JP2009075190A - Manufacturing method for liquid crystal device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a manufacturing method for a liquid crystal device of a preferable display quality with a high productivity without deterioration of an orientation film. <P>SOLUTION: The manufacturing method for a liquid crystal device having a vertical orientation film formed in a region including a display region P corresponding to a pixel electrode 9, and a horizontal orientation film 42 formed in a non-display region BM between the display regions P comprises a step of forming a resin film 42a to provide a horizontal orientation film 42 on the pixel electrode 9 side of a substrate 10A, a step of forming a protection layer 43 on the resin film 42a, a step of forming a resist pattern R in the horizontal orientation film 42 forming region on the protection layer 43, and partially removing the resin film 42a and the protection layer 43 in the area other than the forming region using the resist pattern R, a step of etching the resin layer 42a by covering the resist pattern R on the substrate 10A, a step of forming a resin layer 41a to provide a vertical orientation film 41 on the substrate 10A, a step of removing the resist pattern R, and a step of removing the protection layer 43. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

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

  There is a liquid crystal projector as a device for displaying an image on a large screen using a liquid crystal device. Projectors are required to have high brightness and high contrast, and in that respect, a vertical alignment type liquid crystal device is capable of high-contrast display, and has recently been adopted as a liquid crystal alignment method for liquid crystal devices for projectors.

  However, in the vertical alignment method, the liquid crystal stands perpendicular to the substrate surface, and the interaction in the azimuth direction that falls when a voltage is applied is weak. Moreover, when a pixel potential is applied, a horizontal electric field is generated in a direction parallel to the substrate surface from the end of the pixel electrode. Therefore, due to the electric field in the lateral direction, the liquid crystal may fall in various directions, resulting in disclination. When disclination occurs, display defects such as light and dark unevenness, a decrease in contrast, and an afterimage are visually recognized.

Therefore, liquid crystal is vertically aligned in the display area to ensure good contrast characteristics, and liquid crystal is horizontally aligned around the pixel area, mainly in the non-display area to prevent disclination by regulating the liquid crystal alignment. It is possible to do. A liquid crystal device having such a configuration is disclosed in, for example, Patent Document 1, and in the liquid crystal device disclosed in Patent Document 1, an inorganic alignment film is formed by oblique deposition and the thickness thereof is changed. The orientation angle of the liquid crystal on the alignment film is controlled.
JP 2005-107373 A

However, the inorganic alignment film is weaker in regulating power to align the liquid crystal than the organic alignment film, and the liquid crystal aligned by the inorganic alignment film may lose the lateral electric field and cause alignment failure.
Therefore, a method in which a vertical alignment film is formed in the display area and a horizontal alignment film made of an organic material is formed in the non-display area can be considered. According to this method, the direction in which the liquid crystal around the pixel region is tilted when a voltage is applied can be sufficiently regulated by the organic alignment film, so that it is considered that liquid crystal alignment defects can be prevented.

  By the way, when forming such an alignment film, one of the vertical alignment film and the horizontal alignment film is usually formed first, and the other is formed later. For example, when the horizontal alignment film is formed first, a horizontal alignment film material layer is formed on the substrate, and etching is performed using the resist pattern laminated on the horizontal alignment film formation portion on the horizontal alignment film material layer as a mask. Thereafter, the horizontal alignment film is formed by removing the resist pattern. However, the resist stripping solution used for removing the resist pattern damages and alters the surface of the horizontal alignment film made of polyimide or the like, and the liquid crystal alignment around the pixel region is unstable. It was.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, and is a manufacturing method capable of manufacturing a liquid crystal device with good display quality with high productivity by manufacturing the alignment film without altering the alignment film. It is intended to provide.

  In order to solve the above problems, a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to the present invention includes a first substrate having a plurality of pixel electrodes, a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate, and these substrates. A first alignment film formed in a region including a display region corresponding to the pixel electrode, and a second alignment film formed in a non-display region between the display regions, A method of forming a second alignment film material layer serving as a second alignment film on the pixel electrode side of the first substrate, and a protection on the second alignment film material layer Forming a layer, and forming a mask material in a formation region of the second alignment film on the protective layer, and using the mask material, partially forming the second alignment film material layer and the protective layer outside the formation region A step of removing and a step of forming a first alignment film material layer to be a first alignment film on the first substrate so as to cover the mask material When, and having a step of removing the mask material, and a step of removing the protective layer.

  According to the present invention, since the resist pattern is removed in a state where the second alignment film material layer is covered with the protective layer, it is possible to prevent the mask material peeling liquid from coming into contact with the second alignment film material layer. The surface of the second alignment film material layer can be prevented from being damaged by the peeling solution. Thereby, it becomes possible to manufacture the liquid crystal alignment controllability of the second alignment film without deteriorating. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a liquid crystal device in which the alignment of the liquid crystal around the pixel region is stable, the contrast property is good, and the display defect is prevented.

In order to solve the above problems, a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to the present invention includes a first substrate having a plurality of pixel electrodes, a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate, and these substrates. A first alignment film formed in a region including a display region corresponding to the pixel electrode, and a second alignment film formed in a non-display region between the display regions, A process for forming a mask material at a position where the first alignment film is formed on the pixel electrode;
A step of covering the mask material on the first substrate to form a second alignment film material layer, a step of forming a protective layer on the second alignment film material layer, a step of removing the mask material, and a protective layer And a step of removing.

  According to the present invention, since the mask material is removed in a state where the second alignment film material layer is covered with the protective layer, it is possible to prevent the stripping solution of the mask material from coming into contact with the second alignment film material layer. The surface of the second alignment film material layer can be prevented from being damaged by the peeling solution. Thereby, it becomes possible to manufacture the liquid crystal alignment controllability of the second alignment film without deteriorating. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a liquid crystal device in which the alignment of the liquid crystal around the pixel region is stable, the contrast property is good, and the display defect is prevented.

In the step of forming the protective layer with a silicon thin film and removing the protective layer, the protective layer is preferably removed by dry etching.
According to the present invention, by forming the protective layer with a silicon thin film, the second alignment film material layer (second alignment film) can be reliably and satisfactorily protected from the mask material peeling liquid. It is possible to prevent the surface of the second alignment film material layer (second alignment film) from being altered by the liquid.

In the step of removing the protective layer, it is preferable to use XeF2 gas as an etching gas for dry etching.
According to the present invention, it is possible to reliably and easily remove only the protective layer made of a silicon thin film without affecting other configurations. As a result, the protective film can be effectively removed and the yield is improved.

In addition, a liquid crystal layer that selectively performs an alignment treatment on the second alignment film, exhibits substantially vertical alignment on the first alignment film, and aligns with a predetermined azimuth angle on the second alignment film. Is preferably formed. In addition, it is preferable that the peripheral portion of the pixel electrode and the second alignment film are formed so as to overlap in a plane.
In the present invention, the periphery means the inside of a certain area and the vicinity of the boundary between the inside and the outside of the area, and the periphery means the outside of the certain area and the vicinity of the boundary between the inside and the outside of the area. Means.
According to the present invention, since the second alignment film for aligning the liquid crystal at a predetermined azimuth angle is provided on the peripheral edge (second area) of the pixel electrode, the liquid crystal on the peripheral edge has a pixel potential. When applied, it will be oriented in a uniform direction. Therefore, the liquid crystal in the display area (first area) is regulated in the direction of alignment by the liquid crystal on the peripheral edge, and is not affected by a lateral electric field generated in a direction substantially parallel to the substrate from the pixel electrode end. , It will be oriented in a certain direction. Therefore, it is possible to manufacture a liquid crystal device in which alignment failure of liquid crystal in the display area is prevented and disclination is prevented.

Moreover, it is preferable to have the process of providing orientation by rubbing the second alignment film from which the protective layer has been peeled off.
According to the present invention, since the mask material is peeled in a state where the surface of the second alignment film is covered with the protective layer, the second alignment film is prevented from being altered by the resist stripping solution. Good orientation can be imparted by subjecting the alignment film to a rubbing treatment.

The second alignment film material layer is preferably formed of a resin film.
According to the present invention, since the second alignment film can be patterned and formed using a known resist material or etching method, the second alignment film is formed with high accuracy and high reliability. Can do.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings, taking as an example a manufacturing method of an active matrix type transmissive liquid crystal device using TFT (Thin-Film Transistor) elements. The technical scope of the present invention is as follows. It is not limited to the following embodiment. In the drawings used for the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed in order to make each member a recognizable size.

[Liquid Crystal Device]
First, prior to the description of the manufacturing method of the present invention, the configuration of a liquid crystal device (transmission type liquid crystal device) 1 obtained by the manufacturing method of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 is an equivalent circuit diagram of switching elements, signal lines, etc. in a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix of the transmissive liquid crystal device 1.
As shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of pixels arranged in a matrix are formed with a pixel electrode 9 and a TFT element 30 that is a switching element for controlling energization of the pixel electrode 9, respectively. A data line 6 a to which a signal is supplied is electrically connected to the source of the TFT element 30. Image signals S1, S2,..., Sn to be written to the data line 6a are supplied line-sequentially in this order, or are supplied for each group to a plurality of adjacent data lines 6a.

  In addition, the scanning line 3a is electrically connected to the gate of the TFT element 30, and scanning signals G1, G2,..., Gm are applied to the plurality of scanning lines 3a in a pulse-sequential manner at predetermined timing. The Further, the pixel electrode 9 is electrically connected to the drain of the TFT element 30, and the image signal S1, S2,... Supplied from the data line 6a is turned on by turning on the TFT element 30 as a switching element for a certain period. , Sn is written at a predetermined timing.

  A predetermined level of image signals S1, S2,..., Sn written to the liquid crystal via the pixel electrode 9 is held for a certain period with the common electrode described later. The liquid crystal modulates light by changing the orientation and order of the molecular assembly according to the applied voltage level, thereby enabling gradation display. Here, in order to prevent the held image signal from leaking, a storage capacitor 70 is added in parallel with the liquid crystal capacitor formed between the pixel electrode 9 and the common electrode. The storage capacitor 70 is provided between the drain of the TFT 30 and the capacitor line 3b.

  FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the display unit of the transmissive liquid crystal device 1, and is a schematic diagram viewed from the surface side of the first substrate on which the pixel electrode 9 is disposed, on which the alignment film (not shown) is formed. It is. The display unit of the liquid crystal device is provided in the display area P provided inside corresponding to the pixel electrode 9 (periphery 9a), and between the display areas P, that is, at a position surrounded by the display area P. The pixel electrode 9 is arranged so that the peripheral edge of the pixel electrode 9 protrudes from the non-display area BM. The first area A1 is formed to include at least the entire display area P, and the second area A2 is formed in the non-display area BM.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a cross section taken along line XX of FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the transmissive liquid crystal device 1 includes an element substrate 10 (first substrate), a counter substrate 20 (second substrate), and a liquid crystal layer 50 sandwiched between these substrates. . The element substrate 10 includes a transparent substrate 10A such as glass, a pixel electrode 9 and a light shielding film 13 formed on the substrate 10A, a vertical alignment film 41 (first alignment film), PI (polyimide), and the like. It is composed of a horizontal alignment film 42 (second alignment film) and the like. TFT elements (not shown), wirings (not shown), and the like are formed on the light shielding film 13, and light incident from the substrate 10A side does not hit the TFT elements. Further, since the light shielding film 13 is formed, the non-display area BM is defined, and the display area P is defined as a pixel opening between the non-display areas BM.

  In addition, a first area A1 is formed on the element substrate 10 so as to include at least the display region P, and the non-display region BM includes at least a peripheral portion 9b that protrudes from the non-display region of the pixel electrode 9. A second area A2 is formed including the top. As shown in FIG. 3, the first area A1 and the second area A2 are provided continuously. A vertical alignment film (first alignment film) 41 is formed on the pixel electrode 9 corresponding to the first area A1, and the light shielding film 13 and the pixel electrode 9 corresponding to the second area A2. A horizontal alignment film 42 is formed on the top.

  The counter substrate 20 includes a transparent substrate 20A made of glass or the like, a vertical alignment film 61, a common electrode 21, and the like. The light shielding film 13 may also be formed on the substrate 20A side.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the alignment of the liquid crystal when a voltage is applied between the pixel electrode 9 and the common electrode 21. When a voltage is applied between the pixel electrode 9 and the common electrode 21, the liquid crystal of the liquid crystal layer 50 is aligned according to the voltage between them, and the light transmitted in the thickness direction of the transmissive liquid crystal device 1 is modulated, thereby transmitting the transmissive type. The liquid crystal device 1 can perform gradation display.

  At this time, in the transmissive liquid crystal device 1 of the present invention, the liquid crystal 52 positioned in the second area A2 is aligned at a predetermined pretilt angle in a state where no voltage is applied. It tilts in the direction it is oriented. That is, the liquid crystal 51 located in the vicinity of the second area A2 in the first area A1 is greatly affected by the operation of the liquid crystal 52 on the peripheral edge portion 9b of the pixel electrode 9 that is the outer peripheral portion of the second area A2. In particular, the direction in which the liquid crystal 52 falls is restricted to the direction in which the liquid crystal 52 on the peripheral edge 9b falls.

  As a result, the liquid crystals 51 in the first area A1 all fall down in a uniform direction and are uniformly aligned. Therefore, even if a lateral electric field is generated in the direction parallel to the element substrate 10 at the end of the pixel electrode 9, the liquid crystal 51 in the display region P is prevented from causing alignment failure. Further, as in the present embodiment, the horizontal alignment film 42 made of an organic material such as polyimide (PI) has a stronger ability to regulate the alignment direction of the liquid crystal 52 than the alignment film made of an inorganic material. The alignment defect of the liquid crystal 52 due to the influence can be prevented more reliably.

  Further, since the liquid crystal 52 having an orientation different from that of the liquid crystal 51 corresponding to the display region P is disposed only in the non-display region BM, the transmittance of the pixel corresponding to the display region (pixel opening) P is the liquid crystal 51. It is prescribed only by. Therefore, the transmittance of the pixel can be made desired.

[First Embodiment of Manufacturing Method of Liquid Crystal Device]
Next, a first embodiment of a method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to the present invention will be described using the method for manufacturing the transmissive liquid crystal device 1 as an example.

5-8 is a figure explaining 1st Embodiment of the manufacturing method of the said transmission type liquid crystal device 1 (liquid crystal device).
First, as shown in FIG. 5A, a light shielding film 13 made of Cr (chromium) or the like is formed in a lattice pattern on a transparent substrate 10A made of glass or the like, and the non-display area BM is defined by the light shielding film 13. In addition, a region surrounded by the non-display region BM is set as a display region (pixel opening) P. Subsequently, the TFT element 30, the data line 6a, the scanning line 3a, and the like shown in FIG. Next, the pixel electrode 9 is formed by using a transparent conductor such as ITO (indium tin oxide) so as to protrude from the display region P to the non-display region BM. A known method can be used for these steps.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5B, a horizontal alignment film (second alignment) described later is applied to the pixel electrode 9 side of the substrate 10A on which the pixel electrode 9 is formed by using a method such as spin coating. Film) material is applied to form a resin film 42a (second alignment film material layer). As a material of the horizontal alignment film, for example, PI (polyimide) or the like is used.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5C, silicon is applied to the entire surface of the resin film 42a using a CVD method, a sputtering method, or the like to form a protective layer 43 made of a silicon thin film. The thickness of the protective layer 43 is about several hundred nm. Thus, the surface of the resin film 42a made of polyimide (PI) is covered with the protective layer 43.

Next, as illustrated in FIG. 6A, a resist pattern R (mask material) is formed at a horizontal alignment film formation portion (second alignment film formation portion) on the protective layer 43. The resist pattern R is disposed on the light shielding film 13 and is formed so as not to protrude from the non-display area BM. Then, using this resist pattern R as a mask, the protective layer 43 and the resin film 42a are partially removed by dry etching, for example, and as shown in FIG. The alignment film) is formed. By forming the horizontal alignment film 42, the second area A2 can be formed on the horizontal alignment film 42. Further, the area between the second areas A2 is defined as the first area A1.
Note that the resist pattern R covering the protective layer 43 is left as it is without being removed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6C, a vertical alignment film 41 (first alignment film) described later is formed on the substrate 10A so as to cover the resist pattern R formed on the horizontal alignment film. The material is applied to form a coating film 41a (first alignment film material layer). Specifically, for example, a solvent containing polysiloxane is applied to the surface side of the substrate 10A on which the horizontal alignment film 42 is formed by a liquid phase method such as a spin coating method, and is cured at a temperature of about 200 ° C. To do. At this time, since the upper surface of the horizontal alignment film 42 is covered with the resist pattern R, the material of the vertical alignment film 41 is prevented from adhering to the upper surface of the horizontal alignment film 42. In this way, the vertical alignment film 41 (first alignment film) is formed at a position that becomes the first area A1 of the substrate 10A on which the horizontal alignment film 42 is formed.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 7A, the resist pattern R is removed using a resist stripping solution such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and the vertical alignment film 41 provided thereon is also removed together. The protective layer 43 is exposed. At this time, since the surface of the horizontal alignment film 42 is covered with the protective layer 43, the resist stripping solution does not come into contact with the surface of the horizontal alignment film 42.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7B, the protective layer 43 exposed by removing the resist pattern R is removed by dry etching. In this embodiment, XeF ₂ gas is used as an etching gas used for dry etching.
Here, the etching using XeF gas as the etching gas is performed by a procedure called pulse etching. As pulse etching, XeF ₂ (xenon difluoride) gas generated by sublimation in particular is used as XeF ₂ gas, and this is supplied into the etching chamber until the inside of the etching chamber reaches a desired gas pressure, This is a method of repeating a cycle in which the reaction is continued for a certain period of time and then discarded with a dry pump for a certain period of time. The pressure in the etching chamber and the sublimation chamber is automatically measured by opening and closing the air drive valve while monitoring the gas pressure with a capacitance pressure gauge.
Note that the etching mechanism of silicon (Si) with XeF ₂ gas is as follows.
2XeF ₂ + Si → 2Xe + SiF ₄

Since the protective layer 43 is made of silicon (Si), the protective layer 43 and XeF ₂ chemically react to generate Xe (xenon) gas and SiF ₄ (silicon tetrafluoride) gas. Therefore, the protective layer 43 can be dry etched without using a resist mask. Further, since XeF ₂ (xenon difluoride) can be isotropically etched with respect to silicon (Si), it can be removed without leaving the protective layer 43 on the horizontal alignment film 42. Thus, only the protective layer 43 is selectively etched without damaging the horizontal alignment film 42 and the vertical alignment film 41 by performing dry etching using XeF gas (XeF ₂ gas) as an etching gas. Can do.
Thus, the element substrate 10 provided with the vertical alignment film 41 in the first area A1 and the horizontal alignment film 42 in the second area A2 is formed.

  Next, a rubbing process is performed on the surface of the horizontal alignment film 42 by a rubbing processing apparatus (not shown) in which a rubbing cloth is wound around a roller, thereby imparting orientation to the horizontal alignment film 42. At this time, the surface of the vertical alignment film 41 is also rubbed, but the vertical alignment film 41a of this embodiment has a rigid structure made of an inorganic material such as polysiloxane as described above. Therefore, the alignment is not imparted to the vertical alignment film 41a by the rubbing process. Therefore, orientation is imparted only to the horizontal alignment film 42.

  Separately from the element substrate 10, a counter substrate 20 is formed as shown in FIG. In the counter substrate 20, a common electrode 21 is formed on a substrate 20 A made of a transparent material such as glass using a transparent conductor such as ITO, and a vertical alignment film 61 is formed on the common electrode 21. A known method can be used for these steps. For example, the common electrode 21 is formed by a sputtering method, and the vertical alignment film 61 is formed by a spin coating method, a CVD method, or the like depending on the alignment film material. Is used.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the element substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 are bonded so that the vertical alignment films 41 and 61 and the horizontal alignment film 42 are inside, and shown in FIG. 8C. Thus, the transmissive liquid crystal device 1 is formed by encapsulating the liquid crystal layer 50 between the element substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20.

According to the above manufacturing method, when removing the resist pattern R, the surface of the horizontal alignment film 42 is covered with the protective layer 43, so that the resist stripping solution contacts the surface of the horizontal alignment film 42. It is possible to prevent the horizontal alignment film 42 from being altered by the resist stripping solution. Thereby, the orientation of the horizontal alignment film 42 is not affected (damaged) by the resist stripping solution, and the liquid crystal can be stably aligned in the second area A2 (in the non-display area) around the pixel area. .
Therefore, the horizontal alignment film 42 and the vertical alignment film 41 can be efficiently formed, and thus the liquid crystal device 1 can be manufactured with high productivity.

In the present embodiment, the non-display area BM is defined by forming the light shielding film 13 from Cr or the like. However, the non-display area BM may be defined by a wiring electrode or the like, for example.
In the case where an inorganic alignment film made of, for example, SiO ₂ is formed as the horizontal alignment film 42 by oblique vapor deposition, the rubbing process can be omitted for the material layer of the inorganic alignment film.

[Second Embodiment of Manufacturing Method of Liquid Crystal Device]
Next, a second embodiment of the method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to the present invention will be described. In the present embodiment, the manufacturing method of the transmissive liquid crystal device 1 will be described as an example. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are diagrams for explaining a second embodiment of the manufacturing method of the transmissive liquid crystal device 1 (liquid crystal device).

In this embodiment, first, as shown in FIG. 9A, a resist pattern R is formed on the pixel electrode 9 of the substrate 10A. Specifically, the resist pattern R is formed in the first area A1 corresponding to the vertical alignment film formation portion (first alignment film formation portion) on the pixel electrode 9.
Then, as shown in FIG. 9B, using this resist pattern R as a mask, a horizontal alignment film material such as polyimide (PI) is applied by a method such as spin coating, for example, to form a resin film 42a (second film). The alignment film material layer) is formed. At this time, since the vertical alignment film formation portion (first area A1) of the pixel electrode 9 is covered with the resist pattern R, the material of the horizontal alignment film 42 may adhere to the vertical alignment film formation portion of the pixel electrode 9. Is prevented.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 9C, silicon is applied to the entire surface of the resin film 42a using a CVD method, a sputtering method, or the like to form a protective layer 43 made of a silicon thin film. The thickness of the protective layer 43 is about several hundred nm. Thus, the surface of the resin film 42a made of PI is covered with the protective layer 43.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10A, the resist pattern R is removed using a resist stripping solution such as N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, and the resin film 42a and the protective layer 43 provided thereon are also removed together. As a result, the vertical alignment film forming portion of the pixel electrode 9 is exposed. At the same time, the horizontal alignment film 42 whose surface is covered with the protective layer 43 is formed at a position to be the second area A2 on the substrate 10A.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, the protective layer 43 covering the horizontal alignment film 42 is removed by dry etching using XeF ₂ (xenon difluoride) gas. Since XeF ₂ (xenon difluoride) gas reacts only with silicon (Si) as described above, only the protective layer 43 can be removed without damaging the horizontal alignment film 42 and the pixel electrode 9.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 10B, a vertical alignment film 41 (first alignment film) is formed at a position that becomes the first area A1 of the substrate 10A on which the horizontal alignment film 42 is formed. For the formation of the vertical alignment film 41, a spin coating method, CVD, or the like is used depending on the alignment film material and the configuration on the substrate 10A. In the CVD method, for example, a long-chain alkyl group or a functional group having a rigid planar structure can be selectively formed on the pixel electrode 9 exposed between the horizontal alignment films 42. Specifically, first, the substrate 10A is dried for about 3 hours at a temperature of about 150 to 180 ° C. in an N 2 atmosphere, for example. Thereafter, the substrate 10A is left in a sealed container together with a container having, for example, an ODS (Octadecyltrimethylsilane) solution. Then, for example, by heating the container at a temperature of 150 ° C. for about one hour, the vapor of the ODS solution is brought into contact with the exposed surface of the pixel electrode 9 of the substrate 10A to form the vertical alignment film 41.

  Thereafter, a rubbing process is performed on the surface of the horizontal alignment film 42 to impart alignment to the horizontal alignment film 42.

  Thereafter, the counter substrate 20 is formed in the same manner as in the first embodiment, and the element substrate 10 and the counter substrate 20 are bonded together so that the vertical alignment films 41 and 61 and the horizontal alignment film 42 are inside, and face the element substrate 10. The liquid crystal layer 50 is sealed between the substrate 20 and the transmissive liquid crystal device 1 is formed.

  Even in the above manufacturing method, when removing the resist pattern R, the surface of the horizontal alignment film 42 is covered with the protective layer 43, so that the resist stripping solution is in contact with the surface of the horizontal alignment film 42. It is possible to prevent the horizontal alignment film 42 from being altered by the resist stripping solution. Thereby, the orientation of the horizontal alignment film 42 is not affected (damaged) by the resist stripping solution, and the liquid crystal can be stably aligned in the second area A2 (in the non-display area) around the pixel area. it can. Therefore, the horizontal alignment film 42 and the vertical alignment film 41 can be efficiently formed, and thus the liquid crystal device 1 can be manufactured with high productivity.

[Electronics]
An example of an electronic device including the liquid crystal device according to the above embodiment will be described.
FIG. 11A is a perspective view showing an example of a mobile phone. In FIG. 11A, reference numeral 500 denotes a mobile phone body, and reference numeral 501 denotes a liquid crystal display unit using the liquid crystal device of the above embodiment.

  FIG. 11B is a perspective view illustrating an example of a portable information processing apparatus such as a word processor or a personal computer. In FIG. 11B, reference numeral 600 denotes an information processing apparatus, reference numeral 601 denotes an input unit such as a keyboard, reference numeral 603 denotes an information processing apparatus body, and reference numeral 602 denotes a liquid crystal display unit using the liquid crystal device of the above embodiment. .

  FIG. 11C is a perspective view showing an example of a wristwatch type electronic device. In FIG. 11C, reference numeral 700 denotes a watch body, and reference numeral 701 denotes a liquid crystal display unit using the liquid crystal device of the above embodiment.

  As described above, since the electronic apparatus illustrated in FIG. 8 is obtained by applying the above-described liquid crystal device as an example of the present invention to the display portion, the display device has high contrast and high display quality.

[Projection type display device]
Next, a configuration of a projection display device (projector) including the liquid crystal device of the above embodiment as a light modulation unit will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a main part of a projection display device using the liquid crystal device of the above embodiment as a light modulation device. In FIG. 11, 810 is a light source, 813 and 814 are dichroic mirrors, 815, 816 and 817 are reflection mirrors, 818 is an incident lens, 819 is a relay lens, 820 is an exit lens, 822, 823 and 824 are liquid crystal light modulators, Reference numeral 825 denotes a cross dichroic prism, and reference numeral 826 denotes a projection lens.

  The light source 810 includes a lamp 811 such as a metal halide and a reflector 812 that reflects the light of the lamp. The dichroic mirror 813 that reflects blue light and green light transmits red light out of the light flux from the light source 810 and reflects blue light and green light. The transmitted red light is reflected by the reflection mirror 817 and is incident on the red light liquid crystal light modulation device 822 including the liquid crystal device as an example of the present invention.

  On the other hand, of the color light reflected by the dichroic mirror 813, the green light is reflected by the dichroic mirror 814 that reflects green light, and enters the liquid crystal light modulator 823 for green light that includes the above-described liquid crystal device according to the present invention. . Note that the blue light also passes through the second dichroic mirror 814. For blue light, light guide means 821 comprising a relay lens system including an incident lens 818, a relay lens 819, and an exit lens 820 is provided in order to compensate for the difference in optical path length from green light and red light. Through this, the blue light is incident on the liquid crystal light modulation device 824 for blue light provided with the liquid crystal device as an example of the present invention.

  The three color lights modulated by the respective light modulation devices are incident on the cross dichroic prism 825. In this prism, four right-angle prisms are bonded together, and a dielectric multilayer film that reflects red light and a dielectric multilayer film that reflects blue light are formed in a cross shape on the inner surface. These dielectric multilayer films combine the three color lights to form light representing a color image. The synthesized light is projected onto the screen 827 by the projection lens 826 which is a projection optical system, and the image is enlarged and displayed.

  Since the projection type display device having the above structure includes the above-described liquid crystal device as an example of the present invention, the display device has high contrast and high display quality.

1 is an equivalent circuit diagram of a liquid crystal device 1 according to the present invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a main part of a display unit of the liquid crystal device 1 as viewed from above. XX sectional drawing of FIG. The figure which shows typically the orientation of a liquid crystal when a voltage is applied. Explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal device 1 which concerns on this invention. Explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal device 1 which concerns on this invention. Explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal device 1 which concerns on this invention. Explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal device 1 which concerns on this invention. Explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal device 1 which concerns on this invention. Explanatory drawing of the manufacturing method of the liquid crystal device 1 which concerns on this invention. FIG. 14 is a perspective view illustrating some examples of the electronic apparatus according to the invention. The figure which shows an example about the projection type display apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Transmission-type liquid crystal device (liquid crystal device), 9 ... Pixel electrode, 9a ... Peripheral part, 10 ... Element substrate (1st substrate), 13 ... Light-shielding film, 20 ... Opposite substrate (2nd substrate), 21 ... Common electrode , 41, 61 ... first alignment film (vertical alignment film), 42 ... second alignment film (horizontal alignment film), 41a ... coating film (first alignment film material layer), 42a ... resin film (second film) Alignment layer material layer), 43 ... protective layer, 50 ... liquid crystal layer, 51, 52 ... liquid crystal A1 ... first area, A2 ... second area, P ... display area (pixel opening), BM ... non-display Region, R ... resist pattern (mask material)

Claims (8)

A display corresponding to the pixel electrode, comprising: a first substrate having a plurality of pixel electrodes; a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate; and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the substrates. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device comprising: a first alignment film formed in a region including a region; and a second alignment film formed in a non-display region between the display regions,
Forming a second alignment film material layer to be the second alignment film on the pixel electrode side of the first substrate;
Forming a protective layer on the second alignment film material layer;
A mask material is formed in the formation region of the second alignment film on the protective layer, and the second alignment film material layer and the protective layer outside the formation region are partially removed using the mask material. And a process of
Forming a first alignment film material layer on the first substrate to cover the mask material and serve as the first alignment film;
Removing the mask material;
And a step of removing the protective layer. A display corresponding to the pixel electrode, comprising: a first substrate having a plurality of pixel electrodes; a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate; and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the substrates. A method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device comprising: a first alignment film formed in a region including a region; and a second alignment film formed in a non-display region between the display regions,
Forming a mask material at a position where the first alignment film is formed on the pixel electrode;
Forming a second alignment film material layer covering the mask material on the first substrate;
Forming a protective layer on the second alignment film material layer;
Removing the mask material;
And a step of removing the protective layer. Forming the protective layer with a silicon thin film;
3. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein in the step of removing the protective layer, the protective layer is removed by dry etching. In the step of removing the protective layer,
As an etching gas for dry etching, a method of manufacturing the liquid crystal device according to claim 3, wherein the use of XeF ₂ gas. Selectively performing an alignment treatment on the second alignment film;
5. The liquid crystal layer according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal layer exhibits substantially vertical alignment on the first alignment film and is aligned with a predetermined azimuth angle on the second alignment film. 6. Liquid crystal device manufacturing method.   6. The method of manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein a peripheral portion of the pixel electrode and the second alignment film are formed so as to overlap in a plane.   7. The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to claim 1, further comprising a step of imparting alignment by rubbing the second alignment film from which the protective layer has been peeled off.   The method for manufacturing a liquid crystal device according to claim 1, wherein the second alignment film material layer is formed of a resin film.

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