JP2013092803A - Electronic paper display element and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an electric paper display element in which degree of freedom about arrangement of a display unit can be improved by selectively forming partition walls only at parts to fix the display unit, and to provide a method for manufacturing the electric paper display element.SOLUTION: A method for manufacturing an electric paper display element comprises the steps of: forming a plurality of convex patterns 32, which are formed so as to be independent and separated from one another, on a lower substrate 20; disposing a display unit between the convex patterns 32; and attaching an upper substrate 70 on an upper part of the convex patterns 32 so that the display unit is covered.

Description

  The present invention relates to an electronic paper display element and a method for manufacturing the same.

  In recent years, in order to cope with the information age of a new paradigm, large-scale conversion in information transmission and sharing methods is required. In order to meet this demand, the technical development of electronic paper, which is a flexible display and can be bent, has been accelerated, and the electronic paper technical development has entered the commercial development stage.

  Electronic paper is much cheaper to produce than existing flat display panels and does not require background lighting or continuous recharging like a static screen, so it can be driven with very little energy and is extremely energy efficient. high. Furthermore, electronic paper is very clear, has a wide viewing angle, and has a memory function that does not erase characters completely even when the power is turned off.

  Because of these excellent advantages, electronic paper has an electronic book with a paper side and a moving illustration side, a self-updating newspaper, a reusable paper display for mobile phones, a disposable TV screen, and an electronic wallpaper. It can be applied to a vast field and has a huge potential market.

  Examples of methods for realizing electronic paper include a method using liquid crystal, organic EL, reflective film reflective display, electrophoresis, twist ball, electrochromic method, and mechanical reflective display.

  Among these, the electrophoresis method and the twist ball method have a structure in which the display unit is arranged between the upper and lower substrates, and the uniform arrangement of the display unit is an important factor that determines the quality of the displayed screen. It becomes. For this reason, various researches are being conducted on techniques for arranging display units uniformly and easily.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the problems of the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic paper display element capable of uniformly arranging a display unit by improving the degree of freedom of arrangement of display units and a method for manufacturing the same. To do.

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, forming a plurality of convex patterns spaced apart from each other on the lower substrate, and disposing a display unit between the plurality of convex patterns, A method of manufacturing an electronic paper display element, comprising: attaching an upper substrate to an upper part of a convex pattern so as to cover a display unit.

  As the display unit, a capsule containing (+) charged particles and (−) charged particles dispersed in a fluid fluid may be used. At this time, the height of the convex pattern may be lower than the height of the capsule. Good. Of the (+) charged particles and (−) charged particles, one can be black particles made of carbon black, and the other can be white particles made of titanium oxide.

  On the other hand, a rotating body having optical and electrical anisotropy can be used as the display unit.

  The step of forming the convex pattern can be performed by a step of laminating a resin layer on the upper surface of the lower substrate and a step of pressure-bonding a stamp formed with a concave pattern corresponding to the convex pattern on the resin layer. The cross section of the convex pattern may be any one of a cross shape, a Y shape, a square shape, and a circular shape.

  The convex pattern is made of any one material selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethersulfone (PES), polyimide, epoxy, urethane, and polyester. be able to.

  According to another embodiment of the present invention, the lower substrate, the plurality of convex patterns formed on the lower substrate so as to be separated from each other, and the convex patterns are separated from each other. An electronic paper display element is provided that includes a display unit that is disposed and an upper substrate that is stacked on top of a convex pattern to cover the display unit.

  As the display unit, a capsule including (+) charged particles and (−) charged particles dispersed in a fluid fluid may be used, and one of (+) charged particles and (−) charged particles is Black particles made of carbon black and the other one can be white particles made of titanium oxide. As the display unit, a rotating body having optical and electrical anisotropy can be used.

  The cross section of the convex pattern may be any one of a cross shape, a Y shape, a quadrangular shape, and a circular shape, and the convex pattern may be polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), It can be made of any one material selected from the group consisting of polyethersulfone (PES), polyimide, epoxy, urethane, and polyester.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to improve the degree of freedom of arrangement of the display units by selectively forming the partition only in the portion where the display unit is to be fixed.

It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the electronic paper display element by one Example of this invention. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the electronic paper display element by one Example of this invention. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the electronic paper display element by one Example of this invention. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the electronic paper display element by one Example of this invention. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the electronic paper display element by one Example of this invention. It is process drawing which shows the manufacturing method of the electronic paper display element by one Example of this invention. 6 is a view showing a convex pattern of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a view showing a convex pattern of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a view showing a convex pattern of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a view showing a convex pattern of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a view showing a convex pattern of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a view showing a convex pattern of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a view showing a convex pattern of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a view showing a convex pattern of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. 6 is a view showing a convex pattern of an electronic paper display device according to another embodiment of the present invention. It is a perspective view which shows a spherical display unit. It is a perspective view which shows a column-shaped display unit. It is sectional drawing which shows the electronic paper display element by which a spherical display unit is arrange | positioned.

  Since the present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail herein. However, this is not to be construed as limiting the invention to the specific embodiments, but is to be understood as including all transformations, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention. In describing the present invention, when it is determined that the specific description of the known technology is not clear, the detailed description thereof will be omitted.

  Terms such as “first” and “second” are used to describe various components, and the above components are not limited by these terms. The above terms are only used to distinguish one component from another.

  The terms used in the present application are merely used to describe particular embodiments, and are not intended to limit the present invention. A singular expression includes the plural expression unless it is explicitly expressed in a sentence. In this application, terms such as “comprising” or “having” specify the presence of a feature, number, step, action, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and It should be understood that the existence or additional possibilities of one or more other features or numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof are not excluded in advance.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of an electronic paper display device and a method for manufacturing the same according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the same or corresponding components will be denoted by the same drawing numbers when described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the overlapping explanation for this will be omitted.

  1 to 6 are process diagrams illustrating a method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 7 to 15 are drawings illustrating various preferred embodiments of the present invention.

  1 to 15, a stamp 10, a concave pattern 12, a lower substrate 20, a resin layer 30, convex patterns 32, 33, 34, 36, 37, a capsule 40, and an upper substrate 70 are shown.

  The present embodiment includes a step of forming a plurality of convex patterns that are spaced apart from each other on the lower substrate, a step of disposing the display unit between the plurality of convex patterns, and a cover for the display unit. A method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device comprising a step of attaching an upper substrate to an upper part of a convex pattern, and forming a partition only in a portion where the display unit is to be fixed, Is easy and the partition can be easily manufactured.

  Hereinafter, a method for manufacturing an electronic paper display device will be described with reference to FIGS.

  First, as shown in FIG. 1, a stamp 10 having a concave pattern 12 is provided. At this time, the stamp 10 on which the concave pattern 12 is formed may be SAM (self-assembled monolayer) coated. This is because, when a SAM coating layer (not shown) is formed on the concave pattern 12, the resin layer 30 and the stamp 10 can be easily separated after the concave pattern 12 of the stamp 10 is pressure-bonded to the resin layer 30. .

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, a resin layer 30 is laminated on the lower substrate 20, and as shown in FIG. 3, the stamp 10 on which the concave pattern 12 is formed is pressure-bonded to the resin layer 30. As shown, the stamp 10 is removed to form a convex pattern 32 corresponding to the concave pattern 12. At this time, the convex patterns 32 formed on the lower substrate 20 are spaced apart from each other and formed into independent structures.

  On the other hand, a thermosetting epoxy material can be used as the resin layer 30. In this case, in order to form the convex pattern 32 more efficiently, the imprint method can be binarized.

  Specifically, after the thermocompression bonding of the stamp 10 and the resin layer 30 for 30 minutes within a temperature range in which the viscosity of the resin layer 30 is minimum (for example, about 100 ° C.), the resin layer 30 is cured while maintaining the pressure-bonded state. The resin layer 30 is cured by raising the temperature to a temperature range (for example, about 180 ° C.). Thereafter, the stamp 10 and the resin layer 30 may be separated.

  When such a method is used, the concave pattern 12 formed on the stamp 10 can be transferred to the resin layer 30 more efficiently, and the shape of the pattern transferred to the resin layer 30 can be changed during or after the separation. Can be maintained efficiently.

  On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the imprint method using the stamp 10 is presented as a method of forming the partition wall, that is, the convex pattern 32, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and various methods such as dry or wet etching are used. A method can also be used.

  The lower substrate 20 and the upper substrate 70 to be described later are configured by electrodes formed by coating ITO (Indium-Tin-Oxide) or a transparent electrode made of a conductive polymer on a transparent substrate such as glass or plastic. Therefore, it is possible to easily attract the charged particles by applying a voltage to the electrodes formed on the transparent substrate.

  The convex pattern 32 can be manufactured from a flexible material using polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethersulfone (PES), and a polyimide film. In addition, the convex pattern 32 can be made of any one material selected from the group consisting of epoxy, urethane, and polyester.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of display units are respectively arranged between the convex patterns 32. The display unit is a space defined by the convex patterns 32 that are spaced apart from each other, that is, a unit that is arranged in a cell and exhibits black, white, or other colors. The capsule 40 is presented as a display unit.

  The capsule 40 includes ink particles of a specific color having a (+) charge or a (−) charge, other color ink particles having an opposite charge, and a transparent dielectric fluid. That is, the capsule 40 includes at least one type of particles dispersed in the fluid fluid.

  For example, when the (+) charged particles are black particles made of carbon black, the (−) charged particles can be white particles made of titanium oxide, and the (+) charged particles are white particles made of titanium oxide. The (−) charged particles can be black particles made of carbon black.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the height of the capsule 40 is larger than the height of the convex pattern 32, the capsule 40 is formed so as to protrude from the convex pattern 32, and the capsule 40 has fluidity such as oil therein. Since it contains fluid, it has a shape that is pressed inside the cells 31 between the convex patterns 32 over time, and such a shape is maintained by laminating the upper substrate 70 later. The

  As described above, FIGS. 5 and 6 show an example in which one capsule 40 is arranged in one cell. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is obvious that a plurality of capsules 40 can be arranged in one cell. is there.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 6, the upper substrate 70 is attached to the convex pattern 32 and the capsule 40 so that the capsule 40 fills the space inside the cell.

  As described above, in the method of manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention, the convex pattern 32 into which the display unit is injected is formed by a method such as an imprint method, so that a space between cells is partitioned in advance. The distance between the display units can be adjusted, and the amount of display units arranged can be made uniform.

  On the other hand, in an electronic paper display element, it is important to increase the filling rate of capsules and an efficient manufacturing method of partition walls. For this purpose, the present invention will be described with reference to various embodiments related to the partition of the electronic paper display element.

  7 to 15 are views illustrating barrier ribs of an electronic paper display device according to various embodiments of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, the convex pattern 33 does not completely surround the capsule 40 and is located only at the four corners of the capsule 40. That is, the minimum fixing portion that can prevent the capsules 40 from contacting each other can be realized by the partition wall 33 having a cross-shaped cross section.

  According to such an embodiment, the partition wall is not surrounded by four sides as in the prior art, but the capsule 40 is fixed by forming the partition wall 33 only at the portion where the capsule 40 is to be fixed. The arrangement of 40 can be made easier. In addition, since the partition walls do not surround the four sides of the capsule 40, the partition walls that partition the capsule 40 can be minimized, and the image quality of the electronic paper display element can be improved.

  Furthermore, since the partition is not a structure surrounding the four sides but a cross-shaped structure separated from each other, the stamp can be easily released when the convex pattern 33 is manufactured by the imprint method.

  In the embodiments relating to the partition walls of various electronic paper display elements to be described later, only the shape is different, and the effects that can be realized are the same.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the convex pattern 34 having a circular cross section is formed only at the four corners of the capsule 40 without completely surrounding the capsule 40.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the capsule 40 has a hexagonal shape, and the partition wall 34 having a circular cross section only at each corner, that is, a convex pattern is formed.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 10, the capsule 40 has a hexagonal shape, and a partition wall 36 having a Y-shaped cross section is formed only at each corner to serve to fix the capsule 40. In the present embodiment, the shape of the fixed capsule 40 is a honeycomb shape, and the filling rate of the capsule 40 can be maximized.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 11, an example in which two or more types of partition walls for fixing the capsule 40 are applied instead of one type is presented. In the present embodiment, an electronic paper display element formed by a partition wall 33 having a cross-shaped cross section and a partition wall 37 having a quadrangular shape is taken as an example. That is, as shown in FIG. 11, a cross-shaped convex pattern 33 is positioned at the corner of the quadrangular capsule 40, and a convex pattern 37 having a quadrangular cross section between opposing sides of adjacent capsules. Has a structure. In the present embodiment, the convex pattern 37 having a square cross section is presented in addition to the cross-shaped convex pattern 33. However, as shown in FIG. 9, it is needless to say that the convex pattern 34 having a circular cross section can be applied. It is.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of circular partition walls 34 are formed at corners and sides of a square capsule so as to be separated from each other, and the capsule 40 is fixed.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, unlike the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a plurality of circular partition walls 34 are formed on the sides excluding the corners so as to be separated from each other, and the capsule 40 is fixed. To do.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 14, similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, a plurality of circular partition walls 34 are formed so as to be separated from each other only at the side portions excluding the corner portions of the hexagonal capsule 40. Then, the capsule 40 is fixed.

  On the other hand, FIG. 15 shows a cross section of the partition wall. As shown in FIG. 15, the convex pattern 32 formed on the lower substrate 20 may be inclined instead of perpendicular to increase the filling rate of the capsules 40.

  Further, when the convex pattern 32 is manufactured by the imprint method using the stamp 10, the width between the cells can be made constant, so that the driving voltage between the cells can be dispersed, and the electric field gradient in the cells. It is possible to form an electronic paper that can realize an optimized response speed by minimizing.

  In addition, since the method for manufacturing an electronic paper display device according to an embodiment of the present invention can inject an accurate amount of capsules 40 for each cell, it prevents unevenness and spots on the screen when driving electronic paper. Image quality can be improved.

  As described above, various embodiments shown in FIGS. 7 to 15 have been presented. However, these are merely examples, and it is a matter of course that many structures obtained by combining the structures presented in the above embodiments can be applied. .

  In the above, the capsule 40 including the specific color ink fine particles having the (+) charge or the (−) charge, the other color ink fine particles having the opposite charge, and the transparent dielectric fluid is presented as the display unit. The present invention is not limited to this, and as shown in FIGS. 16 and 17, rotating bodies 40a and 40b having optical and electrical anisotropy can be used as a display unit.

  The rotating bodies 40a and 40b used as the display unit are charged with (+) charge in the half, and charged with (−) charge in the other half, so that the color changes by rotation, black or white, or Materials exhibiting other colors may be mixed. Such rotators 40a and 40b rotate according to the polarity of an electric field applied from the outside, and thereby an image such as black and white or other colors is displayed. Further, the surface may be coated with a fluid so that the rotation can be easily performed.

  FIG. 16 shows a spherical rotating body (twist ball) 40a in which the upper part 40a-1 is black and the lower part 40a-2 is white, and in FIG. 17, the upper part 40b-1 is black. In the lower part 40b-2, a cylindrical rotating body 40b having a white color is shown. However, the shape of the rotating body is not limited to this, and any shape can be used as long as the color changes by rotation.

  FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic paper display element on which a rotating body 40a which is a spherical display unit is arranged. When the spherical rotating body 40a or the columnar rotating body 40b is used as the display unit instead of the capsule 40, the height of the convex pattern 32 is set to the display unit 40a, It should be the same or larger than the height of 40b.

  As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated using embodiment, the technical scope of this invention is not limited to the range as described in the said embodiment. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications or improvements can be added to the above-described embodiment. It is apparent from the scope of the claims that the embodiments added with such changes or improvements can be included in the technical scope of the present invention.

  The execution order of each process such as operation, procedure, step, and process in the apparatus and method shown in the claims, specification, and drawings is clearly indicated as “before”, “prior”, etc. It should be noted that, unless the output of the previous process is used in the subsequent process, it can be realized in any order. Regarding the operation flow in the claims, the description, and the drawings, even if it is described using “first”, “next”, etc. for the sake of convenience, it means that it is essential to carry out in this order. It is not a thing.

10 Stamp 12 Concave Pattern 20 Lower Substrate 30 Resin Layers 32, 33, 34, 36, 37 Convex Pattern 40 Capsule 40a, 40b Rotating Body 70 Upper Substrate

Claims (12)

Forming a plurality of convex patterns spaced apart from each other on the lower substrate; and
Disposing a display unit between the plurality of convex patterns;
Adhering an upper substrate on top of the plurality of convex patterns so as to cover the display unit,
The display unit is a capsule comprising (+) charged particles and (−) charged particles dispersed in a fluid fluid;
The method for manufacturing an electronic paper display element, wherein the plurality of convex patterns are positioned so as to partially surround the display unit.   The method for manufacturing an electronic paper display element according to claim 1, wherein a height of the plurality of convex patterns is lower than a height of the capsule.   2. The (+) charged particle and the (−) charged particle, wherein one is a black particle made of carbon black and the other is a white particle made of titanium oxide. The manufacturing method of the electronic paper display element of 2. Forming the plurality of convex patterns,
Laminating a resin layer on the upper surface of the lower substrate;
The electronic paper display according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a step of pressure-bonding a stamp in which concave patterns corresponding to the plurality of convex patterns are formed on the resin layer. Device manufacturing method.   4. The cross-sectional shape of each of the plurality of convex patterns is any one of a cross shape, a Y shape, a square shape, and a circular shape. 5. The manufacturing method of the electronic paper display element of description.   The method for manufacturing an electronic paper display element according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of convex patterns are arranged on at least one of a corner portion and a side portion of the capsule.   The plurality of convex patterns are any one selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethersulfone (PES), polyimide, epoxy, urethane, and polyester. 4. The method of manufacturing an electronic paper display element according to claim 1, wherein the electronic paper display element is made of a material. A lower substrate,
A plurality of convex patterns formed to be separated from each other on the lower substrate;
Display units respectively disposed to be spaced apart from each other between the plurality of convex patterns;
An upper substrate stacked on top of the plurality of convex patterns so as to cover the display unit,
The display unit is a capsule comprising (+) charged particles and (−) charged particles dispersed in a fluid fluid;
The electronic paper display element, wherein the plurality of convex patterns are positioned so as to partially surround the display unit.   9. The (+) charged particle and the (-) charged particle, wherein one is a black particle made of carbon black and the other is a white particle made of titanium oxide. The electronic paper display element as described.   10. The electronic paper display element according to claim 8, wherein a cross section of the plurality of convex patterns is any one of a cross shape, a Y shape, a quadrangular shape, and a circular shape.   The electronic paper display element according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of convex patterns are arranged on at least one of a corner and a side of the capsule.   The plurality of convex patterns are any one selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethersulfone (PES), polyimide, epoxy, urethane, and polyester. The electronic paper display element according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the electronic paper display element is made of a material.

Images