JP2010175912A - Correction method for color filter substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a technique for reforming a photo spacer and a protrusion for alignment control accompanying a local defect part since abnormal alignment of a liquid crystal is generated when such a defective part that a photo spacer or a protrusion for alignment control in contact with the liquid crystal is peeled or separated locally, with insufficiency in the adhesive force to an underlayer is generated. <P>SOLUTION: In a correction method of a color filter substrate wherein at least a black matrix, colored pixels, a transparent conductive film, the photo spacer and the protrusion for alignment control are formed on a glass substrate, the defective part is repaired, by applying a reforming ink to the defective part and making the ink cure, when the photo spacer or the protrusion for alignment control has the defective part. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for correcting a color filter substrate used in a liquid crystal display device. In particular, in a color filter substrate in which photo spacers and alignment control protrusions are formed, the photo spacers and alignment control protrusions are cut or missing. It relates to correction technology.

  In a liquid crystal display device, a liquid crystal is sandwiched between a pair of translucent substrates opposed to each other with a predetermined gap (distance). In general, a driving circuit such as a TFT is formed on one translucent substrate, and a black matrix, a colored layer, an overcoat layer, and a transparent conductive film are sequentially stacked on the other translucent substrate. The other light transmitting substrate is called a color filter substrate.

  Conventionally, in order to have a predetermined gap between a pair of substrates, a liquid crystal in which a large number of beads having a predetermined diameter are dispersed is placed between the substrates, and the beads have a predetermined gap between the two substrates. . However, the liquid crystal display device has a large screen, and in a liquid crystal display device with a large screen, the distance between the translucent substrates (hereinafter referred to as cell gap) is accurately maintained over a whole surface at a distance of several μm. Has become difficult with beads. There is also a demand for liquid crystal sandwiched between substrates to have a desired orientation. Therefore, a color filter substrate in which spacers (protrusions) for maintaining a predetermined gap between the substrates and alignment control protrusions for imparting a desired orientation to the liquid crystal sandwiched between the substrates is formed on the transparent conductive film. Proposed.

  In order to prevent the image quality from deteriorating, it is necessary to lay the spacers and the alignment control protrusions formed on the transparent electrode in appropriate positions at appropriate positions. In addition, if foreign matter exists on the color filter substrate, gap unevenness, liquid crystal alignment abnormality, and the like are caused. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid the attachment and mixing of foreign matter as much as possible. For this reason, as a technique for forming a spacer having a desired shape and a projection for controlling the orientation at a desired position with less contamination of foreign matters, a photosensitive resin is used as a material, and pattern exposure to the photosensitive resin, development, and hard if necessary. It has been proposed to form spacers and alignment control protrusions using a photolithography method that performs film processing or the like.

  In the following description, a spacer that uses a photosensitive resin as a material and is formed on a color filter substrate using a photolithography method to maintain a predetermined gap between the two substrates is referred to as a photo spacer.

  Here, even if the resin pattern is formed using a photolithography method in a clean environment, if the size of the pattern becomes as small as several microns to several tens of microns, the formed resin pattern will be chipped, protruding, cracked It is inevitable that various defects such as bridges (unnecessary connection between patterns), foreign matter adhesion, protrusions, pinholes, height unevenness, etc. occur in a series of pattern forming processes.

  Various correction techniques have been developed and disclosed for the above-described defects generated in the pattern forming process, in particular, defects generated in the manufacturing process of the color filter substrate. In the correction technique, correction ink is basically applied to a corresponding portion and cured, and a defective portion may be removed by laser beam irradiation prior to application of the correction ink.

As a representative technique, for the application of the correction ink, a small amount of correction ink is attached to the tip of the application needle, and then the correction ink is transferred in contact with the defect to be corrected (see Patent Document 1). ), A technique for applying correction ink to the outer periphery of the nozzle tip of the dispenser, and abutting the corrected portion on the color filter so that the contact angle of the nozzle becomes an acute angle, thereby covering the defective portion with the correction ink. (See Patent Document 2) and the like. As for the technique for applying the correction ink by ink jetting, Patent Document 3 discloses a technique in which the shape of the region to be removed is devised.

  When a defective portion of the photo spacer or the alignment control protrusion appears as a black spot on the display screen of the display device, the defective portion is referred to as a black defect. As a technique for correcting this black defect (mainly, a defect caused by the overlap between members or a protrusion defect), Patent Document 4 discloses a technique for correcting by correcting the irradiation wavelength of laser light. Further, Patent Document 5 discloses a laser light irradiation technique for removing a defective portion without undue damage to a base transparent electrode when a resin pattern formed on a transparent electrode is corrected.

  When a defect occurs in any of the layers that make up the laminated film, the multilayer film in the micro area including the defective portion is removed by irradiating with laser light, and then each layer is re-formed in order and reproduced as a normal pattern. The technique to do is disclosed by patent document 6. FIG.

Japanese Patent No. 3381911 JP 2006-145786 A JP 2006-30283 A JP 2007-333972 A JP 2008-180907 A JP 2008-151872 A

  As described above, black defects of members such as a black matrix, a colored layer, a transparent electrode layer, a photo spacer, and a resin composition such as alignment control protrusions constituting the color filter substrate are caused by laser light irradiation and correction ink. By combining these coatings, a technique for correcting the transparent electrode layer without damaging it has been developed.

  However, if photo spacers or alignment control protrusions are formed after forming a color filter, overcoat layer, transparent electrode, etc., the photo spacers or alignment control protrusions may be peeled off locally due to insufficient adhesion to the underlying layer. In some cases, a chipped portion is generated in which a pattern is partially chipped and does not have a desired shape.

  Defects such as local peeling or partial chipping of photo spacers or alignment control protrusions cause liquid crystal alignment anomalies at the chipping part, or the gap between the substrates does not form a predetermined gap. For this reason, since the defect portion appears as a white point on the display screen, the defect is a so-called white defect. In order to correct a white defect caused by a defective portion of the photo spacer or the alignment control protrusion, it is necessary to compensate the defective portion and restore it to a desired shape. However, it is difficult to repair the defective part to a desired shape. If the defective part cannot be repaired, the color filter substrate having a white defect becomes a defective product, and in some cases, the defective product must be discarded. . When the color filter substrate is discarded, all the costs required for forming the various constituent members and forming the color filter substrate are wasted, which increases the manufacturing cost of the color filter substrate.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique for correcting a color filter substrate in which a photo spacer including a defective portion and an alignment control protrusion are re-formed.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a method of correcting a color filter substrate in which at least a black matrix, a colored pixel, a transparent conductive film, a photospacer, and an alignment control protrusion are formed on a glass substrate, and the photospacer or alignment When the control protrusion has a defective portion, the color filter substrate correction method is characterized in that the defective portion is repaired by applying a re-forming ink to the defective portion and curing.

  The invention according to claim 2 imparts ink repellency to the region including the correction target portion by performing surface modification in advance by plasma irradiation, and then eliminates the ink repellency of the correction target portion. The method for correcting a color filter substrate according to claim 1, wherein the re-forming ink is applied to the correction target portion.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, a base protective layer is previously formed in a region including a correction target portion, and thereafter, the base protective layer at the correction target portion is removed, and a re-forming ink is applied to the removed portion. The color filter substrate correcting method according to claim 1, wherein the color filter substrate is corrected.

  The invention according to claim 4 is characterized in that the base protective layer formed in advance in the region including the location to be corrected is applied by an application needle, a micro dispenser, or an ink jet. This is a correction method.

  The invention according to claim 5 is characterized in that the elimination of the ink repellency at the location to be corrected or the removal of the base protective layer at the location to be corrected is performed by laser light irradiation. This is a correction method for the described color filter substrate.

  The invention according to claim 6 is characterized in that the ink repellency at the location to be corrected is eliminated or the base protective layer at the location to be corrected is removed by a microknife or a metal probe of a micromanipulator. The color filter substrate correction method according to claim 3 is used.

  The invention according to claim 7 is the color filter substrate correction according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the re-forming ink is applied by an application needle, a dispenser, or an inkjet. It is a method.

  The invention according to claim 8 is characterized in that the re-forming ink is trimmed by irradiating the laser beam so that the applied and cured re-forming ink has a desired shape. The method for correcting a color filter substrate according to any one of Items 7 is used.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the method for correcting a color filter substrate according to claim 3, wherein the undercoat protective layer is removed after the re-forming ink is applied and cured.

  According to the present invention, it is impossible to correct the defective portion of the photospacer and the alignment control projection so far, and the defective color filter substrate is formed by re-forming the defective portion of the photospacer and the alignment control projection. Since the non-defective product can be obtained, the manufacturing yield of the color filter substrate is improved, and as a result, the manufacturing cost of the color filter substrate can be reduced.

It is a figure explaining the structure of a color filter board | substrate, (a) is a fragmentary sectional view, (b) is a fragmentary top view. (A)-(e) is process drawing which illustrates typically an example of the correction method of the color filter of this invention. (A)-(f) is process drawing which illustrates typically another example of the correction method of the color filter of this invention.

  An example of the configuration of the color filter substrate according to the present invention is shown in FIG. 1, and an example of a method for manufacturing the color filter substrate of FIG. 1 will be described below.

  First, after applying and drying a black photosensitive resin composition on the translucent substrate 20, a predetermined pattern exposure is performed on the black tourism resin composition using a photomask for pattern exposure having a predetermined pattern. . Subsequently, the black matrix 2 having a plurality of openings having a predetermined pattern shape is formed by developing the black tourism resin composition and performing post-baking as a hardening process. The film thickness of the black matrix 2 is desirably set to a desired film thickness by estimating the required optical density from the amount of carbon black contained, and is generally about 1 to 2 μm. The black matrix 2 may be formed by applying the black photosensitive resin composition using a coating method such as a spin coating method, a slit coating method, or a bar coating method, followed by patterning using the photolithography method described above. Alternatively, a desired pattern may be formed directly with ink on the light-transmitting substrate 20 using an inkjet method, a printing method, or the like, and a black matrix forming method may be appropriately selected.

  As the translucent substrate 20, inorganic glass such as quartz glass, borosilicate glass, and soda glass, plastic substrate such as PET, PES, and PC, or silicon oxide or aluminum oxide on these glass substrate or plastic substrate, A film in which an inorganic thin film such as silicon nitride or silicon oxynitride is formed can be used depending on the purpose and application of use.

  Next, colored layers 5, 6, and 7 to be color filters are sequentially formed in the openings of the black matrix 2. The colored layer is composed of pixels of a plurality of colors, and examples of the color include a combination of red, green, and blue (RGB) or a combination of yellow, magenta, and cyan (YMC). In addition, by forming a colored layer in the opening of the black matrix 2, the positions of the colored pixels to be the color filter are determined, the size is uniform, and undesired light when used in a display device. The image on the display device is a uniform image with no unevenness and with improved contrast. If a gap is formed between the black matrix 2 and the colored layer, the light leaks from the gap and the leaked light becomes a bright spot, which is not preferable for display. Therefore, it is common to form the colored layer so that the end of the colored layer and the end of the opening of the black matrix 2 overlap each other so that no gap is generated between the colored layer and the black matrix 2. Yes.

Here, as a method for forming the colored layer, a layer made of a photosensitive colored resin composition is applied and formed on a substrate by a coating method such as a slit coating method, a spin coating method, or a roll coating method, and then a photolithography method. By patterning the photosensitive colored resin composition layer into a predetermined shape by the above method, or by using the inkjet ink, gravure printing method, flexographic printing method, etc. directly on the substrate with the desired color ink A method for forming a colored layer can be used. However, considering high definition, controllability and reproducibility of spectral characteristics, a photosensitive colored resin in which a color pigment is dispersed in a transparent resin together with a photoinitiator, a polymerizable monomer, and an appropriate solvent. The composition is coated on a transparent substrate to form a colored layer of a specific color, and this colored layer is subjected to pattern exposure, development, and hardening as necessary to form a colored layer of a specific color. It can be said that the photolithographic method in which the above is repeated for the necessary number of colors to obtain a color filter is most preferable.

  Specifically, first, after applying a red negative photosensitive resin composition and drying to form a red colored layer, pattern exposure having an opening (light transmitting portion) corresponding to the pattern of the red colored layer The red colored layer is subjected to pattern exposure using a photomask. Next, the red colored layer 5 having a predetermined pattern can be formed by subjecting the red colored layer to normal development and post-bake treatment. Hereinafter, by repeating the same process for two colors, respectively, using the green negative photosensitive resin composition and the blue negative photosensitive resin composition, the green coloring layer 6 and the blue coloring that have become a predetermined pattern are repeated. The color filter substrate 1 on which the layer 7 is formed can be obtained. The coating thickness of each color is usually about 1 to 2 μm after pre-baking considering the spectral transmittance and the like. An alkaline aqueous solution is used as the developer. Examples of the alkaline aqueous solution include a sodium carbonate aqueous solution, a sodium hydrogen carbonate aqueous solution, a mixed aqueous solution of the two, or a mixture obtained by adding an appropriate surfactant to them. After development, washing with water, drying and, if necessary, hardening treatment (for example, post-baking treatment), a colored pattern or colored pixels of a specific color can be obtained.

  The photosensitive colored resin composition for the black matrix 2 and the colored layers 5, 6, 7 includes a color pigment, a photoinitiator, a polymerizable monomer, a suitable solvent, and the like in a transparent resin. It is dispersed and manufactured. There are various methods such as mill base, three rolls, jet mill and the like, and there are no particular limitations.

  Next, a transparent electrode layer that covers the black matrix 2 and the colored layers 5, 6, and 7 is formed by a regular sputtering method (illustration of the transparent electrode layer is omitted in FIG. 1). The material of the transparent electrode layer 7 is not particularly limited as long as both conductivity and transparency are compatible, but general indium tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, and indium zinc oxide can be suitably used. The film thickness is about 100 to 200 nm. As a film forming method, an evaporation method, a plasma assisted evaporation method, a CVD method, an ion plating method, or the like can be used depending on the material.

  Depending on the specifications of the color filter substrate, an overcoat layer may be provided between the colored layer and the transparent electrode. In a reflective liquid crystal display device, a transparent layer that increases external light reflectivity may be provided on the transparent electrode layer.

  Next, on the transparent electrode layer, a photo spacer 3 for holding a predetermined cell gap between the substrates when the panel is bonded, and an alignment control protrusion for giving a predetermined alignment to the liquid crystal sandwiched between the substrates. Form. The photo spacer 3 and the alignment control protrusion are each formed by the above-described photolithography method using a photosensitive resin film applied and formed on the transparent electrode layer as a material. The photo spacer 3 and the alignment control protrusion may be formed separately from the same material or different materials, but the photo spacer 3 and the alignment control protrusion may be simultaneously formed from the same material.

In this example, the photo spacer 3 is laid on the overlapping portion of the black matrix 2 and the colored layers 5, 6, and 7 (FIG. 1B).
The photo spacer 3 can be formed on the black matrix 2, but if the photo spacer 3 is formed on the overlapping portion of the black matrix 2 and the colored layers 5, 6, 7, the photo spacer 3 has a high height. When the spacer 3 is necessary, it is preferable because the thickness of the photo spacer need not be increased. In addition, the place where the photo spacer 3 is formed may be appropriately set according to the specification. In this example, the photo spacer 3 is formed on the overlapping portion of the one color layer (for example, the red color layer 5) and the black matrix 2. A spacer 3 is formed.

  Through the above steps, the color filter substrate shown in FIG. 1 is formed.

FIG. 1A is a partial cross-sectional view of the color filter substrate 1 on which the photo spacers 3 and the alignment control protrusions 4 are formed, and FIG. 1B is a partial plan view of the color filter substrate 1.
The alignment control projection 4 in FIG. 1 is a projection in a planar view formed to give a desired orientation to the liquid crystal when the liquid crystal is sandwiched between both substrates, and obliquely crosses the pixel in plan view. If this portion is partially missing or greatly missing, an orientation error is caused.
Further, as described above, the photo spacer 3 in FIG. 1 is a protrusion formed to give a predetermined gap between the substrates when the substrates are opposed to each other.

  Hereinafter, a method for correcting a color filter according to the present invention, in particular, a method for repairing a defective portion generated in a photo spacer and an alignment control protrusion will be described.

  First, the color filter substrate manufactured by the above procedure is put into a defect detection apparatus, and it is inspected whether there is any abnormality in appearance in the pattern of the photo spacer and the alignment control protrusion. When a defect is detected on the substrate, based on the detected abnormality, information indicating the position of the defect and information characterizing the defect such as a defect such as a chipping, a fine defect, a fatness, and a height abnormality are created. The information is transferred to the defect correction apparatus through a LAN (local area network), and the inspected substrate having the defect is also transferred to the defect correction apparatus at the same time.

  In the defect correction apparatus, the defective portion of the substrate to be inspected to be corrected is redetected based on the sent information. Here, in Example 1, the deficient portion is related to the alignment control protrusion 4 and is defined as a deficiency (dropping) of the alignment control protrusion 4 (FIG. 2A). In FIG. 2A, the normally formed alignment control protrusion 4 is indicated by a solid line, and the defective portion 4 'of the alignment control protrusion is indicated by a dotted line. That is, the deficient portion 4 ′ indicates a shape that the alignment control protrusion that has fallen off from the substrate should originally have. Moreover, the transparent electrode layer which coat | covers the black matrix 2 and the colored layers 5, 6, and 7 is abbreviate | omitting illustration in FIG.

  Next, the defect correction apparatus for carrying out this correction method has a plasma generator, and as shown in FIG. 2B, plasma irradiation 11 is performed on the defect site 4 ′ and its periphery, and the plasma irradiation unit The surface condition is modified to ink repellency. In addition, the cylindrical thing shown in FIG.2 (b) shows the plasma electrode which comprises a plasma generator and generate | occur | produces a plasma.

For plasma irradiation, a plasma cleaning apparatus (Airplasma-AS, manufactured by Matsushita Control Instruments Co., Ltd.) under atmospheric pressure was used, and a region having a processing area of about 3 mm was irradiated with plasma. During plasma irradiation, a gas having argon (Ar) gas as the main gas is introduced into the correction device, and plasma irradiation is performed on the substrate to be inspected that is transported horizontally in an atmosphere having argon (Ar) gas as the main gas. Went. At that time, by adding a fluorine-based gas (CF ₄ gas) into the main gas, a fluoride thin film was formed on the surface of the region to be corrected of the substrate to be inspected to impart ink repellency. Note that the fluorine-based gas may be a fluorine-based gas such as CHF ₃ , SF ₆ , NF ₆ , and C ₂ F ₄ in addition to CF ₄ .

In this embodiment, the flow rate of the main gas (in this embodiment, argon (Ar) gas) introduced during plasma irradiation is about 1 to 100 L / min, and the substrate transfer speed is about 1.0 to 10.0 m / min. The separation distance between the plasma electrode and the substrate was appropriately set in the range of about 1 to 10 mm. In this example, the ratio of the main gas to the fluorine-based gas (CF ₄ / Ar) was 0.05%.

  Next, the defect repairing apparatus for carrying out this repairing method has a laser irradiation means, and the surface of the fluoride thin film is irradiated by irradiating the defect portion of the alignment control projection subjected to the plasma treatment with the YAG laser beam 15A. Was removed (FIG. 2 (c)). Thereby, the hydrophilic surface was exposed at the site irradiated with the YAG laser beam 15A. In addition, even when there is a foreign substance at the defect portion, it can be removed by irradiating with YAG laser light 15A.

  To make the defect portion where the alignment control protrusions should be formed hydrophilic and leave the fluoride thin film around the defect portion to make it ink-repellent, as will be described later, in order to form a pattern in the defect portion, This is because when the re-forming ink is applied, the re-forming ink is prevented from overflowing beyond the defective part (corrected part) to the periphery of the defective part. As a result, it is possible to prevent the re-forming ink from adhering to other parts and generating new defects. On the other hand, by making the defect site hydrophilic, the adhesion of the re-forming ink can be improved, and peeling of the re-formed pattern from the base can be prevented.

In this embodiment, the YAG laser 15A uses a laser beam having a fourth harmonic and a wavelength of 266 nm. The irradiation energy is preferably set in advance by irradiating a fluoride film or foreign matter with a laser beam to specify a preferable range. In this embodiment, the laser beam has an energy of 50 mJ / cm ² , a shot count of 10, a lap rate. The condition was 20 Hz.

  In this embodiment, the fourth harmonic of the YAG laser is used to remove the fluoride thin film. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fifth harmonic of the YAG laser, excimer laser, femtosecond laser, etc. Any substrate may be selected and used as long as it does not affect the underlying layer on which the thin film is formed or the underlying pattern.

  Further, in Embodiment 1, the fluoride thin film at the corrected portion is removed by laser light irradiation. However, the fluoride thin film may be removed by removal with a micro knife or a metal probe of a micromanipulator.

  Next, re-forming ink 16 for re-forming the alignment control protrusion is dropped and applied to the exposed defect portion 4 ′ of the alignment control protrusion with an application needle, and then the IR spot heater is applied with a voltage of 4. Irradiation was performed at 5 V for 120 seconds, and the dripped ink was preliminarily dried (FIG. 2D). In addition to the application needle, the application method can be selected appropriately from a metal probe system such as a microdispenser, an ink jet, or a manipulator.

The composition of the reforming ink was such that the polyfunctional monomer was 35 wt%, the monofunctional monomer was 40 wt%, the solvent was 20 wt%, the dispersion stabilizing additive was 3 wt%, and the polymerization initiator was 2 wt%. The composition is not limited to the above composition, and the range is from 30 to 50 wt% polyfunctional monomer, 20 to 40 wt% monofunctional monomer, 10 to 30 wt% solvent, 1 to 5 wt% dispersion stabilizing additive, and 0 to 5 w% polymerization initiator It can be adjusted with. The presence or absence of the polymerization initiator depends on whether curing with ultraviolet rays or thermal curing is performed after coating.
Moreover, the resin composition used for forming the alignment control protrusion and the photospacer can also be used as the re-forming ink.

Next, the pre-dried re-forming ink 16 was cured and dried by using a UV spot light source so as to obtain an integrated light amount of 1500 mJ / cm ² . In curing by drying, not only UV irradiation but also a halogen spot heater or a warm air heater can be used.

Next, when the outer shape of the cured re-forming ink 16 is different from the shape that should be originally (for example, the shape of the desired orientation control protrusion), the excess portion is removed and the shape is formed into the desired shape. (Hereinafter, the process of removing the excess part and shaping it into the desired shape,
Marked as trimming). Also in this case, trimming was performed using the laser beam 15B having a wavelength of 266 nm, which is the fourth harmonic of the YAG laser. In this embodiment, the laser beam 15B for trimming was set to have an energy of 20 mJ / cm ² , a shot count of 500, and a lap rate of 60 Hz. Under this condition, about 1.5 μm of the re-forming ink film was removed.

In this embodiment, after this trimming, finer trimming (final trimming) was performed. The final trimming was performed under the conditions of an energy of 50 mJ / cm ² , a shot number of 10 and a lap rate of 20 Hz by irradiation with a laser beam having a wavelength of 266 nm, which is the fourth harmonic of the YAG laser. Thus, the re-formed alignment control projection 4B was formed, and the defective portion of the alignment control projection could be repaired (FIG. 2E).

  In addition, the fourth harmonic of the YAG laser was used for trimming, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the fifth harmonic of the YAG laser, the excimer laser, the femtosecond laser, etc. Alternatively, as long as it does not affect the lower pattern, it may be appropriately selected and used.

  In the second embodiment, a portion that has dropped (deleted) from the substrate is a photo spacer, and a pattern to be re-formed is a photo spacer (FIG. 3A). In FIG. 3A, the normally formed photo spacer 3 is indicated by a solid line, and the defective portion 3 'of the photo spacer is indicated by a dotted line. That is, the deficient portion 3 ′ indicates the shape that the photo spacer that has dropped from the substrate should have. Moreover, the transparent electrode layer which coat | covers the black matrix 2 and the colored layers 5, 6, and 7 is abbreviate | omitting illustration in FIG.

  The correction method of the second embodiment is slightly different from the method for re-forming the alignment control protrusion described in the first embodiment, and will be described below.

  First, the base protective layer 12 is formed by applying a mixture of a resin and a solvent to a part including the defect part 3 ′ and the periphery of the defect part 3 ′ (FIG. 3B). The thickness of the protective layer is set slightly greater than the desired height of the photo spacer. In Example 2, the base protective layer 12 was formed by coating with a coating needle using a topcoat material (TCX series, manufactured by JSR). In addition to the coating needle, a metal probe for a microdispenser, an inkjet, and a manipulator Application may be performed by appropriately selecting application means such as a method, and the mixture to be applied may use other materials as appropriate.

    Next, the base protective layer 12 and its periphery are irradiated with plasma to modify the surface state of the irradiated surface to ink repellency (FIG. 3C). In addition, the cylindrical thing shown in FIG.3 (c) shows the plasma electrode which comprises a plasma generator and generate | occur | produces a plasma, and plasma irradiation method and conditions for providing ink repellency were mentioned above. Same as Example 1.

  Next, the YAG laser 15A light was irradiated to the site | part which should form the photo spacer of the base protective layer 12 which performed the plasma processing. At the site irradiated with the laser beam 15A, the fluoride film on the surface is removed, and at the same time, the base protective layer at the site irradiated with the laser beam 15A is removed and reaches the base on which the base protective layer is formed. A hole 13 that exposes was formed in the base protective layer (FIG. 3D). In addition, even when there is a foreign substance in the part, it can be removed by irradiating the YAG laser beam 15A.

For laser irradiation for perforation, laser light having a wavelength of 266 nm, which is the fourth harmonic of a YAG laser, was used. The setting of the irradiation energy was performed under the conditions of an energy of 50 mJ / cm ² , a shot count of 10 and a lap rate of 20 Hz. In this example, the fourth harmonic of the YAG laser was used to remove the fluoride thin film and perforate the base protective layer. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fifth harmonic of the YAG laser, Any substrate such as an excimer laser or a femtosecond laser may be selected and used as long as it does not affect the underlying layer on which the underlying protective layer is formed or the underlying pattern.

  Next, the hole 13 was filled with the reforming ink 14 (FIG. 3E). The method for filling the hole 13 with the re-forming ink 14 is to apply and re-fill the re-forming ink 14 with a metal probe method of an application needle, a micro-dispenser, an inkjet, or a manipulator. The filling ink is filled with the re-forming ink 14 so as to reach the base on which the base protective layer is formed and to come into contact with the base. Further, the filling of the hole 13 may be performed until the height of a re-formed photo spacer to be described later becomes a desired height, but considering that the trimming is scraped off. The hole 13 may be completely filled. The composition of the reforming ink 14 was such that the polyfunctional monomer was 35 wt%, the monofunctional monomer was 40 wt%, the solvent was 20 wt%, the dispersion stabilizing additive was 3 wt%, and the polymerization initiator was 2 wt%. The composition is not limited to the above composition, and the range is from 30 to 50 wt% polyfunctional monomer, 20 to 40 wt% monofunctional monomer, 10 to 30 wt% solvent, 1 to 5 wt% dispersion stabilizing additive, and 0 to 5 w% polymerization initiator It can be adjusted with. The presence or absence of the polymerization initiator depends on whether curing with ultraviolet rays or thermal curing is performed after coating.

Next, the re-forming ink 14 applied and filled in the hole 13 was cured and dried by using a UV spot light source so as to obtain an integrated light amount of 1500 mJ / cm ² . The curing by drying is not limited to UV irradiation, but can be thermocured using a halogen spot heater or a warm air heater.

  Next, the solution was applied to the base protective layer using a microdispenser to dissolve the base protective layer. Thereafter, the solution 22 was removed by suction with the manipulator 21 (FIG. 3 (f)). The solution may be appropriately selected as long as it dissolves the base protective layer and does not dissolve the re-forming ink 14 filled in the holes 13. The solution may be applied to the base protective layer by an ink jet method. That is, when a coating needle or the like is used, the needle contacts the base protective layer and damages the protective layer. Therefore, it can be said that a microdispenser method or an ink jet method that can perform coating without contact with the protective layer is preferable. Further, the removal of the base protective layer leaving the re-forming ink 14 may be performed by removing only the base protective layer by laser light irradiation, and the method for removing the base protective layer may be selected as appropriate.

  As described above, by dissolving and removing the base protective layer, the re-forming ink 14 filled in the hole 13 remains on the substrate. The remaining re-forming ink 14 becomes a re-formed photo spacer having a temporary shape.

  That is, by applying plasma to the base protective layer 12 and its surroundings and modifying the surface state of the irradiated surface to ink repellency, when the hole 13 is filled with the re-forming ink 14, The re-forming ink is prevented from overflowing around the periphery or the periphery of the base protective layer. As a result, it is possible to prevent the re-forming ink from adhering to other parts and generating new defects. Further, the hole 13 formed in the base protective layer has a role of a mother die for making a re-formed pattern of the re-forming ink 14 filled in the hole 13. In Example 2, removal of the base protective layer at the corrected portion was performed by laser beam irradiation to form the hole 13. However, as a means for removing the base protective layer and forming the hole, a microknife of a micromanipulator is used. Or you may have a metal probe.

When the re-forming ink 14 remaining on the substrate has a desired shape, the correction is completed. However, if the re-forming ink 14 remaining on the substrate does not have the desired shape, it is necessary to remove the excess portion and to mold (trim) the outer shape of the re-formed photo spacer to the original shape. is there. Also in this case, the laser beam 15B having a wavelength of 266 nm, which is the fourth harmonic of the YAG laser, was used. Laser light irradiation was performed under conditions of an energy of 20 mJ / cm ² , a shot count of 500, and a lap rate of 60 Hz. Under this condition, the re-forming ink film constituting the re-forming photospacer was removed by about 1.5 μm. Next, in the second embodiment, finer trimming (final trimming) is performed. In the final trimming, a laser beam having a wavelength of 266 nm, which is the fourth harmonic of the YAG laser, is used. The measurement was performed under the conditions of 50 mJ / cm ² , 10 shots, and a lap rate of 20 Hz. As a result, it was possible to obtain a re-formed photo spacer 3B having a desired shape (FIG. 3G), and to repair the defective portion of the photo spacer. It was. In this embodiment, the fourth harmonic of the YAG laser is used for trimming the re-forming ink 14. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the fifth harmonic of the YAG laser, an excimer laser, a femtosecond laser is used. As long as it does not affect the base on which the re-forming ink 14 is formed, or the lower pattern, it may be appropriately selected and used.

  As described above, the embodiment of the present invention has been described. However, the defect portion of the photo spacer may be repaired (corrected) by the method of Embodiment 1, and the defect of the alignment control protrusion may be corrected by the method of Embodiment 2. Needless to say, the part may be repaired (corrected). Further, the repair (correction) of the photo spacer and the correction (repair) of the alignment control protrusion may be performed at the same time. Further, in this embodiment, correction is described when the photo spacer and the alignment control protrusion are dropped, but even in a partial defect portion of the pattern (for example, disconnection of the alignment control protrusion in a planar view), By using the correction method of the present invention, the defect can be repaired (corrected). In addition, trimming using a laser beam for obtaining a desired shape may be completed once, or may be performed in multiple steps by changing the irradiation condition of the laser beam.

1: Color filter substrate 2: Black matrix 3: Photo spacer 3 B: Reformed photo spacer 3 ′: Photo spacer deficient portion 4: Orientation control protrusion 4 B: Reformed orientation control protrusion 4 ′: For orientation control Protrusion defect part 5: Red colored layer 6: Green colored layer 7: Blue colored layer 11: Plasma irradiation 12: Base protective layer 13: Hole 14: Filled re-forming ink 15A: Laser beam 15B: Laser beam 16: Reforming ink 20: Substrate 21: Manipulator 22: Solution

Claims (9)

  A method for correcting a color filter substrate in which at least a black matrix, a colored pixel, a transparent conductive film, a photo spacer, and an alignment control protrusion are formed on a glass substrate, wherein the photo spacer or the alignment control protrusion has a defective portion. In this case, the defective portion is repaired by applying a re-forming ink to the defective portion and curing it.   By applying surface modification to the area including the correction target area in advance by plasma irradiation, the ink repellency is imparted, and then the ink repellency of the correction target area is eliminated, and then the correction target position is re-formed. The method for correcting a color filter substrate according to claim 1, wherein ink is applied.   2. The base protective layer is formed in a region including the correction target portion in advance, and thereafter, the base protective layer at the correction target portion is removed, and the re-forming ink is applied to the removed portion. Method for correcting color filter substrate.   4. The method for correcting a color filter substrate according to claim 3, wherein the base protective layer formed in advance in the region including the location to be corrected is applied by an application needle, a micro dispenser, or an ink jet.   The method for correcting a color filter substrate according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the ink repellency at the correction target portion is eliminated or the base protective layer at the correction target portion is removed by laser light irradiation. .   4. The color filter according to claim 2, wherein the ink repellency at the location to be corrected is eliminated or the base protective layer at the location to be corrected is removed by a microknife or a metal probe of a micromanipulator. How to fix the board.   The method for correcting a color filter substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the re-forming ink is applied by an application needle, a dispenser, or an inkjet.   8. The trimming of the re-forming ink is performed by irradiating a laser beam so that the coated and cured re-forming ink has a desired shape. The correction method of the color filter board | substrate of description.   4. The method for correcting a color filter substrate according to claim 3, wherein the base protective layer is removed after the re-forming ink is applied and cured.

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