness is suppressed.

Moreover, in this process, you may make a resin material react with a crosslinking component etc. as needed. As a result, the color filter ink 2 is hardened when the substrate 11 is heated, and the resulting color filter 1 can have particularly excellent durability.
Moreover, in this process, although the temperature of the heated board | substrate 11 is not specifically limited, It is preferable that it is 60-280 degreeC, and it is preferable that it is 80-250 degreeC. Thereby, it is possible to reliably remove the dispersion medium from the color filter ink 2 while reliably preventing the substrate 11 and the color filter ink from being deteriorated by the heat of the solid content. Further, when the color filter ink 2 contains a resin material, a crosslinking component, and the like, these components react efficiently and the resin material can be cured.

  Moreover, the time of such heat treatment is not particularly limited, but is preferably 25 to 150 minutes, and more preferably 30 to 100 minutes. Thereby, it is possible to reliably remove the dispersion medium from the color filter ink 2 while reliably preventing the substrate 11 and the color filter ink from being deteriorated by the heat of the solid content. In addition, when the color filter ink 2 includes a resin material, a crosslinking component, and the like, these components react efficiently and the resin material can be reliably cured.

  Moreover, this process may perform several heat processing from which temperature differs. For example, this process includes a first heat treatment that heats the substrate 11 at a relatively low temperature and a second heat treatment that heats the substrate 11 at a temperature higher than the first heat treatment. May be. In this way, by heating the substrate 11 at a relatively low temperature in the first heat treatment, most of the dispersion medium can be removed while reliably preventing damage to the substrate 11 and the like due to heat. The dispersion medium to be removed in the second heat treatment can be reduced. In the second heat treatment, the dispersion medium that could not be removed by the first heat treatment can be completely removed. Further, in this step, when the color filter ink 2 is cured by reacting the resin material or the like, the resin material or the like may be cured in a state where the dispersion medium of the color filter ink 2 is extremely small by the second heat treatment. In addition, the color filter ink 2 can be formed as the colored portion 12 while reliably preventing generation of bubbles due to the remaining dispersion medium.

  In such a case, in the first heat treatment as described above, the temperature of the heated substrate 11 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 60 to 150 ° C, and preferably 80 to 140 ° C. preferable. Thus, the dispersion medium can be reliably removed from the color filter ink 2 while reliably preventing the substrate 11 and the color filter ink 2 from being deteriorated by the heat of the solid content. Further, the amount of the dispersant remaining in the color filter ink 2 can be easily adjusted.

The time for the first heat treatment is not particularly limited, but is preferably 3 to 30 minutes, and more preferably 5 to 20 minutes. Thereby, the dispersion medium can be suitably removed from the color filter ink 2 while reliably preventing the substrate 11 and the color filter ink 2 from being deteriorated by the heat of the solid content.
In the second treatment as described above, the temperature of the heated substrate 11 is not particularly limited, but is preferably 160 to 280 ° C, and preferably 200 to 250 ° C. Thereby, it is possible to reliably remove the dispersion medium from the color filter ink 2 while reliably preventing the substrate 11 and the color filter ink from being deteriorated by the heat of the solid content. Further, when the color filter ink 2 contains a resin material, a crosslinking component, and the like, these components react efficiently and the resin material can be cured.

  The time for the second heat treatment is not particularly limited, but is preferably 25 to 150 minutes, and more preferably 30 to 100 minutes. Thereby, it is possible to reliably remove the dispersion medium from the color filter ink 2 while reliably preventing the substrate 11 and the color filter ink from being deteriorated by the heat of the solid content. In addition, when the color filter ink 2 contains a resin material, a crosslinking component, and the like, these components react efficiently and the resin material can be reliably cured.

In this step, irradiation with radiation may be performed. Thereby, reaction with the crosslinking component of a resin material etc. can be advanced especially efficiently.
Moreover, it is preferable to perform this process under atmospheric pressure. Thereby, when the substrate 11 is heated, it is possible to reliably prevent bubbles from being generated from the dispersion medium of the color filter ink 2 and remaining in the formed colored portion.

<Image display device>
Next, a preferred embodiment of a liquid crystal display device that is an image display device (electro-optical device) having the color filter 1 will be described.
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing a preferred embodiment of the liquid crystal display device. As shown in the figure, the liquid crystal display device 60 includes a color filter 1, a substrate (opposite substrate) 66 disposed on the side of the color filter 1 on which the colored portion 12 is provided, a color filter 1 and a substrate 66. And a polarizing plate 67 provided on the surface side opposite to the surface of the substrate 11 of the color filter 1 opposite to the liquid crystal layer 62 (lower side in FIG. 7). And a polarizing plate 68 provided on the surface side opposite to the surface facing the liquid crystal layer 62 of the substrate 66 (upper side in FIG. 7). A common electrode 61 is provided on the surface of the color filter 1 on which the colored portion 12 and the partition wall 13 are provided (the surface opposite to the surface of the colored portion 12 and the partition wall 13 facing the substrate 11). On the surface of the (opposite substrate) 66 facing the liquid crystal layer 62 and the color filter 1, pixel electrodes 65 are arranged in a matrix at positions corresponding to the colored portions 12 of the color filter 1. Further, an alignment film 64 is provided between the common electrode 61 and the liquid crystal layer 62, and an alignment film 63 is provided between the substrate 66 (pixel electrode 65) and the liquid crystal layer 62.

The board | substrate 61 is a board | substrate which has a light transmittance with respect to visible light, for example, is a glass substrate.
The common electrode 61 and the pixel electrode 65 are made of a material having optical transparency to visible light, and are made of, for example, ITO.
Although not shown in the drawing, a plurality of switching elements (for example, TFT: thin film transistor) are provided so as to correspond to each pixel electrode 65. For each pixel electrode 65 corresponding to each coloring portion 12, by controlling the voltage application state between the common electrode 61, in the region corresponding to each coloring portion 12 (each pixel electrode 65), Light transmittance can be controlled.

In the liquid crystal display device 60, light emitted from a backlight (not shown) enters from the polarizing plate 68 side (upper side in FIG. 7). And the light which permeate | transmitted the liquid crystal layer 62 and entered into each coloring part 12 (12A, 12B, 12C) of the color filter 1 is polarized as light of the color corresponding to each coloring part 12 (12A, 12B, 12C). The light is emitted from the plate 67 (lower side in FIG. 7).
As described above, since the colored portion 12 is formed using the method for manufacturing a color filter of the present invention, variation in characteristics between colors and between pixels is suppressed. As a result, in the liquid crystal display device 60, it is possible to stably display an image in which color unevenness, density unevenness, and the like at each part are suppressed.

"Electronics"
An image display device (electro-optical device) 1000 such as a liquid crystal display device having the color filter 1 as described above can be used for display portions of various electronic devices.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a mobile (or notebook) personal computer to which the electronic apparatus of the present invention is applied.

In this figure, a personal computer 1100 includes a main body 1104 having a keyboard 1102 and a display unit 1106. The display unit 1106 is supported by the main body 1104 via a hinge structure so as to be rotatable. Yes.
In the personal computer 1100, the display unit 1106 includes an image display device 1000.

  FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a mobile phone (including PHS) to which the electronic apparatus of the present invention is applied.

In this figure, a cellular phone 1200 is provided with an image display device 1000 in a display unit, together with a plurality of operation buttons 1202, an earpiece 1204, and a mouthpiece 1206.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a digital still camera to which the electronic apparatus of the present invention is applied. In this figure, connection with an external device is also simply shown.
Here, a normal camera sensitizes a silver halide photographic film with a light image of a subject, whereas a digital still camera 1300 photoelectrically converts a light image of a subject with an image sensor such as a CCD (Charge Coupled Device). An imaging signal (image signal) is generated.

On the back of a case (body) 1302 in the digital still camera 1300, an image display device 1000 is provided in the display unit, and is configured to display based on an imaging signal from the CCD, and a finder that displays a subject as an electronic image. Function as.
A circuit board 1308 is installed inside the case. The circuit board 1308 is provided with a memory that can store (store) an imaging signal.

A light receiving unit 1304 including an optical lens (imaging optical system), a CCD, and the like is provided on the front side of the case 1302 (on the back side in the illustrated configuration).
When the photographer confirms the subject image displayed on the display unit and presses the shutter button 1306, the CCD image pickup signal at that time is transferred and stored in the memory of the circuit board 1308.

  In the digital still camera 1300, a video signal output terminal 1312 and an input / output terminal 1314 for data communication are provided on the side surface of the case 1302. As shown in the figure, a television monitor 1430 is connected to the video signal output terminal 1312 and a personal computer 1440 is connected to the data communication input / output terminal 1314 as necessary. Further, the imaging signal stored in the memory of the circuit board 1308 is output to the television monitor 1430 or the personal computer 1440 by a predetermined operation.

  The electronic device of the present invention includes, for example, a television (for example, a liquid crystal television), a video camera, a viewfinder type, a monitor in addition to the above-described personal computer (mobile personal computer), mobile phone, and digital still camera. Direct-view video tape recorder, laptop personal computer, car navigation system, pager, electronic notebook (including communication function), electronic dictionary, calculator, electronic game device, word processor, workstation, videophone, security TV monitor , Electronic binoculars, POS terminals, devices equipped with touch panels (for example, cash dispensers of financial institutions, automatic ticket vending machines), medical devices (for example, electronic thermometers, blood pressure monitors, blood glucose meters, electrocardiographic display devices, ultrasonic diagnostic devices, endoscopy) Mirror display device), fish finder, each Measuring instruments, gauges (e.g., gages for vehicles, aircraft, and ships), a flight simulator, various monitors, and a projection display such as a projector. In particular, TVs have a remarkable tendency to increase the size of display units in recent years. However, in electronic devices having such a large display unit (for example, a display unit having a diagonal length of 80 cm or more), a conventional color filter is manufactured. When the color filter manufactured by the method is applied, problems such as uneven color and uneven density are particularly likely to occur. However, if the present invention is applied, such problems can be reliably prevented. That is, when applied to an electronic device having a large display unit as described above, the effects of the present invention are more remarkably exhibited.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated based on suitable embodiment, this invention is not limited to these.
For example, in the above-described embodiment, after applying the color filter ink corresponding to the colored portion of each color in the cell, the liquid medium is removed from the color filter ink of each color in the cell in a batch, That is, although the colored portion forming step has been described as being performed only once, the ink application step and the colored portion forming step may be performed repeatedly corresponding to each color.

Moreover, in the color filter of this invention, the protective film which coat | covers a coloring part may be provided in the surface side opposite to the surface facing the board | substrate of a coloring part. Thereby, damage, deterioration, etc. of a coloring part can be prevented more effectively.
In addition, each unit constituting the color filter, the image display device, and the electronic device can be replaced with an arbitrary one that exhibits the same function, or another configuration can be added.

[1] Production of color filter (Example 1)
[1.1] Preparation of color filter ink First, a color filter ink used for manufacturing a color filter was prepared.
First, a resin p as a resin material was synthesized as follows.
After charging 320 parts by weight of n-hexane, 86 parts by weight of methacrylic acid, and 111 parts by weight of triethylamine in a four-necked flask, a thermometer, a reflux condenser, a stirrer, and nitrogen were added to this four-necked flask. A gas inlet was attached. While cooling this four-necked flask with ice water, 120 parts by weight of trimethylchlorosilane was added dropwise. At this time, the temperature in the reaction system was adjusted to 25 ° C. or lower. Thereafter, the reaction was continued at 25 ° C. for 1 hour. Next, the triethylamine hydrochloride was filtered off, and after removing n-hexane from the obtained filtrate under reduced pressure, the residue was purified by distillation under reduced pressure to obtain an ethylenically unsaturated monomer having a silyl acetate structure. .

  Next, a four-necked flask equipped with a thermometer, a reflux condenser, a stirrer, and a nitrogen gas inlet and charged with 100 parts by weight of diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate as a solvent was prepared. After stirring the diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate in the four-necked flask to 60 ° C. while stirring, the ethylenically unsaturated monomer: 27 parts by weight, glycidyl methacrylate: 30 parts by weight, and styrene: 38 A mixture of parts by weight and 2,2'-azobis- (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile): 6 parts by weight was added dropwise over 1 hour. After dropping, the mixture was kept at 60 ° C. for 1 hour, and then added with 2,2′-azobis- (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile): 0.08 part by weight, further reacted at 60 ° C. for 6 hours, and then unreacted. The monomer p was removed by a reduced pressure treatment to obtain a solution of a resin p as an epoxy resin having a silyl acetate structure and an epoxy structure.

On the other hand, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate and propylene glycol methyl ether acetate as a dispersion medium are prepared, and Disperbyk-161 (a compound having a simelide ring, manufactured by Big Chemie Japan Co.) as a dispersant and C as a pigment. . I. Pigment green 36, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 150 was added. Thereafter, the mixture was introduced into a bead mill (zirconia beads: 0.65 mm used), and the pigment was pulverized to obtain a pulverized mixture. Dispersbyk-161 (produced by Big Chemie Japan Co., a compound having a seameride ring) as a dispersant was further added to the obtained pulverized mixture, and 1000 kg / mass using an ultrahigh pressure homogenizer LAB2000 (produced by SMT Co., Ltd.). Dispersion treatment was performed under conditions of cm ² and 500 cc / min to obtain a pigment dispersion.

  Thereafter, a green color filter ink (green ink) was prepared by mixing the resin p solution and the pigment dispersion. C. in green ink I. Pigment Green 36 and C.I. I. The average particle size of the mixture with Pigment Yellow 150 was 100 nm. The average particle diameter of the pigment was measured with a laser Doppler particle size distribution meter.

Next, blue ink and red ink were prepared.
C. I. Pigment green 36 and C.I. I. Instead of CI Pigment Yellow 150, red ink contains C.I. I. Pigment Red 177 and blue ink include C.I. I. Pigment blue 15: 6 and C.I. I. Red color filter ink (red ink) in the same manner as the green color filter ink (green ink) of Example 1 except that each pigment yellow 150 was used and the amount of the dispersion medium was changed. A blue color filter ink (blue ink) was prepared. The content of each component in the dispersion medium of red ink and green ink was the same as the content of each component in the dispersion medium of green ink. As a result, an ink set composed of three colors of R, G, and B corresponding to the green ink was obtained. C. in green ink I. Pigment Red 177 average particle size, C.I. I. The average particle size of CI Pigment Blue 15: 6 was 80 nm.

Next, a color filter was manufactured as follows using the prepared ink set.
[1.2] Substrate preparation process First, a soda glass substrate (G5 size: 1100 × 1300 mm) on which a silica (SiO ₂ ) film that prevents elution of sodium ions is formed on both sides is prepared and subjected to a cleaning treatment. did.
Next, the radiation-sensitive composition for forming partition walls containing carbon black was applied to the entire surface of one of the cleaned substrates to form a coating film.
Next, prebaking was performed under the conditions of heating temperature: 110 ° C. and heating time: 120 seconds.

[1.3] Partition Formation Step After that, radiation is applied through a photomask to perform post-exposure baking (PEB), followed by development using an alkaline developer, and further post-baking By performing the treatment, a partition wall was formed. PEB was performed under the conditions of heating temperature: 110 ° C., heating time: 120 seconds, and radiation irradiation intensity: 150 mJ / cm ² . The development process was performed by, for example, a vibration dipping method. The development processing time was 60 seconds. The post-bake treatment was performed under the conditions of heating temperature: 150 ° C. and heating time: 5 minutes. The formed partition wall had a thickness of 2.1 μm.

[1.4] Ink Application Step Next, using a droplet discharge device as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 installed in a chamber (thermal chamber), a color is placed in a cell as a region surrounded by a partition wall. Filter ink was discharged. At this time, three color filter inks were used so that the color filter inks of the respective colors were not mixed.

[1.5] Depressurization Step Next, the substrate to which the ink was applied was placed under reduced pressure, and the dissolved gas and a part of the dispersion medium were removed.
First, the substrate to which the ink was applied was maintained for 120 seconds in a reduced pressure atmosphere of air temperature: atmospheric pressure: 2400 Pa and 25 ° C. (room temperature), and reduced pressure treatment was performed (reduced pressure treatment).
Subsequently, the pressure was reduced until the reduced-pressure atmosphere became atmospheric pressure: 20 Pa and 25 ° C. (room temperature), and the reduced-pressure treatment was performed for 100 seconds under the reduced-pressure atmosphere at atmospheric pressure: 20 Pa (additional reduced pressure treatment).

[1.6] Heating Step After that, the atmosphere is returned to atmospheric pressure, and then heat treatment is performed on a hot plate at 120 ° C. for 10 minutes (first heat treatment), and further in an oven at 230 ° C. for 60 minutes. By performing the partial heat treatment, three colored portions were formed (second heat treatment). Thereby, a color filter as shown in FIG. 1 was obtained.
Using the method as described above, 5000 color filters were manufactured using the color filter ink (ink set).

(Examples 2 to 12)
First, the color filter ink and the color filter ink were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the types and contents of the dispersant and the dispersion medium were as shown in Table 1, and the amounts of each component used were shown in the table. A color filter ink set was prepared. In addition, when changing the composition of the dispersion medium, resin p is synthesized using a solvent whose composition is changed accordingly, and the solution of resin p thus synthesized is used for the preparation of color filter ink. Using.
Next, 5000 color filters were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the processing conditions in the decompression step and the heating step were changed as shown in Table 2.

(Comparative Examples 1-8)
First, the color filter ink and the color filter ink were prepared in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the types and contents of the dispersant and the dispersion medium were as shown in Table 1, and the amounts of each component used were shown in the table. A color filter ink set was prepared. In addition, when changing the composition of the dispersion medium, resin p is synthesized using a solvent whose composition is changed accordingly, and the solution of resin p thus synthesized is used for the preparation of color filter ink. Using.

Next, 5000 color filters were manufactured in the same manner as in Example 1 except that the processing conditions in the decompression step and the heating step were changed as shown in Table 2. In Comparative Example 5, the reduced pressure treatment in the decompression process was not performed.
Table 1 shows the composition and characteristics of the green ink for each of the examples and comparative examples. In the table, C.I. I. Pigment Green 36 is “PG36”, C.I. I. Pigment Yellow 150 is “PY150”, the above resin p is “p”, Disperbyk-161 (dispersing agent) is “d1”, Disperbyk-162 (dispersing agent) is “d2”, and Disperbyk-142 (dispersing agent) is “d3”. Disperbyk-170 (dispersant) “d4”, propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate “L1”, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate “L2”, ethyl lactate “L3”, cyclohexanone “L4”, N, N-dimethylformamide “L5”, diacetone alcohol “L6”, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether “L7”, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate “L8”, 1,3-butylene glycol diacetate “L9”, bis ( 2-but (Ciethyl) ether is represented by “L10”, 2- (2-methoxy-1-methylethoxy) -1-methylethyl acetate is represented by “L11”, diethylene glycol monoethyl ether is represented by “L12”, and 4-butyrolactone is represented by “L13”. . In the column of “viscosity” in the table, the viscosity at 25 ° C. measured according to JIS Z8809 using a vibration viscometer was shown. In the “saturated vapor pressure” column, the saturated vapor pressure at 25 ° C. is shown. In the table, the saturation vapor pressure of the dispersion promoting liquid at 25 ° C. is represented by P _L [Pa], and the content of the dispersion promoting liquid in the dispersion medium is represented by X [wt%].
Table 2 shows the conditions of each treatment in the decompression step and the heating step. In the table, the atmospheric pressure during the reduced pressure treatment is indicated by P _dc [Pa], and the treatment time is indicated by Y [sec].

[2] Droplet ejection stability evaluation (stable ejection performance evaluation)
[2.1] Evaluation of landing position accuracy A droplet discharge device as shown in FIG. 3 to FIG. 6 installed in a chamber (thermal chamber) and green inks of the respective examples and comparative examples are prepared. With the drive waveform optimized, 10000 (10000 drops) droplets were continuously discharged from each nozzle of the droplet discharge head for the green ink. For 10000 droplets ejected from a designated nozzle near the center of the droplet ejection head, the average value of the deviation amount d from the center aiming position of the center position of each landed droplet is obtained, and the following four steps Evaluation was performed according to the criteria of It can be said that the smaller the value is, the more effectively the occurrence of flight bending is prevented.
A: The average value of the shift amounts d is less than 0.03 μm.
B: The average value of the shift amount d is 0.03 μm or more and less than 0.08 μm.
C: The average value of the shift amount d is 0.08 μm or more and less than 0.12 μm. D: The average value of the shift amount d is 0.12 μm or more.

[2.2] Continuous Discharge Test Using a droplet discharge apparatus as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 installed in a chamber (thermal chamber), the green ink of each of the above examples and comparative examples, 50% RH Under the environment, the droplet discharge device was continuously operated for 24 hours to discharge the green ink constituting the color filter ink set.

The nozzle clogging rate ([(number of clogged nozzles) / (total number of nozzles)] × 100) obtained after continuous operation is found and the nozzles are clogged. With respect to the above, it was examined whether or not clogging can be eliminated by a cleaning member made of a plastic material. The results were evaluated according to the following four criteria.
A: No nozzle clogging occurs.
B: The occurrence rate of nozzle clogging is less than 0.5% (excluding zero), and clogging can be eliminated by cleaning.
C: The occurrence rate of nozzle clogging is 0.5% or more and less than 1.0%, and clogging can be eliminated by cleaning.
D: The occurrence rate of nozzle clogging is 1.0% or more, or clogging cannot be eliminated by cleaning.
In addition, said evaluation was performed on the same conditions about each Example and each comparative example.

[2.3] Evaluation of intermittent printing performance A droplet discharge device as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 installed in a chamber (thermal chamber) and the green ink of each of the examples and comparative examples are prepared. With the drive waveform optimized, 1000 droplets (1000 droplets) were continuously discharged from each nozzle of the droplet discharge head for the green ink, and then the droplet discharge was interrupted for 30 seconds ( First sequence). Thereafter, similarly, the operation of continuously discharging the droplets and interrupting the discharge of the droplets were repeated. For the specified nozzle near the center of the droplet discharge head, the average weight W ₁ [ng] of the droplets discharged in the first sequence and the average weight W ₁₀ [ng] of the droplets discharged in the tenth sequence And asked. Then, the ratio (| W ₁ −W ₁₀ | / W _T ) of the absolute value of the difference between W ₁ and W ₁₀ with respect to the target discharge amount W _T [ng] of the droplet is obtained, and the following three criteria are used. ,evaluated. | _W 1 _-W 10 | as the value of / _{W T} is small, it can be said to be excellent in intermittent printing performance (stability of the droplet discharge quantity).
_A: | _{W 1} -W 10 | values of / _{W T} is less than 0.025.
_B: | _{W 1} -W 10 | values of / _{W T} is 0.025 or more and less than 0.125.
_C: | _{W 1} -W 10 | values of / _{W T} is 0.125 or more and less than 0.625.
_D: | _{W 1} -W 10 | value of / _{W T} is 0.625 or more.

[2.4] Stability Evaluation of Droplet Discharge Amount Prepared are a droplet discharge device as shown in FIGS. 3 to 6 installed in a chamber (thermal chamber) and the green inks of the above examples and comparative examples. With the driving waveform of the piezo element optimized, 10000 (10000 drops) droplets were continuously discharged from each nozzle of the droplet discharge head for the green ink. For the two specified nozzles on the left and right ends of the droplet discharge head, the total weight of the discharged droplets is obtained, and the absolute value ΔW [ng] of the difference between the average discharge amounts of the droplets discharged from the two nozzles is calculated. Asked. The ratio (ΔW / W _T ) of this ΔW to the target discharge amount W _T [ng] of the droplet was determined and evaluated according to the following four criteria. As the value of [Delta] W / W _T is small, it can be said that the greater the stability of the droplet discharge amount.
A: The value of ΔW / _{W T} is less than 0.020.
B: The value of ΔW / _{W T} is 0.020 or more and less than 0.420.
C: The value of ΔW / _{W T} is 0.420 or more and less than 0.720.
D: The value of ΔW / _{W T} is 0.720 or more.

[3] Evaluation of color filter Further, the following evaluation was performed using each color filter obtained as described above.
[3.1] Presence of bubbles in the colored portion Among the color filters manufactured in each of the examples and the comparative examples, each of the color filters manufactured in the 500th sheet has red, green, and blue colored portions. Of these, 300 colored portions were randomly selected for each color, and the colored portions were observed with an optical microscope. As a result of observation, the presence or absence of bubbles in the colored portion was evaluated according to the following four-stage criteria.

A: No bubbles are observed in the colored part.
B: Almost no bubbles are observed in the colored part.
C: Slight bubbles are observed in the colored part.
D: A large amount of bubbles are observed in the colored part.
In the above evaluation, each color filter was observed and measured under the same conditions.

[3.2] Color Unevenness, Density Unevenness, Light Leakage Of the color filters manufactured in each of the examples and the comparative examples, each color filter manufactured in the 1000th sheet is used under the same conditions as in FIG. A liquid crystal display device as shown in FIG.
Using these liquid crystal display devices, visual observation is performed in a dark room with red single color display, green single color display, blue single color display, and white single color display, and color unevenness and density at each part. The occurrence of unevenness was evaluated according to the following five-stage criteria.

A: Color unevenness, density unevenness, and light leakage are not recognized at all.
B: Color unevenness, density unevenness, and light leakage are hardly observed.
C: Color unevenness, density unevenness, and light leakage are slightly observed.
D: Color unevenness, density unevenness, and light leakage are clearly recognized.
E: Color unevenness, density unevenness, and light leakage are remarkably recognized.
In the above evaluation, each liquid crystal display device was manufactured under the same conditions, displayed under the same conditions, and observed and measured under the same conditions.

[3.3] Characteristic difference between individuals The color filters manufactured using the color filter inks (ink sets) of the respective Examples and Comparative Examples were manufactured for 990 to 999 sheets, respectively. A color filter was prepared, and red single color display, green single color display, blue single color display, and white single color display were performed in a dark room, and color measurement was performed using a spectrophotometer (MCPD3000, manufactured by Otsuka Electronics Co., Ltd.). From the results, for each example and each comparative example, the maximum color difference (color difference ΔE in the Lab display system) is obtained with the color filter manufactured in the 990th to 999th sheets, and the following five criteria are used. ,evaluated.

A: Color difference (ΔE) is less than 2.
B: Color difference (ΔE) is 2 or more and less than 3.
C: Color difference (ΔE) is 3 or more and less than 4.
D: Color difference (ΔE) is 4 or more and less than 5.
E: Color difference (ΔE) is 5 or more.
In the above evaluation, each color filter was observed and measured under the same conditions.
These results are shown in Table 3.

As is apparent from Table 3, the color filter produced by the production method of the present invention has suppressed color mixing, color unevenness, density unevenness, and light leakage, and has small variations in characteristics among individuals. Further, the remaining air bubbles were very few in the colored portion of the color filter. On the other hand, in each comparative example, a satisfactory result was not obtained.
Further, when the same droplet ejection stability evaluation as described above was performed on the red ink and the blue ink other than the green ink of each of the examples and the comparative examples, the same result as described above was obtained.
Further, when a commercially available liquid crystal television was disassembled and the liquid crystal display device part was replaced with one manufactured as described above, and the same evaluation as described above was performed, the same result as above was obtained.

It is sectional drawing which shows suitable embodiment of the color filter of this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the manufacturing method of a color filter. It is a perspective view which shows the droplet discharge apparatus used for manufacture of a color filter. It is the figure which observed the droplet discharge means in the droplet discharge apparatus shown in FIG. 3 from the stage side. It is a figure which shows the bottom face of the droplet discharge head in the droplet discharge apparatus shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the droplet discharge head in the droplet discharge apparatus shown in FIG. 3, (a) is a cross-sectional perspective view, (b) is sectional drawing. It is sectional drawing which shows embodiment of a liquid crystal display device. 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a mobile (or notebook) personal computer to which an electronic apparatus of the present invention is applied. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the mobile telephone (PHS is also included) to which the electronic device of this invention is applied. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the digital still camera to which the electronic device of this invention is applied.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Color filter 11 ... Board | substrate 12 ... Colored part 12A ... 1st colored part 12B ... 2nd colored part 12C ... 3rd colored part 13 ... Partition 14 ... Cell 2 ... Color filter ink (ink) 3 ... Coating Film 60 ... Liquid crystal display device 61 ... Common electrode 62 ... Liquid crystal layer 63, 64 ... Alignment film 65 ... Pixel electrode 66 ... Substrate (counter substrate) 67, 68 ... Polarizing plate 100 ... Droplet discharge device 101 ... Tank 102 ... Discharge scanning Numeral 103 ... Droplet discharge means 104 ... First position control device 105 ... Carriage 106 ... Stage 108 ... Second position control device 110 ... Tube 112 ... Control means 114 ... Droplet discharge head (inkjet head) 116A, 116B ... Nozzle array 118 ... Nozzle 120 ... Cavity 122 ... Bulkhead 124 ... Vibrator 124A, 124B ... Pole 124C ... Piezo element 126 ... Diaphragm 127 ... Discharge part 128 ... Nozzle plate 129 ... Liquid pool 130 ... Supply port 131 ... Hole 1000 ... Image display device 1100 ... Personal computer 1102 ... Keyboard 1104 ... Main part 1106 ... Display unit 1200 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS ... Mobile phone 1202 ... Operation button 1204 ... Earpiece 1206 ... Mouthpiece 1300 ... Digital still camera 1302 ... Case (body) 1304 ... Light receiving unit 1306 ... Shutter button 1308 ... Circuit board 1312 ... Video signal output terminal 1314 ... For data communication Input / output terminal 1430 ... TV monitor 1440 ... personal computer

Claims (10)

A method for producing a color filter by an ink jet method using a color filter ink comprising a pigment, a dispersant, and a dispersion medium for dispersing the pigment,
A substrate preparation process for preparing a substrate;
An ink application step of ejecting the color filter ink as droplets and applying the color filter ink on the substrate;
A decompression step of placing the substrate in a decompressed atmosphere;
A heating step of heating the substrate to remove the dispersion medium from the color filter ink and forming a solid colored portion,
The dispersion medium contains a dispersion promoting liquid having a saturation vapor pressure at 25 ° C. of 200 Pa or more in a content of 2.0 wt% or more, and a saturation vapor pressure at 25 ° C. of 100 Pa or less.
The method for producing a color filter characterized in that the pressure reducing step includes a reduced pressure treatment for reducing the pressure for 20 seconds or more in an atmosphere of 1 to 50 times the saturated vapor pressure at 25 ° C. of the dispersion promoting liquid. .   When the content of the dispersion promoting liquid in the dispersion medium is X [wt%] and the time of the reduced pressure treatment in the decompression step is Y [seconds], the relationship of 10 ≦ Y / X is satisfied. The manufacturing method of the color filter of Claim 1.   The dispersion promoting liquid is propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, propylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monomethyl ether, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether acetate, ethylene glycol monoethyl ether, cyclohexanone, ethyl lactate, methyl isobutyl ketone and The method for producing a color filter according to claim 1 or 2, comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of butyl acetate.   The dispersion medium includes 1,3-butylene glycol diacetate, diethylene glycol monobutyl ether acetate, 2- (2-methoxy-1-methylethoxy) -1-methylethyl acetate, and bis (2 The method for producing a color filter according to any one of claims 1 to 3, comprising one or more selected from the group consisting of -butoxyethyl) ether.   The method for producing a color filter according to claim 1, wherein the heating step is performed under atmospheric pressure.   The method for producing a color filter according to claim 1, wherein the heating step heats the substrate to 60 to 280 ° C. 6.   A color filter manufactured by the method for manufacturing a color filter according to claim 1.   An image display device comprising the color filter according to claim 7.   The image display device according to claim 8, wherein the image display device is a liquid crystal panel.   An electronic apparatus comprising the image display device according to claim 8.

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