JP2010096889A - Method for manufacturing display panel and display panel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a display panel and a display panel, wherein degradation in a display material due to contamination caused by the contact between the display material such as a liquid crystal and an uncured sealing agent, as well as an upper substrate and a lower substrate are firmly bonded to each other without generating a gap in a sealing pattern. <P>SOLUTION: A sealing pattern that forms a cell gap and connects an upper substrate and a lower substrate comprises a first sealing pattern having a temporary cured layer formed on the surface prior to filling the gap with a display material, and a second sealing pattern formed after the temporary cured layer is formed on the surface of the first sealing pattern. Accordingly, in the method for manufacturing a display panel and in a display panel, degradation of the display material due to contamination caused by the contact between the display material such as a liquid crystal and an uncured sealing agent can be prevented, and the upper substrate and the lower substrate are firmly bonded to each other without generating a gap in the sealing pattern. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a display panel manufacturing method and a display panel, and more particularly to a display panel manufacturing method and a display panel free from contamination between a display material and a sealant.

  A display panel such as a liquid crystal panel used for a display device such as an information device forms a predetermined gap of about several μm (hereinafter referred to as a cell gap) by arranging a spacer between a pair of glass substrates. A panel is formed by filling the gap with a display material such as liquid crystal.

  One method for filling the cell gap with a display material such as liquid crystal is a vacuum injection method. In the vacuum injection method, a pair of substrates on which spacers are arranged are bonded to each other with a sealant provided with an injection port to form an empty cell. The formed empty cell is evacuated in a vacuum chamber to make the inside vacuum. Next, the inlet is immersed in a tank of a display material such as liquid crystal in the vacuum chamber, and the vacuum chamber is opened to the atmosphere. In this way, a panel is manufactured by injecting liquid crystal into the empty cell using the pressure difference between the vacuum inside the empty cell and the atmosphere.

  However, as the size of the display panel is increased and the size of the cell gap is reduced, the vacuum injection method requires a long injection time, resulting in a decrease in productivity.

  Therefore, a method called a vacuum bonding method has come to be used as an alternative to the vacuum injection method. As a rough flow of the vacuum bonding method, as shown in FIG. 6, a seal pattern 105 is formed on the lower substrate 101 by using, for example, a UV (ultraviolet) curable sealant 103 (FIG. 6A). Then, an appropriate amount of the liquid crystal material 107 is applied to the inside of the seal pattern 105 using a dispenser (FIG. 6B).

  Thereafter, the entire lower substrate 101 is depressurized in a vacuum chamber, and the upper substrate 201 is bonded in a depressurized environment (FIG. 6C). By bonding, the liquid crystal material 107 applied by the dispenser spreads inside the seal pattern 105. Next, the entire surface of the upper substrate 201 is uniformly pressurized with atmospheric pressure by opening the vacuum chamber to the atmosphere. Thereafter, the sealing agent 103 is cured by UV light irradiation, and the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 are bonded to complete the display panel 1 (FIG. 6D).

  However, by bonding the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101, the liquid crystal material 107 applied to the inside of the seal pattern 105 spreads inside the seal pattern 105. When viewed from the liquid crystal material 107 side, since the spread liquid crystal material 107 comes into contact with the uncured sealant 103, contamination occurs at the contact portion, which causes deterioration of the liquid crystal material 107. Further, when viewed from the sealing agent 103 side, since the uncured sealing agent 103 comes into contact with the liquid crystal material 107, problems such as a decrease in sealing performance, poor sealing, and defective sealing dimensions occur.

Therefore, in Patent Document 1, in the vacuum bonding method, after the seal pattern 105 is formed, before the liquid crystal material 107 is applied, a temporary curing process is performed in which only the surface of the formed seal pattern 105 is cured. A method for solving the above-described problems is disclosed. If the temporary curing treatment is a UV curable sealant, only the surface of the sealant may be cured by irradiating with less UV light than the UV light irradiation amount for complete curing. In the case of a thermosetting sealant, only the surface of the sealant may be cured by firing at a temperature lower than the temperature for complete curing or by shortening the firing time.
JP 2003-5194 A

  However, in the method described in Patent Document 1, although the deterioration of the liquid crystal material due to the occurrence of contamination can be reduced, the surface of the sealing agent is temporarily cured before the upper substrate and the lower substrate are bonded together. Therefore, the adhesive force between the upper substrate and the lower substrate of the sealing agent that also serves as an adhesive between the upper substrate and the lower substrate is weakened.

  In addition, since the surface of the sealing agent is temporarily cured, when the upper substrate and the lower substrate are bonded, a gap remains between the sealing agent and the upper substrate, and the liquid crystal material leaks outside the sealing pattern. Atmospheric pressure is applied to the inside of the seal pattern when it is released or released to the atmosphere after bonding, causing display defects.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and prevents deterioration of the display material due to contamination generated by contact between the display material such as liquid crystal and the uncured sealant, and the upper substrate and the lower substrate. An object of the present invention is to provide a method for manufacturing a display panel and a display panel which are firmly bonded to a substrate and bonded without causing a gap in a seal pattern.

  The object of the present invention can be achieved by the following constitution.

1. A first seal pattern forming step of forming a first seal pattern using a first sealant on the lower substrate;
A temporary curing step of forming a temporary cured layer on the surface of the first seal pattern;
A second seal pattern forming step of forming a second seal pattern using a second sealant on the lower substrate;
A display material application step of applying a display material inside the first seal pattern;
A bonding step of bonding the lower substrate and the upper substrate;
A method for manufacturing a display panel, comprising: a curing step of curing the first seal pattern and the second seal pattern.

2. An upper substrate;
A lower substrate,
A seal pattern comprising a sealing agent, forming a cell gap, and connecting the upper substrate and the lower substrate;
In a display panel comprising a display material filled inside the cell gap,
The seal pattern is at least
A first seal pattern comprising a first sealant and having a temporarily cured layer formed on the surface prior to filling of the display material;
A display panel comprising a second sealant and comprising a second seal pattern formed after a temporary hardened layer is formed on the surface of the first seal pattern.

  3. 3. The display panel according to 2, wherein the second seal pattern is provided so as to circumscribe the first seal pattern.

  4). A space is provided between the first seal pattern and the second seal pattern, and the region is surrounded by the first seal pattern, the second seal pattern, the upper substrate, and the lower substrate. 3. The display panel as described in 2 above, which is a vacuum.

  5. 3. The display panel according to 2, wherein the second seal pattern is laminated on the first seal pattern.

  6). 3. The display panel according to 2, wherein the second seal pattern is formed in a recess provided in the first seal pattern.

  According to the present invention, the seal pattern for forming the cell gap and connecting the upper substrate and the lower substrate is made of the first sealant, and the temporary hardened layer is formed on the surface prior to filling the display material. The first seal pattern and the second seal pattern formed after the pre-cured layer is formed on the surface of the first seal pattern.

  This prevents deterioration of the display material due to contamination caused by contact between the display material such as liquid crystal and the uncured sealant, and the upper substrate and the lower substrate are strong and there is a gap in the seal pattern. It is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a display panel and a display panel that are bonded without being generated.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on the illustrated embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the embodiment. In the drawings, the same or equivalent parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

  First, a first embodiment of a display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of a display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing each step of FIG.

  First, the flowchart of FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

Step S101 (first seal pattern forming step)
In this step, the first seal pattern 105 is formed using the first sealant 103. As shown in FIG. 2A, the first sealing agent 103 is used at a predetermined sealing position on the lower substrate 101 provided so as to surround the area to be the display area 11 of the display panel 1 using, for example, a dispenser. Is applied to form a first seal pattern 105.

  The material of the lower substrate 101 and the upper substrate 201 described later is not particularly limited, such as a glass substrate, a hard plastic substrate, and a soft plastic substrate. Further, the lower substrate 101 and the upper substrate 201 may be made of the same material or different materials.

  The first seal pattern 105 is a main partition wall of the display area 11 of the display panel 1, and the left side of the first seal pattern 105 in the figure is the portion that becomes the display area 11 of the display panel 1 filled with the display material 107, That is, the cell gap. Here, the first sealant 103 is described as being a UV curable sealant, but is not limited thereto.

Step S103 (temporary curing process)
In this step, the surface of the first sealant 103 forming the first seal pattern 105 is temporarily hardened to form a temporarily hardened layer 103a. As shown in FIG. 2B, the first sealant 103 forming the first seal pattern 105 is irradiated with UV light having an irradiation amount smaller than the UV light irradiation amount to be completely cured. Only the surface of the sealant 103 is temporarily cured to form a temporarily cured layer 103a.

  As a result, a cell gap that becomes the display region 11 of the display panel 1 can be secured, and the first uncured display material 107 is cured in step S107 (display material application step) and step S111 (bonding step) described later. Contamination due to direct contact with the sealant 103 can be prevented.

  For example, if the first sealant 103 is a thermosetting sealant, the first sealant 103 is fired at a temperature lower than the firing temperature for complete curing, or the firing is performed for a time shorter than the firing time for complete curing. The surface of the sealing agent 103 may be temporarily cured.

Step S105 (second seal pattern forming step)
In this step, the second seal pattern 106 is formed using the second sealant 104. As shown in FIG. 2C, the second sealant 104 is applied by using a dispenser, for example, adjacent to the right side of the first seal pattern 105, that is, circumscribed to the first seal pattern 105, for example. A seal pattern 106 is formed. The second seal pattern 106 functions as an adhesive layer when the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 are bonded together.

  The second sealant 104 may be the same as or different from the first sealant 103. For example, a material that reduces the contamination with the display material 107 only by slightly curing the surface is selected as the first sealant 103, and the adhesive strength between the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 is selected as the second sealant 104. It is also possible to select a strong material. However, although it is not essential, the curing method is preferably the same.

Step S107 (display material application process)
In this step, a display material 107 such as liquid crystal is applied to a portion to be the display region 11 of the display panel 1. As shown in FIG. 2D, a display material 107 is applied to the left side of the first seal pattern 105, that is, the portion to be the display area 11 of the display panel 1 using, for example, a dispenser.

  The application pattern of the display material 107 may be a line drawing, a pattern, or a plurality of island patterns arranged. When the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 are bonded together, the display area 11 of the display panel 1 is sufficiently filled. It is sufficient if an appropriate amount can be applied. The display material 107 is not particularly limited as long as it is a material having a liquid display function such as a liquid crystal or an electrochemical element.

  Note that the spacers described above may be sprayed in advance on the portion to be the display region 11 by, for example, an inkjet method before applying the display material 107, or mixed with the display material 107 to apply the display material 107. Any method may be used at the same time.

Step S109 (alignment process)
In this step, the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 are aligned. With the first sealant 103, the second sealant 104, and the display material 107 preliminarily cured applied to the lower substrate 101, the lower substrate 101 is placed in the vacuum chamber, and each member is affected. Reduce the pressure so that it does not come out. As shown in FIG. 2E, the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 are aligned in a vacuum chamber in a reduced pressure state. The alignment is performed, for example, by automatic alignment using a camera or the like with the alignment pattern provided in advance on each of the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 as a target.

Step S111 (bonding process)
This is a step of bonding the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 together. As shown in FIG. 2 (f), the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 are bonded together by applying a pressure in the direction of arrow A to the aligned upper substrate 201. By the bonding, the display material 107 is filled in the entire display region 11.

  Between the display material 107 and the second seal pattern 106, there is the first seal pattern 105 having the temporary hardened layer 103a on the surface. Therefore, the display material 107 does not come into contact with the second seal pattern 106, and the second seal pattern 106 does not contact the second seal pattern 106. Contamination between the sealant 104 and the display material 107 does not occur. Further, since the second seal pattern 106 is bonded in an uncured state, a sufficient adhesive force between the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 is ensured. Furthermore, since the second seal pattern 106 is in close contact with the upper substrate 201 in an uncured state, there is no gap and no problems such as leakage of the display material 107 occur, and the display panel 1 can be manufactured.

  The vacuum chamber is opened to the atmosphere after being temporarily fixed or the like at a position away from the display area 11.

Step S113 (curing process)
This is a step of curing the first sealing agent 103 and the second sealing agent 104 and bonding the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 together. As shown in FIG. 2G, the first seal pattern 105 made of the first sealant 103 and the second seal pattern 106 made of the second sealant 104 are irradiated with UV light to be completely cured and displayed. Complete panel 1. If the first sealant 103 and the second sealant 104 are the same material, the first seal pattern 105 and the second seal pattern 106 are completely cured and integrated.

  For example, if the first sealant 103 and the second sealant 104 are thermosetting sealants, they may be completely cured by firing.

  The above is description of 1st Embodiment of the manufacturing method of the display panel 1 in this invention.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment of the manufacturing method of the display panel 1, the first seal pattern made of the first sealant having a temporary hardened layer formed on the surface is used as the partition wall that is brought into contact with the display material. The second seal pattern made of the second sealant that circumscribes the first seal pattern is used as an adhesive layer that bonds the upper substrate and the lower substrate together.

  This prevents deterioration of the display material due to contamination caused by contact between the display material such as liquid crystal and the uncured sealant, and the upper substrate and the lower substrate are strong and there is a gap in the seal pattern. It is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a display panel and a display panel that are bonded without being generated.

  Next, a second embodiment of the display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a schematic view for explaining a second embodiment of the display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention.

  The second embodiment is a first modification of the first embodiment described above, and the flowchart of the second embodiment is the same as the flowchart of the first embodiment of FIG.

  The second embodiment differs from the first embodiment in that in step S105 (second seal pattern forming step) in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. In addition, the second sealant 104 is applied at a predetermined interval from the first seal pattern 105 to form the second seal pattern 106.

  Thereby, in step S111 (bonding step) in FIG. 1, when the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 are bonded in a vacuum chamber in a reduced pressure state, as shown in FIGS. 3B and 3C. The decompression region 111 surrounded by the first seal pattern 105, the second seal pattern 106, the upper substrate 201, and the lower substrate 101 is kept in a decompressed state.

  Therefore, even if the vacuum chamber is opened to the atmosphere after the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 are bonded together, the reduced pressure region 111 is maintained in a reduced pressure state. Therefore, the upper substrate 201 and the lower substrate 101 are separated by atmospheric pressure. A pressing force is generated. Therefore, it is not necessary to fix the temporary fixing or the like after the bonding described in step S111 (bonding process) in FIG.

  Since other points of the second embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  As described above, according to the second embodiment of the method for manufacturing the display panel 1, in addition to the effects of the first embodiment, a predetermined interval is provided between the first seal pattern and the second seal pattern. By providing, the area | region which maintained the pressure-reduced state can be provided, and fixation, such as temporary fixing after bonding, can be abbreviate | omitted by utilizing atmospheric pressure, and a manufacturing process can be simplified.

  Next, a third embodiment of the display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic view for explaining a third embodiment of the display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention.

  The third embodiment is a second modification of the first embodiment described above, and the flowchart of the third embodiment is the same as the flowchart of the first embodiment of FIG.

  The third embodiment is different from the first and second embodiments in that the first embodiment formed in step S101 (first seal pattern forming step) in FIG. 1 as shown in FIG. 4A. The first seal pattern in which the seal pattern 105 has a recessed portion 105a in the upper portion thereof, and the second seal pattern 106 formed in step S105 (second seal pattern forming step) has a temporarily hardened layer formed on the surface. The second sealant 104 is formed by applying a small amount of the second sealant 104 that is thinner than the first seal pattern 105 on the dent 105a.

  The recessed portion 105a of the first seal pattern 105 is realized by, for example, devising the nozzle shape of the dispenser when applying the first sealant 103 with a dispenser.

  Since other points are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  According to the third embodiment of the manufacturing method of the display panel 1, as in the first embodiment, the first seal pattern made of the first sealant having the temporarily hardened layer formed on the surface is used as the display material. The second seal pattern made of the second sealant formed in the recess provided in the first seal pattern is used as an adhesive layer for bonding the upper substrate and the lower substrate together.

  This prevents deterioration of the display material due to contamination caused by contact between the display material such as liquid crystal and the uncured sealant, and the upper substrate and the lower substrate are strong and there is a gap in the seal pattern. It is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a display panel and a display panel that are bonded without being generated.

  Next, a fourth embodiment of the display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic view for explaining a fourth embodiment of the display panel manufacturing method according to the present invention.

  The fourth embodiment is a third modification of the first embodiment described above, and the flowchart of the fourth embodiment is the same as the flowchart of the first embodiment of FIG.

  The fourth embodiment differs from the first, second and third embodiments in that it is formed in step S105 (second seal pattern forming step) in FIG. 1, as shown in FIG. 5 (c). The second seal pattern 106 is formed by applying a small amount of the second sealant 104 thinner than the first seal pattern 105 on the temporarily cured first seal pattern 105. Since other points are the same as those of the first embodiment, description thereof is omitted.

  According to the fourth embodiment of the manufacturing method of the display panel 1, as in the first embodiment, the first seal pattern made of the first sealant having the temporarily hardened layer formed on the surface is used as the display material. The second seal pattern made of the second sealant formed by laminating the first seal pattern is used as an adhesive layer for bonding the upper substrate and the lower substrate together.

  This prevents deterioration of the display material due to contamination caused by contact between the display material such as liquid crystal and the uncured sealant, and the upper substrate and the lower substrate are strong and there is a gap in the seal pattern. It is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a display panel and a display panel that are bonded without being generated.

  In the fourth embodiment, the uncured second sealant 104 and the display material 107 are in contact with each other in step S111 (bonding step) in FIG. The thickness of the two-seal pattern 106 is very small, and contamination due to contact is negligible.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the seal pattern that forms the cell gap and connects the upper substrate and the lower substrate is formed of the first sealant, and the surface prior to the filling of the display material. And a second seal pattern formed after the temporary hardened layer is formed on the surface of the first seal pattern.

  This prevents deterioration of the display material due to contamination caused by contact between the display material such as liquid crystal and the uncured sealant, and the upper substrate and the lower substrate are strong and there is a gap in the seal pattern. It is possible to provide a method for manufacturing a display panel and a display panel that are bonded without being generated.

  In addition, regarding the manufacturing method of the display panel according to the present invention and the detailed configuration and detailed operation of each component constituting the display panel, it can be appropriately changed without departing from the gist of the present invention.

It is a flowchart which shows 1st Embodiment of the manufacturing method of the display panel in this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows each process of FIG. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating 2nd Embodiment of the manufacturing method of the display panel in this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating 3rd Embodiment of the manufacturing method of the display panel in this invention. It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating 4th Embodiment of the manufacturing method of the display panel in this invention. It is a figure which shows the rough flow of the conventional vacuum bonding method.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Display panel 11 Display area 101 Lower board | substrate 103 1st sealing agent 103a Temporarily hardened layer 104 2nd sealing agent 105 1st sealing pattern 105a Recessed part (of 1st sealing pattern) 106 2nd sealing pattern 107 Display material 111 Decompression region 201 Upper substrate

Claims (6)

A first seal pattern forming step of forming a first seal pattern using a first sealant on the lower substrate;
A temporary curing step of forming a temporary cured layer on the surface of the first seal pattern;
A second seal pattern forming step of forming a second seal pattern using a second sealant on the lower substrate;
A display material application step of applying a display material inside the first seal pattern;
A bonding step of bonding the lower substrate and the upper substrate;
A method for manufacturing a display panel, comprising: a curing step of curing the first seal pattern and the second seal pattern. An upper substrate;
A lower substrate,
A seal pattern comprising a sealing agent, forming a cell gap, and connecting the upper substrate and the lower substrate;
In a display panel comprising a display material filled inside the cell gap,
The seal pattern is at least
A first seal pattern comprising a first sealant and having a temporarily cured layer formed on the surface prior to filling of the display material;
A display panel comprising a second sealant and comprising a second seal pattern formed after a temporary hardened layer is formed on the surface of the first seal pattern. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein the second seal pattern is provided so as to circumscribe the first seal pattern. A space is provided between the first seal pattern and the second seal pattern, and the region is surrounded by the first seal pattern, the second seal pattern, the upper substrate, and the lower substrate. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein is a vacuum. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein the second seal pattern is stacked on the first seal pattern. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein the second seal pattern is formed in a recess provided in the first seal pattern.

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